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staytinyville · 5 months

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Stay Alive (35)

BTS poly!ot7 x Reader

Magical Creatures AU

Series Masterlist

Warnings: none

A/N NOT BETA. Honestly, maybe you guys can figure out what some of them are for the cameos but yeah. There are still a couple of more people I will be mentioning in the next coming chapters.

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“Do you think Bang Nim will know what to do?” Teahyung asked as the entire group followed Sejin.

He was leading all of them towards a ward in the building, coming up on separate rooms that looked like hospitals. The sliding doors were glass, a good amount in total, some of which were occupied with a couple of people getting injuries treated.

“Whatever it is, I know we'll be on the front lines.” Namjoon answered the boy.

“You guys can't go!” You gasped, stopping in the middle of the hallway causing the others to turn to you. “You just got out.” You told Namjoon.

“(Y/N).” Namjoon sighed.

“We have been there the longest. Because of that we feel responsible for all of them. It's what we want to do.” Hoseok explained.

You had just gotten them home and who knows what Hanseol is currently doing. You knew that the moment you took the boys out of there they would double their efforts to keep those they have. It was something you knew was going to happen. You had to go back and take out the others. However you were worried about the boys being caught again.

“Let's get you boys checked out.” Sejin tried to defuse the tension. “If that is fine with you all.”

“Of course.” Jin answered Sejin, making sure to pull the younger boys along to get into one of the rooms.

A couple of nurses began to check on the boys one by one. Yoongi, Jin, and Jungkook went first, the others waiting for their turns.

“Namjoon, why didn't you boys just break yourselves out?” Sejin asked softly, asking the question that was on everyone’s mind. “Why did it take so long?”

“We tried in the beginning but we weren't strong enough.” Hoseok sighed. “And after they started being in more people Hanseol would threaten us with harming the other patients. He even had some of our nurses killed.”

“It was our duty as the elders to protect them.” Namjoon finished.

“Alright, so why her?” Sejin asked. “Why do it now?”

You pursed your lips, trying not to make a comment about how he sounded. He must have taken notice of your look because he quickly tried to apologize as he sputtered out that he didn’t mean it in any harsh way. You let out a little laugh, trying to tell him it was okay and that you understood what he meant.

“Aside from the fact that she had something to do with our world, we chose her as our mate.” Jimin told Sejin.

You blushed at his comment, looking down at your lips pulled over your teeth.

“Well, thank you.” Sejin smiled, looking at you. “For bringing our boys back.”

“Of course.” You bowed your head.

A loud ruckus was heard out in the hallway, footsteps rushing towards the door. A younger boy stopped at the door but was pushed into the room as two more came up behind him. He let out a yelp, falling to the floor in a heap, his spade tail swishing behind him.

“Is it true?” A tall boy with fox-like ears on his head asked.

“What?” Sejin asked, moving to help the boy on the floor up.

“Is Bangtan really back!?” A beautiful boy asked, lips full like Jimin’s.

“They'll greet you outside.” Sejin sighed, shoving all of the boys out the door and back into the hallway.

He gave the boys a bow as they went back to their check ups, wanting to keep distractions away. You followed behind him, curious over the entire place. You knew the boys would be okay, they would find you when they were done.

Sejin took you all to the lobby of the building, meeting up with five boys who were anxiously bouncing on their feet.

“They're really popular here aren't they?” You spoke up, walking behind Sejin.

“They were the first group Bang Nim coached.” Sejin began to explain. “The first to create a legacy for a lot of others. When they went missing a lot of people cried and hoped for their safe return. I'm sure they'll be more than happy to see them.”

You turned to the five boys, taking note of their visible attributes that called to your attention. Three looked like regular humans, you couldn’t really come up with a valuable answer as to what they were. There was the blonde haired boy who had asked for Bangtan, the one with the full lips. Next was a boy with red hair and a cute face that made him look younger. The last one had regular brown hair but he had beautiful eyes.

The last two had features that made it easy to tell they were creatures. While you could guess what one might have been, the other left you a bit stumped. One had a fox tail and ears on top of his head, the one who had started the conversation back in the clinic. The last one had a spade tail and small horns pulling from his head–he was the one that had fallen over.

“Those boys? Were they trainees?” You asked.

“They call themselves Tomorrow by Together. They are some of the newer covens who trained under Bang.” Sejin told you.

“Come, I'll introduce you to them. I'm sure they'll be too excited to meet you once the boys come out.” He walked over to them, catching their attention which made them stand in a line at attention.

“Guys, this is (Y/N).” Sejin introduced.

You smiled at them bowing your head. The fox hybrid quietly counted down before all five of them bowed their heads in greeting and spoke at the same time. “Hello, we are Tomorrow by Together.”

You giggled as they all stood back up, making you tilt your head back just a bit to look at them. “You guys are really tall.”

“The tallest of all the covens.” The blonde haired boy grinned.

“Please give her a warm greeting. If it wasn't for her none of the boys would be back.” Sejin explained, making you blush.

“You rescued them?” The spade tailed boy’s eyes went wide.

“Was it hard?” The brown haired boy asked.

“Was it scary?” The red haired one followed.

“You're human.” The fox boy quietly stated.

You turned to him watching as he blushed a bit from the attention. “Yeah, I am.” You smiled softly.

“You smell like them.” He told you, giving you a knowing look.

“Ah!” The tailed boy exclaimed. “She's their mate!” He pointed at you.

They all began to gasp, gushing like excited school girls about you. You began to laugh at their attitudes, enjoying that they seemed to be so childish. You wanted to keep them protected even if they were already adults in a coven of their own.

“Don't crowd her.” A woman’s voice came from behind the group, pushing the tall boys to the side. “You'll scare the poor thing.”

She was much shorter than the boys, but then again you were sure a lot of people were when it came to standing next to TXT. The lady who had walked in between them was dressed in white, the bottom of her skirt was covered in feathers. In fact the whole thing was poofed out in nothing but feathers. They reminded you of a swan.

“Sorry, Noona.” They all bowed at the smaller woman, giving her space to come up next to you.

“Hello, I am Ji-Eun. It's nice to meet you.” The lady turned to you, giving you a bow.

“You're very pretty, unnie.” You answered, returning the bow.

“You as well, dear.” Ji Eun gushed, patting her blushing cheeks. She then reached out, taking a hold of your hands in hers. “Thank you so much for bringing our boys back. It means a lot to all of us.” She softly told you.

“Of course.” You smiled.

“(Y/N)?” Someone called out to you.

You turned around to find the palest of the boys, catching his eye sparkle as he looked around at the people. “I'm here, Yoongi.” You called, catching his attention.

“Min Yoongi!” Ji Eun gushed, tears pooling in her eyes as she brought the boy into a tight hug.

“Hi, IU.” Yoongi murmured. “It's so good to see you again.”

“Me!? What about you?!” IU gushed, watching as some of the other boys all walked out into the lobby. “All of you! You have no idea what it felt like to know you're all home safely. I'm sure your families are being told as we speak.” Ji Eun spoke, nodding her head at the younger boys who had come to see you.

“Come on.” Jimin pulled your hand along. “Come see our world.”

And so he took you outside of the skyscraper, coming out into the busy street that looked as though it was part of a utopia movie. Everything looked the same as it did in your own world, however there were so many things that set it apart.

For starters all the creatures and people flying about. There weren't that many cars on the road from what you could see. Some of the people were even seen on unicorns or pegasus. Another was the way each building was structured. You would assume it had to do with the fact that everyone was much different than back home and they would need to accommodate for size.

“It's much more advanced than mine.” You spoke up, seeing certain technologies that didn’t exist.

“Because we have abilities to do that.” You turned around, giving Hoseok a smile.

“It's still modern.”

“What? You didn't think we lived in stone houses or cottages, did you?” Yoongi snorted.

“Welcome to Seoul.” Namjoon rubbed at your waist, catching your attention. “Our Seoul.”

“Jeon Jungkook!” You were startled at the loud shout from a boy that had come out of the building. “I knew it was your smell!”

You turned around to catch sight of a large boy that reminded you of Jungkook. They didn’t look the same but he gave off the same energy.

“Mingyu!” Jungkook gasped, grunting just as the man's body slammed into him.

“Jungkook–” You began to worry, about to head toward the two wrestling men but were held back.

“He's fine. They used to be packmates.” Taehyung explained, intertwining your fingers with his.

“Like in another coven?” You furrowed your eyebrows.

“No.” Jin answered. “Werewolves live in packs. They can leave or stay. Jungkook came here and found us.” He smiled.

Yoongi led all of you across the road and to a park that had large trees on either side of the sidewalk. You watched as creatures of all kinds rode on bikes or walked along the path. Even four legged creatures walked around–some taller than you and some the size of fleas.

“It looks just like home.” You spoke up, looking up at the flowers the grew on the trees.

“Essentially we are a mirror world to yours. We have all the same countries and the likes but with magic.” Hoseok explained.

“We better go home for the time being. At least until Bang calls us back. Let's go see our families before all else.” Namjoon stated after a moment.

“But what about (Y/N)?” Taehyung asked, hugging you from behind.

“We can take turns.” Namjoon answered. “I'm sure our families will want to meet her.”

“Let's make the arrangements then.” Jimin explained.

“My family lives here in Seoul.” Jin smiled beautifully. “See those mountains?” He pointed to the mountain range that you knew back in your own world. “I'll be taking you there.” He told you.

You thought about how much things didn’t seem all that different. However you didn’t know what life was like for their families. You did begin to worry just a bit about meeting their families, but seeing the grateful smiles and teary eyes made you glad you are getting the chance to be here with them.

“Sounds perfect.”

Series Masterlist

@h3arteyes4mingi , @fangirling-all-the-way-tbh , @rinkud, @rln-byg , @singukieee , @hoshi-is-ult-bbg , @ldysmfrst , @k-p0p-4ever , @shadowyjellyfishfest , @forestsquirrel , @juju-227592 , @alienchickenpoopp , @dreamerwasfound , @afangirl91 , @psiphidragon , @puppyminnnie , @girl-nahh-two , @shyloh-the-cornsnake , @oemmi2005 , @ollyoxenfrees , @whynotlarene , @beeltsumuu , @cryingpages , @milopenne , @belikejk , @thatonedemigodfromseoul , @woozixo, @serveruslovebot , @vintageoldfashion ,

Are you guys being tagged?? Please tell me if you are just in case I need to fix something.

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coffeeandbatboys · 3 months

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Hold me close Mesh'la (Commander Fox x Fem!Reader)

A/N I just really wanted to write a little something about making out but not something dirty. So here y'all are.

Warnings: an argument, make up and make out, Fox being insanely clingy. Mention of Fives' death and pretty angsty. Fox tries turning grief into love as a coping mechanism.

"Mesh'la" Fox groaned, spinning your chair around and caging you in with his hands on both armrests.

Anger welled inside your chest. "Fox, for the last time, I'm kriffing busy can't you see?! I will come to bed when I'm done."

"You don't have any idea what I'm going through right now and I need help."

In any other mindset, you would have immediately switched gears and asked what was wrong, but you had a report to write and it was your top priority at the moment. Shoving him away, you grabbed your datapad and without saying a word, slammed the apartment door behind you. Deciding that the best place to work would be the caf shop down the street, you marched in that direction, angry thoughts buzzing in your head.

It was only after you'd written the last line of your report that you realized what he'd actually said.

"You don't have any idea what I'm going through right now and I need help.

Kriff. You hadn't even given him a chance to explain why he was so distraught when you'd gotten home. Were you really that focused on work that you'd neglected the love of your life's mental wellbeing?

You grabbed an extra cup of caf and rushed home as fast as you could, heart pounding in anticipation as the lift ascended into the tower.

"Fox, love?"

You found him in bed facing the wall. Little shivers told you he was crying, but knowing that you were standing right there, he tried to hide it.

You lowered your voice to a gentle whisper as you climbed in bed with him. "Kriff, Fox I'm so sorry. Do you want to tell me what happened?"

It was silent for a moment and the shivers stopped, but then his whole body shuddered as he let out a breath.

"I killed him. I didn't mean to. I swear it was set to stun but..."

Well that was certainly not the answer you were expecting.

"Killed who?" You asked hesitantly, not sure if you wanted to know.

"Fives."

Your heart sank. You'd heard about the ARC trooper that Rex had taken into the 501st. He seemed like a nice guy from what you'd been told.

Forgoing judgment, you wrapped your arms around Fox.

"Do you want to talk?"

Shook his head before turning to face you. "Can...I try something?"

You tilted your head to survey his face in the dim light of the bedroom. It looked almost pleading, and you nodded.

He got up on his hands and knees over you, caging you in once again, before lowering himself to kiss you. His chest pressed against yours, his lips perfectly slotted on your mouth.

Maker, your racing heart could be a side effect of the late night caf coursing through your veins. Or it could be something entirely different.

You reached up and threaded your fingers into his soft hair, pulling ever so slightly at the graying strands. A groan resounded through his chest and echoed on your lips. He pulled away to take a breath and whisper 'I love you' before descending to catch your lips again. You tasted the salty tears that had fallen on his own mouth as they mixed with the sweet caf you'd had before.

In a fluid motion he grabbed your waist and rolled over so that you were perched against his chest, never once breaking the kiss. You had to admit, he was a pretty damn good loverboy.

Finally you pulled away to cradle his face in your hands.

"M' sorry I got angry with you. I was really out of place. And I'm sorry you're going through this. You shouldn't have to do it alone."

He closed his eyes to keep more tears from falling.

"Just hold me close Mesh'la. I'll be okay."

#star wars #marshall commander fox #commander fox x reader #Fox x reader #commander fox #Star wars x reader #clones x reader #The clone wars #Fives #arc trooper fives #Marshall commander fox x reader #Fox x fem!reader #Commander fox x fem!reader

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fanfic-obsessed · 2 years

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Time for the Clones to love Obi Wan

I was thinking…and maybe one of the SW series (Not this Crude Matter by thebitterbeast, it’s fantastic. You should read it) that I am reading is in the middle of the hurt but we haven’t hit the comfort, so I want something to soothe that. Now I shall inflict the results of that upon all of you. Be aware that some of these tropes don’t usually go together but I think if you walk with me you’ll see where it all connects.

We start with a tried and true, the clones are sent back to their younger selves at death. They arrive something like five years before the clone wars are to start and man are they all deeply traumatized. Using all the collective knowledge they have (Rex was the last standing and he died of old age, living long enough to see Ben Solo’s birth after they fixed the accelerated aging. He was physically 110 when he died and living off of spite) they quickly take control of Kamino, dechip themselves, move the entire operation to an uninhabited world in the outer rim (Look there are a lot of inhabitable worlds and only so many sentients in the galaxy). They make it abundantly clear they consider Boba their brother (though he did not have his older self’s memories) and that Jango was allowed to come with them as Boba’s father but the rest of the clones consider him both Dar’buir and Dar’manda, as well as just shy of Demagolka. He may have just watched 1 millions young adults, teens, and children wearing his face efficiently take over a planet, kill all but a handful of the trainers, and within days have a new planet to make their home out of. It has reawakened his Mandalorian adoption genes (and several other parts of his personality he would have sworn had been killed by slavery and Spice years ago) and he rather desperately wants to prove that they can call him Buir.

The thing about having come back from years and decades into the future, they know where all the bodies are buried. The former Coruscant guard, particularly, knows where to find proof of all of Sidious's dealings, even five years prior to any of them meeting him. This is a highly trained, highly efficient army. Within a tenday they have released proof of Palptine’s misdeed onto the Holonet. Before the fallout could fully affect the Sith, Palpatine is shot and killed with three slugs from a slug thrower sniper rifle; the perpetrators are never caught. The Vod’e are careful never to confirm exactly where Fox, or any of the Coruscant Guard were in the time before or after the assination that it would have taken to get to Coruscant or back (They did not actually do the deed, it was an assassination attempt that Palpatine had easily dodged in the first timeline, he was just a little too distracted by his business being aired in this one).

The initial plan of the Vod’e was to get settled and eventually approach the Jedi. Their Jedi. They didn’t know how to convince the Jedi to trust them (whether the Jedi remembered or not) but they intended that eventually the Jedi would not go on missions alone any longer.

That was the Plan

This is where the second trope comes into play. Groups of Senators, desperate for anything to distract from the fact that the Chancellor they backed turned out to be planning Genocide (It could be argued that being Sith was not actually illegal, and every single one of them did). They found a set of Blue laws that, combined with the fact that the Fett Clones (as they were generally being called) were on paper ordered by a Master of the Jedi Order, meant that the Senate could marry (really it was assign as a hostage but it was worded as marry) a member of the Jedi Order to a member of a group they had wronged for the sake of an alliance.

FUN FACT: A Blue Law is a US State law on the books that is no longer enforced, mostly forgotten, and sounds a little ridiculous. I also personally believe that it remains on the books because in order to have it removed, someone has to stand in front of a state legislative body and actually say the law. Two examples come to mind: In Alaska it is illegal to push a moose out of an airplane and in Massachusetts a parent can call the police to have their children arrested for being unruly.

Now back to the regularly scheduled Madness

Now the Senate does not want to send someone too important to the Fett Clones. In fact if they could choose someone that would be a subtle insult, all the better. They choose a youngish knight, who had only been a knight less than a decade, with a Padawan. They choose a knight that, on paper, is not that impressive. Reports from his younger years indicate he was a decent, if slightly aggressive, initiate. Nearly not chosen. Mission reports during his padawanship were sparsely written and mentioned him little. Having taken a padawan younger than average, he was temple bound more often than most during their first years of knighthood.

The Senate chose Obi Wan Kenobi as a spouse. While he was somewhat famous within the order already (for the fight with Maul, his rocky apprenticeship, and taking Anakin on before he was even officially knighted) outside of the Order he was a random Jedi, remembered fondly by those who met him personally but not well known by the galaxy at large.

Had this happened with any other group, the insult would have landed as intended. However this was the Vod’e. The Vod’e remembered General Obi Wan Kenobi, the Negotiator. And while almost every Vod’e would claim that their Jedi was the best Jedi, the best General, the best Jedi General, and the best sentient in general, everyone could agree that Kenobi was amazing (the 501st would like it understood that they have a…complicated relationship with the memories of their general. On the one hand he led the march on the temple, on the other, even as Vader he tended to treat them better than he did Nat borns. Not well by any measure, plenty of brothers died at Vader’s hands but it did always seem as if he was just a hair less likely to throw a tantrum that would hurt them then he was to do the same to the nat born officers). To a man every member of the Vod’e is ecstatic that they are sending The Obi Wan Kenobi to them.

When they had been first told that they were being given a Jedi to marry they kind of shrugged at each other, in spite of the efforts of the best efforts of the Jedi and the previous timeline, most of the Voe had no real concept of how Nat borns operate, and even the little bit they did know seemed to be contradictory. They figured they would adjust who of the Vod’e would be the ‘spouse’ based on the Jedi sent (Since everyone knew that Bly would kill the person who wasn’t him who got to marry Aayla), so upon being informed that Obi Wan Kenobi would arriving within a tenday they restructured the government so that Cody could take up duties as Obi wan’s spouse (They envisioned the marriage being Cody mostly following Obi Wan on Jedi missions, so he had to be able to be off planet for long stretches of time) and Cody is practically vibrating with excitement (in between rushes of nauseating anxiety and crippling guilt) at being able to woo his Jedi.

So we now have three very disparate groups with three very different ideas about what was happening.

The senate knew next to nothing about the Fett Clones, save that they are clones of Jango Fett so likely would have a grudge against the Jedi (Obi Wan the sacrifice/hostage). They do not know, or (for most of the senate) particularly care what the Clones do with their Jedi Hostage. Internally it is known that the chosen Spouse cannot be killed within the first six months of the marriage, but makes no other caveat for treatment.

We have the Jedi, who also know next to nothing about the Clones. They actually know little more than the Senate, and anticipate that the Clones might be unhappy about Master Sifo-Dyas actions (the Clones decidedly are not). They believe that violence will be done on Obi wan’s person, and they do care. But, like in the clone wars before them, none of the Jedi believe that they are able to do anything about it. With a heavy heart, they decide to treat this as a suicide mission, in that when Obi Wan leaves he likely will never be heard from again. The entire council vows to take on the tuition of Anakin Skywalker, now fourteen. They are able to make it clear to young Anakin that there is no choice, that not a single one of the Jedi have a choice in this matter.

The sheer raw emotions that Anakin could feel, exacerbated by the fact that no one, from Yoda on down, had ever realized that the Senate could do this, helped tie him closer to the Jedi. They were not unfeeling, but they still stood, mourning his master before his death. He was still young enough to remember the helplessness not being able to help other slaves and thinks that this feeling is very familiar.

And we have the clones, who do not know that they have just been gifted a Jedi that the other players expect to be dead with a rotation. They are so…so happy to see Obi Wan. How each member of the former 212th had been racking their brains for days for every detail of Their general’s likes and dislikes (there are a string of missions to make sure there is a good stock of the best tea they could find). That there had been a day-long tournament on who got the honor of going to the Core to collect their Jedi (Cody cannot because they are still shifting duties so that when his husband took missions again he could go with him).

When Obi Wan boarded the cruiser that would take him to his new husband, he expected crackling, icy anger. He expected the brittleness in the Force that had always meant hatred to him. Instead he was buffeted by fondness and glee. By a strange twist of relief. The cruiser was small enough that he was traveling with a total of 10 people. Each of those 10, at some point in the short trip, would stop and the Force around them would become distress. They would stare into the middle distance for several moments, then, upon coming back to themselves, would seek Obi Wan out and ask for a hug.

Even arriving on the still unnamed planet, Obi Wan is greeted by people who are ecstatic for him to be there. It is unnerving, to expect hostility and receive hugs and joy (Well, Jango does radiate hostility into the Force, but he is well aware he is on thin ice. And he may not know why but his Ad, no he is not allowed to call them that out loud, clearly loves the Jetti). His husband (there was no ceremony, just paperwork signed by the Vod’e and the Republic) stands a respectful distance away and keeps making aborted motions like he also wants to hug him. They have stocked his favorite teas and ask questions about his padawan and various other Jedi and seem almost desperate for the answers. They even give him a comm unit for his room, which he does not have to share with his husband, they say to contact his family in the Core (He never uses it, he can’t possibly trust it). The closest thing to violence that happens is when the Medics tell him if he doesn’t give a reasonable amount of sleep they will sedate him. This is so much better than he thought.

For the Clones part they can tell he is low key freaking out. Which in turn is freaking them out. They go round and round, what if he remembers what they did? But he doesn’t give any indication that he did, that those memories exist. Well, what if he only subconsciously remembers. The last time some of them saw him, they were shooting him off a cliff. Cody, in particular, is full to the brim with Anxiety. He desperately wants to hold Obi Wan, to ground himself in the Jedi’s heartbeat and try to forget a dusty world and the words ‘Blast him’ and all the horror that came after.

Four months pass, as Obi Wan slowly relaxes and accepts that at the very least the clones do not want to hurt him, personally. He can’t quite believe that they have no designs on the Order as a whole and is still fairly awkward around all of them. This is compounded by the fact that they seemed to know his preferences better than he does (leading him to believe that the entirety of the Vode are obsessed with him and obsession turns to darkness so easily). It all comes to a head when Jango picks a fight that reveals that the entire Jedi Order thought that they were being forced to send Obi Wan to die at the hands of the Vode. That all of Obi Wan’s awkwardness is based on this fear (and the fear that they were going to use anything he said to hurt other Jedi) as well as the fact that he had no choice in the matter, he has no memories of the previous timeline.

There is a very long moment where every Vod’e in the room just stares at Obi Wan, before a collective panic attack the likes of which this universe has never seen spills into the Force. It goes on for 45 seconds before Fox manages to get everyone into at least some semblance of calm (Both Jango and Obi Wan are watching all of this, wide eyed. They are temporarily on the same page in the land of What the Fuck). Fox manages to clarify that 1)no the Vod’e do not hold any grudge against the Jedi, they were made for the Jedi and had in fact rebelled to protect the Jedi 2) Obi Wan was in no danger here and they would not keep him here if he wanted to leave, 3) what they (the Vod’e) thought was happening when they were ‘given’ a Jedi (They had thought that this a somewhat normal occurrence of a trope called ‘marriage of convenience’ where the only thing that was going different was that Cody could legally insist on going on missions with Obi Wan) and 4) inquired if this was why they were having a hard time getting in contact with the rest of the Jedi (Yes. Yes it was.). Fox also asked, on behalf of the rest of the clones, exactly which senators voted to send Obi Wan to them (The moment their panic faded, the 212th was going to be on their way to Coruscant and he wanted to have a list of targets ready).

Obi Wan told Fox that he didn’t know who voted for what, but offered to contact the Jedi right then. He did, on the main communications relay with more than half the Vode leadership looking on. Using his own personal codes saw the call connecting immediately, with several members of the High Council visibly bracing themselves for whoever was on the other end(No one could be sure what condition Obi Wan would be in, if he was even the person using those codes). Obi Wan explains the months long misunderstanding (He had not clarified, as he did not want to rock the boat and remind the Vode of the torture option if they had ever planned to go that way. The Vod’e could tell Obi Wan was freaking out and they were trying to be considerate). There was much rejoicing as it became clear that Obi Wan was being treated well. It is decided that several members of the council (Yoda, Mace Windu, Yaddle, Plo Koon, and Shaak Ti), Anakin Skywalker, Quinlan Vos, and Eerin Bant would come to the still unnamed planet to clear up any further misunderstanding (Also the Vod’e had been building a temple for the Jedi as a surprise and wanted to show it off).

In the meantime, with the revelation that they were not going to hurt his family, Obi Wan fully relaxed around the Vode. It became obvious once he was paying attention (and not splitting his focus by trying to keep himself aloof from people who were so happy he was there) that his husband was trying to Woo him, and also date him. He found himself not opposed (the potential for love was there, but from his perspective he had effectively been sold to Cody and had spent four months half convinced that any information that he gave would be used against the Jedi). He found that he was particularly fond of the way Cody blushed when Obi Wan flirted with intent (as opposed to the absent minded flirting when he wanted a potential enemy to be off balance. Obi Wan had no idea how Cody was able to tell the difference, but he could). Throughout Vod’e of all ages would seek Obi Wan out and request a hug, though always respectfully (generally the 212th, and mostly after they had nightmares of the previous timeline).

While this turned out more serious than I had actually intended, I just want you to go out and imagine teenage clones, freaked out because they had a nightmare about Utapau seeking a bemused Obi Wan for a hug, because he is alive.

#star wars #star wars au #star wars the clone wars #anakin skywalker #obi wan kenobi #codywan #order 66 #fix it #fanfic #time travel

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panda-writing · 4 months

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Fives Lives: Bad Batch Pilot Episode AU

Dividers by: @ saradika @ freesia-writes / @ lornaka

Note: So it got kinda long...

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Content Warnings: death mention, mention of medical procedures/experiments, loss, imprisonment, lack of sleep/exhaustion, mention or reprogramming aka messing with mind. (I think that's all of them)

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The sound of the blaster went off.

He felt the searing pain of being shot as he looked at the hole in his chestplate

Falling to the ground...

Getting shot.

Dying.

That was the easy part. Why was that the easy part?

Maybe because everything after that made it harder..

He at least thought he had. If what he had felt wasn't dying.. He wasn't sure what was.

"Call for help! We need a medic!"

He remembered what, at the time he was certain was death as he grew weaker and weaker as his ori'vod help him in his arms.

"Stay with me Fives. Fives!"

He heard Rex beg for his life as he was fighting the urge to pass out. He remembered as Rex clung to his body.

He looked into the face of Commander Fox. "Don't do it trooper! Don't do it!"

He panicked. He couldn't let Palatine kill him before the truth got out.

His Vod shot him down. Quickly.

Now.. He had the feeling that Fox was under orders. The chip.

She drugged him. He wouldn't have ever done that if she hadn't drugged him. To this moment he was filled with regrets.

He woke up. The recent events, fresh on his mind.

Wait... How long had it been?

Wearing the blacks. His wound healed almost..

A brief sense of security until his mind came into focus. He lay on a medical table.

Kamino.

Ever since he woke up... It was constant experiments, it felt like... Done by Nala Se, mainly. Or spending the day in a cell.

He enjoyed the cell more.

How long had he been here? Every day was the same. It was moments like these he had to wonder if being killed on Umbara would've been better. At least then, it was because he did his duty.

The nightmares started.

Not too long after the first day he remembered. The experiments. The poking and prodding.. It now just freaked him out.

There was no comfort in any of this.

He was the last of his batch, surely they expected better of him.

He had been. He did the right thing. But now.. All he was seen as was the clone that went rogue then insane and tried to murder their political leader... Despite what the truth really was.

He had suspicions Nala Se enjoyed the suffering this caused him. Her anger and disdain as he tried to uncover the truth before his 'death' the drugging.. He almost undermined her. And the Kaminoans, they wouldn't like that much. Was this his payback?

The nightmares still went strong. Constantly reliving the death of Echo, his twin... The massacre on Umbara.. How he had been hunted down like a terrorist. And how no one believed a word he said.

He had a break once. It lasted for a little while... Until Nala Se found out about it. It was a research assistant to her. A sister. Omega.

She would come in often. And they just talked about anything. He'd tell her about the war if she asked. She'd tell him about her day.

But eventually he was moved somewhere else in the cloning facility. And then the visits stopped.

He knew when the war ended. And it was more than just the feeling he got

He noticed the shock troopers passing through. And then he noticed clones occasionally moving past his cell, now Shock troopers on duty.

He knew.

He had been right about the fears plaguing his mind. Now that he wasn't completely kept from everything and everyone.. He assumed this meant the worst.

They didn't consider what he knew a threat anymore. He had lost.

He noticed the difference in the troopers around him. They were all under control of those chips and there was nothing he could do to save them...

They weren't completely robotic it seemed. As they had things to say about him. The shock troopers knew who he was. Some of them might've been in the group that was sent to kill or arrest him. There was no real way of telling.

For Rex.. He hoped he had either been able to stop what was happening, get out of that situation... Or have died before his free will was taken like everyone else.

The clones around him made their opinions known. The words hurting more than before.

"Defect."

"Bad Batcher."

Back in his domino days. They had also called him and his batchmates bad batchers at times.

But this was different. Maybe because the implications were steeper now. Now he was looked at as a traitor instead of the soldier he once was. Every day he spent fighting for the republic... Washed away just like that. Forgotten.

The troopers guarding his cell were talking some shit. Not like the rogue clone was ever gonna escape, right?

Or maybe they just didn't care he was right there, thinking even less of him.

"I heard they're gonna be messing in his head to try and fix the crazy."

"They'll ship him out to some top secret research facility."

"If it works they'll put him back on the line of duty."

"If not Tarkin'll order him decommissioned or killed, I bet."

"If he wants to live he'd better shape up-"

Suddenly their comms beeped.

"Clone force 99 has escaped, we're supposed to meet up with CT-9904 to cut off their escape!"

They grabbed their weapons before running out of the room.

He had to wonder about this Clone Force 99. If they were going after them.. Maybe they had went against the Chancellor too.

If this was the case he hoped they actually escaped instead of being stuck in a situation much like his own.

On a side upfront.. He looked ahead at his ARC gear. It had been saved. Before he didn't understand why.. But now he had.

It usually served as a little... Miniscule sort of comfort. It was his past and the only thing he had ever truly owned. It was the armor he painted alongside his twin.

A reminder of how he made it to ARC Trooper. The dream they all shared, butost hadn't gotten to see... So he promised himself he'd live it for them. He had to get out of here one day...

When they tried to move him, he was gonna fight like haran. For his squad.. And for all of his brothers.

He had tried to escape, fight his way out many times. The cell fought him back, making him weaker than when he first attempted it.

He was leaning against the bottom wall of his cell. His head was tilted back, he was trying to rest some from all of the exhaustion. His knees against his chest, and his arms crossed around them.

Suddenly he heard voices near the door of the room. The Shock troopers had forgotten to shut it.

"Normally we wouldn't even consider sticking our neck out for a reg like this... But I hear he's a special case."

"They also said he went against order 66, but that seems unlikely because according to records.. he's been here a while."

"I heard shock troopers talking about reprogramming him. When we were in the cell."

"If we don't get him out..."

"We'd better hurry if we're gonna get him out and back to the ship before the shocks find us."

They walked in. He could tell they were clones, but they definitely didn't look like any he knew.

One had goggles and the other was even more different. His arm was a scomp link and he had ports in his head along with a pale ish skin tone.

He took notice of them. They weren't wearing their armor, but instead they were in their blacks.

These must've been the escaped clones the shock troopers were talking about.. He had also been in his, that was standard as a Kaminoan Prisoner.

He took notice as the pale one walked in slowly, to a stop.. his eyes were fixated on something. Fives turned his head, and noticed him looking at his armor intently.

The one in googles was looking at something on a datapad. Then suddenly he looked between the other one and himself, a look of realization..? was crossing his face.

Was the pale one.. from the 501st? Did he recognize him? He seemed in disbelief upon looking at his armor. Stopping in his tracks.

The clone wearing goggles noticed the distraction and tapped the pale one on the shoulder.

"I understand this might be a complicated situation for you. But you must remain focused if all of us are to leave alive."

"I.. Yeah I got it. Just this belonged to... Nevermind. We better hurry."

"You'll have to scomp in. Once we break him out, they'll know if we don't divert their attention. He appears to be on high priority."

They rushed to a terminal, center room.

One typed away ferviously as the one beside him, plugged in and twisted against the gears with the scomp in his arm.

"Got it Tech."

Tech pressed a button.

"We don't have a lot of time. If you want to get out without your brain being reconstructed, you'll need to grab your things and push on."

Fives hopped to his feet, though the exhaustion all over his body was still evident. He moved over to his old gear.

"Hey, uh thanks for saving me. Haven't been out for a while." He was placing the armor plates over his blacks.

"It's what we do.. And really no one deserves to be stuck like that." The pale one said before turning around.

He was in shock, staggering backwards despite his mechanical limbs.

Fives sent a glance upwards after securing his kama.

He looked at the trooper ahead of him. Something felt familiar... Then he looked at his eyes.

He held his breath..

He didn't move, looking ahead.

Echo

He didn't blink, scared he was hallucinating it all.

Scared he would just disappear...

Tech noticed the silence, he knew why. He could understand it from a psychological standpoint.. But they had more pressing concerns.

"We are running out of time. Hunter can't wait on us forever when everyone on Kamino will be looking for us."

Fives shook his head, to snap out of it. It took Echo a little longer to regain focus at first, but he did. They were soldiers.. It's what was required of them.

"Right." Fives finished securing his armor and placed his helmet on his head.

He never thought he'd wear it again. He never thought he'd see Echo again either... The day was full of surprises. Despite the overall horrible... This was good. Though he did feel guilty for thinking it.

"Got a blaster Echo?"

"Back with our gear in the hangar bay."

Fives tossed one of his DC-17s to his vod'ika. Echo caught it.

Tech pressed a button on the datapad.

"Now we move. The cell's alarm is triggered."

They rushed out, hoping to make it back before Crosshair realized they were missing.

Upon reaching the hangar, Echo handed Fives back his blaster before moving to the trunks of gear to find his own.

"Fives?" Omega said surprised as she saw him. She hasn't seen him in months. She wasn't even sure he was still here.

"Yeah kid, it's me. It's good to see you."

She hugged him from the side as batch 99 started and finished grabbing their gear. He returned the hug briefly. Echo and Hunter looked over at them curiously.

"Haven't seen Crosshair over here yet." Hunter finished gearing up.

"Omega, keep with Echo and The Reg..."

Fives moved next to Echo and the crate he had just finished grabbing from.

"Tech, get the ship fired up, we might need a quick escape."

Tech nodded and moved for the ship, readying it.

"And Wrecker, with me. We're finding Crosshair."

"You've got it Sarge."

Omega picked up Wrecker's Lula. As she stood on her feet, she noticed the bay doors.

"I think he had the same idea." Omega said pointing to the bay doors, as they slowly opened.

Fives set his blasters to stun as he ducked behind the crate with Echo. The others also ducked.

A squad of shock troopers came rushing in, their carbines were pointed in their direction.

Crosshair carried a sniper rifle as he walked in.

Hunter stood up, walking to the center as he looked at Crosshair.

Wrecker, Echo and Fives peered over their crates.

"Is that...Crosshair?"

Crosshair stared ahead at Fives, but quickly returned his attention to Hunter.

"Best surrender. Sargeant."

"Turn in the reg. Make it...easy on yourself."

"Are you out of your mind?!" Hunter exclaimed

"We should've killed that Jedi. You disobeyed orders."

"I did what I thought was right!" He defended

"How's that working out for you? Now you're throwing in with a reg, a traitorous one at that and... A kid?"

"Now Surrender."

Hunter looked back at the men. Wrecker put his helmet on his head and readied his weapon. Echo was aiming, and the ARC Trooper nodded his head as he took aim.

He returned his look to Crosshair. "Is that an order?"

Crosshair smirked. "Heh. I guess it is."

"Well.. I guess I'm disobeying that one too."

The tension was high as soldiers stared upon each other, daring the other to make the first move.

The silence. Loud.

Crosshair's expression narrowed, his finger inched closely on the trigger of his hand held pistol and sniper rifle.

Then he fired a shot.

Hunter ducked in time and it had hit the side of the ship.

It was quick to become a firefight.

In the end, the batch escaped mainly unscathed, except for Wrecker who had been shot by Crosshair.

Echo was currently tending to him. And this was giving Fives the entire world time to think.

But thinking.. Was all he had since he was in that cell. He was tired of thinking.

Omega had shot the blasters out of Crosshair's hands. It was a very impressive feat for an untrained clone.

Hunter walked over to Fives. Even Tech would easily read that which appeared all over his face.

"Uh thanks... For covering us back there." He started an awkward conversation.

"It's what we do.." He said a hazy focus.

"What's on your mind uh...-"

"Fives."

Hunter chuckled briefly.

"What is it?"

"ARC-5555?" He looked up at his 5 tattoo after he spoke.

"Uh yeah?"

"That's a little on the nose, isn't it?"

"Says the guy who has batchmates named Tech, Crosshair and Wrecker." Fives

Okay, he had him there.

"So... Uh.. Heard you tried to kill the Chancellor.."

"That's just the version clones were told about me. Because the truth... Would've stopped this from ever happening."

Fives held his palm against the side wall as he sighed.

"You mean order 66?"

"It was much worse... But that was a big part of it."

He looked back at Echo, fending off Wrecker who complained about the medical attention.

"It's why they pushed the crazy clone narrative so hard. Because if I appeared insane... No one would believe me."

"And it worked."

"They expect all of us to be unthinking droids... To follow every order without a single question? But.. That's not who I am. They weren't expecting it, I suppose."

"They weren't prepared for me to investigate when things were clearly not right... It was unsettling to them. They had to take the nuclear option to protect the skeletons in their closets."

"You defied their 'programming?' too?" Hunter asked

"Good soldiers follow orders.. But the best ones know when not to." Fives said

"That type of thinking usually gets you labelled as a defect."

"Eh, I'm used to it. My squad and I, we've been hearing that one since were cadets." Fives said

"Maybe they were right. But I figure the way things are going, that's how you know you're in the right."

"Conforming to the standards of the rest.. They are basically unthinking droids. I wouldn't want that either."

"You know you might be stuck with us for a while, considering the move we just made." Hunter said

"You're all brothers. It's more than I had back when I was imprisoned on Kamino."

"And you don't care that we're not.. Well, regs?" Hunter asked

"Why should I care about that?"

"Don't examine me! I'm not a computer!" They heard Wrecker yell out.

They looked over at him, diverting their attention.

"This will just take a second."

Hunter uncrossed his arms, he glanced at Fives before they began to walk over.

"Get that thing away from me!"

Echo looked past, seeing Fives again. Well... Now was as good of a time to address this as any.

Fives looked over at him. There was a sigh in relief.

Omega silently observed them. Having already known they were batch mates.

Wrecker, Tech and Hunter were busy talking about Cross hair, until they realized Echo wasn't part of the conversation. He walked over to Fives.

"Did you miss me?" Echo asked, breaking the long silence as he reached his twin's location.

Fives didn't say anything as he quickly pulled him into a tight hug.

Echo took a breath, returning the hug with his one good arm.

"It's really you... I can't believe it."

They caught the attention of the others, the only ones not appearing to be confused were Tech and Omega.

"I'm so sorry.. I never should have-"

"It's not your fault. I never blamed you." Echo said

"I left you.."

"No. You followed orders."

"Look where following orders has gotten clones." He sighed, blame on himself...

"What happened?" They asked at the same time after a silence.

They let go finally.

"Fives.. Rex told me you were killed. In fact you're listed as legally dead."

"How are you-"

"I don't know. There's.. things I just don't remember." He was honest, his mind was hazy at times

"You recognized me back on Kamino. Before anyone else ever called me Echo."

"Like I would ever not recognize you Ech'ika?"

"What.. Happened.. After.. You know." Fives said

"I take it they used to know each other." Hunter said off hand

"I would certainly hope so, being batchmates and all." Tech replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world

"What?" Hunter asked

His eyes were glued to the datapad.

"CT-27-5555 and CT-1409 were the last remaining members of Domino Squad, both making it to ARC Trooper status shortly after helping The Republic take a win during the Battle of Kamino. Report by Taun We.."

"Domino Squad consisted of members Hevy, Cutup, Droid-Bait, Echo and Fives. Three of the Five were killed on their first mission at the Rishi Moon outpost. Echo and Fives were the last remaining, and were requested for the 501st legion by Captain Rex."

"Echo was seemingly killed by an explosion at the citadel rescue, leaving Fives as the last remaining Domino before the parasite turned him crazy, resulting in his death by blaster, Commander Fox."

"I have recently been informed that Echo survived the blast, and was taken captive by the Techno Union. Later joining with Clone Force 99. Report taken by General Shaak Ti."

"So you mean they're from the same squad?" Wrecker asked

"That is what I just said."

"Can they read each other's minds?" Omega asked

"What do you mean?" Hunter asked

"They keep giving each other looks without talking and look like they're having a conversation." Omega said

"Maybe they have telepathy!" Wrecker said

"I highly doubt that as a possibility." Tech said

The Domino Twins walked over together after finishing their conversation. Echo came by to check on Wrecker. And Fives briefly spoke with Tech as Hunter spoke up to Omega.

"Impressive shot back there." Hunter looked to Omega

"Where'd you learn to do that?"

"I don't know. I never fired a blaster before."

"I guess I just got lucky."

The attention of the others was diverted to the conversation when Echo spoke up.

"She's not the only one." He moved Wrecker up.

"I'm fine. It'll take more than a blaster shot to take me down." Wrecker said

"You were down." Echo reminds him.

"Yeah, well.. Not for long!" He laughed out loud, playfully punching Echo in the arm.

He groaned in pain shortly after.

"So uh.. Where are we gonna go now? Not exactly a lot of places for clone deserters and a clone traitor." Fives asked Hunter

"I thought we could go off on our own. Lay low."

"But with Crosshair gunning for us, I'm not so sure." Hunter was thinking

"What about your friends? Can any of them help us?" Omega asks

"That would be a short list.." Tech said

"Well.. I can think of one. Plot a course for J-19." Hunter said

Tech nodded his head and set the Navi computer.

"J-19?" The twins spoke up at the same time.

"We know a guy."

The ship was silent.

Wrecker and Omega were huddled up together, asleep.

Tech was flying the ship through hyperspace.

Fives and Echo were sitting next to one another. Fives rubbed his eyes, he still tried hiding how tired he really was.

"Fives. Get some sleep. Even those two are asleep by now." He motioned towards Omega and Wrecker.

"I'm not tired."

Echo scoffed. How dumb did this fool think he was?

"Did you by chance forget who you tried that with just now?" Echo was a little snarky

"Or did you perhaps think I somehow don't know you anymore?"

"I'm the one person who has always known you and will always know you."

Fives looked down at the floor. And Echo put his hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, what's going on?"

He didn't want to bring it up.

"I really don't want to talk about this right now."

"We haven't seen each other since the Citadel before today. And the first problem you're having.. You don't even want to talk about it?"

"I have my reasons." He responded

"They all- look.."

"You're right. We did just get each other back. And that's exactly why I don't want to ruin that with this."

"Talk to me."

It was easy to slip back into old habits with Echo around. Of course.. Things were somehow harder now than it had been.. But there were a few things in this moment that did feel the same.

"Well uh...I don't sleep...really. Not anymore."

"Things have gotten worse the longer I was there."

"I just can't take it... It's all the nightmares. They just.."

"Everytime I sleep.. I'm reliving it."

"I only sleep when I absolutely have to. Maybe 2 times a week."

"Things are different now.. They've been difficult for a while." Echo said

"We never really seem to catch a break, do we?"

"No.. We really don't." Fives responded

"Except this time." Echo said

"After every horrible thing that's happened this last... Well since the Empire. It brought back our best way to fight through these things. Being together."

"As long as we live.. We're still batchmates. And you're still my twin. Though I might not exactly look the part anymore."

The joke resulted in a chuckle from the pair as they made eye contact.

"Try and sleep. I'll be right here the whole time." He promised.

"We're going to get through this eventually."

"You know after everything... It did nothing. The warning. No one believed me and no one was saved." Fives sighed.

"It might have."

"Do you think it's ever gonna be okay?" Fives asked

"I know.. We're clones. We were made for being soldiers.."

"But this brings back the fear.. What are they going to do to our brothers now that the war is over?"

"I don't know Ori'vod.. But we are going to save who we can."

Fives rested his head on Echo's shoulder.

"If they could see us now.. I hope they'd be proud." Echo said

"They would." Fives answered

#star wars the clone wars #the bad batch #fives survives tbb au #arc trooper fives #arc trooper echo #tbb echo #tbb omega #tbb wrecker #tbb crosshair #tbb tech #tbb hunter #the bad batch au #ficlet

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a-legacy-not-to-be-forgotten · 24 days

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SequenceShift Character Relationships

Don't worry, I still haven't given up on this AU yet. Even if it ain't popular, I do very much enjoy making content for it and seeing the same 5 folks like and reblog it. You guys are awesome! Now, I kinda just randomly selected a handful, so if there's others you wanna see (or maybe details I missed), lemme know!

Chujin and Ceroba

Ah yes, it's not an Undertale Yellow AU if our favorites foxes aren't divorced, huh? In all seriousness, Chujin and Ceroba met pretty much exactly as they did in UTY, with Ceroba being the one who proposed marriage to him. Things were going find, until a certain incident led to Kanako getting attack. After the creation of the Amalgams and Kanako's (presumed) death, Chujin was horrified with what he'd done and wanted to entirely pull the plug on Project Integrity, but Ceroba wanted to keep it going, entirely bent on her promise to bring back Fallen Monsters to life. This led to their falling out, and Chujin leaving the Imperial City with a handful of his followers.

Ceroba was understanding as to why Chujin didn't want to see her anymore and let him leave in peace. Unlike Asgore, she does know he's living out in the Remnants and of the Colony's existence. However, she allows them to live peacefully and undisturbed as long as they don't cause any problems. Chujin also doesn't hate Ceroba to the same degree that Tori hates Asgore, so there is a possibility for them to reunite, but they aren't exactly yearning to leap into eachother's arms.

Ceroba and Dina

Like I said earlier, Ceroba, Starlo, and Dina were a part of a childhood friend trio. It started pretty simple, with Princess Ceroba befriending two commoner kids who each had parents working for the Royal Family. As they grew older, Dina actually did develop feelings for Ceroba, but she knew Starlo was very much into the Roba, too, so she put aside her own feelings for his sake (yeah, didn't work out too well, but still).

Dina remained the humble bartender for a while until Kanako's assassination attempt. After seeing Ceroba spiral into depression, she volunteered to join the newly formed Royal Rangers. Of her companions, she was the one who was closest with the Empress, talking to her and comforting her when need be. She also took on the Royal Executioner role so that Ceroba wouldn't have to go through the pain of having to take a life with her own hands. Worth noting Dina's feelings for Ceroba have resurged by this time, but she doesn't want to make a move just yet. Though that might change in a True Pacifist Route... Sorry Chujin and Starlo

Moray and Mooch

Both of these two have had their troubles, especially considering the Wild East Massacre. Mooch had it particularly rough, as it left her with a fuckton of anxiety, which she hides beneath her 'gremlin' persona, as I call it. The more Clover kills, the more that side comes out. Moray tries to hide it, but they've also been hurt pretty bad by the Massacre. This has led them and Mooch to become really close with eachother, especially after the Feisty Five broke up as a friend group, so these two really only have eachother by the start.

They do have something of an older-younger sibling type relationship, where Mooch's chaotic nature and kleptomania contrasts with Morays more orderly side, but at the end of the day, they very much care for one another. Also worth noting that they both fight Clover in Lakeside at the same time.

Starlo and Kit

This basically started after Martlet requested Starlo to look into a strange monster sighting within the Barrens, thus leading him to encounter the usually elusive Kit. The two started talking and formed something of a friendship with one another. It's worth noting that Starlo doesn't know that Kit is Kanako, nor does he know that she's an Amalgam (in fact, he doesn't even know what an Amalgam is. Ceroba and Martlet are pretty tight lipped on that subject).

They aren't super close friends either. Kit is very reclusive and unwilling to share more about herself. Their conversations haven't really gone beyond simple small talk. Besides, she only really talks to him when he sees her (which he does have pretty damn good perception). Now Starlo does have a sort of funny feeling when it comes to Kit and maybe even almost able to put the pieces together, but given his role as Captain of the Rangers, he hasn't really had time to look into it.

#undertale #undertale yellow #undertale au #undertale sequenceshift au #uty chujin #uty ceroba #uty dina #uty moray #uty mooch #uty starlo

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the-tragic-heroine · 1 year

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死鬼祭 | Shiki Matsuri

fandom: tokyo revengers

characters: kurokawa izana, kakucho, haitani ran, haitani rindou, madarame shion, kokonoi hajime

pairings: tenjiku x female reader

cw: blood, violence, major character death, supernatural elements, mass murder, angst with happy ending, kinda, she/her pronouns used for reader

tags: @akemiixx01

—✧ SUMMARY ✧—

The villagers say that you cursed them all. You believe that they were the ones who cursed you. (Or, in which the circumstances of your unfortunate birth woke a forgotten, slumbering god.)

Very vague depictions of the supernatural here, and a few cameos of specific yokai if you can spot them! Title is based off of a song by KODOKULOVE! More characters may be added as the story progresses.

CHAPTER 柒 SEVEN (FINAL)

“Welcome back,” Izana said as you settled back into your own body again. “Are you with me?”

You nodded, staring straight ahead.

“Good. How do you feel?”

“Awful,” you replied bluntly. Then, “Was that really me?”

Izana hummed. “Who knows… but I like to think that it was. Some way or another, you came back—and I believe that somehow, I was given the chance to make things right.” When he looked at you, you were transported centuries back to those same amethyst eyes: divine and ethereal in its majesty, but shedding tears like a heartbroken human man.

“It hurt,” you told him honestly. “It hurt more than the day I was bashed over the head and burned with a torch. I should hate you for making me go through that. Yet…” You trailed off. “Yet, I can’t. I can’t hate you because now, I understand.”

The you who grew up with nothing would have never been able to comprehend the pain of losing absolutely everything.

“The Sano household still stands, even to this day,” you said. “But my family’s old home has long since been built over. They erased both you and us from history and replaced it with the legend of a cunning fox, who tried to disguise itself as a human woman so it could kill the village lord. Not even my mother knew the truth, as it died along with me that night.” You met his piercing gaze. “But you knew, didn’t you? You knew the second you saw me and the blood that came out from between my legs. And the guilt of it followed you forever.”

Izana said nothing.

“I’m sorry,” you said. “I’m sorry for deceiving you. I’m sorry for leaving you all alone.” You smiled at him, eyes dry and free from tears. “But I’m here now, so let me help you.”

This time, when Izana smiled back, you found that he had never looked more lovely.

—✧—

The remaining walk to the village did not take very long, and when you both arrived, you could not even be shocked anymore at the sight that awaited you.

It was as if the entire village, from the rooftops to the streets, had been doused with foul, oozing tar. The malevolent spirits clung onto the sides of buildings, adhered themselves to the weary, zombie-like villagers who appeared to have lost all will to live. None even seemed to notice me as I peered out from behind the trees near the village entrance. Farther into the distance, I recognised the looming presence of the painfully familiar Sano household and its demons, sitting at the very top of the sloping hill.

“How unfair,” you said, “that one man’s sin would be enough to doom an entire civilization.”

“Such is the nature of man,” Izana replied, voice carried by the breeze.

Perhaps the long dream had broken something deep inside of you, because when your gaze came to rest on a crumpled heap along the side of an alley, surrounded by bloodied sticks and stones and with a cloud of both flies and demons hovering overhead, you did not even blink. Probably because the body reminded you a bit of yours, all those centuries ago… and you could no longer find within yourself any remaining ounce of sympathy left for the villagers who had shunned you and your bloodline, tortured you throughout your entire life, for a crime you had never even committed.

You did not feel human when you turned to Izana and said with a smile, “Burn them all.”

—✧—

It was the night of a full moon when you and Izana led an army of a hundred yokai to descend upon the village—but the only person the villagers saw was you. As if in a trance, they watched silently as you walked through the center of all the buildings, eyes set straight ahead, ignoring the chattering monsters that began to crawl close behind. When you reached the foot of the hill leading up to the Sano household, you finally turned around.

Behind you, Izana was already waiting, invisible to the eyes of the mortal men. All he had to do was raise one hand—and then, the massacre began.

Screams blended together with the laughter of Izana’s contracted spirits as one-by-one, the houses burst into flame. Wooden rafters creaked and groaned, snapping and smoldering while people desperately scrambled for safety—only to run headfirst into the jaws of the eagerly awaiting yokai, who devoured their souls and left only empty husks behind. The demonic entities that clung to the village were swept up into the chaos, latching onto and attacking both humans and yokai alike—but they were nothing more than fodder for Izana’s army, who quickly consumed them as well.

You caught glimpses of your shrine’s men in the crowd; Ran and Rindou were all too happy to stomp the demons flat, not caring if any humans were in the way. Shion killed any creature who crossed his path, human or demon, occasionally having to be yanked aside before he could attack an ally by accident. Kokonoi mostly stayed on the sidelines, away from the violence, but did not hesitate to crush any victims who strayed too far from the center of the battle. And you watched as Kakucho, whose eyes once swam with guilt and remorse, guarded the village border—catching whoever made it far enough in their attempt to escape and ripping their hearts from their chests. When he raised his head and briefly caught your gaze, you saw that he wore an expression of nothing but cold dedication to his duty.

As buildings and villagers collapsed and burned alike, you stood at the center of it all. Dying people cried out and begged for their lives like you were a god. How ironic, you thought to yourself as they perished like ants beneath a merciless heel; you had once died here, too, like nothing but a wounded animal, without even the chance to plead to your own beloved god for salvation. You wondered, if you could have chosen how you died, which you would pick: burning together with your people, or bleeding out alone in front of an entire village’s scrutiny.

The sudden touch against the back of your hand dragged you from your thoughts and you found yourself blinking up at Izana, who slipped your hand into his. As he interlaced your fingers together, he leaned in and rested his forehead against yours—mirroring the night of your death. You closed your eyes, letting the sounds of destruction fade into the back of your mind as he spoke.

“This is not the end,” he said, his voice a gentle caress. “This is only the beginning. Let this be the day of our rebirth.”

“Our rebirth,” you echoed, and closed the gap between your lips. In that moment, encircled by death and fire, you had never felt happier.

—✧—

The Sano manor was the only building still standing after the rest of the village was reduced to piles of smoldering ash. You stood before it, matchstick in hand, facing the same doors you had once been thrown out of.

“You tried to erase our bloodline,” you told the house, lifting the match into the air. “How funny that instead, mine will be the only one that remains.”

The match sailed through the air, flame dancing to a familiar melody. When the manor began to burn, instead of the crackling of flames, you heard the humming of your mother while she brushed your hair, woven together with the whimsical laughter of your little brother and sister.

You sat and watched until the house was no more, until all that was left of the fire was the curling of smoke into the air. Until you could no longer hear your family’s song.

“Goodbye,” you said, and cried.

—✧—

“Go sit down,” Rindou snapped at you as you tried to help sweep up some of the debris. “You shouldn’t be here anyway! You should be resting back at home.”

“She’s not a doll, Rin Let her do what she wants,” Ran piped up, standing so that he could stretch from where he had been moving rubble off to the side. “Ugh, some of this stuff is getting into my hair…”

You rolled your eyes at the two of them and huffed. “You guys are absolutely useless at cleaning. Especially Ran. That’s why I’m here, because the mess should have been cleared by now so we can actually start rebuilding everything!”

“Oh, come now,” Kokonoi laughed, sticking out his tongue at your bickering. “Why not pay for some more help? Not that I’m offering to spare some of my own money, though.”

“You’re useless too,” you grumbled right back. “I can’t believe you have the audacity to ask us to pay you to help! Why does Izana still keep you around? Also, where the hell did Shion go?”

As if on cue, a bloodcurdling screech erupted from a rubble pile a short distance away, before Shion popped into view with a disgruntled tanuki dangling by the tail from his clenched fist.

“Ever since we destroyed everything, this place has been crawlin’,” Shion said, eyeing the wriggling creature. “Might as well eat some of ‘em, right?”

You dropped your broom. “Shion! Let it go!”

“It’s lively here, but somehow, it seems that even less work is being done,” came Kakucho’s smooth, deep voice from behind you, right as Shion begrudgingly dropped the poor tanuki. It scampered back into the forest.

You sighed. “It’s like wrangling with children. I don’t know how you and Izana manage it.”

Kakucho laughed, and you were once again struck by the raw beauty of his happy face. “Well, when you’ve been together with these guys for hundreds of years, what’s just a few minutes more in comparison?” He patted your shoulder. “Take a break. I know you’re excited to get things finished, but there’s no real rush. There are no people left aside from you now, after all. And, well, except for…”

A loud yell and crash interrupted him mid-sentence, the two of you looking up just in time to see Izana cheerfully kicking Shion into a mountain of splintered wood. Ran and Rindou guffawed while Kokonoi snickered into one of his fluffy tails. Kakucho rolled his eyes and set off to help Shion up, who was now loudly complaining about splinters, leaving you to watch the scene with a little shake of your head—but unable to wipe the affectionate smile from your face. You were still smiling when Izana made his way over to your side.

“You look happy,” he murmured, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear before wrapping his arms around you with a sigh of contentment.

“That’s because I am,” you replied, laughing softly. “I never thought someone like me could ever be happy in this lifetime… but thanks to all of you, I’ve been proven wrong. Even though it took a lot of pain and heartache to get here.” And human sacrifices, your mind added helpfully, though you chose to ignore it.

Izana rested his chin on your shoulder with a pleased hum. “If anyone deserves happiness, it’s you.”

You closed your eyes and smiled. “If you say so. And what about you? Are you happy?”

You felt the curve of his lips against your neck as he responded without hesitation. “Of course I am. And so are the others. We’ve waited centuries to find our happiness again—and now that we found it, we don’t plan on letting you go.”

“I’m… your happiness?” Your words came out in a shaky whisper.

“…Always have been, from the very start.”

The tears of joy rolling down your cheeks became glistening sparkles underneath the warmth of the noontime sun. “Then, don’t. Don’t let me go. Let me stay by your side for the rest of my life—and for the rest of yours.”

“You’ve gotten better with your words since becoming one with me,” Izana said. “Do you feel any different, now that you’ve joined me in becoming a god?”

“Not really,” you said, after some thought. “I feel exactly the same. Who knows, maybe I was actually god all this time! After all, gods are formed from the power of belief, right?”

Izana hummed. “Indeed. This world works in mysterious ways—but that’s the beauty of it, isn’t it?”

“At the very least, I do feel like I’ve been reborn, like you said.” One of your hands found its way atop of Izana’s, where it rested over the slight swell of your stomach. “So I hope that it’s a sign of this village’s eventual rebirth, as well.”

“I’m sure it is,” he replied, closing his eyes. His long eyelashes brushed against your skin in a fluttering kiss. “We’ll rebuild it together, piece by piece.”

—✧—

a/n: Sorry if the ending was rather abrupt kdasjlsl I ACTUALLY HAVE ANOTHER FIC I PLAN ON DROPPING SOON SO I JUST WANTED TO FINISH THIS UP QUICKLY SO I CAN GET TO IT!! also, what do you guys think of an epilogue?and btw, before anyone asks about the logistics of how they're gonna rebuild an entire village with just y/n and the boyz, there are neighbouring villages and travelers who will eventually move in and settle permanently! as for how repopulating the village with humans as a god is gonna work, idk just go with it LMAO THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR READING THIS WAS A WILD RIDE AND BY FAR THE LONGEST FIC I HAVE EVER WRITTEN I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT!!! NOW ONTO MY NEXT ONE!!!

#tokyo revengers x reader #tkrv x reader #tenjiku x reader #kurokawa izana x reader #kakucho x reader #haitani ran x reader #haitani rindou x reader #madarame shion x reader #kokonoi hajime x reader #tw mass murder #my writing

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welcome-to-maniac · 8 months

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Changes pt1 – MANIAC

A/n: Spooky month is here so maniac is looking a little different! I'll explain the changes a little more in a different post, but here's pt1! Also; Chan = Lycan, Minho/Seungmin = Vampires, Changbin = Dragon, Hyunjin = Siren, Jisung = Wyvern, Felix = Naga, Jeongin = Yako Kitsune

Hosting the other half of Maniac for Saturday night ‘wind-downs’ is something Minho and Changbin are in charge of, the Lee duplex apartment big enough for all eight of them to hang out in. It’s fun, and the perfect distraction from whatever hire gig they’ll have on Sunday. Jisung brings the drinks, Minho and Felix are cooking, and Hyunjin and the others choose the aesthetic and movies for the night.

It's domestic, in a way.

Though, whatever happened last night now leaves the eight men strewn across the apartment, looking very different. Jeongin is the first to wake up, too hungover to notice anything as he stumbles his way to the bathroom, narrowly avoiding the tail on the floor as he walks over everyone else. A tail? The young bartender pauses in between washing the sleep from his face, eyes squinting as he looks back towards the living room from behind the door. And then he takes an actual look in the mirror, and he screams.

“Whatthefuckwhatthe— HYUNG!” Jeongin calls out in a panic, too freaked out by the reflection in the mirror to actually call out anyone’s name. There are fox ears on his head, and his regular, very human, ears are nowhere to be seen. They’re moving too, completely in tune with his freak-out, and they pin down to his head when Changbin bursts in, concern across the older man’s face.

Except, apparently Jeongin isn’t the only one who’s changed overnight.

“Hey, you alright? What’s going—,” Changbin’s words die in his throat as he sees the cause of Jeongin’s screams, zeroing on the bushy set of tails. “okay…this is fucking weird.”

“Right?!” And then Jeongin sees the tails as they wrap around his legs, and he barely remembers how Changbin clearly isn’t human either. “This must be a fucking dream…”

“That we’re all having? At once?”

“Hyung, you should really look at yourself first…”

It’s a sight as the eight of them gather around the open-plan living room, panic and curiosity blending as everyone inspects each other. Jisung and Changbin compare their features, Hyunjin mourns the loss of his trousers as he flexes his tail, Felix curls in on himself in a failing attempt at ignoring the situation, Chan and Minho are trying to cope while the two youngest sit on the sofa in relatively quiet shock.

It's Jisung who speaks up above the chaos.

“Before anyone tries to kill me…” all seven pairs of eyes watch him, “Boss may have given those drinks to me personally.”

“They did this?!” The collective wince, their usual volume now too loud for their enhanced hearing. Jisung exhales, looks over everyone, and then tilts his head when he sees Chan.

“As far as I know…we’re all some kind of mythical creature— but Chan hyung looks fine?” The man in question shrugs, but then he feels something change, and suddenly everyone’s eyes are on him. It’s disconcerting, and he walks ever so carefully to the closest wall mirror.

There’s a wolf staring back at him. A large, five-foot something wolf staring back at him in the mirror. He whines.

“Oh for heaven’s sake,” Minho groans, nearly tripping over himself when he makes it over to Chan so fast there’s a genuine gust of wind around him. Curious, he takes a look in the mirror as well while he’s trying to comfort Chan, squinting at the greyish tint under his skin and the red in his eyes. He blinks, and Seungmin’s there too; whatever he is, Seungmin is too.

“Let’s just call them, panicking in my living room isn’t helping any of us.”

#🍺 chan.txt #🥃 minho.txt #🍻 changbin.txt #🥂hyunjin.txt #🍾 jisung.txt #🍷 felix.txt #🍸 seungmin.txt #🍹 jeongin.txt #📖 story.txt #maniac; halloween special

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alltheficsiwant · 1 year

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Enemies

Enemies | A Foxy 🦊 and Wolfie 🐺 One Shot

Summary: Bucky has enemies. He used to fight them alone, now he has you on his side. It’s interesting what a Fox would do and Bucky is in for a surprise how much capable you are in the field you work best.

Warnings: Mentions of violence and mention of a lot of unethical hacking. kissing? and... that's it? Please tell me if I missed out on something.

Words: 6.9 k

Ratings: 18+ Minors DN

A/N: Tag-list is still open. Any errors is on me. Enjoy! 💕😉

Bucky Barnes Master List | Main Masterlist

Dealing with enemies, it's part of the life he chose to live. Bucky knows that, especially after he reigned as the king of New York. There are always enemies that wanted to fuck with him and rivals that one to one up him in the game.

The rivals, just like Karli and Yondu. They respect the business and they respect each other. In order to coexist, they remain neutral yet hostile at the same time. Bucky could easily do that. Enemies? Rumlow, Hydra, and many others. Well, they are not shy on crossing the line and doing what it takes to take back power from Bucky.

Bucky wouldn’t let that happen. He always dealt with their attacks, whether with their business or their people. He could remember the time when they decided to get even and went after his mother and sisters, he wreaked havoc on them and made sure that they were not going to be able to go back. But in this life, he might have made enemies but he also made allies that are now friends and family to him.

The time that he managed to save Shuri from her very own cousin. Killmonger, the one who did it, it was T'challa who gave the killing blow but it was Bucky’s gun that was used. Killmonger has a good purpose on wanting to take over New York but the ways are too fucked up. Bucky was actually the lesser evil, so T’challa came to him. Eventually, Bucky saved Shuri’s life and his business. They became partners and later on friends.

Of course despite everything else, there are enemies that never get tired to try to bring Bucky down. Rumlow, Hydra and some others that were once kings of New York. They just can’t seem to get enough of Bucky’s fists and bullets which Bucky is happy to give. Though, all of that was done by his own hands and his own mind. Of course he had his men, Sam, Natasha and Steve at his rear. But everything was done according to his way.

But now he is stumped as an old enemy arises yet again. This time doing something out of the ordinary and Bucky doesn’t know if his fists and bullets would be enough.

“Another hit?” Bucky looked up from the desk in his home office. He got woken up by a call from Natasha and was informed about another incident. It has been five or is it six, Bucky has lost count as hits on his business and assets are taking place. This is the third in this month as long as he can remember and Bucky is really getting tired of this.

He had to leave you on the bed, even though all he wanted to do was stay there. Since the incident with Walker and Beck, you have been staying a lot at his penthouse. At first, it was for your own safety but the succeeding months was with his own offer. This was one of those nights and Bucky doesn’t want to waste it on dealing with the shit on his business. He tried so hard to get out of bed unnoticed but it seems like it's not only him that got used to having someone sleep beside them.

You stood there leaning against the door frame wearing only his black henley and shorts. Your hair is tied up and your eyes are a little bit sleepy.

Bucky sighed as he leaned back on his chair. His eyes roamed on your body as if he didn’t have the chance the night before. You raised a brow at him waiting for his reply.

“C’mere,” He patted his lap instead and you narrowed your eyes at him as you stood your ground against the door frame.

“Not until you tell me what made you leave me alone on the bed at…” you trailed off as you looked around for a clock before it landed on the father clock on the right side. Which unfortunately, has a clock hand instead of a number. You groaned a bit as you squinted trying to have your sleepy brain interpret it. Bucky couldn't help but chuckle as he looked towards it.

“Three twenty-five am,” He supplied and you huffed as you rubbed your right eye before looking back at him.

“Yeah, just what you said,” you mumbled and Bucky just patted his lap again one more time. You huffed and moved sluggishly until you landed on his lap. You immediately curled against his chest while his vibranium arm immediately found its way around your back and settled on your hip as the other caressed your face.

“Hi Foxy,” Bucky breathed out using the nickname you are starting to get fond of as long as it's Bucky who calls you that.

“Hi Wolfie,” You used his nickname back to him. Bucky only grinned at that in contrast to the violent outburst he usually displayed when he was teased by both Sam and Steve (Who recently stopped because Bucky recently threatened to castrate them. Which they knew their friend and boss would go through.).

You grinned back before giving him a kiss which Bucky happily returned. The two of you stayed like that, exchanging kisses and caresses until some life has gone back in your eyes. You sat a bit more alert on Bucky’s lap and you are now fiddling with his vibranium arm as Bucky watched you fondly.

“You gonna tell me what happened?” You finally spoke as you looked back at Bucky.

“You know I don’t want you to get involve as much as—”

You carefully cradle his face, cutting him off as you shake your head.

“You know I am going to be involved. Besides, haven't we learned about the incident with Walker and Beck?” You leaned towards him to nudge your nose against him before you leaned back again. “I’m your girl now and I also want to help,” You told him and Bucky can’t help but feel smug about that. You saw it, you just pinched his cheeks more that made him grunt. You giggled.

Bucky looked at you for a while before he sighed. He leaned down to give you one final kiss before he leaned further to get his tablet and gave it to you. A picture of a man with a disgruntled face welcomed you on the screen. The half of his face from chin up to his cheekbones are filled with scars. You scrunch your brows as you look at the face.

“He looks..” You trailed off as you tilted your head a bit. “...like he wants to kill everyone in sight,”

“He does, killing is the only option with him,” Bucky mumbled.

Suddenly, dread fills your face as you look up at Bucky. “Did he–?”

“No, not yet at least but he did kill some business on me which is something new,” Bucky moved to remove his image to show you a group of images. “He killed two warehouses worth of materials last night. Two important ones,”

“Oh bummer,” you mumbled as you looked back down at the files of how the attack happened. “How much was taken?”

Bucky was silent for a while before he spoke up. “About 4-5.5 million dollars,”

You looked up at him with eyes wide. “On both warehouses?”

“Each warehouse,”

“Jesus,” and you looked back down shocked at the value of the warehouse. The most you knew about a warehouse being worth is almost a thousand dollars. But hey, that television show about people bidding on storage houses is so 2000’s and out of date. “What exactly did he steal?”

Bucky didn’t exactly say anything else and when he didn’t speak after a while you looked up at him with a frown. “You are not allowed to tell me?” You asked quietly.

Bucky sighed. “It’s weapons,” he only said and you nodded as you looked back down.

“What kind of weapons?”

“Stark grade,” you look up sharply at him. You stared at his face for a while before you looked back down at the tablet. It was actually no surprise, to be honest. The amount of business Bucky has, one way or another he would have dabbled in weaponry. You already saw the drug industry and the clubs both underground and upper ground. Besides, your moral ground is actually questionable after the stunts you pulled after Dotty, Bucky’s Ex (That is before the Walker incident and to be fair, Dotty is a demented witch but someone you can handle. Walker and Beck? Not so much).

Bucky though watched you carefully. The last time he showed some parts of his business you had a moment of breakdown but immediately picked back up. Now you just blinked and then went back to the laptop. He watched you while you fiddled with the files more and the pictures. Silence settling over the study before you broke it.

“If it's Stark grade weaponry, it leans more in technicality instead of mechanics,” you mumbled. “That old man sure is a genius but very chaotic in his inventions.” You added as your fingers fly over the screen. Bucky raised a brow at that.

“Do you have any evidence or leads where he would be able to take them?” You continued as you looked back at him.

“I am currently working on it with Stark.” Bucky informed you with a bewildered expression. “He is trying to track it down. Look— doll,” he took the tablet out of your hands as you protested. He laid it back down on the table. You move to get it but Bucky already knew you would do that. As he pulled you against him. You pouted at that.

He wrapped his arms again around you and guided your face against his neck as he nuzzled your hair. You melted in his arms once he did that. You attempted to move after a few seconds but Bucky is strong and wouldn’t budge. Finally, you just gave up and completely leaned towards him. “I can handle it, don't worry. He’s an old enemy. I dealt with him before, I can deal with him again,”

“But you don’t have me at that time. You have me now and I want to help.” You pouted as you leaned back to look at him. Bucky only sighed as he caressed your face affectionately.

“Baby, I can’t let you be involved with this.” He insisted as you continue to pout at him. “I can’t let you get hurt again,” He whispered as his hold tightened on you.

You smoothed his furrowed brows with your thumb as you cradled his face. You wanted to kiss his forehead but contemplated. You aren’t exactly affectionate even with Wanda but you felt like he needed that at the moment. Despite the awkwardness you tried to reach up to his forehead but ended up pulling Bucky towards you.

The mob boss let you as he closed his eyes when he felt your lips on his forehead. He release a sigh as he fully wrapped his arms around your waist like steel bands.

“I trust that you wouldn’t let it happen again Wolfie,” You mumbled as you leaned back and nudged his head so he would look at you. “I trust you to protect me and even when there is a moment that I would be hurt. I knew you would be there to catch me.”

Bucky surged forward to capture your lips not wanting to speak anymore. Your trust is something he holds dear now. He knew it, because you don’t trust easily. After what your own parents did to you, trust is something he knows you don’t really give.

It took Shuri a year before you fully trust her. Wanda had to pester you everyday just so she would become your friend. It took Steve and Sam a lot before you even trust them, especially Bucky. But now that you do, Bucky doesn’t want to break that and he won’t let it break.

You kissed him back not as much as Bucky did and you let him consume you. His hands wandered under your shirt as his tongue begged for entrance and for a moment you let him. Knowing he needs this (you did too).

Both of you kissed for a while until oxygen became necessary and Bucky slowed down the kiss before pulling away. Bucky kept his eyes closed as he leaned his forehead against yours. You continue to run your hands through his hair as you both catch your breaths.

“Besides, I hate that you are being kept all night by these. You are getting tired so easily these days. I am worried about you.”

This is what he loves about you. Despite being the naive and sometimes oblivious girl that you are especially with your surroundings. Judging by the incident with Walker, you can be easily cornered. You can read Bucky like an open book and sense things about him that others cannot. He is surprised sometimes when you notice his habits. He was okay really being the giver. He likes to give you everything. He had always been the one to give.

Giving protection to the people he loves, providing for his family and trying to secure everyone’s lives.

But these past few weeks, he tried his best not to be affected too much by the continuous attack but it's taking a toll on him. The attacks on the warehouses with the Stark Grade weaponry that is going to be sold to the US Government a few weeks from now is the final straw. To be honest, Bucky doesn’t know what to do. Even if Stark was able to track it down, it might be too late to even retrieve that kind of weaponry since the man is based in Canada.

By then, he would be in hot waters with the US Government and he was really hoping to be in their good graces so he could leave the dirtier part of his business behind. Something he was planning to do since you came to his life. With that pressure, Bucky usually doesn’t give in. For fuck’s sake, he was tortured for 70 days when he was drawn captive by Hydra one time but he endured it. He didn’t even show any stress or anything taking a toll on him when he got out. He was good at hiding it. Eventually, he dealt with it in his own way.

But now,he isn’t good at hiding when it comes to you. When something comes into your attention you fixate on it pretty much just like you do when you have ideas for a new technology or program.

“Baby, I just don’t want you to deal with something that I know I can handle. Besides this is dangerous, I don’t want him paying any attention to you. After what happened to Walker, I want your name out of everything dangerous as possible,”

You purse your lips at his reply as you narrowed your eyes at the same time. A sign of irritation that Bucky doesn’t like on you. He frowned back as he is the one who tries to smoothen the worry lines on your face.

“Being with you is already dangerous. So should I stay away from you too?”

Bucky can’t help but scoff. “Baby, that is not what I meant–”

“Then let me help, you looked to be on your wits end. Besides, if he is an old enemy, maybe a fresh eye could help you reach a solution faster.” you reasoned more. Bucky sighed and leaned his forehead against yours. He closed his eyes. “Come on Buck. You are not alone on this anymore,”

He felt your lips against his again and Bucky immediately kissed you back. Though you kept the kiss short. Bucky opened his eyes just in time to see you looking at him through your eyelashes with a soft smile. He stared back at you for a moment. His vibranium hand caressing the back of your head while his flesh one pulled you closer.

“I’m not used to this,” Bucky started as he leaned down again to give you a kiss just because and then continued. “I have been running this business almost alone. I do have the help of Sam and Steve but dealing with these dipshits. I usually do it on my own. I like it that way. My way and my plan but— you are right. I am on my wits end and he is really moving in a way I have never seen before.”

“See? Let me help. We are kind of a team now and I hate it when my man is being attacked like this.” The two of you stared at each other for a while.

“Okay,” he finally breathed out as you smiled and clapped excitedly. Your eyes lighting up reminiscent of the way it did back in Winter where he first saw you.

“Now,” you turned to get the tablet and opened the recent exchange with Tony. “Tony is tracking it down and then what?”

“Then he can remotely activate the kill switch effectively rendering it useless and it would self-destruct destroying any parts that can be salvaged to fix it.” Bucky explained as you read through the messages and you tilted your head.

“Is this the icers?” You suddenly said as you pulled up the file of the weaponry and Bucky nodded. You probably had recognized some of it. Knowing Stark, he might have shown you things to show off. After all, he was close to you and was fond of you enough to let you and Shuri take on the bioprosthesis project he designed himself. His fondness of you was the reason he finally said yes to a partnership with Bucky on selling his weapons.

“Yes but the lethal one.” Bucky explained as you nodded and then suddenly you turned to him.

“Give me your phone,”

Bucky leaned to get his phone on the table and gave it to you. You switched out the tablet with the phone. You opened it and went to an app that he didn’t know was there. He raised a brow at it until his phone’s screen changed into yours. Realization dawned on him.

“Wait, Shuri did that to my phone when you were taken by Walker.” Bucky can’t help but say and you looked at him.

“Oh she did?” Bucky nodded as he watched you go back to the screen and fiddled with it. “Finally, she isn’t fond of that program just because she wasn’t able to crack it before but I am. She said it was unsafe and hackable but– pffft— who does she think I am? How didn’t she realize that the same program I am using is the one protecting hundreds of files of the company that can be stolen for millions of dollars?” You rambled as Bucky just watched you work. “It was a genius program if you say so myself. I can work and access my devices or any devices as long as I know their main IP addresses and drag it on my secure line. I bet Tony didn’t even think about it,” You continued and Tony’s name brought Bucky back to the topic at hand.

“What are you doing baby?”

“Oh,” you suddenly stopped as you looked at Bucky sheepishly. “I was about to explain but you asked me about the program.” You smiled cutely and Bucky can’t help but steal a kiss from you again.

“Its okay I like your ramblings but please explain it to me,”

“Okay– so Tony is using the infrared signal which can only be tracked by satellites. The electromagnetic–”

“In english please,” Bucky cut you off with a smirk and you blushed.

“Right, so. What Tony is doing is trying to track them down through the satellite like any other devices but it would take a while because he has to sift through thousands and even millions of signals even if he only focused on one area of the world.” You started as the screen of the phone changed and showed a map. You turned to the table and patted Bucky to move the both of you closer. While he did that, you made grabby hands to his slick black laptop on the end of the table.

You opened it and easily extended your screen. “Since it's stark grade tech, it should be sending frequency differently. A unique one that is solely Stark’s like umm— DNA.” You looked at Bucky, your eyes shining a bit. “As humans, we have unique DNAs that made us, us. Like fingerprints and certain sequences that identify you. Codes in a program are no different, it has one signature frequency or code or data that is unique to its maker. Knowing the old man, his ego couldn’t handle not branding something he owns with his own code.”

Then you furiously type over the laptop until you pull out another map and it keeps zooming in. “So, I just have to identify that code. Luckily, I have a piece of Stark tech with me.”You pulled out your phone screen through Bucky’s phone after punching random keys on it and clicked on an app that Bucky visibly recoiled on seeing.

“Tinder?!” He exclaimed as you looked back at him. His eyes darkened at the knowledge that you have a tinder profile but you, being too caught up, didn't see it. No, he knew you wouldn’t cheat on him, for God sakes Bucky has to convince you to date him let alone being friends with him at the beginning. You would never do that but he suspected it must have been a prank from Sam or even Wanda but before he could berate who forced his precious Foxy to even go through it. A different picture popped up and he raised his brow at the familiar face.

“Yes, did you know Stark owns this shitty app?” You mumbled as you managed to open something on it and then codes appeared on the screen.

“Why do you have Happy’s profile on there?” Bucky can’t help but ask. Happy was Tony’s head of security that is under Natasha’s as well.

“I helped him make one. I don’t even know why he went to me but he said if I manage to snag you, he might as well have a chance if I fix his profile.” You explained as you continue to work on Bucky’s laptop.

Bucky is now baffled. A bit distracted from the situation on hand as he continues to stare at Happy’s Tinder profile.

“We didn’t meet on Tinder. I saw you in my club and is he really comparing himself to you?!”

“That’s what I said!” You exclaimed as you momentarily stopped and looked at Bucky. “Not the comparison but how we met. Despite my protest and explanation, Happy has set it in his mind that it doesn’t make any difference. So yeah,”

Before he could even ask more, you already turned back to the screen and cheered.

“Found it!” and then you were quiet for a while as the only thing that could be heard in Bucky’s office was the clicking of keys on his laptop. Bucky watched amazed as you did your thing.

Though Bucky can’t help but be curious about it, he opens his mouth to ask what is going on but you beat him to it.

“I am trying to find the unique signal now,” you spoke up as you glanced at him with a small smile. “I just felt like you were going to ask me what I am doing, Wolfie,”

Bucky chuckled and laid a kiss on your neck. “You know me so well baby,”

You just chuckled as you continued your work but then you stopped as the screen showed four places. “I think I found it,”

Bucky looked at the screen confused. “Really? That fast?”

You hummed and before he could react more you were calling Stark who picked up the video call without looking.

“I am trying to find it as fast as I can Robocop just– oh.” He finally turned to see you on Bucky’s lap. You waved at him cheerfully while Bucky glared at Stark upon hearing the nickname. “You have my favorite programmer on your lap. Does she have clearance for what we are talking about?”

“She kissed her way in it,” Bucky told him with a smug smile of his. The smile he always has if he had his way with you and Stark immediately gagged.

“Oh God, please don’t make that face. She is like a daughter to me! What the fuck?”

You rolled your eyes at the two of them and decided to interrupt them with your discovery.

“Can we please focus on the topic at hand?” You told them and then proceeded to show your screen to Stark. “I already isolated the signal emitting to your creation. I just need your confirmation on the locations,”

Stark raised a brow as he neared the screen to study what you are showing him. When he realized what it was, both of his brows raised in surprise as he looked back at you.

“You found it this fast?”

You shrugged nonchalantly. “Like it's hard?” You told him and Bucky can’t help but smirk at Stark’s upfront face before he shook his head as he looked back at your data.

“Impressive. Are you sure you are in the right company? I could double maybe triple what Shuri gives you,” Stark mused but you snorted.

“My loyalty can’t be bought Stark. Besides, I like Brooklyn better than Long Island,” you said to him as you leaned back against Bucky’s chest, who happily let you settle against him. “Now please, confirm with us which is your warehouse and which is not?”

“This is really impressive how the hell did you do this–”

“I got it from Tinder,” you told him as if he would get what you are saying and Stark looked at you confused.

“I do own Tinder but what does a dating app–”

“Didn’t you know how to code?” You told him and Bucky is really enjoying this exchange as he saw Stark’s smug ass being brought down.

“Ugh, yes. Why do you think I was able to–”

“Then you should have known that to be able to find your own tech is to find your signature code right? Which is found in your unique code markings? Right?” You spoke as if you were talking with a child and Stark stared at you for a moment before he looked back at the screen.

“So, this is in Chile.” He closed one of the maps completely ignoring what you just said. “Two of these are of course here. One in Long island and One in Manhattan but this one.” He isolated the last one. Bucky tensed as he leaned forward at the same time you did. Stark sent it back to you as you made the image bigger.

“That is definitely not mine.” The three of you looked at it. “And I don’t recognize that place–”

“I think I know where that is,” You spoke up. The two men looked down at you as you clicked a few things as you pulled out another map. This time detailed one and you moved until it made it to Utah. It zoomed a couple times until it landed on a loading dock with numerous warehouses. “There, it's still here in the US.”

“Thank the heavens it's still in the US.” Stark said. “I’ll be sending my drones there and trying to activate the kill switch as soon as possible. I’ll contact you when it's done.”

“And if it didn't push through?” Bucky spoke up before Stark could put the call down.

“Then we have to do it manually in Utah. Up close and personal.” Stark said.

“Then we’ll need to know his next move.” Bucky replied and You sat up as you raised your hand.

“I can do that,” Bucky has a protest on the tip of his tongue but Stark beats him to talking.

“Then, Foxy, here is our plan B. I’ll call again.” Stark said and then the call went down.

The two of you sat there in silence for a while before Bucky spoke up.

“Baby, I can’t ask you to delve further on this man.” Bucky said and you turned again towards him. This time you straddled him and sat on his upper thighs as you wrapped your arms around his shoulder while Bucky held onto your waist with his vibranium arm while the other caressed your arm. “I know you trust me to protect you but I don’t want to take any chances.”

“Bucky, I told you. You can’t do this alone and besides if it's dangerous. You did promise to get me away from it. So get me away when things go down– ah ah, let me finish– now, let me help okay? I want to,” You said to him as you laid a kiss on his cheeks. Bucky sighed as he succumbed to it.

“Okay but if things go down. If I told you to go, you will go. You will follow my instructions when the time comes, okay baby?”

“Okay,”

“Good girl,” he can’t help but mumble as he leaned to pull you into a kiss. Savoring your taste and pouring out how grateful he was that he has you now on his side. The both of you kissed for a while now that there is a temporary solution to the problem but then the need for air became a necessity and Bucky had to slow down the kiss.

“I love you,” Bucky can’t help but whisper against your lips. You smiled as you gave him another kiss.

“I love you more,” You answered back with a smirk and Bucky shook his head.

“Not possible,” Bucky said before surging forward claiming your lips again as you laughed. This time, Bucky intends to deepen it as he pulls your body flushed against him while his tongue swipes against your lip begging for entrance.

Which you happily let him as you whimpered when Bucky’s tongue touched yours. Tasting and savoring you. Though as you subconsciously started to grind your hips against him, you abruptly pulled away leaving Bucky to chase your lips.

“Baby–”

“You never really told me that man’s name,”

Bucky groaned as he leaned forward and pushed you back to kiss him. You indulged him for a minute but then you kept on leaning back.

“Buck–mmmm-need to know–mmmmm-to know—” You whimpered as you felt Bucky’s hands this time kneading your ass. “--Wolfie!” You exclaimed as you pushed him by his shoulders.

Bucky took the hint and leaned away.

“Just tell me his name and then we can move this to the bedroom. Okay?” You told him as you bit your swollen lip. Bucky can’t help but lick his lip as he watches you do it. Though when you noticed this, you whined his name and that made Bucky chuckle.

“His name is Thanos. Happy? Now let’s move this to the bedroom cause baby, I need you.” He finished that sentence as he bucked up his hips. Show you how hard he was in his shorts but then the name finally registered. Your stupid brain who never backs down supplied to you.

“Thanos? Why– Buck–” You squealed as Bucky abruptly stood up with you still in his arms. You wrapped your legs around him as you held on tighter and continued talking. “Thanos? Really? Is that short for something?”

“Nope, that is just his name,” Bucky said but then he frowned as he made his way towards the staircase leading to the rooms. “You know talking about him is killing the mood,”

“We just need to kiss and we will get back into it,” You told him dismissing his frown as you go back to your previous statement. “Thanos? Really? Poor man, his parents really did a number on him with that name. Maybe that’s why he is like this now,”

Bucky can’t help but chuckle as he finally reaches his room. He leaned you against the door first before he opened it as he looked at you. “Yeah, he is a psychopath and does things his way without any remorse.”

“Then we really do have to stop him. I don’t want anything to happen to you,” You told him as you ran a hand through his hair and ended up clutching the back of his neck. You leaned your forehead against him.

Bucky smiled as he clutched you tighter against his body. “You don’t have to worry about me, baby. You know that right? I’m the White Wolf,”

You pouted at him this time and huffed before you leaned away from him. A mixture of disdain and probably irritation filled your face as you pouted at him.

“I know, you are the big bad mob boss but I still worry otherwise. I’m your girl and girls who love their men tend to do that. Right?” You told him with a blush.

“I know baby and I’m so happy you are on my side now” Bucky said as he leaned closer to you. “Let’s go back to talking about everything after I have my way with you. Is that okay?”

You blushed, still not used to how Bucky is so open on wanting you. “Okay, have your way with me Wolfie.” you said in a quiet voice and blushing even harder.

Bucky growled and then howled like a fucking wolf. You can’t help but burst out laughing at his antics before it was muffled with his lips. Thoughts of the enemy out his mind as he crashed his lips against yours. The both of you will deal with Thanos later. Much much later after Bucky is done with you.

Much much later….

Bucky stared at the screen in absolute shock and silence. It would have been comical if he had his jaw slackened but Bucky is still the man that he is. He has an image to protect but still, what he was seeing is so—

“Fucking brilliant,” Sam grunted beside him and he can’t help but nod as he watched it unfold.

Tony failed in switching the killswitch, which prompted you to delve into Thanos and they would be forced to do a manual process. Bucky never realized until later on that programming and coding apparently is not your main skill but hacking. You were a white hat hacker before joining Shuri in Wakanda industries to develop technology that changes the world. A shocking information that you revealed to Bucky before this day.

You managed to get Thano’s digital trails of his possible plans with the Stark tech and how the fuck he managed to get it without being noticed by Natasha’s security. Again, Bucky saw another betrayal but this time under one of Natasha’s people.

Nebula, the head of the security that manages the Warehouse in Queens, is the mole as you manage to pull up dozens of cryptic messages that you were able to decode by the help of Tony who apparently dabbled in hacking too. Natasha immediately took action in getting Nebula and they had her interrogated by Eddie or rather specifically by Venom to get the information they needed.

It turns out, Thanos is going to sell it to Russia at a price that is way more than it should be and plans to use that as leverage to take over the current president of the country. Paving a market for Thanos and enough man power to invade New York and claim Bucky’s reign over it. He even plans on taking Florida which is rumored to house a mob boss named Peter Quill. It was rather personal that involved Thanos’ daughter but it’s a story that Bucky doesn’t exactly care about.

Now that they have the plan, they just need to know how Thanos would transport the tech from Utah to Russia. Which is what is coming to play right now, apparently, you have connections in Utah that is why you reacted that way. It was your hometown, in a way, you grew up there for the most part and that is where you started your hacking expertise.

You explained to them that you are going to infiltrate the main system but in order to do so you need one of the tech activated and one person stationed near to establish the connection. You told it a lot more with complicated terms but Bucky just took what he could understand.

Right now, Natasha and Steve already went when Tony said that he failed to activate the killswitch and was waiting for instructions. Now, all of them are watching in wonder as you bypass every security that Tony placed in his tech and any tech security that Thanos placed to secure the tech.

“How the fuck you managed to snatch her up?” Tony asked Bucky, astonished as you worked in with ease, as if it's just another day at the office. But then Bucky narrowed his eyes at Tony, his vibranium hand clenching into a fist.

“She’s always been a great woman, Stark. She was working with Shuri, who was your business partner for years,” Bucky can’t help but snide at him.

“Why is this woman with you Bucky?” Tony asked again and Bucky growled at that. Before he could contest though, he knew he really did get lucky about you. He was still in that mindset that he would do whatever it takes to keep you.

“Because I love him Stark,” you suddenly spoke up as you looked from your screen towards him with a glare. “And I chose to stay by his side. Now shut up and let me work,”

Tony looked at you with wide eyes. Bucky can’t help but smile smugly at him before turning back to the screen.

“How much longer?” Natasha’s voice echoed inside Tony’s office.

“Just a few more second—”

“We don’t have that, there are five guards coming,” Steve's voice cut them off. You cursed as you moved quickly.

“Done,” you told them and then your hands moved quickly as camera feeds from the Utah warehouse came into view. It changed until you can see Steve and Natasha now trying to avoid the guards.

“You should start doing your thing Tony while I help them to get out,” You told the billionaire who jumped at his feet and sat on his own station.

“We need a way out,” Steve whispered this time. You quickly pull up what looks like a blueprint of the whole warehouse and bite your lip.

“You can exit on the way you came from, you just need a little dis-trac-tion,” as you said the syllable of the word. You clicked enter and it was quiet for a while before you suddenly straightened to Tony. “I do hope your tech is waterproof,”

Before Tony could react, all of you watched as the sprinklers suddenly turned on. The guards scrambled, shocked that the sprinklers were on without any fire alarms.

“Ugh, you should have sounded the alarm.” Sam said and then your eyes widened.

“Shit, I forgot,” you clicked a few more codes and the alarms started blaring. The guards started to curse as they scrambled around and away from where Steve and Natasha were hiding. The two looked at the camera.

Steve with an expression of gratitude while Natasha stared at it as if she could see you with a face that said “Really?”

“Your welcome Natasha,” You told through the comms and Nat just rolled her eyes before she pushed Steve to move. Soon, they were able to come out of there and Tony declared that he was able to have the killswitch activated rendering everything useless. And yes, his tech is waterproof thank you very much.

Bucky just watched in amazement at you and in awe. If it was his way, he would force Thanos to enact violence after violence. Instilling fear and making it clear that he wasn’t to be messed with but now with you by his side. He felt like he had other options now. Another thing for people to be scared of.

His men and women are not about brawns anymore or about their brutal approach. Bucky cannot just destroy anyone physically. He has now the ability to destroy even lives and instill fear in this technological advance world now he has you. His baby. His queen. The love of his life. His foxy.

And as you looked back at him with a smile from ear to ear, he felt the burning sensation of the black box he always had hidden in his coat pockets. Something he had been thinking about since the Walker incident. Something that would cement your place by his side forever.

“I told you, we can do it,” You told him as you approached and threw your arms around him. Bucky immediately wrapped his own around your waist to pull you flushed against him.

“You did it. I didn’t even lift a finger baby. This is all you,” Bucky mumbled but you shook your head as you stood in your tiptoes to give Bucky a peck on his lips. Bucky groaned at that and made a move to kiss you again this time but you shook your head. “My Foxy.”

“We did it. We are a team now. You and me. A Fox and a Wolf,” you told him and Bucky can’t help but surge forward, capturing your lips and kissing you like there is no tomorrow.

Yeah, he wouldn't take his time anymore. By the end of this month, he will make you his wife. He is sure of it.

Taglist: @cynic-spirit

#bucky barnes #marvel #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky barnes × reader #mob bucky barnes #mob boss!bucky #mob!bucky x reader #alltheficsiwant writes #bucky barns x you #foxy and wolfie

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cozyqueerchaos · 1 year

Note

bruh shadow would chaos blast boom!shadow and boom!sonic *on sight*💀 they're just so fucking obnoxious-

right??!?! He would fucking HATE them lol. Shit okay I guess I'm writing this now

"I missed our anniversary dinner, then," Shadow muses, staring at Tails' device. "I was hoping no time passed between then and now."

Sonic blinks, glances down at him. Shadow tries not to be irritated, but it's a losing game. How is it that Sonic is taller than him in every dimension? "You're dating someone?"

"Y....yes? I'm dating my dimension's version of you."

"What?" Sonic manages, kind of squeaky and very, very choked. Still, he's better off than the alternate Shadow, who seems to be speedrunning the five stages of grief.

"You're lying," he accuses. Shadow really hopes he doesn't look like that when he sneers. It's mildly insufferable.

"Why in the world would I lie about that?"

Other-Shadow growls, leans into Shadow's personal space. He's also taller. Is it an age thing, or is the gravity here lower? "There's no way any version of me would date any version of him."

Sonic whips around, also leaning in until the two of them are squaring off over top of Shadow's head. He flattens his ears in irritation, but neither of them appear to notice. "Wha- hey! What's so bad about dating me?"

"Where do I begin," Other-Shadow starts.

"Can we focus on the task at hand?" Shadow interrupts.

"As soon as you admit you're lying."

"I'm not-"

"Actually, I'm on Shadow's side for once. There's no way this is for real. How'd you even start dating?"

Shadow tilts his head. That's an odd question. Not even really a related question, but if it'll move this conversation along- "I came back from the dead, and he kissed me. End of story."

Tails looks up from his notebook for the first time since they entered the workshop. "Wait, after you wh-"

"If I were in love with Sonic, I think I'd know," Other-Shadow announces loudly, drowning out the fox kit.

"I... never said you were?"

"Yeah!" Sonic nods his head vehemently, throwing his hand out for extra- rather unneeded- emphasis. "The only reason I lie awake at night thinking about him is because I hate him so much."

Other-Shadow looks at him and nods once, curt. "Precisely."

Shadow blinks at him. Blinks at Sonic, who doesn't seem to notice, only having eyes for the other version of him.

"Tails," Shadow says, very deliberately. "If you don't send me home in the next twenty-four hours, I'm killing everyone in this room."

"Fair enough," Tails mutters.

#ask #writing tag #why on earth did i write this i dint have time for this #anyway. enjoy #sonadow

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skulduggery-pleasant-bp9 · 11 months

Text

The Dead Men meet M/n – Skulduggery Pleasant x Kid!Male!Reader (Part 3)

WARNING!: Cursing, abuse, blood x gore, injury, happened in the Mevolent war times, mention of torture AND MORE ! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED !!!

Hopeless followed the pair into a small, dark alleyway. He hid close by in the shadows and listened in.

“We wouldn’t be in all these troubles, if you would have checked right after the fire !”, the woman yelled angered at the man.

“You can yell at me later ! We need to find the damn brat, before anyone else does !”

“And how do you plan to do that ?! No one saw him ! He could be anywhere !”

“The Mistake probably ran to the graveyard, to his Mother’s grave ! We will get him there !”

The woman stared at the man and then nodded.

“If this fails...I will fucking end you, Kody.”, the woman threatened.

“It won’t Amanda. We will get the damn brat and kill him for real this time. I won’t do the same mistake again.”

Hopeless couldn’t believe his ears. They really didn’t plan to leave M/n alone. What awful assholes.

‘I have to tell the others !’, he thought.

Hopeless quickly and quietly ran away and back to camp. As he suspected...M/n was in very high danger.

-With the Dead Men-

Anton continued to hold M/n, while the five year old shook in nerves and fear. Ghastly and Saracen had their weapons in hand, aiming at the front door. Erskine and Dexter hid behind furniture, for a surprise attack and Skulduggery already packed everyone’s belongings for a fast escape.

Hopefully they don’t have to run right now...

The door opened and Hopeless entered quickly. He locked the door right after.

“Hopeless ! What did you find out ?”, Skulduggery asked.

He looked at everyone and then at M/n.

“You need to have a Taken name as fast as possible. Two people are looking for you and they told everyone your Given name.”, he warned the boy.

M/n’s eyes widened further than they already were and he clung to Anton tighter.

“They are here ? Kody and Amanda ?”, the boy asked.

“Who are these people ?”, Dexter asked.

M/n turned to the rest of the Dead Men.

“Kody is my producer and Amanda is his flame. The one’s that tried to kill me.”

Anton’s face darkened at that information. From the others the faces darkened again, besides Hopeless.

“There is more. They are not planning to leave Fox alone anytime soon. They called him horrid names and are planning to finish what they started. Kill him.”, Hopeless quickly informed.

Now the Dead Men were in murder mode.

“Not if we can help it.”, Ghastly growled out.

“What’s the plan, Skul, Hopeless ?”, Erskine asked darkly.

“We lure them somewhere and then get rid of them.”, Skulduggery informed.

M/n shook his head.

“Useless. The trap has to be as subtle as possible. You forgot what I told you, Amanda can read minds and control it for a short time. I need to make some bracelets, that will keep her out and then you have to stage everything, like it is real.”, the boy said.

“We will NOT risk your safety like that !”, Saracen and Dexter yelled.

“I grew up with these psychos for two years. They aren’t THAT stupid, guys... You will have to pretend like you hand me over to them. I know how to survive, trust me. I survived them until now.”

“Are you to one hundred percent sure, that you can survive them again ?”, Anton asked him softly.

M/n smiled and snuggled more into Anton.

“I am.”, he said into his clothes.

The truth was that M/n had no idea if he will survive it. The burning story building was already a challenge to escape from. But he had not much to lose to be honest. And if they die, then he doesn’t mind dying too. At least he can see his Mom again...right ?

“What should we do ?”, Skulduggery asked M/n.

“They will probably expect me at my Mom’s grave... We will stage everything there. Hopeless will say that he sighted me and the rest of you hides. I will play my role...as soon as they try to kill me or use magic more than twice on me...you come out and beat them up.”

“You want them to hurt you ?”, Anton asked shocked and worried.

“They need to feel safe and alone. They will be too careful and run away as soon as you would jump out. Trust me...”

Everyone, besides Fox, stared at Skulduggery. He took a deep breath and sighed.

“Alright...”, he agreed with distaste.

M/n nodded and then went into the kitchen. He pulled out some herbs and started to braid the different kinds of herbs together into a bracelet. He did that six more times and then made himself a ring.

“I didn’t want us to be in the rain and to possibly to get sick, but we have to get rid of them as fast as possible.”

“So tomorrow ?”

M/n nodded and then slowly went into his room. He refused to go to sleep though.

-With the Dead Men-

“Are you sure about this ?”, Ghastly asked Skulduggery.

“He knows them better than us. If he says it has to be, then it has to be.”, he replied to Ghastly saddened.

He HATED this idea...

“What is Fox’s Given name ?”, Dexter asked.

Hopeless hesitated, but sighed and nodded.

“M/n L/n.”

Anton’s head snapped up.

“What ? Repeat the name.”, he urged on.

“M/n L/n.”, Hopeless repeated, confused.

Anton get up from the couch and ran circles, deep concern in his eyes.

“What is it ?”, Saracen asked.

“M/n L/n was reported missing a year and four months ago, by Mevolent himself.”, Anton informed.

They stared at him wide eyed.

“What ?!”, they all yelled at Anton in shock.

“He himself and some of his minions went through the village often, asking for the boy with a picture of him. No one ever saw him, but it is said that he didn’t give up.”

“Did he start a war because of that ?”, Ghastly asked.

“Maybe... Maybe he is the mysterious Godfather and he was hell bent to find Fox, after he found the mess Kody left behind...”

“Fucking hell...”, Dexter cursed and sat down.

“If we ask him, do you think he would answer ?”, Erskine asked Anton.

He shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t know... But who would want to go to him and ask ? That is death itself.”

“White flag.”, Skulduggery suggested.

“You would really tell him that you don’t plan to fight ?”, Hopeless asked.

“If HE is Fox’s Godfather, then we should at least try to communicate with him. If he really agreed to take in a child, then he can’t be that bad, right ?”

“He did prove a lot of times that he actually cared about him. The times he went searching for him himself is shocking.”, Anton agreed.

“Maybe he thought that by causing a war, Kody and his flame would sacrifice Fox to safe their own skin.”, Ghastly suggested.

There was silence for a while.

“Get your coats. We are meeting a madman.”, Skulduggery huffed out and went for his own coat.

“Are you sure that we should risk our lives on a theory ?”, Dexter asked worried.

“Dead sure.”

There was no changing Skulduggery’s mind. They grabbed their coats and then left, knowing that M/n will be safe on his own. Then they ran for the castle, Mevolent was in.

-Time skip-

They stood in front of the entrance and made a white flag. Skulduggery stood on a big stone after that, while the rest hid. Then he yelled loudly.

“HEY !!! MEVOLENT !!! ANYONE ?! WE COME IN PEACE !!”, Skulduggery yelled from the top of his lungs and swung the white flag.

Someone went to one of the open window of the castle. By the helmet, it looked to be Mevolent himself. Skulduggery swung the flag a bit more before he stopped. Mevolent seemed to have understood and he disappeared from the window.

Skulduggery looked behind the rock, at his friends.

“I think he is coming or he sends someone to come get us.”, he informed them.

The bridge of the castle was let down and out came Mevolent and his wife, Serafina. They were armored and had weapons. Skulduggery got down from the rock and the rest of his Team came out of hiding.

“I knew it ! It is a trap !”, Serafina hissed.

“No, no ! Still peace. I did say ‘we’.”, Skulduggery quickly defended.

“That he did, my Dear. Please calm down.”, Mevolent replied.

She looked at him and nodded.

“Pardon me.”, she apologized.

“It’s fine Miss. I understand why you are so cautious. I would be too.”, Skulduggery replied.

“Why are you here ? And most importantly...why in peace ?”, Mevolent asked.

“We have a question. After that we either need to talk or we leave and see one another never again.”, Ghastly now mixed himself in.

The rest of the Team nodded. Mevolent crooked his head to his right in curiosity, while Serafina looked at them with suspicion, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“That must be very important, if you came to me personally, then.”, Mevolent said in thought.

“Honey, they are the Dead Men, I am surprised that they are even here, in peace.”, his wife replied to him.

“Hmm.”, he hummed in agreement.

Then he looked at them.

“Do ask. I feel civil tonight.”

Anton stepped forward and looked at Mevolent.

“You have been searching for a boy, named M/n L/n.”, he started.

Mevolent and Serafina froze up at that. His wife’s eyes were wide open in shock.

“Yes I have, so ?”, he asked feeling threatened.

“Why ?”, Anton asked.

“Pardon ?”, Mevolent asked confused.

“Why did you search him ? Are you his Dad or...?”

Mevolent stared at them for a long while and then sighed. Serafina looked down at the ground.

“I am...M/n’s Guardian. His Godfather. His biological Mother and I were close friends and she told me what she was fearing and what she knew was happening. Her husband...Kody Brooks, was abusive, unfaithful, hated his child and he would never stop by murder either. She was afraid that she might die soon and her Son would be tortured by Kody. I offered to take him in when she would die. She happily accepted and told me the places he could be, if he is not in the house anymore. I checked on her every night...until I found her dead body. It was a mess. But M/n and Kody were gone and it seemed like they left last night. It must have happened shortly after I checked on her and she was still fine. I should have waited longer.”, Mevolent explained.

Serafina let a tear roll down her face.

“Maureen Necro was a great friend, mother and wife. But HE...he destroyed everything ! I would give ANYTHING to kill him !”, Serafina said outraged.

Mevolent pulled his wife into a gentle hug.

“Is that why you started the war ?”, Saracen asked.

Mevolent nodded.

“I hoped that, if I inflict fear, he would run away and leave M/n behind. He was a selfish bastard anyways.”

The Dead Men looked at one another. Everyone nodded at Anton to tell them.

“Well...we found M/n.”, Anton said.

Serafina’s eyes widened.

“WHAT ?!”, the pair yelled in shock.

“Well, maybe not like that, he found us. He escaped his Father and came back to his home village. He ran into us by coincidence. A mage chased him, who wanted to kill M/n and he was hurt, unable to run anymore. He healed our wounds, because we seemed nice and didn’t kill him. We killed the mage that chased him and since then he was with us. He lived in the dumpsters before he found us.”, Anton explained a bit more.

“Since when has he been with you ?”, Mevolent asked.

“Not long. Two to three days. He was back in town 2 weeks ago, if I remember correctly. He had no idea a war was going on, until that mage tried to kill him.”, Erskine answered.

“And you told us just now ?!”, Serafina asked at them angered.

“He didn’t say his name.”, Skulduggery informed her.

“Then...how did you find out ?”, Mevolent asked.

“And what did you call him instead ?”, Serafina asked worried.

“He said Buddy, Bud, Little Fox. Anything that is not Child or Kid. And Hopeless was in town today and meet Amanda and Kody. They told everyone M/n’s name and are actively searching him.”, Anton explained.

They froze.

“Why are they here for him ?”, Mevolent asked darkly.

“To finish what they started.”, Dexter said darkly.

“And that is what ?”, Serafina asked.

“M/n didn’t escape out of the new house they lived in. He was trapped in a building that Kody set on fire. He was supposed to burn to death, but he escaped and came back here. That is what M/n told us.”

The wedded pair had their hands balled into fists and Mevolent seemed to growl.

“M/n is with us still and he made a plan with us of how to kill the both of them, but we don’t like the plan all that much...”, Hopeless informed.

“What did the boy plan ?”, they both asked.

“Tomorrow we go to his Mother’s grave, they will expect him there. Hopeless is supposed to get them and we are supposed to hide. He wants us to only attack and kill them when they are beating the crap out of him, to say it lightly. Because, according to M/n’s words, they would otherwise be careful and run the moment we jump out of our hiding spots.”, Skulduggery explained.

Mevolent took in a sharp breath and went over to a tree, punching it so hard that it fell over.

“That means that we can’t disagree with what M/n said. We won’t be able to do anything against that plan. Kody and Amanda are slippery rats. No matter how many people you set on their tail, they always escape. They are very observant and careful people. My Husband always does that when he knows that he can’t do anything about something.”, Serafina told them, slightly saddened.

“So we have to watch him getting beaten ?”, Anton asked in worry.

“Sadly yes. But we both will be there tomorrow too. We will help.”, she notified them.

“Did he still have his book about herbs and healing balms ?”, Mevolent asked them.

“Yeah ! I saw it stick out of the bound of his ripped, old pants.”, Dexter said.

Mevolent sighed in relief and nodded.

“Why was that so important ?”, Ghastly asked.

“It was a gift from me, to him when he was 2 years old. Many powerful healing herbs, how to make a healing balm that heals instantly and more was in there. In case he would have needed it.”, he explained.

“Ah...”

“We all need to sleep for tomorrow. Please go back to your camp. We will meet tomorrow.”, Serafina said kindly.

They said their Goodbyes and then left. When they came back, they checked on M/n, who was passed out in his bed and then they went to sleep themselves. No one noticing the sheet of paper on M/n’s desk.

-The next day at the Graveyard-

M/n refused to eat, he was too nervous to keep anything down. He put on his old, ruined pants and ruined one of Ghastly’s fine work on a shirt, apologizing for ruining his hard work. The tailor only waved him off and said that he can make such a shirt again.

They all hid on top of trees, the leaves covering them from sight. Soon enough they spotted Mevolent and Serafina too, they were on the same tree, Anton was on.

“How is he doing ?”, Serafina asked Anton in a whisper tone.

“Not well, he didn’t eat anything and didn’t get enough sleep. He is very nervous. He came in the middle of the night to me and he woke up a lot of times, from Nightmares. I had to gather everyone in the Living room, so he had some calm hours of sleep. He felt safer with all of us in one room.”, he whispered back.

“He likes you. The Team.”, Mevolent stated in a whisper.

“Yeah and we like and care about him too. He grew very quickly on us. We had a lot of fun and playful fights these small days and we bonded pretty quickly.”

“Fun, eh ?”

“We never laughed that hard since the war started. The wild flour fight in the kitchen he had with Ghastly and Skulduggery was the best. He is good in card games, but he needs work on humor and understanding when someone laughs with him and when someone laughs at him. He...needs a lot of work to have at least a bit of a proper childhood.”

They stayed silent at that and just observed. Hopeless didn’t have to get them as it seemed. They went to the graveyard themselves. Anton and Mevolent growled darkly as they saw them. Overprotective men.

-With M/n-

“Wish me luck, Mommy...”, M/n whispered.

Then he got up, took a deep breath and turned around.

Kody and Amanda were close enough to M/n’s liking.

“There you are, you damn brat !”, he yelled.

“Kody ! Behave.”, Amanda yelled and looked around.

She didn’t see anyone and then glared at M/n.

“You little useless piece of shit caused us enough trouble. We are going home NOW.”, she stated darkly.

She went to grab M/n, but he kicked her into the knee and then ran for it.

“Fuck you, you two fucking assholes !”, M/n yelled.

“Why, this brat !”, Kody snarled.

He was ready to chase M/n, but Amanda held him back and glared at M/n as she got up and he continued to run.

“M/N L/N STOP.”, she commanded.

M/n froze up instantly. The Dead Men panicked, he didn’t have a Taken name ! The boy took a deep breath and then turned around, staring at her and sticking his tongue out.

“NOT MY NAME, BITCH !”, he yelled back and continued to run.

Kody’s and Amanda’s eyes widened in shock.

“The brat has a Taken name now ?!”, he yelled.

The Dead Men and the wedded pair were in shock that he found his name, but they were happy for him none the less.

The abusive adult pair chased M/n and of course they were faster than him. Kody used his wind and slammed M/n against Ghastly’s tree with brute force. M/n yelped and his head had an injury. Mevolent and Anton wanted to act at that, but Serafina held them back.

M/n shook his head and got up, but Kody sent another wave of wind against M/n and slammed him again against the tree.

“I will kill you the same way I killed your disgusting, ugly, useless Mother ! This time you won’t survive, you disgusting Mistake !”

He grabbed M/n by the hair, making him scream in pain as he was torn up by the scalp. He wasn’t scared though, just angry. Kody slammed M/n’s head against the tree trunk harshly, making him scream again, his nose was broken and his head hurt badly now.

The Dead Men, Mevolent and Serafina wanted to jump in right then and there, but waited a bit longer, until M/n gave the signal. M/n was about to hit the trunk again, as he twisted his way free and then bit Kody in the left arm. He yelled in pain and slammed him with wind against the tree again. M/n hit the back of his head harshly and was close to passing out.

He looked up and at Anton’s tree. Anton stared at M/n concerned and worried sick.

“H-help...”, M/n whispered loud enough for him and Ghastly to hear, then he passed out.

“Fuck the signal.”, Anton growled lowly and went straight for attack.

The others followed and surprised Amanda and Kody.

“Who the hell are you ?!”, she yelled at them.

Kody’s eyes widened as he saw Anton Shudder.

“They are the Dead Men and Mevolent with his wife...”, he informed Amanda.

Her eyes widened in shock and fear at that. Kody summoned fire and threw it quickly at them, Anton snarled and went straight for him. He got him by the throat, closing his hand around his windpipe and continued to press, while Serafina held Amanda down.

“How DARE you... I would kill you if I would want to waste my time on scum like you. But I have a more important matter to tend to.”, Shudder growled darkly.

Ghastly put magic binding handcuffs on Kody’s hands and Skulduggery did the same on Amanda. Mevolent was at M/n’s side and trying hard to stop the bleeding, while Dexter and Serafina roughened up the two bastards. Death was too good for them...

“I can’t stop the bleeding.”, Mevolent said in slight panic, as Anton slid down next to him.

“We don’t have the time to stop it, we need to heal him as fast as possible. This is a severe head injury.”, Anton said and quickly pulled out the balm he snuck out with himself.

He pulled out a towel from his bag that he took with himself and gave it to Mevolent, who then wettened it.

“Get the blood off so I can see where I have to put the balm on.”, he explained.

Hopeless came running to them too, with Ghastly and Skulduggery. They ripped their own shirts and helped too, while Mevolent hurried and gave Anton enough sight, before more blood came gushing out again. He quickly put the balm on his hand and rubbed it on M/n’s wound, he looked around and did the other wounds too. As they were almost done, Saracen was rushing over and took off his shirt, giving it to Anton. Anton quickly wrapped M/n’s wound up and then he took him and carried him away, back to their camp.

Skulduggery gave Mevolent the location of where M/n is with them and he even told them that they can have these two abusive shits. They gladly did and planned a whole torture session already.

Dexter stared at M/n’s Mother’s gravestone in the meantime and was saddened. She must have been a great Mother, so sad that she was forced to leave so early... The rest of the Dead Men joined his side and also just stood there, paying their respects and sadness. She didn’t deserve to die so early, nor did M/n deserve the life he had to live until now.

With that they left soon after.

-At the camp-

M/n was in his bed and Anton took off the shirt, rubbed more balm on the boy’s injuries and then used actual bandages. They should have done something sooner... Anton isn’t sure if M/n will even make it at this point.

One of the reasons he hated about himself... He always got fond of someone and then they suddenly leave. One of the reasons he decided to be cold and distant in the war and yet...M/n got in by just being himself. If this boy doesn’t make it, he will fucking cry and he rarely ever did.

“How is he ?”, Skulduggery asked softly.

“I don’t know. His pulse is slow and his breathing is normal, but...I don’t know if he will pull through, Skul. His skull got smashed against the log four times and the injuries were serious, but a doctor is too far away from here. They moved a day ago and aren’t near here anymore.”, Anton whispered out.

Skulduggery entered the room and sat beside Anton, who kneeled right next to M/n’s bed, watching him, afraid he might leave as soon as he looks away.

“I never saw anything like that before... I never saw anyone being so brutal to their own child, so...murderous. If that is what M/n always had to go through, no matter what he did, then I am surprised he survived until now.”, the male stated softly.

Skulduggery listened to Shudder, watching M/n too.

“His balm will heal him. He hasn’t left us yet and I don’t think he is planning on it anytime soon. He is a strong five year old. He will pull through.”, Skulduggery tried to cheer his friend up.

“And what if he won’t survive this time ?”, he asked.

He went quiet at that.

“You...think he won’t make it already, huh ?”

Anton stayed silent and wiped his eyes. Skulduggery noticed that Anton was actually crying. He got very close with M/n in this short amount of time. They all did, but Anton was the most connected with him.

“Why did you bond with him so quickly ?”, he asked.

Anton sniffed.

“His past and his urge to help us, even though he didn’t know us at all...it impressed me and made me proud. Even though he was abused, he still tried to see the good in strangers. Not everyone has that trait. And even though he bugged me a bit, it was nice and...adorable. He acted like an actual five year old that was curious about everything and wanted answers. And he only wanted attention from us, when he was really down. His Nightmares and slight random worries were the only times he asked for our comfort. He...was very considerate, even though he shouldn’t be. A toddler is supposed to be ignorant and always wanting attention. I just...I just felt very close to him thanks to all of that.”

Skulduggery nodded softly, understanding what he meant.

“It is said that we can connect faster with broken children than we can with normal ones that need adoption. We have an urge to help broken children, so they can still enjoy a bit of their childhood and life, so they don’t become rotten eggs and the next villain in line. But...when you do that, help a broken child to be a bit more stable...you bond with it very fast and it is getting stronger each second you spend with them. And when something bad happens to them that they might never recover from...we get very emotional.”, Skulduggery softly told Anton, putting a hand on his shoulder for comfort.

“I don’t want him to leave.”, Shudder sobbed out.

“None of us want him to leave. He won’t go, Anton. I believe in him. You have to believe in him too. He will pull through. He is a strong kid.”

Shudder looked at his friend and nodded. He will believe in M/n, if it will get the boy to survive this...

-Five days later-

Mevolent came over each day, asking how M/n was doing and if he already woke up. It was always a no and his heart continued to sink each day. Anton refused to leave M/n’s side, he didn’t want to eat, shower or even change his clothes. He wanted M/n to wake up. He redressed his head and smeared new balm on his injuries, to keep the wounds clean and to busy himself with something.

He barely talked with anyone. He was in a stage of grief that the Dead Men have never seen before. They voiced their concerns to Mevolent and he told them to bring him everything, so he doesn’t have to leave M/n’s side, but otherwise he didn’t know how else to help. All they could do was wait for a miracle.

That night Mevolent stayed over, hoping that something good will happen. As long as M/n breathed, he was alive...But that didn’t kill the chance that he might die anyways and they just torture him into a slow painful death.

-Day six-

Anton just sat there, staring. He was so tired, but he refused to sleep. Mevolent entered the room for the first time and looked around. It was cozy, he had to admit. Then he spotted the desk and the piece of paper, no one else witnessed yet. He went over to the desk and picked the note up, reading through it.

Tears ran down his face underneath his helmet and he had a wobbly smile. He sat down next to Anton and tapped his shoulder. He barely looked up, just hummed.

“M/n will be okay.”, Mevolent said.

“I hope so.”, Anton replied.

Mevolent chuckled and then read out loud what stood on the paper.

“ ‘Hello Dead Men, I have a feeling something will go wrong in our plan, but no worries ! The balm will heal anything and everything on injuries. Please don’t be sad, I’m tough, I will survive. Whatever damage I will receive, I had it worse and lived. I might fall into a coma, but as long as someone redresses and puts new balm on the wounds, I will be just dandy.

Hope to see you all soon, Keiran Fox.’ “

Anton’s head snapped up at that and his eyes were wide. He reprocessed the information and then smiled and had fresh tears in his eyes.

“It was on his desk. You should have looked.”, Mevolent said softly.

He gave Anton the note, petted Keiran’s hair softly and then left again, spreading the message. Anton started to laugh and sob in relief.

“You little Fox, you ! We should have known that you would leave us a sign in case.”, he said.

Not even two minutes later, all the Dead Men piled in and asked to see the note. They were so relieved, but also annoyed that they never noticed the piece of paper on the desk. Anton felt better, knowing that Keiran partly expected something like this to happen.

He was so relieved that he finally allowed himself to fall asleep, next to Keiran’s bed. The others in the house were relieved that Anton finally took some rest. They left the room and sat on the couch in the Living room, with Mevolent.

“I have a feeling Anton wants to adopt Keiran.”, Dexter said out loud.

“True. He does act like a Father.”, Skulduggery agreed.

Mevolent took off his helmet at that. His short blonde hair and his yellow toned skin were revealed and he put the helmet away, running a hand through his hair and his eyes were silver like. They stared.

“To be honest, if he wants to adopt Keiran, then I will not fight him. I am only a Guardian, but Keiran has to decide himself, where he wants to be and what he wants.”. Mevolent said, ignoring their stares.

“You would gladly give him away ?”, Ghastly asked.

“No, but your friend seems to care a lot about him. He would be sad, if I would take him away, you took care of him, he likes all of you and I only want what’s best for him. You found him first too. I might have set heaven and hell into motion to try and find him, but I didn’t think about searching in other villages. I should have been that smart. Another point where I would think that I might fail him way more than your friend would.”

They were silent in utter shock.

“His Mother would want the best for him. I will not stand in the way of his happiness.”

“And we feared you would fight us if we would ask you for Anton...”, Erskine voiced.

Mevolent laughed at that.

“No, no, no. I would never fight someone that makes Keiran happy. I am only his Guardian to kill the people that hurt him or try to kill him. I might be a Monster, but I’m not THAT bad.”

“Are you really a Monster, when you care about people ?”, Hopeless asked.

Mevolent was silent at that.

“Heh, everyone assumes it. I started the war with the lie to make the Sanctuaries fall and to get the Faceless Ones back here, even though I never planned on it. It was all just to get Keiran back and to safety.”

“Why didn’t you just say that ?”, Skulduggery asked.

“Who would have believed me, hmm ? I had no evidence and Maureen would have NEVER said anything, nor Keiran. Keiran wouldn’t have said anything in fear Kody would have hurt his Mom and Maureen wouldn’t have said anything, because she was scared to lose Keiran. Kody had them both where he wanted them to be and after she was dead, Keiran was missing, so he couldn’t make it official. I had to come up with something and a war was easy enough. The Sanctuaries would have been way too distracted with a war, to notice that I slipped out of my castle and searched for Keiran everywhere.”

Skulduggery was silent at that for a while.

“I would have believed you as soon as I would have seen the corpse. That usually is all I need to believe someone. I know the Sanctuaries like to accuse the one who found the body, that they did it, but I wouldn’t have. I did see some things that taught me to never just accuse someone.”

“Hah... Well sad we didn’t know each other back then, otherwise I would have slammed against your door until you would have came out in the middle of the night.”, he replied chuckling.

Skulduggery snorted at that joke.

“Very funny.”

“Meh, I guess I caused more of a mess, than needed. I’ll so go to jail for this for a long while... Well, I should have thought about that before I started a war...”, Mevolent sighed.

“I think I have to thank you partly though, that you DID start a war. Otherwise I would have never met these awesome men in this house.”, Skulduggery had to admit.

Mevolent gave a weak smile.

“You’re welcome.”

Then his smile died down and it was replaced with a thoughtful frown.

“You might want to get rid of Nefarian Serpine.”, he warned.

“Why ?”, Saracen asked.

“He hates Skulduggery for some reason. I wouldn’t be surprised if he would take out his Family at this point. That man has gone crazy.”

Skulduggery froze up.

“What ?”, he asked the male in shock.

“I have a Sensitive working for me and they saw that he will kill your Family. Even if I would stop the war now, I doubt your Family would be safe. Once something is set in that man’s head, nothing will change his mind to stop it. He will do it no matter what.”

“Shit !”, Skulduggery cursed and got up.

“Hey, if the war would continue, it would take a few more decades for Serpine to get to them, don’t overreact just yet. I will ask them tomorrow to look again and I will report back to you if they will be safe. I just wanted to let you know that he is planning on getting under your skin.”

“Under my skin ?”

“He wants YOU dead. Your Family is just a tool to him and not of importance. I might be unable to imagine how a Father and Husband would react to see their loved ones get killed, but you are a very calm and collected person, Pleasant. It takes something very serious to get you oblivious to your surroundings. You are way too clever when you are like this, so he wants to get you so outraged that you can’t think straight. In my head only your Family came to my mind. If nothing else got you out of control, Family surely will. I let a Sensitive look into it and they saw what I suspected.”

He sat back down and stared on the couch.

“Don’t worry, I will try to figure out if he will be any danger even after I broke up the war. When he is, you can have the honors of killing him. After all, he would go so far as to kill your own child and wife, just because he is a jealous, spiteful, pitiful creature.”

“Nice that we talk about stuff like this in the Morning...”, Hopeless mumbled.

“Before I forget, I rather said it now.”, Mevolent said, shrugging his shoulders.

-A few hours later-

Anton just finished cleaning, rubbing and bandaging up Keiran’s head again. He was about to go wash his own hands as he heard Keiran groaning softly. Anton stopped dead in his tracks, turned around and looked at him.

He had a shocked expression on his face, which quickly turned to relief. He wiped his hands on a used towel and then ran over to Keiran’s side. The boy sat up in bed, held his head softly and had his eyes screwed close. Anton kneeled right next to the bed again.

“Keiran ? Are you feeling any better ?”, Anton asked.

Keiran’s head snapped up at the mention of his name. He opened his eyes and looked at Anton.

“A-Anton ?”, he asked.

“Hey, you little Fox ! You made it.”, the male replied.

“I...I did ? They are gone ?”

Anton nodded.

“Your Godfather and his wife took them to torture them as punishment. How is your head ?”

Keiran needed a second to process and understand what the older male said.

“I feel like I died... I hope...it will get betterer.”, M/n groaned, annoyed, at the last word.

His speaking issue again. He meant to say ‘better’. Anton put a hand on the boy’s shoulder softly, to comfort him.

“No problem. You meant ‘better’. I know. It’s okay.”, he tried to cheer him up.

“I think I suffered through some brain damamage. Oh come on ! I hate my life...”, Keiran complained frustrated.

“Relax, it will heal.”, Anton soothed and then pushed Keiran back into a laying position.

“Don’t get up. You are not healthy enough for that yet.”

Keiran nodded softly and Shudder left. He dashed down the stairs, alarming everyone downstairs.

“Keiran is awake ! But be careful, he has more trouble speaking without messing up. He thinks he got some brain damage.”, Anton informed.

They got concerned, but were happy that he was awake. They all got up and went up the stairs, they entered Keiran’s room and smiled brightly as they saw that he was awake and moving.

“Hello, Keiran. A beautiful name you picked yourself. Black Fox. Suits you.”, Skulduggery said.

Keiran smiled and turned his head slightly, wincing at the discomfort.

“Thanks, Skulduggery. Now...as you left Anton...it just then registered in my brain that you mentioned my Godfather... Who is he ?”, Keiran asked.

Anton frowned at that. Right...Keiran will leave as soon as he is better with Mevolent...He looked at the boy and stepped aside, revealing Mevolent. Keiran’s eyes widened and he was in utter shock.

“YOU are my Godfather ?!”

“I am indeed. I guess your Mother never told you my name.”

“She didn’t, but I know you anyways. You are Mevolent.”

Mevolent nodded and then he started to explain everything. Why he started a war, how he found him now, what he did while Keiran was missing, how he met his Mother and everything else that he deemed important. Keiran had to interrupt him a few times, to slow down and let him process all the information, his brain still not fully functioning.

After a few hours of explaining everything to Keiran, he was in shock. He just stared at Mevolent in slight awe and shock.

“I...I need a minute to digest all of this.”, Keiran said softly.

“Take your time, Keiran.”, Mevolent told the boy.

After a few minutes he was calm and collected, looking at Mevolent again.

“Okay...Anything else ?”, the boy asked.

Mevolent looked at Ghastly and he understood what he wanted. He took Anton by the hand and left the room with him.

“Why are we leaving ? Is something wrong ?”, Anton asked confused and worried.

“This is only for them to discuss and for us to hear about later. Trust me Anton. We need to have a talk anyways.”, Ghastly soothed him as they left.

Skulduggery closed the door and everyone was looking at Keiran. The boy got nervous.

“W-what’s going on ?”, he asked nervously.

“Keiran....you do know that you will have to say Goodbye to the Dead Men, yes ? I am your Guardian and with that you have to move with me.”, Mevolent asked the five year old.

He needed a second to catch up with his brain, but when he did, his eyes widened and he got tears in his eyes.

“I....I have to ?”, he asked saddened to the core.

He didn’t want to leave ! He liked the Dead Men, he BONDED with them, he...he saw them as a potential group of best friends, something he never had before...They all gave off so much parental energy...POSITIVE parental energy.

Mevolent nodded.

“But-but I can visit, yes ?!”, Keiran asked hopeful.

“You won’t be able to. I can’t let you out of my sight and I am a very busy man in my castle. I can’t leave you with servants either. And the Dead Men are very busy people too. They won’t have time to visit as often as you would want. Maybe only once a month or even less.”

Keiran’s hope sunk and then he looked at Mevolent with determination.

“Then I will not go with you. I can handle myself. I had to, for four years, I can live without a Guardian.”, he said.

“That is not how this works, kiddo. I am responsible for your well being. I HAVE to take care of you until you are an adult.”

“Look, I don’t care how much you looked for me. I also don’t care how well my Mommy and you knew each other. I know close to NOTHING about you ! And I am supposed to trust you just like that ?! No !”

Mevolent smiled in his mind. Keiran was really a smart kid.

-With Ghastly and Anton-

They sat in the Living room and Anton just waited, for Ghastly to start the ‘oh so important’ conversation.

“What do you want to talk about ? Don’t just sit there.”, Anton huffed out annoyed.

Ghastly, continued to be silent for a few more minutes until he asked.

“How much do you like Keiran ?”

Anton blinked at Ghastly in surprise.

“What ?”

“You heard me.”

“He is a child, how am I supposed to feel ? Threatened ?”

“Do you like Keiran ?”

Silence for a moment. Then Anton sighed.

“Yes...Yes, I like him. He is a sweet child, can you blame me ? Skulduggery already gave me a small lecture. I bonded with him too fast and now, I have to deal with it, that I will never see him again. Like always.”

“How does your Gist feel about him ?”

“Calm, weirdly enough. It only raged when Keiran was attacked and asked for our help.”

“Do you want him to stay ?”

Anton looked at him, like he was stupid.

“Did you not listen to what I said not even five minutes ago ? Of course I want him to stay.”

“Allow me to phrase this differently then... Do you want to adopt Keiran as your own child ?”

Anton froze up, eyes widened in utter shock at that question.

-With Keiran-

“So you want to stay with the Dead Men, no matter what I try to offer ?”, Mevolent asked kindly.

Keiran nodded determined, but refused to look at them.

“Why do you want to stay with them ? You barely know them.”

“Because they are very nice, since we met, they protected me best they can, they took me in, instead of abandoning me, they helped me make this house and the rooms, they fed me, they cared for me, Ghastly made me new clothes, so I don’t have to freeze with my ragged thin clothes, they played games with me, they bothered to spend time with me, they didn’t yell at me if I teased them or had a small war in the kitchen with one of them. They are amazing people and yes, I might not know them as great as they know each other, but I am willing to get to know them further ! And I can only get to know them better, when I stay with them.”

“Why are you so hopeful that they even WANT you still around ? Because of the few good deeds they did ?”

Keiran’s heart dropped at that, but he put on a brave façade and looked calmly at Mevolent.

“I am not implying that they will want me to stay with them and if that is the case, there is no reason to fight about it. But they give off POSITIVE adult energy and I see them as potentially good best friends in the future and I would be a fool, to just let that chance slip away.”

“You could make friends with other kids your age.”, Dexter suggested.

Keiran gave them a look, like Dexter said the most stupid thing in the world.

“I may be five years old, but I had to grow up faster than other children, okay ? Most kids my age are still eating their own snot, suck on their own fingers, babble stuff they don’t fully understand and just want attention. Even older ones, would just bully you and act like they are better than you, because they are attention seeking blobs. I am not like that, I am feeling like a 15 year old that is trapped inside a five year old’s body.”

The men were all silent at that statement.

-With Anton-

“Of course I would. I doubt he would give me any trouble.”, Anton said after a while of silence.

“You would have to get used to being called Dad at some point and you would have to be more open with your thoughts and emotions. You think you can manage that ?”, Ghastly asked.

“I could.”, Anton said determined.

Ghastly nodded, got up and motioned for Anton to follow him. Anton did so.

-With M/n-

“If you want to stay with the Dead Men, you need someone to adopt you.”, Mevolent finally stated.

Keiran looked up at them, with wide eyes.

“We noticed how attached Anton got to you. Do you want to be adopted by him ?”, Erskine asked softly.

Keiran looked at the floor.

“Only if he wants to.”, he replied.

He would be happy if Anton adopted him. Anton was nice and gave good hugs and was comfortable to cuddle when he needed it. But...did Anton want to adopt him ?

Then the door opened and inside came Anton and Ghastly.

“What did he say ?”, Ghastly asked.

“Only if he wants to.”, Saracen replied.

“What about him ?”, Hopeless asked Ghastly.

“He said he would love to.”, Ghastly replied.

Mevolent nodded and got up.

“I will get the papers tomorrow so you can sign them, Shudder.”

With that Mevolent left, with a smile on his face. As long as Keiran was happy, he was glad. That was his and Keiran’s Mother’s goal anyways. To give him a happy life. He put his helmet back on and then went back home.

“P-papers ?”, Keiran asked confused and scared.

“The adoption papers, dummy. Anton wants to adopt you and you want to be adopted, so you both get what you want.”, Skulduggery said teasingly.

“S-so I can stay ?!”, Keiran asked excitedly.

All the men nodded and smiled. Keiran’s smile was as bright as the sun right now. The brightest he ever smiled since they met him.

“Yay !”, he cheered.

-Many years later-

“And that was how Keiran Fox was one of us and Anton’s Son.”, Skulduggery finished.

Stephanie stared at him.

“If Mevolent wouldn’t have ended the war and warned me about my Family’s safety, I could have lost them and my own life. It was almost sad that he was executed for what he did. But it wasn’t us who did it, that was Vengeous. I have no idea how he did it, but he killed Mevolent when he didn’t look out. But he already sent the peace treaty and with that, the war was officially over. He might have been killed, but it was too late to continue the war. Most importantly, because Keiran saw everything and told us, so we reported it to Meritorius.”

“Wow...”, was all Stephanie got out.

Suddenly a motorcycle came zooming near them and halted quickly. The driver took off his helmet and dark hair was to see, then a face. He looked at Skulduggery and Stephanie.

“Hello Uncle Skul ! Dad sent me to greet you for (from) him, the Hotel is very busy at the moment. I heard you needed some help. Did you finally get something against Serpine ? I saw him spying at your Family yesterday, told your children and wife to go to Dad’s Hotel, for safety.”, the male explained.

Skulduggery froze up and frowned.

“He was near my Family ?”, he asked dangerously quiet.

Stephanie looked at him concerned and slightly scared, while the male just shrugged.

“Yeah, I whooped his ass and mopped with him the floor, but it won’t be the last time he will show up at your Family’s doorstep. One day I won’t be there in time and then you have no one left. So please tell me you have something against him. Papa is getting worried.”

Before Skulduggery could even reply with some clues he had, Stephanie interrupted.

“Skulduggery, who is that ?”, she asked.

“Oh, how rude of me ! Hello there, Ma’am, my name is Keiran Fox. Some also call me Keiran Shudder, because I was adopted by Anton Shudder.”, Keiran introduced himself.

He had a strand of his favorite color in his hair, his eyes had a very obvious hue of Sapphire blue, mixed with a tinge of ruby red in them. A sectoral heterochromia, if Stephanie remembered correctly, it was called.

“You have pretty eyes.”, she complimented.

Keiran chuckled softly at that compliment.

“Why thank you. Yours are pretty too. Do you already have a Taken name, girl ?”, he asked.

She shook her head.

“Ah, what a shame. Tell me your Taken name when you have one, yeah ? I’d like to meet up with you and chat a bit.”, he said kindly.

“S-sure !”, she stuttered out, blushing.

“You have a phone ? I can give you my number in case you need help and Uncle Skul isn’t near to help.”, Keiran offered.

She nodded and gave him her phone, he put in his number and gave it back to her, after he wrote himself.

“I will save you up as ‘Uncle Skul’s friend the unnamed girl’ until you have your own Taken name.”

She nodded softly, still staring at him in awe, while Keiran typed in what he said he will. After that he put his phone away and stared at Skulduggery.

“So ? Serpine ?”, he asked, getting back on track.

“I know that he killed Gordon Edgley. Me and her think that he is after the Scepter of the Ancients and Gordon might have had it and the key.”, Skulduggery answered.

“But it is just a myth...”, Keiran said confused.

“He believes it is true and I think we saw enough to have learnt, that not everything is what it seems.”, Skulduggery replied smartly.

Keiran got a darker face.

“I’ll gather the others, you come to the Hotel. We will try to figure this out. If the Scepter is actually real and Serpine finds it, before we do, we are so gonna be fucked.”, Keiran said.

Skulduggery nodded and went to the Bentley. He stopped when he noticed that Stephanie didn’t come with him.

“Are you coming ?”, he asked her.

“Can I ride with him ?”, she asked.

“You have no safety clothes for that.”, Skulduggery countered.

“Hey, I can keep a woman safe on my vehicle, Uncle ! It is not THAT much of a trip.”, Keiran defended himself.

There was a long moment of silence, then Skulduggery sighed in frustration.

“If she has even ONE scratch on herself, when I arrive, I will tell your Father to forbid you from driving your vehicle, for three months. Got it ?”

Keiran nodded with a big smile and helped Stephanie up.

“Hold on tight, this baby has real speed.”, he warned her.

She held on tightly and Keiran put his helmet on her head, then he started his motorcycle and zoomed off with her.

Skulduggery shook his head sighed and wore a small smile.

“Kids...”, he said under his breath in amusement.

Then he got into his car and followed after them, to Anton Shudder’s Hotel Midnight.

End ? Part 4 ? What do you want ?

Masterlist HERE !

#derek landy #skulduggery pleasant #male!reader #not the canon au #read warnings above #valkyrie cain #ghastly bespoke #my au #skulduggery pleasant x reader universe #anton shudder #Dexter Vex #Saracen Rue #Hopeless #Erskine Ravel #Dead Men #The Dead Men meet M/n – Skulduggery Pleasant x Kid!Male!Reader (Part 3)#Child!Reader #Alive!Skulduggery Pleasant

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sleepingsun501 · 2 years

Text

Set to Stun

Summary: Fox has dealt with memory blackouts for years and kept it a closely guarded secret. Now, he has to deal with the aftermath of not remembering killing Fives.

**Please see the end of the story for A/N**

Rating: Explicit (for violence)

Warnings: Really heavy angst, memory loss, violence, mental breakdown and anguish, hearing voices, psychological torture, suicidal thoughts (this is very brief, but it's there), brotherly love, comfort, implied major character death.

Word Count: 3.4k

Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/41282931

Slowly regaining his bearings, Fox timidly backed away from the scene. His heart was starting to hammer in his ears along with the echoes of Rex’s voice pleading for his brother to hang on. He could barely feel the floor beneath his boots, and the cold chill of dread flooded his limbs.

What did I just do? he thought, horrified. He watched as his Corrie brothers, clad in red and white, encircled the fallen clone with a smoking hole in his chest, the grief-stricken captain, and the Jedi general. Holding a hand to his head, Fox desperately tried to remember the past few minutes, but his mind was disturbingly foggy. Immediately he knew it had happened again. Another memory blackout. No, not again… not now… please not now.

His wide, dark amber eyes were drawn down to the DC-17 blaster in his hand. He was gripping it with a force he had not known himself capable of, and it was set to live fire. No… no… it’s not… I-I never took it off stun.

Beneath his bucket, Fox’s brows furrowed and confused panic started to rise in his chest. I didn’t… No, no, no, no… this isn’t… no… fuck. Fuck. FUCK! Karking hells, it was—it was on stun! But the live fire setting was glaring hatefully back at him, countering his internal argument. He tried furiously to recall what had happened, but his memory between departing the gunship and gripping his blaster was shrouded in a thick, dark mist. Why did this keep happening to him?

With a shaky breath, Fox holstered the blaster and looked back at the scene. He had not expected to meet Rex’s accusatory, tearful eyes, silently demanding to know why he had killed another clone. A brother.

The pang of guilt that hit him snaked its way around his throat, making him gag. It had finally happened. His worst fear was realized—the sporadic bouts of memory loss he had kept hidden for so long had made him kill another clone.

With the scene burned into his mind, he slowly turned out the door he and his troopers had rushed through just moments before. He walked carefully, as though he were in a haze, making his way back to the gunships and mentally retracing every step he could.

Every instinct Fox had was screaming at him that his blaster had been on stun. Just before they had departed the gunship, he distinctly remembered telling his men to be ready, and he knew he had checked his own weapon. He remembered seeing it. He remembered setting it. He remembered thinking he was going to have to haul a stunned clone back to the military complex in binders. But then… things suddenly became fuzzy. Why was his memory fuzzy? He was a clone for fuck’s sake; he was designed to have a nearly photographic memory. Why was everything in his mind like an endless void from the time he had stepped off the gunship to him holding his weapon?

His comm beeping on his wrist broke him out of his stupor, and he felt a chill run down his spine as he recognized the frequency. It was Chancellor Palpatine.

“Commander Fox,” he said evenly, shaking himself and answering the comm. His own voice sounded so far away.

“Commander,” came the chancellor’s deep, slow, velvety voice, “has the situation been dealt with?”

Fox licked the small scar on his dry lips and swallowed thickly. “Yes, sir,” he replied, his formal instincts taking over. Even as he spoke over the comm, he automatically stood a little straighter and leveled his tone. He could not let even an ounce of weakness betray his personal feelings, not to the chancellor. He forced the words out, clenching his teeth so hard his jaw began to ache, “The situation has been handled.”

“Very good, Commander. Have a pleasant evening,” the chancellor’s unnaturally calm voice replied before the comm cut.

Fox felt the invisible weight on his shoulders double as an invasive pressure seeped into his head. Have a pleasant evening. Those four words boomed in his skull louder than if a cannon had gone off beside him—so loud that he doubled over, clutching the right side of his bucket near his temple as his ears began to ring. The longer he stood there, the louder the words became, and they started to bleed together with the memory of Rex’s voice crying out for Fives.

He braced himself on the bulkhead of the gunship. It’s gonna be ok. he told himself. Despite his pathetic attempt at self-reassurance, Fox began to feel the tears sting his eyes. J-just get back to… to base.

At some point, he managed to straighten up again, and he was rejoined by his troopers. Fox barely heard himself give the order to return to the GAR military complex, and not a single trooper said a word during the short flight back, but he could feel their eyes on him. Every time one of their buckets moved a fraction in his direction, the mounting pressure in his chest made every beat of his heart heavier. There may as well have been mud trudging through his veins with how slowly time seemed to pass.

“Fives! Fives!”

“Stay with me, Fives.”

My blaster was on stun. I swear, it was on stun. he repeated to himself, over and over. By the time the ships landed back in the base hangar, he was trying to mentally project it to his troopers, trying to make them believe him without ever uttering a word.

“Have a pleasant evening.”

Fox’s boots felt like they were made of duracrete as he staggered off the ship and started making his way back to his office, high in the towers of the GAR complex. He vaguely heard one of the troopers ask him something about further orders, but he ignored it completely. It was on stun. It was on stun. It was on stun.

Every trooper he passed began to look like Fives. He did his best to stare at the ground, but anyone not wearing their helmet caught his eye. Normally, he could have told most of them apart just from little expressions or the way they carried themselves, but now all he could see etched on their identical faces was the pained and surprised look on Fives’ face when he had taken the shot in the chest. The red paint on their Corrie armor even began to look like blood. Fox had never felt so scared and so alone.

“Stay with me, Fives!”

For years, the clones of the Coruscant Guard had always been told that they were the best the GAR had to offer, the cream of the crop. They were told their positions on Triple Zero were not simply privileges because they were of a higher caliber than other clones, but the highest honor, and that they did not have to suffer and bleed on the front lines as a reward for their distinguished service. So many times, they had all been told that the Corries were the best because they were needed to protect the citizens and politicians of the Galactic Capitol from the threats brewing within the Capitol itself. Even now he could hear Chancellor Palpatine’s words to other politicians regarding the Corries:

“You are the best the Republic has to offer. The Coruscant Guard is the finest of all the divisions the Grand Army has ever seen.”

Some of the boys bought the propaganda, especially the shinies. They were always rather egotistical at first because of it, but that attitude never lasted long. Fox had known better from day one, and the shinies learned quickly that Coruscant itself was a warzone, especially in the lower levels. Their men came back from patrols battered, bruised, and bleeding every day. To make matters worse, they learned over time that there was also a political war full of ruthless sabotage, plotting, and intrigue on the levels of the city where one could still see the sky, and it made security details a nightmare.

“Come on, Fives, don’t go!”

Even so, the other units in the GAR had begun to mock them—calling them pretenders, glorified bodyguards, and shinies playing soldiers, because they had never faced a full-scale battle against the Seppies. Nevertheless, they still did their duty and protected their own, no matter what the other units would say. Countless times they had rooted out domestic threats, protected senators on diplomatic missions, and proved themselves vital to the security of Triple Zero.

“Stay with me!”

As Marshal Commander of the Coruscant Guard, Fox was supposed to be the best of the best by that logic, and it haunted him. How was he meant to be the best of the best—how was he supposed to protect his men—if there were gaps in his memory? Gaps that had before caused him to forget doing unspeakable things to lower-level civilians and citizens, but now had directly brought about the death of another clone.

How many nights had he not slept out of fear he would wake up in lower levels of the city? How many cups of caf had he consumed to keep himself awake and functioning? How many times had his own men suffered because of decisions he could not remember making? How often had he isolated himself from his brothers out of fear he would hurt them?

Too many.

“Call for help! We need a medic!” Rex’s voice echoed in Fox’s head again and again as he made his way through the bland grey halls of the complex.

As he entered his dark office, he pulled his blaster from its place on his hip. It was still set to live fire. He cradled the weapon in both hands—a weapon he knew front to back and inside out. He knew he had not taken it off stun. Why was it set to live fire?

“Have a pleasant evening.”

He rehashed all the questions in his mind, still hearing Rex’s voice and the chancellor’s rattling in his skull. He felt so heavy that he could barely move in the darkness. The only thing illuminating him now was the faint glow of the distant city through the large, floor-to-ceiling window behind his desk.

He groaned in pain as the pressure in his head mounted again, and suddenly, he could hear a third voice mixed in with the others. To his horror, it was his own—but also not his own. It was darker, harsher, more brutal, and more sinister than he was physically capable of sounding, and it was emanating from the blaster.

“Murderer,” the hideously corrupt voice whispered.

Fox’s hands began to tremble as he ran his thumb over the settings switch. The position of the switch was not easily changeable, and the blasters were designed that way for a reason. His thumb pushed against the switch, but it remained stubbornly on the live fire setting.

“Murderer… Murderer…” the voice continued, quickly multiplying into several voices and becoming a chorus all chanting together.

Unable to bear it anymore, he turned and launched the blaster against the far wall with a rough grunt. The resounding metallic smack it made as it connected with the wall and landed on the floor was nothing compared to the voices all whispering and screaming in his head.

“STOP!” Fox bellowed. He ripped off his red helmet, hurling it against the wall to join his blaster. Every blood vessel in his body was pounding in time with his heart, and every beat washed him with fresh guilt. What right did his heart have to keep drumming in his ears when he had caused another clone’s heart to stop? An invisible vice gripped his lungs, making it impossible to breathe.

“Murderer.”

“Have a pleasant evening.”

“Fives. Stay with me, Fives!”

“You are the best the Republic has to offer.”

“Murderer. Murderer.”

“No… no… I didn’t mean to!” Fox whispered and gasped, pressing his head into his violently shaking hands.

“Come on, Fives, don’t go! Stay with me!”

“Murderer. Murderer. Murderer.”

“Please! I… I can’t remember! I d-didn’t mean to!” He twisted his gloved fingers into his prematurely greying curls, pacing around and arguing with the voices, willing them to leave.

“Stay with me!”

“Murderer. Murderer. Murderer. Murderer.”

“It was on stun! I know it was!” Fox continued to whisper. His voice, the voice he knew was his because it was breaking, mixed with the tears beginning to stream freely down his stubbled cheeks. He pressed his forehead and hands to the cool glass of his window, faintly seeing his reflection. Through the fog of his breath on the glass, even his own reflection twisted into an accusatory expression. Disgusted, he turned and stumbled to his desk.

“Don’t go!”

“Have a pleasant evening.”

“We need a medic!”

“—the finest of all the divisions—"

“Murderer.”

“Fives! Fives!”

“Has the situation been dealt with?”

“P-please… please… stop,” he begged. His blood was turning to fire as he struggled to breathe, and a cold sweat wracked him with chills.

“Murderer.”

Fox snapped. With a vicious snarl, he gripped his heavy chair and hurled it across the room with an almost inhuman amount of force, desperate to hear or feel anything else. He grasped the edge of his desk, roaring with all his might as he flipped it, and flimsi sheets and holodisks went scattering across the floor.

“IT WAS ON STUN!” he screamed, kicking the desk over once more. Shoulders heaving, he clawed at his armor, unable to withstand the feeling of his broad, strong chest being restricted by it as his knees buckled. His desperate gasps turned into dry heaves as he pulled at the collar of his blacks, trying to tear them off.

The magnetic snaps of his red and white chest and back plates gave way under the brute force of his hands, but he still felt as though the room was closing in around him. He felt like he was suffocating. He could not breathe. He needed air.

Fox scrambled to where his chair had fallen and used it as leverage as he pushed himself to his feet. Even though he felt like he was drowning, he managed to slam the heavy chair into his window. The glass splintered and spiderwebbed in several places with the first strike.

“Murderer.”

“NO!” he screamed, striking the glass again.

“Murderer.”

A third time and the glass shattered at his feet and down to the ground dozens of stories below him. The gentle breeze that wafted through his destroyed window washed over Fox, but it did nothing to quell the voices or the gripping panic and anxiety still surging through him.

He sank to his knees before the window, the shattered glass crunching under him as he pressed his fists into the edge of the window frame. The loose curls on top of his head fell into his vision and swayed wetly in the breeze. A few beads of sweat dripped down from his hairline with his tears to the tip of his nose, and he watched them fall together, only to be carried away on the wind. What he would not give to have the voices torturing him be carried away by the same wind. Somewhere in his troubled mind, he wondered how far the drop was and if it would hurt if he just—

Light flooded into his office from the hallway as his door swished open.

“Vod?” a brother’s breathless voice asked, joining the fray of noise humming in Fox’s head. “Vod!”

Dressed only in his blacks, Wolffe leapt over the overturned desk and grabbed Fox by the collar, dragging him away from the window. Through instinct alone, Fox wildly tried to fight him off, but he threw himself to his knees, taking hold of Fox’s wrists and wrapping himself around his panicking brother.

Wolffe had been woken and briefed in a frenzy by the troopers that had accompanied Fox that evening, and he had never moved faster before in his life than when he had heard the crashing sounds of glass and shouting echoing down the hall from Fox’s office.

“Fox’ika, stop!” Wolffe shouted, managing to pin his youngest batchmate to the floor, one of his shins pressing hard across Fox’s thighs and using the entirety of his body weight to hold him down.

Seeing Wolffe’s cybernetic eye made Fox pause. No matter how hard the vile, slippery voices in his mind tried, they could not make that eye and the long scar on his ori’vod’s face twist into Fives’ expression.

Seizing the opportunity, Wolffe unclipped Fox’s plackart armor pieces and tossed them to the floor with a clatter, freeing the rest of his upper body. He was relieved when Fox managed to take a deep breath, but it was short-lived because Fox began sobbing uncontrollably.

The longer Fox looked up at his older brother, the more he realized that he had become the very danger he had fought to protect his men from for so long. I’m the threat. he thought as his own inner voice finally became audible again. I’m the danger. Get away! Get away from me, vod, before I hurt you, too. He tried to push Wolffe away, but the other commander was not easily deterred.

“Kih’vod, gev! Gev!” Wolffe pleaded, sitting up and pulling his brother with him into a sturdy hug. He gripped the back of Fox’s neck, pressing his brother’s head into his shoulder as he flinched and tried to squirm away.

Fox felt dizzy, but the security of Wolffe’s arms around him soothed his boiling blood. The horrible voices began to drift further and further away. “I’m sorry,” Fox wept, his tears soaking Wolffe’s blacks. “I didn’t—I’m sorry—it was… on stun. I s-swear… it w-was… Ni ceta.”

Wolffe shushed his little brother, pulling him impossibly tighter into his burly arms. He would never admit it to anyone, but he had managed to quell several other brothers’ panic attacks this way. This was far more than a panic attack, but he applied as much pressure as he could without crushing him, trying to get Fox’s body to realize he was not in danger.

Fox eventually wound his arms around Wolffe as he regained his awareness, but continued to cry harder. The shame and guilt that still roiled through him made his head swim. He was a Clone Marshal Commander. He was supposed to be the best of the Coruscant Guard. He was supposed to keep his brothers—all of his brothers—safe from the threats of the war. They were his responsibility, and he was failing them.

“I’ve got you, vod,” Wolffe whispered, kneading his fingers into the strained tendons in the back of Fox’s neck. “It’s gonna be okay.”

Fox whimpered and trembled, mumbling into Wolffe’s shoulder, “—ceta. Ni ceta. N—”

“Shh, just breathe with me, kih’vod. Just breathe.” Wolffe took a deep, slow breath and purposefully pressed his chest to Fox’s and rubbed his back, trying to help guide his breathing.

The batchmates sat together in the familiar embrace for several minutes, and Fox finally began to relax. He remembered how they had done this for each other as mere cadets on Kamino—but it had been Cody who had started it after Bly kept having flash training nightmares. Though his contact with his batchmates had become less frequent after he had been assigned to the Guard, he was still grateful he could find some solace with them whenever they were planetside. But now he felt as though he were alone, even with his big brother there to comfort him.

“I can’t remember anything. I can’t remember pulling the trigger. I don’t know what to do,” Fox whispered defeatedly as Wolffe continued to hold him. His entire body ached as he sank deeper and deeper into his brother’s embrace, exhaustion seeping into his bones. “I’m dangerous, vod. You have to get away from me.”

“No, you’re not. I’m not going anywhere, Fox’ika. We’ll figure this out. I promise,” Wolffe reassured, gently rocking his sobbing kih’vod and stroking a hand through his sweaty curls. A single tear slipped from Wolffe’s good eye. His baby brother had been so close to that window. He sniffled and readjusted his grip on Fox so he could press their foreheads together.

Something innate and deep in his gut told him this was not Fox’s fault. He felt the all-consuming need to protect Fox, just as he had when they were young. Something was attacking his vod, and he was going to find out what it was. “I promise.”

A/N: I hope you’re all not as emotionally drained as I am after writing this. This work was actually inspired by another Fox POV one-shot I saw years ago. That particular fic was very short but broke my heart to read. It was posted just days after the Clone Wars episode where Fives is killed came out, and unfortunately, it was received with so much hate that the author deleted both the fic and their entire account because of it. I don’t remember what the fic was called or who the author was, but this is my attempt to honor them and provide my perspective on what happened to Fox. For those of you who don’t like Fox or want to come at me with arguments about how your hate of him is justified, don’t bother. I firmly believe Fox was mentally tortured by Palpatine for years and forced to do things he couldn't remember, and I will defend him with my life. If you disagree with me, that’s fine, but leave any hate out of the comments section. Thank you.

Mando'a Translations: Vod - brother Ori'vod - big brother Kih'vod - little brother Ni ceta - I'm sorry Gev - stop

101 notes · View notes

suck-a-egg · 2 years

Text

A possible au that has been entertaining the hell out of me for months but everytime I try to post it, I forget it immediately.

long story short: Domino survives, they go into hiding until after order 66. This is going to be hard to explain so stick with me

After Rishi, it turns out that Droidbate was more or less stunned but left behind by the others. He has a weird feeling and decides to stick back. He gets out of the building in time to watch Cutup get eaten by the eel and the flair go up and the other three make their way to the "inspectors" and sees Rex kill the eel. He runs and cuts Cutup, haha, out of the eel's stomach because I dont understand how stomach acid works and I don't care to know.

Newly released Cutup and confused as fuck Droidbate, now watch as Hevy sacrifices himself and they bust into the old station and find him burnt up. Listen, if Echo can survive an explosion so can Hevy. They somehow got him stable, don't know how and don't really care.

After Fives and Echo leave with Rex and Cody they get in contact with the "survivors" and give them a comm channel to contact them on and they all talk regularly. The twins give the comm channel to 99 the morning of the invasion but he never gets to use it.

After the citadel, Echo still gets blown up there's literally no way of stopping it, the comm channel goes silent until Umbara where Fives just wants an outsiders opinion and starts talking to them again.

When Fives finds out about the chips, Fox shoots Fives in the shoulder instead of the chest and one of the Corrie guards patches him up. Fives, understanding that if he stays with the GAR then he will be killed, contacts Domino and is smuggled off the planet and back to their little base that they made in a corner of Rishi (Kamino doesn't really pay attention to the moon anymore). Rex doesn't know where Fives; went he just knows he's alive and has no way of communicating with him.

Fast forward towards the end of the war, Rex and the bad batch find Echo caught in the wires on Skako Minor. Rex tries his hardest to try to somehow get in contact with Fives but he's just left at a lot of dead ends. He tells Echo about Fives to a certain degree. He basically just tells him that he went AWOL and doesnt even try to explain the chips or anything. But Echo, being one of the one only people to know about the comm channel, just calls Fives one day and has him explain it.

Domino, now knowing that Echo is alive, tries to convince him to leave the GAR and come with them. But since Echo is not done fighting yet, he chooses to go with the Bad Batch. But Domino makes him agree that if he's ever in trouble or needs help that he will contact them but once he does they will take him "home" to be with them.

Hunter figures out that Echo knows some type of squad outside of the ones that he has personally met because he hears a little bit of their conversation due to his senses. But he chooses to not say anything.

Order 66 still happens and the events of season 1 of the Bad Batch still happens.

After the fall of Kamino, Rex contacts the Batch asking them to go on a mission with him and they somehow end up captured (Omega included). The group that captured them are allies with the Techno Union and they easily figured out who and what Echo was and are trying to take him back to Wambor. The captors for some reason didn't take their equipment, so Echo, now panicking, contacts Hevy specifically, because he's the least likely to freak out, and asks for help. The batch has no idea who he's talking to but Rex has an idea after he hears Hevy's voice.

Rex starts to basically interrogate Echo, asking how long he had known, who was alive, why he kept it a secret. Echo breaks down because he doesn't want his older brother to be mad at him but he also wants to keep his other brothers safe and away from the war.

Wambor shows up an hour before Domino does and they have already taken Echo and hooked him back into a computer and have him completely out of it.

Domino busts in and Hevy and Droidbait find Rex and the rest of the Batch. They let them out of their cell and start asking them where Echo is but get cut off by Fives and Cutup on the comm line telling them that they had found the final Domino. Everyone rushes over and finds Fives cradling Echo to his chest while trying to calm him down. Fives ends up carrying him out of the prison and back on to the ship that they somehow commandeered.

They get poor echo back on the ship and after some questioning from Rex, they take the Batch back to the marauder but when they try to get off of Domino's ship, Echo doesn't go with them and chaos ensues.

You didn't see this, E

#dont worry about it #the clone wars #the bad batch #domino squad #domino twins #arc trooper echo #arc trooper fives #the clone wars hevy #clone wars cutup #clone trooper droidbate #captain rex #sergeant hunter #tbb wrecker #tbb tech #tbb omega

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whisker-biscuit · 3 months

Text

The Lines We Cross: Chapter 27

A Daring Rescue

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You're the future I pretended I no longer wanted.

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Krakarov was perhaps the world’s only forgotten volcano.

Officially declared too dangerous for public access for well over two hundred years, it sat amid an uninhabited stretch of land in the northwest corner of Russia, so far from civilization that it had quietly slipped out of collective memory. Scientists did not study it when there were much more accessible ones. Local and international governments found no need to warn people about it because it was only taught in the most thorough geological studies. Any thrill-seekers looking to climb it were few and far between, and those few who tried never came back. It was a mystery among mysteries, so obscure that the only agreed-upon thing was that it was to be left alone for reasons lost to time.

There were only a handful of people who knew what those reasons actually were, and not a single one of them had ever actually entered the volcano itself.

Until now.

Sly was exhausted. He had left Kunlun by Interpol escort, posing as one of the town survivors and given a ride down the mountain until they reached a proper city. He’d slipped easily away with all of Inspector Fox’s gear, hid in the first abandoned building he could find, and had promptly had a breakdown. Then, he’d locked everything down in the same mental vault that held his parents’ deaths and the source of the scars on his chest, looked over the stuff he had stolen, considered his options, and began planning.

Leaving Carmelita to die at the hands of his greatest nightmare had not been an option. Even if Clockwerk had killed her the instant he’d realized he hadn’t grabbed his real target, the raccoon couldn’t handle the uncertainty of not knowing. If it turned out she was still alive and he had turned tail and ran without even trying to save her, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself.

And so here he was nearly fourteen hours later, standing at the base of a forgotten volcano, armed with his cane and an assortment of Interpol equipment, running on what little sleep he’d managed to get on the airplane he’d snuck onto to get this far north, and feeling as though he’d just taken a beating from every Fiendish Five member at once.

It was a small price to pay for the quelling of his conscience.

The outer perimeter of Krakarov had a large metal fence wrapped around it, almost two kilometers from the volcano proper. Faded warning signs detailing hazards like falling rocks as well as threats of criminal fines and detainment for trespassing littered the fence in both directions as far as the eye could see, but there were no security measures to reinforce it. No barbed wire, no electric currents, no cameras or guards or anything of the sort.

Just a single, taller than average fence, and for some reason that alone scared him more than anything. Either Clockwerk was that adept at defending his home, or he had anticipated Sly’s arrival and was holding the metaphorical door open in invitation.

Well, if it was an invitation, then there were going to be a lot more visitors than the owl expected. Sly reached into his backpack, slightly smushed underneath the jetpack strapped to his back, and pulled out the GPS tracker he’d stolen from the Interpol truck. He turned it on, stared at it a moment to make sure it was working, then tucked it away again. With any luck, Interpol would come running the moment they realized it belonged to their missing inspector.

Maybe, if he was really lucky, they’d arrive in time to save her before Clockwerk finished him off. She deserved to survive this mess he had gotten her into, even if he didn’t. Especially if he didn’t.

Sly looked the fence up and down with both his hands curled around the jetpack’s harness. There were no signs of life here; not a single person, unevolved animal, or even plant to be found. Everything around him was dust and dark rock in the shadow of the volcano ahead.

With one last glance to the left and the right just to be certain that he was alone, the raccoon began climbing. It was difficult with all the equipment weight, and he winced with every rattle of metal as he had to sacrifice stealth just to be able to scale the thing at all, but after a few minutes he had finally cleared the top and jumped down to the other side. Here, he paused for a moment to catch his breath and wipe away the sweat that had been creeping up his neck for far longer than it took to climb that fence.

Then he began to walk towards the volcano.

It was eerily quiet as he picked his way through the rocky terrain. The air was still and thick with distant heat; there was no wind to blow relief against his fur or his clothes. He kept his stress clamped tight under a lid and stayed alert to the slightest changes around him. The sky was a gloomy grey but devoid of clouds – and concerning silhouettes – and he periodically looked up to scan it in his vigilance. No one ever looked up until it was too late, and he’d made that mistake twice in his life.

Never again. Nothing was going to catch him off guard anymore. He refused to let it until he knew for sure what had happened to –

There.

A change in the landscape.

Among the cracked, uneven ground, he saw a shred of orange. Sly approached it, confused and then immediately alarmed as he realized it was a small tattered piece of Inspector Fox’s heavy coat she had worn in Kunlun. Eyes wide, he dropped to his knees to pick it up, terrified that he would find blood – or worse. It was clean, thank god, but it did little to ease his fear for her safety. All it meant was that she had been here at some point, alive or dead.

Clenching the cloth tightly in his left hand, the raccoon began to stand, but a strange glint between the rocks nearby caught his attention. He tilted his head, catching the light of the shrouded sun just so to find its source. Then his heart stopped for a completely different reason than when he’d found the scrap of coat.

It was a camera. There was a camera embedded in the ground.

Panic seized Sly’s chest. Before a single conscious thought could cross his mind, he had already jumped to his feet and started sprinting away, back towards the fence – back towards that flimsy physical barrier outlining the ancient owl’s territory. Clockwerk knew he was here. He knew he was here and he was going to come after him again if he stayed here, those claws would come after him again, he’d be dead and Carmelita would be doomed –

Carmelita would be doomed if he ran away, too.

He skidded to a halt. Looked down at the ripped fabric in his hand. Looked at the fence, then to the empty sky. Closed his eyes and forced all his panic away, stuffed in that familiar box with the rest of his emotions until he did what he had come here to do.

Turned around and began walking again.

It didn’t matter if Clockwerk had confirmation that he was here. Clearly, he had expected Sly to show, because leaving such obvious evidence out in the open was sloppy at best, and to insinuate that about the owl was an insult of the highest degree. Everything he did was calculated. Everything he did was for a reason. It was a taunt, plain and simple, and it had worked.

It didn’t stop the raccoon from glancing up more often, though.

When he finally reached the base of the volcano, his eyes jumped across the harsh rock to look for a way inside. He found it about five meters to his right; the rock curled inward in a way that was definitely not natural. It was a cave, and it led straight to the heart of Krakarov if the sudden spike of heat was any indication.

The cave opening was deceptively large – it was wide, not tall, so that someone like Muggshot or bigger would have to duck their heads as they entered it but could easily stretch their arms horizontally. For Sly, who was small in both ways, there was no issue at all. He pressed himself against one wall, held his breath to turn invisible just in case of more hidden cameras he couldn’t see, and headed in.

It was slow going. The ground was hard to walk on and often dipped both uphill and downhill for long stretches of time. Every few minutes he paused and crouched to catch his breath, holding perfectly still and perfectly silent in fear of detection until he was ready to move on invisibly again. The temperature was rising steadily the farther inside he got, and all the extra stuff he was carrying – the jetpack, the GPS, Carmelita’s shock pistol and radio, and the two “special” homemade gadgets in his hoodie pocket – added to his fatigue and the sweat trapped under his fur.

It felt a little like he was going into hell. Not too far from the truth if he thought about it too hard, and he was doing everything he could to avoid that.

Nearly half an hour into his trek, the slope evened out into something manageable for once. It was his only warning before he came upon a giant double door blocking him from continuing. The raccoon stopped, craning his head upwards to study the sudden obstruction. It was embedded in both walls and the ceiling, similar to how the camera had been, with no cracks to shimmy through to get around it. In the center of the door were two large handles – built for someone with talons to grab ahold of – and locking them in place was a single, bulky padlock.

The most straightforward barrier ever, and yet Sly was wary to take it at face value. He approached it cautiously, still invisible, and scrutinized it for any sign of unseen security measures or even some of Mz. Ruby’s magic, but no matter where he looked or how much he strained his eyes, there was nothing to be found. For all intents and purposes, it really was just a simple gate.

Still not trusting the circumstances of this first true roadblock set up by the Five’s leader, he pressed into the corner where the wall and the gate met, making himself as small as possible as he became visible again, and stared up at the padlock. It looked standard and easy to pick, but it was too high to reach while his feet were on the ground, and he refused to use the jetpack for fear of draining its fuel prematurely.

That left only one option. The raccoon did one more cursory search for traps, cameras, or anything else, then shoved himself off the wall with as much speed as he was capable of. He took a running leap towards the gate and hooked onto one of the handles by his cane; the momentum of his jump was enough to swing him high enough to grab the padlock with his free hand. With his shoes braced against the metal of the door, he began working the lock suspended a solid three meters in the air.

When it clicked open, he carefully pulled it free of both handles before twisting around to throw it as hard as he could down the tunnel he’d come from. It landed out of sight with a quiet clang, which made him wince, but he wasn’t going to touch anything of Clockwerk’s for more than strictly necessary. There was no telling what might or might not be boobytrapped.

Padlock discarded, Sly turned back to the door he was still clinging to like a barnacle. It hadn’t budged much under his weight until he’d removed the lock, but he could feel how it seemed to want to move inward instead of outward. Crouching with all his weight coiled into his legs, he launched himself off the door with a powerful two-footed kick. It did the trick; the gate shifted open just enough for him to shimmy through after he picked himself back up, and he continued further into the dark cave.

For the first time since Kunlun – since Wales, really – the shaky confidence that had built itself up during his time with Inspector Fox began to trickle back. He had successfully gotten through the first of the ancient owl’s obstacles, simple as it seemed, and that made his heart beat a little faster for different reasons than fear. It was only the first step, but he’d done it.

So caught up in his momentary victory, he very nearly walked onto death.

Sly froze with his foot hovering a centimeter above the ground, having barely caught the glint of metal with his sharp nocturnal vision. He looked down at the slightest displacement in the earth – uneven dirt that had been dug up recently, covering a lump that seemed just as natural as every other lump along the bumpy cave floor if not for that tiny, damning bit of metal that had made itself visible. Feeling suddenly sick as he realized how close he’d been to stepping on it, he backed up and very gingerly pushed aside the dirt with the tip of his cane, careful not to touch the metal. It revealed a round device big enough that he’d have to hold it with both hands, with a red blinking light in its center.

He’d almost just stepped on a land mine.

Nausea growing ever deeper, he looked up towards the path ahead, where he could now pick out more of those unassuming mounds scattered across the ground, just waiting to be triggered by one careless intruder. The raccoon swallowed, hard, and began to reach for his backpack – for the shock pistol tucked safely away within. Then he aborted the action before even touching the zipper. There was no telling how powerful these things were; if he shot one, it could cause a cave-in or set off the rest in a fatal chain reaction. And even if neither of those were to happen, the noise alone would surely be enough to bring the owl swooping in. Using Carmelita’s equipment would have to wait. Again.

He crouched in front of the bomb he had unearthed, taking a mental measurement of its size and comparing that to the litany of still-hidden ones in his way. They had all been placed with just enough space between them that he could theoretically maneuver through so long as he was sure-footed and precise, and he had a sneaking suspicion that it had been set up that way on purpose. Clockwerk had goaded him inside his lair with evidence of the inspector’s survival, and now he was deliberately testing him. Seeing how far he had come on his own; pushing him to prove that he hadn’t just stolen back the Thievius Raccoonus, but was actively taking its lessons to heart.

It was time to trust his ancestors. Sly stood up, backed up a few paces, then sprinted forward and took his first jump.

It became a dance. On the world’s deadliest stage, not a single audience member to witness his act, the raccoon flitted across the landmine field with the grace of a ballerina. His feet barely touched the ground when he found a safe place to land, only there for seconds until his gaze had found the next one, and then he was already leaping again.

By the time he finally reached the end of the buried bombs, there was a thin sheen of sweat down his back and he was panting from exertion, but it was accompanied by the bittersweet sting of success. Bittersweet, because he’d proven himself as capable as any other prior Cooper – had been proving that for weeks – but it was at the cost of his former partner. He had wanted the confidence, but not at this price. Never, ever at this price.

After a few minutes of catching his breath, he shook his head to clear his lamenting and continued on. Every second he wasted was less of a chance to fix his mistakes.

One sharp turn left, another right, and then very suddenly, the tunnel opened up and Sly found himself standing over an enormous pit of lava. He nearly staggered at the sudden spike of heat, strong enough to steal his breath, and could only gawk at the very heart of Krakarov.

Rock paths – either naturally formed or intentionally carved – twisted out from where he stood for as far as the eye could see in a dozen directions. Some veered off in towards other caves in the inner cliffside of the volcano, while others went on and on beyond the limits of his vision. There was no ceiling or cover above him, yet the open sky seemed confined from inside the crater. The glow of lava overpowered everything to the point that it was almost painful to look at directly.

And on the opposite end, easily two or more kilometers away, was a cluster of metal structures that could, technically, be classified as buildings. They looked more like the owl had dragged an entire scrapyard into the space, then smashed it all together to save space.

The raccoon scanned the sky for a solid minute, nervous about how much he was now out in the open even with all of his precautions. Then, he took another minute to study all the branching paths ahead of him. There were a lot of places here that could be hiding a kidnapped inspector, and there was no clue as to which direction to search first. If it took all night to find her, he’d do it without a second thought, but the longer he was here then the more likely it was that Clockwerk showed his face in one way or another.

Wasn’t anything to be done about it except to push on. Taking as deep a breath as he could manage, Sly began walking along the biggest path in the vague direction of the distant metal architecture. Every time he came across a particularly large boulder or an especially deep crack in the ground, he hunkered down behind or in them to get his breath back, and never took his eyes off the sky while he did so. It was excruciatingly slow going, even worse than traversing the landmines had been, and he could practically feel the minutes ticking away from whatever remained of Carmelita’s limited safety.

Halfway across the crater, a familiar sense of foreboding made him stop. Up ahead, the path continued towards the metal buildings, and he could finally see another cave that presumably led straight to them. Nothing had changed since he’d started his trek, nothing was out of place and now shadow loomed from above, but instincts honed from half a lifetime of tiptoeing around volatile people kept him from moving another centimeter further. On a whim, knowing all too well how much Clockwerk loved his patterns, the raccoon began suspiciously sweeping along the ground with his cane like he had done in that first tunnel.

It was with expectation, not surprise, when he uncovered metal and tiny blinking lights for a second time.

Sly inhaled quick and sharp through his teeth, painfully aware of the fact that he had become visible from the reaction, and peered farther down the path. Unlike before, there were no identifiers for where the bombs had been buried here. No bumps in the ground, no glints of metal, not a single speck of dirt out of place. Without a metal detector or some other tech he didn’t have, nothing could tell him what was safe to walk on and what would blow him sky high.

He glanced behind him, where the rocky ground had branched off to the left a few meters back in a diverging pathway. It had led to another tunnel in the cliffside; he had ignored it – along with every other separate path – in favor of heading towards the most obvious man-made structure, but now it was looking far more tempting in lieu of walking through another literal minefield.

Sly doubled back to the other path after only a moment of consideration. He’d chosen his original route because it had seemed logical to head that way, but Carmelita could be stuck in any of the dozen other caves. There was no way to know for certain without checking each until he found her – or at least another clue pointing him in the right direction – and he wasn’t in the mood to test his luck with hidden mines a second time just yet. He was careful to sweep the ground for them on this new road, but nothing came up no matter how much he checked, and that innate sense of danger rapidly disappeared the farther he walked.

When he reached the opening of the new cave, he ducked just inside the shadow of it to get some air, a mild reprieve from the heat, and to scan the open crater. Still no sign of Clockwerk, which was either really good or really bad, but so long as he stayed alert, the raccoon was sure that the Five’s leader couldn’t catch him off gua–

Two bright red lights flickered to life within the pitch black of the tunnel. Then a second pair. A third. A fourth.

Six. Nine. Fourteen.

Sly stared in mounting horror as things began to move and shift in the dark. Metal clanged against rock, against other metal, and the raccoon backed out into open space again with his hackles raised and his cane at the ready. So startled that he’d remained visible, his reaction caused every set of lights – eyes, they were eyes – to zero in on him immediately. A synchronous chorus of screeching was his only warning to turn and flee before an entire flock of robotic birds exploded out of the cave after him.

He ran for all he was worth as they chased him. Panic sent his thoughts into overdrive, his mind desperately trying to come up with an escape before they could catch up. He swerved right towards the cave he had arrived into the crater by, hoping that they had a limit to how far they could follow, or at least make it harder for them to fly in the confined space.

Movement flitted in and out of the corner of his eye barely ten steps in; Sly pivoted on his heel on instinct and whipped around with his cane arcing outward in a defensive swing. His reaction saved him from being disemboweled. A silver falcon, much smaller than Clockwerk but still deadly by the glint of its talons, screeched as its body was struck and swerved backwards in the air to right itself before it could fall into the lava below. Three more took its place immediately, cutting him off from moving any closer to his goal and forcing him to backpedal. He ducked raised claws by the skin of his teeth and turned left instead towards the metal structures.

Towards the landmines he couldn’t see.

There was no time to do anything else. There was nowhere else to go. Over a dozen frenzied robots bore down on him with intent to kill, and only one path was clear. He had to risk death to avoid a certain one. Sly barreled into the minefield –

And something strange happened.

Blue erupted across his vision; a spattering of sparkles that were sprinkled seemingly at random throughout the path ahead. Something about them tugged at his soul, urging him closer, to connect with them wherever possible. The raccoon didn’t think twice about it – he let that pull lead him forward and he leapt.

He landed perfectly on a cluster of sparkles. Nothing exploded under his feet. A screech to his left gave him enough forewarning to keep running, to jump to the next array while he still had momentum, and he narrowly avoided two falcons trying to slam into his shoulder. The way ahead was free of robotic birds as they came at him from behind and both sides, trying to snatch him up or knock him off balance and onto a waiting landmine.

The odd twinkles protected him from the ground, his dexterity protected him from fatal claw strikes, and his cane made up for those that veered too close in attempts to body-check him. Somehow, miraculously, Sly kept going through the bombardment from above and below without ever getting a scratch, and when the blue sparkling finally faded away, he stopped leaping and went right back to sprinting. He had no idea if he was clear of the bombs, but something in him said that he was, and that same something had just kept him from being blown into a hundred little raccoon pieces. He couldn’t slow down to question it when there was still an entire bloodthirsty flock gunning for him.

Up ahead, he could see the tunnel entrance that surely led to the buildings he’d been so focused on before, but it looked large enough to welcome the robots on his tail. Already, Sly could feel his adrenaline waning under heat and his low reserves of energy, and he knew that he’d be either caught or mauled within minutes if they continued their chase unless something changed. Another screech and whoosh of hot wind made him whirl around to block claws with cane. He continued his three-sixty turn to redirect the screaming falcon sideways into one of its brethren, then stuck his free hand into his hoodie’s front pocket as he righted himself to face forward again.

His fingers found one of the two devices hidden there – as well as the button on it. He pressed down on it at the same time that he pulled the device out, coming closer and closer to the yawning cave mouth. Right before he rushed through, Sly threw the thing as hard as he could at the rocky overhang looming over his dark escape.

It hit its mark. The device – the bomb exploded above him as he threw himself forward, narrowly missing the tumbling rocks that instead came down on the robotic birds right behind him. He hit the ground but staggered back to his feet, not daring to stand still in the blast radius of the cave-in he had just caused. Dust kicked up the air around him so thick that he could barely see even with his nocturnal vision, and the entire tunnel shook as boulders fell in an overwhelming cacophony of noise.

As suddenly as it had started, it was over just as fast. The last of the rocks hit the ground, the rumbling ceased around him, and silence took its place save for the strained breaths of one frazzled raccoon. He leaned heavily against a wall and risked a glance back, grimacing when he realized that the entire opening had been completely blocked off by the cave-in. There was not a single shred of light from the outside crater he could see, and he wasn’t about to tempt his tenuous luck further by trying to move the rocks aside.

The robo-falcons weren’t anywhere to be seen or heard, which he hoped meant they had either all been crushed or had given up pursuit now that their target was impossible to reach. Even so, he kept his cane at the ready and remained alert to the point of jumpiness as he began walking down this new tunnel that he’d trapped himself in.

It occurred to him, belatedly, that they might have been leading him down that single path and not letting him stray for more reasons than killing him with landmines. It was very possible that they had intentionally funneled him this way because it was where he needed to go to find Carmelita. The realization made him nervous at the same time that it gave him hope; if she was dead, they’d have no reason to do this. Clockwerk could have let him wander aimlessly through the volcano until he collapsed from exhaustion or the heat, and then finished him off without any effort. Surely, the fact that he was going to all this trouble to string Sly along meant that she was still alive, and he was still on the right track.

But it also meant the owl was lying in wait for him somewhere or somehow, and he had just wasted one of his precious few means of fighting back. He didn’t know if bombs even worked on whatever Clockwerk was made of, but having some semblance of perceived power in his hands had given him courage. Now, he only had a single chance left to leave a dent in the monster’s armor.

There was nothing to do but keep going and hope that it didn’t come to that. If he could find Carmelita and free her before Clockwerk bared down on them, there was still the jetpack. They could still make a clean getaway into the night, and then she could come back with the full force of Interpol to take down the final member of the Fiendish Five for good. As for what happened to him, well…he doubted the inspector would let him go free after putting her life in danger. If she wanted to arrest him for the part he played in this entire mess, he’d already given her his word that he wouldn’t run anymore. Before, it had been out of despair from the realization that his life was forfeited no matter what he did. Now, even if he made it out of here alive, he didn’t have anything left to return to. A criminal, raised by other criminals, who only knew how to steal and lie and cause problems; there was no “normal” he could even pretend to mimic, and he was done hurting innocent people for his own survival.

Sly was either leaving this volcano in cuffs, or he wasn’t leaving at all. His only goal was living long enough to save the person whose life had been irreparably damaged just by knowing him, just by trusting him.

His train of thought halted as his surroundings caught his attention.

Something was different about the walls. He frowned, unable to place what it was with the limited details his gaze could provide in the dark, and moved to the nearest one to press his hand against it. The fabric of his glove threatened to snag on the craggy surface as he trailed his fingers along it while he walked; until suddenly, it became smooth under his touch. Semi-cool rock had cut off into warm metal instead, and continued that way ahead as far as he could tell. Cautiously excited in the change, the raccoon picked up the pace, grateful to feel the temperature slowly dropping the farther he went.

Then, in the distance, there was light at the end of the tunnel – literally. He trapped the air in his lungs and disappeared from sight before it came anywhere near him, and then stepped out into the blinding glare.

As his eyes adjusted to the harsh light of the new room, the first thing he noticed was machinery everywhere. Computers and processors lined the walls, cords of all shapes and sizes hung from the ceiling, and the ground was alight with security lasers and overhead spotlights. Perches large enough for a particular owl to land on were littered everywhere, and a quick glance up showed a giant metal door that no doubt would have led out into the sky if it had been open.

And then he saw Carmelita.

She was in another, smaller room, separated from this one by a layer of glass, and he could see even from here that she had been trapped there in a tall, see-through cylinder. Her back was to him as she pounded on the glass, clearly trying to break out of her prison, and his heart swelled to see that she was still alive, still fighting.

Sly didn’t shout or whistle to attempt to get her attention. Even if she could hear him through the distance and multiple barriers between them, Clockwerk had eyes on her. He could see cameras in the room that was holding her – although, bizarrely, not in this one – and if she reacted to his presence too early, it would alert the owl. Nothing to do but hope she could hold on a little longer while he made his way through the maze in front of him. The most straight-forward path was a death trap. Even without the lasers and the spotlights, he could see metal tiles across the floor that he recognized from his time working on Raleigh’s ship; they were pressure plates, highly sensitive to touch and guaranteed to set off alarms at best and automated weapons at worst. Invisibility was no help against that.

His eyes trailed left, where one of the large iron perches sat several meters above him and the traps ahead. The faintest hint of blue began to creep across it the longer he stared. It wouldn’t get him all the way across the room to where Carmelita was being held, but it was certainly a start. The raccoon rolled his shoulders, cracked his neck, readjusted the weight of the jetpack, and started running.

He jumped for the perch and caught its end by his outstretched hands, dangling for only a moment before pulling himself up onto it. It was round and precariously slippery, threatening to send him falling with the slightest misstep, but he kept his mind on everything he’d learned from the Thievius Raccoonus instead of letting the nerves overtake him. Centimeter by centimeter, he edged along the perch until he reached the other end without so much as a teeter.

Here, he could see the rest of the room and all its hazards very clearly. But with the addition of those sparkles popping up everywhere, he could also now see all the possibilities, too. Sly’s gaze jumped back and forth, calculating the best way to work around the security and reach the glass separating him from the inspector.

A spire jump here, a rail slide there – he’d done this a million times. Now he just had to do it a million and one.

Onto a hanging cable he latched, scaling up it like a monkey on a vine. From there, a leap to land delicately on top of a roving spotlight. Springing off of crouched legs to throw himself halfway across the room, to a second perch several meters from Carmelita’s “room.” Flattening himself against a computer to avoid a rotating laser that could probably saw him in half, then taking advantage of the gap in its cycle to find and move towards the next waypoint.

On and up and down and around he went, until finally his feet touched lightly down in front of the glass wall through which he could see the fox. She had turned around sometime in his maneuvers so that she should have caught sight of him, but her eyes remained fixed on the container she was still trying to get out of, and never once glanced his way.

The raccoon had a few guesses as to why she seemed unaware of his presence, but they didn’t matter when he was about to make himself known. After one quick glance behind and above to make sure nothing robotic had snuck up on him through his complicated balancing act, he pressed his hand to the glass and tested it with his bodily weight. It shifted under the sudden force. Emboldened, he took a few steps back, braced himself, then swung his cane into it with all his might.

It shattered instantly. Carmelita’s head whipped around to stare at him with wide eyes as he picked his way through the glass-littered ground and into the room with her. Before he could do anything – say anything, even – she slammed her hands against the last barrier separating them with more panic than he had ever seen on her face.

“Sly, you can’t be here!” She cried. “It’s a trap!”

There was a strange hissing in the air as something green and noxious began spilling into the room from the vents all around them. The raccoon whirled on his heel at the sound of a reinforced metal door slamming shut behind him, sealing the hole in the glass he had made. He pulled his mask out from beneath his shirt collar and pressed it against his nose and mouth, heart hammering in his chest, just as every screen in the room lit up to reveal Clockwerk’s hateful, patient gaze.

“You sentimental fool!” He chuckled, sounding more like he had just won a bet than any stronger emotion. “Empathy has always been the downfall of the Cooper clan.”

The thin layer of protection Sly had tried to give himself wasn’t enough. Already, dizziness was overwhelming him and he felt the treacherous urge to cough as the fatal gas filled both the room and his lungs. Carmelita, momentarily spared from the trap because of the container she was trapped in, began throwing her shoulder against the glass, screaming at him to find a way out before it was too late. His eyes darted all over the room, trying to do exactly that, but there was only one exit, surrounded by machinery and the mocking camera feed of his worst nightmare.

He turned around to swing his cane at the door that had sealed him in. The reverberating shockwave that traveled up his arms and through his body staggered him instead, sending him to one knee as he gasped on instinct. The gas greedily took advantage of his mistake, and suddenly the entire room was spinning. The raccoon tried and failed to stand back up; he could barely hear Inspector Fox’s desperate voice through the ringing in his ears. He lifted his head just enough to lock eyes with her.

There were tears in her eyes. She was crying. She was crying over him.

It was like a stream of ice down his neck, jolting him to just enough awareness to remember the second bomb still in his pocket. With fumbling fingers and spotty vision, Sly pulled it out and somehow managed to turn it on, already feeling his brief energy bump disappearing just as quickly as it had appeared. He looked back at the metal door, reinforced and impossible to penetrate, then forward, beyond Carmelita’s glass prison to the handful of computer screens where Clockwerk watched everything with cold, detached delight.

Blue sparkles.

Sly didn’t think twice. With the last of his strength, choking on his own breath, he threw his last trump card.

The resulting explosion flattened him even further than he already was. His head hit the metal floor and it would have made him see stars if his vision wasn’t already going dark. He didn’t know if it had worked. He didn’t know if it had broken open the wall, or Carmelita’s prison, or if she had even survived. All he knew was that he couldn’t breathe, he was choking, he was dying –

Warm hands wrapped around his middle, hoisting him up against a warm body. His cheek lolled into the crook of a shoulder – her shoulder – and he decided that this was a very nice place to be.

“C’mon, Ringtail, don’t give up on me yet. We’re almost out. Stay awake. Please.”

Stay awake. That sounded so hard, but her voice was so very nice. Sly moaned in protest but forced himself to open his eyes, watching wisps of green gas disappear around him as Inspector Fox carried him through the hole in the wall and into the unknown.

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A/N: The Ao3 Author's Curse is real and it finally got me. In the month since the last update, I have 1) been stranded at work for a few days because of bad weather, 2) been in two separate car wrecks (no one involved hurt, thank goodness) and 3) had a close family member rushed to the ER after a bad accident. Chronologically. It's been a time.

Enough about that though - Sly is finally seeing our favorite hint to Jump and Press the Circle Button! Betcha thought I wasn't going to include that little mechanic, huh? It's a little different in this version; instead of literal thieving opportunities, it's more of a realm of possibilities for self-preservation. Was incredibly fun to figure out where best to apply them throughout this chapter. As for why they didn't manifest until now...eh, we'll call it the power of love or something. I'm tired lol.

Also! I got an amazing gift fic over on Ao3 from the lovely @brainsforbreakfastt that's set in this AU! Please please please give it a read if you haven't already, it made my entire week and they worked very hard on it.

#sly cooper #carmelita fox #fanfiction #the lines we cross

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