#i'm not trying to get four of my ribs broken thank you

[allpromarlo]

aaron donald woke up this morning and decided swinging on some poor 5th stringer from the bengals was the most effective way to spend his day

#knocked two of their helmets in the air and started swinging like a guerilla revolutionist this man is not real #he's a ray lewis type menace he's just not as intimidating #bc ray lewis was fucking SCARY #imagine being some poor little rb trying to run through the ravens defense and this fucking tank of a man comes steaming at you full speed #i would hand the ball to the qb and skedaddle the FUCK out of there #i'm not trying to get four of my ribs broken thank you #but anyways back to the point #the bengals have been looking very not slay since losing the superbowl (again) #their draft was...eh and to my knowledge they didn't sign many good free agents #their o line still sucks hot ASS #and they're winless in the preseason #you just love to see it #hehehe #nfl #la rams #aaron donald #cincinnati bengals #GET THEY ASSES AARON

[afewproblems]

Season Two Halloween AU Part Seven

Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four, Part Five, Part Six

Synopsis: What if Eddie had been at Tina's Halloween Party in Season Two? Featuring Steve!Whump, Stancy Breakup, and Eddie just trying to keep up with all these new revelations about who King-Steve actually is...

As always, thank you thank you to the lovely Jess @strangersteddierthings for being my cheerleader!

[CW: Discussions of injuries, vomiting]

***

Eddie grips the steering wheel tightly in his hands, while his eyes flick from the rearview mirror and back to the road over and over again, watching for movement, for some sign of wakefulness in Steve.

Dustin had managed to find bandages and peroxide earlier in the Byers washroom to help clean up Steve's face before they left, while Eddie delicately picked the shards of ceramic out of Steve's hair.

The impact had broken the skin and would definitely require stitches, but there were no pieces left in the wound.

The biggest worry for Eddie, with Steve now cleaned and bandaged, was that Steve had already been smacked around the day before by Hargrove. He can't even imagine what two blows to the head in two days has actually done, and there wouldn't be any way of knowing until Steve wakes.

And that is where the argument had started.

***

"We can't just leave, we have to do something we have to give them time!" Mike insists while Eddie gathers the soiled towels covered in blood and peroxide.

Eddie scoffs and whirls around on Mike.

"Are you joking? Your babysitter just got obliterated by an ashtray, we're going to the hospital".

Dustin reaches out for Eddies shoulder, shaking it with urgency, "Steve would have--"

"No, he told you guys that we were not getting involved, we're on the bench".

"You can't keep all of us here," Max tries this time, she crosses her arms in front of her and scowls at Eddie, "if we all go, we'll all be safe".

Eddie barks out a nearly hysterical laugh at the suggestion, these fucking kids.

He looks down at Steve and tries to imagine what he would do in this scenario. Hopper, Joyce, Nancy, and Jonathan are gone; Steve is the only other expert left in this situation, the only other voice of reason in the house.

With his eyes closed and the blood now gone, Steve looks as though he could be sleeping.

"Shit. Shit," Eddie brings his hands up into his hair and tries to slow down the panic coursing through him. It's too much, too many people to worry about even without the literal destruction of their town hanging over their heads.

He looks at Steve again.

"Okay, but if we do this, you listen to me, no arguments, none of that shit you give Steve," Eddie begins counting off his fingers as he speaks, "and most importantly, we go to the hospital, you get forty-five minutes".

***

"Mike, are you still keeping time for how long he's been out?" Eddie asks as he looks at the kids through the rearview.

Though he hadn't thought about it when he bought the van off of Reefer Rick --a deal he's still not sure who got the better end of, based on the lightness of Eddie's wallet for weeks afterwards, Eddie is pretty grateful now for the number of seats and the long bench in the back.

Steve's Beemer wouldn't have been able to fit all of them and as much as Max tried to justify stealing her brothers car, neither would the Camero.

Mike mutters something under his breath and Dustin elbows him in the ribs, hard by the sound Mike makes and the glare he shoots Dustin in response.

"I got it," Max says tiredly, she holds up her watch before letting her hand drop into her lap.

She perks up slightly and leans forward to grip the back of the drivers seat, "you know, if you want to sit back here, I can--"

"Nope, nope," Eddie punctuates the words by slapping the steering wheel, "your job is to watch him, and navigate".

"I'm navigating," Lucas insists from the passenger seat beside Eddie. He has the map from earlier spread out over his legs and a finger tracing the red marker lines they had made earlier that night, "you're going to keep going straight and then it's a left on Mount Sinai by the way".

Eddie nods and opens his mouth to ask about how long until the turn when a groan floats up from the back.

Eddie nearly slams on the brakes in surprise, instead jerking the wheel, sending the van into a harsh swerve over the empty road. The kids all yell over one another but Dustin's voice carries the loudest.

"You're jostling him, Jesus Eddie!"

Eddie winces as he manages to straighten the vehicle's course once more, "shit, shit sorry, just, is he awake?"

"Not really," Dustin says, the sound of rustling fabric and another groan punctuating the silent car.

Eddie's resolve finally snaps.

He turns to Lucas, "you said it's just straight and then one more turn right?" Eddie asks as he lets the car drift to the side of the road before throwing it into park.

"Yeah, why?" Lucas says slowly, his face scrunched into a confused frown, Max perks up once again from the middle row in Eddie's periphery.

Eddie turns to face Max's wide grin and rolls his eyes, "yeah, yeah, get up here," he grumbles, popping open the driver's side door.

"Seatbelt or no deal, keep it under sixty, and slow down on the turn".

Max nods rapidly and bites her lip, nearly vibrating with excitement as she scrambles over the middle console to take Eddie's place, "you got it!"

"Why does she get to drive?" Mike growls under his breath but it still carries through the open drivers side door. Steve makes another noise and Eddie has to tamp down a scream of frustration at the sound.

He makes his way to the back passenger door, sliding it open to meet Mike's glare, "my van, my rules Wheeler, move up, Dustin you're keeping the time now".

Dustin nods and leans towards the front, lifting his watch as he asks Max quietly about how long Steve has been out.

Eddie settles in the far back next to Steve, ignoring the guilt that settles heavily in his stomach. If only he had locked the door, if he had been able to hold his own with Billy, this never would have happened. Eddie swallows the lump that begins to form in his throat and pours his focus into Steve, that's who needs him now.

Eddie's never seen someone with a head injury before, hell, he's never seen anyone get their ass beaten like Steve just did and Wayne's lessons in first aid never went past burns or cuts, maybe splinting a break.

Eddie was out of his depth with this.

Steve's unfocused gaze lands on him as he tilts his head slightly. He makes a small noise of recognition and lifts his left hand up to brush softly against Eddie's face.

"Nance?" Steve slurs out, blinking a few times, and fuck, if that doesn't sting.

Eddie can't quite hide his wince and breathes out sharply through his nose, "Nope, sorry, you're stuck with me".

Steve blinks again, this time his eyes narrow slightly as he reaches out again, but Eddie manages to catch his hand this time and gently lowers it back down. He allows himself one indulgence though, and entwines his fingers through Steve's own.

Just this once.

"Ed?" Steve says this time and Eddie can't help the grin that slowly pulls at his lips, thank God.

"Yeah man," Eddie whispers, he clears his throat in an attempt to move the lump that appears once more. Steve's pupils are different sizes but that doesn't seem to stop him from realizing they are no longer in the Byers home.

"Why--we're moving?"

"I was out numbered," Eddie says darkly, sending a glare to Dustin who flips him the bird over his shoulder. He's looking at Lucas's map from the seat behind him.

Steve groans again and Eddie watches as all the colour drains from his cheeks and lips. By the time Eddie realizes what is happening, Steve is already leaning his head over the floor and vomiting all over Eddie's shoes.

"Oh shit Steve, okay, okay, let it out," Eddie helps him sit up slightly and manages to move his feet for the next round, nose wrinkling at the smell of bile. He lets go of Steve's hand and instead settles for letting one hand brace his shoulder while the other sweeps into his hair, pulling the slightly longer sections away from his face.

Eddie tries to focus on keeping Steve steady rather than how soft his hair is.

Mike sucks his teeth in disgust as Dustin swears from the middle seat and covers his mouth, "did he just puke?"

Eddie wants to throttle them both.

Steve pulls him from his violent thoughts though as he coughs and gags again, breathing out a heavy whine as he catches his breath.

He mumbles something so quiet that Eddie almost wonders for a moment if he spoke at all, but then Steve taps his hand weakly against Eddie's hand on his shoulder.

"Pull over," he whispers in a much clearer voice this time and Eddie looks up towards the front of the car, Max is in the middle of turning, the last one if Lucas was to be believed.

"Steve, we can't," Eddie tries, hating the way that Steve deflates, it's almost like when Eddie found him after Tina's party.

"I sorry sweetheart, I promise, hospital after this," Eddie says quietly.

He freezes at the realization of what he just said.

Shit.

It's as though his heart has stopped in his chest and his ribs are crushing inwards, as though he's about to collapse like some dying star.

Eddie looks around the interior of the van, hoping no one else heard him only to catch Dustin staring him down with an intense but curious look in his eyes, his brow furrowed as though Eddie is a puzzle and the last piece has gone missing.

Dustin says nothing though, and turns back to the front where Mike, Lucas, and Max are talking animatedly.

Steve's head flops backwards onto Eddie's chest, pulling his focus from the kids. Steve is looking up at him and from his close Eddie can count the number of eyelashes, the number of freckles dusting his nose, the flecks of green in his blown eyes.

Even with his bruised face and the faint traces of bile on his breath, Steve is beautiful.

Eddie thinks of how Steve protected them all again and again, how he offered advice to Dustin -even if it wasn't the best, how he had insisted that Eddie wasn't the reason Steve had been scared that night, not wanting him to feel like yet another person was afraid of Eddie.

He thinks of all the ways that Steve has shown himself over the last few days and feels the last few strands holding up the image of King-Steve Harrington, finally fall away.

He's never let himself to stare like this, unashamedly at another man, it had always been too dangerous --especially in Hawkins.

Perhaps he can allow himself this other indulgence then, just for now.

Unbidden, the words Steve said earlier echo faintly for Eddie as they sit in the back of his beat up old van while the kids start arguing over the one painters mask they found in the shed earlier.

'People will come in and out of your life all the time, and the ones that are meant to be there will stay, and if they go, then it wasn't meant to be.

I think I need more people in my life like that'.

He swallows heavily as Steve's eyes close and he sinks even further into Eddie, his soft hair tickles against Eddie's neck as he burrows closer.

Eddie lifts his gaze to the roof of the van. He doesn't believe in God, no, hearing his uncle's stories of 'Nam, his mother dying, and Al kicking him to the curb were enough to dissuade Eddie of any real notion of a higher power existing.

But it doesn't stop him from sending a thought out into the universe.

If we make it out of this, Eddie thinks, I promise to listen this time.

Part Eight Now Up

Tag List:

@eriquin @luvinthefreaks @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @goodolefashionedloverboi @ellietheasexylibrarian @bambibiest @sadboislovebeans @howincrediblysapphicofyou @coleys-a-nerd @whycantiuseunderscore @airconditioning123 @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @corrodedbisexual @starman-jpg @ilovecupcakesandtea @yoriposts @clumsiluni @pelinelin @phantomcat94 @lololol-1234 @anaibis @airconditioning123 @steveshairspray @hellfireone @sunswathe @tentativeghost @robin-not-batman @estrellami-1 @manda-panda-monium @tinyplanet95 @perseus-notjackson @queenie-ofthe-void @rainbowsaw @sp0o0kylights @littlebluejane @hi-im-eff @phantypurple @just-ladyme @thoroughlycollected @justrandomfandomstm @swimmingbirdrunningrock @finntheehumaneater @dynamic-powerm@nightmareglitter @genderless-spoon @zaddipax @thebiblesays @amerikanskaya-krassavitsa @pyrohonk @emly03 @geekymagicalpotato @sidebarre @eddielives1986 @lemon-astra @cipounette @discreetapple @starlitlakes @saphhicwitchbitch @marvel-ous-m @honorarybrit81 @lingeringmirth

and for some peeps that I think may be interested! @steddierthings @steddie-there @steves-strapcollection @henderdads @stevesbipanic @spooky-brakers @flowercrowngods (welcome back Dio!)

#season two halloween au #stranger things #stranger things season 2 au #steve harrington #eddie munson #the party #steve and nancy breakup #eddie is having all sorts of complicated feelings about steve here #i will never get tired of halloween party aus #you can pry them from my cold dead fingers #dustin meets eddie early #mike wheeler #lucas sinclair #max mayfield #afewproblems writes #cw blood and injury #cw vomit #concussions are no joke #eddie is a tired single dad in this outnumbered by these ridiculous children #dustin is as observant as nancy is #finally getting somewhere with these feelings #pining Eddie

[13as07]

Bruised

(Shino Aburame)

[Artwork is not mine! Credit to Pixiv Id]

Requested by: Anonymous

Word Count: 3,530

Warnings and/or Pre-Notes:

Attempted Stabbing

PTSD Attack

Bruises

I fully believe Shino's hair type falls somewhere on the high 3 to low 4 ranking and you can't convince me otherwise

———————————————————————

     "Akimichi-San," I try to coo, my hands up as I slowly approach the elderly man. The elderly man is still built like the brick he was during his Shinobi days. "It's alright, do you know where you are? You're at the Konoha Veterans' Retirement Center," I carefully explain, my eyes flickering from the active PTSD episode patient and my fellow nurses waiting on standby to interfere.

     "Stay back!" The man yells, waving around the butter knife he's clinging to. The butter knife he was just using to split the biscuit he was going to have with his supper. Why doesn't anyone listen to me when I tell them not to give Akimichi-San any sharp object? 'He hasn't had an attack in four months it's fine so we're sure he's fine'. Obviously not.

     "Alright, I can do that," I say calmly, stopping in my tracks. "Everything is alright, Akimichi-San. At the moment you're having a flashback episode. I assure you that you are safe, that your wife is safe, your kids and your grandkids. You're all safe."

     "Stay back you trader! How could you betray your village?!" The man barks at me, eyes locked on me as he continues swishing the knife around. "You... you mind technique Shinobis always try to get in our heads. I don't have a wife! Let alone kids! Your, your, your little mind tricks won't work on me, trader."

     "Akimichi-San - "

     "Stop calling me that! It's Captain Akimichi. I worked hard for my title, respect it!"

     "Of course. My apologies Captain," I mutter, slowly bowing my head in apology. "I assure you I am unwaveringly loyal to both our village and our squad, my Captain."

     The nurse in the door throws his hands up, a nonverbal 'what the hell?' shooting from him. I shrug my shoulders and use my eyes to send back a 'I don't know, I'm just going with the flow I guess?'

     "No. No, no, no. You are not one of mine. You're a trader. I trader I say!" I'm yelled at again, this time paired with the man charging at me. Before I have time to react I'm slammed to the floor, Akimichi-San on top of me trying to stab me with the butter knife. Thank the Lord my coworkers react unlike me, hands flying around his wrist to keep the knife away from me as they attempt to pull him off.

The pain rippling through my body is so overwhelming that it's almost numb like I'm stuck underwater as my patient tries to stab me to death. The noise of my coworkers yelling, of me being yelled at and called a trader is muffled like I can't exactly make the sound out unless I actively try to.

At least it's all numb until an elbow is stabbed into my rib cage, Akimichi-San trying to stay on top of me, threats of my bone snapping hovering just as much as he is. I swear, at the very least I better be sent home early because of this.

————————————

     The more stairs I climb, the harder I breathe. The harder I breathe, the more my side hurts. They said my ribs weren't broken, but I don't exactly believe them at the moment. The pain rippling across my body, aimed at my chest sure makes it feel like something is broken.

     When I get to the top of the stairs - hunched over, panting for breath, and trying to will my body to stop hurting - the smell of cooking filters into the hallway. The single mother two doors down must be making her spicy curry again. It always makes the whole floor smell good.

I sigh as I dig through my pocket looking for my keys. The smell of cooking makes me dread the quick "just add heat" meal waiting for me. Shino has been busy prepping his students for graduation and I've been tied up at the Retirement Center pulling doubles and constant overtime. Our jobs haven't left us much time for each other recently, let alone the energy to cook or clean.

     The thought of our recked apartment only fills me with more dread. Our home most definitely has not been attended to in way too long. Though, since I'm on medical leave for the next week I suppose I'll have time to cook and clean for us. The thought makes the doctor's note ordering me to rest and take my pain meds burn in my pocket. I'll have plenty of time to rest. Spending the day tomorrow cleaning won't do too much harm.

...Or not.

When the door to the apartment swings open, I'm not greeted with the recent commonly placed piles of Shino's grading sheets, the occasional disregarded clothing, the layer of dust that's been building, and the small piles of nick-nacks dumped from my scrub pockets. The yummy scent coating the apartments' hallway seems to be wafting out from our home as well.

"Welcome home, Cricket," Shino mutters, tugging my attention toward the kitchen.

"You're home early," I call back, setting my bags down before my focus shifts to changing into my house shoes.

"I could say the same to you," he counters, walking out of the kitchen, and quickly beating me to the floor. Shino sinks to a knee, propping my foot on his bent leg so he can undo my laces for me. "I did not expect you for another hour or two. It's quite the damper on my day."

"How's it a damper on your day?" I ask, my eyes trailing after his movements. Foot propped, work shoe off, house shoe on, kiss, foot down, repeat. My lover has a bad habit of saying things that come off as mean without explanation; this is one of those times. It's taken some time but I've figured out he rarely if ever means it in a mean way.

"The reason being that I wanted to clean the bathtub before you got home. Everywhere has been cleaned but I've been putting off the shower. I also wanted dinner to be finished before you returned home," he answers, leaning forward to press a string of kisses to my knee before he sets my foot down. "However it is not the end of the world, I can still clean the tub," he adds, climbing to his feet before dusting off his pants.

"You cleaned the whole house, Shi, I can clean the tub," I counter, already heading towards the kitchen to grab the cleaning supplies.

He softly hums, a hand lounging forward to grab my waist. "No, I will clean the tub," Shino mumbles, pulling on me so my back collides with his chest. His head dips down, his nose sliding up and down my neck slowly.

My breath comes out rough, threatening to be a hiss because of his fingers digging into my side. "Okay," I mutter, my focus on not having a pain-filled break-down instead of fighting with him or the soft loving touch he's littering my skin with.

     Shino glances at me, a hint of curiosity in his eyes before he releases me, off to go clean the tub. He has the habit of feeling like he needs to do everything to show that he cares and I have the habit of fighting him on it, insisting that I'm capable of doing things for myself, the house, and us. After having him cling to my bruises, I hurt, and being hunched over the tub doesn't seem like the best idea to help with that pain.

     After a moment - and a pile of calming breaths - I make my way into the kitchen, nosing around to see what he's cooking for dinner. Karaage. I swear if I didn't know any better I'd think Shino is trying to make me plumper.

     "Cricket?" He calls the sound of his voice echoing through the house. "You should come sit with me."

     "Coming," I call back, turning on my heels to head toward the bathroom.

————————————

     "Alright," Shino whispers into my ear, stopping my led steps. "Open," he adds, dropping his hands from their wrapped position around my eyes.

     I know what it's going to be before I open my eyes. Shino's insistence that I stay out of the kitchen and almost locking me in our room were dead giveaways that he wanted to set something special up for our dinner tonight. Still, I can't help but feel giddy when I open my eyes.

     Our table is covered in a spotless white cloth, a thin red cloth lining the middle of it. Perfectly plucked and sorted flowers fill a vase in the middle of the table, my favorite flowers on display with almost sparkly fresh water. The vase is caged in by lit candles on either side of it, the soft flames being the only light in the room, eliminating the perfectly set up platings. Our main course and its sides litter the table, Shino's hard work ready to be enjoyed.

     "You're a doofus," I giggle, leaning back so I can be pressed up against him once again today. "A romantic doofus but still a doofus."

     "I will be more of a doofus later on," he mutters, arms snaking around my waist to pull me closer.

     My teeth clench, a softly hissed breath sliding out of my nose from Shino's usually comforting touch. "You're starting to make me believe I forgot our anniversary," I tease, shifting in his hold to hopefully get him to loosen it or at the very least take some pressure off my bruises.

     "It's not our anniversary," he mutters, eyebrows forwarded a bit as his arms relax, sliding down to my hips. "I have been busy with preparations and you have been busy filling in for the nurses on maternity leave. I enjoy waking up next to you, I do not enjoy it being most of the time I get to spend with you."

"Careful Shino, your emotions are starting to show," I continue to mock, getting a disapproving sigh in response, and his nose buried in my neck again. "How are you going to be more of a doofus later?" I ask, pulling myself out of his grasp and heading toward my chair.

     He moves forward, taking wide strides to beat me to the chair. Shino pulls my chair out, a hand propped out for me to take. I take his hand, letting him help me into my chair before I'm pushed in. "I have prepared us a nice bath to take after we have eaten."

     The thought of my bruised side flickers through my mind. The last thing Shino needs at the moment is to worry about my health. He's already stressed enough about work and when I'm hurt, his stress is at an all-time high. "I appreciate the thought but I think I'm going to bathe alone tonight," I mutter, keeping my focus on filling my plate.

     "What?" He asks, his tone soaked in surprise. "My little singing Cricket, I have not bathed alone for the majority of our relationship. How often do you randomly appear in the shower with me? Every time. Every day. Not today? Why not?" By the end of his ramble, Shino looks concerned, like he might burst into tears. The shadows of the room and the soft light of the candles don't help the upsetness coating his face.

     I reach across the table, wrapping my fingers around his as I rub my thumb over his knuckles. "It's nothing you did, Shi. I just... want to bathe alone. That's all."

     "But that is our time together. It is something we do together. Cricket?" He races out, his kikaichus starting to spill out and buzz around the more upset he gets. "I want to take a bath with you. Why don't you want to take a bath with me?"

     "I want to, I do. I just... Shino it's not - "

     He stands up, the noise of his kikaichus getting louder. "It is a big deal. That is our 'us' time. We shower together every day. Every day. I do not understand why we would not today. What do I need to do to fix it?"

     I slowly blink, watching Shino hurry around the table. His hands land on me, starting to paw at me and toy with my clothes as he kneels on the ground. His eyes are swimming with concern, eyebrows forward still, and his chest pumping with quicker breaths. I didn't realize he was so attached to our daily shower. Though, he is a man of routine so I guess it's not that surprising.

     "Shino," I try cooing, my side getting irritated from the constant pressure being added and taken away from it. "I think you need to calm down a bit."

"How am I supposed to calm down when you won't tell me what I need to fix?"

"Shi," I try again, cupping his cheeks, softly stroking him as I lean closer to his face. "Calm down. I'm not leaving you, I'm not angry with you, you didn't do anything wrong," I mutter, brushing a butterfly kiss against his nose, hoping it'll help him calm down. It doesn't.

"Alright, so I need to fix an outside source. I still can't fix it if you don't tell me what's wrong," he mutters, nuzzling his nose against mine back. Shino has closed his eyes, his face has gone soft from my gentle redirection that I wasn't convinced would work.

     Looking at the outside layer of my boyfriend, you'd never guess how clingy and insecure the poor man is. I guess that comes with feeling and being treated like an outsider from your generation of Shinobis. I don't understand how my soft Shino could be so over-looked by his coworkers.

"I'm fine. There's nothing to worry about." Maybe it would be less stress on him if I just told him I was hurt... but then he'd stress about me getting hurt again and about my healing process. Why does Shino have to be such a worry-wart? "I'm just a little achy is all."

"From work?" He asks, clinging to my waist again, causing new sparks of pain to bloom.

"Yes," I mutter, tugging his hand down.

His eyes snap open, curiosity and worry flickering through them again. "Was there another incident?" Shino pushes, starting to slide the edge of my shirt up. I'm sure the anxious little cicada has his mind running in a million different directions.

"It's not a big deal," I try to downplay, tugging my shirt back into place. "Would you stop worrying so much? The more you worry the more I stress out about how stressed you are."

"I don't mean to make you stressed," Shino mumbles, eyes locked on me as his hand fights with mine, continuing to try and peel my shirt up. "I just want to fix what is wrong in any way I can. Let me fix it. Please?"

"Fine," I sigh, giving in and letting him raise my shirt. "No freaking out."

"I won't freak out." Shino's face fills with contentment, contentment that quickly washes away once he gets a look over my rib cage. His eyes flicker from my dark bruises to my face, his expression a mix of concern and anger. Well, as close to anger as he can muster. "You are... you are bruised."

"I am bruised," I echo, trying not to jerk away when he runs his fingertips over the marked-up skin. His eyes dance over my skin as well, getting more upset the longer he looks at the bruises.

     His mouth snaps open and closed a few times as he repeatedly blinks, struggling to form a sentence. "Cricket," Shino starts, his voice slowly rising with the nickname.

     "You said you wouldn't freak out."

     "I'm not freaking out," he mutters, letting my shirt fall back into place. "We will have a nice supper and a relaxing bath," he continues, muttering more to himself than me as he walks back to settle into his chair. Maybe I shouldn't have given in and told him.

I carefully watch Shino's body language, waiting for his calm composure to break as he fills his plate. "My students would like to know if you'll be attending their graduation." Maybe it will be okay. Maybe Shino won't have a meltdown over this, maybe he won't stress about it.

     "Of course, I will. I've already been approved for the time off."

     He falls silent, slowly blinking as he stares at me, our food forgotten. "I can't let it go."

"I figured."

————————————

     Shino's hands move slowly, using a towel to gently pat my bruises to dry them off with minimal pain being caused. His panic has gone down a bit since dinner, but he's still as attentive as the dotting boyfriend he is. "Does it hurt? Am I hurting you?" He asks, his touches stalling for a moment.

     "You're not hurting me," I hum, sliding my hand through his hair, being careful not to pull on any of the knots. Unlike the rest of him, Shino's hair is dry since it wasn't his hair-wash day. Despite not washing it, his hair is still knotted and needs to be picked through, though I doubt he'll let me do it for him at the moment. I don't he'll let me do anything for the next week.

     "Alright," he mutters, dabbing at me a few more times before he tosses the towel into the hamper. "Let's go lay you down now."

     "I'm not dying, Shi."

     "I know," he snips at me, ushering me into our bedroom. "You need to rest and your bruises need to be taken care of."

I let out a sigh, taking slow footsteps so I don't get 'yelled' at again for 'over-exerting' myself. Shino's hands wander over me, being careful to avoid my wounds. "Alright, lay down on your side. You're not hurt side, the reason being it is good to elevate bruises above heart level."

"I know, Shi," I giggle, rolling my eyes at him as I crawl into the bed, lying how I was told to. I swear, sometimes he forgets I'm a nurse.

"I will be right back," he tells me, peppering my cheek with kisses before vanishing. It's not long until Shino is back, smothering my face in small kisses again as he sets his supplies down. "Alright, I am going to coat you in some peppermint oiled lotion the reason being that it'll help you heal faster and help with the color. Then we'll start your cold compress," he mumbles, once again talking more to himself than me. "The reason - "

"- being that it'll help the swelling?" I cut him off, chuckling at him again. "I know, Shino."

He falls quiet, blinking at me a few times before he shifts into motion. "I know," he finally whispers, squirting some lotion on my side. Shivers spill down my back from the cold liquid. The soft clinking of glass follows, Shino adding a few drops of peppermint oil before his hands connect with me. His kikaichus start spilling out too, pitter-pattering between the two of us and crawling over the bed sheets.

"You are beautiful. You are outstanding. You are inspiring. You are brilliant." Compliments spill from Shino as easily as his breaths. His hands are nimble and warm as he carefully rubs the lotion into my skin, being sure not to press too hard as he soothes my bruises. The feeling is lulling and comforting, the same as his smooth voice. "You are my everything," he adds, his lips falling down my side, careful to avoid the tinted lotion being massaged with his hands.

"You're amazing too, Shi," I murmur, starting to fall asleep from his pampering. "Thank you. For everything."

"Of course, Cricket," he answers, a hand falling away as the other one crawls down my back, massaging a different area. His lips trail over my arm, twirling up it before connecting with my neck. More kikaichus spill out, tumbling over their master's fingers to explore. They quickly spread their wings, the smell of the oil scaring them off, pushing them to go adventure somewhere else in the room.

Soon, a cloth-wrapped ice pack is laid on my side, just a hint of pressure added to it. "I will be calling out of work tomorrow," he mutters, softly sucking on my skin. Shino is a health nut, obviously, so he doesn't suck longer than a few seconds before finding a different patch of my neck to focus on.

"I don't need you to call out of work. I'll be fine on my own."

"I will not be going to work tomorrow. I will be here with you all day," he grumbles, his nose bumping against my jawline. My throat quickly abounded for my jaw, kisses and soft suctions continuing.

"Why is that?"

"The reason being that I miss you," he whispers, slowly making his way up to my lips. "And I wish to continue pampering you. My pretty, uninformative, stubborn, bruised Cricket." A rare chuckle comes from Shino, soft and almost silent, but still there.

#naruto shippuden #naruto shippuden oneshot #naruto shippuden x reader #shino x reader #shino aburame x reader #shino aburame oneshot #shino oneshot #shino aburame

[olderthannetfic]

Both of my parents are right wing extremists, white supremacists, queerphobes and die-hard Islamophobes and antisemites. I ended up becoming an anti because I was on tumblr and started looking at blogs about queer history when I realized I was queer, started reading BIPOC's complaints about my main fandom and ended up on blogs that discussed things like stereotypes, coding, representation, etc. I knew I didn't want to be a hateful physically and emotionally abusive bigot like either of my parents. So I got deep into whatever-critical blogs and thisisXculture/thisisnotXculture blogs, trying to unlearn everything I'd been taught, trying to become someone who wasn't a monster. And all the "if you write X what does that say about you" stuff played into my worst fears about being my parents.

Then when I was 14 my dad beat me and raped me when he found out I'm trans. And every single one of my anti friends either stopped talking to me when I tried to lean on them, called me a toxic traumadumper when I spoke about it, or was concerned with if it would impact my writing. One person just ignored that it happened at all and sent me their latest critique of something in fandom like I was, not even 48 hours from what happened, supposed to be over it and be focusing on the real issue at hand, people shipping a crossover pairing with an age gap (cue "you can't age one person up you pedo" discourse here).

I remember thinking, "I wish I mattered as much to them as fiction does."

From there, deprogramming and ending up getting out of the cult that is the anti movement was really easy. None of their talking points worked when I remembered that they don't actually care about victims of CSA and incest. All the "we're protecting kids!!!" stuff is just posturing. They don't give a damn about kids. They don't care about victims. They don't care about their "friends". When I had four broken ribs, a fractured pelvis and one of my eyes was swollen shut, texting the people I thought might care in a desperate attempt to find someone, anyone at all who would treat me like a person, they were focused on fanfic.

I got out of being an anti the same way I got in: I care about and prioritize people, and if they're willing to do this to one of their own, then it is clear that they do not. I do not share values with people who can't even pretend to care about a 14 year old rape and incest victim attacked due to transphobia. I have, thank God, nothing in common with those people.

Maybe this means I've made progress in not being toxic like my parents after all.

--

[mimiwritcs]

FIGHT FOR YOU (6/?)

FANDOM: Divergent

PAIRING: Eric Coulter x Fem!Reader

SUMMARY: this is after four+eric's initiation and before tris'. this will be the build up of the characters as we got introduced to them as well as maybe the society. not just a love story but we aim for characters' growth and storytelling.

WORDS: 2.8K

A/N: apologizes if this chpt isn't the greatest, literally don't know what i did that everything got deleted and i tried to rewrite it by memory to make it justice.

You were one of the last to arrive at the infirmary, more than once on the way Milan offered to carry you in his arms but you didn't think it was a good idea. Although you had struggled and surprised yourself at how far you got on the circuit, you knew it wouldn't be enough. Eric had warned you not to remove the dart, and you knew that even if he was not present in some way if you did he would find out. If he didn't want you to take the dart off, imagine being carried in their arms. "Thanks for everything guys, go eat before it's all gone, you've done enough." you told them when you sat on a stretcher with the doctor. "We'll bring you some leftovers and we'll come see you before training in the afternoon" Winter smiled at you as you said your goodbyes.

"Second day and we already have the infirmary full, this year you have not been late" the doctor complained but his gaze was affable. "I just hope there's another day" you complained while he took the shot you still had from Eric. "And why wasn't it going to be?" he asked you calmly while he spread a cold cream on the shot that relieved your pain. "Have you been shot anywhere else?" he asked you again. "Well, because it is the second day and I am already the most hated here. On top of that, I have put Four in a mess and they already warned us, this year they are making cuts, I would not be surprised if they made me the first for my disobedience and my lack of attitude" you explained. "Yes, in the rib too" you answered while you lifted up your shirt to give him access to work. "How come you didn't take off the other one?" he asked you. "Eric ordered me not to do it" you shrugged your shoulders while he applied the cream but since that one didn't hurt you didn't feel pain but coldness.

"Well, what I think is that if you have survived the circuit on your second day and a fight with Eric, even if you lost, you do not lack attitude. And I don't know what you have done so badly but if that were the case, you would be out already." he commented to you while examining the cut on your forehead. "You've been lucky, we won't have to do stitches on your forehead and your nose doesn't seem to be broken, just a simple haemorrhage. Of course, you're going to have a lot of bruises for the next few days. I would tell you to rest but I know it's not possible, try to avoid putting yourself in unnecessary trouble that will slow down your recovery." he ordered. "Of course, thank you doctor…" you started talking looking for a plaque with his name on his clothes. "Loftland" he answered you with a smile. "Thank you. Y/M" you introduced yourself.

"Well, let's do the following Y/M, I'm going to give you some pain pills that you take today, after lunch and dinner to help you with the pain and while your friends finish eating and they bring you some leftovers, you rest okay?" You smiled as you nodded your head as you watched him go get something and come back. "And leave this bag of ice in your stomach, will help you with the bruises" he requested as he left closing some curtains between your bed to give you some privacy. Although you were very tired, the pain did not let you sleep but lying down for a while did you good. "Hi, are you awake?" Winter asked you after half an hour later with a plate. "I bring you your food and medicine" Winter smiled at you as you made room for her to sit on your bed and you lifted her back supporting her with some cushions to eat a little.

When you had some hot food in your stomach you felt a little more out of sorts and when you took the pill you hoped it would calm your pain enough to endure the afternoon session. Suddenly you saw how Four entered the infirmary and stayed talking for a while with Dr. Loftland and looked at you. As he got closer to your area, Winter got out of bed and you both stared at him in silence. "Hello, how are you?" he asked you. "Now after eating something, better, but I would be lying if I didn't say that my whole body hurts" you smiled at him, although you were honest, there was much more. You were very afraid of being kicked out of the group and your whole body was heavy, you were very tired and you didn't know if you would be able to endure one more class with dignity. "Winter, can you leave us alone, please? The training starts in fifteen minutes, in the secondary gym, we'll catch you up" he comment and she nodded, said goodbye quickly and you were left alone. Four closed the curtain of your room giving some privacy although the infirmary was already quite empty and he stood next to the bed.

"I didn't mean for you to get beaten up without knowing how to defend yourself when I proposed to give you the book." he started to speak. "I didn't mean to put you in trouble when I asked you… or myself to be honest… are you going to throw me out?" You asked helplessly, not knowing was driving you crazy. There was nothing worse than being factionless. "Not yet, you haven't been bad at all on the circuit and it will undoubtedly affect the teammates who lost the duel against you more than it will affect yourself." you unconsciously sighed in relief, letting go of your body tense and relaxing it, resting your back on the cushion again. "I think you were right in your arguments but you have to understand that here we don't need people to memorize and vomit answers. Today you have defended yourself and attacked with some blows that I taught you the day before that you surely did not even remember that you knew before entering in the circuit. We want to speed up your mind, that you learn to retain information because when you are trapped, you are in danger, you can get out with only your attention span and agility." I explain and you agreed. "That's why Eric has also put you on the circuit, his methods are a little more extreme and orthodox than mine, but all roads lead to Rome" he added.

"Also, someone very wise once told me that joining a faction is about more than just passing initiation, you know? I wanted you to realize that there is more to it, that while you were studying like crazy, life went on at your around and you were missing it. Whether we want it or not, the initiation marks all of us, our friends, even enemies, it is important and you have shown that you have the ability to honor your position in Dauntless, don't waste it" you nodded, you didn't know why he was telling you all that and you felt that when he spoke he was transporting himself in his mind in some way, he was there but he was not there. "I understand and believe me, I realized that. It won't happen again." you promised. You felt like you were being given a second chance and you couldn't fail, not because of you but because of Four who had been more generous than necessary and to prove Eric he was wrong about you. "Come on, let's go to class and try to not embarrass yourself" he stated as he opened the curtains and waited for you to get up.

The afternoon passed exaggeratedly slow, Eric was supporting Four the whole time, who ended up Four seeming more like an intern than a trainee. They did several exercise routines for the whole body, to help you gain resistance and strength that you needed. If by itself your physical condition was not the best, after the beating this morning, you gave a lot to be desired. Although the pills had taken effect and calmed the pain enough to be able to continue the class, every little exercise you felt the pain in your body and it was hard for you to keep up or push when they asked you to. And although you hadn't had much experience with either of them, that's when you realized the different teaching methods between one and the other. Four pressured you but he had empathy and wanted to improve gradually, Eric had no compassion, he yelled in class and his teacher's theory was to terrify everyone to do as he requested. You assumed that was why one was named a professor and the other was not. Although you couldn't understand how someone so hard and cold with others could become a leader. Maybe he wouldn't be so nasty with the rest..

At the end of class, you all ran to the showers and your muscles finally relaxed when you touched the hot water. "What do you want to do this afternoon?" Winter asked you as you shrugged. "I think I'll stay resting a bit, let's see if I can even take a little nap for an hour, shall we meet in the pit in an hour, an hour and a half?" You proposed to your friend and that's how you agreed. You wished everyone had gone but a small group of guys stayed in the back talking, luckily not too loud, and you were able to fall asleep. When you woke up, you changed your clothes and went to the Pit, it was full of life. People screaming, children running, many groups separate and together at the same time. Everyone with everyone and you smiled looking at them from afar. How would you like one day to be able to mix with people, feel them as your home. "Hey, look who we have here.. Y/M" your thought broke upon hearing your name. You looked around and it was a group of initiates, there were Anderson, Clark, Ember and some of their born Dauntless initiates whose names you didn't know and a couple of the transferees. "Hello" you greeted them approaching.

"My goodness girl, everyone is talking about you and now that I see you, you don't look so bad either" Ember commented. "How fast stories fly around here" you shrugged. "Obviously what did you expect, Lauren even took us to the circuit that afternoon when she said we were going to shoot guns, I guess it was to compare us" Clark commented. "And how was it?" You curiously asked about them. "Fine, no problem" Ember quickly replied, she seemed unconcerned by the conversation, listening to several but participating in a few. "Well, although I liked the part about attacking more than not defending myself" Clark joked. "Yeah for the most part fine although you should have seen Sam, Lauren has gone hysterical and yelled at her that even you had done better so who knows maybe you'll even get out of going under the cut" Anderson joked and you thanked him.

"Is what Lauren said about me so bad?" you asked sincerely terrified. "Not that much, the one you've pissed off is Eric. Enough for him to volunteer to supervise and manage your training, even if you don't think it's all your fault, he wanted Four so much that you gave him the perfect opportunity. But between us, there's a lot of respect. You haven't done badly, but that nonsense of wanting to study the agenda and question the system… is going to take its toll for sure" Anderson commented and you appreciated his sincerity. "Of course, it will take its toll on you, we don't create rebels here, questioning an order for wanting to make you smart can take its toll on many occasions, they are the ones who know, you have to listen to them, period" Ember commented.

"So Four and Eric don't get along very well huh" you commented out loud but more to yourself than the others. "Yeah last year at his initiation they were the dog and the cat. The two transferred and the two best in the class, despite the fact that Four always beat him. They tried to recruit Four for leadership but I don't know what happened to In the end they chose Eric under all odds" explained Clark. "Both of them are transferees? I had no idea" you commented surprised, they seemed 100% with the attitude of someone born here, you supposed that this made you practice and it gave you hope for one day you would seem as safe and integrated into your faction as they were, if you made it through the cut. "God Y/M and you were Erudition and you didn't want to find out everything around here?" I tell you about a boy whose name you didn't know. "No, I've already told you I'm not Erudition, I was born there but I belong here, like you. I don't care about their past, I care that they are my teacher and my leader and how good they are at their job" you commented closing the topic.

"But hey, let's change the subject… nice haircut" you commented to the guys you knew because they had invited you the previous afternoon to go with them. "Right? You could be just as cool if you hadn't gotten into trouble," Clark teased. "What if, what if, that we don't return to the same topic, do you think I could go tomorrow?" Asked. "And who would accompany you? You need a member to go out" they commented. "Calm down, look, that's the hairdresser over there, talk to her to see if she can help you" she offered, pointing to a woman who was in a group talking and you went over to see.

"Hello, excuse me, excuse me for interrupting, my name is Y/M, have they told me that you are the hairdresser?" you said interrupting while she nodded and separated you from the group. "Yes, I'm Hanna, you're an initiate right? What a face, hard day?" she asked you nicely. "What am I going to tell you, yes, I was going to come tomorrow with Anderson and other boys but things got complicated. I'm looking forward to cutting this hair, could you tomorrow?" you explained. "Yes, you could come in the afternoon, after training. Do you have someone to drive you?" she asked you while she took out a mini diary to write down the appointment you assumed. "The truth is that no" you shrugged. "Well, don't worry, I'll talk to Shauna or Bud, who are on the same schedule as you, to see if someone can come and bring you." she offered you "Thank you very much, I won't bother you anymore, see you tomorrow" you said goodbye as you returned to where the group of initiates was but realized that they were no longer there. You stood admiring your surroundings, you didn't know anyone and you didn't really know what to do until you saw Eric in a corner and something inside you couldn't resist going to talk to him even if it could get you into more trouble. But how could that be, if you just wanted to apologize.

"Sorry, Eric, do you have a second? I'll be very brief" you said as you approached. He looked up without recognizing your voice at first and when you came across your person he snorted. "You better, I have had enough of you initiates, what do you want" he spoke as if it were an order and looking around, he wanted it to be short and he seemed to be waiting for someone "Eh… I just wanted to apologize for wasting your time supervising the training sessions, I'm sure you have a thousand better and more important things to do and thank you for this morning's session. It's been hard but today I've learned a lot, not only on the circuit but also outside of it. I've understood and I trust you, I never wanted it to be interpreted as not I did it, it won't happen again and I hope to show you my worth as a Dauntless for the rest of the year" you synthesized while your body was tense and straight towards him. He stared at you as if he hadn't expected that, you saw for a few seconds the change in his expression back to the same face of few friends as always. "Don't worry, if you don't show it, you'll leave, you can go" he ordered you. You nodded your head and walked away, guessing it could have gone worse.

#ffy #divergent #divergent imagine #divergent stories #divergent fanfiction #fanfiction #eric coulter #eric coulter x reader #eric coulter imagine

[wastemanjohn]

To here knows when! If i could inject your writing into my veins i would

aww thank you!!

@setyourfireonme and @lovetransaction also asked about this one but you asked first so i'll respond to this ask

so the fic is essentially my masturbatory headcanon about what would happen to john in hell, and especially what would happen to john in hell if his sons were his daughters. basically very badly injured john stuck in an isolated ex holiday cabin with a suffocating and increasingly unhinged deanna and his mute, severely disturbed babygirl sammy who may or may not be the antichrist. all of john's worst nightmares and failures in life being used figuratively and literally against him every day in four suffocating walls. yes there's incest. and the john whump is... strong. it's my first real attempt at writing horror i guess. and i find the idea of psychological torture in hell way more compelling than guts being ripped out or something (although there's going to be gore there's already gore and I'm 5k in lol so ripped out guts are likely going to happen at some point)

it's going to be a longer project but still in the very early stages atm. here's a snippet - it's not a very exciting snippet but it's the only consistently coherent few paragraphs i have so it's what you're getting lol.

The sky feels a little too close out here. This morning it’s a sort of anemic pink as the sun breaks. John always knows what the sun breaking looks like, because he’s always awake for it. Sometimes he thinks those colors look a little off, kind of like an artist’s impression, if the artist didn’t quite have the right palette - but it’s probably the concussion messing with his eyesight. Or the fact that he still can’t fucking sleep properly.

There’s a crick in his back from the futon, which he can’t alleviate without moving. He has to psych himself up to move at all, between the bad-itch soreness of his sewn up abdomen and the strange feeling in his right thigh, the weird hyper awareness he has of the exact point where his femur has been nailed back together. He can feel the grinding mismatch of his broken ribs with every breath he takes.

He feels helpless and useless. He feels like screaming.

His grip on time is flimsy. Months. They said he’d be a useless sack of invalid shit for a few months.

So far, it’s probably been closer to a week. John closes his eyes, with all the optimism of a man desperate for a break, and drifts into half-asleep dream-memories of walking in on Mary trying on her wedding dress.

He comes around to the sound of Deanna in the kitchenette, padding around lightly, trying and failing to be quiet with the rattle of sorting out his morning pills. The amber vials lined up on the counter, dishing them out with all the diligence of a nurse. She’s wearing a ratty old t-shirt of John’s that comes down to her thighs, drowns her deceptively small frame.  Her faded gray shorts peek out underneath. There’s already something sizzling on the stove. Her hair is wild in the mornings, just like her mother’s used to be; and then John has to look away, because from the back she just could be, and sometimes he can’t tolerate the resemblance.

#asks #wip game #this is a mess lmao

[blossombriefs]

Legendary | Chapter Six

As the ship sliced through the endless expanse of space, an awkward silence enveloped the cabin, broken only by the gentle hum of the engines underneath. I stole a glance at Broly, his gaze was fixated on the stars as they raced by the viewport while we continued our journey. His fluffy hair hung over his face as I could see him trying to take in what he could see. I sighed heavily, knowing his silence could be attributed to Frieza revealing my mission to him. I wasn't sure. In a rather newly learned display of empathy, I reached out a hand to him and rested it on his large shoulder, asking him softly, "Broly? Are you okay?"

Broly turned, his gaze meeting mine as his expression stayed unreadable. His reply had a slight warmth to it, "I'm here. Aren't I?"

I nodded. I was thankful he had followed me onto the ship. If it wasn't for him and his steady reassurance he offered in the face of unknown danger, I probably either would've followed Frieza back onto the ship or I could've even been killed. "Thank you Broly, for everything. I'm sorry that-"

"If you're going to apologise for Frieza revealing that your mission on Vampa was to kill me then hold your breath, I don't need to hear it." As he interrupted me, he shuffled back in his chair, resting his hands behind his head as he tiredly closed his eyes over.

"No Broly I-"

"You called me simple back on Vampa." He started, "I don't have the intelligence that you do Flora, I know that, but I'm not stupid."

I listened on as I turned in my chair so I faced him fully, giving him my undivided attention as I crossed my legs. He sighed, opening his eyes after a brief moment to look up at the ceiling. "You wouldn't have had it in you to kill me."

I paused to contemplate his words. Broly's insight struck me off guard, however, it was clear I was underestimating him. I politely disagreed, not letting it damage my pride or knock my abilities, "No I definitely could've done it."

"You couldn't have Flora. I could sense that you didn't have it in you. When I get angry I get in that rage and I just wipe out everything. I don't ever remember it when I get out of it. I would've hurt you if you tried but you seemed scared. You wouldn't have hurt me. If you wanted to, you would've killed me after I saved your life."

I sighed, "Maybe you're right Broly. Maybe I have lost my sparkle."

"Or maybe you've gained something much better, you're becoming more of a person and not a machine." His expression turned into a reassuring smile, "Captain Four Alpha One's mission was to kill me, not Flora's."

"Thank you, Broly," my smile unapologetically matched his. I nodded as I sighed happily, it felt like the right time to confess, "It's nice not to feel alone anymore."

Broly shared the same feelings as me in a mutual agreement, he too was isolated but he was cast off to a faraway land away from his home planet. I had so many questions I wanted to ask him but I knew it would be rude to pry. We had spent several hours cooped up on the ship together trying to figure out a game plan on where to go next. When the plans weren't really going anywhere on either of our parts - mostly due to a lack of knowledge on where to go - I decided that it was time to change into some more comfortable clothes as my current outfit had seen better days. Once I was on my feet I headed to one of the lockers we had near the cockpit, pulling out some black sweatpants and a baggy black shirt to match. We usually had these on hand for training. It was lucky that we carried extra sizes for the crew, it meant I had some that I could give to Broly. 

"C'mon," I stated, tossing the clothes to him. "I'll do some laundry while we figure out where the hell we're going."

Slowly, I gripped the bottom of my shirt and pulled it over my head. I stood looking at myself in the mirror, my chest covered by a black bra. My eyes slipped down to my taped ribs as I undid the bandages. The bruises had healed pretty well, only a few spots of yellow and purple remained. I ran my fingers over them, they weren't sore to the touch anymore. Glancing back in the mirror, I saw Broly looking in my direction with widened eyes. As my eyes met him in the reflection, he started to look around frantically. His cheeks were pink with a blush. I rolled my eyes and let out a playful laugh, covering up my upper body with the fresh shirt. "Is everything okay?"

"I-I don't know," Broly stuttered nervously in response.

"Not used to seeing a girl get changed are you, big boy?" I jested. I turned with my back to him again, preparing the load the machine with some of the clothes. The way Broly got flustered was comical to me, almost kinda cute. "I'm used to getting changed in front of my crewmates."

"Wait... what is that?" Broly suddenly questioned as I could see him point towards my lower back. I twisted my body around to look at my lower back, accented with the large brown mark that Broly had questioned.

"Oh, the mark?" I asked, "It's just a birthmark. It's always been there."

Broly stood up, his shirt forced over his head to reveal his muscular physique. I noticed his body was covered in scars, similar to the ones that decorated his soft face. I caught myself drawn to him for a moment, feeling lost in thought as I gazed at every dip and curve in his muscles. He then slowly turned around his body, his back in clear view. I gasped, catching sight of an identical mark in the same place on his back. I dropped the basket, rushing over to crouch at his side. I ran my fingers over his back gently, and hearing him wince as I touched the tender patch made me pull back. "Careful Flora."

"That mark... that's..."

"I don't know," Broly responded. "It's been on my body for as long as I can remember too."

I sat in awe, allowing my hand to trace the contours of his back where the mark was again, just a little bit more gently than I did before. I felt a rush of confusion and wonder. The similarities of the marks - the size, the colour and the shape - felt like they couldn't just be a simple coincidence, could it? Broly turned to face me, our eyes matching with the same look as astonishment. "What does this mean?"

"I don't know," I responded, shaking my head as I wasn't able to give a definitive answer. "Perhaps it signifies something, I just don't know what. That or it's a pretty creepy coincidence."

The silence settled between us both, accompanied by the solo sound of the engine's lulling buzz. It felt like this was something else drawing us together in a moment of profound connection. I kept my gaze on his eyes, feeling a sense of undeniable kinship. Whatever lay ahead on my journey, I knew now I wouldn't be alone in it. We got changed, I did the laundry with Broly and showed him how to work the technology on board. He marvelled at how foreign these concepts all were to him. As we laughed over a quick meal, my instincts snapped into gear as the loud screech of an alarm broke up the moment. I rushed to the control panel, tapping the screen to see our ship had been sent an urgent distress signal.

"To the Captain of this ship and the Saiyan on board, we need you. Please come to our coordinates..."

"Buckle up!" I smiled to Broly as I strapped myself into the captain's chair, switching off the autopilot as I pinched in the coordinates. Again, this was a planet I had never explored. 

"Planet... Namek?!"

Next Chapter Chapter List

#dragon ball #dragon ball z #anime #fanfic #dbz #broly #broly x reader

[whatevertheweather]

The Space in Between 3, 4, 11 and 12!

HARD HITTING QUESTIONS FOR MY FAVORITE FIC, bless you <3 (Also this has been sitting in my drafts for days, I’m sorry. Thank you, though. I am always happy to go off about this fic.)

3: What’s your favorite line of narration?

Yes that's fine this is fine I can totally pick a single line out of a 100k fic it's whatever. I reserve the right to be wrong about this (as in forgetting I actually favor something else), but off the top of my head I know I really loved the way the whole bathroom scene turned out in chapter 11. This doesn't hit quite the same without the context of the rest, but alas, the question is "line" not "chapter."

He’s hunched over his sprawled legs with his hands pressed to his chest like he can hold the cage of his ribs together, like he can keep it from collapsing, and his mouth is wide, and he can’t get a sound out because you can’t speak grief like this.

You know what, forget “line.” Here’s another.

And Simon had thought that maybe the universe might exhaust itself at some point, that maybe it would run out of demonstrations for the ways a heart can be broken, for every little angle the knife can slip in, but he was wrong.

(To anyone who hasn’t read it, I promise there actually is laughter too.)

4: What’s your favorite line of dialogue?

You've tricked me into rereading 100k. I'm just trying to skim for dialogue to jog my memory, and next thing I know I've reread half of four different chapters, and then whoops, there's three more, and what do I have to show for it? This is hard. Rude, in fact, to make me pick just one. I'm going to pluck this tiny exchange out of chapter 5 and call it good because I do like it, and most other dialogue is riddled with spoilers.

“Snow,” Baz interrupts, pulling his eyes from the mysterious point of interest to look at Simon. “We are in such a position that you might find it easier to just get up and kick me.”

Simon snorts. “I’m just trying to figure you out. It sounds like a bad day and all, but, I mean how could it be worse than — I don’t know, worse than the day your mum died?”

“I’m serious, do you need me to lie down?” Baz asks. “Are you worried your shoes won’t be able to do as much damage?”

There’s another exchange I would choose, but it’s towards the end of the last chapter, so it’s off limits for out-of-context posting <3

11: What do you like best about this fic?

I have big feelings for this fic. Longest thing I’ve ever written, most thoroughly I’ve ever fixated, most fun I’ve ever had writing. And I didn’t write it with the intent of posting it. I wrote it because I was obsessed with it, and I wrote everything that I wanted to. Was there a lot in there that technically isn’t necessary to tell the story? I suppose. But everything in there is something I wanted there.

Everything is a moment that came to me when I was pacing circles in my kitchen or walking the dog or failing at sleeping. Half of chapter 8 exists because I was listening to an instrumental playlist so lyrics wouldn’t distract me, and then Phantom of the Opera came on and I thought, God I want them to dance to this. I remember the exact curb I was stepping onto when I wrote “Braden—looking, as ever, like every white guy Simon has ever seen mixed up into one, with the personality of none—is baring unreasonably white teeth in what might be perceived as a smile by someone who’s only read about them” in my head. I remember the exact balance of excitement and discomfort I felt when I jotted down one of the opening paragraphs in chapter 11 and thought “Man that’s fucked up.”

And that was the fun! I wrote things I’d never written before! I wrote things that were outside of my comfort zone! I wrote topics I didn’t know I could! A lot of it came from wayward scenes I didn’t intend to include but wrote just because they were in my head, and then I did include them! They became important! Because I wanted them to be! Ah!

This fic is just full of good memories, and there’s an overwhelming, nostalgic yearning whenever I think about it, and I love it to bits.

12: What do you like least about this fic?

That it’s based off of two pieces of media that already exist, and I can’t adapt it into its own book that I can put on my bookshelf and stare at.

SO THERE. I hope this was the sort of rambling you were looking for <3

(Questions from this list.)

#anyway now I'm up in my feels for tsib #if you couldn't tell #my writing #the space in between

[k--havok]

Trick or Treat! 🦇🎃🕷️

Oh yay!! Thank you!!! I'm gonna give you... a treat!

I'm gonna share a character I've been working on for Waking into Divinity.

❖︎· · ─────── ·❖︎· ─────── · ·❖︎

I don't have any art or aesthetics prepped for this character yet.

The Threadweaver is a witch that lives in Gehenna, and is the oldest creature to walk the land. Older than even the demon lords, The Threadweaver is one of the few demons who appear to be animal like. The Threadweaver has a mask of horns like most demons, but has four arms. The witch has an extra thumb on each hand, next to the pinky, and can move each finger in any direction as well as independently from one another. The Threadweaver has a split down the torso which can open, revealing ribs. This is where The Threadweaver takes the silk produced within the body to use for magical purposes.

The Threadweaver's appearance was based off a spider, so the lower half of the body is broken into segments with four digitigrade legs.

The magic The Threadweaver specializes in is that of bonding. The Threadweaver can see the bonds between other demons; both from the past, present, and future. The Threadweaver is a powerful witch in other ways as well and excels in illusions, alchemy/potions, and word play. The Threadweaver more or less has "stern grandma vibes." Like Mary Poppins except a lot more crass and horrific.

Note: The Threadweaver is such an old demon that the witch does not use ANY pronouns whatsoever. Not even "it."

I mainly did this to try and stretch my writing chops and see how possible/difficult it is to refer to a character without using a single pronoun. As you can tell, it is very hard. Altho it is also an interesting experiment/challenge. I'm still trying to get use to this flow of writing so any use of pronouns is purely accidental.

#Waking into Divinity #WID #trick or treat #writeblr #The Threadweaver #lgbt character #ask #ask game #dogmomwrites

[gallifrey1sburning]

Sorry recovery's boring, but I hope it's going well ❤️ have a prompt: Draco as his drama queen self, ordering Harry around because he's incapacitated in some minor way. Harry's sassy but loves him too much to say no :D

Hello! Thank you for the prompt and sympathy. This one is dedicated to both you and my spouse, who SWEARS that I'm not a burden right now, even though I can't so much as open the fridge myself.

“Potter.”

Harry ignored the pathetic-sounding voice coming from the living room, trying to focus on his work. If he could just get through these last few essays, then—

“Potter.”

Tuning the voice out, he shook his head in disbelief, making a note on Jessie Hines’ essay that, while her proposed method of chasing off Dementors with kittens was creative, he didn’t recommend attempting it, nor mentioning it on her exams. He wasn’t sure how, but it seemed like his entire NEWT class had gotten progressively stupider as the term wore on. He suspected that they were burned out on studying, but this was getting ridiculous.

“Potter.”

He slammed his quill back into his inkwell just a tad too forcefully, spattering ink up his hand. “What, Draco?”

There was a pause, and then, in a small voice, “Never mind.”

Harry sighed and vanished the ink from his hand, feeling guilty. He knew he should be more patient with his husband—he was injured, after all. Draco had taken a rather large chunk of cauldron to the ribs when one of his students had made a rather unfortunate mistake on what should have been a fairly straightforward hiccup cure, and although Madam Pomphrey had been able to heal the worst of the broken bones, she’d still put him on bed rest for the week. But it had been four days now of ‘Potter’ this and ‘Potter’ that, and Harry was about ready to cast a silencing spell on the man just to get a moment of peace.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped. What do you need?”

Another pause. “It’s not important.”

Harry groaned internally. Draco’s voice had taken on a petulant tone that was likely to turn into a full sulk if Harry wasn’t careful. “Are you out of tea?” he guessed, thinking back on the myriad of things his husband had asked him for over the past few days.

“No.”

“Do you need your pain potion?”

“No.”

“Another blanket?”

“No.”

“Come on, Draco. Just tell me.” Harry made his way over to where Draco was sprawled across their plush sofa, cocooned in blankets and pillows and surrounded by a floating array of every item he could possibly want or need—or so Harry had thought.

Draco looked pointedly away from him. “No, it was stupid, and you were obviously otherwise occupied. I wouldn’t want to be a burden.”

Harry sighed and sat at the end of the sofa, lifting Draco’s feet so that he could slide in underneath them. Pulling them into his lap, he rubbed Draco’s calf apologetically.

“You’re not a burden. I’m just a bit behind on grading. It can wait. Now, what’s wrong?”

Draco’s lower lip protruded in a pout, but he bit it as he looked at Harry before quickly glancing away. “I’m bored.”

“Ah.”

“I told you it was stupid.”

“It’s not stupid. Sitting around for this long would be boring for anyone. I’d be crawling out of my skin by now.”

Draco snorted. “You would have staged a jailbreak by now.”

Harry laughed, but didn’t deny it. “So, come on. What would you like? You’ve got books, those puzzles Hermione sent over, your knitting—”

The sound Draco made was somewhere between a whine and a sigh. “I’m so sick of reading and knitting and puzzles. I’m going to waste away from lack of stimulation.”

“Alright, so what would you like to do?” Harry asked, trying not to smile at Draco’s dramatics.

“I don’t know. That’s why I wanted your help.”

“Ah.”

Harry rested his head against the back of the sofa, squeezing Draco’s feet absently. He was at a bit of a loss, himself. Harry had never been one for sitting still. It was part of why he was so irritable today—sitting and grading for hours on end was one of his least favorite...

“Do you want me to read my students’ midterm essays out loud so that you can make fun of how stupid they are?” he asked, the words out of his mouth almost as soon as he thought them.

Draco’s eyes lit up. “Really? But you never let me make fun of the students!”

Harry laughed, warming to the idea. “Extenuating circumstances. You’re injured, and these essays are very, very stupid. Maybe your commentary will keep me from quitting my job in despair and becoming a hermit.”

“So, what you’re saying is that I’d be doing the world a great service.”

“Exactly.”

Draco rubbed his chin consideringly and then nodded. “Well then. Let’s hear it.”

Harry summoned his stack of parchment and cleared his throat, deciding to start where he’d left off. “Interacting with kittens can release serotonin, a chemical known by Muggles to cause happiness, meaning that, in theory, they could serve as a sort of fluffy, corporeal Patronus stand-in—”

“Merlin and Morgana,” Draco broke in, somehow managing to sound both disgusted and awestruck simultaneously.

“I told you,” Harry answered with a grin. Straightening the paper in front of himself, he continued reading. “...a sort of fluffy, corporeal Patronus stand-in.”

Maybe this evening could be a bit less miserable for both of them.

AO3

#drarry #drarry fic #my writing #prompt fic #drarry drabble

[slyttherins]

Werewolf attack | Bill Weasley x Reader

Summary: You get a letter from Ginny saying that Bill was injured during a battle

Pairing: Bill Weasley x Reader

Square filled: Post battle

Word count: 1248

-

Dear, Y/N

I'm sorry to have to announce this to you by mail, but Bill was severely injured during a battle with Death Eaters. He's currently being taken care of at Hogwarts' hospital wing. Come quick.

Ginny Weasley

It had been a while since you last been inside the castle, but you managed to find the hospital wing fairly easily - with the help of a few portraits. As you walked through the halls, you heard details about the battle Ginny had mentioned. According to the whispers, the Great Hall you once loved was now destroyed and so was Hagrid's hut. Lastly, and the most shocking, Dumbledore was...dead.

Bill's cot was surrounded by the Weasley clan when you arrived at the infirmary, making it easy to spot. Around you, there were students being treated in other cots for cuts and others injuries, making you wonder what had happened.

Having seen you walk in, Ginny stepped away from her family and came to greet you.

''What happened?'' you asked, but the younger Weasley didn't say anything and simply hugged you. You hugged her back, feeling like she needed it. ''Gin-'' you started, getting more worried.

''I think it's better if you see yourself.''

She led the way and you followed, preparing yourself for the worse. If it hadn't been so bad, Ginny would've put more details into her letter. So, it had to be bad.

You bypassed the hospital screen that had been installed between beds, separating and shielding him from other patients and curious eyes and took a deep breath before standing next to Ron and filling the empty space Ginny must've occupied before you arrived.

Tears welled in your eyes when you saw Bill in the small cot with bandages and scratches all over. His eyes were closed, having most likely been given a sleeping draught to ease the pain and facilitate the healing. Four long - and deep looking - scratches took the side of his face and kept going across his nose, chin and a little of his left cheek. He was, for lack of better words, disfigured.

Beside his bed was a small pot with soiled gauzes and bandages and other cleaning supplies from when the nurses had tended him. It made you sick to your stomach how many there were.

''William.''

Your broken voice caught Molly's attention. She looked up without detaching herself from her husband, holding onto a handkerchief which she must've used to wipe her tears. She forced a smile at you, but was too worried about her son's state.

A werewolf. A nasty werewolf that went by the name Greyback had attacked him, mauled him when the Death Eaters had entered the school, Ron had explained.

''Is he going to turn into a..?'' you trailed, speaking everyone's mind.

''There is a possibility,'' Mr. Weasley replied. ''Remus said if it had been a bite, there would be no questioning, but Greyback scratched him. And, it wasn't on a full moon. We'll have to wait and see.''

.

When it became too late to stay up, Mrs. Weasley and the rest of the clan left to get some rest at home. Molly didn't want to leave her son's bedside, but she knew he was in safe hands with you - and the Hogwarts nurses.

No one was allowed overnight at the infirmary, it was an old rule that still went, but Madam Pomfrey let you stay.

It was almost midnight when Bill's eyes opened.

The matron and all the nurses had gone to sleep in their quarters, leaving the ones in the portraits to watch over the patients. You too had fallen asleep, but instead of a soft bed, it was in the uncomfortable chair by Bill's bed. Your body was going to ache tomorrow.

A scratchy call of your name stirred you from your sleep, the quiet sound louder in the silent infirmary. You opened your eyes and saw your boyfriend awake in his cot.

''I'm here,'' you said, coming closer and sitting on the edge of Bill's cot, careful to not brush any of the cuts and scratches on his arms and chest.

The redhead looked at you and smiled softly, still loopy from the potions he was given. ''I must look dashing, do I?'' he asked, making you laugh as tears pricked your eyes.

''Don't worry, you're still handsome,'' you assured despite the scratches on his face. ''How are you feeling?'' you asked, gently stroking his hair around his face the way you knew he liked.

''Like I've been stepped on by one of Charlie's dragons,'' Bill answered half honest, half joking. He laughed it off, but the rumbling and expansion of his chest caused a sharp chest pain, making the redhead hiss.

You knew it was from the bruises on his ribs, but Bill's hiss of pain still worried you. You hated to see him in hurt, hearing his pain was worse and got you immediately in nurse alert. ''Do you need more pain potion? I'll go get a nurse-''

Bill put his hand on your arm, stopping you. ''No. I'm good.''

''Maybe you should cut down on the laughing until you're healed, yeah? The nurse said it should take two weeks for the bruises on your ribs to heal. Fred tried to use his invented bruise-healing paste on you, but Madam Pomfrey threatened to ban him from the infirmary so he put it back in his pocket,'' you explained, laughing at the memories.

''Does it even work?''

You shrugged. ''I have no idea.''

You weren't too familiar with the twins' Weasley Wheezes products, but if the bruise-healing paste didn't work, Fred wouldn't have tried to use it on Bill. Not while he was severely injured in a hospital cot.

''Has anyone caught Greyback?'' Bill asked, curious about the fate of his attacker.

''No.'' You shook your head. ''He got away with the other Death Eaters. I'm sorry.''

''It's okay. It'll give me time to recover until I can get my revenge.'' Bill forced a smile, trying to stay positive, but you knew it was only a facade.

''Remus wants his ass dead too. He won't live for long.''

You were trying to sound hopeful, but Remus had been bitten at the age of four and was now in his mid-thirties. In his defense, Fenrir Greyback was difficult to catch. He had been captured several times by the Ministry's Werewolf Capture Unit, but managed to escape every time.

''What happened during the battle? Did they catch the Death Eaters? Is-''

You shook your head, refusing to tell him anything about the battle. Something big did happen, but Bill didn't need to know about Dumbledore's death - not at midnight. For everything else, you didn't have enough information to answer everything he'd want to know. ''Madam Pomfrey said you need rest. We can talk about the battle tomorrow.''

He sighed, but didn't push. ''Come in the bed with me.''

You hesitated. ''I don't think-''

''Please, love. Just for a couple minute until I fall asleep.'' He used his Weasley charm and you gave in.

Thankful for the hospital screens around his cot, you carefully sat on Bill's bed and made sure to not touch any of his bandages, scared to hurt him. Once you were settled, Bill closed his eyes, head resting against the soft pillow.

You found a spot on his face where he had no bandages and kissed it. ''I still love you, William. Whether you owl at the moon every months or not.''

You saw a smile curl on his lips. He was going to be okay.

#bill weasley #bill weasley x reader #bill weasley fic #harry potter fic #werewolf injury

[sansxfuckyou]

Want to talk about what happened?

"Phantom." I started.

"No, I don't want to elaborate on what I let slip up last yesterday." Phantom said, slamming his cup down on the table, few drops of the pomegranate juice spilling.

"Can we talk about what happened later?" I asked taking a sip of my small glass of orange juice.

"Fine." Phantom said bitterly, grumbling a few profanities under his breath before gently nibbling on the silicone dog toy we ended up buying, chewing on stuff was one of his comfort mechanisms, where the coping mechanism stemmed from? We don't know, and neither does Phantom.

"Thank you." I said with a light smile.

"You should know by now that knowing what I went through won't make a difference." Phantom said before hearing a pop, making him jump a bit, all he did was pop the chew toy with his fangs.

"I still want to know what Vlad did to you." I said before standing up and heading back up to the room me and Phantom shared, Phantom following close behind.

"No you don't." Phantom said floating ahead of me and phasing through the door.

"Yes I do." I said with a singsong in the undertone of my voice.

"Pick a number, one to five." Phantom said with a sigh as he dropped down onto the beanbag he had gotten for a bed around two ago.

"One, I think thats a good place to start." I said sitting down on the edge of my bed.

"When I first ended up in Vlads 'collection' of test subjects, he tried to keep me in a decent conditions," Phantom started, kicking back to try and get comfy. "I had a few years of being able to free roam across his massive property, then I was only allowed to roam his house, after that the basement until finally, I was restricted to a relatively large cage." Phantoms voice managed to stay even.

"I, wasn't expecting that, now number two." I said, keeping some sort of eye contact with Phantom.

"The lab he kept me in was around somewhere with loads of gears and steam powered stuff, the grinding and constant shrieking of the steam started to wear on brain," Phantom told me, voice unwavering. "He gave me some sound canceling headphones to try and keep my mental condition in a decent state as I waited for my time."

"Damn, now the number three." I questioned with a light smirk.

"I had to watch him ruin all of my 'friends' by dicing them into pieces extracting everything that could be used for later tests." Phantom told me with a sigh, tears beginning to well up. "That was when I realized I was going to be dissected when my time came." he explained.

"Number four." I said cautiously.

"He fed me sludge, no taste, but one of the worst mouth feels ever," Phantom told me, shuddering ever so slightly. "You ever bitten cartilage before, that is what the sludge felt like, my mouth can no longer feel things properly." He further explained, I wanted to gag at the idea of eating sludge that felt like cartilage, god.

"How about number five." I said.

"You know the scars on my neck, chest, legs and wrists?" Phantom asked me.

"Yeah, looks like you got mauled by a bear." I said cautiously, slightly fearing what I was going to learn.

"He cut slices out of me, taking note of everything, trying to dissect parts of me, but choosing against doing so, he did remove my wisdom teeth out of courtesy for torturing me," Phantom said chuckling a little bit, despite green tinted tears slowly falling down his cheeks. "He also figured out how to cure cancer, I also have a scar that never fully healed in my chest, he yanked a rib from there and now we have an indent." Phantom pulled up his shirt and gestured to the indent in the middle of the left half of his ribcage.

"Phantom, what the jizz?" I asked trying to keep my voice even, I was this close to flipping my lid.

"Yeah?" Phantom asked, he just had a mental breakdown over this yesterday, and now he's fine with this.

"I don't understand how your ok with that, but do you want a hug?" I asked.

"One hundred percent, I'm shocked I haven't broken down yet." Phantom said before getting up and pulling me into a lung crushing hug.

"Yeah, so am I." I said, out of breath a little bit as I hugged him back.

"You ok if I sleep at the end of your bed?" Phantom asked with a light sniffle, his voice starting to waver, here comes the tears.

"Course you can." I answered with before falling back onto my bed.

"Sorry, just need some comfort tonight." Phantom said with a light sigh, loosening his hug a bit.

"Like I said before, I'm fine if you end up in the same bed as me." I said before trying to turn over on my side, because you know I do enjoy me some breathing and comfort.

"Thanks." Phantom said before flipping over to be beside me.

#danny phantom #danny fenton #phanfiction #phanfic #pitch pearl #tw fangs #tw trauma #vlad plasmius #tw tears #tw teeth #tw crying #tw scars #tw bones

[norabrice1701]

The Cloverfield Pyramid - Ch. 9

A Schmidt x Fem!Reader Lost Ruins/Archaeology Expedition AU Fic

Link to Ch. 8

Link to Series Master List

Chapter Summary: In which the discovery of the millennia unfolds before your eyes.

Chapter Warnings: Explicit language, character death, horror violence, history and physics collide

A/N: So close to the end, and y'all are AMAZING for your support of this crazy adventure. I'm glad it's found a home 😊 Thank you for all the likes, notes, and reblogs - they mean so much!

Love to @raniiaaa who keeps me on my toes, and @janine-007 who helps me not sound so ignorant.

Chapter 9: Day +8 - Part I

Dawn burned your tired eyes. God, you wanted to sleep for days. You wanted to put this whole impossible mess behind you. But you didn’t have that luxury yet.

The nightmare of last night wouldn’t stop playing in your mind. Watching the Shepherd helplessly burn. Feeling the rain soak your skin before it puddled in the bottom of the RIB. Firing the outboard engines to pull around the next river bend and anchor off to one side. Hearing Ava muffle her sobs as you each tried to find some sleep against the hard, wet bottom of the boat.

But now, even as brightly as dawn shone on the RIB, it still didn’t eclipse your memory of the brilliantly burning Shepherd. Four innocent men had lost their lives aboard her and you’d all been powerless to prevent a single one. And now, the SS Shepherd was just as lost to you all, another casualty of this horrific, cosmic mess. Glancing around, resigning yourself to face another day, you swore the smell of smoke still permeated the morning air.

Fortunately, you weren’t the only one struggling to greet the dawn as you pulled the RIB up to an open, sandy bank. Everyone sported heavy, dark circles under their eyes, and everyone mumbled half-sentences as they stirred to life. Each looked respectfully away as each tended to business behind available shrubs, changing into the dull beige jumpsuits and black jungle boots from the RIB e-gear, and everyone pitched a hand with the water pump and iodine tablets.

And to top it all off, the coffee wouldn’t even be hot.

You took a sip of the tepid, river water instant-coffee, trying not to wince. Between the river’s natural flavor and the traces of iodine, you wondered if it would be better just to hold your nose and chug it. At least, you’d get the caffeine hit quicker.

The RIB gunwale shifted under your weight as you took another sip, glancing over at Ernst. As much as you wanted to curl up against his chest last night, you hadn’t. You didn’t want to make that explanation to Ava or hear Jensen remark on the married couple that she knew. Currently, he gnawed at a protein bar, nursing his own cup of Amazon instant-coffee. His hair sat at adorably askew angles, eyes tired but ever sharp behind his glasses.

He glanced up at Jensen, who also worked at her own cup of coffee. “What did he do? Your Schmidt.” He asked, pulling at the wrapper, exposing more of his breakfast. “How did he cause this collision of dimensions?”

She licked her lips. “When we found the pyramid...he didn’t listen.”

“To who? To you?”

Jensen took another sip of her coffee, lowering her eyes.

He shook his head with a tight motion. “The Schmidt that betrayed you...you realize he’s not me, right?”

Again, Jensen didn’t answer, carefully averting her eyes.

Ernst looked at you, frustration flaring on his face before he turned back to Jensen. “Look, I understand that this isn’t exactly my world - nor, is it completely yours. Something’s happened that made our realities smash together, and we have to reset it.” He paused for a sip of coffee. “And the pyramid holds the answer. We have to restore it - we have to fix whatever he did so we can all get back to our lives.”

Ava looked up from her own coffee, sad confusion in her gaze. “And what will happen when we ‘fix’ whatever is supposedly broken?”

Ernst exhaled, shaking his head. “If what I read last night holds true, then restoring the energy output of the pyramid will stabilize and realign our worlds. Much as we...traveled here the first time, then we should travel back….”

Jensen blinked up at him. “But you don’t know that for sure.”

“How could I possibly?” His face pinched with indignation as he glared back at her. “But we do know that the magnetic poles of this Earth here are not the orientation that Skip, Ava, and myself have always known. Either the pyramid has the power to reverse magnetic poles, or this isn’t our world - but yours.”

Ava’s gaze hardened with resolved determination. “I’m not going back - I can’t go back. My children are here, and I cannot leave them.”

You squinted over at her, confused to high hell. Not going back? Children? You’d heard her talk about her husband, but never children. Admittedly, you’d been so focused on Ernst that you hadn’t paused to consider the relationships between the other team members, let alone between a member of your team and someone else from another dimension. Had Jensen and the Ava from this world been close friends? Had those threads of friendship somehow woven between dimensions? You sighed, shaking your head. You were too tired for such mind-bending thoughts.

“You’re staying?” Ernst’s eyebrows raised over his glasses. “The Ava from this world - her Ava,” he nodded sideways at Jensen, “she died. And you think to just...what? Replace her?”

Ava’s eyes grew heavy with painful memory. “My children need me, and they won’t have me if I leave.”

Ernst shook his head. “You don’t know the first thing about this world - neither of us belong here!”

“Then, I’ll learn.” She forced a hard swallow, glancing over to Jensen. “I’ve seen the video and they’re...so grown up and happy. And alive.” A decisive sigh left her. “I can’t leave them.”

Ernst turned his gaze back to you, eyes wide as if wanting your confirmation that you were listening to the same conversation.

You shrugged a stiff shoulder. “After the last two days, nothing surprises me anymore.” Your mouth pulled to a grimace around another swallow of coffee. “If she wants to stay…well, at least that other version of her is already dead.” Yes, it sounded harsh, but the events of the last 48 hours were even harsher.

Ernst turned back to her, clearly not done making his last appeal. “What about your husband, hmm? Your Micheal? You’re just going to abandon him?”

Ava’s mouth lifted in a small smile that spoke to yearning heartache. “Just tell him that I’m with our children because I can’t...I can’t lose them again.”

His head dropped, scoffing. “Verdammte Scheiße...this is utter madness.”

You cut him with a sideways glare. “What part of this situation isn’t?”

No one had an answer as you each choked down the rest of the coffee and bland protein bars.

Of course, there was only one direction to go. Temporal order had to be restored, after all, but that didn’t stop you from feeling like it added insult to injury as you fired up the RIB motors and left the sandy bank behind.

Using the sun’s position in the sky, you pointed the bow of the boat on it’s formerly-southern trajectory and without the complex systems of the crippled Shepherd to worry about, the RIB cut a swift path through the flat water. In fact, it was eerie how still the water had become, how thick and oppressive the air around you. As if the rainforest conspired to stifle and choke out all life - and nothing about that thought was comforting.

You eased the boat around the next bend, gaze catching on the treeline and instantly jerking up on the throttle. The RIB recoiled from the sudden stop, and everyone rocked with the harsh motion as the shore commanded full attention.

Of course, Jensen said it was real. Of course, this was the expedition objective. But nothing prepared you to actually see the dark stone pyramid rising out of the rainforest foliage. The steep, pointed structure painted a sharp contrast to the natural green canopy around it, the carefully-stacked stones weathered from centuries of exposure. A wide channel from the river cut through the wild jungle in an oddly straight line, plugged right into where the base of the pyramid no doubt sat but wasn’t visible through the dense shadowy growth. The pyramid stood so impossibly tall, so ominously imposing - how in the hell had satellite imagery never showed it?

Ava broke the silence from her seat in the bow. “If only the others could see this….”

You wet your upper lip, still stunned to actually see it. “This is unreal.”

“Es ist unglaublich.” Ernst’s words were ripe with awed fascination as he stood at your side. “We have to get closer.”

You turned to see him braced against the steering console for balance in the bobbing boat. He stared at the pyramid in raptured wonder with the same excited smile on his face from that night of the gala, from when he’d spoken of the echoing sound in the King’s Chamber. A fond warmth burst in your chest, wanting to always have that smile in your life.

“We have to be careful.” Ava said, bringing you back to yourself. “We’re only here to undo whatever damage was done - nothing more.”

“Agreed,” Ernst nodded, cutting a glare over to Jensen where she sat next to Ava in the bow. “If you would tell me what actually happened, then that would help. Otherwise, it will take longer.”

Jensen turned away from the pyramid, shaking her head in open fear and disgust. “He...opened it. A plugged stone porthole in the side of the pyramid, near the doorway...or what looked like a doorway, anyway. What did he call it?” She fished for the words, eyes narrowing in thought. “Some sort of relief valve. Kiel gave the order for everyone to stand down, strictly hands-off - but Schmidt didn’t listen.”

Ernst - your Ernst - stilled as he contemplated Jensen’s words. You tried to recall the details of his explanations last night, to think past the exhausted-fog that the coffee hadn’t lifted. Suddenly, a brain cell fired as details slotted into place. “A vacuum relief valve.” You met his gaze. “If the interior forms a vacuum, they’d have to bleed air into the structure before any door could be opened.” It was the same concept as vacuum relief valves on yacht blackwater systems.

His lip curled in appreciation. “Ingenious - of course.” His mind feverishly worked behind his glasses. “The Great Pyramid lost its hermetic seal and stopped producing water vapor...so, pulling the plug on the Cloverfield Pyramid would naturally lead to the same result.” He looked back to the stone structure that loomed over the jungle. “We have to get in there and re-establish the vacuum.”

Ava’s eyes widened with hopeful curiosity. “And that should fix all this…?”

Jensen’s mouth pulled to a tight line. “And what about my Shepherd crew?”

Ernst shrugged a hand at this side. “Our dimensions co-existed without collision prior to the pyramid’s discovery, so it stands to reason that restoring the original condition should realign our worlds.”

You sighed uneasily, shifting the RIB throttle forward and easing the boat into the straight channel. “You make it sound so easy.”

“It’s never as easy as it sounds.” He craned his neck to look at the surrounding jungle foliage as you left the main river behind. His face pinched, pointing up at the surrounding encroaching vines and jungle flora. “These have been disturbed recently - look, you can see fresh breaks.”

Sure enough, you could see bright spots of fresh, exposed wood beneath exterior bark and other signs of recent damage.

“I told you that we already found the pyramid.” Jensen said, not bothering to glance around from where she still sat in the bow. “Took nearly all of us on the prow to cut back the wild growth to clear this channel.”

“Absolutely incredible.” Ava’s words carried just above the low hum of the motors and buzzing jungle insects as she stared out into the thick greenery. “Just look at those….”

You followed her gaze to see a myriad of dark stone structures emerging from the dense wilderness. Various man-made dwellings in all stages of ancient decay surrounded you, racing a creeped out shiver down your spine. A surprising number were clear of encroaching jungle flora, but a few had been reclaimed by nature, reduced to shadowy husks of their former glory.

Uncertain fear rippled down your spine as your fight-or-flight instinct fired. You cast a quick glance over your shoulder, feeling the heavy air close in around you. The sunlight created a disorienting haze, the world behind you fading in a veil of steamy mist. You turned back to face forward, drawing a sharp inhale. The merciless heat and oppressive humidity threatened to suffocate you as a symphony of insects and other wildlife pounded in your ears.

“My god…,” Ava continued, looking around with wide eyes. “This is the discovery of the millennia. Just look at all the structures and relics, and all so completely pristine - this is every archaeologist’s dream.” She turned her smile to Jensen. “When we set the worlds to right, we’ll have to bring a team back. The museum - the world - has to know about this.”

Jensen shook her head minutely. “No, Ava. No one can know this place exists.” Her jaw set with sudden, unnerving fierce determination. “And I cannot allow any of you to jeopardize that.”

She moved before anyone could react.

Jensen stood, unclipping the boat hook from the hull and bearing it with both hands. She swung it with her full strength at Ernst’s chest, knocking him off his feet and sending him over the gunwale. His distressed cry muffled as he hit the water with a loud splash. Your own scream echoed in your ears as Jensen turned the boat hook towards you. You ducked behind the steering console just as the hook connected with the plexiglass windscreen.

Grunts of exertion sounded from the bow, and the RIB rocked violently as you saw Ava dive at Jensen.

“Mina!” Ava begged. “Stop this!”

“I’m sorry - I’m -.” Jensen’s words dissolved in a groan of pain over the sounds of struggle. “I can’t allow any of you to go back! I can’t risk any of you doing further damage!”

You stood up, keeping a desperate grip on the steering wheel as you still hadn’t hit the throttle to stop the boat. Ava wrestled the boat hook from Jensen, reaching for it but falling short as Jensen tackled her to the bottom of the RIB.

You made a split-second decision. Pushing forward on the throttle, the RIB gained in acceleration and you braced for impact. The boat rammed into the soft, muddy shore, tearing alarmed screams from both women at the sudden impact. You killed the engine and moved around the console, trying to pry Jensen off of Ava. A backhand caught you in the mouth and you stumbled back, dazed and tasting copper.

“Mina, this makes no sense!” Ava pleaded again, fingers scrabbling for the boat hook as Jensen locked her hands around Ava’s throat.

Tears stung Jensen’s eyes. “It makes perfect sense - three people...to spare eight billion.”

You launched yourself forward, your shoulder connecting with Jensen’s to break her hold on Ava. A grunt of pain punched from you as you tousled with her against the RIB gunwale, landing hard against the fiberglass. You rolled to your side, pain exploding in your hip and heart pounding as you gulped down the stifling air.

Ava swung the boat hook around and you watched it connect with Jensen’s back, knocking her out of the RIB onto the muddy shore. Ava leapt after her, still wielding the boat hook. You paused, trying to collect your breath and calm your spinning vision. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Adrenaline coursed through you, every sense on high alert - and fuck, what about Ernst? Panic burst in your chest and your sniffled, tasting blood.

Choking back everything that threatened to boil over, you pushed to your feet, crawling shakily over the gunwale. You had lost track of Ava and Jensen in the steamy, shadowy surroundings of encroaching jungle flora and crumbling stone structures. Blood rushed in your ears but it wasn’t enough to drown out the sounds of wildlife around you, and your stomach plummeted to realize just how surrounded you were, unable to see, unable to breathe.

Every frightening, haunting image of Kiel’s Amazon wildlife slideshow rushed to the forefront of your mind and you froze, your gaze darting all around. Shit, this was not the time. You knew that Ava needed your help, but fear paralyzed you. Was anything above you? Any nearby spider webs? Or snakes slithering up from the riverbed? Or crawling up from underground?

You cried out as a high-pitched whining noise filled your ear, slapping at your neck as something grazed your skin. You gasped for breath, your heart pounding just as a horrific scream of pure pain pierced the heavy air. You looked up with wide eyes, scanning the thick foliage to see Jensen step out from a stone dwelling, screaming in more agony, only…it wasn’t just Jensen.

Open terror grew on your face as you saw that she was swarmed with long, black ants. Her whole body appeared to be moving as the black insects engulfed her, crawling up her legs and down her arms. Of course, she feebly tried to brush them off but there were far too many. Her face twisted in a gruesome, anguished tableau as she stretched out a hand towards you before collapsing to the jungle floor.

Your hands flew to your mouth, covering a heaving, gasping sob. Tears streamed freely down your cheeks as fear overwhelmed you.

The jungle fell disturbingly silent with only the ominous drone of insects for company. Your eyes frantically darted among the trees, among the shadowy dwellings for any sign of Ava, or any movement...but there was nothing. Had Jensen managed to knock her out? Or had the ants gotten her, too? Your sob filled the air as you pinched your eyes shut. Maybe it was better if you didn’t know.

Your chest heaved, and you tried to force deep breaths, tried to calm down. You glanced back at the RIB, your last lifeline. What would happen if you just left now? If you returned to Manaus and listed the rest of the team as dead? Could you bring back help to restore whatever cosmic scale had been upended? Could...would you find Ernst on the way back?

You failed to choke back another sob, taking a shaking step towards the boat. Movement rustled off to your left, and you jumped with a wide-eyed cry only to see a dripping-wet Ernst push through the enveloping shadows and low shrubs. You didn’t even think as you flew towards him, crashing into him.

“Don’t, don’t.” He cautioned, holding his arms high. “I don’t know if my clothes are covered...or if I picked something up.”

“I don’t care, I don’t care.” You sobbed, refusing to let him go. “The ants overwhelmed Jensen, and I don’t know where Ava is...and you’re still alive. Fuck!”

“The ants…?”

You raised a trembling hand towards the dwellings. “Don’t go over there - I wouldn’t know what to do if they swarmed you, too.”

“Alright, I won’t. I promise.” He said with a sigh, finally relenting to wrap his arms around you.

You burrowed further against his wet chest, hearing his hiss of pain. “Oh, I’m sorry,” you pulled back, fighting to steady your breathing as you glanced to his chest. “I hope you don’t have a broken rib.”

“No way to know right now,” he said softly, rubbing soothing circles against your back. “But for this much pain, it better be broken.”

“We have to get out of here,” your words trembled as you met his gaze, noticing that he was without his glasses. “We have to go back - we’re not...we can’t do this.”

His face held a discomforting, strong determination. “Yes, we can. The only way back is to go forward. You know that.”

You slowly turned away to regard the imposing shape of the pyramid that loomed just down the shoreline. You sniffled, shaking your head. “I don’t care, I don’t want to know. So many people have already died, Ernst - and I can’t watch you be the next one.”

“I won’t, Schatz. I won’t - neither of us will. I’m in this with you, and we’re in this together - remember?” He summoned an encouraging smile. “We’ll take what we need from the boat, we’ll be careful - and we will both get out of here, Schatz. I made you a promise, remember?”

You wanted to believe him. You desperately wanted to believe him. You wanted to give him that chance in Manaus. You wanted to see what you could possibly work out for a future together. You wanted to hold him always.

You swiped at the tear tracks on your cheeks, sniffling back more tears. What choice did you really have? Slowly, you met his gaze, nodding. “I remember - and I want you to keep it.”

His mouth pulled to a thin smile as he leaned in, gently pressing his lips to your forehead. The simple, reassuring contact made you want to dissolve against him, to forget everything in the last 48 hours.

But not yet. With shaking steps, you turned for the RIB with him at your side and you both dug through the e-gear packs. He took a minute to strip out of his soaked clothes and re-dress while you strapped a pack laden with rations, first aid supplies and a portable breathing unit to your back. You glanced up, watching him adjust the straps of his own e-gear pack before he reached back into the crate. He came up with a long machete, slipping it from the sheath to let the metal blade glint in the hazy sunlight.

You couldn’t stop the faint smirk that tugged at your lips as you sniffled. “You...you look like my own personal version of Indiana Jones.”

He shot you his best swaggering grin as he turned the machete over in his hand. “If only I had the hat.”

You hummed. “If only.” You turned back for the RIB, unclipping one of the emergency paddles.

He arched a brow. “Don’t tell me that’s for self-defense?”

You shrugged uneasily, holding the paddle at your side. “Well, you know...just in case we have to fight anything off….”

His mouth quirked with an endearing smile. “An optimistic thought, Schatz. But if it makes you feel better.” With uneven steps from the weight of the pack against his injured torso, he moved away from the RIB. “Just please don’t hit me with it.”

“No,” your eyes widened in shock at the suggestion, “of course not. I…I just...,” your fingers clenched around the paddle as your words stalled.

He gave you a reassuring smile. “Come on, we’ll be alright.”

Slowly, you nodded, forcing yourself to take a deep breath as you fell in step with him. Your gaze darted all around - looking for any sign of movement, listening for any change in the roaring hum of insect life - anything that might signal an imminent attack.

“We’ll keep to the edge of the riverbank,” he continued, “then, if anything comes at us from inland, we’ll have plenty of time to react. And with the exception of the anaconda, the rest of the water dangers won’t pose a threat unless we’re actually in the water.”

You focused on his voice, drawing immense comfort from it as you walked. “Keep talking,” you encouraged, “it helps.”

He glanced at you with a gentle smile. “First time I’ve heard that. You may regret telling me that someday.”

Your foot landed on something hard and you froze. It felt like...stone. You glanced down, toeing at the mud. Sure enough, a flat slab of stone revealed itself beneath the muck.

“Scheiße…just look at that.” Ernst breathed, peering out into the jungle.

“What?” You followed his gaze, your mouth falling slack. An overgrown stone pathway cut through the jungle, moving away from the riverbank and curving in towards the pyramid. Your stomach sank at the implication. “Great...and just as I was getting comfortable with the idea of sticking close to the water.”

“I have the machete, you have a paddle,” Ernst hefted the machete for emphasis, looking back at you. His concern for you still shone on his face, but now it was tempered with the excitement of discovery. “What else could we possibly need?”

Your stomach knotted further - god, how far would he push this? How much more would have to be sacrificed? You exhaled sharply. “Fuck, I don’t like this - any of this.”

“When we get out of here, I’ll make sure that you never have to go to the jungle again.” He stepped onto the stone path and you followed suit, moving on cautious steps. “We’re so close now - and if what Jensen said is true, then we reset the relief valve and restore the pyramid’s seal.”

You tried not to picture Jensen covered in the moving mass of black ants, failing miserably as a shiver raced down your spine despite the awful heat. “Surely, there has to be more to it than that.”

“Says who? The ancient indigenous peoples knew enough about the natural properties of pressurized water that there would be no reason to overcomplicate it.”

“But...that original image from Volkov’s presentation. It showed -.” Your words abruptly cut off, jerking your head sideways as something croaked nearby off to your left. You turned back center, forcing a fearful swallow. “If you remember - it showed a person inside and above the pyramid. But that...how could that possibly make sense? If your vacuum theory is correct, humans can’t survive inside a vacuum, let alone fly above the pyramid...”

“The argument can absolutely be made that this pyramid wasn’t just used for religious worship - or, who knows, perhaps the indigenous peoples did worship this force that they knew was powerful.” His speculation provided a welcome distraction as you approached the base. “Perhaps a ceremony happened prior to creating the vacuum seal...or if it does indeed hold the power to reverse magnetic poles, maybe it does indeed have enough power to...to transport...humans? We’re solid matter, after all, just like magnetic particles.”

“Now that’s a terrifying thought.” You carefully stepped up the tiered incline of stone, still not quite believing the massive, hulking stone pyramid that sat just ahead. Craning your neck, you stared up at it through the trees feeling incredibly small as you stood next to it. “You know, it’s amazing that satellite imagery never spotted this.”

“The energy it produces must blind the technology or hide it - either way, it’s a fascinating study.” He stepped up to the pyramid, raising a hand and slowly reaching out as if unsure what he would find. His fingers connected with the rough stone, a breathy laugh escaping him as he spoke in quiet wonder. “Ich wollte, dass es wahr ist, aber es tatsächlich zu sehen…” He shook his head, glancing up. “Ava had it right. This is the discovery of the millennia.”

You nodded, biting your lip. “But we’ve stacked up a lot of damn good evidence why this pyramid has remained undiscovered for so long....”

He ran his fingers along the stone again before pulling back and walking further along the sloped wall to regard an oval-shaped, arched opening. It wasn’t very big - maybe just four feet in diameter - and the inside edge of the thick, arched opening tapered in. A larger diameter stone, carved and polished to a smooth, rounded shape rested on a vertical swing hinge next to the opening.

You wet your lips, studying the design. “Just look at that - the interior of the opening is tapered, so when the vacuum seal is created, it sucks the rounded, polished stone inwards, but the opening is too small, thereby creating the pressure seal.”

“Same for this,” Ernst nodded at a significantly smaller opening, maybe half a foot wide. His gaze turned to his feet, crouching down as he rested the machete at his side and retrieved a long stone, carved and polished into a tapered cone. He held it up to the smaller opening. “Close the door under normal atmospheric pressure, then plug the last hole to create the hermetic seal. Whenever the seal needs to be broken, pull the plug to bleed in air pressure and reduce the vacuum until the door can be opened.” His mouth curved with impressed respect. “Absolutely brilliant.”

You couldn’t help but agree with him, still astounded that this ancient culture had such a solid understanding of physics. Hefting the pack on your back, grimacing at the sweat that soaked your shirt, you glanced at the still water that nestled the base of the pyramid where the river connected with stone. “So, where do we start?”

“And you call yourself a mechanic,” he mock-scolded, swinging his pack around, “like any machine, you start by looking under the hood, yes?” He knelt down, fishing in his pack to reveal his flashlight and portable breathing unit. Opening the case, he unfurled the face mask and adjoining hose. “Even opened, I would anticipate an oxygen deficient atmosphere. The Great Pyramid has ventilation shafts opened and dug over the centuries, but I wouldn’t expect to find that here.”

You didn’t protest, kneeling down to rummage in your own pack. Securing the fit of your mask and checking each other’s fit and air supply, you approached the dark mouth of the pyramid. You glanced at the abandoned machete, hesitant. “You’re sure we won’t need that?”

“No.” He switched on his flashlight, shining the beam into the dark interior. “If anything, I’d say we’re probably safer inside the pyramid than in the jungle.”

Nothing about that thought should be comforting, and it wasn’t - especially as you watched Ernst crawl through the opening, taking care not to knock his pack against the stone.

You gripped your own flashlight tight as you saw his hand extend out of the shadowed darkness, ready to help you. With your heart in your throat and adrenaline spiking in your blood, you maneuvered in after him and left the world of hazy sunshine behind.

Link to Ch. 10

Tag List: @charistory @somethingthatsaysbubbles @everythingbeginsineternity-blog @scuttle-buttle @apparrio

#the cloverfield paradox #ernst schmidt #ernst schmidt x you #ernst schmidt x reader #daniel brühl #daniel brühl x reader #daniel brühl x you #fanfic

[equestrianwritingsstuff]

In recognition of 200 followers.....

I composed a list of 200 hero x villain dialogue prompts for you guys to ask me or reblog it and ask your own followers or if you take inspiration.

Thank you so much! It means a whole lot!

1. "I wish I had longer to love you."

2. "Sometimes being the greatest is being the worse."

3. "I will kill you if you die on me."

4. "Bury me... under a willow tree... with tulips and lilies to blossom in the spring and a small stream to keep me company."

5. "Villains aren't capable of love; yet, here I am crying over your grave."

6. "The kitten's name is Max."

7. "I'm going to get a beer."

8. "There is only one way to kill me, but you could never muster the strength to pull through."

9. "I'm dizzy with love for you."

10. "Hero, you are drunk not a toddler."

11. "I pledge to serve you willingly, butthead."

12. "Ride the waves with me." "You are a mermaid, no thanks."

13. "Stay awake for me; it's only a little farther."

14. "I can't carry you!"

15. "He isn't much, but we'll make do."

16. "I WANT TO SEE HER! LET ME SEE HER PLEASE. Please..."

17. "George Washington never told a fib, and I am greater than him, so trust me, Hero, when I say I am telling the truth."

18. "Eggs and butter make dough, knives and guns make death."

19. "You are insane."

20. "The bomb is going off in twenty seconds, Hero. Run now. I-I'm going to stop it."

21. "What is love?"

22. "I don't get the function of hugs."

23. "Mentally I'm good, but physically..."

24. "I only wished for happiness from that genie. I guess it was evil."

25. "Break him, shatter him, destroy him."

26. "Sing with me."

27. "Villain you are touch starved, not dying."

28. "What the heck did you do to your hair." "What? You don't like it?" "It looks like my cat's litterbox."

29. "Don't give me hope."

30. "I am not a disease or a parasite. I am a human. I am one of those millions you swore to protect."

31. "Kiss, marry, kill?" "Kill, kill, kill."

32. "You created me."

33. "Villain don't you dare pass out."

34. "I like the look of blood on you, compliments your eyes."

35. "I kinda dropped Hero through space."

36. "Power exhaustion sucks."

37. "Time to save the world. Yay!" *says in sarcasm*

38. "Let me feed you Hero."

39. "You do not have AC?!"

40. "Villain you have a fever."

41. "Am I drunk?"

42. "Movies. Nine o'clock. Don't be late."

43. "Lemme grab a beer and we are good to go."

44. "Don't. Look. At. Me."

45. "He just had his wisdom teeth out sooo." "How bad can it be? Villain has been shot with twenty tranq darts at one and didn't pass out... immediately anyway, took a good twenty minutes." "Well, you see-" "THE KITTEN IS TRYING TO KILL ME!!!!!"

46. "She needs surgery."

47. "It's a panic attack..." "KISS HIM!"

48. "Blood, gore, madness... this was made for me."

49. "Quit drooling on me and sit up."

50. "There's only one bed."

51. "He looks so cute when he sleeps."

52. "Of all the places to live, you had to choose a heavily fortified medieval castle two thousand years in the past?"

53. "You are a peacock Hero."

54. "Let's see who will drown first. You or me. One, two, three... let's go!"

55. "I wasn't always like this."

56. "Madness is for geniuses, not for me."

57. "It's just a sedative that's going to make you nice and docile."

58. "He's out." "Good, let him rest, villainy is hardwork."

59. "I love her, but she doesn't love me."

60. "If I had a choice to save you or me, I'd pick me."

61. "Gag her."

62. "They aren't made for this, give them mercy."

63. "Talk now or she dies."

64. "Broken ribs, broken jaw, broken arm... are you sure you want me to continue." "No." "Then tell me your name."

65. "Get me some thread and a needle. Just don't touch me."

66. "The police are coming."

67. "Tell me where she is. TELL ME WHERE IS SHE OR I WILL SLASH YOUR THROAT AND TOSS YOU IN THE SEWER!!!!!"

68. "I love you." "I don't."

69. "Hug me just one last time."

70. "Villain hey hey hey. Calm down. You've been in a pretty bad accident."

71. "They won't be able to walk again."

72. "Tell me... just tell if they made it."

73. "Can't you just poof me another arm?"

74. "If you saved all of them, you can save me."

75. "I'm really tired..."

76. "Sleep. I will stay with you."

77. "She is sixteen years old." "All musicians start young." "This isn't a concert, this is life. Stop ruining it."

78. "He"s been in an accident." "Where?" "Five minutes away from your place."

79. "I wish he wasn't unconscious, so I could talk to him. So I could thank him."

80. "It's been four months now. I have came everyday and, uh, I dunno what to say. Hero, I need you to wake up. I can't function knowing you are right here."

81. "I have a date." "Hmm with who?" "Supervillain." "When and where honey?"

82. "Shhhhhhh. Be quiet. We are still being hunted."

83. "Desert?" "What are you trying to do? Kill me?"

84. "I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you." "I know, I know dear and I so sorry, but I need you to help me. I need you to help them."

85. "Villain just sleep. Allow the drugs to take you under. Don't fight it, don't resist... just sleep. In the morning, we will be safe."

86. "Being lost in the woods isn't ideal."

87. "An injection of valium will do it."

88. "There's no anesthesia."

89. "Wouldn't it be great if we never met each other?"

90. "Bless you." "I didn't sneeze." "Yeah right. Now go sit down, you're sick."

91. "It's called insomnia you dim-wit."

92. "Join me and we can be great."

93. "You didn't bring me here for the cake." "No, dear, but you are so gullible. I brought you here for a sacrifice." "My life?" "Why yes."

94. "I don't know. I never had someone collapse on my doorstep before."

95. "I have nothing to lose. No family, no friends, just my meaningless life."

96. "That's my daughter, not the villain's... so give me her back before I rip your eyes out."

97. "How long was I out for?!" "Ten minutes, but you were drifting. I don't think you had that good of rest." "Oh, I thought I was asleep for hours."

98. "I know, I know you are going to hate me after this, but trust me when I say it's for the best."

99. "I know everything about you."

100. "I think narcissism is contagious because after watching you for a couple hours, I think I may have developed a little crush on the mirror..."

101. "What did you give me?"

102. "Is she screams, I'm going to scream, and then we are going to die."

103. "No fighting today, my cat just died."

104. "How hard did you punch me?"

105. "Not gonna lie, being delirious was epic."

106. "I am cooking for you. You aren't my servant, so stop thinking it."

107. "My old masters made me into a weapon and called me Villain, but if you desire a lapdog I am going to need to be refurnished to fit your needs."

108. "What is his deal?" "I think he's just crazy."

109. "Love is not what I had in mind when I agreed to go on a date with you."

110. "Hugs are overrated."

111. "Are you too hot or too cold?" "Both."

112. "I wish we could turn back time."

113. "I lost the game." "What do you mean? Hero is dead." "Precisely."

114. "Make a wish." "That you live."

115. "Villain has been acting exceptional! Today we granted them a break from the machine. Go ahead Hero and take him for some ice cream."

116. (Sleepy murmurs) "Don't go. I neeeed you." "Yeah yeah I know Villain."

117. "Villain was the one who hurt me, not Hero."

118. "Supervillain is in danger!"

119. "If everyone is scared of me, I might as well be alone."

120. "My head is killing me."

121. "Don't call an ambulance. Just... hold me."

122. "You don't have to do this. It's going to hurt you more than me." "Anything for you dearest, anything at all."

123. "Hero, go wash your hands before dinner."

124. "You have PTSD?" "I don't know?"

125. "I have soap in my eyes!' "Rinse it out." "Mm no I'm permanently mortally blinded." "Uh huh."

126. "We need to cuddle to keep warm."

127. "Take care of them for me, will you?"

128. "When I'm gone, promise to tell my mother, please."

129. "Drug him and then bring him to me."

130. "Superheroes are for children. In all honesty, we are all villains."

131. "Oh my gosh, Hero, what happened?" "Poisoned."

132. "Wouldn't it be nice?" "I don't fancy prosthetics."

133. "Just shut up and listen!"

134. "There is a memorial parade for Hero tomorrow. They asked you to lead it."

135. "She turned it around... at the end."

136. "I wish that he understood how much I care for him."

137. "Civilian! He fell asleep in my lap last night, like totally zooted. It was so cute, but also very tempting. I stuck a french fry up his nose." "Wow. Did he wake up then?" "Yeah, I am sorta kidnapped right now..."

138. "The book, the sword... all pieces of the puzzle huh." "No, darling, all pieces of my game."

139. "Their death is my fault! Not your's, but mine, so quit trying to make me feel better."

140. "Once upon a time-" "Oh please, not another fairytale."

141. "If only it was that easy."

142. "We are stuck in a maze, how can you be so joyful?"

143. "Celebrate Hero, eat your cake, party into the night... but just know, I will be back."

144. "Call 911!" "Why?" "I stubbed my toe."

145. "Your jawline looks like it was gauzed over in lard." "It looks better than your hay for hair."

146. "You're my best friend." "Villain? Are you on drugs?"

147. "Lay him there and leave him. Let the rats dine on him."

148. "The point of the cow suit?" "Oh, uh, I was at a Halloween parade. You know, for children."

149. "I-i never wanted to hurt you." "I know, I wanted you to, so I allowed it."

150. "Favorite movie?" "Your death." "Ooo never heard of it, let's watch it." "*groans* Oh my gosh, you are stupid."

151. "Being a flutist is my only superpower. And being modest apparently."

152. "Your head will join my collection if yoi don't watch out."

153. "Hey, hey! Wake up, buddy. It's just a nightmare."

154. "Meh head hurts." "Yeah, you hit it pretty hard."

155. "Let's go for a ride." "On that yellow miniature school bus?" "It's a ranger you idiot."

156. "No painkillers, no bandages, perfect environment for infection to settle... I'm just gonna leave you here Villain."

157. "I save you and this is how you repay me? A prison?"

158. "What are you doing?" "Climbing a tree? No Hero, I am breaking into your house to kidnap you."

159. "I formally apologize."

160. "Of all places, Hero, you had to teleport us to a desert. A DESERT."

161. "Supervillain won't stop unless we team up." "I don't think our alliance will stop them, I think it'll just make them angrier."

162. "Stop singing or I will blow this place until even the last atom is broken into itty-bitty molecules!" "That... that is scientifically impossible."

163. "I'm a genius! Yippee!"

164. "Life isn't perfect and nor is your morals."

165. "Control yourself before you kill everyone around you."

166. "Say your goodbyes."

167. "Of all the ways I've died, drowning was by far the nicest."

168. "Love the collar. Is it for fashion purposes?" "Uh, um, uh, er, no?"

169. "You look lonely. Want some hot coco?"

170. "It is negative million out there and you expect me to come in toasty warm after fixing your power?"

171. "Are you sick?" "Yeh." "Come on in then."

172. "Civilian, don't even bother trying to save him."

173. "We have a breach!"

174. "What makes a villain's life less important than your's?"

175. "Enjoy your soup." "You poisoned it." "And you're delusional, eat up."

176. "I hate 99% of the population." "According to a meme I found, you are therefore a cat."

177. "Don't overuse your powers."

178. "This is just an unfortunate event."

179. "You look so cute when you are sleepy and barely conscious."

180. "His fever is rising."

181. "Save her, leave me. I'll-i'll get out of this somehow."

182. "Sometimes self-sacrifice isn't noble, it's selfish."

183. "You are so funny that I need my inhaler to kill you with." "That sentence was so discombobulated that I am leaving."

184. "Just for your information, I hate oranges but love grapes."

185. "Walking down the stairs shouldn't be a momental effort." "You broke both your legs."

186. "You just destroyed my life's work, don't expect me to give you a huge bear hug."

187. "Is it true that you have telekinesis?" "Yes, why?" "Go steal me a donut."

188. "You are so incredibly touch starved, Villain." "Mmm." "Tired? Go ahead and sleep, I'm here."

189. "This is for your own good, I promise."

190. "I'm cold."

191. "I don't want to move and you can't make me."

192. "I AM RETIRED! YOU DON'T NEED TO CONTINUE TO SEND ME PAMPHLETS OF THE HOTTEST HERO OF THE YEAR!"

193. "He's unconscious." "That tired, huh." "No, he passed out from blood loss."

194. "I want a kitten."

195. "I'm no scared of you, so stop acting like I am."

196. "He isn't dangerous, just scared."

197. "They won't be going anywhere for a long, long time."

198. "Hero? Hero? Oh my goodness, please wake up."

199. "Life is too short for pleasures."

200. "I hope you are happy, in the end."

#heros and villains #ask game #200 followers #thank you so much

[actress4him]

ahhh I'm so excited for the whump bingo series! can you do pidge in either 'caught in a snare' or in 'clawing at own throat'? ^^

This one...fought with me. I knew right away what kind of trap I wanted to use once I saw it online, but I had a hard time figuring out what scenario exactly to use that made sense and wouldn’t be too long or too short. But here it is, I finished it, and I hope it’s to your liking, Anon!

@badthingshappenbingo

Prompt: Caught in a Snare

Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender

Warnings: near drowning, death mention

.

.

“I hate the outdoors.”

“Yeah,” Lance replies drily. “You mentioned that. A few times.”

Growling, Pidge kicks at a piece of rotting wood in her path. “It’s getting more and more true by the minute.”

The trek continues in silence for a minute, though she hardly notices the lack of conversation for all the rustling and tweeting and whatever other disgusting natural noises are going on around them and all of the furious thoughts pouring through her head. That is, until Lance decides to speak up again and say,

“You know you’re supposed to be like, the Guardian of Nature, right?”

“Shut up, Lance, I literally never asked for that title!” she hisses, narrowing her eyes at him briefly before returning her gaze to the path. Her luck, she’d end up tripping over something. “I mean don’t get me wrong, I love Green, but I’m much more into the curiosity and technology part, not the nature part.”

Silence again. “For what it’s worth,” he offers after a minute, “I’m not enjoying the situation, either.”

She rolls her eyes. “I’d be concerned if you were.” After all, when the two of them had agreed to come here to look for some rare fruit Allura and Coran wanted to trade with another potential Coalition planet, having all of their electronic devices - including Green - fail them so that they had to hike through the freakin’ jungle was not exactly part of the plan.

Her head and ribs still hurt from the rough landing. Nothing broken, thankfully, but she’s pretty sure she’s got some nice looking bruises. So, sue her if she’s a little grumpy. She feels she has the right.

And what jungle is cold, anyway? Not cold enough that she needs to keep her helmet sealed, but much colder than a jungle should be.

Space is so weird.

“Hey, I think I hear water over there.” Lance points somewhere to their right, through the endless trees. “If it’s a river or a creek we should try following it.”

Sighing, Pidge nods. It’s a good idea, and she’s not sure she would have thought of it. Wilderness survival isn’t really her forte. “Yeah, okay. Maybe luck will be on our side for once today and we can get a drink, too. I’ve still got that tester thing Coran gave me to see if it’s safe.”

“A drink sounds amazing right about now.”

There is a river, a rather large one at that, and it doesn’t take them long to find it. The vibrant turquoise color is a little off-putting, as is the steep embankment, but Pidge is determined to test it anyway and try to get them that drink they’re both craving.

“Over here, I see a path down.” She heads out in front of Lance, picking her way through the underbrush to a spot where it’s slightly less overgrown. Likely either animals or locals have been using the spot to get their own drinks from the river.

“Don’t fall!” Lance calls good-naturedly from a few yards behind.

Pidge is just about to throw a snarky response over her shoulder when something latches onto her ankle and her feet are suddenly yanked out from underneath her. Her already sore body slams backwards onto the ground. Vaguely she can hear Lance cackling at her, but she doesn’t have time to focus on it.

There’s some kind of twine wrapped around her ankle, and there’s a boulder tumbling down the embankment next to her toward the water, and somehow the two are connected and she’s being dragged swiftly down the hill with them.

It all happens in a matter of seconds. She throws her hands out, grasping at plants and roots and anything else she can find, but all she ends up with is a fistful of purple leaves and a ripped glove.

Right before she reaches the water Lance’s laughter turns into yelling. Then the boulder hits the surface with a loud splash, and she follows right behind it. It’s like being plunged into an ice bath. Automatically her mouth opens to gasp from the cold, but she stops herself just short of actually inhaling.

The river is deeper than it looked from above. The rock is still sinking, and it’s still pulling her with it. Down, down, where the water becomes less turquoise and more murky grey. Pidge fights against it, tries to swim upward, back to the surface, but the rock is far heavier than she is. Even when she kicks on her jet pack, it just sputters and barely halts the downward progress. There’s no way she’s going to be able to tug the rock back up with her.

Looking down, she can just barely see the twine where it wraps around her ankle and disappears into the darkness. If she can’t swim back up with that attached, then obviously she’s going to have to get rid of it.

Her lungs are already starting to ache.

Releasing a few bubbles, she bends over and pulls at the twine, but it’s so tight it would be cutting into her ankle if not for her armor. She can’t get even a fingernail underneath it.

A muted splash echoes through the water, and she lets a little bit more air out when she looks up to see Lance diving swiftly toward her. His eyes are wide behind his sealed faceplate. Pidge gives a pointed tug on the twine, and he nods, swimming with practiced ease down to her feet. Grabbing it with both hands, he attempts to break it, then moves up to her foot and finds out the same thing she did, it’s too tight to slip off.

There’s not much air left in her lungs, and most of what’s there slips past her lips without her permission. Her chest is beginning to burn.

Lance is making weird motions at her with his hands, but she’s having a hard time focusing on them past the black dots dancing in front of her eyes. Those are...probably not a good sign.

Finally he swims back up next to her, patting her hip as he leans in close to her ear. “Bayard!” she barely makes out.

Oh. Yeah. She’s gonna blame the lack of oxygen for not thinking of that herself.

She can barely see anymore, but she summons her bayard to her hand and attempts to lean down toward her foot. At this point she’s gonna be lucky if she doesn’t slice her leg off accidentally. But then Lance’s hands are wrapping around hers, and he’s guiding her downwards. Just before the black spots completely take over and her body goes limp, she feels the tension on her ankle release.

The next thing she’s aware of is lying on her side in a patch of dirt, coughing violently and spitting out gross river water while something slaps her on the back. She only realizes that the something is probably Lance’s hand when he leans over into her face.

“Oh, thank goodness! I thought I was gonna have to do rescue breaths and put my lips on your lips and I just -”

“Lance, please.” She coughs again, and wonders briefly if maybe she swallowed some seaweed or a fish or something because it feels like there’s one stuck in her chest somewhere. “I’m trying...not to throw up right now. I don’t...don’t need that visual.”

“Yeah. Same.” He falls back onto his butt, staring at her with traces of fear still on his face. “I would have done it, though, to, you know...save you. That, uh...really scared me. I barely got it cut before you passed out and the bayard went back to neutral and then you were like, dead...well, not actually dead, obviously, but you looked dead and then you weren’t breathing and I -”

“Lance.” Another cough, and a shiver racks her body. “Thank you.”

He screeches to a halt, then relaxes into a smile. “You’re welcome. Sorry I, uh...kinda laughed at you. I thought you had fallen down right after I said ‘don’t fall down’, and...yeah.”

The shivers are getting worse now. “Technically I...did. Just...not my fault.”

Lance’s smile morphs into a frown. “We’ve gotta get you dried off and warmed up somehow.”

Finally gathering her energy, Pidge pushes herself up to sit, wrapping her arms around her body as if it’ll somehow help dispel the ice that has taken over. “N-not sure how that’s...gonna happen...in the middle of the...quizn-nacking jungle.”

Glancing back over his shoulder as if a solution will magically appear - and well, they are in space, stranger things have happened - Lance sighs and moves to stand up. “Maybe we should keep moving. That might help you warm up, and eventually we have to run into some civilization, right? Coran said there were sentient aliens on this planet.”

“Yeah, and s-somebody had to have set up th-that trap.” Moving is the last thing she wants to do right now. Her headache from before has multiplied exponentially in strength, and her ribs did not appreciate all the coughing she just did. She wants to curl back up on the ground and not move again for a century or two. But she allows Lance to throw her arm over his shoulder and pull her up to her feet, even if she groans dramatically in the process.

“Well, I think we should just keep following this river - not quite so closely this time - and see wh-”

This time he cuts off without an interruption from Pidge, and she looks up to see what he’s staring at. It’s aliens. A whole pack of them, bipedal and four-armed in multiple shades of green fur that almost blends in with the trees, and they’re armed with spears and axes.

They’re probably the ones that set the snare, and now they’ve come to see what they caught. Which, unfortunately, is them.

“Uh, hi guys,” Lance squeaks. “We’re, um. We’re the Paladins of Voltron. Any chance you’ve heard of us?”

This sets off an immediate wave of whispers through the group. The alien in front straightens from their defensive position and steps forward. “Voltron? The rumors are true, then? Voltron lives?”

Pidge can feel the tension leave Lance’s body. “Yes! Yes, Voltron has returned! We came here in one of the Voltron Lions to look for supplies, but something on your planet has interfered with our devices. We need help to contact our team and to find what we’re looking for.” He glances over at Pidge, whose teeth are clenched tightly to keep them from clacking together. “And she needs to get warm before she gets sick.”

The lead alien turns to have a whispered consultation with the others before nodding at Lance. “Very well. Follow us, and we will assist you.”

Another removes their heavy-looking cape and approaches carefully, draping it around Pidge’s shoulders. Immediately she melts into the warmth. “There will be a fire waiting for us in the village.”

“S-sounds great,” she manages.

Lance smiles, pulling her in a bit tighter. “Thank you.”

——————————

Instructions for requesting a square here!

#badthingshappenbingo #caught in a snare #prompt fill #voltron: legendary defender #voltron whump #pidge whump #voltron pidge #voltron lance #drowning tw #death mention tw #pidge gunderson #katie holt #vld pidge #vld #voltron fanfiction #voltron fic #vld fanfic

[tilltheendwilliwrite]

Star-Crossed: Bound by Blood

Chapter One

Master List

Pairing: Mando/Din Djarin x OFC Baast’Mal

Warnings: I'm making this up as a go, Canon divergent from the series during chapter 13, mild violence

A/N: I make this stuff up as I go along, if I screw something Star Wars-y up, apologies in advance, I didn't do it on purpose, but I'm new to this Fandom. I will be cross posting this story between AO3 and Tumblr except the smutty bits. Those chapters will only be available to registered users on AO3. (I'm trying something new for people who want to read here on Tumblr, but to also avoid the smut for minors controversy. We'll see how it goes.)

*I do not have a tag list* Please follow the story on AO3 if you want email updates, or follow @tilltheendwilliwrite-library where I post the new/latest chapters of all my stories.

***

In the sweltering heat of the jungle, Din Djarin crouched to better scan for tracks in the rotting foliage at the base of the tall trees. Pools of light made it difficult to adjust correctly for the shadowy depths; add in the thermal activity of the plants and animals in this stinking sewer of a planet, and he was having a hard time tracking his quarry. 

When he'd accepted the puck, he hadn't known what he was getting into as her chain code was surprisingly sparse. The only additional information he had was her name - Taa Marel - her last known location and face. 

And what a face. Even on a holo, she was stunning, not that the Mandalorian would let that sway him one way or the other. 

He'd tracked the stolen ship from Bogano, where she'd initially been hiding out to this skug hole of a world that was made to torment men in beskar, causing them to swelter in their helmet.

The kid, however, loved the place. 

Constantly cooing, riding in his pouch, he touched everything he could get his chubby green fingers on. Leaves, flowers, bugs; those, of course, went straight in his mouth. By this point, Mando accepted the womp rat could and would eat just about anything.

Upon arrival, they'd found the ship nose down, destroyed, and abandoned, but the crash landing had created just enough space for Mando to set the Razor Crest down. Then the hunt began.

After three hours of slogging through the heat, he was ready to kill her. After four, he decided death was too good for someone who made him sweat this hard. After five, he was determined to make her suffer. But they were closing in. He could feel it like an ache in his bones.

Tracks led forward, but something didn't sit right with that. They were too obvious. After hours of following such a well-covered trail, this was an insult to his skills. Footprints led straight down a game trail like a beacon meant to lure him astray.

It wasn't right, too easy by far, and the skin on his nape crawled.

He looked up, straight into the eyes of the woman he was hunting. Even through the distorted colour of heat vision, he could see they were a vibrant green.

He moved on instinct, whipcord shooting out, wrapping around her shoulders, and dragging her out of the tree.

She screamed the battle cry of a hunting cat, an inhuman sound before she twisted mid-air and landed lightly, crouched but on her feet. 

"Taa Marel, I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold," he warned her, hand hovering over his blaster.

"That is not my name. And I choose option three."

Her voice kicked him in the groin and made his dick twitch. Stunned, he could only watch as her hands came up and nails like talons shredded his whipcord. 

Someone had left a few things out of her chain code.

"Put the child down."

Mando blinked. "Why would I do that?" 

What did she want with his foundling? Had she heard about him? Would she attempt to take him? 

"I intend to kick your ass, Mandalorian, but I do not hurt children. Put him down."

Surprised, Mando reached for the strap across his chest instead of his blaster. "You're not going to run?"

She lifted a proud chin. "You will continue to hunt me. I would rather die than return to that hell hole, but I will not go easy. I will fight."

She was beginning to impress him with more than just her face. 

Din lifted the strap over his head, his eyes fixed on the target, studying her outside of the holo he'd memorized. 

She stood with her chin raised, body slightly turned in a stance that bespoke proper training. If one could call it that, her green tunic had no sleeves, crossed over her breasts, tied just beneath them, and ended a few inches thereafter, baring the wealth of sun-darkened skin over tightly packed muscles. Pants hugged slim hips, billowed at her thighs, and tied tight to her calves thanks to the soft, short boots that went to her knee. 

Sweat gave her a sheen that made her glow, her vibrant eyes shadowed behind thick, long lashes. Her face was a treasure trove of sculpted brows, sharp nose, and high cheekbones over lips that looked like ripe fruit, begging for teeth. 

A mass of hair, the colour of sand, fell in heavy waves to her hips. It began to darken toward the tips until it was as black as the deepest corner of space.

As he moved the kid, she untied a thin cord from her wrist and slowly began to bind her hair in a low tail.

He'd never met a woman like her, a bounty like her, ever. This one - fugitive or not - had honour in her.

The kid cooed and waved. Her lips twitched into a smile as she winked and waved back.

"Fear not, Mandalorian. Should I kill you today, I will raise your foundling as my own."

Din's blood ran cold. "You won't get the chance."

He hung the child's satchel on a low tree knot and drew the beskar spear from his back in the same motion. Though he'd won the spear from magistrate Morgan Elsbeth on Corvus and helped the Jedi Ahsoka Tano defeat her forces, the Jedi held no answers when it came to the kid. Though, Din wondered if that had more to do with him than the little green monster. She'd told him to seek another Jedi, someone with more training than she, but had given him no direction in which to search.

"He is rather cute," she smirked. "But his kind age so slowly. You will be long dead before he is grown."

Mando paused. "You know of his kind?"

She arched a brow. "You do not?"

He lowered the spear and held up his off-hand. "I am tasked with returning him to his people."

Her posture never changed, but her eyes filled with sorrow. "He has no more people. The last of his kind, or what was thought to be the last, died some years ago. Master Yoda was his name."

"I'm to help him find the Jedi," Mando murmured.

Her eyes lost their sadness. "I cannot help you."

"Will not."

"They are one and the same," she whispered. 

Lightning fast, she rushed him. Mando barely blocked the first swipe of her claws before the second clanged off his pauldron. He used the spear's shaft to knock her back, even as she kicked him in the ribs, bypassing the beskar.

"Do you know the life you condemn me to, Mandalorian, if you return me to that horrible place?" she asked, crouched once again, a few feet away.

"You're a bounty. I don't make deals," he stated, watching his quarry while keeping his body between her and the kid. His ribs smarted, but he'd had worse.

"No. You just work for the people who Purged your planet!" she spat, leaping and clawing. 

She was fast, damn fast. Barely able to keep up, it was all Mando could do not to lose ground until he saw an opening and swept the butt of the spear at her leg.

She jumped back, breath coming hard.

"I didn't ask who the bounty was for." Greef Karga offered him the chance for a big payday, and right now, they could use it.

"You work for the Empire," she sneered. "Returning me to torture and experimentation. Do you think I was always like this!?" She stood and held out her arms, flexing fingers tipped in dark claws. She bared her teeth, revealing wicked-looking canines, then lifted a portion of hair to reveal a sharply pointed ear.

Again he paused, a thing unheard of, to ask, "What are you?" Her chain code said human, but she was certainly not that.

Her proud chin lifted in defiance. "Do you know what a Zentari is, Mandalorian?"

Din inhaled sharply. "That's not possible. They were wiped out."

"All but one. I am Baast'mal, last of the Zentari. The Empire took me as a child and used my gift to ruin me. They bound my blood to the Corellian Sand Panther and Manka Cat. They have so thoroughly defiled my biorhythms that if the constellations were kind enough to cross my path with that of my mate, I do not know if I could bond with him." Pain flickered across her features. "I am sullied, broken. I am a monster," she whispered before shaking herself free of the melancholia and raising that proud chin once more. "So kill me if you can, Mandalorian, for I will not go willingly."

The beskar spear fell from his fingers as Din dropped to a knee and bowed his head. "I am a Child of the Watch. I must offer aid, Zentari. This is the Way."

"The Way?" She took a step back. "The Mandalorians no longer follow the Old Ways. They no longer conceal their face from all but their riduur and ad. The creed is long dead."

He shook his head. "My Tribe is one of zealots. We hold to the old ways of Mandalore. I only recently learned of this as I was raised with them in hiding. The Purge took much, but the ways of the Zentari are remembered in the covert."

She hesitated, eyes wary. "I have faced Mandalorians before. They knew not the Way."

Din stripped his gloves from his hands and held them out, palms up as if catching water. He raised them above his head and brought them down over his helmet, appearing to another as if he washed with air. "Zentari of the Bright Star, may the constellations bless this warrior with a treasure greater than beskar that they would be mine. Cyar'ika. Ka'rta. Riduur."

She inhaled sharply. He watched her fight tears, lip trembling before she closed the distance between them and knelt. She dipped her fingers into his cupped palms as if they held water, brought them to her brow and stroked them down over her eyes and out along her cheeks. 

Her hands shook as she lifted them toward his helmet and laid her palms lightly on the sides of the beskar. 

His hands gently grasped her wrists, her skin warm and soft beneath his fingers. She wouldn't remove it, that he was sure of, but it was an instinct he couldn't deny when someone touched his helmet.

Her voice was whisper soft when she spoke. "Mandalorian, Holder of the Creed, blessed of the constellations. May you raise warriors strong in the Way and find your riduur. Your cyar'ika. Your ka'rta." 

"This is the Way," he murmured, shaken by the encounter.

"This is the Way," she agreed as she drew him forward until his helmet lightly kissed her brow.

The shudder that raced through her raced through him with equal intensity. The Zentari race was a myth, a legend, a beautiful dream. They were so lost to time Din felt like his heart would burst with joy. 

"Have you ever removed your helmet, Mando?" she asked softly.

The shortened form of address made his heart skip. "Not before any living thing." The Droid on Nevarro didn't count, and no matter what Bo'Katan said, the creed was his way. He would never show his face to any besides his wife or children. 

Let Koska scoff as she liked at his traditions. She had not found a Zentari. She likely wouldn't know what to do with the Zentari if she did.

Din rocked back on his toes and pushed to his feet, surprised when she followed him with equal grace. "Zentari, we should return to my ship. The Alor will want to meet you. The covert will rejoice."

"Baast."

He froze as her hands landed lightly on his beskar covered chest. "What?"

"To you, I am Baast." She stared into his visor as if able to see his eyes. 

"Baast," he murmured, wishing he could speak her name without the modulator.

"Yes, Din Djarin," she smiled. 

He still held her wrists, and his hands became her shackles. "How do you know that name?" he demanded.

Long lashes swept her cheeks, a coy smile curling her lips. "Grogu told me."

His grip tightened more. "Who is Grogu?" 

She tilted her head to look past him at the kid cooing at them. "He is Grogu."

"You can understand him?" Din asked, his shock registering even through the modulator. 

"Not in words, but he speaks to those who can listen. Images. Impressions. The Force is strong in him," she smiled at Grogu. "He loves you."

"He's okay." Mando was grateful for the helmet that hid his foolish grin.

"You fool no one," Baast chuckled. She gently twisted her wrists, reminding him of her bondage. 

He let her go and stepped back to pick up the spear. 

"You are a man blessed of beskar," she murmured. "You must be a great hunter."

"Something like that," he murmured. It still shamed him how he'd acquired his armour, but if he hadn't turned in the kid - Grogu - he wouldn't have been as well-equipped to get him back and keep him safe as they ran from the Empire.

Baast headed for Grogu, her smile growing as she lifted down his carrier and situated the baby against her chest. Grogu giggled and babbled something Mando didn't understand.

"Oh, I see," Baast chuckled, casting a side-eye his direction.

"What?" Mando muttered.

"Clan of the Mudhorn. A clan of two." She flicked her claws over his sigil. "I wondered. Grogu explained."

Mando glared at the kid- Grogu. "Don't tell her all my secrets."

Grogu cooed. Baast cuddled him and smiled slyly. By that look, he was pretty sure it was too late for his secrets.

He turned to go, heading back the way he'd come. It would take hours to return to the Razor Crest, and it was already getting dark. 

***

They didn't make it back to the ship before nightfall, but he found a hollow tree in which to spend the dark hours. Creeper vines had choked the life out of the behemoth, leaving them in a cage of vines and dry, dead bark with a wealth of firewood to choose from. 

The fire burned brightly, drafting well, casting shadows across Baast's face and keeping the larger predators at bay. She slept curled around Grogu, lips gently parted. The air had finally cooled at sundown, but now he could see the shivers and goosebumps developing on her flesh. 

Slowly, he leaned forward to remove the cape from his back. Then, just as quietly, he rose, rounded the fire, and draped it over her and Grogu. She stirred but didn't wake, and Din returned to his watch on the far side of the fire.

A Zentari. He could scarce believe it.

She was a myth made flesh—a beautiful dream. Once, when Mandalore still followed the old ways, Zentarus was where many warriors sought their mates, their most cherished riduur. 

A Zentari was always fast and strong and incredibly rare. They grew quickly but aged slowly, their years stretching out into eternity, some said. Fine in face and form, when they met their match, they bonded, taking on traits of the other and giving a few as well. 

A Mandalorian could live a very long time with a Zentari mate. 

But most Mandalorians came home empty-handed as a bond with a Zentari could not be forced, but those who the stars smiled upon, those most blessed with a cherished mate, bonded in ways that grew legends. It was said their children were the most incredible of warriors.

Baast'mal was everything he imagined when told stories of Zentari as a child new to the Tribe. It didn't hurt that she was the most mesh'la female he'd ever seen. Fast. Strong. Deadly. He wondered at what the Empire had done to her, how they could force the blood bonds on Sand Panthers and Manka cats, and just what other mutations they'd caused.

He also wondered at her Force sensitivity. What she felt or even what she could do had not been discussed, but Mando knew there was more to her than he had yet discovered. 

But it was the ache in him, the growing need to once again touch her skin that concerned him. 

It was primal. Feral. It clawed at him. It had him itching to be closer - much closer - to her. He wanted to show her his face and hope she found him as pleasing as he did her. 

Din had nothing to go by in comparison. He'd seen his reflection before, of course, but he had no way of knowing if a woman would think him handsome. He'd had encounters before, ones in which everyone walked away satisfied, some paid for, others freely offered, but the helmet and the beskar never came off.

With her, he wanted to be bare, stripped off all trappings. Din wanted to feel his naked skin against hers. He wanted to taste it.

"You are a very loud thinker," she mumbled, bright eyes glowing softly beyond the fire. 

Mortification filled him. "I'm sorry, I-"

"I do not know your thoughts, Mando," she clarified, "just feel a gentle buzzing from the beskar. It restricts what I pick up from you."

Relief almost had him sagging. Baast closed her eyes, but he was loath to let the conversation end. 

"How old are you?" She looked young, maybe twenty-five.

Her brow twitched, amusement in her smile. "It is rude to ask."

"I wondered how long the Empire had you," he explained. 

Shadows darkened her eyes. "Forty years."

"But they've only been around for thirty," he frowned.

She gave a hollow laugh and sat up. "They have been around much, much longer. I remember the day they came for us. They slaughtered all who fought, men and women. Every child they could catch was rounded up and taken away." She looked away, down at dark claws. "I was the only Zentari to survive the experiments."

"I'm sorry." He was. "I know what it's like to lose everything."

She tilted her head. "You were a foundling."

It wasn't a question, and Din didn't answer her.

"They began experimenting with my blood almost immediately. I was ten when they bound traits of the Manka to me. I was fifteen when they brought in the Panther."

"How? Why?"

Her eyes burned into his. "Because they could." She flexed her fingers. "Because they are depraved. Because they are monsters, who turn others into abominations."

"You're not."

She looked at him in surprise.

Din shifted until he stood and made his way around to her side, where he offered his hand. Baast took it and joined him in the shadows as he led her a few steps away from Grogu. He stripped his gloves from his hands, the need to touch her no longer under his control.

Slowly, he reached up to caress her cheek. He pushed her hair back, revealing the pointed tip of her ear. Her eyes gleamed from behind heavy lids when he stroked his fingers down her tricep and finally cupped her elbow.

He closed his opposite hand around her nape; his thumb pressed to her spiking pulse. "You are no monster."

"My blood is sullied."

"Perhaps. But you remain unbroken," he murmured. "You lived. You escaped. Mesh'la, you are a beacon of shining hope to my Tribe. If there is one Zentari, perhaps there are others."

She closed her eyes. "There is not."

"How do you know?"

A tear trickled down her cheek. "I felt the last die three years ago. It was what gave me the strength to escape."

"Mishuk gotal'u meshuroke, pako kyore," he murmured, rubbing his thumb on her pulse.

"Pressure makes gems; ease makes decay?" A small smile twitched her lips. "Am I a gem, Mando?"

"No." 

She arched an amused brow.

"You are something more precious than any gem," he murmured.

Colour dusted her cheeks. "A Mandalorian who has a way with words? I truly have seen it all," she teased.

He sighed and made sure it echoed through the modulator. "Get some rest." He attempted to move away, but she grabbed him by the belt.

"Stay."

"Baast?"

"Stay." She took his hand, led him closer to Grogu, encouraged him to sit against a fallen chunk of tree, and then curled up beside him, tucking herself under his arm.

"The beskar is too hard," he worried.

"No harder than a prison cell, and you are much warmer. I have not known the comfort of another since I was seven," she admitted.

He sighed again but gave in, curling his arm around her.

"Thank you for your cape."

"Hm."

Her chuckle was more of a low purr. When it rippled through him, Din swore he felt something inside him purr back.

Next Chapter

#Star-Crossed #mandalorian #Mandalorian fanfiction