#multi-chapter fic

[shu-box-puns]

You wanna be one of them (Tsu’tey x Reader)

Act 1  -->  Next Chapter

Word Count: 6588

Summary: Avatar!Driver!Reader passes their Iknimaya and encounters Jake Sully.

Reader uses they/them pronouns.

You can also read it here! 

NOTE: The arrows indicate when someone is speaking in na’vi. For example, <”Fuck you.”>

Flying was the best thing you’d ever experienced.

The weightlessness of your body. The quiet hum of your ikran’s consciousness in the background of your mind. The endless thrill of being so high in the air that one slip would have you plummeting to your death. But somehow knowing your mount would never allow it. In minutes of being airborne, the bond had strengthened into something unbreakable.

The joy it filled you with was indescribable.

Head tilted towards the sun, you could feel your cheeks aching from how hard you were smiling. Arms spread wide, you trusted your thighs to keep you in place as you threw your head back and let loose a victorious whoop.

Your ikran returned the call, shrieking his happiness to his brothers and sisters, who were eager to return his cry.

Around you, the other young hunters echoed the sentiment, performing barrel rolls and dangerous dives upon their own newly tamed ikran. You watched them with a sense of pride, glad that none of your group had failed their rite.

<”You ride better than you climb.”> Tsu’tey hollered from your left, snapping you out of your euphoric state. He was astride his own mount, looking relaxed in the saddle with a taunting look in his eye.

You grinned, flashing your fangs as you replied, <”I was born to do this.”>

He quirked an eyebrow, making a show of looking at your poor posture and incorrect hand placement upon your ikran’s antenna. <”Prove it.”> He challenged, before clicking to his ikran and taking off at speed. You laughed, yelling insults at his back as your own mount subconsciously prepared to follow.

You patted his neck, encouraging him to show his greatest speed. The ikran let loose a terrifying sound before shooting off after Tsu’tey, almost throwing you from his back in his eagerness.

Sitting up properly, you leaned over your ikran’s neck so your thighs supported most of your weight, tilting side to side with every bank of your ikran on the air currents. It seemed effortless on your mount’s part as you caught up to Tsu’tey’s ikran, soaring up and over him, only to continue on. You grinned, spinning in the saddle to jeer at him.

His normally serious facade had melted into the wind, leaving his face open and bright as he laughed at your antics.

Mentally, you told your ikran to bank, to which the beast easily obliged, tipping itself to the left as your leaned right to stay on. Tsu’tey followed your flight path, your ikran slowing its rapid pace to allow the warrior to catch up. Together, you dipped close to the side of one of the floating mountains, the spray of the waterfall dotting your skin as you sped past at breakneck speeds. The wind was sharp against your damp skin, as you swerved again in the air, feeling the air currents catch on your ikran’s wings, the powerful body beneath you coiling as you gained height.

This was far better than riding in the passenger seat of Trudy’s helicopter.

Far below, the ikran nest writhed with the countless colourful bodies, the beast starting to settle in for the night now that the hunters had claimed their partners.

<”We must start heading home.”> Tsu’tey yelled over the sound of the wind, to which you nodded, following his lead as he peeled away from the mountains and steering in the direction of home. Your ikran instinctively fell into place on his right, pulling back so the updraft created by the larger ikran would aid his flight back home.

As the mountains gave way to sprawling forest below, Tsu’tey hollered to the young hunters still messing around amongst the floating rocks. Returned calls sounded shortly after as the colourful beasts fell into formation either side of Tsu’tey, forming a neat ‘v’.

As the trees and rocky valleys of Pandora sped past below, the sun slid further and further behind the moon, allowing the bioluminescence of the jungle to flicker into life. Overhead, stars became visible against the growing inky blackness of the sky, a large portion of which was already taken up by the closest sister moon to Pandora.

Flying at night was somehow more beautiful than soaring around the Hallelujah Mountains.

The glowing constellations of your ikrans freckles rivalled the stars, you privately concluded as HomeTree loomed in the distance and Tsu’tey gave the order to begin climbing. The leisurely pace of your ikran’s wingbeats gradually began to increase in speed as the beast worked harder to gain altitude, pulling the air down in powerful strokes before striking up again for another wingbeat.

With controlled speed, the party soared into the branches of HomeTree and found suitable places to land and dismount. Sliding down from the back of your ikran, you stoked down the purring beast’s side as you walked around to his face. He was truly a gorgeous beast, stunning as he had been fierce when fighting him in the nesting grounds.

<”Well done today.”> Tsu’tey congratulated the group, calling the attention of all the young hunters to him. He easily commanded the attention of all those assembled, standing proud with the soft glow of his freckles to accent his form.

From the spiral staircase at his back emerged Eytukan and Mo’at, looking equally proud as their eyes trailed over the assembled hunters, grins growing brighter when they realised that everyone was accounted for.

Mo’at was the first to step forward, her arms raising dramatically as if addressing the heavens instead of her People. <”You are now adults in the eyes of Eywa.”> She declared, her face was the picture of joy. <”May the Great Mother smile upon you this day of your second birth. And may her kind hands guide you on this day and forever more.”>

As the hunters mumbled their thanks, Eytukan stepped up to her side, his chin raised. <”You will spend the following months crafting your bow from HomeTree. And are free to take a mate. But first, your celebration awaits.”> He bowed to the hunters, looking much like the proud father he was.

Hunters returned the gesture, clapping each other on the back, before focusing on their mounts. Vaguely, you registered Mo’at and Eytukan moving throughout the small crowd, congratulating everyone individually on their successful rite.

Unexpectedly, your mount nuzzled his face into your shoulder, sensing your underlying anxiety through the bond. With soothing hands to his snout, you quickly disconnected your kuru from him so he wouldn’t be able to sense anything else. <”I’m fine.”> You reassured him, although he would not be able to understand the words.

He chirped softly, head cocked to the side. <”Nosy.”> You laughed, lightly pushing his quizzing gaze away.

Earlier in the day, someone had already taken the time to set out the new saddles for the ikran. Neatly lining them up along a small branch nearest the helix staircase.

Pulling away from your ikran’s judgemental stare, you were quick in retrieving a saddle for him. Returning with it resting on your arms, you noticed the mischievous glint in his eye, already dreading the shit show that was going to be you putting it on him.

Approaching slowly, you offered him the equipment first, to which he lowered his head to give it a delicate sniff.

<”You have done well Dreamwalker.”> Mo’at unexpectedly stated from beside you, making you and your ikran jump. <”I will admit, the Great Mother’s plan for you was obscured from me, but you have proven yourself.”>

<”Thank you Tsahik.”>

<”I am proud of you.”> She continued as if you hadn’t spoken. <”Dr Augustine would be too.”> With that, she placed a firm hand to your bicep and squeezed, her expression kind before she drifted off to talk to the next person.

You became absorbed into your work, methodically coaxing your ikran into accepting the weight of the saddle between his shoulders. Rewarding him with scratches along his neck when he didn’t immediately toss it off. Gradually, he stopped trying to throw it off, and remained still to allow you to tighten the girth across his chest. From there, it was just a matter of providing his dinner before you followed the other hunters down the helix staircase.

You found dinner already underway with the fires blazing and the People gathered. A chorus of cheers erupted from the assembled people as the first hunters cleared the staircase, yelling cries of victory back, arms in the air.

Their joy was infectious as you slipped into the crowd in search of an empty space to crouch, lips pulled back into a fanged grin as you carefully picked your way through the families who had already turned back to their food. The other hunters had already dispersed back to their families, talking animatedly to loved ones about their crazy day.

Finding an empty space before the flames, you uttered your thanks to an older na’vi woman as she handed you one of the leaf dishes. She politely smiled back, offering formal congratulations on your successful rite before turning back to the conversation with her mate. You offered a quiet thanks before digging in.

It didn’t take long for Tsu’tey to find you. He’d hung back with the ikran to discuss his observations for the day with Eytukan.

His footsteps were silent as he approached you, dropping into a fluid crouch opposite and putting his bow down at his side. You didn’t bother to look up from your meal, content to eat after a long day of climbing mountains and almost dying. The silence was comfortable as the humm of the clan filled the large chamber, your ears swivelling to keep track of the different conversations going on around you.

<”You did well today.”> Tsu’tey commented, his hand snaking out to steal a grub off of your leaf. Rolling your eyes, you pushed the makeshift plate closer to him having already had most of your fill.

<”Is this just you complimenting your teaching skills?”>

<”Yes. I worked hard to make you into a respectable warrior.”> He replied easily, to which you playfully pushed at his arm. He shoved you back, fangs catching the bright firelight.

<”I wasn’t expecting it to be so easy.”> You admitted after swallowing your mouthful. <”I mean, I’ve heard you and Neytiri discussing the bond and everything, but it was so instant. Like he was an extension of myself.”>

Tsu’tey hummed, nodding along. <”Ikran make no mistakes in who they choose. As Eywa did not make a mistake in bringing you to us.”>

You rolled your eyes at the last part. <”Don’t go getting soft on me now.”>

He did not immediately respond with a fast quip, making you look up. Tsu’tey’s expression had lost the unfiltered joy of being in the air, but he still had a small, guarded smile tugging at the corner of his lips. The glint in his eye was unreadable. It could be amusement, it could be fear.

<”What?”> You asked, hand grasping his knee to ground him.

<”Young hunters that pass the rite are traditionally given gifts by their families.”> He explained, to which you found yourself relaxing.

<”Is that all?”> His expression grew pinched. <”Don’t worry, when I unlink later I’ll open a bottle of something just for myself.”>

Tsu’tey rolled his eyes before reaching for something next to his bow. <”I made you this.”> He said simply, holding out something small. Hesitantly, you took it from him, eyes raking over what you recognised to be a decorative armband. It was finely woven in the traditional Omaticaya style, with tiny beads made from glowing river pebbles woven across the centre. You turned it over and over, committing every knot to memory.

<”Thank you.”> You breathed, unable to find the words to properly convey how touched you were by the gift. Tsu’tey’s smile returned. Taking the armband from you, he softly asked which arm you wished to wear it on. You eagerly thrust your dominant arm at him, motioning to the height in which you wanted it to sit. He nodded along, expertly wrapping the band around your bicep and tightening it accordingly.

<”It looks good on you.”> He monologued, <”surprisingly.”> You gasped mockingly, placing your hand on his chest to shove him away.

<”Stop being an ass and eat.”> You fired back, to which he playfully, his tail batted at you, mouth opening to reply, when a shadow fell over your back and a voice you didn’t recognise spoke up in english.

“Excuse me, um, Dr L/n. Right?”

Tsu’tey’s easy smile had turned venomous as he glared up at the newcomer behind your back, but that could just be his face.

Meanwhile, your face had dropped at the quiet utterance of your sky person title. It sounded wrong in the setting of the clan. The familiar English sounded weird in a place it was no longer welcome.

Turning towards the voice, you looked up to find a young na’vi male smiling sheepishly back at you. Arching a brow, you turned fully towards him, rising to your feet. The pieces slotted into place as he gingerly waved at you, showing off his five digit hands. An avatar then. How the hell did he get accepted?

“It’s Y/n.” You corrected, and he nodded. You waited impatiently for him to continue, tail lashing.

He floundered for an explanation, eyes catching on someone over your shoulder before he pulled himself together. “Right. Um, Grace warned you about me? I’ve been around the clan for a few days now and haven’t been able to track you down.”

You grimaced.

The marine.

Oh god, no. Why?

Absently, a memory did surface of a file on your desk with a man’s face on it and the name ‘Jake Sully’ printed across the front. Although it had been stamped as urgent, you’d simply shoved it aside with everything else and pulled out your laptop to type up some notes. You were deeply regretting not having read that stupid file now.

“Oh, right.” You replied, waiting for more. Jake looked at you like he assumed that was enough. “Well thanks for stopping by-”

“Actually, she said you’d be able to help me.” Jake jumped in before you could turn away. You stilled, sending a thousand mental curse words Grace’s way before fixing him with a stern expression.

“Babysitting isn’t in my job description.” You returned sharply, this time promptly turning your back to resume your dinner. Whilst you’d been distracted, Tsu’tey had also risen to his feet and was watching Jake with a distrustful expression, hand hovering dangerously close to his hunting knife.

“Unbelievable.” The marine scoffed, but cut himself off when Tsu’tey tensed. You smacked your friend's thigh with the back of your hand, giving him an unimpressed look when he looked down to snap at you. You motioned for him to sit back down but he ignored you.

Meanwhile, Jake had clumsily stumbled around the edges of your space to stand in front of you again, his tail swaying side to side. “I’m just asking for a bit of guidance.”

“Neytiri is your guidance. Learn quick and learn well, you will die if you fuck up.”

“That’s it, that’s all the advice I get?”

“It’s more than I got.”

>_<

You hated Hell’s Gate. It was too cut off from the forest with its loud occupants and stone walls. And loud with the whirr of machinery and people in a way the forest never was.

It was jarring to unlink from a world that was so open and free to a life of tight corridors and exo packs whenever you wished to step beyond the protective barriers of the buildings. As a result, you tended to spend as little time as possible here, only unlinking long enough to keep this body alive before hopping straight back into the link to do more ‘research’.

Staying longer with the clan would’ve been much more bearable than whatever thing Grace wanted to talk about, but since you ignored her last request to look after Jake, you felt that you owed her in some way. Something told you that if you didn’t turn up of your own free will, she would stand outside of your link unit until you were done for the day and ambush you then. She’d done it before, and you knew she wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.

With a sigh, you allowed yourself to start moving within the link unit. Reaching for the latch, you winced as the bright, overhead lights of the lab flooded into the dim unit, momentarily blinding you as the unfamiliar sound of commotion filtered into the small space. You took a breath, then pushed the unit open, following it up to find the lab alive with activity. Scientists were buzzing around the tight space in white lab coats, hurriedly packing away equipment and supplies into large storage boxes as if the building was on fire.

Heaving your stiff muscles over the side of the unit, you felt disorientated by the height of this body in contrast to your avatar, momentarily clutching the side of the unit to calm your spinning mind as you collected yourself. Your shirt was musty and clung to your sweaty back only adding to your discomfort as your legs tingled with pins and needles.

Eventually, you managed to straighten up, which immediately caught Max’s attention. “Oh, Dr.” He greeted cheerfully, unaware of your grimace at the professional title. He broke away from the group he’d been helping dismantle exo packs, and made a beeline to the messy disaster that was your desk. Pulling your lab coat off the back of your office chair, he approached you with a smile. “We didn’t hear you unlink.” He apologised as he approached, holding the coat out towards you with his hands on the shoulder.

“Long time no see Max.” You greeted with a tight smile, as you turned and allowed him to help you into the coat, it smelt better than your shirt, but was in desperate need of a wash. You were pretty sure there was dust on the sleeves.

“Yeah well, everyone’s been busy.” He returned easily, turning and disappearing off in the direction of the coffee machine, leaving you to stand stupidly next to your link unit, internally debating just climbing back inside and going back to the clan. From what you could see, Jake’s unit was empty so he wasn’t even around to annoy you this time.

Instead, you kept your feet firmly planted in place, the mental image of Grace standing over your unit the next time you opened it keeping you from running away. To occupy yourself you focused on the commotion across the room. Your eyes slipping over the new faces who must have come in during the last rotation, whereas faces you’d grown used to over your eight month stay were absent, either by choice or having rotated home already. Time was weird on Pandora afterall.

“Y/n, nice of you to join us.” Grace swept into the room with a dramatic sweep of her arms.

You smiled, taking her hand when she offered it and giving a firm shake. “Dr Augustine, you wanted to speak with me.”

“I did.” Grace confirmed, turning sharply to begin helping pack up yet another box. You winced as she grabbed fistfuls of important looking documents as well as fragile equipment and began shovelling the lot into the nearest storage box. “We’re moving to an off grid base. Our newest driver is talking to Quaritch.”

If your ears could prick in interest in this body, they would be raised high. “Jake?”

“That’s him. I’m sure you’ve seen him around HomeTree?”

“Yeah, he’s a persistent fucker.”

“That’s him alright.” Grace replied with a shake of her head, “constantly comes out of the link complaining about how good you are at slipping away.” Then she turned to you, all the carefree attitude of earlier melting away as her expression grew serious. “Look, we’re gonna need your field notes and jungle knowledge if this is going to be successful. Oh, and I need you to scout the Hallelujah Mountain base to see if it's livable.”

You pursed your lips, “on one condition.”

Grace cut in, grinning with confidence that suggested she knew exactly how to get you to agree. “You will have unlimited access to the link unit and your avatar.”

You raised your eyebrows, impressed by how easily she’d guessed your motives. “I’ll pack my desk.” She patted you on the back, and the lab dissolved into silence once more.

>_<

You spent the next couple of days, dodging Jake’s constant questions and annoying ability to pop up at the most inconvenient of times. In theory, it should’ve been harder for him to find you between training with Neytiri and your own obligations to the clan as a hunter. But nope, Jake was a stubborn one.

Which led you to now, it was a fresh day. The link units had been open and ready when you rolled out of bed this morning, the lab blessedly empty as you slid into your unofficial unit and woke up in your avatar.

Jake’s avatar was still dead to the world near Neytiri’s hammock on the other side of the sleeping levels, so you’d clambered up to the rookery. Eager to get away from HomeTree before he could wake and to check out that mountain base for Grace. The clan had brought in a big hunt yesterday that would require all hands to dismantle and preserve, so you wouldn’t be missed much.

Tsu’tey was already awake and tending to his ikran when you reached the top most level of HomeTree where the ikrans roosted. He nodded in greeting as you slipped past, which you returned with a nod of your own before calling for you ikran.

The beast was quick to answer, coming in to land with a majestic beat of his wings and a greeting call. You stroked his snout as he offered it, glad to see that his saddle remained on and secure, since new mounts tended to tear at them until they got used to the sensation.

<”Good morning.”> You mused, laughing when he chirped in greeting, nuzzling your shoulder. <”What do you say, want to get out of here?”> The ikran seemed to nod, shifting his stance so you could easily climb up.

Patting his shoulder with a soft promise to get breakfast on the way, you easily pulled yourself up into the saddle. Automatically, your ikran shifted so you were sat more comfortably, your long legs finding the stirrups as you reached back for your main braid, pulling it over your shoulder, you reached for his antenna and connected your kuru.

It was a surreal experience, to feel the bark digging into your feet, but be sat on the back of an ikran with your feet cushioned by smooth leather and warm hide.

<”You need to straighten your posture.”> Tsu’tey commented from across the way, to which you waved him off, even as you followed his advice. Beneath you, your ikran turned to the edge of the branch, claws digging into the mossy wood as he looked out over the forest.

<”Make sure you don’t overdo it.”> Tsu’tey continued, he’d wandered away from his own mount to watch you, eyes critical with his arms crossed. <”Remember ride-”>

<”Ride the winds, find the air currents.”> You parroted back with a smile, <”I never knew you cared Tsu’tey.”> He scoffed.

<”It would be embarrassing to be associated with you if you fell off.”>

<”You and your stupid pride.”> You joked, before adding more seriously. <”I’ll be careful.”>

“Dr L/n, do you have a moment!” Jake called from the helix staircase.

<”Go. I will see you at dinner.”> Tsu’tey urged giving your ikran a soft push, coaxing him towards the edge where you asked him to tuck in his wings and dive. The joyous whoop you let out drowned out the rest of whatever Jake was trying to tell you.

>_<

You had grown used to flying on your ikran. In contrast, sitting in the passenger seat of a helicopter was dull.

There was no wind in your braids or the constant threat of your visor slipping. Only the view from the windows which made you feel removed from Pandora rather than one with it. Trapped inside the helicopter with an exo pack strapped to your belt, reminded you of how painfully human you were, regardless of the fact you spent the majority of your days amongst the People, taking to the skies, and being twice your usual height.

At least the company was amusing.

Sully wasn’t so bad, you realised.

His tongue was sharp as he engaged in multiple verbal sparring matches with Grace, and his senses were honed to a degree that spoke of experience in the field. He fit easily into the little ragtag group of three scientists and Trudy, the insults rolling easily off of him when Norm made a probing remark.

But that didn’t mean you liked him.

You hardly knew anything about him. He was clumsy in his avatar, and way too happy to come running to you for answers instead of waiting two minutes to think about it himself. He wasn’t the brightest bulb in the box, a fact which he proved multiple times whenever faced with an issue he couldn’t solve using his fists or a gun.

At least in short bursts, you could somewhat tolerate him.

The pocket compound was cramped with the five of you crowded into it, but you didn’t care much. As soon as you’d thrown your bag onto your bunk, you were weaving around the others towards the link room.

“Make sure you eat.” Grace called at your turned back, to which Trudy shoved a protein ration into your hands. You nodded your thanks, waving the bar above your head so Grace could see that you had something.

Slipping into the link room, you tossed the bar onto an overhead shelf, content to have something more filling when you unlinked later, before starting up the closest unit.

Across the room, Jake was also linking up. His wheelchair pushed to the side, with him already sitting on the side of the unit, whilst Norm fiddled with the controls. You nodded politely when you caught their attention, before busying yourself with the machine in front of you.

The connection out in the middle of nowhere was shockingly worse than the compound, with the technology being years older, but it was good enough. Before long, you were laying down on the bed of silicone and pulling the unit lid down.

Your mind drifted to HomeTree, to the daylight already wasted thanks to this change of location, and before you knew it, you were opening your eyes in your hammock high above the main chamber. The surrounding hammocks were empty, suggesting that everyone else was already hard at work several levels below. You were already dreading the tongue lashing Tsu’tey would no doubt have lined up for you.

Rolling out of your hammock, you reached for your bow and slung it over your shoulder before darting for the staircase that wound down into the main chamber.

There you found Tsu’tey sitting beside the main fire, carving new details into the top of his bow. His head was bent, eyes fixed on his work. Keeping your footsteps light, you held your breath as you tiptoed past him, intending to slip into the forest unnoticed under the guise that you’d been hard at work all morning.

<“You’re late.”> The sheer authority in his tone had your movements stilling and your plans going up in smoke. The hunter continued to whittle the wood, eyes never leaving the task at hand as the crackle of the flames filled the silence.

<“We moved compounds.”> You found yourself explaining, feeling weird about talking about your other life in the safety of HomeTree. <“Somewhere safer.”>

Tsu’tey’s hand stilled on the bow, ears flicking before he composed himself and continued to add detail to the rearing pa’li appearing in the wood. <“You’re away from the Sky People?”>

<“The more dangerous ones, yes.”>

Tsu’tey nodded, <“good.”>

<“Any chance of breakfast?”>

He shook his head. <“You’ll have to wait until the evening meal.”> You pouted but didn’t bother attempting to change his mind. Thankfully, the forest was always rich in fruits and nuts so you’d be fine until later.

<“Tsu’tey.”> Came Neytiri’s voice from the staircase behind you, Jake following her down the last few branches. As Tsu’tey put down his carving to greet her, you bowed your head respectfully before nodding to Jake. He nodded back, eyes flickering uncertainly from Neytiri’s turned back to Tsu’tey’s towering form. You shifted your stance, curious as to why the marine wasn’t hounding you for information and what Neytiri wanted with Tsu’tey.

You didn’t have to wait long as the woman in question straightened up with a simple, “then it is decided.”

Jake did not look overly pleased by this development.

At your confused expression, Tsu’tey stepped forward, his previously warm expression melted away by a stony exterior. “Jake-Sully will be joining us on today’s hunt.”

“Haven’t the other’s already left?” Hours ago judging by the location of the sun.

“We will be hunting separately.” Neytiri explained as if that were obvious. Your heart sank as you realised your day was about to consist of babysitting the marine. Judging by Tsu’tey’s face, he shared your realisation. “Jake needs to observe personally before his own kill.”

You sighed deeply, earning yourself a playful hit from Jake who would normally be trying to argue that he wasn’t that bad. You butted in before his long winded explanation could begin. “Keep up.” You warned him with an accusatory finger. “I’m not hauling your ass out of any bogs.” Was all the advice you offered before following Tsu’tey out of HomeTree and to the right where the pa’li preferred to graze. Since Jake hadn’t yet taken the final test, there was no point in taking the ikran.

Jake mounted his pa’li easily enough, to your surprise as you swung up onto your own mount. He fumbled in connecting his queue but remained seated when he urged his pa’li to follow Neytiri’s off into the undergrowth. You and Tsu’tey held back, exchanging exasperated looks before following near the back of the pack.

Your location in the herd gave you plenty of time to observe the marine. He was a lot more acquainted with his body than the first time you’d spoken when he’d been all long limbs and a loud voice. Now, he ducked to avoid the leaves, kept his pa’li steady despite scanning the undergrowth for potential prey. It was almost impressive, until he tried to jump his pa’li over a fallen log and slid off its back upon impact.

You tried to stifle your laugh as he hurried to pick himself up and haul his muddy ass back onto his pa’li before Neytiri turned around. To her credit, she only rolled her eyes at him a little before continuing on into the undergrowth.

A sharp prod to your lower back had you growling at Tsu’tey, who didn’t even pretend he hadn’t jabbed you with the end of his bow. <“Stop watching him. Focus.”> He teased, and you slowed your pa’li enough to reach across the space between you and smack his shoulder.

“Focus, you two.” Neytiri yelled from the front of the herd, “you can braid each other's hair later.”

Tsu’tey clicked his tongue, ears slicked back, whilst you playfully tugged at one his braids which was coming loose at the end and looking a bit worse for wear. <”You might have to take me up on that offer, Tsu’tey.”> You mused as he swiped at you with his bow.

<”As if I’d let you. You’d mess it up.”>

<”Hey I’ve gotten better.”>

<”You call /that/ better?”> Tsu’tey fired back, motioning to your own head of hair. Dramatically, you gasped pretending to be offended.

“Focus!” Neytiri repeated from the head of the herd, not even bothering to look back. You got in one last joking hit to his side before spurring your pa’li into a canter and taking off. Tsu’tey cursed at you for your troubles but didn’t bother to pursue. You both knew he’d find his own way of getting revenge anyway.

Before long, Neytiri grew so bored of your antics that she ordered everyone off of the pa’li to track yerik on foot. “I cannot believe Jake is better behaved than you.”

“Hey!” The marine interjected, only for Neytiri to wave him off dismissively.

Tsu’tey shouldered past you, throwing a smirk over his shoulder as he followed Neytiri deeper into the bush, Jake walking after them at a lazy pace. You rolled your eyes, before pulling your bow from your shoulder and holding it in your dominant hand, an arrow resting between your fingers as you fell into step behind the group.

The forests were always bountiful this far from the clan, so finding yerik wasn’t the hard part of the hunt. In contrast, the issue lay with what other predators had also come for the yerik.

You were up a tree when the thanator slunk into the clearing behind an unsuspecting Jake, your bow already notched in preparation to take down one of the grazing yerik.

To your left Neytiri yelled, drawing you and Tsu’tey’s attention off of your respective prey. You followed her gaze down to Jake and the advancing thanator, the former completely unaware of the approaching threat.

“Jake!” Neytiri yelled from the trees, scaring off the yerik and drawing the marine’s attention to her. She was frantic in pointing out the thanator, who hissed at Jake’s turned back. The man froze, a look of pure despair emerging onto his face before he even turned around.

“Run idiot!” Tsu’tey interjected, bow drawn to deter the thanator with arrows.

For once in his life, Jake listened to orders and took off at a dead sprint. Neytiri’s training showed in how he moved fast through the undergrowth, flying over fallen trees and slipping through the gaps in the trees whilst the thanator charged after him, obliterating everything in its path.

As the marine made steady progress on the forest floor, the three of you tracked his movements from the safety of the trees. Tsu’tey continued to fire arrows at the animal, careful not to wound it unnecessarily when he could scare it off with enough of a threat, whereas Neytiri kept ordering Jake to climb. Which the marine took no notice of when he dove into the roots of a tree and disappeared from sight instead of going up.

The thanator leapt onto the place he’d disappeared, shoving one of its arms into the dark space after him. It shrieked as it came up empty handed, before withdrawing and instead deciding to tear at the roots with its teeth. The sound of colourful swearing coming from beneath the tree was the only indication it hadn’t gotten to Jake yet.

Whilst you watched the spectacle as one would watch a car crash, you couldn’t help but hear Grace in the back of your mind. Her voice reminding you of how expensive the avatars were, and how long they took to develop, and how long they would take to heal. She would kill the pair of you if Jake got this body killed. And there was one thing for certain, you were more scared of Grace’s wrath than any six legged house cat.

With a sigh, you disengaged your bow and slung it over your shoulder. By nature, thanators weren’t the largest predators in the forest, they had a fight or flight mode that could be easily triggered by sudden movements or enough aggression. You prayed that it would perceive you as enough of a threat.

Tsu’tey paused in shooting at it as you peered down through the trees, mentally calculating whether the drop would do more harm than good. He must have recognised something in your expression, because in moments he was shoving through the leaves and leaping onto your branch, hand outstretched to grab your bicep. <”Don’t.”> Tsu’tey warned, hands closing around open air as you lent forward.

With a war cry, you dropped from the trees, ripping through layers of foliage with thunderous cracks that made the thanator’s gaze shoot upwards, before it leaped back with a snarl as you landed with a loud thump where it had previously been. Your knees bent upon landing, taking most of the impact as your tail thrashed. You pulled back your lips to display your fangs and hissed harshly, making yourself as big as you physically could. The thanator glares back at you, the mobile plates on its muzzle rising as it roared back. Feeling bold, you took a firm step closer, ears pinned back threateningly. Reaching for your bow.

“Jake!” You snapped, not daring to break eye contact with the predator currently sizing you up. “Stand tall and remain calm.”

“How the hell are you doing that?” He laughed, bordering on hysterical, but judging by his grunts and the rustle of grass had done as you’d asked.

“Deep breath.” You ordered, hearing him do just that. “Shoulders back.”

The thantor bunched, its muscles coiling in preparation to pounce. Somewhere above Neytiri ordered Jake to climb, you held firm, forgoing the arrow as you gripped the end of your bow like you would a spear. The beast met your gaze, eyes narrowed. You hunched your shoulders, arms tensed in silent challenge.

You saw the moment it came to a decision. Saw the slightest clench of its claws sinking into the dirt, the single flick of its tail before it pounced.

“Run Jake!” You shouted, leaping to the side, cracking your bow across its brow with enough force to throw it off course. Then you turned tail and ran.

Scrambling up the tree after Jake, you pushed at the marine’s feet, urging him up higher as you heard the thanator shake itself. The beast roared in outrage, thunderous footsteps rapidly approaching the base of the tree. Bark splintered under powerful claws, massive teeth snapping closed.

Muscles screaming, you cleared the first branches, throwing your bow up ahead of you onto a thick one, your nails bit into the trunk as you tried to hook your leg over. Powerful hands gripped your weapons strap, hauling you the rest of the way up.

You’d lost sight of Jake but judging by the harsh scolding coming from a higher branch, Neytiri had already gotten her hands on him.

Tsu’tey dragged you the rest of the way onto the branch, hands tight on your shoulders as he checked you for injuries, expression unreadable. When concluded that you were fine, he shook you. <“What were you thinking?”>

You gritted your teeth, prying his hands off of you. <“He was about to die.”>

<“Then you should’ve let him. Coddling him will not help him learn.”>

Your expression hardened, eyes narrowing as you rose to your feet. <“I’ll remember that next time you need saving.”>

Neytiri groaned from the branch above, poking her head around the trunk to glare at the pair of you. <“You’re like children!”> She snapped before pointing at Tsu’tey. <"You, stop being an ass. And you.”>

She flicked her gaze to you, <“Idiot!”> She smacked you upside the head making you snap at her. <”Never do that again!”>

#Tsu'tey #tsu'tey x reader #Multi-chapter fic #Idiots in love #He lives don't worry #courting #Gender neutral Reader

[quinloki]

A Light Touch

Fem Reader x Eustass Kid

25 chapters - 61,095 words Version with images can be found here

CW: language, assault, violence, sexual themes and situations, implications of non-con, loss of limbs, blood. 18+ Only.

Summary: Some people come into your life with a light touch, some with a heavy hand. No matter the case, things are never quite the same afterward.

Chapter 1: Smashing Introductions

Grandline Metropolis had been your home your entire life, and while you were aware of the darker sides of the massive city, it hadn't been a part of your life. Which wasn't surprising to you, there might be a robust everyone-knows-but-no-one-says underbelly in Grandline Metro, but with 600,000 square kilometers of land and over 100 million people, it was still a statistically small part of the city.

The one thing the GL Metro had aside from size and population, was the highest concentration of Devil Fruit users. Most people in the city referred to them as Devils, and there were a lot of laws and regulations regarding what they were and weren't allowed to do with their abilities. The majority of devil opted out of filing if they ended up with a Devil Fruit, but the fines if you were caught after the fact were pretty big.

Currently, your job was one of a plethora of people who worked for the Government at the Devil Fruit Registry office. It wasn't a glamorous job, but it paid enough to keep you afloat and doing decently well. Well enough, it seems, that you have actually been headhunted by another company. Devil Fruit Laws were public and private sector, and there was a private company that had reached out to you to fill a position within their firm. It was a 40% raise, and the benefits were comparable, if not downright better.

You were on your way to the first interview of what would probably be a few rounds of interviews when the worst possible series of events could've happened.

Sitting at a red-light you could hear sirens in the distance as they were drawing nearer. Looking around for a way to move your car aside in case the sirens turned into flashing lights behind you, you didn't see the non-emergency car careening toward you.

Not that you had anywhere to go to get out of the way.

The late model, full-metal body, of a dingy brown Oldsmobile slammed into the back of your compact beater. The impact shoves your trunk practically into your backseat and forces your car out into the intersection. The violence action rattles your whole body, slamming you into your steering wheel and knocking your foot off the break.

You barely had a split second to realize what had happened when the crystal-clear picture of a full-sized truck grill meets your gaze. The terrifying screech of tires and the smell of burning rubber fills your senses as the heavy vehicle tries desperately to stop, but this secondary impact did more than just rattle your whole body. Searing pain rips through your left side as the door crumples against you in the impact.

The pain keeps you awake and aware for the most part, but your brain has been rattled around twice in short succession and you're struggling to stay focused on your surroundings. Your arm's pinned between the seat and the door, and you don't have the sense or strength to pull it free.

"Killer! Make sure that bastard in the Olds' doesn't get away!" A voice shouts, and then suddenly there was a massive, muscular man with fiery red hair and golden eyes peering into your shattered driver's side window. "Aw fuck, hey! Are you okay? Stay with me! Come on lady, I'm calling an ambulance right now, just hang on!" He turns his attention to the phone, barking about the accident and requesting emergency services.

Aside from his shockingly red hair, the only detail you could hold onto was the massive metal arm he had in place of his left arm. The pain was making it hard to focus, but every time your head rolled around, those golden eyes would be in your field of vision, getting your attention and trying to keep you awake.

"Hey lady, they say you gotta stay conscious, so hang in there. I can't pull the door off until they get here, incase you're hurt worse than it looks, so you gotta stay there, okay? Come on, talk to me, tell me you got that."

You nod weakly and swallow. "...Yeah." You manage, but you're not really up for extended conversation.

"Your name, what is it?"

"(Y/N)..."

"That's a good name. Tell me about yourself (y/n), keep talking." He had his phone against his ear, looking around trying to assess the damage better.

"My... car..."

"If it was important to you, I can help you restore it, but it's not going anywhere right now."

"Interview..."

"You're going to miss it, Mouse."

"Name's... not... Mouse... Red." You manage almost a full sentence and there's a lop-sided smile from the red-haired mountain standing over you.

"Name's Eustass Kid." He offers. "Calling someone with red-hair 'Red', is kind of unimaginative."

"Working with... what I got."

"Fair enough. The professionals are here, hang in there."

Paramedics took over what Eustass had been doing and asked a lot of the same questions, keeping you conscious as they assessed what was going on. It took almost a hour to get you safely out of the car, and the paramedics wouldn't answer any of your questions about how you were. The frustration from their non-answers and blatant dodges had the needed effect of making you so irritated you were staying conscious just to grumble.

Loaded into the ambulance you were taken to the hospital, prepped for emergency surgery and put under.

.

.

.

.

When you came around you were in a recovery room. It was dim, but not dark, the muffled sounds of steady beeps and the smell and feel of astringent bleach, and the scents of other cleaners gave away the hospital room for what it was. A familiar form was sitting in a chair in the corner of your room and an unfamiliar form was next to him.

You remembered Eustass Kid, but the guy beside him, every bit as muscular as his red-haired friend, had the wildest, thickest, most amazing mane of long blonde hair you'd ever seen on a man or a woman. Most of his face was obscured by the long locks, but he seemed to see through them just fine, as he nudged Eustass with his elbow.

Kid looks up, and then lights up; a small smile playing at his lips before he slowly approaches your bedside.

"Hey Mouse, how're you feeling?" He asks. For such a big guy he seems a little apprehensive.

"Better, I think? Uh... not to be rude, but why're you here?" You question groggily, coming around to your new reality slowly.

"Er, well, we were just gonna stay until someone else showed up, but-."

"Ah. Yeah, I... don't have family in the Metro." You try to sit up, but pain zings through you all over the place. Kid's massive hand is barely touching your shoulder, urging you to lay back down.

"I can raise the bed for you, if you want, but you should stay resting." Kid explains, looking for the controls on the bed. "The nurse said they're gonna move ya to a more permanent room later."

"I... uh... thanks." You say finally after he raises the bed a little. "I mean, for staying. It's nice to have someone filling me in on what's going on."

"You remember what happened?" His friend prompted.

"Kind of? I remember hearing sirens, and I looked over to see if I could move my car to the side, in case they needed to get by, and when I looked back up it was just in time to be shoved out into the intersection." You grimace, shifting yourself to what you hope is a more comfortable position, which is a little difficult with your left arm in a sling. "You, uh, ran into me after that, right?"

Kid makes a face. "Yeah."

"You wouldn't have if I hadn't been hit the first time." You state, the grimace on your face from your discomfort, not because of him. "It'd be a real dick move on my part if I was mad at you." You remember hearing Kid yell something before he'd come up to your car. "What happened to the guy who rear-ended me?"

Kid growls, and his friend answers. "He's fine."

"For now." Kid grumbles.

You looked back and forth between them, before looking toward the blonde. "Sorry, you are?"

"Everyone calls me Killer." He explains. "Kid and I run a mechanic shop."

"How's he fine?" You grouse. "He hit me pretty hard."

"Drunk." Kid seemed to be getting angrier by the second. "He was so fucking sloshed he was walking around the street with his car wheel in his hands making motor noises."

"He'll probably be sore and have a massive hangover tomorrow, but I doubt anything's broken. Drunks are rubber in accidents, they don't tense up, so they don't get hurt." Killer explains.

"I'm still really tired," you admit, struggling to keep your eyes open. You had wanted more questions answered, but recovering bodies slept a lot. "I just got one more question."

"What is it, Mouse?"

You look into Eustass Kid's golden eyes. "Why can't I feel my left hand?"

The look on his face tells you all you really need, but he puts it into terrible, undeniable words for you.

"Sorry, (Y/N), it's gone."

Next Chapter

#A Light Touch #eustass x reader #one piece eustass kid #one piece fanfiction #reader insert #multi-chapter fic

[everyforkedroad]

Love So Dark - Covers and Aesthetics

I made a few covers and aesthetics for Love So Dark, my ghost story/paranormal/myth retelling. A huge inspiration for this fic came from Mile Phakphum's Men's Folio photoshoot. Here's a link to the shoot below:

Men's Folio - The Story of Mile Phakphum in Three Parts https://www.mens-folio.com/112279/the-story-of-mile-phakphum-in-three-parts/

If you like paranormal/supernatural romances that has elements of the classic ghost story, reincarnation, and soulmates, all based on Greek and Norwegian myths, check out Love So Dark on AO3.

#ghost au #kinnporsche the series #aesthetic #kinn theerapanyakul #kinn anakinn #porsche pachara #porsche kittisawasd #porsche pachara kittisawasd #kinn x porsche #fanfiction #kpts fanfiction #kinnporsche the series fanfiction #multi-chapter fic #contemporary au #ghost story #soul mates #multiverse #reincarnation #paranormal romance #supernatural #mythological retelling #eros and psyche #the bear king

[wanderingchanneler]

I started writing a fic about a blind Lightweaver last year. For those who don’t know, I’m blind. Ever since I got into the Cosmere, I wanted to read a story about a character like me. Since that doesn’t exist yet, I decided to write one.

I wrote the first scene of this in June of 2021, and posted the full prologue on AO3 a month later. I posted chapter 1 in September, then didn’t work on the fic for months. Other projects had my attention.

In June of 2022 though, a month ago as of the writing of this post, I started working on it in earnest again.

After spending the majority of today editing, I finally have a new chapter posted! I’m excited to come back to this fic and continue the story I considered over two years ago, and finally started last year.

I hope those of you who haven’t read it yet enjoy, and for those of you who are refreshing yourselves and reading the next chapter for the first time, I hope it holds up to your expectations!

#Stormlight Archive #fanfiction #my fics #original characters #blindness #Lightweavers #blind Lightweaver #blind character written by blind author #I genuinely believe this might be one of my most important contributions to this fandom #multi-chapter fic

[tazzy-ace]

Shenxie Origin Fic -Chapter 1- Parts of me I have been Neglecting

A prequel to the Weilanxie (Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan/Wu Xie) pairing I’ve done in the Steady Lives & Steady Loves series (finally named it properly! yay!)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/47832910/chapters/120588364

Rating: Teen and Up Relationships: Shen Wei/Zhao Yunlan, Shen Wei/Wu Xie

Finally, Zhao Yunlan pushed in the way that he knew Shen Wei would never resist. “I’m curious. I want to meet the one that made you save him without even a thought. I want to know who else managed to awaken the goodness I knew you had within you from the start.” Shen Wei could never refuse to give Zhao Yunlan anything he wanted. He wasn’t quite ready to admit to himself it was something he wanted too. --- How Shen Wei first met Wu Xie and with the support of his partner, Zhao Yunlan, how he found Wu Xie once more and gave a chance to all the strange things the man made him feel.

#fanfic #guardian #dmbj #the lost tomb reboot #polyamory #weilan #shenxie #multi-chapter fic #hopefully i'll finish this fic up quickly. shouldn't be too long #shen wei's self worth issues came out strong here #he gets several hugs and comfort tho #poor sweet boy

[chatxkilluaxnoir]

Chapters: 2/15 Fandom: Gravity Falls Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Angelica Zilver/Aaron Zilver, Dipper Pines & Scarlet Zilver, Dipper Zilver & Scarlet Zilver, Alcor the Dreambender & Scarlet Zilver, Alcor the Dreambender & Reincarnations, Alcor the Dreambender & Aaron Zilver & Angelica Zilver, Dipper Pines & Scarlet Zilver & Aaron Zilver & Angelica Zilver, Dipper Zilver & Scarlet Zilver & Aaron Zilver & Angelica Zilver, Reincarnation/Reincarnation, There are more relationships but since I don't want to spoil the fic, or the reincarnations are in this fic, I won't be tagging them, just yet Characters: Dipper Pines, Dipper Zilver, Alcor, Alcor the Dreambender, Aaron Zilver, Angelica Zilver, r!'s, Reincarnations - Character, OC's, Original Characters, There are more characters in this fic to tag, I.e. those reincarnations and original characters I tagged, but once again I am not tagging them because of spoilers, and because I thought it would be fun for people to guess who was the reincarnation of who, not all reincarnations are revealed in this fic though, so unless there a lot of correct guesses for someone(s), I probably won't confirm anything until later, for reasons..., Gravity Falls Characters Reincarnations, Scarlet Zilver Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Transcendence (Gravity Falls), Non-Graphic Violence, Violence, I think it is both?, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Tell me if you think it is more than implied though, Child Abandonment, Child Neglect, maybe? probably?, Demons, Demon Summoning, Seeing things you shouldn't have, Magic, Magic (Spoiler), Family, Family Feels, Family Drama, Dysfunctional Family, The Zilver Family is a mess, but they didn't always used to be, Kidnapping, Kinda?, The Zilver Family need therapy, But will they ever get it?, probably not, But we can hope., Tags May Change, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Maybe on the last two, i might add more tags as i go on, if some of you think I could/need to add more tags, please just let me know, Some new tags will be added here, or some certain chapters will get their own cw's/tw's, added in the author notes if need be, Not Beta Read, Maybe will be someday who knows Summary:

A Girl of striking red hair and her Saviour of Shadow met in a Forest of Death.

These two then wouldn't meet again for many years later.

(though not for a lacking of trying by one of them)

And when they did finally meet again; a deal, a bet would be made between them.

Perhaps it was a deal better not made.

----------

Well.

Too little, too late...

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

Also, I almost forgot to tag @transcendence-au about this!  New TAU fic hot off the presses!  I also have tumblr versions I posted/am posting too!  I probably won’t tag you those, because I don’t want to bombard you guys with tags.

Other reasons, why I am tagging you guys on this post and the AO3 version, instead of the tumblr version(s) (for now, I might change my mind), is because so far the tumblr version(s) are showing up in the transcendence au tag, while this post isn’t (maybe because it is new, though, the tumblr version is showing is up, and I posted that one later.  Maybe because there is a link?  Or something.  Idk), so you guys (or others) might have a harder time finding this post as-is.

So yeah.

Edit:  This is now showing up in the transcendence au tag, so that is cool.  I guess it just needed more time.  Or maybe me removing and adding back in the transcendence au tag on this post fixed it not showing up.  Either way (or some other reason), I am happy.

Anyways, I am excited to be posting this fic (even if posting fics can be tiring!  ^^’)!

The rest is under the cut (I thought this post got a bit long, so I decided to add a cut).

I decided to just delete the original version of this post, because I can only seem to share Ch1 specifically through this method anyway.  But, this post will at least show I have posted two chapters of this fic already, while the original one (which, most people won’t see anyway, since it will be gone soon), only shows I have posted 1 chapter.

In the original post, I talked about my notes doubling up on Ch1, now that I have posted Ch2, I was able to fix that.

Anyways, the first 2 chapters, i.e. Part 1 and 2 of the Prologue are now posted on AO3.

Will be posting any new chapters after these 2, every one or two weeks...give or take.

I might (real maybe here) post the “official” Ch1 earlier than I said, but I am not if that will be the care or not.

Seriously though, once again happy to start sharing this fic with ya’ll!

Will also be posting the tumblr versions of the first two chapters hopefully soon as well.  =)

Edit 2:  The first and 2nd chapter:  Prologue Pt.1 & Pt.2 are now also posted on tumblr.

#chatxkilluaxnoir #ao3 #ao3 fic #ao3 version #ao3 link #chat's fics #noir's fics #chat's writings #noir's stories #multi-chapter #multi-chapter fic #There is No Turning Back Anymore #TINTBA #gf #gravity falls #gfau #gf au #gravity falls au #fic #transcendence au #tau

[unityrain24]

Chapter 8 of Convalescence

wattpad link here

Fic in which Thor finds Loki's body in space to give his sibling a funeral, but by some miracle the body is frozen and able to be revived. The story continues with Thor learning about Loki's past (especially the Sanctuary), them healing, & reconciling to be siblings again. Best part is that Loki is genderfluid bc im not a coward like m*rvel.

If you'd like to start from the beginning: ao3 | wattpad

#honestly i don't even like marvel anymore they've ruined everything all i have left is fanworks #ao3 #archive of our own #ao3 link #fanfiction #fanfic #wattpad #wattpad link #multi-chapter fic #wip #Loki #mcu loki #loki fanfiction #thor #thor odinson #thor fanfiction #genderfluid loki #genderfluid #unityrain.author

[aebbeswriting]

investigations in the muggle world reveal a deeper conspiracy

auror investigations start to come together

a shock confession confirms harry’s suspicions. or does it?

This fic slowly draws to a close. The last three chapters will follow soon. Show it some love if you see this maybe?

#harry potter #fanfiction #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter fanfic #multi-chapter fic #hp fanfiction #hp fanfic #HP Next Generation #harry potter next generation #hp next gen #harry potter next gen

[novaesun]

Only in the bsd fandom will you see people shipping Jesus Christ with Fyodor Dostoevsky.

#there's fanart already. there's drabbles. #I won't be surprised if there's a multi chapter slow burn strangers to lovers MCD fic in the works rn #fyodor dostoevsky #bungou stray dogs #bsd #bsd.txt

[shu-box-puns]

You wanna be one of them (Tsu’tey x Reader) Act 3

Previous chapter <- Act 3 -> Next Chapter

Word count: 7677

Summary: Tsu’tey dropping hints, and everything going over Reader’s head.

Reader uses they/them pronouns.

The long helicopter ride back to Hell’s Gate was painfully awkward. 

Quaritch had been quick and efficient in getting everyone evacuated out of the compound and moved to the waiting Sampson.

You refused to speak when addressed. Seething that you’d been pulled out at such a crucial time, and before dinner of all things. The hunters had brought in fresh yerik this morning, which you’d been greatly looking forward to until Neytiri and Jake rocked up freshly mated and turned everything to shit. 

At least Trudy had been spared. Upon landing, Quaritch had sent her on her way with little more than a slap on the wrist and a promise of getting her grounded if she stepped out of line. She went easily enough, looking hesitant until Grace shot her a firm look. 

That was half an hour ago. Now you were in headquarters, lined up with the other three whilst Quaritch and Selfridge attempted to negotiate the chaos. The colonel had wisely left you cuffed, even after removing everyone else’s. He’d taken one look at the burning fury in your eye and decided he’d be safer if he left you restrained. 

You stood stony faced as Grace attempted to negotiate with Quaritch and Selfridge who clearly were not understanding a word of what she was saying. You could already tell from Selfridge’s expression and the firm set of Quaritch’s crossed arms that they’d already made up their minds. 

You busied yourself with looking around the room while they talked. The other workers in the large office blatantly ignored the conversation whilst Wainfleet guarded the door. 

There was a na’vi bow mounted on the wall in Selfridge’s office. It hung above his head like a bad omen. You recognised the finely carved wood from HomeTree. Took into account the decorative swirls at the tips. Whoever had calved it was definitely dead. Their hard work reduced to a trophy in a dusty office.

Grace finished her small monologue and Selfridge laughed. Any lingering hope that this could be resolved without bloodshed abruptly evaporated. 

Quaritch spoke up, ushering the small group to gather around a nearby monitor. The guards followed suit, intrigued by Jake’s exhausted face popping up on screen in the form of a video log. Even Wainfleet was drawn away from his position so he could look at the monitor. 

You didn’t bother drawing closer. A glance at the date confirmed that you’d been present during that late night rant, tucked out of frame but staring bug eyed at the tired marine as he ranted.

Taking the distraction for what it was, you glanced at the open door and saw your chance.

Knowing the sound of your boots would draw attention, you slipped out of them. One careful footstep after another. The guards hadn’t given you time to lace them up back at the compound, so they came off easily. Then you simply walked out, head held high and your strides confident. No one called you back.

Your footsteps made no sound against the freezing metal floors as you calmly walked out of the main office and took the stairs two at a time down three flights. If you encountered someone in the hallway, you offered a friendly smile and they mostly waved back. It was easy. Unnervingly easy.

By chance, you encountered Trudy outside of the main avatar link room. Her eyes bugged out of her head when she noticed you, head snapping from your triumphant grin to your still cuffed wrists.

She shifted her stance, hands on her hips with an easy grin. “I didn’t know you were so slippery.”

“It was all the training.” You assured her, to which she nodded, looking you up and down with newfound respect.

“Glad to see you’re okay. Are the others?”

“Still trying to talk Quaritch out of hitting HomeTree.”

“So, they just let you go?” Trudy pressed, still looking confused by the cuffs and your lack of shoes.

“About that. Got any good hiding spots around here.”

She rolled her eyes with a taxing sigh before nodding, face splitting into a mischievous grin. You abruptly recalled why the two of you had always gotten on so well. With your crazy ideas and her willingness to follow along despite the dangers, you made a formidable team. You’d only wished you’d spent more time here to remind yourself of that. 

Trudy took great pride in comically looking left, then looking right before grabbing your forearm and hauling you down the nearest corridor towards the hangar. 

“I like your attitude Dr.” 

>_<

<”Tsu’tey.”> Mo’at voice was kind, her hand grounding on his shoulder, but the warrior barely spared her a glance. 

His heart was pounding, hands shaking as he cradled the face of his limp friend. Y/n did not stir at the feeling of hands on their face. They looked dead. He almost believed they were, but there was breath against his skin. The steady rise and fall of their chest. A strong pulse beneath his fingertips.

<”We must move them to the healing cove.”> Mo’at continued, soothing in her tone. Numbly, Tsu’tey nodded, but he did not move away. Not at first. <”I will do everything I can.”> The Tsahik assured him, whistling for a couple of her apprentices to rush forward and scoop up the still body. 

With that, Y/n’s body was whisked away, following Jake and Grace’s that had already been taken to the medical chamber to be tended to and prayed over.

Tsu’tey did not follow. His limbs were heavy. Mind still jared from the sight of the life leaving Y/n’s face. He’d never witnessed such a sudden unlinking. It was unnatural. It had almost looked painful, his arm still stinging from the indents of their nails raking down his skin as their knees gave out.

At his side, Neytiri was in a similar state. Her expression hollow, eyes unseeing as if a piece of her had followed Jake to wherever he had gone. 

Tsu’tey stilled. The compound. Y/n had said something about the compound.

A half-baked plan formed in the back of his mind as he grabbed Neytiri’s wrist. <”Come.”> He urged, taking off at a sprint for the spiral staircase. Dazed, Neytiri obediently followed, keeping pace with Tsu’tey as the pair ascended through the levels of HomeTree and emerged into the roost.

<”What are we doing up here?”> Neytiri asked, her voice lacking any real emotion.

<”You wish to save Jake, do you not?”> Tsu’tey asked, already knowing the answer. The woman visibly collected herself, expression reanimating as Tsu’tey whistled for his ikran. <”There is a base within the mountains.”>

<”Then we must hurry.”> Neytiri agreed, hollering for Seze who was quick to break through the canopy. 

As soon as his mount touched down, Tsu’tey connected his kuru. His ikran immediately responded to the adrenaline coursing through his blood and was swift in manoeuvring himself to the lip of the branch. Seze followed suit, shadowing the larger ikran as Tsu’tey urged him into flight. With twin whoops, the pair launched themselves from the branches of HomeTree and sped towards the direction of the mountains.

They made good time. The compound coming into view as a shining speck on the horizon. The metal ikran that had been nesting in front of the shack the last time Tsu’tey had visited was gone, leaving a clear landing strip for the ikran.

Touching down, Tsu’tey threw himself down from his mount, running a hand soothingly along his neck before disconnecting his kuru. He was careful in approaching the eerily still building. Ears pricked for unexpected Sky People or for familiar movement inside. 

Elegantly, Neytiri slid down from Seze. <”This place is too still.”>

He could only nod, stooping before the small metal door and knocking. His fist left an indent in the weak metal, but he was too stressed to care. Nothing moved within the building. The scent of many Sky People plagued the wind of the mountain, their smells poisoning the door and the grass all around. If he focused, Tsu’tey could tell that they were stale. Hours old.

His expression morphed into a scowl. Neytiri appeared at his side, peering into one of the windows, whilst Tsu’tey dropped into a crouch and gingerly reached the door handle. His large fingers mimicked how Grace had opened it before, the weak metal barrier opening easily under his touch. It had not been locked. 

<”Check the surroundings.”> Tsu’tey ordered his companion, only waiting long enough for her to nod before he tucked himself in small and shuffled into the airlock. With the door closed behind him, he listened to the wheeze of pandora air being sucked out of the tight space before the light overhead flashed green and the second door unlocked.

The scents here were more intense. Hinting towards a lived in space. There was food on the table, a tap still running against the far wall, the sink almost overflowing with dirty dishes. 

Discarding all that useless information, Tsu’tey moved further into the space, his tall body contorted to fit. The deeper he ventured, the more signs of struggle he found. Furniture had been overturned and doors left open, a couple barely hanging on by their hinges. Scattered papers carpeted the floor underfoot, books opened wide, their pages disfigured.

It distantly reminded Tsu’tey of the school. How it had looked after the Sky People had ransacked it. The scents were the same, the fear and rage poisoning the air. 

The only comfort was that there was no blood. Bullet wounds did not scar the walls of the tight space, nor did smoke poison the air. 

But that did not set his heart at ease. There was no one here. 

He had been too late. 

He felt the loss like a blow to the chest, his teeth grinding as he desperately rechecked the small space. Looking in cupboards and under the table in search of hiding places or survivors. He came up empty handed each time.

With nowhere else to look, he emerged back out into the sunlight to find Neytiri pacing beside Seze. She caught his gaze across the clearing, all movements stills as she looked at him with such heart shattering hope. He shook his head. She crumbled before his eyes.

<”They took him.”> Neytiri whispered, voice on the verge of breaking. Tsu’tey was quick to go to her, to drag her into his chest and hold her firmly as her shoulders shook. <”They took my mate!”> She yelled, pain twisting her words as she clawed at him. Desperately seeking comfort. 

Tsu’tey held her through it, shoving down his own grief in the face of her panic. He needed to be strong for her. A rock. Just as he had always been.

<”Come. We must return to the clan.”> He said, giving her something to do in hopes it would help her recollect herself. <”There is nothing more we can do here.”>

>_<

HomeTree was burning. 

And you could do nothing but listen to the victory announcement over the comms echoing throughout the deserted hangar.

Tears streamed down your face as you bit into your fist in a feeble attempt to quieten your sobs. Tears dripped onto the floor of the footwell of Trudy’s helicopter; heart aching for those lost and those left behind. There was no way of knowing who had survived, and who had already died. How many? How many of your friends had been crushed by the falling tree? And how many had passed afterwards in the aftermath?

You should’ve known. Should have spent more time around Hell’s Gate. Should have figured out Quaritch’s plan and foiled it. Instead of frolicing in the forest, greedily spending as much time with Tsu’tey as your days would allow. You should have-

You cut off your train of thought.

You had to get back. Somehow, you needed to relink and warn the People. You needed to be useful by either providing another pair of hands or bringing back valuable information. 

Trudy had to come back soon, it had been two hours since she’d shoved you in here and locked you inside with a swift promise to return with the others. You’d managed to snap the link of the handcuffs ages ago. 

You were pulled from your internal spiral by people climbing up onto the side of the helicopter and reaching for the engine covers. You tensed, making yourself smaller in the cockpit as the doors at the rear of the helicopter opened and someone boarded.

“I got them.” Trudy called by way of greeting as she fell into the pilot’s seat and began flipping buttons and pulling levers. She was grinning from ear to ear as she thrust an exo pack into your lap, which you busied yourself with putting it on. “You doing okay?”

“They got HomeTree.” You replied brokenly. Trudy winced. 

“I know. But we’re gonna get you back in there.” She replied stubbornly, “we’re gonna steal the mountain compound and drop it somewhere near the Tree of Souls. That’s where the clan has gone.” You nodded along to her hurried explanation, eyes catching on Grace and Jake tearing across the tarmac towards the helicopter.

In the rear, Norm was yelling at them to hurry up as a door on the second level banged open. You inhaled sharply as an armed figure stormed across the upper landing, shoulders hunched as they typically did when carrying a rifle. 

Norm was hauling Jake up into the helicopter, dragging him in as Grace threw his chair in. 

The figure opened fire. Bullets bounced off of the windshield as Trudy kicked the engine into gear, screaming at the others to hurry the fuck up. 

Grace lifted herself into the rear, and Trudy gripped the cyclic stick. 

With the rapid pump of pedals, the overhead propellers roared to life and the machine took flight. Bullets chased the aircraft out of the hangar as Trudy aimed for the open doors. 

Then you were free. Soaring over the tarmac before Trudy pulled up hard and the helicopter went racing towards the stars. You whooped as Hell’s Gate disappeared far below, nothing but its lights marking its position on the ground below. 

“You all alright back there?” Trudy called, as the joyous whoops in the back died down.

“Grace got hit!” Jake yelled from the rear, and your previous joy evaporated. 

>_<

You tried to make Grace comfortable in the spare link unit. After tightly wrapping her stomach, Jake had tossed a blanket over her shivering form before wheeling away to Norm’s active pod in search of a shot of tranexamic acid. Propping her head up on a pillow, you tried not to let your eyes stray to the strip of red peeking out from beneath the blanket, instead choosing to adjust the material so it was out of sight.

High above, you heard the heavy footfalls of Norm walking along the roof, securing the supports which would lift the compound from the floor. Above the distant hum of the samson engine, you could hear Norm yelling to Trudy that the lines were secured. There was no audible reply, but you could tell from the groan of cables and the slight lurch that the compound had been lifted clear. 

“Are you going to keep scowling all evening?” Jake asked from across the room with no humour. Your expression hardened as you made a conscious effort not to give him the satisfaction of getting a response. Instead you refocused your attention on Grace, your touch soothing as you pushed her sweaty hair away from her damp forehead, your stomach twisting at her ashy complexion and the laboured puffs of her breath.

You begrudgingly moved aside as the marine wheeled up to the lip of the unit, leaning over Grace to inject the tranexamic acid into her bloodstream. With luck, it would offer a larger window of time in which you could get her help.

Grace barely flinched at the sharp pain, her eyes slipping open but unseeing. You remained close, clutching her hand tightly between your own. It was limp and cold in your grip. 

She didn’t snap at you to let go. That she was fine and that you were overreacting. And it made your heart crumble like it was a piece of paper that someone had clutched harshly in their fist. 

Jake momentarily forgotten, you felt your knees go weak as you lowered yourself into a kneel beside the unit, head bowed to hide your face. This couldn’t be happening. 

At your side, Jake sighed taxingly. He sounded exhausted. Drained. “Look, I know you’re pissed-”

You hissed at him, hating the sound of his voice in such a delicate situation. Grace was dying and he was still talking about himself, still trying to defend himself. Deep in your chest, amongst the festering wounds of grief and fear, a white hot slice of anger made itself known. 

You didn’t let go of Grace’s hand. Couldn’t bring yourself to sever this precious connection, despite the rage in your tone. 

“Will you just shut up!” You snapped back bitterly. Grace’s fingers twitched against you, a weak squeeze. It helped ground you, to reign in your anger somewhat. 

Beside you, Jake didn’t look like he was breathing. He was frozen in time. Eyes carefully tracking your every movement as if you were a thanator and he was back in his avatar body trying to decide the best way to survive. 

Distantly, you wished you hadn’t jumped in on that day. That you had allowed Eywa’s creature to tear this man to shreds as the Great Mother had intended. At the time, you would have felt guilty, but perhaps, if Jake had not had access to his avatar, none of this would have happened.

A thought struck you, as jarring and shocking as a frying pan over the back of the head. “It was YOU that gave Quaritch that information, wasn’t it?” Jake’s mouth closed with an audible click, eyes bugging wide. Your stomach clenched as you realised that that reaction told you everything you needed to know. Silently, you thanked Eywa that you didn’t have your hunting knife on you and that your gun was well out of reach. Grace’s poor heart would not be able to survive the sound of you murdering this stupid man just feet from her wounded body.

The marine held your gaze, even as he refused to speak up. It made you want to smack him. “I know it was.” You continued on, voice venomous with every word. Grace’s hand had gone completely limp in your own, the pain having finally knocked her out. With great effort, you pulled yourself away from her grasp, filtered air sawing in and out of your lungs with each desperate inhale. 

You heard Jake swallow audibly as you hauled yourself to your feet, glaring down at him. “How else would Quaritch know how to hit HomeTree? To go for the supporting outer structures? That the helix staircase acted as a skeleton for the entire thing?” The image of HomeTree burning flashed across your mind. That ancient, ancestral monument brought to its knees, toppled like a fence in a strong wind.

“It was me.” Jake admitted, in a way that foretold a ‘but’ was on the horizon. “But that was before, when it was only about the mission.” 

You laughed, the sound strained and painful. “You did this.” 

It felt like you were cursing him. An underlying threat despite the simplicity of the phrase. Jerkily, you skirted around him, hands clutching the bolted shelves as the compound swayed and lurched as it got batted around by the wind. 

Jake struggled to find the right words to defend himself. He spoke in a rush, as if terrified you’d cut him off before he could fully explain himself. Still defending his image. Still trying to play the hero. “I did. But I’m gonna do everything in my power to make it right-” Another barked laugh left your tightening throat. You had reached your end of the room now where your belongings sat. Buried deep in the bottom of your satchel sat a RDA issued handgun. “What power Jake? There is nothing we can fucking do.”

“This isn’t over.” He said it so simply. Like that was all there was to it. Just emotion, and a drive to stick together.

“Jake.” You turned in place, fighting every instinct and burning desire to whip out your weapon and finally get him to shut up. “Wake up already.” 

Jake’s passive expression finally turned hostile, his brow furrowing into a scowl as the words hit home. You’d heard it spoken countless times over the past few months in regard to his extensive time spent in the link. Had heard it yourself during your early weeks on Pandora before you’d groan a backbone and forced everyone to back off. 

His tone was furious as he finally raised his voice. “Will you stop being negative for two seconds?!”

The shout had your own rage rearing its head in challenge. It was refreshing to have him fighting back instead of pleading for forgiveness. It would demonstrate his true colours as lips always grew loose during times of high emotion.

“Will you use your head for two seconds? You know, the one up here instead of your fucking dick.” You retorted, tapping your temple twice. Jake levelled you with an acidic glare. You turned the fowl look in kind. “HomeTree is gone. They know you knew what Quaritch was planning. There is no way they’re gonna let us back in.” You yelled out a rush. Before adding, “you’ve fucked this up for both of us.”

Jake’s expression immediately melted into one of pity. 

“No.” He insisted, “no I didn’t.” 

He sounded so certain. As if he hadn’t destroyed everything. As if he hadn’t fucked up everything he touched. 

You laughed again, the sound pained and twisted. Jake kept talking, kept trying to fill your head with fantasies and hope as if Grace wasn’t dying, and the clan you called home hadn’t abandoned you. “They still have your avatar.” Jake reassured you, “it was upstairs with mine and Grace’s when we relinked-”

“Then it’s definitely destroyed by now.”

“They probably took you with them.”

“Why the hell would they do that?” The words hurt to voice but they were true. “We’re Sky People. They see us as Demons. They wouldn’t risk it.”

“Like that ever stopped Tsu’tey.” Jake reasoned.

“Do NOT speak his name!” 

Jake ignored you, sprouting more and more words of encouragement. “I’ve got a plan. We’re gonna get back in there, and we’re gonna help the people.”

“They will never allow us back. Neytiri would kill you on sight.”

He visibly deflated. “She’s never going to look at me the same again.”

“To be betrayed by your mate,” you narrated, “it simply doesn’t happen in their world. Your mate is the one person you can rely on to always have your back, to love and cherish you indefinitely. If anything, she’ll feel obligated to welcome you back because of those deeply ingrained values.” 

Jake kept nodding, his eyes shining. You knew at that moment that he was going back with or without you. That he would stop at nothing to give Grace the best chance of survival he could find. And that was something you could respect.

It took considerable strength to shove down your pride, but the bewildered look on his face was worth it. “Make sure you earn it.” You ordered him. “I don’t care what you do, but make sure when you are forgiven, it is because you deserve it.” He nodded along.

“Do you really think Tsu’tey would’ve abandoned you over this?”

“Yes.” You replied honestly. “He’s driven by his duty to the people. If he deems me a threat, he would’ve left my avatar to burn alongside HomeTree. When I link up, I’ll know where I stand.”

“Good to know.”

>_<

As Trudy lowered the compound into the forests deep into the Hallelujah Mountains closer to the Tree of Souls, you relinked. The others had agreed to take care of Grace whilst you checked on the clan, anxious to find out what had happened to your avatar.

You woke to a cloudy sky and the soothing commotion of cooking food and people talking in hushed, tearful whispers. The mood within the clearing was sombre, the voices of those around you sad or sobbing. Overhead, you saw the swaying vines of the Tree of Souls, and felt your throat tighten with emotion as you realised where you were.

With great effort, you managed to haul yourself up into a sitting position, to the gasps of the healers attending to your body. You smiled reassuringly as you realised you’d been laid out on a mat, still armed and your bow within arms reach.

One of the men tending to the other wounded rushed over to check you, his voice too low for you to catch what he was asking you. Rapidly, he checked your pulse and temple, pulled back your eyelids to assess your pupils before listening to your breathing. He relaxed when he found nothing amiss. 

You uttered your thanks before asking where the Olo’eyktan and Tsahik were. He motioned to the Tree of Souls where various figures were crouched, conversing on the raised platform of packed earth surrounding the roots. 

You bowed in appreciation before taking up your bow and weaving through the crowd towards the tree. The People parted easily for you, many smiling at your appearance and uttering soft thanks to Eywa for your safe return. You grinned back, momentarily soothed by the positive reaction despite how rocky things had ended only hours before. 

As you approached, you recognised the red, beaded shawl of the clan Tsahik. <“Mo’at. What happened?”> You asked as you approached. The person she was conversing with bowed as he departed, slipping back into the crowd as she turned to you. Her eyes were red and puffy, hair in disarray as she turned on you with a clack of beads. 

<“You’re alive.”> She whispered, soft as a prayer.

<“I escaped.”> You assured her. She nodded before sweeping forward and wrapping you in a tight hug, softly thanking the Great Mother for her guidance. You hugged back, not sure who was comforting who. 

She was crying again. <“Mo’at?”>

<“It’s all gone.”> She whispered. <“HomeTree. Eytukan. Most of the tribe.”> Your breath caught.

<“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”> You whispered, although you knew words alone would never heal this wound. No amount of regret would bring those people back. <“I’m sorry.”> Mo’at continued to cry, her sobs quiet as she hid her face in your shoulder. Hiding herself and her vulnerability from the fractured remains of the clan. Your arm wrapped around her back, whilst the other rested against the back of her head, keeping her close to you, allowing her this moment of weakness that she so desperately needed.

In turn, she held on tightly. Her arms wrapped tightly around your waist, pulling her to you with a grip strong enough to bruise. 

Throughout your time amongst the clan, you had never seen her like this. So lost and emotional. She’d always been a strong pillar of strength. The level-headed leader in every situation.

You were glad you could give back to her in some small way.

<”Y/n?”>

Your aching heart pounded at the soft utterance of your name. Back straightening, your head whipped round to find Tsu’tey picking his way across the roots of the Tree of Souls. His expression was pinched, his bow clutched tightly in his dominant hand. 

Your throat tightened at the ceremonial necklace at his neck, the mark of his elevated status in the clan. The final confirmation that what Mo’at had said was true, her mate was dead and Tsu’tey had risen in the ranks to take his place. 

He moved gracefully towards you, shoulder set and his tail raised. You weren’t sure if his scowl was of confusion or rage. Nor did you wish to find out, although it did loosen something in you that he was here, alive and whole. 

Throughout the adrenaline rush of escaping, you hadn’t dared contemplate what you would do if he had died whilst you were gone. 

And yet, your tail swayed in relief, your eyes drinking in the sight of him. Checking for injuries or pain in his face. As was expected, he was fine. 

His footsteps were even but silent, a predator stalking prey. <“You’re alive.”> He breathed, but you couldn’t tell if he perceived that as a good thing after the morning they’d experienced. 

With a deep, steadying breath, Mo’at pulled herself away from your neck and straightened. She took a moment to recollect her breathing, visibly pulling herself together as she scrubbed at the teartracks glistening across the apples of her cheeks. <”I am relieved that you are well.”> She praised, her trembling hands rising to your shoulders and squeezing with a mother’s reassurance. <”May Eywa smile upon your return.”> 

With that, she turned sharply on her heels and picked her way back across the roots, leaving you alone with the new Olo’eyktan. Absently, you mourned the loss of her comforting touch, realising with a pang that your physical shield had left you vulnerable to Tsu’tey’s reaction. 

The man in question had hardly moved throughout the short interaction, his eyes glued to your face. You swallowed again before returning your attention to him. He looked regal in the neckpiece, the textbook image of a leader. Power oozed off of him.

You tried to sound confident as you raised your hand to your forehead and greeted him. <”I see you, Olo’eyktan.”> <”Cut that out.”> Tsu’tey immediately hissed, his neutral expression morphing into a look that spoke of deep rooted fear and anger. 

Unexpectedly, he grabbed at you, making your body stiffen. Powerful hands grabbed at your shoulders as his eyes roamed across your body. Fingers prodded at your skin, checking for injuries or pains. You gasped as one colossal fist gripped you by the cheeks, turning your head this way and that. <”Did they hurt you?”> 

You floundered for a response. Face ablaze as your mind struggled to keep up with what was happening.

He bared his teeth at your lack of response, ears lying flat. <”Where?”> He continued, brow furrowing at the lack of blood on your skin.

Somehow you composed yourself. <”I’m fine.”> You reassured him, breath stuttering off into a wheeze as he slammed his hand against your chest, pressing down as he felt for your heartbeat. He stilled, fingers pressing into your flesh as he waited. <”I escaped before they could do anything to me.”>

He visibly relaxed, ears rising back up. He began nodding, comforted by your pulse and your response. 

And with a quiet prayer to the Great Mother, his hand slid around to your back and pulled you into him. There was no space left between you with how tightly he clung to your body, hands spread wide across your back as if he needed to hold as much of you as he could. 

You refused to cry as you returned the gesture. Shoving your face into his neck as his chin rested on the crown of your braids. There was an unmistakable rumble emitting from the centre of his chest, but you didn’t dare draw attention to it, for fear he would try to smother his purr. It comforted you on a level you could not describe, your body losing all its previous tension, mind going pleasantly blank despite the shitty situation that had brought about this reunion. 

The din of the clan fell away whilst you embraced him. And for a moment, it was only the two of you. His hands holding you secure. His purr soothing your fears. His scent turning you to mush. 

Fuck, it had only been a few hours, but it felt like you’d been gone for years. 

Tsu’tey pulled back, his hands finding purchase on your cheeks as he urged you to look at him, genuine fear and sorrow echoing in his eyes as he spoke. <”I went to the compound in the mountains. I came for you, I promise, but you were already gone.”>

<”You came for me?”> You whispered, feeling choked up by the simple and soft spoken admittance. The raw vulnerability in his voice and the sincere way he held you made you want to burst into tears. All the stress of the past few hours felt almost worth it. 

Relief was a balm to your nerves as you threw your arms tighter around him, clutching him to you tightly as he buried his face into your braids.<”Of course I did.”> He promised, and you believed him. 

You could tell you were gripping tighter than was probably appropriate, but he did not tell you off. He held you firmly. Allowing you to reassure yourself that he was here, and he was alive. Despite everything, he had come back to you in one piece. 

It was as if a colossal weight had been lifted from your shoulders by a kind god.

The beat of mighty wings had you freezing. 

No ikran could sound that heavy in the air. 

Tsu’tey’s head shot up, his arms tightening around your back. The sound of screaming had you tearing yourself out of his hold, spinning in place with your hand flying to your knife.

Toruk landed at the edge of the clearing, scaring half the clan into defensive positions whilst those who could not fight ran for cover. You instinctively backed up, clinging tightly to the beautiful knife your grasp. You knew in your heart that such a measly weapon would do little against such a majestic beast, but it helped ground you.

Tsu’tey stepped up to your side in moments. He did not pull you away or shove you behind him, so you could be protected. He stood beside you. Shoulder to shoulder, despite the fear clearly adorning his face. Fear for his people. 

Mo’at appeared at your other elbow, Neytiri in tow. 

And then a figure slid down Toruk’s side, disconnecting their queue as they smoothly stepped around its massive head, hands gliding over its eye ridge. The clan collectively held its breath.

<“Toruk Makto?”> Mo’at whispered from beside you. You glanced from the Tsahik to the mysterious rider who was making their way through the parting crowd. You recognised that stiff swagger, the cheap attempt at confidence and the tense set of their shoulders.

“Well I’ll be damned.” You laughed quietly to yourself as Jake approached the Tree of Souls, Neytiri already walking forward to greet him. Then you scoffed. “He’s such a show off.”

That earned you a sharp swat upside the head from a frowning Mo’at. 

>_<

When you had relinked, Grace had been merely dying. There was still hope.

But now, several hours later after a failed consciousness transfer, she was gone. You felt numb as the People sung their hymns, laying her to rest within the trees beyond the clearing with the rest of the fallen. Norm took her avatar away shortly after, his cheeks shining with tears. And then it was as if she was never there. 

Somehow, that thought was worse than watching her die. 

You slipped away from the clan, your footsteps clumsy as you tried to navigate your way through the trees with blurry vision. Grief was an arrow to the heart, twisting itself deeper with every choked off memory of Grace’s body. Of how happy she’d been to see the Tree of Souls despite her worsening condition. Of the pure wonder in her shaking voice as she grasped Jake’s hand, whispering a soft, “I’m with her Jake. She’s real.”

Your world had slowed as she faded. Her head slipped to the side as she went still. 

Mo’at had crouched over her body, searching for life. A soul. The Tsahik had shaken her head and backed away. <”There wasn’t enough time.”> She’d whispered. 

Panic had you scrambling up from your crouch. You stumbled over the extended roots of the tree, dropping to your knees near Grace’s head. Neytiri had already removed her exo pack and laid it beside her. She had looked peaceful, still smiling even in death.

Your quivering hand had cupped her face as you desperately called her name. Growing more frantic when she didn’t respond. 

Vaguely, you had heard the clan grow restless, Mo’at turning her back to calm them. Jake and Norm had settled in front of you, shielding you from their sights. 

“Y/n, she’s gone.” Norm said softly, trying to pull you away from Grace’s body.

You fought him off. <”No.”> Tears made your throat tight. <”Grace! Please.”>

Norm sighed wetly, his hands grabbing at your bicep, trying to pull you to him so he could comfort you. You struggled anew, tearing yourself away from him with a ferocious hiss. He frowned. Jake hadn’t moved from the other side of the body, his eyes distant. A puppet with his strings cut. 

You followed his gaze back to Grace, to her pale skin and relaxed body. It hit you like a truck how small she was. Her hands were barely the length of your palm. 

It was cold to the touch. Lifeless. 

They would never ruffle through your hair again. And Grace would no longer berate you for spending too much time in the link. Nor would she remind you to eat or to take care of yourself in and out of your avatar.

Eywa had taken her home. Had welcomed her into her realm and eternal peace. 

Tears slid down your cheeks as you paused to steady yourself against the trunk of a tree, the clan at your back and your fingers digging deep into the soft bark, as you struggled to control yourself. The moss was grounding beneath your fingernails, soft as a mother’s embrace. 

She was gone. 

Your other hand was quick to also press into the side of the tree, gripping at a low branch for dear life. Strength failed you as your knees shook, head bowed as if in prayer. 

You should’ve been a better friend. Should have been there more. Should have told her how much she meant to you. 

You slid to the ground, legs finally giving out as you knelt in the dirt and leaf litter, eyes squeezed shut and your breath sawing in and out. Faster and faster. Your vision blurred as spots danced before your eyes. You kept panting, picking up speed and not taking in as much air.

Gone. 

The thought was so final. So commanding. A fact. The cruel truth. 

You were almost too scared to accept it. 

>_<

When you finally pulled yourself together enough to make it back to camp, the clan was alive with activity. The ikran riders were long gone on their various missions to rally the clans, whilst those who remained behind were readying the camp for an influx of warriors. 

Mo’at was setting up a healing wing at the rear of the Tree of Souls. Whilst the People were busying themselves with cooking and tending to the wounded. Others mending weapons, tacked up pa’li and painted on each other’s war paint. 

The clan moved seamlessly with a single goal despite the hundreds of bodies completing different tasks. An effortless system, well oiled by repetition and familiarity. 

Tsu’tey saved you from standing idly by for too long. He materialised out of nowhere with a firm hand on your wrist. His gaze caught on your puffy eyes, before flickering all over your face as whatever he’d been meaning to say died on his tongue. You wanted to curl up and cry again, feeling pathetic as you were powerless in offering a decent explanation.

<“Come, we must prepare for war.”> Was what he finally came up with as he pulled you away from the treeline to a spare mat where various shades of war paint had already been laid out in shallow, wooden bowls. Judging by the paint smears caught in the mat fibres and the pigment staining the sides of the bowls, the station had been set up for someone else. 

<“Help me.”> Tsu’tey commanded short and simple. Easy to follow. 

He knelt in front of you, dragging you down to sit directly opposite him, before offering the nearest bowl of dark blue pigment. <“Just like I showed you, remember?”> He instructed, and you nodded, wordlessly taking the bowl from him and dipping two fingers in. 

With a generous amount in hand, you knelt up onto your knees so you were hovering above him, he tilted his face up to follow you, giving you a perfect view and a neutral canvas. Your stomach twisted at the first touch of skin, absently remembering that this was often a task reserved for mates or family members. The act of painting on war paint was supposed to be a sign of good luck. 

Your touch was feather light as you dabbed the first pair of markings high on either side of his temples, marking out the area you would later fill in with the blue. Fingers shaking, you gritted your teeth at the poor linework, wishing you had a ruler or something to make the markings sharper.

<“Properly.”> Tsu’tey growled and you scowled at him, mentally relieved when you found his eyes closed instead of boring into you. <“I am.”>

<“You’re hesitating.”> He corrected with no heat.

<“You were glaring at me like you wanted to bite me.”> You defended, to which his eyes slid open and his face contorted into a venomous frown, which had you grinning despite yourself with how fucking adorable it looked paired with the sloppy markings at his temple. 

<“I was not glaring.”> He protested whilst continuing to glare. You hummed but felt soothed by the childish reaction as you went back to painting. <"And I don’t bite.”>

<“No?”> You asked suggestively to which he gave you a playful shove. You squeaked, lifting the bowl high in an attempt to steady it or not get any pigment on yourself. <“Be careful.”> 

Tsu’tey rolled his eyes. <“You’re slow.”> 

<“Because you’re distracting me.”>

He only snapped his teeth, to which you returned the gesture in kind, tail flicking challengingly. 

Tsu’tey let the conversation taper off again, his expression smoothing out so you could continue your work easier. This time, your strokes were more confident, the earlier grief that had shaken your hands, had been momentarily chased away by the familiar banter. Finishing up the navy layer with a self-satisfied nod, you set down the bowl and reached for the bright yellow paste. 

Tsu’tey watched you with a nod, satisfied by your choice before letting his eyes slip closed. 

These markings came easier to you with the large swooping ‘v’ across his forehead directly below the earlier navy lines, to the twin streaks of yellow that would frame his cheeks. You dipped your thumb into the yellow to capture the precise motion of the painted line that would slice from his lower lip to his chin. 

<“Good.”> Tsu’tey praised as you lent back out of his space to set down the yellow. He sat regally on the mat, shoulders back and his chin tilted up in a show of pride. You hoped you’d done the war markings justice.

<“Now sit, I will do yours.”> He ordered, picking up a bowl of muted yellow before motioning to the space in front of him. You arched a brow before sitting cross legged in your previous spot and closing your eyes at his motioning. 

The cool touch of paste covered fingers to your brow made you jump, but at his hiss, you stilled yourself. His movements were bold, smooth as he mapped out the expanse of your forehead in a curved ‘u’. His hand retracted, gathering more paint, before returning to the space between your eyes and dragging down your nose.

<“So,”> his hand jumped away from your face as you started talking. <“What do you want to talk about?”>

<“No talking.”> He gritted out, his other hand coming up to grip your jaw between his fingers so he could continue painting the mute yellow stripe down your nose. <“Stay still.”> 

You complied, ears swivelling to try and gauge where he was when his hands left your face for a new colour. You peaked open an eyelid, watching him pick out a vibrant white before quickly shutting it again when he turned back to you. He took his time lathering up his finger this time. 

<“So you and Neytiri are good then?”> You blurted, wincing at the lack of decorum and the randomness of the statement. 

Tsu’tey huffed softly, amused by your lack of tact. <“Yes.”>

<“How long ago did you end your courtship?”>

<���Nosy.”>

<“I just want to know how badly I need to beat Jake’s ass, when round 2 inevitably comes around.”> You defended, jumping when his cold finger landed above your eyebrow near the bottom of the yellow strip and began to outline the mark. 

<”You talked with him?”>

<”Shouted would be more accurate.”> You admitted.

He chuckled, eyes on his lap before returning to his work. <“She was not mine.”> Tsu’tey replied simply, as if that was all there was to it. There was no sadness in his tone, but rather a sense of relief and peace. <“We were more like siblings than lovers. It was my duty to the clan to be mated to her, and now it is not.”>

<“And now you’re free.”> You finished, eyes slipping open to catch the lopsided smile on his face.

<“To mate whoever I wish.”> He agreed with a tilt of his head, finger tracing your cheek a little firmer than before as he smeared the white accents into the muted yellow base layer. <“If they choose me in return.”>

Your heart pinched as you smiled. <“I wish you happiness.”>

Taglist: @bewbz2110 @sakura-onesan​ 

#Tsu'tey #tsu'tey x reader #gender neutral reader #multi-chapter fic

[linddzz]

Dreamling is at its best when it's either "we met three days ago and the wedding is next week (the wedding is a formality, Morpheus already tied our souls together don't ask how)" or a multi century slow burn where the burn is really just a long fuse leading to a cartoonish stack of gunpowder barrels and nothing in between

#i say as i have my multi chapter fic of them continuing that long fuse after the reunion #i never claimed to be consistent #actually i still say it counts bc morpheus is about to explode from 'this is my nice platonic friend who i am learning friendship with' #to #'i want to eat Hobs heart every day like the eagle on Prometheus except im also fucking him' #it counts #dreamling

[everyforkedroad]

Love So Dark - on AO3

READ HERE ON AO3

Before the man answered, he lifted his head, the place where his face should have been nothing more than a swirl of dark shadows, hiding his features. Porsche stepped back, his shoulders hitting the wall behind him. His veins slowly iced over.

"What the fuck are you?"

He prayed this was a dream because he had a phobia of ghosts, ever since his parents' death. The idea that he might be in the presence of one now had his hair standing on end and his heart pounding a punishing beat in his chest.

"I am a friend."

**

Ghost story based on Psyche & Eros/The Bear King myths

#kpanniversary #kpappreciation #ghost au #kinnporsche the series #kinn theerapanyakul #kinn anakinn #porsche pachara #porsche kittisawasd #porsche pachara kittisawasd #kinn x porsche #fanfiction #kpts fanfiction #kinnporsche the series fanfiction #multi-chapter fic #contemporary au #ghost story #soul mates #multiverse #reincarnation #paranormal romance #supernatural #mythological retelling #eros and psyche #the bear king

[cryptidghostgirl]

Ritornello (Alastor x Cursed!Gn!Reader)

Pairing: Alastor x Reader

Warnings: I don't think there are any but please correct me if I am wrong.

Word Count: 3,565

Previous Part: Rhapsody

Next Part: Rapture

Master Lists:

Master Lists 

Hazbin Hotel Master List

A/N Okay I know that canonically Charlie is like 200 but we're gonna make her 25.

After everything with Alastor, Y/n tried to continued their life as it had been before he'd stepped into. It was challenging, they faltered and misstepped. They had been good at being on their own once but now that they had a taste of the alternative, it was difficult to fall back into their old ways. Eventually, they managed to fall into a new pattern of being.

They were a bit more careful now, they didn't dash out unannounced from behind corners or secret hiding places. Seeing Alastor was the last thing they wanted to do. Now, they had someone to avoid.

For seventeen years, they continued on like this. They struggled through their battles on their own, against the overlords and against their own personal situation. They searched high and low for a cure but the only things they ever seemed able to come up with were false promises and temporary fixes. Every day, the curse the overlords had placed on them to limit their powers was growing stronger. Every time they used their magic, played their music, it became more and more corrupted and so, they learned to fight with their hands. This was until they got the call from Lucifer, of course.

The pair were old friends of a sort. Y/n had met him by chance within their first few days in Hell when he'd pulled them out of a tight spot. They didn't spend time together ever or really see one another at all but, Y/n had a vague sort of trust for the man, a strong sense of a debt needing to be repaid. Y/n didn't like owing people things, not even back when they were alive. They didn't like depending on people in that way. When he asked them if they could keep an eye on his daughter, they couldn't refuse.

Charlie was a lot. At twelve years old, she was bright and over the top and constantly bursting out into song. At first, Y/n had been rather uncertain about the whole arrangement, even when she'd gone through her emo phase at fifteen.

Y/n tried to steer clear of them for the most part. Picking her up from school, dropping her off. Babysitting when her parents needed a night to themselves, the normal stuff. When the issues started between Lilith and Lucifer, Charlie was suddenly thrust into Y/n's life a lot more. She had no idea the real reason, both her parents wanting to keep the trouble from her due to their own care and protective natures, and Y/n tried their best to keep it that way. It didn't help that by sixteen, Charlie had practically moved in with the demon but they managed.

Charlie had always pushed for a connection, something more than Y/n making her dinner and getting her where she needed to go. Y/n resisted at all costs. They'd been hurt before by trust, by care. The idea of going through it all again was terrifying. That all changed the day Charlie found out about the curse.

Y/n hadn't meant for her to find out. One of their situation's many many downsides was that while the curse ate away at their magic, it also ate away at their physical form. If they weren't careful, if they didn't temper their emotions and make sure they were eating enough raw meat, the beast would take over.

The beast was a horrific thing in their eyes, blood hungry and devastating. It was sub-human, sub-demon even, writhing and scornful. A mass of twisting shells of prey, a mass of claws and sharp teeth.

Of course, Y/n couldn't keep it from Charlie forever and on one fateful evening, Y/n had transformed. They'd been overworked, stressed about the fact that the Vees were gaining more territory and power, that soon they would be practically untouchable. They had forgotten to take care of themselves in the rush of it all, prioritizing Charlie and their plans.

When they had come back to their senses, come back to themself, it had been to the sight of Charlie. With a damp rag held to their forehead by the demoness and a whole lot of bones from victims of their situation on the floor around them, they had opened their eyes. Y/n had expected Charlie to flinch, to run in fear, to tell Lucifer who knew nothing about the curse. Instead, she had smiled brightly and told Y/n she was glad they were okay. From that day forward, they were absolutely inseparable, completely attached at the hip.

With Charlie's help and cheerful influence, Y/n was beginning to learn how to exist. They loved the girl like she was their own and Charlie knew if she ever had an issue of any sort, she could go to Y/n about it. Even when Y/n had relayed the story of how they'd been cursed and why, there had been no issues, no qualms, nothing. Charlie promised her watcher that she would help them break the curse, no matter what it took.

It was watching Charlie come into herself as a young adult, watching her meet and fall in love with Vaggie that made the real difference. The princess of Hell was unapologetically herself and Vaggie took everything she had to offer with open arms. Slowly but surely, the search for a cure took a back seat as did Y/n's goal of taking down the overlords of Hell. Their life was different, but they were happy. They found themself wishing for the past, the one they had shared with Alastor, less and less, channeling their energy into the world around them. They didn't even notice when the reports started to come in that the Radio Demon of the overlords had seemingly vanished.

Things hadn't been without their challenges. Charlie's relationship with her dad was strained to say the least and when her mom had disappeared? She'd been absolutely inconsolable but with one another's help, they figured things out, made it through.

When Charlie pitched the idea of the Happy Hotel, Y/n had been doubtful. They knew a lot about Hell, the way it functioned, the way the demons within were. It came from decades running around back streets and surviving in the underworld of the underworld. It was Charlie's hope that did it, her earnest gaze. Y/n had caved and after months of hard work, the Hotel had finally opened.

Things were going well, too well even. Then there had been the interview with Katie Killjoy, the other shoe dropping. Y/n had watched it from the sidelines with Vaggie. As soon as Charlie had come down off the set, they had enveloped her in their arms and held them close. With Vaggie's help, they managed to get Charlie back to the hotel.

Once she had calmed down a little bit, Charlie stood from where she had been seated in the sitting room beside Y/n, Vaggie, and the hotel's one resident: Angel Dust. She mentioned something about calling her mom before disappearing into the lobby.

Y/n and Vaggie exchanged a look. They both knew the situation Charlie was in with regards to her mother and how she tended to get after one of her failed attempts to contact the woman. Neither thought this was the time or the place to step in however, and remained seated, chatting idly with Angel as they waited for Charlie's return.

When she finally did, it was with a nervous attitude and a strained expression.

"Hey Vaggie?"

"What?" Vaggie asked as she and Y/n twisted to look at Charlie who stood in the door way behind the couch.

"Can you come help me please?"

Vaggie got to her feet and exited the sitting room with her girlfriend. Y/n turned to Angel to continue their conversation but had barley gotten a word to the spider demon out when Vaggie stepped back in the room.

"Y/n?"

"Yeah?" Y/n replied calmly.

"Charlie actually needs our help with this one, I think."

"Alright then." Y/n got to their feet, shooting a glance back at Angel, "A true hotelier's work is never done." they lightly joked and Angel rolled his eyes.

"What's this about?" Y/n asked Vaggie as they followed her down the hall towards the hotel's main entrance.

"Just..." Vaggie sighed, "you'll see."

Noting the girl's odd behavior and stressed demeanor, Y/n steeled themselves. Not much put Vaggie on edge. She was strong, toughened, as far as Y/n knew, by a brutal upbringing in the streets of Hell. While each use of their powers made the curse grow stronger, they would not hesitate to protect Charlie or her dreams should the need arise. Besides, they'd become quite good at other means of self preservation over the years.

As they rounded the corner into the lobby space, Y/n was greeted by a flash of red as someone pushed past Charlie into the space from the street and a familiar voice.

"Excuse my sudden visit, but I saw your fiasco on the picture show and I just couldn't resist. What a performance! Why I haven't been that entertained since the stock market crash of 1929. So many orphans."

Y/n let out a low growl, summoning their lute into their hands and Vaggie pointed her spear at the Radio Demon. It was pure instinct. If they knew anyone, they knew Alastor and redemption was not the Radio Demon's cup of tea. As Charlie shut the door, he turned to face them. Y/n walked a few steps forward, planting their feet a little ways away from Alastor and poising their fingers to play.

"Get out of here." They said through gritted teeth.

Alastor's eyes widened with recognition for the smallest moment. As quick as he had lost it, he regained his composure.

"My what a protective force this Hazbin Hotel has." Alastor mused.

"It's called the Happy Hotel actually?" Charlie hesitantly corrected and he laughed.

"Not anymore its not. I did you the favor of fixing your sign."

A little threat couldn't hurt, a little reminder of who he was dealing with. Alastor had no idea Y/n was any less capable than when he'd first met them. One little note couldn't hurt, wouldn't show any of the damage done. Y/n plucked a single string on their instrument and the room around them began to glow. Everyone's hair lifted around their faces, the loose edges of their clothes beginning to flutter.

"Get out of here now. I wont ask you again."

"Now, is that anyway to treat an old friend?" Alastor replied, smirking.

Everything suddenly clicked into place. There was something different about him. Y/n couldn't put their finger on exactly what it was, but they could tell he hadn't been lying. He'd been at the Hotel for at least five minutes by now, maybe more with all Charlie and Vaggie's running back and forth since his arrival. If he had had any truly negative intentions, they would have revealed themselves, especially to Y/n. Alastor was a good liar, but no one was that good, good enough to trick someone who had watched them become the person they are.

"Old friend?" Vaggie repeated, turning to Y/n in confusion.

Their grimace faltered, before falling completely. They released their instrument, letting it hang loosely in their hand by their side.

"Alastor! You're embarrassing me in front of my kid."

"Your kid?" Alastor asked after a moment.

This time the shocked expression that crept its way onto his face stayed there.

"You know him?" Charlie asked at the same moment as Alastor spoke.

Y/n let their instrument dissolve into the air and gestured to Charlie.

"My kid. And yes, Charlie. I know Alastor."

Alastor turned, looking Charlie up and down.

"You got with Lucifer?" Alastor asked in confusion as he looked back at Y/n.

They laughed lightly at the notion, unable to stop themselves. They shook their head.

"No. Oh my gosh, I would never. Seriously just... great guy and all but no thank you. I just take care of his kid for him. Well, used to. We sorta got attached."

Charlie walked up to Y/n as they spoke, pulling them into a side hug.

"Y/n practically raised me. They were kinda the only one who was always there for me."

Y/n looked down at Charlie with a fond smile. They ruffled her hair and Charlie quickly batted their hand away.

It was clear to Alastor that Y/n had changed. They were no longer the trouble making demon he had known, that he had loved. Still, there was that same spark in their eyes, that fervent desire, that want. From just the small interaction playing out before him, he could tell that Y/n had learned how to trust and protect rather than just fight. They had learned to live hand in hand with that creeping need woven so tightly around their bones, rather than despite it.

It made him happy to see, it made him happy for her. At the same time, it caused his heart to ache terribly. They had finally been able to let someone in, and it hadn't been him.

In the years since their separation, Alastor had never stopped thinking about Y/n. Their memory was tender to the touch, shot sparks of joy or anguish down him depending on the day. It was like an old wound that had never quite healed right. Seeing them now was unexpected. The wound reopened. He sheltered himself.

Y/n saw the way Vaggie still had her spear pointed at Alastor, aimed straight at his neck. Gently, they placed a hand on it, pushing it down. Vaggie looked at them, her eyebrows raised.

"If he wanted to hurt anyone here, he would have done so already."

Vaggie stared at Y/n for a moment. Seeing how serious the demon that had become a mentor to her was in this moment, she lowered her blade. Y/n's hand fell back to their side.

"Now," Y/n turned to look at Alastor once again, "why are you here?"

----

It was late. Vaggie had told Y/n that Charlie wanted to speak to them about something in their office and so, Y/n found themselves outside the familiar door. They knocked once on the dark red wood.

"Yeah?"

They opened the door and Charlie smiled.

"What'd you wanna talk to me about, Sunshine?" Y/n asked as they entered the room, taking a seat in the chair across the desk from their young charge.

"Just about Alastor."

They should have known. Not only was the hotel at a potential risk thanks to the decision to allow him to work with them but Charlie had always had a sharp sense of curiosity. Y/n sighed.

"Fire away, kiddo."

"Well, how do you two know one another? Can we trust him? Do you think he means what he says he does? I thought you hated overlords? I.. I..."

Y/n smiled softly, the change in their face easing Charlie's nervous temper.

"We will handle these one at a time, no prying. Deal?"

"Y/n, you realize how suspicious that makes you sound, right?"

"Fine. A little prying. Deal?"

"Deal."

Y/n leaned back in their chair, letting out a sigh of nostalgia. Their hands rested on their stomach as they kicked their feet up onto Charlie's desk.

"I... I met Alastor practically right after he arrived. We both thought the overlord system was dumb and so, we decided to team up."

There was a moment of silence, broken by Charlie. The young demoness had always loved Y/n's stories, begged to hear them. They had never once heard this one before.

"Is that all?"

Y/n shook their head.

"We dated."

"You dated!" Charlie exclaimed in shock, nearly jumping out of her seat, "You dated the Radio Demon. Were you in love?"

Of course she'd go on and ask that next. Not 'how'd that happen?' not 'when was this?' No, Charlie had to go for the hardest question first, like she always did.

"Yes." Y/n hesitantly replied, "I did."

"I... oh my god. This is actually crazy. You dated? You actually dated. Like for real, in love, dated."

"Alright." Y/n clapped their hands, taking their feet off the desk and righting themselves in their chair, "Next question."

"Bu-"

"I said some prying."

"Fine." Charlie sighed, crossing her arms, "But I am gonna get that story out of you eventually."

"I'm sure you will, sunshine." Y/n chuckled lightly, "Now. Can we trust him? I... I'm not sure."

All the excitement vanished from Charlie as she looked seriously over at Y/n.

"Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"Because, he's up to something but not with us. Or, if it is with us, it's not to hurt us. I... something happened to him, something is different. I am not sure what I just... he's not here to hurt us... I think..."

"You think?" Charlie repeated indignantly, "Can you be a little more sure of that maybe? Why only think?"

"It's been a long time since I've seen him, Charls. Maybe being an overlord is what changed him. I have no way of knowing but my gut tells me he's okay, at least for now."

"You knew him before he became an overlord?"

"You really think I would team up with one of those bitches? Come on. You know I hate them."

"I-"

"Next question." Y/n quickly interrupted, not wanting to think on the past anymore than was necessary, "I think he does mean what he says, as was implied in whether or not I trusted him but the same caveats that applied there apply here too. And I do hate overlords, I just..."

"You just love him." Charlie teased.

Y/n's cheeks grew hot. They looked away.

"I do not. I loved him. There is a difference."

"Uh-huh. Sure. Why did you guys break up?"

Y/n turned back to Charlie. They couldn't say no to those eyes.

"Well, he became an overlord. Also I maybe... never told him. About the curse. He could tell something was up and..." Y/n took a breath, "couldn't take it after a while I guess."

"So you guys still loved each other when you broke up."

"What are you scheming over there."

"Nothing! Nothing!" Charlie quickly replied as she not so discreetly scribbled something on a piece of paper, "How long were you together?"

Y/n placed their hands on the arms of the chair, pulling themselves to their feet.

"Alright, trouble maker, I think thats enough lore outta me tonight."

"But Y/n!"

"I'm gonna go to bed. Vaggie already headed upstairs for the night I think. Sweet dreams, princess."

"Good night Y/n." Charlie dejectedly replied as she realized she really wasn't going to be getting anything else out of her mentor that night.

"Good night."

Y/n was about half way through the Hotel back to their room when they felt a hand on their shoulder. Reacting purely out of instinct, they ducked out from under the person's grip, spinning around with their fists raised. Alastor smiled down at Y/n and they sighed.

"What is it?" they asked, straightening up.

He had expected Y/n to be angry, to have that familiar sharp edge behind their voice. Instead, they looked up at him. As if everything was normal, as if it hadn't been thirty years since they'd last seen one another, as if they had just been together yesterday, their eyes met his.

"I... it's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too." they replied after a moment's thought, "What are you doing up this late?"

"You know me, sleep is not my preferred way to pass time."

"I meant what are you doing in the hall, but sure. Yeah, I know you."

"That darling Charlie asked to see me."

Y/n scoffed, shaking their head with a tired smile.

"Of course she'd... yeah."

They stood in the hall facing one another. Just a few feet apart. The silence was thick.

"You seem happy."

"I am." Y/n nodded, "Charlie is a great kid. I was pissed when Lucifer first asked me to look after her, I'll admit it but, she has grown on me."

"I didn't know you were acquainted with the big man. I thought you despised all authority figures."

Y/n looked critically at Alastor, over his whole being. He felt they were looking into his very soul, the heart of all his intentions and desires. He felt absolutely naked in the worst way under their gaze.

"No, just overlords. Especially ones who make deals for the souls of others. It's a stupid and outdated system. Even the best of them like Rosie abuse their power to get what they want."

It was a well sharpened arrow, the remark. Perfectly aimed. Alastor had, after all, introduced the small group inhabiting the hotel to Husk and Nifty just that afternoon. Y/n turned their back to Alastor.

"She has big dreams and the passion to see them through. I believe in her. Don't... don't fuck this up for her, Alastor."

----

Next Part -> Rapture

@moonmark98 @luzzbuzz @snowlotr @randomuser-89 @fakeguysarehot @xdolls-crownx

#x reader #hazbin hotel #alastor #hazbin alastor #x reader fics #alastor the radio demon #fic writer #hazbin hotel alastor #x reader writer #alastor hazbin hotel #multi chap fic #multi chapter #x alastor #alastor x you #alastor x reader #the radio demon #radio demon #radio demon x reader #hazbin hotel x reader #hazbin #hazbin hotel fanfiction #alastor fanfiction #x reader fanfiction #x reader fanfic #fanfic #x reader fic #cursed reader #cursed!reader #x cursed reader

[chrollohearttags]

𝖗𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖇: 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖜𝖊𝖑𝖛𝖊

synopsis: many moves are being made for the talent of AMG and two fourths of the Dead Boys Society collective, Ony The God and Prince Cee, find themselves thrust even further into the spotlight after their freestyle goes viral. But their musical skills aren’t the only thing that has people talking. As it’s during this interview that the duo find themselves in an exchange of heated words with an infamous DJ..who names drop their fellow group member and brother, EJ the Don in reference to recent scandals. Will the pair clear up the rumors circulating the net or will they leave it all in his hands to set the record straight? Meanwhile, (Y/N) meets up with Mikasa prior to PalmFest to discuss another opportunity she has lined up for her. It’s here that the manager informs her that she’ll be receiving the opportunity of a lifetime to work with a brand she’s loved since childhood. But that isn’t the only thing she has to divulge to the upcoming influencer. What is Mika hiding from her client? Ahead of the festival, Jean and his infamous band prepare to make their much anticipated return to the stage but before this, he teams up with the girls of the Pole Assassins for what is set to be the collab of the century and to solicit some friendly advice to the headstrong leader. But he isn’t the only one with a grand plan up his sleeve and it seems that everyone will be pulling out the stops to give Miami and the world a night worth remembering. Who’ll take the stage and who’ll steal the show?

word count: 8.2K

content + themes: mentions of drugs, humor, light angst, mentions of fighting, minor smut/sexual themes (jeankasa crumbs), alcohol use, multiple character cameos, language

“This gon’ be our year, believe that..we made it this far and we ain’t gon’ stop.”

══✿══╡°˖✧✿✧˖°╞══✿════✿══╡°˖✧✿✧˖°╞══✿

Summertime. One of the liveliest and busiest times of the year for many. Most were preparing for vacation, on break from school or just enjoying the various happenings around their area..but for those that were employed and contracted under AMG, this was far from a time of leisure. With the recent announcement of the much anticipated PalmFest, it had caused a dramatic shift in the company. Not only that, word of the festival had begun to make waves around social media. Fans were sharing the banner and their enthusiasm for the lineup. Many were scrambling, tweeting about how they were needing to come up with quick cash to attend for the weekend. Tickets were set to go on sale in the next few days, so naturally, the sales and advertising team would be exceptionally busy. But they wouldn’t be the only ones busy preparing for the influx of attention that was set to be coming their way.

“Okay, okay..so everybody is talking, going crazy over the internet about this new song and lemme tell y’all..it’s worth every bit of the hype. It’s definitely a hit..song of the summer for sure. I’m rocking wit’ it, so many other people are too..but we all gotta know, how did it come about? What’s the story behind Nike Tech?” two men sat adjacent to a woman with a lighter complexion..all three with microphones pursed to their lips as they were perched and bolted to the table in front of them. Both with shaved heads, marked with dyed designs..chains dangling from their necks and grills lining the insides of their mouths when they flashed those perfect smiles. Prince Cee and Ony The God, two halves of the Dead Boys Society collective. Their styles could be best described as hypercharged trap and upbeat melodies that would hype up even the deadest of crowds. Make no mistake, the men did create more emotional pieces, detailing their rough upbringings in the heart of inner city Miami and the Dominican Republic. But they much rather preferred music that made people feel good! Too often had they seen the reality of what the streets could do to them so now that they had made it to the opposite side of the tracks..naturally, they wanted to pay homage to those they lost but they wanted people to smile more than anything. To dance and most importantly, fine women to shake their asses to it!

“Well, you know we was just messin’ ‘round one night, having fun and it came to us.

Ony, or Onyakapon was born to a Haitian father and an African American mother, who was born in Nigeria and raised in Opa Locka. He was always described as bright, intelligent and sweet with a kind heart. A star athlete to his core. He loved basketball and singing. He was brought up in the church, where he learned to fine tune that beautiful voice but quickly found the streets unwillingly. He saw gun violence..drugs and weapons being stuffed under the counters by his uncles and father. It was rough but he still persisted. He played basketball, was on the swim team and played football, all while maintaining a four point two grade point average. He was a star on the field and court, no doubt. But where did he truly shine? Behind a microphone. He and Connie attended the same high school, where they eventually went on to meet EJ..who had just enrolled to finish his junior and senior years. The three would play sports, write music and dream about the future. Regardless of their differences, all three boys had the same goal: change the world with music! A manifestation turned into reality only five years later. From sitting in the lunchroom, making beats on the table to opening for Denzel Curry and Raider Clan. The boys found their fame through Soundcloud a couple years after Eren’s viral video..

filmed at the same shoe store they all worked at..years later and they were all at the height of their game. Now, the guys were preparing for their very first global tour after finishing up their second country wide one. It was a dream come true. But with every whimsical dream follows harsh realities and lately, it had begun to rear its ugly head in the form of a rumor mill surrounding their fellow group mate, EJ himself. There was so much speculation swirling around that the seasoned rapper was dealing with everything from substance abuse to potentially announcing retirement. Granted, they were all baseless and quite frankly, dumb as fuck. However, it didn’t stop interviewers and fans alike from probing the question. And when they couldn’t get the answer straight from the source, they’d have to do the next best thing..

“Yeah, we was just looking to make sum’ that everybody could enjoy.” Chiming in shortly after was Connie Springer, or known by his stage moniker as Prince Cee. The Dominican Republic born, Dade County raised rapper who got his start initially by making songs with his older and younger brothers but ultimately, the two of them decided to give up their supposed pipe dreams for careers in the family restaurant business. As the proud middle child of two immigrant parents, who worked extremely hard to not only provide for their three sons but to essentially live the American dream. It was this same determination and hard work ethic that heavily inspired Connie’s pursuit of his passion. All throughout middle and high school, he would spend hours on end penning lyrics about the various experiences that he had growing up. From migration to witnessing drug deals right in front of him..serving as a journal of sorts. What began as free therapeutic relief soon turned into the catalyst for the inception of Prince Cee. He and Ony had long met as youth football players with the Pop Warner program. But their friendship only grew stronger over time, especially when they discovered that the two of them shared a very strong interest in becoming musicians. By their junior year, the pair had written five songs between the two of them and even recorded one track once EJ joined the fray. After that, the rest was history..needless to say, all of their success were because of one another. Without each other’s support, there was no telling where they would have wound up. But it seemed as if not everyone was in support of this feel good story. In the midst of Eren’s recent arrests, there had not only been speculation of a possible retirement but issues among the group. Many online believed that Connie and Ony would be parting ways with their fellow group mate because of the stigma and that essentially, they had grown tired of ‘living in his shadow’. However, they were here to clear the air once and for all!

“Alright, so while we’re here, gentlemen. You know we gotta talk about it..your homeboy, EJ..he’s been a bit of a hot topic lately. For reasons we not gon’ talk about but we did wanna address some other things and get your opinion on it.”

sat slightly slouched in their seats with their hands propping up their chins..the two gentlemen glared intently at the interviewer. They had a gut feeling that this question would arise at some point during this but they were not in the mood for it, if they were being frank. First and foremost, what happened to their brother was not only frustrating for him but no one’s business and his own to sort through. Certainly not on a platform like this. Hell, they might as well have been cackling with The ShadeRoom themselves! “Nah man, we told y’all before we even came up in here that we wasn’t answering no questions like that.” “Yeah, that ain’t even our situation to speak on, for real..” the gentlemen would suck their teeth before dismissing her preemptive questioning with the wave of a hand. However, it seemed that others were keen on pushing the issue!

“I mean, we just wanna set the record straight..your boy been in the game for some time now. One of the greatest of all time, but lately, he’s had some trouble. Not gon’ lie..so do y’all think that’s a good look for y’all too? Will y’all ever get tired of playing second best to EJ?”

suddenly, the whole studio was met with silence outside of the faint crackle of the microphones and a nearby producer gasping before she even knew it. They were almost certain that viewers would hear and a clip would be making its rounds on the internet by lunch time. Fans of the collective would be ripping the controversial DJ to shreds on social media. However, before any would-be fangirls or blogs could join the fray, the two gentlemen would eat him alive themselves! Ony, who was always more docile and collected in nature..the quietest in the group by far, had honestly had quite enough of this antagonistic and downright, stupid ass interview! Connie, who was all but gripping the arms of his leather chair, ready to fly off the handle was instead, halted by his friend with a palm to his chest.

“Nah, cause what the fu—“

“Hol’ on, bro..I got it.”

not a man of many words outside of his incredible music and select interviews, Ony had implored Eren’s approach early on and because of it, fans adored him that much more. Women fawned all over the very handsome, sexy, charismatic rapper with beautiful dark skin and his signature gold slugs wrapped around his teeth. It was also because of this, that he, much like EJ..was not to be fucked with! If they knew what was good for them, they’d call this session quits now. Grasping the microphone, Ony would flash a smirk, almost huffing and laughing to himself because he knew the words about to leave his mouth were not kind ones and he had been known to have quite the silver tongue. He didn’t mince words and he damn sure didn’t spare feelings, especially when it comes to those he cared about. Everybody could die behind his family..

“Lemme ask you sum’…out of all the years my boy been doing this, just like you said..how many times has he been invited on your show? Hmm? How many times have you reached out for an interview or asked him to come perform for y’all?” The question seemed to invoke both confusion and uncomfortability in the man. A dumbfounded expression on his face..akin to that of a scorned and scolded child. “Up until now, how many times has Dead Boys been on this radio station? Yall ain’t never played our shit, ain’t never invited us on and when you do, it’s for sum’ bullshit. See, this is why ion’ do these lil’ podcasts and shit, y’all talk more than bitches do. Y’all knew what it was before we even came up in here and y’all still gon’ play in our face. All this you see, we did without a deal, we did it without a label, we ain’t had to check in with no nigga in our city to get put on. We ain’t got to run up in everybody else's hood to make it. We ain’t these lil’ 360 ass niggas, we own all ours and that man EJ? Ain’t got nothing but love and all the respect in the world for him because he’s cut from the same cloth. We did this together, that’s our family..this music shit, it means everything to us and if y’all can’t respect him, then y’all don’t respect us and that means we done here..”

Without missing so much as a beat, Ony removed his headset and Connie followed..despite the pleas from the interviewers. But before the gentlemen could exit for good, Connie left them with one more statement that would solidify their stance on the matter. “And since ya’ll watching, just wait until that next album drops. We’ll see who the real great is. All them rumors and shit? Gon’ be put to rest. Let’s go.” And with that, the two of them turned on their heels without so much as even glancing back at the radio hosts. It may not have been their situation, but they handled it on his behalf and for anyone who may have been doubting them, EJ or their collective in general, were about to be in for a rude awakening. They had come too far to allow negative opinions and messy ‘journalists’ to diminish their shine. By the time this hit the internet, their words would be undoubtedly misconstrued but they were not about to let this stop them. If anything, it ignited the dormant spark lying underneath them to go harder. To prove people like that wrong and to show everybody what they were truly made of. Determined..now more than ever to step their game up. This time, it was personal!

“This gon’ be our year, believe that..we made it this far and we ain’t gon’ stop. Me, Connie, EJ, Armin..all of us. We ‘bout to put this industry on its head.”

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meanwhile, the boys weren’t the only ones preparing to make moves..whilst EJ and the rest of his collective were suiting up for PalmFest, album rollouts and such, (y/n) was about to receive some rather unexpected and great news yourself. Unbeknownst in your absence and amid your sabbatical, your manager had been working diligently to secure you a once in a lifetime deal..one that could potentially change the trajectory of your career in an instant.

“I’m sure you’re dying to know what it’s inside…go on, open it.”

currently, you were seated across from her at an outdoor table, overlooking the picturesque Miami waters. The Lapis Lounge was the place to be for anyone who was anyone in this town. Crisp white, designer linen draped marble tables with intricately arranged flowers placed in the center. Wine glasses filled with Pellegrino, shimmered underneath the sunlight; sliced lemons decorating the rim and square China plates sat before the both of you with aesthetically plated dishes that cost more than anything you’d ever dined on willingly. It never not dawned on you how surreal your life was each time you found yourself in these scenarios. Even now, as you chatted with her, intermittently shoving a spoon of panna cotta in your mouth, you couldn’t help but to dwell on the fact that this amount of money could’ve gotten you at least three fish plates and a good tray of oxtails on your side of town! Nonetheless, you’d tremble with anticipation..hands scaling the medium sized, gift wrapped box sat before you. A present, courtesy of Mikasa, who had been brandishing it when you arrived. It was pink with holographic foiling with a tag and bow on top that read: “To (y/n) (l/n). We hope you enjoy it.” You were honestly dumbfounded as to what it could be. But anticipation would not have to kill you any longer as you began to unravel the bow and open up the gift. Your expression would immediately change once you figured out what was beneath all that wrapping paper. Switching from a gaze of utter confusion to a wide gasp complete with a smile.

“Oh my God!—no way…” you were completely taken aback and could, at that very moment..burst into tears but you restrained yourself. Trying to construct and form a thought before speaking. “M-miss..Miss Ackerman, what is this?” “Exactly as it says..congratulations, sweetheart. You’re the new cover girl for Moschino. They sent that to my office this morning and said that they’d love for you to star in their next perfume ad.” You were in utter shock and disbelief. Beyond words even..for anyone that knew you, the (y/n) before the fame..you were quite the dresser. Prior to even coming up on money, you never disappointed when it came to your outfits, hair or makeup. Sporting the most eclectic and well coordinated pieces that could never work for anyone else but you. Outdressing the girls in school who needed brand names to compete but you’d outshine their fly every single time on a budget at a fraction of the price..shopping at the stores they’d deem ‘ghetto’ or lesser, styling your own hair and makeup with nothing but products from the beauty supply down the road from your house and coming to class with all eyes directed at you. Needless to say, you had never really had any use for designer duds. But if there was one fancy label that had piqued your interest, it was Moschino. Everything about it just made you fawn..from its avant- garde pieces, vibrant designs to unique aesthetics, you became obsessed. Although you were no bougie fashion snob, you often dreamed of getting to rock at least one of their pieces. Whether it be a handbag or a thrifted coat, you’d always wanted at least one. And now, years later..your manifestation has become reality! Excited wasn’t even the correct word..feigning back tears, you’d cackle and begin scouring the large PR package they had gifted you. Including their new Moschino Toy 2 Collection, along with their spring 2024 collection.

“And that’s not even the best part. Both Fenty brands actually reached out to me this morning as well with a proposal to feature you in their newest catalogs. I have the contracts for all three offers right here whenever you’re ready. If you agree, you can sign and you’ll officially be on the affiliate payroll..what do you think?”

you were at an utter loss for words. How could you even describe what it was that you were feeling? Honestly, every bit of it felt surreal. There was no way that you, of all people, were about to grace the ad pages for Moschino, Fenty Beauty and Savage x Fenty all in the same month. Not to mention being in two acts for the upcoming PalmFest. Getting to model and truly tap into your creative expression with photoshoots of your own making. The conceptual art, the budget of your choosing..it was a dream come true! Leaning back against your seat, you’d release a faint gasp, slowly shaking your head in utter disbelief as you attempted to feign back tears. It seemed as if you were just overcome with emotion as of late. Not so much from any hardships but the exact opposite. Oftentimes had you prayed for days like this and everything you’d ever hoped for was finally coming into fruition. It was almost as if your star had completely ascended overnight and it wasn’t lost on you that it happened shortly after signing onto Mikasa’s roster. And of course, after meeting Eren. Naturally, you’d never attribute your success to a man unless it was the one upstairs. However, you were grateful that she had thrown you two together that night!

“I..I honestly don’t know what to say. Thank you so much, Ms. Mika. I’m honored and I promise I will do the best I can to make you proud.” hoisting your glass to make a toast; met with soft giggles and a raised champagne flute in return. “Please, you’ve far exceeded that expectation. Just keep doing what you do best, stay genuine and I’ll make certain that you go far in this business.” Just as poised as ever, sipping from her champagne flute when stating so. However, that serene look in her eyes soon dissipated when you brought up the next topic of discussion. One that you had no idea was such a sore subject for your manager. “It’s crazy what a couple months can do. I mean, I was just backstage with EJ, getting a pep talk about how to navigate the crowd. ‘Swear..wouldn’t have known what to do if it wasn’t for him. He’s so much nicer than what everyone said too but I’m sure you already knew–” before you had the opportunity to complete your long winded tangent, singing the rapper’s praises, Mikasa would ingest a big gulp before clearing her throat. It took a moment for you to notice the shift in her mood and her facial expressions but you immediately became concerned. “Is everything okay?” “Y-yeah, I’m fine. Just got strangled, is all..” Prompting you to focus your attention on her wellbeing rather than your newest fling and her sworn enemy on the moment. Truth be told, she hadn’t exactly confronted her issues with Eren head on. Ever since that day in his studio, she had felt nothing but pure rage in her heart whenever the thought even so much as crossed her mind. Honestly, she had nothing to say to him or about him but she’d be lying if she said that the prospect of both their professional and business relationship being annulled..wouldn’t sting. Years of friendship, hard work, determination, advocating for one another and fighting their way to the top of the industry as a power duo, all down the drain over a stupid fight. She couldn’t blame Eren for his reaction but it didn’t make his words sting any less. Make no mistake, she still believed in him and his ability to make a comeback but it was going to take some time before she was able to see him as a manager or friend..

“You seem to really like Eren..” the comment sends a pang to the very pit of your stomach, making you quickly try to recant your earlier statements and downplay the oversharing of feelings for the seasoned rapper. However, that glimmer in your eye and visible reaction in body language was a dead giveaway. You could no longer fake your feelings for EJ the Don and if anyone saw through the facade, it was her.

“Well, ya know..he’s cool. He just helped me–

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. You don’t have to mince words with me. Trust me, that boy’s got your head so far in the clouds, I think you may float away.” It was official, she had you pegged just as well as your best friends. It was blatantly obvious that the two of you had something serious going on..whether you wanted to admit that fact to yourselves or not. Lowering your head, (Y/N) released a soft chuckle in half relief and half embarrassment. You were acting like an airheaded schoolgirl over a man you barely even knew and everyone around you had obviously peeped.

“Listen, (y/n)..I’ll be honest with you. Eren and I? We’re not exactly on good terms at the moment. Hell, even bringing up his name leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I’ll spare you the gritty details but..as it stands, he’s no longer my client and certainly not my friend. I’m only telling you this because I don’t want you to be alarmed or in the dark about any awkward tension..in the event we all happen to end up in the same circle. PalmFest is right around the corner and truthfully..I don’t know if I have it in my heart to forgive him. I don’t know if he can forgive me either..” The declaration was made through restrained tears and obvious hurt. You’d never seen your manager break her stoic and calm demeanor once since you’ve known her but now? She was completely different. More vulnerable and certainly more emotional than she’d ever gotten but she had to keep her cool. Put on that brave facade and try not to let it get to her. Also, she could see the visible shock on your face and how saddened you looked by the revelation. You hated confrontation and the idea of your potential beau and your manager being at odds was not good. You could tell they were very close and although it was certainly none of your business, you hoped they reached a resolution soon.

“I’m also telling you this because I don’t think that my or anyone else’s opinion should stand in the way of you two being happy. Regardless of how I feel about him right now..Eren was one of the very few people in my life that kept me grounded when I needed it most. He’s never really gotten excited about anything outside of music or work..but I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt, I’ve never seen that man smile as much as I have since you showed up.”

This revelation was certainly news to you! Even though you didn’t want to read much into it or get carried away, you’d be lying if you said it wasn’t one hell of a confidence boost! The cold hearted ice king, EJ the Don himself..gushing over the likes of you? You were shocked! But he obviously had a thing for you. Whether that was just lust or perhaps something more..was yet to be determined. In the meantime, your manager had one last tidbit of friendly advice for you. As woman to woman.

“I don’t know what it is about you but you obviously make him very happy and I can tell that he’s done the same for you. That’s important in this business…hold on to that. I don’t know two people who are more deserving.” In that moment, behind the strict expressions and no nonsense persona, Mikasa seemed to falter just a bit in that moment. Softening right before your eyes..it was very clear that she meant every single word that left her mouth. She wanted to see Eren happy even if she had to do so from the sidelines as someone who was no longer a part of his life. And you? She had never seen someone so kind, energetic and sweet before. She’d heard first hand from Niesha how much a workaholic you were and despite you just getting started, you deserved at least a bit of a reward. Hoisting your glass once more, you’d flash her a bright beaming smile, even giggling a bit to feign off crying because it took nothing for you to become emotional..especially when sentimental statements like that were involved.

“Thank you Miss Mika..I appreciate it.”

“Don’t mention it. Just promise me you’ll stay focused and keep your eyes on the prize. You’ve worked so hard. Don’t let anyone get in the way of that.”

“You have my word..”

With that, the two of you clinked your champagne flutes together and took obligatory swigs of the bubbly concoction inside. Rinsing away the intensity of the previous conversation. Now it was back to more pertinent matters!

“That’s my girl..now, back to this photoshoot. Let’s talk about the details because I have a few ideas that I think you’ll just absolutely adore..”

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page break and time skip: two days later

Hard Rock Stadium: Stage A, Miami Beach

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With the long anticipated PalmFest approaching a lot sooner rather than later, it seemed that everyone as a collective was working diligently to ensure that it would be nothing short of a stellar success. Stage crews worked overtime as they secured support beams for the stages..testing the lightning a million times over and getting everyone’s pyrotechnics in order for those who needed them. Running simulations of backdrops for each performer to make sure no one suffered from a glitch when the time finally came. Some of the biggest names in the industry would be setting foot on that very stage come three days from now. The entire weekend was one that would undoubtedly be for the books; for musical talents and attendees alike. Meanwhile, the executives had come out of their glass paned offices to observe the scene for themselves. Among the fray was none other than Erwin Smith, who had been working directly with everyone to relay orders and needs as well. He was the one heading this project so it was only natural for him to come show his face. Besides, with his reliant leadership style, everyone could rest assured that if any last minute changes or major pieces needed to be handled, he was the man to do so. At that very moment, he was seated in the front row as the lights dimmed on the overhead structure. Below them was quite possibly not only one of, but two of the festival’s most anticipated acts..Atelier Kiss and Pole Assassins! An unlikely yet dynamic pairing. The two groups had come together one time prior when the band was on their last tour. The dancing quintet had just gotten their start when lead man, Jean Kirschtein himself asked for the ladies to join them for their hometown reunion. Rivaling the sounds of Deftones and Avenged Sevenfold, the infamous group put a unique spin on rock music and changed the genre as everyone knew it. Jean, a native of Louisiana..had always harbored an affinity for blues, jazz, country and soul music. But to his core, he was a metal head. Growing up on the sounds of Metallica, Black Sabbath and Def Leppard, he wanted to combine all sides of the musical spectrum. He didn’t want to limit himself or his bandmates to one particular style. He fought to break stereotypes and bring an innovative style of rock and roll to the scene. He also had the privilege of receiving the tutelage of Vivian James and needless to say, he absorbed plenty from the Neo Soul Siren herself. His ultimate creation was, in his own words.. ‘The result of Kiss, Tina Turner and Waylon Jennings having an illegitimate love child.’ An interesting combination to put it lightly! But that insane mix worked for Atelier Kiss and years later, they’re regarded as one of the highest selling bands of the 21st century..no small feat by any stretch of the imagination. That deep, silky yet soulful vibrato of his could be recognized from earshot anywhere and Erwin had just gotten an exclusive concert just for his listening pleasure only as the groups had just wrapped up practice for their upcoming set.

“You guys..pardon my language..but that was fucking amazing.” The brash comment sending everyone on the stage into light hearted hysterics, even laughing. It was rare to even see the director ever crack a smile or break character but for anyone who was familiar with the former lead guitarist of Atelier Kiss’ predecessor, Maria’s Way..led by none other than the president and director themselves..they’d know that this was far tame for Mr. Smith. To him, he felt right at home watching the beautiful ladies twirl the pole as the rockstar crooned sultry and lewd lyrics into the mic. He had done the exact same many years prior..needless to say, he was proud of you all! Seeing as how they’d be opening the show, you guys had to make one hell of a first impression or the entire show would fall to shit. But that wasn’t even a possibility. The leaders of both groups were not only hard workers, but overachievers as well. Both Jean and (Y/N) had something serious to prove.

“Seriously, I’ve never seen anything like this and I cannot wait for you all to perform. Well done. Especially you ladies..being able to construct a routine of this caliber on such short notice? I’m blown away.” A statement that rang true..as it was only after your meeting with Mikasa two days ago, did he call you up and ask about performing with Atelier Kiss. Naturally, you accepted with bells on! Nevermind the fact that you’d also be on stage with a segment of your own, hosting a little contest alongside Prince Cee and Armin to see which lucky audience member could not only sway them but outdance you girls for their chance to win one thousand dollars cash right there. You’d be pulling double duty and exhausting yourselves in the process but all the more exposure, the better. And you were certain that your girls were up to the task!

“Ya’ hear that, girls? Sounds like we got the boss man’s stamp of approval. I’d say we’re good to call it a night.” Something that you all could get behind and appreciate, seeing as how darkness had already set fall over the sky. As excited as you all were, rest was going to be crucial in making a great performance happen. Slowly but surely, the stage hands and band members alike all helped you down from your poles and to your feet. All of them would thank your group and the sentiments were mirrored. But before you all could depart for home, Jean was hoping for an audience with you.

“Aye..(Y/N). Do you mind if we talk for a minute?

It was certainly an odd request..you’d consider yourself rather good friends with the lead singer but it wasn’t often that you had the chance to speak in private and quite honestly, there was no need! But by the indication of his tone, you could tell it may have been serious.

“Of course!” you’d wave to your girls and alert them that you’d catch up with them shortly. Meanwhile, you and Jean would venture off to the side of the stage to converse. He’d grasp your hand and help you down to the edge before handing you a water bottle. He was always just as chivalrous as he was kind..admirable qualities in a man and a friend in general. Graciously accepting, you’d thank him for the kind gestures before inquiring about his request.

“So what did you wanna talk about? Something wrong with the routine?” peering down at the ground, he’d be quick to dismiss that notion. This matter was a bit more personal and he truthfully couldn’t be sure of how you’d take it. “Nah, nothing like that..before I start running my mouth though. Are you and EJ..seeing each other?” Instantaneously, the question both caught you off guard and invoked a very physical reaction in you. You were so confused as to why he’d spring such a question up on you. It wasn’t as if either of you had made this little situationship you were involved in blatantly obvious but anyone with two functioning eyes could see that there was something going on between the two of you. Make no mistake, it wasn’t any more of his business as it was some random blog on the internet but you also didn’t strike Jean as the nosy type. He didn’t meddle in others’ affairs unless it pertained to his own and now that you were thinking about it, you could see why he harbored a vested interest of sorts…

“I mean..we talk from time to time. Nothing too serious..” but alas, he had his answer the moment you clutched that bottle as if you were trying to squeeze the life out of it and the way your eyes lit up at the sheer mention of his name. “Ahh, you don’t have to play coy with me. We’re friends..besides, it’s none of my business. But there was something I wanted to bring to your attention..” swallowing another gulp of his beverage, Jean would cease his light chuckle and return to a far more serious gaze than before. One that worried you a bit..what exactly was on his mind and how did it involve you? Granted, his fiancee had made him privy to their little spat a couple weeks back and how they were no longer on speaking terms. But it was just as Mikasa had said, their quarrel was in no way a reflection of how you should proceed with talking to him! Even so, you couldn’t help but to be intrigued by the blonde’s words. You’d rather someone tell you than to be in the dark about something important later on down the line.

“..I won’t sit here and pretend that he and I are best friends or anything. Never have been..hell, we’ve been at each other's throats since I’ve known him. Point is, I just want you to be careful. I know it’s not my place or anything..but I saw you guys together on the boat a couple weeks ago. And even though I can say for certainty that he’s not some womanizing sleazebag..dude’s selfish as hell. I mean, he never answers his phone, not even in emergencies. He doesn’t show up for meetings even when other people’s jobs are on the line..he’s just the worst!” By Jean’s frustrated rant, you can tell that Eren had done a thing or two to crawl underneath his skin. Even so, you couldn’t help but to laugh! Just as you had explained to your girls, you’d tell him, Mikasa and everyone else the exact same:

“ I appreciate the concern, Jean. But he and I are just friends, that’s all…no need to worry. I promise.”

You honestly found the sentiment sweet. That everyone was concerned about you and your wellbeing. Jean himself was overly cautious about the people in his life and rightfully so. This industry was a beast and a half and it would devour you whole if you allowed it. The last thing anyone wanted was for you to get hurt by somebody you seemingly held in high regard. Scoffing, the blonde would shake his head once more and cackle. He didn’t want you becoming angry with him over insinuations or baseless accusations. Truth be told, you and Eren didn’t know much about one another outside of the physical aspect but as it stood since your last hookup, he was hoping to change that. He was making a valiant and active effort to be more than just friends with benefits. That much was apparent by his consistent communication and the few flower arrangements he had sent to your apartment; a sweet little surprise after a long day of practice and work. You were appreciative of everyone’s concern but this was one matter you’d have to see to the end for yourself. Whether it played out in your favor or not.

“I figured you’d say as much. In all seriousness, you’ve become like family here at AMG. All of you have and we look out for one another. Everyone has seen how hard you work and we’d just hate for that to become jeopardized in any way. You just make sure that dummy doesn’t do anything to hurt you. If he does, you know who to call.” his offer sending you into a fit of giggles once more. But you had no doubt that you were in good hands. For the time being, you’d just play it cool and roll with the punches. “You know I appreciate you, boo. Thank you for looking out for me.” Swinging your arm around, you’d coil Jean’s neck and embrace him in a tight hug. You were extremely grateful for the people in your life right now and you knew that things were only about to become even better. Your angels were definitely looking out for you. The two of you would begin to stand up, reaching his hand out to assist you once more. It was amid your banter about the upcoming show that your phone began to ring and you’d prepare to part ways.

“...Hey, make sure to get some rest..all of you! You’re sure as hell gonna need it.”

“Aye, you ain’t gotta tell me twice! I’m headed home straight after this. And tell that pretty lady of yours I said hey!..”

But upon exchanging those pleasantries and goodbyes, your spoken plans were sure to become derailed and by the aforementioned topic nonetheless..you’d peer down at your phone screen to be suddenly greeted with none other than the contact name ‘EJ’. You didn’t want to seem extremely desperate for his attention or anything but you had been itching to hear from him. As it had been a day or two since your last phone call. He’d text you every morning and maintain consistent contact throughout the day..which you could appreciate because Jean was right about one thing: EJ moved on his time and his alone so he didn’t owe you a single thing and as he had revealed to you, he was in the process of cultivating his new album so you imagined that the Facetimes and texts would become scarce as the deadline drew near. As well as the fast approaching PalmFest. However, there was another reason he was reaching out. After the second or third ring, you’d swipe the arrow left and answer him.

“Hey EJ..”

“Hey gorgeous..how are you?”

The name sends immediate pangs to the pit of your stomach. You couldn’t help but to amass butterflies when you so much as heard his name so naturally, the sweet gestures made it even worse.

“I’m doing well, thanks..and I hope you are too.”

“I’m having a wonderful day now that I’ve gotten the chance to hear from you.”

“You know, you really do know how to make a girl feel special.”

“What can I say? A smart man recognizes a good thing when he sees it..I’d be crazy to mess that up, now wouldn’t I?”

Only a minute into your conversation, (Y/N) found yourself fawning over his buttery smooth words and that silky voice. Regardless, there was a reason he was calling you so late in the day and you had to know why.

“Listen, I don’t wanna take up too much of your time or anything and forgive me if I’m interruptin’ or anything. I saw your Instagram, I know you’ve been out here working hard..you know I never wanna take you away from your money..but if it was possible, I was hoping I could see you tonight. Maybe we could get together and finally have that date we were talking about..” Befuddled in your tracks, you had to take a moment to respond. Maybe it was the bare minimum and you weren’t exactly used to being courted in such a manner, but you appreciated his words. He valued your time just the same as his own..he didn’t see your profession as something lesser and certainly didn’t think you the type to be sitting around, awaiting his call. Because of this, you were thrilled to see him again and to finally have that quality time you both desired. Granted, the sex was downright impeccable between the two of you but it was obvious that you each were craving far more than physical intimacy..at the moment, it was only five thirty so you’d have ample enough time to make it back home and get yourself together. After all, it was your first official date and you wanted to be dressed accordingly! And with this festival and other projects looming over your heads, this was the perfect time to sneak in some personal breathing room..so without a moment more of hesitation..

“..I’d love that, thank you, Eren. I’m just now leaving practice but give me a couple hours and you can slide through.”

“Of course, beautiful. I’m so sorry it’s on such short notice but I’m glad you agreed to see me..I missed you.” Something about him was starkly different from the man you saw in interviews or on stage but it was so nice to be around someone so kind. He made you truly feel safe and that you’d made the right decision..

“I missed you too..I’ll see you in a bit, okay? Bye.”

“Bye..”

You just hoped that for your sake..you didn’t meet the side that Jean was seeming to warn you about. In the meantime, you had to make sure you were looking right!..

══✿══╡°˖✧✿✧˖°╞══✿════✿══╡°˖✧✿✧˖°╞══✿

three hours later..

On the opposite side of town, you and Eren weren’t the only two lovebirds indulging in the woes of being an item.

“You know, if you keep touching me like that, I’ll never get any work done..”

“That’s the entire point, my love. C’mon, it’s late..you deserve a break.”

at the future Kirschtein residence, Jean was attempting to woo his bride to get some much needed alone time. The couple had both been working nonstop during this time for the upcoming performance, their individual careers and of course, the wedding that was said to be ‘one for the books’. As excited as they were for all the new things happening in their life, rest was equally as important and as it stood, it was definitely a rarity. But it wasn’t the only thing that had been lacking..

“You just want some ass, admit it.”

“Okay, I just want some ass. There, I said it.”

the blonde was currently stationed behind his fiancée, who was still typing away at her computer and delegating orders via email at this time of night. For Mikasa, the grind truly never subsided. She would work in her sleep if it were feasible but there was nothing wrong with enjoying yourself every once in a while. Something Jean was hoping to accomplish tonight..in more ways than one. Despite her always stoic attitude, she couldn’t help but to fold and cackle at his advances. He was brutally honest to a fault and she appreciated that. Currently, he was feeling up her sides…marking up her neck with a trail of kisses and whispering all the things she wanted to hear. Even she couldn’t resist the charms and temptation of a man like him. It was that very behavior that had bagged her in the first place!..

“Alright, sir! Cut it out..I swear, you’re such a freak. The last time we tried that, you said you couldn’t breathe.”

“Yeah, but I would’ve died the happiest man ever..”

his southern twang peeking through the conversation as he reminisced on their most recent and salacious rendezvous. Nonetheless, he just wanted quality time with his lady. “Fine, give me two more minutes and I’ll be right there.” That was as good of a concession as he was going to get so Jean took the bait and accepted. “Two minutes, woman! Two minutes..” signaling the number with his fingers as he walked out..but even so, she couldn’t help but to chime in with a joke as he departed to the bedroom.

“If that’s how long you’re gonna last, I might as well stay right here—“ “Oh, shut up! Damn brat..”

cackling as he exited the room, Mikasa covered her mouth to attempt to feign her laughter. It was little moments like this that she enjoyed the most out of every aspect of her life. “Love you, babe!” But it was just as she was preparing to call it quits for the night, would she be met with quite the surprise. The inbox and screen were all but empty until a push notification appeared in the corner along with a burner email and a blank subject line. At first, it struck her as odd but suddenly, the dots began to connect for her. After a moment of reluctance, Mikasa would double click the email and open it up. Only to be greeted with nothing more than an audio file. “Okay, this is strange..” but alas, she’d still proceed and once it began playing, there was no doubt in her mind who the sender was..as she allowed it to play, the manager began to tear up, along with a soft chuckle. It was all making sense now..and needless to say, she was backed into a corner.

“You bastard..damn you. You always did get your way, I guess this time is no different.”

══✿══╡°˖✧✿✧˖°╞══✿════✿══╡°˖✧✿✧˖°╞

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[chatxkilluaxnoir]

There is No Turning Back Anymore, Ch4/15:

Meant to post this way earlier than I did, but hey!, at least I am still in the weekly or every two week range (even more so if you consider that I had said "give or take" too when I mentioned my "schedule" for this anyway) with this post.

Anyways, here is that new chapter! A bit of a longer one this time around too.

….................

Once again, I have posted this chapter and updated this fic on AO3 as well.  To see/read this fic on AO3, just go here.

….................

Breakfast with the Zilvers Chapter Summary:

The Zilver family all have a 'nice and lovely' family breakfast together.

The chapter itself is after the cut.

It was Sunday.  Dipper slept in till 11:30 am, then he woke up, got out of bed and got dressed.

He put on his blue pants, white shirt with magic sigils and symbols on it, red leather jacket (he grew to really like leather, because of his father), his favorite blue and white hat with a pine tree on it that he almost always wore (despite it being his favorite, he could never remember where he originally got it though.  Or when), and his black gloves (he had fingerless ones too, that his father gave him, and he did like those.  But he always preferred the more formal, non-fingerless gloves.  The kind of gloves rich or really old-fashioned people might wear.  Which made his sister tease him to no end.  Saying he was an “old man” and all that.  His father also sometimes teased him too about it.  His mother, in contrast, would say he had good taste in gloves; way better than his father.  She would say the latter usually, when she caught her husband teasing Dipper about it).

Once he was done with that, he went to the bathroom to brush his brown, streaked with blue and yellow highlights (once again, his father and mother were major influences on him and his sense of style.  Though his mom’s hair didn’t actually have any highlights right now, she still did like to have them from time to time) hair.  While brushing his hair, he decided he would make sure his bangs were covering his birthmark today.

(Which his parents thought were super cool, so didn’t get why he hid it.  Especially since it was why his sister and them called him Dipper.  And he didn’t really know why either.  It was almost like covering it was an old habit or something.  “Or something”, because even though he felt strangely like that it was an “old habit”, he felt like he didn’t always cover it.  Which was partly why he didn’t always cover it himself.  Those feelings didn’t really make sense though, like some of his other “feelings”, so all he could really say to them in answer, was that it was just something he felt like doing sometimes). 

Once he did that, he also brushed his teeth, and headed right down to have a late breakfast.  

 —--

 Luckily his parents knew their kids liked to sleep in on the weekends, so when they had the time, they would make late breakfasts for him and his sister (though, upsettingly, sometimes just for him).  

When he got there, his sister was already up, and was sitting at the table already, giving him the same forced smile she had been wearing a lot that week.

…His sister had been really acting weird this week.  Well.  Even weirder than she normally was.  He had tried to ask her about it, but she would just brush it off.  Usually by talking about other stuff, like boy bands, and make-up guns she made that would actually kill someone instead of applying make-up, or asking how he was doing and how was school and did he make any new friends (Dipper had no idea why his sister kept asking him this question, because on the rare occasion Dipper actually did make a new friend, his sister would act happy, but really, to Dipper, that happiness appeared to be fake more often than not, and sometimes she would even…,no let’s not think about that Dipper, best not to dwell on that.  Dwelling on that never ends well.  So we're going to stop doing that for now.  Yep.), or maybe just tackling him to the bed and roughhousing with him or tickling him, or etc.  It was all very normal things she would do and ask with him, but there was more nervousness to them, it seemed more forced, more like she was just deflecting.  

She had gotten pretty good at hiding how she was actually feeling and stuff over the years, but Dipper had just enough practice seeing through that.  So he could tell that something was wrong.  Could tell something was weird.  

Like that goddamn forced, fake smile that she had been sporting almost this whole week, which was starting to drive him kind of nuts at this point, he wasn’t going to lie.  He really wished she would just cut it out already.

 —--

 Dipper after saying a “Good morning” back to his hugely-smiling mother, Angelica Zilver.  Who was as glamorous as always.  Even on a day like this with no special occasions.  Her platinum blonde hair pulled in a long, pretty ponytail.  With gracefully put-on make-up.  Like red eyeshadow and pink lipstick.  And all decked out in a dark purple, classy business suit.  You could really tell she was a businesswoman and the head of her own fashion line, even just by looking at her.  

And to his more stern-faced (who was actually pretty chill, his face was just kinda..like that most of the time) father, Aaron Zilver; though one corner of his mouth was also crooked upward in a slight smile as well if you paid enough attention.  His father, who dressed less glamorously (thought, not by a lot) than his mother, but still looked cool with a black shirt with a skull on it, black leather jacket, black pants, some black mascara and eyeliner, and had brown, slicked-back hair that was streaked with purple and red (his red highlights looked more natural than the purple though.  And for all Dipper knew, maybe they actually were; it could be hard to tell with his Dad.  Especially since his Dad liked to joke and mess around about stuff;...well, sometimes he did.  Like, he always loved to joke about his highlights.  Saying they were real in one instance and saying they were fake in another.  And it could be so hard to tell which one was the truth, because he just sounded so damn convincing either way) highlights.  Truly, still a punk-rock drummer at heart, despite being mostly retired now.  He wanted to be more ready and available for his newly-adopted kids. 

Went to go sit at his already set-up place across from his sister at the table.  Where he would sit down, and narrow his eyes at his sister.  

His sister, who was wearing her usual kind of outfit.  Today of which being a pink and orange tank top, with a kitten on fire on it, surrounded by a rainbow (just looking at it kind of gave Dipper a headache), red shorts, and her long, past her butt, red hair, that she had pulled up in an intricate braid.  

And that very same sister was also still showing him that same ol’ fake grin that he was slowly growing to despise.

 —--

 “Good morning to you too, Scar.”  Dipper said the nickname he usually called his sister - a term of endearment between them - with more bite than he usually would, “I see that you are in a good mood once again this morning, just like you have been since Monday.”, Dipper finished off with thinly-veiled sarcasm, a fake smile of his own, and fake joy.

What, Dipper never said he couldn’t be a petty person.  And he had tried to give her time to say what was wrong on her own, but it had been almost a week since she started acting like this, and Dipper was growing annoyed (and increasingly worried).

Scar kept her fake smile on, and only replied with a “Good morning of her own” and an eye roll she tried really hard to suppress, but failed to.

Scar then proceeded to stare at her empty plate, sometimes drinking some orange juice out of her glass, all the while saying nothing more.

Dipper just stared at her, waiting for her to say anything at all, while also sometimes taking drinks out of his cup to drink his chocolate milk that his parents had placed next to his empty plate at the table.

 ………………………………………………….

 ………………………….

 ……………

 ……..

 …

 When Dipper finally couldn’t take the unbearable silence anymore, he finally leaned over whispered loudly, in an irritated, but also sympathetic tone, at his sister, 

“Scar, seriously, what is wrong, you have been acting weird all week, and I am starting to get worr–”,

he was cut off by his parents yelling breakfast was ready and asking their kids to come help set up the food on the table, so they could all eat.

Taking this opportunity to dodge Dipper’s questions, Scar got up quickly, chair almost falling over with how abrupt she was.

“Coming!”, she shouted.

Dipper was taken by surprise with Scar’s sudden leave.  “Huh?  ..Wh-wait–Scar?”, he stuttered, until he realized what Scar had done, slammed his hands on the table, causing his dishes and glass to shake, spilling some of his chocolate milk, and then shouted after her, “Scar, where do you think you are going?!  Can we please just talk about this already?!?, Dipper said without trying to hide it from his parents anymore in the slightest.  Too mad to hold himself back.

“Young man, don’t yell and make a mess!  Where are you manners?”, his mother berated.

And his father just looked over at him with his signature “I-am-not-happy with you” Look, sighed, and then shook his head, before saying,

“Listen to your mother.  On this rare occasion, you should actually be following your sister’s example.  Look, she is already setting the syrup, butter, and chocolate chip pancakes on the table, while you were making a scene.”

“What, but–”

“No buts, Leo,” (oh man, he must be mad, to be purposely using Dipper’s real name instead of the nickname he usually went by), “now, go finish off setting up the table, so we can eat breakfast-well technically brunch, but whatever, it is breakfast to us.”  His father cut him off.

“Fine.”  Dipper begrudgingly muttered.

 —--

 Dipper went over to the kitchen, and got the scrambled eggs and bacon and set those on the table.  His parents brought over a cartoon of chocolate milk and orange juice.  His mom topped his class of chocolate milk, and poured her and her dad some orange juice.  They didn’t top Scar’s glass.

*Cough* “Hey, Mom, I think you forgot to top Scar’s glass.”

His mom looked confused for a second, and then realization dawned, “Ah, of course, yes, your sister’s glass, of course.”  She stuttered like a robot.

His mother walked over to pour some orange juice in Scar’s glass, but was stopped by Scar, who raised her hand in front of her in a halting sign.

“That is fine, Ang - Mother”.  Scarlet purposely almost calling her Mother by her real name in her disdain for her, before changing it, though she said both the “slip-up” and “mother” with a peculiar edge to them.  “I don’t need any more orange juice, but thank you anyway.”  Neither her words or tone sounded sincere whatsoever, not helped by her previous “slip-up” and the small glare she was giving her mother, though she did try to quickly conceal all of that before her mother could really notice, but well, Dipper still noticed.

And Angelica of course noticed too, “Oh.  Giving me lip now, Scarlet Zilver?  You really think I will take that from you?”, she asked with a calm coldness.

“Yeah, yeah, I am sorry ‘mother’.  I will try to keep my mouth in check.”  Scar said in a better tone this time, but not much better if anyone was being honest about it.  

*Sigh*  And with both a look and voice that sounded tired, ”That is the best I am going to get from you today isn’t it, Scarlet?”

Scarlet didn’t say anything in reply.

“Okay then, let’s just eat I guess.”

“That sounds nice, let’s just do that, instead of talking.” Scar replied this time, even though their mother hadn’t really been directing that at JUST her.  Her voice was still all fake cheer and happiness when she replied this time too.  Similar to the one Dipper used on Scarlet, but it seemed it was for different reasons than why he used it.  Well, besides the irritation.  Both him and Scar were definitely both irritated when they used that tone.

Like mother, like daughter, the mother also loved giving eye rolls.  And she certainly gave a huge one at her daughter; not even trying to hide it, before going on to eat her breakfast.

Dipper, having seen both mother and daughter give eye rolls (or barely suppressed ones), both thought they were being childish with each other, so he just “hmphed”, and ate his own breakfast while trying to ignore them.

Throughout this whole exchange, the father just watched, and once the whole thing had blown over, and they knew the argument wouldn’t get bad enough that he would need to step in (arguments between the mother and daughter weren’t really uncommon in their household), finally got started on his own meal.

 —---

 The Zilver family spent the rest of their breakfast in uncomfortable silence.  None of them talked even while cleaning up after their meal, or once they started to go their separate ways; all, for the most part, doing different things on that now Sunday afternoon.

Before they had left each other, you think they would have said something to each other.  Said anything.  You would think the silence would have gotten unbearable enough where someone would talk, but when everyone in the Zilver family (from the 4 of them, that is) were all stubborn as all hell (some, way more than the other(s) though), well, whoever talked first, lost, and no one wanted to lose.

 .....

 They were all childish, just like Dipper had accused his mom and sister of being.

But it wasn’t just them that were childish, but the whole family was, including his father, including Dipper himself.  Even IF he would vehemently disagree with that.  He was the same too.

The whole Silver family was childish.  Stubborn.  Competitive.  Hated losing.  The works.

Wasn’t that just ‘great’.

#chatxkilluaxnoir #chat's fics #chat's stories #killua noir's stories #killua noir's stories! #multi-chapter #multi-chapter fic #gf #gf au #gfau #gravity falls #gravity falls au #tau #TINTBA #transcendence au #There is No Turning Back Anymore

[britany1997]

Fate Yields For No One

Chapter Five

Well y’all, it’s been a month so you know what that means:):) Hope you enjoy the next installment in the series! I can’t wait to show y’all how this fic is going to develop even further!

Poly Lost Boys x Max’s Daughter Reader

Comment to be added to my Taglist for this fic or for all my Lost Boys fics!

FYFNO Masterlist

California, 1986

The boys were too stunned to speak.

Until Paul abruptly broke the silence with a resounding “what the fuck.”

You pulled away from Maria’s embrace when a familiar voice shattered your moment. You sighed, pushing your frustration down and turning to glare at the blond menace.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t alone.

The same feeling you’d had when you’d met Paul a couple weeks ago surged through you once more as you met eyes with each of his friends.

The bleach blond one looked disgusted, almost angry, with his eyes narrowed and his mouth fixed into a sneer.

The curly haired one bit his gloved thumb, his eyes skittered back and forth between you, Maria, and his friends. He bounced, shifting his weight back and forth from one foot to the other, practically vibrating.

The dark haired one was unreadable. Your eyes narrowed as you took in his expression. You searched for nervousness, anger, sadness, anything. But his face revealed nothing, it was almost intriguing.

Paul looked broken. His mouth slightly agape and his eyes resembling those of a kicked puppy. Despite his pitiful appearance, you couldn’t find it in yourself to feel any remorse.

You reminded yourself that you’d always been entitled to make your own damn choices.

The little utterances of “mine” that broke through their lips meant nothing to you. You had never belonged to anyone but yourself. And you had always been your own to give.

You crossed your arms and scowled, daring them to intrude any further on your time with Maria.

You felt a hand slide along your cheek, turning your head slowly until you were faced with your lover.

“Hey,” she soothed, staring into your eyes with a slightly nervous gaze. You softened immediately.

“It’s getting late, we’re already closed, and it seems like you need to talk this out,” she said gently.

You took her soft hands in your own. “No, please don’t go,” you pleaded, “it’s them who should leave.”

When she smiled, it didn’t reach her eyes.

“We’re working the night shift together tomorrow,” she reminded you, “figure this out ok? I’ll be here.”

She leaned in to kiss your cheek, “I’ll always be here for you ok?”

“Ok,” you whispered back as you stroked her face softly, causing a blush to rise on her cheeks.

Paul cleared his throat loudly and you shot him a glare that would have peeled paint.

Maria’s hand over yours calmed you down just a bit. She reassured you with a smile before she slipped out the front door.

With Maria gone, you were free to feel the depth of your frustration at the four men before you.

“What do you want?” You grit out through clenched teeth.

Paul threw up his hands, “what is wrong with you?”

Your face flushed red, half with embarrassment, and half with anger. You clenched your fists. Nothing was wrong with you. Something was clearly wrong with him because he couldn’t. take. a hint.

The dark haired vampire shot Paul a look that seemed to reign him in. Then he stepped forward to put himself between you and the three other men.

“I’m Dwayne,” he introduced himself gently, his face still devoid of any emotion.

“Ok,” you spat, “congratulations.”

His mask broke a bit, looking slightly taken aback by your hostility, but he quickly composed himself.

“We just want to talk,” he said, his hands up in a sort of surrender, “let us explain some things to you.”

Your eyes narrowed, and without Maria there to diffuse the situation, your arms crossed again.

“Explain things to me?” You felt rage bubbling up inside you, “what could you possibly have to explain to me?”

Dwayne, to his credit, maintained his calm, collected demeanor. The bleach blond however seemed to be seething behind him.

“It’s hard to know where to start…we’re your-”

“I know.” You cut him off.

“You know?”

“I know what you are, and I know what we are,” you flashed him your fangs.

The four boys couldn’t hide their shock. The bleach blond one pushed past Dwayne to stare you down. “You’re not a human,” he mused.

Dwayne placed a hand on his shoulder, “David…” he warned.

David rolled his shoulder to shove off Dwayne’s hand.

“Listen sweetheart,”

You scowled at the pointed nickname.

“You’re ours,” Paul cringed at David’s words.

“The sooner you get it through your thick head,” David tapped your forehead, causing you to bare your teeth, “the better.”

“Oh fuck,” Paul whispered.

You stared David down, your body shaking slightly in anger. “If you ever fucking touch me again I will rip your head from your shoulders and burn your decapitated body you arrogant asshole,” You hissed.

He hissed back, his fangs on full display.

“David please,” the curly hair vampire begged.

“Marko,” David turned to growl, “I won’t tolerate this kind of insubordination.”

You gripped the edge of the video store desk so hard you thought it might break off.

Dwayne yanked David back by his arm. With the way the bleach blond man glared at the him you thought they might come to blows.

“Do you think you’re helping right now?” Dwayne asked.

David rolled his eyes, “she’s disrespecting me, she’s disrespecting us.” he glared at you.

You scowled back, trying to seem unfazed by his egotistical display.

“Is that what she’s doing?” Dwayne asked, “or is she setting boundaries and making choices you don’t like?”

Your hostile face dissolved to shock. You weren’t expecting that kind of support.

“Love can’t be forced,” Dwayne continued, “you know that, I know you know that.”

David stared at Dwayne before sighing deeply.

You tensed when he moved towards you. “This isn’t over,” he hissed.

You scoffed, “yeah that’s what he said,” you hooked your thumb towards Paul, “I’ll tell you what I told him. It sure seems like it is.”

David’s eyes narrowed but he kept his mouth shut.

“C’mon boys,” he gestured for the men to follow him out of the store.

Dwayne didn’t even glance back as he left.

Marko shot you a longing look, but when you looked away, he sighed before following Dwayne out the door.

Paul lingered. He opened his mouth, only to close it, time after time.

“What do you want?” you scowled.

“We could make you happy,” he said in the softest voice you’d ever heard. “I could make you happy.”

You stared at him, his eyes full of hope and desire.

“If you really want me to be happy…”

He moved closer, hanging on every word you said. His fists clenched at his side, desperate to touch you but holding back.

“Then I need you to leave me alone.”

His face fell, any hope in his eyes had shattered and dissolved.

He turned away, dead heart breaking in his chest.

“Ok,” was all he could muster as he too disappeared from the store.

As soon as he’d slipped from sight, you rushed to the front door to flip the sign from open to closed.

Grateful for the solace that an empty store provided, you slunk to the back room to mull over the events of the night.

You slid down the door until you were seated, head in hands. Part of you wondered if it would be so bad to give in. The Dwayne guy seemed respectful and kind enough, and if you were honest with yourself, you weren’t unattracted to him either.

If you were really honest, you weren’t unattracted to any of them. Except that David asshole.

It wasn’t his face that bothered you, but his abismal attitude. He might as well have been Max Jr.

He didn’t own you. No one fucking did.

Then there was Maria.

Her beautiful face flashed through your mind. She was kind, she was brilliant, she was caring, and you could see yourself falling for her one day.

God you’d had your first kiss with Maria tonight and you were thinking about those possessive vamps?

How could you ever consider trading her in for these four strangers with nothing but some kind of empty ‘claim’ on you.

You sighed.

You couldn’t deny that you’d felt the pull. You blamed your stupid, uncontrollable vampire instincts.

But what was lust, passion, and desire when compared with connection, comfort, and love?

Maria was the one you wanted. You chose her, and you’d do what you had to to keep her.

Whatever it took.

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