#i need the background. the lore. the summary of the situation at hand. i know some people write action first THEN backstory but i

[faeriescorpio]

resisted writing my time travel peter maximoff fic for one singular day WIP

A/N: For the purposes of this fic i am ignoring Dark Phoenix because this is based off a really detailed dream i had

When Magneto had joined the X-Men (as coined by Raven) after the events of Apocalypse, Peter had thought “this might be my chance to tell him”. But as the weeks passed, and Erik stayed, Peter’s confidence plummeted. He stopped thinking, “is this the right moment to tell him?” and started thinking “what if he asks why I waited so long to tell him?”. Ororo and Raven both tried to nudge him into action, but their pushes only made him curl up tighter into his metaphorical shell. It didn’t help that Erik signed up to be a teacher, and help out with the children, and Raven must have told Charles something because Peter found his schedule included Erik’s class. He hadn’t even agreed to go to school there. As far as Peter was concerned, his days of school were over. He’s just a grown man living in his mom’s basement, occasionally saving the world. Except now he had a class schedule where his father was his teacher, he had a room of his own at Charles’s mansion, and someone must’ve told his mom because she actually called him to let him know that she was so proud that he was “pursuing further education”.

Great. Just great.

Having Erik as a teacher was surprisingly…. normal. Erik was teaching history, of all things, but Peter held back from cracking any joke relating age to knowledge of history. He was trying to make his dad like him, first. And Erik was a good teacher; he was encouraging, he didn’t lash out, though he rarely gave much more than a tight-lipped smile when anyone answered a question right.

Peter soaked up any time with Erik like a sponge. He didn’t attend the X-Men training, so all Peter had was class and the times after class, during mealtimes that Peter normally would’ve rushed off after cleaning his plate. Instead, Peter found himself even loitering outside Erik’s class during study hours, scuffing the ground with his shoe. If the wooden floor was worn down outside Erik’s door, no one would know it was because of Peter. Except, you know, Charles. And probably Raven. And maybe Hank because Raven told Hank everything. And Ororo. And Jean. And Scott because Jean tells Scott everything. And Kurt because Scott can’t keep his mouth shut. And-

The point was, if Erik had any suspicions about Peter spending a lot of time outside his door, he didn’t let on. He treated Peter almost like any other student, save for more tight-lipped smiles. It was probably because he remembered Peter broke him out of the Pentagon, or something, but the almost unnoticeable special treatment gave Peter hope. Not enough hope to do anything about it, though.

Peter kept loitering around Erik. Raven kept pushing him. Nothing came out of Peter’s mouth.

They were fighting a villain when it all came to a head. It was a dangerous mutant, more powerful than the average mutant, one who had been attacking other mutants in some sort of lashing-out moment, furious at their own differences and taking it out on their people instead of the humans. It wouldn’t have mattered who the mutant was lashing out about, as the X-Men would’ve come to save the day either way. But the mutant was strong, strong enough to take out Scott in a single hit, so Magneto and Raven were even on their side to help take down the villain. Or “A misunderstood, hurting individual,” as the Charles in Peter’s head chides. Not the real Charles, mind you, just Peter’s interpretation of what Charles might say in this moment. God, he must drive Charles up the walls every time the telepath takes a peek inside the speedster’s head.

They were fighting the villain, Scott was down and thus Jean was preoccupied. Ororo was cooking up a storm and Raven was planning something with Hank, but whatever their plan was, it wasn’t happening fast enough. It was essentially Erik and Peter alone against the villain.

“What a duo we make, huh?” Peter tried to say as he dodged the mutant’s blows with ease. He wasn’t really sure what the mutant’s powers were. Super strength, for sure, but there was something else there that made the telepaths useless. 

“Less talking, more taking down the threat,” Erik snapped back, summoning metal to throw at the man with a curl of his fingers. Right. Right right right.

Peter threw a hit at the mutant and then bounced away as the mutant released some sort of force field that would’ve blown him backward if Peter hadn’t been out of range already.

“We’ve got something, just buy us some time!” Raven shouts into the earpiece over comms. What were they even doing before then, if not buying time? Peter wonders sarcastically, but keeps the snark to himself. He lands another two hits on the mutant, but it’s hard to get up close to the villain as Erik is shooting metal from all directions at the mutant.

“Got it!” Raven barks, and the mutant jerks his head in the direction of the blue duo. Peter takes advantage of the distraction to leap forward and land another hit.

“Peter look out!” Erik barks suddenly, and Peter turns to see Raven pointing some sort of mechanical contraption, no doubt built by Hank, at the mutant. Which means, by extension, it was pointed at Peter. He steps backward, alarmed, but he trips over some debris and goes down.

“Are you fucking kidding me-” Peter starts to say, just as the machine blasts a beam that surrounds him. It’s bright, too bright, and he closes ihs eyes against the blinding light as pain consumes him. He lets out a shout, and Erik lunges forward, but Peter is already gone.

#i havent written xmen fics in a hot second rip #cant tell fi my writing needs a brush up becCAUSE i havent written in a hot second #or if its ebcause i like to write Peter's POV in a rambling confusing style #either side its kinda ick but i can you know. go back over this and make some changes #x men #time travel fic #peter maximoff #erik lehnsherr #xmen fanfiction #me when i hate starting fics off already in a situation TM #i need the background. the lore. the summary of the situation at hand. i know some people write action first THEN backstory but i #physically cannot do that. you need a little summary lol #peter 'are you fucking kidding me' maximoff #la lalalalala i love ambiguous villains that only exist for plot #quicksilver #magneto #dadneto

[littlejuicebox]

Midnight Chimes 2 / Three years

Background: I plan for this to be a series based off the premise/epilogue from my piece "Midnight Chimes." I’ve changed the character from GN to F because… well, I’m F and I have an easier time writing from that angle. Additionally, I gave Tav a different name... I wanted to give her an identity of her own, I suppose. As a disclaimer, she is a Great Old One Warlock, and I am learning about this class as I go, so it may not exactly follow lore.

Summary: You and Astarion have met before, though you think it meant more to you than it did to him. You are an apothecary shop owner that has recently gained some mysterious Warlock powers; Astarion is, in your eyes, a rake that you wouldn’t trust as far as you can throw him. You two run into one another again after the nautiloid crash.

Pairing: Astarion x F!Reader Warlock.

Word Count: 1,292

-----

He’s got a blade to your neck.

A blade. To your neck.

The bastard doesn’t recognize you at all, does he?

“And you! Keep your distance. No need for this to get messy.” The pale elf warns your companion, Gale, an amiable wizard you’d pulled out of a strange portal not more than a half hour ago.

“Couldn’t agree more. But if you use that knife, I will incinerate you.” Gale responds, surprisingly calm for the situation at hand. Perhaps there’s more to the wizard than meets the eye; if you weren’t stuck with your jugular millimeters from a sharp dagger, you would’ve laughed.

Astarion is distracted by your companion, countering his warning with some asinine threat of his own.

Yes, you unfortunately know the elf's name. He’d frequented your parents’ tavern for years when you worked there as a server in your twenties, and then you two had a pleasant conversation in that same tavern – what was it, three? – three years back. He’d meandered in after being banned for years, while you were on Midwinter holiday visiting your family.

You’d thought it had been a meet-cute, but the rake never did write to your apothecary shop address, in the end. He’d had you fooled, for a moment, but your initial impressions had been correct. It was probably nothing to him. You ultimately figured Astarion had been a rake through and through, and you hadn’t been an easy lay, so he’d dismissed you and decimated your pride in the process.

Bastard.

You supposed the chance encounter had meant more to you than it had him, though you wouldn’t dare to admit you waited for a letter for far too long. Months of checking the post with a glimmer of hope in your lonely heart… how pitiful, honestly.

You feel your patron laugh in amusement… if the celestial being can laugh, or perhaps that’s just the way they translate it to you. They must think this run-in is entertaining… for all you know, they orchestrated it. Hadn’t they been the reason you felt pushed to leave your apothecary shop in the hands of your assistant and travel to Baldur’s Gate, intending to visit your parents on a whim? 

You’d never done an impromptu trip to Baldur's Gate in the all the years you’d been gone. But then you bought that blasted ring with the strange cosmic stone at the antique shop, slipped it on your pinky, and suddenly your mind was not your own. Deep in the recesses of your psyche, something else lurked. Something ancient and unfathomable… you didn’t even know if the thing had a name. And every once in a while, it would compel you to perform an action with nearly obsessive thoughts and visions.

Nothing would stop the psychic barrage apart from acting in the being's interest, not even removing the ring because... well, you couldn't. It was stuck on your pinky. And you weren’t about to maim yourself by chopping off your own finger.

Then, almost unbelievably, you had been kidnapped, infected with a parasite and placed in the path of the insufferable rake, yet again. And now this arrogant elf has a blade pressed to your “darling” neck.

The beautiful bastard even has the gall to wear a knock off of the cologne sample that had been attached to your business card all those years ago. Bergamot, rosemary… and is that brandy?

You had to admit it was a close duplication, but not quite as good as yours. You laugh at the ludicrousness of it all, and the elf’s attention jerks back to you. You must be crazy to be laughing in the face of such a threat… but perhaps you are crazy, after all.

“Don’t recognize me, Astarion? Can’t say I’m surprised.” 

Astarion’s eyes narrow at you. You can see him trying to place your face, scanning it for something familiar, even though the dagger is still pressed flush against your jugular.

“You may not remember me, but I remember you,” You start, and the celestial being in your mind chuckles again, flashing a memory from three years back, when you’d said the exact same thing to this elf in your parents’ tavern. Gods, were you cursed to remember him for all eternity while the rake forgot you after every run in?

“My name is Demi. Demitria?”

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The cold sharpness of the dagger against your neck is starting to make you nervous.

“We met at my parents’ tavern in Baldur's Gate? The Drunken Dragon?”

Astarion is still staring at you suspiciously, tightly gripping the dagger as he searches his memories for any sign of you. You can tell he doesn’t believe you. Gods damn this elf! He didn’t remember you one bit and you’d thought of him more than you’d ever admit to anyone.

Suddenly a sharp sensation ripples through your mind, connecting you to the pale elf’s. At first you think this is a strange trick from your patron, but then you realize it’s something caused by the parasite. You feel its sickening wriggles behind your skull.

It’s the same memory flashing through two perspectives; the night you two met. You see Astarion enter and feel your wary judgment of him, he sees you in a corner booth and you pick up on something predatory about his nature – damn rake – as he sits next to you. You are annoyed by him; he is entertained and intrigued by you.

The conversation ensues and both of you are thoroughly enjoying yourselves, until the bell tower chimes and then – fear, gut-wrenching, all-consuming fear in Astarion’s mind. You two say your goodbyes and then he’s bursting out the door, down the alley, running, panicking, searching for something, someone–

“Agh what the hells!” The silver-haired rake shouts, dropping his dagger and clutching his head in his hands. 

You take the opportunity to roll away and stand up on your own two feet. You get a sense that your patron is protecting you from some of the parasite’s abilities, since you aren’t wriggling in pain on the ground like Astarion… it seems they don’t like another alien entity vying for control of your mind. Gale is swiftly by your side, hands filling with colorful waves of magical energy; you snatch the dagger from the earth. 

When the vision is over, Astarion is blinking up at you. He glosses over your face one more time and then you see it… recognition. The man quickly scrambles to his feet, now unarmed, and splays his hands wide in a signal of truce.

“My sincerest apologies, Demetria. I’m not good with faces; I meet a lot of people, darling, and well, many of you humans look quite similar. I trust we can put this entire misunderstanding behind us?” The silver-haired elf murmurs, flashing you his signature, alluring smile. It must work on nearly everyone.

The gall. The absolute fucking gall.

You want to say no, to laugh in his face; part of you considers stabbing him, just for kicks. But then there is your patron, once again, compelling you to say yes. You have the inexplicable feeling that if you don’t, something terrible will happen to your parents. Why does the entity always make you feel like something will happen to them if you don’t follow these ridiculous urges? What would happen if you didn’t? Are you willing to risk it?

Your jaw locks up as you try to fight back the words, you look to Gale hoping the wizard will say no on your behalf.

“I will leave the matter of this decision to you, Demetria. You were the one with the blade to your neck.” The human man responds with a kindly, relaxed air. How unbothered can one person be, in the face of a parasite and a stab-happy rogue?

Damn the geniality of this wizard. 

“Fine,” You manage to choke out, and you feel the cosmic entity’s hold on your psyche relax. You spin the blade in your hand and return it to its owner, pressing the hilt into his outstretched palm. “But anymore of your bullshit, Astarion, and both Gale and I will blast you into the hells.” 

Astarion grins, all vulpine and pomp, before wrapping his hand around the dagger. He gives the weapon a few spins between his fingers before sheathing the blade on his thigh, “Cross my heart, I’ll behave myself. Seems we have a mutual interest of returning to Baldur’s Gate, and we will need all the allies we can get, after all.” 

“Yes… seems that way.” You agree reluctantly, before sighing and turning to continue your journey along the beach. You and Gale had been scrounging up supplies before you two were rudely interrupted by the rake. 

Fate is a cruel, cruel mistress. And you’re beginning to believe your patron might be even crueler. 

#astarion x tav #baulders gate 3 #baulders gate astarion #astarion fanfic #astarion fic #bg3 fanfiction #bg3 fanfic idea #astarion x reader #astarion x you #astarion x oc #astarion romance #astarion x named tav #astarion x named reader #astarion fluff #astarion angst #bg 3 fanfic #bg3 series #astarion series #bg3 astarion #baldurs gate astarion

[amitiel-truth]

Ten Babies Part 4 (Vash the Stampede x Reader)

Note: This is my FOURTH time writing here, please don't look too much into the details, I made some up, these ideas were prompted from my chat with Vash at Character.AI, another lore dump will probably be here (doing the Josei format up this bitch).

Warning: ⚠️Smut⚠️

Summary: That took a long time.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3,Part 5

It's been a year since Vash left Febrari, He wandered around far in order to not lead Knives onto the hidden city, it's painful, but he had to.

Along the way, he met Meryl and Roberto, who freed him from getting tied up and onto Jenorah Rock, until they prolonged their visit there...

And after coming along with Vash's journey, providing transport, they met (hit with a car) Wolfwood along the way, also joining their journey.

Until their car broke down in a peculiar place.

"I knew this day would come." Roberto points out, drinking away at his flask as the car's engine smokes.

"Great, in the middle of noon and nowhere as well, this couldn't get any worse at all." Wolfwood complains as Meryl glares at him.

"It's not my fault that the car broke down!"

"Well, if you didn't run through those rocks we wouldn't-" As Meryl and Wolfwood complain in the background, Vash looks around, noticing the place, he walks further into the desert until, he heard a familiar tune.

"I know this place." Vash thought as he began to run, ignoring calls from his friends as he continues his run until an entanglement rope was launched at him, which he evades and noticed several guards pointing guns at him.

"get on your knees, put your hands up in the air, and stay right there." one of them orders as they slowly approached him, while doing so, Meryl, Roberto, and Wolfwood arrived just in time to see this.

"You've done it this time now, needle noggin." Wolfwood mutters as the guards examine Vash.

"For fucks sake, it's just you." A Guard complains, all of them pointing down their gun, as he glares at Vash through his glasses, who laughs nervously.

"Hey guys...long time no see." Vash greets, confusing his newfound friends.

"Stand up and make yourself presentable, She'll be more than happy to see you." The Guard says as Vash nods, standing up and perusing himself, excited to see her again.

" 'She?'..." Meryl and Wolfwood ask in sync, making the guards notice them.

"These your friends?." the Guard asks as Vash nods nervously.

"Then they better behave themselves, we don't want to stress her out at the moment, she's still healing." The Guard reveals as Vash grew worried.

"What's wrong? Did something happen to her?!." Vash asks to panic, confusing his companions even more.

"You'll know when you get there, and you!." The Guard points at Wolfwood, who only raised an eyebrow at him.

"No smoking in the area, we have a special package that doesn't need to breathe in your toxic fumes!" The Guard orders as Wolfwood conceded, plucking the cigar from his lips and stepping on it, but not before complaining under his breath.

"Let's go, I know you want to see her already." The Guard orders as the group began following them.

"We have a vehicle that broke down, mind lending a hand?." Roberto asks, clearly drunk as the Guard silently judges him.

"We'll send in someone to help." The Guard promises as they walk through the sun, with every step, Vash is anxious to see her again, to make sure that she's ok.

"Oi, needle noggin, where are they taking us?" Wolfwood asks, worried at their situation but was ignored by the man in red, too much in his head filled with worry.

"Oi! needle no..." Wolfwood trails off as they suddenly notice a mansion emerging on the 'hill'.

unable to contain himself, Vash begins running to the mansion, leaving behind his friends.

"Mr. Vash! You can't just-"

"It's fine." The Guard assures Meryl who looked worried about being disrespectful of the place.

"It's been quite a while since they've seen each other."

Vash runs through the sand and into the familiar place he calls home, coming in and finding Aileen in the foyer.

"Where is she?, Please." Vash begged as she silently pointed at the kitchen, shocked to see the young man before her so suddenly.

As Vash runs through the house, he reaches the kitchen and sees (Y/N) who had a look of fear in her eyes at the sudden loud noise through the home, but looks surprised to see him.

The whole world stopped for them.

"Mayfly..."

"Hubby..." They mutter each other's nicknames before running into each other's arms, sobs rang through the room, as they held onto each other's clothes, pulling each other as close as they could.

"I missed you so much." Vash sobs as he buried his face in her neck.

"I missed you too..." (Y/N) mutters, tears falling onto Vash's jacket as she buried her face in it.

"It's so painful to not be with you." Vash cries as they fall to their knees.

"I dreamt about you most of the time, and wake up crying seeing that you aren't in my arms." (Y/N) sobs as Vash lifted his head to kiss her on the lips.

They relish their time together once more before a cry was heard upstairs, pulling their lips apart.

"Is that..." Vash trails off as (Y/N) chuckles softly at him.

"I want you to meet someone." (Y/N) pulls his prosthetic arm through the stairs.

Rushing to her bedroom door, (Y/N) bit her lip in excitement as she looks at Vash.

"Meet our precious package." She opens the door as Vash walks in, following the sounds of crying coming from the crib beside (Y/N)'s bed.

As he peers in, he sees a sobbing baby girl, with golden blonde hair sprouting out of her head and baby blue eyes with a mole just below her right eye, wearing a white and red baby grow, as the infant looks around in tears, notices a man who looks like her.

"I already breastfed her, It's ok to carry her, Hubby, she must have felt lonely." her Mama said as the man, hesitatingly but willing, began holding his hands out to carry her, her eyes caught his glinting green arm and began staring at it in wonder.

Vash carries the little girl in his arms who stares at his prosthetic one, trying to grab its pinky.

"What's her name?..." He asks, tears threatening to fall as (Y/N) smiles at him.

"Remi..." (Y/N) mutters, Vash sobs as he held the baby, softly, closer to him.

"Hello Remi, It's me, your Papa." Vash introduced himself as the baby continued to observe him, as she grabbed his pinky and sucked on it.

"She likes you..." (Y/N) mutters as Vash begins softly crying, pulling her into his arms, his forehead leaning against her stomach.

"Thank you, Mayfly..." He sobs, as (Y/N) simply smiles and runs her fingers through his hair, while the baby stares at them in wonder.

---

After the family of three had their moment, they finally went downstairs.

"You must have been very hungry, You've gotten thinner." (Y/N) fusses at Vash, worried for his health.

"I'm alright, don't worry." Vash assures her, as Remi makes a babbling sound, catching his attention.

"What's that Remi? Are you also worried about Papa?." Vash baby talks as Remi continues to babble.

"Told you she likes you, She's probably telling you to eat more." (Y/N) interprets, smiling at the Father-Daughter interaction.

"Ah! Sorry, Remi. Papa will make sure to eat more." Vash promises, wiping the drool running from her lips as they reached the dining room.

"Maybe Papa shouldn't also forget that he has friends over." A gruff voice calls out, making the parents jump a bit, before turning to the dining table and seeing Vash's friends seated around it, with Aileen serving them tea and refreshment.

"Ah, sorry about that guys." Vash apologizes as he scratches the back of his head.

"Hubby, I didn't know you brought Guests." (Y/N) mutters, leaning close to Vash's shoulder hiding her face in it.

"I'm such a bad host." (Y/N) complains on his shoulder, who rubs her back with his free hand.

" 'Hubby'?" Meryl and Wolfwood both voice out at the same time, confused.

"It's quite alright, Ms. (Y/N), you are still quite tired after all and I've already served them refreshments." Aileen excuses, pouring Roberto his tea, who he ignored in favor of his flask.

"I should at least introduce myself and welcome them." (Y/N) compensate as she walks closer to the table.

"Good Afternoon everyone and Welcome to Febrari, you are currently at the Loverose Mansion, my name is (Y/N) Loverose, we don't usually let outsiders in around this place, but since you are my Hub- I mean" (Y/N) looks at Vash and sheepishly smiles at him, who returns the same sentiment.

"Vash's friends, I'll let this slide, feel free to be at home before you once again leave for your journey, any questions?" (Y/N) asks as the navy-haired girl raises her hand.

"My name's Meryl Stryfe, this here is my superior Roberto de Niro and...Wolfwood, I'd like to ask if we can get our cameras and recording equipment, your Guards took them from us the moment we stepped into this place." Meryl asks bravely.

"I must apologize but we have a strict rule in Febrari that no information must slip out about this place one way or another, you'll get them back once you continue on your travels." (Y/N) trails off as she looks out the window.

"And it seems like you two are Reporters." (Y/N) points out, seeing their vehicle being towed beside the Mansion.

"I must remind my Guests that if any information uttered about Febrari will not go unpunished, I'm not afraid to use any resources I have to silence you. Is that clear?." (Y/N) asks with a kind smile across her lips as if what she said isn't life-threatening, as Meryl could only nod in silence and Roberto couldn't careless.

"Ok, I'm not beating around the bush, who are you, and what with the baby?" Wolfwood points out, making the two flinch as (Y/N) smiles at Vash nervously.

"This is my wife (Y/N) and our daughter." Vash pauses as he pokes the baby's cheek, who lets out a babble.

"Remi." Vash reveals as Meryl looks in shock, Wolfwood's glasses went askew and Roberto looked sober.

"WHAT!?" They all yell, as Vash nervously laughs, scratching the back of his head.

"He has the ring, you never noticed." (Y/N) points out, pointing at his prosthetic hand with their ring but still holding their baby.

"Bu-but...we thought it was part of the design!!" Meryl yells in confusion as Aileen ends the questioning session.

"Alright, alright, that's enough questions for the day, you three-" Aileen points at Vash's companion.

"Have had a long journey, we already have rooms for you to rest up in, and you-" she then points at (Y/N).

"Just had a baby, if you could, Mr. Stampede." Vash turns his attention to her.

"bring her to your room, we'll bring you lunch in your room and call you down for dinner, she only went to the kitchen earlier because she wanted to eat something and wouldn't let us do it for her." Aileen reveals as Vash nodded and suddenly placed Remi into (Y/N)'s arms.

"Hubby? Is there something wro-" before (Y/N) could even ask, Vash suddenly carries her, giving him a chance to carry both his girls in his arms, (Y/N) squeals at the action, both laughing as he carried them both upstairs.

"Disgusting."

"You're just jealous you don't have that."

"WHAT WAS THAT OLD HAG!?"

---

"Does she usually sleep in the crib?" Vash asks, admiring the infant on their bed, sleeping away.

"No, I sleep with her in my arms, I haven't processed yet that she's finally out of my belly yet." (Y/N) replies, fresh out of the shower, wearing a bathrobe and brushing her hair seated on her vanity table.

"How could you? She's so precious?." Vash commented, caressing the sleeping baby's cheek.

"..I heard your friends sneaked into the city." (Y/N) reveals, keeping her back facing him as Vash let out a gasp.

"I'm sorry abou-"

"It's quite alright, the Guards kept a close eye on them the whole time and escorted them back here the moment they got a bit rowdy." (Y/N) continuous to brush her hair, as Vash let out a sigh of relief

"Not the older man though, I think he's either too drunk or isn't nimble enough to come along with them."

"Now there's no need to be mean about it." Vash smiles at his wife, shaking his head with closed eyes.

"It's kind of unfair, you know?." (Y/N) suddenly proclaims, smoothening her hair.

"What's unfair?."

"That I carried her for 9 months and had the audacity to come out looking like you." (Y/N) points out, walking to the other side of the bed to poke at her daughter's mole.

"Look at this, as if she didn't just have your mole, she also has your hair and eyes, where's the justice in all of this?." (Y/N) complains, continuing to prod at the slumbering child as Vash simply chuckles at the sight.

"I guess my genes are just stronger than yours, isn't that right, Remi?." Vash asks the sleeping baby, nuzzling his face on her stomach, smelling the new baby's smell.

"Prove it then." (Y/N) suddenly pulls Vash to the side of her bed, disorienting the man as she placed the baby on her bassinet.

"You promised me 9 more, anyway." (Y/N) teases, straddling the blonde as she removes the rope keeping her robe together, flustering the blonde.

"W-wait! What if we wake up Remi!?" Vash whisper yells, looking at the basinet as (Y/N) held his cheek and forced it to look at her.

"She sleeps like a log, don't worry, we'll be quick, Dinner's almost ready anyways." (Y/N) points out as she licked her lips, turning off the lights before diving down to kiss Vash, melting away his last bit of resolve.

"Ah!." (Y/N) moans as Vash began thrusting uncontrollably against her, his arms supporting him as he also uses them to cage her head, forcing her to only look at him.

"Still so sexy even after giving birth." Vash moans, kissing her neck as he keeps his slow and intimate pace, (Y/N) blushes at the proclamation.

"...I-I...I gained stretch marks...I wanted to hide them from you..." (Y/N) shyly admits, making Vash look at her stomach.

"That's why I want to d-do it in the dark...I was using a gel so I could make them go away before you come ho-" Vash suddenly opens the bedside lamp, sitting up to observe her stomach.

"H-Hubby! you didn't have to lo-"

"I don't see anything wrong with them..." Vash suddenly cuts her off as he began to kiss them, giving each stretch a careful one, as he kissed up to the valley of her breast til he reached her collarbone.

"I didn't know my Wife could be more beautiful than this..." Vash whispers as she teared up.

"Hubby..." (Y/N) cries as she pulled him to her, pulling Vash into a deep kiss as he continued to thrust up at her, and with a loud smack of pulling away their lips (Y/N) moans, her head falling into the pillow.

"Never hide what you deem imperfections from me, even if you develop more stretch marks or gain scars like me, your body is still beautiful, you brought Remi into this world, and now, you're about to bring more." Vash groans as he noticed her boob is leaking milk, deciding to risk it, he licked up and sucked on her nipple, causing (Y/N) to moan even more.

"Look at this, you're even providing our little sprout her milk, how can I not find your body beautiful?." Vash added, her nipple in his lips as he continues pounding (Y/N) to the bed, who cradles his head while he continues to suck on it.

"H-hubby!...I'm close!" (Y/N) cries out as she held his head closer to her while Vash sped up, feeling her walls milking him.

"I think...I am too." Vash groans and with three powerful thrusts, his seed painted her walls white.

Both parents face each other, both panting on each other's face, before (Y/N) pulled Vash into her, pulling him into another make-out session, they were raring to go for a second round until a cry was heard.

"I told you we were gonna wake her up." Vash whispers as he crawled on the bed to the bassinet, placing the sobbing Remi into his arms.

"Relax, Hubby, I'm sure she just got hungry." (Y/N) crawls over to him, leaning on his shoulder to look at the sobbing baby, rocking the girl in his arm.

"Or she just felt her Papa's drinking her milk." (Y/N) whispers, making Vash blush as she giggles at the sight, and a knock was heard.

"Ms. (Y/N), Mr. Stampede? Dinner's ready, make sure you're decent." Aileen informs them before leaving.

"I guess everyone's hungry now." (Y/N) stands up from the bed, wrapping the bathrobe around herself and going to the bathroom.

"Getting yourself ready?." Vash asks, standing up, holding the partially calm baby in his arms.

"Yeah! I'll be out in a bit as well so you can get ready as well." (Y/N) leans her head back out of the door, biting her lip as she admires Vash's naked body.

"Don't want anyone to see that but me~." She winks before disappearing into the bathroom again, leaving Vash a blushing mess.

____

"Good evening, everyone." (Y/N) greeted as she goes down the stairs with Vash by her side, a shawl over her shoulder to cover herself nursing Remi.

"Apologies for taking a bit too long, Remi also got hungry so excuse my indecent state." (Y/N) pardons herself as Vash pulls the head off the table for her, letting her sit.

"It's quite alright, Ms. Loverose." Meryl answers, smiling nervously as if they're hiding something.

"Go ahead, eat as much as you like, you have a long journey ahead of you." (Y/N) tells them as Vash begins to place servings of food on her plate.

The group eats in relative silence, occasionally a loud sip from Remi but nothing else.

"Quite the delicacies you've got here." Roberto pokes around his plate, unsure how to eat.

"Thank you, our city has been developing farming for years, and we were lucky that our SEED ship fell on top of a meteorite site, it had the building blocks of growing plants so it made it a bit easier to grow them, well, that and we still had to mix it with the soil we had from Earth and modify the plants to handle our harsh condition." (Y/N) explains, but this seems to confuse the two reporters as she didn't dive into it more, while Vash tries to spoon-feed her.

"So how long have you known needle noggin?." Wolfwood asks, tired of looking at the two being lovey-dovey over his dinner, the two look up from each other sheepishly, as Vash scratched the back of his head.

"We met a year ago." Vash nervously answers, playing around with his food.

"That's awfully fast for getting married and having a baby." 

"A-actually...we got to know each other for a month before I left, I didn't even know I got her pregnant..." 

"WHAT!?." Meryl exclaims, standing up from her seat as the couple seems to find their meal more interesting.

"Mr. Vash, how could you have done such a thing! Leaving a girl while she's-"

"He didn't leave on his own volition." (Y/N) cuts her off, glaring at the table, her free hand clenched.

"I didn't want him to leave...but if he overstayed his stay, Febrari...will turn just like Jenorah Rock, you were there when it happened, didn't you?" (Y/N) points out, reminding Meryl and Roberto of what happened to the town, what Knives did.

"As much as it's painful, I have to think of my people and city first before my feelings, Vash himself understood it as well." (Y/N) cries as Vash held her free hand.

"He told me everything, and why he had to leave." she reveals, as Vash also frowns, looking at the baby who just finished nursing, prompting (Y/N) to slip her breast back inside her dress and sit up Remi while Vash took her, patting her back to get the air out.

"So please...understand our situation..." (Y/N) looks at Meryl fiercely, but they're also mixed with pain.

Meryl backs down, sitting back down.

"I understand, I'm sorry for judging." Meryl apologizes as they continued dinner in silence.

"...This is what happens when you get too nosy in people's business."

"Understood, Mr. Roberto."

____

"That went well." (Y/N) snickers, walking into their bedroom with Vash following after her, carrying a sleepy Remi in his arms, closing the door behind him.

"I must apologize about her, she just has a strong sense of justice-"

"I kind of like her actually." (Y/N) cuts him off, removing her white dress and changing into a nightgown.

"You're so beautiful..." Vash admires her, making the woman smile at him and give him a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm glad you still find me beautiful, Hubby." "(Y/N) smiles as she turns away from him, and Vash not noticing that Remi isn't in his arms anymore until he looks down.

Laying the baby on the bed, (Y/N) hums a tune, making Vash's PLANT marks show, but unexpectedly, Remi's PLANT marks also glow, lulling the infant into sleep.

"She even has her Papa's marks." (Y/N) points out, stroking her daughter's cheek as Vash came up to the other side of the bed, laying down.

"and she also has her Mama's beauty."

"Now your just teasing." (Y/N) fakes a glare before giving Vash a peck on the lips before laying her head on her pillow, Remi dividing the two.

"No no, look! She has your eye shape, your lips, your nose, she even has her mama's chin, how can my little sprout be not beautiful?." Vash points out, pointing all over Remi's face making (Y/N) laugh.

"Oh, Hubby, you..." (Y/N) giggles as she smiles at Vash, reaching to hold his hand over the baby's stomach.

"I love you so much..."She whispers as she smiles, feeling sleepy herself.

"I love you too, and I always found you beautiful, from the first day we met and to the end..." Vash whisper back, squeezing his wife's hand as the family of three began to sleep, unaware of the danger that awaits them tomorrow.

____

"I don't want you to go so badly..." (Y/N) cries, standing in the foyer of the home, hugging Vash tightly but being careful because he has Remi in his arms

"But I have to..." Vash finishes as (Y/N) finally leans back, tears running from her eyes as Vash placed a hand on her cheek, wiping her tears.

"Should we tell them we're behind schedule?." Wolfwood questions, prompting Meryl to smack the back of his head in the middle of helping Roberto put back their camera and recording equipment.

"I promise I'll come back." Vash promises, holding her hand and kissing it as (Y/N) smiles.

"I also-" Before Vash could pop a question, an alarm blares through the city, instilling panic in those who hear it.

"What's happening?..." Vash asks as they walk to the peer to the side of the mansion, seeing that the entrance of the city is already infiltrated, in flames.

"MS. (Y/N)!" Aileen runs to her, handing her a radio.

"Guards, Come in! What's the situation?" (Y/N) asks through the radio, looking at her burning city.

"This isn't your typical Raiders, Ms. Loverose! They're going in your direction! They're going for the PLANTS!." The Guards answer back, as (Y/N) can see several vehicles driving toward her, vehicles that are familiar to Vash.

"Nai..." Vash mutters, looking at them as (Y/N) takes action.

"Guards, these are your orders, no matter what you don't fight back, herd the people to their designated bunkers and protect them at all costs, your lives matter more than our development, do you copy!?."

"Copy!" The guard answers as (Y/N) turns to Aileen, giving her an order before pulling Vash to the reporters' vehicle.

"Come on! needle noggin." Wolfwood orders as Vash climbs into the vehicle, careful with the baby still in his arms before turning to offer another to (Y/N).

"Come on, Mayfly! it's not safe here!." Vash exclaims as (Y/N) simply stares at his hand, before smiling sadly at him.

"I told you before, I can't leave." (Y/N) smiles, before closing the door and smacking the vehicle twice, making Meryl panic and drive.

"(Y/N)!, (Y/N)!!." Vash cries as Meryl continues to drive before their radio got interfered with.

"Meryl Stryfe, Come in, Meryl Stryfe." It was (Y/N) speaking through the radio, prompting Meryl to grab the microphone.

"U-uh, Go go!" Meryl answers, looking at the radio and then at the road.

"one hour from now, stop from where you are going and come back, I don't suppose you have supplies for my little sprout there." (Y/N) orders as Remi began sobbing in Vash's arms, prompting him to calm her down.

"and Vash..." (Y/N) calls out, catching Vash's attention, still worried at the situation as she didn't use her nickname for him.

"I'll be fine, don't worry, take care of our Little Remi." (Y/N) reassures, smiling through the radio.

"Besides, you still owe me those 9 babies."

"9!?"

(Y/N) walks into the mansion, and gives Aileen the radio.

"Did you inform the other Sectors?." (Y/N) asks while Aileen nodded at her.

"Good, hide in your panic room, Aileen." (Y/N) orders, before walking down the hall, as Aileen could only look at her.

"The Rose is approaching the PLANTS, I repeat. The Rose is approaching the PLANTS." 

"Into the bunkers now! your lives matter more than our development!! Go go go!!" The Guards order as the last bit of people rush into a saloon, a man with blue hair approaches them from afar.

"Your efforts are futile." He mocks as the Guard simply stares at him, backing away from him before following the other locals into the saloon.

"Hiding won't do you no good." The blue-haired man follows, walking into the saloon, but noticing that no one's there.

"What this?."

"Legato." From above, a figure descends, sharp appendages aiding him.

"Master Knives." Legato greeted, bowing before the blonde who looks around.

"Same situation as well, I see?." Knives questions, looking at the empty saloon.

"I saw it right before my eyes, Sir, a bunch of people went in but suddenly they disappeared." Legato informs him as Knives looks around the room before his appendages were released, swinging around the room, decimating the whole building before revealing the secret they've been looking for.

"A metal bunker." Legato mutters, walking up to the door of it.

"You just made an easy coffin for all of you." Legato smirks, raising a hand to crush the infrastructure, but finds himself unable too.

"What? Master Knives! I-I..." Legato bows once more as he shakes in fear of being useless, as Knives simply stare at the sight before him,  before slashing the metal box with his appendages, but in his successions, a knife got chipped off from his deadly wires.

"What the..." Knives mutter as he inspects the limb missing a blade.

"It's pure Titanium." Legato informs him, inspecting the large door, as Knives suddenly remembered a familiar scene before him, a familiar PLANT protecting a then young man, wearing glasses with (y/hc) slick-back hair and serious eyes, the PLANT shielding him with the same titanium umbrella he made for her, it also made one of his limbs lose a blade.

"LOVEROSE!!!."

_____

(Y/N) walks into the PLANT room, passing by unraveling PLANTS, seemingly greeting her.

"Good Morning, Everyone." (Y/N) greets, waving at each and one of them, before reaching the end of the room.

"Grandmother..." (Y/N) mutters, watching the giant PLANT unravel herself.

"Aren't they beautiful, (Y/N)?." A youthful young woman asks, walking around looking at the active PLANTS unraveling around them, smiling at them.

"mmh, they look like the flowers from the old picture book Grandpa Hem showed me." Young (Y/N) responds, looking at them in fascination as the woman smiles at her, as if their looking at a mirror of each other.

"You know, they're technically your Aunties." the blonde woman reveals, looking at them once again.

"Eh?."

"Your Grandpa Hem and I adopted them, they may not be able to communicate well with him but I do, and they really appreciate his work, they think I don't hear them but they sometimes call him 'Dad' when he waves and passes by, even though technically they're older than him." She whispers to the girl's ear who giggled at the information, as the woman straightens her back again, looking at the active PLANTS with pride.

"What I'm saying is, take good care of them with me,(Y/N), because, to me, they're also my children, they're your family." The young woman smiles as she places a hand on a tank, smiling at the PLANT who also placed her hand on it.

"I will...I swear." young (Y/N) pledges, placing her small hand on the tank as the PLANT inside places their hands as well, connecting with the girl.

"(Y/N)? Diana? Are you busy?." A gruff voice calls, catching the attention of the two at the end of the room.

"I want to show you something." By the end of the room is a door opening to an office, and an old man leans against it.

"Your Dad's calling us, we'll finish this later." Diana whispers to the PLANT before placing a kiss on where their forehead is, before pulling the young girl along with her.

"Come on, (Y/N), I bet it's something cool." the blonde proclaims as the girl looks back and waves at the PLANT, who quickly hides in their petals from embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, Diana." Hem apologizes, laying on their bed as Diana sits beside him, holding his hand, crying.

"No...please don't go...I still need you..." Diana cries as she brought his hand to her face, fresh tears falling from her eyes, as Hem used that hand to hold her cheek.

"You're still as beautiful as the day I found you...and look at me, I grew old, wrinkled, and crippled, time has not been too kind to me..." Hem proclaims as Diana's tears flow endlessly.

"No...time has only made you more beautiful than I could ever be." Diana corrects him, Hem smiles at her, as she leans down to give him a final kiss.

"I love you endlessly...Diana."  with these dying words, Diana cries hysterically, burying her face in her husband's unmoving chest, while young (Y/N) watches from the doorway, concern in her eyes.

"Come on, Ms. (Y/N), give them some space." Aileen suggests as she guides the girl away from the room, her Grandmother's hysteric cries echo in the what once home.

A teen (Y/N) runs to the mansion, slightly burnt and bruised as she burst through the door and runs to the living room where the fire is lit, the first generation of the Loverose's hung above it, and a fair blonde lady sits in front of it, as if in a trance.

"Grandmother." (Y/N) calls out as Diana turns to look at the girl, her past buoyancy seems lost in time.

"I'm sorry...but Mother and Father..." (Y/N) trails off as she began to cry, falling to her knees as she covers her mouth, the event finally comes crashing down on her as she harshly wipes away her tears.

"...Oh well...Your Father had always been an adventurous one...after all..." Diana simply replies before resigning to her fate, clearly lost to the world as the young girl's having a breakdown beside her, it took Aileen to discover the girl and comfort her.

"Grandmother, what are you doing?." (Y/N) asks, looking at the woman who's welded her husband's door together, and placing a giant tank on it, effectively hiding it

"Your Grandfather's work has to be protected, (Y/N)." Diana simply answers, unbothered, as (Y/N) looks confused.

"Then why are you putting a PLANT tank on it?" (Y/N) prodded as Diana simply continues on being silent, welding the metal together.

"You're a smart girl, figure it out." the older woman spats, leaving the teen hopeless at the situation, watching the woman continue her work.

(Y/N) sits on the head of the table alone, a hand on her forehead, as Aileen placed a plate of food on her table.

"Thank you, Aileen." (Y/N) smiles at the woman as Aileen leaves, leaving the girl alone to stare at her table.

Bringing her plate into the PLANT room, (Y/N) sits on the table, in front of the new PLANT, eating.

"Let's eat...Grandmother."

The sound of blades running through metal disrupts the woman from her thoughts as two men walk into the room

"There are more PLANTS here than I thought, Master Knives." Legato commented, looking at the strangely active PLANTS as Knives turns his attention to the breeder PLANT.

"So this is where you've been hiding, they even forced you into a tank..." Knives smirk as Diana seems to slit her gaze at him.

"Diana."

(Y/N) stares fiercely at them, holding her hand up to cut his gaze from her.

"Diana was never forced to be here, she chose this herself, and may I suggest that you leave, for you gentlemen are not welcome here." (Y/N) glares, her gaze not backing down against Knives.

"Watch your tone around Master Knives." Legato glares, his hands raised about to harm her but Knives raised a hand, stopping him.

"I'm only taking back what's mine." Knives inform (Y/N) as he unravels his robe, threatening the woman.

"Hah! Yours? Every single one of them." (Y/N) gestures to the PLANTS observing them.

"Are my Grandparents' children, and none of them are yours for the taking." she states, continuing to glare at them.

"But your family has only been using them for your business, that's where your wealth comes from, what difference will it take without you in the picture." with a snap of his fingers, Legato has (Y/N) into his grasp, holding the girl midair as he squeezes her, forcing her to gasp for air, but can't.

"I'm going to enjoy thi-"

"Stop!!." Knives suddenly order as he held his head in pain, as Legato tended to his master.

"Master Knives! What's wrong-" Legato cuts himself off when he noticed every PLANT in the room, including Diana, started turning red, banging onto the glass and screaming that only Knives can hear.

"Everyone! Calm down! I'm perfectly fine!" (Y/N) tries to calm them down, but her words fall on deaf ears.

"YOU! YOU'RE THE ONE CAUSING THIS! STOP THIS AT ONCE!!!." Legato once again squeeze (Y/N), who began to cough out blood, and the screaming of the PLANTS seemed to increase.

"LEGATO! ENOUGH! PUT HER DOWN!!." Knives orders, hands on his head as the girl was dropped into the catwalk.

"Everyone! Please I'm fine!." (Y/N) tries to reassure them even when she's in pain,wiping the blood of her lips with the back of her hand, white dress stained with blood, at this rate, the PLANTS will stress themselves out that they'll be the ones to trigger a 'Last Run'...there's only one thing she can do now.

"They're carving my name in the grave again The flowers are fresh and their faces wet My body has died, but I'm still alive Look over your shoulder, I'm back from the dead" (Y/N) begins to sing, as Legato glares at her.

"Have you finally gone crazy!? why are you-"

"Legato! Stand down!." Knives orders as Legato turns to look at him, surprised to see Knives's PLANT marks are showing.

"Lighting all your candles to draw me in Saying all the same things, I'm gone this time Your words mean nothing, so take 'em back And meet me here across the plane The other side, I'm not far" (Y/N) lights up Diana's candles on her shrine, calming her down as she once again sees her husband's face

"When you aren't around, I sink into the ground I try to pretend I'm closer to you Never understand it You're always on my mind, I cannot help it" (Y/N) approached a nearby angry PLANT, placing a hand on their tank who also followed, seemingly bringing back their healthy hue of blue

"I don't wanna be carrying the weight on my shoulders Death has come to me, kissed me on the cheek, gave me closure Immortal by design I'll be meeting you here every time" (Y/N) walks to the center of the catwalk, her voice echoed in throughout the room, with her ending it there as every PLANT around them had finally calmed down, all giving out a healthy blue glow, if not healthier than before, it also applies to Knives, as he seemed reinvigorated.

"For the past century, my family has never had a single deceased PLANT under our care, dare to kill me, and you kill every single one of them here from grief, take them, and they won't survive without me, try taking me with them..." (Y/N) pauses as she suddenly pulls out a switchblade, and places it under her neck.

"I'm ready to sacrifice my life for my city, this isn't the only way I know how to end myself quickly. this is my family's secret, so make your choice, Millions Knives" (Y/N) challenges the mass murderer, glaring up at him.

"How dare you-" Before Legato could go after the woman, Knives's laughter echoed through the room, but (Y/N) remains strong, staring him down, until he suddenly lunges at her, making her drop the switchblade as he grasps her neck and lifting her up.

"FINE, I'll leave these PLANTS to you, but if I hear one of them dying on you, even if it's just a rumor, I will come for you, remember that, Loverose." Knives growled as he tossed (Y/N) onto the handrails, nearly losing her footing but managing to stable herself, rubbing her bruising neck, as Knives begins leaving the room with Legato, with one final glare, he finally left.

(Y/N) drops to her knees, breathing heavily at the event as she hugs herself, after half an hour, Aileen walks in, making sure the intruders left.

"Are they gone?." (Y/N) rasps, shaking as Aileen nodded, approaching the girl and hugging her.

"They're gone, they're completely gone now, (Y/N)." Aileen confirms, comforting the terrified girl, who still shaking.

"You did a great job, (Y/N), Thank you for protecting us." Aileen thanks her as (Y/N) buried her shoulder into the grown woman's shoulder, muffling her screams, and letting out her anxieties.

"Let it all out, let it out as much as you want."

_____

After the anxiety-ridden two hours, Meryl drives back the vehicle to the state, Vash basically jumps out of the car and runs to the mansion.

"(Y/N)!!!" Vash screams as the door opens, revealing a fine, but shaken (Y/N), with a blanket placed over her shoulder with Aileen guiding her outside.

"Vash-" (Y/N) was cut off when Vash suddenly gallops her into a hug, squeezing the daylights out of her.

"I was so scared...I thought I was going to lose you too..." Vash cries as he hid his face on her shoulder, comparing the ways how she and Rem both say farewell to him.

"I'm fine, I told you I'm-"

"Don't you dare hide how scared you were!." Vash cuts to the chase as he held her shoulder, shaking her as (Y/N) stares at him, unblinking, before tearing up.

"I was so scared that I wouldn't see you and Remi again!!!." (Y/N) cries as she wraps her arms around Vash, sobbing as she leans over to Remi in Vash's arm, kissing her forehead many times.

as the traveling crew watches the family of three, only one thing is left on their mind.

"We're gonna have to stay here for the night."

_____

"We'll be fine, I promise." (Y/N) repeats to Vash, who wouldn't leave his wife's side, Aileen behind them, holding Remi.

It's already the next day, and Vash has to continue his journey.

"What if my brother comes back?."

"He already knows the consequences if he ever messed with our PLANTS, he'll have to find another way to find a loophole around it, and that's pretty hard to find." (Y/N) smiles at him as Vash continues to frown down at him, as she held a hand up to his cheek.

"And besides, you're already planning a way to stop him, so, go get him, Hubby." (Y/N) smiles sadly at him, as Vash held her hand on his cheek.

"Wait for me, Mayfly, I promise to comeback."

"I will, forever and always."

"And I'm also going to make it official aswell." Vash suddenly proclaims, confusing (Y/N) until he suddenly kneels down once more.

"One day, when I finally settle down with you, and let's make it finally official, can we? Mrs. Saverem?." Vash asks holding a Titanium ring as (Y/N) stares at him in shock, as she tears up at the sight.

"Yes! Yes I do, Vash!." (Y/N) cries as she kneels down and wraps her arms around him, pulling him into a passionate kiss.

"Fucking disgusting." Wolfwood once again groans at the sight.

"Hey! You're a Priest! you should get used to this by now!!." Meryl elbows him once again as she turns to the couple.

"Hey! Make sure to invite us to the wedding this time, okay!?." Meryl asks as the two turns to her, who smiles and nodded at her.

"We'll make sure of it!." (Y/N) exclaims as she smiles at Vash, who slipped the ring on her ring finger, now both having rings.

"Be careful, Hubby."

"I will, Mayfly."

_________

2 Months have passed, Vash has finally reached Julai.

"She's the real deal, isn't she? Elendira?"

"It seems so, Doctor."

Meme of the Dawn:

(A/N: Is this even an X Reader anymore? I've been calling (Y/N) 'Diane' this entire time 🙃 )

#vash the stampede x reader #vash x reader #vash smut #tristamp #trigun x reader #pleasebegentlewithmethisismyfirsttimewrittinghere #vash x y/n #trigun stampede #trigun stampede x Reader #Spotify

[direjoon]

METANOIA [9]

✩ pairing: wolf hybrid nj x cheetah hybrid reader (f) - eventual ot7 x reader

✩ genre: soul-searching , romance🔞 , found-family , healing , angst , happy ending

✩ word count: 5.2k

✩ chapter warnings: uncertainty in behavior and emotions , anxiety , crying and loss of a grasp on what to do , some Y/N lore in this one with abandonment themes.

✩ summary: She doesn't know. There is so much about her and her cheetah that she hasn't had the privilege to understand. Unknown backgrounds and unknown emotions clash with feelings of want- hopes of being herself unapologetically. Namjoon seems to be someone that can help her- but can the rest of his pack truly be what she has wanted and needed?

✩ cover: me

ch.1 , ch.2 , ch.3 , ch.4 , ch.5 , ch.6 , ch.7 , ch.8 , ch.9 ...

Y/N

She knew it wasn't going to be easy, but sitting in this office with Mila and Namjoon having a 'stare-off' is far more awkward than anything she's experienced or hoped for. They both were thinking- more-so Mila than Namjoon- but now she doesn't know who's going to break the silence first. Four minutes is too long when you're counting the seconds. 

"Maybe I can give my verbal consent?" Y/N tries to lighten the situation. 

"It isn't about verbal consent or whether or not I think it's best for you. Namjoon, you jumped into this process without even considering what I had set up for her." Mila counters.

"I know my priorities. Safety for someone I care about." Namjoon then counters her.

"This is not a conversation you should even be here for, you are not her legal guardian or pack, nor are you going to say 'yet' and act like it means anything." 

They bounce off of each other, Namjoon trying his best to act like he has the upper hand. In all fairness, he was just anxious about Mila saying no, and wanted to get a jump on things to show he was serious about this. 

“If I could?” Y/N tries again with hesitance. Maria gives her a sighing nod. “I wanted him to come with me. I didn’t want to be alone, not after everything. I’m sorry I didn’t let you know first, but I want this home to be my first choice if we could prioritize it. If it means that I no longer have the organization behind me…”

“You’ll still be under the organization Y/N, it’s not a simple chosen rehoming that changes your qualifications to be under the organization. Yes, our main priority is rehoming and making sure hybrids are in safe environments- but we provide so much that you would still need the connections for. You don’t have to worry about that. However, because their home is not one that is directly under our own lists and the pack members aren’t all background checked, it makes it harder for you if this is something that won’t work out. You won’t technically qualify for the rehoming part any longer if you go through with this- as the organization has proof that you can find a stable home or roof over your head on your own accord. It’s a messy thing that I personally hate, but it’s in the contract.” Mila informs. 

“When will she need to decide by?” Namjoon asks, leaving no time for Y/N to process what she said. 

“I can give you candidates that are willing and information on our shelter, just to see what your options are. I’m sorry to say that it is a short list. But, I’d rather you go over all your options, just so you know you have them and don’t feel pressured. Final decisions should be made within the next couple of days. Legal matters are far easier when you have an address and contact information, so as soon as possible is best.” 

-

Processing everything in silence feels wrong. Usually she prefers that, most of the time she prefers it. But, as Namjoon drives back to the pack home with Y/N in the passenger seat- the silence feels infuriating. 

"Can we talk about this?" The question comes out a bit more hostile than necessary, grabbing Namjoon's attention immediately. She's irritated more than normal- an emotion she doesn’t often feel, especially with her wanting to make the new chance at life worth something.

"Yes, of course. I just didn't want to make you feel like you had to take my thoughts into consideration. What's best is that you create your own conclusion with your wants and needs considered above all." 

Why is it so irritating? Everything feels like a choice that could lead to her demise. Everything feels raw and bleeding and her own decisions have been the ones to fuck her over even more. Yes, she didn’t put herself into this situation by choice- but, it's still all her. She hates being in control when she's exhausted and irritated and fucking sad. 

"I'm too tired to think on my own right now." She admits, her voice softening only a little. 

"You can rest as long as you'd like when we get to the house, only Seokjin is there so no one will bother you." 

"I don't want to sleep, Namjoon. I'm tired of everything. I'm tired of feeling like a burden in every space I'm given. I'm tired of feeling unwanted. I'm tired of not being fought for. Everyone tip-toes around me like I'm a fucking child. I don't know what to do. I don't know how to live life and make mistakes and bounce back to lift myself up. I'm tired of having to figure it out all at once, instead of it being one step at a time. I just want-" She cuts herself off, not wanting to admit how fucking badly she just wants to live with him and be safe and cared for. 

Maria was so kind, so caring and loving towards her- she was waiting for someone that she could be there for. But, then she got Y/N. A fuck up that doesn't know anything. She knew she'd make mistakes, but this is far too much for anyone to handle. No wonder no one wants to take her in. Namjoon probably submitted those reports of his volunteer time and that could just add to the resentment people have for her. Namjoon invited her to stay, and even his pack voted for it, but it still feels like something she has to decide. It doesn't feel like he's fighting for her, more so suggesting that she put his consideration at the top of her list. Like the perfect hybrid he is- he's thinking of her feelings first.

"Go ahead, say what you want." Namjoon pushes with gentleness. Even that seems to push her farther over. 

"I was only 8 when I started living on my own. Even then, I don't remember any parents or a lab or fucking anything. Everyone I've told or asked has assumed it was an orphanage that I left. Only I didn't leave it. I wouldn't leave a safe place like that so young. I went to sleep one night and woke up in the middle of fucking nowhere- I raised myself Namjoon. For 17 years, I was in and out of shelters and in and out of towns for my own safety. I don't remember anyone telling me what I needed to do. Ever. I never had a mom or a dad or a guardian to teach me. I figured everything out on my own. Nobody cares to even acknowledge you when you're dirty and smelly and skittish. I just want an answer. I want a fucking step by step instruction like a child gets when they're learning to ride a bike or make a sandwich. I don't want to decide anymore. I'm tired of trying to figure out what's best for me. Why can't someone else figure out what's best for me?" 

Her tears fall with no indication, no break in her voice or lull of her breath. 

"I want- I want a mom right now." 

Namjoon pulls over onto the side of the street and turns on his hazards. He takes out his own phone without a word and finds whatever he's looking for just to shove the phone into her line of sight. 

'Maria Caddel'

"I can't talk to her." Y/N mumbles.

"She cares about you. She knows you and she wants the best for you- just like a mother would. You are both in similar positions, I know she's been beating herself up about not being able to help you. You could help each other. She gets to know you're safe, and you get to ask for advice- from a mom." 

She feels awful. Maria was really so much of what she was looking for and now- she has nothing, again. 

Please ask her. I can help you, but please try.

It's a voice in her head that seems far more level-headed than she has been these last two days. They're right, though. She needs to try

She grabs the phone from Namjoon's hand, pressing the green call button before she can even think twice, and puts the warm device up to her ear. Her tears already streak the screen. 

"Hi sweetie, how is she?" Maria picks up almost immediately. Y/N doesn’t even breathe, she's scared and shocked to find Maria asks about her first. 

"Hello? Namjoon?"

Hearing her voice, how tired she sounds, breaks her heart. She has no idea what all she's been through during the process of packing the small amount of Y/N's things. A sob pulls from her before she can stop it, her lungs craving the pull of oxygen. 

"Oh, darling is that you? Oh I'm so sorry. What's wrong? Do you need help?" Maria's voice immediately turns soft and worrisome when she hears Y/N. 

"Mm-hm." A whining hum of a 'yes' is all Y/N can get out. 

"You need help? What do you need, angel?" 

Only after a few shaky breaths is Y/N able to get a response out, and even then it's barely an audible response. 

"What do I do?" She already knows she looks like a mess, still bruised and cut and bawling her eyes out in Namjoon's passenger seat- but somehow she still feels shame, picking at the band on the bottom of Namjoon's borrowed hoodie. She calms herself by feeling the texture, pushing on with a more understood tone.

"I don't know what to do. I said yes to Namjoon, but what if that doesn't work out? The organization-"

"I know darling," she starts with a tone that shows composure. She's showing that she's here for Y/N- strong and teaching. "They told me what would happen. Do you trust Namjoon?"

Y/N wasn't expecting her to ask that. If anything, she thought she'd ask how she felt about it all- a draining question she would've just sobbed more at the sound of.

"I do." She doesn't even have to think about it anymore. 

"I do too. I think he'd keep you safe, even if somehow it didn't work out. I think you should go with him. I will always give you a second option. I will help you pay for whatever you need in a place that you could start out in if necessary. But you have a great chance to live life with others first. You should give it a try. Mess up, manage relationships, and just try. Okay?"

It feels like a heavy cement block that sat on her chest is slowly lifting. Even her limbs feel lighter. But best of all, her heart aches just a little less. 

"Okay."

"Don't let anything that has weighed you down be the deciding factor in how you live. You have a chance, an amazing chance with a safe pack. Live, Y/N."

"I will try."

"Always try."

-

Y/N was really bummed to hear Namjoon suggest that she ‘think her decision over’ for the night instead of driving her back to the organization the same day. She had a lot of pent up adrenaline from being so terrified, and that just made her want to go in as soon as possible to finalize her choice. 

“I really just want you to have a night in the house. A sleeping night where you can see our routine so that you can be sure you feel safe there.”

By the time they are to his pack home, she realizes how thankful she is that he suggested she wait. As she is now extremely exhausted and it’s truly helping to dull the anxiety she feels being her to see the whole pack. She still needs to tell Namjoon. This would be the perfect time- before they finalize anything. Without her immediate response, Namjoon assumes otherwise.

“I can still take you back for the last night with th-”

“No. I don’t want to go back there.” She says firmly, coming out with little authority. "They know that I'm coming tonight?" 

"Jin-hyung already made sure one of the guest rooms were made up and cooked you a dinner to have separately if you'd like. He's very excited to hear your opinion on them." He gives her a cheeky smile that she can barely return, but it's with honesty. She has just realized how much she missed the fox. "The only thing that might be surprising is Taehyung has preferred being in his cheetah form since we didn't allow him to bombard you, so if he's still deciding upon seeing you again in his cheetah form- just let us know if you're uncomfortable." 

"A-and the others? Are they truly okay with me being here?"

"They want you to be safe, just as I do. They don't mind at all, Y/N." 

"This is a lot scarier than I thought it'd be." She huffs a small laugh, looking at the house that houses a group of guys that have yet to see her in her state now. "Would it- be weird? If I just let you know a small detail, before we go in? About what happened."

"Not at all, I'll take it however you'd like me to."

Y/N thinks about what specific pieces she wants to give up just before going inside of a place full of men- a safe place, but with men nonetheless.

"I only trust you to touch me in any way at the moment. I want to warm up to Taehyung, and I don't want hugs right now. Nothing constrained."

"Of course. I can text them right now, if you'd like. Or we can play by ear. They know not to touch you without your permission- they would never. But, all the mushy cats love it in ranging ways so- up to you." He informs her.

"Text, please. I just don't want to make it about me once I'm in there. Eating separately for now is fine as well." 

Namjoon looks at her, not her scars or bruises, but into her eyes for a little too long. She wishes she knew what he thought, why his gaze is so soft when it lands on her.

"Okay." He finally says. 

The house is so warm. Even the energy inside of it is a welcoming blanket of hope. There's a light thumping of bass and music that can be heard from one of the rooms Namjoon pointed out being a gym. An amazing scent of food and some type of candle or sprayed scent lingers underneath. The warmth seems to be the only hold she wants to have around her forever. 

"Do you want to say hi to Seokjin-hyung?" Namjoon quietly asks, again taking the time to set her last used slippers in front of her feet. 

"Yes, I don't want to be mean." She gives him a smile that he catches onto immediately, giving her a knowing one back. She really did miss the fox, and she was sad to not see him when he visited the hospital with Namjoon. 

"The sweet cub is back." Seokjin points out with a pretty smile. Y/N can't help but give him one right back. Seokjin is typing away at a computer, doing something Y/N can’t see from the doorway. Again, Namjoon is right behind her giving her the confidence she needs. A gentle, warm hand is placed on her shoulder to encourage her to keep up the conversation. 

“Uh, how are you?” She asks, not knowing how to get to the point. 

“I’m good, Y/N, how are you?” 

“I’m okay…I just wanted to thank you for- everything? I don’t know how to show my gratitude yet but, I want to make it up to you somehow. I’m sure Namjoon told you about our deal so-” 

“I would love to have you around to test my recipes at any time of the day. And I’m sure the others will try to drag you along in their array of requests. Your place here is to rest and be safe first, we’ll decide those later on when you feel up for it. Sounds good?” She can feel the authority he has over the pack despite Namjoon being the leader. 

“Okay. Please let me know what I can help with, though.” 

Seokjin gives her a warning of a look that has her leaving with Namjoon quickly so as to not push her luck. 

“Dinner is in the microwave!” He yells before Namjoon can shut the door all the way.

“He’s pretty set on how he feels with you being here. He wants to take care of you in any way that you want or that he can. If for some reason I’m not around, hyung is the one you’ll have to put up with.”

Namjoon must be able to tell how she feels about that, because he’s explaining more for her to grasp onto so as to not feel like a burden. 

“He always does it for us. He’s assertive but soft and caring. He just wants to keep us healthy and happy all the time. He worries a lot, so don’t be afraid to tell him off- he’ll always respect your space.” Y/N’s sigh is audible and embarrassing. 

“Okay-”

“Joonie-hyung!” An excited Jimin pulls Namjoon into a sweaty hug that has Y/N hiding behind his figure to give herself some distance from him. Namjoon gives him a gross sound at the damp guy before Jimin peaks around to see Y/N. “I’m glad I caught you before you went up to the room. Jin-hyung wanted me to prepare some clothes for you. Hobi-hyung and I are the smallest, so we put two sets out for you, just so you had a choice in wearing something comfortable.They’re freshly cleaned and have no scent.”

Y/N can’t help but melt at the gesture. She’s still nervous around them all, just waiting for something to backfire and push her down several notches in his progress. But, one thing she knows for sure, is that the whole pack is thoughtful in their own ways. Even if it’s suggested by another member, they oblige and do everything to the best of their abilities. She appreciates that more than they probably think she does. 

“Thank you so much. I can wash them tomorrow as well.” 

“Don’t worry about that, just eat well and rest well, okay?” His smile is far too contagious, a thing that seems to beam and strike you in the chest- forcing you to give one back. 

“Okay, thank you again, Jimin.” 

-

Namjoon

He knew it'd be hard to pull himself away from her. Y/N in his home, eating food Seokjin made once again, accompanied by the wearing of his hoodie and tucked so pretty into one of his home's beds. He can't keep his fucking eyes off of her. 

"Is this awkward?" She randomly asks between bites of the stew he reheated for her. 

"No? Are you uncomfortable?" He asks, making sure to look around and see if anything would make her feel unsafe. 

"No. It's just- don't you want to go spend time with your pack? It's Monday evening, Namjoon. And you’ve been with me all day today." 

"They'll be okay without me for a night." He shrugs. Despite the nonchalance he gives, he never gave Y/N an actual explanation. She definitely catches that, giving him an evaluating look. “I’m taking care of you. They know that, they are okay with that. If you need my focus for a bit then they understand.” 

She still doesn’t give him a response, eyeing him with an obvious display of thoughts clouding her mind. He has to think of a better way to say it- to be less burdensome for her. Even if everything he’s done has been out of want, pure want and need to make sure she’s safe and comfortable. 

“Are you comfortable with me being here with you and not leaving you alone?”

A nod in response. 

“I want to be here. I want to make you comfortable. I want to make sure you’re safe, Y/N. I’ve lived with these guys for a while, a long time for some of them. They understand why we both need this- to be as content as possible in the circumstances.” He explains with the most sincerity he can muster without spilling more than they’re both ready for. He’s sat at the edge of the bed, his body turned towards her with his knee on the bed. She’s set criss-cross, leaning against the headboard with the tray of just-about-finished food on her lap. There’s still something in him that needs something, but he can’t risk more right now. He would never do anything before she’s ready. Even a simple touch could be unwanted and could draw her back farther and farther. That’s not fair for her at all. So, he suppresses the urge to reach out for her as she thinks and tries to believe it with all her might. 

“Okay.” Is all she says at first. “Could I- uh- well you know I didn’t have a nightmare when you first visited me-”

“Mm-hm.”

“Could I have something that…smells like you? So I can sleep.” 

He can’t help but think about the effects that would have on both of them. She’s safe with his scent, he’s content with his scent on her. It would quell that little voice in him that needs more. 

“I’ll grab you something once you’re set for bed. Are you still hungry? Or do you want to shower and get changed while I go make sure the pack’s all set?”

“I’m done, thank you. Is that the bathroom?” She points to a closed door across the room. 

“Yep, you don’t have to leave your room if you need it. Towels are already folded and in the large cabinet. I’ll be right back. You can lock the door, I’ll knock when I’m back, is that okay?”

“Yeah.” 

He silently takes the tray of food from her. Lingering on the look of content she gives him. He recognizes her expressions with her being so open- he loves that he’s seen so many now. Despite him saying she could lock the door, he clicks the knob into the locked position and gives the knob a little wiggle when he’s finally shut the door, making sure it’s locked. When he turns towards the stairs to make his way down, he gets stopped by a very irritated cheetah. 

“I’m sorry, Tae, she’s getting ready for bed right now. Give her a little time and I’ll see if she’s up for seeing others before bed.” 

The cheetah gives him a huff before slinking up to her door to lie right in front of it. He gets comfortable quickly, not giving Namjoon a second look. Namjoon goes on his way, now finding Seokjin in the kitchen doing the dishes with Jungkook. 

“All finished.” He presents the tray to them, letting the fox take it with a content smile. 

“Is she doing okay?” 

“I think so.”

-

Y/N

God this is the best shower she’s ever been in. She thought the Caddel home had the best shower she’d ever experienced. But this one is perfect. Just like everything seems to be when it’s connected to Namjoon and his pack. The water pressure seems to his her bruises with enough pressure to feel massaging more than anything. The soap in the shower seems up for grabs, making her skin and fur feel softer than they’d ever felt. She got the temperature perfect to tire herself down and be happily clean. 

Even their clothing is soft and perfect against her skin. She doesn’t know who’s is who’s but she preferred the black, baggy shirt that was slightly more soft. She chose whatever pair of shorts and was ready to try out the big bed properly with her hair still up in a towel- but a familiar scent outside her door catches her attention. Oh, how she missed that scent without even realizing it. She clicks open the lock without a second thought, finding the literal cheetah at her bare feet. 

“Taehyung?” He opens his eyes to look up at her. Taking his time getting up and stretching his pretty, long body. Y/N is truly stunned at the sight in front of her. She’s sure she’s seen animals before that were just shifted hybrids, but this is- she’s obviously never seen a cheetah, and she definitely wasn’t prepared to meet a pack member like this yet. She thought she was- but seeing Taehyung in this form makes her heart ache for no exact reason. It could be her wish to shift herself, it could be the feeling of trust she realizes resides between them to make him feel safe like this around her, or it could simply be the feeling of familiarity her cheetah finds in him. 

Despite him seeming to have been waiting for her to be done, he waits outside the door, eyeing her in a gesture she can only recognize out of instinct. 

“You can come in.” She tries, moving to the side for him. He obliges immediately, jumping up onto the bed with no other invitation needed. 

“Does Namjoon know that you’re here?” She asks, amused and fascinated with him still. All she gets is a huff that looks like annoyance at the mention of the wolf. She can’t stop a giggle from escaping her lips. She jumps up onto the tall bed and stretches her legs out as she leans against the headboard again, leaving one side of the bed for Taehyung to lie next to her. He’s not close enough to her to touch or even indicate that he wants to sleep there. But, she still feels a little awkward with the prospect. 

“Are you okay?” She decides to ask, the cheetah having stared at her and her bare legs for longer than she thinks is necessary. A whimper of a sound greets her, laying his head down just an inch from her left knee that homes a large purple bruise. His eyes bounce between the bruise and her face before she realizes. He doesn’t like that she’s hurt. 

“I’m okay. Just sore.” She lightens, hoping he doesn’t make a huge deal out of it in his human form. He surprises her even more than she thought was possible, when he lifts his head to give a tentative lick to the bruise. His scratchy tongue isn’t comforting, but the gesture- it’s a caring thing that only her own cheetah seems to know. He stops after the first lick, finding Y/N not denying the instinct he feels, so he goes back and does it a couple more times, before checking again and moving to another healing scratch on her shin. 

A knock on the door snatches her attention away from Taehyung who doesn’t care at all that someone is here. 

“It’s me.” Namjoon’s voice calls out.

“Come in!” Y/N calls out, hoping he doesn’t get mad at them. 

“I knew he’d find a way to go against my suggestion.” Namjoon ‘tsk’s while Taehyung has no care in the world except for her bruised and scratched legs. 

“He’s fine, I missed him anyways.” Y/N provides, looking up at Namjoon as he rounds the bed to her side with a fluffy pillow. 

“Here you go, are you tired?” She immediately takes the pillow and gives it an unshameful sniff as she squishes the pillow to her face. It’s perfect. This has to be a pillow he’s been using regularly. She feels a little bad for taking it- but not bad enough to give it back just yet. 

“I’m getting there. My limbs are more tired than anything.” 

“Let’s get your hair dry and brushed so you can sleep.” Namjoon dotes while Taehyung is still trying to heal her wounds with his tongue. The wolf leaves to the bathroom and grabs a brush she couldn’t originally find before gesturing to her hair. 

“Wait, I can do it-” Taehyung sets a firm paw onto her legs, finally stopping his licks to look up at her and directs a huff at her. 

“Fine.” She gives into both of them, already figuring out how the start of her living with them is going to look. They’ve always been attentive and wanting to help her, but this seems excessive. It’s more than she could’ve asked for and far more than she deserves. But, she can’t say she doesn’t want it. It means being around Namjoon for a little longer- feeling safe under their watchful eyes and being taken care of in ways she’s never experienced. 

Namjoon is gentle as he unwraps her unbrushed, wet curls, gathering them all to start brushing at the bottom of her hair. 

“Caring in active ways is important to us. We help each other without words, help when we’re needed, and give and take in times when we feel we need to. A pack is more than just a group of individuals, we are together as one and care for each other as we do ourselves. Though everyone needs different things, we learn them and adjust, because we care for them.” 

Namjoon is soft in his explanation, distracting her from the knots he brushes through and gives her much more to think about. This is him telling her he sees something in her as he does his pack, and he wants to care for her in ways that she may not be used to. It also tells her that she can try to be this way for them too. She’ll try. Just like Maria said. 

-

She seems to have forgotten at all about telling Namjoon anything. After her hair is up and out of her way to sleep comfortably, she’s lying down with a curled up cheetah at the foot of her bed. 

“Don’t be afraid to let Taehyung or I know if you need anything, okay?” Namjoon tells her, giving her a smile before turning away from her. She catches his hand in hers, needing to know if he would rather she tell him everything before she slept in his house. He already seems to understand. 

“Tomorrow. Tonight you rest and see how you feel here.” 

She waits, seeing if he changes his mind. He gives her hand a confirming squeeze and whispers a ‘goodnight’ to her. He then leans down, giving her a kiss into her hair that has her wanting to cry almost immediately at how gentle it was. He gives her hand another soft pressure before releasing her and petting Taehyung’s pretty head to give him a kiss on his head as well. 

“Goodnight.” Y/N calls as she watches him linger for only a short moment then flicks off the light and closes the door behind him.

“Goodnight, Taehyung.” She whispers into the dark. All she hears is a content chuff. 

She’s safe and clean. It’s a feeling she’ll never take for granted again.

#bts au #bts fic #namjoon au #bts x fem!reader #bts x reader #bts x y/n #bts x you #namjoon x reader #bts hybrid au

[wangxianficrecs]

Surprise Baby! by trulywicked

Surprise Baby!

by trulywicked

M, 10k, Wangxian

Summary: Turns out the exhaustion wasn't work related. Who'd have thought? Kay's comments: Another story featuring this particular flavour of "He Didn't Know He Was Pregnant" that I am very weak for. This story too was inspired by the thread by laazulink and is also a modern au with cultivation story. Here we have Wangxian in an established relationship and lots of background world-building that I really enjoyed. Wei Wuxian has been going through it and only has been in a stable living situation for a short while, so when he gains weight, he thinks that he's just returning to healthy weight, but alas, surprise baby. I really enjoyed seeing the way the ensemble cast being integrated into this story and the sprinkles of lore that get sprinkled in. Excerpt: "Hmph. Well you can still call me, phone or video call, when you need to. Remember that," he tapped Sizhui's nose as his sister had his for as long as she'd been in his life. "I should. I think you've gained some weight." There was a teasing light in soft gray eyes. Wei Wuxian gave a theatrical gasp. "Lan Zhan did our son just call his mother fat ? A-Yuan how dare you, blame your A-Die. He's been feeding me extra." Lan Wangji just man a soft hum of agreement and handed a packed lunch to Wei Ying. Under his neutral expression, he felt purest joy swelling his chest to hear Wei Ying call Sizhui their son. "See!" Wei Wuxian laughed and let Sizhui go so he could kiss his alpha's cheek, nuzzling there with a purr. "I'll put this in the fridge then give you boys the training tour."

pov wei wuxian, modern setting, modern with magic, established relationship, omegaverse, alpha lan wangji, omega wei wuxian, unplanned pregnancy, accidental baby acquisition, mpreg, giving birth, domestic fluff, fluff, angst with a happy ending, adorable juniors, @trulywicked

~*~

(Please REBLOG as a signal boost for this hard-working author if you like – or think others might like – this story.)

#Wangxian Fic Rec #The Untamed #wangxian #MDZS #Kay's Rec #Surprise Baby! #trulywicked #Mature #short fic <15k #pov wei wuxian #modern setting #modern with magic #established relationship #omegaverse #alpha lan wangji #omega wei wuxian #unplanned pregnancy #accidental baby acquisition #mpreg #giving birth #domestic fluff #fluff #angst with a happy ending #adorable juniors

[rainbow-neko-artblog]

What is the full lore\story for fnf executed souls I need to know

Giving you the full lore is a lot??? Since thats literally 7 weeks worth of dialog and shit but i'll give you the best summary i can??? god it's still so much even looking at it- sorry in advance.

Fnf ex souls is an au where Keith (Bf) is a vessel for all 3 of Gabby's (Gf's) previous relationship partners (Senpai, Garcello, and Tabi) who died at the hands of Daddy Dearest. The concept that DD kills those he doesnt deem worthy of his daughter is not new- but in Ex-Souls the consequences are treated a lot more serious- He kills them in horrific ways regardless of if they pass his musical trials or not and the result of their seemingly out-of-nowhere disappearances causes Gabby to think they left because of HER, impairing her self image a lot more then canon Gf (This is why She wears a sweater and is a lot more modest then canon).

When she starts dating Keith, they find out that DD killed Senpai, and are told by Garcello and Tabi directly that DD cursed them before their deaths in their weeks (which happens one after another after another because Senpai's warning causes them to try and look into her ex's disappearances more). Feeling awful and with the support of Keith, she makes a vow with them to perform a special witch assisted Demon and Ghost ritual that allows the ghosts to live in her body with her- so that they can still have time to live until they're officially ready to go and she can be relieved her guilt.

The problem is that the ritual can only be done at midnight on Friday the 13th- and when DD and MM learn of Gabby's plans they race to catch her and Keith before they can complete the ritual. Gabby is caught in the chase- with only minutes to spare she tells Keith to leave but he knows this is important to her and chooses instead to use HIMSELF to complete the vessel part of the ritual. Evne though the ritual works and the souls are in Keith- he's a human and cannot withstand their abilities at full force or it will cause his body to erode (this is known as overdrive mode as ive called it). He's so stressed out by the situation that they learn of his inability to deal with the powere immediatly- the tutorial week literally would have been GF calming BF down from this overdrive in the graveyard where the ritual was held, with DD and MM in the background looking shocked and scared.

The ritual being fucked up and Keith's sacrifice for her causes Gabby to lash out for the first time and disown her parents- running away into the city with Keith and the souls (Their original plan was to use the souls power to teleport out of the city with no hassle, but Keith can't do that without breaking his body so they're stuck on foot.) This causes the rest of the weeks to play out- Bf and Gf hiding out with the spooky kids they babysat to lay low for a bit until skids newest dad and lila's boyfriend the lemon monster basically chases them out of there. Pico hunts them for a little bit, having been manipulated by DD into thinking the Ex (Keith) he still cared about was being forcefully possessed by ghosts under Gf being a brat and not wanting to let her old partners go- but he stops chasing once he's convinced that Bf is still himself. They have an encounter with MM who apologizes and says she doesnt agree with DD, getting them a personal bus to take them outta town. Captain (tankman) is in charge of the bus- and they have to rap him once more as DD calls him up and tries to convince him to kill BF or DD will kill his husband Steve. In the end GF ends up distracting her dad enough for Steve to get away and for them to make it out of the city.

The Au from then on is a normal cottage life between Gf and Bf in the countryside. Spending time taking care of the Spirits issues until they pass on naturally and Gf and Bf live in happiness without them.

#rnanimations #fnf #friday night funkin au #friday night funkin #fnf au #fnf ex souls au #lore #lore dump #ramble #asks and replies

[levy120]

Blood Money

[PART 1: Foreign]

[PART 2: Advertisement]

Rating: T Words: 2350 (Complete) Genre: Introspection, Character Deconstruction/Analysis, Speculation, AU, Whump Lore: Rayman 2, Captain Laserhawk speculation Characters: Rayman, unnamed manager, "the boss", citizens

Summary: Rayman has no concept of how money works Warnings: (Background) Character Deaths AN: It's time to mess up our boi

See also on: [dA] | now also on [ao3] ❗❗❗

See also: [Part 1] | [Part 2] | [You are here] | [Part 4] | [Part 5]

More like this: [Rayman Oneshots Masterpost]

So… being a 'viral sensation' is… good? Apparently?

The manager's demeanor changed drastically after the call from her (their?) boss and it doesn't take long for her to put Rayman as a 'guest star' on something called a 'talkshow'.

He's given a script to work off and is told what he’s allowed to say and what not. 

Anything about him or his kind is fine and encouraged they say, but the pirate-invasion in his home world is a taboo. Honestly, with these rules in place, Rayman doesn’t know WHAT to tell them, and when the moderator asks him about why he’d engaged with the scuffle, his mind blanks out. 

"Mr. Rayman?" he calls him back to attention. The man looks somewhat concerned.

"I…" Rayman hesitates.

His mind is static. He couldn't remember his script if he wanted to. But they expect an answer.

His gaze sinks as his hands start to fidget. 

"Anyone would have helped", It slips out of him, "Where… where I come from." He's quick to correct himself when the gaping crowd on the street comes back to mind.

In the periphery of the camera, he can see the manager lady have a visceral reaction to him going off-script and start to shoo staff around.

Out of the corner of his eyes, the host seems to notice and subtly signals for them to keep rolling.

"Well," the moderator tries to keep the conversation, too, going, "Here, most people don't. And for good reason."

"But it's the right thing to do," Rayman almost… questions. Pleads. The moderator looks at him with feigned sympathy.

"The poor guy couldn't defend himself."

"But Mr. Rayman," the moderator asserts with a pointed look at the camera. "That kind of civil courage will get you killed."

What a smarmy bastard, Rayman thinks with resignation. But one more look at his fuming manager reminds him to stay in line. If he wants any help and goodwill from above to deal with the Razorbeard situation back at home, he needs to stick in line. 

"What are your plans now?" the moderator asks. He gives him a sign offscreen and Rayman recognizes it, and remembers the script.

"Oh, right," he says. 

"Since I’m so engaged with the public,” he quotes, “Eden Corp offered me a position in the news," he says.

"On the news, then on the news! So your face is not gonna leave our TV screens anytime soon," the moderator jokes and the audience laughs.

Rayman awkwardly scratches the back of his head. It's a daunting thought when the spotlight is already scorching him. How could anyone get used to this?

How much longer does this show last anyway?

---

His first news-report goes down awfully. 

There’s no hiding that he has absolutely zero experience. But that's apparently 'charming'.

The worst part is, that he can't stop thinking about the crime and disaster even after the lights go out…

The police already apprehended the bank robber but there's still the issue of the homeless shelter that burned to the ground. It’s unresolved. And it gnaws at him. 

"Chief!" he tugs at the manager's jacket.

"I wanna go there!"

She regards him with that look she reserves for particularly bad ideas. The way her frown sets and her nose crinkles.

"You will do no such thing."

But Rayman is not going to back down from this one. 

"I'm going!" he says, "With or without you! Someone’s gonna tell me the way."

Her mouth pulls into a tight line as she pushes up her glasses.

"Then I suppose it'll be with me," she caves with a hiss. The crowd loves him. They haven't had ratings like these in years! But supervision and damage control are essential for him still. 

She can’t have him just roaming the streets. 

---

At the site of destruction Rayman wanders the burned-down halls with a look of desolation that reminds the assistant of the little creature she first saw in Razorbeard's cell. His fingers twitch with a sense of helplessness.

"The report said something about donations," he prompts suddenly, and the manager can already tell where this is going.

He turns to her with a look on his face that begs no question.

"You said I'm being paid?"

"...Yes." she confirms warily.

"How much?!" he asks and she has to pull him aside.

"We should not discuss this here."

"Is it enough?!" 

He's adamant and she sighs. It's not her business to decide how Rayman spends his paycheck - though as manager she knows the higher-ups will not like to see it squandered on such a cause.

What surprises her the most… is that she's not surprised at all.

"I'll see to getting it arranged," she promises him if only to shut him up. His face lights up immediately in a way she hasn't seen on him yet.

As she's making arrangements with the spokesperson of the shelter; her mind is more occupied with how to salvage this.

Maybe the higher-ups will look more fondly on it if she makes a show of it. A public event, a press announcement. Milk the resulting PR for whatever it is worth.

---

The months wear him down. 

Rayman hates the hand he's been dealt. 

Good news are rare, while bad news are plentyful. And many. All over the town. All at once.

He only gets to report about it when the dust has settled. He wants to help and step in. As things are happening. Or before push comes to shove. But he can only beat one place at any given time.

And more often than not they keep him at the studio now. He feels so trapped here, when he knows that out there he'd be able to do some good!

It's better maybe, for his own sanity, if he doesn't keep seeing the desolation itself. Reading about it is bad enough. And Chief has got his donations handled. 

As averse as she was to the very idea, she now praises it. She’s made a plan for him to, instead of blowing it all on a single cause, to funnel multiple smaller amounts steadily to causes of his choosing. 

Still, she tries to convince him to not spend it all.

And maybe, he starts to think, she's right.

His heart goes out to the Glade. To Globox and his children. To Ly and Murfy and the Teensies. Life here kept him on his feet so much he regrets how little the thought occurred recently. If he wants to buy back their freedom he needs to start saving. 

But the people here need the help now!

And the instances are so many so often Rayman begins to wonder whether it's going to last at all.

But Chief has him covered. It's the first positive surprise since he started when she says the company will carry anything that exceeds his Budget this Month. She doesn't say why, but Rayman doesn't put the goodwill in question for fear they will change their mind.

---

"The boss wants to speak to you," she says and Rayman feels himself freeze. It must be about the debts he's been causing and he fears for trouble. There goes his chance of negotiating trade with Razorbeard. 

‘Having a talk’ literally just means on the phone as it turns out. Rayman doesn't get to meet the guy, which is his quite his luck as the Limbless's doesn't know what he'd do by this time.

On one hand…. he's relieved to not actually be in trouble. He doesn't know or care how the money business is working, so most of what's being said to him is just… gibberish. The most he understands are that the costs involved with Rayman's activity somehow make the company as a whole look good.

That’s why he called. To offer him another job. 

With even more pay to balance out Rayman’s ‘exorbitant donation deals’. 

That's where Rayman slams his free fist against the wall while he tries not to crush Chief's little gadget.

"I don't care for your blood money!" Rayman bursts without thinking. "You're dealing in slave trade with it!"

The manager looks frantic at his outburst, and tries to signal him to shut up, but Rayman won't. Not if this is the first chance to give his piece of mind to the bastard that ‘bought him’.  

"That's quite ungrateful of you," the voice replies, "We got you off of that ship as a free individual. With housing and pay."

Rayman feels his grip on the phone tense and changes hands for it before he disappoints his manager with more property damage. 

"I don't want your money,” he says again, as though it bears repeating, “I want a promise instead."

Chief looks tense, but more curious now. She's quietly gesturing for Rayman to tune it down - but the Limbless won't think of it.

“A promise,” the voice on the phone sounds intrigued, “Indulge me.” 

"I'll keep playing your game. For free, for all I care,” he offers, “If you negotiate the freedom of the Glade with Razorbeard."

"The entire Glade?" the voice on the other end guffaws, "You truly have no concept of money. And if you didn’t realize - that’s slave trade, too, you little hypocrite."

“We can shake on it,” Rayman snaps, “Or I’ll tell the whole of Eden about your dealings.” 

The other end of the phone remains quiet.

…

Then the call is hung up on him.

"Shit!" the manager exclaims as she fumbles to retrieve her phone. "What did you DO?! Are you completely mad?!"

What he is, is tired of the looming guilt. 

---

Rayman decides he’s done playing games. He fixes the ridiculous suit they force him to wear during the broadcasts and mentally prepares how and when to drop the bomb. 

He never gets this far though, as the text on the teleprompter opens with breaking news, and for the sake of the population, he respects the urgency of that. 

However, he doesn’t get past reading the first couple of lines before leaping up from the desk with a distraught “NO!!!” 

The camera crew is exchanging confused glances. 

When Rayman turns to look at the manager she stands with her arms crossed, eyes cold as stone. 

Rayman rushes off the set, leaving the news reporting desk bare and the direction scrambling to save the stream. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” the manager hisses as she chases after him, “Get back behind that desk! NOW!” 

Rayman’s face pulls into a sneer as he whirls at the woman. 

“You KNEW!” 

“I didn’t,” she replies stone cold, “But I’d like to. It’s breaking news. Just fresh in. And the public has a right to know, so get in there and do your job!” 

Rayman grits his teeth.

“If you know what’s good for you, you better keep reading that news story now!” 

It’s a threat. 

When Rayman slinks back into his spot, he’s shaking. Defeated. 

He’s… afraid. Scared. The fear he has of seeing the end of that report doesn’t compare to the dangers of fighting robot pirates.

He looks rumpled and downtrodden, empty eyes gazing at the stack of paper he left behind containing the details for the slave trade announcements. 

With a sigh, his hands fold them together orderly and his eyes, glassy with tears, blink back at the teleprompter. 

“Still in the middle of reconstruction disaster struck the homeless shelter in the neon district again. The arsonists responsible have been apprehended by the police, but the nightly fire-” he stops. His voice betrays him, as the tears run freely and blur the words. But they too have already burned themselves in his mind with a blaze, “yielded no survivors.” 

Silence lingers in the studio as the words on the prompter continue to scroll on, unread. 

Tears wet the papers with Rayman’s revelation. 

“On with the weather,” he chokes off-script and leaves his desk again. 

---

Chief is a rock as she trails Rayman’s every step.

“You know these culprits tie back to the gang you started a ruckus with when you first chose to be a nuisance.” 

Rayman is only half listening as he stares at his shaking hands. Blood on them that he can’t see or wash, but it’s there and it stains. 

“I… I didn’t-” 

“Terrorists don’t care how minor the slight against them is! Or how much collateral damage they cause!” 

Collateral. She’s calling the deaths of an entire shelter collateral. 

He can’t find his voice, but a single question clogs his mind again and again. Even now. After all this time. 

“Why?” 

Rayman knows what fighting oppression’s like. 

He knows what a rebel is, would have proudly considered himself one in his own right at a different time… 

He’d been fighting robot pirates during his own run in an act of self defense. They were a plague of his entire world that once upon a time Rayman thought needed to be decimated.

But even Razorbeard didn’t go about aimlessly killing the people of the Glade. 

“So I punched a guy in the nose! People didn’t have to d- die for that!” 

This world doesn’t have red lums to heal or green lums to be your safety net, but it’s the first time the realization truly sets. 

There is no magic here. This world is just… brutal. 

“That’s what we call retribution here,” Chief says, her voice stern, “You should be more careful of who you choose to make an enemy of.” 

Rayman freezes with a sudden realization of horror. 

“Should I talk to the boss again?” 

Chief is quiet.

Boss in his rage had wanted her to lay the facts out to him.

That the gang had been hired.

That Rayman’s donation assets are frozen.

His pay has been halved. 

That the culprits had been bailed out of prison with what remained of his own money. 

But that’s not a smart move she thinks. To turn Rayman’s rage against the company, even if it is to teach him a lesson. He’s cowering already. 

“You should not,” Chief says eventually, “Not after that fluke of a broadcast.” 

His entire posture wilts. 

“Then what do you suppose I do?” 

“You, do what you’re told.”

#Rayman #Captain Laserhawk #clabdr #fanfiction #speculation #send help #please let this be the last one #but Rayman's not quite there yet I guess

[keravnos-kori]

return to sender - chapter two: of paranoia and protato wedges

ofc x tech (eventual)

word count: 6.1k

read the prologue here! read chapter one here!

cw: in-universe cursing, references to paranoia, isolation, anxiety, etc., vague canon-typical violence, talks of canon-typical fascism/imperial propaganda, anti-alien/racism sentiments by imperials, menstruation mention

summary: halla has been alone for the past three years. as it turns out, relocating to coruscant and attending a prestigious university hasn’t been as glamorous as she originally expected - but when a new opportunity comes along for her to prove the republic’s injustices committed against clone troopers, she might get more than she bargained for when the power structure suddenly collapses and is replaced by something far more sinister…

a/n: alright besties it's been a month since the last update, here are your little crumbs. I swear this plot will get moving eventually, I have so many ideas to write that are far more exciting than what happens in this chapter, but to get there we need some background first so uh...you're welcome for me shoving my oc down your throat. thank you all for your support so far, you know I love each and every one of you! if you haven't seen it, one of my newest besties @chemtrail-mix made an adorable portrait of halla, so check that out if you haven't yet! PS no, protato wedges is not a typo, star wars lore is just that stupid

~~~~~~

Frankly, there had been times when Halla didn’t go outside. Days when she had enough groceries in the apartment to not warrant a market visit over a seasonal break, or the time she and her ex had spent the entire weekend in bed, shirking their vibrant city surroundings in favor of resting in each other’s arms. There were even days when the thought of opening the blinds to her only window made her nauseous, the darkness most comforting during times of internalized turmoil – whether it be a bad breakup, a rough call from home, or even just stomach cramps from her cycle. It was easy to not go outside if she really put enough planning into it. Inside was nice. Inside was comfortable. Inside was safe.

But Halla had never been afraid of leaving before.

She’d never been filled with such a sensation of dread that even the thought of walking to the corner store caused her hands to shake, a wicked chill coursing through her limbs. All she could do for the past few weeks was watch from her midlevel haven as the Twi’lek reporter onscreen became wearier and wearier, the anchor’s alertness having since turned into full-blown exhaustion. Now some tight-bun with a polished uniform and a stick up their ass was on screen instead, trying their best (and failing miserably, in Halla’s opinion) to reassure the public that the situation was being handled and there was no need for “adverse reactions” in the streets above. A too-eager smile telling the masses that the planet was secure.

Things had changed irrevocably since the Chancellor had first been abducted – the world outside wasn’t better, it had just shifted somehow. For every “victory” that was reported, there was always a subsequent disaster not too far behind. Palpatine’s return to the capitol was a relief to most, but it was negated by his public statement not long after. A rogue Jedi, from the esteemed High Council no less, had attempted to assassinate him and left him disfigured for life. The hunt for General Grievous in the Utapau system caused a similar upheaval of emotions – the war had to be ending now, right? What else could the Senate possibly be waiting for?

Then it did end, only for Palpatine to completely rearrange the major galactic seat of government’s power structure to coincide with his own ideals, granting himself unlimited power in front of everyone he now held domain over.

The once venerated peacekeeping protectors of the Republic were now considered by every legal definition treasonous vermin to be exterminated by any means necessary. Their own ancient temple was raided and set ablaze in the dead of night, with no reports of survivors surfacing through the chaos. Some speculated that it was a terrorist attack set into motion by the remaining covert Separatists on Coruscant. Others believed it was just a cover – that the Jedi heard the news of their own councilmember’s betrayal and performed the ultimate measure to ensure escape from the authorities, burning any evidence in the process.

One or two of Halla’s acquaintances who happened to be near the temple that night posted about what they witnessed on the holonet; without a shadow of a doubt, cross their hearts, hand on the Holy Texts, nearly an entire legion of clone troopers had marched up the Monument Processional and entered the sanctum with blasters drawn. Halla wasn’t convinced this was the case; if anything, this seemed the least likely of all the conspiracies to be true – just a means to grab the attention of gullible site traffickers who would then spread the info without even looking into the validity of it all.

Sure, the troopers were loyal to the Republic as a whole, but what reason would they have to storm the very heart of some sacred religious sect? They served for years under the Jedi, from the very beginning there was a mutual understanding they all would be fighting for the same values and freedoms that were vilified by their enemies. The clones would never outrank their generals, always remaining on the lower end of a power dynamic, Halla knew that, but it still didn’t make any sense as to why they’d attack their longtime allies, especially without some sort of investigation put into the matter of the Jedi’s loyalty beforehand.

No matter what the cause was, the inferno did not leave local citizens with an abundance of confidence in this newly implemented government – yet it was almost as if business was going on as usual, at least on the upper levels. Halla didn’t understand how surfacers could go on with their lives as if everything were normal, as if everything hadn’t just been drastically turned on its head. If she was forced to watch one more news segment on the weather forecast or a minor speeder jam, she was going to yank the holoscreen from its wall mount, wires and all.

The news was the main instigator in getting her off the couch and back into action. The time for anxious moping was over, she was in desperate need of a distraction. Throwing herself back into her work seemed the best option, which gave Halla the opportunity to brave the world outside her home, winding her way through the cityscape until she found herself at the University’s archival branch of campus.

Five stories tall and wide enough the rival even the Courts of Galactic Justice’s construction, the archive was home to students and faculty alike, boasting numerous lab accommodations, sound-canceling isolation cubicles, and even a common area on the first floor where a breezy café was conveniently located. The service bar always smelled of freshly brewed caf, which made Halla’s nose wrinkle each time she passed it.

The sprawling edifice had been Halla’s preferred study space while she was an undergraduate. Second only to the libraries shrouded in mystery by the Jedi themselves, the University of Coruscant’s repository of knowledge housed an expansive collection of handwritten records, audio and vid files up for rent, and of course, holodisks that spanned back thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of years, containing investigations and observations older than the institution that housed them.

As soon as the lobby’s sliding transparisteel doors parted before her, something immediately seemed…off. It wasn’t something Halla could identify right away, but as she made her way over to the lift, she felt as if the floor had been tilted a degree off its axis. There was an air of suppressive tension pervading between the shelves, around the eatery, even under her feet as she stepped onto the third floor. Finding an empty research terminal, Halla unceremoniously dropped her bag beside the attached bench and signed in through the alumni portal, glancing around every so often.

There were a few other students milling around, weaving between workspaces and socializing with their peers. One was asleep in front of the terminal across the lab from Halla, head rested on folded arms while their dark skin was illuminated by the harsh blue light from the holoscreen. A girl she recognized from her first-year Comparative Politics course was typing away furiously at a datapad, downing a large travel mug of what appeared to be iced Cassius tea. All casual activities any average student would partake in.

That didn’t stop the hair on the back of Halla’s neck from pricking up.

Was she being watched?

You’re just being paranoid. Focus.

With that thought, Halla took a deep breath and prepared to jump back into progressing her monograph.

~~~

Hours passed.

Halla tried to focus, she really did. She was able to spend some time working on her latest statistical analysis, courtesy of one of Tech’s earlier transmissions, when the ominous feeling crept back over her like tendrils of smoke ghosting over her shoulders. Pretending to mind her business, she pushed herself away from the terminal and initiated a fake stretch with her fingers interlocked over her head, scanning the area once more. After taking in every detail of her surroundings, Halla returned to her console. Rolling her shoulders back, she was about to write her worries off again when the realization hit her like a plasma bolt to the brain.

She was surrounded by Humans.

This wasn’t necessarily an uncommon occurrence. Coruscant was, after all, one of the major homeworlds of the species.

No, the problem was embedded in the fact that the room was occupied by Humans and Humans only. No Zabrak nor Rodian nor Gran was wandering the collection, drinking tea by the bay window, or arguing with the receptionist over an overdue rental. No Twi’lek was pouring over the vid catalog, nor was any Mirialan study group annotating data texts and gossiping about future shopping excursions. The archive was completely devoid of alien life on every level Halla had been present on.

Thinking back on it now, this was almost painfully apparent – the taxi pad, the courtyard, and even the outer patio had been full of Humans, with no trace of aberrant DNA among them. It was off-putting – the University’s reputation had always revolved around its objectives of increased inclusivity and diversity, at least it had ever since Halla had enrolled. There was never a time that she hadn’t been part of an equally composed demographic. Something had to be up, and she had a gut feeling it was nothing good.

Tapping her synthetically varnished nails across the metal workstation, Halla resolved to find out what exactly was going on. Gathering her belongings, she logged off the terminal and disconnected her holopad, making her way over to the assistance desk.

Behind the station sat a man with a shockingly blond, yet sparse head of hair. His eyes were focused intently on the monitor before him, the lights bright enough for Halla to see them reflected in his pupils from at least a dozen feet away. However, it was his…suit? His uniform, anyhow, caught her attention above all else. It was cream-colored, belted tightly around the waist from what she could make out, and paired with some sort of rank plaque pinned to the breast. A kepi hat was placed neatly beside him on the desk with no other accouterments in sight; a far cry from the deep emerald and gold attire usually worn by the department’s staff.

Halla had never seen anyone wear something like it before. Her first impression was that he must’ve been part of some new security force, implemented by the higher-ups to maintain some semblance of calm during all the political unrest. It was a comforting thought, knowing someone was placed in charge of their safety. Assumption in mind, the slight edge she had developed on the trek over had lessened to some degree and she was able to paste on an amicable smile as she closed in on the desk.

“Excuse me, sir? I just had a quick question and I was wondering if you could help me out.”

The man’s neck craned up sharply from where he was gawking at the screen in front of him, almost as if he hadn’t expected anyone to acknowledge his presence.

Or he hadn’t expected to acknowledge anyone else’s…

“Yes, yes, miss, what is it?”

His reply was short, not irritated per se, but clearly distracted – his accent distinctly local in the way Halla once made fun of when she first arrived onworld.

“I just ah, noticed some changes around here, that’s all.” How in the Seven Hells was she supposed to word this delicately?

“I graduated a few weeks back and-,” Halla flashed him her ID chit before stowing it back in her bag. “A-and things seem different from what I’m used to. I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t me!” She began to laugh nervously, powering through the urge to concede to her proliferating nervousness.

The officer narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, and Halla hoped he wasn’t gauging whether she was trying to pull some juvenile joke on him.

“What exactly are you referring to, miss?” He asked.

Halla swallowed, trying to keep her eyes from widening too much. “Only that there…appears to be a lot of Humans around, a-and not much of anyone else.”

If possible, the officer’s eyes narrowed even more than before, leaving Halla with the distinct impression he might very well have an Anacondan ancestor residing somewhere within his family tree.

“The Reformation Initiative was implemented quite recently, though if you are still affiliated with the University as you claim you are, I doubt you have not heard of it. His Imperial Highness has ordered the original admissions process be reestablished – the Quota System implemented by Chancellor Soh has been rendered moot and subsequently abolished to permit more opportunities for the system’s Human natives.”

It was fortune alone that prevented Halla’s expression from melting into a semblance of horror and disbelief. Chancellor Lina Soh was one of the most progressive politicians the Senate had ever seated, rallying worlds outside of the Inner Rim to join the Republic and share in its wealth of technology and collective liberties. The Quota System that had been formed under her jurisdiction was poorly named from what Halla knew of it – the way the law had to be written in order to allow non-human students attendance to the colleges, no actual set “quota” had been involved. This caused a massive revolution in the field of academia. All species residing in Republic-aligned space pooled their resources to advance the quality of all life and create strong ties between those who might otherwise never have engaged due to once-prejudiced opinions. The thought of getting rid of the decades-long enrollment policy, of tracking backward towards the more traditional, isolationist ideology…

“No, believe it or not, I hadn’t heard that! Sorry, I know that sounds strange, it’s ah, just hard to know where to get credible information from nowadays?” Halla shifted from foot to foot, hating how her voice began to lilt upwards as if asking a question. If all this were true…

“Would you mind patching me to Instructor Taleel’s office comm? She mentioned something to me the last time I saw her and I just wanted her opinion on it before I left for the day! The uh, department is Xenolinguistics.”

The officer’s gaze pierced Halla for a moment as he swiveled back to his terminal, entering a search into the campus-wide directory. “Terminated.”

“Wh-um, sorry, what?” Halla clenched her fingers around the strap of her bag until her knuckles turned white.

“Terminated,” He repeated monotonously.

“That has to be a mistake,” Halla’s voice shook.“Y’see, Instructor Taleel was a-”

“A Togruta. Her status as both an educator and an Administrative Councilor was revoked upon the Quota System being dissolved.”

Halla swallowed harshly, every one of her worst fears now confirmed. “Yes, I suppose that would make sense, given all the…reforms and everything. Just trying to get used to it all, you know how it is!”

Obviously, he didn’t. With a scowl, he made to turn back to his work before Halla piped up once more.

“Just one more question, sorry!”

The officer clenched his jaw briefly before glancing back up at her. “Yes, miss?”

Halla didn’t miss the stiffness in his voice and knew his patience would soon be exhausted.

“I’ve just never seen anyone around here wear a uniform like yours, do you work for an agency? It’s kinda nice to see that the school hired new security officers, what with everything that’s been going-”.

He cut her off. “No. I am a member of the Imperial Security Bureau, Intelligence Division. We were not hired by the University; we were placed here by the Emperor himself.” There was a hint of smugness hidden in his tone that made Halla want to gag. “It seems as if you have much to educate yourself on, miss. I suggest you take advantage of the terminals in the southern corridor, they’ll be able to answer your numerous questions better than I would care to. Good day.” Dismissing her, the balding man returned to his post, effectively ending the conversation.

Blinking in surprise, Halla doubled back to the console she was originally working on, only to find another officer in an identical uniform sitting where she had been only moments ago.

I thought there was only one of these creeps, they must be everywhere!

Releasing an indignant huff, she found a free console several rows away. This time, instead of attempting to get back to work or following the patronizing advice of the lousy front deskman, Halla made a bold move and began downloading as much content as she could onto her personal datapad. Anything she could find, from news articles covering the past few weeks to data on mental health, war veteran income inequality, and Kaminoan cloning processes were all collected to be reviewed at a later date. There were some extraneous databases that snuck their way into these compiled folders, but Halla couldn’t afford to be picky at the moment.

She wasn’t even sure if this was technically legal if she was being honest. All she knew was that there was no way she could sit here another minute while her alma mater was crumbling beneath her, so she departed after scrubbing her search history.

Halla didn’t feel like going home, not after she’d been hiding there for so long – she was afraid that if she returned now, she might never leave again. She didn’t even entertain the thought of transplanting herself to another floor of the archive for convenience’s sake. She needed to get away from everything to do with these ISB agents, to just breathe and mull it all over.

~~~

Wandering around aimlessly on foot for a while, she tried to preserve her daily taxi tokens for the inevitable ride home by the end of the day. The further from campus she journeyed, the more alien faces began to mix in with the crowd which caused some unconscious relief to form in the back of her mind.

At some point, Halla found herself in the Collective Commerce District, or “CoCo Town” as it was commonly referred to by its locals. It was close enough to the Senatorial Chambers of uptown to garner tourist attention, yet was completely packed with small, family-owned businesses, stand-alone restaurants, warehouses, repair shops, and produce stalls. It was full of life as it always had been, but the customers milling about that day seemed a bit grimmer than usual, eyes shifting about and hands clasped tightly around credit pouches. Signs of vigilance, of distrust.

Hurrying along the avenue to avoid the worst of the scrutiny, Halla only stopped in her tracks when the scent of protato wedges assaulted her senses. Overly salty, terribly greasy, and indicative of the fact that she had to be standing outside of Dex’s Diner, the only joint around that could make something so unhealthy feel like spice was being injected straight into your veins when you ate it.

Just as she redirected her path towards the source, a small squad of shock troopers rounded the corner, one that Halla recognized vaguely as a group that visited the diner on their weekly breaks – their identical faces had been the first ones Halla had seen without their helmets on as they ate. Pleasantries were always offered from both parties when their paths crossed, but she never had full conversations with them, despite how much she wanted to – she only knew a few of their names and not much else beyond that. She was always too afraid of disturbing them during their much-deserved time off, even if they probably were breaking a few regulations just by being there.

Today, they completely bypassed the diner, instead maintaining formation with their blasters drawn and angled toward the ground. Their footsteps were in sync, never faltering, their visors directed just over the horizon. 

Despite her better judgment, Halla waved as she crossed the street and greeted the squad leader with a grin, “Hey, Cipher! Not stopping in today? Smells too good to pass up!”

The squad continued on their march with only the clone Halla had addressed speaking up from the front of the line, not bothering to turn his bucket in her direction. “Move along, citizen.”

Before she could even react to his curt instructions, the group had pushed past her and turned the next corner, vanishing from sight once more. This left the rest of the street’s occupancy to relax all at once around her. Halla could only stare after them. Despite their tenuous familiarity with each other, she had never known anyone in that particular squad to be standoffish, or for that matter, blatantly rude. Cipher especially had always at least bothered to say hello in passing.

Strike two for the day, can this get any stranger?

Spurring herself back into motion, Halla entered the diner to find it surprisingly low on patrons for the time being that close after rush hour. A bell tinged overhead and she made her way to set up in a lone corner booth, passing the smattering of dockworkers and off-duty salon stylists along the way. Before her thighs even pressed to the red leather bench, her name echoed off the walls by a voice that matched the notoriety of the establishment itself. Dex was a big guy, after all – if he wanted your attention, he was going to get it whether you wanted to give it or not.

“Halla!”

Looking over her shoulder, Halla spotted the Besalisk leaning over the food prep counter, his four-armed t-shirt slathered in oil and whatever he claimed was in his “secret sauce” recipe. “Look who finally made it back! Thought you’d forgotten all about me!”

She couldn’t help but let a small smile appear across her lips once more, lost after so many days. “Where else am I supposed t’get the best fries in town? You should make a business out of it, y’know,” she joked.

Dex let out a sharp bark of laughter, disappearing for a moment before pushing himself through the side archway and entering the dining room. “Think yer so funny, huh? Finally got that fancy degree a’ yer’s in Clownin’?” He collapsed heavily across from her, causing Halla’s belongings to jostle around the table. She didn’t bother responding, only rolling her eyes mirthfully before kicking her legs up to rest on the seat across from her.

“Everything been good, kid?”

Halla opened her mouth to speak before closing it again, considering just how much she should let on without coming off as a total downer. “Today’s just been full of surprises, that’s for sure.”

“You say that like the entire last cycle hasn’t been that way,” Dex scoffed with a note of cynicism lacing his words. He folded both sets of arms and leaned back into the booth. “What makes today so special?”

Halla could always count on Dex to say what she was thinking out loud. She gnawed on her lower lip, finally relenting, “Have you noticed…well, of course you’ve noticed, it’s you, but…” 

She sighed, letting her head fall against the backrest. “What’s up with the troopers all of a sudden? And the University, kicking out everyone but Humans? It all seems very, uh…” She twirled a finger in the air, searching for the right word. “Proto-fascist-y…”.

Dex’s dewlapped chins swung back and forth as he shook his head in disgust. “That’s a new word for it – I’d just call it downright moronic! Palpatine’s gone full banthashit if you ask me. Somethin’ must be in that Nubian spring water he has imported, ‘cause that bastard hasn’t been right since the war began. He’s got the Senate and the Courts under his thumb - that University a’ yer’s, too! And on top a’ all that, all those poor clone SOBs answer exclusively to him now since all the Generals were expulsed from the Republic – Bah!” Raising his top left hand to emphasize his antipathy, the nearby server droid rolled over to the booth balancing a tray of drinks on her arm. 

“Anythin’ I can get for ya, boss?”

“Ahh, get outta here, FLO,” Dex rebuffed her with a wave, sending the droid back towards the front counter to assist with the other Human attendant.

“Listen, kid, I’m not quite sure what all’s been going on lately, but you best watch yerself.” Dex glanced out the window to his right, watching pedestrians pass by with a contemplative look on his broad, ridged face. “That attack must’a did some real kriffin’ damage to ‘His Majesty’s’ brain matter – can’t ever trust those politician types.”

Halla grimaced. “None of it adds up, though. One minute it seems like everything was gonna go back to normal, and now it seems like the entire planet is undergoing martial law. Y’know that squad, ah…Meridian? The one that always used to come in when they probably weren’t supposed to?” Dex nodded, leaning forward and motioning for her to continue. 

“I just saw them outside Dex, and Cipher practically shoved me aside – called me ‘citizen’ and everything. It’s like they’ve…like they’ve been brainwashed or something, they never used to be like that!”

The head chef was aware of Halla’s intellectual pursuits, providing him an understanding of the slight strain that lent itself to her vocal cords as she spoke. He knew how soft she was for all those men, even if none of them had any clue who she was. He, too, thought their recent behavior was odd – those clones didn’t make any sort of livable salary to speak of, but when they scrounged enough credits up, they almost always spent the lot on the diner’s infamous nerfburgers and jawa juice. Business had turned a bit stale since they last appeared.

There wasn’t much encouragement he could offer up; they both knew that. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t try. “Well, once ya overthrow the government like all ya kids keep talkin’ about, maybe you can be the new gracious, reverent, Chancellor Ismaren and fix all this shit right up with that big Human brain a’ yours!” His laugh boomed across the tiles, causing his other customers to jump in their seats behind him.

Halla, only slightly embarrassed shown by the flush in her cheeks, giggled along with him. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, I guess. When I win that election, I’ll be sure to hire you as my personal, in-house cook.”

Dex stood up from the booth, holding his stomach as his chuckles subsided. “Don’t worry about me, kid, I intend to stay here for as long as I can before those bastards shove me out! Speakin’ a’ which, ya stayin’ long? Let me get ya somethin’ to eat.”

Before Halla could respond, he had disappeared beyond the partition, leaving her to unpack her holopad and supplemental notes while he was gone.

Not long after, the tetrabrachius had returned with a single portion of food in his massive hand. Setting the fries and ramekin of honeyed sauce off to her side, Dex admitted he had to get back to work but welcomed her to stay as long as she wanted. Thanking him for remembering her favorite order, Halla bumped fists with him as he walked away, only to shake it in pain and suck on her knuckle after he had left for good that time.

Eating as she typed, scrolled, and typed some more, Halla sifted through her transmissions which included copious amounts of spam, a notice from some new university advisor, and one in particular that remained unopened longer than it probably should have.

It had arrived a few days back, but just seeing the name at the top of the correspondence had nearly caused her to break down. One part of her desperately wanted to open it, to read through it again and again until she could recite it from memory – the other part was too terrified of what may be inside of it. Was it actually him? Was it one of his brothers weaseling their way into his account to tell her he was injured…or worse? Or could it be a million other things, all worse-case scenarios her mind was gleefully inflicting on her?

Her index finger hovered over the pixelized box and touched down before she could convince herself against it – this wasn’t something she could avoid forever. In fact, this wasn’t something she really wanted to avoid forever. Knowing if he was alright far outweighed her desire to preserve her current state of anxiety. So she tapped, and the message materialized before her:

Date of Transmission: 1,013:04:15

Recipient: Halla Ismaren <hismaren.uccore.holo>

Subject: An Update

Halla,

The conditions I find myself in are rapidly changing each day. Before I continue, I would like to address your previous concerns; I am safe, as is everyone else. The last I wrote to you, our squad had just landed on Kaller to assist in the final push against a guerilla skirmish just outside the capital. We were called in as reinforcements and the plan was executed as successfully as they are ought to do. It wasn’t until after the territory was won back that our circumstances became difficult to navigate.

You may have noticed that I am sharing more details about this mission than I have in the past – there is a reason for this, as I will confide with you momentarily.

The Jedi General we assisted had sent her apprentice off to find reinforcements. Naturally, he found the better option – CF99. We escorted him back to his master and took part in the fight (much to Wrecker’s delight). Once the opposing forces had been defeated, I procured an encrypted signal from Clone Intelligence declaring that the war would soon come to an end with the demise of General Grievous, the same droid menace who recently began the assault over Coruscant – and put your life at risk. Then, a new message was obtained over a secure frequency by all the clones in the area, sounding off to both our squad and regs alike: a call to enact Order 66.

I might mention that this frequency was reserved only for Chancellor Palpatine’s use. It had never been utilized before, as far as I am aware.

Something was triggered then. Not within me, nor the rest of my squad – with one exception. Crosshair fell under the same influence as that of the regs, and we were blindsided as the Jedi General was assassinated by her own company. Her apprentice fled the scene, and I was instructed to stay behind with Echo. Our objective was to question the company’s Captain who had gunned down his CO and see if any additional information could be gleaned. This was how we found out the Jedi Order had been accused of committing treason, something I still do not believe to be entirely factual.

This was the point Crosshair began to act strangely – accusing Hunter of allowing the padawan learner to escape, despite an alleged mandate that the child was to be eliminated as well.

Order 66 is not unfamiliar to the GAR. That deserves its own preface. It was a contingency we all had to learn during our extensive education process, along with all other plans in the eventuality of danger. However, this order was only to be used in the direst of circumstances and only meant to be enacted on an individual basis. I was not aware of its potential to be used on all Jedi simultaneously. I began to ask myself: What are the odds that they were all found guilty of treason at once? What had I possibly missed? It seems impossible. This brings me to my hypothesis on what is causing such strange behavior…

Tech went on to explain how upon their return to Kamino, the Batch discovered Corrie Guards in Tipoca City, participated in a rigged combat trial, and their difficulties on Onderon – their arrest and imprisonment with a child was added almost as an afterthought. 

And then there was the whole matter of fleeing with the Havoc Marauder and leaving Crosshair behind, believed to be too far gone for his own good. 

Halla found her head spinning, the entire tale a bit difficult to keep up with. No detail was abandoned, and no observation was deemed unimportant. When Tech finally returned to his original thesis concerning the behavioral modification biochips, Halla finally reached an epiphany. The dots were connected, shining like constellations in her mind; everything Tech was telling her, even the parts that seemed irrelevant, held some crumb of truth, of relatability. What he had experienced matched almost perfectly with her own thoughts on the matter: the brainwashing, the biochips, the mood swings, everything.

Halla read on:

…and this is where we find ourselves now, unfortunately. To preserve our anonymity as we travel, I’m afraid I must revert to the vague updates I have always offered you, at least until we have moved on from our current destination. Just know that where we are headed is remote enough to divert any unwanted attention away from us, as I’m sure you’d appreciate after reading this. Here we will plot our next move and try to stay undetected in the meantime.

I can’t help but think of your own security in the midst of all this. Considering what I have learned, Coruscant may no longer be a safe option for you. If my opinion is of any value to you whatsoever, I advise you to find safe passage from the system, perhaps find a habitable system that quarters fewer militant forces. From there, perhaps, we would be able to rendezvous and assess the situation jointly. I’d personally think it would be beneficial to meet, though I doubt Hunter would agree – he would most likely veto having yet another companion on board after acquiring Omega so unexpectedly. Either way, please take this suggestion into account. The longer you wait, the more difficult it may be to leave. Do look after yourself in my absence, it would be quite lonely without your companionship.

-Tech

*Transceiver Identification: CT-9902-D-622-E.modified*

To date, this was a first for Tech confessing that he thought of Halla outside of their transmissions. Not a first in expressing the desire to meet in person one day, though clearly he must’ve been more than just a little apprehensive if he offered a place alongside himself and his crew for the foreseeable future.

Of course, his logic was flawless: Coruscant wasn’t safe, and only seemed to be getting worse while she remained stagnant, indecisive while her options dwindled.

Halla couldn’t contain herself, she let it all spill out to him in her response; everything she had felt from seeing that first holocast, the despair she had felt following it all, being unable to leave her apartment until she broke herself from her stupor and picked up where she left off with her work. The travesty unfurling within the University, like a toxic chemical compound wafting its way through a ventilation chamber. Her encounter with the ISB agent, the altered patrol unit. The conspiracies around the Jedi Temple attack. How the streets were now somber, with civilians still coming and going but acting fraught, almost zombified. That her heart went out to him, having to leave his brother behind. How she couldn’t believe Tech’s squad had gained custody of a child – did they even know how big of a responsibility that was?

She told him about how she still had yet to hear back from her family on Scarif, how Dex’s diner was depressingly empty – about the owner’s own theories on the Emperor’s corruptness – and, after relinquishing the urge to keysmash the backspace button, confessed that she would want nothing more than to be alongside him at that moment, that everything would be held in such clarity if he were there to ground her - that she thought of him endlessly during the siege, and afterward, and even now.

What did she have to lose? There was no use in being embarrassed about her overprotectiveness of him now.

…knowing you’re alive, still having you with me in some way, has reaffirmed my faith in the galaxy. You’re so strong, so quick-witted, if you can make it through this massacre, I know you can make it through anything. As long as you’re soldiering on, so am I. No pun intended…

All the best,

Halla

P.S. I might just have to take you up on your offer. Getting through all this wouldn’t seem so terrifying if I had to face it with you.

~~~

Halla managed to sift through quite a bit of material after her last message was sent, adding relevant data to her monograph and discarding the rest as she went. Her backside had long gone numb beneath her, and her eyelids started to droop from prolonged exposure to the harsh contrast of blues and blacks and whites from her screens.

She had found her groove and it was fading now, inspiring her to review the message from her new advisor before packing up and heading home for the day.

Miss Ismaren,

Allow me to introduce myself. I am Dean Sreetus, newly appointed Head of Alumni Affairs and Outreach. As you may know, our superior leader, the esteemed Emperor Palpatine, has recently eradicated the University of Coruscant’s preceding system of operations. The Reformation Initiative has been revitalized, providing the Human constituents of the Inner Rim their natural-born right to pursue higher education without interference.

Instructor Reshi Taleel has been terminated from her former position in order to allow guidance from far more knowledgeable influences, such as myself. This alien’s radical views will no longer pollute the research you have decided to take on, rest assured. Human virtues of discovery and excellence remain core virtues this glorious Empire values deeply, just as we value your contributions to the betterment of Imperial society.

With that said, I would request that you visit me at your earliest convenience to discuss a change in topic regarding your Fellowship Analysis. A devoted alumna such as yourself will now have grander opportunities to explore, including practical experience in a field of your choice. I’m sure we can come to an agreement on something that fits both your expectations and interests along with conforming to our combined needs for the advancement of humanity.

Long Live the Emperor,

Commodore Arlin Sreetus, Dean of AAO

University of Coruscant

Capital Campus

Okay. So. This was total banthashit, right?

Change her topic? Now? When she was so close to finishing her first draft?

Comical. Hysterical. Farcical.

First, they had sacked Taleel in a fit of blatant xenophobia, now they were taking her research away from her too.

Any uplifted mood she had gained from corresponding with Tech was now soured. Casting her holopad into her bag, Halla stood and dropped more credits on the table than she probably should have given her financial situation, listening to them clink together as she stormed off. Without so much as a goodbye to Dex or ‘Mione or even FLO, she left the diner behind her, a dark, thunderous cloud forming over her head.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow she’d return to campus and give this laserbrain a piece of her mind. These Imperials thought they could tear her finest achievement, what might just be her magnum opus, the last three years of her life away from her just like that?

Good karking luck.

Maker help me, they’ll have to pry each individual clone from my cold, dead hands.

~~~~~~

Return to Sender Taglist (let me know if you’d like to be added, removed, or if I missed anyone!)

@thegoodbatch @microdeers @zinzinina @boontaeveboba @hansonveggieclub @imalovernotahater @bobas-missing-codpiece @passionofthesith @discofern @shannon-lynn-21 @envyspinebender @riana-one @chemtrail-mix

#tech x oc #tech x ofc #original female character #original character #star wars #the bad batch #the bad batch tech #the clone wars #clone trooper tech x oc #star wars fic #clone force 99 #tech x reader #the bad batch x reader #hunter #wrecker #crosshair #omega #arc trooper echo #halla #return to sender fic #EDITED 4/10/2023

[impalas-r-important]

Love of my Life - (1) All's fair in love and snowball fights.

Pairing: Dean x reader(ish)

Warnings: N/A

Summary: You and Dean were inseparable from the moment you met; a true match made in heaven. You were killed in the big showdown with Lucifer and Michael (S5), but were brought back to life along side Sam. Heartbreak quickly took over your life after finding out that Dean had already moved on with Lisa so soon after your death.

Series Masterlist

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You sighed as you looked over at Sam and Dean. You and Sam had been doing research for 5 straight days trying to help Bobby out with a case. Dean would come over and help when he could. Sam was in the living room, his nose buried in a book and Dean was sitting with his feet up on the kitchen table, pretending to look studious as he fought off his heavy eye lids. You stood up to stretch your legs and wandered over to the window. It had snowed all night and all morning, leaving the outside world blanketed with pillowy, inviting flakes. The corners of your mouth crept up in a slight smile as an idea came to your mind. You quickly grabbed your jacket that had been slung across the back of your chair which startled Dean enough to wake him up. He sloppily wiped a bit of drool from his mouth and looked over to find an irritated Sam glaring at him. You jogged a few steps to the back door and pulled your boots on.

“Where are you going?” You could hear Sam ask from the other room.

“I’ll be right back!”

You stepped outside and the chilly wind instantly burned the back of your throat, but you didn’t care. You were just happy to not be looking at the worn pages of another lore book. You bent down and scooped the snow together in your hands creating 2 perfect snowballs. A mischievous grin spread on your face as you stomped back into the living room of Bobby’s house. Sam was your first target; he was so unaware of what was about to hit him. Literally. You pulled back your arm, took your aim, and launched the snowball, nailing him square in the face. The shocked look on his face was priceless.

“Hah!” Dean looked up and tauntingly laughed from the table on the other side of the room. His laugh quickly turned into a frown as you threw the second snowball at him. He paused and blinked a few times before wiping the snow from his face. He turned to look at you, and you couldn’t tell if he was angry or not. The three of you exchanged glances, a few seconds of silence passing while you all gauged the situation before Dean stood up giving you a perfect, playful smile.

“Oh, sweetheart, you don’t know what you just started.” He ran at you and you turned to run away, giving a squeal as you did. You were fast, but Dean was faster. You had a few good steps on him, but as you reached the staircase, he grabbed you by your waist, throwing you over his shoulder and marching out the door with you.

“Let me go!” You laughed as he tickled your sides.

“If you say so.” He ran across the yard and gently tossed you into a big snowbank, giving your system a shock. You shot up and tried to shake the snow out from your clothes.

“This means war, Winchester!” You shouted as you ran full speed at Dean, rugby tackling him into the few feet of snow piled up behind him.

Sam popped out from behind an icy car with an armful of huge snowballs. “Gotcha both!” He exclaimed as he pelted the two of you. Dean pulled you underneath him and turned his back to Sam, protecting you. You got lost in his green eyes for a moment as he pulled his face close to yours. “One, two, three!” Dean counted down and you knew exactly what his plan was, without needing to discuss it. The two of you had always been on the same wavelength, making you the perfect hunting (and snowball fight) partners. You both turned and ran at Sam, Dean grabbed your hand tight and extended his arm as the two of you clotheslined the taller brother, knocking him backwards. You stole the few snowballs Sam had dropped and threw them at the two boys.

“I thought we were on a team now?!” Dean grinned at you as he crouched down and began to form the snow in his hands. He cocked his arm back and launched it at you as you ducked behind a car. It just missed you. You sat with your back to the car door, catching your breath and looking on either side of you, waiting for one of the boys to jump out at you.

Dean had climbed on top of the car and jumped down in front of you. “Ha ha! I’ve got you right where I want you!” You laughed and slipped as you tried to get up, causing you to laugh even harder. Dean pulled you backwards by your feet. Kneeling on either side of you, he pinned you down with a snowball in hand. “Do you surrender?!” He demanded.

“Yes, yes fine!” Your stomach hurt from all the laughing. Dean dropped the snowball and huffed. He flopped down in the snow next to you, catching his breath and letting out a little laugh.

“That was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. I mean, the look on Sam’s face when you threw that first snowball at him. Priceless!” He turned to look at you, pulling you close to him. “Thanks, Y/N/N.” It had been so long since you had seen Dean smile a genuine smile like the one he was giving to you now. Your heart fluttered and memories of your relationship came flooding back the minute you looked into his eyes. He looked back at you and for a moment, nothing and no one else existed. This felt so right and so natural, like it had always felt with him when you were together. This was a joy that you rarely felt anymore, and you knew that the only thing bringing it to you was Dean. He brushed a stray hair behind your ear as his eyes wandered down to your lips.

“Dean?” A distant voice called. It was Lisa. You both sat up quickly. Overwhelming happiness quickly turned to heart break.

“Crap!” Dean said under his breath as he checked his watch. “We’re supposed to go to a neighbor’s house for dinner tonight. I should have been home 40 minutes ago. I just lost track of time.” He stood up and brushed the snow from his clothes.

“I’m sorry, this is my fault. I shouldn’t have started that stupid snowball fight.” You apologized.

“No, no I haven’t laughed like that in…” Dean paused, “hell, I don’t know how long. Don’t you dare apologize for that.” He reached out a hand to help you up, but you waved him off.

“I’m okay, you go. It’s probably better if Lisa doesn’t see me. I’ll stay hidden behind this old hunk a’ junk until you guys leave.” You patted the car behind you and tried to muster up a fake smile. Dean didn’t buy it. Lisa hated when your relationship with Dean was brought up, and she equally disliked you being around him.

“Listen, Y/N/N, I- “

“Dean?!” Lisa’s voice interrupted him. She was clearly getting angrier and closer.

Dean opened his mouth as if to say something to you, but instead just exhaled and looked at you with longing eyes. You broke the eye contact after a few seconds and moved your gaze to the ground.

“Bye, Y/N.” Dean muttered. You could hear his footsteps crunch in the snow as he walked away.

“Where the hell were you?!” You could hear Lisa demand in the background.

“Sam and I were just having a snowball fight.” Dean tried to explain himself. You noticed he had left your name out on purpose.

“I swear you two are children when you are around each other.”

You hated the way she talked down to him. Like he was some disobedient puppy on a leash. You heard another set of crunching footsteps approach you. Sam walked around the car and sat down next to you; you leaned your head on his shoulder. Your heavy heart had returned, and you felt empty again.

A few moments passed as you both waited to make sure Dean and Lisa had left. Sam broke the silence once he heard the back door close. “You know, you can talk to me, right Y/N?”

“Yeah, Sammy, thank you.” You looked up and gave him a halfhearted smile.

“No, not like this beat around the bush kind of talking. Like, really telling me how you feel. About Dean, about Lisa, about life. Anything and everything. You can trust me to keep your secrets. I feel like you and I are in the same boat right now. Neither of us expected to die, never mind come back, and it’s hard to see how life, Dean especially, changed while we were gone. I can tell this is all weighing on you. You’re not the same as you used to be.” He arched his neck to look down at you as much as he could. “If it makes you feel any better, I don’t like Lisa. Not at all. I don’t get what Dean sees in her. She has changed him into someone that I barely recognize, and I know you see it too.” Sam let out a small sigh of relief. “Man, I’ve been wanting to get that off my chest for a while.” His demeanor became more serious. “You know, I thought you and Dean would be together forever.”

His words helped you a little. “I thought we would be too. I guess I was just making our relationship out to be more than it really was.” You shrugged.

“What do you mean?” He questioned.

“I hadn’t even been dead for that long and he had already moved in with another woman. I’ve had a lot of time to think about this, and if the situations were reversed, then I would rather live the rest of my life alone than be with someone else if I lost Dean.”

“I don’t have an explanation for that, but I do know that you weren’t making it out to be more than it was. Dean was head over heels in love with you. I knew it from, literally, the moment we met you. And honestly, I think he still is. He just does a good job of hiding it.”

“Everyday hurts, Sam. Every time I have to see him with her.” You whispered. “Lately I’ve been asking myself why I’m still here. I mean, Dean asked us to stick around here and make a home base, but I don’t know if I can do that anymore.”

“You’re thinking about leaving?” He frowned.

“Yeah, maybe... I don’t know.” You traced circles in the snow beneath you. “What good am I doing here? Why do I keep putting myself through this pain? If I left, I could try and move on with my life.”

Sam nodded and waited a few moments before saying, “Well, I can’t stop you from leaving, or tell you how to live your life, but I’m going to miss you like hell if you do go. You’re literally my sister. But I understand where you’re coming from. I miss being out on the road and just living case to case. Domestic life isn’t for me, not right now anyway. But I could never leave Dean here by himself, so I’ll figure out a hybrid of the two.”

You didn’t say anything because you didn’t want to break down in tears. Sam could tell. “Let’s get back inside and change. It’s been a nice to take a break from research. We’ll go grab some hot chocolate and dinner before we dive back into the books. Deal?”

You smiled and nodded at him. Sam helped you up and put his arm around you as you walked back inside. “Sorry I hit you in the face with a snowball… multiple times.” You joked and elbowed his side a little.

“Oh, I’ll get you back for that at some point, don’t you worry. It was just good to see a glimpse of the old you again.” Sam smiled and held the door open for you. It felt good to vent to Sam, and it felt even better knowing that he was on the same page as you about Lisa. You didn’t want to hate her; you weren’t that kind of a person. But you just couldn’t help it.

Chapter 2

#dean winchester #dean x reader #dean x y/n #dean x you #supernatural #spn

[hoboal87]

Elastic Heart Chapter Fourteen

Title : Elastic Heart - Trials

Characters : Sam Winchester, Dean Winchester, Castiel, Crowley, (background Y/N and Cordelia Y/L/N)

Pairing(s) : Sam x Reader

Summary : Sam and Dean work to complete the final Hell Trial.

Word Count : 6.4k

Warnings : cursing, show-level violence, angst, self-loathing, suicidal ideation, cliff-hanger ending

A/N : Series is mostly canon compliant, taking place during season 8/9. For the purposes of this fic Sam was born in '84 instead of '83.

A/N 2 : This chapter uses dialogue from episode 8x23 "Sacrifice"

beta'd by @deanwinchesterswitch

Elastic Heart Masterlist

Read Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen - Trials

Sam’s POV

Two days later, we meet Crowley in a junkyard; it takes every ounce of my willpower not to beat him to a pulp. I wanted to leave hex bags in Y/N’s apartment, but Dean insisted the anti-possession charms would be enough. We should’ve known that she wasn’t going to be safe, but when Crowley started going after people we saved, Cas had convinced us that Jody was next.

“It’s simple, really,” Crowley says, gesturing to the contract. “You stop the Trials and hand over the Demon tablet. I’ll leave your precious Y/N and Cordelia alone, and you’ll have the Angel tablet.” Dean takes a step closer, grabbing the scroll. “Oh, no, Squirrel, Moose is the one doing the trials; he’s the one who’s going to sign.”

“Not until I read the fine print,” Dean snaps back.

“I’ll sign it,” I mumble as I take a step closer, grabbing the long scroll.

“You wanted me here; I’m here.”

“What’s this, boys? Lovers quarrel?”

“Shut it, Crowley,” Dean barks. “I’m not gonna let him screw us over again.”

“That hurts, Squirrel,” he mocks us. “Now, if you're satisfied with the terms of the contract, let’s have the big galoot sign it, shall we?”

Dean is only inches away from Crowley, and as soon as he thinks I’ve started to sign, the click of the handcuffs wipes the smirk off of Crowley’s face.

“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Demonic handcuffs, jackass,” Dean gestures down the handcuffs. “These are going to keep you from smoking out, flicking out, teleporting. Oh, and no deal. Basically,” Dean’s fist connects to Crowley’s jaw, “you’re our bitch.”

“Fine,” Crowley throws his own punch, and I can see a faint smile on Dean’s face. “You’ve saddled yourself to the wrong bull, mate.”

“I can go all day, you know why? ‘Cause damn it feels good. Get used to it, douche, cause your demon ass is about to become a mortal ass.”

“What’s he on about?” Crowley’s eyes dart to me, a look of confusion and panic as I take pleasure in telling him what’s about to come.

“It’s you, Crowley. You’re the third Trial.”

Kevin is pacing in the library when we return to the bunker, Crowley blindfolded and gagged. Dean walks him down to 7B, and Kevin is nearly having a panic attack when his eyes land on Crowley.

“What is he doing here?” Kevin screams, “Why? Why did you bring him back?”

“Kevin, listen. Until we can figure out how to cure him, we need to keep him here. We can’t let him go.” I can see the tears brimming in his eyes. “The faster we can figure out the cure, the faster we can make him pay for all the evil shit he's done.”

Kevin and I have our noses buried in books when Dean returns from the dungeon. I can still hear Y/N/N’s voice in my head, screaming out for help, Crowley’s words torturing both of us. Every choice you made drove you further away from Y/N.

“Have you heard from Cas?” Dean asks as he sits down with three beers in his hands.

I pull out my phone, hoping that Y/N/N will return my calls, she’s shutting me out, and I can’t blame her. I should’ve shown her how to protect herself and Corie. All the symbols she needed were on the sheet of paper that Corie had drawn on the day she left the hospital. Any one of those could have protected her from Crowley’s attack. Would she ever forgive me for putting her in that situation, one that could have so easily been prevented? Crowley was going to pay for everything he’d ever done.

“Sam,” Dean’s voice pulls me out of my thoughts, and when I look up, I can see a questioning look etched on his face. “Cas?”

“Uh, no,” I mumble as I put my phone back into my pocket. We needed to find a cure and quick; it was the only way to get back to Y/N/N and Corie.

Hours later, Kevin and I are surrounded by a mountain of books, pouring through the lore looking for anything that may tell us how to cure a demon. Dean’s asleep on the table, softly snoring when Cas enters the bunker. It’s been over a week since we’d seen him, stationing him with Jody after Crowley killed Sarah, Cas insisting that Naomi and the other angels were watching over Y/N/N and Corie.

Dean jolts awake when Kevin drops another large set of books on the library table, grumbling about ‘first decent sleep in days,’ as he makes his way out of the library. I give Cas a tight-lipped smile, and he nods; there is something off about him. Usually, I can’t read his face, but today, he seems to be hiding something. Dean meets Cas in the war room, and I can hear hushed whispering between them. I run my hands through my hair as I pull another book in front of me, but I can’t focus on the text, every line bleeding into the next. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Dean’s body stiffen; that can’t be good. I leave Kevin, instructing him to keep searching as I join Dean and Cas.

“What do you mean, ‘she’s done,’ what the hell is that supposed to mean, Cas?” Dean’s fingers are pinched at the bridge of his nose as Cas stands in front of him.

“Y/N feels that she and Cordelia’s safety was put in jeopardy and that we allowed Crowley to attack her in her home.”

“You told her we didn’t know, right?” Dean huffs. “That we wouldn’t’ve let Crowley come anywhere near them if we thought–”

“I told her that we were assured that she was safe. Y/N didn’t care for my answer. I don’t know how Crowley tracked her down.”

“‘Tracked her down?’ Cas, are you saying that Y/N and Corie left Weldon?” I thought Crowley was fucking with me. Y/N wouldn’t have moved without telling us; she promised not to run away.

“I gave Y/N my word that I would not-”

“Cas, if they left Weldon, we need to know. If they’re gone, then that means that they don’t have any type of protection,” I argue. I knew we should have done something more than leaving them the necklaces. “We can’t protect them if we don’t know where they are.”

“Y/N and Cordelia have left Weldon.”

“Fuck, Cas!” I want to hit something, someone. “You weren’t even going to tell us, were you?”

“Sammy-”

“No, tell me. You were going to let Y/N and Corie just drop off the face of the earth and not say anything?” My head is spinning. She’d made good on her threat; she took Corie and ran. “Why?”

“I do not believe Y/N's intent was to hide,” Cas says cautiously. “If Sam had kept in contact-”

“Are you saying that this is my fault?” I roll my shoulders, standing up to my full height. “Crowley’s attack is on me?”

“I am merely suggesting-”

“Y/N wanted space,” Dean clenches his jaw, “so we gave her some fuckin’ space. You had one job, Cas, and that was to keep an eye on her and make sure that she and Cordy were safe.”

“I was watching her, Dean,” Cas sighs. “Ever since the accident-”

“Cas,” Dean snaps. “If you were protecting her like we’d ask you to, then we could’ve stopped Crowley from ever walking into her house, but you insisted that no demon knew about either of them.”

“I have it on good authority that Crowley wasn’t made aware of Cordelia’s existence until recently.” Cas shifts his body towards me. “From best we can tell, he had a spy in that hospital. You don’t think that every demon under Crowley’s command doesn’t know who you are the second they lay eyes on you? Anyone working for him could have connected the dots.”

“So, it is my fault,” I murmur, moving backward before the back of my legs hit the map table, and I slump back against it. “All this, it’s my fault.”

“Sammy, you can’t think like that,” Dean rubs his hand down his face before turning his attention to Cas, his frustration with him becoming more apparent. “What if another demon tries to go after them, Cas? What’ll Y/N do then?”

“I warded her home against everything. She’s safe now.”

“How’s Y/N/N?” I don’t know why it takes me so long to ask such an obvious question, how it wasn’t the first thing out of my mouth when Cas walked through the door. My eyes lock on my hands, picking at a nail, unable to focus on anything else. “Is she okay? What about Corie?”

“Cordelia was not in the house. I offered to heal Y/N, but she refused to let me. She was upset when I left her.”

“What did Crowley do to her?”

“The psychological damage inflicted on her is more my concern,” Cas explains.

Crowley had tortured us all with his words. He twisted everything that had happened over the last ten years, things I hadn’t had the chance to tell her about. I would’ve told her about it all eventually, explained why I didn’t try to come back sooner. I wanted to, desperately, but I felt undeserving of her love. Y/N/N was one of the few good things that I had in my life, and I couldn’t let my uncleanliness taint her innocence. When Kevin first deciphered the Trials, and I accidentally completed the first one, Y/N/N became my light at the end of the tunnel. She and Corie deserve a life of peace. I have to do whatever I can to make the world a safer place for them. Once I finished the trials, I would’ve told her everything, hoping that she would be able to forgive me.

“I wouldn’t have allowed any true harm to come to either of them, Sam.” Cas closes the space between us and rests his hand on my shoulder. “As soon as I was sure Jody was safe, I went to Y/N; she prayed many times.”

“She prayed to you?” I turn slightly to face Cas, unsure if I’m hearing him correctly. I had told both Y/N/N and Corie to call on him if they ever needed anything. When Crowley was with her, I kept hoping that I would hear Cas intervening at some point. When I didn’t, I figured that Y/N/N had forgotten my words, but if she prayed, why didn’t he stop it? “Y/N/N, she prayed, and you still didn’t do anything?” Cas’ eyes dart between Dean and me, and I feel as though I’m about to explode with rage. “You told us that if either one of them prayed, you would go to them. That was your job, Cas, not wait around to see what would happen!”

“If I intervened sooner-” I can’t listen to anything else Cas has to say; I move away from the table and am headed towards 7B before I even realize it.

Crowley is cuffed and chained down in the middle of the devil’s trap; a smug smile creeps over his face when I lock the door behind me.

“I was hoping you’d join me, Moose,” he taunts. “What? No Squirrel? Oh, this will be fun.”

I close the distance in just a few steps, my fist connecting with Crowley’s jaw. He laughs dryly as I pull back and throw another punch, this time to his stomach. I need to do something that’ll make him hurt, make him pay for everything he’s done. Crowley doesn’t flinch, letting me hit him over and over again. I can hear pounding on the door as I swing again, Dean’s voice calling out, but I can’t stop, I won’t stop.

My knuckles are bloody and raw when I feel arms wrap around me, pulling me away from Crowley. I struggle against the powerful grip as Cas drags me back like I am a small child. Dean appears in front of me, yelling at me to calm down, but his voice is a distant echo, as my focus is still on Crowley.

I relax for a moment, and Cas loosens his grip, and I shove him off me. Dean tries to stop me, but I knock him to the floor. A glint of silver catches my eye, and before I can even process a thought, I snatch the weapon from the table. Crowley chuckles as I press the edge of the angel blade against his throat.

“You threaten my daughter? The mother of my daughter? And what? You’re going to sit here and laugh about it?” I growl, slowly raking the blade across his neck, watching as blood seeps out.

“Oh, you have no idea,” Crowley’s lips curl into a grin. “She was ready to do anything to get me to leave her and the little one alone, anything, Moose.”

“Don’t listen to him, Sam,” Dean grunts from behind me.

“And she would’ve done it. She put on a brave face, but she was willing, Sam. She knew you weren’t going to save her. Just another person you’ve let down, eh Sasquatch?”

“Shut up; you’re lying.” I tower over him, putting more pressure on the knife.

“I guess we’ll never know, will we, Samantha? Shall I tell you the things I plan to do to little Cordelia?”

“Sam,” Dean grabs my arm firmly, “he wants you angry; he doesn’t want you to complete the Trial,” he rationalizes. “You kill him now, and everything we’ve been working for the last few months goes down the drain. We’ve come too far to stop now.”

“He deserves to die,” I grunt as Dean pulls me away from Crowley. “For everything, not just Y/N/N and Corie. All the shit he’s done since we’ve known him, Purgatory, Leviathans, Tommy, Sarah, Samuel, holding Bobby’s soul in Hell. He should pay for it. For all of it.”

“He will, Sam. When we’re done, he’ll no longer be the King of Hell; he’ll be a regular person. But you have to finish this last Trial, Sammy. That’s how we make him pay.”

“What do we do?”

It takes several long days of research, but we finally learn how to complete the third trial. Dean, Kevin, and I are stunned into silence as we listen to the recording of Father Thompson and Peter Kent, a man possessed who then killed his children. One dose of purified blood every eight hours, followed by the final exorcism, Peter Kent was no longer a demon; he was human again. I read through Father Thompson’s notes. We could do this; all we need is the consecrated ground.

We find an abandoned church less than an hour away from the Bunker. It’s in the middle of nowhere; it’s the perfect place to complete the Trial. Crowley stays locked inside the trunk of the Impala as we prepare the church. Dean makes a large Devil’s Trap while I read over the Enochian text, committing it to memory. Once we are both satisfied that the church has enough warding, Dean marches Crowley in, tying him tightly in a chair in the center of the room.

Crowley begins to taunt me again, and I leave the church under the guise of gathering supplies out of the Impala.

“I was thinkin’,” Dean says as he walks closer to meet me at the trunk, “maybe you should give Y/N a call.” Dean closes the trunk. “It’s been months, man.”

“No,” it pains me to say it, “I can’t.”

“Just try. Tell her you’re sorry for everything, and when all this is over, you want to be with her.”

“Y/N/N won’t answer,” I sigh. “You heard Cas. She wants nothing to do with me anymore. Whatever chance I still had with her went flying out the window the second Crowley showed up at her house.”

“C’mon, man. You had no way of knowing–”

“That’s the point, Dean!” I shout. “I should’ve known, we both should’ve known! We– I left her, defenseless; didn’t even show her how to make a fuckin’ Devil’s Trap.” I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself. “I didn’t show her how to test anyone around her. Wherever she is, she could be surrounded by Crowley’s fuckin’ minions, and she wouldn’t even know it, Y/N/N could still be in danger.”

“Cas warded her house,” Dean offers, “she’s safe.”

“We both know that isn’t true, Dean,” I try and fight back the tears that press at my eyes. “As long as Crowley’s around, Y/N and Corie won’t be safe. He’ll find some way to use them against us.”

“Sammy.”

“Y/N didn’t ask for this life, Dean. She doesn’t want a life full of demons, monsters, angels. She just wants a normal, safe life, and she had it before we took that case. From the second we stepped foot back in Weldon, we put Y/N/N and Corie in danger.”

“You can’t keep blaming yourself, Sam,” Dean argues.

“I’m gonna make sure she gets the life she’s always wanted, even if it doesn’t include me.” Dean’s eyebrows furrow, and his forehead wrinkles. “When we’re done,” I sniff, wiping away the tears that escaped, and clear my throat. “I’m gonna get Cas to erase their memories.”

Dean’s eyes narrow as soon as my words leave me; shock and anger quickly replace his previous confusion. I realize my mistake immediately; Dean would never let me or Cas do such a thing.

“No,” he says firmly. “You’re not going to do that to Y/N and Cordy.”

“So Cas can erase Lisa and Ben’s memories–”

“That was different,” Dean runs his hands over his face, and I know I’ve hit a nerve with him. “Y/N and Cordy, they’re your family, our family. I know you, Sam, better than you know yourself, and it’ll kill you never to see them again. What about what Y/N wants?”

“Did you ask Lisa what she wanted?” Dean opens his mouth to argue, but I don’t back off. Lisa and Ben were the closest things he ever had to a wife and kid. “No, because you knew what she would say. You did the only thing you could to protect them.” Dean grimaces; he knows I’m right. “I have to keep them safe, Dean.”

“You’re not thinking straight,” Dean sighs. “When this is all over, Crowley’ll be human, and all those sons of bitches will be locked away.”

“I’m not going to put them in danger again, Dean.”

“And you won’t. Sammy, let’s just get through this trial. Then, we’ll track down Y/N, find a way to make it work.”

I try to keep myself steady as I lean in to inject Crowley for the second time. As I stick the needle in his neck, he bites me, and I let out an annoyed shout as Dean rushes to my side. “Really, Crowley? Biting?”

Dean walks us out to the Impala and inspects the wound. I look up to see that Dean’s focus is less on the injury and more on my face. I can see him studying it, realizing how much it’s changed over the last few weeks. I’ve lied to Dean and myself about how much the Trials have been taking a toll on me, but looking into his eyes tells me that no matter how much I want to, I can’t hide my pain from him.

“Cas say when he would be back?” I break the growing silence between us.

“No. Maybe once he’s finished doing whatever it is he’s doing, we won’t have to deal with those dicks anymore either,” Dean laughs weakly.

Cas appears outside the church after I finish my confession, asking Dean for his help. He explains that Metatron found a way of putting Heaven back in order, but Cas is the only one who can do it. Dean and I both know that Cas has felt guilty about what has happened over the last two years. Killing Raphael, letting the Leviathan’s out of Purgatory, it was complete anarchy in Heaven from what he had told us.

Dean refuses, insisting on staying with me, ‘if anyone needs a chaperon, it’s Sam’. He didn’t say the words maliciously, but I cringe at the thought of him not being able to trust me to complete this one on my own. Dean is my rock, the only person I’ve ever been able to rely on, he’s the one who’s always been there for me, and I can’t let him or Y/N/N down again.

“You think he can do it, fix heaven, or whatever?”

“If anyone can, it’s Cas.” Dean opens the Impala’s trunk and pulls out a gauze pad and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. “Knock knock,” he smirks, pulling the same move that he did when we were kids. I roll my eyes at him, “C’mon, Sammy, knock knock.”

“Who’s–” I hiss as the alcohol hits the bite marks on my skin. Dean chuckles slightly, clearly proud of himself as he finds a large bandage and wraps it around my wrist.

“Call Y/N, Sammy,” Dean looks up from my wrist and meets my eyes.

“Dean,” I sigh.

“Just try.”

“I did!” I shout, yanking my hand away. “After we left Weldon; I reached out, I told her I was sorry, I told her that I loved her. You know what she said? Take care of yourself. She didn’t tell me that she wanted us to work out, that she wanted me around.”

“Sammy–”

“Y/N/N was pissed, and she had every right to be, you said it yourself, I scared the crap outta her that night. I listened to you and gave her the time and space that she asked for so that she could sort everything out. I left her alone after that.” I take a few steps back. “I tried calling and messaging her every day since Crowley attacked her, she won’t answer. No matter what I say or do, she doesn’t want any part of it. She's choosing to not speak to me, and I can’t blame her. The least I can do now is finish the Trial and let Y/N/N and Corie move on with their lives. She’s better off without me; they both are.”

“Sam,” Dean brings his hand down over his face. “They’re not, you know that. Don’t be like dad, don’t push them away because you’re afraid of losing them. You’ll never forgive yourself if you walk away from Y/N and Cordy again.”

“Fuck you,” I grumble. “I didn’t walk away the first time. I let one of the people I’m supposed to trust more than anyone else in the world manipulate me. You keep taking dad’s side.”

“Sammy, I’m– I’m not, but dad didn’t make you leave.”

“You wanna know what happened that night?” I ask. Dean still doesn’t know the whole story, and he nods slightly. “I came back from Y/N/N’s house, and I told dad about Stanford. He said that I was abandoning you. All I wanted was to go to college and have a couple of years of a normal, safe life. When I told him that Y/N/N was going with me, he said she couldn't, that I would be accused of kidnapping her. I stood my ground and told him that she was coming with me and nobody was going to stop us. I had to tell him first, Dean, about the baby, and when I did, he fuckin' lost it. Said that Y/N/N was trying to trap me, called her a slut, and the baby wasn't mine. When we got back in the morning, he convinced me that Y/N/N had decided to have an abortion and that she didn’t want to see me again.”

“Sam–”

“No,” I shake my head. I know what he’s about to say. “You’re not going to tell me that he was keeping them safe. Not when he kept in contact with them for years– years, Dean. Dad robbed me of the chance to know my daughter and then weaved a story to Y/N/N, making her think he was the good guy, like he hadn’t said those awful things about her. Corie would’ve known him if he hadn’t died; what would’ve he told her about me, about us? If he wanted to shield them from our enemies, he would’ve stayed away, just like he wanted me to. They would’ve been safe with me; I could’ve protected them from everything. The second Crowley started torturing her to get us to play his game, I knew the only way to make sure that it never happened again would be to remove myself from their lives completely. I’m not walking away; I’m keeping them safe the only way I can.”

“I need your help, Dean,” Cas appears suddenly with a rustling.

“Cas, I told you already. I need to be here with Sam.”

“You should go,” I mumble, “seriously.”

“What, and leave you with the King of Hell? No way.”

“Sam must complete this Trial on his own. You cannot assist him.”

“Keep giving the injections,” Dean orders. “If I’m not back in time for the bloody fist, you finish it, you hear me? No questions, no hesitation.”

I nod, and Dean gives me a half-hearted smile. He and Cas disappear before my eyes, and I walk back into the church.

With every injection, Crowley is becoming weaker. It takes five injections for him to start breaking down, admitting his failures; he almost seemed human. The injections aren’t just curing Crowley. They’re doing something to me, too; I can feel my body breaking down. With every passing hour, we’re both growing weaker.

“I didn’t know about the little one, Moose,” Crowley murmurs as I pull the needle out of his neck. “Not at first.”

Crowley is as close to human as he will be before the final injection. It takes me a moment to realize what he’s saying. “What do you mean, ‘not at first’?”

“I knew about the girl; everyone did,” Crowley lifts his head slightly. “She was the one I’d been watching.”

“Why?” How did he know about Y/N/N and not Corie? Cas said the angels knew from the beginning,

“The two of you were always destined to meet. She was always going to be the one to carry your children. Lillith made it all of the Loyalists’ priority to ensure that you would meet. Think about it, Sam, the case that brought you two together all those years ago, you knew that there was something off about it. But once you and Y/N had met, all your reservations went out the window.”

I feel my entire body vibrate with rage. Cas talked about our paths being destined to cross again, but was it all contrived? Did I ever have any free will?

“You weren’t to meet for years, but Lucifer instructed Lillith to speed up the process. Cordelia was under powerful protection. Someone found a witch to cast a spell over her before she was born, and she was made invisible to us. Y/N was protected as well, but we already knew about her, and it was only a matter of time before she left that small town of hers,” Crowley rasps. “It was Naomi, Moose. She was the one who told me about the little one.”

“Naomi, was your informant?” I huff, “why? Cas said that the angels were told to keep her existence a secret. Why would she tell you about them?” I question the weakened demon. “It doesn’t make any sense.”

“You said it yourself, Sam. If we’d known, we would’ve used them to our advantage years ago.” Crowley sighs, and I don’t know whether or not to believe him. “I wouldn’t have hurt her, Sam. I would’ve treated her as if she were my own, Cordelia, Princess of Hell.”

“If you weren’t going to hurt her, then why tell us you would?”

“I had to keep your Y/N compliant, and she would’ve done anything to protect Cordelia,” Crowley lifts his head, and I can see how close he is to being human again. “Nothing is more sacred than a mother’s love for her child; there are few bonds greater. The only thing comparable is her soulmate. Like when your mother made a deal with Azazel to save your father and then sacrificed herself for you when Azazel walked into your nursery. Acts of pure love,” he mumbles. “I want that Moose. I deserve love; I deserve to be loved!”

“You deserve nothing, Crowley,” I murmur. “And once we’re done, I’m going to take pleasure in killing you myself. You saw what I did to Brady? That’s nothing compared to what I’m going to do to you. I’m going to enjoy every second of it.”

I expect some witty retort from Crowley, but he doesn’t speak; he only stares at the ground. Watching him break down, so close to being human, knowing that I’ll be able to get my revenge for everything, makes me feel better than I have in months. I have to finish this, for Y/N/N, for Corie, for Dean. I can’t let them down again.

I grab Ruby’s knife, ready to complete the ritual. This is it; closing the gates of Hell that I was responsible for opening all those years ago. No more Crowley, no more demons, and if Cas succeeds, no more angels either.

“Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, hanc animam redintegra, lustra.”

“Sammy, stop!” Dean’s thundering voice causes me to jump. “There’s been a change in plans, Metatron lied. You finish this trial, you’re dead.”

Before Dean ever voiced the words, I knew that there was little chance of me getting out of this alive. If my life is what it takes to close the gates of hell, then I will give it. It's the least I can do to make sure that Y/N/N and Corie can live the rest of their lives in peace. Dean can look after them, show them how to protect themselves from monsters. Bobby and Rufus have safe houses all over the country; I know I can trust Dean to keep the only family we have left safe.

“So?” I mutter, closing the gap between Crowley and me. “Look at him!” I turn around, coming face to face with Crowley again; the King of Hell, now a blubbering mess. Crowley doesn’t look at me but turns his attention to Dean. As if Dean is the one who can save him, but he’s too far away, all I have to do is give him the final dose of blood. “Look how close we are! Other people will die if I don't finish this.” Dean stares at me wide-eyed, stunned, as he takes in my words. The only reason he let me continue with the Trials was that I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. These Trials were supposed to be my way out of hunting. “I have to finish this for them, Dean. I have to keep Y/N/N and Corie safe.”

“Listen to me, Sammy.” Dean raises his hands in surrender. “I know you want to keep them safe, but this isn’t the only way to do it. Y/N and Cordy, they need you, Sam, even if they don’t know it. You finish this trial, and you're taking away Cordy’s chance to know you. You’re making Y/N’s choice for her.”

I pull away from Crowley and mull over what Dean says. I shake my head and weigh my options. Is Dean, right? No, Killing Crowley and closing the Gates of Hell is the only way to keep my family safe. Seeing my momentary hesitation, Dean takes a step closer.

“Sam, think about everything we’ve learned since we started: rescuing a soul from Hell, curing demons, hell, ganking a hellhound. We have a real chance to turn the tide here, but I can't do it without you.”

“You can barely do it with me.” I choke on my words, feeling the tears press against my eyes as I fail to fight them back. “Y/N/N hates me. She won’t ever forgive me for Crowley.”

“You don’t know that, Sam,” Dean argues gently, taking another step forward.

“Y/N/N and Corie, they’re better off without me, all of you are. If it weren’t for me, we wouldn’t even need to close the gates. It’s my fault they were opened in the first place. It’s my fault that Lucifer got outta the cage; thousands of people are dead because of me.”

“Sammy.” Dean shakes his head. “You gotta know that isn’t true.”

“You’re still pissed about Ruby, Dean. About me losing my soul, killing Lilith. You think I’m a screw-up, that I need a chaperon.”

“C'mon, man, that's not what I meant–”

“It's exactly what you meant,” I cut him off. “Do you wanna know what I confessed in there? What my greatest sin was? It was how many times I let you down, Y/N/N down. I can't do that again. You wanna know why I never told you about Y/N/N and the baby?” Dean’s face softens. “I didn’t know how to tell you, of all people, that I was going to leave it all behind. Y/N/N and I, we were going to start over in California. I wanted to marry her, live a safe life, just the three of us. How was I supposed to tell you, the one person I’ve always been able to count on, that I was going to leave the only life I’d ever known?”

“Sammy–”

“I was scared to tell dad because I knew that he’d be pissed, tell me that I was irresponsible, and all that bullshit. But you– you raised me, Dean, you were more my parent than dad ever was. I couldn’t disappoint you again, and I couldn’t risk that you would take dad’s side over mine.”

“Just hold it. Hold on,” Dean bellows. “You seriously think that? Because none of it, none of it, is true.” Dean takes a step forward, and I keep the knife pressed against my palm.

“You just stood there when dad said if I left, I couldn’t come back. You’re my big brother, and I thought if anyone could’ve helped me with Y/N/N and the baby, it would’ve been you. I lost everything that night, not just Y/N/N and the baby, but you too. And I only got some of it back when you turned up in Palo Alto.” Dean frowns. “I didn’t get to say goodbye to her, to either of them. I never got to have a real talk with my daughter. I never got the chance to tell Corie that I thought about her and Y/N/N every day for the last ten years and that leaving was the biggest regret of my entire life.”

“Sammy, all you have to do is stop, and you can tell her. We’ll go there right now.”

“We can’t, Dean.” I let the knife slice through the skin of my palm. The glowing in my arms becomes brighter, and pain radiates through me. “Y/N/N left Weldon and took Corie with her, she ran away from her home town and took my daughter with her. They could be on the other side of the fuckin’ world for all we know.”

“You’re right. But he knows.” Dean gestures at Crowley behind me. “He can tell us where they are.”

“Y/N/N doesn’t want me around, Dean, don’t you get that?” I huff, moving backwards towards Crowley. “She doesn’t trust me to keep her or Corie safe. They deserve better than some fuck-up like me in their lives. I’ve only ever let them down. I’m not going to do it again.”

“We can fix it, Sam. You, Y/N, and Cordy, you belong together. We’ll find her, find Cordy. We’ll teach them everything they need to know about protecting themselves. I’ll get you your apple-pie life, brother, but you gotta trust me, okay? You gotta stop.”

“I do trust you, Dean. I always have,” I mumble. “I’ve always been able to count on you, my whole life, you’ve been the one who’s always been there for me. But what happens when you decide I can’t be trusted again? Will you take Y/N and Cordy away, hide them from me? Who will you turn to? Another angel, another- another vampire?”

“Hold on, hold on!” Dean shouts. “You can’t believe that’s true, any of it! I know that we’ve had some disagreements. Hell, I know I’ve said some things that sent you back on your heels. But Sammy, c’mon, I killed Benny to save you. I’m willing to let this bastard and all the other sons of bitches that killed mom walk because of you.” Dean takes a step closer, and I can see the tears in his eyes. “Don’t you dare think there is anything, past or present, that I would put in front of you. You gotta see that, okay? I need you to see that.”

“What about Y/N/N? Corie?” I sniff.

“I’ll get you back to them, Sammy, I swear to God. I will do everything in my power to keep the three of you together for the rest of your lives.”

I can feel the blood from my palm drip onto the floor as I consider Dean’s words. If I can be back with Y/N/N and Corie, everything will be worth it. But, the overwhelming need to make Crowley human again consumes my thoughts. My instincts as a father are taking over; I have to do everything I can to keep Corie safe.

Dean’s voice sounds muted, strangled; I can barely hear him as he continues to shout at me. I repeat Father Thompson’s exorcism a final time as I move back to Crowley’s side and put my hand over his mouth. ‘I did it,’ I murmur before the darkness consumes me.

Next Chapter

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[tonystarkbingo]

TSB Mark IV Week 2 Roundup!

This includes the Round Robin fic that several participants wrote as part of our Discord Party, as well as a whole bunch of other amazing works.  Go leave them some love!

Title: Adventures of Tiny Dragon Tony and His Treasure (Loki) - Chapter 41: Snapshot #41: The First of Many Meetings Collaborator: tinydragontony Card Number: 4005 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: T5 - more than a partner Ship: FrostIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: Fluff, first meetings, 5+1 Summary: Here it is, the most requested chapter to date! How Loki met tiny dragon Tony! Word Count: 3300

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Title: Snowed In Collaborator: eachpeachpearplum Card Number: 4003 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: S2 - snowed in Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: snowglobe, possible imprisonment?, art Summary: Tony was just minding his own business, taking a quick zip around the city, just because he can. Next thing he knows, he’s in a glass ball sat on some evildoer’s shelf. To make things worse, he’s not the only one…

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Title: Man on the Run Collaborator: ceealaina Card Number: 4008 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: R1 - Old Team Ship: Background Pepper/Nat, Background IronHusbands Rating: Teen Major Tags: Fluff and Humour, Team as Family, Post-Endgame, Fix-It Summary: Saving the world is important. But Tony really, really just wants to retire and spend time with his family. And if faking his death is the only way to do that, that's how it goes sometimes. Word Count: 1115

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Title: Inktober - Day 19 Collaborator: monobuu Card Number: 4040 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: S3 - AU: Star Wars Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: Scandalous amount of leg Summary: Uuuuuh. Yeah. (*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)

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Title: Scrunch Me Collaborator: martianwahtney Card Number: 4011 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A2 - Victorious Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: fluff Summary: 3 times Tony asks Bucky why he wears scrunchies, and 1 time he figured it out for himself Word Count: 995

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Title: The Best Bathtub Collaborator: camichats Card Number: 4049 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: K4 - Kink: Bath/Shower Sex Ship: Tony/Sharon Rating: Mature Major Tags: Minor sexual content, allusions to sugar daddy/baby relationship (though not actually present in the fic) Summary: Sharon is a tough Shield agent and she’s proud of that, but sometimes it’s nice to relax and feel pampered. Word Count: 1649

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Title: Baffled, bewildered and bemused. Collaborator: JehBeeEh Card Number: 4058 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K1 - Learning to be Loved Ship: Stony Rating: Mature Major Tags: Super Fluffy, Implied Sex Summary: Baffled. Bewildered? Perplexed. Tony couldn’t quite figure out which version fit this situation best, but they all seemed to apply. Perplexed seemed a bit much though. Puzzled? Bemused. Word Count: 3197

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Title: wound with your eyes (kill with a smile) - Chapter 3 Collaborator: deathsweetqueen Card Number: 4066 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A5 - Restrained Ship: WinterIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: graphic depictions of violence, Spy Kids AU, Secret Identities, Kidnapping, Indian Tony Stark Summary: Tony Stark and Bucky Barnes were once the renowned superheroes, Iron Man and the Winter Soldier. Eventually, they put aside the masks and the armour to get married and raise a family together. Twelve years later, SHIELD agents go missing, and Tony and Bucky decide to go on their first mission since their eldest child was born. When they're mysteriously kidnapped by a psychotic TV show host, it's hardly a great first step to getting back in the game. The worst thing, though, might be the fact that the only people who can rescue them are their own children. Word Count: 12,872

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Title: with or without his unhallowed touch - Chapter 24 Collaborator: deathsweetqueen Card Number: 4066 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K1 - myths and legends Ship: Tony/Thanos, Stuckony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Tony is Kidnapped by Thanos, Tony is the Soul Stone, Female Tony Stark, Obsessive Behavior, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Emotional Manipulation, Stockholm Syndrome, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Physical Abuse, Domestic Violence, Forced Relationship, Gaslighting, Rape/Non-con Elements, Warnings for this Chapter: Explicit Violence, Major Character Death, and Cannibalism Summary: Toni sees the Chitauri mothership high above her, sees the hundreds and thousands of warships that circle the Earth, and she knows, she knows. She thinks, oh, I understand. A beat. Her hand burns. Wow, we are so fucked. She lets the bomb slide out of her hands, watches as it floats towards the mothership, and fire rains down on her, even in the dark, pale, cold hollow of space. She laughs, breathlessly, thinks of all the ones who’d loved her the most, and dies. Word Count: 129,402

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Title: What We Do in the Tower Collaborator: newnewyorker93, rebelmeg Card Number: 4042, 4034  Link: AO3 Square Filled: S2 - Forcibly Adopted (4042) A5 - WTF (4034) Ship: Peter & Tony, Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: Vampire AU, Avengers family, crack and humor, unapologetic cherry-picking of vampire lore Summary: Peter Parker has been having an awkward time as a brand new vampire. But now he's got Tony Stark whisking him off to meet a whole group of weird and hilarious vampires that live in Stark Tower and maybe this won't be so bad after all? Word Count: 5185

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Title: Prince Tony and the Red Headed Princess Collaborator: PoliZ Card Number: 4007 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K2 - AU: Fairy Tale Ship: Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: fairytale elements, domestic fluff Summary: Morgan asks her daddy for a bedtime story with knights and monsters, and wizards and princesses.  With some help from Pepper, Tony is happy to oblige. Word Count: 866

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Title: A Bottle and a Half of Whiskey Later - An 1872 Playlist Collaborator: moosh Card Number: 4037 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: S5 - Canon: 1872 Ship: None Rating: Gen Major Tags: Playlist Summary: A playlist based off some of the songs that Tony sang in the comic. Word Count: N/A

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Title: The Gift of Jab Collaborator: dracusfyre Card Number: 4032 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A2 - Dares/Bets Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: Pre-Relationship, Sparring Summary: For the ImagineTonyandBucky prompt: Hi! I'm always up for some sparring hotness, so how about Tony being present for physical training sessions (working/watching), but says no everytime Nat/Clint/Steve/etc invites him to do it. Rhodey laughing every time the team says that it's bc Tony doesn't want to embarass himself. Bucky suspects his BF is actually well-versed in hand-to-hand/martial arts/self-defense; so he gives himself the challenge of getting Tony onto the mat. When he does he ends up a)on the floor & b)really aroused. The fill is less horny than the prompt, sorry. Word Count: 2453

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Title: Lady in Red Collaborator: JehBeeEh Card Number:  4058 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A5 - Steve Rogers/Captain America Ship: Stony Rating: Mature Major Tags: Summary: “I GOT SCARED, ALRIGHT?”“Steve, sweetheart-"Steve kept pacing their room like he hadn’t even heard her. “I got so scared, you have no idea. And I know, okay. I know you can take care of yourself, and you don’t need me to save you or protect you, and it is sexy as all hell, but in that moment, I forgot all about that, and I was scared that I couldn’t protect you.” He collapsed on the bed, elbows on his knees and his head in his hands and Toni could hear him take long slow breaths.This had definitely not been how Toni envisioned their return home going. Word Count: 1176

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Title: i come as a woman, dark and open Collaborator: simi Card Number: 4066 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A5 - Resolve Ship: Toni/Steve/Bucky Rating: E Major Tags: Female Tony Stark, Regency AU, Misogyny, Racism, Explicit Sexual Content, Emotional Infidelity, Slurs, Marital Dissatisfaction. Summary: When Toni first meets Captain Steve Rogers at one of the biggest gatherings of the season, she is not impressed. On the other hand, his best friend, the charming James ‘Bucky’ Barnes, was an utter delight. Unfortunately for her, after a series of misunderstandings at said party, she is forced to accept Steve’s hand in marriage in order to save her family’s reputation. And while Toni never expected a fairy tale, she had always hoped that companionship would one day turn into something more. How was she to know that Steve was just as charmed by Bucky as she was? a.k.a. Steve and Toni get married to each other; there are more misunderstandings; Bucky is an absolute delight and possibly the saving grace for their marriage; and somehow, all three end up falling in love with each other in the process. Word Count: 25, 335

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Title: TSB October Discord Party Round Robin Fic Collaborators: rebelmeg 4034 Politzania 4007 EachPeachPearPlum 4003 summerpipedream 4045 Ducky 4013 Magica 4019 SomeSortofItalianRoast 4036 DarthBloodOrange 4010 Link: AO3 Square Filled: rebelmeg: A4 - Huddling for Warmth Politzania: A5 - Dog Park EachPeachPearPlum: S1 - Premonitions summerpipedream: A5 - Clint Barton/Hawkeye Ducky: R5 - Fortune Telling Magica: T2 - Fortitude SomeSortofItalianRoast: S2 - Magic DarthBloodOrange: T4 - Robots Ship: None Rating: Teen Major Tags: animal transformation, magic/witchcraft, Kate is a hero, Clint is a disaster human being Summary: Tony has been turned into a dog, and he is going to straight-up murder whoever made him a corgi. Word Count: 2634

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Title: I Know You Collaborator: iam93percentstardust Card Number: 4012 Link: AO3 Square Filled: R5 - Sam Wilson/Falcon Ship: IronFalcon Rating: Gen Major Tags: Established Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Sickfic Summary: When Tony gets sick and hides away from everyone else, it's up to Sam to find his wayward boyfriend. Good thing he knows him so well. Word Count: 1316

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Title: Thriller - Michael Jackson Collaborator: monobuu Card Number: 4040  Link: AO3 Square Filled: A5 - Murderchildren Ship: None Rating: Teen Major Tags: Creepy?  Summary: N/A Word Count: N/A

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Title: I’ll keep your brittle heart warm Collaborator: peachy Card Number: 4017  Link: AO3 Square Filled: K3 - Protectiveness Ship: Stony Rating: Teen Major Tags: Breaking up and making up, fluff, getting back together Summary: They got married when they were young, just twenty-four years old, despite the arguments from their friends that they should wait, that neither of them were ready for a commitment like marriage so young. Steve distinctly remembered Sam pointing out that the male brain isn’t even fully developed until age twenty-five. But they were young and passionate, so sure they’d found their perfect person that they could overcome anything and everything life threw at them. And it was true. For six months. Word Count: 4223

#tonystarkbingomarkiv #tsbmiv #tsb weekly roundup #tsb week 2

[shanix-the-stars]

Worshipers of the Old

Kylo Ren x OC / Kylo Ren x Reader

Read on AO3

Summary:  He arrived at the archive during the late hours of the  night, searching for answers regarding a long lost Force ability. When  AR-210 is assigned to help him, she would never have anticipated the  strange and terrifying series of events that were to follow... and what  it all meant for her.

*Written in first person; main character has feminine qualities, but doesn’t have any defining characteristics.

Chapter 1: A Healing World

Warnings: None

Word Count: 3,018

A/N: hello! thank you for taking the time to read my story! this is  the first star wars fic i’ve written, so i hope it’s good enough for  this wonderful, amazing community.

this story does not follow the  movies’ timeline and is heavily based on lore and Legends material. i  put my own twist on things so it’s not important to read/look at any  background info on any of it. however, if you want to read more, i  suggest visiting Wookieepedia (also a great source for inspiration).

please enjoy!

『ID: AR-210

Passcode: ******

Keyword: Lower Level Overview Report』

I press the enter key on my datapad before setting it down on my desk, letting the entry load as I run out to the main lobby. Thirty minutes remain, and we aren’t even ready. Dozens of faculty members and students are rushing back and forth, each carrying some sort of device or package in their hands. I make a beeline for the Director’s office, but a voice calls out behind me before I can rush inside.

“Ahré!”

I whip my head around, seeing the Director himself running in my direction. His graying hair is a mess, and I can tell that his wrinkles are, well, even more wrinkly than before. I can practically feel the stress radiating off of him once he stops in front of me. “D-Director Malobry, I was just about to-“

“Reassure me that all the holobooks on the fifth floor in the east wing are all finally organized and shelved?” He storms past me and slams his office door open. I quickly follow. “It’s hell out there, and if that damn General sees that we’re behind schedule for the third consecutive month, he’ll have my head on a platter.”

“I-I’m sure that won’t be the case, Director-“

He holds a hand up. “Ahré, please.” He takes a breath, clearly trying to calm himself down. He lowers his voice. “Is the east wing done or not?”

I open my mouth but almost immediately clamp it shut. I don’t have any good news, and truth be told, none of those holobooks are shelved.

The Director waits for me to give him an answer, but after a moment, it seems like I don’t need to. Still, I hand my head and close my eyes, uttering a soft "no" under my breath.

There’s a pause. He collapses back into his chair and runs a hand through his hair. “Shit.”

Guilt forms in the pit of my stomach. The fear of witnessing the General’s wrath invades my mind, but perhaps the Director’s anger might be more concerning for the moment. I wasn’t even the archivist assigned to that wing, but I know who was: Jolson. The thought of him being reprimanded—or worse—for the third time this month... I can feel my head swim with fear.

“Go help Jolson with that floor,” the Director says quietly. He’s already accepted his fate. “Make sure you get every droid working on those shelves. We might still have a chance.”

I’m surprised, but I make a point not to show it. I bow my head and exit the office, merging with the traffic of people busying about. Several droids are attending to other minuscule chores in other rooms, so I call on them to go to the east wing before rounding up a few other archivists as well.

I glance at the time on one of the walls, but I don’t give myself the time to process the numbers. I immediately look away and make my way to the fifth floor.

Just focus, Ahré.

Once I arrive, there is a frenzy of excitement and eagerness flowing in the room as piles of holobooks and scrolls are being carried from one end to the other. Half of the staff inside is working on the main lower shelves, while the other is up on the mezzanine. It’s a slightly relieving sight, but I try not to let that get my hopes up. The majority of the shelves are still empty.

“Ahré! Over here!”

I turn to see Jolson on the other side of the room, wearing a fresh new uniform and a pair of shoes. His usually messy black hair swept up into a bun, and I can tell he put a little more effort into today’s occasion. Still, he looks a little tired. I watch him jog over with a stack of new flimsiplast, a big smile painted on his face. I do my best to return it with a disapproving frown.

He raises an eyebrow. “What?”

“We have less than half an hour until the General arrives. He’s already at Aurora looking at things over there. And the Director knows about your...” I gesture to the entirety of the room. “...lack of shelving.”

“Malobry can go die in the pits of Kaon for all I care,” he huffs, walking toward one of the supply shelves. “Hope to the Force one of the scranges get to him before anything else does.”

I trail behind him, suppressing an eye roll. “I know the both of you don’t... get along. But can you please, at least for today, keep your head on your shoulders? If the General sees one thing out of place, what’s to stop him from getting rid of Malobry?”

“Come on, Ahré. You know as well as I do Hux doesn’t have anyone else to look over these libraries. Not after all that’s happened.” He sets the packets of flimsiplast down on the floor before pulling out his datapad. “Besides, the Supreme Leader personally appointed Malobry. I doubt the General would want to oppose him.”

He does have a point... but there’s been talk about infighting among the First Order, especially between the both of them. After Kylo Ren got rid of the former Supreme Leader, things have become rather tense. There seems to be a stricter hold on First Order regions and institutions; not to mention the seemingly never-ending war with the Resistance. However, that only meant escape from the Yuuzhan Vong for Obroa-skai, so I can only complain so much.

Jolson snaps his fingers in front of my face, bringing me back to attention. “Obroa-skai to Ahré, helloooo?”

I swat his hand away. “Sorry, just... thinking,” I say dumbly.

He chuckles. “Sure. Now, stop worrying and help me with sections eight, nine, and ten, okay? We’ll get it done.” He looks down at me, his big blue eyes full of reassurance. A sincere smile graces his lips. He knows how to calm me down, and as much as I hate it, it works. Although he tends to lag behind most faculty and staff, he can always be counted on to do one thing: be a friend.

I guess that’s all I can really ask from him.

~

The General arrives at the archives precisely on time. He is accompanied by a few other officers with identical uniforms, some of whom seem to care less about the visit. At the entrance remain at least a dozen stormtroopers with blasters gripped in their hands, while a couple of others follow behind the group of men.

Odd.

All of our staff members are lined across the lobby, everyone standing in attention as General Hux and his entourage make their way up to the Director and I. He surveys the lines, eyeing each and every one of us with a scrutinizing glare. I have to stop myself from squirming in my spot and pray to the beings above I look presentable enough. I can already feel a chill running down my spine.

“Very well,” he finally says. He turns to Malobry. “I trust that work on Celebratus has ceased, Director.”

He nods. “Yes, General. We have been working tirelessly on the facility. The east and west wings are complete, as well as the lower levels.”

There’s a hum of approval. “Excellent. The Medical Director at Aurora has reported that there haven’t been any border attacks there as of late, so I believe the situation to be corresponding with this sector?”

“That would be correct,” Malobry confirms. I glance up at him, seeing a thin layer of sweat coating his forehead and neck. Poor guy.

General Hux turns back to the staff, giving them a final once-over before nodding. “You are all dismissed.”

They bow their heads quickly and head out in different directions of the archive. I catch a glimpse of Jolson, seeing him send me a playful wink my way. Warmth blooms in my chest at the small gesture.

“AR-210.”

I snap back into position. “Y-Yes, General?”

“The Supreme Leader is planning a visit later today. Seeing as you are the head clerk for the archive, I believe you could aid him with something he needs.”

My brows furrow together. Need? What in the galaxy would the leader of the First Order possibly need from here?

I manage a semi-nod, but it feels more like a confused tilt of the head instead. I’m sure I look oblivious, but I can’t help but feel like I am. Perhaps I’m missing something. “Of course. May I ask what he is looking for?”

The General scoffs. “He wouldn’t tell me,” he says, a hint of irritation laced in his words. “But I doubt it’s of much importance. Our own records and archives weren’t sufficient enough for his... research projects. He insisted on coming to Obroa-skai.”

My head is swimming with a thousand questions, none of them actually verbalized. Instead, I relax my features and bow my head. “I’d be happy to help, General.”

“Good. Now, Director, if you could show us around the facility, we will be on our way soon.”

I’ve never seen Malobry move faster. “Yes, yes, of course. Please, gentlemen, if you could follow me...”

Within ten seconds, they round a corner and disappear from view. I’m left standing in the lobby with the feeling of nothing but dread in the pit of my stomach. Now I’m the one sweating. There isn’t even a hint of comfort anywhere nearby, just a receptionist desk on the other side of the room. Stormtroopers still stand outside the entrance, perfectly still and ready at a moment’s notice. I decide to step away into my own office and wait there instead. It doesn’t help.

I grab my datapad and scroll through the entry I loaded up earlier. The words are a blur on the screen as I try to read, but it’s useless. Fear grips at my mind. Something about this doesn’t feel right. The Supreme Leader... in need of help with information he can’t already acquire? I sigh and sit down at my desk, letting my thoughts drown in stress.

~

Hours pass and no Kylo Ren. The General has already left, as well as half the stormtroopers that had initially arrived. The remaining still stand outside. My nerves have somewhat calmed down, but what remains is worry. Perhaps, to someone above, this may just be some sort of punishment for me. For what reason, I do not know, nor do I think it matters at this point.

A knock at my door nearly sends my heart over the point of no return. I get up, composing myself as I make my way to open it. The anxiety kicks back in, and for a moment I begin to feel nauseous. This could be it—the defining moment of whether or not I get to live another day. Would one slip-up ensure my demise? Would he really go that far? What if I can’t find what he’s looking for? I force my thoughts aside and slide the door open, relieved to see that it’s only Jolson. His eyes widen once they meet mine. “Ahré? Are you alright?”

“Jolson.” I let out a shaky breath. “Thank the stars. And no, no, I’m not alright,” I reply blatantly. He waits on me to elaborate, his worry turning into confusion.

“Well... what’s going on?”

I peek out into the corridor to make sure nobody else is present before pulling him into my office. “Sit,” I command, gesturing to the chair in the corner. He obliges, but the concerned expression he wears doesn’t waver for a second.

I slam the door shut. “The Supreme Leader is coming to the archive later,” I begin, walking behind my desk. “Apparently he needs help finding something.”

“Okay,” Jolson starts, hesitant. “What does he need from here?”

“That’s just it. I asked the General the same question, but even he didn’t know.” I fall back into my chair. “I also don’t know when he’s coming. He could be walking through the front doors right now. Maybe he is, and I’m just back here panicking. He’s going to think I’m terrified of him, which I’m sure he already knows, but it’s just going to—“

“Ahré,” Jolson interrupts, tone firm and deep. I shut my mouth immediately. “Why are you worrying so much? You shouldn’t be.”

I huff. “Why not? It’s the Supreme Leader-“

“Who is coming here specifically for help, Ahré.”

I pause, taken aback. He’s coming here... for help. For help.

Jolson’s features smooth out into a tired smile, no doubt exhausted after today’s near-disaster. I take a moment to look at him, really look at him, and see dark circles under his eyes. I suddenly forget about the Supreme Leader.

“Have you been taking care of yourself, Jolson?” I ask, my tone sounding perhaps a little more accusing than intended. “You look tired.”

He stands, chuckling as if amused, and extends an arm out towards me. I walk over. He wraps his arm around my shoulders, squeezing me gently. “I am,” he says. “But you’re anxiety over this whole thing might be tiring me out even more.”

I glare at him.

“I’m joking.”

We walk out into the main lobby. A few librarians and archivists are leaving for the night—no doubt heading out to the bar—while others are coming in for their shifts. Malobry is talking to Vess, one of our receptionists, with a bright smile I haven’t seen in months. The weight of today’s visit has been finally lifted off of our shoulders. We probably won’t have to worry about another inspection for a year or two. I only wish I could celebrate with the others.

Jolson stops for a moment, turning to face me. “You’re going to be fine,” he reassures once again. “Remember, he’s the one who needs your help. No need to get overwhelmed.”

His eyes bore into mine, and all I can do is nod.

He pats my arm softly before heading for the doors. I watch as he slaps Malobry’s back forcefully as he walks by, earning him a near disgusted look from the elder. He too heads out for the night a moment later.

The clock reads 25:00, and I decide whether to go back to my office and wait or just go home. General Hux did say that the Supreme Leader would be coming today... there’s still an hour left. I’ll wait until then.

I walk up the receptionist's desk, replaying Jolson’s words in my head. He’s right. There’s no need to get worked up about it. I know what I’m doing. This has been my job for the last five years, after all... I’m allowed to feel confident.

“Hey, Vess,” I greet with a warm smile. She looks up from the datapad in her hands, immediately returning my smile with her own.

“Ahré, oh my goodness! How are you? How was the inspection today? I heard that Jolson almost didn’t get his level of the east wing finished on time, and that the General asked you to help the Supreme Leader with something, and that Malobry almost passed out. Oh! Is it true that...” She speaks at a pace I can hardly keep up with, but I let her go on. Her golden curls bounce excitedly at the news of today’s events, and I almost feel bad that she has the late shift this month. It’s clear that she likes to stay in the loop.

“Everything is great,” I say once she’s done. “And yes, it was pretty busy today, but also kind of scary.”

“Oh, I’m sure! After all of that? I wish I could have seen it!” She leans back in her chair dramatically, bringing a hand up to her forehead with a swoon. “You are so lucky, Ahré.”

If only.

I giggle and shake my head. “Hey, I’m going to be in the fifth library study on the second floor until the Supreme Leader arrives. If you could direct him there when he comes, that would be great.”

She nods eagerly. “Of course! Absolutely no problem! Have fun!”

I thank her and go back to my office to grab my datapad before making my way up to the second floor. It’s quiet in this part of the building. No students, no faculty or staff... just the low hum of the heater and a couple of droids finishing up their work. It’s the perfect place to relax at this hour. I enter the study and climb up to the mezzanine. There’s an alcove in the back, a small armchair and lamp occupying the space. It looks so inviting, I have to stop myself from running over and laying down for a nap. Out of the couple thousand study rooms, this is by far my favorite.

I pass by a window that looks far out to the border, stopping for a second to watch the red blinking lights on the gate. On the other side lies a frozen wasteland, filled with nothing except what remains of the Yuuzhan Vong. Their arrival to Obroa-skai two years ago was anything but expected, and before we all knew it, they had destroyed much of the planet’s life within the span of a few months. It wasn’t until the First Order caught wind of the invasion did they come. They were able to wipe away a majority of the enemy rather quickly. Since then, we’ve all been trying our best to return to a sense of normalcy... but even now, that reality seems to be illusive as ever.

I tear my eyes away from the view and sit down in the armchair. The anxiety I’ve held back for the last few minutes settles in once again, and this time it just feels a little more real. I run my fingers across my datapad in an attempt to distract my nerves but to no avail. I turn it on and see the lower level report, still open and ready for me to read.

I skim through the subheadings: field reports in need of filing... more software malfunctions... registering new reference codes... Nothing out of the ordinary. Again. I sigh and begin to read from the top.

About a half-hour later, I hear the door open on the other side of the room.

#kylo ren x oc #kylo ren x reader #star wars #star wars legends #kylo ren fanfiction #star wars fanfiction #kylo ren fluff #reader insert #worshipers of the old #shanix writes #kylo ren

[dungeons-and-hermits]

Runs in the Family

Here, have an unneeding long fic for your x/ex lore needs!

Genre: Angst (& Fluff) Characters: Xisuma, Ex, Joe Summary: Xisuma is always the one to clean up after Ex, but how far is he willing to go? Word Count:��2306 Author: Mod Al

The town was certainly quiet.

Xisuma had told him to stay put for the day so that they could “leave a good impression” in the town before they left, but was he going to listen? No. Was he going to take the risk? Hell yes. Nobody would know if he didn’t get caught, right?

Yeah.

As long as he didn’t get caught, it would be fine.

Evil Xisuma quietly dropped onto the railing of the window, it was the middle of the night, and the guards were sparsely placed here and there. They were nowhere near him and his place of action, thankfully. He pushed the glass lightly, it was a moderately rich appearing house--by all means, it should get him something good… And, of course, like any house, the windows were locked. Nothing a little good ol’ lockpicking wouldn’t get open.

He quickly opened the lock and dropped into the house, swift and quiet. Stealing had such a negative connotation to it, but that was nowhere near to the truth. Ex rarely stole from any market merchants, and almost exclusively stole from the richer population. It wasn’t like they’d miss a few pieces of jewelry, anyway.

His foot dropped onto the polished wooden boards, producing only a small tap of noise. Ex glanced around; his tiefling eyes could see perfectly well in the inky darkness of the room. And it appeared that he had landed in one of the guest bedrooms. If it had been the main bedroom, there would have been someone there, sleeping. But you know what? That made it a whole lot easier on his part.

Ex pushed open the door gently. The hallways were dark, and not a single creature was in sight. Good.

The pale-skinned tiefling walked down the hallway cautiously, his tail low and bent down. There were countless houses of the similar model that he had walked through, it was almost standard at this point. He’d even begun to see patterns as to where people were most likely to hide valuables.

He approached a cabinet in the kitchen area. People often overlooked the cabinets, but he didn’t. Quickly picking open the flimsy lock, Ex glanced inside. There was a ton of tableware in it, but he pushed the items aside only to find exactly what he was looking for.

A small, wooden box. He pulled it out from the covers, and quickly turned around, planning to leave the house.

But the sound of shattered ceramic, and the sight of a small figure before him, stopped him in his tracks.

It was a little dwarf girl, presumably a servant, with the shards of a broken platte scattered at her feet. They stood frozen for a moment, shocked into silence as they stared at each other, and then she began shrieking.

Ex panicked, half of him screaming at him to run while the other half told him to shut her up before anyone found out. He reacted on impulse, pushing past her with panic keeping his mind blank except for the sole thought of getting the hell out of that kitchen. He sprinted down the hall, leaving the sound of the servant girl screaming and yelling for the guards in the background.

He grasped onto the window sill and heaved himself out of the building in such a hurry that he didn’t even land properly and slammed face first into a wall. Groaning, he pushed the pain to the back of his mind and started running as fast as he could out of the alleyway he’d fallen into. The tiefling ran into the open streets. First mistake.

Second mistake? Assuming that the guards were busy.

They weren’t.

The first thing he noticed was the sudden numbness he felt in the side of his head. The guards had met him at the entrance to the alley, far too many and far too sudden for him to even hope to fight them.

Someone punched him on the side of his face, knocking him over. He was never as built as his brother and was much more agile, but that sacrificed modest defense. He fell to the ground, coughing. He opened his eyes, moonlight reflecting in his pale red irises.

Another punch fell onto his face, and just like that, he was out like a light.

Birds chirped from outside of the inn building as sunlight peaked in from the window. The paladin, having awoken before dawn, sat on his bed, sharpening his sword.

It was awfully loud for so early in the morning. He knew that this town was a trading focused town, but he didn’t expect the markets go up so soon…

He sheathed his sword, standing and moving to the door. He opened it and immediately saw a panicked bard, one hand raised to knock on the wood. Joe seemed nervous, unsettled. As if he was bearing bad news.

Xisuma could guess what it was. This always happened.

“Xisuma-- You have to come right now,” Joe spoke. His voice, though worried, was calm as it ever was. “Ex is missing.”

“And? This isn’t anything new---”

“And he got captured. By the guards.”

That was the last sentence he wanted to hear.

He wanted to speak, but anger was bubbling in him. Sure, his brother was a troublemaker, but he always knew how to get himself out of it. This, though…

He had a feeling that this time was different.

“What happened?” Xisuma yelled. He immediately felt sorry--what had Joe done, after all? It wasn’t Joe’s fault.

“They captured him, and now… He’s outside. They’re gonna cut his hands off for attempted robbery and for breaking in.” The human spoke softly. “’suma, I know you’re protective over him, but please just--”

“Words aren’t going to work. Joe. He’s a tiefling. They won’t listen.” Xisuma hissed.

Joe sighed, “Xisuma, please, just calm down, I’ll talk this out? Alright?”

“There is no talking it out. That’s my brother, and they’re not going to just let him go.”

“X, if it makes you happy, you can come with me ‘n’ talk it out with the guards.” The bard suggested.

Xisuma breathed out, an attempt at calming himself. And nodded, afraid that another word will snap his patience.

A certain Warforged and another paladin looked out from their rooms as Joe and X walked together out of the inn.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

He’d been tapping the wooden floor for a good 10 minutes now.

Joe had been talking with the guards outside of the prison for even longer. It was less than two hours before the punishment would be delivered. They were running out of time. The guards weren’t backing down, but they were stalling. They refused to answer any of Joe’s questions and despite the man’s pleasant demeanor they weren’t even really listening to him. Xisuma watched his teammate’s face as it grew more and more worried, while his own grew even more angered.

They were all like this. Not a single one would listen.

When you’re a tiefling, even if you're not suspected of committing a crime like his dumbass brother, you’re automatically guilty.

Xisuma clenched his teeth and gripped his crossed arms, ignoring the worried glances from his other party members and focusing on his own mind.

If the guards weren’t going to let his brother go… Then he would.

Of course, it wouldn’t look good on him, not at all. Their parents would be absolutely livid when they found out. But for god’s sake, that was his brother. His baby brother. He couldn’t just let this happen. Of course not. If it was him that was in this situation, Ex would do the same for him without question, no matter how much his younger brother like to poke at him. It was the least X could do to repay Ex for always seeing him as… Him. And not the expectations everyone else gives him.

He sighed.

X looked up, locking eyes with Joe, who had returned from talking with the guards. No words needed to be exchanged. He knew the results were not in their favor.

“Come on. Let’s go.” He spoke in a low voice. He strode out of the room. Everyone else trailed behind him, exchanging uncomfortable looks with each other.

“What d’ya mean I can’t speak to him?” X shouted. He was trying his best to stay calm, really, but who could blame him for failing in that regard.

“Sorry sir, we can’t let you speak to him until we’ve confirmed that you’re one of his family members.” The guard spoke. That. Same. Damn. Line.

“WH-WH-LOOK.” He breathed in and out again, pushing his anger down. “We can solve this civilly, and no one has to get hurt. Alright?”

“Sir, I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

That was it. He was done with this fucking wall.

“Listen up. That’s my fucking baby brother you are holding there. I don’t care if he did anything wrong. In fact, I will pay you to let him out. How does that sound?” X forced a smile and spoke in the sweetest voice possible. Joe immediately whipped around and stared at him in disbelief.

“Sir, you know I can’t take bribes.”

The paladin was moving before the man had finished the sentence. He grabbed the guard’s head and smashed it into the nearest wall. That might have been too much, but he didn’t care. He wasn’t going to let Ex stay in that holding cell a minute longer. He pressed the guard’s face against the wall and held it up to his own.

“Listen up, motherfucker. You don’t have much of a choice in this matter, do you? Before, you at least had something in return. But now? Watch this,” he whispered, watching as the fear crept into the guard’s face. He paused for a moment, let the threat sink in, and then dropped him. “Of course, I won’t actually do anything.”

He brushed off his hands and grabbed the cell keys from the guard’s pelt. “You three, run as far as possible, I’ll catch up later.” Xisuma said, turning towards his party.

Joe, Biffa, and Wels were staring at him in shock. They had never seen their leader snap quite like this before, and for a moment--for the first time that morning--Xisuma faltered. But they listened to him, nodding and offering a strange array of a soft smile, a vindicated smirk, and Biffa’s odd little half-grin he gave when there was mischief afoot before running off. It left him full of confidence. The guard at his feet scrambled away, nothing but a rat.

Ex’s cell was cold and damp. He sat on the dirty floor, moving tenderly. His pale skin was covered in purpling bruises, and his face was bloodied. He heard footsteps coming down to the basement, and he looked down--with people like these guards, it was best not to give them any reason to perceive disobedience or insult.

When the key turned in the cell door, though, and the person’s frantic fumbling was obvious, Ex looked up to find not a guard stepping in but his brother.

“’suma-- Wh-- What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be here-”

“Talk later! We don’t have time!”

Xisuma grabbed ahold of Ex’s arm, and he winced slightly when the hand wrapped just a bit too tightly around one of his worst bruises. X bodily dragged him out of the cell and then, when he finally found his footing, led him upstairs and through the upper levels. Behind them, guards poured out from the back area.

“Xisuma. Answer this honestly-- Did you beat the fucking guard up?” Ex pulled his arm from X’s grasp, keeping pace.

“Well, what else was I going to do?”

 Let it happen. The words fell quiet on Ex’s tongue, unsaid as they ran through the town. The entrance approached ever closer. Honestly, he’d figured X thought he deserved whatever punishment they were planning to give him.

As they left the town, the path under them became more and more overgrown. It soon melted into grass as they ran into a forest, where they diverged completely from the path and into the cover of the trees. They were outside of the town now, and they had long lost the guards. So they stopped, catching their breath.

Ex stood awkwardly as X called Joe on his stone of farspeech, discussing where to meet up. The second those plans were made, though, Ex was launching into a reprimand.

“What was that?”

X turned to him, glaring, dropping the stone to let it hang around his neck. “I fancied myself saving you, dumbass.”

“Who even said I needed saving?” Ex stomped his foot. It was childish, perhaps, but he was beyond caring.

“They were going to cut your hands off!”

“I would have thought something up! I always do! You didn’t need to-”

“Of course I needed to!” Xisuma exclaimed. “Obviously I needed to! You’re my brother, obviously I wasn’t going to sit idly by while they cut off your damn hands!”

“Do you know how pissed our parents are going to be?” the albino tiefling bellowed.

“It doesn’t matter! All that matters is that you’re safe!” X yelled in return.

Ex’s throat suddenly tightens up. He could feel his eyes watering up, he desperately tried to hold it in. But it broke out into a sob and then suddenly he was crying.

X’s footsteps continued for a moment before stopping. Then they came back, and suddenly Xisuma’s arms were around him and his face was resting on the paladin’s hard-ass chestplate. His hand was rubbing Ex’s back, just like he used to do when they were children. “Don’t worry about it. Your safety is more important than my future, Xonet.”

#hermitcraft #hc dnd au #Xisuma #xisumavoid #xisuma void #evil xisuma #ex #evil x #evilx #mod al #+ some editing help from #mod lori #fic #aw shit. here we go again

[hanneswrites]

it’s been so, so long (chapter 4)

Chapter Title: Lay my head, under the water; Aloud I pray, for calmer seas

Pairings: Sam Winchester/Gabriel | Dean Winchester/Castiel | background Crobby

Rating: T

Word Count: 1.8k

Chapter Summary: Dean-centric chapter with a bit of focus on both DeanCas and Bobby/Crowley. || Feathers are found and decisions are made.

Three Weeks Later

Dean sat at the kitchen table, twelve individually spaced black-as-night feathers laid out before him as he thumbed through the yellowed pages of a somewhat-ancient text on trickster gods. His eyes kept blurring, not quite able to read the words in front of him, but his fingers turned the pages all the same. The night outside is loud--crickets singing and the far-off sound of cars whirring past on a rural highway. Bobby had headed off to catch some shut-eye a few hours ago. Sam was in the living room, searching for something on his laptop with the television going at a low hum. This should feel normal. Should feel good, even. Sammy was safe, Bobby was alive and well, and the world wasn’t ending. Or, at least if it was, he didn’t know about it. Cas wasn’t here. Cas hadn’t been here in a few weeks. Almost a month. And there was a heaviness in Dean’s stomach, a constant breathlessness in his lungs. It didn’t feel right without Cas here.

Chilled night air drifted in from the open kitchen window, tugging lightly at the pages of the text he hadn’t been able to focus on for hours. Dean closed the book and let his eyes slip shut.

It was colder, all those nights ago. A bit muggier. They were hunting a pack of werewolves, trying to get back into the swing of things after dealing solely with the apocalypse for close to a year. The pack was active near Bobby’s house, so they settled down, enjoyed the comforts of having their own bedrooms for once. Hunting werewolves would be a walk in the park, almost ingrained in them by now, like riding a bike. And yet, as Sam and Bobby both eventually surrendered to sleep, Dean sat at the kitchen table, guns laid out, meticulously cleaning and checking and reassembling. Castiel was beside him, sitting too close, his knee resting against Dean’s thigh as he stared out the window. If they weren’t alone, maybe Dean would have told him to move.

An hour passed, and Dean had cleaned all of the guns he had brought in with him. The clock on the stove read 2:18am and Castiel was still beside him. His hand was on Dean’s arm, stilling his hand before he could move to start cleaning the first gun for a second time.

“It’s clean.” Castiel said, and Dean relented, though Castiel did not move his hand. They stayed like that for a few minutes, bile rising up into Dean’s throat as his heart beat quicker and quicker until Cas took his hand away. He started on the first gun again, and Castiel’s hand moved to his thigh, warm even through the thick, lined fabric of his jeans. Cas didn’t say anything else that night, but he stayed with him until morning, got up from his chair around 8am and started a new pot of coffee.

People always talk about realizing you’re in love like it’s some grand event. Like it washes over you when you least expect it, like a grand romantic gesture would suddenly have you struck head-over-heels for someone. And Dean was sure that for some people, that may be how it happened. But loving Castiel? Realizing that he was in love with Castiel? Felt like breathing. Felt like laughing. Felt like something that had always been there. Felt like home . It was nights like these, nights where his anxiety, his paranoia overwhelmed him and made him feel like he couldn’t breathe, that really nailed the coffin. Soft reassurances, warm comfort, no pushing, no prying, just letting him work through it on his own, but still there if he felt he needed help.

They returned home from the hunt without injury and Castiel guided him to his room, settled him down on his bed and told him to sleep. He did not protest when Dean pulled him down into the covers with him, apart from pausing to slip off his shoes before curling around him and entwining their fingers together.  

Dean jolted back into awareness as Sam shuffled into the kitchen, the old, worn-down floorboards creaking beneath his feet, coffee mug in hand and a golden feather sticking out of the pocket of his robe. Groggily, Dean wondered if Sam was aware that the feather was there. They seemed to show up in the oddest of places; places where they shouldn’t be able to be without someone having noticed them being placed there.  Every day there seemed to be a black feather tucked away somewhere Dean knew it hadn’t been the previous day. They hadn’t talked about it, but Dean knew that the same thing was happening with Sam. Golden feathers hidden away in his clothes, his shoes, his bed. Each feather Dean saw was less pure-gold and more of a shining amber, though he was half-sure that may be his mind playing tricks on him. They had been cooped up in Bobby’s house all week, reading text after text, poring over websites on angel feather lore, only to find nothing. Absolutely nothing. Just the odd historical reference to wings as a whole, or whackjobs on religious forums talking about how “angel feathers were messages from God himself” or “it means He is near”.

“Find anything?” Sam’s voice was rough and Dean got a sudden, unbidden urge to pour some honey in Sam’s coffee.

“Nope.” Dean said, snapping hsi book shut. He rubbed at his eyes, trying to will the drowsiness from them.  

“Same here.” Sam said. He recoiled as the coffee touched his tongue, nose scrunching up in bitter distaste.

“Is that coffee still showing up?” Dean asked. If they weren’t in this situation, if Cas was still here, if the threat of not knowing where he was or if he was hurt wasn’t looming over him like a reaper, Dean would probably have teased Sam about getting addicted to trickster coffee. Probably would have been more concerned about it, really. In all reality, they didn’t actually know where the coffee was coming from or what exactly was in it and Dean probably should be more concerned about that.

“Yeah. Every once in a while. Less and less though, lately.” Sam said, and then gestured to the feathers Dean had laid on the table, “More feathers?”

“Every day now.”

“Anything new?”    

Dean looked at the feathers, touching his fingertips to the edge of the one that had arrived just this morning.

“Hot--eh--”

“GedUnPaDonGonGraphUr.”

“ Dean.”

“ Bond.”

Shaking his head, Dean chuckled softly, “Just a bunch of broken syllables, my name, and the word ‘bond’.” Dean could see Sam perk up at “bond”.

“That’s...interesting.” Sam paused for a moment, “You know, you’ve been getting a lot more feathers than I have.”

“Yeah?”

“Maybe the feathers have something to do with a bond? You and Castiel would obviously have a stronger one...for a variety of reasons. It would make sense that Gabriel and I would have a weak bond. But…” Sam trailed off, eyebrows knitting together. A minute passed and Dean was growing impatient. He wanted this to be done; he wanted Cas back.

“But? Out with it, Sammy.” Dean snapped.

“Have you been receiving anything other than feathers? Noticing anything missing from your room? Feeling anything strange?” Sam asked, his voice soft, like he didn’t want to bring this up.

“No?” Dean answered.

Sam hummed and took out his phone, scrolled through something and eventually put the phone up to his ear.

“Hey, Crowley.” Sam said, and Dean’s blood ran cold in his veins.

-=-=-=-=

Crowley appeared in the living room about 30 minutes later, hellhound in tow, smiling like a goddamn child on christmas morning.

“It’s been much too long, darling.” Crowley drawled, eyes focused intently on Bobby. The old hunter sighed and flopped down on the couch, downing the rest of the beer in his hand.

“You saw me this morning, ya old bastard.” Bobby said, expressly trying to ignore all of them. Dean frowned, moving more toward the center of the room, inching in between his surrogate father and the demon.

“Love you too, Robert.” Crowley grinned wider and then turned to face Sam, “What’s so special that you needed to call me in, Moose? It’s not like you to call me up for just an evening chat.”

“Cas is missing.” Sam said, “Do you know anything about angel feathers?”

Crowley considered them for a moment, eyes searching for something in Sam’s face before snapping himself up a glass of whiskey.

“Get into a scuffle with your boyfriend and he goes missing, so naturally, ask the king of hell to track him down and solve all your problems, eh?” Crowley smirked, focus now shifted to Dean.

“ Crowley.” Bobby all but growled from the couch, and Crowley chuckled.

“Angel feathers are pretty powerful stuff. They have traces of grace in them. There was a saying in hell, back when I was first recruited, that said something along the lines of: if you need to kill an angel, stab a feather through their heart. Not sure if that’s true, but always worth a shot.” Crowley said, absently patting what Dean assumed to be the hellhound.

“Anything about communicating through them? Leaving messages? Clues?” Sam asked.

“Back in the day some angels used them to convey messages to humans in their charge without having to physically manifest.” Crowley said. He sat on the couch next to Bobby, shooing the hunter’s legs out of the way so that he would have enough room.

“Could you use Darla to find him?” Bobby asked as something seemed to nuzzle into his lap.

“Hellhounds aren’t really equipped to find angels. Not enough scent to them.” Crowley said.

“What if we got some of Cas’ feathers?” Bobby said.

“Uhm. Ex cuse me?” Dean said, “We’re not using a hellhound to track down Cas.” Sam shot him a look, like he should keep his mouth shut and Dean glared back. There was no way in hell he’d he giving one of Cas’ feathers to Crowley, let alone a fucking hellhound.

“Maybe. No promises.” Crowley continued, ignoring Dean in favor of leaning back into the couch, refilling his empty glass with another snap of his fingers. “It’s been a while since you invited me onto a case. If I help you, what do I--”

Bobby cut him off, “You get to be invited back, idjit.” Bobby folded his feet into Crowley’s lap and Crowley huffed in defeat.

“ Fine.” Crowley grumbled.

Tagged: @archangelgabriellives

#sabriel #samgabe #sam winchester #spn #supernatural #supernatural fanfic #my fanfic #hannes writes #2018 #it's been so so long #wip

[homestucknightfall]

In the broadest of strokes, how would the endgame have looked like?

Oh man. Writing out the ending is  a lot easier said than done, because there was just so much buildup and lore and backstory that needed to be laid out first, otherwise the significance of the endgame wouldn’t make any sense

But! Broad strokes! I’ll try and cover as much as I can but my memory about everything isn’t perfect. Feel free to ask more questions if you need a gap filled in!

This summary got a lot longer than I anticipated, so the rest is under the tab!

So essentially what was going to happen next was Vriska, John, Liz, FDave and the rest of the remaining kids regrouping and coming up with a plan to get the Ring of Nightmares back from Cristyle, since it is the only way they know of to subdue her, since killing her is near impossible due to her shape-shifting also regenerating her. Fdave, as a last resort, also asked Aradia to come to Earth to try and help them go back in time to fix this, with the understanding that this timeline would be doomed. Aradia shows up, and immediately points out that “time here feels funny”. She explains that it feels like time here is in motion, but somehow senses that in the background everything feels… stilted. Aradia brings out her time travel devices, activates them, and they explode into white bolts that shatter the space around them. Looks like going back in time is not going to happen.

This plan to catch Cristyle ultimately fails, but Terlock appears before our heroes and reveals how they can beat Cristyle: Hades. His void powers allow him to significantly reduce the powers of those around him, hence why they’ve had so much trouble fighting him in the past. This is also why Cristyle constantly berates Hades, essentially she knows he could kill her if he wanted to.

Hades ultimately ends up pulling a Zuko like pretty much everyone predicted! Though his motives are not to save earth in the long term. His home planet is still very much in jeopardy. Rather he realizes they have a common enemy in Nero and agrees to help thwart him.

Cristyle meanwhile is pretty hellbent on getting vengeance on Vriska somehow. She saw the future where Vriska kills her beloved sister Sylja, and wishes to inflict the same pain upon her, before killing her. In the future, (That FDave hurriedly sent her to, to get her out of the way)  he actually returns to the ship flying overhead, where Raven, the Shinobi (and Witch of Time) who is being held captive there. She takes the Scarf of Time, and the dagger pulled from Sylja’s chest, and Nero finds her. He identifies that dagger as one Sylja had stolen from him, and instructs Cristyle to fuse the Scarf and the dagger, take it back in time, and kill John with it.

Meanwhile, Vriska, John, Liz, Fdave, assisted by Hades, Kate and Gary (who have intel on Cristyle’s whereabouts) are able to track down Jade and Roxy, wake them from their slumbers with Hades’ help, and have them rejoin the group. They come up with a plan now that Hades is on their side to travel back to Cyronilla, find the device Nero was planning on using to overclock Cristyle’s powers, and destroy it. Sylja steps in and provides them with a visual of the location of the device, and it is revealed to be none other than a Quest Bed, one with the Heart symbol imbued upon it. 7 more quest beds are in the room, one for each of the following symbols: Void, Mind, Doom, Time, Space, Light, and Breath. The Time and Doom quest beds have blood stains on them.

Nero later finds out about Sylja’s involvement with giving information to the kids. He speaks to her, and informs her that once Cristyle is no longer useful to him, he has no reason not to kill her. He essentially threatens her with Cristyle’s death after the invasion unless she tells him what she told the heroes. And she gives in. Cristyle is informed about the heroes plans, and blows up Hades’s moon base, including all of his transportation equipment and essentially his only way to access Cyronillia, essentially killing their plans to destroy the Heart quest bed.  Also all the cows he had been harboring died too, which enrages Hades, his disdain towards his sister has now been elevated to outright hatred.

Now the only course of action the heroes have is to simply prepare for the invasion. Sollux, Equius, and later Kanaya and Terezi after the threats on Alternia are dealt with, show up, and start preparing weapons to take down ships all over the earth. What they end up making are a network of giant pylons which will defend the planet once they invasion begins. Fdave notes that this timeline has completely veered off from what he remembered. He has no idea of what’s to come, except for the date that Nero and his fleets are set to arrive. They continue to try and track down Cristyle, but she is uncharacteristically keeping her profile low.

Meanwhile, Rose is continuing her adventure through Nero’s castle. There is a lot of running around, guards looking for her. She finds Nero’s room. There she finds Sburb Artifacts. There is a also Lord of Doom outfit. Rose eventually finds her way to Raven’s chamber. Raven talks to Rose, and explains that she’s been captive here for thousands of years. She directs Rose to her journal from her Sburb days. Raven then asks Rose to kill her to spare her misery of existing in this state, and to save Earth. She explains that the Shinobi have been using her powers to travel to Earth and will use them for the final invasion. Rose asks if that means dooming the Shinobi to being sucked into the black hole, and Raven explains that there are plenty of viable planets in their own universe, and Nero’s decision to take over Earth was based on an old prophecy that he was stubbornly following. Rose makes up her mind, and decides to let Raven die. Raven explains that in her suit, there is a magical ring, the counterpart to the Ring of Nightmares, that is keeping her alive, and that Rose must remove it.

Nero however, steps in at the last moment and completely loses his cool seeing Rose about to kill Raven. He throws Rose against the wall, and as his rage builds, the ground around them begins to shake. Outside, the black hole that has been looming over the plan suddenly begins to violently churn and expand. It is Raven who then speaks to Nero, in a calm and lucid voice. She instructs him that he needs to regain his composure, otherwise they will all be destroyed. Nero is at a complete loss for words, stating that this was the first time Raven spoke to him sincerely in ages. Outside, the Shinobi are panicking.

Raven asks Nero to let Rose go. Nero agrees to her wishes. “As you wish, my love” He says. “Child, there is a ship on the far balcony. You may use it to return to your home” Rose, with Raven’s journal safely hidden from Nero, takes the ship, and returns to Earth and rejoins the rest of the kids.

Vriska and John’s relationship continues to advance. They pretty much have nothing left to do except wait for the invasion, so John asks Vriska to a dance held by his school, with the understanding that this may be their last chance to live out sort of a normal life and have a normal relationship.

Cristyle decides that now she will make her move. When Vriska goes off on her own, Cristyle sneaks up behind her, and stabs her through heart with a kitchen knife. Vriska falls to the ground and dies, and Cristyle uses the resulting blood to take Vriska’s form and return to the dance, Nero’s time dagger in hand. Vriska of course, having suffered a blindside death of neither heroic nor just leaning, revives, and realizes that Cristyle can now take her form. She rushes back to the party just in time to see Cristyle dancing with John, and holding the dagger behind his back. She pierces John’s back with the dagger, and what happens John is enveloped in a red crackling light, and he vanishes. Vriska sees this happen and goes into a fury, attacking Cristyle with everything she has. Cristyle eventually returns to her normal form and nearly kills Vriska again, this time with the circumstances of her death potentially being heroic, until FDave and Hades step in and join the fight. Cristyle realizes she is in trouble, and escapes the situation. (this whole scene was actually partially story-boarded in a scrapped flash animation)

Vriska is now completely distraught. John is nowhere to be found, they have no idea what happened to him, if he is alive, or if he can ever be retrieved. The only real reason she had to be on Earth has been taken from her. She begins to spiral into a depression. FDave steps in after Vriska cuts her hair short, just as the Vriska from his timeline did after everything started to go south. He sees this as an omen that nothing has chance, and he steps in to talk to Vriska. He explains to her than in his timeline, Future Vriska, even after John and everyone else died, fought up to her very last breath to try and make things right. He tells her that he knows her, and he knows that she is never one to give up, and has it in her to do whatever it takes to find John and save Earth. He then tells her the story of what happened in his future, and how Vriska sacrifices herself to save him so he could go back into the past and make things right. This whole backstory was also a flash, and I had started story-boarding 4 years ago and had been slowly adding to over time. It is largely unfinished and there is a lot of gaps, here it is: https://www.dropbox.com/s/6yfr3mmnw02hsg6/DaveVriskflash.swf?dl=0(warning: there is some mild flashing colors in this animation that I hadn’t removed yet)

Rose, meanwhile has begun pouring through Raven’s journal, and it is her account of the Sburb session as it happened. Tens of thousands of years ago, the Shinobi had played a Sburb session and created their current universe. The players consisted of Raven: the Witch of Time, Zarlo, the Knight of Space, Icarus: the Heir of Light, Shawntie, the Seer of Breath, Hades: Prince of Void, Cristyle: Thief of Heart, Sylja: Sylph of Mind, and Oren: Lord of Doom.

Rose is very confused by Hades, Cristyle and Sylja’s names being in this journal. As far as she could tell, the three siblings where fairly young and had no involvement with the Sburb game. The Shinobi described in this book where clearly different people with their similarities to their modern counterparts only superficial. Rose reads on and finds that as with any session full of teenagers, a lot of drama ensued. Their was a power struggle between Shawntie, Oren, and Hades. All three of them wanted to be in charge of the team. Oren was the reincarnation of Orpheus, who was essentially Shinobi Jesus, and believed that he was entitled to lead them all to victory. Shawntie however despised Oren and felt he didn’t live up to who Orpheus once was, and asserted that she had to work to gain her prestige unlike Oren who has born with it. Hades, however saw the instability in the two of them. He knew that Oren was deeply insecure and mistrusting, and Shawntie was headstrong and stubborn, and offered to lead the group, as he was the true heir to the Throne of the Shinobi before their home was destroyed in The Game. Oren despised the two of them, Shawntie whom he had never gotten along with was ruthless in her criticism of him, and Hades he despised for more complicated reason.

Oren had grown up believing that he was the prince of his people set to inherit the throne. In reality he was a decoy prince, places their in order to protect the true blood heir, Hades (Sort of like how in the prequel Star Wars trilogy, Padme was the real queen, while the Queen Amedala we saw was just a decoy). When Oren discovered that he would not inherit the throne he began to mistrust everyone around him. He loathed Hades, feeling that he was not raised to be ruler, and therefore has no claim to the throne. Even after it was revealed that Oren was the reincarnation of Orpheus, the savior of the Shinobi, they refused his claim to royalty, stating that Orpheus was not a figure meant to lead, but a figure of self sacrifice for the greater good. Oren was intended to step aside and allow Hades to be the true ruler. Then Sburb happened and all of that stopped mattering.

There were also some LOVE TRIANGLES going on with the 8 Shinobi! Oren was in love with Raven, who wanted nothing to do with him. She saw just as plainly as any what an insecure backstabber he was. Cristyle became enamored with Oren after discovering he was Orpheus’s reincarnation. Sylja was in love with Cristyle, because as a orphaned child, Sylja grew up on the streets, cast out by society. It was Cristyle who was the first one to show her kindness and would offer her food and money any time they encountered each other. They became good friends, but Cristyle was completely unaware of Sylja’s affection for her.

There’s a couple Shinobi I haven’t talked about much yet, as they are kind of irrelevant to the grand scheme of things, but in summary of each of the 8:

Oren: The reincarnation of Orpheus, though thus far he had been failing to live up to it. Hades: The levelheaded and wise beyond his years Prince of the Shinobi.  Cristyle: The intelligent and charismatic hero, her drive and resourcefulness she chose to use for good.Sylja: The soft-spoken and shy orphan girl, shunned by society but brought into the friend group by Sylja. Shawntie: The brash and stubborn leader type. Raven: The bookish and withdrawn spell-caster, and unknown to her, the reincarnation of Eurydice, Orpheus’s beloved wife whom he failed to save in the past. Zarlo: The trickster, used to work in a circus.Icarus: The engineer, is lucky there is no sun in Sburb for him to fly too close to.

So the stage is set, the 8 Shinobi play out their game. Everything is going according to plan, with the Shinobi making good progress in completing their assigned trails and whatnot. As Oren is progressing towards his Denizen encounter, he finds that the way is blocked with 8 locked keystones, each one corresponding to the Aspect of each player in their game. He activates the Doom keystone, and realizes he needs to bring each of the other players to unlock their keystones so he can progress. He manages to convince each of them to activate their corresponding stones, up until he gets to Shawntie. She refuses to help him out, and Oren becomes enraged. They argue, and in a fit of hysteria, Oren kills Shawntie. He is horrified at what he’s done, and hides her body away.

Some time passes and Oren ends up alchemizing a dagger. But, as soon as he picks it up, it begins to emit red sparks, flies out of his hand, and John appears! This knife is piercing his chest, but their is no blood and he doesn’t appear to be harmed.

Rose, upon reading the book, realizes what happened to John, that he was sent back in time to the point in time where the dagger he was stabbed with was created.

John quickly befriends Oren, and soon realizes that he has been sent to a Shinobi session. However, he doesn’t realize that he has been sent back in time. He believes that these Shinobi are currently in the process of playing Sburb, believes that the black hole devouring Cyronillia is Sburb’s way of destroying their planet. John realizes that if he helps the Shinobi complete their session and create a new universe, they will no longer need to search for a new home and can leave Earth alone.

So John proceeds to help Oren, and they locate his quest bed. John explains that when he is ready, Oren must die on this bed in order to resurrected in his God Tier form, and that each of his friends must do the same. Oren, realizes his session might be doomed since Shawntie is dead, and he keeps quiet about this. He doesn’t want John to know he killed her.

John eventually explains to Oren that his home is under attack by his people. The Shinobi want to make Earth their new home. John talks about Earth extensively, and how much he loves it and how much they sacrifices to get their new home. Oren listens intently. He doesn’t comment about how his home was destroyed, and internally he starts to piece things together…

Eventually Oren takes John to the temple with the aspect Keystones. There is one left, the Breath keystone, and John, as an Heir of Breath, is able to activate it. Oren thanks him, and John explains to Oren that he is about to face Yaldabaoth, the most powerful Denizen. However, before they part ways for Oren to face his Denizen, Shawntie appears, inexplicably revived. She explains that Hades found her, and had revived her dream self. She has come back for revenge, stating that Oren is a danger to their entire session and attacks him. Oren and Shawntie fight again, with John being knocked out trying to mediate. Shawntie is victories this time, landing a fatal strike on Oren. She leaves him there to die.

John wakes up while Oren is bleeding out, and realizes they can’t beat their session without him. He carries Oren to his Quest Bed where he dies, and moments later Oren is resurrected as the fully realized Lord of Doom. Oren thanks John for reviving him, but something in Oren has changed. He tells John that he is going to kill Shawntie, and John tries to stop him. But, Oren pulls the knife from John’s chest, and he fizzles out in a burst of sparks. He takes the knife, hunts down Shawntie and kills her.

Upon finding out what he had done to her, the rest of the Shinobi turn on him, but they are outmatched. His paranoia and spite got the better of him, and one by one he killed Hades, Sylja, Cristyle, Zarlo, and Icarus. Even Raven he decides is better off dead than knowing the atrocities he’s committed. However, as he watches her bleed out, he decides he can’t let her die. He brings Raven to her quest bed and she revives as a God Tiered Witch of Time.

Oren falls to his knees before her and cries, completely overcome by guilt and horror at what he has done. He pleads with her that he will do whatever it takes to atone for his crimes. He will do whatever it takes to set things right. He says he will find a way to save this session, create a new empire, and he and Raven can rule together for the rest of their immortal existence. But Raven refuses, and leaves him alone to rot in this failed session.

Left with no other choice, Oren returns to the gate John had helped him open and proceeds to make the trek to the center of his planet down a spiral staircase to confront his only remaining hope: Yaldabaoth.

Yaldabaoth explains to Oren that his actions have doomed the session, but he offers him a choice. If Oren is successful in defeating him, Yaldabaoth will grant him one of two options:

1) All of Oren’s friends that he killed will be revived and able to complete the session and move on create a new world, at the cost of Oren being forever trapped in the core of his planet in the session for the rest of eternity.

2) Oren may complete the session by himself, but the new universe he created will be doomed from the start. The soul of Orpheus that he had betrayed will slowly consume everything until all that Oren had worked for would be destroyed.

Oren, being unable to cope with the idea of sacrificing himself, chooses the 2nd option. He kills Yaldabaoth, and the choice he made is set into motion. Oren proceeds to the new Cyronillia, and creates a new empire in which he is the sole ruler. The black hole that Yaldabaoth promised is created, only known to Oren, and it slowly begins to expand threatening to devour everything. Raven attempts to thwart him, and he captures her and holds her prisoner, hoping that one day she will come to see him as he sees her.

Oren, still struggling with the guilt, reverses his name to Nero. He wants to leave the past behind him and start over as a new person. He knows that Shinobi souls reincarnate, and hopes that as his old friends reincarnate he can make things right with them. But time and time again, as his friends reincarnate, he repeats the same mistakes. He can’t let go of his disdain of Hades, he is terrified to let any new version of Shawntie live past childhood in fear that she will grow up despise him and try to kill him.

It is Sylja who is the most problematic for Nero. As a Sylph of Mind, for some reason Sylja is able to remember every past incarnation of herself, and thus she remembers the atrocities Nero committed. She has been responsible for every uprising against him, and after so many failed uprisings, Sylja lost hope and vowed to never speak again.

Over time Nero grows more and more jaded. And he becomes more and more desperate to find away out of the thrall of the black hole. It is his encounter with John that gave him hope of escape. To Nero, John was a walking prophecy, that one day his empire would seek out a planet in another universe known as Earth, and he would make his new empire there. And thus, he begins his plans to take over. Nero over time decides to take on three children (Shinobi don’t reproduce normally, they are created in a DNA pool and given to Shinobi who are fit to raise them). The three children Nero happen to receive are Cristyle, then Sylja, then Hades. Maybe now that his old friends are finally this close to them he can keep an eye on them… Maybe raising them is how he will atone for killing them in the past, he decides.

So back with the heroes, Rose is now informed about the Shinobi session, and knows what happened to John. And, just in time, John appears back in the school gymnasium, and returns to the group. Vriska is overjoyed, and imbued with a new sense of hope. Rose informs them all of the story of Nero and the session.

And here is where I stop writing for the time being, as this “Broad strokes” summary has ballooned out more than I anticipated. I will try and have the rest of out as soon as I can, don’t be afraid to keep bugging me about it!

Feel free to ask any questions, as there where a lot I skimmed over and a lot of plot threads I didn’t talk about. I will try and answer what I can time permitting.

#homestuck nightfall #nightfall #mspfa #mspfa nightfall

[fanficwriter013]

A Supernaturally Stucky Halloween - Part 3

Pairing: Stucky X Reader (Eventual)

Summary: Hunters, their lives are never easy. What happens when you literally stumble into the world of the supernatural?

Word Count: 1401

Warnings: Switching POV’s, protective Bucky. Some mild angsty themes.

Parts: One / two / three / four / five /

Bucky drove, Steve sat in the passenger seat trying to see if he could find out anything more about who could be doing the haunting or what kind of demon was mucking about. You were in the backseat, just being generally annoying. Or so you were told.

“This car is normally much quieter, you know?” Bucky asks in a teasing tone. With subtle hints that he doesn't actually want you to stop talking.

“Shut up, you know you love the sound of my voice. You've been starved of it for, what's it been, 6 years?” You tease, and Bucky chuckles.

“Well, you don't need to make up for all 6 years in the remaining hour of this drive.” Bucky teases, and you smack his shoulder.

The rest of the car ride is relatively quiet. You help Steve try and find information on your ghost or demon and Bucky does all the driving. Soon enough you arrive at the local sheriff's station, where Steve splits from you and Bucky to go dig into the local archives. Figuring that your knowledge of linguistics would help questioning along.

As it just so happened to play out. It was helpful. Some of the words being used were indicative of early Christian themes, and that pointed the three of you in the direction of a demon. Add that to the stealing the possessed people were doing, and odd sightings of crows and you were pretty sure you were dealing with Raum. A demon that just had to be a Great Earl of Hell. You weren't playing with the usual lesser demons here.

Steve had been able to find some lore that gave insight into how you could deal with this Earl. An exorcism just wasn't going to cut it.

“I've got some contacts, some pull. Let me go see who I can call and what weapons I can turn up. Give me three hours.” You tell the boys because you could see Bucky start to protest you going off on your own. Steve reluctantly nods, and you head out.

“I don't like it, Steve. This is a big wig demon here, not just some shoe salesman.” Bucky complains, as soon as the door closes. Steve gives him a look.

“What's the matter with you? You're not like this with Nat in the field. Or Wanda even for that matter.” Steve says. “And we both decided that (Y/N) was ready for the Avengers. So don't try lying to me, punk.” He continues, eyeing Bucky.

“We just got (Y/N) back, the only person that wouldn't fall for my charm. I just, this world is dangerous.” Bucky hastily admits. This makes Steve laugh.

“You know that (Y/N) got the blood and brimstone entrance into this life the same as we did, right? It'll be alright.” Steve says, but that doesn't stop Bucky from pacing.

You'd been dug pretty deep into the archives. You remembered something from school about a supposed weapon that could be used against the Greater Demons. But without being able to remember what the book title was, finding it was harder than you expected.

It was about ten minutes before your three hours were up when you finally found something. A reference to an old oak, and a different kind of exorcism ritual.

“Please tell me that Steve's heard of a German exorcism called a Graf?” You ask once Bucky picks up the phone. You hear the boys talking off the phone.

“He says he has to practice his German, but yes. Anything else?” Bucky asks, and you turn back to the book.

“Yeah, we need the bark of a Goethe tree.” And again you hear the boys talking in the background.

“Steve will have to send one of the others to go retrieve some of that. Nothing we can do without it. Get back to base.” Bucky informs you, and you close the book.

“Alright, boss. You got it.” You joke as you hang up the phone. You take the book back through the stacks to where you found it. On your way to the front of the building, you pass by a window with a crow sitting on it.

“Steve, (Y/N) should have been back an hour ago.” Bucky half whines half growls. “Something's wrong.” He says, standing up to make for the door. Steve places a hand on Bucky's chest.

“Calm down, you know how we get with books. Give it another hour, and then we'll get worried, alright?” Steve asks, and Bucky shakes his head.

“I don't like it. But you're the boss.” Bucky says as he goes back to his pacing. An hour had never felt longer in Bucky's life. By the time Steve relented to there actually being something wrong, the car was already started and ready to pull out of the parking lot.

They'd agreed to start with the archives and detail the area surrounding it afterward. Steve took one look at the entry to the archives, sent Bucky one way and he went another. That they would work their way into the middle.

Row after row, was more of the same, quietness and books. Not a single soul was looking for anything in this section of the building. The air was still, too still. Bucky was starting to think the building was empty until he caught movement out of the corner of his eye.

“(Y/N)?” Bucky asks, looking at you. You turn slowly to face him. “Oh thank god, we thought something had happened to you. Steve.” Bucky calls.

“I think you're going to want to guess again.” It's not you speaking, it sounds like you but Bucky knows it isn't you. “There you go. (Y/N) isn't here anymore.” The demon continues, just as Steve comes skidding over beside Bucky.

“Raum.” Steve practically growls at your figure. An evil smile breaks over your face.

“Oh goodie, you know my name. Shame that won't help.” The demon teases, tapping your fingers against a shelf.

“We know plenty, and we know how to kill you too,” Bucky says, and the grin falters for a minute.

“You think tree bark is going to stop me? So sorry to spoil your moment, but that's what I wanted you to think. Try again.” Bucky realizes that your voice has taken on a husky undertone that must be the demon.

“It's alright, (Y/N). We're going to get you back, again. You're not getting away from us this time.” Steve says, and the demon twists your face into ugly joy.

“(Y/N), always had the biggest crush on you, Steve. Now you.” Raum pauses, turning to Bucky. “I can see the love you harbor. Shame. (Y/N) always thought you were too cocky.” The words hurt, even though Bucky is pretty sure the words are being tossed at him out of context.

The air suddenly changes, it feels thick suffocating and reeks of rotten eggs. You double over while dark red smoke begins to pool at your feet.

“Never said you could have my body, asshole.” You cough, glaring at the crow that is now sitting equidistant from the three of you. The bird cocks its head at you before it flaps away.

You aren't sure how it happens but you're aware of Bucky catching you before you hit the floor. Another set of arms envelops you.

“We got you now. You're alright.” You're really not sure who's saying what and when. You're just trying to even your breathing.

“Alright, stop crowding me. We have some research we need to be doing.” You say, trying to get out from under the mountain of muscle.

“Slow down. Don't hurt yourself.” Steve says at the same time that Bucky asks. “Do you remember what happened?” It's said softly, and you move to study his face.

“I hung up with you guys, put my books back. Past that window, saw a crow and then I woke up coughing up demon with that cloud of sulfuric smelling stuff not helping the breathing situation.” You tell the boys, even though you remember everything. You knew what Bucky was getting at, and you just aren't ready to deal with this right now.

“Okay, well we need to regroup. Figure out if this claim Raum made about the lore being planted has any truth behind it.” Steve says, helping you back to your feet.

Part 4

#rrhalloween #marvel #avengers #stucky x reader #stucky #supernatural crossover #A supernaturally stucky halloween