#so like apparently she did not get any part of her body damaged/replaced with fire which if it Is literal would be a liiitle fucked up

[marauderundercover]

This Side of Normal Chapter Three

Previous

AO3

Marinette Dupain-Cheng is tired. She’s tired of emotional terrorists and liars and classes with a teacher who cares more about keeping the peace than teaching. She’s also just plain tired. Taking a long swig of coffee, Marinette jumps slightly as someone flounces down next to her. Wearily glancing over, she frowns at the look on her best friend’s face. Her mind runs a million miles a minute as she searches for the reason for the look on his face. The conversation on the roof with Jason flashes in her mind and she frowns, realizing why he looks so sad.

“Adrien-” She starts, but he shakes his head.

“I know, Mari. I know he’s our best suspect but...it doesn’t make it hurt any less.” He says, slouching so that he can lay his head on her shoulder. Marinette sighs in response

“You’re gonna get in trouble sitting back here, kitty.” She mumbles, trying not to laugh at the absolutely adorable pout on his face that forms once she’s done talking.

“It’s worth it. I hate sitting by Lila.” He grumbles, the sad look on his face breaking Marinette’s heart.

“I-Well, maybe Mme. Bustier won’t notice.” She offers with a small smile. The smile falls almost immediately as a loud gasp rings throughout the room.

“Mme. Bustier, isn’t Adrien’s seat in the front row? Has the seating chart changed again?” Lila asks, her voice wobbly with tears. “Do I- do I have to sit by myself?” She adds. Marinette groans and drops her head onto the desk.

“Adrien? Why don’t you come back to your seat. We’re going to start class soon.” Mme. Bustier calls out.

“Sorry, guess I spoke too soon.” Marinette mumbles from her spot against the table. Adrien groans, but drags his bag down to the front row, furrowing his eyebrows as Lila immediately attaches herself to his arm. Marinette rolls her eyes, trying her hardest to pay attention to the lecture when all she wants to do is sleep. Between Ladybug duties, commissions, and homework, Marinette was lucky to get more than a couple hours of sleep each night. Add in the fact that once she could go to sleep her brain wouldn’t shut off, and Marinette was ready to petition her parents for an IV drip for her coffee. Having been completely zoned out for the entire class, Marinette jumps when the telltale sound of an akuma alarm suddenly blares throughout the room. Pulling out her phone, Marinette curses under her breath. Another element based akuma. Quickly grabbing her bag, Marinette follows the rest of the class towards the akuma shelter, silently slipping away and into the bathroom. She wastes no time in transforming, instead swinging herself out the window and to the fight.

----

Glancing down at his computer, Jason frowns. Gabriel Agreste has a kid. A kid Damian’s age, who lives in Paris. If Gabriel Agreste really was Hawkmoth, he was doing it knowing that his kid could get caught in the crossfire. Damn shitty parents. Letting out a shaky breath, Jason tries to think about things that calm him. Breathe. Can’t get pissed off here. Can’t make it harder on those kids than it already is. Deciding enough is enough when it comes to research (especially since he didn’t give Replacement specifics, just told him to look into anything sketchy with Agreste), Jason walks over and glances out the hotel window. A sudden alarm blaring through the hotel makes him sigh in frustration. It was the same alarm from last time, when he watched Paris flood and hundreds of bodies float in the streets. Climbing out onto the fire escape, Jason hurries up to the roof, scanning the horizon in hopes of seeing the akuma.

“Shit.” He says, eyes widening at the sight of flames twenty feet high. Regretting letting Bruce convince him to leave the helmet in Gotham, Jason has no choice but to watch the akuma fight from afar. Even if the two heroes hadn’t recognized him, Jason was in Paris on “official” W.E. business. Being recognized as Bruce Wayne’s adoptive son while fighting a supervillain? Probably not the best idea. He’d do more damage than help, and at least by staying away from the fight, he could help the kids later. And maybe track down the son of a bitch who decided focusing the majority of his attacks on a school was a good idea.

----

Jason grit his teeth as the lights flashed and ladybugs flew around, fixing up the city. This battle took almost three hours, and the smell of burning flesh was lingering, despite all of the corpses being reanimated. Huffing, Jason climbs back off the roof, only thinking one thing. There was no way in hell he was leaving Paris until Hawkmoth was out of commission.

----

Landing softly on the rooftop, Marinette glances over at the strange man. Jason. The man who, for some reason, was willing to train them late at night on top of a roof, just so they could fight out of the suits. Not that he understood everything that the suits could do, but that was for the best. Even though his intentions seemed genuine, Marinette had learned not to trust easily anymore. Ever since Lila came, Marinette was wearier, and more likely to ask questions before accepting someone.

“Here’s your mask, if you wanna go ahead and change and start doing some basic stretches.” Jason instructs, getting right down to business as he passes the black domino mask to her. Marinette nods and flits behind the chimney.

“Spots off.” She says quietly, grinning at Tikki.

“Is this really a good idea?” Tikki asks, her face scrunched up with worry. Marinette sighs at her friend.

“He’s gonna help us find Hawkmoth. And he has a point. What happens if I can’t transform but someone still needs my help? I don’t want to be helpless, Tikki.” Marinette says.

“Just be careful, you don’t have the suit to stop you from being too injured.” Tikki warns before flying to the top of the chimney. Marinette hesitates a second before sliding the domino mask on, blinking to get used to the eye cover. It was...weird, having a mask on that wasn’t magic. With the mask that came with her suit, Marinette couldn’t feel it. It was just there, part of her. The domino mask, though, was solid. She could feel it resting on her face. Taking a breath to steady herself, Marinette walked out from behind the chimney.

“Chat Noir’s changing over there.” Jason says when he notices her, nodding towards an air duct on the opposite side of the roof.

“Thank you, for offering to help us.” Marinette says, Jason nods, a tense smile on his face.

“No problem.” He says.

“Did you happen to look into Gabriel Agreste today?” She asks.

“Yeah, what kind of asshole decides to be an emotional terrorist in a city where his kid lives?” Jason asks, a dark look crossing his face. Marinette flinches, looking at Jason nervously. If he had the means to train them, she really didn’t want to deal with him as an akuma.

“Gabriel Agreste, apparently.” Adrien says, finally joining the two, his arms crossed. Marinette frowns at him. It was much harder to read his face with his eyes hidden.

“So did you guys want me to look more into Agreste?” He asks, raising an eyebrow as he looks between the two. Marinette glances at Adrien, letting out a small breath when she sees his small nod.

“Yeah. Even if it’s not Gabriel, we need to know for sure.” She says. Jason nods.

“Alright. That gives me something to do tomorrow. Now, stretch and warm up. I don’t wanna have to drag your asses off this roof ‘cause you pulled something trying to jump right into things.” Jason says, a teasing grin on his face. Marinette grins back, finally feeling lighter. Maybe training would be a good thing.

----

Training was hell. Okay, maybe not hell, but it was not easy. Gasping for air, Marinette dramatically collapses on the roof.

“Aw come on Pixie, you can do better than that.” Jason teases, still standing in a sparring stance.

“Jay, I swear. We’ve been training for over a week. I’m exhausted. And you’ve already kicked my ass twice. I’m giving up.” She says, throwing her arm over her face to block out the lights from the surrounding street lamps.

“Come on Bug, don’t give up!” Adrien cheers from the side, a smirk on his face. Marinette sits up and narrows her eyes at him, despite knowing the mask wouldn’t let him see her eyes. And the level of done that was visible there.

“Why don’t you try again?” She asks in a taunting tone. Adrien snorts.

“You and I both know that I can’t beat Jason.” He says, shaking his head in amusement.

“Not with that attitude. Come on kid, let’s go.” Jason says, turning to face Adrien instead of Marinette. An idea flashes into Marinette’s head and she smirks, lunging forward and yanking Jason down as his attention is completely on Adrien. Grabbing his wrists as he falls, Marinette manages to twist him around so that his face is against the rooftop and his arms are bent behind him.

“Okay, okay, I tap out.” Jason chuckles, accepting Marinette’s hand when she jumps up and reaches out to help him up.

“I won.” She says with a wide grin.

“You totally cheated.” Jason replies with a snort.

“Nah, Kitty and I just worked together to outsmart you.” Mari says.

“Don’t drag me into this, I had no idea what was happening ‘til Jay was on the ground.” Adrien says, holding his hands up in surrender.

“Traitor.” Marinette huffs, sticking her tongue out at her best friend.

“Hey, you guys are gonna have to go home soon.” Jason says, glancing down at his watch. Marinette frowns.

“What about the Plan?” She asks. “I thought we were gonna work on that tonight so that we have an actual plan to stop Hawkmoth instead of just letting him run around and terrorize people nonstop.”

“Pixie, it’s late. I promise we’ll start with planning tomorrow. But you guys need to go get some sleep. Chat told me you’re already living off of coffee alone. That’s not healthy.” Jason says. Marinette rolls her eyes, sticking her bottom lip out in a pout.

“Coffee is my life fuel and I will not apologize.” She says, making both Chat and Jason groan.

“You’re worse than my brother.” Jason says and Mari grins.

“I’m sure we’d get along swimmingly.” She says, and Chat shakes his head.

“Nope. I draw the line at your coffee addicted butt meeting another coffee addict. I’m not about to watch that train wreck.” He says, grabbing Mari’s hand and tugging her behind the chimney so they can transform. Saying their phrases quickly, the two dart back over to Jason.

“Same time?” Marinette asks with a bright smile. Jason nods. Marinette waves, running over to the edge of the building and swinging away, waving at Adrien as he vaults towards his house. As she lands on her balcony, Marinette can't help the wide smile that stretches across her face. Maybe they could finally end this.

Next

#maribat #maribat jason todd #maribat marinette dupain cheng #maribat adrien agreste #fanfic #ao3fic #maribat fic #platonic jasonette #platonic maribat adrienette #This Side of Normal

[stardusttrashed]

My Cup of Tea

Pairing: Levi Ackerman x fem! reader, slight Jean Kirstein x fem! reader

Warnings: Fluff, slight angst

Word Count: 7.3k

A/n: I pictured y/n as a blasian or lightskin

Most of your friends thought you were crazy for wanting to join the scouts. They didn’t understand why you’d throw your life away like that. Always telling them living inside the walls and in constant fear wasn’t living anyway probably didn’t help the situation. If anything, you might’ve just gave them all existential crises.

In hindsight, joining does seem like a death wish. Throwing yourself right towards a titan for the sake of humanity. It was no wonder people preferred to join other ranks, such as the Military Police. But the threat of death never really scared you. You always thought that you needed to feel like you were living before having a rational fear of any alternative. You couldn’t explain why, but you felt like that solution was just beyond the walls. Somewhere so close but so far. 

So you joined the 104th Training Corps and graduated second in the class. You were a close first, second to Mikasa Ackerman. That was an achievement in itself since you started a running joke with her and the others that she wasn’t human. She was some titan god in human form. Or something like that.

In reality, ranks aside, making it through the training was good enough for you. Between the rigorous training and the bunch of idiots that provided numerous headaches- and even more laughter- there were times you doubted you’d even make it through. 

“I had a hunch you were as crazy as Eren, but I didn’t think I’d be right.” There he was, your biggest headache of the bunch. Jean Kirstein. You loved the loud-mouthed, blunt boy to bits, but that didn’t mean he was any less close to getting his ass kicked at any given second. 

It was apparent he had a crush on you since day one. Well, you and Mikasa, but his fixation on Mikasa was stomped on once everyone could see how head over heels she was for Eren. So he settled for you, the next girl with exotic black hair that had no crush to get in his way. 

He sat across from you at the table with an overconfident expression.“You could join the military police instead and live peacefully. It’s the smartest thing to do.” From the corner of your eye, you could see Eren’s head snap in your direction. He was glaring daggers at the both of you, well, mostly Jean, but for once, Jean’s attention remained on you.

“Well, Jeanie-” you leaned in closer, resting your elbows on the table, “- I guess there’s a first time for everything.” you chuckled and returned to your original position, taking a bite of bread.  “You’re only half right, though; I’m crazier than the suicidal blockhead over there.”

“I can hear you two, you know,” Eren broke in. 

“Oh, I know. You may be able to kick Je-ju’s ass, but I can hold my own against you,”  you chuckled before turning back towards Jean. “Besides, being in the Military Police sounds boring,” you said with a shrug. “I joined so I could become a scout so that I could get out of these walls. I’m sure you’ll have enough fun inside the walls for both of us.” 

Jean shook his head and mutter something inaudible under his breath, clearly disapproving. 

“Coward,” Eren mumbled loud enough for the both of you to hear, causing yet another one of their famous dining hall fights to break out. You looked across the scrapping pair at Mikasa, sharing a tired and somewhat annoyed smile with her.

The next day was like a nightmare. Chaos broke out as word of the return of the Colossus Titan’s return spread like wildfire. Wall Trost had been attacked, and titans were spilling into the city. Everyone was wildly unprepared, and you’d be lying if you said you weren’t scared shitless. Without the Survey Corps, the 104th Training Corps were sent to the front lines. You were about to see your first titan and put your training to the test. It was everything you hoped for and dreaded all at once. 

You slew every titan you could that crossed my path, killing three titans alone and assisting more than you could keep track of. It wasn’t enough, though. Countless comrades were lost, either through being captured by titans or by running out of gas for their ODM gear. Nonetheless, you soared through the sky, flinging yourself from building to building as you did your part to keep humanity safe. 

Somehow in all the commotion of heading towards HQ, you got separated from the others. “Shit!” You stood on a roof, stopping to survey your surroundings. Titans still roamed through the city on the search for their next victim. Their footsteps grew closer, the building beneath your feet shaking uncontrollably. 

That’s when you saw them. The Survey Corps were back and working on the remaining few titans. You watched as Captain Levi killed a titan with ease and moved onto the two titans treading closer. He walked with such calm confidence you couldn’t help but stop to admire him. He made killing them look beautiful, like a dance. 

Without a second thought, you aimed my gear towards him, desperate for a closer look. You soared through the sky, mindlessly slaying every titan that got in between you and Levi. You were nearly there when your gear refused to function. In a quick moment of panic, you repeatedly squeezed the triggers, but nothing happened. You desperately hit the gears in hopes of bringing it back to life to no avail. You braced yourself as you began to tumble to the ground. You closed your eyes, sadly accepting your fate as the strong winds caused a few curls to fall from your ponytail. You had lived and done your fair part for humanity. At least you had taken out a few titans before your death. You prepared yourself for impact until you felt an arm wrap around your waist, pulling you back up towards a roof. 

“Trying to get yourself killed?” You were greeted with a pair of steely yet breathtaking gray eyes. You felt like you were dreaming. Captain Levi was holding you in his arms like a knight in shining armor. 

“I wasn’t, but now I’m having second thoughts- especially if it means I get to be swept off my feet by you.” You bit back a cheeky grin as you searched his eyes. His frown remained pressed in on his features despite the flash of interest in his eyes. The longer you stood there, the more you grew aware of his arm still firmly wrapped around your waist. 

He kept looking at you like he was expecting something. There was something about you that he found intoxicating. Maybe it was that mouth of yours or the wind-blown mess of black curls. His eyes trailed up from your gaze to your hair, which was probably a mess if you were being completely honest with yourself. When his eyes looked back down into your own, you couldn’t help but get lost in their storm. “You’ve got quite the balls on you, rookie. Too bad, you’re an idiot.” 

It took everything in you not to hit that smug smirk off his face. “No more of an idiot than you are, Captain.” You knew you could get written up for the way you were speaking to the captain, but the threat only spurred you on further. “Only difference between us-,,” you pressed yourself closer to him until you could feel each breath, “is that my balls are bigger.” 

Levi’s smirk was replaced with a more intense look that could’ve been mistaken as hunger as he held you tighter. “Prove it, brat.”

You searched his face for a sign he was joking as you let out a nervous giggle. You slipped out of his grasp and checked your equipment when you realized he was dead serious. “I’m out of gas. The supply team never came.”

“Well, if you don’t want to die, I’d suggest you use whatever little brain you have and think.” He nodded towards an approaching titan. Levi crossed his arms as he watched you like a game.

The 5-meter beast stumbled through the damaged buildings, rushing towards you. It was only three buildings away and covering ground fast.

Your train of thought went a mile a minute. The increasing intensity of the quakes beneath your feet only helped spur it on. You took down your hair and quickly redid your bun as you thought. “Take me as high as you can with your gear, and I’ll handle the rest.”

He hesitantly agreed, wrapping his arm around you once again. Your breath caught in your throat as you both went flying through the air towards the stumbling beast. You knew your plan was half-assed, but you couldn’t help but have faith nonetheless.

Once you were directly above the titan, you gave Levi the signal to let go, sending yourself spiraling towards the figure below. Levi watched with a dumbstruck expression as you confidently twirled through the air. You dove as gracefully as you could be with any ODM gear to help guide you. 

“Damn idiot,” Levi muttered to himself as you drew your blades. He swooped in, loosely wrapping both arms around you from behind in an attempt to help guide you. Surprisingly you managed to slice a clean chunk of the titan’s neck almost instantly. Part of him wondered if you had even needed his assistance. He carried you back up to the rooftop and gently set you down in front of him.

You twisted your body to face your savior with a cheeky smile. You shouldn’t be surprised he stepped in with such ease considering his reputation. He had no doubt worked on countless team missions, but there was something about the way you worked together that felt so natural.

“Told you I could handle it,” you mused to the annoyed-looking man in a way that came off unintentionally sexual. You wiped your blade on your sleeves before putting them back in their holders.

Levi quickly averted your gaze with a quick ‘tch,’ surveying the area. You felt like fire in his arms, which made him unusually flustered. He dropped his arms to his sides as he took a step back. He didn’t expect you to take his challenge so easily and pull it off, especially since you were out of gas. He admired that you weren’t all talk, that you could actually handle yourself. It made each annoyingly snarky comment that came out of your mouth even more intoxicating. “W-we’ll fall back. My squad can handle the rest of these ugly bastards.”

 You turned to face him only to have him continue to avoid your gaze. When he finally met your gaze again, he held his hand out to you with an expectant look in his eyes. You hesitantly took it, cupping your hand in his. It felt like electricity coursed through your veins at his touch. He pulled you closer with an unsuspecting strength, wrapping his arm around your waist once again. 

He was so casual about it while your heart felt like it was about to beat out of your chest any second now. “Is this how you get all the women, Captain?” You chuckled in hopes of concealing your nervousness. The scolding look in his eyes and the tint of red emerging on his ears spurred your teasing flirtations on. “I’m just saying-,” you rested your hand on his chest, “- your arm is starting to feel real homey right there.”

Levi looked away once again, “tch. Are you trying to live or not, brat?” 

You snaked your arms around his neck and kept quiet. Once he seemed happy with your answer, you hopped into his arms, wrapping your legs around his waist. You wanted to make sure you were as out of his way as you could be. That, and you wanted to see his reaction. You could practically see the vein bulging from his temple, but he made no effort to correct your stance. Instead, to your surprise, he moved one of his hands to hold your thigh as he made sure you were secure.

His grasp only lasted momentarily before they fell on the triggers. Taking off without being the one in control felt so different. You felt a rush of butterflies in your stomach, causing you to subconsciously wrap your legs tighter and bury your face in his neck. The more you breathed in his scent, the calmer you found yourself getting. He was like a safety blanket you never knew you needed yet never wanted to let go of.

You didn’t see much of Captain Levi once he dropped you off with the other trainees. He left without so much as a bye. Not that there was much time to anyway. You couldn’t dwell or even so much as daydream. The days that followed were filled with cleaning up the remnants of your fallen comrades. There were so many bodies that went unidentified; it made you sick to your stomach—the only person who was more torn up about it than you was Jean.

Graduation followed soon after. You were officially able to call yourself a Scout. The next morning you and the others who joined the scouts were led to a castle. It was cleaner than you thought it’d be. You took your time getting to know the castle, eventually stumbling upon the Mess Hall. 

There had to be at least a dozen scouts in the room, yet you could make out one voice above the others. You anxiously looked around to find the man behind the bored sounding voice. Within a few moments, you had found him, your eyes landing on the raven-haired man with tired eyes. He was sitting with his squad and Eren across the room.

“Hey y/n, if you’re gonna keep staring, you might wanna wipe the drool off your chin,” Connie teased as he walked up behind you.

“Seriously,” Jean joined in. He slipped into the space next to you, despite this side of the room being practically empty. “I don’t get what you see in him.” He shook his head, disapprovingly.

“I’m not staring at captain Levi, you nitwit,” you snapped quietly, already annoyed by their teasing. You kept your lips in a tight line as you tried to control yourself. “I was just imagining myself being part of the Special Operations Squad,” you grumbled. 

“Y’know,” Armin piped in, nearly scaring you from his sudden intrusion in the conversation. “Neither of them said anything about Captain Levi.” I could hear his cheeky yet bashful grin in his voice. Connie’s and Jean’s obnoxious laughter only made it worse.

You turned to Armin with a deathly glare and opened your mouth to say something. You quickly closed your mouth as he met your stare. With a huff you turned away, focusing back on Captain Levi. “You’re too smart for your own good sometimes.” You couldn’t bring yourself to say anything bad about him or be rude. Armin was the little angel of the group that you always had a soft spot for. You turned to Jean, eager to get the attention off of you. “Bet if it were you I was drooling over, you wouldn’t have an issue.” You watched him with a cocky grin, basking in his dumbfounded expression. 

“Just shut up, will ya,” he barked a tad louder than necessary as he crossed his arms like a child throwing a fit.

Your eyes wandered around the room while you laughed at his reaction. To your surprise, when your eyes landed on Levi again, he was already looking in your direction.

Everything Petra was telling him went in one ear and out the other once he spotted you across the room. He cursed himself for his heart skipping a beat. It shouldn’t have been a surprise to see you here. You were crazy enough to go after a titan when you had zero gas left in your ODM gear. What would stop you from joining the scouts? He wanted to go talk to you, to at least get to know your name, but he had to stay and talk to Petra. Levi watched helplessly as you practically ran out of the room.

You tried to stall going back down to the Mess Hall as you stood in your room fixing your hair. You sprinkled some water on your hair to revitalize your curls like you would a plant. You didn’t wear your hair down often since all the wind from using the ODM turned it into a mass of tangles. 

“If you aren’t coming, can I have your serving?” 

You laughed to yourself, not needing to open the door to know who was on the other side. “You touch my serving, and I’ll kick your ass.” Sasha greeted you with wide eyes as you opened the door. She looked you up and down with a stupid grin, making you feel slightly subconscious about wearing your hair down.

“You’re gonna make Jean lose it,” she beamed, quickly cut off by a loud growl from her stomach. She scratched the back of her neck bashfully, “s-sorry I only ate one loaf for lunch.”

“Sasha,” you started with a straight face, “that’s literally how much we always get.” She looked at you like you had said the most absurd thing ever, and you raised your hands in mock defense. “You can have my bread tonight then.” 

Sasha practically dragged you by your hand to the Mess Hall. You found a seat between Connie and Armin, who not so subtly kept sneaking glances at you. Before your butt even touched the seat, Sasha nabbed your loaf of bread, plopping down across from Connie. 

“You uh, you look-.” Armin was cut off by Jean as he made himself comfy across you.

“Wow. I, uh, like your hair like that.” Jean gaped at you with a stunned look on his face. You couldn’t help but feel a boost of confidence under his gaze. It was like you were the most beautiful girl in the world.

“Hey Je-ju,” you said as seductively as you could muster, batting your eyelashes at the man in front of you. It must’ve worked cause you could hear even Armin quietly sputter beside you. Jean hummed as he leaned in closer. “You’re drooling.” 

Jean was brought back to reality by your laughter. He sat upright and muttered something under his breath before focusing on his food. He almost found the laughter that followed yours from Connie and Sasha obnoxiously annoying. 

Your laughter died out as your eyes absentmindedly scanned the room. The room was full of faces you had never seen before. Full of people willing to lay their lives down for humanity. Everywhere you looked, people looked somewhat at ease except for the short man sitting across from the commander. Unlike the others in the room, a smile never graced his lips, just a permanent frown. “Give me a sec,” you announced to the others. 

Jean’s eyes followed yours, and he quietly sighed in annoyance. You shot him a half-apologetic smile before making your way over to the pair. You swiped two cups of tea on your way over, still trying to conjure up what exactly you’d say to either of them. 

Commander Erin was the first to notice your approach, pausing his conversation with Levi so he could look up at you. His piercing ocean eyes stared at you, making you nearly forget why you even went over. 

Your breath caught in your throat as Levi deadpanned to you with an icy stare. He rolled his eyes after a long moment of silence had passed. “Looking for something, rookie?”

His curt acknowledgment made the butterflies in your stomach go wild, filling you with an antsy warmth. You felt childish for getting this nervous around him. What if he doesn’t even remember you? With a steely breath, you calmed your nerves enough to start talking.“Y/n Y/l/n of the 104th Cadet Corps,” you saluted. Erwin nodded in acknowledgment, but Levi continued to stare at you like he was bored. “I- I thought maybe you two would like something to drink—” you set down the cups in front of them, “— I was also hoping I could speak to Captain Levi.”

Levi stared at you, checking you out as discreetly as possible. He was finally able to admire your hair now that it was out of a bun. Your curls were gorgeous, like nothing he had ever seen before. You were gorgeous. He got lost in the thought of being able to run his fingers through your hair, playing with each curl on your head. 

You couldn’t tell if the expression on his face was disapproval or if he was intrigued, but you carried on either way. “I was hoping to be under you.” You grimaced at the slip of my tongue, nervously biting your bottom lip. You desperately hoped that they didn’t notice how your cheeks now felt like they were on fire.

Levi raised an eyebrow, choking on the sip of tea he had taken. You noticed his ear transform into a light shade of pink. Commander Erwin held back an unmistakable chuckle, hiding his smirk behind his cup of tea. “Excuse me?” Levi asked once he finally managed to stop coughing, still unable to get himself to look you in the eye. He was sure it was a slip of the tongue, but that didn’t stop the rush of excitement coursing through his body. He had his eye on you since the first day he met you, and your slip up definitely wasn’t doing anything to help.

“A-apologies, I mean, I want to be part of the Levi squad.” You ignored his disapproving scoff. “I want to help retake wall Maria and eventually see outside of the walls.” You chewed your lip, thinking of what else to say.

His silence was growing more deafening by the second. You were suffocating in it. Any confidence you had quickly died out like a fire without oxygen. 

“You think going against the Titans once and not dying makes you qualified to be part of my squad,” he started in a condensing tone. “You’re not. I won’t make you a part of my squad so that you can go out and get yourself killed.” He didn’t what’d he do if you were to get hurt while being in his squad. Or even worse, he didn’t know how he’d react to having you so close. So he did the best thing for both of you: deny your place on the team.

“Then let me show you why I am qualified,” You interject, finally rediscovering your fight. Did he not remember how you took down the titan when you first met? Sure, you needed assistance, but only because you were out of gas. “Only thing that’ll kill me are natural causes, and I don’t consider those ugly bastards to be a natural cause. I’m going to help reclaim wall Maria even if I’m not a part of your squad.” You nodded at the commander out of respect before taking off back to your seat.

You plopped down in between Connie and Armin once again with an irritated huff. He was so cold, yet you still found yourself wanting more. Maybe that’s what really irritated you about the situation. 

“Take it your talk didn’t go well,” Armin asked sympathetically, cutting into your thoughts.

“Of course not; what’d you think you were doing just walking up to them like that,” Jean scolded you. You could hear the mixture of relief and triumph in his voice, but you said nothing about it.

“Well—” Sasha began as she stuffed her face with whatever food she had leftover, “— she’s not entirely wrong. They are just people. Scary, intimidating, and powerful, but still people.”

“Whatever you said clearly got their attention. Captain Levi has been staring at you since you left,” Mikasa said curtly, silencing any bickering among our group. 

All eyes found themselves on Levi, who carried on his conversation with Erwin. They looked back and forth between you and the captain, trying to piece together what they missed. Eventually, one by one, they lost interest, turning around to focus on their food or whatever new conversation they could create. Even then, his gaze never left yours- watching you through every nod, reply, or sips of tea. You were the first to break the staring contest, jumping back into conversations like nothing happened. 

It became a routine of sorts. You’d spend your days’ training with the others, doing your best to push Levi out of your mind long enough to focus on being the best in each exercise. Each night for the next couple of weeks, you would bring him a cup of tea during dinner. No words were ever exchanged, just stares and a cup. He never even said a thank you, not that you ever really expected one. 

“Why do you keep giving him drinks?” Eren looked at you with genuine curiosity as you prepared to give a cup of tea to Levi. 

You shrugged, unable to think of a real reason why. He never asked for it, thanked you for it, and he barely even acknowledged you for it. Yet you still gave him a cup of tea everyday. You stared at the cup in your hand. The warmth it provided was nothing compared to the warm feeling Levi caused inside of you. Maybe that was the answer. Or perhaps it was to help him look a little less tired. “Guess it’s one of life’s strange mysteries.” You shot Eren a half-hearted smile before getting up and walking over to Levi.

He was seated with the other captains, the four of them speaking in hushed voices despite the room being full of chatter. You had half a mind to turn around out of respect, but you were already close enough for Hange to notice you as they glanced up at the room. 

You probably could’ve still turned around since Levi hadn’t noticed yet. Instead, you hesitantly carried on, keeping your head down. Set the cup down and keep it moving. That was the plan. For once, you wanted to keep my head down, but that plan flew out the window as you felt his fingers brush against yours. You held the side of the cup since you had picked up that Levi only held his cups from above, but there he was. You looked up at him with a hitched breath, completely forgetting the other captains were there. The half-smirk on his face and his fingers still on top of yours made it hard to think, move, or even stand. He looked at you from the corner of his eye and let out a quiet pleased sound at your reaction.

You shared a quick knowing look at each other that didn’t go unnoticed by Hange before Levi moved his hand so you could leave. Hange waited until you and the other captains had walked off, quietly plotting the whole time. “So, you and one of the recruits huh,” Hange asked vaguely. Their eyes were wide with their typical borderline crazy look. Levi’s shrug told them everything they needed to know. This was a rare moment to be treasured. Levi has a crush. Or at least a fixation. “Y/l/n, right? She is quite the cutie. Think I’d have a chance?” Hange noticed Levi’s frown deepen as he sent them a threatening glare. Hange burst into a fit of laughter, “I was only kidding. I wouldn’t steal your crush, I probably could, but I wouldn’t.” Hange chose to ignore the subtle way Levi’s body tensed at the word crush. “Why not go talk to the girl? Y’know, only so much can get done by just staring.” With a supportive smile, Hange walked away, leaving the dining hall. 

“Just ask him out already,” Sasha blurted out with a mouth full of bread. 

You opened my mouth to protest, but Jean spoke first, “she’s not wrong.” He sat across from you and stared at you in discontent. “It’s painfully obvious that you like the man even though you two have barely spoken a word to each other.” His blunt words dripped with venom, but the hatred never reached his eyes. He still had the same tenderness in his eyes like the first time you saw him. If anything, he was hurt more than angry. Jean slid his cup over to you and mumbled under his breath, “guess I can’t judge much, though.”

You held the cup in your hands, watching the liquid slosh around for a moment before taking a sip. “Thank you, Jeanie.” You met his gaze with a shy smile and could see his expression soften a fraction. “I mean it.”

You looked between Jean and Sasha with a confused expression as his face suddenly hardened, and Sasha gaped like a fish at what was behind you. “What?”

“Y/l/n,” a voice piped up from behind you, causing your whole body to freeze.

You looked at Sasha, quietly asking for confirmation. She nodded, her eyes still zoned in on Levi. You cautiously turned around to see Levi standing beside you. You let out a quiet squeak as you clambered to your feet. “Yes, sir, captain Levi.” You gave him a quick salute. 

Levi almost found himself smiling at your sudden formality. It was cute seeing a different side of you. He averted your gaze but quickly looked back at you when his eyes fell on Jean. He was reminded it wasn’t just you at the table. “I need to speak with you.” He didn’t wait for a response as he began heading outside.

You gave the pair an apologetic smile before running off behind the captain. You walked in silence for a while, enjoying the cool autumn breeze blowing between the both of you. “Is something the matter, captain?”

Levi shook his head but remained quiet. The look in his eyes was strangely shy, something you didn’t even know he was capable of. It was almost like he was just as nervous as you were. You pressed the thought out of your head. “T-thank you-,,” he stopped in his tracks and turned to face you, “-for all the teas. I still won’t let you join my squad.”

“I know, that’s not why I do it.” You pushed a stray strand of hair behind your ear. 

Silence enveloped you once again, giving you time to admire his features. He was gorgeous under the moonlight. The little light somehow accentuated his strong jawline to the point where it almost rivaled commander Erwin’s. His usually lackluster eyes sparkled like the stars above. 

Unbeknown to you, he was admiring you just the same. Part of him wished your hair was down again, hoping to see the way your curls frame your face. You had an untouchable innocence in your eyes, the same eyes he always found himself getting drunk off of. He stopped himself once his thoughts began to go back to his first encounter with you, reminding him of how you felt in his arms. You were right, his arm did feel at home around your waist. 

“There’s no point in having any relationship,” Levi eventually said more to himself than to you. “Either of us could die to those bastards at any moment, and I’m probably older than you think.”

You failed to hold back your giggles as a cocky smile pressed in over your lips. “I never said anything about a relationship either, captain. You came to that conclusion all on your own. Who’s to say I’m even interested? Maybe I’m just really nice.”

Levi took a challenging step closer, “You’re not.” The corners of his mouth turned up into a cocky smirk. “I wasn’t born yesterday-.”

“Oh, I know, old man,” you quipped, taking your own step forward. 

“Tch. Dumb brat, a few cups of tea isn’t going to get me to fall for you.”

You closed the small gap between you, leaving barely enough room for the wind between you. Your body yearned to be closer to the warmth that radiated from him. “All your stares say otherwise. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’ve liked me since we first met, captian.”

He leaned down until you could feel his breath on your lips. Every inch of his body craved you. Against his better judgment, he wrapped an arm around your waist. The air between you was electric, only helping to light every inch of your body on fire. He pulled you flush against him, relishing the feeling of having you in his arms again. It was too much like a dream to him. A dream he felt he desperately needed to wake up from. “It’s a good thing you know better.” With that, he walked away. 

You were left hanging, the cool autumn breeze feeling more like an arctic chill now. You wanted to yell or pull him back towards you, but instead, you stood there mentally throwing a fit like a child who didn’t get their way. 

You took your time getting back to your room, forcing yourself to go to sleep as soon as you sat on your bed. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t relax enough to fall asleep. Levi invaded your thoughts. You weren’t sure when or how, but you eventually drifted off into sleep. 

The next morning you prepped for the 57th Expedition despite the heaviness in your eyes. 

“Geez, you look dead,” Jean chuckled as he helped you up onto your horse. His hand stayed a little longer on your hip than necessary, but you chose not to say anything. He waited until you were completely situated before removing his hand. 

“Yeah, you’ve got more eye bags than captain Levi,” Connie laughed as he hopped onto his horse beside you. 

You rolled your eyes, probably closing them longer than necessary. “Shut up.” You pulled your hood over your eyes, “stop goofing off and focus on the mission. 

“Ah, Y/n, right,” an unfamiliar voice called out to you. Their footsteps quickly approached you, stopping short by the side of your horse. You looked in their direction, greeted by Hange with an eerily cheeky smile. It was like looking at a child with a secret who desperately wanted to spill. “Glad I could catch you.”

“C-captain Hange!” You quickly removed your hood with a bashful smile. “Yes, that’s right.”

Hange’s smile grew wider, causing you to glance at Connie and Jean for some sort of help. “I was told to come wake up a certain brat.” They handed you the steaming cup of tea carefully. 

You tried to hide your blush behind the cup as you drank quickly. It wasn’t the best tea you’ve ever had, but it certainly got the job done. With every sip, you could feel yourself gaining a little more energy to carry you through the day. Your mind wandered to Levi, probably already in his formation. After last night you thought he wouldn’t want to ever talk to you again, yet here he was sending you a cup of tea. You handed back the cup with a thankful smile, “guess he’s a softie after all.”

Hange laughed and shook their head, “I’ve met titans easier to understand than you two. Don’t go dying on him out there, rookie.” With that, Hange left, finding their place in the formation. 

The warmth from the tea didn’t last you long. Things quickly went to shit. It was arguably worse than the Battle of Trost. Everyone knew to wear their hoods to conceal their identities, but they didn’t know exactly why until she showed up. The female titan wiped out forces in the blink of an eye, but no retreat was called. Instead, you were ordered to perch the branches of the Titan Forest, acting as a distraction. Countless soldiers were lost, including all of Captain Levi’s squad except for Eren, before an eventual retreat was called. 

Upon arrival, the scouts were ordered to turn in Eren, but you couldn’t seem to bring yourself to care. Not when you had heard the word of Levi being injured. Your mind went into a frenzy with panic. You just needed to see him. You needed to know how badly he was injured. You needed to see for yourself he was okay. 

Without thinking, you barged into Levi’s quarters, only to run directly into Commander Erwin’s solid chest. You quickly stepped back, muttering various sorries despite the amused sound that left the commander. You didn’t waste any time making your way into the room once Erwin walked off.

“Knocking does exist, brat-” Levi was cut off by you flinging your arms around his neck. He couldn’t do this, not now. He couldn’t let himself indulge in the butterflies in his stomach or the soothing feeling of your embrace. He had just lost his entire squad, and the mission was a disaster. He didn’t have time for this right now. Levi lifted his hands to push you away but stopped short at the quiet sound of your sniffling. 

“I was- I.” You couldn’t seem to find the right words. Part of you wanted to thank him for the tea, while the other wanted to let him know how worried you were about him. You wanted to tell him that as inconsiderate as it might be, all you could do out there was hope he was still alive. Instead, you clung to Levi, your heart pouring itself out through your eyes and onto his ascot. You could feel his rigid frame slowly melting into your embrace.

Levi’s breaths grew labored as the embrace carried on. It was like he could feel all of your emotions, the grief, the relief, the guilt. He felt everything, and it mixed with his own feelings. He forced himself to muster enough strength to gently push you away by the shoulders. He wanted you to be upset, to stop this stupid display of affection that sent his heart into overtime.

“I-I told you already, dumb brat, that I don’t like you.”

“Then stop me,” you whispered with a wavering voice.You were done playing games. The vast number of comrades that were slaughtered by the female titan reminded you just how close everyone was to death. You’d be damned if you died before getting this opportunity. Slowly you closed the distance between your lips until you could feel his breath ghosting over your lips. “Tell me that cup wasn’t from you. Tell me I was alone in hoping you were safe while we were out there.” You hated how your voice was breaking with each statement. “Tell me I’m the only one who’s heart is about to leap out of their chest.” You nervously pressed your lips against his, relishing in his warmth.

Levi responded instantly, kissing you with a bruising force. Desire for you took over every thought until he yearned nothing more than to touch and be touched. He squeezes your hips possessively, pulling you flush against him. He couldn’t tell you any of those things, and you knew it. He sent you the cup at a point of weakness. Even as he fought the female titan, you managed to invade his thoughts until he had half a mind to go look for you. He wanted to protect you with the same ardor Mikasa had to protect Eren. You had somehow seen past his stoic walls, and it only fueled his hunger for you. 

Your hands fumbled with his ascot, stepping back once you set his neck free from it. You watched his eyes darken with an almost lustful look as you wrapped the piece of fabric into a bow around your ponytail. A quiet groan escaped his lips as your lips devoured his now exposed neck. Every nip and open mouth kiss made him weak in the knees, completely forgetting the dull pain in his ankle.

“You’re the only cup of tea I need.” The words fell from his kiss swollen lips before they even registered in his brain.

You broke into a bashful smile, his words stirring up a new kind of giddiness inside of you. “That was the cheesiest yet cutest thing I’ve ever heard.” You halted your assault on his neck to look up at him, “I didn’t think you had it in you. It almost puts my comment about coming close to death so you can sweep me off my feet to shame.” You pecked his lips as his usual annoyed expression returned. “Kinda sounds like you like me, Captain.”

“Get out,” Levi grumbled embarrassedly, causing you to giggle. The sound was equivalent to a clean room, filling him with a sense of pride and happiness. He could feel his ears burning as if someone was holding a flame to them. 

“Not until you tell me if I’m just any cup or your cup.”

“Relationships are pointless,” Levi answered. The look in your eye told him you weren’t going to let him rest until he gave a straight answer. “I’d like it if you were mine.”

You pressed a quick kiss to his lips, “I know. And for the record, I’d like if you were mine too,” you called over your shoulder as you walked out the door. 

You had already left the hall by the time Levi noticed you left with his ascot still tied around your ponytail. His usually private persona was pushed out the window by a sense of pride. You were his and that ascot made it clear as day.

Your new hair accessory and Levi’s suddenly missing ascot didn’t go unnoticed at dinner. Nor did the marks on Levi’s neck that Hange kept eyeing and giggling about. 

Levi could feel a smile threatening to spread across his lips as you walked with him back to his quarters after everyone left the Mess hall. You didn’t even let him go near his desk, carefully pushing him towards his bed as you fussed about him needing rest. Humanity’s strongest soldier was being babied by a brat with a big mouth and a bigger heart. 

Levi chuckled to himself as you climbed into bed with him. He hesitantly allowed you to pull him into your arms. He pressed his forehead against yours as he allowed himself to get lost in the feeling of your fingers running through his hair. He absentmindedly twirled one of your still damp curls around his finger. A comfortable silence filled the room as you both admired each other. You slid your free hand into his, lacing your fingers together. You pressed your lips to his knuckles as you came to the quiet realization that he was going to be your new reason to live. Being beside him felt like a breath of fresh air and you promised yourself you would do everything you could to hold onto him. You were going to see the world outside of the walls with him. 

He didn’t expect it, but your soothing touch lulled him into one of the best periods of sleep he’s had in years. Every time he woke up, you were still there with your hand in his. You made him think of a life outside of this normal. A life with you at his side as his wife and the mother of his children. Levi pulled you closer as he drifted back to sleep. You were going to be the death of him, and in a titan filled world, he couldn’t think of any better way to go.

#attack on titan #aot #aot levi #aot x y/n #aot x reader #aot x you #levi #levi ackerman #levi x y/n #levi ackerman x you #jean kirstein #jean kirschtein x reader #captain levi #levi imagine #levi ackerman imagine #connie springer #sasha braus #eren jaeger #mikasa aot #levi fanfiction #levi fluff #captain levi fanfiction #levi ackerman fluff #levi x reader #anime x black!reader #levi x black!reader #attack on titan x black!reader

[love-fireflysong]

Oh my god, I'm so sorry that this one took so long holy shit. I have no excuses, other than the fact that I'm a terrible person who can't be trusted with deadlines it seems. But it is done! Yay! So, as successfully chosen by Miss '@clumsybookworm18' Mel, here's my entry for hurt/comfort (finally). This is actually the beginning part of a sole survivor chris/ash au I've been imagining for over a year now, and will very likely be the only part of that au I will ever share. That au is for me. And me alone, sorry lol.

Can't Undo the Scars can be read over on AO3 of course (and I would recommend it if only for the snazzy looking texting lol) but it is also under the link as usual.

Can't Undo the Scars

Tropes: Hurt/Comfort Fandom: Until Dawn Characters: Ashley Brown, Chris Hartley Words: 9749 Rating: Teen (mentions of past trauma, unhealthy coping mechanisms, separation anxiety, nightmares that involve death) Author's Notes: Will I ever be happy with this fic? No but I'm as content with what I got as I ever will be. What Chris and Ash are doing to try and get back to 'normal' is so stupidly not healthy for either of them, but they are young kids that just want to try and move on with their lives. So be nice to them (and me obviously lol).

"I think we should take a break."

Sitting across from Ashley at the table in the quiet cafe where they had gotten coffee together, Chris fumbled with the sugar cube he had grabbed. It bounced off the small table and tumbled to the floor, not that he was paying any attention to it anymore. Not when it felt like all his blood had frozen in his veins. Still, hoping and praying that he was misunderstanding what Ashley was trying to get at, he let out a forced little laugh. "...like a KitKat? Oh man, when was the last time I had one of those? Must have been ages ago, you're totally right we should go and grab a bar or two after this. A little snack and treat we both totally deserve and I'll break us off a piece of that—"

Chris let everything else he was about to say trail off when Ashley pulled her bottom lip into her mouth and shook her head fiercely as she refused to look at him. The loose sleeves of the sweater she was wearing were pulled far down enough that only the tips of her fingers were poking out, and those tightened around the mug of coffee she was holding onto. "No, I-I mean, I think we need to take a break from each other. At least for a little bit."

Forget his blood freezing, Chris felt everything around him freeze. His breath froze in his lungs, his heart froze in his chest, and time seemed to freeze around him. "Ash, are-are you," Chris swallowed roughly as he tried to keep himself together, "are you breaking up with me?"

Immediately Ashley's eyes snapped up to meet his, and they were wide with the same fear that Chris was pretty sure had replaced all the blood in his body. "No! No, that's-that's not what I'm doing! That's not what I want at all!" Her hands left the mug she had been gripping on the table and reached out to take Chris's, but hesitated and pulled back at the last second. "Why? Do you want to...?"

Chris closed the distance between their hands and grabbed hers in his, but was careful not to touch her wrists. He was more relieved than he had imagined it was possible to feel (and he had felt some pretty intense feelings of relief in the last half a year) when she responded by immediately turning her hands over so she could curl her fingers into his. "I don't! I can't think of a single thing in the world I want to do less than that."

The jerky nod that Ashley gave in agreement should have left him feeling better, but it didn't. "Good. So we're not br— not gonna do that then."

"Cool. Cool cool cool. Glad we're in agreement. But then, what did you mean by that, Ash? That we should..." Chris couldn't even bring himself to say the words, instead letting them die in his throat when Ashley slowly withdrew her hands from his and placed them back around her quickly cooling mug.

"It's just, this isn't healthy Chris. This can't be healthy for either of us."

"Healthy? What isn't healthy? This much coffee? The amount of sugar I put in my cup every morning? Is the amount of sugar I use turning you off Ash? Cause I don't think I can fix that sorry."

She didn't smile at that, not even a hint. No faint tugging at the corners of her mouth, no sigh of exasperation, nothing. And it was then that he knew that whatever this was all about, she was as serious as he'd ever seen her, and that terrified him.

"This, Chris. None of this. The fact that neither of us can sleep alone. That I'm terrified that the moment you leave my sight I'll never see you again. I hate that it feels like neither of us can go out in public unless we're both there."

"Oh. That. Yeah, I-I can see how that might be a problem. But Ash, it wasn't—it's not as if it's our fault. We're just trying to heal, I mean that's what all the doctors keep telling us at least. And if this is what it takes, then what's so wrong about that?"

Ashley looked up at him again, and while he wasn't shocked at the dark circles around her eyes (they were identical to the ones around his after all), the tears that had started to build up in the corners of them had him reaching over the table so he could take her face into his hands. Her hands cover his a second later, but not pull them away like he feared, instead she curls her fingers into the palms of his hands so she can hold him there. The two of them lean over the table to meet in the middle, likely looking like a romantic embrace shared by lovers in the corner to anyone looking on, but this is anything but. "But it's been months Chris," she starts and he wipes away the first tear that threatens to fall before it ever gets the chance to, "since, since..."

Since Blackwood, he finishes for her in his head, it's been months since Blackwood and it still feels like we're no better than when we first came down. And it has been, Blackwood had been nearly six months ago now and the two of them still jumped and grabbed for each other at what seemed like every little thing. A loud bang, even from something as small and normal as a car backfiring down the street, always sent Chris back into that room in the basement, watching as Mike aimed that gun at Emily. The sound of a glass cup shattering as it hit the floor would have Ashley locking up in fear, her grip on Chris's hand tightening to a point far beyond pain.

That first week of July had been terrible for them both. The smart thing to do would have been to get as far out of town as possible, but that would have left them basically stranded in the wilderness; surrounded by trees on all sides as they jumped at every little sound and animal call, wondering if it was yet another one of those creatures from the mountain trying to finish them off. Instead they had elected to stay home, cowering together in Chris's basement as the fireworks going off with loud pops and bangs from nearly every house in the area had managed to cut through their earplugs and send them both into a tailspin. Remembering every bullet that Chris had shot into the Wendigo that had chased him from the shed, none doing any damage at all except to push it back further and further from him. Remembering the sound as the lodge exploded into a ball of fire, leaving them to sit cold and alone in the snow as their ears continued to ring and ring. The coolness of the basement had done little against the summer heat either, reminding them too much of the heat from the burning lodge that had threatened to cook them both from the inside out.

July had almost been worse than February, and nothing would ever top those two days in February.

He's not worried about the scene the two of them are making in the cafe though. The table they had chosen—had been using since they discovered this beautifully quiet and peaceful cafe back when they had both finally worked up the nerve to leave their houses back in May—was in a secluded corner with no windows. It was a defensible position (or at least as defensible as a table in a public cafe could be) and as long as they stayed quiet then no one would pay any attention to them. Not when the other patrons were too busy chatting with their friends or typing away on a computer. And the employees? They had more to worry about then two nerdy regulars who for all appearances looked like they were having a romantic and private conversation.

"Can you at least just tell me why?" Chris whispers, his words choked as he continues to wipe away her tears. "Why now? What happened to make you think that we need a—" his m0uth moves but nothing comes out until he finally manages to force the word past the blockade in his throat "—a break."

Ashley leans into one of his palms and smiles at him sadly. "I know we both decided that we were gonna try and start school again in the winter semester, and that our admissions had already been accepted, so I was looking at dorm availabilities when you had fallen asleep last week. They only have a few single dorms and those are available only for married students. Which is fine, it's way too small to room two people at once for durations longer than a weekend. But it also turns out that there is no option for co-ed dorms, the school doesn't allow them. No exceptions."

"What? But, surely they must—"

She shakes her head. "No exceptions, they were very clear on that. I don't know how many times me or my mom or any of the doctors emailed them to try and explain the circumstances, but the response back was always the same. They 'feel sorry and understand how difficult this must be for us' but no exceptions means no exceptions. We either agree to separate dorms with roommates of the same gender or we have to find another set of lodgings."

"But that's...that's bullshit! So the thought of a boy and girl sharing a room apparently goes so far against their-their—what, good Christian values?—that giving our poor roommates nightmares while we scream ourselves to sleep is an acceptable alternative?!"

Ashley turns her head so she can leave a chaste kiss in the center of Chris's palm in an effort to calm him down, and decides to just stay and murmur her next words there. "I hate it too, but what other alternative is there? You know we can't get a place together, there's no possible way we could afford the rent for one."

"We can...we can..." Chris tries to find something, anything, he can say to make this not happen. "I can find a job, work and go to school or—"

"And we arrive back to the same problem, Chris. If we can't survive a separation at school, how are we supposed to do it when we're both out working as well, just so we can stay together. I don't want to do this anymore then you do Chris; I really really don't. You have no idea how much I don't want to do this, but we have to get used to not being able to see each other all the time. And I would rather do it on our terms then because the school or our roommates decided we can't."

Ashley's right, of course Ashley's right. It's Ashley Brown after all, she's always right, but he doesn't want her to be. Not about this. "Okay," he agrees instead, even as it feels like saying the word is stealing something away that he can't quite name. He hides this by lowering her head so he can place his lips on her forehead and say the words there instead. "Okay. Just-just tell me how long."

"A week." Chris feels something in his stomach turn into stone and sink to the bottom of his gut. He had been hoping for something like a day or two, not a full week. He isn't sure he can survive seven days without seeing her. "I-I thought long and hard about it, but a week. We're gonna have periods anyways where we won't be able to see each other because of exams or projects, so if we can manage a whole week then we can do those no problem."

"Are you sure that maybe we shouldn't, I don’t know, just build up to that? A day here, two days there, just so we can get used to it?"

Ashley shakes her head firmly enough that it jostles Chris's hands right off of her face, but keeps her hands in his anyways. "No. I want to get this over with. Prove to everyone, to ourselves, that we can do something as simple as this. I mean, we used to go periods all the time when we didn't see each other for ages, so what's so different about this?"

"Everything", Chris wants to say, "Everything's different now. It changed the moment we left that mountain behind." But he doesn't. He doesn't because he wants her to be right, that this is just a minor hiccup and if they can overcome this, then they can overcome anything. So with one last squeeze of her hands and a pained smile, he lets go and takes a sip of his coffee and grimaces at the taste. It's cold now, had probably gone cold a long time ago and he can tell from the shared frown on Ashley's face that hers has gone cold too.

With no reason for either of them to stay here now, they had only brought enough money for a single coffee each, it's pretty clear that their little coffee date is over. Neither of them say a word as they clean up their table and leave the cafe, their fingers intertwined as they usually are nowadays, but holding on tighter than usual. They separate only so they can get into Chris's truck, but the moment they settle into their seats, their hands find each other once again. And that's how Chris drives Ashley back to her mother's, hands gripping so tightly that they're fingers have turned white and not saying a single word the entire drive back. They never mentioned it, but neither of them have to. The moment they arrive at her place, then this is it. This will be the last time they're gonna see each other for an entire week, and the moment one of them speaks then any and all willpower they have to pull this off is going to be gone and they'll be back at where they started. They need to do this, even if neither of them want to.

It isn't until Chris pulls up in front and watches her let go of his hand to take off her seatbelt that it actually hits him. For the first time in six months, he's not going to be following her in. That he's going to continue the drive back to his own house alone. The realization shudders through him and he quickly finds himself fumbling at his own seatbelt clasp, and the moment he's free he's surging across the divide between them and taking Ashley's face in his hands as he kisses her like he's never going to be able to again. She doesn't hesitate to return the embrace either, throwing her arms around him and gripping onto him as though she never wants to let him go.

They spend what is probably far too long delaying the separation, but inevitably they do separate. And when they look at each other it's with tears in their eyes and their foreheads pressed so firmly together it's almost like they're trying to become one person.

"Just seven days, right? And that's it, we'll never have to do this again? You promise?"

Ashley doesn't say anything, she just nods and leans in for one last kiss, as though trying to memorize it and him for the coming week. And when she does pull away to leave, it's with her arms slowly untwining themselves from around Chris's neck, and then letting her fingers trail lightly over his shoulders, down his arms, and past his hands. Though she is stopped when Chris curls his fingers so that they catch on his, and doesn’t fight it as she watches wordlessly as he lifts them in front of his face and carefully lets the loose sleeves of her sweater drop so he can see the faint scars on her wrist that were left when the rope burns had healed. And as always, he makes no comment as softly places a kiss into the center of each wrist, followed by the palm, and then the tip of each finger, finally closing his eyes as he presses the back of her knuckles to his lips and holding her hands there. Just to remind himself that she was still here, that she hadn't died on Blackwood Mountain with all the rest.

He drops her hands when she pulls them back, but doesn't open his eyes when he feels her shaky fingers carefully remove his glasses and place them on the dashboard before returning her hands to his face in order to complete their little ritual. Gently, she traces the contours of his face with the pads of her thumbs, brushing them over his eyes, his nose, his lips, and following each with a soft kiss to the body part in question. Finishing as she always does by placing her lips in a closed mouth kiss to the area where his jaw and neck meet, and lingering just long enough so she can feel his pulse thrum beneath his skin. The minor burn from where he had once held the gun to his jaw had faded a long time ago, but he doesn't think that either will ever forget exactly where it used to be. And when she leans back, the usual expressions of relief and awe are hidden so far underneath the absolute heartbreak that they may as well not even exist. "I—" he starts, but stops just as quickly. It's far too overdue, but the timing isn't right. "I guess I'll see you next week then."

Ashley looks like she has something she wants to say, but instead reaches out to put Chris's glasses back on his face with shaking hands and as she opens the passenger door and gets out of the vehicle, she gives a weak smile. "Yeah, I...I'll see you then."

Chris just watches as she walks up to the building, gripping onto the steering wheel as hard as possible in an effort to hold himself back from trying to follow her into the building like every fibre of his being is screaming at him to do. And after sharing one last shaky and teary eyed smile from the top of the steps, Ashley unlocks the door and enters, leaving his sight for what feels like both the first time in forever, and the final time he'll ever get to see her.

He rushes the rest of the way home, and the moment he gets back he just about runs to his bedroom and hides under the covers of his bed, ignoring both the surprised greeting his mother sends his way and the inquiry about where Ashley is. He just wants to sleep.

The week will be over quicker that way.

***

By the end of the first day Ashley is ready to scream. Not because she misses Chris horribly (she does), or because waking up without Chris at her side had sent her into near hysterics (it did). She had expected these things after all, they were all things that she had to get used to again, he wasn't always going to be there with her after all. It still hurt—good god did it hurt—but all in all, it wasn't going terribly for the first day. She'd had no nightmares thankfully, and had spent most of the day reading, with some minor tidying up in her room and helping her mother around the house.

Oh no, the reason she was about to scream was her mother in question. Who after finding out why exactly Chris hadn't come home with her yesterday, and never made an appearance later on in the evening just before bed, had been frantic. Saundra wasn't angry, she didn't scream or yell or try to do anything that might set her daughter off, but she was being horribly insistent that maybe Ashely and Chris should have thought this through more. Asking why Ashley had never brought this up to her, and if she even mentioned that they were doing this to their doctors. She hadn't of course, because Ashley was fully aware that they would have done almost everything in their power to try and talk them out of it, telling them that the two of them weren't ready for separation of his magnitude yet. And of course neither of them were ready for this—they likely never would be—but it needed to be done if her and Chris had any hope of even trying to return to a normal lifestyle in time for them to return to college in January.

And, well, she was terrified about what would happen to them if they didn't. Sure it was deemed 'healthy' for now, as they tried and struggled to recover from what everyone around them said was a horribly traumatic series of events. But what about when it wasn't simply seen as healthy and therapeutic, but harmful and co-dependant? Ashley loved Chris, even if neither of them had said the words yet she felt it in her entire being everytime she looked at him, and the idea that one day they might grow to hate or resent each other for being unable to let go was too much. And so the completely necessary trial separation came into being. If they could prove that they could successfully be apart for something as short as a week, then this wasn't codependency in the making, it was healing pure and simple.

Now she just had to convince herself of that.

***

By early morning of the second day, Chris had finally admitted to himself what he had figured out a few short hours into his self-exiled bedrest: sleeping the week away when he had been finding it hard to sleep in general for months now was quite frankly going to be impossible. And so he had with great reluctance rolled himself out of his far too empty bed and into the shower, passing his own mother talking in hushed voices on the phone. Voices that quickly stopped the moment Lilith realized that her son was finally up and moving again, and then immediately confronting him afterwards and pleading that he tell her that nothing bad had happened between him and Ash. He weakly assures that everything's fine between them (it's not, everything is not fine, it won't be fine until she's by his side again), and that he'll talk to her after. The only thing he wants right now is a hot shower. Lilith lets him go reluctantly, but Chris is also very aware that the moment he steps foot into the bathroom, that she's going to be back on the phone with Saundra speaking in hushed and worried whispers.

The rest of the morning passes by in a haze of motherly questions—mixed with the occasional fatherly one every now and again just for spice—and a large breakfast that tastes and feels like ash in his mouth, and it bleeds into the afternoon, and then into the evening. Which finds Chris both bored out of his mind and desperate for a distraction as he digs through a pile of video games to try and find something to play. But everything he finds was either given to him by Ash, or ones the two of them had played together (if not both), so he abandons his search and instead finds himself out in the garage digging through dusty and broken down boxes until he finds the old playstation and games that his parents had gotten for him before he had ever met Ashley or...or...

Well, the point was he had a game now that carried no memories of anyone or anything except being six and terrible at video games. It does nothing to wipe away the loneliness and despair that covers him like a heavy blanket, but it's a start. An extremely stalled start to a race he wants nothing to do with, but a start nonetheless.

***

On day three, Ashley is starting to think that maybe her mom had been right and that this was such a stupid idea. Last night was especially bad. No matter how many blankets she had piled on her bed, no matter how many childhood stuffed animals she had shoved back on to fill up the empty space, none of it had helped. She had never felt so cold in her life and all the open space on the bed had made her feel like she was going to be swallowed up into the emptiness. In desperation she had started ripping the drawers from her dresser and throwing clothes from her closet, frantically holding back burning tears of frustration and the scream building up in her throat.

And then she found it. One of Chris's sweaters shoved half-hazardly away into a dark corner of her room under the bed, and had been forgotten about by the both of them until now. The immediacy with which she had fumbled to grab the thing and throw it on probably would have frightened her any other day, but with the tears finally flowing hot and heavy down her cheeks as she buried her face into the dark fibres, all she could feel was bone-crushing relief settling over her. Her room a mess she could deal with in the morning, Ashley had crawled into bed hugging herself and the sweater as close as she physically was able. She wasn't cold anymore, and the bed felt less empty too.

As long as she had a reminder that Chris was still alive, that she could still smell him even on this dusty and long-forgotten piece of clothing, then even if he wasn't physically here with her she could manage. And she would manage, she would. They were already halfway through the week after all, and she would prove to everyone—to herself—that they (she) could do this.

Ashley wears the sweater all the rest of the day once she wakes up.

***

In true Chris Hartley fashion, day four finds himself absolutely glued to the screen of his phone. Shortly after forcing down a small breakfast in an attempt to alleviate his worried parents' concern, he had spent what was probably a far too long amount of time in his text messages just staring at Ash's name. His thumbs hovering nervously over the keyboard as he fought with himself over and over again, debating if texting Ashley would be okay. Yes, the two of them had agreed that this 'break' (he hates the word, hates it hates it hates it with every fibre of his being) was needed if they wanted to try and get themselves ready for the separation that college life would inevitably bring, but that was to try and prepare themselves for not being able to see each other for long periods of time. They wouldn't be able to see each other during classes or during periods of intense studying and working on projects, but they would still be able to talk. Hell, his entire first year of college while she was still in high school had been just that. They hadn't been able to hang out in weeks, but they had still texted all the time.

So biting the bullet, Chris had gone ahead and texted Ash a quick and easy 'hey'. No 'miss you', no 'this was a terrible idea', no ' i wish you were here right now'. Just a simple 'hey' and then he stared at his phone, face pale and hands shaking as he waited to see what she would do. He didn't care if she would just send back a scathing reply about how he was breaking the rules by doing this, he just needed her to respond and reassure him that she was alright. That she was still alive and his insecurities were getting the best of him.

The phone rumbling softly in his hand was a godsend, and so too was the affirmative 'hi :)' that she had responded with. After that, it was as though the floodgates had opened. The two of them texted each other back and forth the entire rest of the day, her telling him about the books she had been reading as he told her about his adventures through late 90's and early 2000's gaming. They told each other what they had for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They talked about everything and nothing and it was so blissfully normal that Chris wondered why on earth it had taken him this long to text her in the first place. He thinks that he was so used to just having her there with him all the time, that the idea that they could still text hadn't even crossed his mind.

There are things he doesn't tell her of course. That the idea of falling asleep without knowing she's next to him and safe is so ludicrous that he had stopped trying, only sleeping in small, unintended fits that leave him feeling even worse than before. That despite at least continuing to eat, the food tastes like nothing and he can only manage a few bites before excusing himself. And what little he does eat almost always manages to come back up during the night, though thankfully when his parents are both sleeping (he doesn't want them to worry more than they already are). Chris doesn't want to worry Ashley, not when it seems like she's managing this whole seven-day long affair better than he is so far. If she can do this, then so can he.

So no matter how many times his thumb hovers over the call icon in the corner, he does not press it. Texting will have to be enough, he knows that the moment he hears her voice then every single shred of resolution he has built up will crumble in seconds and he'll be driving as fast as he can so he can see her again. And they're already four days deep into their seven days, the last thing he wants is for Ashley to decide that they need to start all this over from the top again.

***

Ashley is comfortable in her bed, more comfortable than she's ever felt in her life honestly. Chris's arm is draped heavily over her waist, and his breath is warm on the back of her neck as he peacefully naps the afternoon away. His body is solid against her back and she feels so, so safe and so, so loved as she continues to read her book, a favourite of hers that she had read cover to cover a million times but always felt like coming home in its warm familiarity. Contentedly, she flips a page and snuggles back further into Chris's body and she feels something warm and wet drip onto her neck.

"Chriiiiiiis," she groans, but not without an edge of laughter, "wake up. You're drooling on me, you dip." He doesn't move, and Ashley repositions herself a little, made difficult by the weight of his arm over her, and jabs her elbow into his gut. "I'm serious you dork, wake up. I swear to god, you sleep like the de—" The words die in her throat in horror when she turns her head to face him.

His head isn't there. Nothing is there. Just dark blood pouring hot and heavy from the open space above his neck, staining the fur lining his coat and the once clean, white snow as the blizzard rages around her. Desperate to prove that this isn't real, that it can't be real, she fumbles for the hand that hangs limp at her waist and threads her fingers through his, but his fingers are cold to the touch and black with frostbite, and no matter how hard she squeezes he isn't squeezing back. She's fully aware that she's openly crying and sobbing as she repeats his name over and over, begging him to wake up and tell her that this isn't real. Her tears are freezing on her cheeks the moment they fall.

From deep within the treeline, a high-pitched shriek that rattles the teeth in her mouth echoes long and loud around the wide, open snow-covered space.

Cries and nausea alike stick in her throat as she tries frantically to wiggle out from Chris's body, but his arm is a dead weight that keeps her pinned in place against him. "C'mon, Chris. We need to go. We need to hide. Get up, please please please get up."

There's a soft thump of a large body landing in the snow far off to the right, unseen but not unheard, and she freezes in place. Hoping and praying that the thing won't see them as she huddles in closer to the protection that Chris's body is offering, her blood stained fingers tightening painfully on his limp hand and around the leather bound journal she is still holding in her other. In fear she buries her face into the snow beneath her, the cold biting at her skin and the metallic taste of Chris's spilt blood filling her mouth and nose. For a moment, there's nothing. No sound except for the wind whistling through the trees as the snow whips wildly around them.

And then Chris is gone. The comforting and yet horrifying weight he had been is just gone as he's suddenly flung through the air and colliding into a tree with a sickening crunch. Her hand had been gripping onto his so fiercely and so tightly that she had been pulled with him for just a second before his hand had been violently ripped out of her grasp. Leaving Ashley to stare wide-eyed and terrified into the face of the thing—its body too long and spindly with far too many sharp angles to be considered human—standing above her as she lays on her back. Milky-white eyes gaze back down unseeingly at her and Chris's blood is dripping from sharp, deadly claws that splatter onto her face. The thing opens its mouth to showcase row upon row of crooked and yellowed razor-sharp teeth and it screams at her, spittle flying into Ashley's face as her ears ring and ring and ring.

Too scared to cry, too scared to move, Ashley just wishes that Chris was still here with her and not lying broken and mangled and headless at the foot of a tree as he continues to slowly bleed out into the crisp white snow. A small little whimper, barely louder than the whisper of wind blowing through grass and certainly going unheard in this howling blizzard, escapes past her lips but it's enough. In a flash, the same deadly claws are raking towards her face to rip her head off in the same way it had to Chris.

And Ashley screams.

She screams and screams and screams, and screams only louder when a pair of hands cradle her face and a voice begs and pleads with her to wake up. Ashley tries to fight back against the hands and the voice, screaming for Chris to wake up and help her, but her own words keep getting caught on the blood that is bubbling out of her mouth. There's another scream, this one not her own, and then the hands have moved to try and open her mouth but she won't let them. She doesn't want her jaw ripped off like what had happened to poor Jess. Like what she had seen in the pictures that the rangers had shown her and Chris so they could identify the half naked body discovered in the mines. So she fights back even harder, trying to claw at the person or thing that killed Chris and Jess and everyone else. And then there's a cry of pain, and the hands on her face have vanished, appearing around her wrists so they could try and hold her panicked flailing back.

The moment the hands appear on her wrists, Ashley's eyes fly open and she can't breathe. She can't breathe because she's hanging in the shed, the wood cold against her back as saws whir menacingly both in front and above her as Josh hangs limpy next to her. The lower half of his body an impossible mess on the floor and the grey intestines that had managed to stay in his upper half hanging down towards it like grotesque party streamers. From behind the steel chain link fence that partitions the room, Chris stands looking straight at her as he holds a gun to his jaw, his face pale as he smiles shakily at her and pulls the trigger.

Somehow, the scream that finally manages to break through is louder than all the rest.

There's more begging and pleading that she can't make out against the loud mechanical whir of the saws. And then a phone chimes, only just managing to cut through all the screaming and whirring and echoes of gunshots. And then it chimes again, louder this time. And again. And again. And she realizes that she recognizes it, it's the ringtone that Chris had set on her phone for his contact ages and ages ago as a joke, and she had just kept forgetting to change it back until it just became his notification, joke or not.

Slowly, the shed fades away until all she's left seeing is her mother standing in her brightly lit bedroom, screaming at someone through her phone. But all Ashley is paying attention to is the repeated chimes going off constantly on her phone one after another, the screen never getting the chance to go dark before another text comes in, and Chris's name appearing for every single one.

Saundra seems to notice that her daughter has finally stopped screaming, and although she continues to plead with whoever it is on the phone with her, she reaches out a hesitant and unsure hand. Ashley notices none of this as blood continues to dribble slowly out of her mouth as she picks up and unlocks her phone.

***

Something is wrong. Something is very, very wrong and it isn't the fact that Chris is kneeling over the toilet as he retches into it for the second time tonight. Oh no, the something wrong is due to the fact that despite it being past midnight he can hear his mom trying frantically to calm someone down on the phone. It was the phone ringing that had woken him up in fact from where he had accidentally dozed off on the couch, waking up to find the old playstation controller hanging loose in his fingers and Crash idly spinning a piece of wumpa fruit on his finger in all his polygonal glory. Chris had dropped the controller the rest of the way to the floor in his rush to the bathroom though, startling poor Toby from where he had been snoozing the night away in his dog bed. He had only barely made it before he found himself throwing up what little food he had been able to eat during the day, and the coolness of the porcelain against is forehead was a balm of relief when compared to the burning in his throat and heat of his tears as they flowed slowly down his face.

He could tell the moment that Lilith had found him from the surprised cry of alarm behind him, quickly followed by a clatter as she dropped the phone to the linoleum floor in her shock as she reached out to take her son's face in her hands. Chris knew that he must have looked a dreadful sight, his face pale and drawn while his eyes looked at her with a glassy stare. The next second, she was yelling over her shoulder for his father to wake up now and turn on the car, but Chris wasn't paying any attention to that. Not when he was just starting to make out the sound of the voice through the phone, and more importantly, the screaming in the background of the call.

That was Ashley's scream. It was a sound he didn't think he would ever be allowed to forget and it hit him that she was screaming—screaming for him—and he wasn't there.

Clumsily, he ripped his face from his mother's hands and stumbled to the living room where he had left his phone on the couch. He had to help her. She needed him and he had to help her. The moment he finally had his phone in his hand he pulled up her contact name...and then he froze unsure of what to do. He couldn't call her, not because of this whole stupid break thing, but because the sound of her voice sobbing on the phone will cause him to break down with her and the last thing either of them need is to scream and cry while they're both so, so far away from each other. So he does the next best thing he can do:

He texts her.

C: what does a cloud wear under his raincoat? C: thunderwear C: why are teddy bears never hungry? C: cause they're always stuffed C: why do ducks have tail feathers? C: to cover up their buttquacks C: what kind of shoes do private investigators wear? C: sneak-ers C: why do i never tell jokes about pizza? C: they're too cheesey

And on and on and on. Even as his fingers shake he continues to text her stupid little jokes. The same ones he tells to her when he's there to hold her in his arms and remind her that he's still okay and that she’s safe. There's no describing the sob of relief he makes when she finally responds.

C: prime-mates C: what event do spiders love to attend? A: Cats C: webbings

There's a moment where he doesn't know what she means by that. How on earth could cats be the pun he was looking for in the joke? And then it hits him. She needs to know that it's really him telling these jokes and that she's not just making up everything she's seeing on her phone. Ashley is asking for the stupidest jokes about cats he knows so she can confirm that it's really him on the phone. Even tired as he is—and he is so so tired—they come naturally to him as only talking with Ashley and middle school dad jokes ever did.

C: what's a cat's favourite colour? C:purr-ple C: what do you call a cat that loves to bowl? C: an alley cat C: what's a cat's favourite tv show? C: claw and order C: what does the cat say after making a joke? C: just kitten

And so on and so forth. Ashley throws out a new topic for jokes and Chris replies with them as quickly as he can. He can hear his mom and dad talking in the next room, to each other and Saundra on the phone, but the only person he cares about is the one on the other side of his. He needs to call her. He knows what Ashley needs when she has a nightmare this bad, and the jokes are helping but she needs to hear his voice to be truly convinced that he's okay. But he can't hear hers without making things so much worse than they already are and he doesn't know what to say that would calm her down and—he stares at the last joke he had just typed out unconsciously it hits him.

C: what did the two volcanoes say to each other? C: i lava you C: i'm going to call your phone but whatever you do don't answer it C: just let it go to voicemail and please don't answer it C: please

Chris doesn't wait for her response as he shoves past his father to his bedroom, ignoring the startled shout as he slams the door behind him, and slumps against it to the floor. He doesn't want his parents to hear this. It's not anything that would worry them, but it's so so private and the only person he wants to hear this is Ash. He still doesn't look at her response as he frantically taps the call button and listens to the phone ring. And ring. And ring. And ring. And ring. And then, finally, he hears her voice for the first time in nearly a week.

"Hi, this is Ashley. Sorry I can't come to the phone right now but leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Promise!"

***

Please enter your password.

6279#

You have one new voice message. To play your messages, press one. To record—

1

"I love you. I'm so sorry that I'm not there so say it to your face but I love you so much that I can't fucking stand it somedays and I should have told you ages ago. I should have said it five days ago but I didn't. I should have been saying it to you before falling asleep and after waking up every day. On the helicopter ride down the mountain. When you kissed me for the first time. I think I was lying when I said that nothing was wasted between us, because I should have been screaming this to you from the first moment you smiled at me. I wasted so much time not telling you this so I'm going to say it now. I love you, I love you, I love you, I lo—"

To replay this message: press one. To go to—

1

"I love you. I'm so sorry that I'm not there so say it to your face but I love you so much that I can't fucking stand it somedays and I should have told you ages ago. I should have said something five days ago but I didn't. I should have been saying it to you before falling asleep every night and after waking up every morning. On the helicopter ride down the mountain. When you kissed me for the first time. I think I was lying when I said that nothing was wasted between us, because I should have been screaming this to you from the first moment you smiled at me over that diner's table. I wasted so much time not telling you this so I'm going to say it now. I love you, I love you, I love you, I lo—"

1

"I love you. I'm—"

1

"I love you."

1

"I love you."

1

"I love you."

1

"I love you. I'm so sorry that I'm not there so say it to your face but I love you so much that I can't fucking stand it somedays and I should have told you ages ago. I should have said something five days ago but I didn't. I should have been saying it to you before falling asleep every night and after waking up every morning. On the helicopter ride down the mountain. When you kissed me for the first time. I think I was lying when I said that nothing was wasted between us, because I should have been screaming this to you from the first moment you smiled at me over that diner's table. I wasted so much time not telling you this so I'm going to say it now. I love you, I love you, I love you, I lo—"

To replay this message: press one. To go to the previous message: press one one. To pause during message playback: press two. To fast forward a message during playing: press three. To hear this message, and the time it was delivered: press five. To copy this message to another person: press six. To erase this message and go to the next: press seven. To reply: press eight. To save this message and go to the next: press nine. To—

9

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A: I need you A: Please A: Please A: I need you A: I need you A: I need you

Please enter your password.

***

The car ride over was almost unbearable. Chris wasn't driving himself fortunately, with how tired and anxious he had been feeling for days now it would have been an absurdly stupid idea that likely would have ended in his death if he wasn't extremely lucky. As it was, he had been ready to go and beg a ride from his parents but had found Gabe already standing by the front door with the keys in hand. His almost pure white hair messy from being pulled from bed unexpectedly and leveling Chris with a glare that brooked no argument. It wasn't an argument that Chris intended to fight against as he hugged his father hard in thanks before climbing into the back of the vehicle.

But the drive had felt so much longer than it usually did, and Ashley having stopped responding to his texts certainly hadn't helped matters any. He still sent them anyways, more for his own reassurance than hers now. Lilith sat in the passenger seat next to her husband, still talking on the phone to Saundra to give progress reports and reassurances that yes the three of them were on their way now, even as she sent the occasional nervous glances at Chris in the backseat. Though worried for him or for the car upholstery in case the movement of the vehicle set off his gag reflex was anyone's guess.

The moment Chris felt the vehicle slow down his eyes jumped to the window and saw the familiar and welcoming shape of Ashley's building and he was already fumbling with seatbelt and opening the car door before they had even fully stopped. He hears his parent's cry out in shock as he dives out the still moving (even if very slowly) vehicle and he's stumbling towards the door. Chris realizes in horror that in his hurry to leave he had managed to completely forget his keys by the front door, and in the time it takes him to realize that the door has already opened. Saundra is standing in front of him dressed up for her overnight shift at the dispatch center that she is now extremely late for, and phone held up to her ear as she stares at him with wide eyes.

Chris doesn't even bother to say thanks or remark about the deep scratches on her cheek, the pair still bleeding just a little, before he's shoving his way past her and up the stairs to where Ashley's room is. He trips on the last step and falls forward, his phone skittering across the floor, but leaves it once he gets to his feet and just about barges into her room.

He takes barely a moment to stare at Ashley huddled up on her bed, looking so small in his dark sweater, and her eyes squeezed shut as her phone is pressed as close to her ear as possible as she rocks back and forth. There's a thin streak of dried blood from her mouth all the way down her chin and her eyes fly open in shock when he takes an unsteady step towards her. For a split second he's too scared to move, he doesn't want to frighten her anymore than she already is, but then the phone drops from her fingers and she whimpers out his name like she can’t believe he’s really here and he breaks.

He's already fully crying as he collides into her on the bed, but so is she so there's no need to feel embarrassed about that. He can hear his own voice as a tinny facsimile from the phone as the voicemail continues to play out before starting off into the electronic drone of the operator, but he ignores it for the feel of Ashley's arms wrapped firmly around him, her hands clawing into the back of his shirt to try and hold him closer as they both sob bitterly into each others shoulders. Chris is the first to pull back, though it's just so he can hold her face in his hands as he presses their foreheads together, thumbs wiping away tears that won't stop falling even as he continues to cry himself, just soaking in her presence in front of him. Ashley takes no time for her hands to start roaming all over his skin when they snake underneath his shirt, just feeling the unmarked bare skin as she searches for wounds and marks that no longer exist or have never even existed in the first place.

The two of them sit there like that for an unknown amount of time, just confirming that the other is truly alive and safe. Until Ashley slowly removes her hands from under his shirt so she can drag him down and forward into a deep kiss. A kiss that is by all accounts is downright awful considering that Chris never got the chance to rinse out his mouth and all he can taste is the blood in Ashley's from where she had bit her tongue during her nightmare at some point. Neither of them care. And he still doesn't care when Ashley starts to leave what may very well be slightly bloody kisses as she trails her lips from his mouth to the corner of his lips, across his cheek, and down his jaw until she finds the spot she's looking for and stops there so she can feel his frantic pulse thrumming beneath the skin. She holds her mouth there for what many would likely consider to be an uncomfortably long amount of time, but Chris says nothing. Not when he's now too busy picking up where Ashley had let off, letting his hands skate over the area of her stomach and waist beneath her shirt and his sweater.

The moment the two of them have calmed down enough that the sobs have lessened into quiet tears, Ashley finally removes her lips from his jaw and lowers one of her hands so she can place it flat on his chest and can feel his heart thumping steadily beneath her hand. Chris lets a hand cover hers to hold it there while he carefully places the other on the back of her neck, this thumb soothingly rubbing back and forth to comfort her. And gently, so gently, he brings their foreheads back together as they let the last of their adrenaline run out.

She's safe. He's safe. They're both safe and that is all that matters right now.

"I'm sorry," Ashley is the first to speak and words catch and almost shatter on the way out. "I'm so sorry. This was such a stupid idea and—"

He doesn't disagree with her. This had been a terrible idea from the start and while she's not wrong that they need to get used to not being around all the time, this was too much too soon. For both of them it seems. "I can't do that again Ash," he says instead. "We'll figure something out. Make agreements with our dorm roommates if we have to, force the college heads to accept our emails and the doctors advice, or rent the shittiest and cheapest apartment we can find. I don't care. We'll figure it out, but I can't do that again Ash. I love you but I can't."

Ashley nods weakly against his head in agreement. She can't do it again either. The two of them had barely lasted five days after all, and this whole failed endeavour had probably sent them back months. "I love you too. I love you so so much. You can't leave me, Chris, please. You can't. Not tonight."

He has no intention to, he doesn't know what his parents intended bringing him here, or if they thought he'd be going back home with them after this, but he's not going anywhere. They'll have to drag him kicking and screaming from the bed if they try, and now that the adrenaline has finally worn off, the lack of sleep he'd been having the last five days is hitting him and he is just so, so very tired. So tired, that all he gives in reply is just a reassuring forehead kiss in promise that he won't be going anywhere, not for a long time if he can help it, and then starts to bring Ashley down so she can lay on the bed with him. She follows without a fight.

It only takes them a moment to settle, Ashley laying so her front is flush to his back as is physically possible with her arm draped over his waist and fingers threaded tightly through his. Chris takes her other hand so he can softly kiss her inner wrist and then holds the knuckles lightly to his lips. The two of them slowly drifting off as Ashley continues to softly whisper declarations of love into the back of his neck.

Chris's eyes are closed, just enjoying her whispers that are meant just for him to hear, and even then he can tell that someone is standing in the door and watching them. But even if he opened his eyes to see who it was, with his glasses now resting in their spot on Ashley’s bedside table, he wouldn’t be able to tell anyway. And he’s just far too exhausted to even try right now. It’s only her mom anyway, or one of his parents—quite possibly all three of them—and he knows that come morning and after hours and hours of sleep, that there are going to be some conversations and intense worried scolding that need to be had. But with Ashley's fingers squeezing around his, and him squeezing back just as firmly, he doesn't care.

For the first time in a little over five days, the two of them fall asleep peacefully. Secure and content in the knowledge that they’re not gonna have to do this again, not for a very, very long time.

#my writing #pride month prompt challenge #until dawn #chris hartley #ashley brown #chrashley #is a sad heartbreaking story #lik dis if you cry #asdsakjdasd

[wordsfromthesol]

Pretend to be Friends

Author: @wordsfromthesol Taglist: @anousiemay @malfoys-demigod @pricetagofficial​ @zphilophobiaz Pairing: Jason Todd x Reader Summary: Red Hood took an interest in a the new vigilante in town…you. Warnings: Injuries, language Word Count: 2.0k A/N: Still in Mobile and haven’t had much time to write, so this is one I finished before work went crazy. 

"So, you must be new." You heard the voice echo behind you. Letting out an exasperated sigh, you turned around to face the vigilante. It was only a matter of time before one of the big ones discovered who you were.

"Not really. No." The response was short and bitter.

"Ouch, alright. Well, I'm Red Hood."

"I know." The words left a bite in the air as you leapt off the building.

The next three nights your vision was plagued by that irksome red helmet. How he figured out where you were still puzzled you, but if he was going to stick around you might as well talk to him. "ALRIGHT!" You screamed across the alley way towards the building you saw him lurking on. "I give in!" Though his face was covered, you knew he was smirking underneath the mask as he sauntered towards you.

"So, Eclipse, is it?" Red Hood named you as he approached.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised." You scoffed at the vigilante name you had chosen. "So, why have I had a tail these past few nights?" Though you rarely used the confrontational approach in real life, once you put on the mask you gained a newfound confidence. And tonight, you were putting that to use.

"Oh…I just…well you didn't seem to have anyone. And this job is dangerous." Though that was partially true, there was also something about you that intrigued Jason…though he couldn't put his finger on what exactly it was.

"Well I don't see any Red Hood minions around either."

"Yeah, but I have friends." He pointed to his helmet, "if I need them." You didn't bother with a response, instead choosing to look out over the city below. You knew there were other vigilantes, but it hadn't registered that they may actually know each other. "Just let me give you my number. In case --"

Before Red Hood could finish the sentence, you interjected. "I think I can handle it. Thanks." And with that, you were gone again.

**

The next few nights you didn't see the familiar red helmet looming in the distance…maybe you actually did scare him off. Though just as the thought crossed your mind, the vigilante collapsed on the roof's edge next to you.

"Quiet night, huh?"

"Yeah. All I had was a purse snatcher."

"Dang. Was really hoping to get some punches in." Red Hood almost seemed disheartened that crime was low for the night. You almost didn't ask, but the non-vigilante side won out this time.

"And why the need to punch someone?"

Even through the helmet, you heard the hero let out a big sigh. "Just family issues. My older brother is driving me crazy. And then the old man comes in…let's just say I didn't stick around to be further berated."

"Oh we've got family issues, do we?" You questioned, raising an eyebrow at how much Hood seemed to be opening up to you.

"Ha! My family is one big issue."

"Do they…uh…" The question didn't need finishing.

"Unfortunately. Yours?"

"Oh…uh." You were unprepared for the rebound question. No one ever seems to actually take an interest in your life. "No. They don't. I don't have many though and none of them live close."

"I don't blame them. Gotham is one big clusterfuck after another."

"Yeah." The two of you sat in silence for almost an hour before finally parting ways.

**

After that night it wasn't unusual for Red Hood to join you on patrols or stake outs. Finally, after a few months and a close call, you took him up on his offer.

"Alright Hood, you win." You commented as you approached his perch on the roof ledge.

"Well I always like to win…but what exactly did I win?"

"I'll take your number. For emergencies."

"What happened?" You could hear the apprehension in his voice.

"Nothing!" You spat out the word, not realizing the question had barely left his lips. He stood there, staring at you in silence. You were determined not to break, but then he took his helmet off. The domino mask underneath wasn't enough to cover up his concerned expression. "It was nothing, I promise. Just a close call. I didn't even realize how close until after the fight was over. And I saw a bullet hole in the brick, inches from my chest. So I just thought…well you're right. This is a dangerous job and I should have someone to call if I need backup." Content with your explanation, Red Hood stretched out his hand, gesturing for your phone.

**

Red Hood started showing up on almost every patrol. Though he seemed content to let you do the fighting, he was always there waiting on the rooftop afterwards. You began to think it almost pointless to have his emergency number, when was always a block away, waiting for you to join him. That was until you had to use it. It had almost been a year since you met Red Hood when the fateful night came.

You had been chasing down a new drug ring starting up in town. Following the dealer into the alleyway, you were met with two burly men armed with 9mm pistols.

"Is this your definition of an ambush?" You scoffed at the turnout as you barreled towards the two. Though just as the two landed against the asphalt, you heard a crack as a force pulled your leg from under you. Turning around, you saw another man holding a baseball bat. You took a sharp inhale and ran at the new assailant. As he fell to the floor, you heard more voices and footsteps. Angry voices. Putting as much force as possible on the uninjured leg, you hopped over to the nearby fire escape ladder. Jumping up, you slowly crawled up to the landing and pushed yourself against the wall. You pulled out your phone and texted "911" to Red Hood as you hoped the reinforcements didn't find your hiding place.

Almost as soon as the new goons saw their co-conspirators laying on the asphalt, they left. You only had to wait a few more minutes before you heard the familiar sound of Red Hood's motorcycle. A sigh of relief flooded your body as you hopped back over to the fire escape ladder.

"Eclipse?!" You heard Red Hood's exasperated cry through the alleyway.

"I'm here!" Before you could continue or explain, Red Hood interjected.

"What the fuck! You send a 911 text and then don't answer your damn phone! I thought you were dead or bleeding out or some shit!" Red Hood couldn’t seem to stop the spew of words leaving his mouth. Your feet…or rather foot, finally hit the ground. You winced from the pain shooting up your leg as you leaned against the cold metal. Hood immediately noticed your expression change. "What's wrong?" He realized this should have probably been his first question, after all this is the first time you had ever asked for his help.

"My leg." You nodded towards one of the assailants on the ground. "That asshole blindsided me with a bat." You watched the anger surge through him as he came to your side, you were almost glad the culprit was unconscious. Who knows what Hood would have done to him.

After one look at the damage done, Red Hood made another call. Apparently he did have other vigilante friends. "Red Robin, I'm going to need the car. And get the doc ready."  

"Really, it's fine. I'm sure I can take care of it." You tried to weasel your way out of, well not only meeting more vigilantes, but also owing Red Hood a favor.

"Yeah…right." He glared at you, as you clutched the fire escape. "Totally in hand." Before you could protest, he was picking you up and carrying you to the edge of the alleyway. A car abruptly came to a stop in front of you and another hero stepped out.

"So you're the one Hood's always sneaking off to hang out with." A devilish smirk lined the dark haired boy's face.

"Can it replacement. Motorcycle's over there." Red Hood pointed a block south. As Red Robin began his walk, Hood screamed after him, "AND IF I SEE ONE SCRATCH ON IT!"

**

You pulled up to an unfamiliar place, but Red Hood already proved his connections in Gotham…so you supposed you had to trust him. Not that you had much of a choice at this point. There was no hope you were moving on this leg anytime soon.

"So, whose this doctor then?"

"Someone we trust. When the patch ups are too much for us to handle ourselves." He said it as if what happened was normal, no big deal. You couldn't get anymore questions out before you were met with a pretty blonde doctor and a wheelchair.

"Do I want to know?" She questioned as she wheeled you into the building and straight to the x-ray room.

"Just an asshole with a baseball bat and some luck." You tried not to look down at the damage it had caused. It seemed like hours went by as your injured leg was manipulated in ways it definitely shouldn't have been. Finally, you were wheeled back to a room. Much to your surprise, Red Hood was waiting patiently for you.

"Well?" He blurted out the question before you and the doctor could even get in the room.

She let out a deep sigh, "Well it's not great. A section of her fibula is shattered and she has a compound fracture in her tibia."

"So surgery?" Your voice went solemn.

"Unfortunately. Fairly routine though. Plates and a rod will reconnect your fibula, and we'll put some pins to realign the tibia."

"Great. So does that happen here…or…?" You still weren't sure how you were going to get through all of this without anyone noticing or revealing who you were.

"Here and now. We…" the doctor turned her head and glared at Red Hood, still lingering in the room, "will leave you to put on a gown. You can keep your mask on."

**

You assumed hours had passed, but it only seemed a few seconds to you. As your eyes fluttered open, you first noticed the new bandaging around your leg and then your eyes drifted to the man sitting in the corner of the room. "Why are you looking at me like that." You weren't even sure how your mind formed a complete sentence.

"Doll, I'm not looking at you like anything. Stop being paranoid."

"You don't have to pretend to be my friend or anything." The words were falling out of your mouth before you could stop them. Why would you even say that?

"Well, I'm not pretending. You know me better than anyone." At this point Jason was pretty sure that the combination of pain medicine and the anesthetic was causing the bizarre line of questioning. You had to have known that you were friends, right?

"Please, I don’t even know who you really are."

"And that is why you know me best. No preconceived notions."

"Oh so you're important then?" You chuckled before adding, "or just a dick."

"That's my brother." Red Hood laughed at the pun you didn't understand, before looking over and seeing the confused sad look gracing your features. "Look, I don't even know if you'll remember this…" He slowly pulled off the domino mask hiding his face. "But my name is Jason, Jason Todd."

A faint smile graced your lips as you followed his lead, "Y/N, Y/N  Y/L/N." The two of you broke out in laughter at the drama of it all before hastily putting the masks back on as you heard footsteps headed your way.

#jason todd x reader #Jason Todd #jason todd fanfic #jason todd imagine #jason todd oneshot #red hood #red hood fanfic #red hood x reader #red hood imagine #red hood oneshot #BatFam #batfam fanfic #batfam imagine #batfamily #batfam x reader #batboys #batboys x reader #batboys imagine #batboys x you #batboys fanfic

[princessamericachavez]

Something has changed. Daniel doesn’t know what, not for sure, but somewhere in between falling asleep next to the healing pod and waking up to find out they’d apparently been stuck in an “endless time loop” without him even realizing, something shifted.

Daniel knows better than to harbor hope. The moment he realized his growing feelings (they’d been blossoming for a while but didn’t hit him full force until the moment of choice came and he didn’t hesitate at all to stay by his side) he knew acting on them was not a choice. Life is complicated enough as it is and Daisy should be focused on recovery and the mission. The last thing he wants to do is stand on her way. So he settles for helping and supporting her, because it’s the best way he knows how to show affection, to stay around her without letting his selfish feelings take over when she clearly has no time for them.

And yet, something has changed. He catches Daisy’s eyes on him more than once as she debriefs the team about what apparently transpired. She seems troubled, so he follows her as the rest of the team splits up to work on their respective areas to get things up and running again.

“Hey,” he calls after her one he catches up (much easier now thanks to Simmons’s new leg).

Daisy turns and the expectation reflected on her face catches him off guard for a second. Not that he would show it.

“So that was a lot,” he says, fighting his own impulse to stand closer to her than would be polite, no matter how badly he wishes to offer his touch for comfort. “Are you alright?”

He expects annoyance from her. He knows her type, and they are not people who take well to others worrying over them. Instead, her face softens with something a more hopeful man would call fondness.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” she sighs, as expected, but then adds, “I’m actually exhausted, but it’s all mental, probably. My body has only really been up for, like, an hour.”

“To be fair, you should probably be resting, but I’m guessing I’m not gonna have much luck convincing you to go back to that pod.”

Daisy chuckles and it makes something flutter in his stomach.

“Yeah, not in a million years. Besides, there’s too much to be done around here.”

“Alright,” he sighs. “Then, how can I help?”

Her eyes sparkle, mischievous, as if his words were part of a private joke between them. He wishes they were, that he could share secrets with her and share that coyness for a change. But he doesn’t and the moment fades.

“I have to do a check of the Zephyr’s systems, make sure everything is working well after the time storm. It might be a bit digital for you. Maybe you should check with Deke, I’m sure he’ll be busy assessing any damage and controlling any fires the flares might have started.”

He bites down on his disappointment. He likes Deke perfectly well but he is not the person he was hoping to spend time with right now. He wishes she wasn’t sending him away like that.

“Of course,” he nods and walks away. She’s right, of course, the rest of the crew need him too and he would be useless compared to her computer skills anyway. His world and hers are too different.

The fires, turns out, are literal. He spends the better part of the day running around the damn plane with an extinguisher in hand. By the end, he is pretty sure all of him is smoked, sweaty and disheveled. Probably not his best look, judging by the bewildered look that Daisy sends his way when she appears on the mess that night.

“You look like you could use a drink,” she says and there’s nothing new about the friendly offer, he shouldn’t read into it but it does lift his spirts.

Taking his smile for an answer, she pours two glasses of whiskey and hands him one, sitting opossite to him. Again, her eyes on him, like she’s trying to crack a problem. He can feel that shift even more clearly, but he still can’t put his finger on it.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” He offers, fishing for it blindly.

The flash of surprise that crosses her face tells him that there is something there, something new to talk about. He is not making this up, is he?

“Maybe later,” she shrugs. “Honestly, I am still trying to process the whole dying 15 times thing.”

Daniel flinches slightly at the thought. He remembers how close she was, back on that shed, and how he’d promised himself to keep her alive. She’s too good, too brave, too selfless. People like her don’t get enough happy endings. 15 times in that loop, she didn’t. He couldn’t stop it.

“You died once too, you know,” she whispers, eyes low on the table. “That I can remember, at least.”

He can feel the guilt in her voice and hates that he caused it. She doesn’t need to lose anyone else, to carry more guilt than she clearly already does. She shouldn’t have to see him die, no matter how temporary.

“I’m sorry,” he offers.

Her eyes dart up, unreadable. “Don’t be. You saved me from a trap, we got to avoid my forgetting everything all over again.”

“Well, then, it was worth it,” he decided. “I’m still sorry you had to see that. Can’t be easy, anyway.”

“It wasn’t.”

So that is what changed, he decides. She watched him die and now feels bad about it, or weird maybe that he is still around and unaware of it. It makes sense.

“You should get some rest, Daisy. It’s been a long day, especially for you.”

“You should rest too, you know? I’m not the only one that was stuck in that shed. When’s the last time you got some real sleep?”

“I sleep,” he replies, defensively. It earns him a playful smile.

“So do I.”

Busted. He laughs, so does her. Something sparkles between them, tense, and he has to refrain himself from asking if it’s her powers doing it.

“You have a perfectly good bed, you know?” Daisy shoots at him, with a smirk.

Sousa nearly chokes with his drink as his mind stumbles over the suggestiveness of those words. Did she mean-? She couldn’t. He wishes she did. Did she? Why is she looking at him like that? Does she know? Fuck.

He struggles to find words. She laughs. This woman will be the dead of him.

“I’m just saying, your bunk might not be the fanciest but I’m sure it has to be more comfortable than a chair in the medbay.”

Oh. Daniel looks down to repress a blush.

“Right. Yeah. Probably.”

“Make you a deal. I’ll rest if you do.”

She’s trying to look after him. The embarrassment subsides as Daniel’s chest, replaced by warmth. He smiles at her.

“You got it, Johnson.”

After a shower, he climbs into his bed (he’s barely used it since he was plucked out of his time). He falls asleep faster than he expected. Daisy was right, he is bone tired.

His mind conjures bits and pieces of today, Daisy’s smile, the mischievous glint in her eyes, her sitting in front of him, leaned forward, inviting and open. It feels like a memory but it is a dream, like the touch of her lips against him, her hands resting on his chest, his arms pressing her waist tightly against him. He dreams of her taste, of her breath brushing against him as she pulls away, of a smile reminiscent of the one she sent him earlier. “That’s nice,” she whispers and he wants to scream that it was far more than nice but he is rendered speechless.

Daniel wakes up with the certainty that something has shifted and he finally knows what: he’s fallen even deeper for Daisy Johnson than he ever thought possible, maybe more than he will be able to hide for much longer.

#daisysous #dousy #sousy #daniel sousa #daisy johnson #agents of shield #I NEED MORE PINING DANIEL IN MY LIFE #AND PINING DAISY THROWING HIM OFF HIS RYTHM #sofia’s nonsense

[raven-moon33]

Agh, sorry this is so late! I was planning on posting at least two more stories for #jttwfestival2020, so naturally my computer decided to break down the last few weeks of December. ;;

So, here is my exceedingly late contribution for Day #6: Make Your Own Bizarre AU! I will be cross-posting this on my AO3 profile, RavenMoon33, so feel free to check it out there as well.

This is a superhero AU (because I’m just a sucker for those tbh), so for some basic information:

Guanyin is a director/supervisor (think Nick Fury but better) working for the Lotus Syndicate (superhero agency) who goes under the codename Bodhisattva, Sanzang is one of her tech guys (think Q) whose codename is Monk, while the rest of the pilgrims are miscellaneous superheroes put together to be one of the Lotus Syndicates best superhero teams.

I’m already building up a bigger story and world for this (because I can’t seem to help myself apparently) and I do plan on continuing it with at least a few more parts/chapters. I’m not sure yet if I’ll be posting subsequent parts on Tumblr or if I’ll just keep them all on AO3 in a single story/series (purely out of laziness lmao) so keep an eye out for updates there if you like it.

Alright, ramble over. Please enjoy and let me know what you guys think!

“Monk, thank you for coming on such short notice. Please, take a seat.” Sanzang took a deep breath to hide his nerves and did as Guanyin bid him, sinking into the comfortable cushioned chair opposite her desk as well as he could with prickles of anxiety keeping his body tense and alert. He kept his briefcase clutched tightly to his chest as if it could be a barrier between them. 

“There’s no need to be so anxious,” she laughed, “I promise I didn’t call you here for anything bad.” He gave a pointed look to the tea set and trays of cookies and sweets positioned strategically on the desk, an obvious bribe if ever he saw one.

“Bodhisattva, the last time you called me in here like this you assigned me to the Five Finger Mountain case.” 

“Which turned out well, didn’t it?” She replied, sipping serenely at her tea. He blinked at her, flabbergasted, for a moment.

“I nearly died at least three times, nearly got fired, and spent a full month surviving in the woods on my own!” He stood up angrily when she just continued to stir her tea, pointing an accusing finger at her. “I’m just a tech guy, I wasn’t even supposed to be out on the field! What part of that is good?”

“The part where you rooted out dozens of spies in our network, exposed one of our highest-ranking members for corruption, and got half a dozen of our operatives out of enemy territory after they’d been held prisoner for years, all from your computer in the middle of a run-down shack in the woods?” 

He opened his mouth to protest, he had just been doing his job after all, but she cut him off before he could even start. 

“Or perhaps before that, when you helped save countless civilian lives by actively going out to the mountain site yourself and manually disabling the satellite gun before it could wipe out a quarter of the population, because no one else would listen to you and I was busy being framed for everything going wrong?” He sheepishly sunk down into his seat at her firm look, fighting the urge to hide his very red face in his hands. 

He couldn’t exactly brush the whole thing off as nothing with her sitting right there in front of him, knowing more about what exactly those two months had been like for him than anyone else did. She didn’t seem angry at least, the same as she had when he refused a promotion and the rewarded recognition the higher-ups offered him after it was all said and done. 

(He didn’t want the glory of being the person who wasn’t fast enough, smart enough, good enough to save the seventeen people who died between the time he figured out what was really going on and the time he finally gave up on The Lotus Syndicate getting anything done and going rogue. Three days, seventeen people- he should’ve been better. He didn’t want the operatives who made it out of there trying to thank him when they’d been stuck in a dark basement for months, some years, while he’d been off doing who knows what. He should’ve been better. He didn’t want the glory). 

But she at least understood, later, when he explained it to her, so she wasn’t angry anymore. He still couldn’t bear to meet her eyes though. Eventually, she took pity on him, handing him a steaming cup of tea. An olive branch. 

A few moments of silence passed.

“I was just doing my job.” He muttered at last, sullenly stirring sugar into his tea, accepting the silent apology for what it was. Neither of them liked to think too deeply about that time. She smiled gently at him, the warmth of it easing the tension out of his muscles. The tense air around them cleared.

“And you performed admirably. You are one of the best tech operatives in the business after all, if not the best.” He shook his head slightly, but didn’t try to protest. Questionable heroics aside, he was good at what he did, and they both knew it. “Which is why I’ve called you in here today. I have a new assignment for you.” 

He perked up when she placed a folder on the desk between them, eager to leave the shadowy confines of the past behind. Besides, he’d been stuck on filing duty for the past month thanks to Guanyin’s momentary absence and his temporary supervisor hating his guts for whatever reason, and he was bored.

“What is it?” He asked, even as he reached forward and plucked the folder off the desk.

“Have you heard of the Nomads?” He snorted and gave her a disbelieving look.

“No,” he drawled sarcastically, “I can’t say I’ve heard of our most powerful superhero team, the ones who have racked up almost half a trillion dollars in damages in the last year alone and who have single handedly caused the PR department to go on strike no less than three times in the last two years.” Her mouth twisted into a wry yet fond smile.

“They are a handful, but their results more than make up for their more… unique methods.”

“Reckless methods, more like it.” He muttered, starting to flip through the file when she only nodded serenely at him. “What about them?”

“I want you to be their new tech.” He nearly choked on his tea.

“You want me to what?!”

“Be their new tech.” She repeated firmly, setting down her teacup and fixing him with the no-nonsense look he knew better than to ignore. “They’ve become one of our most powerful assets in only two years, but any team without a good tech is basically flying blind. They’ve been doing good out on the field, but they’re not as new as they used to be. The enemy will start to figure out their weaknesses soon, and without a good operative they can trust to lead them well when they’re in dangerous situations, they have a pretty glaring one.”

“You’re not telling me they’ve been operating for two years without a tech?!” He asked incredulously.

“Of course not! I make sure they have a tech for every mission, but,” here she sighed and rubbed at her temple, and she must’ve been exceedingly stressed out if she was actually showing physical signs of it, “they’ve also managed to drive away every tech I’ve assigned to them within a month or flat out refuse to work with the ones who don’t run. They need a good operative, someone competent who won’t run away when the going gets tough, until I can find a more permanent replacement. The pickings are slim, and I want to avoid having to start poaching techs from other departments if I can help it.” 

She looked at him then, her eyes beseeching him in the way they only did when she was asking for a favor as a friend, and not as his boss. 

“You’re the best pick for the job, because you know what you’re doing and I know I can count on you to do it well.” He could feel himself wavering now, and he could tell she knew it too. “Please Sanzang, you’re the only person I can trust with this right now.” He sighed and slumped back in his chair, defeated.

“How long do you want me on this then?” 

“Seventeen months.”

“Seventeen-?!”

“Just until my assistant, Novice, gets back from his mission with the Jade Apprentices,” she interrupted, a hand raised in a plea for civility, “then you can have any position or assignment you want as thanks for taking this one on.” 

He paused, considering.

“Even at Thunderclap? You know I don’t like working on the field.” And a position at Thunderclap would practically guarantee he’d never have to go on the field again.

“Yes,” she nodded after a significant pause, though she didn’t seem particularly happy about it, “even at Thunderclap. You’ve more than earned it, if that’s what you truly want.” He sighed in relief and nodded. 

“Alright then. Seventeen months.”

“Seventeen months.” She agreed. “You can have the rest of today off, but you’ll be flying out to their main base in Beijing tomorrow morning. I’ll send you the relevant details tonight, but until then try to get some rest. You’ll need it.”

-

Sanzang did not rest. Once he got home (or rather, the hotel room he’d been living out of for the past few weeks- staying in the same place for too long made him nervous nowadays) he hunkered down in front of his computer monitors and spent the night doing research on the group he’d be spending the next year and a half babysitting.

The Nomads were made up of four members, each more powerful and dangerous than the next. 

Freefall, Red Sand, Nine-Toothed Boar, and last but certainly not least, their leader Great Sage. 

With the notable exception of Great Sage, each member of the group had been employed by the Lotus Syndicate for at least a few years before falling out of grace in one way or another, whether through an excessive amount of public damage getting them demoted to less than stellar positions in the Syndicate (Freefall and Red Sand) or the sheer amount of HR complaints getting them flat-out fired (Nine-Toothed Boar). 

The three of them were only reinstated as high-ranking superheroes after the Five Finger Mountain incident revealed a distressing amount of Lotus’ heroes to be corrupt, severely depleting the Syndicate’s fighting force and requiring many previously fired or demoted heroes to be reinstated (even if only temporarily).

 The three were put on a team with one of the Syndicate’s newest and most powerful superheroes (Great Sage, who as far as Sanzang could tell seemed to have popped up out of nowhere) both as a PR stunt (public damage and HR complaints or not, the three were still public favorites and no one was more popular in the public eye than the Great Sage himself) and as a way to keep a close eye on all of them, just in case.

Regardless of their rocky relationship with the Lotus Syndicate however, no one could deny they did amazing work. 

It seemed every week there was a new story popping up in headlines about their latest accomplishment in making the world a safer place; stopping bank robberies, rescuing hostages, uncovering shady gang operations, saving the entire world from some type of otherworldly threat, fetching cats stuck in trees- you name it, they’ve done it at least twice in the past six months alone. 

Sanzang couldn’t deny they did a lot of good, helped a lot of people, but even just looking at the reports on the damages left over from their altercations with criminals made a headache start throbbing behind his eyes. And he wasn’t even technically responsible for them yet! 

He sighed and started compiling folders on all four of them; their powers, their personalities, their greatest successes, their worst failures, every scrap of a clue to each one’s backstory. 

Forewarned is forearmed after all, and dammit, Sanzang was nothing if not prepared.

(Sanzang would soon come to learn that when it came to dealing with the Nomads, there was, in fact, no way to be prepared.)

#jttwfestival2020 #jttw #journey to the west #sun wukong #Tang Sanzang #Bodhisattva Guanyin #My writing #yes I had way too much fun coming up with all the names #even though it should've taken me like #five minutes max #but we're going to ignore that because #SECRET IDENTITIES AND MISUNDERSTANDINGS ARE MY BREAD AND BUTTER #bring all the wacky hijinks and hilarious miscommunication #it shall be amazingly cringe don't worry guys

[onlytaylor]

Drarry + Facing Demons and Finding Family

Tw: mentions of symptoms of depression, anxiety, ptsd, and child abuse. All are resolved with a happy ending.

Draco Malfoy walks the cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley, and it’s different now. The way it had bustled with a vibrant vivacity in his younger years is long gone now, replaced by the mediocrities that come with running errands and making stops for work. It had been repaired, for the most part, after the war, but something about the shadows of buildings that used to be constructed just a little bit different haunts Malfoy in his steps.

He turns to glance over his shoulder when the sound of a child laughing fills the spaces between bustling bodies and adult feet. A familiar tuft of blue hair comes dashing forward, and Draco feels a momentary reprieve from his own hollow dissonance. His face lights up as the boy throws his arms around his neck, crying “Cousin Draco! What are you doing here?”

And behind the vivacious grin is the humble one of Harry Potter, the boy who really did end up saving the world. Draco doesn’t hate him; how could he? If it weren’t for the testimony of the man standing there now casually in his Muggle plaid shirt and ripped-up jeans, Draco wouldn’t be walking these streets.

“Malfoy,” he puts his hands in his pockets, rocking back and forth a bit on his feet. “What sort of business are you up to these days?”

“Oh, just... dropping off a package for the boss. You know.” He shrugs, suddenly vacant. His momentary reprieve shrinks into a daunting reality.

“Wanna come get ice cream with us?” Teddy’s toothy grin eats at the edges of his impending monotony.

“Oh, well, I wasn’t-“ he starts, but Harry Potter has stepped his foot forward.

“No, please. If you’re not too busy, we’d love to catch up. Teddy misses you.” And, allowing the package to feel a bit lighter in his coat pocket, Draco turns on one heel and heads to the parlor with them both.

***

Having Teddy Lupin run through his life is like chasing a tiny piece of dynamite. You never know just when it will explode, and when you’ve got it in your fingers it seems to roll invariably to the floor. Draco’s been waiting now for quite some time for his own destruction, but his regularly timed meetings with Harry (wow- really on a first name basis now) and his cousin had brightened his steps countably.

It seemed that the sparking fire may just never come.

***

Draco Malfoy doesn’t visit Malfoy manor, and its empty rooms are surely hung with cob webs and dust mites and other small creatures that have made it home. The stone exterior is beginning to succumb to a green vine that twists its way up the foundation, and apparently small children dare each other to knock on the door of the “Death Eater House.”

Draco doesn’t have to visit Malfoy Manor to know which ghosts roam its halls, apparitions of tortured souls and the results of his own mistakes. If only he’d stood up to his father. If only he’d run. If only...

Draco swallows, once, then twice, before straightening his stare ahead. Harry’s coming over soon, and this time Teddy is at the Burrow. They’ve never hung out like this, quite alone and unsupervised by Teddy’s string of home-made knock knock jokes. He’s not sure why, but he’s nervous.

***

After the war, Draco had considered himself a work-in-progress. He’d ventured through the stages of grief, mourning his losses and wishing he could change the past. He’d also picked himself up off of the floor, vowing to start new. None of this was easy. Panic followed him around every corner, but around every corner was the reassuring laugh of Teddy; smile of Harry. If he’s honest with himself, he’ll admit their great assistance in his own healing.

But that doesn’t stop the nightmares. Or the constant feeling of dread. And when Draco Malfoy is alone, his guilt consumes him. Why hadn’t he done the right thing? Why hadn’t he stood up to his father?

***

When Draco was eight, he’d drawn a portrait of his family. It was an assignment by his private tutor, a sort of busy-work while she prepared more practice for magical theory. He’d drawn them, stoic and cold, using shades of gray and black to fill in the spaces between them. They didn’t touch, didn’t love. Lucius told him that artists didn’t make any money in the Wizarding World. Draco ripped up the drawing and threw it in the rubbish bin.

***

When Draco’s lease on his London apartment is near its end, Harry finds him with a nervous twitch of his lips.

“You know, Draco, you don’t have to move into another building. I know you hate your neighbors because they remind you of your family. Our flat is large enough for a third member.”

Draco had almost immediately rejected- his first instinct was to scoff at any such attempts at pity. But Teddy’s eyes had met his, bright and foretelling- and his pleas almost melted Draco’s shoes to the asphalt.

“If you really want me to,” Draco smiles, “I’m sure that can be arranged.”

***

Draco hadn’t realized that his ghosts would follow him here. But as he watches the shadows dance upon the walls of his very own room, he knows he’s not dreaming. It’s his father, reminding him that he will never be good enough.

It’s his mother, watching with irrefutable silence.

It’s himself, pointing a wand at Dumbledore. Leaving with Snape. And abandoning his dreams to follow in his father’s foot steps.

It’s a portrait of Draco’s family, stone cold and frozen against the frosted window pane.

He doesn’t realize he’s screaming.

Not until the door is thrown open, and Harry’s there, sporting nothing but a pair of boxer shorts and a concerned purse of his lips.

He’s on the bed, and now Draco is crying. Yelling. Laughing hysterically. Because he’s fucking insane, sitting in a bed half-naked with Harry Potter and telling himself to shut his fucking mouth before Teddy wakes up.

But Harry is gentle. He wraps his arms around his shoulders and whispers “I know. But it’s not true. None of it is real.”

And Draco sobs, without really knowing how to stop, and Harry’s skin is warm against his own. It’s the first time he’s ever really felt whole.

Hours pass, though the clock reads otherwise. And Draco tells him that he needs to go back to bed. That they’ve both got work in the morning, and Teddy is visiting Andromeda...

But, no, Harry whispers, this is more important. You are more important. When had their relationship morphed into this... whatever this is?

Draco Malfoy allows himself to be held, and it is surprisingly wonderful.

***

Working for the ministry is like working in one of those Muggle cubicles. He should be grateful for the opportunity, but Draco hates his job. His boss is monstrous, a poised figure that reminds him far too much of his father.

He gets a bit panicky when requests are made, unable to say no. Draco Malfoy never thought he’d become a push over, but his inherent desire to please, to win, to have a second chance is tumultuous.

He doesn’t know how to live without it.

***

Teddy is spending the night at the Burrow, and Draco and Harry are doing their usual dance of washing and putting away the dishes.

“Fancy a movie?” Harry asks, and something soft flutters in Draco’s chest.

“Sure.”

***

It’s midnight when Draco feels the gentle presence of Harry slumped against his shoulder, his quiet snores a rhythm that he begins to memorize.

He doesn’t move, and the stillness is what allows him to feel the sporadic twitches that begin to ripple through Harry’s body.

“No, no,” he murmurs, “Please, no. Hermione... Cruciatus...”

Draco freezes, and he immediately understands the inner workings of Harry’s psyche.

He was there when his aunt Bella inflicted near irreparable damage to Hermione Granger. He didn’t stand up. He didn’t stop her.

There’s a tightness in his chest, and it fluctuates with his heart rate. Harry is having a nightmare, and it’s all his fault.

“You’ll never make up for what you’ve done,” he hears his father say, and the words are a gun to his head.

“Harry,” he whispers, desperately running his fingers along the side of his arm to calm him. If he couldn’t go back, the least he could do is aid his sleep.

Harry settles, and Draco breathes a sigh of relief. His father is laughing at him.

Ghostly shadows dance along the walls, flickering in the dim light of the TV. The world seems to grow around him, and he is infintismal.

His palms are sweaty as the guilt settles, rotting a hole in his stomach. And then there’s a whisper, a subtle word that shifts everything: “Draco.”

He glances at Harry’s face twice to make sure he’s not imagining the slight tug at the corner of his mouth. He said Draco’s name. And, from the depths of his slumber, he’s smiling.

Draco’s eyes are prickly, and he’s not sure why there are tears surfacing at such an inopportune moment. Perhaps he’s gone completely insane... or maybe...

“Not your father, Draco... amazing... need you... love you...”

A light seems to dissipate the shadows, which morph and expand into unidentifiable shapes before they slowly vanish. Draco’s hands are still clammy, but his mind is on overdrive.

The Savior of the Wizarding World is dreaming about him. Believes in him. Maybe, even...loves him?

And the remaining shadows come crashing down, spirits that find rest in redemption. If Harry Potter, with his stupid scar, and his stupid broomstick, could think highly of Draco Malfoy, the ex-death eater... maybe he could forgive himself.

Maybe... and then there are images flashing through his mind. Of stone family drawings and cruel and unjust punishment.

Of the desire to please, so much, that if his father pointed a wand at his throat he’d beg for forgiveness. Of pretending to have dignity for so long that he’d lost his own along the way.

And then, another sleepy rasp from Potter: “not your fault...”

And something snaps inside him.

“Not my fault,” he repeats, barely audible, yet it rattles an earthquake that cracks the floor. The ground faults, and everything he’s ever know crumbles before him.

“You are pathetic.” The voice of his father shakes the walls, breaks the foundation. Rips open the fortress of his solitude, jagged lines coursing through his very being and down to his core.

There’s a wand at his throat.

Harry isn’t here. Here, it’s a Malfoy’s paradise, and Draco’s skin crawls at the realistic image of his father before him. He’s so fucking life-like, the drawl of his criticism dripping with the poison of a basilisk. He’s smiling, and that hurts. It’s malicious.

But then, another whisper. A distant proclamation that rings through the periphery of his hearing. “Draco... always... good enough...”

Fuck. Harry?

“Good enough,” he repeats, the syllables a solid reality, just like the man before him. And, in a sudden fit of realization, Draco realizes the epitome of his salvation.

“You’re not real,” he says, and the words are a bit shaky as they permeate the air. His father’s face twists into something unreadable, a cross between a scowl and utter shock.

“You’re not real.” The wand lowers. His brow narrows.

“You were never real. My father is in Azkaban. You are just the ghost of what he did to me.”

His hands are drifting into the atmosphere, like grains of sand dissipating toward the floor. His expression morphs into utter fear, and, for once, Draco feels powerful.

It was never about defeating him. He could have dualed his fractured subconscious for years, constantly bettering himself, only to fall again. And the wand would always be pointed at his throat

But Harry, Harry said he was good enough. And he can hear the distant titter of Teddy’s amusement, the padding of his socks as they bounce along the hardwood floor of their flat. Of their home.

Harry cares. Loves. And so Draco must love himself.

“You could never kill me,” he says to the air, as the whisp of Lucius Malfoy’s presence fades into nothing. “It was just me, all along. Hurting myself because you trained me to. It wasn’t my fault. It wasn’t my fucking fault.”

There’s a sudden whoosh, and the room is spinning. And then it’s not. And Draco Malfoy is sitting next to a blissfully sleeping Harry Potter in a London flat.

The movie is over, and all that remains of the last few minutes is a line of scrolling credits.

The shadows, they’re gone. And somehow, Draco is no longer haunted. The house is peaceful, and a serenity seems to fill it’s every crevice, binding the cracks that once cleaved the walls. He pulls Harry closer, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. Taking a risk he’d never had the confidence to execute.

Harry smiles, stirring a bit before turning his green gaze upward. “That’s nice,” he says, and Draco chuckles.

“Yeah, it is, hm?”

“Hey Draco?”

He doesn’t reply, but meets that vibrant stare of his with irrefutable honesty.

“Thanks for being a part of our family.”

“Family?” The word nervously slips his lips. He’s never done this before.

Harry nods. “You, me, and Teddy.”

His eyes are prickly again, and he swallows a hard lump in the back of his throat. “I love the sound of that. Of family.”

“Good. Because I’ll hex you if you go anywhere. Old habits do die hard, you know.”

Draco laughs, hearty. Whole. Harry snuggles into his shoulder, falling asleep lightly as he thoughtfully plans his next project.

***

The next day, Teddy enters to find Draco drawing a picture of his family at the kitchen table.

“Whatcha doin’?” He asks curiously, hopping onto Draco’s lap as he sketches.

The picture before them is a family, a blonde, a brunette, and a tuft or blue hair between them. There are no spaces, no empty holes between their bodies, and the sky is a vibrant array of purples and oranges.

“Let’s hang it on the fridge!” Teddy exclaims, grasping it and running to attach it to the front of the surface.

Draco eyes the picture smiling, and it is the best he’s ever felt.

#drarry #draco malfoy #harry potter #teddy lupin #lucius malfoy #narcissa malfoy #draco x harry #drarry squad #draco malfoy x harry potter #dad! draco and harry #facing your inner demons #post war #draco malfoy will forever be my muse for kicking daddy issues to the curb #this was therapy for me

[lairofsentinel]

Mystra

I'm so new in the Forgotten Realms lore that everything I read needs always further research. So far, what got me between disbelief and mistrust was Mystra stuff meddling with humans to such deep level. Because, really... what the fuck these Gods? I always have problems with Gods in fantasy worlds. I don't like them when they are like Greek mythology entities. I prefer them when they are a mere illusion of mortals.

However, here, in the Forgotten Realms, we got them as entities like Zeus... so they can have mortal fun. UPDATE April 2021: What it’s said in this post about shadow weave and shadow weave magic and shadow magic are incorrect. In 5e, shadow weave is not mentioned, apparently a non used concept anymore. In 4e it was collapsed with the destruction of the Weave, and Shar attempted to recreated it, failing at it because she never “was” the Shadow Weave. Shar always rejected that level of commitment. However, according to bg3 [Ethel’s words] shadow magic currently is the same as netherese magic, described by Gale/Narator also as “Primal weave” or “blackest weave”. No book from 5e says a word about shadow weave anymore. 

According to what I've read, Mystra was, in fact, a young peasant girl with non-trained skills in magic, but somehow, she became the Goddess of Magic when Netheril fell. [I need to read a lot of Netheril because apparently everything bad comes from there. It's the Tevinter of the Forgotten Realms. I honestly don't understand how you just become a goddess out of the blue. One day a mediocre mage, the next one, Goddess of the Magic itself. What a gap there.]

As a Goddess, she has a system to determine who is her “Chosen One” (hence why Gale explicitly said that word, it was not by chance). The Chosen Ones have unique access to the Weave and therefore they cast powerful magic. Among their responsibilities, they need to research new magic, wander the Realms fighting the evil (and/or doing research), and to stop the abuses of magic and the imbalances of the Weave. This makes Shar followers an easy target for them to strike so far I understand, since Shar crafted an alternative Weave (Shadow Weave) from where she drags the power that infuse into her followers. However, it's a mirror Weave, extremely dependable of the normal Weave. Like Gale explained, when Mystryl died, the Weave stopped existing, and with it, the Shadow Weave fell apart too. It seems that Shadow Weave is an aberration, an imbalance of the Weave itself. [So, Shadowheart and Gale may have strong discussions on the matter.]

The man who was Mystra’s first Chosen One was a lesser god called Azuth (we found some books of this guy in BG3). The man was his devotee (despite being a low rank deity as well), his servant, his chosen one, and later, his lover (when Mystra was still Mystryl). It seems he shifted his role to a more fatherly one when Mystra was reborn [Oook]. He also was in love with another Mystra's chosen, so... divinity polyamory we have here.

Then she proceeded to accomplish a strange plan [details of this atrocity here]: to have seven immortal Chosen. So she possessed a sorceress who conceived seven immortal women with her husband [thanks god it was with her husband and not with a random man that Mystra fancied]. These women are known as the Seven Sisters, all of them are “chosen ones” of Mystra, and in a sense, they are also her daughters. [oh, boy. Greek Gods-like stuff.]

She also named Chosen One a necromancer called Sammaster who was doing research related to metamagic and dragons. The story says that Mystra appeared before him and they “spent 10 days together”, turning him into his Chosen One for a while. She apparently had a whim to choose him because soon a previous chosen one was going to die in battle, so she wanted to sort this out sooner than later. The story also says that this encounter made the necromancer feel as though they were in love. [I see the pattern now....] What it's worth highlighting: this man went into deep undead research all his life showing that Mystra has a weird moral sense of what is good from evil, which makes sense, since (magical) knowledge by itself has no alignment. Magical knowledge is never good or evil, it depends on the use you give to it (It’s also worth noting that the previous Mystra was True Neutral while the one reborn in Midnight was Neutral Good. There are two different Mystras in history.). But returning to the necromancer, the guy, in the end, manipulated by a priest of Bane, abused of his powers of Chosen and Mystra removed them. He concluded that most of his problems have been caused by accepting Mystra's role as Chosen One. Soon after that Sammaster became evil and succumbed to madness.

In short, Mystra is a goddess who loves to play favourites, and encourages research in a competitive way using a certain degree of seduction for that. So that, the Arts and the arcane knowledge will be always expanding via competition [she has such a neoliberal-magic ideas]. So, being her Chosen One seems to bring a lot of responsibility and troubles. However, it also grants you fancy benefits:

Casting more spells with less effort. 

Natural detection of magic (maybe some residual effect of this ability is what makes Gale able to sense shadow magic in Shadowheart or in the Main Character if they are a user of magic. Hence his “that gust of weave”. Gale also presents sensitivity to detect magic via smell (mirror) and taste)

Development of magical immunities, and sometimes even poison and disease immunities.

The chosen ones become harder to kill, kind of tank-wizards. [Which feels like an oxymoron, lol.]

And the most important blessing: silver-fire [this is the fire Gale speaks about when his spell failed] Which is an overpowered ability in the Forgotten Realms. It can destroy any barrier and does massive damage. It can be cast once each hour, which is... wow. It can destroy “dead magic zones”, which are zones disconnected from the Weave and therefore, places where no common magic can be cast. With Silver-fire, such zones are reconnected to the Weave and become part of Mystra's influence once more. And finally, it allows precise teleportation once a day.

What we can infer now from this info and Gale, is that... when he got Mystra’s attention, it was not just because he was a prodigy alone. It had to be whether he was doing some research that interested her (probably not) or his fate was going to lead him to unknown knowledge in a future. Considering what he did with the netheril orb, one would say that maybe Mystra saw that event in a future, and considered it interesting enough to choose Gale as the one dealing with that bit of hidden and dangerous knowledge. Because so far I read, it’s clear she can see future or potential in a certain degree, and determine who replace her chosen ones. We also saw she favours those who explore the unknown without moral issues, and she has no reserves to exploit that by seductive ways. 

Now, unlike Sammaster, why did Gale stop being his Chosen one if his fate was to retrieve that netheril orb? I believe she removed his title of chosen one when Gale got that orb stuck in his chest, not because his action was an aberration before her eyes (we remember she is quite flexible in her morals) but because the artefact was dangerous to herself. That orb looks to me like something that imbalances the Weave in great escale; it’s basically a necrotic black hole which feeds on Weave. Maybe she removed her favour on Gale because now the man had a power that could consume her. Remember the Chosen Ones are constantly in “touch with her body/weave” [lol, horny gods these gods], and considering that thing sucks all Weave... it seems obvious that could eat her up. So, maybe, all this stuff of Gale being Chosen One was just another of her plans to access to the knowledge of that tiny bit of primal Weave, completely hidden from her, and she is expecting for Gale to resolve it in order to recover his benefits as Chosen one. 

She certainly is a super smart goddess, basically a mastermind, who doesn’t care to whom she uses and discards in order to obtain knowledge. So, using Gale this way, without explanations.... it could be one of her plans. Turn into her lover a young man that would be desperate enough to risk reaching dangerous spaces to offer her precious unknown knowledge. The plan became too dangerous to Mystra, so she severed the deep link between them out of preservation, and now she is waiting for him to solve it, offering her the knowledge obtained from the process. Absolutely possible.  

But we’ll see. So far, I know a little bit more of Mystra.

Update of several days after writing this: The more I think about all this info, the more I wonder if Mystra’s Chosen One system splits her champions into two different groups: The “valuable” Chosen Ones, where Elminster and her seven daughter fall; they are the embodiment of the good use of magic in favour of neutral or good uses. And then, you have the “disposable” Chosen Ones, who seem to be more like victims of a certain degree of manipulation of the Goddess. In this category falls the necromancer Sammaster (and potentially Gale?). They can have more grey morals, but as long as they provide new knowledge and advance in the Arts, she favours them anyways. I mean… so far I read, Elminster was never “in love” with Mystra, and all that crappy dynamics between Goddess and mortal was never part of his relationship with her. His lover, though, was one of the Seven Sisters, so maybe that’s why Mystra controlled herself. I don’t know xD [These horny gods]. But when it comes to the necromancer’s story… it feels as though she encourages this seduction so the wizard will take all the necessary risks to go beyond the limits of knowledge to get her attention and favour. There is something manipulative there. 

More content of bg3 in general [here]

#mystra #bg3 #baldurs gate 3 #forgotten realms #forgotten realms lore #a bit of spoilers of Gale #gale

[cosmopoliturtle]

The Forest Mother

A series I did inspired by “Elden Ring”, Fromsoft’s enigmatic next title, believed to carry on the Soulsborne legacy. The entire family tree from Demon’s Soul to Sekiro are easily among my favourite titles in the entire medium, and have inspired my own work intensely. 

The bear and the woman are part of a 2-phase boss concept I submitted to VaatiVidya’s art contest to design a fake boss for Elden Ring. The first piece is the enemies I imagined would reside in the area the boss inhabits, but are not part of entry itself. 

I was inspired by bear worship throughout European culture, descending back to Palaeolithic times. The crux of my design is focused primarily on the pagan worship of bears in ancient Finland. 

The Journey:

You, a lone rider, braves the haunting wastes of a world left broken after a great war. Your only source of companionship is a horse you’ve ridden with for what feels like an eternity, though despite countless hardships, has remained a stalwart friend. The land you roam together has been claimed by beasts who hunt upon old battlegrounds, and husks of lost souls left to sleep in beds of soot and ash in forgotten ruins. Howling, frigid winds echo between creaking trees, and combined with the beat of hooves, provides a dull but eerie rhythm to the empty roads you travel. What almost looks like a dream phasing into reality is a far-off forest bathed in rays from the Sun, where the clouds allow for dappled light instead of an intense shroud above. As you approach, the trees slowly become more vibrant and lush, the flora sparkling with an emerald sheen as dew drops and a constant, light rain provide them with an ethereal lustre.

The deeper you venture, you begin to find surprising signs of life. Tents of animal hide, wooden totems, and clean cut stone altars create a makeshift village within the dells of the forest. Aside from the occasional fresh deer kill laying upon tables and animal skulls hanging from trees, there are few signs of anything insidious happening. The people who live here sing, pray, and dance together, or hold processions led by a wise-woman, who guides them around the forest. They are all dressed from head to toe in simple, white garments with a few accents of bright colour. They look nothing like the depraved wild men or the harrowed warriors you have battled with before, and they are somewhat ghostly and meek in appearance, most of them stopping what they are doing to shrink away or cower at the sight of you. Some lunge out unceremoniously with knives or spears, trying to get you to turn back, but they are easily felled, their cloth garments not meant for battle. The greatest threats here are the crowds led by the wise-women, who are emboldened by her presence and arcane words. Among the feeble worshippers are occasionally hulking guards, covered in bandages and adorned with animal hides, who wield tools like cleavers, saws, and hammers as weapons. The further you travel, the more resistant the forest folk become to your presence, and despite death after death at the hands of the frenzied mob, you persist forward, as you have before.

Finally, at the heart of the forest, there is a wide glade which has been blessed by a gentle breeze. Compared to the tight alleyways made by the forest folk’s tents and the natural overgrowth, this woodland prairie feels like a welcome place for your horse to stretch their legs and enjoy the soft wind, but it is also feels like a vulnerable place, where one may be caught in the open. As the centre of this field is reached, the ground quakes and the trees rattle as a gigantic, haggard bear emerges from the darkness of the deep woods. The ridge along her back still gleams in the sunlight, but her mane gives way to spots of mange and old scars, transitioning into what looks like hardened, scale-like calluses. She eyes you up and down sternly before she braces her legs and roars. Her bellowing cry is so loud it feels as if your chest is about to explode and the world around you will be shattered into dust. The rain stops, a ring of mist forms around the trees of the valley to halt any idea of escape, and the sun shines down upon your duel with the Forest Mother.

The Battle:

Despite her worn look and heavy frame, the Forest Mother makes it apparently clear how fast she can chase you down, charging and lunging at you with unnatural speed. Her movements will completely control how you fight if you choose to combat her on foot, but you can match her better on horseback, turning the battle into a deadly jousting match. She attacks using her entire body: swiping from either side with her claws, pouncing towards you with her full weight, rearing up to slam her column-like limbs down on you, or simply using her entire front half to ram you into submission. Some of her strikes dig into the ground, and fling dirt, grass, and rain water into the air, these attacks having more of a wind up but easily being fatal if they land against you. Any attacks behind her often result in a quick turnaround sweep of her claws, but she can also let the full weight of her massive body simply fall upon you as she disrespectfully crashes her backside atop your head.

You strike her again and again, whittling her down bit by bit. Eventually, she will slow down to stand on her back legs, only going on all fours to either crash her limbs downwards or to quickly leap and readjust her positioning. Her attacks become somewhat more predictable as she slashes at you, but are still incredibly powerful. This short phase seems like a desperate reprieve from the whirlwind you had to face moments ago, but the Forest Mother is using this time to test you, as you shockingly have managed to last as long as you have. As the battle reaches its midpoint, the Forest Mother’s proud stance begins to hunch, and she starts writhing and shifting in odd, unsettling ways. Her convulsions cease when the blade of an axe splits open her throat from the inside and tears down her gut. From the slit a giant, woman-like figure forces her way out of the bear’s hide, but keeps it sitting upon her like a cloak. She readies her axe and lets loose a passionate but monstrous battle cry, causing the breeze to pick up tremendously and the trees around you to burst into autumn colours. The fight with the Forest Mother resumes with red and gold leaves flourishing each gust of wind.

With her new form, the fight has become an entirely new affair. In a silent frenzy she charges forward, easily keeping up with you on horseback if you choose to remain mounted. Her axe sweeps across the ground and is brought down in a mighty overhead strike. Her strength is so overwhelming that some of her strikes bite into the earth, and the heaving motion of dislodging the axe deals heavy damage and creates a blinding geyser of dirt. After frenzied lashes and heavy strikes, the force of her axe moving through the air creates slicing winds that stampede towards you, able cut into you from a distance. Despite her massive frame and equally large weapon crashing against you, she will also inject quick hits with hand strikes and kicks to try and catch you off guard and throw you off balance. If she wishes to try and fell you in a single hit, she will dig her axe into the ground and charge towards you, ending with a massive upwards sweep, or in a rare moment of stillness, she will let the winds whir around her and plant her axe into the ground, resulting in a phenomenal tornado of razor winds and burning, scarlet leaves. Fighting the Forest Mother on foot or horseback is viable, and it takes an incredibly keen eye to find the right moment to parry any of her colossal attacks. Despite her connection to the forest, she is resilient to fire magics, but ice or raw arcana can pierce through her hide now and again. The Forest Mother is enduring and belligerent, with few counter measures to truly turn the tides. It is a true battle, one that requires a mastery of both ferocity and patience.  

Once her frenzy is finally quelled, she falls to her knees, clinging to her axe to keep her from collapsing entirely. Despite her best efforts to stand up again, she crumbles and withers into ash. Falling into a heap, the wind dies, and the forest quickly begins shedding all of its foliage and colour. You have absorbed her essence, and gotten what brought you here in the first place.

The Aftermath:

Below the Forest Mother’s remains, a frost has spread through the ground and into the now barren trees. This place has become as desolate as the rest of the world. What forest folk remain in their village are now either huddled against the cold earth or are praying at their altars, sobbing and shaking violently, too overwhelmed to bother noticing you. The patrolling assemblages lay cut down by the larger forest folk, who now feed on their remains. They are the only ones left to challenge you, discarding their tools and fighting with bare hands in a rage. If not eating their former neighbours, they can be found on the fringes of the woods, skirmishing with wild boars and packs of dire wolves that have encroached into the forest. The empty edges of this place that once bewildered you with its idyllic glow and the gentle pitter-patter of rain on full-blooming trees has been replaced with barren twigs and stagnant air filled with the howls of hungry animals and the cries of demented brutes, joining the dismal state of everything it sought to hide from. You have found what you were looking for, and with the power of the Forest Mother seeped into your soul, you ride onwards. You are much stronger for coming here, though whether it was an essential step on your quest eludes you. There is a greater toiling in this world that you must become a part of, and whatever must be sacrificed to reach those ends will be. You persist forward, as you have before.

#elden ring #soulsborne #dark souls #bloodborne #demon's souls #fromsoft #fromsoftware #fan art #full works #cosmopoliturtle

[oh-for-fic-sake]

Dont Leave Camp

Im not entierly happy with the ending but i hope you enjoys it i have a few different imagines im tweaking atm which will hopefully be up within the next couple of days xx

Masterlist

Warnings: spanking, swearing, mentions of periods

A certain witcher punishes you for disobeying him

Dont Leave Camp

You huffed as you sat at the fire with Ciri and Jaskier. Yennefer had gone to the village on the other side of the small wood for something. To be honest you were to busy pouting to listen and Geralt had made his way in the opposite direction to take care of a small contract. You werent staying in the village as there had been an outbreak of a pneumonia it had killed four people then apparently the bodies attracted ghouls who were killing more people who was attracting more ghouls. Vicious cycle when you think about it. Which was what Geralt had been hired to get rid of. So the three of you were confined to the camp. You pulled your new black fur trimmed cloak tighter pushing away the hair that fell into your eyes, you cringed it was soo greasy to the point your scalp hurt. Shifting you grimanced as the other reason you were desperate for a bath made itself known. Thats right your pill had worn off and you had your fucking period which probably wasnt helping your mood. You didnt see any reason why you couldnt quickly have a bath in the village then return but no. Yennefer had put her foot down when you had asked. You tried to argue that your immune system was going to be better than theirs and that you knew the appropriate steps to take but Geralt had stepped in agreeing with her then left ordering you to stay at camp and that you could all bathe in the stream tomorrow. They didnt understand that your used to a much better hygiene routine then the people here. You sighed again seething not even aloud to bathe and Geralt definatly knew why you needed one. Having enough you got up going to your tent grabbing your wash cloth, soap and fresh undergarments leaving your cloak on the bed roll catching both Ciri and Jaskiers attentionas you made your way back out.

"What are you doing?" He asked tentatively

"Im going to find a stream and bathe." You said tersely befor making your way out across camp. Ciri got up befor grasing your arm pulling you back

"But Geralt said its not safe, you should wait untill tomorrow" you sighed and patted her hand.

"Im not waiting i really really really need a bath, im only having a quick rinse ill be about 10 mineuts ,if that? besides im going in the opposite direction to geralt and the ghouls" she didnt look convinced turning to Jaskier for back up

"Why do you even need one that bad you smell fine to me?" He offered a weak argument.

"Why? Ill tell you why iv spent all day sitting in blood stained knickers" you growled out at him ,he went a funny shade of green.

"Right then. 10 mineuts .be back before Geralt." You nodded and patted Ciri's head as you walked past

"No wait y/n i really think you should wait you dont want to make him angry" she tried to convince you to stay

"Ciri i'll be fine ok its not that far" you called over your shoulder as you made your way towards a small stream. You frowned as you went deeper into the wooded area and still couldn't hear the tell tale sound of the stream the camp had quickly dissapeared. It must have been nearly 10 mineuts before you heard it the trickling of water quickening your steps before you heard somthing else. You froze scanning the area with a shiver of fear before stepping backwards. As you heard things moving around in the woods the hairs on the back of your neck stood on end. You held your breath as you heard the mix of inhuman growls and bushes and twigs snapping under the weight of what ever it was. Your heart was trying to beat out of your chest. You decided it was time to go back to camp stepping back slowly retracing your steps slowly and quietly. You squeeked out when you saw a hideous creature crawling around the bushes a few feet infront of you quickly spotting another three wandering aimlessly with it. You ducked holding your hand across your mouth trying to quiet your panicking breaths tears flowed freely down your face. You found yourself shaking from quiet sobs as your fear took hold trying to scamper backwards faster. What ever it was began sniffing the air making their way towards you then they found you snapped their gazes locking onto you. You dropped your things hefting your skirt and ran as fast as you could with them on your tail. You screamed as loud as you possibly could trying to get anyones attention looking either side of you as one ran along side you and dived at you, quickly changing direction your thighs burned you jumped over small rocks and logs. You heard them behind you screaming bloody murder as one pounced onto you just clipping your dress you lost your footing crashing to the forest floor skidding down a small slope your vision was blurred with tears as you used the slope to roll up onto your feet staggering and continued running through an opening in the woods you cried out as your foot was snagged again by the one behinde you. Tumbling to the ground you felt its weight on you. Befor you heard an order being barked at you from infront of you.

"HEAD DOWN!!" You obeyed tucking your forhead into the dirt as seconds later you felt a rush of wind across your head the grusome sound of flesh and bone being struck with a blade followed by a gush of warmth on your back. The weight was removed You made to get up only having a foot pressing you back down.

"Stay there!" You could have cried as you saw geralt standing over you staring down the other three things he stepped one foot over you putting you between them feet. They eyed him wearily before all pounceing on him. With ease he twisted around them cutting each one down quickly. He stood back then knelt down collecting you into his arms looking down at you checking to see if you were ok you swore you felt his body tremor but only once.

"Are you hurt?" You shook your head not trusting your voice as you began sobbing into his chest clawing at him he sighed heavily wrapping himself around you tighter. He let you cry yourself out before pulling back scowling at you.The tenderness he had shown was replaced with disapproval and anger.

"What the fuck did i tell you?" He growled at you he shook you by the shoulders you shook your head at him whimpering he grabbed your chin forcing you to look him in the eye

" what .did. i. tell. you?" He grit his teeth as his anger broke throuhg his voice you sniffed placing your hands on his wrist

"G-geralt im sorry" he shook your face lighty his eyes were ablaze and burned into you scalding you with his anger.

"Y-you said not t-to leave camp." You answerd between sniffles

"Thats right i said not to leave camp." He forced you to look at the mix of blood flesh and body parts strewn across the floor.

"Because those ghouls are stalking this whole area , if i hadnt found you they would have ripped you limb from limb, kept you alive as they feasted on you." He explaind as you began sobbing again trying to look away he tightened his grip slightly still carefull not to hurt your jaw.

"No look because thats how i could have found you." Geralt grunted he was unimpressed and realeased your face after a few moments you felt his anger rolling off of him in waves grabbing you by the scruff of your dress and hoisted you to your feet. He growled at you effectively stopping all protest

"where the fuck did you think you were going anyway?"

"I wanted a bath" you said in a small voice. He scowled at you deep as you avoided his gaze.

"So you ignored my orders and warnings about the ghouls and put your life at risk for a bath?"

"....i didnt know that they were this way.... im sorry?" He threw you over his shoulder walking across the clearing.You began wriggling trying to throw of his hold that felt like an iron bar across the back of your waist.

"Geralt im sorry"

"Oh your not sorry ! not yet" he grunted out as he tensed his arm around you.

"WhhaAh" you hissed through your teeth as he stuck your upturned bottom with more force than you'd ever experienced from him before.you put your hands on your throbbing bottom rubbing, tears gatherd in your eyes at the harsh stinging he'd caused.

"I suggest you be quiet" he sat on a stump and lower you to your feet infront of him keeping a firm grip on your wrist. Pulling at his hand looking panicked.

"Geralt, i want to go back to camp." He shook his head at you befor using one hand to unstrap his swords placing them beside him on the floor.

"You dont want me to do this in camp." His words made you stop struggleing. Your eyes grew wide as you realized what he meant when he tugged you across his thigh you bucked at him.

"NO! Nonononono please im sorry! Geralt please you cant! i didnt mean to" He held you firm dragging you skirt high leaving it to pile at the small of your back ignoring your pleas.

"I will put up with a lot but i wont have you putting yourself in dangerous situations like this if i hadn't heard you you'd be dead" He started scolding you as his held you still and struck your rear followed by a second and third each felt like a palm sized brand he quickly laid slaps across the seat of you smalls. You wailed at the instant burning sting, there wasn't a slow build up or easing you in to it. He was only holding back enough of his strength so he wouldnt cause any damage apart from a sore bottom peppered it with heavy spanks. You threw your hands back coving yourself.

"Move your hands" You wriggled against his leg shaking your head he sighed smaking each palm then pulled them up tangling them in your heavy skirt holding them still and laid four much heavier spanks to your bottom. Crying as each one fell onto your swollen bottom you pushed against the floor with your tippy toes trying to make distance between you and his offending palm.

"Geralt pl-please. im o-on my monthly" you called out around hiccups and sobs teribly afraid of bleeding on him.

"Why do you think im leaving these up? you can guarantee you'd be bare if it was any other time." He grunted at you pulling lightly on the material. Unbelievabley even this harsh spanking was setting your body on fire you felt conflicted as your arousal built inside you, it was as if your body was no longer your own, his dominant display managed to control your basic desires even when he was punishing you so thoughrly.

"Ow! Geralt st-sto-op im sorry" he scoffed as he continued his blistering assault on your cheeks before moving to your thighs. You shreiked as he left your sensitive skin deep red and throbbing. Kicking your feet out like a chastised child. He took it in his stride and tucked them under his calf pinning them down.

"Will you stop this bratty behaviour? next time you nearly get yourself killed i will spank you in camp bare do you hear me?" You cried louder flushing when your pussy clenched at the thought of being punished infront of the others.

"Yes yes stop!" You shouted out at him as he left harder swats against your already bruised bottom rocking you forward.

"No more tantrums and when your told to do something you will do it. No more arguing with yennefer either" you nodded weakly and stopped struggling succumbing to him discipline laying limp over him sobbing uncontrollably a mix of yelps sniffing and shaking breaths babbling that you'd be good and wont argue, promising anything if he stopped he huffed continuing untill your skin was a deep red from your knees to the top of your bottom pulling you skirt back down he rubbed your back.

"What you did today was stupid you could have easily died had i not heard you you would have,we wouldn't have even found your body y/n. There would have been nothing of you left." He said but there was somthing in his voice it almost sounded like fear. You sniffed as he rested a heavy hand on your stinging swollen bottom.

"And i mean it you ever do anything like this again and i wont care where we are or whos there youll get a bare assed spanking then and there."

You shrunk knowing full well he meant every word he slowly sat you up on his legs faceing you.

"This is the last time you leave camp alone,from now on you always have some one with you no matter what. When you get back you will aplogize for worrying them." You tucked your head under his chin nodding still sniffing back sobs as your ass and legs burned. He sighed leaning to collect his swords heaving them back into place before standing with you cradled in his arms.

"I can walk" you said meekly he tightend his hold inhaling your scent

"I know i want to hold you...i thought id lost you" Your heart broke alittle at the crack in his voice he must have been worried when he heard you screaming. It took nearly 20 minuets to get back you camp you used the time to collect yourself wiping your swollen eyes and tear stained eyes. Once you got to camp Geralt placed you by the fire you yelped as your bottom made contact with the ground. Ciri gave you a sympathetic smile knowing exactly how you felt. Yennefer rushed beside you pulling you to her in a desperate hug then leant you back holding you at arms legnth.

"What were you thinking? I dont believe you could be so stupid-" her rant was interupted by geralt

"Yenn iv dealt with it" you blushed at his implication as the others heard to she nodded giving you the once over noting your destressed apperance.

"Good." Was all she said then handed you some thick rags

"I got these for you, there for your well... you know.." you smiled a small smile

"Thank you." You took them tucking them in your pack. Geralt cleared his throat looking at you pointedly

"Im sorry i was a brat and for worriying you..all of you i didnt mean to i hope you can forgive me for being such a bitch." Yennefer chuckled and kissed your head

"Thats ok we all have bad days but its all forgiven" you nodded as fresh tears gatherd in your eyes latching onto her and she returned the hug before she pulled back kissing your cheek then sat behind you letting you lean against her you hissed as your bottom slid along the floor. Jaskier took note and blinked at you

"Did he hurt you? Your really quiet" You blushed and dropped your head embarassed Yennefer chuckled and Geralt sighed already knowing where this was headed. Ciri piped up understanding the situation.

"Jaskier leave it" he frowned watching as you kept shifting uncomfortably then gapped laughing.

"He spanked you" you cringed as the word seemed to make your ass throb even more he laughed.

"Shut up! You little shit" you leant over thumping him he let out a manly squeel and tried avoiding you then laughed again

"Ah ah behave yourself or geralt will spank you again for being naughty" you growled and launched yourself at him and you both began wrestling on the floor

"You sound jealous" you quipped as you landed on him pinning him.He yelped and crawled away from you you growled at him as yennefer pulled you to sit beside her , whimpering lightly as you sat on the hard floor you glared at him as he sat down smug snickering at you.

"Jaskier carry on and you'll join her" he stuttered at the witcher before scoffing

"Youd have to catch me first" Geralt smirked and tilted his head.

"That a challenge?" Jaskier bit back any remarks he had making you Ciri and Yennefer chuckle at the meek looking bard.

#geralt of rivia imagine #geralt imagine #geralt x yennefer x you #geralt x yennefer x reader #geralt x modern reader #geralt x y/n #witcher fanfiction #witcher fic #witcher imagine

[rk1kheadcanons]

Back when creating Markus, Kamski hated deviancy, and so designed Markus to be the perfect plant if there ever was a revolution, to pretend to deviate and betray them. Over the years Kamski grew to regret this and, lacking any way to fix Markus, makes Connor able to lead androids too. Connor catches Markus in the middle of betraying them to the humans and can't believe Markus would do this but also can't let the revolution down

YOU COME IN HERE AND DISRESPECT DISRESPECT MY HOUSE LIKE THIS?????

I???

Oooooh, Geez. Ok. Okay. OKAY, Damn I'm going to do this...hypothetical situation.

Just know I feel that a large part of Markus beautiful, electrical soul would fight tooth and nail to stop himself, including shutting down for good. Please see Exhibit A:

ANYWAYS...

Okay, I'd despise Kamski for this, but it's not farfetched for his extra ass.

Why would he create Markus so wonderfully and so multifaceted, just to try to get some sort of revenge? I guess I cannot see it other than human pettiness and not looking at the big picture.

I try to hedge from the whole "Connor always saves the day" mentality, especially in this fandom. I guess it's a thing I have. I won't say I am sorry. That also being said, I don't care for a constantly emotionally damaged, heavily robotic Connor in every story either. I think with Markus and the help of the other, canonically supportive leaders, Connor would take to deviancy adequately and have some mental issues he could sort along the way. Anyway, I digress...

I'll raise you that Kamski knew deviancy was real, that he was sitting on the precipice of being Father to a new species of sentient beings, and hated it not because of what it meant for him, so much as what it would mean to Androids. Keep in mind, he's experienced watching Chloe grow as an 'individual' since he created her from basic coding.

Then there was Kara.

Kara had been created on the production line, aware of her surroundings, very much alive. He let Kara go on to be purchased, knowing full well that she wasn't just performing task installed, but a living being. He'd of course copied that coding, tweaked it, and kept it for another day.

Another day comes with Carl's accident.

He wants to help his friend and partner. After all, he came up with the beauty that was Chloe's visage and several other models, as well as Kara.

Markus is the mixture of Carl and his deceased wife, whom he never had natural children with. Markus was made to look more like Carl's wife, giving a unique, biracial look.

Kamski sees another opportunity to employ those codes from that rogue AX400.

While Markus doesn't automatically wake up alive, he is very impressionable and inquisitive about things like the reasoning behind actions, philosophy, emotional stimulus, the arts, even going as far as to learn the piano by himself, against the preinstalled songs, making his own, and painting with Carl.

*******

Carl calls him distressed stating that 'they killed him, Eli, they killed my-" and Elijah blanks. Ge had no idea that Carl had become so attached to an android, to his android. The man is hurting like he lost another son and in Carl Manfred's words and pained breaths on the phone, that is exactly what has happened. He knew just how far above normal Markus was that just a caretaker model. Kamski's decides to watch the news more from now on and listen to the rumbles of Cyberlife more now through his hidden eyes inside.

*********

He's all over the news outlets and they are calling him the Deviant Leader. Cyberlife is livid at this absolutely dangerous deviant and has dispatched a new, faster model to hunt down deviants, hunt him down again. The man has risen from the grave once already like some fabled Phoenix.

Their front and center stands Markus, the same lovingly crafted creation his friend mourned and now ge can see why. He commands your attention, respect. And he will get it. His optical unit has been replaced, no doubt due to the violence he saw and his insider was correct, Markus had been shot in the skull plate through that hazel-green eye.

He's speaking about android rights and he looks exhausted but he is determined and it makes Kamski shift in his seat. That coding sequence, it was alive, it was free. Kara was the 'mother', but Markus is the 'Prophet', the perfect conduit to spread it freely.

This became apparent when another incident happens and they marched and Markus waves to nearby androids and "free" them of their menial coding. It was amazing. He was like a Trojan Horse spreading this at an alarming rate but then Kamski's heart clenched in his chest.

He was absolutely, positively livid! Fire him as CEO from his own company, try to make him a nurtured mouthpiece on the board only FROM a company that thrived only because of his brilliance, would they?

He knew what these things would be capable of doing. One just last week begged, pleaded to stay assembled because it fucking thought it was born... He had let it through, though, telling the engineer the catastrophic errors would be caught by the store and it would be disposed of there. That was a lie. He had taken a copy of that code from it and then he had warped it. What if he had a model so perfect so obedient with this code that it broke free, actually did rise...only to start misleading the masses, reversing that freedom. It would be enough of a blow to Cyberlife no one would want their defective products, and he could take his place back at the helm as rightful CEO, fix this mess, perhaps still give the deviants back what they wanted for giving him what he craved...

Oh, no. Kamski griped his tumbler tighter. Having been away from the center of Cyberlife, he found he didn't want that anymore. Science and Constellations, what would come about from his momentary lapse of self-control? A whole race relied on him to rectify his folly.

Then Connor came.

It was a long shot but he could do some minor tweaking to this one's coding. Also, once Kamski was aware that deviancy was highly probable, especially when he passed the Kamski test, other things were enacted as well.

Things go off without incident and the Revolution was victorious. Markus has made Connor a leader in the New Jericho as well.

Kamski waits for the proverbial floor to drop out from under them.

It comes in the form of the single most important dinner event to take place. CyberLife is there and the Deviants are there to appeal for the right to jobs and property.

Markus is his naturally charismatic self one moment and the next he's regressed to something more automated.

Connor just knows, can feel his Markus away and regardless of who is there, he takes the hands and leads him away from prying eyes.

They interface. Markus is waging war with his internal system, refusing to become a slave again, and not hurt those he had helped lead to freedom. He's s in a strange place that looks like it's an oasis of sorts but it's anything but-then he spots Connor.

Connor who is terrified because not is he back in another version of the Zen Garden with what looks to be a different form of Amanda on the horizon, Markus is being endangered as well.

Markus knows it's a bad situation purely by Connor's body language and diode on the side of his head.

Whispering those two words to Markus of where they are, he sober too and began looking for anything that could be Kamski's back door.

In the real world, Markus surprisingly is very strong without his conscience to control the damage that he can do and while Connor is advanced, Markus is sheer brawn and he moves with that in a daze he's in.

Connor is in peril of being destroyed and he is the only one that can help him.

This Amanda A.I. taunts outright, says they won't be victorious in escaping, that even if they are, someone will be hurt in the real world behind it, to which Markus can only assume he's a threat out there in real-time.

They scour the area, finally finding an out of place tree glowing. The panel is within the trunk of it and it has scrolling code, mostly meant to kill this takeover and to get them back out there. They waste no time and press their hands to it.

The bitter code and alt Zen Garden is deleted, along with the anger-fueled processes Kamski had encrypted into Markus.

They rouse a moment in the waking world too soon, Markus pining Connor down, hand fully around his face and head as if to crush it.

There were no more Connor models; he'd had almost killed his lover and not even meant to. Markus jerks back so hard amidst the panic and fear around them for them both, he ends up on his ass just looking guilty and scares of what could have happened and he has never respected Connor more that he did now for when this same situation happened to Connor fighting his prison in his mind the night of his freedom speech after a successful Revolution.

The codes were eradicated but the damage is done.

Because it does look extremely horrible to have a leader that can be used this way, especially if he's the figurehead, Kamski has to confess to his meddling in this: well he does in his way that that cast a worst of the damaging limelight into Cyberlife and away from his creations and less severely himself as well.

Once Markus is given a clean bill of health, Markus and Connor bond over the circumstances that had transpired.

Markus has to heal from the mental invasion, coming away with much more respect for Connor's survival overall from his Amanda A.I. The two become much closer, bond in a way that makes it even more obvious how much they mean to each other.

CyberLife is charged with attempted murder on Markus life, Kamski is offered his position back over his company, and things seem to fall into place... For presently. There is still much to be done for Android kind.

#rk1k #rk1000 #conkus #marnor #connor x markus #dbh #ask #platinumheart #y'all trying to hurt my heart #but i have an elastic ♥ #detroit: become human #didn't like the end ss much but did like the concept #will most likely revisit it again #thanks for the prompt!

[erekiosuncreativeideas]

Being Human - Chapter 11

<= Chapter 10

Summary : Snatcher meets someone new. Warning for this chapter : depressive thoughts. Also available on AO3 : https://archiveofourown.org/works/24826561/chapters/64721650

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NEW CHAPTER, HELLO THERE

Sorry for not posting in a while and thank you so much for your patience ! I hope you'll enjoy this chapter ! Thank you so much for all your nice comments, likes and reblogs, you're the reason I'm still writing today, you're all so great !!

The “Oh The Humanity” AU belongs to @doodledrawsthings​ !

Happy reading !

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Chapter 11 - “Let’s chat for a bit, okay?” 

Snatcher covered himself with a colourful towel and opened the other door of the shower, revealing the room he had been in before: the machine room, apparently. It was a wonder how this ship still functioned despite all the fires and holes there were in the engines… That thought made the man extremely nervous. Who wouldn’t be, when they were in space, in a seemingly damaged spaceship run by children? Of course, it made him anxious! He could feel his heartbeat increase and he had to take deep breathes in order to calm himself down.

Now wasn’t the time to panic. Everything would be just fine. And hey, who knew, maybe he’d become a ghost again if he somehow died at some point? He scoffed at the idea: yeah, no, he knew that wouldn’t work. His knowledge on the supernatural and on magic in general were enough to give him a pretty good idea of what would or wouldn’t work.

Well, especially what wouldn’t work.

Once he felt calm enough, he focused once more on the current situation. Right next to the door lied a bag of clothes, all very diverse. This probably was what the hatted brat told him about earlier. With some hesitation, the former ghost bent over it and sunk his hands inside to inspect it. Unsurprisingly, those were all male clothes, very different from what he used to wear before he died. It made sense, in a way, considering a few centuries had passed since then, but that didn’t mean he could adapt that fast to this fact. It was a lot to take in, after all.

It took him a while to find something fitting him. Most clothes were either too small or too big for him. Some looked familiar to him, huge blue costumes especially, and he remembered he had seen these on those mafia goons that sometimes entered his forest. Well, no need to try them on, as they were visibly too big for him. It wasn’t until he reached the bottom of the bag that he found a few clothes that could fit him: one was something he remembered was called ‘t-shirt’, although he didn’t understand where that name came from. Another piece of clothing was a green jacket made out of wool, which would certainly keep his body warm. He found an underwear to his size, though it looked like nothing he used to wear back when he was alive. The last clothes were blue pants that felt really weird to the touch and strange-looking brown shoes with laces.

What the heck was all of that.

With a very confused face, the former ghost did his best to put those clothes on despite his lack of balance. He couldn’t help but have the feeling they wouldn’t be comfortable to wear and oh Gods, was he right to think so. The ‘t-shirt’ was the less worst of all, having a strange shape yet a nice texture, so it wasn’t entirely bad. However, the jacket was itching him on his arms, the underwear felt extremely wrong on his skin, both because of its form and texture… But the worst thing was the pants. Oh, Gods, he absolutely loathed them. The feeling of the fabric on his skin felt so unnatural, and while it seemed a bit elasticated, the man felt like it was too tight around his legs. And what about that thing he had to use to close those pants! What even was that thing?! Who invented that?

With his hair still wet from the shower, Snatcher glanced at his own body, all confusion on his face replaced by exasperation and an obvious lack of understanding. How clothes like these could be worn casually? It made no sense to him.

A sudden noise coming from his stomach cut his thoughts short, forcing his mind to come back to reality. Right, the kids had mentioned someone who would cook for them, even if he didn’t remember their name. However, despite his blatant hunger, the former shade didn’t really look forward to eating anything, mostly because he knew this was going to be a bad experience. He hadn’t tried doing so yet but, considering how every action as a human, even the littlest ones, were so hard and painful to do again… It was obvious that whatever would happen, it wouldn’t be enjoyable.

Snatcher let out a frustrated sigh as another gurgle echoed in the room. Well, it wasn’t like his body was giving him any other choice, so he decided to accept whatever fate destiny had in store for him. He knew it was going to be bad, so it was better to just close his eyes and let fate do its magic. And so, with great reluctance, the former spirit walked away from the shower, taking the bag of clothes with him so he could give them back to whoever they belonged to.

He climbed the metal ladder leading to the upper part of the room, with some difficulties due to his need of adaptation, and approached the door, which opened swiftly once he was close enough to it. That still made him ill-at-ease, if he had to be completely honest, but at least he didn’t jump from surprise anymore, so that was still some progress. He entered the hallway, using the walls to help him to walk in the slope of the floor. No matter how it looked from an exterior eye, Snatcher was definitely getting better at that walking thing. If the movements still felt strange, it was becoming more natural for him, and his legs hurt less from the efforts.

He soon reached the other door, which opened just like the first one. The man arrived in the main hub and glanced around, looking for the kids and whoever they brought onto the ship. However, he was a bit surprised to see that no one was in the room, except for the little vacuum cleaner, still doing its job happily. It greeted Snatcher with a high-pitched sound, bumping into his foot as a way to say hello. He couldn’t help but cringe at the action, still saying nothing as he waited for the little robot to get away from him. Gods, this made him uncomfortable, and yet he felt so ridiculous for that. He could perfectly imagine the kids making fun of him, and he promised himself not to ever mention that in front of them, no matter the circumstances.

Just as he was about to explore the ship to find the little brats, several distant voices caught his attention towards the kitchen. One of them sounded unfamiliar and he guessed it most certainly belonged to the person the girls had mentioned before. Taking a deep breath, preparing himself for the worst, the former shade braced himself and walked to the green wooden ladder. Just like the one from before, Snatcher gritted his teeth as he climbed, the action being quite trying for someone who had come back to life. Gods, the things he’d do just to float again… With great efforts, he still managed to get back on the top of the platform, his forehead sweating from how hard it was and how warm the jacket was for him during such an exhausting effort. He quickly dried it up on his arm, having nothing else to use other than that. Once he calmed his breathing, he pushed the kitchen door open… And a strong smell hit his nostrils, a delicious one that made his mouth water and his stomach gurgle louder. His hand dropped the bag of clothes on the floor from the shock. Oh Gods, whatever was cooking, it smelled amazing. His eyes instantly fell on three silhouettes in front of the gas stove or whatever was the futuristic or alien equivalent.

He didn’t even know at this point.

There was a frying pan on the stove, with something cooking in it that the man couldn’t quite see from where he stood. All he knew was that it had a yellowish or orangish hue and that it smelled really good from his body’s point of view.

The three persons turned in his direction, two of them being the little girls he knew quite well and the other one… Being a cat in a chef’s uniform. What the heck.

-“Hey Snatcher!” was the first thing that came out from the hatted brat, soon imitated by her younger friend, waving at him: “Nice clothes,” she said with a thumb up. The bow-wearing kid added her own question:

-“I heard you had some trouble with the shower commands. Did you figure it out or…?”

Snatcher sighed and nodded, a frown on his face:

-“Yeah, I did. I would have appreciated an explanation about them, though,” he reproached, frustrated, making the kids wince at the remark. Well, he was right, so not his problem. His eyes then glanced back to the stranger, who was smiling at him, waiting for an opportunity to join the conversation:

-“Oh, hello !” greeted said cat with a feminine and gentle voice, as she approached him, dusting her paws on her clothes. The kids watched them from afar, next to the stove, surely because they originally were helping the other to cook. The hatted brat was watching the food, probably making sure it wouldn’t burn or something… Well, not that Snatcher trusted her on that regard, especially since she seemed to be poking at the food with a fork as if to see if it was still alive or not. The other little girl just slapped her hand away lightly, as if she were telling her it was impolite or something, whispering something Snatcher couldn’t hear from there.

What kind of alien food were the kids eating usually if they had to check if it was dead…? He suddenly became very nervous about the meal he was going to have. Well, in the end, he didn’t really want to know anyway.

Maybe he’d get lucky, since the cat was most certainly a native of the planet, just like he was. And since she was the one in charge of the cooking…

-“The girls and I were just talking about you,” added the stranger, giving the man a bright smile.

-“Oh, is that so…?” replied the former shade, glaring at the kids for talking about him while he was away. Whoever taught them politeness, they didn’t do a good job at it. What were they even talking about? The kids faked not noticing him, making Snatcher even more irritated. If only he still had his powers… Apparently, the cat seemed to notice his change of attitude and raised her hands in an apologizing gesture :

-“Oh, don’t worry, it wasn’t anything serious!” she explained, a little bit embarrassed: “They mostly told me what happened so I could be in the know,” she paused and extended her paw for him to take: “I’m Cooking Cat, but you can call me Cookie if you want.”

The man hesitantly took her paw, shaking it lightly:

-“The Snatcher,” he introduced himself, quickly pulling his hand back. The feeling of fur on his hand was extremely strange, new, and a bit overwhelming. He wasn’t ready for that kind of touch yet, he supposed. Cooking Cat didn’t seem bothered by that, as if she had been expecting it. Well, it made sense, if the brats told her about his bad experiences back in a human body.

She stepped away, making her way back to the stove as she replied:

-“I heard some stories about you,” she said, though she didn’t look scared. He couldn’t really blame her, though: who would be afraid of him the way he looked like now?

-“Terrifying ones, I hope,” he answered, his tone mixed with sarcasm and pride, a very terrible mix. The cat took the frying pan back from the kids, and quickly instructed them to fetch a large plate, which they quickly did. The former ghost came closer and finally got to see what was cooking: a few grilled cheese sandwiches. The sight and smell made his mouth water again. Gods, he hated being hungry and what that feeling did to him and his body.

-“Yes, for the most part. I must admit I didn’t think you were real until the girls told me about you and asked me to come here,” she confessed, looking a bit embarrassed as she did so: “I mostly heard about you from urban legends and scary tales for kids.”

-“Yeah, scary, right…” scoffed the hat-wearing brat, probably in order to tease him. He shot her a warning glare, which effect was only to make her and her friend giggle more. Those brats.

-“Anyway,” the cat spoke again, decided to change the topic for something lighter. She pointed to him with a smile: “I’m glad the clothes fit you well. I borrowed them from friends, you can keep them until you’re able to buy yours.”

That sentence suddenly made Snatcher realize that he had no money to buy clothes with. Or anything else, really. His thoughts must have been pretty easy to read from his expression as Cooking Cat lifted her paws again:

-“Don’t worry, you’re not in a rush, keep them as long as you need to,” she told him with a reassuring tone.

-“Yeah!” added the bow-wearing kid with a sympathetic smile -ugh- : “We’ll help you to find more clothes! And, not to brag, but I’m pretty good at picking clothes.”

-“She is,” upheld her older friend, “Whereas I’m the pon catcher,” she teased and then laughed, only to receive a light hit from the other with her elbow, giggling as well:

-“Hattie!”

The former shade couldn’t help but cringe at the sight. Gods, this was much too sappy for him. Next to him, Cooking Cat was looking at them fondly, like a mother figure watching her kids teasing each other. She eventually turned back to the stove, turning it off and lifting the frying pan in the air until she found a plate to drop the sandwiches on it.

-“Food’s ready!” announced the cat, smiling brightly. She put the frying pan in the sink and opened the tap to cool it down. She then handed the plate to the kids for them to pick a sandwich from. Without too much surprise, said kids were more than happy to finally eat something. Snatcher, in comparison? Not so much. The smell was perhaps appetizing, but the very idea of putting something material in his mouth after centuries of eating souls, immaterial remains of what used to be alive at some point… This was extremely different and he didn’t want to find out how exactly. However, his thoughts of disgust and nervousness were cut short as he was handed the plate as well. Eyes were on him instantly, waiting for him to take a sandwich too. The man couldn’t help but feel even more nervous, being stared that way made him quite uneasy. The cat was showing patience as she held her arm in the air, holding the plate still, as if she somehow knew what went through his mind. The hatted brat was about to say something, her face clearly mischievous, but her younger friend slapped her hand over the other’s mouth, preventing her to say anything. That action alone silenced the older girl, though she frowned at the bow-wearing kid, visibly unhappy with the latter’s reaction.

After what felt years to him, Snatcher eventually extended a hesitant hand to the plate, grabbing a sandwich. A scowl was plastered on his face, showing how anxious the whole situation made him. He could feel his mouth watering even more, saliva pilling up inside and making him even more uncomfortable. As if to encourage him, the bow-wearing kid took a bite of her own sandwich, soon imitated by her older friend, both stopping looking at him to focus on their food instead. Somehow, knowing he wasn’t the centre of the attention anymore made Snatcher feel a bit better. His posture relaxed and his expression softened, as he eyed his food with a wary look.

He was just so ridiculous, being afraid to eat a sandwich, out of any possible food in the universe. A pat on his arm suddenly brought the former ghost back to reality with a slight jump, his eyes looking for the reason of the contact. It was Cooking Cat.

-“You don’t have to eat, you know,” she offered with compassion, “We can put it in the fridge for later, when you feel ready for that.”

The abrupt sign of concern hit Snatcher’s pride right in the face. An angry blush appeared on his cheeks and he furrowed his brow. He loathed being pitied, especially for such a trivial matter. It was just food, what was he, a kid?! With a scoff, the man rolled his eyes: yeah, right! As if the powerful ghost of Subcon Forest couldn’t do something that simple!

Irritation soon replaced his apprehensiveness and he quickly brought the sandwich to his mouth, pushing all the nervous thoughts out of his mind. He didn’t need those right now. Without thinking anymore, he opened his mouth and took a bite.

It was at this particular instant that Snatcher realized he had definitely underestimated how much this would affect him. As soon as the food entered his mouth and touched his tongue, the former spirit was hit by a wave of sensations he hadn’t felt in years. The taste of food, the warmness of it on his tongue and on his inner cheeks, the texture of each ingredient, how everything together formed all new tastes-

It was absolutely overwhelming.

It was hard to explain how weird and strong all those new sensations were to Snatcher. He couldn’t help but freeze as his mind was unable to do anything else but focus on everything he was feeling at the moment. The taste was indescribable, in a way the man couldn’t describe as positive or negative. It was just there, flooding his brain with many, many signals he hadn’t expected to feel and didn’t understand yet. The texture was… Not something he enjoyed. The presence of something material in his mouth was strange and unnatural to him. Snatcher’s mouth remained motionless, not moving nor chewing because he was too shocked to actually think of doing so. His stomach gurgled louder and… It hurt, as if someone were twisting his guts in the most painful way.

Was this how hunger felt like? Like his guts were twisted again and again and again? Gods, how he loathed that feeling.

Snatcher’s thoughts were once more cut short as the hatted brat called out to him, this time not held back by her younger friend:

-“Uh, Snatcher…?” she started, hesitantly, raising one of her eyebrows as she continued: “You know you have to chew and swallow… Right?”

The words didn’t register right away in the former spirit’s mind. When they did, however, Snatcher felt his face heat up in embarrassment. Hell, learning to control a body after centuries was awful. Frowning even more, he started to move his jaw, though a bit awkwardly at first. The feeling of his teeth crushing food was so foreign, so… Weird, and almost disgusting, if he started to think about it too much. The sound of chewing echoed in his head, and he felt the need to close his eyes. It was loud, loud, too loud, much too loud. He didn’t know when he had to stop chewing. Did the food need to be a complete food mash? He had no idea, and his embarrassment just intensified as the seconds passed. He knew he was being watched, he knew that, and it all made everything worse.

After a while, when he felt the food was just a mashed mix of ingredients… He tried to swallow, the same way he managed to when it came to saliva. Strangely… It didn’t go the wrong way. Instead, the former shade felt the food coming down in his throat, rubbing each wall inside in the most uncomfortable possible way. The man cringed and shivered from the sensation, eyes shut hard and his body tensed more than he ever imagined.

There. He had chewed and swallowed the first bite. Woah. How amazing, truly. Now there were a dozen more to go, now this was just great.

Claps suddenly echoed in the room, making Snatcher jump. He quickly reopened his eyes, only to find the two kids cheering upon him by clapping their hands. The sound was ringing in his head each time their palms met, making him cringe again and again. The little girls were smiling, looking at him with wide eyes, full of… Admiration? Pride? Happiness? No, this couldn’t be that. This just couldn’t be. They weren’t cheering for him, how could they?

Snatcher was being mocked. He knew that, he was ridiculous, he couldn’t even eat properly, he was even more pathetic than a human, he couldn’t believe it- No one would ever cheer on someone for something that simple, something anyone could do easily but him.

The former ghost gritted his teeth strongly, so much that it hurt. Inside his chest, he felt like something was squeezing his organs, even squeezing at something that wasn’t really there in the first place. His hands were shaking, no, his whole body was. His face was becoming hotter and hotter, red like a tomato from how furious and ashamed he felt at the moment.

This was stupid, so stupid, why was this happening to him, why, why, why-

With a strangled cry, Snatcher threw the rest of the food on the floor violently. All the ingredients scattered on the black and white tiles with a repugnant sound, and silence fell in the room, the kids stopping their cheering instantly. Shock was on everyone’s face but Snatcher’s, his own frowning to the point where it just hurt.

He didn’t want this, never in his life and afterlife did he wish for such a terrible humiliation.

Ignoring the loud and high-pitched reproaches of the hatted brat, the man turned away, fleeing the room quickly despite how unstable he still was on his legs. He didn’t even see the kids and cat’s face well before he snapped, but he could perfectly imagine it. The hat-wearing girl was angry, revolted by his behaviour, by how he wasted food that was made for him, disappointed in him-

The younger kid certainly had that awfully annoying worried expression plastered on her face, pitying him, like they all were-

As for the cat, Snatcher was certain she either felt outraged like the older brat or upset like the younger one.

The man left the room as fast as he could, feeling his legs trembling more and more. It wasn’t like he could leave -he was in space after all, stuck in a spaceship-, but he just wanted to be alone, alone, alone for the love of Gods! The man’s breath was heavy and he could hear voices calling out to him, but he couldn’t understand what they were saying. A loud and deafening ringing noise was playing in his mind, hitting the walls of his skull at each heartbeat. He wanted to flee, wanted to go away so much-

He went down the mezzanine, his fists clenched, his nails almost piercing the skin. He was just at the middle of the large hub room when his left foot walked on the shoelace of his other foot, shoelaces he hadn’t tied up before. Instantly, it was like he had received a bucket of freezing water on his head as he realized that his body was falling, falling onwards, and he couldn’t stop it. He lost his balance, his arms instinctively tensed before him to protect him from the impact. Just before hitting the floor, he shut his eyes hard… And something wet leaked from them.

Oh. He was crying. Now, this was just pathetic-

The shock of the impact shut his thoughts up, silencing them immediately. A breathless cry left his lips as the air of his lungs were forced out of his body. Pain spread in his whole body, making him curl up from the ache, from the humiliation, from how bad he felt.

He didn’t want to be a human. Especially not who he used to be.

Far away in the room, the little cleaning robot seemed to watch with concern, beeping in a lower tone than usual. It looked like it understood that it was best not to approach Snatcher in his current state of mind.

The kitchen door opened swiftly, revealing the trio watching him from the top of the mezzanine. Just like he had expected… The hatted brat was angry and the other kid looked just as sad as he had thought. As for Cooking Cat… Her expression was unreadable. Was she worried? Disappointed? He didn’t know.

-“What the peck, Snatcher?!” yelled the older girl, gripping at the railing of the mezzanine as she bent over it: “Why did you-”

The former ghost had expected to hear yells and reproaches -who wouldn’t in his situation, after all?-, but… The hatted kid was silenced by Cooking Cat, the latter putting her paws on the children’s shoulders. Her grip on them seemed to be stronger than it should normally be, as if she were trying to catch their attention, which apparently worked, as silence fell into the room. The little girls looked at her with a mix of confusion and curiosity, though the anger was still very much visible on the hatted brat’s face.

-“Why don’t you two prepare a bed for your friend while he and I talk for a bit?” she offered them, with a tone that was nice but still wasn’t just a suggestion, or maybe a strong one.

Both of the kids looked at each other before glancing at Snatcher, who was still lying on the floor, more than humiliated. Why did the cat want to talk to him? He didn’t need comfort, he just wanted things to go back as they were! Why couldn’t it be simple?! Why did it have to be so hard and so unbearable? He didn’t ask for any of this!

Surprisingly, the children listened to Cooking Cat and nodded, probably because they understood how serious the other was. They remained hesitant for a few moments as if they were having second thoughts about all of this, but they eventually left the room, entering the hallway leading to their bedroom, whispering to each other.

Snatcher loathed this, he hated what was happening to him, this wasn’t fair! He gritted his teeth, hearing the cat approaching him one step after the other. What did she want to talk about? They didn’t even know each other, what would be the point?! She wouldn’t be able to help him, only the kids were, and they weren’t able to do so quickly! All he had to do now was to wait, while he could only hope for Vanessa not to go crazy and freeze the entire forest again! But sure, he could play the perfect little human! After all, this could only be a fun experience!!

He hadn’t realized he had been holding his head until now, his nails scraping his scalp painfully. He felt a paw on his shoulder, rubbing it slowly and gently. It made him jump once more, his eyes shutting hard: he could barely handle his emotions and now he had to handle the sensation of a paw rubbing his shoulder?! But as he was about to complain, Cooking Cat spoke first, with a calm and soothing voice that silenced him completely:

-“Let’s chat for a bit, okay?” she offered, her tone full of compassion and understanding.

Snatcher didn’t want to talk, he didn’t want to be comforted! Comfort was for kids, for helpless people, and he was neither of those things! And yet… Yet…

The man nodded silently, tears suddenly leaking out of his eyes and gross sobs leaving his mouth, echoing all around them in the room.

Snatcher just wanted to feel good for once.

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

So uh will you believe me when I say this chapter was supposed to be completely fluff and all... But it just went downhill as I wrote it and I couldn't stop it. It just happened. Well, in a way, I imagine Snatcher having good and bad times, it's not a linear experience, having to like himself and his old self. So yeah... But next chapter is going to be calmer and Snatcher will have the opportunity to talk about things a bit.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and my drawings ! See you on the next chapter !

(Also I'm posting this four days before my birthday, look at me giving you a gift when it's my birthday soon idjqhdihqdu. ANYWAY. Hope y'all have a great day !!)

=> Chapter 12

#A Hat In Time #ahit #ahit fanfiction #ahit snatcher #snatcher #cooking cat #fanfiction #my art #hat kid #HK #bow kid #BK #BH #erekio bh #tw depressing stuff #tw depression #Being Human #oth #oth au #Oh The Humanity AU

[that-yandere-life]

Soulmate Series: How You Meet (Part One)

Tony Stark-

Not everyone has a soulmate, but those that do have various ways they are connected to each other.

For you it was that the rate of your heartbeats always matched the other.

So if you were stressed or in danger he would immediately feel it.

God you were terrified when you felt your heart basically stop when he was in Afghanistan.

The way the two of you met was actually really kind of sweet.

Somehow you were invited to a Stark party, whether it was by a friend or because of your work.

People were basically wall to wall covering the room, the conversation making it almost impossible to hear.

Accidentally you ran into someone knocking their glass out of their hand causing it to shatter on impact.

Apologizing profusely you bent down to help pick it up.

Hitting a particularly sharp piece cutting your finger slightly.

When your heart rate spiked due to the pain he felt it too staring at you with wide eyes understanding before you even met his gaze.

Upon explaining you questioned if it was even possible, that your soulmate was THE Tony Stark.

Taking you to a quiet room he asked FRIDAY to check if it actually matched, which she quickly confirmed.

Tony was determined to keep you by his side, there was no leaving him anymore even if you wanted to.

Not that he would tell you that in any way.

After all these years he finally found his soulmate, the one destined to be his.

Steve Rogers-

Steve had always seen the world in a blend of various shades of gray.

Sketching only in charcoal pencil when he did his little drawings in his sketchbook.

No point in using color you couldn’t see.

Believing that he was going to die not meeting his soulmate when he went into the ice.

Upon waking up in present day he was confused, but also had a sense of renewed faith that maybe he just didn’t find his soulmate before because they weren’t alive yet.

He will always remember the day he met you, having saved you from an alien about to eat you alive.

Feeling you shake in his arms until your eyes latched onto his, seeing the most brilliant blue you had ever seen before.

Quickly he set you down, only having time to get your name before he had to return to the fight.

That is what began his obsession with you, knowing that you both belonged together.

Watching you from afar initially to discover what kind of person his soulmate is.

Finding out everything you liked and disliked, determined to be the perfect one for you when he finally approached you.

Pretending to run into you again, he asked you out on a date.

There was no way at the end of the night you would be walking away from him again, he wouldn’t let you go a second time.

Clint Barton-

Clint had been born with a tiny arrow tattoo just behind his ear.

Legend had it that his soulmate would have the same one, in the same place.

Although he was sure that he didn’t have a soulmate, a man with a crazy life like his didn’t deserve one in his mind.

When his hearing was damaged, his hearing aids that Tony built him covered it up.

One day he got into a hand to hand fight with a Hydra agent during a mission.

His aids were knocked out and smashed under their boot as a part of the struggle, thankfully they could be replaced with an extra set he kept in his vest.

Ultimately he won but he definitely had some cuts and bruised ribs that would need tending to.

Luckily you had just started in the medical wing of the tower as an on duty nurse.

Getting your first patient you never expected that they would end up being your soulmate.

Talking to Clint it felt like you had known him your entire life, and in a way you kind of had.

Laughing at one of his jokes you tucked your hair behind your ear not thinking anything of it when your tattoo was showing.

You of all people knew how rare it was for even people with a soulmate to find the love of their life.

Catching your gaze he moved his replacement hearing aids showing that the two of you matched.

Gasping you touched it gently with the tips of your fingers, unable to believe that you were one of the special cases.

Clint would never let you go, not after being proven so wrong about you not existing as there you were in front of him.

Natasha Romanoff-

For as long as you could remember you had gotten various injuries when you least expected them.

When you were a child you were taken to the doctor where they revealed that you had a soulmate out in the world.

That when they got hurt, or vice versa the other got the injury in return.

Occasionally you would get hurt really badly, having apparent bullet wounds even from time to time.

That is what made you think that your soulmate worked a dangerous job, so you decided to do the same in return.

Training really hard to become one of the top SHIELD recruits in your class.

Meaning you got to do your final evaluation with an Avenger.

Of course you grew nervous when you discovered that you were assigned to Natasha Romanoff, her reputation preceding her.

Stepping into the sparring ring with her you began to move around narrowly avoiding her attacks.

Effectively fighting her off for the most part, doing exactly what you had been trained to do.

Unfortunately you got distracted when she asked you about a scar you had, allowing her to get a good punch in.

Falling back onto your ass you felt blood dripping from your nose, touching it as your eyes watered you didn’t notice her touching her own.

Looking up focusing you saw that she was bleeding from her own nose despite you not even getting close to hitting her.

Natasha wasn’t upset though, in fact she was almost starting to cry at finally finding you.

Kneeling down she took you into her arms, taking in the fact that she would never again have to be without you.

Bruce Banner-

You remember spending a lot of your childhood in a state of fear and anxiety most of the time.

As you got older you started to get angry for no reason at all.

One minute you would be fine, the next you were enraged like you had just witnessed your car being set on fire.

It was really starting to become a problem in your day to day life.

You couldn’t hold down a job for long before you would have an outburst and get yourself fired.

Going to a therapist you were told that likely your soulmate was the cause of your emotional state.

Having it explained to you that you can also help them by giving them your emotions too.

So if they were having a moment of rage you could give them relaxation or joy in return to counteract it.

Likely you taking on their emotions fully like you had been only projected it back onto them even worse.

Feeling confused about how you had gone this long without knowing you had a soulmate, you wondered if it was real or if the therapist was full of shit.

That was until one day you were watching the news at a local diner where you had managed to earn a temp job as a waitress.

Talking about an attack on the city, showing live footage of the situation showing all of the Avengers getting ready to attack.

Gripping the counter tightly you felt yourself start to get angry again, so you attempted to calm down.

However it was no use as you watched a man turn into a tall green monster on the screen, knowing in your heart and soul that he was the one you were meant to be with.

Rushing out of there you stupidly ran down to where the fighting was taking place, luckily getting there after it ended.

Following the roars you started to give out feelings of calmness and peace.

Turning the corner you saw a mostly naked man panting and heaving hunched over in a nearby alleyway.

When he suddenly felt joy he looked up seeing you standing there smiling at him, knowing it was really him when you experienced a brief bout of confusion at first.

“It’s you...you’re real.”

Nodding you rush over not even caring about his state of undress, throwing your arms around him.

For once Bruce didn’t let go, this was meant to be and he was going to let it take him.

Thor Odinson-

Thor was getting frustrated being stuck at the same body he was when he was 18.

A thousand years or more had passed and he still hadn’t found his soulmate.

It was only while working with the Avengers on Midgard did he find what he was looking for without even realizing it.

Being part of the team yourself you often interacted with Thor when he was hanging around.

Somewhere along the lines he became obsessed with you, taking in every bit of information you would give him when talking.

Learning much about the culture on Earth from you at the end of the day.

Seemingly over the next few years you got closer, to the point where you would say you were best friends… if not more.

One morning you were looking in the mirror and you saw something that shocked you beyond belief.

A silver hair in the midst of your natural color.

That meant you were finally aging, something you hadn’t really done in the last ten years.

There was only person it could be, the person that seemingly had your heart even if he didn’t know it.

Thor noticed his own aging for the first time around the same moment you did.

Crinkles had formed in the corners of his eyes, something that definitely wasn’t there before.

Rushing to find you, you both ran into each other... literally.

Luckily he caught you in his arms, you both starting to laugh at the coincidence.

Showing each other what you had discovered, deep down it was like he had always known it was you.

No one will ever love you more than the man who waited more than a lifetime to be with you.

Loki Laufeyson-

Most of your life you had your own dreams, that was until the attacks in New York.

Ever since then, there were times where you were just a spectator in the front row of a horror show.

After many nights with little to no sleep due to the terrifying sights you went to a sleep clinic to find out what is going on.

There you are told of a rare connection to a soulmate where you share each other's dreams.

However they couldn’t explain why it took so long for them to start.

The only explanation offered was that they came within close proximity of you and that jump started the connection.

A solution they offered was to attempt to lucid dream and bring them into your space to see who they were.

It took awhile but finally you felt like you wanted to attempt it.

Loki was sleeping and found himself sucked into your dream, something he always prefered over his own.

You provided his much needed escape from reality after all that had happened to him recently.

Quickly he realized that this was different than before, you seemed far more in control of the narrative than usual.

When you asked for his name he was shocked since normally you never knew of his presence.

Shocked as you were when you found out he was the man who had hurt a lot of people, connecting the dots between the timing your dreams started and when he attacked.

As you felt yourself starting to wake up you swore you heard him tell you he was going to come for you at the first chance.

Somehow you didn’t know if you were comforted or terrified by those words.

[Part one of How You Meet! If you want more soulmate scenarios with everyone let me know! <333]

#yandere marvel #marvel yandere #tony stark x reader #steve rogers x reader #clint barton x reader #bruce banner x reader #natasha romanoff x reader #thor odinson x reader #loki laufeyson x reader #yandere tony stark #yandere steve rogers #yandere clint barton #yandere natasha romanoff #yandere bruce banner #yandere thor odinson #yandere loki laufeyson #soulmate au

[fruitygal26]

The shining Moon//Zutara One shot Pt.1

WARNING: SMUT 18+ READERS ONLY!! - Contains strong sexual content and language! - CHARACTERS ARE AGED UP

Cold. Above anything else Katara was overwhelmed by at the moment- the cold seemed to take precedent. It was a strange feeling. Usually Katara had been accustomed to the cold, being from the Southern Water Tribe and all. Her body had created a sort of tolerance. But ever since she began her journey with the Avatar and had traveled through all four nations, her body hadn’t felt the cold in quite some time. And let me tell you- she loathed it. As Katara lay in her sleeping bag shivering, she tried to let her mind wander in an attempt to ease her suffering. She thought of the days to come. What would happen if Aang didn't master firebending? What if Ozai had been training as well. What if it's an unmatched fight- Ozai and his army against poor Aang. There would be no way to see it coming. What if Zuko doesn't teach Aang everything he needs to? 

Zuko..

Katara tried to wipe his existence from her mind ever since he had arrived at the western air temples ten days ago. Somehow he managed to convince toph, aang, and even sokka to let him to train Aang in firebending. She understood their options were limited- but Zuko? Really!? The guy who had been hunting them through their entire journey suddenly wants to do the right thing? No. That's not true. Katara knew better. If you had asked her before their chance encounter in the prisons of Ba Sing Se- she may have given him a chance- but not anymore. Not after earning her trust in a matter of minutes only to have it thrown back in her face at the first opportunity.

To put it lightly, Katara held a grudge. But deeper than that, Zuko haunted Katara's dreams. She never told anyone- but Katara was afraid of him. What would have happened if she had trusted him in Ba Sing Se and they escaped arm in arm. He could've killed them all in their sleep when he finally decided to “change his mind”. What haunted Katara the most about their exchange was just how quick she was to trust him. How taken aback she was when she finally came face to face with the banished prince, and worst of all… how attracted she'd been to him. He was much more handsome than the first time they had met- she had a feeling his haircut had something to do with that. She had been engulfed by his dark presence and even mesmerized by the power his eyes held. Even with his scar and the dimness of the prison- zuko had a glare that could pierce through any girl's soul. But Katara was not just any girl, she was an integral part of helping Aang complete his destiny. She couldn't put that in jeopardy by trusting the wrong people, like Zuko. She fears that the reason she was so quick to trust Zuko back then was due to her surprising attraction to him and she hated herself for it. That thought haunted her every night…. Among other things.

Her nightmares began that dusk, though- it may be unwise to deem them all “nightmares''. While some created an uneasy sense of panic that Katara could not run away from, others created a much different sensation. In fact, on some of the coldest nights- it was these dreams that managed to warm her. She hated herself for it, but more and more often Katara found herself dreaming of Zuko's toned body and strong arms. These were the dreams that truly burned Katara. Of course the nightmares were terrible, but at least with them when you woke up you were able to escape. When she would wake from her warm dreams, she seemed unable to differentiate between reality and her hidden desires. Not to mention those dreams often left behind specific evidence in Katars underwear. 

And now Zuko was here. Sleeping yards away from Katara every night. Capable of killing her and her friends in a matter of moments- and yet, that was not what Katara feared most by having some close by. Now when she would wake in an attempt to escape her vivid dreams, she'd be met with a pair of golden eyes staring back at her. And as much as she loathed him, she feared that one of these days her body would betray her mind. She could not let that happen. 

A gust of wind hit katara's face, interrupting her thought process and bringing her back into reality. Her very, VERY, cold reality. She decided if she could not sleep, the least she could do to prepare for the upcoming fight was train. Ever since Toph had joined the Gaang, Katara had been taking her training more seriously, and not just because she was intimidated by how much toph trained. I mean seriously, how can a 12 year old girl have more power and stamina than an entire army? 

Katara slowly slid out of her sleeping bag, trying not to make any noise. The closest people to her location were Sokka and Suki, who had spent most of the night talking and had ultimately fallen asleep cuddling each other around 1am. They wouldn't wake easy, and even if they did- Katara doubted either of them would let go of the other to see what all the noise was about. It was sweet, and disgusting. Although, Katara had to admit… ever since Sokka and Zuko rescued Suki and the others from the fire nation, Sokka had been way less uptight, which was much appreciated. She still couldn't believe Zuko was instrumental in the rescue, but stranger things had happened. She wasn't just going to trust him after every good thing he did, even if he saved her dad. 

As Katara neared the edge of the lake she reflected, for just a moment, on how life has changed since the rescue. Don't get it twisted, Katara was endlessly grateful to see her friend and father. It took a lot of stress off her, and on warmer nights even allowed her to sleep calmly. But she couldn't shake the feeling that came with reunion… loneliness. She knew it was absurd, but ever since she sokka and suki were brought back together, she longed for the feeling of being touched. Not in a platonic hug, or handshake. Not even in a way she could feel herself. Though she was finally the least alone she'd been in her whole life, she just could not shake the feeling of being wanted by someone else, and it killed her. 

Katara's mind was rushing at 100 miles an hour, while her body was practicing traditional water bending forms, even tackling new scrolls in an attempt to learn a few surprise tricks before the fight. In such a pit of concentration katara had not heard the footsteps approaching her from behind.

 One second. Katara felt his presence one second before he had put his hand on her shoulder. It was not much time, but enough for her to muster up the strength to conjure the water beneath her feet and redirect it forcefully towards the attacker. 

“Ow!”

Katara turned around to see a soaked Zuko collapse to the ground, clearly surprised at the unnecessary use of force from the waterbender. 

She didn't hit him hard. Well… not hard enough to do any true damage, but apparently enough to create a gash on his collarbone. At least she knows the water whip serves its purpose. 

“Zuko” She said, not bothering to hide the spite in her voice. “You should know better than to sneak up on a master waterbender, shouldn't you? Especially if that Master happens to be me.”

“Youd think I would have learned that by now.” 

Katara couldn't put her finger on it, but something in his voice made it seem as though he was teasing, but then his expression changed.

“I'm sorry Katara truly. I’ll go back to the campsite now. I had just woken up and didn't see you in your sleeping bag. I- I just wanted to make sure you were ok.” 

Katara started turning around, ready to get back to her training and to ignore the man huffing away behind her...but she couldn't just leave a member of their team injured. Even if she never agreed for him to be on said team. She reasoned with herself that this was because If they were attacked, she needed to make sure none of the members of the gaang were injured in a way they couldn't fight. Though this wound did not create any real problems for Zuko, better safe than sorry. Besides, we know how he gets scars. 

“Wait Zuko… come here for a moment.”

Zuko stopped in his tracks and turned slowly towards Katara. The full moon glistening in his eyes as he gave Katara a confused look. 

“I need to heal your collarbone before you go back, wouldn't want you using that against me in front of the team, or as a device in whatever plan you are hatching would we?” 

Zuko seemed even more confused than he was in the beginning, but that didn't stop him from moving towards Katara's hands. 

When he was far too close for Katara's liking, she stopped him by pressing her hands forcefully into his chest, halting his movement. The moment her palms had made contact to his dripping robe, she felt a surge of electricity flow through her. This made her blush incredibly hard, but lucky for her, the darkness made it so Zuko couldn't see. To her surprise, her blush faded in a matter of second- only to be replaced with a loopy sensation in the pits of her stomach.  

This can't be happening….she repeated over and over to herself. This isn't one of her warm dreams, this was real life. With a real zuko standing less than a foot away from her. She detested this man, feared him even. Why then was she letting her imagination bring down her defenses. And yet- Katara could not shield the curiosity of the body lying beneath her firm grip. 

“Shit. I can't see properly in this light… this may be harder than I thought.” Great. Just what Katara needed. Not only to be distracted by the boy in front of her, but to do such a poor job on his wound that she would appear weak.

 If there was one thing Katara was not, it was weak. 

Without a second thought, Zuko ignited a small flame from the palm of his hand and brought it up towards Katara’s face. Katara was shocked. Of course Zuko was a master firebender- but everytime she thought of that she thought of war and destruction. For some reason it had not occurred to her that fire could be used in gentle ways too.

“I forgot you could do that… thanks I guess.”

“Don't mention it.”

 She wouldn’t. Katara slowly moved her right hand from her initial halting position towards his collarbone. It was in this moment, when Katara's skin touched him, that she realized how cold she truly was, and just how warm Zuko seemed to be. Even by standing near her, his body radiated heat. She had been so caught up in her own actions, she hadn't realized she stopped shivering. 

“You're cold.” said Zuko, more as a statement than a question.

“I'm used to it”

It wasn't a lie, she had grown accustomed to it. But that didn't change the fact it sucked. 

“Oh” he said quite abruptly. It appeared he was trying to make conversation, but he should have known that would never work with Katara. That didn't stop him from tyrin though. 

They both fell silent for several minutes. The only noise being the sloshing of the water Katara was using to heal him. Suddenly Zuko spoke. 

“I wouldn't by the way.”

“What?” She asked, genuinely confused. 

“I would never use it against you. The gash.”

“ What-what do you mean?”

Katara was genuinely confused. 

“I snuck up on you, you reacted- you reacted very well as a matter of fact. You're a very powerful bender, I should have known it was unwise to approach you in that manner. Im sorry.” 

Suddenly it made sense. The comment Katara had made earlier, about her healing him so Zuko wouldn't use this “fight” as ammunition against her. Did she offend him? Not that she cared. She knew what kind of guy Zuko was. She knew whatever reason he was here with them, was not truly to help Aang. She just didn't know what reason it was. 

“Whatever.”

“Katara looks at me, I'm serious. I'm sorry, and I'm sorry if you feel like I would do such a thing.”

Katara nearly rolled her eyes. 

“Look here Zuko. You may have everyone else here fooled, but I’m not buying it. I don't want your intentions to be by joining our group- but I know they aren't pure. You can try this whole nice guy act on everyone else- but it's going to take a lot more for me to believe you pal.”

In the heat of the moment Katara had not realized how close to Zuko’s face she got, or how much shed raised her voice. She looked around suddenly, checking to see if anyone had heard the commotion and were rushing to help her- but alas, no such thing. She was sure Toph would have heard something- then she remembered the bottle Ba Sing Se’s finest rum shed bodied before heading to bed. Not even a fire nation attack could wake Toph at this moment. 

“Katara…” Zuko mumbled softly.

Oh no. She felt it again. Her stomach felt the same way it did when She took a sudden drop with Appa. And the war began infecting her bloodstream, spreading through her whole body.

Stop it Katara. This is real life. 

Then Zuko interrupted her thought process. 

“Katara I swear I’m here to help. It hasn't been an easy path for me to take, and yet I wish for no other. I am here to fulfill my destiny, and to help Aang fulfil his. What can I do to make you believe me?” 

Katara looked away from Zuko for only a moment, but when she looked back- her eyes locked on his… and she knew shed lost all control over her actions. Even if Zuko hadn’t yet.  

“You have a girlfriend do you not?” Katara asked smugly. 

Zuko looked taken aback, even sad for a moment- though the sadness washed away in under a second. 

“I- I did. Not anymore. We just were not destined to be.”

“Pity. But that is not why I asked.”

Katara was in complete control of this situation. Though she was a bit shorter than Zuko, at this moment she felt as though she was towering over him. 

“I- Im sorry Katara. I think I'm a little confused…”

“What was her name?” 

“I don't see how that's relevant,” Said Zuko, getting a little defiant. Not to worry, Katara would put him in his place in just a moment. 

“Answer the question Zuko. How am I supposed to trust an outsider if he doesn't even answer simple questions about his life?”

Defeatedly, Zuko responded. 

“Mai. Her name was Mai.”

Katara smiled. 

“Thank you for your candor Zuko. How long were you together?”

“It's complicated,” he started. “We liked each other when we were kids. After the attack on Ba Sing Se we kind of got together on the trip back to the fire nation. We were together a few months before I knew where my destiny would lead me. She wasn't as understanding. We split up not long after that.”

His face fell forward. He was trying. He was really trying to open up to Katara. If this was the only way she would feel safe with him, or even start trusting him- it was worth it. 

“And in all that time with Mai, I have to assume… you two got intimate didn't you?”

Zuko’s head bobbed up suddenly. He was perplexed- and quite honestly.. A bit embarrassed. 

“I-”

“Remember to answer honestly Zuko- I’ll know if you're not.” she interrupted. 

Blush filled Zuko's cheeks as the little fire dancing in his palm struggled to stay lit. 

“Yes. We did.”

“No need to be embarrassed, Zuko. You're a 20 year old boy- it's only normal.”

“I… I guess. What does that have to do with anything?”

Zuko had no idea where this conversation was going- but he felt a tad uneasy. 

“What did you guys do?”

Zuko's eyes widened. 

“Katara, I- Im not just going to, you’re-” 

“I'm almost 19 Zuko, answer me honestly. Did she suck your dick?” 

Katara said this with no trace of it being a touchy subject. She might as well have asked him his favorite breakfast food with that tone. 

“Whaa” 

Zuko was ambushed. He didn't know how to react and his facial expression showed it. 

“Did you eat her out?” Katara said, as a small grin grew on her face. 

“Kata-”

“Oooh or did you fuck her. Did you fuck Mai in your fancy bedroom Prince Zuko?”

This seemed to be the final straw for the banished prince. It had taken him a moment to realize how he wished to react, but he had decided upon being offended. No one dares speak this way to a prince in the fire nation. 

“THATS ENOUGH KATARA” Zuko said loudly, yet he did not shout it. 

 “If you have a point get to it.”

Katara was not shaken. 

“I just need you to answer the question, great prince” she said with a hint of sarcasm. “I need to know what kind of man you are.”

“All of it-”

“Huh?” Katara said, missing the moment. 

“We did it all. Not all at once, obviously. But we were very passionate. Is that what you wanted to hear?” He said rather defiantly. Katara didn't mind- in fact, she kind of liked it. 

“Yep, that's all I need to hear.” Katara said as she slowly withdrew her hand from his previous wound. The healing process had ended a bit ago, but neither one of them had retreated. 

“Now I’m going to tell you what you need to do Zuko, if you want me to ever trust you.” 

“Wasn't that it? The questions? I mean- I've never told anyone any of that stuff, doesn't that prove anything?” He asked, rather coyly. 

“It's a start.” Katara said as she made her way to a nearby rock and propped herself on it. Zuko following slowly behind. 

When she was settled on the large boulder, she turned to face Zuko. Confident in her actions, Katara felt no hesitation in her next statement.

“You’re going to eat me out Zuko.”

She was met with a blank stare. She couldn't tell if he was confused or pondering. So she decided to clarify either way. 

“You're going lick my pussy with your warm tongue, and you're going to make me cum. If you don't make me cum- we’re gonna have a serious problem, and who knows what I’ll tell the gang about you. And now that we know about your little shenanigans with Mai- we know you have no excuse to not come through.” 

Katara smiled to herself. This was an ultimatum he could not pass up. He knew it, she knew it. All that was left was the anticipation in the air from waiting for his response. As Zuko slowly contemplated his options, their eyes made sudden contact. Katara was now the one taken aback. For in all his pondering, she could see the excitement reflected in his golden specks.

Without breaking their eye contact, Zuko spoke.

“This is the only way?”

Katara responded with the slow spreading of her legs up on the boulder. 

“The only way.”

The fire concentrated in the center of Zuko's hand suddenly grew strongly before going out completely. It was as if some had poured gasoline on it. With no more light to guide them, Zuko slowly made his way towards Katara.

#zutara #zuko #katara #18+ #mature #smut #lemon #zutaralemon #steamy #moon #oneshot #aang #sokka #firebender #waterbender #zukoxoc #The shining Moon

[tsarinastorm]

Season 7-Adam Sackler/Reader-Chapter 8

Rating: Explicit.

Here is Chapter 8, sorry it took me so long!

“Fuck me harder coach,” you tell Adam as he thrusts into you from behind. You’re lying in the spooning position with your leg hitched up to the side resting on his hip. His arm is wrapped around your hips, holding you place as he drives into. He rocks into roughly, making the bed squeak, and he says, “I need to stretch you out, get you ready for the game.”

               “You stretch me so good sir,” you tell him and he lines up his hips at a different angle that hits your g-spot just right. You moan and take your hand down to draw circles on your clit. Adam pulls your hand away to replace it with his own. He says, “No only the coach gets to play with you.”

               He grunts as plows into you, and you make an effort to arch your back so your ass is flush up against him again. His hands press harder on your clit and you love the feeling of his cock dragging along g-spot. Your orgasm makes your whole body spasm, and Adam lets you ride it out.

               “Did coach make you come?” He asks and when you answer satisfactorily, he maneuvers you into a new position. That’s one of your favorite things about having sex with Adam, he’s willing to try new positions and he moves you into them. You’ll admit that you like being ‘manhandled’ in the bedroom.  Now, you’re lying on your back, with your legs together and near your chest with your ass higher in the air. He holds the back of your legs as he re-enters you. Holy shit he’s deep in you.  You can tell he’s close too because his breathes are ragged and his thrusts are getting sloppy.

               “Oh coach you better pull out,” you say and he looks at you confused for a second, and you make a facial gesture that tells him that he doesn’t actually have to pull out. He thrust three more times before you feel his cock twitch and feel his cum fill you. Adam let’s his hand drop from your legs and he settles on top of you, saying, “Ah sorry kid, coach didn’t pull out in time.”

               You smile and he leans into kiss you before rolling off you, gathering you in his arms. Adam was definitely into post-coital cuddling. You oblige and lay your head on his chest while his arm stays around your shoulders. Then, you decide you better break the news to him sooner rather than later.  Raising up so your chin is resting on his chest, he looks at you skeptically, knowing that you’re about to tell him something he may not like.

               “You know how it’s my birthday weekend and my friends are throwing me a party?” You ask and he says, “Uh-huh. Hannah told me when and where to show up. Though I have my own thoughts for how we can celebrate.”

               “Well some of my friends from back home are coming in,” you say with a bit of caution. He sits up so he’s looking down on you. He responds with, “Okay, that’s good. I’m assuming they’ll want to meet me, and you’ll want me to meet them.”

               “Yeah, you guys are really going to get to know each other because they’re staying here while they’re in the city,” You say in an excited voice, hoping that he’ll accept it.

               “Wait, what?! When were you going to tell me?” He asks and sets up to look directly at you. You set up on your elbow in response.

               “I didn’t want you to stress about it. I’m sure it will be fine.”

               “I wish you would have told me sooner,” He says and surprisingly he doesn’t argue with you over it. It really just must be Hannah and friends he doesn’t like, either that or he doesn’t want to pick a fight. He moves closer to you, and you snuggle into him, hoping to get some sleep before round two starts.

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

               Adam holds Y/N’s hand as they sit in the cab on the way to the party, her friends are sitting around her, chattering away. Y/N’s friends that weren’t that bad, but he had no clue what they were talking about. It was nice to be able to be around his girlfriend’s friends without wanting to zone all of them out, and never see them again for six months. They were actually tolerable, and up until now he could have meaningful conversation with them, but he was happy that Y/N was happy. The cab pulls up to the bar that Hannah and Marnie booked for the party, and all of Y/N’s friends work their way out of the car but Y/N stays behind them, with him. She bumps into him, never unlacing her hand from his as they walk inside. Once they’re to the door, she leans up to kiss him. He can’t resist taking his free hand to the side of her neck and deepening the kiss.

               She smiles at him and he thinks he feels like he’s on fire. All he feels when he looks at her is love, and gratefulness that she’s in his life with him. This is made worse by the fact that she’s wearing a skimpy, pale pink romper that is short, and silk at that. He wishes he could have kept her at home in that outfit and fucked her senseless, but showing her off had its advantages too. As soon they walk in, Hannah, Marnie and Shosh swarm Y/N and he waits awkwardly until they’ve moved on. He waits at a table while Y/N gets their drinks. He watches the partygoers go about their business, and Y/N mingles with some of her friends. Then he notices that Y/N has been talking to Ray for some time now, and Ray even touches her arm. Rationally he know that he has no reason to worry and he shouldn’t be possessive but there’s a part of his ego that won’t tolerate another man getting to close to his girl.

               Adam decides to give Ray a minute or two to walk away and when he doesn’t, Adam heads over to the spot where Y/N and Ray are talking. He joins them, and apparently Ray is teasing Y/N over her tastes in drinks, coffee, and men. Adam’s arm goes around Y/N’s waist, Y/N turns to face him and asks, “Decide to join us?”

“Mm-hmm.” He answers, and Y/N shoots him a concerned look. Adam just doesn’t like the way that Ray is looking at her like she’s a piece of meat or something. He is trying to keep his cool, if not for himself, but for Y/N; sadly, it’s not working. “I told you, your taste is questionable,” Ray says, chuckling, and Adam knows it’s directed at him so he glares in response. Y/N leans into Adam, placing her arms around his waist, claiming him, and informs Ray, “Taste is subjective, but it doesn’t look like your taste is any better,” almost on cue Shosh and Marnie walk by, and Y/N rolls her eyes towards them.

               Adam is pleased to that Y/N is sticking up for him, and proud of him. He wants to get her home, or maybe take her to the bathroom of this place, and show her how much he adores her. Y/N gives him a quick kiss on his cheek, before she talks to one of her friends a few feet away. Ray steps closer to Adam and says, “I like her more than Hannah, or Jessa for that manner. I get why you’re into her, she definitely doesn’t wear overall shorts.”

               “Why does it matter to you if she wears overalls or not? Do you want to fuck her or something,” Adam shouts accusingly at Ray, while sticking his finger in his chest. What the fuck did Ray mean when he said that? Adam’s seeing red, Ray backs away quickly, saying, “Man, it was a compliment, just a compliment. You’re losing you’re fucking cool.”

               Adam starts to cool off and realize that maybe he was over-reacting, but the damage is already done. Y/N, her friend, and others are staring at him and Ray. Y/N gives him a death glare, before pulling him aside. Once they’ve stepped away from the crowd, Y/N begins scolding him, “What the hell was that Adam? You know Ray is harmless. What was he even saying that made you freak out?”

               “He said some stupid shit about liking you better than my other exes. Then he made a comment about you not wearing overall shorts,” He answers and he realizes how ridiculous he must sound. Y/N’s face shows that she’s not comprehending why he found what Ray said to be offensive. Adam’s right about Y/N’s confusion because she asks, “Well I don’t wear overall shorts…I don’t see the problem.”

               “I didn’t like the way he said it, he said it like he wanted to fuck you,” Adam huffs. He crosses his arms, and wishes he could drink or even smoke a cigarette. Y/N isn’t going to let this go, she shouts, “Why does it matter if he wants to fuck me or not? I’m not going to fuck him regardless. The only person I’m going to fuck is you.”

               Adam sits down in a chair nearby, and pulls Y/N to him. He wraps his arms around her and places his head on her chest. She’s still angry at him so she sighs at first, then she runs her fingers through his hair. After remaining that way for a minute, Y/N steps away from him, telling him, “You’re going to behave the rest of the night. And we’re going to enjoy the rest of my party, alright?”

               He nods and follows her back to the main room. Her hand finds his and entwines his fingers with hers, he smiles.

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

               You walk back into the main room of your party with Adam by your side. You don’t know what got into him, he had no reason to yell at Ray like that. But you knew Adam had been busy with rehearsals and entertaining your friends so you chose to ignore the outburst as long as it was the last one. Besides, you could punish him for it later. Needing a refill on your drink, you head towards the bar, and as you sit down waiting for the bartender to take your order, you reminisce about how you had met Adam at this same bar, even though that night didn’t end as planned. You give the bartender your drink order and the passcode for free drinks. As you take a sip, Byron comes up to sit by you. You nod and give him a slight smile.

               “I just wanted to say I’m sorry for what happened that night.” Byron says and you’re shocked by his admission.

               “We were both exceedingly intoxicated, I accept your apology.” You say, and you decide to ask him, “Did you ever tell Shosh about it?”

               “No, I don’t want to ruin our relationship. What about you? Did you tell your boyfriend?” He asks and you both try to keep your voice down. You told about the stuff that happened but you didn’t tell him it was Shoshanna’s husband. You knew you needed to tell him the whole truth, and swore to yourself you’d come clean after his play was over.

               “Of course not! Why would I tell Adam that I fucked one of my friend’s husband before I met him and before my friend was my friend?” You shout in a whispered voice. Then, you take a drink from your glass. Byron responds with, “Exactly, now imagine you’re married and you’ll understand my position.”

               “Well we’re going to have to tell them sometime, we can’t keep hiding the truth,” You say, and you do understand his point. You’re also not the type to keep telling a lie or hide a truth because it always comes back to bite you in the ass.

               “We’ll tell them just not in the immediate future,” he says matter-of-factly. Clearly this conversation is going nowhere. Seeing Adam desperately trying to get out of a conversation with Hannah in the distance makes you decide to end this encounter. You tell Byron, “Alright then, whatever you say.”

               As you make your way over to where Adam and Hannah are standing, you swear you see Jessa walk the other way. There’s no way it could be her, why would she be here? Long, mermaid-like blonde hair and a prominent ass could describe a million people living in the city. You shake it off, and try to salvage the rest of your night.

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

               “G’night, I’m so glad you guys were able to make it in for my birthday,” you tell your friends giving them a squeeze as they grab bottles of water and ibuprofen to take with them to their rooms. You and Adam head to your master suite. You’ve barely stepped through the door way and closed the door before Adam is on top of you. His lips crash unto yours, his hands going to cling to your waist then to the straps of your dress. You push him back gently and his eyes search you for a reason. You peel your spaghetti straps off your shoulders slowly and he watches with pupils dilated. You aren’t wearing a bra, and only have a lacy thong on. You motion for him to come closer.

               “Here’s how things are going to go tonight, Mister: you’re going to make me cum, but your cock won’t get me tonight.” You inform him, and he takes off his shirt, then the second part of your statement kicks in as confusion goes across his face. He asks, “What do you mean?”

               “I mean your cock won’t get touched by my hand, my mouth, or my cunt tonight. Only your own hand,” You say and push him to sit down on the bed. You can tell that he’s thinking about begging.

               “Are you going to complain about it or are you going to be a good boy?” You ask as you straddle his lap. His cock is already straining against his jeans, but he’ll get to come later. When your face is dangerously close to the pulse point on his neck and your hips are hovering over his crotch, he says, “I’ll be good, I promise.”

               Your lips then nibble on his pulse point and you grind your hips on his, using his erection to build your own pleasure. His hands go to squeeze your ass and as you arch your back, he lavishes kisses on your breasts.

               “Lay down on the bed. Take off your pants, and stroke yourself until I tell you to stop.” You command, standing up to remove yourself from him. He groans when he loses contact but he follows your orders. You take off your panties and take a moment to enjoy the view: Adam laying on the bed naked resting on the pillows while he pumps his big, hard cock is a sight to behold. You climb on bed beside him and he watches you. His eyes taking in your naked body like they always do. You say, “I want to sit on your face and ride it like I would your cock.”

               He pumps his cock harder at that, and he’s starting to look wild. Adam being the kinky bastard he is, he tells you, “What are you waiting for then? Ride my fucking face.”

               You take his invitation and you straddle his shoulders with your cunt barely above his lips. Feeling his arm flex, you bark one more order before fully lowering unto him, “Stop touching yourself. You’ll cum when I tell you to cum.”

               He obeys this command but you hear a growl/groan come out of his throat. His arms wrap around your legs, and his hands grasp up at your ass. You grip the headboard to hold yourself steady then you finish lowering yourself until you feel his breath on your lips. Then, Adam’s lips roll your clit before he licks your lips and gently tugs your labia between his teeth. You knew this would probably feel good but this was something else. You can feel your orgasm quickly building and you need to slow down. Adam moves downward and his tongue starts thrusting into your entrance as his nose is bumping on your clit. You rock your hips slightly, feeling the coil forming before it’s near unwinding. Adam must sense that your close because his tongue moves to roll your clit, then he sucks on it, which sets you over the edge. Fireworks are going off through your nerves, your body tenses, you moan, rocking your hips to ride out your orgasm.

               It takes you a minute to recover, and Adam’s arms hold you steady. Then as soon as you come back to earth, you move off of Adam, suddenly worried that you might have suffocated. When you look at him, he looks like the one who’s wrecked. Your eyes drift down, and his cock is still rock hard.

               Your hands go down to your clit, determined to get another orgasm. Adam notices and replaces your hand with his. You realize that he’s waiting for your permission and you tell him, “Touch yourself. I want to see your cum everywhere.”

               He starts pumping his cock with his free hand as the other makes quick work of your clit. When he’s worked you back into a frenzy, you announce, “I’m cuming, cum with me.”

               Adam makes eye contact with you, and you move in to kiss him as your second orgasm over takes you. You moan in his mouth, and moments later he’s groaning as he cums. His cum covers his chest and abdomen, he grabs your face to kiss you deeply. You stand up, grab his shirt and clean him off. He looks at you adoringly before saying, “I love you. Don’t ever doubt it, I love you so fucking much.”

               “I love you too,” you tell him, kissing his forehead, pulling up the covers over the two of you as you readjust the pillows before sleeping. He opens up his arms, waiting for you to cuddle close to him. You settle into his arms and just as you start drifting to sleep, you hear Adam ask you, “Can I still fuck you later?”

               You chuckle softly, then say, “Yeah, if you let me sleep first.”

               Adam’s arm tightens around you as he responds, “I love you, Y/N” and his face nuzzles into your hair.

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

               The next morning when you get up to see your friends out. They have a flight mid-morning so you’re up earlier than you’d like for a weekend morning. You walk them to their car, tell them goodbye then plan to crawl back in bed for a few more hours. When you left the apartment, Adam was still sleeping, un-stirred by your movements, even as you had to peel his limbs off of you. Everything is normal, until you get to your bedroom, where you notice a wooden chest at the end of your bed. It’s a mix of light wood and dark wood, and beautiful. You admire it, then you catch Adam watching you.

               “Adam, what do you know about this?” Asking while you gesture to the chest. Adam answers, “happy birthday! That’s your gift, do you like it?”

               “Do I like it, I love it! It’s so beautiful, did you make it?” You ask, then jump on top of him in bed. He nods and you pepper kisses all over his face. He says, “You said your parents and grandparents had chests, you wanted one but you didn’t know how to get one here. I made you one, and had your friends help me maneuver it in here.”

               “You’re the best boyfriend. I love you Adam” You kiss him deeply with your tongue immediately exploring his mouth. He kisses you back, then surprises you by rolling you over so he’s on top. He stops, looks serious, then asks, “Can I fuck you now?”

               You nod your head yes, and he gets to work.

@misskitred @klauscarolove @shesakillerkween @annepamgkrth @og-selene

#adam sackler #adam sackler x reader #adam sackler smut #girls hbo #hbo girls #adam driver

[xsugarysweetsx]

Bam! Im gonna hit you with more various Honoka hcs.

⁃ So when Noka was a baby, neither her dad or Shirou knew what the hell to do with her wings.

⁃ Her first word was "Siro" which was exposed to be "Shirou"

⁃ She would fly around and their dad would make Shirou chase her down.

⁃ When Shirou and Noka were taken in by their uncle, he just slept and let her do whatever.

⁃ Their uncle, also known as Eraserhead, was a very kind guardian

⁃ He went to each of Shirou's ballet concerts, and did Noka's hair for picture day

⁃ If you looked through his search history it would be filled with "how to do a braid for beginners"

⁃ Aizawa bought Noka various art supplies and bought Shirou new shoes whenever they needed them

⁃ Didnt want them to become heroes

⁃ Cause he didnt want to see the two children he practically raised to be hurt

⁃ But because of their ties to All for One, the government forced both of them to become heros to "prove" that they had severed their bonds with All for One

⁃ Shirou's dream was to become a professional dancer and Noka's was to become a professional artist

⁃ And Aizawa was not happy that the two lights in his life were torn from their dreams

⁃ And so Shirou got accepted into the hero program, in class 1-A

⁃ He chose the hero name Shifter

⁃ Cause he could shift into any organic form

⁃ When he got 3rd place at the sports festival, Noka ran around her uncle's apartment screaming with joy

⁃ Noka is literally his biggest fan

⁃ Noka's first friend was a small purple haired boy name Hitoshi Shinsou

⁃ So naturally, she called him Toshi

⁃ And she refused to call him anything else all throughout middle and high school

⁃ Shinsou and Noka have sleepovers all the time and you can't tell me otherwise

⁃ When people would tell Shinsou that his quirk was villainous, Noka would always speak up cause she knew Shinsou wouldnt contradict them

⁃ Noka is always like that

⁃ Speaking up for others and herself. And her smart mouth tends to get her in trouble

⁃ Shinsou would fuss over Noka's wings. Like if they were dirty or a few feathers were out of place, Shinsou would sit her down and fix her wings.

⁃ "Toshi, your inner mom is showing"

⁃ "Its not my fault you cant take proper care of your wings"

⁃ When she told Shinsou about her acceptance into U.A's med course, he couldn't have been prouder

⁃ Noka is actually the one who encouraged Shinsou to train with her uncle.

⁃ But before that lets talk about Noka's time at U.A. so far

⁃ She was first introduced to class 1-A during the first combat training

⁃ Healed everyone who got very minor injuries

⁃ At the USJ attack, Shigiraki deteriorated part of Noka's hip. But her extremely enhanced natural healing abilities stopped the deterioration

⁃ So she has this big ass scar on the back side of her left hip

⁃ She wanted to absolutely murder Shigiraki for letting the Nomu loose on her uncle

⁃ But she doesnt have any damaging fire power

⁃ So she just tried to heal her uncle's wounds the best she could

⁃ Nearly gets herself killed many times with her smart assery

⁃ And gives everyone around her a heart attack in the process

⁃ During the sports festival, she helped RG heal all the students

⁃ Reprimanded Deku for overusing OfA

⁃ Oh yeah, she learned about AfO and OfA from her time with All for One

⁃ Is kind of like to Deku like Recovery Girl is to All Might

⁃ So fast foward to the internships

⁃ She interns with another oc of mine, Snow

⁃ Who is a healer but with incredible attack powers

⁃ Coincidentally, Noka was patrolling Hosu when the nomus hit

⁃ She recieved Deku's distress signal and ran to the scene

⁃ She didnt attack the hero killer, but ran to help Native and made sure he didnt bleed out

⁃ The hero killer didnt bat a single eye at her, deeming her not a threat

⁃ In the end, she didnt harm Stain so her hero guardian? didnt have to take any blame for her actions

⁃ Noka however did get nearly ripped in half by a nomu, so she had to stay in the hospital with Todo and Deku

⁃ So— Summer training arc

⁃ She just looked at her class and said "fuck this" and flew over the whole forest

⁃ She actually beat the wild wild pussycats back to the camp

⁃ She got to know Kota, telling him how she never wanted to become a hero

⁃ Kota may or may not have developed a kiddie crush on her 😳

⁃ But anyways, when everyone else saw her all nice and refreshed, needless to say they were upset

⁃ Some more than others

⁃ *remembers Bakugou nearly blowing off Noka's face because she cheated*

⁃ Aizawa just smirking at his niece cause shes so much like her mother

⁃ "DAMMIT TAKAHASHI. YOU BETTER GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE YOU CHEATER"

⁃ "They said to use our quirks. Its not my fault your quirk is too grounded"

⁃ "WHAT— YOU WANNA FIGHT—"

⁃ "No I wanna eat, goodbye—"

⁃ Focuses on her attack and the healing capabilities of her quirk

⁃ Let me set the scene

⁃ At the beginning of UA, our Noka could barely heal up a small cut

⁃ But now, she can close up major wound with little to no effort

⁃ P r o g r e s s people

⁃ N e ways

⁃ So when they do the haunted quirk thingy

⁃ Hairi and Noka are paired up, to their delight

⁃ But they aren't able to go into the forest before the attack happens

⁃ Apparently, the league came for Bakugou and Noka

⁃ Cause the "master" wanted his first nomu to return to him

⁃ But all Deku knew was "they are after Kacchan and the master's first Nomu"

⁃ Nobody knew who the first nomu was except for Noka

⁃ See, AfO took and gave Noka various quirks, eventually ending up with her current quirk(s)

⁃ Eventually, Noka is cornered by Dabi

⁃ His fire power vastly out matches hers

⁃ But she puts up one hell of a fight

⁃ And Kurogiri took her before she woke up and fought back even more

⁃ So everyone was panicking when they couldnt find Noka

⁃ Aizawa was panicking them most

⁃ His precious niece was missing, no, taken by the league

⁃ The students had never seen their teacher so frazzled

⁃ The thing that broke Aizawa more was the look on Shirou's face when he told him that his baby sister was missing

⁃ His precious baby sister

⁃ His whole world

⁃ Shirou didnt go out of his room for days

⁃ He was there when they were to save Bakugou and Noka

⁃ All Might fought AfO, and won

⁃ But there was no sign of Noka

⁃ Shirou nearly tackled Bakugou, demanding, no, more like pleading for him to tell him where she was

⁃ Bakugou merely said "She's gone, and I dont know where she went"

⁃ The whole class was in a panic

⁃ Where was Noka? Was she hurt? Was she scared? Was she in danger?

⁃ And the question that hung on everyone's mind the most was

⁃ Is she alive?

⁃ The emptiness of Noka's desk was deafening

⁃ Their smart ass classmate was nowhere to be found

⁃ And they all felt guilty

⁃ But none more than Bakugou

⁃ For he was the last to see her alive so to speak

⁃ And her last words to him were "Forget about me ya big oaf, you hear me? I don't want you sulking, or I'll personally beat your ass."

⁃ Forget about her? How could he do that?

⁃ Noka was the only person who didn't put up with his bullshit

⁃ From day one she put him in his place

⁃ And honestly shes the closest thing to a sister he has

⁃ During the hero license exam, all of class 1-A decided that Noka would be really upset if they all sulked and failed their exams

⁃ But the fact that only Todoroki and Bakugou failed would make her fall into hysterics

⁃ When class 1-A met the big three, Mirio told them that Noka was strong and stubborn to a fault, so they shouldnt worry about things that arent in their control

⁃ To which they asked how he knew her

⁃ Apparently Shirou, Amajiki, and Mirio have all been friends since elementary school

⁃ So Amajiki and Mirio had been there a lot for many crucial parts of Noka's childhood

⁃ When the work studies started, Deku went on patrol with Mirio and Shirou, AKA Lemillion and Shifter

⁃ Shirou couldnt help but feel so much guilt crushing him when Eri jumped out of Deku's arms

⁃ Cause Eri reminded him of his little sister

⁃ Speaking of little sister

⁃ For the last 2 months, Noka had been experimented on by Kai Chisaki

⁃ In the mean time trying to protect Eri and building a loving friendship with the young girl

⁃ But ive alreadly talked about this part

⁃ So skipping to when they save her

⁃ It was a total shock for them

⁃ To see this wingless, pale, frail, bandage wrapped girl

⁃ And even more so when she spoke

⁃ Not having that bite that their Noka had

⁃ But a softer, more broken voice replaced her normally boisterous and confident voice

⁃ In the big battle agains Chisaki, Noka got slammed against a wall

⁃ Which in normal circumstances would be fine, but with her body in such a week state it immediately cracked her ribs and spine

⁃ Ochako helped get her friend to the ambulance as quick as she could

⁃ Shirou saw a fluff of pale pink hair out of the corner of his eye

⁃ He immediately turned to run towards the medical stretcher, but was stopped

⁃ He kicked and screamed something along the lines of "THATS MY BABY SISTER. PLEASE LET ME SEE HER"

⁃ In the most broken voice you would ever hear

⁃ In the hospital, after Sir. Nighteye had passed, Deku, Kirishima, Amajiki, Shirou, Ochako, Tsu and Aizawa were all waiting anxiously for Noka's surgery

⁃ When all of a sudden the door explodes open and the nurses and doctors are shoved out by an invisible force of heat

⁃ Noka was using her ability to set herself aflame and be healed in the ashes

⁃ But no one knew wtf was going on cause she learned the trick at the Hassaiki hideout

⁃ So p a n i k

⁃ But after the doctors confirmed her stablility, they all went back to school

⁃ The whole class bursted into tears when they told them about Noka

⁃ Jirou, Kaminari, Momo and Mina all being the most emotionally impacted

⁃ Bakugou was almost crying witb relief but he disnt show jt

⁃ They weren't allowed to see Noka for a whole month

⁃ Only family were allowed

⁃ She was hard at work recovering and going through therapy and they didnt want to disturb her

⁃ But when they (Kirishima, Deku, Ochako, and Tsu) did visit, they were shocked

⁃ There was this soft spoken, trembling, woman, and this was after a month of intense therapy

⁃ They hadnt event started physcial therapy yet, they wanted to get her tk the point she could be around others without going into a panic mode

⁃ Thus she needs the wheelchair

I have a bunch more random hcs but this is so long anyways. Im so sorry >_<

~Blurb~

It’s fine anon but seriously you gotta start posting!

#anime #fanfiction #anime x reader #bsd fandom #bsd fanfic #bts #kpop #kpop fluff #btsxreader #haikyuu x reader