#'aren't they your friend? why are they taking so long to come rescue you'

[icebrooding]

The Mordremoth campaign in the jungle took 43 days only due to the Commander spending so long trying to navigate Tangled Depths.

#gw2 #i'm thinking of the dude i saw in map chat who was having a full on breakdown bc he'd spent an hour looking for rox and just couldnt find #her and i knew exactly which story step he was on #meanwhile mordremoth and trahearne had taken to playing card games w/ each other while they waited #'aren't they your friend? why are they taking so long to come rescue you' #'the commander is directionally challenged i'm afraid'

[dreadsuitsamus]

Unite | Ichigo Kurosaki x Reader |

author's note: this is a follow up to the ichigo x reader blurb i wrote, which you can read here. i decided i couldn't leave it on that angsty note!

pairing: ichigo kurosaki x fem!reader

warnings: reconciliation, light jealousy

Your captain unceremoniously lays a cloak before you, and you hear the sounds of his sister and lieutenant arguing a short distance away. Frowning and gazing up at the man, you take the beige cloak in hand. "Captain?"

"The sands of Hueco Mundo are harsh." He murmurs, turning away to leave as quickly as he came.

The gears in your head turn, and faster than your mind can process things, your body is moving and snatching your zanpakutō up. Ichigo, that idiot... He's traveling to save Orihime in a land he doesn't know, and likely alone! What a stupid man... He just can't sit still for a single moment.

But hell, you're just as much of an idiot for running after him, aren't you?

Rukia and Renji pause their squabble as you meet them outside, each of them draped in similar cloaks to the one Byakuya left you. Surely your captain knew what they would do, but why would he include you in such a heist?

"He says he was only ordered to bring us back to Soul Society." Rukia murmurs, her eyes gazing at you with an expression you can't quite read.

Renji's face, however, is much less made for gambling. He's your lieutenant, after all, and you have the utmost respect for him, but he's just about as dumb as that man that you love. A stupid smirk is spread on his lips and he wiggles those oddly-styled brows of his. "Time to go make up with-"

"Renji!" Rukia barks, delivering a solid strike of her elbow into the taller man's side.

"I'll help save the girl." You murmur to yourself, looking away from the two people your captain trusts the most. "And that's all."

Rukia's eyes are soft, her lips pulled in a soft little pout. It hasn't been too long since you returned home, without Ichigo, and it was actually Renji that was able to get the details of what happened before her older brother finally retrieved you. "Tensions have been high, and things said and done under duress aren't always indicative of one's heart."

"We should hurry before he can get too far ahead." Voice flat, it gives away little of what's on your mind. "Lest his rescue mission become one for himself."

But Renji knows you, the third seat of the Sixth Division, very well. He nudges Rukia when she opens her mouth to speak, shaking his head minutely. You'll work through your emotions and tension with Ichigo later— Orihime's the priority now, for everyone.

"Let's go." The words have hardly left Renji's mouth before you're racing for the gates out of Soul Society, your mastery of Shunpo perhaps better than your very own captain's. And though Renji feels sluggish in comparison even with his more than adequate skill in the flash step, the soft raise of his smirking lips gives way to his pride in you. Certainly, he can trust you with his life.

The thump of an anxious heart simmers below your chest, the speed of the hammering increasing as you get closer to journeying into Hueco Mundo. You've never been there yourself, and it's no doubt crawling with Hollows and things even worse than them. Aizen is there, the traitor, and he's got Ichigo's friend.

Shame floods your cheeks with warmth. What the hell were you thinking, giving Ichigo an ultimatum like that? That was a terrible way to act, a horrid display of your jealousy and anger at a woman that would have Ichigo if he wanted her. He chose you once already, and it just wasn't enough for you in that moment. Why wasn't it enough?

Urahara hums when you arrive, almost as if he'd been expecting you all. And with his easy sense of what's coming and how to prepare for it, he's probably been left wondering what took so long.

"So…" The shop-owner flashes a smile full of teeth. "Do you need something?"

Your captain was right to give you this cloak, you learn quickly. Hueco Mundo is worse than any desert terrain you've ventured into, which in itself is on the limited side of things. The entire valley feels like a void, a nightmare dimension that's ready to kill you at any moment.

"Scared?" Renji teases with an elbow to your side, receiving a harsh glare in return. This may not be an official mission or anything, but he is still your lieutenant.

He's skating on thin ice, however.

"This is a suicide mission." You mutter bitterly, gazing at the empty void surrounding you. The journey here was already freaky, but actually being in here is something else entirely. "We should've come up with a plan."

"This is the plan!" Renji argues, hand on his hip while his other firmly grasps the hilt of his zanpakutō.

"No, this is not a plan!" You reel on him harshly, anger fueling your body all over again.

This will get you all killed, including the girl you all came to save! Surely with just a little bit more time and effort, a plan within Soul Society could have been formulated and you could've come as a unit. What good is this idea of a mission if you're all dead??

You shudder to think what you'd have done had Ichigo come here and died while you remained safe at home.

He better shudder to think what you'll do to him when you finally get your hands on him for this next level of foolish bravery.

"We should've waited, or worked faster, or something other than this! Do any of us have any idea what the hell we're doing?!"

Renji steels himself, face stern as he allows you to unleash your frustration. "When have you ever known us to make a plan? When, in our line of duty, have we stopped and thought about it clearly? When, and I ask this genuinely, have we ever had the time to do anything but rush in and make it up as we go?"

Rukia steps forward, her hand out to be the more gentle side of your lieutenant's scolding. "If we remain strong together, this will all work out in the end. We don't have much time right now; the more we linger, the further Ichigo gets."

You huff and gaze into the endless void of white sand. "My head feels like it's swimming in here."

"It's definitely unnerving." Rukia murmurs, taking in the sights.

A particular strike slashes your heart, anxiety and fear crawling out slowly as you sense a harsh rise in Reiatsu. Renji and Rukia feel it too, and off you all go towards Ichigo's presence in Hueco Mundo. It's him, it's always him with that sloppy spiritual pressure of his. Rukia's the first to attack, her beautiful zanpakutō easily demolishing the sandy Hollow.

The course of the fight is honestly second in importance to you as your eyes zero in on him. It's in his eyes, the warm amber hue so beautiful in this horrible place. He's surprised, made so obvious by the dumb look on his face, and your breast is giddy and full as the gap is closed and you're in his arms again.

Tears flood his chest as you hide your face against him. "Ichigo, I'm—"

"Shh…" Ichigo's hands hold you so gently as his lips find your cheek for a gentle, quick kiss before he murmurs directly to you in a way the others can't hear, though to their credit they've turned their backs on your private moment. "It's okay. I'm not mad. It's okay."

Turning your head to gaze at him, you find the courage to smile softly as you brush a new tear away, Ichigo's lips and eyes offering all the warmth and love in his heart to you, just as always. Hugging you tightly again, Ichigo closes his eyes. "I knew you'd come. If nobody else would, you would."

"You trusted that even after…?"

Ichigo holds your face carefully, like the finest china that will break at just the slightest mistouch. "It'll take more than that to make me lose faith in you. A lot more."

Ichigo dips down for an all-too-brief kiss, one that only promises more to come at a better time. He's certainly missed you as much as you missed him, and your sweet love has always been sure to get his fill of you when he can.

"Alright, lovebirds!" Renji calls over his shoulder, but the little smirk on his face betrays any sense of irritation he tries to force out. "We've got a job to do, y’know!”

“And you're waiting for someone else to lead the way?” Ichigo fires back, and even as they squabble during the journey through these unforgiving sands, Ichigo's large hand holding yours is all it takes for peace to settle within you again.

United, you'll stand.

#ichigo kurosaki x reader #ichigo kurosaki x you #ichigo x reader #ichigo x you #ichigo imagine #ichigo kurosaki imagine #bleach imagine #bleach x reader #reader insert #x reader #fic

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Cater, Ruggie: The Secret in a Smile

Caycay, bestie… I am so sorry that SSR Crowley stole your spotlight 😭 (Is that why Cater looks so Mean Girls in his groovy... He's seeking petty revenge against Crowley/j)

Some cute stuff from the vignettes that I wasn't able to include in this fic: Cater makes a reference to TsumTsums! He mentions being into this mobile game with cute round creatures. Cater also tells a story about a 5-year old girl giving him a flower after his club's performance at a cultural festival (omg, do they mean the one in book 5?!). Ruggie teases him and says Cater must have been that little girl's first crush 😂

A Tale as Old as Time.

“Ne, ne, Ruggie-kun! Check this one out~ It's all the way from the Queendom of Roses!"

Cater jabbed a thumb at a painting of a young blonde girl dressed in a modest sky blue frock and apron, a small black bow in her hair. She couldn’t have been older than 10 years of age, still petite enough to squish inside a glass bottle with a narrow neck. The bottled child was adrift in a sudsy sea, her face frozen in an expression of slight worry.

Ruggie took one look at the artwork, then wrinkled his nose. “Sure sucks to be in her shoes. What’s this even supposed to show us, anyway? Doesn’t make a whole lotta sense to me.”

"Not a lot from the Queendom does if you aren't already familiar with its topsy-turvy stories~" Cater placed a hand on his hip and leaned forward, grinning. "This one is pretty popular! It's about a girl that wants an audience with the Queen of Hearts. She gets lost on the journey there, meets strange people and experiences even stranger things on the way. This is just one leg of that trip!"

"Wouldn’t the castle be further inland? How'd she end up in the middle of the ocean?"

“It’s about the perspective of the shot.” Cater formed a frame with his hands, catching his underclassman in it. He pulled back, creating the illusion of sizing Ruggie down. “She drank this bottled liquid she found and that shrank her down—so really, the ocean isn’t that big.”

A grimace.

“Man, talk about no sense of self preservation. She just chugged an unlabeled bottle without a second thought. Must’ve been real desperate.” Ruggie paused. “Weeeell, not like I’m one to talk about being desperate. You really can’t afford to be picky sometimes. If it fills your stomach, it fills your stomach.”

“You’d drink it too, huh… I don’t think I could do that. I’d at least want to see how the menu describes it before I order—though I guess it also depends on how ‘cammable the drink is! And hey, think about all the cool pics I could grab from a worm's eye point of view!”

"Heh, you don't seem too pressed about living life as an ant."

"Cay-kun likes to look on the bright side of things!" he declared with a wink and a peace sign. "The lost girl... she worried so much about finding her destination, she forgets to stop and smell the roses. She overlooks a lot of the fun people she could have spent time with."

Hopping from place to place, missed people—familiar elements, resurfacing a childhood of being uprooted and dragged about. Never to fully settle.

A tea party here, a brief convo there. Just enough to keep him placated, but not enough to see beyond the surface of the looking glass.

His curiosity still left wanting.

She got into so much trouble, but didn't have any real friends to come and help her.

Sadness tugged at his heartstrings, but Cater's smile didn’t waver.

"... I can’t help but kinda pity the poor thing," he said quietly. Then, brightening in the next moment, "All her issues could've been avoided if she just looked before she leapt and made some connections."

“Yeah, she definitely should’ve played smarter, not harder. Maybe if she kissed up to the locals, they’d have come to her rescue." Ruggie shrugged. "It works for me and Leona-san."

“Right? A smile goes a long way to getting what you want!” Cater poked the corners of his mouth. “You totes get me.”

“Cuz it takes a trickster to know another one on sight.”

"Wow, it sounds so mean when you put it like that. We're not tricksters, we just know how to use our smiles to problem-solve~"

"Giving a word a fresh coat of paint doesn't make it any less shady. At least be honest with yourself," the hyena smirked.

“Eeeh, I’m always honest!”

They shared a laugh—Ruggie, a snicker. Cater, lighter, more bubbly, like a carbonated mystery drink. When the effervescence died down, he cast another glance at the painting.

Too big for her small world of the sea, too small for the big world that loomed beyond it. Trapped within glass walls. Curled into herself in her delicate chambers.

Her perspective and his, one and the same.

Poor thing, poor thing, poor thing.

Cater summoned his strength and bore the full brunt of his smile.

“I’m sure she’ll find what she’s looking for… one day.”

#twst #twisted wonderland #Cater Diamond #twst imagines #twst scenarios #twisted wonderland imagines #disney twisted wonderland #disney twst #Cater birthday takeover #something no one asked for #spoilers #twisted wonderland scenarios #Ruggie Bucchi

[la-petite-lapin]

Double the Love | Part One

Double the Love masterlist

Simon "Ghost" Riley x Johnny "Soap" MacTavish x female civilian!OC Word Count: 1.2k Series warnings (may update between chapters): 18+, Minors DNI, angst, death, mentions of violence, injury description, eventual explicit sexual content, polyamory, M/M/F, FMC is bad at feelings

How it all started

I wake up to the first knock.

The apartment is warm, despite the fact that it's the second month into winter, and quiet. Peaceful, even. Winnie is probably already at work. The café doesn't need me for at least another hour.

I turn my head to look at the clock on the nightstand. 8 a.m. I can't think of a single reason why someone would be knocking here so early, so I roll over and try to go back to sleep, thinking that I might've just imagined it. Last night was a long one. I couldn't fall asleep, so I stayed awake watching endless reruns of Friends until - at 3 a.m. - I finally knocked out.

It's times like these, when the insomnia kicks in and I feel completely alone, when I can't wait for Alex to be home.

Alex, my heroic older brother. The SAS soldier always on some mission or other to save the world. He's on another top secret op at the moment, but last time we spoke he said that it looked like they'd be home at the end of the month. The new unit he's been assigned to have been keeping him occupied. He couldn't tell me much on the call, but it sounds like they've welcomed him into the fold with open arms, just like all the other units he's worked with in the past. That and he's still worried about me - something that he's been in a perpetual state of since the dawn of time.

Hopefully he'll be home soon though.

Just as my eyes start to close, there's another knock at the door. This one's more persistent.

Definitely not in my imagination.

I throw the covers to the side, adjusting the hem of the heavy knitted sweater I fell asleep in to make sure that it's people-appropriate, and stepping into my slippers as I make a beeline for the door. I drag my feet out of my bedroom and down the hallway towards the front door.

When I open it, my heart drops into the pit of my stomach.

There's a tall man with light brown hair and a beanie standing out in the hallway. His dark eyes are tired but kind, a thick scruffy beard covering his jawline as he stands there, hands behind his back, feet shoulder-width apart. He takes one look at my slight frame, half-hidden behind the door and closes his eyes, shaking his head with a quiet, "Bloody fucking hell."

I tilt my head to one side, confused. I'm just about to ask him if I know him when he says, "Are you Talia Keller? Alex's sister?"

Just like that, my heart starts thundering inside my ribcage. I reach out to put a hand on the doorframe, knowing that it's all I can do to stop my knees from buckling.

The stranger on my doorstep meets my eyes once again and I can see it.

"Please...no-"

He shakes his head, those kind eyes refusing to shy away from my tear-filled gaze. "It is with deep regret and my upmost sympathy that I am here to inform you of the death of your brother, Operations Officer Alex Keller. He died on active duty, contributing to a rescue mission that, because of his sacrifice, saved a lot of lives." I choke on a sob. "I am so very sorry for your loss."

My vision blurs and the sound that leaves my mouth is horrible. It's a sob, so loud and violent that I almost can't believe I made it. "No," I whimper.

"May I come inside?" the stranger asks, nodding past me at the empty apartment. His hands aren't behind his back now. They're in front of him, palms open like he's placating a wounded animal.

My own sobbing eclipses any other noise in the hallway as I take a few shaky steps back, giving him access to the doorway. He walks inside slowly, like he's giving me time to take the unspoken invitation back. I don't.

I wrap my arms around myself, trying to keep myself from falling apart. But my brother is dead. My sweet, perfect brother who I'll never see again.

"I- oh god, I'm going to be sick," I manage to choke out, stumbling back until I hit the side of my armchair.

The stranger swoops in then, gently easing me down onto the sofa. I shouldn't let him - shouldn't have let this man into my home. He could be anyone. But he spoke about Alex with the reverence of someone who knew him personally. He must of to be here now, telling me this awful, fucked up news.

I tip forward, my head finding my hands as I cradle myself, my whole body shaking with the effort of not crumbling to the ground.

Alex was all I had left. We were orphans: each other's only living relatives. Now I'm alone.

"Is there anyone I could call for you?" the man asks, his gravelly voice even softer than it was to begin with. I hate his sympathy with a passion, but I don't have the energy to call him on it. "You shouldn't be alone at a time like this. Alex told me that the two of you were very close."

The words bring a fresh wave of pain ripping straight through my heart.

His question reminds me of Winnie. She's already made enough sacrifices for me; I can't pull her away from her work. I don't know what to do. There's no one else I can call. It was Alex and Winnie. Winnie and Alex. No one else.

"Alex was... he was all I had." The words both sound and feel pathetic as they leave my mouth. I lift my head and see that he's watching me, dark eyes far from judgemental. "I can't- I don't know what..."

"Look," he says softly, one large paw of a hand coming to rest on my upper arm, his warmth radiating through the thick cable-knit. "Take a deep breath for me. He wouldn't want this for you."

We sit there for a while as I calm myself down, getting through the worst of hyperventilating. Slowly, the tears come to a weak ebb. A numbness fills me; a disbelief that he's truly gone.

"I know that this is probably the last thing on your mind right now, but we had him cremated. It was written in his file that that's what he wanted. We'll send the ashes and his dog tags to you as per his request." He shifts in the armchair. I can't help but notice just how haunted he looks as he meets my gaze. "My name is Captain Price, but you can call me John. I was your brother's unit commander. You might not want to talk to me right now - might blame me even - and I understand that, but I'll leave my personal phone number here with you. If you ever need anything, anything at all, please call me."

I nod softly, rubbing my knuckles along the undersides of my eyes. "Thank you, John."

He nods once then stands up, the muscles of his thighs straining against the sandy-khaki material of his cargos. Instead of heading straight for the door, he walks across to the desk, opening Winnie's smiley face notepad and writing a number down on the first blank page. His number.

I don't look up when he leaves. The door closes with a soft click and then - just like Alex - he's gone.

a/n: hey guys! hope y'all liked part one. don't worry - you'll meet the guys very soon... sorry if this part was a little bit boring, just want to set the scene before all the good stuff happens 🙃 - see ya soon, lapetitelapin

#cod #fanfic #ghoap x reader #ghost x reader x soap #simon “ghost” riley x reader #soap x reader #callofduty #cod fanfic #cod x reader #ghost x reader #romance #angst #poly #female reader #johnny mactavish x reader #johnny soap mactavish x reader #johnny x reader x simon #throuple #double the love

[simply-wlw-kpopstan]

30. Minjeong to the rescue

You entered minjeongs room to find her sitting down on the ground, already fidgeting with new pieces of Lego to finish up one of the towers. "you know I kind of feel like a double agent since you showed me your private account."

"knowledge is power after all." you smiled as you sat down. " how did things go after I left?"

" the usual. Jimin said you weren't feeling well and that she told you to go and lay down. We ended up talking about all things that happened this semester including the Uhm... The Parker incident. He won't be around for much longer at the university, his dad is transferring him to some military thing or something. "

"you went over to his place after everything happened didn't you? Jimin and I talked about it and you told her you were with me, you told me you had other plans and the next day you have a bruised hand and Parker claimed he had a fight with some guy." you reached over for another bag of Lego pieces and started to build a new part of the castle.

"he had it coming. I knew you couldn't do it with your scholarship being on the line and he would have found a way to get you kicked out."

"he threatened with it when he saw me with jimin. Guess he didn't like people knowing he wasn't all that. Makes me wonder how he slept with so many girls if he isn't that good? Rumours spread fast around campus yet nothing about him being bad in bed until jimin dumped him. "

"he has money and looks, some girls don't care about anything but bragging rights. Who knows, maybe they tried to get something out of it themselves." she clicked the last piece onto the tower and connected to the growing structure in front of you. "enough about him. Why did you suddenly disappear?"

You sighed and thought it over, would minjeong listen and understand your feelings or would she defend jimin without thinking about it? One thing you know for sure is that she stays true to her feelings and opinions so she probably wouldn't just brush it off and defend her friend. "jimin came up to me in the kitchen and hugged me. I told her we probably shouldn't and then she turned me around, if I didn't push her away she would've kissed me. It was like she didn't see the problem in that. I was introduced as a friend and didn't want to be caught kissing their daughter in their kitchen at all. That would be disrespectful wouldn't it? "

"you were scared of getting caughed I understand that but you do realize your fighting over a hypothetical thing that could've happened? Unless you're mad about something else and are using this as an excuse. "

"i'm not." you frowned as minjeong gave you a look before focusing back on the Lego piece.

"so you're not mad about meeting her parents as a friend instead of her girlfriend?"

"No? We're taking things Slow and I understand if she isn't ready for any labels yet. I-"

"i'm gonna stop you right there before you try to sell me more bullshit." she layed down her work before stealing your lego's out of your hands," You've been acting like a couple long before you confessed to one another. If and I say if you are upset over the fact she was so careless you should tell her because right now she doesn't know why you're upset. Now if it is about meeting the parents as a friend you should've thought about that before you joined the trip, you knew they were coming and you knew jimin told them you were a friend. "

"since when are you a therapist?" you clocked an eyebrow.

"since the day I met these girls." she smirked.

"well if you'll excuse me I have to go and talk to jimin. I'll come back after so we can finish this castle."

"you better! We should be able to finish it in an hour together I think. Just don't let jimin drag you into bed, I'm waiting and the rooms aren't soundproof just so you know." she sent you a playful glance as you walked out laughing.

"noted!" you walked into the living room to see aeri and ning watching a new k-drama, Once aeri spotted you she motioned to the bedrooms. You made your way over to jimin's room and softly knocked on the door.

"yeah?" jimin's voice came softly from inside and you opened the bedroom door to see her laying on her bed with a book.

"Hey, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for today. I should've never put you in the position to make up an excuse for me to your parents." you quietly sat down on the bed as she placed the book on her bedside table.

"I don't care about that. What I do care about is that you got all weird without any explanation."

"I got upset over the fact that you were so careless about kissing me. It hadn't been a day since I met your parents and it felt wrong. They think I'm your friend and I got scared about them finding out that I'm not just a friend. That I..."

"that you?" She raised an eyebrow at your sudden silence.

"that the whole Parker thing was my fault."

"what are you talking about? You weren't -"

"jimin if we didn't sleep together when you were together with him, he wouldn't have hit you. Do your parents know why he did it?"

"They know enough, Parker probably told his dad that I cheated too. I don't know if my parents know but they'll find out eventually. It was my choice though, you didn't pressure me into anything. Parker chose to hit me and it's no one's fault except his."

You nodded as you looked down at the ground. The sound of blankets rustling filled the room before you felt arms wrap around your waist. Jimin placed a kiss on your shoulder as she nuzzled her nose into the crook of your neck. "I promised minjeong I'd come back after talking with you. Her exact words were 'don't let jimin drag you into bed'"

"I didn't drag you, you sat down voluntarily." she smiled against your skin, "wouldn't you rather spend time with me in bed then build Legos with minjeong?"

You sucked your teeth, "see that's were you get too cocky. Minjeong and I have a goal we need to achieve. I'll come back once we're done though." you turned towards her as she pulled back from you.

"wha- you're not kidding? You're actually choosing lego's over me?" She looked at you in disbelieve.

"I made a promise to my friend so yes." you smirked as you stood up, "I don't have favorite's you know."

"She's your friend, I'm your-" she cut herself off but you both knew what she was going to say. "just go." she blushed as she picked up her book.

To be honest you were debating on teasing her with that near slip up but decided to leave it for now. You leaned down and kissed her on the top of her head, jimin looked up with a smile and pouted her lips slightly. After planting another kiss on her lips you left her alone and went back to minjeong to finish the Lego castle.

masterlist | next

#aespa smau #karina smau #yu jimin x reader

[anonymous-dentist]

Some people saw last night's announcement that q!Quackity is returning today and they're going around saying that q!Q should get revenge on the island because nobody looked for him, not even his friends, and I'd just like to say that those people are literally and completely wrong and that they should maybe watch more than one pov before they start making Big Lore Takes.

Because so many people went looking for Quackity. Jaiden spread word around, and most of the island's big investigators went to the train station to look. Cellbit specifically dug through the wall trying to find a warp plate because he knew from both personal experience and from Jaiden's testimony that that's how the Federation works. Bad and Baghera have been looking basically since day one, and they only stopped for a bit during the elections because they quite literally didn't know if ElQuackity was the real Quackity but brainwashed or cloned or whatever; if he was the real Quackity, they didn't want to risk pissing the Federation off by investigating when they had limited lives to lose. Literally just a week ago, Forever told ElQuackity that q!Quackity was his family and that he was going to get him back no matter what.

Both Forever and Fit managed to find where Quackity got drowned, but there was nothing they could do because, well. You can't exactly save someone if they aren't online. It's Bad to fuck with people's lore, and cc!Quackity clearly has had a plan for EQ that needed him online as EQ for that long. It's the same reason why nobody's looking too hard for q!Jaiden, out of role they know that she's too busy to come online and do a Big Lore Rescue. It's just basic rp etiquette.

And people would see this if they watched literally any other pov than Quackity's. Single pov viewing is fine, but it can rot your brain sometimes.

#i'm very tired man

[coolshadowtwins]

SVSSS YQY Fan Fic Round up!

Ok, I finally have them all together! Please enjoy these fanfics, and if you have any to recomend that's not on here, feel free to say! I'll add it later!

First off, The YQY Weekend 2023 AO3 collection and The QiJiu Week 2023 I'm going to recommend as the entire pages! Great places to go find a fanfic to enjoy! Some might be double recomanded, but some should be unique!

Mouse On The Thorn by Lbhs_left_tiddie

On a mission, Yue Qingyuan comes across an omega child, who shares a name and a startling resemblance with his favourite shidi. Shen Qingqiu, however, denies knowing such a child, and make it very clear he wants nothing to do with him.

Without any family or home, Yue Qingyuan instead offers to take care of the child.

Palimpsest by Azzandra

Yue Qingyuan has one giant blindspot as a sect leader, and that's Shen Qingqiu.

But now a curse has made him forget Shen Qingqiu, and that changes some things.

gather jewels from graveyards by formerlyknives 

When strange rumours reach Cang Qiong, Shen Yuan is a little slow to investigate.

He lives to regret it.

The number children by Angry_gremlin_commando

Ten-year-old Mobei Wu, fifth son of the current Mobei-Jun, gets stranded in the human realm after one of his uncle's murder attempts. There he meets fifteen-year-old Yue Qi, fresh out of Lingxi caves and on the way to rescue Shen Jiu.

It turns out even ice demons aren't immune to Yue Qi's Big Brother energy. (This author has a good number of stories to check out! Go look at them!!)

A smile for the master, a snarl for the wolves by Angry_gremlin_commando

Shen Qingqiu and his young disciple Luo Binghe qi-deviate at the same time and swap bodies. It makes them understand some things about each other.

To Plant a Garden by SweetTiramisu

Yue Qingyuan spends so long beneath the earth that he becomes a part of it. Perhaps Shen Qingqiu will plant a garden in him.

Written for Qijiu Week Day 2: Touch Starvation.

bite your way to safety by AMereDream

The Geese come at a time that neither Shen Jiu nor Yue Qi considers ideal. They make it work. (This author has so many good fics! Go read them! This is just the one I chose to put on this list!)

You Were You, And I Was I by MissMegh

Shen Qingqiu and Yue Qingyuan qi deviate and turn into their teenaged selves. They don't know who they become. They don't remember the worst moments of their lives. They only know they're together again.

Pretty soon everyone on Cang Qiong Mountain knows they are, too.

Our Sect Leader Is A Baby! by dryingmangoes

Yue Qingyuan gets deaged. Somehow this changes everything.

for day 2 of qijiu week blessing/curse

Treading Well-Worn Paths by mofumofu

After Shen Qingqiu married Luo Binghe, Yue Qingyuan thought his role in the man’s life was over.

However, as he carried the child-sized lord of Qing Jing Peak in his arms, he was grateful for this unexpected opportunity to bond with the person he cherished most.

Shen Yuan, meanwhile, wondered desperately where the hell he was.

hey, share the weight a little by Tossawary

Shang Qinghua is miserable as an outer disciple of Cang Qiong Mountain Sect, doubtful that the plot will ever begin, when he finally runs into his first character. Yue Qingyuan is only a boy in desperate need of a helpful friend. Well, why shouldn't Shang Qinghua be that friend? A little investment now when they're young and Shang Qinghua might just be able to survive this world with the support of a sect leader.

It's definitely not because he's also in desperate need of a friend.

(He's definitely not expecting love.)

you're my number one by pennydaniels

Yue Qingyuan is granted a chance to have his heart's deepest desire made real by a mysterious goddess living in a small sect's private temple.

The Evening by kat8cha

Yue Qingyuan wakes up, he gets dressed, he goes to work, he goes to the gym, he goes to a party.

He pays people to tell him what to wear, people to tell him where to be, people to tell him what to do, and pays for someone else's engagement party.

A broken mirror restored by bunnyfication

Yue Qingyuan is hit over the head with the realization that he could ask Shen Qingqiu to marry him, Shen Qingqiu's suspicious mind cannot make sense of the sequence of events. Yue Qingyuan would never, would he? What is this, mind control??? (it's happiness, but neither of them has ever felt it before).

nobody, nobody told me by AMereDream

“Qingqiu-shidi,” he started. “Are you al—”

Xiao Jiu tugged, surprisingly strong for someone who had collapsed out of nowhere less than an hour before. Yue Qingyuan followed, partly out of surprise and partly because it was Xiao Jiu; of course he’d go wherever Xiao Jiu wanted him to be.

He found himself being dragged onto the bed, only the thin sheets separating him from Xiao Jiu's body. His breath caught in his chest, and he clenched his eyes shut.

Xiao Jiu's bony elbows dug into his chest, his thin — too thin, having skipped too many meals even for someone who didn’t need to eat — shoulders curved to meet Yue Qingyuan’s body.

His long hair tickled Yue Qingyuan’s face. He smelled like the honeyed soap he washed his hair with. Yue Qingyuan inhaled covertly, deep and greedy.

 

One morning, Shen Qingqiu woke up a changed man. Yue Qingyuan is left trying to figure out what happened to make him so relaxed and affectionate.

#svsss #svsss au #svsss fanfiction #yue qingyuan #shen jiu #shen qingqiu #qijiu #79 #yueshang #shang qinghua

[riseofamoonycake]

I've got one! Kashimo with the reader who just straight up says she's into him and keeps giving him suggestive comments. Our boy is so focused on finding Sukuna that she really gets on his nerves, but at the same time he cannot deny her commitment 🤣 Of course, if you aren't interested in this kind of request, please ignore it. No need to force yourself, cutie 😊

YES YES YES! OKAY I LOVE THIS ONE! AAAAAAAA

Carried Away

Character: Kashimo Hajime

Warnings: Suggestive language and the end is slightly NSFW, Hajime is not so gentle at first... then...

In truth, you don’t know why you are behaving this way ― it is new to you.

Those who have always known you, those who grew up alongside you and call you friend, if they saw you now they wouldn’t recognize you: where did the elegant and reserved girl, even shy when it comes to certain topics, the embodiment of reserve, go? Where is the high-class young lady who blushes at the slightest swearing? You have lost all the discretion and good manners you have learned over the years, and you don’t even care about it anymore.

Now that he has entered your life, that you have truly seen what Beauty is capable of creating, nothing else arouses your interest. Only him… the god who answered your prayers and came to your rescue.

More or less.

“So the more you get excited, the more electric you become? And when you get embarrassed, or get excited? What happens then? I would like to see it…” 

Looking at and listening to you from the outside, your tongue really has no rules, you are not imposing one on it. You seem totally transformed, a different person… a creature prey to lust and the desire to possess. Or rather, to be possessed. Possibly, for hours.

“I guess no one can resist you, not when you use those shocks… well, if you really need a guinea pig, I… I’m here. You could make me dance without any problems.”

Kashimo Hajime ― even if you don’t know and he doesn’t want to tell you it, that is his name ― gives you yet another furious look at such a comment and doesn’t even bother to respond, turning his gaze away and focusing on the road ahead. “Unbearable…”

It is been all the day, since you met for the first time, that you haven’t stopped following and tormenting him with your smiles, enthusiastic and spicy comments and constant questions, and he is losing patience and every hope to distance you; having ignored you wasn’t enough to keep you at distance, having treated you badly and almost attacked you to scare you and make you run away didn’t work, and now his self-control screeches, it wriggles and snorts dangerously like a wild beast kept tied up, and the temperature is starting to rise dramatically, making the blood boil. Many would have already fled; yet you remain in your place without fear, driven by something stronger than it and totally its prey. “Please, can you at least look at me?”

Forcefully planting his staff on the ground, Kashimo obliges and turns to stare at you. His eyes are wide and so bruised with anger they are pale, and this time you take a step back, slightly, just slightly, unsettled. The electric discharges that emanate from his body become more numerous, dry and rapid, they snap and hiss in your direction, ready to fry you until you are reduced to ashes. “Well, I’m looking at you right now. Are you happy now?”

You remain silent for a moment, contemplating the young man and not being affected by the tone in which he spoke to you, then you swallow a lump of saliva and sigh. “Yes. Now, I’d like to keep you company for a little while.”

He frowns and bares his teeth, a tiger about to pounce and tear. “I don’t need the company of a woman who can’t control her instincts. Don’t you have anyone else to torment? There are men and women who would pay dearly to have your beauty all to themselves. Go to them and leave me alone.”

You shake your head, then look back at Kashimo and answer with enviable confidence. “If I were looking for any man or woman, I would have let you go long ago. But I’m staying here.”

Kashimo rubs his eyes for a moment, growling softly, then takes a few steps closer. The asphalt cracks as he walks, cobwebs that creak painfully, but you don’t move and wait until his face is a few centimeters from yours, and a smile that isn’t a smile is painted on it. Everything in his expression screams danger to you, but it is too late to run away now. “Listen, doll, you’re trying to play without knowing the rules. And if you continue like this, you’re dead. Do you think I care about you, hmmm? Nobody does. So get out of here, you’ve already wasted too much of my time. This is the last time I’m telling you this and now, I warn you, I have no intention of holding back.”

You take a deep breath, then cross your arms over your chest; without wanting to, Kashimo recognizes that you have a lot of courage, at least as much as your shamelessness. “Do what you want with me, but if you think you can scare me and push me to leave by calling me these names, that’s not the strategy. I don’t really care what you can say and do. Also, I don’t feel like I offended you in any way.”

Hajime narrows his eyes as well and tilts his head to the side. “It’s true, but your comments are beyond appropriate. Don’t you have a minimum of modesty? In such a situation?”

You can’t help but stare into the man’s eyes, and then grin. “You mean I embarrassed you? My, my… I only told the truth⁓ And maybe you should notice too, how alluring you are.”

He remains silent for a moment, then nods and grins just as much. “I know it. But you recognize that we are not in the right time for such amenities, right?”

His tone is slightly gentler now, and you take the opportunity to smile softly. “I know. Maybe that’s also why I’m taking the initiative to… well, divert attention from the problem. At least for a little while.”

“Divert attention from the problem…” Kashimo sighs and rolls his eyes, then his gaze darkens a little. “Okay, let’s do this: I pay attention to you for a little while, and then you leave me alone. No more, no less.”

“Are you already tired of fighting with me yet? Are you giving up?”

“Darling, giving up isn’t in my vocabulary⁓”

You start to reply again, not wanting to let him win; but his lips rest on yours in an angry kiss and your wrists find themselves caged by his fingers in an iron grip, leaving no room for escape. His body imposes on yours all the control it can, and when you flinch under his force, he holds you still, chuckling against your lips. “You’re a girl who doesn’t give up easily, right?”, he then murmurs to you, before moving to your neck and biting it firmly, enough to make a tear of blood flow and make you moan loudly in surprise, sudden pain and pleasure, and then do the same thing with your shoulder, your chest, and you can be sure that he will continue like this all over your body, marking you until he leaves you voiceless, “and I like this. I have to say, you have my respect. So… why don’t you praise me a little more, since you’re so good at it?”

#jjk kashimo #jjk x reader #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #kashimo x y/n #kashimo x you #hajime kashimo #kashimo hajime #kashimo x reader #kashimo jjk

[mxlfoydraco]

hi hi! i saw your drarry recs and i love a lot of them! if you dont mind, can you recommend some of your fav drarry angst fanfictions with good endings? something emotional because im in a mood for that hahah. i went through the angst tagged ones and most of them aren't.. heart wrenching enough..? thank you in advance btw ^^

I have a Angst with a Happy Ending list, I'll add more here!

Close Behind by @oflights (134k)

To rescue Draco from the Underworld, Harry has to look forward. Unfortunately, Draco has to look back.

you’ve got the antidote for me by Kandakicksass (20k)

When Harry Potter unintentionally severs their soulbond before it can fully form, Draco Malfoy resigns himself to a slow death and decides not to burden Harry with a soulmate he’s made it very clear he doesn’t want.

The Beauty of Thestrals and Other Unseen Things by @writcraft (63k)

Harry has terrific friends, an amazing girlfriend and his job as Head Auror enables him to work on challenging cases and Ministry reform. He just wishes he could work out why he’s been so out of sorts. When Draco Malfoy is arrested for gross indecency, Harry’s comfortable life begins to unravel. He’s forced to decide if it’s worth risking everything for love in a world where following his heart is a criminal offence.

Nor All That Glisters by @sweet-s0rr0w (110k)

Lonely and frustrated on house arrest, with no prospects for the future, Draco begins brewing Felix Felicis in an attempt to improve his lot. Just in the short term, of course. He isn’t a total idiot.

But before long he finds himself with a thriving business, a nice flat, some actual (albeit irritatingly Gryffindor) friends, and a very satisfying sex life. What’s more, no-one is hexing him in the street. And Harry Potter is single, and gorgeous, and giving Draco decidedly interested looks.

Stop taking the Felix? You must be joking…

If Memory Serves by @dictacontrion (30k)

Maybe Draco wants to forget. Maybe it’s wrong to make him remember.

The Stars Have Courage by @fantalfart (85k)

Draco waited five long years to watch his husband wake up from a coma. He’s not ready to meet a Harry with no memory of anything that happened after he died at The Battle of Hogwarts, twelve years ago.

Telling the Bees by @cibeewastaken (31k)

Scorpius’ body was found in Hogwarts one early morning.

It'll Come Back by @vukovich (15k)

Draco Malfoy wakes up in the Thickey ward not remembering anything except that the Auror in front of him is his husband. But he's not. A tale of owning up to who you used to be.

Everything That Happens is From Now On by @thusspoketrish (42k)

After surviving a brutal assault, Draco tries to navigate the tumultuous waters of his mind and embrace a bit of love and trust in his life. After all, the smallest steps forward can begin to heal the most fractured of souls.

Us, in Lieu by @tepre (29k)

Teddy needs help and Harry needs funding. Draco sits in the other room and plays the piano.

you, a violent desire by @alpha-exodus (47k)

The Amortentia was an accident—but only the first time.

He Comes Like a Thunderstorm by @korlaena (140k)

Draco is doing his best to balance the life he wants to live and the life he’s forced to live. He’s nearing the tail-end of a long, post-war probation when Harry Potter crashes back into his life with all the grace of a charging Erumpent, breaking through his carefully constructed rules and routine. Caught up in a whirlwind of sex and lust, Potter unwittingly shows Draco that his life as an Incubus doesn’t have to be as lonely and unfulfilling as he thought, but how long can it last?

An Emerald In The Sky by @corvuscrowned (6k)

The hardest part about shagging an Unspeakable is that they’re not allowed to speak of anything. All Draco knows is that Harry works in Time. Harry works in Time, and while he’s out there in all of that time, it is as unforgiving to him as it is to anyone. Somewhere along the way, Draco realizes he's been thinking in lines, when he should have been thinking in circles.

Nobody's Ever Died Of A Broken Heart by Frayach (10k)

Harry staggers under a burden of grief, trying both to remember and to forget

There are only two good facts about Harry and Draco's disastrous marriage: it had been relatively short, and they had managed to produce a very lovely child. However, if they don't work together, they just might lose him.

Palace of Eternity by @gracerene (27k)

It had been twelve years, five months, and six days since the last time Harry had laid eyes upon Draco.

Loverboys by @corvuscrowned (84k)

As post-war violence and tensions rise, it seems as if there’s no hope to unify the wizarding world. Except, maybe, a manufactured relationship between resident Saviour Harry Potter and known purveyor of the Dark Arts Draco Malfoy. (The fact that they detest each other is beside the point.) But as Draco’s unrelenting mind games begin to wear him down, Harry has to remind himself that it’s all fake. The relationship is fake. The affection is fake. The pet names, the romance — even the engagement photos are fake. But there’s something in Draco’s kiss that might just be real.

Black Holes and Revelations by @femmequixotic (38k)

What was meant to be an unexpected one-off in the loo of a Camden bar turns into something rather different, much to Harry and Draco's surprise.

Tell Me a Secret by alexmeg (86k)

In which the bond is rooted in their emotions, everything goes even more wrong, and Harry is certain that he and Draco could never feel what the curse wants them to feel for each other. Until Harry does.

Now My Neck Is Open Wide (begging for a fist around it) by LadySlytherin (75k)

Six months post-war, Harry meets Grayson Wenke, a famousv Quidditch player. Harry believes he's found the love of his life, and a Happily Ever After ending suitable for the storybooks. When Grayson slowly goes from Prince Charming to a monster behind closed doors, Harry finds himself trapped, and alone, and fearing for his life. When Harry realizes he's pregnant, the opportunity for escape - and a real Happily Ever After - presents itself as none other than Draco Malfoy. The only question is if Harry is brave enough to take a chance, and strong enough to heal.

The Crane Lord of Gringotts by @vukovich (31k)

Harry is fine. Being an Auror is fine. Living with Ginny is fine. It's all fine. But it used to be a lot better.

Vis-à-Vis-à-Vis by @vukovich (49k)

Harry's assignment was simple. Close out Draco Malfoy's missing persons case so he can be declared dead. But who's making withdrawals from Malfoy's vaults? How is a death omen-turned-Unspeakable involved? Is an organization known as the Moirai to blame? Harry brushes it off until he can't. Until The Prophet is flooded with sightings of dead people. Until Robards throws himself on his sword. Until Ron turns on his own family. Until Harry scarcely trusts his own reflection in the mirror and trusts the stranger in his bed even less. Until all that stands between war and peace is Harry, a name plate, a stadium of murderers, and Draco Malfoy. God save the Ministry.

In His Nature by create_serenity (20k)

Harry agreed to have sex with Draco once a month in order to keep him alive, what he didn’t agree to was Draco popping up all over the place and disrupting his life in more ways than one.

Blood and Fire by @lqtraintracks (44k)

Harry has spent the last twelve years in Romania, not returning to England as often as he knows he should. It's complicated. But when Ginny asks him to be her best man and help her plan her wedding, he can't say no. Having a reckoning with his choices, with himself, won't be easy. To say nothing of seeing Draco again.

9 ½ Days by @magpiefngrl (69k)

After the events at the Manor, Harry and Draco find themselves stranded in the countryside with a broken wand and Death Eaters on their tail. This is the story of an uneasy truce, featuring faerie forests, seaside caves, Romani camps, kind old ladies, and a shared bed in an attic.

Or how two boys fell in love in the midst of a bloody coup.

Consequences of Redemption by bobbirose (120k)

When Draco makes an impromptu decision to rescue Harry Potter from Malfoy Manor, the two find themselves completely alone and facing the looming climax of the war against Voldemort. Harry must start from the beginning with Draco--and starting over has more consequences than either of them anticipated.

Both Hands by @sweet-s0rr0w (10k)

It’s been over a decade since Draco packed up his belongings and left, and Harry’s doing just fine. Really, he is. So when he spots the For Sale sign outside their old flat, he doesn’t think twice about arranging a viewing. Curiosity is only natural, right? And what harm can come from a quick trip down memory lane?

#drarry #drarry fic recs #drarry reclist #drarry fic rec #fic recs #draco malfoy #harry potter #drarry fics #drarry fic #my recs

[inukag-archive]

Hi, I’m looking for fics where Kagome and/or Inuyasha deal with depression/anxiety. I like longer stories but one-shots are totally fine too. I would prefer stories from before 2019 so there’s no Yashahime influence. Also please no sessrin in the recs. Thank you so much!

Hi anon, thank you for the ask! Most of the fics we could find that fit your criteria are one shots, but there are a few longer stories sprinkled throughout. In order to provide more reading material, we split the list into stories written in 2019 or earlier and stories that were written after 2019 but contain no references to Yashahime (characters, plot, or otherwise). There shouldn't be any SessRin references in any of the fics either.

This is a difficult subject to search for without having read a story in its entirety, so we strongly encourage anyone who knows of any others to leave more recs in the reblogs/replies!

[2019 or Earlier]

He Just Wouldn't Stop by @artistefish (G)

Just because she's back doesn't mean there aren't scars. Some wounds take more than time to heal, and some never heal at all. A post-canon look at an unexpected repercussion of Kagome's three year absence.

--

Guilty Hero by Eggry (T)

The city is recovering after a crippling war against Naraku. But while time moves on, Inu-Yasha doesn't. Plagued with guilt over a terrible deed, alcohol is his only escape from the nightmare of reality. At their wit's end with him, Sango and Miroku are on the verge of giving up until Kagome Higurashi arrives to take him under her wing.

--

Sleep, My Dear by Stars_Sky_See (T)

Kagome was quickly adjusting to her new life with the help of her now husband. Life had all around been easier since her return and everyone was grateful. However, life wasn’t so merciful, with every two steps forward there was always one step back.

--

The Ghosts of Suicide Forest by @splendentgoddess (T)

Aokigahara, known by some as Suicide Forest. It is a place of mystery, beauty and death. Roughly 100 people go there annually to commit suicide, but why? The better question, though, is can Kagome find and rescue Yuka before it is too late?

--

Broken Glass by SleepWalkingChickens (M)

Growing up is hard, especially when things are changing. Kagome is plunged into a new world, complete with new problems. The past is hard to let go of and baggage builds up. Unravel it and you’re met with truth. Can love win over Inuyasha's sins?

--

It Goes Like This by @witchygirl99 (G)

It goes like this.

“Hey! I haven’t seen you in a while!” Kagome exclaims, smiling at him. Her eyes are dark brown and beautiful, captivating.

Five different answers pop into his head, all of them friendly and inviting for conversation. It’s not what comes out.

Inuyasha isn't the main character of anyone's story. With Kagome, that feeling starts to change.

--

[Post 2019 w/ No Yashahime References]

Pictures of Happiness by @memilylove (M)

The loss of his high school sweetheart changed more than Inuyasha realized. With the encouragement of friends, he finally gives himself another shot at getting help. The path is not easy, but he soon finds that perhaps there is a point to all this. Is it really possible to be happy again and to find that you love another?

--

Other Reasons to Stay Awake by @ajoy3fanfics (NR)

Kagome suffers from PTSD after she returns to her side of the well

--

Shattered by My-Crazy-Awesome-Sox (T)

Oneshot: Leading a double life has got to be stressful. What happens when it all starts falling apart for Kagome? Everything has been pent up for too long, and now it's all crashing down around her. For anyone who's ever had a breakdown...

--

A Horse With No Name by @roseheartwhitefox (T)

The story of what happened to Inuyasha after Kagome disappeared when the well closed for 3 years, heavily referencing the episode "The Old Sugarman Place" from "BoJack Horseman". I feel as if after everything that happened and Kagome disappeared, Inuyasha would need time to grieve the loss. This is that story. Deals with themes of depression, loneliness, and loss. 

--

Stay by @akitokihojo (G)

He nodded again, pulling away to gently press his forehead to hers for a moment. "I get it." Inuyasha breathed before leaning back to look her in the eyes. "But, one of these days you'll understand that no matter what happens, I won't take a damn thing back. You'll see that I don't want it back. I feel like my heart's safer with you, anyway."

--

Kagome's Unwitting Depression by @cstormsinukagblog (M)

Kagome sees something that she isn't meant to see, and it kind of breaks her. Can she and Inuyasha repair the damage before she gives up hope?

--

Breaking the Habit: Rewrite by @kstewdeux (M)

After being separated for six years, Inuyasha and Kagome are reunited on her side of the well. TW: SI, Mental Illness.

--

The Voice Inside My Head by @fawn-eyed-girl (E)

When Kagome returns to the Feudal era a week after a particular nasty fight with Inuyasha, he realizes something’s not right. Is it too late for Inuyasha and Kagome—have the years of fighting broken them apart for good? Or will they be able to find a way forward, together?

--

Feel free to add your own recs in the comments or reblogs! Check our Masterlist of previous lists to see which topics we've covered.  After reviewing our submission guidelines, send us an ask (here).

#inukag archive #inukag fanfic #inuyasha fanfiction #anxiety #depression

[cuppajj]

The SG/DJD from your sentient sg/ll universe did what?👀

OK SO

My interpretation of the Shattered Glass DJD is that they’re a humanitarian group who search for missing or captured Decepticons to rescue. They would’ve started out as a team who brought defectors and Autobots to justice (morally), hence their name, but they eventually expanded their operation into becoming a rescue squad. I also like to think they do Girl Scout things like hand out cookies but that’s besides the point 😆

Personalitywise I imagine Tarn is a bold, noble, sometimes excitable leader not unlike Thunderclash, Kaon is sweet but incredibly shy, Vos is a little clumsy but means well, Helex is a skittish gentle giant, and Tesarus is the joke cracker. The Pet exists too, but they call him Dominus; he had originally been an Autobot sleeper agent before attempting to defect to the Decepticons, getting caught, and being domesticated as punishment. The DJD would take him in and begin finding a way to fix him. The DJD are less business associates and more of a found family. (Also their alt modes aren't torture devices anymore: Helex is a heavy vehicle, Tesarus is a cannon, and Kaon is an electrical generator.)

Like in the normal comic, the business they have with the LL isn’t with the one that we follow, but its quantum duplicate caused by the initial engine explosion. Overlord (peachlord but he wouldn’t have been peach yet), who had gone missing since the Elba incursion, would be their highest priority for search and rescue, being the most powerful Decepticon warrior and a close friend of Tarn’s. After their business on Clemency, Kaon would have picked up a distress signal coming from somewhere in deep space. As they approach that sector, they also pick up on Overlord’s life signal in the same region the first one came from.

Long story short, tracking the two signals leads them to the duplicate Lost Light. The distress signal and Overlord’s signal both originated here, which worries them; but nevertheless they enter the ship, and are greeted with a horrifying sight. Dead bodies are strewn about, some tangled up in cords while others have torn limbs. The vast majority, however, look as if they simply dropped dead, with no visible wounds on them. Vos would run an analysis on the bodies and deduce that they had ingested some kind of lethal substance—gas, most likely—that forced their systems into a permanent shutdown. From what he can tell, these bodies are recently deceased; shortly before, during, or after the time period in which the distress signal was received.

Little do they know that they’re already being watched. The Lost Light is well aware of who they are, and they are also aware of why they’re here. They don’t take kindly to intruders disturbing the peace of their crew, so they intend to trap the DJD in the same place Overlord is in: the slow cell, which they find after what seems like ages of searching and carefully stepping past the unsettlingly peaceful-looking bodies.

When they free Overlord from the cell, they find that the teal Decepticon has been heavily sedated and can barely walk. Helex and Tesarus hoist their arms around him to carry him out with the others, but before they can do that, the slow cell door shuts and the Lost Light finally reveals themself.

“I am not fond of trespassers,” they boom with barely hidden ire. “If wish to defile this place to retrieve your charge, then you will stay with him until you rot.”

The DJD are taken aback by the omnipresent voice, and while some (Helex) begin to panic that they don’t have any way out, Tarn takes the lead and blasts a hole through the door with his fusion cannon. The group with Overlord pile out and begin to make their break for the ship (not called the peaceful tyranny here… Peaceful Truth? Prosperous Truth?). The LL attempts to trap them and grab them with their intricate systems but they’re able to blast through everything and fight everything back, and they eventually reach their ship and they pull away from the LL. They believe they’re safe as they steer the PT away, but then they transform, revealing that they’re a massive Cybertronian who now dwarfs them. A battle ensues, the PT shooting at the duplicate LL as they attempt to swat/crush it. The PT lands a perfect shot into LL’s optics, rendering them blind as they scream, and one final barrage through their chassis deals the killing blow. The DJD, shaken by the close call, watch as the duplicate LL keels over and falls silent. Soon after the PT flies away, the titan succumbs to rigormorphis and transforms back into their alternate mode, cold and dead just like the hundreds of bodies inside them.

Some of the DJD, particularly Helex, are slightly traumatized by the ordeal. They'd been surrounded by corpses before, but not in a way like this. And to realize that the walls around them could see them and speak to them, and urge to kill them... well, if a seemingly lifeless ship could be alive, then what else is there? Who else is there?

#sentient lost light au #shattered glass #djd #tarn #helex #tesarus #kaon #vos #cjj arts #lost light #maccadam #transformers #mtmte #overlord #cjj askbox #soundcrusher

[pomegranate-pen]

hello! do you have any dating headcanons or platonic headcanons for fin the human? in adventure time?

thank you for requesting!!! I haven't watched Adevnture Time in a while, so I hope this doesn't seem ooc!

Platonic and Romantic headcanons for Finn The Human!

Platonic:

Finn is extremely friendly and sociable with anyone he meets. He has this heroic goofy energy to him that always seems to make others around him feel energetic.

If you aren't the best at fighting, expect weekly visits from the blonde human. He’d hang out with you for the day and you’d both walk around the area you live in. in the land of Ooo, anything is possible. Whether it's giant worms eating a library or a giant slime monster attacking a village, it is always best to be on your guard. That’s why Finn always patrols around your area with you to make sure nothing suspicious is going on.

If you’re more of a fighter then expect many trainings with Finn. He’d challenge you to a sword fight or wrestling that often ends with you both laughing it off or one a bit injured. At times, he asks for your assistance during a rescue or fight. He has a lot of fun when his friends are fighting with him more than he does alone.

There are those rare moments where Finn opens up a bit. He speaks about his struggles with love or stress over some bad guy. Finn isn’t one to show these emotions much, so when it happens, do be there for him and comfort the boy.

If he ever finds himself in love with someone again, he’d go to you for advice. Asks what he should wear or how he should act. The human is pacing around the room with a multitude of papers stuck all over your living room. The night passes by with long talks on how the date should look and what must happen, completely forgetting time itself during the whole ordeal.

Just like anyone else, Finn only wants your well-being and happiness. If he ever finds out there’s someone who is hurting you or causing you danger, he won't hesitate on fighting them. Whether you want him to do so or not, it's sadly not up to you. The human cares for his friends dearly and he promised himself to do anything to protect the ones he loves.

Hanging out in the tree house is a must. He invites you to the movie nights with friends, playing cards while Jake has left to spend time with his kids, sleepovers… it becomes a place full of memories for you two. And in a way, it has become a bit like your second home.

Being friends with Finn means being friends with Jake. If you find yourself not liking Jake much and even having some sort of rivalry with him, that would become a problem sooner or later. Jake is Finn’s brother and best friend. They hang out with each other daily and trust each lots. Finn would probably do everything he can to make you guys get along. Whether it's inviting you in the tree house or for an adventure, which coincidentally Jake is in as well, he’ll try it all.

Finn always comes to you for love advice, but you should definitely not go to him for one. He doesn’t really know what to do. He’d just tell you to be yourself and help you out on some date plans, but that’s probably it. However, if you ever need advice on fighting monsters or knowing all the ways in the Land of Ooo, he’d be more than happy to help.

Romantic:

He’s a sucker for you. Practically head over heels in love.

He’d at first be shy and a little bit stuttery when he realizes he likes you. He’s still the exciting adventurer he was before, but you tend to see him blush a lot on different occasions.

He’s unsure of what to do. You’d think having so many love interests in the past would’ve helped him by now, but he’s confused about how to make a move. He’d most likely go to his friends for advice.

It takes some time, but he finally does confess at some point. And when you accept it, he’s over the moon. He’d give you the prettiest smile and hug you. It's all just really sweet.

Hanging out in each other’s houses become way more frequent than before. At times you’d two just stay for days in the house. It has come to a point where you both have spare clothes and objects in each other’s place.

In terms of PDA, Finn is surprisingly quite shy. He doesn’t mind small kisses and hand holding when you’re outside, but that’s about it. Everything else he believes is way too embarrassing to do out. in private though, he’s the one to initiate the cuddles and kisses. He feels more confident and comfortable there.

Holding hands in dangerous tombs or old run-down castles is an absolute must. Wants you to be around him at all times. Who knows what kinds of monsters could be lurking around the place.

Is a bit protective of you. Although he knows you can handle any danger by yourself and are fully capable of surviving without his assistance, he can't stop himself from worrying for the worst. In adventures, when setting a fire and a small tent to sleep in, you often find him still awake in the middle of the night. If you ask him what the reason was, he’d shrug it off and tell you to go back to sleep.

“there could be monsters around, I gotta stay alert.” His eyes suddenly twitch from the lack of sleep.

You’d literally have to force him into bed. Reassuring him continuously that nothing will happen and that everything will be fine.

Dates are usually just crazy adventures. Whether it's fighting Ice King or trying to get an ancient fruit so Jake could make a pie with it, it's always fun and exciting.

There are occasions where dates are just you two in the comfiest clothes while watching a movie. Those are the times when the snow becomes a blizzard and the blizzard gives you an excuse to stay in. ugly sweaters giving you magnificent warmth during the shivering cold and hot cocoas right in your hands, the small marshmallows hovering on top of the drink. Head on his shoulders, you take a deep breath and just softly smile. Soon, you felt his head bump into yours a bit as he holds your hand. Eyes glued to the small screen BMO was providing.

Finn isn’t one to get jealous, but he does hate people who hit on you when they know you two are a couple. At that point, Finn tells the person to back off and holds your hand the entire time. If he notices that you're uncomfortable around the said person, he’d make up an excuse and take you away. At those moments, Finn’s clutch on your hand is tighter than before and his pout is apparent. If you tease him for it, he’d become extremely blushy and look away.

“what?! N-no! I wasn’t jealous! Why would I be jealous of a jerk like them?!”

“then why are you blushing?”

“I’m not blushing! It’s just…suddenly really hot in here!”

“Finn, we’re in the Ice Kingdom.”

Braiding his hair becomes one of your favorite activities. His hair is very well kept and shiny and fun to play with. He’d be too shy to admit, but he likes you playing with his hair. Your touch is soft and soothing, making him want to lay down and rest.

Marceline and Jake always tease you two. both think you two are adorable and are happy for their friends. But that won't stop them from pranking you.

---

#adventure time #adventure time x reader #finn x reader #finn the human x reader #x reader #reader insert #finn the human #finn #fanfiction #jake the dog #finn mertens #finn mertens x reader #headcanons #headcanons event

[photogirl894]

"Sun and Rain Part 2: Age of the Empire"

Chapter 30

"A Tense Rescue"

A "Bad Batch" fanfic!

Pairing: Hunter x fem OC, Echo (more best friend pairing)

A/N: Well, here we are again! Though after how things went last time, I'd imagine y'all aren't too thrilled with me 😅 Haha well, that might be the same this time...so strap in and enjoy the ride you're about to take through episode 9 of Bad Batch season 1 😜 Love you all!

Taglist: @the-sad-batch , @nimata-beroya , @intrepidmare , @cole-kenxbi , @tech-aficionado , @ladykatakuri , @d1n0-dan , @sammi9498 , @darthzero22 , @scarlettrose9901 , @thebadbatchscyare , @chxpsi , @ilikemymendarkandfictional , @4pplecider , @locitapurplepink , @l-lend , @nekotaetae , @eternalwaffle , @merkitty49 , @avathebestx , @idoubleswearimawriter , @techs-stitches , @fantasyproductions , @sverdgeir , @totallyunidentified

《 Chapter 29

》 Chapter 31

All chapters (Part 2) (Part 1)

Explanation: Tensions are high on the Marauder after Omega's capture and Kimber must answer to the Clones for her mistake. Will they forgive her easily or will their be division among them?

The Marauder zoomed through the sky, evading the gunfire of the Imperial shuttle tailing them. It didn’t take them long to realize that it was Crosshair’s shuttle chasing them and as predicted, he was not giving them an easy time. 

Echo had taken care of Kimber’s wounded leg first--at Hunter’s surprising yet also not surprising insistence--and had carefully applied what bacta they had to the wound before bandaging it. Her whole armor set had been removed and she was just left in her blacks. Then Hunter was dealt with; Echo had him remove the top half of his armor and sit in one of the chairs so he could bandage Hunter’s chest where he’d been shot. 

Just as Echo finished up with him, Hunter asked Tech, “Any sign of that bounty hunter?”

“The only vessel in our scanners is Crosshair’s and he’s right on top of us,” Tech replied as he continued to maneuver the ship. 

“It’s getting hot back here!” Wrecker cried out from the tail gun. 

Tech hit a couple of the buttons on the console and stated, “Prepping to jump.”

“Not without Omega,’ Hunter countered.

Echo turned back in his co-pilot’s chair and refuted, “The bounty hunter who took her is long gone. We’ll have no chance of finding them if Crosshair shoots us down.”

The Sergeant looked conflicted as to what to do. As Tech informed everyone that their rear deflector shields were failing, Kimber decided to speak up, even though she had a feeling her opinion wasn’t welcome at the moment. 

“Hunter, we need to go,” she urged him. “If we're going to save Omega, then we need to save ourselves first.”

He heaved a heavy sigh in response before telling Tech, “Make the jump.”

Without hesitation, Tech pushed hard on the lever that made the ship jump into hyperspace. Seconds later, the familiar blue tunnel engulfed their ship and they were finally free from Crosshair’s pursuit. 

Once they made the jump, Kimber sighed and let her head fall back against her chair, relieved that they had finally shaken off Crosshair. Her guilt at leading him to them was still eating away at her. Now that they were finally alone and away from the Empire’s sights for now, it was time to come clean about everything…if the boys even wanted to hear anything from her. 

However, Tech beat her to it by saying as he turned his chair around, “Now, Kimber, I believe we are owed an explanation behind your actions regarding Crosshair.”

She let out a small scoff. “You waste no time, do you?” she asked back.

Hunter, however, wasn’t amused. “Tell us the truth,” he demanded. “Why would you tell Crosshair where we were? What possessed you to do such a thing?”

“More than that, why were you sending him secret transmissions in the first place?” then added Echo.

Her stomach churned nervously as she prepared herself to answer their questions. “Look, lads, I'm sorry--”

“Sorry isn't gonna cut it this time,” Hunter cut her off, his stern gaze never leaving hers. “You need to do better than that.”

“Did Crosshair reach out to you first?” asked Wrecker, though his tone wasn't nearly as hardened as the others’.

Kimber fiddled anxiously with her braid. “N--no,” she said. “I reached out on my own. But I never told him anything and I used the encrypted device Rina gave me so he couldn't trace the transmissions!”

“How many times did you do this?” inquired Echo. 

For a second, she hesitated, looking down at the ground before answering, “Three times.”

“Three?” Hunter repeated, aghast.

“I cannot fathom as to why you would do this,” Tech stated.

“All I ever really said was I wanted him to come back; that I wanted to understand why he turned on us…and how much I missed him,” she told them, melancholy in her expression and voice. “Though, that was before we found out the truth about the inhibitor chips.”

Hunter heaved a frustrated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. “What changed this time?” 

Her grip on her braid tightened. “I had thought to reach out to him about getting his chip removed like you guys did…but he actually contacted me  instead. I had no idea he would.” She paused for a moment and Hunter raised his eyebrows expectantly, indicating for her to continue. She went on, “It was just after Rex left that Crosshair reached out to me and given the timing of it, I just…got too eager.”

“Oh, Kim…,” Echo sighed, exasperated.

“So you revealed our mission and location to him,” Tech concluded. 

“It's not that simple,” she said back. 

Standing up from his chair, Hunter responded, looking down at her, “It seems simple to me. We tried so hard to stay under Crosshair's radar and the first chance you got, you told him everything we didn't want him to know.”

“It was only because of why we were on Bracca to begin with,” Kimber said. “I thought we could get his chip out, too, and then--”

“That's the point, Kimber: he still has the chip,” Hunter interrupted, his voice raised, “and he's still serving the Empire. He wouldn't jump at the chance to remove it if he's been led to believe otherwise. You left yourself open and he took advantage of that, which put all of us at risk. Do you even realize that? We trusted you! I can’t believe you would do something so selfish!”

Kimber turned away, ashamed.

Then she felt a large hand on her shoulder followed by Wrecker's voice saying, “Come on, guys, cut her some slack. She didn't know this would happen.”

“Wrecker, she endangered all of us by bringing the Empire right to us,” Hunter tried to argue. 

Finally, Kimber snapped and yelled, “Do you think I wanted this to happen? Do you think I asked for this? Crosshair lied to me and he used me! I know now what I did was wrong, but I was only doing what I thought was right at the time!” 

“A bit hypocritical of you to be angry that Crosshair lied to you when that's exactly what you did to us, too,” Hunter fired back.

“Hunter…!” Echo said cautiously. 

By this point, Kimber was not about to take anymore comments lying down. She forced herself to stand up by pushing on the arms of the chair and leaning her hand on the navicomputer next to her, clenching her teeth together as she pushed through the still lingering pain in her leg. 

Facing Hunter and the others with a hurt and mad look in her eyes, she cried back, her tone turning icy, “Well, maybe if I felt I could talk to you or any of you about Crosshair, I wouldn't have felt the need to keep this from you to begin with!” As all the Clones’ eyes went wide at her comment, she kept going, getting even more heated, “You guys won't talk about Crosshair! You know how many times we've talked about him in all the time he's been gone? Once! And even then it was a short conversation. How else was I supposed to cope with him leaving us when I felt I couldn't come to any of you about him? I miss him terribly and I have felt all alone in dealing with that since Kamino. I did what I felt was right for me and I know it was an error in judgment. I admit that. I don’t need you all berating me about it, especially you, Hunter!” Then she kept her focus on Hunter, who was staying silent, as she continued on, her voice rising, “I already feel guilty for leading Crosshair to us in my desperation! I know I betrayed your trust! I’m angry at him for lying to me and manipulating me! I failed to protect Omega from the bounty hunter and more than everything else, I nearly lost all hope because I thought you were dead!”

The way she nearly screamed the word “dead” made Hunter rear back and Echo, Wrecker and Tech were surprised to hear her raise her voice in a way they’d never heard before. 

“I thought not only had I lost Omega, but that I’d lost you, too!” she said as began to cry, her emotions spilling through like a broken dam. “I thought I was about to lose everything because of my mistakes! I’m sorry for all that I’ve done. I know you have every right to be angry, but please…understand that I never meant any harm to this squad. Never! I’m sorry!” 

Finally, she couldn’t bear it any longer and fell back into her chair, turned away from everyone and wept bitterly, her guilt, anger and sorrow tearing her apart. Even though she knew she deserved all of this, it still didn’t make it hurt any less. She wished to take back everything she had done. She should’ve known better than to reach out to Crosshair in the first place. Better yet, she should’ve known him suddenly showing interest in reuniting was too good to be true. Her foolishness and hubris had almost cost them so much so quickly. 

A few seconds later, Kimber felt someone’s arms slide under her and carefully pick her up off the chair. When she lifted her head, she found herself looking up at Wrecker, who said nothing to either her or the others and he simply turned and walked towards the back of the ship towards the bunk area. He activated the door to Hunter’s bunk and walked inside, closing the door behind him and then setting Kimber down carefully onto the bed.

She sniffled and brushed away her tears. “Thank you, Wrecker,” she told him shakily.

He knelt down in front of her, a sorrowful look on his face. “I miss Crosshair, too, you know,” he told her. “I’m sorry I never really talked about him and made you feel lonely.” 

“Wrecker…,” she said sadly, feeling even more guilty about Wrecker apologizing to her.

“I get why you did what you did and I’m sorry things went wrong. You didn’t deserve any of it,” he then added.

“Why…why are you apologizing? Why aren’t you mad at me?” she asked, puzzled.

The gentle giant of a Clone shook his head. “I was confused at first about why you contacted him, but I get it now. You didn’t know what was going to happen and you were only trying to help. You wanted Crosshair back…I know how that feels.” He then laid a consoling hand on her shoulder. “I think you need to take some time alone. It’ll give you and the others all time to cool down. We’ve been through a lot today.”

After smoothing away a couple more stray tears, she declared, “We need to focus on finding Omega.”

“We will,” he promised, “but I don’t want any of us to kill each other before we find her.”

She gave a nod, understanding his point.

“It’ll be okay. Hunter, Echo and Tech won’t be mad forever,” he reassured her.

“I would deserve it, though,” she replied, downtrodden. 

Wrecker wasn’t going to accept that answer. “Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself,” he said. “We’ve gotten through worse before. We’ll get through this. I promise.”

With a gentle grasp of her shoulder, he stood back up and left Kimber alone in the room. After he left, she held her face in her hands, inhaling and exhaling deeply to keep herself from crying some more. Her guilt over her actions weighed heavily on her heart and her mind, wondering how she would ever be able to atone for what she’d done. On top of that, she kept wondering and asking so many questions in her mind. What had happened to Crosshair back on Bracca? Who was the bounty hunter that had kidnapped Omega? Where had they gone? How were they ever going to find him? Was Omega still okay? Would Hunter ever forgive her for losing the kid they all had grown attached to?

They had to find her. Somehow, they had to. If anything happened to Omega, Kimber would never forgive herself. 

Around half an hour or so later, Kimber decided she wanted to go back out into the main cabin. Sitting in her room alone with her thoughts wasn't doing her much good. Though, the main area of the ship maybe wouldn't be much better, if the boys were still angry at her, but she'd take her chances. Either way, she just didn't want to be alone. Luckily, one of the boys had brought her armor and weapons back to the room when Echo had been tending to her leg, so she took up her sniper rifle at the end of the cot, stood it upright with the barrel on the floor and used it to brace herself as she stood up. She positioned the back end underneath her arm and made her rifle into a makeshift crutch. Even though any of the Clones could easily carry her around, she didn't want them doing that. Especially since some of them maybe wouldn't want to right now, so she thought of a way to take care of herself. After that, she took a step forward, testing it out. The rifle seemed to suffice enough for her to walk. The bacta, luckily, was working its magic as the pain in her leg was beginning to dull. Not fully, but enough to where walking would be just tolerable enough. She opened up the door and, with a deep breath, hobbled out into the ship. 

As she came out, she heard Echo ask, “What did the bounty hunter look like?”

Then Hunter's voice answered, “He was a Duros.”

“There are a few different Duros bounty hunters. Anything that can narrow it down?” Echo replied. 

Kimber clarified as she entered the cabin, “He had a wide-brimmed hat, if that helps.” 

She noticed Wrecker and Hunter were gathered around the navicomputer with Echo sitting in the seat in front of it. They all turned to face her once they heard her voice, looks of sad uncertainty in their eyes.

“Look, it doesn't matter how you boys feel about me right now,” she told them as she slowly made her way over to them. “What matters is finding Omega and we're going to have to work together to do that.”

For a moment, Hunter still appeared unsure, but then he lightly sighed and shook his head. “You’re right,” he relented. “We can figure everything else out later.”

Kimber gave him a grateful nod.

A few seconds later, after typing out some things on the computer, Echo pulled up an image and stated, “Your description of the bounty hunter is a match to one from the Republic's files.”

Sure enough, the image he’d pulled up was the Duros bounty hunter that both Hunter and Kimber had gone up against. His outfit was a little different with a long, brown overcoat and his hat had a much wider brim, but they both recognized him right away and confirmed it.

“Cad Bane,” Echo told them. “He had multiple run-ins with the Jedi and was responsible for attempting to abduct Chancellor Palpatine.”

“Well, now we can add child kidnapping to that list,” Kimber added, glaring up at the image of Cad Bane as she made sure to lock that name away.

“First the bounty hunter on Pantora and now this guy? Why are they after the kid?” Wrecker demanded in irritation.

Then Tech emerged from the cockpit with his datapad like usual and answered Wrecker’s question, saying, “Because she is more valuable than we realized.”

“What do you mean?” asked Hunter.

Tech clarified, “I further analyzed Omega's genetic profile and discovered she has pure, first-generation DNA.”

Everyone’s eyes went wide with surprise.

“Whoa! Wait. W-W-What does that mean?” Wrecker asked, puzzled.

“First-generation? Like Rex? How is that possible?” Kimber then questioned, looking at Hunter and then back to Tech.

Tech then went on to explain, “All clones were created from a host named Jango Fett. While our genetic structure was modified for growth acceleration and obedience, Omega is a pure genetic replication.”

“How many Clones like that exist?” Hunter inquired.

The answer Tech gave him was a curious one: there was only one other Clone in existence like Omega. It was another male Clone with the code-name of Alpha, but was later called Boba. Then Tech mentioned that Boba had disappeared near the start of the Clone Wars and that left Omega as the sole living source of Jango Fett’s raw genetic material…which could only mean one thing.

“The Kaminoans…!” Kimber deduced aloud.

Echo seemed to have come to the same conclusion as he said right after her to Hunter, “If she's vital to the Kaminoans' cloning operation, they must have put the bounty on her.”

“It’s the only thing that makes sense,” said Kimber.

Then Wrecker posed the question, “So how do we find this bounty hunter?”

Hunter told Tech to check with Cid and see if she had any contacts that could help while the rest of them could keep monitoring comms for any incoming signals. With that, he retreated into the cockpit and went over to the communications panel.

“I would ask the girls to help, but Irys told me that getting information on bounty hunters is one of the few things she can’t do. Anything within the bounty hunter’s guild is locked pretty tight, even for her,” Kimber told the others.

“That and most likely, they’re busy helping Rina by this point,” added Echo. “She and Kida should’ve made it back to Ord Mantell by now.”

“I’m sure they did,” said Kimber back, hobbling over to the chair on the opposite side of the cabin. 

Just as she turned around and leaned on her rifle to carefully lower herself down into the seat, Echo suddenly appeared in front of her and took her free hand in his, bracing under her arm with his scomp. He gave her a kind smile that surprised her and he helped her sit down, letting her use his arm to lean on more than her rifle. 

“Thanks,” she said timidly.

He sat back down in the seat across the aisle and said to her calmly, “Listen, Kim…I know dealing with Crosshair’s absence has been hard for you…but you should’ve come to us. You shouldn’t have kept secrets from us. We’re a squad; we look out for each other.”

She hung her head. “I know,” she said softly.

Then Tech put in his two credits by saying, “Echo is right. If all of us were to act on our own accord in all we do, then the synergy of our squad would be imbalanced. We all rely on each other, both in battle and in other matters. While loss is not something most of us are, indeed, too familiar with, it is still something we must now all endure together…and that includes you, Kimber.”

Kimber lifted her head and looked up at him, her eyes glistening slightly.

“I suppose it was a slight on our part to not have suspected your pain would be different than ours when Crosshair joined the Empire, seeing as you had a close connection to him…but we will no longer let you suffer alone,” Tech vowed.

“The point is: we should’ve been there for you more, from the beginning of all this,” said Echo. “Had we done that, maybe you wouldn’t have felt the need to resort to desperate measures.”

However, she shook her head. “It’s not your fault. Like Tech said, we’ve been dealing with things you guys aren’t entirely familiar with and therefore, I shouldn’t expect you to know how to handle it any better than me.”

Echo stood up from his chair and knelt down on a knee in front of Kimber, grasping her hand and saying her name to prompt her to look at him. When she met his soft gaze, he assured her, “We’re a squad and we help each other. All of us. Even if we don’t fully understand how to cope with some things, we’ll figure it out. That’s what we do.” He tightened his hold on her hand just a bit. “Don’t isolate your feelings just because you don’t think we’d understand. We do, more than you know. Please, don’t keep us in the dark or keep secrets from us again, okay?”

She stole a look up at Tech, as well, and he gave her a sincere nod. It astonished her how quickly Echo and Tech were to forgive her for this. Though, she wasn’t going to take it for granted. In response, she simply nodded and replied, “I won’t. I promise.”

Satisfied with that, Tech then declared, “Echo and I shall reach out to Cid.” After that, the two of them proceeded to start typing things out on the computer as well as the datapad.

Wrecker came up beside Kimber and said, laying a hand on her upper back, “See? I told you they’d come around.”

“Yeah…but there’s still Hunter,” she responded. 

“Don’t worry. He might be mad right now, but…he loves you more than anything,” Wrecker told her gently. “I know you guys will work through it. You always do.”

“I hope so…I feel like I’ve disappointed him more than the rest of you,” she admitted. 

He rubbed her back. “Love is stronger than disappointment.”

She snickered lightly and turned her gaze up to him. “It would seem love has also made you wiser,” she observed. 

The big guy said nothing, but smiled encouragingly. 

Then Kimber stole a look down the way to where she could see Hunter sitting in the cockpit, continuously pushing buttons on the console to monitor their comm channels. She could tell he was already determined to work himself to the bone until they found Omega, despite his injury. She knew she was going to have to keep an eye on him. Hopefully, once Omega was found, she'd have a chance to talk things over with him and make amends for what she'd done. 

If he'd let her. 

Not long later, Kimber decided to join Hunter in the cockpit. Not to try and apologize just yet; he was too distracted for that, but to see if she could help and perhaps keep him company…and possibly help him stay sane. 

When she limped into the front of the ship, Hunter was sitting there, his arm propped up against the side console and his hand resting against his forehead. Then he flinched a little and his other hand came up to his bandaged chest, sharply sucking in air through his teeth. Kimber’s heart ached at seeing him in pain, both physically and emotionally.

“I can take over if you need a break,” she spoke up.

He glanced up briefly over his shoulder upon hearing her voice, but then turned back to the console, stating through a grunt, “I’m fine.”

“Darling…you’re still in pain,” she told him.

“I’ll worry about that after we find Omega,” he simply replied, not even looking back at her as he resumed tapping keys on the console. 

She hobbled up next to him and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, feeling his body instinctively relax a little at her touch. “Neglecting yourself isn’t going to help us find her any faster, Hunter, and we will find her… but you need to pace yourself. We still need you here, too, as much as she does.”

For a second, his head turned her way slightly and she thought he was going to try and argue some more, but instead, he let out a frustrated sigh, his head hanging low. Then he reached over and grasped her hand on his shoulder, his grip tight with need, and she curled her fingers around his. It seemed that, despite how angry he was at her, he still couldn’t deny the comfort she was offering him. Not when he desperately needed it in the moment.

Then he said, his voice low and despondent, “I just hope she’s okay.”

“I’m sure she is,” she responded. “If it’s the Kaminoans that want her, I have no doubt that they’ll want her unharmed. Besides, she’s a smart girl. I’m sure she’ll be able to look out for herself until we find her.” She wanted so much to lean down and kiss his brow, but decided against it as he might not welcome such a gesture just yet. Instead, she just tightened her grip on his hand, which he returned. Though, he still didn’t look back at her.

A few seconds later, Echo came into the room, declaring with irritation, “Yeah, Cid knows all about Bane, but not how to find him. She said we're on our own.”

“Of course,” replied Kimber, rolling her eyes. Cid was never useful when they needed her to be.

Just then, they heard a faint, tiny voice come in over their comm channel, “Come in. Come in. Anyone?”

Echo, Hunter and Kimber all exchanged looks of shock. It was Omega’s voice!

“Omega?” Wrecker cried out, running in from the back with Tech behind him.

“Omega, are you there? Omega!” Hunter cried out into the communication panel, but there was no reply.

“It’s long-range. I’ll try to boost the signal,” Echo declared, darting back to the front controls. 

After putting in a few codes to boost the comm signal, they heard Omega’s voice come through, “Is anyone there?” Even though they could hear her, it was still staticy and hard to hear at first.

“Omega, do you copy?” Hunter asked.

They heard her gasp Hunter’s name with joy before saying, “I'm here. I got away, but you have to hurry!.”

“I knew you’d find a way! Where are you, Omega?” Kimber then asked.

There was a glitch in the signal for a second before they heard her answer, “I don’t know where I am.”

“Hang on, kid. We’re comin’ for ya!” Wrecker cried out.

Echo was trying to trace the signal, but he groaned aloud and stated, “The signal's too weak to establish a direct connection trace.”

Tech then came forward and began instructing Omega over the comm on how to give them a relay on her position, asking her to create a power surge where she was. They all waited in anticipation for Omega’s responses to Tech’s instructions and were relieved every time they could hear her voice. However, at one point, Tech gave her another set of instructions and there wasn’t a reply. Tech spoke her name to get her attention and there was nothing but static and the sounds of a struggle on the other end.

“What’s happening?” Kimber questioned.

“I still can’t get a good read,” Tech answered.

Then they all jumped slightly as they heard Omega’s fearful voice suddenly cry, “Hunter, I need you!”

Hunter shoved Tech aside to get to the comm panel, yelling Omega’s name in a panic. Then the signal was suddenly lost.

“No!” Kimber cried out, slamming a fist on the dash. “The bounty hunter must’ve found her and cut off her communications.”

“Can you find her signal again?” Hunter asked Tech, urgency in his voice.

Tech shook his head. “It was still too weak for me to pinpoint her exact location.”

“We need to get it back,” said Hunter.

“Calm down,” Kimber told him, grabbing his arm. When he looked at her, slightly irritated that she was stopping him, she continued, “Like I told you, she’s a smart girl. She already found a way to get a signal to us, she can do it again. All we can do for her right now is wait, continue monitoring our comm channels and be ready when we hear from her again.”

He clenched his teeth together impatiently. They had finally gotten word from Omega and just as soon as they’d heard from her, they lost her again. Where could she even be? But the steadfast look in Kimber’s eyes directed at him gave him pause. He knew Kimber was right and he had to remind himself that Omega was indeed an intelligent girl. She’d managed to get away from the bounty hunter long enough to get a message to them without their help. If she’d managed to do it once already, then she could surely do it again. 

With a deep breath to calm his anxiety, Hunter gave her a nod of understanding.

Then, turning to Tech, Kimber inquired, “Were you able to get any sort of reading at all as to where she might possibly be?” 

He turned to his datapad and answered, “There was nothing substantial, but it seemed as though it was coming from somewhere in a system not far from us.”

“Then why don’t we just head that way and get a headstart?” suggested Wrecker.

“There are still several planets in that part of the galaxy. If we bypass the correct one, that could prove detrimental to Omega’s rescue,” Tech pointed out.

The four of them continued to debate on different possible options they could do until a few minutes later, they heard beeping coming from the main computer and Echo declared from the co-pilot’s seat, “I think I've got her. She's in the Lido system.” 

“Where in the Lido system?” Wrecker asked as they all rushed forward to the computer to see what it was displaying.

Echo pushed a few keys and stated, “I'm pinpointing the exact coordinates. Hang on!”

Within seconds, the Marauder was back in hyperspace, heading towards Omega’s location and all they could do was hope they’d be able to reach her in time. Not much time passed when they exited hyperspace and they soon ended up in an unknown planet’s red-orange and cloudy atmosphere. They were all searching out the viewport for any sign of Omega or any nearby civilization.

The ship’s proximity sensor began to chirp and Tech informed the others, “I’m picking up a nearby vessel, but it’s descending fast towards the surface.”

As they kept watch out the window, Kimber spotted what the proximity sensor had picked up: it was a round flight pod soaring downward through the sky.

“There!” she cried, pointing through the viewport. “It’s a flight pod. That must be her!”

“Tech, take over the controls,” said Echo. “I’ll prep the docking clamp.” 

Echo and Tech seamlessly transitioned as Tech jumped into the pilot’s seat and took control of the ship, angling it down after the flight pod, while Echo ran to the back of the ship and started getting the docking clamp ready to catch the flight pod. Hunter and Wrecker ran after him with Kimber limping behind them on her rifle crutch. After a moment of quiet anticipation, they heard the clang on the underbelly of the ship as the flight pod was caught on the clamp and the Marauder docked on top of it. Echo opened the docking port, gas releasing from inside the pod as it opened, and Wrecker knelt down and peered inside. 

“Omega! Are you in there?” he called down.

To everyone’s relief, they heard Omega’s small, trembling voice cry out Wrecker’s name from down below. They had found her!

Wrecker reached down and pulled her out of the pod, happy to have her back. Once she was safely inside the ship, Echo released the flight pod from the ship and Tech flew the ship back up into the sky, preparing to exit the planet’s atmosphere.

The poor girl had her hands in cuffs and she looked so scared, which made Kimber’s heart ache. She grew even sadder when Omega turned and leaned against Hunter, making him flinch in pain. Kimber knew Omega probably had shared the same fear as she did, thinking Hunter had died back on Bracca and now, she was relieved to see he was alive. Ignoring the pain from his injury, Hunter still smiled sweetly as he looked down at Omega, just happy to have her back.

He knelt down and asked her, taking her gently by the shoulders, “Are you okay, Omega? Are you hurt?”

She sniffled and asked tearfully, “Why is this happening? Why are the Kaminoans after me?”

With that one question, the squad’s suspicions were confirmed. It had been the Kaminoans who had sent Cad Bane after her and she’d found out about it. 

“Hunter…you have to tell her,” Echo urged their Sergeant.

With a pained expression in his eyes and face, Hunter explained to Omega, “You're…valuable to them. More than all the other Clones, even more than us. You're…different.” 

Apprehensively, she asked him, “Different? How?”

The conversation Hunter and the rest of the squad had with Omega following her rescue was not an easy one. Explaining to her that she was a vital key to the Cloning process wasn’t easy for her to hear, but she held herself together surprisingly well. For someone that had just been through a kidnapping, she was doing better than they expected. Hunter soon ordered that everyone get rest once Tech found a spot in space to just let the ship hover for a while.

However, as Kimber tried to rest, she found it hard to go to sleep. Hunter had elected to stay out in the cockpit for a while, saying he would keep watch. Though, Kimber wasn’t sure she bought that excuse. There really wasn’t any reason for him to keep watch for anything, especially now that their ship’s signature was scrambled and the Empire couldn’t track them. No…she had a feeling it was because he still wasn’t happy with her and didn’t want to share the room with her at the moment. Not having him beside her was making it hard for her to sleep, not to mention the dull aching in her injured leg. After determining she wasn’t going to get rest anytime soon, she decided she was going to go out and finally speak to Hunter. He would be alone and he was the last one she needed to make amends with. The others were quicker to forgive her for what she’d done, but she knew Hunter would need more convincing. 

She took up her rifle again and made her way out of the bunk. Though, as she got to the cabin of the ship, she could hear voices from further in. She peeked around the corner and saw Hunter speaking to Omega in the cockpit. 

“If I'm as valuable as you say, Lama Su will keep sending bounty hunters after me,” she heard Omega say. 

Then Hunter responded with conviction, “He can send everyone in the galaxy. You have us.”

Kimber smiled to herself. Hunter’s determination to keep Omega safe honestly just made her fall even more in love with him. For someone who had never cared for a child before, he was doing rather well with Omega. Then she heard Omega tell him that he couldn’t fight everyone and she watched as Hunter got out of his chair, crouched in front of Omega, turned her chair to face him and lovingly told her she had nothing to worry about, vowing that she would never have to return to Kamino. Kimber could only pray deep down that he wasn’t making a promise he couldn’t keep. Of course, they all would do everything in their power to keep the kid safe…but would it prove to be enough?

Once Omega seemed calm enough, Hunter told her to go try and sleep, which she obeyed. As she walked towards the gunner’s mount, Omega caught sight of Kimber waiting near the back, jogged over to her and hugged her around the waist. Kimber lightly chuckled, touched by the young Clone’s affection, and softly smoothed her hair. When she pulled away, Omega simply smiled gratefully up at Kimber and then climbed up into her makeshift room in the gunner’s mount, pulling the curtain shut behind her.

When Kimber looked back towards the cockpit, Hunter was standing there staring at her. He looked a little startled to see her, but there was also still hurt in his eyes as well as yearning; yearning to just understand everything she had done. 

“Hunter…,” she simply said, beginning her walk towards the front of the ship on her rifle.

Though, after she took a couple steps, he told her, “Put that down.” Then he walked towards her and said, holding out a hand to her, “Come here.”

Timidly, she listened and set her rifle against the wall, bracing herself on one of the chairs as she did so. Then she reached out and took Hunter’s hand and he proceeded to guide her arm over his head and across his shoulders, letting her put her weight on him as he walked her towards the cockpit. Once they got there, he carefully eased her down into the seat Omega had occupied not minutes prior before sitting back down in the other chair as she thanked him. 

Still at least thinking he’d be cordial, he asked her, “How are you doing?”

Kimber wasn’t expecting him to be so at ease with her, but maybe getting Omega back had softened him up a bit, she supposed. With a light scoff, she replied, “Remember when we first met? I was so much worse than this. That and I’ve been shot and stabbed before, so this is nothing to me.” Then flashes of Hunter being shot by Cad Bane crossed her mind and tears began to fill her eyes at the memory.

Right away, Hunter noticed her tears and sensed her emotions were rising. “What's wrong?” he asked. 

Her voice cracked as she answered tearfully, turning away from him, “The pain of my wound...and all other wounds I've suffered...was nothing compared to the pain that grew in my heart when I saw Bane shoot you.” She turned back to him. “I thought we'd lost you, Hunter...I thought I had lost you.”

He reassured her, “I'm not going anywhere, sweetheart.”

Even though hearing him call her “sweetheart” seemed like a good sign, her fears weren’t put at ease by his words. “ You can say that all you like...but think about it: we both got shot and Omega was taken from us in nothing flat,” she went on to tell him. “You may not go anywhere willingly, but that doesn't mean it won't happen in ways that we don't expect. We're not untouchable, Hunter, and it's unwise to think we are if we simply promise to be, not in the world we live in now. The galaxy is against us and we need to take better care. I know you were protecting Omega, as was I, and I would never tell you not to, but you were almost killed...and I couldn't bear it. It was my worst nightmares coming true. I can't watch that happen to you again. I can't lose you.” Then her head fell as she felt her tears threatening to seep out of her eyes, squeezing them shut tightly to keep herself from crying and remembering the devastation she’d felt momentarily at seeing Hunter being shot.

A few seconds passed and she suddenly felt Hunter take her hands in his. When she opened her eyes, he was kneeling in front of her, looking up at her with soft sympathy in his eyes. “Kimber, I'm here. Bane didn't kill me,” he consoled her. Then he brought her hand up to his chest and held her open palm over his heart. “Feel me...I'm here with you,” he said.

Kimber nearly cried some more at this gesture. Normally, that was her tactic to calm him down when anything had nearly happened to her. This was the first time he had used it to help her. Feeling his steady heartbeat thumping in his chest gave her the comforting reminder she needed. Her nightmares were still only dreams; they hadn’t come true and Hunter was still with her, alive and well. She let herself fall forward until her forehead gently made contact with his. There they stayed for a moment that she wished would last forever, relishing in each other’s presence, as if to remind themselves that neither of them were dead and that they were still together. 

Then Kimber broke the silence by saying, “You’re here…and so is Omega. We got her back. All is well now.”

However, Hunter sighed quietly and responded, “Not quite.” Then he pulled away and sat himself back in the chair, a conflicted look on his face. 

This was the moment Kimber had been dreading and she tensed up, anticipating whatever Hunter was about to throw at her.

He brought a hand up to his forehead and rubbed between his eyes in vexation. “Kimber…I just…I have so many questions,” he said with a sigh. Then he looked back at her and continued calmly yet still with a hint of disappointment, “Help me understand…why you reached out to Crosshair. Why did you do it?”

Ashamed, she turned away and hugged her arms tightly. “I…I missed him…and I didn’t know what else to do. It was the only thing I could think of doing to help cope with his absence,” she answered.

“Does anyone else know?” he then inquired.

“Only Irys,” she told him, “but it was only because she overheard me sending a message and quickly figured it out.”

There was silence briefly and then he asked next, “When did this start?”

She released a breath slowly, preparing her explanation and readying herself for however Hunter would react. “When we crashed on that moon some time ago…after the one singular time we talked about Crosshair. I was emotional thinking about him and when I went back to our bunk to be alone…I just acted impulsively and sent him a message, just pleading to understand why he left us and to come back. This was before we fully understood the significance of the inhibitor chips.” She paused for a moment, waiting for him to say anything, but he kept quiet, his sights focused outside the viewport. When he didn’t respond, she kept going, “Then I messaged him again when we were first going to Ord Mantell and then shortly before the Imperial gala. On that subject…he was there, Hunter.”

That was what made Hunter finally turn and look at her again. “What?”

Giving him an affirming nod, she said, “Crosshair was there at the gala. I saw him as we were escaping…and I found out he saw me when he contacted me on Bracca.”

Hunter ran his hand over his face, exasperated. He had no idea things with Kimber and Crosshair had gone so far. He was confused, trepidatious and concerned, unsure of just how to react to any of this information. Then he said, his tone still composed yet with no less bite to it, “Even though you knew he has the chip in his head, you still told him where we were. How could you do something so reckless?”

She rubbed her arms for self-comfort. “I was only trying to help him,” she said in a low voice. “I know now I wasn’t thinking clearly, I was just…desperate. I thought we could remove his chip and he would return to us. I was….” She was about to say something, but then a realization came to her mind and she stopped herself at first. Then, with a defeated sigh, she admitted, “I was thinking of the squad, at first…but now I see that I was only thinking of myself. In doing so, I put all of us at risk.”

“Why did you keep all this from me?”

“I just knew, after what he did, you wouldn’t react well to anything involving Crosshair. I felt alone and didn’t know what to do.”

“Kimber, you know you can talk to me about anything.”

“Not about this.” Kimber turned back to Hunter, melancholy written all over her face. “You shut down when Crosshair is brought up, which was what happened on that moon the first time.”

Somehow, Hunter hadn't fully recognized the way he'd handled Crosshair's absence and betrayal. Whenever he was reminded of it, he didn't want to think about it lest it make him more upset…but he never realized that avoiding that subject affected Kimber so much. A small wave of remorse washed over him as his gaze drifted away.

Kimber added, “Though…I can’t really blame you. This kind of loss is new for you; for all of us. He hurt you and he hurt me, too”

“Guess we both haven’t been coping with it very well…and all of us not talking about him didn’t help things,” he commented warily.

“Not really,” she affirmed.

There was another moment of awkward silence between the two of them. Both of them were experiencing guilt over the days’ circumstances and just weren’t sure of what to say to each other. The tension was heavy and uncomfortable, both of them waiting for the other to speak.

Then finally, Kimber said, her voice quiet yet resolute, “Listen…I’m sorry for what I did. I never should’ve reached out to Crosshair in the first place and I definitely shouldn’t have told him where we were. I only ever had good intentions…but I know that isn’t a good enough excuse. Even Omega getting captured was my fault because I failed to protect her. I put all of us in danger and I messed everything up. I broke the squad’s trust…I broke your trust. You have every right to not trust me right now, but please know I would never intentionally endanger this squad. I made a mistake, I know that. I’m so sorry and I hope you can forgive me eventually. I’ll do anything to earn your trust again.”

At first, Hunter didn’t reply. His head hung down and he appeared lost in thought. Kimber supposed he was probably thinking of how awful she was or maybe he didn’t fully believe her apology. So many worst-case scenarios ran through her head that filled her with fear; fear of how her actions were ultimately going to affect her greatest relationship. Then a few seconds later, he stood up from his seat, knelt down on one leg in front of her and grabbed hold of her hands again, running his thumbs over the back of her hands.

“Can you at least promise that you won’t do anything like that again?” he requested. 

Immediately, she nodded. “I promise. Even though he still is being controlled by the chip…Crosshair still betrayed me a second time and I have no desire to try contacting him again. I've learned my lesson.” 

The corners of his lips twitched up ever so slightly with satisfaction. His hand came up and cradled her cheek ever so gently, making her instinctively lean into his touch. “Then I forgive you,” he told her.

Her heart leapt for joy at hearing those words. Her hands came up and grasped his that held her face as she turned her head and pressed her lips gratefully into his palm. She’d believed it would’ve taken a lot to earn his trust again, but she was relieved that her Sergeant was quicker to forgive her this time. 

Holding his hand against her cheek, she looked at him and said lastly, “I’m sorry I disappointed you.”

With a small shrug, he replied, “Well…love is stronger than disappointment.”

She blinked, taken aback at hearing those familiar words from earlier. “Wrecker said the exact same thing to me.”

“I know…I heard him,” he stated. Then he removed his hand and his expression turned sad and full of regret as he said, “And he was right. I reacted too harshly and in my anger, I said some hurtful things to you. What Wrecker said made me realize that that isn’t how I should treat the woman I love.”

“You had every right to be mad at me,” she said back.

Shaking his head, he countered, “But I accused you of being the reason Omega was kidnapped, even though Cad Bane being there had nothing to do with what you had done. That wasn’t fair to you and I shouldn’t have done that.” He heaved a loud sigh. “I hate it when we fight.”

She agreed, “So do I.”

He took hold of her hands again, brought them up to his lips and pressed a firm kiss to her knuckles on each hand. He then returned his apologetic gaze to her and said, “I’m sorry, Kimber. Can you forgive me?”

With a content smile of relief, she traced his cheek lightly and answered, “Of course, darling.”

Pleased that she too was willing to forgive him, he pressed a kiss to her palm. As her hand lowered back to her lap, he then said, “No more secrets?”

“No more secrets,” she repeated. 

With that promise now between them, Hunter leaned forward until their foreheads met, his nose gently brushing hers. “I love you, sweetheart.”

Kimber smiled again, her gladness almost overpowering her now. “I love you, too.” After a short moment, she pulled back and went on to ask him, “Will you come to bed?”

He released a tiny scoff and relented, saying, “All right. I will…but you're not going back to the room using that.” Then he gestured with his head back to her rifle still propped against the wall.

“What? It was the best I could do, given the circumstances,” she replied with a grin.

“There's no need for a crutch when you have me,” he said back. Then without waiting for a response, he stood up and pulled her up with him, draping her arm over his shoulders and supporting her around the waist. “But hopefully, your leg will heal in no time.”

Nestling her head into his neck, she purred, “I'll still choose to lean on you even then, my darling.”

She felt him kiss her hair and with all being said and done, they retreated back to their bunk for some much-needed rest after a long and stressful day.

#star wars the bad batch #the bad batch #bad batch hunter #sergeant hunter #bad batch fanfic #hunter x oc fic #sun and rain fanfic

[wonderingwhyiam]

[GOS2 SPOILERS] About that Kiss...

I was looking at Mr. Gaiman's reply to that one ask about kisses and how he said "if you haven't got it by then you'll never get it". And I was thinking about all the gifsets and imagesets and meta posts unanimously calling the kiss Crowley's confession. But it's not a confession, at least not the confession of love that it's being taken as. (For that, we need a lot of context, but beware because it's a while before I get to the actual kiss.)

First: Aziraphale and Crowley have been in love, if that's what we can call the transcendental connection between two supernatural entities, since basically the start of the show. It's always been canon, they've both known about each other's feelings (think Aziraphale saying that Crowley gets so happy when he can rescue him, think Crowley accompanying his angel through the whole magic show song-and-dance because he knows Aziraphale is doing it for him). They're certainly not under the impression that their affections are unrequited.

Second: Crowley may know that Aziraphale loves him, but he also knows that Aziraphale's understanding of him and of love in general is different from his own. Crowley has understood that neither heaven nor hell are entirely black or white, and that's one of the reasons he wants to stay on Earth (along with many others). But Aziraphale hasn't, and a central theme of many S2 scenes is Crowley trying to show Aziraphale that the 'heavenly' way isn't always right. This leads to an ongoing conflict between them, one which neither of them acknowledge and Aziraphale doesn't even seem to be aware of.

To put this into perspective: think of that one friend, relative, partner, whatever of yours who is in a toxic/abusive situation. Think of your frustration that they just don't understand how bad it is, because they've never known any other way of living. And if you've ever been in the same situation and gotten out, then you know that it takes a lot of mental effort and willpower to realise that you need to get out instead of trying to improve it from within.

Now let's go back to Crowley. He, like the audience, finds it obvious that Metatron is only manipulating Aziraphale back into their control. Aziraphale just seems so naïve for thinking that it'll be better from the inside. Doesn't he see that Crowley and his bookshop and the Earth are where he'll be happy?

But from Aziraphale's point of view, a figure in extreme power who he trusts to be correct has just told him that he can have all three of these and more. Aziraphale has come to see that his coworkers and/or superiors aren't really good (remember the end of S1), but still believes that the side of Heaven is good overall (an example is the grave-digging bit). Textbook forgiveness of your abuser, but let's not get into that. A 'perfect' solution (bringing his partner into Heaven aka the abusive situation with him so that they can 'redeem' it and as an added bonus pull his partner out of a situation which Aziraphale thinks is bad) has just appeared. Why isn't Crowley seeing it?

So finally, third: what is Crowley going to do? he's been trying to get his angel out of this mindset for literal millennia, but Aziraphale still thinks that Heaven is unilaterally good. Aziraphale still tries to deny his love for Earth, despite his every action pointing to the opposite (such as the fact that he literally preserves books for as long as possible, but says 'nothing lasts forever' as if he's okay abandoning it all) and still thinks that Crowley would come to heaven if he could. At this point, Crowley knows that his millennia of love and effort aren't enough. He is starting to feel like they'll never be enough. And we get him putting on his glasses, shutting himself off, making some last-ditch attempts to remind Aziraphale that he's losing all of Crowley's faith and vulnerability towards him by repeatedly choosing Heaven. Not just that, he's losing the magic of humanity as well (no nightingales). Aziraphale says he needs Crowley, so why does he never try to understand him? Why does he always call it "tempting" and never accept that maybe there isn't a single definition of Good?

That kiss isn't a confession; there's nothing to confess. They've both thrown all their cards on the table and none of them match. It is not an "I love you." It is an "I love you, but." I love you, but I can't keep trying and waiting and trying and waiting only for you to choose your abusers every time. I love you, but your constant denial of my good intentions has worn me down. I love you, but I'm tired.

And so Crowley leaves. He'll wait, of course, with his Bentley, but he can't keep taking the first step and then being told he's going "too fast for" Aziraphale. And when Aziraphale once again chooses his own familiar hell in heaven over everything else, what else can Crowley do but accept it?

#bonus: why does aziraphale say 'i forgive you'? #i like to think he's forgiving crowley for what he thinks is crowley's inherent evil #like an 'i forgive you for not understanding that heaven is the better option' #even though it's aziraphale who doesn't understand what the offer means #anyway yeah sorry if this essay has already been done #i just had to also get it out of my system #good omens #good omens 2 #good omens spoilers #good omens season 2 #ineffable husbands #ineffable idiots #aziraphale #crowley #crowley x aziraphale #good omens s2 spoilers #good omens meta

[bxwitched]

Diamonds Are Forever - Part One

Warnings: Non-Con, kidnapping, captivity, swearing, torture, angst, breeding, implied rape. Explicit 18+ only, please read at your own risk.

Characters: Soldier Boy x Reader

Summary: You're rescued from being one of Vought's experiments, but are you really safe?

Word Count: 1.6K

A/N: You can find my Masterlist here. Comments, shares and likes are appreciated!

At first you think you're delirious. Your ears prick at the distant sound of yelling, rapid gunfire interspersed with loud bangs and screams. Your head tilts to the side, your eyes locked on the door as you pick up on the multiple sets of footsteps making their way down the hallways, towards your cell. Not a hallucination then.

That's when you hear their voices.

"Are you sure this is a good idea Butcher?"

"Positive, Hughie. Now let's have a fucking look at what's behind door number three, shall we?"

One, two, three, and the steel door flies inwards, narrowly missing you as it screeches to a halt in the corner of the room. Your eyes narrow as the dust settles and the three men come into view, a dark haired man grins at you wickedly whilst a tall, skinny man throws you a nervous wave over the shoulder of the first. Your whole body tenses as your eyes find the third, he's assessing you with a smirk on his face, his eyes roving up and down your form as he takes you in. He's tall and rugged and like you, a fucking supe; complete with a costume and shield.

"Well aren't you just a doll."

"Who are you and what the fuck do you want?" The supe tsks at you loudly and shakes his head in disapproval.

"A lady as pretty as you shouldn't be using that kind of language." Your eyes flash with anger and you clench your fists tightly.

"You didn't answer me. Is this one of their tests? Did he put you up to this!?" The dark haired man intervenes then, he steps forward slowly, his hands raised in surrender as if he's trying to calm a feral animal.

"Easy, love. We're not here to hurt ya. On the contrary, we've come to get you out of here." You level him with a glare.

"And why would you do that? I don't know you." His face splits into a wide grin.

"Homelander. We're gonna kill the cunt, and you're gonna help us."

You find yourself ushered into a plush bedroom by an older man named Legend, an old friend of the supe you now knew as Soldier Boy.

The three men had introduced themselves to you not long after leaving the lab and explained that you would be laying low at Legend's home with them until it was time to execute Homelander, much to the eccentric man's chagrin.

You try to shake off the feeling of unease as you find the adjoining bathroom and begin to take off the clothes the scientists had made you wear, desperate to feel clean after so long in that place. You try to will your muscles to relax as you stand under the warm stream and let the rivulets of water carry down your hair, neck, shoulders and back but the tendrils of anxiety still linger in your chest.

Would he find you? And would they be able to protect you if he did?

You sigh as you secure the towel around your body and analyse your reflection in the mirror, despite all of the things they had done to you, all of the pain that you had endured, there were no marks left to show their handiwork. He had liked that, he had called you flawless.

You startle when you walk back into the bedroom, so caught up in the maelstrom of your thoughts that you hadn't heard Hughie come in. He bounces on his heels nervously and gestures to the bags laid out on the bed, purposefully avoiding looking at your state of undress.

"Sorry, I-uh, I should've waited outside, but I brought you some clothes and some food." You stare at him blankly as he stutters, unsure of how to respond to his seemingly genuine act of kindness. He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly and starts to back towards the bedroom door.

"I'll just-uh go now, let me know if you need anything else."

"Hughie-" He stops and turns towards you, his hand resting on the doorknob. "Thank you."

You lay on your back, eyes focused on the ceiling as insomnia wreaks havoc on your mind. You think back to the other girls, the needles and the screams, the liquid that coursed through your veins, the pain that burned through your body like fire.

A wave of nausea rolls through you as you hear his voice in your head, his praising, taunting, telling you that it was just a matter of time.

The house is silent as you descend the stairs, everyone is asleep and you pad quietly into the kitchen in search of something to calm your frayed nerves. Your eyes light up when you spy a small orange bottle on the counter but you grumble when you pick it up and find it empty.

"Can't sleep?" You turn quickly and throw the bottle of pills at the intruder, freezing when it bounces off of his chest and rolls across the floor.

Soldier Boy leans against the door frame, arms crossed and eyebrow raised as you stare at him. He matches your stare until the silence becomes unbearable.

"No." You stand straighter as he pushes away from the wall, those green eyes of his examining you as he stalks around you. He opens one of the cupboards and retrieves an unopened bottle filled with amber liquid, whisky you think. He smirks and shakes it at you teasingly.

"Won't you have a drink with me, Honey?" You watch him wearily, you don't trust him and you don't want to let your guard down but it's been so long since you've been able to just sleep.

"If you try anything, know that I won't hesitate to tear off your cock." He chuckles then, it's deep and rich and your stomach tightens at the sound of it.

"I don't doubt you'd try."

You settle down on one end of the long couch, not taking your eyes off of him and accept the short glass he holds in your direction, careful not to touch him more than needed as you take it from him. He settles into the chair opposite you and sets the bottle down on the coffee table. He hums as he takes a long sip from his own glass, his legs are spread wide and his free hand rests against his thigh.

"You're strong." He grins at you now and his chest puffs slightly from the compliment.

"Yes I am."

"Strong enough to kill Homelander?" His smile falters then, he leans forward to set his glass down on the table and clasps his hands together, elbows resting on his knees. The way that he's eyeing you makes you uncomfortable and you shift in your seat, he nods once as he considers what he's going to say.

"Why were you in that lab?" You frown at him.

"You didn't read the files?" He shakes his head and you nod as your fingers grip your knee, your short nails dig into the fabric of your jeans, the discomfort grounds you. You're silent for a long time as you run through the events that you remember and try to piece them together, the memories are hazy but not enough for you to forget.

"I was just on my way home from work, I remember waking up in that white room, in those clothes. There were others too, I could hear them, they wanted us to hear each other."

His brows are furrowed as he watches you, you knock back the remainder of your glass and set it down, your features steeled to hide the emotions bubbling just below the surface.

"Homelander wants children and in order to have those he needs a living incubator, but seeing as most supe women are sterile they had to get creative. They tried something new, they pumped us full of chemicals until we changed, it burned like hell and the more they did it the stronger I got, I had more stamina, my senses got better."

You lean forward and grab the whiskey bottle and bring it to your lips, you take a long pull before offering it back to Soldier Boy. He takes it from you with a silent nod.

"Then one day I woke up strapped to a table, they wanted to see how much my body could take, so they poked and prodded and sliced, I didn't bleed, I didn't bruise, but I still felt everything." You breathe deeply, trying to ignore the heaviness in your chest.

"He came to my cell the next day, told me that I was going to be the one honoured with carrying his children, that the others weren't as strong as me, as beautiful as me. I tried to slit his throat with the scalpel I stole from the lab but it didn't even make a fucking dent."

"He didn't try to kill you?" You let out a mirthless laugh.

"Of course he did, he tried to laser me in half but it didn't work, it didn't even mark my skin. That's when he started calling me his diamond and ranting about how our children would rule the world."

You scrunch your nose in disgust as you remember the moment before looking back at the man across from you. Soldier Boy's jaw is clenched tight and his expression is stormy, his eyes have darkened and his fingers are no longer entwined but pulled into fists. You consider him as he exhales deeply.

"Did he?-" You ignore him and shake your head as you rise from the couch and walk towards him, his eyes widen as you snatch the bottle of whisky from his hand and make your way past him to the stairs.

"That's enough sharing for one night."

Part Two >

#the boys #the boys tv #the boys prime #the boys amazon #soldier boy #reader insert #soldier boy x reader #soldier boy x you #the boys season 3 #soldier boy fan fiction #the boys fanfiction #the boys spoilers #homelander #william butcher #hughie campbell #jensen ackles #fan fiction writer #fan fiction author #fanfiction

[upthewitchypunx]

You all seemed very confused about my last post, trust me, I'm just as confused about the casting a spell that binds someone's sexuality, but I guess that's where we are.

Look, I try to be a compassionate person, but sometimes when you reconnect with someone who was close to you over 20 years ago and invite them to live in your home it doesn't always go well.

I don't like talking about other people's stories, especially online, but this has affected our life and our home and brought chaos into our space. So, this is my story.

This old friend seems to have it together, paid rent early and had a job lined up before they got here. It seemed they were having a bit of trouble adjusting. After a few months it was clear they were going through a mental health thing for the 3rd time in 2 months and making wild accusations and doing hurtful things like smoking cigarettes and massive amounts of weed when they know they have a lung problem and abandoning cats with no food or water or not paying all their rent or giving 30 days notice before they leave town, you just have to cut ties.

This was the last straw. The one before was 2 weeks ago when I was accused of thinking they wanted to use magic to steal my partner and that somehow because I knew stuff they didn't I was making them feel bad about it and that they think I think they just want to steal all my ideas.

I was compassionate. I stayed calm. I said I was confused, asked if she was okay. A few days later she came down crying to apologize, said she wasn't okay. We talked. I told her about the Oregon Health Plan and how she could get some help. She seemed grateful and she did and had an appointment lined up.

Then last week we left for Astoria for a night and she was there at 4 pm to bring a package in but by 1pm the next day when we got home most of her things were gone except furniture that wouldn't fit in her car. We didn't really notice the things gone at first and thought maybe she had gone on a little trip because the cats were still here so we fed them and got them water, then messaged her after a few days. She claims she had a medical issue and called an ambulance. Then her family came here and towed her home. The time line doesn't make sense. Her family is a 12 hour drive away. How long was she in the hospital? How long did it take to pack her car? Why did she leave the cats? Why didn't she tell us on her own about the medical emergency?

I'm a pretty forgiving person, especially if the person is honest and isn't trying to take advantage of me. It often bites me in the ass, but at least I know I can sleep at night and treat people to my own ethical standard until I hit a point.

Last night we got more confusing messages declaring we actually wanted her cats all along and the whole binding her sexuality thing. We decided that it wasn't worth putting effort into this relationship, she's with her family now, we aren't getting blood from a stone, and that we had done as much as we could, calmly said we were confused and hurt and will find new homes for the cats, and blocked her.

I don't usually air someone's personal issues online, but this is someone you will never know, they probably won't see this, I don't really care if they do, and this is my blog and this is an incredibly frustrating, emotionally laborious, and financially unexpected experience we are going through right now and I just need to vent.

I've already contacted a cat rescue about the cute nice cat and the hissing mean cat that won't come out of the closet. Now I need to get rid of a brand new IKEA bed frame, a couch, a big clothing rack, 2 poorly constructed book shelves, a TV, a bunch of clothes and shoes, a record player that doesn't work, a giant stack of new age books, and a bunch of other random shit.

Oh, and cleanse the house of that nonsense before finding a new housemate, which a friend of a friend is interested in.

All of this while we are working to make the shop on the first floor browsable.

Please do not make disparaging comments about someone who is seriously going through something. I don't need to hear it. It won't be helpful or have a point. I'm not mad, just annoyed and wishing people had better communication.

#tw mental health #tw mental illness