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zmasters · 1 month

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Blood and Vengeance, a Warhammer 40k Short Story

(TW: mentions of suicide, death, blood, implied cannibalism)

Seth Krast looked down from the ledge. While far from the tallest building within the massive, smog filled city, let alone the tallest on this level, the factory was more than tall enough for the fall to kill him. The pale, brown haired man closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and smiled. "Finally."

"One of those days, huh?"

The voice startled Seth, almost causing him to fall from the ledge. The speaker was a sickly pale blonde woman, her forearms heavily scarred. Someone like her was not an uncommon sight in a hive city, but something about her made him uncomfortable.

She stared off into the spires of Eighth Row. As the name suggested, it was the eighth level from the top of the multiply layered hive known as Naraka. It was one of the upper levels of Naraka, about the third row down that can be dubbed “middle class.” Eighth was the second to last layer to be located above ground, with the outer rings having access to sunlight. When smog isn’t choking the skies that is.

After a few seconds of silence and a drag of her cigarette, she replied to Seth's stares. "I'm not going to stop you. Fuck, I may even jump with ya." She spoke like a soldier, but her accent suggested an upper-class upbringing.

"What the-"

She continued. "But I got things I need to do. I have people who rely on me, a pet I need to take care of, a sister I need to reunite with." She sighed. "It's tough man."

"I'm sorry, is this some weird way to talk me down?" Seth asked.

"Is it working?"

"No."

"Good, I wasn't trying to Krast. You jumping now would actually help me in the future." She pressed the cigarette into her hand. She did not react. "I'm Marianne by the way, call me Mari."

"How do you know my name?"

"You're going to die, why do you care if I know your name? At least you have someone who can remember your memory."

"That doesn't answer my question."

She tossed the cigarette over the edge. "It doesn't matter." She sighed. "If you care for an answer, meet me for dinner at that dinner eight blocks down, you know the one." She walked towards the door leading back down the factory. "Or you can jump and forget everything. In the grand scheme of things, that will be the best thing you can do."

Seth turned back to the ledge as Marianne disappeared into the building. "She was right." He thought. "It doesn't matter." He raised his foot, readying himself to end it all.

Something prevented him from taking the final step. It was as if something was physically holding him back. "I have to know."

He ran, nearly sprinted down the stars and onto the street. The drab metal street was empty, a bizarre sight for the always working city. Yet Seth didn't care. For reasons he didn't understand, he had an uncontrollable desire to see what that woman knows and wants.

With heavy breaths and sweat dripping from his brow, Seth stumbled to a stop in front of the dinner. This dinner was once a simple mom and pop local dinner, but it has since been abandoned, and appears to have been abandoned for years. The windows had been shattered, the walls were covered in graffiti, and almost everything not nailed down was stolen. The only thing left was a single chair and table with a plate of something on top of it.

This building unnerved Seth. While he has never eaten at this dinner, he has passed it hundreds of times, the last time being when he walked to the factory he used to work at to kill himself, an hour and a half ago. He distinctly remembered that the dinner was open when he walked past it, as he considered stopping there for his last meal. All this damage, stolen property, and graffiti was done within the last hour.

He felt a subtle push, and walked into the dinner. Sitting on the dinner plate was steak dinner, with a glass of red wine and radio.

The radio turned on. After a few seconds of silence, Marianne's voice played. "I'm sorry I couldn't have met you." She said, "But please, enjoy your meal. Depending how this night goes, it may be your last." Her voice went away, and quiet, orchestral music played instead.

Reluctantly, Seth sat down in the chair. He cut off a piece of the steak, took a sip of wine, and ate the piece. From the first bite, the steak was the greatest steak he has ever eaten. It was cooked exactly how he liked it, the sauce was the perfect flavor, the wine and the side of collard greens and mashed potatoes matched perfectly, and everything was put together by beautiful music. He even almost forgot that he wanted to commit suicide, or even questioned how Marianne knew his name or his preferred cooking of steak.

A minute or so after Seth finished his plate, Marianne's voice returned to the radio. "Now that everyone has finished and, I hope, enjoyed your meals, we can begin."

"Everyone?"

She continued. "There are currently eight of you listening to my voice, scattered across this secured yet empty eight blocks-by-eight blocks of city. Every single one of you are experiencing states of hardship, whether that be suicidal thoughts, depression, mental disorders, abuse, sickness, or some combination of all, but you all have one thing in common. Your problems have been caused or worsened by someone you relied on. These people can be family members, friends, lovers, coworkers, bosses, priests, or people of authority." She paused, presumably to let the information sink in.

Seth leaned back into his chair. "What the fuck is this?"

"This person is currently within the sector. There is a weapon within your building. You have one hour to find and kill the person who caused your hardship and return back to your starting point. You are allowed to kill anyone else you come across. Good luck."

Seth nearly fell out of his chair. “This has to be some cruel joke.” He thought. “No one is mad enough to create this sort of death game.”

“Is there anyone there!” Someone yelled, their muffled barely audible through the brick wall. Seth instinctively looked towards the voice, his eye catching a hatchet lying on the floor.

“Sarah!” The voice yelled. “Thank goodness you’re here! I don’t know how I got here, I just woke up a block down the road. There seems to be a wall blocking off the stre-” The voice paused. “W-Why are you holding a hammer?”

“Sarah?”

Seth jumped out of his seat as he heard a wet and crunchy thud. He scrambled to the hatchet, grabbing it and squeezing into the corner of the room.

“Not a joke.” He thought, hyperventilating. “Not a joke.”

His breathing slowed as he slowly calmed down. Seth knew who his target was.

He left the building, and peered around the corner, to where the screaming was. He saw the back of a brunette woman in dirty, tattered clothes, sitting on the chest of another and slamming a hammer into them. He decided it was best to leave her to it.

Wandering down the street, Seth has never been more tense. It was quiet, unnaturally quiet. It was as if the very city itself was uneasy. A howl of pain broke the silence, causing him to jump. The source of the scream was too far away to affect Seth, but he was too terrified to know, or care.

"Seth? Seth! Come here and help!" He recognized that voice.

Hiding in a nearby building was Lyra, his boss. Or, his former boss. "I don't know what's happening, but at least there's someone I know here!"

Seth was silent, letting his superior talk away. He knew Lyra loved hearing the sound of her voice, and the fact she’s mouthing away in a life or death situation wasn’t a surprise to him.

“Seth? Seth! Are you listening to me?”

“Do you remember the last time we talked?”

Lyra awkwardly smiled, trying to lighten the tenseness. “Look, there were budget cuts. Your firing was out of my control. Higher up decision. Blame the regional manager.”

“Should I blame the regional manager for the investigation?”

“I-uh-I don’t know what you are talking about?”

Seth’s grip tightened around the hatchet handle. “The investigation found nothing, but I was still fired!”

“Again, it wasn’t my decision. I don’t even know who reported you. L-Let’s just get out of here, and maybe I can pull some strings and get your job back.”

“You won’t.” He took a step forward. “The only way that would work is if you admit you lied.”

“You know?” Lyra whispered.

“I don’t know why you did it.”

She glanced down at Seth’s ax. “I-I needed a fall man. I made some deals with the wrong people, and these deals caught up with me.”

“You convinced lower hive gangers to kill my husband and frame me for it because you owed them money?”

“I told them that you had the money, I didn’t think that they’d go after-”

With a single, rage-filled swing, the head of Seth’s hatchet was buried into Lyra’s throat. He pulled the hatchet back, letting her drown in her blood, before swinging again. The slit in her throat widened as the only noise that could be heard was quiet gurgling.

With another strike, her head bent backwards, the only thing connecting Lyra’s skull to her body being a few tendons and a few strands of skin.

At the top of the hour, Seth returned to his starting point. Waiting for him, laying on the counter and drinking from a wine glass filled with a red liquid was the pale woman.

“Good show out there.” Marianne laughed.

“What the fuck?”

“What?” She sarcastically asked. “That bitch ruined your life. I got you your revenge.”

“People already thought I was a murderer. How do you think I’m going to be treated now that I am a murderer?”

A sly smile spread across her face. “I’ve taken care of that already.”

“What do you mean?”

“The World Eaters are going to invade this world in around a week. You probably don’t know what the World Eaters are, doesn’t matter. What does matter is that they're going to kill, eh, most of the planet’s population and enslave the rest.”

Seth was silent, trying to process the information. “Why do you know this?”

“They hired me to start building up blood cults across the various hives. I’m allowed to keep the cultist and skulls I take before they make landfall.” She stood up. “I like you Krast, I really do. You got a rage that makes a fine sword, or ax in your case. So, I’m giving you a choice. Join me, and kill everyone who turned their backs on you in your time of need, or let me put you out of your misery like you were going to do mere hours ago.”

He was stunned. “K-Kill everyone.”

“You have the chops for it.” She said, “I know it’s a hard decision, but you don’t have to say anything.” Marianne placed the wine glass in his hands, a faint, metallic smell filling his nostrils. “Just drink this when you’re ready, I got some other champions to check in on.”

Seth watched her as she walked past him and out of the building. A cold-hearted killer, yet the kindest person he’s met in recent time. His eyes glanced back to the glass, definitely filled with blood. Take a sip for revenge, or take the mercy kill?

The thick, metallic liquid past his lips and down his throat. It felt like swallowing a rock, yet the flavor was palpable and strong. The glass slipped from his fingers as his vision faded.

“You have tasted blood. You have tasted vengeance. You will taste more.”

Seth’s eyes slowly open, the metallic taste of blood still on his tongue. A searing light partially blinded him. As his sight slowly returned, he saw that he was lying down in the middle of a dusty covered floor. Right in front of him lay a woman. He recognized her brunette hair and tattered, bloodstained clothes. Sarah if he remembered correctly. The sound of her smashing someone’s skull with a hammer wasn’t one he’d forget.

With a groan, he turned onto his back, catching the sight of a man lying next to him as he shifted his head.

“Eight chosen, down to three.” A soft, familiar voice giggled.

“You’re not disappointed?” A second, rougher voice growled.

“I believe in quality over quantity my mutated little friend. Anyone can be given a blade and autopistol and kill a scared peasant or starving hiver, but it takes a brave and blood-starved soul to charge a guardsmen gunline and come back with a skull or six.”

Seth and the other two killers slowly stirred up. Standing over them was a sickly pale blonde woman, garbed in a blood red dress, one of her gloved hands holding a skull like a glass.

“Sorry for the shaky trip.” Marianne ginned. “We can’t afford to show any outsiders the location of our base. Sorry, boss's orders.” She clapped her hands. “Welcome to the blood cult. I want to remind you that everything that happens from here is your fault. You had a way out, and you didn’t take it.”

Seth stared down at his hands, dried blood still on his calm hands. “Was it that easy?” He thought.

A smell wafted through the air. Something savory. Grilled meat?

A group of figures wearing red robes and brass masks carried out a table into the center of the large, dusty circle they were in. Following them were more masked figures, carrying out plates of various kinds of food. A feast, mostly of different dishes of unknown meat, was set up.

The growling of three hungry stomachs echoed off the arena’s walls. Who knows how long they have been unconscious for. And Marianne would agree, killing brings an appetite.

“Seth, Sarah, Erek, would you like to join me for dinner?”

The second man, Erek, was the first to his feet. He was a tall, buff man, his shirtless torso decorated in enough tattoos that made his true skin tone difficult to deduce. People native to the Eight Row would easily identify this man as a member of the Scabs, a chem gang that Seth is more than familiar with. This man is more than likely to have killed before today.

“Erek, you killed that informant with the ferocity I’d expect from a ganger.” Marianne smiled, confirming Seth’s suspections.

“I try my best.” The colorful man congratulated himself.

“Sloppy, undisciplined.” Marianne’s smile disappeared. “You don’t kill like a predator, you kill like a sadist.”

Erek’s hearty laugh told her everything.

“We would have more guests if you knew how to control yourself, but I can only blame myself for giving you permission to tear each other apart.”

Sarah was the next one to stand. She was hesitant, shaky. As she walked the short distance to the table, she paused a few times. Her breath was heavy. She sniffled, seemingly on the verge of tears.

“I know, I know.” Marianne said, getting up from her chair. “The first time is always the hardest.”

She wrapped her arms around Sarah, who was struggling to keep it together.

“Holding in your pain for this long has more than proven your strength. All who betrayed you will get what they deserve, but now it’s time to rest. Let it all out now, it will get better soon.”

Sarah took a deep breath. “Thank you.” And she took a seat.

“Seth.”

He slowly raised to his feet. “I know.”

“I was hoping you'd recognize him.” Marianne grinned, unsheathing two knives. “I came to this world for a sword, prove yourself worthy of the title.”

Seth nodded, taking the knives from her hands.

“Hey Erek.”

“Huh.”

He tossed a knife at the ganger’s feet.

“What are ya, suicidal?”

“I am, because of you.”

Erek laughed. “If you want to die, I’m more than happy to give it to ya for ruining dinner!”

The thug quickly scooped up the knife and charged, his bloodlust in his eyes.

Seth felt an intense heat burning in his chest. A powerful rage beating in his chest as time seemed to slow down around him. Seth raised his hand, preparing to strike, and his vision faded.

When Seth’s vision returned, the body of Erek lay in front of him, his severed head lying next to him.

“Great job, sword.” Marianne smiled, blood splatter coating her dress and face. “Karneth favors you.”

Seth tossed his bloody knife to the floor, the blade sticking into Erek’s corpse. “What happened?”

“You’ve been blessed with His murder-bliss, as I have.” She growled, slowly backing towards the wall of the arena. “The Lord of Skulls smiles down on us. He has chosen us as the instruments of his wrath, and soon this world will know true war.”

Sarah, feeling the floor rumble, collapsed out of her chair and backed away from the wall Marianne was walking towards.

Seth struggled to stand as the arena around him shook. The food and drinks fell off the table as a dust cloud filled the air.

“My killers, I offer a boon from the God of Murder.”

The wall behind Marianne collapsed, three bladed metal tendrils wrapping around her. The woman was pulled back through the collapsed wall, a trail of blood following her.

After a few seconds of silence, the room began to rumble again. A giant three toed metal wood splayed onto the dusty floor. Red, brass, and black plating lined up the metal legs, leading to a wide and hunched torso. The three tendrils snaked down from the left pauldron. From the right, a large cannon glowing with bright neon red energy. A long, spiked tail swayed behind the ten meter tall machine, with skulls and war trophies hanging from the carapace. A red shield, depicting the crude drawing of a brass skull, sat on the right shoulder, right next to a tusked mask.

“Bow…” Marianne’s voice rumbled from the machine. “Bow. And become my karnivores. Become dogs of war and bath in slaughter…”

Two doors from either side of the arena opened with a thud, and scores of masked cultists rolled out identical red and brass machine suits, both almost half as small as the abomination that Marianne piloted. One arm carried a taloned claw, the other a chainsword. A missile pod sat on each carapace. Seth and Sarah’s eyes locked onto the helms of each machine, taking the shape of a dog’s skull.

Sarah was the first to bow.

Seth followed suit.

“Sarah Asliz, your karnivore is called Cruelty Unleashed. It is untested, yet craves slaughter.”

“Seth Krast, your karnivore is called Sword of Hatred. It hungers for vengeance against an uncaring universe.”

“Enter your tombs, and satisfy your blood lust. Kill until you are killed. killed! You will feel Kharneth's blessing flow through you with each life you take! Seek vengeance on this world! Seek vengeance on this galaxy!"

Seth and Sarah climbed into their respective war machines. A single skull sat in each cockpit, and as Seth lowered himself in, Erek’s head was tossed in by a cultist.

The hatch to each karnivore was closed. A metal helm hung over them, sparking with energy. As each killer placed the helm, a wave of violence and rage was channeled through them. A 360 degree picview of the karnivores surrounded them. Each step, each swing of their swords, felt as natural as moving their own limbs.

“My bondsmen.” Marianne’s voice echoed in each of their minds. “Have it be known that you are now servants to I, Marianne Hellebor, pilot of the Infernal Dreadblade known as Blazing Scourge, Chosen of one of Khorne’s Heralds. The only way to escape the life of endless slaughter and war is through death, either by my hands, each other’s, or some other superior warrior. But have it been known that once you pass, your skull will be added to our master’s throne and your soul will be brought before Him. So fight! And die well! Your life and death will be an eternity of glorious battle! Become champions deserving of the title, and pile the skulls of your enemies on your thrones!”

“Prove yourself, and it will be an honor to have my skull join your throne.”

Seth and Sarah were silent, the rage of the daemon bound knight flowing through them.

“Join me, my warriors!”

“Blood for the Blood God!”

“Skulls for the Skull Throne!”

“LET THE GALAXY BURN!”

#warhammer #warhammer 40k #short story #warhammer 40000 #chaos 40k #warhammer fanfic #warhammer oc #chaos knights #khorne #world eaters

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thiscryptidischronicallyyours · 3 years

Note

📥 What is your fave fic to receive comments/messages on?

🏅 What is something you recently felt proud of in regard to your writing (finished a fic, actually planned for once, etc).

🌝 Who is one character you haven’t yet written for that you would like to?

Fave fic to get comments/messages about:

My fics are all my children, I love them all and every comment I get about each of them is special.

That being said, Of Turtleducks and Orphanages is my favorite oneshot to date and anything Lifeline related makes me happy, so probably those.

Something I’m proud of from my writing:

Not that it’s great for my fanfic productivity, but I started working on an original story project earlier this week. I haven’t done that in a while, so I’m excited to be getting back into one!

Who is a character that I haven’t written for yet, but I want to?

I know I’ve written redeemed Azula, but I want to go back further pre-redemption next time I write her.

#asks answered #thanks krast #krasty krab

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luna-paradoxz · 3 years

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How to take care of a tired Qilin.

Summary - When Ganyu is super tired she turns into a small, fluffy and super cute qilin and obviously it is up to Xiao to take care of her.

A/N - You can ready it on FF.net and Ao3. You can support me on Ko-fi or commission me.

Ganyu normally is stable, she can easily control and regulate her forms but there are times when she can't. Today she was tired, very tired, work after the rite of parting had taken a toll on her and when she had finally decided to take rest her body had decided she needs proper rest.

Xiao finds a sleeping qilin under the canopy of trees in Jeyuen Krast where he had come to take care of some work. The small size, the beautiful cold blue fur had given up who the qilin was. He sighed as he shook his head, she had worked herself up to half-death again.

Xiao jumped up to the cliffs and collected the Qingxin flowers that had bloomed there. It took him only 20 mins before he jumped back to where she was and made way to her sleeping form. It has been ages since he has last seen her transform. He sits beside her and carefully starts stroking her very soft fur. She moves then snuggles under his hand and goes back to sleep. For an hour they stay like that, in peace as he enjoys slowly stroking her head and listening to her make small sounds of approval in her sleep.

An hour later her clear pink eyes open and she yawned cutely. She tried to stretch but that was when she noticed a weird thing, her hands were well, not where she expected and felt too small. She blinked her eyes, looked down in surprise, the ground was far too close, her skin was too hot and when she moved her hands she could feel the fur. She took a deep breath and when she looked up, Xiao - who had stopped stroking her fur - stared back at her. His golden eyes met hers and she noticed how big he looked to her right now. She looked down and asked the question she already knew the answer to.

"I turned into my illuminated beast form didn't I?" She sighs as she asks.

He nodded, "You were already changed when I came here." He then crosses his hands, "You should have been careful, you know considering how vulnerable you can be in this form?"

She tries to pout but her mouth is small so it doesn't quite come out the same way still he gets it as he watches her huff cutely "I didn't think I would turn here so suddenly or I would not have come to forests today." She says while looking away and he silently agrees with the voice that says, she is super cute.

He sighs though and instead states "Well today there is some disturbance here, I have cleared it for now but you should go back to the harbour." Ganyu nods, close her eyes and utters the words to change back but when she opens her eyes she is still in her qilin form. With puppy eyes, she looks up to Xiao who shakes his head.

"I have told you when the mind is troubled or tired your body will reflect that." He is scolding her but his voice is kind. She looks down, her little form shaking as she looked like she was going to cry. He looks away feeling a little guilty so he sighs, puts away the issue for now and instead gently picks her up and puts her on his shoulder but that surprises her and she desperately clings to his clothes as she sighs in relief and turns to him pouting.

He explains, "Come on, I will take you to Cloud Retainer, you can take proper rest there." She smiles as she thanks him, he nods at her and asks her to hold him properly. He crunches down and jumps while keeping a gentle hand on her so she doesn't fall off. They jump through the cliffs as he finally reaches the Adeptus abode and stops in front of the long-forgotten stone table. He puts her down on the table where once three sat and took up to call the Adeptus out but no answer was given back to him. He calls out again and then sighs, Ganyu's face falls.

"Looks like she is out." He states the obvious and turns to her while crossing his hands, "What do you want to do now?"

She lets out another cute sigh and takes the forests in, near abode most monsters won't come but who knows how long it will take for Cloud Retainer to come back, at times she would just disappear to try her hand on her new inventions and with no sense of time, she would return days or months later. Surely, she will eventually come back but still, she might as well starve here with no food. She looks up to him, and gives him puppy eyes as she says,

"I can't go back to the harbour, can we head back to your place?" The 'no' was screaming in him but Xiao was not the kind of person who would just leave her here to starve, so, with great conflict (not really), he gave a conflicted sigh and picked her up again and put her on his shoulder. He makes sure she is stable before he moves again. It takes a bit longer but he jumps them down and finally reaches the Washung inn. He heads straight into his room and puts her down on his bed.

She smiles at him, "I am sorry Xiao for the trouble and thank you for helping me."

He silently rolled his eyes and says "I am not going to leave you alone in the wild while you are so weak." She winces but thanks him nonetheless, he sits down near her.

"What do you want to do now?" She looks around to his almost dark room, only lit by a single candle, it was filled with basic furniture and his weapons, nothing more.

She knew that was Xiao's style, she looks up to him and says "I have no work with me so I really have nothing to do right now." He looks down and puts a hand on her head and pushes her gently into the bed.

"Go to sleep, you need that." She looks panicked, not used to resting so much but Xiao glares at her as he lifts his hand and all but commands, "This all happened because you didn't rest, you need to take rest while you can." She whimpers as she nods and with that curls around and lays down, she still stares at him with an eye open and he sighs. He forcefully ignores the screams in his mind about how cute she is and says "I have more work to do so I am leaving, don't leave the room until I am back." He pats her once before he gets up and makes sure the door is closed and goes out and heads to Guili plains to slay more demons. She falls into sleep soon after he leaves as the salty smell of Dihua Marsh fills the room and the chirps of birds just outside. She feels nostalgic for the old centuries and falls into sleep.

He comes back silently as he walks in with airy steps and looks into the darkness to see the qilin sleeping soundly. She was breathing lightly, her mouth open with small snores that he did find cute even if he will never say it out loud. Just like before she was sound asleep so he decided to leave her and headed upstairs to the roof. He sat there below the tree as he looked over Dihua Marsh and took in the wind, he closes his eyes and rests against the bark, slowly examining his wounds today. They were not bad, just a few scratches and bruises so he was sure they will heal up in no time. He watches the clouds drift apart, the silence and the time passing doesn't matter to him. As an Adeptus, he was used to having time pass by him and it did until he came to attention when a certain qilin entered the roof. She looked up to the moon before she looked around trying to find him, it was late in the night so no humans had yet encountered her. As he got up to jump down, a certain manager came in. Ver Goldet came up to the roof, obviously surprised as she took the little Adeptus in, she crouched down and Xiao jumped down in front of them. She looked up and imminently bowed.

"Oh, Xiao-sama I was just checking what was this little animal was doing." She explained, she knew he didn't like it when they encroached on his space.

He turns to the qilin and says "It is ok don't worry she is with me."

The manager was surprised and bowed to the Qilin, she obviously still didn't recognize the secretary and says "Oh, my apologies enlightened Adeptus I didn't mean any rudeness." Ganyu tried to smile as she nods and shakes her head.

"It is quite ok Ver Goldet, and can you get the dinner sent to us in my room?" She nods and takes their order before taking her leave. He turns to her and asks her what she is doing here.

"I noticed you were back so I wanted to check in on you." She looks all over his body, "Are you ok Xiao?" She didn't note any wounds on him. He shakes his head and then turns to the roof and looks at her with an eyebrow raise asking her if she wants to stay here. She nods and he helps her get up the tree barks and they both isolate themselves and get comfortable against the branches. She rubs against the tree and smiles peacefully, the tree feels so alive and healthy.

She then turns out to the marsh and smiled, how beautiful the scene was. Xiao waited for her to fall asleep again, but she had slept quite a lot so she stayed up and stared at the marsh. The past came in flashes as she remembered the past 6 centuries, the war and the people they lost over the years. She remembered the gentle goddess and the Yakshas that lost their lives in a horrible but prideful way. She remembered the adepti that gave their life away for Rex lapis and his building region and the worst thing she remembered was every single day the blood that was spilled by her hands, the blood that still covered her. She turned to Xiao who still suffered because of the war and yet he always seems to take pride in his duties. She wonders how he forgets the blood, the nightmares filled with screams of their victims, she wondered how he forgave his past.

She bites her inner cheek gently as she shakes her head to forget such thoughts. Xiao has lost many people, everyone he got close to has left him, the karma binds him and makes him suffer to this day, she truly can't believe her suffering is more than his. She has it far easier than him she knew. She must stay strong though after all she too was Rex lapis's Adeptus, one of the guardians of Liyue.

She apologises to him silently to think lower of his sufferings before she too let her thoughts go in the wind, they watch the clouds pass until they are called for dinner by the inn lady. She jumps down gracefully and walks alongside him as they walk back to his room and thank her for the dinner. They settle on his simple table as she takes in the small bowl that looks like a cat dish, she pouts as he smirks. She looks up to him and huffs as he chuckles slightly.

"You are the same size as Wei."

She pouts cutely, using all her face muscles and says "You know better than anybody how big Qilins are."

He smirks remembering her illuminated form better than anybody "Well this is the treatment you get when one doesn't take care of oneself."

She whimpers as she agrees with his words. His scolding though was a small jab and he chuckled as he saw her whimpering, Ganyu was far too accepting when people criticized or scolded her, "I have learned my lesson, Xiao." She says as she pouts at him and he gives her a nod while looking away, she was far too cute for her own good.

He eats his almond tofu as she finished her vegetarian albone and he does note it is quite a small portion from what she eats normally, so he lets her finish and then calls out to her and pats a spot on his lap, she jumps and settles down and looks up to him as he half-smiles and scoops little of his almond tofu and offers to her. She looks surprised as she confirms if it's ok, he nods and she slowly nibbles on it. He makes her eat more before he gives her a pat and finishes his own meal.

"You feel better now?" She nods.

She smiles at him, "Thank you for sharing your food, Xiao." He nods and she jumps down as he gets up and puts their plates out as she decides to walk around his room and take it all in. It's the first time she has been inside, after all, it will also probably be the last time too. Everyone knows well Xiao doesn't like anyone in his personal space. She can smell better in this form so she takes in his musky smell, and blushes bright red not that anyone will notice considering her fluffy fur. As she jumps on his storages, he comes back and folds his hands and stares at her with flat eyes.

"What are you investigating Ganyu?" She huffs as she glares at him.

"I was just looking around a bit. I was not poking my nose anywhere."

He gives her another look before he sits down on his bed and picks up his lance and starts cleaning it. She comes near him and settles beside him, as she watches his practised elegant moves as he cleans up his jade lance, they sit there peacefully until he turns and says, "Did you bring your bow?" She nods but since she can't turn back she can't call it out right now. He sighs and instead continues with his lances. The process is calming and she nestles herself on his side as she continues watching his hands. They are quite skilled she notes and blushes when her imagination goes a bit far. She shakes her head in the silence and gets back to watching him. As the calm envelopes her she slowly drifts to slumber without even realising.

He looks down as he finishes his jade lance and sighs, she was asleep again, he wonders truly how long it has been since she has last gotten decent sleep. He slowly pats her head and she unconscious snuggles into it and it makes him slightly blush, his heart once again acting up. It was truly weird feelings, these human emotions that didn't belong to him. He takes away his hand and continues his work, as usual, the Yaksha doesn't sleep but his body does relax as she sleeps at his side. It feels natural, he muses as he works for his hands, it feels so natural to have her on his side. It has been so long since he has spent a whole day with her. It all felt so natural and relaxing and his head has been calm and his pain subdued. This is not the first time he has realised the effect she has on him, they have been fighting by each other side for centuries but this is the first he can fully bathe in that peaceful feeling without having to worry about anything else. He acknowledges the fact that Ganyu was special to him whether he liked it or not she had made herself special to him and now all he can do is to choose whether to act upon the fact or not. He looks down at her, the choice is easy but really hard to make at the same time. He is not a being that deserves happiness and yet it seems destiny doesn't want to play fair to him. Still, he smiles a little, they have time, they always had time so he can make his own choice. He hopes she will wait for him.

The hours pass and as the clock turns 5, a body suddenly appears beside him, snuggling against his shoulder. He does blush as Ganyu, now in her human form decides to still keep snuggling, her hands wound up holding the edges of his shirt as her head naturally fits in the creek of his neck and her body snuggles right up to his shoulder. He takes a deep breath and banishes all the evil thoughts, it was wrong of him to think of Ganyu like that but just like voices they just make themselves heard, his voices laughing maniacally and calling him a beast. He knows that and he should probably detach her, but she looks too comfortable for him to do that and he rationalises she will probably return to work once she is up so he should let her take her rest as much as she can. She already works so hard and as her mentor, the least he can do is make sure she is taking proper rest. So we that reasoning, he lets her nap while taking stolen glances at her and then chiding at himself to act so immorally. It was unbecoming of an Adeptus to act on such basic human desires but he can't hide the heat filling inside him as she keeps snoring on his arm.

His happy times (he will refuse that vehemently) ends when half an hour later Ganyu wakes up and jumps two feet back when she realises the situation. He sighs and schools himself back to his blank look as she blushes wildly and starts apologising. It makes him hurt that she thinks he is some kind of short-fused man, he won't get mad at her for nodding off on him. He doesn't say that as he puts a heavy hand on her head and makes her look up, their eyes meet and all he says.

"Stop apologising."

She nods and he lets her go. He gets up, stretches his muscles, putting away his lances he turns towards her, she definitely looks well-rested. Her skin colour has returned and her muscles don't seem as tense as before. He nods at her and asks her when she is leaving.

"I will probably get breakfast and then head back to the harbour." She bows when he gets up, "Thank you Xiao for letting me stay and rest. I probably would have gotten more tired if I stayed out there."

He sighs and crosses his hands, "Just remember to take rest Ganyu. You work too hard." She sighs in defeat as she nods, "Those humans won't fall apart if you take rest for one day." She nods, as usual he is brash when giving advice, well she is someone who likes that part of him so she can't really say anything. She smiles at him, thanks him and takes her leave. He won't ever admit that he will miss her for the next week while working.

She walks into the Liyue harbour, well-rested and well-fed. The sea breeze greets her morning as the merchants start the day and ships start docking for the day, some greet her and others are too focused to do so. She greets them back and as she walks to Liyue harbour, she stops near the dock area and looks out at the sea, the sea hasn't changed but the city has changed quite a lot. A lot of things have changed in these centuries but some things do remain unchanged she muses as she remembers Xiao, he has remained the same and yet she knows he has changed too, he after all smiled again. She can remember the last time he smiled, it was in the field of glaze lilies beside the gods and Yakshas, their little family back then. Now, she knows he doesn't smile any more but yesterday he had and she hopes she had played a little part in it. She knows these feelings will remain unchanged no matter the centuries and one day she will act upon them, change will come and she can choose to embrace it.

Well, not now though, she knows they can take their time. They have always had plenty of time.

#my writing #genshin impact #xianyu #xiao x ganyu #xiao's birthday gift

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the-power-of-stuff · 2 years

Note

Myarg!!! It’s been so long since I sent you an ask! 😫 So let me make up for it by hitting you with five questions from the end of the year fanfic ask thingy (really looking forward to seeing your answers to these):

1, 14, 18, 25, and 28

Thank you!!! 😄

Yayyy, thank you so much @boomerangguy!! I'm stoked to answer these!

1. favorite fic you wrote this year

This is such a good question! I'm gonna have to go with a tie between fumble around the failing stars (rated M!) and this is his body, this is his love (rated E!)

"fumble around the failing stars" was so fun for me to write. Like, to the point that I was actually making myself laugh out loud. And I'm so happy with my Kyoshi Warrior OCs and with the relationships I've built between them and Suki. Ultimately this was a really self-indulgent fic. I've always really loved, like, "gal pal" time in romance novels and rom coms, and I really wanted to create that for Suki, and I just had such a blast doing it. Plus, I think it's a neat take on "first time" stories, and it explores a not-so-perfect moment in Sokka and Suki's relationship, which is always an interesting dynamic to play with. :)

"this is his body, this is his love"...oh man...I worked so hard on that one lol. I actually think I overdid it a bit, but I'm still pleased with the outcome. I challenged myself a lot with this one. First of all, it's in present tense, which I never write in, but which felt necessary for the tone I was trying to create. I actually started it in past tense and then rewrote it in present tense, which is hard, y'all! And then, I was attempting to do something very specific with the imagery, trying to balance being very sensory while still creating a feeling of urgency, and for some reason, that was very difficult for me, too. I kept getting bogged down in details, or making the whole thing feel slow and lazy. Working on this fic was like chiseling through stone, haha. But ultimately I'm super happy I was able to wrangle it. Ask me sometime about how the imagery that I used to describe Suki shifts over the course of the fic. I've always wanted to talk about it. 😉

14. a fic you didn’t expect to write

hear the waves hit the cliffs (like our names engraved)

I have no idea where this one came from, lol. I wrote it for the "Ember Island" prompt for this year's Sukka Week, and, I mean...I have a ton of ideas in my head for Ember Island missing moments, but this was not one of them! All my ideas are very fluffy, romantic, Sokka and Suki making out on the beach kind of ideas. But this one came out all broody and introspective. 🤷‍♀️ It was a very cool experience writing this one, though. One of the only times I've ever sat down without knowing ahead of time where I wanted the story to go, just letting it materialize line-by-line. It was very zen!

18. current number of wips

Okay, only counting WIPs that I have an actual idea for and not docs I started that have a single sentence in them but no premise or anything... 9ish?

My main ones are "the words to keep you" and this post-war recovery fic I've been planning for a while. I also have a couple modern meet-cute ideas, a couple post-canon ideas, a couple missing moments from canon I wanna write, and a missing scene from "count herself among them" in the works. Oh, and that fic I'm writing to bribe you, Boomie, into finishing Courtship of the Earth. 😈

25. a fic you read this year you would recommend everyone read

Other than everything you've written? 😉

I can never chose just one for these things! I recommended a bunch of fics in this answer and I am happy to share more!

First, those stories written in your skin by @krastbannert, definitely a fic everyone should read. It's Zuko-centric from Sokka's POV, and is a really cool take on what Zuko and his crew got up to during those three years Zuko was at sea chasing the Avatar. I love how Krast captures Sokka's voice, and I love all the seafaring lore and the depth it adds to ATLA universe. Sukka is implied, but it's not a Sukka-centric story.

Next, bruise belies the break by eleonorastay. This is a WIP and there's only one chapter so far, and I really hope it gets updated someday, because the way the stage has been set so far is very compelling. Everyone's personalities have been captured so well, and it seems so promising!

Between Victory by sukkavore is a wonderful little Sukka missing moment. I am a sucker for immediately-post-war stories, and this one packs so much into a relatively short scene.

And, something completely different because it's not even tangentially Sukka, although it is Water Tribe fam...This is Brutally Beautiful (So Are We) by @justanotherghostwriter. It's Kyakoda. It's canon. It's tragic. But it's beautiful. Everyone should read it.

28. longest fic you read this year

The longest fic I read this year was actually a Harry Potter fic called Lego House by accio_broom, at nearly 112k words. If anyone reading this likes Romione and has somehow managed not to read this fic yet, you absolutely must.

The longest ATLA fic I've read, though, is (My Heart) Still Beats for You by @smilindesperado, which is at 44k and counting.

Thank you so much for the ask!! Love hearing from you, as always. :) (Asks from this end of year fanfic ask list)

#ask game #fic rec #sukka fic rec #answered ask #@boomerangguy

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mcu-fan-fics-blog · 3 years

Text

The Helping Hand

Summary: Y/N Krast Illegitimate Daughter of Tony Stark. Product of an unwanted teen pregnancy. What would Howard Stark be capable of doing to assure his sons future? What will happen when Tony meets our Beautiful, young, genius, rich philanthropist.

Word Count: 2000 approx

A/n: I will try to finish part 2 during the week maybe Wednesday or Thursday. I did change what happens in the movie but it will call make sense I promise. See you soon!

Tw: Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Drug use, Drug addiction, Teen Pregnancy. (If there are any I missed please tell me.)

Ch.8

Chapter 9: Civil War Pt.1

Ch.10

Secretary Ross what a bitch. I mean you save the world you'd expect a thanks maybe a parade or something, but no. Instead they ask you to legally give up your rights, your anonymity basically all you value. "We can't seriously consider signing this." Steve spat out. "You're being Hyper nonverbal." Nat points tony out. "That's because he's already decided." Steve points out calmly. "I can't sign… I won't sign the accords." You mutter out quietly. "I'm not even an official part of the 'team'. I don't even have a hero name." Pietro chuckles giving you an approving nod.

Nat brings you and Pietro back to reality. "You were still there." She points out matter of factly. "Either way that does not change that we have made some very public mistakes." She continues. "We need to be put in check." Tony states. "If we don't do it now they will do it to us later and they won't be asking nicely." He says. "I agree it's better to keep one hand on the wheel, than letting go completely." You're honestly not listening at this point anymore. You jump back in after Visions statistics. "My friends are dead because of you." You point out.

"You blame Wanda for an accident. When I saw your effect on Sokovia way before you blew it up." You mention spitefully. "If you want to sign because you feel guilty go ahead. I'm not being forced into this..." Tony sighs hurt by your comments' brutal honesty. "I'm just trying to protect Wanda." He says looking at you. "Too little too late… where were you when she was in Lagos." This is when Wanda steps in. "Just calm down okay… Just- lets just hear him out." She says looking at you. "Either we have her here with her brother or they become government property." He continues. "You can't just not sign… think about everything you'll lose." Steve jumps in again. "If we sign, we lose our chance to choose. We work under our own authority now, but people have agendas and you know that better than anyone." Steve points out.

Tony and Steve go at it for a minute when he abruptly leaves. Soon you find out why… Peggy passed. You and Nat flew out to be with him for a moment. After which he told you he was not signing the accords. "Wish you the best Captain Rogers." Is what you said. You hesitated but pulled him into a hug. "If you ever need anything talk to me… I'll do my best to help you out." You tell him and he hugs you back. Nat convinced you to fly to Vienna with her and sign the accords there. So you did and regretted it not long after you arrived. It was a complete bore fest. You let Nat do her own thing and you just walked around like a lost puppy until something called your attention. You rush back to her immediately. "Nat, something's wrong, something is very wrong." You repeat then you look out the window confirming your theory. "EVERYBODY GET DOWN" you yell as you leap on Natasha. She's about to reprimand you for causing a scene when the whole building shakes.

It was a blur and everything hurts. You stand up and all you can hear is ringing and a faint voice. As you stand you hear your name faintly Natasha is calling you but there's something else. Your head begins to throb. The voice it's clear now. It's repeating words. "Zhelanie, rzhavyy, Semndtsat', Rassvet, Pech', Devgat', Dobroserdechnyy, Vozvrashcheniye na rodinu, Odin', Gruzovoy Vagon." You grab your head to try and steady yourself. But the voice gets louder and then you recognize it. "Don't believe what you see… dig deeper Y/n. It wasn't him." Then you're pulled out of your daze by Nat standing before you. "Y/n are you okay?" She asks worried. You only nod turning your head and noticing that somehow you made your way outside. "I umm- I need you to call tony and tell him it happened again." You say calmly she nods and takes off to make the call. As she did that you called Steve. "Yes, Steve I'm fine we're fine… but you need to listen to me."

He was scared and the news spread like wildfire. "It wasn't him… Steve it wasn't him." He's quiet. "How do you know?" You sigh. "I just do Steve okay. I believe in you alright. But you can't look for him. If you find him the rest will find him. Keep your distance a week two tops just listen to me please." You plead with him he eventually sighs. "I'm trusting you Y/n" you sigh in relief. You hang up when Nat begins to walk back to you. "Tony is sending a Plane." She mentions looking around them fixing her sight on you. "How did you know something was going to happen?" Her voice nearly a whisper. You shake your head. "Y/n you told me something was wrong very wrong at least 30 seconds before the bombs went off."

"I-i don't know Nat something felt wrong… off then I looked out the window." You say trying to piece together your thoughts. "Lets go… let me drop you off at the airport." She says helping you up. The drive was quiet and uncomfortable. She wasn't sure she believed you, she saw that you called someone. Her walls were up and your answers were not helping that. She helped you board the plane and said her goodbyes and walked out. The ride was quiet what you wanted. But those words kept circling your mind. You couldn't have heard them more than three times but they were burnt into your mind. Vision and then twins were waiting for you when you landed. "Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner will not get here in a couple of days." You nod taking your time getting off.

"Are you okay?" Pietro asks when you trip down the last step. You shake your head. "I'm just tired, plus it's not everyday that you live through an explosion." You chuckle. "I just need some rest." You finish. Your sleep was not as peaceful as you'd like. Your head kept going back to that state of limbo the same words repeating over and over again. In the morning you're feeling well enough and make your way down to the kitchen. You weren't surprised when you found the Maximoff twins already up and going. "Good morning" you say as you walk up to them noticing Vision floating in a corner. "Good morning do you feel better?" Wanda asks as she flips a pancake. You nod watching Pietro chop vegetables extremely fast. Wanda clears her throat catching your attention. "Your thoughts were very loud last night…"

"Oh my Wanda I am so sorry if I kept you up." You begin apologizing but she cuts you short. "It's fine I only brought it up because I can hear them… they are there, but I can read them?" She says questioning whether or not you understood. You nod. "Did it happen again?" She asks, worry filling her eyes. "I-i don't know how to explain it. Yesterday I felt something was off. I heard a voice after the explosion." You mention trying to wrap your head around the situation. "It was repeating these words. I can't stop thinking about them." You finish off. She gives you a confused look. "Bruce said it's kinda like the green guy… It keeps me alive."

"Is that why I can't read you anymore?" She blurts out. "I don't know probably." You shrug. "Nat, she doesn't believe me… I saw it in her eyes." You mention quietly. Pietro rushes over to you and puts his arm around you, messing with your hair. "Well we believe you, isn't that right?" He looks at Wanda and she nods. He has to throw a piece of fruit at Vision. "Yes, I think there is something to your condition." He mentions a smile growing on his face… Or what you think he thinks is a smile. It causes everyone to break out into laughter. After that you and the twins have a nice couple of days hanging out and living in some type of normalcy. You would watch the Dik Van Dyke show and Bewitched per Wanda's request and then one night something was off again. "Wanda… something's off. It's different." Is the last thing you manage to say before Vision rushes over to your side. This time the threat was internal… your heart.

"Y/n to my understanding your heart is going into cardiac arrest. Stop fighting your mind, it will protect you." He mentions. You clutch your chest and let your mind loose. "Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner have been informed and will be here soo…'' is all your hear before you black out. You're in and put at one point you think you see Bruce but you're not sure. Then you're back in that white tundra and she's there waiting for you with a warm smile on her face. "Why do we keep meeting like this?" You ask as you run towards her. "It's you…" Is all she says hugging you. "Yes, who else would it be." You say playfully. She chuckles but she shakes her head. "It's you we meet on your terms. You only let me in when your guard is down." She steps back. "Are your okay?" She asks cautiously. "I really hope so." You say honestly taking a seat on the floor. "That's not what I meant… I-i um I had to give you a push in Vienna." She sits next to you. "That was you! Of course that makes sense. What do they mean." She smiles. "You'll figure it out… I know you will." She says again and you lay your head on her lap. She runs her fingers through your hair humming. "How long can I stay here with you like this?" You ask with your eyes closed. "As long as your want monkey."

"Where is she, is she okay? What the hell happened?" Tony burst into the compound the anger masking how scared he was. "Dr. Cho is in there right now and she's stable. She's almost done. Dr. Banner is assisting" Vision answers Tony calms down slightly turning to the twins. "What the hell happened?" They both shrug and Pietro speaks up. "You should ask her." He says his head nodding towards Nat. Tony makes a double take when Steve and Sam walk out behind her. Natasha walks up to them "What happened?" Tony only signs "That seems to be the Billion Dollar question." Wanda jumps back in. "She said something was off… something happened in Vienna." Now Pietro get defensive and jumps in to back his sister. "She said you didn't believe her." Tony turns to Nat. "Did she tell you this?"

"What was I supposed to believe Tony… she knew a building was going to explode before it did." Tony is now pacing. "She told you something was wrong… MY DAUGHTER told you something was wrong, that something was wrong with her. And you didn't think to tell me!" Natasha is left speechless and so is everyone else. That's when Dr. Cho walks back into the waiting room. "The surgery was a success and we replaced the damaged heart. She should wake up in a couple of hours depending as their medications wear off." She says not noticing the tension. Tony sighs in relief and Dr. Cho walks off. Tony points at Natasha. "You will stay away from her agent Romanoff." With that he walks off.

It had been more than a few hours. It had been days and you hadn't woken up. "What is happening to her?" Tony hadn't left your side. Everyone had stopped by everyday their hopes diminished. Bruce calls him over and makes him take a seat. "Tony we have to wake her up soon!" He nods. "Of course we do!" He says looking at Bruce shake his head. "Her medical directives legally bind us to remove all life sustaining measures after two weeks."

#avengers #marvel #natasha romanoff #natasha x y/n #pietro maximoff #tony stark #wanda x reader #fanfic #reader x avengers #wanda maximoff #bucky barnes #civil war #captain america #chapter 9 #vision #tony x pepper #tony stank #howard stark #helmut zemo

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badlucksav · 3 years

Note

11, 19, and 22 for Zutara

Krast, my darling 🤍 let’s get spooky 👻

11. “What is their favorite movie monster?”

Zuko would like Frankenstein the best for…obvious reasons. He’s also read the book, so he knows what’s up with the monster. I think he would relate, so that’s why it’s his favorite.

Katara’s is probably the Wolf Man/werewolves. She likes all the werewolf movies and just thinks they’re really cool.

19. “Favorite scary movie?” This was answered here.

22. “What is everyone’s favorite fall food or drink?” This was answered here.

Send me a character and a spooky ask!

#Halloween asks #it’s spooky time #zutara #zuko #katara #avatar the last airbender #asks #savage answers

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stitch1830 · 3 years

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27 and/or 58 for the sentence prompts? And I'll let you pick the ship.

Hey Krast! Thanks for the ask; I needed some fluffier prompts during Taangst Week lol. I was thinking about branching out just a little, so I Did Tokka, then reverted back to Taang because I needed it lmao. And I did both prompts because why not? lol. Thanks again for the ask!

Taang #58. "My clothes look good on you"

......

Tokka - #27 - “Let me walk you home”

They had been working like polar-bear-dogs all month. It was exhausting work, trying to catch criminals and running a city, and yet, there they were, at work day and night. Night and day.

Despite the exhausting routine, Toph and Sokka found some semblance of comfort with the excess amount of work. For one, they gave it their undivided attention during work hours, and two, they spent so much time together.

Just like old times.

It took Sokka a moment to realize that he didn’t abhor going to work. He actually loved it, because he got to see her.

Today was no different. He spent most of his day in her office, helping with strategies and wretched paperwork. In turn, she lent a listening ear for Sokka’s every council complaint as well as suggestions on how to push changes through. They fell into a work routine, and Sokka never wanted it to end.

At the end of the day when the paperwork was completed, the whining and bemoaning was finished, and tactics for tomorrow’s tasks were curated, Toph and Sokka spent the rest of their evening chatting. Toph’s legs rested on her desk and her hands were behind her head. It had been a while since Sokka had seen her so relaxed, but he loved it, and it made him loosen up and slouch in the chair he occupied as he listened to Toph ramble.

“I mean seriously, why does the guy think have such a weird hobby?C'mon. Belting out quotes from a play while he’s apprehending criminals?” Toph laughed and shook her head in a playful manner. “Weird.”

Sokka chuckled. “Hey! Sometimes a hobby that’s completely different from your occupation or whatever is good. Breaks up the boring parts of the day, you know?”

“Nope. Can’t relate.”

“Listen let’s say—”

“—None of my hobbies are weird,” she interrupted with a smirk.

Sokka frowned. “Ha ha, very funny. All I’m saying is that it’s nice to go home and draw or paint after a long day of work.”

“And all I’m saying is that as long as you are painting, I’m glad I’m blind.” Her mischievous grin only grew, and Sokka had the urge to laugh with her and complain about her sassy remarks all at the same time.

“Sometimes I really dislike you, you know?” he playfully groaned.

Toph barked out a laugh and replied, “No need to lie, Snoozles. We both know you love me.”

Sokka’s heart jumped in his chest, and he was extremely grateful that her feet were not on the floor at that moment. Did she just say she knew he loved her? Spirits, did he love her? He certainly couldn't stand the thought of not being around her... Maybe, just maybe, there was something more between them—

“Oh shit.”

Toph’s sudden outburst pulled Sokka from his thoughts. He looked at the earthbender and she was stiff and sitting upright. “What time is it?”

“Uh, almost 6?” Sokka replied, their day recently only ended at 6:30 or 7, so by their standards, it was early.

“Fuck. Okay, time to go.” She stood up abruptly and gathered a few small items to take home. Sokka frowned, confused at the change in routine.

“What’s up? The nanny off soon?”

Toph shook her head. “No, I gave her the day off. Lin’s with Katara and the trip to the island will take longer.”

As she started to leave her office, Sokka scrambled to his feet and went after her. He didn’t want the day to end, not yet.

“Hey! Um, let me walk you home.”

“Sokka I’m not going home—”

“—I know,” he interrupted. “But, still. Let me—I mean, may I walk you home? Even if it is the long way?”

Toph raised a skeptical eyebrow, but the warrior couldn’t help but notice the change in shade in her cheeks. She was blushing, and Sokka’s heart fluttered at the sight. He hoped her thoughts were too preoccupied to notice.

That seemed to be the case, because a minute had passed and Sokka received no response. So, he dared to grab her hand and said once again, “Toph. Let me walk you home.”

A squeeze of his hand and the smile that grew on her face provided the answer that words couldn’t.

......

Send me a prompt and a ship to write about! (For ATLA).

Or just send me asks lol

#tokka #atla #toph #sokka #toph and sokka #quote writing prompts #part 4 #my asks #thanks for the ask!#these two goofs #they're hopeless #oh well makes for fun writing LOL

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asajjvxntress · 3 years

Note

M, P, and R for the writer asks?

Krast, hello!

M: Got any premises on the back burner that you’d care to share? I already answered this, BUT I do have all the requests for modern au bingo. Next up is YuTen 😌

P: Are you what George R. R. Martin would call an “architect” or a “gardener”? (How much do you plan in advance, versus letting the story unfold as you go?) Oh a gardener for sure! My fatal flaw is not physically outlining, just letting the characters do what they please

R: just answered!

#ask #krastbannert

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calcliffbas · 3 years

Note

For the fanfic author ask thing (I'm doing multiple fics, hope you don't mind):

1 & 6 for Blue Spirit: Year One and 15 for No Reason You Can't Do It.

*chants: krast krast krast krast* I never mind seeing you pop up in my inbox[es]!!!

1: What inspired you to write the fic this way?

I think you’ve already noted in the comments section that Year One is written in present- rather than past-tense. Seventy-two to nil, the fic that started this AU, was also written in present-tense, and I wanted to keep that sense of immediacy.

In the main series, we kind of know what the Gaang are going to face, but with 72 and Year One, as Zuko goes on a very different journey of self-discovery than the one he gets in canon, we’ve got no point of reference for his journey towards becoming a kickass vigilante. I felt that writing in present-tense brought that sense of uncertainty; Zuko’s stepping out into the unknown, and we don’t know what’s happening next either.

6: What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics?

In Year One, I quite enjoyed playing around with quoting dialogue from Christopher Nolan’s Batman & Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogies, as well as recognisable quotes from A:TLA. It’s the first fic where I’m drawing on other franchises and narratives to tell a story. It’s also the first fic where I’ve really gone to town on canon, but that’s because we don’t really see what happens over the two-and-a-bit years of Zuko’s banishment, which gave me a bit of leeway (no pun intended) to track his journey to becoming... the Blue Spirit. 🟦 ⚔️

15: What did you learn from writing this fic?

Honestly, the plot of No Reason You Can’t Do It relies entirely on dumb people making dumb decisions - so I learnt a lot how useful miscommunication is as a plot device! Bumi tells Aang about the Dark Water Spirit, but not the Blue Spirit, or anything else... Zuko tells Sokka that his family supports the war, but not that his family is the one waging the war... and Katara ends up hitting Zuko with a frying pan because he and Aang both think they know what the other’s talking about, when, surprise surprise, they really, really don’t. So it’s been fun to play around with that, even though I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea!

(On a related note, I also learnt something about tea that will hopefully bless readers as much as it blessed me. But that would be #SPOILERS.)

Hope you don’t mind my long-form answers! :)

✌️ 💛💛💛

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krastbannert · 1 year

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10 let's get some Taangst

Taangst, you say?

Okay it's not too bad actually. This isn't Taangst Week 2.0. Not yet, anyways. (@mycomfortblanket and @authorjoydragon still won't let me do that.)

One of Toph's biggest regrets is that she didn't make a move on Aang when she could. They'd been young and free and single...and she hadn't made a move. She's never sure why she didn't - just that she regrets it every day that she never had the chance.

She always thought she would, and then police departments, conflicts, new nations, and time got in the way, and before she knew it, a lifetime had blinked by.

And then Aang was gone.

The one comfort she has, running her fingers over the metal versions of group portraits Aang had made her for her, decades ago, is that each day, she's a day closer to seeing him again.

------

Ask came from this ask game!

#krast answers asks #@orangepanic #toph #aang #taang #taangst #atla #ask game

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zmasters · 7 months

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Sword of Hate

Seth Krast looked down from the ledge. While far from the tallest building within the massive, smog filled city, the factory was high enough to kill him. The pale, brown haired man closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and smiled. "Finally."

"One of those days, huh?"

"What the-"

She continued. "But I got things I need to do. I have people who rely on me, a pet I need to take care of, a sister I need to reunite with." She sighed. "It's tough man."

"I'm sorry, is this some weird way to talk me down?" Seth asked.

"Is it working?"

"No."

"Good, I wasn't trying to Krast. You jumping now would actually help me in the future." She pressed the cigarette into her hand. She did not react. "I'm Marianne by the way, call me Mari."

"How do you know my name?"

"You're going to die, why do you care if I know your name? At least you have someone who can remember your memory."

"That doesn't answer my question."

Seth turned back to the ledge as Marianne disappeared into the building. "She was right." He thought. "It doesn't matter." He raised his foot, readying himself to end it all.

Something prevented him from taking the final step. It was as if something was physically holding him back. "I have to know."

He felt a subtle push, and walked into the dinner. Sitting on the dinner plate was steak dinner, with a glass of red wine and radio.

A minute or so after Seth finished his plate, Marianne's voice returned to the radio. "Now that everyone has finished and, I hope, enjoyed your meals, we can begin."

"Everyone?"

Seth leaned back into his chair. "What the fuck is this?"

Seth nearly fell out of his chair. “This has to be some cruel joke.” He thought. “No one is mad enough to create this sort of death game.”

“Is there anyone there!” Someone yelled, their muffled barely audible through the brick wall. Seth instinctively looked towards the voice, his eye catching a hatchet lying on the floor.

“Sarah?”

Seth jumped out of his seat as he heard a wet and crunchy thud. He scrambled to the hatchet, grabbing it and squeezing into the corner of the room.

“Not a joke.” He thought, hyperventilating. “Not a joke.”

His breathing slowed as he slowly calmed down. Seth knew who his target was.

He left the building, and peered around the corner, to where the screaming was. He saw the back of a woman, standing over another and slamming a hammer into them. He decided it was best to leave her to it.

"Seth? Seth! Come here and help!" He recognized that voice.

Hiding in a nearby building was Lyra, his boss. Or, his former boss. "I don't know what's happening, but at least there's someone I know here!"

Seth was silent, letting his superior talk away. He knew Lyra loved hearing the sound of her voice, and the fact she’s mouthing away in a life or death situation wasn’t a surprise to him.

“Seth? Seth! Are you listening to me?”

“Do you remember the last time we talked?”

Lyra awkwardly smiled, trying to lighten the tenseness. “Look, there were budget cuts. Your firing was out of my control. Higher up decision. Blame the regional manager.”

“Should I blame the regional manager for the investigation?”

“I-uh-I don’t know what you are talking about?”

Seth’s grip tightened around the hatchet handle. “The investigation found nothing, but I was still fired!”

“Again, it wasn’t my decision. I don’t even know who reported you. L-Let’s just get out of here, and maybe I can pull some strings and get your job back.”

“You won’t.” He took a step forward. “The only way that would work is if you admit you lied.”

“You know?” Lyra whispered.

“I don’t know why you did it.”

She glanced down at Seth’s ax. “I-I needed a fall man. I made some deals with the wrong people, and these deals caught up with me.”

“You convinced lower hive gangers to kill my husband and frame me for it because you owed them money?”

“I told them that you had the money, I didn’t think that they’d go after-”

With another strike, her head bent backwards, the only thing connecting Lyra’s skull to her body being a few tendons and a few strands of skin.

At the top of the hour, Seth returned to his starting point. Waiting for him, laying on the counter and drinking from a wine glass filled with a red liquid was the pale woman.

“Good show out there.” Marianne laughed.

“What the fuck?”

“What?” She sarcastically asked. “That bitch ruined your life. I got you your revenge.”

“People already thought I was a murderer. How do you think I’m going to be treated now that I am a murderer?”

A sly smile spread across her face. “I’ve taken care of that already.”

��What do you mean?”

Seth was silent, trying to process the information. “Why do you know this?”

He was stunned. “K-Kill everyone.”

The thick, metallic liquid past his lips and down his throat. It felt like swallowing a rock, yet the flavor was palpable and strong. The glass slipped from his fingers as his vision faded.

When his vision returned, he was inside the cockpit of a tall mechanical… thing. He was wearing a metal helmet, and a skull sat on top of the console.

He looked to his left, and saw a tall mechanical suit. It was blood red in color, with brass trim. One its left arm was a large claw, with three talons on top and one at the bottom. Its right was a large chainsword. A missile pod sat on top of the suit. For a face, what resembled a dog’s skull jutted from the center of the body.

“Congrats Seth and Sarah.” Marianne’s voice forced itself into his mind. “You two have managed to kill every other challenger, and became my karnivores.”

“W-What?” Seth’s head was groggy.

“Oh, you two don’t remember? I also tend to go into a trance when I go on a killing spree.”

The sound of rumbling and mechanical whirling echoed behind him. Seth figured out how to turn his knight suit around, the other karnivore joining him. Approaching the two wardogs was a taller machine. The blood red knight had a pair of tusks jutting from its face and a blunt tail swaying behind it. Its left arm was three barbed tendrils, flesh colored and dripping wet with blood. Its right arm was a large cannon, its barrel glowing with red energy.

“We got a lot of things to kill.” Marianne said. “But before we go, your wardogs need some names.”

“Cruelty Unleashed is ready to serve, Lady Hellebor.” The other karnivore, Sarah, said.”

“And what of you, Seth?”

He sighed, his mind racing a thousand miles a second. His rage was slowly building. Everyone he once knew called him a killer. They will learn what a killer is.

“Sword of Hate.”

#warhammer 40000 #warhammer 40k #warhammer #warhammer oc #warhammer fanfic #chaos 40k #chaos knights

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thiscryptidischronicallyyours · 3 years

Note

F, G, and X for the writer asks?

F. A snippet of dialogue I'm proud of and why:

“Sorry, I try not to give too much of my time to figments of my imagination,” The Avatar cocked his head to the side, eyes uncertain, “Besides, I don’t play mind games anymore.” She fixed him with a long, hard stare, “You can’t play mind games if you’ve lost yours.”

That's from Of Pai Sho and Pastries. Honestly, I could have picked anything from that series and would probably feel the same. Even though it's not one of popular ones, it's one of my favorites. I love Azula and Aang's dynamic and some of more subtle elements of their conversations.

G. Do I write everything in order, or jump around:

For the most part I write in order, but I typically have a section in my writing document for random snippets that come to mind that I want to use or some pretty basic notes about future events. If there's something really clear and specific in my head I'll write it out and jump around, otherwise I try to stay in something resembling order.

X. A character that I like to make suffer:

...I don't think I like to make any of them suffer. For context, I feel guilty when I accidentally hit my animal crossing villagers with a butterfly net or use the rude dialogue options in games, so making characters suffer doesn't come naturally. Probably H-Ozai if I ever wrote about him directly, he could suffer I guess?

#writer ask game #asks answered #thanks krast #krasty krab #of rising and redeeming #of pai sho and pastries #lifeline #at the end of his rope #the ties that bind

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the-last-ghost · 5 years

Text

Well everyone, it's finally here! Part 6 as promised! Part 7 shouldn't take as long as I have been working both it and this Part together to make sure the story continues to flow together well. I hope you all enjoy it and as always, if you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know and feel free to like and share it away! I hope you all are doing well! ---------------------------------------------

It was just another routine cycle for Signals Officer Jes Tu’the. Another ship requesting clearance, more demands for fuel, and the usual list that comes in when a starship needs to dock. It was tedious but it was a job and got her off-planet so she couldn’t complain too much. “Ship designator 596A3-X2, your request for docking clearance has been approved. Please make your way to sector 17Echo, Pad 5 and await the ground crew who will relay further instructions.” I relay lazily over the comms and hear their reply, now onto the next request. “Ship designator A229R-O8, your request for docking clearance has been denied. Your ship needs further examination based on recent travel destinations. Please make you wa-” Suddenly all the signals get cut out as the alert frequency goes live. “What the…” The only ship we have out this way with the override clearance is Krii’s recon ship and he knows better than this… “Capitan Krii’utz, this is Tu’the; what is going on?” Maybe they burned too much fuel? Powers that be know that it wouldn’t be the first time he has pushed his ship too far… Still though, he has never activated the alert frequency. I notice that it is a repeating signal, so much for getting a direct reply from him; lets see what he felt so important to send. Hopefully I can get this cleared up before things get hectic for the ships awaiting clearance…

“…Station 119-X03, this…ii’utz of the reconnaissance vessel, Ithreal…1 jump to Sector Command on Harn’we. The Terrans have…again, the Terrans…ed.” Well that’s Krii’utz alright but what is he talking about. The Terrans? Is he still going on about them? And a “1 jump” to command? As if… A priority 1 jump is only granted for emergencies that would effect the whole USF. Well, I might as well clean up the message, hopefully I can make out what all he’s saying. Before I can start working on the signal, I heard the door behind me slide open and the distinct sound of boot-heels on the metal flooring. Krast. Without turning around I say, “Greetings Major, I assume you are here because of the alert frequency?” I can picture his face now; fiery red hair spiked up, ears flat against his body, and eyes full of rage at this breach of protocol. “Lieutenant Tu’the, you are correct.” His voice echoes throughout the office with the subtle authority of a mountain, strong and proud. He came up beside me and listened to the signal as I worked to clean it up. “That is Capitan Krii’utz, is it not? What is he going on about…” I hear the Major muttering to himself but put it out of my mind as the signal comes through clearer; we both listened with obvious shock to what the message said:

“Resupply Station 119-X03, this is Capitan Xulth’romash Krii’utz of the reconnaissance vessel, Ithreal Sanru. I am requesting a Priority 1 jump to Sector Command on Harn’we. The Terrans have returned and I am escorting them to the Commander. I say again, the Terrans have returned.”

I feel my body tense with shock as my mind reels with this new, sudden information. “Impossible…” It took me a moment to realize that it was I who had spoken. “Impossible indeed,” I hear the Major speak, his voice just above a whisper. “It would appear that we need to clear the sector now. Lieutenant, Cerberus Protocol is now in effect. Get these ships out of out sector now, use my authority if you must. I need to speak to the other Station Leaders, the Commander, and his staff.” As he turned away, I heard him speak into the secure channel in his suit, “This is Major Hawthun, I am implementing Cerberus Protocol. All Station Leaders, clear the High orbit docking stations and prepare to mobilize defense troops.” Hearing this come from him, I knew this was serious and that this was not the time to ask questions. “All ships in high orbit or awaiting clearance for Station 119-X03, by command of Major Hawthun you are all ordered to make your way to the rally points being sent to your navigators. Follow the sequence that is attached to this order. Any craft that deviates from this order will face immediate boarding and seizure by the Federation Security Force.” The ship Captains each sent their affirmation with various forms of enthusiasm, bickering, and outright aggression to this sudden order. Thankfully, the Major had gotten through to the FSF leaders and they were already on the way to the Stations to help with the clearing of the civilians from the sector. This cycle just got very interesting…

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“What do you mean ‘The Terrans have returned’ Major?” The voice of the Commanders’ aid speaks through the comm-link. “Sir, Krii’utz sent the message over the alert frequency. From the status of the message, it was just before his ship started a jump. Krii’utz may be a little out there for a Qualpar but his judgement has always been sound and I-” The aid swiftly cut me off, “No one has seen even the most remote trace of them in thousands of years, now all of the sudden Krii’utz has stumbled upon them? It’s impossible! You and I both know not to waste the Commanders’ time like this.” I look around the briefing room, looking at the holo-image of the other station leaders listening in to the conversation. “Station Leaders, you all know Krii’utz. Has he ever given a false report? Has he ever over reacted to a potential finding like this? No, in all his years being with us, he has yet to fail us. I don’t see why his judgment should be questioned now.” As I speak, I see the other leaders hesitantly nodding along. I can’t really blame them though, I don’t wish to believe this is true either but he hasn’t lead us astray yet…

“Hmm… So you are all in agreement then?” The aid slowly spoke over the comms. “Very well then. I’ll contact the Commander for you then but I warn you, he won’t take kindly for this if your trust is misplaced.” With that, the aid signed off and I let out a sigh of relief. “Do you really believe Krii actually found them?” One of the leaders asked, fear hidden just below the awe that was evident in her voice. “Yes, I trust him. If he says he found them, I believe him. That said, it has been so long, who knows what they are doing back here… I think it is best to prepare for the worst.” The realization slowly hits me that if Krii is telling the truth, then things are going to get very interesting… While we await the Commander, the other leaders and I drew together a few plans and were arguing over if we should authorize a Priority 1 jump or not, where we should meet the ships, if it’s a diplomatic meeting, military scouting, and so on. It was during this debate that I noticed we had an extra quest watching the proceeding, seemingly unnoticed until now. “Attention on deck! Greetings Commander Mash’tola!” I should out once I realize who it is and everyone else goes quiet and jumps to attention as well. “At ease, all of you sit. We have much to discuss…” The weariness of the Commander is blatantly evident and I can only imagine how he must be handling this news. “I have listed to your reports, response plans, tactics, and scenarios. They are all excellent, methodical, and just what I would expect from each of you. However, we must first establish the truth of Capitan Krii’utz’s report and, if it is true, the purpose of the Terrans sudden return.”

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“So… Vilantis, what all have you told them?” The Sage asked as we sat in the crew bay. Preparations were still being made and logistics sorted while we awaited a reply on if we can do the jump. Vilantis briefly recounts what all he has discussed and says, “…I’m not really sure how I should go about what happened after we got the news. Their records say we were banished and there is so little left that it’s as if we were never there to them.” Hearing this, I couldn’t help but interject, “With respect, everyone knows that you were there. We still have your artifacts scattered throughout the Federation and the stories that you all left with us.” I don’t want them to think that they have been forgotten over the years, but they do have a point… “That said, not many of them actually know any real truth behind the stories.” I see the Sage slowly nodding along, almost as if this news was expected. “That is understandable,” he says, though I can tell the loss of their history pains him. “Even we were notorious for forgetting, losing, or even outright destroying our own history in our past. Even if we didn’t, time is the greatest leveler. Nothing can outrun it, though we all try.” Hearing this makes me think about how it is that they have survived for so long. In the stories, the Terrans were known to only live for about 250ish years, standard. How is it possible that the ones before me have made it to several thousand…? “Sir,” I ask, the hesitancy in my voice slowly giving away to my curiosity, “I must ask, how is it that you have lived for so long? The stories I have heard only had some of your strongest living for maybe 250 standard years or so. Are the legends wrong?” I could hardly keep the awe out of my voice. As I awaited an answer, they both looked at each other and spoke briefly in a language my translator could not interpret. Then Vilantis turned to me and said, “As you said, we were never known to live past 250 standard. That part is true however, we Terrans are vain creatures and, especially with our loss of Terra, we knew that we would need to do everything we could to ensure our continued survival. We were given a blindingly stark reminder of our own mortality and we came to the realization that, by the time this ‘war’ was finished, we may not have enough people left for it to matter. So, that drive, coupled with out medical advancements made during our struggles over the ages, we were able to ever so slowly alter our DNA so that age no longer played a significant factor for us.” As he spoke, I couldn’t help but notice there was a… look… in his eyes; a look I realize is shame. “We changed our very being to ensure we were able to enact our vengeance on those who had wronged us so. In doing so, we ceased to be that which we were once so proud of: human.” Not sure that I understand, I decide to make that known. “Capitan,” the Sage spoke softly, “When we lost Terra, it reminded us who we were; who we are. Ships all across the sector made their way back home, fleets were recalled, and we then spent the next few years regrouping and trying to determine what we were to do next; and we settled on ‘war.’” Their was a fire in his eyes and yet, the shame was still there. “Sir, why does it seem that you are ashamed of your actions? You lost your home, surely that is a justifiable response?” The Sage merely sighed and looked away.

“Capitan, you must understand something about who we were back then.” Vilantis says to me. “When this occurred, we had been at peace for the longest time in our recorded history. No major conflicts, no major losses of life, crime was still prevalent but nowhere near as bad as it had been in our past and yet, we get attacked out of the blue and it then leads to our first major engagement in thousands of years. Then we lose our home and with it, our identity. We realize who we are and come to term with the fact that that isn’t who we truly are. For you see Capitan, our world was viewed a deathworld for a reason. We were born on a world where the way of life was and had always been survival at all costs. Empires rose and fell countless times over our history, wars on a global scale nearly decimated the planet several times, and every day there were people doing the impossible for the mere chance to survive. We were not meant to last this long, yet we did. Our world could not offer safety to her inhabitants, she could not provide for all of us herself, and she could not stop us from doing what was needed. So instead, she taught us how to survive, to live, and eventually to thrive; but this all came with a cost. This is a lesson we have learned time and time again, there is always a cost. Our cost to survive was to become killers, warriors, thieves, and butchers. Our history is littered with bloody conflict after bloody conflict and it was all done with the need to survive. When the weak fell, the strong would rise and that is how we lived for a long time.” As he spoke, I couldn’t quite believe how these people are the same ones that I read so many stories about. They were some of the most peaceful beings that we had back then. How could they have ever been what Vilantis is describing? Let alone what they are now…? He must have seen my expression shift for he said, “I see the look in your eyes, Capitan. This doesn’t quite add up with what you’ve been lead to believe, is it? I thought not. Well I have told you how Terra itself fell. Now let me tell you of how her people fell in turn.”

#humans are space oddities #humans are space australians #humans are space orcs #humans are insane #humans are crazy #storytelling #short story #science fiction #scifi #story #humans are weird #humans are space fae

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lukeleiahan · 7 years

Text

Something we can rely on

I was having Mara feels, which developed into Luke/Mara feels, so... have this? I guess?

There are days, Mara thinks, when she almost misses serving under the Emperor.

Key word being almost, of course. It's not like she's forgotten the manipulations, or the torture, or all those chains that she'd only seen once she was free of them. And who could forget Vader's wrath, or the innocents that were murdered for being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But some days, she does sort of miss the calm of it. Maybe calm is the wrong word for it. But she does sometimes miss the clear hierarchy of the court, and not having to question orders.

Mostly, honestly, because she's pretty darned sure that she'd never have ended up in this situation if she was still the Emperor's hand.

“Why did we have to go for drinks on this force forsaken rock again?” She asks no one in particular, blocking two blaster shots in quick succession while shooting blindly over the greasy table she's taken refugee under.

“It did seem like a good idea at the time.” Skywalker says to her left, sounding infuriatingly calm and controlled even as a part of the roof breaks of and lands not three feet away from them.

Mara rolls her eyes. It's going to be that kind of day, she just knows it.

Mara had not, actually, planned to go on a mission with Skywalker. Indeed, she wasn't even supposed to be in this sector, much less this star system.

But when Karrde had called her on her free evening, after Mara had just put on the nice music and gotten out the good wine, and asked whether she could do him a favor, Tapper had become ill rather suddenly and this needed to be done rather soon, well, she couldn't really say no, now could she? Not when Karrde asks like that. He is her boss after all. And maybe, maybe, her friend as well. At least sort of.

So, she had agreed, and readied her ship. Not that there was much to do, years of being sort of on the run made for habits that were hard to break, even now, when she has a stable job and does not need to hide anymore.

Karrde had sent her the information about the moon she was supposed to check out, and Mara looked it up. She'd told herself that it wouldn't be longer than a few hours, that figuring out some backwater idiots couldn't possibly be that hard.

If she'd known how this would end, she would have told Karrde to fuck of and drank the wine.

A sharp Force warning flashes in Mara's mind, and she ducks not a moment to soon. A blaster bolt burns a hole through the chair behind her, exactly where her head had been a second ago. Skywalker more or less blindly sends a force shove towards their attackers, and it sounds as though at least a few of them felt it.

She risks a glance over the table they've been using as a shield. About twenty bounty hunters are still in sight and on their feet, all armed, though some of them are cursing heartily. Some are lying on the floor, maybe dead, maybe just knocked out.

She lets herself fall back to the floor.

“We're screwed.” She sighs, checking her blaster charge. The recharge light blinks. Of course it does. She can't have good things, obviously. And of course she left her second blaster in the ship, because this whole thing was supposed to be peaceful. Of course.

The backwater rock, a small moon circling around a gaseous giant of a planet in a tiny star system in the Outer Rim territories, was populated nominally by a few farmers, but actually mostly used as some sort of haven for smugglers and sometimes even pirates. Mara's people. At least technically.

There were systems set up to alarm the people of anybody new entering the system, but Mara had been working as a smuggler long enough to recognize them, and even if she hadn't, they were not as subtle as the stuff Ghent and a couple of his friends had come up with.

However, things had started to go wrong as soon as she entered the system, with another ship hailing her almost immediately. At first, she'd thought that even with all her care and skill she had been detected by the smugglers, but when she opened the channel, it was Luke Skywalker who smiled at her.

“Greetings, Mara. I haven't seen you in a long time.” He said, as though they were meeting in one of the big star ship havens on Coruscant or Corellia instead of this far off system.

“Greetings, Skywalker.” She had answered, not suspicious, exactly, given that Skywalker wasn't the type to betray her, but still careful. She remembered the last time she had met him on an Outer Rim world, and how all the crazy stunts she'd been pulled into. She did not want that for today.

“How are you?” He asked, and for a moment, he looked like a farmboy and not like the revered and respected Jedi master. It made him look about ten years younger, and Mara had to admit that it was a good look on him. Not that that mattered. At all. It was simply an … empirical observation.

“Pretty good.” She told him, telling herself to stop looking at his smile. “What brings you to this system?” It came out harsher then she had intended it to, but Skywalker kept smiling.

“I was on a diplomatic mission near Krast, in the Outer Rim. Ended up having to fly between Krast and the neighboring planet Ruest quite a few times, and now I need to refuel.” He smiled again, looking almost bashful. It was really distracting. Mara took a deep breath and stopped herself from shaking her head.

“Want to meet for drinks? I'm sure there's at least one decent bar on that moon.” She wasn't sure why she said it, but technically it was her free day, and catching up with Skywalker could always provide her with interesting and potentially valuable information. At least, that's what she told herself.

The bounty hunters keep up a steady stream of cover fire, too regular for Mara to not think that they have something different planned. A look at Luke tells her that he's thinking the same thing.

“We could make a break for it?” Skywalker suggests, but he doesn't really sound convinced by the viability of it himself. Mara eyes the various tables around them, but they both know that the only door on the other side of the room, behind the bounty hunters.

“Not likely, at least like this.” She answers, and doesn't flinch when a blaster bold strikes so close to her leg that she feels it's heat. She feels her blaster vibrate, and bites back a curse.

“Any chance of back up from your team?” She asks, meaning the New Republic. Not that she'd say no to smugglers or pirates or anyone willing to help them, at this point, but pretty much all of Skywalkers friends are New Republic.

Aside from you, a small voice says. She ignores it.

“Nope. It was just diplomatic stuff, no need for a military back up, and Han and Leia are still on Coruscant, probably playing with the twins right now.” He smiles as he says it, fondness for his family so clear on his face that it's almost endearing.

Mara pushes down the urge to groan. This is a nightmare.

The bar was greasy and sort of creepy, but that was par of the course for smuggler bars of course, and anyway, both Mara and Skywalker had been in way worse bars in their life.

Skywalker smiled at seeing her, which was stupid given that they'd already talked through the com channel. It felt sort of … nice, anyway, which Mara resolutely decided to ignore, because that just seemed like the sort of thing that could complicate her life way more than she'd like.

For a moment, it seemed as though he wanted to hug her, but thankfully he stopped and just sort of flailed his arms for a moment before shaking her hand awkwardly. Mara kind of wanted to look away for a moment, because this whole thing was kind of awkward, but she did not. Neither did he. They just stared at each other.

Finally, she told him to get inside, because they weren't going to get drinks out here, after all. He nodded, and opened the door for her. Always the gentleman, she'd said, and he had rolled his eyes but kept smiling.

A Twilek jumps between them suddenly. Mara sweeps his legs from under him, and Skywalker finishes him of with the butt of his lightsaber. She sees him reach under his jacket, pulling something small out.

“Didn't realize you still carried a blaster.” Mara grinds out and throws her own away, the battery having given out just seconds before. Skywalker hands her his. It's old Rebel issue, she notes.

“A soldier stays a soldier. It's, as an old friend would say, a terribly barbaric weapon, but it's also very useful.” He's still smiling. She kind of wants to wipe that smile of his face, but it's also sort of reassuring. Not that she'd ever tell him that.

He points to a hole in the roof that Mara had not seen yet.

“Think we could widen that somehow?” He asks. Mara looks at it critically. The material isn't the best, a lightsaber could most definitively cut through it. The problem will be getting there, though. The bounty hunters are still shooting, after all.

“Any idea of how to distract them long enough?” Mara asks. “Like, grenades or something like that?” She curses herself for not having brought her own, but then again, business deal. Getting attacked had never been part of the plan.

“Left them on my ship, I'm afraid.” Skywalker says. He sends another Force shove towards their attackers, annoyingly non lethal. Not that he wouldn't kill them if necessary, she knows he would, but until forced he won't. Which is annoying, because it makes Mara kind of want to do the same, and that's just not practical.

“There is the caf maker over there. If I hit it, it might blow up. Which could give us enough time to cut the roof open.” She tells him. Skywalker glances in the direction she's pointing, and nods.

Mara lines up her blaster.

They had known something was of the moment they had set foot in the bar. Mara wasn't sure if it was her instinct, the Force, or both. Or if it was the same thing.

But they had both known. They had seen the blasters, not unusual for a bar like this, but the looks in the eyes of the patrons were. The fact that the only free table was the one the farthest away from the door. It was not all that subtle, but it also wasn't so overt that Skywalker was deterred from entering the bar and sitting down, anyway.

Mara had glared at him, annoyed and irritated by his clear lack of common sense, but then again, she'd known that about him since the first day, pretty much. He had grinned, and ordered a caf for both of them. At least no alcohol, Mara had thought.

And then, a group of seven beings had entered the bar, not even bothering to pretend that they weren't there to cause trouble, to catch or kill them. They had pulled their blasters immediately, all at the same time.

The caf maker explodes beautifully, and Mara and Skywalker jump up, cutting the roof open in synch. It's harder than Mara had thought, but finally she feels it giving in. She glances over to the bounty hunters. Most of them are still disoriented, but they're getting back to their feet.

“Let's go.” Skywalker says, and attempts to help her get to the roof. She shakes of his hand and instead gives him a lift. That would be the one thing that could make this whole thing worse, to be treated like a damsel in distress in need of a rescue by the Jedi Master.

Mara blocks a blaster bolt, and sends another back to the bounty hunters, and then Luke's hand is reaching down to help her up. She grasps it tightly, and finally manages to disappear through the hole in the roof.

“The Jedi Master and the Emperor's Hand.” One of the bounty hunters, obviously the leader, had growled. “What a catch. We could become rich with those two.”

“We don't want any trouble.” Luke had said, hands raised in a placating gesture, his voice calm. Mara had discreetly reached for her blaster instead, and checked for her vibro blade.

“We don't want any trouble either.” The bounty hunter had growled. “But the Empire and the Republic are the definition of trouble for poor working people like us. Too much trouble for my liking, really Way too much trouble.”

“Let's just kill them.” Another bounty hunter says, and Mara can see the rest of them agreeing. Skywalker is tensing next to her, and they share a look. Then they kick the table into a defensive position, and well...

That's that.

They make a run for it once they are out of the bar, racing towards their ships. Skywalker waits for a moment, to make sure that she reaches her ship in time, too, which is weirdly protective and annoying, and maybe kind of sweet. Maybe.

She coms him once they've left the planetary atmosphere.

“You good, farmboy?” She asks.There is a smudge of grease on his cheek, and his jacket is ripped at the side, but he's grinning.

“Absolutely. Are you okay?” Mara looks down on herself. Her favorite pair of pants is torn and dirty, but she should be able to fix it. And her hair might be burned at the side. Again.

“No complains.” She says. “Do you have enough fuel to get to the next haven?”

“Sure. I didn't want to risk it before, but now... I'll get there, no doubt. What about you? You didn't finish your job.” He seems honestly concerned, but Mara just shakes her head. She had almost forgotten about her job, to be honest. Which is unprofessional, but also forgivable, given the circumstances, she thinks.

“Karrde wanted to know whether this moon is a suitable place for an outpost. The answer to that is kind of clear. So... I'm good.”

Luke smiles. Mara smiles back. It's awkward, and kind of nice. Mara looks away first.

“Well... I guess... I'll see you around?” Luke asks. He sounds so hopeful that Mara really can't do anything but nod. Only once, though.

“I guess.” She says. She'll probably be busy for the next weeks, and anyway, seeing Skywalker is a public health hazard. But... still.

“You still owe me a drink, after all.” Luke tells her, and she almost smiles again. Almost.

“Only if you'll take a real drink instead of just some weak ass caf.” She tells him, and he beams at her with the power of a full blown sun. Mara wants to roll her eyes, but she also wants to hug him. Which is stupid. She is not going to hug Skywalker, especially not through a com connection.

“I'll call you up when I'm in Coruscant again.” She says, and decides that that can't be too bad, right?

#star wars #mara jade #luke skywalker #mara jade x luke skywalker #luke x mara #my writing #the assassin and the farmboy #lady assassin #farmboy #sw

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mcu-fan-fics-blog · 3 years

Text

The Helping Hand

Word Count: 3800 approx

A/n: Big steps today... Hope you enjoy. Also wanted to thank you all we've reached 39 followers. It is very much appreciated thank you for reading. Might post again this this week if not then next week.

Tw: Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Drug use, Drug addiction, Teen Pregnancy. (If there are any I missed please tell me.)

Ch.9

Chapter 10: Civil War pt.2

Ch.11

"Why am I really here mom?" You ask still with your eyes closed. "Why don't you tell me… I know you don't want to go back." She says calmly. You can only sigh. "It's all going to hell, the team. I love them all, but they are tearing each other apart." She chuckles. You open your eyes and just look at her. "Well then why are you here with me instead of stopping them from tearing each other apart?" She teases. You change the subject. She lets you though. "My… dad? Did you love him?" You are not sure if you wanted the answer, but you asked anyway.. "Did I love him… tough question monkey." She contemplates for a while. "He was childish, and not in a cute way, at least not looking back… I used to love that about him." She looks back at you, her eyes connecting with yours. "He changed though… when we found out I was pregnant. We were scared and young… but he cared. More than I'd ever seen him care for anything else."

You can't help but tear up at her memories. Then the anger builds in yourself. "Then why didn't he fight for me?" Your sentence dwindles into a whisper. "Who told you he didn't… or that he hasn't?" Her words shut you up right away. She laughs at your confusion. "I'm assuming you're not telling me who he is?" She nods in agreement "It's not my place to tell you." Then again you ask another question. "Did he love me?" She looks down to you and smiles. "Oh… from the moment he first held you. You made the most peculiar sounds… and your tiny hands would grip our fingers" She sighs. "I wish I had more time with you then. I tried really hard… to stay awake." She clears her throat. "But I couldn't fight anymore… But you have to." You sit up looking at her. "I don't want to leave you alone." She shakes her head. "I'm never alone…" now it's your turn to shake your head. "Living your life vicariously through mine does not count." She laughs.

"I met Dave and Vivian" she mentions solemnly. You almost choke on your own breath at their mention. "They're here?" She nods enthusiastically. "They'll hear about this… one day you'll talk to them again." You groan. "Tell Dave… tell him that I'm sorry. Viv tell her that I'm taking care of all her sisters… all 5 of them." You chuckle. "Just tell them that I miss them…" She nods holding your hand. "God… you were supposed to make it easier to leave, not harder."

Tony sits at your bedside. "Why aren't you waking up?" He sighs. They've tried virtually everything and time was running out. "You can't leave me… you can't just waltz back into my life and die on me." He pleads with anyone who would listen. "You need to know that I'm your dad… you need to know that I'm your dad." He speaks into your hand. Your eyes wide open now. Having heard everything you instinctively pull your hand away. Soon you realize you can't breathe comfortably. It was an all around traumatic experience, tears soon started falling. Tony's initial shock prevents him from vocalizing your state. It isn't until Wanda walks in that she calls for a doctor. Tony stands in a corner watching you struggle with the doctors.

Soon the tubes are no longer preventing you from vocalizing your thoughts; you take advantage rather quickly. "Leave" is all you can say with your voice hoarse and devoid of any emotion. The only thing giving you away were the tears. "Y/n you need to hear me out…" you interrupt him. "I don't need to do anything… LEAVE." You grit out wincing in pain as the words leave your throat. Soon your vitals begin to increase at any alarming rate. Doctor's burst in again, ushering Tony out and sedating you. As soon as he walks out he is met by everyone's expectant gaze. "What happened?" Steve is the first one to speak up. "She found out… more like I told her right as she was waking up." Tony rubs his temples.

When you wake up someone is in the room you can tell. It's almost like you can feel them, without even opening your eyes you call out her name. "Nat?" You hear her walk towards you. You clear your throat. "He's- he's…" is all that comes out and she nods but doesn't say anything. That's when it all clicks. She wasn't looking at you… she was quiet, you only needed to look at her posture and you knew. You laugh. "You knew… didn't you?" Her eyes widened in surprise giving her away, except that it wasn't just her. "Oh… god you're all liars. You all played me. Im so stupid." Your laugh continues; it was cynical with tears rolling down your cheeks. "You're all hypocrites… You sit on your pedestal and preach trust and honesty…" You don't finish the sentiment. Sitting up and pulling at all the wires attached to your body. She reaches out for your hands but as soon as her hands land on your, you recoil at her touch. "Stay the hell away from me Natasha!"

You walk out the room leaving her behind using the wall to help you walk. You made it out to the waiting room and it just broke your heart even more. Their eyes on you, the pity radiating off them. Pietro can't even meet your gaze, much less Wanda. Steve took a cautious step forward, and when you didn’t step back he continued. As soon as he reached you he embraced you, everything came crashing down. The truth would have never hurt so much, and you still didn't know the whole story. You take this opportunity and ask Steve to take you to your room. He did as you asked the whole way there was silent until you made it to your room and he closed the door. “Y/n I’m so sorry…” you cut him off. “No you aren't.” you mutter quietly. It takes him by surprise and you take advantage of it. “You need to find him… you need to leave before you don't have the chance to anymore.” He can help but ask why. “Why are you helping me?” You turn to him, your eyes filled with unspoken words. “Because I care for all of you too much to stand by and watch you destroy each other. Leave now!”

“I need to take Wanda and Pietro.” He states and you nod. “I’ll send Clint for them later.” You can't help but to turn in awe of his statement. “Steve you can’t… you can't do that to his family.” You see the guilt in his eyes. “Tony has the government on his side.” Is all he says before he turns and walks toward the door. “Take care Y/n''. Before you know it you’re alone again with nothing, but your thoughts. Soon enough Vision comes phasing through a wall. “I thought you and Wanda talked about this.” You joke wiping your tears away. “Yes, well I thought you might appreciate the company.” He motions to your bed and you nod. He takes the liberty and sits down. “Y/n, I can't lie and tell you that I know what you feel. I comprehend many things, but emotions are the one thing I can't quite figure out.” He states matter of factly. “You played a crucial part in making me whatever it is I am, but what I'm meant to be is what you would say up in the air.” He mentions moving his hands.

“Vision you’re a highly intelligent being with access to all the knowledge you could ever need. I was a kid… a sick kid. His kid.” You state quietly. “I met my mom.” you speak up again. He looks at you trying to decipher what you meant. Your hands motion to your head. “Vision I think that I’m going crazy.” The words barely a whisper as they leave your mouth. “Y/n there are many things that we can't explain… You said this helped you in Vienna. Maybe it’s best not to question it now.” His eyes search for yours, and you nod. “We’ll be a pair of unexplainable beings.” you laugh lightly. Tony not so graciously bursts in as you're about to say something, Vision stands and nods at your direction, you let him go and Tony walks in. “I know that you're angry, and disappointed, and that you probably hate me… but I don't want you to hate me.”

“Yes, well you should’ve thought about that before you casually forgot to mention that You were my father for half a year. And that's assuming you just found out Tony. When did you find out?” He’s quiet at your question, which in turn answers your question. “How long did you know… how long did they all know?” You look at him shift in his place trying to regain himself, so you let him. “Not long after Sokovia… And I-i had my suspicions before that actually.” He states standing straight and looking into your eyes for any sign of emotions. “The team didn't find out until you had your first episode.” You could tell that he didn't want you to hate them too… Little did he know that that wasn't an option because you cared for them too much. “Is Maya Hansen my mother?” You ask taking him by surprise. “I-I um yeah she was your mother.” He says scratching at the back of his neck.

“Right, well I’ll be staying here for the time being. If that's okay with you of course.” Staying gave him hope and you knew that. Now you were lying to him using it as a weakness, all to help Steve. “Yeah, Of Course I can set you up with a more permanent living situation.” He says the excitement dripping in every word. You can only nod. “Hey.” You say as he’s about to walk out. He turns to face you. “She’s okay… and she doesn't hate you.” At first he didn't understand what you meant until he remembered what you said after your first episode. Right as he was about to say something you cut him off. “And for that matter… I don't hate you either.” You state quietly. “I’m hurt… I just need a little time.” He nods the light back in his eyes. “Can you tell the twins that I want to talk to them?” He nods and finally walks out of the room.

Although your words were true you couldn't help but feel guilty. Lying was something that you were not fond of, but neither Steve nor him will take a step back and think about what's best. If someone didn't step in they would kill each other… and whoever it is that comes out on top will never be the same. You couldn't let that happen so if that meant tearing them apart before they got the chance to kill themselves it’s a sacrifice you were willing to make. Then you heard a faint knock on your door and you knew who it was. “Come in it’s open” You say loud enough for them to hear. They walk in and they are a mess just spewing out words out of their mouths… and Pietro seems to be speed apologizing and you can't help but laugh. “We’re not talking about that right now you two… so you can stop doing that.” You say flatly looking at Pietro whose words were now actually comprehensible. “I’m assuming that neither of you have changed your minds on the accords?” You ask, raising your brows. Pietro nods in agreement, but Wanda's silence and lack of reaction are somehow louder.

“Wanda you want to share with the group?” You say confused giving Pietro a look and he just shrugs. “Wanda, you know that we cant sign those papers right.” Pietro asks. She shakes her head . “I’ve hurt people Pietro, maybe this is for the best.” You scoff. “Everyone in this compound has hurt people… Including me.” You turn to Pietro. “She has day two tops before Steve comes for you.” You say emphasizing the ‘you’ at the end. “I just don't want you to feel like you don't have an option, but Wanda you have no Idea what you're signing up for if you sign the accords” She nods. “That's what I wanted to tell you.” You nod and Pietro gives you a small smile. “Why are you doing this Y/n going against your father.” Hearing her say that sparks something within you guilt, anger, sadness. “Because neither of them are going to win, they are too blind to see that we’ve already lost what we value most... Each other.” Both twins are surprised by your honesty. “I’m just trying to preserve what's left.” She nods. “You signed the accords.” She mentions sadly. You nod, taking her hand in yours. “I don't have superhuman abilities, that can be used for bad.” Now you take Pietro's hand as well. “I will do my best to keep you safe. Tony might be my father, but he’s wrong. Take care of each other.”

“This sounds an awful lot like a goodbye.” Pietro quips sadly, you nod. “That's because it might be for a while. We have to keep this charade going till Clint comes for you both. Vision won't let you go without a fight.” You say. “To our luck we have something on your side.” You say smiling pointing at your chest. “I’m going to miss you both.” You smile and pull them both into a hug. They walk out. It's not long after that you hear steps outside your door but they never come in. So you sleep it off. Days passed and you haven't heard from Steve and you were starting to worry.

Then you walk into a busy bustling conference center Tony looks stressed. He looks up at you and he seems to take a breath. “Y/n are you okay?” He asks worriedly. “Some pain here and there, but I don't think it’s anything serious.” You state. “Where are you going and would you mind if I came?” You asked, he sets his phone down and gives you a look. “You um… You would like to come with me?” You take a seat next to him. “They captured Barnes and Rogers… along with his ragtag friend Wilson. We’re going to Berlin. Pack a bag we leave in 30.” You nod. “Where's Pepper I haven't seen her around?” He nods. “Well, um we’re taking a break. I told her I would walk away from all of this, but I can’t. This is me, not to say it's her fault it’s not.” You nod and give his hand an assuring squeeze. “She loves you, just let her know you love her too.” You say as you walk away.

The flight to Germany was rough… not only were you still tired from the surgery, but it was tense. Natasha and Tony were walking on eggshells around each other. And it seems that she is keeping her distance from you. You try to relax and sleep a little but much like your flight to New York nightmares plagued your subconscious. When you wake up you don't miss the looks that Tony and Natasha give each other. Then you remembered your mothers words, you closed your eyes again and tried to relax completely just when you were about to give up and you heard her voice. “This is where you use the gift that I gave you a while ago, look for the perfect opportunity.” Then it happens again "Zhelanie, rzhavyy, Semndtsat', Rassvet, Pech', Devgat', Dobro Serdechny, Vozvrashcheniye na rodinu, Odin', Gruzovoy Vagon." Those words. Followed by “Now is the time.” When you wake up Tony is now sitting next to you holding your hand. He goes to apologize, but you stop him and thank him, giving his hand a gentle squeeze.

After the plane landing Tony explains that he wants to talk to Steve alone you agree and take a step back. You follow Natasha to an empty surveillance room. “I want to apologize for the way I reacted when I found out.” You say when you sit down. “It was not fair for me to take out all of my anger on you.” You continue and you can tell that you fazed her, she was expecting the worst case scenario with you. So it’s not an understatement when she says that she was speechless. “I understand if you don't want to forgive me, or If you need time…” This is the part you weren't expecting. She lunges towards you and kisses you, her lips on yours and you freeze at the feeling. She pulls away hastily turning her back on you. You don't hesitate this time you pull on her arm back to where she was standing... and kiss her back this time your lips moving in perfect synchrony. It would be an understatement if you said that the kiss was quite literally magical.

“I’ve been waiting a long time to do that.” You confess your forehead resting on hers. "And why didn't you?" She asks teasingly. "Well I was kind of waiting for that second date. I kinda have a rule." You say chuckling. In this moment you couldn't have been more happy. And there it is again that voice. "Natasha, Something is very wrong." Quite literally mirroring the incident in Vienna. When suddenly sirens are going off all around you. Your eyes meet Natasha's gaze… afraid of her reaction. "You have to tell me how you do that." She quipped making you laugh. Then you see The world renowned Winter Soldier in attack mode. Nat leaves you in the room going to fight the assassin that is endangering your lives. Almost as if it were instinct you hack into the intercom system and repeat the words that were seared into your memories. "Zhelanie, rzhavyy, Semndtsat', Rassvet, Pech', Devgat', Dobro Serdechny, Vozvrashcheniye na rodinu, Odin', Gruzovoy Vagon." You don't even have time to understand how it came out in perfect tongue. "Soldati."

You watch him loosen his hold on Natasha. The breath you've been holding is finally being let out. You see him mouth the phrase. "Ya gotov otvechat" Suddenly Steve and Sam are there and then the rest is a blur. You feel your eyes roll back and the muffled sounds of steps running frantically. When you wake up her eyes greet you, she was worried you could tell. Your eyes wonder her figure, and then her neck. The marks of his hands taking their toll on her. “Are you okay? What happened back there” She asks. “Sorry…” All you can mumble out your eyes pinned on the marks on her neck. She seemed to notice. She took your face in her hands forcing your eyes to meet hers. “It’s okay I’m okay” Is all she needs to say and you nod, leaning forward, and placing a chaste kiss on her cheek. “I should’ve done something sooner.” Finally taking a look around you don't quite realize where you are. Nat seems to notice. “We’re at the compound… My room.” She mentions shyly. “How long have I been out?” She sighs. “A while, a couple of hours.” You nod apprehensively. “What happened after I blacked out?” You ask trying to remember what occurred in those hours.

“Well after your little speech on the intercom… he shut down. Whispered something along the line of ‘Ready to Comply’ then Steve and Sam took him from there.” You nod in relief visibly relaxing. Nat gives you a look. “I know what you’re thinking and it's not like that.” You state standing up. “My head tells me things… my mom tells me things. And I know that sounds fucking cynical but I'm telling you its true.” Nat tenses again her rigid exterior on again. “You said that last time.” She states bluntly. You nod slightly hurt at the fact that she doesn’t believe you. “Last I recall it also saved you last time.” She sighs but ultimately nods. “What side are you on? Because I’m having trouble believing that you are on my side.” She asks cautiously “That's because I didn't take a side Natasha, you knew how I felt about the accords from the beginning.” She’s quiet and you continue. “I’m trying to keep everyone from drowning” you take a deep breath. “I’m a pacifist Nat, and I don't want to fight with you… or anyone for that matter.”

She nods “Y/n, I have to go, can I trust you to make sure nothing goes wrong here.” You smirk at that. “D’you want me to lie to you?” You can see the amused look in her eyes. “No, we wouldn't want that now would we?” You shake your head in denial. “Well, in that case…” She cuts you off with another kiss. “We’re okay… regardless of what happens outside of that door. We can come back to each other right?” The last part was more a silent plea… to which you happily gave in. “I’ll be waiting for you.” She smiles genuinely and it’s truly a sight to behold, you feel honored to be the reason that she's smiling. “I’ll see you later then.” She states as she walks out of the room and you nod. As Steve had mentioned Clint showed up later that night. You didn’t have much to do with that by the time you’d made it down stairs. They were long gone. You could almost say the same for Vision, there was something about him now. “Are you okay?” Is the first thing that comes out your mouth. “Do you have reasons to suggest otherwise?” You shake your head. “I take it they left.”

When you finally left the compound… It felt great. Stepping away for just a minute was just what you needed. Unfortunately for you It wasn't long till you were dragged back in. It couldn’t have been three hours by when there was a knock at your door. The person standing on the other side did surprise you however. Pepper, it was her but something was different… She seemed sad. “Pepper, It’s nice to see you, what do you need?” You say while opening your door and moving to let her pass. “You need to help them…” It's all she says and you understand. “I’m trying Pepper, but they are too stubborn for their own good.” She nods. “How is he?” You take a deep breath. “He’s going stir crazy, but he's otherwise fine.” You state. “He does miss you.” She shifts her gaze, not completely comfortable. “He’s going to need you… I’ve had to do things that will hurt him. It’s going to hurt more when he finds out his daughter was working against him.” Now this made her look back at you, concern in her eyes. “He-he told you?” You nod and squeeze her hand. “I know where they are at...” It’s all that Pepper blurts out.

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