#her pendant is the key to walking on land

[whatsgoingoninsiderikkishead]

Happier than Ever

info + warnings: Angst, Chubby Reader, Alcohol consumption, Toxic Behavior, Cheating, Not a happy ending.

wc: 1k+

summary: Short story. Keigo Takami -  Hawks - Toxic and Cheating BF

a/n: I got Billie’s Happier than Ever on loop while I wrote this down. There’s some lyrics there, please don’t judge me. ehe.  Enjoy!!!!! 😊 Might also remind you of some Marvel movie.

You look at the clock on your bedside table for the nth time. It's already 3 am. You wish your mind to fall asleep, at any moment now he’ll be home. Late, again. Smelling like someone else, again. Tears filled your eyes and you just blinked it away pulling the bed cover tighter to you. 

You’ve never felt so weak and worthless. You kept on thinking when did this hell started and if he ever loved you like he said he does. You tried to leave but you’ll know that he’ll just gonna bring you back. You belong to him. 

You hear the click of the knob and his keys’ jiggle. You threw the sheet over your head so that you will not be able to see him. 

You knew about her, she made sure of that. Leaving little things in some places that she knew that you can see easily. Making him smell like her every time that he’d been with her.

It’s your 3rd year anniversary today and he didn’t even remember. You prepared his favorite meal and waited for him to come home in your favorite dress all dolled up but when the clock struck 12, you knew that he didn’t remember. 

Five messages were sent to him wanting to know where he is but one message that dismissed you left you with a broken heart. 

‘Don’t message me. I’m busy.’ he said. 

He’s busy..

Busy fucking her..

Busy giving her the love that he’s supposed to be giving his Wife to some random coworker that was skinnier than his Wife… your biggest weakness..

He said that he loves your curvy body and preferred it over a skinny one. 

Hah! What a joke, Keigo. What a joke.

You tried to remember all the good memories that you and him had but all of it was already tainted by his cheating. You tried to confront him but he said that it’s all in your head and proceeded to go to work. One year of your life was all full of arguments, lies, and it was all wasted on him. 

You felt him pull the cover off and laid on the bed beside you as tears filled your eyes. You can smell the stink of her rose perfume that you grew to hate. The smell of the perfume that You, yourself gave to her as a birthday gift as you never knew that she will be the one who’s going to kill you, slowly. 

Few minutes later he's already sleeping soundly. You slowly pulled your cover off, making sure that he remained sleeping. You walked to the bathroom that was connected to your room, shedding the red dress that you’re wearing for your anniversary and turned the shower on. 

Tears are now flowing down your face, as you stand under the shower. Feeling all the pain that you felt the whole year. He promised you the world, he promised you all the love, he promised you a beautiful future but all of that was a lie. You’re already at the brink of your sanity. You can’t take it any more. 

Toweling off your body, you grabbed a new night gown and dried off your hair. Your mind is still flooded with Keigo's infidelity. As you brush your hair in front of a mirror, your attention was caught by the necklace that was hanging on its side. 

‘With this, I promise that I’ll be forever by your side. Whenever I’m on a Mission, just touch this..’ he pointed at a small red feather attached to the pendant. ‘It's one of my feathers, I’ll feel you and will know that you’re thinking of me..’ he smiled as he put it on me and landed one kiss on my forehead and one on my lips.

I wonder how many girls he gives his feathers to.. I reach for it and put it on, walking back to the bedroom. 

I turned to the windows and walked out the balcony. Hawks always like to be on high  places. I told him before that his penthouse was his nest and he just laughed. Looking down, you can see that the street you were living on was silent and no cars were passing at this time. 

Your hands reached over to the feather and closed your eyes, giving it a soft touch. You heard Keigo groan and took advantage of that and passes his mind…

‘I don't relate to you. I don't relate to you, no. 'Cause I'd never treat me this shitty. You made me hate this city..’

You showed him all the memories where you started, when you first met, your first date, your first kiss, your first night, his proposal, Your wedding. One and a half years, happier as ever.. Then his cheating. You showed him what you saw, what you know, what she said, what she did to you. You showed him everything. 

Keigo’s groans echoed in your bedroom. Like he's having a nightmare where he can’t wake up. You kept those memories on his head on repeat until he’s shaking. Then you let go. 

Of his memories, of his promises, of him, of yourself.

Keigo’s POV

I sat up, gasping. I knew something would happen. I knew it.

I looked over the balcony and saw my beautiful wife wearing the necklace that I gave her. Standing on the ledge. 

“.. you were my everything. And all that you did was make me fucking sad.” she murmured.

No. “Y/n..”

“..I could talk about every time that you showed up on time. But I'd have an empty line 'cause you never did. Never paid any mind to my mother or friends. So I shut 'em all out for you 'cause I was a kid.”

“Y/n, No!” I threw the cover off of me and ran over towards her but my intoxicity made the worst of me.

“Do you remember what day it is today, Keigo?” she smiled while tears flowing down her face. Making me stop.

“My Angel..” I started

“What day is it, Keigo?” she asked. “What day!?” she bellowed.

“I-I..”

“It’s our 3rd year anniversary..” she murmured. “You don’t remember.. Again. Because you were with her.”

“No. I’m not.” I lied. As I walked slowly to her, I was still drunk on my feet.

“Yes, you were..” she nodded, “I can smell the perfume that I gave my cousin, Keigo. I can smell her..”

Fuck.. “Baby, Come down here, you’re just tired.” I reached out to her. 

“Don’t.” she bit. “This is the best for you, Keigo.”

“What the fuck are you talking about, y/n?” I asked, feeling the exhaustion that I felt every time I spoke to her. “This is fucking insane, Y/n! I’m fucking tired, okay! I don’t have time for this! I don’t have time for you! I’m fucking tired!!” 

“Then I’ll let you go..”

Rubbing my face, “What?” I asked. “This is bullshit!”

“I love you, Keigo.” she stated. “Always and forever.” Y/n pulled her necklace off and let it fall off her hand. My eyes followed the dropping necklace and looked back up. 

Y/n gave me a teary smile that didn’t reach her eyes. A smile that I never saw before from her. 

Then she’s gone. 

I jumped over the balcony. Following her. I flapped my wings, to fall as fast as I could, reaching my hands towards her.

She’s falling. Keigo, faster! “Fuck!!” I screamed as I released some feathers to follow her. Her eyes were closed and looking peaceful. I pushed myself faster and tried to grab her hands but she’s still too far. We’re getting closer to the ground. My feathers can't reach her.

I pushed.. ‘I’m sorry..Y/n.. I’m sorry!’

and pushed.. ‘I’m sorry.. Y/n!’

and pushed  ‘Please! Please!! Oh God!!!’

And I felt one of the feathers reach her. I gasped as I tried to push it behind her to pull her to me. Her eyes opened and she smiled. 

I landed on my knees with her in my arms.

I looked down at her, moving the stray hair off her face and kissed her forehead.

 “Y/n.. I’m sorry..” I mumbled. “I don’t know what had gone through me to do such acts.” I added. “I love you. Only you.” I looked at her. “You can open your eyes now. I got you.”

Y/n didn’t move. “Y/n, you’re safe now. Open your eyes.” I smoothed a finger over her cheek and brushed her hair back. “Y/n-” 

I was stunned. Blood. There was blood. 

There shouldn’t be. I caught her. My feather caught her. 

Right? Right!?

“Y/n. It’s not funny. Open your eyes for me… Please..” I felt a tight grip on my chest. “Y/n. Please.. Y/n!!”

No. no. no.. this isn't true.. I hugged her “Noooo!! Y/n Please!!! No! No!”  

#bnha #bnha hawks #wing hero hawks #keigo takami #takami keigo x reader #keigo x reader #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #whatsgoingoninsiderikkishead

[fallroute]

GLEAMING SWORD BRÍSINGAMEN

A young girl laid on her stomach on the bed in her hotel room, kicking her legs back and forth in the air as she watched the current news on her tablet. It was talking about the recent explosion in an abandoned building, which was said to have been caused by Noise.

It seemed there was a lot of Noise activity lately, even though there hadn't been any recent sightings. She'd picked the worst time to come visit Japan, it seemed. All because she wanted to see all of what Tokyo had to offer, and therefore was here... at the worst time.

"Noise, huh? I wonder if their structure can be analyzed." Sitting up on her knees, she turned the tablet off and put it under her pillow before getting off the bed. It'd been morning for about two hours, and all she had done after showering and getting clean clothes on was watch random shows and then the tail end of a news report about the recent Noise attack. Well, she should probably go out and look around for a bit.

Making sure to lock her room door once she exited, she put her keys in the messenger bag she was carrying and headed out, making sure to exchange out her indoor shoes for outdoor ones when she was at the entrance. After heading out of the hotel, she started to walk down the street and wondered what she would do today.

For a few hours, she checked local stores, played a few games at the Arcade, was surprised to see they had a lot of CDs in stock at the store so bought a few of the singer, Tsubasa Kazanari. Once it turned to at least 1pm, Lulu decided it was time to buy some lunch.

Finding a row of vending machines and a few tables, Lulu stared at them for a minute before noticing they had katsu sandwiches in a vending machine. Curious, she decided to buy one of them. It wasn't easy to get the paper bill in the money slot, but it finally took and Lulu pressed the number 3 button and then the okay button. As it vended her sandwich, she got the change out of the change return part and put it in her messenger bag with the rest of her money.

Once she had her sandwich, she moved over to the drink vending machine and stared at the options. Noting the milk tea, she decided she'd try that and put in the required amount. However, she had to temporarily bring over a chair to be able to push the button for the drink, as it was higher than she was.

After putting the chair back and retrieving her drink and change, she sat down at the table and opened the box containing her sandwich. It had a small package on the outside, taped to the box, which she removed and set aside carefully. Once the stickers securing the box were broken, Lulu opened it to see a fortune message.

Two stars, and...

"Your adventure begins today, with yellow and blue." Strange. Giving a shrug, she continued to open the box to reveal the sandwich, carefully wrapped up, and a packet containing a wet wipe for her hands. It was really convenient. Opening the wrapped sandwich, her eyes widened a little.

"Oh.... That's so cute." It was a half a sandwich side each, cut into three. Taking a square, Lulu bit into it and ate it. The taste was... actually really good. With the test bite done after a few minutes, she opened her milk tea after setting down that sandwich bit and took a small sip.

It was a different taste, but one she didn't seem to mind. For about twenty-five minutes, Lulu sat there, eating her food and drinking her bottled milk tea before finishing and putting the trash in the proper places. The package of goodies ended up in her messenger bag, and she started down the path again after making sure her chair was pushed in.

However, as she started to leave the area, something landed on the ground and slid towards her. A pinkish pendant, it looked like. Picking it up, she noticed a young girl with blonde hair lying on the floor, with a woman who had brown hair with blue underneath standing there with a creepy grin.

Yellow and blue.

Was this what her fortune meant?

"Oh?~" The woman with the creepy grin looked at Lulu, who was standing there staring at the scene and holding the pendant. "Is this why you were running from me?"

"N-no! Please, you need to run!" The blonde-haired girl said, reaching up. Noise were starting to close in, having been summoned by the woman with the creepy grin. "Hurry! Get the pendant to the girl at the vending machines!"

Girl at the vending machines? She was literally the only one there. Glancing back at where she'd come from, she held up the pendant and felt her heart skip a beat. Setting her messenger bag down, she stared at the woman with the creepy grin and the girl laying on the ground.

The Noise were close. Words came to her almost in an instant, as if her heart was telling her what she needed to say.

"Valhimmel Brísingamen tron ...~"

In a flash of light, Lulu's clothes were replaced by a long, sleeveless and backless shirt that was more like a turtleneck shirt, a skirt with shorts underneath and various bits of armor over her arms, legs and around her neck. Her shoes were more like boots now, and a melody began to play that she didn't seem to recognize.

The slot on her left leg's armor opened up, shooting out a sword that formed itself into a greatsword. Catching it, curious as to how she could hold it without toppling over, Lulu took a test swing and caught two Noise in it. The Noise turned to carbon almost immediately. Moving herself forward with a couple steps, she cut down a couple more Noise and then moved out of the way of one that attacked. Using this as an opening, she sliced it apart.

Was this her adventure?

The Noise were whittled down to nothing, leaving her and the woman. With a "tch!", the woman threw down a pink bottle of some sort and told her to actually sing next time before leaving. A sound told Lulu the effect was over, and she was returned to normal. Running over to the girl, she helped her up and retrieved her messenger bag.

"I'm sorry about that. Here, you can have it back." She held out the pendant and the girl shook her head.

"No, but... I'd like to ask if you'd come with me. Since you're the owner of that now." The girl said. As if on cue, someone landed behind her. Turning to face the newcomer, she noticed, after looking up, that it was a brown-haired man wearing a suit with a soft smile on his face.

"Don't worry. We'll get you and Elfnein back to base safely." The man said. Lulu blinked, before being carted off to a submarine...

#drabble: gleaming sword brísingamen #drabble: lulu adamson

[sekhisadventures]

Coming Troubles, New Adventurers

Azeroth is a large world, and many people live there… while Avalon and Savage United prepare for the inevitable return of their foe there are others whose paths may intersect with their own. Some intentionally, some not… and some… well… we shall see.

Five lives we shall peer into today. One of whom personally knows one of our heroes and wishes to see their return, though not in a way they would like.

One of whom knows of another of our heroes, but who hasn’t thought of them in a long long time.

A third knows naught of our heroes and has their own goals but will come into conflict with them in due time.

The fourth, an old foe who they know all too well.

And last, a being long hidden away from the world.

Let us begin with the first of those, shall we?

Quel’thalas, AFW 40. One week before the Dragon Isles are revealed.

The mob of undead charged towards Tranquillien, as they had so long ago, but the defenders were ready this time. They had been for years now, honed by regular attacks from the Dead Scar and Deatholme. Dar’Khan Drathir’s name was a curse on their lips, the vile traitor who allowed Arthas and his horrible army entry into their lands, but the bastard just wouldn’t. Stay. DEAD.

Several guardsmen stood in the path of the undead and from atop the buildings stood their allies among those who walked with both feet in the grave. The Darkfallen, former servants of Sylvannas but now eager to redeem themselves from their fallen queen’s treachery… and as the mob drew closer, a loud voice spoke above their guttural roars.

“On the honor of House Wintersky you SHALL GO NO FURTHER!” it cried out, the clouds suddenly swirling as a chill wind rose… and then the hail came down upon the mob. Huge softball sized chunks punched holes in the encroaching army, several going down with a pile of smashed meat where their brains should be.

The Darkfallen unleashed a salvo of arrows, then another, aiming for their quarry’s joints rather than vital spots. A shot to the heart would do little to a monster whose heart no longer beat, but a shattered knee was still a shattered knee and their arrows were strong, as were their bowstrings.

Those who made it beyond the assault of spell and arrow reached the guards, whose twin-bladed swords made short work of what was left. The terror that had gripped them long ago had burnt away to nothing, replaced with an icy desire to survive at all costs. For Quel’thalas, for the Sin’dorei, and for those who had fallen to the Scourge.

The captain of the guard watched the minions of Dar’Khan fall, nodding in satisfaction as they crumbled before the onslaught, then turned around and saluted the sorcerer who had aided them. “Many thanks for the assistance, Lady Wintersky. You do your father’s legacy proud.” he stated.

Standing there was a blood elf woman with glowing blue eyes in the long crimson armor-like robes of a magister garbed for combat, a haughty look on her face. Lady Alalestria Wintersky, believed to be the last living heir to the noble magister line whose former leader had perished during the Third War. “Of course I do. I’m not like my powerless brother… wherever he’s gotten to.” she snorted.

“Sam’ael… yes… I remember him…” sighed the guard captain, “I was here the day that Arthas came, though I was not a captain yet back then. I remember seeing him flee into the woods after the fallen prince slew your father. I do wonder whatever became of him.” he murmured.

“As do I…” she growled, her eyes narrowing.

Before Sam’ael had fled, he’d stolen something of her’s… a blue sapphire pendant, a symbol of House Wintersky… and within it were powerful enchantments. She had no idea how he’d taken it but the gemstone was proof of her heritage and without it she could not truly inherit her title as head of the house. The pendant was key to a private vault where the house’s treasures and secrets were stored.

She doubted Sam’ael even knew what he’d stolen, nobody but the chosen heir was told that the pendant was anything more than a pretty bauble, and their father would never have imparted that secret to a powerless aberration like him.

She nodded to the captain, then turned and began walking to where her hawkstrider was stabled, only to pause as a birdlike cry came from above, a small messenger hawk fluttering down to her. She held out her arm as the bird landed, pulling some dried jerky from her pouch and feeding it before taking the message tube, then reading it… and her eyes widened.

Lady Wintersky

I may have a lead on your brother, but the story is a very strange one and I fear you would need to see the evidence I have found in person.

Pray, meet me in Silvermoon City at the turning of the month so that I may gather what I have found and travel there myself.

Your servant.

She grinned, “That little toad still lives… oh Sam’ael, I’m going to see you pay for your theft, and give you a thrashing like father NEVER dreamed of.” she nodded firmly, stuffing the letter into her pouch, then stroking the bird’s feather’s before releasing it into the air.

Stormwind City, Old Town

Samantha Montebank sighed, laying back on her bed as she inspected a trove of treasures she’d ‘acquired’ over the years. Magister Umbric’s signet ring, a wolf fang necklace from an orc who had annoyed her, a book of Thunderbrew’s brewing techniques, and the prize of her collection… a pendant of House Wintersky in the form of a glorious sapphire that she’d had with her the day she fled Quel’thalas so long ago.

“Hard to believe all that’s happened since then Annulus…” she murmured.

"For you perhaps, my eyes see further." came the reply from within her mind.

“Oh? Can they see Dissonantia’s return?” she asked with a smirk.

"… as you mortals say, ‘nobody likes a smartass.’" said Annulus, then after a brief pause, "However… something IS coming… not her… but… hmmm…"

“Hm? Hm what?” asked Sam, closing the lid on the chest and putting it to the side.

"Well, it is too soon to say yet. But I sense something…" replied the Void entity.

Samantha shrugged, then blew out her candle at her bedside and pulled the blanket over her. “Whatever, let me know if it becomes something to worry about. Goodnight Annulus.”

"Is this night good? We shall see…" the creature replied, then went silent so it’s host could rest.

As we leave Samantha to her dreams, let us look backwards into the past… several years back… to the punishing desert of Vol’dun… and a young man’s desire for the open sea.

Not all vulpera are content to wile away the years trading with the caravans, some wish to leave voldun and explore the world. There is a pirate crew of Vulpera, Hozen, and Gnolls known as the Bilge Rats infact, but in this case, we see the tale of a young man who yearned for the ocean and wound up making some poor choices in life.

The Island of Zandalar, Vol’dun, Year 30 AFW

Jeemjazo was a young vulpera kit, a red-furred and hot blooded vulpera who wanted nothing more than to leave the desert. While most were content to stay in the sands and travel the caravan routes, his heart wasn’t in it… and today he believed he found what he was looking for.

The Caravans had met along the coast for one of their biggest trading seasons… with the Bloodsail Buccaneers. The pirates were ruthless plunderers, but they weren’t fools. There were few things that they valued more than a safe port, and they needed some way to turn treasure into goods for more ventures across the sea.

While their captains met with the various caravan leaders, the pirates wandered the stalls set up by the vulpera merchants, examining wares, trading for what they could, and occasionally getting into fights (they were still pirates after all.)

“See, that’s th' life I want. No sand fleas, no worrying 'bout th' Faithless, none o' that garbage.” chittered Jeemjazo, leaning against one of the carts as he glanced over. “Ya get me?” he asked.

His companion blinked, looking up, “OH! Sorry Jeem, I was… um… distracted. I mean, I just really like this new skirt! Isn’t it neat? Every time I look at it I swear I see more patterns than th' last time!” she grinned back, her long sandy tail wagging.

Jeemjazo frowned at her, “Sekhi, yer more scatterbrained than a concussed sithilid…” he replied, “I’m talkin' about them girl! The pirates! I want out of this life, I want out of this blasted desert… I… you know what, I know what I want and I’m going to make like a pirate and TAKE it!” he grinned, standing up.

Sekhi paused, the young kit looking at him in shock, “Um, wait, you’re going to steal from th' Bloodsails? Jeem that sounds like a REALLY bad idea…” she warned.

“Not steal from ‘em! I’m gonna go WITH 'em! I’m gonna stow away on one o' th' ships 'n be a pirate!” he replied, his long red tail swishing behind him.

Sekhi frowned, “That… um… that really REALLY sounds like a bad idea… Jeem, seriously, Imma tell your ma ‘n da if ya try!” she whined.

“DON’T EVEN THINK IT SEKHI!” he yipped angrily, “We may be pals here, but if you’re really my pal you’ll keep that muzzle SHUT. This is what I’ve been wanting since we were sharing th' kit tent together at our first moot 'n dammit, I’m taking it!” he barked, before turning and rushing off into the caravans.

“JEEM WAIT!” she yipped in shock, rushing off after him through the maze of carts and stalls, but Jeemjazo always had a knack for speed and hiding... and after several long minutes Sekhi had lost his trail entirely. “… oh no…” she whined, her ears folding back.

That night when the pirates set out there was one extra hiding in the hold of one of the ships.

One week later, the great sea near the Broken Isles

Jeemjazo let out a pained yelp as he was thrown onto the deck, his arms tied tightly behind him.

“Found yer ‘rat’ captain. This is the little shit that’s been eating our supplies!” snarled an orcish sailor, glaring down at the vulpera.

All around him were pirates of various races. Two blood elves, a tall imposing Darkspear troll, a couple dwarves (unusual but not unheard of,) and the like.

Seated before him on a barrel was their leader, a much scarred and angry looking worgen man with one eye covered in a patch, a vicious scar visible around it. There was a cutlass infront of him, the tip resting in the wood of the deck with his hands folded on the hilt, resting his chin there.

“A stowaway from Vol’dun eh? Alright then vulpera, give me one good reason why I shouldn’t have me lads cut yer tail off 'n toss yer furry ass inta th' ocean fer th' naga.” he growled in a deep voice.

Jeemjazo struggled up onto his feet, “Well, ‘cause I’m rather attached to it?” he chuckled nervously, then suddenly a boot sent him sprawling as the others laughed, the vulpera yelping as he skidded to a halt mere inches from his nose colliding with the blade of the captain’s cutlass.

“CAPTAIN SALTFANG ASKED YOU A PROPER QUESTION FOX!” barked the orc, cracking his knuckles as he stepped forward.

The worgen however held up his hand, “Raise them sails a hair Zarg. He’s surrounded by Bloodsails 'n making jokes instead of pissing himself? Not bad…” he rumbled.

Jeemjazo peered up at the captain, his ears folded back in fear, but a faint spark of hope in his eyes.

“Aye, I was just thinking we could use a new cabin boy… had ta deal with the last one rather harshly after we caught 'im nicking coin from th' vault…” he sneered, jabbing a thumb at one of the walls of the ship as the other pirates chuckled amongst themselves.

Two human hands, two SMALL human hands, were nailed to the wall there… without their owner.

Jeemjazo gulped, the spark blowing out like a candle.

“Here’s me offer vulpera. Yer our new cabin boy. Ye do what we say, WHEN we say, or else. Even me lowliest swabbie outranks ye. Ye wanna sneak onto our ship 'n swipe our food? We’re taking it outta yer hide. Say anythin' but ‘yes’ and me men gut ye like a godsdamned fish.” said Captain Saltfang in a low voice.

Jeemjazo nodded, “… y-yes!” he yipped.

The captain grinned as only a worgen could, a mouthful of very large sharp fangs glinting in the light. “Smart kid. Cut him loose 'n get him a mop boys! These decks need a washing 'n we just got us a volunteer!” he barked.

Jeemjazo was pulled to his feet and the ropes were removed, the orcish pirate grabbing him roughly by the tail and walking towards the mop bucket as Jeem yelped in pain and tried to backpedal fast enough to keep up with Zarg's longer stride.

“And if those planks ain’t shining like th' seas at noon by nightfall, yer finishing th' job with yer fucking TONGUE vulpera!” called the captain as he was dragged off, the other pirates laughing.

And that about set the tone for the next several years of Jeemjazo’s life.

Year 40 AFW, off the coast of Dustwallow Marsh

Ten years of serving as the cabin boy for Captain Frederick Saltfang of the Bloodsails. Ten years of being clapped in irons when they did go back to Vol’dun so he couldn’t escape. Ten years of abuse and harsh treatment and sometimes outright beatings…

“Right! He didn’t finish his chores in time! Get that fire going hot, get th' skillet, 'n get us some music! Its time for Redmane ta show us how good he can dance again!” barked Captain Saltfang as the sound of an accordion came from the deck, Jeemjazo dragged up the steps by the scruff of his neck.

Redmane was something one of the pirates had come up with. None of them ever bothered to ask his name and, really, it was the nicest thing he ever got called by the crew.

“Mates! C’mon! Can’t we discuss this?! I mean I got most o' 'em done!” he whimpered, his ears folded back as he struggled against Zarg’s grasp, but the orc was one of his primary abusers on the ship, and he could already smell the heated metal as the iron skillet warmed up. They wouldn’t make it hot enough to cripple him, but it’d be sore as hell pads for a month after this. Not out of kindness, they just knew a crippled cabin boy couldn’t wipe their asses for them.

… Jeemjazo wished that was an exaggeration…

As the pirate dragged him closer however there was a loud crash of thunder from above. “… whats this?” grunted Captain Saltfang, looking up, “… a storm? Big one too… Zul’zanza! Why wasn’t I informed about this shaman?!” he barked.

The troll pirate, Zul’zanza, shook his head, “It not be me fault Captain! The elementals no be sayin’ dat a storm be on de way!” he insisted, holding up his hands.

Then the entire crew looked up as another rumble of thunder lit up the sky, and the captain looked towards the coast of Kalimdor. “Bugger… DANCING IS CANCELLED BOYS! PUT THAT BRAZIER OUT 'N GET THOSE SAILS DOWN! MR. BLACKFORGE, AIM US TOWARDS TH' COAST! ALL HANDS TO YER STATIONS 'N BATTEN DOWN EVERY BLOODY HATCH THERE IS! WE NEED TA GET TA LAND BEFORE TH' STORM HITS OR ELSE WE’RE SHARK SHIT!” roared Saltfang. He’d been at sea enough to recognize a bad storm when he saw one, and this one was ‘someone pissed off Thunderaan’ bad.

Jeemjazo fell to his rump with a loud yelp as Zarg bolted back down the stairs, and it was only the vulpera’s agility that saved him from getting trampled by the surge of other pirates rushing to prepare for the storm as the ship lurched, the dwarf at the wheel turning it to face the swampy coast of Dustwallow, and Jeemjazo realized this was his chance.

The ship was in chaos, nobody was paying attention to him, all he had to do was wait until they made landfall, then jump ship and run off into the swamp! Sure it could be dangerous but he’d take his chances…

And that was as far as he got before a worgen’s claws closed around his neck, lifting him up. “Don’t ye be getting any funny ideas Redmane…” growled the captain, “Yer our bitch until the day ye die…” he glared.

Jeemjazo kicked and whined, gasping as the captain’s grasp cut off his windpipe, and behind him he saw the wave crest. Rising up behind the ship was a massive wall of water, towering over the galleon. Jeemjazo's eyes went huge and he pointed frantically past Saltfang.

The captain glared, then turned around and let out a low wolf-like whine at the sight, “BRACE FOR IMPACT!” he screamed!

Three hours later, Dustwallow Marsh

Slowly, painfully, Jeemjazo managed to free himself from the pile of… lets charitably call it mud… that he’d landed in, shaking it out of his ears and looking around. All around him were the sounds of clicking, buzzing, whirring insects and the various creatures of the swamplands.

He popped his arm back into joint with a pained yelp, then looked to the coast, and stared.

The ship was broken in half, smashed headlong into what looked like a murloc village, and all around it were bodies. The storm had sent it into the coast with such force that it totally scuttled it.

Jeemjazo padded back towards it, looking around, then heard a pained gasp.

Captain Saltfang lay among the wreckage, and his legs didn’t look right, nor did one of his arms. His cutlasses lay a few feet away from him, and Jeemjazo eyed them.

The captain’s good eye opened, and he saw the vulpera, then saw his weapons, then growled and pulled his pistol from his belt with the one arm he had left, aiming it at him. “… don’t even think it boy… I may be done for, but I sure as shit ain’t going alone…” he snarled weakly.

Jeemjazo glared at him, “Do this boy, do that boy, dance fer us boy, lick our arseholes clean boy…” he  grumbled, picking up the swords. Big and heavy, but he’d handled worse. “Captain, when ye get ta th' Shadowlands, tell ‘em yer cabin boy sent ye there.” he sneered, then rushed at him with one of them raised above his head.

The worgen roared, aimed the gun, pulled the trigger… and…

… click…

Nothing happened.

Captain Saltfang’s eye went huge, “… wet powder…” was the last thing he got out before the cutlass landed between his eyes.

Jeemjazo pulled the cutlass free, then set it down and looked around. After a bit of searching, he found a cutlass and a shipman's axe that were used by Jim Gearcrank, a goblin on the crew, that were much more his size. He slid them into his belt, then came back and relieved the captain of his pistol, tucking it in as well.

As he turned to leave however, he heard a small voice behind him.

“… mrguglg? Mruglgubl?” it said.

Jeemjazo turned around quickly, his hand going to the cutlass’s hilt, then paused at what he saw.

A small murloc hatchling was sitting amid the ruins, pawing at what was once an adult murloc and was now… well… the term ‘fish paste’ would not be inaccurate.

“Huh, looks like I ain’t th' only survivor…” he nodded, walking towards the baby murloc.

“Murlglb?” it said, turning to look up at him with huge yellow eyes. It was sitting in a large eggshell, and Jeemjazo remembered hearing that murlocs often used their shells as homes in their early years.

“Looks like yer crew died too, huh little fishface…” he nodded, looking around. “… should do th' smart thing ‘n just finish ya off… I mean murlocs ‘n pirates 're enemies usually… but… ah fel, if I was smart, I woulda listened ta Sekhi back then ‘n stayed in Vol’dun.” he nodded, looking around, then finding some rope.

After a bit of work he’d woven a litter of sorts with two shoulder straps, fitting the eggshell and it’s occupant into it, then hosting it up and slipping his arms through the makeshift straps. “There we are. Guess with ol’ Saltfang dead I’m th' captain now, 'n you’ll be my cabin boy! Ye got a name fishlips?” he asked.

“Murgly!” replied the murloc, looking rather content in the litter.

“Murgly huh? Aye, I’ll call ya Murgly Jim then, after th' lad what ‘donated’ his weapons ta me.” he chuckled, “I mean, ye even look like him.” he smirked, padding his way inland towards the path out of the Marsh… or at least he hoped it was.

“Murglb?” asked Murgly Jim.

“Eh, I dunno. We always just assumed his mom fucked a naga or somethin'.” replied Jeemjazo. “Wonder what caused th’ storm…” he muttered.

Murgly Jim shrugged, “Mrblgh.” he replied.

Far across the ocean

Above a distant shore, a cry of victory echoed. Gigantic violet wings flapped through the sky as bolts of elemental energy crackled across it's scales, a massive protodrake gaining altitude.

This was no normal drake however. Lightning arced across it’s wings and body, it’s eyes crackling like twin balls of electricity. It was finally free of it’s prison, and now the hated Aspects would taste vengeance!

Raszageth the Storm-Eater opened her maw and roared, and across Azeroth the sky boiled and thunder rumbled ominously.

Now, let us look back, far far back into the distant past… to the time shortly after the Sundering of Azeroth, when the world was broken into its current form. Queen Azshara and her minions build their cities at the bottom of the oceans, reveling in their new forms. The kal’dorei settle in the west, the land still Kalimdor to them, Pandaria is hidden away thanks to Emperor Shao’hao’s sacrifice which turned him into the mists that veil and protect his homeland, and in Northrend the Vyrkul begin to fall to the curse of flesh, creating the first human beings.

Now turn your gaze to the Broken Isles, to Suramar… and to a man very discontented with his lot in life.

Approximately 10,000 Years Before First War, one century after the Sundering and the sealing of Suramar City

Nyloc Athel was not a happy night elf… he was a powerful and respected figure, a handsome Highborne man who had traveled the length and breadth of the empire in it’s heyday, and now?

“Trapped like rats under Ellisande’s dome…” he sighed, drinking his arcwine with distaste and looking over his hand and forearm. It had been changing them, all of them, they could hardly call themselves Night Elves anymore.

“Immortality’s greatest enemy is and always will be boredom…” he sighed, standing up and looking around his study. He was a Chronomancer, not as powerful as the Grand Magistrix of course, but one allowed to study the flow and power of time himself.

He walked to the balcony, looking out over Suramar, then up at the dome with a sigh. Totally opaque they couldn’t see beyond it but given what had befallen Kalimdor he wasn’t even sure there was anything to see beyond it. Perhaps Suramar was all that was left in what would be a demon-ravaged hellscape.

He sighed, long and low, shaking his head. “We survived yes, but we are prisoners of our own making now… I used to think of Suramar as such a huge, magnificent city, but that was when I still had the option to LEAVE it…” he growled, walking to his study, “Maybe… maybe I can find some way to speed up time, perhaps after several centuries the Magistrix will finally allow us just a peek…” he grumbled.

But idle hands and a cunning mind are a dangerous combination, especially when what one has on their hands is time, and nothing but, and the ability to tamper with it.

Eons later…

Nyloc looked at the plant before him, then gestured with his hand and intoned a word in ancient elvish.

The air around his fingers seemed to turn grey and dark, and as he gestured the plant began to rapidly wither. Not sicken or become corrupted or anything, but it was as if it progressed from spring growth to autumn with alarming speed, its leaves turning brown and falling as it slipped into hibernation, but Nyloc did not stop there…

He gestured again, and the wood began to wither, sickening as rot set in, the plant becoming older, more decrepit, then finally it split along the bark and died, stinking of mold and mildew.

Nyloc nodded in satisfaction, then turned to where a fox was chained to the wall by a collar, the creature yipping in panic and trying to flee.

He did the spell again, and after a lot of screaming from the animal all that was left was ancient, fossilized bones.

Nyloc grinned, “Entropy… why didn’t I think of this three centuries ago? Time erodes all things… plants, animals…” he grinned out the window, and it was not a nice grin, “… and magical barriers… Even Ellisande’s spell cannot withstand the years forever… all we must do is…” he paused, then his eyes went wide.

The barrier was falling! After all these centuries were they finally free?! Were they…

And then he saw the sky, a foul poisonous green, and the creatures in it.

“Ah… well we always suspected. I suppose now we know…” he whispered quietly as the demons of the Burning Legion descended upon Suramar.

Eventually the forces of the Alliance and Horde, aided of course by Avalon and Savage United, would free the city of Suramar and dethrone the Grand Magistrix, allowing Thalyssra to take her place as leader of the Nightborne.

Nyloc however was not satisfied. He had worked thousands of years to perfect his temporal magic and unlocked the secrets of entropy. He could rapidly age his targets with a burst of compressed time, inflict them with Arthritis and senility by aging parts of their bodies, cause cellular division to rapidly speed up while at the same time reducing cellular regeneration to cause sudden and rapid necrosis to set in and he’d been all set to use it to age the Grand Magistrix’s barrier into nothing but wisps of energy and free Suramar, and then the barrier had come down on its own.

Nyloc felt like the rug had been pulled out from under him. His moment of glory, of proof of his talents stolen away and he feared he would never get a chance like this again.

Until…

Suramar, Year 40 AFW

Nyloc paused as a roar went up from outside, the Nightborne magus heading to his balcony and looking upwards… and saw the dragons. A huge flight of dragons soaring towards one location. Red dragons, blue dragons, green dragons and…

“… bronze dragons?” he murmured, “The keepers of time… but where are they going?” he watched the huge flight of dragons heading off towards an unknown location, then grinned to himself. “I suppose I should find out…” he chuckled.

The Bronze Dragonflight, the guardians of time itself… and he was a Chronomancer… what secrets would they hold, and what would he find at their destination?

The Twisting Nether

Dissonantia peered into her cauldron, seeing the flight of dragons from all over Azeroth converging on a single location, an Island far to the north of Kul’Tiras, east of Northrend and slightly northwest of Lordaeron.

Next to the witch her three companions, Az’arad, Cenoon, and Quzgup peered into the image.

“Dragons, dozens of them… but what is this? Where are they going?” said the Incubus finally.

Dissonantia just grinned, “Wherever they’re headin’, ye can be sure th’ Alliance ‘n Horde won’t be far behind… ‘n that means Avalon ‘n Savage United will be goin’ with ‘em.” she nodded, “Looks like we’ll be gettin’ our opportunity ta sort them out soon.”

Az’arad sneered, eager to lock swords with the orc woman he’d fought once more, and Quzgup cackled, the imp always ready to make mischief.

“Roight then… Quz.” she nodded to the imp, “We need eyes. Get ta Stormwind’s Old Town ‘n find out what yez can.” she commanded. The imp nodded and vanished in a burst of felfire.

“Cenoon, getcher arse to Orgrimmar. See what yez can dig up from Savage United. Try ta find Galdia, she’s thick as a yard o’ lard.” she said to the incubus.

Cenoon chuckled, then in a shimmer like a heat haze a handsome young elven man stood there in blood red silks. “A bit rustic for my tastes, but I suppose Cer’nuin Brightdagger can grace Durotar with his presence once more.” he grinned, disappearing as well.

“Azzy, get yer axe good ‘n sharp… we’ll be needin’ it.” she sneered.

The Wrathguard grinned back at her, flexing its claws in eagerness. Soon it would taste blood once more…

Old Town, Avalon House, the next morning.

Quzgup appeared in a faint burst of felfire, then quick as a blink a cat with oddly glowing green eyes padded out from an alleyway, hopping up onto the windowsill of Avalon’s base, peering in at them.

“Aye, th’ Dragon Isles. That’s where they were all headin’.” said Dareley to the assembled members of Avalon seated around their table. “Heard it from me buddy in th’ Explorer’s League. Brann ‘n th’ others are gettin’ ready for an Expedtion. He’s really excited honestly, been ages since they got ta do some proper explorin’.”

Shalandrae leaned back in her chair, whistling, “The Dragon Isles, even we kal’dorei thought they were only a legend at this point. No wonder Sekhi reacted like that…” she replied, then frowned and sniffed at the air. Something smelled off…

“So we’re going right?” grinned Samantha, already dressed in her leathers and ready for adventure, sharpening one of her void crystal daggers.

“Well I’m all for it!” said Zhan-min, “Island like that gotta be chock fulla powerful Elemental hoo-ha. Imagine the kinda brews I could make with stuff like that!” he nodded eagerly.

Jaie giggled at her fellow pandaren’s eagerness, then nodded herself, “We should, something this big happens and someone is going to try to exploit it… what do you think Nelen? Want to make this unanimous?” she asked.

Nelen opened his mouth to reply, but suddenly Shalandrae stood up, sniffing at the air as her good eye narrowed.

“Shalandrae?” asked the worgen mage, looking concerned.

“… something smells foul… really…” she looked around the room, “… really…” she looked at the door, then at the windowsill… “… Nelen…” she whispered as stared at the cat in the window.

Nelen looked at her, then at the cat, and growled low. Then the worgen mage gestured suddenly as his hand glowed with arcane energy.

The cat let out a yowl that quickly turned into a pained shriek, Quzgup suddenly patting out bursts of arcane light on his arms, “OWOWOWOWOW! That HURT, nasty worgen!” he hissed, then paused, looking down at himself, “… oops.” he squeaked.

The six members of Avalon stared, then suddenly Nelen was all worgen as he roared and pointed a claw, “THAT’S DISSONANTIA’S IMP! GET HIM!”

Quzgup yelped and dove off the window, rushing away through Old Town as the door burst open and the six heroes charged out in pursuit. “Shalandrae! Sam! Go high! Zhan-min, Dareley, Jaie! With me!” barked Nelen as he fell to all fours, picking up speed as he did so.

Dareley and Jaie tried to keep up, as did Zhan-min, the pandaren man changing into a spectral wolf-like form to try to keep pace with the worgen as Shalandrae spread her arms, which erupted in feathers as she took to the skies as a storm crow. Sam vanished in a burst of void energies, reappearing on the rooftops as she raced along them.

“Guys! Annulus says he’s heading for the Mage Quarter! She says that there’s a hidden warlock coven there he can use to escape to the Nether! Cut him off!” she called out.

“Got it!” shouted Jaie back as she whipped out her flying disk, then shot up into the sky as she headed towards the distinctive tower in the center, keeping watch for the imp.

“Aye Lass!” called Dareley as he whispered a prayer and, in a burst of light, his blessed ram steed appeared next to him. He leapt atop it with surprising agility for a dwarf in full plate, racing along the cobbles.

Shalandrae let out a loud caw and sailed off through the skies as well as Nelen and Zhan-min changed their path, the worgen able to keep track of the Imp as it still carried his magical signature on it from when he dispelled the illusion it used to disguise itself as a cat, even if he couldn’t smell the difference between it and any other imp he could sense his own magic on it!

Ahead of them Quzgup raced along, the imp surprisingly fast for such a small creature as it blinked ahead every few seconds, hearing cries of alarm as a worgen and a ghost wolf chased after it, Nelen snarling angrily as Zhan-min’s voice called out apologizes to them. The imp grinned, however. There WAS a way back to the Nether in the mage quarter but that wasn’t the only option it had!

Quzgup waited until it was sure that the other four members of Avalon were already across the city waiting in ambush, then midway through the trade district it changed course and raced towards the city gates!

Nelen snarled, rushing after it, the worgen beginning to take over as he ignored where it was running to, only that it was running away from him and he wanted to CATCH IT!

Zhan-min however skittered to a halt and changed back. “That ain’t th’ Mage Quarter…” he frowned, pulling out his crystal and drawing the rune on it. A moment later Jaie’s face appeared above it. “Jaie, that thing changed course on us! Its tryin’ ta escape inta Elwynn Forest!” he said.

Jaie frowned as Sam’s voice came from the crystal, the void elf next to her as they stood guard. “Uuugh…” groaned the rogue, “Annulus says she can sense fel energies from Goldshire. There must be another coven hidden there too.” she sighed. “We’ll never catch up to him now even with us flying after him.”

Zhan-min looked up, “… dunno ‘bout that… Nelen was runnin’ pretty dang fast…” he muttered.

Goldshire outskirts

Quzgup was gasping for breath, sweat streaming down the imp’s face as he heard the snarling fury of a worgen behind him. “H-how fast can stoopid worgen RUN?!” he squeaked, making a beeline to the Lion’s Pride Inn. He knew of the hidden secret in the basement there. All he had to do was make it inside but Nelen was right on his heels. He heard several screams from people he narrowly missed, and one loud cry of ‘my cabbages!’  as he smashed through a market stall.

The imp ran around the outside of the building and dove through a small hole in the wall, big enough to admit a large rat (or a normal-sized imp,) as Nelen scrabbled to a halt next to the spot he'd vanished and growled, peered into the hole, then raced around to the entrance.

There was a loud cry as a furious worgen in mage robes burst through the door, his head snapping around left and right, then slowly he forced himself to calm down, his fur receding and his fangs shrinking back into teeth until he returned to his human form. “Did anyone see an imp run in here?” he asked.

A sea of shaking heads greeted him, and he sighed in frustration. Imps could turn invisible, or Quzgup could have disguised himself as an animal again. His marker on Quzgup burned out halfway out of Stormwind, it couldn’t last long with the imp’s own fel energies eating away at it. There was nothing for it, Quzgup had escaped…

He sighed, then turned to leave, and came face to face with an angry farmer. “You, buddy, owe me for a LOT of cabbages.” he glared, two guardsmen flanking him.

That evening at Avalon House

Jaie set out a large platter of cabbage rolls, stuffed with pork, beef, chicken, and whatever else she could find. Some of them weren’t especially fond of cabbage, but they found they suddenly had a large surplus of it.

Dareley could always appreciate a good cabbage however, and Shalandrae was quite fond of them as well though Sam simply pulled her’s open and picked the contents out with a fork.

Nelen however looked more annoyed and embarrassed than anything. “I almost had that damn thing…” he grumbled.

Zhan-min shrugged, “Ya’ll kept up with th’ lil’ varmant right until th’ end Nelen. Ya did good, but that imp was faster ‘n a scared virmen. Nobody can say ya’ll didn’t try.” he said around a mouthful of cabbage and pork.

“Yeah, but that was our chance to finish Grimo’s detection tool, now we’re still blind and Dissonantia knows we know about that imp’s disguise.” he sighed, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes in annoyance.

“We’ll just have to keep our eyes open Nelen.” shrugged Jaie, “Dissonantia will be back, we always knew that. We just gotta be ready. You and Dareley warded the house good so we know her imp can’t get close again. With any luck that’ll keep us safe for now.”

“I hope you’re right Jaie…” sighed the mage, then he opened one of the rolls and scooped the chicken out with a fork, popping it into his mouth. Cabbage was NOT his thing… but Jaie knew how to cook a good chicken.

The Dragon Isles, moments after the Dragon Isles were revealed once more

Deep in a cave in a place known as the Forbidden Reach, a being had lain dormant, sleeping for years and years and centuries and eons.

… and suddenly it awoke, two reptilian eyes gleaming in the darkness.

“… what happened, where's Neltharion?” gasped a feminine voice, “How… how long were we asleep?”

Several long moments later a set of clawed feet walked through the ruined cavern, a lizardlike head looking this way and that. It had taken her some effort to break free of the stasis, but… how long had she been down there?!

“Kostrasz? Mensira?! IS ANYONE THERE?!” she called out into the caves. “Can anyone hear me?!” she yelled, “Jakrostrasz!? ANYONE?!”

Her feet hit something hard, the creature kneeling down and picking up a skull, sort of halfway between humanoid and draconic… not unlike her own, but so old it had fossilized. “By the Aspects… how many centuries have we been sealed in here?!” she whispered in horror, then suddenly she heard a cry.

“Someone down there? I heard a voice!” came the word from above.

“YES! I'M DOWN HERE! HELP!” she yelled back.

“The stairs to the east, they haven't caved in yet!” came the reply. “Azurathel and Cinderthresh survived! They're rallying anyone they can! Come on!” they called.

The creature grinned. The Scalecommanders were alive! Then all was not lost yet! “I'm on my way!” she called back, the being rushing off to the east.

Next Story

Previous Story

#warcraft roleplay #warcraft #warcraft fanfiction #adventures in azeroth #dragonflight

[lapis-orchid]

Another piece for Shallura mermaid au childhood friends to lovers. They’re now in their preteens-early teens. Allura just got the ability to have legs so they’re on a duck paddle boat. Picture taken minutes before they get tired of pedaling. Titled this “Let’s Gooo!”

#shallura #mermay shallura #allura #shiro #mermaid Allura #dark haired Allura #lapis doodles #her pendant is the key to walking on land

[oonajaeadira]

What Do You Want. (Thief x Locksmith 1)

Fandom: Casillero del Diablo Wine Commercials. You heard me.

Pairing: The Thief x f!reader

Rating: T

A/N: I’M SORRY, I COULDN’T HELP IT. Not really proofed, just a little banged-out drabble.

Summary: The thief needs your help and he knows how to get it.

(gif by pajamasecrets)

You’re having some idle thoughts about meals for the upcoming week or the tomatoes in your backyard garden or some such thing, something innocuous, something that is easily washed aside as you step up to the back door of your shop. Just as you’re about to put the key in the lock, you notice just the hint of something different, a tiny scratch perhaps or a nick...and you roll your eyes and sigh.

He’s here.

Unlocking the door and letting it swing open you know exactly what you’ll see when you flick the lightswitch. 

“What do you want, thief.”

Click.

Yup.

There he is. Lounging in the armchair you keep in the back storage when you want to sit someplace sound-dampened to work on a complicated lock. Well-groomed hair and beard--shot through with enough grey to keep you interested--and wearing a ridiculously elegant smoking jacket. His job was somewhere bougie tonight then it seems.

He smiles benignly up at you. “What gave it away?”

“Locks are my thing, you idiot.” You kick the door closed behind you as you throw your keys in your bag.

“You’ve called me a thief and an idiot in the space of thirty seconds. Got any more? Something nicer?” He pats his thigh. “Come sit. I brought you a present.”

“Oh yes. That is exactly what a locksmith wants in her shop. Stolen goods. I have a business to run here.” You pirouette for him, showing off your common jeans and sweater. “This is my life, Mr. Swank. I work for a living.”

“Come sit.”

Goddammit. 

You stare him down, finally deciding to place your purse on a shelf--away from him and away from the door--before walking over, your high tops squeaking against the concrete floor and stopping between his unspeakably expensive leather loafers.

Crossing your arms across your chest, you glare down at him, the single overhead light pulling hard shadows over you both. “Tell me what you want first.”

“I told you,” he reaches up, curling his big hand around your wrist, pulling gently, exerting hardly any force but just enough to rock you forward where you have to cave in on him, “I brought you a present.”

Once you land in his lap, your arms thrown out to his shoulders to stop you from falling right into him, he gives you a grin that he knows you’d love to slap right off his face but that you’d never bring yourself to do.

His hand weaves between your arms, going into his breast pocket, and coming out with a dainty gold chain with pendant on it. It catches the light beautifully and you sit up on his knee and hold out your hands in wonder as he reverently lays the pendant in your palm, letting the chain drape over your fingers as he gives it over completely to you.

The pendant isn’t large, but because of that, it is excruciatingly detailed. A gold locket in the shape of a heart--well, one side is gold. The back is made of crystal and you can see through to the pinions of the miniature locking mechanisms inside. Reaching down to the necklace’s clasp, there’s a tiny golden key attached there that fits the locket, and as you insert it and twist, you can see the mechanisms actually working. The locket doesn’t open...it’s just a mechanical wonder for show. But it is stunning.

When you look up to him, he’s studying you, watching every small tick and micro-movement of your face, reading you the way he is trained to do. “I knew you’d love it.” Then he swoops it out of your hands, unclasping it and fastening it around your neck.

“I told you,” you warn him, “I don’t want any stolen goods! This is going to attract attention!”

He nods as he finishes the clasp. “It will. But not because it’s stolen. Had it made special.” Using one crooked finger, he slowly pulls the neck of your sweater open and drops the pendant inside where it lands perfectly between your breasts. Then he lays a hand on it gently, smiling, proud of himself for choosing the perfect length of chain. “It’s one of a kind.”

“Huh,” you scoff, sarcastically preempting him, “like me, I suppose.”

Those dark eyes crinkle at the corners as he pulls you in against him, your forehead cradling in against his cheek. He knows you like this. Knows you crave being held. Knows you like running your fingers over anything fine and fancy he comes around in. Knows that someday you’ll budge.

“Thank you,” you offer softly as you graze a knuckle through his scruff, grateful...but also knowing. “What do you want.”

“Can’t I just bring you something nice?”

“What do you want.”

You can feel his cheeks bulge in a smile against your forehead. “You worked on the Lewiston safe, didn’t you?”

“No.”

“I know you did.”

“Oh, I know you know that I did. I was answering your next question.”

“I don’t need the combo. Well, not the whole thing. Maybe just a hint. Keep it challenging.”

“I already answered you.”

“I know,” he touches your chest, the smooth bulge of the pendant sliding between your breast and the sweater. “But you’re going to tell me anyway, aren’t you.”

You sigh. 

Dammit.

Yeah. You will. 

Of course you fucking will.

________________

PART 2 I Know You Can Do It (Thief x locksmith)

LOCKSMITH SERIES MASTERLIST

MASTERLIST

Beautiful art of our Thief from my friend Maia over at @shite-art! (Original post can be found here.)

taglist: @14mcmd1122 @cannedsoupsucks @extraterrestrialdork @goblinsimp @grogusmum @pedro4ever @thisshipwillsail316 @adriiibell @feralhotmess @kotemorons @kirsteng42 @princessxkenobi @justreadingthings @kirsteng42 @ohlawdthebirds @javierpinme @heavenseed76 @blackmarketmummy @writeforfandoms @janebby @grumpymuffinmama  @c-a-v-a-l-r-y @toomanystoriessolittletime @neonvagabond @thirstworldproblemss @jediknight122 @mando-amandk @pbeatriz @red-velvet-panda @luthientinu @midnightartemis @Prostitute-robot-from-the-future @hypnoash @fromthedeskoftheraven @dihra-vesa @tintinn16 @lowlights @kirsteng42 @likes-good-reblogs-even-better @elegantduckturtle @luxmundee @honestly-shite @raspberrymama @mswarriorbabe80  @greeneyedblondie44  @ezrasbirdie @chatterbean @liviiii98

#thief!pedro #i'm sorry i couldn't help it

[emblemxeno]

JP vs. Localization in Fire Emblem Fates: Revelation

(Okay, for real this time lol)

Again, here’s a link to my sources post.

Fortunately, this route follows suit in terms of good localization quality after Conquest. It’s the shortest out of all the posts, since I don’t really have a lot to talk about. Mostly subtle line changes, references and a few key points of information that were cut out. I also went through Hidden Truths and Heirs of Fate to see if I could add stuff from those on here, but there were no big problems that I found.

Once again, the main part of this post will all be put under the cut. If a chapter isn’t covered, it means I didn’t think there were any differences worth talking about.

I’ll use localized names for characters and locations, unless I feel the need to do otherwise.

I’ll be using she/her when referring to Corrin in this post. (I flipped a coin to decide the gender lol)

Also, note that after Chapter 14, the translation of this route on Fateswartable ends, so I mostly relied on the English patch done by Serenes at that point forward. (I also used PegasusKnight.com as a reference to fall back on if I needed it)

Chapter 7

-A minor gripe I have with localization. The JP version compares Touma (Valla) to hell constantly. To jump ahead a bit, I believe in the JP versions of the End of All Sky/Land/Below tracks are even called The End of All Roads Heaven/Earth/Hell. The Vallites are also often called demons in the JP version, and Anankos himself is known as the ‘Invisible Demon Dragon’.

Another cool thing I just thought of too, is a connection to a popular Japanese short story. Zelda fans might be familiar with the story, “The Spider’s Thread”, which inspired the Ancient Cistern dungeon in Skyward Sword.

The beginning of the story has Buddha walking through paradise (heaven), before coming across a pond. The pond is filled with crystal clear water, and covered with water lilies/lotuses. As Buddha gazes further into the pond, he begins to see the depths of hell.

Sound familiar? “Azura is walking through Hoshido, before coming across a lake. The lake is filled with crystal clear water, and when she gazes into the lake she sees the fallen kingdom of her birth. Valla, the kingdom associated with water lilies/lotuses in the game, has been turned into hell itself.”

This association loses its meaning a bit when the comparisons to hell are a bit toned down, as well as when the Buddhist inspirations were kind of supplanted in favor of Greek renames. It’s not supremely important to the plot as a whole, but it’s something interesting I wanted to bring up.

-In the JP version, while explaining what happened in Valla, Azura eventually says “Using the art of manipulating people’s souls, he (Hydra/Anankos) made the people kill each other.” This bit of the people killing each other was cut in localization.

Chapter 12

-In the JP version, when Corrin asks Flora if she knows anything about dragons, Flora says “Sorry, I don’t know…The ancestral dragon of the Ice Clan has already perished and isn’t part of the legend. I don’t know what role it plays, sorry…” Localization makes her response “I'm sorry, but I can't think of anything... They've been gone so long that we don't even have tales of dragons in the Ice Tribe. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more assistance...”

So, the JP version explicitly says the Ice Dragon is dead (I believe Fates’ second artbook mentioned this as well), whereas the localization only says the First Dragons have been gone for a long time.

Chapter 16

-There’s not really much of a problem that I have with what Ryoma says about Corrin “having leadership qualities at a young age” but I wanted to do comparisons regardless cuz the word choice might lead one to different conclusions. In localization, Ryoma says this:

Ryoma: Huh... So she told us the same thing... I don't think it's in Corrin's nature to lie. And there's a leadership quality about her that just attracts followers. I remember being jealous of her as a child, in fact. Even at such a young age, she displayed the characteristics of a ruler. Silly to be jealous of her, right?

In the JP version, Ryoma says this:

Ryoma: Oh... So, she told you the same thing. …Corrin isn’t one to tell lies. She’s been like that since childhood. She’s always genuine and honest... She has this mysterious appeal that draws people to her. Seeing my younger sister with the qualities of being a ruler... Honestly, it makes me feel envious. …What a ridiculous thing to say, right?

Again, I don’t necessarily have a problem with how it was localized, but some might. The localization version might have people think that Corrin somehow was a fantastic leader at such a young age, but JP is more clear that it was about the qualities she had at a young age that would be valuable as a leader.

Chapter 19

-A minor gripe. In the localization, Azura says that Anankos uses his magic to send Vallites to Nohr and Hoshido to stir up conflict. In the JP version, she says he uses magic, along with the help of a body of water. That’s why whenever you fight Vallites outside of Valla proper, there’s a body of water nearby; Hoshido’s lake (and the ponds shown in Hinoka’s CQ battle which are in the capital) for Chapter 5, the sea for BR chapter 11, the burning falls for BR chapter 21, and the city for Rev chapter 13. Similarly, the consequences of being a victim to the curse are described as “turning into sea foam” in the JP version. Localization as a whole kind of toned down how much water has an influence on the story.

Chapter 23

-Probably the pettiest gripe I have lol. As Arete is fading away from Azura’s arms, Azura has a different reaction in localization and Japanese. In localization, Azura says “Mother? Mother!” while a voice clip of her in-battle pain cries plays. In the JP, she says  “*Sob... Sob*…! Mother... Mother...!”, while a voice clip of her crying plays. Her crying voice clip I don’t recall hearing anywhere else.

This is one of the few times in the you get to see Azura express a heavy and heartfelt emotion, since her rough childhood caused her to remain guarded and stoic around everyone. The equivalents to this scene in other routes is her death scene in Birthright, and her crying with Corrin over Ryoma’s death in Conquest; a normally unflinching and aloof character breaking down is a rarity, and indicates that the cause of it is something to take note of for the character as a whole. Localization softened this aspect, and I take issue with it, despite it probably seeming trivial to most other people.

Chapter 24

-When Corrin is questioning the phantom Mikoto, an exchange happens. In localization, part of it goes like this:

Corrin: But this can't be... Are you truly my mother?

Mikoto: I am. Even as a puppet of Anankos, my spirit at least remains my own.

Corrin: I... I believe you.

In the JP version, it goes like this:

Corrin: It can’t be... …Are you really my mother?

Mikoto: Yes... I became an Invisible servant, controlled by the Invisible King... Even so, I am your mother.

Corrin:  …………

Again, a minor thing that I don’t personally have issue with, but replacing Corrin’s silence with an admittance of belief could make some believe she has “reverted” back to being too naïve.

Chapter 26

-While Gunter is relaying his past, an exchange happens. In localization, it goes like this:

Gunter: I ask myself that, every day. I cannot understand the minds of royals. To you all, we commoners are little more than pawns in your schemes... Or weeds to be killed on a whim.

Corrin: That's not true...

Xander: Is that how people view the royalty?

Ryoma: Such an impression would easily breed powerful resentment...

In the JP version, Corrin, Xander and Ryoma don’t say anything. They just remain silent.

Endgame

-Not a major problem so much as a general thing about the game, but I can think of like... at least three memes that Treehouse inserted into the localization. Now I like memes, but there is no better way to date your media nowadays. One of them was Kana’s “That’s dragon for I love you” which tbh, is kind of cute and isn’t the most well known meme so I guess I can let it slide. Another is Felicia saying “I had one job!” when she messes up in the dining hall, which isn’t that big of a deal since the dining hall is very optional.

The last one I can think of is why I put this specific grievance here, and it’s during Corrin’s speech before facing Anankos.

Corrin: We won't back down! This is my... This is our destiny! Ready your weapons! Fight for your friends! With the Seal of Flames... With the Fire Emblem on our side! We fight for our world!!

Yeah, she says “Fight for your friends” which is everyone’s favorite Ike line from Brawl. Now, this isn’t even a totally inaccurate translation either, but it kind of just... makes the moment funny for the player when it’s supposed to be commanding and serious I guess.

But yeah, not the most important issue by far, but something I’d thought to mention. Hell, it’s not even that bad compared to how they made Peri’s, Effie’s and Hisame’s quirks into exaggerated and tired jokes. And the Beruka-Saizo support. Never forget.

-When Azura and Corrin are by the lake and discuss the latter’s plans to rule, Corrin says this in localization:

Corrin: I'm going to make Valla a wonderful place! In honor of the true last king and for Queen Arete. And everyone who fought... I promise to make them all proud.

In the JP version, she says this:

Corrin: I’ll make the Invisible Kingdom (Valla) into a great land. For the previous monarch, Queen Shenmei (Arete)… And for all of my allies who fought beside me. I promise.

So, JP version only mentions Arete as the reigning monarch of Valla. Which makes sense, cuz unless there was some wild “keeping the bloodline pure” shenanigans in Valla, Arete being the Queen keeps in line with what we know about the rest of Valla’s history. Arete was royalty from birth, as was her sister Mikoto. Arete is the one who passed down Lost in Thoughts and the pendant to Azura.  

#fire emblem #fire emblem fates #fire emblem if #fe14 #corrin fire emblem #azura fire emblem #ryoma fire emblem #xander fire emblem #hinoka fire emblem #camilla fire emblem #takumi fire emblem #leo fire emblem #sakura fire emblem #elise fire emblem #hoshido #nohr #valla #meta #treehouse localization #stop calling the route revelations that's not the name gdi

[shirtlesssammy]

10x06: Ask Jeeves

Before recapping this episode, I checked, double-checked, and triple-checked that I hadn’t recapped it already….It’s so generically ordinary that I swore I did, but nope. It just feels like I did. 

New Canaan, Connecticut

Bunny LaCroix is dead. A butler talks the coming days through with the maids, Collete and Olivia. The family will be here and things must go smoothly. He tasks Collette with choosing the burial wardrobe and Olivia is on bathroom cleanup duty. Collette starts laying out clothes and picking jewelry. She even tries on a string of pearls. 

She hears a noise. 

She finds Bunny in the bedroom. She’s supposed to be dead! Then Bunny grabs the pearl necklace (cheap! --a quality pearl necklace wouldn’t break the beads like that..just saying, Bunny) and pushes Collette over the stair landing. The butler runs out, and asks Bunny, “What have you done?”

Dean and Sam are enjoying tiny coffees and discovering Bobby was named in the above Bunny’s will. 

Sam and Dean arrive too late for the funeral but still pay their respects to the family. 

They meet the family --and have fans. 

The family has no clue who Bobby was, and it doesn’t seem to matter as long as there’s booze and cute men to look at. The butler asks to talk with the brothers. He tells them that the entire family is THE WORST. They have no money and the brothers would do best to get out before the reading of the will the following day. He has what Bunny bequeathed to Bobby.

Dean opens the package to find a jewel encrusted celtic cross pendant. They get it checked right away only to find the jewels are fake. The cross is really a key though. (Natasha: If there’s a key then there must be a lock!)

Bunny’s younger brother, Stanton, and his youthful bride, Amber, argue that night. Stanton then hears something whisper his name and he heads down the hallway to investigate. A dude from a painting comes around the corner with an ax and chops his head off. Amber sees the whole bloody mess. 

Sam and Dean return to the house to find a cop car --and suspicion of murder. 

The family is arguing about the innocence of Amber. Her story is that the ghost of Bunny’s husband Lance killed Stanton. 

Sam interviews the family while Dean heads off to find cold spots. (LOLz to the tape outline of the body.) Dean finds a book with the cross symbol on it, and pulls. It opens a secret door. 

There’s another door, with a keyhole behind it. He then finds a ROPE and LEAD PIPE...and this episode could have been so much more fun, idk. Anyway, as he walks through the secret passage, he finds a dead body wrapped up in a rug ---and Olivia scurrying in the darkness. She tells him that Philip, the butler, locked her in there so she couldn’t talk to the detective. 

She tells him that the body is Collette’s and she saw the butler roll her up --and she saw that Bunny was the one that killed her. 

Dean comes back with the latest news. They have to talk to the butler. 

Sam runs upstairs to find the butler but gets cornered by Beverley. To distract her, he agrees to her proposition, but runs when her back is turned. 

Dean stalks the hallways and nabs a heavy WRENCH from a shelf. He creeps through the room and then confronts the butler about the dead maid. 

Meanwhile, Sam heads into the kitchen, picks up a KNIFE, and finds the REAL dead butler. RUH ROH! Dean gets a text from Sam CLUE-ing him in (see what I did there) but the fake butler wallops him across the room and runs. The fleeing suspect sheds their skin - heap o’ flesh shapeshifter style. The maid happens upon the butler’s body and panics. The Winchesters sort of calm her down, and enlist her help in uncovering the murderer. They raid the fancy silverware and head out to find the shifter. 

Sam approaches the two cougars in the sitting room.

They invite Sammy over to become the filling in their sandwich and he awkwardly embraces them, cutlery concealed just under his palms so he can test them against silver.  

Dean stalks the house, only to hear a suspicious ruckus coming from a closet. He grabs a CANDLESTICK and hauls open the door. Dash and newly widowed Amber are having a torrid make-out session inside! They insist that while they may have been cheaters, they’re not murderers. Dean doesn’t bother to become the filling in their love sandwich. Instead, he hands them silverware and asks them to hold it FOR REASONS. They delicately touch the end of the knives and nothing happens. 

Sam remains in his own odd little interrogation prison, as the cougars paw over him and…er…talk about the length of his fingers. I’M DYING.

Dean breaks up their little love fest but any exchange of clues is interrupted by a loud scream. It’s the maid! They race to the bathroom, where the maid points them in the direction of one dead detective with his head in the toilet. 

A flurry of alibis and accusations begins between the attendees. Dean tries to calm everyone down and, er, tries to fend off Beverly as she purrs, “get your hands off me, young man” while clinging to him.

Dash pulls the detective’s GUN and orders the Winchesters to a room, where they can remain locked up until the cops arrive. Sorry, he can’t trust the Winchesters. They wear flannel, after all! Like, ew!

Sam tears through the desk looking for keys to the door but comes up empty. While Dean tries to jimmy the lock, he accidentally bends one of the table knives. He realizes that they’re dealing with cheap not-actually-silver silverware. So all their suspects are still in play.

In the sitting room, Dash waves the handgun irresponsibly around while the women decide that Sam and Dean are actually “homosexual murderers.” The maid walks in, reveals that she won’t be calling the cops, and grins maliciously. Time for a villain speech, people! She grabs the handgun.

In the office, Sam sees the maid holding the gun in a security camera. Whoops! The maid reveals herself to…NOT be the maid. (In an aside, it’s whispered, “well that explains the dust”) She’s Bunny’s daughter. Her…SECRET daughter.

She was locked in the attic until Bunny died. The butler took pity on her and let her free. The maid’s death was just a terrible accident. But when the butler locked her back up, she killed him. “The cute dumb one let me out,” she smirks. RUDE.

Sam and Dean unlock a gun safe in the office and shoot out the door handle. A showdown ensues. The maid shoots at Sam in the kitchen. She thinks killing Sam is the next best thing to killing Bobby Singer. Bobby was the one who killed her father and convinced her mother to keep her locked up. (Bobby, noooooooo.)

“Being a monster is a choice,” Sam tells her. She thinks her fate on that choice was sealed long ago when she was first locked up in an attic. She approaches Sam, concluding that he hasn’t taken a shot because he doesn’t have any silver bullets. (I mutter to myself, “Even if you were right, that would be one plus one plus two plus one, not one plus two plus one plus one.”) Just as she starts to near, she’s shot by Dean. 

And then she’s shot again. And again. And again and again and again. 

Um. Dean. Sweetie. 

Later, everyone leaves the ill fated party. Dash apologizes for locking them up.

Dean hands over the pendant and tells Dash that it’s the attic key. When Dash asks how he can repay them, Dean and Sam request that they be forgotten. They didn’t see them. They never existed. 

The Winchesters drive off. Nervously, Sam brings up the excessive shooting. Dean tries to blow it off, but Sam’s worried that it’s “demon residue” or something to do with the Mark. Yeah, nothing’s going on! It’s fiiiiiine.

Final thoughts? This is a sleepy Clue tribute, that the internet tells me debuted right around the time the Supernatural Clue game came out. I agree with Boris - it never quite seemed to stick the landing into full-blown lunacy that would make it a memorable tribute episode.

Quotes! Quotes on the Side of My Face! Flaming Quotes!

Charmed I’m sure… What are these people? 

I got news for you, Mr. Belvedere, the jacket’s canvas

She ain’t studying balloon animals. She’s dead

Cut the crap, Wadsworth. What are you doing hiding dead maids in secret rooms? 

It’s okay! I hunt pheasant!

Want to read more? Check out our Recap Archive!

#spn recap #dean winchester #sam winchester #spn 10x06 #ask jeeves #supernatural season 10

[americxn]

I win

Once again, thank you @cleanup-aisle5 for the idea <3 word count - 2470 a/n - I don’t like the way this is written but I’ve changed it so many times and it’s only getting worse soooo here you go.

“Move, asshole.” You muttered to your boyfriend, Tate, from where you were both crouched by the top of the stairs on the landing, peering down at the family of four. The third family to view murder house that week. He shoved his shoulder into yours, making you teeter and almost lose your balance. “I’m getting this one.” You hissed, pushing him back, “you stole the last two from me.” Tate shrugged. “You’re just too slow.” Your mouth turned upwards at the challenge.  “Okay,” you whispered, reaching for the heavy pendant around your neck and unclasping it before holding it between the bars of the banister, locking eyes with Tate before letting it slip from your grip. You grinned as the pendant dropped to the foot of the stairs, landing on the wooden floor with a thump, the family of four shrieking, their heads snapping from the pendant on the floor to the top of the stairs, confusion and fear etched onto their faces.  You sat back on your heels, grinning in amusement. Tate appeared behind you, his hands finding your waist and squeezing. “You’re on.” He whispered in your ear before vanishing, the air turning cold at his sudden absence.  

You watched as the family below took one last fearful glance at the top of the stairs, looking right through you before shuffling after the wary looking estate agent into the kitchen. Standing from your crouch, you followed after them, taking the steps two at a time and rounding the corner into the kitchen, the estate agent rambling about the countertops, a barely concealed desperate look on the woman’s face. This was her fourth time in the house this week, the fourth family she had shown around only for them to be chased away by Tate and your antics. You almost felt bad for the woman.  Almost. You stepped around the group of people carefully, who wouldn’t be able to see you until you allowed them to, using the only benefit of being a ghost to your advantage. Tate appeared in the doorway just as you settled yourself next to the family and reached for the cupboard just behind their heads, pulling it open quickly before slamming it shut again. The family jumped, the youngest, a boy, screaming and running to his mother.  Tate scowled, disappearing once more only to reappear at the other end of the kitchen before the stove. He looked at you before turned on the stove, the blue flames igniting with a hiss that made everyone in the group start, including the estate agent, who rushed over to the stove and hastily turned it off.  The faces of the family blanched and you snuck away, moving down the hallway soundlessly to the living room, where you knew they would go next. You started as Tate appeared behind you, grabbing onto your shoulders and breathing down your neck.  “Bit early for all the dramatics, don’t you think?” He hummed in your ear.  You turned to face him, your arms lazily reaching to settle behind his neck. “I’m winning this.” You declared, placing a quick kiss onto his lips before vanishing from sight.  Tate chuckled before doing the same. You reappeared as you took a seat on one of the couches, crossing one leg over the other and waiting for the entourage to join you in the living room.  When they did, you watched silently as they toured the large room, stopping to admire the fireplace and the old ornaments that sat on the hearth.  Movement in the corner of your eye caught your attention and you turned to watch as a still invisible Tate pushed the living room doors closed slowly, ensuring that they creaked and squeaked thoroughly before slamming them shut.  You chuckled under your breath as the family turned towards the doors, flinching when they rattled harshly, a final touch from Tate. You nodded your head in commendation at the effort before pushing yourself to your feet and picking your way around the family hovering before the fireplace, their faces painted with fear. You lifted a foot up and placed it beyond the grate of the fire, rubbing the bare skin into the ashes and charcoal before doing the same with your other foot, ensuring that both were thoroughly coated in soot before walking around the family once more, heading for the doors and ensuring that you rubbed each foot against the floor slightly before taking another step.  You did this until you had reached the closed doors, grinning as the father of the family pointed in terror at the trail of footprints that you had left on the floor. The estate agent gasped and rushed forwards to rub at the trail you had left in vain, her hands coming away covered in soot. You lowered yourself to the floor and pushed yourself away from the doors as you watched the frantic women try to conceal your handiwork, holding in your laughter as the group ran for the door. Brushing the ashes from the soles of your feet, you listened as the family began to question the estate agent, demanding that she tell them that was “all a joke” and huddling closer together as they made their way to the foot of the stairs.  Surprised that they hadn’t bolted for the front door already, you swiped the back of your hand over the bottoms of both of your feet once more before standing and joining the group, standing right up close to the mother before letting out a single, harsh breath in her ear. She shrieked, turning around and shielding her ear with her hands, eyes wide. Her face was mere inches from yours but she looked through you, her eyes scanning frantically for any reasonable explanation for what she had just experienced. You stepped back, a hand clamped over your mouth in a vain effort to keep any giggles from slipping out. 

Looking up, you saw Tate gazing down at you fondly and you maneuvered around the spooked family to tip toe up the staircase.  Grinning wickedly at your boyfriend as you hopped up the last step, you leaned in to whisper, “I think I’m winning. Come on Langdon, give me a challenge.” He rolled his eyes playfully, giving you a light shove before disappearing. You looked around, wondering where he would appear next but you couldn’t see him and so padded down the hallway to the family bathroom.

Shutting the bathroom door behind you, you made sure to leave it open a crack before turning to the bath and turning on the faucet. Making your way back over to the door, you took the key from its keyhole. Another disguised blessing about this house was its outdated locks. The estate agent’s conversation with the family faded out as they halted their climb on the stairs at the faint sound of running water and you hurried out of the room just as the estate agent hurried down the hall, muttering curses under her breath as she pushed open the door to the bathroom and turned the faucet off.  You smiled. She had walked right into it, just as you had planned. Just as the family reached the top step of the stairs down the hall you slammed the bathroom door shut behind the poor woman, locking the door from the outside and stuffing the key in your pocket before turning to the terrified group as they huddled together at the top of the stairs. They flinched visibly in unison each time the estate agent slammed her fists against the door, yelling for Constance Langdon, the next door neighbour, who had come to her rescue several times. Not today though. Constance had left that morning; you had watched as she had emerged from the house next door dressed in her usual finery, getting into her car and driving away. The family went utterly still for a moment, glancing between the door behind which the estate agent yelled and clawed at the wood in fury, and the bottom of the stairs which would take them to the front door and the safety of the street beyond. You grinned as they all turned in unison, clinging onto each other as they thundered down the stairs. Cowards. You knew that Tate was already at the front door, readying to slam it shut it their faces and you hurried over to the top of the stairs to watch as the door swung open when the family were only a few feet away from reaching it, before it slammed shut.  A cacophony of terrified screeches echoed through the house, meeting you at the top of the stairs and you laughed openly, the sound drowned out by their screams. Taking this as your queue to make your next move, you apparated from the top of the stairs to the small door set into the side wall by the bottom of the stair case, ensuring that the family saw as you pulled the door open slowly, praying that they took this invitation.  Which of course they didn’t. They froze once more, one of them stepping forwards to pull desperately at the front door like a frightened animal. Tate appeared beside them and glanced at you before he began to morph before your eyes. He was still Tate, but not the Tate you knew. He became the Tate before you had met him. Tate as he had died. A small part of you cracked as his shirt became peppered with bullet holes, thick blood dripping down the front of his shirt.  You knew that he had revealed this form of himself to the family when he turned to them, a truly wicked grin on his face, causing them to howl and scamper desperately down the hall. He was herding them towards you.  You stepped back from the open doorway, blocking the path of the terrified family as they barrelled towards you, falling over each other in their panic, their eyes wide and complexion as white as snow. You winced as you willed your body to change as Tate’s had, cringing at the sharp burning pain that sliced across your throat as the deep wound appeared, blood spilling down your front in hot torrents. Water began to drip from your fingertips, your hair becoming soaked and hanging about your face in limp strands, your clothes turned heavy with the weight of water.  A perfect reflection of how you looked when you had died. When you had been drowned in the bathtub a floor above, your attacker slitting your throat as one last measure before leaving your body submerged in the scarlet water of the bath. The blood drained from their faces as you appeared before them, skidding to a halt and bumping into each other comically. They seemed to realise their predicament in the midst of their panic, that they were now trapped between you and Tate, the darkness beyond the door to the basement whispering to them. You saw the quick calculations in their wide eyes as you stood perfectly still, a puddle of water and blood gathering at your feet.  The family, led by the father, hurtled to the side, plunging into the darkness of the basement, their cries getting quieter and quieter as they charged down the stairway beyond the door. You nudged the door closed with your foot, grimacing as Tate appeared before you.  “I hate that.” You gestured to him, cringing as he pulled you closer to him.  “I know. Likewise.” He said, looking you up and down, the tips of his shoes getting wet as he stood in your little puddle of water diluted blood. With a blink, you willed your body back to normal, Tate doing the same before looking at the door, the thin wood barely enough to muffle the screams coming from within, a sign that the other spirits trapped in the house had decided to make themselves known.  You braced your hands on the door, Tate joining you as the pounding of several sets of footsteps thundering up the basement stairs sounded beyond the door.  A massive weight slammed into the door from the inside and you gritted your teeth in effort as you pushed all of your weight against the door, the old wood groaning and shuddering.  Four sets of fists began to pound on the other side of the door but you and Tate held fast, looking to each other and laughing breathlessly.  “Poor bastards.” Tate muttered, his voice almost drowned out completely by the mix of shrieks and bangs emanating from the basement.  Shrugging, you replied, “it’s their own fault for coming to view the house. I’m sure they knew of the history.”  Tate nodded in agreement, his large hands spread out on the surface of the door.  “Have you had enough fun yet?” He gritted out, bracing himself as a tremendous weight threw itself at the door. “Eh, I think so. They won’t be coming back for a second viewing, that’s for sure.” Tate chuckled beside you.  “Cruel, wicked thing.”  You grinned, stepping back and allowing the door to slam open, ricocheting off the wall beside the doorway, the horrified family not wasting a second before thundering down the hall in blind terror. You spied several spots of blood on their clothes and cringed, peering into the once again silent basement.  The front door was wrenched open, slamming shut behind the family as they hurried from the property. “I thought we had a deal.” You shouted down into the gloom of the basement. “Don’t touch the visitors!”  You could still make out the family’s terrified squawks as they stumbled down the front steps and out of the front gate, herding each other into their car.  A lazy voice echoed from the darkness beyond the basement door, deep and gravelly. “Oh come on. You have your fun, let us have ours.” 

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━     

You skipped down the hall towards the bathroom door, fishing the old brass key from your pocket, smirking at the silence of the estate agent locked in the room beyond.  Fitting the key into its lock, you opened the door, plastering a pleasant smile on your face as the furious lady emerged from the bathroom.  “I told you earlier this week, no more visitors.” You said breezily as she stormed past you, heading for the stairs. You trailed after her, anger rippling off the woman in waves as she stomped down the stairs, reaching for the front door and wrenching it open. She turned to you, her hand braced on the door handle. “It’s my job.” She spat. “I have no choice in who I bring here and when.” “Bullshit.” You snapped. “Get this house taken off the market. It’s occupied.”  The woman stared coldly at you, her jaw working as she searched for an argument. Her eyes hardened as she came up short and an easy smile appeared on your face, the estate agent bristling at your stubbornness before she turned to leave.  You locked the door behind her before turning to bound back up the stairs, smiling triumphantly. Tate was waiting for you in your room, sprawled out across the bed on his back. You lunged for him, settling yourself atop of him. You grinned down at him. “I think I take the win for that.” You leaned forwards, bracing your hands on his chest and cutting off his protest with your lips.  His hands found your hips as you deepened the kiss, breaking away only to whisper in his ear: “hopefully we’ll be getting a lot more time to ourselves.” Tate’s hips moved ever-so-slightly beneath you at your suggestive tone, his hands at your hips pulling you down onto him, pressing himself into you.  You refrained from gasping and pulled away, smirking. “Thanks to me.” Tate groaned lowly at your cockiness, his head falling back against the pillows. “You’re welcome.” You chirped, leaning in to capture his lips once more.

#american horror story #ahs #ahs murder house #tate langdon #tate x reader #tate #reader #fanfic #oneshot

[kreidewaltz]

summer shivers | k.t.

pairing. kageyama tobio x f!reader

about. spending the day on the beach with your boyfriend. and the unfortunate events of meeting his former teammate lead to a silly competition of showing off each other's partner.

word count. 3.1k 

genre & warnings. fluff, comedy, suggestive themes, timeskip, making out on the beach (covered w an umbrella), female petnames, drinking at the bar.

author's note. i played around and made this fic descriptive and uhm sorry not sorry for the amount of teasing and tension ??? i needed to transform my kags brainrot to a fic so yeah and thanks amy for the beta-ing ily

while you and your boyfriend are walking mindlessly around the beach, your feet are being tickled by the soft, brown sand below. your boyfriend's fingers loosely intertwine with yours as his thumb rubs over your hand, something he knows you love. the pale green polish covering your toenails is fading as time goes. it wasn't a pleasant thing to look at, but you adored this look more— a little messy and flawed.

"tobio? wanna rest or keep walking?"

he gives your hand a soft squeeze and your love-filled eyes fall on him, which results in heat spreading subtly to your cheeks, and the pounding of your chest gets a little out of hand. he has three buttons of his loose, pale blue shirt undone and is wearing a simple pair of khaki shorts, his raven colored hair looking like a mess because of the strong breeze that passes. both of you decided to go barefoot while strolling around, smiling at the other tourists, and fawning over the adorable babies you see on the beach and restaurants when you pass by.

"let's walk. i miss these moments with you. needed a break from games and everything," he murmurs as his gentle, soft gaze falls on you. and in that moment you stop walking and take your time to quietly admire your partner under the bright, monstrous sun, along with the fluffy, huge clouds floating beside the light. his other hand pushes some of your hair behind your ear, doing it with delicacy and letting his fingers leave a trail of adrenaline since his delicate touches twists your fragile heart and makes your toes curl involuntarily.

"mhm, okay. but... when did you become that smooth?" you look to the other side so he doesn’t witness the red madness happening in the apples of your cheeks. you try to the best of your ability to stop the wide grin blooming on your face. but he carefully threads his fingers on the back of your head, and you unconsciously bite your strawberry balmed lips as you stare at him again.

"i guess i learned from you. and the karasuno guys." his hand rests on your nape before it slides to your back. a low, heartwarming chuckle comes from your boyfriend as he watches you crumble under his soft gaze. you bury your head on his chest and gripping the hem of his shirt and letting out a series of breathless giggles. as you're occupied with tobio's warmth, you fail to notice him running a hand through his short, black hair, and the lovesick smile growing on his face. he tries to distract himself by playing with your hair, and basks in the lavender scent of the shampoo you have in the apartment you share. cupping your cheeks for a moment, he takes his utmost time to admire your ethereal face matching with the glowing sunlight in the background. he gives you a peck on your temple and wraps his hands around your petite body, not saying a single word. he’s just taking in your warmth and admiring the beautifully painted sun behind the both of you, mesmerizing and serene.

you know, he knows.

-

"what are you doing here?” tobio's hands settle on your waist as he narrows his ocean-like eyes across other figures, his former high school teammate with his girlfriend. he shakes his head in disbelief, running your hand on his bicep through his arms— which is a sight that diverts your attention every time. it's harder to not keep your eyes on his build when you're in that time of the month, and he has to begrudgingly indulge in your adorable whining and countless compliments about his physique. 

back to the present time, seeing the tall blonde across from you with his newfound girlfriend- who you call your acquaintance because you were casual in school since you were classmates with her for a year. unfortunately, you’re a witness to how these two idiots’ feelings bloom into something complicated- you had to force them to meet after school. tsukishima didn’t thank you or anything but the way he carefully cares for her and treats her with respect, a little affection is more than enough for you. after all, he kind of helped you talk to kageyama when you were in first years. 

"oh my! how is ms. kageyama doing?" she yelps as you slowly walk to her because her voice tends to get pretty loud. her hands tug you into a friendly hug as you pat her head, amazed with the little braids on the side of her head since it fits her. her outfits are simple yet eye-catching (in high school she wore bright hair clips), and has too many accessories on her hair. but somehow she can pull it off. 

“tobio had a one week vacation.. and now we’re here.” 

she loops your arms together and slowly walks towards the waves, relaxation coursing through your body as you inhale the ocean scent, and feel the softness of the sand even though the waters crash every time. 

“that’s nice! don’t tell kei this because... his pride,” she rests her head on your shoulder and subtly puckers her lips on your back.- as you turn around your eyes land on your boyfriend and tsukishima bickering- and a stinging pain welcomes your head as you mindlessly cover your feet in sand. she giggles and you get the clue, so you keep your stare ahead, feeling all your worries away as you watch the waves and the cool breeze dance every so often. 

“he’s gonna meet my fam later and he’s nervous!” her voice is laced with agitation as she jumps in place, and you raise your brows in amusement. 

“ehhhh, that’s normal, duh.”

“no no wait! my family’s a little uptight with who i date.. because of my shitty relationships-”

“just say one night stands. i get it.” you cut her off and bite your lip to not laugh at the offended look on her face. you can’t forget that. she puts a hand over her chest and dramatically falls back, the sand messing her styled hair. she was curious about those things, and hooked up with a few men to get experience. but you’re glad she found tsukishima, because her past is what prevents her from having a good, long term relationship. but he stands beside her and gently takes care of her, and years later they’re together, ecstatic and it seems you can’t tear them apart.

it’s true what they say, the right one won’t leave.

-

with the huge, black umbrella covering the upper part of your body, you couldn't help but indulge in his soft, plush lips, which are nipping your own right now. his left hand is cupping your cheek, tilting your head to his desire so the gentle, yet passionate kiss dives in deeper- in all honesty it makes your knees weak. his dainty hands works its way under your baby pink sundress, and give your bare hips a soft squish.

"heh, never knew you're this naughty, tobio." you break away from the kiss, but your faces are near each other, running your fingers through his hair for a moment. you stare at his mesmerizing, blue eyes to regain consciousness because his fiery lips are hovering yours, easily getting hazy just from the feeling of his lips. the way he controls your body as you get lost and drown yourself to the pleasure, and how tingly and ecstatic you become when he finally, finally touches you bare. even if you're the one getting attacked with his star-struck kisses and feather-like touches all over your precious body, your pleasure-headed mind always asks for more.

"no.. no let's stop, angel." you capture his swollen, red lips in another sweet kiss and savor in his lips that are tasting like faint strawberries before breaking the kiss. if there's one thing you learned from being in a relationship with your boyfriend, you had to stop yourself, because those supposed study sessions for him to pass his exams or stacks of school works, always leads to kissing or even slow, heartwarming make out sessions on the beige couch in your living room. or quick, messy sessions in his bedroom because he's utterly distracted by you in your school uniform. and the next day you couldn't even blame each other because you both enjoyed it. after all, sometimes it ends with sleepy kisses and slow, burning touches while the only thing covering your bodies are his dark gray sheets.

"huh, you say that and keep pulling me closer." you thread your fingers with care through his hair, and run your fingernails on his scalp. his one hand supports his weight in order to not fall on top of you, his other busy with caressing your hips. you try your best to avoid squirming under his hold because the atmosphere you two put yourselves in is scorching hot. it makes your body sweat, your lungs tighten from suffocation but you keep swimming, so desperate for his touch and warmth that keeps you sane every time.

"shut.. up, tobio." panting for a moment, you clumsily push the umbrella above you to get some of the fresh air and the natural scent of the ocean across from you. you’re sitting up as you move ahead of him and plop yourself in your boyfriend’s arms. 

"what's with earlier, tobio-chan? gettin' all antsy and... you had to give them a show by us kissing hard, all messy, and sloppy." fiddling with your fingers, you treasure the rose gold promise ring he bought for your second anniversary, which you never removed from your hand- even when the relationship is experiencing a tough road throughout the journey. he’s silent as he leaves a tender kiss on the top of your head, his other hand occupied with the necklace he’s loosely wearing- and instead of another pendant, he used the silver ring that matches with yours. there is a faint tint of rose gold on his, the design is simple- on the top part there are bits of diamonds that twinkle under the sun, and an infinity sign weaves through the band seamlessly.

it’s beautiful, tobio muses to himself as he threads your fingers together. the rose gold circlet on your ring finger looks so gorgeous. he appreciates this about you, being silent as you lose yourself in his warmth. if his doubts and the inner voices keep ringing in his head, all he'd do is take a glimpse of the gorgeous ring fitted on your finger perfectly and those thoughts dissipate from his head. they are exchanged with the happy, smiley thoughts of you that overlap.

"you kissed me back, who's at fault now, pretty angel?" before you could react and hit his bicep playfully, he tightens his embrace on your body, squishing you a little until you’ve settled and formed into a puddle because of his touch- your hands sliding on his arm. you’re not shaking your feet anymore deep on the brown, soft sand. he cocks his head to the right as his navy, blue eyes slowly close and with a turtle’s speed, he brushes his soft, tempting lips below your ear, nipping, and blowing on that spot he knows drives a whimper out of you.

tobio’s such a discreet bastard, you muse as you bury your head more to the crook of his neck and attempt to think of a payback to him later. because what he’s doing to you clouds your mind with hazy pleasure, and he hums lowly as he listens to your breathless symphony he couldn’t get enough of it.

-

“kags did change a lot, huh? probably because of you.” her hands are occupied with holding a small shot glass carefully as she moves her hand. her eyes are glued to the swaying of the tequila. a soft snort comes out of you— shaking your head instinctively because, if we're being honest, you bloomed differently because of your boyfriend. he's taught you so many things. from being passionate to that one thing you love, that there’s someone who is going to save you when you’re breaking, or that the display of affection isn’t equal to the love and adoration he’s feeling for you. 

“i only helped him, don’t wanna make this all about me.” you take a big sip of your favorite cocktail, the cosmopolitan, mainly because of the blush pink color and the tinge of sweetness that suits your taste better. your boyfriends are on a journey to find the restroom and it has been a while. the loud, open bar the internet recommended is true to its word, the variety of colored lights flashing in an hour, the songs being played on the speakers are prominent, although you’d prefer if they turn the volume up because strangers are drunk and are pretty loud- like they didn’t need to prove they’re all over each other physically. 

oh damn, they need to up their flirting game. 

“what about tsukki? are you guys good?” you smoothly change the topic and inwardly sigh because you’re relieved she didn’t push the topic further. it’s not that you don’t want to talk about your boyfriend. your perspective is leaning on the realistic side and you don’t want to bore her with your life realizations- and you forbid yourself to sound like an old woman while telling about your real feelings and thoughts. 

“yeah! even though he’s still snarky, and teases me before... he’s better now. you know, one time he asked, asked for cuddles! it’s so cute..”

"and i wonder why our classmates are so shocked when he displays affection–like, man–he's a human. he wants touch, his pride gets in the way!" your hands are moving around you to emphasize your opinion, and you smack her lightly on the head the second you hear chuckles coming out of her. you stand on your opinion though, the shield on his heart just needed a hard hit- and successfully she did that. slowly entering his heart and letting his mask crumble when he’s with her. 

"right! still thankful for you that you pushed us to confess... or say some words." you roll your eyes playfully at her statement because you could witness their feelings for one another grow and grow– yet they keep their guard up and wait for the other to make the first move. their relationship reminded you of an anime you watched before, and you push them to confess after school, giving them encouraging words, but mainly you throw them playful threats. 

"just say you confessed." 

"whatever.. oh! remember the time you and kags were all over each other at the res—!" putting your hand over her mouth, muffle out her words in a rush before she can continue. heat blossoms to your neck as you reminisce that memory. it was supposed to be a chill, enjoyable double date even though your man and hers had this urge to be competitive on every thing you did. you ended in another restaurant (which was fancy and expensive). after the course meal, she ordered two wine bottles and tobio got tipsy. you were a bit tipsy but you could make out your surroundings, but the soberness came to a halt when he tugged you and gave you a hard kiss., it wasn’t the problem but- oh god his calloused hands kept moving around your body. for a moment you forgot you were in public and your friends are here—watching you. you pulled away for a moment and went to the bathroom, your happy face turned beet red, the realization coming in and making you more flustered if that was possible.

“what!? you got us tipsy. don’t even turn the tables when i actually saw,” you lower your voice on the end to make her panic which is evident in her eyes. you acting dramatic and slap a hand over your mouth as you shake your head, and your eyes focus on her, along with your finger pointing her body and let out your thoughts in the form of screeching and overreacting—-that’s what you’re good at—-she told you before in college. and your boyfriend instantly nods which resulted in a good old silent treatment for a few days. 

“with my two own eyes, you are taking those kinds of photos for tsukishima!” a teasing smirk is forming on your face and you’re taking another sip of the cocktail. as you’re about to finish the drink, she hits your legs with her little black handbag while she squeals. before you could pay your petty revenge, your boyfriend and tsukishima’s voices make you tense on the wooden stools. making eye contact with her, you pray that they didn’t hear the last part of your conversation because they weren’t supposed to hear that. if they did, they’ll be so embarrassed. 

"angel."

"baby."

turning around to see your boyfriend’s eyes on you, you get distracted by his dirty white long sleeves and the first two buttons that are open, and khaki shorts. he walks yet he never tears his dark gaze from you, his eyes now focusing on your tinted lips. his hand swiftly slides on your waist and you have to bite your lip to suppress your whimper since his hold on your body tightens. as for tsukishima, he whispers something to her and you know what’s going to happen. 

"see you tom!! ‘bout to get punished again." you wave the couple a goodbye as you and tobio walk back to the hotel you’re staying in. while you’re going back, he gives a soft peck on your temple and holds your bag. he suddenly stops walking and pulls you away from the crowd. he cups your cheek, which is getting red as he faces you. you’re becoming flustered by the stupid smirk growing on his face and, he rests his chin on your shoulder. his breath fans on your ear before he murmurs, his voice getting husky which makes your knees weak.

“oh angel, just take me well, yeah?”

#haikyuu x reader #haikyu x reader #haikyu oneshots #haikyu scenarios #kageyama x reader #kageyama tobio x reader #tobio kageyama x reader #kageyama oneshot #kageyama tobio imagine #kageyama tobio oneshot #kageyama x y/n #[✰] kei7ime works

[funky1town]

fantasy world loki x asgardian! reader (pt 2.)

summary: with an attack on Asgard and each fighting for their people, the two become separated, constantly thinking of their other half

word count: 4.2k

warnings: angst, gore

part 1

Loki’s night with Zolanari fortunately didn’t last long. In fact, their time was cut so short that they didn’t even make it to the bedroom. It wasn’t long till a guard abruptly approached him in the empty halls, the mans footsteps echoing with urgency.

“Prince Loki,” the guard bowed out of breath, “The Allfather requests your immediate presence,”

Loki looked behind him, only a few feet from his door, “Can’t it wait?”

The guard swallowed and shook his head, beads of sweat forming on his hairline, “There’s been an attack,”

Loki’s face hardened as he let go of Zolanari. Now, if he listened, he could hear the distant sounds of feet running, a scream here and there.

He could only think of one person in that moment.

“Very well,” Loki nodded, “Go to your station,”

As the guard began to sprint down the halls, Loki followed, casting his armor upon him.

“Loki!”

He turned to Zolanari as he continued to walk backwards.

There’s no time to lose he thought. Her. I must get to her.

“Where will I go!”

Her golden dress was bunched together in her hands, reflecting the colors of the golden walls. He thought of the future bodies that will lay on these grounds in the morning, the families that will be separated and the lives he will have to take tonight.

The jewels that hung from her body, the innocence in her eyes. Nothing but a life of happy memories that shaped her, made her the woman she is today.

He could never love her he realized.

“Hide in my room, go fight with the others, I don’t care,”

“So you are leaving me?” she cried.

Loki shook his head and turned around once more, “I cant be there for you Z. We’re warriors, not children,”

He was sure that she spoke something after him, a blurb of obscenities that would diminish his ego, a jab on how Thor is the better brother. All words from her mouth had turned into white noise. He couldn’t care to look back, see which fate she had decided. He could only think of her.

Did she run for the gardens he wondered, the one place they would seek shelter when they were younger. Maybe Frigga had seen her, taken her in with the royals because even his own mother knows how deeply he cares. He didn’t dare think of the latter option that was running through his head.

This hadn’t been the first time Asgard had been attacked. One of the many attempts of other nations trying to control the nine realms.

Each time, the two friends have found solace in each other, always side by side if the attack ever reached their area. It’s different now, he ponders.

With age and responsibilities, he’s expected to fight rather then hide. Protect instead of cower. He still remembers when they were little and he would become frightened at the dangers of power shifting.

She would reach into her pocket, the silent rustle creating the only sound in the dimly lit room. In her hand was a golden pendant, a necklace she would hold out to him.

“My mom once told me this gives you eternal safety. The power from the warriors before who wore this around their necks and fought in decade long battles,”

Loki reached out towards her and wrapped the pendant around his hand, softly stroking the engraved designs, “Do you really believe in that?” he whispered.

She kept her eyes trained on the necklace, noticing the gentleness in his touch. She shrugged, “I believed in my mom,”

A foolish night he thought. A waste of time in his remaining days on Asgard.

If he would of just stayed back in the comfort of his own room, the fireplace lit, the distant sounds of the ball from below, none of this would be happening. She would’ve already been with him, their bodies resting in-front of one another’s as they practiced magic together, warmly lit by the fire. Her assured safety would’ve been sealed, a promise that would ease his worries.

As he appeared closer to the throne room, voices grew louder as Asgardian’s were ushered by guards down the halls, couples clutched to one another, children’s cries being silenced by their mothers arms. 

His eyes scanned the crowd frantically, a wildness behind them. He couldn’t miss her, he began to think. He’d notice her from a mile away, in a crowd of thousands. She just had that special spark to her.

Even tonight during the ball, in a room that is suffocating to all senses, he had seen her. Dressed in the same uniform he’d witness her bear everyday, the same hair she tucked away under gray fabrics, he noticed her the minute she walked through those grand doors. 

He had seen her every single day. Same clothes, same attitude, same smile. And not once did he grow tired of her. It was the one thing in his life he was sure of he realized. 

He bet that no one even noticed the small gold earrings that hung around her frame at the ball tonight. A small action of defiance, a small gesture of luxury, and a whole lot of her. 

As his eyes frantically searched the crowd, a familiar face appeared in his vision, bringing him back to reality. 

“Nan!”

The old woman stopped abruptly and turned towards the source. Loki had been a big part of her life just as much as Y/N, considering the two were never seen without the other. He remembered for his birthday once, when Asgard was at war and too busy to celebrate, Nan requested Loki’s favorite food from the kitchen staff, bringing the two for a picnic at the cliff side.

“Loki!” her face was tense, her frail gray hairs falling wildly out of her bun. A young girl was clutched to her side as tears streamed down her face. 

He rushed towards the pair and held onto the woman before him. Even despite Nan’s constant appearance around the palace, always bent over, scrubbing another corner, the woman was quite old and always needing assistance according to Y/N, “Are you alright? Where’s Y/N?”

She sighed heavily, looking behind her and holding the little girl closer, “I saw her for a brief moment. She was with all the other maids I - I don’t know where...” she shook her head, furious tears running down her face. Looking down to the girl below her she caught her breath, “She lost her parents, I -”

“It’s okay,” Loki interrupted in a soft tone, quickly guiding Nan and the girl towards the throne room, “Come with me you’ll be okay,”

The closer they got, the more the screams grew. The more bodies he imagined to be buried tomorrow. The little girls whimpers grew louder as Nan’s footsteps began too slow.  

“Loki?” Nan softly cried. He looked towards her, sorrow and regret settled upon her face. In her hands, she nervously played with small gold earrings.

Her earrings. 

“I don’t know where she went,”

Loki clenched his jaw and turned away, the grip on his staff tightening. 

“I’ll find her.”

****

Her heart continued to pound ever since the blast. 

One second she was serving Frigga her drink, the next she was wrapped around her frame, ducked under a table.

Blood continued to drip from her hairline, a sure few rocks digging in her skin.

“What were they?” Aldis huffed, one of her dear friends. She thought of how they used to play tag in these same halls together. Now they were running for their lives, five more killers now on their tail.

Y/N grabbed onto the shirt of another maid, quickly turning her around, “This way,” she nodded. 

She guessed there was about eight of them now, running in a tight knit group. Two girls she recognized from the kitchen, the man next to her Odin’s tailor. The guards had told them there wasn’t enough room in the hideouts for staff. And Odin dragged Frigga away before she could take Y/N’s hand.

They were on their own. 

“I don’t know,” Y/N panted. “I didn’t get a good lo-” 

Out of nowhere, an arrow wizzed past her, landing into the golden beam in front of them. They all screeched to a halt, only a few daring to look back.

Rounding the corner were five hideous beasts, all heavily armed with weapons that swung with each stomp. Dark blood painted the surfaces of the artillery, deep scars littering the skins of the animals in front of them. They showed no sign of stopping. 

“Fuck,” she muttered.

It’s alright, Y/N thought, building up her courage. Loki trained me for this. All those early mornings, sneaking away from the palace. He always wanted her to be his equal.

Well this was her chance.

“Okay go, go, go!” she exclaimed, gathering the group in-front of her and pushing them forward. 

Reaching into her pocket, she quickly pulled out her key, the ‘L’ engraved on it still showing,“In here,” she whispered.

As they all scrambled inside, she tried to push down the fear rising to her throat, booming footsteps growing closer and closer. But it was the ear defining screech of metal against wall that made her want to cry in her mom’s arms.

When the last of them had gotten inside and Y/N still hadn't seeked safety, Aldis stood up slowly, “Y/N...”

There were tears on her face as she looked to the side, her hands clutched to the door.

“Now’s not the time to be a hero Y/N,” Aldis cried.

She laughed sadly, smiling at her dear friend. 

Blue, Y/N thought.

She had blue eyes.

“Someone has to lock the door Aldis,”

Someone has to lead them away. 

“Locking the door won't matte-”

She closed the door before she could hear her one last time. She’d never been very good at goodbyes. 

Aldis was right, locking the door wouldn’t matter. The beast that rounded the corner held a five foot hammer while the one that came after had blood smeared on its chest. Still didn’t stop her from chucking the key over the terrace below them, letting it fall into the unknown.

She breathed deeply, sticking her chest out, not daring to let her voice waver, “You want Asgardian blood?” she shouted, bringing the beasts to a stop, “Come get it!”

One of the beasts slowly stepped forward, snarling its hideous teeth as it grumbled out in an unknown language. Y/N studied them all carefully as another smiled.

“He says,” it growled, voice deep and distorted, “Where are your friends?”

The rest smiled in unison, blood dripping from their mouths as they did so, littering the floors she had just scrubbed this morning. 

She swallowed deeply, digging her nails into the palm of her hand. Could that be Nan’s blood she wondered. Loki’s even? Had they found safety in the rooms she could not enter, or are they just as lost as she. 

A small part of her screamed that they were still alive, that she must continue to fight for the one’s she loves. Her whole life, all she has known, was to protect Loki. Many times she’d questioned if her love for him would be any different if he wasn’t all she’s known. 

In this moment now, with her life on the line, she decides it wouldn’t be.

What’s protecting him one more time?

“You want them?” she growled, “You’ll have to catch me,”

****

It had been three hours since the attack, his father describing the creatures as ancient beasts. For what they lacked in brains, they made up for in calvary. Thousands of them swarmed around Asgard, all broken into clusters attacking the main east and west wing.

He had lost his helmet hours ago, the horns probably shattered by the shear size of the weapons they were dealing with. Blood stained his knives as his energy depleted, his magic becoming less and less prevalent.

Each room they entered, each hall they fought in, he would whisper her name, unlock every door. Some doors led to a few helpless Asgardian’s, other were a beast in hiding.

None of them were her.

Grunting, he pulled a dagger out of the monsters chest, wiping the blood on his leather. Checking his surroundings, he saw one of the soldiers opening a door at the end of the hallway. With a steady face he shook his head towards Loki.

The pit in his stomach only grew.

Looking around at the soldiers in-front of him, he thought about how many of them had lovers waiting. If they too, were thinking the same self destructing thoughts he was. Here Loki was, putting his own problems ahead of their own, a narcissistic plea for the safety of another.

He was sure they weren’t as special as his own. None of them had that same spark.

His thoughts were cut short when the sound of bells rang. Once, twice, three times. If one was lucky, they would look to the skies and see the darkened purple vessel gearing away, far from the carnage they left behind.

He heard the sounds of metal clanging to the floor, the sighs of relief from the warriors left. Some were heavily injured, one woman with a deep gash in her side, being tended to by another soldier. At this point he would return to the throne room, discuss with his father the next course of action and if Asgard would engage in war or meet halfway.

In this moment though, he couldn’t seem to care less about what happened, of what his father had to say, of how many Asgardian’s were slaughtered. Across the courtyard he saw a family slowly crawling out a door, a child sound asleep in its mothers arms. The sun had just started to rise as the man held his wife in his embrace, her body shaking with cries. Through her tears she looked ahead towards Loki, darkness behind her eyes, flashes of the night before more visible then the stars above.

He promised to hold Y/N once he found her. Even longer than the man infront of him. He promised he would take all her fears away.

With a quick nod of assurance towards the woman, he turned on his heel and headed down the halls, retracing his steps towards her.

He walked past multiple beasts, all strewn across the golden floors, pools of blood painting them red. It dawned on him who would be scrubbing these floors the next few days, a constant reminder of the fear they all must of ran from.

He needed to remember to fake a sickness that week .

As he ran down the grand stairs below him, he caught sight of blonde hair.

“Aldis!”

The woman snapped her head towards Loki, the group around her stopping. His steps became even faster as he reached the bottom, desperately grabbing onto the woman’s shoulders. The sight of him made her cry again, already stained tears littering her cheeks.

“Where’s Y/N? Did you see her? Is she okay?”

Aldis shook her head, shaky breaths as she held onto his arms for dear life, “She -“ the woman’s voice betrayed her, breaths too shallow as she squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head furiously as if to rid her plagued mind of the bloodshed, “She closed the door I… I couldn’t stop her,”

He pulled himself out of her hold, stepping back. What does she mean? Where are the simple answers he was hoping for?

She made it into safety with the royals, she took us to the gardens in your secret hideout, she is completely and utterly safe.

Where were those answers, that blanket of reassurance?

“Where is she?” he asked again, his voice lower and dangerously quiet. Never before has his heart beat so fast, not in battles not even around her presence. He was sure if adrenaline wasn’t coursing through his veins he’d be panicking, out of breath and gasping for air.

Aldis pointed to the right, “We came from there,” she spoke, leading Loki immediately to stalking towards that path. It felt like he was walking to his death, years of bad karma finally cycling back to the beginning.

It was a long corridor, filled with countless rooms and places to hide. He remembered telling her to run here if she was ever in trouble, the secret bookshelf hideout being behind one of these doors. Infront of him was a long arrow, wedged into the gold of the pillars ahead of him. Maybe there wasn’t enough time he thought.

“Y/N!” he called out, turning the corner into another hallway. 

He thought back to all the times before this moment, when life had seemed just as hopeless and he was overwhelmed by all the thoughts in his head. This was worse, he knew that now. Still, she would go to him with hope in her eyes.

When Thor was gifted Mjolnir, when Odin would scold him for every mistake made, when Frigga’s magic wouldn’t click, she would approach him with care. A small hand to his face, the happiest of endings behind her eyes. 

“You can only go up from here,” she would whisper. 

Eyes closed, revealing in her presence, the tenderness between her actions. He swore he could never love anyone more. She felt like home, something otherworldly to Asgard, unknown to the family of his own. 

“So much faith,” he would mutter into her embrace, her skin soft, her hold desperate, “Why?”

He knew he was all she had. Despite Nan, despite the few friends she had made, all her life she was met with misfortune. A deceased mother, a missing father. Her best friend was the God of Mischief, a title that was apart of the gray areas that distinguished good from bad. And yet, all the good in her was settled in his heart, a promise, a reassurance that he too, was home.

“Glorious purpose,” she’d say, smiling bright, “You get to choose what that will be,”

Turning another corner, he began to call out to her once more, his words suddenly caught in his throat at the sight before him. 

The relief came as soon as the dread. 

Finally, he had found her. After countless hours of searching, countless stabs to another's chest, undying wishes to return, he had found her, intact, but still not the same.

He knew, no matter how hard he tried, he would never be able to shake the image ahead of him. Five beasts, all three times her size laid strewn about the hallway, blood pouring from the corners of their mouth, weapons scattered feet ahead of them. Laying in the center was her, the center of their universe, of his. 

Her hair had fallen out of its hold, blood soaking it down in place. The bottom of her dress was torn to shreds, visible claw marks the culprit of the carnage before him. It took all the strength he had to not vomit at the sight of the arrow lodged in her side. 

He dropped his staff in a frenzy, legs stumbling towards her unconscious body as he moved at what felt like an agonizing pace.

“Y/N...” he muttered, dropping to his knees as he carefully brought her body to rest in his lap. Hands shaking, tears threatening to fall, it felt like his heart was beginning to collapse. 

A limp body, skin turning pale, he weakly shook her shoulders, hands rubbing at her blood stained cheeks, “Y/N,” he cried, “Y/N wake up. Please my love wa-”

Suddenly, her hands shot up, desperately clinging to his forearm as shallow breaths followed, her nails digging into his leather. 

Blood was caught in her throat, making it hard to breathe as she tried to bring Loki closer. It didn’t matter she was dying, it didn’t matter how much pain stung at her body. He was here, she was in his arms. She was home.

“Loki,” she whimpered quietly.

Despite it all, he laughed. Laughed tears of joy, laughed that she was still alive, revealed in the chance that there was still hope. There was always hope when it came to her.

“Come on,” he muttered, trying his best to be gentle, speak softly as to not scare her further, make this night even worse than it already has been. She was always there for him.

Now was his chance.

As he gathered her in his arms, slowly lifting her to not let the arrow sink any further, she cried out in pain, hands squeezing into his arms even harder.

“No,” she sobbed as he placed her down once more. A mix between coughs and cries ensued, blood beginning to spill out the corners of her mouth. He was beginning to see stars, the walls closing in at an alarming rate as he couldn’t help but think this was all his fault. So helpless, needing a sense of relief and comfort that he could not provide. It was heartbreak in its realest form, a gut wrenching hole in his chest. 

“It hurts,” she cried weakly, gasping for air, “It hurts Loki, please,” 

He sighed shakily, holding onto her tighter. He couldn’t lose her, didn’t dare to think about the person he would become if he couldn’t see her everyday, hear her voice, feel her touch. Reaching towards her hand he continued to ignore the blood stained palms, his other hand holding her face, “Y/N...”

Thumb stroking the sides of her face, fingers combing through her hair, a desperate attempt at comfort, “Love look at me,”

With all her strength she willed her eyes open, relieved to see anything but the beasts she fought. Loki looked wrecked, brows furrowed in concern as blood spilled from the cut rested in his brow. His hair had fallen from the bun she had put it in hours before, framing his face to let the tears that have fallen shine.

He was so beautiful she thought.

“I need to get you help,” he cried, trying his best to put on a brave face, “I need...”

Choking on his words, he couldn’t help but sob, bringing his face into the crook of her neck, clinging onto whatever life she had left in her. So many things, he thought, some many things he needed.

A long warm bath, calm waters to wash away the hours of bloodshed, the comfort of his own room, his silk sheets enveloping him whole. He needed her to smile once more, to laugh so sweetly that his ears buzzed and his heart soared. He needed her to be okay.

“Please Y/N,” he muttered, putting himself together. Remembering, he quickly reached into her dress pocket, searching till he pulled out what he was looking for.

Her gold necklace.

He reached out, placing the necklace on top of her heart as her hand quickly followed, resting on top of his, “Please,”

She sighed heavily, blinking the tears away as she slung her arm around his neck, bunching his green shirt into her’s. Looking at him one last time she recognized the creased lines upon his face, situated at the corners of his mouth for that smile that was only for her. The beauty mark above his brow, the one she would poke at whenever he was mad. And his eyes.

She smiled, “They’re blue,” she whispered.

Unaware to if he heard her or not, she squeezed her eyes shut, preparing for the agonizing flow of pain. Quickly, and without warning, Loki lifted her into his arms, her cries muffled by his armor she hid herself in.

She tried to stifle the pain, the shoots of electricity that numbed her body with each step he took. There was no way of her distinguishing how fast he was moving, what time of day it was. How far gone she had become. All of her senses were heightened and dulled at the same time, a murky sea of overwhelming emotions that she couldn’t navigate.

She had seen him one last time. Heard his laugh and felt his hands upon her face. That was enough for her to let go.

One last time, she willed herself to speak, clearly and with more conviction. She needed him to hear her one last time, remember her as strong.

“I used your magic,” she said, eyes still closed, head buried into his neck, “Did you see?”

He bit down on his lip, drawing blood as he stifled a cry. Of course he noticed. It was the first thing he saw when he turned the corner, multiple green daggers scattered across the floor. If he wasn’t so distraught, heart set on saving her, he would’ve been proud, the numerous bodies that had surrounded her a testament to her strength.

She didn’t hear what he said after. Couldn’t if she tried. She hoped that he was proud of her, that Nan was safe and her friends had made it out alive. She held onto that feeling, that surge of hope, wishing that it would carry into the next life.

****

do you guys want a final part 3?? also did I do the taglist right lol

tag list: @strawberryizuku​ @imagining-harrypotter​ @uhohmando​ @lareinedususpense​ @generationallyfluid​ @lokistan​ @chipster-21​ @im-the-nerdiest-of-them-a11​ @jessyballet​ @just-a-wandering-star​

#loki #loki x reader #thor #loki series #loki x y/n

[softranswolves]

For It May Not Be My Time

Fandom: Teen Wolf

Rating: Teen

Ships: n/a

Characters: Derek Hale, Laura Hale, Lydia Martin, Stiles Stilinski, Deaton

Words: 1598

LAURA HALE APPRECIATION WEEK - DAY FOUR THEME: resurrection

When Lydia shows up at his door to tell him his name unlocked the last of the list, he doesn't react. He knows Braeden is watching him, gauging how he responds. He knows Lydia will slowly come down from her premonition and switch to fix-it mode. She came alone, not wanting him to feel subjected to the pack's stares, but he knows that Stiles knows, and the kid has never been great at keeping pertinent information quiet.

He insists that he's fine each time he's asked, Braeden deciding to let him stew in whatever he's feeling while Scott and Stiles try to get more out of him. The latter goes so far as to goad Derek, trying to taunt him into talking but that isn't something they've ever done and he doesn't plan on starting now. It's easy to push back when they ask, because he's being honest. He isn't looking forward to dying, but he's resigned to it, knowing he's made his mother proud, made his family proud. He's worked to right the wrongs Peter has done, making Hale a respectable name again. Maybe he'll get to be with them soon.

"She didn't show you the whole list, did she?" Stiles asks a few days later. The whole pack has been working overtime to protect their own and figure out who is behind the deadpool in the first place. Kira returned after staying in hospital with her mom, and Scott has taken some time away from everyone to be alone with her, leaving Stiles with nobody else to pester.

"Why does it matter, Stiles? I'm marked for death, I know that already." He's exasperated but tolerant, realizing he might actually end up missing the banter they have. His gaze doesn't leave the gun he's reassembling, a task Braeden gave him for when he needs something to fill the spare time.

"Because there's a name on it that might draw your attention, sour wolf." Stiles is serious, and while this has become the norm after his possession, it's still out of place.

"So? Who was it?" He can hear the uptick in Stiles' pulse, scents anxiety in the air, but maintains his focus. If he engages, Stiles may take it as invitation for another attempt at a heart-to-heart.

There's no response for a moment, just the sound of paper unfolding, before a crumpled sheet slides into Derek's line of sight. He looks up at Stiles, who crosses his arms and simply nods toward the paper to emphasize Derek should look at it. Obliging, he scans the sheet, landing on a name two-thirds down the list.

"That's not possible," he says, eyes stuck on the letters. He doesn't pay attention to the numbers, just that string of impossibility.

"Are you sure?" Stiles asks, voice tense but gentle.

"You saw her body, you know it's not possible."

"Also shouldn't be possible for Peter to be alive, what with his quasi-possession of Lydia a few months ago, yet here we are."

Silence blossoms between them, and Derek thanks the universe for Stiles letting him sit with the information.

"Could it be outdated? Maybe the list isn't live, maybe it was made years ago," Derek suggests. He looks up to Stiles, eyes wide in hopeful shock. The only response he gets is a shrug as Stiles considers and starts to pace, running a hand through his hair in contemplation.

"I mean, it could be. We still don't know anything about it besides where the money came from. Lydia says she can feel a tangible thread to Laura, but she never met her and couldn't say for sure what it means."

Derek nods, standing to look out the window in thought.

"Have you talked to Deaton? Maybe he knows something, being human like you."

"We were kind of waiting to see what you wanted us to do," Stiles says. "She was your sister, after all, and there's no way we're bringing it to Peter without you. Y'know, her literal murderer?" He's pushing at Derek's buttons again, but this time he doesn't mind quite as much. He just nods again before turning back to Stiles.

"We can take the Camaro," Derek says, walking toward the door after grabbing a jacket and his keys."Though we should stop to pick up Lydia."

"Why Lydia?" Stiles asks as he follows after Derek.

"She can explain to Deaton what feelings she's having about Laura. He may be able to interpret them better than you or I could."

"Makes sense." Stiles is quiet after that, not saying anything for so long that Derek thinks it may be the longest he's gone without talking.

While he may have preferred this conversation to happen between the veterinarian and himself privately, he knew Lydia and Stiles would be useful at asking questions he may not consider and keep Derek from going too far off the deep end. The last time he'd been in a room with him alone was the night he kidnapped Deaton, thinking him to be the Alpha at the time. Things may have changed but he still kept his distance.

The boys drive to the Martin house, texting Lydia to join them, and continue the last few minutes to the Vet Clinic. Lydia was unsurprised when she sat down in the car, but seems uneasy around Derek, as though his impending death prediction is making her uncomfortable. He doesn't let himself dwell on it, instead focusing on clearing up his confusion.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" Deaton asks when the trio arrives, motioning to the chairs in the back to sit in. Lydia takes a seat while Stiles continues the pacing he had started at the loft, and Derek simply hands Deaton the list of names.

"See anyone on there that shouldn't be? Any impossible names jumping out?" His voice is raised despite his efforts, and he clenches his fists to ground himself.

"I do," Deaton starts, his usual tone of knowing more than the rest of the room. "What do you think?" He directs the question at Lydia.

"I think... it's not an accident that her name is there," Lydia tries. "These lists, they don't feel arbitrary, as if everyone supernatural in Beacon Hills was added. Cora isn't on there, and as far as we know she's alive." She doesn't seem to want to meet Derek's eye, but he can understand it.

"So you think she's alive." It's a statement, not a question, but Derek' bluntness cuts through the room.

"I didn't say that," Lydia says quietly. "She doesn't feel dead, but she also doesn't feel alive either. It's not the same as when you were taken by Kate, but it's similar." She stands and puts her hand on top of Derek's, a similar motion to a few weeks ago when he'd been lying on the same table they're gathered around now, only a teenaged version of himself.

"So where does that leave us?" Stiles asks. He notes the way Derek has gone tense, and decides to push once more. "Derek, what's wrong? Isn't it a good thing if your sister is still with us?"

He's leaning over the table, arms holding his weight up at the edge, and he shakes his head, smiling to himself a little.

"I was so ready to die," he breathes out. "I'm just so... tired, and when Lydia told me my name was a key for the deadpool? I was relieved. I could stop fighting, stop pretending I know what the hell I'm doing, and be with her again."

Lydia reaches her arm up to rub circles against his back, feeling his sigh beneath her hand.

"The others, I miss them everyday. But for years it was just me and Laura against the world. I don't know what I'm supposed to do if she's alive somehow."

"You keep fighting," a voice chimes in, and it's familiar, too familiar. Derek spins around to see his older sister standing there, a sad smile on her face as she plays with the pendant hanging from her neck.

"Laura? Wha- how?" Derek is frozen in place, mouth hanging open as he stumbles over his words trying to speak properly.

"I'm sorry, Derek, I'm so sorry." She rushes forward to pull him into a hug before taking a step back, holding him at arm's length. "You've grown in just these past few months, Der. Look at you." She has tears in her eyes and laughs a little.

Derek still hasn't spoken, but Laura doesn't seem to mind.

"I haven't been back too long, I promise. I just needed to get my bearing before I came back into your life, especially considering how mine ended."

"How did you come back?" Stiles cuts in, curiosity getting the better of him. Laura turns to look at him but someone else answers first.

"Peter," Lydia says. "It happened when I brought back Peter, didn't it?" Her voice is small, shaking slightly as she recalls those traumatic months, only part of which she actually remembers.

"You're the smart one, aren't you?" Laura answers. "I still don't really know how, and Deaton hasn't been able to fully explain it either. But yes, when you resurrected him, it ended up like a package deal. Whether it was some karmic twist of fate or just Hale blood keeping us bound together, I'm back. And apparently being hunted despite only the people in this room knowing I'm alive." She scoffs at this last bit, turning her attention back to Derek.

"I'm back, baby brother. What do you say we figure this out together?"

#*fics #derek hale #laura hale #i'll just tag them since they're the focus #LHAW21

[hockeylvr59]

Honest Love || Cale Makar

Requested: [ ] yes [x] no

Authors Note: And we’re off...What better way to celebrate this man’s birthday than with the first chapter of the sequel??? We’re backtracking a little bit to cover the gap I purposely created so this picks up right after part 24 of Secret Love. We’re going to see a little more of Cale’s POV here in the sequel (***** will be your signal of a switch in viewpoints) and I hope you enjoy that additional insight into this relationship that I am head over heels in love with. Quick shoutout to @nazdaddy​ for the necklace jewelry concept...it didn’t get used before but I didn’t forget about it. I think that’s all I’ve got...let me know what you think. 

Gif Credit: @samgirard​

Warnings: cursing

Word Count: 3,385

~~~~~~~~~~~

It was shortly after noon when you pulled into the parking lot of the Avs practice facility. You were tired but beyond relieved to have finally reached Denver after a combined sixteen hours in the car over the past two days. Climbing out of the car you stretched, grateful that you had less than half an hour driving left in you after your little detour.

Walking down the hallways of the practice rink, you smiled at the sound of skates on ice as they slowly grew louder. Having been given directions, it wasn’t long before you found yourself standing at the end of the hallway right beside the benches. For a few minutes, you watched the players perform an offensive drill, quickly spotting your boyfriend moving across the ice. 

Thankfully, it wasn’t long before he spotted you as well and after finishing the drill, he skated over, reaching into the bench area. Finding what he was looking for, he continued along, greeting you with a quick kiss as he dropped the item into your open hand. 

“Talk later.” He promised, stealing one more quick kiss before skating away to the sound of his teammates’ chirps. 

“Hey, Makar...if you wanted a kiss all you had to do was ask.” EJ ribbed, shoving Cale gently. 

“Yeah...pay attention.” Nate teased. “I know we’re not as pretty as your girl but…”

“Don’t tell me you dragged her down here just to help you settle in,” Gabe stated, leaning on his stick as he shook his head at the former rookie. 

“Fuck off.” Cale groaned peeking over at you. “I had to get her an apartment key okay. You know...so she can actually move in.” Even from across the rink you could see that his cheeks were flushed and his dimples were on full display as he spoke. His words caused whoops to spill from his teammates’ lips and after watching Cale jostle with them for a few minutes, you shook your head before finally heading back out to the car. 

By the time you pulled into the underground lot of Cale’s…your building, you were ready to go upstairs and just crawl into bed for a nap. Gathering up your purse, overnight bag, and one of the smaller boxes, you locked the car and headed upstairs, letting yourself inside the apartment you now shared with your boyfriend. 

As you turned to head into the main living area, your eyes immediately landed on the ‘welcome home’ banner hanging above the island. Beneath it, a beautiful bouquet of roses was placed next to a bottle of your favorite wine and a small box. Setting your things down, you pulled the small card out of the bouquet, your eyes taking in Cale’s scratchy writing. 

Welcome home beautiful. 

I love you and am so grateful you agreed to move in with me. 

Cale

Again...Cale was just too much and you hadn’t even opened the small box yet. Gingerly picking it up, you cracked the lid open and your eyes went wide. Inside was a teardrop-shaped pendant with a practically flawless opal surrounded by tiny diamonds. This was way way too much but you knew Cale would refuse to take it back. He’d insist that you were doing so much for him that you deserved to be spoiled a little. And it didn’t pass your notice that he’d picked an opal...his birthstone. 

Popping the bottle of wine in the fridge, you gathered up the necklace along with your overnight bag and the box and made your way through to the bedroom. There you found post-its attached to all of the drawers Cale had emptied for you, including one of the two bedside tables. Even though he’d only been in town for a day and a half longer, he’d already gone to great lengths to ensure that you were able to transition into the space as easily as possible. 

Unpacking the few items you’d already brought up, you settled onto the couch for a few minutes just needing to take a breath. This was big...and it would take some time before this place felt like your own. Dozing off, you jolted awake at the sound of the apartment door hitting the doorstop. 

“Hey sweetheart, I dragged Josty with me to come help unload boxes and Calvy tagged along...where are your car keys?” When Cale finally appeared in front of you he clearly noticed your groggy state and immediately the volume of his voice dropped. “Sorry...I woke you didn’t I?” 

“Guess I dozed off.” You admitted, blinking a few times and yawning as you pushed yourself to your feet. “Keys are on the island.” You declared, pointing in their general direction. 

“Hi.” Cale grinned, kissing you again before pulling away to snatch the keys. “Don’t worry about lifting a finger, we’ve got the rest.” He insisted. 

A few minutes later, the three men were dropping boxes off in the living room while you stood looking out the window, taking in your new surroundings. 

“Thanks, guys,” You declared, looking back over your shoulder. 

“No worries.” Tyson insisted. “I live in the building anyway so it’s not really out of my way at all.” 

“And I wanted to meet the woman Cale can’t shut up about.” Matt declared, offering his hand out to shake. “Courtney and I would love to have you and Cale over for dinner sometime next week, I know she’s looking forward to meeting you as well.” 

“That would be great.” You agreed. You knew how close Cale had become with the Calvert’s during those first two playoff series and as much as they were looking forward to meeting you, you were looking forward to meeting them. 

“Well, we’ll let you get settled in, Cale explained that you’ve spent most of the last two days in the car, so I’m sure you just want to get unpacked and spend some time with him. We’ll see you at the team cookout tomorrow.” Matt declared and your eyes went wide at the end of his statement. As you looked over at Cale, Matt tugged Tyson out of the apartment, an unintelligible mumble falling from the younger man’s mouth as they went. 

“Yeah...uh...didn’t get the chance to mention that yet.” Cale declared rubbing his hand along the back of his neck. “Mel and Gabe are having everyone over tomorrow. Mandatory start of the season thing.” 

“We’re diving straight into things aren’t we?” You whispered to yourself, taking a deep breath. 

“I’m sorry.” Cale murmured. “You don’t have to go if you aren’t feeling up to it, I know everyone would understand.” 

“Cale it’s fine.” You insisted. “Just caught me a little off guard. It’ll be nice to meet everyone right away.” Cale eyed you skeptically before moving closer, his hands settling onto your hips. 

“If you're sure.” He breathed. “Now can we say a proper hello? I missed you, hopefully the drive wasn’t too bad.” 

“It was okay.” You shrugged. “Long.” Trailing your hands up to the back of his neck, you pulled him into a kiss that lingered, your body relaxing immediately under his touch. “How about we let these boxes sit for now and you come take a nap with me?” You suggested, a soft shriek spilling forth as Cale scooped you up and carried you into the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him. 

“A nap it is.” He agreed, laying you down before toeing off his shoes and sliding under the covers beside you. The moment his warm hand slid along your bare hip, you felt your eyes fall shut, sleep taking over quickly. The bed may be different, but sleeping beside Cale...that was home. 

________

Having spent most of the previous night in bed with Cale, you didn’t have the opportunity to touch the boxes until the following morning. Unpacking led to stressing over what to wear to this cookout and before you knew it Cale was tossing a t-shirt and shorts at you insisting that anything you wore would be perfect. 

The driveway at the Landeskog residence was empty when Cale pulled in 45 minutes later and you looked over at him.

“How early are we?” You questioned, knowing smirk on your lips. 

“Fifteen...maybe twenty minutes.” Cale replied, sheepishly. Flicking his shoulder, you climbed out of the car. 

“My punctual boyfriend.” You declared, following after Cale as he headed up the front path, knocking on the door. It only took a minute for Gabe to answer and when he did he immediately seemed relieved by your early arrival. 

“Great timing...I need help with…” You had barely stepped foot in the house before Gabe was pulling Cale away, his voice falling off. Assuming, probably correctly, that you weren’t getting your boyfriend back any time soon, you continued through the house finding Mel in the kitchen. 

“So Cale doesn’t know how to not be early, and Gabe already stole him so is there anything I can help with?” You questioned, your hands tucked into your pockets as you waited to draw Mel’s attention. 

“Oh my god!” Mel declared, immediately stopping what she was doing. “First...I am so happy you’re here. When Gabe said Cale had asked you to move to Denver I was over the moon.” Rinsing and drying her hands, Mel immediately came to wrap you in a quick hug. “Second...would you mind watching Linnea...she’s starting to get a little restless I think.” 

You’d somehow completely missed the playpen in the corner with Linnea in it, the infant attempting to pull herself to her feet as she whined for attention. 

“Of course.” You agreed. “Not a problem at all.” Seeing Zoey laying on the floor with a ball beside her, you moved closer to the playpen. “Hey Linnea...why don’t we go outside and throw a ball for Zoey.” Your tone softened as you talked to the baby girl, but not to the extent that it would be considered ‘baby talk’. 

With Linnea smiling her mostly toothless grin up at you, you lifted her out of the playpen and onto your hip. 

“C’mon Zoey. Let’s go outside.” You declared, smiling back at Mel as she mouthed a grateful ‘thank you’. After sliding through the backdoor, you headed down the porch steps and into the grass, settling yourself down on the ground, Linnea between your thighs. As you helped Linnea throw the ball for Zoey, it was easy to lose yourself in the sound of Zoey’s playful prance and Linnea’s sweet giggle.

*****

Cale grunted softly as he adjusted the cooler in his arms to open the back gate of his captain’s yard. Of course Gabe didn’t do this the easy way...no he had to fill the coolers with ice and drinks before moving them into the backyard. There was definitely a lapse in common sense there. 

As the gate swung open, Cale froze in place, his eyes taking in the sight across the yard. He was jolted forward when Gabe bumped into him from behind but not even that could pull his eyes away. 

“Dude...what the hell?” Gabe mumbled. “Oh…” 

Cale could feel the heat flooding his cheeks as his heart started racing like he’d just skated a dozen laps. Just when he thought Y/N couldn’t possibly become more attractive to him she went and proved him wrong. Because there she was, dressed in the clothes he had picked with the necklace and bracelet he’d given her resting against her skin. Her hands were wrapped around his captain’s daughter’s hips as Linnea giggled loudly, bouncing up and down on her chubby little legs. The way she held the baby, the way she spoke softly to Linnea, the way Linnea reacted to her presence...it made Cale’s throat go dry and stole the breath from his lungs. 

It had been four months since they’d talked about kids, four months since he’d really thought about having kids. Cale knew that it was absolutely something he wanted someday and that she was the only person he wanted to have kids with. But now...now ‘someday’ seemed too far away. Now...for the first time he didn’t have to imagine what Y/N would be like as a mom and a part of him was screaming loudly that that was what he wanted...no needed. Now he knew without question that as soon as he put a ring on her finger he was going to also try and put a baby in her belly. His baby. Their baby. 

“If you’re going to stand there staring at her...maybe at least move so you aren’t blocking the gate.” Gabe’s chuckle snapped Cale from his daze and his cheeks flushed further as he moved just a step forward, his eyes landing back on his girlfriend as she cradled Linnea against her shoulder, her hand rubbing up and down the baby’s back. 

“Should we tell Joe to prep the ELCs for those mini Makars you’re gonna have her popping out soon?” Gabe teased, knowing look on his face. Suddenly, the weight of the cooler and the way his muscles were straining registered again and Cale moved to set it down near the porch steps. When he didn’t react to Gabe’s statement, the captain’s face turned serious. “Wait seriously...you’re actually thinking about it.” Gabe murmured softly. 

“Thinking about what?” EJ’s booming voice asked as he and Nate came in through the back gate. 

“Calesy here is thinking about knocking his girlfriend up.” Gabe replied, looking over his shoulder to where Y/N had disappeared with Linnea just a moment before. Sounds of disbelief fell from his teammates’ mouths and Cale rubbed at the back of his neck shrugging. 

“It’s not like we haven’t talked about it before.” He admitted. 

“You’re what...four months in and you’ve talked about kids?” Nate prompted. 

“We talked about them the day we got together. It’s not like we were strangers guys.” Cale defended, shoving his hands in his pockets. “So yeah I’m thinking about it. She’s spent most of her life waiting for me...I don’t want to make her wait too long. Maybe we’ll start trying come end of the season.” 

“Well look at you growing up.” Gabe declared. “She’s the one isn’t she? You’re way more confident than when we last saw you.” 

“She’s absolutely the one.” Cale agreed. “Now what else did you need help with?” No one fought him as Cale changed the subject and headed back toward the garage, making a mental note to get better at masking his expressions when it came to his feelings for Y/N. 

*****

You’d laid Linnea down for a nap after she’d fallen asleep on you outside and then had been promptly pulled into a house tour by Mel since you hadn’t seen it before. By the time you made your way back outside with a glass of wine in hand, you found Cale sitting at the table on the patio, a beer in hand as he listened to the guys share stories of their summers. 

Sliding your palm down along his chest, you leaned down to press a kiss to his cheek. 

“Linnea wants you to know you have good taste in jewelry.” You whispered softly, smiling as his head tilted up to look at you, his eyebrows raised. “She liked the way the sun reflected off of my necklace. She fiddled with it until she zonked out.” Cale’s hum of approval and recognition was soft as he scooted back, seamlessly pulling you down onto his lap. 

There you stayed, Cale’s chin on your shoulder as more and more of Cale’s teammates and their families arrived. As soon as the Calverts arrived, Cale was immediately summoned by Kasey to play and you watched as your boyfriend chased after the four-year-old. This was the first time you had seen him with kids in quite awhile and it only reaffirmed how great of a dad he would be when he decided he was ready to take that step. 

Having finished your glass of wine, you moved to take it inside so that it didn’t get broken. As you reached the kitchen, you saw Mel and one of the other women fawning over something on a cell phone. 

“Oh, Y/N, perfect timing.” Mel declared. “There’s something I think you should see.” 

You took the phone from her, pressing play on a video. Mel must have snuck outside earlier without you noticing because you watched as Zoey trotted over with a ball before racing off again as Linnea tossed it for her. Hearing yourself praise Linnea for her strong throw was slightly odd but as the camera followed Zoey as she chased the ball your eyes fell to the background. Cale was standing there with a cooler in his hands and even with the focus slightly blurred you could see that his cheeks were flushed and the expression on his face was one that was unfamiliar to you. 

Handing the phone back, your mind raced, trying to figure out what Cale had been thinking. There were bits and pieces of emotions you recognized: love, awe, joy; but all together it added up to something unreadable. 

“Should we uh...be expecting any more big changes in Cale’s off-ice life soon?” The other woman questioned, an almost knowing look on her face. Your brain finally placed her as Matt’s wife Courtney but it wasn’t quite fast enough to pick up on what she could possibly be referring to. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about?” You deflected. 

“You mean it doesn’t look like he wants to get you pregnant as soon as possible?” Mel chimed in. “Because that’s all I see. Cale saw you with my baby and he gets that look on his face...he wants to make you a mom, no doubt in my mind.” Swallowing hard, you moved to finally set your glass in the sink. 

“He’s not ready for kids yet. We’ve talked about it.” You explained. “We’re just focused on us right now. We’ve only been together for a few months.” Thankfully, one of the guys walked into the kitchen allowing you to slip back outside. You’d planned on grabbing a water but after that conversation you definitely needed something a little bit stronger. Flopping down on the steps with a wine cooler in hand, you watched as Cale played spike ball with Tyson, Nate, and Burky. Immediately your conversation back in May came to mind and you thought about how Cale had said he didn’t think he’d be so scared about having a baby if the situation was right. That didn’t mean he wanted kids in the short-term or that he was even ready to start thinking about it. But then again...you hadn’t been able to place the look on his face which was abnormal so maybe there was a grain of truth to Mel and Courtney’s presumptions. 

“You look puzzled...everything okay?” Cale’s smooth voice pulled you out of the rabbit hole you’d found yourself in and you looked up at him amazed at how one look settled all of the uneasiness inside you. Cale would let you know whether he wanted kids when he was ready, there was no need to dwell or worry about it now. Kissing him gently, you nodded, letting him pull you up onto your feet. 

“Everything is good.” You assured him. “Just needed a minute.” With Cale’s hand rubbing against your lower back you let him convince you to go get your asses kicked by Sam Girard and his girlfriend at cornhole. It was fun, especially when you made Sam throw backward because he was just too good otherwise. 

By the time you finished your best of three series, the food was ready and you made up a plate, settling in beside Cale on the steps as you ate. After dinner the two of you bowed out because your eyes had started to droop from fatigue. Though the guys chirped him, Cale kept his focus on you until you had slipped into the passenger seat of the car. 

Adjusting to life in Denver was going to take some time for sure. But you were confident it would be worth it because Cale was definitely worth it. 

Welcome Home Gifts:

Cookout Outfit:

#cale makar #cale makar imagine #colorado avalanche #colorado avalanche imagine #nhl imagine #nhl imagines #hockey imagines #hockey imagine #cavalanche #039

[nothing-but-dreamy]

STUBBORN pt. 4

Pairing: ADAM JENSEN x GENDER NEUTRAL!READER

Words: 1.109

Warnings: none

The next morning, you were singing and dancing through your kitchen while you cleaned your apartment. The pop music had the right tune to cheer your mood for this unpleasant task. You were about to get your vacuum cleaner as suddenly a huge fireball appeared across the city with a loud bang that even your windows were shaking. You stopped in your tracks and looked shocked at the fire and smoke which erupted from one of the highest buildings in Detroit: Sarif Industries.

"Adam...", you whispered, shocked. Your hand covered your mouth while you started to shiver as the fear crept into your mind that he might be in this building at that very moment like he was used to. Pictures of a bleeding Adam, somewhere in the huge building, were flashing in your mind which scared you a lot.

This was worse than the three months where you had no idea where he had been. Now, you knew that Adam had to be in this building. He had called you earlier just to hear your voice like he had said. It was a stressful day with several meetings and the only thing Adam wanted was to get the work done and to meet with you. Now, you knew, these plans were cancelled.

The sudden sound of your phone ringing made you scream in surprise. With your eyes still glued at the pillar of smoke rising to the sky, you hurried to grab your phone.

"YN!"

You weren’t able to classify the voice properly at first because of all the noise in the background, "Yeah. Who's there?", you asked seriously, closing your other ear to hear better.

"It's me, Adam."

"Adam!", you awoke from your shock, "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Yeah, I am fine.", he said but you heard someone screaming in the background. In the far distance, there was another explosion.

"Are you still there, at Sarif Industries?", you asked concerned.

"Yes, I am. Please, YN, listen. Someone will come to your apartment in a few minutes and I want you to follow her. Her name is Malik. You can trust her. She will take you to a VTOL helicopter which will bring you to me.", Adam instructed factually.

"But... Adam-"

"Please, you have to trust me. We have to move quickly. Be ready.", Adam said and ended the call before you could say anything. But you had heard the clear urgency in his voice and the seriousness, so you knew you just had to trust him. You took your purse and got the Glock from its hide. At this moment, the announced knock echoed through the room. You stood there and waited warily unsure if you should open the door blindly no matter what Adam had said.

Then the second knock, more urgent, "YN? It's me, Malik. Jensen sent me to get you."

You opened the door to find a young woman with short, brown hair and dark eyes dressed in a pilot uniform in front of you. She smiled quickly but got serious again, "Come, we don't have much time.", Malik said and guided you through the hallway up to the rooftop where the helicopter was waiting.

You hopped inside and a few seconds later, they were already in the air. Through the window, you watched the city rushing by beneath you like a river. There were lights and cars and after a few more minutes, the air got thick with black smoke. You saw debris everywhere. And fire. You could just imagine how many people were injured or maybe even had died down there. Tears were building in your eyes by the sight of all the chaos on the ground. You wiped them away. The last thing you wanted was that Adam would be worried about you.

****

Malik landed the VTOL helicopter on a rooftop next to the destroyed Sarif Industries building. As the door opened, you saw Adam already waiting on the rim of the heliport. You jumped out to meet him. Protectively, he placed his arm around your shoulders to guide you to a darker corner where you would have more privacy.

Malik followed you, too but kept some distance, "What's the plan, Jensen?", Malik asked to get new instructions. Then, you noticed the dirt and dust in Adam’s hair and on his coat. Small scratches were on his neck and you asked yourself where he had been as the explosion had happened.

"Sarif is still somewhere in this building. I have to find him.", Adam answered.

"You want to go back inside? This building is a mess. It is too dangerous.", you said concerned and looked at the smoking ruin which was Sarif Industries.

Adam looked with a loving glance at you. He cupped your face with a gloved hand and looked into your eyes while his thumb drew small circles over your skin to sooth you, "That is my job. I have to do this. But I promise, nothing will happen to me. Here," Adam said and laid a pair of keys in the palm of your hand and closed your fingers around them.

You recognised the key tag as the one you had bought for him several weeks ago. It was a small pendant with a picture of Kubrick, "Your keys?"

"Yes. Malik will bring you to my apartment. You’re safe there. Nothing can happen to you. Wait for me. I will come to you when everything's over.", Adam said determined but softly. He could see that you were about to object. He looked you straight in the eyes while his fingers were carefully tangling with your hair, "Please, do as I say. Believe me. I just want to know you’re safe."

"O-okay.", you said with a nod.

"Just go with Malik. I will follow as soon as I can.", he said softly.

"Alright.", you said because there was no way for any kind of objection.

Adam smiled fondly and kissed you sweetly before he stepped back. He nodded towards Malik who responded with a nod as well. You walked back to the helicopter but not without turning around several times to look at Adam, worried that it could be the last time.

Malik entered the pilot seat but before the doors were closing, Adam jogged over to the heli once again. You leant out of the door for another strong kiss.

"I love you, sweetheart.", he whispered meaningfully and just like that, Adam stepped back and gave the sign to start the engine. With big eyes and tears in them, you watched how Adam became slowly smaller while he kept eye contact with you as long as possible.

#adam jensen #adam jensen x reader #deus ex fanfiction #deus ex mankind divided #deus ex human revolution #deus ex #female reader #male reader #gender neutral reader

[lyranova]

Children of the Future:

Chapter 12: Miku

Hi guys! So this is the ‘self indulgent’ one i’ve mentioned quite a bit haha 😅! It has my OC in it and also mentions @thoughtfullyrainynightmare and @simpingforthisonedeer ‘s OC’s as well! Also this isn’t canon for ‘Fractured’ haha 😅. Anyway I hope you all enjoy 🥰!

Edit: Here’s chapter 12 of COTF, i wasn’t originally going to add this to the series but I changed my mind because there’s a certain key plot point I needed the character for so ta-da! Anyway I hope you all enjoy~! Btw you don’t have to read “Fractured” to understand since this still isn’t canon to that series!

Taglist: @succulentsunrise @eme-eleff @thoughtfullyrainynightmare @simpingforthisonedeer @bowandcurtsey @jovialnoise @crazyclownthanos @melissa-novachrono

Word Count: 2,341

Warnings: None

——

Neva yawned a bit as she stretched, she and Yuno were currently patrolling the Capital as Captian Vangeance ordered them too. He said there were some strange happenings going on concerning children and the Wizard King ordered all Magic Knights that were stationed at the Capital to be on the lookout for any children who appeared to be lost or confused. But she had to admit, she was bored. She was glad for a small break the first couple of days, but it was nearly a week now! Yuno appeared to be content, but she could tell, he was slightly restless as well.

“ Tired?” He asked after she had finished yawning, Neva shook her head and sighed a bit.

“ No, just bored with all of this patrolling.” She admitted with a shrug. “ I mean, no one knows where these kids are coming from and how they can even remotely be from the future, for all we know they could be spies or something.” She muttered. Yuno frowned in thought.

“ I don’t think so, from what the Captain told us they all seem to truly be their children. Remember the Wizard Kings assistant Marx can see their memories so I’m sure they went through them to verify their identities.” Yuno explained, Neva nodded thoughtfully.

“ True. But if someone was determined enough, couldn’t they have implanted these children with false memories?” Neva suggested, her distrust of others showing slightly. She had been trying recently to trust the people in her squad more, and even a few people outside her squad. But with all these children suddenly showing up it was suspicious, she knew there had to be a reason why, but it was that exact thing that made her nervous about this whole thing.

“ It’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility, but someone would have to be really determined and have something big in mind if they were to go to those lengths. It also doesn’t explain their resemblance.” Yuno pointed out, he had a good point, from what she had heard from Solara, Leonidas, Solara and Fuegoleons son that had come from the future as well, looked like a mixture of her and Fuegoleon. Which also helped their case of being from the future.

“ Ugh this is just so strange and confusing.” Neva said in an aggravated tone, Yuno laughed softly.

“ It is. But it can’t be helped.” He shrugged before he suddenly stopped walking. “ Hey Neva, look over there, doesn’t that kid seem lost?” He pointed to a small girl amongst a large crowd, she looked completely out of place.

The girl was wearing a dark black and purple dress that completely clashed with the warm earthy tones of the people that surrounded her. Her pale skin and dark hair also made her stick out like a sore thumb, plus her confused and slightly scared face seemed to prove what both Yuno and Neva were thinking.

She was another child from the future.

Yuno and Neva both made their way through the crowd slowly, they didn’t want to frighten the girl more than what she already was. She hadn’t seemed to notice their presence yet, Neva had a feeling all of this was probably overwhelming the poor girl. When they came closer she noticed the girl couldn’t be more than 12 at the oldest. Suddenly the girl turned and stared straight at them, her face paled even more.

“ Crap.” Neva muttered just as the girl started running. “ Hey wait!” She yelled before taking off after the girl, Yuno quickly used his wind magic and lifted himself up into the air.

“ I’ll try and cut her off!” He shouted and Neva nodded, she would try and chase the girl into a corner if she could get through this crowd!

The girl was small and fast, she was able to worm her way through the sea of people with ease, Neva had a much harder time. She was trying to push and shove her way through, not caring if she made a noble or two mad, she had to get to the child before she lost them! The girl quickly made it out the other side and took off running faster than ever.

Neva growled when she finally made her way out of the crowd and quickly gave chase, sure the girl was fast, but Neva was faster. She had caught up to the girl before she watched her turn a corner into an alleyway, when Neva rounded the corner she smirked; it was a dead end.

“ Hey, what’d you run for?” Neva huffed slightly out of breath, she felt a gust of wind next to her and watched Yuno land softly beside her. “ Why didn’t you cut her off when she came out of the crowd?!”

“ You said you were bored, so I gave you something to do.” He smirked slightly, and she frowned. Seriously? He was messing with her now?! Of all times! Usually he took these things very seriously, but when she thought about it, he was watching them the entire time so if the girl did seem to be trying to get away he could’ve easily swooped in and caught her.

“ You’re unbelievable.” Neva muttered, mimicking Yuno’s monotone voice. He chuckled a bit before turning to look at the young girl, she was so frightened, his face slowly softened as he walked up to the girl.

“ It’s ok, we’re not going to hurt you.” He spoke softly so as to not spook her.

“ Get away!” The girl shouted, a huge gust of wind shot out of her hand and was headed straight for Yuno, but luckily Neva was fast and had conjured up a Diamond Wall to block the attack. The girl looked surprised for a moment.

“ Calm down, just breathe, all we want to do is talk ok?” Neva said as her diamond wall disappeared, the girl frowned in distrust before suddenly clasping something tightly in her hand, from what she could see it appeared to be a pendant hanging off a chain around her neck.

“ Please go away!” The girl shouted again, Yuno stepped forward and crouched down to the girls level.

“ I’m sorry, but we can’t do that. Are you lost?” He asked softly, his features softening even more. Neva felt her heart skip a beat, this was one of the rare times she had seen him actually show this side of himself, all the previous times had been when he interacted with children as well, or with Asta. It was a kinder more gentle side, and it always made Neva blush and her heart skip a beat.

“ Y-Yeah.” the girl admitted softly after a moment, a small blush creeping onto her cheeks from embarrassment. Neva crouched down as well.

“ It’s ok, a lot of people get lost sometimes. I know I certainly have,” she laughed a bit. “ where are your parents? Do you remember when you last saw them?” Neva asked trying to figure out if she was just a lost child or if she was one of the children they were supposed to be looking out for.

The girl’s eyes suddenly widened and she looked between Yuno and Neva, a look of sudden recognition flashing across her face, which confused the two Golden Dawn members greatly. She held the pendant in her hands tightly.

“ I...I don’t remember.” She muttered softly, Neva tilted her head, the girl was a pretty good liar considering her age, but not as good as Neva. The girl remembered the last time she saw her parents, she just didn’t want to say.

“ Ok, we’ll help you find your parents. But first,” Yuno said suddenly, he could tell she was lying too, but he wasn’t going to comment on it for now. “ You need to come with us, there’s some questions that you’ll need to answer.” Yuno added before holding out his hand towards her. The girl frowned at it.

“ It’s ok, you can trust us.” Neva assured her kindly, the girl bit her bottom lip in thought for a moment before gently taking Yuno’s hand. He conjured up a small vessel of wind to carry himself and the girl before turning and holding out a hand towards Neva. “ Heh No thanks I think I’ll walk.” Neva added with a nervous laugh.

“ Neva, it’ll be faster this way. Just take my hand.” Yuno insisted seriously, he knew she hated flying, especially when he was using a wind vessel. Mostly because she didn’t have anything underneath her to keep her from falling, she had to put all her trust in him for the duration of the flight. Neva sighed before begrudgingly taking his hand, he lifted the three into the air and took them straight towards the Wizard King.

——

Julius looked up as Marx walked in suddenly, he had three people behind him and Julius quickly stood.

“ Sir, two Golden Dawn members may have spotted another child from the future.” Marx announced.

“ He does know we’re standing right here doesn’t he?” Neva muttered to Yuno who shrugged in response, the girl stood between them quietly.

“ Really? That's good to hear. Thank you Marx,” Julius said with a warm smile on his face. He rounded the desk and came to stand in front of the three newcomers. “ May I ask you two to leave for a moment? We just want to verify her memories and see if she is one of the children.” Julius asked kindly, both Yuno and Neva saluted and nodded shortly.

“ Yes sir.” They said in unison before turning and walking out of the office, the girl watched them walk out.

“ We’ll be right outside ok?” Neva told her before closing the door behind her. She and Yuno leaned on the wall next to the door and waited.

“ Who’s child do you think she is?” Neva asked suddenly after a couple of minutes of silence, Yuno tilted his head thoughtfully for a moment.

“ Hm, maybe she’s Aika’s and the Wizard Kings daughter? She looks a lot like them.” Yuno pointed out, Neva nodded in slight agreement. The dark hair, the purple eyes, she did resemble the two quite a bit.

“ It’s possible. But highly unlikely.” Neva said, causing Yuno to frown a bit before fully turning towards her. “ When she attacked us, she used wind magic and if I remember correctly neither one has wind magic as their affinity.” Neva pointed out.

“ True, unless one of them has a wind mage in their family, like a parent or grandparent or even great-grandparent with that affinity.” Yuno argued, Neva placed a hand under her chin and bit her bottom lip in thought.

Yuno’s eyes widened as he watched her, that look, the mannerism, they were almost identical to the young girls! Except she had darker hair than Neva, and had a different affinity. Wait..dark hair...wind magic...? Yuno suddenly paled considerably at the realization. ‘Oh gods...she’s-.’ He was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts when he heard the Wizard King call them back in. He opened the door, letting Neva walk in first, before closing it behind himself as he followed her.

“ Welcome back. Now we were able to verify her memories and she is, in fact, from the future.” Julius confirmed with a nod. “ Now, I’m going to let her explain the rest, it’ll be easier that way.” He admitted with a soft laugh. The girl’s pale cheeks suddenly turned pink and she looked away. Yuno swallowed the lump in his throat, he was anxious to learn if his theory was correct.

“ My name’s Miku Grinberryall, I…” the girl paused for a moment before her small hands slipped from the pendant she had been holding and rested at her sides. “ I’m the daughter of Yuno and Neva Grinberryall.” She announced before looking the two in the eye. Both Golden Dawn members let out a small gasp when the pendant was revealed; it was Yuno’s talisman, the same one he was currently wearing at the moment,

Yuno turned and watched as Neva paled considerably, he had thought she would have figured it out sooner than she had, but she could have easily been like him and in denial about it. But now that it was confirmed that the girl, Miku, was in fact their daughter it seemed to hit her like a ton of bricks.

Neva’s mind had gone blank at the news, how was she supposed to react? Was she supposed to be excited that she would possibly have a kid with the person she was currently crushing on? Or was she supposed to be angry that she had let her guard down that much? She was feeling so many different things that she couldn’t think clearly, she would need time to process this, and from what she could tell so would Yuno.

“ I’ll be alerting William about all of this and I’ll tell him to come here so I can explain it to him personally.” Julius told them, they nodded automatically neither one really hearing what he had said. Miku walked over and sat down in a chair, her head down and hands clasped in her lap, she appeared to actually be a shy and timid girl. It reminded the two of each other in a small way. Yuno watched the girl kick her feet slightly as she was sitting down, Neva would do the same thing sometimes, and Neva noticed how she played with the talisman in her hands as she was currently lost in thought, Yuno would do the same sometimes. When she looked over at Yuno her eyes widened; he was already staring at her as well. Neva gave him a small smile, which he returned, both thinking the same thing but neither one saying it out loud.

There were far worse people they could have had a child with.

——-

Ah I’m sorry if this isn’t very good, but I hope you all enjoyed! Thanks for reading and I hope you all have a good day~!

#black clover fanfiction #oc neva #oc; miku #black clover oc #oc x cc

[heartsofbeskar]

from the ashes

chapter 10

din djarin x fem!oc

WARNINGS: brief mention of sexual activities, graphic descriptions of injury/blood

WORDS: 5.4K

EXCERPT: The corridor, dark just a few feet ahead of them, felt like the mouth of some monster, and with each step Ten took it got closer to swallowing her whole.

Lights followed their movement, creating a bubble of illumination permanently around them. The skirt of her dress trailed gently behind her in the absence of wind, her legs occasionally breaking through the carefully placed slits. Her skin was crawling.

A/N: phew this was a bit of a beast of a chapter both in length (i think my longest chapter for this fic??) and in structure, as i was playing around with timeline inspired by bae @asta-lily (srsly check her out) — hope yall like it!!

masterlist | series masterlist

prev | next

The cold water beat down against her bare skin, goosebumps raising across the surface. Ten sighed, leaning back against the metal wall, running her hands through her hair, pulling it.

She stood directly under the stream of water, tilting back so it washed over her face, shutting her eyes. The ghost of Mando’s fingers lingered on her skin, in her— everywhere. His voice, the words he’d said to her, the noises he’d made, echoed in her head.

I want to see you come, Ten.

Maker, she liked how her name sounded from his mouth.

Pushing forward, she braced her hands on the wall in front of her, watching the droplets race down her arms, over the scars, over her tattoo. Despite the temperature of the water, warmth began to spread from her palms, energy concentrating there.

Ten hold a palm out, facing towards the ceiling. Water dripped from her fingers, but as it began to fall on its expected trajectory, towards the floor, it curved abnormally. Slowly, drop by drop, a pool of water formed in her outstretched palm. She breathed out harshly, willing it to collect together, but she could tell she was losing her grasp on it.

The feel of cold beskar under her fingertips. A rough and modulated voice close by her ear. Heavy limbs on hers, holding her to the floor, hands moving to—

The water moved together fluidly, quickly, forming a perfect sphere, hovering just an inch above her hand. It spun slowly there, the water circulating inside the shape. The refresher light refracted through it, creating patterns on the metal walls.

“Shit.”

When she finally emerged from the refresher, Mando was gone, any evidence of their encounter on the floor of the ship effectively removed. Though Ten was sure that area would burn her feet if she walked over it.

The door to the ship’s sole cabin and sleeping space slid open with a gentle hiss, lights in the small room powering up automatically in response to her movement.

She stilled when she saw the large Mandalorian occupying the cot. He was propped against the wall, halfway to laying down, arms crossed over his chest. His vambraces sat on the floor next to him, but otherwise he hadn’t removed any armour. His chest rose gently and steadily.

He was asleep, she realized with a start.

Slowly, she padded over, feet silent as she came to stand beside the cot. She knelt down, pressing onto the thin mattress with one hand, testing. When he didn’t make any indications of waking, Ten eased the rest of her body onto the mattress as well.

Her muscles cried with relief as she sunk as far as she could into the flimsy material — still, it was better than the hammocks she was used to. Turning her back to Mando, she folded her hands under her head, closing her eyes.

A moment later, she felt a rustling beside her. Looking over, Mando was stirring, uncrossing his arms with a low groan. When he made to swing a leg off of the cot, Ten grabbed his thigh, lightly. The contact sent jolts down her arm.

“I can—” he started to protest, but she cut him off.

“Just shut up and go back to sleep.”

His body sagged back against the wall, arms going back across his chest. Ten turned away from him again. The low tone of his voice cut the silence one more time.

“I’m not going to cuddle you.”

“Good.”

—

There was a short rush of air as the doors to the elevator closed, blue lights embedded in the floor illuminating the space from below.

Ten eyed the human men in front of her warily, their backs facing her, suits crisp and clean, their hairlines perfectly manicured on their necks. They began the smooth descent down, beneath the surface.

“Fiddle with the necklace if you can hear me.”

Mando’s voice was intimately nestled in her ear, the piece of metal small enough to be tucked into the cavity. Casually, she brought her hand up, fingering the matching metallic pendant that hung low, between the exposed valley of her breasts. A fashion statement, to anyone looking.

“Good. You should be there soon. I’ve still got your position on the scanner.”

She wouldn’t admit it, but a relief filtered through her body hearing it.

The elevator slowed, the lights dimming as they approached their stop. With a soft hiss, the doors opened. A long corridor laid beyond.

“Good luck, Ten.”

—

Coruscant rapidly filled the viewport, a myriad of lights and movement spread across the planet. The sight of so many people set Ten’s teeth on edge. It had been years since she’d been here, for good reason.

The man beside her sat deadly still, as he usually did, and only the clenching of his hand where it sat atop his thigh gave away any indication of how he felt.

The tension that had saturated the air of the ship for the majority of the journey seemed to reach its crescendo as Ten brought the ship in to land on the planet, in the same docking station Tosche had used months prior.

Largely they’d avoided each other for the remainder of the flight from Nevarro, no easy feat on a ship that small. A brush of shoulders passing through the cockpit doors, a barely there touch when one of them laid in the shared cot for a rest. It felt like a string being pulled impossibly taut, each of them silently daring the other to speak about what had happened between them.

As it turned out, they were both stubborn as banthas.

It wasn’t until Mando was on the verge of lowering the ramp that Ten snapped the string.

—

The corridor, dark just a few feet ahead of them, felt like the mouth of some monster, and with each step Ten took it got closer to swallowing her whole.

Lights followed their movement, creating a bubble of illumination permanently around them. The skirt of her dress trailed gently behind her in the absence of wind, her legs occasionally breaking through the carefully placed slits. Her skin was crawling.

“As I’m sure you can see, we take the utmost care to provide top security here,” one of the men boasted. Ten pictured how satisfying it would be to break his nose.

Instead, she said, “Did you build this place or find it?”

As the man prattled on about specifics of construction, Ten flexed her forearm, cupping her hand into her sleeve. The sound of the chip hitting the floor was drowned out by his voice.

Moments later, Mando’s voice. “It’s working. I’ve got the readings coming in. Looks like you’re in a tunnel about a hundred feet long connecting to the entrance.”

She couldn’t reply without lifting the necklace to her mouth, very effectively fucking them over, but she noted his words, drawing her own mental map of where she was headed.

“Now, for what you’re really here for,” the man who had been babbling on sent her what was no doubt supposed to be a flirty smirk. Nose definitely wouldn’t be enough, she had to imagine breaking the jaw too. He knelt over slightly, presenting his eye to a small scanner set into the wall at the end of the corridor.

Smoothly, they slid open.

—

Her hand grasped tightly onto his wrist. He turned to look at her, and Ten faltered for a moment under the weight of his gaze. She swallowed, shaking her head.

“I just need to make sure you’re not going to treat me any differently on this job. I can handle myself, Mandalorian.”

He peered down at her, still saying nothing. Maker, she wished he would say something — anything. The air felt like it had to be forced out of her lungs, like he had stolen it from her somehow, without even touching her skin.

Finally, he spoke. “And why would I treat you differently?”

Ten scoffed. “Don’t act dense, I know you’re smarter than that. You’re not the first person I’ve worked with that I’ve gotten … involved with at some point. Don’t make it complicated.”

“Oh, is that what you’re calling it? Getting involved?” He took a half step closer, broad frame filling her vision. She didn’t miss the teasing edge of his voice. “Any of those people you got involved with make you come like that on the floor of your ship?”

Heat flushed up her body, lighting up all her nerves along the way. Ten beat it down, doing her best to keep her face impassive. She wasn’t sure if it worked. Fucking Mandalorians with their fucking helmets to keep their fucking faces covered.

“You’re going to need to do a lot more than that to stand out,” she shot back, finally dropping his wrist from her hold. She reached around him, all but slamming the key code to lower the ramp. “Just … no protective bullshit, okay?”

—

Despite her somewhat … prickly exterior, Ten had found herself chasing beautiful things in all the spare moments that had allowed for it. Perhaps the seeds for it had been planted all those years ago on Yaim, where the sunlight filtered through the trees like stained glass, where the wildflowers bloomed twice a year with colours that seemed to get brighter with each passing day, where the air itself seemed to whisper sweet nothings into your ear. Wherever the origin, Ten found herself exploring the desolate moons and planets of the Outer Rim, always searching, hoping, of finding a peace she couldn’t even describe.

So when the doors opened on one of the most beautiful rooms Ten had ever seen, her breath caught in her throat.

The ceiling was draped in soft fabrics, gathering at the centre, and billowing across the expanse above them. Where they met the walls there was ornate crown moulding, periodically broken up with elaborate white statues of a variety of fearsome appearing creatures, all crouching in some form of attacking stance. Continuing down, the walls were covered with rich patterns embossed in shining gold, standing out starkly against the black walls. The floor stretched ahead of them, gleaming black marble with veins of white spindling in all directions.

“This way, gorgeous,” the taller man said, and Ten had to fight down the most violent of her instincts when he placed his hand just above the small of her back to guide her inside. He seemed to have a small shred of sense, as he stopped just short of actually touching her.

Her heels — ridiculous and too tight and impractical, but more practical footwear would have blown the cover — clicked against the floor as they entered. Eyes turned towards the new entrants and Ten’s skin prickled uncomfortably at the attention. Men dressed in ash grey uniforms scanned their eyes up and down her body, and she knew what they saw, how exposed she was.

It felt like a Bantha was standing on her lungs, expelling all the air. She couldn’t breathe.

“Hey,” came the rough voice in her ear. “I’m here. You aren’t alone in there, I’m here.”

It was a lie of course, he wasn’t there. At least not yet — he was still on the surface, trying to map out another point of access to the underground hub. But she leaned into the lie all the same, air slowly filtering back through her body.

I’m here. I’m here. I’m here.

—

The stench of the lower streets of Coruscant entered Din’s nose even through the protection of the helmet. Dirt and grease and urine from multiple species. He couldn’t fathom how Ten was able to stand it.

She walked beside him now, eyes roving over their surroundings, catching the movements of every figure that shifted around them. He noticed her lightsaber was now attached to her hip, sitting next to her blaster.

His mind wandered again to their … involvement, as she had adorably called it. If he was honest with himself, Din had been riding the high of having her beneath them, at his mercy on his fingers, for the remainder of the ride to Coruscant. And like any addict, he knew — he needed more.

But that was a problem for later, he reasoned.

The bar was tucked into a nearly indistinguishable alleyway, covered partially by someone’s laundry hanging above, and framed by a littering of empty crates someone had discarded over the area. He gestured to Ten with a jerk of his head, walking ahead of her through the narrow space.

A narrow brick alley gave way to a small, dark room. If Din hadn’t already known it was a bar, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to guess. The smells of the street were replaced with the thick scent of smoke inside, and several customers lounged out over the minimal seating, taking long drags on exotic looking pipes.

“The Mandalorian,” came a deep and ragged voice. A human man sat nearby at what served for the bar — a worn expanse of wood that looked too thin, with a poor stock of bottles on a shelf behind it. Din couldn’t see a bartender, but the man had a drink grasped in his hand all the same. He brushed his hair from where it hung in front of his eyes, and Din was surprised it didn’t drip with the amount of grease it seemed to have. “To what do I owe the favour?”

“A favour is exactly what I’m here to cash in on, actually, Sio.” Din stood in front of him, crossing his arms over his chest, letting his figure fill the immediate space. Ten came to stand beside the bar, lightly fingering its grimy surface. “You owe me one, if I’m not mistaken.”

Sio coughed, low and long. He looked significantly more agitated now. “Ah yes … I do recall that, vaguely. But first why don’t you introduce me to your little friend, huh? She looks like she needs someone who can really show her a good time, eh …” The man rose from his stool now, leering in closer to Ten. Din tensed, one hand going to his blaster and the other clenching into a fist. Ten appeared — at least on the surface — to be impassive, but he saw the flash of annoyance in her eyes.

He took another long drag of the pipe. “They don’t make ‘em like you ‘round these parts, that’s for sure…”

And then, like an absolute fucking idiot, Din saw his hand reach out towards Ten’s waist. Faster than he could react, she was bringing her hand up to the back of his head, and slamming him down face first into the wooden surface.

Blood ran from Sio’s nose, and he spit it out as it covered his mouth. “Well, she’s got a bit of bite there.”

Ten wiped her hand off on her pants. “Now you owe us two favours.”

—

She dropped another tracking chip in front of the ornately carved bar. A stark contrast to the tiny room they’d met Sio in, this bar spanned the entirety of one of the room’s walls, with a pristine surface inlaid with carved designs. Behind it there was an impressive stock of liquors from all over the galaxy, served by a contingent of bartending droids. One of them slid smoothly over to where she stood.

“Hello, may I offer you a drink?” Ten pondered it, fingers tracing over one of the bar’s patterns.

“No, thank you,” she politely declined. She turned back to face the room, elbows resting behind her. A man with a pinched face and white hair slowly approached, with a sneer she wanted desperately to slap off.

“You are a vision, my dear.” He held his hand out expectantly, and Ten swallowed thickly before placing hers on top of it. He brought it up to his lips, kissing her skin. She felt bile rise in her throat. “I haven’t seen you here before — allow me to introduce myself. Moff Ardellian.”

Ten forced a smile, hoping any discomfort in it would be written off as nerves. “Sola,” she lied smoothly. “I’m new to this part of the city.”

Moff Ardellian stepped closer to her, and Ten felt her muscles tense in response. She wasn’t sure if he noticed. His eyes roved greedily over her face. “Sola … that’s quite the scar you’ve got there. Such a shame to see such ugliness on such a pretty face.”

You should take that up with Moff Quell, who I’m sure you know intimately well. “I was a dancer for a time. An unfortunate gift from an … unhappy client.”

“You poor girl,” he tutted at her. “Well, I can assure you we don’t treat our beautiful ladies like that here. You’ll be safe whenever you’re in attendance. And … some girls make alternative arrangements to guarantee safety and comfort long term, as well.” When she didn’t make any move to respond to his vile insinuations, the Moff sent her a wink, starting to turn away again. “I’ll leave you to ponder that for the time being. Enjoy your night, Sola.”

Ten took a deep breath as the man walked away, clenching a fist at her side. She motioned to the bar droid again. “I changed my mind. Give me the strongest drink you can make.”

—

“This is stupid.”

Din bit back a laugh he knew would not be appreciated at the pure petulance currently on Ten’s face. And he could hardly blame her; the long and delicate drapes of fabric against her skin looked alien, so unusual to what Din had become used to her. But it would be a lie to say he didn’t appreciate it.

“This is a cover.”

She rolled her eyes, but she knew he was right.

The woman who had been crouched at the hem of the dress rose, retrieving a nearby jar filled with some kind of balm, by the look of it. She dipped her fingers into it, applying a generous amount onto the bare expanse of Ten’s chest, causing her to flinch.

“This is a scar salve,” she said in an accented voice. Din couldn’t make out the region. “It should temporarily remove the smaller scars across your chest, here. Won’t be enough for the face, unfortunately. You know, I know some great dermal regenerists in the city, if you’re interested.”

“I’m not,” was Ten’s clipped response. The woman cocked a skeptical eyebrow, returning the lid to the container.

“You’re almost all set. I’ll go get the details of the fake chain code.”

Then they were alone. Din eyes went up and down Ten’s body, and he was thankful for the cover of the helmet. The front of the dress dipped low, exposing the valley between her breasts, the skin there now smooth and pristine. Everywhere else, the black fabric clung to her, down her arms, over her hips, flowing gently around her legs. The room was uncomfortably warm.

Din walked closer to her, until he was just standing just behind her. One step closer and her back would be pressed into his armour. Their eyes met in the speckled mirror. He brought his arm around, showing her the long chain he held.

“This will provide an audio and visual feed, directly into my helmet. I’ve already wired it in.” He opened the chain, looping it around her neck, smoothly moving her hair back until it sat flush on her skin. “Should just look like a nice piece of jewelry. And this—” he pushed the hair off one of her ears, holding it back with a light hold as he hooked something small into her ear. “—is an audio receiving piece, so you can hear me. Also wired into the helmet.”

His hand lingered on the back of her neck, and he slowly trailed it down her spine, and outwards, coming to rest on her hip.

“You know you don’t have to do this,” he said in a low voice. He squeezed his hand. “We can make another plan.”

Her eyes softened slightly. “You and I both know this is the best plan we could have. It’s fine.”

Din nodded. He didn’t want to remove his hand. “I stand by what I said. I won’t let the Empire — whatever’s left of it — take you.”

Ten covered his hand with her own.

—

Ten made her way slowly around the room, dropping more of the tracking chips, making the least amount of polite conversation she possibly could get away with.

Now, she came to a small bathroom. Down a short hallway away from the main room, it was metallic and practical. She eyed herself in the mirror, unnerved by the made up appearance. She couldn’t help but wonder what the Mandalorian had thought of it.

She brought the communication piece of the necklace to her mouth. “That’s the whole room. I’m alone in the washroom now. Anything?”

“No access from the surface that I can see yet.” Damn. “Looks like that hallway extends further left, possibly some offices. If you can slip away, it’d be good to drop one down there.”

“Slipping away would be my pleasure.” She dropped the necklace back down, letting it settle between her breasts again. Lifting some of the fabric of the skirt, she ran her hands over the knives strapped around her thigh reassuringly. Smoothing the dress down again, she eased the door open, making sure the hallway was empty.

Ten slipped those damn heels off before continuing down the hallway, the opposite direction of the party. As she dropped another chip down, she noted the names etched into the doorways. It seemed like Mando had been right, these were offices.

Continuing at a slow pace, she scanned the names with mild interest, wondering how disruptive it would be to their mission to go into one at random and smash everything she could find.

Near the end of the corridor, where it split into two more, Ten saw a name that made her heart seize in her chest.

Dr. R. Dracko.

Mando’s voice broke into her ear. “There’s an access tunnel a level below you, 300 meters away, that leads right to the surface. I think I found the other end. All goes well, I’ll join you in a moment.”

Ten nodded dumbly, before realizing she couldn’t see him. She rested her hand on the handle of the door — there was no keypad or scanned entry, since they obviously assumed it was safe down here. She pushed it open. Unlocked.

It was unassuming inside, a small desk nestled in the corner, a powered down holo display. The only other furniture in the room was a sleek cabinet against the opposite wall. Curiously, she pulled open a drawer; Maker, there were actually papers inside.

She rifled through them, the familiar but almost forgotten feel of them strange on her hands. There was a wealth of folders, each labelled with a tab in Basic. Almost every one was classified ‘Project Inactive.”

Pulling open more drawers, she dug until, finally — ‘Project Active.” Not even bothering to look at its contents, she extracted the weightly folder from the drawer, heart pounding with adrenaline.

The increased heart rate wasn’t ideal when she turned and a knife was sunk smoothly into her abdomen.

She gasped, and pain seared through her as the knife twisted — it was in the hand of a man now standing in front of her. Gritting her teeth, she forced her eyes up to his face. It was Dracko, his nostrils flaring, an air of superiority falling onto his face.

“Little bitch,” he spat at her. “I know who you are, probably better than you do. You thought you could just come here and—” He was cut off as Ten raised her hand, energy coursing through her as she slammed him against the wall of the small room. A trickle of blood appeared, moving down his temple.

She groaned loudly, any thoughts to listeners out of her mind, as she sank down the wall behind her. The dress around the knife felt heavy as it became soaked with blood, which left her fingers red when she touched it.

It lit a fire inside of her, and tears came unbidden to her eyes at the burn of it.

Bunching up the skirt of the dress, she ripped a long piece of fabric off the bottom hem, wincing at the strain of her abdominal muscles. Her hands were shaking as she wrapped the knife where it stuck out from her, securing the makeshift stabilizer around her back.

A sheen of sweat covered her skin as more blood oozed out around the wound. She tried to stand, but a white hot flash of agony erupted from her side. Her body slammed back against the wall, and she panted deliriously.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway outside — the door to the office was still open. She grasped her leg, bloody fingerprints appearing on the skin, as she pulled the knife from the strap around her thigh. Ten knew she was growing much too weak to pull on the Force. This was what she had. She braced a hand against the wall as the footsteps approached just outside the office.

She raised her arm opposite the stab wound, knowing one good throw was all she was likely to get.

A blaster appeared first, the barrel scanning the room, and then — that damned silver helmet. Ten felt a moment of relief flood through her, muscles growing heavy as the adrenaline waned. The knife seemed to get sharper where it was settled in her flesh.

“Shit,” she breathed out. Mando scanned the room, wordlessly taking the pulse of Dracko where he lay in a crumpled heap.

“Fuck, Ten.” He approached her now, hands floating around her side, not touching. She laughed, but it was raspy and uneven.

“I look that good, huh?”

He shot her a look, and though the helmet looked the same as it always did, she got the meaning. No. You look really fucking bad, so shut up.

—

Getting back to the ship was a blur. Ten recognized the vague shape of bodies littering the hallways Mando let her down, the distant ringing of an alarm, the cool air as he brought her up and out of the long access shaft. They were lucky the lower levels of Coruscant didn’t look twice at a Mandalorian hauling a woman with a stab wound through the streets.

Her hands gripped the edges of the worn crate Mando sat her on. She was gasping, trying desperately to draw air into her lungs, but each inhale felt as if it were bathing the surrounding muscles in acid, slowing eating away at her body.

Mando was back now — where had he gone? When had he gone? — and crouching in front of her, something metallic in his hands. He slowly unravelled the fabric Ten had put to stabilize the knife, and she cried out.

“I know, I know,” he said in a low voice. Perhaps … soothing? She couldn’t put the pieces together in her mind to make out the tone. “I know it hurts, but I need you to stay still for me, okay? Grab here, hold as tight as you need.”

He raised one of her hands up until they met with something soft and warm. She wiped furiously at the wetness in and around her eyes, until his blurry helmet came into view. Her hand was wrapped around the fabric of his upper arm, she realized, his shoulder pauldron discarded on the floor nearby.

There was a gentle ripping noise, and Ten felt cool air on her skin. Looking down at the source, she saw he’d cut away the dress around the knife, just below her breast. The flesh there was red and mangled, the edge of the knife serrated. Shit.

“Mando, it’s … fuck—” Her eyes were glued to the wound, watching the edges expand and contract as she took shallow breaths. She felt a gloved hand on her face, urging it up. It was covered in a wetness that was no doubt her own blood, now smeared across her cheek. Mando dragged her eyes to his helmet.

“Don’t look at that. Focus on me. Okay?”

She nodded weakly, her brow furrowed tightly. Her own distorted reflection started back at her from the beskar chrome, body writhing of its own accord.

“I’m going to pull it out now, okay? On three.” She nodded, tensing as she felt the movement of his hand wrapping around the hilt of the weapon. “One—”

She screamed out as he gave a harsh pull, the sound echoing around the ship. Her hand cramped as she gripped his shirt tightly, as if she was trying to will the pain to travel somewhere else, anywhere else. It blinded her, and she could hear Mando speaking but couldn’t make out the words as he pressed onto her side. Wetness flowed down her body, outlining her leg, blood pooling on the floor.

The room spun around her, and Mando’s voice finally drifted back to her ears.

“—need to cauterize the internal— doing so well, okay— talk to me, Ten.”

She shook, forcing words up and out of her throat. “What the f— shit — fuck do you want me to say?”

“Tell me about the Mandalorians you knew.”

Ten almost — almost — had to laugh. He wanted to know .... about Mandalorians. Of course he did. She screwed her eyes shut, trying to pull the memories through the dense fog of pain.

“There were … two of them. Refugees like w—we all were, from the Great Purge of … of Mandalore. Fuck!” Her muscles seized anew as she felt burning; a real burning as she realized Mando was cauterizing. She grit her teeth, moans of pain slipping out as she slammed her head back against the wall.

“Keep going.”

“F—fuck, okay.” She tried to take a deep breath, though it still felt much too shallow. “They were like … they were like you. With the helmets and shit. But they … shit … they were on that moon for a long time. We all were.” She twisted her hand harder into his shirt, and she could feel the muscles straining underneath as he worked. “They were — ah — they were kind. Silya used to … used to tell me stories about Mandalore when I … when I couldn’t sleep. And Tinian … taught me how to throw a punch and not— not break my knuckles.”

Mando laughed at that. His hand came to grip her elbow, so tightly it almost hurt. The fire raging under skin was beginning to douse into a duller burn, embers of an inferno that glowed with a constant heat. “You’re doing so well, Ten. I’m almost done.”

Ten nodded, letting out a long breath. Her breaths felt more attainable now, more air drawn into her starving lungs.

“What happened to them? Silya and Tinian?” Mando was grabbing wrappings now, his hands gliding over the blazing skin of her torso, temporarily suppressing the fires they encountered.

“They’re dead.”

He didn’t ask anymore. Ten released her hand from where it was embedded in his shirt, the muscles aching as she flexed her fingers. She wiped a generous covering of sweat from her forehead. She dared a glance down again, thanking the Maker the area was now covered in a bandage, the skin around it shiny with bacta salve. Her breath came in pants.

Mando’s hands came back to her face, framing it. “You did well, Ten. You’re okay.” He pressed the forehead of his helm against the skin of hers, seemingly not caring about the blood and sweat that was likely to be deposited there. “I should get you a towel—”

“No,” Ten gasped, grabbing him by the elbows. “Just … stay. Please.”

“Okay,” he whispered.

For a moment they stayed there, Ten’s breath fogging against the front of his helmet. She closed her eyes, hands curling upwards around Mando’s biceps.

“I would cuddle you now, if you wanted.”

“Go fuck yourself, Mandalorian.”

—

A/N: what did i tell ya??? a beAST! thanks again for all those who read it, this is my baby and im excited its been gearing up for these stubborn mf'ers

taglist: @djarrex @pedrostories

#the mandalorian fanfic #the mandalorian fanfiction #the mandalorian x oc #the mandalorian x original character #the mandalorian #din djarin x oc #din djarin x original character #din djarin #star wars

[myheroacademiashorts]

Post graduation reader x Baku ~celebrating~ their new apartment together in a v nsfw fashion maybe?

OMG IM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO GET OUT??? This is also my first NSFW prompt since… well, ever! So I hope you enjoy, lovely!

Title: New Beginnings

Prompt: After years of hard work, you and your boyfriend Katsuki have finally graduated from U.A. and are moving into your first apartment together.

Pairing: Bakugou x Reader

Rating: Fluff, NSFW, 18+

Words: 3,556

——————————————————–

Finally, after three years of schooling and constant work, you’ve made it to the infamous graduation day.

You grinned at the camera aimed at you, arms slung around the waist of Ochako and Tsuyu, grins decorating your faces as a flash blinded you momentarily. Family and friends gathered all around the school’s yard, crying for their loved ones and celebrating a new beginning. In the distance, you could see the familiar tuff of blonde hair, and you immediately pry yourself away from the arms of your friends. “I’ll be right back!” You called out, sprinting as well as you could in the short heels your mother had forced you in as you vaulted yourself at your boyfriend. You wrapped your arms around his torso, hearing him grunt slightly at your weight before turning around to look at you with furrowed brows and his usual scowl. After noticing your bright expression, however, he softened.

“Hey, idiot.” His voice rumbled, and you buried your face into his chest with a silly smile still glued to your ruby lips. You knew he was smiling, too; you could feel it. He had been waiting for this day, too. You finally released him, tilting your head up to meet his red gaze as he stared down at you. The ghost of a smile haunted his face. Glancing behind his shoulder, you could see the familiar frames of his parents. His mom was wildly taking pictures of the two of you as if it were her last day on Earth. “Look a little this way!” She screamed out. Bakugou glowered, but kept silent as he tightened his hold on your waist instead.

As the camera continued to flash, Bakugou kept his attention on you… He couldn’t wait to give you your graduation gift.

————————————————————

“Katsuki, when can I take this damned thing off?” You voice rang out as the two of you continued to walk, your boyfriend’s hand warm in your own as he led you along to an unknown destination. It had been after the celebration at U.A. that Bakugou had snagged you away, mentioning something about your “graduation gift”, despite the new necklace that rested against snuggly between your two collarbones. You had no idea where he had found the necklace - whether he bought it from a shop or online - but it was beautiful. The metal pendant had been shaped into a small explosion, with a ruby adorned in its center. It was a bit silly, you’d admit; you almost laughed when he presented it to you, cheeks blazing in a very un-Bakugou way as he kept his eyes anywhere but your face. Yet you loved it almost as much as you loved him, and told him so after pressing a deep kiss onto his lips.

Bakugou squeezed your hand as he continued to drag you forward. “Soon. Just stay patient, dummy.” He murmured, his deep voice soothing to your ears. He was sweating, but you couldn’t tell if it was because of his quirk or if the famous hothead was, dare you assume, nervous.

Finally, he halted and you accidentally ran into his back with a grunt. You heard him chuckle slightly, before his hold on you tightened. Yup, he was definitely nervous. And if he was nervous, then you were too. “Katsuki?” Your voice held an unspoken question, and you felt him grab your other hand as he faced you. He was hesitating, and he took a gulp of breath before speaking. “Are you ready?” He asked. His voice was a breathy whisper as he dragged his lips closer to your ear, and you shivered slightly.

“As ready as I’ll ever be, blind and God-knows-where.”

He didn’t laugh this time, instead of resuming to hold only one of your hands as he took a few more steps, these ascending upwards before coming to a stop once more. He dropped your hand, and you heard him curse as he jingled a pair of keys into a door. Your curiosity spiked more than your nervousness. You kept silent as he worked, and heard his gruff sound of triumph as a door opened. “Ready?” He repeated his earlier question, leading you once more into a place that slightly silenced the bustle of traffic outside. He didn’t give you a chance to answer, though, instead dropping your hand and disappearing behind you to untie your blindfold.

The first thing you noticed was the bright contrast of light. By the time you two had escaped from the school grounds, the sun had just been setting. You stood in an open hallway, plush carpet under your feet as you stared at the walls around you with wide eyes. Silent, you turned to Bakugou, whose eyes were as soft as the smile that graced his plush lips. You knew what this was, and didn’t even need to ask. Your heart was soaring. “Can I…?” You didn’t finish your question, yet the slight nod of his head was enough to send you flying, slipping off your shoes clumsily before darting further into the apartment. It was already furnished, complete with a wooden table that reminded you of home in America to a snug kitchen with gleaming countertops. Past the living room and small television was a pair of sliding door, with a small balcony that overlooked the popular city ahead. All of the doors were ajar, and on your left was a small sitting room. You twirled in the room for a moment, a bright grin on your lips as you turned back. Bakugou was still standing beside the front door, hands tucked in his pockets as he watched you.

You darted back towards him, ducking through the last few rooms to discover a bathroom and a closet before you tackle the man into a hug, almost forcing him back a step. Your laughter filled the air as you clung to him. “Is this a dream? Tell me it’s not.” Your voice was excited, and Bakugou’s rough hands found themselves on your hips as he pushed you back a few inches. He had a nervous look in his ruby eyes as he drank in your joyous expression. “I know it’s a bit small, and it might not have everything you’d ever want, and -” He was abruptly cut off by your lips, each hand placed on both of his cheeks. The kiss was short, yet effective as you released him. Your (E/C) gaze was impeccably bright, and somehow the smile on your lips grew even larger.

“I love it. It’s really ours? You’re not pranking me?” He answered by dangling a single apartment’s key in front of your face. “This one is yours.” His voice was still as gruff as ever, and with a gasp you swiped the piece of metal from his hands and stared down at it in awe. An apartment. Your’s and Bakugou’s apartment. You felt light on your feet, dazed as you stared down at the single, silver key.

“This one is our bedroom.” Bakugou motioned one hand to the door you had failed to see earlier, off to the right with its door still closed tightly. He stepped forward, hand on the doorknob and easily pushing it open. It was not tiny, per say, but the room was quaint; especially with the large four-poster bed pushed up against the wall. Across the foot of the bed was a bookcase, filled to the brim with your numerous copies of novels, as well as Bakugou’s as well. Some of the books were neither of yours, instead brand new with unbroken spines faced out in greeting. A smaller gift added to the big one. There was a desk beside the door, clean and made of dark wood with a chair pushed into it. Only one picture was in the room, and it sat on the said desk with a picture of you and Bakugou in its frame, with you smiling widely at the camera while Bakugou stared at you.

To say you loved it would’ve been an understatement.

“Katsuki…” You turned around from the room, eyes welling in unshed tears as you stared at your gruff boyfriend with thousands of emotions rushing through your veins. You were so happy, you didn’t know how to express it. Bakugou laughed gruffly, instead wrapping his arms over your body and bringing you to his chest. He inhaled your sent as he held you. “Happy Graduation, babe.”

You sat in his embrace for a few moments before pulling away, reaching up to instead cup his cheeks and bring his awaiting lips to your own. The kiss started off slow and sweet, just as you meant it to be… But even you knew your boyfriend was anything but. 

He immediately gained control, hand reaching up to grab the back of your neck as he tilted your head upwards. His tongue delved into your mouth, dancing with your own. You moaned against him, earning an animalistic growl as he used his foot to kick the bedroom door shut and moving to the bed. You two had been sexually active for sure - dating a hot head like Bakugou warranted that - but it was different. Before, you had to sneak around in the dorms to one another’s rooms, or into the locker rooms after everyone else had left. But this was your own apartment; you two had your own space, not needing to ninja-sneak from Point A to Point B any longer. That also meant you could be as, well… loud as you wanted to be.

Bakugou pushed you down, your back landing against the soft sheets of the bed. You enjoyed the feeling of the new mattress for only a moment before Bakugou stole your attention once more, hands roaming up your jean-clad thighs before latching onto your waist. “You look fucking beautiful.” He muttered. His eyes were half-open as he stared down at you, then he was back in place as he ravaged your lips, teeth clanging against each other. Your lips would be bruised by the end of it, but you didn’t care. Instead, you looped your hands around his neck and forced him closer. Your back arched off of the bed and you pressed your breasts to Bakugou’s chest, eliciting a low moan from the said man. Already, his hard manhood could be felt against your knee, sending a rush of warmth to pool at the base of your stomach.

He yanked himself away from your embrace, grasping the bottom of his t-shirt and pulling it over his head, showing off the taunt muscles and abs that he’s worked hard for. A blonde happy trail disappeared under the waistband of his pants, and you wanted more than anything to push Bakugou into your position on the bed and trace the trail with your tongue. Your cheeks reddened at the thought.

His hands found the button of your pants seconds later. He fumbled with it for a moment, cursing under his breath before it finally popped open, and then your pants were joining his shirt on the ground. You pushed yourself up to meet Bakugou’s lips, both of your hands tangling in his messy hair. His skin was hot against yours, and you yanked on his locks appreciatively as his own grip went to your hips. His pants were still on, so you released him and instead trailed your hands down from his head to his chest, and finally let them linger at his belt. He grunted impatiently.

“Don’t tease me.” The familiar gravel of his voice was already having you soaking in your underwear, yet you didn’t hesitate as you yanked off Bakugou’s belt and pulled his pants down, his boxers effectively going with them. His cock sprung up instantly. You had seen it dozens, if not hundreds of times at this point, and the sight made you speechless every time. You didn’t even need to nudge him to have Bakugou lying in your previous spot, and you hovering over him with lidded eyes and a mischievous grin. At the tip, a drop of precum had collected, and you dip your head down to slowly and teasingly run your tongue up the underside of his dick before swirling it where he wanted it most.

He moaned loudly, one hand reaching up to grip at your hair while the other fisted the sheets. His head was thrown back, teeth sunk into his bottom lip. He looked heavenly, and you repeated the motion just to hear him once more. He glared down at you from a moment, but there was no venom in the gaze. “C’mon, babe, don’t te- oh, fuck.” You had effectively cut him off by taking him all in your mouth, his pubes tickling your nose as you gazed up at him innocently. And then you started moving, head bobbing up and down as you inched your tongue around his length. The grip of his hand on your head tightened, no doubt wishing to have more control on your movements, but you weren’t going to let him. Not yet, at least. You pulled yourself up from him with a satisfying pop, smiling like an angel as his attention immediately snapped to you. His chest was heaving, even though you had only been down there for a few moments, making you inwardly cheer. And then, he was smiling, and a chill ran down your back.

“Alright, doll, my turn.” You yelped slightly as Bakugou suddenly moved, flipping you back onto the bed and kneeling over you. Your shirt was still on, and with a growl he practically tore it off from your body, followed with your bra before he brought his mouth down to your bare chest. He nipped and sucked everywhere he could reach, moving between your tits to your vulnerable neck and leaving a trail of splotched love bites for all to see. You whimpered slightly, rubbing your thighs together. “Touch me. Please.” You begged him, and that was all he needed before he yanked your thin panties down.

He was face-level with your pussy, dripping with need as he looked at you with a twinkle in his ruby eyes. “You’re soaking for me, huh?” He ran one finger through your folds, collecting the wetness that had gathered and lewdly sucking on the digit. “Who made you this wet, babe? Tell me, and maybe I’ll go down on you.” You trembled at the thought, and while you wanted to grab the blonde’s hair once more, you instead opted to clutch at the bed sheets.

“Y-you did, Katsuki…”

“Hm? I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard anything.”

What a fucker. “You did, Katsuki!”

“What was that? Who?”

You were growing impatient, and propped yourself up on one elbow to glare at him. “Kats- oohh, Katsuki!” His tongue delved into you, and you fell back into the bed with a gasp. He was eating you out like there was no tomorrow, nipping lightly at your bud every few moments and causing your legs to shake. His rough hands forced your thighs apart, gripping them to the point that you knew there’d be bruises by the next morning. And then there was his finger, which prodded your entrance for only a second before slowly inserting into you, causing you to whimper. He pumped his single digit in and out of you, rolling your clit with his tongue as his eyes remained trained on you. You could feel yourself building up to your first orgasm, and you moved your hands to his hair to yank his face closer to you. He responded, however, by pulling away completely.

“Suki!” You whined out his nickname at the feeling of emptiness as he retracted his finger from you. He was grinning, and lifted himself up to place a chaste kiss to your lips. They lingered for a moment, soft and sweet and so full of his love for you that it made you dizzy, before disappearing once more as Bakugou readjusted his position over you. He placed his hands on either side of your body, one reaching down to pump his length a few times as he looked at you. “I love you…” He murmured, rubbing the tip of his cock through your soaking folds as he prepared himself. “So much, that not even fucking words can explain.” And then he was pushing his length in, sucking in a breath as he felt your tight heat around his cock. Every time the two of you had sex, it always felt like the first time for him; he had told you that before, but you didn’t believe him. But it was true, and you were always so tight and warm for him. Usually he liked going rough, liked feeling you beg for him to move harder, faster. But tonight was special. He wanted to keep it that way.

He pushed into you slowly, your eyes fluttering at the feeling of being full as Bakugou bottomed out inside of you, air rushing through his clenched teeth. He dropped his forehead on yours, breathing heavily at the feeling of you all around him. Your hands linked around his neck as he sat unmoving inside of you, and you bit down on his shoulder, hoping to jar some movement out of him. And finally, he began to pull out halfway, before slamming back into you with the jolt of his hips.

You gasped at the familiar feeling, tightening your hold as you arched your back upwards, pressing your breasts into Bakugou’s chest as you moaned. “Again.” You sounded breathless, and without another thought Bakugou repeated the motion, keeping his pace slow and deliberate as he savored every second. Another moan escaped from your lips, louder than the last, and Bakugou’s hips stuttered at the sound. He began to finally move, still staying slow with his movements as he rutted into you, your breaths escaping at the same time. Then, his arms were around you and he pulled you upwards, resting you on his upper thighs as he still sat inside of you, the tips of your noses touching. And when he moved again, it was a whole new feeling; he was deep inside of you with every thrust, and one hand dropped down between your legs to lazily rub at the bundle of nerves there. You head immediately hung down as you panted, the familiar feeling building up at the pit of your stomach. Bakugou could tell as well, feeling you convulse around him, and he responded by pressing down more harshly on your clit, thrusting a bit faster and deeper into your heat.

“I-I’m so close, please don’t stop, Suki-”

“Cum for me, love. I want to feel you explode around my cock.”

It was his words that sent you over the edge. He’s said much dirtier things to you, for sure; yet the high emotions from before mixed with his sentence seemed to set you into a frenzy, and you did just as he asked, your nails digging into his biceps as you called out his name. He continued to pump into you through your orgasm, and one final, rough rut into you sent him spiraling as well, panting out your name like a prayer as he came undone beneath you.

For a good few moments, the two of you sat like that, holding one another with Bakugou pressing his face into the valley of your breasts and your hands running through his spiky hair. When he had gone completely soft inside of you, he lifted you up, lying you down and pressing a quick kiss to your forehead before disappearing out of the room. Less than a minute later, he was back with a damp towel, and he gently cleaned you up before settling beside you, pulling up the blanket from the foot of the bed and laying it over your bare bodies.

You faced each other in silence, both lying on your sides. Bakugou’s vermilion eyes bore into your (E/C) ones. You smiled at him, stretching your body out as you kept eye contact. “So…” You hummed, biting down on your lip to keep your grin at bay. “That was one hell of a celebration, huh?”

Bakugou snorted. “Way to ruin the moment, idiot.”

“Ruin? I like to think I’ve accentuated it.”

“Jesus fuck, I hate you.”

“You love me. You love me so much you got me an apartment!”

At that, Bakugou smiled. He grabbed your hand in his, holding it up to his lips and pressing a kiss to every one of its knuckles before letting it rest there. “Okay, you might be a little right, you little shit.” And then he was kissing the tips of your fingers, repeating the motion until you surged forward to kiss him yourself, letting you lips linger there. “I love you. I can’t wait to live with you, Katsuki.”

Bakugou’s grin was as sharp as a starving wolf’s as he stared at you, tongue darting out to swipe over his bottom lip seductively. His eyes trailed down from your face, hand moving from your own to rub up the side of your naked body once more. “I can give you a few great examples of living with me right now, babe.”

Oh, you were going to be in for a very long night. 

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