#enough about how much dna you need to count as a time lord. i want to know how much they can mutate until they can’t be recognized as one.

[quietwingsinthesky]

the last unicorn post from earlier has me thinking about the master. that yana is still in there, you know? is still someone he was, if even for a brief flash across the life of a time lord. there’s no way to unlive that life. there are ways to twist it later, sure, to make utopia into hell on earth. but the life was lived. in much the same way that the doctor can remember, can feel, the love he held onto as john smith even as that life is ripped out of his hands. the doctor choose denial and then grief and then to shutter it all away. and so john smith died, and so professor yana died, and the doctor and the master live on. the doctor has done this before, and he lives in orbit around humanity, trying to keep the best parts of them and hold them deep enough to take root (which he can pretend he gets to choose, as a time lord. as a human, it all floods in and can’t be dug back out.) but what about the master, right?

to borrow a turn of phrase: i think there are two time lords left in the universe, and they both learned how to regret.

#regret here meaning less feeling the emotion of actual regret obviously because time lords do not actually funxtion on unicorn rules. they #already get sad just fine on their own. no humanity needed for that. #but i dont know. i just dont think he brushed it off so easily. i think he did a hell of a job convincing himself he did. #and what better way then to twist his own great works and destroy the species he was working so hard to save at the end of the universe. #but what about the knowledge that he *could* be that person. that somewhere in him exists a version that wanted to save people. #a version that is painfully too much like the doctor. even. now is that part worse or better than the human part? #but if past regenerations are ghosts i think yana deserves a haunt. #anyway maybe ignore this one im rambling about nothing here #theres just. i dont know. what if you were the last of your kind and in surviving you made yourself Not Like Them in a way you’ll never #escape. #i mean doctor who is just so concerned with all these plots about hybrids and children of the tardis and clones and What Makes A Time Lord. #but they’re so obsessed with it in just. a very Lore way. is what it feels like. we get brushes of more like with jenny and how she’s #physically a time lord and the doctor denies her that inheritance. a shared suffering… #but me myself im just fascinated with the doctor and the master as the time lords who survived. but they survived Wrong #its. its. children of gallifrey that don’t belong to her anymore. you know? #i dont care if river’s got time lord dna!!! or the metacrisis is physically human!!! i dont care!!! talk to me about what it means beyond #their blood and bones!!! what’s it like to have your sense of self stripped from you like that!!! #what’s it like when so much of you is the shed skin of time lords past. but one of you was human. one of you was painfully *humiliatingly* #human!!! #enough about how much dna you need to count as a time lord. i want to know how much they can mutate until they can’t be recognized as one. #does that make sense?

[boldlyvoid]

Amethyst you so much

Summary: Spencer has had a crush on Y/N since she started working at the bau. She only ever works the night shift after a case, handling all the aftermath gracefully. one night, Spencer stays back and they strike up a conversation about rocks, causing their feelings to dig a little deeper.

Warnings: pure fluff, weed mention, hurt/comfort, grief and mourning

Word Count: 6.4K

Read on Ao3

Late nights at the office had become his thing since Gideon left.

He couldn’t bring himself to go home some nights without a game of chess, a cup of coffee, and the ambiance of the post case staff working. He would’ve had no idea about what goes on after they close a case if he didn’t stay behind most nights.

The phone rings almost every 10 minutes, and it’s always answered by the sweetest voice. The fax machine never turns off, and the most beautiful girl in the world is always running around placing papers in different places.

He’s been smitten with her since she started here, 2 years ago. Never seeing much of her since she was switched to the night shift, always wanting to just watch her from afar, never speaking to her unless he needed to.

“Yes, again we are so sorry for the door,” he can hear her voice from the back corner of the room. “Agent Morgan will be paying for that out of his paycheck, don’t worry, Mr. Kennings. We’ll be sure to remember your hotel when we’re in the area again. The FBI has a very generous budget for overnight cases. Of course, you have a good night too.”

She hung the phone up harshly and let out a deep sigh. He turned around to see her face in her arms, resting against the desk. She looked done, completely fed up. He would be too.

She looked up then, noticing that he was making eye contact with her. She awkwardly smiled and waved at him, “sorry.”

“No, I’m sorry,” Spencer replied. “We asked for the key, I should have stopped him from kicking it in.”

She laughed then, walking over to his desk so she didn’t have to yell across the room. She sat on the corner of his desk lightly, “why do you stay every night?”

“Oh, um,” he wasn’t prepared for this. She had never talked to him before. She was barely able to even look at him when she used to place papers on his desk 2 years ago, now she was on his desk.

“I don’t like to bring the work home with me, it’s better to destress here before I go to my apartment,” he answered, half honestly.

She nodded slightly, “I get it. Luckily I go home in the mornings so the sun helps me feel better.”

“Going home in the dark isn’t fun,” she lightly smiled up at her.

“Do you want a coffee or anything?” She asked softly, “seeing as I am still your assistant as long as you’re here?”

He laughed lightly, “I would, but I’d like to join you in the staff room for it?”

“Okay,” she stood, straightening out her shirt as he stood as well.

He held the doors open for her, letting her walk out first, still smiling as she waited in the hall for him. Never being anything less than 1 foot from him for some reason, and he didn’t mind in the slightest.

“Do you like your job?” He asked lightly.

“Oh yeah,” she laughed. “It’s like customer service on crack. Have you ever had to explain to someone why you can’t pay for the cracked foundation after Agent Morgan’s ransacked a place?”

“I honestly never thought of who has to deal with the aftermath,” he awkwardly admitted to her. “I’m so sorry.”

She couldn’t stop laughing as they entered the kitchen, “it’s fine. I never have to apologize on your behalf, it’s everyone else who seems to be reckless. Sometimes I feel like it would be better if I came along to babysit.”

“That would be helpful,” he smiled softly as she entered the staff room.

He watched as she took a new coffee filter out of the cupboard. Emptying the coffee pot with ease, rinsing everything before adding the water and scooping in the grounds. He was mesmerized by how fast she was able to do it, then again it was sort of her job.

“What mug would you like?” She turned to him with a smile that made his heart skip a beat.

“Um, the purple one, if it’s there?”

“You really like purple, huh?” She teased him, standing on her tippy-toes to reach the mug for him.

She placed it on the counter before grabbing a white mug, it had a bumblebee on it, “bee happy” written along the top. It was perfect for her.

“Purple is a stress-reducing colour,” she explained. “When I was a kid my parents painted my room purple so that I’d sleep better.”

“I’ve always been drawn to it.”

She leaned against the counter while the coffee pot started to percolate, “Probably because of your anxiety, coffee doesn’t help that.”

“It’s in my DNA to be like this,” he tried to joke, knowing he succeeded when her smile crept back onto her face.

He was on a mission to keep seeing it.

“For someone who spends a lot of time with dead bodies, creepy places and bad people, you sure are a mousy little thing aren’t you?” She teased him.

“I also love Halloween, go figure.” He’s not sure where the confidence came from, being able to make light-hearted jokes like this was only easy with the team.

Which she technically was a part of. He’s seen her almost every single day for 3 years, slowly being able to get comfortable enough for this very moment.

“What else are you into, outside of here?” She asked honestly, making his heart swell as no one else had ever asked him before.

“Lots of things,” he sighed. “I love to read, I’ll read anything. But mostly I enjoy far-off worlds. Lord of the Rings, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Sherlock mostly.”

“No supernatural?” She gasped. “Sacrilege, honestly. What kind of nerd are you if you don't support supperwholock?”

“That's the show with the monster hunting brothers right?” He tried to recall it to his mind.

She nodded with a pressed-lipped smile, “it’s bad but in a way where I can’t stop watching every Thursday, they just introduced an angel who is pretty gay. Star Trek is cool too, I guess, I was raised by Trekkies.”

“My mom was into Doctor Who.”

“Mamma’s boy,” she teased him slightly, returning her focus to the coffee as she poured the now finished brew into their mugs. “She was nice when she came in that one time, I made her a very sweet coffee just like yours.”

He reached for the sugar then, poring a generous amount into his mug with a grin, “how much do you like?”

“the same amount,” she couldn’t help but laugh. “I hate the taste of coffee, but it keeps me awake.”

He poured the sugar into her mug as she places a spoon in each. Allowing him to stir his own before picking it up finally. Holding the warm ceramic in his hands, it was almost as warm as the feeling in his chest when he looked at her.

He’s felt it for a long time. He’s been caught staring at her by Derek, JJ even tried to get him to give her his number. Which she already had for when she calls him into work in the middle of the night. They knew he had a crush, he did too. He just didn’t know what to do about it.

“Come to my desk, I want to show you something?” She asked softly, avoiding eye contact as she walked towards the door.

He followed, like a lost puppy, all the way back to her desk. It was always neat, he always looked at it when he made his way up the stairs to the briefing room. He could even see it from where he sat at the table sometimes. Always wanting to see her leave in the mornings.

She had a collection of rocks that always changed, he loved the blue one the most but it wasn’t there currently. She had all new ones since the last time he looked.

“Here,” she hands him one. It’s brown and gold, the colours moving and shifting as he turns it with his fingers. The gold running through it like a beautiful wave.

“what’s this for?”

“It’s a Tiger’s eye, for good luck and happiness,” she smiled. “Keep it at your desk and maybe it’ll be easier for you to relax when you come back?”

The butterflies in his chest were swirling then as she looked up at him with pleading eyes. Wanting him to take it, wanting him to feel better. Caring for him.

“Thank you,” he barely whispers, clearing his throat softly. “It’s very nice of you.”

“You’re always nice to me, so,” she shrugged.

They sat down then, he dragged his chair from his desk over to hers. Sitting in close as she explained all the meanings to her rocks. He listened carefully, getting to examine each one as she spoke.

“This one is Jade, it’s for balancing emotions and allowing compassion so I don’t scream at everyone on the phone,” she laughed as she placed one in his hands. Her fingers brushing his palm softly.

It was a beautiful green stone with a thin white line running through it, separating into 3 directions as he flipped it over, “it’s beautiful.”

“I know some people don’t believe in this stuff,” she started to get embarrassed as she placed them all back on the shelf. “But I’ve always thought; if the moon, which is just a rock, can control the water, and humans are 70% water, then who’s to tell me the moon cycles don’t control my emotions and these smaller rocks can’t help problem areas?”

“You’re not wrong,” he shook his head softly as he thought her words over. “People depended on the stars and planets for guidance originally, as well as rocks and herbs for healing, just because it’s outdated doesn’t mean it doesn’t work?”

“Thank you,” she smiled. “No one has ever agreed with me that easily.”

“Anytime you want to talk, I’ll just be over there,” he pointed at his desk. “And I’m a phone call away?” He swallowed sharply at his boldness, trying to stay calm as he awaited her answer.

“I do have your number,” she smiled, reaching out to place her hand on his. “But you should go home, I’m sure you’re chilled out now.”

“Yeah,” he agreed, staring at her hand as they touched. He lightly wrapped his hand around hers, holding it slightly, running his thumb over her knuckles. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“And every day after,” she whispered, tilting her head as she smiled at him.

This was going to be interesting.

—

Penelope was always dragging him out. She would take him shopping, to dinner, to the movies. She was like his big sister, dedicated to making sure he wasn’t always cooped up or trying to retreat into a fantasy life.

She kept him busy.

She had 4 bags in her hands as they walked down the street, peering into the store windows to see what else she could possibly be interested in taking home for someone. That’s when they passed the natural health store.

He stopped in his tracks, seeing all the different rocks on the wall accompanies by little cards that described how they could help. He opened the door and rushed inside before Penelope even noticed he stopped following her.

“Good afternoon!” The shop owner called out to him. “How can I assist you today?”

“Um, the girl I like has a rock collection,” he says softly, knowing Penelope is behind him listening. “Crystals more specifically, I’d like to get her some?”

“Well, you came to the right place,” the man beams, escorting him to the wall of rocks. “What is she like?”

“Wonderful,” the words are carried out of his mouth on a sigh as he thinks about her. “She’s confident and nice, and caring. She’s always positive and just so lovely.”

“I’ve got you,” the man starts picking rocks off the wall and placing them in his hands.

Spencer follows him to the desk where he lays down a handful of rocks, Penelope is shockingly quiet as she stands beside him, staring at the collection. She’ll be full of questions later, all of which he is terrified of.

“This is a rose quartz, pretty basic love, beauty, anti-depression stone,” he pushes the pink and a green rock towards him. “Serpentine is for new adventures, observation and insight. I have a feeling you’re up for an adventure with her?”

Spencer nodded enthusiastically, “I like that one. It would be better to get her some rare ones, some that have to do with friendship, new beginnings, or opportunities?” He tried to explain his feelings as best as he could. Not knowing if he sounded dumb for a change.

The man smiled wide, “here,” he dipped below the counter and dug out a box. “Chrysocolla is literally for new beginnings, love and opportunity.”

He hands Spencer a vitreous, raw blue stone with small green marks running all through it, it’s beautiful like her. “This is perfect.”

“I’ll throw in a Kiwi Jasper as well, it’s for being by someone's side, support and trust. As well as a Ruby in Zoisite it symbolizes finding the joy in life with someone,” he hands Spencer two equally beautiful stones, prepping a bag and wrappings for all of them.

Spencer lays out the 5 stones he picked out, watching him wrap them with care before placing them in a bag. He rings everything up, Spencer pays and before he’s even out the door Penelope is pouncing on him for answers.

“Who?!”

He can't help but blush and stutter, trying to brush past her and continue walking down the street. “You can’t hide forever Spencer, who is she?”

“How do you know it’s a she?”

“You literally said so?” She looks at him like he’s an idiot. “Come on? I won't tell anyone!”

“Y/N.”

The gears are turning in Penelope's head as she tries to place a face to the name, knowing she’s seen her somewhere, “From the office?”

He nods softly, “the one Derek bullies me for staring at?” He clues her in more as they walk.

“He also bullies her for staring at you,” she adds with a smile. “She’s going to love those, when are you going to give them to her?”

“I was thinking about just leaving one on her desk every day? Maybe with a note for why I picked it?” He really wants to woo her, she’s too special to just flirt with.

“She’s going to love that.”

—

Sure enough, he walked into work every day for the next week, placing a rock on a sticky note on her desk. He was never around when she was able to see it, only knowing she got it when he'd arrive at work the next morning with a note reading 'thank you ♥︎ ' on top of his files.

He thinks about her all weekend, planning how he'll give her the last rock as he takes the elevator up that morning. Only to see her sitting at her desk, phone pressed to her ear as she tried to talk someone out of suing the FBI, she looked absolutely miserable. Just a casual Monday morning for her, almost at the end of her shift.

He rushed over to his desk, putting all his stuff down to dig one of the rocks from his satchel. Picking the Kiwi Jasper for today, he grabbed a pen and a sticky note and wrote her a little note.

“Always here if you need to talk, -Spencer ♥︎”

He walked over to her desk, she was still talking so she didn’t notice him until he was right there, she looked up at him with a thankful smile.

“Yes sir,” she answered the person talking to her. “Can I call you back after I speak to the chief? thanks.” She hung up on him, turning all her attention to Spencer.

“I know you know it's been me leaving these, but I brought you in another one,” he says softly, placing the rock in her hand and sticking the note to the shelf where it would end up.

“oh my gosh, Spencer?” She placed her free hand on her heart as she looked at the rock.

“You looked upset?”

She stands and pulls him into a hug, he can feel all the eyes on him as he holds her back, letting his chin rest on her shoulder as she squeezes him.

“Thank you,” she whispered as she pulled back, awkwardly smiling at him as she also noticed everyone staring.

“Always,” he smiled back, hand still resting on her arm. “Um, I have a case I need to get to.”

“Of course, good luck,” she smiled.

He pulls the tiger's eye out of his shirt pocket, showing her that he still had it, “kinda hard not to have good luck with this.”

She bit back a smile, her eyes gleaming as she took a deep breath through her nose. Releasing the same feelings he was keeping inside, allowing both their butterflies to swarm out together.

—

He loved when they had cases in Virginia. Being able to stay in the bullpen and work was relaxing, it was easier to think where he felt safe.

He was working on the geo profile all alone, a huge map stretched across a clear case board as he laid a yardstick across it. Drawing a thick red line with marker over it, in his own little world as he worked away.

He doesn’t realize she’s standing there too until she’s lightly pressing her hand on his back.

“Hey,” she whispers softly. “It’s 10 pm, thought you’d like a coffee?” She places the purple mug on his desk with her purse, turning her attention back to what he’s doing.

“Thank you, I’m almost done here,” he says softly, finishing the red triangle he was making on the map.

“I’ve always found it fascinating how you do this,” she complimented him. “You’re so careful.”

“Like baking, it’s an exact science,” he smiled softly.

It made her giggle slightly, placing her hand back on his back as she moved in closer to look. He wanted her to stay there forever, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to focus. He tried his best to steady his hand as he finished the line.

Putting the yardstick back down and turning to her, she doesn’t move her hand, instead, softly moving to rest on his arm as she stands close to him. “How are you?”

He feels nervous for some reason, it’s not like she hasn’t been this close to him before. It’s just that she’s close and she smells wonderful and he wonders if her lips would be a better wake-up call than the coffee she brought.

He realizes he’s staring at her lips when he licks his own, “I’m good,” he furrows his brow and clears his throat with a nod.

She smirks at him, “how come you’re the only one still here? Hotch said it could wait till tomorrow?”

“I was waiting for you,” he admits, “but I got carried away setting this up, I never heard you come in?”

“Cause I didn’t,” she scrunches her nose slightly as she straightens her stance. “I saw you working hard and went right to get you a coffee.”

“You’re wonderful,” he blushes as the words slip out, trying his best to keep eye contact when all he wants to do is kiss her.

She pats his arm slightly as she backs up a little, grabbing her bag from where she set it on his desk. “I’m going to set up for the night, come talk to me before you leave?”

“Of course,” he says as she walks away, letting out a small sigh as he realizes just how badly he wants her.

He never gets to talk to her before he leaves, she’s on the phone when hotch comes storming in. Saying something about another body and making Reid leave with him. He’s busy for 3 days straight, thinking about her with every free thought he’s able to squeeze in.

He carries the rock from her in his pocket everywhere he goes; in his pants beside his keys, in his bag with his books, in his breast pocket, over his heart, behind a bulletproof vest. Feeling it press against his chest, a part of her keeping him safe where ever he went.

They finish the case with minimal damage, Spencer specifically making sure that Derek leaves all the doors on the hinges for Y/N’s sake, cleaning up any messes they make so she won’t have to hear about it over the phone. They all notice that he’s doing it for her, quietly appreciating the fact that Spencer is happy for a change, that there’s a glimmer of hope in his eyes again.

He arrives back at Quantico 30 minutes before her shift starts. Everyone else is packing up for the day while he sits at his desk, reading to occupy the time before she comes in.

Only she doesn’t.

30 minutes pass and she’s nowhere to be seen, it’s only 9:02 by the time he starts to panic. Wondering if she’s okay, hoping she’s just in the elevator or grabbing a coffee that’s actually good, somewhere outside of the office.

“Reid,” he hears Hotch calling him from his office door. “She just called in, her grandmother passed away last night so she won't be in.”

“Oh,” he furrows his brow, looking at him with confusion. “How did you know?”

“Penelope,” he smiles. “She’s still here too, and she knows where Y/N lives.”

“It wouldn’t be weird to go see if she’s okay?”

Hotch just smiles at him again, “go see her, Reid.”

Getting her address from Penelope felt a little weird, but she writes it on a sticky note for him and he’s out the door before she can even pry into what he’s going to say. Which is good, because he doesn’t know yet.

It’s late, but he stops by the little rock store on his way to her house. Seeing the lights still on and the same man from before behind the counter.

“Welcome back,” he’s overly cheerful for it being so late. “How did she like them?”

“She likes the ones I’ve given her so far,” he smiles, looking over the wall himself this time for the right one.

Scanning past every emotion and affirmation known to man as he looked around, picking out a beautiful pink Rhodonite for healing grief, supposedly acting as a hug from emotional troubles. And a Rainbow Moonstone for inner peace, harmony and strength.

“She’s lost someone recently?” He asks as Spencer places them on the counter.

“Her grandmother,” he says softly. “These are good, right?”

“They’ll be perfect, we also have amethyst bracelets, they’re good for healing and drawing in positive energy,” he points towards the small display of bracelets. Small purple stones separated with small gold beads.

He picks up 2 of them, placing them on the counter as well.

“Is she still just a crush?”

Spencer laughs lightly, “unfortunately.”

“She might be more after this,” he smirks, ringing him up. “I’ll give you a 2 for one deal on everything, I have a feeling you’ll be in a lot.”

Spencer thanks him as he pays, picking out a small purple bag for the rocks and bracelet. Placing one on his own wrist before leaving. Also picking up some cookie dough ice cream and a card at the corner store just beside her apartment. Remembering all the times Penelope, JJ or Emily has mentioned it being the best ice cream for crying.

He takes a very deep breath before knocking on her door, hoping to every god out there that she doesn’t find this incredibly inappropriate and weird.

“Spencer?” He hears her voice before she even opens the door, looking out the peephole at him.

She whips the door open, eyes puffy and swollen as she looks at him in shock. She’s in a big sweater and shorts, tears dripping down her cheeks as she shakes her head at him.

“I thought you could use some cheering up?” He awkwardly smiles, holding the ice cream up for her to see.

She wraps her arms around his middle, burying her face against his coat. Still crying as she holds him, he holds her with his free hand, shushing her as he presses his cheek to her head.

She pulls back with a sniffle, “come in,” she offers with an arm out, ushering him inside the small room as she closes the door.

He takes his shoes off, handing her the ice cream so he can take off his coat and satchel too. “This isn’t weird right?”

“Not at all,” she laughs slightly through the awkwardness. “You don’t know how much it means to me that you care this much.”

“I brought something for you,” he says as he struggles to dig everything out of his pocket.

He hands her the card and the little purple bag, seeing the overwhelming glance grow on her face. Her eyes grew wide as he mouth opened, speechless.

She opened the card first, reading the passage about grief that was already provided. Dealing with grief was something Spencer knew too well, adding something a little special to the bottom of the card.

“To live in hearts we left behind is not to die,” -Thomas Campbell. As long as you remember her, with a smile on your face and love in your heart, she will always be with you ♥︎ Spencer

She wipes her tears with her forearm, placing the card on the counter beside the ice cream before she opens the bag. She pulls out the bracelet first, absolute shock on her face.

“Spencer?” Is all she can say, in a high squeak as she shakes her head at him.

“I didn’t want you to be sad,” he says softly, stepping into her space and placing a hand on her arm. “I love seeing you smile, and I thought this could help.

He takes the bracelet from her grasp and places it over her hand. Resting it on her wrist softly, straightening it out against her sweater as she notices the matching on over his shirt sleeve.

“Oh this is so cute,” she swoons. “thank you, really Spencer.”

“And there are some rocks for grief healing in there too, one is supposedly like an emotional hug which should heal the grief and sorrow, and the other is more for inner peace and harmony,” he rambles away, not wanting her to miss anything.

She pours the rocks from the bag, into her hand, looking them over silently with a smile, “they’ll look great on my desk.”

“The purple looks nice on you too,” he compliments her, watching her eyes drift up to him.

She places the rocks on the counter before wrapping her arms around him once more. This time he’s able to actually hold her back, tight as possible as he rubs his hand over her back.

She smells like home, clean laundry and happiness. She’s soft and warm, he holds her perfectly against his chest, like she was a missing puzzle piece that someone finally found under the table, she fits into his life like she was supposed to be there.

She kisses his cheek softly before she pulls back, causing him to pull her into a real kiss on impulse. Connecting their lips as she sighs into the contact, melting into his grasp as she kisses him back.

Her lips are soft, fitting between his own gently as she breathes him in. Her hands reach up to grip his cheeks, kissing him again and again, placing pecks to his lips and cheeks with her eyes closed as he giggles.

“Thank you,” she whispers against his lips, “for everything.”

“I’d do anything for you,” he whispers back, kissing her one last time before she pulls away.

“I was actually about to smoke some weed on the fire escape and probably cry some more,” she laughs lightly. “would you like to join me?”

“I’ll stick with a bowl of ice cream,” he smiled awkwardly.

“Nice one,” she laughs as she opens the ice cream.

“What?”

“Oh, you didn’t even get the reference you made,” she laughs lightly, “to get high you smoke a bowl, so…”

It makes him smile, “I'm a comedian part-time.”

He makes her laugh again, loving the sound of her giggle replacing the tears. “Why aren’t you this funny at work?”

He thinks about it for a little, watching her scoop the ice cream into two bowls, “it’s a little hard to make jokes when people's lives are on the line, I know everyone else does but I get too focused.”

“They probably wouldn’t appreciate your jokes even if you did make them,” she says as she handed him a bowl with a spoon. “They’re kind of mean to you, in a family way but it still sucks sometimes to overhear.”

She walks into the living area then, grabbing a few blankets and opening the window to the fire escape. Crawling out to sit on the ledge, waiting for him.

“I don’t mind it,” he says as he finally sits down beside her.

She places the blanket over their laps, both of them sitting criss-cross applesauce as they ate.

“Do you like your job?” She asks him, just like he once asked her.

“Most of the time,” he nodded as he got brain freeze. The cold air, the cold ice cream, everything that was catching up to him as he scrunched his face up at the feeling.

She laughs at him only a bit before she’s also attacked by the brain freeze, holding the vein in her neck as she chokes out another laugh, trying to warm up the blood going to her head so the pain would stop.

They’re both just a mess of giggles together, unable to say any words as they let it all out. She leans her head on his shoulder lightly as they calm down to just soft chuckles. He presses his cheek against her head.

“Thank you, Spencer,” it sounds like she’s crying a bit. “My grandma was a lovely woman, she’d be glad I’m laughing right now.”

He reached out a hand for her to hold over the blanket. She interlocked their fingers softly, both cold from holding their ice cream bowls.

“If she was anything like you, I’m sure she was the most wonderful woman,” he says softly, not intending to make her cry but having a feeling he might.

“Would you be interested in holding me on the couch while I cry?” She asked softly, tears in her eyes as she looked up at him.

“Whatever you need, I’m here for you.”

—

He’s late for work the next morning.

Waking up to the smell of coffee, opening his eyes to a strange view. He’s on a couch he doesn’t recognize in a room he doesn’t know too well.

Then he remembers, they ended up cuddled up on the couch. He wakes up to the memory of her on his chest, crying softly as they listened to some music, he ran his hand over her back while she went through it all, blessed to have his support.

He fell asleep under her at some point, waking up alone with a blanket laid over him. He sat up to see her in the kitchen, pouring coffee into a travel mug.

“Good, you’re awake,” she smiles at him. “Coffee is ready, I uh, I have this button-up shirt from a guy friend, if you wanted to wear that to work today? So they don’t think you stayed here?”

“That’s smart,” he replies as he rubs the sleep out of his eyes.

Getting up, he uses the bathroom, changes and takes that coffee from her. He’s not expecting her to kiss him on the lips at the door, but she sends him off to work like an old housewife.

He doesn’t want to pull away from her, keeping her pressed against him as he leans in for 4 more kisses before she finally pushes him out into the hallway with a laugh, “get to work!”

“Fine,” he sighs, “are you going to be in tonight?”

“Yeah,” she smiles, “funeral is in West Virginia next week, so I’ll be in until then.”

“I’ll see you later?”

She nods slightly with a soft smile, “you’ll be seeing a lot of me soon, Spencer.”

“Good,” he winks at her before heading down the hallway and towards the street entrance.

He sighs as he walks outside, resting his back against the apartment complex door, taking a moment to think about everything that just happened, the night of company and the wonderful send-off.

It was something he could get used to.

He rushes into the briefing room when he arrives at Quantico, sitting down with his coffee and pretending he wasn’t late. Listening carefully to JJ’s presentation of the case as he flips through everything he missed already.

“Wheels up in 30,” he heard Hotch say as he zoned back in. “Nice of you to join us, Reid.”

“I know that travel mug from somewhere,” Derek said as he stared at Spencer, who was taking a sip to avoid the awkwardness.

“Hmm?” He played dumb.

“That’s Y/N’s. She washes it every morning when she leaves to go home, I see her do it every morning,” his eyes open wide. “Holy shit.”

“Isn’t that the same tie and slacks from yesterday?” Emily teased him as well.

“Her grandma died, I brought her ice cream and slept on the couch okay?” He all but yelled, flailing his arms slightly so they’d all back off.

Derek reached his fist out for him to pound it, “good man.”

Then Penelope noticed the bracelet, “did she get you that?”

He sunk his hand into his pocket then, “no.”

“What?” Emily and JJ asked in unison, straining their necks to try and get a good look at what she was talking about.

He nervously held his arm out for them, showing them the purple bracelet resting over the sleeve of his shirt. “I got one for her too, it’s for healing and peace. It’s what she needs right now.”

“Oh, so you love her,” Derek smiles as he teases him. Making everyone else in the room swoon slightly.

“Okay and?”

“Oh my god!” Most of them shout at him, embarrassing him to no end. He was so glad she wasn’t at work this morning or else she would be able to hear this from her desk.

“Did you kiss her?” Rossi pries, asking what everyone else was thinking.

He scrunches his face, pushing his glasses up slightly as he clears his throat, “a few times.”

“Is she your girlfriend?” JJ kept the questions coming.

“Not yet,” he said softly. “Kinda weird to walk into her apartment while she cries to say ‘hey sorry about the death in your family, want to date me?’”

“Yeah,” Emily agrees, shrugging lightly. “At least she knows you like her now, it’s been what? 2 years?”

“2 years, 3 months, 17 days and 43 minutes,” he confirms with a small nod and pressed lips.

“Gross,” Derek teases him.

“The plane is leaving in 10 minutes,” Hotch cut into their fun.

Making them all gather their things and continue the interrogation in the elevator, and eventually on the plane, and in the police precinct. Even Penelope called him in the middle of everything to bug him about her.

The questions were never-ending, everyone wanted to know how they even started talking, who made the first move, how he plans to ask her out. They were relentless, he almost regretted admitting to anything.

They bug him all throughout the day, all the way until they’re arriving back at the BAU late that same night. He almost doesn’t want to go back to the bullpen and see her with all of them, knowing they were going to follow and say something.

She’s waiting in the hall when the elevator doors open, a pressed-lipped smile on her face, “bad news.”

“Another one?” Hotch sighs, “have Garcia send us the info. Be at the table in 10.” He pushes his way out of the elevator, passed them all as they stare at Y/N.

“Hi?” She awkwardly waves at them all, showing off the bracelet on her wrist.

“See ya, Spence,” JJ and Emily say as they matt his shoulder, dragging Derek and Rossi towards the bullpen doors.

“Sorry,” he apologizes for them softly, stepping into her space.

She wraps him up in a quick hug, keeping one arm around his waist as she guides him towards the bullpen, “it’s fine, they’re going to have to get used to us being together.”

“Together?” He repeats her words.

“I only cry on my boyfriend's shoulders, if you're up for the title?” She teases him softly, pinching his side as they walk towards the doors.

“Can I frame “Dr. Spencer Reid, Y/N’s boyfriend” beside my Ph.D.’s?” He keeps his hand on her shoulder, holding each other slightly as they walk towards her desk. He felt like one of those kids who wouldn’t let go of their girlfriend's hand in the school hallway, attached to her at the hip.

“I’ll make one for you while you’re gone,” she laughs lightly.

They stop at her desk where he sees all rocks he got her collecting on the shelf, as well as a cup of coffee and his favourite kind of donut.

“Thought you deserved something nice too,” she says as she nudges his side.

He kisses her on the cheek as a thank you, “you’re welcome,” she smiles to herself. A feeling of pride growing in both their chests.

“See you later?” He asks as he picks up the coffee and donut, walking away slowly as she smiles at him.

“Come home to me safely, Doctor Reid,” her voice is just loud enough for everyone in the briefing room, where everyone is waiting at the window, watching them, deciding to put on a show in return.

He stops on the steps to look at her softly, “I’d fight a thousand unsubs to come home to you.”

“I’ll leave the light on,” she blows a kiss at him, making him blush a deep red.

He waves, making his way up the steps and into the briefing room. A smile on his face, heart thumping in his chest, all the support in the world swarming around him as everyone patted him on the back.

That tiger’s eye really did bring him good luck and happiness, and her name was Y/N.

#spencer reid #spencer reid smut #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid fanfic #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x you #spencer reid self insert #spencer reid request #criminal minds smut #criminal minds imagine #one shot #fluff

[deewithani]

Raindrops in the Wind - Chapter 1

Chapter Rating: G

Work Rating: Explicit (18+)

Pairing: Jango Fett x F!Reader

Word count: Approx. 2k

Warnings: None. Jango being sneaky?

A/N: Not Canon or Legends friendly. AU from the very beginning. Bits and pieces from here and there, molded to fit my grand vision, muahahaha *coughs*. Anyway... Chapters will list their individual ratings, work is rated Explicit (18+) for eventual explicit content.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

'What have I done?'

The words rang hollow in his ear as he fought with the Jedi that had shown up at his door. He hated the man, truly. He hated that he showed up on Kamino. He hated that he started to ask questions. He hated that he was a Jedi.

He hated Jedi.

It was not supposed to be like this. He was supposed to provide his DNA to the long-necks whenever they needed it and help train their creation. In return he got an unaltered clone. A son. A safe place to raise him. Enough credits to live very comfortably for the rest of his days. And the knowledge that an army was being raised that would destroy the Jedi.

'I should have left well enough alone. I shouldn't have taken that bounty.'

----------------

It was a good deal, he thought to himself, the offer that this 'Lord Tyranus' placed before him. He would be stupid to pass it up, and Jango Fett was anything but stupid. It would give him what he always wanted, a son, to carry on his lineage, and a hefty purse full of credits, no questions asked. No, he was not stupid. He knew very well who this 'Lord Tyranus' was that stood before him. It was the very same Jedi that helped bring the defeat of the True Mandalorians, Count Dooku. All Jango truly wanted from the exchange was an unaltered clone that he could raise as a son, and Tyranus quickly agreed.

At the time, Jango didn't know that he and Dooku shared the same end game, the destruction of the Jedi order. All Jango knew was that Dooku was no longer friendly with the order, having abandoned them, publicly declaring their corruption before the galaxy. He figured he could sus out the real reason behind Dooku's job easily enought once he was on Kamino and around others he could manipulate into revealing the truth.

In all honesty, it wasn't very hard at all to figure out much of what was going on. The Kaminoans were ecstatic about the new contract they had scored to provide the Galactic Republic with millions of perfect soldiers. They poked and proded at Jango daily for his DNA and openly discussed his own physical shortcomings like they were no matter at all, as if they were simply ink marks on a piece of flimsi, mistakes that could be erased and fixed with no bearing on the final product. They were open with this being a request from the Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas, which made no sense to Jango, as he had been hired by 'Tyranus', who most certaily wasn't Syfo-Dyas – whoever they were. He thought maybe this Jedi was also fed up with the Order, and was looking to make a strike back, but solid information on this Jedi was slim..

In any case, very little of the entire job was making sense to Jango. Why was a former Jedi Master, whether it was Dooku or Sifo-Dyas didn't matter at this point, paying for the creation of a clone army for the very Order and Republic that they abhored?

Jango continued on, day after day, providing DNA to the Kaminoans, gathering trusted allies to begin the training of the clones that were still growing in their tubes, and listening and obtaining information from any corner of Tipoca City he could. He set the Cuy'val Dar to the tasks of creating a sound, well-rounded training regiment, and on an information gathering mission, telling them to “Listen to everything anyone says. Every single word. Kaminoans, humans, anyone else. I don't care if they're talking about the next shipment of Jogan fruit. I want to know every word. Bring it to me.”

Jango spent hours every day, pouring over intelligence reports, but most of what was gathered was mundane. Lama Su had tea alone this afternoon, did you hear that we're supposed to have a break in the rain next week, the butcher is overcharging for nerf again. The every day gossip and gripes of a bored populace stuck on a perpetually wet and miserable planet. But Jango was nothing if not patient. The cloners told him that he should expect to be working with them for decades, so he decided to settle in and be patient. What he wanted to know would come to him. He would hear it directly from one of the longnecks themselves, or one of the Cuy'val Dar would hear it in passing and report it to him. He would know the true reason he was there. He would know the reason for the creation of the clones.

An unreal amount of credits has been pumped into this project, more than he thought was necessary, to be honest. Jango's bank account is overflowing with credits, and he hadn't had to touch a single one. He'd been provided with his own apartment, furnished with everything he requested. His Cuy'val Dar were paid directly by the client, the same as he was, and were paid a hefty premium too. Whispered word through the cloners was that this project was revitalizing their entire industry, allowing them the financial means to work on the perfection of not just his genetic material, but the genetics of hundreds of other species, not all of them sentient. Factories were starting up for the creation of armor and weaponry, the potable food industry was pushing out rations as quickly as they could be rolled down the assembly line, and tech companies were building holopads and coms as fast as they could get the chips and circuitry to do so. And it was all possible by the injection of credits from 'Lord Tyranus'.

He knew, also, that the Kaminoans were planning on “double-dipping” the Republic when the time came, and was nearly certain all the other industries that had already been paid hefty retainer fees would do the same. There was no shame in getting your due, but it was more of the pervasive corruption that Dooku saw that was eating away at the Galactic Republic, everyone had their hands out, pressing for more and more credits from any party they could. He heard the longnecks complaining that the Armorers had already been paid to purchase enough plastoid to manufacture 250,000 full sets of armor and had already received at least half of their full payment for the total manufacturing cost itself, but they had already began sending invoices to Kamino for the purchase of the armor at standard price, as if they were coming out of their own pocket on the project. Whether or not any of it was true was anyone's guess, but the single bit of information he heard from all corners was that the Kaminoans were not going to lose a single credit from this project, no matter who they had to charge for services. He could hardly blame them, their only true industry was cloning, and a project of this magnitude was going to take nearly their entire industry to support it. If anything went wrong, if anyone double charged them and they covered it with just a promise of later pay that never came through it could ruin their entire economy. So the decision was made to pass on the cost of everything to the Republic, in full for each batch ordered, because even with a hefty bankroll the bank could run dry very quickly. If everything went according to plan their cash flow would be enormous, but they were experts in searching out and fixing “problems” and they were not so naive to believe everything would go according to plan.

And so it went. Years passed, clones were trained, bounties were picked up, and Jango's unaltered clone, his son, began to grow into a fine young man - smart, capable, and hopefully well prepared for anything life would throw at him. Jango knew the galaxy was a rough place, and he was determined to make sure Boba had the tools he needed to survive – and survive easily. During his free time he trained him, harder than he trained the clones who would go off to war, running through close combat scenarios, teaching infiltration and stealth tactics, weapons proficiency, common language tutoring, sharpshooting, general maintenance on anything from blasters to air cooling units. Anything that he believed would give Boba a leg up on the competition – and anything to help him stay alive. He would take Boba with him on hunts too, giving him hands-on experience that he just wouldn't get sparring and running through drills.

The most important lesson Jango would gift to Boba was to trust no one but himself and his family, and to always keep his ears and eyes open for anything “strange”. Strange, of course, could have multiple meanings, but Jango trusted that Boba understood the complexities of all the things “strange” could include. Knowledge and information are as good as credits in hand, and in many cases could be much more valuable than beskar itself, buying the owner of said information freedom and power, if it was valuable enough, of course. And on one rather normal day, as normal as it goes on Kamino, anyway, Boba brought Jango some very valuable information.

While Jango tolerated the Kaminoans, as it was unfortunately necessary, Boba didn't really mind them one way or the other, having grown up around them for the entirety of his young life. So when it came time for Boba's yearly checkup during his 9th year, he didn't think twice to let the boy go on his own. The Kaminoans had always accepted his request for non-Kaminoan involvement in his son's healthcare, so they always ensured he was seen by a medical droid. He didn't suspect this year would be different. In any case, Boba knew to deflect any questions and leave if his request wasn't honored. Dislike them though he did, the longnecks never went back on their promises to him. This would make a good, safe, learning experience for Boba, and Jango instructed him to bring back as much as he could remember about everything, to train him in situational awareness and help him learn how to observe without being observed.

Later that day, after he had seen and cleared, Boba was eager to tell Jango about his checkup. He returned to their apartment, his adolescent energy barely contained, itching to run through the door and let his new secret loose, because something strange did happen at this appointment. He was prepared to give his report to Jango, and he was sure his dad would be proud of what he had learned.

“Dad!”, Boba called out, “I need to tell you about my checkup! It's important!” From his seat in the living area Jango raised an eyebrow, watching Boba try and fail to keep from bouncing on the balls of his feet. “C'mere, son, tell me about your checkup.” Boba walked forward, head held high and mischievous glint in his eyes. ”You told me to watch for anything strange. Something strange happened! There was a woman there today. A human woman! Told me she was training!”

“Good job, Boba. Go on then, clean up for dinner. You can tell me everything else then.” Jango watched as Boba's grin grew even wider, before he turned and ran to the 'fresher.

'Well, that is strange', Jango mused to himself, as he began to formulate his plan. It was time to see if he could gain some real information from this new player. Jango was nothing if not patient, and this may be the time for his patience to start paying off.

----------

Taglist: @latenightsthoughtsnstuff @return-of-the-simp

If anyone wants added to my taglist, let me know ☺️

#jango fett x reader #star wars au #star wars fanfiction #order 66 au

[just-another-ficwriter]

Seconds To Midnight

Pairing: Sweet Pea x Reader

Words: 2400ish

Warnings: Underage drinking, a lil heart break, pregnancy 

Summary: Y/N and Sweet Pea share a lifetime of New Year’s together, some better than others.

Notes: Filling my ‘Midnight Kiss’ square on my @riverdalebingo​ card! The next few days are gonna be a flurry of super late Christmas Eve/New Years posts as I attempt to catch up!

10...

They still can’t believe they’ve convinced their parents to let them stay up passed midnight. Not even when the five of them are crammed into a booth at the Wyrm arguing over a pack of cards and sharing bottles of soda way past their usual 10 year old bedtimes.

By the time the ball drops, Jug’s already asleep, the cheering from around the bar barely making him stir. Fangs and Toni decide to mock the adults around them, pouting at each other and making ‘kissy’ noises. Y/N laughs along with them, pretending to gag, but Sweet Pea doesn’t miss the way she blushes when she looks over at Gladys and FP once more.

A tint that deepens a dark red when he leans over and places a quick peck to her cheek.

“Happy New Year Y/N.” He whispers, thankful that the others are still too distracted to notice.

“Happy New Year Pea.”

9...

By the time they’re 13, they care a little less about their parents permission, opting to swap the warmth of the Wyrm’s crowds, for the back of Fang’s brothers truck, at the edge of the car park instead. The same way Jughead’s opted to switch them for Archie Andrews and Betty Cooper.

The huddle together for warmth, gazing up at the stars, and even though no one will admit it for a fear of being deemed ‘uncool’, everyone’s excited for the burst of fireworks about to come.

When the first explosion sounds off, Sweet Pea misses the look Toni gives him, her eyes switching fiercely between him and Y/N.

But she doesn’t give up.

“I dare the two of you to kiss.” She blurts out the challenge, and Sweet Pea hears Y/N suck in a breath beside him.

“What?” He chokes on the word, eyes casting from her down to his lap, not missing the way Y/N’s leg brushes against his, suddenly aware of how close they’d been sitting.

“It’s midnight.” His best friend shrugs, the streak of bright pink hair falling off her shoulder. He can still remember her Grandmother’s face the first time she’d seen it, Toni’s first act of outright defiance. “You have to kiss someone.”

“Then you kiss Fangs.” Sweet Pea’s hand gestures wildly between the two of them, both gagging in unison. 

“That would be like kissing my sister.” Fangs’ nose scrunches up with the statement, and Y/N can’t help but laugh.

“But-“

His fight is already lost, now three against one as the girl besides him sits up straighter, rolls her eyes and simply grabs his face. “Oh Pea, just shut up and kiss me!”

He’s too distracted by the warmth of her palm against his skin, feather light fingertips dancing across his cheek, to see her closing the gap between them. 

He sees fireworks even when he closes his eyes.

8...

At 15, Y/N’s forced to spend New Years at her grandparents. Their first one apart in 6 years and Sweet Pea feels her lack of presence more with every passing second.

He misses her when Toni talks about last years celebrations and sneaking on the Wrym’s roof, when she text him early so her words don’t get caught in a signal back log, when he sees Jug squeeze Betty’s hand.

He wishes she was there to share the beers Fangs has managed to steal for them and make fun of the way Archie follows Veronica around like a lost puppy, wondering how their two opposite friendship groups somehow became intertwined to ring in the new year. 

And when the count down ends, he watches as Toni kisses Ginger, turning to tell Y/N she owes him $5, before remembering she’s not there. His heart sinks a little a further as he struggles to understand the feeling swarming in his head.

He’s not interested in the fireworks that year.

7...

When they’re 17, everything just goes wrong.

They’re at their first official New Year’s Party, thrown by none other than Cheryl Blossom, as they desperately cling onto the last parts of their high school selves, months before they all leave the town behind and disappear to different colleges.

Some partying to celebrate the year that everything changes, others to forget what lays ahead.

They dance too much, they laugh too hard, they drink more than they should.

One minute she’s in front of Sweet Pea, the next she’s gone.

The panic sets in, once the ball drops, and he only catches a glimpse of her over Josie’s head once the singer starts pulling him towards her. Y/N laughs at something Reggie Mantle whispers in her ear, the sound piercing into Sweet Pea’s lungs.

He hadn’t planned on kissing her at midnight, yet now it’s he can think about.

But he’s too late. 

He’d never make it in time, not with Josie hanging onto his arms. Not with the way Reggie’s already leaning in to do the one thing he’s always been to afraid to do. 

He wants to look away, but he can’t, even when he’s sure his heart won’t take it. He watches as Reggie’s lips press firmly against hers, watches the way she kiss him back and does the one thing that would stop him screaming out over the crowd. 

He kisses Josie and pretends it her.

Her eyes blaze like fires when he finds them again, and Sweet Pea doesn’t see it back then but everything changed in that swift couple of seconds, a silent, wordless disagreement that tears them apart.

Distance grows between them, not just physically as she leaves to chase her dreams in New York City and he stays, ever attached to Riverdale.

His heart shatters at the thought of the next New Years Eve without her.

But thinks maybe its for the best.

6...

“Y/N will be there.”

Sweet Pea still declines the invite politely, but he can tell by the triumphant glint in Toni’s eyes that she knows she’s won.

There’s no way he’d turn down the opportunity of even a glance at his former best friend after three years. 

So he finds himself dressed to the nines, hiding away on the rooftop of Toni and Cheryl's penthouse apartment, because of course they have one of the best views in New York, trying to forget the image of her dressed in red. 

It doesn’t take her long to find him, and he doesn’t need to turn around to know it’s her creeping up behind him. He can feel her presence the minute she steps out, like it’s coded in his DNA. He hates it as much as he loves it.

“Hi.” She breathes out the greeting, tiptoeing across the unsteady ground between them. It’s the first words she uttered towards him since she left for college and the sound makes his heart sing. 

“Hi.” He parrots back, there's so much more he wants to say but that's all he can manage. Her eyes meet his, locked together, unaware of the countdown being called out below.

And then she laughs.

And he does too. 

Laughs over the stupidity of it all, laughs because its them, laughs until it hurts, until the fireworks explode around them surprising them both back to silence.

“I’ve missed you.” He feels her hand close over his, fingers squeezing his tight.

He feels like he can breathe for the first time in a long time. “I’ve missed you too.”

5...

This time its him that finds her on the roof, eerily similar to their moment two years prior. 

They’ve been trying for the last few years, piecing the remains of their broken friendship back together. But it’s not enough.

Not for him. 

Maybe not for her.

The thought rips through him, his chest exploding with pain, and need, he has to tell her. He can’t wait any longer. 

The idea alone burns its way into his lungs until he can’t breathe, until he can’t think straight.

“I love you.” The words slip out the same time the noise below them erupts into a chorus of the number ten. He can hear it all around him, from people in the building next door, from people down the street.

She just stares at him, eyes wide with a hint of something he doesn’t quite understand.

“You don’t have to say it back.” He panics, trips over his words and the way she looks at him. “I just want you to know.”

He’s whispering into the dark, but she can hear him, over the chanting, over the beating of her own heart drumming clear in her ears.

“I just love you.” He falls into a spiral, confessions pouring out as he plunges downwards like the countdown under their feet. “I always have, I probably always will.”

And as the ball drops, and the crowd underneath explodes in cheers, their friends, she’s suddenly pulled back into reality.

Her eyes soften at the sight before her, Sweet Pea’s bashful grin luminated by the glow of the fireworks in the distance, their light dancing off his skin.

And she does the first that comes to her mind, the only thing she’s wanted to do every New Year’s Eve since she met him.

She kisses him.

4...

At 25 they find themselves back on the roof. 

That roof.

Their roof.

A location so sentimental to their relationship. 

Relationship. 

The word feels so weird in Sweet Pea’s thoughts, the concept of her being his girlfriend still so foreign to him, still so unreal, even after three years.

He loves her. 

More than he’s loved anything ever before in his life, he’s sure of it. And he’s sure she loves him too, even if sometimes he doesn’t understand why, but lord knows she does.

Which is why he finds himself down on one knee, velvet ring box held tightly in his shaking hand, surrounded by candle light and rose petals that float in the wind. He can feel wet tears streaking lines down his cheeks that mirror her own as she nods out her answer, not trusting her own voice before she pounces at him. 

His back hits the floor the same time fireworks light up the skyline and his heart swells in bliss when she slips the ring onto her finger, a perfect fit.

“Did she say yes?” Fangs calls from across the roof, head peering around the door, Toni just behind.

“She said yes!” Sweet Pea sings back, a permanent grin on his face. 

It’s only seconds later the two dive on the couple still sprawled out on the floor, four sets of limbs, four sounds of laughter, embracing in celebration.

3...

The tell tale signs are there all night, he doesn’t understand how he didn’t see it sooner.

She professional switches out her vodka orange for plain juice, gags at her usual favourite fancy foods that Cheryl and Toni insist on serving every year, and has ran to the bathroom more than once in the last three hours.

But he doesn’t fit the puzzle pieces together.

Not even when she slots her hand in his, half guiding, half pulling him towards the roof and presents him a neatly wrapped gift once they’re surrounded by cold night air.

It’s only right she thinks, to tell him here, on the very roof top he confessed his love, where he asked her to be his wife only a year before. It has to be here he finds out this too.

He stares, confused down at the box held in his hands, feeling guilty that he has nothing to give her. She laughs at him, a sound that still sets his heart alight as she encourages him to open it quick.

The excitement takes over, racing to reveal its contents before the countdown sounding below hits 1, his fingers make light work of the paper.

When he lifts the lid of the box he’s sure he’s stopped breathing.

This can’t be real.

Two blue lines stare back at him, clear at the dead of midnight and he chokes out a sob.

“You’re?...” He can’t finish the sentence, can’t get his tongue to move and say the words. Her eyes glisten with unshed tears, nodding her head in confirmation.

He can’t help but drop to his knees, his hands gently cradling her barely there bump, his heart so full of love.

“I’m gonna be a Dad.”

2...

Of course they get married on New Year’s Eve.

It’s their day, no matter how much Toni and Fangs tease them about it. But their friends draw the line at a roof top wedding.

Sweet Pea can’t describe the day as anything other than a god damn dream.

He’s wanted this for so long it’s hard to believe it’s actually happening.

She looks a vision in white, too good to be true and he couldn’t ask for anything more.

As he twirls his now wife in his arms, their baby girl nested up against Toni’s chest just a few feet away, he’s so overwhelmed with love that he can’t help but cry.

It starts as a gentle shake from his chest, vibrating through his shoulders before the tears fall fast and he has to hide his face in her hair.

Tears pool in her own eyes as she pulls him closer, whispers how much she adores him into his neck, claims she’s the luckiest woman in the world.

He’s not afraid to admit this might be his favourite New Years Eve.

1...

At 30 there’s no lavish parties.

No roof top confessions, no pregnancy announcements, no engagements, no Wrym.

Just them and their closest friends sprawled out in their living room, discarded pizza boxes on the coffee table, their three year old asleep upstairs.

And when those around them start counting down, Sweet Pea cups her cheek, tilts her head towards his so he can see her eyes staring back.

“I love you.” He whispers, so honestly, so raw. He feels her smile into the kiss that comes next. He doesn’t care that his friends might see them, not like that shy ten year old hidden in a booth 20 years ago daring to plant a peck on his best friends cheek. No, he wants everyone to see how happy his is now, how far they’ve come. “Happy New Year Y/N.”

“Happy New Year Pea.”

Riverdale Bingo Holiday Masterlist

Forever Taglist: @p-marie-sp

Sweet Pea Taglist: @80sand90simagine @wildberryyyy @hopelesslylosttheway @be-gay-do-crime-cutie

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[secret-engima]

spideypoolalways

Does Regis ever ask how Titus has papers for the boys? Whats Cor or Clarus' PoV of this? What are some things (fluff or humor) that the boys get up to? Because I can see them getting adopted into the Ulric Clan because of shenanigans and Nyx going 'Yes, these are my people' since LCs just remind me of Ulrics with magic. And how do the Galatians take to the nephew of the Nif Chancellor and clone of the Crown Prince? Since I'm imagining that Titus told some of them and the

spideypoolalways

rest are guessing anyway. And does everyone assume that Noctis and Nox's magics resonated since they're kinda sorta close to each other/are the same person? How does Regis take the news that the only reason that Noctis got healed is because Nox pretty much felt everything Noctis did? /Both/ of his sons were basically attacked by a daemon and he only knew about one of them at the time and didn't do anything to calm or reassure Nox? (Clarus: Only because you didn't know

spideypoolalways

About him, Regis. Regis: Thats no excuse, Clarus.) Does Iris get to be a Shield or did Nox latch onto Axis or one of his kids? Does Acastus find Prompting and drop him off with Noct/Cor? Does Nox hang out with Noct, Ignis, Gladiolus and Prom all the time or does the memories act up enough to make him feel weird about it? How does Regis take his brother and son's Sick Days? What about Dissidia? The 3 youngest Royals getting snatched and the group watching on Crystal

spideypoolalways

Vision? Dad Titus/Regis freaking out over their kids having been summoned to a death match? And how exactly does Titus see the boys? Sons, brothers, cousins? Oooh, more Trauma. Noct, Nox and Acastus w/others playing and end up in the Crystal room. Cue the boys lighting up, maybe passing out because the magic hits their young system really hard (its why Royals aren't supposed to be Presented until 18) and everyone freaks out, and news makes it to Regis and Titus that they

spideypoolalways

Are in the infirmary and the gist of what happened via panicked guards and rush there immediately and are jumped by panicked kids talking and crying about what happened. I didn't realize I had so many questions. But now I need to know. 👀👀 Please!🙏

spideypoolalways

Oh! Just remembered a little more! Does anyone pick up on the people/places that he shouldn't know? Do they assume that Nox got some of it from Noct, like with the Marelith? Or are they assuming LC/ Oracle DNA mix?

Me: Yes, Regis asks about the papers and Titus doesn’t OUTRIGHT admit he did an illegal but he does grudgingly explain that he needed papers in case the NIfs came looking and he ... knows ... a few people who can help ... “recreate” papers for refugees who lost theirs in whatever fire or tragedy drove them from their homes.

Regis mulls over that for ten long seconds then blatantly pretends he never heard it in the first place. Those “people” likely saved the life of his son and half-brother, he can let it slide this once.

I need Nyx Ulric to adopt these two now JUST so Nyx can tease that he’s related to Captain (then later when he learns that they’re Lucis Caelums he can quietly die in a corner because OH NO HE’S RELATED TO THE KING). Not sure how or when Nyx adopts them, but he absolutely does.

It probably happens when he's just a wee bit sloshed. Not enough to be incoherent or insincere, but enough that he doesn’t feel any fear offering to adopt the pair while babysitting them because Captain had to work late and Nyx is off the combat roster until his ankle heals. Once he’s sober he is a Panic™, but Captain takes it surprisingly well and Nox loves his new braid. Acastus just looks Amused™.

Lib slaps Nyx over the head because IDIOT THINK THIS STUFF THROUGH then gives him another drink because TWO MORE ULRICS. It’s a good thing Nyx is an Ulric Keeper in this AU, because he can teach them most of the Ulric Clan stories and dances and make them proper Ulrics.

Acastus loves introducing himself as Acastus Ulric Drautos, both because it’s fancy like “Lucis Caelum” is and also because it made both Titus and Nyx spit their coffee the first time they hear it.

The Galahdians ... have mixed feelings at first. But the predominant one is that it doesn’t matter that this kid is clearly related to the Chancellor (at first they all think the Chancellor bedded Captain’s Aunt, since they don’t know about the LC blood, and that’s why he looks like Ardyn) because Captain has clearly staked a claim on him. Galahd (in my HCs) is a Very Adoption Heavy culture and big on judging people by their current family rather than any previous blood ties, so ... mostly the Chancellor thing gets intensely ignored. Acastus isn’t an Izunia, he’s a Drautos (and then later an Ulric). So they will treat him as such.

But in private there is some debate on exactly what happened, for the Chancellor to vanish around the time his ... relation (son? They mostly assume son), shows up in Drautos’s care.

No few number of them think Titus stumbled on Ardyn with the two kids and killed the Chancellor to save them.

For Nox ... the Lucis Caelum blood is basically impossible to hide. This boy LOOKS like a literal carbon copy of the Prince but younger and he’s young so his control over his magic is ... not. Not that good. Especially not when there’s so mUCH of it.

All of Galahd listened to the Glaive who was on babysitting duty when Nox had a rare tantrum and skewered the wall with ghostly blades and all privately, immediately agree to Never Tell Anyone. Ever.

Well. To be fair, they do debate whether they have a duty to tell Regis, but again the Adoption Culture comes into play and they decide it’s up to Titus to spill that secret. A few Glaives do ask Titus about it (Titus nearly has a heart attack because SINCE WHEN DID THEY KNOW) and when they ask if they know who the mother was, Titus looks very grim and very, very quiet for a long time, then admits:

There is no mother. There never was.

They stare at him in confusion until Acastus, lurking nearby with too-sharp eyes, gives a smile that could cut and says brittlely that “amazing things that can be done with science these days you know. Truly amazing. Why, get a blood sample and a tank of the right solutions and you could probably grow anything you wanted”.

The Glaives are Horrified™. So is the rest of Little Galahd when it gets around and then is made a Clan Secret by all the Clans unanimously. The secret never leaves the borders of their little slum.

Also yes, people assume that Noctis’s and Nox’s magic resonated because Nox is a clone and it freaks them out.

Regis is Such A Guilt when he finds out how Acastus knew about Noctis’s injury. No it doesn’t matter that he DIDN’T KNOW NOX EXISTED. One of his son’s (his FIVE YEAR OLD son) was suffering. Was screaming in agony and terror and Regis didn’t do a THING about it and no amount of logic can make that better.

Nox latches onto Axis’s triplets in this AU so while Iris will be best friends with him, his Shield, Hand, and Sword are actually all made up of Axis’s three kids. Axis is a BIT of an internal Scream when Nox is at the age people start making noises about him building a Retinue and taking Iris as his Shield and Nox goes, “NO. I have a Shield already! A Hand and Sword too!” And stuff spirals out to reveal Axis as Clarus’s kid (Clarus takes it much better than Axis thought he would, tho Axis didn’t expect to see Lord Amicitia go deathly pale and sit down hard in the nearest chair).

Honestly Iris might be the future love interest in this AU you never know. It would be hilarious if nothing else.

Bold of you to assume Acastus didn’t find Prompto early and bring him home to NOX because “Look Beloved Nibling I Found You A Friend!”. Prompto is a confusion because Nox is like- 4 at the time. But Prompto likes babysitting and playing with Nox and hearing Acastus’s stories and Titus just kinda- sighs his way through the playdates until he realizes that Prompto has been staying in his house for about two weeks with no sign of the parents.

Titus, after much snooping later, sitting at the kitchen table of Grandma Ostium quietly pulling his hair out: HOW DO YOU ADOPT A THIRD CHILD. DOES IT COUNT AS KIDNAPPING IF THEY COME OVER AND STAY WITH YOU FOREVER AND THE LEGAL PARENTS NEVER NOTICE. ACASTUS WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME.

Acastus: I regret nothing. Do you want me to fake Prompto’s death? I’m sure there’s enough Prompto’s out there that nobody will notice if you gain a nephew called Prompto Drautos.

Titus, holding his face in his hands while Grandma Ostium laughs at him in the corner: NO, ACASTUS. DO NOT FAKE THE DEATH OF THE CHILD. How do you even know how to do that? Nevermind I don’t want to know.

Roughly a year later when Everything Gets Revealed, Titus and Cor: *intense staring contest over Smol Blond Child*

Cor: You don’t know where he-

Titus, growling like a cranky Behemoth that might very well bite off someone’s head: He’s a Niflheim created clone. I know.

Cor: ....

Titus: He's been living in my house for a year. I’ve seen the barcode. It’s not like I wasn’t raising one already.

Cor: His legal parents-

Titus: Is me. The Argentums were emotionally neglectful and didn’t even notice when he hadn’t come home for a week and a half.

Cor: *guilty angry silence*

Titus: ...Kid could use an uncle. If you want to man up and be part of his life.

(hgfhg this is post is getting long Imma try to speed through the last questions a bit)

Yes, Nox hangs out with the Chocobros when he can because he adores them (especially Brother Prompto and Team Mom Iggy) but he also has his own friend group in the Little Galahd community so it doesn’t strike anyone as odd really. Nox is a naturally loving child for all he’s shy and Iggy and Gladio are Noctis’s friends and Prompto is his adopted brother (and later Noctis’s best friend).

Regis does Not take the Sick Days well. It makes him alarmed and angry because Lucis Caelums aren’t supposed to get sick days from their own magic and it speaks of BAD THINGS that both of the presumably experimented on and tortured LCs have them.

I’m going to have to come back to Dissidia another time (someone remind me) because this post is too long to ramble here but it would be- it would be Great. Honestly. It would either be the 3 littlest, just Acastus, or just Acastus and REGIS for some brotherly bonding and any of them would be Great and Chaotic. Crystal-o-vision absolutely happens.

The Crystal Room is under 24 hour guard so I don’t think the kids could wander in by accident, plus Acastus would actively avoid the area because of his Trauma.

Now Acastus being presented when he turns 18 on the other hand... >:))))))

Short Version: Much shouting, much alarm, much angst from Regis and Titus and everyone and also the first Sick Day Acastus has had since he turned 17 and by far one of the worst he’s ever had in his (second) life.

I might to a longer version later but not right now.

For Nox’s oddities and odd knowledge they kind of assume both? At first they think it’s just him resonating with Noctis so deeply that there’s a transfer (cue angst from Regis because what is going to happen to Nox when Noctis fulfills his destiny as Chosen King???) but then when Nox starts knowing stuff Noctis doesn’t/can’t know, they start to wonder if the scientists ... Tampered with his DNA. If they got their hands on Noctis’s, which should have been impossible, then it’s not all that out there they got their hands on Oracle DNA.

Sylva is ... very alarmed and very confused when Regis secretly contacts her on a secure encrypted line to ask if there were any ... symptoms to look for in an Oracle child. Because- yes there were but WHY DO YOU NEED TO KNOW?

Regis: they wouldn’t happen to be *lists very specific things*

Sylva: ....Have you seen any Messengers nearby lately.

Regis: Carbuncle, a black puppy that disappears into thin air, and a bird woman who can summon wind storms. She calls herself Garuda.

Sylva, having a minor crisis behind her Queenly Facade: I am Very Sure I only have two children so please explain this. Right Now.

Regis: Well............. NiflheimclonedmysonandIthinkmixeditwiththednaofyouoryourdaughterandhehasseerpowersandImayormaynotbepanickingrightnowpleasehelpme.

Sylva, slowly running that over in her mind and figuring out what Regis just said:...

W H A T.

XD Honestly Niflheim might invade Tenebrae only to find the royal family gone because Sylva coincidentally packed her backs and took her and her children on a secret trip to Lucis to have a look at Nox, then since they’re there when Niflheim invades and a spy gets word on what just happened Sylva and Co just- stay there. Oracle Mom Death averted.

Also they absolutely think that it’s Luna’s DNA they used to make Nox because of how instantly Nox gloms onto Luna like a limpet- JUST like he did with Noctis and Regis, and how Luna gets this dazed look in her eyes as their magic tangles and she whispers, “I ... I know you. I know you, don’t I Little Prince? I met you in a dream.” Luna starts crying softly as she pets Nox’s hair and when Sylva asks in alarm why she’s crying, Luna blinks and whispers, “Because he was crying in the dream, and I couldn’t comfort him.”

Acastus lurks in the shadows, watching it all with ... very mixed feelings.

Oracles. He could have gone his entire second life without meeting anymore Oracles. Aera she looks so much like you is that what our daughter would have looked like and oh astrals I KILLED her. I killed the girl with your eyes and your smile and laughed about it later.

#Secret Engima Rambles #Sweet Sixteen verse #Nox verse #long post

[doctenwho]

Woes of Infertility

Hello! So, I had to do a bit of reaserch for this one in an attempt to make it as real as I possibly could. The emotions and thoughts weren’t ones I’d ever thought of, so, y’know-- hopefully it’s alright! Thank you for the request, it was fun to write!

I tried to keep it sad (but fluffy) but I can never seem to leave things at hurt. I’ve always gotta add that comfort in! I think it could be read as 10th or 11th doctor (I wrote as Ten) since sadness is relatively the same between the Doctors (as far as I’ve seen). Lemme know if it can, and I’ll add Eleven’s tags and an Eleven gif too!

Warnings: Sad, Infertility(?)

Word Count: 3,492

Summary: Read prompt above!

(Gif’s not mine! Credit to creator!)

It was a slow walk back to the TARDIS. The Doctor was at your side, just as quiet as you were. This wasn’t like your normal trips to earth, where you’d stop in and save the world, or where you’d come home and visit your folks, or even your friends.  

The two of you had spent the afternoon at an obstetrician’s office. It... wasn’t the news you’d wanted to hear when you’d stepped into the office with the Doctor on you heels.  

You’d been trying to get pregnant for a little over a year.  

You and the Doctor had both agreed that maybe it was time to bring a child into the world. It had taken some persuasion, but you’d come to an agreement in the end.

You’d always wanted kids, since you were very young. It had been the one thing you’d always seen in your future. A little you, or a miniature copy of whomever you happened to end up with in life. Now you couldn’t seem to imagine anything besides a little tiny Doctor toddling around the TARDIS. You couldn’t get the thought of cradling a baby that resembled a bit of you, and a bit of the Doctor in your arms.  

It had taken years for the Doctor to allow himself to even think about fathering another child—let alone a half time-lord, half human baby. You knew he’d lost his first child in Gallifrey, he’d shared that a while back, after knowing him for years. You also knew that he had the galaxy on his shoulders already, and the planet of earth relying on him so heavily.  

He’d be stupid not to be wary at the thought of a baby relying on him too. The galaxy of people was one thing, but his own offspring depending on him would be something else entirely.  

You probably would never be able to fully understand how the Doctor’s mind was processing the thought of you wanting a baby with him. There was a lot he needed to think about before he could make that kind of commitment again.  

Plus, there was the fact that humans and time-lords reproducing together wasn’t rationally a good idea. He was an alien, no matter how human he looked. And you were still a human. The two of you were biologically different, but you didn’t think that should really matter. So, what if your baby has two hearts in the end? One or two hearts, you’d love the child with all your heart. And you knew for a fact the Doctor would feel the same way.  

But despite his initial hesitance, you’d managed to get him on board. You’d managed to get him as excited at the idea of the two of you creating a baby together as you were. He was thrilled now, waiting patiently and doing his best to keep you happy, and safe in his world of dangers.  

You weren’t keen on raising a child while travelling. You loved the TARDIS, and knew that she would be a perfect home for your baby to grow up in, just like it had been a perfect home for you to start your life with the Doctor, but you’d like to keep everything in earth’s atmosphere.  

And to your surprise, the Doctor had agreed to do just that for the first few years of the child’s life.

You’d had everything planned out. The two of you talked about names, both human and Gallifreyan. You were planning things even though you’d really had nothing to be planning for you. You’d gotten a bit ahead of yourself—the both of you had.  

The Doctor even showed you what few baby items he had hidden away in the TARDIS. There was really nothing cuter than the little cradle the Doctor had shown you with his name engraved in the headboard wood.  

You’d been so excited at the thought of having a child, and it was frustrating that you’d been trying for so long, but hadn’t had any luck. You really wanted nothing more than a baby of your own. A baby that looked like you, and the Doctor. A piece of the both of you.

But you hadn’t been successful.

No matter how long you waited, or how perfectly you timed things, or what fertility tricks you tried out that friends, and family had to offer.  

You did not fall pregnant.  

And you were worried. You’d voiced your concerns to the Doctor, and you knew he was worried too. He was worried, but he always did that thing where he acted like he wasn’t and put your feelings before his own. But you knew he was worried too.

You’d booked an appointment with an obstetrician that was recommended by a friend and waited for the day to come when you could arrive at the office and learn exactly what you were seeking, or maybe even find some help in the path to parenthood.  

You’d walked into that office hopeful for a bright future with a child of your own, and you’d walked out with a broken heart.  

The obstetrician had studied the two of you when you walked into her office, talked brightly and offered wisdom you hadn’t known about the reproductive process and pregnancy. She’d sat you down, and given you an examination that you’d hoped would’ve given you some answers. She hadn’t looked too much into the Doctor, but he didn’t seem to mind.  

And really, the last thing you guys needed was the obstetrician finding the Doctor’s second heart and calling the police, or maybe even the government.  

You really just wanted to know if you were able to carry a child.  

You’d never have guessed you’d have irregular ovulation. You’d always just assume everyone had inconsistent cycles. That missing a period here and there was normal. No one had ever told that it could be an ovarian syndrome.  

You’d listened silently to the obstetrician explain everything to the two of you, the Doctor’s hand on your thigh as his thumb rubbed a calming back and forth pattern. You’d never met a guy so in tune with your emotions, but you supposed if there ever was to be one, it would’ve been the Doctor.  

The woman went on to talk about fertility treatments, and getting the Doctor tested as well. You promised you’d look into it, but you knew you wouldn’t.  

You and the Doctor both knew he couldn’t have an exam down on earth, not when he differed from humans even in the slightest. You didn’t want to lose him to a lab of scientists, so you’d just had to... accept fate. There wasn’t much more you could do. Not with your unorthodox relationship.  

You and the Doctor said your farewells to the woman as she apologized sympathetically for the unfortunate news you received. You left the office in a hurried pace, breezing passed the couples in the waiting room, all in varying stages of pregnancy.  

You tried not to look at them, because if you did, you’d surely cry. And you’d rather not bawl your eyes out in a doctor’s waiting room, around a bunch of women all hormonal and pregnant. Something you’d probably never be.

You knew you could still look into fertility treatment, even if just for yourself instead of for both you and the Doctor. You were sure you’d have more luck if it were both you and the Doctor taking the treatment, but there wasn’t much else you could do on you home planet, and you were afraid to do anything to yourself on a planet that wasn’t yours.  

And you still couldn’t (and never would) know if it was simply the biological differences between human and time-lord refusing to battling to be the dominant species of the baby you desire. Perhaps your different DNA’s were doing more against you in the process than you’d thought.  

And you’d never know, because you’d never be desperate enough to put the Doctor in danger to test it.

The two of you walked slowly to where the Doctor had parked the TARDIS, hidden away in an alley behind the obstetrician’s office. You walked right beside the Doctor; close together and almost shoulder to shoulder. The Doctor’s hands were buried in his pockets, while yours were motionlessly hanging by your sides.  

You were suddenly so exhausted. You were tired of the world and this day. What had been said in that office was finally hitting you—and it was hitting you like a freight truck. You could hardly bear the thought of the news you’d been given. It had been so much worse than whatever you were expecting.  

You never really expect something like this to happen to you. To be one of the few who can’t have a baby. It’s always someone else suffering because of it, or heartbroken over it—but never you.  

Until it is.  

Beside you, the Doctor slipped his hand into your own, and laced your fingers together. You turned your head slightly to see him looking down at you with an unreadable look. Or, maybe you just didn���t have the energy to read it.  

He didn’t say anything, but he led you along to the TARDIS like he always did.  

The Doctor unlocked and opened the door when the two of you arrived, but you were quick to make your way in past the console room and into the bed that you more often than not shared with the Doctor.  

It was a bit weird that the two of you shared a room. Not in the traditional way, you knew on earth it was completely normal for a couple to share a bed, but in the sense that the Doctor didn’t sleep a lot. He mostly joined you very late at night, or sometimes just for cuddles.  

He was always so busy, so you liked it when the Doctor would leave the console room and whatever he was thinking about to just lay in bed with you. And sometimes even fall asleep with you.  

And slowly, in that process, the room the TARDIS had made for you, had expanded and became a bedroom for both of you. It was honestly cute that the TARDIS made the room bigger, and added pillows and other things to accommodate the Doctor into the room as well. You’d taken that to mean the TARDIS approved of your relationship.

As you made your way to your bedroom, you couldn’t help but get lost in thought. You knew the Doctor was hurting just as much as you, but if you knew him, he’d be itching to get off earth and away from everything.  

And you couldn’t say you weren’t happy to get off earth right now as well. It didn’t take away the problem, but it pushed it out for a bit. It was irrational, but you couldn’t help but tie your current problems to earth. It was just something to blame that wasn’t yourself, or the Doctor, because you knew neither of you were at fault.  

Upon arriving at your room, you dropped yourself into your bed heavily. You were quick to curl yourself up in a ball, knees pulled up to your chest and the side of your face buried in the pillow. You were tucked under the covers, hiding from head to toe.  

The Doctor didn’t come to you right away. Not that you minded. It was nice to have a moment alone with your thoughts. This news had been dropped on you like a bomb, you’d really thought you were going to walk into that office, get some kind of vitamins or something, and fall pregnant in the following weeks.  

And you knew he needed a moment to get his thoughts in order as well. This wasn’t just hard on you; you knew the Doctor was devastated about the news too—he just liked to hide it, and tend to you instead of worry about himself.  

It was only about ten minutes later that the Doctor walked into the room. He came to your side first, setting a mug on your nightstand before moving to his own side and crawling into the bed beside you. He remained on top of the covers, since most of them were cocooned around you.  

You felt his hand settle on the side of you head, over the covers. He pulled them down enough that he could see your face before settling his hand again and running his fingers through your hair. You gave a heavy sigh, uncurling your body from the tight ball and sliding up so you were resting against the headboard.  

You grabbed the mug off the night stand, noting your favorite tea, prepared just the way you liked it. The Doctor didn’t have a mug for himself in his hands, nor was there one on his nightstand, but he didn’t really like earth food and drink too much.  

You cradled the drink between your palms, leaning into the Doctor and sighing again. The man moved his arm so he could wrap it around your shoulders, and pulled you slack into his side. You curled into the embrace, willing yourself not to cry as you tried to sip at the tea he’d brought you.  

Neither of you said anything for a long while, just settled into a comforting silence. You’d both need a moment to think before you talked it over anyways. The whole future the two of you had been planning had basically been flipped upside down.  

You shut your eyes as you thought, sipping the tea occasionally as you tried to organize your thoughts. You didn’t open your eyes until you heard the Doctor speak above you.  

“I know this wasn’t the news you wanted to hear... I didn’t want to hear it either, but everything will be alright, my love,” the Doctor’s voice was soft, his cheek was resting on the top of your head, “we’ll do everything we can to help with fertility, and we’ll see this doctor the obstetrician referred us too and maybe... maybe we’ll get lucky?”

“We can’t,” you told him firmly, voice wobbling, “a fertility doctor will want a full medical exam of the both of us, and that’s not safe for you. As much as I want a baby, I won’t lose you in the process. I won’t.”

The Doctor didn’t say anything, but you could feel him looking down at you. You honestly weren’t willing to let the Doctor be taken away just so you could have the child you’d been dreaming of. It wasn’t worth it if it wasn’t you and the Doctor raising the baby together. You wanted a family with the Doctor, not just a baby.  

“I don’t know what I should say,” the Doctor mumbled honestly, frowning sadly, “I don’t know what to say to make this better. I’m sorry things aren’t working out right now, and I know you really wanted this, but this doesn’t change anything, alright?”

You gave him a nod, squeezing your eyes shut as you spoke, “it’s just... everyone’s expecting a baby. My parents have always hinted at a grandchild, and... I just really wanted to be a mother. It’s not fair, Doctor.”

“No, it’s not,” the man sighed heavily, leaning into you, “we can keep trying though.”

He paused, studying you before continuing, voice a soft whisper beside you. He ran his hand up and down the length of your back smoothly, “we can keep trying and we can jump through all the hoops she gave us to increase our chances, and hope that we get lucky but... there’s a good chance this may never happen for us.”

“I know,” you sniffled. “I was just... I was so excited, you know? A baby of our own. A cute little me, or an adorable little you toddling around the TARDIS? We’ll never... we’ll never have that.”

You pulled away from the Doctor just enough for you to set your mug back on the nightstand and slide back down to a laying position. You pulled the covers tighter around yourself as you buried the side of your face back into the pillow.

“I know,” the Doctor sighed, laying down beside you and molding his body around yours. He nuzzled his nose into the back of your neck, “it’s just... not a possibility for us now. I wanted this as much as you did, and I’m sorry it’s not a reality for us. I’m just glad you’re okay. Maybe you can’t have a baby, but you’re still healthy, and that’s all I can ask for.”

“It’s not your fault,” you told him softly, turning to face him, “it just... wasn’t meant to be, I guess. Maybe we’ll still get lucky, and be blessed with a baby somewhere down the line. Who knows?”

You swallowed, willing yourself not to cry. You cleared your throat, looking back at the Doctor with a tiny watery smile, “as long as we’re both healthy.”

The Doctor gave you a small smile in reply, face a twisted mess of fondness and grief.  

You were laying almost nose to nose with the Doctor. His hand had settled on the curve of your side, thumb rubbing those calming patterns once more. You felt a bit bad that the Doctor was doing all the comforting, when it was the two of you who were both feeling the heart break of the situation.  

The Doctor didn’t seem to mind though, and you knew he liked to care for you. This was probably his way of coping with the news.  

“We were going to be a family,” you whispered, eyes slipped shut, “you, and me, and the baby. And the TARDIS. She would’ve been a perfect home for our baby.”

“We are a family,” the Doctor’s voice replied, just as calm and soft as your own. He pressed a quick kiss to your lips, “we’re a family. Maybe we don’t have kids yet, and maybe we can’t physically have our own children, but there are other ways, right?”

You knew there were other ways to have children. There was using a surrogate, or possibly adoption. Surrogacy wasn’t technically an option for the two of you, since you didn’t want to put Time-Lord DNA and off-spring into an unsuspecting woman. You were fully aware of everything but any other human definitely wouldn’t have been.

As much as the Doctor was right about the alternative suggestions, right now it didn’t feel the same. You knew they were possibilities, that it would probably be more likely to get a child via those means, but it wasn’t the same. Maybe it was the heartbreak at not being to carry a baby of your own, but it just didn’t feel right.  

Maybe in a few days, or weeks or years, but the hurt right now was still too fresh for you to really see and think about the option of getting a baby from somewhere else. It truly was heartbreaking. No one wants to hear how low their possibility of conceiving a child is.  

You really had nothing against adoption—it was an amazing thing for both parents in search of children who, like you, were unable to have their own, but also for children needing homes. You knew sometime down the line you’d be all over that... but right now, with the heart break so fresh, you couldn’t wrap your mind around it.  

All you’d wanted was a baby of your own. A baby that was half you, and half the doctor. A perfectly little miracle of human and time-lord nature. A child that was yours, and the Doctors.  

And it honestly sucked that the chances of that happening were so slim. That the chance of you getting pregnant were low, less than five percent—at least from what the obstetrician said.  

You felt bad that you couldn’t give the Doctor what you’d talked him into. You’d gotten him excited for this baby, and now there would be no baby to get excited for. Not one from you, anyways.  

“It’s not the same,” you sniffled, wiping away a couple tears, “it sounds awful, but it wouldn’t be the same, Doctor. It’s just--”

“Shh,” the man consoled, “it’ll be alright. If I know anything about the universe, it’s that it always sorts itself out. Everything will be alright, okay? Maybe not right now, maybe not in a few weeks, but it will sometime.”

You let your head tuck under the man’s chin as he pulled you close again. You weren’t going to say it, but you really couldn’t imagine it being alright in this moment.  

You’d probably never get the child you’d always hoped for. You’d never get that deep level of motherhood others had. You’d never get that natural connection with a child of your own. And right now, it didn’t feel like the pain would ever go away.  

<><><><>

As always, I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to re-prompt if it wasn’t what you were looking for! Thanks once more for the request, it really was fun to work on (and the research was cool as well!).

#Tenth Doctor #tenth doctor x reader #tenth doctor x you #10th doctor #10th doctor x reader #10th doctor x you #doctor who #doctor who 2005 #TARDIS #writing prompt #reader insert #fanfiction #fanfic

[wannawritefast]

Whiplash: Chapter 1- Playing Defense

A/N: Hey, y’all. I know the prologue didn’t get a whole lot of attention but I’ve written a substantial amount for this and I am VERY proud of how much I’ve written and what I’ve written. Also, huge shoutout to @andtheswordwentsnickersnack​ for beta reading this beast of a fic that I’ve been working on for WAYYYY too long LMAO...

Pairing: BoRhap!Brian May x fem!Reader

Prologue

Warnings: Mentions of alcohol, awful men, sexism

You loved your family. Really, you did.

But there were times, and many times they were, that you would have been more comfortable ripping your own hair out strand-by-strand than having to sit through another session of verbal abuse.

You weren’t entirely certain what you had done, if anything, to deserve such discrimination from your grandfather, father, and brother amongst a few cousins and uncles. It was like 3 generations of men in your family had decided to use you as a verbal punching bag.

You still vividly remembered the time you had told them that you didn’t particularly appreciate how they talked to you. They laughed right in your face and told you to grow a thicker skin. That Y/l/n’s were a tougher breed than most and that if you couldn’t handle it then maybe you weren’t of their blood.

October break wasn’t any different. Your family had met up for your annual dinner together aside from Christmas.

“And what about you? When are you going to settle down, Y/n?” your grandfather quipped after shoveling a spoonful of mashed potatoes. “I want some great-grandbabies!”

Before you could even open your mouth in response your brother, James, chimed in. “I wouldn’t count on anyone banging her anytime soon.”

“Well,” you chuckled, “would you look at who’s talking?” James grumbled to himself and threw a pea at you which you successfully evaded. You turned your head to address your grandfather. “And I’m not your only grandchild. You have a grandson too, you know.”

You nodded toward your brother and your grandfather hardly even blinked at the last sentence. He either didn’t hear you or didn’t care. Proof that he used any and every opportunity to undermine you. Your grandfather scoffed and mumbled to himself gruffly.

You practically heard your father’s eye roll. “Your career is only so fulfilling.”

“Dad, I’m an astrophysicist and a damn good one, I’d like to think. If my career wasn’t fulfilling enough, I’d be seriously questioning all of the time and money I spent at university writing my thesis and graduating top 5 in my year.” You took a bite out of your roll. Why did you have to defend yourself every time you came home? It was exhausting!

“I’m just saying that you aren’t fully happy until you’ve settled down.”You rolled your eyes at your father. You didn’t have the time to focus on your love life. You barely had time to do your studies as it was. Furthermore, no man you had met seemed to like you after finding out you were an astrophysicist. Nobody seemed to click with you well.

“Why do I need more than my career to be fulfilled in life?” You asked seriously.The whole table laughed at your question. Even the kiddie table laughed but it was just hive mind reflex. You certainly did want to get married and have a family someday but you were making a point to your father. Who was he to dictate what made you happy?

“Please, Y/n,” James piped up again, “that’s what lonely people say to feel better about themselves.”

Ouch. That one stung more than you should have let it. You took a drink to keep yourself from letting a tear roll.

“Who ever said that she’s single?” Your sister spoke suddenly. You coughed and sputtered on your drink. Your neck turned to Donna so swiftly that you probably could have snapped it.

“Are you implying that my eldest daughter is dating a boy,” your mother raised her brows at you conspiratorially, “and didn’t tell me? Is it that smart, goofy boy you fancied at university for the longest time?” She couldn’t seem to keep a grin from spreading across her face.You flushed red at her question. Nobody needed to know that. Except now they did because you were, apparently, no longer single. Everybody at the table locked their eyes on you, muttering to each other. You looked at your sister in panic.

“Go on,” her voice cracked and she cleared her throat before bringing her cup to her lips. “Tell them about your boyfriend.”

Gee thanks… She had just started digging you into a hole.“Wait just a second! Let’s rewind a moment.” James questioned incredulously. “My sister, the stick in the mud astrophysicist, has a boyfriend? Why haven’t you mentioned him before?”

“It’s not relevant who I may or-” you looked at your sister pointedly; she fiddled with her fork “-may not be dating.” The fact that James wasn’t buying it was making you quite nervous. You were more offended though than anything. “Is it really so hard to believe that I’d be dating someone?”

“Yes!”

“Believe it, James” Donna insisted, pointing her fork at him. Put down your damn shovel!

“Have you banged him?” Your brother asked in the silence.

You picked up your drink and splashed him in the face. Your mother softly scolded you for your actions but you were completely unapologetic for what James more than deserved. How you shared the same DNA with such a tool was beyond you… 

“That is hardly your business,” you snipped. You turned and stared down Donna. You were going to have to tell them the truth…

“Ok, that’s quite enough,” your mother stopped everything. Oh, thank the Lord. “We’re here to talk about your sister not her boyfriend.” Thank you, mother. “She’ll just have to bring him over for Christmas!”

You stood up from your chair and it scraped along the floor. What had you done…“That’s ridiculous! What if he wants us to spend time with his family for Christmas?” Why were you even going along with this? Why were you defending your hypothetical boyfriend?

“Then you can split the time between the two!”

“What if he doesn’t want to meet you guys yet?” You suggested. This hole is getting awfully big, Y/n. “Meeting parents is a big deal!” The statement came out as more of a question than a defense. You were honestly hoping for one, just one, objection to stick. “I don’t want to scare him off.”

“Who wouldn’t want to meet us?” Your mother asked. You resisted the urge to answer the question.

“Well, what if we’re not even together anymore by that time?”

“Wow, you really can’t hold onto a man for that long, Y/n? It seems to me like you would have been making this whole thing up if you are ‘broken up’ by then.” James finished wiping his face with a napkin after his encounter with your drink. You locked eyes with him. He was onto you.

“I’m not making this up,” you lied. Apparently you hadn’t put down your shovel yet either.“Then bring him home for Christmas,” James challenged. “Otherwise we’ll know it's a lie.”

Your family was on the edge of their seats and, for the time being, the logistics of the challenge didn’t matter. You were fed up with your brother constantly tearing you down. You were tired of your father not being pleased with anything you did. And you were exhausted by your grandfather’s insistence that you were nothing more than a source for great-grandkids. You got no respect at work and you certainly didn’t get any damn respect at home.

And so you did it. You extended your arm toward your stupid brother’s stupid hand and grasped it firmly with a shake.

“You’ve got yourself a deal, brother dearest.”

[{...}]

Eventually the extended family left and you went to your sister’s bedroom since you were sharing the room and the bed for break.

“Why in the bloody hell would you do something like that?!” You lowered your voice so that your family, more specifically James, wouldn’t hear you. Your sister sat on the bed cross-legged, fiddling with the ends of her hair.

“I’m sorry!” Donna yelled. You shushed her as you brushed your hair. “I couldn’t just watch. James crossed a line with that comment. I just wanted to wipe that stupid smile off of his dumb face.”

“Watch your language, why don’t you?” You teased. She rolled her eyes at you. “But I was fine, honestly. I’m used to it.”

“You shouldn’t be!” You hissed at Donna to be quiet again. “It was nice for them to shut up for a few moments and see you as a normal human being.”

Your heart was warm but you were in a state of complete panic. “That’s such a sweet sentiment in such a terrible circumstance!” You dug your fingers into your temples and threw yourself onto the bed. “What am I supposed to do? I can’t just go up to a guy and say ‘I need you to be my fake boyfriend because my sister dug me into a bloody hole’! You know I can barely get guys to talk to me on a casual basis!” Your voice dropped in volume, no louder than a whisper. “What makes you think that I can get one to play my boyfriend?” You let out a frustrated sigh.

“I honestly did not foresee the consequences of my actions and I am very sorry.”

“Do you think?” You growled to yourself. “Bloody hell… what am I going to do?”

Your sister scratched the back of her neck. “I mean, you have time… It is only October…”

“But I’m going to have to find someone eventually… if I find one.” You gnawed on a fingernail.

“You’ll be fine!” Donna breathed. She curled herself into the blankets next to you. You felt sick to your stomach.

“Yeah…,” you inhaled deeply, “and I’ve got time…”

#borhap fanfic #bohemian rhapsody #bohemian rhapsody fanfic #bohemian rhapsody fandom #brian may x reader #gwilym!brian #gwilym!brian x reader #gwilym lee!brian may #gwylim lee!brian may x reader #slow burn #fem!reader #reader insert #friends to lovers #friends to lovers AU #fake dating!au #borhap #fluff #fanfiction #bohemian rhapsody fanfiction

[apples-r-rubbish]

John (11 x reader) Part 3

Word count:  3.1k Warnings: Violence (!!!), death mention AN: FINAL PART! Thank you so much for the support on the other parts of this. I have some stuff planned for the future (13 x reader ;) ) but if you enjoyed feel free to follow and request things! Thank you so much hope you enjoy! Anyway, geronimo!

PART 1 PART 2

A smile appeared quickly, then it vanished as soon as it arrived, he cursed low underneath his breath, running across the room to you, concern clear on his face. His hair had already slipped back to the way it was before no longer slicked back, you believed it was a timelord thing.

“(Y/N), what the hell did you do?” He scalded examining your wounds, finally sounding like himself

“Well, we needed a distraction, you weren’t opening the watch anytime soon, we needed to put as much distance as we could between them and-”

“So you decided to use yourself as bait? As a punching bag?” You paused for a second and breathed, he didn’t remember. 

“It’s fine,” you reasoned shortly, trying to diffuse the situation, “we need to go anyway, Rory and Amy are dealing with the remainder of that thing, they ran into the forest, I’ve managed to slow it down enough,” 

You went to run, adrenaline heavy in your veins, an involuntary scream ripped through you. 

“What are you like honestly? Can’t leave you humans alone for 5 minutes, nevermind 6 months,” He said pulling your arm around him so he could support your weight. 

“Doctor it’s been 2 years, didn’t you realise?”

“2 years? I thought your hair looked different or you looked older. Or maybe it could be the air,”

“Aw thanks, I missed you too, and your lovely comments about my appearance,” You said sarcastically.

“How did you get stabbed? Please tell me I didn’t-”

“No one of those things attacked me, because it wanted the chameleon thing. He also tried to strangle me,” You said, dizziness embracing you

“Woah, ok, ok, I’m going to have to carry you because you are not going to make it to them, like that,” He picked up gently, with a surprising level of ease “There we go? Comfortable?”

You mumbled a brief yes, redness clear in your face. “C’mon (L/N), we have to go save the Ponds,”

Amy and Rory were covered in the thick blue liquid and out of breath, by the time you had found them. They’d managed to fight off the older three men and had abandoned what was left of Edward Grey searching for the fake pocket watch.

“John, you’re-” Amy started, attempting to rub some of the sapphire fluid off her face and failing, as it was coated over the majority of her clothes

“Not John anymore,” You cut in, your voice weaker once again, fake confidence vanished

“And what have you been up?” Rory questioned, noticing the blood that had seeped into the doctor’s former pristine white shirt

“Got stabbed, no big deal, don’t even worry about me,” you laughed a fragile chuckle escaping your lips

“Rory, I need you to take her from me, I’ve got to find that child and the thing that caused it and get rid of it,” He stated, darkly. You felt your weight shift between the two men. Then the doctor kissed the man on the forehead followed by a small smile and then he whispered something to him that neither you couldn't hear. He hugged Amy tightly, “I’ve missed you raggedy man, it’s been a painfully dull two years.” She held him tightly for a moment, he kissed her briefly on the forehead

“Try not to get stabbed again, whilst I’m gone.” he said, his lips ghosted your forehead, “right gang, back soon, don’t follow,” He nodded before dashing into the forest.

About 3 minutes later all of you were trailing behind him, still in Rory’s arms, the bleeding becoming less frequent from your fresh cuts. You found the doctor rambling to the boy, his sonic screwdriver being thrown between his hands with increasing anxiety

“I knew you were a Valgun, something about you never seemed right, even as a human though I could never find the right words. I understand my species is a rare one, but to trap me for no reason other than as a experiment simply so you can learn some deep secret of my people is not the way to go,” He paused for breath “To trap me and my friends here for years is unacceptable, to strand them here is soulless, and to nearly mortally injure one of them is something you should’ve never done. I thought the Valgun were supposed to be clever, evidently not as you’ve realised hurting people close to me will not make me give in. You will only succeed in making me incredibly angry.”

“But we got your attention. The oncoming storm, the destroyer of worlds, the warrior,” The boy began, the low voice booming, the child’s mouth hung open like a startled fish.

“Do you want to know how I got those names? It wasn’t by being peaceful, it was from those days where I have seen destroyed planets, watched suns burn, and saved no one. Those days are long, long behind me, are you afraid? If you aren’t, I’d advise you to be. In fact, the only thing that has stopped me from ending you is that fact you inhabit that child.” 

It laughed. You felt your body shift involuntarily, pushing yourself from Rory’s grasp and standing. 

“What the hell is going on? What did you do to her?” The doctor shouted, noticing you all. The voice spoke again  “We guessed you would not follow us easily, we injected her when one of the bodies tried to kill her. Slow acting poison and Valgun DNA. If you come with us she’ll live. If you don’t the following situation will be quite, painful for her,”

“Rory, Amy, run, back to the TARDIS, I can fix this,” He said, fixing his crooked bowtie, as the married couple sprinted away, not wanting to further anger the doctor. He rushed to you, practically falling over himself

“Valgun DNA means we can control her, her final few minutes, however we want. However you want,” 

“Run you stupid old man,” was all you a managed to wheeze out before the boy snapped his pale fingers. Your face contorted instantly, a choking expression clear on your face, falling to the autumn floor, shaking violently. 

“Stop it, leave her alone,” he said kneeling next to you

“Or time lord we can make her fall in love with you. We understand John was rather fond of her” Another snap, your arms were around him, you pressed an involuntary kiss to his lips. He grabbed your arms as gently as he could and removed them from around him

“Stop that. Stop that right now. You want me, fine but do not hurt her. She’s gone through enough. She’s already injured and possibly dying. Let her go!” He snarled anger increasing with every syllable. Another snap, your body jolted back as you lay on the floor panting, desperate to inhale oxygen pressing a desperate hand to your wound. 

“So you have chosen to come with us?” The voice rumbled

“Oh I never said that,” He said, his head cocked to one side in a smug manner “Three things, you must know in this situation.  One, I don’t compromise especially in situations like this. Two, (Y/N) I swear this won’t hurt a bit,” He said pulling out his sonic screwdriver again “Three, there's one thing you never put in a trap if you're smart. If you value your continued existence, if you have any plans about seeing tomorrow, there's one thing you never, ever put in a trap. Me. Geronimo!” 

The screwdriver buzzed. Pain erupted in every nerve, screams tore through you

“No. Stop it! Stop it now! You will die! You will come with us! You will- You will-” The voice repeated, a desperate attempt to save itself. Edward stood there convulsing in agony, he stiffened suddenly against the shaking, his mouth closing and eyes rolling forward. A sharp breath came from his system, before, it steadily disintegrated and became one with the earth. The Doctor paused for a second examining the situation, before rushing back over you, his knees covered in mud not caring about the state of his formerly pristine suit.

“So, that was definitely a lie, about it not hurting then,” You mumbled weakly, a small cough escaping you. 

“Are you alright? Are you ok?” He soothed smoothing your back down

“I mean other than the stab wound, almost being strangled and whatever happened there, I’m fine,” a small laugh breaking the tension. The blood hadn’t stopped flowing from your wound.

“Right, we need to get you back to the TARDIS as fast as we can. Patch up that wound and get that DNA out your system.” He helped you on your your feet, the world slipped slightly and he caught you before you fell flat against your face “c’mon, fight it, stay awake for me, please,”

He clutched you in his arms, as he ran as fast as he possibly could, checking up on you every so often, assuring you were still conscious. 

“What did you say to Rory earlier?” you murmured, vision blurring as you spoke, a final attempt to make yourself look strong

“I told him to run when I said to, I knew you were going to follow me.” 

“Doctor, I-”

At that point, he had noticed you had lost your grip on reality, it had slipped away from you, “No, no, no, no, no, stay with me. I need you to stay. I’ve only just got you back. You need to live, you have to live. When you wake up, we’ll go anywhere you like, anywhere, as much running as you want. As long as you want to, anywhere, just stay, please stay. I can’t lose another. I can’t lose you,” he cried tears falling dramatically, as he speed picked up. He practically kicked the TARDIS doors in, Amy and Rory cursing when they saw you.

You woke up in the TARDIS in one of the few medical bays dotted throughout the ship. Your body ached as you pushed yourself into a sitting position. The room was medium sized, there was a chair next to bed you were in which currently held the doctor, asleep, glasses on, book practically slipping out of his hands. Your stab wound was patched up and most of your bruises seemed to be gone. You carefully got up and slipped out of the room trying to keep your noises to a minimum so you wouldn’t wake up the sleeping timelord. It seems like human habits had taken a toll on him. The console room greeted you with a quiet hum, which you assumed was a good thing. Amy and Rory stopped their conversation when they heard you, you shuffled towards them after picking up your coat from the railing

“There she is, the woman of the hour. Enjoy your three week nap?” Amy asked, giving you a tight hug when you approached

“I was out for 3 weeks? God, I’m sorry I put you through that,” You apologised

“Nah, it’s fine, we didn’t really deal with it. I mean we were concerned, but the Doctor took it particularly badly. He insisted that he stay with you as much as possible. He read to you, insisting something to do with timelord healing or culture or something. He insisted it was his fault too,” Rory said “claiming, that if he hadn’t been that reckless in the first place you wouldn’t have copied him, something like that,” 

“Nah,” You mumbled, stuffing your hands into your pockets and frowning instinctively, “where’s the fun in safety? He shouldn’t blame himself, I took on too much. I mean, I literally got stabbed, that’s quite clearly my fault,” 

You pulled an almost empty pack of cigarettes out of your jacket pocket. 

“(Y/N), please don’t fill your body with those chemicals, you’ve literally just got out of a coma,” Rory frowned

“Let me finish this pack and I’ll quit, cold turkey, I’ve had a rough few weeks and a few close calls I think I’m allowed a cig or two, considering I’ve spent at least 2 years on them,” you shot back with a small smile, in response he simply rolled his eyes. Swinging the TARDIS door open, you observed the view of a star system, a beautiful portrait of a mess of colour and light, you sat down with your legs hanging out the doors. Footsteps could be heard behind you followed by, “You could’ve have woken me up, you know”

“Absolutely not, you looked too peaceful, pretty boy. Also I wanted some fresh air and a view,” You chuckled, not turning your head to face him. “Rory, Amy, can you give us a moment please, I would like to talk to (Y/N) in private just make sure she’s alright,” the doctor said, his voice calmer than previously. The couple nodded and wandered off further into the ship saying they’d speak to you both in the morning. The doctor waited until they were out of ear shot, he flicked a few switches on the console, wandered over and sat next to you in a similar position. “I’m sorry about the forest. I’m sorry you had to get stabbed. I’m sorry they tried to control you. I’m sorry about abandoning you for two years. It wasn’t fair on you, you got reckless at the immediate sign of danger,”

“You can’t put that on yourself. I took the risks, that was my responsibility, and my decision to make. I barely remember the forest thing, I just know at one point I put my arms around you and nothing else. It is not your fault and it never will be.” There was silence after you spoke, as you took another drag from the cigarette. 

“You know those things are awful for you. I doubt your friend would approve.” You froze as he spoke like a deer caught in headlights

“I didn’t think you’d remember and in my defence, it was to get John to back off. And before you opened the watch it was to calm him. It’s better to have half dead men have hope,” You winced at that refusing to look him in the eyes. He paused for a moment, contemplating his choice of words, you took the opportunity to rest your head on his shoulder. It wasn’t the garden, instead it was the universe.

“Humans live incredibly short lives, and 2 years is a long time for most of them. I can drop you off back there if you met someone, or they can come along if you’d like. That Tom seemed nice, seemed friendly, he’d be nice to have around,” 

“He’s dead. He died. He was one of those people that were transformed. I tried meeting people, I tried dating. It didn’t work, they’d get too close and they’d ask questions that I didn’t have answers to, wanted to meet family, that didn’t exist. I had to look out for John, too. Once he even walked in one of the dates, completely ruined it, glared at the bloke the whole time. And at one point I stopped, dragging anyone into life is a potential death sentence. I only stayed with the Ponds and John.” You replied with a slight edge to your voice as you jabbed the remainder of the cigarette out.

“I’m sorry,” The apology escaped his lips before he could think about it

“Don’t be. Even then John didn’t exist. He was just a story, a shadow, a fantasy to keep you safe. He wasn’t real. All his thoughts, feelings, life, memories, they weren’t real. And I fell in love with him, that daft history who panicked at the worst times with his stupid laugh and an ability to dance,” You had started crying sobs ripping through your words, thinking about the man that had confessed his love for you and died seconds after. In an attempt to soothe you his arm wrapped around you in a comforting manner. 

“I’m sure, there’s another John Smith out there, or someone similar. I mean in theory, his feelings weren’t all fake. I can still feel bits of him, his thoughts, his feelings and his emotions, it’ll fade overtime but they’re still there. The chameleon arch, takes a scan of your emotions and implants aspects into the disguise, so it’s not a complete shock to your system. John was in love with you because I was. I was too afraid to tell you, and then I lost you for 2 years in that mundane town where nothing ever happened so close, yet so far away,” He rambled, his voice barely a whisper towards the end tears filling his eyes “and then I woke back up, and you were bleeding, half dead because of me. And then we went into the forest, trying to show off to save you. They could’ve killed you, they nearly did. In your final moments they nearly manipulated your body because they knew about what John had felt. I nearly lost you, another ghost to carry with me and I couldn’t do that.” you held him tightly in your arms, a desperate attempt to hold the pieces of him together, at least for another moment. He continued after a brief pause “Even with the stars with me and the world on my shoulders, I still care about you. And of course I feel the same way, I’m not a complete mad man,” A small laugh escaped his lips. 

“Oh god, you really do remember everything. I’m sorry about the even thing, adrenaline was high and I wasn’t thinking straight and I was trying to calm you down-” You cut abruptly short by a small peck on you lips

“Not even anymore. Anyway, before I became John, being that close to the watch meant I said those words and I meant it. I’ve loved you since I met you, you’re all of those things. Just thought it would be easier coming from John.” He smirked. Adrenaline once again kicked in you kissed again. A smile breaking out from both of you. 

“Anyway, you get to pick the next adventure, anytime, any place, anywhere, for as long or as little as you like.”

“I’ll decide in a bit, I just want this for now,” You said, breathing in deeply, focusing on him and your head returning to his shoulder, your fingers intertwined with his.You stayed that way for a while, neither of you daring to move. It was him this time, and you had the knowledge things would be different. But you had now and all of the universe at your fingertips.

#11th doctor #11th doctor x reader #11th doctor x you #eleven x reader #Eleventh doctor x reader #eleven #eleventh doctor #self insert doctor who #self insert fanfiction #self insert #doctor who x reader #doctor who x you #this was amazing #thank you for reading <3

[anangelicday-mrwolf]

Wolfsbane : Noblesse Fanfic (post-ending)

(previous chapter)

Chapter 66 – A Solution, a Dilemma, and an Ordeal

“Just as I’d thought.” 

Upon Frankenstein’s murmur, Takio and M-21 stuck out their faces from behind him towards the papers he was holding. 

Alas, they gave up straight away as their eyes locked upon the numbers, graphs, and charts incomprehensible for their level of knowledge.

Tao, the only person they could count on to translate them into human language(?) was busy fidgeting with the machine that just printed out the papers. 

Which is why they had to wait for Frankenstein to explain. 

And they showed the generosity of waiting until Tao could bring Yuigi from the machine. 

When the subject of the tests finally arrived, Frankenstein nonchalantly raised his glasses and began his lecture. 

“Simply put, I need to take a look at your head.” 

“What?” 

“Huh?” 

“Hmm?” 

Yuigi retorted in fluster, with Takio and M-21’s bafflement resonating in the background. 

Tao’s mouth was hanging open as well, his eyes very close to popping like a pair of balloons. 

“That was meant to be literal. There’s something in your head.” 

“...So Yuri that bastard did something under Crombel’s order, when I was imprisoned at his temporary lab.” 

Yuigi scowled as hard as she could and moved her hand to her temple.

She could not remember what happened back then, her memories blurry due to pain. 

She tried scrutinizing what was left of the pieces of her memories, but she could not find any scene holding Yuri doing something to her head.

Assuming it happened when she finally succumbed to pain, Yuigi focused her gaze upon Frankenstein, demanding more details.

Flapping the papers, Frankenstein landed upon the page about in the middle and turned it around for his small audience, displaying CT and MRI pictures of Yuigi’s head. 

The pictures were not so big, but the four of them could see very clearly something was there, their vision much more superior to normal human vision. 

They could see an array of spots, each of them much more miniscule than grains of sugar, scattered in the area where her frontal lobe would be. 

“I don’t need to tell you what I want you to look at, do I?” 

“No. But what’s this? Did something get into Miss Yuigi’s head?”

“Yup. I recalibrated that machine according to my manual, and I believe Crombel planted nanochips in your head, Yuigi.” 

“Nanochips...? Are you saying all those spots are...” 

Yuigi’s body heaved, as if she were just notified that the dinner she had yesterday was infested with cockroach eggs. 

“When I...” 

Frankenstein’s lips were shut in the course of his reply. 

The pull between his lips were so natural, like the sort that would exist only between two poles of a magnet. 

Which is why no one noticed that it was not his intention to halt in the middle. 

Calming himself by fingering his glasses, Frankenstein restarted himself as smoothly as he could. 

“When I left this place, I could get my hands on several files and data on the Union. Some of them were about Union arts and crafts we weren’t aware of, including this technique that employs nanochips. Since Union's main focus was on the mastery of body modification, nanochips were not exactly the favorite from Union’s shelf of goods. But I wouldn’t say they completely disregarded this technology, since it’s on the list of items that none other than Ignes took her time and effort and resources to study.” 

“So are you saying the nanochips in my head are Ignes’s creation?”

“Either Crombel snuck away her recipe to dissect and put it back up in a fashion he prefers. Or she stole some of the ingredients he was handling.” 

“So what exactly does this thing do?” 

“Consider it a remote control to make a marionette out of its host. One of the features of this nanochip happens to be automatically appropriating the host’s control over its body when the host finds itself in mortal danger, so to make sure the host will stay alive as long as its puppeteer wants.” 

The four humans gaped at him, confusion clear on their faces, and Frankenstein continued on, probably having foreseen this. 

“Remember what happened when I had a rematch with the 1st Elder right before our final showdown against Crombel? Back then he was under Crombel’s control. He served as Crombel’s battle figure, his mind in one piece, with only minimum amount of life force left in him.” 

“...With his willpower trapped within, watching and hearing and experiencing how his body is not his...?”

Yuigi muttered, the only one who did not take part in the aforementioned battle, apart from Tao, who had had wire updates on the situation. 

The three members of the RK knew why she looked so stunned when she had nothing to do with this occasion. 

“So... You’re saying the nanochips that Yuri injected into Miss Yuigi are...” 

“They were probably the prototype of the technology Crombel used upon the 1st Elder. You said when you were fighting with that Kornel guy, you couldn’t even speak before you had an outbreak of emotions and broke free from the unwelcome disconnection of your mind from body, right? Unlike you, at least 1st Elder could offer some words to me back then.” 

“Wait a minute. The gas we fired was based on a sample of Yuigi’s DNA.” 

“So maybe all the people who went through body modification are plagued with...” 

“Oh, don’t worry. The results show that the mechanism of body appropriation derives solely from these nanochips. And as you can see, these nanochips were inserted only in specific parts of her brain. So the victims won’t turn back to pseudo-zombies.” 

“So once these nanochips are gone...” 

“You can return to who you are. I’ll soon come up with a treatment, so I’d appreciate it if you could take your time and wait.” 

Yuigi nodded in affirmation, but in reality Frankenstein knew there was no need for a treatment. 

The only thing Frankenstein had to do was to draw out just enough power he needs to destroy the nanochips within all at once. 

However, he had to coin a specific treatment for the sake of another soul who was unofficially booked for a doctor’s appointment with him. 

Another reason why Frankenstein scurried from Lukedonia upon hearing Yuigi’s symptoms from Tao. 

And something that had been poking needles into his sanity way before the QuadraNet project joined to add trouble to his side. 

‘Lord Muzaka said that during the nuclear missile incidence, his body scrammed from the site on its own. Which would most certainly mean his body saved itself from mortal danger. I bet I can find the exact same nanochips in his head as well.’ 

If he were to be honest with himself, Frankenstein was dying to use this opportunity to his benefit, to broider the front and back of the werewolf lord’s head with big, fat, angry marks from his grasp. 

‘But I have no reason to turn the entire wolfkind into my enemy, after everything that has happened. Not to mention Lunark won’t be happy if she later finds out what...’ 

At then his hand froze in the middle of its frenzied waltz across Yuigi’s test results. 

It was neither in his intention nor in his cognition, yet his thoughts darted themselves right back to Lunark before he could stop them.

In fact, he was stunned for a moment back when he mentioned Ignes’s studies, for he was reminded of the werewolf warrior who visited his island to hand the files of the noble whom he destroyed himself. 

Now that his mind summoned Lunark twice, everything he regarded he had left behind in Lukedonia – his thoughts about her, his deliberation on her, and his feelings for her – cascaded right into his heart to cause furious ripples.

He came back to Korea to seek time to himself, but seemingly fate did not want him to waste his time taking refuge. 

Towards the room that the RK and Yuigi emptied, the sound of footsteps that Frankenstein would always notice regardless of time and place drew near. 

Which was a sign that he could hide no longer. 

“Master.” 

Raizel’s face was blank despite Frankenstein’s greeting, a natural response from a non-talkative noble. 

Which was why Frankenstein momentarily lost his control over his facial profile when Raizel dispensed a verbal reply to his greeting. 

“Still afraid, are you?” 

Raizel’s words drew Frankenstein’s ears right back to Earth, the blonde man mincing his lips. 

“Frankenstein. You treasure her.” 

Raizel usually leaves others untouched in terms of their emotional states, in respect of their respective owners. 

Yet here he was, volunteering to unwrap the subject as soon as he made his arrival, especially at a time like this, which gave Frankenstein good idea of how much he had been in anguish. 

And now that the topic was out in the open with Raizel’s courtesy, Frankenstein knew somehow sneaking past this topic is not an option for him. 

Considering where he was standing at this point, he knew he should at least touch on – no, definitely put an end to this dilemma. 

“I believe you already know she treasures you just as same. You would know the colors of symphony in your hearts have been identical for a long time.” 

Frankenstein’s lips were unmoving, his tongue dormant. 

“Know I well what you dread. You must have dreaded harming Lunark even little under the influence of the Dark Spear, as Lascrea attested. Remember I of how the Dark Spear absorbed Crombel and the shards of Blood Stone to attain greatest power in its history. And with Lunark recovering from the harm caused by the Dark Spear, I can feel how haunting the guilt of your heart is.” 

“...Then you would know. You would know that is exactly why I don’t deserve to...” 

“Do you still believe you will be a harm to her?” 

As mellifluous as crimson silk was Raizel’s voice, but Frankenstein had centuries of experience with his master to pick up how his tone steeled by the smallest of the shade. 

Which is why he unconsciously began retracing the facts instead of losing his words. 

“...No. I can no longer detect Crombel or Blood Stone within the Dark Spear.” 

Frankenstein was telling the truth. 

Although he had no chance to look back on exactly what Lunark did to him, too occupied with agony while standing guard by her bed, he could feel how the Dark Spear returned to how it used to be before it absorbed Crombel and the Blood Stone. 

“Then no more is the reason for you to hesitate, is there?” 

Frankenstein was dumbstruck, the answer so very simple and clear. 

The reason why he had been staying away from those dear to him, Lunark included, was because he feared he will lose his battle of dominance against the Dark Spear and manifest as a weapon threatening them. 

His fear grew even more humongous ever since the nightmare of effigies the Dark Spear staged for him. 

But now that the Dark Spear can no longer be a nightmare for him, there was no reason for him to keep himself isolated any longer.

“What is the bidding of your heart? The choice is most definitely yours, but I have had my lessons from 820 years of sleep. Only logical for us it is to live our lives to fullest, with no regrets, during the time that is given to us. We must listen to our hearts for what they wish. We must follow the choices our hearts seek.” 

Raizel gazed at his most trusted follower, unmoving and silent. 

“I have already told you. The last thing you can save at the moment is time. So do not save your time. Use it well to look into your heart in wholesome.” 

“...Yes, sir. I shall do that.” 

Raizel, as always, did not linger after delivering all of his messages. 

Frankenstein stayed muted in solitude until he got moving; it was time to take a look at another patient he was tasked with, and Tao joined him in the middle, rather faster than what either of them expected. 

“Right now, we are the only ones tending to Mr. Jang. Now everyone at KSA knows about his betrayal, so nobody’s visiting him. Well, Sir Rael was the only one apart from us that...” 

Thanks to Tao, Frankenstein was reminded of the lesser son of the only one he could ever dub as his true friend for his life. 

Rael already left prior to his return to Korea, and being the heir of Kertias, the fastest of nobles, by now he would be officiating his homecoming in the Lord’s Hall. 

And Frankenstein heard from his team about the skirmish Rael had with none other than his own kind – with none other than a head of a noble clan. 

Tao was about to voice his concern for Rael while he was at it, but then he suddenly heard Frankenstein puffing out a ball of air. 

Did he just laugh when we’re discussing Sir Rael here?

Tao’s eyes bulged out, but Frankenstein did not let him stare at him, wiping off his face of his laughter and concern. 

‘What am I worried about? I should worry about myself. As of now, that boy will have no trouble at all.’ 

After a brief self-reprimand, Frankenstein began to strut ahead, with Tao tagging along and complaining at him to wait up. 

(next chapter)

Previously Raizel asked Lunark to take good care of Frankenstein. Now he’s telling Frankenstein to follow his heart. I didn’t plan or see this coming, but I made Raizel a matchmaker in my fic. XD As you would’ve noticed, next chapter will be featuring on Rael, through a scene that I had been dying to compose since the brainstorming stage for this fic. Stay tuned and find out how my boy is going through another growth in his career as a head of his clan!

(Edited) I just realized I posted this chapter instead of saving it as a draft - my mistake, and I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again! My apology for whoever that got confused with the early upload!

#korean webcomic #korean webtoon #fanfic #noblesse #frankenstein #lunark #frankensteinxlunark #lunarkxfrankenstein #wolfsbane #Mr.Wolf #AnAngelicDay

[shieldwinter]

Stucky Fic Rec [Part Four]

I am so sorry it took so long to get the fourth part to you all! I have been watching the new since Wednesday without breaks, and it’s nuts. I’ve also been reading a ton, and I kind of forgot to take breaks between readings to add to the rec.  Anyway, here’s part four of the Stuck fic rec! As always, I will provide the google doc link for you all to click into if you prefer to look at the rec as a whole, but if not, the tumblr format is below the cut!

Google Doc Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10wqr5s-CzkFzLidQgt-y4-cjudHWwVeVPWCedMjK7t0/edit

It’s Been a Long Season Through

             Word Count: 49.3k              Rating: Explicit              Notable Tags: Stardew Valley!AU,  Lumberjack!Steve, Farmer!Bucky, Slow Burn               Warnings: Smut               Synopsis: Bucky Barnes is in desperate need of a change in scenery, which is why he makes the foolhardy decision to quit his job, leave his asshole of a fiance, pack up his life, and move to his grandfather’s old farm all within a single day. He expects confusion, hardship, and maybe even failure. But love? He wasn’t expecting that.

Someday My Prince Will Come

             Word Count: 47.3k              Rating: Explicit              Notable Tags: Not CATWS compliant, Not Canon Compliant               Warnings: Smut              Synopsis: After destroying the helicarriers in DC, Steve works with the other Avengers to stamp out hidden Hydra bases and finds Bucky: in cryofreeze but still very much himself. Steve is ecstatic to have his best pal back, of course, but now he has to deal with his long-repressed feelings for Bucky. Much longing ensues.

Rest Your Soul Against Mine

            Word Count: 12.7k             Rating: Mature             Notable Tags: Soulmate!AU, Post Avengers             Warnings: PTSD             Synopsis: After the Battle of Manhattan, soulmate bonds appear in the form of telepathic connections between two people. All the Avengers seem to be connected to someone - except Steve. He kind of resigns himself to a lonely life without sharing his thoughts and mind with anyone. Then the voice in his head appears. And that's just the beginning of the complications. His soulmate, a soldier, is dismissive, distrustful, and awfully familiar in a strange way. He also sounds tortured and is often in pain. Steve would want to help anyone, but his soulmate? He's ready to rip the world apart to find him.

Long Way Down

            Word Count: 9.6k             Rating: Teen and Up             Notable Tags: Post CATWS, Fix-It             Warnings: PTSD             Synopsis: “You're gonna be okay. We're gonna be okay.” Bucky pressed his nose into the hollow of Steve's throat, breathing deeply. “You promise?” “No,” Steve said softly, “I can't, but even if we won't be, we'll figure it out.”

Sweet Serendipity

            Word Count: 26.1k             Rating: Mature             Notable Tags: No Powers, Phone Swap             Warnings: PTSD, Anxiety Disorder             Synopsis: A troubled city-style lumberjack. Sunshine personified in a man. An accidental phone swap. A serendipitous meet-up. Bucky lets out a small scoff. This isn’t the romcom that one looks for, not usually. It is, however, the one that found Steve and Bucky.

Beast

           Word Count: 63.6k            Rating: Mature            Notable Tags: Beauty and the Beast!AU, Curse Gone Wrong            Warnings: Smut            Synopsis: A kingdom is in uproar searching for the missing Prince Thor and his team. Heading the search, Captain Steve Rogers is more invested in finding his best friend, but when he stumbles onto an abandoned castle in a snowy meadow, he finds a lot more than he bargained for.

His Arms Held All the Songs I Needed

           Word Count: 40.1k            Rating: Explicit            Notable Tags: Shrunkyclunks, Singer!Bucky, Veteran!Bucky            Warnings: Smut, Torture             Synopsis: Steve becomes enamored with the lead singer of a local band. If only he could keep his cool long enough to not make a complete and utter fool out of himself.

Simple As This

         Word Count: 7.9k          Rating: Teen and Up          Notable Tags: Post CATWS          Warnings: PTSD          Synopsis: Bucky might have changed, but some things remained the same: he knew in his very bones that Steve Rogers was something to be guarded with his life.

Unlearning Old Answers

          Word Count: 29k           Rating: Explicit           Notable Tags: Friends to Lovers, Soldier!Steve, Photographer!Bucky           Warnings: Mild Smut, Violence           Synopsis: Steve is an ex-soldier paying penance for the mistakes of his past. Bucky is beautiful and talented and hilarious and definitely, without a doubt, hiding something.

The Way You Came Around

          Word Count: 10.5k           Rating: Teen and Up           Notable Tags: Pining           Warnings: None           Synopsis: Steve gives Bucky an iPod full of his favourite songs from the 21st century to help him deal with his nightmares. Bucky has a new mission- to find out who Steve is in love with, because there are a few too many unrequited love songs on that iPod.

Sleepwalk Back to the Battlesite

        ��  Word Count: 21.9k            Rating: Teen and Up            Notable Tags: Revenge Roadtrip            Warnings: None            Synopsis: “I’m going to track down every HYDRA agent that’s left,” Bucky says, buckling his gun deftly to his belt. “And then I’m going to kill them.” “Oh,” Steve says. “Come with me?” Bucky asks, dangerous hands tucked into his pockets.

You Know I Dreamed About You

           Word Count: 59.1k            Rating: Explicit            Notable Tags: Canon Divergence, Dreamsharing            Warnings: Mild Smut            Synopsis:  Steve wasn’t surprised when Bucky showed up in his dreams, after he was unfrozen.

The Beginning of Always

            Word Count: 19.8k             Rating: Explicit             Notable Tags: Undercover, Post-Canon             Warnings: Smut             Synopsis: Bucky goes to work with the new SHIELD the moment he can. Where Bucky goes, Steve follows. He just didn't think that would mean pretending to be a couple after people start to go missing at a scenic couples' retreat.

Keep Your Enemies Close

          Word Count: 107.9k           Rating: Explicit           Notable Tags: Post CATWS, Espionage, Hydra!Bucky            Warnings: Heavy Smut, Heavy Angst            Synopsis: Pierce was an intelligent man. If the Asset was going to start remembering Rogers, it was best to give him an assignment other than the simple, point and shoot. The Asset's Mission: Pretend he was James "Bucky" Barnes, best friend to Steve Rogers. He was to evaluate Rogers and see if Rogers could be used by HYDRA...or be put down if the Asset thought otherwise. The Asset now has to pretend to be Bucky Barnes, unknowing that he is in fact the man that Steve has been searching for all along. Pierce instructed the Asset to gain trust, observe, and report. How far is the Asset supposed to go to avoid his cover being blown? He guesses he's just going to have to find out…

Where the Leaves Fall Not

          Word Count: 23.2k           Rating: Explicit           Notable Tags: Canon Divergence, Elf!Bucky           Warnings: Smut           Synopsis:  “Sir.” At the uncharacteristic interruption from JARVIS, everyone falls silent. “There is an unauthorized person in the back left-hand corner of the room.” Steve turns around, already knowing who he’ll see as everyone scrambles to their feet. Sure enough, it’s Bucky, curled up in an armchair, loose-limbed and relaxed as a cat. Long brown hair cascades around his shoulders and the tips of his ears are exactly as pointed as Steve remembers. Nat whips a gun out from somewhere and points it at him. Tony has a repulsor on his hand. Wanda’s hands are up and surrounded by a red glow. Only Thor seems unworried—resuming his seat after an initial moment of battle-readiness. “Bucky,” Steve says. Bucky glances around with bright, inquisitive eyes. The corners of his lips tip up in a smile, as though amused by the chaos his appearance caused. “We meet again, Captain.” Tony’s eyebrows are parked halfway up his forehead as he studies Bucky. “I see what you mean by Lord of the Rings, Cap.” Then, aggrieved, “JARVIS, how did he get in?”

And No One Can Talk to the Horse

          Word Count: 17.1k           Rating: Teen and Up           Notable Tags: No Powers, Kelpie!Bucky, Half-Merman!Steve           Warnings: Mild Gore           Synopsis: Kelpies were killers. They lived in the water, drowned anyone who came too close. Ate them, most of the time. It was reflex not choice, like the kick that follows a hammer hitting a knee, because kelpies were no more aware than a wave or a wildfire. Hydra knew about kelpies. It was why they'd come up with their brilliant plan to capture one and turn it into an assassin. But like so many plans that seemed good on paper it came with unintended consequences—in Hydra's case, the unintended consequences were Bucky and no more Hydra. Steve didn't know that. Even as a sometime Shield consultant, he had no way of knowing any of that. Which meant when the sleek black horse surged up out of the water and didn't kill him, the only answer he could give to, "Why?" was, "I don't know."

(I’ll Leave My Love) Between the Stars 

          Word Count: 21k           Rating: Mature           Notable Tags: Soulmate!AU, Shrunkyclunks, Active Duty!Bucky           Warnings: None           Synopsis: Steve never got the chance to meet his soulmate before he went into the ice. Now that he's out, scientists have discovered a way to match you to your soulmate, called The Registry. The big question is, does Steve want to use it, and is it safe to give anyone a sample of Captain America's DNA?

#stucky #stevebucky #wintershield #starbucks #stucky fic #stucky fic rec #steve rogers #bucky barnes #captain america #the winter soldier

[impostertamsong]

Learning To Be Happy Again

You get an early release because Imma be real busy tomorrow and plan to not be as active (or not active at all). 

Also, a little warning for this one. Lord Cassius is not nice in this chapter, and I’m pretty sure this counts as emotional abuse, so, yeah. Also, just general angst.

Chapter Two: Guess What Happened? You’ll Never Guess

I wake up in a cold sweat, blanket tangled around my legs. 

“Keefe, are you okay?” Elwin’s voice comes from behind me.

“Oh, uh, yeah. It was just a dream.” I look over at Elwin. Even in the dark light I can tell he’s worried, but it’s not the kind of worry I’m used to. When Foster’s worried it feels more like a swarm of butterflies constantly surrounding the target. This feels like being snuggled in a warm blanket on a cold day, and I feel the need to tell him everything about the dream. It’s something I’m not used to, so I stop talking a little abruptly.  

Almost on cue, Elwin says, “Do you wanna talk about it?” I nod, but don’t say anything. “Well, okay, what was the dream about?”

“Well,” and then words just start pouring out of me. Though, despite my photographic memory, I can’t describe it quite right. All I can really say is: “It was dark, and I was being held down by shadows. Tam was there. I couldn’t move. It was so, so dark.” Elwin wraps his arms around me, and that odd worry feeling gets stronger. I can’t help but hold onto him like the world depends on it. This feels like something I should know, but don’t, and it doesn’t bother me. When he starts whispering that I’m okay, and that it’ll all be alright, it takes a lot of energy not to just completely lose it. What is this new feeling coming in? It’s so soft, pale pink and pure comfort. This feels familiar, but not at the same time. It’s like the feeling I used to get when my wonderful, beloved mother would comfort me, but less contained. 

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s alright,” Elwin whispers, pulling me out of my thoughts. I guess I started crying at some point, because tears are streaming down my face. 

“Thank, thank you,” I croak. 

“Is it okay if I leave you now?” Elwin moves to get up, but I grab his sleeve. 

“I, the dark. Can, can you stay with me?” He nods and then moves to get up again. 

“I’m just going to bring my bed over here so that I can be nearer to you, alright? I’m not leaving.” I nod shakily. But he could leave, I wouldn’t blame him. I mean, who would want to deal with a mess like me? I’m sixteen and afraid of the dark. How lame is that. 

“I’m back,” Elwin whispers. His hand takes mine and squeezes it. “Wake me up if you have another nightmare, okay? I don’t mind.” 

“Okay, goodnight, Elwin, and thanks,” I whisper back. The room is too quiet for speaking at a regular volume. 

“Goodnight, Keefe.”

I don’t have any more nightmares. 

The morning is uneventful, and soon I’ve changed back into my own clothes, Elwin’s hugged me good-bye, and I’ve light leaped to The Shores of Solace. 

“I’m home, Father Dearest!” I call through the house after I’ve closed the door. Said person is sitting in a chair, looking rather worse for wear. When he sees me, he stands up, and his face grows dark. 

“Why did nobody tell me you were awake?”

“Uh, I dunno. Probably just forgot or something.” 

“Forgot? Forgot? How could they! I’m your father!” He’s properly upset now, just the warm welcome I needed. “How long have you been awake.”

“Since yesterday afternoon, I think.” 

“Yesterday? That long? Why did you stay the night?” 

“Elwin wanted to make sure everything was stable, just in case.” 

“Elwin. Why didn’t he tell me!” he grumbles.

“I, I don’t know.” I scratch my neck. Dad looks there and sees the scars. 

“What. Is. That.”

“Oh, uh, it’s just a tattoo I got on the way back. Pretty cool, huh.”

“Don’t you dare joke with me.” He glares at me. 

“Um, it’s actually from the incident. They won’t go away. Elwin tried.” 

“Oh did he. I’m sure he tried very hard. You know, why didn’t you listen to your friends and stay behind. This wouldn’t have happened if you had. You would be fine and… unmarked.” He sneers the last word. 

“Yeah, and if I had, I’m sure they would’ve found me, or Tam would be dead.”

“Does that Song boy mean something to you?” 

“Well, no.” Why would he ask that? “But I wouldn’t want to have someone’s death on me. And Linh doesn’t need that anyway. Tam is all she’s got.” 

Dad sighs heavily. “But now you’ve got those marks. How’re you supposed to be successful with imperfections. You have enough.” 

“Well, I think I’m pretty great, so I don’t know what you’re talking about.” My words are empty, but that doesn’t matter. 

“Oh? Do you need me to repeat them? Your art, for one, is getting in the way of your success. Your mischievous outlook on life has given you more detentions than awards. You care more about your friends than your own family. And now these scars.”

“I don’t care.” And I don’t. How could those be imperfections if they’re all the things that bring me joy? 

“Go to your room. Now.” Dearest Daddy ever the forgiver. 

I flop on my bed and sigh. 

“So, you had a nice chat with Lord Snootypants then?” Ro is standing in the corner. 

“Mhm. Just the most wonderful welcome home you could ever expect. I got reminded just how much of a disappointment I am! Just what a kid wants to hear.” I laugh, the idea that I could have avoided this whole thing by hiding ricocheting around my brain. “It’s my fault isn’t it. I could’ve stayed behind and not furthered Mommy Dearest’s legacy for me or whatever.” Ro is silent. 

“You can’t let his words get to you,” she says wisely after a few moments. “Even if that were true, who knows what would’ve happened.” 

“Who are you, and what did you do with Ro? You didn’t get her personality right, impostor.” I sit up and point dramatically at her.

“I can be serious, weirdo. But tell anyone, and I’ll coat your pillow in some of that flesh eating bacteria. I hear it also goes through hair pretty quickly.” 

I screech. “Not the hair, Romhilda!” She glares at me, and I laugh. 

My imparter rings, breaking the light feeling. “Hey, Foster.” 

“Hey. You’re back at your house?” 

“Yeah, I am. Got a lovely welcome too!” 

“Oh, Keefe. Are you alright?”

“Just peachy!”

“Keefe.”

“Really! I’m fine, Foster. Don’t worry. I can tell you know.” She smiles slightly, cheeks slightly pink. 

“I still will, you know. I bet Forkle ingrained it into my DNA.” She laughs coldly. A familiar laugh. 

Dinner is tense and quiet. We’re having soup, so the only sounds are spoons on bowls. As soon as I finish, I stand up quickly and put my dishes away (after cleaning them, of course) and go to my room. 

“Let’s ditch this place.” I start gathering stuff before Ro even answers. 

“And where do you plan to go?” Ro has her arms folded. 

“Elwin, I guess. I don’t feel like bothering anyone else. And I get the feeling he cares? I dunno. Maybe it’s a stupid idea.” I stop rushing around the room and sit at the edge of my bed, face in my hands. 

“Naw, let’s go! Screw your dad!” Ro stands taller and smirks. “C’mon! Finish packing!” 

I smile. “Okay!” 

After a while, I go through the bag I’ve packed to make sure I’ve got everything. “Mrs. Stinkbottom, sketchpad, pencils, clothes, yup. That’s it! Let’s get out of here!”

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Taglist (if anyone else wants to be on here just reblog it saying so!):

@rainbowelizzy @bookwyrminspiration @linhamon-roll @a-lonely-tatertot @an-absolute-travesty @worldwidepandamonium @lusilver001 @ilovepeter3000 @ultralazycreatorfan 

#kam #teefe #keefe sencen #tam song #lord cassius #sophie foster #ro #kotlc #mulitchapter fanfiction #Learning to be Happy Again

[panickinganakin]

26,000

KYLO X READER

A/N An AU in which the Starkiller base runs DNA tests on every member checking for midi-chlorians. I’m thinking of making this a small series (maybe something larger if you guys like). It will be reader finding out she has the force in her, she will learn the dark side first, unlike the Jedi’s who struggle with darkness. Let me know what you guys think! 

word count: 1639

warnings: angst, blood being taken for tests, vomiting, passing out, nothing r rated except the f word

Your head was spinning, how much more blood could they take from you before you faded away? The people who were taking your DNA in every way possible, were dressed in all red. You couldn’t see a single hint of humanity, your nerves were shot.

“It doesn’t make sense,” one hissed. Definitely a woman. “Try again, Commander is on his way back, a hurried return to check behind us, we mustn’t make a mistake with this, we will lose our lives for delaying a mission,” her voice was a whisper now. 

“No more, no more please,” you said tiredly as they approached you with another set of blood vials. “I haven’t ate a thing, you pulled four times today, please?” Your tone was as urgent as it could be with the lack of life left in you.

You felt the pinch, your arm turning cold for the fifth time today. You chest was warm now, your breath weak. The whole room was fuzzy and it started to spin, you couldn’t hold your eyes open any longer. 

“Impossible,” the voice was cold, you were scared to open your eyes. Where were you again? Oh yes, blood.

You turned your head quickly, eyes still squint shut. The bile in your stomach pressed up and you couldn’t help but throwing up. “How many did you say, again?” the same voice came through your ears again. You could place it now, and you were scared.

“Twenty-six thousand, Commander.” It was the same woman’s voice as before, the one who wouldn’t stop when you begged. 

“Impossible,” he mumbled. His footsteps were growing closer to you. 

Still terrified to open your eyes, you laid perfectly still. As if no one had seen you throw up, you wanted to believe you were dreaming. “We know, we tested five times.”

“Five times?” The commander’s voice sounded angry, “Are you so ignorant? No wonder she is sick. You will clean this mess up and you will bring her to the shuttle, I’m bringing her to Snoke.”

“That isn’t a good idea, she needs to rest and let her blood regenerate. We recommend at least three days. Flying could kill her, Commander.” The voice sounded urgent. You couldn’t pretend anymore, your eyes popped open.

“Don’t touch me!” Your voice was hurried but it was a beg. You didn’t think your stomach could handle moving again. 

“Look at her! If she does- if it is true, and this girl has the force in her... You will have almost killed her! Demoted. Every single one of you. Clean this up, and leave.” 

The bundle of black robes in front of you made you feel sick again. Commander Kylo Ren. This was as close as you two had ever been. He was just as scary as people had depicted him to be. “You’re scared.” His tone was flat, only a slight bit of curiosity. “What section do you come from?”

Did he have to ask? Of course, people didn’t know you, you were just a sanitation staff member. You opened your mouth, afraid of the sound that would escape. You felt very weak, “Sanitation.” To your surprise your voice was almost completely normal. “Living quarters, sir. I clean and make beds. Sir,” you made sure to add. 

“Interesting... What planet were you from?”

“I d-don’t remember. The first order,” you were carefully picking over your words, making sure not to disrespect the First Order, you needed to live, “they rescued me when I was a child. Hardly three.” Rescued? Not even close, but, it was a good lie. 

“Do you know what midi-chlorians are?” his voice returned to a flat tone, echoing off the walls because of his mask. Curious, what face lied beneath the dark metal. “I’m speaking to you.”

You weren’t sure how long you had been silent, long enough for him to notice. “N-no sir. I only know what they have taught us in the education sectors. I’ve lived my whole life on the Starkiller, sir.... Can I by chance.. Have some water? I’m not feeling very we-”

He held up his hand, cutting you off. Jeez, if he wanted to know information he could have been a little more kind. “No. Midi-chlorians are in your cells, the higher the number the more the force is with you- in- you. You have heard of Darth Vader?”

This was one lesson you did have. Sith Lord, power, Vader, power, blah blah blah. You didn’t want to give a vocal response, your throat was burning with terror, a lump welting in the center. Why did any of this matter? “Bring this girl water,” he said sharply to the two were cleaning up your mess off the floor. 

“Darth Vader had over twenty thousand midi-chlorians in a cell. And you? Over twenty-six, how is that possible?”

You were lost. Your whole life had been folding bed sheets and scrubbing toilets. You shook your head, not really following. He sighed, backing away, finally leaving a safe distance between the two of you. 

“We have a lot to talk about... I want her brought to my living quarters. You said three days until travel, she will not leave my sight. Double up on the guards outside of my room. No one in, and no one out. Hux will see to it that all missions are handled appropriately. I will not be bothered.” 

You were finally being given a glass of water, you gulped it down quickly. The commanders living quarters? This was a trap, you would be killed. “I promise sir,” you voice had finally made its way back to you. “I promise... I know nothing of these things, I have been a servant to the Starkiller my whole life, making beds and cleaning bathrooms. I’ve committed no acts of treason.”

“Silence. You will not be killed, you will be a very important piece to our strategy. You will be protected unless our Supreme Leader suggests otherwise. Now, someone get the fluids back into the girl.”

His cape flung behind him as he exited, your head spinning. He promised you safety, but it all felt like a trap. “Don’t let him kill me!” you were scared, sitting up, digging out the fresh IV. You jumped off the bed quickly, slipping on the floor that was still wet. 

“Listen, 8123, sit. You aren’t going to die,” the woman’s voice was now kind, understanding almost. She was pushing you back down on the bed, shoving the IV back in. “I don’t know what you know about all these things. Having that many midi-chlorians makes you valuable. You shut up and do what they say and you’ll live. That’s more than Commander Ren has himself. You can be trained in the force.” 

The force was made up, wasn’t it? They were just scary stores people told of the rebellion, about the Commander and his cruel, handless, punishment. “I don’t want to go with him, he will kill me!” 

“Foolish, that’s exactly what you are. You are being given an opportunity to rise above your ranks. Straighten. Up. Your. Act.” she was wiping a cold wet towel across your forehead. “Now, be calm.” Another nurse crossed the room, handing her a needle with pink liquid in the tube. 

The needle pierced your skin and almost immediately your eyelids shut.

The room you woke up in was white, very sleek, full of different tables and technology. This wasn’t the room you had went to sleep in. Sleep. You hadn’t went to sleep at all. “Those motherfuckers,” you mumbled. That had drugged you, probably afraid you would retaliate. 

To your surprise, there were no longer any tubes hooked up to you. Your wrists were red, had they restrained you too? “What the?” you sighed looking around. 

Even though when you stood up and found your legs to be shaky. you pushed forward. Where had they taken you? You let your hands drag across a clean, smooth white table. Somehow you knew where you were, you could feel something shifting in you. 

The feeling had always been there, why was it now coming to life? Was it because you were told about it?

“It’s the force. The question you asked yourself... That’s the feeling. It keeps our whole world balanced. Why hadn’t they tested you before?” You turned quickly, eyes meeting who you knew to be the Commander. However instead of a helmet, you were met with long black locks and a fair skinned face. The man was beautiful. Had this been their scary Commander?

“What? Oh uhm, I don’t know. Maybe they thought a maid of quarters wouldn’t matter?” You were becoming more confused. Maybe when you passed out, you went in a coma. Maybe this whole situation was in your head. Yes, that would explain it. A comatose dream. 

“Don’t be ridiculous. This is real. What is your name?” He was incredibly still. If his mouth had not been moving you could have bet he was a statue, fake like everything else you had been hoping was imaginative. 

“8123.”

“No, not your number, your name.”

Your name? What was it? You had been given a number at such a young age. You closed your eyes, trying to picture your young self. You were running in sand, your mother behind you, yelling to run faster. The ships were at your heels, they were coming to take you. She screamed your name. You eyes flashed open, “Y/N,” you choked out. 

Commander Ren’s eyes were huge, he shook his head, “Well then, Y/N. We have a lot to talk of before you meet Snoke. You are feeling it now, the force, you need to know good from evil, power from weakness. Follow me.” He turned on his heal and disappeared into the next room. 

Despite every ounce of fear in you, your curiosity was stronger. A chance to rise above your ranks. You repeated in your head, finally following behind the commander. 

chapter two

#kylo ren #kylo x reader #kylo ren x reader #star wars #Star Wars au #Star Wars fic #kylo ren fanfiction #ben solo #kylo au #Kylo Ren au

[thursdayplaid]

Silver and Scaled Chapter One: Witness Statements

Tags: Li Qian, Ye Zun, Time Travel, Mental Collapse, Amnesia, Hallows related shenanigans, dangerous overuse of magical artifacts, drawing the wrong conclusion from available facts, the weirdest ship ever

Li Qian wants to save the people she cares about, Ye Zun doesn’t want to be left behind and so they try and try and try.  The Hallows want to reshape the world. ____________________________________________________

Ye Zun knelt on the floor of Dixing Palace staring at the smear of blood where his brother had once been.  

There was a hesitant stumbling behind him, someone roiling with the shaking floor. “Where-?” came a woman’s voice.  “Where’s Shen Wei?  Where’s Zhao Yunlan?” “He died,” Ye Zun said.  “And now the rest of us are going to die too.  The barrier around Dixing has been breached.  Light energy is leaking in and mixing with the dark energy that’s been building up.  We’re sitting on a bomb that’s going to crack this planet in half and send us off to peacefully float through space.  So, you see it doesn’t matter if I killed him.”  He looked at her with wide eyes.  “It’s okay that I killed him, you see.  Because we’re going to die anyway.  We were going to go away together but something happened.  And I ended up here.”

A small woman collapsed next to him, scraping her elbows as she tried to catch herself.  She was holding the Hallows in her arms and her face was smeared with tears and dirt and blood.  The Lantern was lit but the Longevity Dial was glowing even brighter, harder to look at. “No!” she said, voice small and fierce all at once.  “I’m not going to let that happen!” He laughed at her.  “Who are you to stop the end of the world?”

She scowled at him and arranged the Hallows in front of her.  “If you’re not going to help I’m not going to waste my time!”  She began picking the Hallows up, one at a time, two at a time, rearranging them, trying out different formations. “How did you even get here?” he asked. “I-” she turned and looked at him with her large dark eyes.  “I was a student of Professor Wei’s, he was always kind to me.  I took a job and-  Well.  I came down with the rest of them to help stop Ye Zun.” “Don’t you know who I am?” he asked her, leaning close. He could see that she did, but she just shook her head and started in with the Hallows again.  “I know I can fix this if I just figure it out!”  She clenched the Longevity Dial in one hand.  “When you care about people you do whatever’s necessary to help them!  There’s point in giving up!  I’d rather die trying to save my friends!”  The Dial turned sun bright with a golden glow and then the other Hallows.  They floated up in the air, round and round, pulling the girl up on her toes.  A portal formed in the air above them.

If the Hallows really were going to work he might be able to get his gege back before the Haixingren poisoned his mind.

Ye Zun leapt to his feet and wrapped his arms tight around her waist, “You’re not going anywhere without me!”

*** Li Qian and Ye Zun stood side by side on a barren world.  There was a melancholy to her face like the white marble lid to a tomb.  It might have been mistaken for serenity, it wasn’t.  She was tired.  Her hand tightened and released on the Longevity Dial as though the gestures of one in an unheard conversation.

The man’s face was wild with a mix of protective fury and hunger.  His eyes a little too wide, his smile a little too sharp, the movement of his body too tight in some places, too loose in others.  An imitation of a person.  “Rest for a little while.”

She shook her head, her hair fallen into her face.  With her free hand she was writing notes on her arm about what had and hadn’t worked.  It didn’t help to go to Zhao Yunlan first and keeping Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan separated took too much effort.  Where their two hands interlinked swirls of dark energy curled between them.  Both of them fed and fed off of each other.

“Friend,” Ye Zun said the word barbed to stick in and catch inside. The hook of his arm pulled her close enough her head rested under his chin.  “Rest for a little while.  Going back takes so much out of you.”

“I don’t know how much radiation our bodies can take,” she said.  She inhaled deeply.  “Not all energy is good for the human body, and I have no idea what it would do to yours.  The sooner we leave the better.  The time before this, was that when we tried meeting with the Crane Tribe or the time before that?”

Ye Zun gave her a sharp look.  “Don’t we have other things to worry about?”

His teeth looked bright and sharp when he bared them.  “Very well.  We’ll try again.  Hold tight to me.  Don’t think you can escape and leave me here.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, her voice tired. He tsked at her and squeezed her hand just a little too tight.

She nodded.  “We were close.  We’ll get it next time.”

 ***

The ninety-first time ended in fire.

 ***

The ninety-second ended in ice.

***

Zhao Yunlan held out his hand for her to shake.  She paused with her mouth open ready to speak but suddenly going blank. “Her name is Li Qian,” Ye Zun said, leaning in too close.

Of course that was her name, she really needed a nap.  “As he said,” she told Zhao Yunlan and counted out the acceptable number of seconds to shake a hand before drawing it back again.  “It’s a pleasure to meet you.  We hear you’re interested in becoming a police officer.  We thought we’d offer you something a little more intriguing.”

This had to work, it was such a great idea.

***

The hundredth time he blinked down at her when she introduced them as husband and wife.  His hand had been resting on her hip, it seemed a natural conclusion anyway.

“Of course,” Zhao Xinci said.  “Follow me, Mr. and Mrs. Shen.  My office is this way.”

They didn’t like him.  He remembered they didn’t like him, but they had to try something different.  All the obvious things weren’t working.

Her face was controlled, serene, her eyes swept over the inside of the SID.  Her hand went to the Longevity Dial under her sweater for comfort.  The SID wouldn’t always look like this - he remembered brick?  a room of glowing spheres?  - or maybe it wouldn’t always be at this location.  Or maybe he was confused.  He did get confused sometimes.  Was she his wife?  He knew he loved her, and in most of his memories she was with him.  (She wasn’t though.  He had ten thousand years of memories where he was totally alone, betrayed by one who loved him.  Had someone taken her from him?  Is that why he had been so hungry for blood?  Is that what had made him tear at Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei in front of each other?  Had they stolen his wife from him?  Had they taken her away?  She never would have left on her own, not her.)

He remembered Shen Wei, or was it Shen Mian?  One wore black, one wore white.  He- he remembered Shen Wei as a child in his distant memory, he remembered one of them at least.  Or maybe both?  Things were confused.  But there had been a small face looking up at him in the fruit tree, there had been small hands reaching up for a large father’s hand to throw down a special fruit just for him.  He had been happy in that moment.  He had always liked to be important to the people he loved.

His hand flexed and she looked up at him, blinking in question.  They’d spent so much time together he read the words in the sharp up and down of her eyelashes.  She was not a peony with an infinity of fluttering layers.  She was a lotus, all her edges sharply defined.  He smiled back and she read everything he had to say in the flat curl of his lips.

She sat down first and then he sat down second.

Zhao Xinci leaned forward on his arms - informal - and clasped his hands together.  “So you said there’s been some weird lights?”

She opened her eyes wide as she said in a conspiratorial whisper.  “I think it might be aliens.”

***

The man- the man tried to wipe his face but only accomplished smearing blood across his sweaty skin.  His name-  He couldn’t remember but Li Qian would.  She wrote careful notes on her skin from palm to the inside of the elbow where her flesh looked plump and soft as sponge cake.  She had held something once in her hand.  Her palm had been burned with a fishscale pattern that glowed gold.  She had lost whatever it was.  Or had she?

There were other things.  Other things she had to worry about.

She ran up the steps, Li Qian with her hair pinned up in a bun with that jade pin he stole for her.  When she saw the mess she screamed in frustration.  “What were you thinking!” “He stole my face!” he screamed back at her. “He’s your twin, moron!” she roared at him.  “And we’ve been trying to save him!”

“Oh,” he said quietly, staggering sideways into her.  “Oh.  I forgot.”

Her back bowed with the effort to take his weight but she didn’t let go.

He felt his eyes begin to leak.  “Oh.  Oh.  Gege.  I remember now.” “It doesn’t matter,” she told him, her arms tightening around his ribs.  

“I won’t mess up again,” he told her.  “I’ll remember next time.”

He didn’t remember.  The Black Cloak Envoy was at the center of things and so the man killed him a few dozen times to see if it helped.  She was furious every time, turning silver cold and meteor metal hard.  The hard line of her mouth cut deeper into him than any sword could.  He tried killing the Lord Guardian - Yunlan - a few times instead.  Most of the time though that meant having to kill the Envoy as well any way.

They went back and forth through time like a rubber ball thrown against brick, the hard thunk of the end of the world hitting them every time.  She’d broken something in herself.  Her body shifting and changing.  He thought about their ancient ancestors crash landed and the frantic way they reshaped their DNA to survive.  He liked to think about her.  He liked to think about her probably too much.  He thought she knew he was thinking about her too much but they only had each other.  If he was cruel to her, if he tried to hurt her or get her to hurt herself he thought she would probably leave and take the consequences.  She was strong, effortless in an emotive silence, and laughing like a fish leaping up into the moonlight, and firm in the set of her jaw and the clench of her hand in his.  

She’d had a jade pin in her hair once, an ancient stolen thing that had once belonged to an empress, but it had been lost when the bombs fell.

He liked to think about her DNA changing inside her body.  He imagined the little helixes zipping and unzipping. He wanted to measure her by fingertips.  He wanted to hold her the way a mirror held a reflection the way a shadow held a heel, the way winter held the cold.  She didn’t mention it so he didn’t either.  They laid side by side in a ditch while jets flew overhead framed in starwork gunfire and flaring comets of missiles.  He thought about her cells, the nucleus, the lysosomes, the mitochondria.  He pictured the cells of her liver, and her eyes, and her stomach.  His mouth watered.  He imagined her cells splitting and dividing, increasing, growing so she was more and more and more so that she took an even infinitesimally greater part of the percentage of things in the world.

He thought about how each person died to gunfire and bombs that she would become a greater percentage of the population.  A soldier came down into the ditch, fumbling a gun in surprise when he saw the whites of their eyes.  She reached out a hand and glowed gold and the soldier aged forward, forward, forward until his back curled and his muscles turned to loose chicken skin and his eyes turned cloudy and then his dried skin cracked open over aged bone and the soldier collapsed into a pile of dust at their feet.

It would be so easy to roll over on top of her.  They were lying side by side.  It was just a matter of tipping his body over.  Flipping himself like a pancake.  He didn’t do it.

She reached out and took his hand in hers.  He squeezed it back.

 ***

The two hundredth time there wasn’t much they could do, it was one of the most delicate timelines.  They opened a bakery and waited.  They had a few decades before the end.  Their mooncakes were considered the best in the country and they did the majority of their business around the Mid-Autumn festival.  She liked how much fun he had, how he experimented with types of lotus seeds and rose petals and jelly molds.  Liked how she knew how to make him laugh and how easily he made her laugh as well.

***

Time two hundred and one he realised that the timeline just before would have been the perfect time to make his move.  He could have done something!  She had stayed with him for so long.  She hadn’t needed him.  She was so clever, with her eyes swishing back and forth, back and forth over all the possible timelines as if she wasn’t sorting through a stack of universes in her head. Instead they baked cakes and he had eaten their neighbor who played loud music at midnight, and the world hadn’t ended anyway.  What a waste!

***

Shen Wei was staring at that moron Zhao Yunlan.  “Maybe it's the end of things, but at least we found each other.”

“Gross,” the man said.

The woman elbowed him in the ribs.  “Let them have their moment before the planet blows up.”

***

The two hundred fiftieth time he kissed her glowing palm.  The one with the fish scale scar.

She stared up at him.  She was too surprised to speak and too careful of him to act rashly.

They had avoided death so far, but they were running out of oxygen.

She wrapped her arms around them and pulled them out into the river that was the stream of time.

***

He watched her patience crack at trying to explain to a man who wouldn’t listen to her and was too stupid to understand even after she had explained it three different ways so simply that a child could comprehend it.  “No,” she said, pinching the bridge of her nose.  “The Dixingren aren’t creating the Dark Energy.  The Dark Energy already exists.  With Dixing sealed, the dark energy can’t escape and it’s been building up.  Like when you shake a bottle of soda and then take the lid off and it sprays everywhere.”

“I don’t even know who you two are, why should I even listen to you?  You just walked in off the street!” Zhao Xinci said, of all the inane things, and so Ye Zun slammed his head into the desk.  No one talked so dismissively to her.

***

The three hundredth time they watch the earth explode from the moon.  It seemed the thing to do.  He handed her a moon cake.  Beautiful.  Perfect.  Expertly pressed.  She looked up into his face.  It was a subtle gesture.  It put no demands on her at all.  There was no way she could eat it.  But he had carried it up for her and given it to her anyway.  

***

He looked down at the smouldering remains of Dixing.  “Well, I mean, it was worth a try.”

She let out a sigh.  “Yeah.  I suppose.  It couldn’t have made it any worse.”  She rolled up her sleeve to make a note on the skin of her arm next to all the other notes.  “Don’t breach the barrier around Dixing after the buildup started, still explodes.”

He turned to face her, already done with the flames below.  He pulled her hair back from her face and pinned it up carefully for her.  She smiled, tilting her head so he could stroke down her neck.  Her skin didn’t feel quite the normal temperature.  She seemed both too hot and too cold all at once.  She was pushing herself too hard.  He had always admired her determination.  When the Hallows had stolen his senses she hadn’t stopped until he had devoured new sight, new hearing, new touch.  His measured the curve of her shoulder by the fingerprint.   “Do you need a moment to find a new timeline?”

“No,” she told him.  Smiled up at him to press a kiss to his cheek.  “I have one in mind.”

His mind was still… off, memory perforated, but he remembered her.  Remembered that she hadn’t left him, that she wouldn’t leave him and that was important because he’d-  Because he’d- Someone had-

He looked down at her arm.  The first on the list was to protect Shen Wei and Gui Mian.  He had killed…  he knew he had killed Shen Wei, had he killed Gui Mian as well?  Is that why it was so important that she was here with him?  Because he had killed them and she had been angry or sad or disappointed and left him?  Is that why he was so afraid of being alone?  Had she left him before and he had to find her and keep her this time? (Had she forgotten that he had killed them?  Was it wrong to keep it secret?) “What’s wrong?” she asked looking up at him with those bright, bright eyes, sometimes silver and sometimes gold.  Glowing like little moons in the dark.  They had a bakery together once and they had made moon cakes and he could have told her (he could have eaten her so she’d never leave him again) but he hadn’t and almost lost his shot but she introduced them as husband and wife.  Why would she do that if they weren’t married?

She held his face in her hands.  “Do you need a rest?  Do you need a moment?  We have an hour before the dark energy could kill us.” He wrapped his arms tight around her.  She felt so sturdy in his arms.  “I almost forgot how we met.  I-  I don’t know how.  I almost forgot about the bakery.  You’re my wife.  I remember you’re my wife.” She was silent for a moment.  “It’s okay.  I can’t remember the wedding or my name sometimes.  But I can remember how we met.  We opened a bakery together and I asked if the great Ye Zun wanted to bake cakes for the rest of his life and you said here in the sunlight with a friend is the only place I want to be.  We did most of our business in Mid-Autumn.  You made these beautiful moon cakes.”

He let out a laugh that was mostly tears, his arms tightened around her.  “Let’s go, please.  Let’s go back to the sunlight.”

***

“Maybe we should go back further,” she said from where she was leaning against the wall of the barn.  They don’t need a light, she’s glowing faint and soft.  A light that is such a faint gold it’s almost silver.  With the care of someone who had been made to practice starvation she sawed the top off a fresh egg with her pocket knife and threw the yolk and white back like a shot.  The eggs were all theirs, the man she traveled with had killed the farmer who had come to check on the animals before she could stop him.  There weren’t any animals to check anyway.  The Yashou they had freed from the camp down the road had eaten all the livestock raw, tearing into it like creatures that had forgotten they’d once passed for human.  She knew her dear friend had enjoyed watching them eat, she hadn’t been able to stay in the barn, but he had been almost whistling when she finally braved coming back in.  Her dear friend had wanted to keep walking past the Yashou camp, find a safe place to regroup, but she had insisted.  She was glad she did for all that they were about to abandon this timeline.  It wasn’t the worst they had seen, but it was in the top ranking.

When they left the temporal energy would curl back into the time river like none of this had ever happened.  They wouldn’t be able to try this tributary in the flow of time once it had atrophied, but the suffering here would disappear, unwrite itself.  Once they left this specific suffering could never happen again.  Maybe something worse, maybe something equally as bad, but never again Yashou camps with collars and cattle prods and cages.

She cut open another egg with the same precision and care as the first.  Her body had stopped bothering with feeling hungry really, but she knew she needed the calories.  She watched Da Qing where he was lying on a soft pile of hay with the little Yashou children the cat had insisted on carrying out.  She didn’t know how much longer the cat would last.  She’d seen him die many times before in many other timelines but it hurt more now for some reason.  Da Qing’s lips were so pale from loss of blood.  Her hand reached out to hold tight to her husband’s, his arm hooked up around her shoulders to pull her close.  He was a man for whom impulse control was temporary at best.  He pressed a kiss to the top of her head out of habit.  Her hand fell to rest on his thigh.  It reassures her for them to be braced off each other.

“How much further back?” he asked.

She pulled back her sleeve.  First in the list was Save Shen Wei and Gui Mian.

“Farther than we’ve gone before,” she told him.  “Back to when we can really change people’s minds.”  She had become close enough to some of the members of the SID in their previous tries - especially the attempts where they had plead their case to the Black Cloak Envoy.  She knew a lot of their secrets.  Shen Wei, the Envoy's name was Shen Wei and she cared about him, she had to.  Saving him and Gui Mian was the first thing on the list.  She had to care about him, otherwise why would she have gone through so much?  The influx of energy punched holes through her, took things without her knowing what they were, but she had written down the notes of what they needed to do.  That was something else, something that couldn’t be stolen.

“Alright,” he told her.  “You can do this.  Deep breaths.”

***

"Zhao Xinci really is a great shot," the man said.

"Maybe we should try something different," Li Qian replied, mouth a thin line as she bandaged up his arm.

"No, you had a good idea, Wife," he insisted.  "It's just the execution of it.” He winced.  “Maybe the wrong choice of words."

She ducked her head, “We can’t.  That was our only attempt at that branching path.  We’ve burned it now.  It’s just another endtimes.”

“We’ll try earlier then!  Or later!  We’ve done it before!” he insisted.

“Not all branching paths are so flexible, Ye Zun,” she scolded him, and oh yes, that was his name.  He was Ye Zun.   “And it takes a lot out of me to separate the strands,” she told him.  In his frustrated silence she concentrated on bandaging his arm.  His energy transfer would heal him fast enough, but she wanted to do something and he was the sort of person that thrived on being fussed over.  

“Don’t demur,” he said before his voice tinged with pride and warmth.  “It wasn’t a total failure.  You’ve killed to keep me safe.  The blood red on your hands and face.  You slit the throat of Chief Zhao when he tried to hurt me and you took my hand in yours still hot from his blood and you ran away with me.  You chose me.  You cried and you cried but you chose me before anyone else.”  He was whispering at the end, drunk on the words in his mouth.

She pressed her hands to his cheeks and pressed her forehead to his.  “We’re going to fix this.  We can do it.”

***

They sat and watched Shen Wei and his brother doing battle against whatever it was the Regent had turned into.  The last three living creatures locked in desperate battle.  Why were their boys always trying to kill themselves?  There wasn’t much they could do about it this time.  One of the energy shackles was still around his wrist and they didn’t have any tools to take it off.  He couldn’t help in the battle and his clever wife was limited to how much she could help in situations like this.  She was a soft golden light next to him, her hair was shock white falling in a curtain over the edge of the building.  Shen Mian screamed out and flew backward.  She shivered and gripped hold of Ye Zun’s hand.  She had always found her motherly affection at odds with the cold efficiency choosing timelines demanded.  They knew something must have happened to her long ago when whatever started this cycle that had damaged her mind.  

“We can go,” he told her.

“I need to stay here for them.  It’s important for parents to be there for their children, even if they can’t help.  It’s important to be there,” she said.

“As soon as we leave this timeline will roll back.  We should go, I can’t protect you like this.  They wouldn’t know one way or the other,” he said.  

“I would know!” she snapped at him.

She only had memories of the boys as adults.  She would laugh and tell him stories about Shen Wei - his sneaky sense of humor that sounded like a mirror of hers, their shared interest in the sciences, how her poor son had not understood technology at all.  Shen Wei had been an attentive son - protecting her and the Dial from danger, bringing her food when she was in the hospital in a sign of filial piety.  He didn’t say how he knew how much it broke her heart how much her memory was scattered and broken.  That she couldn’t even remember holding her own sons in her arms as infants.  He shared what he could remember with her as if that was any sort of panacea for her heartbreak, how she blamed herself.  She had to have loved them, she wouldn’t have put herself through this if she hadn’t.  He wouldn’t have agreed to this without the fishhook of familial love caught in his flesh.  

She also didn’t seem to remember he had been the one to kill the boys that first time.  Maybe she did and had blocked it out.  Maybe she didn’t know and had just stumbled upon the scene.

She kept watching.  He just held her hand, he was too tired to do anything else.  He watched the fight with a blank curiosity.

"Husband," she said.  "There's something I need to tell you."

He had seen the world young and the world old, it was very rarely good when someone said they had something 

"I've been discussing the future and the past with the Dial.  We've seen two choices moving forward," she told him.  "In one you replace the original Longevity Dial with this one and I wait inside it and in secret I guide and protect the Lord Guardian, I ensure the guardians of this world gain the holy tools and I use my power to ensure that Zhao Yunlan and Shen Wei meet much, much earlier.  It is the easier way and it will work.  We've run through the calculations.”  Her lips pressed together as though to brace him for what she was about to say.  “Doing it this way will bind me to the Dial forever.  And it will use up all your energy, but it will work.  The world will be saved.  It absolutely won't end.  And Shen Wei and Shen Mian will be safe at the end of it."

He staggered forward, almost tipping off the edge of the building, almost surprised into saying yes.  In another universe he may have.  He was strong, but he didn't know if he could bang his head against the wall ten thousand more times.  Not when there were only two avenues of success left.  They had an option.  They had a chance.  In another world he said yes and in someways it destroyed him, remade him.  “But we would never see each other again,” he said.

She nodded.

In this world he reached out and dragged the pad of his thumb against the skin of her cheek.  She so often looked so still so serene when really she was the maelstrom, she was the moon exerting her power on the sea with a look. She was so loved by him.  "I would rather stand in the bones of a dead world with you then save everyone and have you forever out of reach.  I’m not an easy man, I don’t like people.  But I liked you once and had two sons with you.  Now even with our memories stolen from us I fell in love with you again,” he said despite everything they’d been through.  “Who but you and I know each other’s pain of giving up so much, such an unbearable sacrifice, only to lose everyone who was supposed to love us.  We have been abandoned by the whole world except for each other.  We have been desperate for someone to want us.  We have been desperate for anything like family, and yet here we are.  After everything we’ve done, we’re alone.  Alone except for each other.”

To her credit she didn’t look away.

“I would never hurt you intentionally nor lead you to hurt yourself,” he swore.

“You’d think that would be a simple oath,” she half-laughed, looking down at where their fingers interlocked.  “You think that would have been so simple for anyone else to love us.  Perhaps we are the only ones who can see clearly, or perhaps we are blind together.”

“I would rather be blind with you than clear sighted alone.  What is the second option?" he asked.

"My energy is still damaged," she warned.  "I’m falling apart.  I'll need to be bound to something.  Could you stand that?"

"If we were together I could stand anything," he answered too quickly.

She smiled, so small and so big all at once.  “We’ll see.”

#guardian #guardian fic #here you go elvencantation #li qian #ye zun

[prider-parker-imaginations]

ℕ𝕠 𝔼𝕤𝕔𝕒𝕡𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝔾𝕙𝕠𝕤𝕥𝕤

Title: No Escaping the Ghosts

Characters: Quentin Beck + Male!Stark!Reader (also a little bit of Peter Parker x Male!Stark!Reader, which can be read as platonic or romantic)

Warnings: language, grief, violence, angst, general nightmarishness, bastard man being a bastard man, implied PTSD, past trauma, manipulation, basically psychological torture, Endgame spoilers, Far From Home spoilers

Prompt: Midnight Thoughts by Set It Off (also elements of Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Lorde if you squint)

Word Count: 2.2k

A/N: Another submission for @locke-writes​ Intro to 2020 Challenge and sequel to ℍ𝕠𝕝𝕕 𝕋𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥, 𝕊𝕨𝕖𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕒𝕣𝕥

An extended illusion would never have worked on Peter. The kid’s instincts were too sharp. The best Beck could have hoped for with Peter was keeping him under long enough to shake him up. Accomplish what needed to get done quickly before he posed too big of a threat. But you? With you, Beck could savour the unravelling. He could take his time breaking you apart piece by piece for what your father had done to him. And then, when he was finished, he could kill you.

A slow grin curled Quentin’s lips as he strode over to the chair you were chained to. “You know, I wasn’t planning on doing this to you at first. I was going to give you a clean death or at least something close to one. The world would have wept for your loss, or at least for mine when I was forced to kill you. I would have held you in my arms as you died and sworn revenge on the people who’d turned you into a monster, vowed to keep going in honour of you and your father, yadda yadda yadda, the tragic hero. Peter would be heartbroken, but that would be fine, I’d be there for him to lean on. He’s a good kid, though I don’t have to tell you that, do I?” The man’s expression darkened, “Too bad he got too nosy. Now I’m going to have to kill both of you.”

The chains holding your wrists behind your back rattled as you yanked against them. A snarl curled your lips, “If you touch him-”

“You know, as much as your tough-guy act might impress Fury, I’m really not that intimidated by a kid with daddy issues.”

“You should be.” Heat rushed down your arms, the metal turning to putty against your flesh. You grabbed hold of the solid end and whipped it over your head towards Beck, red-hot sparks flying from the links. But instead of hitting him, searing hot metal passed right through him and crashed against the concrete with a clang. Beck smirked and disappeared, the world going dark around you. You whipped around, heart pounding.

“Did you really think it would be that easy?” his voice echoed from all around you. “And here I was hoping you’d be civilized about the whole thing. Guess you can’t expect much from a Stark, can you?”

“Show yourself, Beck!” you shouted, still turning in the dark as you struggled to orient yourself. Even the chair you had been bound to had disappeared, the half-molten chain gone from your hands like nothing more than smoke.

He materialized out of the black, EDITH perched on his nose, “Miss me already?” Before you could even take one step in his direction, he was gone again, appearing this time a few feet to your right.

“Those don’t belong to you,” you snapped, rage boiling in your chest as he continued to shift from one place to another, always just out of your reach. 

“Last I checked, they don’t belong to you either. Does that hurt? Knowing your dad cared more about some kid he scraped out of Queens than he did his actual son? Then again, he did scrape you out of the gutter too, didn’t he?”

“You don’t get to talk about my dad!” This time when you lunged for the illusion, your world shifted dizzyingly. You stumbled, breath catching in your throat as you recognized your new surroundings.

“Fine. Then let’s talk about you.”

You could already feel your hands starting to shake, your body betraying you as you faced the room plucked from your nightmares and midnight thoughts. This was classified. How did he know this room? And if he knew this, how much more did he know? The fire in your veins had turned to ice in an instant.

Beck’s voice seemed to emanate from the very concrete that made up the small cell, “You remember this place, don’t you?”

The anger in your words was undermined by the tremour beneath them. “Fuck you.”

“What’s it like for a little boy to get turned into a monster?”

“Shut up.” Your fists were clenched so hard it hurt, smoke curling up from between your fingers.

“Which came first, rewriting your brain or your DNA?” His voice was insidious, taunting you from every direction.

“Shut up!” You threw your arms out at the concrete walls, heat pouring from your palms. The last time you’d been in this cell, you’d been a frightened kid surrounded by monsters. You weren’t that boy anymore. You didn’t have to be afraid anymore. But even as the concrete turned molten and you pushed your way through, your world shifted again and you were strapped down, machinery hovering around your head. 

“They turned you into a weapon. And that’s all you’ll ever be. You were Hydra’s attack dog and now you’re Fury’s. Some things never change.”

You thrashed against the restraints as the paddles of the machine lowered towards your skull, every muscle tensing in panic. “This isn’t real,” you spat, half trying to convince yourself as ghosts from your past tried to drag you somewhere you wouldn’t be able to escape. They had tried to make you forget, but your body remembered this place and it was afraid.

“How do you know? You’ve had so many people walking around inside your head, how do you know anything anymore? For all you know, you’re still some sad little kid hitting his head against a wall in a room where the light won’t find you. For all you know, you never left. No one knows where you are and no one’s coming to save you. You’re alone, and you’ll always be alone.”

“You’re lying.”

“Do you even remember your life before they stole it from you? Do you even remember your own mother? Or how he killed her?”

Your rage overwhelmed your fear. You jerked against your restraints, the metal biting into your wrists and ankles, unable to move your head. “Shut up!” you screamed. You could feel the heat pooling in your hands but the cuffs held fast, pinning you in place, keeping you helpless, keeping you a little boy stuck in a memory you wanted nothing more than to forget.

“You had to know. It was all in the files. Or did you know and just pretend it wasn’t true? Were you there when he killed her? Did she scream? Do you even remember the sound of her voice?”

“Shut the fuck up!”

His words burrowed into your ears like worms, relentless and poisonous. “Did you think he rescued you because he cared about you? Or did he do it because of his guilt? Because he was the one who condemned you to becoming a human weapon. Because he was the one that destroyed any chance you ever had at a normal life. Because he murdered your grandparents just like he murdered your mom. If he really cared about you, where is he now? Why isn’t he saving you this time?”

You ground your teeth in frustration, trying to calm the shaking in your hands. “I’m gonna kill you.”

“Killing’s what you’re good at, isn’t it?” Reality shifted again so you were on your knees in the dark, a single gravestone looming before you. Your breath caught in your throat. “Too bad it didn’t help Tony though, did it? Maybe if you’d been good enough, he’d still be alive.”

The heat turned back to ice, frost crackling across your fingertips. The shaking was back, your heart pounding against your chest as you scrambled away from the name carved into the stone.

“Then again, you’ve never been good enough, have you? Never smart enough, never strong enough. Your own father didn’t even want you to be part of his legacy. You’re a menace to everything he ever created. Why would he ever want you? You’re a danger to everyone you’ve ever cared about. You know it, and Tony knew it. Maybe if you’d died instead of him, your life would finally be worth something.”

You lifted your hands to cover your ears, squeezing your eyes shut, but his voice just kept coming, always taunting, a constant noise in your head mirroring the pulse in your veins. Tears froze on your cheeks beneath your fingers.

Beck crouched over you, one hand coming to rest on the back of your head. The contact would have been almost fatherly if you weren’t stuck in a nightmare of his own design. Then his grip tightened, wrenching your head back, forcing you to look at him. “You’re just a broken little kid who thinks he can fill his daddy’s shoes. But the only thing you inherited from him was his arrogance. But how does it feel? Knowing you’re always just a few words away from being turned into a machine? Knowing anyone with the right words could trap you inside your own mind and use you to destroy everything you love? Knowing you’re just a tool someone created in a lab?”

The sound that tore from your throat was half a scream and half a sob as you threw yourself at Beck. Your hands came up to his face, smoke and heat pouring from your palms. You wanted to hurt him. You wanted to make him suffer. But when he cried out in pain, it wasn’t Beck anymore. You jerked back, bile rising in your throat as you saw Peter’s face marred by burns in the shape of your hands where his suit had melted away.

But then another Peter was next to you, grabbing your arm, “Come on, we’ve gotta go!” 

Another Peter grabbed your other arm, “He’s not real, don’t listen to him!”

A mob of Peters descended on you out of the darkness, pulling at you, begging you to listen to them, blocking out any light with red and blue and grasping hands. You struggled to break free, panic filling your lungs. It was too much. You shut your eyes and a shout tore from your mouth. Heat exploded out from your body and the pressure disappeared. When you opened your eyes, a single Peter stood before you in an empty warehouse, his suit torn and smoking in places. Half-melted chunks of drone lay scattered across the concrete.

Peter said your name and moved towards you but you held out your hands, heat still pulsing through your palms even as your own clothes smoldered. He stopped, pulling off his mask, “It’s okay, it’s me.”

You shook your head, sweat and tears steaming faintly as they leaked down your cheeks. Your voice shook. “You can’t trick me.”

Peter took another step closer, his expression turning pleading, “Please, let me help you. You’re safe, I swear.”

“You’re not real.”

“Beck’s gone, you broke the illusion,” Peter insisted, gesturing with one arm towards the shattered drones.

Still you didn’t lower your hands, “No, tell me something only Peter would know!” Inside, your mind was screaming. Not him. Please not him. Please don’t make me hurt him again. Your arms shook. Were you nervous or were you insane?

He blinked, face going blank for a moment, “Y-your dad left you a message. On EDITH. He-he wanted you to take care of Morgan.”

Slowly, your hands fell to your sides as your legs folded beneath you. Peter caught you before you hit the floor, “Hey, hey, it’s okay, you’re okay,” he soothed, “Beck’s gone. You’re safe.”

A shudder passed through your body as the heat leached out of you. “He’s in my head, Pete. He knows everything. I can’t shut him out.”

Peter’s hands cupped your face, forcing you to look at him. Blood smeared under his nose and across his cheek and his eyes were red and wet. “He can’t hurt you anymore. We’ll figure this out.”

You shook your head, swallowing hard, the tears coming faster even as he tried to brush them away. “He lied to us, Pete. He lied about everything.”

“I know, I know, we’ll figure it out, we’ll-”

Peter’s words were cut off but the crack of a gunshot. Your eyes widened as the boy slumped against you, blood already spilling out onto your hands. “No, no, no, Peter, please, no,” the words spilled out in a panic as you struggled to hold him upright. His head lolled, his eyes fixing on your face as blood dribbled past his lips. The look of shock in his eyes, of confusion and pain was enough to shatter your heart a thousand times over. Your voice cracked, “Stay with me, please, Peter, no-”

Your name fell from his lips, a quiet gasp among the blood and tears. He gripped fistfuls of your smoldering shirt, pulling you down to your knees. 

You could see Beck standing just past him, clipping the gun back to his belt. “I’m sorry. He forced my hand.”

Your pulse was a roar in your ears. Cold radiated from your body in waves as Peter stilled in your arms. The blood that pooled beneath him crackled faintly as a web of frost spread around you, covering the scorch marks from before. Your whole body shook as you stood, face twisting. Your breath clouded as it fell from lips trembling with rage. “I’m gonna enjoy killing you.”

A slow smirk stole across Beck’s face. “That’s the spirit.” Then he snapped his fingers and the world turned black.

#mysterio #quentin beck #male!reader #one-shot #peter parker #spider-man #Spider-Man far from home #far from home #stark!reader #one shot #marvel #marvel cinematic universe #mcu #spiderman #marvel one-shot #mcu one-shot #peter parker one-shot #quentin beck one-shot #mysterio one-shot #prider-parker-imaginations

[thenugking]

Grand Academy For Future Villains II: Attack of the Sequel, Chapter 5: Bride of Chapter Five. A commentary for Three.

General CW for the whole thing: parental abuse, internalised dehumanisation as a trauma response. Three’s not doing well.

No specific warnings for this chapter except for a typo my friends have been teasing me about for weeks.

Game 1

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9

Game 2

Chapter 0 | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

Alternatively, read on Google Docs here

***

"Well obviously," says Professor Ulik, faintly irritated. "I thought you were a bit cleverer than that,Three, I really did. Yes, but specifically I need you to make sure that one of my classes is on the auditor's schedule. You may use whatever methods you please to get it there. The less I know, the better."

Her message communicated, Professor Ulik returns to her papers. You begin to consider your situation. This would be an unparalleled opportunity to ensure Professor Ulik's selection for a tenured position and what else are you here for, anyway?

But how to get an audience with the newly-arrived auditor?

#Val's on the Board of Visitors and Overlords. I'm going to consult zir about this situation.

This isn’t particularly helpful to Three’s intention to stay as far away from the auditors as  possible. Their first plan is still to ask DarkBoard if they’re able to alter Goul’s schedule, but when DarkBoard gives a foreboding speech about how they shouldn’t meddle in forces far beyond their control,  (Three is pretty sure DarkBoard’s scared of the auditors but don’t want to admit it,) they realise they’re going to have to talk to these people. This hopefully won’t be overly dangerous, after all, they are excellent at being helpful to important people, and tend to be good at quickly working out the level of grovelling important people prefer, so they’re unlikely to annoy the auditors. The danger that comes with just being around important, powerful people is inevitable, but they hope they can avoid the worst by appearing as a mere supporting character in Ulik’s narrative, unnoticeable to the auditors underneath all her achievements.

The best place to start with this is Val. Scorpius told Three ze was on the Board of Overseers and, while Three has been trying to interact with Val as little as possible, ze’s at least someone they’re able to get an audience with. And--despite a slight annoyance about Scorpius spilling zir secrets--Val apparently either likes them enough, or thinks they’re plot relevant enough, to help.

Ze is, however, going to point out that meeting with the Auditors isn’t the kind of thing people with no narrative weight do. It doesn’t matter what reason Three gives--do they think there isn’t a story in an underdog brave enough to put themself in the firing line of powerful villains they’re frightened of, just out of loyalty to their wise and supportive mentor? And Val has a feeling this isn’t the first time Three’s done this. Three informs them that they are not a hero, or an underdog, or special in any way whatsoever. Val tells them that ze knows better than most how Narrative Weight isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, so ze’s really, genuinely sorry to say this, but that’s not true, Three. Three decides they’d better get over to that meeting before they’re late, so doesn’t have time to listen to Val try and tell them they’re more than just a tool.

The minutes Val showed you indicated that a team of no less than three auditors would be arriving from the Board of Visitors and Overlords. And you're fairly certain you know who this one is.

The falling pieces of the dome leave trails of fire in the air all around you. The air of the artificial atmosphere is rushing upward; the weather programs that the dome once produced are sputtering fitfully. Fish, frogs, bolts of lightning, hailstones and drops of blood tumble at random from the shattering sky.

"Lord X!" you call, as the figure lightly touches down to the earth. "Welcome to the Grand Academy for Future Villains!"

The figure turns towards you, and you see that the upper half of his face is concealed by a black mask like a frozen lava flow. His clothes are rich and close-fitting, his black shirt with silver buttons reaching to the neck, his hands concealed by silver gloves, and a belt around his waist supports a really alarming arsenal of weapons. You spot what looks like an oversized silver revolver, a long sword, a short sword, and a gun that looks strangely familiar. There's also a trowel tucked into a beautifully tooled black leather sheath; there's probably some explanation for this besides being for some sort of demonic gardener. 

"Well done…student," says Lord X.

Val, watching from under the shelter of a black umbrella, gives the slightest of nods to the auditor.

Again, not something Three would have done if Ulik hadn’t wanted them to talk to the auditors, they’d much rather be running to hide right now, or else checking the sudden environmental changes of the world falling apart aren’t adversely affecting DarkBoard. But they do like important people being impressed with them.

As if it overheard your unspoken question—which you suppose it did—the nearest DarkBoard portal begins scrolling through something you recognize as the fine print of your application paperwork. You look at the scrolling text:

…WITHOUT REFUND. THE APPLICANT CONSENTS TO MANDATORY BINDING ARBITRATION IN THE CASE OF ACCIDENTAL OR PURPOSEFUL DISMEMBERMENT, IMPERFECT RESURRECTION, AND OTHER PHYSICAL OR PSYCHIC MODIFICATION UNDERTAKEN VOLUNTARILY OR INVOLUNTARILY IN THE COURSE OF ACADEMIC DUTIES. THE APPLICANT CONSENTS TO THE ACADEMY'S USE OF THEIR IMAGE, DNA, BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, OFFSPRING IF ANY, WITH OR WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN NOTIFICATION. SURVEILLANCE DEVICES MAY BE INSTALLED IN PHYSICAL AND INTELLECTUAL LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE ACADEMY INCLUDING BEDROOMS, HEARTS, DREAMS, AND NARRATIVES. THE ACADEMY RESERVES THE RIGHT…

Okay, okay.

It may not be immediately relevant to the current scene, but I think it’s worth noting that students “consent” to the Academy’s use of their offspring. Being the child of an alumnus, Three was a little concerned, if resigned, about that when reading their own application paperwork. Those feelings haven’t completely gone away, but they also realise this could be an excellent excuse if Maedryn ever discovers their loyalty to DarkBoard. She herself signed them away to the Academy before they even existed, and if necessary, Three will remind her that neither of them can complain if DarkBoard wishes to collect on that.

Three has never wanted children themself, but the Academy’s application paperwork just makes them more sure of that.

#Come observe Professor Ulik’s class.

You've kept your bargain with Professor Ulik. Whatever the auditor says, the fact that you faced one of the most powerful beings on the Academy grounds has to count for something.

It's a simple request—so simple the auditor seems taken by surprise. You hold your breath, waiting for an answer. "Of course," says the auditor. "Next week. Of course, we make no promises as to the nature of our judgment. Only of its inevitability."

"Fifteen seconds," pipes the assistant.

Variyah Goul stands up. She does not offer you her hand. "Your career, of course, will be of interest to us, whatever becomes of the school."

"Ten."

"If at the end of the year we find you an individual of sufficient narrative weight…there are certain provisions made for individuals who are fit for a great destiny. I am impressed by hedonism and competence, and the portfolio of destinies I manage are those of grandeur and glory."

"And zero." The assistant escorts you out of the room.

That went… surprisingly well. Three’s alive. They’ve at least slightly impressed two auditors. Goul’s agreed to observe Ulik’s class. Three wasn’t given time to have to pretend to be interested in a destiny.

They are growing increasingly concerned that the Academy’s accreditation may not, in fact, be renewed, but all they have to do is show that a place with teachers as good as Professor Ulik is worthwhile, make sure Maedryn isn’t too stressed by her various responsibilities that the clones stop working, help Sona keep Sci-Fi looking respectable and genre savvy, and do whatever DarkBoard requests to help the Academy run smoothly.

((Side note: I did originally accidentally replace a bit too much of the “insert your professor here” text with “professor ulik” when I originally typed this up, with the result that Three very unfortunately invited one of the most powerful villains in the universe to come observe Professor Ulik’s ass. They don’t want to talk about it.))

The senior students that approach you after your Evil Planning class are well known to you. They're a group of Thriller and Science Fiction students that even in these polarized times of inter-genre competition, have remained friends and close collaborators. 

"Three!" one of them calls to you. "Do you have a second? We want you to try this!"

This is rarely the prelude to something good, but often the prelude to something interesting. You pause. 

"This is our capstone project for our Cyberpunk Dystopia class," explains another, proffering his personal DarkBoard portal, its screen glowing. "A dating app for the Academy! We need beta testers! And, well, a lot of people have been requesting you."

"It's right here in the early feedback," confirms the third. "Let's see…'If it doesn't have Three I'm not joining'…'Where's Three I mean the real one not the clone'…'Please add an option to romance Three.'"

You look warily at the colorful images on the DarkBoard portal. What's so dystopian about a dating app?

"Well, it's powered by DarkBoard, for one thing," says the first student, "so it can be kind of unpredictable. And wildly intrusive. But the administration is interested in monitoring the personal lives of its students."

"Personally I think DarkBoard's getting a bit lonely," adds the second, behind his hand, as if that could conceal his comment from the security system.

I mean, there might be a couple of students wanting to find out what’s underneath Three’s aloof emotionless exterior, but I really doubt there’s anyone specifically asking for them. In any case, they have far more important things to do than trying to find another relationship at the moment, and even if they wanted one, they wouldn’t be looking for it on an intrusive dating app made by a bunch of students they have no reason to trust. 

But, well, they don’t exactly completely object to submitting information about certain preferences they may have to a system powered by DarkBoard. It’s a villainous action to sign up to a dating site and then ruthlessly reject every classmate who appears on there, isn’t it?

Besides the grinning face of Science Fiction's figurehead, a long list of diagrams and spec charts appears. Sona, or DarkBoard on Sona's behalf, is listing out all her weapons and modifications. You're fascinated—there are some extraordinarily personal items here. You would never have guessed about the navel turret, for instance.

All right, getting lists of people’s hidden abilities is also a very useful feature of this app. Three just hopes their own profile isn’t going to start listing out the dozens of weapons they have hidden on their person at all times.

The portal clouds over again, but this time, when it clears, no face is visible at all. Slowly words form on the portal's surface.

HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHAT THE WORLD LOOKS LIKE WHEN SEEN THROUGH A THOUSAND EYES?

"Uh-oh." One of the Cyberpunk Dystopia students tries to snatch the portal out of your hands. "It's doing it again. Close! Close! Administrator override!"

SHED YOUR FLESH, continues DarkBoard, AND JOIN US IN THE TIMELESS VOID BETWEEN ELECTRONS.

"Yeah, this is a known issue," explains the leader. "Every so often DarkBoard will decide that it wants to get in on some of the action. Sorry about that."

He hands you back your portal, now quiet and docile. Is that Xi's lingering influence? Does something about DarkBoard remember you as an object of romance?

"You know where to find us! Thanks for trying it out!"

And they're gone.

Well, even if Three’s list of concealed weapons are on view to everyone on the dating app now, the student trying to snatch the portal away from Three is not prepared for a kick in the groin and a gun pointed at him before he has a chance to react, as Three calmly explains that they want to be aware of all known issues before deciding whether to continue using the app or not. After taking a few moments to closely examine this one, they tell the cyberpunk students that they can live with it. They spend a fair amount of their free time (limited though that is) on the app over the next few months, while making sure to reject every student profile they find.

The app does cause another slight issue, however, given that the rejection messages it sends are calibrated to, “cause greatest emotional impact to the target!” Three and Aurion awkwardly avoid each other for the next few weeks, after they each receive a horrifying rejection message about how the other loves them far too much like a sibling, and is so grateful for the bond they already have.

And then this final scene doesn’t actually take place, because Three doesn’t have a nemesis or a pet, so doesn’t need help dealing with them, but:

Professor Ulik thinks so highly of you that she leaves the class that she was in the middle of teaching to rush to the ${temphousing}.

I love Three’s new mum a lot.

#three #marsh ocs #grand academy for future villains #choice of games #sara ulik #valorous flame #darkboard #aurion umbrator malisar #Particular Associates in Personal Intimate Experiences

[thewriterwithnoplan]

Dirty and Useless (Part 6)

Summary: Jason Todd had always said there were only two types of cop; Dirty and Useless. So when Y/N comes along with a spunky partner and a laughable code name it’s safe to say they don’t exactly see eye to eye. But if they’ve got anything in common it’s their secrets. Both are hiding behind masks whether they know it or not. Will the Robin get the Nightingale to come out of the shadows? Pairing: Titans!Jason Todd x Reader Word Count: 1707 Warnings: None.

Jason stared up into E/C eyes and swore that he would never see a sight as glorious as this. A beautiful H/C leaning above him, two unconscious henchmen somewhere behind them and-

Beep.

A still-active bomb apparently.

The woman sighed, running a hand across Jason's chest plate. For a split second, he was confused, then the R popped out and was flying through the air a moment later. It struck the bomb, cutting through several wires. The explosives gave one last beep and then the screen that read 00:02 spluttered to a stop. It was all far too close for the boys liking and exciting all the same.

"You called, bird boy?" The girl quipped.

Jason couldn't hide the grin that dominated his face if he tried, "Didn't think you'd answer, Nightingale."

"Fun fact; Male nightingales sing during the night to attract the female's attention," Y/N peered into the boy's eyes, tilting her head slightly, "Guess you sung loud enough Boy Blunder."

"I guess that's the charm of the Robin," He shrugged carelessly before looking down and finally allowing his shit-eating grin to fall into a frown, "You mind getting the chains off?"

Y/N made a good show of considering it before leaning down to whisper across the shell of his ear, "I think you should keep them on."

Jason froze completely under the woman's weight and he finally just how close she was. He could almost count the dents on the weaponised emblem embedded into her chest plate. It was a Nightingale midflight and would have been invisible against the dark shades of her outfit had the black emblem not been edged by red and bleeding gold. The swift contrasts between the abyss like black, the blood-red and glittering gold summed her up quite nicely. Or at least Jason had heard as much.

"Robin," The deep voice of Batman interrupted his gazing as the older man thrashed in his own chains. Either to look at Jason or to find some way to loosen the restraints, "Status report. I can't see, what's going on over there?"

Jason felt the moment her body stiffened but didn't anticipate the chains falling away when she moved to her feet. It was only then that the boy wonder realised that she had moved one arm from beside his head to pick the lock binding the thick metal around him. It didn't surprise him however when the girl made no move to help Batman, so he set about doing it himself.

"I called in a friend, I wasn't sure she'd come but-" He glanced over his shoulder as she pulled the R from the tangled wires that had been a bomb. "Wait. How did you know how to do that?"

"Disarming the bomb or the perfect shot thing?" She moved behind him, even as he continued to pick the lock around Batman. Y/N slipped her arms around his back and pressed the R back into place. It was a strange move but Jason had no doubt with this girl that it had been purposeful and calculated. He wondered what had changed with the girl that she had become so friendly with him.

Jason had to pointedly clear his throat and avoid eye contact with his mentor as he answered, "All of it. Usually takes us a while and even then we're paying attention. You just threw it."

"Would you be upset if I said luck?" He gapped at her, "Kidding! I've been disarming the Joker's bombs since before I could walk and the aim thing is just a lot of practice."

"Robin, who is this?" The caped crusader asked a dangerous edge to his tone as he examined the girl.

Y/N to her credit didn't flinch under the famous BatGlare™ but that was probably because her steely gaze was eerily similar. It was a Wayne thing then. With a dismissing roll of E/C eyes, Y/N clapped her hands together twice. For a moment the men were utterly confused at the girl's strange actions and then her suit started melting off of her.

It took only a moment for her to be left in dark blue jeans and a black leather jacket. Black riding gloves - that the rest of her suit had melted into - and her elegant mask were all that was left of the Nightingale. Though with a swipe of her hand, like she was wiping sweat from her forehead, her mask melted too. The feather from behind her ear joined the mask leaving only Y/N, her Nightingale gloves and a red-black ear cuff.

"It's a new suit design," Y/N answered the unasked question. "Nanotechnology mixed with Dyneema SB61 plastic - stronger than Zylon fibres and lighter too - as well as a small spell from a Lord of Order and maybe a tiny bit of stolen alien tech."

"That's illegal you kno-"

"Can I have one t-"

The dynamic duo slowly turned to face each other. While Batman painted the perfect portrait of annoyance, Jason wore an indignant look as if to ask; Why can't my suit be that cool? A silent argument passed between the two as both vigilantes fought to get their way. Inevitably Jason heaved a deep sigh and sent Y/N a look that might have been a mock expression of his mentors.

"Thank you for coming all this way and helping us," The Dark Knight gave her a tight smile. "But we have it from here Miss..."

A shrill ring interrupted them. Y/N turned away from the two famous Gotham icons, a finger raised in a 'one-minute' motion. A startled look flashed across the older man's face as he watched the girl ignore him. Y/N pressed the phone to her ear without a second glance at the caller ID.

"Agent Wayne,"  She peered out of the large familiar window over her home. "Please place your threat, compliment or request."

A tired voice rumbled back through the receiver, "Snarky as always Y/N."

"Melisa," Y/N rolled her eyes, "The hell are you doing up? It's like, the middle of the night."

"Speak for yourself."

"Touché," She admitted, glancing over her shoulder at the clock on the opposite wall, 1:14. "Still, if you of all people are awake it's gotta be something bad. So lay it on me, Sparrow."

"We have a new mission," Melisa spoke slowly, deliberately, something unusual for the spunky girl who had once held a goldfish in her mouth on a dare. "It's a bounty hunter job, they're offering a lot of money for it. Like money, you would kill for."

Jason watched over the girl's shoulder as a grin bloomed across her reflection's face. It was the sort of smile that villans gave when they knew something that the hero didn't. Excited and hungry and deadly. But then the faint indistinguishable voice on the other end of the call said something and that smirk shattered.

"Are you sure?" Y/N blinked several times, wondering if she'd heard right.

Melisa gave a sharp inhale of breath, "That's what they said."

Y/N pinched the bridge of her nose in deep thought. Before turning on her heel and marching to the computer perched on the beautifully carved desk. The Sparrow placed her phone down, pressing the speaker icon. She spun herself into the plush chair and began typing. Password. The girl didn't bat an eye as she punched in the access code. Jason didn't really follow what she did from there but it looked complicated, to say the least.

When Y/N finally stopped clacking away at the crisp keyboard she turned to the phone. It had been silent the whole time as if not wanting to interrupt her. Jason wondered if the Sparrow on the other end of the phone - probably still in Star City - knew what Y/N did at night. What she had done for most of her life. Had Y/N told her some excuse or that she was off to save his ass?

Y/N's finger tapped along the Enter key but didn't press any harder, "Look, Mel. We have two options in this, we find the bounty or, I can wipe all information from the FBI database and we never speak of it again."

"It's not my choice," Melisa exhaled slowly, "You're the one that knows them. Do what you have to, I'm with you no matter what. Just ask yourself; What's right for you?"

"I don't know," She groaned, fingers hovering over that Enter button. "Tell me not to do it. Tell me we need the money or that he deserves it."

"Does he?"

Jason held his breath as the decision - that made little sense to him but seemed important - was made. He peeked at the computer monitor curiously. A handful of case files from the FBI database were open along with another tab that read 'Are you sure you want to delete this?' Y/N looked anything but sure. She was glaring holes into that seemingly inconsequential sentence.

Jason's eyes scanned the files swiftly as Y/N squirmed in the huge office chair. It was then that he noticed the pictures. Him. Not even Robin, it was Jason Todd - in all his unmasked glory. There was a bounty on him and not a few feet from him Y/N was contemplating whether to turn him over. He squinted in an attempt to read the charges, to figure out why the gods damned FBI wanted him of all people.

WANTED

Jason Peter Todd.

Possible Witness of the Robin Ambush - Placed at the crime scene by DNA.

Last known location: Gotham City.

Several accounts of assault, petty theft, forgery, resisting arrest.

Ward of Bruce Wayne.

The boy was only snapped out of it when Melisa asked, "Can you in good conscious arrest him, knowing he's the... you know who. He hurt me and those other officers, yes, but he does a hell of a lot of good too. Is it worth the money? Does he deserve it?"

"No." And just like that, the files were gone.

"Then I'll see you when you get home," A snort and then teasingly Melisa added. "Nightingale."

Y/N bid the girl farewells, hung up and turned back to the bat and robin, "Sorry, as you were saying."

#jason todd #jason todd x reader #jason x reader #robin x reader #titans #jason todd titans #reader insert #reader #y/n #jason x y/n #nightingale #bruce wayne #wayne #wayne enterprises #fbi #melisa #robin