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killerpancakeburger · 30 days

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I'm the powder, you’re the fuse

SUMMARY: Soap finds out that his girlfriend is a skilled mercenary. And that he likes it... a lot.

PAIRING: Soap x f!Reader

TAGS: Established relationship, Badass!Reader, Smitten!Soap.

WARNINGS: Canon violence, mention of: blood, death, kidnapping/hostage taking, torture, weapons, suggestive content (Soap is Horny), military inaccuracies, swearing.

WORD COUNT: 1.9k

A/N: yes I am still writing the civilian fic with Ghost and Soap... but then I had this idea and thought I could finish it ""quickly"". Written on mobile so if there are mistakes feel free to tell me!!

Soap let out a yawn big enough to dislocate his jaw, staring at his captain with mild resentment.

“This couldn’t hae waited til after breakfast, sir?”

“‘Fraid It could not, John. Actually in just a few minutes you'll be barking at me to know why we haven't gotten a move on already.”

Johnny looked back at his superior with perplexity, before glancing over at his teammates around the table, hoping for a scrap of information. Ghost remained imperturbable while Gaz shrugged.

“We received this video thirty minutes ago. Addressed to a certain Sergeant MacTavish.”

His captain turned on the projector and crossed his arms, leaning against the wall behind him. It was his teammates’ turn to glance at him questioningly, and to him to shrug with ignorance.

The Scottish soldier rubbed his face in an attempt to get rid of his lasting drowsiness as the video projected on the white screen facing them was starting.

A group of armed men in balaclavas were occupying a room. The one in the front spouted the classic ransom demand in exchange for a hostage. Nothing worth being summoned at the crack of dawn for.

Then the spokesman moved aside, revealing their detainee, bound to a chair and gagged, shooting daggers at her captors, and Soap almost knocked over the table with how brutally he stood up. Carried away by white-hot fury, he slammed his hands on the table.

“Fuckin’ - what the fuck is this!? When did this happen? Where are those fucking bastards? I -”

Rage had roughened his usually smooth voice, granting it a gravelly pitch, turning his shout into a growl.

“Control yourself, Sergeant”, interrupted Price, “It's not over yet.”

On the screen, the same man as before grabbed your hair, ignoring your murderous glare, forcing you to look at the camera, and coaxed you with disdain before taking off your gag:

“Come on doll, gonna have to beg real pretty for your man to get him to rescue you.”

The second your mouth was freed, you snarled at him, baring your teeth like you were about to bite.

“I'm gonna rip your throat out with my bare hands, you f-”

“Fuck, someone muzzle that rabid bitch”, swore your agressor, your belligerence clearly having thrown a wrench in his plans.

Soap could not help the flare of pride soaring in his chest at the view of your defiance and your grit.

After receiving their orders, the team left the room to prepare themselves for the assault.

“A friend of yours?” asked Gaz, while Ghost questioned “Ya know her?”

“That's mah girl”, admitted the Scotsman, a bit sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, looking away. The cat was out of the bag. For your own sake, you had been a well-kept secret, but it was blatant that it didn’t protect you.

“Been together for a year. Never meant to drag her into this, though.”

“She sounds like a bloody riot, mate.” teased Garrick.

“She doesn't seem fazed to be taken hostage. Mainly pissed.” pointed out Ghost, wary.

“She's fearless.” admitted Soap with an enamored little smile. “Doesn't mean we don’t have to get her out of this though.”

His expression shifted from fondness to cold determination.

“‘F course.”

“We've got your back.”

“Gaz? You copy?” called Ghost over coms.

The afornamed was tasked with overwatch. His response arrived, marked by hesitation.

“... I don't think she needs our help, guys.”

“The fuck s’that supposed to mean?” grumbled the Lieutenant.

“It'd be better if you'd see for yourselves. Third window on the right, second floor.”

Ghost took out a pair of binoculars and pointed them at the given position.

“Fooking hell…”

The expletive was mumbled with a mix of surprise and… awe?

“What? What! Lemme see L.T.!” pleaded Soap.

Ghost quickly passed him the tool, eager to make him shut up. The sergeant hastened to shove them against his face. His gaze took in the sight in front of him and he let out an appreciative whistle.

“Steamin’ jesus…”

He drank in the view that was your bloody display of fierce skill and deadly efficiency. You staggered between the enemies with fluidity, making them seem like clumsy amateurs. Slicing a throat there, shooting a head here, he watched with fascination as you used a dead attacker as a human shield.

“I think I'm hard.”

“TMI, Soap.”

Gaz coupled his comment with a gagging noise.

“Can ye blame me! Mah lass is oot there bein’ a bonafide badass ‘n’ that's the hottest shit a've ever seen.”

“M not blaming you for being a horny bastard, I'm blaming you for not keeping it to yourself.”

“If you two are done bickering, we could go pick her up.” groaned Ghost.

Letting Garrick past, he grabbed Soap by the shoulder as he was walking by him.

“You knew?”

“Knew what?”

“That you were going out with a killer.”

“Nae, but it turned out to be a good thing, didn’t it? Cannae imagine how badly this would have ended with a civilian. The wounds, the trauma…”

Ghost let out one of his grunts that Johnny knew meant “I disagree but it's not worth debating you about it.”

Positioning themselves near that final entrance, Soap nodded in response to Ghost's hand signal, waiting for him to break the door down. They were still on their gard in case some of the assailants survived.

In the ensuing silence, your voice reached his ears through the wall he was propped against.

“Come on doll”, you taunted, imitating your captor's scornful tone from earlier, sickly sweet then venomous. “Tell me who you work for and I won't gouge out your remaining eye.”

Johnny gulped. Eavesdropping on this definitely did not help with the… situation in his pants.

The racket produced by Ghost dealing with the door had the merit to make him focus once again.

His body moving automatically, his training taking over, Soap charged into the room, pointing his rifle at the only person left standing there. Like a reflection of himself, you were aiming your own firearm at him. Your eyebrows were frowned in concentration, your eyes glinting with cold determination. Then recognition dawned on your face, and you heaved a sigh of relief, lowering your weapon.

“It's you! You scared the shit out of me.”

Relief flooded through him at the sight of you, bruised, battered, and blood-spattered, but alive. He tossed his gun aside as you put down yours, ready to embrace you, but Ghost's voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Back off, Soap.”

An order. Johnny stared at him in shock.

“What the hell, L.T.?”, he hissed in his direction.

You docilely raised your hands in the air as the masked man lined up the end of his gun's barrel with your head.

“Worst rescue party ever”, you mumbled to yourself.

“Sorry, Johnny”, grumbled Skullface, not sounding sorry in the slightest, never taking his eyes off you. “But do your usual conquests take down a dozen armed men on their own?”

Illustrating his words, he gestured with his rifle to the ground littered with corpses. The man you had started to interrogate - the only one left alive - whined in pain.

“So what's your deal? Ya a mole? Shagging Johnny for intel?”

“Ghost!” Soap gasped, offended for himself as much as for you. “M not some clueless newbie!”

You made a face at the question. You understood where he was coming from, hell you’d do the same if the roles were reversed, but that didn’t mean you enjoyed sharing details of your sordid past, especially with a stranger. The less people knew about it, the better.

“I used to be a mercenary for a family who did organized crime. Been clean for years though.”

“Oh yeah? They let you leave just like that?”

“The boss’ daughter had a soft spot for me.”

The lieutenant stared at you for a few more seconds, as if judging the veracity of your statements through sight alone, before lowering his weapon.

A resounding “Bonnie!” rang out. Next thing you knew, your boyfriend's muscular arms closed around you, causing you to yelp, pain running through you at the overeager contact. Soap cursed and apologized profusely.

“Bloody hell, a'm sorry, didnae mean tae hurt ye. Are ye alright? Show me where it hurts. If those bastards leid a hand on ye, I swear-”

There was something both flattering and arousing with how the more Soap lost his cool, the more pronounced his accent became, and the rougher his voice sounded. You placed a finger across his mouth to put an end to his verbal onslaught, an endeared smile on your own.

“At ease, soldier. I'm OK, just some bruised ribs and a busted eyebrow.” you summarized while pointing to the trickle of dried blood on the side of your face.

He leaned his forehead against yours, a gesture that felt terribly intimate, an adoring grin adorning his lips.

“Cannae believe ye wiped out those sorry fuckers all on yer own. Fuck, that's hot.” he confessed in a subdued tone.

You threw your head back in laughter, only to wince when your sore ribs manifested themselves.

“Never heard that one before. Could get used to it, though.”

You laced your fingers behind his neck, nonchalantly leaning against him, not fighting back an impish smile. Soap's hands grabbed your hips in response. Your roguish expression must have gotten the better of his restraint, because one breath later, he was hungrily pressing his mouth against yours. You replied in kind, swiftly deciding you did not care for his colleagues’ presence, and he moaned in appreciation.

After a minute or two, you broke the kiss against your will, remembering an issue that needed to be solved. You smiled, amused by the vision that was Soap chasing your lips blindly, then pouting when you refused him.

“So you guys are gonna take care of the bodies, right…? I can deal with one or two, but this is a bit much.”

The last soldier, the one you didn’t hear from yet, a pretty man with dark skin that Soap would later introduce as Gaz, assured you that they would handle it.

Transferring your attention back to Johnny, you noticed a trace of guilt in those ocean eyes of his, as he was staring at you.

“Something wrong?”

“Ye not mad at me?”

“Why would I be mad at you?” you frowned.

“It's mah fault if those bastards took ye.”

“Oh, Johnny…” you sighed wistfully, cupping his face. “I knew what the risks were when I chose to date a soldier. Plus, there will always be a chance that my past catches up to me. I was pretty fucking mad when I got a hood shoved on my head and my arms twisted behind my back before getting hauled away in the middle of the fucking night, but not at you.”

Once they gathered all the intel they needed and dragged away the only survivor, the team and you left the building. Your testimony was required for the mission report, so you accompanied them without protest, longing for the care that would be provided by their medical facility.

As you were walking to their vehicule, hand in hand with Soap, you noted how he couldn’t take his eyes off you.

His cerulean eyes kept greedily roaming all over you, like you were a vision so dream-like it was making him doubt your reality, like you would vanish the second he stopped contemplating you.

“Yer one badass lass, y'know that? ‘M so proud o’ ye. Proud tae be yers.”

A/N: Ghost's "grunts that Johnny knew meant “I disagree but it's not worth debating you about it.” " is based on my grandma 💀

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rascal-xo · 1 year

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I heard your requests are open~

I'm always a sucker for angsty hostage reader fics. Maybe one of the 141 are clearing a warehouse, and come across hostage!reader. He takes them back to the base for their injuries and they start to get close

Hopefully this is enough to go off of, I really like your writing

Special Affairs | Task Force 141 x GN!Reader

Chapter Summary: You’ve found yourself in a sticky situation and end up crossing paths with none other than the infamous 141 soldiers.

Warnings: Violence, weapons, language, reads like an action fic ‼️

Word Count: a lot. (i’m too lazy to check lol)

A/N: I decided to let my creativity run wild and took some inspiration from the Cold War campaign (my fav). I hope you enjoy and ty for the request!!

|NOT CANONICALLY ACCURATE| |OVERLAPPING OF TIMELINES| PART 2 HERE

When you were recruited for the CIA, It was only a matter of time you’d find yourself in this situation. Your training had prepared you for the unexpected, but nothing could have quite prepared you for the events that unfolded during this covert mission.

As a highly skilled agent, you were sent deep undercover to gather intel on a notorious terrorist organization. You had infiltrated their ranks and gained their trust, positioning yourself to uncover their plans from within.

But during one of the critical moments, a sudden turn of events led to chaos.

As tensions escalated, shots rang out, triggering a full-blown firefight and you were caught in the crossfire, you fought valiantly, taking down several hostiles. You were outnumbered and one of the enemy operatives managed to sneak up behind you, immobilizing you with a well-placed blow to the head.

When you regained consciousness, you found yourself disoriented and restrained in a dimly lit underground bunker. Your head throbbed with pain as you struggled against the ropes binding your wrists.

Hours turned into days as you remained imprisoned, your captors using various failed forms of psychological torture to extract information.

Unbeknownst to Captain Price, Soap, Ghost, and Gaz, their mission had brought them closer to the underground facility where you were held captive.

Their objective aligned with yours - to dismantle the terrorist organization from within.

As the four of them navigated the corridors, they encountered heavy resistance. The sound of gunfire echoed through the compound, alerting your captors to the presence of intruders. “Was zum Teufel?!” (What the hell?!”)

The two armed soldiers in your room snapped up from their seats and readied their rifles to fire back if the door opened.

Just as the enemy closed in on your location, the sound of a door being kicked open reverberated through the bunker.

Price, Soap, Ghost, and Gaz burst into the room, their weapons blazing. Their entrance sent your captors into disarray, allowing you to break free from your restraints.

Without wasting another moment you grabbed a gun on the nearby table, just as The Captain’s weapon pointed away from the now dead guards and to you, “Don’t Shoot!” You exclaimed.

“Who are you?” Ghost barked, not lowering his gun yet.

“I’m CIA.” Price motioned for everyone to lower their weapons and you walked closer to the group.

You nodded to them, “Clandestine Special Officer, Y/N Y/L/N.”

“What’re you doing down here, Lass?” Soap chimed in, looking at you intently.

“Came here on the job you’ve been sent to finish.” You looked at your shoulder which was still freshly wounded, and then looked around the room for your jacket. You finally caught eye on it laying on the floor and quickly went to put it on.

“Wait, you cant go on like this, you’re broken.” Gaz points out, motioning to your shoulder. You could feel the black and blue forming around your eyes and the cut stinging on your lip as well. ‘So much for covert’ you thought to yourself.

“I’m fine, but I know East Berlin won’t be if we don’t get moving.” You answer.

Captain Price exchanged a glance with Soap before nodding in agreement. "They’re right. We need to finish this mission, and it seems like we've got ourselves an unexpected ally," he said, his voice steady and commanding. “Gonna get that arm checked out once we’re back, got it?”

You nod and collect the rest of your scattered gear, before heading out of the bunker and to the main facility. “So what’s the motherfucker got down here that needs to be guarded like this?” Gaz asks, as you take down maps and manifestos from the enemy conference room which is now empty.

“Missiles.” They all pause and turn to you in shock. “American missiles.”

“Steamin bloody Jesus.” Soap mutters.

“In the 50’s, Operation Greenlight put nuclear devices within every major European city as the ultimate ‘fuck you’ to a Soviet invasion of Europe. But an upgraded American Precision Strike system when online 2 weeks ago, sent up red flags all over but they were disguised at that time.”

“Perseus.” Price’s voice had anger lining it. “When does the system become active?”

“We have 24 hours at best. Launch was already delayed a few days from what I understand.”

The group exchanged concerned glances. "We need to move fast and take out the missile launch site before it's too late," Captain Price said, his voice urgent.

You nodded in agreement, knowing that time was of the essence. "I have intel on the location of the launch site, but it's heavily guarded," you said, pulling out a map and pointing to a spot. "We need a solid plan of attack."

You joined Captain Price and Soap as they made their way towards the launch site, keeping your eyes peeled for any enemy forces. Gaz and Ghost went around the south entrance.

Finally, you reached the launch site and saw the missile silos looming in the distance. The group split up, with Captain Price and Soap taking the left flank and you taking the right.

As you made your way towards the silos, you encountered heavy resistance. Enemy soldiers were everywhere, firing at you from all directions. You returned fire, taking out as many as you could.

When you reached the site, you quickly accessed the control panel, determined to disable the launch sequence. With deftness born from your CIA training, you navigated the complex system, neutralizing the imminent threat.

“Bravo Six to Actual- do you copy?” Price spoke.

“This is actual, what’s your report?” Laswell’s voice coming from the comms.

“We’ve got the threat. They were active missiles.”

The tension in the room dissipated as the launch sequence halted. A collective sigh of relief passed through the team.

“Gonna call in the evac, Y/N you with us?” Soap asked, coming to the group. Going back with the 141 didn’t seem like such a bad idea now that you had worked with them. The CIA could use the extra knowledge first hand.

“Hope you’ll save me a seat.” You smiled.

———

After the mission, you and the rest of the team returned to a secure base in London. You found yourself sitting at the counter at a pub.

You watched from across the bar as Soap scored a bullseye with the dart, earning a triumphant cheer from Gaz. Ghost simply nodded in approval, his focus seemingly undisturbed.

“Adler it’s Y/N. Everything’s been handled but I’m in London for the time being.” You sent the voicemail and set your phone down.

Captain Price walked over, a slight smile playing on his lips. He took a seat beside you, signaling the bartender for a drink.

"CIA, huh?" Price remarked, his voice carrying a hint of warmth. "So what’s next for you, darling?”

"There’s always something that needs to be dealt with. But It feels good to have a moment to breathe," you replied, taking a sip from your drink. The cool liquid provided a soothing sensation as it slid down your throat.

You looked up to meet his gaze. You had known of captain for quite some time now. There wasn’t a file at Langley you hadn’t been assigned to go through, his of course was more seasoned than others.

Price's piercing blue eyes met yours, and for a moment, the weight of the world seemed to fade away. His expression held a mix of admiration and camaraderie, a silent acknowledgment.

He leaned back in his seat, his expression now uncertain. “Laswell never mentioned you or anything about this mission being active.”

“Well neither did Shepard, and we all know you have a Shepard problem.” You moved your glass in a circular motion slightly, watching the golden liquid rise and fall.

“We’ll always have that problem, darling.” He scoffed, downing the rest of his scotch.

“Well since i’m here now, consider that problem handled.” You said, suddenly deciding that you and the 141 weren’t quiet done being a team yet…

————————————————————————————

A/N: I highkey enjoy writing action/double meaning story fics. LMK what y’all think :))

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fromriches-tosin · 1 year

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thank you for reading <3

From Shiganshina with Love (ao3)

status: completed (3/3)

ship: Reiner Braun/Jean Kirschtein

what: angst with a happy ending

warnings: canon-typical violence and gore, tortures

summary: Canon Divergence AU – the Cart Titan never comes to his aid, and Reiner is taken hostage after the Battle of Shiganshina.

sneak peek:

“Well, well. Would you look at that. It speaks. Why won’t you tell us more about that Marcel of yours?”

Jean spins around, the blade still raised, his cheeks wet with tears he cannot even try to hide. Levi is standing in the entrance to the cave, arms casually crossed in front of his chest. He has witnessed some part of Jean and Reiner’s exchange. If not the entirety of it and—ah, shit. God fucking damn it. He just cried in front of Levi. What the hell, way to go, Jean. Now the captain is going to think he is just some little bitch, like Floch, or even worse.

“Do you really want to be pointing that at me, soldier?”

“I—No. I’m sorry, sir.” Jean lowers the sword in a daze, and Levi walks past him.

Reiner has gritted his teeth yet again and fallen silent. The captain takes one look at the man’s massacred legs and the remains of Jean’s cloak wrapped around them, and scowls.

“I see you are too warm at night, Kirschtein.” Levi kicks Braun in the side. Lightly. “How about you? Not so talkative anymore? Should I ask Jean here to continue the interrogation? What about Marcel? Got nothing else to share about him?”

Silence.

“Who sent you here, Reiner?”

A kick. For real, this time.

“Who are you working for?”

Another kick. Reiner gasps in pain.

“What do you want with Eren?”

Just like Jean is growing numb with every passing minute, Levi is growing angry. Jean can see it, despite the captain’s unchangingly flat voice, unimpressed expression and matching cold eyes. They only spent a couple of weeks together, but he knows Levi well enough by now to realize his patience is running out. It’s in the air around him, in the energy that keeps radiating from his body. It makes a shiver run down Jean’s spine.

He also knows the captain takes no satisfaction from this ordeal. No, there is no enjoyment in this, for sure. Levi is just doing his job, no matter if he likes it or not. Just like when he had to get information out of the Military Police members, to find Eren and Historia. But now there is certain stiffness to his arms, something hectic about his movements. Levi’s tired. And a tired Levi might be the most dangerous of them all.

“Where are you from?”

More silence.

“You have balls of steel, Braun, I’ll give you that. On the other hand, maybe I should doublecheck.” The kick Levi delivers to his crotch, has Reiner bent in half and gasping for air. “Hange always wanted to try dissecting one of your kind, you know. Couldn’t have tried it with Eren, for obvious reasons… Maybe I’ll get started on you. I might not be the subject matter expert, but I’ve got the basic skills. Or maybe I should just get Zackly here. I hear his methods of torture are very creative. You ever ate out of your own ass, Braun?”

The hostage’s head is hanging low, the most unguarded part of his body, and Levi is already rising his leg once more. Reiner is going to lose an eye again. Or maybe both of them, this time.

So, Jean muses, what would Marco do?

continue reading: ao3

#reijean #reiner braun #jean kirstein #jean kirschtein #attack on titan fanfiction #Reiner x Jean

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theworstcreature · 1 year

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Does anybody want to sob uncontrollably today?? Because this fanfic is absolutely MURDERING me like I’m quite literally crying while writing this like OH MY GOD it is nothing but pain and I LOVE it! The writing is superb, the emotion feels so real, AND it is incredibly traumatizing for every party involved ;)

Asylum (181657 words) by Spongyllama Chapters: 33/33 Fandom: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars - All Media Types Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, Padmé Amidala & Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Padmé Amidala & Ahsoka Tano Characters: Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahsoka Tano, Padmé Amidala, Sheev Palpatine | Darth Sidious, Dooku | Darth Tyranus Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Winter Soldier AU, Episode: s04e04 Shadow Warrior, Brainwashing, Torture, Abuse, Angst, Slavery, Depression, Trauma, Hurt/Comfort, Mental Health Issues, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Recovery, Friendship Series: Part 1 of Asylum Summary: Anakin, taken hostage by the Sith. Grievous, captured by the Republic. When Padmé refuses Dooku’s offer of prisoner exchange, Anakin appears to be lost for good. One year later, a mysterious Jedi-killer called Vader appears. AU starting from TCW episode “Shadow Warrior.” Inspired by Captain America 2: The Winter Soldier.

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comfortbucky · 3 years

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Hey! Can i request a cold, lonely ex-hydra reader × bucky who falls in love with her. Adding some panic attacks and nightmares of the reader.

i love this idea!!! thank u for submitting🥰

𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗲 ⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ ｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆｡˚ ⋆

pairing: avenger!bucky x ex-HYDRA!fem!reader

tags: enemies(?) to lovers, angst (if u squint), soft!bucky

warnings: canon level violence, description of injuries, blood is mentioned, panic attacks, anxiety, nightmares

A/N: i just came up with a random name for the HYDRA leader the reader is after🤣 so just ,,, ignore // also!!!! i tried out a different writing style than what i’m used to! hope u don’t mind🥺 just been feeling like a lot of my writing is the same and wanted to try something new!!!

word count: 3.5k (this is so long LMAO sorry 😭 literally why am i like this)

my masterlist!

completed requests!

The suit that you once considered a second skin, now felt uncomfortable and constricting, like a python squeezing the life out of you. Although, it made sense since the very organization of the uniform you were wearing did exactly that.

HYDRA.

For so long you were just another mindless pawn to them, just doing without every actually thinking. Unlike your younger brother, Alex. They indoctrinated him as well, getting a hold of both of you from a young age, but he was there when Captain America took down S.H.I.E.L.D. and it changed his entire worldview. You found everything he said about “freedom” to be stupid, naive, and dangerous. And you would later prove yourself correct.

You pull yourself from your thoughts as a group of HYDRA soldiers walk past the shrubbery you hid behind. Quickly and quietly, you get up and join them as they march towards the HYDRA base. As soon as you get inside, you manage to slip away from the rest of the group to search for your target.

Since HYDRA took the possibility of you ever having a normal life away, as far as you were concerned, your only purpose in life was to kill the man who was at the center of it all, Viktor Cross. And after months of tracking him down, formulating the perfect plan, that’s exactly what you were going to do today.

You make your way towards one of the main lab facilities, gun in hand when you see several unconscious guards lying on the floor in front of you. Shifting your gaze up, you see that the door has been ripped open, grip marks on the sides.

This was not part of the plan.

As you squeeze through the open door and enter the lab, you come to a halt, frozen in shock. There’s your target, Viktor, shoved against the wall by none other than Captain America himself. You almost let out a chuckle in disbelief at the irony of the situation. Instead, you take a step forward, and the glass cracks beneath your feet, alerting the men of your presence.

Shit.

Immediately, both sets of eyes are on you. Viktor’s lips curve into a smirk as you make your way to them.

“Agent- Miss Y/N,” he corrects himself. “What a pleasant surprise.” You ignore him and look to address Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America.

“Let him go and give him to me,” you start, Steve eyeing you cautiously. “So I can kill him,” you snarl, quickly turning to Viktor to see that his smirk had been wiped off his face.

“Aren’t you HYDRA?” He questions, nodding to your suit and eliciting a cackle from Viktor.

“Not anymore,” you mumble, before lifting a leg to kick Steve in his side. You hit him across the face with the end of your gun for good measure. He stumbles over, giving you enough time to grab Viktor’s collar, before he falls to the floor, and slam him back against the wall. His eyes are full of desperation and you felt nothing but pure, burning rage. You shove the barrel of your gun under his chin and place your hand on the trigger.

“You were such a gifted agent, Y/N. Don’t throw away such potential, come back.”

“Go to hell.”

Before you could pull the trigger, a force propels you to the ground and you feel a sharp pain in your side. Silence and then ringing fills your eyes as you squint your eyes to try and visualize the situation. Your vision is blurry, but clear enough to clouds of smoke engulf Viktor’s figure as he escapes. A muffled voice from behind you speaks, but you can’t make out any of the words they’re saying. You look down to see red. Just crimson red, staining your abdomen. Hands land on your shoulders, shaking you gently as your vision fades to black.

Viktor is in front of you, the barrel of his gun directed right at your head. He smirks as he moves his hand to the trigger.

“Hail, HYDRA.”

A gunshot goes off, forcing you to shoot up in bed, gasping for air. As you start to regain your senses, you realize you’re surrounded by a group of strangers. Well, not complete strangers, the Avengers to be exact. Part of your job required you to study their files, learn everything about them. You could recite from memory where and when they were born, their greatest strengths and weaknesses. Suddenly, your side starts to burn with pain, and you carefully lean back in bed. There’s an array of wires and tubes connected to you and you hear the rhythmic beeping of various machines. You’re in a hospital, or some sort of medical facility.

“That, is exactly why I said we should use restraints.”

You’re staring at the ceiling when you hear Iron Man, AKA Tony Stark, speak.

“Tony, she lost a liter of blood, she’s not going anywhere.”

Steve appears in your view, looking down at you.

“Hey, you’re okay. You’re safe.”

You shift your gaze away from him. The last thing you expected to come out of this mission was to meet the Avengers, let alone them save you.

Steve sighs, “We’re not gonna hurt you. We wanna find Viktor too.”

There’s nothing he could say that could get you to speak. Your hatred for HYDRA didn’t mean you suddenly liked the Avengers. If anything, they were part of the problem too, so you stay silent.

“Told you, she’s not gonna talk,” Tony quips. From your research, you had come to learn that he was an arrogant man, and his statement only proved you right. “Maybe you should get Manchurian Candidate to come down, give her an ex-HYDRA buddy,” he says sarcastically.

Upon hearing “ex-HYDRA buddy,” you furrow your brows. Maybe it was the lack of blood in your body, but it took you a second to process his words and understand who he was referring to. Your eyes dart back to look at Steve’s but he’s gone.

“I’ll be back.” His voice trails off as he exits the room.

You’re still staring at the ceiling when you hear footsteps return and then several others departing.

There’s only one other person in the room beside you. Without even looking up, you already know who it is. His breathing was slow and steady until you started to shift in bed to reposition yourself. His breath hitched for a moment, before returning back to his normal breathing pattern.

“Killing him isn’t gonna make you feel better.” His comment makes you roll your eyes as you slowly sit up to look at him. There were no logical thoughts in your head, all you could feel was pain and fury. Anger swelled within you, your emotions boiling over.

“That’s rich, coming from the Fist of HYDRA,” you spat out. As soon as the words left your mouth, you felt your stomach drop. It was an unfamiliar feeling, one you hadn’t felt in a while. What was it? Regret?

Bucky’s face fell but he kept his eyes on you. It was a look that made you feel worse, worse than the searing pain in your side.

“I’m not a killer anymore,” he said in a tone so gentle, you felt another strange, new emotion but couldn’t quite label it. You quickly shift gears to avoid addressing the uncomfortable feelings swirling around in your stomach.

“Are you keeping me hostage to lure Viktor in? Because it's not going to work." Bucky shook his head.

"We want..." he trailed off, causing you to tilt your head in curiosity. “We need your help finding him.” You scoffed.

“What do I get out of it?” Bucky’s silence gave you your answer. Shaking your head, you start to disconnect yourself from the multitude of wires attached to you and get out of bed.

“You’re gonna hurt yourself,” he started, as you threw off your blanket and sat on the edge of the bed.

Standing up quickly, the blood from your head pooled in your legs, causing you to feel dizzy. Your head spun and your arms reached out for something, anything stable to grab onto. It was a metal hand. Despite it being cool to the touch, it ignited a heat to rise to your cheeks. You look down and mumble a thank you as Bucky helps you back into bed.

Letting out a sigh, you realize with the condition you’re in, you can’t leave. Definitely not well enough to go after Viktor alone. Shutting your eyes and pinching the bridge of your nose, you curse under your breath.

“Fine,” you finally speak, keeping your eyes closed. Bucky nods, even though you don’t see, and you hear him walk off.

After a couple days of rest, you were cleared by Bruce to get discharged. Viktor had gone deep in hiding, making your job to find him a lot harder. Tony had so graciously given you an extra room in the tower, right next to Bucky’s. He was probably the one person you saw the most, purely due to location, and the fact that everyone else cautiously kept their distance from you. It made sense though, since you rarely spoke to anyone and spent most of your time in the lab looking for any clues of Viktor’s location. When you weren’t searching for him, you were training in the gym. Bucky was there a lot too, both of you waking up at ungodly hours of the morning. No words were ever exchanged between the two of you, and yet, there was some level of comfort you felt being around him. Must’ve been an ex-HYDRA thing.

“What’s on your mind?” You walk over to Alex and sit on the edge of the bed next to him. He sighs.

“What if,” he starts, furrowing his brows. “What if freedom is good?” He speaks quietly, fearful of HYDRA listening in on your conversation.

It feels like you’ve got the wind knocked out of you.

“Alex,” you grab him by the shoulders. “What the hell are you talking about?” You’re searching his eyes, trying to understand what’s gotten into him.

“Captain America.” The biggest threat to HYDRA’s existence. He looks down at his hands. “He was willing to risk his life for it. It has to be worth something right?” Alex looks back up to you with a look in his eyes that you haven’t seen since you were children. Uncertainty. You sigh and pull him into your chest, stroking his hair.

“I don’t know, kiddo. Maybe.”

You wake up in a cold sweat, panting. Hot tears fall from the corners of your eyes. It’s the same dream you’ve had for the last week. Although, you wouldn’t consider it a dream necessarily, but it wasn’t a nightmare either. Just a bittersweet memory.

Bucky could tell that something was up with you for the past week. Despite having gone through a bit of therapy, Steve’s idea, the nightmares still came to him. So Bucky was already wide awake when he heard your weeping on the other side of the wall. It didn’t help that he was also a light sleeper with super-soldier hearing. He didn’t know what was causing you to be so upset, but he didn’t want to intrude and ask. Neither of you had spoken to the other since you first arrived.

But this night was different from the rest. Usually, you would flip endlessly through channels on ur TV until you eventually fell asleep, but it wasn’t working this time. There’s a tight pain in your chest and suddenly, you’re suffocating. You rip off your covers and spring out of bed, tripping on your blankets along the way. At this point, you don’t even register the pain of slamming down, face-first on the ground. Panic has taken over your body, tears now streaming down your face. You squeeze your eyes shut, hoping for relief.

He wasn’t planning on doing anything until he heard a loud thud from your room. Immediately, Bucky gets up and arrives at your door. It’s rude to just barge into someone’s room, his mom taught him that from a young age, so he settles on knocking. You don’t hear it though, the only sound you hear is the sound of your rapid breathing as you hyperventilate. Bucky hears it too and ultimately decides on inviting himself into your room.

“Y/N?”

You’re lying on your side, curled up in a fetal position with your hands covering your face, when Bucky opens the door. He quickly arrives by your side, kneeling beside you, as he examines you for any injuries.

“Are you hurt?”

You manage to shake your head in response, anxiety still flowing through your veins. Unfortunately, Bucky’s familiar with panic attacks, having had them himself. But he also knows that everyone deals with them a bit differently. Guess he did manage to learn some useful things from therapy.

“Can you try breathing with me?”

He starts to take deep breaths in and out until he sees you start to follow along with him, your hands still covering your face. There’s a part of you that feels stupid for keeping them there, but they help ground you, so you continue to shield your face. After what feels like an hour, but was probably only 10 minutes, your panic subsides. That’s when a wave of embarrassment hits you, realizing that it had been Bucky with you during your panic attack.

Slowly removing your hands from your face, you’re greeted by piercing blue eyes. You blink a couple times, realizing that Bucky had taken a spot on the ground, lying on his side to face you, his hands pressed together under his head like a pillow. He smiles and you feel warm. It’s terrifying, the new feelings that Bucky has caused you to feel and yet, you don’t mind.

“You feelin’ better?” You nod and smile back, something you haven’t genuinely done in a while.

“Thank you, Bucky.”

You stare at each other in silence, lying side by side. There’s no physical touch involved but somehow, this moment, it feels intimate. Bucky breaks the silence.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” He speaks in a voice so soft, it almost sounded like a whisper.

It might’ve been the fact that he just calmed you down from a panic attack, but as you looked into his eyes, you felt the walls you had built up for the last year slowly come crashing down.

“He killed my brother,” you reply, maintaining your eyes on Bucky. You searched his eyes for any fear or pity, but all you could find was a look of understanding. His eyes were starting to become a safe place for you.

“Alex was there when Steve took down S.H.I.E.L.D., HYDRA along with it. He wanted out, out of the organization.” Taking a deep breath, you continue. “Word got around about a “rat,” so I took the blame. Viktor was about to shoot me when Alex’s dumbass ran in front of me, sacrificing himself.” You let out a chuckle, your vision getting blurry as tears swelled in your eyes. “He was a goddamn idiot, but he also had a heart of gold.”

As you start to cry, Bucky hesitatingly extends an arm to hover over your body, trying to gauge your reaction. Physical touch was something he struggled with during the beginning of his recovery, and he didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. He’s reassured when you grab onto his shirt and pull yourself closer to him, and wraps an arm around you, his other hand softly stroking your head.

You hadn’t cried like this since Alex died, bottling up all of your emotions to focus on finding the man responsible for his death. But as you sobbed into Bucky’s chest, you realize that your love for Alex had transformed into an ugly, burning hatred for Viktor. He wouldn’t want this. You didn’t want it, at least, not anymore. The only thing you wanted was your brother back, and that was impossible.

Bucky held you in his arms until you fell asleep, listening to the sounds of your slow, rhythmic breathing, dozing off shortly after.

That night with Bucky had softened your cold, hard exterior that you initially presented yourself with. You would willingly spar with Nat in the training room and join the team for breakfast or dinner. Everyone noticed and, while at first thrown off by it, happily embraced it. Especially Bucky.

Initially, he got up to work out in the early hours of the morning as a habit. Now, he woke up to see you. His heart did flips in his chest every time he walked in the gym and saw you. Since that night, you started to acknowledge his presence, turning to smile and wave as he walked through the doors. It was something he looked forward to every day.

During the day, you were focused hard on tracking down Viktor and Bucky knew that. But he also knew he wanted to spend more time with you. He looked for reasons to enter the lab, whether it was offering snacks to you throughout the day or helping Bruce or, even Tony. Anything to see you again.

Bucky realized that there was a deeper, stronger emotion that he felt for you when he would wake up in the middle of the night from a nightmare. The first thing he thought about was you. Specifically, how you were the only thing that could possibly calm him down. Although he’d come in that night to help you with your panic attack, you ended up helping him as well. He hadn’t slept as soundly and peacefully as he did with you. And you hadn’t either. There were several nights when neither of you could sleep and ended up running into each other. It slowly became a routine that would begin in the kitchen, exchanging life stories, and end on the couch in the common area, entangled in each other’s arms.

Tonight you didn’t show up and Bucky panicked. He stared at the kitchen clock. It had been 20 minutes and you still hadn’t shown up. Bucky racked his brain for anything he could’ve done to scare you off, but came up with nothing. It wasn’t like you two had been officially together, Bucky had no idea what you were to each other. All he knew is that he wanted to be with you, always.

You were soundly asleep in bed, passing out as soon as your head hit the pillow. It was a particularly physically exhausting day for you, training with both Nat and Steve.

Bucky was so caught up with the thoughts racing through his head, he hadn’t noticed that his feet had taken him right to your door. He stands there for a moment, silently debating what to do. Grumbling under his breath, he musters up the courage to knock on your door. Right as he was about to turn away and shuffle off to his room, your door opens. You greet him with a yawn and a tired smile.

“Oh, hey Bucky.”

He looks at the bags under your eyes and feels instant regret wash over him, realizing that you weren’t avoiding him, but just getting some sleep.

“Sorry,” he looks down at his feet. You frown and place a hand on his cheek to lift his head up.

“Something wrong?” He avoids your gaze, partially because he’s embarrassed and partially because his cheeks were turning red because of your touch.

“No.” You cross your arms and let out a sigh.

“You’re a bad liar.” It’s his turn to sigh, as he scratches the back of his head.

“You didn’t come to the kitchen,” he lets out, in almost a whisper. It hits you. You were so tired, you had completely forgotten about your nightly tradition. “It’s stupid, sorry. I shouldn’t have woken you up," he mumbles. Bucky begins to walk off but you grab his hand. When he turns to look at you, his brows are raised at your touch.

As you start to speak, you pull him close, facing you. “It’s not stupid.” His hands move to hold your waist as yours move to wrap around his neck. You pause, an idea popping into your head. “I’m kind of tired from training today, wanna just come sleep with me?” He nods and you drag him to your bed, nestling into his arms as he holds you to his chest, his chin resting above your head. You tilt your head back to see him looking down at you. There’s a fluttering feeling in your chest and you smile.

“Just for future reference, you have an open invitation to cuddle with me, anytime.” Bucky chuckles at your offer.

“I’ll keep that in mind, doll.”

Bucky cups your face in his hand and you nuzzle your cheek in his palm. His eyes dart down to your lips before returning to your eyes.

Then, the most delicate, sweetest kiss you’ve ever received is on your lips.

You flutter your eyes open as you both pull apart. He quickly kisses your nose before pulling you back into his chest, speaking softly.

“And you have an open invitation to kiss me, anytime.”

304 notes · View notes

justpan · 3 years

Photo

Title: Unwilling Bride

Summary: At last it is time for the battle between Pirates and Lost Boys.

Pairing: Peter x Reader

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 19 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 Part 24 Part 25 Part 26 Part 27 Part 28 Part 29 Part 30 Part 31

Everything was on track.

The camp was moved, the fences were ready; even better, Tootles found a way to put them all on a single pulley system.

One rope cut and all the fences would drop down in sync, that meant that the archers wouldn’t need to waste arrows trying to trigger them each individually.

Peter made good on his word, he was watching the pirates, constantly. You wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t sleeping at all.

All he seemed to do was sit up in the tallest trees he could find, send his shadow to locate the enemy, and report his findings to Felix who was patrolling the new camp.

‘Any news?’ you asked as Felix approached you.

‘They are less than a day away from the battle ground.’

‘Finally, guess we’d better get our asses in gear, can’t be late for our own party.’ you smiled excitedly.

‘BOYS!!! GET READY, THE GAME IS ABOUT TO START!!!’ Pan yelled as he marched into the camp.

His back was straight and he had a glint in his eye, the smile on his face was shark like and dangerous.

Like the smile you saw the first day you met him, it was as if he was on top of the world.

‘You heard me didn’t you? Get to the battle ground, or you’ll miss all the fun!’ he shouted.

The boys cheered nice and loud, and almost instantly the camp was hectic.

Everyone was running around grabbing their weapons, already laced with dreamshade.

‘You ready squirrel?’ Rufio asked.

‘As ready as I can be, little bird.’ you smiled.

‘I bet I can take down more pirates than you.’ he grinned.

‘Oh, yeah? What’s the wager?’

‘How about...if I win we try to take things further.’ Rufio suggested.

Your breath got caught in your throat, you hadn’t expected that to be on his mind right before you ran into battle.

‘And if I win?’

‘Then...we’ll do whatever you want.’

‘And if I want to take things further...what then?’ you asked, a small smile pulling at your lip.

‘Then I guess it’s a win win for us.’

Well, it looked like you were both on the same page, you both wanted to. There was a battle hours away, and by the time you got back to your room the two of them would be bloody and exhausted.

You couldn’t think of a more perfect way to lose your virginity.

‘A win win.’ you smiled.

‘Yeah?’ Rufio asked, a hopeful look in his eyes.

‘Yes, really, I’m still gonna take out more geezers than you.’ you grinned.

‘We’ll see.’

‘Hey! Be cute later, we gotta get moving and fast.’ Felix said, dragging the two of you along with the others.

You quickly shook away your feelings and started getting mentally ready for the battle; you couldn’t afford any distractions. Because this wasn’t training, it was a real battle with an opponent that would kill you if you gave them the chance.

Everything needed to go right, the fences, the arrows, the fight. Most important was the feeling.

This fight needed to feel like a guaranteed win; every Lost Boy needed to believe they would live through this fight and every pirate they let live needed to feel like it was a mistake to challenge The Lost Boys.

Once you all arrived everyone got in position, you saw Rufio taking his place with the clubs, Felix with the clubs.

Pan was standing in the middle of the clearing, watching over everything.

You walked over to him, to go over everything one last time.

‘How long?’

‘They should be here in less than an hour.’ he replied.

‘Their numbers?’

‘Less than fifty.’

‘Good, we got the mass and the skills...but I feel like something is wrong.’ you said to yourself.

‘Whatever it is we have no time to dwell on it, get down.’ Pan said.

You nodded and used your magic to put a door into the hollow tree behind Pan, you stood there and charmed the door to close.

In the dark you made sure you still had enough room for your arms to move the way you needed to work your magic.

With that done you put up a spell on the bark in front of you so you could see the clearing.

It looked like everyone was in place, now it was just a matter of time.

You watched in anticipation as the quiet settled over the camp, all you heard was your own breathing.

At last you could hear a rustle from the trees, and watched as the pirates entered the clearing.

‘I take it you are not here to deliver a box of cakes.’ Pan said smugly.

‘No I’m not.’ the one you knew to be Captain Hook said in false politeness.

‘Then why are you and your friends here? Did you want to play a game?’

‘No games this time Pan.’

‘There’s always a game, and this one is called...Pirates and Hunters. You can be the pirates.’ Pan grinned before he whistled.

The arrow zipped through the air and like magic the fences dropped down and closed in the clearing.

Immediately the clubs and swords jumped out of the trees.

‘Let’s play!’ Pan yelled.

You watched the pirates pull out their swords and listened to their war cry as the much anticipated battle finally began.

All you wanted was to be in the middle of it, but you had to keep your eyes sharp, that was your job; make sure none of your own were killed in the scuffle.

So you watched every pirate and followed every arrow to make sure only pirates were hit by them.

At the left you saw Tootles fighting with one man while another was behind, his sword ready to stab the boy in the back so you shot out your hand and used your magic to yank the pirate all the way back to your tree.

His back hit the bark with a loud crack that came from either his skull or his spine cracking, either way he was certainly not getting up ever again.

Without taking a moment to think of the first man you’ve ever killed you got back to following the battle.

A few arrows were missing targets and planting themselves in trees and in the dirt, whenever you were sure no boys were in immediate danger you would take up the arrows and have them hit any pirates that were near it.

It seemed as if everything was going perfectly, only old fat bodies were on the ground and at least six were dropped by the fences.

You looked to your right and saw Rufio, he was fighting two pirates, moving so swiftly it looked almost graceful. He kicked one down then spun to bring his club down on the other and while he did that you dragged the other and slammed his head on one of the roots of your tree.

All of a sudden you heard a loud crash and the camp went silent.

One of the fences was blown to shreds, you could see a canon where the door once was and saw the last person you ever expected to see on a battlefield.

Wendy.

She was there with her hands tied in a way that kept them over her ears and covering her eyes.

A fat man with a red cap was beside her, with a sword to her throat.

‘Smee, good form.’ Hook said happily.

You looked to Pan and saw he was standing across from the captain, their swords still touching from when they had been battling.

‘Now...how about a new game? I call it Hostage.’

Pan was furious, but if he knew how to do anything it was how to compose himself.

‘That’s cheating.’

‘Pirates aren’t known for following rules. Now how about this we’ll give you your little girl, in exchange you grant us passage off this damned island.’ the pirate smiled.

The fat man in the red hat handed the crying girl to his captain who placed his hook to her throat.

‘If I don’t like the game?’

‘Then I’ll rip this girl’s heart out, in the bloody way. From my understanding she is rather important to you.’

‘It so happens she is.’

‘Take the deal.’ the one handed pirate offered.

‘Deal, there will be a portal just for you in the middle of the sea, but know that I will never open another portal for you again. You will be in the ground feeding the maggots in some boring realm before you ever see the alligator you want.’

‘Oh I will find him, now call off your dogs.’

You looked to Pan, looking for anything, any sign that he had a plan. A sure way to get Wendy away from the pirates and still win this battle.

There was nothing, no knowing smirk or calculating look in his eyes, he just looked furious. Angrier than you have ever seen him before, considering that at one point he had chased you through the woods that said something.

‘Game’s over boys, looks like pirates don’t play fair...bad form.’ he said.

One by one all the boys threw down their weapons and the archers stepped out from their hiding spots, but you stayed put.

You looked over, when you saw something red moving behind the canon that was still smoking behind the fairy tail captain.

Rufio.

He had his club raised high and eyes set on Hook’s head, in an instant you understood his plan, kill the pirate so Pan could get Wendy and we could get back to killing these old geezers.

But unfortunately you weren’t the only one who saw him.

Hook’s namesake was always polished, not for the sake of looks, but to see the reflections of things behind him. It was impossible to not notice such a loudly dressed lad.

Swift as wind he withdrew his hook from Wendy’s neck and before you could even scream in terror he had buried his hook in Rufio’s chest.

‘NO!’ you yelled.

The pirate removed his hook and let Rufio’s body drop to the ground.

You ran through the door of your tree and rushed to your boyfriend’s side, there was so much blood covering his chest you couldn’t see where the wound actually was.

‘No, no it’s OK. I can fix it.’ you said with shaking breath.

You tried to use your magic to heal him, but it wouldn’t work. Your hands were too unsteady and you couldn’t focus on how the body was meant to connect.

‘It’s...ok...Love y-you....’ Rufio choked out before his eyes lost focus and his body went limp.

‘No…’ you sobbed, you placed your forehead to his and tried to force him to be ok, or maybe to make yourself wake up.

Whatever you were trying to do didn’t matter because it didn’t work.

Felix was suddenly by your side, his eyes were wet, but he wasn’t crying.

He placed his hand on your shoulder and kneeled down with you over Rufio.

You didn’t notice it, but the camp had gone silent.

All these centuries of running wild on this island and killing any intruders and this was the first time they had ever lost one of their own.

‘No one else try anything, let me and my men go Pan.’ Hook said, removing the blindfold from Wendy's eyes and hands.

‘Leave the girl, and know that if I ever see you again, on this island or in any realm at all you will be as dead as that brother of yours.’ Pan spat out.

With tears in your eyes you watched the pirates retreat through the woods, a part of you wanted to burn the whole island down but you couldn’t.

Magic required a good amount of control, and you had never felt more unstable in your life.

You couldn’t stop the sobs that were spilling out of you or make your body stop shaking; there was only one thing in your mind.

Rufio was dead.

Your boyfriend had just died in your arms and there was nothing you could do about it no matter how strong your magic was.

Magic can do a lot but not that; dead is dead and it’s forever permanent.

‘(Y/N).’ Peter said solemnly.

‘I couldn’t save him, I saw him making his move and I didn’t stop him.’ you said around the lump in your throat.

‘We all saw him, and we all thought he could do it, it isn’t your fault.’ he said.

All at once it clicked in your head, like the last piece of a puzzle a thought formed in your mind.

Wendy.

‘You!’ you all but growled as you stood up and tackled the only other girl on the island to the ground.

‘You got him killed!’ you screamed in her tear streaked face as you wrapped your hands around her throat.

With all your strength you tried to crush her windpipe; if it was the last thing you did you were going to make her suffer for what she did.

‘(Y/N)!’ Peter yelled as suddenly you were yanked back, partially pulling Wendy with you, but eventually you lost your grip.

With a grunt and a thud that probably sounded worse than it actually felt you hit the ground.

‘I-I’m sorry!’ Wendy coughed, looking as pitiful and as helpless as the insect she was.

‘You will be, I’ll make you sorry!’ you spat as you struggled against the magic weight that was holding your body down.

‘Calm down.’ Peter said, his voice calm and clear as he stood over you.

‘Fuck calm! I want her dead!’

‘So do I.’ Felix said from beside Rufio’s body.

Felix closed his friend's eyes and looked up at his leader.

‘She betrayed us...Rufio is dead because her. She has been prancing through camp being as useless as a leech in dress and none of us said anything to you, but this.’ Felix said, standing up and pointing the body in front of him.

‘We can’t ignore this; and I won’t forgive it.’

More boys spoke in their agreement and soon they were all but spitting at the girl, the sight at one point would have disgusted you, but right now you just want to get up.

‘Quiet!’ Pan yelled, his voice strong and loud.

‘I know...the girl deserves to die, she deserves to die bloody. She is useless and no one likes her, not even me despite what I know you all think; but I still need her. We all do if we want to win the real game.’

The real game.

His master plan, the one he hadn’t even disclosed to you completely, all you knew was the goal, he needed Bae’s child; to get him he needed the Darling boys, and to keep them in line he needed Wendy.

Rufio was dead, his killers were on their way to freedom and all Peter, no not Peter, Pan cared about was his goal.

‘I hate you.’ you said, not even realizing you had said it.

You probably wouldn’t have even noticed your own voice if silence hadn’t become so heavy, as heavy as the weight that was no longer pinning you down.

Slowly you pulled yourself up and you looked at Peter, or Pan or whoever the hell the boy demon really was.

‘Rufio...he fought for you, he killed for you, and because of that stupid daffodil in a dress he died for you. You are so selfish and self concerned that you won’t even avenge him, won’t let me avenge him! He deserves that much!’ you cried.

‘(Y/N) I know right now it feels raw but-’

‘Not just now! I will never forgive this!’ you snapped.

You looked from him to Wendy and had to refrain from attacking her a second time.

‘Hide her, don’t ever let me see her face because if I do I will kill her...the same goes for you Pan.’

‘What are you saying?’ Peter asked, still masking his emotions in that way that not even you could see through it.

‘I’m saying that I hate you Peter Pan and if I ever see you again I will put you in the fucking ground...you and your little daffodil.’ you said.

Your eyes moved to the boys, the ones you had been laughing and training with for what must have been nearly a century now.

‘Only love for you all, if any of you ever find me I won’t be sore to see you; and if you’re following orders to find me I’ll fight you fair. Keep each other safe...since we can see vengeance is only priority in the right circumstance.’

You looked down at Rufio and again your vision was obstructed by tears.

‘Bury him by my tree, Felix.’

‘I will.’ your best friend without any hesitation

With that done you felt like you had said all you could say, so you turned away from all of them,

From Rufio’s body, your ex Peter Pan, the girl who’d gotten your boyfriend killed and all your friends too.

You look out at the woods and spare no time to think of all the dangers that hid behind the trees as you walked away from what was once your home.

#ouat #ouat imagine #hook ouat #peter pan imagine #peter pan ouat #peter pan x reader #felix ouat #Lost Boys #reader x rufio #character death

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depizan · 3 years

Text

Forgotten Enemy

Jezari knew that Rogun the Butcher wanted her to pay for the loss of his cargo, even though it hadn’t been her fault. But it was hardly the first time she’d had a bounty on her head, and how important could one measly cargo be to such a powerful crime lord? She’d hoped he’d forgotten about her. She’d certainly forgotten about him.

(I’m probably not going to be this mean in “canon,” but Jezari and her crew will have to deal with Rogun at some point. And I’m of the mind that he matches his reputation, never mind what the game tries to pull at the end. Still, this is more of a “what if,” or at least a “what could.”)

##.##.1#, midday

Millport reminded Jezari a little of Raider’s Cove. A jumble of bland industrial buildings sprouting from a vibrant jungle, walls overshadowed by giant-leaved trees, the landing pads and docking bays ringed with sonic repellers to keep the jungle birds and other creatures away. Sometime back, one of the corps (probably Czerka) had found a rich source of some valuable ore in Bornuu’s jungles. They’d swooped in, built a quick mining city, torn a swath through the jungle, and left again when the seams played out.

The jungle had crept back and the underworld had crept in.

The smelters were rotting, half eaten by the jungle, but the quickthrow and presscrete city lived on—a thriving market place of illicit goods and secret meetings. That was what happened if you left a ready-to-use port close enough to a major tradespine to be useful, but far enough away that only the most desperate of legitimate travelers stopped in. That it was also far enough from Hutt Space to remain independent was a bonus. (Though there were rumors it was secretly run by the Exchange.)

Jezari finished off a skewer of spiced meat and flicked the wooden stick into an overflowing trashcan at another market stall. Bowdaar still had one of the skewers sticking out of the corner of his mouth like a Wookiee-sized toothpick. Risha had noted that you couldn’t be too sure what—or who—you were eating in a place like this, but even she’d bought one.

“Micro-coils, Razoroon Red, reddimeals.” Jezari gestured to Risha’s datapad. “What’s left?”

Her engineer and unofficial second in command consulted the list. “Ferite wire. Hm. The medkit could use a restock. I wouldn’t trust kolto here, but we might find antiseptic.” She glanced at her wrist chrono. “We’ve still got half an hour.”

They were due to meet back up with the rest of her crew then. Millport wasn’t dangerous, but Jezari was a firm believer in the buddy system. There were just too many ways to run into trouble planetside.

Risha had stopped to admire a bolt of iridescent shimmersilk when Corso’s panicked shout rose above the general clamor.

“Captain! Captain!” He dodged around a pair of Quarren, who glared at his passing, and skidded to a panting halt in front of them. “Captain. I’m sorry.” He wheezed. “I couldn’t.”

“Take a deep breath and slow down,” Risha said.

His face was red from exertion, but his green and white armor was unmarked and he didn’t appear to be hurt. He was, however, alone.

“Where’s Kyrian?”

“I’m sorry, Captain,” Corso repeated. “They had a knife to his throat before I could do anything.” He took another deep breath. “They had darts. Like bounty hunters.”

Jezari’s blood went cold. “The Empire?”

He shook his head. “No. They were the… the…” He waved his hands in front of him, almost dropping the comm clutched in one, outlining a person about his size. “The gray wrinkly guys.”

“Weequay?” Risha suggested.

“Yeah. Them. Bounty hunters, I figure.”

“The Empire wouldn’t hire aliens. Not if they could help it.” Risha frowned. “I’m not sure they’d hire bounty hunters at all. Not in his case.”

“Dralick?” Jezari looked around frantically, as if she might spot the Sith lord. There was nothing around them but stalls and shoppers. A building with a couple of scantily dressed humans lounging in the doorway. A Gamorrean and a Twi’lek dicing in an alley.

“Don’t panic, Captain,” Risha said. “We’ll find him.”

The comm in Corso’s hand chimed. “Oh. Yeah. They threw this at me.”

Jezari took it and pressed the flashing button. A blue tinted holo of a Chagrian sprouted to life above the comm. He was tall enough that the top of his horns were out of pickup range, and his expression was almost disappointed.

Her jaw dropped. “Rogun?”

“Captain Solarin,” Rogun the Butcher said, “I was beginning to think you’d forgotten me.

“Look, Rogun, whatever you want—”

“You know what I want. No one steals from me and lives.”

“I didn’t steal from you! That was Skavak!”

“It was,” Corso agreed. “She didn’t have nothin’ to do with it!”

“I’ve tried to settle this reasonably,” Rogun continued, “but you’ve been so hard on my men. No more running, no more tricks.”

“I can get the money,” Jezari said. “Pay you back for the weapons, for my fee, for everything. With interest even!”

“We’re long past that. You’ve made me look bad. Some puny nobody freighter pilot steals from me? Shoots my men? Jaunts all over the galaxy acting like she doesn’t have a care? Like a bounty from Rogun the Butcher means nothing to her? His voice rose, anger replacing all trace of the false disappointment. “No, Captain. I want you.”

“Rogun…”

The holo image blurred as someone moved the camera on the other end. It refocused on her missing crewmember. Kyrian had been stripped to the waist, his wrists fastened individually to a bar or pipe that ran above his head and out of camera range. He looked more wary than worried, and uninjured. So far.

Rogun stepped into view again, next to him. He had a knife in one hand. Kyrian glanced at the knife, then looked away, his expression unreadable.

“Rogun, he has nothing to do with this. Let him go. I’ll meet you. What ever you want. Just tell me.”

“I told you what I want. I want you to meet me. In the back room of the Lucky Stake. Alone.” He pointed the knife at the holocam. “No weapons. No tricks. In the meantime,” he turned back to Kyrian, “I’ll be counting down the time with your friend. Minute by minute.” Almost casually, he set the tip of the knife against Kyrian’s collarbone and drew it slowly downward, cutting a diagonal line across his chest.

Kyrian flinched, but didn’t cry out.

“No!” Jezari yelped. “Wait, I’m coming!”

“I know you will, Captain,” Rogun said. “That’s the point. You come here. The rest of your crew goes back to your ship.” He smiled. “To their ship. No funny business, now. And I wouldn’t take too long. Minutes add up quickly.” He sliced a second cut beside the first.

“Wait! No!”

The comm was dead.

“No! Damn it!” Jezari tried to reestablish the connection, but Rogun had called from a blocked frequency. “No.”

“We’ll think of something,” Risha said.

Bowdaar growled his agreement.

“There’s no time.” Jezari unbuckled her gun belt. “Go back to the ship. Figure out a plan. Call Savler. Get her help. Get her as back up.” She shoved her belt and blasters into Risha’s arms. “Just… hurry.”

“You can’t go. Captain. Jezari.” Risha caught her wrist. “He won’t let him go. You know that. He’ll torture you both to death. That’s what he wants.”

Jezari pulled her hand free. “I don’t have a choice.”

“Captain, she’s right,” Corso said. “You can’t!”

“It’s the only way to stall him. Think of something.”

“It won’t make a difference. Damn it, Bowdaar, stop her,” Risha ordered. “You’re just giving him another victim! Kyrian can hold out for a little while.”

Jezari turned back. “If I don’t go, Rogun will do something worse. He might even kill him. He has to think he’s won.” She took a deep breath. “Make him think he’s won. Move the Luck. Come back. Save us. I’m counting on you.” She turned and walked into the crowd before they could argue.

“Captain!”

Jezari ran.

Tags: whumptober 2021, no. 4, taken hostage, swtor, fic, torture, knives, I write, Jezari Solarin, Kyrian Nessar

#whumptober2021 #no.4 #taken hostage #swtor #fic #torture #knives #I write #Jezari Solarin #Kyrian Nessar #yes Kyrian's lot in life is to suffer #whether for his mistakes or other people's

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raayllum · 2 months

Text

rayllum + hadestown: nothing changes

[FATES] So why get wet? Why break a sweat? Why waste your precious breath? Why beat your handsome brow? Nothing changes Nothing changes, nothing changes Anyhow

#rayllumedit #tdpedit #rayllum #tdp callum #callumedit #my edits #graphics #rayllum x hadestown #hadestown #god i love them #parallels #multi #5x08 #captain hostage exchange canon #water motif #tdp #the dragon prince #tragedy enjoyer

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pianosmp · 3 years

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Who was Pandora’s Vault originally for

(Because I have been thinking about this for far too long)

(Sorry if some of these are a little old, I forgot I made this like a month ago so I cleaned it up and here we are)

This list will go from most likely to least likely character.

Likely

- Technoblade (arguably the most likely option simply because when you mention “powerful enough to be a problem” the first thing you think of is Techno. He’s notoriously strong and unafraid to oppose Dream. Also seeing as the prison ‘changed purpose’ it implies Dream no longer saw the original intended prisoner as a threat, or at least as much of a threat, as Tommy)

- BBH (Dream’s old friend, implied more powerful then a regular human. Plus by this point the egg plot on the Dream SMP had already started. There may have been ‘good intentions’ originally. As dumb as it sounds, I’d also count putting the egg itself in jail here)

- Wilbur Soot (revived, of course. It’s been established that a revived Wilbur would be more dangerous then ever, and if Dream had any inking of this beforehand the prison would be the best way to fully utilize his power. Those not in the know would be blackmailed to keep him safe, and Wilbur could also provide some added chaos to the SMP as a whole, which may end up working in Dream’s favor. And now that he is revived by Dream, we know he’s a threat in some capacity, though seemingly not to Dream himself. Don’t forget, anyone who tries to break out Dream may be hunted down and placed in the prison themselves (or, as in the contract for visiting, “killed until they’re completely dead”))

- Ranboo (Ranboo is tied to Dream in some significant way, seeing as he was used by Dream in some of his plans in some capacity. While a help, I’m sure it could also have been turned into a threat of the wrong things were to get out. Also for meta gaming purposes that get him higher on this list, Dream and Ranboo have collaborated with lore in the past and clearly trust each other to carry the torch. Furthermore, with current Ranboo Enderwalk lore, we’ve learned that rather then just being a servant for Dream, there’s a chance the Enderwalk state was manipulated by Dream who perhaps claimed he was doing it for the greater good of the server. But more introspection on the Enderwalk state is a post for another day)

- Karl Jacob (time travel implies two things. Power and unpredictable nature. Seeing as Karl keeps most changes to himself though and seems to be self destructing either the prison is no longer needed for him or he was never considered a real threat in the first place)

- Philza Minecraft (Phil is notably dangerous, though less then Technoblade. He’s got big hostage potential due to his one life predicament and big use potential due to his knowledge in Minecraft)

- Foolish__Gamers (a literal god, and has recently shown godly powers. This would either involve pre planning on someone’s part though, which the Dream SMP isn’t particularly known for, or making this the original prisoner in a retcon “we’ll figure it out later” manner. It would be interesting though, as the prison may have been repurposed after Dream realized Foolish was at this point in time a big pacifist)

- Quackity (he’s dangerous with his tongue, but I don’t think his physical strength is enough for there to be a whole prison containing him. Not to say he doesn’t play to his other strengths- I bet he’d have an easier time convincing someone to break him out then most. And if anything else, Dream’s worries about him as a threat are now justified due to the whole ‘torture every day’ thing)

- Shlatt (a similar situation as Wilbur, but at the bottom because he’s useless as a hostage and currently still dead)

- Dream Himself (okay, so his reluctance to be in the prison makes it seem like he wouldn’t want it to be for him, but if he’s playing like the super long con somehow and the Prison is either to keep threats like the egg out or to make it seem like he’s powerless...)

Maybe?

- Dream XD (wild, and like Foolish, Dream XD wasn’t a lore concept until later in the prison’s development, back when Techno and Phil were building their Anarchy Table, but it would be an interesting twist. Especially because we don’t know if the two have any connection beyond their names)

- Jack Manifold (yeah he died and came back, but that doesn’t change the fact that he died in the first place. Plus he just hasn’t really gotten to Dream with any of his antagonistic attempts)

- Captain Puffy (mysterious past pog. But in all seriousness, she’s seen as being likable and just, doing her best to do the right thing even when making the decision to become a Villain later on with the Eggpire arc. And while she started as a ‘janitor’, she did join the server before the prison began its construction)

- Niki (she’s dangerous now but not to Dream whose locked away and gone from her ire. Also again wasn’t a threat before the prison was planned, though who knows how much Dream knew of everyone’s mental states back when he was planning)

- Fundy (also doubtful, but coder man do be coding, especially with mods now allowed on the SMP. And now with the revelation of his prophetic dreams, there’s a chance this may be the power Dream feared, especially if said powers were in the works beforehand)

- Hbomb (idk he’s got good strategy as seen with Vault Hunters and MCC and stuff but he doesn’t really use it on the Dream SMP as he prefers parkour challenges or just chillin. Perhaps would only be locked up because the Maidbomb is too powerful)

- Eret (yeah they are a monarch who doesn’t like Dream but they really do have no control and no one on their side so unless the Herobrine thing comes into play this one doesn’t make much sense either)

- Ponk (like Eret he doesn’t have much influence over others. More importantly though, all the trouble he’s made so far has been just annoying at worst. His biggest strength is probably how stubborn he is, and how long he’s been around. To quote Eret, “He’s like the John Wick of the Dream SMP.”)

- Antfrost (only if the manhunt series is cannon in the Dream SMPand Dream has flashbacks to when cat boy killed him with a potion like a chump. Though I will say there’s a non zero chance Manhunt is cannon from the comments all the hunters have made during lore bits)

- Hannah Rose and Purpled (TBH both of them are grouped here since they’re most notably physically strong due to their Bedwars experience. But Purpled is rarely ever on, and Hannah joined after prison construction had already started)

- Punz (the only reason the prison would be for him when he knew explicitly about it and could have won is Dream was threatened by his speedrun skills)

- Sapnap (objection your honor that’s too sad. For real, this is probably higher on the Mabye list due to being a big threat, as seen by the ‘I’ll hunt you down if you escape’ exchange he had while visiting Dream. Sapnap makes his decisions based of what he feels is fair, rather then loyalty (a majority of the time anyways) and furthermore he’s one of the people that knows the most about Dream. However, it’s this low because if it’s Sapnap I’d simply cry maybe)

- Mexican Dream (Dream did dislike the guy. However, he lost all his canon lives in the span of one afternoon so how much of a threat was he really?)

For sure not

- Tommy (confirmed by Dream it wasn’t originally for him during the final disk confrontation)

- Tubbo (also confirmed by Dream it wasn’t originally for him during the same confrontation)

- Skeppy (why would he have a prison in Dream’s funky dungeon if he had a better prison elsewhere?)

- Conner, Slime, Lazar, Vikk (simply not on enough for an intense prison lore stream)

- George (too pretty)

- Callahan (too cool. Also part-time is the server)

- Awesamdude (he was recruited to build the prison and be its warden when the time came. Literally the worst person to put in the prison)

- Michaelmcchill (bro he was added today)

#dream smp #pandoras vault #tonight's a thinking night lads

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officialthiamlibrary · 4 years

Text

2019 THIAM REVERSE BIG BANG MASTERLIST

Below is the masterlist of all of the creations by the amazing artists and writers for the Thiam Reverse Big Bang… four months of fantastic work, preparation, organization and collaboration between the creators are in this list, and we’ll never stop shouting about how thankful we are to everyone who participated this year for the work that you’ve put in to these!!

Some of those participating were even creating for other events (including our Halloween event) in between this one… and they still have these fantastic works ready to show everyone... so PLEASE show them some love for their hard work by commenting, reblogging, and giving likes/kudos/comments where you can! <3

All fics are arranged by the date each collaboration was scheduled for posting, titles for both each artwork and fic will take you to each individual creators post.

Special Thanks to @manonisamelon for creating this event’s roundup banner!

16 December 2019

The Price of Freedom + Artwork 1, 2

Author: @volsungar-the-mighty Artist: @moondrunkmonster56

[41k Words | Rated: M | No Warnings]

When the McCall pack find out that Mason is the Beast of Gevaudan, the Dread Doctors plans go awry, and Theo is left in the firing line. He goes on the run, only to be captured and paralyzed by them before he gets too far.

Liam, a Fallen Angel turned demon, is convinced to leave hell for the first time since his Fall. When he comes across Theo, paralysed, wounded, and about to be tortured and punished by the Dread Doctors, he offer's the Chimera a deal.

Theo's freedom, in exchange for his soul. But something goes wrong when Liam makes the deal a reality, and he becomes stuck on Earth with Theo.

And thats when the fun begins.

~~~

Making The Pieces Fit + Fic Aesthetic , Thiam’s Story Aesthetic , Aesthetic for Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4,

Author: @bookwyrm07 Artist: @manonisamelon

[7.5k Words | Rated: Teen and Up | No Warnings]

When Theo was hired to rob a bank he knew he could do it, but now that two of his crew have taken themselves out his only option left is to get help from his ex.

~~~~~

17 December 2019

Eyes Unclouded + Artwork 1, 2

Author: @wolfenboyb Artist: @marauders-mess

[6.5k Words | Rated: General Audiences | No Warnings]

Inspired by Princess Mononoke... Theo leaves his remove village after it is attacked by a mysterious dark god. Cursed, he ventures out into the world to discover the source of unbalance in the land. He discovers a wolf prince at war with an encroaching town of humans making iron out of sand and destroying the sacred forest. As tensions rise, Theo must find a way to end the conflict and protect the one he loves

Archive Tags: AU | Inspired by Princess Mononoke

Those Who Wait + Artwork 1, Aesthetic 1, 2 , 3

Author: @lovelylittlegrim Artist: @tabbytabbytabby

[6.5k Words | Rated: Explicit | No Warnings]

Theo finally gets what he's always wanted.

Like The Trembling Heart Of A Captive Bird + Artwork 1, 2 , 3

Author: @impalachick Artist: @osirismind

[9.5k Words | Rated: Explicit | Warnings: Underage]

Liam is head boy for the Juniors at Beacon Hills Preparatory Academy, and Senior Theo Raeken gets in trouble a lot. They don't exactly get along.

Everything changes when Gerard Argent shows up. Liam finds out that the supernatural seniors are to be drafted and sent to Vietnam on Gerard’s orders. Liam is determined to keep the pack safe and is surprised when Theo agrees to help. When they work together, Liam realizes there is much more to Theo Raeken then the bad boy stereotype implies.

*The underage tag is checked because in this story, Liam is 17 (and Theo is 18). There is discussion about the Vietnam War Draft Lottery and the drafting process, and the pack seniors face the stress of possibly getting drafted.

~~~~~

18 December 2019

All The Broken Pieces (you chose to love) + Artwork 1, 2

Author: @flyde Artist: @marauders-mess

[22k Words | Rated: Mature | No Warnings]

Life fell to pieces, not suddenly, not violently, but slowly. Softly, the broken parts were caught. Safely, they were held. Lovingly, they were protected, although they could never be put back together.

Or: a childhood friends to tragic lovers AU

The Strangeness In You Is The Strangeness In Me + Artwork 1, Artwork 2, Artwork 3

Author: @eneiryu Artist: @18-sweet-poisoned-heart

[28k Words | Rated: Teen and Up | No Warnings]

Theo’s life is never boring, considering where he works, but he’d have to say that his job doesn’t truly get exciting until the day that their entire station gets taken hostage by the Fae King of Northern California, pissed off that Theo arrested his murderous little protégé prince.

(Not) Dying For Brew + Artwork

Author: @nabawrites Artist: @snaeken

[7k Words | Rated: Teen and Up | No Warnings]

Liam graduated from college, and now he’s back in Beacon Hills. He didn’t expect to run into Theo again, especially not in a coffee shop. It stirs up some old feelings he hadn’t ever really forgotten about…

~~~~~

19 December 2019

When the Day Met Night + Artwork

Author: @imjustafangirl-nobodylovesme Artist: @lightfiretomypaperwings

[8.2k Words | Rated: Teen | No Warnings]

The day finally arrives where Theo is told he's officially joining the family business. He's not happy to hear the news. Life under his father's thumb is a nightmare come true.

On his last day of freedom, he meets Liam Dunbar, a human ray of sunshine that changes everything.

Archive Tags: Original Genderfluid Character | Organized Crime | Mob Boss's son Theo | Photographer Liam | Theo and Tara hate their lives

Saw the shadow of the valley but the shadow was mine + Artwork

Author: @eneiryu Artist: @colder-bones

[17.3k Words | Rating: Mature | No Warnings]

No one ever trusts Theo, but then again: they’re not supposed to. It’s Liam they never see coming.

Archive Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence | Dread Doctor Spy!Liam

Caput Mortuum + Artwork

Author: @imjustafangirl-nobodylovesme Artist: @moondrunkmonster56

[16.3k Words | Rating: Teen | No Warnings]

Liam had pretty much resigned himself to never leaving his home, but then HE moved in. Or

The one where Liam is a ghost (but not really) and Theo buys the house he haunts (but not really).

~~~~~

20 December 2019

Melting The Ice + Artwork

Author: @extrasteps Artist: @snaeken

[30k Words | Rated: Mature | No Warnings]

Liam's entire world is shaken up when Scott McCall, the captain of the Los Angeles Rams and Liam's mentor at the club, unexpectedly asks to be traded to the Dallas Stars. As Liam struggles to deal with this in both his personal and professional life, his teammate and friend, Theo Raeken, is there to help him in any way he can.

Archive Tags: Ice Hockey AU | Liam doesn't handle his ied very well | Scott is a prick (sorry) | First Kiss

The Memory + Artwork 1, 2

Author: @tabbytabbytabby Artist: @lovelylittlegrim

[5k Words | Rated: Teen and Up | No Warnings]

When Theo's away and can't reach Liam he gets worried. Especially when neither Liam's parents nor Mason will give him answers. When he gets back to Beacon Hills he's able to quickly find Liam. The only problem is, Liam has no idea who he is.

Be Free With Me + Video

Author: @ethereal--jeonghan Artist: @underthegallowws

[20k Words | Rated: Mature | Graphic Depictions Of Violence]

After being recaptured and dragged back to Eichen House, the place he's been running from for years, Theo vows to do whatever he can to escape instead he finds himself being drawn towards Liam, someone who was deemed as a 'high-level threat' within Eichen.

~~~~~

21 December 2019

You Just Need To See The Signs (Quite Literally) + Artwork

Author: @marauders-mess Artist: @wolfenboyb

[9.5k Words | Rated: Teen and Up | No Warnings]

Liam is used to not notice most things.

Like when Mason gets a new shirt or his mom gets a new haircut.

The usual, y'know.

But not noticing he got a boyfriend is kind of a new level, even for him.

Blue + Artwork

Author: @flyde Artist: @li0nh34rt

[10k Words | Rated: Teen and Up | No Warnings]

Every werewolf has a soulmate.

Every werewolf has a soulmate, and this is how it happens: On every day you spend on earth, the stars move a little closer together above your head until they form a line - the curve of a closed eye that will one day open to look upon you. From that day on, you will have someone to watch over you in life and death, and you will never feel complete without the soul that the eye belongs to.

But what if your soulmate's eye opens to reveal something you didn't expect?

You've Got Nothing Left To Lose (I Have Even Less Than You) + Artwork

Author: @snaeken Artist: @theraeken

[3.5k Words | Rated: Mature | Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death]

After everything that’s happened in Beacon Hills, Theo really shouldn’t be surprised soulmates exist. He just never thought he would have one of his own.

(Still to be completed, word count below is as of 1st chapter)

Archive Tags: Soulmates | Time Loop | Temporary Character Death

~~~~~

22 December 2019

Darkened Skies + Poster, Aesthetic for the fic, Theo aesthetic, Liam aesthetic, Liam with his dragon tattoo, Theo with his dragon tattoo, Theo and his dragon

Author: @lightfiretomypaperwings Artist: @manonisamelon

[3k Words | Rated: Teen and Up | No Warnings]

In a world where black dragons are a sign of evil, Theo Raeken was automatically an outcast. Coupled with a tragedy from his childhood that he was responsible for, it was easy to understand why everyone was afraid of him. But not Liam Dunbar, the friend from childhood that Theo hasn’t seen since the fire that claimed his family.

Archive Tags: Dragons | alternative universe

I don’t suffer from my sanity, I enjoy every minute of it + Artwork

Author: @lightfiretomypaperwings Artist: @moondrunkmonster56

[8.4k | Rated: Teen | No Warnings]

When Theo Raeken became the new therapist at Eichen House, he didn’t expect a collection of secrets. His high priority patient, Liam Dunbar, won’t speak a word to him during their sessions. But when Theo uncovers a stash of notes from a previous doctor, he finds more questions than answers.

Archive Tags: Eichen | Echo House | insane asylum | Secrets | Alternate Universe

Your heart or mine (we’re running out of time) + Artwork

Author: @lightfiretomypaperwings Artist: @snaeken

[3.8k | Rated Teen | No Warnings]

Theo Raeken knows it’s a long shot. Finding the heart of immortality feels like an impossible task, but it’s an adventure he has to pursue if he wants to survive. He doesn’t expect to meet Liam Dunbar along the way, a man with a record of violence that wants the heart just as badly. When circumstances force them to work together, Theo discovers there’s a whole lot more to Liam than his mercenary past. Can these two manage to get along on their quest or will they tear each other apart?

Archive Tags: Treasure Hunt | some steampunk vibes | Enemies to Friends to Lovers | Angst | Alternate Universe

And that’s it! Thanks again for a great event and we will see you all at the next one ;P

OTL Team

#thiam #thiamrbb19 #teen wolf #theo raeken #liam dunbar #officialthiamlibrary

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detroit-become-human-analyze · 5 years

Text

Detroit: Become Human - Chronology and timeline of events... (CANON)

The chronology and timeline of events ( https://detroit-become-human.fandom.com/wiki/Chronology ) in the world of Detroit: Become Human.

pre-1960

1915: Birth of Arnold Brook.

1917: Zlatko Andronikov's family flees the revolution in Russia.

1960s

1963: Birth of Carl Manfred (July 13).

1970s

1978: Birth of Michael Brinkley (January 24), Amanda Stern (May 14).

1980s

1980: Birth of Gordon Penwick (June 10).

1982: Birth of Dennis Ward (June 11), Jeffrey Fowler (August 8).

1983: Birth of Christopher Gray (June 18).

1985: Birth of Hank Anderson (September 6), Cristina Warren (September 15).

1987: Birth of Jonah Graham (December 9).

1988: Birth of Joseph Sheldon (August 14), Gary Kayes (December 3).

1989: Birth of Derek Myers (May 7), Ben Collins (September 12).

1990s

1991: Birth of Zlatko Andronikov (September 21).

1992: Birth of Douglas Mitchell (August 10).

1993: Birth of Rose Chapman (March 31).

1994: Birth of Captain Allen (December 2).

1995: Birth of Edward Dempsey (February 8), Richard Perkins (July 13), Todd Williams (September 21).

1998:

1999: Birth of Isaac Falone (March 10), Elizabeth Wilson (March 25), John Phillips (October 11).

Death of Arnold Brook.[1]

Birth of Chris Roberts (May 16).

2000s

2000: Birth of Michael Webb (September 9).

2001: Birth of Jimmy Peterson (February 1), Caroline Phillips (May 23).

2002: Birth of Elijah Kamski (July 17), Gavin Reed (October 7).

2005: Birth of Pedro Aabdar (January 25), Rosanna Cartland (December 12).

2008: Birth of Carlos Ortiz (October 27).

2009: Birth of Nathan Clark (August 18), Chris Miller (September 30).

2010s

2010: Birth of Leo Manfred (March 21), Joss Douglas (October 24).

2012: Birth of Samuel McCray (April 10).

2013: Birth of Adam Chapman (August 5).

2018: Elijah Kamski founds CyberLife, creates first androids.

2020s

2021: Release of RT600 "Chloe".

2022: RT600 Chloe first android to pass the Turing test.

2024:

2027: CyberLife sells 1 millionth android.

2028:

2028or 2029: United States pass the Android Act.

2029: Hank Anderson promoted to the rank of lieutenant (reported on August 22).

Release of ST200 "Chloe", first industrially produced android.

CyberLife leased a disused warehouse. (Extras Gallery)

CyberLife starts the commercial production of androids.

KNC's interview with Chloe (April 25).

Release of JB100 OR Andy (12-2027).

Death of Amanda Stern (February 23).

Elijah Kamski named Century magazine's "Man of the Century". Later, Kamski resigns as CEO and leaves CyberLife.

Red Ice Task Force dismantles a Red Ice network (reported on February 3).

Birth of Emma Phillips (September 2).

Release of EM400 (2028), Jerry (06-2028).

Birth of Cole Anderson (September 23).

Release of PC200 and PM700.

2030s

2030:

2031:

2032: Release of AX400, Kara (04-2032).

2033:

2034:

2035:

2036:

2037: Rose Chapman starts helping deviants.

2038: the year Detroit: Become Human takes place.

CyberLife reaches market valuation of $850bn.

Release of TR400 OR Luther (01-2030), HK400 OR Carlos' Android (05-2031), URS12 Android Bear (10-2030).

Androids introduced into the United States military and Michigan law enforcement. Red Ice Task Force seizes boat with nearly 1t Red Ice (reported on November 23).

Release of Ralph (/WR600?) and PJ500 (2031), Josh (11-2031).

Birth of Sumo (April 2031).

Release of JB300 336 445 581 (/JB300?) (05-2033), YK500, Alice (07-2033).

Carlos Ortiz spent several stays in a psychiatric hospital in 2033.

Release of PL600 (2034), Simon (02-2034).

April 2034 Season Finals Detroit's Champions Take An Early Lead (Basketball Magazine poster around Hank's Desk)

Release of "Traci"s WR400 and HR400 (2035), North (10-2035).

Death of Cole Anderson (October 11)[8].

Detroit Gears basketball Playoffs (Seen at Hank's desk)

Cristina Warren elected President of the United States.

Carlos Ortiz spent several stays in a psychiatric hospital in 2036.

Release of KL900 OR Lucy, Rupert (possibly plus WB200?).

Reported missing: Simon (February 16), Rupert (October 11).

Death of Rose Chapman's husband (estimated, "died 2 years ago" in 2038[9]).

2038

The year 2038 is the temporal setting of Detroit: Become Human.

global population 10 billion.[10]

January-July

Edit

January

February

The first DPD case file about deviants ("dates back nine months")[11]

March

April

May

June

July

August

RK800 "Connor" released (08-2038).

Birth of Damian Miller ("three months ago" in November).

Aug 15th: Chapter "The Hostage".

around 7:30 PM: Daniel takes Emma Phillips hostage.

Death of John Phillips (estimated 07:29 PM), Officer Antony Deckart (estimated 08:03 PM), and another officer (found dead in the pool). Officer M. Wilson is wounded by Daniel, death optional.

CyberLife sends RK800 Connor as a hostage negotiator. ITM televises the hostage situation.

08:29 PM: Chapter "The Hostage" begins. Connor arrives at the Phillips apartment.

08:30 PM: DPD reports that a deviant android is involved. (ITM report)

September

09/14: An android waiter (AV500 #234 777 821) in Fast Coney Dogs attacks Charles Bell and escapes.

October

10/04: Gordon Lopez's AL series android disappears. North deviates at a customer's home and escapes.

10/05: Eden Club manager Floyd Mills reports to the police that North is missing.

10/06: North arrives in Jericho (North has been in Jericho "4 weeks, 3 days, 11 hours" on Nov 6 after 5 PM).

around 10/17: Carlos Ortiz killed by Carlos' Android. (Based on his body being dead for 19 days on Nov 5th)

10/22: An android (AP700 #480 913 802) attacks her owner Sarah Cornwal, the house, and escapes.

November

Friday Nov 5th: Chapters: Shades of Color, The Opening, A New Home, The Painter, Partners, Stormy Night, Broken, Fugitives

CyberLife zoo opens in Detroit.

Several Russian warships have taken position in the Barents Sea since Saturday October 30th. (CTN news)

09:38 AM: Chapter "Shades of Color" begins. Markus arrives in Greektown to pick up Carl's paint from Bellini Paints.

09:58 AM: Chapter "The Painter" begins. Markus arrives back at Carl Manfred's House.

03:24 PM: Chapter "The Opening" begins. Todd Williams picks up Kara at Android Zone.

04:53 PM: Chapter "A New Home" begins. Todd and Kara arrive at Todd Williams' house.

"around 8" (PM or AM): Landlord calls police because he found Carlos Ortiz's corpse.

09:14 PM: Chapter "Stormy Night" begins. Dinner in the Williams house.

09:42 PM: Chapter "Broken" begins. Markus and Carl arrive home from the opening of Carl Manfred's retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art.

10:58 PM: Chapter "Fugitives" begins. Kara and Alice to get off the bus in Camden.

11:21 PM: Chapter "Partners" begins. Connor arrives at Jimmy's Bar to pick up Hank Anderson.

Saturday Nov 6th: Chapters:

The Interrogation, From the Dead, Waiting for Hank..., On the Run, Jericho, The Nest, Time to Decide, Zlatko, Russian Roulette, Spare Parts, The Eden Club

During the night: Russian carrier and American patrol boat reported to have exchanged warning shots in Arctic, no casualties. (~CTN news[11])

KNC reports on the first artificial intelligence to write a book.

CTN reports that a CyberLife prototype detective android is assisting the DPD. (~CTN news[11][15])

President Cristina Warren makes speech to Congress, demanding that Russian troops withdraw from the Arctic region. (~CTN news[8])

N/A: Severe hurricanes blight Mid-West, dozens killed. (seen under the scrolling header during Waiting for Hank.) (~CTN news[8])

12:41 AM: Chapter "The Interrogation" begins. Hank interrogates Carlos' Android.

03:34 AM: Chapter "From the Dead" begins. Markus reboots in Solid Waste Landfill.

08:42 AM: Todd Williams' dead body is found by a friend and reported to the police. (If killed by Alice or Kara)

09:56 AM: Chapter "Waiting for Hank..." begins. Connor talks to Amanda. Then arrives at DPD Central Station.

10:25 AM: Chapter "On the Run" begins. Kara wakes in Camden.

03:02 PM: Chapter "The Nest" begins. Hank eats at Chicken Feed.

04:30 PM: Chapter "Jericho" begins. Markus travels to Ferndale Station.

06:24 PM (estimated[16]): Death of Michael Graham at Eden Club.

05:13 PM: Chapter "Time to Decide" begins. Markus meets Jericho androids.

07:45 PM: Chapter "Zlatko" begins. Kara and Alice arrive at Zlatko Andronikov's House.

07:51 PM: Chapter "Russian Roulette" begins. Connor talks to Amanda. Then visits Hank Anderson's home.

08:01 PM: Chapter "Spare Parts" begins. Jericho androids raid CyberLife Warehouse and Docks.

08:17 PM: Chapter "The Eden Club" begins. Connor and Hank arrive at the Eden Club.

Sunday Nov 7th:

Chapters: The Pirates' Cove, The Bridge, The Stratford Tower

01:02 AM: Chapter "The Pirates' Cove" begins. Kara's group travels by car.

01:19 AM: Chapter "The Bridge" begins. Connor and Hank in Riverside Park.

09:24 AM: Chapter "The Stratford Tower" begins. Markus sits on a street bench and gets an idea.

Monday Nov 8th:

Chapters: The Stratford Tower cont., Public Enemy, Midnight Train

01:30 PM: Chapter "The Stratford Tower" cont. Markus infiltrates the Stratford Tower.

01:59 PM: Markus is recording the message in Stratford Tower (Connor' "Pupil Reflection" scan is timestamped "13:59:54").

04:06 PM: Chapter "Public Enemy" begins. Connor talks to Amanda. Then Connor and Hank arrive at Stratford Tower Floor 79.

05:10 PM: Chapter "Midnight Train" begins. Kara's group arrives at Rose's Farm.

Tuesday Nov 9th:

Chapters: Capitol Park, Meet Kamski, Freedom March, Last Chance, Connor, Crossroads

01:51 AM: Chapter "Capitol Park" begins. Jericho androids discuss Stratford broadcast.

02:00 AM: Jericho android teams attack the five CyberLife stores in Detroit simultaneously. Markus and North arrive at Capitol Park 10 minutes previous.

11:17 AM: Chapter "Meet Kamski" begins. Hank (+/- Connor) arrives at Elijah Kamski's house.

12:04 PM: Chapter "Freedom March" begins. Markus on roof, reflecting.

04:13 PM: Chapter "Last Chance, Connor" begins. Connor talks to Amanda. At DPD, Connor has to find Jericho.

N/A: Military androids removed from service(~CTN news), resulting in armed forces losing 2/3 of effective personnel. Androids are ordered to be turned over to the authorities, to be delivered to the nearest police station or army barracks, to be put in camps. The lack of androids shuts down services and utilities such as hospitals, schools, water, electricity, networks. (~KNC news[19]) Detroit is under curfew.

09:34 PM: Chapter "Crossroads" begins. Kara's group is driving to find Jericho.

10:45 PM: FBI and military raid on Jericho (~Warren press announcement)

Wednesday Nov 10th:

Chapters: Night of the Soul

06:00 AM: national curfew declared (~Warren press announcement)

Chapter "Night of the Soul" begins.

04:17 PM: Markus visits Carl's grave. (Pay Respects)

07:31 PM: Markus visits Carl's house. (Welcome Home) Then Markus in church (Markus on Sacred Ground). OR Jericho androids in church without Markus. (Connor/North on Sacred Ground)

07:31 PM or N/A: Connor speaks to Amanda (Thin Ice), visits Hank (Hank's House).

N/A: Android leader gives speech in undiscovered Jericho. (Markus/North Among the People)

09:24 PM: President Cristina Warren press announcement on Jericho raid, curfew etc. (Battle for Detroit)

Thursday Nov 11th:

Chapters: Battle for Detroit (events from multiple paths)

N/A: The U.S. Army has set up temporary camps in most major cities (Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Boston, San Francisco) to gather and destroy androids. (KNC News report, which is heard in Kamski's house if everyone died)

"at/since dawn": Androids take to the streets, either in peaceful demonstration (Markus Demonstration) OR fighting to liberate camps (Markus Revolution).

10:48 PM: Connor arrives at CyberLife Tower. (Connor at the CyberLife Tower)

10:51 PM: Kara's group in West Side Industrial on the way to Bus Terminal. (Kara Leaving Detroit)

10:56 PM: Androids march down Woodward Avenue onto Hart Plaza (Markus Demonstration/Revolution/North)

11:01 PM:

11:02 PM: Kara's group reaches Bus Terminal. (Kara Leaving Detroit, Risky Checkpoint)

11:06 PM: Kara's group enters Enclosure. (Kara Captured)

11:07 PM:

11:08 PM:

11:15 PM: Kara's group reaches Bus Terminal. (Kara Leaving Detroit, Safer Detour)

11:15-30 PM: Last bus from Detroit Bus Terminal departs to Canada Border. Cross-border bus service is suspended afterwards.

11:16 PM: Hart Plaza barricade is attacked. (Markus Demonstration)

11:26 PM:

11:30 PM: Kara's group arrives at US-Canada Border. (Kara Leaving Detroit)

11:36 PM: Kara's group enters Canada. (Kara Leaving Detroit)

11:57 PM: Kara's group arrives at banks of Detroit River, Canada. (Kara Leaving Detroit)

presumably before midnight: President Cristina Warren gives speech (Battle for Detroit).

Connor arrives at Floor -49. (Connor at the CyberLife Tower) OR Connor on Hart Plaza rooftop. (Connor's Last Mission)

Androids at Hart Plaza launch attack. (Revolution)

Connor vs Connor-60. (Connor at the CyberLife Tower)

Hart Plaza final assault, Markus vs Connor, vs tank. (Revolution)

Androids in Hart Plaza barricade. Perkins offers deal. (Markus Demonstration)

Kara's group facing destruction in Hart Plaza camp. (Kara Captured)

Hart Plaza androids arrested, Markus killed (Markus Demonstration, surrender)

Kara's group arrives at banks of Detroit River, Delray. (Kara Leaving Detroit)

Friday Nov 12th:

Chapters: Battle for Detroit cont.

12:01 AM: Hart Plaza and CyberLife Tower android groups meet. Android leader gives speech. OR Machine Connor checks on Markus's corpse, after the latter's surrender to Perkins.

07:37 AM: Kara's group wakes in Solid Waste Landfill. (Kara Captured)

#detroit become human #canon timeline #dbh timeline #dbh chronology #chronology

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feferipeixes · 5 years

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Transcendence AU primer

People have been asking me “what’s this Transcendence thing you keep talking about?”, so here’s a little primer I wrote up that should hopefully give you an overview of what it is and why I love it.

Transcendence AU (or TAU), created by @zillychu, is a fan alternate universe of the show Gravity Falls. It’s a bit unusual as AU’s go in that it has a squishy canon that people are (generally) free to add to. It’s all about demons, family, magic, immortality, tragedy, and dorks. So many dorks.

Gravity Falls

First of all, it is an AU of Gravity Falls, so if you haven’t seen GF at all, the following episodes are basically mandatory:

Tourist Trapped! (the first episode, which introduces Dipper, Mabel, and Stan)

Dreamscaperers (introduces Bill Cipher)

Sock Opera (in which Dipper gets possessed by Bill -- a lot of themes in TAU were inspired by this particular episode)

TAU often makes reference to other characters and things that happen in the show, but those episodes are the bare minimum.

What’s “the Transcendence”?

Now that that’s out of the way, what makes TAU different from canon Gravity Falls? Unlike a lot of AU’s, there is no one fic that describes how TAU diverges from canon, although there are several fics that provide different takes on it. At a high level, the following always happens:

At some point after Sock Opera, Bill Cipher attempts to cause the end of the world, and the twins foil him. As a last ditch effort to save his own life, Bill tries to possess Dipper against his will. Dipper manages to defeat him, and Bill ends up dying while in Dipper's Mindscape. The bits of Bill left behind -- in particular, his magic -- fuse permanently with Dipper. This should have killed him, but he instead becomes a demon himself.

Additionally, although Bill's plans were foiled, there are major side effects that forever change the world. The "weirdness bubble" (that kept the supernatural stuff contained within Gravity Falls) pops, and weirdness becomes commonplace everywhere. Society takes a while to recover from this. This event is known as "the Transcendence".

Other facts that are useful to know:

The twins’ parents don’t handle Dipper’s change very well. They love him, but they’re afraid of him and things are bad. Because of this, a couple of years later, Dipper and Mabel move to Gravity Falls to live with Stan.

Dipper and Mabel frequently go on missions to dismantle cults that are doing bad cult stuff. They sort of have secret identities, and go by the names “Alcor” and “Mizar” respectively.

At first, Dipper is invisible to everyone but Mabel. He can be summoned to the physical plane with a summoning circle, and he can make demon deals. As time goes on and as a result of him being half-human, he gains more and more power, and eventually can be present in the physical plane without needing a deal. This eventually puts him in a class of power far above any other demon.

A lot of the characters are queer! For instance, Dipper is aroace and Mabel is bi.

Being a demon means that Dipper is immortal, and he has a lot of difficulty dealing with this. It also means that he has a darker side to him now that he’s always grappling with.

More details can be found on the TAU blog!

Recs!

Here are some awesome fics that I’d 100% recommend:

Meat Cute by Seiya234 - Henry is introduced, he starts dating Mabel, he slowly gets used to the fact that her brother is a demon, and they get married.

24 Months by Seiya234 - Mabel and Henry have triplets, and nothing goes wrong ever, and Dipper is the best dream demon uncle ever.

So you want to be a demonologist by dementor_ssc - Dipper pretends to be an undergrad studying demonology.

Return, Rewind, Rewrite by MaryPSue - A widowed father makes a deal with Dipper to save his infant daughter’s life (who turns out to be a reincarnation of Mabel). In exchange, Dipper creates a fake human body for himself, masquerades as the infant’s twin brother, and locks away both his and the father’s memories. He’s able to lead a relatively normal life, until the family goes on vacation... in Gravity Falls.

Reincarnation Blues by MaryPSue - A reincarnation of Mabel dates a reincarnation of Bill Cipher, and Dipper freaks out. A lot.

Tales of a Dreambender by Lady_Phenyx - A massive collection of oneshots set in TAU, some happy, some sad, and a lot in between.

The Quest For Blood Valley by RedPen - Acacia (one of Mabel and Henry’s kids) wants to see an R-rated movie, and Dipper does not quite succeed in being a responsible adult. Hi-jinks ensue.

Hadley and the Pirate (and the Demon) by ToothPasteCanyon - Far in the future, a spaceship captain is taken hostage by a pirate, and the only person who seems willing to help her is Alcor the Dreambender. Warning: you will cry.

Here’s a list of authors that are just fantastic in general and I’d recommend checking out all of their fics:

Seiya234

MaryPSue

Haberdasher

storiewriter

dementor_ssc

Lady_Phenyx

ThisCat

ToothPasteCanyon

suddenlyGoats

Feneris

(I also write for TAU - my AO3 is StarlightSystem)

Anyway, that’s my rundown of TAU! This primer post got pretty long, but I hope it was helpful :). The TAU blog ( @transcendence-au ) is the definitive source of information for this AU, and you can find a lot more fics, art, and worldbuilding there.

#gravity falls #transcendence au #long post #my stuff

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shipping-receiving · 5 years

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Jaime x Brienne Slow Burn AU Fics

*cracks knuckles* Get ready because this is a long post. I had an anon who specifically requested “well written, well developed slow burn multi-chapter AU”. I’ve already included a few that fit those criteria in my Modern AU fic recs [ Part 1 / Part 2 ] so I thought I’d dig up a mixed bag of AUs for this list (Regency! Apocalypse! Fairy Tales!).

But just for ease of access, here are my Modern AU recs (so far) that fit this criteria, depending how slow of a burn you want. Some of them actually only happen over the course of a few days (e.g. On the Night’s Watch), but I think you still get That Slow Burn Satisfaction:

Clean hands by Gwen77

Fever by @ladyinredfics

It’s Like Weather by ssstrychnine aka @oneangryshot

Madonna of the Balcony by QuizzicalQuinnia

A Year in the Life by Coraleeveritas

On the Night’s Watch by @miss-m-calling

Beast and the Beast by SigilBroken aka @chickren

Now onward to some of that Enemies to Friends to Lovers action:

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All the Roads are Winding by ShirleyAnn66 AU: Modern / Historical / Post-Apocalyptic / +++++ rating: T (more like M in parts) | word count: 264695 | chapters: 29

Why not start with the AU fic to end all AU fics – ShirleyAnn66′s multiverse epic, featuring Jaime and Brienne as physicists who explore five alternate versions of themselves. There are six interwoven parallel slow burns. SIX. Physicists, Prince/Princess (Political Marriage), Singer/Farmer (Best Friends), Prisoner/Septa, Megastar/Private Investigator, and Mad “Jon” (Post-Apocalyptic). Note that there are only 29 chapters in the story, but 35 including the Author’s Notes, and compilations of the five universes so they can be read as single stories.

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Before Destruction by renaissance AU: Pride and Prejudice / Regency rating: T | word count: 102716 | chapters: 32

One of the best multi-chapter fics ever created for this pairing, this Pride and Prejudice AU has Brienne as a governess for the Starks and Jaime as Captain Lannister, but both of them still retain their original personalities (Jaime is still the snarky one where Brienne is reserved and insecure). Perfectly plotted, and I think it conveys more of the tension and antagonism so typical of J/B than even the original dynamic between Elizabeth and Darcy.

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Shoot the Moon by @hardlyfatal AU: Modern rating: E | word count: 80250 | chapters: 33

corporate!Jaime and writer!Brienne meet on a ranch (with a host of other characters) and find themselves struggling between hostility and deep attraction. There’s also some very endearing domesticity in the second half, with Jaime’s kids Myrcy and Tommen. This probably isn’t that slow in terms of getting to the smut, but it’s really slow in terms of getting all those feelings out in the open. The author also has two other WIP slow burn fics that she is still updating regularly – Man of the Hour (Brienne is a vet, Jaime her mysterious neighbour) and the epic Western Desperado (this has three pairings: J x B, Sansa x Sandor, Dany x Jon).

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What is True, But Not Ideal by Vera AU: Modern rating: M | word count: 74868 | chapters: 19

I’m kicking myself that I didn’t think to rec this recently completed story in my first two Modern AU lists. Brienne meets Tyrion first, who hires her as a bartender in his pub, and they eventually become best friends. Jaime only appears from Chapter 4, but the Brienne/Tyrion friendship has really interesting implications for the J/B dynamic. I don’t want to spoil too much about the narrative because the direction of the story is so surprising, but it does take darker turns as the rest of the Lannisters and Starks are introduced.

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Bargains by Gwen77 AU: Regency rating: M | word count: 18171 | chapters: 11

Another Regency AU, this time with an arranged marriage between Jaime and Brienne. Jaime is still entangled with Cersei to some degree for most of this story, with painful consequences for J/B, but Jaime and Brienne’s growing feelings for each other are handled beautifully, and ultimately they get their happily ever after. This is the shortest fic in this list, but perhaps more so because Gwen77 writes heartbreaking prose so succinctly. No one writes repressed!JB like her, so it still feels like a slow burn despite its relative brevity.

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Scandal by Gwen77 AU: Victorian rating: T | word count: 21652 | chapters: 11

Look, I try not to rec more than one fic per author for each of my lists, but I would lay down my life for Gwen77′s four AUs. This one is set in a 19th Century version of Westeros, with Brienne as a journalist/writer and Jaime as a politician in a constitutional monarchy. This is one of the most unique versions of their dynamic that I’ve read, partly because this version of Jaime is more conflicted and elusive. Chapter 7 in particular leaves me breathless.

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The Dark, Dread Toyshop by @miss-m-calling AU: The Magic Toyshop / Modern-ish with a bit of magic rating: M | word count: 68755 | chapters: 25

Based on Angela Carter’s The Magic Toyshop, this underrated story is a mysterious coming-of-age tale that sees Brienne (and her siblings Pod and Sansa) sent to live with their uncle Tywin and his sons Jaime and Tyrion in his eerie toyshop. (This makes Jaime and Brienne cousins, just a warning for those who find that too incestuous.) This diverges quite a lot from the plot points of GoT/ASOIAF, but still remains enthralling.

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Everyone Has Secrets by ellaria AU: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo / Modern rating: E | word count: 113057 | chapters: 23

Another legendary, utterly seductive multi-chapter fic based on Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Jaime is a political journalist and Brienne is the hacker hired alongside him to investigate the disappearance of Sansa Stark ten years earlier. If you’re familiar with Larsson’s story, you’ll know to expect explicit sexual content and violence. (But don’t worry, all ends well, not the way Larsson left off his story with regard to his two main characters.)

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Tale As Old As Time by @brienneofthrace AU: Beauty and the Beast / Fairy Tale rating: T | word count: 56570 | chapters: 17

Jaime is the bitter lord of Casterly Rock (not an actual beast), and Brienne offers to become his hostage in exchange for the release of her captive father. This story plays fast and loose with both canons, which makes reading it really fun and unexpected. I was very lucky to have found this around the time the author chose to come back and complete it (I think there must have been a 4 year break somewhere)!

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Living Fiction by Archetype_Electraheart AU: Modern rating: M | word count: 72757 | chapters: 41

No-nonsense Brienne is assigned to be difficult Jaime’s new editor at Winterfell Publishing. This makes for some amazingly snarky interactions (and begrudging mutual respect) from the get-go, but perhaps one of the more unexpected elements of this story is the author’s decision to have Brienne be a longtime model/muse for photographer Loras Tyrell. Brienne’s relationship with her body thus manifest in a very different and refreshing way.

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+ BONUS: WIPs

I prefer not to rec incomplete fics on the off-chance they’ll never be completed (wow I wish season 8 was never completed) but these are two of my favourite WIPs that have been updated fairly recently:

With All Your Faults by @seaspiritwrites AU: A League of their Own / Baseball / 1940s rating: T | word count (so far): 91818 | chapters: 26/34

Well on its way to becoming a classic, this fic has been an absolute joy to read. Based very loosely on the movie A League of Their Own, and set in World War II-era America, Brienne is recruited to play in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, on a team coached by maimed former baseball star Jaime. As slow and as satisfying and as wholesome of a burn as you could possibly get.

for our world is cold and full of monsters by @trashy-greyjoy aka chancellor_valdez AU: Zombie Apocalypse rating: not rated | word count (so far): 32725 | chapters: 11/?

It’s the Jaime and Brienne road trip, except they have to fight zombies on the way. No prizes for guessing how Jaime loses his hand in this one. I genuinely love the way this fic is written – there’s a lot of great lines in this – and I don’t think it has gotten as much attention as it deserves. It seems to be on a bit of a hiatus (understandably after Season 8) but the author has promised to get back to it and I can’t wait.

#jaime x brienne #jaime x brienne fic recs #braime #game of thrones #asoiaf #got fic #asoiaf fic #trying again and bet it doesn't show up in the tags AGAIN why does tumblr hate me

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crqstalite · 4 years

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damn, things get really fuckin’ dark if you let them in knights. basically a disorganized essay with no theme, rhyme, reason or even real thesis on why the dark outlander can quickly turn the expansions into an absolute clusterfuck.

obviously, spoilers below the cut.

as i assume most of you know, i played a light leaning neutral warrior (mellena) through knight-forward first. the main cast stayed the same throughout, koth, senya, arcann, theron, lana and so on. theron was still alive at the end of onslaught, arcann and senya were still alive and so was koth. mellena was a peacekeeper of the galaxy. she romanced theron, mostly everyone was happy with her. she was good with zakuulans, assisted the republic during iokath and sabotaged the empire for them while placing the blame on the other darths and effectively destroying the new dark council from within.

but a dark sided outlander? holy fuck i wasn’t ready for what could happen and what did happen.

THE ISSUE WITH KOTH.

koth fuckin’ up and LEAVES with the gravestone (chapter sixteen, battle of odessen) if you let too many zakuulans die and have less concern for them than he does. there are a few main decisions you have to make to get him angry with you, the first being in chapter three, outlander, if you let the generator blow in favor of your own life, chapter four, the gravestone if you kill the exiles, and anarchy in paradise (i reference this chapter a lot in this section) if you blow yet another generator. once you do most of these, specifically the last one, you’re locked in to lose koth for the rest of the game.

he shows up again during wrath and ruin for voss, then leaves, then appears again in dark reunions when he needs help with vaylin and scorpio on the gravestone. he later leaves even if you offer him to stay, making a remark about it being better for the alliance if he just disappeared.

here’s the issue that i have with koth’s character in respect to his relationships with other characters.

tora and the rest of the crew that was acquired on asylum. obviously they knew him longer than anyone else, but tora says this after he leaves in chapter ten, anarchy in paradise, ‘we’re with you. as captains go, koth wasn’t a complete hutt-stain, but you provide a steady paycheck and nice toys.’ tora’s obviously just a tad gung-ho about everything, but even len doesn’t mention anything to you about it later down the line. they aren’t even angry with you for letting their captain go. i know relationships are tough but jesus christ i thought they’d be angrier with me.

theron and koth didn’t have much history outside of meeting in chapter nine, the alliance but you can just as easily turn theron against him (i’ll get to the corresponding exchange during chapter four of kotet, where dreams die). wasn’t surprising, i figured it wouldn’t be. can’t be mad over someone you did even know. theron’s being held hostage when the gravestone as being stolen and is dropped off on odessen before koth leaves, and that you can’t blame the man at the end of your excursion on zakuul after chapter ten. no harm done here, and personally i didn’t care much for theron on khaak’s runthrough.

the exchange mentioned earlier with theron and koth here during chapter four, where dreams die. to set the scene, you’ve just found theron and koth after a disorienting trip on iokath, halfway through you found torian. torian says, ‘what’s the traitor doing here?’ in reference to koth. theron answers, ‘he picked up my holo-signal to the others and i let him in, against my better judgement. told him if he moves he’s dead.’

that isn’t even it. i figured theron would be more forgiving, even chastise me for being rude to him earlier, but instead he threatens the man.

koth answers with something along the lines of wanting to help, and khaak answered, ‘you’ve “helped” enough, koth. you had your chance to be a hero’. theron follows up with, ‘the only reason you’re here is so you won’t cause more trouble out there. don’t push it.’

but lana and koth do have history, in fact they reference it quite a bit in chapter three, outlander, and you can turn her against him rather easily too. i can’t pick out any memories of her being particularily upset about koth’s leaving or your actions leading up to it and after it. i know the excuse here is that she’s pragmatic and not emotional, but there’s an underlying issue here that needs to be talked about.

khaak romanced lana, hardcore went sith wife with her. which i can figure was helping along an emotional dilemma for lana. on one hand, she had ties to koth for helping her find khaak, and seemed to respect him for it and enjoy his company. on another hand, she has ties to khaak for being her girlfriend, and subsequently the alliance commander who she’s known for years upon years longer than knowing vortena. she has no ties to zakuul other than through koth, and doesn’t even really bat an eye when the outlander blows the generator in the city. she is imperial, first and foremost, though most literally follows you to the end of the galaxy no matter what you do. in battle of odessen (if you shot down senya and arcann), she responds to theron’s ‘guess i’m glad you’re showing some remorse’ with ‘senya made her choice. she betrayed us, just as koth did. but right now we have more pressing concerns.’

another note here is that khaak did let the generator overload in chapter three (lana even approved of the decision to let it blow and have them escape first, i think saying ‘we can’t save everyone’), and because of one little decision for lana in chapter five, from the grave, (i’ll talk about this at a later date and why it was stupid) asylum was damaged because of valkorion’s power. i won’t say i don’t understand why he left, he thinks you’re supporting the other factions more than zakuul, but koth doesn’t even attempt to talk to you or understand your reasoning before taking off. i guess in an angry moment like that, he can’t, and bioware didn’t develop his character enough to do so effectively. (that i’ll also talk about at another date).

there is an exchange in the following expansion that my heart definitely cracked over though, and deals with another issue i have with koth.

setting the scene, the outlander and lana find koth on the gravestone during dark reunions. khaak was civil enough with him, agreeing to help to disable the bombs koth put on the ship (yet another issue i’ll talk about later). koth sadly says lana’s name after this agreement, before she responds, “there’s nothing left between us” and stomps off into the gravestone. that leaves the commander and koth alone, and if you romanced her (like i did with khaak), he says this, “you’ll be good to her, right?” [this entire scene is pictured above]

khaak responded “lana means everything to me.” which prompts koth to answer, “that’s all i needed to hear”. which leads me to believe that they definitely were together at some point, before one of the two decided something wasn’t working and acted accordingly. a personal headcanon of mine, but it still shocks me lana was so quick to brush off the man she’d worked with for canonically the last five years to get you out. a lot of people speculate it wasn’t a serious romance if there was one, especially if the pc romanced lana before kotfe. no matter what, i figured koth would come first and was bracing for the scolding to come from lana at some point, but it never came. she essentially didn’t care, and was either more concerned about her current lover or the alliance. that’s some hardcore bullshit if i’m being honest, but i also wasn’t raised sith so i digress.

you do also apparently have the choice to kill koth in that chapter. i didn’t take that option (falls under the ‘hey wait this is really dark, stop’; another issue i’ll talk about later), but i am curious what would’ve occurred if i had.

personally, i think if koth was treated the same as lana and theron, given more flirt options, more character development and not disappearing after hearts and minds to fuck off to zakuul, he would’ve been a great character and a lot more appreciated by the fandom. his actions did have deeper meanings, and though most see him as little more than a self-absorbed douche obsessed with zakuul, zakuul, zakuul, i don’t hate his character. obviously i do still have issues with koth in general, his personality grinded the gears of both my warrior and smuggler respectively. given he’s never known anything but zakuul, but at least lana and theron are sympathetic to the opposing factions.

i’m not saying lana didn’t have the right to act the way she did, but there has to be a hardened part of her heart against a dark side outlander for pushing him away.

THE ISSUE WITH ARCANN AND SENYA.

playing with mellena, she got beat around by arcann for an expansion but did forgive him eventually and accepted him into the alliance. she kept senya as well, though she technically betrayed her in battle of odessen. all light side options.

now, this is where things get morally ambiguous. a grey area, if you will. arcann has only ever known zakuul, ever. he doesn’t know about the outlands that you came from, and only was ever taught how to act by valkorian. he’s angry with you for essentially taking his father’s power when it should’ve been his after years of being by his side and doing everything he can to be worthy. of course he’s violently hunting you down because of it. yes, he tries to kill you multiple times. is this excusable? for his background, it is. he doesn’t know better.

senya really believes her son can be redeemed, and on a light side run, he can be. but without knowing this, lana’s concern of ‘extermination is safer. the alliance can’t risk war against both of valkorion’s spawn’ during wrath and ruin seems like it is a good idea. with how the gravestone was stolen from out under your nose (dark side in the previous expansion with koth), any sane commander would cut their losses and go anyways. murdering arcann before he can stab you again is the best idea than assuming voss (which depending upon your actions on their planet years prior, good or bad) will be able to heal a tyrant, especially during the literal destruction of voss-ka.

senya’s death was painful. it really was. but to even attempt to kill arcann in his current state, you’re forced to. mandalorians are also sacrificed in this fight when the commander sends them after the tiralls (though never mentioned by torian surprisingly enough). however, it isn’t really you she wants to kill. it’s valkorion, and she’s acting under the idea that it’s him causing you to do these things, and by killing you, she’ll be rid of him and will be able to escape with her son. valkorion has a touching moment with her before her death, and the line she says before being killed is extremely sad.

‘you are truly the daughter valkorion always wanted.’

personally i hadn’t expected it, it may just be a sentence but i holds so much power. senya believed in you at one point or another, but by saying this, she’s literally giving you her parting words. she trusted you, and you betrayed her. but both expansions and even some of the vanilla game are all about vitiate anyways, and senya wants justice for what happened to her children. with your violent actions in line with things valkorion would do, it’s understandable why senya would associate you with being his daughter. still, that hurt in a way it really shouldn’t have.

arcann’s death was even more painful, really. he even tries to ally with vaylin to take down the outlander that killed his mother. even though she’d been gone out of his life for the longest time, it haunts him. it hurt him, and he’s determined to kill you for doing so. with the relationship he and senya can have if you let him live, he’s justified because he was half healed by the voss. knowing his mother died pushed him over the edge, hence why he’s out to kill you.

arcann sees his father for the last time before his death, and his strength is absorbed by you in a way that lana compares to how valkorion had done so with you years earlier.

in the end, senya and arcann are misunderstood by the dark sided outlander. khaak’s reasoning extends past vitiate, the eternal empire and everything else, but just a dark sided outlander with no past does stand to gain a lot by killing the tiralls. senya, because she stands in your way if you kill arcann and honestly continues to badger you for not considering the zakuulans (chapter twelve, visions in the dark when you consider sending kaliyo in to follow aric and havoc squad in the spire) , and arcann by having him out of your way and not plotting in the shadows.

neither character, like koth, is inherently bad. in fact these two are (beyond lana and theron) my favorite characters. their stories are engaging and exciting, and even vaylin’s fascinated me to no end. they are purely zakuulan, and with such a fractured family there has to be stories there that no one expected.

the reason they act the way they do is because they’re out of their element, koth in the outlands for the first time over the course of five years and still trying to protect his people, senya for wanting only to protect her children after the war with the republic and empire begins, and arcann for only wanting his father’s validation. all three characters did need more fleshing out for them to be more effective. senya was done well, with some missing elements. arcann needed to have more story behind him than just ‘im valkorion’s kid and im trying to kill you because you took his power instead of me raaaa’ and ‘oh i was reedeemed. guess i’m cool with you now.’ even his romance path doesn’t reveal much about him. you really have to stretch the story to even comprehend his personality, and wading through the fandom, it isn’t agreed upon just how old he and senya are, nor what his life was like in between cinematics.

THE ISSUE WITH IOKATH.

iokath (war on iokath, patch 5.2 that is, yes the little half an hour patch not the two chapter excursion in knights) isn’t particularily bad. in fact i thought i was a nice addition (also probably because i played it nearly two years after it was released and didn’t have to wait another couple months for the traitor arc), especially for a warrior and trooper to reunite with dorne or quinn. it can be emotional for characters that knew them or even romanced them. mellena had a reunion with quinn that was rather unhappy, but fit well for both characters. thank you bioware.

it does fall flat for someone like khaak, with no relations to either character, but it’s who you ally with that can really get you. khaak turned her back on the republic to ally with the empire (depending on a character’s story, someone who fought for the republic beforehand or didn’t, this can be a very tough decision), and there are quite a few places where you can hammer it home for theron that you’re fighting against his father. and the codex doesn’t help with your guilt either.

“Theron was born from the love affair between two Republic heroes: Jedi Knight Satele Shan and Republic Captain Jace Malcom. Their romance was short-lived, and Satele only discovered her pregnancy after the two parted ways. She kept the child a secret and gave birth in hiding. Though Satele wanted nothing more than to care for her newborn son, she had to uphold her duty to the Jedi Order. She surrendered Theron to the care of her Jedi Master--Ngani Zho--to continue serving the Republic. Theron was briefly raised as a Jedi, but the older he grew, the more obvious it became that he was not Force-sensitive. He ultimately left the Jedi Order and joined the Republic Strategic Information Service. Theron excelled in his covert work as a spy, and finally met Jace Malcom and learned that he was his father. They worked together on Operation End Game and parted on good terms. In the following years, they shared the occasional father-son meeting, but struggled to grow close. Though the meetings were awkward, Theron always felt a fondness for his father--a feeling he never had for his mother, who he felt abandoned him for the good of the Republic. Theron's relationship with Malcom reached a breaking point when he left the Republic to help found the Alliance. Malcom saw this as a betrayal, but Theron refused to bow to the Eternal Empire's oppressive army. Harsh words were exchanged during their last holocall several years ago. They haven't spoken since.” - SWTOR Codex, Theron Shan: The Secret Son

the codex really hammers home that you’ve turned a son against a father. theron had never been close to his father, but by doing this, you’ve only fractured it further. and yes, you. theron only left the republic because he was helping you found the alliance, and turned his back on his father as well.

personally, i thought this was so bad i couldn’t even bring khaak to respond how she would’ve, which would’ve been to tell someone to cut their losses and leave. that’s how painful this scene between theron and his father ended up being, and theron even screams an emotional ‘father!’ after the throne fries him, the first real father-son interaction he and theron even have. malcom even asks theron to tell his mother he was sorry before dying. khaak couldn’t do much but literally just give him a moment with his thoughts. troy baker did so well in this scene, his voice shaking as it actually sounds like he was choked up. definitely a tear-jerker.

however, it also sets up crisis on umbara extremely well, considering your outlander was the one who allied with the empire and essentially killed his father by pushing him to get the superweapon without knowing much about it. unlike the light side route (which is much more a facade on theron’s part because he has no ill will towards you, in fact probably respects you more because you did ally with the republic), the dark side route is much more believable. you are the empress, though you said you’d fight for peace and are instead violently quelling rebellion on zakuul against your rule. whether theron thinks that far ahead, of course he’ll be angry with you for it. you’re most literally a person he swore to protect the galaxy against, and you screwed it up. now he left the republic and his father for an extinguished dream. he’s allied with the faction he once fought against, all because of you. maybe his betrayal is only to gather intel on the order, but he definitely doesn’t have remorse for you at some point.

to be continued with everything after the traitor arc :)

#swtor #star wars the old republic #dark sided outlander #outlander #ds #dark side #star wars #koth vortena #senya tirall #arcann #lana beniko #theron shan #jace malcom

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rainythefox · 4 years

Text

Nightfall (Ch.10)

Synopsis: Pre-Resident Evil 1, slight-AU/Canon Divergence. Claire Redfield comes home to visit her brother Chris for the holidays but gets caught up in a dangerous game of cat and mouse with Albert Wesker, the Captain of STARS, after stumbling upon dark secrets. She can’t call the law; Wesker is the law, and she can’t tell Chris. She is trapped…Claire/Wesker & Slight Chris/Jill. Rated M for eventual smut, language, violence, adult content.

AO3 Link

Chapter 10: Intentions

Claire was actually relieved that Chris hadn’t made it home yet. Wesker pulled into the driveway and parked the Jaguar. The evening was growing later, the sun had already disappeared behind accumulating clouds, gloomy and grey, but it wouldn’t be too much longer before it was dark. She was surprised the STARS Captain was even being courteous enough to drop her off, considering them being seen together could cause problems. But knowing Wesker, Claire was sure he had Chris’s schedule down among any others who could potentially spot them.

After her exchange with the informant earlier, Claire had gone to one other location with Wesker and done basically the same thing, although the next informant looked more like a wealthy businessman and talked even less than the hoodlum. And instead of receiving an envelope, she was given an unmarked floppy disk. Wesker didn’t say much about it, and so Claire could only wonder what was on it. With the crooked STARS Captain, it couldn’t be anything good.

Instead of waiting for her to get out, Wesker got out first and walked around the car and opened her door for her. For a cold-blooded killer, he at least had good manners. The college student stepped out and he pushed the door shut. The temperature had dropped considerably ever since the sun disappeared, and their breaths came out in white puffs. He immediately grabbed her ponytail and she braced, expecting him to pull hard, but he didn’t. He merely played with the tresses in his fingers, staring down at her through his shades.

“Chris is off tomorrow. I suggest you take advantage because starting the day after, you and I will be spending a lot more time together. Well into the night, even. So if I were you, I would come up with some convincing excuses for dear big brother.”

“Are you serious?” Claire’s chest constricted. Chris was already getting suspicious of her. And although she could probably string him along acting like she was going out with some friends, ultimately she would only be able to use it a few times at most. Chris knew that Claire usually chose to spend time with him over her friends when given the chance. “He might not fall for it.”

Wesker barely shrugged. “Not my problem. It’s up to you to keep your brother nescient, not me. I told you before, so long as Chris remains oblivious and you do as I say, I won’t let anything happen to either of you.”

“Until I’m no longer useful to you, right? Then you’ll get rid of both of us,” Claire groused.

The STARS Captain slightly cocked his head, lips barely upcurving. “You really think so lowly of me? I’m quite fond of you, dear heart. And I respect your brother more than you realize. It would hurt me more to dispose of either of you. That is why I am giving you a chance to pay me back for my generosity. Such risks I took for the both of you.”

Generosity my ass…

“I’ll keep Chris preoccupied.”

Something beeped. Wesker withdrew a pager and looked at it. He smirked and said, “I have faith in you, my dear. Chris is on his way home as we speak.”

He noticed her glowering at the device. She knew he’d been spying on her and Chris to make sure she stayed quiet and cooperated, but she soon found herself wondering just how much he was watching them…

“You should be grateful for my surveillance of you and Chris. I’m not the only one keeping tabs on you, but it is my influence that keeps the other wolves at bay.”

“Gee, thanks.”

He smirked after pocketing the pager. Claire barely had time to register him tighten the grip on her hair before he used his leg to buckle one of her knees, using her momentary off balance to shove her against his car. On reflex Claire swung her fist. Wesker caught her arm and twisted just enough in warning, earning him a short cry of pain from her lips. He held her in place, pinned against the car, her blue eyes searing into shades, seeing her reflection.

He slowly leaned his head down. Claire panicked, but with him pressed against her and keeping her arm in a position where he could snap it easily, she was helpless. Her heart rate tripled so fast, she became lightheaded.

“I’m looking forward to getting up to no good with you, dear heart,” he whispered in her ear. “Behave until then, my lovely Claire.”

The younger Redfield held her breath, heart pounding in her ears, trembling, desperately ignoring the heat pooling in her legs. She hissed, annoyed over her body betraying her more so than him, swallowing every biological reaction.

She glared at him, trying to wriggle free but it was no use. “Yours? You’re fucking delusional.”

His velvety chuckle rumbled in her ears and he pulled back just enough to where their noses were inches apart. “Am I? Your life is at my disposal." To make a point, he bent her trapped arm and she muffled a cry. "...and you better be grateful I find you...useful, in more ways than one.”

Wesker kissed her temple. It did terrible, wonderful things to her insides. She was relieved when he let her go, nerves afire. With shaky breaths, she flexed the arm he had held hostage, glaring at him. He was unfazed, smug smirk still in place as he stepped out of her way. Claire, still completely overtaken by mixed, confusing feelings, slipped by him and stomped towards the front door of Chris’s house.

“Oh, and dear heart?” Claire froze, looking over her shoulder at him. He had already opened the driver’s side door of his car. “Do remember to wash your sutures tonight...we wouldn’t want big brother getting worried, do we?”

She didn’t answer him and turned away, unlocking the door, as if the house was a safe haven she could escape to.

The Jaguar started up and pulled out of the driveway, driving off towards downtown. Claire almost collapsed once she got inside, her flesh burning where he had touched.

The younger Redfield sat on the couch, bent over, head in her hands. She was so screwed! In a way, Wesker had admitted what she had suspected all along. He wanted her. And if Claire couldn’t get a grip on herself, she wasn’t sure she would be able to stop it. She no longer cared what he wanted to use her for as far as his schemes went. She now had a much bigger problem on her hands. The college student absolutely refused to admit that she was attracted to him. Trying to fight it was like attempting to stop an avalanche with your bare hands - it simply wasn’t going to work.

“Claire! There ya are, thank god.”

She snapped out of her thoughts, head whipping up. Chris was standing over her, concern etched into his tired face. Claire hadn’t even heard the truck pull in, too busy thinking about Wesker and what could possibly happen if she wasn’t careful.

Claire quickly buried all of her uncertainties and fears, smiling brightly and standing. “Chris, hey! How was work? I missed you today, Bro.”

“Where were you? I came home at lunch to see you and you were gone! There was no note, you didn’t call. I was worried all day!”

Her older brother wasn’t happy at all. He was more worried than angry, but both had taken a toll on him already, and he was about to blow. Claire was surprised that Chris even came home on his break, but then realized that Jill being off today may have caused him to break from his usual lunch habits.

“Oh, uh, sorry. I went to town.”

“How, without the truck?”

“Taxi,” she blurted.

Chris didn’t believe her. She could tell by the way he looked at her. He didn’t move, didn’t bother taking off his service weapon or utility belt of his STARS uniform. “Claire, what the hell is going on? You didn’t look good when I came in just now, you’ve been acting really weird for the past few days. You know you can tell me anything.”

Oh god please Chris, don’t do this…please don’t sabotage me...

Claire had to come up with a convincing story now. Their lives were on the line, and Chris had no clue.

“Dammit Claire, did something happen? Tell me! Does that guy in the BMW have something to do with it?”

It hit her. Just like that. Her heart nearly burst from relief. She held up her hands, smiling. “Well, he does, actually.”

Chris looked panicked despite her reassuring smile. “What did he do? Do I need to kick his ass? What happened?!”

She produced a fake giggle, waving him off, in full on actress mode now. “No! No, you have it all wrong, big brother. I’m babysitting for him! He has a daughter. Sherry. She’s so adorable. That’s what I’ve been up to. He’s paying good money for it.”

Her brother calmed down a bit, but still wasn’t completely convinced. “Well…why did you look so upset when I came in? And why didn’t you just come out and tell me sooner?”

She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “I am a little upset…I promised him I would babysit some more, possibly during hours while you’re home where I can’t spend time with you. But he and his wife are really busy with work and need help.”

Chris was puzzled, but he was considerably less upset and suspicious, which is what she needed. As long as Chris bought her story, he would be safe…for now. “Why didn't you just tell me?”

Claire shrugged, frowning. “I guess I just thought since you didn’t know him, you’d pull your “protective big brother” crap and I didn’t really feel like dealing with it. Sorry. I guess I made it worse that way.

The older Redfield sibling sighed in relief and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well…you ain’t wrong. Jesus, I was starting to think you got into some deep trouble or something. Sorry, Sis. I’m glad everything is fine.”

Her gut wrenched and it took all in her power to hold back burning tears. She smiled. “I’m sorry too, Bro. Didn’t mean to worry you.”

“So, how do you know him? What’s his name?”

Claire knew her brother. He probably already knew William’s name at least by now, probably got his license plate from the other day and ran a scan. It was exactly shit like this that made dating so hard for her. Regardless, she figured she better tell him the truth of William’s name anyway.

“William. He’s…a friend of a friend.”

Chris smiled, opening his arms. Claire went right in, needing a hug from her brother. She hugged him tighter, even if he didn’t realize it.

“Good for you, Claire. Always nice to make some extra money on the side, and I know you get bored sitting around the house all day. If you have to go babysit a few times in the evening, it’s all good. We still have plenty of time to hang out.”

“Thanks for understanding, Chris.”

She frowned, her face hidden in his shoulder. Chris…please forgive me…

And to think she almost abandoned her post to go get a hot latte out of boredom! She almost missed this. Ada took a moment to recover from what she just heard and witnessed after Albert drove off and Claire retreated inside her house.

The agent knew that the Redfield girl had left this morning to obey her summons from the Devil. She knew it would be better to hang back, as Albert already knew she was spying on the Redfields and would know if she followed Claire around with him.

In hindsight, Ada realized she probably should’ve warned Claire of her brother’s growing suspicion, considering the phone call she intercepted where Chris informed his partner he looked up William’s information and asked a neighbor to keep watch. With Wesker’s spies lurking around and the older Redfield on his way home, it was best to stay put. Claire was on her own for now.

She seems pretty resourceful and should be able to handle it...

Her being able to handle Albert, however, was a completely different challenge.

Ada knew Albert must've liked Claire in some way. The risks he took to keep her alive and under the radar of Sergei and Umbrella and how he toyed with her made that clear. She wasn’t just one of the dime a dozen pawns that Wesker used and threw away. She was different to him - special. And Ada had been trying to figure out why until just a few minutes ago.

With his exceptional good looks, charm, and silver tongue, Albert Wesker could have any woman he wanted. But he didn’t work that way. Most of the time, he was focused on his research and work for Umbrella, as well as his nefarious crimes behind their back. He never bothered with easy women, especially the female researchers that constantly swooned over him. Albert preferred a challenge.

He tended to be drawn to women who were intelligent, defiant, dangerous, and temperamental. Claire certainly fit the bill. But even then, Wesker only tended to use them before moving on. If Ada recalled correctly, the last woman he genuinely cared about walked out on him (ahh the irony), and, according to William, it did something to him.

Wesker was used to being used and betrayed and backstabbed, just like Ada was. It didn’t faze him. But where Ada had used those experiences to adapt and improve to protect herself, Albert had evolved in a much more menacing way.

Albert’s capacity for attachment and loyalty was fragile at best. A rarity that oftentimes required conditions. Only the Birkin family seemed to have that fortune unreservedly, although Ada knew that Annette’s was only to an extent. It was probably a good thing that William didn’t realize how dangerous a weapon he had loyal to him - or maybe he did and was just glad to have him on his side. Perhaps that was why William was just as dangerous and ambitious, knowing Albert had his back.

It had been some years since the last woman Wesker pursued came and went. Claire was his new obsession now, if what Ada heard and saw was anything to go by. This wasn’t just about sex though. There was something deeper Albert was drawn to. Ada was willing to bet that he was beginning to develop some sort of attachment to her. Perhaps the rarest phenomenon of all.

Things were getting interesting indeed...and downright dangerous for Claire.

The senior staff chip on his ID bracelet blinked and with a chime the laboratory door slid open. Wesker checked his watch, rolling his neck and stifling a yawn. Other researchers walked by, some giving him a wide berth. NEST seemed to be a little disorganized this evening. He noticed several researchers running to and fro, arms full of files, and the intercom called for more people than usual.

He held a large styrofoam cup in one hand, ignoring the burn from the warm contents within. He wore a lab coat, needed if he was going to work alongside William for a few hours tonight. Wesker admitted to himself that tonight was probably not the best night for him, still processing the updates he received from the informants as well as being quite distracted over a certain Redfield. Normally, he hated distractions, but Wesker found himself not minding so much on this one in particular - not when the benefits of it looked so promising.

There was something about Claire Redfield that drew him in, addicting and alluring. She wasn’t just some disposable pawn like the others. No. She deserved to be put on a mantle. He wasn’t a man that usually allowed his more carnal desires to get the best of him, but Claire was a special exception. From an analytical standpoint, it made sense. She was young, fertile, and beautiful. Perfect for attracting potential mates. Furthermore, she was nothing like the countless chaff that filled the world, awaiting their inevitable winnowing. She was fierce, clever and quite...captivating. The stir in his groin being around her wasn’t strictly biological or venereal, but also of genuine interest, which surprisingly bewildered him.

Best of all, her reactions to him told him it wasn’t one-sided and if he played his cards just right, he would get to have her all to himself. And Wesker was a master at card playing…and waiting for the perfect opportunity.

After stepping through the decontamination chamber, he arrived to William’s laboratory. His special chip allowed him access, and the door slid open without a fuss. Wesker reluctantly put all thoughts of Claire aside and scanned the room for his partner and Chief of Research.

“Achooo!”

The STARS Captain sighed, stepping over to one of the research stations to the left. He found Dr. Birkin hunched over the table, scribbling notes, a tissue sticking from one nostril. He looked up, immediately grabbing a pistol and aiming. He relaxed upon realizing it was Wesker.

“Put that down before you hurt yourself,” Wesker commented drily.

“Hey, Albert! Sorry, been a little - achoooooooo! - ugh…just a little paranoid today.” His voice was strained from congested sinuses.

Wesker padded over to him and presented the large styrofoam cup. “A little?”

His partner lit up like a delighted child and snatched the cup. “Aw, Al! You shouldn’t have! How did you know I was sick?”

“Annette informed me.”

William loved apple cider when he had a cold. One phone call from Will’s wife apprising him of tonight’s proceedings, and Wesker knew what would cheer him up. After all, the less miserable William was, the less likely he would complain like a sick, whiny kid - and the less likely that Wesker would get a headache.

The Golgotha creator took a deep gulp of apple cider and sighed, as though the contents of the cup came from heaven. “I should hug you!”

“I’ll break your arm.”

William snickered and turned back to his notes on the table, sprawled out next to a sterilized container that encased a dead G-Embryo roughly the size of a cat.

“What is transpiring out there?” Wesker inquired. “NEST is in disarray and everyone seems a little flustered.”

“Huh? Oh…Well, Annette is gone and I’ve locked myself up here to finish these experiments and so I let Cartwright be in charge. Guess he isn’t running things all that swimmingly.”

“Shocker.”

“That’s okay, if he screws it up, he won’t see it coming,” William joked, and patted the G-Embryo’s box nearby. “Isn’t that right, spawn of Dr. Randall?”

His laughter soon turned into a sneezing fit. Wesker stepped back as his best friend blew his nose on some more tissue paper, scowling and sniffling.

“Ugh, I swear my next creation after G is finished is gonna be a cure for the common cold.”

He sat his apple cider down on the table and walked over to the small trash bin to throw away his snotty tissues. But as he returned to his previous spot, a spontaneous sneeze ejected from his nose right onto Wesker’s sleeve. Will winced, expecting a punch and quickly got out of range.

“Sorry…”

Wesker grimaced, grabbing a nearby sanitized towelette and wiped his arm. “Seems like a step back from revolutionary bioweapons, wouldn’t you agree?”

William scoffed. “I don’t care. I hate being sick! You’re never sick, I’m so jealous. I’ve known you since we were kids and never once have I seen you have even one cold. What is your secret?!”

Wesker shrugged. “Good genes, I presume. And maybe the fact that I actually eat right and exercise. How often do I advise you to take care of yourself and you don’t listen to me? Between you and Sherry, it’s a nightmare making sure you’re even eating at all.”

“Feh…I only exercise the one thing that matters.” And pointed to his head. “My brain! You know how much I hate cardio. If you ever see me running, you better keep up because it means something’s chasing me…probably an angry, escaped BOW at this rate.”

Wesker half-rolled his eyes and shook his head. He took his sunglasses off and slid them into his breast pocket.

William slurped more of his apple cider. “You only seem to get headaches, bud.”

Wesker glared at his partner. “That’s because you are my personal headache.”

The Golgotha creator smirked. “Aw…I love you too, Al.” He knew there were other reasons that Wesker got headaches, but didn’t say anything. Will turned to his experiment and sat his drink down. “Well anyway, guess we should begin.”

Wesker examined the lab table. There were notes, documents, laboratory utensils, tissues, and pens all over the place. William was usually clean, but his organization skills were chaotic to all except to those who understood how he worked. However, when he was sick, he turned into a haphazard nightmare. The bane of Annette’s existence. And since she wasn’t here, Wesker would have to take the full brunt of it.

Well played, Anne...

“You’re contaminating your work area, Will. You know how much this irritates me.”

William snorted and went to the nearby sink to wash his hands. “Says the guy who comes in here half the time covered in someone else’s blood. At least all of these germs are mine.”

“I’ll have you know, I did not kill a single person today.”

“Oh my god, are you okay?” He gasped. “Maybe you’re sick, too!”

“Very funny.” Wesker slapped William’s hand away when he made a show of pretending to check his friend’s temperature. Anyone else would have had their hand fractured.

Wesker put latex gloves on and helped William clean and organize their work station. He purposely got overzealous with the disinfectant spray, making sure to douse William right in the face. The Chief of Research hacked and waved his hands.

“You did that on purpose, you dick!”

Will yanked up his apple cider and sheltered it from the purge. After Wesker was satisfied, the two partners started their venture into dissecting the dead G-Embryo. They chatted while working, able to multitask easily since they were such a well-rehearsed team. Wesker ignored William’s sneezing and coughs and little breaks to blow his nose as the evening grew later.

“You know...there was something I was supposed to tell you...but it slipped my mind. I think it was important too.”

Wesker watched through the microscope at the still quite active G cells. “Something slipped your mind? I’m shocked,” Wesker deadpanned.

He didn’t have to look to know that William cast him a glare. He slurped his apple cider purposely loud to get under Wesker’s skin. It worked and he looked up from the microscope to shoot him daggers with his eyes.

Will was unfazed, presenting a charming smile. “So...did you get what you needed from the informants?”

“I did, actually. Won’t be long before I have Roth and his conspirators where I want them.”

William used his foot to swivel his chair side to side in boredom. “I still don’t get Claire’s purpose. How’s she holding up anyway?”

Wesker smirked. “And that is why I am the criminal mastermind and not you, dear William.” He ignored Birkin as he rolled his eyes. “Claire is doing just fine. I’ll soon have her where I want also.”

The STARS Captain wrote down some notes and then was curious of his friend’s silence. One look and he knew exactly what William was thinking. He frowned, but it was too late.

“I knew it! You have a thing for her! It’s why she’s still alive. And why you’ve been playing with her. You haven’t been this obsessed with the opposite sex since-”

Wesker shot him a warning glare that would have made most men die of fright.

William froze, mouth open. He swallowed awkwardly and made himself a bit smaller, clearing his throat. “Right...we do not speak of her…”

“Claire is just a pawn, William. Nothing more. Don’t read too much into it,” Wesker growled.

“Whatever, Al, you can’t bullshit me. Even your precious goddaughter was raving nonstop about your “pretty new girlfriend” earlier. Maybe you just haven’t realized it yet. If you just wanted to get into her pants, you would’ve done it already. Which, I wouldn’t blame you, because she is damn fine! Good genes and breeding, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. I’m quite curious what I could find out with just a little blood sample to -”

William ducked, barely evading a petri dish that shattered behind his head. A wide grin broke on his face and he sniggered. “Damn! Alright...touchy…Really though, don’t tell Anne I said that. Forget I said anything about Claire being attractive, actually. I wouldn’t live past it if you did, and I still need to perfect the G-Virus...and Sherry still needs me...occasionally.”

Wesker pinched his nose, swallowing his irritation. “Speaking of Sherry, do you know how upset she was when you didn’t come pick her up? I swear, Will, if you make me have to explain to her one more time why you’re too busy to come get her, I will slam your head into a wall.”

It was both something that needed to be said and a convenient way to change the subject at hand. And his partner knew it. This time William became annoyed.

“Hey, you know how Spencer is. Jesus, Al, they’ve been down my neck since the beginning of the month, and now they’re changing all these policies?! Something ain’t right, and I know you see it as well. Why the hell do you think I’ve upped the security down here?” He paused to sneeze and blow his nose. “Ugh…it’s not like I meant to upset her, but Spencer’s got his goddamn fingers around my neck. I feel like I can’t breathe sometimes.”

Wesker frowned, relaxing. William had been slowly growing paranoid over the past couple of weeks, the stress taking a toll on him between finishing the G-Virus and meeting Spencer’s demands. Consequently, his old friend had become more apprehensive, hurting his usual ambitious and dauntless demeanor. He was subject to phases of paranoia, it certainly wasn't the first time. But Wesker needed William back to normal (by his standards) if they were ever going to succeed in their plans.

“You let me handle Spencer,” he stated. “You just keep doing what we discussed. It will pay off in the end. Be patient.”

William shifted uncomfortably, taking a sip of his now cold apple cider. “I hope you’re right. With the way Spencer’s running things, I fear our plan on getting me onto the executive board won’t come to fruition.”

“The entirety that I do behind Umbrella’s back is for us. There will come a day where you will get what you rightly deserve and gladly watch that wretch die at our feet. I’ll make sure of it.”

The Golgotha creator smiled weakly, not looking at him. “Ah, the ambitions of our younger days. Taking over the world, exacting justice how we see fit, rewriting history, shaping the future.” He sighed. “Seems impossible now.”

“Not impossible. Umbrella is just the stepping stone. Think of it as our dear mentor, James Marcus, only a bit more complicated. I promised you after he was gone you would rise to the top. And here you are...the leader of NEST, Chief of Research, Umbrella’s cream of the crop. Keep the image up, and once our research is complete, Umbrella will be our little puppet. Their rival company, the one Ada works for, will be the key.”

“And what of Roth? You say he’s collaborating with more than just the Ashfords. I mean...Alexander and Alexia have been gone for a while, but their goons are still snooping around. We both know that dumbass Alfred isn’t gathering research data. Who else could Roth be working for if not the Organization? What if he sells them my stolen research?”

“You don’t need to worry yourself over Roth. He’ll be dead soon enough.”

The phone rang nearby. Wesker stood up, checking the clock. It was nearly time for him to take his leave anyway. He went for the phone while his best friend mused over their discussion.

“Our time is coming, my friend. Until then, you just focus on completing the Golgotha to perfection. You know I won’t let anything happen to you, Anne, or Sherry.”

“Thanks, brother.”

He answered the phone. “Dr. Birkin’s ward, this is Dr. Wesker speaking.”

“Albert, why do you do this to me? You know I detest playing phone tag.”

He instantly recognized the silky voice. Wesker narrowed his eyes at William. The realization dawned on his partner’s face and he smiled sheepishly, rubbing the light scruff on his chin.

“Oh yeah…now I remember...Alex called…”

Wesker sighed. “I apologize, dear sister. You know how William can have a one-track mind.”

“Hey!”

Alex chuckled on the other side. “You boys getting up to no good in that dreary little town? Hun, I’ve got some news for you...per that favor you requested a few days ago.”

“Always looking out for me, aren’t you?”

In his peripheral vision, he saw William get up and stomp away. Wesker ignored it and focused on his sister.

“Someone’s got to,” she quipped. “Met your “comrade” the other day. One Nikolai Zinoviev. He’ll be arriving in Raccoon City tonight per a request from Colonel Sergei. He’s got your package. I hope you can trust him. He seems pretty chummy with our pesky Colonel.”

“And here I was hoping you would bring it to me in person. It is almost Christmas, you know.”

“I hate the cold, Albert, you know that.” She paused long enough to cover a deep cough. But...I might make an exception just for you. Unless, of course, our dear Lord Spencer decides to cut my vacation short. I do have a lot of work to catch up on in the UID.”

Before he could say anything, the line clicked and a familiar voice joined their little chat. “In my defense, I have a cold and had a long ass day, okay? Don’t listen to him!”

“William, darling!” Alex exclaimed. “You do sound a little stuffy. Take some medicine and rest, hun.”

“Rest is for the dead...unless they’re the undead, which I’ve had to deal with a few times down here. And let me tell ya, they are -”

“Will, hang up the phone,” Wesker ordered.

“Fine...catch ya later, Alex. Sorry, he’s a little moody tonight.”

William cut out. Wesker sighed, rubbing his eyes, phone still to his ear. He felt a headache starting to form. “Never mind him.”

“I swear you two act like old marrieds.”

“Not funny.”

Alex’s soft laugh was like the purr of a cat. “Get some rest, little brother. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Alright, Master of Unlocking, we don’t have all night here. We got a play to catch, remember?”

“Shush, Christopher.” Jill’s face remained hidden behind the menu.

“We both know you’re gonna get the number four. You do it every time!”

Claire stifled a giggle as Chris gave Jill a look and tossed his hands, mumbling something about his partner not being the Master of Dinner Decisions. To anyone who didn’t know any better, it would look like the two Alpha STARS teammates were a harmonized couple. They certainly had the bickering and bantering down.

The day had been a nice, peaceful one. Claire was able to breathe, having pushed back all of her worries to the back of her mind. She and Chris hung out all day and Jill joined them later after her shift at the RPD. They decided to go out and eat and then go watch a Christmas play at the theater.

Jill finally placed her order with the patiently waiting waitress (it was indeed the number four) and the three visited while they waited for their food to cook. The steakhouse was crowded for dinner time. Outside it was dark and trying to snow a little.

“So, anything interesting happen at work today?” Chris asked his partner.

Jill thought about it for a minute, sipping on her water. “Not really. Mostly paperwork today, which I guess is a good thing, although boring as all hell. Barry showed off his new Colt Anaconda .44 Magnum he bought from the gun convention and did weapon maintenance most of the day. Brad and Richard worked on the computers. I’m just glad that you and Joseph weren’t working because Wesker was in a mood all day and probably would’ve murdered you guys. I swear Forest almost got it.”

“Oh, thank god I was off. I hate when he’s like that. Was it from one of those light migraines or something?”

Jill checked to see if her utensils were clean. “Think so.”

Claire looked between them, suddenly interested but played it cool. “Light...migraines? What’s that?”

“He’s got...uhh, what’s it called again, Jill?”

“Photophobia. Light sensitivity. He sometimes suffers migraines from it.” She then stared directly at Claire, trying not to grin. “It’s because he’s got those beautiful light blue eyes.”

Chris gawked at his partner, a mix of horror, disgust, and annoyance (did Claire detect some jealousy and hurt there?) on his boyish face. Jill remained straight-faced, barely holding it together, as if knowing the remark would rile Chris up.

I mean...she’s not wrong...Claire sat up straighter suddenly, horrified that she even thought that. But so not the point, Jill! Please, joking aside, just fall for my oaf of a brother instead. It’ll be a lot safer, trust me...

“Oh,” Claire said tactfully, and decided to log the quite valuable tidbit of information away for future use. “That explains the sunglasses all the time.”

Chris laughed. “Yeah. Pretty much.”

“So Claire, Chris told me you took a babysitting job?” Jill asked.

Claire nodded, wishing she wouldn’t have asked and answered vaguely. “Yeah. It’s good pay.”

“You sometimes babysit Moira and Polly, right?”

“Yeah, used to a lot more before I moved off to college.”

The younger Redfield’s eyes caught something behind Jill’s head. A familiar person that made her heart leap. Ada paused for only a moment to make sure Claire had seen her and covertly dipped her head, beckoning her.

“I...have to go to the restroom...sorry. Excuse me,” Claire said with an apologetic smile.

“Hurry back before the food comes or it’ll get cold,” her brother called at her back.

She padded past a few tables and turned a corner, following a wooden room divider and a large saltwater tank and completely bypassing the restrooms. She spotted Ada walking out the entrance door, dressed in really nice clothes and a stylish white coat.

She followed the agent around to the side of the restaurant where it was darker. Claire hadn’t brought her coat, and so the cold was immediately biting. She held herself and peered at Ada expectantly.

“I’ll make this quick before you turn into a Clairesicle,” Ada greeted. “I apologize for my poor timing but I needed to speak with you.”

“O-Okay...what is it? Did you find something out?”

The Eurasian beauty thinned her lips. "Well, yes and no. Listen...your brother is getting suspicious and asked a neighbor to keep watch for anything strange. This neighbor may end up having an "accident" if Albert finds out. Just so you’re warned."

Claire wondered who it could be. "Okay, but I think I may have gotten him settled. I told him that I'm babysitting for William."

Ada smiled. "Clever girl! Still, best stay alert and be careful. You're far from out of this mess."

"Do you know Wesker's intentions for me?"

The agent coughed and cleared her throat awkwardly, something Claire picked up right away because this woman was always so graceful and precise. She frowned. "Oh I know of something he's intending..."

The younger Redfield didn't like the sound of that. "W-What do you mean?"

Ada sighed. "Look...I saw and heard what happened when he dropped you off yesterday. Things just got a lot more complicated, Claire."

Claire's cheeks burned, her chest constricting. She didn't even care about her shivering anymore. This wasn't something she was ready to discuss…

"He's crazy. Nothing's gonna happen between us...not like that."

The small smile Ada gave Claire was piteous. "Albert always gets what he wants."

Claire scowled. "Not this time."

Ada's smile grew a bit more, her admiration growing proportionately to her worry. “Bold words, honey. But you have no idea how manipulative and persuasive he can really be.” She ignored Claire’s sour stare. “Point is...if he gets his claws in you, he’ll never let you go. Not unless he bleeds you dry. So whatever he’s using you for, we need to figure it out and fast. Has he said anything to you? Made you do anything while out with him?”

Claire thought it over while rubbing her arms, chilled by the bitter wind. “Uh...he hasn’t really said anything. He made me meet with two informants for him. One gave me an envelope and another gave me a floppy disk. They didn’t say much. One of them told me that if Wesker was going to “hit them” he better do it soon. And Wesker only said something about maybe cutting off the head of more than one snake.”

Ada tapped her expensive looking wallet against her thigh as she thought. “I wonder if this has anything to do with Finley and Crawford…”

That jogged the younger Redfield’s memory. “Wesker did say he killed a Crawford...I overheard it when he killed that Finley guy.”

“Did you overhear any other names?”

Claire chewed on her lip. There was another name...what was it? “Yeah...uhh...Rah...Roth! I forgot the first name.”

Ada sighed. “Aaron Roth. Yikes.”

Her gut twisted. “That bad?”

“Well, he’s not exactly a nice guy, but if Albert’s going after him, he’s got something else up his sleeve.”

“And that is?” Claire asked, apprehensive.

Ada gave a wry smile to her shivering form. “No idea.” She then dipped her head towards the entrance behind them. “You better get back inside before you catch a cold. They’ll be missing you shortly anyways. I’ll dig around some more and see what I can find out.”

Claire nodded. “A-Alright, thanks.”

Hugging herself, the college student turned and strode back to the restaurant's entrance. Ada hollered at her back and Claire paused. She looked over her shoulder at the agent, nestled in the darkness at the side of the building.

Ada considered her words for a moment. “Watch yourself.”

The younger Redfield nodded and returned to her pleasant company back within the warmth of the bustling steakhouse. She didn’t know the agent very well, but she had a feeling she wasn’t referring to her involvement in Wesker’s ploy against Aaron Roth...

#resident evil #resident evil 2 #resident evil fanfiction #resident evil fanfic #Claire Redfield #Albert Wesker #William Birkin #Ada Wong #Chris Redfield #Jill Valentine #alex wesker #clairexwesker #ChrisxJill #claire x wesker #fanfiction #AO3 fanfic

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