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mackjlee9 · 11 months

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|Part 2|Leon Kennedy x Male!Reader [?]

Warning; I struggled with this one so- I apologize in advance! I was thinking between Vendetta!Leon or Death Island!Leon, so either one is fine. 3.2k words.

Masterlist.

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Resident Evil 4

With ragged and rapid breaths, (M/n) collapsed inside the lift hoping the wooden roof of it would work as some sort of barrier, but even without it, (M/n) had already given up on making it out the island alive. He hates that he wasn't able to keep his promise, but at least... He knew he would remain a part of Leon's life, even with him gone.

He sighed, hearing the explosions going off everywhere, watching pieces of the mountains fall to the bottom of the ocean, and feeling the heat of the fire despite not being extremely close to any.

(M/n) stayed conscious for as long as he could, observing how his body was consumed by those black veins, and he sighed again, a long, drawn-out sigh as he thought of Leon. His eyes, his hair, his smile, his laugh, his voice... His lips.

His sight started getting blurry and his eyes stung with tears at the image of Leon in his mind, making him close his eyes, feeling those warm teardrops falling down his face.

"Goodbye, Leon..." Now that he said it, the knot in his throat got tighter, and he just let the tears freely make their way down, his body shaking with every sob that left him, his fists closing as he took in his reality, his final moments before everything turned black.

//////

Hours later, a few rescue helicopters find their way to the island, barely anything of it left standing above the waterline, collapsed on itself.

These people had been assigned there just to make sure the evidence had been destroyed, and that's where the land team comes in. All of them are walking around wearing suits and masks as a way to prevent any kind of direct contact with la plaga or any other virus that could linger in the air, they take careful steps where the ground feels more solid and stable, moving away pieces of rubble from the buildings that blocked their paths, kicking some small rocks that they found bothersome.

The more they walked in, the more things were found. Including bodies. Many of them actually, and most of them were unidentified corpses, with signs of bullet holes in their rotting bodies, leading them to assume this was Agent Kennedy's doing.

There were finding most of the buildings destroyed, the floor that hold them up had caved in and now they were submerged, and they were unable to go anywhere inside them, with the top of the mountain collapsed and chunks of it burying them further. They were about to leave when there was nothing useful and everything seemed to be gone, when one of the men that had wandered off on his own recognized one of the bodies.

"Captain! I found something!" He called through their radio, and the captain stopped before any other men could head over.

"What did you find, kid?" The man asked with severity, he was tired and wanted to leave, so he wasn't in the best mood to deal with any kind of "funny business".

"I found Lieutenant Colonel (L/n)!" He hurried to explain, kneeling and pressing his fingers on the male's pulse. It was there. "He's still alive!" He exclaimed before his superior told them what everyone already knew.

(M/n) was dead. He died saving Agent Kennedy, they were informed of that... But also ordered to bring his body in case they found him. Be able to give him and proper burial and say their final goodbye to the men that helped rescue the President's daughter, they weren't expecting that he would survive such an explosion.

But the moment they ran to where he was found, they understood why. Four foreign claw-like appendages had spurted out of his back, the flesh pulsing and twitching, black veins throbbing all over (M/n)'s skin.

For a moment they were scared of getting closer to him, but the way the claws were struggling to get him out and failing made the youngest of them run toward him, holding onto the slimy claw and pulling, groaning at the strength he had to use to move him barely an inch.

"Come on...! Come on!" He yelled whilst getting a better stance, "I won't...! Abandon you here, Lieutenant...!" The kid's will shook other soldiers that had served under (M/n)'s command or had the pleasure to meet the man, and they ran to help him.

They carried (M/n) on their way to the helicopter, meeting with the medic unit as they brought out a stretcher so they could carry him easier into the chopper and back to safety. But they couldn't help but think about what would actually happen to him when others see the appendages that grew on his back...

He would be safe, but he won't be treated like a human anymore. Only like a test subject. Like they've seen had happened to other infected soldiers.

The whole team got back onboard, and the medics hurried to stabilize (M/n) enough for him to receive a more adequate treatment.

Their captain turns on his radio to inform them of the situation, they had explored the remains of the island, made sure evidence was destroyed, and how they had found Lieutenant Colonel... Alive. But barely, explaining how (M/n) was in critical condition, holding a thin thread as he fought to stay alive, but left out the changes that occurred to his body. He didn't want to deal with that for now.

//////

Rushing through the halls of their base, they took (M/n) to the hospital room they had, equipped with anything (M/n) could need to make sure he stays alive.

While the doctors rushed around to get everything they needed when a man in a suit walked in. He looked at (M/n)'s body laying on the hospital bed, the claws coming out from within him catching his attention.

"Take him to the laboratory for testing once you make sure he's alive," he said, his voice not wavering even for a moment and the doctors looked at each other before nodding at the orders they received.

Everyone watched as he left, in complete silence they observed him walk out, but they still had stuff to do and a life to save.

A few of them had discussed the removal of the claws on his back, but before that, they had to do a full body scan of him to be able to see if the surgical removal was possible. And it didn't seem like they could.

All four of them were working as an extension of his spinal cord, and the parasite was still moving inside him, very slightly, twitching around and curling on itself, it appeared... To be dying.

For now, they just made sure (M/n) survived, only to later be used as a test subject.

It didn't sit right with either of them, but they had orders.

//////

When (M/n) finally woke up, he was surrounded by machines, locked in a completely white room that didn't have anything other than a metal door and a one-way mirror. He wasn't stupid, he knew where he was or had an idea of the facility he was being kept in.

He had never liked being on the other side of the mirror, observing an infected patient, a friend, or even a family member, and now he was the subject.

That was something he always feared, but it didn't make him as scared as the thought of losing Leon... Speaking of...

Where could he be?

The people in the monitoring room got a reading of (M/n)'s heart picking up, signaling he was awake, and soon, one of them rushed to his room, followed by armed guards, clipboard in their hands, ready to write anything that (M/n) could tell them or they could notice about him.

But it was useless.

Despite the physical changes he had gone through and being awake, he never responded, still as a rock, completely unresponsive to anything external from his own mind. He was lost. Whether it was temporary or permanent, they didn't know, the only they could do was wait for a signal of human behavior.

And just like that, years flew by, but it's not like (M/n) knew how long it's been since he woke up. He never responded to any questions or external stimulation used to get a reaction, he never moved aside from the automatic body movement like breathing and blinking. (M/n) didn't even sleep either, the first week they had monitored when he woke after six months he had spent the whole week awake, so it resulted in them giving him sleeping medicine through his IV.

He somehow ate, but no one was sure why or how, but one of the appendages had a mouth far behind the claw, and they weren't sure if it was moving on its own controlled by la plaga, or if (M/n) was doing that.

But the truth is, (M/n) didn't know either, he had moments where he was somehow conscious and then he was gone for long periods of time. Many had wondered why this happened, and someone had decided on checking the state of the parasite.

It was dead. Everyone knew that, but (M/n) should be somehow aware of his surroundings, nothing they had tried worked to "wake him up".

They discovered that, not only had the parasite died inside him, but while they had been waiting for it to shrink or shrivel up, it had expanded, and it managed to fuse itself with (M/n)'s spine and skull, as if it was still trying to control (M/n) during its last moment, and even after it died it refused to let go of its host. Removing it was impossible before and it was even worse now.

Many had given up on helping him, but someone was interested in his case and wanted to help an old friend back to life.

While scientists and doctors tried their best, (M/n) has short periods of lucidity he just sees flashes here and there, people going in an out of the room, talking and yelling, the feeling of foreign substances being injected into his blood, but he's not entirely sure what's happening, and when he starts to panic at not being able to understand what's occurring to him, his mind takes him to Leon and he's calm again. He's sure he has never thought of him more than he has done for as long as he stayed there.

He just wants to see him, or at least know that he's okay. That he's still alive.

Even if there was nothing he could do in this room where he was monitored 24/7 with specialized equipment to treat and investigate his case. One of the rarest cases of infection.

And of course, one of his close friends had found out about his current situation.

Rebecca had stumbled into this laboratory room he was kept in after six years of his "death" and for years she has tried doing everything she could, and even if a cure wouldn't fix the damage to his nerve system it could someone give him his consciousness and motor control back.

Of course, her superiors had other motives and those were getting more information about las plagas, despite what Leon had told them and what Tricell had done to it. But when ten years had passed since the day (M/n) was found, the hope she had vanished. And she couldn't keep the secret from Leon either.

Every time Rebecca sees (M/n)'s state, she remembers all the times Leon had talked about him, always with a sad look in his eyes, and yet, they were full of love for him.

She had done everything everyone had already tried a handful of times, holding more determination than others to help him, because it would only hurt Leon more to see him like that, but after being a test subject to many scientists and doctors for a decade, if a treatment or a cure hadn't been found by now, the chances of finding one later were even lesser than she previously thought.

So deciding this was something Leon had to know after years of keeping it a secret, Rebecca stood outside of the facility, waiting patiently for the roaring of Leon's bike, and after twenty minutes of anxious waiting, there it was. Leon arrived in his red Ducati and got off, showing a small smile toward the brunette who tried to smile back but couldn't, and Leon realized.

With a frown on his brow, he walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Is everything alright?" She took a deep breath and looked up, staring into Leon's blue eyes, full of concern for her.

"You remember why I called you here, right?" Feeling more confused, Leon nodded, watching her sigh and turn around, "Follow me."

Well, Leon was certainly weirded out by this, she wanted to show him something... What could be so important to cause this behavior in her? Although he'll rather not come to conclusions on his own.

Walking around a laboratory facility always had him on edge, especially when he was aware of the things that were in it, but being with Rebecca made him feel more at ease about the place he was currently walking into. He followed Rebecca down many halls and down the elevator, where he tried to come up with something to say, but the tension made him unable to, so he kept quiet, taking steps behind her as she approached a door labeled "R.Chambers" so clearly it was her office.

All the equipment he saw there made him question what it was for, but some X-rays on the board caught his attention. Front and side view of someone's torso, specifically their spine. A weird fusion of a parasite on the spine and skull of the patient, and placed on a nearby table was a picture that showed the person's back, the claw appendages they had brought grotesque memories of Spain, of Saddler, of Ashley, of Luis and... Of (M/n).

"Is this what you wanted to show me?" He turned toward Rebecca, who glanced over her shoulder as she input the code on the automatic secured door.

"Not exactly..." The door opened, but there wasn't a light on that could make anything visible inside it, and from where he was, Leon could only see the heart monitor attached to whoever was in that room, "The day you and Ashley escaped the island, a rescue and research team arrived at what was left of it, to... Make sure there was no lingering evidence of la plaga," Leon remained quiet, but his frown got deeper, the gears in his brain moving frantically as he processed every word Rebecca was saying, "Everyone had their orders-"

"What are you trying to say, Becca?" He said in a rather harsh voice, and she reached her hand to the panel, where she could control the lights in the room.

"The rescue team found a survivor among the remains of the island," she pushed the green button at the bottom of the panel, and the lights started turning on one by one, as if making fun of him, "They found (M/n) alive."

That was all he needed to hear to run toward the opened door, stopping in place when he witness what had become of (M/n). He was connected to all sorts of machines, his heartbeat slow and steady, his body completely immovable. He didn't look alive at all. But the claws coming from his back that were slowly moving against the restraints around them told him that he actually was alive.

"After all these years..." Rebecca placed her hand on Leon's shoulder, like he had done before entering the facility, and her eyes glanced from (M/n) to Leon over and over again.

"He has remained unresponsive for the past ten years, and I took his case fours years ago, trying to find a way to bring him back to normal but... Nothing worked," Leon decided to not comment on the fact that she knew (M/n) was alive for so long, but he couldn't blame her for not telling him, only recently they had gone back to being in contact, "I've been informed that... He will be disconnected from the life support that keeps him alive for now, so I-... I had to let you see him one more time."

Rebecca felt a knot in her throat as she watched the tears falling down Leon's face, and she blinked her own tears away.

"I will leave you with him for a while..."

Rebecca walked out and the door closed behind her, she sat down on her desk and watched for a moment as Leon slowly approached (M/n), before looking away and she tried to distract herself.

Leon stood next to (M/n)'s bed, unsure of what he should do, but there was only one thing he wanted to do at that moment. Hug him. He wanted to hug him and cry in his arms, like the old times when he was still a rookie in the academy, where he met (M/n) and fell in love with him.

"(M/n)..." He whispered and leaned down to wrap his arms around him, and his ears picked up the sound of his heart monitor going crazy, the claws on his back wriggling erratically. Both Leon and Rebecca worried for a moment, but Rebecca saw something that had never happened before.

(M/n) moved his head back, blinking a few times and looking around the room he was in, before he felt the familiar feeling of Leon's warmth, leaning against him and sighing in contentment.

"Hey, Leon..." This was the first time he had spoken since he was practically brought back to life, and Rebecca almost couldn't believe it. She tried to think of a logical explanation, there had to be a reason as to why now, so suddenly, he was able to act as if a decade hasn't gone by to him.

But maybe... He just needed some sort of closure, knowing that Leon was okay. The loud and rapid beeping of his heart monitor reminded her of all those days when (M/n)'s heart rate would suddenly go crazy, and yet he wasn't reacting at all, it was almost fairytale-like to think that all he needed was Leon.

But not to (M/n), who was only able to think about him and miss him, everything had been like a dream to him, as if he was in a constant loop, trapped in his mind, as if... La plaga had done this to him.

But he couldn't think of that right now, not when he felt Leon's hot tears wetting his neck and shoulder, his body trembling as his sobs echoed in the room. (M/n)'s arms slowly lift up, wrapping around Leon's waist, stroking his back to reassure him that he was there.

That he was still alive.

++++

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#leon kennedy x male reader #leon kennedy x reader #leon kennedy angst #re x male reader #re x reader #re4 x male reader #re4 x reader #resident evil leon #leon kennedy #leon s kennedy #male reader #x reader #reader insert #angst #resident evil angst #.mackjlee9 writes

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feralnumberfive · 3 years

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The Rewatch Academy: Episode 2 of Season 1

“Run Boy Run”

I am in no way a good analyst so my little analysis and speculations probably sound a bit goofy or pretty wild and probably mean nothing at all. Everything I put into this post about each episode is purely what I noticed or thought, whether it's funny or serious. I will be making jokes, so please just leave it at that (in no way am I trying to make fun of an actor and or character!) I am also in no way saying I noticed this stuff first. This is just what I noticed while rewatching these episodes

☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂

1x01 | 1x02 | 1x03 | 1x04

☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂

☂ Ben is a tired boy leaning on his chair

☂ Luther and Allison please stop making googly eyes at each other

☂ Five really woke up and chose violence that day huh

☂ Diego already knows shit is about to go down and it’s so funny

☂ I love that Reginald doesn’t even scold Five for stabbing the table

☂ Five: “I have a question.” blah blah blah Veggie is talking Five: “I want to time travel.” That’s not a question, Five

☂ It’s interesting to see young Five blinking/jumping compared to older Five. Even at this age, 13, he says that he’s still practicing his spatial jumps. Young Five needs to clench his fists and almost squeeze his eyes shut just to concentrate. Older Five simply just teleports without effort and is able to casually blink even as he’s just walking. Five probably practiced teleporting a lot in the apocalypse

☂ Someone else pointed this out, but all of the other Umbrellas are frozen for a for a second as Five teleports next to Reginald. While that freeze is just editing, and possibly a small error, this is another example of how Five’s spatial teleporting doesn’t make a noise. Luther, Diego, and Allison only look at Five when he begins talking to Reginald. Grace notices Five right away because he is in her line of sight while Luther and Diego were looking at where Five was sitting and Allison had her head down eating

☂ “The effects it might have on your body, even your mind, are far too unpredictable.” Harsh foreshadowing

☂ The “Run Boy Run” scene is one of the best musical moments in all of the show. It gave me chills when I first heard it, and the fact that all of the lyrics that play during that part match so perfectly with it make it even better. Tomorrow is another day being sung as Five travels into 2019 is just too good

☂ Imagine how scared you have to be to call out to your p.o.s father

☂ The instant regret immediately falls onto his face and he kneels in front of the Academy

☂ I love how in the first few episodes Five’s hair is styled exactly as it was when he was an old man and when he was actually 13. Over the rest of the season and the second season it just gets more disheveled and floppier

☂ “You think I didn’t try everything to get back to my family?” Ahhhh there we go, one of my favorite Five lines. This here is probably when I truly fell in love with his character. He spent 45 years just trying to survive and attempting to get back to his family. He would have spent more too if the Handler hadn’t taken him in

☂ Vanya is genuinely trying to understand what happened and Five was being a little asshole. C’mon, bud, she’s just confused and hasn’t seen you in forever

☂ This Five and Vanya scene melts my heart (simply as a sibling relationship!!) She doesn’t care anymore if she understands, she just wants him to stay because she hasn’t seen him in a while. Even Five understands that as his demeanor quickly changes from being frustrated to gently telling her “Night.” He watches her as she leaves, also partially realizing that he hasn’t seen her in a while too

☂ Why didn’t Five just teleport outside of Vanya’s apartment?? That would have been the stealthiest thing

☂ “All quick and efficient skills.” A little note on Five’s level of skill of slaughtering the Commission agents in Griddy’s

☂ Diego said he bought his police badge on Ebay, so computers do exist in the UA universe

☂ “By the way, this thing might look like a botched robbery, but my gut’s telling me something else is going on here.” Yeah, and that something else is your brother

☂ I want Claire to meet her uncles and aunt so bad

☂ So Ben has a ghostly puzzle book and pen he can use? Because if they were real Pogo would have been able to see them just floating in the air. What other ghostly items can Ben summon? (I believe this is more so just an error but it’s fun to think about)

☂ “I-I found it at a playground, actually. Must have just *click* popped out.” An underrated Five line

☂ Five immediately becomes aggressive at the thought of losing the eye, something he found clutched in the hand of his dead brother and was a clue to what caused the death of his siblings and the end of the world

☂ Just now noticed that you can see Diego up on the second floor being led down to where Patch is in the police station

☂ I really like that they added in the little tidbit about a cold case Five created 81 years ago

☂ I miss Patch. She deserved better and more screen time

☂ Hey, Diego might have been thrown out of the Police Academy but at least he’s still in The Umbrella Academy!

☂ Hearing Patch talk to Diego really made me realize that the Umbrellas weren’t even necessary for helping with crime. It was just Reginald’s way of training them

☂ Love the shot of Luther looking at Diego’s cross-stitch and the camera lining it up so it’s like he’s wearing the mask

☂ Five lying just to keep Vanya away and to continue on with his goal hurts. His goal is saving the world and his family, but I don’t think he actually took in what Vanya was saying to him or maybe he recognized the offer but shoved all of his feelings down. She was reaching out to actually get him some help and he lied to her to avoid that. Maybe he doesn’t care and is just blinded by his ultimate goal. Save the world and family first, then process your feelings and genuinely communicate with your siblings

☂ Don’t worry Klaus, I would have let you wear that outfit

☂ When Cha-Cha questions “Five” aka the poor tow truck guy, she asks him about “The London job in ‘66.” I believe she is referring to the Shepherd’s Bush murders where three policemen were murdered

☂ Hazel replying “Not from what I’ve heard.” when Cha-Cha asks if he thinks Five is a whimperer shows that Five definitely had a reputation in the Commission for probably being a cold and stoic guy

☂ Vanya is just trying to help, chill Allison 😭. You haven’t seen her in years, what do you know about her?

☂ Klaus would really slap his brother in the face to get drug money

☂ Another example of Five not making noise when he teleports is when he blinks into the taxi and Klaus didn’t notice that he had left until he turned to look where Five was. On the other hand though the taxi driver does jump as Five suddenly appears in the car. However, I believe that might be from the driver noticing Five in a mirror in the car

☂ I wonder what languages the Hargreeves siblings know. Vanya didn’t understand Leonard’s German. You think Reginald would have taught them multiple languages or maybe she forgot it if she was taught it

☂ I don’t know why but Luther just siting there and reading a book and almost getting hit by the knife is really funny to me

☂ Yeah Diego doesn’t have to prove his innocence, but it would have saved a lot of trouble

☂ Rewatching the scene with Leonard talking to Vanya about his father is just disturbing when you already know what happened to him and how he’s lying just to try to be more relatable

☂ I heard a rumor that smoking is bad for you ❌

☂ Vanya calling to make sure Allison is okay even though she hurt her makes me sad. She’s so nice and thoughtful

☂ The old man can’t even reunite with his wife before he gets hunted down

☂ The shot of Hazel and Cha-Cha putting on their masks in the dark with the music is 👌👌

☂ Again, Cha-Cha isn’t able to hear Five as he teleports next to her and slices her arm. She might not have noticed him though because he was very quick to attack her

☂ Five really went through all of that just to bring his wife home

☂ I think it’s an easily blocked out part because we already know what Allison has to say and it’s exciting, but Luther is apologizing about accusing Diego and causing issues amongst his siblings

☂ Five is just so defeated and emotionally tired that he doesn’t allow Luther to touch him. In fact, he very quickly and aggressively grabs Luther’s wrist. You can tell Five is a little out of it and I believe it was more so his subconscious stopping Luther. Five doesn’t want help, he’s going to carry the burden of figuring out who ended the world and killed his family as far as he can by himself

☂ “There’s nothing you can do. There’s nothing any of you can do.” Are such heavy lines. Five is so emotionally and mentally tired at the end of the day and he sounds like he’s about to breakdown. He’s replaying the moment he found his siblings’ corpses. They weren’t able to stop the person who ended the world. Luther is offering his help, but Five is denying it. Luther couldn’t stop the person who ended the world. None of his siblings were able to stop that person. He’s telling himself that they can’t help and he’s telling Luther and Allison that too. Five wants to be alone to figure out who this person is. His siblings can’t help him

☂ Five coming across the corpses of his siblings is just heartbreaking. He first stumbles across three adults lying in the rubble. One of them is holding an eye. He goes to shake the man in all black, having a tiny bit hope that miraculously he is still alive. He stumbles across another body only to back away with tears in his eyes as he spots the tattoo on the man’s arm and realizes who these people are

☂☂☂☂☂☂☂

Feel free to comment or reblog with things you have noticed too!

#the rewatch academy #tra #tua #the umbrella academy #umbrella academy #1x02 #run boy run #luther hargreeves #diego hargreeves #allison hargreeves #klaus hargreeves #number five #five hargreeves #ben hargreeves #vanya hargreeves #hargreeves siblings #leonard peabody

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huxandthehound · 4 years

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Why Levi is Still Going to Kill Zeke and Why it Matters

Levi is going to kill Zeke.

You can’t change my mind.

I’ve seen and heard a lot of stuff going around recently. None of it has been rude or angry, just lots of people writing off Levi’s role in the story going forward. And I can understand that to some degree. The series is quickly coming to a close and we’re in the endgame now. (Sorry, I had to.) Levi has been sidelined for over a year. Zeke is absolutely no longer the Big Bad. But none of this means we can throw away a character’s entire motivation because we hear the orchestra warming up to play everyone off the stage.

We haven’t seen Zeke in eight chapters. We haven’t seen Levi do much of anything since getting blown up in chapter 114. Their relevance to the story is seemingly diminishing month by month. Zeke has been, presumably, lying in a pile of rubble or (insert your favorite theory here), and Levi has been getting hauled around Paradis like a small child on a family road trip. Neither of them has done anything remotely relevant, at least in regards to the current state of things with Eren, in a very long time. However, there is one thing Levi has done since then. And he’s done it multiple times: reiterate how much he wants to kill Zeke.

THE PROMISE

The entire reason we’re talking about this is because of something that happened way back in chapter 80. In a grand gesture amongst the chaos and devastation Zeke himself was raining down on them, Levi knelt before Erwin and lifted the weight of his dream from his shoulders. And simultaneously vowed to kill the Beast Titan.

Now, Levi never explicitly swears to Erwin. He never really uses the words “promise” or “vow.” But Levi knew the intent behind his actions, even if his words didn’t convey it, and that kneeling implied his solemnity and dedication to his goal and the commander. And within just a few hours, perhaps less, he reiterates the intent behind his words: “I swore to him that I’d kill you no matter what.”

Interesting choice of words.

I think the “no matter what” is an important addition. This is clearly something he’s added on his own. Unless we’re missing parts of his speech to Erwin, he doesn’t say this, but he clearly thinks it’s implied and is going to hold himself to it.

This is the point where Levi fees the brunt of his words to Erwin. This is the turning point for him, the point of no return, where he begins to feel the effects of his promise that will reverberate well into the future.

Levi does not seem like the type of person to make a promise lightly. He never minces his words or says anything he doesn’t mean. That’s just not who he is. We know this. And not only did he make a promise, he’s recalled it multiple times over the years, reminded himself over and over again of his last words to Erwin. They meant something. They weren’t some hollow promise, some death bed appeasement. Levi fully intends to carry through with it. No matter what.

THE FLASHBACK

After chaperoning a presumably very annoying Zeke at their secure location in the forest for about a month, Levi gets an update regarding the goings on at headquarters. He is not pleased with what he hears, and decides on his own to change the plans and, in the process, kill Zeke.

It doesn’t take long for Levi to make this decision, perhaps because the thought of not only killing Zeke but simultaneously maintaining the power of the Beast Titan is too hard to pass up. Perhaps it’s because the plan would ultimately result in Zeke’s death that helps him come to the conclusion so quickly. I also presume the thought has crossed his mind innumerable times during his stay with Zeke, and he just needed a little encouragement.

Then, he recalls in depressingly accurate detail the vow he made to Erwin, four years later. It’s so knee jerk. It happens so quickly and seamlessly, like Levi has been haunted by this for years, that he’s always had this nagging thought in the back of his mind subconsciously affecting his decision making.

“Erwin, It looks like I’ll finally be able to fulfill the vow I made to you that day.”

The fact that Levi sees the scene from an outside perspective, and not the images of Erwin’s face from below as Levi has recalled before, I believe is important to his memory. It’s not just his words that meant something that day. His words, actually, weren’t the binding part. The fact that he bent the knee to Erwin is what signifies his commitment, and he is reminding himself of his actions that day.

He also says “finally.” These are the words of a man who has thought about this moment for a very long time. I can sense the relief Levi must be feeling when he says this. This thing that he’s wanted so badly to do but has been putting off because of a sense of duty. This is Levi’s “fuck it” moment, when he decides he’s just going to bend the rules a bit, still play along, and get what he wants.

I have a feeling Levi is also recalling the last time he was closest to killing Zeke: in Liberio. It would have been so easy to slice a little too deep or misplace his explosives. The look on Levi’s face in chapter 103 certainly leads me to believe he perhaps tried a little harder than was necessary. Zeke even calls him out on it in the air ship. Levi wasn’t acting. Their battle as a whole might have been a farce, but Levi was taking his frustrations out on Zeke and going through the motions, only to stop just short of his goal.

“Finally,” Levi thinks. This time he’s got a plan that he can see through to the end. No more faking it. No more holding back.

His vow has also seemed to become a little clearer, at least to himself, over the years. Back in Shiganshina, Levi was livid. He’s had time to more fully grasp what his vow truly means, what it stands for. He promised Erwin he would kill the Beast Titan, and while I’m sure most of his hatred is because Zeke killed Erwin specifically, Levi also recalls his other fallen comrades. The ones that died to get them to this point, the soldiers whose deaths Zeke is directly responsible for. And then, as if he didn’t have reason enough to go after Zeke, within just minutes of this flashback, Levi is forced to end the lives of thirty of his comrades.

Another nail in Zeke’s—hopefully literal—coffin.

IN HIS OWN WORDS

Levi knows what he needs to do for his people and the greater good of humanity, and as such, he can’t allow himself to follow through with his promise just yet. He’s waiting—not patiently, but he is waiting—for the perfect moment, one that aligns with his desires and Paradis’ needs. And he’s not hiding it from Zeke.

It’s almost become a running, unfunny joke at this point, for both Zeke and the audience. (I feel like Levi is not as appreciative of these instances as we might be.)

It all starts in chapter 81 when Levi is essentially speaking directly to Zeke after he gets scooped up by the Cart Titan. “I swore to him that I’d kill you no matter what.” He’s telling Zeke. Whether Zeke can hear him as he gets carried away is one thing, but this is ground zero for Levi telling Zeke exactly what he’s going to do to him.

Chronologically, our next on screen instance—though I’m sure there are more we are never shown—is in chapter 105. Zeke is the one to bring it up this time. It’s unclear where he’s gotten this information from, but he knows Levi is still hell-bent on killing him, especially based on what Zeke considers to have been a convincing display in Liberio. Levi ends that conversation with one of my favorite taunts, which I’m going to delve into shortly.

Then, at the tail end of chapter 106 and to help close out the volume, we have a little snippet from what I’m sure was a terribly uncomfortable carriage ride with Levi and Zeke. Levi deflects the conversation away from the supposed victory in Liberio to tell Zeke that he’s going to “kill [him], send [his] corpse to Marley, and reveal everything about [his] plot.” Subtlety has never been Levi’s strong suit. He ends it by telling Zeke, “I wouldn’t mind waiting a little longer before slicing you to pieces.” Levi is more than aware that there is a certain order this all needs to happen in, but no matter how long he has to wait, it will not make him lose sight of his end goal.

THE EVIDENCE

Levi has shown us time after time that he has never given up on his promise. That he will stop at nothing to fulfill it. That he will go so far as to defy direct orders to achieve his goals. Everything is telling us that it’s actually going to happen.

Levi’s first move in twelve chapters, after he wakes up from getting knocked out by the thunder spear, is to promptly call Zeke a “piece of shit” and ask where he is. Keep in mind this is after hearing Eren’s apocalyptic broadcast, and Levi’s focus is still on Zeke. True, Hange and Levi are a bit out of the loop at this point in regards to Zeke’s involvement in Eren’s plan. But the point still stands. Levi is hyper focused on his enemy from the moment he wakes up.

Then, as if it weren’t clear enough, Levi says it again, more plainly, to Magath and Pieck the following day: “My goal is to kill Zeke.” Levi’s motives and goals are not up for interpretation, and he’s not just saying this to appease them either. Magath has his sights on Levi, quite literally, and Levi couldn’t care less. He’s blunt and to the point, as always. He also takes personal ownership of the goal. I think at this point he is slowly starting to come to the realization that he is going to follow through with this no matter what anyone else says. He doesn’t have orders to kill Zeke on sight. He definitely doesn’t have orders to transfer the Beast Titan. But his goal, his mission at this exact moment, is to kill Zeke. And if he has to team up with people to get shit done, he’ll do it. But he’s not hiding his intentions, and I doubt he would even if their goals didn’t align.

Since all of these events, it’s only been a few days, and nothing is going to change Levi’s mind in that short period of time. He’s held onto this promise—this vow to a dead man—for years. I’m not under the impression that Levi is going to suddenly change his mind because of a few new developments and one very cryptic line from a tall blonde woman that I’m pretty sure he hates.

One thing that Levi says that has always stuck out to me is his eagerness to clarify to Zeke when he plans on killing him: “Not yet.” I know this could be Levi just further emphasizing his ultimate goal (kind of a “don’t mistake my kindness for weakness” sort of thing), but I can’t help but feel like it’s also a nod to the audience. Levi doesn't need to tell Zeke he won’t kill him yet; he knows that. Zeke knows Levi can’t kill him yet, not in the middle of the forest for no good reason without having a titan nearby. The “not yet” seems a little too heavy handed to me, and for that reason I like to cling onto it for dear life.

Additionally there are a few context clues, if you will, that lead me to believe we’re getting set up for the ultimate showdown between Zeke and Levi.

One of my favorite lines from Levi is when he tells Zeke, “I like to save the best parts of my meal for last.” (Levi used taunt; it was super effective.) That line is peak Levi and just everything I want and expect out of any of his interactions with Zeke. I think it might be a little deeper than that though. My interpretation, from a literary perspective, is that this is foreshadowing disguised as snark. I would not be surprised if this is insinuating that perhaps the very last thing Levi will do in this story is kill Zeke. That he’ll kill Zeke or die trying.

I also think that this being one of the last things Levi does would allow him to appreciate his accomplishment. To “savor the taste,” so to speak. I’m not sure what Levi really has to live for if they all come out of this on the other side. We don’t get a lot of insight into his life over these last four years, but I’m willing to bet he feels a little aimless. Killing Zeke would be one of the last things that Levi really feels needs to be done, one last regret to eliminate before he dies. I believe once he’s done that, he’ll be able to move on, and he might be able to rest. I unfortunately don’t see any future for Levi post-war that includes him having closure or relaxing or anything of the sort. This may be his only way out.

If you want to look a little deeper, past Levi’s bluntness, the “no matter what” Levi throws in back in chapter 81 is another thing that piques my interest. Lots of people have pointed out that Levi has also said he’d be the one to kill Eren if he gets out of line (chapter 18). Clearly those parameters have been met. But what happens when Levi’s duty, in a sense, is overshadowed by this promise? The moment Levi said that he’d kill Zeke no matter what, he voided every other task he ever signed up for. I think this is no exception. Is Eren about to kill a bunch of people? Probably. Should Levi be more concerned with Eren at this point than Zeke? Definitely.

I don’t disagree that Levi does seem pretty single minded at this point in the story. But I’m finding it hard to blame him or say it’s a “bad” thing to have happen to him. While fulfilling this promise has become somewhat of an obsession for him, he’s always maintained his professionalism and focus on saving humanity first. He was able to control himself in Shiganshina, in Liberio, in the forest when lord knows Zeke was getting on Levi’s every last nerve. However, the odds are stacked against him now. And if Levi’s going to do it, he’s got to do it now.

Lastly, something that most recently caught my attention was something Zeke says in chapter 113. He’s having a one-sided dialogue with Levi while Levi attempts to escape the 30 titans Zeke has just sicced on him, though I’m sure Levi can hear none of it. “You thought you had strength…” Zeke begins. “Time. Choices. It was those foolish beliefs… Levi… they were your downfall.” Now we know Levi comes out of this battle victorious, if only for a moment. But if we look at this “downfall” of Levi’s to mean only that he was taken advantage of and not that he was doomed, as Zeke obviously thinks, if we accept that Levi ultimately lost this battle in the sense that he also lost his comrades and the fragile plan they had, we’re left to wonder what would then aid in Levi’s eventual salvation...

Look where we are currently. Levi has, presumably, lost his strength. He is injured and weak. Levi has run out of time. Eren is rumbling the world and Levi’s days aren’t getting any longer. He’s also run out of choices. The path laid out before them is bleak: stop Eren or let the world end. Maybe knowing he has none of these things will be to Levi’s advantage. Maybe that will be what causes him to ultimately make the decision to kill Zeke. He doesn’t have the capability to take down a crazed, Eren dinosaur, but he might have it in him for one last fight with a bearded bastard. He doesn’t have the time to save the world, but he’s got just enough time to fight one guy. And Eren has pretty much made the decision for everyone about how to move forward, and Levi can take that as the last sign he needs to say “fuck loyalty” and collect the Beast’s head.

THE SHOWDOWN

Everything before this was just reasons why Levi is going to be the one to finish Zeke. I feel like we don’t have as many clues as to how he’s going to accomplish this.

I know what comes up a lot in the discussions about Levi’s relevance at this point is the story is his current state, his health and his injuries. I think that’s what makes it interesting, though.

Yes, Levi is injured. But so is Zeke.

We’ll go with the idea that Zeke isn’t stuck in the endless sandbox that is paths. (It’s just easier not to think about all of that...) But the last time we see Zeke in the real world, he’s got a chunk missing out his back. I’m also pretty sure he’s unfortunately placed at the bottom of the walls, which don’t exist anymore. Side effects of this may include death by trampling or being buried under a pile of rubble.

And then we have Levi. Poor, tired, depressed, so done with everyone’s shit Levi Ackerman who honestly would just like to kill Zeke and move on with his life.

Levi is injured. Levi has no gear. Levi is missing two fingers and, very likely, half his eyesight.

However, Levi is Levi. He is nothing if not tenacious and driven. He will make this work. With his bare hands, if that’s what it necessitates.

And I think that’s what it’ll come to.

Zeke has known this day was coming for years and has been under no illusion that he has ever been truly safe from Levi. He knew that he was only spared by Paradis’ need to keep him alive. Their banter is evidence enough of this; Zeke knows his days are numbered. Now, with the world literally crumbling around them, there isn’t much holding Levi back. And Zeke, for his part, has had his dreams ripped out from beneath him while watching his dear little brother betray him and choose to rumble the world. He’s not got much left to live for.

Now, I won’t get into speculating where or when this fight will take place. Over the last month or so, since chapter 129, I’ve been (only half-jokingly) arguing for the theory that Levi may have slipped off of his booster seat on Uber Pieck and remained on the island. Which would obviously make it easier for him to find Zeke or Zeke to find him. If Levi is indeed on the ship (proof where??), then that means the alliance will need to cross paths with Zeke on their way to Eren. Which I suppose is plausible too. We haven’t seen Zeke in quite some time, so who’s to say what he’s been able to get himself into—or out of—in the time being.

So, while it might take a little footwork to get Levi and Zeke in range of each other once more, I wouldn’t exactly count it out.

Regardless of how it happens, the next time these two meet will be far from uneventful. Levi is angry. Levi is resentful. He won’t let Zeke get away again.

I can see another epic Levi panel, similar to the iconic “Kenny!” we get in chapter 57, as he happens upon Zeke one last time. Imagine. Levi rolling up to an oblivious Zeke, calling him “Beardy” or “piece of shit” as the bandages fall away from his face from the force of yelling. We’ll be treated to what I imagine will be Levi’s final form, a presumably partially blind and sliced up version of himself, with rage in his eyes that’s only exacerbated by this damaged façade.

There’s the alternative to this, too, in which Levi heals quickly, perhaps some Ackerman magic as Hange pointed out. He is no longer bloodied, but scarred. Levi may even know this and might just be biding his time under the bandages and only pretending to be unable to fight. I feel like this scenario would horrify Zeke even more, though he needs no help in that department. We already know he’s terrified of the Ackermans.

In either scenario, Zeke will perhaps let his inherent hubris get the best of him, and, seeing Levi weaponless, let his guard down, as he is wont to do. Zeke knows they’re both injured, down for the count. Even if Levi has healed a bit, I have no doubt there will be lasting effects to his injuries. He’s not a kid; he’s older and battered and incredibly tired.

I’m predicting Zeke will remain in his human form. He may be too injured to shift. Or perhaps timing is everything and he might be relieved of his titan curse at a very inopportune moment. My favorite theory would be that in Zeke’s infinite wisdom and pride, he’ll perhaps decide that he’s oh-for-two in Beast vs. Levi fights and maybe he should take Levi on mano a mano.

Ah, Zeke. But Levi is no man.

Imagine, a titan and an Ackerman, both reduced to their most basic selves.

I think we’re going to have ourselves a good old-fashioned fist fight.

Levi knows he’s in a bad state. He’s under no illusions about his health. But we know his heart will be in it. And where Zeke may think this is a level playing field, he will be sorely mistaken.

I just think we’ve seen all we need to see as far as Levi fighting titans is concerned. He goes a little feral, slices them up easily. But Levi fighting Zeke as Zeke, not as the Beast Titan, will inject a little reality into the fight. It’ll allow Levi to really see his enemy, and while it might not make him hold back, we might see Levi get a little more introspective about the whole thing. Maybe the fight is slow. Maybe it’s a bit lousy. I’m not sure how much gas either of them has left in the tank. I can see these two throwing around more words than punches at this point, but blood will be drawn. We’ll have a little more breathing room to take in what’s happening, and, hey, who knows? This might be a good time for one last Erwin flashback.

Levi might have one last knife up his sleeve, a timeless Choice with No Regrets weapon brandishing, one last fancy flourish of his blade before lodging it in Zeke’s gut. Preferably his lower left quadrant. For reasons.

But I think that’s what we need. A messy, emotional fight. No titans. No gear or gas or swords. One last chance for Levi to give Zeke his comeuppance. One last chance to showcase this Ackerman strength that Zeke has been so terrified of and which he has never actually seen the full force of. Levi has been holding back to some extent during each of their fights. He had to. But no more.

Ultimately, Levi will kill Zeke and, in the process, himself.

He’ll fulfill his vow, and he’ll get to rest. Finally.

BUT WHAT’S THE POINT?

Why does it matter? Why does Levi have to kill Zeke?

Ultimately, it’s all about Levi.

Firstly, I love Levi. I think it’s safe to say a lot of people do. And I don’t think it’s a stretch for me to say that we’d like to see him squeeze one last ounce of goodness out of his life.

I believe it would be in very bad taste for Isayama to kill Levi as he stands (or sits) now, broken and sidelined and helpless. That’s not who Levi is as a character. And that’s how you waste a perfectly good scar. So his options are to stop Eren or kill Zeke. And I personally believe there are far better people than Levi suited for the job of stopping Eren, both physically and narratively (cough Reiner cough). Though I don’t deny it would be nice to see Levi have a role in taking Eren down, however bittersweet that may be for him, and us.

But let’s look at where we currently stand. I’m not sure about how everyone else feels at this point in the story, but chapter 130 gave me some interesting vibes. This feels like the second act of an action/horror movie, where the ensemble gathers around a campfire or a lamp in a darkened home, and admits defeat. They look around wearily and kind of decide they’re just going to do whatever the hell they want to do because the world is going to end tomorrow or the zombies are going to break down the door by morning. Obviously, most of our remaining characters want to help, but I can’t help but feel some intrusive feelings of… despair? Obviously most of these feelings are coming from Annie, and Hange is admittedly trying to keep her around. But the zombies are breaking down the door. The Colossals are trampling the mainland. I’m not sure the alliance would have it in them to force Annie to stay, even though they could absolutely use her titan powers to help fight this war.

But when posed with the question “Should Levi be allowed to abandon ship (literally) and go make good on his own promise?” the answer always seems to be “absolutely not.” Levi is denied his dreams. Because people expect better of him. Which is valiant, I suppose, for us to think he’s above that pettiness. But I think most people aren’t really examining his character as a whole.

Points can be made that his drive to kill Zeke is a devolution in his character, that his tunnel vision has changed him and he isn’t the same person with the same goals and motivations as he used to be. On one hand I say: Good. This isn’t a fairytale. This is Attack on Titan. Flawed characters are good. Character development, in any direction, is good for the story. (I mean, have you met Eren?) On the other hand I say: This is who Levi has always been. He’s never been the “good” guy. This is the same man who was called a madman and didn’t deny it. I don’t believe we’re necessarily seeing a different side to him but more of what makes Levi himself is coming to the forefront.

Levi is in his mid- to late-twenties when he joins the Survey Corps. His time underground up until that point had been less than desirable. We all know the story, and it’s not a pretty one. Watching his mother die. Being raised, then abandoned, by Kenny. Followed by who knows how many years of struggling to survive on his own before he found his family with Furlan and Isabel. And even then, it wasn’t easy. Levi is a flawed, fully developed character when we meet him. He is violent and imperfect and deadly. The man tortured someone without blinking. I think wanting him to forego this instinct that he’s known his whole life, in favor of some more angelic or heroic outcome, is a bit too optimistic. It’s almost disingenuous.

Levi isn’t going to be the big hero of this story.

I know... I’d like him to be too, in a sense. But that’s going to fall on our other protagonists. It’s going to be the kids’ tasks to slay the bad guys and tie up the loose ends.

The only reason Levi even began caring about humanity is because of Erwin, and now Erwin is gone. Levi may have found a greater purpose with Erwin and the Survey Corps, but that didn’t change who he was, who he has always been. Letting Levi follow through with his vengeful dreams won’t make him any less of a character. If anything, it’ll cement who he truly is, which is someone that I think most people have forgotten about.

But who knows. Maybe Levi is to be denied, one last time, forever frustrated and regretful. Maybe that’s what Isayama is getting at. Maybe he’s trolling us. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time. Maybe we’ll have all this build up only to get the rug pulled out from under us. Sike, Levi isn’t going to kill Zeke. No dreams will be fulfilled here. Wrong manga.

However, I choose to remain cautiously optimistic. This will very likely be the denouement to Levi’s arc. Let him go down in a blaze of fiery revenge if he so chooses. He’s earned it.

#levi ackerman #zeke yeager #snk meta #snk spoilers #snk #my writing #my meta #snk 130 #snk analysis

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visual-explorxtion · 4 years

Text

Vinylic Taste [Carlos Oliveira x Reader] - One Shot

Summary: You’re trapped and alone in the midst of an outbreak, struggling to survive. In the depths of your despair, Carlos came to the rescue. Through your ups and downs, Carlos soon became your best partner and vice versa. But...you soon realise Carlos isn’t who he appears to be.

A/N: Are you reading this at night time? Good...Wanted to write a Carlos fic but also wanna try and write something different from my usual stuff. But also got super distracted by other ideas and this fic got pushed waaaay further back and kinda took a different turn from my original plan and 11 pages in, I panicked. Still in first person POV.

TW: Graphic depiction of Violence, Blood, Gore, Angst, a bit of horror (idek), prob not as graphic as you think but it’s still graphic, uhh language and bit of a Mind Break.

Words: 6.0k

How did things turn out this way? Blood seeped its way across the vinyl floor, forming a pool around my feet as I sat helplessly with my body shivering in fear. Chest rising and falling rapidly and eyes locked wide open, my blurry gaze fixated onto a man but I could only make an outline of them. Him; on his knees, lays a lifeless corpse in between them, all drenched in venous blood as the deep red colour streams down every rigid and curves of his face. The air is thick combined with the stench of iron and gunpowder. He stares at his hands, covered in liquid but not his own. He laughs- echoes through my soul and pulsated the room- never have I ever heard of something so harrowing and sinister coming from a human. If he even had any sanity left in him. Neck twists abnormally towards my direction, head tilts eerily as if it's only supported by a thin piece of string. A soft gasp left my mouth, throat scorched with fear and lips quivering. My limbs lay still no matter how much I tell myself to run. My sense of self is being sucked into his dark, endless gaze. The light behind his eyes had vanished, all that's left is a soulless carcass I no longer recognise.

"Carlos...What happened to you?"

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

The thunderous rain came washing down my face, lowering my field of vision. The moisture trickles down from thick strands of hair and onto the rubble concrete in a light rhythmic pitter-patter. In the span of 24 hours, everything turned from just an average day in this town to be engulfed and corrupted by a fiery shitshow. Humans eating humans, without a hint of remorse. They have no emotions, no pain tolerance. Their sole purpose is to feed on anything that has a heartbeat. It creeps me out. Like somebody playing a joke too far to the point of no return. That's what I'd initially thought. In my struggle to keep myself alive in this godforsaken town, each bullet is scarce but every item you gather is expendable. As the gun recoils, a leftover shell would flicker out with each bullet piercing the head of the undead. A steady hand, steady trigger finger and steady breathing. One by one, I shot them down. The feeling of ambivalence surrounds my mind with every shot I take. This isn't right, they are...were...humans, flesh and blood.

The ringing in my ears grew louder with each squeezing action I take. The heat of adrenaline coursing through under my skin, my peripheral vision gradually disappears until I'm left with the image of head to head. Before I could react, my back was already on the ground. The backside of my head slams against the solid sidewalk with a loud crack, the noise echoed inside for a nanosecond. My self-defence mechanism kicks in- forearm struggle against the zombie's throat, it's jaw hinges wide open with blood oozing out as it frantically pushes it's deadweight onto me. Its skin texture is abnormal, like every part of them is set in stone. Why didn't rigor mortis happen? My fingers tremble, trying to grasp for the handle of my gun that's just out of reach. Muscles burn and ache as my defence is crumbling to its limit, teeth-gritting with every last strength that I have. I refuse to die like this. Not like them.

As my forearm grew tired- inching closer and closer to my face- I squeeze my eyes shut, refusing to look Death in its soulless gaze and let it consume me slowly in the space of darkness. The next moment, I felt liquid splatter across my face but the pain never set in. My eyes flew open and watched as the corpse lay limping on my arm and the rest drop dead around my vicinity. I grunt as I discard the corpse aside, inspecting it one more time for any sign of movement. Face frozen in place as blood runs dry from the temple. The sight of this made my stomach churn.

"Hey, are you alright? Can you stand?"

A muscular figure towers over me, fully equipped in tactical gear. One hand armed with an assault rifle and the other extended out towards my direction. His hand is all worn out, even though the gloves I can see his fingers covered in blisters and scratches. They have seen better days.

"Yeah...I'm fine."

I choked out as I accept his assistance. His grip heaved my weight without breaking a sweat but may have overestimated his strength a little. His aid offset my balance and my body crash-landed in his embrace. Even with me standing on my own two feet, he's still almost a foot taller than I am. Our eyes met for a brief moment but I immediately jumped out of his arms as heat flushed up my cheeks and I regain my composure. He chuckles.

"My name is Carlos, I'm with the UBCS and we're here to get you out of here."

The organisation doesn't ring any bells in mind, nevertheless, receiving help from a rescue team is better than trudging through this damned hell alone. I would be lucky if I could even make it out alive. But, this strange rescue encounter sends comfort to my mind and slowly easing off my anxiety, or maybe it's because I'm no longer alone with Carlos's presence next to mine. Either way, I shouldn't let my guard down even with the help I'm getting.

The rest of his team is gathered in the subway station, we've arrived just in time for the last train to bound. Every one of them is tattered and covered in rags, exhausted and in pain. I can't imagine what kind of hell they've fought through, compared to myself, it's nothing but a just a minor scratch. Carlos caught up with his crew while I took a seat as all my energy is drained from my soul. The cool metal sensation seeped through my jeans and triggered goosebumps and hair along my arm, I couldn't care less about the shock as exhaustion washes over my limbs. I've been beaten down mentally and physically enough for me to not realise the train was already in motion. The view from out the window is nothing but a fast pace blur of darkness. All that just happened felt so unreal- the gush of blood, the viscous touch of muscle fibres, so red yet so cold. Getting pinned to the ground by this...thing. Its strength is vicious and animalistic with a face that doesn't resemble a human anymore. And at that moment my mind went blank. What if, at that very second, nobody came to save me? What if, I just gave up? What if, I let its teeth sink into my neck? What if...I just died there and then?

"How are you holding up?"

Carlos appeared before me, interrupting all the trepidatious thoughts. A slow realisation sets in as my hands tremble in my lap. Immediately, I curl my fingers into fists to cover up the jitter from him. "Still holding" I swallowed and smile politely, hoping the lump in my throat won't betray me right now. He returned the smile and positioned himself in the seat next to mine. "You were brave out there. Fighting by yourself...not many people have the balls to do that."

I let out a quiet snort. "No, you saved my ass. I wasn't brave. I was just lucky. If it wasn't for you I would've..." A pause, "I would've become one of them by now." Tears tingled behind my eyes as I blinked several times to keep them at bay. Carlos catches my hands tenderly, unravelling my fingers one by one, releasing all the tension I took a grasp of and crimson liquid came dribbling out the crescent-shaped wound. The fear in my head numbs all my pain; unaware of the shallow cuts, the maroon shade stained the dents of my fingertips. He took out some bandages from one of his pouches and carefully bind them to stop the bleeding. "There. That should do the trick." he grins as I admire his patchwork. "Thank you." I returned the kindness and we sat in comfortable silence. Upon closer inspection, Carlos does look kinda cute. The corner of his eyes crinkles and smile line deepens whenever he laughs, not to mention, his voluminous mane is the centre of attention. It kind of reminds me of an Old English Sheepdog and that image alone made me giggle.

"Carlos, we have a situation." we turn our attention to another team member, dressed in the same gear as Carlos- except his appearance was more well-kept, clean-shaven. Carlos turns, face sombre, knowing the news that comes next won't be any good. "What's the status?"

"Charlie's comms are down. The situation currently unknown."

"And Bravo team's position?"

"They're en route to Charlie, but they've already lost half their men"

He ponders for a moment. "Alright, change of plan. We'll meet up with Bravo and rescue Charlie. Once we get there, see if you can call for extraction out of this city."

His colleague nodded and went off to relay the message to the rest of the squad. Carlos turns back and kneels down, looking at me in the eyes, he softly spoke. "Hey. We're gonna have to take a detour, but I promise you, I'll keep you safe." He paused, reading my reaction. "Are you okay with that?"

My gaze wanders around his nervous expression, but I simply smiled. "Yeah, it's better than being alone out there right now. And besides, I don't doubt your abilities to keep me safe." His face went blank for a few seconds to unexpectedly bursts into laughter as though my answer caught him by surprise. "Okay. We'll be getting off next stop. In the meantime, stock up on some supplies cuz we don't know what's out there. Talk to one of the guys and they can get what you need." Carlos winked before leaving me to psych myself up for what's coming ahead. Knowing the chaos that's happening out there, it's going to be a dirty fight.

Our clattering footsteps relay around the walls of the subway as the lights flicker in a retrospective beat. The place is bare and quiet. Too quiet, even. Not even a single croak or heavy breathing could be perceived. It is deadly silent. Why is it empty? With the city running amok, you'd expect people to be escaping this hell hole; or worst-case scenario, laying dead in this underground. But, nothing. Not a single body insight. That's what worries me. I could say the same for the rest of Carlos's team. Which means, whatever is waiting for us out there is greater than what we could imagine.

My knees are getting weaker by the minute, shuffling closer to Carlos as I grasp my gun tight. Fingers nervously fiddling with the indents of the grip; sucking in a cool breath of air and pulling my shoulders back, we press on.

The layout of the underground is intricate and labyrinthine- reaching an intersection every few minutes, but we haven't let our guard down. Turning the last corner, we finally arrived at the main plaza; still remaining empty but the place was already thrashed. Carlos signalled for everyone to spread out and search the area, while I linger next to him. My heartbeat is racing quick as ever since I stepped off the train with the rapid pulse stuck in the back of my throat. He gently touches my arm, worry flash before his eyes but I shook my head. 'I'm fine' I mouthed. He looked at me for a few seconds, unconvinced, but decided not to force it any further. This place is eerily bleak, what was once lively is now filled with desolation. Somehow there's a slight dread and sadness inside me. The noise of metal clanking took my attention away from my surroundings.

"Damn it. The exits blocked." He gave it another shot but the gate shows no sign of budging. A short, heavy breath escapes his nose. I examined his troubled look and spoke out, "I'll go look for a way to open the gate."

He was stunned. "No. I can't let you do this. It too dangerous-"

"Please, I insist. You've helped me enough so let me do this. Even if I am in trouble, you'll come to save me, right?"

Carlos's expression is tense; I can almost see his thoughts rotating, like clockwork, inside his mind. Considering and reconsidering my offer. At last, my words overthrows him. "Okay, but take this." He hands me a palm-size radio, all tattered and taped. "Anything you see, you radio in. And I mean that. If you see one of those things, do not hesitate to shoot. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," I respond, sloppily saluting as I backed away to complete my new objective, continue to traverse down to the backside of the plaza. By the repetition of office doors, this justifies that I'm going in the right direction, but which one? The fluorescent lights blinked abruptly before returning to normal. Seems like the building is getting more unstable, with time quickly ticking away, I should hurry. And by some miraculous luck, I stumbled upon a door that catches my attention. 'Employees Only', this must be it. The door isn't locked but it took a great amount of energy to push a gap open, just enough for me to squeeze through.

Stacks of documents and brick computers blockade the door and next to it; a dead corpse that was once the employee of this place. He must have been dead for 2 hours- top, by the looks of it. The blood forms into a pool around the body and adheres to the sole of my boots. He took the quick way out. A blow to the head with his own pistol, laying dormant in his hand, now motionless in white. Crimson red liquid and shards depicted the blank wall, chunks frozen in place.

"I'm so sorry..."

Choking back my grief, I resume my search and in front of me is my mission objective. Monochromatic screens all tracking specific places of the building. Right on the bigger screen, displays Carlos and his men searching the perimeter. I radio in, "Carlos, come in. I'm in the control room. Hang on, I'll get the gate open."

"Good job. Hurry back and we'll get out-"

The building fades into darkness, heightening my sense of fear in this unfamiliarity. I draw out my gun and tightening my hold like it's my lifeline. My chest stiffens with each shallow breath I took, the effect of the blackout is developing claustrophobia within me. I heaved and the lack of oxygen in my brain cause me to hallucinate all my nightmares, but the image of Carlos flashed vividly in my mind. I took a deep breath and count to three. One...Two...Three... The emergency lights came on before my eyes and my anxiety reverts back to a sense of tranquillity. Talk about timing.

"Carlos? Carlos! Are you okay?" Please tell me he's okay.

No reply.

"Carlos? Are you there? I can't see you." I bit my lip, searching relentlessly on the screen for a trace of him. Just any sign at all.

"Yeah, we're okay. We've taken cover but it's pitch black out here, but...we could only see so much with our flashlight. See if you can get the power back on from your end"

Frantically, I pressed every button presented on the switchboard, nothing seems to be doing the trick. "Negative. I don't think I can do anything from here." All of a sudden, the floor began to rumble. And gradually it became stronger that shook the whole room, files and objects tumble to the ground until it subsides back down again, just like a tank passing by. "What was that?" I said in dismay.

"I don't know..." Coming from the other side of the line, a low growl and heavy footsteps. "But, whatever the fuck that is...It's definitely in here with us now."

In search of the monitor, I glue my eyes to the blurry image shown; even if everything doesn't seem out of the ordinary, my gut feeling is telling me otherwise. Still as a statue, they listened in closely to every motion IT makes. The sound is too quiet to be perceived. Out of the corner of the screen, something whoosh by. Its movements are too fast for me to catch but it's inching closer and closer to the lifeforms. With one swift swipe, it took a man down, and then the next. The claw marks on the wall...it stretches 10 feet wide from point to point, even looking through the screen, the blood is so vividly deep in hue. It crawls in close, but the team is still desperately searching.

It strikes! "Get down!" My voice is shaking down to its core.

They duck, but some did not make it. Their limbs severed; corpse dangling in half on the claw of the monstrous being, still clinging and screaming for their lives and then cease all at once. I shrieked out in horror. The size of that thing knocked the air out of my lungs. This being couldn't possibly be a human?! The zombie creation stood ten times its original size. The exposed skeleton is partially bound by its flesh- all swelled up and tainted, its tail bone morphed to a whip carrying a single-edge blade. Claws digging into the shallow pool of blood as the liquid cascade down the cracks of the marble flooring. The remaining squad open fire, bullets fly and ricochet off the wall. In the brief moment of spark, they lost sight of the target again.

"Shit, where is it?" I can hear the frustration in Carlos's tone.

Their flashlight drifts around the room as the tension sets in. You fear what you can't see, even more so if all you could see is darkness. The beast growls and encircles them, but the squad can't pinpoint where the sound is coming from. Intensity fills your gut as you watch the monitor closely, decoding its every move. After a beat, it leaps.

"Carlos, your 4 o'clock!"

He whips around at the speed of sound as he squeezes the trigger. The blast took impact greater than his expectation, every shot penetrated into its fleshy fibres while it screeched with a chalkboard sound. It struggles to keep a hold of itself up on the pillars as it collapses and tumbles to the ground. Without missing a beat, the team executes the behemoth until it turns into a bloody pulp, killing it with brute force. They inspected the pulverized mess further before they could ease off their defences. As if by command, the power's back on. My stomach turns into a knot. This is strange, but I pay no mind to it.

"Carlos, you alright?" I asked.

"Yeah...that was too close. That thing was too quick... We could've been killed here if it wasn't for you. You were our eyes when we couldn't see so...thank you." I could almost hear him blush at the other end of the line.

"Don't sweat it. Alright, I'm gonna get the gate open." I pulled the lever and watch the gate rise and retracted back through the screen.

"Got it. Now get your ass back he-" THUMP! Something's outside the door, trying to crank it open.

THUMP!

"Carlos? Carlos, someone's trying to get in here." my voice shivers.

"What? What do you mean someo-"

BANG! The door flew open. As an instinct, I drew my gun and aimed it towards them. A team of four heavily armed soldiers dressed in black armoury kicked in, almost like a SWAT team, weapons aimed ready. Without a second thought, I opened two shots on their thighs and calves to buy myself some time. They did not flinch, nor did it cause any pain to them. The unit moved in closer and closer towards my position by the time I made the first punch. My right hook collided with one of the soldier's throat and swiftly transitioned my elbow to another one in between the ribs. But all of that did not matter, my attacks took little effect as they soon surround me, putting me in a lock hold position, hands bound behind my back and dragging me away from the room. I can feel my heartbeat pulsating in my throat while I struggle to break free. Who the fuck are these people? What do they want with me? I don't want this. I'm scared.

"CARLOS!"

His name was the last thing that left my lips before the hooded squad inject my system with some form of liquid. My eyelids grew heavy, I fought back to keep myself awake but alas, the shroud of darkness consumes my mind, taking my soul to a distant world. The next time I wake up, the doors to the pandora's box had already open and it's already too late for me to stop it.

The snickering and one-sided conversation waver into my ear. I can't shift my body, still situated in darkness along with the effect of the drug. The icy metal clasp my limbs tight cemented on either side of my body and unable to produce any strength. The noises stopped and I froze like a deer in the headlights.

"Ah...you're awake. Good, good." The man sneered and carry on muttering in an absence. "You know, I was surprised by your...actions. You all exceeded my expectations. With this data you provided, we could improve on the flaws with our last experiment." He chuckled. "For now, my child, sleep. When you wake up, you'll be born anew again." His words became a slur in my brain, lowering into a hushed tone. Phrases repeat and distorting, just like an echo in an ice cave, cold and enchanting before my conscious slips away once more.

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

"WHAT HAPPENED? HEY, COME IN. HEY!" The statics over on the other line holds its place. "FUCK!" Carlos's voice howls, the thunderous boom stunned the remaining of his teammates. His fists clenched in a fit of rage as he smashes the radio onto the bloodied floor. The radio explodes with shards flying across the hall, some splinters still clinging onto his hand.

"Carlos...umph..." Tyrell struggles, limping its way towards him as he compresses his wound. "The mutated monster...the lights and the locked gate...I don't think it's that simple." he sighs, pushing his glasses back up with his forefinger. "There's only one company that would create such a big experiment. Carlos, listen...you need to stop them."

Carlos shifts to look at him. "T, we still have to meet up with Bravo and we've already lost half of our men. There's no prediction of what's roaming out there."

Tyrell shakes his head, a stern look in his eyes. "No...You've seen what they are capable of, there's no saying what Umbrella might do to next. Go rescue them, I'll handle the rest." He waves him away, still clenched in pain but casually shrugs it off. Carlos conflicted for a short period but ultimately chose to listen to Tyrell. Tyrell gave him a quick pat on his shoulder before Carlos turns away.

[Umbrella's research facility]

The eerie sound of silence fills the whole facility. A silence that stayed constant in your ears, just like the tv sign-off tone. The uneasy feeling never left Carlos's mind as soon as he traverses through the isolated building, gun in position. Walls dressed in white, the distinctive chill in the air and corridors that lead to nowhere. Carlos grew impatient by the minute.

There, at the end of the hallway, lays a door just barely visible for the naked eye. 'Security Room, EMPLOYEES ONLY'. He breaches in; a vast space all clustered with fallen chairs and paperwork, the multiple screens project different rooms within the facility, some looked like its the cafeteria and another resembles a cool storage room with weird pieces of machinery scattered around the place. Yet they are all empty, except one. At the top left-hand corner of the display box, it presents various aqua chambers containing partially mutated humans and failed experiments. And in the centre of that screen, he saw his companion positioned upright on a surgical bed, unconscious and all tied up. But getting there might be difficult without putting up a fight as four heavily armed mercs all gathered outside of the laboratory. Carlos unclips his assault rifle and peeks, the ammunition is barely enough to fight four soldiers; hell, not even four zombies. At this point, every shot counts.

The build-up of sweat in his palm loosened his grip. He examines his hand; trembling and numb with uncertainty, what lies between him and his enemies is just one simple electronic door. Beyond that, someone important is there waiting for him, alive and afraid. Or perhaps they...no. That couldn't possibly be the case. He clutches the handle once more, on the count of three breaths, he bursts in. It only took a split second for bullets to fly across the room, landing hits in the enemies' calves and forearms. Carlos moves in closer before they could react, instantly killing a soldier with one shot under the jaw as blood and plasma spew out onto the ceiling. They return fire, only to hit their ex-partner's lifeless corpse. Carlos thrusts the body towards the two henchmen and staggers them to the ground, he flips; locking the remaining guy pressed up the wall with his entire body, they struggle but was immediately executed with a blow to the head. Blood splattered on Carlos's right shoulder but that didn't faze him. The sound of his assault rifle clicks empty as he saw the two crawling back up. "Tch." His tongue snapped as the gun launched across the room at a high velocity, knocking one in the face and stumbling backwards. Like a chain of effect, they’ve sprawled out on the floor once again. Stepping his right foot on their torso, his gaze shows pity as he ponders over them before pulling out his pistol from the holster.

"Hope you got friends on the other side."

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! The aftermath of those four shots lingers in the room. A mixture of gunpowder and blood made Carlos's stomach twist up in a knot, but he got more important things to worry about. The life of his partner was the only thing that occupied his mind. The final door slides open; revealing a skinny, middle-aged looking man in a fresh set of lab coat, stood in front of a worktable and unaware of his presence. Inside, those hydro chambers stood twice his height with flesh substance floating inside the liquid. Some are just a blob of meat and others have fully transformed into somewhat human-shaped, but all are deformed. Upon closer inspection, one mutated monster's eye pop open. Carlos flinched. He examined around and was shocked to find that they are alive, all of them. What kind of sick joke is this? Is this what I've been fighting? He wondered.

"Admiring my creations, I see. Do you like it?" The man asked.

"Is this what's been running the city into a shitshow? What the fuck is this pharmaceutical company hiding?" He looks around. "Where are they?"

"Ah, yes! My precious little plaything. You're just in time to witness the beginning of my newest creation." The man chuckles, he pressed a button and the sound of machinery begins to whir. The glass cell shifts closer into the room, unveiling you in a comatose state, pretty as a picture. "They are sedated, for now. But soon, they will become humanity’s greatest invention and you will be the first one to witness it. Isn't that something?"

The blood inside him boils; the rage within could not be contained, white-hot magma erupting and coating every strain in his system. He pulled the trigger; the shots punctured through both of the man's legs as he knelt on the floor, screaming in agony. Carlos rushed to your side, unclasping any restrictions and carefully let you lean against the wall.

"Heh...what will you achieve by saving them...? The city's gone rogue...everybody's dead...and yet you couldn't save half your men. So...why bother saving them...the end is nigh!" His manic amusement shakes the whole room to the ground. But, the laughter was cut short and soon, it has been replaced by the clinking of a bullet shell against the hard deck and empty clickings. Gun drops as he struts towards the pathetic slob, straggling in the crimson liquid that's supposed to keep him alive. Well, not anymore. Carlos straddles on top of his weakened body, gaze bore into his soul. He wondered. How could someone like him still be alive? As the world burns and he gets to live? The ability to heal given to this monster and yet, he chose destruction. He must be purged.

The sound of his leather gloves creek as it made the first impact. The feeling of bone to bone seems odd to Carlos but...it excites him. With each hit, the pain pushes him even further, numbing and bruising. It felt right. He pants, the blood spews and paints him in a new shade of violence. The man weakly chuckles.

"The man who fights monsters have become a monster himself. Isn't that irony...?" He coughs, blood spilling out on the edge of his lips.

"Killing humans...how does that feel? Still want to play the hero and save them? With the world on fire and all those lives in your hands...you will only taint them. Lemme tell you a story...do you know what kind of flower blooms the brightest even in the harshest weathers?" Carlos looks at him quizzically.

"Snowdrops. They are the first ones to bloom long before spring comes around...the pure and innocent. At the beginning of time, Snow searched for a colour to borrow... The element admired flowers and their vibrant colours. One day, Snow asked and pleaded for one of the colours from the flowers, but the blossoms denied Snow's request; they felt Snow was too cold and undesirable. The snowdrop, however, felt sorry for Snow and offered it its own colour. It accepted the gift and the element itself became as white as an angel's feathers... To show its gratitude, Snow allowed snowdrops to bloom at the end of each winter with their own protection against the blizzard weather. From then on, Snow and snowdrops exist side-by-side as friends."

He heaves. "Like I said...irony... Their friendship is only a fabrication out of pity. Just like you!" The deathly cackle roams as he chokes on his own spit and blood.

Ears buzzed with white silence, his visions hazed with a red lens filter and heart palpate at an abnormal speed. Carlos felt every ridge of the handle on his knife and takes out his weapon, unhurried. The shiny metal pressed upon the wilting man's oesophagus- with only a little strength, it opened up. Blood spatter across Carlo's face, unflinching. His eyes darkened, tunnel vision focused on the crevice of the wound; there's friction on the thin layer of skin as the sharp edge glides slowly from one end of the neck to another. Carlos finishing him off with a fling of his blade, scattering red all over the wall. Both of his hands grip the handle tight; rising it high above his head, he paused for a moment to look at him one last time, then strikes down into the man's right chest in the speed of light. Pulverising his cardiac organ. He retrieves the knife and repeats over and over again with the red fluid gushes out with each stab until there is nothing left. A monster bathed in his enemy's blood. The man croaks in agony and over a few seconds, it stops. And so does Carlos.

The white noise has been replaced by his own rapid breathing. Thoughts are empty, his gaze quivers yet, he does not fear anything. He felt it...warmth. How did he not notice it? Is this how warm humans feel? He never realised this, this kind of feeling, it's something so different from killing a zombie. He looks down at his own two hands...so red. A smile crept along his face with the feeling of content. In a spark, he burst into a peal of harrowing laughter, vibrating the whole room.

"Carlos...What happened to you?"

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

In my moments of wake, I find myself bestowing my gaze upon a beast gazing back at me with a musing look in his eyes. They're so dark and dire, almost like someone gouged out a part of him and replaced it with something so sinister. He snaps, now truly looking at me through the eyes of the actual Carlos, as if nothing happened.

"You're awake! Good, I was starting to get worried about you. We should probably leave and catch up with Tyrell. They should've called for the extraction by now." Placing his tarnished knife back into the holster, he made his way towards me. My fear of him vanished, he's just like the Carlos I met a few hours ago. Warm and caring. "Let's go." He said, both his arms shifts under my back and behind my knees, picking my weight up with ease. "Get some rest...I wake you up when went get to the rendezvous point." His voice is hushed and the sound of his heartbeat soothes out all my stress. By the time we left the room, I was already drifting between dreamworld and reality.

The sound of his footstep was kept at a constant pace, his movement rocked me side to side, gently without missing a beat. But the further he tread, the temperature in the air got colder and yet I could not feel the wind brushing against me.

"Stay here. I'm gonna fix something real quick." Carlos's body heat left my side and was replaced by the icy touch of a piece of furniture. The mechanical hum occupied my eardrums and everything sound muffled once again. Eyes weakly opened and the sight wasn't what I was expecting. What greets me was four walls made of glass entrapping my body as he stood and watched.

"Carlos...what are you doing? Let me out. Come on...this isn't funny, Carlos. Let me out of here!" I begged.

He shook his head, resting a hand on the glass in front of me, looking at me longingly. "I can't." His words were breathless.

"Why?"

"I made you a promise. And this is the only way for me to protect you...You would be safer here, nothing can hurt you." His thumb grazes something small in his palm. I looked up and saw a room that was surrounded by pieces of machinery and nitrogen tanks, placed accordingly in rows of four. Then, it hit me.

"Don't do this..." I cried. But, it was too late. His thumb clicked on the small device in his hand and soon, a strain of gas misted out from the tubings and masking the entirety of the glass cell, leaving me dazed and numbed as I crawl back to the shivering nothingness.

"I'm sorry...I promise I'll come back for you." His empty words circulated in my ears and through the air as he walked away, leaving me in the darkest den of Umbrella. Cold, afraid and alone; frozen in time without anybody knowing.

And there I was, still as a landscape; living on top on a snowy mountain at the beginning of Spring, as pale as Death herself. Bidding my farewell to him until next Winter comes; when a blanket of snow tops the upside of the greeneries and then, we shall meet again.

#i'm gonna take a break before writing again cuz you know...self care #i do like writing something different #maybe i should do that stage play...hm...#carlos oliveira #carlos oliveira x reader #re fanfiction #re fanfic #resident evil #resident evil 3 remake #re3 remake #⭐️.doc

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triscribe · 4 years

Text

The Eyes of Dragons

I’ve found my myself in a Star Wars fix-it fic mood of late. Please enjoy the result of my morning’s work, with all due credit to the amazing @fialleril for coming up with Amatakka and Tatooine slave culture in the first place.

White dragons.

That was all Atru could think to call them in his mind. Huddled up with Nittu in a makeshift cave of fallen walls, he stared out at the courtyard of the palace, watching with wide eyes. Humanoids in white armor painted with blue or yellow constantly moved past, shooting, shouting, some hurrying in the other direction with wounded slaves held in their arms.

And it was only slaves they carried away - the cooling corpses of masters, overseers, and bodyguards still littered the courtyard. One of them sprawled mere steps away from Atru and Nittu’s hiding place - a scarred old weequay who’d been in the middle of beating them when the first explosions began. His wrinkled face remained stuck in an expression of shock, fingers still grasping at the blaster hole through his chest.

One the one hand, Atru felt a little ill at the sight. On the other...

Bentu Depuraak. The Reckoning of the Masters.

“...know there were a couple kids right around here - has anyone double checked the rubble?”

“Not that I’m aware of, no.”

Two dragons moved nearby. Atru could just see their boots from the cave: white and blue, white and yellow. His breath caught in his throat.

Would they come closer? Would they see him and Nittu? His arms tightened around the smaller boy - it was his job to keep him out of trouble, keep him from getting hurt. Maybe the dragons would leave them alone, but what if they didn’t?

“I’ll check with Ahsoka - if she’s finished clearing out the lower levels with the rest of Torrent, maybe the Force can tell her if anyone’s buried under here.”

“Alright, then we- wait. Vod, look.”

Between one heartbeat and the next, the opening of the little cave became filled by armor. Atru cried out when a hand reached for him, and instantly it flinched away.

“Osi’kyr,” the dragon muttered, pulling back a bit from the entrance. “Easy, little one, it’s okay - we aren’t going to hurt you, the slavers are all gone.”

“Shove up, Cody.” The second dragon crouched beside the first, and pulled off his helmet marked with swooping lines, revealing a human face. “Amavikkan?”

Atru blinked. After a moment, he slowly nodded.

The man in dragon armor grinned. “Ek masa nu Rex, ka. Nuk ek upanda, Cody.”

Glancing between the two of them as the second dragon removed his helmet as well, Atru didn’t doubt they were brothers - they looked just alike. “...ek masa nu Atru Sikataku, ka. Nuk ek upani, Nittu Atruaberatu.”

The man nodded, glancing at the other. “Their names are Atru and Nittu. Check with the medics, see if anyone by the name of Suncaller or Windsong’s been seen to-” Even as he said it, though, Atru started shaking his head.

“Ekte masa ekte.” The man sagged, his eyes softening.

“Saekeppa,” he murmured. I offer my sorrow. “Keekta-du?” When Atru hunched his shoulders, the man sat back on his heels. “They named themselves. Don’t know where they came from - probably sold too young to remember.”

The other man muttered the same strange word as before. Most likely a curse, if his pained expression was anything to go by. “Are they hurt at all? Stuck?”

Atru shook his head. When the man who’d been speaking Amatakka offered a hand, he carefully took it, and let himself and Nittu get gently tugged out into the open air. Armored arms wrapped around his back and under his legs, scooping the boy up. He had to let go of Nittu at that point, as the other man lifted him in the same way. For the first time since being found, the smaller child made a noise, whining softly as he buried his face in the crook of clothed neck and armored shoulder.

The man holding him froze, before cautiously rubbing and hand up and down Nittu’s back.

“He goes to sleep if you scratch his hair,” Atru stated. Both men blinked, before the one holding him barked out a laugh.

“You heard the kid, vod,” he chuckled. “Might make your life easier.” With that, he turned to start walking out of the courtyard, and Atru watched over his shoulder as the other man listened to his advice, black covered fingers combing through Nittu’s tightly coiled locks.

-Dragons-

An hour later, Atru learned where Rex had gotten his Amatakka from.

A tall man dressed in black robes and armor strode into the tent they’d settled in, Atru on Rex’s lap and Nittu still asleep on Cody’s shoulder. The newcomer looked them both over before snorting.

“Now I know what side-tracked you two,” he muttered.

“To be fair, sir, the time had already come for us to get out of the way of Speaker Banai’s relief forces,” Rex replied. “And you’ve said yourself, once the fighting’s done with, our main job becomes reassuring the Amavikkan that they’re safe.”

The man still rolled his eyes, but smiled when he looked down to meet Atru’s curious gaze. “Alright, so who is this little guy, then?”

“Atru Suncaller. Found him and Nittu over there hiding in some rubble from the courtyard’s walls. They don’t seem inclined to trust anyone who can’t speak Amatakka, so Cody and I are keeping an eye on them.” Or at least, Rex was keeping an eye on the other three - two minutes after sitting down with Nittu resting on him, Cody had likewise dozed off. Apparently he didn’t get nearly enough sleep, according to the stories Rex shared with Atru in the time since.

The newcomer seemed to already be aware of that, as he gave Rex a knowing glance before focusing on Atru again. He touched a hand to his lips, then his heart - the traditional greeting between the Mother’s Children. “Ek masa nu Anakin Ekkreth, ka.”

Atrua sat up a little straighter.

“Te akinu ikkeltinan?” He asked. You brought the dragons?

The Rain-Bringer Skywalker smiled, wide and fierce and sharp. “Ek akinu an-umakkar.” I brought the storm.

-Dragons-

Eventually, Rex and Cody needed to return to their work, and Atru found himself left with Nittu in a section of tents given over to the freed slaves. “We’ve got medics with scanners who’re removing the detonation chips,” Anakin explained, kneeling in front of them. “But until yours are out, you can’t risk going beyond the palace transmitter’s range, okay?”

Atru nodded.

“We’ll be around, if you need anything,” Rex added, briefly resting a hand on Atru’s head. “Or you can go to any of our brothers, we’re all here to help.”

Another, slower nod. When the three of them left, he took Nittu’s hand and wandered the tents until they found Eteru. The older girl sat against an empty crate, eyes closed and face turned up towards the sky, her hands lying empty of knitting for possibly the first time in years.

“Is he really one of us?” Atru asked her. “Skywalker? Or is he lukkanal?”

Eteru smiled without opening her eyes. “He wasn’t freeborn, I know that much.”

“How?”

“Said too many things, about adjusting, finding ways to prove to ourselves we’ve become kol-depuan.”

Atru felt a thrill race through his veins at that: kol-depuan. Unfettered, unchained. He’d only heard the term in stories, spoken wistfully by older slaves. “And the dragons? Only one of them knows Amatakka.”

“Only one’s been around Skywalker often enough to learn it,” Etreru replied, sounding unconcerned. “Others know phrases, the important words. They’ll learn more, if some of them really stay to help like they say - or if some of us go with them.”

“Go where?”

Eteru lifted her chin a bit higher. “To the stars, Atru. To fight other Depuran, to free other Amavikkan, to bring about Bentu Depuraak across the Outer Rim.”

Awed, Atru looked upwards as well. In the evening light, he could make out two of the moons, green Tenarakin and blue Enchuni, but no stars, not quite yet. Just because you can’t see something, doesn’t mean it isn’t there, a voice from deep in his memory whispered. Don’t be afraid to believe.

The boys sat there for a long while, until Nittu’s stomach rumbled and he made a quiet whine. Eteru didn’t seem inclined to move any time soon, so they left her be in order to go search for dinner.

-Dragons-

People who weren’t dragons or Amavikkan appeared the next day, with replacement food and water and medical supplies. Atru watched from around a corner as Skywalker kissed a short, dark-haired woman, two babies wrapped in a carrier on her back. A twi’lek girl in a white dress with yellow patterns ran and laughed around the feet of the dragons she matched, and a togruta teenager with blue armor of her own stuck close to Rex at all times.

It was this last person who nearly tripped over Atru at midday, as he crouched in the shade of the tent where Nittu and the rest of the little children were taking their naps. She glanced between him and the tent’s entrance, before smirking. “Don’t wanna sleep with the babies, huh?”

Atru shook his head.

“Come on, I know a better spot to get out of the sun.” Seeing his hesitation, she added, “Ek masu nu Ahsoka Tano, ku.”

Atru squinted at her. “...masa, not masu.”

“Ek masa,” the togruta corrected. “And- you must be Atru, right? I haven’t seen any other wroonians around here.”

“Half,” he said, standing up and accepting her offered hand, blue fingers curling around dusky orange. “My dad was human. I think.”

“Okay. What’s your name mean, if I can ask? There’s a lot of Amatakka I don’t know yet.”

“Atru is One with the Wind,” he answered, walking quickly with her to cross the hot sands. “Sikataku is Suncaller, like our Elder Sister Leia. I picked that one,” he added, “‘Cause I don’t remember what my mom’s was.” And because he’d always wanted to be a dragon, someone brave and unafraid to summon fire.

Ahsoka nodded. “Do you want to try and find her?”

Atru stayed quiet until they reached an actual building, and the door slid open, offering cool relief from the noonday suns. “I think- I think my mom died, and that’s why I was sold, ‘cause the man who owned us didn’t want to buy someone else to look after me.”

“Okay, then. Who looks after you here?”

He shrugged. “Eteru, sometimes. Or Ekriti, if she wasn’t busy. But I’m bigger now, so I gotta help look after Nittu.”

The door slid shut behind them, and as his eyes adjusted, Atru glanced around the small room and its furniture - most of which was occupied.

Rex paused with a blaster half-disassembled on the table in front of him, and two others in white and blue armor glanced over from their padded bench. Introductions got passed around again, and then Atru found himself settled on the floor beside Rex’s feet, Echo and Fives watching him with interest as Ahsoka flopped into a chair of her own.

In the thin layer of sand that covered the ground, Atru absently traced out the swooping lines from Rex’s helmet. “What do these mean?”

The man glanced over, and grinned. “Jaig eyes - jai’galaar are the shriek-hawks of Mandalore. They’re a symbol of battle honor that I earned in my training as a cadet.”

Atru hummed. His finger made another symbol from Rex’s armor - the repeated pattern of four lines with a fifth crossed through them. “And these?”

Gloved hands stilled on blaster components. “Tally marks. Each one represents a vod I lost.”

“Vod?”

“Sibling, in Mando’a. It’s how we address our closest brothers.”

Considering, Atru flicked his eyes towards Echo and Fives, who’d picked up datapads to fiddle with but were obviously listening in. “Are you all upandan, or are there ikkalan and attanan too?”

Rex frowned, picking up an ammo clip. “I guess some of us are sisters or siblings, but I personally haven’t met any.”

Ahsoka hummed. “Drop decided a few days ago they were agender, Rexter.”

“Ah. Well there we go, then. At least one attan.”

Atru grinned.

-Dragons-

“Hey, Atru!” Glancing up from the pot he was scrubbing with soft sand, the boy grinned and waved to Ahsoka. Beside him, Nittu looked around expectantly, but the lack of any yellow on white meant he went back to playing with his new brightly colored counting stones.

“So,” the togruta said as she crouched beside them. “How would you like to see the inside of a gunship?”

-Dragons-

“Snips...”

“What? You said we should make sure more of the Amavikkan are familiar with how to operate our equipment, including the aircraft.”

Anakin shot her a flat look, the effect of which was pretty thoroughly dampened by the blonde baby being bounced in his arms. “Older Amavikkan, like Ekriti.” The zeltron woman glanced up at her name, but quickly went back to studying the controls of the ship beside Hawk.

“What, just because he’s a kid Atru isn’t allowed to learn?”

“He’s five, Snips.”

“Maybe six,” Atru said absently, standing on tip-toe in order to peer into the cockpit. He heard Anakin sigh, and the baby gurgle.

“One flight, up to the Endurance and back, and then he stays put, alright?”

“Alright, alright, message received loud and clear.”

-Dragons-

The day after his trip up to the biggest spaceship ever, Atru was once again doing chores with Nittu at his side when Ahsoka appeared, the twi’lek girl in white and yellow skipping along at her heels.

Numa mostly spoke Ryl, with a little bit of Basic - but Amatakka was a language made up of all bits and pieces, with additions from children of more deserts than just Tatooine’s. With a few shared words, and gestures, and laughter, they communicated just fine.

Nittu really seemed to like her too, to the point that he even started to follow after Numa when she ran up to a pair of dragons. Atru nearly stopped him, but then he saw Cody, and just sat back as he watched the smaller boy run up to the man who kneeled to meet him.

-Dragons-

“We’ll be leaving tomorrow, when our Jedi arrives with his flagship,” Cody said softly, sitting beside Atru, Nittu once again asleep with his arms around the man’s neck. “I’d like to take Nittu with me.”

Atru considered it. “Alright. Will you still let him be a Windsong?”

“He’ll always be Atruaberatu,” Cody answered, “and you two can always be upandan. I follow my Jetii, but there will be times he comes back here to visit - probably right around the same times General Skywalker and his family do too.”

“And Rex?”

“And Rex, little one.”

-Dragons-

The copper-haired Jedi arrived, briefly, to hug Anakin and Ahsoka and collect his white and yellow dragons. Nittu went with them, and Numa, along with a few other Amavikkan too, including Eteru, so Atru didn’t feel too worried about the younger boy forgetting himself again.

As he watched the ships take off and slip away into the morning sky, Rex came to stand beside him. “...we’ll be heading off in a couple of days too,” the man eventually said.

Atru kept quiet.

“Going to be more Amavikkan recruits for us than the 212th, thanks to Anakin. Mechanics, mostly, a few pilots, and some who want to learn to fight.” A pause. “Would be nice to have some ad’e around, too, especially ones who might be willing to keep an eye on the little Skies.”

Ad’e meant children, Atru knew. He’d asked Ahsoka once, after dozing off in Rex’s lap while waiting out a sandstorm and vaguely hearing the man call him ad’ika.

“...I guess I’m already the right color.”

Rex laughed. “Yeah, same shade, even.”

After a moment, Atru looked up at him. “Would I have to sleep with the others, or could I stay with you?”

The man smiled, and ruffled his hair. “I think you and I can work something out.”

-Dragons-

“MOVE!”

Firing back the way they’d come, Atru shoved Jinni Skywalker ahead of him, keeping his armored form in-between her and little Feather and the blaster shots coming towards them. Once they rounded a corner, he holstered his pistol and picked up both girls in order to sprint for shelter. The stormtroopers moved a little slower, wary of traps or return fire but well aware the old facility had no rear exit.

For the time being, Atru and his charges were trapped.

He skidded around another turn, thankfully spotting a half-open door just ahead. “Okay,” Atru panted, stopping next to it and pushing Jinni through before handing the pink toddler back to her. “Find a hiding place and stay there, I need you to keep Feather quiet at all costs, okay?”

The blonde six year old nodded at him, tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. “Atru-?”

“I’ve got to lead them away from you, but I’ll be alright, I promise. Just hide, Jinni, until you feel your dad or Aunt Soka, don’t come out for anyone but them.”

Tromping boots echoed closer. Atru dragged the rusted door closed, hurried further down the hallway, and fired at the first empty-white helmet that appeared after him. Thankfully, the intermittent lighting of the abandoned facility worked in his favor, the pursuing stormtroopers unable to tell he’d left the girls behind.

The teen swiftly lost track of time as he ran, dodged, and returned fire. Once, a blaster shot clipped his leg, not bad enough to take him out, but the pain still caused him to trip and fall against something with a sharp edge. Cursing at the blood that would make his trail easier to follow, Atru tried to put more distance in-between himself and the enemy.

That backfired when he nearly ran right into the backside of a different group of stormies.

Certain he’d just signed his own death certificate, Atru backed away from the array of blasters - only to breathe out a prayer of thanks to every divinity he knew of when the ceiling erupted with red-hot heat and the flashing of lightsabers.

As Anakin and Ahsoka tore their way through the enemy soldiers, other figures landed around Atru, dragons in white and blue and black, death and life and freedom. One dropped to his knees and yanked off his helmet in order to meet the teen’s exhausted gaze, hands skimming his clothes to check for injuries before stopping on either side of his face.

“You better hurry up and finish with these kriffing growth spurts so we can get your permanent armor,” Rex stated, causing Atru to laugh. He rested their foreheads together. “I deal with enough heart attacks from the Skies, ad’ika, don’t you start giving me even more.”

“I’ll do my best, Ipa,” Atru promised.

“All clear, Captain,” one of the Amavikkan dragons called. “Skywalker and Tano found the girls - permission to return topside so Ekriti and Hawk can stop panicking?”

“Permission granted,” his dad replied. He stood, carefully hauling Atru up with him, before pausing. “And someone tell Marker to have his paint set ready - we’ve got some jaig eyes that need awarding, as soon as possible.”

Cheers and whoops followed them out of the facility, and Atru grinned so wide his cheeks hurt. Rex and the other vod’e called them jai’galaar’la sur’haii’se, but to him, they would always be atre-ikkeltinan:

The Eyes of the Dragons.

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stovetuna · 4 years

Note

would you ever consider,,,,,,writing a fix it fic,,,,,,for endgame,,,,,,,pls im starved but also I love you so fuckin much your writing brings me joy

HEART EYES oh my gosh, thank you, anon. I hope this is sufficient.

full disclosure, I’m absolutely useless when it comes to the “logic” of time travel, so a lot of liberties are being taken here for the sake of story.

- - -

Moments after the bright blue light of Tony’s arc reactor goes dark, Steve knows what he has to do.

He grieves, at first. He could hardly do anything else. Hell, it’s everything he can do not to let a howl out, the one clutching at his throat right now that’s equal parts devastation and rage. He swallows the raw, unholy sound and he weeps instead, like he’s never wept before—not for Bucky, or Peggy, or the Commandos, or Natasha, or Sam, or anyone—and then he falls to his knees in the ash and mud, everything that’s left of Tony’s last act of defiance.

The words echo across the years like the worst kind of phantom pain as Steve looks and looks and looks at Tony, Tony’s corpse, Tony’s unnaturally lifeless body that doesn’t make sense to see, I think I would just cut the wire.

Always a way out.

Steve wishes he could go back in time and punch himself in the teeth, just like Tony said.

Around him, heroes kneel, silent. No one talks about what has to be done, what the world will be like without Tony Stark, how they’re supposed to go on—for the moment, everything is still, and just as the blue light of the arc reactor had flickered out moments ago (wrong wrong wrong it should be shining like a solar flare he should have lived it should be him against that rock) Steve feels something flicker to life inside his own chest. It’s faint, but glows steady. Only he can see it, feel it; only he knows what it means.

It’s a choice, an easy one, that Steve’s already made.

After the funeral, Bruce sends him back with the stones. Clipping branches takes time, but it’s hardly tedious: First he returns to Morag, walks past Quill’s prone, snoring figure, and returns the Power stone to its place in the timeline. Like something out of Indiana Jones, Steve thinks to himself as he does it, but it’s not his voice he hears. It’s Tony’s, because only Tony would see a dangerous, precarious situation like this and make a pop culture reference.

They watched that one together. Just him and Tony, early on, when things were still good. Tense, maybe—brittle, but good. Before Steve knew about Bucky, or HYDRA, or Tony’s parents; before Steve realized he did in fact know how to lie, but only when it came to Tony Stark. They’d drank good beer and talked gingerly around the subject of Steve’s adjustment to the 21st century; Steve couldn’t help but think of Tony when Indiana shot the swordsman, remembering what Tony had said on the helicarrier with startling clarity, the opposite of how he’d been thinking in the moment: I think I would just cut the wire.

Now, Steve pushes the orb back through the energy barrier, mouth pressed in a firm line. The burns will heal, in time. He has plenty of it, after all, and the pain is a cheap price compared to what he felt watching Tony die, and it’s a price he’s more than willing to pay if this works.

•

The Soul Stone is hard, not because of the climb, or the Red Skull (although, in fairness, it does throw Steve for a moment), but because he has to watch the soul stone plummet to the earth knowing it won’t bring Natasha back. There are only so many things he can fix, and this isn’t one of them.

“What’s done is done,” Schmidt says, sadder than Steve ever heard him in life. Turning around, Steve looks at the cloaked figure floating, weightless, a few inches above the ground. He doesn’t feel pity, per se, but there’s a misery to Schmidt’s expression that looks deeply carved. Earned. Painful. He looks the way Steve feels, standing there in the place where Nat died.

“What was it like?” Steve asks, meaning the moment when Schmidt held the cube and disappeared. It doesn’t even register that he’s spoken until Schmidt is looking at him and speaking back.

“Death would have been preferable,” comes the reply. Steve doesn’t have to go far to remember Tony’s slack, expressionless face, how sickeningly wrong it felt to see death in a place it didn’t belong. It would be unbearable to even imagine that moment for more than a second if Steve didn’t have an extra vial of Pym particles tucked away in his belt.

“Yeah,” Steve mutters. “I know what you mean.”

Natasha would be proud of him, the way he punches Skull clean through the side of the mountain on his way out.

Returning the Reality stone is…complicated.

Rocket and Thor had conveniently forgotten to mention how they got the stuff out of Dr. Foster—maybe Thor didn’t even know, since he’d been having a conversation with his mother at the time, according to Rocket’s later recounting of events—which means Steve is left standing over a sleeping stranger with a syringe filled with dangerous miasma with no clue what to do.

He can hear Tony in his head again, a welcome rupturing of the tension that’s making it hard for Steve to even breathe, let alone think his own thoughts: stick ‘er with the pointy end.

It’s solid advice, actually. But for a moment, all Steve can think about is how dearly he misses that voice in his ear, his head, his life, even though he’s lived less than seventy-two hours without it, but that’s seventy-two hours (plus/minus seven years and change) too long. He’s getting impatient, putting things back the way they were just to get to where he should have been all along, and he doesn’t want to waste a minute watching Dr. Foster sleep when he knows he could be spending that precious time getting back to Tony.

Life, Steve’s learned too many times in too many devastating ways, is too goddamn short. Tony didn’t hesitate, in the end, so Steve won’t either. Not now.

Holding his breath, Steve sticks Dr. Foster with the pointy end and then runs like hell.

The Sanctum Sanctorum is remarkably unscathed despite being surrounded on all sides by Chitauri carcasses and broken alien tech. Dust from the rubble and ash permeates the air so thickly it’s like trying to breathe plaster of Paris without a mask. Steve coughs as he knocks on the front door, grateful all over again to be cured of his asthma.

The person who opens the door is far from expected, but like Nat told Scott that fateful day back at the compound, nothing’s crazy anymore.

“You’re not who I was expecting,” they say, lackadaisical like they’re not surrounded by dead aliens that just fell out of the sky. Bruce and Stephen had told him the Ancient One was a bit, well, strange, but Steve certainly wasn’t expecting this much archness wrapped up in sunflower yellow.

What, did Big Bird suddenly decide to take up transcendental meditation? Tony’s voice snarks. Steve bites his tongue for a second to hold off the snort threatening to escape him. The Ancient One raises an eyebrow (or lack thereof) at him with a smirk.

“Is he close, still?”

Steve’s thoughts go silent so fast his head spins. “I’m sorry?”

The Ancient One steps forward. “I’m sure you are,” they say. It feels dangerous, standing out here on the front steps like this, but if the Ancient One doesn’t flinch at being exposed, then neither will Steve. They hold out their hand with a beatific smile.

“I won’t ask how it all went,” they whisper conspiratorially, “but do tell me one thing: is Bruce alright?”

The Time stone flashes a vivid green from the safety of its cradle of dense foam inside the carbon steel suitcase, which Steve holds out to the Ancient One like one would a box with an engagement ring inside.

“Bruce is fine,” he says. The but goes unspoken. One look at Steve and the Ancient One knew exactly what his plan was, apparently. He’s still reeling from their earlier comment. He watches the stone float up from the suitcase and drift toward the amulet resting against the Ancient One’s stomach; their hands flicker and move as it opens with a whisper of metal and gears that reminds Steve poignantly, painfully, of Tony.

There had been a couple of years there, the good ones, when he’d spent a lot of time watching Tony in his workshop, learning the ways in which Tony’s genius applied itself to the world. Everything from DUM-E to JARVIS to the suits to their comms to the reactor powering the tower to proprietary satellites to pasta carbonara, Tony’s mind was capable of it all, and then some. And it all lived inside a man who drove Steve crazy with anger and frustration and awe and lust and who gave Steve so unbelievably much without asking for anything, anything in return except Steve’s friendship and trust and instead Steve had given Tony the awful truth about his parents two years too late.

After Siberia, Steve spent most nights awake, standing on balconies and rooftops just holding the flip phone and thinking back to those earlier days with the kind of bitterly pitiful regret of the truly stupid: of course he’d been infatuated, back then. Of course he’d run away from the very thought. There’d been Pepper, obviously, and it was Tony. More to the point, it was them: Steve and Tony, oil and water, north and south, futurist and idealist, stubborn and stubborner still, always opposite in all the ways that mattered.

Of course he’d used that as an excuse. God forbid Steve Rogers ever admit to being afraid.

The Ancient One closes the amulet with a slow, gentle glide of their pale, steady hands. Tony’s were darker, bigger, stronger, more. Not capable of this kind of magic, but to Steve, Tony’s mind was magic. And his heart was made of pure light. He’d placed it in Steve’s hand. Steve never told anyone how it burned him to hold it, or that he’d prayed for the wound not to heal.

He’d cried the next morning—for their losses, yes, but mostly because he had healed. It was torture, feeling one way but appearing the opposite. It was one of the ways he and Tony had come to understand each other, over the years prior: sometimes what appears on the outside isn’t the truth of what lives on the inside.

Looking up into the Ancient One’s eyes feels like falling headfirst into time, itself.

“I would caution you against your choice,” they say, wise and mischievous at the same time, somehow, “but I know you will set things right, when the time comes.”

Steve closes the suitcase and nods. He tries not to think about Tony’s funeral. The way the first arc reactor Tony had ever built floated off on a wreath of flowers across the surface of the lake, quiet and all heart, the way Tony had been at the last.

He has to go back there, one day.

But not yet.

His past self is still lying unconscious on the glass walkway where Steve left him when he returns. Arms and legs akimbo, that charmingly ridiculous uniform stretching to compensate for the awkward splaying of limbs, Steve Rogers of 2012 looks like a child who went down for a nap, hard. In so many ways, he was a kid, back then, and yet so old. Too old, too soon.

You’re just a little unstuck, Billy, Tony had said to him once when he’d found Steve awake in the communal kitchen at 4 AM, too riled by a nightmare to go back to sleep. At Steve’s confused look, he’d smiled—kind, soft, caring—and two days later gave him a first edition signed copy of a novel by someone named Kurt Vonnegut.

Listen: Billy Pilgrim has come unstuck in time.

He read it cover-to-cover twice before he went looking for Tony in the workshop to thank him with a hug. One of the few they’d ever shared, and all the more precious for it.

Steve Rogers of 2023 knows this kid won’t hesitate to seize the opportunity he’s about to be presented with.

“Look alive, soldier,” he barks. Rogers coughs and splutters and springs to his feet like something stung him right on the ass. As soon as he registers Steve, his copy, standing in front of him, he falls back on his heels into a fighting stance. It’s wobbly around the knees, but Steve doesn’t bother correcting his stance. This isn’t what he’s come to do.

“Listen to me, and listen carefully,” he says, and then he tells him everything he needs to know.

Bucky is alive. You can save him.

Peggy, too. You can be with her.

The war is over. You can live without it.

You can go home. You get to have one.

Imagine it.

Rogers looks at the time-space GPS with a degree of skepticism Steve forgot that face was capable of. After talking trees and raccoons and living Norse gods and alien armies from outer space and Titans and time travel—after Tony Stark—nothing seems impossible anymore.

Finally, finally, Rogers holds out his hand, palm to heaven. Steve’s stomach tightens painfully to remove the device from his hand, but he thinks of what’s waiting for him downstairs, and letting go has never been so easy. Rogers holds it like a bomb waiting to go off, wary and fearful, but excited, too.

Then, he looks at Steve, lit up the way a child whose parent has just given them a whole dollar to spend might be.

“Are you sure?”

“More than I’ve ever been.”

Rogers’ face tightens. “What about—” he glances down through the glass. “The others? Will they know? Will they be alright?”

“I’ll handle it,” he says. He’s taking a page out of Tony’s book here, winging it where he’s used to planning. Bucky was proud when Steve told him his half-cocked idea to go back in time to be with Tony Stark, however Tony would have him.

How’re you gonna figure out being both Steves at once?

I’ll handle it.

And if they figure it out?

They’ll handle it.

Rogers is hesitating. He doesn’t want to be selfish—that’s not in his nature. Steve smiles and reaches out, cups his hands around the one with the device and closes Rogers’ fingers around it.

“It’s okay,” he says. You’re allowed to be selfish, when it’s the right thing to do.

Looking at his younger self is dizzying, like vertigo. Tony once mentioned having a huge crush on Jimmy Stewart when they watched that movie as a team, which is how Steve learned Tony Stark liked men, too. That was the night his world really turned upside-down.

Steve reaches into his belt and hands Rogers the extra vial. Enough for one trip. He’ll never get his dance with Peggy, but she’ll get hers.

Steve will just have to dance with Tony, instead. What a hardship.

He’s smiling, looking vaguely downwards where he knows Tony is, when Rogers looks at him and asks, “Why?”

Steve dials the date and time and coordinates from memory.

A week from Saturday.

The Stork Club.

Eight o’ clock, on the dot.

The past is past, except when it’s not. Rogers is unstuck, but Steve isn’t. Not anymore. He hasn’t been for a long, long time.

He shrugs. Smiles, easy, the way he couldn’t when he was Rogers’ age, fresh out of the ice and soul-broken, hopeless.

“I’m home.”

The last test is the hardest. Steve goes down to the lobby via the elevator, carrying the scepter in one hand and the suitcase containing the space stone in the other. He’s dressed in his 2012 uniform again, and he didn’t miss the way it rides up his ass, but he’s got more important things to think about.

There’s still a commotion happening in the lobby, the fallout of Tony’s self-inflicted heart attack diversion, but Steve manages to force himself away from where he knows Tony is to walk right up to Alexander Pierce. He would dearly love to drop the man right here and now in this lobby, audience be damned, but he has a part to play, yet.

Steve tamps down the urge and rage long enough to present Pierce with the last stone. The look that flickers behind Pierce’s shrewd blue eyes is telling enough—Steve could punch himself, it’s so obvious. Glee, hunger, intent, all there, malicious and toxic. HYDRA, right out there in the open.

He’ll deal with it later. With extreme prejudice.

“The cube was just a housing unit,” Steve explains, slipping back into his old by-the-book tone of voice like one slips on a pair of well-worn leather shoes. Pierce takes it with an eerie smile.

“Very good, Captain.” At Pierce’s nod, Steve straightens, looks back with a knowing smirk, and nods in return. Rumlow would have already updated him about Steve’s words in the elevator; now the rest of it—rescuing Bucky, infiltrating SHIELD, destroying HYDRA and Pierce with it—is up to Steve.

But first.

“If you’ll excuse me, sir,” Steve says deferentially, already moving away from Pierce toward the circle of black suits hovering around Tony and Thor like expectant vultures at the feast. His heart is in his throat, racing.

“Get your hands off me!”

Tony.

Thor is running interference on the suits, pushing and holding them back, Mjolnir in hand. He clears a space for Steve to walk through with a nod. Steve nods back, but his eyes are elsewhere.

Tony.

“I said let go of me, Mall Cop! I’m fine, I don’t need your help.”

Pepper always says I’m the best at taking care of others at the expense of myself, Tony had told him once. They’d been sitting on the edge of the landing pad near the top of the tower at sunset, going over what went wrong with whatever battle had happened that day. Steve had spent the entire conversation with one hand shoved under his thigh to stop himself from reaching out to hold Tony’s, who’d put himself in the line of fire—unnecessarily—and had nearly given Steve a panic attack.

A panic attack. How quaint, compared to a shattered heart.

She’s right, Steve had replied, but then Pepper’s right about everything.

Most things, Tony said. I’m still not sure if she’s right about me.

Steve still remembers the way his hand had clenched under his thigh at those words. What do you mean?

Tony had looked out over the city, not gloating or smug the way Steve had assumed he would be when they first met and Steve learned billionaires were a thing that existed—quite prevalently—in the 21st century, but wistfully, like he couldn’t believe he had the view at all.

Most days I wake up expecting her to be standing by the bed fully dressed, waiting for me to open my eyes so she can tell me it’s over, he’d said, quiet so only Steve could hear, like the whole city was listening in and Tony wanted to keep this moment between them. I don’t think she’s right about choosing me.

Steve could have painted Tony in that moment: vulnerable, eyes and skin and hair glowing like fire and honey and whiskey in the light of the setting sun as it glinted off the cityscape. He was handsome, small but strong, nervous but brave, and so unbelievably worth choosing it took every ounce of Steve’s strength to keep his hand under his thigh. To not reach out and take Tony’s face in his hands and just—

Tony, he’d said softly, urgently but without force, waiting until Tony looked him in the eye to say what he’d been holding back for years and even then it was only the tip of the tip of the iceberg: You are worth choosing.

The way Tony had stared back at Steve then is not unlike the way he looks up at him now: from the floor of the lobby of Stark Tower, roughed up and shellshocked from the battle and his brief introduction to outer space and a minor cardiac episode, but relieved and inarticulately happy to see Steve there among the suits.

“O Captain, my captain!” Tony crows, wheezing slightly on the last syllable in a way that is far too endearing for Steve to handle, especially given his own fragile state. When Tony reaches a hand up, Steve doesn’t hesitate to take it and haul him to his feet.

Tony is alive. Standing there, in front of Steve, alive. Younger, smoother around some edges and sharper in others, beautiful like a sunset and a sunrise rolled into one—an astronomical anomaly of the rarest kind. The Black Sabbath t-shirt is singed but mostly whole, and Steve wants to linger on that detail, except he can’t.

“You alright there, Cap? You’re looking a little blue around the gills…”

Blue. Blueblueblueblueblueblue.

The burning light at the center of Tony Stark is so blue, a glowing circle shining out from behind that silly threadbare band t-shirt like a beacon in the night, guiding Steve home. How is no one else marveling at this? At Tony Stark, alive?

He’s staring. At Tony’s chest. He knows he is, but there’s no helping it. Just like there’s no helping the way he reaches out and pulls Tony into a hug like it’s the last thing he’ll ever do. It wasn’t long ago he’d carried this same body, suit and all, off the battlefield, crying himself hoarse even as he laid Tony out on a patch of grass in the sun away from the smoke and desolation. He’d watched this man die not seventy-two hours ago, and here was Tony, in his arms the way Steve should have held him years and years and years ago, alive.

It shouldn’t be possible. But as he’s learned ten times over, when it comes to Tony Stark, impossible is only a matter of perspective (and a little bit of elbow grease).

Steve muffles his hitching breaths against Tony’s shoulder, trying desperately to compose himself even as he falls apart. He’s failing, but can’t bring himself to care. Tony returns his embrace haltingly, like he can’t believe it’s happening, but then neither can Steve.

“It’s alright, big guy. Party’s over,” Tony chuckles into his ear, nervous, patting Steve on the shoulder from under his arm in an awkward bend. “I’m fine, I promise.“ He does the unthinkable, then, Tony: he steps back and takes Steve’s hand and lays it flat against his chest so Steve can feel the strong thud of his heartbeat and the low, steady hum of the arc reactor at the same time. “See?” Tony says with a quicksilver smile, “alive and well.”

Steve knows his eyes are wet. His hair is a mess and he’s still grieving his Tony, and that grief is a ten-ton weight in his stomach. And yet, standing here looking into this Tony’s big brown eyes, faced with that benevolent (if teasing) smile and generous heart, Steve feels young and limitless, weightless, like he’d float off the floor if it weren’t for Tony, who’s still holding his hand against his chest.

Steve knows this is selfish and reckless and his staying here could break the fabric of reality itself, but he would choose this—he’d choose Tony, warm and alive and smiling at him—every time. There are battles to be fought and truths to be told and lives to save, and he may never get to have Tony in all the ways he wants him in this or any timeline, but he’s willing to wing it and see.

Who knows—they could very well end up married.

Crazier and more impossible things have happened.

“Alive is good,” Steve says, locking a sob away behind a smile so big it strains his cheeks. “It means you can still pay for shawarma.”

Tony’s face goes slack with surprise, and then he’s laughing so hard he’s cackling, leaning into Steve’s steady hand for support. Steve can feel Tony’s laugh as much as he can hear it: it feels like home and sounds like rock music and looks like sunlight spilling out between his fingers, bright blue.

- - -

also on AO3! https://archiveofourown.org/works/22299358

#steve rogers #tony stark #stevetony #superhusbands #stony #rachel writes fic #yes I did pull the title from the most cliché death cab song out there #SHRUUUUG #endgame fix it #I'm riding this pining!steve wave for as long as possible lol #responses #prompt fic

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testedtommyau · 3 years

Text

Act 1, Scene 1, part 2

Usual warnings of swearing, violence, trauma references

Loud flashes of lights, sharp pains, screams and cries. It was all too familiar…

Tommy’s ears rang painfully, he sat up and rubbed his pounding head, the explosion was HUGE, he looked around at the room littered with corpses, Bubby and Dr Coomer nowhere to be seen. Tommy got up and brushed off the dirt that had clung to his shirt, he looked down at one of the scientists and kneeled, holding its bloodied head up to ‘look’ at him.

“N-Not so s-smart now, are you?” He shoved the face to the ground and stood up, kicking the corpse and walking down to the hallway to look for a way out. The hallways were covered in blood from those unfortunate to have been hit with the blast, well… unfortunate for them at least. As far as Tommy was concerned, they had it coming to them. But now he had to make sure Benrey was okay, he can’t even consider leaving without knowing where they are. Stepping down the rooms of the facility Tommy began to worry, had Benrey been seriously hurt? Or did some scientists survive and take them?

Tommy started to walk faster, looking around and calling out Benrey’s name, he’d never forgive himself if something happe-Tommy let out a yelp as he tripped on something and hit the ground, he sat up and looked at what sent him to the floor.

“B-Benrey!?” Tommy quickly got to his feet and rushed to Benrey who was laying on the ground, eyes closed.

“Benrey…?” Tommy gently shook them, Benrey squirmed and rubbed their eyes.

“Brooo, tryin’ to chill here.” Benrey groaned, Tommy let out a sigh of relief and picked the alien up into his arms.

“We vibin’ now?” Benrey asked.

“W-w-we’ve got to g-g-get out now.” Tommy replied, Benrey leaned their head against Tommy’s chest. Benrey’s eyes gazed on the destroyed rooms, they saw one with a table, the room numbered 84, they quickly covered their face and buried it into Tommy’s chest. The other looked at Benrey then at the room, Tommy’s breathing quickened as he held Benrey’s head and walked faster, they needed to get away.

“No more of that, right?” Benrey asked, Tommy’s heart sank at hearing the fear in their voice.

“N-No more, w-w-we’re going to be free of it.” He assured, Benrey smiled and hopped down so they could walk themselves.

Benrey paused for a moment when they heard a familiar voice, breaking away from Tommy they walked to the direction of the voice.

“As far as I know this is company policy, as of today!”

It was that Gordon guy, Tommy rolled his eyes and followed after Benrey, not trusting one second of them being left alone with a human.

“Listen, listen, a guard followed me.” Gordon paused as he saw Benrey walking towards them.

“Oh there he is.” Bubby said, Benrey waved and hurried over as Gordon yelled ‘Hey’, that must mean he wants them to come over yes? Tommy not far behind.

“You uh, talkin’ about a passport?” Benrey asked, wanting to join the conversation. Gordon rudely ignored them and kept talking to Bubby.

“Whatever happened, he jumped in there.” Gordon started, immediately pointing at Benrey. Benrey’s eyes widened at being accused so fast. “And then YOU jumped in as well.” Gordon said to Bubby.

“One test, three people, it just go boom, that’s all I know.”

“Did I, did I not tell you to… To not touch that?” Benrey started but was interrupted by Gordon shoving his hands into the other’s chest.

“DID I NOT TELL YOU! TO GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE TEST CHAMB-ACK!” Gordon was thrown back, quickly gasping for air as he felt a pair of hands tightly around his throat, holding him up so that his feet weren’t touching the floor. He looked down and saw Tommy, his eyes filled with rage and bloodlust. Benrey behind Tommy gripping at his shirt, hiding their face in the fabric.

“D-d-do not. EVER. Touch Benrey. L-like that. A-a-again.” Tommy warned with a growl, Gordon nodded fast and he was promptly dropped, leaving him gasping for air. Gordon coughed for a minute and leaned against the wall.

“Dude what the fuck!?” Gordon snapped, Tommy’s eyes just glaring at him.

“I think you better not do that again, bitch.” Bubby pointed out to Gordon as if it wasn’t obvious.

“Was just, just tryin’ to help bro…” Benrey muttered. Tommy held them close as Benrey shook, they gripped onto Tommy’s shirt and hid their face into his chest.

“Y-Y-You b-better apologize, y-you were v-v-very mean.” Tommy said, Gordon rubbed the sore spot on his throat and looked at Benrey. Letting out a sigh he stood up.

“Okay, okay, I’m really stressed out and it makes me, just lash out. I’m sorry, but please listen to me next time.” Gordon said, Tommy rolled his eyes, was it that hard for a proper apology? What can he expect, Gordon’s human. He shouldn’t have expected any better.

“Is, is okay bro...” Benrey muttered, Tommy couldn’t understand how Benrey could just… be okay with this, strange thing, he adored them, but they were strange.

“W-w-we need to get out…” Tommy muttered.

“Yes, I want to get the fuck out of here.” Bubby grumbled.

“Okay, okay, we should head over to a few rooms and see if there’s anywhere we can go, maybe someone will know if we can use the trams.” Gordon said, he started walking, expecting the others to follow. Bubby ended up following and so did Benrey, Tommy sighed and begrudgingly followed suit.

“B-Benny?”

“Hm? Yeah bro?” Benrey slowed down so they could be standing next to Tommy as he spoke.

“A-a-are you okay?”

“Yeah bro, I got you with me!” Benrey pecked Tommy on the cheek and kept walking, Tommy’s face went a little red as he touched the kiss spot, not unusual for Benrey to do so but it still made him blush.

The three arrived at some other room, Tommy couldn’t care less to remember, Gordon went off to talk to some scientists, so he just stalled around to look. The test tubes were broken, that can’t be good, knowing this shithole something ungodly was bound to escape from a place like this, Benrey stood beside him and the two held hands.

“Still don’t like these…”

“I-I know, b-but soon we won’t have to any-anymore.” Tommy looked towards Gordon and saw something creeping up behind him.

“W-Watch out!” He called out, Gordon looked over.

“Tommy? What is it?”

“Watch out t-there’s creatures!” He repeated, a headcrab pounced at Gordon, making him scream out as he punched it away, it made weird alien noises and kept going after whoever was closest. Benrey felt around their guard outfit and smirked when they felt the specific weapon, they pulled out the gun and started firing, quickly firing out a massive explosive ball from their palm to add to the bullets, making the headcrab fucking exploded everywhere while Bubby was running around like a headless chicken who still had the ability to speak. Tommy stared and grinned a little at seeing Benrey wreck the area.

“What the, what are we arming our guards with!? What the fuck was that?!” Gordon shouted,

“Oh my god they’re dead!” Bubby yelled, Benrey calmly walked over to Gordon to answer his question.

“That was uh, that was a passport.”

Gordon stared at them in utter disbelief. Gordon rubbed the sides of his head and went over to calm Bubby down; Tommy went over to Benrey and kissed their cheek.

“N-N-Nice work.” He said, Benrey smiled wide, their eyes twinkling excitedly. The two then saw one of the scientists had survived, Tommy’s eyes narrowed at the unfortunately familiar face.

“W-w-want to handle this o-one?” Tommy asked, Benrey looked over and nodded, lightly hopping on their feet. Tommy felt his lips curl into a small smile as Benrey excitedly went off to the scientist, but his mood was ruined by hearing Gordon’s voice talking to him.

“Tommy, Tommy?” Tommy looked over at him. Gordon’s eyes suddenly widen, Tommy could hear a noise and he just kept a straight face while Gordon was obviously freaking out on the inside.

“What is, what is happening? What the fuck?” Gordon muttered, he then started pointing.

“Tommy, Tommy look behind you.” Tommy took his sweet time, hearing the other man’s cries of pain as Benrey burnt him to a crisp. Only looking when there was nothing, so he could pretend Gordon was just seeing things.

“D-did he do that…?” Gordon muttered, Bubby and Tommy just looked at him silently. Gordon cautiously walked over to Benrey.

“Hey uh, what, what happened to them?” he asked, Benrey looked at him then back at the ash rubble.

“Uh, they didn’t have their passport.” Was all they could come up with. Gordon audibly gulped; Tommy chuckled quietly to himself.

“You’re going to want to find that passport Gordon.” Bubby piped in, Gordon nodded fast and gave Benrey’s shoulder a pat.

“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry bud we’re gonna find that passport, yeah.” Benrey looked at the hand on their shoulder and smiled brightly at Gordon, tapping their leg when Gordon let go to talk to Bubby again, Tommy looked over at Benrey who was still grinning. He felt his chest tighten up, it was weird, it was unwanted. He didn’t like this feeling at all, maybe his instincts were warning he should keep Gordon away from Benrey.

Gordon and Bubby started continuing onto the next room.

“Tommy! Other, guard guy! You coming?” Gordon called out.

“Uh, y-yeah.” He replied, walking over with Benrey.

“Hey, Dr Coomer! Wait, wait Coomer move out the way!” Gordon said as he tried to tug Dr Coomer away from the laser.

“Yo bro look at this.” Benrey called out, Tommy looked over and saw Benrey trying to do the limbo with the laser, they winked at Tommy as their head was upside down from bending so low. The laser was so close to zapping Benrey in the belly but luckily Benrey had chosen to take a flatter human’s form, not thin, but flat enough that it missed them. Tommy was what most humans would call thin, but it’s been a while since he’s had a decent meal. Actually, Tommy doesn’t know when he’s ever had a decent meal.

“You call that bendy? I’ll show you fucker.” Bubby went to the beams after Benrey had gotten through and did the same, his skinny nimble body getting under the laser easy, a few joints cracking on the way.

“Niiiice, now you Tomsy!” Benrey said, tapping on their leg. Tommy gulped; his sheer height might prevent him from making it through and being zapped was not something he needed right now. Gordon and Dr Coomer were still busy chatting. Tommy leaned his back backwards and tried walking through, only ending up with his hands on the floor as he kept going.

“Oh yo bro you look like a uh, like a tall crab, Crab Tommy.” Benrey chuckled, Tommy got back up and rubbed his shoulders.

“I-I’d like to n-not do that a-a-again.” He stated, Bubby sitting on a ledge.

“S-s-so you got put w-with Dr Coomer?” Tommy asked, Bubby nodded.

“Yes, he was the only non-idiotic dipshit that didn’t treat me like some grapefruit to be given random surgeries on.” Bubby grumbled while gazing at Dr Coomer.

“Sooooo ya like him?” Benrey asked, making kissy faces. Bubby blushed hard.

“S-shut the fuck!” Bubby said, Tommy watching as Benrey cackled, Tommy didn’t see what was so embarrassing, he and Benrey like each other, they were openly close friends, what was there to be embarrassed by?

“Hmph, c’mon lets GOOOO!” Bubby yelled out to Dr Coomer and Gordon.

“’M gonna, go explore.” Benrey said wandering off.

“D-don’t go too f-far!” Tommy called out, the scientists walking in a group of four down the facility, Gordon looked over to them.

“How… have any of you gone to the surface without the tram? Is it possible by foot?” Gordon asked, Tommy stayed silent.

“I dunno, I was born down here.” Bubby said, Tommy and Dr Coomer nodded. Gordon just looked more confused.

“You were, you were born here?”

“Yes.”

“I, I didn’t know that. I, Black Mesa does Test Tube Babies?”

“This place is oooooooold, Gordon.” Was all Bubby had to say, Gordon sighed and nodded.

“That’s true, definitely older than me, you guys are all older than me combined. Except for Tommy who’s like. Five.”

Tommy shot a look at Gordon, what the fuck did he just say?

“We love our little Tommy.” Bubby taunted, making Tommy’s fists clench and shake, he tries to start walking away to calm down.

“Yeah yeah, we love our little Tommy.” Gordon agreed, Tommy had enough and shoved Gordon to the wall.

“I’M N-N-NOT YOUR L-LITTLE T-T-TOMMY! I’M AN A-ADULT!” Tommy shoved him away and stormed off, shaking in anger. Gordon was frozen in near fear from the sudden shouting, Gordon felt his heart start racing and his body shaking, trying to calm down fast from being yelled at.

“O-Okay.” Gordon squeaked.

“Y-You, t-that’s very r-r-rude! I-I look like an adult.” Tommy mumbled, he looked towards a broken mirror and stepped towards it. Looking at himself, he, he looks like an adult! He’s not a little child, he deserved to be treated as such. Tommy looked at the freckles, was that… something that made him look too young? He hoped not, they were nice to look at. What if that’s all this Gordon, sees him as? A child, Tommy felt their fists ball up, he was not a child, he was not weak or defenceless, not anymore. Pings of pain flickered through his body, what if Gordon just wants to hurt him like everyone else does.

Gordon watched from a distance, a pang of guilt going through his body. As the thought went on he thinks how he really shouldn’t have said that, but he’s unsure if Tommy would even want him going over at that moment. Maybe he can apologize properly later when he’s calmed down.

Tommy lagged behind for a bit, mostly keeping an eye out but also not trusting Gordon or Bubby to stay behind him. That was just opening a chance for either to take advantage of his blindspot. Dr Coomer looked behind him to check that Tommy was still with them, he slowed down for a moment.

“Are you alright Tommy?”

“Hm? Y-Yeah.”

“You seem rather troubled.”

Yeah no shit.

“You know you can talk to me about it.” He continued.

“I-I want to g-g-go.” Tommy pushed past Coomer and kept walking, the old man let out a long sigh and followed without more questions.

Tommy’s mind was racing, he was finally going to get out. Why did it all still feel the same? The feeling of dread, the tug of pains the fear of harm. It was all still plaguing his mind and it wouldn’t go away!

“OWWWWWW!!”

Tommy snapped out of his internal crisis when he heard Benrey scream, he should never have let them go alone! Tommy bolted in the direction of the others and saw Gordon pulling Benrey away from a laser.

“Dude! What the, the fuck man you could’ve died!” Gordon snaps, Benrey holding onto their head from the shock. Tommy rushed over and took Benrey’s hand, checking over the other’s head.

“Holy shit, what kind of helmet is that?!”

“Standard issue, Black Mesa Helmets!” Bubby answers, Benrey shook in Tommy’s arms and Gordon went over to the two.

“Shit man, are you okay?” Gordon asks, though needily muttering under his breath about should he even be caring. That earned him a death glare from Tommy. Can this bitch do anything nice without immediately breaking it?

“I’m still like, fifty percent sure this is all your fault.”

“M-Mr Freeman y-you need t-t-to shut up!”

Benrey gagged a little, then their stomach clenched up. That wasn’t a good sigh, Tommy gulped and stroked their back.

“Uh, are you oka-ohhh gosh he’s spitting out blue.”

Benrey coughed and sung out some sweet voice, the colours changing from blue then fading to purple. Benrey let out a sigh and slumped further into Tommy’s arms.

“Is that normal?” Bubby asked as he backed away.

“What the fuck, I don’t know what that is.” Gordon observed the floating stream of coloured balls.

“I-I can read this!” Tommy piped up.

“You, you can read this?!”

He nodded fast.

“W-when it’s, the purple of an evening… Of a spring evening, t-then it m-m-means they’re okay.” Tommy explains.

“He’s okay, he’s okay…”

Benrey let out another little squeak of sweet voice noise, Tommy couldn’t help but find it adorable, it was like someone booped Benrey on the nose and it honked.

“Okay, thank you Tommy.” Gordon said with a smile, Tommy felt a bubble go into his throat. Did, he just thank him? Properly appreciate something? That was a, strange feeling. Benrey nuzzled Tommy’s chest and moved back, ready to get going again.

“Last one to the elevator is a rotten egg!” Bubby announced, he started speeding through and Coomer excitedly joined.

“What!? Why would we race!?” Gordon watched the two bolt through the lasers.

“Yooo we playin?”

Tommy and Benrey were quick to dash on their feet after, ignoring Gordon’s please to be careful. Bubby announcing that he almost died only to be lectured by Gordon pointing out that he was going through a laser. Tommy and Benrey reached the end relatively unharmed, aside from the initial damage from the laser Benrey copped to the head and a crack in their helmet.

At least that was now out of the way.

“Hey bro, look at this.” Benrey beckoned Tommy over, the man walked over and looked through the glass door Benrey was pointing at, there was an elevator stuck. He could hear a few scientists talking as they were stuck inside. Sparks flying out the joints as the elevator was threatening to fall if it had a little… encouragement.

“Right this way.” Benrey said, mostly talking to Tommy but Gordon had heard and went towards the button, not knowing what Tommy and Benrey did.

“Yeah, hopefully we can get closer to the surface this way…”

The button was pressed, that was all that was needed for the machine to break and the elevator gave a harsh hissing sound as it came loose.

“Oh god.”

The elevator came crashing down, the screams of the scientists trapped inside filled the room as they fell to their inevitable death.

“Oh my god!!” Gordon placed his hands on the glass looking down hopelessly, guilt setting into his chest. Behind him Tommy was smirking to himself, another load of unwanted scum erased from his life, Benrey snickering beside him.

“WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?” Bubby screamed out, Gordon was visibly panicking and stepped away, his eyes widening at the four now surrounding him. Tommy and Benrey looked at each other then back at Gordon, seeing him stutter and shake under everyone’s gaze.

“I-I, I just…! I didn’t…!”

Gordon’s state only got worse when Coomer and Bubby went on at him for killing those men, Benrey raised an eyebrow. The guy didn’t mean to do it, and neither of them warned him about it.

Benrey went over to Gordon, they took Gordon’s hands and held them.

“Calm, clam down? Want calm down?”

Gordon shook for a bit. He nodded and closed his eyes, Benrey sung some blue balls at him and they faded onto his skin, Gordon’s breathing steadied as he slowly started to calm down. The room was silent for a moment minus Gordon’s shaky breaths. Gordon felt Benrey’s fingers gently combing his ponytail, he focused on the feeling as the sweet voice took effect.

Tommy felt something tugging at his chest, nothing physical, there was no alien in his chest grabbing his heart. But it felt something along those lines, he was unsure what it was. Was it a good feeling? A bad feeling? The way Benrey was showing such care for a human, a human that showed a couple times to give no shits about them. But the way Gordon looked so, vulnerable? It was a look he knew all too well, the way his body was tense, how his eyes were distant and wide but clenched tightly when closed. Tommy’s own heart felt… bad? No, no he didn’t feel bad for this human, he was just bringing up memories that he can relate to. Tommy’s fists clenched a little at watching how close they were being to him.

“Um… t-thanks. Um…?”

“It’s Benrey.” They smiled when Gordon looked up at them.

“Benrey… thanks Benrey.” Gordon’s chest felt tight, he wasn’t expecting the ‘guard’ to… care.

“We should get going.” Tommy said, interrupting their moment.

“Oh, yeah bro!”

“Uh, yeah, we should get going.” Gordon moved the door open and stepped inside, gulping at the drop he stepped aside to let the others go through.

“Let’s make sure we don’t run into any of those, fucking alien things.”

Coomer jumped onto the ladder and headed up. “Well, nothing ventured nothing gained!”

Tommy followed not long after, he got over to the ledge and looked down to see Gordon and Bubby struggling up. Benrey floated up and sat on the ledge with them while Bubby and Gordon struggled to get up.

“Y-You, did a good j-job calming h-him.”

“Learned from the best, bro!”

“B-B-But, why did you? H-he’s always mean to y-you.”

Benrey smacked their lips while thinking. “Well uh, because I wanna, be a big cool, be all, be nice. Maybe he a bit, bit angry, like you.”

Tommy stared at Benrey for a moment. Letting out a sigh, Tommy took Benrey’s hand and they headed towards the door. The two looked around the area for any danger, only to see a surviving guard instead. Benrey gulped and moved closer to Tommy who was already tense, the guard spotted them and backed up.

“Wait a minute, Benrey? How the, fuck why did you of all people survive that? You were inside the explosion!” The guard snapped, gripping his gun and pulling it out.

“H-hey bro.” The alien gulped loudly.

“Why I outta get you back in those cells and make sure the both of you are put back in your plac-AGH!” The guard was flung to the ground as Tommy was suddenly on top, pounding his fist into the guard’s face.

“Whoa, whoa!!” Gordon rushed towards Tommy who was blindlessly beating the guy, Benrey grabbed Gordon’s hand and tugged him away.

“I wouldn’t do that bro!”

“Tommy, we need to stay calm!” Dr Coomer managed to pry Tommy off the guard despite his thrashings, the guard coughed and backed away, nose bleeding and possibly broken.

“Tommy, what the fuck…?” Gordon asked, Tommy pressed his back against the wall, breathing heavy and shaking. Knuckles stained in blood.

“Don’t be mad at him bro-YO look out!” Benrey pulled Gordon down as a headcrab pounced at them.

“Oh shit!” He swung his crowbar and clobbered it to death. With a sigh of relief, he looked over at the guard who was being pulled up by Bubby.

“Get up you lazy bastard.”

“I’m up, I’m up. Hm, what the hell are these things?” The guard asked, pointing towards the headcrab.

“I have no idea what they are.” Gordon admitted, though does anyone know what they are?

Tommy glared up at Gordon, this fucker thinks he has any right to tell him to not beat up that bitch? The guard stayed by Gordon, clearly fearing Tommy.

He should be afraid from the shit he’s done. Tommy didn’t notice that the others had already started heading off, he was stuck in his own head, he just wanted to be alone right now. His skin felt tight, like it was itchy, his vision grew fuzzy and everything was too loud, too bright. Everything was too much.

“Tommy?”

Oh not now.

“Tommy, hey man? Are you coming?”

Please make him go away! Tommy shivered, he couldn’t move, he wanted to hide. Please, please, please go away!

“Um, hello?” Gordon gently put his hand on Tommy’s arm, only for him to violently wrench his arm away and back up.

“G-Get away!” Tommy yelled, he stormed off to the direction of Bubby and Dr Coomer, leaving Gordon confused. He looked to the side and saw Benrey staring at the wall.

“Hey what’s up with Tommy? Is he normally this mad? Hello?”

Benrey shook their head a little and looked at Gordon, eyes a bit distant.

“Wha?”

“… Never mind…”

Benrey gave a shrug and headed with the others, Gordon following in tow.

#TTommy #tested tommy au #tested tommy x benrey #Tested Tommy #tested tommy ch 3 #violence tw #tw trauma #caps tw

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ramblinganthropologist · 3 years

Text

N7 Challenge 10 and 11 - Allies and Found

Summary: Well... we won. So... uh... where’s Shepard? We don’t leave men behind, especially not when they save the universe. Luckily, it’s hard to keep Bo Peep Shepard down. She’s going to find him if it’s the last thing she ever does.

---

Fuck; they'd won.

“Commander Shepard, you need to lie down! You're still-”

Bo wasn't paying attention as she stormed away from the Normandy. Her head was pounding, and she was pretty sure at least a few of her ribs were broken. Her right arm might be too – it hurt to move it, and so did her ankle. That didn't matter, however, as she kept running as fast as she could.

Her tattoo felt like it was going to explode. Al had done something stupid.

All around her it was chaos. The Reapers had just dropped out of the sky, nonfunctional as the area around them exploded with light. Not only that, the geth had stopped moving and fallen into a heap. Up above her head, it looked like the sky was on fire with the brightest glow she had ever seen.

Didn't matter – she had a goal.

“Whatever the fuck you did, Al-” Bo shook her head as she grabbed a lost gun and checked it for ammo. It went onto her belt as she kept going. “I'm coming.”

Of course, she wasn't sure how she was going to be getting anywhere. He brother was on the Citadel far above their heads, and she was down on a war-torn Earth as the survivors began to realize they had finally won the war. Shell-shocked soldiers looked as though they weren't sure if they should start celebrating or counting the dead – both were valid options. It would set in later that they had won, but at the moment it was quiet.

Bo's ankle was throbbing as she ran towards the last place she had seen her brother before it had all gone to hell and a Mako had flipped onto them. There was a lot of blood there, turian and human reacting in a puddle violently, but she paid it no mind. Her goal was up ahead, where there were still light.

She didn't know shit about tech, but that looked like a gravity well to her.

“Monster, slow down!”

Someone grabbed her by the wrist and she tore it out of their grasp, half expecting to shoot. However, she didn't – didn't want to waste the ammo. Besides, she was pretty sure Vega was on their side. He'd definitely been gnawed on by the cannibals if the dents in his armor were anything to go by, so she was pretty sure he was with them.

He needed to get the fuck out of her way, though.

“I don't have time, Vega. That shit is gonna close and we gotta get up there!”

He held up his hands. “Just figured you shouldn't go alone, Monster. We'll go get Loco together.”

Excellent, they were a squad of two as long as he could keep up. Bo didn't care as she nodded. Together, the two of them ran towards the light before anyone could comment on it. That comment would've probably been 'insane' or 'just plain fucking suicidal' but she didn't care as she breached the area.

Al needed her, and she wasn't about to leave him hanging.

The next thing she knew, she and Vega were surrounded by rotting corpses. The smell was enough to make her stomach turn, but she pressed on. He fell in behind her, gun out in case they ran into any hostiles. However, this part of the Citadel seemed abandoned as they threaded their way through.

They definitely didn't have this one on a map in the Presidium. Must've been Reaper made.

“Where the hell are we even going?”

Bo kept talking as she ran. “I don't know... I just have this feeling.”

With every step, the tattoo on her lower back throbbed with an agony she had never felt before. It brought stinging tears to her eyes as she kept going, following the only path that wasn't blocked by the dead or blown to bits. It looked like a bomb had gone off on the Citadel – what that meant for anyone in the emergency shelters, she didn't know. They would have to figure that one out later.

Vega at least didn't argue with her – he nodded and kept going. Maybe it was the fact they'd finally won that made him agreeable to this honestly stupid plan. Well, plan was giving it too much credit – she was acting on instinct. But maybe that was what they needed with the tech scrambled and everything else going dark.

She knew Al was there somewhere... and he was close.

“What the hell is that thing?”

Vega was pointing at what looked like the epicenter of the blast. Bo squinted as she tried to pick out the details. Whatever it was still held enough energy to spark, and she swore she saw smoke rising from a ruined console in the distance. Something about it made her stomach lurch, so she started running towards it without thinking. Her brain was screaming run away, so she just ignored that.

Most people wouldn't do that, but she was working with what she had.

“Shit... what the hell happened here?”

If a bomb had gone off, here was where someone had set the charge. Bits of metal were embedded into the wall nearly forty feet away, and oil leaked from a ruined canister on the far side of the room. There was an impression burnt into the floor, like someone had left old film too far long exposed in the light. There was also a body.

Oh, hey. How the fuck did the Illusive Man get on the Citadel? Also, what the fuck?

“I don't even want to know.” Bo kicked his leg to make sure he wasn't getting up. Given the hole in his head, she doubted that greatly. Besides, he was looking pretty rough. In a weird way, it reminded her of Saren the very first time they had blown up the Citadel a few years prior. What that meant settled heavily into her stomach as she stomped past his corpse, trying to find where her brother might be hiding.

Whatever happened to him, she hoped it hurt.

“Shepard... it's Anderson!”

Bo's heart caught in her throat as she looked over at where Vega was standing. He was kneeling down in front of another body, one that had been propped against another console. This one wasn't breathing either.

Anderson... he'd be shot.

“Fuck.” She bit her lip. “Not him too...”

Even though the man had always liked Al a little more in her mind, he had been a good person. Besides, he had punched Udina in the face – it was hard to argue with those kinds of results. With him gone, the universe was missing somebody great.

She bowed her head. “We'll... figure out how to get him down after we find Al. Start looking.”

Together, the pair stepped away from the bodies and continued their frantic search around the ruined room. After a few minutes, all they had managed to find was a gun streaked with blood. It wasn't his, and it wasn't Alliance issue – so it was probably the Illusive Man's.

Hoped it hurt when he shot himself. Fucking asshole.

“I don't think he's here.” Vega sounded pained as he looked around. “Loco's little, but there's a limit to where you can stash a guy.”

Bo shook her head, gritting her teeth as the pain in her lower back increased. “He's here, Vega. I can feel it.”

But he wasn't going to be there much longer. Even as it hurt, she could feel the pain starting to get weaker. It wasn't in the everything was going to be alright way, the comforting sensation she had learned to live with knowing her other half was ok. This was something she had felt once before, when she had watched Al drift into space with a cracked helmet.

They had given him a headstone after that. No way was she letting him get any use out of it yet.

She did one last turn around the room, ducking under ever corner in the hopes he might be there. As the sweat poured down her face, she could feel the pain ebbing. He was fighting, but there wasn't much left in him. At the rate she was going...

No. He wasn't dying a second time, not on her watch.

“Al, if you can hear me fucking say something!”

Her voice reverberated around the empty room, highlighting the crackling of ruined wires that surrounded them. Bo could feel her heart in her throat as she strained her ears to listen for some small sign. Just... something. Anything.

She couldn't do this again.

“...here.”

A small voice, almost too quiet to hear, sounded in her ear. Bo jumped to her feet as she looked around, wide-eyed. Vega was standing still, so there was a chance he hadn't heard any of that. Knowing the weird shit tying her and Al together, maybe that was to be expected.

“I heard you, do it again!”

A few seconds and then “Over here” sounded from a large pile of rubble. Bo was over there in a flash, tearing the pile apart with aching hands. Her second in command soon joined her as they started to rip the debris away. All the while, her heart pounded in her ears as she hoped against all else she'd find something other than more blood.

When she spotted the N7 emblem on the front of his armor, Bo could've cried.

“Al!”

He was in bad shape. His left leg was just... gone, ripped away from the blast. The way his arm was hanging, she doubt they'd be able to fix that. He was bleeding from a thousand places, and his breathing was so shallow it was almost like it wasn't happening at all.

But what was left of his leg wasn't bleeding...

“I can't hold him much longer. He needs medical help.”

A voice – not Al's – escaped from cracked lips. One unfocused eye was a light blue, almost the same shade as when he activated his biotics. She could see the leg wound was glowing in the same shade, but it didn't matter. Whatever was going on, it was keeping the worst of his wounds from bleeding out.

She would figure it out later.

Vega scooped his commander up before she got the chance. When she opened her mouth, he countered, “Your arm's broken, Shepard. Let me handle this one. We need to figure out how to get down.”

Right... there was no return gravity well. It wasn't like they could jump down either. Even though they had Al literally in their grasp, getting him medical attention was all but impossible unless they figured how to get back down to Earth.

Her heart was in her throat again. “Damn it... he can't die here.”

“There... button on the panel. Saw the dead man use it.” The strange voice from Al was getting weaker. Whatever was holding him together was failing. Bo wasn't about to argue with strange presences – instead, she slammed it down so hard she was pretty sure she broke something.

Then they were back on the ground, surrounded by confused marines with a lot of guns.

Bo didn't even react, she grabbed the nearest one. “Get medigel now, he's bleeding out!”

True – there was a lot of blood now splashing down Vega's armor as Al started bleeding from his leg wound. The rest was a blur as people jumped in. None of it made sense to Bo as she rushed along, trying to process what was happening.

They had found him... now they just needed to save his life.

---

“How is he, doc?”

“We were able to cauterize the wound, but he's probably going to lose that arm. It's a miracle he even survived the blast, nearly every bone was broken...”

Bo listened to the report with a somber gaze. They were in one of the few hospitals the alliance had gotten running since the end of the war. Unlike most, Al had a room to himself. They needed it – he was barely alive.

Lost a leg, lost an arm... that eye wasn't looking good. They were pretty sure his amp had blown out so there might be brain damage. Yet he was alive somehow, and holding on by a thread as they fought to keep the blood in his body and infection at bay.

“The commander is a lucky man. A few minutes, and he would have bled out.” The doctor's attention was drawn away – someone else needed him to save their life. He rushed off without another word, leaving Bo to sit there with her brother.

She wasn't too good either – her arm was bandaged and in a sling, and they had wrapped her ankle with orders for her to keep off it. Add in a few broken ribs, a nasty concussion, and a ringing in her ears and she was pretty lucky to be alive too.

But... shit. They were both alive.

“You better wake up, Al. We pulled this fucking thing off and I'm not taking any of the credit without you there to get some too.”

He didn't respond – they said he was in a pretty bad coma due to getting knocked around. At least he was breathing on his own. It wasn't like they had many ventilators to go around, so that was a relief. Had it been worse...

No. She wasn't going to think about that. He was alive.

“Garrus is going to be ok, by the way. You saved him.” Her shoulders sagged. “You saved all of us, you fucking moron. So you better wake up.”

She sighed, eyes closing. Things still didn't make sense. What the hell had that voice been? Had she just hallucinated it, or had Andeson's ghost paid his adopted son and favorite soldier one last favor before he passed on? It was hard to believe it had even happened. Maybe she had just dreamed it up with the stress of finding him...

Hell, maybe it was eezo. Eezo did weird shit.

Whatever, it didn't matter. Bo was going to sit there until he woke up. If it took a while, she had time. She was turning in her resignation once the com channels were fixed anyway. They could get someone else to help save the galaxy – she was done.

So was he, probably. Maybe he could finally go to med school once he woke up and got a prosthetic or two.

“We won, Al. Whatever you did... the Reapers are gone.” And despite everything, Bo let out a grim smile as the sun rose through a broken window. “And the sun rises on Earth once more. How fucking poetic is that?”

And then she lapsed into silence as she continued her vigil. No matter what, she was going to be there when he woke up. Then she was probably going to yell at him, and after that she wasn't sure. She'd figure that out then.

Until then... she was going to keep off her ankle and make sure he had company.

#n7month #ramblinganthropologist's writing #Bo Peep Shepard #Alistair Shepard #also introducing Love #Who is love?#Well if you play mass effect...#Yeah I crossed the streams

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voidendron · 4 years

Text

One Little Kitten

One-Shot, 1′696 words Star Wars AU

(( I wanted to write when Marv was found by his clan; it’s from the leader’s POV instead of his since he was pretty little at the time. This was partially just to do some study on his species and to give his clan a little more life (hah) ))

Warnings: Minor Character Death (Corpses), Child Death Characters: Marvin the Magnificent, Ferr (OC), Other Background OCs POV: Ferr Magniif

Keeping her blaster close and body low, Ferr’s eyes scanned the settlement just beneath the ridge she was perched on.

There was nothing left. Just felled tents, destroyed crates, bodies. Bodies everywhere. Bodies of pirates, and bodies of the Cathar villagers. Men, women, and, god… She felt her stomach twist when she noticed even children laying down there, motionless.

She’d gotten in contact with the settlement to trade goods—some good blasters in return for ship parts that Clan Magniif needed. She’d never expected to arrive to…

“Sir?” One of her men—Mili—had the scope on his helmet down in front of his visor. He was shaking his head. “Only getting some small energy signatures—probably from droids or computers that managed to make it.”

No smoke. Nothing was smoldering.

Ferr activated her jetpack; the four accompanying her followed suit. Down, down to the settlement, weapons poised, heads on swivels. Her boots crunched in the dirt when she landed, and when she toed at one of the dead pirates, the body was stiff. Stiff, and cold, and its eyes already decaying, and no smoke from anywhere, nothing.

She shook her head. “Happened a few days ago.”

Simon snorted from her left. “I thought Cathar were warriors.”

“They are.” Mili was kneeling at another pirate’s side, prodding at the obvious claw marks in his face. “And they clearly fought. But they wanted weapons for a reason.”

“They were Bantha fodder just waitin’ to be slaughtered.” Sarla put her hands on her hips. Even with a helmet, Ferr could picture the sour expression on the older woman’s face as she scanned the settlement. “Warriors or not, these people didn’t have much a chance against armed pirates.”

“I’ve never liked pirates,” Mili growled as he pulled himself back to his feet, kicking one of the offending bodies for good measure.

Ferr couldn’t agree more. “That makes two of us.”

“Slippery bunch they are.”

“Cowards, the lot of ‘em.”

Glancing back at the youngest member of their party, Ferr frowned. “Sisto, you’re awfully quiet.”

“I keep getting weird readings.” They put their scope away, offering a shrug. “It’s probably just broken again. Sorry.”

“I’m surprised these people even agreed to trade with us.” Simon had wandered off and found a broken…something, that he was tossing from hand-to-hand carelessly. “You know, after what our people did to theirs?”

Ferr and Sarla glanced at each other. It was the older woman to speak first, “Kid, the Mandalorian Wars were long before any of our times. Generations ago. If we can help each other out, then why not?”

“Hey, just saying. Our ancestors did almost make their entire damn species go extinct.”

Mili just shoved past him to check under one of the fallen tents, while Sisto grumbled something mockingly under their breath. Ferr just felt a spark of irritation. “You complain an awful lot about our history,” she noted. “I’d be careful about that.”

He missed the chunk of metal in the next toss and it clattered off behind something. “That a threat?”

“I lead this clan. If I ever feel your loyalty wavers, I’ll gladly remove you from it.” The unspoken “one way or another” hung in the air between them.

Simon snorted, but said no more. They both knew which of the two would win in a fight, so now he’d tuck his tail and keep his head down for a while to avoid one. Ferr could only turn away and to start searching the rubble, but she could practically feel Sarla trying not to laugh in the man’s face.

Mili had already broken the other man’s jaw once before when he’d pressed just the right button. Ferr even had a bet going with her second on how long it would be before it happened again.

“’Ey, boss, what’re we even lookin’ for now?” Sarla picked up the remains of what looked like a glove, dropping it when she realized the hand was still inside. “Place is picked clean.”

“Whatever—” Movement made her stop short and poise her blaster instead. When she turned to Simon—had he thrown something?—he threw his free hand up and shook his head. His blaster was also readied, and Sisto had their scope down again, the blinking light on the side telling Ferr that they had it in its infrared setting.

“Maybe it’s not broken…” they mumbled. “Something’s here. Didn’t get a good look at it.”

“Scavenger?” Mili suggested. He had both hands gripped tightly around his electrostaff, purple electricity sparking at its ends.

“It was pretty small. Animal, maybe.”

“Womp rat?”

“Not everything is a womp rat, Sarla. …And aren’t they big?”

“They aren’t even on this planet, so what’s that matter?”

“Keep your guard up,” Ferr interrupted. “Look for anything useful we can take back.”

Ferr managed to find a well-stocked toolbox. She nodded approvingly, but dropped it when Sarla and…someone else, she didn’t recognize the voice, started shouting. Well, the new voice was really more shrieking.

“Aw, he’s just a little tyke!”

“Sarla!”

The older woman was holding the child by the back of his shirt while he kicked and clawed and hissed at her. His eyes were wide—Ferr could see the whites even from where she stood—and, while her Catharese was poor, she could tell his vocabulary was limited. Kid couldn’t be more than a few years old.

“Sarla!” she repeated, more forcefully that time. “You’re scaring him!”

“I’m not doin’ nothing! Kid’s just a spitfire!”

Holstering her blaster, Ferr pulled her helmet off as she approached, keeping her body low. The kid only looked at her wide eyes as he curled in on himself, feet dangling uselessly as Sarla held him off the ground.

She had to wrack her brain for the language she didn’t know well, and she knew it wouldn’t sound right—she couldn’t growl like the Cathar!—but the moment the words came out, the little guy relaxed a little.

“We won’t hurt you. You’re okay.” Ferr opened the pouch at her hip, pulling out a nonperishable food stick that she held out. “Are you hungry?”

He snatched it up greedily as soon as he was set back on the ground. When she offered a second, it was gone just as quickly as the first. They didn’t taste any good—poor guy must be starving.

“Sisto,” she murmured softly, not wanting to startle the kid, “I thought Cathar had siblings?”

“Littermates,” they agreed. “He likely has at least one other sibling his age.”

Ferr didn’t know the Catharese word for littermates, so she asked instead, “Brothers or sisters? Where are they?”

“Papa told us to hide.” His voice was squeaky, so she wasn’t surprised that the growl to accompany some of the words startled Simon. The kid had retracted his claws and started chewing on his fingers. “Mm… They didn’t listen.”

“Did the pirates take them?”

He shook his head and pointed at the body of a Cathar male—Ferr noticed that, like the child, he had a heart-shaped mark on his forehead. He was curled around two tiny bodies.

“The mean men made them sleep! They don’t wanna wake up so they’re sleepin’ with Papa.”

Poor kid didn’t understand… Maybe that was for the better.

Ferr held out a hand and he grabbed it curiously. “My name is Ferr. What’s yours?”

“Marvin.” He giggled, swinging her hand and picking at her glove. “You talk funny. And look funny.”

“Don’t think he’s seen a Human before,” she said to her companions—the boy only tilted his head when he couldn’t understand her switch to Mando’a. Then, in her sloppy Catharese, she answered, “That’s a very nice name, Marvin. I don’t know your language very well, but maybe you can teach me, and I’ll teach you mine?”

“Really?”

Glancing back at the bodies of the kid’s father and littermates, Ferr nodded. “Yeah. Your papa wants us to take you with us. We can train you, and teach you things, and those mean men will never hurt you. How does that sound?”

“What about them?”

“We’ll let them keep sleeping.” Ferr reached down for her helmet, slipping it back on while the kid tilted his head. She brought a hand up to ruffle his hair (mane? it was thicker than Human hair). “You’ll get a helmet like this.”

“I will!?” He was grinning.

Their armorer would really have to work to craft one to fit his bigger, pointier ears and flatter nose, but, “Of course you will! We’ll make sure you feel right at home.”

Their first foundling in some time—the last had been found a few years ago and had recently turned old enough to get her first helmet. Ferr stood, picking the kid up and holding him close—was he purring?

“He’s not Human,” Simon muttered.

“Our founders weren’t Human,” Sisto snipped back. “It’s unusual these days, sure, but not impossible. As long as he embraces and respects our culture, he can be as much a Mandalorian as the rest of us.”

“’Sides!” Sarla leaned in to inspect the kid—he’d tucked his face against Ferr’s neck. “Only different between him an’ us is he’s got fur and—” she held up her gloved hands as if they had claws, “—built-in weapons. What Human Mando ain’t gonna envy that?”

“As with any foundling, he’ll be treated as our own.” She rubbed her hand over his back and he started purring again, hugging his arms around her neck and playing with strands of hair that were loose from her helmet. “Mili, you’ve always wanted a kid, right? Why don’t you take him under your wing?”

While she couldn’t see his expression, she could certainly tell that the larger man had perked up at that.

When she activated her jetpack, his arms tightened, but she shushed him, held him securely. “It’s all right. I’ve got you.”

He was so young. Ferr wasn’t sure he’d even remember what had happened to his tiny village when he got older. That didn’t matter—he’d be treated just like any other member of Clan Magniif.

Marvin. Little Marvin Magniif.

That had a nice ring to it.

#fanfic #jacksepticeye #marvin the magnificent #blitz's ocs #star wars au #blitz indites #cathar marvin #one little kitten #it's been a looooong time since i've written from an oc's pov #so this is probably shit but eh #also fun fact! milli's electrostaff is teh one marv uses later on!#minor character death /#child death /

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chaniters · 4 years

Text

9-1-1

The rangers clash against Catastrofiend for the first time, and it only raises more questions as they attempt to save the only survivor of the onslaught.

*Triggers, mentions of gore (kept vague) and slashing & cutting wounds.

Part 10 of Awan Cormac’s second fanfic.

_______________________

Abandoned warehouse, Los Diablos Docks.

You tread carefully over the bloodened pieces of shattered crates. The whole warehouse is a battleground where the Loan-Shark’s army bit the dust.

No. Not a battleground. Slaughterhouse fits it best. This is the kind of scene you’ve grown accustomed to ever since Catastrofiend showed up. Nobody knows what to expect either, since there are no video recordings of any of the killings, and no one’s ever seen the fiend and lived to tell the tale.

The walls are riddled with gunfire, and most of the furniture’s been torn to pieces, just like the poor devils trying to stop the hunter coming at them. The familiar slashing cuts and splatters are all over for you to see.

“We’re late” Steel grumbles, cracking his neck as he approaches one of the victims for signs of life.

He finds none.

“They really fought back this time” Sentinel comments watching a machinegun armed on the floor, next to the remains of whoever was trying to use it.

“It’s just like the other sites.” Charge says using a visual scanner. He turns to you “Sidestep, you said there was someone alive, or did I dream that part?”

“I do sense at least one person down in the basement…and… something else down there too”

“What do you even mean with ‘something else’?” Anathema asks

“I mean I don’t know. It’s just...‘something else’”

“Is it Catastrofiend?” Steel inquires

“That” you start, clicking your tongue “Would be the logical conclusion”

“So It turns everyone to sashimi and doesn’t register as people in your brain radar… fun. Now, do you think it’s going to attack us, heroes, too?” Charge asks.

“How do you expect me to answer that?”

“Well, you’re the telepath! A mind’s a mind, right?” he says patting your back.

“Yeah, I am a telepath. Now can you read a book written in Sanskrit?” you grumble.

But you motion for him to give you some space nonetheless. You’ll give it a go, at least that way they’ll stop bugging you about it.

You focus your thoughts on a strong scan until you can feel it clearly, in the basement as well as the survivor. It’s easy to tell who the guy trapped down there is… the other one, that’s the real mess. It’s got thoughts, like everyone else, but they don’t make any sense… Hunger. So much hunger… and hatred… and pain… pain… PAIN….

Your vision blurs, and when you try to turn, you’re no longer there. You’re lost…all you can feel is the hunger… turning you inside out. You must feed… feed until the pain is gone… until you…

Until Ortega slaps your face sideways, that is.

“Sidestep! You ok?! Snap out of it!” Ortega’s speaking to you, though it seems to come from a long tunnel…

It takes more force of will than you’d admit, returning from wherever it is you went. You realize you’re kneeling, and you’ve got your own hands holding your skull as if it was going to explode.

“You were babbling nonsense… ?”

“I’m ok” You raise to your feet with his help, a bit embarrassed. “That thing’s fucking dangerous Charge, it’s going to attack the moment it sees us. We shouldn’t face it in a closed space.”.

“That’s just … great” Charge grumbles as he motions for everyone to follow his lead. “Any clue as to who the survivor is?”

“That’s easier. It’s the Loanshark, trapped down there” you answer. He nods once before speaking again.

“Alright team, we go in quietly. If we can get the Loanshark out without alerting that freak then that’s what we do. Sidestep and Sentinel, you two get Lewie, Annie and I go back up last to fend off whatever’s down there. Steel, keep your cannons ready to shoot if we get attacked.

”Understood,” everyone says.

The stairs are completely dark, so you turn on night vision. It reveals a multitude of bloodstains as your team goes down. Great.

You and Sentinel go in last, as the others secure the staircase. The actual basement looks like a terror movie set with a very healthy budget. Anathema seems almost ready to throw up, but he manages to keep it together and advance.

You’ve seen corpses, but it’s hard to think that these were people once…

Littered among the remains of the Loan Shark’s goons, there’s loads of electronic equipment in pieces along with metal crates that have been shred open from the sides with the familiar slashes. Realizing the fiend can cut metal too sends a shiver down your spine.

“Where?” Charge whispers.

The mind of the “Thing” lies behind a half-opened door leading to a dark corridor on the other side of the room… It seems to have found whatever it is it was looking for, and you can sense it’s fallen into some sort of… trance? Extasis? Hibernation? Unknown state of mind.

The Loan Shark, however, you can sense him, hiding under a pile of rubble.

“Freak’s over there… It’s distracted somehow, don’t ask me why. Lewie’s under... that” you say gesturing to both sides of the basement”

Charge nods, and motions to Annie and Steel, they both take positions to the sides of the door, while you and Sentinel start looking for the Loan Shark who’s pretending to be dead.

Soon enough, he stops the act, seemingly startled to see you, but actively cooperating as he realizes you’re not here to cut him to tiny pieces. His usual suit is shredded everywhere and there are several cuts over his supposedly bullet-proof skin.

“You’re under arrest” Sentinel whispers.

“Do I look like I care at this point, you damn narc? Just get me the fuck out of here” he answers nervously.

The Loanshark stands with difficulty and both of you start walking him to the stairs.

You fully expect the Catastrofiend to come after you at any second, but it stays put as you make your way up, followed by the others shortly after. You breathe in relief as all of you come out of the warehouse’s exit and head towards the ranger’s armored van.

And then the pain comes in again… so intense it makes your knees weak. But you manage to keep it together this time. Bring your shields up, keep it away from yourself… The fixation’s too strong. It has a new target.

Anathema holds your arm…

“What’s going on?”

“It’s coming” you whisper. “It’s coming fast.”

“Shit. Charge! Sidestep says it’s coming!”

“Hurry up then! You, me and Steel keep take it busy. Sidestep and Sentinel, get the Loanshark away!”

“No! We all need to get out of here! That thing’s insane Charge!”

“Insane’s what we signed up for man! Just get on the van, leave it to us!”

“You don’t get it! That thing…”

“Get on the van already! I’m leading this mission!” he shuts you down.

You’re not sure what did it. Perhaps you were weak after touching that alien mind… or maybe he triggered something subconsciously by sounding too much like Nathaniel giving you orders back at the farm. Or maybe you were just too scared to argue and following orders was the easiest thing to do.

Whatever the case, you stop arguing, like they all thaught you at the farm, and you sit down beside the Loanshark before closing the door.

Sentinel sits on the wheel and starts the engine…It takes a split second before you realize this is a mistake. You have to warn them to get on the vehicle too

But it’s too late. You can hear Anathema, shouting something, and you see a blurred thing passing by above you all… and then it lands on top of the vehicle’s hood, immediately turning to face the driver, it’s claws aimed directly at Sentinel’s face trough the glass with smashing strength.

__________________________________________________________

Ranger’s infirmary. Present time.

“Wait, you mean to tell me the five of us lost to that thing?”

“Lost? It wasn’t even playing the same game”

“That bad, huh?”

“No. Worse.”

__________________________________________________________

Los Diablos Docks. (yet again)

Sentinel avoids the claws narrowly but gets several glass cuts to his face. He still manages to extend his hands forward, sending out a strong wind gush, but Catastrofiend keeps fixed to the hood, two of its claws digging deep into it, while it prepares to strike again with the other two. It’s got a third pair of arms... Human-like… drenched in blood, extending towards Sentinel as if they wanted to caress his face trough the shattered glass.

Steel interrupts it with machinegun fire, hitting it on several spots before the creature dislodges itself, barrelling to the side in a spin that lands it on its feet, like a ballerina. You can see that half the engine is attached to one of it’s left claws as it lands on the ground.

You’re not going anywhere.

“FUCK! GET US OUT OF HERE!” The shark screams.

Steel follows up with a series of powered fist attacks, but the thing keeps moving out of its way each time, far too fast, before swinging a downwards slash that sends sparks and exposed circuitry out of his arm. He doesn’t get to recover, as it kicks him to the side, before tossing the engine pieces at him, causing Steel to lose balance and fall. It then starts heading back for the vehicle, and his target.

Anathema stands in front of Sentinel as the thing slashes down and to the sides with all four claws at the driver seat… and it works. Anathema just stands there, growling as he holds all of Catastrofiend’s claws, to on each hand, acid dripping out of them. One of the claws dissolves and snaps in two.

Catastrofiend recoils, freeing his weapons before stabbing again and again, but Annie won’t budge, getting in the way and sending splashing acid punches at it, causing the thing to shriek in pain.

Realizing it can’t penetrate his skin, the monster spins yet again, kicking him upwards with a long-clawed leg that never gives him a chance to dodge, waiting for him to fall before pummeling him down against the ground with its broken claw repeatedly, using it as a hammer on his head and body, trying it’s hardest to kill him right there. The pavement cracks under the repeated impacts making you cringe.

Charge rushes from the side, sending a solid electrical kick, forcing the fiend back as a recovered Steel closes in and Annie finally stands up. You draw your gun yourself, getting off the vehicle, as Sentinel steps off.

“What are you doing?!” The shark yells…

“Saving your skin. That thing is after you specifically” your sentence. It’s all too clear from the awful mind. Something compels it to kill the Loan Shark here and now.

“Shit. Incompetent heroes…fuck this, I won’t get killed at the back of a narc van” Lewie says bitting onto the cufflinks with his teeth, breaking them up.

“I need a gun,” he says, looking for one.

“You’re not getting one!” Sentinel yells.

“Hey! Sharks are people too!” he complains.

“Here,” you say putting an end to the argument as you pass him a shotgun from the vehicle’s small weapon compartment. “And just so you know, you’re arrested again when this is over”

“Whatever,” he says loading it and walking behind you. “We’re all going to die anyway and you know it”

Sentinel gets out as well, taking to the air.

Catastrofiend walks back as all six of you approach it, like a cornered beast. Or maybe that’s what It wants you to think… it’s impossible to tell.

“I’m sick of you fucker! EAT LEAD!” Lewie says shooting at its chest as he reloads.

It’s a decent hit, blood coming out of the beast. And it would have meant something if this was a regular villain.

But this is the Catastrofiend, and it starts regenerating the moment it gets hit. The claw that Annie broke, is almost fully formed again as well. It roars back at the Shark in fury, before leaping in his direction.

Annie jumps to the side to intercept… but the fiend is faster. It opens It’s an inhuman mouth, vomiting a stream of purple liquid at his face, blinding him before stepping on his shoulders and leaping again, onto the shark.

It seems it’s game over for the Loanshark when you notice the smoke stream of the RPG Steel just launched. You manage to cover your face in time, as it detonates in the air, sending the fiend off to the ground and away from Lewie.

You take a chance and shoot at its chest repeatedly while it’s down as Lewie takes the chance to take a few shots as well, the two of you doing some serious damage as you keep pulling your triggers. Sentinel joins in, sending freezing winds his way as the two continue shooting until the thing’s covered in a thin icy layer, it’s chest almost destroyed by your weapons. Then It finally falls backward, immobile, with a dying screech.

“Is it dead?” Charge asks

You sense no more thoughts coming from it. “I don’t feel anything… but I’m no expert on monsters”

Half a minute passes before Charge finally nods to Steel, who curses and takes point, approaching slowly, gun aimed at its head…

Right, when it the pain from its mind spikes again, forcing you to take a step back.

“ITS A TRAP!” you scream, just as the fiend swirls It’s clawed legs in a wide arch, somehow perfectly aiming them at Steel’s neck. But your warning came in time, and your ally manages to cover with his arms… which are both shredded by the sheer force of the blade’s impact. It takes you a moment to digest that part about Steel losing his mechanical hands… and he doesn’t seem to be assimilating it much better, as he cries out in pain.

Catastrofiend doesn’t have the time for it though, as it walks over, lifting him with the human hands, before passing him over to the claws, which it uses to catapult Chen, flying onwards onto Sentinel high in the air. Steel weights far too much for winds to stop the collision, and Sentinel ends up crushed under him, as they both fall out of sight.

Catastrofiend stands with a single motion, it’s chest still exposed to the bone from your previous shooting, but rapidly regenerating.

It walks straight for the Loanshark when Annie, still covered in purple goo steps in the way with a battlecry… waving his arms to spill acid at the enemy… but nothing happens. He stays there, waving his fingers as a wizard whose spell’s won’t activate, only to be quickly slashed away… and the oddest thing is you can see a bloodened cut on his shoulder as he falls screaming.

It just cut the only one of you who couldn’t ever be cut.

But of course, there is no time to ponder on how the purple goo did that, not if you want to get out of this alive.

The shark keeps shooting, and the thing keeps ignoring, intent on killing him regardless of how much damage it takes. It swipes forwards, and the fish tries to block with his shotgun… which ends up in pieces.

One of the eldritch blade-arms lunges forward before anyone can do anything else about it, and it cleanly goes trough his chest within a split-second. The Loanshark starts coughing up blood, looking at the thing in a mixture of disbelief and terror, before he falls limp to the side, the fiend screams in triumph, ready to shred him to pieces.

Marshal charge quickly closes the distance but fails to surprise the monster, who doesn’t think twice before attempting to slash at him too. Charge dodges and counterattacks a number of times, his mods sparking high as he pushes it to the limit, getting several solid hits on it. Lightning hurts it, and it screams in pain each time. You send a few shots at it’s back, but it’s of little help… and of course, eventually, Charge’s luck runs out.

He is caught by a diagonal slash that brings him down so hard he bounces on the pavement like a rag doll, followed by a sideswipe, that leaves him on his knees, helpless and looking down at his own bloodened chest and broken suit.

The Catastrofiend looms over him, sharp blades wet with blood, one of them gently lifting his chin so it can get a better look at his eyes. It smiles, which only makes it even more terrifying.

“..Be.g fo.r…me.rcy…" it hisses in a weird, guttural growl.

Of all things, Ortega starts laughing. Laughing. Provoking it...

Shit. The thing laughs back at him and starts pulling its claws back, ready to finish him off.

It’s going to kill him. It’s going to kill him, and no one can do a fucking damn thing about it… all you have is your stupid energy gun… what can it do when machineguns, grenades, and shotguns are useless?

You aim at the back of its head with a sweaty grip. It’s the only thing you can do. You scream as you pull the trigger as if it could make the weapon stronger. Your powers trigger out of raw emotion, directed at the beast’s mind… and It feels it, immediately turning at you…

The beam hits its face straight on as it does so, burning part of it, only for its regeneration to start almost immediately… You knew it wouldn’t work, it was useless… you’ve failed…

But it stops. Catastrofiend stops, It’s claws retracting back to a resting position with a clinking sound.

For the first time, you notice there’s some sort of electronic wiring attached to Its forehead, and … and you fried part of it with your blast.

Catastrofiend doesn’t stay still for long for you to examine what it all means.

It howls in pain and fury, sending another wave of misery through your body, it’s thoughts becoming even more erratic. Did that device somehow keep it focused?!

You try to recharge the gun, but before you can guess what’s going on, it turns and starts running off into the distance, faster than you thought possible. It climbs a building like a spider with its claws digging into the brick walls, before leaps onto another… and then it’s gone.

Gone.

You’re the only one left standing. Steel and Sentinel are nowhere to be seen, while Annie’s squirming in pain, drenched in purple waste while holding his wound. The Loanshark lies in a puddle of blood… and of course, Ortega’s on his knees in front of you bleeding to death, along with what’s left of the rangers.

A trembling hand takes your phone, taking it to your ear as you dial the number, and all you can hear is your own breath as your mind starts panicking waiting for someone to pick up.

“911, what’s your emergency?” someone asks as the call finally comes trough.

___________________________________________________

Rangers Infirmary, HQ. Present time.

“So just let me get this straight… I’m not the only one here at the infirmary am I right?”

“That’d be a hard no, Mr. Marshal” you smile weakly.

________________________

My fanfics: https://chaniters.tumblr.com/post/181692759294/my-fanfiction-for-fallen-hero

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fan fiction using characters and the setting of the Fallen Hero: Rebirth and upcoming Fallen Hero: Retribution games written by Malin Riden. I do not claim ownership of any characters from the Fallen Hero wold. These stories are a work of my imagination, and I do not ascribe them to the official story canon. These works are intended for entertainment outside the official storyline owned by the author. I am not profiting financially from the creation of these stories, and thank the author for her wonderful game/s, without which these works would not exist.

#fallen hero: rebirth #Chargestep #Spoilers #Catastrofiend #Rangers+Sidestep

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atombombbagel · 5 years

Note

Companions carrying injured Sole to safety

HELLO! So like I said I’ve managed to actually finish a reaction and although it may not be the best, I’m rusty af. Also, anything over a thousand words is going to be under a keep reading thingy and that is only because I don’t want to clog up peoples dashboards. :) Hopefully it is good enough and ENJOY. :)

1 request down and about 144 to go.

Cait: “Find Cover!” Caityelled as a small hand grenade was tossed by the enemy in the direction of herand Sole. The grenade bounced off the ground a few times before coming to a halt,landing next to Sole’s feet. Sole only had a few seconds to react, swan divingto safety behind an old pile of sandbags. Small bits of debris and bits of rubbleflew into the air as the device exploded. Cait quickly shuffled to her feet, immediatelylooking around for Sole, who she found in a matter of seconds. She rushed totheir side.

“That looks nasty there Sole,”Cait commented as she looked at Sole’s ankle, it was red and twisted out ofplace. “Can yer move it?” She asked and Sole shook their head wincing. “Don’t chaworry, I got yer.” Cait carefully lifted Sole up and carried them into a nearbybuilding, away from the enemies that had given up on fighting them. Cait slowlyput Sole down on an old worn chair before going off to find a box to prop Sole’sankle onto. Sole tilted their head as they looked at Cait in disbelief.

“What are ye lookin’ at?” Caitasked, examining Sole’s ankle a little closer.

“You’re a lot stronger thanyou look.” Sole laughed which caused Cait to playfully punch Sole in the arm.

“Yeah. Appearances aren’t everythingyano. I could kick yer ass easy,” She joked. “Now stay still and let me patch yerup.”

Curie: Sole carefullystepped across the old wooden planks that lined the upper floor of a decrepitbuilding. Curie had suggested to Sole that together they should find a fewmedical supplies for the growing settlements. But they’d had no luck, untilthey stumbled upon an old, abandoned raider den.

“Bingo!” Sole exclaimed,pleased with themselves as they handed the various chems and medical suppliedto Curie so she could put them in her bag.

“Wonderful,” Curie agreed.What a great find, these supplies would be more than enough for a fewtreatments but Sole being, well Sole, they didn’t want to leave any of thebuilding unchecked.

Sole reached for the door knobto what appeared to be a closet, only when Sole opened the door, they were greetedto a small swarm of hatched bloatflies. Startled, they flew into Sole’s facemaking them stumble back and step on a rotten floorboard. The board creaked loudlybefore giving way and snapping in half, sending Sole through the floor.

“Oh no!” Curie gasped turningback and hurrying down the stairs in which they’d came up. She flew through thedoor and over to Sole’s side. “Your leg madam/ monsieur!” Curie knew it wouldbe unsafe to treat Sole’s leg here so she somehow manged to pick Sole up cradlingthem in her, apparently strong arms, which definitely left Sole speechless to saythe least. Curie backtracked to one of the houses they’d already cleared out,making sure to help Sole to the best of her ability.

Danse: Danse pressed hisback against the wall as he avoided countless laser rifle shots from a handful ofgeneration 1 institute synths. He tactfully reloaded his weapon before peakingaround the wall to fire a few shots at them. He looked to his left, where Solewas standing, when he noticed one of the synths had snuck up behind the two ofthem.

“SOLE!” he shouted but as Solewent to look over at him they were hit over the back of the head by the synth holdinga shock baton. Danse fired at the synth, blasting its head off and turning itto dust. Danse then continued to kill the remaining synths before dashing toSole’s side. He quickly picked up Sole and hurried back to the police stationwhere they would be safe from any danger.

Sole woke up to Scribe Haylenwrapping a bandage around their head. They gazed up at Danse, who was standingwith his arms crossed, a worried look etched on his face. His eyes lit up whenhe noticed Sole had woken up. He moved closer to the mattress Sole was lyingon.

“How are you doing soldier?”He asked, kneeling beside Sole, inspecting their head. He smiledsympathetically.

“I’m fine,” Sole said beforeadding, “How did I get back here?” Danse scratched the back of his head.

“I carried you back after youwere hit,” he explained.

“Thank you.”

“We’ve got to stick together,”Danse said with a smile.

Deacon: “Do you hear that?”Sole asked as they cautiously down at the ground with furrowed eyebrows. Deaconstopped in his tracks as he tried to listen to whatever Sole was referring to.He shrugged and shook his head. Sole shook it off, continuing towards theirdestination. Sole stopped once again. “I swear-” Sole was cut off when theywere knocked to the ground after being attacked from below. A mole rat had burrowedits way out of the dirt and had sank its teeth into Sole’s leg. Sole winced inpain, falling to the ground as the mole rat continued its attack on them.Deacon reacted quickly, kicking the mole rat off Sole, before shooting it inthe head.

“Frickin’ little bugger,” Solecried, clutching their bleeding leg. Deacon scooped Sole up in his arms.

“That looks pretty nasty,” Hecommented.

“It is!” Sole whined, makingDeacon let out a little chuckle.

“Don’t worry I’ll get you backto base. You’re going to need a couple of shots for that one.” He laughedagain, causing Sole to groan.

“You’re not helping!” Solehuffed, crossing their arms.

Hancock: A loud siren alertedHancock and Sole who were both chilling on the sofa inside Sole’s home. It wasn’tvery often they got to spend time just relaxing, there was always something todo. Sole quickly jumped to their feet, rushing to the front door to see whatall the commotion was about. The crackling noise of gunfire broke out andHancock grabbed his gun, following Sole into the heat of the fight.

A small group of raiders hadsomehow grown the balls to try and attack Sanctuary. Hancock watched from afaras Sole went to finish off an enemy only to be shot by a second raider who hadbeen hiding behind a stack of tires. In a burst of anger Hancock shot at theman in the burlap sack mask, his face exploding along with fragments of his mask.Hancock killed the other raider, overkilling her when he sent the butt of hisgun through her face. He turned to Sole, assessing their injuries with his eyesbefore leaning down and picking Sole up.

“Fucking assholes,” Hancockmuttered to himself taking a very injured Sole back into their house. He put Soledown on their bed. “Stay here until I get back. Do you understand?” It wasn’t reallya question, but more of a demand, he knew what Sole was like. He was going to finishoff all those goddamn raiders before he’d come back and patch up Sole. Nosurvivors, not for this.

MacCready: MacCready pulled the trigger of hissniper rifle, his bullet flying through the air, landing between the eyes of alarge super mutant. He cocked the bolt back, lining up another shot. He smirkedas he watched the clueless super mutants through his scope. Sole, who was standingnext to MacCready, stepped forward accidently slipping on a muddy patch ofgrass. They fell on their ass and slid down the hill, on the way down Sole hadhit their knee on a rock. Sole had also alertedthe super mutant group, but Mac was more worried about sole then the mutants.

“You blew our cover,” hewhisper-yelled, hurrying down the hill to Sole’s aid. The super mutants whereapproaching them but instead of fighting MacCready knelt down letting Soleclimb onto his back. He stood up with a groan, Sole was heavier than theylooked, either that or is was down to MacCready’s scrawny arms. Although it wasslippery, Mac made his way up the muddy bank, completely evading the buff greendudes. MacCready was tired but Sole was enjoying the piggy bank.

Nick: “How badly did theyget you?” Nick asked, crouching down beside Sole. He reached forward examiningSole. “Looks rough kid,” he added when he noticed the slashes and scratchesacross Sole’s waist.

“It hurts like mad” Solefrowned.

“I bet. Look, I don’t know ifI’ll be much help with this old thing,” Nick joked referring to his exposedmetal hands. Sole laughed for a moment before grimacing in pain, clutchingtheir side. Nick helped Sole off the ground, wrapping their arm around the backof his neck. Nick slowly walked Sole to a secluded building away from the feralghouls’ corpses that had attacked them. He gently put Sole down onto an old woodenchair.

“Take this,” Nick handed Solea stimpak, offering a sympathetic smile as they infected it into their side. Itwasn’t so much carrying but more of a friendly helping hand.

Piper: “How did I let yourope me into this.” Sole sighed with a huff, looking over at Piper who wassmiling widely to herself.

“The gift of the gab,” Shereplied. “Now hush.” Piper lifted her index finger to her lip to silence Sole.If they were too loud, she couldn’t capture the picture she wanted. She’dwanted it for days, a picture of Yao Guai, caring for its cup. Piper quicklysnapped the shot, the bright flash of the camera alerting the animals. As anyprotective mother would, the Yao Guai growled moving closer Piper. Sole grabbedher sleeve and initiated for them to run the hell away from the angry beast.

As they were making their quickgetaway Sole stumbled over, nearly bringing piper with them, Piper bent downand picked up Sole by there are, wrapping it around her neck as she tried topull Sole along.

“God you weigh a tonne,” Shejoked, hurrying along. Piper tried her best to carry Sole to safety, not evenresiding the mutated bear has given up chasing them. She dropped to the ground.

“Hey!” Sole shouted as theyhit the floor with a thud.

“I’m sorry, but you’re heavy.”She laughed before offering Sole her hand to help them up from the ground.

Piper offered her shoulder onceagain, carrying a hobbling sole to a clinic.

Preston: “We’re trapped!” Soleobserved in a panicked tone. Preston and Sole had been chased by gunners into asmall two-story house.

“No where to run now!” one ofthe gunners taunted as they approached the narrow staircase. Unfortunately, itwas too narrow to escape from. Preston smashed one of the already brokenwindows with the stock of his laser musket, clearing the rest of the glass forthem to escape.

“General! This way.” Prestonnodded his head towards the window before he climbed out onto a garage roof,stepping carefully on the weathered tiles. Sole climbed out next, walking overto the edge of the roof. It was safe enough for them to jump down. As Sole wentto jump down they lost their footing, slipping off the roof and landing ontheir leg. Preston immediately jumped down after them and didn’t even hesitateas he lifted Sole into his arms.

“It looks broken,” he said sadly.All Sole could do was let out a groan, unable to muster up any words. Preston didn’teven wait for the gunners to catch on, he ran as fast as he could, clutching Soletightly to his chest. He had to get them some help.

X6-88: “I detect enemymovement nearby,” X6 announced, holding his gun steadily in front of him. He’salways ready before the fight even starts. Sole followed him around a cornerwhere they were ambushed by three brotherhood soldiers. X6 managed to fight offand kill two of them but that wasn’t before the third manged to knock Sole tothe ground.

Sole struggled to get thesoldier off them, wrestling about. Sole yelled out as a stinging pain ripped upthrough their leg. The soldier had managed to get out a knife and plunge itinto Sole’s leg. X6 hit the soldier in the back of the head with his gun, knockingthem off Sole and onto the ground. The soldier clutched his head as he writhed abouton the ground. A single laser shot, ended the soldier and X6 focused hisattention back to Sole, who had also been squirming around in immense pain.

Without saying anything X6picked sole up and threw them over his shoulder. Although it wasn’t the bestway to carry an injured Sole, it’s the thought that counts, right?

#fallout 4 #fo4 #fallout 4 companions #fallout 4 companions react #fallout 4 companion reactions #fo4 companions #fo4 companion reactions #fo4 companions react #Cait #Curie #Danse #Deacon #nick valentine #hancock #Robert Joseph MacCready #Piper Wright #preston garvey #x6-88

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firebirdsdaughter · 5 years

Text

Random Writing Tidbit LET ME SLEEP…

… Ahem. Not you guys. My brain.

Okay. Basic basis of this is something explodes ceiling collapses, and Isamu pushes both Aruto and Izu out of the way, gets trapped under it himself.

Obviously, this would be set much later in the series.

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“No…!” The word was a choked gasped as Aruto scrambled to his feet, rushing forward to begin digging madly through the debris so frantically he quickly scraped his knuckles and grazed his palms. “No no no no no no no no no no no no no no…!”

Izu hung back for a moment, her ears and eyes flashing and clicking as she surveyed the area. “… Aruto-saichou!” She said suddenly, pointing at a spot a few paces from where he was searching. “Here.” Without waiting for him, she marched over to the pile and began going through the mess, picking up hunks of concrete and tossing them aside like balls of paper. By the time he stumbled over, she had already cleared enough to reveal Isamu’s arm and shoulder, pausing only for a moment to announce, “Visual contact.” Before she commenced removing the rest of the rubble.

Aruto tried to help for a bit, before it became very clear she didn’t need him, so he just knelt on the ground and tried to rouse Isamu while she finished with the wreckage. “Fuwa…! Oi! Fuwa!” When Izu cleared the final piece, he leaned over to grip Vulcan’s shoulder, trying not to disturb the other Rider’s injuries too much, but desperate for some sign of life—especially since Isamu was so pale, cut and bruised, with a thick smear of blood on his forehead, sticking his hair. “Fuwa!”

“Saichou.” Izu stepped up beside him. “Fuwa-san appears to be suffering from several severe internal haemorrhages in multiple vital organs, and at least fifteen bone fractures and a concussion. Some of his broken bones also appear to have ruptured a lung.” Her tone was as level as always, but the words were much softer than usual. Her ear lights flickered. “I am summoning emergency medical services and alerting the rest of AIMs, however…” She actually hesitated, just as Isamu winced faintly, groaning. Izu stared at his face for a moment, then looked back to Aruto. “… However, it is highly unlikely they will arrive in time.” Aruto felt his heart dropping from his chest, looking back down at the other Rider in his arms as Vulcan’s eyes cracked open. He felt pressure on his shoulder—Izu’s hand. “… Please be prepared.” She whispered, barely loud enough for him to hear.

Isamu blinked a few times, groaning tiredly again. “… It… Hurts…” He coughed weakly, but it didn’t sound like his lungs were working properly, especially when blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Slowly, he looked slightly up at the other Rider holding him, squinting at the young man’s face. “… You okay?” He wheezed, frowning concernedly with an edge of pain, in a familiar way that made Aruto’s chest clench—he’d seen that look before, when he’d visited his father in the hospital as a child. He nodded quickly, hoping to dismiss the agonisingly recognisable expression that his memory also associated with permanent loss from Isamu’s face. But the frown just deepened as Vulcan struggled to breathe for a moment before, “… The… HumaGear…?” His voice was even weaker than before, and his words began to blur together as he went on, “… What-was-her-name…?” The fact that, despite how hoarse and confused he was, he sounded like he was genuinely trying to remember made the knot in Aruto’s ribs twist even tighter, and tears stung his eyes—he glanced anxiously at Izu.

She looked taken aback for second, but quickly recovered. “I am undamaged.”

Clutching tightly to the other Rider’s sleeve, Aruto felt Isamu’s shoulder relax, his head lolling to the side and his eyes starting to close again. “Hey. Hey!” He wanted to shake Vulcan to snap him out of it, but Izu saying ‘concussion’ replayed in his mind, and the huge blotch of red on Isamu’s forehead stood out like a warning sign. Instead he just held more fiercely on to the other Rider’s shoulder, gripping a handful of Vulcan’s suit jacket. “Come on…! Stay awake…!” Frantically, one hand fumbled to find Isamu’s to grasp it just as tightly to his chest. “Help is coming, okay? So, please, just stay awake!” But the other Rider’s eyelids merely fluttered slightly, his brows creasing for a moment before he faded again. “No… No no no no no no…” His fingers curled even more, trying to squeeze even harder, like he could hold Isamu’s life in with just the strength of his hands, tears dripping down his cheeks. “No…” Desperately, he tried to wrack his brain for something—he had to try and keep Vulcan alert, aware. Had to…

His mouth spluttered out the first words that came to him. “That last move really brought down the house!” Even to him, the joke immediately fell flat. His voice was cracking, and his heart was audibly not in it—that was sitting somewhere in his stomach like a ball of cold lead—and it was glaringly inappropriate for the situation. Someone important to him was dying—again. What the hell was he thinking?

A low, breathless sound brought him back to reality, making him look down. The other Rider had turned slightly away from him. For a moment, he thought he’d imagined the sound, then it came again, quickly followed by another. The sound continued, and as he felt a slight vibration through his hand on Vulcan’s shoulder, he realised what it was—laughter. Isamu was laughing, tiredly and weakly, half choking as he fought to breathe, more blood on his lips, but genuine and warm—even the weary grimace had shifted into a soft smile, one that suited him much better than his scowl.

A few coughs interspersed the chuckles, and Vulcan’s head turned back, unfocused gaze flickering to Aruto’s face. “… Idiot…” He croaked faintly, and the smile broadened—then his eyes closed, and his head dropped back to the ground, and Aruto felt the hand he was holding go slack.

Aruto’s eyes widened, and he scrabbled to try and hold on, to pull Isamu back, to… To do something…! “No… NO!!!” The syllable ripped from him, leaving him practically breathless. But the other Rider stayed still and limp, a peaceful smile still gracing his pale face. Aruto surged forward, and might have dragged Vulcan up and shaken him by his suit, but Izu’s immovable hand clamped down on his arm before he could. He turned to stare at her, tears now pouring down his face.

She was kneeling beside him, her expression calm, though did not feel indifferent. “There are no discernible vital signs.” She told him, evenly but gently. “There is nothing more you can do, Aruto-saichou.” He kept staring at her through the tears for another moment, then slumped back. After some more pause, he finally cracked, letting out a small sob and putting his head down on Isamu’s broken chest to cry.

Izu patted his back lightly as he wept, only looking away to glance over her shoulder when hurried footsteps heralded the arrival of Yua, who rushed around the corner—only to come to a scattered stop when she saw the scene. Shocked for a moment, she collected herself in time to throw out an arm and stop the rest of the AIMs officers from moving in.

They hung back until the medics arrived, at which point she stepped forward. Izu stopped her patting to shake Aruto’s shoulder, and he sat up sharply, dabbing at his eyes, looking up at Yua pitifully. She gave him an apologetic look, taking a deep breath. “Hiden… He’s AIMs. We need to take his body.” He glanced anxiously between her and Isamu, swallowing. Finally, he nodded weakly, but still couldn’t find the strength to move back until Izu helped him up and all but carried him over to sit by the wall. Yua oversaw the careful collection of her teammate’s corpse with a conscious, calculated expression casting a few sharp glares at the sound of some unprofessional gossiping about how someone as short-tempered as Vulcan had managed to die with a smile on his face. As they were finally leaving, she paused beside the other two, looking pointedly not at them, but after the stretcher being loaded into the van. “… Sorry you had to see that.” She murmured—then walked quickly to the car herself.

Aruto didn’t even look up as they drove away, only giving Izu an aimless nod when she suggested bringing around their own car. Instead he stayed riveted in place, staring at the smears of blood left behind amongst the rubble.

As a human his father had wasted away in front of them. As a HumaGear he pushed his son out of the way of danger in an explosion. This was like the worst of both. Too similar in ways he couldn’t name.

By the time the car arrived, he still hadn’t moved, though his eyes were going dry.

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I totally went hc w/ Aruto relating Isamu to his father, but that was bc I was just coming off realising they were both the only ones who found his jokes funny, and so… I went a little wild. I’m also very tired. When tired I have fewer inhibitions. I’m also sorry for any typos I am wreck. Good night.

#Random Writing Tidbit #Kamen Rider Zero-One #I'm sorry Aruto #I promise you I'm still slowly working on killing Horobi already #so we're probably gonna traumatise Jin next #if he can be traumatised #in the meantime I am tired and this is gonna go up on AO3 tomorrow #Binary Retro Rider

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50funny · 5 years

Text

Mage- Chapter 10: Test The Second

Written By 50Funny

Part 1- Test The Second (Part 1- The Search)

Liz and Bip stared up at the tall brick wall blocking their path down the dingy alleyway. Liz turned around to face Bip floating lightly behind her.

“Another dead end?” Liz complained.

“I’m sorry, Liz. it’s just so early in the morning, I can’t concentrate,” Bip said rubbing his dark sunken eyes.

“Well maybe you and Alex should have gotten an earlier night then,” Liz stated as she walked off back down the alleyway.

“It’s not my fault! Alex kept me up all night with his inane chatter,” Bip insisted.

Liz and Bip emerged onto the quiet, early morning seaside streets lit dimly by the rising sun. Liz stopped and looked around vacant thoroughfare.

“So, where to now ?”

Bip closed his eyes and began to scrunch up his face in excursion. He started to raise his arm pointing off down the street.

“That way… I think,” Bip said, unconfident in his directions.

“You certain this time?” Liz asked.

“I guess?”

“Arghh, well I guess we don’t really have another choice. Come on let’s get going.”

Liz and Bip began walking off down the street.

“This sucks, I hope Alex is having as crappy a time as us.”

Part 2- Test The Second (Part 2- Alex’s Morning)

Alex laid with his head pressed into the wooden café table letting out a long low pitched groan. A waitress approached him from behind him with a large well practice smile stretched across her face.

“Good morning, sir. What can I get you today?” the waitress said.

“Coooofffffeeee,” Alex groaned.

“Certainly, sir. Coming right up,” the waitress said walking off into the kitchen.

Alex continued to dig his head into the table.

“Why does Liz have to be such a damn early riser?” Alex mumbled to himself.

The small bell atop the door rung out as the door started to push open. The sounds of footsteps began to approach Alex stopping right next to his table.

“Ahem,” came a voice from next to Alex.

Alex raised his head off the table and glancing his sunken eyes to the figure standing next to him.

“Umm, and you would be?” Alex said confused.

Standing next to him was a thin scrawny looking man wearing a checkered button up shirt with a similarly patterned tie and a pair of thick rimmed glasses. The man continued to stare at Alex silently. Alex continued to look at the man confused before being hit with a moment of realization.

“Oh right, you’re here for my ticket aren’t you?” Alex said dragging himself out of his seat and walking towards the door. “Alright, let’s get this over with.”

The man lifted his hand to his mouth holding a small inhaler and took in a deep breath before following Alex out of the restaurant.

Part 3- Test The Second (Part 3- The Fight)

Liz and Bip walked down the garbage covered abandoned streets, past the crumbling, vandalised buildings.

“Liz, this place doesn’t seem too safe,” Bip said his voice quivering with fear.

“Yeah, But we’ve got to keep going if we want to find this guy,” Liz said fanning confidence.

The pair approached a large run down industrial building with the doors and windows bordered up with thick weighty looking planks of wood.

“So, is this place?” Liz asked.

Bip began to nod his head.

“I’m certain this time, the magical presence is a lot stronger here,” Bip said.

“Well then let’s get this over with it,” Liz said with determination as she approached the door.

“Be careful. Remember this guy’s dangerous.”

Liz reached the boarded up door and raised her leg up behind her. She let her leg swing forth, slamming into the door and sending it crashing down. Light poured into the long vacant room. A thick layer of dust coated every surface of the room. Liz cautiously entered the building looking around for her target.

“You sure this is the place? Doesn’t look like anyone’s been in here for years,” Liz said.

“Hundred percent, he’s defiantly here somewhere. So stay alert,” Bip confirmed confidently.

Suddenly a loud crash filled the air from the ceiling above them. Liz took up a fighting stance as she looked up to the source of the sound, and prepared for a confrontation. The roof began to creak and squeak as someone on the floor above them began to walk around. Suddenly the roof gave way with a loud crash sending a huge plume of dust billowing through the air. Liz and Bip jumped back away from the caved in ceiling narrowly avoiding being crushed.

“Liz! You ok?” Bip called out, unable to see through the dust cloud.

“I’m fine. Just stay where you are,” Liz replied.

The dust began to settle revealing a figure kneeling down on the ground surrounded by the rubble from the collapse. The figure began to stand up looking away from Liz. She took up a fighting stance as the dust continued to settle. The man turned around to face Liz.

“Huh, who are you?” the man said, a confused expression crossing his face.

Liz looked on in surprise at the unfamiliar figure standing in front of her. The man was tall and slender wearing a tight fitting black outfit with his long black hair tied up in a bun. Liz shifted her eyes down to the ground next to the man’s feet. A sudden wave of horror overcame her as she began to make out the body of her target lying at his feet. The body was crispy and burnt; almost unrecognizable as a person. Liz mind screamed at her to run away from the stranger, but her body was paralyzed with fear. The man followed Liz’s eyes down to the corpse lying next to him.

“Oh, I remember you. You were in the back row, and if I remember correctly you didn’t get a ticket did you?” the man said, kneeling down and grabbing the burnt corps head. “Let me guess. You were here for this poor guy’s ticket weren’t you?”

Liz quickly glanced over to where Bip had been floating moments before, shocked to realize he was no longer there. Her eyes darted around the room trying to locate him with no success. The stranger stood back up with an evil smile stretched across his lips.

“Ha, you look absolutely petrified, Though it shows good sense. There’s no way you could possibly defeat me. Heck, you’d have barley had a chance against our friend here,” the man said gesturing down to his defeated foe. “Well, it’s lucky for you won’t have to fight me today. I have a busy day planned, so I can’t waste any time on you.”

The stranger began walking off past Liz towards the front door. Liz suddenly broke out of her terrified state, her determination returning to her. She began to form a tightly packed ball of snow in her hand. Liz turned around quickly, winding up her arm before pegging the ball at the man as he passed through the doorway. The snowball made contact with the man on the back of his head, stopping him in his tracks.

“That,” said the man slowly turning around, “was a mistake.”

He began to walk back into the room.

“I was willing to let you live, but if you want to die so badly I guess I can oblige you,” the stranger continued.

Liz took up a fighting stance, hiding her terror behind a vale of confidence. Liz's eyes focused on the pouch sitting on the man’s waist as the air around it began to shift like a mirage. Bip began to fade in from the mirage floating lightly next to the man’s pouch. He quickly grabbed the pouch ripping it off of his the stranger’s belt before flying off as quickly as he could towards Liz. The stranger quickly snatched his hand at Bip, narrowly missing his tail.

“Quick Liz! Run!” Bip shouted as he sped off towards one of the windows.

Liz, realising what had happened, followed Bip’s lead, turning around and sprinting towards the window. She lunged towards the window covering her face with her arm as she burst through sending glass shards flying through the air. Liz stood back up on the other side of the glass and began running off down the abandoned streets. She turned her head back around seeing Bip fly at her speedily, clutching the stolen pouch in his tail.

“Liz, you ok?” said Bip as he caught up with Liz.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Did you get it?”

Bip raised his tail to his paws grabbing the pouch. He pulled open the latch and reached in pulling out two tickets, dropping the pouch behind him.

“Looks like we’ve got extra,” Bip said smiling cheekily as he passed Liz the tickets.

“Thank god. Now let’s get the hell away from that creep befor…”

The sound of glass shattering in the distance cut off Liz’s words. The pair looked around to see the stranger falling leaping from a much higher window in the industrial building behind them.

“What the hell?” Liz exclaimed as she watched the man drop.

The stranger crashed into the street below with a loud thud. As he landed he sent his fist slamming down onto the ground sending an enormous wave of fire flooding through the street towards Liz and Bip.

“What the?” Liz exclaimed as she turned around.

Liz reached out her arms, sending a blue mist in front of her forming a large wall of ice as wide as the street. Liz wound up her fist launching it forcefully at the ice wall sending it shooting off down the street towards the approaching fire. As the ice encroached on the fire wave it began to quickly melt from the overwhelming heat, dousing the fire. An enormous billow of steam filled the air obscuring Liz and Bip’s view of the man. The steam began to dissipate revealing the incinerated street. In the distance, the figure of the stranger still stood outside the industrial building.

“Is that it?” Bip asked his voice full of doubt.

The man reached his hand out behind him. Suddenly a burst of flame shot out from the stranger’s fist and feet sending him flying down the street speedily towards the pair.

“Crap!” Bip panicked.

“Bip, come on! Let’s get out of here,” Liz exclaimed

Liz And bip took off down the street as fast as they could manage. Liz turned her head to see the man gaining on them at an impossible rate.

“This guy’s fast, we can’t outrun him.”

Bip reached out his tail to Liz’s hands grabbing the two tickets from her grasp.

“What the hell are you doing Bip?” Liz said.

“Just trust me here,” Bip replied.

Liz felt a small tap on the side of her waist, immediately understanding Bip’s plan. Bip held up the tickets high in the air. Suddenly he swerved shooting off down a nearby ally to his right. Liz followed Bip’s lead, dashing off down an opposite ally on her left. Liz’s lungs began to burn with the effort as she ran from the fire wielding stranger. She turned her head around to check for her pursuer. After a few second Liz was certain that Bip’s plan had worked.

“Thank god,” Liz said to herself reaching into her pocket. “Looks like he took the bait.”

Liz pulled the two tickets out of her pocket, looking down at them.

“I just hope Bip will be alright on his own.”

Liz continued to run down the alley way passing a small offshoot alley. Out of the corner of her eye, Liz noticed a strange figure hiding in the darkness. Suddenly a fist came flying at Liz from the figure, igniting with a roaring flame as it did. Time seemed to slow down as the fist grew closer. She began to bend backwards, narrowly avoiding the approaching strike. Liz fell to the ground sliding across the damp ground. She looked up to see the strange man walking casually out from the darkness.

“Well, your valiant effort is to be commended, but looks like it didn’t really amount to much,” the man said in a calm yet ominous tone.

Without thinking, Liz lunged towards the man with her fist. Before her blow had even gotten close to the strangers face. Liz felt an immense pain in her gut. The man’s foot had collided with Liz’s stomach at an astonishing speed, too fast for Liz to comprehend. She went flying backwards out of the alley and into a main street, crashing with a loud thud into a broken down car. The few vagrants camped on the otherwise abandoned street looked on in shock.

“Hey, you alright there?” came a voice from the street.

“That looked like it hurt,” came another.

Liz began to regain her bearings as she grasped at her stomach in trying to stop herself throw up from the pain. A slight high pitched hiss caught her attention emanating from the alley getting louder and louder. A dark orange glow began to appear from the dark alley getting deeper in colour as the hissing sound got louder. Suddenly the man emerged from the alley propelled forward by a jet of fire. Liz quickly rolled over out of the way as fast as she could manage, narrowly avoiding the stranger as he slammed into the car.

“What the hell,” came a scream from the crowd around the car as they began to run off in fear.

The homeless people scattered in fear, cursing as they ran.

Liz pulled herself up, wincing at the pain and began to run off down the street away from the car.

The man emerged unscathed from the wreckage of the car looking down the street towards Liz already far off down the street. Liz stopped in her tracks, turning around to face the stranger staring her down.

“I can’t keep running forever,” Liz thought as her breaths became more and more ragged.

Suddenly a jet of flame once again came shooting out from the man’s fists sending him shooting forward towards Liz. She took up a fighting stance and stood steadfast staring down her encroaching enemy. As the man got closer to Liz, she quickly raised her arms up forming a thick wall of ice in front of her, before ducking out of the way. Unable to change course in time, the stranger slammed into the wall smashing it into tiny shards. The man was sent rolling across the street limply.

“Aghh,” the man groaned as he stood back up. “That was impressive I’ll give you that. I better get a little more serious.”

Two long thin lines of fire shot out from the stranger's hands. The man cracked the fire wipes through the air. In an instant the stranger set forth a flurry of blows from his whips towards Liz. She began dodging between the whips barely able to keep up with the speed of them.

“You can’t keep that pace up forever,” the man shouted.

Liz looked up as one of the whips came slicing down towards her face. Time seemed to slow down as she watched the whip come crashing down towards her. Liz began forming a coating of ice around her head. The whip hit struck the ice coating around her face leaving a small melted puddle of water where it connected. The coating of ice continued to spread out covering Liz’s entire body in mere seconds. The stranger continued to send his whips flying at Liz slowly melting the ice shield around her.

“Come out come out, I was just starting to have some fun,” the man taunted.

The stranger continued to send his whips flying at the ice shield, melting a small hole through to Liz’s skin. The whip lashed at Liz’s flesh cutting into her skin. Liz let out a grunt in pain as the fire whip instantly seared the wound shut. The man continued to let forth a flurry of strikes at Liz with his whips.

“Liz!” came the familiar voice of Bip from further down the street. “Get away from her!”

Bip flew towards the pair as fast as his wings could carry him. His tail began to spark with electricity sending a crackling sound through the air. As he came closer to the pair he aimed his tail at the man. Before Bip’s tail could make contact with the stranger he was suddenly struck out of the air by the man’s hand. Bip’s limp body went flying back down the street, landing on the ground violently rolling into a nearby building.

“Bip!” Liz yelled as she watched on.

The shield of ice around Liz melted into a puddle on the ground. She ran off towards Bip's crumpled up body lying in front of her. Liz felt a sudden pain in the back of her neck as she began to fall to the street with a loud thud. She looked up seeing the man facing away from her his hand still out from his blow to Liz’s neck.

“That wasn’t very bright of you,” the man sneered. “In a battle to the death, you should always stay focused on your own life first.”

The stranger began to approach Liz ominously. She attempted to stand back up, her injured body failing her as she fell back down to the ground.

“There’s no point struggling, it’s over, just give up.”

Liz began to panic as she heard the man’s footsteps getting closer and closer. Her mind began to race trying to figure out a way out of her situation. The man reached her and loomed over her ominously. The stress ate away at Liz’s mind as the image of the burned corps in the building flickered through her head. She tensed her muscles as she let out a cream echoing through the empty streets. The her failure pushing hard against her mind as she laid on the ground her eyes tightly shut. She prepared herself for the end. As the second continued to tick past, Liz became confused at the sudden silence around her. She turned her head around to face the stranger, shocked as she saw him frozen solid in a block of ice.

“Wha… what the hell?” Liz asked herself confused.

Liz began to push her body up off the ground slowly, fighting through the pain. She limped over to her frozen attacker, taping on the ice around him.

“Did I do this?”

Suddenly huge cracks appeared in the ice before suddenly shattering into pieces. Before Liz had a chance to react, the stranger's hand launched out towards her grabbing her by the neck, lifting her off the ground.

“Well now that was impressive,” the man said. “I didn’t even see how you cast that.”

Liz tried to form words, however all she could manage were garbled grunts through the hand grasping her tightly around her neck.

“I have to admit, that was actually kind of fun, but looks like it all over now,” said the man as he reached down into Liz’s pocket, pulling out the two tickets. “Ahh, here they are, thanks for keeping them safe for me. Now, what to do with you?”

Liz closed her eyes tightly again as she prepared herself for the end. The man slowly lowered Liz to the ground before loosening his grasp around her neck. Liz opened her eyes seeing the man walking away from her. Liz watched on silently, her mind racing unsure why she had been left alive.

“Aren’t you gonna kill me?” Liz blurted out.

“Would you like me to?” the man said stopping in the middle of street. “When we first met I underestimated your abilities. Think of this as me making up for that transgression. Besides, I’ve got a busy day planned.”

The man turned around to face Liz holding one of the tickets out towards her.

“You’ve got some skills, but believe me when I say you don’t have what it takes to be a mage,” the man said as he began burning the ticket. “Don’t bother trying to find another ticket, because if we have to fight again. Well, I won’t be so generous next time.”

The man dropped the smouldering ticket to the ground before walking off down the street. Liz watched on completely still as the man disappeared through the winding streets, a mixture of relief and burning shame overcoming her.

“Li….Liz!” came Bip’s wounded cry, snapping Liz out of her state.

“Bip?” Liz said “Bip! You ok,” Liz yelled running over to her friend.

Bip sat up rubbing his head as Liz approached him.

“Yeah, I’m fine… what about you?” Liz asked.

Liz hung her head in shame. Bip looked at Liz mirroring her own shame.

“Come on,” Bip said changing the subject as he took to the air. “Let’s get a move on.”

Part 4- Test The Second (Part 4- Defeat)

Alex sat on the dirty, cold concrete staircase outside their hotel, lit dimly by the setting capital city sun. He looked down the street to see Liz, one arm draped over Bip, who did his best to give her some support as she limped towards the hotel.

“There you guys are!” Alex yelled at the pair as he took off towards them. “What kept you?”

Alex reached the pair stopping in front of them.

“Check this out,” Alex said not noticing the pairs’ defeated expressions as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a train ticket waggling it in front of her face. “Some geeky guy tried to take my ticket, and check out what he had on him.”

Liz looked up at the ticket in Alex’s hand. She let out a deep sigh as she reached out her hand to take it.

“Thanks, Alex,” Liz mumbled as she took his ticket.

Liz walked off towards the hotel, her head hung in shame.

“Huh? Hey, Bip what’s wrong with her?” Alex asked.

“I’ll explain inside,” Bip said.

________________________________________________________________

Thank you for reading chapter 10 of mage. If you like what you see consider checking out my AO3 at this link https://archiveofourown.org/users/50Funny to see all new chapter 3 days early. If you feel so inclined please consider following my tumblr for all updates and other tid bits. Until next week, have a good day.

#Mage #Chapter 10 #Magic #Story #Original Story #50funny

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multi-fandom-inserts · 5 years

Text

Halloween Night, 1991. (CH1)

Welcome to my Potter Twins series, I’ve literally started rewriting the stories and adding in a twin girl and brought the story-line forwards to mix things up! I’ve done this mainly in first person. I hope you all really enjoy it and let me know what you think!

The Potter Twins And The Philosophers Stone

Chapter One.

Godric's Hollow, 31st October, 1991.

The night is quiet with the sound of flickering electricity from the elderly street lights, which loomed either side of the narrow street, curved over the cobble road like protective giants. The cottage was white fronted with wooden beams stuck both vertically and horizontally to add unneeded age, despite the strange largeness of the home, the living room within was small and cosy, with fluffy cream carpet covers the floor and shelves on the painted blue walls with a red sofa with a matching armchair.

Sitting on the sofa clutching my son, Harry, in my arms protectively. On the armchair that has been angled to face slightly towards the sofa, my husband James was seated cuddling our daughter, Grace, in his arms singing a muggle lullaby I recognise from my childhood. The pair were getting fussy, so we place them both on the carpet floor together and James removes his wand from his back pocket, flicked his wrist sending a stream of glittery bubble from the tip.

Grace and Harry gurgled in glee and clumsily reached out for the bubbles that burst into shoots of colour at their touch, and every so often they would accidentally hit each other in the face or fall into one another but neither cared. The twins – yes, twins – never enjoyed being apart, and if for any reason they had to be separated, Harry and Grace would be grumpy until reunited, however, together the pair were incredibly sneaky – which, of course, James and Sirius think is hilarious.

With my elbows on my knees with my head in my hands, I watch my children laugh and play with no care in the world, I feel sickness lay heavy in my stomach like a lead and my chest clenches with anxiety.

The pair with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... And the Dark Lord will mark them as his equal, but they will have power the Dark Lord knows not... And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live whilst the others survive... The pair with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies...

The prophecy was made by Sybill Trelawney to Albus Dumbledore at the Hog Head pub. It refers to twins born at the end of July. This was James and my fault. Tears threaten to spill out of my eyes as a solid lump forms in my throat. My husbands eyes flicker over to me but I continue staring at our children, only fifteen months old, Harry twelve minutes older than Grace.

James comes to sit beside me on the sofa, he grips my hand tightly, squeezing it before pulling me into the warmth of his body which I accept gratefully. He kisses the top of my head before rubbing the back of my neck, “He won't get them, they are safe.” he whispers in my ear.

Despite nodding, my body still shook in nerves mixed with terror and my palms sweated as my hands shake with useless and unknown amounts of adrenaline. My stomach remained heavily and unsettled as my chest just seemed tighter than ever making breathing steadily difficult.

“I'm going to put them to bed.” I announce before standing up then scooping up my children, one in each arm, James kisses Harry on his forehead and Grace on her cheek before whispering that he loves them. He then leans in to kiss my lips softly.

“I'll be up in a minute, Lils.” he whispers. Smiling, I turn to exit the living room, passing the front door which always remained locked, turned left to begin climbing the stairs.

Halfway up the stairs to the nursery the twins shared, I hear the echo of not to distant footsteps, I hear the rustling of James' newspaper, the turning of a lock and then, a loud crash. I almost fall over on the stairs and with my arms filled with my children, lunging for my wand that is now two steps down the stairs behind me, was impossible.

“Lily!” James cried, the seer tone of my husbands voice terrified me more than anything, “Lily, take Harry, Grace and go! It's him! Run! I'll hold him off –”

I'm frozen with fear, but at the sound of stomping footsteps, spells being shouted, flashes of lights and small crashes and bangs. A sudden jolt of determination to avoid my fate filled me as I sprint up the stairs to a small landing and up to a second set of stairs – only four steps – to the door of the nursery. I place the twins down in their cot, closed the rooms door and locked it with surprisingly steady hands.

Tears suddenly brim my eyes as the twins begin to whine, it has only really just hit me what was truly awaiting them, they are only babies. Harmless. Taking a deep breath, I kneel down by the cot and studied my beautiful children. A boy with black hair and a girl with dark red hair, both staring up at me with fearful green eyes – my eyes.

“Hush.” I coo gently, a yell followed by a sickening thud on the stairs echoed through the eerie house, forcing a sob to escape from my lips. No, James! I scream in my mind as tears flood fiercely and freely down my cheeks. A high-pitched evil laugh pierced through the house, bouncing off the walls and grasping my body.

“Mummy loves you, Harry. Daddy loves you, Gracie. We love you both so much.” I choke, another sob is muffled by my hands as green light suddenly appears in the dimness, illuminating around the door frame before the wood shatters and flies into the nursery. I turn quickly with shaking knees, shielding the crib containing my children with my body as I face my fate.

He stood there, in the doorway, dressed in a full length, black cloak with the hood up, the skin of the wizard was whiter than paper, paler than anything I had ever seen, his head looks around curiously at the scene, his slitted grey eyes gobbled up the images in front of him. I raise my arms higher at my sides to protect more of the crib. The Dark Lord grins mockingly, the bastard smiles as he chuckles in contempt of my feeble protection.

“Not Grace and Harry,” I plead, “Please, not them.”

The wizard steps into the room, “Stand aside, you stupid girl.”

I shook my head, “Not Grace and Harry,” I repeat, more confidently and filled with determination, “Take me instead!”

He takes another large, confident step towards me, studying my strong expression as he stand over me, wand held in his long slender finger, ready.

“Have mercy! They are just infants!” I beg, he – Voldemort – grinned and raised his wand. “Please! Have mercy! Please –”

“Avada Kedavra.” he spoke with no emotion, I turned swiftly on the balls of my feet to take one last glimpse at my children before the unforgettably familiar stream of bright green light clasped my body. And with the last sight of my children’s faces, the world around my goes black.

James and Lily Potter were dead. Killed in their home in Godric's Hollow. The Dark Lord lets out a cold laugh that echoed menacingly through the house and in the surrounding air as he stepped over the open-eyed corpse of Lily Potter to reach the cot where the Potter twins sat with wet cheeks and snotty noses. Grace wailed at the sight of the flat-faced wizard but Harry didn't, he simply stared down at his mothers body.

Voldemort pointed his wand at the infants, he grinned in delight as he felt an overwhelming rush of power cause through his body as he raised his wand above his head and as he brought it down, he screamed at the top of his lungs: “AVADA KEDAVRA!”

The green light soared from the end of his want, it hit the twins and illuminated the door, but something strange happened. The green light then rebounded an a violent roar settled in Voldemort's ears, suddenly, he felt pain pulsing through his body. Something is wrong, he thought as his limbs became stiff and his chest tight, something was very, very wrong.

Then, a yell of pain followed by the light removing itself from the Potter twins, striking Voldemort whose body began to glow with the green light and then suddenly, the light shot out in all directions, shattering the windows, removing paint from the walls and breaking small sections of the houses interior.

When the light settled back to normal with nothing but a lamp lighting the nursery dimly, on the floor lays pieces of shattered wood, splinters of jagged glass, rubble and the body of Lily. Almost the items also laid the black clock that once belonged to Voldemort.

And in the crib sat Harry and Grace Potter, unharmed except for matching fresh cuts, strikingly similar to that of a lightening bolt. The cuts were no bigger than ¾ of an inch big. Harry's was carved into the left side of his forehead and Grace's was on her right cheek, starting a centimetre and a half from the outer corner of her right eye.

It wasn't long after the tragic event that an unlikely hero appeared to rescue the abandoned and newly orphaned Potter twins, a huge man who needed to duck to enter the nursery, he collected the twins from their destroyed home before muggles could begin poking about. He wrapped the infants in warm blankets, neither of them knowing how special they are. Not knowing how famous they have become.

They couldn't know that that, even in this horrid moment, people are meeting in secret all over the country and holding their glasses up, saying in hushed voices:

“To Harry and Grace Potter – the children who lived!”

Harry and his twin sister, Grace, have always assumed they are regular children - or as regular as any children that sleep in a cupboard under the stairs. But nearing their eleventh birthday, strange things start happening to the twins and mysterious letters begin arriving. Soon, the twins are whisked away and enrolled in Hogwarts of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The twins are magical.

#Harry Potter #harry potter series #grace potter #hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry #chapter one #godric's hollow #twins #fanfiction #rewrite #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter fanfic

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