#now he's having weird visions of birds and ruins

[renecdote]

I would like any and all prompts you choose to fill please and thank you. but also this one:

look at your face!

congratulations allison you have unlocked a surprise BTHB square: bloody nose [Read on AO3]

Buck feels the impact all through his body. For a moment, he’s dazed, his brain taking an extra few seconds to catch up with what it already knows just happened. Swooping bird, uneven sidewalk, Evan Buckley’s famously shitty luck. Eddie’s distractingly attractive smile, too, which technically didn’t contribute to the face planting, but didn’t exactly help either. Buck might have been paying more attention to where he was going if it wasn’t for that smile.

“Ow,” he mutters into the concrete. It comes out thick and nasally.

“Buck?” Eddie’s worry is, somehow, also attractive. Buck wonders why he never noticed the before. “Are you okay?”

Buck starts to push himself up—nope, ouch—then he gives up and rolls onto his back instead. The bright, cloudless LA sky is mostly blocked out by Eddie’s face hovering above him when he squints his eyes open. He looks just as worried as he sounded.

“Please tell me my leg isn’t broken again,” Buck says, even though he’s pretty sure it isn’t. That’s the kind of thing he would have noticed immediately, he thinks. Or maybe not, since his whole body is kind of… throbbing. A little. Mostly his face.

Eddie’s head dips out of his field of vision for a moment, then pops back up to report, “Your legs are fine. Can you sit up?”

“Yes,” Buck says confidently, then has to take a deep breath to brace himself before he actually tries. Eddie offers him a helping hand and Buck holds onto it even though he tells himself it’s not really necessary. He just thinks holding Eddie’s hand would be nice right now. It would be nice to do it some day when one or both of them aren’t injured, too.

Something tickles his lip. Buck wipes at the irritation, expecting dirt, and pain explodes through his nose and out through the rest of his face.

“Fuck,” he gasps, automatically clutching at it. Unsurprisingly, that just makes another wave of pain crash through him. Buck blinks back the reflective tears, biting his lip hard. He might be embarrassed by the pathetic noise of pain pulled out of him if it didn’t hurt so much.

“Here, let me look,” Eddie says, gently prying Buck’s hands away from his face.

It’s not a surprise to look down and find blood on his hands, but it still makes Buck’s stomach swoop, an automatic vagal response that his stupid brain only seems to get when it’s his own blood he’s dealing with. Or Eddie’s, but. There were extenuating circumstances there.

“Jesus,” Eddie mutters, fingers at Buck’s jaw gently tiling his head. It’s probably just a coincidence that it takes his eye off his hands. “Look at your face. Maddie is going to be pissed.”

“‘M good,” Buck tries. “Really.”

The reassurance is immediately ruined when the blood running over his lip gets in his mouth and he has to spit it back out, bright red and bubbly with saliva on the pavement. Gross. Buck tries to grimace without wrinkling his nose, but he’s pretty sure he just looks like he some weird lip spasm thing going on.

Eddie rolls his eyes. “Your nose is broken, Buck.”

Buck shakes his head in denial, but that just makes the pain in his face pulse. Eddie is quick to hold his head still.

“Stop moving,” he scolds. “You’re worse than Chris.”

Buck sticks his tongue out at him, then instantly regrets it when he has to spit out more blood. Eddie gently nudges his head forward so the blood drips down between his bent legs instead of down his throat. His hand stays on Buck’s back, warm and solid even though Buck’s shirt is probably gross and sweaty, and it’s kinda nice. Comforting.

“I don’t even know why you’re arguing with me,” Eddie says. “I’m the one who can see your nose and I don’t even need my EMT training to see that it’s definitely broken.”

“It can’t be broken,” Buck protests, more to the universe in general than Eddie. “The wedding is in a week, Eds. Maddie is going to kill me.”

“At least it wasn’t really your fault,” Eddie offers, sounding like he doesn’t think that will help Buck’s case at all.

“I’m so fucked,” Buck sighs around more blood. “Please avenge me when I’m gone.”

Eddie rolls his eyes again. “Why don’t we work on minimising the damage first, then we can plan out your revenge fantasy later?”

“Ice pack?” Buck asks hopefully.

“Uh.” Eddie looks around, like maybe one might magically appear in the middle of the park they were running through. “You might have to wait until we get to urgent care for that.”

Buck groans. Somehow, that makes fresh blood gush from his nose because the human body hates him personally. He pinches his nostrils gingerly, trying to find the sweet spot between stopping the bleeding and not making it hurt more. He doesn’t really succeed, but if there’s one thing he’s good at it, it’s being in pain, so Buck just gives up and takes it. It’s not like it’s his first broken nose. Or his second.

“Don’t even try,” Eddie says, pre-empting him before he can speak. “Your options are urgent care or the ER.”

“They’re probably just going to tell me to take painkillers and not bump it until it heals.”

Eddie has pulled out his phone, one-handed, probably to google where the closest urgent care is.

“I’m not listening to you,” he says.

“Not even if I have ice packs in my car?”

Eddie pauses, looking up from his phone. “Of course you do.” Like he’s kicking himself for not thinking of that before. “This doesn’t get you out of urgent care, though.”

Buck sighs. “Yeah, I know.”

He crosses his eyes trying to look at his nose, closing one eye and then the other, but he still can’t see how bad the break might be. He’s pretty sure it can’t be worse than when he took a hockey stick to the face in high school, at least. Between the broken nose and the orbital blowout, his face was swollen for weeks. That one has got to be in the top ten worst injuries he’s had, Buck thinks, and then wonders whether he should be worried that he has been injured enough times to have a top ten.

“Come on.” Eddie stands, not asking this time before he reaches out and takes Buck’s hand to pull him to his feet as well. “The sooner we go, the sooner we get out of there.”

And then they can go home. Buck doesn’t need to ask to know that they’ll be going together, probably back to Eddie’s house, and they’ll cook dinner, and exaggerate the broken nose story for Chris, and maybe, if Buck is lucky, he’ll fall asleep with his head on Eddie’s shoulder while they all watch a movie together. He’ll wake up bleary and content, probably with a blanket thrown over him, and when he makes half-hearted noises about going home, Eddie will just roll his eyes and say, “Don’t be ridiculous, Buck, you’re staying.”

So Buck will stay.

In the face of all that, even hours waiting in the uncomfortable plastic chairs at urgent care doesn’t seem so bad. Especially when Buck starts tapping his fingers on his thigh, waiting anxiously for this name to be called, and Eddie reaches out and takes his hand. He squeezes gently, a silent reassurance, and Buck lets himself daydream, for a moment, that the injury isn’t there at all.

#Evan Buckley #Eddie Diaz #911 Fox #fic #badthingshappenbingo #to nobody's surprise I continue to write them being stupidly in love but also just stupid with each other

[alumort]

ao3

hiii haiii new fic :O! im. kinda hyperfixating on the au again. :P i have 2 more fics outlined hehe ok bye

  Nobody would realize he was gone with all the snow in the mountains– his newly grown feathers helped him hide away from unwanted gazes now that his adult plumage was finally settling in, and he was safe at once.

  Hizashi already knew of his little visits to the human family, and decided to cover up for his son whenever it was possible; Neji was happier ever since meeting Lee, and he didn't want to ruin that newfound joy. As long as his hunting didn't decay, his father would allow that friendship.

  … however, Hiashi didn't think in the same way. The man claimed to only want the best for the flock, yet his means to get that to happen weren't ideal– he growled at his nephew as soon as he found him, pushing him in order to slow down his flying, scratching his back in the process.

  He wouldn't allow it. His friend was waiting for him, and nothing would stop him from seeing Lee. His family were the only good humans out there– and no matter how many ways it was explained to Hiashi, he didn't want to listen. And he didn’t want to stop trying to injure him.

  “Go back to our home, Neji! Stop meddling with humans!” the older man ordered in owlish, again trying to make the boy stop on his tracks. Seeing that his nephew just went on on his flight, Hiashi screeched, once again trying to push him from the sky.

  Or so Neji thought, until the sharp feeling of claws digging themselves on his wing made him let out a surprised shriek. He tried to fight off the man, punching him but doing nothing– his wing was in pain and blood started to fall, and only then did Hiashi stop trying to attack him, a watchful gaze making sure that the brunet wouldn’t be able to remain in the air for long.

  It was over. A bird who fell from the sky… he would die as soon as his body hit the ground. His friend, his father– how would they feel when he ended up not returning home, or to the farm? All the brunet could do was wrap himself on his wings, hoping that his feathers would somehow soothe the pain.

~

  He woke up, somehow, with someone shaking him and making his body hurt like hell. Neji shrieked, trying to free himself from whoever was bothering him, barely managing to open his eyes.

  “Neji, it is me! Please calm down!” a familiar voice exclaimed, but he couldn’t quite recognize it. His head felt weird, warm somehow… The person gasped at seeing him better. “What happened, Neji? Who has done this to you?”

  “Uncle– let’s… let’s go,” Neji mumbled, vision too blurry to figure out what was happening around him. He managed to distinguish a familiar bowl cut, and he felt safe at last.

  Still dizzy, but at least someone was taking care of him, albeit hooting could be heard from above them; Hiashi was still chasing his nephew, waiting for the perfect chance to strike…

  Lee quickly guided Neji to his home, throwing stones at Hiashi whenever he got too close– the man growled, but he didn’t dare to put a single claw on him, trying to attack his nephew whenever he got too distracted. But the pack was ready to defend the people they knew, jumping and trying to bite the winged man while barking at him loud enough to deafen anybody.

  They already knew Neji, so they didn’t have any reason to scare him off. His uncle flew around them, trying to find an opening that wasn’t there, never giving up on his task. A trail of blood marked where Neji had walked through, and hopefully Lee’s dads wouldn’t be too annoyed by the mess on the floor.

  His name was pronounced, but the winged person couldn’t reply, feeling as if his body would drop at any moment– a soft thing cleaned his injuries, warm water on his skin soothing his pain.

  “His wing’s broken, Lee.” Neji heard, and it was as if something broke inside of him.

  How would he survive now? Nobody ever recovered from injured bones in his flock. He… he was destined to die.

  His wing was soon covered in bandages, barely any feather showing between the cloth pieces. His head felt weird, having received the same treatment over the time, even if it hurt at times. Neji didn’t have the strength to do anything but allow these people to do whatever they wanted to him, not really caring anymore.

  It was the same. Hopefully whatever they did would finish him off, he wished as he fell in a deep slumber, covered by a soft animal hide that kept his warmth in. There wasn’t anything else to do now.

~

  His footsteps were light as he sneaked towards the living room, knowing well that his guest would be there. Neji had barely moved from the makeshift bed that they had prepared for him earlier that day, barely even snacking on some fruit Tenten sliced for him, still on the plate by his bed.

  Still, the winged person’s hearing was as sharp as ever no matter the concussion of his head, and he didn’t even need to turn around to notice a new presence by his side.

  “... what do you want, Lee?”

  To go as far as recognizing him… he kept surprising the younger boy with how attentive he was.

  “I just came to check on you,” Lee admitted, scratching the back of his head as he spoke. His friend carefully turned around, flinching when he accidentally laid on his injured wing. Their eyes met for a moment, and it was enough for Neji to shift in the bed and make some space for his companion, exhaustion clear in his gaze.

  He… wasn’t feeling well, and now he didn’t even bother hiding it, or reacting. Lee laid by his side, almost afraid of touching him by accident, but soon his body relaxed as Neji cooed at him just like he always did.

  Making sure to not touch his bandaged wing, Lee carefully wrapped his friend with his arms, and the winged person became smaller somehow. Hiding his face on the crook of his neck, not wanting to look at his friend in the eyes.

  And after a long silence, the brunet spoke up once again.

  "I'll never be able to go back home. Hiashi– he gets rid of any dangers in the flock, and I'm one now," Neji said, letting out a sad sigh. His voice sounded defeated, annoyed… impotence was clear in his words.

  "Do not say that! You are no danger!" Lee argued, a frown appearing on his face as he talked. The winged person moved his ears with curiosity, barely looking at him now. "Papa and I will help you become stronger, and you will be able to go back home!"

  He could have sworn that a sob escaped from his friend's lips, but Lee decided not to comment on it. All he did was caress his hair, allowing Neji to rest and feeling how his body relaxed under his touch.

  "... you're a good human, Lee," the winged person mumbled, sighing before continuing. "Hiashi always says that your kind only wants to kill for fun."

  "Some humans are like that, I will not lie to you. But we try to only kill to feed ourselves, or when our animals are in too much pain to enjoy life," Lee explained, and his gaze fell to the ground. Neji started to play with his hair, carefully brushing it with his claws as if he was trying to clean something off it, but it just made him giggle.

  Eventually they grew quiet in their embrace, and the brunet ended up covering his friend with his free wing. It was so soft, like touching a cloud…

  Lee let out a yawn, warm under Neji's healthy wing while his friend cooed in his ear, happy to just be there with him. In no time they fell asleep side by side without anyone bothering them at all, comfortable with each other's presence.

#neji hyuga #rock lee #hiashi hyuga #naruto #owl neji au

[morganwrites-starwars]

Time is a social construct- pt. 1

Mandalorian Time Travel AU

Summary: Din is trying his best, ok? But between trying to find a teacher for his magic kid and learning there were other Mandalorians who follow a different creed, Din is very confused and lost. So when he ends up on a plant that his HUD says is Manda’yaim and encounters two teens on the run from a group of dar’mandas called Death Watch, Din figures he way as well help them. He never meant to adopt them. Or become Mand’alor.

Masterlist

Next>   

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      Was this a good idea? Probably not. But to be fair, Din’s experience with this weird magic stuff was Ashoka’s minimal use and Grogu’s affinity to use it to grab what he wants and choke people. So for all Din knows, this is a perfectly sane idea that will end normally. Grogu will reach out and find a jetii teacher who will teach him to not choke people and stuff. And Din will be alone again, traveling the universe hunting bounties and dodging the Imps.

      Din didn’t feel much better about his plan as he did a final check of his weapons.

      Spear? Check.

      Jetpack? Check.

      Whistling birds? Check.

      Every other weapon he keeps strapped to his body at all times? Check.

      Go time.

      Din had put Grogu on the ground, and the kid had waddled a few feet away to examine a tuft of grass. Din smiled at Grogu’s innocent fascination. He was going to miss the kid.

      “Alright, Grogu,” Din said, enjoying how Grogu perked up and cooed at his name, “ready?”

      Grogu babbled and raised his arms. Din picked him up, settling Grogu on his arm. Din tapped Grogu’s nose, the kid going cross-eyed at the action. Din approached the stone and circled it one last time to see if any instructions or buttons had magically appeared.

      When Din saw nothing, he sighed and muttered to Grogu, “I guess we just sit on it?”

      Grogu’s responding coo was neither confirmatory nor negatory, so Din decided to go with it.

      “Don’t blow me up or anything,” Din asked Grogu. Din took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut. He counted to three in his head before sitting down on the rock with a thud.

      When he wasn’t blown up or otherwise disturbed after five seconds, Din forcefully relaxed his muscles. When Grogu cooed, Din opened his eyes. The kid was looking at him curiously.

      “Don’t look at me like that,” Din muttered sheepishly. “I didn’t know what was going to happen.”

      Had anything happened? Din adjusted Grogu so the kid was sitting on the rock between Din’s legs. Din looked around at the dilapidated rocks. Nothing looked different. Din didn’t feel any different, no tingles or numbness.

      “So now what?” Din asked Grogu. “How do you, uh, call the Jedi?”

      “Patu?” Grogu said, closing his eyes and leaning against Din’s stomach. Grogu’s breath slowed down, and his hands fell into his lap.

      “Come on, kid, it’s not nap time,” Din sighed, resting a hand on Grogu’s head. At that moment, the stone was surrounded by a pillar of rushing light. “Haar’chak! KID!”

      Grogu wasn’t responding to Din’s cry. Din pulled Grogu into his chest as the light became more opaque. The ruins were fading out of view, replaced by blinding blue-white light. Din grabbed a vibroblade from his belt and tried to stab the light barrier, hoping to make an opening to get him and Grogu out. His blade connected with the light, and Din felt a painful vibration travel up his arm before his blade was forcefully deflected. It pushed Din back, and his helmet collided with the light behind his.

      Din felt his teeth vibrate as his muscles all tensed. His vision began to darken. Din pulled Grogu as close as he could, folding his arm over Grogu’s body. Din thought he heard a coo before he blacked out.

      There was a distinct itchy feeling under Din’s armor that indicated sand having wormed its way under the small openings in his armor. Sand and armor did not mix, the tiny particles always finding their way into the crevices that Din struggled to clean out.

      The sound of a light smack accompanied a coo. Din groaned as he opened his eyes. He was staring up into a clear blue sky. His HUD did say he was injured, so why was Din lying on the ground?

      “Patu!”

      Din rolled to the side and unto his knees at Grogu’s voice. Din rested a hand on his blaster as he looked for Grogu. The kid stood a foot in front of him, big eyes looking curiously up at him. Grogu smiled, melting Din’s heart as usual. Grogu held his arms out with a demanding coo. Din picked him up and cautiously rose to his feet. Din turned in a circle, taking in the sandy dunes with scattered patches of green.

      “This isn’t Tython,” Din said. He shifted Grogu to rest in the crook of Din’s arm. He pressed the button on his vambrace to bring up his GPS. His HUD glitched, and a loading symbolled appeared in the corner of Din’s vision. “What the hell?”

      Din’s HUD only buffered when the connection to the Holonet or satellites was sucky. That usually only happened on Outer Rim planets whose tech hadn’t been updated since the Republic.

      His HUD loaded, and Din immediately cursed the weird magic stone. Because it clearly had screwed up his GPS while also having transported him and Grogu to a different planet. His HUD said Manda’yaim, which was impossible because Manda’yaim was an unhabitable planet whose surface was covered in blast marks. It was nothing like the planet Din was currently on.

      “You have any idea where we are, kid?” Din asked Grogu because, at this point, he had nothing else to lose. Grogu cooed and looked around. The kid wiggled in the manner that meant he wanted to be set down. Seeing no apparent threat, Din acquiesced. Grogu tottered forward, slipping on the loose sand. Din followed after Grogu, recognizing that the kid was on a path, and if Din tried to move him, Grogu would manage to get back on track.

      But Grogu had tiny legs and couldn’t get very far very quickly. So Din scooped up the kid, chuckling at the startled squeak. But Grogu didn’t complain as Din set out in the direction the kid wanted to go. Din’s GPS said they were heading north, but Din took little stock in it.

      Their environment didn’t change much- dunes upon dunes. There were areas of rock covered in a thin layer of sand, and Din tried to walk on those. It was easier and quicker than trudging through the sand. After 30 minutes, Din stopped at a small area of green that had some trees for shade. Din let Grogu down so the kid could walk around. Din grabbed a ration bar he had stored in his belt. He ripped off a piece for Grogu and held it out to the kid.

      Grogu narrowed his eyes at the piece of food. Din sighed. “Come on, kid, you should eat something. I know it’s not a frog, but it’s food.”

      Grogu mumbled but took the piece of ration and ate it. Din lifted his helmet and took his own bite, not flinching at the chalky texture. Din grabbed his water pouch and offered it to Grogu before taking a sip for himself. And with that break, Din picked up Grogu and continued walking.

      Maybe half a klick later, Grogu whined and slapped Din’s chest plate. “What’s up, ad’ika?”

      Grogu wiggled, and Din set the kid down. He watched as Grogu stumbled over to a dune and sat down in front of it. Grogu turned his wide eyes to Din, so the Mando walked over and kneeled next to the kid.

      “What you trying to show me, kid?” Din asked as he examined the dune. It wasn’t anything special, just some sand pile. Grogu didn’t respond; he just cooed and started to play with the sand. Din sighed, but it was more fond than annoyed. “Ok.”

      Din decided to scan the dune as a first step. He didn’t expect to find anything, so he was startled when his thermal showed what appeared to be a door buried in the dune. If Din had to guess, it led to an underground bunker. Why did Grogu want to go here? Din used his hand to clear away sand until he could see the metal door. It was scratched from the sand, and there were some spots of rust. When Din found the edge of the door, he ran a finger down the seam. There was no rust in the seam.

      “Looks like someone opened this recently,” Din mused. “Wonder if anyone is home.”

      Grogu babbled something that sounded excited and stood up. He walked to the door and slapped it with a demanding, “Patu!”

      “You want it opened?” Din guessed, amused at Grogu’s pout. The kid slapped the door again. “Ok, ok.” Din moved Grogu away from the door and more sand away until he found a handhold. Din reached for it, but he didn’t get a chance to grab it before the door burst open, sending Din reeling back.

      Din took out his blaster, but he didn’t get a chance to aim it as he was tackled by a blur of black and blue armor. It wasn’t a weighty force, but Din was startled enough that he fell. Din heard Grogu let out a startled yell as Din rolled, so his assailant was below him. Din didn’t see a weapon in their hand, but Din felt pressure on his chest and was sent flying onto his back. Din rolled with the movement, getting onto his feet and holding his blaster ready.

      Din didn’t turn off the safety as he noticed the small stature of his assailant. The teen was maybe half a foot shorter than Din and was wearing scuffed armor that didn’t fit him well. He didn’t have a helmet so that Din could see his scruffy red-blonde hair. The teen was pointing a metal tube at Din. It took Din a moment to connect the tube to the laser swords that Ahsoka Tano had. Hers were curved but looked similar enough to the one pointed at him. Behind the boy was a blonde girl covered in a ripped brown cloak. She didn’t have any visible weapons. Both the boy and the girl were dirty and had slightly sunken cheeks.

      Din slowly raised his hands, pointing his blaster at the sky. “Udesii, ad’ike. Udesii.”

      “Who are you?” The boy demanded. “What do you want?”

      “I don’t want anything,” Din said as calmly as he could, searching for Grogu out of the corner of his eye. “I’m not even sure where we are.”

      “We-?”

      “Ben?” The girl spoke. The boy-Ben- shifted to address the girl while keeping Din in sight. The girl pointed behind Din. “There.”

      A coo signaled that it was Grogu that the girl was pointing to.

      “Master Yoda?” The boy muttered, his laser sword lowering.

      “His name’s Grogu,” Din offered.

      “Patu!” Grogu exclaimed as he walked next to Din. Grogu grabbed onto Din’s boot. Ben’s attention snapped back to Din, and the kid tensed again.

      “How did you get a Jedi youngling?” Ben demanded again. Din didn’t know how Ben knew about Grogu’s history.

      “He was a bounty,” Din explained. “But I refused to give him to the Imps. I’m trying to find him a teacher.”

“Then take him to the Jedi Temple,” Ben scoffed.

      “Jedi Temple?” Din had never heard of a Jedi Temple before. That would’ve been handy to know before he had to track down Ahsoka Tano.

      Din’s question seemed to throw Ben off. The girl stepped forward and rested a hand on Ben’s shoulder.

      “Perhaps we should all put our weapons away and talk?” The girl offered. “There is clearly some confusion here.”

      Din didn’t enjoy putting his blaster away in tense situations, but he would never hurt the two teens. Especially not since Ben was familiar with the Jedi. If Din could get Ben to tell him where this Jedi Temple is, then hopefully, Din could find someone willing to teach Grogu.

      Ben relaxed minutely when Din put away his blaster. Din picked up Grogu. Din couldn’t quite place Ben’s expression as the teen looked at Grogu. 

      “Ok,” Din said. “Let’s talk.”

      The girl slapped Ben’s shoulder. Ben frowned but put away his lasersword. Ben chose to cross his arms across his chest as he stared suspiciously at Din and Grogu. The girl didn’t look amused.

      “You said you did not know where you were,” the girl said. “What does that mean?”

      Din shifted Grogu onto one arm as the kid shifted, his attention caught by something over Din’s shoulder. Ben and the girl didn’t seem concerned, so Din assumed it was some type of small animal.

      “The kid and I were on this planet called Tython. I’m not completely sure how we got- uh, wherever here is. I figured it was the magic thing.” Din shrugged. 

      “Magic thing?” Ben muttered under his breath. Louder, he said, “You mean the Force?”

      “Uh, sure?” Din said. “But, yeah. I know we're not on Tython anymore.”

      The girl nodded. “Yes, we are on Mandalore.”

      Din’s brain crashed. He could admit that his knowledge of the proceedings of the galaxy is limited. Din supposed that people could have taken up residence on Mandalore again- Bo-Katan had talked about reclaiming Manda’yaim. But Din would’ve expected more signs of damage and less greenery. Maybe the areas between the cities had been mostly spared?

      “Ok,” Din decided to go with it for now. “Who’s after you?”

      “What makes you think anyone is after us?” Ben asked defesnively. 

      Din hoped his body language showed his disbelief at the question. “I’ve met a lot of people who were trying to hide. You get good at recognizing the type.”

      No need to let these skittish teens know that Din was a bounty hunter. That would set the conversation back. 

      Before Ben could snark back a reply, the girl said, “Yes. We are… being hunted. By the Death Watch.”

      Din remembered Bo-Katan calling him a Child of the Watch. Din supposed that Death Watch was the parent. But it seemed the Death Watch wasn’t a good group. No self-respecting Mandolorain would be hunting these teens. Sure, they weren’t kids, and were probably old enough for the verd'goten, but they were still teens. And one of them didn’t have any armor. Her buir really failed: leaving their ad to be hunted without armor. 

      “Where are your buire?” Din asked. Din would do his best to get the verd’ike back home if they had been separated. Then perhaps Ben would tell him the location of this Jedi Temple.

      Ben and the girl (and Din really ought to get her name) shared a look, clearly having a silent argument. Grogu whined, catching Din’s attention immediately. The kid looked worried, his little claws scraping against Din’s armor.

      “They’re coming,” Ben said suddenly. Din looked around but couldn’t immediately see anything. But he saw Ben staring west, so Din got out his binocs. There was a small cloud of sand on the horizon, and Din could just make out the figure of three speeder bikes heading in their direction.

      “What are the chances they haven’t seen us?” The girl asked. Her question was answered by a stray blaster bolt. It wasn’t close enough to hit them, but it sent a message. 

      There was no hiding. They had to fight.•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·••·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·••·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·••·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·•·••·•·•·•·

Next>

Masterlist

Mando'a translations:

Haar'chak- Damn it!

Manda'yaim- The planet Mandalore

ad'ika- little one (pl. ad'ike)

Udesii- calm down!

Verd'goten- Mandalorian right of passage

buire- parents (sing.- buir)

verd'ike- little soldiers (affectionate) (sing.- verd'ika)

#din darjin #mando #mando and grogu #the mandalorian #time travel au #time travel #obi wan kenobi #duchess satine #satine kryze #fluff #din adopts every lone child he meets #baby yoda #star wars #death watch #time is a social construct

[therealaves-blog1]

I want the void to hear my takes on Star Trek: Coda

Okay 2nd book time: The Ashes of Tomorrow by James Swallow (I am unfamiliar with his work). I enjoyed this one more than the first, despite some choices made here which bum me out. Still kind of feels like the Picard show ft. those other characters rn, kind of surprised how little Voyager’s crew have shown up tbh. Like we get a lil Paris and Torres this and Tuvok is hanging around on Titan but thats it. Like did everyone fuck off with Janeway into the galactic void? Comics ass issue with mixed continuity. Anyway.

We open with Sisko (wise choice) now captain of a galaxy class and responding to a time snake attack in cardassian space, he gets a vision in the middle of it and sees ruined bajor. He kills it with a time generator strapped to a torpedo (thanks Prophets). On Bajor, Kira sees her mother who shows her the same vision and disappears, the wormhole is being fucky and has been for a few weeks so she looks up in concern.

Picard and Co show up at Starfleet HQ to give the whole time war info, Riker has more nightmares and sides with the people saying ‘we deal with the time snakes because how the fuck do we deal with time war’ Picard is dissapointed as is everyone else. He talks to Riker and Riker has picked up the villain ball so hes like ‘you cant make this choice,’ before going off to have more weird dreams. 

Picard says fuck that and recruits a ton of people including Tom Paris who is supposed to be spying on him. They plot a heist and Geordie texts Data. Spock is meditating about reunification on Vulcan when he feels someone he mind melded with going through some shit and tries to figure out who it is. Pulawski (remember her? from TNG?) texts Bev some confidential files to help with Rene’s whole aging nightmare. Garak informs a semi comatose Bashir that Dax is dead which snaps him back to lucidity. Garak seems to be in charge of cardassia which isnt the worst option, but still not good. He smuggles him to Bajor to see Sisko (Sisko is heading to Bajor quietly)

Someone tries to steal the Enterprise from spacedock so Riker shuts it down (they apparently learned from Kirk lol). He boards the ships while being a lil paranoid and unstable and discovers Paris and Torres had stolen it and Picard and co escape in the Aventine. Riker is getting hot, meanwhile Spock figures out he’s getting brain touched by Worf who is being haunted by Time ghosts (of himself, from dead timelines), and decides to help him out. Alexander has joined with Worf and the renegades and is enjoying being with his terrible dad. You deserve better kid, which I guess he had because hes federation ambassador to Qo’Nos and had a hot Klingon lady wife who works with him. 

Data and Lal watch different species get got by the Devidians on some kind of turbo range sensors while hiding in the lab Soong built Data in. A ship comes out of orbit and Data’s like ‘what the what’ and Lal says she texted Geordie their address cause they’re too disconnected and need to do something. A time snake attacks the Klingon temple planet with the time crystals. Its wounded and so crashes into normal time, but splits into thousands of little snakes and attacks. Chancellor Martok, who was leading the defense of the planet climbs out of his busted Bird of Prey and charges the horde of snakes with his crew. Like Dax he dies off screen, tho with a much more appropriate end.

Data meets with Picard and Bowers (Dax’s XO now captain) and he manages to talk Data into helping. Lal is great shes very much on team ‘lets fight the wave of apocalypse.’ good kid. They detect a ship (The Titan) and Data reactivates his cloak. Worf gets hailed and Riker is being weird and references the shadows which makes Worf thinks hes having the same dreams. He opens fire and the Worf’s malaise gets the better of him and hes slow enough to respond that he takes some licks. Data interferes, launching drones from the moon that Tholian web the Titan so they can escape. Data explicitly says ‘I did it better than them lol’ They beam out and Riker is pissed, to the point of busting open the bubble in spite of the risk to the ship. Its too late they’ve already cheesed it. And hes pissed and calls Titan’s captain the wrong rank before going down to the holodeck and being confused about his history including how many kids he got. Wow, messy.

Will we get an answer for why hes being such a prick? Will it be satisfying? Altogether liking this part. There’s some references to some great machine ressurecting Data and Lal which I guess was a prior series. I will not be doing research on that. Sounds cool or whatever. Really enjoyed Tom and Belanna being lil shits to wacky Riker, feels like something they would do. Tuvok hasnt gotten too much to do other than be profiled by Riker at any moment anything goes wrong. Which is fucked up dog. Excited for when Cap Vale and Tuvok throw him in sickbay for acting crazy. More DS9 so far which is neat too. We love the Emissary, we love based terrorist Kira Nerys (even if she has taken the cloth).

Nice that they’re incoporating stuff from the new series (like the time crystals on klingon temple planet) ((assuming that wasnt already a thing and I forgot). Nice to throw in Spock to make it extra delineated from the main canon timeline. But also, lol lmao, of course Spock is going to get involved.

[artharakka]

The Fool

#Rhiam #dnd #d&d #Dungeons and Dragons #sorcerer #skylark #tarot #the fool #adventures of Rhiam continue #wanted to make him a card bc those are fun to make and he starts as a naïve lad full of hopes so this one is his first card #he nor I have no idea how he got cursed but hey it was a big city and a big festival #now he's having weird visions of birds and ruins #girl help

[enderwoah]

ORIGINS SMP HEADCANONS (because i love them): SEASON TWO EDITION BAYBEEE

(this is really long ENJOY :gun:)

tommy

he is phil's son smile

phil's most recent son at least

he's got like one more somewhere

he picked this one up off the dangerous streets a few years ago and he's been sticking with phil ever since

his wings are small- not too small to fly, but they're untrained to the point where it would take a lot or work to get him off the ground

but at first, he didn't really seem to want to learn all that much?

(he has three scars on his face- all from trying to learn how to fly when he was younger)

(he gave up after the third one)

("if at first you don't succeed; try, try again" is his motto, and he tried all three times)

but!! phil and wilbur are very persuasive :) and now that he knows he can fly, he's not going to rest until he does

he's a little manipulative to get what he wants sometimes, but can you blame someone that lived on the street for so long?

he had to do that to survive! it's not his fault.

(it's a great excuse.)

he laughs like a kookaburra amen

he squawks when he gets scared

he chirps. he tries not to because it makes phil go absolutely bird-brained but he does sometimes and he hates it.

tubbo

NOW'S YOUR CHANCE TO BE A B[GUNSHOTS]

god he is. so fucking annoying (/rp)

he simply does not know when to stop

he ignores social cues to see when someone is annoyed

(see: he can read social cues. he does read social cues. when you get annoyed that's when he starts being more annoying, because you're more likely to give him what he wants to get him to shut the fuck up.)

he loves talking to (at) people, especially people he doesn't really know that well

so he's trying to be friends with ranboo, but the absolute prick keeps trying to avoid any actual conversations, so that's not working

he buzzes when he gets excited-happy

his fingertips are completely blackened and horrendously sharp, functioning as ten individual stingers

they don't do any actual damage but he's working on that

techno

wither hybrid (??)

how can you be a wither hybrid?? nobody got down and dirty with the wither

he's an experiment

the reason we haven't seen him yet? he's staying away from the main area of the smp

he doesn't want to ruin its natural beauty with his withering effect, so he keeps to himself on the outskirts of the smp

which sucks

withers get health from killing things

he's not fully a wither, so he gets energy from being around people and sort of draining their life force a little bit

he feels terrible when he's with just one person because they are Literally his life support and it makes the person feel like shit

when he's with a big group of people its great!! he only has to take a little bit from everyone and its barely noticable!!

but then there's the wither part. so he has to stay away.

he's always tired

always exhausted

he's a farmer, so taking it from animals works, but god does he miss people

but he can only visit a few times and for very short

(he's afraid that one of these days he'll get so bad that the next time he sees someone he'll accidentally kill them)

(it already happened once. he's blessed that he's been forgiven, even made friends with by the victims, but he doubts he'll be able to pull that off again with no consequences like last time)

wilbur

phantlings are dead elytrians, and given that wilbur was phil's son...he's a phantling

he died in the late 50s and was a librarian when he was alive, so he's very possessive (ha) over all of his things

you should never ask to "borrow" anything from him, he will hound you about it until you give it back

it's best to just say that you want something from him to keep

even if youre going to give it back

just for your own peace of mind

phantlings can feel fear and get a genuine feeling of elation from scaring people

of course, sometimes its unwelcome (feeling large amounts of fear from someone they care about in a bad way just makes them pissed)

but for the most part, wilbur loves appearing in the corner of people's visions just to jumpscare them a few minutes later

all in good fun, of course!! it's just hilarious :)

being the lighthearted, fun guy he is, he's not particularly secretive about his method of death

"how did i die? well, it all started -- ended -- on november 16th, 1958!"

"i walked out of the library late, since i took the shift for my wife since she was feeling sick and i worked there anyways,"

"the streets were dark and only lit up by gaslamps...and out of an alley...appeared..........."

techno.

he didn't mean it. wilbur isn't at all mad at him (anymore)

he was starving. he didn't know that one touch would be enough to fully revitalize him...

and murder wilbur where he stood.

sneeg

has details on everyone on the server

you Cannot Hide Shit From Sneeg

its impossible

if you find of his any shittly little mouse holes then you're doomed

you find one and there are twenty more

he's under your floorboards while you're having your important discussion about trapping the nether roof

sucks to suck ig??

he seems to be the favourite of many, which is weird since he rarely goes out of his way to actually talk to many people

he's the only person that tubbo doesn't actively try to annoy (or maybe he just doesn't find tubbo's antics all that annoying)

he's the only person that ranboo stays around (or maybe he stays around ranboo- he and Phil seem to be the only ones not off-put by his slightly sadistic and whiny demeanour (not counting tubbo, who annoys him anyways)

phil seems to be more protective of him than he thinks is normal (he lets sneeg ride on his shoulder while travelling, so he doesn't really complain)

niki is completely protective over him (again, not complaining)

contrary to popular believe, he does not get high from sugar

if anything he gets

high-per

(get it)

(high-per)

(hyper)

he's literally just a nine-year old getting a sugar rush leave him alone

phil

take the normal "bird-brain" headcanons and multiply it by like sixty-four

and you've got origins phil

he can't see glass- or, rather, he can, but it doesn't register that 'hey, this is a solid surface i am going to slam into'

its very funny for everyone else but he's pretty sure he has permanent brain damage from the blunt force trauma

if there is ANYONE on the server who dares to chirp, bird or no, they must understand that they are signing away their privacy and giving phil the right to go absolutely bonkers over them momma bird style

(shoutout to tommy, wilbur, ranboo, and fundy for having to suffer through this)

"oh??? you don't have wings?? you don't have feathers?? omg?? then what's this im preening?? what do you mean im just braiding your hair?? nono this is preening smile"

god help you if you dare to have wings

poor tommy, wilbur, sneeg, and tubbo

phil can't help himself alright

do you think he wants to be any sort of protective over sneegsnag?

no!! but he cant stop himself!! sneeg might damage his wings if he keeps flying those super long distances!!! nnnno! carry the bug man!!!

it's weird, he's always had that protective sense over ranboo, too

but ranboo very obviously doesn't have wings, so he doesn't get it...

ranboo

yes ur a peasant

yes ur poor

yes im cooler than u

what r u gonna do about it

the enderdragon's son! partially a dragon, partially enderman, partially human (don't ask, his other mom is a hybrid), all spoiled brat!

given that he has a ton of dragon genes, he's extremely possessive over his stuff and Yes He Does Do The Hoarding Thing

he has a pile of rings and gold chains and necklaces and most of his jewellery hidden underneath his bed

(if you ask him, no, he doesn't)

not to wear

just to Have

one time, fundy stole one (1) bracelet from the hoard and ranboo was sent into a panic for a good 24 hours

he wouldn't leave his cave and kept counting and recounting as if that'd make the missing piece reappear

(when fundy had to give it back because of the guilt, he expected to get his face bitten off)

(instead, he just watched as the prince was flooded with relief, telling him to get the hell out and nothing more)

it's weird, he has so much gold and even a crown, and yet here he is

living with all those people ^^^

truth be told, the enderdragon isn't a very nice dragon

nor is she a very kind queen

nor was the other queen

nor was her son

there was a mutiny in the end, leading to the dragon queen and her wife being killed brutally by the crowd of angered people

they went after their son next, who had ordered executions and worked servants to the bone just as much as they had

they cut off his wings in the middle of the square

he was sure he was going to die until a random person (a peasant) jumped up and yelled at them for publicly torturing a child

but ranboo didn't really catch all of it, given he was delirious from pain

he got to get some stuff quickly and escape with his life

this wasn't too long ago, either, so he's still trying to...adjust...to people talking rudely to him

(he's also trying to adjust to not having wings)

(hence why he hurls himself off the edges of cliffs and then has to teleport to the bottom instead of glide. he keeps forgetting.)

#this is so long #origins smp #originssmp #ranboo #tubbo #philza #philza minecrft #sneegsnag #wilbur soot #technoblade #tommyinnit #help this is so long

[fantasydaydreamers]

"Still Don't Know My Name"

Summary: Based off of the TikTok trend when two people bump into each other, they get a very suggestive glimpse of what could happen if they got together.

Words: 1,640

Warnings: Lemon Scenarios but it's ~suggestive~ so it's an imagine inside of an imagine lmaooo

Author's Note: If you don't know what this trend is, that's okay! Just pretend that this is like a soulmate au! You bump into a stranger and see a spicy preview of the future you could have with them.

Bakugou

Screams pierced the air as people scrambled around you trying to reach the exit of the mall, a sudden villain attack ruining everyone's morning. Currently, you were running for your life as well, barely holding on to your sanity because you didn't even see the villain appear. Thankfully, you were closer to the doors than everyone else and made it outside and down the street hoping you were safe.

Just when you thought you made it out okay, a loud explosion and the shout of "look out!" had you turning back only to see the villain coming your way. Unconscious. Frozen on the spot, you didn't have time to move before being embraced by a strong pair of arms as you were flown aside.

As soon as the arms wrapped around you, your eyesight faded into a new scenery as you gazed into smoldering scarlet irises. It was calm and you felt light and airy as you gazed at the man with nothing but love and adoration. You straddled his lap on a couch, his arms tightly around you as he attempts to pull you even closer to his muscular broad chest. A cocky smirk was clear on his face as he snorted, grinding you slowly on his lap. "Tch...what's got you all needy today? Suddenly sitting in my lap like this..."

Before he could finish, you felt yourself leaning in for a kiss, your hands grabbing the back of his head wanting him to never let go. Burying your hands in his hair had a low groan escaping his throat as he ran a free hand up your back and to your neck. Just as your mouth parted for his tongue, the sound of sirens broke your trance and you found yourself wrapped in muscular arms in a pile of rubble. Coughing slightly, you groan and sit up turning to look at the man--hero--beside you, a strange blush on his face as he stared back at you without moving.

"What fucking quirk is that?!"

Kirishima

(this one is so random lmao I'm sorry I had to somehow make it in a kitchen without them knowing each other😭!!!)

Being invited to a housewarming party was such a weird concept for you. You loved your friend to pieces and were really happy for them, but meeting 'a friend of a friend' and others seemed too stressful. Especially since your friend worked as a hero. This led to you currently smiling politely at the person you were talking to, whose name you already forgot, and excused yourself to the kitchen.

Finding it empty had you sighing in relief as you filled up your glass and decided to hold out for ten more minutes before leaving completely. Going to exit the kitchen, you fail to notice the wet spot that got on the floor and you feel yourself falling before a large warm hand reaches out to steady you.

It all happened so fast and the next thing you knew, your vision was darkened and all you could see was a looming man above you, a knowing grin on his face his sharp teeth glinting as his eyes narrowed teasingly. "Well...I think it's a good idea to christen every part of the house, especially when you move in with someone. Lay back on the counter cutie, I'll just pull your hips to the edge like this..."

Moaning softly, you dazedly stared up at the man who cooed softly before leaning down to catch your lips in a kiss. You wrap your legs around his waist and circle your arms around his neck, tugging on his red hair. His sharp teeth nipped at your bottom lip making you gasp, his tongue sliding in slowly as you felt a pressure near your sex.

As soon as you felt that, you came to and noticed you were on the floor, covered in the drink you just refilled and the man was coincidentally on top of you, equally covered in your drink. His face was as red as his hair as he scrambled to get up and offering to help you too.

"I-I'm so sorry! Are you okay?! I tried to catch you but caught myself before I crushed you...that wasn't very manly of me."

Todoroki

Butterflies erupted in your stomach as you stood waiting to meet with your favorite hero. It was rare to have Shouto do meet and greets and you're amazed that life was on your side when you managed to grab tickets. You already knew how he was with publicity stunts and public appearances, not super expressive when it comes to those types of things.

However, being here now and feeling somewhat childish all changed when Shouto turned to you as it was your turn to go up to him. You immediately go for a hug and as soon as his arm brushes you, you lose your breath and find yourself sitting on a desk in a highrise building, overlooking downtown Tokyo.

Shouto stands in front of you a rare grin on his face as he loosens his tie and leans down close to your face. His cool minty breath fanned across your ear, he loosened his tie and you reached up to undo the first few buttons on his shirt. "And what do we have here? Surprising me like this at work with the cliche trenchcoat trick? If you just wanted more of my time, why didn't you just say so? Greedy girl...you need to be punished."

When he finished speaking, his lips wrapped around your earlobe, tugging it gently before kissing his way down your neck and over, moving back up to your lips. Gasping softly, Shouto's lips covered yours and the dominant swipe of his tongue had you arching into him as you felt his silk tie being wrapped around your wrists.

Just as he tightened the tie and smacked the side of your thigh, you abruptly snapped out of it and stepped back from the hug you were still in. Shouto stared at you with his usual unreadable expression and you felt your face flame wanting to run to the nearest exit.

"...Interesting."

Dabi

The bass from the music thumped heavily in your chest as the house party somehow got even wilder. You groaned, swirling your drink in the red plastic cup you were holding, surveying the room around you and the various people talking, dancing, or drunkenly making out. Every fiber on your body was telling you to flee, but knowing you were the designated driver for your friend had you sighing in defeat.

Glancing around the dimmed red-lit room once more, you notice you lost sight of your best friend. A pained whine tumbled from your lips and you pouted at the fact you now had to go find them, praying to God they weren't behind a closed-door somewhere in the house. You turn around about to leave the crowded living room and run right into the person walking behind you.

Your vision went white and all you felt was your body being picked up off the ground, a rough mouth mapping out your neck as the person pressed you against the wall. The strange textured feeling had a gasp leaving your lips as you tilted your head, giving him more access to your neck. A low chuckle sound from him almost making you shudder. Opening your eyes, you're met with turquoise irises that glowed dangerously in the dimly lit and empty room, a sexy smirk gracing his scarred lips.

The man dropped his gaze to your lips, pressing you further into the wall as his hands gripped your things tighter. "And to think I waited so long for you dollface...you were worth it. You're mine."

Just as he lowered his lips to yours, the sound of the house party entered your mind again and you snapped out of whatever phenomenon just happened. Stepping back from the person in front of you, you gasp seeing that it's the same man you just thought of.

He doesn't look affected by anything, a strange poker face, but gives you a quick up-and-down glance before moving out of your way.

"Sorry about that...dollface."

Overhaul

It was late in the evening as you walked the streets of Tokyo, exhaust from the pipes on buildings spilling out onto the concrete as the cool winter air made it rise into a fog. The streets were busy with people, drunk and sober alike laughed and went in and out of the shops scattered around.

You were on your way home after a nice afternoon walk which quickly turned into you getting lost in your thoughts and window-shopping at the same time. Turning into a wide alleyway, you begin your shortcut through when a shadowed figure suddenly bumps into your shoulder.

Before you could panic or move out the way, you were frozen in place as your surroundings changed. The feeling of leather gloves traced over your skin, the material heightening your sensitivity. Your wrists were bound above you as your naked body was on display for the man standing over you, his piercing gaze sending shivers over your body.

"Such a beautiful, yet filthy, little thing. How does it feel being helpless to my touch? I could tease you for however long I want...beg for me nicely and maybe you'll get your reward sooner." The man leans down to whisper in your ear and places the faintest ghost of a kiss on your lips, the feather-like touch making you try to arch into him. He smirks against your lips, teasing you, as his gloves hand travels between your thighs making you gasp.

You snap out of your daze abruptly, almost doubling over as you whip your head around to see who you bumped into. The man was wearing a bird mask on his face, but his piercing gaze was familiar as he stared at you darkly.

"Who do you think you are doing that to me?"

#my hero academia #boku no hero academia #bnha #mha #bakugou katsuki #bakugo katsuki #bnha x reader #mha x reader #bnha x reader lemon #mha x reader lemon #bakugou x reader #bakugou x reader lemon #bakugo x reader #bakugo x reader lemon #dabi #dabi x reader lemon #dabi x reader #kirishima eijirou #kirishima x reader #Kirishima x reader lemon #Todoroki shouto #todoroki x reader #todoroki x reader lemon #overhaul #overhaul x reader #overhaul x reader lemon

[hotwings0203]

Gilded Cage

A/N: It’s embarrassing how long this took but oh well, happy new year to everyone and I hope you enjoy scummy yandere hawks!

Warnings: dubcon, kidnapping, abuse, toxic relationships, degradation, yandere themes

************

At first she welcomed the bright flashing lights like a breath of fresh air, but in due time it made her throat close up like the rest of the situation.

He had agreed to let her out if she behaved, and that meant no biting, scratching, screaming, flinching, temper tantrums, and worst of all, no silent treatment.

And she would take it like a champ if it meant seeing any other person in 6 months.

He had kept her here like a flightless bird in this cage of theirs, and oh how ironic it was that she was succumbed to be the prey of this ruthless hawk, with him able to soar amongst the people and buildings while Y/n stayed perched in the house, her ever-growing wings mentally becoming too much for her to control and stay silent about.

She needed space, she wanted to leave, but she didn’t dare voicing any of her wants, especially when Keigo made it so clear how her meager wants were of no match for his needs.

And his needs, as he’s made so clear thus far, include her being a pliant, quiet, yet loving little birdie who cooks, cleans, and lays with him day and night without complaint.

God forbid she speaks up about her...living conditions, as he liked to so generously supply to her the first and last time she ever had this conversation with him. She tried telling him how she originally had loved their relationship of a couple of months, and sure it might have been weird for him to push her into moving in with him only after 3 months, but it was because of how much he loved her or so he said at least, when he bashed her head repeatedly on the ground when she told him it “wasn’t normal to rush into things so fast”.

Sure, he had a big spacious penthouse lent to him by the Hero Commission so being physically cramped was never a problem, and yes okay he showered her with gifts and little trinkets, just like birds did with their mates even more so after a big fight that usually left her black and blue, with swollen lips, ripped up knees and big red welts on her wrists while the hero himself was left with not even a feather out of place.

But there were days where their movie nights and cuddling sessions didn’t cut it for her anymore. There were nights when she couldn’t take his suffocating arms around her a second longer, only to be replaced by an even heavier and darker presence when she tried turning on her side away from him.

Sometimes it would be a chain reaction caused by the smallest of catalysts, however. It would be on a day where he left the restraints on a little too tightly, and Y/n was forced to use toothpaste on her wrists instead of the salve Keigo always kept in the medicine closet. Other times it would happen when he would keep feeling up her sides and pressing into her after a long day of her cooking in hopes that the plentiful food would be enough to keep him occupied away from her, even if it was for an hour or two.

It never was, though. He always wanted her, whether it was her scent, her presence, or her clothes that he kept in his pockets on his missions.

On those days, the days where she felt too much Keigo, too many feathers and too much Hawks was when she snapped.

Down would go the plates, the expensive wine glasses, the vases filled with flowers sent by hundreds of fangirls who knew nothing about the monster that he actually was. She’d tear out her mussed hair, red-faced with tears that ruined her makeup the makeup that she liked to wear on these types of days just to piss him off, knowing that he thought “excess makeup is for whores and catfishes. I already know you’re a whore, well, my whore, but you’re not even good enough at applying makeup to be deemed a catfish so don’t even try it hummingbird” while screaming in his face to let go, for the love of god Hawks PLEASE let me go I want to go home I don’t want this anymore I don’t want YOU anymore this isn’t working out I don’t love you-

And crack would be the sound of his palm across her face, knocking her to the floor. On these types of days he wouldn’t even think she deserved a change in facial expression, staring down at her pathetic trembling body while his lips were set in a subtle casual smile, his hands stuffed in his pockets as if he never raised an arm a second ago, and his eyes remained golden and neutral, the only indication of him processing her tantrum was the black glint in his pupils that dilated every time she gasped and sobbed on the floor.

To ensure that his precious, oh-so fragile lovebird wouldn’t hurt herself any further with her stupidity, he’d crouch down inches away from her face and cock his head slightly as a real bird would do. He’d reach out and lift her chin to face him while his other hand would snake up her thigh to try and console her which only succeeded in making her shake and breath unevenly.

Leaning forward to ghost his lips over the shell of her ear, he’d relish in the way her mouth would part in terror as he would lovingly whisper every threat of what he’d do to her the next time she wanted to be like a brat, because god help her if she thought he couldn’t tame a brat after dealing with a lifetime of villains.

It was almost laughable, how easy she was to silence. He didn’t even need to use feathers to pull her to her feet when he would tell her to go to the bed and get on all fours like the bitch she was.

She had to earn her way back into being his good, obedient little dove, on days like these.

But after these days would pass and she would indeed realign with his expectations, he would reward her greatly.

Never like this, though.

Y/n is brought to the present again as another flash of light from the paparazzi snaps her out of her daze. As the spots begin to fade from her vision, she sees Keigo in front of her adorning his trademark “for the fans-only” grin, although Y/n would call it a sleazy smile, the same smile he would give her before he signaled his feathers to cut deep into her feet so she’d stop kicking at him as he dragged her on the floor and feels him squeeze her hand a little too tightly to be dubbed as endearing.

“Stop zoning out on me, you look like a ditz”, he hisses through his teeth, his grin now resembling more of a bared-teeth look.

She tries to try to fix her face and pull the corners of her mouth up, attempting to also brighten her eyes and looking interested at the blond interviewer who was now conversing with Hawks about his recent team-up with Endeavor. It takes every ounce of self-restraint to not shove past the phony smiles and flashy attire enveloping her and waltz down the red carpet to the doors of the gala. She thinks if she hears him utter another word about how he’s so incredibly blessed to have the love and support of my fans, family, and most importantly, my girlfriend who has stuck by my side through thick and thin, she’ll puke on the bedazzled yellow dress the interviewer has on.

As if. He’d probably whisk her off to the nearest bathroom and pummel her on the floor right then and there just for being distracted, but not before fucking her as well.

She feels Hawks nudge her side, and on cue she darts her head up and really plasters on a blinding smile as she focuses on the question that was just asked to her.

“Sorry, what was that? I think I got distracted by your outfit, you look lovely tonight, an absolute catch.” She winks for good measure, just to salvage the damage of ignoring the conversation and Keigo’s tight-lipped smile, which was beginning to soften.

Bingo.

“Oh you’re so sweet! I can see why Mr. Number Two here swooped in to take such a cutie like yourself.” The interviewer giggled, twirling a golden lock around her finger. “But no worries, I was just saying you should come make a public appearance more often! I mean, the media barely gets to see you with Hawks intimately, it would be a great excuse to get all glammed-up as well...I mean, if Hawks here hasn’t got his talons sunk too deep into you.” She laughs shrilly and doesn’t notice how both Y/n and Keigo tense up at her insinuation.

Yeah lady, you’re not too far from the truth. The last time I tried to look nice and go outside, I was bedridden for a week and a half while nursing frozen peas over 7 different parts of my body, inside and out.

But if Keigo can bullshit more than he can tell the truth, then so could she.

She laughs warmly and places her hand on his shoulder lightly, just to sell the “supportive girlfriend” look.

“Well, I really would love to come out and show my support for him more often, but we’ve both agreed that with all the publicity anyways, it’s just too much pressure for me to deal with. I’d rather just stick with what I know and keep it hush between him and I.” She turns her gaze to Keigo now, superficially giving him a puppy-in-love look but discreetly seeking his approval if what she said was the correct thing or not.

He merely gave her an amused smile, as if to say damn, wasn’t expecting that answer but I guess it’s fine. Yeah. Two can play at that game.

Pleased with her answer, the blond bimbo turns on her heel and sashays away, leaving the couple by themselves.

Keigo gives Y/n a side eye and cautiously holds out his elbow for her to take. A peace offering for the meantime, just to reward her for the quick save.

Don’t fuck this up for me, or you’ll regret it tenfold when we get back home.

“Shall we?” He waits for her to oblige, and of course she does.

Arm-in arm, they gracefully walk down the red carpet towards the gold plated doors. Upon entering, Y/n’s breath is taken away at the grand hall, with red banners hanging from the balconies that had navy blue and gold words of praise for the heroes engraved in the silk. Hundreds of pro heroes filled the room, much more than what she was used to from only interacting with her captor for months.

Guiding her over to the long granite bar, Keigo squeezes her arm before lightly dropping it. Before she can move, he stands directly in front of her and his vermillion wings unfurl and slightly surround the two of them, creating their own little space. To others, it might’ve just looked like two lovers embracing each other and having their own little moment. Y/N knew better, however, and suspected he had ulterior motives.

She was right.

“I’m gonna leave you here for a few minutes, ‘kay? I don’t want you moving from here,” he murmured, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, and she had to suppress a shudder at his unwanted proximity. “The feather stays on, and I better not see or hear anything funny while I’m away.”

She nodded and touched her necklace that was indeed laced with one of his feathers, remembering the deal he made when he agreed to let you out for the day.

Ah yes, the dreaded feather.

When she had approached him on shaking legs two days prior, Hawks was brushing his hair in the bathroom, keen on meticulously keeping it styled and ruffed up in the morning. It was one of the things that Y/N would begrudgingly say was one of his finest features, along with his natural eyeliner-shaped markings and rugged yet handsome facial features.

On good days, she liked to lightly trace her fingers and across his sharp jawline and feel the stubble growing on his blushed face. She’d try to stop immediately however, when he’d open his eyes and catch her hand, moving it across his body much to her chagrin and down to his-

She had stood outside the door, fumbling with the hem of her thin nightie and desperately trying to pull the short material past her bare thighs as she mustered up the courage to bring up her proposition.

Keigo slowly ceased his brushing when he saw the meek little thing quivering outside his door, and he quirked up an amused eyebrow. He braced both arms on either side of the sink, and let out a light exhale, before addressing her.

“Something wrong hummingbird?”

She dragged her eyes from the floor up to his dilated golden irises, and blurted out what she had been rehearsing in her head for the past couple of days:

“DoyouthinkIcouldcomewithyoutothegala?”

“Huh?” he snickered, thoroughly bewildered by what incomprehensible nonsense she had stuttered out.

Y/N bit her lip and took in a shaky breath, strike one, she fumbled her first try.

“Haw- uh, Keigo,” she corrected quickly. He preferred her using his first name, his real name. He claimed it made things more intimate between them as if carving his name on her back hadn't been enough to seal their “intimacy’-she didn’t need to be told twice what to call him by after that day “I was wondering...if I’m good and I don’t give you a hard time, can I come with you to the hero's gala?”

Keigo’s brow furrowed slightly, and he cocked his head to the side like a real bird. He seemed to be contemplating it.

“Alright,” he conceded after a couple seconds. “If, and I mean if you listen to me and don’t try any funny business while we’re there I’ll let you tag along.”

Y/N darted her eyes up to him, hope swimming in her heart.

“But you have to wear the feather.”

She immediately blanched.

A major inconvenience that she had come to terms with in the duration of her stay with him had been his stupid fucking feathers that layed oh-so-casually around the floor where she walked and coincidentally clinging to her clothes wherever she went out of Keigo’s eyesight, even though she was trapped on the same floor with him.

They had special properties; they could detect any movement, sense any vibration whenever he called for it. This made for a perfect tracker for Y/N in terms of whenever he wanted an update on her heartbeat, her mood, her whereabouts, and anything in between.

Yes, it was suffocating. But she would much rather it only be a suffocating feeling rather than him actually directing hundreds of feathers to surround her and hold her down on the bed or floor to do whatever he wanted with her in any position he pleased.

She didn’t dare complain to his face, however. She’d grit her teeth, grin and bear it, listen to every whim he demanded of her if it meant one night of superficial normalcy.

And so she put on her best behavior on the days leading up to the main event. She made dozens of dishes that circulated around chicken (his favorite binge food), she let them have “cuddle time”, with no complaints whatsoever when he insisted on bathing her and dressing her up in stupid pink frilly skirts, and she even gave him little subtle looks with a batting of her eyelashes when he looked down fondly at her good mannerisms and praised her for being such a sweet little birdie.

Eventually, her acting paid off and on the morning of the gala she was merited with a silk red dress that stopped at her upper thigh, ornamented with gold earrings and a 12K necklace to really sell off the look-which was of course wrapped around one of his feathers. Hawks had even hired a makeup artist who was instructed to not ask or say anything to Y/N save for questions about the products, much to her pleasant surprise.

She was still reminded of how much she had to grovel for him every time he rewarded her that afternoon.

“You look stunning, chickadee,” Keigo leaned against the dresser with his arms crossed, and smiled warmly at Y/N. “You’re making her look like a real model, maybe she should take over my job instead. Or, actually, maybe you could stop by my agency and make me all pretty for my next photoshoot.” He directed this last tease at the makeup artist and winked, causing the oblivious employee to giggle and blush.

Ugh, barf. He’s even a sleaze when I’m right here.

Y/N feigned a roll of her eyes, which didn’t go unnoticed by the hero. She could feel his dilated eyes boring into her the rest of the 15 minutes of touch-ups. Eventually everything was done, and Hawks left praise after shameless praise fall from his lips and onto the poor fangirl’s heart as he guided her out the door, a hand on her lower back as he did so.

She took the opportunity to get up and walk to the full-length mirror, admiring how she looked for the first time in ages. Gone were the multi-colored marks that decorated her body as if she were nothing more than a mere canvas for her painter to use. Her eyes seemed a little brighter too, and it wasn’t just the makeup that caused it. She stood a little straighter and squared her shoulders, her chin tilted up more than before while she stared at her reflection. She didn’t recognize the woman in the mirror, and she liked it for once.

It was ridiculous, she knew it was to feel so vain but she couldn’t help but bask in her potential freedom for just one night. She looked gorgeous, she felt confident, and she had earned it all on her own.

Cocking her head to the side, she tried to practice a couple smiles to be camera-ready for when the time came. She turned the corners of her lips up, then showed her teeth, and even tried fluffing her hair up sensually. Biting her lip slightly, she threw her head back, causing her curled locks to bounce and lowered her eyelids to look sexy. She giggled at her own stupidity and poses, completely unaware that a certain winged-man had entered the room and leaned against the door for the past couple of minutes, simply watching the little show she put on.

“That's quite a look you’ve got there hun, why don’t you make those faces more often with me?”

She immediately froze, her breath hitching. She didn’t dare look at him in the eye from the mirror.

“I mean, I’m the only one who should be seeing such a slutty expression anyways, right?” He said ever-so casually, hands in his pockets as he slowly strolled up behind her, and she couldn’t help but think as her eyes darted up to meet him in the mirror that the sadistic shit-eating grin on his face didn’t suit so well with his god-like features.

She visibly wilted, her shoulders hunched and head down in contrast to the tall, powerful woman she had felt like mere seconds ago. Her breath quickened as he leaned over her shoulder, grazing his teeth over the sensitive part under her ear, and she bit her lip harshly to stop the squeak that threatened to escape her trembling lips.

“If I had known that a pretty dress and some makeup would make you act like a wanton little whore, I would’ve done this wayyy sooner. I guess you really are just another dumb bimbo bitch who does anything she’s told if she gets to feel important for a night.” He whispered in her ear, resting his head on her shoulder and looking up at her with innocent eyes, ones that imitated the mocking tone of voice he used.

It seemed like he wanted her to feel disgusting, to wilt under his cruel words that he used like knives-knives that were sharpened with his tone and body language, knives that were so intimately and carefully chosen. They worded so that they were used to their full extent to cut and carve through her heart.

“Is that what you are my little songbird, hmm? You wanna be a pretty baby and have everyone’s attention on you? I’m hurt, here I was thinking I was enough for you.” He pouted, and with every word he spoke the grip his hands had around her waist tightened.

She tried to protest but he plowed through her pitiful attempts.

“Hell, if you want some attention so bad and whore yourself out, I should call over some friends! Yeah, we can skip tonight’s gala, would you like that songbird? For me to share you with my friends so they can satiate your whorish needs?” And at his he shook her lightly, his grip around her middle choking her and cutting off her circulation. “N-no, Hawks,” she wheezed out. “I just... liked my makeup, that’s it. I only want you, I promise. I won’t cause any trouble tonight, please don’t call any friends over.”

She looked up at him in the mirror with eyes the size of saucers, blinking away tears and trying her best to show how apologetic she was at her audacity to feel good about herself.

He loosened his arms and straightened up, peering down at her disgustedly. He had absolutely no regrets about the way she sucked in air immediately when he relented, or about the way she frantically brushed the tears from her eyes, trying to preserve her mascara from running. (not that he would’ve minded). She needed to learn her lesson; he controlled her highs and lows. Only he had the permission of holding her fragile emotions in the palm of his hand, and if she didn't want that palm turning into a fist and breaking her, she would do well not to piss him off and treading carefully about flaunting what was meant for his eyes only.

She wanted to lock herself in the bathroom and cry out to her heart's content from being embarrassed and degraded like this. She kept absolutely still however, when she felt his hands lightly tracing the feather on her collarbones. It was an unspoken threat, and when their eyes met once again in the mirror, the way he sized her up confirmed it.

The feather stayed on.

Which brought her back to the present.

Y/N had already downed 3 glasses of champagne while reminiscing about earlier today, something Hawks would’ve surely tutted at. Finding herself bored, she meandered around the bar, keeping close to where he left her.

She scanned the room for her ‘lover’ and found him laughing with a group of his friends, his head thrown back and the charming sound of his deep yet lilted voice carrying through the hall, entrapping anyone who was around.

He certainly had presence, no sense in denying it.

Any girl would’ve been crazy to deny him, and Y/N wished that Hawks had fallen for a girl that didn’t want to deny him out of his hundreds of fangirls a point that was set in stone in Y/N’s mind when she saw a tall brunette clinging to his arm while she shrieked with laughter at whatever stupid story Hawks was telling.

Said fangirl seemed to also have been put under his contagious spell, from the way she so obviously threw herself on his arm and pushed her chest against his side under the pretense of shaking with laughter. Various other parts of her body seemed to be shaking against him too, but he didn’t seem to mind based on the smirk he quickly looked down at her with.

For the second time that night, Y/N wanted to throw up.

Was it jealousy? Negative. Rather, it was frustration that he literally had girls throwing themselves at him, tits hanging out and all but yet he wanted what he knew he couldn’t have. She assumed that it was this mentality of his that landed him at being Number 2, chasing after the seemingly impossible until it was tangible.

It was easier on some days to try to understand his point of view. It was much better than getting lost in the hours pondering what kind of bad karma she inherited from a past life to go through this hell. But on some mornings when she felt stone-cold sober, she remembered that she was a person, not some objective or conquest that he had rightfully won. Deciding to try and take her mind off from the trainwreck that was unfolding in front of her, Y/N aimlessly wandered to the side of the bar and down a grand hallway that was less crowded and had less Hawks.

On either side of the hall, giant bronze frames held the portraits of past heroes and had little scriptures of their accomplishments. Hawks had always talked about how he wanted his name up there, and how one day he was going to do something incredible to have his own face up on the hall of fame. His idol, Endeavor, already has taken place on the wall right next to All Might’s frame, and Y/N looks up and ponders at both of their pictures.

And how befitting is it, that Hawk’s idol is also accused of a sinister and tumultuous family past.

Maybe he doesn’t need to work too hard to follow in the footsteps of the number one hero.

“Quite the hero, Endeavor is. Even though there is controversy about the nature of his past and his redemption efforts, he set many precedents as to how a true hero should act.” Y/N’s head snaps to the right where Edgeshot had just joined her. He wore a navy blue tux with red seams, his trademark mask covering the lower half of his face.

“Yeah, you’d think his admirers would try to follow in the footsteps of changing themselves too,” she muttered bitterly. “I’ve noticed his biggest fans seem to take after his more...old brutish traits rather than the better person he’s trying to be now.”

The masked hero laughed softly, and Y/N looked at him suspiciously.

“What, you don’t think heroes have their own fair share of flaws?” She challenged.

“No no, don’t get me wrong of course. I would be on an inappropriate level of naivety to assume that, considering I’m a part of the whole corrupt system itself. I think, however, that change within a person comes after an extended time of self-reflection. You have to look within yourself and accept that you were wrong in the first place, if you want to change.”

Y/N was quiet for a moment.

“Do you think the villains are ever right? About society brushing the flipside of heroism under the carpet, I mean. It doesn’t matter if the heroes are trying to save people because it's expected of them, if they aren’t actually compassionate about their cause then is there really a point?” She asked desperately, hoping he could understand her.

Edgeshot hesitated for a moment before answering.

“In my years of experience,” he said quietly, still looking up at Endeavor’s painting, “the ones who have at heart a solid reason for acting the way they do are most always justified. It may not always be a good reason, but a foundation always gives way to a justification that can be argued for.”

All of a sudden, Y/N gasped as white hot pain sliced through her sternum. She looked down and saw the red feather on her necklace quivering as a fine line of red sprouted from the cut it made.

“Are you alright?” Edgeshot asked, looking fairly alarmed, his hand reaching for her shoulder.

“Yes, of course! My necklace is just a little sharp, a little edge just nicked me that's all.” She said shrilly, already backing away from the concerned hero. Turning on her heel, she picked up the hem of her dress and tottered out of the hall, not paying any mind to the vermillion plumage that drifted down her chest, past her waist and eventually clinging onto her leg, making little nips and stabs here and there.

Blood was pounding through her head as she navigated the way back to where Hawks had left her to be. Her palms were sweaty and she was sure her hair was becoming messy as she whipped her head around, attempting to look past tall heads and bodies that blocked her way to the bar.

Shitshitshitshit god please don’t let him be there already please please please-

But it seemed as though god wasn’t in a merciful mood, because lo and behold, the raptor was leaning against the long granite island with a glass in his hand.

He seemed to be casually grinning, swirling a maroon substance in his cup and choking it down leisurely, but as Y/N drew closer she knew-as expected- he seemed off.

The smell of alcohol was nauseating around him, he must have been drinking something strong. His wings, although lightly flapping behind him, were pointed at the edges and shaking lightly. His eyes were completely dilated, and were shifting around the room until they settled on her meek figure rushing up to him.

“Hey there birdy, long time no see. Did you have a good chat with Edgeshot? I’m sure you both enjoyed talking shit about me behind my back.” Y/N winced at how charismatic and booming his laugh was after his ominous remark. It was too carefree, a complete cover-up of how she knew he was actually feeling, and that scared her the most.

“Hawks I-”

“Keigo, sweetheart, did you forget my name already after talking with just one person? Damn, I’m hurt, guess keeping you locked up at home was the right decision after all if you’re acting like such a stone-cold bitch now.”

She stared up at him, openmouthed and thoroughly panicked now. He was talking too much, he was going to expose himself and her-

Wait. Why is she covering for him? Wouldn’t it be better if he blabbed everything else so people could realize what he’s doing? Maybe someone would intervene and save her!

But it seemed like he was three steps ahead of her and had already figured that out, because his face flushed slightly and his eyes darkened and narrowed, with lips set in a flat line. When Y/N saw this change, she tried to back away but he quickly grabbed her hand and yanked her out the room and through the exit doors. It was all happening so fast, she could hear various people call out to Hawks but he plowed through them so fast that she didn’t have time to even process that they were out of the building and in the air.

She screamed as he soared to an even higher altitude, clinging onto his neck for dear life. The wind whipped past her face, stinging her cheeks with the frigid cold and water particles that embedded on her lashes. Hawks was laughing hysterically the entire time he gained height, his talons ripping through her dress and piercing her skin, even overlapping the previous cuts his feather had made earlier.

“S-stop, what’re you doing, are you fucking crazy?” She shrieked, her words losing volume as the air was ripped out of her lungs.

“KEIGO, its KEIGO you stupid fucking cunt!” he screamed in her face. His arms loosened around her waist, and suddenly Y/N was falling, falling, falling straight for the asphalt.

She couldn’t even turn her head as her limp body plummeted down for imminent death. Her lungs begged for oxygen, fear settling like lead in her stomach, but the second she closed her eyes for what she thought was the last time, (Hawks) Keigo swooped down and yanked her back into his sinister embrace by her hair.

Ignoring the ripping strands she felt in her skull, she flailed around in midair trying to grab onto something-she reached up to grab his foot but he noticed and kicked her square in the face. Y/N had never before felt such terror and pain, mentally or physically.

Damn her pride, she wants to live for god's sake.

“Keigo,” she sobbed, remembering just in time to use his real name lest he smash her teeth in again, “please put me down, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry I talked to Edgeshot but I swear it wasn’t anything bad or about you.” The warm blood streaming down her nose began to harden on her upper lip from the chilly altitude they had reached.

Abruptly, he shifted his grip and pulled her up by her hair (she winced at that painful adjustment) so that he could hold her around her waist now.

They had to have been at least 200 or so feet in the air. The pair had cleared their way through some clouds and could clearly see the full moon right in front of them. It was deathly quiet except for Y/N’s labored breathing through her fractured nose, and her fear racked even further as she looked up at Hawks and realized that he was simply staring down at her with completely dilated eyes that narrowed and gleamed at her expression. He truly looked like a bird of prey right now, a predator that was forcing her to play the part of his prey, a point that solidified when he suddenly wrapped one hand around her throat to feel her heartbeat that thumped like a rabbits’.

The light from the moon reflected off his back, causing his front to be completely shadowed so that the contours of his sharp face seemed ever more looming and dangerous. Both of them stayed suspended in the air for a minute or two like that, Y/N not daring to speak unless he granted her a sign to repent.

After a long, painstakingly suspenseful minute of studying her face, he finally growled “We’re going home.”

It seemed to take only a mere couple of minutes for the Number Two hero to travel halfway across the city. Y/N barely had time to try and drink in the beautiful colors that accented the winding streets and buildings below her, knowing that it would most probably be a long time before she saw anything else that resembled freedom again.

He finally began to descend rapidly, forcing her to cling onto his jacket and shove her face into the crook of his neck to avoid getting whiplash. Peeking through her lashes, she recognized the balcony floor of his penthouse rushing underneath their feet. Dread and anxiety surged through her veins as he finally landed and postiviley threw her off of him and onto the wooden floor. She slid a good couple of feet and skinned her legs in the process, unable to stop her momentum as she slammed back into a lamp.

Dazed, she saw stars as she rubbed her aching head. Unfortunately she didn’t see him, rushing over to her the second she landed.

He grabbed her jaw tight and wrenched her bleary eyes to look up at him.

What he saw was beautiful.

A trembling mess beneath him, makeup runny and complemented with blood that flowed from her nose like an eternal stream. He couldn’t keep his eyes off the way she kept flinching any time he shifted; it made his pants tighten and caused his teeth to grit in what he measured to be the absolute last bits of self restraint he had for the night. He had truly ruined her, and he internally patted himself on the back at his work.

Was he mad? Yes, wholly and completely at her betrayal of his orders.

Did he regret losing his temper? Absolutely not. In fact, if you ask him, he should get mad at her more often like this. If it merited her pliant and vulnerable being, then who was he to deny such pleasure? Fuck he should’ve done this from the start- blowing up at mild disobediance instead of acting like a doting, patient boyfriend.

“You alive?” he roughly shook her head and her teeth chattered inside her skull while he did so.

“Yes,” she whispered, mouth popped open by his gloved fingers as he shoved a digit inside her warm and wet cavern. It was embarrassing how drool seeped through her lips and dribbled down her chin, but humility was the least concerning factor in her environment at the moment.

“Good. After acting like such a tramp you better fucking be. I told you one thing,” and he slapped her for added emphasis to his frustration, “can you repeat what I told you? Or are you so braindead that you can’t remember the one order I gave you when I trusted you to sit still and look pretty like a good little bitch?”

“Nnngh, no I rem-I remember.” Y/N panted out, attempting to talk through puckered lips and drool. “You told me to stay at the bar and not to move.”

“Exactly. So what part of that was so hard to understand, huh?” He hissed through his teeth, looking deranged.

“I just got bored, that’s all. I wanted to talk to another person…” Even though she didn’t finish her sentence, Hawks understood her perfectly.

I wanted to talk to another person apart from you.

He let out a mocking laugh, stretching his arms over his head to hide his shaking fists. Rage swept through his body like wildfire, licking up his throat and cheeks. His face was flushed and unreadable to Y/N as he sauntered around the couch and plopped down on it, spreading his legs to seem as uncouth as possible.

She sat shivering on the floor, unsure of if he wanted her to follow him or wither away on the floor like a mutt.

As he sighed loudly however, her body immediately tensed as though bracing for another painful impact. She daringly peeked over her shoulder and saw the back of his head protruding from the black and red leather couch. Lazily flicking his wrist up to a height where she could see, he vaguely beckoned her over without saying a word.

Immediately she scampered over to him and situated herself at his feet (where she belonged). Her eyes were downcast, and he begrudgingly accepted it as a form of submission on her part. No sense in beating the disobedience out of her now if she already knows what she did wrong.

Hawks heaved out another heavy sigh and let his head fall backwards. On one hand, he was slightly drunk and his head was killing him-he just wanted to go to sleep and forget today ever happened. However, there was a problem that was contributing to his growing migraine, and that problem was sitting right in front of him, practically kneeling at his feet for mercy. More than sleep, he wanted to take care of said issue and call it a night, so he decided to skip the sweet talk and warm up.

“Here’s what’s gonna happen, kid. I’m gonna close my eyes and by the time I open them you better have already thought of a way to make tonight up to me, and you better have already put that plan in action. Then, we’re going to bed and when you wake up you’ll regret the day you even thought of talking to anyone apart from me, since you seem to have forgotten who’s been coddling your ass all this time.” He sneered, relishing at the way Y/N’s face went pale.

True to his word, he closed his eyes, glad to see his last view as the pathetic bitch who was about to service him. The feel of slight fumbling on his zipper made him feel even more drunk and giddy as it was pulled down. Maybe the entire evening wasn’t a complete wash after all.

Yeah, he should take her out a lot more.

#yandere hawks #yandere x y/n #bnha yandere #mha x reader #bnha #hawks x reader #hawks smut #hawks x y/n #bnha hawks #mha hawks #kidnapping #tw dubcon #mha #yandere #yandere hawks x reader

[angelkurenai]

Wish upon - Bucky Barnes x Reader

Title: Wish upon

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Warnings: None

Summary: You were close when Wanda’s grief took over and she inevitably started controling an entire town, including you. Being her closest friend, though, instead of simply playing along, you were given a normal life of your own, with a daughter and husband whom you knew very well but never thought you had feelings for. Months later as you try to figure out your emotions for Bucky, the man seems to be trying to find every reason to stay close to you. Including asking you to join him when he’s ready to follow Sam in his adventures.

“Is that... Is that what I think it is?” you blinked several times, head tilted as you took in the object your husband was, full of pride you could clearly tell, holding and showing off to you.

“You bet it is. Polished, glittered or bedazzled, I can never tell the difference it's equally sparkly anyway, but above all ready to deliver justice. It's finally finished. Right on time at that.” he set the small pink and sparkly shield on the kitchen counter, right next to the baby bottle you'd just filled, because he knew just as well as you did that it was honestly the only way you'd keep looking at the toy and hoped that you'd like it. Which you did, sure, but not in the way Bucky hoped. “Well, what do you say about it?”

“I say that it would certainly deliver justice, no doubt by dazzling the bad guys first and foremost. Besides-” you tore your eyes away from the toy to narrow them at your husband “Just on time for what?”

“Halloween, of course.” he shrugged casually as he slowly made to reach for a piece of the potatoes you'd cooked to have on the side for dinner, but you noticed him and slapped his hand away, earning a not-so-innocent smile in return “I mean... What else is there else to talk about, of significance, in a small town like Westview besides holidays and who the new otherworldly couples in town are. The second having little to no point when one's wife can read minds, amongst so many other things, and said one is a metal-armed 106-year-old.” he sighed, raising his metal arm which he usually kept covered when outside “Honestly, I don't know who're gonna get called out on it first. Wanda and Vision or us.”

“We're handling it great. Besides, oh well a 15 year old gap is so overrated anyway. I tell you, 106 is the new 30, don't you worry a second, dear. You don't look a day over that.” you smiled sweetly, leaning in to peck his lips as he grinned.

“Ah yes, coming from the woman who last time we fought you told me that it's time to stop mourning over my buddy Rexi the dinosaur cause they're all gone now.” he said with a raised eyebrow and you shrugged.

“I don't see what you mean, I was still right.” you brushed him off, checking once more the temperature of the milk “Besides, getting off track here? You still haven't explained to me how that lovely and sparkly shield is of any use to us in Halloween?”

“Well, not us, obviously.” he turned to, according to everyone including him, his little princess “Jean of course!” he picked one of her hands and let her tiny fingers wrap around one of his as she let a giggle when he kissed her belly “It's all you've been talking about with Wanda these days. Her boys have their suits already in mind, it wouldn't be right for Jean to not have hers. It's her first Halloween anyway, even if she can't do any proper trick or treat yet.”

“I'm well aware of that, seeing as I've been planning all of ours suits. And no-” you raised a finger when you saw him raise an interested eyebrow “No, I'm not wearing the skirt version of it. Besides, what we're talking about here is Jean and I still fail to see how a shield will be any part of our little Phoenix's suit.”

“Well, because it's Halloween and she's- Well, she's part of this and she'll- The shield is part of the suit, honey. Obviously. I don't see what confuses you so much as to-”

“And I don't see what confuses you so much that you'd make a shield for her, beautiful as it might be, even though it has no place in all of it. Especially after I made it quiet clear on what costume will be.” you pointed out, baby bottle back on the counter as you crossed your arms over your chest “Honestly, I would rather her have a sparkly version of Sam's redwing before incorporating the shield in her phoenix look.”

He let silence fill the room, save for your daughter's adorable baby noises, before he finally spoke in all seriousness “No, no you wouldn't. You hate that thing too... It was the main reason that made me ask the question, like when you realize you've met your soulmate.”

“I-” only half a pause before you nodded “Yeah, you're right. I hate it... although I can't really remember how it looks like sometimes to be honest. Huh weird.” you let out a breathless laugh, frowning nonetheless.

“Oh how I'd wish for that sort of blessing.” he huffed “Including its owner.”

“Hush you love him!” you hit his shoulder “And, well, that's still all besides the point. Because Jean is not going to have a redwing or shield to her phoenix look in any sort of way. Maybe next Halloween if you wanna choose the costume, fine by me. But this year I am following through with my plans and not changing my mind.”

“Plans of what? Her being a phoenix bird? I get it, it's all magical and what not but-”

“Not just any phoenix bird, geez weez, do you not even listen when I speak, Mr Barnes?” you shook your head with a roll of your eyes.

“Well, sometimes it gets impossibly hard when you look as stunning as today, Mrs Barnes. Sadly all words fade away and as I am captured by your beauty all I can seem to hear is kiss me. How can I not comply?” he said so innocently and with such an adorable smile you couldn't help your fond one in return.

Seeing such adoration and love written all over your face had your heart on overdrive again, as if it was the first time you realized you were in love with him again. It was incredible how you could barely remember that moment whenever you thought about it, however you didn't care. You couldn't find yourself to care when looking at him had your chest fill with warmth, a pleasant buzz all over your body and no weight dragging you down. He made things more simple, having his love and having him by his side made life have meaning and your future full of hope. It hadn't been easy, that much in a way you could remember, but you knew it was worth it because he was worth it. You wanted to give him all your love, wishing that it could live up to the one in his eyes for you in return, so that he could understand what you did from the first moment you met him: he deserved it.

And even if- you couldn't explain why you thought so, but even if there were ever people that would willingly leave him behind, even if you'd never understand that, you were ready to show to him that you could and would be with him till the end of the line. This love you had in you for him had sealed the deal long before you even knew about it.

If anything, you were more than willing to live in this small town, heavens in these four walls of your house, so long as you had him by your side and were able to give him all the love you didn't know you had for him.

You shook your head lightly and gave him “Sweet talking me will get you nowhere, darling. Or rather-” you paused, smirking at him “It might get you in one place. The bedroom.” you grinned when you saw his eyebrows raise in interest “To get Jean's suit. Cause I remember I have some adjustments to make.”

“Bet you do.” he huffed like a little child “Cause she'll be a bird and not a superhero who-”

“Not just a phoenix bird, Buck. The phoenix, that's different.” you pointed out, making him frown.

“How is that different? And what... is the phoenix?”

“Well, it's-” you started but paused abruptly, frowning at your own thoughts “It's actually-” you blinked several time and let out a nervous laugh “Funny thing, I... can't remember. Wow that's... it happens all the more often lately.”

“Can't be important then, right?” he brushed it off casually even though you kept frowning in deep thought which for some reason didn't lead anywhere “Certainly no more than Jean's suit that it... And how we could incorporate a shiel-”

“No.” you cut him off before he could get to complete his sentence “Not gonna happen. I've already got everything planned, you're not going to ruin my plans.”

“Is this how it's gonna go every Halloween now? Us fighting over what Jean's costume will be until she's old enough to choose herself?”

“Oh dear, of course not. It's not fighting when you don't stand a chance against me in the first place.” you shrugged innocently and he tried to look stern by narrowing his eyes at you but you smiled and pecked his lips before speaking “I mean, you could never say no to these pretty eyes, could you?” you batted your eyes at him and he very fast, much faster than last time, sighed in defeat and nodded his head “Besides, you don't have to worry. Next Halloween we'll make her a costume that incorporates the shield too, happy?”

“Always.” he breathed out with such ease that it took a few seconds for you to not openly stare at just how much relaxed he looked, how he truly meant it and how shockingly different he looked while admitting it compared to only a few months ago... months, you weren't sure of the time anymore but truth was that you didn't care, because if there was one thing you could remember was that he had not always been like this and to have him truly happy made everything worth it.

“However-” he cleared his throat, as if noticing how you'd zoned out “That doesn't really solve the problem. Having to compromise, you know. Why should any of us have to? However, if we were to have more than one option...” he trailed off, leaning in closer without any regard for your personal space, not that he needed to, as you narrowed your eyes suspiciously at him “Say... if we were to have more than one options then things wouldn't be this hard, right? Just... to make it easier on ourselves?”

“Make it easier... how exactly?”

His hands found your hips, earning a small giggle from you as he pecked your neck once, twice and three times before he kissed your cheek and the temple, whispering in the end “Let's make more.” it earned a squeal from your as your eyes widened but he grinned even more widely “Come on, think about it. A little boy or maybe another baby girl, Jean would make a great sister. And we wouldn't have to argue about the Halloween costumes. Besides... would be a fun process either way.”

“You have to be kidding me.” you gave him a serious expression but his hopeful smile- no, scratch that. His smile that was bordering that of an idiot, if not lovesick one (but you were on the same boat on that), didn't fade in the least bit “Oh you have to- Alright, Mr Barnes, how about you learn how to feed your daughter without making a mess first and then you can come and talk to me about a second or third one hm? Cause, good as you might be at changing diapers, it ain't just that.”

“She just makes a mess because she enjoys to laugh at my expense, just like you and Sam.” he pointed out and you fought back a smile “And- Hold up a second... did you just say third? You think you're gonna let me ask for a third one too?”

Your eyes widened when you realized that he was really considering the prospect before your lips parted, you being ready to retort-

Only for no words to be uttered after that from your lips. The only sound being a deep intake of air as you were startled awake. Soon followed by a groan as you took in your surroundings and realized you were sadly still in your room. Sadly? Really? You didn't know if that was the case but even if it was, you didn't want to think even more about it. You buried your face in your pillow, not ready to face the day yet because... who were you even kidding? You wanted to go back to it. If not that fake reality, if not the playhouse that Wanda had built out of her grief and had dragged you into it as well - and maybe you hated yourself for how part of you did want that - then at least your dream would be nice.

It's been months and yet it feels as if it's been just yesterday that you were all released from her control. How could you not feel that way after all? When you were awake, the fake reality you'd thought your life was constantly on your mind, and when you were asleep even if you were not thinking of it, you were dreaming about it. It was constantly on your mind. And as if the experience itself, mind-control and all, hadn't left you with a few mental scares to add to your already existing ones to take care of, then the realization of the truth that lay within your own heart, was more than enough to keep the events replaying on your mind day and night.

To put matters simply: when you had followed your best friend, Wanda, after seeing her so distraught, leaving SWORD, you had never thought you'd find yourself playing house with a fake copy of one and only James Bucky Barnes thanks to said best friend. But while there was a chance for that, you never thought there was a chance that you'd realize you had feelings for the man all along.

Your life had been different there. Maybe because you were always close with the other Avenger, who knew. While there were times where you'd experience Wanda's grief, her nightmares from time to time came to haunt you at night just like it did with the rest of the town, your life was mostly... good. No, forget that, your life was nearly perfect. You had everything you wished for and things you didn't even know you had wished for. Maybe deep down you had always wanted it, a normal life, peace and calm, a kid whether it was yours or not... Bucky. You had probably always wanted him but didn't know it yourself, no doubt you were too busy crushing over Steve.

If only your current self could see your past self, or at least self of barely a year ago, you'd have smacked some sense into your stupid self who thought Steve Rogers was the only man you could ever have eyes for. While you had come to be very close with the Captain and ended up doing almost everything together, everyone thought there was much more to the two of you, that it hadn't even occurred to you to think that Steve wasn't really the one you wanted. Maybe you had convinced yourself so, in a way that now that he was no longer there you were more shaken by the fact that you were not shaken by how he had decided to live his life with Peggy in the past than his absence itself.

You had not felt any sort of betrayal, nor that you were suddenly all alone, certainly not as if anything was missing from your life. Granted, you had plenty to think about most of the time, day and night, but that didn't change things. You wished Steve had had a happy ending and you would on the occasion miss him the way you'd miss... a brother. You were always calm, no worries or fears, content with the fact that you knew he had been happy even if it was away from you because, in a way, you wanted it to be that way, it was natural. However, the mere thought of someone else leaving, someone that you thought far too often about, made your heart leap to your throat and your stomach tie in knots. The mere thought that Bucky could leave the way Steve had done made your throat close in a painful way and your eyes burn with tears, making you realize just who mattered the most.

If, again, Wanda plucking the truth about your feelings for the man to give you a life with him wasn't proof enough.

Your phone buzzing made you jump once more, eyes landing on the device on the nightstand. Reaching for it you were not surprised to see the messages that were pilled in your inbox. All from the same specific someone. A specific someone you had found yourself speaking with all the more often lately. Each time successfully managing to make you smile in one way or another, without fail.

Good morning. :)

Did I use that one correctly? I keep forgetting them, no matter how many times you show me.

And show him you had, just like that there was an option for him to choose from different ones instead of having to type them, but that was still work in progress. So even if Bucky learning emojis was a memory that you'd cherish forever, it wasn't the only important one at the moment.

On second thought, it's a bit too early.

You're probably still asleep. Nevermind. Sorry for bothering you.

And then more, shortly afterwards.

I only wanted to know if you're alright, that's all.

Anyway, hope I didn't wake you up.

He, much like everyone else, thought it was hard on you to deal with Steve being gone so he did his best to keep in touch and being as selfish as you were, you didn't bring yourself to tell him the truth that you cared more to know about how he was and wanted the contact for that. Maybe he was also worried about you after Wanda's mind-control too. But if Sam's words were anything to go by, then it was all an excuse for Bucky to stay close with you. You didn't let your hopes get up for that reason though. You could gladly take whatever you got without wondering.

Again it was followed not much later by another message.

I've actually got something to talk to you about. Something happened, though you could already know if you saw the news. Can I come over to talk with you? I need your opinion on the matter.

And shortly afterwards came.

I've already got your favorite breakfast. To make up for, probably, waking you up. :)

The next one had taken longer, he had probably been waiting for an answer all that time. You couldn't help but feel bad about it. That and the fact that the reason behind you not replying earlier was because of how immensed you were in your fantasy life with him that you had not told him a thing about.

(Y/n)... are you sure you're alright? It's getting late even for you.

Truth was you had more trouble waking up after having a dream of that time. But you couldn't tell him that. And then there was the latest one.

Alright, I'm coming over. I really hope you're not dead in there. I'm not going to let you hear the end of it if you are. Oh dear, I sound like Sam right now. Forget I ever said that. Both of it.

Before you even had the time to think about what he could mean, because no you had really not seen the news yet, let alone type back a reply, the door to your bedroom burst open. It earned a squeal from you as you looked with wide eyes at Bucky standing on the doorway. You weren't even surprised how you hadn't heard him, not when he already had keys to your apartment and could easily sneak up on you. Not that him surprising you was what you cared about at the moment. It was, and you could only admit it to yourself, more important how you looked at the moment – and having just woken up you weren't sure just how attractive you looked – than anything else. Especially when Bucky looked better than ever with that new haircut that you were sure he'd gotten on purpose, just to test how much your heart could take.

“I thought doors existed back in your days, Barnes. Maybe knocking was an option too.”

You saw him let out a sigh of relief, shoulders relaxing “What would have been the point if you were dead? You wouldn't have replied anyway.”

“Bold of you to assume I would miss on another chance to lecture you about the proper use of emojis, Mr Barnes. Even death could not stop me.” you broke into a grin and he chuckled.

“What, did I really mess it up?” he asked with a small, far too adorable for your own good, frown.

“Oh no you got it just right.” you said softly, adoring the proud look on his face before you added “However, I've told you, you don't have to type them anymore. There is an option on your keyboard with that kind of stuff for you to-”

“Eh alright, alright I get it. I suck at it. I'm not even gonna try using them anymore.”

“Wha- No!” you whined softly “No, Buck, I didn't mean that. Come on, you're good. You just... have a lot to learn still.” you shrugged “That's all. We didn't do great at first either. Nobody really got emojis a first, but you'll get the hang of it.”

“But you still think I am a grandpa when it comes to technology. And my age doesn't help on that case either.” he shrugged, as if he meant it casually as a joke but you could see a small hint of self-consciousness there as well.

“Nonsense.” you said softly, finally throwing the blankets off you “You're far from a grandpa, Buck. In fact, I strongly believe that 106 is the new 30, and you don't look a day over that.” the words were out of your lips before you could even think about it and when you realized what you'd said, your smile flattered a bit. You were glad his back was turned to on that second that he didn't notice. You cleared your throat, sobering up “Besides, new things are not everyone's cup of tea anyway.”

“Uh yeah...” you notice the relaxed, and almost happy, look fade away from his face as his eyebrows pulled back into a frown. He looked down for a second, leaning against the doorframe with his hands in his pockets “Things do change. Sometimes faster than we can adapt to the new world around us.”

“Alright, unless you're channeling Charles Darwin right now, which I don't think you are, care to explain to me what's wrong? Because... I am guessing something is, judging by your expression.” you got up and approached “Is this... about the shield? I- I don't know if Sam giving it up is that much of a good choice however... he must have his reasons, right?”

“Well, yes, but- this is not just about that.” he sighed, finally looking up to meet your eyes “Something happened and I've been thinking about it, I wanted your opinion on it. You know it matters to me.”

“...And? There is more to that, come on. Tell me.” you knew him too well and you hadn't even realized when that happened too “You know you can... Always.”

“I do.” he paused for a moment, holding your gaze before he let a soft sigh “It's just, I am going to go find Sam and... I want you to come with me. If you're up for it, I would like you to be there with me... maybe?”

“You know... I should punch you just for doubting whether I'd follow you or not. But just because it won't lead anywhere for me-” you smirked at him “Buy me dinner too and consider yourself excused and me up for any challenge. Strongest Avenger at your disposal, Mr Barnes.” you patted his shoulder, enjoying the deep chuckle that came from him. Even if his next words made the air get caught in your throat.

“It's a date then.”

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[emf005]

Anxious

Anxious

Sirius Black x Evans!reader

Warnings: a bit of angst, My terrible writing

You stared out the window of the classroom, enjoying the lovely pitter-pattering of the rain on the glass that was, much to your delight, drowning out the teacher. You had woken up with a severe headache that morning and were in no mood for classes, let alone Ancient Ruins with a ghost teacher. You had in no way, shape, or form, any need for-

“Miss. Evans.” Your head turned to the teacher who was, along with the rest of the class, staring at you. “Care to translate?” He motioned to the board which the class had begun to decode.

“Sure. ‘To everyone who wishes death in some form or another, drink from a goblet which has no master’.” He stared at you with a nearly angry face.

“That is correct.” he spoke through his gritted, transparent, teeth. “Please try and pay attention from now on.”

“Of course, sir. But, as you have just seen, I have been paying perfect attention the entire time. Please continue on with this painfully exciting lesson.” He stared at you for a moment more before gritting his teeth again and continuing on with the lesson. You turned your attention back out the window, blocking out his lesson yet again.

Lily, your twin sister, caught up to you at lunch and started to ask how classes had been going in her own cherry way that made you want to hurl. You were not the typical Evans. You were not a goody goody twinkle toes like Petunia. You were not a sweet flower like Lily, you were just you. Your family referred to you as the “Biker” which was weird because you had no interest in leather or motorcycles or teasing your hair up to atrocious heights. You had no clue why no one would let you just be, ever. You were a tired anit-social introvert who got social anxiety that resulted in you being overly sarcastic and awkward. Lily, was your opposite and was completely oblivious. Well, you couldn’t take it that day. No you most certainly could not.

“Lily! Just shut up! Please! I just lived my entire day, I don’t need to recite it to you! Christ all mighty woman!” She stared at you, taken aback by your sudden outburst. She opened her mouth to say something but the only thing that came out was:

“Oh.” After a moment more she mumbled an apology and walked away glumly. You felt bad. You had never yelled at your sister before. You had never yelled at anyone before. You barely ever spoke three words unless you had to, class that day being the exception. You were just so tired of everyone being on your case.

“A bit harsh, Evans don’t you think?” You turned and stared at your tormentor. A true “Biker” in your opinion. Or, technically “Greaser”. I mean, seriously, the shine on his hair from how greasy it was was truly a feat you had no idea how he managed.

“Shove off, Black.”

“Oh,” he said dramatically. “The hurtfulness of the words! How will I ever be able to move on?” You grounded your teeth and stared at him, hating how short you were. You blew a strand of brown hair from your eyes, getting your looks from your dad and not your mom.

“I said, shove off. I’m not in the mood.”

“Oh? And what's this? She knows more words than just ‘shove off, Black’?”

Sirius Black. Your tormentor since first year. You had no idea how the stupid little rivery started between the two of you, nor did you care. You hated him with all of your being, more than you hated most people.

You raised your middle finger at him and brushed past him. He scoffed.

“Best you got, Evans?” He mocked.

“Figured your hair was disgrace enough. Don’t need me to say anything to embarrass you when you got that mop on your head!” You shouted back. That got him to shut up and you scurried to the owlery to meet with Henry, you beautiful brown horned owl.

You scratched your owl’s head and he gladly rubbed his head against your palm with an affectionate and grateful hoot. You laughed lightly and sniffled, shoving the tears off of your face. You placed your head against his and took a breath in and out, composing yourself. The anxiety bubbling back down from the day’s attention.

“Well well well. What do we have here?” You froze at his voice. Had I forgotten to mention your other tormentor. Or rather, group of tormentors? “Little Evans and her stupid little owl.” Lucius said. You heard Bellatrix cackle behind you and a few more snickers. How many were there today?

“Heard you were a bit mouthy today, love.” Bella said, walking around you. She was so close you felt her breath on her neck and it caused a chill to run down your spine.

“Please leave me alone,” you whispered. Another cackel cut through the air and you jumped. Your owl screeched as a means of trying to protect you.

“Aw, Mr. Owl wants to protect his little bitch?”

“Leave him out of this!” You yelled. Getting protective of the only good thing you had ever had.

You felt a hand grab your hair and yank you backwards. You yelled as you fell back onto Lucius Malfoy.

“What did you say to me? Are you giving us orders?” You swallowed and before you could say anything, your owl lunged at Lucius and attacked.

He dropped you as a means to protect his face but the sound he let out let you know that Henry had gotten his target. Lucius had a small scratch on his face beside his eyes that had begun to bleed.

“You stupid beast!” he yanked out his wand and before you could do anything he shouted out his curse. “Petrificus Totalus!” He shouted. Your lovely brown bird dropped mid-flight and hit the floor with a thunk.

“Henry!” You yelled and began to crawl to him, only to be dragged backwards by your hair.

“Teach you and your stupid beast to mock me.” He grumbled and threw you against the wall of the tower. You felt something wet drip down your neck.

Is it raining out?

Your ears were ringing loudly.

Who's ringing bells?

And your vision was blurred and fuzzy all over.

“Get her Lucius!” Bella shouted and you felt a sharp pain in your side. You let out a noise that didn’t sound quite human, or animal for that matter. You saw your bird, his brown feathers and beautiful wings spread out and frozen in their place.

You let out another whine as he abused your body more. Where you had no idea. It all hurt at this point that it was impossible to pinpoint a designated spot.

“Hey!” Someone shouted. The abuse stopped, but your body still throbbed mercilessly. You heard footsteps and people talking, but you couldn’t make anything out. All you could focus on was how tired you had gotten and how badly your body ached.

Why was it hiring again?

“Hey.” someone said again and you felt someone gently grab your face, causing you to whine and try to pull away, but they wouldn’t let you. They just turned your face to get a different perspective. You whined and tried to pull away again.

“Prongs!” You heard them shout, making you cry out in pain. Your head spun. “Sorry. I’m sorry. You’re going to be f-”

“Henry.”

“What?”

“H-henry. My-my owl. Get him first. Is-is he ok?”

“Your a bit more hurt than-”

“Please.” You cried. “Please he’s my-he’s my only friend. Please get him first. Please.” He was silent for a moment and more footsteps made their way up the tower stairs. “Please… you whispered.

“Ok… ok.”

The noises coming from the owlery were not ones that should be and they were just the ones that made Sirius Black pick up his pace just slightly. Remus and James were waiting for him at the bottom. A five second trip was definitely going to take a bit longer.

He rounded the corner to find a mess of white hair focused on something on the ground. A mess of curly black hair egging him on. And three more stooges from the Slytherin house snickering in the corner watching it all happen. An owl was laid out frozen on the ground but he paid no attention to that.

“Hey!” Lucius froze and gave one more swift kick before looking over his shoulder and smirking.

“Well. If it isn’t Si-Ah!” Sirius yanked him away from whoever he was kicking and threw him towards the door. His dear cousin yelled at him but he just glared at her and the rest of them.

Lucius pulled himself off the ground and brushed off his clothes.

“Let's go. He’s not worth our time.” Lucius grumbled and scurried off. The Slytherins all glared at Sirius but left.

Sirius turned to see who it was they were bullying. The figure lying on the floor, bruised and bloodied, caused him to freeze. Y/N Evans.

He rushed to her and knelt down tilting her head so that he could get a better look at her face. Even worse than what he had originally thought. The sight caused him to cringe.

“Prongs!” He shouted. She cried out, loudly, and he froze before profusely apologizing. “You’re going to be f-”

“Henry,” she said weakly, making his insides twist. How badly had they beaten her?

“H-henry. My-my owl. Get him first. Is-is he ok?”

“Your a bit more hurt than-”

“Please.” She cried. “Please he’s my-he’s my only friend. Please get him first. Please.” Sirius stayed quiet for a moment. He swallowed and just stared at her. “Please…” she whispered desperately.

“Ok… ok.” He said. James had arrived at the stairs and ran to the two of them.

“What happened?” He asked, Remus right behind him.

“Not quite sure. Come on.” He lifted up Y/N and she groaned again.

“Henry.” Sirius sighed and shook his head.

“And bring the damn bird,” he grumbled.

You woke up in the infirmary, god only knows how long later. It was dark now, so you definitely missed lunch. It would explain why your stomach was doing flips.

Your body ached all over, inside and out. You sat up, holding a groan in as you looked around the room. Well, as much of the room as you could see. The white sheets separated your section from the other patients’.

It was completely silent in the room. Well, except for someone’s breath right next to you. You looked over to see the one, the only, Sirius Orion Black sleeping in the chair right next to you. You stared at him for a moment and opened your mouth to say something (like you would have) when you heard someone clear their throat in front of you.

You looked to the opening of your section to see Madame Pomfrey standing there with her cart. She looked you up and down before looking to Sirius.

“You have a good friend there, you know.” You stared at her, slightly confused. She walked in, pulling the cart with her. “He refused to leave until you woke up. Poor thing must have fallen asleep waiting for you.” She hesitated and looked at you very seriously. “Don’t tell anyone I said that. I have a reputation to uphold, I trust you understand that Miss. Evans.”

“Why did he stay? What even happened? I-I don’t remember-”

“He came in here with his friends, Potter and Lupin, carrying you and an owl. The owl was easy to fix, he’s resting back in the owlery, you on the other hand were a bit of a challenge.”

“But I still-”

“You were severely beaten by one of your classmates, it appears. Mr. Black was kind enough to bring you in. I told him that you would be fine but he was quite insistent that he stayed until he knew you were better. I’m surprised he’s stayed as long as he has. On second thought-”

“How long was I out for?”

“Three days.” Your eyes went wide.

“Three-but I-how?”

“Much blunt force to your head. But you are healing nicely.” You looked over to Sirius who was slouching uncomfortably in the hard chair.

“Why did he stay?”

“As I said Miss. Evans, you have a good friend. Or are you-”

“No.” You answered, still staring at him. “No we aren’t.”

“Hm,” she hummed, checking you over. “Well, I would reevaluate the situation if I were the two of you.”

The wounds she was worried about were fine for the evening. She told you to get some rest and she would recheck you in the morning. When she left, though, you didn’t fall asleep. All you could do was stare at your tormentor and wonder why. Why was he still here? Why did he save you from Malfoy and his pack? Just why?

It was just breaking dawn when Sirius started to stir. You had been preparing yourself for what you were going to do when he woke. You were going through your options and finding a nice way to thank him and ask all your questions. But by no means were you prepared to speak with him so quickly!

His eyes opened and you stared at the stormy ones with a blank mind. It took him a minute to register that you were awake. He shot up from his chair.

“Y/N!” He was so loud it made your head spin. “Are you ok? How do you feel? What has Madame Pomfrey-”

“Why are you here?” you asked bluntly, cringing at the way it came out. He opened his mouth a few times before sinking back into his seat.

“I-I just wanted to make sure you were alright.” He stuttered. You couldn’t believe it. You had never heard anything but confidence in his voice, but now? Pain? Hurt? Worry? Unsureness? This was not the Sirius Black you had grown to hate.

You swallowed and shifted under his gaze. It was heavy. So heavy. Heavier than the canoe your uncle made you carry last summer to the lake.

“I’m fine.”

Why were your words so harsh? What was wrong with you?

You watched as he slunk back into himself further.

“Well then I guess-” he stood and panic took over your body. “I’ll leave.” He cleared his throat and pushed his hair back. You stared at the mop. Less greasy than it had been. There was no shine, it was instead like the night sky. Pitch black. So black nearly blue. It was actually mesmerizing. Naturally bouncy.

He had bags under his eyes and unease in his posture.

What was wrong with you?

He waited a second for you to say something but you never did. He hung and shook his head glumly before leaving the area. All you could do was watch him go. None of your questions answered and guilt was coursing through your entire body.

You were discharged a week later. Lily brought you your school work while you were in the hospital, but never really said much else. She still must not have gotten over when you had yelled at her, which you felt terrible about.

But now, freshly out of the infirmary, you were determined to set things right with her and Sirius. Although, you had been saying that for days now.

One day you tried to apologize when she had come to give you your work. It didn’t exactly go according to plan.

“Here is transfigurations, potions, herbology, and divinations. If you have any questions or need any help-”

“Lily, I’m sorry.” She paused and looked up from her folder.

“Sorry?”

“Uh yeah.”

“Sorry for what, Y/N/N?” You swallowed.

“For snapping at you, the other day. At lunch?”

“I remember. I’m not mad at you, Y/N/N.”

“You're not?”

“Not for that.” You stopped and stared at her.

“Then for what-”

“I’m upset that I had to find out that my twin sister has anxiety from someone other than herself.”

“You-”

“Know? Yes. I know, Y/N. Why didn’t you ever tell me? Did you feel like you couldn’t? I just… I don’t understand.” You stared at her for a moment, not knowing how to respond. Your heartbeat sounded in your ears and your breathing became restricted a little.

You opened your mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Lily just shook her head and sighed. Almost like she expected you to say nothing.

“Listen, Y/N, I’m your sister. Twin sister. Does that not mean anything to you? At all? You're supposed to be able to tell me everything. So, yeah, I’m a little hurt that I had to hear this from Sirius.”

“Sirius?”

“Yes.”

“Sirius Black?”

“No, Y/N. Sirius Dawson. Yes, Sirius Black! Why? Did you swear him to secrecy? I didn’t even know you two talked.”

“We… we don’t.” She looked at you, staring for a few minutes.

“Oh.” She stayed silent and looked down. “I… well… I’ll talk to you when you get out. At James’ game, maybe? On Sunday.”

“Yeah. Maybe.” She smiled and squeezed your leg. Then she got up and left.

The first stop you made, on this particularly snowy Saturday, was to the owlery. Henry came flying over to you the second you stepped foot in the tower. He hooted and rubbed his head under your own. You giggled and scratched under his chin.

“Miss me, did you buddy?” He hooted again and you walked over to the balcony to look over the snowy scene of the Hogwarts grounds. “Look what I brought you.” You unraveled the nut and seed cake you had in your pocket and held it up to him. Henry hooted happily and started to peck away at his treat. You laughed and set him on the banister alongside the cake.

The two of you sat in silence as you stared out at the scene. Henry pecked away happily and you sat there miserable. The gears in your head spinning faster and faster as you thought more about what Lily said.

You weren’t surprised Lily didn’t know that you had anxiety. You were surprised that Sirius knew. And even more surprised to hear that he had told Lily. Why? In defense of you? You didn’t understand.

Henry hooted before flying off the edge and to someone behind you. You never saw him do that to anyone but you before. To say you were a bit jealous that he left his cake unfinished to see whoever had walked in would be an understatement. But then you turned around.

He climbed the stairs up and up to the owlery. He came at the same time every day since Y/N had gotten hurt. Henry was a very dependent and protective creature. When Sirius came the first day, he was a mess. A flurry of feathers and in such a tizzy. Since he recognized him as one of the good guys from when she got attacked, he flew immediately to his shoulder. Since then, Henry greeted Sirius each time he came to visit, each time more friendlier than the last.

Today was no different. As usual, Henry flew immediately to his shoulder and nuzzled the side of his face in greeting. Sirius chuckled and rubbed his head. He started to walk to the balcony when he noticed that today was different. Someone was standing there watching him.

You were standing there watching him.

He swallowed and the two of you stared at each other awkwardly.

“Hi.” He said when he finally found his voice again. He was so relieved to see that you were alright. You didn’t like him, he knew that. He knew why, too. He just didn’t know how to change that. The sad fact in it all was that he loved you. He had always loved you and he knew he would continue to always love you.

“H-hi.” You said, he felt his heart skip a beat. Your voice was quiet and you were fidgeting with your hands. Merlin, you were perfect.

“How are you feeling?” He asked, slowly walking over to you.

“Fine, I guess.” You answered, scratching the back of your neck. You began to fidget and Sirius could tell you were about to run. He couldn't have that. He couldn't let you leave him again. He shouldn't have left the last time, he knew that and he regretted it.

You took a step and he jumped in front of you without a plan in mind. You jumped back, startled by his sudden movement. He backed down when he noticed how he reacted and caused you to receive even further.

“Uh, sorry. I just-I want to make sure you are fine. Completely fine, and all.”

“Um… Yeah. I-I’m fine.” The silence returned as Sirius waited. He didn’t want to push you to talk, but he was a bit desperate to speak with you. He had avoided you for an agonizing week. A whole week! Well, sort of. He would often sneak into the hospital wing in the dead of night when everyone, including you, were asleep. Not like a creep like he knew it sounded, he was just worried. He always was.

From day one he had noticed your anxiety, both him and Regulus suffered from it, in different ways but still suffered from it. When he noticed your closed figure and down cast eyes first year he knew immediately that you were not ok. He had tried to be nice to you, to ease you a little bit, but nothing he did worked. It all backfired on him. And I mean all I mean ALL. Everything he would say came out wrong and every gesture he did simply made you more uncomfortable. Some time around 3rd year everything turned hostile. Your anxiety had gotten worse and instead of just shrinking away you had a tongue that was sharper than a knife. For some reason, this drew him in even more. He had no idea what had caused the switch in you, but he could tell you had become worse from when you had left Hogwarts. Ever since then, he had watch you closely, occasionally teasing you since that was the only way he could get any sort of interaction with you.

“Sirius-” He looked at you with wide eyes eager to hear what you had to say, but you stopped, leaving your mouth open. He waited. “How… How did you know about my anxiety?”

He swallowed.

“And more importantly, why did you tell Lily?” He was silent and now you waited.

“Lily was… well, she was hurt by your reaction and wouldn’t stop… um…”

“Complaining?” He hesitated but nodded. You sighed.

“I… I got tired of listening to it and snapped, I guess. She didn’t have a response.”

“You stood up for me?” He nodded. “Why?”

“Uh…”

“Why would you stand up for me against my sister and the Slytherins? Why help me to the Hospital wing and insist on staying until I wake up. Why sneak in when you think I’m sleeping?”

“You know about that?”

“Do you know how impossible it is to sleep on those beds?” you smirk. He let a crooked smile lift the corner of his mouth. “But, honestly, Sirius, why?”

“I…” He cleared his throat and itched the back of his head, looking away. Was that blush you saw on his cheeks? “I just was worried about you.”

“Why? You don’t like me.” His head shot up, eyes wide with panic which startled you.

“That's not true.”

“It-its not?”

“No.”

“But all the bullying and…”

“It's the only way I could get any sort of attention from you.” You furrowed your eyebrows, itching your hand. He could see the skin about to open, so he grabbed your hand making you jump. He placed it at your side and let go. “Listen, Y/N. I like you. I understand that you probably don’t like me. But, I had no idea how to get any sort of attention from you. I never did anything out of malice, even though it sounded like it. Honestly, I’m sorry, Y/N.”

You swallowed not knowing if you should believe him or not.

“I would like it if we could be friends, Y/N. I know what you’re going through. The anxiety.. Maybe I could help you?” You bit your lip. Should you trust him? You had never trusted anyone like this before.” Please. Give me a chance to make things right.”

You nodded and he let out a breath, one he didn’t know he had been holding. He wouldn’t mess this up. He couldn’t. Not for anything in the world.

Hey guys! Hoped you liked it! Let me know in the comments. Also let me know if you want a part two!!!!

#sirius x you #sirius x reader #sirius black #Evans!reader #fluff and angst #sirius x y/n

[lagomort]

im very intrigued about hatoful boyfriend lore because i have a friend whos really into it and i wanna support them in that

id also really like to hear whatever info you want to throw at me :) (if u vibe with it)

Today I have been fed.

I'll just stick mostly with Shuu for now since he is just... so much. He's so much. When I said his life was a shitshow I truly did mean it.

Long, LONG post under the cut. And spoilers, obviously.

On a basic level this world is a world where a new insanely deadly bird flu (H5N1) popped up and started killing humans en masse. Scientists developed a virus to attempt to wipe out the birds and save humanity, but it backfired and ended up making the birds (primarily doves) intelligent to a human level. Humans and birds went to war for thirty years and humans lost, presumably mostly because of the fact that the birds still carried and spread this bird flu. So basically the only humans that are still alive are humans who have a natural immunity to this bird flu, and they tend to live at the fringes of society.

In terms of bird politics, there’s the Dove Party who wants to make peace with the humans, and the Hawk Party who want to get rid of them entirely. That’s kind of the general political spectrum - there’s another party, the Crow Party, but we don’t really know much about them and they thus aren’t really relevant.

Yes, the pigeon game is post-apocalyptic. Yes, it rules.

Shuu Iwamine's place in this is... a lot. Bear with me.

(The birds all have human faces and this is his. Bless his heart and his hair ribbon.)

He was born Utsuro Ichijou - the Ichijou family being extremely rich and a pretty big political deal heavily implied to be aligned with the Hawk Party. His family so thoroughly neglected him that when a building he and his parents were in was blown up by a human extremist group, resulting in several permanent injuries and the deaths of both of his parents, he:

1. genuinely couldn't remember his own name without having to think about it because he was called it so infrequently.

2. felt only relief that they were never going to be around again.

3. had absolutely no resentment for the humans whatsoever.

The injuries in question are extreme muscular weakness and loss of fine motor control on his right side, and a complete loss of colour vision except for the colour red. He’s also blind as a bat without his glasses, a la Velma. It’s very funny.

He was four at the time this accident happened. It's very important to remember that he is a bird if you actually look at the dates involved here, which I try so very hard not to.

(As an aside, one of the characters in the game basically states outright at one point that despite the birds now being hyper-intelligent, they still mature at the same rate as they previously did - being sexually mature at the age of one, for example. However this game is well and truly ridiculous about this fact. Nothing about ages makes sense from any angle. Characters are in high school at 15 despite presumably having had emotional and physical maturity since age 1, and not actually having the full lifespan of a human despite their increased intelligence. It’s even a plot point that one of the romanceable characters is sad because the main human character you play as will vastly outlive him. Just... roll with it.)

He shortly after the accident gave all his inheritance money to his family and disappeared, reappearing under the name Souma Isa (at the ripe old age of nine) to join an extremist faction of the Hawk Party, the Earth Crawlers. In the case of the part of it Shuu joined, they’re basically scientific researchers in all kinds of fields doing weird unethical science. While not everyone associated with them is evil, they are on the whole developing weapons of all kinds to be used against humanity.

This is where he meets the man (pigeon, I guess, but stay with me here) who will accidentally ruin his whole entire life.

Ryuuji Kawara is a very nice man and also a very terrible man. On one hand for a brief time he made Shuu’s life better and he genuinely was well-meaning, and on the other hand he is a comically absent father and husband. He’s a genius and also a complete moron. He’s a man of opposites.

It’s canonical that the only reason he was working with the Earth Crawlers is because they were the only ones who would give him the grant money he needed, with no actual grudge against humanity. So that’s nice, at least.

He was the leader of the First Life Science Research Division (LiSciRe), a biological research division that Shuu ended up in after joining the Earth Crawlers. While working under him Shuu was frequently frustrated by his strange, whimsical attitude, but grew to care for him on an extremely deep level. Ryuuji taught him the elements of how to be a person that his parents never had, and was intelligent enough that it was easy for Shuu to listen to and respect him. He brought Shuu presents from his business trips and sent him postcards. He made sure he ate when he forgot.

He probably taught Shuu some bad habits like neglecting himself in favour of his work, but on the whole what Ryuuji was to him was a wholly positive influence. Despite the wiki’s insistence that it’s up for interpretation whether Shuu’s affection for him was romantic, it is very obvious to me that it is.

Especially given the bird he is, the chukar partridge, is a bird that symbolizes intense and often unrequited love.

And then... well.

Ryuuji died.

Ryuuji travelled to an island on a field expedition and became ill whilst there, withering away and dying shortly after his return, but not before doing something exceptionally selfish. He admitted that he neglected his family while he was alive, especially his son Ryouta, and asked Shuu to do something for Ryouta in his stead. He specified that Shuu didn’t have to go out of his way to do it, but this was still a case of someone absolving himself of his neglect by giving it to someone else. Admittedly done on his deathbed in the throes of a wasting disease, but still something he really should not have done.

Shuu is two things. The first is very literal. The second is extraordinarily devoted. Ryuuji probably knew the first, but not the second.

Shuu does not take all of this well, to put it lightly.

When Ryuuji finally passed away, Shuu didn’t attend the funeral - he went straight back to work on the day of it. When asked if he knew what he was supposed to be doing ‘at a time like this,’ he responds:

You can spot the moment where his heart breaks in half, etc. etc. But this is also the moment that really encapsulates Shuu as a person. Being so neglected and so out of touch with his own feelings from a young age means that he doesn’t understand himself or other people. He has to be taught things from the ground up that other people know intuitively. He’s grieving but he doesn’t know how it’s dealt with, so he deals with it by doing the exact same thing he’s always done - pushing it aside and never consciously returning to it. But unlike his parents, Ryuuji is going to haunt him for a long, long time.

Shuu, keeping his promise to Ryuuji, does go to find Ryouta. And that’s where everything kind of just completely falls apart.

But... hey, you know what? I think I’ll leave this here for now since this post took me such an insane amount of time to write and I want to get back to you in a somewhat timely manner. There’s a lot more to cover in this man’s Insane Life. Send me another ask if you’re interested in hearing more about this! I love to regurgitate nonsense about this weird, weird pigeon game.

#meme friend asks #hatoful boyfriend #shuu iwamine #look i have so many feelings on this pigeon. #well. hes a partridge #but i have feelings #hes so dysfunctional. bless his sweet heart

[felassan]

Mass Effect development insights and highlights from Bioware: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development

This is the Mass Effect version of this post.

[In case you can’t read it the subtitle in the bottom left logo above is “Guardians of the Citadel”]

Note: Drug use is mentioned.

Cut for length.

Mass Effect 1

ME began its life in a vision document in fall 2003

Codenamed “SFX”

Conceived of by Casey Hudson and a core team from KotOR. Its genesis was the intention to create an epic sci-fi RPG in an original setting that BioWare owned (so they could have full creative control), and in a setting that was conceived of first and foremost as a video game

Initially players could control any squadmate, but they wanted it to be about Shep and for players to be focused on Shep being a battlefield commander, rather than on switching bodies

By the start of 2004 its story was shaping up. Initially humans landed on Mars in 2250 and discovered evidence of an ancient alien race and a powerful substance, Black Sand, which rapidly advanced tech to the point that FTL travel was possible. (My note: obviously now the Prothean artifacts on Mars & associated mass effect force tech enabled this in the final canon, but I wonder if aspects of the ‘Black Sand’ naming-type & powerful substance stuff was rolled into red sand from final canon) Humans were suddenly capable of travel to multiple star systems and made contact with a multitude of other species. At the start of the first game, these species together with humans had a fragile peace, with focus placed on the political center of the galaxy, a hub known as Star City, later renamed the Citadel

Multiplayer was a vision for the series as far back as 2003. The plan was for ME1, an Xbox exclusive at launch, to take advantage of the platform’s online components. Early designs saw players meeting in one of the central hubs to interact and trade items in their otherwise SP adventures

By 2006 it had the name ME and the story was more specific, with the theme of conflict between organic and synthetic lifeforms. The story’s scope now stretched across 3 games and included scope for full co-op MP

They tried to do MP in every game, discussing it from the get-go, but it always just fell by the wayside. “When you’re trying to build something that is a new IP, on a new platform, with a new engine, you’ve got to really focus on the core elements of the game.” 

The conversation system prototype was made in Jade Empire, and some of ME’s earliest writing was done in an old JE build. At first there was no conversation wheel. Paragon was “Friendly” and Renegade “Hostile”. In the prototype Shep was a silent unnamed Spectre. Many conversations in the prototype about the player’s choice in smuggling a weapon through Noveria made it into the game

In said prototype a merchant referred to themselves as “this one”, though the word hanar never appeared. The PC in it also had the option to end a conversation with “I should go”. In the prototype also, Harkin was voiced by Mark Meer

An early version of the Mako got used as the krogan truck in ME2

Early concepts of the Citadel were drawn in pencil by CH. A piece of concept art of its final design was painted based on a photo of a sculpture near Aswan, Egypt

As with any new IP naming it was a struggle. They put out a call to all staff for ideas, did polls, made a name generator that combined words that they liked in random ways and made pretend logos of ones they liked in Photoshop to see if they could make themselves love the name or find visual potential in it. (Some of these names are in the pic at the top of this post.) CH liked “Unearthed” as it was a reference to Prothean ruins dug up on Mars and humanity’s ascendance going away from Earth. They knew the game would have a central space station featuring prominently so some of the ideas were based on that - “The Citadel”, “The Optigon”, “The Oculon”. “Element” was another one they had in mind due to the rare substance in the game 

CH: “I was a big fan of John Harris’ book Mass, which had epic-scaled sci-fi ideas, so that was a word that came up often. Many of the names came from the idea that the IP featured a fifth fundamental physical force (in addition to the known four of gravitational, electromagnetic, strong nuclear and weak nuclear) so the word ‘effect’ came up pretty often.” Ultimately none of the ideas really felt right. One Monday morning they were going over the names and Greg Zeschuk said he had an idea on the weekend: “Mass Effect!” CH: “I said, ‘I don’t hate it’, which in the naming process is a high compliment. And it stuck!”

CH on Shep’s Prothean vision from the beacon: “It was hard to imagine how we would do this. CG was - and is - really expensive. Instead I wanted to try doing it through photography and video editing. So I went to a local grocery store and bought a few packages of the weirdest looking meat that I could find. Then I set up a little photoshoot in my basement, complete with some electronics parts and some red wine for juicyness.” He used these props to create a video sequence where the photos were rapidly cycled and blurred, along with production paintings, to create the scary vision an organic/machine experiment on the Protheans. These mashups were also used as inspiration for concept artists and level designers who were working on these themes

Tali used to be called Talsi

On the licensing side they often joke that they’re licensing N7 not “Mass Effect” due to N7′s popularity

There was a confidential internal guide to the IP in 2007 to help devs along and summarize/synthesize the vision etc. Some excerpts from it are shown in the book and this is the first time the public have ever seen them

Early versions of Asari had hair

Asari were designed as a nod to classic TV sci-fi (with human actors wearing obvious makeup and prosthetics to play aliens)

The turian design guideline was “we want them to be birds of prey”. They also wanted a range of alien types, some close to human like Asari, while others were to be a lot further away, like turians

BioWare patented the conversation wheel, which was a first for them. CH had been frustrated with reviews of Jade Empire that said that the actioncentric game was too wordy [with its list dialogue]. “I’m like, story is words. [...] What is it about our games that is making people feel like they’re wordy?” Then he thought “In a game you kind of need to feel like you’re continuing to play it. Maybe you should continue feeling like you’re playing it actively into the dialogue.” “[The wheel] kind of gave a new experience with dialogue when you did start to react based on emotion, and that’s ultimately what we’re trying to bring out in our games”

The original krogan concept was based on a bat “with a really wide squidgy face. We just used its face on top of this weird body and it kinda worked”

Geth musculature was based on fiber-optic cables, with flexible plates of armor attached

The vision for the IP was 80s sci-fi inspired space opera

The concept art of Saren lifting Shep by the throat inspired a similar scene in-game. The staging wasn’t planned til designers saw that art

A squadmate with Shepard on the way to meet Ash in an old storyboard was called Carter. Early name of Kaidan or Jenkins?

Bono from U2 was kinda instrumental in bringing us ME lol

Finding the right cover art for ME1 was notably tricky

Matt Rhodes got his start drawing helmets for ME1, including one which would become Shep’s “second face”. He estimates he drew between 250-270 different ones

Some of the sounds in-game were people smashing watermelons with sledgehammers and sticking fists into various goos

The audio team had fun trying to slip the iconic main theme into unexpected places throughout the MET. “We were very aware of how powerful that track was for the fans and it was tempting to overuse it for any moment we wanted to make really emotional”.

The theme was creatively repurposed in ME3: slowed down and reworked as the ambient sound for the SR-2. “If you listen to it for a really long time, just stand in the Normandy and listen, you’ll actually hear the notes change slowly. It doesn’t sound like music, it sounds like a background ambiance, but it’s there.” (My note: Well no wonder the Normandy feels so much like home?? 😭 sneaky..)

Bug report: “Mako Tornado”. There wasn’t enough friction between the tires and the ground, causing testers to lose control of the vehicle and send it spinning into the air like a tornado. “As it turns, the front end comes up, and then it starts spinning and spinning and spinning and spinning faster and faster and faster until it just flies up in the sky” (My note: Sounds like a regular day in the Mako to me)

Cerberus originally had a bigger role in this game. It was cut but they had a whole explorable outpost. “I called it Misery,” says Mac Walters, “It was this planet with a little outpost that said ‘Welcome to Misery’”. Everything on the outpost was shit - dirty worn stuff, no windows, no kitchen, the vehicle bay was open to the elements etc

The Reaper sound is literal garbage. Some audio designers went on a recording trip to a national park. One of them got fixated on a garbage can, “a metal bear-proof receptacle with a heavy lid that creaked horribly when opened”. “It was like, ominous, spooky, tonal and almost musical. I decided to throw a mic into the garbage and record it moving. I didn’t know what it was going to be until later”

They were making lots of noises to record like throwing logs and rocks around. An old couple peered at them through the window of their camper van in the woods and must have called the cops because then the cops showed up, pulled them over and told them to stop. The cops towed their car (the driver’s plates were Cali plates and expired), drove them to Edmonton outskirts and then the audio producer Shauna got a call and had to go pick them up “like three little boys”. “We got a stern talking to”. Once back they were playing around with the garbage sound, editing it etc. Casey heard it and proclaimed “That’s the sound of the Reapers”

Preston Watamaniuk: “There are things I could have done to Mass 1 to make it an infinitely better game with better UIs” and some simple cuts and changes. “But when you’re living with it, it’s very hard to see those things”

BioWare Labs

As social media and smartphone games exploded, BioWare dedicated a small team dedicated to exploring opportunities here - BioWare Labs

Mass Effect: Galaxy used a unique graphic art style and static visual presentation common in visual novels. It has the distinction of being the only iOS game BW have made during their first 25 years

Scrapped ideas were a 3rd person space shooter called Mass Effect: Corsair and 2 DA titles - a strategy game and a top-down dungeon crawler starring young Wynne. (My note: Maybe the corsairs stuff was rolled into Jacob’s backstory in 2, the Alliance Corsairs)

Corsair was a very short-lived project that never got its feet under it. It was a spin-off on Nintendo DS featuring a behind-the-ship perspective and branching dialogue. At one point it had MP. The idea behind it was basically “ME: Freelancer” - fly your ship around, do missions, get credits. It had a limited branching story but was a gameplay-centered experience intended to fill the gap between ME1 and 2. That gap ended up being filled by Galaxy

Galaxy and Corsair’s smaller screen allowed concept artists to use bold colors and a simplistic character design style to help those games stand out from Shep’s story

Nick Thornborrow did some art for Corsair but was worried his art style didn’t fit ME. He moved to DA where he feels his art style fits better

Lots of BioWare VAs and even a lead writer and the VO director are drawn from Edmonton’s local community theater scene, which is vibrant. Think this is how Mark Meer got involved

Mass Effect 2

Player choices carrying over was a first for BW

Dirty Dozen-inspired plot

Its plot is a web of conditionals (see Suicide Mission)

Was more of a shooter than anything BW had made since Shattered Steel

There was 2 camps on the team, those who wanted to push combat and systems forward and redefine the ME experience and those who wanted to make a true sequel, with the same gameplay and systems but a new story. Karin Weekes: “I think it ended up being a good push-pull. It felt like a pretty healthy creative conflict”

“ME2 was a game you could hold up to someone who argues that games aren’t a serious medium and go ‘Oh yeah, then why is Martin Sheen in this?’” Sheen was their first pick for TIM

The idea for TIM came from a mash-up of concepts CH had collected over the years. The name “Illusive” originally came from his pitch for naming DAO’s Eclipse engine, a word inspired by Obi-Wan’s line “It’s not about the mission, Master. It’s something... elsewhere. Elusive”. “I thought, what if we called our next engine 'Elusive', but used an ‘I’, and then it’s like ‘Illusion’. [...] I still really like the word with an ‘I’ and what it conjures”

When ME1 DLC was in production, CH had been watching a lot of CNN, specifically Anderson Cooper. “How is one guy travelling to all these places and never looking tired and always being able to speak with clarity?” CH says it seemed almost superhuman. “What if there was someone who is the absolute maximum of the things you would aspire to be, but also the worst of humanity?” Cooper, though not evil, became an inspiration for TIM down to the gray hair and piercing blue eyes

Inspiration for TIM’s behind-the-scenes role pulling political strings came from Jack Bauer’s brother Graem in 24. Graem “can call up the president and tell him what to do and hang up, because he’s so connected and so influential”. Sheen had played a president and his performance brought gravitas and wisdom to the role. He had quit smoking, but the character smokes. He didn’t want to fake it, but he also didn’t want to smoke, “so he actually asked for a cigarette” to hold so he could stop his words to take drags with natural cadence

Writing was still pushing to write and revise lines hours before VO started. A series of problems like injury and some writers leaving for other opportunities left it so that Karin, Lukas Kristjanson and editor Cookie Everman hand to land the story safely, with PW helping where they could. Lukas: “We took over the writing bug and task list, and I can’t stress enough how much [Karin and Cookie] did to get ME2 out the door. There’s no part of that thing we didn’t touch”. Karin: “That was the most dramatic 2 weeks of my life”

Initial fan reaction when they started promo-ing ME2 was very negative because people didn’t want to know about new chars like Jack and Mordin. “[fans were like] ‘Get them out of here. We want our characters from the first game’. But then when they played them, those became some of the most popular chars [of the series]”

Concept art of Thane has an idea annotation saying “Face can shapeshift?”

At one point when designing Thane concept artists sent multiple variations of him to the team asking them to vote on which was the most attractive

Most of the Normandy crew was written by lead level designer Dusty Everman. Lukas gave him advice in the evenings between bugs

BioWare Montreal made ME2 and 3 cinematics

CC for Shep was based on tools used by char designers to create in-game chars. Under the hood similar tools existed to create aliens

Aliens were much easier to animate than humans. When something is human it’s very difficult to make it look realistic and you can see all the mistakes and everything

Over the holiday period in 2007 CH worked out a diagram on a single piece of paper that would define the entire scope and structure of the game. The diagram is included in the book

Bug report: “I shot a krogan so hard that his textures fell off”. At one point shotgun blast damage was applied to each of the pellets fired, and shot enemies ended up with just the default checkerboard Unreal texture on them after their textures got blown off

Blasto was meant to be 1 step above an Easter egg but his fan popularity prompted them to bring him back in ME3

They rewrote chunks of Jack 2 days before she went to VO. She was the only one they could change because all the other NPCs were recorded. They redesigned her mission by juggling locked NPC lines and changing Shep’s reactions by rewriting text paraphrases to change the context of the already-recorded VO

Lukas snuck obscure nods ito ME2′s distress calls. In the general distress call for the Hugo Gernsback, there’s BW’s initial’s and Edmonton’s phone number backwards. In a fault in a beacon protocol there’s the initials and backward phone number from Tommy Tutone’s “Jenny”. In 2 other general distress calls there’s initials and numbers from Glenn Miller Orchestra’s “Pennsylvania 6-5000″ and initials and numbers from Geddy Lee and Rush’s “2112″ respectively 

Mass Effect 3

“The end of an era marks the beginning of another”

ME3 “marked the end of Shep’s story”

Saying bye to Shep was as difficult for devs as it was for players

JHale’s final VO session included Anderson’s death and romanced Garrus’ goodbye. “We were in the session and we both just started crying”, Caroline says. “I couldn’t come on the line to give her notes because I was crying, and she was crying. And so there was just this minute-long pause of like, nothing, nothing, nothing - just silence through the airwaves. And then I came on and just told her that I was crying and she said ‘I’m crying!’” They talked about these anecdotes also here on the N7 Day reunion panel

The Microsoft Kinect voice support required devs to teach Kinect hundreds of commands in a variety of accents across multiple languages. The result was useful but made for some awkward moments. Numerous players accidentally said “geth” or “quarian” while making a particular decision and accidentally killed Tali

MP chars were voiced by cops and military people

The helmet on one of the MP chars was originally designed for cancelled project Revolver

The payload device at the end needed to attach to the Citadel while essentially serving as a giant trigger. “It ended up becoming quite the engineering feet just to visualize how this thing would move and connect to the Citadel”

Concept artists explored creating an anti-team, where Kai Leng was almost an anti-Shepard essentially, with an elite squad to counteract your team. This idea never went beyond concept phase

ME3 Special Edition was released on Nintendo Wii U exclusively. This exclusive version of the game includes Genesis 2 (a sequel to the original Genesis comic) and unique gameplay features that took advantage of the touchscreen GamePad. For years Sonic Chronicles: Dark Brotherhood had had the honor of being BW’s only game made for a Nintendo console

FemShep regrettably didn’t feature in major ME marketing til ME3. Later releases like DAI, MEA and Anthem have taken increasing care not to gender their protagonists in cover art

To capture combat sounds they took a trip to CFB Wainwright, a military base southeast of Edmonton. They got a big tour of it and were allowed to record anything they could find. The tour ended with them getting to drive and shoot tanks (real shells). The force of doing that sent waves through Joel Green, he felt his whole chest compress when it went off; the perfect sound for the Black Widow! After the trip the soldiers let him keep the shell he fired and it’s been passed on like a torch to various devs since

Kakliosaurs began life as a joke in the writers’ room after John Dombrow placed a Grunt figure on a t-rex toy he had on his desk. Lore was brainstormed to justify the mash-up before someone asked, “Why don’t we put this in the game?” They loved it so much Karin had custom coffee mugs made

Bug report: For a while Tali’s final romance scene would fire when she was supposed to be dead

“Balancing combat: how designers in ME3 entered an ‘arms race’” - the solution to players feeling OP vs players feeling frustrated by really strong enemies is to find a good middle ground, but for designers Corey Gaspur and Brenon Holmes, it was war. Brenon designed enemies, Corey designed guns. Corey “was obsessed with bigger, heavier guns. We had this sort of informal competition where he’d make this crazy overturned gun that would just murder all the enemies, and then I tuned some stuff up to compensate”

Brenon had to invent new ways to “stop Corey” and this led to the Phantoms. Corey had in turn designed consumable rockets that could wipe out entire waves of enemies. He must’ve figured this would make short work of Brenon’s space ninjas, but Brenon had other plans: “I had just added the ability for her to cut rockets [when Corey was playing MP and he was watching]. She cut the rocket in half... Corey just turns and looks at me and is like: ‘Really dude? I just shot a rocket at this Phantom and she’s fine? Not even damaged? Zero damage?’” 

This friendly rivalry helped elevate ME3′s gameplay. Corey had a knack for making a gun feel so good to fire it had his fellow designers scrambling to keep up. It was his version of balancing. Before Corey sadly passed away he mentored Boldwin Li in all things weapon design and the arms race continued

Corey designed the Arc Pistol. It was causing problems for enemies because it was too powerful. It seemed hell bent on staying that way, Boldwin would tune down all its stats and it was still doing 3x the damage it should have been doing. “I was like ‘What the hell?’, and then I looked closer. It secretly fired 3 bullets for every pull of the trigger! Corey, you sneaky jerk”

The day it launched there were midnight launch parties across North America including one near the BW building. Numerous devs sat at long tables greeting fans and signing autographs as the fans picked up preorders. When midnight struck the line was long enough that it took several hours for some fans to get their game. One particular fan is remembered: “It was 3am. Some guy drove up from Calgary with his friends. He was like one of the last people in line. I think he was sort of tired-drunk. He threw himself across the tables, pulled up his shirt and shouted ‘Guys, sign my abs!’ And like I did, because he waited so long. It felt impolite not to. So I hope he enjoyed his copy of ME3″

For designing Protheans concept artists had free reign to design something that read as ancient

Before the concept art team had the story of the game to work toward, they explored wild ideas of their own including an image of the crew stealing back the Normandy to go after the Reapers

Jen Cheverie was testing scenes and was initially excited to be testing Mordin scenes, til she saw she was testing the Renegade version of his death. “This is even before like all of the audio and everything was in, so you didn’t even have the sad music. I remember sitting at my desk and my hands just went to my face when I saw that the gun Shep pulls on Mordin is the gun he gives Shep in ME2. I burst into tears and was crying for the rest of the day. People are waving to me as they walk by and I’m like, ‘It’s ok, I’m just killing my best friend’” 

There’s a segment called “Shepard’s story ends”. Casey on the ending: “There’s a whole bunch of things that come together to make it incredibly tense and emotional for players. I think the biggest one was the sense of finality, that whatever it was that happened in that very last moment... was it.” 

Wrapping up the story was a massive feat. In a way all of ME3 is an ending. Its final moments were the players’ last with a char they’d been with all the way from Eden Prime

“And while the critical reception of the game was extremely positive, many fans were unsatisfied with the ending, which became one of the most controversial in the history of games.” CH: “We were, on one hand, at the end of a marathon trying to finish the game and the series. But as devs we also knew that there would be more. We knew that we would continue to tell the story. In retrospect, we didn’t fully appreciate the tremendous sense of finality that it would have for people”. He envisioned an ending that posed new questions, something in the tradition of high sci-fi that left players dreaming about what that particular galaxy’s future could hold. “Frankly, there’s a lot more that we could have and should have done to honor the work players put in, to give them a stronger sense of reward and closure”

AAA games are massive undertakings with a million moving parts. Somehow they come together but even the best-planned projects don’t turn out quite like devs hope. From start to end video game production is a series of compromises. It’s rare if not impossible for devs to ship a game they’re entirely happy with. “I think that people imagine that when you finish a game, it’s exactly the way you wanted it to be. But whether people end up loving or hating the final result, we work hard to finish it the best we can, knowing that there’s a lot we would have wanted to do better. I think that’s true of any creative work”

As the dust settled after the initial reaction to the ending and later its epilogue, meant to show the wide-reaching ripple effects of Shep’s final choice, “players emerged mostly asking for one thing”. CH: “Now, most of what we hear, after both ME3 and MEA, is ‘Hey, just go make more Mass Effect’. And that to me is the most important thing. Knowing that players want to return to the ME universe is what inspires us to press on and imagine what comes next”

Mass Effect: Andromeda

By creating a new ME in a new galaxy the team was challenged to put their own visual stamp on the game while keeping it true to the franchise

Being the first ME game on a new gen of consoles meant for more detail

“Massive transport ships called arks populated with salarians, turians, humans, asari and quarians” made the risky jump to the Cluster

MEA was the first time BW had truly codeveloped across 3 studios: Edmonton, Montreal and Austin. The bulk of the work especially early on was done in Montreal, which was composed of a handful of Edmonton expats and heaps of experienced devs who joined from elsewhere specifically to bring a new ME experience to life. Series vets in Edmonton then came on to contribute writing, cinematics, design and QA, along with leadership from creative director Mac Walters and the core Production team. Austin writers and level designers also joined the fray

“It took a new team to take ME beyond the Milky Way”

Mac: “A lot of people in Montreal joined BW as fans of the franchise, so they just had this passion, and it felt like it was more like the days of Jade Empire, where a smaller younger team gets to do something for the first time. Even though it wasn’t necessarily a new IP for me, it felt fresh and new because of that. The team was just super excited to be working on it”

Early plans had the player exploring hundreds of worlds, procedurally generated, allowing for a nearly infinite variety of experiences. But as development wore on, it became clear that the game narrative required more specific, hand-touched level design on each world to keep the story focused and the experience engaging. “The plan was to give players numerous uncharted worlds to explore. Designers worked hard to come up with procedural elements that would make such planets special. Eventually the team made the difficult decision to abandon procedural planets in favor of more memorable hand-touched alien worlds, each with a specific story to tell”

One challenge was defining what ME meant without Shep. Care was given to include many of the MET’s key species. “Ryder recruited turian, asari, krogan and salarian followers”. Like Shep Ryder represents humanity’s hope for a peaceful coexistence among aliens who had long operated without human contact

Beginning with MEA the team decided that with few exceptions vehicles in ME have 6 wheels. Early Nomad concepts were bulkier. Later ones focused on its ability to move over its ability to protect itself from hostile fire, underlining the themes of exploration

German concept designer and auto-motive futurist Daniel Simon was contracted to create the Nomad and Tempest. The Tempest’s final design took inspo from the Concorde 

Concepts for angaran fighter ships have the following notes: “Two doors swing open, wings rotate down to function as landing struts, the landing struts split open. It has a spinning turbine engine 

Despite being set a galaxy away and some 600 years after Mordin’s death, there was a time when he had a cameo. It wasn’t cut due to running out of time however, it was cut due to drug references. John Dombrow explains: “One day I had to write a small quest for Kadara. I thought it’d be amusing if these 2 guys living way out on the fringes in a shack were growing plants for uh, medicinal purposes, and needed Ryder’s help with it. It occurred to me, wouldn’t it be amusing if Ryder had the option of actually trying ‘the medicine’ to see what would happen? And I thought, what if it turned into some hallucination that somehow involved SAM - like maybe SAM would sing? But why? How could I motivate that? Then it hit me. Who else in the ME game sings unexpectedly? MORDIN. As a nod to him I wrote SAM singing Modern Major-General. It got even better when our cine designer John Ebenger wanted to take it even further. Bless him, he came in on a Saturday to do a special hallucination showing Mordin himself. It was great. Til the fateful day we were told MEA had already been submitted to the ratings board. That’s when you declare things like drug references in your game. Mordin fell under that category which meant it was a no-go. We were too late”

Ryder’s white AI armor contrasts Shep’s iconic dark armor (intentional design)

Concept art for Ryder involved experiments with cloth (cloaks, ponchos, capes - “Pull here to release cloak”) and asymmetrical design elements

For alien design, there’s a few exceptions but humanoid figures are the ME standard and this persisted into MEA

Kett and angara concepts explored striking lines and textures 

– From Bioware: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development

#mass effect #mass effect: andromeda #bioware #video games #jade empire #Bioware: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development #Bioware: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development spoilers #Bioware: Stories and Secrets from 25 Years of Game Development spoiler #spoilers #spoiler #lul #dragon age #garrus vakarian #best boy #feels #anthem #long post #longpost #drugs for ts #drugs mention #drugs cw

[autumnslance]

"In the five years following your sudden disappearance from the Carteneau Flats, your ever-faithful chocobo spent each waking moment galloping across the realm in search of [his] lost master. [His] myriad adventures are nothing less than fantastical and heartbreaking...but that is a story for another day." - Legacy Chocobo mount description.

((Animal love, loyalty, and those bonds woven by fate. So there’s some animal angst and injury, but also a happy ending. Crossposted below for those who prefer Tumblr:))

“I need you to stay here,” her person said, rubbing her beak and scratching the white feathers of her neck.

She kweh’d softly, not liking the request but because he had asked it, she would obey and listen for the whistle binding them together, when he needed her to come to his aid.

The not-a-moon hung low and burning in the sky. The land’s aether tasted funny, the smells of nature were all wrong. Any creature with sense hid as fiends roamed.

People had little sense, she’d found. Especially her person; in his armor, his axe pulled from his back, he would throw himself into the fray with a shout to fight anything that harmed others. Normally, she would be right there with him, beak and talon and wings alongside his weapon, helping him.

“That’s my Snowlight, my good girl,” he crooned, leaving a kiss on the end of her beak before turning to join his comrades.

She had been injured in their last fight, trying to keep him safe, and so she couldn’t join him in this one but he still said she was good and that was what mattered.

She kweh’d encouragement after him, satisfied he turned back to wave one more time, before joining all the other people leaving to fight.

—-

The not-a-moon broke apart and released Horror. There were flames and pain and ear-splitting roars.

The stables were on fire.

Snowlight was too injured to fight, but not too injured to herd the frightened silly-headed carriage chocobos out of the flames. Not too injured to find the coughing stablemaster, knock a fallen beam aside, and herd him out, too. She even found one of the barn kittens, confused and afraid, carefully picking it up in her beak like a chick.

Snowlight was a good girl. Her person helped others, and so would she.

The Horror was over the field where she knew her person was. It was malms away and he hadn’t called but her heart fluttered wildly and she ignored the grooms and handlers to dash through the burning woods.

He needed her, she couldn’t let him—

The world went white, then red, then white again, and finally black.

—-

The world’s aether tasted thin and strange, like weak juice left out too long.

She pulled herself out of the little hollow of debris and ash, casting a cure on instinct at the twinges in her wings and legs and neck, the injury on her side--the one that had kept her in the stable to begin with--throbbing again. The cure helped.

Snowlight blinked, trying to get a sense of where her person was, the location of the whistle attuning them to one another.

She couldn’t find it.

She shook out her feathers and limped on to where she thought maybe she had last felt it, in the direction he had left with his friends and all the other people, toward the setting sun--though it was currently obscured by angry clouds and more ashes.

Familiar places looked strange, though Snowlight couldn’t really put a talon on why or how. The forest was oddly silent, slow to wake from the disaster. The Elementals seemed especially distant.

She foraged for berries and greens, then slept. She was cautious of water she found but had to drink; the rain that fell later helped a great deal, though it was also heavy with dust and grief. She foraged more, and then slept more under a rocky outcropping.

The pass to the north felt wrong, cold winds blowing from the hills. So she kept heading west, through the less familiar hills, to get to the gloomy place.

Snowlight could always find the gloomy place, especially when the wind blew right. It felt like a scab on the world, the magic—and Something Else—waiting under the lake’s surface. It was an easy place to find, if weird.

It took a couple days for Snowlight to reach the gloomy place; slower than usual, but she was still recovering from her injuries and the paths through the woods were not easy to navigate. There weren’t as many fiends roaming around, at least, and the ones that were could be easily avoided.

The other creatures were waking and coming out of hiding again, too. She was a little less lonely, with the small birds singing.

The gloomy place was more of a mess than usual, a crystal spire piercing the air and giving off waves of suppressed magic. The corpse in the center of the lake continued to sleep but she gave the shore wide berth, both for its slumbering guardian and for the poison filming the water.

Snowlight continued west and a bit south, still not sensing her person, nor had he called for her on the whistle. She couldn’t teleport without the pull of the whistle. Her feet hurt but she kept picking her way through the ruins of machina parts.

She went to the camp for food, but it was empty, the aetheryte exploded in size and twisted in shape, the tents and supplies torn and burned. There were no people anymore.

Snowlight kweh’d sadly, rummaging through the wreckage for anything edible. She was rewarded with burnt gysahl greens, tasting faintly of staticky aether, but it was enough to raise her flagging spirits. After considering the twisty former aetheryte for a long moment, she decided one of the half-fallen tents at the edge of the old camp would be all right for sleeping in. There was still enough man-smell to keep wild creatures away.

—-

“Well ain’t you a beauty,” the big man with the rough voice said. “Fetch a good price at market.”

“To hell with the market,” the skinny man whined. “I’m starved and it’ll feed the whole bloody camp.”

“C’mere—” the scarred lady reached for Snowlight.

She beat her wings and shrieked. The trio swore and threw up their hands to protect their faces.

Snowlight was almost to the terrible place, full of twisted aether and death. The last place she knew her person had been. This trio had come upon her as the noon sun struggled to break through the thick clouds. They smelled of blood and offal and desperation, and she did not trust them.

The whiny man ducked close, so Snowlight leapt and kicked him, throwing him into the lady with a shout.

The big man managed to snag her neck, his arms squeezing. “C’mere you overgrown chicken I’ll—”

Snowlight shoved back and up; she couldn’t fly far with the aether currents so warped, but it was enough to startle him, and now he clung to not fall even the few fulms she had lifted him. She bucked until he slipped off and then she flew away as fast and as far as she could.

There was a whistling noise and a sharp pain in her flank but she swerved and pushed faster, hearing the hissing whistle of more arrows. She fought against the weird currents and her own weary wings, risking crossing a high bank that abruptly dropped into a narrow ravine, almost like a frozen wave of earth instead of water.

On the other side she landed heavily and ran, feeling warm liquid trickle down her leg, the arrow still lodged but loose enough to shift and pinch with every motion. Even so, she pressed on.

She was close.

Spots crossed her vision. She no longer heard the mean people; only the wind. Panting, she stopped finally, swaying on her trembling legs.

Where was he?

She spent a bit of strength to cast a cure, the arrow forced out as the flesh healed. She had to rest, but the mean people might still chase her. And she had to be close to where he was. Surely it was simply the damage caused by the Horror that was obscuring the connection, his call.

He had to have tried to call her. He couldn’t go this long on his own.

There were more people dotting the ruined plain, but they were easy to avoid now that she knew she had to be sneaky. She picked her way through smoldering magitek and torn earth and twisted structures that felt Wrong and smelled Strange. There were bodies, but none of them the one she looked for, thankfully.

A whiff of his scent caught in her beak and she kweh’d happily, seeking more. Still he did not respond, it was merely the scent of his previous presence. Perhaps he was among the people.

She drew as close as she dared to the tents. To the warm, gentle pulse of the Seedseer.

His scent was not among the camp.

Snowlight pondered this as she tried to retrace her steps to where she had caught that whiff. The field was scorched, the ground rippled from the blasts of competing magic. The aftertaste of the old mage lingered on her tongue, though it had a more bitter endnote than she recalled. Snowlight kweh’d again, digging for the scents of her person and his companions, catching hints and traces, but not finding them. Not finding him.

A voice called. She looked up and saw a yellow-clad man pointing in her direction. She turned and jogged away before the Adders could come close. While they would likely be more friendly than the bandits earlier, she had not the time for them.

She still had to find her person.

—-

Snowlight found hiding spots, keeping away from the Adders and adventurers still lingering. The taste of healing magic hung over the camp, competing with the blood and pain.

The camp was the best place to find food, though; this terrible place had none naturally anymore, blasted away or warped beyond recognition.

Snowlight was a good sneak; her person had often said so, when she played the hide and seek game with him. She would hide something he used and he had to find it. It was always great fun. She had also used it to swipe food before, risking a scolding but it was her person’s own fault for trying to deny her treats when she needed them.

Her sneakiness came in handy as she maneuvered herself into the Adders’ flock and helped herself to some of the feed provided. The destriers were too tired themselves to snap or fuss and besides, she could easily fight any of them into submission and they knew it; she was an adventuring bird, after all.

She was careful to keep the others between her and the soldiers, to not let them notice or catch her. It was tricky, given her bright white plumage compared to most army chocobos. But Snowlight was a good sneak, and managed to avoid getting caught. She had things to do, after all, and had to be ready if her person called.

She still couldn’t sense him. She still had not heard his whistle.

Snowlight slipped out of the flock, leaping the makeshift fencing while the handlers were busy. Then she returned to searching the broken plain.

The Adders were getting ready to break camp; there were few bodies left amid the wreckage of the battlefield, few new wounded found. They had worked tirelessly for over a sennight, the Seedseer and the conjurers sparks of the natural world amidst the carnage.

Snowlight returned again to the place where she had scented her person and his friends. She circled around it once more, a periphery she had scratched into the ashes as she tried to figure out where they had gone. How they had gone.

“They aren’t here,” a gentle voice said.

Snowlight warked and jumped, whirling to face the weary Seedseer as she leaned on her staff. Even exhausted, power thrummed through the padjal’s frame, a barely held summer storm. She smiled at Snowlight.

“I think I recognize you,” the Seedseer said. “Yes...I can’t quite recall…” She frowned. “I don’t remember their faces. Their names. But I know you were with them, once.”

Snowlight listened, keeping still. It was only polite in the padjal’s presence. As the Seedseer paused, though, Snowlight asked a tentative “Kweh?”

The Seedseer shook her head. “I don’t know where they have gone. One moment, they were there. I know I must have seen them. But all I remember are their silhouettes in the light. And then…” she trailed off, a perplexed look on her face. “I only know they’re gone. I’m sorry.”

Snowlight chirred in frustration, ruffling her wings. She didn’t understand, and usually the padjali were easier to comprehend than other people. What the Seedseer said made no sense.

“I know, it’s difficult,” the Seedseer said, voice cracking in grief and weariness as she reached out a hand. “But come; we can take care of you, and—’’

Snowlight was a good girl. Usually. The Seedseer was to be respected. Usually.

Snowlight shrieked and reared, flapping her wings as she backpedaled from the startled padjal.

“Wait—” the Seedseer called as Snowlight whirled and dashed, avoiding the soldiers who followed the padjal, who tried to catch Snowlight on their mistress’ command.

A soldier stood in her way. Snowlight warked a single warning before barrelling over and past him, ignoring the shouts.

They were hard to hear through the rushing, pounding feeling in her head, the ache in her heart that already felt like it had run for malms.

She ran up a tilted piece of machinery, a giant wall that had fallen from the not-a-moon and flapping her wings took off, flying toward the boggy saltmarsh to the north.

Her person wasn’t there, but neither were the soldiers, or the Seedseer and her painful words.

Snowlight would rest. She would eat. She would recover. Then she would keep looking for wherever her person had gotten to.

She had to. Snowlight was a good girl.

—-

Snowlight was so tired.

Her plumage was not as bright as it had once been; she had not had a proper grooming in a long time, and injuries and life in the wild had left her more ragged than she had ever been. Her person had often called her the prettiest chocobo in Eorzea, though she looked nothing like that now.

He still had not called. She still could not sense him. She still searched, though; the Seedseer was wrong, and he was just lost. He had lost the whistle in that Horror. He was waiting for Snowlight to find him.

Sometimes, curled up under a tree or in an abandoned building or an old cave, she would sleep and dream of the days they had rode together. Of their adventures, their games, his laughter, his scritches. His warmth as he leaned back against her side while the campfire crackled, his voice as he talked about so many things. She almost never understood, but he had such a nice voice. She missed hearing it.

The dreams were happy, but waking from them was sad. Snowlight stood, ruffled her feathers, and kept looking.

She had sought him out in the ruined reaches of the western marsh and the terrible place, through the gloomy place and its unsettling waiting feeling. Through the Wood, the Elementals barely whispering anymore, rarely waking from their slumber. She crossed the scrublands and burning sands, even risking the golden plains and the lizardmen who rode across them. She picked her way among the rocky mountains, and into the frozen land in the north, the wind and ice aether unrelenting even in the height of summer.

Snowlight was not yet certain how she could cross the strait to the island; it was just about the only place in the realm she had not looked over the last five summers and winters. The Seedseer’s words echoed in her memory again but Snowlight shook them away.

Her person was somewhere. She just had to find him.

She was back in the Wood. She would have to head west past the gloomy place and the salt marsh. If she didn’t want to be caught, anyway; she would have to find a way across the sea that did not involve people.

Sometimes she found people in trouble; beset by fiends or bandits, lost children crying alone, hurt people needing a cure. Snowlight had once been a good girl, and her person had helped people. So she scared off the fiends, fought the bandits, cast a cure on hurts, and guided the lost to safety. She sometimes, warily, took food and rest from those she helped. But then they would try to keep her—or worse, turn out to be mean themselves, and so she left as quickly as possible. Some wanted her for her plumage, some for riding or working, some for food. She wanted nothing to do with them as they were not her person.

So simply best to avoid people now.

Snowlight was tired, and so missed the snare that entangled her feet, triggering a second that caught her wings.

She flailed and shrieked. There was a prickle on her neck and she felt very woozy. It was getting dark again, but that couldn’t be right as the sun had just come up.

“Finally got ‘er,” a man’s voice said from...above her? When had she fallen to the ground? She warked and tried to struggle as careful hands gripped her. “She’s a tough ol’ bird for sure, but once she’s broken in…”

The world went black, and Snowlight dreamed of running across an open windy plain, her person laughing and whooping on her back.

—-

“Gods take you, you miserable bitch!” the stablehand yelled, clutching his bitten hand.

Snowlight just chirred a warning low in her chest, her feathers ruffled up as she glowered at him, beak clacking another warning.

No one here called her a good girl. Snowlight did not feel like being good, when they kept her hobbled and more often than not in the stable. The most experienced hands would put a lead on her halter and let her run alongside them for too brief a time in too small a pen each day. Most of them were kind, and she usually felt bad after snapping at them with her beak, or scratching them with her talons.

But none of them would let her go to find her person, and her person had not come for her here, so she didn’t want to stay.

A quiet presence stepped up behind the stablehand. He turned to the slim young woman. “Nevermind this one; she mighta been some adventurer’s bird once, but she’s gone wild. Don’t like anybody, this ‘bo.”

The woman simply took the lead and approached the stall.

Snowlight turned her eyes to the woman, and her rumbling ceased. There was something oddly familiar here, but Snowlight wasn’t sure what. Tall for the kind of person she was, midnight hair, and…

Snowlight tossed her head and kweh’d, confused but excited. She had caught a scent, a scent she had only ever smelled on her person before! This woman had the same underlying tone; a warm spice that left Snowlight trembling. She barely noticed when the woman snapped the lead onto her halter.

“Good girl,” the woman said quietly, pitched in a way only Snowlight could hear—just like her person used to do, and though this woman’s voice was higher and gentler, there was something in the way the words were shaped, something in the timbre of her voice, that felt right and familiar.

It had been so long since someone had called Snowlight a good girl.

The stablehand was boggled as the woman opened the stall and led a quiet, nearly docile Snowlight out and to the exercise pen. Snowlight paid him no mind; she was trying to figure this out.

The woman led Snowlight to the pen and let her jog on the long lead. She didn’t get fussy or scared when Snowlight stretched and beat her wings. It would be easy to escape any other handler who allowed that.

But Snowlight knew the woman was an adventurer, and adventurers were strong and tricksy. And there was a quiet strength and unrealized power in this woman.

She felt like Snowlight’s person did.

The woman offered her some gysahl greens and scratched her neck just the way her person used to, finding exactly the Right Spot. Snowlight sighed.

She was so tired.

“Been awhile since you trusted someone,” the woman said. Her accent was definitely the same as Snowlight’s person, and the same tone if higher. Her scent was the same too; not just soaps and the smells people put on themselves, but deeper, in blood and bone. When Snowlight peered at the woman, here in the daylight, there were ways she moved, the way she smiled, the color of her eyes, that were the same as his.

The woman let Snowlight run a little longer, putting her through paces using the same foreign words her person used to, the ones meaning “slow down” or “speed up” or “stop” and “go.” She gave Snowlight more greens and pets and then led her back to the stable.

The other handlers were confused, whispering, uncertain. One came close and Snowlight snapped at him out of habit. “Shh,” the woman said. She didn’t scold or jerk the halter, just laid her hand on Snowlight’s neck. “We need to brush you down.”

Snowlight did feel itchy after exercise. Still, she didn’t want the others muddling things up, not when she was trying to figure out this woman and why she felt as right and familiar as Snowlight’s person had.

The woman took her time, giving Snowlight a thorough bath and brushing. She did not let the woman trim her talons though, or check in her beak; not yet. There were limits.

Snowlight’s stall was clean and there was fresh feed and cool water. The handler she had bitten earlier shook his head, hand now bandaged. “Dunno what you did, but thank you. Poor old girl was running wild for years, near as we can tell. One of many who lost their riders in the Calamity, is my guess. She’s had it rough and won’t let folks near—until you.”

The woman shrugged and smiled.

“Well thank you. You’re welcome to return and help anytime.” He was only partly joking.

The woman simply nodded, retrieving her bow and quiver from the hooks where she had left them, before she turned to go.

Snowlight lifted her head from the feed bin to kweh a goodbye to the woman. The woman turned and smiled, waving to Snowlight.

When Snowlight fell asleep that night, she dreamed of her person, as usual. But the woman was also there, her laugh joining his.

A couple days later, Snowlight was kicking a ball toy in her stall, bored until it was time for the handlers to come take her to exercises again. She stopped kicking the ball and perked up at hearing a certain step, catching a certain scent. She kweh’d toward the quiet presence entering the stable.

“Hello,” the woman said to Snowlight. “Did you want to train again?”

Snowlight kweh’d and ruffled her feathers happily. She liked this quiet woman who reminded her of her person. She thought perhaps they were from the same clutch. After all, Showlight could tell when two chocobos were related, and while people were different they had their own families too.

The woman hung up her weapons and picked up the lead rope. Snowlight allowed the woman to guide her out into the exercise pens and they played for well over a bell. Then the woman bathed and brushed Snowlight again, before bringing her back to the stall, freshly cleaned by the other handlers.

The woman stroked Snowlight’s beak. “Good girl,” she said.

Snowlight preened.

The stablemaster was nearby and shook his head. “No one’s been able to get near that bird for moons. You come along and she’s docile as anything.”

The woman shrugged. “I didn’t do anything special; just treated her nice.”

“All any of us tried,” the stable master sighed. He peered at Snowlight. “She ain’t changed her attitude to the rest of us, neither.”

“I should be back in a few days,” the woman said. “I can help again then.”

“We appreciate it,” he said. “Maybe she’ll calm down with repeat visits from someone she trusts.”

The woman nodded, and gave Snowlight one last scritch before heading out once more. She turned and waved again when Snowlight called to her. That was nice.

—-

It had been nearly a moon since the woman’s last visit.

Snowlight had gotten used to the woman coming by every few days, looking and smelling and sounding so much like her person had; it was like having a part of him back as they trained and played and cleaned up together.

But now, after those handful of visits, the woman had not returned, just like her person had not, and Snowlight was so tired.

She no longer snapped and scratched at the handlers, but now they could not coax her to eat more than the bare minimum, or play, or train.

They were good people, really; they just weren’t hers, and she wasn’t theirs. The people Snowlight wanted simply hadn’t come back.

Snowlight dozed in her stall, ignoring the sunny day and the other chocobos and handlers. Then a certain sound caught her attention, a familiar step. She blinked awake, catching a familiar scent, and kweh’d.

The woman rounded the corner and smiled as Snowlight bounced and trilled excitedly. The stable master followed, smiling too.

“Can’t say you don’t deserve it, though you sure this is the bird you want?”

The woman nodded, a giddiness to her usual calm presence that made Snowlight even more excited, too, though she did not know why. “I think she and I get along just fine,” the woman said to the stable master, turning finally to Snowlight. She scritched Snowlight’s neck. “I even have a name picked out. My brother and I used to come up with them as children, when dreaming of having our own chocobos.”

“Well much luck to you both,” he said, holding out his hand.

Snowlight trembled with excitement when she saw what he held; a whistle, just like the one her person used to have. The whistle that had tied them together, made her always able to find him--until she couldn’t.

The woman took the whistle, then looked back up at Snowlight. “Do you want to be my chocobo?” She asked, almost sounding nervous.

Snowlight thought about it. She had a person--once upon a time. He was gone now, but this woman was so much like him, possibly from the same clutch...So maybe it was all right. Maybe this person wouldn’t leave Snowlight behind--and if she did, Snowlight would do her best to find her.

After all, Snowlight was a good girl.

“Kweh-Kweh!” Snowlight agreed, bouncing excitedly. She would be an adventuring bird with a person of her own again!

The woman grinned, and after a few moments, the spell was complete and the aetheric bond formed.

Snowlight’s new person led her out of the stable, accepting the fine reins and saddle the stable master offered. “After all you’ve done for Gridania, not to mention taking on Ifrit himself, it’s the very least we can do,” he insisted. “And I’m just happy to see this girl get a fresh start and a good home.” He patted Snowlight’s shoulder. “What are you gonna name her? For our own records.”

Her person smiled. “For a white bird my brother and I could never decide between our favorites, so we combined them,” she answered. “I’m going to call her Snowlight.”

“A fine name,” the stable master said.

“Kweh-Kweh-Kweh!” Snowlight cheered, the last shadow of doubt faded; her new person even knew her name! This was the best day since…

Well, since her first person had chosen and named her.

Her person swung onto the saddle, thanking the stable master again. Then she leaned forward. “All right, girl; let’s go!”

Snowlight dashed out of Bentbranch, her person laughing on her back, to begin their adventures together.

#Final Fantasy XIV #Chocobo #Seventh Umbral Calamity #Kan-E-Senna #Warrior of Light #Lyn Writing #Snowlight #Zaine Striker #Aeryn Striker

[morganwrites-starwars]

Din+ Grogu Time Travel AU Teaser

I saw a post by @thefringeperson and decided I wanted to try my hand. This is the first bit I have written!

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Was this a good idea? Probably not. But to be fair, Din’s experience with this weird magic stuff was Ashoka’s minimal use and Grogu’s affinity to use it to grab what he wants and choke people. So for all Din knows, this is a perfectly sane idea that will end normally. Grogu will reach out and find a jetti teacher who will teach him to not choke people and stuff. And Din will be alone again, traveling the universe hunting bounties and dodging the Imps.

Din didn’t feel much better about his plan as he did a final check of his weapons.

Spear? Check.

Jetpack? Check.

Whistling birds? Check.

Every other weapon he keeps strapped to his body at all times? Check.

Go time.

 Din had put Grogu on the ground, and the kid had waddled a few feet away to examine a tuft of grass. Din smiled at Grogu’s innocent fascination. He was going to miss the kid.

“Alright, Grogu,” Din said, enjoying how Grogu perked up and cooed at his name, “ready?”

Grogu babbled and raised his arms. Din picked him up, settling Grogu on his arm. Din tapped Grogu’s noise, the kid going crosse-eyed at the action. Din approached the stone and circled it one last time to see if any instructions or buttons had magically appeared.

When Din saw nothing, he sighed and muttered to Grogu, “I guess we just sit on it?”

Grogu’s responding coo was neither confirmatory nor negatory, so Din decided to go with it.

“Don’t blow me up or anything,” Din asked Grogu. Din took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut. He counted to three in his head before sitting down on the rock with a thud.

When he wasn’t blown up or otherwise disturbed after five seconds, Din forcefully relaxed his muscles. When Grogu cooed, Din opened his eyes. The kid was looking at him curiously.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Din muttered sheepishly. “I didn’t know what was going to happen.”

Had anything happened? Din adjusted Grogu, so the kid was sitting on the rock between Din’s legs. Din looked around at the dilapidated rocks. Nothing looked different. Din didn’t feel any different, no tingles or numbness.

“So now what?” Din asked Grogu. “How do you, uh, call the Jedi?”

“Patu?” Grogu said, closing his eyes and leaning against Din’s stomach. Grogu’s breath slowed down, and his hands fell into his lap.

“Come on, kid, it’s not nap time,” Din sighed, resting a hand on Grogu’s head. At that moment, the stone was surrounded by a pillar of rushing light. “Haar’chak! KID!”

Grogu didn't respond to Din’s cry. Din pulled Grogu into his chest as the light became more opaque. The ruins were fading out of view, replaced by blinding blue-white light. Din grabbed a vibroblade from his belt and tried to stab the light barrier, hoping to make an opening to get him and Grogu out. His blade connected with the light, and Din felt a painful vibration travel up his arm before his blade was forcefully deflected. It pushed Din back, and his helmet collided with the light behind his.

Din felt his teeth vibrate as his muscles all tensed. His vision began to darken. Din pulled Grogu as close as he could, folding his arm over Grogu’s body. Din thought he heard a coo before he blacked out.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Masterlist

#the mandalorian #time travel #time travel au #din darjin #mando and grogu #star wars grogu #mando #baby yoga

[travellingarmy]

║Diluc║ Happy Birthday

Contribution for Diluc's birthday.

A/N: I fell asleep while writing so it's late.. I slept for about 2 days..? ^^"

Gender-neutral reader.

Fluff.

Word count: 2.4k

All rights reserved.

---

Not many knew of today's occasion and that was okay. It was understandable that others were not in a celebratory mood since they aren't close to the red-haired tycoon. But Diluc not caring for today was a big deal for you.

Birthdays, in your opinion, should be worth celebrating. So, even if he isn't in the mood to celebrate, you will make today very special and reserved just for him.

-

When dawn broke, Dawn Winery was just starting to wake up. A few words exchanged in the halls that was barely audible, light footsteps of the workers across the hall.. But you have longed woken up and was full of energy.

You wanted today to be all about him and so you left the manor without telling him where you were heading. This would mean that Diluc will later wake up to the warm sun shining through the cracks of the curtains, but still be empty and cold, and mostly questioning your whereabouts.

The walk to the city would take a while so you had to get up early if you wanted to meet up with Diluc's.. Somewhat allies.

The streets was quiet, aside from the occasional animal sounds and wind rustling the leaves from trees. There were other early birds like shop owners as well but they were yet to fully get into the Mondstadt groove.

You walked past the shops and stalls and up a couple set of stairs to the Knights of Favonius' headquarters.

When you entered Jean's office, Jean, Lisa, and Amber were already there, chatting as they waited for everyone to arrive. "(Y/N), goodmorning," Jean turns towards you and greets you with a smile.

"Goodmorning." You noticed that there were only three people in front of you and looked around the room before asking, "Where's Kaeya?"

The three women shrugged their shoulders. Just then, as if on cue, the door behind you swung open which drew all of your attention.

There stood none other than Kaeya himself. For someone who is late, he looked disheveled; hair not properly brushed, clothes not properly straightened as he covers his mouth to yawn. "Goodmorning.." he says lazily, blinking away morning tears.

"Uh.." You three stared at him but said nothing and excused his tardiness. "Alright, now that we all are here, let's start with today, shall we?" Jean starts but later decided that you should be the one to break down today's plan for Diluc's birthday.

You know that Diluc will go to the tavern today but you needed him to get out and stay away. You've talked to Charles a couple days back and promised him remuneration if he could take over Diluc's shift, to which he accepted.

It was agreed upon that while you distract Diluc from going to the tavern and think about work, the others will be setting up the surprise.

After separating, you went to look for Diluc who, not surprisingly, was heading to the tavern. "Diluc!" you shouted, drawing the man to a stop and turn his attention to your direction.

You smiled as you run up to him, stopping short by him. "Goodmorning. How did you sleep?" you ask. "Adelinde said that you off to the Knights of Favonius' headquarters. Did you have something you need from them? You do know that I'm right here," he said, clearly not amused that you went to the knights so early in the morning.

You chuckled. "It's nothing important. I was asking for for a simple favour is all."  "Then surely you could have asked me to do it." Wanting to dispel the negative energy, you thought fast of a way to make him stop thinking about the knights.

"Oh, Diluc, you're so cute when you're jealous," you said, squishing his cheeks together. He was unimpressed but sighs, deciding to just let it go.

"Alright. I have matters to attend to and the tavern. I'll see you later at home," he said, putting a hand on your head before shortly removing it and continuing his way to the tavern.

"H, hey, wait a moment!" You grab hold of his wrist. He turns his head and look over his shoulders. He hums a questioning tone. "It's a good day today, don't you think? So, let's just stroll around the city."

He arches a brow. "What is it that you want?" he asks, not wasting time to beat around the bush. "I want to spend today with you.."

He gave a simple 'oh' and avert his eyes, saying nothing. "So, can we spend this special day together?" you pleaded. "I can't.. The tavern--" "I asked Charles to take over," you asserted quickly. "Don't worry, I paid him beforehand."

He looks at you and you looked back with doe-like eyes. After a while, he eventually gave in. "Alright.." You smiled brightly. "So, what do you have in mind?" he asks.

"Nothing! I just want to spend time with you and maybe treat you to something," you answered honestly. "I don't really need anything.." Diluc said and that was true. He was one of the richest people of Teyvat after all, ruling over the wine industry. "I will be fine with a stroll."

You nodded and interlaced your hands with his. It was currently quarter past eleven which meant you still had long hours to waste away. You dragged him around the city, looking at everything that is familiar to you yet unfamiliar to him.

Even though Monstadt is his home, he only ever leaves his house to attend to business matters or the tavern, never really taking time off to stroll.

"Oh! Diluc, Diluc, let's get ice cream!" you burst in excitement when your eyes laid upon a familiar shop. "Ice cream? Isn't it a bit early for you to eat that?" His eyes narrows as he gives you a questioning look.

You turn to look at him and grin. "It's nearly afternoon. It's okay!" He sighs, giving in to your pleas and buying you ice cream. Yes, he's the one who paid and this is when he would not allow to be convinced by you.

"You'll have a stomach ache," he said. But in the end, he was happy with his decision. It was a good choice if it meant seeing you happy when you two stepped out of the shop.

You two walked further down the streets with you sneakily steering the walk away from the tavern. Who knows? Kaeya might slip up and the surprise would be ruined.

At the thought of him, your eyes wandered around, looking for signs of him. But instead of Kaeya, you see Amber carrying a  party box just up ahead which made you nearly choke on your ice cream that you sucked in out of surprise.

"Hey, are you okay?" Diluc turns his head to you, full of concern. "Yeah, I'm fine.." you said between fits of coughs. After you finally stopped coughing, you looked up and look for Amber. Luckily, she was nowhere to be seen.

You sighed a sigh of relief. She must have heard and see you nearly die that she ran away. Diluc notices this and looks over to where you were staring at before looking back at you. "What are you staring at?" he asks.

"Oh, it's nothing.." You forced a chuckle and smile. "You have been awfully weird today.." he finally says. "First, you left early in the morning when it's your day off.."

"What, I can't go out when it's my day off?" you weakly defended yourself. "There is no issue with that.. If only you do that on a normal basis. Typically, you'd be sleeping until 12 in the afternoon," he said. "And secondly, you went to the knight's headquarters of all places for no reason, you said?"

"Ah.." You had to think of something to say. Otherwise, the surprise birthday won't be a surprise. Your eyes darted around the place until finally, it landed on Flora.

"Oh, come here!" You dragged him to Flora's stall and greet the little girl with a smile. "Welcome to Floral Whisper."

"Hey, Flora, can I buy one Cecilia?" The girl nods and picked out a fresh Cecilia and give it to you and you exchanged it for a pocket change of Mora.

You then turned to Diluc who was still waiting for an answer. Smiling, you leaned close to him and tucked the flower behind his ear and moved away.

He crosses his arms, looking unamused. "(Y/N)." You laughed at how funny he looks with that face while wearing a flower. "Come on and smile for me." You stretch his face upwards.

Seeing that you weren't going to tell him, he gives in and sighs. He figures that he will find out later today just what you were hiding all day.

He walks to Flora and asked for another Cecilia and returned back to you. "Hm? Do you like Cecilias?" you asked, looking at the one in his hand. "Having a favourite flower is silly," he said.

He took a step forward and outstretch his hand and place the flower behind your ears. You face felt warm as he remained silent, inspecting you with the newly added accessory.

"Let's get moving. We still have the whole day to spend," he said, turning around and walking away. Seeing his figure moving away, you blinked from a trance and caught up to him, a smile on your face as you interlaced your hands with him once more.

For the rest of the afternoon, Diluc was out treating you to things that have caught your eyes. Funny, since you were supposed to be the one treating him.

Kaeya soon interrupted your little date, casually walking up to the two of you with a smug look to him. "Ah, at last. I found you two," he greets.

"And I was just wondering why you've  yet to show up," Diluc spat. "You were slacking off, weren't you?"

Kaeya laughs. "Come now, Diluc, I didn't get to where I am by being a slacker," he said, raising his arms beside him and shrugs. The redhead scoffs. "You all are incompetent so what do you know about work?"

"Don't be so mean, dear brother. You're hurting my feeling, y'know?" Kaeya said but not even lifting a muscle on his face to express a little bit of hurt. "What feelings?"

"Ouch. You should have gotten a Cryo Vision instead. I think the Gods have made a mistake," Kaeya said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Anyways, (Y/N), we've already finished setting up and I was tasked to deliver you this message."

You smiled excitedly. "Thanks for your help, Kaeya," you said, confusing the redhead beside you. "Now, Diluc, let's head to the tavern."

"The tavern? What for?" he asks, allowing himself to be dragged by the arm. You look at him over your shoulder. "You'll see!"

A couple of steps and the three of you soon stopped right in front of Angel's Share. "Well? Go open it!" you urged him on excitedly while you and Kaeya stood behind.

Diluc eyed you suspiciously but did as told. "Surprise!" Inside, friends greeted him with a loud and enthusiastic voice.

"Hey~ Glad you're finally here, Master Diluc!" Venti waves over from the bar. "Huh? Venti, what are you doing here?" you ask, peeking your head from behind Diluc.

"I'm here for the free wi-- err, I mean, to celebrate Master Diluc's birthday!" he answers.

"Hurry up and get in already," Kaeya said from behind you. "It's starting to get too cold for my liking."

You gently push Diluc inside, somewhat listening to Kaeya's demand. "Well, since Master Diluc is finally here, let's get that cake, food, and wine!" Venti said, already holding a wine bottle in his hand.

Jean came from the back of the room, holding a nicely decorated cake that was lit up with a couple of candles. And everything goes as follows: you all sang to him a happy birthday and wasted the night away. You, like the others, took the partying to the next level, finding yourself too wasted to lift a finger.

"Haha, you can't already be drunk, (Y/N)!" Venti laughs from beside you, drinking his 50th glass and nudges you another one on the cheek.

"Alright, I think they have had one too many glass." Diluc intervenes what used to be a drinking competition. "Wha~t? That didn't even last long!" Venti cries.

"They've already passed out," Diluc said, taking off his coat to put it on you. "I'll be taking them home. You all enjoy yourselves."

"Oh? Well, don't mind me!" Venti said, getting another glass and also looking for Kaeya, hoping he wasn't drunk just yet.

Diluc left the tavern and the rest of the guys, carrying a passed out you all the to Dawn Winery where he immediately asked Adelinde to bring him a large glass of water for you.

He knew you were going to drink but he didn't think you'd be dumb enough to accept a drinking challenge from Venti who could drink beyond a mortal's expectation.

Inside his room, he bears the difficult of changing you. Even though you two have been together for a really long time, it felt wrong of him to do something like this, but you were awfully sweaty and needed to be wiped clean with a wet cloth.

He contemplated but after a while, decided to go through with it, caring about your hygiene more than anything.

He only heaved a sigh of relief once he got you into your nightwear. "You're really a difficult one," he mumbles, getting into his own fresh change of clothes and climbing into bed beside you.

It was still early night, not even near midnight when Diluc allowed his eyes to trace every part of your face, the moon helping him to see. You looked at peace but Diluc knows that you wouldn't be able to go to work tomorrow.

He might not have expressed it, but Diluc is truly grateful for today and to have you keeping him company on cold nights.

Gently, he brushes your cheek with a hand while his other wraps around your waist to bring you close for more warmth, and place his lips on your forehead for a short while.

"Thank you for today.. And I hope you know that I will always love you."

~♡~

#diluc x reader #diluc oneshot #diluc ragnvindr x reader #diluc x you #happy birhtday #sorry that it's late

[marahuyos]

anon asked: Could I request the reader being childe’s younger sister/sibling but she’s the second youngest so in her earlier teenage years and maybe sneaks out one night doing something dangerous like fighting a bunch of ruin guards with friends or something like that

*:･ﾟ✧ takes place during childe’s story quest!

f!reader

platonic relationship!

tw: none

You tugged your sibling closer, not wanting to let him go as you explored this part of Liyue. The greenery was a completely foreign site to you, the warmth of the sun almost weirding you out because you weren’t used to have a sun shining down on you. You didn’t have a shining sun giving warmth to the frozen lands of Snezhnaya so having short clothes is so... different.

“Wow...” Teucer breathed out, looking at the vast lands. “This looks amazing!”

“Right!?” You exclaimed back. “Man, seeing this is so worth being stowaways!”

“Hey!” Teucer suddenly shouted, pointing his finger at something. You followed his finger to see a Ruin Guard sitting next to a broken tower. You immediately bit your lip. You’ve seen what they actually were, no thanks to you going out underneath Ajax’s nose. But you can’t break Teucer’s heart by not going towards it.

You thought back to your training with Ajax. You were sure you can at least stall the thing, right?

You smiled back at Teucer. “Let’s go meet Mr. Cyclops!”

Teucer’s smile was all the confidence that you needed. You two hurried to where the Ruin Guard was, Teucer nearly dragging you in his excitement. The hulking mass of metal slowly made you regret your decision but you had to show strength. You weren’t going to let some rusty robot destroy your little brother’s dreams.

Seeing the thing up close though, you realized just how idiotic your plan seemed to be. You just hoped that this one was a defective Ruin Guard as you watched Teucer run up to it without a care in the world. The hulking mass loomed over you two, but Teucer doesn’t seem to care. With his arms raised in glee, he greeted the giant like an old friend.

“Mr. Cyclops!” He yelled. “We came to see you!”

So far, nothing has happened. Maybe this was a defective Ruin Guard all along?

You lowered your guard, letting a smile break free until you noticed the pebble falling off on its shoulder.

“Teucer, get back!” You yelled, grabbing his shoulders and pushing him behind you. Your polearm automatically appeared in your hands, putting yourself in a defensive stance in front of Teucer.

He calls out your name, voice quivering. “Wh-What’s wrong?”

Your heart broke that you had to break his dreams but you can’t do it. Not to him, or to Ajax.

“This Mr. Cyclops is uh...” You scrambled for an excuse. “He’s a really mean one! He’s one of those bullies!”

Teucer gasped indignantly. “Mr. Cyclops is not a bully!”

“Well, there are a lot of Mr. Cyclops’,” you continued, eyeing up at the already standing Ruin Guard, “and sometimes they can be just meanies!”

You hoped that was an adequate excuse for whatever you were about to pull. The Ruin Guard reared its arms, preparing to strike the ground. Without delay, you picked up Teucer and ran away from the strike. The ground that you were on before corroded and pulverized to dust as you hurried to a nearby forest. Spotting a thick enough bush, you tossed Teucer there, crouching down to his level with a stare that said ‘Stay here.’

Turning your back against your little brother, you readied your polearm against the Ruin Guard, it’s yellow core staring down at you like if it was capable of gloating. With a battle cry, you ran up to the thing, sidestepping its punches and piercing your polearm to where the joints are. It sparked and you could hear mechanical somethings breaking down but it wasn’t enough.

Rearing back, you stared up in horror at the sight of it’s back, missiles raring to fire. There was no way to dodge it in time and you had no idea if any of them would hit Teucer. Fearing for the worst, you shut your eyes. You hear the missiles fire and you instinctively flinched.

Yet nothing happened. You peeked with one eye and you wished you hadn’t.

The familiar red scarf fluttering with his Hydro Vision, the water blades that he holds in each hand, the orange mop that you kept teasing him that he should get a haircut. It was him.

Without warning, Ajax jumped and gouged the core with his water lance. The Ruin Guard immediately staggered back, it’s footsteps creating mini-earthquakes that you had to ground yourself. Without even grunting, Ajax managed to tear the core away from its body. The core spazzed when it was pierced through his lance. Ajax then hopped off of the Ruin Guard as it flopped down on the ground, no longer moving.

The only source of sound were the birds who flew overhead and your labored breathing. You still had trouble assessing the situation as you were still holding your polearm in a death grip. Thankfully, you didn’t have to wait too long to snap out of your stupor.

“What on Teyvat were you thinking!?” Ajax yelled, whirling back to you. You flinched when you saw his face; his eyes were positively dripping with anger and it didn’t help that his mouth was etched into a snarl. “I thought I left you back home and here you are, fighting a Ruin Guard!”

“A-Ajax...” You stammered. “I...”

“Don’t blame them, big brother!” Teucer exclaimed from his hiding spot. His arms quickly parted the bushes, leaves still clinging to him but he still hurried to your side. “It was my idea to meet Mr. Cyclops!”

Ajax’s eyes widened at the sight of Teucer before he glared back at you. “You brought Teucer with you!?”

Warmth began to bloom behind your eyes as you looked down, not wanting to meet his gaze. “I-I’m sorry...”

Your sorry state made Ajax’s words constrict in his throat. Even when you did something dangerous and trying to scold you, he still can’t feel bad about making any of his family cry.

With a sharp sigh, he brought you closer to his body, wrapping you in a hug. From there, he felt the tears stain his shirt and frankly he would prefer that over the blood that he’s stained with. Looking at Teucer, who was already beginning to cry, raised his hand to his little brother.

Questions will have to wait. Right now, Childe is Ajax.

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