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minustwofingers · 9 months

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exoplanet part 7

pairing: ellie williams x fem!reader (she/her pronouns used)

series masterlist (read parts 1-6 here!)

summary: you’ve won the life lottery as one of the few people on earth with parents who gained admittance to the most prestigous safezone in the world after the outbreak. but after a lab accident sends you out to jackson, wyoming, real life hits you fast. it’s a good thing that a hot lesbian finds u. (lol). mean ellie at first, slowburn, enemies to friends to lovers, fem reader asf

warnings: stuck up awful rich people. mentions of: abortion (sowwy ** i can't write kids), homophobia, throwing up, general awful elitism, heavy drinking, implied minor character death, and we talk about stuff like unethical labor practices/basically slave labor. depictions of: violence, guns.

a/n: hey yall....sorry for taking literal months to write this. and sorry in advance for what you're about to read, since this is admittedly a little far removed from tlou. and i'm also sorry if this isn't what you guys are expecting—i know i made you wait a long time for this, so it was tough for me to finally get around to posting because i didn't want to disappoint anyone. also it was just sooo sad writing the last scene because i just didn't want it to end!! anywayyyy enjoy

wc: 14.6k (i know...i know...)

tags: @intrnetdoll @dazedshoon @lovecaraya @pctcr @sariyaflowr @loser-keiji @prettyplant0 @666findgod @sawaagyapong @rystarkov @buzzybuzzsposts @addisonnie @galacticstxrdust @elliesbabygirl @pinkazelma @ariianelle @lu002 @blairfox04 @sparkleswonderland @elliesflower @muthafuckingstargirl @elliewilliamsissubermommyoml @eviestevie-14 @quicksilversg1rl @guacala @crtcrp @overtrred28 @sugarqueencosmos @iriswalrus @chiao1209 @lovecaraya @thatgiraffefromtlou @alwayslongingforyou @thelastofshimmer

May 16th, 2029

Welcome to AskAI! Enter your questions below and I'll try my best to answer :)

How does Cordyceps spread?

Ophiocordyceps unilateralis is mostly commonly spread between humans by the medium of bodily fluids, though this was not always the case. In the early stages of the outbreak, most carriers were infected by the presence of Ophiocordyceps unilateralis spores in flour from a Jakartan mill. It is still unclear how the contamination occurred.

Is saliva included in bodily fluids that carry Cordyceps?

Yes, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis can be spread through human saliva. Other bodily fluids include blood, feces, mucus, and semen.

So if someone were to kiss someone infected with Cordyceps, would that person be infected too?

Yes, because Ophiocordyceps unilateralis can be spread through human saliva.

How long would it take before seeing symptoms?

If Ophiocordyceps unilateralis spores were to be introduced to an individual via mouth-to-mouth transmission, the approximate incubation window has been recorded to be no longer than 8 hours.

How long would it take to be detected by a standard testing device?

Our testers would detect the presence of Ophiocordyceps unilateralis within an hour after exposure. Note that this only refers to the conditions outside of Terranova. There has never been a detected case of Ophiocordyceps unilateralis in Terranova’s history.

Thank you.

You’re welcome! Please leave feedback on the AskAI Feedback Form if you have any ideas as to how I can improve <3

One year later

“And there’s no way we can skip?”

“You know the rules.”

Dina rolled her eyes and sighed as you two stood at the door of your parents’ penthouse, waiting to knock. “Maybe if you went and I said that I was sick or something.”

“They’d know you were lying.”

“They’d probably be happy if I missed dinner.”

“I don’t know if happy is something they can be,” you said. You tried to make it light and joking, but it came out with the heaviness of truth. “Plus, they’re not exactly thrilled with me either.”

“Not exactly thrilled” was the understatement of the century. Ever since you’d come home with a pregnant outsider toting a gun and covered in dirt, your parents had convinced themselves that you’d somehow become corrupted over your time living outside.

But Dina had it way worse. Your parents were so scandalized by her rugged ways and the fact that she’d gotten pregnant out of wedlock that they’d nearly fainted upon realizing you were advocating for her Terranovan citizenship.

You both had had the good fortune of avoiding any further tense interactions with them for the last few months, but that morning you’d awoken to an email that contained an invitation to their home for dinner. It was noted that Dina had to attend.

So here you two were. Dressed in uncomfortable, stiff clothes and nervously twiddling your thumbs.

“You’re going to be fine,” you promised Dina. It sounded like a lie. “I’ll do most of the talking, okay?”

“If you say so.”

You rang the doorbell.

It took just a few moments before the door swung open.

“Hi Chris!” you greeted, plastering a smile on your face.

Your family housekeeper smiled back with a neutral warmth. She looked slightly thinner than you remembered when you saw her last just a few months ago. “Hello. Miss Dina, please remember to keep your shoes on this time.”

Dina flushed bright red. The last time she’d come over for dinner, she’d taken her shoes off and had been given a very stern lecture by your mother about how improper stockinged feet were for dinner. “Of course not, ma’am.”

You sent her an apologetic look and stepped inside.

“Your parents are in the sitting room,” Chris told you as she took your coats.

You thanked her.

“Why don’t they ever come up to greet us themselves?” Dina whispered to you.

You shrugged. “No clue. They just never have. They probably don’t want to have to take a break from whatever stimulating conversation they’re having about the country club happenings.”

She snorted. All of a sudden, you were overwhelmed by a sense of gratitude for Dina and her spirit. After your family had essentially decided you were hopeless, family get-togethers had become torture. Dina was your lifeline.

As Chris had said, your parents were found lounging in the sitting room, your mother fanning herself with one hand and holding what looked to be a gin and tonic in the other, your father sitting across from her in a tastefully worn armchair.

“Girls,” your mother greeted. Her eyes looked flinty and flat. “How good of you to come. I was worried you’d lost your way.”

It was a classic Y/L/N insult for latecomers, but it was barely a minute past 6:30.

“The elevator wasn’t working,” you offered. “We had to take the stairs.”

“Hm. Well, come and sit. Petra can get you a drink.”

A tall girl who couldn’t have been much younger than you was standing at the other end of the room next to the bar. She had bright ginger hair that stood out starkly against the neutral beige of her uniform and a small, squatty nose. You’d never seen her before in your life.

“Is she new?” you asked.

“Who, Petra? Oh, I think so. It must’ve been…oh, I’m not sure. This March, I believe? What do you think, darling?”

“Around then.” The solid ice globe slid against the glass with a clink as your father answered, taking a long pull of his bourbon after.

“It’s nice to meet you,” said Dina politely.

Your mother let out a labored sigh. “Dear, I’m very glad to see you working on manners, but there’s no need to engage with the help.”

Dina didn’t answer, instead sending you a meaningful look.

“Well, not usually,” she continued. “Though it is appropriate to interact with them in matters that are considered strictly business. Take, for example, the fact that neither of you have managed to order a drink yet. Petra, come.”

You stared at your hands, folded tightly in your lap. If there was anything you hated more than your parents, it was how they treated the help. And, though you’d never say it out loud, you didn’t understand how two middle aged adults needed more than one full-time housekeeper on hand. Chris made sense. Petra was entirely unnecessary.

“We really don’t need anything,” you said to Petra when she was in front of you, looking rather pale. “But thank you.”

The tension in the air refused to dissipate, not even when you were relocated to the dining room and had the crutch of picking away at the three courses served to you.

Dina, having been thoroughly scolded by your mother the last time she dined with her, was clinical in choosing which utensil to use for each course.

Your mother babbled on and on about the country club and the book club. Your father occasionally butted in with a few dull, lifeless comments. There was something especially dead in his appearance, like he was running on zero sleep.

“You may be curious as to why I asked you two here today,” your mother said after the main course plates had been cleared. “First of all, I wanted to extend my congratulations to my daughter for graduating in just a few days.”

“Thank you,” you said stiffly.

“And more importantly—”

You resisted the urge to roll your eyes.

“—I wanted to announce that your father will finally be retiring,” she said. “He’s been working so hard for the last few years. Isn’t this wonderful?”

“That’s really great, Father,” you said, feigning a smile to hide your confusion. You hadn’t known that your father had even worked, much less hard enough to warrant a formal retirement.

“Thanks, dove,” he said.

“When’s your last day?” you pried, wondering if you could manage any more information out of him.

“This Friday.”

“Hm.” So much for that. You exchanged glances with Dina as Petra reappeared with a tray of small goblets filled with colorful globes of sorbet.

“You’ll both be expected to be in attendance at his retirement party,” Mother added. She was frowning deeper now.

“Even me?” said Dina.

“Yes.” She smiled tightly. “And please note that they’re unaware that we helped you through your…little problem. I can’t imagine why that would ever come up in conversation, but I would really prefer it didn’t.”

“Uh huh,” responded Dina, her eyes wide.

When Dina had arrived, your family had given her two options—have her child and give it up for adoption, or terminate the pregnancy then and there in secret. Refusing to comply would lead to your parents being entirely unwilling to sponsor her citizenship as it was far too unseemly to be an unmarried mother. Though it was clear your parents thought she was devastated by the prospect, she’d confided in you later that she hadn’t realized that that had been an option for her. She’d taken the second option without a second thought, telling you that she didn’t feel ready to be a mother.

The unfortunate part of it all was that your parents held this over her head on occasion, using it as leverage to make Dina feel like she owed them. Hence why she never felt entirely comfortable with telling them off.

That your parents had kept the abortion a secret was hardly a surprise. Abortion was one of those issues that no one liked to talk about. Though it wasn’t the hardest procedure to get, it was never publicly discussed. You’d never personally known of anyone who had gotten one before, but the clinic had been so full when you’d attended with Dina nearly a year ago that you were beginning to second guess that fact.

“Anyway,” said your mother lightly, “Darling, have you heard anything from the Thompsons recently?”

“Oh, no. I haven’t seen Richard in quite some time.”

“It’s funny you say that. Melanie was supposed to host the Garden Club party last week, and you’ll never believe what happened.”

“What, honey?” Your father stared dully at the tablecloth, entirely unengaged.

“When I stopped by, the rest of the girls were already there,” your mother said. “Just sitting out in front of her building looking very confused. I walked right up and asked what was going on—you know, now that I’m co-president, I need to keep things in order—”

“Yes, honey.”

“—And Angie tells me that they’ve been ringing her for ten minutes and she hasn't answered. I decided to give her a call, and straight to voicemail. So we all sat out there until it started raining. We never even got an apology text.”

“Oh,” said your father, looking a little more engaged. “Is that really?”

“Yes,” your mother said. The attention made her sit up straighter. “It absolutely was. It was incredibly inappropriate. I couldn’t believe it. And to think that she stole that hosting spot from me…”

“Do you know if she’s alright?” your father asked,

She shrugged. “I should hope not. That’s the only excuse she could have for what happened.”

“Hm.” Your father moved the melting sorbet around without clinking his spoon to the crystal. “It seems that quite a few of us have been dropping off the face of the Earth.”

“It must be because of the long winter,” you said diplomatically. “Too much darkness makes us all a little loony.”

Your mother raised a brow and hummed in assent. “I suppose so.”

“Is that why groceries are so expensive now?” you asked. It had become a new development. About 6 months after you and Dina had returned, the prices on the shelves had rocketed upwards.

“Something like that,” your father said vaguely.

“What does that mean?”

“Y/N,” your mother warned.

“It’s alright, dear,” your father said, waving his hand. “It’s really nothing interesting. Supplying this city has always had its challenges. This year just happens to be especially hard.”

“What kind of challenges?” pried Dina.

“Shipments are always difficult to orchestrate,” he said. “As is quality control. It’s nothing that we haven’t seen before. Prices will go back to usual within a few months. The pendulum always has to swing back.”

It was a saying he always used—the pendulum analogy.

Dessert wrapped up quickly. Your mother gave you the official date for your father’s retirement party and ironed out your graduation details, and before you knew it you and Dina were off into the night.

“Thank fucking god that’s over,” said Dina as you two trotted down the street to the metro.

“Tell me about it.” You zipped up your jacket to ward off the slight chill in the evening air. “I’m really sorry you had to deal with all of that. I appreciate you coming with me. I know they’re awful to you.”

“Well, they’ll be worse if I don’t go,” she responded, her eyes cloudy for a second. She was right. One misstep and they could have her citizenship and their financial sponsorship rescinded.

“True,” you conceded.

The metro was bustling with people as you and Dina hopped on to the yellow line that would take you to the university residences. It was modeled right after the Parisian metros, with its Art Nouveau signs and themed stops. There was only standing room, so you two clutched onto the stainless steel poles in the middle.

The doors made a groaning sound and a speaker crackled as the announcer came on.

“Doors closing. Please stand clear of the exits. This is an express train with service to University Park. Other stops include 25th Street and North Village. There will be no evening service to Rotingham.”

You and Dina seemed to come to an unspoken agreement to remain silent and process the hell that had been dinner with your parents as the train lurched forward into motion. You closed your eyes and would’ve rested your head against the handrail had it not been so gross.

The only fortunate thing about your parents was the fact that they were incredibly easy to get to, despite living on the other side of the city from the university. What would’ve normally taken 40 minutes with transfers was cut down to 15 with the use of an express train that ran right from the station outside of your apartment.

You had resolved to just sit in silence when the train came to a screeching halt.

Your eyes shot open, meeting Dina’s confused gaze.

The lights above flickered, then sputtered out to leave you in darkness.

There was a hushed silence amongst everyone in your train car.

“What’s going on?” Dina whispered to you.

“This happens sometimes,” you said quietly back, but it was sort of a lie. It wasn’t entirely uncommon for the lights to go out, but you’d never had it happen in tandem with a train stopping on the tracks before reaching a station. And especially not an express train…

The lights flickered on again, and there was a shared sense of relief as a few of the train’s occupants let out a shaky laugh.

“Thought we were going to have to walk!” said a ruddy looking old man sitting across from you. The car responded with polite chuckles.

“Apologies for the delay,” came a voice over the loudspeaker—a human voice, not an automated one. “There was a disturbance on the tracks that had to be dealt with. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Service will continue as usual.”

The train lurched back into movement, the dark walls of the tunnel moving past in a blur.

“That was weird,” Dina remarked once you two had gotten to your stop and were walking up to ground level.

“Yeah,” you said, frowning. “I didn’t want to tell you then because I didn’t want to freak you out, but normally express trains never stop, especially not at this time of night with less trains in service.”

“What qualifies as a disturbance on the tracks?”

“I have no clue,” you confessed. The sun was hovering just barely over the horizon, its last rays of light reflecting aggressively off of the skyscrapers in the distance from which you came. “Someone probably dropped something big like a suitcase onto the tracks and blocked the way. It happens.”

You were purposefully avoiding the elephant in the room—that it had probably been a person on the tracks. It wasn’t especially common—not nearly as common as you heard it was in places like New York before the outbreak—but it happened on occasion. Terranova wasn’t the best place for everyone.

“The Thompsons are Simon’s family, right?” Dina asked you. She had to raise her voice to be heard over the cheerful chatter of fellow university students socializing and drinking on the green next to the sidewalk.

“Yeah,” you said. You and Dina had occasionally hung out with Simon since returning. You noticed that Simon had really taken a liking to Dina, but neglected to mention it since his parents were actively attempting to arrange a marriage between him and some girl in the Art History program at your school. “Have you talked to him at all? I haven’t heard from him for a week or so.”

“Me neither.” Dina tightened the dark braid that fell over her shoulder as she walked, looking rather troubled. “I didn’t realize his parents were missing.”

“They’re probably fine,” you said. “I seriously wouldn’t worry about it. There’s nothing here that could hurt them.”

“You’re right,” she said. “I just forget that there’s no infected here sometimes. Like, tonight, I thought I was gonna have to start swinging on someone in the train when the power cut.”

“God, same.” You shivered. “It’s weird to know that we don’t have to worry about that anymore. But I think it’ll get easier with time.”

“Yeah,” said Dina, but she didn’t sound convinced. “Well, I’m going to text Simon and see if he’s alright. Or maybe call him. I’m sure he’ll know what happened.”

“Let me know what he says.” You’d ascended the steps up to your shared apartment and were slotting the key into the keyhole. “By the way, did I ever formally invite you to my graduation?”

“Not that I recall.” Dina followed you in and kicked her shoes off.

“Well, consider this your formal invitation,” you said, turning to grin at her. “It’s this Saturday. Be there or be square.”

“Will there be free food?”

“And anything you want to drink,” you told her, though you weren’t entirely sure of that fact. You’d only ever been to one graduation in your life, and that had been years before it was socially acceptable for you to drink anything beyond the odd glass of watered down wine—but you recalled a memory of particularly free-flowing champagne flutes being passed around.

“Consider me sold.”

You had to be going crazy. There was no way.

You entered the numbers back into the graphing software again. Then again. Then one more time, just to be sure you were seeing what you were seeing.

“Everything going alright over there?” asked old Professor Gunther, looking up from his grading and his steaming cup of tea.

“Um—” You blinked, hard, then looked back down at your calculations. “Professor, can you look at these for me? I think I must’ve made a mistake.”

“Of course, my dear.” He graciously accepted the notepad full of barely legible numbers that you came up to hand to him and adjusted the glasses on his face so he could squint more efficiently. “And what is this exactly?”

“I’ve been parsing through the data on that star—that K star you’d been watching for a while—and, um, I’ve noticed something.” Your voice shook nearly as much as your hand as you pointed to the scribbled numbers. “Can you, uh, graph these? And put them into a different program than StarBlast? And look at the spectra? It’s giving me what I think is—actually, I don’t know. You do it and I’ll show you what I got.”

“I’m confused about what you could have possibly done wrong,” he said, though he was already opening his own laptop and starting up a different program that you hadn’t used before because of how much you hated the GUI. “Did you try to parse it by hand to check?”

“Yes,” you said. “Horrible idea. Took me forever.”

“And you got the same result?”

“Yeah.”

“Hm.” He took off his glasses to wipe them off, then began typing in the data you’d emailed to him earlier for bookkeeping purposes. “Let me see what I have.”

The agonizing few minutes it took for him to enter him already had your mind spiraling with possibilities as the implications sunk in. If you were right—if this was right—everything was going to change in your field.

The spectra graph roared to life.

“Jesus Christ,” you heard your professor say. “Is this—”

“I think so,” you said. “I think so.”

What you two were looking at held more than one piece of crucial information. The first was nothing but basic calculations of a Doppler Shift that detected that there was a planet. Your calculations estimated its size at roughly the same as the Earth, with a similar orbital period and distance from its star that placed it in the habitable zone.

That wasn’t anything earth-shattering. There were plenty of Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone, implying that if the conditions were right, there was an environment conducive to organic life.

What was, however, were the spectra emissions that you were staring at, slack-jawed and skin prickling.

“Methane,” you whispered. “And oxygen. And phosphine.”

And not just a little—enough that it suggested biological processes that could only occur with the presence of life.

“I think you should finish writing this report,” Professor Gunther finally said.

You froze. “What?”

He turned to you, his glasses sliding down his bulbous nose and a kind smile on his face. “I’ve made enough discoveries in my life. This one is yours to claim.”

You were overcome with so much gratitude that you launched yourself at him, throwing your arms around his neck and hugging him tightly.

Gunther good-naturedly patted your back with the enthusiasm of a grandfather being pestered by his grandchildren. “This is your moment. Take it.”

“Thank you,” you said, pulling back with tears welling up in your eyes. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

He smiled again. “It’s truly my pleasure. I feel lucky to have had a student like you.”

“If you don’t stop, I’m going to start crying.”

“We can’t have that,” he said, standing up and handing you back your sheet of calculations. “You have work to do.”

You settled back into your work across from him, nearly buzzing with excitement as you finished typing up your findings. It would be a long process for the study to actually be published—long, painful, and undoubtedly draining—but it would be so worth it. You’d be the one who discovered a planet that (most likely) harbored life. For the first time in history.

Though you wouldn’t be publishing a paper any time soon, you still had to log the planet into the “global” (not exactly global given that there was no other place on Earth with the same technology as Terranova) database. And with that meant giving it a name.

In that moment, it was like time froze as the cursor blinked in the box. There was nothing but the blood rushing in your head, the dull hum of the fluorescent lights above, and the slight stickiness of the leather desk chair beneath you.

You gulped. It was standard in the department to name planets after the astronomer that discovered them. You’d never had a planet named after you before. You’d only ever crunched numbers that Gunther had given to you to analyze spectra emissions. This was the first time you’d ever actually discovered something that hadn’t already been logged before it had landed on your desk.

And yet…

You closed your eyes. Suddenly you were back in the meadow at Jackson, tracing the wisps of the Milky Way with your finger as you and Ellie talked about the constellations. You saw the childish excitement on her normally stern features when she held the moon rock for the first time. You saw the wonder in her eyes when you told her a new space fact that she’d never heard before. That she’d never had the opportunity to learn before.

Your fingers moved before you could stop them, quickly tapping out the name “Ellie” into the box and hitting the enter button.

For the rest of the day, you regretted it. You tried not to think of her anymore. It was something that you’d promised yourself you wouldn’t do after you spent the entirety of last summer miserable and doing nothing but turning over the memories in your mind until Dina made you do something with her.

It was difficult. You wanted to put it in the past, because you couldn’t think about her without thinking about how she probably wasn’t even alive anymore. Which didn’t make any sense. Nothing ever made any sense about Ellie. Even before you predicted she’d been bitten, she’d already been behaving erratically—not packing her things, not saying a real goodbye to Joel, catching more food than their small group of three could possibly need near the end. It was like she knew that she wouldn’t be able to go.

Which didn’t make any sense, because why go all that way knowing that it was for nothing?

Which made you think about how bizarre she was before leaving. How sad she seemed when she told you that she was going, like even then she knew that it wouldn’t happen.

And you hadn’t gotten sick from her, even though you should have. She’d kissed you long after she would’ve been bitten. And you knew from your frantic research upon arriving that you should have tested positive when Simon checked.

So why hadn’t you? And why had she?

It was things like this that could keep you up for days if you weren’t careful. It was awful, but sometimes you liked to believe that she had really been sick and had died shortly after. You had a vision of her killing herself before fully turning, and even though it hurt to imagine it, it was the most humane end of them all. If she was dead, then maybe there was an afterlife, and maybe a piece of her was watching over you. Maybe she was still with you. Maybe she finally was able to rest.

You hoped that little piece of her had seen her name the first planet with life after her.

A tiny smile crept across your face, but inside you felt devastated. You were going to mourn her again all day, like you always did when something reminded you of her. And you were probably going to dream of her, of her stupid grin and the way her hair felt when it tickled your face.

Pull it together you thought glumly. You had to be normal for your father’s retirement party that night, and you had just under 4 hours to do so.

“Ugh,” you said, staring at your phone as you stood with Dina near the door, both of you dolled up and ready to go to the party.

“That’s how I feel too,” said Dina. “I’m going to kill myself if anyone brings up anything about how hard my childhood must’ve been and how I’m doing such a good job adjusting one more time.”

“Ha,” you said. “Mom just texted me to tell me that we need to stop by theirs first.”

“Why? Aren’t they already at the venue?”

“Yeah,” you responded, wrinkling your nose. “But apparently she forgot her gift for him—some vintage Rolex she got restored for him.”

“A vintage what?”

“Stupidly overpriced wristwatch,” you explained.

It took less time than usual to get to their building. Despite it being at peak busy hour, the platforms seemed eerily empty.

“Is there some holiday going on?” Dina asked, sitting across from you so that you both had your own row of seats.

“Oh, I’m such an idiot,” you said, clapping your forehead with your hand. “Of course there is. That’s why my father held his retirement party today. It’s the first day of this festival that goes all week.”

“What’s it for?”

“I honestly don’t know the background,” you admitted. “Most people just use it as an excuse to get incredibly drunk. I think it has something to do with the founding. It’s, like, the only time that public intoxication is okay.”

“Damn,” said Dina thoughtfully.

“The trains will probably fill up on our way back,” you said, sighing. “Hopefully it won’t be too bad. Worst comes to worst we can walk.”

“It gets that bad?”

“There’s hardly standing room,” you said, recalling the last festival you’d been around for—the summer before you’d been catapulted to Jackson. “And it just reeks of drunk people. And you have to be really careful, because I hear the custodial staff has to work overtime to clean up all the vomit.”

“Gross,” said Dina. “And here I was thinking that it was just all being proper and mannerly.”

“Everyone has their limits,” you said lightly.

The penthouse felt just as oppressive as when you came for dinners, like you were walking into the lair of a dragon who was coming back at any moment. Chris was gone—likely participating in the festival herself—but you were surprised to see the figure of Petra bent in a corner as you entered, dusting the top shelf of their bookcase.

You and Dina politely greeted her before ascending the steps to your father’s office.

“Why did your Mom put it in here?” Dina asked as you began shuffling through papers to find the box that your mother had described over text.

“My father doesn’t work in here all too often,” you said, opening a few drawers and seeing no trace of the green and gold box. “He just uses it to file away things.”

“What does he do?”

“I actually have no clue,” you confessed. “He doesn’t talk about it, and I don’t ask.”

“Do you want to see if we can find out?” Dina asked with a conspiratorial raise of her eyebrow as she motioned towards the filing cabinets. “Just a quick look. They’ll never know that we were here.”

You took a moment to consider. If Chris had answered the door to let you two in, you would’ve told her that you couldn’t, because she would definitely snitch if she knew. But she was nowhere to be seen, and Petra looked like she was busy enough downstairs.

“Sure. Why not.”

The first few cabinets held nothing interesting—just spending reports and copies of contracts that were written in legalese.

“It looks like he works with whoever supplies this place,” remarked Dina as you two skimmed the papers and saw records of contacts all over the continent, from the old continental US and South America, each detailing something boring about shipping dates and inventory.

But then came the third cabinet, with papers dated back before you were born with what looked like sketches of barren looking buildings and hand-scrawled notes.

“What are these?” you breathed, laying them out on the ground.

“I think…” Dina squinted. “I think that these might be manufacturing plants?”

“Oh?” You dug further around in the cabinet to see if you could find any further illuminating evidence.

“Yeah,” said Dina, staring as she began to flip through the pages already on the floor. “Holy shit, dude. This is…sort of messed up. Look at how small these living quarters are.”

You peered over her shoulder to see the architectural sketches of what looked to be more of what you imagined a prison to be. There were long bunks stacked on top of each other in what looked to be a never ending line, the mattresses barely even large enough to be considered twins.

Someone cleared their throat behind you, and you nearly leapt.

“I hope I’m not interrupting,” said Petra. Her voice was low and raspy. You noted that it was the first time she’d ever spoken.

“Oh, uh—” You began to frantically gather the papers, hoping she hadn’t seen. Would she tell your parents? “Sorry if we disturbed your work. My parents, uh, they asked us to get something from—”

“It’s fine,” she interrupted, holding up a hand. “I won’t say anything.”

“Thank you.” You stared up at her steely green eyes, wondering what had compelled her to approach you and Dina. “Um, is there anything we can do to help you?”

“Don’t drink the bourbon,” she said, so quickly that it seemed to fluster her.

“What? Why?”

“Just don’t do it,” she said again. “Better yet, don’t drink anything except for the water.”

“I’m sorry,” you said, feeling genuinely apologetic. “I’m not sure if I understand.”

Something crossed over Dina’s face, and suddenly something in her seemed to shift. Her features paled. She knew something you didn’t.

“I came from one of those places,” Petra said, motioning to the diagrams that you were staring at. “They’re not—they’re not somewhere you want to be. We all try our best to come here. That’s what they tell us, you know. Do well enough and you’ll get sent to where everyone gets to live a life of grandeur and luxury. But they barely send anyone, and when they do, they get shitty positions like this.”

Your breath caught in your throat as your understanding slowly grew. Of course. How had you been so stupid to think that wealthy people were ever going to have any of their kind work any real job?

“You two were the ones who came from outside, right?” Petra continued. When you two nodded, she crouched next to you. “And you were wondering what was going on with the prices?”

You nodded again, awestruck.

“Your Dad’s little spiel on it being about bad weather is bullshit,” she said, her words hard. “People are getting tired of this. They’re realizing they’re never getting out. You know what it’s like out there—it’s scary. It’s tiring. So many people get sick, so many die. So when people finally caught onto the fact that the work they’re doing is nothing but dressed up slavery and that their chances of getting out are basically zero, they start doing things to mess with the system.”

“Like contaminating the products?” Even as she said it, it seemed like Dina already knew the answer.

Petra just gave you two a long look.

“So that’s what he meant by quality control,” you said, the realization hitting you.

“Among other things.”

“How long do you think we have?” asked Dina.

“Not very long at all.”

“You guys can’t be serious,” you said, nervous laughter catching in your chest. “Do you seriously mean that Terranova isn’t going to be around for much longer? Is that what you’re saying?”

Petra shrugged and stood up. “Believe whatever you want. But from where I stand, it looks like there’s only two possible ways out of this situation. That is, unless you guys all become farmers.”

“I don’t think I’m following,” you said.

“Two options,” Petra said, sighing heavily. “Either we starve or we don’t. And the latter means taking a really big fucking chance on what we bring in.”

“But the system has worked for so long,” you said, more to yourself than anyone else.

“Too long,” she amended. “It was never sustainable. Maybe if you people had been okay with just eating native plants and wildlife. Maybe if you people were okay with changing your way of life. But no, you just had to have your fucking oranges from Florida and your coffee from South America.”

“Don’t lump me into this,” said Dina. “I just got here.”

Petra laughed, but it was a hard and sharp sound. “Well, chances are you won’t be here for long.”

“Hang on,” you said. “We’re still doing quality control inspections. The most likely scenario is that we’re going to have to cut down on imports—not that we’re about to go up in flames any minute.”

“I hope you’re right about that,” she said in that voice that told you that she thought that you definitely weren’t and didn’t see the point in arguing further. “Anyways, I’ve got to finish working so I can get home before dark. Be careful, okay?”

“You too,” you said. “And thanks for…not saying anything.”

It was a bit presumptuous considering that Petra hadn’t really given you any good reason beyond her word that she wouldn’t mention you lurking in your father’s cabinets, so you and Dina were thorough in carefully placing each file back into the correct place, just in case.

“Do you really think what she said is true?” you asked once you and Dina had located the watch and were on the metro once again.

Dina shrugged. “I mean, it makes sense.”

“Does it?”

“Look,” said Dina. “I know that this might be hard for you to hear, but I’m pretty sure this place lives off of what’s basically slave labor. If there’s any humanity left in the world, I would like to think that Terranova would eventually fall.”

You swallowed hard, then blinked. For a moment you thought you were going to throw up. “I never knew. I didn’t realize.”

“Of course you didn’t.” Dina’s voice was surprisingly patient. “You were a kid. But you’re not anymore, so it’s time to grow up and face the music.”

“I don’t know what to do.”

“I don’t either.”

The two of you fell into a silence as the train sped past empty platforms bathed in shadows and you thought and thought and thought.

There was just too much happening today. First Gunther’s lab, then Ellie, now your entire worldview toppling.

As the train windows continued to blur the background of the tunnels and empty stations, your mind spun with reflections of your childhood—of you enjoying simple luxuries that you didn’t realize came at the expense of others. That you didn’t even think to ask about. You’d mindlessly trudged along, eating your exotic fruits and drinking your expensive tea and wearing clothes built from indulgent fabrics just because you could. Even when Dina had asked where the oranges came from all the way back in Jackson, you hadn’t let yourself wonder. You hadn’t let yourself consider the possibility that it was anything less than the sanitized fairyland that you’d been brought up in—perhaps because you knew all along.

And that made it even worse.

Dina seemed to understand, sending you a few glances without prodding.

“Do you think we need to leave?” you asked, your voice just barely a whisper.

“Us leaving isn’t going to do anything,” Dina said, like she’d been expecting it. “And how would we even do that? It’s not like we can just charter a helicopter again to drop us off back in Jackson.”

Something twisted inside of you. “Oh, God. You’re right. We couldn’t even leave if we tried.”

And you might have to try, a sinister voice inside you whispered. What if Petra was right about the contaminated products? What if they missed something when checking imports?

You’d never been taught how quickly the fungus spread in the original outbreak, and you knew little about the normal amount of time it would take any sort of disease to infect the entire population. But you did know how densely populated everything was. How reliant everything was on a few strictly maintained channels, like public transportation.

It wouldn’t be hard for it to all come crashing down, really. It would just take the right place at the right time and—

“Don’t freak out, Y/N.” Dina laid a hand on your shoulder. “We’ll figure something out if it comes to that.”

You smiled at her, grateful that you didn’t even have to put your words into thoughts. “But if we can’t leave, what do we do? It’s not like we can just sit by and do nothing.”

Dina pulled her bottom lip under her teeth, worrying it before answering. “I don’t really think that we have a choice. Right now, at least. I don’t know if there’s anything that just the two of us can do.”

“I’ll find more,” you said. “I’ll talk to my professors—my friends at university—Simon—”

“Do you think that we’re the only two that know about this?” asked Dina. “Because I really don’t. Maybe your friends don’t. But anyone in the military and anyone who was around when this was founded has got to know. They just don’t care enough.”

Something slowly iced over inside of you as the implications sunk in.

Gunther had probably known. No, scratch that—he definitely did. He was an academic who had been in his 30s when the world fell apart. Any adult would have asked the same questions that Dina had upon arrival.

“We’ll figure something out, I’m sure,” said Dina firmly. “Okay? Don’t worry.”

“Speaking of Simon,” you said, narrowing your eyes, “Did you ever get in touch with him? Is his family okay?”

“Oh, yeah.” said Dina. “He texted me back a bit ago. Said something about how he was just busy and that his family had been camping up in the mountains.”

You two faded into silence.

The retirement party came and went without much trouble. On the outside, at least. You were a mental wreck, barely able to keep it together as near strangers came up to you and expressed how much bigger you were since they’d seen you a decade and a half ago.

You noted with muted suspicion that Simon’s parents were nowhere to be seen amongst the crowd, not even by the lavishly decorated bar.

That night, you did dream of Ellie. It wasn’t the usual. Ellie wasn’t turning in front of you or bleeding or crying out in pain with a bite mark on her arm. She wasn’t yelling at you for failing her and letting her get bitten without even noticing. No; instead, she lay beside you in your meadow spot and talked to you.

And somehow that was so much worse.

“I named a planet after you,” you said, feeling hot tears pool at the seams of your eyes that you squeezed together to avoid sobbing. You knew you were dreaming. You always knew you were dreaming—seeing Ellie always seemed to prompt a degree of lucidity that was otherwise missing in your sleep.

“That’s really fucking sappy of you.”

“I miss you.” It came out like a compulsion, like you couldn’t stop it. “Are you here? Are you with me?”

“Y/N,” Ellie said, turning to look at you. The darkness made it difficult to see her whole face, but you could see the look of pity on her features in the gray-blue of the moonlight. “Of course I’m not here. Don’t be stupid. I’m dead.”

“Sometimes I wonder if you’re not. Like, if something happened.”

“Something did happen. I died.”

“Fuck you.”

She smiled sadly, and for a moment you thought her eyes looked more reflective than usual. “It’s not very helpful to think that way. And what can I tell you? I’m not even real.”

“I’d like you to try,” you whispered.

“Fine.” She sat up, pulling her legs into a lazy tangle as she looked at you. “What did you seriously expect, dude? You were never going to stay. I wasn’t going to go. If I hadn’t been bitten, I’m sure I would’ve orchestrated some way to get out of it. My family is back in Jackson. I liked you just fine, but you’re not my family. That shit’s deeper. Different.”

You opened your mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. The sharp pain in your chest faded into a cold sense of familiarity. Then, because she wasn’t real and there was no reason to feel embarrassed about bearing your emotions:

“You feel more like family than anyone here.”

“Then that sounds like a you problem,” said Ellie, flatly. “I’m not gonna let you guilt trip me like this. Boo fucking hoo, you grew up richer than everyone else on Earth and had to deal with strict parents. Do you realize what actual, real problems are? What about the people who make your lifestyle possible, huh? What about them?”

“I didn’t know.”

“Then you’re fucking stupid.”

The tears were streaming freely down your face now. “I would do anything to be back with you. I wanted to stay. I miss you so much. I don’t know what to do with myself without you.”

“And I’m sorry you have to deal with that.”

“Will you just say that you miss me too? You don’t have to mean it. I just want—I just want to hear it.”

“I can’t miss you. I’m not around anymore.”

Ellie watched as you curled in on yourself and sobbed so hard you thought you were going to be sick.

“You’re so weak,” she said after a few minutes. There was no venom in her tone. It was as if she was merely relaying something as inconsequential as the weather to you. “All you do is expect other people to care for you.”

Not real. Not real. Not real you repeated to yourself in your mind with growing franticness.

She wasn’t real. None of this was real. Ellie was never that affectionate with you, but this was another level. This was something personal.

“You said that being weak isn’t bad.”

“And you said that you were going to make sure I was going to get to Terranova.”

“And it’s not my fault that you decided to go gallivanting alone in the woods.”

“You could’ve tried harder.”

“I did as much as I could.”

“Sure you did.”

You bolted awake. The hair at the nape of your neck was wet with the slick of sweat. For a moment, you let yourself catch your breath, reorient yourself in your surroundings.

Your room. You were in your dorm room, with your space posters and your books. Ellie hadn’t been here. She hadn’t said that. You were okay.

A blaring noise jarred you as you realized that your alarm had made you wake up. Your alarm, because it was graduation day and you needed to be ready for a full day of festivities.

“Fuck,” you muttered, scrubbing your face with you hands. The last thing you wanted to do after this was have to see your parents and pretend like you like them for appearances.

She's gone. She's gone. She's gone you repeated in your head like a mantra. It was over. You shouldn’t have named that stupid planet after her, because she was gone and she always would be.

It would only be a matter of time until your parents would start asking you about your dating life, you realized as you brushed your teeth over the shiny white basin of your sink, the minty bubbles making your lips tingle. They’d been willing to entertain your reasoning of wanting to focus on your studies while you were at university, but you knew they’d been looking for prospective engagements behind your back.

It took you longer than usual to get ready, your mind wandering as you lingered in different corners of your apartment. You kept the lights off, opting to let the cool, gray daylight from the gloomy clouds wash the surfaces of your room.

“Hey,” said Dina, appearing from her own room and leaning against the doorframe.

“Good morning,” you greeted blandly, your attention on the necklace that just wouldn’t clasp around your neck.

“Looking spiffy,” she said. “By the way, did Simon say anything to you?”

“No.” You paused and turned to her, a frown on her face. As far as you were concerned, you really had no reason to be in contact with Simon beyond the general pleasantries.

“He just called me,” said Dina. “He seemed—I dunno. Like, weirdly frantic. He was saying that we need to stop by his.”

“His” was inconveniently on the opposite side of the city, even further past your parents’ place.

“Why? Pretty far for a short jaunt.”

“He was really insistent,” pressed Dina. Her long black curls were unruly, her skin sallow in a way you hadn’t seen in a while. She hadn’t been sleeping as well recently, it seemed, just like you since you’d spoken to Petra. “Maybe we should just stop by.”

“Did he say anything about why?”

“I tried to ask,” said Dina, frowning. “But the call dropped.”

“I hate how horrible service is in your room,” you said.

“Me too. Anyway, are we gonna see him?”

You shrugged. “I guess. We have some time. I’ll text him too just to see what’s going on.”

Dina was ready in just a few minutes, pulling a light blue sweatshirt over her shirt and stepping into her shoes.

“You look soooo cute,” she said, pinching your cheeks. “My little grad.”

You rolled your eyes, but the size of your smile ruined it.

For once in your life, you noticed that the university green outside of your apartment was suspiciously empty.

“Quiet,” Dina noted as you made your way to the metro. “It’s eerie.”

“People were probably partying all night,” you said. “Celebrating graduation and whatnot. I imagine everyone’s sleeping off a hangover instead of having to get up at the crack of dawn to voyage across the city.”

Dina held up her hands. “Gee. Sorry.”

The train was a little more populated. Some older Terranovans had newspapers cracked as they licked their fingers to turn the page. The silent hum of the train lulled you into another soliloquy as the tunnel plunged you into darkness.

You had to stop thinking about Ellie. You needed to move on, as awful as it was. You’d named a planet after her. She’d be forever remembered in the stars, and that should be enough. You didn’t need to keep dragging her memory behind you like a corpse, because she was dead and she was never coming back and she was—

On the platform?

Your mouth dropped as the doors of the train slowly rolled open to reveal a short girl with shoulder length auburn hair slowly ambling towards the platform. She was wearing a pale green short sleeve that had some sort of edgy spatter pattern on it—something that was very Ellie-esque. But something wasn’t…

It took you one breath to notice that neither of her bare arms had any tattoos. It took you another to see that what you had initially assumed to be a pattern was actually blood-soaked fabric formed from red rivelets that trickled from a wound on her neck.

“Holy fuck,” you whispered, grabbing Dina’s hand. “Do you see—”

“Everybody run!” Dina screamed, leaping up from the train seat and dragging you with her as she bolted off the train and to the opposite exit.

The girl wailed and barrelled towards the train car, her eyes locking onto the nervous movement of the passengers. You froze. It was slowly becoming obvious that this wasn’t Ellie, from the slightly different set of her eyes to the unfamiliar button nose. But it was hard to not feel anything but sympathy for the monster before you. She was just a girl, probably younger than you.

“Fucking go, Y/N,” Dina snapped, yanking you harder and onto the platform just as Not-Ellie leapt onto one of the newspaper readers. “It’s not her.”

She didn’t need to tell you twice. In seconds you two had sprinted to the mouth of the stairs, feet pummeling against the pavement as the sounds of the carnage unfolding behind you followed.

You ran. You didn’t stop running, not even when the screams faded and you and Dina were blocks and blocks away, hidden in an alley. Not even when your lungs were so empty and sore that they felt like they were breaths away from breaking, not even when you were sure there was nothing left inside you.

Dina kept your pace, blindly following your lead as you darted in between streets and side alleys until you reached your parents’ apartment.

“Do you think there’s more?” you managed to whisper through heaving voices once you stood on the steps.

You and Dina hadn’t ran into anyone after the metro, undead or alive.

“Not here,” hissed Dina. “Inside first. Then we evaluate after we’re safer.”

For a moment, the phantom dread from your normal life spilled over and you were afraid of facing your parents. It was almost laughable—there were deranged infected hosts looking to eat your flesh roaming the streets, and you were worried about seeing your parents.

“I’d almost prefer out here, too,” said Dina, looking as if she’d read your mind.

The apartment complex was also empty and eerily quiet as you two ascended the steps. Dina had insisted that you took the stairs, pointing out that the elevator was far too risky.

“It might get stuck,” she’d whispered as she’d pulled you away from pressing the button. “Also—unnecessary noise.”

You nodded wordlessly, following her up the steps until you reached the top floor.

Still no one to be seen.

The spare key was still hidden under the flower pot, and the penthouse door swung open easily. You and Dina locked it behind you before dragging a small bookcase in front of it, piling on books until no one could physically break through.

“Sweep the apartment,” Dina said lowly, reaching over to grab the fireplace poker that was in the entryway. “Behind me until you get a weapon.”

For a few tense moments, you cowered behind Dina as she navigated you both into the dark, empty kitchen. Every breath that left your lips was shaky and uneven. Your fingers trembled around the handle of the butcher’s knife that you’d retrieved from the block.

Nothing was on the first floor.

Nothing on the second floor, either. There was no sign of your parents anywhere. By all accounts, it seemed that they’d just up and left for coffee. Which is probably what they’d done, given that your father had just retired and had nothing better to do.

“Fucking thank god,” you’d cried out once you’d swept the last room, collapsing onto the sitting room sofa. “Jesus Christ, Dina. What the fuck. I can’t believe I just—”

The words petered out as the adrenaline rush that had been keeping you at least someone composed dissipated, leaving you a shaking and inconsolable mess.

“We’re so lucky that we got out in time,” said Dina, her eyes blurry and unfocused.

You took a break from your crying to look at her. “What?”

“The doors close automatically,” she said flatly. “No motion sensor. If that girl had shown up any later—if we hadn’t noticed her in time—”

“We would’ve been stuck on the train with her,” you said, cold realization trickling into you. “Oh my god. That probably happened to the people on the train who weren’t quick enough.”

“Or didn’t know any better,” Dina added. “Didn’t you say that no one here really understands what the infection is? That it makes people hosts?”

Your heart dropped. “We’re so fucked. We need to get out.”

“Have a plane anywhere?”

“Oh, god, Simon,” you wailed. “He was probably—he must’ve known—his parents must have—”

“Let’s not dwell,” said Dina firmly, brushing her hands off on her pants. “Okay. Let’s take inventory of the situation. That girl likely wasn’t patient zero. Wherever she came from was around…8th street?”

You nodded.

“Right. 8th street, which is where the majority of non-student residential living spaces are. Chances are that if it wasn’t already, it’s all over that area. We came south, which is away from the most densely populated area and probably why we haven’t seen anyone else. We’re up high with what seems to be currently running water, no current activity in the building, and plenty of both perishable and nonperishable food.

“But this isn’t permanent. The power grid is going to fail soon, and plumbing is likely going to go next. And if we somehow make it long enough, any infected in the building are going to turn into clickers, and they’ll stop at nothing to get in. Our window is limited. If we wait to get out, they’re going to get stronger and grow in numbers. We need to play this right.”

“So what you’re saying is that if there’s any possible chance of escape,” you said, feeling the blood drain from your face, “That we need to take it.”

Dina nodded, her face hard.

“How long do you think we have until we have to make that choice?”

She winced. “Probably 2 hours ago. There’s likely enough infected scattered around the city after the metro incident that it’s all over now.”

Your stomach dropped.

“But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try,” said Dina. “It’s only going to get worse the longer we wait. So if that big fancy scientist brain of yours has any genius plans of how to get us out, please hurry it up and say so.”

“Well,” you said, your mouth dry as you brainstormed aloud, “We are at the southern tip of the city. We’re probably not all that far from the border. The problem would be getting across—and, of course, getting there in the first place. It’s designed to be deceptive so that raiders can’t find it.”

“We’re not going to cross the border,” said Dina. “We’re never getting across on foot unless it’s been destroyed. Simon told me about how it works. There’s quite literally zero chance unless we start tunneling underground.”

“So no crossing on foot,” you said weakly. “Noted. Well. Uh. Can you fly a plane?”

“Depends. Do you have one?”

You buried your face in your hands.

“Come on, Y/N. Think. There has to be another option.”

Another option. Another option. Think, think, think…

Scientist brain. Science.

Like your degree. Like the lab you’d been working in last year. Like the ill-fated experiment that you’d scrapped after the university cut funding for it after your accident.

Like the time that you’d actually succeeded in inventing teleportation, even if it was accidental.

Like the contraption that was likely gathering dust in an unlocked lab room just a few blocks away.

“Dina,” you said, “I’ve got it. But I need you to get me to Gunther’s lab.”

The only good thing about today was the fact that Gunther’s lab, which was normally an inconvenient train ride away from your apartment, was in fact within perfectly reasonable walking distance from your parents’.

There were many bad things, though. Namely the infected now roaming the streets. And the plumes of smoke rising in the distance, suggesting that the Terranovan authorities were attempting to quell the issue the old-fashioned way.

With two knives and a pistol in your hand (you’d never been more happy to see something actually useful in your father’s antique collection), you were at least feeling more prepared to slowly creep back down the staircase of the building and out onto the streets.

For the first two blocks, everything remained uneventful. You and Dina stuck close to the shadows, being careful not to speak, make any noise, or bump into anything noisy.

Then a girl that looked somewhat familiar to you came stumbling around the corner, cloudy orange saliva dripping from her ashen lips. She locked onto you and began to excitedly chitter, her jerky movements becoming more pointed as she started approaching.

“Knife,” Dina whispered, flicking your arm once she saw you raise your pistol. “Too loud.”

It was your first kill without the help of a bullet. As the blade slid across the throat of the girl, you realized where you recognized her from—she’d been one of the students you’d tutored back in high school. You’d always liked her. Her name had been Liesel, and she was one of your best pupils. She’d been so bright. You thought she’d end up skipping senior year and just coming with you to college.

Not anymore. You tried not to think too hard about the look you’d seen in her eyes right as you severed her carotid artery—something human, something cognisant. You couldn’t cope with what that implied.

Did Ellie look like that? No, surely not. It’d been over a year. She was likely a clicker by now, her freckled face entirely swallowed by the spore shards. But was she still in there, like Liesel had been?

The next ones were easier—random men whose eyes remained flat and flinty even as you sent them to their ends. By the time you and Dina had broken into Gunther’s lab, you were splattered in blood and assorted mystery fluids.

The sterile building was empty and deathly silent. Each step on the tiled floor echoed, the fluorescent lighting painfully bright.

“Are there any workers in here usually?” Dina asked, her voice low.

“Rarely,” you whispered back. “It’s normally totally empty beside me or Gunther.”

“I hope you’re right.”

A long screeching that sounded like it came from a few doors down made you freeze.

“Let’s move,” Dina said under her breath. “I don’t want to find out who that is.”

Gunther’s lab was nearly just as you remembered it. The only difference was the missing files on his desk, which suggested that he’d taken his work home with him.

As you’d hoped, the prototype you’d developed in your third year was under a white sheet, almost entirely untouched.

“This is what sent you to Jackson?” Dina whispered in wonder, her fingers hovering over the wires but not daring to touch.

In actuality, it was a very small contraption, just transistors and gates and wires that crossed over each other like veins. It had been intended for use on laboratory rats. It’d never been sized to people. But if this was your only shot…

“I can’t remember exactly what Gunther and I did to—”

Scratchhhhhh.

Your blood ran cold. Something was outside the door.

“I’ll cover it,” said Dina, her voice firm. Don’t worry.”

And you wouldn’t—not when there was one zombie against you and Dina, armed to the teeth.

“Uh, anyway—” You blinked as you stared down at the mess of wires. “Technically what happened was it short-circuit—”

Scratch scratch scratch

You gulped. “Um, like I was saying, it short—”

Scratchscratchscratchscratch

To punctuate the point, the door creaked and shifted.

Dina pressed her finger to her lips as she slowly crept over to the door, standing on her toes to look through the thin strip of plexiglass that ran across the top of the door.

For a moment, you thought that she’d frozen. Then she quietly stepped over to the desk, snatched the pen Gunther had lying around, and scribbled something onto it. She handed it to you, her finger still posed over her lips.

7 of them. All big. I think they followed us from the street.

Just as you finished reading it, the doorknob began to turn, back and forth and back and forth against the lock.

Dina pulled the note from your fingers to scribble something else out.

Don't say anything. Noise will send them into a feeding frenzy. Door won't hold long. Do whatever you need to fix it and get us out.

You nodded, your heart crawling in your throat. If you couldn’t figure out how to fix this in time…Gunther’s lab was on the 6th floor.

There were only 3 bullets in the pistol—you’d checked. And a kitchen knife was fine when you were out on the street facing one infected at a time, but 7 in an enclosed space was different.

You probably weren’t going to get out of here alive.

Not unless you pulled it together right now.

You pinched the bridge of your nose as you tried to run through all possible ways to recreate the conditions that had sent you to Jackson. You needed that special iridescent wire, which you could see shoved into the corner. You needed a power source. You needed a working circuit board.

You had all of it. You could do this.

SIlently, you retrieved the spool of wire and began reattaching it to the board in the pattern you vaguely recalled from your work.

The lights flickered above, and it was all you could do to keep yourself from swearing out loud.

The power needed to hold. It needed to hold for just one more minute, just for a moment while you finished configuring the—

Your hand knocked the spool to the floor.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The thudding started slower but crescendoed into the sound of groaning wood as the infected outside began to pound at the door.

Dina waved a slip of paper in front of you with wide eyes that said Hurry the FUCK up!.

You sent her a desperate look back. Your hands were shaking so hard that it was a miracle you were even able to feed the end of the wire through the pliers to snap off the end. You dug your nails into the protective sleeve at the end to expose the tip of the wire.

The door held just until you plugged the wire into the input.

As it hummed to life, sputtering and sparking and shimmering in the air, the lights flickered once, then plunged you into darkness as the sound of wood splintering came from the door.

Someone—it was probably you—screamed as a crowd came barrelling through the door, all hunched shoulders and gaping maws.

Then you grabbed the hand of Dina and felt yourself tumble into nothingness.

The sky was clear and bluebell blue above you when you came to, your back pressed uncomfortably against the sun-warmed earth. Every part of you ached like you’d just been run over, just like it had that day one year ago that started it all.

You didn’t need to look around to confirm—you were certain of where you were. You just knew it.

A groaning sound made you shoot up, clutching at the pistol in your hand.

Dina was sprawled on the ground next to you, rubbing her forehead with her hands.

“We did it,” you said, astonished. “We actually did it. We got out.”

“And you launched us out to Jackson.” Dina was sitting up now, looking around with wide eyes. “Jesus Christ. Are those things coming with us?”

“I don’t think so,” you said blandly. Your hands were still shaking, just as they had in the lab moments before.

The backpack you’d packed with supplies lay strewn on the ground, covered in the dust of the clearing.

“Are we—”

“I think so,” you said. “Funny how it sent us to the same place it sent me. I guess we’ll never figure out how, though.”

“Yeah.”

A comfortable silence fell over the two of you as you acclimated to the bright Wyoming sun, the warmth of the air against your skin.

Your heart lurched as the implications sunk in. Now that you couldn’t pretend like Jackson had been some sort of distant memory, you were going to mourn Ellie all over again whether you liked it or not.

“It’s going to be weird without her.” Dina was apparently on the same page.

You choked back the sob that came up, rubbing your eyes angrily. You would not cry right now, not when you had more important things to attend to.

“She really did love you, you know,” Dina continued, also apparently oblivious to the fact that you were just barely holding it together. “Even if she never said it. I’ve never seen her like that around anyone. I hope you haven’t been beating yourself up over what happened.”

You sent her a tight smile. It was odd, talking about Ellie like this with her. You’d never had before. It was one of those topics that you both knew to just avoid. “I just hope Joel is alright. I can’t imagine how difficult that would be—losing two daughters just like tha—”

A twig snapping in the woods sent you into silence, your hand drifting back down to your pistol as you spun around.

For a moment, all you could hear was the breath that hitched in both your and Dina’s throat. Then a girl with short brown hair burst through the tree line, her gun set on you.

“Ellie?” you gasped.

She fell still, mouth agape and eyebrows nearly touching her hairline.

“Ellie, what the fuck?” said Dina, recovering much quicker than you. “What are you doing here?”

“What am I—” Ellie dropped her pistol so it pointed to the ground, staring at Dina incredulously. “What are you doing here?” Then she rounded on you. “What did you do? You promised to stay in Terranova.”

You couldn’t answer. You were just so starstruck that all you could was stare, taking in everything about her. She was certainly Ellie—with her stupid little flashlight on her backpack strap and her fern tattoo and the perpetual grumpiness etched on her face. It was strange to think that you could have mistaken anyone else for her.

“Well?” she pressed, stepping closer, her mouth in a hard line.

“Terranova fell. It’s gone. I did what I had to do to get us out.” The words came out quietly. Then, without thinking: “You’re alive.”

“Long story,” said Ellie. “I think the scanner was defective.”

“That sounds like a pretty short story.”

She stared at you with an expression of such odd devastation that you felt your heart drop.

Dina jumped to her feet and launched herself at Ellie, throwing her arms around her neck and laughing hysterically. “I can’t believe it. I just—I just—you’re alive. I’m so glad you’re alive.”

Ellie, for her part, stood mostly still, awkwardly patting Dina on the back until she was released. “I’m glad you are, too.”

You tried not to feel jealous, but it was hard not to. Dina could jump into Ellie’s arms and tell her nice things like that without having to think twice because they’d always been friends. You did, because you weren’t sure if Ellie would want that anymore.

You didn’t try to touch her as she walked you and Dina back. She followed suit, not even trying to speak to you.

By the time you were walking through the walls of Jackson and waving to the gaping passerbys who were shocked at your return, you felt like you were going to be sick.

Ellie was alive. She’d never been dead, and you’d left her out here while you and Dina got to eat fancy Brazilian chocolates and Floridian oranges and artisanal bread. You’d been actively trying to forget her instead of trying to find her.

And now she was here, next to you. And she didn’t seem even remotely interested in you. But could you blame her? It had been a year. You’d left her to come back to Jackson all by herself. She didn’t have any reason to wait around for you. She’d probably found someone else. Or gotten back together with Cat.

And who were you to think that she’d even be interested in you if there wasn’t the guaranteed casualness from a definite end date?

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Joel appeared on the front porch as you and Dina approached with Ellie flanking you, his eyes wide.

“Joel!” you cried out, your angst briefly forgotten.

His eyes darted between the three of you, his face awash with shock. “Did ya just get sick of living there or something?”

You looked down and surveyed your outfit. You were clearly wearing something that was intended to be formal—a flowing graduation dress—but you were splattered with blood and viscous mystery substances and covered in a healthy layer of dirt. You’d clearly gone through some shit.

You were struggling to come up with a response other than “hey” when you were reminded of something you’d shoved into your bag while you’d been preparing to leave your parents’ penthouse.

Feeling smug that you’d managed to remember, you reached into your pack and fished around until you found what you were looking for.

“We just figured you’d be almost out of this by now,” you said dryly. The value-sized bag of coffee beans dangled from your fingers, its maroon packaging catching in the sun.

His face split into a wide grin as he shook his head in disbelief. “Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit. I guess I’ve got to tell Tommy that we don’t have to ration anymore. C’mon, let’s get you settled.”

Joel insisted that you move back into your old room instead of the vacant cottage down the street, which was equal parts touching and equal parts terrifying. Ellie lingered by the doorway as you unpacked, disappearing down the hall when you finally lifted your head from your few belongings to say something to her.

You let out a long, labored exhale, dropping onto your bed and curling your knees up to your chest. You’d since changed and showered the dirt and blood off, shed your tattered graduation dress and left it gathered in the corner like a snake’s molt. The setting sun filtered through the curtains, turning the walls golden.

You didn’t know what to do. That you could even come back to Jackson had been a thought you hadn’t dared to consider until this morning, when there were no other options. That Ellie was still alive—well, you hadn’t had any time to strategize or plan for that one. You were still reeling from seeing her for the first time in a year, all summer freckles and flyaway hairs escaping from a loose hairband.

She’d looked even better than you’d remembered. There were certain parts of her that you realized you’d forgotten—like the scar on her eyebrow, the way her voice sounded. It made you feel nauseous, knowing that despite your best efforts, you hadn’t been able to keep the real Ellie alive in your head.

You’d already eaten something with Tommy and Maria, who had been insistent on hearing from you and Dina about the events in Terranova. Joel had left you to your own devices with instructions to see him tomorrow to figure out work after you’d had a decent rest, so there was really no reason to go roaming around hoping to run into Ellie.

But you really wanted to. You checked the clock again, seeing that it was already past 9. Dusk had already fallen upon Jackson, the setting sun now just a suggestion of a golden line on the horizon.

You had a feeling you knew where she was.

The meadow was just as lush and green as you remembered as your feet carried you across the grass. It seemed that really nothing had changed—except for the horses in the distance, where you could see a small foal beside a chestnut mare that you were pretty sure was Shimmer.

“Hi,” you said, settling down next to Ellie’s spot under the tree.

If she was surprised to see you, she didn’t show it. She just sighed and fiddled with the sleeve of her shirt.

“Hi.”

“I’m sorry for bothering you,” you said, keeping your eyes locked on the darkening sky. “I just wanted to come find you to tell you that I understand if you don’t—want me like that anymore. I’ll leave you alone if you want me to.”

Even when she took her time responding, you didn’t dare look her way.

“Is that what you want?” You couldn’t quite decipher the tone she’d used.

“Obviously not,” you said mildly. “I would never want that.”

“I wouldn’t either.”

Your breath caught in your throat, your gaze dropping to meet hers. You were just about to speak when—

“The scanner wasn’t defective,” said Ellie. Her voice was soft, her own eyes falling to look at her tattooed arm.

“Of course it was,” you said, feeling very confused as to why she was suddenly detouring into something so unrelated. “If it wasn’t, you’d be dead already.”

“I’ve been bitten twice.”

You blinked, sure you’d heard her incorrectly. “Sorry?”

“I’ve been bitten twice,” said Ellie again, this time with more conviction. “That’s why the scanner came back red. There was nothing wrong with it.”

“Then how…” Your words trailed off.

She didn’t let you ponder long. “I’m immune.”

Immune.

You closed your mouth—it’d been hanging open unceremoniously for a moment—and tried to fit this very startling fact in with everything else you knew about her. What did being immune mean? And why was she telling you now?

“You knew from the start that you couldn’t come with me to Terranova,” you realized aloud.

Ellie was gnawing at her bottom look as she looked back at you. You noted that she didn’t offer up any corrections.

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” You couldn’t hide the hurt in your voice. “Why did you lie to me like that?”

“I found out that I was immune when I was back in Boston,” Ellie said, the words spilling out of her. “I was in this abandoned mall with my best friend—Riley. She told me she was leaving to be a Firefly, and I begged her to stay and kissed her and for a moment I was so sure that something was going to change between us—something for the better. But then…” She waved her tattooed arm in front of her. “We both got bit. I survived. She, obviously, did not.”

Something deep inside you twisted as you tried to imagine how traumatizing that must’ve been for someone that couldn’t have been older than 14.

“And so I thought that maybe, you were my chance to right what I’ve done wrong,” continued Ellie. Even though she wasn’t looking at you anymore, you could see the reflective sheen of tears in her eyes. “I’ve gotten to live while so many other people have died. I just can’t handle another. It’s not fair of me to keep someone here when there’s somewhere safer for them. It’s selfish, and I’ve been that enough.”

It was as if you’d found the last puzzle piece for the jigsaw of Ellie Williams. All this time, you’d been struggling in your attempts to understand why she was pushing you away—and why she changed her mind so suddenly.

Now you got it. Ellie had come into this knowing that she’d likely never see you again. She’d been betting on it, even. It was all some convoluted way for her to set things right in her head, for her to forgive herself for Riley and whoever else she’d lost.

“You could have told me,” you said, your voice barely above a whisper. “I would have understood.”

Ellie sent you a sad smile, shaking her head. “I’m not supposed to tell anyone that I’m immune. It’s one of those things that only Joel and Maria and Tommy know about. No one else. They’d fucking kill me if they found out you knew.”

“I’m really sorry.” The fabric of her t-shirt was soft under your fingers as you rested a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m really sorry for how much of an asshole I was to you,” said Ellie. You didn’t miss the way her eyes had widened when you’d reached out to touch her. “I didn’t want to be that way. I always wanted more. I just couldn’t handle having that, knowing that you were going to leave anyway. I thought it’d be easier for the both of us if you thought I was awful.”

“Didn’t work very well.”

“Clearly.”

“I forgive you,” you said, moving your hand so you could thread your fingers into the loose strands that she hadn’t pulled into that baby bun she always wore.

Instead of kissing you like you thought she might, she threw her arms around you and crushed herself against you, burying her face into your neck.

You held her there, feeling the way her frame trembled under the weight of a sob and tracing patterns across her back.

“I missed you,” you whispered, your chin rested atop her shoulder. “I thought about you every day.”

Ellie clung to you harder as you shifted.

“I’m really sorry,” she said again, muffled against your neck. “I’m sorry for everything.”

“I’m not.” You finally pulled away so that she had to look you in the eyes. Under the soft bath of moonlight, her green eyes glowed. “Terranova shouldn’t have existed in the first place. I’m glad that I got out. And I’m even more glad that it brought me back to you.”

Her hand found yours, your fingers tangling.

“I used to spend all my free time wondering what you were doing up North,” said Ellie. You felt her thumb brush across the top of your hand. “I thought that maybe if I imagined you happy, it’d be easier.”

“What did you think I was doing?”

The corner of her mouth quirked up. “Lots of studying, I assumed. And going to fancy events for rich people, eating all that expensive shit that the rest of the world can’t have.”

“Not far off,” you admitted. “But you missed how much time I’d spend wondering about you. I dreamt about you all the time. Sometimes I’d see people who looked similar to you and it’d ruin my whole day. I couldn’t believe that you were gone. I think that deep down I knew that you weren’t.”

She squeezed your hand. When you looked down at where you were touching, you noted how there wasn’t such a stark difference between you and her anymore. The doll fresh-out-of-the-box skin had disappeared in favor of scars and marks collected from your time in the real world.

“I really thought you’d be safe there,” said Ellie.

“You don’t need to worry about me like that anymore,” you told her, cupping her face with your free hand. Her eyelids fluttered half-closed as she leaned into the contact. “You’ve done enough. You can care about me without taking responsibility for everything bad that ever happens to me. You deserve to have something good without suffering because of it. I promise I’m not going anywhere.”

“Not anymore,” she agreed.

When you kissed her, it felt like coming home. There was something so achingly familiar in the slope of her neck, the slight chapped-ness of her lips, the almost silent click of her jaw as her mouth parted with a gasp as your hands twisted in her hair.

You weren’t quite sure how you managed a year without it.

The skin of her neck was just as soft as you remembered against your lips, her response just as reactive.

“What’s this?” you asked, pulling away to point at what looked like a small tattoo on the side of her neck. You hadn’t noticed it before—her hair had been covering it.

“Oh.” Ellie looked sheepish. “My free birthday tattoo from Cat. It’s the moon.”

“I see that,” you murmured, brushing her hair back more intentionally to get a better look at it. “Why that phase?”

“It’s the phase it would’ve been on the day we met,” said Ellie. She was bright red now. “Don’t fucking laugh. I know that it’s stupid. Shut up. Stop!”

You desperately tried to stop your giggles, schooling your face into something straight and no-nonsense.

“I spent so long wondering if you even liked me,” you told her. “And now you’ve gone and gotten a tattoo dedicated to me. I feel so validated.”

Ellie rolled her eyes.

“I have you beat, though,” you said, quieter now.

She looked back at you, her brows furrowed. “Huh?”

“When it comes to grand, stupid gestures,” you explained, your finger pointing up to the sky in the general area that you’d collected your data from. “There’s a planet named Ellie up there now.”

Her jaw dropped for just a moment. “You’re kidding.”

“No.” Now you were feeling slightly self-conscious.

“You would do something like that,” Ellie muttered, more to herself than anything. “A whole fucking planet.”

You let her drape an arm around you, pulling you into her until your head fit into the space between her shoulder and her chin.

“So,” Ellie said, and you could feel the words vibrate in her diaphragm, “What now?”

“What do you mean, what now?”

“I mean, what are you gonna do now that you’re stuck here with me for the foreseeable future?”

“Enjoy being stuck with you,” you said. “Maybe get a matching tattoo. Give you the piece of the meteorite I nabbed from the display case in my lab. But mostly spend my time bothering you.”

When she didn’t answer, you shifted so you could look up at her. She was already looking back, her eyes soft and the corners of her lips pulling into two dimples.

“Is that alright with you?’ you ventured.

Her arm tightened around you, fingers gently pressing into the flesh of your forearm like she still couldn’t quite believe you were there.

“You can be so fucking stupid sometimes,” she said. “I get a tattoo for you and you’re still asking if I want you around.”

“It’s been known for you to make rash decisions,” you offered dryly. “I didn’t want to jump to any assumptions.”

She rolled her eyes, still smiling down at you, eyes awash with the reflections of the stars above.

Slowly, you reached up and touched her face again, letting your fingers relearn her features, tracing the paths created by freckles—just like you had in her bed all those months ago.

But unlike last time, she didn’t stop you. She didn’t do anything except let you. There was something in her demeanor, something that was fragile and vulnerable and everything that you wanted her to be with you.

“Is this going to be enough for you?” she asked suddenly, her voice raw.

“What do you mean?” Your fingers paused and rested at her cheekbones.

“It’s just—” She blinked hard and cast her gaze up to the sky. “You grew up so differently than me. I’m not going to be able to give you that fancy Terranova life. Are you sure this is going to make you happy?”

“Yes.”

She looked at you, an eyebrow raised skeptically. Your hands moved to cup her face, fingers threading back into her hair.

“Don’t make that face,” you chided.

“I just find it really hard to believe.”

You took in a breath. Perhaps more elaboration was in order.

“I’ll put it like this,” you said. “I spent most of my life thinking I needed to be something extraordinary to be happy. I put so much time into trying to be special and nothing I did ever felt like it was enough. But then I met you, and one day I realized while I was here that I didn’t need that anymore. Just being around you makes me more content than I’ve ever been. I don’t want to be like what I was before. I would consider it my greatest success if I got to lead an ordinary life with you.”

You took her brief silence as an opportunity to press your lips to the corner of her mouth.

“Believe me now?” you asked.

Ellie nodded, leaning in to drop an affectionate kiss at the top of your nose.

And as you sat there, nestled into the warmth of her side and craning your head up to the sky, you’d never been more sure of yourself.

This would be more than enough.

final a/n: ok so some apologies are in order for this one! first of all, sorry for aborting jj lmao. i just couldn't envision doing light speed travel with a baby strapped to dina. big apologies for not including a final smut scene. i actually had one semi-drafted out because i wanted to write one where ellie bottomed bc i feel like it would really hammer in that she was finally choosing to be vulnerable, but the shift in the scene tone just didn't sit right with me. sometimes i write bonus scenes for big fics like this, so if there's enough interest i might write a short one shot of the scene i scrapped/other scenes that i also scrapped. also, speaking of things i scrapped: i had an alternate ending in mind where joel actually did die and ellie went on her seattle rampage + y/n realizes she's alive and tries to sneak out with dina to find her. i might end up writing that one too, depending on interest! anyway, thank you all for coming along on this journey with me so far! it's not totally over yet...the epilogue is still in the works! i appreciate hearing what you guys think of this and hope you all enjoyed !!!

also idk if this is important to bring up but i will say that i didn't realize the kind of message i'd be sending when i wrote a protagonist who's from a place like terranova—exoplanet isn't meant to be some sort of piece that makes you empathize with ignorant beneficiaries of slave labor...it's just the way it shook out and for that i'm sorry 😭

#ellie williams x reader #ellie williams x you #ellie williams imagine #ellie williams x oc #ellie williams x y/n

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luminalunii97 · 11 months

Text

Some tankie bs detection

I saw this post on my dash. The user is blocked now. But just to educate people so that they won't fall for idiotic claims online, here are a couple of facts:

1. The Islamic Republic is not anti imperialist, they're anti USA. The regime is very much in love with Russian imperialism. At this point, Iran is an unofficial russian colony. And by the support of their imperialist father figure they have their small version of imperialism in middle east. Ask Iraq and Lebanon.

2. There's no "safety" when it comes to economy in Iran. The "national sovereignty" is called "those fvckin thieves in power" here. Iran's regime is one of the most corrupt regimes by international index. Rent, nepotism, embezzlement and money laundering are serious issues in Iran. Done only and only by the governors and people in power. Social class is not only a thing, there's a raging gap between rich people and those in poverty. And the gap is getting bigger and bigger by month. If you have connections in government or you are in the government, you'll get richer and richer. Other wise, soon enough you'll be in poverty too. Many families, including mine, who used to be considered middle class, have incomes lower than the poverty threshold now.

About 15% of Iran's economic failure including inflation is on the sanctions. The rest is on the corruption within the regime.

Iran's banking system is also a corrupted organ. The so called Islamic banking is anything but Islamic. The loan interest rate is one of the highest worldwide, 23%, so that often you have to pay back more than twice the money you've received. It's called Riba in Islam and it's Haram. According to the regime themselves, the banking system in European countries, even in the USA, is more Islamic than us. The fact that some of the biggest embezzlement in Iran has been done by bank managers should give you a picture of how they're drinking our blood.

None of this is on USA imperialism. It's all the Islamic Republic.

3. The Islamic Republic doesn't support Palestinians. The regime is extremely racist and anti Arab. I dare you talk about this with an actual Arab. IR don't give two shites about Palestinians lives. The regime is antisemitic. That's what they are. Palestine is just an excuse to attack Israel. In the past 20+ years of my life, living in Iran and dealing with these posers, not once we've been educated about Palestine and Palestinians lives. Everything I know, I've learned from online resources and documentaries make by Palestinians. The regime doesn't talk about Palestinians when they pose as supporters. I'm pretty sure they don't know or care to know anything noteworthy about Palestine, considering my knowledge of the human rights violations there is always more than basiji people of my country, and I don't even know that much. All the regime talks about is how Israel should be eliminated. IR supports a terrorist organization called Hamas, not Palestinians.

4. Let's forget about everything I said so far. I wonder if tankies like the op has any ounce of humanity in them! The regime has been oppressing women, violating every type of human rights and murdering lgbtq people and other-thinkers for the last 40 years. The spectacular environmental disaster in Iran is the direct result of regime's policies and neglect. This is a case of human rights violation since it's ruining people's lives, especially ethnic minorities, like Arab farmers in south.

No religious minority is safe in Iran, be it atheist, Baha'i, Jew, christian, or Sunni Muslim. They commit crime against children, through labor and through war. IRGC have little regards for human lives in general but it descent into no regards at all for ethnic minorities.

They have MASS EXECUTED 30,000 leftists (members of Marxist Communist parties and their supporters) within the first decade of their autocratic rule. It's unbelievably funny to me when foreign leftists support a regime that has executed many of their fellow thinkers and still arrest and torture any left activist in Iran.

To say the reason the 1979 revolution happened was to get rid of western influence and to establish a democratic free independent government is true. But the Islamic Republic is not that result. Don't be fooled.

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loudblonde · 1 year

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Could I request anyone in the 141 with a non military/detective s/o who just finished a dangerous case. and like how they react to it idk 💀

thanks 👍💪

In honour of Sherlock Holmes becoming public domain, you dear Anon will get more than just one of the boys with a detective s/o. Male!Reader is vaguely if not outrightly stated to be a Holmes much like Sherlock Holmes, he is not BBC Sherlock.

Warnings: mentions of child porn, human trafficking, and torture. Canon typical violence.

Hurt/comfort and some fluff

All stories are under 500 words long, so they might just be drabbles.

Male reader,

~ Captain John Price ~

John Price was sitting in his office with the small radio turned on low, just filling out paperwork from work from his most recent mission with the team. It had been a success but he still had a ton of paperwork. John never quite paid much attention to the radio until a familiar name came up, (Y/N) Price.

John abandoned all thoughts of paperwork as he turned the radio on.

“-great news to announce that Detective (Y/N) Price has once again done the impossible after disappearing off the radar for two weeks, (Y/N) located and personally gathered information on a human trafficking ring, allegedly going undercover despite being a very well known man.” One of the hosts said.

Price sucked in a deep breath and listened carefully, his mind filled with static as gore filled images of his husband getting brutally tortured and killed because he was discovered crossed his mind, Price knew the reality would be that, he knew that (Y/N) wouldn’t have made it out alive had it not been for his husbands sheer dumb fucking luck.

“I know right, Kelley,” The other host said. “From what we know, Detective Price is a married man, he wears a gold wedding band, I sure wouldn’t wish to be married to someone who just disappears all of the sudden for weeks on end!” The hosts laughed together and John looked down in his hands.

They both had a tendency to disappear for work, rarely ever saw each other but when they did, between missions and cases, especially with (Y/N)’s freelance work, much like his older brother.

Price reached over and grabbed his phone, dialing his husband's number. He placed the phone to his ear and listened as it dialed 3 times before it was picked up. “Hmmm, John it’s 3 in the night here.” His husband's groggy voice came through.

Price smiled a bit as he turned the radio off. “I heard the news about your latest case.”

(Y/N) chuckled, voice sounding rasped. “I wasn’t alone, despite what they say, my brother was with me and not Sher.”

“Ah, so the oldest Holmes made it out of his fancy office to help, that is at least somewhat comforting.” He said.

(Y/N) hummed for a moment. “It was scary, I won’t lie to you, I knew this kind of work was gonna take a lot but wow… I can’t imagine your mission being easy either.”

“Hmm, no my mission wasn’t easy but we all made it through, minimal injuries and we recovered the intel.” Price said. “I have some saved up vacation time, why don’t we take a break, the both of us and go somewhere just the two of us?”

(Y/N) smiled. “I would like that, just the two of us, it would be nice… I love you John, you know that, right?”

John touched his necklace where the ring was. “I love you too, with all my heart.”

< Simon “Ghost” Riley >

Simon was sitting with the team watching some telly when the news came on, the picture of his husband looking stoic as ever came on as the reporter smiled. “Today the Brother Holmes were successful in taking down a child porno ring that extended as far into minor positions of our government. The brothers went undercover while posing as people who could give access to child porn, they worked closely with Scotland Yard in catching over 150 pedofiles in the UK alone. It has been reported that both their lives were at risk during it and that (Y/N) Holmes was almost killed several times during this investigation, though I am happy to tell you that any hospitalisation lasted less than 24 hours and that the young detective is not in any danger.” The reporter finished and ads started playing.

Simon sat, staring blank at the screen, (Y/N) had mentioned a case that had been dangerous but he was never told his life had been in danger. Logically he knew that (Y/N) was a capable man who could not only keep up with his brothers and their crazy shit, but also knew his way around several fighting styles and weapons, Simon logically knew all that and still hearing his husband, one of few people who knew Simon’s face, who Simon trusted with all his life, had been in danger and almost killed… it made his blood boil.

Simon stood up, spooking Soap who cursed after him, But Simon didn’t care, he couldn’t care, he was just making a beeline for his room and as soon as he got there he took out his phone and called one of few numbers even saved in it. Their house phone, a secure line.

“Holmes Residency, (Y/N) speaking.” A pained voice came out.

“Are you okay?” Simon asked before anything else.

“Ahhh, Simon, yes, just a few bruised ribs.” (Y/N) said and Simon could hear his smile.

“He was also poisoned.” Came Mycroft ever so helpful.

“And stabbed, twice, I have him on bedrest.” A much clearer Doctor Watson said. “Well, as much as you can keep a Holmes on bedrest.”

Simon took a deep breath. “(Y/N)... you are single handedly going to make me go grey before Price.” He knew his comment would make (Y/N) chuckle.

“I am fine Si and I love you too.” (Y/N) said as he chuckled. “I love you more than I could ever express to you…. I love you more then (favourite food/movie).”

Simon smiled a bit. “I love you too… but be careful, I don’t want you getting killed… I can’t lose anymore people.”

(Y/N)’s smile softened a bit. “Don’t worry Si, I won’t take a case until I am healed. Apparently there is a high reward for people who help out with catching criminals, who would have thought?”

) John “Soap” McTavish (

John was sitting in the police room as (Y/N) finished up whatever he was doing. The mission had been too close to his own line of work for comfort. Laswell had gotten the 141 to bring out (Y/N) Holmes from a person who had kidnapped him. His own husband had been kidnapped and he didn’t even know.

Sometimes John hated their line of work, it was cruel and left little contact with loved ones.

“Relax Johnny.” Ghost said from beside him. Both still in full gear. “Nothing is gonna happen while we sit here.”

John looked at Ghost and cracked a small smile. “Yeah I know, it’s just two weeks in a long time.”

Ghost looked at him and slowly blinked. “Yes it is, but he is a Holmes, I thought that was a given or they were trained for that.”

John shook his head. “No, no they aren’t, they are just civilians who everyone thinks are-” John stopped talking as (Y/N) stepped out of the room, looking worse for wear, but with a big smile on his face.

John instantly stood and walked over, hugging (Y/N) close and a tad too tight.

“John, my ribs.” (Y/N) groaned as he hugged back.

“Oh right sorry.” John pulled away and took (Y/N)’s face in his hands. “Don’t ever do something like that again!” He said loudly. “I was worried sick when I heard you had been missing for 2 weeks!”

(Y/N)’s eyes softened. “I didn’t mean to get caught, but Sherlock managed to get away and get to safety, he ensured that I was kept alive.”

John rested his forehead against (Y/N)’s. “Remind me to thank him when we see him.” John chuckled a bit, just happy to have his husband back in his arms.

“Hmm, you can thank him at the wedding in 7 months. Him and Watson are finally tying the knot, I won the bet between everyone by the way.” (Y/N) said, smirking a bit.

“I love you so much,” John said.

[ Kyle “Gaz” Garrick ]

Kyle was just standing and talking with Soap as he saw his long time boyfriend (Y/N) walk up with a newspaper in hand. Kyle tilted his head slightly and stopped talking, causing Soap to turn and look at (Y/N). “Hey, why is a Holmes walking directly towards us? Is he even allowed on base?” Soap asked.

Kyle shrugged. “He should be. Hey (Y/N)!” He called out as (Y/N) got closer.

“Kyle!” (Y/N) said happily as he practically bounced over. “May I?”

Kyle nodded and they hugged close. Kyle missed (Y/N) whenever he went away but he couldn’t exactly stop (Y/N) from taking on case after case, they paid far too well.

(Y/N) showed Kyle the newspaper from that morning. “I just finished a case for the king of Sweden, didn't even know it was the Swedish king, he is very… eccentric but normal. He is just a person, it was nice.”

“Soooo.” A certain Scottish man broke through their conversation. “How do you two know each other?”

“(Y/N) meet Soap, Soap, this is my boyfriend, (Y/N) Holmes.” Kyle said.

(Y/N) smiled brightly and shook Soap's hand. “I have heard a lot about you lot and the 141.”

“Only good things I hope.” Soap said.

“The best of things. Oh and Kyle, no reason to worry, a doctor that wasn’t my brother's close friend cleared me. I am not injured even though you will undoubtedly hear about a very large fall I had in tonight's news. I just wanted to tell you that before you hear it from someone that isn’t me.” He said.

Kyle’s eyes widened. “(Y/N) you promised to be careful.”

“I was… ish… okay maybe not as much as I should, but I was safe during the whole thing, no large injury or bed rest needed.”

“No case for at least 3 days, please.” Kyle said.

“... Okay, no case for a week. I love you, alright? I am always going to return home to you.”

Kyle smiled at that. “Good. I love you too.”

#cod men x male reader #cod x male reader #simon ghost riley x male reader #male reader #simon ghost riley #simon riley x you #simon ‘ghost’ riley x male reader #fanfiction #kyle gaz garrick x male reader #kyle 'gaz' garrick #john price x male reader #john soap mctavish x male reader #Kyle 'Gaz' Garrick x male reader #kyle 'gaz' garrick x reader

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hearteyes-for-killmonger · 7 months

Text

It's officially Spooky SZN!!! It's been a minute since I've added another installment to The Hearteyes Zone, but it's finally time. I do believe this is the 8th story in the series. Check out the others if you haven't already.

The Hearteyes Zone Series | Spooky SZN Masterlist

Finnegan Road is haunted, but not by a spirit or a ghost. It's something more sinister. Sometimes, human beings are the most horrifying apparition of all.

Human Beings. They'll make you think you were much better off... in the Hearteyes Zone.

Heads or Tails

30-year-old Mezca was all dolled up and on her way to the annual Halloween party hosted by her best friend, Gina. Having a successful podcast dedicated to True Crime cases, Mezca was given clearance to host a storytime at the party for entertainment, and she had the perfect true tale...

Dressed as Presidential Barbie, she took to the stage in the highly decorated city banquet hall with masked and unmasked faces filling the venue.

"This one's pretty fresh... Some of you may have heard about the string of recent murders in this city. If not, then listen up. A quick Google search will confirm all I'm about to tell you."

Mezca looked into the masked and painted faces before her. They were settled in, ears open.

"Show of hands. How many of you have heard of the Heads or Tails killer?"

A few hands were raised, but for the most part, people were clueless. It was a clean canvas for Mezca to begin her story with a description of the first known victim, a Jamaican American woman in her late 20s by the name of Andra Beach.

"Andra had a husband and three sons under the age of 5 who were all in Maine when the crime occurred, and boy was it messy. She was stabbed 32 times in the chest. Initially, police thought it was a crime of passion. They questioned everyone close to her and her family, but something was strange. They found a quarter in a puddle of her blood. 48 hrs later, another body was found. This was also a black woman, early 30s. The m.o. was the same. 48 hrs later, another victim. Hannah Ayad. Same m.o. She was getting tires from a shop only 29 miles from here when he was blindsided by a stranger and murdered in cold blood. Hanna was discovered with 16 stab wounds and a quarter laying in her blood. After 3 more identical deaths within the course of the next week, the quarter in the pool of blood became a calling card that signaled to detectives that this was a serial killer. But what was the significance of the quarter?"

The audience was captivated, but Mezca hadn't even begun to cook.

"A week ago, a woman, mid-20s, was spotted stumbling and bleeding down Finnegan Road."

The tension in the room rose.

"Yes, OUR Finnegan road. 8 miles away. She'd been stabbed 3 times. According to her report, she met a guy at her Waffle House shift. He came back on the backend and grabbed her on the way to her car. Can you guess what he did next?"

Crickets.

"He produced a quarter, put it in her hand and told her to call it. If she didn't, he'd kill her. 'Heads,' she called, not knowing what would happen. 'What happens if it's tails,' she asked him. You know what he said? 'You better pray it's heads.'"

Mezca took the moment to revel in the attention, keeping everyone on edge with anticipation.

"It was tails... Unfortunately for her. He stabbed her three times as she grappled with him until she fled on foot and hid in a dumpster until morning. She was found walking the street and taken to a hospital. So far, she is the only known surviving victim of a man who's now referred to as the Heads or Tails killer. And yes, he's still at large. Police have no clue who he is. So be careful out there... and Happy Halloween."

Mezca smirked as she left the stage, feeling the paranoia around her. Gina was the first to grab her, eyes serious and fearful.

"What the fuck? He's still around? Did they say what he looked like?"

"6'0-ish black male, brown eyes, and a muscular build. He could be anybody."

"What the hell? Why didn't you mention this before? I wouldn't have invited half the people here! Now I'm eyeballing everyone." Gina was paranoid as she looked around the room, staring extra hard at the people in masks, head coverings, prosthetics.. the tall ones, the built ones. Unfortunately for her, she'd invited a SLEW of handsome and tall black men based on her preference and social media. No one stood out.

"You're paranoid," Mezca's face angled down, making her eyes look nefarious. She was enjoying the effects of her story too much. "Besides, it's better to know what's going on around you now than not at all. Don't let it stop your fun! You're a black she-devil. You look great, and you should have a great night. Don't think too much."

Gina downed a cup of strong knee buckling jungle punch, nodding anxiously. "You're right. I need to chill. What are the odds right? I'm tripping. I'm big tripping. I'm a enjoy this party like I planned and I'm a stay where it's lit. I ain't got the energy for that dark shit."

"That's the spirit. Go dance. Shake it off."

"I'm a shake it off," Gina sighed, shaking her arms and heading toward one of the many 6'0 snacks. "I'm a dance on him, take the edge off, then I'm going to pee."

Mezca chuckled and followed suit, dancing with a few good partners and trading numbers. She disappeared into the crowd after dance three, hunting out food and waiting on the drunken costume contest. That was when she came across a convincing Spiderpunk, masked. He was instantly her pick to win.

"You gonna drink that with your mask on? Let me show you how it's done," she teased, chugging the strong punch. He peeled off his mask, revealing a handsome face that she would be honored to sit on.

"Now how you gonna question my abilities and life choices without telling me your name?"

"You can't tell? I'm Presidential Barbie, mothafucka."

"A Black republican, I bet," he sat his cup down, crossing his arms. "You heard me," he smirked.

"Funny. You know, you never know who has a death note these days. Gotta be extra careful."

"Heads of Tails killer probably got one. I can't believe you got in front of this party and scared the everloving shit out of everyone in here by reading the news. Nigga..."

"Mezca."

Athough Gina said it when Mezca was introduced... but she didn't expect him to remember.

His brows rose. "Erik."

Mezca nodded, taking in his features and running them against the killer profile in her head. He hit all the marks as a match, but he wasn't the only one.

"Usually," she picked up, "Killers pick a victim or victim type and stick to it. A lot of women here fit the type to a T. The odds are actually fair that the killer would be here tonight. What do you think?"

"You probably ain't wrong," his brow raises once more. Mezca had a strong feeling this was the guy, but there was no way to prove it. He hadn't done anything. 'Well, Mezca, or Barbie... this party has Spiderpunk's protection. Toss a hat in the air if you need assistance."

He left the table with a full cup. Mezca did the same and then joined some familiar faces. They, too, were nervous about the serial killer potentially roaming their grounds for his next victim.

"Damn. The true crime story actually did scare the shit out of the entire party," Mezca muttered. "Guys... Are we the only black people having a party on Halloween? Come on. Be real! Chances are slim that any of you need to worry."

Despite her words, she knew different. It was very possible that someone would die, and she'd be there to live the moment and witness the investigation that she was so fascinated with. It was screwed up how she looked forward to it. She only hoped it was no one she knew personally. She kept eyes on women she knew just in case.

"Shit! Where's Gina?"

She took the solo walk to the restrooms, a gun in her pink purse. Gina did mention that she had to take a leak. The bathroom was empty. Since she was the only one, Mezca decided to go. She made it quick, wasting no time in the stall. Then she went to wash her hands, and something small on the counter caught her attention. It was just a penny. Her heart nearly stopped. She left the bathroom quickly, but something didn't sit right.

Hesitantly, Mezca backed up and re-entered the bathroom. She pushed open every other stall door until she got the locked disability toilet. She was hesitant. Finding the courage, she kicked the door. Nothing.

She released a breath and went back to the party, searching for the host, not finding her. She did bump into Spiderpunk once more.

"Erik! Have you seen Gina?"

"Gina? Last I saw, she was with someone. A guy."

"Did you see where they went? Something isn't right. She'd never come back."

"And you want ME to help you? You trust me like that? I saw you eyeing me sideways."

"I know you better than I know these other guys. You're my best option. Besides, I got a little something-something in case you get outta line."

"Aight then... Let's find your friend."

Mezca kept a small distance as she followed Spiderpunk from the banquet hall into the long and empty hotel conference hall. It was an entire hotel floor. Sure enough, she heard the familiar sound of Gina's giggling at the end.

"Excuse you?! I was worried for nothing," she growled, meeting her friend. "You know you just went missing?!"

"Huh? Oh, Mezca! Mezca, Mezca. Meet David. David's a fitness trainer and look at this," she pulled up his shirt, rubbing her hand down his abs. "AHH! Okay, okay." She lowered it. "Ain't he fine? He's got 8% body fat. Say Hi Daviiiid."

"Hi David." Mezca turned quickly back to Gina. "Can I talk to you?" Behind the fake plant, eight feet away, Mezca whispered, giving Gina a piece of her mind. "Are you crazy? We just talked about the shit going on, and you disappear!?"

"Hm? Well, no. It's just- it's a party... I took your advice, not to worry about it. What are the odds?"

"HIGH, BITCH, I WAS LYING!" Mezca held her face, fully stressed. "I was scared shitless looking for you. You can't do that shit. Not now!"

"Wow. Well," Gina glared briefly, "We'll talk about that later... in detail... I guess the important thing is you found me alive and well... AND I see you're not doing too bad yourself," her head tilted toward the 6'2 Spiderpunk.

"Erik," Mezca remembered. "He's the one who helped me find you and now he's, I guess, chilling... waiting to escort me back so I don't get murdered. What the fuck is this reality we're living?"

"I don't know, but he doesn't seem like a bad guy."

Mezca sighed. "Not a bad guy at all." Hesitantly, she left Gina there in the empty hall with her fitness trainer and walked with Erik back toward the banquet. A little slower this time as they talked.

"You suspected me," Erik looked up.

Mezca had to admit. "I did... Only because you fit the profile. But so do nine other guys here."

"I noticed. Maybe a Halloween party wasn't such a good idea this year."

Both heads turned at the sound of Gina's shriek. They went running back to find her and David in a frozen state. There was a woman's body behind the escalator they hadn't noticed until now.

The scream that left Mezca's throat when she saw it was out of her control. She knew the dead girl. They'd gone to the same university. She'd wanted to witness shit when it went down, but not like this. Mezca stumbled backward from the sight and ran back to the party to snatch the mic from the DJ.

"TAMRON IS DEAD! THE KILLER IS HERE!"

No one moved, choosing to stare in confusion.

"SOMEONE CALL THE DAMN POLICE," she shouted, pushing them into action. The police arrived within 5 minutes, ending the party. Fear was at an all-time high.

Mezca, Gina, David, and Erik were made to give statements of what they witnessed while the body was taken for examination. Mezca couldn't look now that she knew the victim, and she was too frazzled to think about details. There wasn't much she could offer to help.

"At least we know now who it's not," David commented when it was all over and time to part ways. In a way, that was true. He looked at Gina. "Walk you to your car?"

"Sure," she followed beside him.

He left up the escalator with Gina. Meanwhile, Erik escorted Mezca to her car while she vented about the bad luck.

"You mind sitting with me? Just a second?" She unlocked her doors for Erik to sit instead of standing outside of the car to talk. "This was not how I saw the night going," she admitted. "I'll be honest, I was screwed enough to wanna see a case go down in real time, but not with Tamron. That's complete bullshit. Tamron?!"

"Did you see anything else weird tonight? Anyone acting suspicious?"

"Everyone was suspicious."

"Yeah," he sighed. "I guess it's a stupid question. I do have a better one... Hey," he leaned, suddenly more curious. "I've been meaning to ask you... Heads or Tails?"

"What?" Mezca glared. "That's not funny. Why would you do that?"

"You have a 50/50 chance of survival," he whispered, a knife materializing in his hand. "No. No," he took her purse with the gun. "Scream, and it becomes 0." He sat a quarter on her dashboard. "Pick it up."

Chills came over her.

"Pick it up, or you'll forfeit the game. I'm sure you know what happens then. You damn near came to it on stage."

"That wasn't-"

"So damn eager to see some carnage. What about becoming it? Yeah?... Yeah, I think so. Pick up the coin, and this is the last time I'm giving you this option."

Mezca cautiously picked up the quarter.

"Now I'll offer you two roads because we did have a little connection. If you're lucky, you'll get what you wanted at the start of the night to see some real shit go down that you can tell your followers about. It not... then you know the drill. You know how it is."

Mezca was hesitant, wondering how she would get out of the shituation.

"Flip it."

"I will, I swear, but could you give me some reasoning so I understand?"

"Flip.. the damn.. quarter, Mezca. Just flip it. Now."

With no choice and at knife point, she flipped the jcoin. He covered it immediately.

"Call it."

"Tails." She could feel the sweat beading on her face as he revealed the coin.

"Tails," he smirked. "You really are lucky. Come on, I'll show you exactly how I do it. You're getting a front row seat as my number one fan.

Mezca remained silent as they switched places, him taking the wheel. She observed anxiously as Erik stalked through the night, creeping searching.

"There," he pointed at an open diner. When Mezca was confused, he explained that he could tell by cars approximately how many women were inside. He also knew when they closed and when shifts ended.

"Stay right there and be a good lil president," he muttered, looking back as he got out of the car. "And keep your eyes on that alley," he pointed.

Mezca watched him, immersed in eerie vibes. She didn't like feeling responsible for this kind of thing going down. She called 911 to alert them to quietly ambush him, explaining that if they hurried, they could stop a murder. She was putting her own life in the line as well to call.

The police came quietly with their lights off, finding Mezca in her car and taking her into theirs for protection.

When Spiderpunk emerged from the diner with a woman, he was quickly apprehended.

"Wait," Mezca stared through the glass, "That's not him. It's his costume, but it's not him."

The police searched the diner, but didn't find Erik. Mezca was now terrified for her own safety and afraid to be alone. The went to the police station, but there wasn't much they could do but keep eyes on her neighborhood and building.

Once out of the station, she got a call from an unknown number. She thought of going back, but answered it outside instead.

"Hello?"

"I'm always watching you. Don't make me change my mind about you, Mezca. Go straight home. Follow the speed limit. Have a good night."

How many people had survived his game and then kept their mouth shut because they were terrified he'd come back? There had to be more than a few out there. Mezca did just what he said for the night. She went home, and after hours lying awake, fell asleep. She waited a full week before she went to the police again to tell them about Erik's threat. By then, he'd killed eight more.

Luckily, with her in-depth description, Erik was captured days later. She still double-checked her doors and lied awake at night.

Some things you don't get over.

Sometimes life is such that you can only lie down at night and HOPE that in the morning reality has changed... into the Hearteyes Zone.

@dashhoney25 @lettidarawest @soufcakmistress @ljstraightnochaser @princessstevens-blog @eye-raq @thiccdaddy-mbaku @destinio1 @iamrheaspeaks @hidden-treasures21 @bidibidibombaclaat @forbeautyandlife @blowmymbackout @misspooh @thotyana-in-this-hoe @purplehairgawdess @thegucciwaffle @goddessofthundathighs @theegoldenchild @thadelightfulone @sultanabby @mysticalblackhottie @baekhyunbabybunni @fd-writes @richonne4life @goldieccentric @thehomierobbstark @capswife @blackpinup22 @harleycativy @lishabaybeee-blog @playgurlxoxo @beaut1fulone-blog @blackerthings @syndrlla97 @ladymac82 @browngirldominion

#original #erik killmonger #killmonger #erik stevens #erik killmonger fanfiction #erik killmonger imagine #black panther killmonger #black panther fanfiction #black fanfic writer #black fanfiction #the hearteyes zone #heads or tails #spooky szn

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thequietkid-moonie · 3 months

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hi moonie! <3 i've been thinking a bit and i think i got a fun idea for the crossover event! how about a reader from the my hero academia universe being transported into the nier automata world? especially a reader with a quirk that makes them looks almost human, but not quite (like tenya with his engine legs, sero with his tape arms or pony with her horns). i think especially 9S getting to meet that reader would be fun, reacting to them being a human, but not the type of human he used to hear about 👉🏻👈🏻

hope this made sense! love you moonie and take care <3

Meeting a reader with a mutant-type quirk

[ CROSSOVER - Reader comes from My Hero Academia world ]

[ 2B & 9S ] [ NieR Automata ]

I LOVED YOUR IDEA!! It combines two of my favorites fandoms!!

This was really interesting to write, hopefuly I made it right! I didn't specify how the quirk changes your appearance so you can think on whatever you want!

Hope you like it as much as I did!!

Just with a simple glance you knew this wasn't your world, everything looks in ruins and there was no one else around, as scary and strange it could be you know it was better to move around rather than just stay in one place, hopefuly you'll find some help, besides you weren't completely defendless, even without training everyone knows how their quirk works and how to use it to defend yourself

No matter how far you are from the resistance camp there are machines everywhere, so soon or later you'll end up dragging the attention to the machines and the androids, even if you tried to sneak and hide at some point you'll end up dragging the attention, fighting back the machines or trying to run away doesn't matter much since in any way you'll end up meeting 2B and 9S

Maybe it was an accident or they have detected strange activity already, in any case your first encounter would be a shocking one, for both sides will be so strange since you entire body look so human but at the same time it doesn't, 2B and 9S will keep their guards up but won't do the first move since their main purpose is to protect humanity, including you, so it would depend more in you the first move, trying to ask for help will lead to you to start explaining your situation, somehow, but attacking them it would lead to a troublesome fight, 2B and 9S will be more focused on stoping you without hurting you because they need answers

Honestly, this could be a situation way more stressing for you than for them, so at the end is probably just 9S trying to somehow comfort you while 2B doing her best to understand the situation and explaining that they are YoRHa units (and what that means for humanity), no matter how diferent you look from what they know about humans, they don't have any proof to refute whenever you say that you are in fact a human

It would be a dificult process for all to win the trust of each other (considering too that in your world human-like androids are more science fiction, and most of the time is just about androids wanting to kill humanity), but at the end 9S and 2B can't just leave you all alone in a world you don't seem to know, it won't be right

9S will have a more friendly approach, trying to make you feel comfortable with them while 2B will be more focus on making sure to keep everyone safe and explaining everything that she can about this world and YoRHa, once you finally trust them and are willing to go with them they will lead you to the resistance camp

Both are trying to be profesional and helpful but, honestly, the curiosity is killing both inside, they want to know so bad about you, even if there are just slight diference between your apparince and theirs that doesn't stop their curiousity, and at the end is 9S who will ask first, trying to be polite and showing care, asking things as if it wasn't way too strange for them (he is trying really hard to don't sound mean or rude but is dificult, specially the less human you look like)

2B and 9S are more focused on trying to make you feel comfortable and making sure you are safe but the moment you feel more relaxed and willing to share the information about you and your world you are going to be bombarded with questions about everything, your world is far different from theirs (and honestly, its sounds more hopeful at some extent), even when 2B knows it probably would better to don't overwhelm you she is unable to stop 9S from asking (or even stoping herself) since she is too inmerse on what are you telling them

Getting to know that there is a world were humans live with some kind of super powers sound way to difficult to believe, but they can't just deny how you look, even if is only something small, is still there. Speaking of your quirk, they will want to know about your unique habilities too, asking you about what you can do and how it works, both feels fascinated by what humans of your world can do, still they won't ask you to show them your habilities, even if you had trained by years they would prefer if you don't do it, not that they don't think of you as capable, they just can't forget their missions to protect humans, and that includes you

9S will be the one who is so inmerse on the conversation that will end up asking you more and more details about your special habilities, he is just too curious to know why do you look so diferent and in what benefits you, 2B wants to stop him but she is just as fascinated as him, but she will have more self-control and will stop him if she things he is going way to far with his questions (specially when he ask if you will let him to touch you, he just can't contain his curiosity) leading 9S to feel incredibly bad about it and promising to try to don't do it again and make it up for you if he has made you feel uncomfortable

Just as they have asked you about your world, 2B and 9S will make sure to tell you all you want to know about their world too, as well to let you see all you want (just promise to don't be reckless and run into the battlefield), they are really anxious about dragging you around such dangerous world but won't be able to say no specially when they want to spend more time with you too

If you choose to show them your habilities they will feel anxious about it, they insist that there is no need (even when they are curious), they want to protect you and your habilities scare them to some extent (fearing you'll end up getting hurt) but you are so confident on your habilities, due living with them all your life, that they can't just say no, so at the end they can't deny you and honestly at the end it wasn't too bad of an experience (mainly if it doesn't deforms your body more, because if it does it they'll try to stop you more of instinct), but it would take them a long time before getting comfortable with you actively use it (not that they will stop you, but it would be obvious how worried they are everytime you use your quirk by how they pay close attention or tries to stick at your side), although ones the initial worry start to calm then the compliments start to came (as well as the curiosity, again)

#crossover #nier automata x reader #2b x reader #9s x reader #x reader #x gn reader #video games x reader

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prettybillycore · 2 years

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Please Don't Die Again || Connor (RK800) x GN!Reader

Pairing(s): Connor (RK800) x GN!Reader ; Minor Elijah Kamski x GN!Reader

Universe: Detroit: Become Human

Summary: You, a former employee at Cyberlife, now work as a Detective along side Hank and Connor. As the android revolution begins, Connor finds himself faced with a choice– his mission or you.

Rating: Teen

Word Count: 4.1k

Warnings: Canon typical violence, yandere!Elijah Kamski, Gun violence, Connor (rk800) temporary death

A/N: Ahhh! My first non-stranger things request this summer; I have so much love in my heart for Deviant!Connor. I decided to follow the advice of @whoringrove and work on whatever my brain was most drawn to. Right now, I’m working on the second chapter of “Stranger Things Have Happened in Hawkins” but because it takes place in ST3 canon ‘verse, I really need to rewatch the whole season before finishing it. I’m itching to create right now, not watch something, so oop here’s an rk800 x reader fic. I hope you enjoy @momos-peaches <3

Read it on AO3 or right here on Tumblr (below the cut on this post)

You knew Connor could die and be placed inside of a new body– Hank told you about the one time he was killed before; he was hit by a car going down the freeway. However, you were not there to witness that death. You had never personally seen Connor die and you most certainly weren’t the cause. This was not the freeway incident though, this was the battle for android freedom in Detroit.

You were once on the side of the city, protecting humans at all costs. Now, you were at the center of the android revolution– and Connor’s blue blood was on your hands.

| < ♥️ > |

You were born into a well-off family and your mother worked in the technology industry. You grew up with Elijah Kamski as your best friend and worked with him for the first several years of your adult life. You were the creative mind behind a lot of the aesthetic choices– clothes, facial structures, etc. There was enjoyment and pride in your work at first, but you watched Elijah turn into a shell of his fun-loving self. He became more arrogant and honestly an ass to be around. You kept him within your social circle because you couldn’t bear to lose someone so close to you, but you didn’t agree with the treatment of his android companions. You weren’t as technologically gifted as him, but you helped him create the first androids. You wanted them to be treated with respect and kindness– Elijah saw them as nothing more than machines. He tormented you for it and you ended up leaving your very high-paying job at Cyberlife before he left his. You went back to school and ended up joining the police force as a detective– he retired to a mansion in the middle of nowhere. He invited you over often, but you started accepting fewer invitations as you started working more hours.

Hank Anderson worked at the desk across from yours. You had very different views on androids, but he was a gentle soul to you. He valued your opinions on his cases highly and often requested to work with you over other detectives. It warmed your heart and gave you a father figure you could actually reach out to. This is how you met RK800, better known as “Connor.”

He was far more advanced than any of the androids you worked on and his physical appearance wasn’t your design. You guessed that he was made by the team that replaced yours and you were honestly amazed by his existence. His data analysis software was incredible and he was extremely skilled in crime scene investigation. You knew the moment that you met him at the Ortiz house, you knew he was special.

| < ♥️ > |

You were already inside the house when he entered behind Hank. You smiled at the two of them as they came inside. You stood up from your place over the body, “Ah, Lieutenant Anderson, I thought you might never come.”

He rolled his eyes as he approached. Connor was matching his pace. You eyed him curiously, but pretended not to notice him– as much as you could, anyway. Though, you are sure Connor noticed your glances. “I wasn’t gonna come, but this jackass showed up at Jimmy’s bar and said you were working this one alone. Thought you might want a hand.”

“Extra hands are always welcome at my crime scenes; we could use all the help we can get to be honest with you. Household androids are becoming more unstable every day… I just don’t understand why. Take a look at the scene in the kitchen, Lieutenant; something awful.”

“Can do,” he replied shortly before walking past you.

Your eyes fell on Connor, who was standing stiffly a few feet from you. “I would shake your hands, but I’m gloved and have blood on me… what’s your name?”

“My name is Connor. I’m the android sent by Cyberlife to assist Lieutenant Anderson with the rise in deviant cases.” His answer was stark and to the point, but there was something behind the inflection of his voice. You could feel his gaze; it was dull and unwavering.

“I’m guessing you already know who I am based on what Hank said.”

He nodded curtly. “Y/n L/n. Current Detective at Detroit Police Department and former Creative Director of Cyberlife.”

You smiled again. “Indeed, it’s nice to meet you, Connor.”

| < ♥️ > |

The next two days were some of the most action-packed and traumatic days of your life. You protected Connor from Gavin’s android hatred, searched the Eden Club, and witness an unmasked android give a freedom speech on national television– not to mention all the cases that were piling up of deviants committing felonies. You felt protective of Connor at this point and he felt protective of you, though he didn’t understand why he felt that way. Hank was still a little skeptical of Connor as you approached your childhood friend’s home, but you had no doubts in your mind– Connor wasn’t just human-like, he was human. Much like many of the androids you were trying to track down/stop, he showed bright, shining signs of humanity. It made you incredibly nervous to take him with you to Elijah’s. It made you so nervous, in fact, you asked him to do something very unlike you.

Hank stopped the car outside of the Kamski residence. Connor was in the back seat and started to open his door before you squeaked out, “Connor, stay here.”

“What?” Hank questioned.

Connor pulled the door shut again, but kept his hand on the handle. “Why, Detective?”

“Uh…” you faltered. You felt silly saying it, but you were sincerely worried for Connor’s safety in Elijah’s presence. As much as you hated it, the man could read you like an open book. He would know that you cared for Connor and would do everything he could to use that connection to his advantage. “Kamski will try to turn me against you, I just know.”

“Oh come on, Y/n. You’re not going to turn your back on me and Connor. We’ll all be fine,” Hank assured.

“I would feel much better about this visit if Connor were to stay in the car. He is safe in the car,” You argued.

Hank rolled his eyes. “If anything happens to him, as much as I hate it, Cyberlife will fix him and he’ll be back on the job tomorrow.”

“I appreciate the concern Detective, but Lieutenant Anderson is right. I am replaceable.”

Hearing those words absolutely shattered your heart. “Connor…”

Hank patted your shoulder. “Come on, kid. He’ll be fine. Let’s go get this over with. I know you hate this fucker as much as I do.”

| < ♥️ > |

Elijah had his eyes on you from the moment you walked into the swimming pool room. There were quite a few Chloe models present, which did not surprise you. She was the first model to pass the Turing test and you had designed her (aesthetically speaking). Elijah had little touches of your relationship all over his house– your painting in the entryway, a few drawings of yours on the walls, even a picture of you two as kids in a frame on a table near the window, and of course Chloe. Though he was taking his sweet time getting out of the pool, he was keeping a close eye on you. You weren’t the only one to notice these details though– they were noticed by Connor and Hank both. The feeling of his eyes on you made your skin crawl as he climbed out of the pool. “I was surprised to see your name on my schedule, Y/n, but I am oh so happy to see you again. What’s it been? Six months?”

You did your best not to falter at his words, but his tone sent a chill up your spine. “I’ve been busy with my work at DPD. You know that, Elijah.” You used his first name on purpose; you were hoping it would throw him off his game. When you worked together at Cyberlife, you fell into the habit of calling him Kamski; everyone else did, so when you called him by his first name, it usually knocked the snark out of him. “These are my friends; Lieutenant Anderson and Connor.”

“What can I do for you, Y/n? Lieutenant?” He asked, only addressing you and Hank. It was annoying you slightly that he was being so informal with you, but at the end of the day, you couldn’t blame him. You two had such a long history it would be sort of unsettling for him to call you ‘detective’, though you despised him calling you just by your first name. It gave you a feeling of disgust in the deepest pit of your stomach.

You could see the weary look on Hank’s face. It wasn’t surprising– he was fairly protective over you. What was a little surprising was the fact that Connor’s LED was circling yellow to red and back again. Your words felt like they were trapped in your throat, so Hank picked up the conversation. “Sir, we’re investigating deviants. I know you left CyberLife years ago but, I was hoping you'd be able to tell us something we don’t know…”

Kamski smirked, “Deviants… Fascinating, aren't they? Perfect beings with infinite intelligence, and now they have free will… Machines are so superior to us, confrontation was inevitable… Humanity’s greatest achievement threatens to be its downfall. Isn’t it ironic?”

“We need to understand how androids become deviants. Do you know anything that could help us?” Connor questioned. Elijah’s strong gaze shifted to him for a moment. Then, it shifted between the two of you. You had a bad feeling before you walked inside the house, but it was getting stronger with every passing second that you all were inside. You shifted slightly, placing yourself vaguely in front of Connor. Your eyes met Elijah’s and you could see him deeply contemplating his next move.

“All ideas are viruses that spread like epidemics... Is the desire to be free a contagious disease?”

Hank was becoming impatient with the conversation. You could see it plainly on his face and in his body language. “Listen, I didn’t come here to talk philosophy. The machines you created may be planning a revolution. Either you can tell us something that'll be helpful, or we will be on our way.”

Elijah began to step closer to you and Connor. You tilted your head while shooting your former best friend a questioning look. You knew that he was paying attention to you, but he didn’t acknowledge you at all. He kept his eyes trained on your android companion, while his fingers twitched at his sides. “What about you, Connor? Whose side are you on?”

You looked away from Elijah and toward Connor. He was looking back at you, but only for a brief moment. The light on his temple was still flicking between yellow and red as he looked toward Elijah, “It's not about me, Mr. Kamski. All I want is to solve this case.”

Elijah chuckled a bit, pulling his lip with his teeth. “Well, that's what you're programmed to say… but you…” He was getting uncomfortably close to both you and Connor. He angled himself so he was off to the side a little bit, away from you, but he was still less than a foot away now. His glance came toward you for a moment before going back to Connor, “What do you really want?”

Your eyes were glued to Elijah. You, Hank, and Connor were all weaponless because that was an agreement of the meeting, but you were still trying to calculate the best way to incapacitate him if things went south. Connor, again, glanced in your direction, but you didn’t notice this time. Elijah and Hank both did though. “I’m sorry, but I don’t see where you're getting at,” he replied. His defensive tone didn’t go unnoticed by you, though.

“Y/n, would you mind stepping over to stand next to Chloe?”

You quirked your eyebrow at him. “Why?”

“I would like to run a little test on your android and you’re blocking my way.”

You knew exactly what test he meant. There was nothing else he could mean with that evil little glimmer in his eye, “No way in hell you’re doing to that to him. I won’t let you.”

He had a curious expression on his face. He had completely turned his attention to you. His hand came to rest on your upper arm as he answered. “Interesting. You’re so protective of a machine, I mean, you always have been rather fond of androids, but that adorable angry look on your face– oh you care about it, don’t you, Angel?”

You nearly gagged at the nickname. You knew he had feelings for you somewhere in your past, but he hadn’t called you ‘angel’ since you were in your early twenties. He stopped after you rejected him. It’s probably where the bitterness in your relationship started. God, you felt like you were going to be sick. Hank was in shock behind you and didn’t know how to intervene; Connor felt like he was frozen in place. His orders were telling him to focus on the mission, but the thought “protect y/n” was trying to force itself to become his primary directive. Elijah took the opportunity to place his free hand under your chin. His fingers dug into your skin. “What? Did I hit a nerve, detective?” That smirk planted itself on his face again. “Chloe, get the device.” His eyes never left yours. Your brain was screaming at you to rip yourself from his grasp, but you couldn’t get your feet to move. His hand moved from your chin to your other arm. He forced you out of the way as Chloe pulled a gun out of the table drawer. He almost threw you out of the way he used so much force. You stumbled into the chair next to the table and sucked in a harsh breath. Connor’s LED was completely red, but he was still unable to pick a directive. “I’m sure you’re familiar with the Turing test. Mere formality, simple question of algorithms and computing capacity. What interests me is whether machines are capable of empathy. I call it "the Kamski test", it's very simple, you'll see…” He turned to Chloe, an almost hungry look in his eyes as he took the gun from her hands. “Magnificent, isn't it? One of the first intelligent models developed by CyberLife, completely designed by Y/n and myself. Young and beautiful forever. A flower that will never wither……But what is it really? Piece of plastic imitating a human? Or a living being... With a soul…?” Elijah handed the gun to Connor. “It's up to you to answer that fascinating question, Connor. Destroy this machine and I'll tell you all I know. Or spare it, if you feel it's alive, but you'll leave here without having learned anything from me.”

Hank found his voice again after seeing the fear in your eyes. “Okay, I think we’re done here. Come on, Connor. Let's go. Sorry to get you outta your pool.”

Elijah was getting more and more in Connor’s face. “What's more important to you, Connor? Your investigation, or the life of this android? Decide who you are. An obedient machine… Or a living being endowed with free will…”

“That's enough! Connor, Y/n, we’re leaving.”

“Pull the trigger,” Elijah taunted. It was like watching the angel and devil on Connor’s shoulders. He looked to you for an answer. Elijah had aimed the gun at Chloe and for Connor, it would be just one quick motion, but…

“Connor, don’t…” Hank said.

Connor was searching your face for an answer. “Please no…” you mumbled.

“I'll tell you what you wanna know,” Elijah mumbled.

Connor lowered the gun and could feel himself destabilizing. Elijah sighed and moved away from Connor. He walked back over the table and opened the drawer again. Before you could process what was happening, he yanked you to your feet and had his hand around your neck. You could feel him closing his fingers tightly enough to start cutting off your oxygen. You grabbed at his hand for a moment, before you felt the cold metal of a gun barrel pressed against your temple. Your breath was gone from your lungs. You never would have seen this coming. “Eli–” You couldn’t get his whole name out.

“What the fuck are you doing, Kamski?” Hank shouted. All of the Chloe models that were still in the pool had begun to watch.

“Fascinating… CyberLife's last chance to save humanity... is itself a deviant…” Elijah mused. “I have another test for you, Connor. We’ll call it the Y/n test.” He relaxed his fingers slightly so you could breathe again. “You, a piece of plastic, have somehow managed to capture Y/n’s attention.” He rubbed his thumb across your chin so softly it almost felt like a comforting gesture. “I could have given them everything. A mansion, wealth beyond anything they have ever seen, they never would have had to work a day in their whole life, but they turned me down. They left Cyberlife and eventually became a detective. Ever since they joined DPD they’ve been slipping farther and farther away. I can’t even get them to come over for a meal anymore, but you… in a few days, they have become completely enamored with you.” His hands were trembling with anger. He began constricting your air again. “This test should be easy for you Connor; shoot the Chloe model and I will let Y/n go, unharmed. You three will walk out of here with no information, but the detective will be fine and Chloe will be replaced. If you refuse to shoot Chloe, I’ll shoot your favorite human, but I will tell you everything I know. Are you willing to sacrifice the life of this human for your mission? Someone’s going to die, Connor. It’s up to you to decide.” Elijah clicked the safety off.

Connor looked between you, Chloe, and Hank. You had been in danger before with your job, but this was the closest you had ever come to death. Connor could read the terror in your expression. Hank was scared too. Connor had never seen Hank truly scared before. “Kamski–”

“Quiet! This is Connor’s choice.”

Connor closed his eyes and pulled the trigger. Chloe shut down almost instantly and Elijah dropped his gun on the ground next to him. He let go of your throat and Connor rushed forward to catch you. You pulled in as many deep breaths as you could. Connor’s sensors scanned your injuries and determined quickly, that while extremely distressed, that you were relatively unharmed. Without saying anything, he wrapped his arm under your knees and behind your back. “Let’s go, quickly Lieutenant.”

Hank didn’t argue and neither did Elijah. Connor nearly ran to the car with you in his arms, jumping into the back of the vehicle with you. “Y/n? Are you alright, Y/n?” You nodded as you started to catch your breath. Hank got into the driver’s seat and started down the road as quickly as he could. “What’s their status, Connor?”

“Stable, but we should have them seen by a doctor to make sure Kamski didn’t cause any serious damage.”

“Guys… I’ll be fine.”

“Shut up, Y/n. If Connor says you should see a doctor, we’re stopping at a doctor.”

| < ♥️ > |

Connor had no idea that you had tailed him to Jericho. You were so careful not to let him see you. You followed him all the way up to Markus and North in the Captain’s cabin. North had a gun, but from what you could tell, it was jammed. “What are you doing? You are one of us… You can’t betray your own people…”

You had met Markus before; he was one of your designs. You never imagined that he would end up being RA9, but knowing Carl, it made sense. Carl treated Markus as another son and gave him freedoms that many other androids did not have. “You're coming with me!”

“You're nothing to them. You're just a tool they use to do their dirty work. But you're more than that. We are all more than that… Do you never have any doubts? You’ve never done something irrational, as if there's something inside you?.. Something more than your program.”

You couldn’t tell what Connor or North was thinking so you decided it was best to intervene before something went wrong. “Connor!” you called. His head snapped in your direction before he started looking at North and Markus again.

“What are you doing here, Detective? How did you find me?”

“Connor, put the gun down. Markus is good, I promise. We’ve met before.”

“I don’t believe my eyes,” Markus said. “Y/n L/n. You designed me for Carl.”

You tossed him a soft smile. “Hello again, Markus.” You walked around Connor’s side and walked in front of his gun.

“Y/n don’t–”

“You don’t have to do this, Connor. You have done something irrational. There is something more than your program, just like Markus said. You had no idea if Elijah would have gone through with his threat. You could have followed orders and let me die. You could have learned whatever you wanted about deviants from him, but you didn’t– you saved me because you care about me, Connor. I know you do! Put the gun down and we can talk about this. I know Cyberlife is telling you that Markus is the enemy, but he’s not and you know that he’s not.”

Connor lowered the gun to his side, but he didn’t drop it. You stepped to the side where he was holding it and set your hand on his. You were going to continue talking him down, but a loud bang came from behind you and the next thing you knew, Connor had blue blood dripping from a bullet wound– right between his eyes. Markus shouted at North and you screamed bloody murder as he collapsed. “Fuck! FUCK, CONNOR! Don’t you fucking leave me here…”

| < ♥️ > |

Life was not going so well for anyone around you at this point. You were at Hank’s house; your head in your hands as you sat on the couch. Sumo was whining for you to cheer up, but you couldn’t. Connor’s death was just replaying in your mind on repeat. Hank was in the kitchen and not doing much better than you. The both of you were so out of it, that you didn’t hear the bedroom window being open and shut. “Lieutenant!” Connor shouted. “Lieutenant it’s me! I need your help!”

You shot up from the couch and Hank bolted in from the kitchen. “Connor? How–”

“Cyberlife will always replace me. I’ve found Markus and the others. He’s shown me what I can really be, I… I’m deviant. I offered to go to Cyberlife to gather more androids for the war, but… I’m scared and I need help. I wanted to see you, Y/n, but I was afraid of that too.”

“Fuck…” You used your hands to wipe the fresh tears from your eyes. “Connor… I… you died in my arms. I watched you fucking die right in front of me… You can’t do that shit…”

“Y/n… I’m sorry.”

“Sorry doesn’t fix it! It’s not your fault anyway… North shot you because she thought you would kill her and Markus. I’m glad your back, but it’s so fucking weird. It’s messing with my brain…”

Connor slowly started to walk around the couch. “Can I do anything?”

“You… Please don’t die again! I can’t do that again. Your blood was everywhere and I felt so fucking helpless. Markus just kept apologizing and I didn’t know what to do. We had to leave your body and run because soldiers started attacking Jericho. I felt so bad, but I couldn’t carry you out, I–”

Connor reached out and set his hand on you shoulder. “It’s alright now, Y/n. I know how much my death upset Hank and I can see it hurt you. I will do everything I can not to die again.”

The softness of his voice and his simple touch did you in completely. You rushed forward and wrapped your arms around him. “You better not die again, I need you here.”

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sandcobangevent · 18 hours

Text

Three Dancing Dots

Sherlock knew almost immediately he had made a horrible decision.

Everyone thought he was dead. Had he planned it that way? No. But an opportunity had presented itself to be invisible and he took it. If everyone believed him dead, no one was looking for him. He needed this anonymity to stalk the most dangerous serial killer he had ever met. He had only met 9, but that was still higher than the average number.

The podcast had made Sherlock too popular in London. Yes, people from all over the world listened, but not many knew what he actually looked like outside of what he considered his hometown. It made being an undercover detective difficult. If it wasn’t his face, it was his voice. John always said listeners loved his rich baritone timber. Sherlock would have to adopt an accent.

The downside to all of this? Sherlock was well, and truly, alone. John had been among those to believe him perished in the warehouse fire at Reichenbach Imports and Exports. Sherlock didn’t realize how much he relied on John following him around to keep him going. His little compliments, his observations of basic human emotions, something Sherlock wasn’t great on. Not only that, but his companionship. Hearing John’s witty comments and remarks. John’s jokes that Sherlock didn’t understand but pretended to know. Now John would have to be the one to pretend.

Is it still pretend if he thinks it is real?

John was suffering. This is something Sherlock normally wouldn’t notice. Something he wouldn’t know at all now, being out of the country and John out of sight.

But those damn text messages…

Sherlock had kept his phone with him. He had quickly bought a burner once he was out of the country, but kept his old one. Just in case. He had turned off just about everything. The only thing operational about it now was the messaging service. Unfortunately, this means Sherlock’s phone still rings, pings, and dings with all his little notifications. Yet he cannot quite bring himself to silence the phone. There are times the sound for an incoming text is the only thing that brightens his day. Or ruins it.

John still texts Sherlock all the time. Usually it is multiple times a day. On a couple painful nights, Sherlock didn’t receive a text from him at all. He would text Sherlock about anything and everything. At first they were messages about how angry John was with Sherlock.

Why did you run off without me?

Why didn’t you wait for me?!

How could you be so bloody selfishly stupid?

Why are you doing this?!?!

Sometimes there would be apologies to follow.

I’m sorry.

I’m so bloody sorry.

I’m not blaming you. Not one bit.

I knew if you had a choice, it wouldn’t have been that.

Only John was wrong. Sherlock did have a choice and he did choose that. Now Sherlock was experiencing something he didn’t too often feel; guilt.

Did the shopping with Mariana today.

First time out of the flat in 3 days.

Avoided the pasta aisle.

Sherlock wasn’t too far gone. Currently in Austria. Though he was getting a rather sickening feeling his trek would eventually lead to the Americas. And China. Why did it have to be an international shipping business? Why couldn’t it be a local farmer’s market?

I’m going to have to replace your bedroom door. Archie has made a mess of it by scratching at the bottom, wanting to get in. Mariana said Hudsons will not be happy. Well guess what? Neither am I.

And I don’t just mean about the door.

Japan had been rough to say the least. At one point Sherlock thought it was the end of the line for him. He was currently squatting in an abandoned house outside of Fukuoka, nursing a stab wound and a fractured rib. He was surprisingly lonely. And a bit delirious. Probably why he felt lonely. He had stolen some supplies from a local doctor’s office. He stitched himself up and changed his bandages regularly. As desperately as he wanted some oxymorphone, he needed to stay clear headed. When he realized an infection had set in, he went back and stole antibiotics.

PING

Sherlock groaned. Not now. Please, not now. He was not in the best head space to be dealing with this at the moment. Had he been praying for some sign to keep going? Perhaps. If only he actually believed in a higher power.

PING

It had been four days since John had even texted Sherlock. It was the longest he had gone without sending one. It was perhaps Sherlock’s hardest four days since this began 6 months ago. 6 months. And still John-.

PING

Sherlock began reaching for the phone, then stopped. Not because it was pulling at his stitches (it was), but because he knew nothing good was going to come from reading those messages. He would like to believe that some form of contact with his old life would be healing. In reality he knew it would be damning. There were days when they brought a smile to his face. Gave him courage to carry onward. Hope of returning home. But today he felt like he was slowly dying in the remnants of a burned out house. At the time, it seemed fitting, appropriate. Set as a reminder of how he got here. Not that he really needed one.

PING

He knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help himself. He picked up his phone and read the text.

I’m sorry I have been absent. I tried to break this habit. It isn’t healthy, I know. But… yeah.

It’s been 6 months and 4 days. That is so crazy to me. It feels like just yesterday you and I were in the park with Archie, running from that sexually aggressive Great Dane. Archie wouldn’t have known what to do with that much woman.

Why is this still so hard? Sometimes it doesn’t even feel real. Almost like you are going to come walking through that door at any moment. Some nights I wake up hoping it was just a very vivid night terror. But the more time passes, the harder it is to convince myself of that.

I have lost friends before. Many during the war. But this feels so much different. It’s more like when Dad died. That absolute pit in my gut. Maybe love is the difference.

Sherlock finished reading the texts and didn’t have time to think about what they were saying. Three little dancing dots appeared at the bottom of the screen. John was typing. He was there. John was right there, within grasp. All he had to do was respond. Hit a few buttons, be reconnected in an instant!

PING

Everyday it gets a little darker. I feel lost. I don’t know what to do with myself. I don’t know how to move on. I don’t know if I want to move on. What do I do, Sherlock? Please. Just tell me.

Before he knew what his delirious brain was doing, Sherlock typed out a word. One word. And hit send.

Wait.

Immediately panic filled his senses. What had he done? What had he done?! His lungs seized, he heard the sound of blood rushing in his ears, his heart was mere seconds from escaping his chest, his hands started to tremble. He stared at the screen. There were no dancing dots. Not for a long time. It had been 13 minutes since he had sent that message and Sherlock could not put his phone down. He refused to stop staring at the screen.

Three dancing dots appeared.

They disappeared.

PING

Ok.

AN: A HUGE Thank You to my amazing artist, @ratinavan! It was wonderful working with you!

#submission #sherlock and co #sherlock & co #flashbang event #sherlock homes #john watson

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tropes-and-tales-archives · 8 days

Text

More Precious Than Rubies: Part 2

This is an alternate timeline story that has a Rafael Barba track and a Sonny Carisi track. The two paths split off in part 3.

WC: 1696

TW: Angst; end of relationship drama; SVU-typical case about alleged rape.

AN: The prompt was "You Know Who to Call"

Sonny spent a long while getting over you. Deep down, he worried that he would never really get over you. He had messed everything up so badly, and he never realized how much you had brightened his life until you were suddenly gone. He practically experienced auditory hallucinations, swearing he’d heard his phone chime with a new message – but there was never anything there. No short, cute messages from you telling him that you missed him and couldn’t wait to see him again. No forwarded emails about interesting legal cases. No slightly risqué pictures, like the one you’d sent him the night before your anniversary…which he had ended up missing anyway.

And you were gone. He guessed that you blocked his number because none of his texts or calls went through. He sent you a few long, heartfelt emails that he was certain you deleted without reading. But that was the thing about you: no matter how badly you were probably hurting, you weren’t going to let it slow you down or derail your life. As Sonny had remarked once, you had your life together in ways that Amanda never would.

He heard through his Fordham friends that you’d gotten a coveted internship with a firm that specialized in overturning wrongful convictions. Sonny had always pictured the two of you as two sides of the same righteous coin: him, punishing evil-doers and you, righting wrongs.

He only saw you once in the months that followed. You were standing on the other side of West 62nd street, so bundled against the cold that he almost missed that it was you. But it was you – the same blue pea coat with the frayed cuffs, the same plaid scarf wound around your neck. It made Sonny’s stomach drop, and he wanted nothing more than to dash across the street after you. He wanted to fall onto his knees in front of you, bury his head against your stomach, and beg you to listen to the apologies that had choked him since he’d screwed up and lost you. But a long line of traffic divided you, and when it was time to cross, he completely lost you in the crowd.

And then it was a solid year before he saw you again.

********

Rafael Barba stood on the other side of the glass with Olivia and Carisi, watching as Fin and Rollins interviewed their suspect. A jittery young man, one Jeremy Michaels. Freshman at Hudson University on a full academic scholarship, apparent hope of his family…and accused of raping a seventeen-year old classmate.

The evidence so far was nothing more than the girl’s word, but Barba knew it was in the early stages and SVU would probably find more for him. His mind wandered to the other cases sitting on his desk, but his reverie was broken by the sound of heels clicking across the floor. He looked up and saw some anonymous junior detective leading a young woman towards them.

“This is his public defender,” he said with a jerk of the thumb to the sweating young man on the other side of the glass. Barba perked up and looked you over, and he while he didn’t miss Carisi’s sharp intake of breath beside him, the older man just ignored it.

For a public defender, you were in a nicer suit than he’d expect, a well-cut jacket over a pencil skirt that hugged your curves nicely. But you were young – so young that you looked like a child playing dress up. Even with your hair swept up into a classic chignon and your perfectly manicured hand that you extended to him in greeting, you looked like you should be settling into your own dorm room for college instead of defending human trash.

“ADA Rafael Barba,” he said, wrapping your slim hand in his larger one. “I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure.”

You introduced yourself. “Newly minted public defender.” You glanced over his shoulder at Liv and Carisi, and Barba saw you narrow your eyes a fraction before you nodded at them. Then you pulled your hand away from his and looked through the one-way mirror. “Is that my client?”

“It is,” Liv said after clearing her throat. “It’s good to see you again.”

Barba’s ears pricked up at that – Liv knew you? – but you ignored the niceties.

“I was hoping it wasn’t Mr. Michaels,” you said. “Because it’d be a violation of his constitutional rights if you were still interrogating him after he asked for counsel.”

“Not an interrogation,” Liv started, but you cut her off.

“This ends now. I need a moment with my client, please.” And then Barba watched as you swept past them and barged into the interrogation room like you owned the place, hustling Fin and Rollins out with a look that he swore was nearly vengeful. The Liv switched off the speaker, and Barba half-watched you, half-listened to the squad talk around him.

“How do you know her?” he asked conversationally, watching as you talked in earnest to the scared young man and then clasped a reassuring hand to his shoulder.

“She used to date Carisi,” Rollins finally said.

“Huh,” Barba said. It made sense. You were a young public defender. You couldn’t be that bright: first of all, you dated Carisi. Secondly, no one at the top of their class ever became a public defender, no matter how much of a do-gooder they were.

After a moment, you left the conference room with your client, your chin tilted at the squad in near defiance. “Charge him or cut him loose,” you said. “In the meantime, if you need to bring him back in for questioning, you know who to call.”

Then you marched out of the precinct with Michaels, your head high and your heels a steady staccato, leaving little in your wake other than a hint of some sunny perfume and a room thick with tension.

“That was awkward,” Fin said, and Barba glanced over at Carisi, noting how pale he was, how quiet. Carisi was never quiet.

“It doesn’t matter,” Rollins scoffed. “We have this guy cold. We’ll arrest him before the week is out and have him found guilty within a month.”

There was something appealing about you, the way you’d strode into that interview room, the way you’d marched back out with your head high and a fire in your eyes. And, obviously, there were a million questions about a woman who had dated Carisi, of all people on earth.

Barba was going to almost regret annihilating you in court.

********

You annihilated Barba in court. You only knew about the swaggering ADA tangentially, but you knew that he relied on style points when SVU couldn’t give him solid cases.

You always knew you wanted to be a public defender – you knew it since you were a kid who shouldn’t have to know what a public defender even was. Let people make assumptions about your ability or tenacity. They’d learn, eventually.

Like ADA Barba. You saw him look you over, and you saw him make an immediate judgement about your skill. The SVU squad knew you a bit, but they only knew you as Sonny’s sad-sack ex-girlfriend who used to linger around the precinct for a chance to see your absentee boyfriend.

Sonny knew you best of all of them, but you knew he didn’t know much. You’d dated for over a year, and he likely couldn’t name half the things a dedicated lover should. Did he know your favorite flower, or your favorite ice cream flavor? Unlikely.

Did he know your family history and the preternatural zeal for competent – no, excellent – counsel for the poorest and most desperate citizens? Even more unlikely.

You knew you’d have to defend the guilty. You already had a full caseload, with at least three clients who not only committed the crime they were accused of, but freely admitted how much they enjoyed committing it.

Jeremy Michaels wasn’t one of those cases. He was innocent and never wavered from his story. You hunkered down and built him a strong defense, and well – if revealing SVU’s slipshod practices was an outcome of the case, then it was just a happy accident.

In court, you parried every one of Barba’s thrusts, and then watched you eviscerated the state’s case. You called in witnesses of your own. In a move that felt so good it felt like a narcotic, you called Amanda to the stand and got her twisted in her own testimony. Then, when she got upset, she came across as openly hostile, even when Barba tried to cross her and salvage it. You watched at least three jury members turn on the state’s case, just like that.

And then, the coup de grace: you exposed SVU as sloppy. You turned in evidence after evidence of the alleged victim’s social media while the victim was on the stand. Posts from Facebook that SVU should have found and vetted during their investigation – but didn’t. It had taken you all of twenty minutes of idle scrolling through the young woman’s social media feed. You had no idea how NYPD missed it.

And then you made the alleged victim read her own words for the court. Back-and-forth threads with friends about how she, a honey-blonde white girl from the Upper East Side, was hooking up with a black scholarship kid from Biloxi, Mississippi. And when one friend opined that the alleged victim’s father would go nuclear when he found out about his only daughter’s hook up?

“Miss Prince, can you read this last comment for the jury?” you asked, and your voice sounded so sweet and accommodating that the woman smiled before she realized what you were asking.

She stuttered, turned bright red, and then read the damning bit in a voice that was so low that you cut her off and made her repeat it.

“What does it say, Miss Prince?”

The young woman glared at you, then read it in a steadier voice. “It says, ‘if my dad finds out, I’ll just say he raped me.’”

And everything after that was just a formality, really.

#rafael barba #rafael barba x you #rafael barba x reader #rafael barba imagine #sonny carisi #sonny carisi imagine #sonny carisi x reader #law and order svu #law and order svu fanfiction #tropes and tales

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fluffykiddosstuff · 1 month

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what is loves ? (nines x gn! reader part2)

Okay so in this story Connor and Gavin are a couple :3

L/n : last name

______

Nines pov :

As I sent the message to Connor, I waited a bit before getting a response

C : what do you mean?

N : it's for the case, maybe it was something love related so I need to gather more information, detective l/n left so I can't ask them.

It was half true actually, but Connor didn't needed to know what happened with his software earlier.

C : can't you research it?

N : I did but the definition is incomplete and doesn't help, why would humans have butterflies in the stomach? Can androids get them too?

C : it's an analogy - anyway, in some cases, love can make an another person do crazy things like kidnapping their lover so they can only see them, killing an "opponent" to keep them or even killing the loved one if they can't have them, do you understand?

N : yes I think so.. It's unpredictable like deviants right? But why people like love so much if it hurts?

C : well.. Nothing is all black or white in a relationship, it's more Grey, and sometimes it gets darker or lighter, for example, when hank found out I was dating Gavin, he got absolutely crazy and pursued him in all of the office, hank and I have a "father and son" relationship, he thought he meant well but ended up hurting my feelings, so he apologized and accepted Gavin, well sort off.

N : I think I understand better now, thank you

C : no problem, good night

Many days passed since this night but the "feelings" Nines was experiencing, we're getting bigger and bigger every time something happens between both of you. Even if it was something very little. On the good way, you all almost got the case clear, you all just needed to go to the suspects house and interrogate them, easy right?

Nines knocked on the door, Connor was on his left while you and Gavin were behind them, hank being at the station for something else and would come later.

"anybody home!?" screamed the Rk900, at first nothing, but you all heard shuffling inside, Gavin drew his pistol out and so did you, the androids broke the door and you all started to search the house after your suspect.

You got downstairs when Gavin searched at the kitchen, nines got into the rooms and Connor made sure the suspect couldn't get away, there was a 50/50 chance that the suspect would be armed, but oh nines was wrong to let you go down there alone. The three of them heard a loud scream and shuffling coming from the basement, the upgraded android was faster to get down and reach to you, there was no much light but with his advanced optics, he could see many pictures on a board, some crossed with a red X or a big circle also in red, all of them being android-human couples. The next one was a picture of you and him, going out in the park and talking about some personal stuff, when did that happened? Why didn't he noticed him take a picture?

But that wasn't the more alarming thing, he had you under his gun, yours being far away behind, he scanned you and saw you had a broken arm, due to fighting against this monster. His fists clenched and he lowly cursed.

"STAY WHERE YOU ARE OR I'LL SHOOT THEM!"

Nines searched all the possibilities, you had a chance of survival of 20%, he had to save you. He couldn't lose you.

He contacted Connor to tell him to stay upstairs and call backups, as much as he despised this man, he tried to talk with him to gain more time.

"why do you do this, killing these couples?"

"IT'S NONE OF YOUR DAMN BUISNESS GOD DAMN MACHINE!"

Chance of survival : 10% ⬇️

"we aren't even a couple, juste coworkers, if you hate so much androids I'm the one you should kill not them."

"Nines no-"

Chance of survival 30% ⬆️

"yeah you are right, androids always fucks up everything! I had a wife, and kids! This bitch cheated on me with him! Heck even my kids doesn't speak to me anymore saying he is a better dad than I am!"

"I-I understand your hatred towards us but why do you kill the humans too? Don't you want to protect your own r-race?" you managed to say, even if it was hard to breathe with his arm around your throat.

"I-I guess I wanted to get rid of the people who thought they were alive, so no one would think like them anymore and see they were only machines.. Only big ass roombas doing the chores!"

Chance of surviving 50% ⬆️

you started to cry, having the man's arm under your throat and all the stress was making you crazy, you looked at nines with pleading eyes.

"i'll take their place as the hostage, let them go"

the man grinned and looked at nines

" oh no they are more valuable than you, you can get easily replaced right ? they can't"

that's when a sound was heard behind the man's head, a pistol where you take the safety off, there was hank, he appeard through the big window in the basement and stood behind the threat.

"hands where i can see them, no sudden moves"

hank got upstairs with him so the other officers could take care of him. you dropped on your knees, crying, the rk900 came closer and stroked your cheeks, taking the tears away.

" are you alright ? no other injuries ?"

"no i'm okay..thank you nines, you saved me.."

the android's LED spinned yellow and red at your words, why did you thanked him, it's hank who saved you after all.

"i didn't do anything i-"

"no that's not true, you are the one who runned when i screamed, who gained more time and contacted the others, if you weren't there, i would either be dead or a threat to the others, so thank you for that"

you took his hands in yours, he then did the thing you didn't know he could do, he hugged you, tightly but not too tight to cause any discomfort to your broken arm. tears of joy started to make their way on your cheeks and you hugged back.

"why did you wanted to sacrifice yourself nines ? i want to know.." you looked at him in concern

"because..you are the most amazing human i know, i can't take it when you are hurt, and i can be easily replaced after all"

"no don't say that i..i don't want an another rk900 sent here i...i just want you"

you stroked his cheek and started to get closer, nines came closer and kissed you on the lips tenderly. you separated and connected your foreheads together.

"you broke protocol didn't you ?"

"yes, only for you"

that's when the basement opened to a worried connor who smiled when he saw both of you in each others arms, the funny part was when gavin poked his head to see what was going on and screamed at the top of his lungs :

"ARE YOU GUYS GONNA COMME OUTTA HERE OR FUCK ALREADY !?"

you both laughed as you got upstairs, nines putted you in the ambulance and waved as you got away to get taken care of, he turned to a smiling connor holding his boyfriend hand, who was muttering god knows what and was red as a tomato.

"i wish you to be happy nines"

both of the rk units smiled and the predecessor got in a car to go back to the dpd, making reports with his partner, the rk900 looked at his hands then at the sky, smiling

many adventures awaits both of you, hopefully for the best

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

(1314 words)

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atierrorian · 2 years

Text

THE START AND THE END Part 1 Scaramouche x reader series "I'm glad I've met you [Name]" "I'm glad I've met you too Kuni"

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Do you want to hear a story about a puppet and another puppet who fell in love with each other? Well then if that's the case sit back and relax and read this story about a puppet who had fell in love with another puppet. Now then see you at the main story~

"I don't have heart." "Then may I be your heart?" A puppet made in Sumeru by the Akademiya, they needed more... help around Sumeru. And yes although they could have hired someone else to do the job. They didn't, Because they thought a puppet would suffice more for the job, after all they take commands by their Master with no Hesitation. And create they did. And low and behold. They had successfully made their puppet. And had decided to name them [Name]. [Name] was a good puppet to the Akademiya. And the Akademiya thought that [Name] would be loyal to them for as long as they can live. But their biggest mistake while making [Name].. was giving them human emotions and feelings. [Name] does love Sumeru dearly, it is their home after all, but the Akademiya doesn't give them much of a break, nor do they let them travel around Teyvat. They would always say "[Name] you must and only be loyal to the Akademiya only, and you are not allowed to go outside of Sumeru.. understand?" [Name] was loyal to them sure. But not as loyal as they wanted them to be. [Name] wanted so badly to explore Teyvat they truly did, but the Akademiya wouldn't let them outside of Sumeru. So they decided that it was time to Rebel and escape the Akademiya's Clutches. They could still visit anyways. So phase 1 of escaping had now commence.

Now escaping the Akademiya isn't that easy but [Name] is smart so they already made a plan to escape. Now normally [Name] would have been doing errands still at night but luckily for them the Akademiya has not given them any. But of course the Akademiya isn't stupid, although they had placed an Akasha Terminal on [Name] like their plan was, but this wasn't a normal Akasha Terminal. This Akasha Terminal could detect and tell them what [Name] was doing if [Name] was out of their sight either doing errands or something. And if [Name] had planned to try and escape well.. they would be immediately be told by the Akasha Terminal that [Name] was planning to escape. So [Name] decided to remove their Akasha Terminal. But it wasn't really that easy. Firstly for this Akasha Terminal that [Name] was wearing, they needed some sort of a button let's say in order to deactivate their Akasha Terminal. Of course [Name] already had it, they had snucked into the Akademiya where they would be hiding the remote for [Name]'s Akasha Terminal. And surprisingly it was pretty easy for [Name]. They just had to decode here and there and entered several passwords that only the Sages would know and escaping other securities in order for them to get the remote. And they did. And now [Name] had removed their Akasha Terminals successfully and now could finally roam around Teyvat freely. [Name] was now already at the Entrance where you could get in or out of Sumeru, and they were about to get out. But the moment they were about to step out of Sumeru suddenly a glow was emitting from their hands, and when they checked on it.. it was a Vision... A dendro Vision! A dendro vision because [Name] had proved themselves worthy of it and because of their Ambition and determination had gotten themselves a vision.. and not just any vision it was a Dendro vision as well to remember Sumeru! [Name] was very happy now that they could somewhat protect themselves now of course they need to train but later once their far away from Sumeru now, but now [Name] felt more confident and had now ran out of the Sumeru region with their new Dendro vision and now was at the Chasm. They couldn't believe. They were really out of Sumeru and now finally free! They felt so happy now. [Name] hadn't realized that they were crying but the moment they did they wiped their tears away. [Name] had red about the Chasm but never was in the Chasm. And now they had finally finished their phased 1. Now it was onto phase 2.

[Name] was exploring the Chasm until somebody yelled out to them. "Hey you aren't suppose to be here unless you have a pass." Somebody yelled out to them. [Name] looked behind them to see who was yelling and it was man that was a Miner. "Huh oh I'm sorry I didn't know.. I came from Sumeru actually and I want to go to Inazuma so can you help me get out of this place please?" [Name] said to the Miner while the Miner looked at them. "Of course I can! Now here you must be hungry, here eat up." The Miner said and handed them a dessert that looked like it came from a different region. Now because [Name] was a puppet they didn't really needed to eat but because they didn't wanted to look rude and ungrateful they accepted it. "Thank you sir." [Name] said while quietly munching on the food they gave them. "Aw you're welcome kid, now let's go and get you out of the Chasm, It's not safe for you to be here anyways, even if you do have a Vision you don't have a pass and It's still not safe here so come on." The Miner said and led the puppet out of the Chasm.

"Thank you sir for bringing me out of the Chasm and giving me some food." [Name] said and thanking the Miner. "No problem kid now off you go now and be careful alright?" The Miner said while [Name] nodded and told him they would be careful. The miner nodded and headed off to continue his work while [Name] was now looking out of the unfamiliar scenery and land that they were about to explore.

They couldn't wait to have this Journey of theirs! But they never expected to meet someone that was exactly like them tho..

What have they gotten themselves into tho.. A fun Journey is what they got themselves into tho!

Part 1 done. Ps sorry if it's pretty short I ran out of ideas for this one but yeah.

#atier's works✎#Scaramouche x reader #Kunikuzushi x reader #Genshin impact x reader #Genshin x reader #The Start and the End series

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goawaypopup · 5 months

Text

Roddacember Day 12: Deception

I don't think we've seen a single one of the various humans, beasts, and artificial life forms that serve the Shadow Lord, that are legitimately loyal to him.

Think of the position jockeying between the Grade 3 Ol and Conversion Project-ed Tira in the Shadowlands. The Grey Guards phoning in their jobs wherever possible. The human generals from Adin's time in Tales of Deltora, scheming to look good and preserve their own skins.

The Ak-Baba are probably just too far up in the sky for us to hear them talking smack about their boss.

A common trait of evil in Deltora, the kind that the Belt and the Dreaming Spring can detect, seems to be that they naturally cannot be trusted to act in the interests of anybody except themselves. It's not an ironclad rule; Paff was, as I interpret, simply thoroughly broken. Others, though, like Rolf and the fugitives of the Barrier Mountains that the Shadow Lord built his power upon, were simply unprincipled and/or motivated by malignant resentment that overrode any concern for fellow people.

And of course his creations probably can't be much different from this. The Grey Guards are a curious case that seem as if they might extend care to their own pod, but never anywhere besides that, in a way that seems downright ingrained in their nature. And the Ols...

I've seen plenty of AUs where Ols are redeemed, mostly thanks to Dain and his sensitive boy wiles. And I won't deny the appeal in having nuance hidden deep in the souls of beings that never got the chance at a different life. But they surely do have the same grip on ambition and self-preservation, and the way they're constructed, well, they can't survive without the Shadow Lord fueling their hearts, and they probably know that. So, we'll likely never know about them for sure.

So, this is simply the natural state of being an evil mastermind. There is no bond between you and your minions, and if it weren't for the power imbalance you have in your favor, you'd instantly find yourself betrayed and in the gutter. Genuine camaraderie is a rare weapon that only the good guys are able to wield.

#roddacember 2023 #roddacember #deltora quest

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myalchod · 11 months

Note

Silrah, detective and assassin AU

we both know who would be the detective 😌😏

This ... didn't come out the way I expected. Saul-centric more than truly Silrah, no-powers AU.

1. If he didn't know better, he'd think this was a nightmare -- but he's wide awake, and though she looks far the worse for wear and it's been almost sixteen years since he last saw her, there's no mistaking the blonde woman laid out on the metal table before him. It's surreal, to see Rosalind Hale like this, but he just stares instead of saying anything, letting the coroner's words wash over him without truly hearing. (She looks small like this, fragile, human. He's not sure what to make of that.)

2. He should go to his DCI and recuse himself -- it's on a matter of time before their connection is exposed, no matter how deeply the records of the Light Battalion have been buried -- but he doesn't, and he's not exactly sure why. He owes Rosalind nothing; he would have been entirely content to never cross paths with her again. But something about her death teases at his instincts, and they've seldom led him wrong, and so he just accepts the case without comment.

3. She had directed them to go their separate ways the last time they had all met, alongside the insistence for silence. That's why it surprises him to find Andreas' name on one of the interview transcripts. He jots down the number, makes a note to call as soon as he can get a moment where he's sure he won't be overheard. Andreas had always been close to Rosalind; if that had remained true, he's Saul's best chance at an answer, or at the very least at some clue that might let him figure out Rosalind's death.

4. The call comes in the middle of the night, rousing him out of an exhausted slumber. Half an hour later, bleary-eyed and freezing cold, he finds himself standing over the motionless body of Andreas Eraklyon, looking at glassy eyes and red-sheened pavement and the bullet hole placed precisely between his brows. It's not the breeze that makes a shiver crawl up his spine.

5. They'd been told to scatter, but a detective has resources even without dipping into skills from a past he'd rather forget, and he tracks down three names, three numbers, three email addresses. Be careful, he sends them all, one by one. Rosalind and Andreas are dead. He doesn't include anything more. If they've changed as little as he has, they'll read between the lines.

6. Three weeks later, on the steps of Parliament, MP Luna Solaria goes down to a single precisely-placed shot, and Saul Silva feels that same chill of foreboding. This time the air is warm and still, but the past feels only a whisper away.

7. There is an uproar in the wake of Luna's death. He's not surprised when he thinks about it: the scion of an old family, unexpected reformer, she'd been highly visible and more beloved than the woman in his memory could ever have been. Perhaps, he thinks, Aster Dell had changed them all more than he had realised. (He tries not to think about the possible implications of that against what he is beginning to suspect.)

8. "He didn't deserve this," he says, when the passing of another month finds him looking down at Ben's body. Rose and the children had been away; it is the only mercy he can find in the moment as he stands in the lush garden his old compatriot had cultivated, in the middle of a quiet village in the middle of nowhere. Only the wind and the sounds of birds, unruffled by the gunshot a neighbour had called in several hours before, answer him.

9. The message appears on his phone mere moments after he arrives home that evening, the text stark confirmation of all he has tried to ignore from the outset -- all that he cannot ignore any longer, when they are the only ones left standing. Who do you think poisoned Aster Dell? she has asked, and as he thinks back to his words earlier that day, the chill redoubles. At least do me the courtesy of talking face to face, he sends back, though he doesn't know what he'll do if he sees her. She replies with a place, and a time, and that night he can scarcely sleep.

10. "Farah." If he had thought to find her changed from when they had parted ways, he does not -- at least, no more than he would have expected with the years that have passed. When he thinks about it, however, it does not surprise him. She'd had blood on her hands long before the four lives whose case files sit on his desk, before he and she became all that remained of that secret task force. (They'd all had far more blood on their hands by the end than he'd imagined possible, once.) "Saul," she answers, and her voice and her eyes are like ice. "I don't understand." The events of Aster Dell and the cover-up that followed had left him with nightmares and guilt beyond measure, wondering what they could have done to change those events, but she's given him a glimpse of something larger, and he wonders now how much of what he knows has been a lie -- and who had crafted the untruths he'd believed. Her smile sits somewhere between sad and mocking, though her eyes remain opaque. "Of course not. You were always the good soldier." The wind whips around them, teases strands of blonde free from where she's pinned it up. He remembers the feel of it against his hands, desperate stolen nights in the field, whispered confessions in the dark, and wonders how much of that too might have been a lie. This is nothing like what he had imagined meeting her again after all those years might be. (He had loved her; now, looking at her face, he wonders if he'd ever really known Farah Dowling.) "Someone has to put the past to bed. You'll figure out the rest." She takes a step back, and with his heart and the past caught in his throat, he cannot find the breath to cry warning.

11. The cliffs plunge down to where the sea crashes below, fierce rip currents that sweep out when the tide is high. They search for days, but do not find a body.

[ ask me another ] [ all answers ]

#fate the winx saga #ftws #saul silva #rosalind hale #andreas of eraklyon #luna of solaria #ben harvey #farah dowling #silrah #though it's much less present than i planned #au headcanon meme #au: no powers #au: modern #yeah i got nothing #asked and answered #charis writes

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ccomilk · 6 months

Note

oh man ok you asked for mikey fics? i gotchu, but idk which ones you have read yet so here's just all of them

the entire turtle instinct series by dysfunctional request. they're usually p silly but the mikey ones dip into light angst

apricity by very angry gremlin and empathy amplified by filsamek are two of a kind, where mikey uses his mystics to make problems for himself in favor of being his bros' therapist

taking care of your brothers by calliopes anon is a sweet pb&j twoshot

the sun and icarus by sibilla scribbled 08 is about mikey's powers going haywire, and the imagery used in it is fascinating, def drawing worthy

song of a sunny day (fading into dusk) by idk_im_just_here_now is p good, and updates frequently!

if you want a fic specifically about mikey going into brumation and freaking his brothers out bc a box turtle's heartbeat stops being detectable in that state, there's freezerburn, hyperactive hyperthermia, and the shoebox (which is part of the turtle instinct series)

there's also time ticks by, which is another cold mikey fic, but the stakes are higher. tho that one seems to be discontinued

i have a few more, like a hurt-no-comfort, some that are not really far enough in to the story for me to rec, and also some shellshock fics, but I have no idea if you want those so ill hold off until further notice.

i hope this helps! i'm always on the lookout for mikey fics, so if you have recs i'd love to hear them!!!

OH YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY SPOILED ME. OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOH THIS IS SPLENDID TYSM <33333333

i am absolutely down to hear the ones you didn't list!! even if they're not my style, the more the merrier!!!!!!

unfortunately i don't have many saved BUT here's my faves:

Mystic Malfunction by VanillaVengence, where after the movie Mikey's powers go haywire and he accidentally strands himself in the 2012 dimension. one of my favourite fics ever of all time (in case the truckloads of sketches i've been making didn't make that obvious)

Angelo by daniartonline - a oneshot about how mikey got the nickname Angelo!

A Heart Of Sunflower by Knight_Of_Breath - a crossover with DC, where Mikey teams up with the Batfam to save his brothers. very cute and almost finished

the rest aren't mikey centric BUT i adore them:

A Tale of Spirits by unorthodoxx - where the brothers accidentally find themselves spread across the ATLA world, and have to find their ways back to each other - and help stop the war. VERY very good. an all-time favourite. lots of very good mikey content.

the new york conspiracy corner by blueh - a social media fic about new york's reaction to the mysterious turtle cryptids lurking about. this one is SO good i love it sm.

juxtaposition by SpectrumWriting - a 2012 crossover that juxtaposes the two families

Little Scraps of Wisdom by clandestineClairvoyant - AU where Splinter doesn't get mutated, so he raises his turtle sons in the human world. SO much to love about this series.

bustin' heads by GODZILLA90095 - raph strikes out on his own in the 2003 battle nexus tournament, and his brothers sneak out to follow them. captures the show's vibes PERFECTLY this fic is so funny

hollow mind by paperxcrowns - leo gets captured by the government and has to find his way home. i was so tensed up this entire fic, i love it.

Very Thoughtful by theashemarie - a low empathy study of donnie

this year we lost our dear brother leonardo by catatonicatnap - explores the direct aftermath of defeating the krang and pulling leo out of the portal. this one also captures the show PERFECTLY and is extremely funny <3

anyway i'm going to binge read all the ones you sent TYSM <33333

#coffee talks #asks #desterea #rottmnt #rise of the tmnt #rottmnt fic rec #rottmnt mikey

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eruden-writes · 2 years

Text

The Unexpected Human Problem - Part 19 (Yautja x Human)

☆ ☆ ☆

Summary: The night her abductors die, Rayelle finds herself running for her life. She doesn’t know where she is, what is following her, where to go. All she knows is she’s not on Earth any longer and the thing chasing her has the capacity to kill.

Tai'dqei never anticipated finding a human when he took the job of tracking and subduing a small contingent of smugglers. It was only when the human attacked and fled fled, Tai'dqei - hopped up on the euphoria of a successful hunt - gave chase, instinct burning at his center.

Will sense return to Tai'dqei before he catches Rayelle? Or will Rayelle be subjected to the yautja’s natural inclinations?

And what happens afterwards?

☆ ☆ ☆

CW: I don’t think there’s anything major.

Tag list: @ajarofpickledtears, @boogeysmoth

If you like what I create, please consider my patreon or my ko-fi!

Part 18 is already available on Patreon!

Comments, tags, and reblogs are real motivators for me, too!

☆ ☆ ☆

The time spent on Tai’dqei’s ship passed by with agonizing speed. Rayelle couldn’t help but wonder if there was yet another time anomaly happening, but she knew the truth. She was enjoying her last cycles with Tai’dqei. Now that the heightened hormones that caused such a burning need were under control, they weren’t struggling nearly as badly.

Though she still couldn’t help but tease and mildly flirt with him. Especially whenever he seemed to tense or act awkward. It was kind of cute, how this massive beefy killing machine could be undone by a suggestion word or innuendo. Of course, she did keep everything masked in two layers of obfuscation.

She also supposed that her renewed sense of control helped the situation. Before the visit to the clinic, she had felt like she was being pulled along by the nose.

In the scant time they had together, Rayelle jam-packed it with as much as she could. They watched movies and conversed and played a few games. At one point, she had a sudden hankering for pancakes. Which Tai’dqei was able to humor with some basic supplies available onboard. Even though he ate and said he enjoyed them, Rayelle wasn’t entirely certain he was being sincere.

Just as she wasn’t certain about leaving him.

Rayelle sat in a passenger row behind Tai’dqei, staring at the space station floating mid-screen. A little off center and behind the station, a blue and green planet hovered. Apparently, they couldn’t land directly on the resort planet.

The sudden realization their time was up sent a nervous prickle through her body.

She had focused on the station in the holoscreen. It was a large spherical structure with an outer ring. Rayelle watched as a ship left the far right side as they approached.

Tai’dqei didn’t seem confused about being restricted to the station, so Rayelle tried to convince herself it was alright. There wasn’t anything to worry about. She presumed the resort simply didn’t want humans - unused to space travel and ships criss-crossing the sky - to be continuously bombarded with unfamiliar sights, especially during such a stressful time.

This place was designed to be an oasis of familiarity, an effort to shield time-displaced humans from too much novelty, advanced technology, or non-human interaction.

It made sense, but she obviously wasn’t a usual case, considering she had spent plenty of time with a non-Terran species. Hopefully, Detective Gorgiel had relayed that information to the counselors on Rerli 3. Hopefully, they understood that Tai’dqei had been one of the only constants, and her protector, during her time-space jaunt.

The hopes smacked of wishful thinking. Realistically, or pessimistically, this was it.

The mounting agitation over her inevitable separation from Tai’dqei clung to the back of her thoughts. It was like a tick, burrowing deeper and deeper into her synapses.

Phantom tears burned the back of her eyes, but she took a deep breath, trying to alleviate the pressure. While the immense sadness burrowed in her, an irritation flared at herself. This was silly. She was being silly. In the grand scheme of everything, she barely knew Tai’dqei and was only clinging to him, because he’d become someone familiar.

But they were going to easily move on with their lives, once they parted ways.

Rayelle jolted as the metallic sound of something clamping, of gears whirring, of hydraulics hissing echoed around the ship. Tai’dqei stood, drawing her eye to him and his pilot’s chair. Her teeth sunk into her lower lip as he stretched his arms over his head, his full armor glinting in the lights. Even though this was heavier armor than his usual, his skin peeked out between the plates and pieces.

Rayelle’s fingers itched to touch him, to feel the thick leathery skin under her fingertips. Time was running out to solidify the sensation in her head. Then her attention flicked to the chair, faint memories tickling her thoughts. His hands on her. His fingers inside her. The growling, clicking vibrations that sunk to her bone marrow.

Good luck forgetting any of that, she told herself.

Abruptly, she unbuckled and stood before her imagination could marinate in the recollections.

Tai’dqei watched as Rayelle fled the bridge, his mandibles barely flickering. He was trying to rely on auto-pilot to get him through these final moments. It was becoming increasingly hard, though. As it had over the last cycles with her, the desire to touch Rayelle crept over his hands. Now, his skin burned with the need to touch her. A hug, a brush of his fingers over her cheek, any physical touch to memorialize.

He refused himself the nicety. The fewer sweet memories he could dwell on, the less it would hurt. Or so he hoped.

They moved to the mess - which was really a lounge, she thought, since it had a couch and screen - as a counselor from Rerli 3 boarded. Introductions flew around, the counselor’s tone one of tooth-aching sweetness.

Jezika Alpha appeared human, with neon blue hair cut in a bob and wide brown eyes. Her bright blue lipstick accentuated her unwavering smile. There was something about her that seemed off to Rayelle. Too smooth skin with little to no aberrations. Eyes that didn’t blink quite enough. A stiffness to her movements that seemed awkward.

Or maybe Rayelle just wanted something to be off with Jezika Alpha. Looking for any reason not to leave the comfort of her known companion for an unknown.

“You will love it at Rerli 3's resort, Miss Brooks!” Jezika chirped, rocking on her heels, her hands moving as she spoke. A sudden flash of memory, of old animatronics at eateries and amusement parks, tumbled through Rayelle’s thoughts. “We have everything you could ever need.”

Rayelle knew almost all of the amenities, having perused the pamphlet during moments when Tai’dqei had been busy with piloting or training. Honestly, she didn’t doubt Jezika’s claims. The enormous resort had different areas, separated by decade. Each wing had their own community kitchen, equipped with appliances and available foods of the time; a library with books from their era and an area to do crafts; pool and gymnasium, again with equipment from the time; and other period-appropriate entertainments.

For Rayelle, 2020s entertainments were a theater-style area to watch movies or having ‘streaming services’ in her personal room. Also, access to a computer that somehow accessed her era’s Internet, though she couldn’t post, share, or comment on anything. Just scroll and play some ‘ancient’ games.

Though, Rayelle still had a question. She motioned to Tai’dqei, who resided on the far side of the room from her. “Can Tai’dqei come down with me, until I get settled?”

Tai’dqei stood stiff and straight, ignoring how something in his chest jumped as Rayelle asked a question he’d been struggling over breaching. He had chosen to wear his full armor today, just in case they had allowed him on-planet. The helmet obscured his face and the armor mostly obscured his form, which meant those humans not familiar with his kind might overlook him. The fledgling hope he’d be able to milk a little more time with Rayelle flared.

“I am very sorry.” A frown actually flashed across Jezika’s lips as she tilted her gaze to Tai’dqei before looking back to Rayelle. “Many of our guests are humans from eras ignorant of non-Terran life and culture. Those who are familiar with non-human life have minimal and unsavory knowledge of the yautja.”

At that, Rayelle raised her eyebrows and shot Tai’dqei a questioning look. What kind of experiences had transgressed between humans and the yautja? If Tai’dqei knew, his body language didn’t betray it.

Though, he did know. At least in rumors and stories. Ironically, the yautja and humans had a score of interactions recorded in their respective histories. He didn’t really want to discuss that, if this was going to be his last moments with Rayelle.

Thankfully, Jezika continued on with a renewed smile, barreling over any curiosity in Rayelle. “We strive to cause as little conflict as possible within our patrons.”

“Ah.” It made sense, Rayelle told herself, as she grudgingly shelved her curiosity about interactions between yautja and human. There was no time to discuss past transgressions or diplomacies.

She didn’t like that the strict ‘no outsiders’ policy made sense. The ache to spend more time with Tai’dqei burned, distractingly. Rayelle had hoped to blunt it by weaseling a few more hours of time out of Tai’dqei.

Although, she wasn’t ready to admit that to anyone. Rayelle was barely ready to admit it to herself. The entirety of their time together had been one miscommunication and misstep after another, dolloped with a helping of confusion and conflicting baggage. Untangling the threads of how she felt took time.

But there wasn’t any time for that now.

“I suppose this is it.” Rayelle turned to Tai’dqei, limbs both heavy and twitchy with anxiety. She clasped one hand around her wrist, in front of her thighs, to keep from fidgeting. A small voice at the back of her head held its breath, hoping for Tai’dqei to say or do something to prolong their companionship.

He disappointed her by giving a nod and affirmative grunt.

Her lips pressed tight together, trying to find any small sign he didn’t want her to go. Reading his face was hard enough, the mask made it impossible. Rayelle couldn’t fathom why he had worn all his armor.

A part of her mused he was going to fight to keep her aboard. Or maybe he was anticipating having to protect her from hoards of other aliens, once more.

Or maybe he had a new assignment already lined up. That thought made her stomach twist and she wondered how much of his time she had wasted, how many potential assignments he’d missed.

At the same time, a flare of mournful annoyance nipped at her thoughts. Rayelle felt as if she was about to be crossed off his To Do List and completely forgotten. He had only done all of this - from carting her around space to providing her the ear worm and gauntlet - out of a sense of duty. Rayelle couldn’t really ask for any more from him.

Trying to keep that in mind, she forced a smile to her lips. It wasn’t an insincere smile, but she fought to hide the wave of sadness that lapped inside her. “Thank you, for everything.”

Rayelle’s heart stuttered as Tai’dqei suddenly lumbered toward her, though he stopped an arm’s length away. He reached a large, clawed hand out, palm up as if he was expecting some sort of payment from her.

Oh. The gear, she realized, suddenly feeling the metallic heaviness on her wrist. Not entirely sure how to remove it, she held her wrist out to him. Her free hand clutched at the hem of her shirt, bottom lip worried by her teeth. She tried not to think how this was yet another thing being taken from her, on top of everything else that was happening.

Instead of hitting a button and the gauntlet falling free of her, though, Tai’dqei took another step closer. Rayelle tensed, his body heat sinking into her. His grip was firm and gentle as he tapped through the settings and options with is free hand.

Quietly, under the counselor’s gaze, he instructed her how to remove the gauntlet - something he had avoided telling her when she had a habit of running off - and how to send him a general communique.

“Contact me if you need anything. If it’s urgent, press this here.” He tapped another button and, almost instantly, his own gauntlet gave a repetitive alarm. Tai’dqei released Rayelle’s arm to silence the message. Then he tilted his face toward her, expression unreadable beneath the mask. “I will find you, no matter what.”

Heat snapped across Rayelle’s face as she averted her gaze, her gauntleted wrist held against her chest. He didn’t mean that, she thought. An uproar of thoughts churned through her head, rippling through her chest. He was just being polite. They barely knew each other.

Still, it was a nice thought and she couldn’t keep the slight smile from her lips. “Thank you. Again.”

Tai’dqei gave a terse nod, posture painfully straight and stiff. “Take care. I hope you can see your kids again.”

At the mention of her Elliot and Skylar, Rayelle’s heart lurched. Here she was, wanting to prolong her time with Tai’dqei, despite what he wanted and what her children needed. It was such a selfish desire, Rayelle realized, her thoughts taking on Evan’s voice.

Her words stuck in her throat and a pang in her chest threatened to spill tears from her eyes.

Struck by an urge to do something, to convey the mess of emotions, Rayelle suddenly grabbed for Tai’dqei’s wrist. He allowed her to move his arm, probably struck by curiosity or surprise. She turned his hand over, bringing his bare palm to her lips and pressing a kiss to the center. Tai’s fingers twitched and tension coiled up his arm.

Unbeknownst to Rayelle, a prickling sensation knifed through Tai’dqei’s body, landing deep inside him. Breath caught in his lungs, his eyes widening at the affectionate display.

As rushedly as she grabbed him, Rayelle hurriedly dropped his hand and turned away. She snatched up her backpack and duffel bag - both stuffed with things he’d bought her - and reminded herself of what she could keep from their time together. There was, admittedly, a lot of little things. Books and clothes and fidget toys. Plenty to remind her of Tai’dqei.

None of it was him, though.

“Goodbye, Tai’dqei.” She couldn’t turn around to face him, to be met with that blank mask and be unable to discern what he felt. Consequently, Rayelle didn’t see how he still he stood, mask inclined to his hand, frozen in the spot she had held it.

If Jezika thought anything awry, it wasn’t made apparent. She simply followed Rayelle out, after beckoning a chipper thank you and goodbye to Tai’dqei. The two women traipsed out the ship and into the docking port, before the door closed behind them.

It wasn’t until the two were well gone that Tai’dqei realized he hadn’t said goodbye. All the better, he thought, as he fisted the hand Rayelle had kissed and allowed it to drop.

His other hand reached up to wrench off his helmet as he headed to the cockpit. A spark of unaddressed frustration had him flinging the helmet into a passenger seat, where it bounced down the row. Thankfully, it didn’t clatter to the floor. Though he was only half-aware of that fortune.

His mind was focused on other things. Namely leaving before he did something asinine.

If he lingered too long, Tai’dqei feared he’d go after her. The burn to touch her still seared at his hand, made worse by her kiss. Instead, he used the computer to scan the area for any points of interest. Thankfully, a bounty outpost wasn’t far. There, he could find his next job, restock supplies, and maybe have a destined-to-be-unsatisfactory stop at a brothel. His mind sloppily listed a number of to do’s to shove thoughts of Rayelle further away.

She got to where she needed to go. The proper authorities would handle it from here, whether that meant sending her back to her time or finding her a nice human settlement to live in or sending her back to Earth. Tai’dqei honestly didn’t know what the protocol was, if a human couldn’t be sent back to their time.

But, there was never going to be a message from her. No matter her flirtations or friendliness over their last hours together.

Tai’dqei’s mandibles flexed with agitation. No, this was a short, eventful chapter that was now closed. He steeled himself until he received clearance to leave. A swell of something leaden and heavy settled in his chest, as he maneuvered away from the docking station, away from the planet.

Away from Rayelle.

—

On the jumpship - cloaked to look like a cloud - from the dock station to the resort, Rayelle watched a light flash from the suspended station and disappear into the atmosphere. She presumed it was Tai’dqei’s ship. Something in her chest twisted, thinking of how he had left so soon.

Looking away from the sky, she turned her gaze to the gauntlet still on her wrist. The sensible part of her told her to remove it. She didn’t need it any longer.

Another part of her wanted to test his claim. Would he really come if she sent an urgent message? Even if they had just parted? Her fingers hovered over the contact button.

“You will absolutely love it here, Miss Brooks!” The counselor twittered, seated beside Rayelle. She ticked off what Rerli 3's resort had to offer, all of it simple repetition from what Rayelle had read. “We have all sorts of fun things to do. Books to read, old media to ingest, kitchens to cook, a spa and pool to relax in. And so much, much more!”

“Sounds wonderful,” Rayelle intoned, feeling a little hollow at the words. She closed out the communication app, forcing herself to forget about messaging him. At least, not urgently. She had already taken up so much of his time. Maybe in a week or a month or a year, she’d reach out to him. See how he was doing and reconnect, if she was lucky.

Well, if she was still in this time, she supposed. Faintly, Rayelle wondered if the gauntlets would work out-of-time. If she sent a message from 2022, would it bounce around the universe until he received it in this time? Her lips pressed tight together at the unlikely scenario.

“Oh, it is wonderful!” By this point, Rayelle felt like Jezika was a broken record. Faintly, she wondered if the woman did, indeed, have more in common with technology than with Rayelle. Unaware of Rayelle’s thoughts, the counselor continued on, “It will be so nice after space-hopping with a yautja. They can be particularly difficult.”

Rayelle offered a half-laugh at that, unable to deny that sentiment though not liking the tone. Again, her heart twisted. She wasn’t sure if Tai’dqei was necessarily more difficult between the two of them.

As Rerli 3 came closer into view out her window, Rayelle picked out trees, hills, rivers, and buildings. It looked very much like Earth, she was surprised to realize. That was likely why this planet was chosen for displaced humans, she thought.

She pondered what the resort was like, if she’d be the only human in the 2020s wing, and other inane little details. Meanwhile, her brain fought between the pros and cons of reaching out to Tai’dqei, how soon, how often, if she ever should.

Frustration mounted the longer her mind split her attention. With fists clenching in her lap, Rayelle glared out the window, not really seeing Rerli 3.

She was not going to live each day, pining away for an alien that couldn’t wait to leave her behind. Not to fault him, of course. She had put him through the hormonal ringer while he tried to tiptoe around her emotional baggage.

It was just obvious, with how fast he left, how eager he was to be done with her.

Firmly deciding she wasn’t going to waste any more of his time, Rayelle forced her thoughts to focus on Rerli 3 and hopefully returning to her home-time.

—

Five cycles passed.

Tai’dqei had languished an outpost on Vh’oi for three of those. Supplies replenished, regular ship maintenance acquired, and a visit to the local brothel undergone. All the while, quiet thoughts of Rayelle bubbled at the back of his mind.

How was she doing? Had she befriended anyone? Had she gone beyond friendliness? Was she already back home, in her time with her kids? Did she ever think of him?

The thoughts got louder and the crowds on Vh’oi became harder to stand. On the fourth cycle, he decided to take off to a small nearby planet to camp and hunt. To be within the quiet embrace of nature and to settle the frenzy in his head.

It didn’t do much good. Much of the fauna on the planet was small, unchallenging, and sought to flee rather than fight. As such, he mostly hunted for sustenance and not honor. Which was fine. There was a pit in his chest that made it hard to imagine celebrating a good hunt well commenced.

Sitting half-dressed in the balmy light of day, his ship nearby and the sun high, Tai’dqei stared out over the expanse of flora and trees from his spot on a cliff. He was avoiding thinking, since the effort tended to roll around to Rayelle.

A comm chimed into his gauntlet and, lazily, he glanced at it. He’d kept Ah’ke apprised of the situation. Aware or simply intuitive, she had uncovered his own conflicting emotions easily. Likely, she was checking up on him, making sure he hadn’t done anything poorly thought out.

Tai’dqei’s eyes widened as he realized it wasn’t from Ah’ke.

With mandibles flickering with sudden unrest, Tai’dqei opened Rayelle’s message.

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