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sw5w · 5 months
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Are You All Right?
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STAR WARS EPISODE I: The Phantom Menace 01:17:35
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ERANYA street food 怡然缘电磁加热自动升降炸炉 eletromagnetic heating automatic lift o...
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apoemaday · 6 months
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Facts About the Moon
by Dorianne Laux
The moon is backing away from us an inch and a half each year. That means if you’re like me and were born around fifty years ago the moon was a full six feet closer to the earth. What’s a person supposed to do? I feel the gray cloud of consternation travel across my face. I begin thinking about the moon-lit past, how if you go back far enough you can imagine the breathtaking hugeness of the moon, prehistoric solar eclipses when the moon covered the sun so completely there was no corona, only a darkness we had no word for. And future eclipses will look like this: the moon a small black pupil in the eye of the sun. But these are bald facts. What bothers me most is that someday the moon will spiral right out of orbit and all land-based life will die. The moon keeps the oceans from swallowing the shores, keeps the electromagnetic fields in check at the polar ends of the earth. And please don’t tell me what I already know, that it won’t happen for a long time. I don’t care. I’m afraid of what will happen to the moon. Forget us. We don’t deserve the moon. Maybe we once did but not now after all we’ve done. These nights I harbor a secret pity for the moon, rolling around alone in space without her milky planet, her only child, a mother who’s lost a child, a bad child, a greedy child or maybe a grown boy who’s murdered and raped, a mother can’t help it, she loves that boy anyway, and in spite of herself she misses him, and if you sit beside her on the padded hospital bench outside the door to his room you can’t not take her hand, listen to her while she weeps, telling you how sweet he was, how blue his eyes, and you know she’s only romanticizing, that she’s conveniently forgotten the bruises and booze, the stolen car, the day he ripped the phones from the walls, and you want to slap her back to sanity, remind her of the truth: he was a leech, a fuckup, a little shit, and you almost do until she lifts her pale puffy face, her eyes two craters and then you can’t help it either, you know love when you see it, you can feel its lunar strength, its brutal pull.
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sparklingjay · 1 month
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Here is the whole Sonic X Shadow Sonic channel translation for you just in case you haven't read it before or if you want to read it again:
I got the translation from here:
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Beneath the light of the full moon stood the trendy business and shopping district of Mission Street. Sonic perched atop a storefront that overlooked the block, stargazing.
He came here tonight to witness a celestial event.
As usual, Sonic arrived with time to spare, so he turned to watch the hustle and bustle of the city below — when he spotted a black hedgehog engaged in fierce combat behind a back alley… Shadow.
Shadow was one of Sonic's most formidable foes, rivaling his abilities in every way.
He didn’t always choose the dark side, but his ruthless “ends-justify-the-means” attitude had a dangerous unpredictability that sometimes put him at odds with Sonic and his friends…
What was Shadow doing here?
Curious, Sonic dropped to Shadow's side.
Before them lay the wreckage of several G.U.N. Beetle surveillance drones, spewing black smoke and sparks. This was serious.
With an accusatory tone, Sonic asked:
"Yo, Shadow. Looks like you're having a fun night?"
"This is none of your business. Stay out of my way."
Shadow responded curtly, then disappeared into the darkness — but Sonic wasn't one to be left behind. A high-speed chase ensued as they weaved through the twists and turns of Mission Street.
They ran along walls and leaped between buildings, coming to blows as they sped through the rumbling highway into the tunnel… After some time, Shadow kicked out his heel with fearsome agility, but Sonic caught it with both hands.
I'm ending this…
I couldn't dodge it…
They paused in blade lock until Shadow jumped aside, seething in frustration.
"Why are you following me?"
"I don't want anybody pinning your crimes on me again."
"Ha, aren't you paranoid? I'm busy. Farewell!"
Shadow pointed at Sonic, a flickering stone in his hand… A Chaos Emerald.
"Wait! Hold up!"
"Chaos — Control!"
There was a brief flash of blinding light! And when it cleared, Shadow had vanished.
Chaos Control… This was Shadow's signature move, wielding the power of the Chaos Emerald to warp time and space.
To perform this technique with a weakened Chaos Emerald, after exhausting his own power in the previous battle, was an impressive feat for Shadow. Left alone, Sonic could only stare up at the night sky.
"Shadow…"
☆ ★ ☆
Later…
A few blocks away, Shadow had silently infiltrated a suspiciously large bank. The wreckage of a newly-destroyed Beetle rolled at his feet.
"Here. I'm sure of it."
He dispatched another armed Beetle that emerged from the back and proceeded to the second-floor vault, incapacitating the guards who dared fire upon him. As he reached the reinforced vault door, he saw —
Sonic, standing with a smirk, twirling the key card between his fingers.
Using the energy detector he borrowed from Tails, he tracked Shadow’s location and snuck into the bank through an alternate route.
The fact that there were military Beetles all over town, that not one of them sounded an alarm after being destroyed, that they open-fired without warning…
Well, Sonic thought there was something unusual about the whole thing.
"So, what are you willing to exchange for that key card? …No, stupid question. You want the full story of this situation."
With a dour sigh, Shadow lifted his head and recounted the evening’s events.
"This place looks like a bank, but it's a fake… It's actually some sort of a G.U.N. research facility. They're conducting experiments on a mysterious electromagnetic capsule seized from the Doctor's base after our last battle. Now I fear they're using this place as a front to develop even deadlier weapons within the city."
Shadow slowly approached Sonic, continuing:
"I received intel that this capsule is a disguised time bomb set to explode at midnight tonight. If true, it has enough power to obliterate half the city. I tried to send a warning, but they failed to heed it. That's why I came here. What do you believe?"
Shadow paused in front of Sonic, glaring at him interrogatively. Several seconds passed.
"I don't know what to say."
It was a lot to take in. As Sonic worked out his reply, the detector picked up a sudden energy spike and sounded a loud BEEP! Whatever it detected was inside the vault.
"But I know I trust Tails' device."
Sonic grinned at Shadow as he slid the key card through the card reader on the vault. A heavy metallic clanging echoed from within.
Undeterred, Shadow placed his hand on the vault when…!
BANG!
The vault door swung open from the inside, and a group of researchers frantically rushed out.
"Get out of here!" "It's about to explode!"
Emergency sirens wailed as people fled the scene. The whole facility was in a frenzy.
When Sonic and Shadow burst into the lab, they found that it was much larger than they expected, and at the center was a glass-encased capsule about 6 feet tall, protected by an electromagnetic barrier, emitting intense light.
A swarm of armed Beetles spotted them and unleashed a barrage of bullets, despite the imminent countdown.
"Talk about a work ethic! Shadow, you get the bomb!"
“…!”
Sonic easily cleared out the three guard robots before him. Shadow leaped through the ensuing blast toward the capsule. The electromagnetic barrier sensed his approach and emitted an electric charge — then deactivated just before Shadow touched it. At that exact moment, Sonic found and destroyed the barrier generator. And then…
"Chaos — Control!"
A halo of light erupted from Shadow's Chaos Emerald, enveloping the surrounding area. And when the light subsided… There was no trace of Shadow or the bomb. Then, seconds later…
A massive explosion filled the sky above Mission Street.
The fireball was so huge that it eclipsed the moon. The soundwaves that followed shook the surface of the earth. Sonic saw it as he leaped from the bank and gave a cheerful thumbs up.
Meanwhile, Shadow, already outside via Chaos Control, looked on with frustration. He had intended to teleport the bomb into space. However, he could only do so much with a malfunctioning Chaos Emerald.
Shadow pulled out the Chaos Emerald and tossed it to Sonic.
"Shadow…?"
"This is no better than a fake emerald. If I give it to you, maybe your soft nature will restore it."
Sonic shrugged as he caught the Chaos Emerald with one hand.
"I was gonna say thanks, but I take it back…"
☆ ★ ☆
"Why are you still following me?"
Shadow asked without turning back as Sonic trailed him down a deserted road outside Mission Street. Sonic wrapped his hands behind his head and gazed into the night sky.
"I'm the one who should be asking the questions. Since when did you become such a guardian of peace?"
"I don't care about peace. I don't care about these people. What I can't stand are the fools of this planet who believe they can get away with whatever they want — whether that's the Doctor or anyone else, including you. So don't misunderstand me."
A few seconds of silence followed. Shadow scowled, but Sonic kept grinning.
"Okay. I getcha. I'll do my best. But I think some people out there would wanna thank you for what you did today."
"Nonsense. Who would —"
Fed up with Sonic, Shadow stopped cold and finally turned back to shut him up…
"…!?"
Sonic stood with his arm outstretched, the lights of the distant city behind him, pointing up at the full moon shimmering out in space — and floating just above that, staring down at them, was the Space Colony ARK.
The sight of this spectacle left Shadow speechless, the ARK appearing otherworldly in the glow of the moonlight.
The ARK… An ark of hope and pain. The place where Shadow was born, where he gained and lost so many precious things and so much time. A tomb lost in the void with nothing left to sacrifice for this planet.
Once a year, there was a night when the orbits aligned, and the ARK was visible directly above the full moon.
Mission Street was one of the best spots to see it, and Sonic loved the view of the two cold, majestic “moons” against the sea of warm city lights.
Shadow silently watched the ARK.
Nobody knew how many memories or secrets of the past remained in his heart or how he felt about them to this day. But to Sonic, his silence seemed like an answer.
As if in response, Sonic slowly lowered his pointed finger.
Shadow traced Sonic’s gesture downward with his eyes —
— until it landed on Sonic’s own smirking face.
"Enough…!"
Shadow dismissed, then straddled a hidden motorcycle in the bushes at the side of the road. It was a heavy G.U.N. bike. He must have prepared it there ahead of time.
The engine revved to life, drowning out any further comments from Sonic…
"It looks better on its own anyway."
Shadow sped away at full throttle. Sonic didn't chase him this time, but as he turned away, there was a hint of disappointment behind his smile.
☆ ★ ☆
Beneath the light of the full moon stood the trendy business and shopping district of Mission Street.
Beyond the peaceful glow of the city, a lone shadow drifted away as if it was exiled.
The shadow was indistinguishable from the darkness — except to the moon, hanging over the bustling metropolis, watching the shadow from above, always… ★
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jacenbren · 8 months
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Deeply fucking unsettling things about the Honored One himself, Satoru Gojo
Thanks to his ability to fuck with gravity, you put him in a blank, empty room with identical walls, floor, and ceiling with no doors or windows, he'll quickly lose track of which way is up. Realistically this situation would probably never happen, but the concept freaks him out ever since Geto made a joke about it once.
Gojo's body maintains a perfect thermodynamic equilibrium, making his skin creepily cool to the touch. He can go out in a blizzard with shorts on, and between that and Infinity, he'd be perfectly fine. It makes for a cool party trick, because he can stick his hand in a candle flame or put cigarettes out on his arms with no ill effects.
He's unsettlingly clean at all times, because dirt can't touch him. Gojo hasn't needed to use stain remover on his uniform in years.
He quite literally has six eyes. He keeps four of them shut and all of them hidden most of the time, though, because a) looking into all six at once would liquefy the brain of your average human, and b) his Six Eyes are constantly feeding unfathomable amounts of information into his brain every second. Even with his tolerance to his powers and mastery of the reverse curse technique, there's only so much stimuli a human brain can process without completely shutting down, and Gojo doesn't want to find out what that'll do to him--in a nutshell, just because he can see things that mankind can't even hope to comprehend doesn't mean he wants to.
He can perceive the entire electromagnetic spectrum, meaning he can see shrimp colors. Everyone else desperately wants him to describe the shrimp colors. Gojo continues to smugly refuse.
Because of his reverse curse technique constantly refreshing and regenerating his body, he just. doesn't really need to eat anymore. or drink. or even breathe. His body is basically frozen at peak physical condition, and it's very likely that he is functionally immortal.
Sometimes, Gojo forgets what pain feels like, because nothing can touch him. Pain feels almost like pleasure to him, because nothing can hurt him. Nothing can even touch him, and Gojo has secretly developed a perverted interest in seeing how badly he can mutilate himself before he's forced to reengage his technique and heal.
Gojo can bend and contort himself in ways that aren't humanly possible, run faster and farther and lift heavier objects than anyone alive, because his body can repair itself almost as fast as it's damaged, depending on how severe the injury. Basically, he has permanent hysterical strength, letting him push his body past its limits to perform feats that would kill a normal human with no ill effects.
Gojo doesn't sleep. He literally can't unless he releases his technique, because his body is constantly being refreshed and doesn't need to shut down. Oh well, it's for the better. He's most vulnerable while he's sleeping anyway, and it opens up his schedule by a lot.
His teeth grow now, almost like a rodent's. He has to file them down to be able to open and close his mouth properly, along with much more frequent trimming of his hair and nails.
His skin is oddly smooth, and unnaturally pristine. Gojo hasn't recieved a single scar since Toji sliced him open, and all the ones he'd recieved before are healed flawlessly at this point. His hands are so soft they make it look like he hasn't fought a day in his life, because calluses aren't able to form anymore.
Gojo's been around the world countless times now. He can go wherever he wants with a thought; the only cost is his sanity. Warping himself across the Pacific for lunch in San Francisco is fun, but he can only do it a few times a week if he doesn't want to have another... ah, episode.
These episodes involve blackouts, gaps in his memory where his powers manage to slip their leashes from overuse and literally short-circuit his brain. He's only had a few so far, and every time, he wakes up in the infirmary completely unscathed, with blood all over his clothes and an awful fucking migraine. Nobody knows what happens or where he goes, and all Shoko's been able to tell him is that when it happens, he seems to go into a giddy fugue before blasting his way out of the compound and vanishing for anywhere from days to weeks. Gojo's absolutely terrified of these episodes, because he's wholly aware that if he lost it for real, nobody would be able to stop him.
He looks human enough, but if you look closer, he quickly starts to set off the uncanny valley effect. It's like a wolf in sheep's clothing--because you know how dangerous he is, even though he appears relatively harmless at first. Everyone who meets him has the same fear response clawing at the back of their mind as their hindbrain screams at them to fucking run, because Gojo is an apex predator in the body of a prey animal. His very presence awakens primal fear that's been entrenched in every human since the dawn of time--the fear of things that go bump in the night, of cosmic horrors beyond what mankind can even hope to comprehend.
His eyes glow all the time now, and the energy crackling in the air around him feels like the static that comes before a lightning strike. Satoru Gojo is insistent that he's still human even though he's the strongest, but... is he, really?
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tinydefector · 18 days
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Delightful distraction energyfluid Au
Soundwave x human
Word count: 1k
Warnings; smut, tiny/giant, oral, human fleshlight?, cum play.
The continuation of the energy fluid request I got here's the Soundwave one so I do hope you enjoy it.
______________
powerful digits never cease in meticulous tasks even as Soundwave cradles his lover against his midsection, optics and sensors split to focus on work while also monitoring each steady respiration and rhythmic beat pulsing through their relaxed form. 
When small fingers trace patterns across his plating it makes him pause for a moment, the familiar touches exploring curiously, dimming his visor and shuttering optics in content focus upon his partner's want. A low electromagnetic thrum resonates approval through his frame as talons release datapads, instead curling carefully around the organic's form in welcome of their caresses. They hum lowly as their fingers tease against his interface panel as if trying to gain access to his aray. 
His interface panel presses gently against inquisitive fingers, his powerful engine humming quietly. Hydraulics release locking clips with a soft hiss, folding armour slowly aside as his pressurised spike. Their eyesvlicker up to him with mischief as they look around to make sure no one else is around. “Getting bolder Sounds” they tease out in a husky tone trying to keep their voice quiet. 
Soundwave's visor shows as ‘shh’ emoji, which makes them nearly cackle at the humour of the silent bot. They smile up at him as their hands slowly wrap around his spike, lips pressing kisses along the length as they work him slowly. Trying to keep quiet.
At the intimate contact, Soundwave vents a restrained exhalation, visor darkening, his digits pause their typing as his other servo cups around them eagerly pressing them closer, talons carefully curling yet avoiding constriction that risks harm. 
Their lips eagerly work the tip of his spike slowly taking him into their mouth as they bob their head, their hands work his Length as they slowly rub their body against his spike. At his lover's mouth enclosing his pressurised spike, Soundwave ventilations stall, restraint, the sole barrier preventing unchecked vocalisations from resonating through his frame.   
Held gently yet firmly against his abdominal plating, they willingly grind against him. Soundwave eager thrusts against their smaller form, evoking fresh jolts through sensory network, electricity dancing across hidden circuits and nodes as hisother servo clenches onto the bench. His partner gives so freely to him, such a small creature so eager to please him. 
The Decepticon's powerful engines strains to maintain silence. Talons stroke delicate caresses across their hidden skin, talons tugging and pulling at their clothing until he finally had enough. talons peeling away fabrics with practised yet tantalising leisure. Plating radiates temperature to match delicate organic softness now pressing against his spike.
Their warm flesh presses against the heated metal and silicone of his spike. wrapping their arms around him as Soundwave slowly lifts and lowers their body grinding his spike against them as their tongue teases the head. Soundwave rumbles deeply in satisfaction, finally feeling their soft body pressed against his spike, 
Powerful servos guide their willing form in rhythmic movement slowly rolling his hips to meet theirs as his helm tilts back in pleasure. Soft breathless whines leave them as they let Soundwave use them as hisown personal fuck toy. Transfluid slowly leaks from his spike and they eagerly lap it up, lips pressed to the tip as they suck. He grinds harder against them and another low muffled moan leaves him. 
 their eager mouth lavishes each pearl of transfluid, drinking it down as quickly as they can. Each motion pulls pleasure from him, sensors ablaze with ecstasy. His tired and overworked system crumbles as his overload hits. Control slips, pleasure takes over his systems.
"Fuck... Soundwave " they whine out as they buck against his spike. Body pressed flush against it. "God tastes so good" they mumble out before their lips are sealed back around the tip trying to drink up every little drop that leaves Soundwave. 
The praise has him doubling over the desk, clenching them in his servo as transfluid spills from him. Gushing out from around their mouth and coating their body, his powerful frame stiffening as overloaded protocols flood sensory networks with white-hot rapture. 
Transfluid spurts forth in thick pulses beyond containment, meeting their welcoming mouth in endless waves dripping down their naked form as he continues to rut against the slinkees of their coated skin. They eager buck against his sensitive spike, driving bliss against tingling circuits, and over-stimulated nodes. 
 Their name becomes a soft prayer upon a  vented breath. frame convulsing Offline optics take a moment  before the glow to his visor returns. They giggle as his transfluid slowly coats their body dripping down the floor and seat as he continues grinding against them as he comes down from the high of overload, their lips eagerly lap up the sweet taste of the bright pink fluid as it runs from Soundwave's spike. 
Visor glows dimmed as other emojis pops up on his visor. 
😘🫵🛏🍆
They nearly burst out laughing, seeing the collection of emojis. Their fulfilled laughter vibrates through his frame melting his spark His pressurising spike grinds gentle yet thorough against flushed skin now glistening with transfluid's sheer abundance. Lips lapping eagerly at each escaped pearl stealing renewed jolts of ravishing circuits leave him helpless but to adore. “how about you let me enjoy cleaning up, then you can have round two in bed. Because I want to enjoy my treat” the offer to him which earns them a thumbs up emoji. Their mouth eagerly collected as much transfluid as they could, enjoying the sweet and bitter taste of the energy drink. “Mmm gonna get me addicted to this Soundwave” they state which earns them His digits trailing down their backs,  coating his fingers in transfluid And bringing it to their mouth. They slowly suck his digits, trying their best to not leave a drop left. 
“Your making me have bad habits” 
His visor Lights up again. Tilting his head down to watch them as a sting of saliva stretches Between his digits. A deep purr of delight rumbles from his chassis as the emoji flickers across his face. 
😈
___________
Taglist @angelxcvxc
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seat-safety-switch · 7 months
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It's weird how, when you get deeper into a hobby, the things you want become much more specific. When I was a little kid, identifying the cars of my neighbourhood, I wanted nothing more than a day-glo orange Plymouth Scamp. Now, with my intellectual and emotional growth, I want a more refined choice: a Plymouth Sc... wait, can I start over?
Perhaps the most obvious way this manifests is in tools. When we first learn about tools, the average home gamer figures that all they'll need is a good set of socket wrenches, a complete group of screwdrivers, and a floor jack. That's all you need to change tires and do basic maintenance, right?
Wrong. As you descend into the rabbit hole, more and more specialized equipment shows up as you begin to lose touch with your former self. Jackstands. A two-post lift. Engine hoist. Engine stand. Transmission jack. A gantry crane with chainfalls for pulling recalcitrant engines, axles, and cabs. Homemade engine dyno. You get the idea. It gets really bad, to the point where you're no longer even drooling over tools at "enthusiast" hardware stores. No, you're visiting abandoned factories, and wondering how strong the roof is.
Still, there is something to be said for restraint. All the tools in the universe don't mean anything if you don't work on the tool between your ears. No, Stan, I didn't mean it like that. I forgot about the allen key accident. Hey, I said I was sorry. Why would I crack jokes about that right now, of all times? Okay, great, thank you for letting me get back on track. Hey, no, don't stand next to the industrial electromagnet, it's still on!
What I'm trying to say is, as soon as you get ahold of a lot of cool tools, you should quit your day job so that you can have more time to focus on using those tools. Maybe invite me over, so I learn something, too. Just not if that tool is a mop. I suspect I'm going to get a lot of experience doing that this weekend.
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lucienarcheron · 1 month
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Spirit Meets the Bones - XVI
Genre: Angst/Romance  Warnings: Mentions of physical abuse.
shoutout to my bby @abruisedmuse for staying on this journey with me!
tagging: @climb-the-mountian | @vanserrass | @positivewitch | @zenkindoflove | @animezinglife | @readthelastpaage | @clockwork-ashes | @carolynmezzosoprano | @carnythian | @runningwiththeoceans | @readychilledwine | @goldenmagnolias | @thedarkinmansfield | @mali22 | @maidr-00 | @electromagnetic-waves | @theeternalstruggle | @devilsfoodcake22 | @the-midnightwriter | @moonfawnx | @weesablackbeak | @ladywhilemia | @illyrianshadowhunter | @alohaangels | @moobell55 | @bibliophiliaxvignette | @easchies | @feysandfeels | @thelovelymadone | @corcracrow | @dawneternal | @teddyhoneybear | @sinnerrsworld | @queenoftheworld1998
Find it all here.
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Before panic closed his throat and he could dive into an irrational mental breakdown, Iris returned with a bowl and a small cloth in her hands, and visceral relief washed over him. Eris watched her make her way toward their couch and sit. She looked at him and then calmly gestured to the seat next to her. “Come sit. I want to see your hands.”
Eris’s blink was the only show of surprise he would allow himself to give but slowly, he made his way over to her. He carefully sat next to her, allowing enough space between them in case she needed it. In case — in case he had indeed frightened her.
Iris paused at the space and her brows furrowed. “Are you uncomfortable if I come closer?” she asked quietly, a flush on her face and Eris felt his chest tighten.
“I’m giving you space — from me.”
He watched her expression soften and with a small shake of her head, she moved closer to him and held out her hands. Eris let his eyes roam her face before his gaze dipped to her open palms. She was so steady. So steady and calm. No panic to be found. His wife, a healer through and through.
His eyes flickered back to her face, her bruises still evident and he felt a part of him die at the sight.
“You’re the one who is hurt,” he said roughly. “He — he left bruises on you.”
Iris paused and Eris had to swallow as a rage like no other consumed once more. He had half a mind to find her father again and just rip his head clean off his body. He wanted to kill him again and again and maybe even —
“Eris.”
He blinked and Iris came back into view. She surprised him once more when she gave him a tight smile.
“I’m okay.” she said softly. “It’s already healing. This isn’t even the worst he’s done.”
“Not the worst?” he snarled and Eris’s hands fisted in his lap, the cuts and scrapes stinging in protest but he still said through clenched teeth, “He shouldn’t have been in here. He shouldn’t have laid a hand on you. I gave you my word —”
“My father is the only one responsible for what happened here. Do not blame yourself.” she said firmly, mirroring a statement of his own.
But how could he not blame himself? He was supposed to have protected her. He was supposed to —
“Can I see your hands, please?” she said and held out her hands once more.
Eris’s eyes flickered down to them, steady and open for him but he met her eyes again. “Are you sure?”
Iris only paused for a moment then quietly said, “Of course.”
Slowly, he slid his bruised and bloodied fists into her hands and his heart began thumping wildly as she ran her thumb across them, turning them over to assess. Iris rested them in her lap then turned to the bowl, wetting the towel and wringing it out before bringing it back toward him.
“It might sting a little.” she said softly.
“Believe it or not, I can handle a little sting.” he said quietly, and the corner of Iris’s mouth lifted as she shifted closer. Eris almost did as well but his face immediately fell at the slight wince that crossed her face.
“I’m fine.” she said quickly but he pulled his hands away.
“Clearly.” he said through gritted teeth. “I’m going to call for Nevien. She can heal you and I can heal fine on my own.”
“No!” Iris said and Eris froze at her tone. At the wide eyes and the bob of her throat. “I — I don’t want anyone to know. It’s healing as we speak so just — let me heal you.”
His eyes narrowed, assessing, and Eris tilted his head just so, hearing the frantic beating of her heart. Sensing the embarrassment radiating off her. He felt himself reluctantly soften.
“There isn’t anything to be embarrassed about, Iris.” he said quietly, and his chest tightened again at the tremble in her lip.
Her eyes fell to her lap and she took a breath before looking up at him again. “Can I please just heal your hands?” she whispered. “Please?”
And it was the pleading look in her eyes that had Eris run his tongue over his teeth and give in, slowly resting his fists in her lap once more. He watched her silently, slowly inhaling and exhaling to calm himself, to calm the rage still sweeping through him so that Iris didn’t back away from him. Only when she had started dabbing at his cuts and running her fingers gently across them to heal, did she finally speak.
“You beat him to near death.” she commented.
“If you had let me, I would’ve killed him.”
Iris stopped and looked up at him. She watched him silently for a moment then her eyes fell back to his hands. “For me.” she stated.
“For you.” he confirmed, his heart beating wildly in his chest. He felt no hesitation in answering. None. And he straightened as that thought sobered him up completely.
He let it fall silent between them once more, observing her as she curled a strand of loose hair behind her ear then continued with his hands. Eris watched her face as he flexed a fist in her lap and Iris winced slightly, freezing for a moment. His face fell.
Trying to hide the slight desperation in his tone, he asked, “A question for a question.”
It made his heart clench when the corner of her mouth went up in a sad smile. “A question for a question.”
“Did I frighten you?”
She blinked at him in surprise. “No.”
“You flinched back when I flexed my hand.”
Iris’s lips went into a thin line but she fell silent. Eris watched her swallow, holding as still as possible, hearing how rapidly her heart beat. He wanted — gods, he wanted to soothe her. He wasn’t exactly sure how but cauldron, he wanted to bring her some peace. He wanted to pull her closer and — and — Eris licked his lips, his eyes darting all over the tight expression on her face and grimacing.
He had only held her in his arms for the first time last night. He didn’t realize wanting to hug someone would be so hard.
So he waited and did the only thing that felt most natural between them, he took her hand in his and gently ran his thumb against the back of it.
“He — he slammed me against the table so my lower back is a little sore. When I shifted just now, I felt the aftermath of that.” she explained calmly, her hands now resting beneath his. She carefully met his gaze.
And Eris waited again as she watched him. She swallowed then her face fell, her bottom lip trembling violently and Eris’s expression mirrored hers.
“Iris —”
“I talk a big game.” she said faintly. “But in the end when it comes to my father...I am nothing.”
Eris’s grip tightened on her hands. “Don’t you dare call yourself that. He is nothing. He is nothing but a piece of shit —”
But Iris squeezed his hands again and the sniffle that followed silenced Eris. “I am weak.” she whispered and her hands shook in his. “When it comes to him, I always am. I am glad you came but I still wish — I wish you hadn’t seen it.”
“Iris — no.” he breathed, and this time Eris did pull her closer, his fingers gently skimming her cheek and curling a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “You and I — we — we’re two sides of the same coin, remember? I want to see. I want to know. You don’t have to hide anything from me.”
“I’m — I’m not used to anyone seeing it when he acts like that.” she continued and looked anywhere but at him. “I don’t like this feeling.”
“Iris.” he said gently and pulled her chin towards him. It killed him to see the silver lining her eyes, to see that lip still trembling, to hear another sniffle. He still didn’t know how to soothe. He still wasn’t sure how to ease. All his life ever consisted of was chaos and yet — with her, everything seemed to calm. He met her gaze firmly, even as his own hand trembled lightly on her chin.
The words spilled out of him easily, as if they’d always been there, sitting on the tip of his tongue. “It’s just you and me. We are in this together and I want it all.”
Her eyes bore into his and she gently, slowly, took his hand in hers, bringing it to her cheek even as she sniffled. “You promise that?” she whispered, and Eris felt the breath nearly choke out of him at the sight of his hand on her face, at the feel of her skin still healing beneath his touch, that she had deliberately put it there herself.
“I promise.” he swore hoarsely, his thumb caressing reverently. “I know I broke my word today but I —”
“I know why you weren’t there. I knew he had something to do with it.” she said gently and shook her head. “I don’t blame you at all.”
“I’m sorry.” he mumbled and the familiar feeling of self-loathing began to fester in his chest. “I should’ve been — I was supposed to —”
Iris shook her head once more and took a breath. She tilted her head back, resting both of his hands in her lap once more, and blinked rapidly before sniffling then meeting his eyes again.
“This is why I am the way I am.” she mumbled. “The only thing I know how to do is fight, even when I am at my weakest. Even when I won’t win. He’s stifled me my whole life. Whether it’s through his words or his fists, all he ever did was bring me down. All I’ve known is this anger.” she bit her lip and quickly wiped angrily at a stray tear that fell. “For a while, I listened, let him do whatever he wanted without saying a word. I followed all his rules, all his requests...but then I realized whether I fought against him or not, his punishment was the same. He relished it.”
Her mouth twisted in disgust. “I was the enemy from the moment I took my first breath and it got worse and worse as I aged. He acts that way because he can. Because he has all the power to do so.” she said. She looked at Eris, then looked down at their hands in her lap, where he had started rubbing soothingly again. “With you...I expected a similar situation...but you could hurt me differently. You could hurt me a lot. In fact, I’m sure he counted on it.” she said with a hollow laugh. “But instead...you’re the first person to ever defend me. To actually listen to me and give me a chance. To ever show that you — you care.”
Eris watched her and pain wrapped itself around his wretched heart as she spoke because oh gods, did he care.
“Of course, I care.” he said tightly and then swallowed. “I — I know I’m not the most graceful with my words and I’m an ass most of the time but — Iris. You’re my wife. You’re — you’re my friend. Of course, I care.”
Iris met his eyes and then looked down at their hands once more. She took a breath and then met his gaze once more. “Well…that’s a relief, I suppose. Because I — I care about you too.” she said more shyly than she’d ever been with him. “And I want you to know that I am not afraid of your hands. You are my friend. You are my husband. I am not afraid of you.”
Eris closed his eyes and took a shuddering breath at her words then looked down at their hands, now intertwined.
“Those words…” he began then blew out a breath. “They mean more than you know.”
The corner of her mouth lifted for a moment. “What you did today means more than you know.”
“One word.” he vowed. “Just one — and I will gladly wipe him from existence.”
She gave him a sad smile. “I’ll hold you to that promise.”
Eris’s eyes roamed her face, wanting to say more — wanting to do more. He wanted to kiss her. He wanted to hold her. He wanted so desperately, it hurt. But her bruises were still fresh and she still winced when she moved and Eris would be damned if he caused her any more discomfort.
What she clearly needed was some rest, some time to collect herself, and maybe some food. She didn’t need him pawing at her like one of his hounds. He was barely keeping it together as is.
“Why don’t you freshen up and get some rest?” he suggested, letting his thumb run across her hand one more time. “I will let Lucien and Elain know not to expect us today. We’ll go another time.”
“No!” Iris said, straightening with a wince. “I still want to go.”
Eris arched a brow and gave her a pointed look. “Are you sure? I want you to feel your best when we go.”
Though she flushed, she firmly squeezed his hands and gave him a pleading look. “I won’t let him ruin anything else for me. I’ve been looking forward to this and we still have time before we have to leave. I want to go.”
He realized again, as she gazed at him, that he would likely never refuse a request from her. Never put her in a position where she had to plead with him.
And oh, did Eris Vanserra realize how incredibly fucked he was when he sucked in a breath and then simply said, “Then we will go.”
Iris nodded as her shoulders sagged in relief then bit the corner of her lip, glancing at him and then down at their hands. “Before we go...do you think we can see the hounds for a moment?” she asked quietly. “They make me feel better.”
Eris gave her a small smile then squeezed her hands as she looked back at him. “Of course,” he said. “They make me feel better too.”
Iris shared a small smile with him and Eris watched her swallow, surprising him by leaning in closer. Eris froze and held his breath as she met his gaze then looked away, delighting him by placing a delicate kiss on his cheek. He hardly blinked, watching her slowly stand, her cheeks burning.
“Thank you.” she said softly. “I hope that was alright.”
It took him a minute to process the feeling of her lips on his skin. To hold himself back from pouncing on her to demand he feel those lips again elsewhere. “Very.” he said roughly. “It is always alright with you.”
Iris’s gaze dropped to her feet and the air between them seemed to shift. Despite the circumstances, despite what happened, it buzzed pleasantly.
“I’m — I’m going to go change.” she said, and again Eris noted that shyness in her tone again. A side of her he was definitely not used to.
“I’ll be right here.” he confirmed and with a small lift of her lips, she turned, heading towards their bathroom. She paused once, right in front of the same spot with the flecked blood and Eris watched her swallow hard before she hurried into the bathroom and shut the door firmly behind her.
He let out a breath, sagging against the couch, and closed his eyes momentarily.
Eris realized with alarming clarity, the depth of his feelings for her. He had felt this pull towards her gradually from the moment she threw that chair at him their first night together. But this constant desire to see her happy, to be the one to make her happy, to protect, to care for. He had certainly never felt like this before.
He ran shaky fingers through his hair, pulling at a lock to stare at it. He had woken up this morning instantly wanting to cut his hair — just because she had suggested it — because she liked the idea of him with shorter hair. The thought had made his body lock up in bed, knowing he would. He realized he would do just about anything for her.
And that — that terrified him. Because Eris wasn’t foolish. He had guessed at this emotion — this attachment, but it was with no confirmation and so he buried it deep enough to ignore it. Yet...he kept sinking around her.
Eris glanced at the bathroom door, listening to the sound of running water.
She was his wife. His friend. His partner. And today only solidified that he wouldn’t let a single thing harm her again. He’d kill it. Consequences be damned.
~
When Iris had finally emerged from the bathroom, freshened, and in a new dress, Eris was immaculate once more and already had the room cleaned and organized, with a tray of light snacks waiting on the table for her.
She paused at the threshold of their bathroom door and tried not to stare at him for too long, wondering how she would clamp down on the intensity of what she was feeling at the moment. He had nearly killed her father. Because of her. For her. He had not hesitated a single moment and Iris was nearly overwhelmed by the surge of emotion that hit her as she watched him shift the tray slightly, his back still to her.
When Iris had stepped into the bathroom and finally allowed the tears she’d been holding back to fall, Eris’s lingering touch had been the one to keep her from crumbling completely. She cried silently as she stripped the day dress she had been wearing and the tears continued to fall as she looked in the bathroom mirror to see the bruises. She let the tears continue as she washed away the ghost of her father’s hands and the sound of his hateful words, just as she had done every other time this happened over the years.
She let herself process and only when she could take a deep breath without tearing up, did she let herself heal her bruises, watching in the mirror as she began to slowly fix herself, as easily as the deep breath she took. It was thanks to Eris that she could master it enough to do it so easily. It was thanks to him that her father hadn’t done worse this time. It was thanks to him her father would hopefully never do it again.
The image of Eris’s wrath being unleashed on the person she hated most had filled her with a sense of vindication like no other. She hadn’t feared him for a moment. Only could watch as he raged for her.
Until he threw her father out. Until it hit her that Eris had seen what others had never seen on her.
Iris watched him now, fidgeting still with the tray and she looked down as her face flushed, biting her lip. Her eyes flicked to the now clean floor where the blood of her father had been spilled and she took a deep breath. She was fine. It would be okay.
She did not want his pity and he would not be the one to pity her.
So Iris sat with him at the table as he silently moved the tray towards her, watching her take a small bite. She had no appetite but with the intense way he watched her, she knew Eris wouldn’t budge until he was sure she ate something. So she indulged him.
Just as she had finally indulged in giving him a chaste kiss.
He continued to watch her as she finished, swatting her hand away with a scowl when she attempted to clean up, and shooed her away silently as he took over. She felt his eyes on her as she put the finishing touches on her dress, as she styled her hair, and much to Iris’s amusement, Eris continued to watch her intensely as they left the room and made their way to the hounds, his grip on her tightening whenever they passed others.
But she said nothing and he said nothing, only holding her closer against him, their hands interlaced the whole way.
A far cry from where the two had started.
Her heart beat wildly at how much she liked the way he watched her. His eyes didn’t watch her with pity or disdain. His gaze was a claiming, a look filled with emotions as mixed as her own.
And Iris knew without saying a word, Eris felt the whirlwind of feelings she was experiencing.
As they slipped into the kennel, Iris squeezed his hand gently and Eris reluctantly let her go, clasping his hands behind his back so she wouldn’t see his twiddling fingers. As the minutes passed and Eris watched Iris coo and cuddle with their hounds, he felt exceedingly pathetic as he physically restrained himself from touching her. Whatever cool, calm, and annoying demeanor he usually had vanished completely.
“Are you going to keep watching me like that?” Iris asked him quietly, a small smile on her face as she sat between the hounds, petting as they nuzzled into her enthusiastically. “I’m alright, you know.”
Eris gave her a half-smile. “I can’t help it that I find you incredibly breathtaking, wife.” he said with a shrug as Lyra came to nudge his side. His hand slid to scratch behind her ear. “Do you not want me to look at you?”
Iris bit her lip then slowly stood, turning towards Eris and he straightened at her solemn expression.
“You’re looking at me because you’re worried.” she said quietly and when he opened his mouth to respond, Iris held up a hand and then moved closer to him. “What happened between my father and I is something that I have had to, unfortunately, deal with for years but...I have learned to handle it as best as I can. To do what I can for myself and keep moving forward, even as he’s tried to paralyze him by his mere presence.” Iris closed her eyes for a moment as she took a deep breath then exhaled softly, her expression easing as she looked at him. “I don’t want to give him any more power to dwell in my mind or to ruin anything else for me so please, don’t keep looking at me like I’m going to break. I think you, of all people, would understand this…I don’t want to think about him or anything that has to do with him anymore.”
Eris scanned her face and her stance as she spoke, her words mirroring so much of his own thoughts about his wretched father. He understood more than she’d realized.
He held out his hands and Iris raised a brow before slowly sliding her hands into his. “I want to make sure you’re alright. That is all.” he said quietly, and Iris gave him a small smile.
“Is it?” she asked. “You once told me not to pity you when it comes to your father and I told you that I expect the same from you.”
Eris’s mouth twisted into a frown. “I do not pity you. There is absolutely nothing to be pitied when it comes to you.” he muttered, and Iris squeezed his hands. “I look at you because I care about you and want to make sure you’re fine. I am a bastard in many ways but not when it comes to my duties. And it is my duty to pay attention to you.”
Her expression softened and Eris was thankful she looked away from him so she wouldn’t see his hard swallow at his own words. When she looked at him again, he squeezed her hands.
“You’re alright?” he asked.
“I am alright.” she confirmed softly and the corner of his mouth lifted.
“Then please note that at this moment, I am looking at you because I am simmering with carnal desire.” he teased gently. “No other reason whatsoever.”
“Ah, so your true intentions have emerged,” she said with a soft chuckle. “Please husband, you’ll scandalize the puppies.”
“Not puppies.” he replied, his lips twitching.
Eris simply watched her with a small smile that Iris shyly returned and once again, said nothing more. Last night in each other’s arms had certainly shifted things between them but he wasn’t sure if he could handle any more of the feelings he was failing miserably to push down.
His wretched heart leaped into his throat when she stepped back, then interlaced their fingers again, the gesture so comfortable and normal, it made Eris’s throat tighten. His heart continued to thump wildly as they said goodbye to his hounds and made their way to the winnowing point, his mind whirling a thousand thoughts a minute.
“Do you have Lucien’s letter from your mother?” she asked quietly. “And our house gift?”
“I have the letter and sent the gift ahead.”
“Did you write a nice note?” she asked him and Eris couldn’t stop staring at her face, scrunched in all seriousness. “I didn’t get a chance to.”
“Yes.” he answered, distracted momentarily by how she bit her lip and then cleared his throat. “I said it was from you to Elain specifically and that Lucien can choke on a dick.”
Iris stopped in her tracks, narrowing her eyes. “You did not.”
Eris smirked as his eyes locked on her face and gave her a nonchalant shrug. “You’ll see for yourself when we get there.”
Iris shot him a glare and the look was one he was so used to, he couldn’t help but tilt his head back with a laugh. He pulled her closer into his side as he grinned down at her but Iris only squinted at him.
“You’re so annoying.”
“I know.”
“Sometimes I really can’t stand you.”
“I know that too.”
Iris rolled her eyes then gently knocked her shoulder against him and Eris’s mouth tilted up, all the feelings in his chest unfurling. He couldn’t stop staring at her. He also really felt like vomiting.
“If you know you’re being annoying and that I can’t really stand you, why do you behave the way that you do?” she asked, pursing her lips and Eris chuckled at her failed attempt to hide a smile.
“Don’t pretend you aren’t obsessed with how magnificent I am, wife. I can see the lust in your eyes.” he said quietly, his free hand threading a loose curl between his fingers and then tugging on it gently. “Will you be able to control yourself while we winnow or will I need to get myself a shield for additional protection?”
“You’re the one who looks like you’re going to faint every time I touch you.” she mumbled and scrunched her nose, avoiding his gaze when he chuckled again.
“It must be the witchcraft in your touch.” he replied and held out his hand.
Iris’s lips twitched as she met his gaze, sliding her hand into his and said, “Maybe one day I’ll put a spell on that mouth of yours to get some peace and quiet.”
“And go a moment without hearing my voice? Why do you insist on making things so difficult for yourself?” Eris tsked with a raised brow and Iris rolled her eyes.
“Too cocky for your own good, prince.”
“Confident just the right amount I’d say, my lady.”
Iris shook her head with a small smile, but she didn’t look away from him and Eris couldn’t look away from her if he tried. He thought back to their first night together and how he had craved something normal then. How unexpected it had come. How delightful it was. A simple joy he had not experienced...in so long. A joy he wasn’t sure he rightly deserved but would latch on to with everything he had.
“Ready to see the Day Court?” he finally asked and Iris smiled at him.
“Oh yes.” she began and Eris stilled as she faced him, her free hand smoothing a nonexistent crease on his shirt. “But before we go, I need to give you something.”
Eris arched a brow and tried not to be too distracted by how much of her body was touching his. How right she felt, holding his hand and looking up at him with such an open look in her eyes. Her bruises had faded completely but only because he was looking for them, did he still see the shadows of them and tried to hold back his anger from flaring up.
He focused on her eyes instead.
“Yes, wife?” he murmured, and Iris squeezed his hand before slipping it free, sliding both hands down the fabric of her plum-colored dress instead. Eris’s eyes followed her hands and he took in the cinched waist of the dress, tied with a pretty bow in the middle — the delicate sleeves, the modest cut of her cleavage that gave him a small tease. He couldn’t stop himself from sliding a hand to gently tug on the bow, looking up just in time to see Iris’s flushed face giving him a knowing look.
“Focus.”
“I am very focused.”
“On what I would like to say, please.” she said with amusement. “You can tug on the bow all you like, it’s not going to budge.”
“Not if I have anything to do with it.” He said with a smirk but obediently let his hands fall back to his side.
Iris only rolled her eyes. “I look presentable, then?”
The corner of his mouth lifted as Eris looked up to meet her gaze. “You look beautiful.” he said simply.
Iris flushed and bit her lip, looking down to where his hands rested at his sides then slowly, carefully, she moved them to settle on her hips instead. Iris’s hands slowly moved to settle on his chest and Eris felt his heart short circuit. “Before I give you this something I want to give, I would like to tell you something.” she whispered with a little smile.
“Tell me what?” he asked helplessly and he couldn’t take his eyes off her stunning face, off those beautiful hooded hazel eyes that seemed to look into his very soul.
“I wanted to tell you again...thank you.” she said and the little shy smile blessed her face once more. “For defending me.”
Eris swallowed, his eyes drinking in the sight of her stunning face. He could only murmur, “Nothing to thank for. I only did as a husband should.”
“And for being my friend.” she added softly, the smile still there as his heart thumped too loudly.
“I’m — I’m happy to be your friend, Iris.” he said with a small smile of his own, his hands tightening on her waist.
“I am happy to be yours too, Eris.” she replied with a small chuckle and if possible, moved into him closer. “Even though you are very obnoxious, and I was very prepared to hate you for as long as possible.”
Eris let out a choked laugh, tightening his hold on her. “Can’t blame you, my reputation precedes me.”
“I do recall you saying it was catered to a specific audience,” she said, spreading her fingers across this chest. “I don’t think I’m part of that category anymore.”
“You never were.” he said with a chuckle. “You did just say you like being my friend.”
Iris’s gaze dropped to her hands then flickered back to meet his. “I do.” she said quietly. “But I think — I think I’m ready to be a little more than that with you.”
Eris felt the air leave his body, barely blinked — barely had a moment to hear what she said as the only warning he received was the mischievous glint in her eyes before her hands curled into the front of his tunic and she yanked him down to her, her lips finally, finally meeting his.
He felt the world tilt, wondering if he had stumbled into a daydream until Iris leaned into him more firmly, pressing her body into him, and the soft noise that slipped from her lips had Eris’s body unlocking immediately.
And gods, if she wasn’t the most divine creature he had the pleasure of kissing. Kissing her ignited every ember of fire in his heart, his heart that was dangerously close to bursting out of his damn chest. Eris let her lead for a moment, let her nip at his lips as her fingers tightened into his tunic and he let her pull away for a second — just to breathe — so he could look into her eyes and her flushed face — ensuring that indeed, this wasn’t some kind of strange hallucination.
And then Eris was on her.
Her full lips were soft, welcoming to his own and Eris groaned at the taste of her. He leaned into her desperately, a hand cupping the back of her head while the other rested on her lower back as he dipped her slightly, pouring himself into the kiss and Iris returned it with a fervor he would be delighted to think about later.
He kissed her and she kissed him, the heated claiming saying all the words they wished to say but couldn’t just yet. A kiss that seemed to soothe all the jagged ends of his soul. A kiss where their jaded spirits met their tired bones.
And it was as he pulled her closer into him, drunk on the taste of her lips did he feel the thread between them, thumping in his bloodstream. The same thread he had seen before, that he now understood had woven around his wretched heart. The thread that pulled.
It hummed the one word he had been waiting for — Mate.
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thatonebirdwrites · 5 months
Text
Crossover Shenanigans: Korrasami and Supercorp
Korra and Asami stand in front of a strange purple portal. Korra: You know, I'm a little relieved I'm not the reason for this portal for once. Asami: True. Mako: I don't think it's safe to mess with it. Maybe stay here? Asami: How will we be able to determine where it goes? The best way to test a hypothesis is through an experiment. *proceeds to tie the rope around her and Korra's waist and then spools it around hte pulley-crank system she's built. It's several hundred meters of rope* So all you two have to do is keep an eye on this. If the rope is tugged three times, then crank us back. Bolin: *digs into his bag of cookies* Easy enough. Mako: *sighs dramatically* Don't yell at me when this goes badly! Korra gives him a thumbs up, takes Asami's hand, and enters the violet portal. A brief moment of weird stomach-churning nausea hits them, and then they enter a large white room. Two people stand behind a counter with strange devices that Korra and Asami have never seen before. Asami: Wow. That looks like a fancy typewriter. *Points to the keyboard with a strange square attached to it, that looks like a very thin mover screen.* Brunette-and-very-pretty-woman: Who the hell are you two? Korra: Hey! That's not very nice! We're explorers. Investigating the new portal. I'm Avatar Korra. *jerks her thumb at Asami* and this is my super awesome girlfriend Asami Sato. Asami: *blushes* Do you have to introduce me like that every time? Tall-muscular-blonde: Oh, hey! Great to meet you! I'm Kara Danvers, and this is Lena Luthor! *grins and holds out her hand* Asami stares at it for a long moment. Korra rolls her eyes and shakes Kara's hand. Asami bows instead. Lena: Okay, so nice to meet you, now go back through so I can shut this down... Asami: Wait, you made this? How did you make it so small? When Korra made a spirit portal, she energybended a massive explosion, which ripped open the fabric of reality... Lena: What is energybending? Asami: Oh, it's something only the Avatar can do. She manipulates energy in people or the environment. Lena: So she manipulated a massive explosion to create a portal? That seems a very destructive way. *gestures to the portal behind Asami* I built this using Nth metal, magnetic coils, and... Asami: *whips out a notebook from her jacket* What is Nth Metal? And magnetic coils? That's actually a brilliant idea. I've been experimenting with those lately. . .
Kara and Korra watch as the pair dive into an intense conversation about electromagnetics and engineering.
Korra: Yup, that's Asami there. My girlfriend.
Kara: Yup. That's Lena. My girlfriend.
Korra: Huh. So what can you do? I can bend all four elements and metal! *shows off by waterbending the water from Lena's glass, then uses airbending to boost herself upward briefly, and bends stone around the room* Lena: Would you please put my water back in its glass? Asami: It could short-circuit the electronics. Korra: Whoops. *Drops water carefully into glass but then bends the metal bar that's lying on the table into a knot*
Kara: Okay, but that was really awesome. So, as Supergirl, I can do this. *Flies into the air, shoots lasers from her eyes, then lifts up half the lab with one arm.* Lena: Kara, please, if you're showing off, do it away from the portal. *turns back to Asami* So you're saying, you build a powered suit using pistons, hydraulics, and platinum? Are you sure its platinum? Because the hardness and tensile strength you described sounds like titanium to me. Asami: You know, maybe that's what it's called here. Let me show you. *proceeds to draw the chemistry diagram for the metal*
Lena: Fascinating. That's definitely titanium.
Korra: I bet I can beat you in a fight.
Kara: No way. I could beat you.
Lena and Asami: If you're going to fight, take it outside please.
Lena: I'm also filming it. *Reaches over and picks up a round ball and then proceeds to type something into her keyboard. Asami watches fascinated as the ball rises into the air and follows Kara out of the room and onto the porch area of the lab* Asami: Was that a tiny mech? Lena: Robot. Asami: Wait, so what powers it? I've struggled with decreasing the size of batteries due to... Korra unhooks herself, cracks her knuckles, and follows Kara outside. MEANWHILE IN AVATAR-VERSE: Mako: Why did the rope go slack?
Bolin: OH NOES. Do you think they got eaten?
Mako: Bo, by what? *his eyes widen* Oh no, they could really be in trouble then.
Bolin: We go to save them! But we need someone to man the ropes for us.
Mako: Let me radio Jinora. *picks up the portal radio* Jinora? Can you send some help to the new portal?
Opal and Jinora soon join them. They agree to man the ropes while Mako and Bolin head into the portal. MEANWHILE ON EARTH-38:
Mako and Bolin exit the portal and stare in shock at Asami standing by a brunette, while Korra and Kara battle outside. The walls are transparent, and the fight is intense.
Bolin: Asami! We're here to save you! *puts up his fists*
Asami: Wait what? No! Korra and I are fine.
Lena: Who the hell are you two?
Mako: So you're not about to be poisoned or something? *has fire blades ready in his hands*
Asami: NO! Lena here was chatting with me about the technology here. Korra is just sparring with Kara. Lena, that's Bolin and Mako, our friends.
Bolin: Oh. Do you have any snacks? Because I got to see this.
Mako: *sighs* whatever.
Lena: *grumbling but opens snack cabinet and tosses food at Bolin* I hope no one else comes through. I still need to calibrate... Asami: For the calibrations, do you have to manually type commands? Lena: Actually, no, I write code for that. Asami: TEACH ME.
Mako and Bolin sit down with their snacks to watch the increasingly intense fight. Korra has all four elements and is in Avatar state while flying in the air. Kara is blocking all the attacks using invulnerability and trying to get close enough to do a right hook.
After several minutes, Jinora and Opal rush through the portal.
Jinora: Are you all okay?
Opal: Woah, nice place.
Lena: What the fuck is with you people?? Go home! I can't turn off the portal with y'all here!
Bolin: Can't! Got to see who wins!
Jinora: I apologize for the intrusion! I'm Jinora and this is Opal. We were worried about the brothers.
Asami: Here's some snacks. Korra is battling Kara to see who is stronger. *gestures to the windows* I think it's an even match so far.
Lena: *scoffs* Kara is obviously winning. She's invulnerable to all of Korra's attacks. She also has the ability to fly, and her laser vision can easily incinerate most of what Korra fires at her.
Asami: *laughs* So? Korra's ability to dodge with airbending keeps her a moving target. Kara has yet to land a punch. Also, the fire blasts, ice daggers, and stone spikes keep her on the defensive.
The pair fall into an argument into the science of their girlfriends' powers and how they may work scientifically. The argument ends up so heated that Lena finally throws up her hands in defeat.
Lena: FINE. Let's find out who wins then?
Asami: FINE. More snacks are needed though. Bolin eats enough for three, I swear.
Lena grumbles under her breath about insatiable eaters, while she makes popcorn for all of them instead using her bunsen burners.
Alex, Kelly, Brainy, and Nia burst into Lena's lab.
Alex: Are you okay? We heard about the invasion!
Asami: Invasion? We're just visiting.
Lena: Don't interfere! This is important research.
Alex: Who the hell are these people? *gestures to the Avatar-verse people*
Mako: Who the spirits are you? *jumps to his feet with his fire blades ready*
Bolin: We need more popcorn! *waves an empty bowl*
Nia: Did you say popcorn? Yesss. You're my new friend.
Opal: So you're all friends of Lena? *Opens snack cabinet and ignores Lena's glare at her touching Lena's things. Takes out snacks and tosses them at Jinora who hands them to the others*
Kelly: Yes. Don't tell me, she had an accident in the lab?
Lena: Not an accident! I might have unintentionally created a bridge to another multiverse that is directly parallel to ours per M-brane theory --
Asami: M-brane theory? Spirits, we're way behind. We just figured out quantum entanglement exists and how to build planes. Tell me all about M-brane theory please.
Brainy: I posit that if you tell her that could alter the trajectory of their world with dangerous consequences--
Lena and Asami: Shut up Brainy!
Bolin hands out more popcorn for the now TWO shows: Kara and Korra fighting still -- the fight has gotten more and more intense with no sign of either being able to land a significant blow on the other. On the other hand, Asami and Lena fall into an intense argument about physics, which is interspersed with yells at Brainy to stop interrupting them.
Brainy: Sharing this with a person of lesser technology may interfere with the time modality of their multiverse --
Lena: Brainy, if you don't shut up, I'm kicking you out!
Asami: It's not like I'm going to completely rebuild the entirety of all engineering in my world. I mean, I could, I am rich, and you know, that would be a fun project...
Lena: Ah, shaping society through money and technology. Sounds like me... *she trails off and stares at Asami*
Asami: Oh my spirits
Lena: Oh my god
Asami and Lena: ARE WE THE SAME PERSON?
Bolin: *throws popcorn into his mouth* Yup.
Nia: And those two fighting are probably the same person too.
Brainy: I calculate that the probability of two identical people from alternate universes could disrupt the time continuum-- Everyone but Nia: SHUT UP BRAINY.
Nia: *shoves a beer into his hands and pulls him down next to her* Shush, just enjoy the show.
THE END... FOR NOW?
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drnikolatesla · 5 months
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One of the Greatest Inventions of All Time
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Nikola Tesla has many revolutionary inventions to his credit, but he is best known for his pioneering work in the development and promotion of alternating current (AC) electrical systems. Tesla's innovations in AC technology revolutionized the generation, transmission, and distribution of electrical power, becoming the foundation for the modern electrical power systems that we use today.
There is a common misconception made that Tesla was the first to invent, or discover, AC, but this is not true. It is well-known that Hippolyte Pixii was the first to discover AC in 1832. Pixii was an instrument maker from Paris who built an early form of an alternating current electrical generator (based on the principle of electromagnetic induction discovered by Michael Faraday), and thus started a new industry in power transmission. Tesla was not the first to discover or invent an AC motor, but he was the first to invent a practical AC induction motor with commercial value that could outperform all other motors. It must be noted that Italian inventor Galileo Ferraris also invented an induction motor similar to Tesla's, but it had no commercial value, and he even admitted himself that it was useless. Tesla's induction motor operates on the principle of electromagnetic induction, properly utilizing a rotating magnetic field that induces a current in a stationary conductor, resulting in rotational motion. The utilization of the rotating magnetic field makes the motor more simple, robust, versatile, efficient, and cost effective in that it has less moving parts reducing the likelihood of mechanical failure (as was common in other motors).
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Tesla's induction motor became a fundamental component in the field of electrical engineering and is used today in various applications, being one of the most widely used devices in the world. The motors play a crucial role in transmitting electrical power to homes and businesses. They are commonly used in power generation plants to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy, which is then transmitted through the power grid for distribution to various locations. Induction motors are also widely employed in appliances and machinery within homes and businesses for various applications. These applications include conveyor systems, hoists, cranes, lifts, pumps, fans, ventilation systems, compressors, manufacturing machinery, wind turbines, washing machines, refrigerators, garbage disposals, microwaves, dishwashers, vacuums, air conditioners, robotics, electric vehicles, trains, power tools, printers, etc. Basically, anything that requires a spinning action for power.
The induction motor is widely considered one of the most important inventions in the history of electrical engineering. Its importance lies in its transformative impact on industries, its efficiency and reliability, and its role in the broader electrification of society.
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tlouxx · 9 months
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Electromagnetism - p. 2
~ ellie williams x reader
——————————————————————————
part one | part three <3
synopsis: you and ellie williams have been long time rivals. you're a physics majors at wellesley college, and you’re competing for the same spot in the prestigious dr. ramsey’s lab as ellie. suddenly neither of you can escape the other as you’re both trying to navigate your final year of college.
content: college!ellie, mean!ellie, modern au, academic rivals to lovers, forced proximity, swearing, banter, eventual smut i swear, tensions rising between ellie and reader
——————————————————————————
Day 22
PHYS 302: Quantum Mechanics 
It’s only a few weeks into the semester, and this class is already demanding way too much of my time. Ellie and I are still sitting next to one another. I think both of us are too proud to move. Our first exam is coming up in less than a week, and to say I'm nervous is an understatement. I can tell Ellie is stressed out about it too. She’s been studying every free second, biting her nails down to a nub, and she wore that same shirt yesterday. Not that I’m keeping track! We are spending a significant amount of time together between our class schedule and work. I guess you begin to notice little details about someone when you’re with them almost everyday. Even if it isn’t by choice. 
I can’t think straight. So many variables are swirling around in my thoughts. Ellie. My increasing anxiety. This exam. Being the best at what I do. The professor lecturing is only background noise to the ardent contemplation of the current state of my life. Quite   frankly I’m struggling to understand what a quantum state is or why I should care about it. I’m only brought back to reality when I realize that Dr. L is talking to me. 
“Are you listening?” 
“I’m sorry. Can you repeat the question?”
“Can anyone else tell me what the variables are that define the quantum state of a system?” 
Ellie quickly speaks up, “Compatible and Incompatible.”
“Correct, Miss Williams.” Dr. L glares at me as she turns back around to the dusty chalkboard. 
I want to throw my head down against the desk. I knew that, and now I’ve made myself look like a fool in front of the class. I’m just so distracted by Ellie lately. Ever since she got in my face and said she intended to get the same lab position I’ve been dying to have, I feel frozen in time. I knew she wanted it, but it’s real now that she’s said it out loud. Getting into Dr. Ramsey’s lab could mean I have a fighting chance at grad school or even a future in research. It’s fucking important to me. It occurs to me that maybe Ellie and I could have an alliance. After all the saying goes, keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. 
In the corner of my eye, I see Ellie chewing on her pencil. She’s studying again while I’m stuck explaining basic calculus to a freshman. It’s 8:07 p.m. Only 23 minutes till the end of my shift, but I tell her anyway that we’re closed for the night. I needed to escape the monotony of derivatives and integrals. 
Ellie’s head lifts up as she hears me escort the girl out the door. It seems I piqued her curiosity, “Why did you tell her we’re closed?” 
“She’s going to fail calculus with or without my help." I slump back in my chair knowing I'm barely conscious from my lack of sleep. "I’m just exhausted today. I don’t want to explain integrals again.” 
A smile appears on Ellie’s face. She looks down at her hands before looking up at me again. I think I almost made her laugh. 
“Trust me. I heard you explain it to her multiple times. I get it.” 
Before I know it, a smile is materializing on my face too. I laugh knowing we have a mutual understanding. To be honest, Ellie kinda intimidates me. Maybe that's why when I’m around her it makes my body feel like it’s on fire. I can hear my heart pumping as she starts to move in closer to me ever so slightly. I know she’s waiting for me to say something else. Maybe I should say something else. I hope she doesn't notice how I choke on my words as I try to speak.
… 
“Um, while we’re uh talking… I was just wondering how you felt about the exam on Friday.” 
Ellie settles into her seat. Confidence seeps out of every pore of her body. I watch as she sets down the pencil she was once chewing on. “It’ll be easy. Maybe not for you, but it will be for me.” 
“Sure… Ellie." I mirror her position. Trying to emulate the confidence she exudes. "I was just going to offer you some study tips in case you needed them.” I remark back at her. 
She leans forward in her chair. Without warning, the air between us seems to thicken. “You could barely keep up today in class. I certainly don’t need any of your help.” 
I lean forward too. “Really? Because I think that you’re studying every second you get because you know I’m better than you."
I stand up, and walk toward Ellie. As I begin to close the space between us, Ellie lifts herself out of her seat. She almost looks like she can't believe I'm saying this "..and you can’t stand the thought of it.”
Ellie looks like she's about to say something. Her mouth opens but closes. She turns around and opens up her bookbag. I watch as she rips a piece of paper out of a notebook. She writes something down.
She turns back around with a paper crumbled in her hand. Ellie inches toward me just like she did on our first night working together. My breath catches in my throat as my mouth goes dry. She pushes the piece of paper into my chest as I stumble backward. 
She swivels on her foot and begins to pack up her things. I grab the paper and look at it. She remarks “It's my number for when you realize you’re the one who needs my help.” 
… 
As I walk out of work, the cold of the night makes goosebumps appear all over my arms. I am still in shock of what just happened. Ellie pushes past me and into the emerging nightfall. Her perfume lingers behind. She smells of mint and eucalyptus. Not wanting to disturb her, I continue walking a few paces behind her.
My head feels clouded. I feel overwhelmed by all of the thoughts spinning around in my head. Did she seriously just do that? 
The moon brightens up the night sky as Ellie exits my view. My apartment building is only a few blocks away. I need to tell someone else about what happened tonight. I pull my phone out of my back pocket to text Dina. 
8:33 P.M 
you will never guess what just happened to me tonight 
D: What??! Spill please!
Well... I asked Ellie about the exam in 302 and she basically said it’d be easy for her, but not me. So i said well maybe i could give you tips so you wouldn’t have to study every second of the day. then she gave me her number?!!! and said to text her when i realize that i am the one that needs help??
D: oh my fucking god. 
isn’t she crazy? 
D: I mean.. I think you both are.
D: but i’m curious if that’s her real number? 
D: send it to me and i’ll let you know. 
you have her number?
D: we might’ve exchanged numbers at some point..
???
D" well…. we kissed once or twice. 
D: but we're not talking anymore 
omg. DINA! why didn’t you tell me!!! 
D: I thought you'd be mad and it was casual!!
D: send me the number!!! 
I threw my phone onto my bed after I sent the number over to Dina. I doubt Ellie would give me her real number. She probably just wanted to fuck with me. Not that it matters if its real or not.. I wouldn’t text her anyway. 
I’m disappointed that Dina didn’t feel like she could tell me about her and Ellie. I’m supposed to be there for her like she has been for me. I let this stupid rivalry get in the way of our friendship. Although when I look back on it, I don’t think they tried to hide it either. Maybe I’ve been too caught up in the fact that she was my nemesis to realize that Ellie and Dina were practically sitting on top of each other at parties or both missing at the same time. How could I have been so naïve to miss this?? My phone vibrates on my comforter. I feel my stomach drop. I’m not sure I even want to know. I open my messages with one eye open.
8:47 P.M. 
yep. that's ellie’s number. 
… 
Day 26
PHYS 302 : Quantum Mechanics 
The sun is shining in through the cracks of my blinds. My eyes are barely open. I feel the fatigue wash over me. The warmth of my bed is all-encompassing, but I know I have to pull the covers aside. My legs feel like lead as I walk into the bathroom to brush my teeth. The darkness under my eyes looks deeper than usual. I pulled an all-nighter studying for the exam today. I’m debating if I have enough time to run to the coffee shop down the street. I’m in desperate need of caffeine. 
I end up walking to get coffee.I don’t think I’ll be able to keep my eyes open without it. The wind is starting to have a chill to it as summer slowly bleeds away. The bell rings as I walk in the door. This is the coffee shop I originally met Dina in. Her hair was shorter then. Our friendship continued to develop the more and more I came here. Then we found out we were working together at the tutoring center, and well the rest is history. 
Walking into class with my iced latte in hand, I see Ellie. Her hair looks more disheveled than usual and her clothes wrinkled. Maybe I’m not the only one who pulled an all-nighter. 
I’m not sure if the caffeine is helping me or just making my anxiety worse. Despite my fear that I may not have studied enough, I feel confident. I tell myself today is going to be the day I’ll be setting the curve. Not Ellie. Staying up all night is going to be goddamn worth it when I see that smirk Ellie wears off her face. 
I look over at her as I sit down. She’s still biting her nails, but she doesn’t look at me. 
I shift my body to look at her. She finally looks up from her notes. I whisper to her “Goodluck Ellie.” 
Ellie looks at me and winks. She is wearing her exhaustion on her face, but her self-assurance is ever-present, “Goodluck to you too, sweetheart.” 
I turn back around seething. The heat is rising to my cheeks, but I don’t have time to think further because Dr. L starts handing out our exams. I’m ready for it.
… 
I’ve been anxiously pacing my room. Biting my nails even. I think Ellie is rubbing off on me. I dismiss the thought of becoming more like Ellie. The grades are going to be out tonight in 20 minutes. I continue walking back and forth on the hardwood floors of my room. I need to distract myself for just a little while longer. Instead, I keep brooding over my conversations with Ellie and the moment this exam score will come out. 
Only a few minutes are left until the email will pop up in my inbox. I spend this time running over the exam in my head again. I’m pretty confident I answered everything correctly. Well maybe except for question 25, but I think I’m overthinking it.
My laptop pings, and I know it’s the results. My hands are damp as I lift open the screen. The subject line reads Exam Results. I click on the link 
9:30 P.M. 
Subject : Exam Results 
Congratulations, 
You’ve received the top grade on exam one with a score of 100%. Take pride in this! 
Sincerely, 
Dr. L 
… 
I am buzzing with excitement. I shoot up out of my seat and sigh with relief knowing my hard work was worth it. I subconsciously start thinking of Ellie. How she feels in this moment knowing that I did better than her. I take pleasure in thinking that she’s jealous of me. Thinking of me right now too. I catch sight of Ellie’s note crumpled up on my desk. Before I know it, her number is in my phone, and I’m typing out a text to her. 
9:32 P.M. 
Need my tips now Ellie?
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sw5w · 8 months
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Artoo-Detoo
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STAR WARS EPISODE I: The Phantom Menace 00:25:57
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kscheibles · 10 months
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the end (illicit affairs part iii)
part i & part ii
content warnings: f! reader, angst, smut, p in v sex, choking, drug mentions (weed), men being stupid
word count: 3.3k
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You straddle his lap while you run your hands through soft curls. His lips stick to yours like velcro. It hurts to peel yourself away from him. Your body resists it like some electromagnetic connection. You bear the pain long enough to look at him.
“Can I ride?” you ask. There’s no trace of seduction in your eyes, just need. Natural and fervent. Biological, even.
“Fuuuuuck,” his head starts to fall back against the headboard. “Yes please.”
You unfasten the rest of your body from his, peeling off your cotton underwear and reaching for your wallet. You unzip the back and retrieve a condom. You plop back down on the bed and kiss his thighs sweetly. You roll the rubber onto him slowly, lingering so he gets a taste of what’s to come. He fucks up into your hand desperately. 
“Okay, okay. I’m going,” you tease. You rise to your knees and maneuver him to your entrance. You move your lips to his again in anticipation of the stretch. Comfort me, they say, you know how. He’s the illness and the medicine all in one. You let him hurt you just so he can make you whole again.
His face moves from yours as you begin to lower yourself onto him. 
“Are you okay?” you ask.
“Yeah,” he mutters, “I wanna watch, is that okay?”
Your lips spread into a soft grin. You nod proudly. Matty moves his hands to the place where the two of you meet, spreading your inner folds gently to get a better view.
“Go ahead,” he says. 
You finally let yourself fold onto him. You feel tingly and pained and full. You rub your clit against his hand indulgently, searching for some remedy to the ache between your legs. You whine as the pleasure hits you. It mixes with the hurt of him inside you and coaxes the feeling into something else. You clench around him inadvertently. 
Matty notices you struggling. “You okay, love?” he asks and you nod, eyes shut. “No you’re not,” he says, “I should have warmed you up better.” He puts his hands on your hips and tries to lift you off of him.
“Please,” you fight his movements, bearing down on his dick. You take his hand away from your hip and bring his fingers to your mouth, coating them in your saliva. “Just rub me, okay? I like it when it hurts a little.”
He bites his lip. You can’t tell if it’s because he’s turned on or if it’s because he doesn’t want to do what you’ve asked. 
“Just a little,” you repeat. He traps your clit between his middle and ring finger and slides them up and down you. You begin to ride him in earnest, bucking up and down onto his length. His fingers remain glued to you like some kind of reassurance that he’s still there, that he cares, that he can’t stand to be apart from you longer than you can from him. It makes you delirious.
He moves his hands up to your tits and pinches meanly at your nipples without warning. Your movements on him falter as you cry out at the sensation. Your instincts say to run away from his touch, but your body knows better. Knows that if you surrender to the sting a little longer, he’ll kiss it better. You writhe on his cock, trying to break free and to chase the feeling you know he can bring you. The thought makes your body go into autopilot, moaning needily at the sensations beginning to mount in your body. It doesn’t feel real. Real girls don’t feel like this. Or at least you don’t. You can’t; not when you’re without Matty.
“Shhhh it’s okay, sweet girl,” he coos. He pulls your sensitive nipples towards him and you let out a choked sob. Some faraway part of you can feel his touch on your breasts, but the sensations that follow all happen in your core. You’re running and you can’t catch your breath. His hand comes up to your neck, squeezing on either side. You writhe on impact, trying to squirm away. He bears down harder on your windpipe. 
“Give in, I’ve got you,” he says. 
Whether it’s from trust or exhaustion or the asphyxiation you don’t know, but you allow yourself to go limp above him. He keeps you in place by your neck and begins to fuck up into you. You can feel your heartbeat in your throat and your face starts going numb. You’re dizzy with pleasure and you can’t hear anymore. You’re vaguely aware of a newfound pressure on your clit as Matty begins to rub tight circles on it, timing them perfectly with his thrusts. 
“Thank you, thank you,” you croak as he continues to fuck you at a bruising pace. It’s deep and fast and time-stopping. It feels like time is standing still just for the two of you. You couldn’t imagine something else if you tried. All that exists are Matty’s hands, choking you and rubbing you and his cock moving in and out of you, his hips slapping yours. They make a lewd, pornographic sound and wound your own. Let them, you think, give me something to remember you by. Mark my body so that when you’re gone again I don’t have to question myself. I can know that I meant something to you. Even…even if–
Your orgasm crashes through your body and you fall into Matty, head resting on his shoulder. His hips don’t let up the whole time, shamelessly chasing what he knows can be his. You feel his hand come off your neck as the pleasure washes through you, wave by wave. You clench unconsciously around Matty as you come down and the awareness you feel of him inside you turns you on again. You pant into his neck for a moment before meeting his eyes. Yours are filled to the brim with tears that threaten to break and spill on your cheeks. He notices immediately. 
“I know, baby. Just another second, I’m almost there,” he comforts you, “where d’ya want me?”
“Inside,” you say, too scared of what it might feel like when he’s no longer there, “Want you to come inside me, please.”
He lets out a sexy, guttural moan as he speeds up to finish himself off. He hugs you as he does, holding you exactly where he needs you. The feeling of your bare chest on his is euphoric, you revel in it as his hips begin to stutter under you and his eyes clamp shut, whining ecstatically. He slows to a stop.
You reach your hands up to cup his face, rough with stubble. You run your finger pads over his cheeks, looking into his eyes intently. He’s breathing heavily, jostling you with every gasp. His lips look so pillowy and soft and red. You lean in to kiss him, moaning into his mouth and exploring his tongue languidly with your own. You lay your head in the crook of his neck and he keeps his arms around you. You feel so calm swaddled in his arms, like a baby who needs to be assured their parents are still there. When you’re with him, you feel like you can breathe again. You don’t have to feign indifference when someone mentions his name, you don’t have to worry he’ll never come back from South America, and you don’t doubt that he cares for you. You need him there all the time, otherwise, how can you trust that he cares, that you’re good enough to care for?
“I gotta get out of you, darlin’,” he says. You lift your head up and brace yourself on his shoulders. 
“Please don’t,” you beg. You know he’s soft and it doesn’t feel the same but it feels like something. The feeling of him in you – whether sexually or just physically – pacifies you. Placates your mind.
“I’m soft, the condom is gonna spill inside you,” he says. You look at him for a moment and consider arguing, but you don’t. You dismount him and turn away from him under the duvet as he stands up to dispose of the plastic.
You lay tucked into Matty’s bare chest. His left arm curls around your body and his warm hand rests gently on your ass. He rubs it every now and then, or lifts it to squeeze tenderly at your hips. You press little kisses into his sternum and pecs and neck. The smell of sex – sweat and pheromones and something vaguely rubbery – permeate the room.
“So you slept with someone else?” he asks, seemingly out of nowhere. It feels like an accusation, but he says it so calmly. You decide to answer equally calmly.
“Yeah.”
“Who?” You lift your head from his shoulder, no longer feeling particularly connected to him. You settle with your back against the headboard before answering.
“I don’t really think that’s your business,” you raise your eyebrows, challenging him.
“Isn’t it?”
“Not really. I used a condom. Isn’t that what counts?” you’re confused. He sleeps with other people, too. At least sometimes. Is this the first time it’s you who’s needed to use a rubber? Maybe. It still doesn’t make sense. His eyes are wide and hurt. You don’t understand. You haven’t lied to him, haven’t betrayed him. He groans and sits up as well.
“Was it the same?” he questions.
You look down at the rumpled white duvet. “Of course not. Don’t be stupid.”
“Then why did you do it?” Your eyes snap back up to him, annoyed now.
“Can we please not have this conversation right now?” you beg, “Or ever for that matter. You’re making me feel bad.”
“If you don’t regret it, then why do you feel bad?” he challenges.
“Because you’re making me! If it’s that big of a deal then I’ll go get tested tomorrow. We can do it as a date,” you taunt. You know he’ll hate that. He hates that word, doesn’t he.
“I don’t want you to get tested,” he returns, “I want to know why you did it.” You throw your hands up, exasperated and bewildered.
“I don’t know! Because I felt lonely, because he was hot,” Matty meets your eyes as you continue, “because I knew it would feel good to be used like that.” You shrug. What else is there to say? Why does Matty have sex with other people? Surely it’s for the same reason.
“Used?” he asks.
“Yeah. What do you know about it?” you spit.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” You want to pull your hair out. When did you sign up for an interrogation? 
“It means men don’t know what it feels like to be used. You’re always the user. ‘Baby can I fuck you,’ or ‘I’m gonna fuck you so hard.’ It’s never ‘we’re going to fuck,’ or ‘she fucked me so good.’ Women are things that get fucked,” you state stoically. You’re trying to keep your cool. Don’t let him have the satisfaction of getting to you. Don’t let him feel like you’re his. That you’re ashamed of what you did.
“Don’t say that,” he implores you.
“Why not? It’s true.”
“No it’s not!” Matty exclaims. “Look, I don’t want you to feel used. Especially not by me. I like you, I care about you.” You sigh, smiling placidly. He doesn’t understand. You reach out and take his hands in yours. You run an index finger over the veins on the back of it, caressing the tender, tenuous things. 
“It’s okay,” you try to mollify him. How have you ended up comforting him? “It feels good to be used sometimes, to know you’re good for something. At least good for that,” you continue, “I don’t seem to be good for anything else. Not for love, anyways. No good at staying out of trouble. No good at living. Especially no good at that.”
“You know that’s not true,” he flips your hands so now yours rest in his palms. You look at your hands in his own, so much smaller, softer.
“Do I? It’s all I’m good for when it comes to you,” you admit.
“You’re so much more than that to me,” he coos, rough finger pads ghosting over your knuckles. You shake your head.
“Like what? A drinking partner? Someone to share the inspired thoughts of your post-nut clarity with?”
“You’re being mean,” he drops your hands in your lap.
“I’m not the one being mean,” you consider not saying what you think next, but your anger weighs out, “I’m not the one who treats me like that.”
“Aren’t you?” he raises his eyebrows at you.
“I guess I should leave then, right? Treat myself right for a change?”
“If that’s what it means to treat yourself right. Then yes.”
“Fuck you!” you shout, “Fight for me. Why won’t you fight for me?” He shrugs looking at you like he doesn’t know how to diffuse the situation or to comfort you or do anything. “You’re being cruel, Matty. Why?”
He looks down and shakes his head, “Because I am good at loving.”
“Good at loving,” you scoff.
“I love you,” he states it plainly, looking deep into your eyes, into your soul, “and it hurts too fucking much now.”
“AAAAAAAH!” you scream. How dare he? “You don’t get to love someone and not tell them. You don’t get to fuck off to Timbuktu and leave the people you ‘love’ behind, alone for months and expect to win them over when you return. That’s not the rules, it’s not fair,” you whine. You sound like a petulant child who lost a toy on the schoolyard, not an adult at the Four Seasons. 
“I’m not playing a game,” he pleads, “I’m not following any rules.”
“Yes you are!” you scrunch your eyes out of frustration, taking a breath, “You think that you can come back to me and tell me how fucked up I am for sleeping with people I don’t know? Well, you’re no different. I don’t know you. It felt good to be used by you. To know that at least I had that control over you if I couldn’t control where you were or what words you would say to me. At least I could make you cum, make you vulnerable, make you bend to my will for a split second. That’s all I ever wanted. To control you; just for a second.” He’s shaking his head over and over and over like some tic he’s powerless over.
“That’s not true,” he argues.
“What if it is?” you defend yourself, “Do you know me well enough to know better?”
“I think so,” he whispers mostly to himself, “I thought so.”
You sigh and stand up from the bed. You rummage around the floor looking for your discarded clothing, tossing your underwear in your bag. You pull your leggings up over bare legs and shuck an oversized t-shirt over your head. Then you head to the bathroom, running the water cold and splashing it repeatedly on your face. You sit down on the toilet and take your obligatory post-sex pee. As you relieve yourself, you’re appeased by the fact that you used a condom. That at least you don’t have him lingering in you; you don’t have to stay here any longer than necessary trying to expel every last bit of him.
You hear a knock at the door.
“Please go away, I’m almost done,” you shout. Matty comes in anyway, now wearing some plaid boxers and a Rage Against the Machine shirt. “I don’t want you to see me on the toilet.” He stands in the doorway looking lost; like a kicked puppy.
“Look, you’re right. I don’t know you that well. I mean I know that you listen to me when I talk and you have an interest in travel because you’re always asking me to tell you about where I’ve been. I know you’re responsible because you always take care to talk about protection and wee after we have sex. I know you’re generous and you like to dote on the people you care about. I know sometimes you get insecure but you trust my opinion more than most people cos when I tell you you’re beautiful, you seem to believe me. 
“I know it’s not a lot to go on – or maybe it is, that’s not the point – but I want to know more. I thought – well I don’t even know what I thought – that if I didn’t ask you about your work or family or whatever then what we had could really stay here in this room. And it would mean that my own anxieties had to be pushed out when we spent time together, so it could just be me and you. But I realise now that that’s not really what I want. I want to know the whole you and I want you to know the whole me, even if it’s messy and I cry and you resent some of the stuff I’ve done before. I don’t want it to stay here, I want it to follow me everywhere. The truth is that it already does.
“I know I’m not good about telling you, but I think about you when I’m not with you. When I see a building that would give you that cute, awestruck, schoolgirl look in your eyes, or I eat a food that you wouldn’t be able to shut up about. I wanted to tell you but I knew it was gonna be hard to try to care about you in a more erm… committed way. But I don’t care anymore. I want all of you, please. I’m sorry for making you feel bad about sleeping with other people that was wrong and you never owed me that. It’s just that I don’t want to share you. It’s not the same with other people.”
You look down at your bare knees when he’s done and then back up at his face. “So you want to be…exclusive fuck buddies?” you ask, confused. 
“No!” he shakes his head like that’s the silliest thing he’s ever heard in his life. “I want you to be my partner. My girlfriend. I want to take you with me when I leave LA and tell everyone who’s important to me how special you are and take you out to nice meals and fuck you so good, whenever you like so you never feel unwanted,” he kneels down looking up at you while you’re sat on the lav. “I want to know everything you think, everything about you.”
“I’m not the person you think I am,” you whisper.
“How so?” he presses.
“Well…,” you trail off, thinking. What do you actually mean by that? “There’s a lot of stuff you don’t know about me.” He looks at you encouragingly. “For starters, I don’t usually walk around town in a matching set of lingerie and a hoodie.”
He laughs, a raucous, playful thing, and his face breaks out into an amused smile, “I did kind of figure that. I’m not a little boy, you know. I know what, you know, women,” he makes his voice deeper, eliciting a giggle from you, “are actually like.”
“Okay, because I also don’t usually subsist on a diet of pigs in a blanket, champagne, and weed,” you say, still feeling the need to quell his expectations.
“Neither do I,” he nods along. You give him a questioning look. “Okay, sometimes I do. Look, darling – sorry do you want to get off the lav?”
You nod and wash up quickly, meeting Matty on the foot of the king-sized bed, among the sea of white cotton bed linens. He takes your hands in his.
“I was going to say that,” he starts, “I do think you're really, very sexy and I like getting to be with you the way we do. But I know it will be different, that’s what I want. I don’t care how it’s different as long as it’s you.”
You know what you’ll find when you search his eyes to discern his level of sincerity. He seems to only have one setting: unflinching candor. You smile at the look of his honest eyes.
“Okay then,” you concede, “what do you want to know first?”
297 notes · View notes
definegodliness · 11 months
Text
She made it for me
She lifted the glass jar that Kept my brain With two hands, gently, before her face; So, I had eyes To meet her gaze.
The cold and harsh of my confinement Turned warm and pliant; Wet, at the touch of her lips; So, I had a mouth To bend in a smile by the thrill of her kiss.
She gave me blood, And a heart to pump it; flustering spaces By will of her fingers.
Searching, svelte, Hers wove through the aether Till interlacing; electromagnetism surging. So, I had hands To caress and feel her, Soft At my palms; heated At the singe of my fingers' Exploration.
She kissed me a body in pecks of stardust.
She, my worshiping eyes. She, my devotional mouth. She, my venerating fingers.
I had lungs, lastly, by the deepest yearning To sigh her name.
I had a body. She made it for me To find its home upon completion; To be inside her; we — One in union.
--- 5-7-2023, M.A. Tempels ©
175 notes · View notes
badbatchsprincess · 12 days
Text
Heated ~ pt.13
Pt.1 ~ Pt.2 ~ Pt.3 ~ Pt.4 ~ Pt.5 ~ Pt.6 ~ Pt.7 ~ Pt.8 ~ Pt.9 ~ Pt.10 ~Pt.11 ~ Pt.12 ~ Pt.13
Masterlist
Summary: This is an ABO Bad batch!Poly x Omega Reader smut with a plot. This takes place as an AU before order 66. Y/N previously served under the 501st before being transferred to Special Forces 99. This is her adventure with these rowdy Alphas in a quickly changing universe.
THIS IS AN ABO AU ABOUT THE BAD BATCH (NO CANON OMEGA!) Due to the unfortunate situation of her name being Omega… Omega the child from the canon series is not going to be apart of this fanfic/porn with a plot. I feel obligated to put this warning in because it makes my skin crawl thinking anyone could make that mistake. 
Warnings: No smut in this chapter... but don't worry! Chapter 14; we will be returning to our regular smut programming.
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"So, Anakin Skywalker took you to Lothal?" Hunter was trying to make sense of Echo’s wild story.
"When Ahsoka was still barely a pup, he took her on a tour of all the known Jedi temples in the known regions," Echo recounted. "It was to show her the generations of Jedi history. We had taken that Venator all over the galaxy. Lothal was one of them, and I think it’s far enough away from Empire jurisdiction that we could get there unnoticed."
"And why are we bothering with a Jedi temple? I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but none of us are Jedi," Tech remarked, knelt on the ground, holding you to his chest, running comforting hands over your trembling form. The boys took turns trying to keep you warm as your temperature dropped for reasons Tech and you couldn’t understand.
"You said it wasn’t medical. This is a soul bond issue; that's the spiritual world," Echo reasoned. "We might not understand it, but I’ve seen some pretty crazy stuff with the Jedi. All of it's real, even though it sounds like mumbo jumbo to people like us."
"It’s real," you whispered. "I’ve seen it."
"You've seen what?" Tech looked down at you.
"The mumbo jumbo… Ahsoka showed me many things when we were younger." You nuzzled into Tech for comfort.
"She’s someone we could actually use right about now, assuming she survived the order," Echo said, shaking his head.
You bit back your emotions, too exhausted to cry anymore. You didn’t want to think about that. Not now, anyways. You and Echo had spent too many nights talking about Ahsoka leaving the pack. 
"We’re approaching," Echo said, taking control of the Marauder. Tech stood up, passing you to Wrecker for a snuggle before returning to his seat to land the ship.
"Where are we supposed to go?" Tech asked as they entered the planet’s atmosphere.
"I was actually hoping Hunter could help us with that," Echo said, punching a few buttons above his head making the engines rumble.
"And what exactly do you want me to look for?" Hunter said.
"I kind of remember the general location Skywalker had been. I’ll land us there, but you can use your electromagnetic senses to find the temple," Echo explained.
"Ahsoka told me that all living things have the Force flowing through us. It’s how she and Ani could feel where we all were and that everything is connected. Everything flows through each other, which I’m thinking is what Echo is talking about.” You lifted your head to explain, “Ani said the Force is pure light energy," you remembered, recalling all the times you had caught the two Jedi meditating before battle.
"If it’s electro currents, I should be able to pick up on it, but I don’t exactly know what I’m looking for," Hunter said, watching as Echo guided the ship to an open field with rolling grasses.
"Anything that feels strange, I would assume," Tech said as the ship touched down with a gentle thud.
You tried to stand, but you were feeling too weak. Wrecker caught you before you stumbled. You groaned as he lifted you up, even though he was as gentle as could be, it didn’t change the fact your bones ached like your heart did… it craved one thing… Crosshair.
"Okay, let’s get our things and let Hunter get to work," Echo said, standing up and grabbing his pack and weapon. Wrecker carried you out of the ship like a just-married bride and into the waist high grass. Hunter knelt down, taking off his glove to touch the earth. He placed his palm to the soil, looking up over the grasses.
"There are animals everywhere," he said, looking around, but the grasses camouflaged them. He raised his gun up in the air, firing a single shot into the sky. The blast startled all of the loth cats, which picked their heads up to stare before scampering off with a meow.
"Tookas!" you said excitedly, seeing all of the different colors fleeing the area.
"They’re all over this place," Hunter confirmed, choosing the best direction. "I’m wanting to head this way," he said, pointing towards a mountain range. "There’s something with a deeper energetic vibration in that direction I think it’s a good place to start."
"Alright, here we go," Wrecker said, following behind Hunter, carrying you like you weighed nothing.
The trek felt like it had gone on forever. Even though you weren’t putting in any effort, the body chills and aches were making you miserable. This was truly hell. You honestly would have taken Hunter’s blade to the shoulder again if it meant you were cured. 
"Almost there, little tooka," Wrecker said, sensing your discomfort.
"Just a little further," Hunter added, feeling their journey was coming to an end. The vibrations were becoming more tangible. 
"Does any of this feel familiar, Echo?" Tech asked, pulling out his scanners as they approached the egg-shaped rock formations ahead.
"It all looks the same to me, but General Skywalker had us stay back with the ship. All I remember is the mountain range and the fields," Echo replied.
"I don’t see a temple," Hunter said, leading them into a narrow crevice. Everyone squeezed between the smooth rocks, following the sergeant. You watched Hunter as he kept switching his directions. 
You clung onto Wrecker as he stepped up and over various rocks. Hunter kept bending down to touch and feel the rocks, seemingly guiding you somewhere.
You lulled your head to the side, sensing something was watching you. When you looked, all you saw was more stones. You closed your eyes and leaned back into Wrecker’s chest, ignoring the sensations. It was probably all the spirits Soka would tell you about. 
"What are you feeling, Hunter?" Tech asked, raising his scanner in the air, trying to get a better picture of where they were in case he missed something.
"It’s just like a storm of electrodes," he said, looking around. "This place is like nowhere else I’ve ever been."
"Not even on Mimban?" Echo asked.
"No, this is different… it’s…" He raised his head in the air, sniffing, and shook his head. "Ugh… Just more tookas," he shook his head, "Echo, are you sure this is the place?"
"I wouldn’t forget something like this. Anakin took Ahsoka here. I’m certain."
"I miss Soka," you mumbled, thinking about the little Togruta you thought of as a sister.
"Whoa!" Tech stopped in his tracks and pointed to a ridge above their heads. "A rare albino tooka," he exclaimed, pulling down his helmet, leans to snap a photo.
"Sightseeing later, vod," Hunter said, continuing to walk. Wrecker sighed and adjusted his grip on you before trudging on.
Once Hunter got frustrated enough, he halted the group so Echo and Tech could get some water and food into you. You curled up on a flat rock, tucking into yourself for warmth against the sun-warmed stone.
"This would be a really good time for someone to have secret Jedi powers," Echo joked.
"Pip?" Hunter raised a brow at you.
"Sorry, Sarge," you weakly laughed, "Just a normy nat born."
"How unfortunate," he smiled trying to hide his worry ay seeing you like this. It was obvious you health was deteriorating quickly the longer this dragged on. 
"Well, we’re not entirely sure about that," Tech joked. "Seems to be pretty abnormal if you ask me," he referred to the current situation.
"What if it was something the Imperials did to me while I was out?" you rolled onto your back, liking the warm stone, "We can’t know for sure."
"Bonds can’t be manufactured," Echo shook his head.
"While I do have special bonds with all of you, I didn’t think I had developed a mate bond with Crosshair… at least not yet. It hasn’t been long enough," you looked up at the puffy clouds in the sky.
"Stranger things have happened," Hunter shrugged.
"Have they?" Wrecker petted your hair, looking around, "This seems pretty strange to me."
Tech snorted in agreement, "Should we keep going?"
"No," you pouted, "I like this rock, it’s warm."
"We can stay a little longer," Hunter leaned against one of the egg-shaped stones, "Warm up, Pip."
You purred in content, rolling back onto your side, absorbing the heat.
Wrecker continued to run his fingers through your hair as you felt yourself start to drift off into a little nap.
Just as you were drifting off into blissful sleep, you heard a whisper.
"Pip," Hunter said so quietly you almost mistook it for the wind.
You blinked open your eyes, feeling Wrecker’s fingers stilled in your hair. When you opened your eyes, you saw the same albino tooka sitting just next to your head, staring right at you with its beaming azure eyes.
Everyone remained deathly still, scared to scare off the creature.
You watched Tech hit record on his helmet, capturing the rare moment.
You slowly lifted your head, trying to sit up. The tooka sat on its haunches, watching you. You tilted your head to the side, and it mimicked you. You gasped quietly, looking at the tiny creature. It stepped forwards, rubbing its cheek and side against your leather boots before sauntering off again. This time, you stood up, suddenly feeling well enough to walk, and followed the creature without a word to the others.
Tech was about to interject, but Echo put a hand on his chest, silencing his brother. The Alphas watched curiously as you trailed after the small creature.
"The Force," Echo whispered, jumping over a stone to catch up to you.
"There’s no way you know this is the Force," Tech grumbled.
"Why did it choose her?" Echo retorted.
"Because she’s the least threatening," Tech argued. "It is known animals prefer human females."
"No, idiot," Echo shook his head, "This is how the Force works."
"That is yet to be determined," the pilot shook his head… mumbo jumbo.
They watched you follow the tooka in a trance-like state as you squeezed between narrow passageways that they struggled to get through.
"Adi’ka," Hunter whispered, not wanting to scare off the animal.
You didn’t respond, just continued to follow the animal.
The boys shared a look of concern at your lack of acknowledgement . Echo, however, wasn’t put off. He was confident you had found what you were all looking for. He continued staying close. He had definitely seen stranger things serving under Anakin.
It wasn’t lost on him that your energy magically restored in the presence of the little creature along with your unusual attire matching the feline. The Force works in strange ways, but he was so sure. 
You eventually reached a clearing surrounded by stones. The ground was covered in swirling ancient carvings spanning the entire clearing. The tooka led you to the center where the swirls stopped. Your body came to a halt, and the boys slowly inched inside, keeping to the walls.
You plopped down onto the ground, kneeling at the center and hitting back on your haunches, mirroring the tooka.
“What is she doing?” Wrecker whispered. The others didn’t answer; they just watched as you remained still, seemingly meditating.
“I don’t like this,” Hunter said, moving to step forward, but a ferocious growl halted his movements. Wrecker gasped, seeing the absolutely monumental wolf appear from between the surrounding rocks. It was a couple of feet taller than himself, which made him even more uneasy.
It snarled, baring its teeth at the boys as it began to circle you. Hunter grabbed his gun on reflex, but when he went to shoot the wolf, the gun jammed.
“What the?” He pulled the trigger again, but no blast came.
The wolf stared at him as another appeared, and then another! Five wolves in total began to walk in circles around you as you sat with the tooka almost unaware of their presence.
Then, to everyone’s utter shock, the wolf spoke, “I know why you have come to this place.”
“Holy Kark,” Wrecker shook his head, thinking he was imagining things.
“I know why you have brought this female here,” he said, looking in your direction, seeing you still in the trance. The wolf’s baritone voice sent chills down Hunter’s spine.
“We just want to know if she’s okay,” Hunter stepped forward pleadingly.
“Very few Jedi have found this place,” the wolf growled, “How is it you have found this place?”
“I’ve been here before,” Echo offered, “My General was a Jedi; he brought his Padawan here many years ago.”
“The Force has led you here,” the wolf continued his prowl, “This female is much more connected to the Force than you may have believed.”
“She’s Jedi?” Hunter asked.
“No,” the Wolf shook his head.
You felt your body grow weak, and you slumped to your side before lying down in the center of the rock monument.
“Y/N!” Hunter wanted to rush to your side, but the Wolves snapped at him, forcing him back or else he’d be met with sharp white fangs.
“Please! She’s sick!” The Sergeant was starting to feel himself get sick from worry. Watching you lay there was sending his instincts into overdrive… he felt helpless for the first time in his life.
“Young Y/N is not sick,” the wolf halted his prowl, and the others followed suit. They took a seat on their haunches, facing you like guardian angels.
“Then what’s wrong with her?” Tech demanded.
“Your people call her Ori’Sol,” the wolf rumbled.
They looked to Tech, “It’s Mando’a for many.” The pilot informed.
“We weren’t raised with our kind,” Hunter shook his head, “We don’t know who Ori’Sol is.”
The wolf stared at him with deep piercing eyes, “The first Ori’Sol was an ancient Jedi named Kaj. She was an omega, such as your mate. While omegas and alphas desire monogamy, her Jedi ways forced her to detach from these desires, and she split her soul bond into many pieces. Through her mastery of the Force, she accomplished this,” the wolf looked down at your small frame, “Thus the ancient line of Ori’Sol was born. This female is a descendant of Kaj, ten thousand generations later.”
“So what does that mean?” Hunter shook his head, trying to understand how this relates.
“Ori’Sol have the ability to have many mates, as did Kaj. It would seem her soul has already chosen before her mind and body.”
“Our brother, Crosshair?” Hunter clarified.
“He is one,” the wolf tilted his head, “But there appears to be more.”
“What do we have to do to help her?” Hunter’s worry was growing.
“We will help her now,” the wolf looked to the others surrounding her, “Sever this premature bond, but be warned, this female has a tumultuous story filled with many trials and tribulations.”
“Will it hurt her or Crosshair?” Tech asked.
“No harm will come to your mate,” the wolves all lowered themselves down onto their elbows and paws. They bowed their heads, and you rolled onto your back, looking up at the sky.
Then the brightest of white light appeared overhead, and your lithe form began to hover in the air with the power of the force. 
The boys all stared in pure astonishment. Wrecker let out an audible gasp. 
The wolves continued their Force magic, lifting your body higher as more and more light flooded in. Then all of the ancient carvings lit up with that same light, causing the boys to close their eyes or risk going blind. They shielded themselves from the brightness, flinching as it peaked.
Then in a blink, the light vanished.
The boys opened their eyes, adjusting to the sudden darkness. When they looked around, it was no longer mid-day; overhead, the night sky shone bright with twinkling stars, and your form lay alone in the center of the clearing still on your side.
There were no longer any wolves or tookas, just the five of you alone in the Lothal wilderness.
“Y/N!” Hunter ran forward, kneeling down at your side, rolling you over onto your back, and feeling for a pulse. You groaned, feeling his hands poking around your neck frantically.
Hunter sighed with relief.
Tech pulled out his datapad to scan your temp, “Back to normal.”
“Did they do it?” Wrecker asked, leaning over you, “They fixed Pip?”
“Hold on, Wrecker, let her wake up first,” Echo urged.
You blinked open your eyes slowly, adjusting to the fact it was now nighttime. You took a deep gasp in, sitting upright suddenly.
“You okay?” Echo knelt in front of you.
“What was that?” You touched your chest, feeling slightly… empty? It was a strange feeling. Where the agonizing pain was, there was just… nothing. It felt kind of like a hole in your chest.
“The Force,” Echo nodded, “Good enough for you?” He looked at Tech.
“Fine, I concede. Next time we see a white tooka, we follow it,” Tech rolled his eyes.
“A white tooka?” You asked, using Hunter’s shoulder to help you stand up, getting used to standing up again on your own two feet.
“Yeah, Pip,” Wrecker scratched the back of his head, “There was a white tooka that brought us here, and then these massive talking wolves healed you.”
You just looked at Wrecker like he had grown three heads before looking at the others.
“He’s telling the truth,” Hunter shrugged.
“No kriffin' way,” you swatted at your white torn clothes, trying to dust yourself off.
“No shit,” Echo laughed, “Now that has to be the strangest thing I’ve ever seen.” He punched Wrecker, “I told you guys.”
“You were, in fact, correct, Echo,” Tech nodded.
“Hah!” Echo jeered, “Write that down!”
“Ugh,” Tech groaned before pulling out his datapad, trying to retrace their steps.
“Let’s get back to the ship,” Hunter turned back the way they came.
“You feeling better?” Wrecker nudged you.
You smiled, “Yeah. I feel normal again.”
“Good!” He smiled, ushering for you to walk first.
“And we know you’re not a Jedi!” Echo laughed.
You scrunched your brows, “What?”
“We’ll tell you about it back on the ship,” Hunter shook his head, leading the expedition.
“I feel like I missed a lot,” you sighed, stepping over a large rock.
“Oh yeah,” Echo replied, pushing you up onto a rock that was a little too tall.
“Ugh why can’t things ever just go smoothly?” You growled, hauling yourself up to swing your leg up.
“Because that’s not the way our lives are written,” Echo joked.
“Then I need to speak to the author,” you slid down the other side, almost plummeting into Hunter.
“Alright, it’s a quick walk once we hit the grasslands,” Hunter said, squeezing through a narrow pass.
“Sounds good,” you sighed, “I’m hungry.”
“You and me both!” Wrecker’s boisterous voice echoed between the rocks.
You trailed after Hunter, following him back the same way they came. Reaching out, you ran your fingers through the dancing grasses, feeling the smooth leaves stroke your hands. Looking out around you, there was nothing but rolling hills and the Marauder in sight. Even under the night sky, Lothal’s moon lit up the land with silvery white light. It was beautiful, you thought. You heard the chittering of wild loth cats in the distance, settling in for the night while you finally could see the ship getting closer.
Feeling a particularly strong gust of wind blow past your face, you briefly looked behind you back at the rocky mountains. Wrecker, Tech, and Echo turned to look at what you were looking at, but like you, saw nothing but grey rocks.
“Let’s make some dinner,” Hunter said, opening the hatch and allowing you to climb in first. You stepped inside, smelling the lingering scent of your distress from earlier and turned up your nose.
“I’ll start dinner, but someone explain to me what just happened out there,” you grabbed a pan off the wire rack and set it down on the electro burner.
“Well…” Hunter looked to the others, “You fell asleep on that sun stone. Then that white tooka appeared. You followed it for a while all the way to a clearing in the stones. Then five giant wolves appeared. They told us why you were experiencing that sickness, and then they healed you.”
“It was like a giant ball of light!” Wrecker waved his hands around, “Like a small sun! And you were floating in the air! And the wolves could talk!”
You looked at him with wide eyes, “I floated?”
They nodded their heads.
“Anything else?” You asked, ripping open the ration pack and putting the contents into the pan to heat it up.
“No… that pretty much covers it,” Echo set his helmet down and started peeling his armor off.
“Fascinating,” you said, still in a bit of disbelief, “So what was the reasoning for the sickness in the first place?”
You watched them look at each other, exchanging looks of trepidation. It seemed like they were trying their best to choose their words carefully.
“Mesh’la,” Hunter began, “It would seem your lineage is very, very old. On Mandalore, our people have a word for those in your line…”
You raised a brow.
“Ori’Sol,” he said, sitting down at the table bench, “The loth wolves told us that they knew why we had brought you to them. They told us you were Ori’Sol. Your lineage goes back to ancient Jedi. They didn’t seem surprised you were feeling this sickness.”
“What is Ori’Sol? Am I Mandalorian like you?” You asked, setting down your stirring spoon.
“No, well, I don’t think you are,” Tech corrected, “Ori’Sol is an old legend from our people. It’s a story about an ancient Jedi who had many alphas and many pups. She had started many lines of omegas with the same ability. They spread all throughout the galaxy over many generations.” He had been researching on your walk back, you realized.
You were still confused, “So what? Am I part of this lineage?”
“It would seem, you’re an Ori’Sol Omega. Very rare in our designations,” Tech explained, “It means you can have many mates.”
“The wolves said you were sick because your soul had already chosen Crosshair as a mate despite no bite,” Echo said.
“What?” You shook your head with a laugh, “That doesn’t make any sense. Crosshair isn’t my mate.”
“It doesn’t really seem to make a difference. It’s more like your soul chose him as a mate,” Hunter explained, “Which also means that if the same rules apply, so did he.”
"That's why you felt the pain of the betrayal after Order 66," Tech pointed out. You just stood there, confused, jaw hanging open, flabbergasted. "How is that even possible?"
"I'm assuming that's why Crosshair had to be tortured. He was fighting the clone programming, trying to save you," Tech nodded.
You felt tears welling up in your eyes. Quickly wiping them away, you took a deep breath to center yourself. "Okay, but I know he's not my mate... he doesn't smell any different like everyone says a mate does."
"I think it's one-sided with an Ori'Sol," Hunter thought. "That makes the most sense as you smell very unique to us."
"Fives said even you smelled good to him," Tech typed into his datapad, looking for an answer. "What if an Ori'Sol carries the unique scent to attract many different alphas instead of just the fated singular partner?"
"Uh, this is getting more confusing," Wrecker plopped down next to you while you continued to cook.
"This is just a hypothesis," you shook your head. "I've never even heard of Ori'Sol Omegas before."
"Not many have," Tech said, scrolling through information. "It seems a lot of them have historically been executed."
"Oh, great," you sighed, picking up a plate to dump the steaming contents of food onto for Wrecker.
"Except on Mandalore," Tech showed you his datapad.
You read through the explanation. Since Mandalore had many matriarchal practices, Ori'Sol omegas were considered great gifts to society. Their unique nature was seen as a blessing from the gods.
"Hmm," you ripped open a packet of freeze-dried vegetables and started rehydrating them.
"Pip is a blessing," Wrecker crushed you into a hug. You squeaked before going limp. Wrecker smiled and put you back down on your feet with a kiss to your head. You looked at them as they stayed standing there, looking like they still had something else to say.
"Spill it before I make Echo tell me," you pointed a spoon in their direction.
Hunter swallowed and looked to Tech.
Tech pushed up his goggles. "The last part of the interaction with the loth wolves revealed that you also view... us," he gestured to his brothers, "as your mates."
You felt the blush creeping up on your cheeks then looked down to the food, continuing to turn them over in the sizzling pan.
"Anything else?" you coughed, feeling Wrecker staring into your soul.
"And the wolf told us to take care of you," Hunter whispered. "To take care of our mate."
You looked up at him. Did that mean... no...
"Your soul chose us mesh'la, but it seems ours chose yours too," Hunter crossed his arms over his broad chest.
You turned off the burner and set down the spoon starting to feel your heart race. Hunter perked up hearing the change in speed.
"I don't even know what to say," you sat down, running a hand through your hair, feeling stress flooding your system. "That means we're mated? I don't understand… If I leave your sides, am I going to, like, die? What if something happens to one of you? Oh my god. Is that why they had to put me into stasis while you were off-planet? Oh my god... oh my god!" You stood up abruptly, "Crosshair's never going to stop searching for me... He's going to go fucking feral!" You squeaked. "He's probably coming right now!”
Echo stood up. "Relax, there's no way he knows where we are."
"But I've seen him track his targets. He's almost as good at it as Hunter," you whined. "It's only a matter of time!”
"Y/N, please calm down," Tech sighed. "You're going to faint again."
You let out a stressed cry before starting to pace in a circle. "What exactly did the wolves do to fix the bond?” You touched your sternum, “It feels empty in here.” 
Hunter looked down at the ground, knowing you weren't going to like the answer. "They severed it," he said with an exhale.
You shrieked. "He's going to think I'm dead! If there's a bond, he would have felt it! He's going to hunt you all down to the ends of the galaxy!" This was so royally bad. Crosshair was definitely losing his damn mind right now. Probably tearing apart Tapoca city and murdering everyone in sight as we speak.
"We can handle Crosshair," Hunter reassured. "You need to try to calm down or you'll faint like Tech said."
You forced yourself to sit back down.
"What about the Empire?" you looked at them frantically. "They know! And they wanted me for something. They let Crosshair be around me... and Tarkin! They know exactly what I am."
"We still need to figure out what that might be, but maybe it won't matter if we just lay low and stay out of the way of the Empire," Wrecker suggested.
"And where could we possibly do that?" you growled, pushing your palms to your forehead. "They're everywhere. You guys don't even have any credits!"
They blanked, realizing this might be a little more difficult than they had realized.
"Oh my god! My credits!" you stood up. "We have to go to a banking system right now! I have to pull out all my credits before the Empire seizes them." You stole Tech's datapad from his hand to start searching for places. "If they're coming after me, or if Crosshair is, they'll know where I am when I pull the money. We'll have to leave quickly and hide somewhere fast."
"Assuming they haven't changed the currency," Tech noted. "If that's the case, then I think your credits may not be as valuable."
"Regardless, we have to do this fast," you nodded to the ship console. "Get it going or whatever Hunter says."
They looked to Hunter, who repeated the same gesture, and they sprung into action.
"What system has your same banking union?" Tech asked, taking back his datapad. "Ord Mantel?" He scowled.
"It's the closest, and yeah, my bank is a little sus. That's what happens when you grow up dirt-poor on Coruscant," you crossed your arms defensively.
"Ord Mantel it is," Tech punched in the coordinate codes.
Hunter wrapped a hand around your bicep, guiding you into the bunks. You allowed him to drag you through the ship before stepping aside away from his brothers. "Don't think I'm just going to let you gloss over the fact that we're mates," he cornered you, pressing you against the wall of his bunk. 
You pressed your hands to his chest and looked up at him as he caged you in. Your heart continued to race but the adoring look in his eyes started to dull the panic. 
"I don't even know what to say or think, Hunter..." you looked down suddenly, too overwhelmed by his intense eyes. "This is just happening so fast."
"I literally witnessed the craziest shit of my life today, only to confirm that you are, in fact, made for me," he gently gripped your chin, lifting it to force you to look at him. "We can take it at whatever pace you want, mesh'la, but I'm never, ever letting you go.” He vowed.
You struggled to breathe; he was making you feel warm and tingly. "I just want it all to happen naturally. There isn't exactly a handbook for this particular situation."
He chuckled. "Wouldn't that be nice?"
"The universe is changing so fast... and—" you croaked, "and Cross..." Your heart ached just a tinge, "This isn't the situation I imagined when picturing my future with my husband."
"I don't think it was for any of us," he agreed, "We kind of just came to terms with the fact we'd probably die on the battlefield. I never thought we'd be here now, but as shitty as it is, I wouldn't change it for the world as long as I get to have met you." He nuzzled the side of your head.
"I wouldn't change it either, Hunter," you sighed, "I just don't even know how to handle this. Like, are you all okay with this? This is kind of crazy."
"I think my vod are fine with it," he let out a breathy laugh, "We've wanted you for much longer than all of this."
"Do you think the Ori'Sol thing is why you were all more inclined to share?" you wondered.
"Maybe," he nodded, "Clones have a tendency to share everything... even women," he smirked, "But this always felt a bit deeper, I think."
"You think the Force bonded our souls earlier than all of this?" you asked.
"Yeah," he smiled, "I do."
"I'd like to think that too," you smiled up at him. He returned the expression before leaning forwards to bring his lips to yours. You smiled into the kiss, letting him guide you.
This kiss was so much more different than the ones before. It was filled with so much love and emotion, you felt yourself flutter with excitement.
"Hey… Hey!" Wrecker burst into the room pouting as you two broke apart smiling.
"I want pip time," he reached for you, but Hunter shoved him away.
"She's not a toy, Wrek," he growled.
"I know," he crossed his arms, "She's our mate."
You shivered from the conviction in his voice. It felt so right to hear him call you that. It felt like you belonged. And you hadn't felt like that in a long while.
You felt the ship rumble as it lifted into the air. The trip to Ord Mantel wouldn't take long, according to Tech, which you were glad for. Time was of the essence.
You looked between Hunter and Wrecker, "So how does this work? How do I make sure you're all happy?"
Hunter crossed his arms, "We can make a schedule, so everyone gets their fair time with you on their own. We can start building relationships that way."
"Works for me," Wrecker agreed.
"And what about…" you pointed to your neck, specifically the gland there, "How does that work?"
"One bridge at a time," Hunter smiled, "Plus, I don't think we're ready for that big step yet, huh?"
You nodded, glad that was his answer. You were a little intimidated by a lifelong commitment like that, but then again, you didn't know if that even would apply to you in this circumstance.
An omega with multiple alphas? That's insane. This whole thing is insane...
"Can I have the first night?" Wrecker asked, making you smile at the lovey eyes he was giving you.
"We draw straws," Hunter rolled his eyes.
Wrecker groaned but relented. Fair is fair.
~~~
"You're seriously drawing straws?" Echo shook his head.
"Well, what else do you suggest?" Hunter held out his fist with the straws.
Echo just shut his mouth to let the sergeant carry on.
"Longest gets the first night, shortest gets third," he said, holding out his fist.
Tech drew, then Wrecker, leaving Hunter with the last one.
They all flipped over their palms, revealing the stick lengths.
Wrecker groaned; his was third.
You stifled a giggle at his forlorn expression.
Tech revealed his, then Hunter.
Hunter had the longest, and Tech had the middle.
So that was the order... eldest to youngest, how coincidental.
"So that's settled," you smirked, leaning into Echo. He just threw his scomp arm around your shoulder, watching Wrecker grovel for Tech's night instead. You laughed, feeling the first semblance of normalcy again... even the nagging reminder of Crosshair settled in the back of your mind giving you a moment of peace.
Echo then whipped around, hearing the telltale chime that you were exiting hyperspace, "On approach," he said, sitting back down in his chair with Tech.
"Ord Mantel, everyone," Echo said, directing Tech to the nearest empty spaceport.
The Marauder was set down gently, and the five of you exited the ship. You threw the last few remaining credits you had at the port owner before taking off into the unfamiliar city.
"The bank should be just up here," Tech directed everyone to a seedy-looking building.
"That doesn't look like a bank," you raised a brow.
"It would appear to be a local dive bar, but it says here that the owner has a money transfer machine inside," Tech replied.
"Whatever works," you dug around in your bag, pulling your bank card out. Hunter entered first with Wrecker, while you followed behind with Echo and Tech.
The bar was dark and dingy, with two locals playing sabacc at a table, but other than that, the place was empty. You saw the money transfer machine in the back corner and made a beeline while the others checked out the bar.
While you were plugging in your banking info, Echo and Hunter settled at the counter.
“You know her credits won't hold us for long. The Republic doesn’t pay anyone very well,” Echo pointed out.
“It will be enough to get us on our feet. We’ll pick a low-key planet on the outer rim and find some land to keep her safe,” Hunter rested an elbow on the table, watching you carefully.
“You know he’ll come after you,” Echo said lowly. “She’s right, it’s only a matter of time. Especially if he thinks she’s dead.”
“He won’t be able to find us. We won’t leave a trail,” Hunter replied.
“What happens if she needs him?” Echo asked honestly. He was still worried you’d eventually turn sick again.
Hunter stared at his vod. “Then we’ll find him.”
“You make everything sound simple,” Echo shook his head. “Nothing about this is simple. What if this new empire decides they want her?”
“Then we’ll disappear,” Hunter stared at you. “I won't lose her, Echo. I can’t.”
Echo sighed as you came trotting over. You gave them a solemn shake of the head. “It didn’t work,” you groaned, “They already changed the currency.” 
Echo looked to Hunter.
“I hear you need some work,” a smiley voice caught all of your attention.
“And you are?” Echo deadpanned.
“The owner of this fine establishment,” the Trandoshan waved around. “I’m Cid,” she narrowed her yellow eyes. “You’re clones.”
Hunter furrowed his brow.
“I’m in need of some muscle. You guys complete this job for me, I’ll split the earnings 60% - $40,” she offered.
“What do we get out of this?” Tech asked. “We seem to be doing all the heavy lifting.”
“I don’t tell the Empire sweet-cheeks is here,” she pointed at you with her gangly claw, “and we both get paid.”
Hunter tensed. She must have overheard him talking to Echo at the bar. Kark.
“What’s the job?” Hunter asked skeptically knowing they are going to be in desperate need of some credits. 
“A rescue,” she pulled out a bar stool to sit. “I need you to find a kid named Muchi…”
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fgfluidity · 3 months
Text
mirror | manor (chapter 11)
Summary: After the events of Mirror | Void, a newly-christened Dark has two goals: take revenge on Mark, and, hopefully…
Find the DA.
Pairings: Damien/Dark x DA; Actor x DA (Implied, could be read as gen)
Warnings: none
Tagged: @opprose @volbeast @statictay @otterlyinluv @buc-eebarnes @flerpdederp @mirrorslament @hapikiou (if anyone else would like to be tagged hmu!)
i'm sorry this took almost three years to come out-
find it on ao3 | donate to my kofi
Dark knows the game.
Of course he does— he read the script.
He just expected them to see through it.
Then again... they haven’t seen through anything Mark’s done. They just don’t remember.
He can’t decide if that’s a blessing or a curse.
He sticks to the shadows as they approach, entirely too darling in what amounts to a burglar’s costume, as they wriggle their way inside.
Mark is his own brand of buffoon, and the ‘guards’ he hired match it to the letter, not a drop serious or truly threatening.
(“Sorry I didn’t message you first,” he says, brushing out bits of glass from his hair. “I tried to jam the cell signal and, um… it’s just broken.”)
Imbecile.
Even the dog is there, playing a role. How droll.
Even if she is a very good girl.
All throughout this, he watches for the guard’s radios, for a television screen, for— for anything that he might use to sway the DA, catch their attention without Mark noticing.
If he can just separate them—
The thing is, though, Mark is either ridiculously prepared for his planning, or is completely thoughtless about small, realistic details; throughout the entire museum, no guard has a radio, no wall has a screen.
Not ones that work, anyway— not a connection to anything remotely electromagnetic. Props at best. It’s the least technologically-advanced modern building Dark has been in since…
Well, since he left that manor, but that hardly counts.
The point stands that he’s unable to do much of anything but watch as the DA rolls their eyes and smiles at Mark’s antics, creeps quietly along while the man makes a fool of himself, face set and focused.
He’s seen that look. Pre-trial look. All business.
And they called him too serious all that time ago.
So fondly…
At any rate, their supposed treasure is both easy to get to and utterly unremarkable. A wooden case, carved but hardly special wood, the gem plastic even from his vantage point. A prop, like everything else.
And yet…
Mark lifts the box, and—
This is the end of the script. A successful heist, hightailing it out before they get caught, a seemingly-sincere thanks for help.
But there’s something. Like a little nudge, something like how he feels using the void, how the Earth seems to shift when the Host speaks creation.
The alarm trips.
Mark gives them a choice. Sneak out, or face the guards.
Perhaps... perhaps he overlooked. Perhaps he was given a working script, not the final draft.
Perhaps it’s another of Mark’s machinations.
There was no choice. Why is there a choice?
Why do they get a choice?
It doesn’t matter, really, because the DA picks exactly as he expected they would.
“We have to sneak out, it’s too dangerous, otherwise,” they say, just barely audible over the blaring alarm.
Mark’s face crumbles into a pout. “You’re no fun,” he whines— like a toddler; Dark half expects him to start stomping his feet— but he dutifully uncovers the sewer entrance, grumbling all the way.
The DA just watches, arms crossed. Petty.
They didn’t used to be so petty, but Mark deserves it, if anyone.
Dark very well understands that the entire thing is engineered, a massive staged undertaking to fool the DA and entertain an audience, unseen to his eyes but present all the same.
It doesn’t stop the trip through the sewers any less harrowing, doesn’t prevent him from using his unique position to draw attention away from the DA if ever they come a hair too close to getting caught.
It might be fake, but…
He doesn’t put it past Mark to introduce some very real danger. He’s a method actor, and he’d want his players to follow accordingly for maximum effect.
Dramatic ass.
They follow dutifully behind the entire way through the dark, though— and he notes it with a point of pride, one he chalks up to just how put out Mark seems— with a good amount of non-verbal sass. They cross their arms, roll their eyes, and stubbornly march right along behind Mark.
Not that Mark doesn’t try to get rid of them— oh, he tries to shake them like gum stuck to his shoe, and it’s a thrill to see him huff and grumble when they simply shake their head. He pouts— at several points! So very childish.
Then—
Hm. Unsurprising that the creator of this convoluted mess would whip up some way to surely remove them; if there’s one possible thing they’d listen to above anything else, it’s a worksite safety sign.
Not for lack of effort, though. “I… I really don’t know if we should split up, Mark,” they say, casting an uneasy glance back at the tunnel they just left. “I know it says only one, but if something happens—“
“Nothing’s going to happen! Nothing bad has happened even once!” His bright grin only gets a— astoundingly dry— look in return. It’s nearly impressive that he barrels on, anyway. “It’s for safety, buddy! You’re all about safety— and! We’re synchronized! In five minutes you just follow me over. Or I follow you, whichever.”
Mark gives them a once over, all while grinning, and if Dark wasn’t looking— wasn’t incensed at the familiarity— he wouldn’t have noticed, wouldn’t have cared. Alas.
It’s too… possessive. Too pleased.
He doesn’t need Damien in his head to stoke his rage, it seems, not anymore. The only thing that stops him is what Mark says next.
“You have a choice, sunflower.”
A choice. There it is again, more choices, as if giving them the power to change any of this. Giving them a say.
So they don’t feel trapped.
Aren’t they, though? If Mark wrote everything, created everything, what kind of choice is it?
However…
They glance back at the shadowy tunnel again, frowning, worrying at the sleeves of their top in a too-familiar pattern. If they turn back, they’ll be away from him. How far apart can they both get in five minutes?
How far apart do they need to be for him to intervene?
This is his chance. It may well be the only one he’ll get, and the margin of error is far too slim for his liking— he must get this right. He must say the right thing— and pray they don’t hate or fear him.
Thankfully, time goes a little off-kilter in the Void, or else he’d have to make a very quick plan.
He’ll have to ease them in. See what they could possibly remember from that night, prod what needs prodding. It’s an easy enough parlor trick to conjure up a memory these days.
After that… what could he say?
Damien— he— was never short for words in his past life. As mayor— as councilman, as law student, as debate captain, as his father’s son— he simply had to be good with them, and he was.
Not quite so smoothly charismatic as Mark, not as bombastic and warm as Wil, but— well, he didn’t make mayor through his familial connections, whatever certain parts of his constituency may have believed. He delivered his speeches, his debates, with calm strength, something personable but solid.
Hell, he—
He used to write them for fun. The person— people, really— standing right outside this pocket of Void once teased him.
How are you writing a paper now? Finals are over! Come on, live a little!
Even I don’t want to spend all summer in a library. Won’t you come with me? There are new flowers in the arboretum!
The memory comes unbidden, and throws him off-balance; thankfully, he doesn’t fall out of his incorporeal state or ruin any of his planning.
Such a memory… but how? That’s more of Damien’s—
He hasn’t heard him. Not since that agonizing split when he entered their dream.
Mayhaps they didn’t split.
Mayhaps—
“Well… if you’re sure, Mark,” they sigh, hardly thrilled at the idea. “But it has to be five minutes. If you disappear on me—“
“Relax! It’ll be okay, you’ll see me. Sheesh, you’re so serious.” Mark huffs— then straightens himself. Smiles, even as they turn away, towards Dark. “Yes, alright! You go down that tunnel, I’ll go down this tunnel. If you see anything, and I mean anything, you just turn that sweet little tuchus around and—“
He’s had about enough of that. With hardly more than a thought, he whisks Mark away elsewhere, wherever elsewhere may be, and rolls out his Hall of Memories.
And prays.
They used to pride themself on being unflappable, before, and he can see shades of it, now: their face remains the same, alert but not startled as they take in the paintings, the dust swirling in the beam of their flashlight.
He knew the truth of that, though, and it, too, remains; you need not look at their face for their feelings, but their hands.
Though one holds the flashlight, all ten fingers are in motion— tapping the length of the flashlight, curling and uncurling in their sleeve, the belt loop, the zippers and buttons of their bag. Moving for comfort, perhaps— certainly no expression of joy, as the rest of them is ramrod-straight, stiff with each step.
He longs— longs, what is happening to him— to say something to ease the anxiety, raise the darkness, but he can’t. This is no matter he can explain with soft, comforting words and a pot of tea. His powers aren’t of light at all.
They can, though, reach an electromagnetic signal, and now that they’re alone, he pushes through his thoughts.
Finally, you’re away from him. Aren’t you tired of it?
What?
He’s running you ragged. Don’t you feel like you’re running in circles?
That’s not what he said— not quite, anyway.
They won’t tell you anything. No one seems to question it.
Why can’t he change it?
I know you’re in there. But I thought you’d see through it.
The final painting, of the monster himself, grinning like a fool. It begins to crumble before them both— they step back, fingers tight around both phone and flashlight— and Dark gets a split second of pure dread before—
Before—
My villain. I wrote everything. Even you.
It’s not painful. It’s not— it’s not even close to the searing split of the dreamworld, nothing to the pain in his stolen body, nuts compared to his shattered leg almost a century ago. It doesn’t hurt at all.
He almost wishes it did.
“Same snake, different skin,” he muses, and something inside him quails at the sight of fear— truly, rare fear— in their eyes when they turn to take him in. “Always spinning his yarns, his webs, his lies.”
He means to say it. He means to say he’s nothing but a monster in human skin, that they’re being dragged one way or another at his whims— he doesn’t mean to sound so… angry. So—
Villainous.
He screams, though it doesn’t come out— not of this body. Instead, there’s the discomfort of a fragment, juddering, lashing void in every direction. He only keeps enough sense to keep it away from them.
Without him— without him!— his body paces, a smile too similar to Mark’s on his face. “Perhaps we’ve met a hundred times already, and you simply don’t remember it. Perhaps you’re tired of me repeating myself over and over and over and over again!”
He’s seen them a hundred times, but have they met? Has he said anything to them, his desperate wish for them to remember and leave simply that, a wish?
No. This is Mark’s doing, but he’s far from the only one with power. Dark pushes past the discomfort, past the fragments that shatter out of him, and tries to touch it. Tries to see what, exactly, controls him.
It’s a web.
Not unlike a spider’s, really, glimmering threads of words in several different directions, coalescing into bright points of light wherever they meet.
Ah, the choices. Planned for, then— prolonging the make-believe.
He sees an island man. He sees a brilliant scientist. He sees a pirate, an adventurer, a prisoner. He sees their end a dozen times, more, always coming back to the start.
He sees himself— but his point, his thread, is loose.
Not so in control now, are you, Mark?
They must know. They have to know.
With what little wriggle room he has, he reaches out— and changes a couple letters. One at each point. Nothing shifts, nothing breaks, but something is different— hopefully, different enough for his clever attorney to find.
They’re the sharpest he’s ever known. If anyone could, it’s them.
He settles back into his body, still speaking without him— without him!— and pacing before a desk. It doesn’t feel so wrong with his newfound confidence… in fact—
“You want answers.” He smiles to himself, happy to have control again, and for the hell of it, picks up the glass of wine— seemingly, so kindly provided for by the writer. “Well, games were always his forte.”
He’s not sure of the vintage, or even sure of the varietal, given the monochrome nature of his Void, but he takes a sip, anyway.
He tries hard not to gag, but can’t hide his wince. For all his budget, Mark hardly splurged on something decent, it seems.
Suppose that’s the loss of his wine cellar at work.
“But allow me this one moment of self indulgence.”
He sets the wine down. Neither of them will be partaking of it.
“Excuse me—“ 
He stops, holding the box— the conduit in this little foray into pretend— and looks at them from atop the desk. They’re— smiling a little. Not big, but it’s theirs, and if his heart still beat— “Yes?”
“Why’d you pick that wine if you didn’t like it?”
He wants to laugh. Oh, he wants to laugh at that, because in the face of— quite frankly— something frightening and beyond their control, they’re teasing it. He loves them.
He loves them.
“I didn’t,” he admits, truthfully. There’s something so warm in his chest, something he can’t prevent from showing on his face, so fond. “Sometimes we take what we’re given, for better or for worse. This game, for instance. This box.
“So much trouble, all for something so small.” He looks to them curiously, smile fading. “Do you want to know what’s inside this box?
“I didn’t imagine we’d have to be in sewers to get it,” they add dryly. “After all this, I definitely want to know, and it has to be something worth it, or else.”
He’d laugh at the thought, them tearing into Mark for dragging them over hill and dale, but he’s seen what lies ahead. They’ll have time to do it, and the nudging at his body indicates he’s rather short of time himself. “Well, I know how much you like a good game, so throughout your… adventures, I’ve hidden codes. Several codes. Find them all, and you’ll get your truth.”
They don’t look especially pleased at that, but the light comes into their eyes despite the slump of their shoulders— the light that kept them up all night with an encyclopedia or three, classes next morning be damned. “More games. Why am I not surprised?”
They eye him for a few long seconds, brow furrowed, even as the Void rumbles and sparks around them both. It’s too familiar, as if they’re reading him down to his core. “You aren’t Mark, are you? Not some character. But… you’re so familiar. Who… who are you?”
He could give them his name. It might spark something for them, kickstart whatever process they need to regain their memory of what happened. He wouldn’t even care if they screamed at him for all he put them through.
The Void, though, shakes and cracks, and he shakes his head with a slight frown and a mountain of regret. He has a modicum of control, still, but not fully. Not right now. “That’s all I’m going to give you.”
They open their mouth, but the Void winks them away, gone to their next run.
All he can do is sit and watch from here.
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