#green dot is roughly where the seats are

[slightly-smarter-nat]

Prison Break || The Unknown Widow

ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ ——— ….. ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ ——— ….. ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ ——— ….. ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ ——— ….. ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ ——— …..

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Yelena Belova x Reader (Platonic)

Warnings: Mentions of torture; Explicit language; mentions of weapons; mentions of injury, mentions of blood; Alexei just kidding; mentions of the Red Room, description of sterilisation of Widows. If I have missed any warnings, please let me know.

Word Count: 4194 words.

Summary: It’s time to break Alexei out of prison; will he be as useful as Natasha hopes in taking down the Red Room?

A/N: Part 8 of ‘The Unknown Widow’. This ended up being longer than expected-oops. Aspects of this part were inspired by the music included on the ‘Black Widow movie soundtrack’- ‘Red Rising’, Lorne Balfe. I hope you all enjoy!!

Please do not repost (on here or any social media platform) copy, translate or take ownership of my work. Reblogs, likes and comments are always appreciated <3

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10

Masterlist

Translation: “прощайте, мудаки”, roughly translates to ‘Farewell, douchebags’.

ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ ——— ….. ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ ——— ….. ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ ——— ….. ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ ——— ….. ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ ——— …..

GIF not mine

Prison Break- The Unknown Widow:

-The Seventh Circle Prison-

We steadily hover over the Russian Prison; on the way here we- meaning mostly Natasha, formed a plan in order to rescue Alexei Shostakov; the infamous Red Guardian himself. From my time in the Red Room, I can remember how Dreykov reminisced on the days that he used the Red Guardian to his ‘full disposal’. I did always wonder what happened to him- well now I know.

Yelena receives a ping on her device to signal that Alexei has activated his ear piece/tracker. She is sitting up front with Natasha, piloting the aircraft. I would help, but Natasha made it very clear that she doesn’t want me to have any part in this, for reasons beyond me. All I can think is that she still doesn’t trust me- I guess I’ll have to show her that she can. I could always ask Yelena to put Natasha in her place, but I don’t want to overstep or put her in a position where she has to pick a side.

I look up front when I hear Natasha’s voice boom through my headset, “Today is your lucky day, Alexei”.

Yelena moves the device towards Natasha, I lean forward from my seat at the back to see the screen. I can barely make out the map of the Prison, along with a green dot to represent Alexei’s position.

“Move to the door on the south wall.” Natasha instructs him.

We don’t hear a response from his end, so we can only assume he’s following her instructions.

I choose to crouch down in between the two piloting seats, much to Natasha’s dismay. I just simply roll my eyes at her, whether she likes it or not, I’m involved in this. Yelena shows me the display, sending me a smile before turning her attention back to the scene ahead.

“Go left. Just don’t make a scene.” Natasha guides Alexei through the layout of the Prison.

Distinct shouts of protest can be heard through our headsets, suggesting a brawl breaking out, causing Natasha to comment, “You made a scene, didn’t you?”

“What? You actually expected him to follow simple instructions successfully?” Yelena mocks, causing a smile to grace my lips. From the image they’re painting of Alexei to me, he doesn’t sound very reliable at all.

We can see from the device that he- somehow, managed to escape the Prison through Natasha’s guidance and a few door tricks.

I stand up and look towards the ground, noticing a door flying off its hinges and a scruffy looking man exiting the building-is this really the former Red Guardian?

He staggers across the ground. We hear his voice sound through the communication system, “What now?” He grunts.

“We’re gettin’ you outta here.” Natasha replies.

Yelena and Natasha menovure the aircraft into a better position to allow us better access to Alexei.

“Um, that’s not a good sign.” I say as we watch the swarm of guards and inmates surround Alexei.

Natasha shakes her head before instructing Alexei, “Go to the upper level.”

Alexei scrambles through several gates; whilst avoiding flares being thrown at him by prison guards.

“Move your ass, super soldier.” Natasha encourages him along.

With quick, skilled motions, Alexei scales a wall. That is until he is tasered by a guard, causing him to fall straight back down to the ground.

“He’s never going to make it.” Yelena says.

“Get me closer.” Natasha tells Yelena, causing her to give her a sceptical expression.

“You got a better idea?” Natasha finishes off.

I see this as my opportunity to help, so I stand in front of Natasha as she gets up from her seat, “Natasha, let me help, come on I’ll go down there and help Alexei. You can stay here with Lena.” I attempt to plead my case to Natasha.

“No Lara, just go sit down and I’ll deal with it.” She says as she grabs the equipment needed to scale down to the ground.

“Why not Natasha, just because you have the title of an Avenger, doesn’t mean-“ Natasha cuts my words off with an outburst.

“It’s because I don’t trust you Lara. You’ll just end up screwing the mission up and I can’t allow that to happen.” She glares at me, causing me to look towards the ground in hurt. I’d do anything to protect either of them, but hearing Natasha confirm my suspicions sends a wave of uneasiness through me.

I miss the way Yelena glares at Natasha, silently signalling for her to let me help.

Natasha releases a heavy sigh before saying, “Fine, go up front with Yelena, and help her pilot this thing.”

I look up to her in surprise; not expecting her to change her mind. I remove my headset before rushing over to the front with Yelena, placing Natasha’s headset over my head. I look over to Yelena and give her a heartfelt smile, knowing she will have had something to do with Natasha’s sudden change of heart.

Yelena gives me a light punch on the arm, causing me to playfully roll my eyes as I get into position and buckle up.

Natasha asks for us to unlock the door; I press the unlock switch and look over to her as she readies herself for her jump.

Once the door is opened, she grabs hold of a rope-like material and leaps down from the aircraft.

She swings as Yelena and I gently guide the aircraft down, allowing her an easier landing.

She masters a flip from the rope and lands heroically on one of the top levels; holding many guards.

I raise an eyebrow at her form; and Yelena shakes her head, “Such a poser.” Yelena says, causing me to laugh, remembering our conversation in the gas station store.

Whilst maintaining control of the aircraft, we watch as she uses the rope to swing and kick a guard directly off the platform. She then delivers harsh strikes on the other guards, alternating which foot she uses to carry out her attacks. Natasha then sends the rope swinging directly into the remaining guard- the metal hook at the end serving as a means to knock him out.

As soon as she takes out the guards, I remove my headset and unbuckle my seatbelt and go towards the open door.

Yelena snaps her head towards me, “You’ll be alright on your own won’t you?” I say as I prepare my suit for the jump to the ground.

“Wait, what are you doing? Natasha said to stay on here!” Yelena shouts, compensating for the sound of rushing air muffling her words.

“Natasha can say what she likes, that doesn’t mean that I have to listen to her. See you in a bit!” I say as I jump out of the aircraft.

Yelena can’t hold this against me, she should be used to my spontaneous behaviour by now.

As I am falling down towards the ground, I activate my suit’s glide mechanic, causing a strengthened material to make wing-like shapes under my arms and between my legs. Allowing me to control my movements in the air. This feature is possibly the only good thing to come out of the Red Room, it allows me to cover more ground quickly, and has saved my life more times than I care to remember.

Thankfully, I zoom straight past Natasha- avoiding the infuriated expression I’m sure she’ll be displaying at my blatant disregard for her words.

I tilt my arms in the appropriate directions to avoid stray bullets and structures that I don’t want to crash into. As soon as I spot Alexei, I place my arms down my side and charge my way down to the ground.

I pick my target- an inmate striking Alexei, and I plough straight into him- taking him out instantly.

Once I deactivate my glide mechanic, I get to work in defending Alexei, giving him a clear window to make his way up to the higher platform, and board the aircraft.

“Get to Natasha, I’ll deal with these guys.” I tell Alexei, I expect him to move but he just looks at me in shock.

“Go!” I shout which seemingly knocks him out of his trance as he makes his way across the ground.

An inmate grabs my shoulder, which causes me to grab his wrist tightly and twist it, causing him to yelp in pain. I duck under his arm, causing it to stretch behind him, I push it hard causing a snapping noise to sound through the air. I ignore his cries of pain and kick him away as I move to the next inmate approaching.

I aim my grappling hook at him and swing it enough to latch onto his prison uniform; I pull harshly on the rope, bringing the inmate close to me. Using the advantage of the velocity travelled by the inmate, I deliver a brutal hit to his face. This causes his legs to come from under him due to the force, allowing me to punch him to the ground.

I quickly glance up to see Yelena steering out of control due to the guards firing at her. She nearly takes Natasha out in the process as she tries to regain control. I wince at the close calls Natasha has with the propellers of the aircraft.

After a few seconds of swaying, Yelena finally regains control. All I can see from my lower position is Natasha waving her arms frustratedly at Yelena, most likely telling her to steer away.

Due to my distraction, I fail to notice the guard making his way towards me, allowing him to get a free strike at my jaw. The force from the hit sends me down to the ground, I gently grab my jaw, cringing at the pain. I look over to the guard, seeing him activate a stun baton.

I feel an excess of blood fill my mouth from the hit, I spit it out on the snow below me and stand up. The guard gulps at my protective stance. He lunges towards me, attempting to stun me with the baton. I quickly grab it; placing a hand on the weapon and his arm and kick him in the stomach, causing him to let go. Once he stumbles back I use the baton to send a shockwave through his neck, after a cry of pain I put him out of his misery and headbutt him to knock him out.

I give my head a firm shake to even out the pain throbbing through it.

Suddenly I hear a huge explosion behind me, I look up to see one of the guard watch towers has exploded.

I look around confused until I notice Yelena holding a rocket launcher in her hands. I know she isn’t looking at me, but I give her a disapproving shake of the head at her actions- she’s far from discreet, I’ll give her that.

A distant rumbling fills the air, causing us all to look around. At first I can’t pinpoint where it’s coming from, until I see the snow build up in the distance slowly making its way towards us.

“Oh my- Yelena!” I shout in annoyance, realising she’s caused an avalanche.

“Tell me that’s a good sign for us!” I hear Alexei shout not far from me.

“Move your asses!” Natasha shouts to us both from the higher level.

We instantly bolt towards the ladders, desperate to make it to higher ground.

The snow starts coming in rapidly, causing many guards and inmates to scramble back inside the prison to take cover.

Alexei launches himself from a guard’s shield to hop up to the next level.

I avoid most of the crowds by using my grapple hook to hoist myself up, level by level.

The inmates pick up their pace, as the rumbling becomes even louder, signifying its closeness.

“Get us outta here!” Natasha shouts up to Yelena, hoping she’ll move herself over enough for us to board the aircraft and escape.

I finally make it up to Natasha’s level, I jog over to her completely out of breath from my efforts, waiting for her to make her move.

She turns to me with a hardened glare, “I told you to stay!” She shouts.

To which I reply with a breathless, “I know.”

I clutch my sides, breathing heavily as she continues, “Yet you’re standing in front of me-“ I hold my hand up to stop her.

“Look, this lecture is absolutely mind blowing, but I think we’ve got an escape to master so if you’ll excuse me.” I say as I look up to see Yelena lining up the rope for us to leap on.

Natasha and I take a running start, going alongside each other in sync as we finally cross the railing and latch onto the ropes hanging from the aircraft.

Yelena pulls up so she can do a U-turn and rescue Alexei- whilst narrowly avoiding multiple explosions.

I clutch onto the rope for dear life, swinging along with the aircraft’s movements. I squint to attempt to locate Alexei, that’s when I spot him yelling at us to pick him up.

I look down at Natasha, she looks at me and then nods up, signalling for me to go. I struggle up the rope, trying to make my way back into the aircraft as she attempts to grab Alexei.

Yelena finally lines the aircraft’s route with Alexei. The snow starts to build up, making it extremely difficult to see if Natasha caught Alexei.

As I’m near the top, I grunt as the snow surrounds me and nearly causes me to lose my grip from the force.

However, Yelena manages to lift us up into the air, avoiding being lost to the avalanche. I look down to see Alexei clutching onto Natasha, relieved that she managed to grab him.

I use one last exertion of force to pull myself back into the aircraft, gasping for air at the struggle.

I hear Yelena laughing at the front, causing me to get up and go over to her.

“First of all, what the hell were you thinking!?” I say as I playfully flick her head, causing her to let out an exaggerated ‘ow’.

“Secondly, well done Lena!” I say as I place a grateful kiss on her head for saving us.

“What did you expect, I am a pro after all.” She states.

I hear grunting from behind me, so I rush over to help lift Natasha into the aircraft, which she actually allows me to do for once. I’m about to pull Alexei up but he has already lifted himself up.

“I do actually need some help up here!” Yelena shouts.

I looked over in confusion- why didn’t she just ask whilst I was standing there?

Natasha gently guides me aside as she takes her place next to Yelena. I’m hoping these signs of gentleness are an indication that she finally trusts that I’m in this to protect everyone and stop the Red Room.

I sit down on one of the seats in the back, finally being able to relax after the near death experience.

Alexei staggers over to the doorway, shouting “прощайте, мудаки!”

I roll my eyes, just hoping he doesn’t fall out as he’s shouting otherwise that entire mission would be a waste.

He slams the door shut before running his fingers through his hair.

“Oh, that was exciting; oh, I’m so proud of you girls.” He says, breathing heavily.

I lean my head back onto the wall of the aircraft, closing my eyes for a moment until Alexei shouts, “Oh, you can’t hear me, huh?” -If only that were true at this moment in time- with having my newfound headache making its appearance.

Natasha and Yelena attempt to ignore him as he tries to catch their attention.

He looks around and sees a spare headset resting from across me, he quickly grabs them and places them on his head. I release a sigh and grab the set next to me so I can hear what he’s about to say.

“Ah… wow.”

He releases a grunt of pain in response to a punch in the face delivered by Yelena. I quickly covered my mouth in order to suppress the laugh that was desperate to escape.

After a few groans, and a rub of his face, he continues, “Okay, why the aggression, huh? Is it your time of the month?”

I roll my eyes at this, here we go.

“I don’t get my period, dipshit. I don’t have a uterus.” Yelena tells him.

“Or ovaries.” Natasha includes as she glances out at the scene surrounding us.

“Yeah. That’s what happens when the Red Room gives you an involuntary hysterectomy. They kind of just go in and they rip out all of your reproductive organs. They just get right in there and they chop them all away, everything out, so you can’t have babies.” Yelena informs him as she acts out all of the actions involved in the process.

Alexei releases many uncomfortable noises at hearing the details of what the Widows have to endure.

He staggers back and is about to sit next to me, to which I tell him, “Don’t even think about it.” Causing him to sway himself to sit on the other side of the aircraft.

He looks over at Yelena as he takes a seat, “You don't have to get so clinical and nasty.”

By this point, Natasha and Yelena glance over at him, “Oh, well, I was about to talk about Fallopian tubes, but okay.” She looks over at me before turning back to face the front, I give her an amused smirk at her attempt to wind Alexei up.

Alexei looks over at me, in a similar way he did when he first saw me at the Prison. The surprise in his face confuses me.

“You know, I am surprised you’re here with the girls, you know with the whole history and everything.” He states directly to me.

I lean forward towards him, “What? What history? What are you talking about?”

Natasha briefly glances at me and shouts, “Don’t listen to him, he tends to make shit up. I wouldn’t worry about it!”

Alexei looks at her with his mouth open, shocked that she would accuse him of such things. I lean back and think over what he said- the only history I have with Yelena and Natasha is that of the Red Room- nothing further, but that wouldn’t warrant me not working with them. I want to push Alexei further until he turns towards Yelena and Natasha.

“It means so much to me that you came back for me.”

“No. No. You’re gonna tell us how to get to the Red Room.” Natasha firmly instructs Alexei, not wanting to entertain his words.

He looks over at me in uncertainty, “Huh? Whoa, look at you, huh? All business.” He clearly takes offence to Natasha’s blunt tone towards him.

“Trust me, this isn’t pleasure.” Natasha enlightens him.

I lay across the seats in the back, releasing a pained sigh at the conversation at hand.

“Little Natasha, all indoctrinated into the Western agenda.”

“I chose to go west to become an Avenger. ‘Cause they treated me like family.” Natasha attempts to defend her actions of leaving Russia to start her new life away from the trauma of the Red Room.

Alexei looks at Natasha in disbelief, “Really? Family? Well, where are they now? Where is that family now?”

I look over at Yelena, seeing her glance over at Natasha. It seems that she’s not the only one who still holds a grudge for Natasha attempting to move on within their little ‘family’ that was created; and in Natasha’s eyes, left behind in Russia- in the Red Room.

Natasha dismisses Alexei’s attempt to tarnish her relationship with the Avengers, “Tell me where the Red Room is.”

He takes a moment to pause, glancing at each one of us before saying, “I have no idea.” We all scoff in return- knowing he has some knowledge that could help us.

Natasha roughly removes her headset and makes her way to the back. She taps at my legs, causing me to sit up, “Go sit with Yelena.” She tells me quietly.

I huff a breath of exhaustion before moving past her and sitting in the pilot seat next to Lena. I place the headset on before taking hold of the piloting controls needed to guide the aircraft.

Natasha knocks Alexei’s headset from his head as she sits in the seat I was recently occupying, “Come on. You and Dreykov were like…”

“Dreykov?” Alexei exclaims.

Causing Natasha to confirm.

“General Dreykov, my friend, huh?” He says as he slams his back into the aircraft surface, “Gives me glory… Soviet Union’s first and only super soldier. I could have been more famous than Captain America. Then he buries me in Ohio on that stupid mission.” He rambles on.

I scoff in disgust, what I would have given to be placed in Ohio, pretending to be part of a family; instead of being tortured daily and being sent to kill not just enemies, but allies once they had outlived their use. I grip the controls tightly, annoyed at Alexei’s lack of awareness.

“Three years! So tedious, boring me to tears. No offense, huh?” He says to Yelena as she looks at him in loathing.

I look over at Yelena, attempting to catch her eye; she looks over and I give her a slight nod- a silent question of ‘are you okay?”

She gives me a nod in response, guiding her vision back to the snowy mountains in front of us.

Unfortunately, Alexei continues his rambling, “Then puts me in prison for the rest of my life. Why, huh? Why? Why would he put me in… You know why? ‘Cause maybe I want to talk about the withering of the state; or maybe I don’t like his hair or something and I say something casually about that. Maybe, you know-“

I attempt to zone him out after that, hoping that he’ll exhaust himself with his words and give our ears a rest.

Though my attention is spiked as soon as I hear him say, “I’m not the one who killed his daughter.”

I glance back at Natasha attempting to gauge her reaction- Though Yelena picked up on this topic in Budapest, part of me has always wondered what involvement Natasha really had in Dreykov’s Daughter’s death. It always seemed that on the anniversary of her death was when Dreykov was at his worst- the pain inflicted on me mostly increased. I had no involvement in this so I want to know why I was effectively punished in her place.

Natasha just looks away with a shake of her head, attempting to cover up her hurt with the topic being brought up.

“Though, I guess he got his payback with that one right?” Alexei says cryptically, directing his gaze towards me. I look over at Natasha confused; she mirrors my expression.

Yelena sighs before asking- clearly dismissing Alexei’s odd comment, “Can we throw him out of the window now?”

I continue to look at Natasha, though hopeful now, wanting her to agree to Yelena’s suggestion. We’ll have to get Alexei to justify his words later on when he’s not as hysterical over Dreykov’s betrayal.

“I think we should wait till we get to a higher altitude.” Natasha remarks, probably more serious than Alexei would like.

Alexei interrupts by asking in Russian, ‘why not ask Melina where it is?’

Yelena whips her head around and asks, “Wait, Mom Melina?”

I look over at her, finally realising where Melina fits into all of this after days of wondering.

Natasha looks at Yelena in a puzzled way until she says to Alexei, “We thought she was dead.”

Alexei simply scoffs at the statement, “You cannot kill a fox that swift.”

I turn my face up in disgust; rather remaining ignorant to his apparent attraction towards Melina.

Yelena smirks at my expression, she’s probably used to Alexei’s vulgar ways.

Alexei briefly explains his and Melina’s role in the Red Room, gracing us with the information of her residency in St. Petersburg.

Having mentioned her being a prime scientist in Dreykov’s schemes, I sit and attempt to recall her presence within the Red Room, having never come across her before. Dreykov made a point for me to be aware of every member of the Red Room, having held a higher rank myself- why would he keep Melina and I separate?

I look over to Yelena when she speaks up, “Uh… I don’t think we have enough fuel for St. Petersburg.” I look at the fuel gauge and see that we have nearly run out of fuel, most likely running on the reserve.

“No, we’re good. We’ll make it.” Alexei assures us.

Yelena gives a lack of convincing, ‘okay’ as a response.

She was right to do so, since we ended up plummeting to the ground shortly after.

If this day has taught me anything, it is that Alexei Shostakov is quite the character.

ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ ——— ….. ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ ——— ….. ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ ——— ….. ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ ——— ….. ⴵ ⴵ ⴵ ——— …..

Tag list: @sheisnotalone @jeyramarie @sophie-reads-too-much

#marvel #natasha romanoff #mcu #fan fic #black widow #marvel fan fic #slightly smarter nat’s writing #slightly smarter nat #florence pugh #scarlett johansson #Natasha romanoff x you #natasha romanoff fanfic #yelena belova x you #yelena belova fanfic #platonic fanfiction #Natasha x yelena x reader #natasha romanoff x yelena belova x reader #natasha romanoff imagine #yelena belova imagine #black widow movie #the unknown widow #part 8 #alexi shostakov #the red guardian #alexei marvel #david harbour #the red room #black widow fanfiction #red rising #Spotify

[crash-bandicoot-n-sane-tru2]

Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy Cheats, Cheat Codes, Hints and Walkthroughs for Xbox One

💾 ►►► DOWNLOAD FILE 🔥🔥🔥 Get a "Perfect" rating on the indicated level to unlock a special colored gem. To get a "Perfect" rating, successfully complete a level with all crates smashed and no lives lost. Levels not listed below give you normal clear gems. First, unlock the Green gem by destroying all boxes without dying in "The Lost City" level. You are allowed to die in the two bonus levels of The Lost City. With the Green gem, go to the "Castle Machinery" level. It is on Island 3, at the end of the game. Jump on the Green gem platform at the start of the level to get 29 lives. Pause the game, select "Quit", then reload the auto save to make all 29 lives respawn. Load the "Castle Machinery" level again, jump on the green platform to get another 29 lives, quit out, reload auto save, and repeat as many times as desired. This is by far the quickest way to get 99 lives takes approximately three minutes , but it requires a lot of game progress. To farm lives early in the game, go to "The Lost City" level, near the start of Island 2. You can find bats spawning infinitely. Stand in their spawn and repeatedly kill them. They respawn after a few seconds and always drop fruit. Every pieces of fruit give one life. You earn roughly 10 lives every 6 minutes. It is a slower method but a good way to get lives early in the game. Using the auto save reload makes the lives respawn in all levels. Use this trick to farm lives in the first level. Keep collecting the lives and fruit in any level, quit, and reload the auto save. Get 99 lives, then enter a level. Collect 99 wumpa fruit, then leave the level. Repeat this as many times as desired to keep getting additional lives above On levels such as "Road To Nowhere", you can jump onto the ropes on the side and easily clear most of the obstacles. To keep from falling off the rope, you need to jump forward repeatedly on the rope. When you arrive, Papu Papu will be sleeping. You will have two Aku Akus. He will spin his club. When this happens, go on his seat to dodge it. He will then bring the club up to hit you. Dodge that as well. Then, jump on his head. Repeat the above steps twice to defeat Papu Papu. You must have played through the main game to access the "Stormy Ascent" level in Crash Bandicoot. You will then see a purple glowing dot on top of the tower of the third island above the "Lab" level. This is where you start Stormy Ascent. The gem is unlocked by destroying all boxes. There is one bonus level that contains 22 boxes. The rest of the boxes are easy to find since they are in plain sight. Note: The level is fairly challenging; thus, it is recommended to have a lot of lives before starting it. Level 7: Air Crash Warp Room 2 : Shortly after the start of the level, you are supposed to use a surfboard in a water section. Do not jump on the surfboard first surfboard of the level. Instead, look for a stone platform on the right side of the water. Jump on the floating crates to get to the stone platform to instantly complete the level and count as a secret exit. It may take a few tries to do the jumps perfectly, but at least it is very early in the level so you can get there quickly if you lost all lives. At the very end of the level, the bear will throw you over a pool of water to the exit. With your back facing the exit, look for some platforms in the pool of water. Quickly jump over those platforms to the hidden exit on the other end of the pool. Be careful, as the platforms will disappear after seconds -- so you need to jump fast. Level Unbearable Warp Room 3 : At the end of the level, you will be riding a polar bear while a bigger bear is chasing after you. Once the small bear throws you off his back, you will be standing in front of the level exit. Turn around and slide-jump back the way you came. You must time it perfectly to jump right off the edge. It can be a tricky jump to make. The small polar bear will be sitting on the ground. Touch the bear to tigger the secret exit. Level Hangin' Out Warp Room 4 : After dropping through the second hole in the level, you will be in a room with bright blue water can walk in it and a checkpoint crate. After activating the checkpoint, turn around and walk through the pool of water until you reach the end of the area. There is another hole in the ground. Drop through it to be in a room with lava and drones. Get past the drones to automatically land in the secret exit. Level Diggin' It Warp Room 4 : After the death route rejoins with the default path, you will reach a pit with two plants firing projectiles at you. Jump on the enemy plant that is on the little platform in the middle of the pit. Perform a body slam to kill it and instantly trigger the secret exit. At the start of the game, Coco will ask Crash to go find batteries for her low powered laptop. To skip this level in a new game, you must skip the intermission sequence where N. Gin is first introduced by pressing X immediately after the opening sequence. Once this is done, the level after that intermission sequence will be skipped and you will advance directly to the Warp Room. In the area with the two boxes stacked together, jump on the one with the metal bars because it does not break from a single jump,. Red Gem - Snow Go Warp Room 1 : First, find the secret exit in the "Air Crash" level by jumping over the floating crates at the second checkpoint to reach a platform in the water to teleport to the warp room in the basement. Then, go through the portal to reach the "Snow Go" level with the red gem. It has to be through the portal in the basement, which only unlocks after finding the secret exit in the "Air Crash" level. Take the right path into the room with lots of nitro boxes. There is a fake wall at the end of the room that you can walk through that leads to a secret route with the green gem at the end of it. The timer starts after the second checkpoint. Purple Gem: Bee-having Warp Room 4 : About halfway through the level, you see some nitro boxes stacked together that look like stairs. Jump on the nitro boxes, and they will warp you to a secret route. Complete the route to get the gem. Successfully complete all levels and smash all boxes. At the end, instead of showing how many boxes you missed, will be a clear gem. At the first checkpoint box in the "Bee-Having" level Warp Room 4 , before an electric trap, you can find a bee-hive. Stand in front of the hive. When the bees spawn, slide-attack into the hive to instantly kill the bees. It takes a little bit of practice to get the timing down. When all the bees die, you get an extra life. The bees keep respawning infinitely every few seconds. Thus, you can farm 99 lives within 7 minutes. Even if you die, the checkpoint is just a few steps away. In the second warp room level , jump on the baby polar bear's head to collect ten extra lives. Find an arrow box and jump on it - times, and then jump on top of an enemy to get an extra crystals. Jump on it - times, and then jump on top of an enemy to get extra gems. This trick allows you to get a total of 64 crystals and gems. In the levels where you must race against a clock for a gem "Hang Eight" and "Plant Food" , it is possible to get more time. While the clock is running, enter the bonus area. As soon as you are there, purposely fail by jumping off the side of a platform. When you respawn in the level, the clock will have restarted with even more time than in the beginning of the race. The following is a list of bosses which you must face after collecting all the crystals from a Warp Room in order to proceed to the next:. There are 27 total relics. Each level has one relic. After completing a level for the first time, you can find a stopwatch at the start. Collect it to trigger the timer. The faster you finish the level, the better the value of the relic. There are three relic types: Sapphire slow , Gold fast , and Platinum fastest. It is also highly recommended that you first complete the game to unlock the speed shoes, which make you run much faster. Without them, it is impossible to get a gold relic in some of the levels. Find all 25 crystals, then fight and defeat Cortex. Step on it to be taken to another warp room with five extra levels. Earn any 10 relics Sapphire, Gold, or Platinum. Relics are rewards for beating best times in speedruns. After completing a level for the first time, you can pick up a stopwatch at the start of the level and do the speedrun. Getting 10 relics unlocks Level 27 in the secret warp room. While in the center of the warp area from where you select levels , stand on the orange button in the middle to be taken to the basement where Level 27 can be started. Play Level Hang' Em High, collect the yellow gem at the end, and complete the level. You will walk right into the gem at the end. Play Level Dino Might! Warp Room 3. Approximately one minute into the level, before the dinosaur egg, you can activate the yellow gem path. This is why the yellow gem is needed -- without it you only see the outlines of the platform and cannot activate it. The secret exit is found on this yellow gem path. Keep playing until the big dinosaur chases after you. At the start of the dinosaur chase, there are two pterodactyls flying dinosaurs sitting on tree trunks. Jump onto the second one to trigger the secret exit. You will be driving a motorcycle in this level. At the start of the level, drive slowly and stick to the left side of the road. On the left side is a yellow road sign with a black alien head on it. Knock over the sign with your motorcycle to trigger the secret exit. Collect all relics and gems, including those from the Hot Coco and Eggipus Rex bonus levels. The relics that are collected must be at least gold or platinum. Then, approach Crash's sister, next to the save spot, to find another clear gem. Collect all the gems and crystals, then defeat Dr. Neo Cortex. Get the Crash Dash ability, then use Crash Dash to collect all the relics and complete the secret levels. Remember to get the crystals, gems, and relics from the secret levels. In Level 3: Orient Express unlocked from the beginning , you can earn six lives per run. Five are from boxes and in the towers, one is from collecting wumpa fruit pretty much unmissable. After finding the fifth life in the last tower, pause the game and quit. Reload the auto save to make all lives respawn. It makes an auto save when you quit the level and keeps all your lives. Repeat this process as many times as desired. Remember to always quit the level and then reload the auto save. You can keep collecting the same lives over and over again. Each run takes approximately seconds with loading times 55 seconds of that is gameplay. You will earn 99 lives in approximately 30 minutes. If you are running low on lives, repeat the first level as many times as desired. These levels contains lots of lives, especially Orient Express where you can get five at the minimum. When you defeat N. Tropy, you will get the ability go with Tiny Tiger. When the lions appear, kill multiple ones in a row using the ability to get an extra life. Repeat this as many times as desired. In the second room, where the white bear is sitting, body slam him five to ten times to eventually get ten extra lives. Colored gems reveal optional gem paths in some levels that are otherwise inaccessible. Red - Level Deep Trouble: Use the "! Collect the gem during the secret course. Green - Level Flaming Passion: Found on the death route must get there without losing a life. To access the level, you must earn 10 relics by doing speedruns after completing a level you can pick up a stopwatch at the start; get a best time to earn a relic. Once you have 10 relics, step on the orange dot in the middle of the central warp room where you select levels. It will lead to a secret sixth warp room in the basement. You can then start Level You will walk into the gem at the end of this level, as it is basically in your way and hard to miss. There are 30 total relics. It is also highly recommended that you first defeat all story bosses. They drop very useful abilities that allow you go much faster for example, double jump and sprint. Relic Sapphire Gold Platinum 1. Toad Village 2. Under Pressure 3. Orient Express 4. Bone Yard 5. Makin' Waves 6. Gee Wiz 7. Hang'em High 8. Hog Ride 9. Tomb Time Midnight Run Dino Might! Deep Trouble High Time Road Crash Double Header Sphynxinator Bye Bye Blimps Tell No Tales Future Frenzy Tomb Wader Gone Tomorrow Orange Asphalt Flaming Passion Mad Bombers Bug Lite Ski Crazed Area 51? Rings Of Power Hot Coco Eggipus Rex Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy. PS5 Backward Compatibility. Has Facebook Screwed the Pooch with Oculus? The Life and Death of Motion Controls. The Best Games of Top 7 Badass Comic Stars. Top 10 Good Games. The 7 Fantabulous Faces of Harley Quinn. More Special Features Around The Web. No Cyberpunk? No Problem! Can Gamers Really Trust Facebook? Let's Face It Super Mario is Perfect! Do you like video games more now or sometime in the past? I enjoyed video games much more in the past. Games are the best they've ever been! View Poll History. Follow cheatcc. Top Stories. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.

[myonepiece]

you should totally do a short scenario of the runaway princess one with zoro, him throwing the rock and breaking the window had me laughing so hard 😭

zoro asking his princess crush to runaway with him

oneshot based on this

turned out longer, and not as good as i'd like it to be but whatever 🖤

it was probably ten at night when you heard a light tap on your window, you ignored it at first passing it off as the wind- but then a harder tap came and you looked over. when nothing else was heard for a few minutes you turned back to the letter. more silence passed before you heard another sound, this one a lot louder, your head snapped towards he window and you leaped out of your seat.

maybe five feet away from your largest window, sat a large rock roughly the size of one of the fancy silver platters you were served with at every meal. your window was reduced to only a few shards lining the outside, everything else littered across the floor in front of the window. you carefully crept along the wall and peeked out at the cliff that came up to about a third of the tower in which your room was located. underneath the moon, illuminated by the pale white light, you could make out the veery person you were writing to; his green hair seemed pastel from the tint of the moon as he looked up at you.

"zoro?! what the hell?!"

you stepped out into the window leaning slightly over to look down at the swordsman.

"o-oh.. uh y/n! your parents are planning to use you to create an alliance with another kingdom!"

"what?!"

you saw his head turn, checking for anyone coming, then he rasied his hands around his mouth and yelled louder,

"just jump! i'll catch you!"

thoughts clouded your thinking but, even in the week you had known him you trusted him- more than your parents at times. plus if it wa only an obligatory feeling keeping you there, you didn't want to stay there, what you wanted was to runaway with zoro, to jump out of your window into his arms- you only needed one more reason to leave, could've simply been your mother yelling at you to sit properly. so what else could you do?

you put your hands on the sharp outlines of what was recently a window, cringing when the shards pressed into your hands. stepping onto the windowsill you kept your eyes trained on zoro, watching him steady himself at the very edge of the miniature cliff before your tower, and open his arms. you reached down and pulled up the bottom of your nightgown, bunching it up at your upper thigh so it wouldn't get in the way. you avoided looking down past zoro because your legs were already shaky enough without seeing just how far you'd drop.

you shut your eyes tightly and inhaled shakily before moving towards the edge of the window blindly until you could feel your toes hanging off- throwing away all caution and probably better judgement, you clenched your jaw to keep quiet and pushed off of the stone. a cold rush of wind hit you and before you knew it you stopped, feeling yourself crash against zoro's body.

you opened your eyes and quickly wrapped your arms around zoro's neck almost instinctively, his arms hooked under your body holding you against his chest. as soon as you were secured in his arms he turned and started running away from the castle, dashing towards the docks which were thankfully in plain sight. you immediately felt a feeling of safety and contentment wash over you, knowing you would be perfectly fine now that you were with zoro, you turned your attention to the very man and noticed the dark red across his cheeks, the sweat dotting his skin- and uh, the way his shirt strained against his muscles, which tensed as he sprinted along the street.

multiple times you had to point to a direction, or grab onto a wall to keep zoro from continuing on when he was supposed to turn- but the docks were right there! by the time you actually made it to he port you could hear the royal guards hurrying along the streets.

members of the srawhat crew yelled at zoro as he approached, once he had leaped onto the ship he was met with a tangerine to the head and a series of taunts from the blond man you had met only once on account of zoro always dragging you away from him, zoro and him didn't seem to like each other. from somewhere else on the ship someone announced they were setting off, sure enough you saw the vessel had dropped ties with the dock.

"idiot put the beautiful woman down!"

the blond had appeared beside you and zoro and even thought zoro rarely listened to the cook (unless it was during a fight with enemies) he quickly set you down with an apology tumbling out of his mouth.

"princess y/n must be tramuatized from your kidnapping! if i had gone she wouldn't be so frightened right now!"

"shut up!"

you turned away from the two and watched your home, or old home technically, as lantern lights flooded the streets, no doubt a search for you issued when someone had gone into your room to investigate the noise and found a boulder in a pile of broken glass. there a vague stinging in your heart, the most remorse you could have when you were where you truly wanted to be- but there was still that hollow feeling, like you had forgotten something, expected when one is running away from home. you see someone come up beside you, the familiar green articles of clothing and three shining swords make your heart flutter and your cheeks burn again. one of the main reasons you don't feel so awful about abandoning your life is zoro, literally just.. him, there's no better way to explain it. you just felt safe with him, like everything would be okay.

taking a stepback you could feel there was only an inch keeping you from leaning against zoro, you could feel warmth radiating off of him as he stood there with you watching the island grow smaller and blee into the horizon. he wanted to touch you, comfort you, even just take the tiniest of steps forward so that the tiny gap between you would close and your shoulder would be against his torso, but the very thought of it made him flustered and sweat appeared on him again, his cheeks turning a deep scarlet, and before he could stop himself he blurted out,

"i'm sorry about your window."

#one piece x reader #one piece imagine #one piece headcanons #one piece fluff #one piece #zoro x reader #zoro imagine #zoro headcanons #zoro fluff #zoro

[wild-karrde]

Reunion - Part 12

Master List | Previous Part | Next Part

A/N: As always, thank to the lovely @teletraan-meets-jarvis for beta-reading this chapter for me (this chapter in particular since I was fretting over it so much)! :)

“Coming up on Wayland now,” Echo said as the streaks of hyperspace once again faded to black around them. Senna stirred from her place in the bunks, straightening her tunic and sliding her feet back onto the floor as she stretched her arms above her head. After the adrenaline had worn off from the TIE fight, she’d suddenly felt exhausted and had opted for a nap once she had been repeatedly assured by Rex that his shoulder was fine. Letting her hair down, she carefully combed her fingers through it, gently scratching across her scalp. She was starting to feel slightly defeated, concerned that perhaps they’d gotten the wrong idea about where to look. It’s alright. If it’s not on any of these planets, we’ll just go back to the drawing board. Surely there are some candidate planets Tech eliminated that might warrant a second look.Heaving a deep sigh, she stood and began braiding her hair down her back as she strode towards the cockpit.

Like Ithor, Wayland was covered in various shades of greens and blues with white clouds twisting in the atmosphere. One of the larger differences Senna noticed were the massive rocky mountain ranges that ripped through several of the landmasses, the most notable one along the equatorial region. There, the greens seemed even more vibrant, and she assumed those were the large jungles Tech had identified during his search.

“We need to be more careful on this one,” Rex was saying as she took the seat behind Echo. “Can’t afford to get into another firefight like we did at Ithor.”

“No need to worry,” Tech stated. “I have since scrambled our signature, and there are no Imperial ships currently flying within the vicinity.”

Senna leaned over Tech’s shoulder once more as he brought up the scanner and began running the sequences. Almost immediately, he leaned forward, adjusting his goggles and squinting at the screen in front of him. “What is it?” Senna asked, coming around to stand in between him and Echo. She felt Rex rise from his seat, leaning over Tech’s opposite side to get a better view.

Tech indicated a series of red dots that were appearing on the screen in front of him. “I focused the scan on the equatorial region of the planet since that is where the mountain ranges are mostly concentrated, and I’m seeing these heat signatures,” he said, indicating the dots. “They appear to be roughly five meters in diameter and are spaced fairly regularly.”

“Could it be volcanic activity of some sort? Or perhaps some of the colonists?” Rex asked, but Tech shook his head.

“They’re far too equidistant to be natural occurrences, and all of the colonies are focused in the northern hemisphere, which is more hospitable for agriculture. These aren’t marked on any known map of the planet.” He adjusted the settings on the scanner, zooming in. “They appear focused around the base of one particular mountain.”

Senna squinted at the screen. “How large is the mountain?”

“Large enough to hide an entire facility within, to be sure,” Tech replied.

Senna chewed her lip. “What about the other scans? Any irregular EMI activity, radiation, comms?”

Tech punched through a few windows on the display, his eyes scanning the outputs from behind his goggles. “There appears to be some comm chatter on some frequencies, but they aren’t known Imperial channels. As for radiation, I-“ he cut himself short, his eyes widening.

“Tech, what is it?”

“There.” He pointed on the screen, and Senna leaned closer still. As the Marauder’s position changed above the mountain, its opposing face was revealed. Near the peak, a thin line of heat appeared on the sensors. “That’sa hangar entrance,” Tech said quietly, and Senna’s nerves felt as though they were suddenly electrically charged. Glancing over at Rex, she could see the same excitement and trepidation dancing behind his amber irises as his eyes met hers.

We found it.

She shook her head. Focus. “Alright, let’s set down the Marauderand do some recon. This is definitely it. I think we should land a good distance away and hike in. What do you think Rex?”

The captain’s brow furrowed as he considered it. “Normal Imperial protocol would be to scan three klicks in any direction around the base to watch for intruders. Since this is a highly classified facility, I’d imagine that range will be even larger. I wouldn’t get closer than ten klicks just to be safe.”

Echo was flicking through a map on his computer. “Here,” he said. “It looks like an old survey site from when the planet was first being scouted for settlement. There’s an area that’s been cleared, and it looks like there are even a few underground caves that might be a good place to stash the Marauderand keep it out of sight.”

“Ten klicks is a long walk,” Senna said. “Especially through an inhospitable jungle.”

Rex shrugged. “I don’t see any way around it.”

“The good news is that there are some trails in the area,” Echo piped up once more. “Either hunter trails from the survey team or perhaps made by the wildlife. There’s one that looks like it should run relatively close to one of those heat points.”

“I imagine the hot spots are for the base’s heat dissipation,” Tech commented, pushing his goggles up his nose.

“How hot do they get?” Senna asked.

“Around fifty degrees centigrade give or take a few degrees,” Tech replied. “Why? What are you thinking?”

“That’s survivable for humans. Very uncomfortable and not something we should spend a lot of time in, but if those ventilation ducts are less than a kilometer long, I think we could perhaps use them to infiltrate.”

“I’m sure they have sensors or cameras around the ducts. Perhaps both,” Tech stated.

“Good thing we brought two technical specialists and a slicer then, isn’t it?” Senna countered. She turned to Rex, trying to gauge his opinion. He was stroking his chin, deep in thought.

“There’s a lot of unknowns here,” he finally said. “If we get in, and that is a big if, we’ll be going in blind. We don’t have the faintest idea about what the layout of this place is. We could walk right into the barracks for all we know and be captured before we so much as blink.”

“It is a risk,” Senna agreed. “But we’ve come all this way. No one’s spotted us yet. We may not get another chance as good as this, particularly if activity in the area is being ramped up.”

Rex considered it for a few more seconds, and Senna could feel the conflict within him as he weighed each option. Finally, he sighed deeply, rubbing the back of his neck. “I think you’re right. It’s not a good shot, but we may not get a better one.” Turning to the other two clones, he raised a questioning eyebrow at them. Both of them nodded, and Tech turned back to his flight console.

“Echo, please find me a suitable location to land.”

---

Half an hour later, they were on the ground. Tech had managed to maneuver the Marauder down into one of the underground caverns, gingerly parking it near a pool of water and a staggering set of stalagmites that Senna had spent several minutes admiring as the clones armored up. As Rex adjusted his belt around his hips, he glanced out at her and couldn’t help but smile. Never has lost her sense of wonder. It was one thing he loved and admired about her. Whether it was the joy that she’d taken in the festival they’d stumbled into on Lothal or the way she’d stared at Alderaan’s mountains at sunset, she always managed to find the beauty around her. Even in the thick of a mission with the odds stacked against us, he thought as he powered on his vambrace, checking that it was functioning properly.

The plan was simple enough: infiltrate the base, find a scomp port that could navigate them to the main data storage center, and then try to sneak in there and grab what intelligence they could. If Wolffe was on site, they’d free him and bring him back. If not, they would hopefully be able to find the location he was being kept at. Then, get out without triggering any alarms and head back to Yavin 4 to regroup and plan their next move.

Nothing’s ever that simple, Rex thought as he stepped down the Marauder’s stairs. Every time a plan seemed simple, he became wary. My time with Skywalker taught me to never think everything will go your way.

Senna turned at the sound of his approaching footsteps, grinning as the sunlight reflected off the surface of the pool danced on the walls around her. “Ready for this?” she asked.

“As ready as I’ll be. You?”

Her smile faltered slightly. “Trying to keep my expectations minimal.”

He shrugged under his bucket. “Probably for the best.”

She nodded. “Probably.”

“Are you both ready?” Echo asked as he and Tech emerged from the ship. “Should be a small tunnel off to the right that’ll take us topside.”

The four of them clambered up and out of the cavern, finding themselves in the middle of a small clearing surrounded by massive trees on all sides. Rex could make out the area that had been leveled out during the site surveys decades ago. The jungle had since begun reclaiming the area, but there were still traces of landing sites for the ships that had set down, the deep trenches that were cut into the planet for soil sampling and a few lingering artifacts of the crews that had briefly visited, including a rotting lean-to that had been constructed on the far side of the clearing near the tree line.

Tech quickly identified one of the trails that they’d seen from orbit, and they began following it towards the large mountain that housed the Imperial facility. The trail was narrow, and Rex could clearly see the tracks of whatever hoofed creature had cut through the foliage. A wildlife trail then. Even with the path cut for them, it still felt as if the jungle was slowly smothering them. Rex could feel the humidity soaking into his blacks, and even with their thermal control, he found himself breaking into a sweat beneath them. As they progressed, he noted the flyaways on Senna’s braid began to frizz and curl in the humidity as sweat trickled down the back of her neck, forming a damp patch on the back of her tunic.

Despite the distance, they made good time, and after a few hours, Tech held up a hand to halt them, crouching low in a set of bushes. Echo, Senna, and Rex followed suit, crawling the next few meters before Tech stopped them once more. He pointed through the bushes in front of them.

“There. That’s the ventilation entrance.”

Rex pulled his binocs from his belt and focused on the large opening. It was a huge duracrete duct tucked against the side of the mountain. For the most part, it was hidden by the vines and brush that had grown around it, all of which appeared unbothered by the temperatures. Switching modes on his binocs, he quickly saw the electronics near the mouth of the tunnel.

“Looks like they’ve got a camera covering the area. Any ideas on how to get around it?”

“Yes, actually,” Tech said, pulling out his datapad and a small device that was shaped like a dish. “I’ve been working on this for troubleshooting cameras back at the base, but in this instance, I think it will help us create enough interference to make the Imperials think that the camera is malfunctioning. I suspect what they’ll do is power cycle it in an attempt to reset it, and when they do, that’s when we’ll make our way inside. Rex, are you able to see any sort of power indicator on the camera itself?”

Rex pulled his binocs back up to his eyes. “Yes, there’s a green light at the base.”

“Excellent,” Tech replied. “I’m going to go ahead and create the interference. Please keep watch and as soon as that light changes, we move.”

Rex nodded, rotating his shoulder slightly under his armor as he raised his binocs once more. The joint was still a little sore, but nothing he couldn’t handle. He felt Senna watching him and gave her a small nod. She returned the gesture before moving forward slightly to observe Tech’s use of the hardware in his hands. Tech powered on his device, an orange light blinking on the side, and carefully began turning a knob on the side. Rex could see frequency readouts rolling across the datapad’s screen, and he turned back to glance at the camera.

“Still green?” Echo asked.

“Yep. Still green.” He blinked, and suddenly the light turned to red and then faded. “Wait, it’s off. Let’s go.”

Without a word, the four of them scrambled forward, sprinting as fast as they could towards the mouth of the duct.

“Hurry, the power cycle sequence shouldn’t take very long,” Tech urged, and Rex willed his legs to move faster. He began to pass Senna, gripping her arm and beginning to drag her faster as they got closer. Kriff, I can see the red light’s coming back on.

“Pick it up!” he shouted, and he felt Senna lean further forward, her breath coming in short pants.

Ten meters.

Five.

He glanced up one more time as they dove into the entrance, and breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the light on the camera was still red. He paused at the entrance, holding his breath and listening, and after a second, he heard the camera whir, twisting on its axis and recalibrating. He paused a few more seconds, waiting for an alarm that never came before finally slumping against the wall slightly.

We made it.

Carefully, he made his way further into the tunnel to where Echo, Tech, and Senna were crouched or doubled over, trying to catch their breath. He squatted down by Senna as he tried to level out his breathing.

“How’s…the leg?” he asked, gingerly touching the calf that she’d injured on Pantora. The blaster wound had healed quickly in the last little bit, but he had noted her still occasionally favoring it.

“Fine,” she replied. “I’m good.”

Echo and Tech looked up at him as he checked on them, both giving nods of affirmation as they all caught their breath. Finally, once they recovered, they all straightened and began quietly walking down the duracrete tube, deeper into the mountain. It wasn’t long before the temperature became sweltering, the humidity in the duct hanging in a thick fog. Rex wasn’t sure that the blacks he, Echo, and Tech wore would be able to do much to dissipate the heat. Senna appeared unbothered, but he could still see sweat trickling down her temple and neck in rivulets.

“How much further do you think, Tech?” Echo asked after a while. “We must have gone at least half a klick.”

“There is no way to be certain,” Tech replied. “The mountain is blocking any sort of interior signals, so I am unable to determine if we are getting close.”

A few minutes later, they turned a corner, and Rex breathed a sigh of relief to see maintenance lights come into view in the thick haze. “No life forms,” Tech reported, and the four of them began to move with a little less hesitancy, jogging towards the promise of cooler air.

Once they reached the light, Echo was able to locate a scomp port and plugged his arm in to unlock the door. As he seated his scomp link into the port, he tilted his head up to look at Senna. “You feel anything alive on the other side of this?”

Rex watched as she closed her eyes and furrowed her brow. I wonder how the heat is affecting her concentration. Her tongue darted out between her lips as she focused, and after a few seconds, she shook her head.

“Nothing there alive, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be surveillance equipment or droids. Echo, are you able to see any schematics on this place or anything from that port?”

Echo paused for a few moments, and Rex knew he was scanning what he could with his neural network. “Not much. This link is mainly just to unlock this door. It does look like there’ll be a main port up the hall and to the right that should be more helpful though.”

“Alright. Good to know. Weapons out, gentlemen.”

Rex and Tech drew their blasters and Senna unclipped her lightsaber from her belt.

“Here we go,” Echo said quietly as they heard the deadbolt in the door disengage. Rex went first as the large door hissed open, checking the corners for cameras as he crept inside. The hall was only dimly lit by a singular line of lights that ran down the center of the ceiling. It appeared that this part of the base was only used in case of maintenance, and he breathed a small sigh of relief as he motioned the others in.

So far, so good.

Creeping through the darkness, they were quickly able to find the scomp port Echo had identified, and once more, he crouched down to access it as Tech, Rex, and Senna kept an eye on the surrounding hallways. The air was much cooler, and Rex noticed Senna shiver a bit in her damp clothes. She noted him looking at her and tossed him another wink. “I’m fine,” she insisted once more, and he nodded in response.

“Main data bank is five levels up,” Echo whispered. “There’s a lift at the end of the hall that should take us there. We’ll get dumped out near the end of the corridor, so should be less foot traffic, but we’re going to need to stay out of sight as much as we can. One alarm, and we’re going to be up to our necks in Imps.”

“Let’s move,” Rex said as Echo disconnected, and quietly, the four of them made their way to the lift. The bright lighting was jarring as they entered, almost piercing after the long trek through the ventilation duct and the maintenance level. Tech reached out and selected the floor they wanted, and Rex felt the lift quickly begin to move.

“Think we should try and find some disguises?” Senna asked, but Echo shook his head.

“Too risky. If the bodies were discovered at any point, they’ll lock everything down and we’ll be stuck. Better to get in and out without anyone knowing.”

“Fair enough,” she replied. Rex noted she had started to chew her lip nervously, and he reached over and flicked her arm. She looked at him, and he directed a thought at her in the quiet of the lift.

If you don’t stop that, I’ll have nothing left to kiss.

She blinked before blushing hard, ducking her head to hide the color rising in her cheeks and her smile.

Focus, Captain.

It was his turn to grin under his bucket.

I can multitask.

The lift slowed, and Rex felt nerves wind in his stomach. Senna straightened next to him, tensing for a fight.

“No life forms close,” she said quietly as the lift ground to a halt.

“At least there’s that,” Echo muttered as the doors hissed open. Quickly, the four of them moved into the corridor, hugging the wall.

“Fifth door on the right,” Echo said, quickly moving down the hall until he reached the scomp port there. Crouching quickly, he plugged in. Tech moved to stand on the other side of him, shielding him from view. At the end of the hall, Rex could see some stormtroopers mulling about, not paying much attention to what was happening at the far end. He held his breath as a patrol passed by, releasing it as they didn’t so much as glance in their direction. After what felt like an eternity, he heard the telltale click of the lock disengaging. The door hissed open, and he stepped inside, weapons drawn.

The room was filled floor to ceiling with massive data servers. Rex immediately felt the chill of the coolant systems working as hard as they could to keep the electronics chilled to an appropriate temperature. Senna’s going to freeze in here with her damp shirt. He looked over his shoulder and could see her breath coming in short puffs of mist.

“Better hurry,” she chattered, shivers already setting in. Rex led them down a narrow aisle, sweeping back and forth with his blasters until he was satisfied the room was unoccupied. Ducking into a small alcove, he found an access terminal and waved Senna over. Echo crouched next to her, once more plugging his scomp in to bypass any security protocols.

“I could do that with my datapad,” Senna muttered, but Echo shook his head.

“You could, but I can do it faster.”

“Fine,” she was clearly annoyed, but Rex knew she could see the sense in it. Blowing on her fingers to warm them up, she accessed the keypad and began searching for security records. Rex and Tech glanced over her shoulder as she plugged through the various screens, her eyes flicking back and forth.

“CC-3636, right Rex?” she asked, and he felt a slight jolt of surprise. She’s looking for Wolffe first rather than the weapon? He noted she was staring at him, and he nodded his confirmation. Senna flicked through a few more screens before she leaned down, her brow furrowing.

“Echo, can you get me into file C36B?” she asked.

“Give me a sec.” Echo tilted his head down, his flesh hand coming to rest on his helmet as he concentrated. “There, should be open now.”

Senna swore quietly under her breath. “He’s not here.”

Rex’s heart fell. He knew it was a long shot, but that hadn’t stopped him from getting his hopes up. Damn. “Alright, does it say where he is being kept?”

Senna examined the file for a few more seconds. “Looks like he was here shortly but has since been transferred to a ship with nothing but a name attached to it. Can’t tell what the make is.”

Another kriffing breadcrumb.

“Alright, get the name. We’ll track it down. Any word on what’s going to happen to him?” Rex asked, fighting the frustration that was threatening to crack into his tone.

“Indefinite hold for now,” she replied. “On a ship called the Perilous.”

That makes no sense.

He shook his head. “Download the files onto your datapad. Then start looking for that weapon.”

“Already on it.” She handed Tech her datapad and some cables. “Can you find the hook-up while I keep searching?”

“Of course,” he replied, crouching down next to Echo and prying open the access panel.

Senna flicked the file off to the side for later copy and began frantically typing once more. “Karking hells, there’s so much here. I wish I could copy it all, but I’d need a dataspike the size of the Marauder to store it all.”

“Just get what we came for,” Rex whispered. “The longer we stay here, the greater the risk.”

Senna swore silently. “All of these have vague codenames. ‘Project this,’ or ‘Project that’. I’m never going to be able to find it.” Suddenly, she paused. “Echo, can you open the file for Project Phoenix?”

“Is that it?” Echo asked as he started to twist the scomp in the port to comply.

“Don’t think so, but there’s something about the description. It seems to be tied to the cloning studies they’re doing here. I’m just going to make a copy for now and review later. I think that’s the only way we’re going to get out of here in time.”

“Ready to begin file transfer when you are,” Tech whispered from the side of the console.

Senna punched a few more keys and Rex noted a couple of progress bars popped up in the upper left corner of the screen as Senna continued her search, flicking through files and sliding a few more over to be copied.

“What the kriff do you even name a classified superweapon project?” she muttered. “You’ve got things that sound flowery like ‘Rosebud’ and ‘Stardust’ and then other things like ‘Nightwatch’ or ‘Venom’. Who even comes up with these?”

“Senna, hurry-“ Rex froze as he heard the unmistakable sound of a door opening and closing somewhere in the server room. Footsteps echoed through the aisles, and they could hear distant voices. “We have to go,” Rex hissed.

“Just a few more files, we have-“

“Senna, we have to go now.” He could see the frustration in her face that he had felt moments before, and she blew some hair out of her face as she nodded.

“Alright. Just let the copies finish. Only need a few more seconds on those.” Quickly, she began closing all the search windows she’d accessed, covering her tracks before crouching down and taking the datapad from Tech’s hands. Tech stood, drawing his blasters once more and training them on the sound of the approaching Imperials.

“Senna,” Rex warned and she nodded.

“Almost there. Echo, you’re good to disconnect as soon as the last one finishes.”

There was a loud laugh from one of the Imperials, and they all snapped up to look as an officer strode across the end of the aisle they were crouched in without so much as a glance in their direction.

“We need to go now,” Rex insisted, and Senna nodded, mouthing silent encouragement to her datapad as the progress bar inched along at what felt like an achingly slow place. Finally, she tapped Echo before disconnecting the adapter cable and shoving it and her datapad into the pouch on her hip. Echo carefully extricated his scomp from the port and then snapped it back into his cybernetic hand. Rex strained his ears, listening for the sounds of the Imperials around them. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to find Senna standing next to him. Echo and Tech leaned forward as she whispered to them.

“Let me lead. I can sense them and may be able to do some convincing if need be. There are only a few I think.”

Rex hesitated before giving her a nod. “Alright, but be careful.”

She flashed him a smirk before moving quietly down towards the opposite end of the aisle and peering around the shelves. Rex could see her breath still coming in slow, misty puffs.

“What the kriff does she mean by ‘convincing’?” Echo asked, but Rex waved him off.

“Later.”

Senna leaned out, her head swiveling back and forth before she motioned for the three of them to approach. “All clear, but let’s hustle.” Tech punched the door open and peeked out into the hall.

“Clear.”

Echo and Rex followed Tech before Senna slunk out after them. Rex felt some of the tension in his shoulders relax at the sight of the unoccupied corridor. Maybe we will make it out of here unnoticed. They moved back towards the lifts to descend to the maintenance level, but suddenly, Senna froze, grabbing Echo and Rex’s shoulders. Tech paused at the end of the hall, sliding his visor down and peering through the structure. Turning, he frantically signaled at them.

Ten at least. Kriff. Rex whirled. Too late to go back to the server room.

“Senna, find us somewhere unoccupied,” he whispered, and she nodded, closing her eyes and reaching out.

“The room just behind Tech,” she hissed, and Echo was already jogging towards the door to pry it open. The footsteps of the approaching stormtroopers grew louder as Tech backed towards them slowly, blasters aimed.

If we have to shoot our way out, we’re in trouble. Rex tried to steady his breathing just as the door sprang open and they all moved inside. The shadows of the approaching troopers emerged from around the corner’s edge just as the door hissed shut, plunging them into darkness.

“Where are we?” Senna asked, turning to take in her surroundings.

“It would seem some sort of lab,” Tech replied, flipping his visor back down. “A cloning lab, by the looks of it. There are several stasis chambers similar to the ones the Kaminoans have used in the past.”

Rex slid his helmet off in the dark, taking a second for his eyes to adjust in the dim lighting. Tech was right; several large stasis chambers stood to their left and right, apparently empty. Further down, he could see long lab tables filled with tools he couldn’t identify but he felt certain were similar to what he’d seen during his life in Tipoca City. That all seems so long ago. Stepping further into the space, he noted a soft glowing at the end of the room.

“Rex, what are you doing?” Senna whispered.

“Hang on,” he replied. “There’s something over there.”

Tech, Echo, and Senna followed him as he approached the source of the glowing. A set of long transparisteel tubes stood in the center of the small space filled with some sort of liquid. All sorts of computers and medical equipment surrounded them, some with samples still in the equipment. The glowing was emitting from a single tube, and in it, Rex could make out the floating form of a human figure. The figure bobbed in the liquid, his face mostly obscured by long, unkempt dark hair, but the features that they could make out were all too familiar to the four of them.

“It appears to be a clone, and he’s alive,” Tech said, approaching the stasis chamber. “Echo, can you scomp in and see if there’s any information as to his identity and what they’re doing with him?”

Rex couldn’t see Echo’s face behind his helmet, but he knew this was personal for him, likely bringing up memories of his time on Skako Minor. There’s no way he’ll allow us to leave him. Echo nodded, kneeling in front of the scomp port and flexing his wrist so that his scomp link hidden within his cybernetic limb was exposed once more.

Rex circled the stasis chamber, watching as the clone bobbed in the liquid surrounding him. His hair and beard had grown out, long and unruly, hiding his eyes from view. His body was covered in scars and blaster burns like so many of his brothers. Rex noted he had a scar similar to the one he had in the middle of his chest. Oof, that one hurt like hell. At least, mine did. Senna came to stand next to him.

“I don’t understand. Why do this?” she whispered.

Echo shuddered. “He’s considered defective. He’s being studied…troubleshot like a broken piece of hardware. There are hundreds of logs here. They’re taking blood and tissue samples periodically from him and monitoring his brain activity. He-“ Echo yelped, yanking his arm from the scomp port as if he’d been burned. He fell on his back, his hands shaking as Tech crouched down near him.

“What is it?” Tech asked. “What’s wrong?”

Rex’s eyes flicked from Echo back to the clone in the tank. As his body bobbed in the liquid once more, the hair covering his eyes and forehead drifted upwards, exposing a tattoo on the clone’s temple. An Aurebesh numeral.

The world around Rex crumbled and his knees collapsed underneath him. His helmet clattered to the floor, and Senna gripped his arms, trying to slow his descent as he fell to all fours, his eyes never leaving the clone in the tank. He felt like he couldn’t breathe as he reached forward, placing a gloved palm against the chamber’s cold, transparent surface.

His voice was barely above a whisper.

“Fives.”

#karrde writes #reunion #star wars #fanfiction #fan fic #the clone wars #tcw #the bad batch #tbb #captain rex #ct 7567 #tech #echo #hunter #wrecker #slow burn #romance #angst #fluff #established relationship #captain rex x oc #captain rex x ofc #captain rex x original female character #senna aven #senna atiniir #captain rex x senna aven #wolffe mention #fives mention

[gumnut-logic]

Callisto (Part Six - Rescue Site)

Prologue 1. Incident - Bit 1 | Bit 2 2. Fallout - Bit 1 | Bit 2 | Bit 3 3. Voyage - Bit 1 | Bit 2 | Bit 3 4. Arrival - Bit 1 | Bit 2 5. Orientation 6. Rescue Site

This fic seems to be taking forever, but I hope it isn’t reading that way. I had so much fun over the weekend and I still have some fun ahead of me writing one of the core scenes I had planned. I hope you are enjoying reading this.

As always, many thanks to the amazing @tsarinatorment​ @scribbles97​ @janetm74​ and @vegetacide​ as well for all the read throughs and support. Wonderful science officer @onereyofstarlight​ this bit has one of the places we talked about extensively and wouldn’t exist without your help :D

Again, thank you to all the wonderful peeps who have been reading along and commenting despite the once a week posting schedule. You help keep my enthusiasm alive and you have no idea how much I appreciate every word of encouragement ::hugs you all::

Have a Tracy boy or two on the job :D

-o-o-o-

Scott rolled his shoulders and tried to stretch out the tension that was slowly giving him a headache.

At least now they were moving. This rescue felt like it was taking forever.

Hell, it was the same with most space recues, if even more with this one. The distances involved just went on and on and no matter how fast the Thunderbird, it was slow.

It rankled Scott just a little. The fact that the environment could not be influenced by his impatience.

And Dad…

He shunted the thought aside. Perhaps that was why he scorned the time needed. It gave him far too much time to think.

The tunnel stretched out before him as it had for some time now. The life signs were nearly seven hundred kilometres away from Callisto Base. Usually, this was not a problem. There wasn’t a Thunderbird that couldn’t cover that distance in a short period of time. Even Four could do it at velocities no other underwater craft had ever managed.

But this location was at least two kilometres underground, and while the molepod was always an option, Virgil had vetoed it with the option of travelling via dragonfly through the tunnels. Scott had to agree. They needed far more information before barrelling into an unknown situation, not to mention the difficulties of deploying the molepod in these conditions.

But by this point he was almost ready to jump out and blast a hole in the damned moon to get where they needed to go.

Time. So much damned time.

Too much to think.

His hands shifted on the Dragonfly’s controls spinning her into a dive as the tunnel dipped suddenly. The brilliance of the pod’s forward lights lit up the never-ending cave as clear as daylight.

It sparkled back at him in sharp, stabbing needle-like reflections off the walls that did nothing to improve his headache. He had already set his helmet to shade to protect himself. It was ridiculous to be needing sunglasses this far underground.

Behind him, Virgil was following him at a short distance in Dragonfly Two, his lights just bright enough to light up the red of Scott’s pod.

For some irrational reason Scott wanted his pod to be blue.

The blue of the sky he was currently missing.

He sighed.

Again, too much time to think.

“Another five hundred metres.” Alan’s voice from behind him was the reassurance it always was. Why he felt comforted when his littlest brother was nearby and within reach was something he did not want to examine too much.

A twist of his wrists as the tunnel backed around on itself in a hairpin of a turn and he had to dodge another nest of those weird deformed ice stalactite formations sticking out into their path. “What are we looking at?”

“Looks like another cavern. A big one.”

They had flown through several of those enormous caverns on the way out here already. They acted like junctions, some having multiple tunnels converging on them, every single one a home for more ice formations and that damned reflective rock. It had taken John to get them out of the last one. This place was a damned maze.

Virgil had fortunately come prepared, as always. He was leaving a trail of comms-support beacons behind them as a clear path to return to Callisto Base.

Scott fought the urge to duck as the tunnel suddenly shrunk by several metres and took another swerving turn. Scott spun the pod over one-eighty degrees on her longitudinal axis as her wings nearly scraped the ceiling.

Righting them finally, he couldn’t help but check his monitor to make sure Virgil took the turn safely.

He almost smiled as the green pod behind them flipped in a manoeuvre that no doubt had Gordon yelping in the back seat. He couldn’t help but be proud for just a self-indulgent moment.

But his attention was torn away as his pod suddenly shot into a large open space and the light reflecting off the walls suddenly blinded him.

Alan’s gasp behind him only echoed his own.

Their forward lights were being shot at them in blinding brilliance off the ceiling of the new cave.

That brightness only increased as Virgil’s pod spun into a hover beside them.

Oh god.

Whatever had been in the walls of the tunnels was obviously concentrated here.

He redirected the lamps away from the ceiling only to have the brilliance follow them all the way down the closest wall until he was able to turn the pod towards the most distant wall.

Crystal.

There was crystal everywhere.

The cave walls were covered in spikes of the stuff as it they were inside a giant geode. He had to acknowledge that it was stunningly amazing when it wasn’t ripping his eyeballs out.

But that wasn’t what took his breath away.

As their lamps lowered, they caught the edges of something else.

He turned the lights down towards the floor only to discover he couldn’t see it.

Because it was covered in water.

Fluid, liquid water, the dragonflies causing the faintest of ripples to dance across its surface.

A lake.

Scott’s jaw dropped as he tipped the pod to peer down into the dark water only to have more crystal attempt to stab him in the eye from the depths.

“What the hell?”

Water wasn’t supposed to be able to exist in this environment. He poked at his scanners. Atmospheric levels were the same, ever so thin, providing little to no air pressure or heat to keep the water in this state.

“John? What am I seeing?”

Thunderbird Five did not answer immediately, but the data transmission rate on comms doubled as his space brother reached his fingers into the cave through the pod’s sensors.

“Impossible.”

“That was my thought. Virgil?”

“It’s beautiful.”

Scott’s lips thinned. “Scientific explanation? Gordon?”

“You got me here, bro. But I’m more concerned about those lifesigns.”

Scott frowned and double checked his readout. The two dots registered, glowing strongly at him.

From under the water.

-o-o-o-

Virgil frowned as Scott spun his dragonfly around and returned to the entrance of the cavern. His forward lights lit up only what could be considered a beach where the original tunnel swooped in and connected with the crystal cave. At the base there was only a few scattered crystal formations and Virgil watched as his brother expertly put down without touching a single one.

“Are we going to take a look at the lake?”

Typical. Nearby water body and his fish brother wanted in it.

But Virgil needed more reconnaissance.

And if he was honest with himself, there was just a dash of sightseeing involved. Not much, because of the urgency of the mission, but enough curiosity to send him off on a scout around the cavern.

Crystals that had to be the length of an arm or a leg stuck out from the walls in haphazard directions. Most reflected back clear, but in streaks, as if seeping up a localised mineral, there were ribbons of colour in places – reds, greys, golds, pinks. His scanners spat back that it was simply quartz, silicon dioxide, but he had never seen a formation like this.

Which was understandable as this was an alien landscape with vastly different environs to those of Earth. The artist in him was literally stunned, while the scientist valiantly fought for a reason.

He swooped around the edges of the cavern, his lamps lighting up brilliance as he went. The cave proved to be roughly circular, approximately four hundred metres in diameter and about a hundred metres high. He came across two more tunnels leading off it, but all were as dry as the one they had used to enter the cave. Towards the centre, but not quite, the ceiling arched down and what appeared to be a stalactite met a stalagmite to form a column of swirling crystal that looked like something straight out of an art glass exhibition. The ribbons of colour were here too, but this time mostly in a rose pink and a startling blue.

Virgil didn’t have words.

The light playing among the crystals just touched every artistic sense he had and froze them solid.

But there was a mission and those two glowing red dots glared at him from beneath the surface of the lake.

He ran scans of the water. For it was water, mostly, though, certainly not any he would want to drink.

For one thing it was salty, a definite brine solution with a number of minerals including silica in concentrations that defied as much logic as the water’s existence did in the first place.

The difficulty was that the lifesigns weren’t clear. They were in the water, but resolution faded at a very shallow depth and there was a lot of deep depth in places.

“John, can you get any more resolution on these scans? I can’t pinpoint the lifesigns.”

There was a muttered curse on comms that had Virgil arching an eyebrow. “No, I’m sorry, Virgil. Interference is particularly strong in that cavern. We’re working on it, but I don’t have any great hopes.”

“What about a probe? Would that improve the signal?” Virgil blinked as his headache suddenly flared. Ow. Damn. The controls in front of him blurred a moment. Shit!

But then everything righted itself, just leaving an echo of the pain in his head as the headache droned on as it had before.

Maybe his painkillers were wearing off. A glance at the time proved that was far from the case.

He dreaded to think what that would have felt like without them.

“Virg?”

“What?!” Okay, so he was abrupt, but he was busy.

“Hey, hey, calm down. You didn’t answer John. Just checking on you.”

“Virgil, you there?” John’s voice dripped concern.

Shit.

“Sorry. Just got a headache. Need some sleep.”

“I feel you, bro. Want me to pilot?”

“No. No. I’m fine.” He swallowed bile and mentally shook himself. “John, you were saying?”

He could feel Gordon’s eyes on the back of his neck.

“Probe deployed. Target is Burr Crater, which you are directly under at the moment.”

Virgil’s display reported the probe entering Callisto’s atmosphere. He hoped it would give them enough information to act.

Time was ticking.

He spun the pod around and tried to ignore the rainbow of light that was his forward lamps. The flicker, while beautiful, was doing nothing good for his headache at all.

“You sure you’re okay, Virg?”

He pressed his lips together and considered ignoring the question from Gordon. But he knew if he did, his brother would only worry more.

It was a Tracy trait.

“Let’s just get this mission done. We have people who need saving.”

Gordon’s grunt wasn’t a happy one and the chances of Scott being called in on his headache were increasing by the moment.

“I’m fine, Gordon.” He cut the conversation off by dropping the pod rapidly towards the beach where Scott had climbed out and was walking to the water’s edge. Another spin mid-air and Virgil lowered into a rather delicate landing, keeping the pod’s feet away from the crystal formations sticking out of the rock.

Virgil swallowed again before climbing out of the pod. His boots hit solid but glittering rock, damp in the darkness.

Scott and Alan were standing at the water’s edge staring out at the spectacle that the pod lights lit up.

Gordon clambered out behind Virgil and together they both walked over to stand beside their brothers.

“This is so cool!” Alan was obviously excited.

He said it on external comms and the sound travelled across the cavern only to bounce back in so many perfect ‘ool’s Virgil’s eyes widened.

On the spur of that, as the ‘ool’s slowly faded away, he activated his own external comm and sung a single pure C note.

It came back at him from so many different directions it was like a chorus.

“Oh, wow.”

‘Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow…’ It went on, the faint atmosphere sporting just enough density to carry the sound waves.

“That is something, isn’t it?” Scott’s voice was quiet. “The dragonflies made one hell of a racket. We’re going to have to be careful. Wouldn’t want to set up a harmonic that could bring the roof down on us.”

Virgil was still processing. The thought of playing his piano in this cave was just mind boggling.

“Dad says the Base scientists are having some kind of scientific fit over this place.” A grunt. “I’m more concerned about those two lifesigns.” He paused. “John, any luck with the probe?”

“Unfortunately, no. The interference is just too thick. I can read the water, but very little in it or below it. I’ll keep trying.”

Scott sighed. “Keep us updated. Looks like this will have to be more hands on.” He turned to Gordon. “We need Thunderbird Four.”

-o-o-o-

Next

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #Scott Tracy #Virgil Tracy #John Tracy #Gordon Tracy #Alan Tracy #callisto

[hadtochangemyurlquick]

can u write more leachel please

no but i can fuck ur bitch

Leah’s first public reading was not packed. Of course, the seven of them all filed into front row seats and of course her parents, grandparents, Ian, and most of her teachers were scattered throughout the audience. Even Emily, her friend from middle school who she hadn’t really talked to since she went to private school, showed up. It was a sweet gesture but beyond the people who knew Leah personally, only around fifty or so were actual fans. It was fine and Leah did an amazing talk and afterwards Rachel slapped her hand against her thigh, wishing she could actually clap.

Leah’s tenth public reading was standing room only.

The National book festival was held once a year in DC and while there were two panels Leah was put on, they also asked her to do her own talk because she had a new book coming out. It’d been called by the New York Times book review “the most anticipated book of the year!” And Rachel had only been allowed to read the first draft of the first chapter, which was slightly killing her. But her girlfriend had a process, even if that process was to solely talk to Nora about it. Nora and sometimes Toni.

When Leah walked onto the slightly raised platform the entire room erupted into applause. It was a standing ovation and Leah looked beautiful and also incredibly embarrassed. Her eyes found Rachel’s immediately and they were so fucking intense, Rachel just wanted her to keep looking at her forever. Forever and a half.

“Wow,” Leah began when she reached her microphone. “I haven’t even said anything yet.” There was laughter, more cheers, gradually people sat down. “Thank you all for coming, I know there’s some pretty amazing panels going on right now. There’s still time to go to Roxanne Gay’s talk, it’s a few rooms down.”

More laughter, more cheers, a “We love you Leah Rilke!”

Rachel shook her head, smiling. Leah could pretend all she wanted, but Rachel saw what was happening. The entire world was slowly coming to life under her touch. The English language was being shaped to fit Leah Rilke.

Every think piece, ever op-ed, every review, mentioned the words Leah Rilke somewhere in there. Every teenage girl was talking about her like they’d talk about the Bible. TV studios and movie execs sat in rooms and discussed about how they could capture her writing style. Publishing houses wanted to find their very own Leah Rilke. Tattoo artists were adding to their pre drawn collections symbols from her books.

It was happening slowly, a little at a time, but time happened all at once. And history textbooks were being printed in Texas for the year 2032 that had an entire chapter about Leah Rilke.

The world was changing, and for the next half-century it’d be one where Leah Rilke was alive. And after, it’d be one where everyone was looking for the next Leah Rilke, however futile.

Leah didn’t see it, but Rachel could. And Nora. They talked about it sometimes, when a Dolly Parton song came on or Tolkien happened to come up in conversation.

“I’m not really afraid of public speaking,” Leah continued. “But can you all look somewhere else for a minute? I just need a break, I feel like you all are staring.”

There was more laughter and Rachel felt her phone buzz. Her eyebrow furrowed and she ignored it, instead focusing on the woman wearing her engagement ring.

It’d taken her a minute to propose, insecurities thriving with Leah off giving talks or going to conventions like this one. In a big empty house it wasn’t hard to feel less than, especially with one hand.

It’d been Dot who talked sense into her. Dot surprisingly sensible when she herself had eloped with Fatin, annulled it, and eloped again.

“Okay,” Dot said. “Maybe she’s too good for you. So what? She doesn’t know that.”

“Exactly,” Rachel said. “That’s my fucking point. She’s gonna find someone better and realize that I’m just… me.”

“Yeah,” Dot nodded.

Rachel glared at her. “You aren’t making me feel better.”

“I’m not Fatin, or Shelby, or Martha.”

“I know that,” Rachel said.

“It sounds like you wanna marry her,” Dot said. “So fuckin’ marry her. Then she won’t be able to fuck off with someone else.”

“But I want her to be happy,” Rachel said.

“So fuckin’ make her happy,” Dot said. “I don’t get what the fuckin’ problem is.”

So she proposed. Leah said yes immediately, not even a moment of hesitation, and they were planning a small wedding with a rabbi they both knew and a Huppa but not a Ketubah. Some sort of halfway for the both of them.

Rachel’s phone buzzed again and she turned it off, slipping it in her backpack to focus on Leah.

“This is probably the hardest book I’ve ever written. Not because its deeply personal or anything, just because I had to do so much research for it,” Leah said. “I even had to dedicate it to my sister in law because she spent hours with me looking at flight patterns and chess strategies. Do you guys know how many different kind of tulips there are? I can’t say I don’t understand the dutch a little better now.”

Nora squeezed her wrist and she looked over at her. Shelby caught her eye from beside Nora and passed her a phone, the notes app open.

Jeffs here.

Rachel frowned. Jeff Greene? The book review guy? Or maybe Jeffery Wilson, the Sony guy. Didn’t they have a neighbor named Jeff who liked to complain about their noise level to the police?

“Jeff?” She mouthed back.

Shelby was stone faced when she nodded and something sunk in Rachel’s gut.

Fuck. Jeff.

Leah was still talking but Rachel couldn’t hear her.

Where?

Shelby took the phone back.

The back.

Rachel clenched her jaw and Nora squeezed her wrist again, eyes wide.

Has Leah seen him?

Shelby shook her head and Rachel let out a breath of relief.

She got to her feet, and cast a quick smile back at Leah who’s brow furrowed at her. She kept talking though, stumbling a little on her speech. Behind her, Fatin, Martha, and Shelby followed.

Jeff wasn’t hard to spot. He was the washed-up has been, with the fraying hair and dark circles under his eyes.

“You need to leave,” Rachel spat.

“I’m just here to apologize,” Jeff said. “I don’t even—”

“You’re leaving,” Shelby cut off. “Now. Or I’ll call security.”

“Take this outside,” Someone hissed and Fatin dragged him out, shoving him roughly through the open door. Several more people waiting outside slipped inside, entirely grateful.

“Listen, I know I fucked up, I want to apologize,” Jeff said.

“She was a child,” Fatin said. “You’re a fucking predator.”

Jeff paled.

“Wait,” Martha said. “Are you here to apologize for dumping her, or for raping her?”

“I didn’t—”

Maybe it was Shelby that threw the first punch, or maybe Rachel. Maybe they both came at him at once. But Martha didn’t hold Rachel back like she normally would’ve, and Fatin snapped at some people to put their phones away.

Leah said it was ironic later, that Fatin was telling people to put their phones away, while Martha urged on a fight.

But it wasn’t a fight, it was a beat down.

Shelby had taken Toni to enough kickboxing lessons over the years to know how to throw a punch, and Rachel had been picturing this moment with Jeff for too long.

No one intervened once Martha pushed a couple people away explaining he was a pedophile who prayed on teenage girls. One person said, “Isn’t that Jeff Galanis?”

And Martha said: “Yes.”

Jeff Galanis hasn’t published a book in five years at that point, he wouldn’t publish one again. Leah wasn’t happy Rachel broke her only hand, and Toni started going to kickboxing lessons alone.

“It was stupid,” Leah told her, when she met her outside after they’d all been thrown out. “I don’t give a shit about him anymore. I just wanted you there.”

“I know,” Rachel said. “But it wasn’t stupid to me. I wanted you to know you wouldn’t have to see him again.”

“Rach,” Leah sighed. “You remember how when we were driving here a Smith’s song came on?” Rachel nodded. “I realized then I literally couldn’t remember his last name.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Leah said. “We’re getting married in a few months, my new book is coming out, your starting your new job. We’ll probably be aunts as soon as Toni and Shelby finish those foster parent classes. Jeff is like—probably the least important person in the universe right now.”

“Sorry I missed the talk,” Rachel said.

Leah kissed her, soft and easy like they’d never once been.

“It’s okay,” she promised. “There’ll be others.”

There were.

#gus writes #leachel fanfic #leachel #leah rilke #toni shalifoe #some post canon hcs for you my love #the wilds fanfic #the wilds #gus answers

[thiswasinevitableid]

For mermay, #25 siren for Sternclay, rating up to you? Thank you so much, I love your fics!

Here you go! I went with SFW and it's set in the same universe as the other siren prompt I got this year

Joseph has sailed so far over the horizon of regret that he’s landed right back on the shores of resolve.

The highway curves through low mountains, extends in interminable straight lines of super-heated asphalt, and he drives both stretches with purpose, eyes fixed on his goal so as not to see the last forty-eight hours lurking in his rearview mirror.

When the sign reading “Kepler: Population 3,000 on land, 50 in water” reflects the setting sun he slumps back in the driver seat, too tired to be glad, excited, afraid, or anything else at all.

He passes the Cryptonomica, proclaiming itself the premier place to learn about the Roadside Sirens. Rolling his eyes means he nearly misses the drawbridge warning, the barrier dropping and bridge rising to allow a small sailboat to pass. It’s aboard this he sees his first siren; dappled tail hanging in the water as she converses with the other passenger and waves to the siren working the bridge.

The bridge lowers and he continues forward as the early evening overtakes the main road. Neon crackles to life, creosote and rabbitbrush drift through the window when he rolls it down. The sign on Amnesty Lodge declares vacancies, so he pulls into the parking lot. It’s a strange lay-out, little cabins dotting the patches of pools that, once upon a time, must have been enclosed in rooms. Now they glisten under the emerging stars, some surrounded by lawn chairs and set ups to play horseshoes or cornhole. The building housing the lobby is precariously perched on the bank of the slow flowing river, another building whose neon is unlit sitting beside it. He pays the young lady at the counter for a week to week cabin and lugs the remainders of his life inside.

In the bathroom mirror, the wear of this trip is clear in the wrinkles on his suit and the dust on his shoes. He strips down, rinses off, and heads into the night in his shorts and T-shirt from Puget Sound. On a whim he turns right, follows a trail that leads him into the state park. He pays the five dollar fee in a little envelope as he continues on his way. Just as he reaches a scenic viewpoint, the singing starts.

Joseph can’t see any of the singers, can only pick up six or so distinct voices swirling around him.

It’s said the roadside sirens will tell you what you need.

It’s said the roadside sirens are the only way Kepler gets new residents

It’s said the roadside sirens will lead you to your hearts desire.

It’s said the roadside sirens are not always gentle.

All that tugs at Joseph’s heart is exhaustion. When footsteps creak across the boards behind him, he turns to find a man in a ranger uniform. Their eyes meet a moment and the man nods in greeting, “Evenin sir, you got any questions?”

“What do you hear when they sing?”

The ranger shrugs, “I hear them singin’. Never been all that susceptible to ‘em. Well, except for one, but he don’t sing all that often and the last time it was to tell me he missed me while I was out here workin’.”

Joseph raises an eyebrow. The man comes close enough for him to see his name tag. All it says is, “Duck.”

Duck chuckles, leans his arms on the railing, “S’okay, most folks don’t believe me when I tell ‘em that. See, thing about sirens is, you gotta have unfulfilled desires for the song to take hold. First time I was in Kepler, didn’t have a goddamn clue what I wanted from life. When I came back, found the two things I wanted right away. Been pretty content since.” He glances at Joseph, “why, you hear somethin that worries you?”

“I don’t hear anything besides-”

A burst of blue and orange light spills across them; the building beside Amnesty Lodge has come to life, and Joseph can see a line out the door from here. More importantly, someone is singing and his body moves towards the source without him noticing.

“I mean, if your main want is you’re hungry, Lodge is a damn good place to start. Put Kepler on the map. Or, uh, guess the sirens put it there and the Lodge kept it there once the novelty wore off.

“Uhumm” Joseph nods, waving an absentminded goodnight as he follows the path back to the Lodge. He’s about to join the others waiting to get through the door when he gets a flash of an image; a draft on a desk, announcing the Lodge needed a cooks assistant.

What the hell, it’s worth a try right?

A knock on the back door summons an older man in a “Joshua Tree” shirt.

“Howdy, if you’re lookin for the line-”

“I’m here about the assistant job.”

“Uhh, o-kay. Not the best time for it, but follow me.”

The man leads him down a set of stairs to a kitchen that is half in and half out of the water in a way that defies logic and physics. Swimming about are several sirens, plus two humans on the shore, cooking and sending food up to the main building in a dance that borders on chaos. In the middle of it all is a siren with a deep copper tail that matches his short beard and long hair tied back in a bun.

“Barclay! You got a minute?”

“Not really!”

“Okay then. I’ll just have this fella wait in your office until dinner rush is over.”

“Sure great yeah Moira wheres the crawfish for table ten?”

Which is how Joseph finds himself sitting in a cabin, twiddling his thumbs. His manners fight his boredom until he pulls a paperback from the nearby shelf and loses himself in the exploits of a someone recreating dishes from ancient civilizations. Doesn’t look up until the door opens and the same man, now with legs instead of that beautiful tail, walks in.

“Phew” he shuts the door with a satisfied smile, rests his head on the wood, then whirls and slams his back against it when Joseph clears his throat.

“GAHWHATTHEFUCK”

“I’m, I’m so sorry, I thought you heard, um, Thacker, tell you he was having me wait here.”

“W-wait here for wh--Oh, oh right, the assistant thing.” The siren scrubs his face, “yeah, uh, guess Mama must've put the ad out. Uh, would you say you’re organized?”

“Extremely. But honestly it doesn’t seem like you need that much help on that front.”

A deep, rich laugh, “I cleaned this morning, last night it looked like an earthquake hit this place. Guessing from the fact you didn’t freak out in the kitchen you’re cool with the supernatural?”

“Yes. It’s an area of interest for me.”

There’s suspicion in Barclay’s voice, hidden but very much present, “why’d you end up in Kepler?”

“I came here on purpose. I wanted to be somewhere where strange things were celebrated and out in the open. Not...not kept from the world.”

Barclay leans back on his desk, arms crossed, “Where’d you work before now?”

“The…” he sighs, resigns himself to finding somewhere else to go, “the FBI. UP branch, I was at Nellis when they, um, relieved me of my duties.”

For a long moment, Barclay studies him. Then he turns to his desk, setting stacks of papers in order as he hums. Joseph closes his eyes, takes calming breaths; all he wants is to be safe, to not have to run. All he wants is for Barclay to hold him, he’s never seen a man so handsome and a useless, primal part of him fixates on that fact. Also he’s starving, god, he hasn’t eaten since his breakfast of black coffee.

Barclay stops humming, “Come with me.”

Joseph follows him back down into the strange kitchen (“couple of friends of mine are pretty powerful magicians. They rigged up the kitchen for me”). All the lights are off, and without them he discovers Barclay’s eyes glow an eerie yellow-green. When he smiles, Joseph sees only the points on his teeth, not the crinkle at the edge of his eyes.

“Hungry?” Barclay rumbles.

“Starving.”

“You eat fish?”

“...Yes?” Will the wrong answer get him drowned.

The cook leaps towards the water, tail appearing and clothes vanishing at the last moment before he hits the dark surface. Joseph stands, on edge and curious, until the siren emerges, newly-dead trout in his hands.

“Tastes best fresh.” Barclay swims to his grill, turning it on in a click of a knob.

“Why not just stay human when you cook?” Joseph makes his way over to the station as Barclay butchers the fish and sets it into a heavily buttered pan.

“The charm only holds for so long before I need to be back in the water, and I get so busy during meals I don’t want to risk passing out because I went too long on shore. Besides” he spins elegantly to grab two spice jars, “I learned to cook in the water, so this is the most natural way for me.”

“Fascinating.” Joseph sits down, keeping himself out of arms reach of the water. Barclay seems nice, but sirens did not become famous for offering people things and then following through; hundreds of dead travelers prove that much.

“Where are you from?”

“Chicago, originally.”

“Ever see the great lake mers?”

“No.” He can’t help but feel disappointed that he’s only learning of their existence now.

“Quite a few out there. Sirens too.”

Well, that introduces some new reasons for all the shipwrecks.

“How do you know? Are you from there?”

“Nah. Been in Kepler my whole life. Even during the bad years, singing people into that godawful, overpriced casino buffet. Convincing them the shitty cold cuts were prime rib.” His hand stills a moment, clenches and then releases, “yeah. Every now and then” he starts chopping shallots, “one of the drunks would get it into their heads to pet the sirens tail or hair and I had to sit there and let them. My tail” he shudders, swipes the shallots into the pan so roughly Joseph starts.

“Sorry.” Barclay mumbles.

“Don’t be. I’m on edge, that’s all. And you have every right to be angry. Being forced to do something you know is wrong is....there’s no winning.”

“That why you just want a place to feel safe?”

It’s so easy to confess in the darkness of the cave.

“I put up too much of a fight about something. Refused to do something that went against my conscience. They let me go, which I feared but expected. Then I found my bank accounts were cut off and someone had manipulated the records to say I’d been fired for criminal activity so it’d be harder to find a job.”

A clink of metal on china, and then Barclay is holding a plate out to him with tenderness in his eyes, “I’m so sorry, Joseph. Here, at least you won’t be hungry.”

Joseph murmurs out his thanks.

“You a wine drinker?”

“Right now I could certainly go for some.”

A few flicks of that stunning tail and Barclay returns with a glass of white for each of them.

“To getting free of shitty pasts.” The cook raises his glass and Joseph bumps his against it. Barclay brings it to his lips, but smiles rather than sip, “and by the way: you got the job.”

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

Being Barclay’s assistant is fifty percent clerical work and fifty percent following the siren around as he gathers ingredients or tests recipes. On Ned Chicane’s recommendation, Barclay had published a cookbook of both traditional siren foods and his own creations. It became a bestseller which, among other things, means Joseph has a brand new wardrobe, regular deliveries of gourmet food, and his cabin is now full of books. Whenever he points out that Barclay is already paying him and doesn’t need to buy him things, the siren simply rubs their cheeks together (a thing Joseph is only now getting used to) and tells him he likes doing it.

So when he’s not getting his recipes in order or typing up scribbled note cards into something legible, he’s following Barclay on foot or in a boat while he harvests or buys ingredients. Sirens have permission to fish and forage in areas, including the park, that humans don’t, which means he runs into Duck and his siren husband, Indrid, on more than one occasion while hauling lines into the boat.

The one time it gets stuck, Barclay pulls it out all on his own. Almost like he’s showing off the muscles in his back, arms, and tail.

The only thing Joseph won’t do is get in the water with the siren. He can’t get the images of drowned sailors, of fishermen torn to shreds, from his mind. Barclay is powerful, sharp-toothed and slit-pupiled, dangerous yet so gentle he once purred when Joseph complimented his food. And if Joseph never goes in the water with him, he’ll never have to confront the fact he wouldn’t mind if those pointed teeth dug into his skin and that tail trapped his legs while he thrashed in Barclay’s hold.

He assumes Barclay doesn’t notice; after all, swamps and marshes, even the river, are far less suited to a human swimming in them than an ocean or lake. This conclusion is bolstered by Barclay never, ever asking him to join him in the water. The siren is less careful about singing; he usually just hums as he works, but sometimes he sings wordlessly and Joseph nearly dives head first into the water (Barclay’s lap, if they’re on land).

Tonight, he’s cleaning up after Barclay’s test session of new recipes in the kitchen. The cook went out to visit some friends who live further in the state park, so when his voice drifts across the stones Joseph is surprised.

Cool, calloused hands on his cheeks, a tail stroking his thighs, his lips tracing up a sturdy leg. Copper hair twined in his fingertips, a heart beating in time with his own, teeth sinking into his skin, marking him, claiming him.

Water fills his nose and his body jerks back to the present, standing up in the shallow water that he stepped and stumbled face-first into.

“Joseph? Oh fuck, are you okay?” Barclay rounds the corner, swimming over to look up at him with concern.

“Yes. I, um, I think I got caught up in your song.”

“I’m sorry, I thought you were already upstairs or I wouldn’t have sung so loud. I know you can’t swim.”

“I can.” Joseph kneels, face down-turned in shame, “I was scared to, um, to be in the water with you. It’s, I was afraid of what might happen.”

Barlay swims back, “you thought I was gonna eat you?”

“No! Or, um, at first I didn’t want to foolishly assume that sirens in Kepler were harmless, since death isn’t high on my to-do list. Then I thought suddenly starting to swim would tip you off to the fact I’d been suspicious and I didn’t want to hurt you.” He runs a hand through his hair, “that song, though, Barclay, lord almighty is that what I want?”

“It’s what I want, I never sang it to bring you to me.”

“Oh.”

Barclay swims back to him, rubs their cheeks together, “Can I try something?”

“Anything” is all he gets out before he’s pulled into deeper water. He gasps for air, his own moans ricocheting across the room as Barclay bites his shoulder. On instinct his body tries to tread water, but copper scales trap his legs together, keep him flush against Barclay’s body.

“It’s okay babe, you can relax. I got you, I could keep us both afloat in my sleep.” He hums as he trails his lips across Joseph’s throat, “you’re safe. You’re with me.”

“Don’t make me leave.” The song pulls it out of him, because he wants to say it, wants to admit that losing what he has in Kepler terrifies him, just so he can hear-

“Never. You make me so fucking happy.” Barclay kisses him tenderly, keeps tracking his bite marks with a finger, “please stay. Stay for as long as you want."

"What if I want forever?" He rests his face on Barclay's shoulder as the siren spins them, dance-like, in the water.

"I think we can manage that."

#mermay #sternclay #agent stern/barclay #TAZ Amnesty

[notveryglittery]

birthday prince (2)

summary: roman had no idea it was possible to die from too much love but logan sure is trying. words: 2,000 / ship: logince (logan/roman) author’s note: this is part two of my Giving The Gay Anything He Wants series for roman’s birthday (june 4)! all ships are written implied romantic but i’m not stopping you from interpreting it otherwise. check the end notes on ao3 for credit on these gifts (bc i don’t know where to put them in this post)! i hope you enjoy!!

part 1 (roceit) | part 2 (logince) | part 3 (prinxiety)  part 4 (royality) | part 5 (dlampts) read on ao3

— — —

Roman woke to the smell of bacon. And eggs. And hash browns. … Cinnamon rolls too, maybe? He groaned, rolling over onto his back. Kicking his legs up, he used the following momentum to swing himself into a sitting position. There was a little bit of vertigo at moving so quickly, but this was how he always got himself out of bed since it usually provided him a sudden surge of energy. He squinted, looking towards the door, and trying to decide how badly he actually wanted to get out of bed in order to have breakfast. On the one hand, it all smelled absolutely mouthwatering. On the other hand, he was very warm and comfortable.

Three precise knocks made the decision for him.

"Roman, are you awake?"

At the sound of Logan's voice, a smile lit up Roman's face. "Yes! Come in!"

The scents of all the tempting foods were much stronger now and, as Logan entered carrying a tray in one hand, it became clear as to why. Logan was still wearing an apron and there was a smidge of flour on his forehead. He moved carefully so as not to spill or drop anything. Roman hoped the mug was filled with coffee made with too much cream and sugar. Before he could offer any help, Logan gestured at him to sit back; in the same moment, he flipped the legs of the tray open. Once Roman was settled, Logan set the stand down over his lap. His nose had been right in picking out eggs, bacon, and hash browns. There was a small bowl of fruit (with green grapes, his favorite!) and yes, the coffee was the exact color as he liked it.

"There are cinnamon rolls baking still," Logan said, sitting down on the mattress and reaching forward to brush Roman's hair back from his eyes. His smile was so soft and fond, Roman thought he might melt if it were directed at him for too much longer. "Did you sleep well?"

Catching Logan's hand before he could pull away completely, Roman pressed a kiss to the bottom of his palm. "I did, thank you. So, what's this for, then?"

Logan shook his head, as if he didn't understand the question. "I'm sure you'll figure it out. Eat. I'll return momentarily."

He was up and gone by the time Roman remembered that his birthday was later that week. He laughed a little, burying his face in his hands. The food was delectable, all of it still hot and fresh. Somehow, the coffee was even better than usual; perhaps because it had been made and served by someone he cared for so dearly. He scrolled through social media as he ate, feeling happy and relaxed. It was an exceedingly nice way to start his morning, especially knowing that he had plenty of things to deal with later on.

True to his word, Logan was back in roughly twenty minutes. He had a plate and two glasses of milk. He seemed satisfied that Roman had finished all his food and, with a snap of his fingers, removed the breakfast tray. He left his things on the bedside table and pulled a notebook from thin air. Roman recognized it as one of his many planners. He sat down again, posture slightly stiff, but Roman could tell it was because he was resisting joining Roman in bed. He wondered how he could convince him…

Flipping through the pages, Logan adjusted his glasses before beginning. “As far as I’m aware, the tasks you had scheduled for today were the following: selecting the name and song for Shoutout Sunday, washing the linens, preparing April’s shorts for compiling, and… corralling Remy to ensure Thomas sleeps well tonight.”

Roman snorted at Logan’s choice of words. “That’s all of it. Thank you for breakfast, darling. I’ve got plenty of energy to get started now!”

Logan tutted and held up a hand to stop Roman from getting up any further. “It is taken care of.”

Roman frowned. “... Pardon?”

“Your chores. The last load of laundry is in the dryer now. I’ve spoken with Thomas regarding Sunday’s video. Bargaining with Remy did take some time. However— Are you crying?” Logan’s voice hitched in sudden concern and he reached over to cradle Roman’s cheek in his hand.

Roman sniffled. “It’s okay, Lo. I’m happy… Just a little overwhelmed.” He pressed his own hand against Logan’s and gave him a shaky smile. “Why did you do all of this?”

Logan shifted so that he was better facing Roman. “You deserve to be taken care of. That is a constant, of course. In particular, this is in celebration of your birthday. I am well aware of the shenanigans made for the day itself so I thought I would ‘jump the gun,’ so to speak.”

Roman didn’t want to be dramatic or anything (hah) but he was pretty sure Logan was trying to kill him. “I haven’t the faintest idea how I could begin to thank you.”

“That’s just fine,” Logan reassured him. “I wouldn’t want you to, anyway.”

Roman laughed under his breath and gently moved away from Logan’s hold. He wiped at the tears that lingered on his eyelashes. “Well, it seems I have more free time than I thought I would. Have you got anything else up your sleeves?”

“Seeing as this garment lacks the necessary amount of fabric to do so, no. However, I did have something in mind that I believe you would enjoy participating in?”

“Lead the way, my star.”

After giving Roman some time to freshen up and change, they left his room, snacking on their cinnamon rolls and milk as they walked. It was still early, not yet noon, and Roman appreciated the peaceful atmosphere more than he thought he would. Normally, there would be music playing, or the television on as background noise in the living room, or the kitchen full of clanging utensils. This was pleasant. Having Logan with him made it all the better.

Eventually, Logan paused at the door between his and Patton's rooms. It was decorated with stickers, paint, glitter, buttons — any and all crafts that would fit basically, for that's exactly what was on the other side. Simply called the Crafts room, it was a creative space available for anyone to use however they pleased. Roman most often honed his vocal talents but he knew that Virgil liked to paint murals on the walls. When Logan led the way inside, the room transformed to match his vision. Warm sunlight spilled in from multiple windows. There was a rolling cart filled with every color of paint Roman could ever think of and more. There were a handful of easels, all holding various sizes of canvases. On the table in the center of the room was a stack of paper bound by ribbon, numerous pens, and a platter of snacks. Speakers set up in the corners of the room were already playing music.

"Will this suffice?" Logan asked, breaking Roman out of his daze.

"Suffice… Moonbeam, this is wonderful! And that smell… Is it—?"

"Jasmine to produce feelings of confidence and Eucalyptus to boost creativity."

“Well, they certainly are doing the trick!” Roman exclaimed, skipping fully into the room. He darted for the nearest easel, grabbing the handle on the cart as he did and pulling it over with him. His head was already full of ideas, sprawling landscapes and detailed portraits and, and, and!

The next hour passed in comfortable silence. They did, occasionally, duet along to various Broadway or Disney love songs that came through on their playlist. Sometimes, they dissolved into giggles afterwards, or they’d pause in their work to send each other sappy smiles. Sure, Roman was immensely curious about what Logan was working on, but he knew best what an awful thing it was to be interrupted while spending time with one's muse and motivation. Besides, he wasn't sure he could find a moment to pause in his own projects even if he wanted to. He moved from canvas to canvas smoothly, a new creation springing to mind the second he finished the last. There was an open expanse of night sky, stars dotted in yellow, blue, and red; a portrait of the lovely Valerie, dressed up and imagined as one of Roman's fellow knights; some abstract thing that was only recognizable from upside down and depended on the viewer having seen Parks and Rec at least two and a half times.

Eventually, though, his energy waned, and he set down his paintbrushes to take a break. He dropped a kiss to the top of Logan's head as he stepped by before taking a seat at the table, and reaching for the snacks. He went for a bagel but appreciated the variety of fruits and veggies, too. A few minutes later, Logan looked up from his work. He looked satisfied.

“All done?” Roman asked, interest piqued once more.

“Yes. Thank you for your patience.”

“Oh. Lo, that’s nothing you need to thank me for. This was really nice. Honestly, I didn’t realize how badly I needed it.”

Logan leaned closer, startling Roman when he kissed him quickly on the nose. Logan licked his lips after, smirking. “You had a bit of cream cheese…”

Roman made a sound akin to a tea kettle whistling.

Wasting no time, Logan stood and positioned himself in front of one of the windows. He looked as handsome as ever, silhouetted by the sunlight. He seemed relaxed and confident and Roman quite suddenly began to worry about his well being again.

He squinted at the brightest star in his sky. “... What are you up to?”

Logan cleared his throat. And began to sing.

It felt like the floor gave out underneath Roman. He might as well have no longer been tethered to his body. It was a miracle he stayed present enough to continue listening; he assumed it had something to do with knowing that missing even a millisecond of this would be the biggest regret he could make. Not only was Logan singing, completely of his own volition, he was singing about Roman. Lines about his bravery and his recklessness, his confidence and his ego, his creations and his work ethic. It was balanced, neither too praising nor too harsh. There was mention of how much love he carried, of how he deserved to receive as much as he gave, of how there was magic at his fingertips.

By the time Logan finished, Roman was outright sobbing. It wasn’t fair, how someone he loved so much, so so much, could make something so beautiful and heartfelt for him. How was he ever supposed to return the favor? When Logan pulled him up and out of the chair, he fell easily into his arms and tried to quiet his weeping.

“I would apologize for making you cry but that would be apologizing for the things I said, which I cannot do. I mean every word. My life is better with you in it. You inspire us all to be our very best and that is so admirable. Happy birthday, your highness.”

“Stop, stop,” Roman argued weakly, pouting up at Logan. “You’re killing me. You’re so cruel.”

Logan smiled down at him. He took a handkerchief from his breast pocket and patted Roman’s face dry. “I suppose you’ll do something about it?”

“Yes,” Roman answered vehemently. “Your punishment is to be trapped in a pillow prison. A blanket barricade. Confined by cuddles.”

“Oh no. That final one might be the worst sentence of them all.”

Roman pressed a kiss to Logan’s jawline before firmly grabbing his hands. “I’ll have to stay and make sure you don’t escape, of course.” He began to pull Logan out of the room, cheeks starting to hurt from his wide smile.

“Of course,” Logan agreed, in a tone so gentle, it should have been impossible.

Perhaps Roman kept this thief of his heart wrapped up extra tight and snug in his arms, but that wasn’t really anybody else’s business, now was it?

#sanders sides fan fiction #logince #logince fan fiction #roman sanders #logan sanders #gifts for roman's bday #dani writes

[concussed-to-pieces]

To Tell You The Truth Part Five

Fandom: Prospect [2018]

Pairing: Eventual Ezra/Prospector!Reader

Rating: Holy shit M.

AN: Dudes, real talk. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. Your support on this particular endeavor is just mindblowing and I love you guys so much (no this isn’t the end or anything I’m just in my feels right now). This installment has a monologue in it that I'm really, really stupid proud of. I hope you guys like it. Enjoy!

Tag List: @huliabitch @renegademustelid @wrestlingfae @zombiexbody @sporadic-fics @rzrcrst @lackofhonor @the-feckless-wonder @arrowswithwifi @fioccodineveautunnale

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

[!TRIGGER WARNING!: This installment contains vague depictions of gore. Stay safe!]

You thought you heard someone running, heavy boots pounding hard on the ground. Who even has the energy for that, you wondered idly.

Oxygen abruptly flooded back into your helmet and you inhaled on instinct, hacking and wheezing. The bayonet twitched roughly, making you sob out before some of the pressure on the blade was relieved. 

"There. Detached it from the fucking thrower. You still with me, gentle soul?" Ezra, it was Ezra, talking loudly, tapping your helmet and seeming relieved when you barely opened your eyes once more. "I'm goin' to stabilize the bayonet, you understand me? We can't remove it or we'll do more damage. Have to stabilize with the patcher cream."

"Told y...you to...leave--" you gasped, grabbing desperately at his shoulder. "Miss the--sling...back…"

"Kevva was a martyr, you know." Ezra said suddenly. "A little bit Prometheus, a little bit Jesus. Shot himself into space so others wouldn't fear to follow in his footsteps, to give countless souls the chance to be reforged in booster fire. Always found martyrdom more trouble than it was worth, myself. Living on struck me as the more attractive option." He murmured, struggling with your suit.

The only reply you could manage was more of a wet gurgle of confusion. What was he even talking about?

"Now, we as human beings are taught that self-sacrifice is the loftiest of moral pedestals to stand upon. We are taught that puttin' the needs of others above ourselves is the pinnacle, the quintessential desirous trait." He carried on in a pleasant tone, like this was a normal conversation the two of you were having as he poured the antiseptic liquid over your abdomen. 

It burned and stung. You wanted to scream but you couldn't draw the breath, settling for a pitiful whimper.

"I cannot tell you how many times I roundly railed against the purported divine will of that miserable martyr when I found myself trapped on this forsaken moon. The last thing I wanted was to be slain before I finally got to revel in my spoils, reduced to no more than a cautionary tale of avarice and loss in the annals of time. Lo and behold though, despite all my tribulations, it appears I was not the one in danger of being a sacrificial lamb."

The clear dome of his helmet thudded against your own, and he tried to time your breathing for a moment before he gave up and just clicked the trigger on the patcher gun. You cried out hoarsely in pain and he echoed you with a groan, shaking his head.

"Instead, that malevolent bearded bastard sent me a precious gentle soul, one more gracious and generous than any harvest, to shield my worthless body from the slings and arrows of this hostile moon. But I do not accept the debt of another's life so free and easy, especially not when it's counted against all my sins." He continued relentlessly, tossing the foam gun aside. "You can urge me until your holy heart stops, yet I refuse to indulge you in your blasted martyrdom." The word was furious, hissed out between his teeth. "You will live. If I have to drag you back from Kevva's greedy, graspin' hand myself, I damn well will. You have suffered Purgatory long enough, gentle soul." 

With that emphatic declaration he heaved you upright, draping your arm over his shoulder and beginning the slow, tortuous walk back to the mercenary rock jumper. "Ez--ra…" you choked, your legs barely supporting you. "C-an't--"

"Hush, gentle soul." He said firmly, struggling to distribute more of your weight onto his shoulders. "I would carry you if I trusted my arm, but regrettably I am not at full-test. All the same, I'm putting you into that fuckin' pod even if I have to drag you every accursed step of the way." 

Your fingers dug into his suit and you straightened up marginally. Just enough for him to get a better grip on your body. "M' gonna'-" you coughed, red droplets hitting the dome of your helmet.

"Keep your free hand on that blade, gentle soul. The less damage we do to your internal machinations, the better." 

You obediently curled your glove around the foam-crusted bayonet, stabilizing the protruding weapon with what little strength you had left. You stared down at his leg, trying to get your own steps to match up with his so he didn't trip over the tether tube. You weren't sure whether either of you would be able to get back up if that occurred.

"Almost there." Ezra announced, making your head jerk up. You had been wavering on the edge of unconsciousness, just focusing on keeping your feet moving. 

He dropped your hand onto one of the railings for the pod ladder and you obligingly tried to pull yourself into it after he gave you a boost, ending up essentially throwing your body forward and to the side on the floor of the pod.

Ezra staggered up behind you, fumbling to shift you from your fetal position. "In the seat, gentle soul, we need to strap you in. Can't have loose cargo when we take off." He muttered. 

Your head felt too heavy. You let it loll against your chest while he essentially manhandled you into the passenger seat and snapped the harness around you as best as he could. "M'sorry…" Your voice was barely audible through your helmet. "Can't..."

"You manage those lungs of yours, don't worry about me." He replied tersely, yanking off his helmet and then tearing at the latches on your own. "You just keep breathin'. We'll be out of this in no time, gentle soul, no time at all." 

You nodded dazedly after he pulled the helmet off over your head. "Thank…"

"Hush, damn it." Ezra rasped, pressing his lips to your forehead. "Hush. Save your energy and keep that bayonet steady. We'll be on that freighter in a tick. Get you to a proper med bay." His voice trembled.

You were vaguely aware that he had strapped in beside you. There was the soft rustle of manual pages, then the deafening rattle of the pod boosters, the thrum of the engines as it broke the atmosphere. Light from Bakhroma's sun poured in through the triangular windows overhead, all but blinding you. 

Ezra weakly stripped your glove and then clasped your fingers across the center console as the freighter appeared, spindly arms of pods hanging suspended in the brilliant green and navy halo of the surrounding cosmos. "We have at last been delivered from our toilsome strife." He sighed. "Better days beckon us onward, gentle soul." He raised your hand to his lips, and you felt the brush of his facial hair when he kissed your open palm.

...

You were unsure of how much time had passed. You thought you were being removed from the pod, something about getting rushed through the triage protocols. 

An oxygen mask was snapped down over your face, the whirr of an intraosseous needle reaching your ears. Conversations around you faded in and out, random voices discussing your condition. 

Where was Ezra?

"If that bayonet had gone half an inch deeper-"

"I suggest you apply the brakes on that particular intellectual locomotive." You felt your fears ebb at the familiar sound of his drawl. "We are running on precious little sleep and I must confess to an unhealthy inclination towards impatience when I am deprived of my slumber. Now, my individual trauma can wait until you have available staff, but their wound will fester if it is left much longer." A large hand rested on your forehead, shielding your half-open eyes from the fluorescent lighting. "Take care of their potential pneumothorax, doctor, and I will be as docile as a lamb."

"Ez…" you whispered.

"Still tryin' to palaver? Gentle soul, now is not the time for idle conversation." His hand stroked your forehead as he soothed, "Rest now. We did it. You did it." 

With his assurance, you closed your eyes.

...

You were confined to a rehabiter chamber for what felt like a short eternity as the freighter made its laborious way back to Central, Puggart Bench and the overcrowded wards that dotted the outskirts.

All you had left physically to remind you of your ordeal was a slow-healing wound on your abdomen and muscles that felt like they would never stop aching. You had one hundred percent overdone it and, if the resident freighter physician had anything to say regarding the matter, you were incredibly lucky to be alive.

The freighter's lung scrubber wasn't exactly on par with the level of sanitation either you or Ezra needed, so you were kept on it at all times until you could be transferred to the Puggart Bench medicog. You were grateful to be weathering the travel in the freighter's dingy med bay, as strange as that was to say. You weren't sure how long it would be before you could travel in a pod without feeling deeply apprehensive.

Once dropped at Puggart, you barely even got to wave at Ezra (he waved back with a drowsy grin from beneath the oxygen tent) before you were whisked away to a different room and hooked up to something a little more high-test. 

Fully purging the dust took literal days of treatment. The preliminary scans of your lungs revealed what looked like thick, puffy cotton balls in the place of usual bronchioles. You could only imagine how bad Ezra's lungs must be if that was what yours were like.

The rest of your body continued to arduously heal. You spent the hours of solitary treatment quietly drawing on your memo pad. Once that ran out of pages, you began to save the napkins that came with your Pastors slurry. A kind orderly found you an abandoned clipboard and you would balance it on your knees to draw for as long as you were able before your stomach began to protest.

You did your best to not think about the Bakhroma Green moon. It was difficult, but you tried. The lushly poisonous foliage, the Queen's Lair, Damon-

Your sleep was fitfully restless, either due to the lingering pain of your wound or the nightmares that hounded you. You were unsure of the last time you had truly enjoyed a good night's sleep.

Once you had been off the scrubber for a full week, Ezra came to visit. You almost didn't recognize him sans the bulk of his suit and helmet, but the brilliant blond Mallen streak that jutted mischievously out from his right temple removed all doubt. He looked much better, which was to be expected. Clean food and fresh air had done him wonders.

"Gentle soul!" He exclaimed warmly upon entering your cubicle, his voice rasping slightly, "all those days of good behavior paid off. Your jealous warden has finally deemed me worthy of entry into your domain." 

"Good to see you too, Ezra." You replied with a smile, raising an eyebrow at the flowers he carried. "I won't take up much of your time, obviously you've got places to be." What was that weird pang in your chest? Were you jealous? Why would you be jealous? 

"Your modesty, while one of your finest qualities, wounds me deeply. These are for you, gentle soul." Ezra placed a hand over his heart, bowing grandly as he presented you with the bouquet. 

"F-For me? Oh." You felt a little ashamed of your strange jealousy now, fumbling to take the flowers from him. "These are so beautiful, you...you didn't have to, you know." You murmured, burying your nose in the soft petals. 

"What better way to celebrate you bein' on the mend?" He inquired incredulously, pulling up the chair beside your bed. 

"I'm kind of surprised you're still here, honestly." You confessed. 

"Whyever for?"

"Well I just...I assumed you would have set back out in search of the next big thing." You twiddled your fingers, keeping your eyes on the flowers. 

"I am full of surprises, I suppose. Oh! And in that vein." Ezra tugged free a long, flat box from inside the (obviously very new) blazer he wore. "Another surprise."

The box was wrapped simply in plain paper and twine, a bit like all your sketchpads had been. "Ezra-" you began to protest. 

He waved off your words though, gesturing impatiently for you to rip off the paper. "I have been burstin' at the seams to give this to you, gentle soul. Do not make me wait one iota longer, I implore you."

Laughing a little at his enthusiasm, you obliged. Your laughter caught in your throat as you turned the brightly-colored box over, the graphics on the front proudly announcing the contents. "This...Th-This is…" You stammered, swallowing hard. "I...Ezra-"

"It's the draw-pad! Y'know, the one we discussed. Brand new, hot off the line." Ezra looked insanely pleased with himself, fidgeting in the seat. "I saw it and I knew you needed it."

"Ezra, this is too much." You tried to sound like you disapproved, but you were relatively certain your fingers reverently tracing the brilliant logo gave you away. Just the box alone looked so crisp, the edges still sharp instead of crushed in and rounded with age.

"Now, this gift does come with a request." He drawled from his spot beside your bed. You glanced up, that old wariness creeping back in. "I want you to familiarize yourself with this tool. Not sure how long it'll take. I have faith in your tenacity and ability to adapt, however. Once you're confident in your skill, I would be most obliged if you would consider a solicitation of partnership. " 

"Part...nership?" You repeated, thoroughly confused.

Ezra nodded. "Yes, gentle soul. I am penning a semi-fictitious memoir and it would add a certain...gravitas if your sketches graced the pages as well, you understand."

You fairly erupted with excitement, "I would love to!" Your enthusiasm jerked to a sudden stop as you remembered just where you were, and how much debt you were probably in. "But I...I can't." You finished sadly, stroking the brightly-colored illustrations on the front of the draw-pad box one last wistful time before you pressed it back into his hands. "I'm sorry Ezra, I need to hurry up and heal so I can hurry up and find another job, work through paying off this treatment bill--"

"Gentle soul, I don't think you have a full grasp of your situation." Ezra interjected. "You are an incredibly rich individual." You stared at him, not entirely registering his words. "Have you truly forgotten just how much of the Queen your deft little hands plundered?"

"That's not mine, that's y-"

"Kevva above, gentle soul. If not for your steady skinnin' and de-blisterin', we wouldn't have secured a damn thing." Ezra leaned back in his chair, lacing his fingers. "I turned a handsome profit as well, mind you. I am quite comfortably off with my harvest as it is. But you, gentle soul, you…" He cleared his throat. "I took the liberty of arrangin' an account for you while you were indisposed."

"There was enough for an account?" You squeaked. 

Ezra's laugh sounded raw. "The wonder in your eyes! I wish you could see yourself. Give me a moment, I'll pull up the numbers." He had apparently gotten one of those new, touchscreen Servs. He didn't even need a cable! You watched apprehensively as he tapped away at the tablet, swiping through a few menus. 

When he tilted the screen to show you your account, you were relatively certain you had gone into shock. You knew your mouth was opening and closing, but you couldn't seem to form any words.

"I daresay you may be able to afford your hospital bill." The man said dryly after watching you gawk for several long minutes. "And perhaps a few meager indulgences on top of that."

"That's...that can't be right." You whispered, reaching out to touch the numbers. Ezra chuckled when your clumsy fingers accidentally brought up another menu, the older man easily dismissing it. 

"It is indeed correct, gentle soul. The exchange was the cleanest I've ever done, and sported the highest rates I've ever encountered. It seems we returned from the Bakhroma Green in the nick of time, in more ways than one." 

"Ezra, that's...I-I've never even dreamed of having so many points. I…" you trailed off, biting your lip. Tears welled up in your eyes and, for the first time since Damon had been killed, you started to cry in earnest.

Ezra's hand rested on your arm after a moment and you let yourself be eased into his embrace, sobbing against his shoulder. "Steady now, gentle soul. You just let it all out. It's over, you understand?" He soothed, cupping the back of your head. "Over and done with. Your perdition is at its end. You are free from those terrible burdens." 

"I just...this doesn't even feel real." You hiccupped. "I feel like I'm g-gonna' wake up in that pod all over ag-gain."

"I know that sensation all too well. My sleep is poor, my dreams fraught with dark recollections." Ezra admitted quietly. "Safety and stability are luxuries I have not been able to afford for many years. Now that I have them, I am...unsure of what to do with them." He sighed, his chin resting on the top of your head. "We have endured so much worse than having a little good fortune, yet upon bein' confronted with it, we do not feel worthy."

You nodded into his shoulder. It was no surprise that he would know exactly how to put into words what you had been feeling. You jolted abruptly when you realized which shoulder you were molesting. "Oh! Your arm, I'm so-"

"Don't you fret, gentle soul." He released you and carefully slid his arm out of his blazer, the barest wince betraying him as he flexed the limb freely. "I'm on the mend, with a...zeal I did not realize I possessed. The matron in charge of my circulatory rehabilitation seems hell-bent on gettin' me to break a sweat." Ezra sounded rueful. "I'm just glad I can breathe unaided once more. I'll never take my lungs for granted ever again."

...

You doused the eggs with the brilliant orange sauce, shoveling a forkful into your mouth and groaning in appreciative delight. 

"Now normally, condiments are a compliment to the dish." Ezra delicately gestured at your orange-stained plate with his fork. "With you however, condiments appear to be the main course." He teased. Ezra had offered to take you out for breakfast on the morning of your release, he called it a daring escape from the confines of modern medicine. Hence your current locale. You had, however, insisted that the two of you split the bill.

"After so long eating Pastors Calori-pouches and bits bars, I...I need the color just as much as I need the flavor, y'know?" You mumbled around your mouthful. "My tastebuds are all brand new again."

"I meant no disrespect, gentle soul." Ezra reached across the table with a paper napkin and you jerked back on reflex, laughing awkwardly as you tried to play off your sharp reaction. He cocked his head, eyebrows drawn quizzically tight. "I said I would not ask, and I will not break that promise." He murmured, tucking the napkin into your limp hand instead. "If ever there is anything I can do though, anything I can say to...to ease these burdens you carry on your body, all you need do is ask."

This was far too serious of a topic to be discussing in a greasy diner with bright orange hot sauce dripping off your chin. 

Ezra skewered a bite of flapjack with his fork, dipped it in the vibrant condiment that smeared your dish and then popped it into his mouth. You gawked at him as he chewed, his eyes idly roaming the diner. You could take the man out of the communal mining canteen, but you couldn't take the communal mining canteen out of the man, you supposed. You remembered all too well the stands worth of others pilfering off your own tray.

"I know you are no doubt eager twice over to get your mitts on my draft and begin your creative process, but I must insist we allow you the time to reacclimate to city livin'." He changed the subject deftly, his fingers drumming on the scarred diner table as he spoke. "Elsewise you may just end up sealin' yourself into a studio like a cask of Amontillado and drawin' the day away." His eyes wandered back to your face. "Have you given any more consideration to which ward you might prefer to hang your hat in?" 

You gulped down a bite of toast before shaking your head. "I...I looked through the listings two days ago but I don't...I mean, I know I can afford to, but…" you trailed off. 

"Livin' alone holds no allure." Ezra's tone was sympathetic. He steepled his hands on the tabletop. "Permit me to suggest an alternative, gentle soul." You inclined your head. "We are two wandering drifters that, through sheer grit and a healthy sprinkling of providence, have managed to slog through hell together and survive without growing to loathe each other's company." 

You stared at him blankly, sponging the sauce off your chin. Ezra settled back in the booth, his body language enviably relaxed. 

"I am more than willin' to open my humble abode to you. For a few stands or simply until you find yourself despising my lugubrious company." He held up a hand as you opened your mouth. "I offer without any malice or intent of predation, gentle soul. I know that the return to non-floater spaces is not often an easy one, and I strongly suspect that you have been preyed upon in the past."

"I know you're not like that." You blurted out, flushing immediately afterwards.

Ezra raised an eyebrow. "I am grateful you don't lump my gregarious self in with the refuse, gentle soul."

"I just...I mean you've done so much for me already." You continued helplessly. "I'm in your debt, Ezra. By a lot."

"Nonsense." He scoffed. "Without you, we never would have escaped the Green! If we are to speak of debts and debtors, I must reason that I am still in yours. Shooting me would have been a ludicrously simple task, as I pointed out when we were still in that Kevva-forsaken place. Never mind the steady-handed salvage of my arm, your heroic duel with Inumon-"

"Oh yes, nothing more heroic than getting three-quarters killed by a grungy Krebine bayonet." You interrupted him dryly. "While hopped up on Brism."

Ezra chuckled. "Modest as ever!" He quickly sobered, his eyes serious. "My lodgings are more than adequate to house another individual, should you decide to grace me with your presence."

...

You didn't really have any possessions, which made your move relatively straightforward. All you had was your helmet, your suit, your underclothes and the contents of the pockets of said suit. Mercifully, everything had been decontaminated, so you didn't have anything to fear from throwing your familiar kit back on.

"I will offer you a change of clothes, but! We must venture out and acquire you new attire at your earliest convenience." Ezra insisted, already rummaging through his laughably barren closet even as you protested. "I doubt you wish to eternally linger in my dubious, threadbare garb." He suddenly stopped, snapping his fingers. "Wait. No. Kevva, we can order on the Serv. Unless you prefer the torment of physical fitting rooms?" He queried with a grimace, making you laugh.

You found yourself curled up on the couch several hours later, clad in one out of his two 'casual' shirts and your thermal leggings. You held the Serv tablet carefully in your hands as Ezra swiped through page after page of various clothing, the precocious man enthusiastically supporting any item you expressed interest in. 

"This will at least tide you over until you feel more comfortable wanderin' the streets of the Pug again. We should also find you some underthings and socks." He mused, tapping the appropriate area on the screen to bring up the search option. "I'll leave you to that, gentle soul." You hesitantly took over from him and he rose from the couch, stretching with a quiet groan. "Tea? I feel inordinately cozy right now." He offered cordially. 

"Mmhm." You nodded, a little distracted by the waves of choices available to you. Granted, at this stage all you needed were a few essentials. Undergarments that would hold up in the wash, good socks to ward off the chill. "Should I get shoes too, or wait until I go out for that?" You called.

"I feel it would be prudent to dally on that particular front." Ezra drawled from the kitchen. "It's best to ensure a proper fit in person if at all possible. Though, I hardly need to tell you that." He stuck his head back out through the doorway after a moment. "Toiletries tab should be the second to last on the right."

"I mean, I took the toothbrush from the hospital so I'm probably fine for-" His raucous laughter interrupted your reasoning and you scowled at him, uncertain of what could be so funny. 

"You've got more funds than most people would see in six lifetimes, and yet you purloined the toothbrush from your hospital room." Ezra managed to say after a few moments. "Floater habits die hard, eh gentle soul?"

Against your will, you felt giggles bubbling in your chest and you huffed out a breath, trying to ward them off. "Shush, you...you!" You retorted lamely, losing your battle with your own laughter. "Stop judging me, your moral high ground is subterranean."

"Subterranean, I like that!" Ezra exclaimed, his eyes shining with good humor as he passed you a plain white mug full to the brim with tea. "I'll have to pilfer that for my illustrious tale. Give you full credit, naturally."

You smiled at him over your mug. "You'd better."

He pressed a hand to his chest, feigning hurt. "I am a man of subterranean high ground, true enough. But I am a man of my word!"

Part Six

#ezra (prospect 2018) #ezra prospect #ezra prospect x reader #ezra x reader #ezra prospect imagine #ezra #pedro pascal #pedro pascal imagine #I'm in love #this is a lot of fun #prospect 2018 #SPACE #I love space #I love you guys #slow burn #eventual romance

[imjeralee]

Wallflower: Chapter 19 - rEaD mE :)

Raihan x F!Reader

Disclaimer: Do not own Pokemon

Summary: You’re an unassuming Pokemon breeder who works at the nursery in the Wild Area and he’s Raihan, the fearsome gym leader of Hammerlocke who has more than a million followers. You don’t want anything to do with him but he’s…persistent.

Rating: Mature/Explicit

Warnings: Lemon, smut, violence, language.

Extra note: this chapter is also messed up 

rEaD mE :)

...

...

Drifloon has deposited the little girl in a strange world.

It looks around, seemingly confused. This new area they're in is eerily quiet and it resembles a cave of some sort... The pokemon turns to the girl, tilting it's head to the side. She's beginning to stir as she lies on the cold, hard ground. Perhaps this is her doing?

A profound darkness sweeps their surroundings but then a weak, tawny glow begins to dot the area and Drifloon sees that there are several glowing rocks on the wall which is the source of the light along with a strange, jellyfish-like being that has appeared from nowhere. It floats around and hovers near them, dancing around in the dark before it jostles closer. Drifloon watches it cautiously.

You watch silently as the little girl finally wakes up, looks up and around and realises she's far from home. Bringing her knees to her chest, she begins to sniffle and wail.

"Looker?" You call out, "Looker, are you here?"

"I'm still here. What do you see?"

"There's a Nihilego." You mutter.

"What's going on?"

You continue to observe: Nihilego floats near the little girl and the balloon Pokemon watches it warily. It tries to get closer but Drifloon stops it by hurling a ball of dark energy at it, prompting it to retreat - but only briefly. Nihilego comes back, determined to get it's human host and the girl begins to cry.

Drifloon continues hurling shadow balls at the creature and the girl keeps crying, her sobs growing louder and louder until a bright light suddenly flashes and you watch as a slit appears in mid-air, as though the very fabric of the universe is being torn open, a glitch in the matrix - and the slit widens and expands into a circle, revealing a clear blue sky within and a large spray of trees - it occurs to you that it is Ilex Forest.

Without wasting a further second, the exhausted Drifloon grabs the girl's arm and tugs her towards the portal as the Nihilego swoops down on them, its tentacles reaching for the girl. However, the portal closes in seconds and its prey disappears within, abruptly leaving the scene.

It was a close call.

Nihilego watches the empty space before it turns to you.

You're still here.

You stiffen on the spot, freezing up entirely.

"What's wrong?"

The creature begins to slink over towards your direction.

This can't be right.

Looker said nothing here can hurt you.

".......It's looking at me." You cannot explain it but you feel it is staring right at you, it can see you.

And it's coming closer.

"Looker, get me out of here!"

But nothing happens and Nihilego comes closer and closer and it lifts one of its thin, transparent tentacles towards you and -

...

Your eyes open in a snap as you jerk awake.

You've returned to the interrogation room. You're lying on the hypnotherapy chair with Looker and Hypno at your side. However, it doesn't stop the distress from overwhelming you; your heart begins beating frantically and your breathing grows laboured, your forehead covered in sweat.

"It's okay, you're safe now. Take deep breaths." Looker instructs as your panicked eyes meet his. "Breathe in."

You suck in a noisy breath, still trembling.

"Now breathe out."

You exhale as calmly as possible.

Looker does this breathing exercise with you until your breathing returns to normal and your pulse slows down and it takes a while but finally, you've tamed your racing heart and panicked state and you slump over the chair, exhausted. You look up and around the room, noticing that it's been roughly an hour since the session and you're surprised you were under for so long considering you thought it was a relatively short experience.

Also, the band on your wrist is pulsing fiercely with two lines dotting the small screen - one line is orange and other one is green. The green one must be reflecting your heart rate as it blips in a routine fashion whilst the orange line is incredibly erratic, going in all sorts of directions. Meanwhile, the polygraph which Looker mentioned earlier shows a convoluted zigzag pattern all over the white sheet.

Looker hands you a cup of water and a tissue and you thank him as you dab all over at your damp forehead. He asks, "Are you okay?"

"I...I think so." You mutter, gulping the water down noisily. He takes the cup off you and refills it.

"Take it easy." He mutters, handing you the cup once more as he returns to his chair whilst Hypno moves to sit on the stool, watching the two of you with its beady eyes.

"I saw it, Looker. I saw everything. It was Driffie."

"I know."

"And he took me to this weird place where I saw Nihilego - and it saw me. It was looking at me." You continue to mutter in disbelief. The tape is still recording, which you're all too aware of. "....I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"I don't think I'm the missing child you're looking for."

Looker emits an inaudible sigh under his breath and throws his glance to the recorder on the desk. "...We've confirmed two possible theories though. That place you were in - there's a name for it - it's known as Ultra Deep Sea. It's the home of Nihilego. You've passed through an Ultra Wormhole. During the session, your energy levels spiked and the reading went off the chart. There's a practice called remote-viewing. If you've never heard of it before, it's not that well known or scientifically proven but essentially..."

"It's okay, I've heard of it and I know what it is."

Looker nods again. "Whilst you were under...although you were hypnotised, you made contact with Ultra Deep Sea. I believe that's why Nihilego saw you. Although you were viewing a past memory, you had crossed over." A brief silence spawns until he adds, "My theory is that your energy diverted you and Drifloon to a different dimension. You were also able to open a portal which deposited you in Ilex Forest."

"But how? I don't get it."

"It would seem to be because you were under extreme emotional distress." Looker mutters, "Your Drifloon protected you from Nihilego. I don't think he realises what he has done. Do you despise him for what happened?"

Despise Driffie? "I don't...I don't know."

"What are you going to do?"

You sigh heavily, holding your head in your hands. "...I don't know." You say through gritted teeth as your head begins to throb; you can't stress it enough.

The session's over now, so Looker thanks you for the time and for your cooperation. The session yielded very good results and interesting information which he'll send to the Bureau for examination and further study.

Whilst Looker recalls Hypno and begins tidying up, he says, "I'll talk to my superiors about this and get back to you. However, you need to be careful from now on. If we hadn't undergone the hypnosis, I doubt you would've known about your abilities. We've opened a door - one which we intend to keep shut."

"What do you mean?"

"The last thing we need right now are Ultra Wormholes opening and closing in Galar." Looker says, and you nod. "Keep the band with you at all times; it will continue to read your energy levels. Avoid anything that can and will inflict emotional distress. Things are going to be different from now on."

"Got it." You say; you really doubt anything will trigger you to undergo or experience the intense emotional distress that you felt when you were in Ultra Deep Space. "Bye Looker."

"Goodbye."

When you leave the room, you close the door behind you and turn round, spotting Raihan in the empty waiting area: he's slumped over a plushy seat with one hand stuck in his hoodie and Rotom in his other hand, scrolling through photos on his social media account until he senses your presence and looks up.

"Rai, what are you doing here?" You ask as you head over and stop in front of him.

He looks up at you with a wide grin, puts Rotom down but his phone chooses to float by his left shoulder. Reaching for your hand, he lifts your palm to his lips and you can't help but smile as he pecks the back of your hand and your knuckles with light, warm kisses. "Thought I'd come pick you up. How'd it go?" He murmurs, when he releases you to rub your palm gently.

"It was fine. I'm fine." You shrug casually but your face says otherwise; Raihan stares at you for longer than usual and you wonder what's wrong until you blink and something wet and warm trickles down your eye and over your cheek. "Oh..." You quickly lift a hand up, wiping at your face and the corner of the eye. "What's wrong with me....? I'm...I'm crying."

Raihan stands up immediately, reaching for you and pulling you into his embrace. "C'mere." He says, encircling his arms around you protectively. You're so small and tiny in his arms all of a sudden.

“Sorry...” You croak out as your vision becomes blurred with tears.

He chuckles, giving you a squeeze. ”Don't apologise, just let it all out...” Raihan murmurs as he hugs you tightly, patting you and rubbing little circles on your back.

You hug him in return as you're enveloped all over with his warmth and he presses his nose against the side of your head, nuzzling your hair affectionately. Squeezing your eyes shut, you begin sobbing and Raihan pats you on the head and strokes your hair soothingly. You can't seem to stop, sniffling and snivelling drearily in his arms.

He doesn't ask you what happened, he just hugs you and tells you its going to be okay, over and over again.

When you finally stop, he slowly loosens his grip and peers at you inquisitively. "...You okay?"

"Uh-huh." You choke out, nodding as you wipe your eyes.

Letting go of you, he cups your cheeks, plants a big kiss on your forehead. "Let's go."

You nod.

Once you leave Hammerlocke police station, you were planning to go to Raihan's place but when you see the massive gate, you decide to leave the city instead and sit down on the large stone steps of Hammerlocke that connects to the Wild Area, overlooking the magnificent green pastures. Your eyes are puffy and red and occasionally you'll still hiccup and sniff slightly but you're no longer crying. Raihan joins you, seating himself by your side and you both sit and stare at the vast grandness of the expanse.

You inhale deeply, closing your eyes as he watches you. Re-opening your eyes, you slide your gaze to the sky where you see a few Butterfree and Beautifly in the air until one of the Butterfree abandons the group, deciding to flutter towards your direction. You gingerly hold your arm out, reaching for it and it lands on your finger and looks at you. Raihan observes you quietly before lifting Rotom up and snapping a quick picture.

He switches the camera shutter to silence mode so the sound of the shutter won't scare the Butterfree away and takes a few shots of you with the butterfly pokemon before it flies away. You watch the Pokemon return to its group before you throw your gaze to the ground, bringing your knees to your chest.

You tell him everything that happened.

Although you're not sure where to start precisely, you tell him that Drifloon took you away. It took one moment where your mother and father took their eyes off you - perhaps for a few seconds or so - and you were gone but you didn't end up being spirited away, it turns out that you are a Fallerand you had somehow passed through an Ultra Wormhole and you ended up in Ultra Deep Sea. A Nihilego attacked but you were able to escape by opening a wormhole that brought you to Ilex Forest in Johto.

And then...obviously, you were found.

Raihan listens intently and it's a lot to take in; you wonder what his reaction might be but the more you spoke, the more you could not believe your own ears.

It sounds....unbelievable.

Raihan's holding your hand the entire time and he gives you an affectionate squeeze. "I'm sorry about Driffie. What'll you do about him?"

You hesitate before fishing out Drifloon's pokeball and you press on the button, releasing him. Drifloon appears, blinking at you and Raihan with his beady eyes. Standing up on the step to face him, you say, "I know what you did. You took me away from my family.... and if I continue to keep you, I...I-I can't forgive you for what you've done, I just can't - "

Inhaling a shaky breath, you mentally shake your head. Your fists curl at your sides as Raihan watches your interchange silently. "I'm releasing you; I don't want you anymore." You utter, "Go."

Driffie attempts to float towards you but you firmly stand your ground.

"I said go. Go on, get!"

The balloon pokemon shrinks away at the threatening tone of your voice and lowers its head. With his pokeball in hand, you toss it as far as you can, watching it vanish over the horizon. Driffie watches it sail in the air, blinking wildly before turning to you. "Floo....!"

"Get out of here! I don't want to see you ever again!"

Finally, Driffie stops.

You glare at the small pokemon and it turns round sadly and hovers towards the plains before he disappears from your view entirely; Raihan slowly moves to stand up beside you. You know what he's thinking - he's never seen this side of you before. You've never raised your voice, been angry. Not like this. Not towards a pokemon, no. You've always been so loving and caring. For a long time you stare at the horizon, wondering if Driffie would return.

He doesn't.

Your legs shake and you almost collapse if Raihan didn't catch you.

Tears build up in your eyes as you begin sobbing helplessly all over again and the dragon tamer helps you sit down with him and brings you into a hug, gently pulling you into his lap and wrapping your arms around your waist and you loop your arms around his neck in return and although you've embraced him many times before, this time you hold onto Raihan as tightly as possible as though fearing he would disappear. Raihan lets you cry it all out, rubbing your back and stroking your hair soothingly.

"He's gone," you croak out, wiping at your eyes. Your voice is hoarse and raspy. "Rai. Have I made a big mistake?"

Raihan looks conflicted; he can't give you a straight answer. "I'm so sorry, princess." He murmurs, threading his fingers through your hair and brushing some strands behind your ear before he presses his lips against your cheek.

"...Nothing's changed. I still don't know my real family and I still don't know where I come from."

"Maybe you're from a parallel dimension."

"...That's a bit farfetched."

"What if you're from that dimension your brother mentioned, where there's no such thing as pokemon?"

"No, I'm pretty sure there's pokemon where I'm from. I can't imagine a world without pokemon. It would be miserable, I bet."

He laughs and you feel his chest rumbling. "What if there's another you from another dimension somewhere out there and she's with a parallel mighty Raihan."

"Well...even in a different dimension, we're still together."

"Yep." Raihan presses another deep kiss over the curve of your cheek and the thought actually makes you happy. It occurs to you that he's trying to cheer you up so you force out a chuckle,  "When's your next appointment with Looker?" He murmurs, as he continues smothering your jaw and cheek with kisses.

"I dunno; he says he'll be in touch. I've to keep this band on for the time being and make sure my energy levels don't go crazy or something bad might happen. Looker didn't say that but I got the feeling that was what he was trying to say. Who knows, maybe I'll end up opening an Ultra Wormhole by accident or something. I don't know." You say with a sigh, blowing some hair from your eyes before you turn to him and his lips press against yours.

He was aiming for the cheek but when your lips meet, he pulls back with a grin and then leans forwards once more, capturing your lips with his. You kiss passionately for a brief moment or so, until Raihan gently pries your lips apart and tangles his tongue with yours. Admittedly, you don't kiss enough with tongue so Raihan pulls you further into his chest, your mouths pressing harder together.

When you finally break apart, his grin widens as you sit in his lap, breathless. "C'mon, let's go. Let's go check out some beds."

You force yourself to smile, nodding. "Okay."

...

A few days later.

After bed-shopping the other day with Raihan at a department store in Wyndon, you had returned home, glancing at your little cottage house. Something just feels different but you can't quite place your finger on what it is and why. Perhaps it is a matter of perspective.

It's just you, Espie and Poliwag in the house now.

A day ago or so, you could not bring yourself to get out of bed. You found yourself wondering why you were alive and what was the reason why you were even here on this earth. You were suffering and in pain. You called in sick and took a few days off. You couldn't bring yourself to get dressed properly, comb your hair, wash your teeth or hair or face...you could not even eat or drink....and your Pokemon tried their hardest to bring you out of this depression and luckily you were able to snap yourself out of it. Your pokemon care for you and love you. You still need to train Dreepy; he's counting on you.

And you still have Raihan and your family. It would hurt them to see you like this.

Therefore, you pulled yourself out of bed the day after.

You've called mom and Glenn, informing them what happened and what you had discovered. They want to visit you in Galar but you reassure them countless of times that you're fine. You tell them you've released Driffie. It's a shame, they said.

You do miss Driffie, but what's been done has been done.

In an attempt to move on with your life and focus on other things, you call your friend's mother and ask about the progress of your friend's recovery. Your friend's mother tells you she is getting better and firmly believes that she will be waking up soon; her fingers twitch occasionally and she responds to her voice. You thank the heavens above that your friend is fine.

Also, you're going to move in with Raihan. You've arranged some time to talk to your landlord about your lease - you still have roughly a half year left on your contract and although you looked over the terms and conditions, you had wanted to speak to the landlord to clarify on a few things. You wonder if you can break lease early, but most likely you might get fined... unless you find someone who can take over.

Raihan's already ordered the new bed which will arrive during the weekend - it's a king-sized mattress, not too soft or too hard. You both had tested out a few mattresses at the store which was a fun experience and eventually discovered the one dream mattress that fitted both your needs. It was perfect for sleeping and for...well...you know, other activities.

You're really looking forward to moving in with him. Never in a million years did you think you would meet your partner whilst working abroad - and now you are going to live together too. You're aware that usually this can also test the strength of one's relationship because you never truly know what someone's really like until you live with them. Nevertheless, it's all very exciting.

You're going to attend one of Raihan's matches later on and then you will be meeting with him to buy some necessities.

You had spent all of last night on the phone discussing about things you'd be sharing from now on - it dawns to you that this is new to Raihan as well - but essentially you'll get the bottom shelf of the bathroom cabinet because he's tall and can reach the top shelf better. You'll sleep on the right side of the bed near the window and he'll sleep on the left near the door. You'll get your own cupboard and drawer in the kitchen where you can put your baking stuff. And he'll clear some room in the cupboard under the stairs so you can put the equipment you use for work inside.

You fondly recall how you had been chatting animatedly with him about what you'll do together on the weekends, how you'll spend your evenings and how you can both take turns cooking breakfast, lunch or dinner. Indeed, it's the life you've always dreamed of and a few years ago, you wouldn't have thought about these things...but having someone by your side and sharing things is very appealing to you.

It's almost time for Raihan's match so you grab the ticket he's given you and head out with Espie. The Corviknight taxi takes you to Hammerlocke in a matter of minutes and you approach the stadium, joining the massive queue of fans and tourists alike. The lobby is bustling - a huge number of people queue up for merchandise, taking photos with Ball Guy and various aspects of the interior of Hammerlocke stadium. It's even busier when you enter the stalls - you weave your way through the crowd and finally find your block.

Raihan's gotten you a front row VIP seat so once you show your ticket and the attendant allows you in, you realise you're sitting with all the hardcore, die-hard Raihan fans who have broke their banks for the chance to see their idol up close and personal; they are screaming and cheering for him, waving glow sticks and taking selfies with their friends and pokemon. The majority are female and as you hop down the aisle and find your seat, you notice a few girls stop chatting abruptly about their Raihan photo collection and stare at you; you think they recognise you and immediately, the entire row goes silent.

You don't pay them any attention; you sit down in your seat with Espie in your arms and wait for the match to begin, watching the large TV screen which shows a video of the Pokemon League and several replays of Leon's and Raihan's matches. Down below on the pitch and you see the cheerleaders have split themselves into two groups, practising a routine for the crowd whilst they wait. You fail to see Alicia, funnily enough.

"...Isn't that Raihan's girlfriend?"

"What?!"

"She's here??"

"Yeah, I think that's her..."

You don't respond to the conversation that's going on in the background. Let them talk. Who cares?

The stalls are slowly being filled up and once all seats are full and the match is about to start; suddenly the lights of the stadium go dim, bathing the audience in darkness until a few spotlights switch on and the cheerleaders cartwheel away and out of view as the referee appears - he's roughly Kabu's age, wearing a black and white striped jersey, matching shorts, socks and shoes; the crowd gasp in awe as the huge screen stops playing the Macro Cosmos endorsed videos and is stamped with the words: "Welcome ladies and gentlemen!!!"

The referee has a microphone taped over his cheek near his mouth, his voice amplified as he thanks everyone for coming, announcing loudly that the match is going to begin; he holds his arm up, gesturing to the left of the stadium. "Please welcome....gym challenger three hundred and sixty one!"

The crowd begins to go wild and you watch as the gym challenger appears, emerging from the dark corridor. It's a teenager in the gym challenger uniform, maybe....fifteen or sixteen years old. Although she's reached the final gym, she looks terrified.

The referee then announces Raihan, throwing his arm to the corridor in the right and the crowd goes insane. The fangirls in your block begin screaming for him and stomping on the floor, causing your row to shake violently. Espie clings onto you and folds her ears down in an effort to blot out the noise as Raihan finally appears and the cheering grows a thousand times louder in volume that you think your eardrums are about to burst.

You check if Espie's fine and she seems okay, so you avert attention to your boyfriend as he swaggers out to face off the challenger. Along the way he waves to the crowd before he takes a selfie and your heart thumps hard against your chest; you watch him stride across the pitch and smile widely to yourself for you are extremely proud of him.

Bringing Rotom out, you ask him to take some photos of Raihan for you. The dragon tamer also seems to be searching for you so you wave frantically with Espie meowing loudly, hoping to catch his eye. You hope he sees you and when he spots you in the stall, he gives you a wink.

A few girls behind you think he's winking at them and squeal with delight.

Raihan and the challenger arrive at the middle of the pitch and exchange a few friendly words of sportsmanship before they turn away, heading to their respective spots. The referee stands at a safe distance in the middle, glancing at the gym challenger and Raihan. With his whistle in hand, the referee tells both battlers to get ready - the TV begins a countdown, starting at three - and Raihan brings his Rotom out with a gentle smile, checking the little screen briefly before he lifts his arm and in a split second, his expression changes into a fierce one.

The fangirls scream wildly in response and the countdown is over; the message on the huge TV immediately switches to "You are challenged by Gym Leader Raihan!" and the referee blows on the whistle.

The match starts.

Raihan does his signature pose before he tosses two ultra balls onto the field.

He begins the battle with Gigalith and Flygon; Gigalith's ability whips up a sandstorm but the crowd is safe from the weather effects by a mysterious, invisible shield that protects the viewers whilst the referee, Raihan and the gym challenger are battered.

It's a tad hard to see and you wouldn't have known exactly what was going on unless the referee wasn't outlining the match with energetic vigour that keeps the crowd on their toes, full of nail-biting suspense. The TV also shows close ups from both battlers from various camera angles. The battle is tense but the gym challenger is prepared - she's brought a fairy type and a water type. Gigalith is quickly taken down after a few hits and Flygon is smacked around by a 'Play Rough' move courtesy of her Grimmsnarl. Flygon takes down the water pokemon and Raihan brings out Sandaconda, who quickly knocks out Grimmsnarl.

When both are down to their final pokemon, Raihan releases Duraludon and starts to Dynamax him but not before taking a quick selfie with the enlarged glowing ultra ball; it's the moment everyone's been waiting for as he tosses it high into the air. The fangirls alternate away from mindless screaming and cheering and begin chanting to a tune which you are all too familiar with, having watched so many battles online.

In fact, the entire stadium is lit up with this chanting and it encompasses the entire arena which is now bathed in a red glow as Duraludon re-appears, having grown to the size of a skyscraper (and looking very much like one too).

"Bring the storm! My partner will send everyone in the stadium flying!" Raihan yells, and it's his trademark quote which causes the crowd to erupt into a frenzy.

The gym challenger releases their pokemon - it's a Cinderace - and she dynamaxes it. It also grows to a gargantuan size that matches Duraludon and you watch as both pokemon whale blows on each other using G-Max moves until Duraludon's health is brought down to zero and he returns to normal size, collapsing over the pitch.

Raihan's expression falls as he recalls the fainted pokemon and the referee blows the whistle again, officially ending the match.

"Gym challenger three hundred and sixty one WINS!"

Raihan hangs his head low whilst the gym challenger jumps up and down with happiness and dances around with her Cinderace.

The fangirls seem sad too but soon the crowd returns to cheer and Raihan picks himself back up with Rotom grinning haplessly.

"...At least I still have my good looks." He mutters to himself with a pout, adjusting his headband over his forehead. The fangirls go crazy, squealing with glee.

Re-gathering at the middle of the pitch, Raihan shakes hands with the gym challenger and passes over the badge. You don't stay for the cheerleaders when they re-appear to celebrate the victory and watch as Raihan heads for the corridor whilst confetti and happy messages appear on the screen.

Leaving your seat with Espie, you quickly leave the stalls and take the stairs down to the 'staff only' area, showing your pass to a gym trainer who lets you through. You arrive at the dark corridor where you see Raihan leaning against the wall - he's been waiting for you - and you quickly make your way over.

"Rai!" You call out to him and he looks up from his phone, grinning at you.

"Hey, princess."

You hold your arms out but instead, he pulls you into his arms and crushes you into a tight embrace that would put a Bewear to shame and promptly lifts you off the ground, spinning you round in a circle before he settles you back onto your feet where he clutches you firmly and buries his nose into your neck, trailing kisses over your cheeks and lips. You can't help but giggle as he kisses you all over.

"I watched the match; it was amazing."

"But I lost."

"Aww, it's okay." You gently pat his head, smoothing down his hair before you pinch his cheeks gently, "You did a great job out there."

"The gym challengers are seriously keeping me on my toes. How can I keep up with Leon at this rate?" He mutters as you let go; he leans forwards and he smooches you, pressing his lips firmly over yours again and again.

"Perhaps you'd be interested in some EV training?" You suggest, "Then you'll be able to squash all of Leon's Pokemon with one hit."

"Nah, s'alright. If I did that, it wouldn't be fair on Leon and it wouldn't be fun either." He replies with a wicked grin. Scooping your hand with his, he kisses your knuckles swiftly. "Let's get outta here. I'm hungry."

"Sure, where'd you wanna go?"

"Hm, let me think about it. I gotta grab something from my locker first."

"Okay, I'll wait for you outside in the lobby." You reply, and he presses a quick kiss on your forehead before you split up.

Raihan heads to the locker room and you make a beeline for the exit until you spot the gym trainer from before who let you in, holding onto a white envelope. He looks a little troubled and as you pass him, he stops you in your path.

"Oh, uh...Excuse me." He says, "Are you Raihan's girlfriend?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Someone just came up to me and told me to give this to you." He hands you the envelope and you raise a brow as you hold it limply in your hands.

Turning it around, your blood turns cold when you see that the front is indeed addressed to yourself and it is stamped with the words: rEaD mE :)

Your eyes grow wide and slowly, you pry open the flap. Delving your hand inside, you pull out a single piece of paper which you unfold and there are instructions spelled in Unown, telling you that they have the DVD and you are to meet at the top of Rose Tower immediately. You are not to tell a single soul and you must come alone.

Or else.

Panic seeps into you all over. Fear grips you like ice and you reread the instructions a second time....you cannot believe it. It's deja vu all over again. And again, it's to do with the goddamn DVD. However, as you tremble and shake in horror, suddenly these feelings evaporate entirely, replaced with searing hot anger as you scrunch up the blackmail letter so tightly that your knuckles go white and your bones clench.

It’s happening again.

Why is this happening again?

You're about to use Rotom to call Looker.

But you stop.

No, this time you will deal with this on your own. Whoever it is and whatever it is they want, you simply don't care anymore. You have your pokemon with you so you are well-protected and you won't show any mercy.

You are sick and tired of being pushed around and you aren't going to let this pass, to let them get away with it.

Not this time.

The energy band on your wrists starts to blip intensely but you ignore it.

You tell the gym trainer to inform Raihan that you've got to leave due to an emergency and without further ado, you leave the stadium abruptly and hail a taxi. You don't want Raihan to worry or get hurt because of you. You'll deal with this quietly and quickly.

When the Corviknight taxi arrives in Wyndon, you enter Rose Tower without further ado and although a staff member comes up to you, asking a polite 'How can I help you?', you tell them someone is expecting you at the top of the tower and they seem to understand, allowing you entry to the lift.

You enter, watching the lift doors close behind you and it begins to chug up to the top floor. You clutch onto the strap of your bag firmly, your knees quaking. You can't help it. Your stomach does numerous flips, the back of your throat is dry. The lift finally arrives at its destination and the doors slide open, revealing the same outdoor arena you had once set foot on with Raihan, although on this occasion the dragon tamer is not with you.

You step inside and there are two familiar figures within: it's Alicia and Raihan's ex-girlfriend.

You’re not totally shocked to the very core that they are the ones behind this. You always knew they were up to no good and they disliked you so the fact that they are the ones responsible doesn't really make heads turn. This is it, probably. The final confrontation. You will tell them to leave you alone right here and now. You storm over, stopping a short distance away and you give them beady looks whilst they stare you down.

Raihan's ex speaks first. "I didn't think you'd come."

You notice Alicia's Rotom phone is facing you with a little light on. Holy crap, are they...are they recording this???

You ignore the phone for the time being. "Where is it?" You demand angrily, having successfully stamped down the fear and nervousness and you're able to control your voice; you don't stammer or at stutter at all and your energy band blips again.

"Oh? Not so timid now, are you?"

"Answer the goddamn question."

Raihan's ex isn't fazed by your newfound hostility considering the last time you spoke, it was all rather genial. She dips her hand into her bag and pulls out a shiny, flat disc. "You mean this?"

"Hand it over." You growl, "I'm not in the mood for any games."

"I'll hand it over if you do something for me in return."

"You want me to break up with Raihan, don't you? I know you messaged him. Why are you doing this? I thought he already told you this - he doesn't want you," you bark and her face goes a funny colour in response. "And you don't deserve him."

"It's not like you deserve him either." She quips back.

It's because of the DVD that this is happening so honestly, you could just walk away from this. "Do you know what? Just do it. Just upload it online. See if I care, because I clearly don't and neither does Raihan. You don't scare me, neither of you do."

There's a brief silence and Alicia throws a quick glance at the ex worryingly. "Maybe we should - "

"Shut up." The ex snaps, crossing her arms. Her expression turns dark but then her lips curl into a cruel sneer. "Fine then, maybe I will. And I'll also tell everyone that you're adopted, that you were abused when you were a kid and that you were bullied in school, that you're nothing but a loser. I'll dig up every single dirty little secret you have and make sure it goes public."

Your fists curl. What the fuck. What the actual fuck. How does she know this, how did she find out???? You cannot fathom and as she smirks, you begin to seethe with rage. You are enraged, flush with anger. But at the same time, you are also panicking deep inside.

"...Is she having a mental breakdown?" Alicia mutters.

"Who cares, you're getting this on camera, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

You begin to find it hard to breathe, your mind racing frantically and your heart cannot pounding so hard it hurts - and they notice, laughing at your reaction. They're recording this too. Why is this happening? Should you fight her? With punches and kicks? No, she's not alone - you're unlikely to get the upperhand although you want to strangle the wind out of her if you could. Hell, you could get your pokemon to attack them but that's a criminal offence. Realising that you have no advantage here, you find yourself at a loss and you're reduced to a quaking mess again, sick to the stomach.

As you despair, the band on your wrist beeps louder and louder and the orange line is spiralling out of control; it's at the peak, quivering violently as the reading begins to go off the charts, the band cannot keep up as you become lightheaded and dizzy and you drop to the ground.

Suddenly, their laughter stops.

Instead, they're now adamant in staring wide-eyed at something behind you.

Turning round, a slit has appeared in mid-air.

...

Meanwhile.

Looker sits in his office in Hammerlocke Police station, going over the transcript of the hypnosis session.

She had described Ultra Deep Sea in-depth. She had even seen a Nihilego. Looker rubs the bottom of his chin as he reads the final part: the Nihilego had seen her during the session. He has a bad feeling about this so he goes to one of his briefcases and opens it. There's only foam inside, cushioning a single pokeball and a folded piece of paper.

The label on it says: "Type: Null - Property of Macro Cosmos."

Looker takes out the paper and unravels it, revealing that it is now property of the Bureau, having been confiscated. He glances to where his signature is along with the print where it details that Type: Null is under Looker's protection. Contemplating to himself, Looker reaches for a small bottle of correction fluid from a tub on the desk and carefully removes his name.

Once it dries, he picks up a pen and writes her name in his place.

Nodding to himself, Looker folds the paper back and pats the pokeball. "You'll be in good hands." He says.

Suddenly, his Rotom phone beeps loudly and he glances over. "Bzzzrt, abnormal energy level detected from zzzubject zzzixteen!" Rotom cries out.

His brows furrow at once. "Whereabouts?" Looker demands as he gets up from his seat, grabbing his coat off the hook and donning it. He picks up his suitcase too, packing in some of his equipment.

"It'zzz coming from Rozzze Tower in Wyndon."

"Thanks, Rotom. Let's go check it out."

Looker hopes he's not too late.

...

#pkmn #pokemon #pokemonsword #pokemonshield #pokemon shield and sword #jeralee #fanfic #fic #kibana #raihan x reader #Raihan x you #reader #archive of our own #wallflower #reader insert

[hiro-gari]

[Part 1] If you like emotional idea for oneshot, I have one about Wings AU for Metal Bat: What if blackened feathers on the wings representing bottled-up emotions? Despite his hot-headed and outspoken personality, Badd still has alot of black feathers on his white wings because of the burden as a hero, a big brother, and a single guardian for Zenko, especially after the death of their parents. Garou on the opposite has none of it because he let his emotions out and has kinda 'idgaf' personality.

[Part 2] After they're together and getting comfortable with eachother, Badd's wings little-by-little become pure white again like him in the past as he slowly but surely opened up about himself to Garou.. 💖 You can make it as emotional as possible, hurt/comfort is OK too! 😉👌✨ I apologized if it's not so good and for making it Batarou-hinted again I'm so sorry 😅💦 Thank you for always listening to my random asks, hope you have lots of good days in new year! 😊👍💕💖💝🌸🌻

I’m soso sorry I have no excuse for taking so long to write this 😅 I hope it is worth the wait

Understandings

Garou/Metal Bat Wings! AU oneshot

Hurt/comfort, angst to fluff, violence, death mentions

Badd’s eyes snapped open as the hush of the train was interrupted by a voice resounding from the intercom, declaring their upcoming stop.

Gazing out the window, he barely caught sight of a decorative sign as it flashed by-

WELCOME TO K CITY

The other passengers started to stir as well, some glancing in his direction. A young boy stared at him fixedly. Badd tried to smile genuinely and gave him a small wave. The kid’s eyes widened and he nudged the woman in the seat beside him and pointed towards Badd. She turned in his direction, her brow furrowing when she caught sight of him.

He slowly slumped further into his seat and looked back out the window, regretting his decision to take public transit.

The Hero Association had not-so-subtly requested that heroes “refrain from excessive public interaction unrelated to your heroic duties” in the weeks following the defeat of the Monster Association. Though they were victorious, the media was still a storm of mixed views on the integrity and commitment of heroes after the blow they had been dealt. 

Badd rubbed his temple absently, trying to ignore the ache in his head that had been spreading since morning. Months ago, I’d have assumed that kid was a fan, probably would’ve offered to pose for a photo... He clicked on his phone to make himself look busy and stared at his lockscreen. It was an old picture of a much younger Zenko beaming, her ivory wings spread wide with glee as she cradled a scraggly tabby.

His phone screen went black again, and he sighed defeatedly at the sight of his own dejected reflection. The train slowed to a halt as it pulled into the station, and one by one everyone filed into the aisle. He tried not to notice the pure white wings on the backs of the passengers lined up in front of him as they walked out into the city.

Doesn’t mean shit. Anyone can go to a cosmetics store and get those white dyes. Even still, he glanced over his shoulder, anxiously checking to be sure he had every inch of jet black covered.

Nearly a year ago, the first gray patches had appeared.

Though the initial blow of his parents death was unbearable, he forced himself to find the strength to smile, excel at his hero duties, and maintain his cocky attitude.

But as the months went by, it seemed the more effort he gave into being a hero and a caretaker for Zenko, the more the dark stains would spread.

His phone chimed, and he pulled it from his pocket, slinging his bat over his shoulder casually. He froze as Zenko’s name above the all caps message sent a flash of anxiety through him, but it was quickly washed away by the picture she had attached. It was a rather blurred selfie, but she was smiling, posing with a slick brown creature pawing the glass behind her.

OTTERS ARE SO CUTE! I WANT ONE! she wrote.

Of course. Her class had taken a trip to the zoo for the day, and he’d seen her off with them before departing on his own. Badd had wanted to accompany her as a chaperone, but previous experience had taught him that his old school teachers had never quite forgiven him for being such a problematic student. He continued on, making his way in the direction of the dense forest, which framed the city’s entire eastern edge. The buildings and streets ended abruptly as he reached a wooden arch. The faded gray letters etched into the timber read

K CITY NATURE PARK

Beyond it was a stony path, forking in one direction toward an open area dotted with benches and gazebos, the other leading to a formidable wooden staircase. The top was barely visible from where Badd stood, and the wood creaked as he took the first step. He twirled his bat absently as he ascended, taking in the sounds and the overwhelming green that was notably absent for miles surrounding his home. When was the last time I’ve been to a place like this? Maybe I should bring Zenko sometime... The smell brought memories buried deep in his mind to the surface. He recalled how he’d raced up and down the steps, showing off for his parents as they made the climb with him.

“I don’t care about the way it looks! But keeping all those bad feelings hidden away, it’ll wear you down, big bro...”

Even though he tried to never let Zenko see his current state, it was impossible to completely keep it from her. He hated the idea of covering his wings, but her concern about him had become unbearably overwhelming. He just needed more time to fix things...

He turned back toward the path, which lead into an aged stone temple on the shore of a shimmering lake.

Badd was so overcome by the nostalgia of the view, he nearly overlooked the crouched figure on the roof, completely still, save for the ruffling of his feathers in the gaining wind.

He was crouched low, his snowy wings half unfolded defensively. 

His golden eyes narrowed as Badd instinctively gripped his bat in both hands, twisting his face in anger. The man rose slowly, never taking his eyes off him, and stepped over the ledge. His outstretched wings caught the wind and he landed silently.

The sound of the first, sparse droplets of rain hitting stone filled the stillness between them.

“You…” Badd growled through gritted teeth

“Metal Bat…”

His scowl gave way to a slight smirk, and he closed the distance between them in one fluid movement. He stopped just short of Badd’s reach, unflinching as Badd raised his bat menacingly.

“You look like shit.”

“Garou!” Badd yelled as he unleashed a fury of blows, hitting only raindrops as his opponent nimbly evaded each strike.

“You’re not supposed to be here.” Badd hissed, reeling as Garou leapt behind him.

“You’re supposed to be back in that cesspool you patrol,” He lunged, catching the full force of Badd’s swing in his hand, stopping it midair. “I’ll do whatever I like.” Badd lost his footing as Garou effectively disarmed him. He was sent crashing to the ground before he could recover.

The sky seemed to open at once, releasing an unrelenting torrent of rain. Badd lifted himself, brushing aside the dark strands of hair that clung to his face, squinting through the storm. Garou’s taunting grin had vanished, replaced with a look of disbelief.

“Where’s that Fightin’ Spirit you got?” Garou tossed the bat aside with a clang. He arched a brow as he stepped closer, nearly towering over Badd. “What the hell is wrong with you,” he said darkly, lowering himself until his face was mere inches away from Badd’s.

“Damn you,” Badd cursed, pushing him back to an arm’s length. He unfolded his wet, heavy wings slowly. The downpour had washed away the white he’d covered them with, revealing the dense, black feathers that threatened to overtake him entirely. “Can't you see?”

Without hesitation, Garou half dragged him across the muddy pathway. He roughly shoved him into the dimly lit temple, staying forebodingly quiet. Badd thudded up against the dry stone wall, visibly shaking with chills. Even as his sight adjusted, Garou was hardly recognizable as he practically blended into the shadows of the temple. His eyes seemed to glow as he gave him an accusatory stare.

“You’re a hell of a mess.”

“No shit.”

Garou only scoffed in response.

“Shut up,” Badd said as he hung his head, his disheveled hair hanging low over his face, “you’re the last person I would want to see me like this.”

“But I do see. I see people like this every damn day, but never someone like you.” He paused, but Badd gave no reply.

Someone like me? he questioned silently.

“‘Spose that’s why you’re hiding it then…”

“Damn right that’s why,” Badd glared up at him, “Not ‘cause I give a shit what people think. Because a hero’s gotta be more than just physically strong. I’ve gotta be unwavering, someone that people can believe in…” Badd’s words trailed off quietly.

“God, you’re spouting nonsense too.” Despite his harsh words, the usual malice in his tone had faded. Garou took a step closer, but kept his distance. “Clearly you do give a shit what people think then-”

“I’m just doing what I have to!” Badd shouted over him, “So that I can be Metal Bat. So that I can be a hero Zenko can look up to, and someone who would’ve made my parents proud-”

“It’s killing you.” Garou’s flat tone echoed in the hollow room. Outside, the wind rose to a howling rage.

Badd stared dumbfounded, unable to muster the wit to reply.

“I don’t care what kinda hero you’re trying to be, you’re all the same to me. But if you keep goin’ the way you are, the only hero you’ll be is a dead one. You can’t save anyone if you can’t save yourself.” Badd flinched as Garou crouched in front of him, casually touching his forehead with the back of his hand in an unexpectedly gentle way.

He made a soft tch, hinted with disapproval, and seated himself squarely across from Badd.

“You’re feverish, and you sure as hell didn’t come ready to fight, so why are you here?”

“I thought… It would make me happy,” Badd mumbled, almost incoherently as his eyelids flickered.

“Oi!” Garou caught Badd by the shoulders as he slumped forward. “You don’t get to tap out now!”

Badd gave him a weak grin.

“Like hell I would.”

——————————

Badd came to slowly, blinking in confusion as he woke to a room he didn’t recognize.

An orange hue shone across the bare, white walls, emitting from the single window opposite of where he laid. He was sprawled out on a faded, woven couch, which appeared to be the sole piece of furniture in the empty room.

How the hell’d I get here?

He jerked toward the sound of a doorknob turning, followed by the screech of old door hinges. Garou appeared, pulling back his hood as he entered, disheveling his silvery hair in the process. His face tightened as Badd sat himself upright cautiously.

“You?” 

Garou paused in the middle of removing his jacket, making eye contact briefly before quickly averting his gaze.

“‘Bout time you woke up.” He hung his jacket on the doorknob casually.

Badd glanced around the tiny apartment, realization finally hitting him.

“You… you’ve been living here this whole time?”

“Didn't realize you were lookin’ for me. Figured all  you heroes wanted me gone just as much as I wanted to get away from you.”

“I wasn’t looking for you! And don’t lump me in with everyone else like that.”

“Sorry.” The apology in Garou’s voice sounded irritatingly sincere to Badd. He was studying a loose white feather a little too intently, twisting it between his fingers. “Guess your fever broke overnight then, you should just go-”

“Overnight?!”

Badd reached for his phone in a panic, leaping to his feet. Two alerts appeared as he clicked it on, frowning at the newly cracked screen,

43 missed calls

128 text messages

“Fuck,” Badd hissed.

Garou gave him a slight, toothy grin, amused at his flustered reaction. 

“Duty calls?”

“Shut up,” Badd hastily found his shoes beside the couch, “I was never here, got it?” He added sternly.

“Fine with me…” Badd noted the hint of distraction in his voice.

Garou’s gaze followed him closely as he crossed the room. His eyes widened slightly, as though fascinated.

Badd paused momentarily in the doorway, glancing backwards as if he was going to say something. Ultimately, he gave only a small wave before stepping out into the crisp air, leaving the door ajar in his haste.

Garou, without responding, watched Badd go. He stared in wonder at the receding, slate gray feathers that had replaced the jet black pattern marring his white wings.

After sitting in contemplative silence for a time, he turned and reached out to close the door. A bright flash of sunlight on metal caught his eye.

Leaning against the side of the building was Metal Bat’s signature, bright silver bat that he’d gone to retrieve that morning.

Garou smiled to himself.

“See you again soon, Badd.”

#yaaaas FINALLY #thank YOU for allowing me to unleash my full a n g s t #also I suck at titles I’m sorry #opm #ask #oneshot #garou #metal bat #batarou #badd

[hopelessromanticspoonie]

Chasing His Heat

Characters: Loki x Reader

Chapter: 1 of 2

Rating: Explicit

Summary: After a failed mission strands you in the Siberian wilderness, you and Loki are forced to take extreme measures to fend off hypothermia.

Warnings: Language, making out, partial nudity, implied smut, Loki is an ass but not completely

Taglist: @just-the-hiddles

“I’m going to kill Thor the next time I see him,” you grumbled, crossing your arms over your chest against the biting wind that cut through your clothing as if it didn’t even exist.

“Only after I am finished with him,” Loki snapped, trudging a path through the snow ahead of you. His long strides were a bit too wide for you to keep your steps within, but you did your best, although the effort was pointless after spending several minutes out in the dreadful weather. Your shoes, socks, and pants were completely soaked, adding to the chill seeping into your bones.

You put on a mediocre impression of Thor’s booming accented voice, shaking your head back and forth and rolling your eyes, “Loki can assist you with that mission! He is the God of Mischief, and you will require stealth to successfully enter the base undetected.”

You let out a shriek of frustration and kicked at the snow. It was a dumb gesture, and you knew it before you did it, but it didn’t stop you; it only ended up with you sprawled on your ass, snow surrounding you on all sides. It immediately wetted down the rest of your clothing that had somehow remained relatively dry despite the light snowfall. Not anymore.

You had the sudden and intense urge to just give up and throw a temper tantrum.

“Didn’t account for their anti-aircraft missiles shooting us out of the sky, did you, Lightning Man?” you snarled and shook a numb, trembling fist at the cloud-covered sky.

Loki turned around and lifted his brow in a smirk at your defeated prone figure. “I am not coming back to retrieve you. There is what appears to be an abandoned building up ahead. We can use that for shelter until Stark can send another jet for our retrieval.”

The promise of shelter from the elements spurs you on, and you scramble to your feet and book it towards the small wooden cottage standing against the washed-out gray horizon. Behind it a dense forest of evergreens, blocking out the mountains that dotted the Siberian wilderness. You could only hope there’s a bit of firewood somewhere around it, or you could very well get hypothermia before help arrived.

Loose floorboards creaked underneath your combined footsteps as you both rushed into the cabin and slammed the door behind you against the howling wind. Your eyes darted around the room hopefully in search of firewood, a blanket, anything to keep warm. You’re left wanting when the only thing to be found is a worn rug that had seen better days at least a decade ago.

“Got any space heaters up your magical sleeve that I don’t know about?” you asked bitterly as you rushed over to pull the thick shutters over the two front windows to stop the worst of the wind blowing into the tiny space. Even with the shutters drawn and windows closed, a draft still blew in through near-invisible cracks between the logs. There wasn’t anything you could do about that. You peered around, using the faint light filtering in through the gaps in the logs, in one last-ditch hope that a change of clothes, plush couch, firewood, and a hot bath would have suddenly appeared in the few seconds you back was turned.

No dice. Damnit.

“Unfortunately I do not, no. It is not an issue I worry too terribly about,” he replied with a dry chuckle, walking over to the nearest wall and sliding down until he was seated against it.

You mimicked his position on the opposite wall, pulling your knees to your chest and wrapping your arms around them as tightly as you could manage. You tucked your chin between your knees and chest and your blue-tinted mouth found a home against the sodden fabric of your thin light gray pants. You had dressed to blend in if you had the misfortune of getting spotted, either inside the Hydra base or outside, and the thin layers you wore did nothing to protect you from the elements even before you had been forced to abandon the downed Quinjet. Now that they were soaked through with snow, you shivered uncontrollably in as tight of a ball as you could manage.

“Lucky you, Asgardian. Just scrape me off of the floor when they get here,” you bit back, dropping your forehead onto your knees. Your breath barely warmed the small pocket you’d created between your thighs and chest, but it felt better than the frigid air of the cabin, so you closed your eyes and tried to focus on that small bit of comfort instead of the ache of your extremities from the lack of blood flow.

If only you’d gone on this mission with Nat, or Sam, or even Cap, they would know what to do. But you had no choice but to stick it out with Loki. He was unbothered by the cold, and most likely too far up his own ass to notice that you were freezing to the wall you huddled against.

A gasp of surprise left your chapped lips when a heavy arm settled over your hunched shoulders. You had been so fixated on the tremors wracking your body that you hadn’t noticed Loki’s heavy footfalls as he crossed the space to sit down beside you.

“Wh-what are you d-doing?” you asked, brow furrowed in concentration and indignation as you tried to get the words out around your chattering teeth. He radiated delicious heat that you long to curl into like a kitten but you held onto the last bit of dignity with your fingernails. You’d freeze to death before you accepted help from the asshole Asgardian who seemed to revel in nothing more than when he caused you endless amounts of frustration.

“I won’t be viewed favorably by our colleagues if I allow you to freeze to death. Hush and come here stubborn mortal,” he grumbled, velvet voice full to the brim with exasperation.

Your muscles seemed to have solidified in the short time you’d sat there, so you didn’t even try to uncurl when he lifted you like you weighed nothing and deposited you in the circle of his lap. Your jaw dropped to sputter against the forward action, but you instantly shut up at the blissful heat accompanying the actions of his arms wrapping the both of you in his green and black cape and pulling you into his chest.

A soft moan of pleasure rushed unbidden from your lips at his intoxicating warmth enveloping you, and you were powerless to resist the urge to bury your face into the hollow of his neck. The heady, masculine scent of spice and leather that perfumed to his skin and clothing washed over you, and you breathed it in greedily. His fingers tensed on your back briefly, but soon he relaxed and allowed his gloriously toasty touch to permeate your icy clothes.

“We tell no one about this,” you commanded quietly, words muffled against his racing pulse point.

A breathless laugh blew against your damp hair plastered to the crown of your head. “As if I would speak of it. No one would believe it if you deigned to inform anyone of your rescue by the dashing Asgardian Prince, so settle your nerves and be still.”

You bit back your retort to wrap your hands out from around your shins and up to cup his jawline, unfeeling fingers seeking the heat that you so desperately craved. In any other situation it would mortify you to act so boldly with the god, but it was just between the two of you, and he had started it. You were simply staving off hypothermia.

Well, you were trying. Despite the impressive heat his body gave off beneath his cape, it wasn’t enough to combat your water-logged clothes, and the tremor rattling your bones.

“You will not approve of this suggestion, but you will never warm properly while you remain in those clothes.” He patted his hand against your back to punctuate his statement, the wet slap of his palm loud in the almost unnatural quiet of the dimly lit cabin.

You closed your eyes and sighed drowsily. “Not happening.”

The answering shake of his head pulled your hands back and forth as they clung to his jaw. You stilled the abrupt movement by running your thumbs over the hollows of his cheeks. Subconsciously you continued the soothing movement. You couldn’t feel your fingers anyway, so what did it matter?

~~~

Loki’s hands shook your shoulders roughly, pulling you from the light doze that you had fallen into. It was so hard to open your eyes, but you forced yourself to when he called your name and cupped the sides of your neck so his thumbs propped your head up by your jaw.

He looked worried. His shining emerald eyes narrowed with concern and he cursed quietly under his breath. Your forehead fell onto his shoulder when he adjusted you on top of him so that your legs wrapped around his waist and your arms were wedged between you so your hands splayed across his broad, bare chest.

He was so warm. You could really feel it with your chests pressed together as they were. Your heels dug into his lower back and you tightened your fingers into his pectoral muscles to leech as much of his body heat as he had to give.

“Such a fragile little thing,” he murmured. The quiet words brushed his lips against the frosty shell of your ear and sent another wave of heat through you, but this time it went straight to the faint stirrings at the pit of your stomach.

Slowly, you came back to your senses as painful pins and needles pricked at your hands and feet. You groaned - more unhappily than pained - at the unpleasant sensation and lifted your head so you could visually inspect the offending body parts.

In the shadows of Loki’s cape, though, all you got was an eyeful of the half-naked god beneath you. Your wide eyes shot down to take in your own lack of clothing, and you were at least slightly relieved to see that you’re both still wearing underwear.

But that doesn’t explain where your clothing and your bra went. How had you not felt that happening?

Damn wizard.

“Loki, where the fuck are my clothes?” you exclaimed, crossing your arms over your bare chest and leaning away from him.

His hands remained firmly rooted to your back, not allowing you to gain more than a few inches of distance between your underdressed bodies. “You were succumbing to hypothermia. I made the decision to save your life at the risk of upsetting your delicate sensibilities about partial nudity,” he stated matter-of-factly with a shrug of his shoulders, having the gall to look bored with the entire conversation.

Your head shook side to side erratically. “Well, that’s not. I mean, you-”

He cut off your sputtering with a sharp shake of his head, raising one brow while he looked at you expectantly. “-I saved your life. You’re welcome.”

You shifted on his lap, and the innocent motion rubbed across the beginnings of his arousal, restrained by almost indecently thin underwear. The warmth that flooded out from between your legs had nothing to do with the toasty bubble created from your bodies beneath Loki’s cape, and everything to do with the lust shining in his eyes mere inches from your own.

This close, you took a moment to actually look at the god pinned beneath you, at the regal line of his nose, the jawline so sharp it could cut glass, brows furrowed together and tilted slightly downward, and green eyes with pupils blown, darkening them and adding a hint of danger to his expression that sent a jolt of electricity to your core and made the hair on the back of your neck stand on end.

Your hand tentatively flattened itself onto his chest just beneath his collar bones. A muscle in his jaw fluttered at the chill of your firm touch. Curiosity drove you, and you leaned forward, eyes focused on his lips that parted when you stopped your advance so close that you heard his breath hitch in his throat when your thumb caressed the pulse fluttering beneath the closure of his cape.

Sating your sudden intense need to know what the god tasted like, you tilted your head and brushed your lips across his experimentally.

His lips were softer than you expected. His large hands found the dips of your waist and anchored there, not pulling you in or pushing you away, just holding you. You pulled back just enough so that the tip of your nose nudged the length of his, searching his eyes for his reaction. His face was guarded, revealing nothing, but the growing hardness trapped between your bodies said everything his face did not. It cast a spell over you, ridding you of logical thought, removing your intense dislike of him, and you dipped your head to kiss him more thoroughly.

He tasted of the coffee he had on the jet, bitter and sweet, when your tongue darted out to trace his bottom lip. His answering groan rumbled out of him and settled low in your stomach, tightening the muscles there pleasantly. He finally returned the kiss with equal fervor, melding his lips expertly against yours in a languid, teasing dance that did a much more complete job of easing the chill from your bones than a fire would have, and at a faster rate to boot.

Fire blazed in the wake of his caressing fingers as they skimmed from your waist to smooth over your underwear, taking as much of your backside into his hands as he could and grinding you down onto him eagerly. Your tongues tangled together, fighting for dominance in a frenzied battle that you both simultaneously won and lost. Each generous squeeze of his hands into your pliant flesh and stroke of his tongue stole more of your breath.

You were both panting when you finally broke the kiss to press your foreheads together. His eyes were glazed over, heavy-lidded, and his hips bucked into you when you let your fingernails barely scratch along the flexed muscles of his torso to come to a halt just above the hem of his underwear.

“This is a terrible idea,” he whispered hoarsely even as his lips pulled back into a mischievous smile.

“Wouldn’t want me to get hypothermia, would we?” you breathed with a matching grin.

#loki #loki fic #loki x reader #loki fanfic #huddling for warmth #loki odinson #loki laufeyson #loki friggason #fanfic #fanfiction #marvel fanfic #marvel fanfiction #implied smut #making out #kissing #partial nudity #language #loki is an asshole #but not a complete asshole #hopelesswrites #chasing his heat

[botwstoriesandsuch]

Where Time Takes Us

Destination - Part 1

- - - - - - - - - - 

Watch the home while she is off to war

The Slumber King versus the rearing boar

Awake, arise, do not be blind

To tales and destinies entwined

In the world we said that we would leave behind

— excerpt from folk song, The World Behind, writer unknown, dated back to the Era of Myth

- - - - - - - - - - 

6 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days before the Hyrule Castle Slaughter, the Akkala Citadel Massacre, the slaying of the Champions, the death of the hero, and the rise of Calamity Ganon...

Her job ends on doomsday. 

She should be working, and truly she wanted to, but circumstances had led her to walk towards the echoing laughter.

Already trying to prepare the quip she would throw back at them, (as undoubtedly they’d complain about her being late again), the researcher weaved through the familiar roads of West Castle Town. Most of the houses were dark, with the only light source coming from the occasional flickering lantern, and the pale complexion of the midnight moon. Needless to say, it made the warm glow of The Adequate’s Tavern stand out all the more as she approached. 

Another roar of laughter and shouts escaped from an open window on the south side of the pub. The bags under her eyes curved with her smile as she recognized one of the voices. She absentmindedly traced her fingers along the outer walls of the tavern as she walked, loose chips of faded blue paint falling to the pavement below. The wooden sign above the door creaked with its askew weight. The Adequate’s Tavern was printed in bold, blue letters atop a faded yellow outline. The missing e’s and t’s gave evidence to the building’s true quality. 

Pushing open the door, the researcher was met with a swirl of familiar scents, ranging from alcohol, apples, bread, and leather, along with a smokiness coming from the fireplace near the back of the bar. 

Closing the door behind her, she walked through the entrance, passing under a wooden overhang, and alongside a long, stone-slated bar counter. She overheard a conversation between the barkeep and a waiter.

“Yes, they’re here again, so get out there already!”

“The scientists?” the waiter asked.

The man started shoving her towards the storage door behind the bar. “Yes, yes, now hurry up and stock up on that apple cider. I’ve already turned four full pitchers from the three of them, and the fourth is no doubt on the way. We can turn a bigger profit from those kids than any random alcoholic that stumbles in here tonight!”

The waiter disappeared into the back, and the barkeep was left muttering by the counter. Chuckling to herself, the researcher moved away, starting to search for the scientists in question. Other than a single, beige wall that separated the edge of the bar with a support beam in the middle of the room, the pub was very open and lively. Square and circular tables were littered across the floor in mismatched patterns, ranging from oak brown to birch white. Clearly, aesthetic was not the centerpoint of the place. 

She walked about the pub, scanning the faces of the men and women alike who crowded by the booths and tables. The tavern mainly housed a sea of Hylians, who let out the occasional drunken laugh, or hearty chuckle. It was a miracle she could hear her thoughts at all, as the air was rich with the sound of clattering dishware and the patter of dancing feet, as in a small corner to the left was a semi-circle stage housing a small band. A Hylian man with umber dark skin, much like her own, blew away at a Lurelin-made, seashell harmonica. To his left, a blonde woman extended her arm in quick and elegant strokes with a bow and fiddle. Two others struck away on small drums and bells, and the playful gig they performed had gotten several people up from their feet to dance for Hylia knows how long. The music wasn’t terrible, but she had heard better, from a certain Sheikah in particular...

As if fate had read her thoughts, she finally caught sight of her friends.

It hindsight, it was easy enough to expect the bard to be at the table closest to the stage. Yet, it was probably the three heads of cloud white, Sheikah hair that gave them away the quickest. A young teenage boy sat across a square table from two other Sheikah, a boy and a girl. He was looking at nothing in particular, as he plucked away at his lute, presumably tuning it. Wrapped around his head was a small cluster of green wooden beads, woven with brown string. They dotted like a line of stars in his fluffy, white hair, alternating between pine and sage shades. The knot tying the strings and beads around his head hung loosely like vines just by his right ear. He was just asking to look like a starstruck, homeless traveler, if it weren’t for the bright red cape pinned across his shoulders. The golden, Hyrulean emblem holding the crimson cloth together signified his status as an important worker of the palace. Although, no one would be surprised that this thin, skinny teenager was a bard and court poet, and not a royal knight. 

Suddenly, the bard looked up and met her gaze, a pair of warm, red eyes catching the light of familiarity. He patted the empty seat next to him and said something to the other two Sheikah in front of him. One of them looked back, a young man with storm wild hair that seemed to part like lightning. He had a beige, long sleeve coat over a red tunic, as was the classic Sheikah style. However, the style of his white jacket told of his rank as a scientist. With chocolate eyes and a contagious grin, he nudged the girl next to him and fake coughed.

The young woman wore roughly the same outfit, although she had a navy blue skirt and boots compared to the other guy’s black pants and shoes. Her eyes were also red, albeit, with a more striking scarlet color, compared to the other boy’s warmer wine shade. Looking back, she adjusted her bright, Sheikah red, round, sparkly, diamond decorated glasses, complete with white accents that matched her hair. It was pulled in a messy bun, a hairstyle that her close friends knew was less for looks, and more for practical purposes, as supposedly, “the stupid strands always find ways to bother my eyes. No, stop, I don’t need a comb! My eyeballs are just sensitive, okay?”

Pivoting past a waiter, the researcher finally moved closer to the trio, brushing her curly dark hair above her shoulders as she prepared for the sarcasm to begin.

The stormy eyed scientist spoke first.

“Purah, Purah! Is that...a ghost I see? It looks like Adello, but I feel like I haven’t seen her in a century, I surely thought her dead! Am I being…haunted?”

Purah turned in her seat and gave a fake gasp. She adjusted her red rimmed glasses at the sight of her. “You’re right, Robbie! I’ve heard about these spirits. They only come at midnight under a full moon, and they appear when you have friends that don’t know how to time manage and haunt you by coming to your birthday party with their terrible fashion sense 45 minutes late!” She clapped her hands along with the syllables of “45 minutes” to let her point be known.

Robbie awed at Adello in sarcastic wonder, and the boy across from him exhaled out of his nose with a smile. 

Adello put a hand on her hip. “Save your breath, I was just working a bit overtime on the Divine Beast sketches. You know, work? For the jobs that we all have? So we can pay our taxes and shit? Unfortunately, not all of us have fancy salaries Mrs. Royal Scientist.”  

Purah turned to Robbie, pulling down her glasses and looking at him sternly. “See, this is another trait of these kinds of spirits. They’re cursed to only say excuses for eternity.”

He shook his head. “Coupled with the fact that their fashion only ever consists of one color? Truly, a terrible fate for a ghost indeed.”

Adello narrowed her eyes. Smoothing out her juniper colored tunic, she said, “Okay, first off, green is a great color on me, it pairs well with my skin tone. You’re both just blind, no wonder you need glasses.” Purah put a hand on her chest dramatically, but she continued. “Plus, I’d really rather not get fired since that ceremony thing with those Champions is tomorrow and, as you all know, I just got that promotion.”

The researcher propped a black leather boot up on the empty chair by the table, flipping her jet black hair dramatically. “How does it feel to be in the presence of someone with an actual on-the-field career?”

Purah stuck out her tongue, and Robbie cupped his hands and booed. However, the boy sitting on the other side of the fourseated table gave a celebratory strum of his lute, giving Adello’s pose a bright background flourish with a few upbeat chords.

She winked. “Thank you Zimiri, at least someone can recognize skill.” The bard gave a little bow with his head, grinning. “A few chords is all it takes to enhance a dramatic, late night entrance.”

Adello chuckled, finally sitting down in the empty seat beside him. The old oaken chair and floor creaked under the new weight. Robbie let out a huff.

“You kids need to learn to respect your elders.” He announced the word “respect” with the tip of his tongue. The researcher rolled her eyes. 

“Ah yes, a whole one year gap between us. What astounding age and experience that these elders emit.” She gestured at Robbie and Purah with a sweep of her arm. 

“Uh, excuse me, but I believe in my case it’s now double that. A whole two years, my dear, naive child. For as of 4 hours ago, I now emit the knowledge of an existence spanning two decades!” Now it was his turn to pose dramatically, pointing towards the ceiling. 

Everyone at the table groaned, turning to occupy themselves with something else. Purah started writing in her journal which she pulled out from her satchel, and Adello started to become very interested with the ceiling. Zimiri continued to pluck nothings on his lute.

Robbies crossed his arms, his white long sleeves folding across the Sheikah red shirt underneath. “Oh I see! So when Adello brags, she gets a musical accompaniment, but when I do it, it’s suddenly annoying and embarrassing?”

Adello smirked to herself, and answered, “Yep, that’s how it goes!”

“Alright, you don’t get to speak, Miss I-don’t-know-how-to-be-punctuation!” 

Purah promptly smacked Robbie over the head with a pen. 

“Hey! W—”

“The word is punctual, you idiot.” 

Robbie slumped his shoulders and made a face. He tapped his thumb and fingers together, mimicking the opening and closing of a mouth while he muttered mockingly in Purah’s tone under his breath. 

Purah finished off a note in her journal before turning to the rest of the table. “Alright Adello, time to catch up. We’ve been playing ‘Till You Spill and I’ve already got some juicy stuff in here!”

Turning the pages of her journal towards Adello, she gave a chaotic grin. “Last round, Zimiri revealed that he once got teary eyed in front of the King himself after reading a poem about clouds.”

Zimiri raised his hands in defense. “Look, the clouds were an analogy for lost childhood innocence and I got choked up with that author’s amazing choice of imagery and descriptions, okay?”

Purah pointed her pen at him to hush, and continued. “Of course, him being a sentimental dork isn’t anything new, so he lost that round to Robbie who revealed the identity of his first crush.”  

Zimiri muttered something about the game being rigged towards the birthday boy, but Adello talked over him, excitedly.

“Ooohhhh? Robbie?? Who are they?” She propped up her elbows and cradled her chin in her hands, excited at the prospect of more embarrassing information she could hang over his head.

He mumbled, looking to Purah for assistance, but she only cupped a hand over her ear, waiting for him to respond. “You all fuckin—” he sighed, “it’s…she’s…c-ch…” he avoided everyone’s gaze, “her name is...Cherry…”

Adello gasped, gleefully. “That girl from your old university?? The writer you hung out with!?”

Purah beamed, shaking Robbie’s shoulders excitedly. “I know right???” She loosened her grip and allowed him to wiggle out of her grasp for a moment. “Oh sweetie, campus days may be long gone for all of us prodigies and geniuses,” she flipped a few strands of her white hair with a turn of her head, “but I’m sure you’ll get her someday. You just gotta turn up the charm, find a way to woo with words. I’m sure writers love that.” Purah pulled down her glasses and gave a forced wink at him.

Adello tried to hold her tongue to no avail. “Pffft. Yeah, you can try wooing her with your punctuation.” This got a snicker out of Purah, and caused the birthday boy to blush furiously and slump further in his seat. Zimiri finally spoke up.

“Now, now, let’s all play nice. We don’t need to pester him further about it, he did win the round after all.” 

“Uh, yeah. Speaking of the game, you still need to drink up, mister.” Purah slid a tan brown cup of apple cider towards him, the translucent contents sloshing around like muck in a gutter.

He leaned on the back two legs of his chair. “Isn’t it punishment enough to smell it? The cider isn’t even near my face and my mouth is already burning.”

She shrugged. “Them's the rules of ‘Till You Spill. Your secret sucked, so swig!”

The poet groaned, but complied. Tipping the cup towards his lips, Zimiri took a hearty slurp of the cider, much to everyone’s amusement. It felt like hot, molten copper mixed with old apple skins. How could something both burn and freeze your throat at the same time? He let out a gag, to which Adello patted him on the back with a short laugh.

Raising his posture, Robbie crowed, “When we finally have Zimiri’s birthday maybe then we’ll actually upgrade to the alcohol.”

Adello raised an eyebrow. “Uh, right, because the upgrade from disorientingly strong, smelly apple cider, is you two being flat out drunk. Right...” 

Purah slammed both her fists down with pride, letting the cups and pitchers slosh a few amber colored drops onto the worn wooden table. “Bold of you to assume I’d drink at all, considering I’ve never lost a round! Mwahaha!” She blew a raspberry at her. “This tongue is apple free, baby.”

She gestured with her pinky and index finger at Zimiri and Adello. “Now, you two! The late combatant and the latest loser shall spill next. Give us your juicy gossip!!”

The bard, still reeling from his drink, leaned back in his chair and gave a nod toward Adello. “Ladies first?”

While she wasn’t undefeated in this drinking game, she sure as hell was playing to win. Especially since somebody needed to knock that smug expression off of Purah’s face. Adello thought to herself quickly. 

Zimiri, no doubt, is probably gonna say something self-deprecating again, as he’s too nice to actually reveal anything embarrassing about anyone else. So...I just need to say something unexpected and interesting...perhaps something embarrassing about...hmm, I’ve already exhausted all my info about those cushy nobles and guards in past rounds…

Suddenly, she snapped her fingers. “The princess has a secret stuffed animal collection.” Seeing the light in her co-workers’ eyes twinkle, Adello knew she had chosen her words well. Purah leaned in. “Ooh? And how did you come across this juicy piece of information?” She rested her chin on an arm with an innocent smile.

“When I sent my application for the new job a few weeks ago, I gave it to the princess directly. It was late at night, and I bumped into her as she just left her room. The door was cracked open for a few seconds, before some royal, pompous guard slammed it right in my face. Yet, it wasn’t before I saw the pile of,” she counted on her fingers,  “cow, sheep, bird, dog, and several horse stuffed animals piled high by her big, blue bed. I bet if I peeked for just a few more moments I could have found enough to pin her as a true horse girl.”

Robbie shrugged his shoulders, unconsciously rapping the table with his finger. “Well, speaking as a horse guy myself, I can attest to the fact that the childhood horse obsession phase never leaves, so I find Princess Zelda’s collection quite admirable.” He gave a nod towards Zimiri. “Either way, it’ll be tough to top that, Zim. Cute, yet slightly concerning, fact about our future queen? Quite the competition. Shall I signal the waiter for a refill now?”

Zimiri plucked a few more strings from his lute, before finally setting it down on the floor. He tilted his head, playfully. The string with sage green beads seemed to sway with the tavern’s music, and he spoke with a glint in his eyes. “Well, I might be faced with impending failure and ultimate defeat, but hells if I’m not one to try instead of mope.”

He combed his fingers through his messy, white hair, pondering his next choice of words. Fiddling with the beads and strings wrapped around it, he thought out loud.

“Let’s see...to top out on an embarrassing fact about a respected princess...it's natural to combat it with something...personal? That always seems to be the more valuable information in this game…” Adello shook her head. He was playing right into her hand.

“Well...Robbie won last round with the identity of Cherry...so, how about I dish out something similar. See, I’ve...uh…” he rubbed the back of his neck, “Oh! Well. Court poet, shrine researcher, the job gets you close with the princess...kinda...I’d like to think we’re close anyhow…” He mumbled the last part of his sentence and let out a short cough. Then, he went back to fiddling with his short, messy hair.

“So… ever since I moved into the castle, When did my mom move… five years now? I’ve, uh… had a crush on... Zelda…” He gave an uncertain grin, and raised the palm of his hands as if to ask, “well?”

At first he was met with silence. In his head, he started to celebrate the victory of his first ‘Till You Spill round in literal months. That was until he was met with groans and pitiful mutters. 

“Oh Zimiri,” Purah sighed, “I was rooting for you too.” Seeing the bewilderment creep onto the poet’s face, Robbie answered the question before it even escaped his lips. “Literally everyone here knew that bud, it’s not a secret.”

The bard started to sputter, moving his hands in wild, questioning motions.

“But? Wha— I? You!? Didn’t you— I… W-Well I mean, I know Adello knew, I told her years ago, but you guys—”

“Oh my gods. Zimiri, you literally talk about her all the time, you’re totally in love. Given that we’re also the recipients of your long spiels and ballads about how ‘intelligent and thoughtful and amazing Zelda is,’” Purah said the words to mimic the tone of Zimiri’s honey sweet voice, “it’s exceptionally, extremely, very, very obvious.”

“R-Recognizing a person’s positive traits doesn’t instantly mean in love!”

The royal scientist leaned across the table and patted his head. “Right, but you also started attempting love songs a coincidental 2 weeks after starting your job of shrine research with her. Your eyes are already red, so whenever she passes by it’s like your pupils magically form into adoring hearts. Try to stay away from poker, it’s for your own good.” 

Zimiri continued to sputter, his cheeks becoming roser by the second. Robbie turned to Purah. “So, all in favour of finding Adello’s spill better than Zimiri’s?” The two of them raised their hands in unison. “Alright buddy, secret sucked, so swig! WAITER PLEASE!”

Adello watched as the same woman she had seen near the bar earlier made her way to the table. Picking up a pitcher, she poured out a fresh cup of Adequate’s Apple Cider. The four of them had been here so many times, they didn’t even need to verbally ask for the order.

Before he could even start to reach for the cup, Adello snatched it out of the way. “Nah, it’s okay. I’ll do one for you, Zimiri. These two monsters have already tore you to shreds, and I’m sure I need a punishment anyway for coming in so late.” 

He started to protest, but after catching the look in her dark, iron eyes, he relented. “Well, I thank you for your generosity.” The other two, however, were not as compliant.

Purah cupped her hands around her mouth, yelling, “Booooo... Boo to pity! Boo to generosity!” Robbie mimicked her. 

“Yeah you have to respect your elders’ wishes. We demand blood! Suffering!” 

Adello cracked her neck for show, before downing her glass of cider in a few gulps. The stench and tingling sensation seemed to stick to the sides of her throat. It would take more than water to clear that out. “Adequate” was being very generous when describing its quality.

“Mmmm. The cider’s weirdly salty tonight, I think your attitudes got mixed in here.”

Purah blew another raspberry at her.

They played for a few more rounds, the clatter of cups and breaths of laughter decorating the hours. Much to everyone’s distaste, Purah continued her winning streak, getting by with unbeatable information about the King, royal guards, and one embarrassing anecdote about how her little sister, Impa, had caught her writing an interesting letter to the “local archery hunk.”

Yet, Purah laughed along with the rest of them, the eyes behind her red rimmed glasses held no shame, which Adello envied. Of course that sort of attitude would make you a master at this game. Robbie and Adello attempted to team up and be biased towards Purah in an effort to get her to lose, but either Zimiri didn’t take the hint, or he just really liked playing fair which wasn’t exactly out of character, even if it meant more drinks for him. 

Suddenly, a bell towards the back of the pub rang, signifying the end of the band’s gig. The dancing paused, as people gave their thanks, varying from politie applause to drunken yelps. Robbie then rapped the table with his hands, excitedly.

“You know what else tonight needs? Some amazing music, eh Zimiri?” He bounced his eyebrows up and down at him, and gestured towards the lute leaning on one of the table legs.

“I don’t know,” Zimiri replied, “I’ve only a part-time hire for the weekend rush hours, and I wouldn’t want to blindly get on stage and sing without being given permission.” 

Adello scoffed. “Uh, are you kidding? The owner would love for you to play without paying you. Haven’t you heard the talk around town? The Adequate’s Tavern: Home of alright food and acceptable ale, but an outstanding  bard!”

He fiddled with the string in his hair again. “Oh yeah? I’d love to meet him someday.” At this, Adello clicked her tongue and promptly shoved him out of his chair with her hip. 

He laughed to himself as he stumbled aback. “Alright, alright, but only because the birthday tyrant requested it.” Robbie clapped his hands in a “chop-chop” fashion, to truly signify his role as the newly dubbed tyrant.

Suddenly, Zimiri perked his head. Stepping back towards the table, he reached for his cup. “Oh wait, I just lost that round. I still need to drink my—”

Adello grabbed the cup right out of his hands. She tipped it 180 degrees and let the cider spill completely onto the wooden floor. He hopped back, and Purah let out a surprised yelp, saying something about letting the stench seep into the floorboards. Robbie just started to laugh, wildly. Noticing the small commotion, a few other guests looked back at them and started to snicker to themselves.

Setting the cup back on the table, the researcher said, “Great, now you don’t need to ruin your voice any longer. Now get up there and one-up the last band.” 

The bard pushed his chair under the table. Picking up his lute as he stood and faced Adello, a charming smile on his face. “Heh, well. My singing voice is grateful. I suppose now I’m in debt to comply.” He gave a curt bow.

Robbie clapped his hands again. “Great, great. Now quit the manners and let’s go already! I still have to order the cake pie!”

Both of the girls rolled their eyes in unison. Zimiri shrugged and started to walk through the small crowd of standing Hylians, and towards the small stage. 

A few of the regulars who recognized him let out whoops and whistles, yelling out “Bard!” or “More music!” in support. It seemed that no one really knew his name, but it was nice enough to know that even working here part time would grant you the honor of being recognized by a bunch of random folk. One confused patron, who only associated him with “z” yelled out “Yeah, Zelda!” before promptly slumping under the table. Looking around, a blonde girl caught his eye, as it seemed she was staring at him. He waved, and her cheeks, much to Zimiri’s confusion, turned pink at his gaze and she turned to her friends who started giggling. 

Moving past the last of the Hylians with an, “excuse me, sorry!” he finally stepped on the stage. The bard pulled up a small stool to the stage, leaning against it. Most of the folks continued to whoop in approval, seemingly eager for another chance to start dancing. Even the barkeep clapped his hands, probably excited at the thought of a free gig.

I guess, if no one is stopping me…

It was a rowdy bunch, but not a new one. Zimiri had played for these kinds of audiences before. 

“I see that quite a few people are itching for a new tune. So, uh, any requests?” he announced as he strum a chord on his lute. 

A mass of different voices bounced around the tavern, requests ranging from The Babbler’s Jig, Misko’s Tale, The Eldin Bluffs, and Can I Get More Ale? Although, Zimiri wasn’t quite familiar with the chords of that last song. 

He couldn’t stop himself from being biased towards the request of a certain dark skinned girl to his left.

“The World Behind!” Adello said. “Enough with those new ballads, I demand a classic!” 

Robbie pumped an arm in the air. “Yes!” he shouted. “I second that! So is my decree as birthday tyrant!”

The bard smiled, preparing the fingering on the neck of his lute. He turned towards the audience. “Well, I’m afraid I have no choice but to heed to such authority.” He began to pluck the beginning notes, tapping a tempo with his boot against the stage. “Now then, a beat, if you all would be so kind?”

The tavern chattered in approval, before piping down. There probably weren't more than 30 people, but the beat they made was definitely sufficient. The sound of stomping, banging mugs, and clapping filled the room. The tempo didn’t even need much adjusting, as The World Behind was pretty familiar around Castle Town. The beat was like a child pretending to be a marching soldier, unconcerned and playful.

Zimiri’s smile widened. A lively crowd indeed, this will do nicely. 

With that, he started to sing. His silvery voice echoed across the tavern, as he closed his eyes and began to play.

The boys have gone out to the wishing well

Will they come back? Oh only time will tell

A rupee for a life refined

But time and dreams never align

So tell the world we’ll leave it all behind 

Many of the guests had started to dance again, while the rest continued the beat of the song. As Zimiri plucked rapid notes on his lute, he heard a supporting holler from Purah. Next to her, Robbie was slamming his fist to the beat, clearly enjoying himself.

Have you seen the soldiers’ drinking ale?

They wish to sing along with nightingales

To dance on home with songs and rhymes

To banish all the fears from mind

Yes tell the world we’ll leave it all behind

Another pause between the verses, and the bard played the “decorative” rapid notes in between. He didn’t mean to seem like he was showing off, but Adello would attest to the fact that this happened whenever he got too into the music. Looking towards her, Zimiri saw her give a double thumbs up. 

Of beasts and men and all atrocities

The damn-ed fate, she owns all that you see

To a better day of new design

Forgot about the gods divine

Oh tell the world we’ll leave it all behind 

At this point, some of the guests were singing along, though not to the point of overpowering his own alluring voice. Laughter rang out around the warmly lit room once again. Zimiri looked out at the dancing patrons and smiling guests, grinning at the feeling in his chest this brought. He continued the last verse.

Watch the home while—

“HEY!”

The sudden gruff voice startled the bard to the point where he nearly slipped off the stage.

Lumbering through the double doors, three guards entered the tavern. The one in front, who had interrupted the music, wore a typical knight’s outfit, the same as his male and female coworkers behind him. However, the black hooded cape he wore atop his metal armour swayed with every step he took across the floor, his supposed rank silencing the room. 

Well, mostly, silenced the room. A few ticked off guests were booing, groaning, and mocking him for ruining the entertainment. 

“Oh would you lot shut up for 2 seconds?!” he said, his voice booming across the tavern. “Listen, I’ll be blunt. I gotta give two messages for this establishment.”

The guests shook their heads, mumbling. Their booing and insults continued, but their volume quieted, it was too early to be getting cross with a couple of knights. Even Zimiri quietly slipped off the stage back towards his friends so as not to be at the end of the knight’s intimidating voice.  

The female guard behind the knight handed him a slip of parchment. Unfolding it, the guard cleared his throat.

“Firstly, your music and pounding is disturbing the noblemen next door. He’s staying at the inn or something and wants you to, quote,” he read from the paper, “quit the mindless thumping, for Castle Town is a place of serenity and peace, not of nonsense jigs and banging.”

The groaning and insults started up again; the man gave a shrug, stating something about how he was just following orders. 

Adello couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “HA! Well, with an attitude like that, this’ll probably be the first and only time he’s been banged— he should be grateful.”

The room exploded into a mess of laughter and whoops. Even the guard smirked to himself, but attempted to hide it with a shake of his head, saying “Watch the mouth, girl.” Although, his stern tone wasn’t in it.

After a second, he cleared his throat again. With a stomp of his boot he regained the pub's attention, the laughter suffocated out.

“Now, we’re also here looking for a Dr. Robbie Kimura? I received word they might be around here?”

With the attention now towards a single table, most of the guests went back to their idle banter. A few waiters nodded their head towards the table in the back, and the man caught sight of three, white haired teenagers, who were sitting with the dark haired girl who had quipped out earlier. 

The scientists turned around too late, in an effort to avoid the knight’s gaze. “Gee, what a bunch of snitches,” Robbie mumbled. The three guards started to walk over to the table. 

“Dr...Robbie?”

“Who’s asking?” Robbie squinted with his dark brown eyes.

“Doctor? Really? Is this some kind of prank? You and your friends don’t even look old enough to drink.”

He scoffed. “Okay, first, yes I am a doctor! I didn’t fly through all those courses over four years just to be called, ‘Mr.’ And secondly, I’ll have you know that I am a ripe 20 years of age today, and I’m here drinking expired apple juice with my associates. So take that, pal!”

Beside him, Purah gave a proud nod in agreement. Zimiri started to wave politely at the guard, but Adello grabbed his arm before he could finish the movement. The guard was a bit unsettled with the way that girl was glaring at him. What was some random Hylian doing hanging out with a bunch of Sheikah anyway?

“Right, well, look here, son. Some curious aristo-brat snuck into the courtyard and caused one of those flying, metal Sheikah things to fall apart. My boss said that it was your prototype so you should come back and clean it up before something explodes, and possibly give a sincere apology to the meddling kid who got a few scratches.”

Robbie threw his hands in the air, exasperated. “You’re really gonna pull me out of a birthday just so I can go apologize to a spoiled kid for breaking in and ruining my Guardian?”

“If it lets me keep my job, then yeah.”

Robbie mumbled something about not getting a slice of the apple cake pie. 

Suddenly, Adello got up and pushed her chair in, smoothing out the belt around her tunic as she walked towards them. 

“Ah yes, well, thank you my dear assistant for the assessment but I’m capable of taking it from here.”

The guard raised a bushy, black eyebrow. “Sorry, wha—”

“You said you only wanted Dr. Robbie? Well great job, you found them. Now let’s get going, I need to finish up a new design anyway.”

“You’re...Robbie? You’re a... clearly not—”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I should have had my mother consult you for your opinion before I was given my name.”

This time, the guard didn’t smile along with her quip. “This is not the time for—”

She held up a finger to silence him, and glared at the three guards with her iron eyes.

“Look, I’m not a nobody. I’m more than capable of fixing up the guardian and any other disasters you might have left lying around the castle grounds. If I’m feeling generous, maybe I’ll even lick the kid’s boots, it’s not my first time dealing with this, alrighty?”

The knights looked at each other, quizzically. The researcher crossed her arms. 

“You’re still following your precious orders, aren't you? How would you know what Dr. Robbie looks like? You can’t be faulted for not knowing someone you never met. So, you’ll just have to take my word for it.”

The blonde man behind the gruff, black caped guard, whispered something to his female coworker. Her gaze switched between the girl and the man. Still seeing the uncertainty in their eyes, Adello leaned closer to the knight and lowered her voice. “Come on, have a little heart, it’s his birthday.”

A beat of silence sat, only filled by the mild mumbling and chatter of the tavern. Finally, the guard let out a sigh. 

“Alrighty Dr. Kimura. I’ll help escort you to the site.”

Robbie started to protest, but Adello quickly silenced him with a wink. The guard turned towards the rest of the room, yelling, “The rest of you, the sun is gonna rise in a few hours so save your rioting for then! Am I clear?”

The patrons just responded with stupid groans and half-hearted agreements. They started walking towards the door. The female guard started to put a hand on Adello’s shoulder, but she brushed it off, saying something along the lines of “I can walk on my own two feet, thank you very much.”

Purah turned in her seat. “I’ll save a slice of cake pie for you!” Adello turned her head and responded with a two fingered salute, before disappearing out the door with the guards. 

The tension in the tavern was almost immediately cleared, the moment the knights left. Most of the people went back to their normal conversational volume, and the waiters began to patter about with more confidence. However, Zimiri slumped in his seat, letting out a sigh. 

“Why does she always do things like that?”

Robbie fiddled with the edge of his cup, tracing his finger around the rim. “Well, you know her. Undermining authority? Check. Insults and quips? Check.”

Robbie continued to list off more traits, but it faded out of Zimiri’s ear. Always jumping onto other’s burdens. Ah, that idiot. I bet she hasn’t slept for the last two days. 

Purah suddenly piped up, taking out her pen and rapping it against the table. “Alright you two, let’s not let the sacrifice be in vain. Pool your rupees, we’re getting Robbie the fancy cake pie.” 

The clatter of a few red and blue rupees echoed on the wooden table, although Zimiri knocked Robbie’s share aside, saying how the birthday tyrant shouldn’t have to pitch in. Purah turned in her chair and started to wave her hand, in order to get the attention of a waiter. The bard watched as a woman with a tray started to walk over to the table. Then, he turned to Robbie. 

“So what should we do while we wait?” Zimiri asked. Robbie stroked his chin, looking around the room. 

“I think...the people could still use some music.”

Looking out at the crowd, Zimiri noticed how the guards' interference had really dampened the atmosphere. The warm and lively laughter that was present just a few moments earlier was now replaced with more monotone chatter.

He nodded his head in agreement, putting on a charming smile. The place needed a new pick-me-up, did it?

Well, what else is a bard for?

Stepping back onto the stage, he strummed an open chord, double checking the tuning. The whooping and clapping started to return, much to his delight. Plucking a familiar melody, the warm feeling in his stomach returned as he watched the new smiles that started to fill the room. However, before he began to sing, Zimiri first focused on craning his neck to look out a window, trying to catch a glimpse of a certain girl in the night. 

It seemed the moon and sun were balanced on the edge of the world. The night had started to submerge behind the walls of West Castle Town, with only the brightest stars still perched upon the ink of the navy blue sky. The silver lining of greying clouds just barely glowed from the faint light of the day, still trying to break out of the eastern waters. 

Adello’s footsteps echoed through the cobblestone streets, but she could barely hear it against the shifting of metal plates from the guards in front of her. 

The gruff man looked back, scratching his peach fuzzed chin as he spoke. “Listen, if you finish your work quick I might be able to escort you back here.”

Adello shook her head. She turned to retrieve a journal from the pouch on her belt, opening its pages as an excuse to avoid his gaze. “No, it’s fine. I still have some more work I should be finishing up at home anyhow.”

“You...live at the castle?”

“Mmm.”

The guard took her blunt response as a sign to not continue with the niceties, much to Adello’s relief. Looking up, she gazed at the looming castle. Its towers were like mountain peaks, sitting above the blurred silhouettes of the buildings of Castle Town. 

Taking out a bit of charcoal, she started to sketch its outline on a fresh page in her journal. While she only had one color, she tried to capture the shadows and lighting that cascaded on one side of the castle to the other. 

The female guard slowed her step, starting to walk alongside the researcher. 

“Already working?”

Adello didn’t look up from her journal. “Uh… you could say that.”

She laughed. “Well you best hope you know what you’re doing. This kid’s father has been yelling at Her Highness all night. Supposedly because she’s helping to lead Sheikah research, so everyone associated with guardians is at fault.”

Adello finished up the tower of Princess Zelda’s study in her sketch. She smiled to herself at the finished work. It was one of her better pieces. Putting the journal away, she turned back to the guard and scoffed. “Is that so?”

The guard hummed a yes, her blonde braid swaying to each side as she walked. “Apparently, the kid is the son of some visiting nobleman from the East Post. It’d be in your best interest to apologize profusely if you still wanna walk around alive.” 

Adello shook her head. She didn’t know it then, but looking back, many moons from now, she would laugh at the irony of her response.

“I’d rather die.”

#botw #breath of the wild #legend of zelda botw #loz botw #botw fanfiction #where time takes us #botw oc #adello #zimiri

[saltbabypidge]

This fic was created as a pinch hit for the BKDK Katsuki Birthday Exchange 2020 as a gift to @kacchansass #bkdkbirthday

Happy Birthday, Kacchan

Summary: Izuku's trying to do something romantic for Katsukis birthday but Katsukis confused.

Fluff, reminiscing, BKDK, sexual situations.

A/N: Please bear with me, I had a small mishap where the cord to my laptop broke and I was unable to get my progress off of it before the battery died. I had to rewrite it from memory on my phone. The original will be posted when my new cord comes in.

*BKDK*

EDIT; I TOTALLY FORGOT. Minor movie spoilers. If you dont want to be spoilered, skip from Bakugou saying " That wasnt our first kiss..." and come back after the italics.

The sun filtered through the curtains, throwing highlights over dark green hair spilling across a black pillowcase. Bakugou Katsuki always made it his goal to wake up before his partner, claiming to like the peace and quiet, but in reality he liked watching the way Izukus nose wrinkled in his sleep. Today, his eyes were caught by his boyfriends freckles, he refused to admit it to anyone else, but to him they were like stars scattered across the sky.

His crimson eyes were soft as they glanced at the clock, growing wicked as he saw the time. The nerd had decided that they would start celebrating his birthday on the nineteenth, so they could have a whole day to themselves. He'd insisted that they be up no later than eight and it was now eight thirty. Katsuki leaned in, brushing a kiss over his boyfriends freckled cheek,, lips following his fingers as he brushed the wild fall of green behind Izukus ear.

" OI, DEKU!"

With a yelp and thud, the peaceful scene was ruined as Izuku flailed and fell in a tangled heap of blankets to the floor of their apartment. Some things never changed, and even after five years of being Pro-Heroes, and living together for four, he never failed to startled the shit out of his lover. Sometimes he wondered if Izuku had a blind spot where he was concerned, he was rarely taken by surprise by anyone else anymore. Blindspot or not, the ash blond would never get tired of the sight of his taller lover flailing like a fish. It served him right for having the audacity to be half a foot taller than him.

" What? Were we called? Kacchan why are you laughing..." Izuku was slowly trying to extricate himself from the blanket, sun warmed muscle dotted with freckles making an appearance as he untangled his arms. He would look like an oversized child as he stood, wrapped in their large quilt as he rubbed sleep crusted eyes, if it hadn't been for the scars that littered his body.

The birthday boy didn't bother answering, he just jerked his thumb at the clock, laughter dying out into a smirk as he watched bleary emerald eyes blink in confusion at the time then widen as coherent thought filtered in. He knew exactly when the light went on because those eyes widened in panic and his boyfriend launched himself towards the dresser, one foot trying to shake off the remainder of the blanket, like a puppy with a wet foot. Clothes launched themselves around the room as he dug through the drawers.

"Why didn't you wake me earlier? Get dressed, I hope we have enough time to do everything now, I tried to plan extra time in case we got distracted or called but..."

"Don't tell me what to do, I'm the birthday boy here, you better not forget that." With a cocky smirk, Katsuki tuned out his nerd as his words devolved into a mutter about time and plans, and the possibility of rain. The soon to be twenty-two year old had no idea what his boyfriend had planned for today, and of course he was fucking curious, but after the sheer disappointment on Dekus face the last time he'd ruined his own surprise, he hadn't even tried to dig. That didn't mean he wouldn't be an asshole. He made sure to stretch, loosening his muscles nice and slow before he started towards the closet to get dressed. He knew those deep green eyes were on him from the first crack of his neck, through the shoulder roll and into the lunge because the mumbled words had trailed into silence.

. " Aren't you getting dressed, De~Ku? We don't have much time right?" Katsuki said with a smirk before dropping his sleep pants and tugging on a pair of black jeans. He wasn't sure what was planned today, but with enough incentive he knew Deku would agree that birthday sex was in order today, as well as tomorrow. Their relationship may have evolved over the years, but they were both very physical people. They tested each other, got stronger and tested each other again, whether in their hero career or in the bedroom.

The blondes mind started to wander as he pulled his shirt over his head, only to have his thoughts interrupted by strong arms sliding around him, pulling him against his boyfriends hard chest. He tilted his head back, one pierced eyebrow raising at the taller male, the smile on Dekus scarred face was stupidly endearing.

" I never gave you your good morning kiss, Kacchan."

He was ready to roll his eyes- he didn't NEED a good morning kiss- when a large warm hand cupped his chin, tilting his head back into position for the taller man to press their lips together. He didn't need a good morning kiss, but he always wanted one. Stupid Deku always knew how to read him, even when he didn't want him to. The kiss should have been awkward, but they'd had years of practice, and their lips slotted together easily, the awkward position non withstanding. Even here, Katsuki was competitive, reaching up to fist a strong hand in his lovers green curls, taking control of the kiss. It was HIS birthday kiss after all, and he'd be the one in charge.

When they finally parted he licked his lips and pulled himself out of Dekus arms. He could feel himself going soft, warmth for his lover welling in his chest, and a smile tugging at his lips.

Bakugou Katsuki did not get soft when the sun was high in the sky. That was reserved solely for late nights and early mornings damnit.

" You're the one in the fucking hurry, get a shirt on and lets go." He knew Izuku was used to his swift mood changes, and the nerd was on some imaginary time crunch, so they should get going before he got even more time obsessed..

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

The sun was even brighter outside, warming the otherwise chilly spring morning. It flickered through Izukus curls as Katsuki watched him from the passengers seat of their rarely used car. He had no idea where they were headed, so he spent the time watching his boyfriend take turns like a madman. From their personalities, most people would think Bakugou was the reckless driver, anyone who had ever been in a car with the heir of One for All could attest to the opposite. Deku drove his car the way he drove through life, with sheer controlled chaos... Katsuki wouldn't want him any other way

Bakugou Katsuki was in love with Izuku Midoriya. He had finally admitted it to himself after they had been dating for three years. He was just bad at showing it in any normal fashion. Thankfully, the nerd knew him well enough to realize that he wouldn't get many " I love yous" from the explosive ash blond. His contemplation of his boyfriends faults were interrupted by a question.

" Kacchan, what do you want for your birthday?"

Broad shouders shrugged as Katsuki tilted his head to the side. " It's a little late to be asking me that, don't you think Deku~" He smirked. " My birthdays tomorrow. Anyway, I think I told you what I wanted last time you asked,or did you forget, loser" The green haired man flushed crimson as he stopped the car in a parking lot. Katsuki knew he was thinking back to last week when he'd asked that question for the hundredth time while they had been in bed. The crimson eyed pro-heroes smirk widened as he remembered the event himself.

----

" What do you want for your birthday, Kacchan?" Izuku had been sprawled on top of his boyfriend, knowing the other loved using him as a human blanket. Katsuki had become sick of the question. He didn't need anything for his birthday, so he hadn't even bothered to open his eyes as he moved, smirking as he answered.

"I have everything I want here in my hands"

Izuku Midoriya, six foot seven of broad muscle, and bearer of One for All had let out a surprised, and very unmanly squeak when he felt strong hands grip his ass roughly.

------

" Yeah, you remember. so stop asking." the blush had said it all. He watched as Izukus brow wrinkled thoughtfully, smoothing out as he turned the car off. " We're at our first stop. Katsuki looked around unimpressed, the lot overlooked the river, but he didn't see anything special about it. There had to be something, or Izuku wouldn't have the excited look in his eye. He wouldn't be grabbing Katsukis hand and dragging him towards the water, wouldn't be fucking LEAPING OVER THE SIDE and dragging the other with him. When they landed- they were pro's and taking a fall like that was nothing-the irritable blond smacked his boyfriend in the back of the head. " Warn me next time! Now what the fuck is to special about this pla...." He paused as he looked around, red eyes narrowing as the broken shoreline brought up whisps of memory.

---

"...You are a fucking idiot."

A soaked form in green was slammed against the ground with a muffled thud, wet curls sticking to a pale, freckled face as lips pressed hungrily together, relief mixing with adrenaline- ,

The newly minted Ground Zero felt like he couldn't get enough air. He had felt his stomach drop when he had seen his rivals limp body tossed over the barrier toward the water below. They had been chasing this villain for hours, and Deku had been taken by surprise. Katsuki had incapacitated the man with an aggressive AP shot and dove after his partner. The rescue had led to...

------

"....You're a fucking sap." Katsuki could feel his face heat a little at the memory. It hadn't exactly been their most shining moment.

" Come on Kacchan, it was where we had our first kiss..." Izuku was smiling as he slid an arm around his waist. Katsuki shoved at his chest. " Because you almost died, and I was a dumb teenager... and it wasn't our first kiss." He looked up at his boyfriend with a shit eating grin. Izuku crossed his arms, flustered again.

"I don't remember that one, Kacchan...."

Katsuki did. Visions of a different shoreline flickered through his mind.

----

Bakugou had landed hard, both of his arms were broken, so his attempts to get up resulted in him flopping like a useless fish. The pain was making his vision fade in and out, hyperfocusing on a mop of green hair. He could feel the thrum of Izukus quirk under his skin as he dragged himself painfully towards his rival. Bakugo Katsuki had dreamed of being like All Might as a child... The man who always won to save everyone, but not like this. Not with a quirk that was not his own...Not when Izuku wouldn't stand beside him. Having his rival as a foil had become important at some point. He rolled to his side, trying to lift his arm, he knew he needed dna to give the quirk back, but he couldn't. He was too weak. " FUCK this shit. take your quirk back you shitty nerd." the explosive blonde could taste blood on his lips and before he could think through what his exhausted brain had suggested, he was suiting though to action and lifting himself with his abdominal s to awkwardly press his lips against Izukus, cracked bleeding lips meeting cracked and bleeding lips as he thought hard about how much he didn't want this god damn quirk. He would make it to the top with his own power, or it wouldn't mean a damn thing....He hoped it was enough, he couldn't keep conscious anymore and slid off of his rival, darkness taking him.

----

"Yeah, you were out like a light. Fine. he'rs the first kiss we BOTH remember. Why are we here"

Izuku looked sheepish. " I was hoping maybe we could kiss here again, without the near death experience?" The shorter male leaned into his boyfriends reach. " Kiss me, and lets get out of here..." He hated seeing the shuttered look in Izuku's eyes, but he had had nightmares about the incident that had gotten them together for years. He cursed internally, nails digging into his palms as Izuku kissed him softly and they made their way back up to the car. Katsuki punched the car, causing startled green eyes to fly up to his face. " Look...It's cute, but I don't like thinking about you dying." His nerd nodded, shoulders still tense and unsure as he spoke. "The next place we can walk to...so lets get some fresh air."

Katsuki preferred walking if he could,so he nodded and fell in next to his lover, shoulders growing tenser, and teeth gritting in anger as the silence continued. He finally reached out to grab Izukus hand, squeezing it tightly, though he wasn't looking at him. Deku better understand. Katsuki hated PDA with a passion, a kiss or two was fine but he didn't hold hands...unless he thought Izuku needed it. Even after four years of dating, he did it so rarely the public sometimes forgot that the Wonder Duo were a couple at all, something he knew weighed on Izukus mind. Katsuki didn't think that they needed to shout it from the mountaintops, but he was almost ready to, to keep his nerd happy.

The landscape was becoming more familiar as they walked, and Katsuki sighed as they moved past their childhood homes, and Izuku headed towards the school. He moved so he was walking slightly in front of Izuku and crossed his arms

" What is this, a trip down memory lane?" The chaotic being that was his boyfriend and hero partner just gave him a sweet, disarming smile, pulling out two passes into the school as he answered. " Something like that." The explosion user was a little surprised at how well planned this was...whatever it was. At this point he was along for the ride, so he followed his boyfriend out past the school proper, past the dorms where a new class was training to be heroes. They walked, following a path he hadn't seen in years to the mock up of a city, it didn't look any different than he remembered, the place having been repaired time after time. So much had happened here for them...

"I got permission from the school to rent it..."

"Ground Beta..." Ruby eyes met emeralds as they were assaulted by memories.

----

"Fight me Deku" His emotions were in turmoil. He wasn't strong enough, Izuku had been the one All Might had chosen, not him...and Katsuki had been the one to cause All Might to lose his quirk forever.

Izuku was the only one who could accept and receive those feelings, the only one who could come near him in a fight, and Izuku had still lost to him.

Why? Izuku was weak, but he had been chosen by All Might...Katsuki was weak because he had been taken, but Izuku was weaker than him. The fight had been charged with emotion on both sides, it had been a crux of them overcoming the past and becoming true rivals...and eventually friends and lovers.

----

Katsuki could see the light of challenge blooming in his boyfriends eyes, and he could feel adrenaline pumping up his spine. They moved like two predators, Pro-heros in their own right as they squared up a few feet apart. It felt familiar, the surrounding, the energy between them, but this time it was without the weight of confusion and sorrow. And the dialogue was different.

"Fight me, Kacchan" Izuku stood, feet apart, hand out in a come-at-me gesture as he waited for Katsuki to make a move.The explosive hero could feel small crackling explosions lighting his palm, as the excitement got the better of him. If this was what Izuku had planned for his birthday present then he fucking accepted. It had been far too long since they'd had a decent spar.

" Come at me, Deku"

Those were the last words spoken until the end of the bout, knowing each other as well as they did, fighting as partners for so long, they knew what the other would be doing intuitively. It was more like a deadly dance than a spar...or, if you were them, foreplay.

Moving on some unknown signal, Katsuki shot himself forward with barehanded explosions, pivoting midair to launch a kick at Deku's head. He felt air whoosh by under him as the taller man ducked and rolled under him, bringing his arm back around to block the retaliating blow. Each blow was met with a counter. The ash blond smirked as an air shot scored a line of blood across his cheek, exes glowing with excitement as he launched himself back to avoid his incredibly fast lover. Narrowed, alert eyes flickered over the battlefield looking for any weakness in his opponent. He saw it before Izuku. Something small tumbled out of Izukus pocket and the idiot dived for it instead of blocking. Katsuki took advantage of his mistake and pinned him face down against the asphalt. He leaned over his boyfriends prone body to whisper in his ear huskily. " I win...again."

He wouldn't have seen the small shiver that ran through the larger mans frame if he hadn't been looking for it. Katsuki was definitely ready for some birthday sex, and from the soft noise that escaped his partner when he ran his tongue over the selfsame ear he had just whispered into, so was Izuku.

So he was floored when his lover pulled away and whipped around, hand out, as if to keep a beast at bay.

Katsuki wanted to growl at getting denied, but the situation was so...stupid he snorted.

"What's wrong, Deku? We've done it in more public spaces and never gotten caught...and I know you wish I'd fucked you here back then..." He moved towards Izuku, gravelly voice seductive. Izuku took another step back.

"Kacchan this isn't what I came here for...I mean it is...but...not..." He was fiddling with the small box that had caused his loss in the first place, then stopped, back straightning. " You...said what you wanted for your birthday...was me right?" His eyes were pleading and Katsuki realized he wasn't just talking about for sex. He growled and looked away, shoulders tense and emotions riding high.

"Yeah....I mean. I already have you, you stupid Deku. You're mine." He reached out and took Izukus free hand, fingers lacing with his. He wanted to know what had the other so nervous. " What is that stupid box."

Katsuki Bakugou had never felt more like an idiot in his life when his boyfriend slid to one knee in front of him and opened the box that he'd been fiddling with.

The box that had plainly been a ring box the whole time.

"So...Yeah. I'm already yours, Kacc....Katsuki." The green haired giant stumbled over the words and shook his head. " Kacchan...So I can't give you anything but more of me...for the rest of our lives." The world seemed to hold it's breath as terrified green eyes met his and it hit him like a tidal wave what this whole day had been about. Izuku was proposing.

Well...Fuck.

The ring sitting in the casing was actually two rings. Two halves of a whole. -Just like them- They were about as manly as engagement rings got, tungstun steel bands with a single gem set in each band, one emerald, one ruby.

The blond didn't know how to process this. Of course he was going to marry the nerd, he'd just assumed he'd be the one asking. He could see his hesitation feeding that stupid insecurity his lover still carried and reached out his hand to snatch the box. He pried the rings apart and handed the one with the green gem out to Izuku with a slightly shaking hand.

"Youre supposed to put this ring on my goddamn finger right? Now give me your left hand Deku." He slid the ring onto his boyfriends left ring finger with a gentleness that belied his rough actions, and felt the slim band slide over his knuckle as Izuku followed suit. He pressed his forehead against Izukus, eyes meeting as a smile flickered across Katsukis lips, before eyes closed and their lips met.

"Happy Birthday, Kacchan"

Katsuki pulled away from the kiss with a snort.

" Shitty nerd getting yourself the better present for MY birthday" Katsuki crossed his arms cockily, the ring on his finger glinting in the afternoon sunlight. " I know I'm just that awesome." He ran his tongue over his lips. " But you did get me one thing I wanted..." The explosive heros arms moved to pull Izuku to his chest. " So I guess it's not too bad..." His hands slid down to squeeze his boyfr...fiances plump ass. " What do you say we celebrate this by giving me the other thing I wanted..." His smirk grew as he felt a twitch against his thigh, even as his boyfriends voice raised an octave. " HERE?"

#bnha bkdk #bakudeku #bkdkbirthday #bkdkgift

[actingonimpulse]

Snow and Roses

This is my one-shot for @vp102 “Gift of Fanfiction”. I recommend you check their YouTube channel out where they do a variety of things, including Wattpad Read Alouds, and they are really cool. Their YouTube channel is VideoPresident 102, or this link https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmOYRxICUMSiLoYDX_BTZiw.

Summary: Its Christmas time in the mindscape, when it starts to snow that's when things pick up the little on excitement.

Wordcount: 4240

Janus (mentioned 15 times) and Remus (mentioned 16 times) Are there but I didn’t incorporate them enough for me to feel the need to tag them.

3rd person POV

Virgil was just settling down onto his soft bed, the sheets shifted with the pressure of his body weight going down on it. Staring at the ever-shining digital clock. The blocky letters in red illuminating their way into his eyes. 6:30 AM. ‘Perfect time to sleep’ the tired side thought. Drifting slowly into sleep.

/a little tad later/

Virgil very, unfortunately, got woken up by a sound. It wasn’t his alarm clock. It only really set it if there was something going on. Virgil grudgingly sat up, taking the opportunity up to stretch his arms. His head turned towards his nightstand, it was holding four things, his phone, a bottle of water, a lamp and the alarm. Glancing at the alarm it read 6:47 AM. whole 17 minutes of sleep. His thoughts drifted off the clock and he looked at the wall. The sound was music blasting from the hallway, the tired side deduced. Footsteps rang through the hall, Virgil could tell it was Roman based on the pattern of steps. The song was now interpretable. It was Mariah Carey.

“l don't care about the presents~” a voice echoed from the hall. It was the voice of the fellow Prince and Mariah Carey’s top song. A fearsome duo in his opinion.

“Underneath the Christmas tree” A different voice continued, it was very energetic. It was Patton. A less fearsome trio.

After a twist of his door handle Roman burst through his door. Virgil jumped and accidentally bumped his head into the wall. “Merry Christmas Kiddo!” Patton cheered. “We can’t open gifts until everyone else is downstairs.” The father figure informed. Virgil nodded and watched as they left him in his room, Patton closing the door behind himself pushing Roman out. Virgil slid out of bed. Virgil was in black sweatpants, so he didn’t think it was necessary to change out of them. Virgil slipped his fuzzy slippers on and then switched his pajama shirt to a loose purple t-shirt then slipped his hoodie on. Virgil was staring at the door then saw a light illuminate from his nightstand. Virgil grabbed his phone, it was a basic notification. Virgil quickly checked the time, 6:56, Shoving the device into his pocket stepping outside his room, continuing his journey down the hallway. Virgil was dragging himself through the hall without having the real chance of waking up.

 Stepping down the stairs Virgil noticed Logan in one of the leather seats, reading a book while his phone laid face down next to him on the arm of the chair he was occupying. Logan glanced up, he was in his everyday attire. “Merry Christmas Virgil. I hope your sleep was ideal.” His tone was mainly his normal voice, but there was a glint of something else there, possible excitement or happiness. Patton and Roman turned to look at him as Virgil made his way over. Patton was in his Cat onesie next to Logan. Roman was in red and yellow plaid pajamas with his Christmas sweater over it.

“Do you like it, Lo?” Patton chirped.

“Merry Christmas Logan.” Virgil muttered in response as he sat next to Roman in an open spot. Logan gave a small nod of acknowledgement. Roman shifted away from him and Patton stood up”

“Kiddos let’s open presents now! I’ll go first for the Secret Santa. I had Logan!” Patton excitedly cheered walking over to the tree. He picked up a box, wrapped in dark blue wrapping paper, and a silver bow adorning the top. Passing it to the intellectual side, who took it. Taking off the bow and the paper in a fashion that wasn't just ripping it apart. Logan took Patton’s gift out. It was a Collection of H.P. Lovecraft, the intellectual observing the cover.

“Yes. It’s indeed a great choice.” Logan replied excitedly Patton looked extremely pleased with his statement.

“I know you like Sherlock, so I wanted to find something close enough to it,” He explained. 

“Well thank you. I will start reading this soon. It's clear you thought of me when getting it.” The logical trait placed the book to his side. “I will make room to start this as soon as I can.” Logan picked up a gift wrapped in light pastel colors. “It seems I had you also.” He passed the box to the father figure. Who took it out, ripping the paper to shreds. He took out a stuffed dog, with a grey cardigan around the animal’s shoulders. The stuffed animal had glasses on their brown eyes. Patton gave the gift a strong squeeze.

“It’s so cute!” Patton squealed. “It looks so much like me! Thank you, Logan!” Patton stared at it. His eyes were bright with excitement. The father figure then turned “Wait, who will go next”

Janus raised his hand. “I totally don’t want to go next in the gift exchange.” Patton gave a small nod and Janus walked over to the tree. Picking up a box with green paper on it. 

Janus handed the green box to Remus who quickly ripped it apart. Remus opened the box and held up a few things that could be used for pranks. Remus looked at a vial of what Virgil thought was Disappearing Ink. Roman gave a sigh in a way that said ‘oh boy.’

“Ooooo! These things could be fun~” Remus smirked while speaking out to everyone. After a second he skipped over to the tree. Picking up a small red box, passing it to his brother.

Roman hesitantly grabbed the box and unwrapped it. He slid something out then gave a small squeal. “Is this. The complete Disney song collection?” Remus nodded. Roman examined the perfectly sealed CD with a small smile. Eventually Roman picked up something from under the tree. He passed it to Virgil who could tell he was nervous.

Virgil took the box as Roman sat back down next to me. Virgil looked at the box. It adorned the top of the lid. Virgil gently took the lid off, it held a small key. Virgil looked at him confused as he picked up a silver key. “A key?” Virgil asked him. 

Roman scoffed “I wouldn’t just give a silly old key!”

Virgil sighed. “Princey if you have some crazy adventure plan would you mind waiting for me to give my gift?” Roman nodded as Virgil put the key in his pocket. Virgil walked to the remaining present and picked up the yellow and green box. Virgil handed it to Janus. Who took it and looked at me.

”What’s this? Is it gonna jump out at me?” Janus teased Virgil, who brushed it off and sat down. Janus looked back at the box. Taking the paper off and opening the box. He took out a yellow snake plush with a hat on. “This was totally expected,” Janus spoke, almost to the plushie. He looked in awe at the snake, eventually booping it in the nose.

“Are we done now?” Roman asked. Patton gave a half shrug. “Come on.” Before Virgil knew it Roman grabbed his wrist and dragged the darker one elsewhere.

“I feel like you're plotting something,” Virgil muttered looking behind himself to see Logan and Patton following. They both seemed to be equally confused. After Roman dragged him outside. He handed Virgil a blindfold. “What are you even doing? I really do think you're gonna do something.”

“You’ll see,” Roman replied as Virgil put it on.

“Your gonna kill me aren’t you?”

Roman let out an offended gasp to his question. “I would never!” He shot back starting to guide him. Virgil could hear the footsteps of the others. 

He eventually slowed down “Watch your step” Roman warned as there was a sudden step-up. Virgil gave an unsure nod. Virgil llet Roman guide him . It was cold, almost too cold for the Emo.

“Ok, you can stop now.” Virgil heard the Prince character’s voice. Virgil did so as Roman took the blindfold off Virgil. The four of them were in the garden, in front of a gate. 

“The gardens have been here forever. What's so different about it?” Virgil inquired.

“Where's the key?” Roman asked back. Virgil stuck his hand in his pocket pulling it out onto his palm, showing the prince as he waved Virgil over. Patton and Logan were close behind.

“Did we leave Remus and Janus alone?” Virgil realized they weren't with us. 

“They did not wish to follow,” Logan responded. 

Roman looked at both of them. “Virgil, unlock the gate.”

“Oh yeah.” Virgil quickly countered. Virgil put the key into the lock, twisting to the side then pushing the gate open. “Should we go inside?” Roman nodded eagerly. Virgil walked in Roman on his heels. Patton and Logan right behind. 

“It’s beautiful,” Virgil replied. Before turning his gaze back to the garden. Virgil reached out to touch one of the flowers. “How did you do this?” Virgil asked after a moment. his hand was cupping the side of the flower.

It seemed to be a simple garden, for the prince at least, but yet beautiful. It was roughly the size of a small room. There were tall hedges in place of walls, his feet took himself to the center as Virgil looked around. There were roses, not any though. They were purple with dark leaves, the bushes appeared thorn less. As Patton and Logan trailed in they both looked around.

Roman must’ve noticed his reaction. “Do you like it Stormcloud?” Virgil looked at him.

Roman couldn’t answer before Patton shouted. “Guys look!” he pointed to the sky. Virgil complied. Seeing as white speckles could be seen in the sky, floating down in a graceful fashion. “I think it’s snowing!” the dad figure excitedly cheered. Virgil watched as snowflakes started hitting the ground. The brick started to dot in white. Patton stuck his tongue out trying to get one.

Virgil stuck out his hand as one landed on him. As it melted Virgil felt a shiver gently graze his skin from the cold. Virgil pulled his jacket closer onto himself. “Can we go inside, where it’s warmer?” Virgil spoke the last part in a whisper. 

Logan nodded. “I think it’s in everyone’s interest so we don’t get sick.” Patton sighed as a form of complaint. But eventually started out, Virgil followed as Logan left. Roman followed them but stopped at the gate.

“Hot topic lock the gate.”

Virgil nodded and grabbed the key. Turning it until he heard the click of it locking. Virgil pushed the gate to double-check it was closed. Walking back to the group as the snow kept gently falling on the ground and us. By the time we walked to the door, we could start seeing the shapes of the soles of our shoes on the ground.

After we all walked in Roman being the last one closed the door. Patton looked out the window. “Let’s all get ready to play in the snow!”

Logan looked at the parental trait. “Patton there isn’t nearly enough snow to ‘Play’ in it.” Logan did air quotes around the word play. He pushed up his glasses and headed off to a different room.

“Where are you going, Lo?” Patton questioned.

“I am going to pour myself a cup of coffee. It’s nearly 8 am” Logan replied. That’s when Virgil remembered the fact he’s running on barely any sleep. Logan left and Patton followed the logical side. Virgil started heading off to his room.

“What are you up to emo?” Roman asked right after Virgil turned his back. 

“Not a ton,” Virgil replied, still not turning to face him.

“Then where are you going?” Roman asked, grabbing his arm, “Everyone else is here. Even Janus and Remus for some reason.” He gestured to the two others sitting in the living room, they were playing cards and they were getting louder. Someone was obviously starting to win. It was oddly calming everyone getting along for once.

“To the void of space.” Virgil flatly responded. Roman let his arm go. Virgil walked away to the safety of his bedroom. Once there Virgil switched to black jeans, combat boots, then a thick hoodie on top of his shirt.

After about 20 minutes of hanging around in his room Virgil walked downstairs. Going over to the kitchen Virgil grabbed a cup pouring himself some coffee. Then ventured over to the main area and sat down on the seat next to Roman. Patton and Logan were sharing the other sofa, Janus and Remus were sitting across each other at the coffee table still playing cards. Virgil took a swig of his coffee. A glance out the window could show the snow piling up rather quickly. The living room fell into comfortable silence besides Janus and Remus. A few minutes passed before Patton whispered something to Logan. Logan nodded as Patton stood up. “Let's all go outside!” The father figure excitedly urged them. “Get some boots and warm clothes.” He added. 

Roman snapped his fingers and he was wearing a thick red trench coat over his Christmas sweater and sweatpants. He was also wearing red boots with golden accents and a pair of matching gloves. Virgil ran upstairs to grab a beanie and gloves. After returning Virgil noticed Logan walking down the stairs. Logan had on, from what Virgil could see, had a heavy jacket, jeans, and some snow boots. The teacher character was sliding on gloves as Patton walked in. He had a light blue jacket over his shirt, he also had jeans and grey boots. The dad character was placing a beanie with cat ears on his head. “Let’s go kiddos!”

Janus and Remus looked up from their game. “Stay warm” Janus joked watching Patton walk out the door. The others followed him. Patton laid down in the thin white sheet covering the ground, it looked like more or less an inch. Virgil was walking around in the snow, enjoying the grace of the snowfall. Then ‘thud’. Virgil felt something hit his back and turned around. Roman was preparing another snowball to toss at him.

Virgil grabbed a handful of the plush snow and pressed it together, tossing it towards the prince. It didn’t hit him but it started a snowball fight. It went on for some time, some hits, most misses. Virgil slipped and hit the snow. Each time they grabbed snow Virgil always ended up grazing the grass while taking it. The current fall quickly replenished anything that they took. Roman stood over him, placing his boot on his chest.

“Any last words Hot Topic?” Roman smugly asked. A snowball was in his hand and he was gonna throw it at him.

“Hakuna Matata” Virgil replied

He leaned forward being careful not to hurt Virgil. “It means no worries” As his face was close Virgil grabbed some snow and hit him in the face with it. Roman backed up confused and Virgil took the opportunity to run. “HEY, NO FAIR!” He laughed and ran after the darker persona. Who ran behind Patton.

Roman tried to toss a snowball at him but hit the father figure instead. Patton joined in our little fight and eventually, Logan did too. Teams were formed over time. Patton and Virgil vs Roman and Logan. Patton was busy piling snow and Virgil was out to scope out where the other team was making their hideout.  They were near the bushes. Virgil got hit in the side, Logan was behind a mound of snow. Virgil tossed some back and heard Roman. ‘Found it’ Virgil thought to himself. Virgil looped around the house and went to Patton. “I found their hideaway,” Virgil whispered. 

“Good. Now we plan.” Patton whispered. Taking 5 or 6 minutes Virgil looked around the front while Patton took a long way around. Virgil was in the trees, near the front. Then stepping out, staying in the open. 

Roman looked at Logan. “Virgil is out in the open, Lets gather enough snowballs for an ambush.” He whispered. They spent time collecting a small amount of snowballs. “CHARGE!” The prince shouted. Logan opened fire. Throwing them at Virgil before grabbing one from his teammate. Roman suddenly tumbled over feeling a chilling sensation over his neck. He shrieked. As a reaction

Virgil heard Roman’s Voice and noticed Logan started tossing at me. Virgil played along, getting hit a few and tossing others. Virgil heard a roar from Roman then Patton’s voice. “Are you alright kiddo?” It echoed through the open area they were in.

“Yeah, I’m fine Patton.” Virgil heard Roman say. Virgil sat in the snow for a second. Banter starting from the other sides. After a few minutes, Virgil laid down staring at the sky above with the snowfall, hearing a crunch beside him. “What are you doing.” Roman was above him again. Virgil gave a half attempted shrug. He laid down next to Virgil and shivered before sitting up. “The snow is a tad cold.” He looked at the other one. “Are you ok Virgil?” Virgil was surprised he asked that. He must’ve noticed the surprise in his expression “You look tired.”

“I’m fine,” Virgil muttered back to him

“It's close to two in the afternoon. I think we should all go inside.” Logan yelled out in an informative way. He walked off probably to Patton.

“5 hours?” Virgil asked, it felt much shorter to him.

“Time flies when you're having fun, huh emo?” Roman spoke, turning around and walking back, halfway back he turned and faced the tree Virgil was at. “You coming?” Virgil nodded walking over to him as they walked together to the house.

Walking inside Patton walked up to them. “Since most of our clothes are wet Logan said we should change into something dry and warmer.” Virgil nodded walking off to his room. After reaching it Virgil changed into sweatpants, a t-shirt, and an oversized hoodie. Virgil changed his socks into Nightmare Before Christmas socks. Hanging out in his room for a while before deciding to adventure out. Virgil walked down to the living room and everyone else already there. Remus and Roman were arguing about the movie they wanted to watch. Patton was making Hot Chocolate for everyone.

“Virgil, choose. The Santa Clause with Tim Allen, or How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” Roman was seeking an answer.

“The Santa Clause I guess.” Virgil hesitantly replied before sitting on one of the empty sofas still warming up from the cold.

“Told you Remus it's better!” Roman grabbed a disk. Remus growled. He inserted the disk in as Patton walked in. Passing a mug to Janus and one to Remus.

“Do you need help, Pat?” Virgil asked, He shook his head assuring Virgil he was fine. Virgil leaned into the sofa, Roman sat down next to him. Patton was somehow holding four cups. Placing two in front of Roman and Virgil. He handed one to Logan and sat down. The movie played in the background as Virgil started falling asleep. Virgil leaned against his hand before falling asleep.

“Don’t you dare wake him” Virgil heard a voice tell someone off.

“Patton, he slept through the movie. I think we should continue the day. It’s been over one and a half hours.” 

Virgil yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Kiddo did we wake you?” Patton directed his attention to him. Virgil shook his head. “Ok! Sorry, your hot cocoa got cold, you fell asleep right as the movie started.” Patton turned around “Roman get off the table!”

Roman was standing on the coffee table “Guys we’re having an Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest!” He announced. “A few rules. 1, nothing inappropriate. 2, everyone has to participate. 3, No sabotaging or stealing other people’s ideas. 4, Use the sweaters provided so it's fair. We are all gonna gather in 2 hours wearing our sweaters.”

“Two hours seems a little excessive,” Logan spoke up.

“You're not making the rules. I am. Now everyone, let the challenge begin!” Roman proudly hopped off after finishing his sentence. He summoned and passed out each a red and green sweater. Virgil sunk down to his room right after he got his sweater. Virgil looked around his room, finding an idea. Grabbing his sewing kit then heading to work. 20 minutes later Virgil walked downstairs without the sweater. Plopping down on the couch, starting to scroll through his phone.

“Finished the quest already?” Roman asked smugly. Virgil didn't reply, and continued to scroll. The prince scoffed at his lack of response and walked off. 

About an hour later everyone was downstairs waiting around. Everyone was done, Logan was right, again. Roman spoke up after realizing some of them were running short on patience. Patton was sitting on the couch humming Christmas songs wearing a sweater, ornaments carefully sewn on. Virgil was still sprawled out on the couch. Janus didn't want to wear a sweater and shut the door in Roman’s face, and Remus. He honestly just didn't care what Remus was up to. “Everyone should have their sweaters on.” Roman gestured to Virgil who sighed and walked towards his room. He returned back and his dark jacket tightly pulled around him. After Virgil sat back down Roman announced. “Alrighty, let’s start!” He placed his phone down. It was playing Christmas music. 

“What are we doing again with the ‘ugly’ Christmas sweaters?” Logan put finger quotes around the word ‘ugly’. The logical trait’s sweater had a tinsel garland wrapping around him in stripes.

“A contest! We will vote on whose sweater is best. And they get bragging rights.” The prince’s sweater was blinking with the Christmas lights that were woven into the fabric. “So I will pass out the voting paper and each pen, I want the pens back.” Roman placed a slip and a pen in front of Patton and gave Logan his own set. Once he reached Virgil. “What's on the sweater Virgil?” Virgil looked a little flustered.

“Its stupid.” Virgil nervously replied. Pulling his jacket even more on to cover what he put on it “I don’t think it's a good idea any-” he got cut off by Patton. 

“Come on kiddo! What’s the worst thing, you don't win?” Patton gently encouraged.

“Most of us will in fact lose if not everyone.”  Logan stated

“F-fine.” Virgil loosened the jacket. It just barely showed a round reflective disk on the center which was tightly sewn onto the sweater. Roman just sighed in defeat and gave him the slip and pen. 

“Also so we don’t waste our creations we will keep them on for now.” Roman added.

“But it’s like 5:30.” Virgil complained glancing out the window at the golden sun meeting his eyeline. He squinted away. He laid himself on the couch. His jacket adjusting to him shifting.

“Wait.” Roman said in an attempt to hold off a laugh. “Did you put a mirror on your sweater?”

“Lets just vote so we can all stop talking about this!” The paler one urged. Roman nodded, everyone wrote down a name. Roman won, and everyone went to do their own stuff. Logan and Patton decided to just watch another few movies. Roman went to his room. Virgil went to his own room.

Virgil tugged the hoodie back over the sweater. “No?”

“Wait kiddo really! Why didn't I think of that?” Patton chuckled looking at the side on the couch.

--later on--

Virgil was done with this. It was about 9. So for the past few hours it's been christmas music. Virgil doesn’t hate the music. But it’s been well over 3 hours of non-stop music, and Roman’s singing. He tried the headphones it got a few years ago. But he still heard what was being blasted through his own playlist. He heard knocking from the next room over. The music stopped then footsteps. Virgil changed into a different christmas sweater, it was the first thing he did getting to his room. It was black with a basic pattern on it.

“Hey kiddo! We are all gonna spend time together. Can you join us?” Patton called out through his still closed door. Virgil walked over opening the door. 

With a sigh the darker one replied “Sure, why not.” With a squeal the bright father figure dragged Virgil to the living room. They were already playing Christmas music from a small speaker. He sat on the floor leaning against the couch. Im Dreaming of a White Christmas started to serenade the living room. 

Logan walked over to Patton and nervously questioned. “Can I have this dance?” He held out his hand. Patton excitedly gasped taking the hand as Logan pulled him up. 

“Of course Logie!” Patton responded. Logan wrapped an arm around Patton’s waist, Patton adjusting a hand softly onto the smarter trait’s shoulder. They danced around the room semi-gracefully. Logan with a soft smile, and Patton with a smile so bright the sun would be jealous. The song guiding them through its soft melodies and rhythm. 

Virgil and Roman shared a glance. Virgil sighed as Roman stood up. “I feel like I am indebted, aren’t I stormcloud?” Roman held out his hand. Shall we dance? Virgil took the offered hand being dragged to his feet.

“I’m never accepting a bet again.” The darker trait informed. 

“You know you like it.” The prince defended himself and started guiding the anxious one into a slow waltz gently humming along to the music.

~end~

Thank you yet again VideoPresident 102 and if you haven't checked them out please do! They even have a live channel if your interested in that. 

Link to their main: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmOYRxICUMSiLoYDX_BTZiw

Link to their live: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7-T6i_idkYfdZy7uXu54bg

#sander sides #prinxiety #logicality #roman sanders #patton sanders #logan sanders #virgil sanders #AIWrites

[thenameisel]

Origin Stories Part Three: Stumble and Fall

"Thank you for sharing." Elliott said over coms. There was a pause. Then as if not wanting to accept that the story had ended, he continued. "Say. Did you find anything interesting at the Truck Stop?" 

Boop chuckled and leaned forward in the cockpit. A black gloved hand tapped a weird figure on the dash. Something Pip had decided was a 'Bobble Head'. Shaped like a moose, it's comically oversized head bounced back and forth. When they had found it, all those years ago, the plastic’s color had faded and spring rusted away. With a little care it looked almost good as new. Turns out Boop was halfway decent with a paintbrush. 

"I'll have to show you sometime. Old world figure. Think you'd like it."

"So, guess it's my turn?"

"Nah. Take a nap. I could use some quiet myself. We should be fresh for landing anyway." 

"Thats fair." There was mild disappointment in Elliott's voice. "Poke me if anything comes up."

"Will do." Boop muted the channel, and reached back into the thick black fur lined hood, causing Pip to release an angry sounding series of beeps. "Stop that. I want to recline. I can't do that with you there!" 

"Oh fine." Pip grumbled as he was removed from the hood, but the lights flowing across his eye was a slow content parade of color. He resettled in Boop's arms once the Hunter had leaned the seat back, and the two settled in for some nice reflective quiet. 

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

"Arrival in fifteen minutes." 

Elliott jerked awake, the scraps of some dream involving Hive fading quickly from memory. He rubbed his face and shook his head, trying to remove the fog of sleep. Caush hovered steadily at his shoulder. 

"Pip's chosen landing zone is an estimated twelve minutes, twenty second sparrow ride from the target. Should give us an element of surprise. I would have picked a location further out, to reduce the chances of the ships being spotted, but calculations show the distance is… adequate." 

Caush was rambling again. Elliott squeezed his way out of the small cockpit and into the only slightly larger space behind the pilot’s seat. He had to stoop quite a bit. 

"It's an industrial area, lots of cover. Target is holed up in a shipping warehouse. We unfortunately don't have recent info on the area, but I've prepared multiple calculations on the most likely scenarios."

Their ship wasn't appointed great for long trips away from the tower, but the two of them wouldn't trade it for the shiniest exotic. It was a junker Caush had discovered many years ago, long before finding Elliott. Keeping the ship's location secret the Ghost had waited till his Titan's first Dawning to reveal its location. Together the two had worked many long hours fixing it up. To them it was worth the world. It could seat four between the cockpit and a wide bench behind in a space not big enough to call a cabin. However, there was plenty of storage hidden in the walls and floor. And while the ship did boast some decent communications and recon equipment, it completely lacked any form of living luxuries. But they made do. 

Fighting with a latch that probably should be replaced, Elliott opened one cabinet and stored his empty thermos, and retrieved a second one. He cracked it open, and smiled in relief at escaping steam. He always brought multiple. 

"Pip passed on that Boop said to be ready for a fight. In a confined area." Caush sounded miffed. "As if I hadn't already considered that possibility. What do they think I am? Some kind of Battle Frame?" 

"I'm sure it wasn't meant that way." Elliott opened another cabinet, this one was in much better shape. He started pulling out ammo packs, holding each one up for Caush to store in a flurry of sparks. "Now. What do you think we should take?"

Caush's solitary eye was a flurry of color as he ran calculations again. Potential threats, the target's location, all known data was sifted through till he was satisfied with the outcome. 

"Take that absurd auto rifle of yours. The spread will be useful in close quarters. That new scout we found might come in handy, If we need the range. And, of course, the machine gun."

"Sounds good to me."

Elliott pulled the suggested gear from various cabinets, giving Caush the machine gun to hold on to. The scout went across his back, the auto he'd keep at the ready. 

"Brace for landing." Caush said, and Elliott widened his stance. Not that he needed too, Caush was an impeccable pilot and there wasn't even the slightest bump as the ship was set down. 

The two disembarked just in time to see Boop summoning a black sparrow that was as sleek and silent as the Hunter's jumpship. Elliott did the same, his own being in better shape then his ship, as it was quite a bit newer. It had been gifted to him by the first Guardian he had ever met. A Titan by the name of McKay. 

Their Ghosts dematerialized and they took off In silence. Well, almost silence, as Caush gave regular updates to the both of them as they traveled. They had done countless ops together, they knew their roles. 

As they got close to the location, Boop picked up speed, and Elliott slowed, letting the distance widen between them. He watched as his friend took a hard left and vanished down a side street. Elliott did not follow. He’d approach the obvious way. Draw attention to himself, while the Hunter snuck in to cause chaos from behind. 

“Large building with blue trim. Up on the left.” Caush said, and while his voice was calm and steady, there was a slight hint of anticipation to it. “Adjusting calculations.”

“How close are your predictions so far?”

“Too soon to tell. Estimated thirty minutes of engagement remaining to make an accurate calculation. But 99.8 percent. Prior data suggested the building’s trim was green.”

Elliot laughed and shook his head, Caush loved his data. The Titan accepted the roles in their relationship. His Ghost did the thinking, he punched things.

Reaching the building Caush had pointed out, he cut the sparrow's engine and jumped off, letting it glide to a halt without him. He hit the ground running towards a gaping hole in the wall where an entrance might have once been. It looked suspiciously like something large had forced it's way in. He had to watch his footing as he went, for a series of evenly spaced potholes, like small impact craters, dotted the already heaved and cracked asphalt.

"Well, that's familiar eh?" He joked, not slowing his pace.

"Updating calculations. It was an unfortunate possibly."

"We'll handle it. Update Boop."

"Already done. Not answering me, but that's expected."

Suddenly he was through the gaping hole, sunblind in the dark interior. He ducked to the right, to put his back against a wall, auto rifle at the ready. Keeping the potholes in mind he threw his shoulder forward, forcing his Light into a glittering barricade in front of him. Elliott waited the breathless heartbeats as his eyes adjusted, listening expectantly for the sounds of wire rifles. 

But nothing came. All was silent. 

"Huh." 

"This is quite outside my calculations. I'm not detecting any lifeforms." 

"None?" 

"Nothing."

"Ok then. Let's take a look around." 

Elliott stepped forward through his barricade, auto rifle up. Still there was no movement. No sound. 

The interior of the warehouse had been modified into Eliksni style housing, a true maze of ramshackle walls and fabric. Elliott slowly worked his way through twisting halls, noting the signs of a hasty exit. Debris of all sorts strewn about the alcoves. Articles of clothing, household items, technology scraps and things he couldn't name. 

"Odd. Very much outside of expected parameters." Caush's observations were made from the safety of non material space. No way he would risk exposure in such an unknown situation. "Signs of quick vacation. Estimated time, three days ago."

Eventually Elliott came to a large open area that was roughly in the center of the building. Here the concrete floor gave way to wood and salvaged carpets, and a good chunk of the ceiling was gone, letting light in and illuminating the area. A central square? Gathering place?

Curious he stepped into the space, eyes sweeping left and right, looking for trouble. It was quiet.

Suddenly, something small pinged off his helmet. His auto rifle came up instinctively, looking for the source. A thumbnail sized pebble rolled to a stop in front of him. 

Scanning the environment again quickly, something caught his eye. Up. A silhouette was outlined against the sky waving hands in an almost frantic chopping motion. Boop.

“Caush?” He started, but he didn't need his Ghost to tell him this had most likely been a trap. Boop wouldn't have let him walk blind into something unless… suddenly he remembered the radio silence.

The darkness to his left shifted. Then his right. Far to many sets of sickly yellow-green eyes started appearing all around him as the forms lumbered forward from the dark. Elliott glanced back the way he came and saw more. Totally surrounded. A slightly manic grin came to his face. Of all the enemies of humanity, Hive was his favorite to fight. Why they were here and not Eliksni, he didn’t know or care.

Caush started rambling away inside his head, listing positions and numbers, possible cover locations and anything else he thought might benefit the Titan. Elliott leveled his auto rifle at the largest group, and pulled the trigger.

PAFF.PAFF.PAFF. The auto rifle chuffed, kicking back violently in Elliott's hands. PAFF.PAFF.PAFF. With each firing four barrels went off in unison, creating an unavoidable hail of death not unlike a shotgun scatter, but with the reach and predictability of an auto rifle. 

In the heartbeats between trigger pulls, he was dimly aware of the crack of Boop's sniper.  

Hive Thralls fell in droves from bullets and Elliott's Arc covered fist. Knights slowed their charge to a standstill at his onslaught. But when an Ogre lumbered out of the shadows it was Elliott who gave ground. He did so willingly, needing the space. If he didn't thin the masses soon he would be overwhelmed. Out in the center of the open area his mind touched Caush's. No words were exchanged, just impressions. They were ready. 

Elliott jumped, utilizing Light to gain extra height. His body exploded in a fury of Arc energy. Fists together, eyes blazing, he plummeted towards the Ogre, alight in a maelstrom of lightning. 

One good slam should clear out enough to turn the tide. 

Boop screamed his name, voice filled with panic.

As Elliott hit the ground and broke through the false wood floor he understood why. 

It had been a trap after all.

#destiny #destiny 2 #fanfic #titan #hunter #hive #sorry not sorry #there will be more