#i am free from the shackles of hair washing

[im-a-writer-sometimes]

Thank You, Doctor (Miguel O’Hara - Part 1/4)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Epilogue

Pairing: Miguel O’Hara x fem!reader

Word Count: 3k

Description: After being snagged from your own universe and put to work in the med bay in the midst of spider society, you catch the notice of one Miguel O’Hara.

Warnings: blood, probably language, ignoring the ATSV worldbuilding for the sake of my silly little plot

A/N: Are there plot holes? Yes. Do I care? Yes, so please don’t bring them up, I might cry. There’s an occasional Spanish interjection from Miguel, but I am not at all a fluent Spanish speaker, so feel free to correct me on anything if so inclined! Translations are at the end. Also, it includes a roundabout ode to my dearest love, Oscar Isaac. If you know, you know.

🕷

Not every anomaly was kept in a cage. Some, like yourself, had made use of your idle hands, hands that for one reason or another, could never again touch your own universe. It had taken some convincing, but after Lyla had heard enough of your requests from the neon red confines of your prison and carried them to whatever faceless spider person led this operation, you’d been let out. Your cage hadn’t disappeared per se, but it had widened a little. If your return to your own reality would cause its inevitable collapse—as you had repeatedly assured it would—then this was more than you could ask.

You made use of your figuratively-shackled hands in the med bay. You’d been a medical student when you’d been stolen from your universe, and you knew enough to patch up the wounds that came through your work station with ease most of the time—sometimes, after skimming a medical textbook and winging it. So far, no one had died on your watch, and you called that a success.

But your confidence, it seemed, may have been overinflated.

When a group of spiders rushed into the med bay with a large, tattered body strung between them, you felt profoundly out of your depth for the first time. But they couldn’t know that, lest you ended up caged once again.

“Put him on the bed,” you instructed. “Stomach down.” They heaved the body onto the bed, and you could make out the navy and red lines of a shredded suit, as well as a mess of brown hair, matted with blood you were hoping wasn’t his own. “Do you know exactly where he’s wounded?” you asked, running hands over the expanses of skin you could see, trying to make out where the various bloodstains were coming from.

“He was sliced along the back,” answered a breathless spider. “Stabbed twice in the abdomen as well.”

“Help me turn him on his side,” you said, to no one in particular, but there were suddenly several sets of hands helping you turn the man over. “You,” you continued, nodding to the spider standing across from you. “Grab a towel and keep pressure on the wounds on his abdomen.”

You conducted as thorough an examination as you could with your heart fluttering like a hummingbird in your throat, so many eyes trained on your shaking hands. The man had a few other shallow cuts and bruises, but as the spider had said—the biggest concerns were the slice along his back and the two stab wounds in his stomach.

Several of the spiders lingered as you worked, offering tools and towels and anything you needed to speed up the process. And then, in a half hour that felt like a handful of seconds, your work was done. If you had been asked to recount your actions movement for movement, you’d only be able to offer up a breathless blur of adrenaline and then the sudden empty stillness in the room after you'd managed to stabilize him. 

He was laid face up on a bed, covered by a blanket since you’d had to cut portions of his suit off of him. He couldn’t quite put a pin on his age, but he was handsome. You’d done your best to wash the blood out of his hair, and it fell in half-dry curls over his forehead. The angles of his face were severe, but they were soft, even kind somehow. At least in his sleep.

And then, to your great misfortune, he woke up.

At first it was a fluttering of eyelids, and you stood sharply from your chair, trying to look busy, as if you hadn’t just been sitting there staring at him. And then it was a few quiet groans as he tried to readjust himself. 

“Don’t sit up,” you said at the sight of him trying to push himself into a seated position. “You’ll rip out your stitches.”

He just blinked at you. “Who are you?”

“The person who saved your life,” you said, bristled by the gruff, mumbled annoyance in his tone.

He shook his head. “I have enhanced healing, I don’t need anyone to—” He was cut off by his own sharp gasp as he tried to haul himself off the bed. He went still and then avoided your eyes as he slowly lowered himself back down onto the mattress.

“You were saying?” you said, a smile curling your lips. You turned to the counter behind you, pulling a roll of gauze and medical tape from one of the cabinets. “You had a severe laceration on your back. You’re lucky it missed your spinal cord.” You turned towards him, gauze in hand, as you sat and scooted your stool towards the edge of your bed. “And that’s not even mentioning the two stab wounds.”

“What are you doing?” he asked, scooting away at your sudden closeness. 

“Your stab wounds were still bleeding when I finished, so the gauze likely needs changed,” you said. He lifted the blanket from his torso, peeling aside what was left of his suit to find two bandaged wounds, with—as you’d predicted—red-drenched gauze. He didn’t say anything else, but he didn’t protest as you reached out and began to peel back the tape. After a minute or so of quietly working, he finally spoke again.

“You’re human,” he said.

You smiled down at his abdomen, not pausing your work. “Are enhanced deduction skills part of the wide cache of spider abilities? Because you are remarkably observant.”

You could feel his eyes on your profile, but you didn’t turn to face him, not even when he quietly finished his thought. “You’re the anomaly.”

“I was under the impression there were more than one,” you said, pressing down the last stretch of tape and pulling the blankets back over him.

“You’re the anomaly I let out,” he clarified.

“Ah,” you said, standing and walking to the sink to wash your hands. “So you must be the big man in charge. The one who ordered me to be stolen from my bed.”

“There is much more—”

“I know,” you said, turning back towards him, hands braced behind you on the counter. “It has been explained to me plenty. My father was from another dimension and never should have jumped into mine and knocked up my mom, and I never should have been born.” He watched you as you spoke, scanning your face for any sort of malice, but you merely shrugged. “Wish I could have told my mom that’s why he flaked.”

“You’re not upset?” he asked.

“And who would I be upset at besides him? You?”

The man simply blinked at you, hand mindlessly reaching to brush his abdomen, the expanse of skin you’d just bandaged. The carefully stitched wounds answered the question of any lingering resentment towards your captors.

“It would be natural to hate—your circumstances,” he said eventually.

You turned back towards the counter, quietly putting away your supplies. “You should rest until the end of the week.”

“That’s not—”

“In bed for the next two days, and no missions until the stitches come out.”

“But I have en—”

“Enhanced healing. Believe me, I’ve heard it a thousand times,” you said, finally tuning to face him. “But like it or not, you’re still just as human as I am.”

“I’m only half as human as you are,” he said, and it was the clearest he’d spoken since he’d woken up. At the slight flash of fangs with the lift of his lips, you understood why.

🕷

The next morning, you found him fast asleep where you’d left him. It was more instinct than choice, your gut churning with curiosity, that led you to slowly reach out your hand and pull up the right side of his lip, confirming you hadn’t in fact been hallucinating. He had fangs. Before you could pull away, his hand shot up and caged your wrist before his face as his eyes waned open.

“I have to ask,” you started.

“No, I’m not a vampire,” he said, keeping your wrist in his grip, his voice deadpan, as if he’d answered this question a million times before.

“What are you then?” you asked, pulling your hand from his.

“Half spider.”

You lifted your eyebrows. “A spider bite made you half spider?” you asked, but he simply stared. You could tell by the low drop of his brow that he’d already told you more than he would have liked, so you simply turned away, prepping your space for whatever spiders might come through your station that day.

It turned out to be a slow day. Only two spiders came through, both needing minimal attention, and you sent them on their way about as quickly as they’d turned up. And the whole time, you felt a set of red, half-lidded eyes watching you. You would occasionally slip over to his bed to redress his wounds, answering negative to his questions of leaving. “Bed rest until the end of the day,” you said after the second spider had left. “And then I’ll fit you with some crutches and help you to your room.”

“I don’t need crutches.”

“What you don’t need is that attitude,” you said, lifting your eyes to his. “Or else I’ll send you home without a sucker.”

He tilted his head, entertaining your humor but never cracking a smile. “What’s your name?”

“Y/n. Y/l/n.”

He blinked at you as if he was familiar with the name, but all he said was, “Not Doctor Y/n Y/l/n?”

You clicked your tongue. “I was two years from being Dr. Y/l/n.”

He nodded down at his bandaged abdomen. “You seem like a doctor to me.”

“And you don’t seem half spider,” you said. “Appearances can be deceiving, Mister…”

“O’Hara. Miguel O’Hara.”

You nodded and turned back towards your station, beginning to slowly clean up for the day.

“I’m sorry,” he said, making you go still. “That you can’t be in your own universe.”

You turned back to look at him, offering a wry tilt of your lips. Not quite a smile. “That’s alright. I imagine you're similarly displaced for the sake of your noble mission. You just had the luxury of choice.”

“Would you have chosen to stay?” he asked, a sudden sharpness in his voice that made his fangs flash from behind his lips. “Knowing your universe was collapsing?”

“I didn’t say that,” you said, eyes narrowing at the sudden malice. You turned back towards your station, tucking supplies back into cabinets. “I guess I should thank you for letting me work in the med bay. I was losing my mind in that cell.”

“Don’t thank me for that,” he said. “Just makes me feel worse.”

You turned back towards him with a smile and a sucker held between your fingers. “Well, we wouldn’t want that.”

🕷

An hour or so later, when a spider with basic first aid training—a.k.a. the only kind of medic they’d had before you—came to relieve your shift, you helped Miguel out of bed and onto a set of crutches, carrying an armful of medical supplies behind him as he trudged to his room. If people stared at the sight of him limping, sucker in his mouth, they received a look from the man. You couldn’t see said look from behind him, but you could see the way it had people turning—occasionally running—away. 

Once you got to his room, he seemed annoyed at the way you slipped in behind him, but he said nothing as you laid out medical supplies on his nightstand. 

“You’ll want one of these in the morning and one with dinner for the pain,” you said, jingling the orange bottle you set down.

“Don’t need it,” he gruffed out.

“Alright, well then I imagine you don’t need help getting into bed,” you said, crossing your arms over your chest.

He leaned the crutches against the wall. “Now you’re catching on.”

You gestured to the bed beside you, stepping away so he had enough room to climb up onto it. It was slow, sliced up by the occasional grunt or half-swallowed gasp of pain, but he got up there, tugging the covers over himself.

“Bet you’re regretting that decision,” you said, and he only huffed. You took that moment of silence to look around the room. It was all black and gray angles, not a touch of personality anywhere. Not a picture frame or flower vase, no posters or art.

“You know, having some kind of general joy or cheer in your room might speed up your recovery,” you said, walking over to the window to peer out at the street below.

“Now you’re giving interior design advice?” he said, face half buried in the pillow. He was likely still groggy from the pain medicine you’d given him before.

“I’m just saying, maybe try getting a hobby or two,” you said, pulling the curtains on his window closed.

“My hobby is saving the multiverse,” he huffed out. You turned slowly from the window, eyebrows raised as you met his eyes.

“Was that—a joke?”

He huffed, turning over onto his side. “Good night.”

You started towards the door. “Oh, of course, you’re welcome, Mr. O’Hara. I was so happy to patch up your bloody wounds and gently tug you from the precipice of death. Saving such grateful spider people like yourself is truly my calling in life.”

You stopped before the door, hand lingering on the knob as you glanced back at his figure, curled away from you on the bed. He gruffed out something inaudible and you stepped closer.

“What was that?”

“Mujer implacable,¹” he cursed, before turning over just enough to meet your eyes. “Thank you, Doctor. Now get out of my room.”

You smiled and reached for the door. “Good night to you too, Miguel.”

🕷

It was midnight when Miguel woke up again. The dull buzz of the pain meds had worn off, and the sharp ache of his limbs pulled him sharply from sleep. And then, shortly after, the rumbling of his stomach had his feet hitting the floor.

He told himself he’d simply go to the cafeteria and grab something to eat, but it proved to be easier said than done. With a few curses muttered in Spanish, he sunk against the set of crutches you’d provided, letting out a breath at the sudden lack of pressure on his wounds.

When he made it to the cafeteria, he found it not empty, as he had been hoping. A singular figure was sitting in the corner of the room, the tray before her stacked neatly with various food. Of course. Of all the people to witness his shameful hobble into the cafeteria, it had to be you.

You glanced up as he entered, eyes going wide for a moment.

“You look like someone who didn’t take their pain meds,” you said, lips curling into a smile at the grunt he offered in response. You watched him fumbling with a vending machine around the awkward angle of his crutches and stood, crossing the room to come up beside him.

You didn’t wait for him to ask for help, you simply gestured before you, silently asking what he was trying to reach. He stared at you for a moment before nodding towards a pack of flamin’ hot cheetos. You fetched it for him with ease, before carrying it away from him.

“What are you doing?” he asked, watching as you sat back down at your seat and set his cheetos at the spot across from you. You didn’t respond, you simply watched him with raised brows, waiting. Eventually, he grunted out something in Spanish and joined you, grabbing a bottle of water on the way.

“What does mujer implacable mean?” you asked.

“What?”

“That’s what you called me.”

He ripped open his cheetos and sat back in his chair, watching you as he took the first bite. “Relentless woman.”

“Hm,” you said, smiling. He watched as you stood up and grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the counter, eyes narrowing as you sat back down and offered them to him.

“What are those for?”

“They keep you from getting cheeto dust on your fingers,” you said, smile growing as his eyes widened.

“Mujer brillante,²” he breathed, taking the chopsticks and ripping them open. Something adjacent to a pleased smile overtook his features as he sat back, chopsticks in hand. And then he seemed to remember who was talking to, and his smile flattened out.

“Why are you awake?” he asked.

“Oh, I was just crushed by the weight of endless, multiversal knowledge trying to fit within a mind only equipped to handle the existence of one, pondering the meaning of my birth without a clear place in a singular universe and a purpose only carved out by my own inability to accept my multiversal irrelevance.”

He blinked.

“Also, I’m an insomniac,” you said, and he shoveled another cheeto into his mouth. 

“I don’t think anomaly equals irrelevance,” he said, and he wasn’t quite sure if he believed it. You didn’t seem irrelevant though, and he was going off of that.

“Then what does it mean?” you asked, and there was no humor in your voice. No malice either. Just a sharp curiosity.

“It means that the universe is delicately balanced, and you, mujer implacable, are a wrecking ball.”

“So I’m relevant, just not in any of the good ways.”

He shook his head. “In your old life, maybe. But you can be whatever you like here. Relevant. Irrelevant. Whatever suits you.”

“I think I’d like a healthy middle,” you said.

“Midrelevant,” he said, almost smiling.

“Exactly.”

The conversation was sparse as you both ate, but something soft opened up before you within Miguel. You’d already seen him at his weakest, so he had no reason to hide from you. And as you helped him back to his room, he couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

🕷

Part 2

(1) “Relentless woman”

(2) “Brilliant woman”

#miguel o'hara #miguel o'hara x reader #miguel o'hara fanfiction #miguel o'hara fanfic #miguel o'hara imagine #miguel o'hara fic #spiderman 2099 #across the spiderverse #across the spider-verse #across the spiderverse fanfiction

[vera-deville]

Vera's Hauntober 2023

Day 11 - Nightmare (Malleus Draconia)

10/09/2023 - 10/11/2023

Pairing: Malleus Draconia x Reader

Word Count: 358

Warnings: Nightmares, vague spoilers for Book 7 (?)

Gender: GN

Taglist: @animusicnerd, @leonistic, @pyroxeene, @savanaclaw1996, @thequeenoffishburrito, @ellssbellss, @reshi-galaxy, @hanafubukki, @hitoshislover, @purplecandything, @it-happened-one-fic

With a dramatic heave, Malleus bolted upfront from his bed. It was a horrible dream. He had seen him, except, it didn't really feel like him. It felt like someone had uncomfortably possessed his body, leaving no room for his mind to break free from its shackles.

It couldn't have been him. That's not who he was. That's not who he wanted to be.

Though he had waken up from his nightmare, the immense suffocation he felt wouldn't go away. He tried reaching for the glass of water besides his bed stand, but accidentally dropped it, watching as the glass shattered into multiple pieces in slow motion.

He needed to get out of here.

Blindly, Malleus escaped the confines of his room, heading towards some reaction. He didn't know where he was going, he wasn't even aware of what he was doing. But the farther he got from his dorm, the less he felt the unbearable suffocation.

It was near the Ramshackle dorm that he finally felt some relief and could finally breathe normally again.

Wait, Ramshackle?

Y/N awoke to the feeling of being nudged gently. At first, they couldn't be bothered to wake up, assuming that it was Grim. But the figure kept nudging them, and they had no choice but to wake up.

Their eyes widened when they realized that it was Malleus.

He didn't look like his normal composed self. He looked like he'd run a marathon. He looked like he had been stranded on a desert with no water to quench his thirst.

Y/N immediately felt their sleep wash away and jumped forward from their bed. They circled their arms around Malleus, closing the distance between the two of them. Slowly, but surely, Malleus succumbed to their touch, allowing them to thread their fingers through his hair, not unlike a spider web.

There weren't much words needed. It was simply an individual comforting another. They didn't need context. They didn't need reasons. They just needed to be there for each other.

And so the two fell asleep, Malleus finally returning to his original mental state, and finding the comfort he so craved.

Author's Note: Sorry this fic was a little shorter (like drabble-level short) than usual I was too lazy. I was going to go a lot more in depth about the book 7 spoilers, but then I decided to just vaguely cover that for the readers who don't know enough about the spoilers yet. Besides, I wanted to focus more on the hurt/comfort (it's my first time writing for this genre).

Also, did you notice that I used my usual 3rd person point of view again? As much as I wanted to try the new 2nd pov style again, it was already new ground writing a hurt/comfort fic.

OH MY GOD I HAD SCHEDULED THE TIME WHEN I'D POST THIS BUT THEN GOT BUSY AND IT GOT POSTED WITHOUT ME EVER FINISHING IT-

I am not proud of this, but I still needed to get over it, so here we are. T-T

See you in the next fic!

Masterlist Hauntober 2023 Masterlist

#hauntober #vera's hauntober 2023 #twisted wonderland #twst wonderland #twst #malleus draconia #twst malleus #malleus #malleus draconia x reader #malleus x reader #nightmare #bad dreams #book 7 spoilers #hurt/comfort #angst #fluff #comfort #reader #y/n #you #vera deville #the marchioness #2023

[fanfic-collection]

Loki x Reader: Prisoner - 1

Some weird AU that I had in a dream and am attempting to write, I dunno, wish me luck

Dark themes, very au. I don't know. Let me know if this is worth sharing. I imagine it's got a slow start

-

Shackles kept your wrists together. You walked with your head held high. Internally you cursed the skimpy gown you had been forced to wear, forced into your new life.

Once a proud leader of your people, a leader of freedom and independence from the Asgardian onslaught…

A rod swatted against your shoulder and you stumbled, catching yourself. The shackles bound your magic and you could not fight back. Instead you shot a glare at the accusatory, the one who had hit you.

An Asgardian guard, faceless and impassive, stared down at you.

You opened your mouth to speak but another crack of the rod and you fell silent.

Looking away, you faced back in the direction you were walking.

Guards stood around, passively keeping guard as other prisoners of war were marched along.

You were the last in line.

-

Soon you were from the dungeons, your people before you all washed and stripped, redressed in Asgardian attire. Humiliated, you and your people were next forced to walk among the jeering crowds of Asgard.

It was not just the humiliation of a battle defeat, but this, to see the men, women, and children of Asgard, gathered to see your shame.

You walked with your head held high, refusing to be cowed.

Still, the crack of the rod hitting any who looked too haughty, too proud, echoed through the roaring crowds. You refused to stumble, but eventually you were forced, by number of strikes, to keep your head bowed.

After the long, grueling walk, you were lined up at the end on a large raised stage.

A general walked forward, stepping before each person and declaring their new duty in this new kingdom.

“Maid!” The general sneered, striking the rod when the prisoner dared to look up.

“Death.” Two guards broke free of the crowd and dragged the prisoner away.

Your people raised their voices, screaming and complaining, trying to keep the one sentenced from death safe. But in quick succession, the cries of anger and complaint were replaced with pain and followed swiftly by silence.

On down the line the general, perhaps head of the guard walked. “Death, servant, maid, worker, worker, death…” Each time he said death, you flinched. Still you held your head high.

When the general finally reached you, he looked down with murderous eyes. “You.” He placed the sharp end of his sword to your throat and forced you to look at him. “You will know the pleasure of knowing your captive’s name. I am High General Yorin, High General of the Asgardian guard.”

You narrowed your eyes down the long blade but remained silent.

“When a general greets you, you respond.”

“You expect me to bow with a sword to my throat?” You replied calmly.

The sword pulled back, striking down with the flat of it and knocking you to your knees. Any magic you had was hindered by these damned cuffs.

“Bow, wretch.”

You were on your knees, hands on the ground catching your fall. Irritably, you bowed your head. “Of course.”

“You will address me with respect.” Yorin spat.

“My liege?” You tried the title, hating how it burned in your mouth.

You knew instinctively Yorin was smiling.

He grabbed your hair and pulled you upright. Tears pricked at your eyes despite yourself, the pain of your hair proving too much for your smarting eyes.

“Would you like to know where your job will be?”

You fought the urge to say that he was probably going to tell you. “Where, my liege?”

“Leaders of your rebellion, and their families, are given preferential treatment.”

You didn’t like where this was going, but remained silent, eyes cast downward.

“You are called to service our generals. Who knows, maybe you’ll be lucky enough to service me.” Yorin let out a booming laugh, patting his lower abdomen.

You swallowed hard and kept your mouth shut.

Two guards surrounded you and guided you down one of the halls. Slowly the crowd would disperse and quiet would fall.

You walked with your head bowed, taking in the grandeur of Asgard. It was immaculately preserved, and as you walked along, you could see it was your people who kept it so. Maids and servants skittered from room to room, not daring to look at you as you were marched down the hall. Great golden pillars, gilded floors, opulent tapestries, all of it added to the blood that had been spilled creating this kingdom.

At long last, you reached a pair of large double doors.

King Thor had long since abdicated the throne, leaving your people to suffer. From his absence, a council had sprung up. The attempt of false kindness that had been left in Odin’s stead, no longer existed.

The doors creaked open, heavy on the ground and revealed a large circular table. Twelve chairs, with ten people.

Yorin strut in behind you and took one of the chairs. Other men of varying ages sat around the table, leering at you as you entered.

The guards pushed you forward, another stumble, before allowing you to catch yourself. They held their spears to your throat, ensuring no escape.

Yorin spoke up, he sat in the fanciest chair, larger than the others, like a throne. “Generals.” He began, voice booming. “It seems we are in arrival of a particularly, interesting specimen.” He paused searching for words. “She is the High Queen of a forgotten land.”

Your eyes widened.

Yorin sneered. “Your villages are decimated, your people enslaved, you are queen no more.”

You set your jaw and refused to move. Refused to show the pain of the blow that had been.

“So. Which of you would lay claim to a new servant?”

One of the older men scratched at his beard, frowning thoughtfully. “I could use a new one. My last one is growing… old.”

The man to his right laughed. “Surely you would like old by now, you are not so spry yourself.”

The one who had spoken first scowled at his companion, muttering under his breath.

A side door opened, almost unnoticed by anyone. Anyone save you.

A tall man with long black hair entered the chamber, almost invisibly, and silently sinking into the twelfth unoccupied chair. The man’s chair was simple carved wood with a green velvet cushion.

Something about him struck you as odd.

The twelfth man looked bored, annoyed that such a farce was being made.

Something in you stirred, knowing this man was far more interesting than any of the others. Perhaps there would be a chance for rebellion with him. Something about him was othered, not a man of the other eleven, he was… different.

“Do I get a say?” You asked, interrupting the bickering generals.

The twelfth man rested his elbow on the table and fist against his cheek. He smirked at your interruption, watching you closely with vivid green eyes.

You looked around at the gathered men. Many were struck by silence, unsure of what to say. Others seemed angry at your obstinance.

“You should send her to death.” One of them muttered.

“No, no, I want to hear who she picks.” The man with long black hair spoke. He had a deep, velvety voice. His voice did little to hide his boredom, and yet… He seemed intrigued by you. A sparkle of mischief in his eyes as he tilted his head curiously at what you were going to say.

The guards lowered their spears and pulled them back only just.

You fought back your rising fear, your uncertainty and looked the green eyed man directly on. “You.” You said simply, curious at his reaction.

There was a roar of upset, the other eleven protesting vehemently. Bickering rose through the air. All save, from the twelfth man.

The corner of your mouth quirked up. He was smirking. You almost could have smiled should the circumstances be different.

Yorin finally stood up, slamming his fist on the table. “She will have no such say.”

The twelfth man stood up. “Certainly. I’ll take her then. That is my say.”

All eyes in the room fell on twelve.

Yorin sputtered a protest, growling complaints and generally failing at words.

“High General. We do not let the prisoners have their choice to who they serve.”

Twelve rolled his eyes. “Certainly. I am making my choice.” He looked back at you. “My choice is only perchance helped by her opinion.” His eyes roved over your figure and you remembered how scantily clad you were to be humiliated.

You bit back a flush, wondering why this cruel man was having such an effect on you.

Clearly he was unpopular with the others. Yet he was still one of them. This dynamic fascinated you. But to what end?

“She will be in my ward by nightfall. Yes?” Twelve looked around the room, silently daring anyone to challenge him. When no one spoke, save for a grunt from Yorin, the man nodded. “Very good. Then we are adjourned from your humiliation farce.”

“This is an important ceremony!” One of the generals cried out. “Surely you should know. It is utmost important that we keep our enemies cowed, to know what would face them should they rebel.”

“Yes. Quite.” The man turned and disappeared through a side door without a trace.

You watched him go, keeping your head slightly bowed. You would comply, for now.

There was surprised silence around the circle, followed by begrudging acceptance. The generals all stood, bowing to one another, before exiting the room in their own ways.

It was late day already, the sun nearing its set. The guards gripped your arms, dragging you from the room and sending you to your new life. Whatever that might be.

#Loki #Loki x reader #dark fic #fanfic #ficbit #multi chapter #reader insert #dark!au #Loki x you

[wordsbyarwen]

This October, I am picking and choosing between prompts from Flufftober, Whumptober, and Kinktober lists, because i’m that bitch. This month shall henceforth be lovingly referred to as Flunktober.

For day 2, I present to you the alternate prompt from the Whumptober list: touch starved. (Also satisfies the touch-starved prompt on my BTHB card). Yeehaw?

(I did write a day 1 prompt, but it’ll be posted on day 25, because... reasons?)

They must decide that Tissaia is worth more to them alive than dead.

It’s a clever enough play, she supposes, keeping the most powerful living human mage at the Lodge’s disposal in the event that their values might one day align.

They will not. It seems Tissaia alone knows this.

They keep her locked away in dimeritium shackles for a time, but the wise among them know that Tissaia de Vries, Archmistress of Magic, may soon escape such bonds. She is one of a few powerful enough to resist the effects of dimeritium on the chaos around them, and although she spends the better part of three days overcome by bouts of nausea and vertigo, writhing upon the mattress when she’s meant to be sleeping, she adjusts to the cuffs - to the metal and its foul brand of magic - as the days wear on. Soon, she might be able to overcome her human guards. Later, to hold her own against the lesser mages. Sooner than even Philippa thinks, perhaps, if the rage burning in her chest continues to blossom within her.

But no, they have made quick work of setting wards in place around one of the guest rooms, and these are wards that even she cannot break. She is free of the shackles, free to roam the modest - very modest - accommodations, but she has been afforded the comfort of a bed and writing desk, at least. And clean clothes. There are no luxuries, but it is as good as a gilded cage.

Those who deliver her food and clothes and firewood are servants, nothing more. Often, they are kind or frightened enough to share what day it is, to verify for Tissaia that her mind is still keen enough to count the days.

In the beginning, Philippa visits a few times. To berate her for failing to see reason. To ingratiate herself into Tissaia’s good graces. To gloat over the Archmistress’ capture. Any number of reasons, all of which are thinly veiled and vary by the day.

Now she sees only the servants and guards. Occasionally, one smuggles in a book for her. Even some of the guards have taken pity, but she doubts they would hesitate to draw a sword on her if need arose. But she is a quiet prisoner. Calm, collected. She offers them no reason for distrust.

One savaed passes, and then another, and she is alone.

Her memory may be sharp, but the animal parts of her, the pieces of her mind which are still human, have begun to fall to despair.

Human beings were not meant for isolation. Perhaps she is yet more human than she thought. One night, she weeps. Another, she opens the window and lets the biting chill of the snugly-fitted iron grate sink into her forearms for the sake of any new sensation at all.

Another savaed. And another.

She is pacing the floor as she often does, lest her body fade away completely in this space which affords so little room for movement, when the door opens one evening. A meal. Wood for the fire. If she is lucky, there will be freshly-washed linens and another book. For all that she dedicates a not-insignificant portion of each day to washing herself, she has not had a proper bath, nor proper care for her hair, since she was locked away; in spite of her efforts at cleanliness, she feels filthy.

Yes, fresh bedding would be the greatest gift - 

“Tissaia?”

Tissaia blinks, pausing to stare out the closed window, the dimming light casting shadows across the room.

She’s finally gone mad.

The door has closed, and for a long moment, there is no movement. And then, finally, a quiet sigh.

“I should have visited sooner. I’m sorry.”

Tissaia turns slowly toward the door, and - no, no, she has not gone mad. She’s there, laden with a tray holding too much food - simple fare, but enough to share.

The times have changed her.

“Rita.”

“There are other things for you, outside. Firewood, and - you really have no reflectors?”

“One.” She nods at the tiny table beside the bed, at the candle with the curved sheet of brass attached to its base. “I have little need for light, even when the nights are long.” At Rita’s expression, Tissaia thins her lips. “If you have guilt to feel, let it be for aligning with them, not for leaving me.”

“For the school,” Rita cries, taking two paces forward, then sighing her frustration and spinning to place the tray upon the little desk that doubles as a table. “For the safety of the students! Our students. Our girls. Times have changed, Tissaia; the Continent is in shambles, and - ”

“You do not need to tell me of the things I knew would come to pass in the event the Brotherhood fell, Rita. Who engineered that fall, I wonder?”

Rita’s hand lands on her arm, her grip firm, the contact a sudden rush of warmth as Tissaia’s heart races. Rita, who she has not seen since before the Coup - has not touched since that last night at The Silver Heron.

She has touched no one since that night; been touched only by those who took her captive when, weakened by the excessive use of her magic during the fighting, she had been overcome. By those who had shackled and unshackled her.

And so, after seasons of solitude, in the midst of the despair that began weeks and weeks ago to gnaw at the edges of her mind, she begins to cry.

She fights it at first, drawing herself upright as she glances down at Rita’s hand. Her throat feels thick; there is something wrong with her body, something much too primal, much too human. Sensing the blame in her, Rita loosens her grip, but when she begins to pull away Tissaia twists her wrist suddenly, bending her elbow to clasp Rita’s forearm in desperation.

It’s then that she begins to cry in earnest, pressing her lips into a thin line and squeezing her eyes shut in a vain attempt to stop them. But no, there is no stopping the rush of chemicals this unexpected contact has triggered. There is no fighting it.

So she yields to it. Why resist the inevitable? What pride does she have left? Is there any pride to be had in the presence of this erstwhile lover?

“Hold me.”

She barely recognises her own voice, hardly realises that it is she who has spoken, until Rita closes the distance between them and embraces her fiercely, working herself free of Tissaia’s hold to envelop her in both arms. And Tissaia surrenders herself to it, folding her arms around Rita’s ribs and pulling their bodies flush, until there is no breath of air between them.

Because as little intimacy as she has allowed herself these past centuries, she is still human. Because who knows when she will feel the touch of a human hand, whether for good or ill, again? Because Rita is soft, and warm, and right. Always was; always will be.

Because this physical contact after so long without shines a light on the distress of being without it. Awakens irrefutable sorrow and undeniable relief.

“Your poor hair,” Rita whispers into her ear, fingertips light on the back of Tissaia’s head, tracing around the chignon Tissaia continues to wear during most days for the sake of whatever decorum she has left and, for however short a time, to have something to do with her hands each day. But Tissaia doesn’t care about her hair, not now. She cares about the presence of another body next to her own, squeezes Rita all that much tighter. Taking this as a hint, Rita curls her arm more securely around Tissaia again. Still, her lips remain beside Tissaia’s ear, breath soft in her hair. “I’ll bring you some oils. I’ll tend to it.”

The latter part is an empty promise. They both know that if she spends too much time with Tissaia, it will arouse suspicion. To take a meal or two with her is one thing, but much more…

Still, it is a welcome fancy.

#Tissaia de Vries #Margarita Laux-Antille #Rissaia #The Witcher #Netflix The Witcher #fanfic #whumptober2022 #badthingshappenbingo #touch starved #r:t #500 #FLUNKtober

[cxnvicts]

Eirene's demeanor and body language as she walked off the interrogation room was not the one of a criminal who had been subjected to some sort of tension-filled and potentially threatening experience. On the contrary: there was a calm to her movements and a small smile on the painted lips, the president of Quinn seemingly as composed as she was after leaving a shareholders' meeting.

Upon seeing Cinnabar standing right outside, however, Eirene paused - it was clearly unexpected (not the fact that the other Sinner was behind bars, but that she was just outside of the room occupied by her former employer until a minute ago) and it showed in her distinctively colored orbs, but it was also a pleasant turn of events.

Given her civility in the interrogation room as well as the shackles over her, nothing in Eirene required additional security to move her to the cell - and thus she had been free to walk over to the bodyguard, a warmer look washing over the businesswoman's face as she stopped right in front of the brunette, a gloved hand reaching for Cinnabar's chin very softly.

"It's good to see you again, my dear," the blonde murmured, and the digits which were free of any fabric brushed softly against the security specialist's cheek, going as far as pushing some of her hair to the side before moving away. Eirene's hold was then limited to her chin and moving her head from one side to the other as if inspecting the younger woman. "How have they been treating you? I hope they have given you the same courtesy showed to me thus far - it would be so very rude of the Bureau otherwise." And although the older Sinner hadn't voiced it, there had been just the softest hint of protectiveness in her last words regarding Cinnabar's detainment.

╰ * unprompted // always welcome!

Pacing back and forth like this wasn't quite like her. Usually, Cinnabar stood tall and firm, even when she was confused or unsure, with little to no fidgeting other than the usual glances at the wall or up at the ceiling. And even then, she would be quick to correct herself.

She'd been like this ever since she heard of Eirene's arrival at the MBCC. Not as a guest of some sort, and not for business, either, but rather, as a Sinner. Her heart sank, once the quiet whispers reached her ears. How could this be? She wondered to herself. Repeatedly. How could this be, when Miss Eirene had done so much, had always been so very careful about the truth, had always held everyone a few paces away, just to keep her secret safe? Miss Eirene, who was always ten steps ahead of everyone. Miss Eirene, who always had an escape planned out should things go awry. There must be some sort of mistake.

And yet ー there she stood. With a look that felt so warm that Cinnabar could almost crumble.

She let out a breath she hadn't even been aware of holding, nearly leaning into the other's touch had Eirene not moved away so soon. Instead, Cinnabar gave a small smile, cheeks warming up, just a little, at the other’s concern. 

"I amー" Cinnabar swallowed, heart swelling and aching in a mix of worry, relief, and yearning. Glad. She would have said, if not for the pesky lump in her throat. She was glad to see Eirene again after so long. At the same time, she worried. Wondered, if it was okay for her to feel this relieved to see her former employer here, where she shouldn't be.

"Miss Eirene, what happened? Why are you here? How did they…" No. The former security paused. She'd seen Eirene pull strings first-hand, witnessed how easily she could manipulate the truth if she so willed it. If that was the case, then… "Did you come here on your own, Miss? But… Why?"

#queenoftheboard #╰ * 𝑪𝑰𝑵𝑵𝑨𝑩𝑨𝑹 ： in character. #╰ * 𝑪𝑰𝑵𝑵𝑨𝑩𝑨𝑹 ： misc. asks.

[thepokyone]

No Corner of the Universe

Pairing: Loki x gn!Reader

Warnings: violence, fluff, mentions of torture

Words: 1.1k

A/N: Well I dropped off the face of the earth for a while, but here's an anon request for you. I hope you like it!

You weren't sure how long you had been in the concrete cell. Two days, three? Long enough that the shackle around your left ankle, which was secured to a spot in the middle of the room, had began to chafe and bleed.

You weren't certain what caused everything to go wrong. The mission was supposed to be routine. But the truth was, unless the Avengers found you soon, you were going to die in this cell.

You pulled your knees to your chest, stomach still churning from the murky water you had drank earlier that day. You knew better than to drink water that color, really, but it was the first they had given some to you since you arrived and you knew how fast dehydration could kill. At least the water, however dirty, would buy you some time.

You lifted your head as the door scraped open, dragging along the stone floor. "You don't look so good," your guard said, leaning against the doorframe.

"Did you just come here to gloat, or were you planning on torturing me again? Because if it's the latter, I'd rather you just get it over with," you said, an unusual lack of bite in your voice. You didn't have the strength to fight them anymore. Lack of food, water, and what you were certain was a serious concussion was enough to do that to a person.

"Actually, I had something quite different in mind," he said, spinning the key to your chains around his finger. "Are you well enough to walk?"

"What?" you asked dumbly, baffled. There was something odd about this whole interaction, though you couldn't quite place your finger on what it was. It was probably the concussion. Or your feeling like you needed to vomit. Or both.

The guard frowned at you. "If I free you, can you walk?"

"Yes," you said, if only because you didn't want his hands anywhere near you.

He grinned at you in a way that didn't quite suit his features. "Good." There was a shout from down the hall. "Ah, it seems they've already found him."

"Who?" Your fear was rapidly being replaced with confusion. Confusion was not, however, replacing the nausea.

The guard gestured to himself. "Me. Well, him. I just borrowed his face."

"Loki?" you asked tentatively.

"Well, as they've discovered my disguise," he said, a flash of green magic washing away the guard's likeness and leaving Loki in its place. "Hello, dear. Are you alright?"

"Not really," you said, letting out a shaky breath. "I've got a concussion, I think. And I feel sick."

"Let's get you out of here, hmm?" He smiled warmly at you, but something dark flickered behind his eyes. He quickly unlocked the shackle around your ankle and helped you to your feet. You leaned against him for support, knowing he was able to carry three times your weight and then some.

"You're not going anywhere." There was a horde of guards at your door, all of them with their guns aimed at you and Loki.

Loki's voice was icily calm. "I would ask you if you know who I am but frankly I don't care. You harmed them, so you die."

"You don't even have a weapon, how are you-" the guard was cut off mid-sentence by a knife through his throat. He let out a shocked sort of gurgle, tumbling to the floor.

"I'll be just a moment, darling. Try not to add a gunshot wound to your list of injuries," Loki said, sending you a reassuring smile.

The room seemed to explode in a second, filled with the sound of gunshots and the violence of Loki's anger, the sheer whirlwind of noise and action enough to finally send you scrambling for the bucket in the corner, vomiting what was left in your stomach of the water and bread.

Around you, the clamor ceased and Loki knelt by your side, ensuring your hair was out of the way and rubbing a soothing hand across your back. You let out a pained groan, grimacing at the sour taste in your mouth, and Loki made a comforting noise. Magic flashed around you, cleaning the grime from your body and replacing your tattered clothes with fresh ones. "Shh, you're alright."

He scooped you up easily, ignoring your feeble protests and walking nimbly around the bodies that had fallen in the wake of his anger, down several long hallways, and straight out the front door. There was an ambulance waiting, and you heard the overlapping voices of your teammates as you were transferred to a stretcher.

"I told you fools that brute force was not the way about this," Loki said, brushing them off. You didn't hear much more after that; one of the medics gave you a sedative and when you came to again you were in the hospital, Loki seated by your bedside.

"I'm alive," you mumbled, flexing your fingers. You already felt better, despite the throbbing pain in your head.

"Yes, quite," Loki said, pulling his chair closer. "Though the bad water you drank was quite closer to killing you than anything else. The remainder of your wounds, apart from the concussion, were quite minor."

"How'd you find me?" you asked.

"Dearest, there is no corner of the universe that you could be taken where I would not find you, even if all the armies of Asgard stood in my way," Loki said, brushing his thumb across your cheek. "Magic is, of course, the short answer."

"Of course," you said, laughing for the first time in days. "Thank you."

"There is no need for thanks," he said seriously.

"Still, I thought- I thought I was going to die in there." You looked up at the ceiling, blinking back tears.

Loki's voice was a whisper. "I feared I would be too late. That I had lost you before I even got a chance to…"

"Chance to what?" you asked when he trailed off.

"Tell you the truth," he said finally. "Tell you that my heart is yours, solely yours, to do with as you will. Because that is something you must know, even if I could never deserve you."

"Is that your way of saying you love me?" you said with a watery laugh.

"Was that not obvious?" His thumb brushed across your cheek again. "Darling, had I lost you, I would have razed the earth."

"Didn't you try to do that before?" you asked him cheekily.

"Ah, but I did not love you then," Loki said. "Had that been my reason before, things would have turned out quite differently."

"I'm glad you didn't, then. There's still so many places I have to show you," you said.

"Is that your way of saying you love me?" he asked, reusing your words.

You smiled. "Yes, I think it is."

He pressed his forehead to yours. "Then I will do my best to be worthy of you."

"You already are," you said softly, and brought your lips to his.

#loki #loki x reader #loki imagine #loki fanfiction #loki fanfic #loki x you #loki x gender neutral reader #loki x gn!reader #marvel #tom hiddleston #tom hiddelston x reader #tom hiddelston imagine #marvel x reader #marvel imagine

[emyluwinter]

Spices

In the evening, after another feast in Scarabia, Jamil was putting the last of the dirty dishes on a tray. Yuu, who was also invited, gently laid Grimm on the pillows and covered him with his jacket. Grimm was fast asleep, having eaten his fill, occasionally chatting in his sleep.

Yuu hurried to join Jamil with the cleaning.

- Let me help you. - Yuu hurriedly collected the remaining glasses and cutlery

- Thank you, but you don't have to.

- I still want to help Jamil-san. - Yuu must be terribly tired.

- Not really - Jamil decided to agree to a little help to finish with the cleaning as soon as possible. When the two of them started washing the dishes,

Jamil asked cautiously.

- Based only on guesses is not the most reliable idea, especially to judge my well-being.

- Let's just say I have a good intuition - Yuu chuckled softly. - In any case, even a hardworking person like you needs a rest.

- Flattery? - It wasn't that Jamil didn't trust Yuu, but after the events with his overblot, it was a little awkward to be around. But Jamil quickly dismissed this feeling, as well as the fact that Yuu was involved in this incident. Maybe he thought they were too stupid, too simple, and too short-sighted to think about. He's got enough trouble without a non-magic student

- Not at all, a sincere compliment. - Yuu replied calmly, wiping his plate.

- You look like spices.

- An interesting comparison. - Jamil wondered what they would say.

- There are many things hidden in you that you don't always want to show right away. You are attractive, no seriously do not think that I am talking nonsense. As an artist, I think it would be possible to make some very beautiful sculptures from your appearance.

- I already have statues from Kalim, - Jamil added, annoyed.

- You are a good dancer, you learn quickly and adapt. You think a few steps ahead like in chess.

Jamil suddenly realizes that they are saying all this seriously without any intent like Azul.

- You have a fascinating voice that gives me goosebumps.

Jamil couldn't help but laugh briefly.

- Like I said, you're like a spice. It seems to be soft spicy and light. Barely noticeable, but in fact you do not show all the sharpness and burning, you leave it for last. Mesmerize with light notes of taste, and then capture everything without a trace as a flame of sharp taste.

Yuu lowered the plate for a moment and with light, barely perceptible movements, adjusted a lock of hair on Jamil head. Just a little to put a few straggly strands back in the ponytail.

- You're smart and talented, but now that the shackles have been removed...give yourself time and peace. The storm in your thoughts entangles all your plans in a tight tangle of threads.

Jamil looked at Yuu with a puzzled expression. He wasn't used to being treated like this. He not used to compliments. He not used to such a respectful tone. Worse, Yuu spoke sincerely and honestly. Did they really admire him?

- You don't know me at all. - Jamil quickly raised a wall of disbelief. - You make it sound like I'm a free man. But this is not the case.

Yuu looked carefully at Jamil's hands and feet.

- what makes you think that?

- Because I am still a servant of Kalim.

Yuu suddenly gave him a smile so soft and understanding that Jamil froze.

- But you know that's not true. Jamil-san, you are not shackled. You are not chained, you are not a slave, you do not have to give your life to please someone. You have a heart, a sense of your talents and aspirations. Desires and goals. No one will ever take that away from you.

Yuu puts a stack of plates in the cabinet.

-I really admire you, Jamil-san. You know so much, and you know so much, that you would certainly make a perfect minister. So is the Wizard of the Sands, whom you admire so much. Eh?Jamil-san?I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?

Jamil turned away to hide his confused expression. For all his reserve, he was unarmed against sincere words. He wasn't used to being praised like that. If Kalim words were like a scorching, blinding sun, Yuu words were a soft glow, a small ball of light filled with warmth and light. Jamil had heard from others that Yuu was very sincere and honest. They never used someone for their own benefit, they could easily ask for help from others if they didn't understand the material or needed to explain the principle of magic. No arrogance, no sycophancy or selfishness. Jamil was honestly at a loss when he got to know Yuu and Grimm better. Of course, they are problematic students, but Yuu like a magnet attracted everyone and everything with their behavior. They were like a breath of fresh air on a very hot and hot day. And even now, Jamil knew that they weren't lying, or trying to ingratiate themselves, or that they needed something. Yuu says this because he knows they are desirable. That everyone craves these words and this understanding and empathetic treatment. Their communication was like a kind of game, in which there is no winner or loser, rather the one whose move will touch the other's heartstrings more than the "opponent"

Grinning Jamil took a deep breath to overcome his embarrassment. . Yes, he literally made a parade in his head, for saying such words to him!!! If there was a chance, he would take Yuu to his room with him every time he needed to rest! When will he be treated like this again?

- Your speech is sweeter than all the eloquence of Azul. - Jamil smiled teasingly. - Tell me honestly, did he put you up to it?

Yuu laughed awkwardly,

- Have mercy on Jamil-san. You know I don't.

Jamil finished washing the dishes and used his wand to put the finishing touches on the kitchen.

- Still..if you say that I am a burning spice, then you are a soft sweetness with a spark

- Sweetness?

- You say sweet things that I .. - Jamil cleared his throat quickly - ..what others are eager to hear.

- I don't think the "others" mind so much. - Yuu laughed softly.

Jamil was slightly taken aback that he was discovered so quickly and tried to quickly translate the topic.

- Floyd and Ace said you know a lot of stories from your own world. How about one just for me?

- Stories?

- Yes, I want to hear what you haven't told anyone yet.

Yuu smiled shyly. - Then I'll tell you what no one else knows. One fact instead of a story.

Jamil looked at Yuu with interest.

- Well? Satisfy my curiosity.

- The sorcerer's parrot that was always with him was called ...... Iago.

Jamil looked at the serious Yuu in surprise. They weren't lying, and they certainly didn't make it up on the fly.

- How do you know that's the right information?

- I'll leave that question unanswered, Jamil-san.

Jamil grinned cheerfully.

- Sly guy.

#disney twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland x reader #twst #twst x reader #twst mc #twst yuu #disney tws #twst jamil #jamil x mc #jamil twst #jamil x yuu #jamil viper #jamil x reader #scarabia

[mew-ya]

their first meeting

I wrote up some thoughts about katakuri and maren's first meeting on twitter, so I thought I’d drop these here as well in a more readable format!

cw: implied suicidal thoughts

one of the places katakuri goes late at night when he can't sleep is the seaside by his home. quiet, uninhabited, and its massiveness and beauty reminds him that maybe his problems are small and that he can someday be free.

the overwhelming power, intimidation of the ocean to a devil fruit user leaves him in awe every time. it is as if the open, free world is his foe, the sea a giant shackle around his island keeping him busy, strong, responsible, the picture perfect eldest brother. how easy it would be to plunge himself into the sea and be free. he wouldn't even he able to struggle with the saltwater rendering him barely mobile. he blinks and the image of his favorite sister comes to mind, ever watchful with her mirror. he looks around. no mirrors here.

he feels the guilt wash over him for his dark thoughts, imagining the pain his siblings would feel if something were to happen to him. he tugs his scarf closer into his face, re-focusing his gaze on the swaying tides. he sits on the sandy floor with no regard for the state of his leather pants, reaching for a handful of sand with a gloved hand. it runs through his fingers as he watches it fall, lost in thought of grains of sand. the gentle audio of the tides is suddenly broken by a splashing noise. katakuri's eyes flash red and he sees a large figure emerge from the ocean--about his size, but wider, and adorned with spiked shoulders. a threat. he is battle ready in an instant, jellybean retrieved from his pocket, lodged between his fingers and aiming at the place where the figure will emerge in 5 seconds. from pensive, thoughtful, to killing machine.

maren emerges from the water, hair and clothes wetted, wearing a sleepy grin, but katakuri can't see it. he creates an imposing silhouette against the moonlight reflecting on the waves.

"state your intention." maren looks up. he hadn't noticed katakuri on the shore. he cocks his head, continues to approach, and responds, "this komugi island?" seemingly unaware of katakuri's celebrity.

katakuri repeats himself. maren ignores him, and looks beyond, at the flour-based infrastructure dotting the horizon. "ha. first try," maren says with a self-satisfied grin. katakuri's forehead lines grow deeper in the moonlight.

"one more step and I'll kill you. I am not going to repeat myself." "I just wanted to try it." katakuri's forehead lines pronounce further as he squints at maren in the darkness. maren stares longingly at a large, pink donut built on a tower peeking above the rest of the flour-based buildings. katakuri thinks he sees a glint of drool on the man's face.

katakuri guesses at his intentions--by try, does he mean...? but before he finishes his thought, maren speaks. "is it ornamental? or maybe hollowed out on the inside? how does the frosting stay so neat?" maren rattles off random questions about the donut tower. katakuri's expression softens, ever so slightly, concluding that this rambling fool is not very likely to be a threat. he puts his jellybean bullet back in his pocket, and crosses his arms in front of his chest. he responds, simply: "it's a house."

"living a giant donut? you guys have your priorities straight here." maren says with a toothy smile, sharp teeth glistening in the reflected light. "who lives there?" ".. someone." katakuri curtly responds, his eyes focusing on a random object to his side. "it's yours!"

katakuri's eyes dart in the other direction.

maren takes that as confirmation, grins bigger, and sloshes his way through the remaining water. katakuri notices his features as he draws near--sad brows, heavily lidded eyes and a surprisingly muscular form for his rounded shape. "I was right?! it's your house?! so how about you take me there? I wanna take a bite." katakuri doesn't know how to take this request, finding himself with the slightest hint of red at his cheeks. bite? my house? he thinks to himself: this guy has no idea who I am. a tickle in his throat, katakuri thinks again. this guy has no idea who I am. no expectations. no sweet commander, minister, no second son of the yonko. he's just treating me like a random stranger. a switch flips in his head.

how dare he treat me like a random stranger.

maren starts walking down the candy path leading into town, a spring in his step, but he's suddenly blocked by the tip of a trident and an oppressive aura. maren laughs, asking "where were you keeping that?" as he looks at katakuri's weapon. katakuri fumes, and the trident is at the strange man's throat. "it was just a joke....so are you gonna take me there? i'm hungry." maren asks, seemingly oblivious to the knock of death moments from his door. maren's unabiding, casual insistence to go to a random stranger's house and eat it breaks something in katakuri. he was perfect, unfaltering, protective, strong, every single day of his life. why would today be any different? and yet it was. katakuri backed down. he had bad days in the past, of course. despite his reputation, katakuri knew he was not perfect. his long nights by the ocean side, guiltily daydreaming about another life were not perfect. his face wasn't perfect. his heart wasn't perfect. but something about this ridiculous stranger made him forget that everyone counted on him to be perfect. in his own voice, not one of a sweet commander, minister, or second son, he requested, "please leave." his arm split into two, wrapping his trident gently back into his body. katakuri just wanted to be alone. he felt tired, tired down to his ribs and organs and cells. too tired to threaten, too tired to protect and too tired to kill.

without a word of protest, maren pursed his lips, took a final look at the pink, delicious donut tower and turned on his heel. making his way back to the ocean, maren looked back as he entered, calling out, "you look tired. get some rest."

katakuri crossed his arms, invisible armor back on his body, like a stone faced protector of a forbidden land. but inside his head, he inscribed an image of maren looking back at him saying "get some rest" onto his weary bones.

"get some rest." katakuri heard these words intermixed with the swelling of the waves, over and over again in his head. maren was long gone, and katakuri didn't even know his name.

#katakuri x maren #katakuri x oc #canon x oc #one piece oc #charlotte katakuri #maren #mew writes

[mmvalentine]

Maybe Rhys drugs Feyre so she can talk and see but she can’t move and he has his fun? 👀

Pinned

Feyre and Rhys are at war.

Whoever pins their mate first wins. If Rhys wins, he gets to fuck Feyre. If Feyre wins, she gets to fuck Rhys.

It’s a good game.

It started off as a training exercise, if Feyre recalls correctly. Rhys would come up in a sneak attack and incapacitate her, and timed how long it would take her to get free, fight back, and pin him to the ground.

Of course, Rhys enjoyed this far too much.

The first time, he plunged her into utter darkness while they were walking in the forest, and Feyre was left groping around trying not trip over roots or walk into low branches. She strained her ears but her mate’s low chuckle seemed to come from directly behind her, at the nape of her neck no matter which way she turned.

Where are you going, lost little bird? he purred in her mind. Feyre spun, reaching out but touching nothing. Suddenly, rough hands shoved her and her back hit tree back. Feyre tried to open her eyes wider, but it was no use. She was blind.

“Why don’t you show yourself, coward,” Feyre lashed out. The darkness was amused.

I can see, he said. Feyre jumped when his tongue hit her neck. Licked a broad stripe all the way up the side of her throat and ended just below her ear.

Where’s your fight back? Rhys crooned. Maybe you need to learn not to rely on your eyes so much.

“Maybe,” Feyre conceded. Rhys was now moving his lips back and forth along her jaw. “Or maybe I just need to look on the bright side.”

Rhys had just lifted his hands to cradle her skull, when Feyre let a ball of light burst forth from her chest. Rhys flinched and stumbled back, while the day court glow flooded down Feyre’s limbs. She gave him a wide smile as she drew in a deep breath and looked around herself.

“Much better,” she said, and before Rhys could recover, she knocked him to the ground. He made an oof sound as he landed, and Feyre straddled his chest on the leaf covered forest floor.

“I win,” she said, and kissed his nose. Rhys laughed and pulled her down to kiss his mouth. His hands wound her hair around and around his fingers, and Feyre pulled his trousers open. The shadows melted away, but Feyre didn’t stop glowing while they made love amongst the trees.

The second time, Rhys bound Feyre in her sleep, and woke her up with his breath hot on her lips and his fingers poised at the apex of her thighs.

Feyre moaned softly, and her eyes fluttered open. Rhys smiled at her, kissed her gently, and said “Good morning, lover.” Feyre smiled back at first, but then tried to reach for him and suddenly realised what he had done. Rhys smiled wider.

“Untie me you prick,” Feyre growled.

“Untie yourself,” Rhys replied, and then started stroking his fingers gently over her pussy. Feyre groaned and squirmed against the soft cotton ropes, but they held firm.

“How am I supposed to untie myself?” Feyre snapped. But Rhys only shrugged, and moved his teeth in her shoulder.

“Doesn’t really sound like my problem, does it?” He winked at her, then reached his free arm under and around her to squeeze her breast from behind.

Anger coiled in Feyre’s gut. This arrogant, smug bastard. She clenched her fists together and pulled her wrists apart. Of course the rope didn’t budge.

And yet Rhys let go of her suddenly, as if burned.

Burned.

That was the answer. Feyre fanned her anger into flame, and with a white hot flourish the rope against her skin burned away. Feyre turned to Rhys in triumph, and found him sitting up against the headboard. Watching her with light dancing in his eyes, even as he blew on his singed fingertips. Feyre laughed, and sat herself over his lap.

“I win again,” she said, and Rhys leaned his head back and pushed her hair behind her ear.

“Clever girl,” he whispered. Then he gripped her hips and ground her down over his lap, right onto his hard cock. Feyre’s hands found the top of the headboard as she rocked against him, until she was soaking through her panties.

She kneeled up off Rhys’s lap, and he met her eyes only briefly before he was sliding down the bed so that his face was level with her hips. He pulled her underwear down, tugged her forward and sucked her clit into his mouth. Feyre moaned and let her head fall back, hands still gripping the headboard, as Rhys ate her out while his fingers softly stroked the backs of her thighs where he held her.

After that, Feyre started getting revenge.

One time Rhys stepped into the bath, and the water rose suddenly into great spikes of ice that imprisoned him in the tub. His naked flesh broke out in goosebumps and he shivered so hard his teeth clacked together, while Feyre stood before him and ran her hot tongue over his chest.

One time Feyre soaked a pair of leather cuffs in faebane, and when he closed his eyes to kiss her she shackled him to the bed frame. He strength was sapped in an instant, and the shadows thrashed helplessly while Feyre dripped candle wax onto his wings.

One time Feyre painted herself to camouflage in with the mountain side, and lay in wait until Rhys walked by and then abducted him into a small cave. Rhys had yelped in surprise, then pushed her up against the wall and began to muddy the paint on her skin.

So now, Rhys has a plan.

He makes her breakfast in bed one morning, and laces her orange juice with a paralytic potion he pinched from Magda’s stores. He knows that if Feyre tries very hard, her healing powers can rid her body of the stuff in minutes. But only if she tries very hard.

It's a good thing Feyre is training.

Rhys lies across the bed propped up on an elbow, still in his undershorts and mussed hair. He watches Feyre smile as she bites into her toast, and then raises her glass to wash it all down. So innocent. So adoring. So full of trust.

As if he didn’t still have her nail marks in his back.

The potion works quickly, and Rhys’s grin spreads wider as Feyre looks down first in confusion, and then in rage as her limbs slow and stiffen.

Rhys tsks as he swiftly removes the tray of food before it spills.

“Never accept food or drink unless you're certain of your trust, dearest,” he lectures. “I shouldn’t have to explain that to you.”

Feyre raises an eyebrow, finding her face still able to move although her legs are now lead. “And am I not to trust you, mate?” she throws back at him. Rhys looks affronted.

“Of course not darling, we’re at war.” He shakes his head, and arranges her arms above her head. Feyre tries to push back against him, but cannot.

Rhys drapes himself languidly over her body, tracing his finger from her brow to her lips and around the edge of her breast.

"I think I like you like this," he says, and the weight of him presses the air from Feyre's lungs. "Laid out on my bed and unable to lift a finger."

"This is cheating," Feyre protests. "How is it training if you've poisoned me?"

"How indeed?" Rhys echoes. "If only there was some way you could rid your body of toxins and ailments. Pity."

Feyre glares at him, and he starts to slide her night dress up her body like he has all the time in the world. "Well," he muses. "I guess you'll just be my plaything until you figure it out." And with that he closes his mouth over her breast and pulls her nipple between his teeth.

Feyre gasps and instinctively arches her back, but her spine does not obey. Rhys chuckles, and flicks his tongue over the tip of her. His hands continue undressing her, fluttering over her skin as it is increasingly exposed.

"Did I ever tell you you have the most divine skin?" Rhys says, as he begins to press kisses all over her abdomen. Across her ribcage, down her stomach. His fingertips smooth over the length of her legs, and then his warm hands glide up the inside of her thighs. "No one makes silk like your skin, not even in the faerie realm." Rhys's nose skims across her hips, and goosebumps rise up her useless arms. "Just want to spend all day touching you."

Rhys keeps moving his lips, lower and lower. She can feel him smile when she tries to lift her hips to him. His thumbs circle against her so that they just barely brush the cotton of her underwear, and his tongue starts to play everywhere but where she wants it most.

"Rhys," she whispers, straining against the drug. But her mate frowns.

"Now now," he says, "playthings don't talk."

Finally, finally he licks a stripe up her pussy and it ends in a suckling kiss against her clit. Feyre sighs in relief, but then he's teasing again. He's flicking feather light touches against her clit, and if she could just get closer-

"You're thinking far too loudly pet," Rhys says mildly, lifting his face to look at her. "Be a good girl and lie still now."

"Prick," Feyre spits back at him, and without batting an eye Rhys slides two fingers inside her.

Feyre's eyes roll and her fingers twitch as she's stroked, in and out with his expert touch. For a minute, she forgets to struggle and just lets herself relax while he slowly builds her up. Rhys smiles as Feyre begins to moan.

"More," she breathes. "Faster."

But Rhys does the opposite. Adds a thumb over her clit but slows his movements down and grins feline when Feyre's eyes snap open.

"What's wrong, Feyre darling?" he coos. Feyre cries out in frustration, and tries to rock herself on his hand. Of course, she can't. Rhys's grin spreads, and she wants to smack him.

Feyre closes her eyes, and tries to take a deep breath. She knows she can access her healing powers if she can just calm down.

At that moment, Rhys starts rubbing the flat of his tongue up and down her clit while his fingers continue their torturous motion. Feyre's mind slides out of clarity, and she can feel herself soak his hand.

She sucks a breath in through her teeth, and tries to focus again. Rhys is now taking bites over her hips, hurting her just enough to pull her attention. Feyre ignores him as best she can, and imagines the potion being drained from her veins.

In a strange mix of sensations, Feyre starts to feel her energy draining into the effort of healing herself, but also begins to feel lighter. The heaviness lifts, just a little, from her limbs.

When Rhys slides up her body and licks his tongue up her throat, Feyre's head tilts back and her hips find his. She still can't get her arms to move, but her back arches up slightly, and her breasts press up against Rhys's bare chest.

"Good girl," Rhys whispers. He is rock hard between her legs, and grinds into her with rolling hips. He pulls her underwear the rest of the way off. Then his. His cock glides against the wetness of her, and his lips find the line of her jaw.

Feyre's toes curl, and her knees start to bend. She wants so badly to get her legs around his hips, but she can't quite do it.

"Is that the best you can do?" Rhys taunts, words vibrating in the hollow of her throat. Her fingers twitch toward her palm, and Rhys spots the motion. He smiles, bites down on her lip and lifts her wrists above her head. His knees cage her hips. "I think this is you pinned," he says in her ear, and then kisses her mouth.

Feyre throws everything she has into pushing the poison out, and just as Rhys's lips leave hers, she pulls out of his grip like Cassian taught her, flips their position and straddles Rhys's hips victoriously.

Rhys laughs and laughs.

"I almost had you there, dearest," he says. But Feyre is in no mood.

"Shut up," she tells him, and then takes his cock in her hand and sits down on it.

Rhys groans as she comes down tight around him. His hands grip her hips, but at this stage Feyre doesn't care what he does. She puts her hands on his thighs behind her and bounces on his lap, getting him exactly where she needs him. Rhys holds his thumb over her clit while she moves, and lets her take over.

Feyre's head drops back and release drips down her spine. She's so wound up she knows it won't take much to push her over the edge. Rhys leans forward to get his mouth on her breasts, and when his tongue flicks at her nipple she start to come. Rhys grabs her hips when her movements get erratic and keeps fucking her through her climax, so that she keeps screaming as he finds his own release and by the time he lets her go she is limp in his arms.

Feyre rests against Rhys's chest, as they breathe hard together.

"I win," Feyre mumbles. Rhys chuckles softly.

"When this is losing," he says, "somehow I don't mind at all."

****

MASTERLIST

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#feysand #feysand fic #acotar #asks #prompt fill #it's really been a minute #hope they're still coming out okay

[haileygarciasunshine]

Achilles Heel

Pairing: Anakin Skywalker x Fem!Reader

Written: January 11th, 2021

Posted: January 11th, 2021

Warning: Some violence, kidnapping, mentions of blood, Gets pretty steamy

Word Count: 1,995

Summary:  When a threat is evident against the reader’s kingdom, her father calls Jedi Knights to protect them.

Anakin Skywalker Masterlist

“Please be on your best behavior.” Your father spoke gazing between you and your brother. “We have two Jedi Knights coming since our family has been threatened. I’m looking at you, Y/B/N.” 

“What? Why am I being told to be on my best behavior?” He spoke slightly offended.

“Because, let’s not forget the last time we have Jedi Knights, with us.”

You chuckled. “We’ll both be on our best behavior father.”

Grinning, your father pulled you in for a sweet hug. “That’s my girl.”

---

Sitting in one of the many hiding places you had, leaned against the windowsill as you gazed out of the window.

The sound of chatter echoed off the walls. Frowning, you gazed around the wall you were leaning against. Normally, you would here alone. Gasping your eyes widened. 

Moving off the small window nook, you bolted towards the two figures in the hall.

“Ani!” You exclaimed, hurdling your body into his. 

A quiet ‘mph.’ fell from his lips as his body collided with yours. In no time, he wrapped his arms around your waist pulling you tighter against him.

“You’re one of the Jedi Knights assigned to us?” You questioned pulling back slightly, keeping your grasp on his forearms.

“I am.” He chuckled.

His smile sending butterflies in your stomach.

“Oh, Ani.” You spoke, pulling him back towards you, as you nuzzled his neck. “I’ve missed you so.”

“I’ve missed you too.” He spoke into your hair as he placed kisses on your head.

Pulling away, you couldn’t help but keep your gaze locked on his face.

“This is-” He motioned beside him, only to turn and find the man that was beside him gone. “Was, Obi-Wan.”

You giggled.

“How’ve you been, Ani? Last I heard you had something going on with Padme.” You tilted your head slightly.

He sighed, dropping his gaze to his feet.

“It didn’t work out with her-”

“Y/N!” Your brother’s voice echoed off the walls. “There you are! Father has requested our presence in the throne room.”

Frowning, you nodded your head. “Sorry, Ani.” You sighed. “Duty calls.”

---

Tossing and turning, you let out a groan. Throwing your hands down on either side of you, frustration washed over you.

Knock.

Knock.

Bolting upright, you were surprised to hear someone at your door. Glancing at the clock, it read 1:30 AM.

Grabbing your sleep robe, you tied it around your waist before making your way to the door. Pulling it open a surprised gasp fell from your lips.

“Sorry, I could sense you were awake and frustrated...I...I came to help.”

Smirking, you moved aside allowing him entry to your room. His robe hung open, revealing his toned chest.

Leading him to your bed, you unwrapped your robe revealing the oversized t-shirt you had been sleeping in. The hem barely reaching the middle of your thighs. Clearing your throat, you pulled the covers back before sliding into your side.

Your eyes, landing on Anakin expectantly as you awaited him to crawl in. Mirroring your actions, he crawled in beside you. Laying on your side, you gazed into his ocean eyes. Lifting your hand, you gently traced along his face before lightly tracing over his scar.

“Does it hurt?” You softly questioned.

“No.” He whispered.

Leaning on your arm, you grasped his jaw before placing your lips along the length of his scar pressing gentle kisses to it.

Anakin’s hand shot out, grasping your waist gently as he tugged you firm against him. A sigh left his lips.

Feeling adventurous, you placed gentle kisses along his forehead, before traveling to his cheeks, then placing a kiss to the tip of his nose.

Pulling back, you locked eyes with Anakin. His eyes filled with gentleness and love. 

Laying back down on your side, Anakin did the same.

“Can I kiss you?” He whispered his nose nudging yours.

“Yes. Please.” You whispered back.

Anakin pressed his lips to yours, enveloping them in a hesitant kiss. Reaching up, you laced your fingers in his soft curls tugging gently at the ends. Groaning, Anakin nipped at your bottom lip. Taking it between his teeth, he sucked it softly.

Pulling him closer, you opened your mouth allowing him entry. His bare chest was pressed against yours. Anakin’s metal hand falling to your thigh, traveling up playing with the hem of your sleep shirt. Leaning on his arm, you rolled onto your back tugging him with you. His tongue licking against yours, as it traveled along your teeth. 

Pulling away, you rested your forehead against his both of you panting. 

“Ani.” You whispered.

His lips traveling to your placing kisses along your jaw. Traveling down to your throat he began sucking leaving hickies in the process. Lightly biting against the skin of your throat he found your sweet spot. 

Moaning out, you arched your back causing you to press yourself further into him. Your hands flying to his back as you began lightly digging your nails into his skin.

Groaning against your throat, he bit you harder causing you to repeat your previous actions. His metal hand reaching under the hem of your sleep shirt, resting under your breast. 

Pulling away from your throat, he rested his forehead against yours.

“You’re going to be the death of me.” He breathed out.

Pushing him slightly, he laid on his back tugging you along with him. Latching your lips onto his throat, you began leaving bruises similar to yours.

---

Since that night, you had avoided Anakin at all costs. Walking through the corridors your mind was clouded with thoughts from that night. As you were walking you walked straight into someone else.

Their arms bolting out to steady you as you regained your balance. 

“Obi-Wan?” You questioned gazing at the stranger.

“Hello, Y/N.” He grinned, down at you.

“Sorry, I...I didn’t mean to-”

“It’s quite alright.” He beamed, removing his hands from you.

Taking a step back, you returned his smile.

“What are you-”

“I was looking for you.”

“You were?” You furrowed your eyebrows together in confusion.

“Yes.” He nodded. “Come, let’s take a walk.”

As you first walked down the corridors, an awkward silence fell between you.

“What did you want to talk about?” You questioned clearing your throat.

“It’s about Anakin.” 

“Oh, Uh...What about him?” You attempted to question nonchalantly.

“He’s been...different lately,” Obi-Wan spoke, gazing at you attempting to gauge your reaction.

“Oh.” You frowned.

“I...I think it’s because of a girl.” He smirked.

Furrowing your eyebrows in confusion, you felt your heart fall into your stomach.

Grasping your elbow, he pulled you to a stop. “I think it’s because of you...Y/N.” 

“What? Me?” You questioned raising an eyebrow.

“He-”

“Obi-Wan! There you are.” Anakin's voice echoed off the walls, cutting Obi-Wan off.

“Sorry, Obi-Wan.” You frowned, feeling your heartbeat at a rapid pace. “I...I have to go.”

Bolting down the corridor, you wanted to get away from Anakin.

“Y/N, wait!” Anakin called after you.

Rushing down a few corners, you glanced over your shoulder making sure Anakin wasn’t following you.

Turning back around, your eyes widened.

“Anakin-”

A hand clasped over your mouth, pulling you close to their body. “We’ve been looking everywhere for you.” The stranger spoke, wrapping an arm around your waist as they pulled you down the hall.

Your screams were muffled by the hand over your mouth. Struggling against the stranger, you were unsuccessful in freeing yourself.

---

When dinner rolled around, nobody had noticed you were gone. Anakin sat across from your would-be spot. His eyes locked on the door in hopes you would walk through the threshold any minute.

The more time went by, the more Anakin became suspicious something was wrong. Making his way out of the dining room, he ventured down the corridors that led to your room.

Standing before your door, he used the force to sense you. Once he didn’t sense you, he bolted down the hall searching for Obi-Wan.

---

“Please.” You panted as the kidnapper grasped your hand. “Let me go.”

Slicing across your palm, you cried out in pain. A warm liquid oozed along your palm.

“You’re our only leverage against him.”

“Against who?” You cried, hitting your hand against the stranger's arm. “My...My father can pay for you. Please.”

“You’re Anakin’s weakness.” He spoke, his voice laced with venom. “We want to hurt him. The only way to do that...Is to hurt you.” 

“But...I...” Placing tape along your lips, your words were cut off. ‘mph!’

Placing shackles on your wrists, they bound you to the wall, as blood dripped from your hand. Leaning against the wall, you softly let your head lean against the concrete wall.

---

“What do you mean she’s gone?” Obi-Wan questioned with widened eyes. “That’s the whole reason we’re here! We were supposed to protect her!”

“Don’t you think I know that!” Anakin yelled.

Obi-Wan shook his hand, before bolting down the hallway. “I have to tell her father and brother.”

Anakin let out a sigh, rubbing his hands along his face filled with frustration.

The sound of someone whistling caught Anakin’s attention.

“I know where she is.” They spoke. 

---

“Get the prisoner.” A voice echoed off the walls. Opening your cell door, you gaped at the guard. 

“Please.” You croaked.

“Come on.” They spoke grabbing the chains of your shackles yanking you behind them.

“Ah, our guest of honor.” The kidnapper spoke, gazing at you hungrily.

Shifting under his impeding stare, you felt uncomfortable.

"Well, well, well.” He spoke tauntingly. “We get a two for one.” He spoke sending a sly smirk in the direction you presumed he was standing.

Grabbing your arm, he yanked you closer to him. Your body facing the direction of people he was talking about. Emerging from the shadow’s guards escorted Obi-Wan and Anakin to the front of the throne room.

Hope flared through you, as you gazed between the Jedi Knight’s.

The man wrapped an arm around your waist holding you tight against him. A whimper left your lips as a knife was pressed against your throat.

“Does your dignity mean more to you than Y/N’s life?” The man taunted Anakin. Grasping a piece of your hair, he yanked your head backward, causing you to gaze at the ceiling. Pressing the knife tighter against your throat, a cry fell from your lips.

Anakin dropped his gaze to the ground before him, as he flinched ever so slightly at your cries.

“Let her go,” Obi-Wan spoke. 

“No.” He smirked.

“Take me instead,” Anakin spoke, moving towards the man slightly.

“Take another step and I’ll bury this knife in her neck.” He spat, pressing the knife harder than before into your neck. Another cry wrecked through your lips, as you felt blood trickle down your neck.

“Anakin...” You gasped out pleading. Anakin swallowed hard, his eyes darting away from the scene before him, as tears threatened to fall down his cheeks.

“Get on your knees for Y/N.” He hissed. “Beg for Y/N to be spared -- and make it convincing.” He smirked.

Anakin let out a sigh. Dropping to knees before you, he locked eyes with you as you slightly pleaded.

The man holding you against him, let out an evil laugh. “I never thought I’d see the day, Anakin Skywalker on his knees, begging.”

---

Sighing, you fidgeted with the wrap that covered your palm.

Knock.

Knock.

Opening the door, you couldn’t help the smile that made its way to your lips. “Anakin.”

“I’m-”

Throwing your arms around his shoulders, you pulled him in for a tight hug. Nuzzling his neck, you felt him sigh against you.

Wrapping his arms around your waist, he placed kisses on your head as he inhaled your scent. The aroma of your shampoo filling his nose.

Rubbing the tip of your nose against his throat, you placed gentle kisses in your wake. 

“Come on.” You spoke, pulling away. Grasping his hand you led him into your room.

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[miwtze]

distance (ushijima wakatoshi x reader)

cw: depression, intrusive thoughts, ushi might be ooc idk 

wc: 1.9k of utter dogshit i HATE this 

distance wasn’t uncommon between you and ushijima. you knew ushijima had to focus on volleyball and he knew you had times where you were unable to attend to yourself much less him. maybe that’s why you two have lasted as long as you did, you weren’t suited for love but neither was he, so you thought that maybe you guys would have a chance. he called mutual respect, and while that might be true to some extent, to you it just felt like he settled with you for convenience. you weren’t stupid. you knew that like everyone else in this world, ushijima craved affection but that was the extent of his relationship. you believed he did not need to love you. in fact he probably couldn’t. you were not loveable. how could another love a person so void of life; of course they couldn’t. you loved him but he didn't love you. you thought maybe that was enough for you, but as a human you’re selfish. you want your own form of comfort and if that means ending things with ushijima after six years of dating then so be it. as your gentle fingers continue to thread bead after bead through the wire, you wonder if your relationship between you and ushijima would snap like the thin wire in between your finger. you’re pulled from your thoughts when you hear the front door open. when ushijima pops his head out of the hall way and into the living room you greet him.

“hey, welcome back.” ushijima looks as beat up as you feel; sunken in eyes and dried sweat on his forehead. “i didn’t think you’d be back so soon, do you want me to make dinner while you shower?”

“hello.” he looks down at the beads in your hands, frowning. he knows they’re the same kind you had strung together for him when you confessed to him at 18, the same one he adorns on his wrist like an olympic medal. “did you do anything all day except play with beads?” he didn’t mean to come off like that, he wanted to talk but he didn’t know how to go about it. his indifference only made the statement come off worse, he knew this, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak up. ushijima was tired, no he was exhausted. he wanted to help you but he couldn’t cross the distance to meet you. not when your empty eyes are waiting for him on the other side.

“so no dinner then.” you want him to object. you want him to tell you that he wants to eat dinner with you, to talk to you. you want something, anything. you want ushijima wakatoshi to love you because you don’t want to leave.

“yeah no dinner tonight.”

“c’mon we haven’t hung out in forever. let’s go out and drink, it’s fine if you start crying. we all miss you,” your friend begs on the other end of the line. “i’ll come get you at six, yeah? yeah?” you smile, it felt nice knowing your presence was wanted even if it was for a little bit.

“yeah i’ll be ready at six.” you hear your friend excitedly end the call as you flop onto the bed. you need to go out. you knew it wasn’t good for you to stay inside and mope about how unloved you were. you knew you had to try just a little more, just for yourself. the little steps you had been making the couple years like cleaning your clothes, eating , going to classes, doing the works seemed completely mundane but it helped you help yourself. if nothing else you wanted to try and cross the distance yourself, maybe with ushijima on the other side maybe not.

by the time six rolls around you’ve showered and dressed up to the nines. you’ve never felt as pretty as you did in that moment and you think it has something to do with wanting to be better and much less the wings on your eyelids. as you fall into your friend’s car you’re greeted with two more of your friends and a bottle of alcohol. we’re pre-gaming before we drink some more at ayasski’s, they explain. giggling you join them getting inebriated and melting into the arms of your friends. as the night gets longer, your friends gently probe you about ushijima knowing you well enough to know something wasn’t okay.

“i think it’s kind of stupid to be in a relationship where someone can’t love you,” you giggle the blush reaching up to your cheeks. “i love him so, so, so much so i have to break up with him. i know he’s not happy with me.” you friends wrap their arms around you, booing.

“it’s his loss there’s literally no reason to not be happy with you,” you friend shouted, you could disagree ten times over. the hope that blossomed in your chest earlier today’s as completely shot down when you realized you weren’t a person meant to get better. you tossed another shot back. “but he seemed really happy when we saw you two at your graduation last year.”

“it’s been a year. what does it even matter, we got together to party not talk about my problems,” you laugh pulling them from the kitchen into the living room. you spend the night talking catching up, telling them about your first year at the company you work for, how much you missed them, about how much you missed ushijima (you couldn’t help it you were tipsy). you realize how much you've missed talking to someone about trivial matters. you missed having no distance with people. how did things get so far away with ushijima you wonder.

at some point you black out and when you finally come around you’re tucked into your friend’s bed sandwiched between your friends. you gently untangle yourself from them and wash up in the bathroom. the cold water pulling you from your drowsiness and straight into the deep end of the nastiest hangover you’ve probably ever had. “wake up losers, i'm making breakfast for our nasty ass hangovers,” you yawn as you make your way out of the bedroom. your friends shuffle around groaning telling you to shut up and we’ll be there in a bit. shuffling around the kitchen you begin making pancakes and as you wait for the batter to cook you pick up your phone. your stomach drops when you realize you have three missed calls and a couple texts from ushijima. you forgot to tell him you were going out, you honestly didn’t think he would care.

[wakatoshi ♡]

8:18 pm | I’m going to be home late today. Don’t worry about dinner.

8:18 pm | I’ll make something when I get home.

it’s not lost on you that he texted you he wouldn’t be home at an angel number. the universe was playing its jokes on you but you can’t seem to find the humor.

[wakatoshi ♡]

11:24 pm | Did you go out?

11:36 pm | When will you be home?

12:01 am | Please be quiet when you return home. Goodnight.

you laugh at his punctualness, identifiable even through text. as your friends file in and fill themselves up, you head out beginning your trek home. by the time you get home your feet hurt almost as much as your head. you bend over to free your feet from the shackles of your stupid fucking heels. “objectively i would’ve looked just as pretty with a pair of flats,” you grumble rubbing the budding blisters on your feet.

“you’re pretty in general so i doubt your attractiveness changes depending on what footwear you wear.” you snap your head up, blinking owlishly at ushijima. he places his hand out in front of you waiting for you to take it. when you do, he pulls you up and into his arms carrying you into the room. you really don’t know how to react, especially with your brain pounding for a whole new reason. cautiously, you turn your head to look up at ushijima as he sets you down, leaning up to place a kiss on his chin. you wait for a reaction, a response, anything you can get but all he does is turn around and walk out. it was as if he tied the beaded bracelet on your wrist just to yank it off.

you can’t help but sob into a pillow, what else were you supposed to do. you built yourself up to leave him only to be broken down by the tiniest bit of affection. ushijima had his hands around your throat and you couldn’t get it off you no matter what you did. you loved him so much, you couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t love you back. your throat constricted, your sobs got heavy. you froze when you heard the bedroom door open. you could’ve sworn you’ve been crying for ages but only a couple minutes had passed. you held your breath as ushijima sat next to you, running his fingers through your hair. your heart beat pitifully and tears began to spill through your eyelashes again. you’re so fucking stupid, berating yourself never once allowing yourself to consider the feelings ushijima tried to awkwardly convey to you. “what happened? did something happen when you went out?” you sob louder. how could he be so unaware. “it was me wasn’t it.” you froze. “i actually would like to talk about this so when you’re calmer, may we?” you whisper out a simple yes in return feeling the nasty rope of anxiety tie knots in your stomach.

your thoughts spiraled, what did he want to talk about, did he really not love you, were you really just a small rock in the middle of his garden, were you something much more disgusting to him. he pulls you out of your thoughts just as quickly as he dropped you in them. quite literally. he pulls you onto his lap tucking your head into his chest and wraps his arm around your waist, playing with your hair once again. you two stay like that for what feels like decades. you can’t remember the last time you felt like he wanted to be around you, much less a time where he held you. gentle you pull away from his chest to face your unnerving anxieties.

“h-hey,” you whisper gently. you don’t miss the way his eyes soften at your voice. he doesn’t know how long it’s been since he’s heard your voice for something other than small talk. he missed your warmth, your voice, he missed you. so much. ushijima wanted to do better for you. when you seem to gain your resolve you finally give voice to the anxieties that planted it’s nasty seed in your thoughts. “have you ever loved me?” before you can get a response you continue, “i know i’m not lovable but are you with me for convenience. do you just deal with me? do i burden you with-”

“i am absolutely enthralled by you but i have no clue how to go about it.” he takes your face in the palm of his hands, brushing your tears away. “i want to try and do better. our distance is growing and i don’t like it at all. i understand we don’t have the most convenient relationship but i don’t want to end it because you mean so much to me.”

“i don’t want to end it either. i know it’s hard. i know it is, but you really think we could do it?” he smiles at you and it was as if a wall was broken down, not a big one but one that you had set up so you wouldn’t acknowledge ushijima or his feelings towards you.

“i know we can.”

#/ushijima #tw depression #ushijima x reader #ushijima wakatoshi x reader #ushijima x y/n #haikyuu x y/n #haikyu x reader #haikyu x y/n #im in the nastiest mood ever i literally wanna fucken die #enjoy this or dont #ily please drink water

[strangerobin]

Rue: Chapter 1 (A Jasper Hale x OC Imagine)

Summary:

Just know that, in another life where I was free of lies and deceit, I would move heaven and earth just to stay alongside you. To spend a lifetime with you. Body and soul.

Or

A chance encounter reunites two lost lovers centuries after their devastating break up. One hardened by life and providence, has forgotten what it is to love and be loved; while the other though hurt by love, has lost neither hope nor heart. When the two worlds collide once again, will it be disaster waiting to happen, or the brink of a new horizon?

Or

Stolen away just nights before their wedding, Jasper had mourned the loss of his lover, Adeline, for centuries. Until a similar face showed up one day out of the blue, just as beautiful and just as youthful.

But you know that I could never stay.

No amount of love or the ring you put on my finger will ever change that.

Save it. Save it for another that will be dearest to your heart, someone who could love you equally, unconditionally, honestly.

For I am underserving. I have much in my life that I wish I could explain to you. Yet this back has been carrying far more that it was made to shoulder already. And I cannot possibly burden you with anymore than you deserve.

So I will go. I will not shackle you to a life of secrets and miseries. Nor will I bind you to eternal gloom and slaughter your happiness, take your sun and hide your moon.

Just know that, in another life where I was free of lies and deceit, I would move heaven and earth just to stay alongside you.

To spend a lifetime with you.

Body and soul.

He took a deep shuddering breath, trying in futile to calm the anguish that was threatening to leak out of his body.

For a moment, he thought his dead heart was ready to burst anytime. But of course his heart had long since ceased its beating, and It had only left with him an equally terrible sense of emptiness.

Why had he decided to go over this again? To rip open scars that were long buried. Old memories that he should long have concealed, lost somewhere in the ocean of his long pitiful existence. He thought he’d be over this by now, after the millionth time. But clearly some things never truly die away.

With care he produced from a small velvet pouch-

A single diamond ring.

It glittered under the moon, splaying the light of a million rainbow everywhere it touched.

Just like how her eyes had shone that day.

When he got down on one knee and proposed to her.

Her mouth agape, lips quivering, staring at him in shock and disbelief. His stomach had churned then when she had simply stood there, dumbfounded; worried that he had taken a wrong move, that she did not love him enough to want to be tied down with him. That perhaps he was still too young, too poor to offer her the life that she deserved.

But then a single tear had dropped from her eyes.

And it was followed by another, and another.

He was thrown in a panic by then, unsure of the mistake he had committed but ready to make any amend just to stop the onslaught of her tears.

Except she had then tackled him to the ground, laughing amidst her tears. Murmuring into his ears, the answer that had only mattered to him.

Yes, yes, yes.

She had kissed him so ferociously that day, stealing his breath away as if she herself would be stolen away the next moment.

A thousand times yes.

And stolen she was indeed.

Left alone in the cold morning light, sheets crumpled from the night they had shared, her scent still lingering in the air. His heart had froze, left with only an emptiness that would rage within him for the next two centuries.

She had only left with him a note and her wedding ring.

Hers. Not his; because he could not tolerate the thought of it being anything else.

And an everlasting memory that would haunt him for the rest of eternity. An aching want and need, a desire left unsaid in the dead of the night.

In those terrible formative years, when he had just been turned, night after nights he would imagine the ghost of a lip, tracing up his spine. Warm breaths at his neck; the touch of a hand, cupping his face gently, as if he were made of glass. Sweet-nothings whispered, empty promises of a life that could have been, might have been. Except none of them were real and every one of which only a figment of his imagination and memory.

Some night he would go on a killing spree, desperate to escape from memories of her that had long since turned into a never-ending nightmare, his raging storm of emotions.

A century and a half later, there were still nights like these, nights where he would meticulously finger the exquisite cravings over her engagement ring. Her name a silent mantra, a prayer from his mouth to the gods he had once worshipped and forsaken.

The pain had dampen over the years but the scars had remained. And the memories still fresh. New companionship may have eased him out of his shell of sorrow. But while he may hold another in his arms now, how could he love anyone in half? When he had long since given away half of his soul to the one who had claimed as hers on that fateful day.

But that was another story for another day.

And his pitiful being could not bear the grief all at once on any given nights; it was alright to remember in portions and halves. That way he would not lose his mind to the remembrance of her then. The one he had lost but must continue to solider on without.

“Oh Adeline.”

“My sweet Adeline, why must you torture me so?”

*

On the run.

It seemed she was always on the run these days.

No permanent roof ever above her head; even the feeling of a soft pillow and a down quilt seemed foreign to her now. She was more familiar with green moss beneath her head and the stars as her canopy; clothes she snagged from stores, and meals of little preys here and there now. She was always careful not to leave a trace.

Stopping over at the riverbed to cleanse her dusty face; she mulled over her circumstances.

Family they- he, her father had called her.

And yet it was also him who made her life a living hell.

Always asking, always demanding for a hand, a chore to be done, her duties to him as her father, mentor, creator. And when she could not tolerate his iron fist of a control, she did the only thing she was good at.

She ran.

Companionship. Father had told her once. No one can live for long without companionship.

She would’ve proved him wrong then. Scoffed at him. Told him that creatures like them did not deserve anything but misery, and least of all a hint of humanity. Only humans crave company; they had sinned far too much to be deserving of any.

How much blood must be spilled, to satisfy his want for his so called companionships?

But even at times, she had been tempted. A short stay in a town, a job, an education, a short fling. Mindless chatters, a warm embrace to fall asleep to at night. Anything to make herself forget just for awhile how different she was, how she could never blend in with anyone. How over the years she had lost so much, she thought she might as well have lost her heart.

Except her strange family. Whom she completely despised. Mostly.

Ah how she missed those good old days. That one summer when everything was golden and life was simple; the scorching Texan sun, the swaying wheat fields, the straw thatch cottage and its warm hearth and Hettie’s hearty soups, Ralph’s incessant chatter. And those gentle brown eyes and that mop of flaxen hair, shining like golden peat in the summer sun-

She would not let her mind wander there now.

Lock the doors and throw away the key.

She needed to stay vigilant. Her family were not the only ones she was running from. There were more dangerous and mysterious beings out there, ones she did not dare cross. Every little shift in the air, whiff of smell was a signal to her instinct. Even a falling leave could be a sign of the things to come. And right now they were telling her to head north, pass the borders, and into the Canada. There would be ample food and her family would not think to look for her there. In time, she might be able to join a small community, live a life for a little while before moving on to the next.

Keep inland, you’ll be safe. Her instinct whispered.

But she wanted to see the ocean. And the Pacific Northwest coast was a marvel. She knew of a coven near the peninsula; but surely if she stayed to herself, she should be able to cross into Vancouver without a hitch?

Keep inland.

Keep inland.

Keep inland.

Her instinct only whispered on.

It was the scent she came across first.

The sweet invigorating smell of vanilla and washed linen, that of a babe’s. She froze unnaturally amidst her stroll; this was not the scent of a human, it was… it reminded her of her siblings. Of her kind.

Turnawayturnawayturnaway-

But curiosity got the better of her.

Surely, just surely, a glimpse would not hurt. There shouldn’t be any out there like her. None of the old kinds had the knowledge of… Father had confirmed of this. Or was he mistaken?

And as she tracked the child’s scent; she came into a large clearing of blooming heathers, yet not even the overwhelming floral scent could overpower the child’s scent.

There in the gleaming sun was a child of twelve or thirteen, bronze curls flowing in the air as she twirled around in peals of laughter. Her porcelain skin illuminated; and her heart was thrumming like a little hummingbird.

‘It cannot be.’ She whispered to herself in a daze.

Gasping, the child turned towards her at once, clearly finally discovering that she was alone no more. Initially agitated, the child was quick to drop her caution when she noted how the stranger was still in a trance, staring agape at her. Nor did she miss the equally alluring scent of the intruder, her soft glowing skin and the quick humming of her heart.

Timidly, the child shuffled towards her eyeing her with curiosity. Until the two were face to face each other, apprising the other.

“Are you perhaps…” Like me? Was the unvoiced question.

“Dear God, Child.” She finally found the strength within to muster a few shaky breaths of words, disbelief evidently dominating her countenance. “How is this possible?”

With shaking hands she cupped the child’s cheeks, tenderly stroking the smoothness of her cheeks and soaking up the warmth.

“What of your maker?” She swallowed thickly. “Is he treating you well, Child?”

“Do you mean my Mum and Dad, Miss?” The child furrowed her pretty brows. “They should be just around I think. If you would like to meet them…”

That broke her out of her trance and she immediately straightened her stance. This was dangerous, she was treading on thin ice. A child like her kind would not be left unguarded, her guardians were nearby and no doubt treasured her greatly, judging from her clean attire and priciness of her garments. Any contact would be deemed a threat. She had already overstayed her welcome. And she did not want a fight. Sure she was quick and escaping and hiding had always been a forte of hers, but should she engage in battle, there was no telling if she could even gain upper hand long enough for her to run.

“I must go.” She muttered gravely to the child.

“Wait Miss!” The child chirped in a sing-song manner, unaware of the gravity of the situation. “I’m sure Mum and Dad will be delighted to meet you! And grandpa he-“

Shit. Was this the coven Father had mentioned before?

The idea of meeting an entire coven made her stomach churn. She did not quite understand how the child had come to be, nor did she understand how the Volturi would allow such a coven to exist in plain sight. And she did not intend to find out.

“Child. Child!” She hissed, surveying her surrounding in caution now. “Listen, you must take care. There are people out there who will harm you without a thought or a blink. You must be careful, don’t be so trustworthy of any strangers now.”

She looked the child dead in the eye then.

“Not even me.”

“But you didn’t hurt me! I know you wouldn’t! And aren’t we the same?” The child pleaded imploringly.

“No, not even your kind. And certainly not me.” She smoothed the child’s hair gently and tucked them behind her ear. “Trust no one. Not even your makers.”

“That’s just sad then.” The child replied solemnly.

She stood up and straightened her jacket. “Well, it's a sad and pitiful existence that we lead, Child.” She smiled bitterly then and turned to go. “One day you’ll know.”

She was just about to run when she felt a tuck at her sleeves. Turning sharply, she eyed the child in confusion.

“My name’s Renesmee, Miss. What’s yours?”

She grimaced slightly; well so much for telling the child off, she mused.

“Adeline, my name’s Adeline, Child.”

In hindsight, Adeline really should have seen the attack coming. Her instincts had been screaming at her the whole time after all.

But in a moment of distraction, she had heeded her instincts too late. She did manage to subdue the attack at her jugular with a block, but was still hurled halfway across the clearing. Twisting her body, she managed to land in a crouch; eyes trained on her attacker. He was a strong built man- vampire, tall and handsome, the usual package. And she was surprised to find his eyes golden, not that there was much time to marvel at it. His crouching stance indicated that he was ready for battle and he bared his fangs at her, guarding his child protectively

“Stay away from my daughter.” He growled.

Adeline couldn’t help but rolled her eyes. “That, I had every intention of doing.”

“Stop! Dad! Stop!” She could hear the child- Renesmee crying in the distance. But there was no time for that now.

Leftleftleftleftleft-

Turning to her left, she kicked a pouncing werewolf right in the gut, slamming it into a nearby tree. Right. And then threw a punch at the female vampire that was ready to lunge at her right. Down. Blocked another blow. Shoulder. Landed a hit on shoulder of the she-vampire. Duck. Barely escaped from the wolf’s pouncing attack. Roll. And managed to withdraw herself from the fighting two.

With a final glance at the father and child; Adeline focused her mind in concealing herself before darting out of the clearing.

Promising to herself to avoid the Pacific Northwest at all cost from now on. Wary of the rest of the coven she would find there.

Not to mention the wolves.

And that was how Adeline came across the Cullens for the very first time.

#jasper hale #jasper hale imagine #jasper hale x reader #twilight imagine #twilight #angst #more angst

[purplehairedwonder]

Lead Me Back to Suffering Chapter 3

Fandom: One Piece Rating: R Pairings: Trafalgar Law/Donquixote Doflamingo (Non-consensual), Trafalgar Law/Monkey D. Luffy (eventual) Words: 3,882 Characters: Trafalgar Law, Donquixote Doflamingo, Donquixote Rosinante, Bepo, Shachi, Penguin, Monkey D. Luffy, Nami, Robin, Chopper, Usopp, Sanji, Franky, Brook Warnings: Rape/Non-con Note: This was written for the “Kidnapping” square on my Bad Things Happen Bingo @badthingshappenbingo​ card. Anon prompted Law and Luffy.

The title comes from the Vertical Horizon song “Shackled.”

Summary: In the wake of Kaido’s fall, Law is kidnapped from the shores of Wano.

Previous chapters: 1 | 2

Read also at AO3

Law was standing on the shores of an island that seemed somehow familiar, though he couldn’t put his finger on why, staring out to sea when a familiar voice caused him to whirl around.

“Law.”

“Cora-san,” Law replied, lips twitching upward.

Rosinante looked as he always did, his black feather coat making his already tall figure look even more imposing while the numerous hearts on his clothing softened his sharp edges. An exercise in contradictions as ever. He held a cigarette between two fingers as he smiled softly at Law. At any moment, that cigarette would undoubtedly catch on the man’s clothing.

Law knew he was dreaming. He’d had so many dreams like this one that they no longer took him off-guard. But the next words out of the man’s mouth did startle him.

“I’m so disappointed in you, Law.”

Law’s stomach dropped. “What?”

“You think I don’t know what you’ve done with the life I gave up for you?” Rosinante said, pointing his cigarette in Law’s direction accusingly.

“I—” Law hesitated.

“You were free, kid,” Rosinante went on, voice rising. Ashes fell from the end of the cigarette as he gestured with it. “You were supposed to live a good life. Save yourself. Save other people. Heal people.” He shook his head. “But you became—”

“A killer,” Law whispered, guilt heavy in his chest.

He gasped as Rosinante suddenly stood in front of him. The larger man’s expression sharpened as he grabbed Law’s shoulders and spun him around. Law yelped in surprise, feeling like a child being manhandled across the North Blue all over again.

“My brother’s,” Rosinante finished, tracing the line bisecting the Jolly Roger on Law’s back. “You became Doffy’s.”

Law pulled himself free and turned around once more, face burning. “I didn’t—”

But hadn’t he? He might have sailed under his own Jolly Roger since he was sixteen, but deep down, Law knew his Jolly Roger’s design had not only been in honor of Cora-san, but also a middle finger to Doflamingo. The trajectory of Law’s life had been shaped by his quest for revenge against Doflamingo. Even when he was meant to be free, Law was controlled by Doflamingo.

Doflamingo burning his mark into Law’s back was only visually affirming what they both knew—Law was Doflamingo’s creature, inside and out.

Law’s argument died on his tongue, words turned to ash in his mouth. And all the while, Rosinante watched him, expression grim.

“Saving you was a mistake,” he said, shaking his head. “Could have saved an entire country instead.”

“Cora-san,” Law choked out, breath knocked from his lungs at those words. “Cora-san, please…”

He reached out toward Rosinante, but the other man started fading away, the disappointment on his face the last Law saw of him.

Law’s mouth moved silently for several moments; he thought he could feel the cracks spreading in his chest as tears stung the corners of his eyes.

“Captain!”

Law’s head snapped up as Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin hurried toward him. He could feel the tightness in his chest loosening slightly at the sight of his nakama.

“You found me,” he said as his three oldest friends reached him.

“We told you we would, Captain,” Shachi said as if it were obvious.

“We’d find you anywhere,” Penguin agreed.

“It’s good to see you,” Law admitted, Cora-san’s words still stinging.

“I wish we could say the same, Captain,” Bepo said coolly.

Law frowned, confused. “Bepo?”

“I thought you were loyal to us, Law,” Bepo went on. “The Heart Pirates.”

“Of course I am. What are you talking about—” Suddenly, Law was pushed forward onto his hands and knees, revealing his back to the trio.

Shachi and Penguin gasped, and the air surrounding the four turned cold.

“You left us on Zou for him,” Shachi said, tone cooling.

“You never planned to come back,” Penguin added darkly.

“You were always Doflamingo’s,” Bepo accused. “Never ours.”

Law’s hands tightened into fists, sand squishing between his fingers. “That’s not true,” he denied.

But Law had left his crew to complete his revenge against Doflamingo. He’d sent them ahead to Zou to protect them from the fallout of his actions. It was sheer luck that he’d run into the Straw Hats on Punk Hazard and formed an alliance that ended up saving his life.

He’d put his own vengeance ahead of his nakama, never considering their feelings. Never caring about anything but taking down Doflamingo. He’d never deserved them or their loyalty.

“You were always his,” Penguin reiterated.

“And now everyone knows it,” Shachi finished.

“Guys, please—”

“You don’t deserve the title of Captain,” Bepo said as the trio faded away. “Not when you’re another’s.”

“No,” Law croaked, voice cracking along with his heart. He tried to push himself to his feet to chase his fading friends, but he slipped and dropped back to his knees as his three oldest friends disappeared with disgust on their faces. “I’m sorry.”

“You should be, Torao.”

Law swallowed and closed his eyes in resignation. Why not Luffy, too?

“Straw Hat-ya,” he murmured, pained.

After a moment, he felt a hand wrap around his chin. He opened his eyes warily to see Luffy kneeling in front of him, expression intent. His grip loosened, and his hand slid up to cup Law’s cheek. Law couldn’t help but melt into the touch, more tender than he deserved.

“You lied to them, Torao,” Luffy said gently. “About who you really are. Of course they’re going to be mad.”

Law flinched feeling the words as acutely as a blow. “I—”

“You lied to me, too.”

Law had no defense for that; he’d lied to Luffy about his intentions and had gotten him caught up in his near-fatal attempt to take down Doflamingo. He’d gotten Luffy’s nakama caught up in it as well, and he knew Luffy cared far more about that than himself.

“I didn’t really care, you know,” Luffy went on. Law swallowed as Luffy’s thumb started stroking his cheek softly. “Mingo was a bad guy, and he needed to go down. He was hurting people like Rebecca. Like you.” His hand suddenly tightened around the hair at the nape of Law’s neck, and he pulled Law’s head back. Law hissed.

“But you never told me you were his first.”

Law swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing at the vulnerable position. He was fully aware of the threat the hands that held him now presented. “Straw Hat-ya…”

“You made an alliance with me and my nakama when you knew you were his. How am I supposed to trust you with my life and the lives of my nakama if you’re Mingo’s?”

It might have hurt less if Luffy had punched open his chest and pulled out his beating heart.

“I’m not,” Law whispered, strained. “I’m not.”

Luffy let go of his grip on Law’s hair, and Law fell forward bonelessly into the sand. He felt like he’d been using Room too much, drained down to the core. Hollow.

“You don’t deserve any of us, Torao,” Luffy said sadly as he, too, faded away. “You never did.”

“I know.”

Law jerked awake and immediately groaned, burying his face into his pillow as his healing back protested the sudden movement. A moment later, he tensed when he felt a light touch on his skin. The burn should really be bandaged, he thought absently as he screwed his eyes shut against the intrusive touch.

“Bad dreams?” Doflamingo asked mildly.

“Fuck off,” Law muttered before shoving his face back into the pillow.

Doflamingo, the bastard, just chuckled as he continued tracing the brand on Law’s back. He’d been doing that a lot over the last several days—or at least what Law thought were several days; he’d been in and out through much of it.

That first night, after burning Law’s back, Doflamingo had released Law from his bindings, letting him crumple, half-conscious, to the floor. Law had cried out when Doflamingo had picked him up and carried him to the bed, placing him facedown onto the mattress and baring the burn to the world. He hadn’t fucked Law that night, though he had rutted up against Law’s ass until he came, like a horny teenager. He’d then marked Law’s back with his come. Law had been in too much pain to care.

Over the next several days, Doflamingo allowed the ship’s doctor (who’d healed up well enough since the accident Law had treated him for) into the bedroom to wash and treat the burn so it wouldn’t become infected, but he wouldn’t let the doctor give Law any pain medication.

“There are consequences when you betray me, little bird,” Doflamingo had murmured from his side the second night as Law had writhed under Doflamingo’s touch.

It wasn’t until what Law thought was about a week after the incident that he’d finally gotten a good look at the marking. Though he’d made trips to the bathroom to relieve himself and in the previous days, he’d been too out of it to look at the burn. But that morning, he’d woken with a clearer mind so, when he’d gone to the bathroom, he’d stood in front of the mirror for a long stretch, gathering the courage to look at his back. Then he’d turned around and carefully twisted as far as his healing skin would let him.

It was far enough.

He could see how the burn had effectively turned Law’s tattooed Jolly Roger into Doflamingo’s own.

Law’s stomach had roiled, and he’d immediately dropped to his knees in front of the toilet to vomit. Once he’d hollowed himself out, likely pulling at the healing scabs on his back, Law had stumbled back to the bed and dropped face-first onto the mattress, plagued by thoughts of what Cora-san would think if he could see his brother’s Jolly Roger irrevocably left on Law’s skin—and the dreams had followed.

-----

It was on the eighth day after Law’s call to his nakama that the Hearts and Straw Hats arrived on Raydare. It didn’t take long to realize Law and his captors were no longer on the island—not that the two crews had really expected them to be, but Bepo had stubbornly held onto hope. He’d seen stranger things on the Grand Line, after all.

From what they learned on their first foray onto the island, it took three days for the Log Pose to set. That meant that Doflamingo had a five-day head start on his pursuers if they’d left immediately. That also gave the Hearts and Straw Hats three days to figure out which direction to set out in next. While it was possible Doflamingo would simply follow the Log Pose to the next island, if Law was right that the former Warlord was trying to reclaim his underworld operation, then it was more likely that he had specific destinations in mind. But how would they figure out what those were? They’d only made it to Raydare because Law had managed to contact them, however briefly.

Law had sounded… tired, Bepo thought. “I’m…managing,” he’d said. Bepo knew his best friend well enough to recognize when he was putting on a brave face, and this had been one of those times. They needed to find him. Nothing good could come of Law in Doflamingo’s cruel hands—not with the history the two men shared.

While the others had gone into town, Bepo had stayed on the Polar Tang—partly because he was used to staying behind to avoid drawing unwanted attention and partly because he didn’t want to leave the ship’s Den Den Mushi unattended in case Law called again. Shachi and Penguin had given him understanding pats on his shoulder before going into town to resupply and seek out information.

On the second night docked at Raydare, both crews met up at a tavern. Shachi and Penguin even managed to pull Bepo away from the Den Den Mushi for the evening. (Bepo knew it was unlikely that Law would manage another call so soon after the first one, but he hoped…)

“Bear!” Luffy called with a cheerful wave when he, Shachi, and Penguin walked into the tavern.

Bepo pulled at his snout, embarrassed, as he and his friends joined the Straw Hats and Hearts who had already arrived. He glanced around the tavern and saw that it was mostly empty except for the two pirate crews and bar regulars who were more focused on their drinks than the rowdy men and women sharing tables and ordering endless plates and drinks.

“Straw Hat,” Bepo greeted as he sat down across from Nami, who smiled at him. Bepo smiled back; he’d gotten to know Nami a bit on Zou and enjoyed their conversations about navigation.

“Bepo!”

Bepo turned to see Chopper a couple of seats down with Nico Robin and Ikkaku. The reindeer waved happily and Bepo waved back. He was quite fond of the Straw Hats’ doctor, even if he wasn’t a mink.

“I’m glad you came out today,” Chopper said. “We haven’t seen you much.”

“Ah. Sorry. I was just—”

“Hoping Torao-kun would call again?” Robin suggested.

Bepo swallowed and nodded, not trusting his voice. Something about the woman unsettled Bepo—had since she’d been a guest on the Polar Tang on the way to Wano, though Law seemed to like her—but she simply nodded understandingly in reply.

Once all the Hearts and Straw Hats had arrived, Nami turned first to Luffy then to Bepo who, as first mate, was the acting captain of the Hearts in Law’s stead.

“The Log Pose should set sometime tomorrow,” she said, spreading out a map on the table. Those gathered around moved plates and tankards to make room for the parchment. “We need a plan for where we set off to next.”

“Without another call from Torao, it’s going to be hard to know,” Usopp said with a frown, peering at the map.

“And I doubt it will be easy for him to do it again,” Sanji added around a cigarette.

Bepo frowned at the cook. “What do you mean?”

“Ah,” Shachi said, bringing Bepo’s attention back to him. “We didn’t get a chance to tell you yet.”

“What?”

“We found the communications relay Law used to call us,” Penguin explained. “It was… leveled,” he said after a hesitation.

“Leveled?”

“Apparently, the day Law made the call, Doflamingo showed up at the shop and destroyed it,” Shachi said. He grimaced. “And he strung up the shopkeeper. As an example.” He shook his head. “No one really wanted to talk to us when we started asking around about Law because of it.”

Bepo’s eyes widened. If Doflamingo had done that to an innocent shopkeeper, whose sole crime was renting Law a Den Den Mushi, what would he do to Law? He glanced around the table and noted grim expressions on the other pirates’ faces.

“Don’t worry, Bepo!” Bepo looked up in surprise to see a serious look on Luffy’s face. “We’ll find Torao. And I’ll kick Mingo’s ass even harder this time so he can’t hurt him ever again.”

Bepo nodded, unsure of what else to do in the face of Luffy’s enthusiasm. He wondered briefly if this was how Law felt when faced with his allied captain. Law had known something about this boy two years earlier when he had ordered the Hearts to sail for Marineford in the middle of the Paramount War, and his faith had been rewarded in Dressrosa.

Bepo would never be able to thank Luffy enough for bringing Law home alive. Would he be able to pull another miracle from that straw hat of his now?

“We weren’t able to get any clues around town or at the harbor,” Jean Bart piped up after a moment. “Several people saw Law at the market nine days ago, but no one saw him after that.”

The Hearts were particularly good at intelligence gathering—having a surgeon for a captain meant they prized precision above all else—so there must not have been much useful intelligence to be found in Raydare if the crew came up empty.

“Robin?” Nami asked. “What about you?”

“I was able to get ears inside Rorik’s meeting today,” Robin replied. “He gave no indications about where Doflamingo might go next, but I did hear something else interesting.”

“Oh?”

“Torao-kun was right that Doflamingo is looking to take back his black-market operation. And he plans to do it by selling a bioweapon of some kind.”

“Bioweapon?” Chopper asked, straightening. “That can’t be good.”

“What kind of bioweapon?” Ikkaku asked, leaning forward.

Robin shrugged a single shoulder. “He didn’t specify. I got the impression it’s something very rare and very deadly, though.” She looked at Bepo then Luffy. “He’ll likely reach out to the highest-level brokers in the New World with promises of this new weapon like he did with Rorik to secure his return to power.”

“Any idea who these brokers are?” Franky asked. “That would be a super clue.”

“I don’t know. I’ve reached out to some of my contacts to see if they have any ideas but have not heard back yet.”

“Law might know some names,” Penguin said thoughtfully. “We can check his notes to see if he wrote any down.”

Bepo would be surprised if any of Law’s notes on Joker and his ilk survived—he’d kept so much of his plan a secret before he’d left for Punk Hazard—but it was worth a shot, even if Bepo felt uncomfortable with the idea of going through Law’s papers.

Without much more to go on, the gathering slowly broke up. Bepo headed back to the Tang with Shachi and Penguin. The trio headed to Law’s room. For a moment, they stood outside the door uncomfortably. Finally, Penguin spoke.

“We’re doing this to help him.”

“I know, but it still feels like…” Shachi trailed off.

“Betraying him?” Bepo suggested. The other two nodded grimly.

“Let’s just get this over with,” Shachi said, grabbing the door handle and turning it.

The three stepped into the room. Bepo swallowed. Between the made bed, papers piled on the desk, and books piled on the nightstand, it looked like Law had just stepped out and would be back at any moment. Law was an immensely private person, so going through his personal things like this made Bepo’s hackles rise. But if anyone might have the information they needed to help Law, it was Law himself.

The three exchanged looks then went to work. After murmuring a silent apology to Law, Bepo started looking through the papers on Law’s desk. Unsurprisingly, they all seemed to be related to Wano and the SMILEs. He dug through the drawers and flipped through notebooks, but none of them had any relevant information on the criminal underworld. Meanwhile, Penguin was looking through the books on the nightstand, the drawers, and under the bed while Shachi went systematically though the books on the bookshelves that ringed Law’s room.

By the time they’d looked through everything they could find, they were no closer to finding their captain—their friend—and just felt dirty for going through his belongings. Defeated, the trio went their separate ways for the night.

Bepo had watch later that night, so he went to his room and laid down. Rather than sleep, though, his mind kept returning to what had happened to the shopkeeper. Bepo tossed and turned, imagination playing out the worst possible scenarios for Law over and over. He thought about the wounds Law had tried to hide when he returned from Dressrosa and the haunted looks that crossed his face when Dressrosa was mentioned.

By the time Bepo’s watch was about to start, he was little more than a sweaty, anxious mess. He dragged himself outside and onto the deck, the waxing moon providing his mink eyes plenty of light to find Uni and relieve him. Once his friend had headed off for bed, Bepo prepared to settle in for a few hours but paused when he noticed movement on the Thousand Sunny.

It must be whoever’s on watch, Bepo thought before sitting down. But, a few minutes later, he noticed movement again from the figurehead. That wasn’t where someone would typically take watch from on that ship. With a frown, Bepo stood up and padded to the Tang’s bow and looked across to their allied ship.

Luffy sat on the Sunny’s figurehead, straw hat in hand, looking out toward the sea.

“Straw Hat?” Bepo called softly.

Luffy started then looked over at Bepo. His lips turned up in a feeble smile. “Bear,” he greeted. “Why are you up?”

“Watch.”

Luffy’s lips rounded into an o, and he nodded.

Bepo wondered if Luffy was also on watch, but movement from the crow’s nest—the skeleton—caught Bepo’s eye. If Brook were on watch, then why was Luffy up?

“Are… you okay?” Bepo asked hesitantly, not sure if it was his place to ask.

Luffy looked back at him, and Bepo shoved down the urge to apologize; he was the acting captain of an infamous pirate crew, after all. Luffy studied him for a moment, and Bepo fought not to fidget under the young captain’s scrutiny.

Finally, he let out a breath. “Torao was mad at me after Dressroba. At first.”

Bepo tilted his head, confused by the sudden confession. “Mad at you?”

Luffy shrugged. “He was mad Mingo was still alive.”

Ah. That sounded about right.

“We even got into an argument about it,” Luffy added then huffed a quiet laugh. “Shishishi. We were both so tired and injured that it didn’t last very long, though.”

“Okay…”

“I told Torao that killing Mingo meant he would be doing what Mingo wanted him to do. It would make Torao like him.” He shook his head. “Torao doesn’t think he’s a good person, but he is. And he’s definitely better than Mingo!” he added fiercely.

Bepo felt a surge of affection for Luffy in that moment. He’d long seen the same issues in Law’s self-esteem, and no amount of support from Bepo or Shachi or Penguin or any of their nakama could seem to convince him otherwise. Yet another reason Bepo was thankful Luffy had come into Law’s life.

“He is,” Bepo agreed.

Luffy nodded approvingly at Bepo, which unexpectedly warmed something in Bepo’s chest, before his expression fell. “But Mingo got out and is probably hurting Torao. And it’s my fault. Because I let Mingo live when Torao didn’t want to.” His head drooped. “Torao knew something like this could happen.”

“It’s not your fault, Straw Hat,” Bepo said with conviction. Luffy looked at him in surprise. “The only one to blame is Doflamingo. He’s a sick bastard, and we’re going to find him and we’re going to make him pay. Then he won’t be able to hurt Law or anyone ever again.”

He hoped.

Luffy was silent for a few moments, but then his expression brightened. “You’re right! We’ll do it for sure!” He hopped down from the figurehead with a grin. “Thanks, Bear!”

“Thank you, Straw Hat,” Bepo murmured as he watched Luffy head back inside his ship with a wave to the skeleton in the crow’s nest.

#The plot on this story keeps ballooning on me #Oops? #Trafalgar Law #Monkey D. Luffy #Donquixote Doflamingo #One Piece fic #One Piece fanfic #Caitlin's fic #Bad Things Happen Bingo

[octania]

Obi Akitaru x Reader (NSFW,18+)

This is a commission I did for the sweet @super-spooder​. I appreciate her support in this way greatly and I was so happy that she liked it and she gave me her permission to redo the fic in a “Reader” version. I hope you enjoy it. :)

Word count: 6.7k

Warnings: coworkers falling in love,public sex, dirty talk, creampie,

Short description: You are company’s 8 doctor, and you set your eyes for your captain. You tried to run from your feelings but did not know that the same problem is shattering Captain’s Akitaru heart, who will not stop until he has you in his arms.

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The light shone softly along her irises. I had never seen them up close like this before, because if I had, I wouldn't have stepped away. Nothing divided us anymore, there was nothing between us, not even the air, because I could no longer restrain myself. I will take the opportunity to the end, because maybe I will never get a chance like this again. She spoke once more, I would swear I heard the same thing the first time, but it seemed so unreal, I had to hear it once more. 

“I don’t care about nothing but you. I will risk everything, I am sure of it, just to be with you. ”- the words came from (Y/N) soft lips, that seemed sweet like honey. Now I will finally be able to taste them, she gave me her permission, my feelings did not travel down a one-way road after all.

Obi gasped closer to her lovely face, his hands desperately grabbing at her waist as lungs grabbed the air. At last the facade of false denial cracked and he could set free what he had tried in vain to bury within himself. But the image of (Y/N)’s angelic face began to crack, blurring like turbulent water, letting an unpleasant light cover his vision.

He blinked. Once, twice, absorbing the feeling of rough sheets beneath his half-naked body. The faded wall once again replaced the reflection of his deepest desires, he once more became a slave to his dreams and awoke in the shackles of reality. His jaw clenched, he pulled the covers timidly, turning angrily on his stomach. His eyes were accustomed to the dark and awkward picture of reality, but his heart raced at the thought of returning to a world without her. That is, even worse, the world with her close but  he cannot reach for her, he must not…

His fingers ached from the convulsive grip with which he held the sheets. He reached for her, little by little, ignoring the obstacles that clearly stood there, but something was shutting  him down. She? He could have sworn the blush on her face streaked across her cheeks every time he gave her a restrained lovely word or praise, but why then run away from him after every time she gave him a smile? Why does her voice crack or stutter every time he is close to her or talks to her a little longer? If the truth is so fatal and she does not see him as he sees her?

 In the night when she gets lonely, I wonder does she ever think about me?

The need to be her consolation, her support and the only body touching hers rose in his chest like a powerful storm. Anger and need, longing and pain mingled. It was his weakness from the moment she walked through the door of Company 8. If he had known how much his heart would be devoured by the cold teeth of loneliness, he would have forwarded her employment papers to Company 1. Maybe then he could finally approach her at the level of a human being and not a superior, he would not be burdened by a business relationship, and he would not have to choose what is appropriate and what is not.

 Like it matters?

 As if that would stop him if he only knew she shared his longing.It didn't stop him now, because he had been trying for months. It started innocent at first, from the first day he saw her through the window, approaching their company. How the wind played with the strands of her  hair, how the light shines on the color of her eyes, how she holds herself proudly but still with two feet on the ground. He remembers staring longingly at the young woman. Surprise and adrenaline rushed through his veins as she turned off the street toward the main gate of their building. Just a few seconds later, a couple of light bangs echoed through the hallway as she knocked. He couldn't move, he was mesmerized and confused. He couldn't even get himself to stand when she appeared before his eyes again. Maki cheerfully escorted her to his office.“Here she is! Captain Akitaru, this is our new doctor! ” - she said excitedly, smiling in a welcoming manner to the young woman who had arrived.Her steps were graceful. A dark gray tunic fell over her hips, while her long legs barely gave Obi the opportunity to unglue his eyes from them. She held out her small hand, speaking in a voice that dwells in his most intimate dreams to this day . "My name is (Y/N), it is a pleasure to meet you captain Akitaru." No, he was wrong. He knew from the first moment how much her presence would cost him, but he would not trade his suffering for anything, he would never send her away.     

                       *                       *                         * 

"I will not tell you again lieutenant Hinawa, your eating habits have to change." – (Y/N) anxiously measured lieutenant’s pressure, while at the same time her eyes shifted along the result papers she had just received.

“The food you are consuming has a low fiber and vitamin value, and you push your body to the extreme limits on the missions and working overtime as well. It affects your health, and from your blood results I can clearly see you lack magnesium which explains your migraines, thiamine which is to blame for your sore muscles, and biotin which raises your cholesterol!”-  her voice rose for a few octaves as she read the blood results.

She dropped the pressure gauge on the table unsatisfactorily, forcing Lieutenant Hinawa, who is otherwise known for his icy gaze and stony expression, to be ashamed of his actions. She took a deep breath, her voice now sounding more worried like mother's.

 "I know you work a lot, but you have to take care of yourself. I will prescribe you a couple of vitamins in tablets to improve your state a bit, but you must urgently include the list of foods that I will compile for you in your diet. I don't want your condition to get worse. ”- the devotion she felt for the members of the company could be compared to the mother's instinct when defending her young. She took their health not only seriously, not only as an obligation, but as her purpose, and she only attributed every omission to herself as a mistake. Hinawa lowered his head and squeezed his knees with his hands, making a slight bow as a sign of respect and agreement.

 “Yes doctor (Y/N). I apologize.” - He said humbly like a scolded child. "Hay, you don't have to apologize to me, I just want you to take care of yourself… because if you don't, I will have you force fed carrots and apples, washing it down with orange juice." - she giggled, handing him the prescription. A restrained smile of gratitude appeared on the lieutenant's face as he picked up the prescription, rising from his chair, bowing once more deeply before heading for the door. In the solitude of her office, (Y/N) arched her back against the plastic chair and tilted her head back, closing her eyes. She massaged her tired eyelids with her fingers, thinking how hypocritical it is to scold others about caring for their own health when she is much worse than them. This was her third night that she barely slept, because she was overworking herself.

For breakfast, she had two large cups of coffee with a ton of sugar and a couple of dry crackers, which really wouldn’t even have been a part of her meal if her stomach hadn’t rustled sadly and betrayed her condition.

“So, how is our lieutenant doing? I saw his list of recommended fruits and vegetables, and it really goes forever. ”- a deep male voice made (Y/N) jump out of her chair, almost having a heart attack. She opened her eyes in wonder as she scanned the room for the source of the voice, squeezing her T-shirt on her chest from shock. Her already jumpy heart from the surprise, only pounded even harder against her rib cage when she saw two delicate irises, colored like the whiskey through which the sunlight is shining.

 “Captain Akitaru! I didn’t hear you coming in. ” - she leaned on her legs, nervously fixing the white lab coat on her hips. He shrugged his broad shoulders as he watched her with a calm expression on his face, a gentle smile flickering on his lips. She could feel her cheeks begin to fire up, the air escaping from her lungs and making her breathe faster. She wrapped one arm around her waist, repeating endlessly in her head to calm down. This was happening more and more often.

Her anxiety would come to the surface every time Obi was next to her. Previously, she had managed to cover the corners of her lips, which without her permission automatically curled into a shy smile every time he looked at her. She would bite her lip, clear her throat, and look away. But now, a fleeting smile was the least of the problems. The treacherous red colors constantly painted her face, her pulse exceeded the limits of normal, her tongue twisted and she stammered if she had to talk to him for too long. Shame flooded the inside of her chest as the thought she so desperately wanted to bury pierced the surface, like a flower in growth and spread its petals of truth.

She liked him. She liked him more then she could ever admit or allow to herself.

When she first felt that her devotion and sympathy for the captain transcended the boundaries of respect and turned into something more intimate and personal, for the first time she took a day off. She felt guilty, caged inside something where there was no real way out to freedom, she could only hide along with her secret. All day she pondered the events that had brought her to the brink and pushed her into the abyss of these hidden feelings. She was convinced that the captain's affection for everyone was the same, and when he brought her coffee, asked her about her day, was always there to help her, it was the same thing he would do for anyone else in their company circle, and then she allowed herself to distort his intentions and began to view him as something more than a superior. Like a man. A handsome man with a heart of gold, a look that made her knees shake, shoulders as wide as if he carried the whole weight of the world on them, and a courage that could only be seen in sci-fi superhero movies. From that point on, she began to avoid him, as smoothly and painlessly as she could. She couldn't look him in the eye, she couldn't allow herself to see his gestures as anything more than mere decency.

How blind she really was.

She came to work earlier than anyone, just to keep the hallways empty so she could sneak like a ghost to her office. She went home last, doing the impossible jobs that made her sleepy head fall to the table and force her to sleep for an hour from exhaustion. But somehow that didn't work either. She began to see him in the craziest hours of the morning, while dawn was barely breaking through the dark clouds, sitting in his office from which the door was always open, a gesture showing that anyone could always come in for help or advice, greeting her warmly, beginning even an innocent conversation with her, but she would hastily answer a few words and disappear down the hall. As she went home at a time when the big yellow moon was already standing proudly in the starry sky, she could see his tired face under the lamp of a desk scanning papers or worse, hear the pounding of iron bars coming from their private gym that was literally placed in front of her office. She had to go that way, she had to, there was no other way out. At least she thought so until she tried to sneak out of her office on tiptoe, tapping her black shoes as softly as she could, praying to Sol that her dark clothes would blend in with the shadows in the hallway. But she was wrong.

 Obi’s eyes were like hawks, patiently waiting for the prey to make a move. He had been working out tirelessly for two hours, staying after everyone but her. He knew she would come out last, and that would give him a chance to catch her alone. Maybe that changes something. Maybe if they are alone, something will be different after all.

“(Y/N) I thought you left. ”- an innocent lie. His strong arms lowering the weights next to the bench. Drops of sweat ran down his broad neck over his back. His undershirt clung to his pronounced muscles as if he had just come out of the water. Abs like carved from the stone, moving in waves as he caught his breath.

“C-captain Ak-guitar, I-I..I was just leaving. I am sorry if I disturbed you. ” - as if hypnotized, she followed his wide torso as he approached. His gasps intoxicated her innocent ears, reminding her of the way men breathe when they fuc…..

She couldn't even finish the thought, her lips trembled, there was a hurricane in her head, when her legs rushed down the hall. She could hear his voice echoing down the walls of the hallway, calling to her and asking if everything was okay, but she couldn't stop, she couldn't look at him. Her eyes filled with tears at her weakness. It was the last day she thought the only way out through the door was possible.

 She wanted to make her escape possible at all costs, so the idea of ​​going out or coming in through the window no longer seemed insane at all. She was sneaking behind the building in the early morning, coming to her office window on the ground floor, which she had left open last night, when she ran home through it in the same way as a thief would in the late hours of the night. But even that solution didn't last long, when she made a mistake and didn't look at which cars were packed in the driveway of Company 8. Truth be told, she didn't even blame herself, fatigue squeezed her like a parasite, and her concentration in the morning was zero. She was already halfway up the window, barely dragging her gear with one hand behind her, when she heard a familiar voice.

“Doctor? What in the Sol’s name are you doing? ” - Vulcan watched with his emerald eyes in amazement as (Y/N) barely held on to the window frame, almost falling down on her head when Vulcan called to her.

“Vulcan! Oh I..I .. ”- she turned her head in panic, her cheeks red as a ripe apple.

“I forgot my keys! Yes. I forgot my keys and I didn’t know that there was someone here. ” - she awkwardly shifted inside the building, accidentally dropping equipment that fell under the window.

"Oh. Well you should have knocked, Captain Obi was already in, he could have let you in.”- said Vulcan collecting (Y/N)’s things and slowly adding them to her. 

Of course he is there… ..that is why I am here, making a fool out of myself…

 "Silly me, I guess I need some rest after all." - she scratched the back of her head nervously, bowing to the young man out of gratitude, trying to close the window as soon as possible.

“But..how come the window is open? Is it broken? ” -Vulcan said before (Y/N) closed the window.

 “No! Um..I guess I forgot the close it the night before. ”- she delved deeper into her excuses, realizing more and more how big a problem she is struggling with.

"Don't worry, I'll tell Shinra and Arthur to check every window from now on to make sure they're closed when we leave." - he said with a hearty smile, turning and waving goodbye. She followed him with her eyes for a bit with a sad look of defeat. This was her last idea of ​​how to sneak in and out of the building, and it is now a thing of the past. She would have to face the captain again. A crystal tear danced in the corner of her eye as a rush of emotion passed through her being. She felt cornered, and the only thought that just crossed her mind didn't help. Her heart craved solace, and her brain created the only scenario that could provide it, and that was Obi’s long arms wrapped around her fragile shoulders, hugging her and whispering in her ear that everything was fine and that he was there now. She shook her head as if trying to push that scene as far as she could, opening her eyes. 

No… no… this is not right..I can’t… 

After that day, she decided to deal with her problem head on. Well, at least in some way. She sucked in the raging waves of her desire and tried to keep the encounters with Obi brief, more professional than usual, and above all, public. Always to be around people. She even started to leave her door wide open when there was no patient in, so if she sees him, someone would always pass in the hallways shortly after, and she would give her best to indulge in a conversation with that person, making them to join the two of them. But now, Obi was in her office alone, and he closed the door behind him.

 He did not say anything, he just kept walking in her direction slowly, his eyes the color of dark honey staring in hers, making her take a few steps back when she bumped in the table behind her.

 "H-hinawa will be ok if he follows the list I made him." - she answered nervously, trying not to stutter, exhaling gratefully when Obi stopped a meter away from her.

“I agree, good nutrition is very important. I would like to hear you professional opinion and advice on it. Maybe..you could show me how to properly eat over a dinner. ” - his voice exuded self-confidence, but he could hear the buzzing in his ears from the pressure as blood flowed rapidly through his body as his heart quickly pumped it.

 She can’t misinterpret this.

He thought as he clenched his fists impatiently inside the pockets of his orange fire pants. But he was wrong. She didn’t have to misinterpreted it, she only has to go back to her endless denial and dodge the bullet.

 Dinner… ..? Did he say… .d..dinner?

She could barely stand on her feet when she realized what he had asked her. She lowered her gaze, her hair covered her face as her teeth sank into her bottom lip. 

Is it possible he wants the same thing as I do? Not! Impossible! Even if he wants to, we can't,… we can't… He is my captain, and I am the doctor of this company.

Her heart was now skipping a beat as the panic attack clawed its way up to her very core. She knew if she looked him in the eyes and tried to speak, her voice would break and her tears would fall. She had to run. She had to get out of here. Without even looking up, she slipped between the chair and the table, dodging Obi in a full circle, not turning back, wanting to reach the door quickly. When she grabbed the doorknob, she could feel a glimmer of relief as she deftly directed an answer to Obi, who stood quietly behind her.

“Of course! That is a great idea! I can show everyone tonight at the party we are having! ”- how she managed to forget about it, about one golden ticket that was now in her hands, party where all the members of Company 8 will be, and they will have dinner together. She didn't let him answer, but flew out of the room as if the devils were chasing her. And she was haunted, the darkest demons of her forbidden desires who were now fed with his inappropriate question.

                                     *                     *                    * 

This warm summer night in the company garden was different than usual. It was decorated with shiny little lights in various colors, hanging from the high tree branches, balloons being glued to the doors and some of them lying on the floor on top of the glittery confetti. They dragged two wide tables from the conference room, filling them with paper glasses, hard plastic dishware, various appetizers they ordered from the catering a few blocks away, a cake server sinking into an untouched cake, a big bowl of punch, a few beers, sodas, and a box filled with ice mixed with energy drinks.

From all this choices, (Y/N)’s hand instantly reached for the cooled can of energy drink. She snapped the metal opener, bringing the bubbly liquid to her glossy lips. She hummed when she tasted the beverage, enjoying the waking up sensation it brought to her senses. She turned, viewing all of the company members enjoying their time together. This was her first time celebrating the company’s anniversary with them, and she loved it already.

Arthur and Shinra playing like two little kids, throwing balloons at each other screaming in playful rage, Hinawa picking the vegetables from the metal plates filled with food, honoring his word to the doctor, the girls giggling and commenting how Vulcan is trying his best to tie his tie but keeps falling, blushing and turning so they can’t see, but they just keep fallowing the poor guy around and innocently teasing him. Only one person was missing. She felt a cold sting of panic traveling along her spine. Pushing down the unpleasant feeling, she closed her eyes and counted to ten, trying to convince herself that everything will be just fine. She practiced this at home, for the love of Sol, for hours. After this morning and her talk with Obi, she made her best move in denial yet. Deciding that over thinking it as always will only bring more harm, so she decided to brush it off as a misunderstanding. He must have thought the same thing, the dinner party tonight. That was all she allowed herself to conclude, exhaling slowly and feeling the relaxation take over. But then she opened her eyes, and her heart started racing once more.

 Wearing his official captain’s uniform which consisted of a blue jacket with his medals, a white shirt and a dark blue tie underneath the jacket, and neatly ironed pants with a matching color. His broad shoulders looked even bigger under this fancy clothing, his biceps that did not appreciate being covered stretching the materiel to its limits, and his muscular chest standing even more out under that white shirt.

(Y/N) knew her cheeks were rosy already, as she swallowed the saliva that accumulated in her mouth, trying to calm her hands from shaking and greet the captain properly. She tried to bow, but a warm feeling on her shoulder that was exposed because of her strapless cocktail dress and a firm but gentile pressure made her stand back up straight. Obi’s palm was now resting on her delicate skin, not moving it even after he made his point about No need to bow thing.

 “(Y/N)..you look..lovely.”- he said every word slowly, carefully, like he himself is trying to get accustomed to them. He wanted to say so much more, but even with his new born bravery and dedication of accepting how he feels about her, he knew they were not alone and from what he gathered, (Y/N) only got more agitated when he tried to approach her in front other members. When they are alone, she runs, but when others are around, she is clearly upset. He pulled his hand back, hating the feeling of removing his skin from hers.

“Thank you Captain.”- she said restrainedly, again lowering her gaze, searching for the coverage of her hair falling over her face. She was trying to think of a way to end this conversation fast, excuse herself and go away to find safety by talking to someone else, but before she could muster any good ideas, Obi’s body got closer, almost towering over her. She rose her eyes quickly, widening them in shock as her eyes were locked on his, his face now inches away. Everything happened almost in slow motion, in her head this lasted for hours, when it was only for a brief moment, when he leaned, brushing his chest on her arm, reaching for a cup of punch on the table behind her. She did not even notice what he was actually doing, the closeness was too much for her. Her anxiety was through the roof, her breath shallow, and her mind blank when his enchanting perfume intoxicated her senses. All alarms in her head started screaming and echoing in her head, her feet shivering as she choked on her own whines. How weak he made her, how insanely fragile to his presence. She could not bear it, this fight in a ring can only be won by one and it is always him. She needed to escape once again, as her eyes filled with tears.

“Excuse me.”- a muffled sound escaped her lips as she rushed past him, dodging the gaze of everyone in the garden and walking as fast as she could to the bathroom. 

 She splashed cold water on her flustered face. The pea-sized drops rushed down her cheek to her neck, as (Y/N) shivered under the icy feeling.  Her hands gripped the edge of the sink, as the salty tears now combined with water on her skin, mildly covering her real state. This got out of hand, she knew it from the moment she started to giggle and feel butterflies in her stomach every time he spoke to her. She should have dealt with it right then and there, not let it go so far that she can’t stand being around him no more. Nothing stings harder than forbidden love, and at least now she can admit it to herself, speak plainly in her own mind. She will have to quit, leave this place and these people she already considered family behind just to spare them of her unprofessional behavior and her betrayal, falling for a man that is her commander.   

This is how it is meant to be…there is nothing I can do about it no more…it is written in the stars..

She could swear in that moment her heart broke in half. She could feel the meat of the muscle that gives you life slowly splitting in the middle. 

“Why do you always run away?”- a deep whisper echoed the on the bathroom tiles.  In that voice pain was hearable, deepness of the emotion that was buried somewhere for too long. (Y/N) turned just to face him once again, but this time she had no strength for pretending, she just turned her head to hide her tears and said in a whiny voice:

“Please Captain, I want to be alone.”- seeing her like this made Obi almost lose the ground under his feet. His protective instinct made him rush to her, but just before his reaching hand touched her, he stopped, realizing that his sudden movements made this to happen. He tried but never actually said it out load, to be clear. He took a deep breath, fighting the need to wrap his hands around her fragile body and hold her tight until the first morning light comes, shows her how he wants to be the one who protect her from harm, not the one causing it. 

“The truth is, I am not feeling well lately..so I need your help.” – hearing this words from him made something in (Y/N) to snap.  Her doctor side drilled its way up to the surface and concern for his well being took the lead. She turned, facing him with her cheeks painted with dark stains of her mascara.

“What happened? Are you in pain? When did it start?”- she started to check him with her eyes, looking for some kind of a injury, but there was nothing.

“You can’t see it from outside..It started 10 months ago, one morning, and I’ve been worse ever since. I’ve been distracted, and I can’t do it no more.”- he said clenching his fists. Her vision got blurry from the tears still being in there, but they did not fall. She listened, squeezing her lips in a straight line. 

“I am in love with you, (Y/N). From the moment you took a turn on the street and walked in our company.” – his tensed muscles suddenly relaxed, like a huge weight have been lifted of his shoulders.

 “I need to know do you feel the same, because I can’t stand to see you dodging me with any chance you got. Don’t think I did not notice. If you don’t want me, I will sto…”

“It is not that I don’t want it! I just..We..we can’t..”- her voice shattering like glass, barely managing to finish her sentences.

 “Why?! Why do you think we can’t?”- Obi tried to stay calm, but being unable to hold her close, and hearing that she feels the same way but is denying it , got him close to the edge.

 “Because you are my captain, and I am your subordinate! It is unethical! No one would understand!”- she screamed, unleashing the suffering she held inside, the opinion that tortured her, the fear of the judgment from others.

 “So?! That are only useless titles! Worthless positions!”- he took one step closer unnoticed, slowly  narrowing the space between them.

 “No one would approve…I am not the one for you.”- she sniffled, trying to wipe away the rolling tears with a shaking hand, again crumbling under the feeling of a breaking heart.

“Because you are the one for me, I am willing to risk everything else. I don’t care if I have to resign, I don’t care what people would say…only thing I do care about it you.”- this time he knew it was not a dream, and there is nothing that could hold him back now. His hands landed on her thin waist, pulling her on him. She gasped as she crashed on his chest, feeling so small and fragile under him. 

“Capt..”- her words have been shushed when his lips crashed on hers. The hungry mouth kissed her like she was his food and water and he was walking starved in the desert for decades. (Y/N) had her eyes half opened, looking how angelic face holds the expression of relief and happiness, the feelings that now consumed him when he finally tasted his forbidden fruit. His soft lips shifted on hers, opening them slowly as his tongue started to explore her mouth, finding hers and traveling along its surface, starting an erotic dance between their mouths. She let herself go, feeling how her feet became numb, her body screaming for him and wants to pull his huge one closer like a magnet. His wide palms shifted along her waist, squeezing it, exploring her shape along her back and down to her hips, sinking his fingers in the tender flesh.

“O-obi.”- she moaned between kisses, sinking her nails in his chest, feeling how adrenaline flows through her, giving herself to him to the fullest. His hands sifted a bit more, cupping her ass and lifting her up on the sink, opening her legs with his knee and shattering the space between them once more and he pushed himself on her.

“I want you (Y/N). I need you.” – he whispered, kissing her jaw, licking his way down to her collarbone. She moaned his name wrapping her thighs around him. His fingers found their way to the zipper of her dress along her ribs, pushing it down slowly. But before he lowered it, he tilted his head up, gazing at her, looking for permission. She blinked with her dark lashes, as she nodded , biting her lip. He gripped her with more force, barely controlling his wild desire. He bit the materiel of her cocktail dress, pulling it down from her bust. A dark lace bra without stripes held her tits with little force, making them almost fall out without him even touching them, but he did not plan to wait for that to happen. He unbuckled the buckle in the middle, releasing her breasts.

 Seeing her big soft flesh bare in front of him made his hardened member swell a bit more. He placed her delicate nipple between his teeth ,pulling slowly then mending it with his kiss and tongue, while the other breast was squeezed with his hand. He played with the doughy flesh, making his fingers skin deep in and his grip got harder, placing the nipple between his fingers and pinching it, making (Y/N) to cry out his name while he was working both of her nipples with his talent.

She tasted good as she smelled. The minty scent  filled his nostrils, making him inhale more deeply to catch every bit of it. The sensitive nipples were somehow sweet, brushing against the smooth surface of his tongue. He sucked harder, lifting the other one he had in his hand and pulling the delicate spot in the same time as he bit the other nipple. (Y/N) felt her juices soaking her black thong, how her fingers intertwined with his dark brown hair , pulling him closer, wanting him to devour her more. But he was hungry for something else. Still massaging her breast, he lowered his head down, kissing along her belly while pulling her dress down off her with his free hand. The lower he got, the wider did (Y/N) spread her legs.

Her sexual instinct made her open up for him like a flower bud, giving him access to her most intimate parts. He waste no time, removing the panties to the side, letting the heat of her soaked hole hit his face. He licked his lips on the sight ahead, slowly gathering the icing from her folds with the tip of his tongue. When she felt his tender muscles playing around her pussy, she cried out louder, giving her best to stay at least a bit quiet, but he did not make that job easy. He stuck his tongue deeper between her folds, licking her slit up and down, growling quietly from the satisfaction.

 “You are delicious…much better than how I dreamed you would be..”- he murmured before shoving his tongue inside her, pumping it in as deep as he could reach, while teasing her clit with his index finger, pushing the nerve button tenderly as he fucked her with his tongue, while the juices smeared around his lips.

“D-Don’t say such things…”- she said biting on her knuckles, trying to suppress the lewd sounds coming from her mouth.

 “But you are (Y/N). Your little pussy taste so good. I want to eat it whole.”- he whispered, as his voice sent vibrations along her delicate flesh, making her legs shiver. She could feel the tension building in her stomach, the feeling of sweet release coming closer. He sucked in her pussy lips along with her clit before shoving his tongue back between her velvety walls, returning both of his hand to her tits, pinching her nipples and pulling them hard. Her climax kicked in and she covered her mouth to hide the whiny sound of her orgasm, but Obi was quicker, grabbing her wrists and pulling them off her mouth.

“No. I want to hear you cum (Y/N).”-he twisted her nipple lightly, grabbing the whole breast with it and massaging it in fast motions while he licked her clit, making the electric feeling take over her body as she came and screamed his name as loud as she could. Her head started falling down, but Obi was ready to catch her, picking her up once more and carrying her to the wall. He pinned her bare back on the cold tiles, as the icy feeling against her skin get her a bit more concentrated after that wild orgasm.

 “I will fuck you now baby.”- he pressed his lips on her, as she heard a sound of him unzipping his pants. She did  not even have the chance to see what was coming, when she felt a light sting between her legs. She tried to relax her muscles to make the huge thing come in smoothly, but even that and her juices did not help. Obi’s rock hard length stretched her like nothing before, barely managing to fit in. She buried her head in his muscular shoulder as he continued to slowly push it.

“You are so tight baby..Fuck..”- he forced his way in, enjoying the clenching of her inner walls around his throbbing cock.

 “O-obi …it is too big.”-she gasped for air, feeling overly opened.

  “You are doing great baby..”- he whispered before jerking his hips upward, filling her to the end with his dick. His base hit her folds, as he stand still for a moment to let her get used to his size, then he started moving. Rocking his hips back and forth, harder, making (Y/N) to scratch his back under his shit while she moaned uncontrolably. 

“Damn…you are perfect…you have no idea how many times I imagined this..how long  I waited..”- he gasped his words, hitting hard between her shaky legs, as her lower back slammed on the tiles. He grabbed her ass cheeks and slammed her on his dick while he still drilled his way in, in the same time, lowering his head and starting sucking on her tits, leaving reddish marks all over her bust, sucking the flesh with passion, making his way down to her nipple, just to suck on it as he did on  now swollen places before. 

His thrust became shallow, faster, as he chased his orgasm. His fast hits just made her already overly stimulated clit to send more electric waves along her spine, filling her with another adrenaline rush, going back down to her lower parts and she felt she will cum one more time. The tone of her voice became higher, as she pulled him closer with her thighs. His stone hard biceps tensing as he murmured her name in her ear.

“Fuck..I will..I will cum (Y/N).”- he murmured around her nipple as he slammed wildly in her cunt, making the last hit harder than any before, nailing her to the wall as he filled her with his cum. She felt the warm feeling in the lower part of her belly, knowing how he is pumping her womb with his sperm. He pulled out gently, still holding her on the wall. His seductive smile and gentile eyes now focused on her, brushing his nose on hers.

“Please, never run away from me again. “- he asked, voice filled with emotions.

 “I won’t.”- she said with teary eyes. His soft lips once again found hers, locking this promise and rewriting the faith written in the stars. 

#Fire force #Obi akitaru #enen no shouboutai #obi akitaru x reader #fire force #obi akitaru

[is-that-another-soulmate-au]

Sun Touched Zuko AU!!

Tag list @chaoticidiott @mypureessence @fae-tales-personal

This won't be a soulmate AU but it will be Zukka for sure.

Zuko was born sick, so sick in fact that he was going to die. His mother prayed to Agni that he would live, prayed that the sun spirit would save her first born son. In the gardens she held him up to the Setting sun pleading. The suns rays caught in the amber stone on top of the alter set for worship and moved to Zuko's eyes. His hair changed from solid black to a golden blonde, he opened eyes and began to cry. He was touched by the Sun and lived.

Ursa couldnt have been more happy, her son was alive. "My little sunshine" she whispered with tears rolling down her cheeks as she held him close and rocked him in her arms.

When Ozai saw his son's golden hair he demanded that it be dyed black, but was willing to compromise when Ursa suggested they wait until he turns 5 so that the dyes don't harm him.

The first time they dyed his hair he asked his mom why, his bright molten eyes looking at her with confusion "because your father wants you to feel safer my sunshine, people will stare at you with that bright shining hair of yours"

"Oh, okay" was his only response that day. He never questioned it anymore when they touched up his roots weekly.

After his mother left him he felt alone in the world, his dad still staining his golden hair each week with more and more ink. All the while berating him when he couldnt control his fire well. Even with being touched by the spirit and having powerful fire he couldnt manage to control it, couldnt understand how to. Until master Piandou taught him swords and he applied his teachings to his fire.

The first time he used his swords to control the fire Piandou was more than impressed "Prince Zuko! That was amazing!"

"Thank you Master, thinking of the swords as an extension helped me control the flames better" his smile soon faded when his father appeared

"Yes, great work Zuko, I am pleased to see you have learned how to control your flames, however mixing these arts in this fashion is unacceptable. Come with me"

After that he wasn't allowed back at Piandou's unless he was accompanied by either his father, or an advisor to make sure he practiced correctly.

On the day of his fated Agni Kai Zuko had just gotten his roots retouched before entering the war meeting. When his father burnt him for speaking out of term his tears felt like lava running down his cheeks. He could smell the fresh dye burning and it hurt his lungs.

His Uncle immediately took him under his wing when he was banished "Zuko, my star," his Uncle pleaded when they were at the western airtemple "i need to dress your wound, the sun spirit would not want you to lose your eye"

Zuko reluctantly let his Uncle clean and dress his wound several times on their travels until it healed and scarred over. When it finally healed over Iroh smiled "there you go sunshine" he said as he wiped the tears forming in Zuko's good eye away "do not cry Prince Zuko, you are safe"

He still dyed his roots every week to uphold his place as prince. He did not know that his golden hair was his own symbol or royalty, that the sun chose him. Sure he knew the sun saved him, but he could not understand that it was because he was chosen.

When he arrived at the South pole and discovered the Avatar, he felt a breath of relief wash over him. He was going home, but he heavily underestimated the Avatar's abilities and lost him.

Soon he started a cat and mouse game with the monk and his two southern water tribe friends. After the northpole he slacked on dying his hair, not because he didnt want to, he simply didn't have the resources to do so. So his roots started to grow in gold.

"Well your looking golden Zuzu" Azula's voice startled Zuko when he walked into the hut they were staying in.

"Azula, what are you doing here" he glared at his younger sister

"You know, im my country. We greet one another before asking questions" she responded coldly "i was just passing through"

"To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit Princess Azula?" Iroh piped into the conversation

"No wonder you two click, always so quick and to the point. Father sent me, family is suddenly very important to him." She turned her head to look out the window "father regrets your banishment. He wants you home"

Zuko was frozen in place "father regrets?"

"I can see you need time to think this through, ill be by to collect you in the morning" Azula smiled softly before a flash of worry flashed on her face for a split second as she walked out the door.

When Azula's true intentions were revealed Zuko and Iroh managed to flee from her and her soldiers. When they stopped at the river to cut their hair Zuko looked at Iroh when he watched the inky hair fall into the river "your gold hair will conceal your identity fairly well my nephew"

"Yeah, it'll hide me pretty well" nobody had seen Zuko with his golden hair before. He hadnt seen his hair fully gold since age five.

On their travels his hair grew fairly fast now that it wasnt being dyed so often. It would catch the eye of several earth kindom citizens when he passed through towns. When he and Iroh were sitting against a building with a hat in front of them a young woman approached them and slipped a few gold pieces in "I know this might sound creepy, and I'm only asking this because I cannot resist. But may I kiss your hair sir? You can say no, I won't take my money back."

Zuko flushed a light shade of pink and scratched the back of his head "uhm, s-sure?" He mumbled out and leaned his head towards her. She placed a tender almost motherly kiss to the top of his head.

"Oh, your hair is so beautiful sir, it's like a million rays of sun. I wish you luck, i can only spare a little but if you'd take these small meals Im sure they'd help you" she said while offering two wrapped meals

They accepted and thanked her with small bows "what a nice young lady, huh?" Iroh said and nudged Zuko's arm

"Yeah, she was very nice"

When Zuko and Iroh found Azula and Aang battling in an abandoned earth town Azula pointed out his hair "wow Zuzu! You look just like a star! Where'd all that ink go?" When the fight ended and Iroh was injured Zukos cheeks felt like magma was pouring from his eyes.

"Zuko, I can hel-" Katara approached them

"LEAVE!" Zuko cried out, turning to Katara with golden tears running down his face.

While on the Ferry to Ba Sing Se Zuko was angry, not angry at anyone or anything in particular, he was just angry. "Hey" the voice of a man at his right side broke his brooding "names Jet"

"Lee" Zuko muttered out how cover name

"Yknow Lee, I hear the captain is eating like a king while we're stuck eating all his left overs" he paused "want to help me... liberate some food rations?"

It didn't take much to convince Zuko to join him. They liberated the food quickly without getting caught. Zuko found himself wandering the the front of the lower deck, leaning on the railing. "You know, as soon as I saw your scar, I knew exactly who you were" he paused as he approached Zuko "youre a refugee, like me. Thing is though, I've never seen hair like yours, let along your eyes."

Jet reached out and brushed Zuko's hair out of his face. "The freedom fighters could use a starlight like you, what do you say?"

Zuko smacked Jets hand away gently "thanks, but no thanks, you don't want me on your team, trust me"

In Ba Sing Se Iroh and Zuko made a life for themselves. They managed to have their own tea shop and apartment. Things were doing great, until Zuko went after the Avatar's bison, mind you he went there originally to take the bison captive, but when he saw that the creature was hurt he sheathed his swords and removed his mask, letting his golden hair free as he approached the bison "hey buddy, are you okay?" His voice was much softer than usual "oh no, here let me help you, this is going to hurt and I'm sorry, but I need to pull out this thorn" he talked to him the whole time he was pulling out thorns, gently rubbing the fur near it to sooth him.

When he pulled all of the thorns out he took out his swords "alright buddy, dont worry about the swords, im going to use them to cut you out of these chains, shhh its okay, you're okay" he continued to talk him through each of the six shackles "there we go big guy, now you need to get out of here, go find your friends- ah! Hey!" Appa knocked him over and gave him a thanks with a big sloppy dog like lick across his torso and face before taking off.

"You did well my nephew" Zuko shot up at his uncle's voice

"Uncle?" His startled voice wavered

"Now lets get you out of here and back home." And that they did.

When they made it back to their apartment Zuko felt dizzy, he held his head in his hand "I dont feel good" he managed to get out before collapsing and breaking a vase

"Zuko!" Iroh shouted as he rushed to his nephew to make sure he didnt hurt himself on any broken glass.

In his Angst coma Sokka heard his mother singing

"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me Happy! When skies are grey. You'll never know dear, how much I love you, so please don't hide my sunshine away"

His sisters voice mocked his hair "youre hair makes you look like a dandelion, a weed can't take the throne!" Her cackling filled his ears.

There was a blinding light and a woman appeared with flowing gold hair and bright fire eyes "my dear star, why do you let yourself hurt so much?"

"I don't, who are you?"

"I'm Agni my dear, you do know I chose you right?"

"Why?"

"You are special my dear, your mother made sure to get my attention and I am so glad she did" the woman spoke as she placed her hand on his cheek. Filling him with the image of her reaching out to kiss his eyes as a baby. "You are meant for great things little star." Her voice faded as she herself did

He soon woke from his coma with a fresh breath. Taking charge in making sure his Uncle's tea shop did well, and helping him where he could. However Azula soon found them and summoned them to the palace under the guise of serving tea to the king. Things didnt end well and Zuko was thrown into a cave beneath the City with Katara.

"Why would they throw you in here!" Her angry and hurt voice filled his ears as he tried not to make her feel more uncomfortable by staying as far from her as possible.

when she mentioned her mother he turned around and spoke "thats something we have in common"

"What?"

"My mother was my only source of safety... she was the only one who defended me against my sister and my father. And one day my father was ordered to... do something terrible and my mother protected me somehow, I dont know what happened but when I was half awake she told me goodbye and when I fully woke up she was gone."

When they were separated and Azula had Iroh trapped she approached "Zuko, nows your chance to come home. Help me defeat the avatar and you can come home. Without inking your hair. Isnt this what you've always wanted? You'll have your honor back, you'll have fathers love back"

And despite all he had gone through he still chose the path of returning to his father. When he did return his father wanted to dye his hair but Azula spoke up against it "father, if I may. Zuko's hair is a symbol of the fire goddess Agni, if he were to take the thrown it'd be best to show that she has chosen him"

"Yes, that is true. Alright, off with you two"

Reuniting with Mai wasnt smooth, she confessed to him that her and Ty Lee connected and while he was saddened he just smiled "I'm glad you two are with eachother, you work well"

On the day of Black sun, with the information he had learned from Iroh and armed with the fact that his father was practically powerless without his bending. He approached him.

"Zuko, what are you doing here?"

"Im here to tell the truth"

Ozai let out a snort "telling the truth during an eclipse?" He waved off his gaurds "what do you have to say"

"First of all, Azula lied to you, she was the one who shot down the avatar"

"What?! Why would she lie about that?"

"Because the avatars not dead, he's probably leading this invasion right now"

"Get out! Get out if you know what's good for you!"

"Thats another thing, I'm not taking orders from you anymore"

"You will obey me or face the consequences!" As Ozai stood Zuko drew his dual swords and took a stance

"Think again. I am going to speak my mind and you are going to listen"

He went on to question his father "you knew Agni chose me as a child and that was the reason my hair turned gold. You knew this and yet you hid that from the world, you darkened my hair for years, and you have the gull to tell me I was lucky to be born. You! The tyrannical leader set out to destroy the world. you! My own father challenged me to an Agni Kai just for speaking out of term, how could you possibly justify a duel with a child!"

"It was to teach you respect!"

"It was cruel and it was wrong"

"Then you have learned nothing!"

"No! I've learned everything, and I've had to do most of it on my own" he paused "Growing up we were taught that the war was our nations way of spread joy, what an incredible lie that was, the other nations don't love us, they fear us, and they are right to fear us, we've brought the world to an era of hate and suffering, now we need to fill it with one of peace and joy"

"Your uncle has gotten to you hasnt he" Ozai laughed

"Yes, he has, and I've come to another decision, im going to join the avatar, and im going to help him take you down."

After announcing this he turned to leave but stayed to learn about what happened to his mother

"She's alive?" He said in a soft voice as a single golden tear rolled down his cheek

"Perhaps," Ozai paused "now i see that banishment is far too small of a punishment for treason" he said as he gathered lightning and shot it at Zuko who quickly redirected it right back at him before escaping.

After finding that Iroh had broken out of prison Zuko fled the firenation in a small war ballon and followed the Avatar's Sky bison to the western air temples. Their first encounter didn't go so well and he managed to burn Toph's feet but after helping them defeat the assassin and managing to form his words more properly and giving a genuine apology to Toph he was on the team.

Some time after joining and managing to break Sokka's dad, Suki and Chit Sang out of prison they were all sitting around the fire. "So.. uhm Zuko" Aang started

Zuko turned to look at him "yeah?"

"I have to ask, pretty bunch nobody in the firenation has golden blonde hair right?" Zuko absentmindedly ran his fingers through his hair at the question

"Yeah, and when you were first chasing us your hair was black, whats up with that?" Sokka added

"Oh, uh, well my hair was always dyed black because my father doesn't like my gold hair..." he paused "when I was born, I was sick, so sick that my parents thought I was going to die. But my mother pleaded with Agni to spare me, she took me to the sun worship alter in the palace gardens at sunset and held me up, pleading. When the last ray of light from Agni, my hair turned golden and I began to cry. So, in a sense the sun gave me my life"

"Like Yue!" Sokka piped up

"Like who?"

"Princess Yue! She was born sick just like you, and the moon spirit saved her. Well, she's the moon spirit now"

"Woah woah wait, is this the girlfriend you said turned into the moon?"

"Yep!"

"Well, just don't go falling for Zuko now, dont want to have your first boyfriend turn into the sun" Suki teased him

"Hey, at least I'd have a full set of spirit lovers"

Zuko's face turned beet red and the group laughed at him. Over the next few weeks of them being in close quarters Zuko found that he was growing feelings for the water tribe boy. Anytime he'd look at him he felt his stomach do a flip. But he didnt have time to think about his feelings.

Even though the sun touched prince tried not to think about Sokka on the mission with Katara, he couldn't help it. When they were returning Katara piped up "I know you like him" she paused to watch his surprised face "its okay you know, its fine if you like him. I dont have like you to let my brother like you. I may be cold to you but im not a monster like your father" she tied off the sentence by staring off "and besides, if Agni chose you, I think you would be safe for Sokka"

When they got back he heard sokka shout "You're back! Thank La youre safe!" Turning to Katara he expected to see Sokka running to hug his sister. Instead he was tackled to the ground with a hug from Sokka "how did it go Katara?" He asked from the ground while quite literally snuggling into Zuko with this hug that was still very much happening.

"I found him, and he was just so pathetic, i couldnt kill him"

Sokka then stood up and helped Zuko to his feet and placed a quick sneaky kiss to his cheek before moving to hug his sister, leaving Zuko frozen in confusion. He remained frozen until Suki came up to him "he's trying to confess silently, he's weird like that, corner him later if you want to hear an actual confession"

He however didn't manage to corner the now seemingly overly flirty blue boy until they were at ember Island. It wasnt until just before bed when Sokka was walking past Zuko's bedroom door. He reached out grabbed Sokka's shirt and yanked him into the room before slamming the door shut and pinning him to it. "What are you doing?"

"Wh-what do you mean? You're the one who dragged me into your room, what are you doing?"

"Dont play dumb with me Sokka, you've been flirting with me since I got back from my trip with your sist-"

"Actually ive been flirting with you since the temples, you just didn't notice until I kissed you"

"You mean until you missed"

"What?"

Zuko smirked "you missed" he mumbled before leaning closer "you went for a kiss but you missed"

They ended up spending the night sharing a room and a bed. When the morning sun peaked through the windows Zuko curled back into sokka who in turn pulled him closer. Both refusing to wake up until Katara knocked on the door and opened it "breakfast is ready, if you two love birds want some warm food you better hury and I better not see any hickeys"

"Ugh! Katara we just cuddled!" Sokka said as he burried his face in Zuko's hair.

Katara simply laughed "alright, but still, hury up."

When the day of the comet came and Zuko had to separate from Sokka he saw the worry in his blue eyes "Ive got this Sokka, Agnj chose me remembe, besides, I've got Katara with me and she's powerful" he placed a quick kiss to Sokka's lips "go take down those ships, and I'll see you by the timd the sun rises tomorrow."

And he was right, even though he was shot with lightning and Sokka broke his leg they both came out of the battle alive and together. When Zuko woke up to find Sokka curled up against him he smiled and let out a soft breath of pink fire. Relief.

"Woah, do that again" Sokka's groggy 'just woke up' voice rumbled against his shoulder

"Sorry I didn't mean to wake you, do you mean this?" He let out another breath of fire, this time a pale purple

"I didn't know you could do other colors of fire"

"Well, I couldn't until I went to the sunwarriors, Agni spoke to me there"

After Zuko's Coronation the firenation began righting their wrongs. It was a long struggle for sure. However two years into his reign with Sokka having practically moved in he found that he would soon have a partner to help him through these struggles.

The day had only just begun but Sokka was dragging Zuko to the turtleduck pond where they often sat together to simply relax. Sokka seemed a little antsy this time though "what's wrong Sokka?"

"Uhm, well, I have something I need to ask you," he paused and reached into his pocket while sinkning down to one knee. Zuko's breath caught in his throat as he saw Sokka pull out a betrothal becklace, the band was made with a fine red silk and the center piece was gold with a carving of a sun with a wave inside of it. "Zuko," he took a shaky breath "you've been by my side for two years now, you've held my hand through war and peace, quite literally, and you've done so while loving me whole heartedly. I can't imagine my life without you in it." Zuko could feel golden tears threatening to fall fram his molten eyes "Zuko, will you marry me?"

"Yes!" He heard himself responding before he could even think "Agni, yes Sokka, of course I'll marry you!"

Sokka moved from his kneeling position to lifting Zuko up into a kiss, holding him right under his rear. Zuko held his face in his hands as he pressed his lips to Sokka's as he was lifted up quite unceremoniously.

Once he was set down Sokka helped him put on the betrothal necklace. He reached up to touch the Golden pendant and smiled up at Sokka with gold tears falling down his cheeks.

Their marraige was held not long after, joining the southern water tribe and the firenation in a strong Union with a mixed culture wedding blues, silvers, reds and golds filled the wedding and reception as well as suns and moons.

Agni smiled down on the wedding that day, her chosen sunshine found his moon.

Yue smiled on them that night as they stood on the balcony holding one another. The boy who protected her finally found his light.

>Woo boy that was a long one! I sure hope you enjoyed it!<

#RayMakesSoulmates #ray of sunshine #prince zuko #sokka x zuko #zuko #zukka #atla zuko #ambassador sokka #sokka #atla sokka #avatar sokka #sunrise #sunchild #agni kai #fanfic #wedding #marraige #princess yue #katara #atla aang #avatar aang #aang #avatar the last airbender #avatar: tla #avatar: the legend of aang #avatar: the last airbender

[rosiehunterwolf]

For the Romping and the Roaring- Part 3

My submission for Day 3 of @serpentfever's Inhuman Event!

Link to read on ffn.net (Recommended if you are on mobile or haven't read the previous parts yet)

Preview:

Dammit, this was all his fault! He was so pathetic, how had he let this happen?

The hairs on the back of his neck tingled, and he glanced up and caught sight of Borg standing outside his cell, staring at him.

“You almost messed up everything, you brat. I’m not going to forget that.”

The pain increased again, and Kai screamed, feeling his eyes roll back in his head as blackness swamped at the edges of his vision.

“Turn it down, I don’t want him passing out.”

The pain dropped suddenly, and Kai gasped in relief, tears streaming down his face. It wasn’t gone completely, though- there was still a faint buzzing emitting from the collar- not enough to be painful, but enough to put him on edge.

Enough to remind him that he wasn’t the one in control here.

(Full chapter under the cut)

Prompts Used: Chase, Dehumanized

Word Count: 9,206 (welp we're back to browser-crashing length again)

Rating: Definitely T, maybe like T+

Trigger Warnings: Dehumanization (obviously), Imprisonment, Torture, Attempted Murder, Drugs, Blood, Depression, Suicidal Thoughts (yeah… this one’s pretty heavy, guys. Probably the darkest thing i've ever written...)

Consciousness came slowly, as if the air around him was thick and sticky. A metallic tang filled his mouth, and his limbs felt weighted and heavy. Everything hurt, and Kai wanted nothing more than to just fall back into the comfort of sleep, but his head was throbbing too much to do so. Breathing slowly, he opened his eyes.

At first, he just saw more darkness, and he wondered if he had even opened his eyes at all. After a few minutes of just staring at the ceiling, though, enough light made its way to his eyes that he could make out the long, steel bars that made up the far wall. Shackles dug into his wrists, the chain only giving him enough room to move his hands up to a foot apart, and another restraint, around his right ankle, was attached to a chain a couple yards long that tied him to where it was bolted to the floor in the corner. His muzzle was gone, although there was a leather band strapped around his throat, almost like some sort of collar. The cell was completely empty except for a toilet in the corner, and a sorry excuse for a mattress against the back wall.

Groaning, he raised his hands and rubbed his face, slowly pulling himself into a sitting position. Immediately, fluid rushed into his throat, and he choked, spitting and sending blood splattering all over the concrete. Running his tongue against the roof of his mouth, he felt the puncture wounds and realized that he must’ve bit down on it sometime when he had been unconscious. Coughing up the rest of the blood, he forced himself to breathe slowly, trying to ignore his stinging tongue.

When he had gotten his bearings a little better, he squinted, peering through the bars. In the cell across from him, Nya laid sprawled out on the floor, her chest rising and falling steadily as she slept. There was a nasty cut across her forehead, blood dripping into her eyes. Kai tasted the air, trying to catch the scent of any other injuries she might’ve had, but the scent of his own blood flooded his nostrils, blocking out anything else.

Against the back wall of the room, between their two cells, was the other occupied cell, where Lloyd was curled up on his mattress, the ashy gray color stained red beneath where his injured leg was stretched out. His chains were similar to the ones Kai and Nya had, although a significant amount shorter, so he could hardly even move around the cell.

Forcing himself to jerk his gaze away, he looked in the other direction. A few more cells stretched down the hallway, but they were all empty.

They were utterly alone.

The only sign of life in the place was the thin crack of light from underneath the door at the end of the hallway. Apart from that, though, the room was pitch black.

Kai leaned back against the wall with a huff. He had really done it now, hadn’t he? Gotten them all thrown in prison- they were likely either going to die or be kept here for the rest of their lives. There was no way that Borg would ever give them any freedom again, now that they knew too much.

There really was no escaping this one, was there?

Augh, if only him and Nya hadn’t had that stupid argument, they would be safe, back with the others right now.

Kai wondered how long they had been here. Had the others noticed their absence yet? Would they try to come after them?

As much as he wanted to be saved, wanted Nya and Lloyd to be safe, he really hoped they didn’t. The last thing he needed right now was the others being thrown in here with them. He hoped they ran far, far, away and never came back.

Kai wished for nothing more than to be back with them now, to feel one of Cole’s strong hugs, or Zane’s comforting presence, or even to hear one of Jay’s horrible jokes.

Kai buried his face in his knees and cried.

He just wanted to go home.

A soft moan sounded from across the room. “...Kai?”

Kai lifted his head briefly, meeting Nya’s tired, scared expression. “What?”

“What happened? Where are we?”

“Borg found us. He’s keeping us prisoner.” He lowered his face back into his knees, not even having the strength to hold his neck up anymore.

“Have you seen him yet? Borg?”

“No.”

“Have you spoken to anyone yet? Has anyone come down here?”

“No.”

Sensing the frustration in his tone, Nya fell silent. He heard the rattle of chains as she paced around the cell. For a long time, that was the only sound he heard, and after a while, he laid, face up, on his mattress, the sound of the chains the only thing reminding him that he wasn’t alone down here.

It could’ve been minutes or hours later when a noise sounded from the other side of the room. Kai sat up, glaring.

The door on the far end swung open, and light washed into the room. Kai threw his arms over his face, hissing at the brightness of it. After only a moment, though, the light faded, and Kai lowered his arms to see the door had been shut again. Flashlights clicked on, shining down the hall, and Kai squinted, catching sight of two trainers, and a vet, none of whose names Kai could remember.

With them, was Borg.

Nya growled at him, gripping the bars of her cell. “What do you want with us?”

“What I wanted was for you to do as you were told,” Borg told her, shining the light in her eyes, “but you just had to go and mess that up, didn’t you.”

Nya blinked furiously at the harsh light, but didn’t back down. “You wanted us to stand by and do nothing as you killed Lloyd?”

“Certain words are not meant for certain ears, dear. You two shouldn’t have been there that night. You really did make things much, much more complicated than they needed to be.”

“Why did you do it,” Kai snapped. “Why did you ever shelter us in the first place if all you were going to do was kill us?”

“Not you,” Borg corrected. “Only the boy. He messed everything up. The rest of you were supposed to be incredibly useful.”

“Stop dodging the question.”

“Boy, I am not dodging anything.” He turned his flashlight’s beam on Kai, his face suddenly looking a lot more threatening than Kai had ever seen it. “You are the one avoiding the truth here. I didn’t ‘take you in’ from anywhere. I made you. You and your mutant friends are nothing more than a lab experiment.”

Kai fell back from the bars, breathing out heavily. He heard Nya gasp, but he didn’t look at her. He didn’t look at anything, just at the ground.

“The truth stings, doesn’t it? You aren’t anything special, you aren’t unique. You were merely a trial for what is to come.”

“A trial for what?” Nya growled.

“You and your friends have been plenty useful. You have been resources to study, to sample DNA from, a test to see if we could contain you before we started making the others.”

Kai blinked. “Others?”

“Of course. You and your friends obviously didn’t work out- and you’re all too far gone now.”

“I don’t understand,” Kai asked. “Why do you want more… more people like us? You obviously don’t care about us.”

“I care about what you can do. Imagine the potential- a legion of seemingly normal people, such as yourself- who can, in the blink of an eye, transform into an army of great beasts! People who could fly, who could cross great distances in the blink of an eye, those who could hear our enemies coming from a mile away, or who could wield the strength of ten men. I’d be unstoppable!”

Kai and Nya exchanged horrified glances. “You’re building an army? What for?”

“Kai, my dear boy. Borg Industries is powerful, but we cannot do whatever we please. We still have so many regulations, limitations, and surveillance. Biotechnology, such as what we have developed, could change the world. But the world is deeply rooted in tradition, afraid of change. They would shun us, sue us for our groundbreaking discoveries, when we deserved to be praised and cheered for. What we need is more power. And power never comes for free. True power is only won through brute force.”

“You’ll never get anyone to comply with that,” Kai hissed. “We’re not objects, we’re living, breathing beings. You can’t just bend that to your will.”

“Oh, but we will. In time, anything can be controlled. We just need to make a few altercations to our future experiments. Something you and your friends have made incredibly easy by being our test subjects over the last couple decades. Your kind is really quite fascinating, you know.”

Kai bared his teeth and roared at him, but Borg merely laughed. “See, the problem with you is that we made you too human. Too sentient. There needs to be some balance, of course- a wild animal is untamed, it has no master- but a human being has too many weaknesses, too many thoughts of rebellion and betrayal.” Narrowing his eyes at Kai, he added, “Something we found out the hard way.

“We got closer with the child- his instincts appeared to be less humane, and he didn’t cause so much of a fuss.” He paused, frowning. “That is, until a few weeks ago.

“I think where we went wrong with him was the species. An oni and a dragon- two of the most powerful creatures known to man- we thought he would have unspeakable power. And he did- but it was too much, too much to be contained.

“But he has been a valuable resource- we shall use what we have learned with him to create a somewhat less powerful species. This time, we will get it right.”

Nya hissed at him, and he scowled, leaning over and spitting on her.

“The child has been very useful, indeed, but he has served his purpose, now. We no longer have a use for him.” Gesturing to the vet with one hand, she stepped forward, the carefully wrapped parcel in her hands now visible as she, Borg, and the trainers walked towards Lloyd’s cage.

“No!” Kai roared, jolting to his feet and racing to the bars. “Get away from him!”

“It’s for your own good. This child could off you in your sleep, if he so wished.”

Time was moving in slow motion. The door of Lloyd’s cage swung open with an eerie creak, and they filed inside. The vet unwrapped the parcel, revealing a syringe filled with a blue liquid, and a long, pointed needle on the end.

“Don’t you fuckin’ touch him!” Kai screamed, shaking at the bars of the cell. “You’re a deranged, psychotic, murdering bi-”

“Please, Dr. Borg, reconsider,” Nya whined, cutting off Kai’s violent string of curses. “We’ll be good, we’ll do what you want, just don’t kill him, please-”

“Shut up, the both of you,” Borg snapped. “We’re trying to work here. Nya, stop your sniveling, we know you’re not on our side. You’re no use to us anymore- Kai, stop trying to break through the bars, don’t you think we thought of that? Why do you think these cells are here in the first place? I had them made a while ago, as a precaution. They’re specifically tailored to counteract your special abilities. Nothing you do is going to break them.”

“I’ll kill you, I’ll find a way out of here and I’ll murder you-”

Borg sighed. “He’s losing it.” Turning to a trainer, he asked, “Turn it on, will you?”

The trainer pulled a small remote from his pocket, and turned a little dial.

Sharp, stinging pain shot through Kai’s neck, and he yelped, falling back from the bars and gripping at his neck- which was when he remembered the leather band there.

“I’m not-” he reached out, gasping as he wrapped a hand around one of the bars. “You’re not making me-”

The pain increased, and Kai doubled over, wheezing, his eyes watering. “Ahhh!”

“Kai!” Nya yelped. “Stop it, what are you doing to him?”

“Handy little device your trainers whipped up for you. Human shock collar. You like it? Except these things can deliver a lot more voltage than the kind people put on their dogs.”

“Stop it, please-” he moaned. Pins and needles were stabbing into his neck, the zinging reverberating down his spine.

“Do it, while he’s distracted.”

Kai pushed back against the pain, rolling his eyes up so that he could see Lloyd. The boy was still sleeping soundly on the mattress, although one ear was twitching slightly. Or maybe that was just the collar, vibrating him.

“Lloyd!” He screamed, the collar making his voice tremble. “Wake up, wake up, they’re going to-”

The pain increased tenfold, and Kai choked, falling to his knees. He gritted his teeth, and they chattered from the vibrations. He wasn’t giving up, he couldn’t-

“Lloyd!”

The roar ripped through the room, echoing off the walls and causing everyone in the room to flinch. Lloyd jerked awake, squealing as he caught sight of Borg and the needle. Leaping off of the mattress, he darted across the cell in a flash-

He stumbled with a squeak of pain as he tripped over his injured leg, tumbling to the floor. The trainers and Borg surrounded him, boxing him in as the vet approached slowly with the needle.

“Lloyd, fight! Fight back!”

Lloyd hissed in the vet’s face, fire shooting from his throat. The vet cried out, stumbling back. One of the trainers grabbed at him, and Lloyd whipped around, chomping down on her hand.

“He bit me,” she shrieked, pulling back. “The brat bit me, I’m probably going to get like, rabies or something!”

“You’ll be fine,” Borg snapped, “just stop him!”

Lloyd hissed in his face, jumping from the man’s hand as he reached for him-

Just as the vet stabbed the needle into his thigh.

Kai, Nya, and Lloyd screamed.

The pain from the shock collar barely registered anymore, the burning in his chest so much stronger. Kai gripped the bars of the cell, rage and fear and despair wracking his body so he didn’t even know how to function.

Borg had done it, he had killed him, he was gone-

Kai’s stomach heaved, and he turned away, throwing up across the concrete. How could this be happening, what had he done to deserve this, what had Lloyd done?

He hugged his knees to his chest, sobs shuddering through him, teeth rattling. He hadn’t even been able to save one person, he had failed everyone, Zane and Cole and Jay were going to hate him when they found out their baby brother was dead and Kai had done nothing to stop it-

Not that it mattered, it wasn’t like he was going to ever see them again.

Dammit, this was all his fault! He was so pathetic, how had he let this happen?

The hairs on the back of his neck tingled, and he glanced up and caught sight of Borg standing outside his cell, staring at him.

“You almost messed up everything, you brat. I’m not going to forget that.”

The pain increased again, and Kai screamed, feeling his eyes roll back in his head as blackness swamped at the edges of his vision.

“Turn it down, I don’t want him passing out.”

The pain dropped suddenly, and Kai gasped in relief, tears streaming down his eyes. It wasn’t gone completely, though- there was still a faint buzzing emitting from the collar- not enough to be painful, but enough to put him on edge.

Enough to remind him that he wasn’t the one in control here.

Not that Kai really cared anymore. Lloyd was dead. Nothing mattered.

Kai wanted to die.

---

Over the next few hours- days? minutes? he didn’t know, and frankly, he didn’t care- weariness dragged at Kai, but sleep wouldn’t come. No, sleep would be too easy, too peaceful. Instead, he laid awake, staring at the ceiling as darkness sapped at his limbs. He didn’t move to the mattress, just stayed on the floor. Maybe the coolness of the concrete could alleviate some of the raging heat storming inside of him.

Every once in a while, he mustered the strength to crawl over the toilet so he could throw up. He didn’t know why he bothered. Being hygienic didn’t matter to him anymore. Nothing mattered.

After the third time, though, he had thrown up everything his stomach had to give, and when his insides kept churning, he just rested his head on the side of the toilet and dry heaved.

“Kai,” Nya whispered after a minute of this. “Stop, you’re just going to make yourself sick again.”

“I don’t care,” he rasped, his throat dry and raw.

“Damn that, I don’t want to lose you too.”

“We’re all going to die down here eventually.”

She fell silent at that. She knew he was right.

“You’re scaring Lloyd, Kai. Don’t let him see you like this.”

“Are you delusional, Nya? Lloyd’s gone.”

“Not yet,” she whimpered. “It… it hasn’t kicked in yet. I guess it must take a while until… anyway, see for yourself.”

“I don’t want to. I’m scared.”

“He’s here, I promise you.”

“What if it’s too painful? I don’t want to see him if I’m just going to lose him in a few minutes.”

“What if you miss out on your only chance to see him one more time?”

Kai was quiet for a moment. Mustering all the strength he had left, he slowly turned over.

Lloyd was sitting at the edge of his cell, staring at him. He was smiling softly at Kai, but his eyes were fearful. Kai tried to ignore how his ears were drooping, how his tail hung limp, and his eyelids heavy with sleep, one he would never wake up from-

Kai broke into tears, and Lloyd churred softly, leaning against the bars as he reached his fingers through. Kai did the same, although there was still a gaping distance between them.

“I’m scared,” he whispered.

“I’m sorry,” Kai choked through the tears. “I’m sorry this happened to you. You don’t deserve any of it.”

“‘s not your fault,”

“It’s not yours, either,” Nya told him. “None of this happened because of you. I want you to remember that, okay? Don’t… don’t think about that, now.”

Nya buried her face in her hands, whimpering. Lloyd leaned his face on the bars. “I love you guys.”

“We love you too, bud,” Kai whispered. “More than you will ever know.”

---

Sleep found him eventually- that, or lack of fluids caused him to pass out. Either way, some time had passed by the time he drug his eyelids open again.

Squinting, he realized there were people standing in front of Lloyd’s cell. Sounds filtered in slowly, taking a moment to come through clearly.

“-don’t understand, why hasn’t it kicked in yet? He should’ve stopped breathing long ago.”

“I’m not sure. This should have worked. It might have something to do with his lineage, I suppose- perhaps his genes grant him extra immunity to fight back against it.”

“That seems logical. He definitely seems very drowsy and sluggish, so it obviously had some effect on him-”

“But not the one we wanted,” a third voice snapped. As consciousness came fully, he connected the voice to Borg. “Apparently he’s immune to euthenasia drugs, now? What next? This is only more proof of what I’ve been saying- he’s becoming more dangerous. We should’ve killed him right away, that first night, when we had the chance.”

“It’s alright, sir, we still have time. He’s not going anywhere, down here. We can develop a stronger serum.”

“Do you think it will work?”

“With the right blood samples from him, I can be confident of it.”

“How soon can you have it ready?”

“A few days, a week- it’s hard to tell until I start.”

“Fine. But it better work this time. Or you’re fired.”

“You have my word, sir.”

Footsteps echoed past his cell, then down the hall. The sound of the door swinging shut determined they had left. Kai sat up immediately.

“Nya! Did you hear that?”

“It didn’t work,” she breathed. “He’s going to be okay!”

“For now. How long do you think it’s going to take them to make the new drug?”

“If I know Borg, I wouldn’t bet on long. We have to find a way out of here before we actually do lose him.”

“But how?” He breathed out, falling back against the wall. “We’re trapped here. The securative measures aren’t exactly light. I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”

Nya was quiet for a moment. “We’ll figure something out.”

“I sure hope so.”

Nya turned towards Lloyd’s cell, pressing her face against the bars. “How’re you doing, Lloydster?”

Lloyd murmured sleepily at her, and she sighed. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad it didn’t kill him, but I hope it doesn’t make him sick.”

“Yeah. It seems like he’s just tired, but who knows.”

The door swung open again, and the two shied back from the light. Two people shuffled in, both unfamiliar, and Kai eyed them warily.

They were young, probably not much older than Cole. Kai was surprised that Borg was even letting them know that Kai and the other hybrids existed, not to mention letting them in their cell block alone.

The male stretched out his hand as he passed, letting his knuckles clack against the bars eerily.

“What do you want,” Kai snapped.

“Chill out, mutant boy, I’m here to feed you.”

Just at the mention of food, Kai’s stomach rumbled. His mouth watered, and against his will, he found himself leaning towards the man. He hadn’t eaten- or drank- anything since the morning of their capture- which, although he had no idea how much time had passed, felt like forever ago. He had even considered drinking out of the toilet at one point, but had decided he wasn’t that desperate.

Yet.

The man laughed at his expression. “Check it out, Em. They really are like animals.”

Kai clenched his teeth, surging up to the bars. “Listen, you punk, you don’t know-”

He was interrupted as his shock collar went off, screaming with pain as he rolled to his knees, frothing at the mouth. He heard shrieks from Nya and Lloyd too, but he was in too much pain to move. The rusty hinges of his cell door screeched as the man entered, laying two metal bowls by the wall. He felt his arms get tugged back, metal cuffs clicking around them. He wanted to kick and hiss at the man, hurt him while he was still within distance, but the pain from the collar stopped him.

There was a dry, rattling sound as the man filled his bowls, then exited the cell, locking the door firmly. Then, finally, the pain dropped away.

“What was that for,” he rasped, his voice still raw from the sudden shock.

“Couldn’t have you fighting back, could we?”

Kai grimaced. He glanced over at Nya and Lloyd and saw they had been cuffed too. “Why do we need handcuffs to eat? Isn’t that sort of counterintuitive?”

“Borg says you’re feisty. Doesn’t want to take the chance of you using anything that’s not bolted down to your advantage. Or to try and kill yourself. He wants to keep you around for a while yet, in case he needs to do any more testing.”

“You think I could escape- or kill myself- with a bowl?”

“You’d be surprised what people can do when they’re desperate. Now, eat up- unless you want to be handcuffed the rest of the night.”

Kai turned to the bowls, squinting at them. One was filled with a gritty-looking water that didn’t seem much more appealing than the toilet water. The other was filled with small, hard, brown pellets.

“What is this, dog food?” Nya scoffed.

The woman smiled. “That’s exactly what it is, sweetheart. What, you weren’t expecting a five-course meal, were you?”

“You can’t seriously expect us to eat this!”

“Would you rather have no food?” The woman asked sweetly. “I’m sure that could be arranged.”

Nya went quiet, but her nose wrinkled as she stared down at the food.

Kai sighed. As unappetizing as it was, it beat the horrible hunger pangs, or passing out from dehydration. He went to reach for the bowl-

Then he remembered the handcuffs.

“How the hell are we supposed to eat with our hands tied behind our backs?”

The guy smiled wickedly. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out, kitty.”

Kai felt his face turn bright red. They wanted them to eat from the bowl like dogs. This was humiliating.

But he was so hungry. He didn’t know when the next opportunity for food would come.

Leaning down, he scooped up a mouthful of the pellets. They were gritty and sour, one of the worst things Kai had ever tasted in his life, but at this point he didn’t care. He could hear the man and woman who had brought the food laughing and jeering behind him, and he tried to ignore it. It was this, or starve.

After he had finished the food, he burped at the awful taste, trying to suppress the urge to throw it all up. But he forced himself to lick the sides of the bowl, getting every bit of food he could scrounge.

The dry, salty taste of the dog food had only worsened his thirst now, and by this point he didn’t care how dirty the water looked, setting upon it with frantic laps of his tongue. He immediately found it to be much harder than eating. Water dribbled down his chin, so by the time the bowl was empty, his front side was soaked and only about half of the liquid had actually been swallowed. The man and woman got a kick out of that, joking that he had wet himself. Kai had never felt worse than this in his life. He would rather take the pain from the shock collar. He had wanted to go hide behind the toilet for the rest of the night, but knew that would only make the teasing worse.

After what seemed like forever, Nya and Lloyd finally finished their meals and the man and woman turned their attention away from Kai. The shock collars were turned on again, and Kai was once again helplessly paralyzed with pain as the man came in and removed his handcuffs, put the more flexible shackles back on, and took away the bowls. When the cell doors were locked, the shock collars were turned off. Kai forced himself to stay still until the man and woman were gone, but as soon as the room’s door was shut, he collapsed into a ball, hugging himself and shivering.

No one spoke for a long time after that, letting him know that he wasn’t the only one deeply disturbed by their experience.

Kai’s sleep was broken and feverish that night, filled with dreams of him, Lloyd, and Nya locked up in a giant kennel. Children kept peering in, poking their fingers at them and barking at them. They dressed him up in bows and made him do tricks, laughing and giving him dog treats when he complied, and zapping him with the shock collar when he didn’t.

He burst awake in a cold sweat, crying with relief when he realized it had just been a dream.

He didn’t fall asleep again after that, even though his whole body felt heavy with exhaustion.

The next time the door opened, he scrambled back from the light, hissing. His head was aching, and the darkness offered the only sort of comfort right now.

But he was ignored, four trainers walking past his and Nya’s cages and towards the one on the end. Instantly, Kai was at the bars, watching them carefully with bared teeth. If they tried to pull something again-

Well, what was he going to do? He was helpless in here.

Glancing over, he saw a pair of yellow-green eyes glowing in the darkness and knew that Nya was watching, too.

The door of Lloyd’s cage slowly creaked open, and a pair of trainers slipped in. Lloyd hissed at them as they approached, and they stopped. Slowly, one of the trainers reached out, and Lloyd snapped at his hand, and he yanked it away, barely escaping unscathed.

The other trainer grabbed an object from his pocket that Kai recognized as the remote to the shock collars, and Kai immediately shied back, trembling as he remembered the pain.

“Behave, mutant,” the trainer with the remote snapped. “Or we will not hesitate to turn this on.”

Lloyd looked at the remote with wide eyes, his ears pressed flat against his head. Kai had been in some of the worst pain of his life the previous night- or whenever it had been, his internal clock had been all thrown off by the dark dungeon- and Lloyd was less than half his size. He didn’t want to think about how hard it must’ve been on his little body.

Reaching down, the other trainer in the cell clipped something onto his collar, then unfurled it. It was a blue, leather leash.

The trainer with the remote pulled a key out of his pocket and crouched down next to Lloyd. He hesitated, giving him a pointed glare. “Remember, no funny business.” Swiftly, he unlocked the chain around his leg.

Lloyd bolted, immediately falling to the floor as the trainer switched on the collar. Lloyd whimpered, writhing, and Kai growled, “Stop!”

A trainer outside of the cage whipped around. “Be quiet, or we won’t hesitate to turn yours on, too.”

“Turn it off,” another one said. “He needs to have strength to walk.”

Lloyd fell still, chest heaving as the collar deactivated. “You’re not going anywhere, pet,” the trainer with the leash scoffed, giving the leash a sharp tug for emphasis. “So don’t even try.”

The trainers filed out of the cage, tugging Lloyd none-to-genly behind them.

“What are you going to do to him?” Kai growled. “Where are you taking him?”

“Your little mutant has proven to be quite stubborn,” one of the trainers scowled. “But our vets are some of the best out there. With only a few blood samples, we’ll have a strong enough drug, don’t you worry.”

“He’s lost too much blood already,” Kai hissed. “You can’t do that.”

“What does it matter to us if he passes out? The creature is of no value to us- in fact, that would only make our job easier.”

Kai roared at her, and a sharp jolt zapped through him. He glared at the trainers. “It’s going to take more than that to quiet me.”

“Careful. If you cause too much trouble, we might zap the little guy, too.”

Kai snapped his jaws shut, his gaze drifting to Lloyd, who was struggling to his feet as the collar tugged tightly at his neck.

“Come on, pet,” the trainer holding Lloyd’s leash demanded. “We don’t have all day.”

Lloyd stumbled after him, but after only a few steps, his bad leg gave out and he tumbled to the floor, crying out.

“Get up!” The trainer yanked on the leash, jolting Lloyd towards him.

“Stop it, he can’t walk on that leg!” Nya cried. “It’s still injured!”

“Then crawl,” the trainer snapped, kicking him forward, and Lloyd jerked onto his hands and knees, shuffling after the trainers slowly.

Kai watched him pass, his ears flattened and his tail tucked between his legs as he was yanked along by the leash, and felt a sick feeling rise in his stomach. This wasn’t right, it was humiliating and a blatant disregard of dignity.

He didn’t understand how he had gone so long in Borg Tower without realizing the signs. How they had always been viewed as lesser, as objects for Borg’s use. No one had ever cared about them. All the toys, the trinkets, the gadgets, the outings- had been nothing but a trick to make them feel like they were worth something.

Nya had been right. As soon as they got out of here, Kai was gonna let Lloyd be whoever he wanted to be, and not make him change for anybody.

If they got out of here.

Kai crawled into the corner of his cage and curled up in a ball, hugging his knees to his chest, trying to ignore the depressing thoughts raging around in his head. He couldn’t afford to listen to them right now, right now he was just trying to focus on not throwing up. He didn’t know how long it would be until they next got food or water.

He was faintly aware of the shivers wracking his body, and wondered if he was coming down with something. He wouldn’t be surprised- he hadn’t consumed anything but dog food and stale water since they had been here, and had been wearing the same crusty clothes the whole time, too. There hadn’t even been a sink provided in the cage, not that it would do much to help him without soap, anyway.

Just another problem to add the list, he supposed.

It was funny how, before they had been captured, he had been so resentful and stressed about their situation, thinking it was one of the worst times of his life.

He would give pretty much anything to have those problems back, now.

---

“It’s been twelve hours since they were supposed to be back,” Jay yelped, pacing back and forth, his footsteps echoing sharply with an unusual agitation. “Even if something had happened, they would’ve come back by now, or at least called us.”

“They could’ve ran out of minutes,” Cole rationalized. “These damn prepaids don’t last very long.”

“But why wouldn’t they come back? Kai and Nya would never worry us like this, not unless they didn’t have a choice in the matter.”

“I know.” Cole ran his fingers through his hair. “But maybe they escaped. Maybe they ran and didn’t want to risk leading anyone back here.”

“I hope you’re right. If anything’s happened to them-” his lip quivered, and he looked away as tears pricked his eyes.

“Jay, it’s going to be okay.” Cole reached out, setting a hand on his shoulder. “We’re going to find them.”

“You can’t promise that,” Jay barked, flinching away.

“No. But I’m going to do everything in my power to try. They’re our family, Jay. Family doesn’t give up on family.”

“I know,” Jay sniffed, wiping at his eyes. “I’m just scared.”

Cole wrapped his hands around him, letting Jay bury his face in his shoulder. “Me too, bud. Me too.”

Jay and Cole jumped nearly a foot in the air as the door swung open, and Cole let out a breath of relief as he realized it was only Zane.

“Did you find anything?”

Zane shook his head. “No sign of them anywhere. I even asked a few of the shopkeepers- as many as I could without raising suspicion, anyway- by showing them a photo I had. A few of them thought they looked familiar, but no one was able to tell me where they went or if they had seen anything out of the ordinary.”

“We have to do something,” Jay insisted. “If they’re being held hostage somewhere, who knows what they’ll do to them.”

“What can we do?” Cole asked. “I want to do something as much as you do, but we don’t have anywhere to start. We don’t even know where they are.”

“Maybe not,” Zane admitted, “but we can make an educated guess. The most likely reason that Kai and Nya have not gotten back to us is that they were captured. There are two main parties most likely responsible. Borg Industries- and the Ninjago City Police.”

Jay frowned. “How do we know the police are against us?”

“We don’t. But we can’t entirely clear them yet, either. If they found out Kai, Nya, and Lloyd’s secret, they could possibly see them as a threat and lock them up.”

“But if hybrids like us are such a rare thing, the news would be all over this if the police had discovered them,” Cole pointed out. “We’re basically living under a rock in here, but you would’ve seen something, like on TV or somewhere, when you went out, wouldn’t you have?”

“Fair point. So we can most likely conclude that it was Borg that found them.”

Jay put his head in his hands. “Last time we saw Borg, he wanted to kill Lloyd. If we’re going to do something, we better hurry.”

“Where do you think he’s keeping them?” Cole asked. “Borg Tower?” “That feels too simple,” Jay muttered. “He knows that’s the first place we’d look. But at the same time, I have no idea where else they would be.”

“We can’t just storm the building,” Zane argued. “There’s only three of us. Even with our enhanced abilities, it would never be enough to get through Borg’s headquarters. If we even knew where to begin looking for them, that is. Borg Tower isn’t exactly small.”

“What options do we have?” Jay whined. “We can’t afford to waste any time. We have no idea what Borg could be doing to them right now. And, besides, even if we could wait a while, it’s not like we’re magically going to gain more allies or anything.”

“We need to come up with some sort of plan,” Zane insisted, “Otherwise we’re going to end up getting captured too, which won’t help anyone.”

“You’re both right. We can’t go in without a plan, but we can’t afford to wait, either. And no one’s going to have an epiphany just sitting around here thinking. If we’re going to make a plan that’ll work, we need more information.”

“How do you suggest we get it?” Zane frowned.

“We sneak down and scope out Borg Tower. We don’t breach it, just observe what we can from afar.”

Jay glanced at him skeptically. “You really think we’ll be able to find out much like that?”

“Does anyone else have any better ideas?”

No one said anything.

“Then it’s settled. That’s what we’re doing.”

“When do we set out?” Jay asked.

“I would like to leave as soon as possible, but it’s just too risky. If we don’t want to get caught, we should wait until the cover of dusk is on our side. I also don’t think we should risk taking the bus at all, and it’s a few hours walk to Borg Tower. We’ll leave here late afternoon.”

Zane and Jay exchanged glances, nodding. “Do you want us to do anything, Cole?”

“I dunno. Grab something to eat, get some rest if you can. I have no idea how long this is going to take. Pack up the bare essentials, just in case we’re not able to come back.

“Come this afternoon, be ready. We’re going to get our family back.”

---

Cole stared up at the looming skyscraper in front of him, his heart pounding in his chest.

This was it. They were here.

“Keep walking, Cole,” Zane whispered from behind him. “We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves.”

Cole picked up the pace, falling into step behind Jay, and melting into the crowd of passersby around them.

“What do we do now?” Jay whispered back to him.

“Just keep an eye out for-” Cole stopped, his gaze drifting towards the front doors of Borg Tower.

“What is it?”

“Over there,” he hissed, nodding sideways in the direction. Two people, emerging from the doors of Borg Tower, whom Cole didn’t recognize, but noticed the familiar outfits of the caretakers, had slung garbage bags over their shoulders, and were heading towards the back to toss them out.

“It might not be much, but it’s as good a place as any to start,” he whispered. “Let’s go!”

Subtly slipping past the citizens, he darted around the side of Borg Tower, Zane and Jay on his heels.

He froze in place as the muffled voices of the caretakers came into view. They were close. But not close enough. He needed to get closer if he wanted to be able to listen in.

If only Kai were here. Where was the guy with superhearing when you needed him?

If only they were all here. Cole just wanted them to be safe. He didn’t know what he would do if they found them and one or more of them were already gone.

But now wasn’t the time to think about that. Now, he had a job to do.

“Transform,” he whispered to the others. “You’ll be smaller, and easier to hide that way.”

With a flash, the three boys were gone, and a badger, a labrador, and a falcon stood in their place.

Crouching low to the ground, Cole edged around the corner.

The caretakers were hauling the trash bags into a dumpster a little ways down. Jay dropped down onto his belly and wriggled under the dumpster in front of them, Cole and Zane squeezing under after him, with considerable more difficulty.

“-giving us a lot of trouble,” the voices filtered in as they got within earshot. “I can’t wait until this whole thing is over and done with.”

“Have they gotten any closer with the drug yet?” the male voice asked.

“Somewhat, I think.” A second voice, the female. “They’re gathering a lot of blood from the kid, which seems to be helping, but it still could take up to a week.”

“What about the older ones? What’s he going to do with them?”

“Borg wants to keep them alive, for now, to see if they can give him any clues to where the rest of them are. I’m not so sure, though- they’re both very stubborn. I think they’d rather die than give up any information. Especially the lion one- he doesn’t seem like he’s gonna last much longer. We can hardly get him to eat anything.”

Cole clenched his teeth, biting back the shuddering breath. So they had been right. Borg did have their friends.

And, from the sounds of it, they were running out of time to save them.

“Do you have the key?” The female snapped. “We can’t have anyone breaking in here.”

“Here.” There was a jangle of metal as the padlock was locked, and then footsteps came sharply towards them. Cole shrunk back, watching their feet cautiously as they passed.

“Why would they need to lock a dumpster?” Jay whispered.

Zane’s eyes glinted. “The only logical solution is that there’s something in there they don’t want anyone to see. They must be hiding evidence. We need to see what’s in those garbage bags.”

“Zane, wait-” Cole hissed, but the falcon was already slipping out from under the dumpster where they were hiding, and over to the one the caretakers had put the bags in.

Jay let out a whine, and Cole crept forward, so he could peer out at Zane. The falcon was perched on top of the dumpster, sticking a talon into the lock as he jiggled it. The clanking of metal echoed threateningly through the air.

“Zane, stop,” he begged. “We can’t let them catch us, we have to wait until we know for sure they’re-”

“What the- I knew I heard something back here!”

Cole cringed back, and Jay yelped beside him as the man’s feet came into view. Cole quickly shushed him. The man had only seen Zane. Revealing themselves as well would only make it easier for him to connect the dots about who they were.

“Shoo, pest, shoo!” The man cried, running towards Zane but still keeping a respectable distance from the large bird of prey. Zane squawked, and Cole heard a flutter of feathers that he hoped was Zane flying away.

“What’s going on, Jake-” the woman called, her footsteps hurrying over and halting abruptly. “Holy shit! Is that a falcon?”

Cole cringed. It didn’t take a genius to know that falcons weren’t native to Ninjago City.

“It’s him!” she cried. “The falcon. It has to be! Quick, catch him!”

Cole shuffled forward as the two scuffled after Zane, who was shrieking and squawking as he flapped just above their heads.

C’mon, Zane, get them out of here-

The woman jumped up, catching his wing in her grasp, and yanked, sending a handful of tawny feathers flying. Zane screeched in pain, falling to the ground.

Jay yelped behind him, and before Cole could stop himself, he shot out from under the dumpster, and latched his jaws around the woman’s shoe.

She screamed, attempting to shake him off. “The other one’s here too! It’s got me, it’s got me, get it off!” She kicked, hard, and Cole went tumbling off her foot, right in front of the man, who raised his foot to deliver a kick-

The man stumbled backwards as something jerked at his leg. A yellow lab was sinking his teeth into his pant leg, holding him back. Releasing it, he barked loudly, running circles around the man as he tried to land a hit on the small dog. But Jay was too fast.

On his other side, Zane was struggling to his feet, oblivious of the woman running up behind him. Dashing past the falcon, there was a flash, and suddenly Cole was five feet taller, and punching the woman in the face with very human knuckles. She crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

The man cried out as he tripped over Jay, and before he could blink, the dog was gone, and Jay was pinning him to the ground with a foot.

The man’s face dissolved into panic as Cole approached him. “Please, don’t hurt me, I won’t tell them about you, I promise.”

Cole paused, narrowing his eyes at him.

“Don’t do it, Cole,” Zane urged, now no longer a bird, and sitting on the floor. “He’s lying. He’ll run right back to them and we’ll be captured before the day is up.”

“I swear, I won’t!” the man begged. “I needed this job! I was told it was such a great opportunity, I had no idea what I was getting into! I don’t want to hurt you!”

“Rich that you’re having a change of heart now,” Jay snorted. “You didn’t seem too concerned about us a minute ago.”

“Please, let me go, if they find me here and figure out I let you escape, they’ll kill me! I have a family!”

Cole glanced at the others. Jay looked uncertain. Zane looked angry. “I still say he’s bluffing.”

Cole glanced down at the man. The terror in his eyes was real, that was for sure. Relenting, he breathed out, taking a step back. “That may be so, but we’re not like them. Jay, let him go.”

Jay looked up at him. “Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

Slowly, Jay moved his foot, and the man bolted to his feet. Cole reached out, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt before he could slip away. Pulling him close, Cole gave him the hardest glare he could muster.

“If I let you go, you’re gonna run. Run as far away from here as you possibly can, and never come back. If you rat us out to anyone- anyone, Borg worker or otherwise- I will personally track you down and find you. And I’ve got the best tracker in the whole city on my side, so I won’t fail. Is that clear?”

The man nodded frantically, his eyes wide. His voice came out a squeak. “I swear on my life, I won’t tell a soul.”

“You better not.” And, with barely a beat of hesitation, Cole released him.

The man was gone in the blink of an eye.

“I hope I didn’t just blow it,” he breathed.

“I can’t tell you if that was the right decision or not,” Jay said, “but you were right about one thing. We’re not like them. If he tells anyone, he’s the scum, not you.”

“I know this sounds dumb, but I don’t think he will. I just had… a feeling.”

“Feelings and survival don’t mix,” Zane snapped.

Cole turned to him, where he still sat on the ground. “I’m sorry, buddy, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t do it.”

“I’m not blaming you, I just don’t trust him,” he muttered, pulling his leg closer to his body with a wince.

Debate forgotten, Cole started forward. “Are you okay? Did she hurt you?”

“Just pulled out a few feathers, nothing serious. But I think I landed badly on my ankle.”

Cole crouched down, tracing his fingers along his ankle. Zane flinched back, grimacing.

“Sorry. Does it hurt bad?”

“Yeah. I think it might be sprained.”

“Hey, guys?”

“Not now, Jay. Do you think we could-”

“Guys!” Jay cried. “This isn’t really something that can wait!” Cole glared back at him. “What?”

Jay held up a small, black device. Cole squinted at it, adjusting his glasses. “What’s so important about that?”

“It’s a pager, Cole. It fell out of the caretaker’s pocket. If she used it, there’s probably Borg employees on their way here right now!”

“Shit,” he muttered. “We gotta get out of here.”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to say!”

“Cole, I don’t think I can walk,” Zane admitted. “You two should go without me.”

“Are you out of your mind?” Cole fumed. “We’re family, we don’t leave each other behind!”

“I’ll only slow you down.”

Muffled shouts and harried footsteps came from somewhere nearby. Jay whipped towards them, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Hurry, guys, they’re coming!”

“Get on my back,” Cole demanded. “Now.”

“What?”

“You heard me. I’m going to carry you. Now, hurry!”

Jay helped Zane to his feet, and his friend slipped his hands around Cole’s neck, wrapping his legs around his waist. He had only just about gotten into place when Cole took off running, Jay on his heels.

The lab hybrid quickly overtook him, sniffing the air and leading them down a maze of alleys and backroads. He glanced back at them, his gaze nervously darting to something behind him. Cole didn’t even dare look back.

“Hurry, Cole! They’re getting closer!” “I’m running as fast as I can,” he huffed, although he forced himself to put on a burst of speed.

“Cole…”

“I swear, Zane, if you ask me to leave you behind one more time, I will punch you in the face.”

Zane fell quiet after that, but Cole could still feel his reluctance.

“Cole, watch out, they’ve got-” Jay’s warning was cut off with a yelp as a net came hurling through the air towards them, snagging Jay’s leg.

“-net launchers!” he finished.

“Jay!” “Don’t stop, don’t stop, I’ll be out in a second-”

Cole gritted his teeth, and kept running, even as he passed him.

“Jay, hurry!”

“I’m here, I’m here,” Jay called a moment later, already at his side again. “But they’re getting closer! This isn’t working!”

“Stop running!” A voice called from behind them, over a megaphone. “You will not evade capture. You are only making the consequences worse for yourself. Give up now, and you will be shown mercy!” “Sorry, but last time Borg showed us ‘mercy,’ we barely escaped with our lives,” Cole retorted.

“They’re right, though,” Jay murmured. “We’re never going to be able to outrun them! We need a new plan.”

“Well, we don’t have another plan.”

“I might have one. Keep running, stick to the left roads, that’ll take you out of town.”

Cole snatched his wrist before he could dart away. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“I’m gonna distract them. Lead them somewhere else so you guys can get away.”

“Will you two stop trying to sacrifice yourself,” Cole growled, “For five minutes?”

“I’m not sacrificing myself! I know these streets. I’m faster and more cunning than either of you. I can get away, if I’m on my own. I have no intention of getting caught, trust me.”

“It’s too risky. We’re not splitting up.”

“But-”

“Cole’s right, Jay. We already are down three members, and it’s going to be a whole lot harder to save them if there’s only two of us left.”

“I told you, I won’t get caught!”

“You can’t promise that,” Cole argued. “You’re staying with us, end of discussion.”

“Then what other plans you got, badger boy?”

Cole didn’t look at him.

“Over there!” Zane pointed. “Down that alley, about one hundred feet down, there’s a path hidden behind those vines.”

“What?” Jay snapped. “No there isn’t!”

“Are you forgetting who has falcon-vision here?” Zane retaliated.

“Just do it,” Cole hissed. “It’s not like we have a wide range of options, here!”

They darted down the alley Zane had pointed them down, and Cole scanned the wall for anything unusual. “Where is it?”

“Keep going,” Jay pressed, “We need to get through it before they round the corner or they’ll just follow us in!”

“Right there!” Zane pointed.

Following his finger, Cole caught sight of a patch of vines, the brick crumbling away behind it.

“Jackpot, Zane!” Cole cheered.

Jay scrambled through first, holding back the vines as Cole maneuvered through more carefully, trying to account for Zane. As soon as they were through, Jay yelped, “Go, go, go!” Cole’s lungs were killing him by this point, but he didn’t hesitate to race after him. He would be stupid to belive they were safe now. Already, he could hear the angry shouts of the Borg security officers behind them, and knew it wouldn’t be long before they found the broken wall.

But it had given them a moment. And, right now, they needed every moment they could get.

“What are… what are we going to do now?” Cole wheezed.

“We can’t keep this up,” Zane frowned, watching him with concern. “You can’t keep running forever. Not even Jay.”

“We need help,” Jay panted. “We can’t do this on our own.”

“Who’s going to help us?” Cole huffed. “We’re alone. Nobody has our backs in this.”

“I don’t know, maybe we can go ask someone. Those are houses over there, right? Maybe someone will agree to hide us.”

“They’ll probably think we’re escaped criminals, bozo. No one’s gonna agree to hide some random fugitive.”

“Well, what other choice do we have?”

“I… may have an idea,” Zane said quietly.

They looked at him expectantly, but he hesitated. “Well?” Jay yipped. “Are you going to tell us, or not?”

“You’re not going to like it… but there is somewhere we could go.”

Jay threw up his hands. “We don’t have time for this Zane, they’re gonna find us any minute! Just get to the point!”

“We could go… to the police.”

#ninjago #NinjagoInhumanAuWeek #For the Romping and the Roaring #R&R #Part 3 #oof yeah i definitely cried writing this #hopefully it wasn't too angsty for y'all #it wasn't originally going to be this bad i swear #it just kind of... got away from me 😅 #rosie writes #my fic