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heyitsjay03 · 3 years

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Fighting for Tomorrow

AN: This is my first fanfiction I’ve ever posted on here and I’m a little nervous lol. I just hope you guys have as much fun reading this as I did writing this.

Disclaimer: I do not own AOT and all rights go to the owners!

Reiner x Reader, eventual Captain Levi x Reader, Sasha x Sister!Reader

Word Count: 8.3k words

TW: arranged marriage, blood/gore, swearing/adult language, mild sexual content

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You can read parts two, three, and four! Just tap on the number you want :)

There’s a prolonged poke on my cheek, “Are you awake?”

My eyes slowly open, wincing slightly at the sunlight fighting through my curtains. A black-haired, green-eyed little boy sits on my bed- face just centimeters from mine. There’s another poke. “Well? Are you?”

“Eren,” I groan, rolling over in my bed and pulling the sheets up over my head. “How did you even get into my house?”

“You leave your window unlocked every night,” he says simply, as if it were common knowledge. He’s not wrong… I can only imagine how many people know about my window. I shudder. Maybe I should start locking up more.

“Fine, but that doesn’t mean you can just… jump through it. What would your mother think?”

“She doesn’t care.”

I roll back over and give him a hard stare before he slumps over. “I guess she does,” he mumbles, picking at the sheets on my bed. “But Mikasa’s with me so it’s not as bad.”

“Where-?” I sit up, throwing the sheets off of me. “Did you bring Armin, too, Eren?” I ask exasperatedly as I tuck my arms close to my chest and search my room.

Eren nods, “They’re outside keeping watch.”

“Keeping watch for who?”

“For-”

“Eren!”

The soft voice comes from just outside my window. We both turn towards it and watch as Mikasa’s face pops into the sill.

By the walls, how did I manage to end up babysitting these three maniacs?

“He’s coming!” Armin’s voice strains. I hurry to the window and see Armin giving a knee-up to Mikasa, his pale face slightly pink with exertion.

“Who’s coming?” I ask, turning to Eren.

I don’t get a response. There’s someone’s footsteps crunching towards my front door. A single glance to the kids tells me they really, really don’t want to face whoever it is. I grip Mikasa under her arms and pull her through the window before snatching Armin’s collar and tugging him through the window. The two scramble to their feet- Armin taking longer than Mikasa- and hurry to Eren’s side.

There’s a pounding knock at my door, followed by a man yelling for me. Eren and Armin clutch my arms and slightly tuck their faces into the silk of my nightgown. Mikasa remains steady and calm- her grey eyes trained on the door.

The man steps back from the door, peering in the window just above my sink. I know his face all too well. It’s Tobias Walker. He searches the house, face pressed slightly against the glass.

“What in the walls did you three do this time?” I mutter, hurrying to the front door. They remain at my side as I open the door.

Smiling warmly, I greet Tobias. “Hello Tobias,” I hum, “I wasn’t expecting you to visit until later on.”

My fiancé forces a smile, staring down at the kids. “...I was… Just… looking for you four.”

“Why?”

Tobias takes off his cap, twisting it in his fists nervously. Slowly, he tears his eyes away from them. “These three have been pestering me at work again,” he mutters venomously. “Darling.” He says this sweetly and quickly- an afterthought, an attempt to curry favor for his side of the story.

Two can play at that game. “Really, Tobias? They’re just children- what can they possibly do that can distract my dedicated fiancé from his business?”

He stammers, running a hand across his forehead. He’s a mess. His tanned skin is slightly red, black hair slightly frayed and mussed. Sweat drips down his face, trailing his jawline. It’s a shame I didn’t know him before this whole ordeal. Maybe we would’ve come together on our own, who knows.

“__________, please,” he tries pleading with me before realizing the words that came out of his mouth. He stands up straighter, eyebrows and lips forced into straight lines. “I won’t be begging,” he mutters in an attempt to be firm. He stares down at the kids. “And they’re coming with me.”

The small grips on my nightgown tighten.

“I’m sorry, Tobias,” I hum, rubbing the heads of each of the kids with a warm smile to each of them. My gaze turns back to the man in the doorway. “But there’s been some misunderstanding. Doctor Yeager had sent them to me. They brought me some of the stuff needed for the ceremony.”

“I- We don’t need stuff for the ceremony-”

“Are you rejecting the kindness of one of the town’s benefactors?”

“Well, no-”

“Did you want to spend extra money on the flowers and the arrangements?”

“I don’t need charity-”

A breathy laugh leaves my lips. “Tobias, you’re not thinking clearly. The Doctor had personally gone out of his way to tell me. He was on his way to work in Wall Sina when he stopped and told me he was sending stuff from his home to us. He didn’t even leave five minutes ago!”

It wasn’t entirely a lie. Doctor Yeager had told me of his business in another wall- the exact one was lost on me. I just wasn’t sure if he had left or not.

Tobias gulps, eyeing me and then the kids. My hands find my hips and I tilt my head to the side slightly, “...now- how is it possible that they carried their packages all the way to the other side of town, pestered you, and then made it back across town within five minutes?”

Tobias goes quiet, his mouth opening and closing like a trout. My eyebrow raises as I await his answer. His head twitches to the side and the grip on his cap grows tighter. “...I’m telling you-”

“And I am telling you that you, in your infinite wisdom, are wrong. Now, I’m sure the factory is completely lost without you so I’d suggest getting a move on.” I push his chest slightly and close the door. The four of us strain our ears, listening to the tell-tale crunches in the dirt as he walks away from the house. I can hear him muttering, the fence slamming behind him.

Eren and Armin release their grips and sigh. Eren turns to look at me, eyes shining. I shake my head, “You’re not out of the clear yet, so you three go sit down and tell me what you were doing.”

Eren stares dumbfounded at me, mouth slightly open. My eyebrow arches and he stands firmly in his spot. Armin grabs his arm, tugging him to the table. He practically throws Eren into a chair and takes another seat. Mikasa sits to Eren’s right, still silent and stoic.

My arms cross over my chest as I stare at the lot of them. Mikasa’s fiddling with the red scarf around her neck and Armin doesn’t meet my gaze. Even Eren pretends to be interested in the grooves in the wood table in front of him.

“Well? What were you three doing in the factory? Haven’t I told you three to just leave it alone? It’s happening, whether any of us want it to or not.”

“But it shouldn’t happen!” Eren erupts, slamming his palm to the table. My flower vase filled with wildflowers spins like a small dancer; stems arms stretched to a spotlight. The shaking of the vase echoes around the stillness of the kitchen. “He’s forcing you into a cage!”

“He isn’t forcing me into anything, Eren,” I say quietly. “I made my choice.”

“What were the options?” He snaps again, eyebrows drawn together to create fierce ridges that look out of place on a face so young.

I stay silent, focusing on keeping my breathing steady. I can feel my teeth biting down into the inside of my bottom lip, the tightness in my shoulders and back. Armin and Mikasa pull on Eren’s sleeves to pull him down into his chair. Eren shrugs them off, “He’s forcing you into something you don’t want- into a cage!”

“Eren!” Armin hisses incredulously, his soft-blue eyes widening. “She’s an adult- you can’t talk to her like that!”

“It’s okay, Armin,” I say softly, walking to the chair across from the three of them. “I should explain everything… Seeing as the three of you will probably find out one way or another.”

Eren huffs, slamming himself back down against his chair. Their eyes remain fixated on me- each pair simultaneously gleaming with curiosity and boiling with rage. I groan softly, running a hand through my long, ________ hair. It catches on a few tangled naps. “I didn’t realise I was going to be explaining such a heavy topic so early in the morning,” I mutter, getting back up and walking to the cupboards.

“It’s past noon,” Mikasa states, earning an indignant ‘don’t say that!’ from Armin.

“Fantastic,” I breathe out, pulling the dusty, colored-glass bottle from the back of the cupboard. “Then I don’t feel so bad doing this.” I undo the stopper- a sweet smell wafting in the air behind the cork- and take a long swig.

Shuffling back to the table, I tuck the bottle back under my chair. “There’s no easy way to explain to three children,” I mumble, “But I know you’re all much brighter than your age. So… I’ll just start at the beginning,”

“I was born in a small cabin in the woods of Wall Rose. My family were hunters and gatherers- we lived off the land like our ancestors before us. It was a… ‘simplistic’ type of living and I didn’t have the luxuries I have now but… It was honest living. We took from the land only what we needed and gave it back as best we could,”

“There were people who looked down on us. Calling us… ‘out-dated’ and ‘backwards’. Maybe it was the way we dressed or how we lived or how we talked- whatever it was, they didn’t like us much... I got older and they had my little sister and I had started going to school in the village. I… I felt… it was awful- school. I was called awful things because of the way my family and I lived. I was an outcast and… So, I- ...I changed,”

“I fixed my hair and bought makeup from the traders in the village. I mimicked the way my classmates talked and stopped going hunting with my father and sister. Eventually… Eventually I was accepted. I was a part of the group now,”

“And I got even older and dreamed about leaving the village- to see what the other walls had in store and to leave behind the archaic ways of my family. That was when my family had their first run-in with Tobias. He wanted our land- to cultivate and grow grain for his factories. My family declined but he isn’t the type to take ‘no’ for an answer. He found out about my family’s money issues and… And he came to me. Tobias told me he knew and that he had a plan that would make everything go away.”

I stop, my words catching in my throat. My hands turn about in the air before my finger taps against my lips in an attempt to coax my words out. Closing my eyes, I inhale deeply.

“I couldn’t just… let my family suffer- you know that, right?” I ask hopefully, “We were suffering. We were starving and my mother was weak and my father was sick- what else could I have done?” I was rambling now and I knew it. I run a hand through my hair, tears pricking the edges of my eyes.

“So I told them I had a plan to get us out of debt and out of suffering. Tobias has to marry me. When Tobias marries me, he will be in charge of the land and will assume the debt. He’ll pay the debt off with the profit from the factory and then he’ll let us have three-quarters of it while he takes me and a quarter of land to be his…”

“Prize,” Mikasa finishes for me.

My eyes flick up to hers. The boys do the same, taken aback by her words. I couldn’t even scold her- she was right. I was a prize to be won and that’s exactly what happened. I was won.

Her steel-grey eyes are unwavering as she looks at me. It was difficult to read Mikasa but being here for this long has taught me a few things about her. And right now, she was staring at me in pity.

“...the deal was struck and I was taken here to Shiganshina. A few weeks after moving in, I got myself a job working for Doctor Yeager as his assistant and apprentice until the day when I can succeed him... And that is when I met you three.”

Eren looks about ready to burst at the seams- jaw tight, teeth gritted, eyebrows drawn, fists clenched. I reach out and place a hand softly onto his, smiling warmly. “This was my choice, Eren,” I hum, “And there’s nothing anyone can do about it. It’s been planned for almost two years now and the ceremony’s tomorrow. After that… Everything will be taken care of- the debt, my family, the land…” I sigh. “And I can’t lie and say it’s not a nice living that I have here. I have a home and running water and a warm bed and you three knuckleheads to make my day better.”

Armin turns a light shade of pink, smiling bashfully. Mikasa even cracks a small smile. But Eren…

I sigh again and run a hand through my hair. “Eren, please understand. If you were in the same situation- if Doctor Yeager got sick and your mother was too tired to take care of herself. If you had to look after Mikasa on your own… There’s nothing you wouldn’t do in that situation.”

Eren opens his mouth and then closes it, his hands finding his hair and tugging slightly on the ends. “It’s… It’s not... fair.”

“You’re right,” I mumble, “It isn’t fair. I should be able to make my own way but… Eren, life isn’t fair.”

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“Are you coming?” Eren yells, charging head-on into the crowd of market-goers. Mikasa hurries after him, weaving expertly through the bodies without hitting a single one.

“We are!” I yell back with a smile, standing on my toes to see the two pop out on the other side of the crowd. Eren stumbles, falling to his knees. Mikasa stops almost immediately and reaches down to him, offering a hand. Eren gets to his feet on his own. Dusting his jeans, he looks up at Armin and I on the other side of the crowd.

“Miss Braus?” Armin calls softly, gripping my skirt as we elbow past the bodies in the square. It wouldn’t be this hard if I wasn’t cursed to standing only 160 centimeters.

“It’s __________, Armin,” I laugh, squeezing us between two very upset men arguing over the price of meat. “I’m only a few years older than you- you make it sound like I’m some school-teacher.”

“Why did Mister Walker choose to help your family? If he had just waited, he could’ve bought the land from the bank when they-” he stops himself.

We push through to the other side of the crowd. Eren leads us on towards the grassy hills while Mikasa stays on his heels. I sigh, shaking my head. “I have a lot of theories but… None of them make much sense.”

“...do you think he knew you before? Maybe he was a classmate or a family friend?”

“I didn’t pay that much attention in school, Armin,” I laugh, “I taught myself a lot more from books than the village wanted a woman to learn.”

They may have called us backwards but they were the ones focused on the forced submission of the townswomen. Sexist swine.

“Well… If he did know you, maybe he likes you.”

My head turns down to face him. His porcelain skin has managed to grow almost completely pink as he realises what he’s just said. Stammers of apologies come stuttering out of his lips as he hastily attempts to take back his words. I smile and shake my head, placing my lips to his golden hair. “You may be right, Armin. You always were bright.”

“...do you think you could ever love him?”

We trudge up the hill, breezes running between our legs and through our hair. Mikasa is already at the top, sitting down as she watches a breathless Eren climb up the grassy knoll. I place a hand on the sunhat on my head, securing it as the breeze teases it off my head.

Could I ever love him?

I try to see myself standing in the doorway of our home. Holding a baby on my hip, my other hand grips a child's hand. Tobias walks up the street and grins as the child breaks away and runs to him. Tobias picks up the child and walks into the doorway, pressing his lips to mine.

It’s all so... unnatural.

Tobias wants roots. I want freedom. I could never be a housewife. I want excitement and passion and unpredictability. He wants me to… To be his little trophy he can take down and polish after a long day at work. Something he can flaunt at dinner parties and work gatherings.

I’ve debated this a lot these past two years- whether or not I could love him. And the answer was always the same.

“No, Armin. I could never love him.”

I sit at the base of the tree, soaking up the sun. It’s not hot- just pleasantly warm. Eren’s attempting to climb said tree after managing to convince Mikasa that he won’t fall. Mikasa directs him on his foot placement but I can hear the scraping of the undersides of his shoes as he slips down the bark once again. Armin has fallen asleep on my lap- golden hair stretched out on the mesh fabric of my dress. There’s an illustrated book splayed out beside me that flutters between pages in the wind. Something Armin had gotten from his grandfather, I’m sure. Clouds roll lazily above us, white and pure. They don’t dare to touch the sun. They just float past it- allowing the warmth to uninterruptedly soak the ground beneath us.

...I wish Sasha were here.

“__________!” Eren’s voice calls from above me.

I turn, seeing Eren swinging from a tree branch. A laugh leaves my lips as I see Mikasa’s head pop right next to his. “Are you two having fun?” Mikasa gives me a quick nod as Eren nods much more enthusiastically. “Well, search the tree quickly. You still have to go grab firewood for your mother.”

“Aw, c’mon,” Eren huffs, “You can’t let us go one day without chores?”

“Miss Carla is as much of my boss as Mister Grisha. If she says you need to get firewood, you’re getting firewood.”

Eren sighs and stops swinging on the tree branch, returning to stand on the base. I can hear leaves shaking as they climb further up. A few break off the branches and float down into Armin’s hair. I pluck them out and let the wind take them from between my fingers. Inhaling the wildflower-smelling air, I seriously debate joining Armin in taking a nap.

“__________!” Eren screams.

My eyes shoot back open and I’m on my feet. “What is it? Eren? Mikasa? Are you hurt?”

“The Scouts are back!” Eren yells. There’s more tree-branch-shaking. “They’re back! __________, can we go see them?”

“We- You-” I stop and inhale deeply as my heart continues hammering against my chest. “You scared me!” I snap, arms crossing over my chest.

Eren- with twigs and leaves in his hair- appears at the base of the tree again. He jumps off, colliding to the ground with a thud as he lands on his side. Mikasa does the same, landing perfectly. Eren’s back on his feet in seconds, wiping his clothes of the dirt. “Well?” He asks, “Can we?”

“We haven’t gathered our firewood,” Mikasa points out, pulling the twigs and leaves from his hair. “Your mother told us we needed to gather firewood.”

“The firewood’s still gonna be here when we get back,” Eren says back, shooting Mikasa a look. “Please, __________? I swear I’ll get everything done.”

Armin’s up now- woken up by the commotion. He rubs his eyes and sits up. “Eren’s not wrong. The firewood won’t go anywhere,” he mumbles sleepily.

Sighing, I roll my eyes. “You’re gonna get everything done?”

“Yes, I swear.”

“And you aren’t gonna forget about it?”

“No.”

“And you won’t have Mikasa do it for you?”

“I don’t have Mikasa do everything for me!”

“...Eren… She does it whether or not you ask.”

“Fine. I won’t have Mikasa do it for me.”

“...okay then,” I smile, holding out my hand for Eren and Mikasa to hold. “Let’s go see the Scouts.”

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I wish I hadn’t said yes to this. As much as I admire them and wish to be them… The Scouts are a mess. Almost everyone is bloodied and each has that look in their eye- the blank stare so wide you can almost see the carnage replaying behind them. There’s bloodied bandages in the street, being pounded into the cobble by the horses. Groans of agony and wailing fill the street. Something deep in my stomach churns as a man with an arm missing holds a bloody Scouts cape in his hands.

There were nearly a hundred that left.

There can’t be more than twenty that came back.

I can only wonder if it all is worth it.

Of course it is. What am I thinking? Pushing those beasts back, reclaiming the land that humanity used to populate and cultivate… It is worth it but… Damn, if it isn’t a high price to pay.

Eren jumps up and down to look over the people’s shoulders. Frustrated, he huffs and takes off further down the street. The rest of us follow. My hand wrapped in Armin’s, I let him lead me behind the crowd. Even as my hat flies away, I can’t take my eyes off the Scouts.

We come to a stop and Eren climbs up a stack of boxes. Mikasa and Armin do the same, sitting down beside Eren. I stand on the lowest box to see inside the wagon a pair of horses are pulling.

It’s bodies.

Not dead ones, either. There are soldiers in there- sandwiched together and nearly screaming in pain. Blood coats every inch of the wagon. The bodies in the wagon wail for a medic, for help.

I feel myself pushing through the crowd, running for the wagon. “I can help!” I yell, “I can help!”

A surly soldier turns to me, eyeing me venomously. “Who the hell are you?”

“I’m __________ Braus,” I answer, “I work for Doctor Yeager.”

The soldier scoffs and shakes his head. “They’re going to Wall Maria-”

“They’ll die before they get there!”

I can feel the crowd’s eyes on us now. My breathing grows unsteady and rigid as I stare at the soldier. He’s tall- maybe it was his horse or maybe it was actually him but he towers over me either way. A bandage covers the side of his head and I can see blood seeping through. His eyes are a paled-brown and dirt coats his stubbled skin.

“What’s the issue here, Weinfeld?” A voice behind me asks. There’s a huff of air that goes down my back. I turn and face a brown stallion. My eyes trail even further to the man sitting on top of it. My blood grows still as I realize who it is.

“C-Captain Erwin, I-”

“If this woman wants to help tend our wounded, why are you stopping her?”

“Well, she-”

“She offered her services to help prevent us from losing even more soldiers. Let her help.”

“Y… Yes, sir.”

“Miss?”

My eyes snap up to him. Blond hair, blue eyes. Broad shoulders and commanding height. Blood coats his emerald-green cape. I can see the insignia of the Scout Regiment sewn into the chest, even if it is filthy.

“Yes, sir?”

“What do you need to help them?”

My nerves fade away and I roll my sleeves. “I need more hands. And any medical supplies you can give me. Even shirts, capes- those can work for the time being, too.”

The Captain nods and I hurry to catch up to the wagon. As it’s moving, I jump onto the back and swing my legs over the side. The smell of flesh and blood is putrid here. The blood has seeped into the wood- making it smell metallic and rotten. Flesh smells like it had been left out for days… I could only imagine that being the truth.

“Please, miss,” someone groans, “Please help me.” The chorus of damned souls begins again, even louder now. Bodies shift and turn to face the new ray of hope.

I reach down, tearing off the layer of silk fabric beneath the mesh. Tying it around my face, running footsteps come up behind us. “Ma’am!” Someone calls, “The Captain said you needed help!”

“Get in here,” I snap, taking off the moonstone ring around my finger and tucking it into my bra.

Three men pull themselves into the wagon. One starts to heave as the smell hits his nose. “If you’re going to vomit, do it over the side and get someone else to replace you,” I state, “If you can’t handle the smell, you’re not gonna like what we do next.”

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“Miss!” The man on the opposite side of the wagon calls, “The blood’s not stopping!”

“Lift the stump up!” I yell back, “Make sure you keep it elevated.”

I turn back to the man trembling in my hands. “Okay, what’s your name, soldier?”

His chapped lips part slowly, a cough passing his lips before his words. “...Louis.”

“Okay, Louis, you’re gonna be alright but I need to do something that’s not gonna be fun.” Louis nods slowly. “I’m gonna put this in your mouth for you to bite down on. It’s just a piece of fabric.” He nods again, opening his mouth.

I look around to the other men. One’s still holding up the bleeding stump of a man’s leg across the wagon, attempting to fashion some sort of holder for it. Another is wrapping bandages around a woman’s arm that dangles at an impossible angle. The last one lays a body down on the wagon floor and stands back up.

“You!” I yell, gesturing to the last man and waving him over. “I need you for something.”

The man walks over the bodies to me, his black hair brushing into his steel eyes. “What is it?” he asks flatly.

“You’re going to hold him down by the shoulders while I pour this on his wound.”

The man doesn’t say anything but positions himself at Louis’ shoulders, pressing down. The bottle in my hands was alcohol- something someone from the crowd offered. Pulling down the silk around my face, I unstopper the bottle with my teeth. Standing with a foot on either side of Louis, I look down at the man at his shoulders. “You ready?”

The man nods once.

I lower myself onto Louis’ legs, peeling back his bloodied shirt. A two bleeding lines run along his stomach. An image of a Titan grows in my mind, reaching out ravenously at Louis. A few centimeters more and he would’ve been caught. They’re deep cuts and they look like they’ve been left exposed for far too long. I shake my head, pressing my weight down against his legs. It’s time.

The liquid flows out of the tipped glass, pouring into the crimson grooves in Louis’ skin. Muffled screams pour out of his lips and his legs buck up underneath me. Wincing, I continue pouring. Agonized screams manage to fight through the fabric in his mouth as his whole body spasms.

I tilt the bottle back upright and force the cork back into it. Louis is still thrashing about, causing blood to gush out of the wound. “Hey, Louis, Louis,” I mumble, leaning forward to look him in the eyes. They’re squeezed shut and his head turns from left to right wildly. “Louis!” I yell, grabbing him by the chin. “If you want to live, you need to hold as still as possible- do you understand me? If you move too much, you’ll lose too much blood and you’ll die. So sit there and stay still.”

Louis nods frantically, his chest still heaving. Sweat pours down his face and I take my skirt and rip it again. Dabbing the fabric against his forehead, I look up to the man at his shoulders. “You take over,” I state, handing him the piece of fabric. “I’m gonna make something and you’re gonna hold it down on him, okay?”

The man nods once again. He doesn’t seem comfortable talking. Not that I would either, surrounded by the bleeding half-rotted bodies of my comrades.

“Good,” I mutter, gripping the fabric that makes up my sleeves. Pulling the fabric one way as I pull my arm the opposite way, the fabric rips and I wad it up. I do the same with my other sleeve and lift Louis’ shirt back up again. I place the fabric against the wounds and look up to the dark-haired man. “Come here- you need to put pressure into this. Don’t let go, okay? Just keep putting pressure.”

The man nods and I get to my feet to check on everyone else.

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There’s nothing else I can do with no proper supplies and I’m running out of fabric. My eyes drift down to my dress- or what’s left of it. It hangs around my legs a bloody, shredded mess that barely covers my upper thighs.

I can always buy another one. My eyes then turn to the lot of soldiers in the wagon. I can’t exactly replace these Scouts’ lives.

My eyes continue drifting until they land on each of the three men that helped me. The man holding the man’s stump- he’s Eld. The other one with the woman- Oluo.

Eld hands me another soiled Scout cape and I hand him a less-soiled Scout cape. Leaning over the side of the wagon, I wring the cape in my hands. Sickly red liquid slicks down my hands and squelches down onto the passing cobblestone. The color of my skin is no longer visible- drowned out by the endless amounts of blood.

“Eld,” I mumble as I wring the cape dry. I’m hoping he can distract me from the cobblestone pavement I’m painting red.

“What’s it, __________?”

“Who’s the other man?” I ask quietly, “The one with Louis?”

Eld turns to look down the wagon before he laughs. “That’s Levi. Another one of us.”

“He doesn’t talk much,” Oluo adds, “Don’t take it personally.”

“I thought maybe it was… because of all this,” I smile crookedly and sit back down in the corner. The wagon tosses and jostles underneath us as we make our way to Wall Maria. “Maybe I’m just projecting. I’m certainly not as talkative as I usually am.”

“You handled this well… All things considered,” Oluo huffs a laugh, “Ever thought about joining?”

“You’re recruiting now?” Eld snaps, “Who in their right mind would want to join after seeing this?”

Oluo shrugs, “Nobody in the Scouts are sane.”

I clear my throat awkwardly and tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. “Well… if you’re ever back in Shiganshina- I’d be more than happy to sit you down and teach you some medical basics. It could end up saving a life.”

Eld and Oluo both bow their heads gratefully. My eyes dart to Levi, who still remains keeping pressure on Louis’ wounds. “You’re also welcome to join us, Levi,” I smile.

He says nothing but nods once more. It’s better than nothing, I suppose.

Maria’s walls tower over us in the sunlight- stone reflecting light down onto us. I get back to my feet, rubbing a hand across my forehead. Almost immediately, I cringe at the feeling of slickness now on my skin.

Throwing one leg over the side of the wagon, I prepare myself to jump. “Where are you going?” Eld asks, getting to his feet.

“You’re almost to Wall Maria and there’s nothing else I can really do without supplies and equipment. All you three need to do is make sure that stump is elevated, pressure stays held on Louis and that you three get back to me in Shiganshina for those drinks.”

“Why can’t you stay?” Oluo asks, gesturing to the bodies around him. “If something goes wrong-”

“If something goes wrong, I’m sure the rest of your regiment have doctors waiting on the other side of Maria. ‘sides, I left my kids back there. There’s no telling what they’re up to without me.”

“You have kid-”

Something cracks against the pale-blue sky. Yellow and green lightning pierce the tranquility, striking down just beyond Wall Maria. It disappears as fast as it came- leaving only a trail of white smoke in the sky. “What was that?” I mumble, stepping back into the wagon. “Was that lightning…?”

Eld and Oluo are on their feet now, staring at the sky. I can see their hands gripping their ODM controllers. Eyes wide, mouths slightly open we stare at the Wall. My breath is caught deep in my throat as we wait. As we watch.

The wind kicks up. The former sweetness of wildflowers in the air is now nauseatingly saccharine. It elbows the steam out of the way- and then we see it.

A hand. On the wall.

Stone crumbles beneath the muscle. Paradoxically slowly and quickly, a skinless head lifts up behind the wall.

…that’s impossible.

I want to believe it’s impossible, believe it’s just a facade but as I’m staring and as I hear Eld and Oluo whispering, I know.

There’s a Titan towering over Wall Maria.

I waste no more time. Throwing my leg over the wagon again, I jump. Eld is the first to react, screaming at me to get back on the wagon.

“My kids! My family!” I scream back, sprinting towards town. “I can’t leave them!”

And I keep running. Elbows and bodies are thrown into my chest. I keep running. Eren. Mikasa. Armin. Carla. Even Tobias. Massive chunks of stone collide beside me and that’s when I know the wall has been torn through.

And I keep running. Blood in my ears, blood on my face, blood on my hands- it all seems to burn and throb. Colors blur together in the edges of my vision. All I need to focus on is getting to them.

I can hear the screams and the cries and the wailing and the bones snapping. And I keep running. I don’t have time to look.

There is blood everywhere. I can smell it.

My eyes catch him- a black-haired boy running straight into the crowd and towards the wall. A girl runs after him. Another boy, with blond hair, stands rigid in his spot.

Their names rip out of my body. “Eren! Mikasa! Armin!”

Over and over again, they shred my lungs as I push towards them. My arms wrap around Armin and I spin him around to face me. My eyes dart between his, brushing hair from his face.

“Armin, where are they going?”

There is no response. Just a blank stare.

“Armin! Where are they going!” I’m screaming now, shaking him at his shoulders.

“...home.”

A shaky breath leaves my lips. “You need to run, Armin,” I mutter, turning him towards Wall Maria. “Do you hear me? You run for that wall and you don’t look back.”

Armin nods slowly and I keep running.

I round the last corner and I freeze. A chunk of the wall sits atop the ruins of the Yaeger home. Dust clouds billow about and I can hear three voices screaming amongst themselves.

My feet carry me there. “Carla! Mikasa! Eren! Grisha!”

“__________!” Carla yells back as I stumble to a stop just before the remains of the house.

My eyes land on her- pinned down underneath a wooden beam and dirt painting her face. Her eyes are wide, staring up at me. I hear the wood groan and shiver. Eren and Mikasa strain as they try lifting the wood up.

“Help us!” Eren snaps at me.

I reach for the beam, fingernails digging into the wood as we all lift it up. It doesn’t budge. Once more, Mikasa and Eren and I plant our feet on the cobblestone and lift.

...it’s no use.

Even if we get this thing off her, Carla’s legs are crushed. We wouldn’t make it out.

“__________!” Carla’s yelling my name over and over. Her hand is gripping my leg, nails digging into my skin. “You have to listen to me- you have to leave me behind and take them! You have to survive- you have to leave me!"

“No!” Eren screams, trying to lift the beam up again. “I’m not leaving you!”

“Can’t you just listen to me for once in your life?!” Carla screams back, tears trailing down her face. “This is the last thing I’m asking you to do-!”

Something looms in the distance. Stomps quake the ground underfoot- and they’re getting closer. A face slowly passes the remains of the town hall. Grotesque and smiling, the Titan’s face turns towards us.

“Carla,” I whisper, tears now streaming down my face. “I… I can’t leave…” I mutter, shaking my head as I lean down to lift the beam again. My whole body strains, screaming for relief, as I try to pry the beam off of her.

“Hannes!”

Looking over my shoulder, I watch as Hannes lands just in front of us. “Take the kids and get out of here!” Carla screams.

Hannes kneels and smiles. “That’s not our only option, Carla. I’m gonna kill that Titan and save all of you!” His arms come out in a flourish, brandishing his blades. He runs around the corner of the house for the Titan. A war cry leaves his lips and-

He skids to a stop. His eyes trail up the height of the Titan. Even from this distance, I can see him tremble. He turns back, pushing his blades back into their holsters.

And he grabs Eren, tossing him over his shoulder. He tucks Mikasa’s body under his arm and he runs a few steps before stopping again. Turning to me, he screams, “Let’s go before it kills us all!”

My eyes flick back down to Carla. Her black hair is stuck to her face. Sweat and tears and spit slick down her skin as she looks up at me with watering eyes. “Take care of them for me,” she whispers. “My daughter, please take care of them for me. You all have to survive- for me.”

And I run.

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

“__________!”

My name buzzes around my ears but Eren, Mikasa, Hannes- they aren’t calling me.

“__________!”

I turn around, searching for the voice as I continue running behind Hannes. My eyes dart to each movement. A woman clutching the remains of a man to her body. A child crying. A man being lifted into the sky. Another man running straight towards me, carrying a briefcase.

“Tobias!” I yell. Hannes stops in his tracks, whirling around to face me. Tobias stumbles to a stop. Panting, he wipes his brow with his forearm.

“I need to tell you something,” he wheezes, shoving the briefcase into my hands. “In case I don’t get to, it’s all in here. Everything is in here.”

“Tobias, what are you talking about?”

His eyes are darting everywhere- from my face to Hannes and the kids to my dress and hands. “I haven’t been honest with you,” he says quickly, taking me by the shoulders. “I’ve kept so much from you that you should know about-”

“Just tell me!” I snap, searching his eyes.

Tobias sighs and nods quickly, “But only if we have some shelter.” His hand slips down my arm, taking my hand and pulling me towards a watchtower. Hannes and the kids follow behind us.

“__________,” Tobias states, turning to face me again and gripping my shoulders. “You have to understand- I didn’t know what else I could do. I just wanted what I wanted and I-”

There’s a terrible crash above us. I can feel myself being pushed back and colliding with the cobblestone. Mikasa calls out to me- cut short by the ringing in my ears.

Hannes appears above me, waving a hand in my face and shouting something. It’s all so… far-away. Distant. Blinking, I try to focus on the shifting mimics of Hannes before they all merge together.

Searing pain runs up and down my legs as I feel myself being dragged backwards. I look down and see the pile of bricks, splintered wood, and stone that was once the watchtower. And a single arm underneath it all, covered in a suit’s sleeve.

My eyes widen and my arms bring the briefcase to my chest tighter. “...is that…?”

Hannes nods, picking me up under my arms and setting me back on my feet. “I’m sorry but we have to go,” he mumbles. “We have to get them out of here.”

Tears start to pour from my eyes as I stare at the bloody hand reaching out from under the debris. ...he saved me instead of saving himself.

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

“Please, sir, I can’t leave it behind-”

“I’m already allowing you three on before anyone else,” the soldier snarls, “I’m not letting you break any more rules.”

Hannes sighs, scratching the back of his neck. My nail taps against the leather briefcase as I watch Eren and Mikasa blankly stare into the water below. “Take them,” I blurt. “I’ll stay.”

The kids turn around to face me, eyes wide with horror. Tears stream down Eren's face as his fist tightens at his side. “No! I’m not losing you, too!”

“Don’t go,” Mikasa whispers, eyes pleading.

I kneel down, putting the briefcase down next to me. Gently, I place a hand on their faces and rub my thumb against their skin. “I will find you,” I whisper, “You have to trust me. I will find you. You stay where you are until I find you, okay?”

Mikasa nods once but I can feel her lean into my touch. Eren has my wrist, gripping it tightly. “Please, __________,” he pleads through gritted teeth, “Please don’t go.”

I press my lips to his forehead and whisper against his skin. “I will find you, Eren.”

Pulling away, I press my lips to Mikasa’s forehead. I stand and pick up the briefcase. “They’re ready now,” I whisper, forcing the mass of tears in my throat down. “Please take them.”

The soldier takes Mikasa’s hand and reaches for Eren. Eren elbows past him, charging for me. Screaming, he flails about as the soldier throws him over his shoulder and walks up the gangplank. “__________!” He screams. “You can’t leave me! I can’t lose you, too! Please!”

I bite down on my tongue. Tears stream down my face as I watch them get set down on the ferry. Mikasa holds onto Eren’s arm as he thrashes in her grip. The soldier runs back down and yells for the ferry to take off.

Hannes places a hand on my shoulder. I shake violently, sobbing now as the ferry pulls away. Eren finally breaks free and runs to the edge but it’s too late.

I clamp a hand over my mouth, preventing the agonized screams from resounding around the ferry station. I can see Mikasa coming up behind Eren. Someone else pushes towards them.

Armin.

He made it. They all made it. They’re safe. My kids are safe.

Hannes clears his throat behind me. I turn and push my face into his chest, sobbing and clutching at his bloodied uniform. “They made it, Hannes,” I say in strangled sobs. “They’re okay.”

I can feel him press my head further into his chest. “And you’re next.”

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

“You can’t close the gate!” I scream, clutching the briefcase to my chest. “There are people out there! Just wait-!”

“If we don’t close it now, the handful of lives out there will be nothing compared to how many we’ll lose in here!” The soldier snaps.

Hannes growls, lunging forward and grabbing the soldier by the collar. “That’s no reason to leave these people to die!”

Footsteps run up behind me. Two men, more soldiers, arrive in the doorway. Panting, one points outside, “They’re coming! You have to close the gate, now!”

“Lower the gate at once!”

“No!” I run forward and feel arms wrap around me, holding me back. One of the soldiers hurries and grabs Hannes, pulling him off the soldier. My body thrashes in its hold, “You can’t do this! You’re going to kill them all-!”

The walls begin to shake around us intermittently- heavy footsteps. They begin to pick up speed, thundering around us. Getting closer and closer, I can feel it in my head, in my heart- the hammering, the footsteps.

It all happens much slower than it did. Hannes wrestles out of the soldier’s grip and grabs my waist. The Titan collides with the wall, sending us into the air amongst the brick and stone of the gate. I can feel us being jerked a different way in the sky- the sound whirring and hissing of air surrounding us.

My arms around his neck, I peek over Hannes’ shoulder. A gaping hole is in the wall where the gate used to be. A Titan with patches of dense armor stands at the hole, breathing deeply.

“__________,” Hannes says as we land on the side of a building. “I’m taking you to Wall Rose. Wall Maria is gone. It’s over.”

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

The candlelight flickers in the wind, taunting death before regaining strength. My fingers run along the blood-splattered leather. The gold trim slides under my fingertips. I can feel my stomach churn as I press the buttons in.

What was so secret he kept it from me for so long?

The briefcase flies open. Inside is a mess of paper- most pages are typed but some are handwritten. I can clearly see Tobias’ neat, small handwriting on the pages. I scoot closer to the candle, taking a sheet of paper and reading it in the light.

__________,

I am writing this knowing in almost-full confidence that I am no longer alive and I died before I had the chance to explain myself. I hope you don’t think of me as less of a person after this but if you do, I cannot say that I blame you.

My name is not Tobias Walker. I was born Fynn Kayserling in Dauper.

I stop, rereading that sentence over and over again. Dauper was my village. Tobias- Fynn was from… my village?

You don’t remember that name at all, I’m sure. I wasn’t very outgoing and the walls suited me as better friends than other students. But there was one girl that stood out. It was you. You were kind and gentle- but would never stand down from a fight. It was amazing, watch you grow up. An ever-changing fluctuation of fight and flow.

I was too much of a coward to be up-front with you. Watching others court you and how happily you responded to them, I knew I wasn’t good enough. I left at seventeen to Shiganshina and started my business.

I returned a year later and found that you, that your family had been suffering. Your mother being weak and your father being ill while you and your sister were starving- I wanted to just give you the money. An anonymous donation. But there was another, more selfish part of me that wanted something in return.

I tried to fight it. It was so twisted even I was disgusted by myself. But my cowardice, my weakness, my greed got the better of me and I made that offer to you. It wasn’t fair of me to and I wish I would have changed my mind- so I did this.

Assuming I’m dead, inside this briefcase you will find my will. I’ll spare you from reading the legal nonsense. I’ve given you everything. The factory, the houses, the money, the land. It’s all yours to do what you will. There’s more than enough to pay off your debts and to build your family a better home.

There was a reason I never told you what the plans for the wedding were. There was never going to be a wedding. I was going to give you the money and the land and tell you how I feel before letting you choose your path. It was selfish of me to take you away for two years. I couldn’t live with taking you away for much more.

I hope you can forgive me, __________. I was selfish and cruel and I know it wasn’t love. Something more sinister- not love. I tried to be better, I hope you know.

Yours always,

Fynn

I blankly stare at the letter, so many thoughts buzzing through my head that I feel dizzy. My eyes dart to the typed papers. ‘Final Will and Testament of Fynn Kayserling’ is typed on the first page.

He… he lived in Dauper and he was a classmate. He knew me. My stomach churns at the words ‘wanted something in return’. My eyes turn to the open window, to the stars above. Tears stream unyieldingly d0wn my face as I take a deep breath in. As I exhale, the wind takes my breath into an icy grip and turns it white.

I need to find them. Before anything else, I need to find Armin and Mikasa and Eren. And when I do, I’ll make sure they’re taken care of and then I’ll take care of my family.

I’ll never forgive him but... tomorrow.

The search starts tomorrow.

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You can read parts two, three, and four! Just tap on the number you want :)

152 notes · View notes

glacecakes · 4 years

Text

Alchemy Lullaby (10/?)

Of all the changes that came with living in the castle, becoming a father was not one he anticipated. When Eugene encounters a small child suffering like he did, he gives them the opportunity to grow up the way he never did… helping them both heal. (AU where Varian is 4 and gets adopted by Eugene)

Totally harmless fun, nothing out of the unusual! Snow days! Varian fights for Eugene's hand!

Read the rest on AO3

A lot of this was inspired by jokes and plot bunnies from the Scar AU server, big thanks to them! And to all of you for your words of love on this fic! Forfeit all mortal possessions to baby. I'm debating whether or not to redo chapter 1 bc i'm not a fan of how ooc eugene is so if u have any opinions on that feel free to share

The wind howled, beating mercilessly against the windows. At this rate, Eugene would spend tomorrow morning cleaning the yards of debris. Captain always gave him labor when he got pissy, and Eugene’s been pushing the man’s buttons lately. Or rather, he keeps letting Varian mess with him.

Eugene tries to be strict, he really does! It’s just whenever he looks into those baby blue eyes, so full of love and adoration, he forgets whatever he was going to say and gives Varian whatever he asks for. Cassandra and Rapunzel tease him mercilessly for it, and every single time, Eugene swears he’ll be stricter, only for the process to start all over again.

Case in point, the door to his room creaks open, letting in the hallway’s candlelight. A familiar mop of black hair peeks in. Its owner debates whether or not to enter, and Eugene sighs fondly. As he sits up, his young son grips tighter on the doorknob, deep in thought.

“Bud,” He whispers, and Varian starts. “You coming in?”

It takes a moment for him to make up his mind, but sure enough, Varian toddles in. “Couldn’t sleep,” He mumbles. “Sky is loud.”

“The storm?”

“Mhm.” Varian responded, struggling to climb up onto the bed. His short legs kicked wildly as he finally pulled himself up to Eugene’s side. He really needed to start enforcing boundaries. Varian needed to sleep in his own bed. Then again, he usually did, this stuff only happened once a week. Was that normal at his age? Or was it an anxiety thing? He needs to buy more parenting books...

“Don’t like storms, they’re cold,” Varian mumbled, snapping Eugene out of his spiralling panic.

Oh.

Eugene’s teeth bit into his bottom lip, worrying it. Then, silently, he lifted the covers up, and let Varian snuggle deep in.

It wasn’t enough, apparently. Varian let out a whine, and reached his arms up towards his caretaker. He gave a little grabby motion, making Eugene laugh.

“Use your words, bluebird.”

Varian pouted, cranky tears budding. “Cuddles?” He asked, and, ope, there’s those big puppy dog eyes again.

Cassandra and Rapunzel were right. He’s weak.

“Of course,” Eugene grabbed a blanket from the end of his bed. The soft velvet swaddled his kid like a burrito, and he wrapped Varian in tight. He looked like a little worm, wiggling about in the bundle, but unable to escape. It was for Eugene’s safety; Varian liked to kick in his sleep. On one of the first nights, Varian had kicked him in the face and gave him a bloody nose.

He swept Varian up, bouncing the sack in his arms. Only Varian’s head was visible, and it was one of sleepy delight. His eyes struggled to stay open as Eugene rested them both on his back, Varian’s ear up to his chest. The father’s heartbeat thrummed like a lullaby.

“Goodnight, Varian,” Eugene whispered.

“Night, daddy,” Varian yawned. They fell asleep in minutes.

Varian smushed his face against the window, marvelling at the power that fell from the sky. Snow usually meant a day inside, bundled up by a fire, with his momma showing him an ounce of concern by letting him have cocoa. But now that he was with Eugene, snow meant play! It meant Eugene had the day off from teaching! To spend all day with him!

He bounded out of his room and skidded down the corridor, passing guards and maids alike. It was as if he was flying, he was so excited!

“Eugeneeeeeeeee!” He cried, jumping onto his caretaker’s stomach. The man knew what he wanted, and was able to catch him.

“Oof, you know I have ribs, right?” He grunted, swinging Varian up into his arms. Since he’d moved in, Varian had gotten a good bit heavier. That wasn’t a bad thing, quite the opposite; the doctors are very thrilled at Varian’s turn in health. His cheeks were plump and pinchable with baby fat, as they should be. “So, what’s up?”

“It’s snowing!” Varian gushed, wiggling around in his dad’s arms. “Can we go outside, pleeeeeease?”

The man hummed in thought. “Well, since you said please, sure. But!” He held up a finger to stop Varian from bouncing out of his arms. “We gotta bundle up or there’s no going outside. That means shoes, young man!” That earned him a pout. He and Rapunzel had more than just freckles in common.

Thankfully, Varian was too eager to go outside to complain, so they were bundled up and in the yard pretty fast. To be honest, Eugene hated snow. It was wet, and not the fun kind. It was the “ruin your socks and hair” kind of wet. But since everyone else in Corona seemed to be a fan, he had no choice but suck it up.

Hey, at least the kid was enjoying himself. Varian’s cheeks were flushed a rose red, and snot dribbled down his nose, but he wasn’t complaining. Eugene bundled him up so tight it was a miracle the kid could move, let alone run and play, but Varian waddled around like a penguin without a care in the world. Each step was accompanied by the crunch of snow under his feet, and a flurry of powder from when he lifted his foot.

At some point, a patch of snow fell from a tree and onto his head, earning Eugene the privilege of hearing Varian’s delighted squeals. You’d think that would upset him, but no. Eugene could never predict what would upset the kid, and what would be laughed off.

And hey, if Varian liked the first few spatters of snow on his head, Eugene was content to watch him tempt fate.

Varian decided to try and recreate that feeling, the shock and joy of extra snow coming from the sky, and so he ran from tree to tree, smacking the bark and shrieking when snow fell. He was small, so it wasn’t like he could knock too much snow…

No wait, spoke too soon.

Eugene bit back laughter as he watched. Varian, overly confident, marched up to a large pine tree, one with massive mounds of snow trapped on leaves. He seemed to be under the assumption that more snow was more fun, and so he backed up, and threw his entire body at the tree.

It worked too well. A cascade of snow fell from the heavens, and god, Eugene felt so bad for laughing, but the face of horror at what he’d done just moments before being buried in snow… it was priceless. The snow fell with a whump, and Varian completely vanished from view. The only remainder of the kid was the pom pom of his hat.

For a moment, there was silence. Varian stood still, shocked at what had happened. Then, he started kicking, trying to get to the surface of the mound. It stretched on forever, his entire sight was white! (In reality, It was maybe 3 inches taller than him.)

Eugene silently fell to the ground, laughter shaking him to his core. The laughs only got more intense when Varian, panicking and trying to escape, somehow ended up upside down. Only his little boots were free, and they kicked wildly. It seemed this was when Varian gave up, as he let out a siren’s wail.

“Oh, buddy,” Eugene wheezed, jogging over. Through the snow he could hear Varian’s muffled screams and tears. He could breathe, the snow wasn’t nearly dense enough to suffocate him, but it was certainly scary. “I gotcha.” With a quick tug, Eugene pulled Varian feet first, and found himself at eye level with a distraught toddler. His entire face was red, eyelashes covered in white crystals, and pudgy cheeks were covered in tears.

“Stop laughingggggg,” Varian whined, but it only made the man laugh harder. The shaking of his abs made it hard to hold onto his squirming child, but it was totally worth it.

“Here’s the brush you were looking for, sunshine.” Eugene hummed, holding a now dry Varian in one hand and his gift in the other. Rapunzel brightened at seeing them, happily taking her brush back.

“Thanks, Eugene,” She said, pecking him on the cheek. Varian frowned, confused at how Eugene’s cheeks warmed at her touch. And what was that expression, all gooey and smiley? He’d never seen anything like it, not from momma, or any villager, he’d only seen it between those two! He let out a noise of complaint, and reached out to grasp Rapunzel’s hair.

“Oh, Varian, did you want a kiss too?” she asked, chuckling. He was the biggest lovebug, delighting in all sorts of hugs and snuggles. Whereas Cass couldn’t handle more than a few seconds of her notorious bear hugs, Varian sought them out when he was feeling sad. It was a refreshing change that she very much appreciated and adored.

But Varian shook his head, further incensed. “Why’s he making that face?” he asked.

“Who, Eugene?” Said man snapped out of his love-lorn trance to watch the conversation.

“Hey, my face is flawless! It’s cuz I love her, that’s all.”

“But I love Punzel too!” Varian whined. He didn’t make that expression, did he? Oh gosh, he hoped not! It looks so stupid!

“It’s a different kind of love, Varian,” with a smile, Rapunzel took one of Varian’s hands in her own. “It’s a kind of love you only share with one person, and it’s very special.”

“The best kind of love there is,” Eugene agreed, and oh, there’s the expression again, except Rapunzel was making a similar one. They came together in a kiss, squishing Varian in between them. While he did enjoy the closeness, the words caught him off guard. Love you share with only one person? Does that mean Eugene doesn’t love him? Rapunzel…. She stole Eugene’s love from him!

“Fight me!”

Rapunzel and Eugene broke apart, shocked, as if they had forgotten he was there. He glared daggers at Rapunzel. “Fight me for Eugene’s love!”

Eugene sputtered in shock. “W-what…? Buddy, you don’t need to fight for-”

“Swords at dawn!” the child roared, fussing until he was let go. He landed on the floor squarely and puffed up his chest.

Despite his attempts to look intimidating, it failed spectacularly. He looked like an angry marshmallow. It didn’t help that his outfit for the day was a fuzzy, oversized sweater. Rapunzel bit back a laugh.

“Where did you hear that term, young man?” She joked, hands on her hips. Varian wasn’t deterred and didn’t respond, only puffing up his cheeks. The princess shook her head fondly. “He gets it from you,” she muttered to Eugene, who gasped, insulted. “Me? It’s totally from you!”

Varian stomps his foot. “Hey!” he cries, and the attention goes back to him.

“You’re right, it’s totally me,” Eugene runs a hand over his face. “You don’t need to fight Rapunzel, Varian, I love you both equally!”

Varian shakes his head. “You said your love is only with one person, and it’s special! Well, I want it! I’m special, right?”

Eugene couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed and slightly bewildered. “Y-yes, but this is a different kind of special…!” His face burned a bright red.

“I’ll do it.”

Both father and son turned to Rapunzel, who gazed at Varian with a smirk and fire in her eyes. “You and me, we fight for Eugene’s love tomorrow, sound good?”

“Winner takes Eugene, loser dies!” He crowed. They shook hands, completely ignoring Eugene’s face of dumbstruck horror.

The rest of the day, Varian and Rapunzel kept their distance, Rapunzel’s glare more teasing, while Varian’s was full of fury and jealousy. All the while, Eugene bounced and forth between both of them, trying to stop the fight before it began.

“Come on, bud, you love Rapunzel, right? Just like I do. You don’t have to do this,” he pleaded over the dinner table. Varian crossed his arm, a glob of food falling off his spoon and onto his sleeve.

“I’m fighting for your honor!”

“I regret reading you Flynn Rider.”

Rapunzel bit back a laugh, letting the child stare her down. She ignored the confused looks of her parents, sticking her tongue out in return. Varian wanted a fight? She’s more than willing to throw down. Not for real, sun no, she’s not crazy. But the look on Eugene’s face was so funny… and besides, it’s her turn to be the fun parent! Even if that means fighting over the other parent. Varian seemed so eager, and hey, she’d always fight for her right to love Eugene, no matter who the opponent was! Eugene glanced over at her, desperate for help, for Rapunzel to admit that this was an elaborate ruse. She simply smiled and dug further into her meal.

What’s the harm?

Quirin paced back and forth in his room, wearing the wood thin with his weight.

“I should tell the king… no… it had to be a coincidence, right? I saw Ulla take it, but she says she doesn’t have it, it could be a lie…!” He mumbled to himself.

He couldn’t sleep last night, nor the night before. In fact, he’d struggled all week. Laying awake, thinking about what he’d seen.

A small child.

A shriek.

A black spike, jutting out in perfect harmony with his cries.

A glowing stripe of hair.

It.

The moonstone.

Everything he’d ever known, every clue, every trace seemed irrelevant. He’d been spending the past half a decade looking for the moonstone. Had he been looking in the wrong place? Has each new spike, each life ruined, not been the work of a sadistic woman, but rather a scared child? It seemed preposterous, he didn’t steal the moonstone, after all.

No. He knows who did.

Ulla had been… well, not nice, never nice. Accepting, maybe. Calm. Apparently her old partner ditched her to raise a family, so she’d latched onto Quirin after saving him from bandits (he didn’t need saving, thank you!) . As a man constantly on the move, he’d made no complaints. Company was very much needed on the journey he was on.

It was hard to figure out where the rocks were headed, back then. They’d seemed aimless, forever wandering in search of the missing sundrop. It’s why King Frederick sought him out, after all. If the rocks pointed to the sundrop, where he’d find the sundrop, he’d find the princess.

Alas, that trail ended cold, but all’s well that ends well for the King, at least?

Ulla, curious, scientific, genius Ulla, she’d begged to see his homeland. His family. The place from which the rocks originated. And while Quirin had been loathe, the longer they traveled, the harder he found it to say no. She was cunning, and quick, and all the things Quirin wasn’t. Opposites attract, so they say.

But that also meant she wasn’t loyal.

The day she’d betrayed him was the worst day of his life.

He had let her in, shown her his legacy, his purpose, his destiny. And then Ulla had stolen it. She’d reached out and grasped the stone with a hunger Quirin had never seen. A bright light consumed her, blinding him, and when it vanished, the stone vanished too.

Ulla had been just as confused as he, but the rocks began to sprout at her feet. When she ran, she left a trail of rocks in her wake. Enraged and humiliated, Quirin had no choice but to follow. He saw the trail of destruction, the despair she left in her wake.

But then she had vanished. The rocks stopped sprouting at her feet. They only appeared sporadically, causing problems in isolated villages, one after another. By the time Quirin arrived to investigate, she was long gone.

Until now.

Now, he had a lead. A lead that wasn’t her. But… if it was correct… and this child truly possessed the moonstone…

Could he do what needed to be done?

The next day came, and Varian was ready.

He’d spent the whole night preparing, thinking sad thoughts, scary thoughts, every instance he could remember where a rock had bothered him. His mood was in the drain, and he was fully prepared.

“Last chance, bluebird, you know I love you, we can call this off!” Eugene said when he came to dress Varian for the day.

“Death before dishonor!”

“Where did you even learn- never mind. Sure, fine, Rapunzel is waiting.”

From around the corner, Cass snickered. She’d come to watch, eager to see the two sweetest souls engage in mortal combat. And also mess with Eugene.

Mostly the latter.

“If you need a weapon, Varian, I got a few knives you can borrow!” She offered as the three made their way to the battlefield. Eugene’s ghostly pale face resembled that of paper with its waxy, white sheen. It was amazing. Before Varian, she’d only seen Eugene this stressed when he had a bad hair day. Now, his hair seemed like the least of his worries. Not when he has a feral child to keep alive.

“No knives, please and thank you, I would like to live.” He moaned.

Cassandra’s grin only grew. “Are you even alive right now? They say the old self dies with fatherhood.”

“No one says that.”

“They could.”

He swatted her away, grumbling. But Varian paid them no heed. His mind was focused on only one thing: victory. By any means necessary.

The three of them finally made it out into the courtyard. Snow still covered every surface, bathing the world in a glittery white. Rapunzel stood in a warm dress, not wearing shoes, but rather a pair of fuzzy socks. Cassandra wouldn’t let her outside with at least some warmth. She hadn’t bothered to put her hair up for the day, either.

“You still wanna do this, little man?” She teased, hands on her hips. Eugene sent her a glare.

“No one loves Eugene more than I do!” Varian declared, letting go of Eugene’s hand and marching forward.

Rapunzel was unfazed. “Really? I changed my whole life for him, remember?”

Eugene had told him how he and Rapunzel met the other day. Well, most of it. Something told him Varian would not take too kindly to Eugene dying. Or the bit about a cruel mother. Maybe save those for when Varian’s older.

“So did I!” Varian yelled. They began to circle, a delicate dance. Prey and predator. Friend and foe.

“He offered you a new life. I convinced him to give it to me.” From the sidelines, Cassandra gasped. “Ooooh, you gonna take that, Varian?” she cried.

“No!” He answered, and charged at the princess. A blur of yellow engulfed his vision, and like a fly in a trap, he was ensnared, swallowed by a mound of hair.

With a pull, Rapunzel pulled him close. Grabbed him. And moved her fingers across his sides.

“Noooooo!” He squeaked, trying to wiggle out of her hair, but it was no use! She had him in place, right where she wanted.

“Surrender!” She cried, tickling his sides.

“N-neeeever!!” His lip wobbled, and little tears formed. Oh no, did she go too far? It was just supposed to be a little teasing! Rapunzel faltered.

Just as he’d expected.

He summoned all the anger built up in him. There would only be one shot at this, after all. He let out the telltale scream of an upset child.

Sure enough, the rocks heard his call.

They spiralled out from his spot, jutting out in all directions. Rapunzel dropped him with a gasp, narrowly avoiding getting pierced. Her hair floated up, swirling in the sky like clouds that covered her sun, in tandem with Varian’s own hair lighting up and floating. The whole yard reeked of magic.

Everything went still. No one dared move a muscle. Then, like a breath being held, it all deflated. The rocks shrunk down beneath the surface again, and all hair dropped.

Eugene stood in shock, frozen in place. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head. Sneaking a glance at Cassandra told him she was just as bewildered.

Varian opened his eyes. That… that worked…? It worked! He let out a victorious laugh. In your face, momma! No more electric chair for him! All he needed to do was think sad thoughts!

“I did it!” he crowed, jumping up and down. Thrilled, he threw himself at Eugene, happily burrowing himself into his dad’s arms. All that love, all for him!

“Well, you certainly did… something…” Eugene muttered, still dumbstruck. The adults all shared nervous glances. What on earth just happened?

Quirin stood on the balcony, gripping its railings with white knuckles. It was the only thing keeping him from collapsing.

#tangled #varian #tts #tangled the series #eugene fitzherbert #tangled eugene #team awesome #tts varian

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parkerpeter24 · 4 years

Text

best friends or more (part-2)

Pairing: peter parker x reader

Warnings: fluff, angst👀, oblivious people, swearing. I think that is all...

Word count: 2454

Italics — flashback/thoughts

Sorry for being so late! I hope you guys liked the first part, I think my tags didn't work🤷🏻‍♀️. Tumblr is a disaster, even more so when you're on your phone... I hope you like this part!❤ Also, I can't divide the text under the cut because I don't have a laptop and it didn't work on chrome. I try to not extend it too much!

Series Masterlist | Prologue | Part 1

“What the fuck are you doing on the ceiling?!”

Peter jumped down to the floor, already putting his hands up to try to stop you from freaking out. You were already at the verge of screaming out loud. Your breath hitched and you couldn’t think straight.

“(Y/n), I can explain.” He said. One could wonder how he was being so calm and composed, like it was totally normal for people to walk on the ceiling of their houses.

Peter’s hands were on your shoulders in an instant, rubbing soft, soothing circles through the thin fabric of your shirt, concerned eyes making sure you calmed down before he started rambling about what had happened.

“H-how were you, what were you—?” You tried but even after all efforts, you couldn’t get yourself to utter a single coherent sentence out of your mouth. It was like your brain stopped working. Peter was on the lookout, in case you fainted.

“I know it’s crazy. Just calm down and I’ll tell you everything.” He said. You took your time, breathing and trying to relax. Finally letting go of the door handle you stood up straight, but he could still see your shaking hands, still hear your heart’s palpitations, still sense the weirdness in the air.

“You were on the ceiling.” Your voice came out shakey, but you were taking regular breaths. Peter nodded.

“I-I was.” He started. You waited for him to continue with an expectant yet incredulous look on your face. You wanted him to tell you that it was due to some crazy anti-gravity belt that he accidentally ‘created’ due to some error, or something alien he got from the storage of the apartment building, “I know it’s weird but I have a good reason. Just- let’s sit down first?” He asked hesitantly. You just nodded, still confused about everything.

You both walked over to his bunk bed, which was occasionally used by the both of you for sleepovers and Star Wars movie marathon nights, and sat beside each other “How are you now?” You asked suddenly, making Peter raise an eyebrow at you, “You had a fever.” You stated.

“Oh, that? Yeah, I’m way better now.” He nodded, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly before a wince passed his lips. You became cautious and concerned at the action.

“What is it?” You asked as you craned your neck to look at the cause of the pained voice.

“A spider bit me.”

———

You were pulled back to reality by Liz when she nudged your side. Your head perked up from your lap where your chemistry book was lying carelessly, not that you were actually reading it. You pushed your glasses up your nose. No you weren’t a nerd, not even close. Albeit the chemistry book lying in your lap, you were focused on the events from last night. Your mind replayed the way Peter’s sweet, familiar scent filled your nose when you leaned down to check on his injuries, what if you had kissed him, would he have kissed you back?

Peter’s thoughts didn't vary much than yours. All day he kept dozing off thinking about you, about how you smelled of honey, about how your soft lips would’ve felt over his.

He watched you at lunch as you sat with Betty and her friends like you usually did on Fridays just because they were your friends too and you didn’t want to upset them. He saw you turn back to look over at his table and the moment your eyes met, you mouthed a humorous ‘save me’ as you laughed silently, making him smile and look away as he blushed.

His eyes quickly shifted from you and adjusted to somewhere behind you, indicating you as well as convincing himself that he was blushing because of the girl who was behind you, hanging a banner for homecoming, and apparently the girl turned out to be Liz. You turned away from him to hide the frown on your face as you felt a pang in your chest.

You didn’t mean to feel bad. Peter, your best friend, had a crush on a girl who actually deserved him. She was way too nice, smart and beautiful as compared to you. She was the perfect match for him. Or so you thought.

Peter’s eyes fixated back on you as soon as you focused your attention on Betty, he observed your movements, the way you waved your hands in the air to illustrate things better, the way you pushed the same strand of hair —that he was much grateful of— behind your ear again and again and yet again. All things including Ned’s voice was background and the only desired thing was you.

“Earth to (y/n)?” Liz snapped a finger in front of you, waking you up again, “Were you even listening?” She chuckled as you passed her a sheepish look.

You were sitting in the gym bleachers, now in your midtown high sweatshirt, with the group as Peter did his crunches with the help of Ned.

“Sorry, I was thinking about... something.” You replied, settling yourself on the bleachers so that you were comfortable.

“Anyway…” Betty started, “We were playing F, marry, kill, for the avengers! Let’s continue.” She clapped a hand in front of her chest. Sometimes you didn’t like how excited the blonde girl could get. You rolled your eyes playfully muttering a ‘sure.’

“So what would it be for you (y/n)?” Liz asked from your side. You wanted to run away from there as all eyes fell on you but the group was sitting all around and you were in the middle. You knew the whole gym was listening to the conversation of the ‘popular’ kids.

“Um,” You gulped, “F thor, marry Captain America and kill hulk?” you offered. Peter's eyebrows furrowed, what was he thinking, of course you wouldn’t take his alter ego’s name. He was not expecting you to say you would marry Spider-man, no.

Your friends all seemed satisfied with your answer and nodded, except Liz.

“What about Spider-man?” She asked. Peter's ears perked up at that.

“What– What about him?” You asked her. You could feel Peter’s —and everyone else’s— eyes lingering over your group.

“Didn’t you see the big security cam on YouTube?!” She bragged, “He fought off four guys!”

Everyone rolled their eyes like they already knew what was happening, “Oh god, she’s crushing on Spider-man.” Some girl announced nonchalantly.

Your eyes widened dramatically, “What?” You asked.

She shrugged, trying to seem uninterested but the smile on her face gave her facade away, “Well, maybe.”

“But what if he’s like, seriously burned, or eighty?” You asked suddenly. Peter squinted his eyes on you as he tried to hold in his laughter. You looked so cute when you tried so hard to hide the fact that you actually knew Spider-man or how that one strand on hair fell on your face which you adjusted behind your ear. You were blushing slightly and Peter could just grab your face and kiss all over — Stop!

The group thundered, “Okay, first of all, he’s not eighty.” Liz laughed, making you blush in embarrassment, “And second of all, I wouldn’t care. I would still love him for the person he is on the inside.” Peter was full on staring at the black haired girl as you could see from the corner of your eyes. You felt a strong feeling tugging at your heart as it dropped to the pit of your stomach. Were you jealous of Liz? No! But again, why was Peter staring at her in the hallway?!

Before you could interject or even think of anything to say back to her you heard a voice which made the whole gym fall into silence, “Peter knows Spider-man!” Now all the eyes were on Peter as he turned to Ned with an unbelievable look. He scrambled off the ground, “No, I don’t.” He tried, waving his hands in dismissal, “I-I’ve met him, yeah, t-through the Stark Internship.”

“They’re friends.” Ned quipped. You stared at the boys with a questioning look, what was going on in their head? Peter passed you a tight lipped smile.

“Oh yeah, like coach Wilson and Captain America are friends.” Flash laughed, “You know what, why don’t you invite your ‘friend’ Spider-man to Liz’s house party?”

“You’re having a party?” You whispered to Liz, only for Peter to repeat it out loud.

“Yeah, I’m having people over tonight.” She said, giving you an apologetic grin. You shook your head.

“You should totally invite your pal, Spider-man.” Flash said as the bell rang and students started emptying the gym. Peter turned to Ned with an angry look and you rushed towards the both as your group also dissipated.

“What’re you doing?!” He asked, frustrated as you slipped beside them and started walking out of the room, behind the crowd. You slipped your hand in Peter’s since no one was watching, and why not. You knew it calmed him down when you rubbed soft circles on the back of his hand.

“Okay, did you not hear her? Liz has a crush on you.” He explained and you could feel your heart drop to your feet, and Peter was about to step over it.

“On Spider-man, not him.” You butted as Peter opened his mouth to say something.

“Come on (y/n), be serious.” He chuckled. Only if he knew, you were dead serious, “You’re an avenger man! If anyone has a chance with a senior girl, it’s you! Stop pining after her and just make a move.” Ned announced before walking ahead, leaving you and Peter with your thoughts.

So he liked Liz? And he told Ned but not you?

Peter didn’t seem to notice your face drop, “We need to go to that party.” He smiled, swinging your hands as you moved to your locker.

———

“Peter, I think you need to see a doctor.” You told him as your eyebrows furrowed.

“And tell him what (y/n)? A spider bit me and I got powers, my vision is better and my senses got developed? That sounds terrible.” He shook his head. Now that he mentioned, you noticed that he wasn't wearing his glasses and his shirt did look two sizes smaller for him, “Wanna take a picture? It’ll last longer.” He chuckled. Suddenly, heat rushed to your cheeks and you felt embarrassed under his stare. You felt intimidated by him, you felt different with him, a good different of course. He was much more confident and snarky than the Peter you knew.

“What if it’s something serious?” You tried diverting the topic, thankfully he didn’t question you anymore.

“Don't worry so much (y/n). Anyway, I don’t think our family doctor could tell what it is.” He said and you nodded along. A silence fell over the room for a few moments. Peter could hear your, now calm, heartbeat and he wanted to get close to you, incredibly close, like he’s never been before. You were in your most casual clothes and without any makeup but he still found you enchanting. He was feeling different with you than before, a good different of course.

“So can you do anything cool?” You asked, eyes shining with adoration.

He laughed, “Name it.”

———

You could sense nervous and scared vibes radiating off Peter as he sat in the passenger seat of May’s old, dingy car. You were sitting beside Ned. May was really happy that his nephew was finally being social and normal like other teenagers and not being stuck with a billionaire in his office and arranging paperwork for him. She was already very proud of Peter, everyone was, and the internship has got him in his head all the time, so busy that he had no time to spend with friends or her.

May pulled up in front of Liz’s house and bent down a little to get a look at the venue. She nodded her head in approval before looking back to you and Ned and complimenting him on his hat. You giggled, trying to ignore the way Peter looked uncomfortable.

“This is a mistake.” He said, looking out the window, at the number of people rushing into the house, “Hey, let’s just go home.” He looked between you and May with pleading eyes.

“Come on Pete, we’re here already, you can do this!” You encouraged. May nodded before starting about how his body was going through changes. You could barely hold your laughter in as Peter chuckled, “Okay, I think we should go.” He said, opening the door and getting out immediately.

You lagged behind as both the boys moved in through the door only to be met with teenagers dancing and mingling with each other over the loud music. Flash was the DJ tonight, you rolled your eyes at him. You watched Peter with worried eyes as you moved next to him, slipping your hand in his and squeezing it gently. The gesture was so simple yet it calmed his nerves down and he gave you a grateful smile before Ned started explaining his plan about how Spider-man would enter the party.

You were again drowning in your thoughts, focusing on rubbing soft circles on the back of Peter’s hand when a high pitched voice brought you back to reality, “Oh my gosh, hey guys! Cool hat Ned!” Liz complimented, “(Y/n), you look so stunning!”

You passed her a genuine smile, after all the girl was really, very sweet, “You look very beautiful yourself Liz!” You complimented back.

“Hi Liz.” Ned greeted and Peter followed with a squeaky voice. Poor boy, didn’t know how to converse with a girl, well except you. That or he didn’t think of you as a girl.

“So glad you guys are here.” She said, being the great host she is. Her gaze went down to your and Peter’s still interwoven fingers, “Hey, are you guys finally together? Can’t believe I won the bet-” She stopped herself before she could speak any further and pointed towards your hands.

Both of you looked down at your hands. Peter was the first one to immediately retract his hand from yours. You felt unwanted as he frantically started explaining to Liz that ‘It’s not what it looks like!’

“We’re just friends, nothing more.” He rubbed the back of his neck, the slightest rocking back and forth visible in his body. Your chest tightened, a mere few words and actions making your heart sink to the pit of your stomach.

You wish you could be something more with Peter, but it was no use when he saw you as ‘just friends.’

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@tom-holland-is-spiderman @anjali750

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recurring-polynya · 4 years

Note

Can we get some drabbles on Renji’s time with Squad 11 especially his interactions with Kenpachi and Yachiru? Obviously shenanigans with Ikkaku and Yumichika are welcome! Also, how did you think he was promoted to Squad 6 lieutenant? It’s safe to assume he applied (I can imagine his Squad 11 gang even helping him out with this) as that’s part of his “master Get-Back-Rukia plan” but moving from 6th seat to lieutenant is a leap and I imagine that Byakuya is super picky. Imagine his job interview!

I’ll do the meta part first.

#0. For starters, Renji spent 40 years reverse-engineering how to make Squad 6 Vice-Captain. He read every Teen Vogue profile on Byakuya, he clipped Byakuya’s unreadable etiquette column in the Bulletin, he studied Kuchiki military history, he hung out at Shirogane Ginjirou’s sunglasses shop and knew exactly when the guy planned to retire and got a bunch of spilled tea on Byakuya’s pet peeves, of which there are many. Byakuya is not exactly a complicated guy, it isn’t all that hard to figure out what the right answers to his interview questions are gonna be.

#1. I think there is an exam that qualifies you to be a vice-captain, and that Renji vastly over-prepared for it and got an extremely high score. Byakuya loves big numbers.

#2. There is a standard application for Vice-Captain that’s probably about 5 pages long. Renji’s application was 15 pages long. He included a personal essay and a long paean to how much he admired the principles of Squad 6. Byakuya loves Squad 6, and he loves a guy who is really enthusiastic about Squad 6.

#3. Renji is great in an interview. I headcanon that he and Rukia did a lot of con artistry back in Rukongai. Byakuya is a mark. Primarily, Renji gave him opportunities to pontificate, which Byakuya loves. Byakuya talked through 90% of Renji’s interview, and walked out feeling great.

#4. The only thing Renji had going against him was the reference section. Byakuya hates Zaraki and would go out of his way to avoid talking to him. Aizen was still salty that Renji left his squad, and tried to reverse psych Byakuya into not hiring him. (“Oh, I think he’d be an excellent second for you, Byakuya! He’s a bit impulsive, and I’m sure your influence would overcome some of that hotheadedness! His poor kidou skills shouldn’t be a problem, I’m sure you’ve got that covered yourself…”) Unfortunately for Aizen, Byakuya was already 80% on Team Renji and he realized Aizen was trying to play him, and Byakuya hates being played.

Job offer within 24 hours. Regrets came later.

I do a lot of shenanigans with Ikkaku and Yumichika, but not usually Kenpachi and Yachiru, so let’s try that for a change!

🗡️ 💖 💪

“I have a Special Assignment for you, Abarai,” the Kenpachi grumbled.

Special Assignments could be anything, really. Running around dive bars in the upper Rukon, stapling up posters to advertise their next Recruitment Brawl. Delivering blotchy hand-written notes to Captain Unohana. Helping Zaraki set up elaborate obstacle courses that would then necessitate another Recruitment Brawl. The majority of Renji’s Special Assignments involved helping the captain get somewhere he needed to go. Zaraki was very good at getting lost, but Renji was exceptionally good at finding places. This worked out rather nicely, because there was almost always something interesting to fight in the places that Zaraki wanted to go, and the more Zaraki saw Renji fight, the more willing he was to bring him along.

“We goin’ somewhere, sir?” Renji asked hopefully.

Zaraki scratched his ass pensively. “Not today. C’mon in, I don’t wanna talk about it outside.” He let the way into what was occasionally jokingly referred to as his “office.” It was the place where Zaraki hung out and took naps during the day, in case anyone wanted to find him for fighting purposes. “Chisaka had to go to the Living World last week,” Zaraki explained, rummaging around in his kosode and pulling out a well-thumbed magazine. “She brought Yachiru back some manga she thought she would like.”

“That was nice,” Renji commented carefully. Giving gifts to Yachiru was nearly always an exercise in “no good deed goes unpunished.”

“Yeah, it went over real good,” Zaraki grumbled. “She liked it so much, she wants her hair done up like the kid in it.” He thrust the crumpled booklet at Renji. It was a girls’ manga, the kind with a lot of sparkles and girls in sailor suits. Zaraki poked a gnarled finger at a picture of a little girl with pink hair, twisted up into two little buns, with fluffy ponytails trailing down from them.

Renji rolled his eyes up towards his captain. “What the actual fuck, sir? Isn’t this more Ayasegawa’s department?” Zaraki didn’t like to be called ‘sir’ unless there was a profanity somewhere in the same sentence.

“Dammit, Abarai, I know you’ve let Ayasegawa do your hair. It takes him four fucking hours and he screams at you if you squirm. Yachiru can’t sit through that shit.”

Renji made an uncomfortable face. “Your hair always looks great, can’t you--”

“I tried! She doesn’t want me to use any gel, says it needs to be ‘fluffy’. How the hell are you supposed to do a hairstyle without gel, answer me that!”

“What makes you think I can do anything?” Renji finally whined.

“Look, I started at the top. Madarame ain’t got any hair, and Iba might as well not. You’re pretty fast, and you’re probably strong enough to hold her down, and at least you know how a ponytail holder works.” Zaraki sucked his teeth. “If you do it, I’ll fight you later.”

“Really?” Renji asked, his eyebrows shooting up. Zaraki didn’t usually feel that anyone below Ikkaku merited his time, and Renji jumped at every opportunity to convince him otherwise.

“Yeah, sure.” Zaraki flung open the door to the room where Yachiru sat, scowling, surrounded by an assortment of ribbons and barrettes. “I got help.”

“Wrong Way doesn’t know how to do hair!” Yachiru shouted.

Renji and Yachiru had an ongoing philosophical disagreement about the geography of the Seireitei. Yachiru had zero legs to stand on in this argument, but also, she was the one who came up with nicknames.

“He has a lot of hair,” Zaraki countered.

“That’s boy hair!” Yachiru returned. “It doesn’t count!”

“I… have done girl hair before,” Renji admitted, somewhat painedly. “Hair is hair!” He almost yelled “Gender is a construct!” because he had been reading some of the books Iba’s mom kept leaving in their room, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to explain what that meant. At this point, he just wanted to get this over with, preferably without getting kicked in the nose, which tended to happen a lot around Yachiru. “If you let me try, I’ll let you do my hair.”

Yachiru’s eyes went wide. “Really?”

“You can’t cut it, but sure. Whatever.”

Zaraki was looking over at him with something that might have been respect. “Do you know what you’re doing, you crazy bastard?” he mumbled.

“Absolutely not,” Renji replied.

🗡️ 💖 💪

“They’re uneven, is all I’m saying,” Yumichika sniffed.

“I love them, he put extra ribbons on!” Yachiru howled, swinging her sheathed sword at Yumichika, who deftly ducked. The ribbons swung delightfully around the sides of her head.

“I’m honestly surprised there were any ribbons left,” Iba commented dryly.

“You can shut it, fucko!” Renji yelled. His hair was styled rather similarly to his vice-captain’s, except that his was in three (rather lumpy) buns, and his ponytails trailed more majestically. The curling iron had been a terrible idea overall, but the big, loopy curls at the ends of both Renji’s and Yachiru’s hair had definitely been worth all the burns.

Ikkaku rubbed his own bald pate. “I kinda like that look on him. 100 kan says it helps him fight better.”

“You’re on,” Iba agreed.

“What’s the hold up?!” Zaraki roared.

“Here I come!” Renji bellowed.

“Ganbatte, Wrong Way!” Yachiru cheered.

There was a loud crunch.

Ikkaku handed over the 100 kan. “It was worth a try.”

#happy birthday renji!#renji abarai #squad 11 #my writing #drabbles

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drabbledragon · 4 years

Text

Linktober: Fall

Still a few days behind but I’m catching up! I’ll be up to date in no time!

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26749021/chapters/65731681

Summary: One of the Links is always changing, just like the leaves in fall.

Warnings: Swearing

Day 6: Fall

This forest was unlike anything the group had ever encountered before. Tall Aspen trees towered over them and created a mosaic of red, orange, and yellow up in the treetops, and a small stream trickled peacefully by small river rocks. The dirt ground beneath them was laden with hoof tracks and piles of leaves, with no indication that humans nor Hylians have ever stepped foot in this very forest. The place was wild, breathtaking, and absolutely beautiful in all its untamed might.

“It appears that we’re stuck in between eras.” The Hero of Time had concluded. The group discussion they had had a little while ago turned out to be inconclusive, with their best guess being a time between Twilight’s and Wild’s eras - but even that claim was a bit shaky.

Sky stepped forward and curiously looked at the trees around him. “ We haven’t seen any monsters here yet,” He turned back and regarded the other heroes with pinched brows, “ So do you guys think we’re in a time where Ganon doesn’t exist?”

“We very well could be.” Warriors chimed in.

The heroes had broken out into another murmured discussion about the matter, each one of them trying to figure out why exactly the Goddess would send them to a timeline with no destruction and no one to save. Among those several heroes was Four, eyes distant as his four personalities argued in his head.

C’mon, Blue, it’ll be fun!

Red, I’m not going to act like a five year - old and jump into a pile of leaves.

Awww, please? They’re so colorful and pretty and they make a cool crunch sound when you step on them! And this might be our only chance to relax and have some fun! Plus you heard Sky: there are no monsters here so we don’t have to worry about getting attacked or anything!

One, that’s not what Sky said; Sky said that we haven’t seen any monsters yet, meaning that there could very well be monsters, but just hidden. Two, how do you think the others would react? They’ll most likely treat us like little kids after, and I don’t want to be teased all the time like Wind.

But Vioooo, it’s just a little pile of leaves. Maybe everyone else will join when they see us jump in first! The corner of Four’s lips twitched.

Guys, Warriors is talking to us.

The Hero of the Four Sword was startled back into reality, and nearly shrunk under the captain’s expectant gaze. Struggling to find his voice, he stuttered out a quick, “ H - huh?”

“I asked you what you thought about the situation.” The Hero of Warriors frowned. Then with a placement of hands on hips and a raised brow, the man questioned, “ Were you even listening to a thing I’ve been saying?”

“Oh, um ...” The silence between them was palpable, and no matter how much of four’s personalities tried to rack their brains for the captain’s recent words, all they could think about was Red’s excitable personality bubbling to the surface. Green could feel himself quickly becoming suppressed under his red counterpart’s desire to let loose and have some fun, and he could feel his gaze flickering more and more to the piles of leaves rather than Warriors’s face. Three - quarters of him begged Red not to give in to his impulsivity, but they were fighting a losing battle, and Red was clearly the victor.

Four was pushing past Warriors before he even knew it.

Seven curious faces and an offended Warriors watched as their smallest hero leapt into the pile of foliage, giggling and smiling as colorful leaves fluttered around him like winter’s snow. His face was alight with newfound joy as he mindlessly tossed red, orange, and yellow leaves into the air, and for once, he felt like just another child enjoying a crisp autumn day. He idly wondered how long it had been since he was last able to be his exuberant self - to just abandon his duty as a knight and enjoy the small joys in life. He abruptly froze.

Red! What did you do? Everyone’s staring!

Oh my Goddesses, they’re never gonna let us live this down.

If we have to explain ourselves, you’re the one who’ll have to do it.

Red looked to the remaining heroes with tears in his eyes. Oh man, what’s he going to say?

He startled when a rush of blue and blonde jumped into the pile of leaves next to him.

“Woohoo!” Wind shouted when he popped his head out the pile, leaves and twigs tangled into his hair. He looked to the Hero of the Four Sword and beamed, “ That was really fun! Let’s do that again, Four!”

And the Hero of the Four Sword glowed, his red eyes bright with elation.

Not long after, Wild, Hyrule, and a newly - transformed Wolfie had joined in, each one of them caught in a fit of giggles and whoops as they hopped from leaf pile to leaf pile. It appeared that the heroes' concern about being dropped into an unfamiliar Hyrule had slowly dribbled away, giving way to amusement as they watched the five heroes let loose and enjoy themselves. With a warm smile, Time decided,

“I guess we’ll be staying here for the night.”

Dusk had quickly approached soon after, causing fading rays of sunlight to shine weakly through the trees. The Hero of Twilight and the Hero of the Four Sword walked purposefully through the forest, the former remaining in his Twili form as the two scoured the area for food.

The smaller of the two heroes took out his makeshift - shopping list Wild had given him, and scanned it over for the umpteenth time.

Well we have the mushrooms and apples the cook asked for, so we’re really just missing the honey.

We know, Vio. Can you just stop looking over that thing every five seconds? It’s starting to piss me off.

Wolfie questioningly looked back as he heard the paper crumple in the other’s hands, but Four simply ignored him.

Blue, it’s okay! I’m sure Vio’s doing his best! Plus it’s hard for us to remember things, right? So it’s okay for him to check back every once in a while.

Sure, but every five fucking seconds? None of us have memory issues that bad; Vio’s either messing with us or actually has amnesia like Wild.

Hey, look!

Red, Blue, and Vio all looked to where Green mentally motioned. There it was: their last ingredient was hanging on a high branch just above them, the bee’s nest swinging idly in the cool breeze.

“It’s really high up,” Twilight pursed his lips, his form now that of a Hylian’s. “ Maybe I can grab it with my Clawshot.” He was just about to search for his aforementioned tool when a sudden snort caught his attention.

“Really, Wolfboy? You need something like that to get a little bee’s nest? I can get that with my bow and arrow in one shot, no doubt.”

The Hero of Twilight looked over the other with obvious skepticism. “ Blue eyes, huh? So I guess Blue’s the one doing the talking.” Then with a taunting smirk, he asked, “ Hmph, up for a little challenge?”

Blue, just please say no.

“You bet your furry ass I am!”

Green mentally facepalmed.

“Then it’s settled,” Twilight said, taking out an orange Rupee and waving it around. “ First one to get the beehive gets 100 Rupees.”

100 Rupees? Blue gawked, that was going to be an easy win! With Vio’s precision and Green’s coordination, the four of them were guaranteed to win! Blue reached down to his bag to find his Bow, but paused when he felt that something was off. With a slow glance down, he was slightly horrified to find that his tunic was completely blue.

He quickly swivelled on his heels and frowned to see his three counterparts smiling right back at him. “Hey, seriously?! You guys are quitting on me just like that?!”

“Well you’re the one that wanted to challenge Twilight, not us.” Vio shrugged. “ So if you want to win, then do it fairly.”

“Yeah,” Red chimed in. “ I wanna see you win!”

Blue gritted his teeth. Really? His three other counterparts were bailing on him just because of something so stupid as playing fair? They were all part of the same person, for Hylia’s sake; using each one of their abilities was totally fair! He shrunk when he felt Twilight’s shadow looming over him.

“Well, Blue?” His eyes darted over to the Ordonian’s smirk. “ Is our competition still on? Or do you just wanna hand me my 100 Rupees now?”

There was a moment of hesitance from Four’s blue counterpart until he finally shouted back, “ You’re on, Furball!”

The two heroes each positioned themselves on either side of the tree, bows readily aimed at their unsuspecting prize. Blue did his best not to tremble under the pressure, but after taking a glance at the cool, calm, and collected Ordonian standing right across from him, he couldn’t help but feel his confidence wane like a dying fire.

“Ready ...” Green drawled from a distance, hand raised readily in the air.

Blue took a steadying breath. He could do this; just one little hit at the bee’s nest’s stem and those 100 Rupees were as good as his.

“Go!”

The call caused two arrows to fly simultaneously through the air like a quick gust of wind, both projectiles aimed at the same target. They both sliced through the air at an amazing speed but just as Blue had feared, Twilight’s arrow had reached the nest first, easily nicking the stem and sending the hive falling towards the ground.

But Blue wasn’t done yet. He may have lost the battle, but he’ll win the war.

Four’s blue counterpart broke into a sprint almost immediately after, arms strewn out in an attempt to catch the nest. He had successfully caught it when it was just a hair’s breadth away from hitting the ground, and he couldn’t help but cheer out in victory; but he had poorly miscalculated his win, because the next thing he knew, his degree of momentum had sent him tumbling towards the ground with a roll, and the steep decline of the hill only seemed to spur him on. He eventually ended up in a nearby stream not long after, with arms raised above his head in order to avoid the beehive from getting wet while the rest of him was currently drowning underwater. When he was finally able to gain his bearings, he sat up and looked to his three counterparts and the Ordonian looking back at him from the top of the hill, Vio and Twilight doing their best to hold in their laughter while Red and Green didn’t even bother.

Wild was cooking later that night, the smell of Glazed Mushrooms and Honeyed Apples wafting through the air in a tantalizing manner. Four sat blissfully next to the small campfire, and watched quietly as the group’s resident cook stirred the pot once again.

The Hero of Wilds pursed his lips as he said, “I honestly thought there would be more honey in that hive, but since we’re in a weird sorta Hyrule - limbo, I guess it would make sense if everything was a little bit off.”

Yes, Blue, it is weird that there wasn’t much honey in there.

Blue’s sudden flare of anger caused Four’s jaw to stiffen.

Y’know what, Vio? How about you go get the honey next time? I can sit there and supervise you while you do it and after you’re done drowning in a river, I can go over and laugh at you.

It’s your fault for challenging Twilight like that; you knew he would win.

Hey, doesn’t that smell like dad’s cooking?

The four of them sharpened their focus to the warm smell that was coming from the pot, and each one of them hummed in agreement.

Yeah, you’re kinda right, Red.

I wonder what he’s up to, him being the head knight and all.

Oooo, you think he’s drinking hot chocolate right now? I bet that vendor in Castletown is already selling some!

Idiot, he’s probably working his ass off protecting the castle! He doesn’t have time for stupid stuff like that!

“I miss him.”

Every personality within Four inwardly gasped at Green’s sudden words, and none of them missed the confused side - glance Wild gave them.

The cook’s brows pinched together as he said, “ You missing someone?”

“I, uh -” Green, who was now forcibly shoved to the front to deal with their situation, racked his brain for a way to explain himself; but when none came, he eventually settled on a wistful sigh and said, “ Yeah, I just miss my dad.”

“Oh yeah? What’s he up to now?”

“Well, he’s the head knight in my Hyrule, so he’s probably off protecting Zelda and stuff like that.” A nostalgic smile crossed his lips. “ When I was a little kid, my dad always used to make me fresh - cooked eggs and honeyed fruit for breakfast, and just before he headed out, he would always tell me how much he loved me even when I was a little brat, and I would always give him the biggest hug back. It’s been awhile since I’ve last seen him, but I know he misses me a lot, and he’s eagerly waiting for the day I come back home.” He nonchalantly shrugged. “ I guess you’re cooking just reminded me of him.”

Green sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. What was he thinking telling Wild of all people about his family?! He knew the Hero of Wilds’s was very sensitive about the matter, and for Green to just go on and practically brag about how his family was still alive and well? What an idiot!

But to Four’s pleasant surprise, the cook simply answered back with a longing smile. “ I got a few people I’ve been missing, too: my Zelda, Impa, Sidon - I know they’re all their wits end trying to figure out where the hell I went, so hopefully we’ll be able to stop by my Hyrule soon and I could explain to them what’s going on.” He propped a cheek on one of his hands and wondered aloud, “ I wonder if we could visit Sidon first. It’s been a while since I’ve last seen him and I did promise him that we’d go swimming at Palmorae Beach soon.”

Green smiled. At least they all had someone to go home to.

The full moon casted a beautiful light across their camp tonight, and the peaceful and quiet atmosphere seemed to compel the heroes into talking about their adventures again.

“Okay, but did you really fight the moon?”

“Perhaps, but that’s for me to know and for you to find out.”

“Jeeze, Old Man, you’re such a tease.”

The camp seemed alight with cheer and good banter, but one of the Links was quiet, plate in hand and eyes glued onto his shadow.

Warriors. Sleep. Snore.

Vio’s eyes lit up with mundane amusement. He had figured out what his shadow was trying to say: Warriors was caught snoring one night, and to be honest, it was pretty hilarious to watch in Shadow’s opinion.

Out of the four personalities that resided in Four’s body, Vio had become the best at deciphering what Shadow was trying to say, and that was pretty impressive considering the latter had to use some modified form of sign language so the four of them could actually see the signs he was trying to make. Having your shadow hold a hand in front of its own body did make it impossible to pull any kind of meaning from it, after all.

“Your shadow: it’s facing the wrong direction.”

Red, Blue, and Green all startled at the Hero of Time’s sudden observation, but Vio was good at keeping up appearances in tense situations. With a flash of disinterested violet eyes, he glanced to Time and explained in a hush voice, “ It’s a side effect of the Four Sword; the magic held by it seemed to change everything about us.”

The leader of the group regarded him for a few more tense seconds before tiredly sighing, “ Ah, the things you poor boys went through. If I could’ve prevented any of your adventures from ever happening, I would.” And with that being said, Time turned back to the rest of the Links, an amused smile on his lips as he watched their antics.

Hylia, Vio, you just saved all of our asses.

Yeah, did you see that scary look Time was giving us?! I almost couldn’t breathe for a second!

Do you think he’ll just let us live this down? Like do you think he’ll ever bring this up again?

Thank you. Vio.

Vio smiled at Shadow’s gratitude. He had saved all of his counterparts from a terrible interrogation and from a chance of being casted away from the group just because he was technically some derivative of a Dark Link.

A sigh blew through his nose.

Sure, Shadow may have been an enemy hellbent on killing every single one of Four’s personalities before but he had changed, coming to the realisation that Vaati’s wish to plunge all of Hyrule into darkness was beyond cruel, and he had taken to sacrificing himself all for the sake of making sure that Red, Blue, Green, and Vio were able to save the kingdom in time. Shadow was on their side - every one of Four’s counterparts were sure of it - but the rest of the Links wouldn’t understand.

But things change, just like the leaves in fall, and just like Four’s personalities.

#linkeduniverse #hero of four swords #fanfic #linktober2020

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need-a-fugue · 4 years

Text

We Grow Together (3)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x OFC

Summary: Relationships can be tough, especially when one person is a recovering-from-being-brainwashed-and-tortured former assassin and the other is an overworked mutant scientist. But hey, every couple has their struggles. Right?

Warning(s): some angst, some emotional and mental turmoil… some bad language words… much fluff

Chapter Summary: You’ve got more firepower in that tight little body of yours than all of these idiots put together. Seems pretty selfish of you to refuse to help them.

“Ah, perfect,” Tony calls out as she enters the common room. “Just the brilliant, beautiful, amazing person I was looking for.”

Steve and Bucky both roll their eyes, neither moving from their statue-like stances, arms folded over their chests. There’s an air of pre-mission nerves in the room, Tessa can feel it as she moves over to the counter. She shifts her glasses up onto the top of her head, takes in the slightly fuzzy faces around her. “Yeah, well, that makes sense considering you paged me,” she says, pinching the bridge of her nose and blinking rapidly to bring things into focus.

“What’s with the four eyes?”

“Somebody,” she says, turning and scowling in Bucky’s direction, “dumped my contacts in the toilet.”

He merely shrugs in response. “Shouldn’t have had them that close to the edge of the counter.”

“Well,” Tony starts, ignoring Bucky completely and clapping his hands together in preparation, “You’ll need to find some new ones, cause glasses aren’t gonna cut it tonight.”

Her head shoots around to glare at him. “No.”

“No? You don’t even know what I was going to say,” he whines.

But she does know. Because he had been preparing for these speaking engagements for weeks… no, months. And as much as it seemed like playful ribbing when he harassed her about coming along, she knew he was serious. “I’m not going on your little press tour,” she tells him with a pout.

He waggles his finger at her as he begins to pace excitedly. “First of all, this press tour, as you so incorrectly dubbed it, is very important to both Stark Industries and The Avengers Initiative – both of which employ you, if I recall.” He turns on a heel and cocks his head in her direction, takes in her defiant posture, arms crossed angrily over her chest. He then looks just beyond her at the men to her right. “Second of all, you all look very cute right now.”

Tessa turns to see that the three of them – her, Steve, and Bucky – are all lined up, standing in nearly the exact same position with squared feet and crossed arms. She immediately drops her hands to her sides and rolls her eyes.

“Hey hey,” sounds from the hall in a far too chipper tone. All heads swivel to the doorway as Sam saunters in. “Sam Wilson, Avenger Intern, reporting for duty,�� he says with an exaggerated salute.

“You’re taking Sam with you?” she asks, looking quizzically at Steve.

“Don’t say it like that,” Sam complains. “He knows I’ve got his back.”

“I didn’t mean… I just didn’t realize you were going.” She flicks her eyes over to Bucky, who’s gaze is on the floor, hair falling to cover his face.

Steve knows what she’s asking – is Bucky okay with this? He claps his hand on his friend’s shoulder, causing him to look up and regard the captain quickly before turning to meet Tessa’s eyes. “We’re a little shorthanded,” Steve says as Bucky gives her a pained smile.

“Which is why I paged you.” Tony grabs an apple off the counter and meanders over to the sink to rinse it, muttering to himself as he goes. “Page, what is this 1997?” When he turns, everyone is watching him, some with more curiosity than others. He takes a bite of the apple and chews for a long, drawn-out moment, looking back out across the room. Then – crunch – another bite, more slow, methodical chewing.

“What, Tony? What do you want?” Tessa nearly shouts.

He gulps down the fruit. “You’re going with them,” he says, pointing at the men behind her.

She turns to them and sees three very different expressions. Sam looks surprised, and legitimately confused. Bucky’s trying to hide a knowing smirk, and failing miserably. He averts his eyes when she narrows hers at him. And Steve, good old Captain America, is wearing his game face, his expression the same one she’s seen when he goes blathering on about mission objectives and combined responsibilities. He wasn’t questioning Tony’s declaration at all. To him, it seemed like this was a forgone conclusion.

She turns back to Tony, mouth agape. “Uh, no.”

“Uh, yes.” He sets down the chewed-on apple and moves to stand directly in front of her. “Barton and Romanov are off doing… I don’t know whatever they do. Thor is somewhere over the rainbow bridge. I have to go to Munich for a speaking engagement. And I’m taking Bruce with me for scientific support.”

“Does he know that?”

“He will. Point is, you’re needed. Time to suit up, kid.”

“Tony,” she says, voice slow and deliberate. “I am not an Avenger.”

“Neither are they,” he tells her, tossing his hand in the direction of Bucky and Sam. “Not really, anyway.”

Steve steps forward, and she can practically hear the Battle Hymn of the Republic play in the background as he stands tall and stoic before her. “We need you, Tess. This mission is time sensitive. It can’t wait for Nat or Clint to get back. We need to go tonight.”

“Then tell Tony to skip his engagement, or at least leave Bruce behind.”

Tony shakes his head. “Not gonna happen. Bruce won’t go in the field without Romanov. They’ve finally got this lullaby thing down.” He turns to face her. “And we’ve got over half a million dollars sunk into this project that’s being unveiled tonight. Tonight. Potential investors are counting on me.”

“Seems pretty selfish of you, when there’s such an important mission that needs you.”

He scoffs. “You’ve got more firepower in that tight little body of yours than all of these idiots put together. Seems pretty selfish of you to refuse to help them.”

“He’s right, Tessa,” Steve chimes in.

Tony leans over the counter. “About which part… the firepower, being selfish, or having a tight little body?”

He closes his eyes, mentally begging a higher power for patience. “The… firepower.” He turns to face Tessa. “I know it’s a lot to ask. I know you don’t like doing this. But we could really use your help,” he says in a low voice, pleading puppy dog eyes boring into her.

She breaks away from his gaze and looks over to Bucky. He gives her a crooked smile. “I wouldn’t mind seeing what you can do,” he tells her.

She lets out a long sigh. “What’s the mission?” she asks in a tone that most assuredly makes it clear she’s not sold yet.

“A cartel in southern Mexico kidnapped a diplomat and his family,” Steve says.

Tessa crinkles her brow. “And that’s the Avengers’ problem how?”

Bucky chimes in next. “They’re French nationals. Our military won’t get involved because they’re not US citizens. French military won’t get involved because they’re… French.”

Steve dramatically rolls his eyes. “The family has been residing in Vancouver, so France isn’t considering them citizens. And neither is Canada.”

“And now I’m even more confused about how this landed on us.”

“The wife is an old friend of Senator Kline,” Tony interjects. “He’s the kid’s godfather. And Senator Kline is a dear old friend of Fury. Or he’s someone Fury owes money to… unclear. At any rate, Maria Hill already promised that we would… diffuse the situation.” He turns to address Steve. “Remind me to fire her, by the way.”

“So we’re going to Mexico to free a French-Canadian family from a drug cartel,” she deadpans. “Neat.”

“The we means you’re in, then?” Steve asks with a cautious smile.

She throws her head back in exasperation. “Shit. Fuck,” she breathes out.

“Ooooh, hey. You kiss Tin Man with that mouth?”

“Yes, Tony, I kiss him all over with this mouth. Every inch of –”

Tony claps his hands over his ears. “Lalalalalalalalala! I can’t hear you!”

“I can,” Bucky tells her. “Go on.”

She turns back to him and they share an amused look, much to the chagrin of the others in the room. Shaking her head, she swivels back and takes hold of Tony’s arm. “Get me a suit already.”

He drops his hands from his ears and clasps them around her wrist, a giant smile overtaking his face. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear those words come out of your mouth,” he says, hurriedly dragging her off.

“We meet in an hour in the conference room to lay out the strategy,” Steve calls after them. “We need to be wheels up by 8!”

Once they’re gone, the three men each exchange glances before breaking off in silence. It was going to be a long night.

#bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky x oc #marvel fanfic #avengers fanfiction #marvelau #bucky imagine #bucky barnes imagine #avengersau #Supernova

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summerofspock · 5 years

Text

Ravenous: A gift fic about all the ways an unfulfilled bond could manifest

For @wingittofreedom and inspired by several joking conversations with @perphesone @geordilaforge @butterfly-apocalypse @punkspockispunkrock and @grumpybonesey

It’s a normal day on the Enterprise. Which, in the life of Jim Kirk, means that he is recovering from a disastrous mission and trying his best to stay awake in the captain’s chair.

Well, disastrous is a strong word. More like awkward. Nobody died and Kirk only came out of it with purple bruises around his neck and the haunting sensation of Spock’s hands choking the—

It wasn’t every day you saw your first officer go insane. And have him attack you in front of a landing party. An attack that included but was not limited to: choking, unfortunate rubbing of certain sensitive parts as Jim was pushed into the dirt, and the tearing of several articles of clothing that revealed a great deal more skin than any captain should show a security team. Or his first officer.

He sighs loudly, rubbing at the ghostly markings on his neck. Of course they’re gone, long healed by Bones and his judicious use of a tricorder, but he can’t shake this strange sensation of being held down, of pressure.

“Mr. Spock, readings please,” Jim asks, more to get his attention than anything.

“All systems normal,” Spock replies sounding a bit constipated. Jim really wishes he’d get over whatever’s making him so standoffish.

Their relationship had come so far in the last three years, going from working well together to having amazing discussions to playing chess and choosing to eat together in the mess. They’d become downright friendly.

The choking thing seems to have really thrown a spanner in the works.

Or maybe he knows how you feel , a little traitorous voice whispers in the back of his head.

What about it? he whispers back viciously and the voice shuts up.

So Jim spends the rest of an interminable shift staring longingly at the science console and pretending he isn’t, trying to give Spock supportive smiles whenever the Vulcan glances over.

Read the rest on Ao3

“Feeling hungry there Spock?” McCoy asks pausing the bite of his salad halfway to his mouth.

Jim looks over at the Vulcan’s tray and tried not to gape. It’s piled high with bread, applesauce, a gazillion vegetables and a large bowl of soup. “I do not think my culinary preferences were under your purview, Doctor,” Spock replies primly before tucking in.

“It is if you’re eating enough for a damn army,” McCoy shoots back. He jams the bite of salad into his mouth with more force than necessary, as if his aggression will somehow prove his point more effectively.

They eat in a silence only slightly more tense than Jim is comfortable with, but he gets it. McCoy is still pretty cranky that Spock tried to off the captain and Spock is still embarrassed about the whole thing. He had to spend a week in medbay while McCoy coaxed him down off his hormones. Or whatever it was that had made him go bananas.

Jim lets the whole interaction go but gives McCoy a strange look when he watches Spock replicate more bread, tucking it into his pockets before leaving the mess.

“What’s with that?’ Jim asks, pointing after Spock with his fork.

McCoy shrugs. “You’d know better than me.”

A crunching noise echoes through the bridge and the pause in everyone’s work is palpable in the silence that follows. Jim turns to Spock who looks back, wide-eyed, carrot halfway into his mouth.

“What are you doing, Commander?” Jim asks, biting back both a laugh and a reprimand. Eating on the bridge is generally frowned upon and Spock basically is the rulebook.

Spock swallowed. “My apologies, Captain. I am very...hungry.”

Laughter winning out, Jim nearly doubles over with it and eventually the whole bridge joins in. “I am glad you find the situation humorous,” Spock says archly, one eyebrow raised.

“I’m sorry!” Jim manages between laughs. “It’s just—the look on your face—”

“Permission to leave the bridge, Captain,” Spock grates out, standing up with his hands folded behind his back. Several carrots fall from his pocket and plink onto the ground, ruining the effect of his severe expression.

And the laughter just won’t stop. Wiping at his eyes, Jim waves his hand, “Yes, dismissed. Make sure you get enough to eat before your next shift, Mr. Spock.”

“Yes, Captain,” Spock says before ducking down to collect his carrots.

An untimely snort comes from the helm and everyone holds their breath as Spock strides from the bridge. The minute the turbolift door snicks shut, they’re all in tears.

“Do you think Spock is sick?” Jim asks, fiddling with the antique scalpel Bones keeps on a shelf in medbay. Some sort of manifestation of his dark sense of humor.

“Don’t touch that,” Bones says, snatching it out of his hands. Which...fair. Jim can be clumsy on occasion.

Frowning, Jim takes his usual seat in McCoy’s office as the doctor settles into his own. “Well, do you?”

“Do I what?”

“Think Spock is sick?”

Bones lets out a little ‘ah’ of understanding and leans back in his chair. “I don’t know. Hard to tell with a Vulcan. Why do you ask?”

“Haven’t you noticed he’s been eating a lot more?”

“What? Like the other day at lunch?”

Jim nods. “That and yesterday! He was eating on the bridge. Spock! Breaking a rule!”

“I mean a rule that doesn’t hurt anyone,” Bones points out, but when Jim gives him a dubious look he admits, “Yeah, you’re right. That wouldn’t matter to him.”

“Exactly! And then last night, we were supposed to meet and do our reports together and he spent the entire time eating almonds. The entire time! Three hours of almonds.”

McCoy rubs a thoughtful hand over his chin. “That doesn’t exactly sound like Spock. I could bring him in for an eval but you know as good as I do that Spock’s a bit of an anomaly. He’s hell to try to diagnose.”

“I know Bones. I’m just asking if you can check,” Jim asks, putting on his best pleading expression.

“Don’t give me that look, Jim. I said I’d do it.”

“Thanks, Bones!” Jim says brightly, hopping to his feet. “Let me know what you find out. I’ve got to run off to engineering, Scotty wanted my opinion on something. Still on for dinner?”

“Sure thing, kid,” Bones says on a sigh before Jim rushes from the room.

“Jim you should get down here,” Bones says through the comm on his wall.

Dropping the padd he’s reading, Jim sits up and replies, “What happened?”

“Just get your ass to medbay.”

While he would normally protest a bit more, Jim has a feeling this is about Spock so he tosses on his shirt and hustles down the corridors to medbay.

“What is it?” he asks, gripping the doors to McCoy’s office in an effort to calm his nerves.

“Spock,” Bones replies. “It was a hell of a thing. If he’s been eating as much as you say, it doesn’t make any sense. He’s lost fifteen pounds since he was last here. His hormones are all out of wack compared to baseline but he seemed confused as to why I’d even be concerned. Typical Vulcan nonsense.”

That did not sound good. “Is there anything I can do?”

“I don’t know,” Bones says, throwing up his hands. “What do you normally do? Talk to the damn hobgoblin. Get him to say something .”

Jim decidedly does not like that option because actually talking to Spock about anything serious ultimately skirted the line of him confessing things he definitely didn’t want to confess. Like being in love with him. Or wanting to tear off his clothes.

“Fine. But know that I don’t want to,” Jim says with a scowl.

“How do you think I feel all the time?”

Stepping into Spock’s quarters, Jim is already feeling nervous about the conversation ahead. Will Spock open up or just snap at him to mind his own business? Both were equally likely.

He finds Spock at his desk, eating a plate of tomatoes and reading something on his terminal. Looking up at Kirk’s entrance, he puts down the fork. “Can I help you?”

“I talked to Bones today,” Kirk says by way of explanation.

“And? To what end?”

“He said you’re sick. Or at least not well ,” Jim says, coming up to the side of the desk.

“My current health is of no consequence. I have reached out to the healers on New Vulcan and they have given me a regimen to follow that will allow me to better manage my symptoms.”

“So you are sick!” Jim says, accusation clear in his tone.

“Sick is not an accurate description, Captain.”

Pursing his lips, Jim asks, “Was it what happened on Cignus?”

Spock’s hand clenches on his desk, a surefire sign that Jim is on the right track. “It was, wasn’t it? Did I hurt you? Were the hormone regulators not enough?”

“Jim, please,” Spock grates out, eyes closing briefly before fluttering open again. “My current status is related to Cignus however you are not at fault.”

“Well, then what is it? Let me help.”

Spock’s hard expression softens slightly and it makes Jim’s stomach swoop. It’s so rare, that expression and Jim treasures every one.

Spock stands and begins to pace on the far side of the room, clearly searching for the right words. He pauses and looks back at Jim. “You are correct. On Cignus, during our...altercation, the prolonged contact between our bodies resulted in a rare mental bond that when unfulfilled can manifest one of two symptoms.

“The first is perpetual arousal and the second is hunger of similar nature. While I have been spared the former, the latter symptom is what you have perceived and what has interfered with my duties on the Enterprise.”

Jim takes a moment to parse that little monologue—purposefully ignoring the concept of arousal in relation to Spock because, yeah, he didn’t need to go there—but the only response he can come up with is, “Bond? Aren’t those kind of a big deal?”

Spock looks a bit green but nods. “Indeed.”

“But one just—poof! Formed between us?”

“We are highly compatible individuals.”

And now it’s Jim’s turn to blush. “Right. Um, do you...so you’re sick because it’s unfulfilled? What does that mean?”

“It means, in simple terms, that I am bonded with you but you are not bonded with me—”

“Well, that’s easy. I’ll bond with you back and then you’ll be fine,” Jim says, happy to have found such an easy solution but Spock shakes his head.

“You do not understand. This bond is a lifetime commitment. Similar to human marriage. I cannot ask that of you.”

Jim’s heart starts to race at what that could possibly mean. “What if I’m ok with that?”

Spock looks down and says, “You do not owe me anything, Jim.”

Approaching Spock slowly, like one would approach a skittish cat, Jim wraps a tentative hand around Spock’s wrist. “It’s not about what you owe me. It’s about what I want.”

Spock’s eyes widen but he doesn’t pull away.

“What do you want?” Jim asks, searching Spock’s face for any sign of hesitation.

The answer is beautiful in its simplicity: “You.”

Jim can’t help grinning, a myriad of futures he previously thought impossible becoming possible. “Well, right back atcha, Mr. Spock.”

The next morning when they enter the bridge for alpha shift and Spock finds a little bag of baby carrots on the science console, Jim holds up his hands and says, “It wasn’t me!”

Spock gives him an unimpressed look, but slips the little bag into his pocket before taking to his station.

#gift fic #spirk #spirk fic #aos spirk #chauncey writes fic

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tarithenurse · 5 years

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Orphan - 3

Starring: Fem!Reader and MCU characters! Contents: ENDGAME SPOILERS! Angst (surprise!), confrontations, questions that needs answering, sadness, loss, confusion, feeling homeless/rootless, lack of will, loads of other sad feelings. Sorry. A/N: So, yes, this is starting to move along and I’m very touched by the responses I’ve gotten on just the 2 first chapters. As always, if you want a tag: let me know. Feel free to reblog or comment as I adore any sort of feedback. Who knows...one day I might even get better thanks to it? ;)

3. Family or not

Of course it’s not a big happy family reunion (whatever’s left of it). It’s an awkward walk through the autumn forest, stuck between a dude known for his robot suit and a chick who is part robot. Cyborg. At least Rhodes, because you’ve recognized him even with the lack of formal introductions, seems to be a bit sorry about the way things are going, but you probably bear some of the guilt for that as well.

No one says a lot after an initial phone call has been made, so it’s just the wet crunch of leaves muffling the footsteps as you trudge around the lake to a place probably used for canoeing during the summer. Now it’s place for a series of black, imposing cars with equally stern people whom you’ve seen on youtube, news coverage, and the few printed papers still in the making nowadays, and where Rhodes hadn’t seemed surprised by your existence…well…it’s a very different matter for the rest and your only comfort is that not all of the funeral guests facing you.

I should’ve stayed in bed today. The fight-or-flight response is long gone, replaced by a leaden sludge internally seeping from the guts to the feet. Why did I come? Spying on the funeral of a dad you’d only just found out that you had had wasn’t going to bring him or anyone else back, and right now? Right now you wanted your mom, not for the first time and probably not for the last time since she got killed years ago. Why did you never tell me, mommy? A new wave of guilt wrecks you, tearing at your heart for blaming the only family you’ve ever known, and you feel the hot swell of tears threaten to fill you eyes and drip from your nose.

I won’t let them have that too. No one moves a muscle as you clench your fists, your shoulders rising and falling as you combat yourself through the breathing. And no one interrupts Rhodes as he briefly explains about a trivial escapade decades ago that introduced the great Tony Stark to the concept of consequences. Consequence. Me. Just an accident that could be shoved into the dark recesses of a closet. No wonder your mom hadn’t told you who your father was when you were a kid, begging to have a full set of parents like your classmates.

But something must have changed with the Snappening, something else than just guilt had reared its head and made Stark leave you the answers to all the questions you’d ever had…even if he didn’t know id you’d be back.

“Confusion,” a dreamy voice lisps to your right, “sadness and…frustration…there’s so much hurt.”

You don’t look at her nor the person saying some nonsense along the lines of “I am groot”, whatever that’s supposed to mean.

“Oh…sorry.”

“Bad time or not, what do we do with her?” Nebula sneers more to herself than the rest. “Apparently, we’re not supposed to kill her.”

Even with the decent boots you’d scrounged, your toes are getting cold while you let them talk, make up their minds about your future both because you know these people will only leave you very little to say but mainly because you have no freaking idea what you want. The plan had only reached as far as to have a look at the funeral to see what you might have been missing out on. After that? Well, plan or not, now things have been set in motion that you can’t undo.

“Alright, [Y/N],” Rhodes finally turns to you with a frown, “let’s get you somewhere warm, waddaya say?”

You just nod and crawl onto the backseat of the black sedan he points at where you’re joined by the two men with the broadest shoulders, one of which is rock solid. *Best friends since childhood, Bucky Barnes and Steven Rogers were inseparable on both schoolyard and battlefield* Sure they were close then and apparently now because the men don’t leave a lot of room for you and you don’t dare shift for a more comfortable position, choosing instead to sit with everything possible tugged in tightly.

It’s unbearably silent after the last car door slams and the cortege of black vehicles move onto the road leading around the lake. Why did I come? I’m an idjit. The two relics makes it unbearably warm to sit in the car…or perhaps it’s the nerves. But you’ll be damned if you speak up now even if it’s to ask for a window to be opened. No one question Rhodes as he navigates them further from the Stark Residence, following a short stretch of highway before heading to what must be the nearest motel lying snuggly by the river.

“I’ll uhh…get a room for ya, wait here,” War Machine (minus armour) announces and leaves two super soldiers, one orphan, and a blue cyborg behind without waiting for an answer.

This isn’t for me, right? “He…doesn’t have to. I’m sure I can get my bed back at the hostel.”

There’s a very obvious snort of disbelief from the front, but at least the Captain is kind enough to try to turn to face you and explain: “Don’t take this the wrong way, miss, but this is for our sake. Gives us a chance to talk with you…know where you are.”

“So I’m not s’posed to leave…”

“No.”

“Nebula!” Rogers chastises to no other effect than a scoff and shrug.

Why not admit it too, Capcicle? “Not a prisoner, just…grounded? Does that make you my daddy?”

The blush spreading rapidly across the blond man’s face is gloriously deepened by Barnes’ rolling laughter which continues as the car doors are opened from the outside by the only guy who knew about your existence. Behind him is a tiny crowd including a guy with a mohawk, a green woman, and…the fuck? Are those antennae?!

… Clint …

Good, old Tony Always-a-Surprise Stark. Not only did the guy have to go off and be the biggest hero of them all, he’s made sure to make a backup and kept her tugged away safe and far away from the messy (yet glamorous) life he’d lived. Glancing over at the chick, Clint can’t help but see parts of both the father’s and even the little sister’s features. The eyes. Fuck, it hurts more than he’d imagined.

Wonder what Nata– But no, Natasha won’t have any thoughts on what to do. There’s no calm logic from the world’s best redhead to counter the scared and cowed emotions streaming from [Y/N], as she’s called, who’s waiting silently for a verdict.

She’d come prepared, Tony’s daughter. All the documents and shit that Stark had left after the Snappening are spread out on the bed as proof of her existence just in case no one would believe her or Rhodes.

“I am Grooot?”

“What do you want?” the raccoon translates easily. “Why show up today? What’s the point?”

Nimble hands wring a snippet of a jacket that seems to be second-hand. “I dunno…guess it was sorta to…” She sighs, and it almost makes sense to Clint what this is about. “I only remember seeing him once and I didn’t know then. Now I’ve got a-a half-sister? It doesn’t feel real!”

“So you went, made sure they’re there…then what?” The odd creature is feisty for its size, a sort of feral smugness playing on the little face. “Want money?”

“No, that’s not –“

“All his cool gear?”

“Why would I –“

“Ah! Marry the grieving widow to –“

A mix of shouts and protests shut the furry interrogator up even if it’s probably only going to be for a while – it doesn’t take a lot of time together with Rocket to figure that out. Or why.

“Listen, I don’t have a fucking plan. Okay? I appear on some poor guys lap in the middle of a lecture only to find out it’s been more than five years! I got no home, no one to go to, no job. Maybe, some old pictures and books have survived, but that’s it. Stark might’ve been my father, but he’s never been my dad and I don’t belong with his family!” There’s a subtle movement from the Quill-guy, but no words break the roaring silence that follows [Y/N]’s outburst.

She needs a home.

“You’re not going back to the hostel.” Clint hears himself declare, already pulling the phone out of the pocket. “You’re not gonna be on your own.”

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the-depressed-shiny-buneary · 4 years

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Michael from Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness in my Canon

Michael is currently a captain in the Pokemon G-Men Shadow Pokemon rescue team. Because of the fact, he single-handedly snagged Shadow Pokemon that Cipher had created five years after Wes stopped them the first time, by the time the Pokemon G-Men got word of Cipher they were already taken care of, any Shadow Pokemon they had were snagged by Michael, any Pokemon that were supposed to be converted into Shadow Pokemon were set free and Michael purified a lot of them. However, because Cipher will most likely be working undercover the Pokemon G-Men had to collab with Professor Krane and his team to hopefully stop Cipher and purify any more Shadow Pokemon they manage to create. As Michael had a lot of experience, both with himself and his Pokemon team he was appointed to be the captain of the Shadow Pokemon Rescue Team. Michael didn’t mind as he felt the best fit for the job and he’s glad that he’s the one to help more Shadow Pokemon if they come up.

Michael is a very complex kid, despite being thirteen years old, he’s shown a lot of progress and skills in leadership and battling. Michael is a nice kid once you get to know him or if you get close to him, he can be a smartass, cynical and there will be times he will be so done with you if you annoy him enough, Cipher is his main source of this side of his personality. Michael also has a lot of big brother instincts, he’ll act like an older brother to a lot of young kids, most likely due to how little kids remind him of his younger sister Jovi. He knows when’s a good time to be serious and when’s a good time to goof around, as he’s a captain of a team he has to always be on guard, there’s also the fact he has to deal with some hecklers saying things about how he’s thirteen and a captain, they don’t believe that he took out Cipher on his own nor do they know much about his first-team back when he was still in Orre so he’s often working hard to prove to others that he isn’t a joke or a simple kid. Michael also has a huge interest in Pokemon from other regions and nature, as Orre barely had any kind of vegetation and had no wild Pokemon he will often spend his free time just looking at wild Pokemon in their natural environments, he’s also highly amazed by how Pokemon can change their appearance when they’re in a different climate or environment so he will eagerly study any regional variant Pokemon with amazement.

Michael is allowed to go over the six Pokemon carry limit.

First Team:

Sylveon- Michael had received Sylveon when she was still an Eevee, she was a gift from Michael’s father before he died. Back during their takedown of Cipher, Eevee never had an interest in evolving and had an issue with Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon, Espeon, and Umbreon. She found Vaporeon to be really pretty but she always had a fear of swimming. She’s very affectionate so she didn’t want to be a Jolteon, which is covered in spikes. She didn’t enjoy how fluffy Flareon looked. She always knew that Psychic types were serious and thought she would lose her playfulness if she evolved into Espeon. And she felt thinks that Dark-type Pokemon are scary so she didn’t want to be an Umbreon, because of those reasons she mostly stuck with just being an Eevee for the longest time and thought that maybe she might never find the right evolution for herself. It wasn’t until she and Michael were in Kanto for the first time and they learned about Leafeon, Glaceon, and Sylveon, she actually did like how the last three looked but she fell in love with Sylveon mostly because she has an advantage over Dark-type Pokemon. Sylveon is very kind and compassionate, she’ll always be thinking of others and doing her best to comfort them, that was a trait she had even when she was still an Eevee. She’s also playful as she would mostly spend her time playing with baby Pokemon and young kids, which is something she has in common with her trainer as they both enjoy being with kids. Sylveon doesn’t enjoy conflict and will more often than not try to stop conflict peacefully rather than use force, she fights as a last resort. She’s Michael’s strongest Pokemon.

Given in a Pokeball.

Ability is Cute Charm.

Moves are Disarming Voice, Misty Terrain, Draining Kiss, Charm, Helping Hand, Mystical Fire, Psyshock, Calm Mind, Baton Pass and Heal Bell.

Ursaring- Ursaring was the first Shadow Pokemon that Michael snagged and purified when he was in the Orre region, he was a Teddiursa back when he was caught. When purified, Teddiursa thrashed around after let out from the chamber which was their first sign that he was more aggressive than normal, for that reason he had to have a Soothe Bell on him at all times so he could calm down if he gets into a mock Hyper mode, when he evolved he slowly lost his aggression but he was still very aggressive, especially if Michael was in danger. Ursaring may be aggressive but he turned that weakness into a strength, if and when he saw Michael was in danger he would channel his anger into protective instinct, the same kind of instinct that each Ursaring has when they hear a Teddiursa crying. He has his calm moments, but that’s when he’s eating honey or honey-based snacks, that’s the only time he isn’t growling or snarling at someone for being near him.

Caught in a Pokeball.

Ability is Guts.

Held Item is a Soothe Bell.

Moves are Hammer Arm, Return, Metal Claw, Refresh, Slash, Thrash, Play Rough, Swords Dance, Focus Punch, and Giga Impact.

Mightyena- Michael caught Mightyena back when she was a Shadow Poochyena. It took a bit longer to purify her and thankfully she didn’t have a major reaction when she was purified, meaning she was acting like her normal self before she was a Shadow Pokemon and she stayed with Michael because he treated her with kindness, she evolved during a battle against Cipher Admin Lovrina and was glad that she managed to evolve for the one who saved her. Mightyena is a bit of a tsundere, she’s hostile to everyone unless Michael says that they’re his friend but she’s kind and loving to Michael, she’s always happy to nuzzle against him or lick his cheek happily. She’s very loyal to Michael and will always stay by his side no matter what.

Caught in a Great Ball.

Ability is Intimidate.

Moves are Dig, Heal Bell, Poison Fang, Howl, Fire Fang, Crunch, Foul Play, Throat Chop, Dark Pulse, and Sucker Punch.

Meowth- Michael caught Meowth when she was a Shadow Pokemon when she was purified, she looked fearfully and curled up to try and avoid being seen. She was so terrified that she ended up refusing to look at any other Pokemon or human aside from Michael, she’s afraid to battle and will try to get out of battling any chance she gets. Meowth is very timid, she also acts like a newborn or at least a young kitten, she attaches herself to Michael and will often demand his attention by clinging to his leg or pulling on his pants. She loves to sing but she gets annoyed if anyone falls asleep when she’s singing for them and she’ll end up using Fury Swipes on their faces.

Caught in a Luxury Ball.

Ability is Pickup.

Moves are Slash, Sing, Pay Day, Bite, Fury Swipes, Play Rough, Dig, Swift, Shadow Claw, and Shock Wave.

Zangoose- Michael had a very hard time catching Zangoose, mostly because no matter what, something always prevented him from snagging Zangoose from his trainer. For this reason, Zangoose is very aggressive due to being a Shadow Pokemon for too long and he’s currently the only one in Michael’s first-team to have this problem, however, the problem goes even further if Zangoose happens to see a Seviper, that causes Zangoose to enter his mock hyper mode and he tends to get very ruthless to the point he may kill a Seviper if he isn’t stopped quick enough. Zangoose is very hostile and only likes battling and he wouldn’t want to do anything other than train and battle. It’s for that reason that Michael has to be very careful when Zangoose is battling, especially if a Seviper is called out, he also has to know when to return Zangoose because Zangoose is too stubborn to go down and will often keep battling even if he’s near-death, it’s for that reason Michael can’t have Zangoose battle.

Caught in a Great Ball.

Ability is Immunity.

Moves are Brick Break, Counter, Crush Claw, Swords Dance, X-Scissor, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Night Slash, and Aerial Ace.

Salamence- Salamence is probably the oddball of the team when he was purified he reacted the same way Meowth reacted. Michael takes extra care of Salamence to coax him into battle with the other members of the team, while it doesn’t always work he does battle long enough before he’s declared unable to continue by Michael himself. Salamence always gets flashbacks to his time before becoming a Shadow Pokemon, he never wants to talk about what happened as just thinking about it frightens so much that he’ll go in his Ultra Ball willingly and will refuse to come out even if Michael calls him out. Because he gets post-traumatic stress when battling, Michael always times Salamence’s battles so he can be recalled and calm down in his Ultra Ball before he can be called out to battle again. Salamence enjoys that idea and is glad that Michael has been patient with him, however, the only time he won’t be timid or scared to battle is if Michael is in danger, he’ll enter his mock hyper mode and will attack until Michael is back safely. Even that has a consequence as after he calms down he’ll be terrified and he’ll end up going in his Ultra ball and refusing to come out for days or weeks.

Caught in an Ultra Ball.

Ability is Moxie.

Moves are Dragon Claw, Dragon Dance, Aerial Ace, Aqua Tail, Dragon Rush, Flamethrower, Outrage, Iron Tail, Crunch, and Dragon Pulse.

Second Team:

Gogoat- Gogoat was the first Pokemon that Michael caught since he moved away from the Orre region and he never regretted catching him. Michael saw Gogoat carrying smaller Pokemon away from Cipher grunts chasing after them, thanks to Michael interfering with the grunts he managed to save Gogoat along with the other Pokemon he was carrying much to each of the Pokemon’s gratitude and when asked to join his team, Gogoat agreed. Gogoat is a very reliable Pokemon, he’s also protective of Pokemon that are smaller than him, always wanting to protect them from Pokemon that are bullies or people that have ill-intentions. Much like his trainer, Gogoat has a soft spot for children and will always let little kids ride on his back, he’ll also protect small children from danger as well as carry them away from anything dangerous. Gogoat is Michael’s main source of transportation since Gogoats are made for carrying people he doesn’t mind carrying Michael and Nick if the two are paired for a mission together.

Caught in a Pokeball.

Ability is Sap Sipper.

Moves are Aerial Ace, Earthquake, Razor Leaf, Horn Leech, Leaf Blade, Rock Slide, Seed Bomb, Protect, Milk Drink and Rain Dance.

Togedemaru- Togedemaru was given to Michael by Lance, she’s been trained how to send electric signals to the HQ and how to sense big electric currents from Cipher labs which is very helpful since Cipher ended up taking cover under abandoned places to continue their work which in turn made them very hard to track, thankfully Togedemaru knows which electric currents are from Cipher and can tell where they come from, thus making tracking them a lot easier than before. Togedemaru is very playful and always wants to help someone out and it’s thanks to her special training that she’s able to be helpful to her trainer and the people who her trainer works with. She’s also affectionate and she’s very careful about making sure she doesn’t accidentally hurt someone with her spiked fur, she can be very energetic and will sometimes roll around to let off some steam, Michael uses this to his advantage by attaching cleaning rags to Togedemaru and soaking her with water, then he lets her roll around which helps clean the floors a lot faster than normal. Togedemaru also helps out with powering up electric devices and sending distress signals in case there is trouble.

Caught in a Fast Ball.

Ability is Lightning Rod.

Moves are Nuzzle, Fell Stinger, Magnet Rise, Electric Terrain, Spiky Shield, Wild Charge, Iron Head, Electro Ball, Thunderbolt and Iron Tail.

Floatzel- Floatzel was saved by Michael when he and some other Water-types were taken by Cipher to be converted into Shadow Pokemon. He was thankful for Michael’s help and wanted to join his team, to which Michael agreed. Floatzel’s main job is to save humans or Pokemon who are lost or stranded at sea and to take down any Cipher grunts or admins that have escaped into any body of water. Floatzel is very serious and takes his jobs seriously, he always makes sure to leave no one behind and uses his strong swimming skills to his advantage. Floatzel is very smart, he’s managed to find ways to counter Electric-type moves by using Aqua Ring and he’ll often use his floatation sac to keep himself from getting hit by attacks and he’ll use it to stop himself from getting blown away from knockback attacks. He’s also very fast both on land and in the water, he’ll even use Rain Dance to make himself faster.

Caught in a Dive Ball.

Ability is Swift Swim.

Moves are Ice Fang, Rain Dance, Aqua Jet, Razor Wind, Aqua Tail, Waterfall, Aqua Ring, Dig, Bulk Up and Agility.

Sableye- Michael caught Sableye while he was in a cave, Sableye was surprisingly helpful and nice despite looking a little scary looking. After he was told what Michael does, he started to understand knowing how he could help his trainer out with his position as captain. Sableye would use his ability to make his gemstone eyes glow, knowing that people think that he can steal their spirits away he makes them fear him but he uses the ability if someone badmouths his trainer or mocks him for being a kid. Other times, Sableye is a nice Pokemon who will only battle to battle, he doesn’t fully enjoy hurting others but he will gladly hurt anyone from Cipher since they’re forcing Pokemon to do bad things. Sableye will eat any gems that he finds in the ground, he’ll sometimes give the gems to Michael or anyone Sableye really likes.

Caught in a Dusk Ball.

Ability is Keen Eye.

Moves are Confuse Ray, Shadow Claw, Power Gem, Poison Jab, Mean Look, Calm Mind, Double Team, Foul Play, Dark Pulse and Shadow Ball.

Hypno- Michael met Hypno as a Drowzee, Drowzee was seen putting some Pokemon to sleep before Michael could attack him Drowzee quickly bowed in apology, much to Michael’s confusion. So he went to Ash to have him translate what Drowzee was saying, according to Ash, the Pokemon Drowzee were putting to sleep were having trouble sleeping so he used Hypnosis to help them sleep and was going to leave as soon as he was done with the last Pokemon. Michael apologized for his assumption that Drowzee was doing something bad, Drowzee said it was okay because people would assume he was up to no good when they see him. Thinking that was unfair and relating to Drowzee, he offered a spot on his team for Drowzee, who happily agreed. During a battle with a Cipher grunt, he evolved into Hypno. Hypno is a rather friendly Pokemon, he likes to help people and Pokemon with any problems they may have when it comes to getting sleep and if they’re having a nightmare he’ll eat it to give them some peace and since a lot of former Shadow Pokemon have nightmares about their time at Cipher they end up needing Hypno’s help a lot more than normal Pokemon. Hypno is very sensitive to people assuming he’s a bad Pokemon just because he’s a Hypno, thankfully he has Sableye to scare off the offenders and had Michael to cheer him up when he’s really down. He knows how strong his hypnosis is so he tones it down near children to avoid them thinking that they’re Pokemon. Hypno very much dislikes Cipher and will often give them no mercy if he defeats their Pokemon in battle, he’ll hypnotize them to do something humiliating or put them to sleep and giving them nightmares, he does it as a bit of revenge for what Cipher has done to the Pokemon he helps in the Pokemon G-Men.

Caught in a Pokeball.

Ability is Insomnia.

Moves are Future Sight, Hypnosis, Dream Eater, Nightmare, Psychic, Shadow Ball, Dazzling Gleam, Fire Punch, Assist and Wake-Up Slap.

Wimpod- Wimpod was given to Michael by Guzma as thanks for helping him out numerous times. Wimpod is very shy and timid, he does his best but no matter what he always runs away from battle or he returns himself to his Net Ball if he gets scared. He still likes being around Michael and will always train hard so that he can be as strong as Michael’s other Pokemon. Wimpod also helps out with cleaning around the Headquarters, since he doesn’t mind eating garbage or rotten things he’s an ideal cleaner.

Caught in a Net Ball.

Ability is Wimp Out.

Moves are Struggle Bug, Defense Curl, Rollout, Protect, Mud Shot, Rest, Sleep Talk, Bug Buzz, Surf and Scald.

#Pokemon #Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness #Shadow Pokemon #i do what i want

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complicatedandstained · 4 years

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358 Nights: The Poker Night That Never Was, Part 3: Pretty Things

They can smell it before they can see it—the delightfully rank aroma of rotting fish and the spike of salt air. The streetlamp above Axel and Roxas has long since been shattered to bits, but the island’s night air, split open with a silver knife of moon, is far brighter than the dark corridor the pair have passed through to get there, so they stand still for a moment, just blinking.

They turn to each other, crinkling their noses against the stench. Axel tugs at the material of his coat nearest his thighs, showering the cobblestones underfoot with Agrabah sand, and Roxas chuckles, patting the sleeves of his own coat to free it from grime that had once coated the basement of the Beast’s Enchanted Castle.

Roxas stops patting puffs of dust from his uniform when Axel abruptly reaches for his cheek. At first Roxas thinks Axel’s going to caress it, and then, as the man’s fingers twitch, he thinks Axel is going to pinch him, which is usually more Larxene or Xigbar’s department, but fine.

Instead, Axel gently plucks something from his skin. It catches the light for a moment and Roxas sees the faint glisten of an intricate spider’s web passing through the air before settling on the back of Axel’s hand.

“Ahg. Gross,” Axel says, voice quiet in the darkness, shaking the offensive strands free.

“I don’t know,” Roxas responds thoughtfully, just as quiet. “I think they’re kind of beautiful.” The web tangles and drops to the cobblestone, and Roxas stares for a second, almost disappointed.

Axel chuckles and briefly rubs his knuckles below Roxas’ chin. Axel can feel his chest warming, breathing in the same air as this impossible piece of nothing who can find the bright spot in everything, even Axel himself. “Of course you do.”

After spending his day baking in the oven that was Agrabah, Axel welcomes the nip of the wind yanking at his coat like it wants him naked, but he can tell Roxas, who spent the better part of his day fending off the soul-sucking Heartless that swarm the dank smelling, drafty, damp castle basement of the Beast, does not appreciate it quite so much. Roxas’ shoulders slump against the insistent tug and with every sharp breeze, he grits his teeth to ward off the shivers he thinks Axel wouldn’t be able to resist teasing him about.

With each step Roxas veers slightly closer to Axel, until Roxas’ shoulder collides with Axel’s chest. Axel chuckles a bit, and then drapes both arms over Roxas’ shoulders, like a heavy scarf. As Axel’s unnaturally strong heat seeps into Roxas’ bones, Axel feels him relax against him despite his initial surprise at being held in such a public, albeit empty, location.

Abruptly, Axel shifts his hands until he’s hugging Roxas’ neck, one elbow locked over the other in a loose chokehold. Roxas yelps, halting, and Axel stops along with him, leaning forward to rest his chin in Roxas’ hair, soft as ever despite the lingering layer of dust.

Axel chuckles, low, slow. “What’s wrong?” he whispers into Roxas’ ear. “Chilly?”

Roxas mumbles something unintelligible into the material of Axel’s sleeve, and Axel laughs again, just a quick exhale, pressing the fabric closer to make Roxas huff, and then pulling it away.

“I’m sorry,” Axel taunts quietly, “were you saying something?”

Golden eyebrows furrow. “I will fug you up,” Roxas says, words somewhat less muffled, no doubt a direct quote from one of the other Org members, though not quite as tough as he had hoped. This is made all the more ridiculous because Axel knows Roxas very well could take him down, if the other keyblade wielder’s powers were any indication.

Axel tries to push thoughts of Sora from his mind. Just a kid... It makes him remember what guilt felt like, and even though the full weight of it can no longer freeze up his chest, it’s not exactly pleasant.

Roxas shifts his head to glare up into the green eyes darting playfully as they take in Roxas’ piss poor impression of anger. Axel’s not sure he’s even fully convinced Roxas has reached actual irritation.

“I’m shaking in my boots, Roxas.”

Roxas’ arms cross. He wriggles around to face Axel and better hit him with his glare, and Axel gives him the extra room to do so, his arms stretching out a bit, his thin lips drastically pulling up on one side.

Roxas’ chin juts up. “Good.”

Axel leans forward until their noses brush. He exhales, a white puff of air that bridges the distance between their lips. His eyes seem a darker green in the evening shadows. He stops smiling. “Good,” Axel echoes.

Roxas can’t contain his grin, and then, fast as he would dive at a Heartless with his blade, he’s tilting his head, rising up on his toes. His hands cup Axel’s jaw, rough with auburn stubble, and he presses their lips together. It’s not the bittersweet tingle of sea salt that they’re used to, or the familiar staleness of morning breath. Axel tastes like hot sand and Roxas like damp earth. But somehow that makes the moment feel all the realer. Not something dazed or dreamy that could slip away any second, but something concrete and imperfect: something real, something theirs.

Axel’s arms wrap tighter around Roxas’ upper and lower back, pressing their torsos together like he thinks if he tries hard enough, they can melt into each other completely.

They only pull apart when they recognize the distant explosion of music and drunken chatter as the sound of a pub door being open and shut. The cacophony reminds them of their destination and the time crunch they were already on before they stopped.

Roxas sighs and turns back around, Axel’s arms still barring his chest and waist, and begins to take heavy steps to maneuver them forward, though Axel’s heels drag the first few feet.

But, it being Tortuga, and Roxas being Roxas, Axel knows it will not be long before his steps slow, and Axel’s pace has to quicken to make up for it. Axel doesn’t mind. He kind of adores Roxas’ constant state of distraction, his abrupt fascination with window displays and passing strangers and snippets of sound.

Maybe because of his amnesia, Roxas seems to have retained more curiosity, interest, passion for life than the other Nobodies, and Axel can’t help but find it amusing, hell—mildly intoxicating—to get sucked into. He’s grown used to Roxas asking a million questions, stupid or brilliant and seemingly nothing in between.

He likes that Roxas thinks Axel has all the answers. He even likes when Roxas shows a flicker of the growing realization that Axel doesn’t have all the answers. Then again, there’s not much about Roxas he doesn’t like.

However, Roxas has seen Tortuga before on multiple occasions and walks with surprising intent. It’s not until they pass a hatter’s shop that his pace begins to flag, eyes shifting off to the side more and more often, head starting to tilt. Axel is forced to suppress a fond sigh.

“You want one?”

The window’s nothing special as far as Axel’s concerned. A bare bones wooden shelf displays rows of captains’ and sailors’ hats in chestnut brown, night black, and ash gray leathers, festooned with all manners of ribbons, feathers, brooches, and embroidery. But for Roxas, who has no memory of owning something of his own, aside from his standard issue Organization coat, slacks, and boots, and a few stray popsicle sticks, Axel can see that it means more.

“It’s stupid,” Roxas says, though his eyes linger, because he’s used to being told anything that he takes an interest in is, by the other members, certainly, if not by an unthinking Axel himself.

“If liking pretty things is stupid,” Axel squeezes Roxas’ shoulder, and a lick of flame springs to life in his free hand to illuminate fair skin, fire blue eyes, the faintest sweep of freckles, “how ‘bout, we can both be stupid together?”

Roxas’ cute little nose crinkles, his lip quirks up, eyes narrowing. “You don’t like pretty things.”

Axel’s face tilts closer to Roxas’, his smile mild, his words more whisper than sound and more to himself than to Roxas, “Says the boy I take to the top of a clocktower every damn day so I can watch the light of the sunset play in his hair.”

Roxas’ chest does that hot mushy thing, that thing like his arm’s been clawed open, but on the inside. He smiles so hard it hurts.

Axel closes his glove around the flame and the light goes out, Roxas’ dark lashes fluttering as his eyes attempt to readjust. Axel straightens and shifts behind Roxas, resting his chin atop Roxas’ head again.

Roxas tilts his head up searching for eyes, hunter green in the sinking evening, Axel’s sharp features, all highlighted with affection and concern like no one else has ever shown him. And Roxas has been told over and over that the emotions shown by a Nobody aren’t real, that they’re just a reflection, an echo of what used to be, but when it’s Axel showing them, he can’t bring himself to care.

Axel’s smiles, laughs, and kisses may be edged with briars of hollowness, reluctance, distance, but at the end of the day, they’re the only smiles, laughs, and kisses anybody’s ever given him. Maybe they’re not supposed to be enough, but they are. And maybe he’s not supposed to believe them, but he does.

Maybe it’s like Xigbar says and Axel’s possessiveness isn’t really love. (Whatever the fuck love is.) But if it isn’t, Roxas doesn’t want to know.

If it isn’t, he figures it’s close enough.

Roxas’ words aren’t much more than a whisper, either, “I think you’re pretty, too.”

Axel’s smile slips, taken aback, but he recovers in half a second, smirks. “Well, whaddaya know?” He lifts his chin, ruffling Roxas’ perpetually messy hair, before linking their arms together and drawing him a few steps closer to the hat shop. “C’mon, let’s step inside for just a minute.”

Pulled out of the moment with a sharp laugh, Roxas’ heels drag, catching against the dirty cobblestones of the street. “But it’s locked!”

“Roxas,” Axel claps Roxas’ arm, words wheedling as ever, “you wield the key-blade, not the but-it’s-locked-blade.”

Roxas grimaces, glancing down the dimly lit street though the pub they’re headed toward isn’t yet in sight. He notes no Heartless, no obstructions. It won’t take them long to get where they’re going. But… “Luxord won’t be happy if we’re late.”

“Eh.” Axel shrugs. “We’re already late.”

Roxas stares at him for a second and then his gaze returns to the window, the hats, all that flair and personality and glossy leather. He grins brightly, his keyblade materializing in his hand in a brief flash of golden light. “Okay. But we’re just going to look.”

“Of course, we are.”

* *

The hat shop is dark and smells like shoe polish and sunned leather. Axel lights another flame in his gloved hand to illuminate a space crowded with sun-bleached shelves and tables, dapper manikins, and tilting racks sporting its wares. A lone cutlass hangs just above the door and sand smatters across tired wooden floorboards.

Their resolution to just look lasts approximately zero seconds, as Axel grabs the first hat within grabbing distance and, with flourish, caps Roxas’ head. As Roxas turns to search for a mirror, the leather immediately slips in front of his eyes, setting them both into a quiet fit of giggles.

It takes a fair bit of searching—both grateful for their practiced, quiet steps on the warped, creaky floorboards—before they locate hats in a small enough size that the petite young man can wear them without his vision being obscured.

After parading Roxas before the mirror in increasingly absurd styles, each more feathery and frilly than the last, Axel finds a sturdy, glossy brown tricorn, a reliable, trusty hat, its only ornament stitched X’s on either side. This one suits Roxas just so, his nervous smile twitching into something real.

Humming, he runs his thumb across the bottom rim, tilting it ever so slightly. He meets his own eye in the mirror, and then Axel’s. “This one.”

“That one,” Axel agrees.

“Your turn.”

Axel takes a step back, raising his palms in half-hearted argument. “I don’t need—”

But Roxas has set off, away from the mirror, at a determined pace, and Axel just shakes his head, watching the strong cut of Roxas’ back as he shifts, lifts, and replaces hats on this shelf and that one. Eventually, Roxas finds his way to the front window, and Axel paces just after him, once again filling his hand with a small flame to illuminate their way.

After staring for a long while, Roxas selects a single elegant ebony captain’s hat from the center of the display. Its edges are rimmed with a delicate dark gold embroidery and just above the left ear sits an elegant emerald feather with gold accents, just the shade of Axel’s eyes.

“This one,” Axel realizes, accepting the hat Roxas sets into his hands, and placing it above his unkempt red curls.

Roxas nods. “That one.” He catches Axel’s hand in his and tugs him over to the scratched, speckled, but probably once beautiful, looking glass he’d modeled in front of a few minutes earlier.

Axel looks fierce and fine at once, the plume and his violet tattoos offering just a hint of the exotic. Roxas can’t seem to tear his eyes away, Axel notices with an unexpectedly warm feeling.

“We could almost be,” Roxas tilts his head, trying to decide how to phrase it, “...like everybody else…”

“Roxas…” Axel’s voice takes on a careful warning, turning away from their reflections to face the real thing, “we can’t ever really—” A flash of gold flickers in the corner of his vision, sending a cool prickle up his spine. The thoughts evaporate as he whirls, a chakram appearing in his hand as he crouches.

Roxas is quick to follow suit, scanning the area Axel’s edging in on, until he spots an itty-bitty Shadow climbing out of the floor, off in a shadowy corner near the cash register. Ordinarily, Axel would evaporate it and be done with the matter, but he can’t risk sending the building up in flames.

He gives his chakram a spin and steps closer, directing his next words to the tiny monster, “Didn’t anybody tell you it’s our night off?”

“Careful,” Roxas cautions, but Axel’s already tossed his weapon, his aim true, and the little Heartless fizzles out in a fine black mist, the chakram clanging loudly as it plunges into the wall beyond.

Immediately, they hear the scrape of claws and a stern bark, which resonates throughout the entire room.

“Shit,” Axel curses.

A large, fluffy white dog surges forward from the shadows where it had been deep in slumber, reminding Roxas warily of the massive purple and green dog-like Heartless that had near squashed him with their girth just hours prior. Jangling rings high in their ears as the dog is stopped abruptly, a chain attached to the collar around its neck going taut. The dog goes silent, surprised.

“Thank the gods,” Axel hisses, backing away, his chakram reappearing in his hands. Roxas follows after, backpedaling swiftly, his keyblade materializing in a dazzling shower of light.

This turns out to be too much for the dog, which begins yapping once more with vigor.

“Shit.”

A staircase occupies the far side of the wall, and atop it, lights flicker on. No longer concerned with stepping lightly, Axel and Roxas turn and barrel out of the shop.

“Stop!”

As they hit the dark street, the smell of leather and polish replaced with briny salt and scales, Axel and Roxas glance up to see the window of the room above the shop, its shutters thrown open and a man in a nightcap leaning out it, his graying bearded face fixed in a violent scowl.

“Stop this instant, ya bloody thieving pirates!”

Axel and Roxas do not stop. Holding tight to their accidentally stolen hats, they sprint, and the man gives chase, surprisingly swift in step despite his generous gut. But Axel and Roxas glide over the uneven stone streets, used to sudden exertion and unafraid of the threat of the man’s waving cutlass.

The crowds of sailors, pirates, and merchants grow denser the closer they get to Gibbs’ pub and they manage to give the hatter the slip in a back alley. Roxas pushes his way inside first, the door near slamming the side wall, and then stops, half bent over, choking over rapid breaths and sharp laughter. Axel enters a minute later, sparing a final wary glance outside, before his arm catches Roxas around the shoulders and steers him out of the threshold, elbow jabbing him in the side to help him get a handle on himself.

“We’re just going to look,” Roxas repeats. “You said we were just going to look!”

Axel hasn’t stopped grinning their entire escape and he doesn’t stop now. “Worth it.”

Roxas shakes his head, bemused, “How was it worth it?”

“I look really sexy in this hat.” Axel leans in until his lips near brush Roxas’ ear, and whispers, “and you look really sexy in that one.”

“Luxord is going to kill us!” Roxas squirms away, but he doesn’t completely manage to fend off his smile, even as he declares, “I’m never speaking to you again.”

Axel sets a hand on Roxas’ bicep, tugging him closer to the bar, and tilts his head, pretending to contemplate this. “That’s going to make it a little difficult to kiss you.”

“I’m never kissing you again, either.”

“We’ll see about that.”

#kingdom hearts #pirates of the caribbean #akuroku #axel #roxas #pirates #potc #358 nights #my writing #tortuga #luxord

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countlessimagines · 5 years

Text

Coffee and Tears

(Not my gif!)

Summary: Support groups are all you have left.

A/N: Endgame is going to ruin everyone.

You had to get over it. You had to.

Watching your entire family get dusted away, you knew it was something to do with the Avengers, some type of alien attack. You lost your mother, father, little brother’s and sister’s. It was suppose to be a fun family night where you surprised them because you lived in a different state. But all you got was dust within the first hour being together.

You were completely broken and didn’t know what to do. What was left of the world was screaming, crying, chaos, and more horrific events.

A plane crashed in the field next to your parent’s home. Cars were left empty in roads. Theives raided homes. Children were found crying everywhere.

You stayed at your parent’s home, eyes blank and bloodshot, the news playing in the background - announcing the people who were well known who were missing - dead - dusted.

You stared at the empty glass of liquor in front of you, not caring enough to refill it.

A month went by, two, three.

You stayed there, not caring that much about eating but you did every so often. Not caring to turn the news off. Not caring to answer the few phone calls you had. People must think you’re gone, and you wanted to be instead of being left behind with the memories of your family being dusted away.

You eventually made your way out of the house, getting wary of seeing the faces of your family pass by as you walked around the lonely house. You flipped them over or put them face down.

There were only not so many people out and about in the city, buying necessities with cautious movements and stared. You went to the back of the store, picking out orange juice and milk. Then you grabbed chips.

You went to the front of the store and checked out with the cashier who had a dead looking face. Behind her, there were posters of different advertisements. The newest one was one that said “Where Do We Go, Now That They’re Gone?”

You looked at it for a good minute, seeing all the location information and the phone number and the times. There was a meeting tomorrow at three pm. You decided to go, not having anything else to do.

The next day, you dressed in what you had in your suitcase - clothes you planned out for each day you were going to spend with your family and where you guys were going. You swallowed the thickness in your throat and carried on outside.

You drove to the meeting location and parked in front. Debating on actually going inside was a battle in itself, you didn’t want to confront people and start crying in front of them within the span of ten minutes.

With a loud sigh, you turned your car off and walked inside the building. There were chairs everywhere and a sign similar to the poster you saw at the grocery store.

People were already sitting down while others got coffee from a simple white table. You immediately went to the coffee, knowing the lack of sleep lately would hit you eventually.

A man with a large beard gave you a half smile, but you didn’t return it and only looked down at your filled cup.

You sat down in an open seat, never shifting your gaze up once. Others eventually began to sit down and one person spoke, “Hello, everyone. Thank you for coming to this meeting. I know how hard this must have been to come here, and I appreciate your effort. If anyone would like to go first, please go ahead.”

There was a silence before a man whose voice sounded awfully familiar to you, “Hi, my name is Steve. I, uh, was contemplating actually coming here because I have a heavy conscious about this whole situation.”

You finally looked up and saw with your own eyes Captain America. The only time he was on media was when he was an Avenger then when he was an outlaw.

Biting your tongue to prevent yourself from saying something, you sank more into your seat with a long glare set on him.

“I lost a lot of friends when it happened, and I’m not even sure if some of the other people I care about are alive still. I... I feel like this is all my fault. I could have done something more.”

“You could have!” You finally shouted, not wanting to hear anymore of his words. Blaming someone was what you thought was best. Left in the dark about what actually caused this, and now there was a hero right in front of you. “Why didn’t you save everyone?”

Steve looked at you, some anger slipping through his facial expressions, “I tried to-“

“But look where your trying ended up,” You said, hot, angry tears spilling down your face. “I lost my entire family, Captain. I lost them because you and the Avengers! What good has come out of your group, huh? The New York battle? Sokovia? Now this?” You stood up, and one of the other people in the group put an arm out to stop you.

“I get it, we screwed up. I screwed up,” Steve told you, standing up as well. “We’ve tried so hard to think of ways to bring them back. We lost people, too. We have paid our consequences.”

“As well as everyone else,” You said and moved the person away, going towards Steve. “If you’re attempting to help us, Captain, you better avenge those who died first.”

You didn’t return to the meetings after that. It was pointless to go, you rather hid away in your parents’ home instead of facing the terrible world.

A week went by without any human contact for you, until a knock sounded at your door. Squinting your eyes, you approached the door hesitantly. Looking through the peephole, you saw the most suprising group to be in your doorstep.

You swung open the door to see a few member of the Avengers; Natasha Romanoff, Bruce Banner, James Rhodes, Scott Lang, and... Steve.

“What are you doing here?” You questioned them with a wary look that passed from face to face.

“We seen different timelines and they all point back to you,” Natasha said and stepped forward.

“What?”

“Mrs. Rogers, it’d be best to explain this if you’re sitting down,” Scott mumbled. “It’s really shocking and a lot to process.”

“Mrs. Rogers? And I’d prefer to stand, thanks,” you said with crossed arms.

“Alright, then,” Bruce spoke with an authoritative voice. “We have the technology to view ultimate timelines, and it seems in all the outcomes where we win this battle, it is with your offspring.”

“My offspring?”

“Basically, you and Cap have a kid who will eventually be the key to defeat Thanos,” Scott explained it short and simple.

You glanced at Steve who had his head lowered, “Is what they’re saying true?”

“We didn’t come this entire way to make a joke,” Steve said and met your eyes. “But, yes, it’s true.”

“And when is this child supposed to be born?”

“Next year, so you and Steve better start liking each other,” Rhodes said.

It was a difficult next few months. Everyone was pressuring you and Steve to like each other and hang out, but every time you two did, it ended badly with either an argument or tears.

You paced your old bedroom one night.

“Um, excuse me?” Scott said from the door of the room, his head peaking in. “I wanted to tell you something.”

You nodded, having getting used to Scott’s advice. It wasn’t the best but you listened anyways because he seemed so confident all the time.

“I know this is hard for you, I mean, you have to be pregnant in six months,” He chuckled then saw your panicked face. “Oh, sorry... I just wanted to say that maybe you should suggest going on a walk with Cap?”

You looked at Scott with a weird gaze, not exactly keen on the idea of being alone with Steve. But, Scott knew that the two of you going on a walk was the start of your relationship.

The next morning, you woke up extra early because you knew Steve was always the first one up.

You found in him the kitchen, staring outside the window.

“Good morning,” You greeted him, and he gave you a curt nod and nothing else. “I was wondering... do you want to join me in a walk right now?”

Steve studied you, thinking that it was all a lie to you and simply a joke, but noticed you were serious.

“Okay.”

The walk started out quiet, and you racked your

brain for things to talk about.

“Who did you lose?” You whispered, the only

question that came back and forth through

your mind.

“My friends... Sam, Bucky, Wanda, T’challa, and

Vision. There were so many others, too,” Steve

replied, the sound of his boots crunching

against the pavement was the only other sound

Outside.

“I’m sorry,” You said genuinely. The ﬁrst time

you never considered his feelings about it all,

and instantly blamed him.

“For?”

“Being an asshole.”

He did a short chuckle, “I get it all the time now.

Resorted to staying inside.”

“Me too, I can’t stand being around people.”

“Why did you let us stay here, then?”

“Guess I needed some type of human contact.

And we need to have a baby in a few months,”

you said, heart skipping a beat just at the

thought.

“Yeah, right,” He nodded. “Do you have any

names?”

“We get to name our baby? I ﬁgured you’d take

him away because he was a key,” You said. It

was a hard thing to think about, having to give

your child away for the greater good.

“Of course we do,” Steve stopped, turning to

you. “We get some time with him before he has

to become the key.”

You acknowledged him with a hum, and

continued on walking, “Bucky?”

“What?”

“For the baby’s name.”

Steve peered at you, a small smile grew on his face.

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namjoon-koya · 5 years

Text

Daughter of no one part 8.

Summary: Your mother told you that your father walked out on the both of you, only for you to find out that a certain avenger is your father and had no idea he had a daughter.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x daughter reader (platonic)

Warning ⚠️: angst, violence, amnesia?

A/N: out of all the chapters this will probably be my most favorite one.

——————————>

-1 year later-

Bucky groaned as his muscles ached in pain, a year passed by that he didn’t find you he felt guilty that guilt consumed him until Steve and Nat helped him overcome it.

He did but that didn’t mean he didn’t think of you everyday, it was a living hell to live without his wife and his daughter he started drinking heavily afterwards even more than Tony did back then.

He put on a T-shirt and sweatpants as he walked down to the rest of the team he greeted them with a low mumble before grabbing a cup to pour himself coffee.

Peter stopped visiting the tower, he only came when Tony needed to talk to him but if he didn’t then he never showed his face; Bucky guessed that Peter was affected by you as well.

He felt someone pat his shoulder he looked up and saw Steve smiling at him, he smiled back “How you doing punk?” He shrugged “same as usual.” Steve nodded before walking off.

After Bucky was done with his coffee he set his cup on the sink before going off to his room, once he got there he pulled out his phone once his lock screen lit up his lip made a sad smile it was a picture he took of you and him playing a video game.

Of course him being him he didn’t know how to play so you were winning Steve managed to get a picture before you or Bucky noticed, suddenly he felt a small sob escape his lips “I miss you луны свет.”

———

“луна.” Madame HYDRA called out to you, you turned around and looked at her “да?” “следовать.” You nodded as you trailed behind her; you didn’t know where you came from you only knew to trust her she told you could and you did.

“You’ve grown up to be a well solider луна.” You nodded thanking her for the compliment “it’s all to you madame.” She clicked her tongue “луна I told you to call me mom, madame is what the others call me.” You nodded “sorry.. mom.” She lead you into another room.

You saw Rumlow and another man name Zemo, from what your .. mom told you she said he was your father at times you didn’t believe it you didn’t see how he was your father you never looked nothing like him.

“луна! How’s my little girl doing?” You shrugged “always good I guess.” He nodded “alright you know what to do, Rumlow step up to the mat.” He nodded he got into a fighting position “ready? Go.” Zemo commanded with one swift kick you took Rumlow down.

You had powers you could see farther into the future so it was easy to dodge his attacks “damn kid!” Rumlow exclaimed you held out your hand he grabbed onto it.

“Sorry..” you mumbled out he only let out a chuckle “don’t worry it’s more of a compliment луна.” You nodded. They called you луна; it meant Luna but it really never felt like it was your name all of these always felt like a .. lie but you could never ask them why you felt this way.

The last time you asked they said you shouldn’t feel useless emotions you hung your head madame Hydra took you back to your room you heard the lock click they always locked you in your room whenever you asked they told you stories about the “avengers.”

Your head throbbed at that name, the avengers were someone who was out to kill you or that’s what they told you; the man who wanted to kill you the most was Bucky Barnes he seemed ruthless and fearless from the videos they showed you of him.

But you couldn’t help but have this feeling that you knew him, your heart would grow warm every single time you saw a picture of him but once Zemo or madame Hydra noticed they’d quickly take the picture away.

You looked out the window letting a sigh escape your lips you were never allowed to go out somewhere unless Rumlow was with you. That jerk never even took you far he’d only get you to an edge of the forest before taking you back.

You longed for freedom, your body and mind practically begged you to go the window wasn’t too high up, you gently and quietly opened it you felt the freshly cold air come in goosebumps formed on your skin.

You looked back at the door before quickly jumping out, you managed to slide down the roof a bit before jumping to land on a nearby branch, you felt adrenaline rush through your veins.

The snow crunched underneath your boots as you begin walking, you could hear birds sing softly at times the wind would blow against you harshly.

Suddenly you came to stop, it was the same spot Rumlow had stopped and gone back you wanted to cross that boundary you wanted to experience more.

You started walking but for some reason the snow began to melt away you felt sun caress your skin that’s when you heard it people talking loudly cars rushed by.

“W-What?..” was this all an illusion? How the hell were you guys there? And now here? You start walking farther and farther away amazed by the sights you see.

You come across a store that had TV’s in the display windows you watched with curiosity suddenly an imagine of the avengers show up “earth’s.. mightiest heroes?” You cocked your head to the side but they were evil right? People don’t praise people who are evil..

“You a fan of them?” A man asked beside you, you slightly jumped at his presences “w-why would I be? They’re bad people..” you mumbled out “bad people?” The man slightly laughed “what’s funny?” “Bad people don’t save people from Ultron, Or alien envisions if they were they wouldn’t have but they laid down their life for us..”

Your eyes widen “I-I’m sorry I guess I was told wrong information..” suddenly an imagine of Bucky popped up “man that winter solider is something though! He was controlled by hydra until Captain America saved him.” HYDRA?!

Your mouth went dry you didn’t respond back as you kept watching “say.. you look a bit like him..” your eyes widen “I-I get that a lot.” The man chuckled “man people might get you confused for his lost daughter then.” He mumbled walking off.

Lost daughter?! Hydra being evil? What the hell was going on? You stood in the same spot for 2 minutes before you heard someone yelling your name “луна!” Crap.. Rumlow you quickly went into a store and hid behind a tall object you watched as Rumlow instructed something to his men before walking off.

You quickly come out of your hiding spot before accidentally bumping into someone “ah! Sorry..” you quickly apologized but the man kept looking at you, he had shoulder length hair and the color of his suit went along with the color of his hair “no worries little one.” He said before walking off.

You stood there dumbfounded.

————

“Thor!” Loki yelled out as he came into the tower “do you have to yell reindeer games?” Tony groaned out “not now stark- I think.. I just found someone.” Tony quirked his eyebrow up “wow amazed that you found a women for yourself Loki.”

He deadly glared at him “not like that stark, where is Thor?” “I’m right here brother what do you need?” Loki quickly took a deep breath “I think I just found the solider’s daughter.” “Steve?” “No! Barnes’s Daughter.” Tony dropped his mug on the floor it shattered into pieces.

“W-wait are you sure it was her?” He nodded “why didn’t you bring her back?!” Tony exclaimed “because! I-I don’t think she recollects any memories of.. you guys.” Tony quickly sat down taking in the news.

“How are we going to tell the Bucky?” Thor questioned looking at Tony “tell me what?”

————

You had no idea where you were going but all you knew is that you didn’t want to leave hell with madame Hydra and hell with HYDRA itself this is the life you wanted to live not being locked up in a room.

You roamed around a bit looking around admiring things as some shimmered and shinned you didn’t understand why they wanted to forbid you a world like this.

It was getting dark the streets started to die down as people were getting ready to go home your teeth clattered “man I should’ve brought a jacket..” you mumbled as you looked up at the sky.

“You don’t have to worry about that луна.” You gasped as you turned around and saw Rumlow with some men “please.. don’t take me back there..” you started walking backwards slowly “you see princess that isn’t your call.. your father is worried sick about you so I suggest you go home луна.”

He quickly grabbed onto your arm “ow! Rumlow stop your hurting me!” You cried out trying to yank your arm from his grip “your hurting yourself луна.” He starts dragging you back home you wanted to cry and you did sobs would escape your mouth.

“Unhand that girl Rumlow.” You couldn’t believe your eyes it was “captain America or should I say Steve Rogers?” Rumlow growled out “I think you have my niece there.” He growled back.

Taglist:

@just4muggles

@chloe-geoghegan1

@joe-mazzello-is-my-dad

@kawaiiasfuak

@smileyishere92

@colie87

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cassiopeiassky · 6 years

Text

The Potato of Mass Destruction

Hello, everyone! Here is a little something to make up for all the angst I’ve been writing lately. This is my submission for @ruckystarnes Rae’s Summer of Satire Challenge, the prompt is “If I’m dying, let me eat cake.”/“You’re not dying.”/“Let me eat cake anyway.” The prompt is in bold.

Bucky x Reader

Word Count: 2745

Summary: It’s your kids’ birthday party today, and everything is going well until some of your family arrives with an early birthday present for the boys. Chaos ensues. It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt; Bucky, to be exact, when he is the victim of an extraordinarily random freak accident.

Warnings: There’s not much here, kids. Some mild profanity (but seriously, you should expect that from me by now), mentions of guns, Bucky gets hurt.

Also - I used some characters from one of my other fics (WEMtbB), so this story *could* be viewed as kind of a spoiler, however it can also be read as a complete story by itself. I hope you all enjoy it!

Oh! And the pic at the bottom - yes, I did that. I am that extra.

The clock reads shortly after eleven in the morning as you hum along with the radio. Despite the fact that you’re currently operating under a time crunch, you’re in your happy place. Zen mode. Relaxed and at ease in creative bliss. As the smell of vanilla wafts through the kitchen, you painstakingly create a one eyed minion on top of a cupcake.

Your twin boys are turning eight next week, and you had suggested a private birthday party for their friends. The boys had no problems with their friends coming to the family party, but you did. Your extended family happens to include Captain America and Iron Man, among others, and their dad is the infamous Winter Soldier. Your boys’ friends know this and are perfectly capable of acting like decent human beings when surrounded by people who save the world as their full-time job, but their parents tend to get a little…intense…especially two of the single moms and one of the single dads.

To get around the inevitable secondhand embarrassment – and to keep the attention on the kids, where it’s supposed to be – you’d proposed two separate parties on consecutive weekends. It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it to make sure they get the birthday they deserve.

The goggles on the current minion finally meet your standards, so you carefully place it on the platter with the completed cupcakes and…wait…weren’t you finished with 11 cupcakes? Instinct has you whirling around, fears immediately confirmed.

“Bucky, no! You can’t eat that!” You snatch it back, inspecting it for any smudges in the icing.

Your husband stares at you, eyebrows drawn together, empty hand still held up to his wide-open mouth. “I can’t have even one? You always let me taste test.”

“No, Love, I’m sorry. These are for the boys’ ‘friends only’ birthday party this afternoon. The first batch failed miserably – it’s a new recipe and I had to play with the temp and timing – so now I have exactly the number of cupcakes needed for the number of guests. It’s a good thing I decided to make the boys a small layer cake to blow out their candles or I’d have to uninvite two kids.”

“So…just make more?” he suggests hopefully. “I like cupcakes.”

You pick up another cupcake and begin to decorate it. “Buck, I promise you can have all the cake you want next weekend when we have the family party. And honestly, next week’s cake will be better cake.”

“But it smells so good, Doll, please? You love baking,” he steps behind you and wraps his arms around your waist as he nuzzles into your neck, “and I love when you bake. See? Win – win.”

You snicker at his antics as you lean into his embrace. “I would if I could, Buck, but I can’t. The party is in less than two hours. Besides, I’m out of rice flour and can’t use regular flour until after the party because I can’t risk any cross contamination in the kitchen. So many of the kids have allergies that I had to make these gluten, dairy, egg, and nut free.”

“Gluten, dairy, egg, and nut free – what the hell is holding these things together?”

“Xanthan gum and flax seed.” You shake your head as you laugh, “One of the little girls that’s coming is allergic to all of those, plus citrus. I was so surprised when her mom told me that, I asked if her daughter survived on rainbows and unicorn farts. I mean, what else can she eat?”

Bucky chuckles as he stealthily reaches for the bowl of icing, but you catch him in your peripheral and bring a wooden spoon down on his knuckles.

Every now and then you manage to impress yourself with your reflexes.

“Ow!”

“Bucky! I took me six tries to get decent tasting dairy free icing and I don’t have any to spare, so if you can’t keep your hands to yourself, get out of my kitchen!”

“I just wanted some cake,” he grumbles as he pouts.

You turn to him and take his face gently in your hands. “Bucky, my love, I know and I’m sorry. I promise you’ll have all the cake you want next weekend. I’ll even make some with extra frosting – I’ll pile on the old lady flowers so it’s an inch and a half thick, just like you like. I just don’t have any to spare right now.”

“But next weekend is so far away,” he whines.

Your fingers slide back and tangle in his hair, and you press your lips to his before whispering, “I’ll make it up to you later tonight, okay?”

He pretends to think about it for a few seconds. “Deal,” he smirks before pulling you close and kissing you deeply.

Who knows how long you were wrapped in each other’s embrace before you hear the door open and close – could be thirty seconds, could be ten minutes – you can never tell when you’re like this with Bucky because time stands still.

“Aw man, they’re at it again.” Jimmy tries to sound disgusted, but you happen to know that he secretly loves that his mom and dad are affectionate. It makes him feel secure.

You giggle at your son’s observation, but Bucky doesn’t break form. He takes kissing his wife very seriously.

“Do you really have to do that here? We have people coming over.” Artie does a better job at sounding irritated, but when Bucky finally breaks the kiss and you turn to him, you can see the small smile on your son’s lips.

“Yes, I do,” Bucky replies before you can shoo them away. “I will have you know that, as your father, it is my solemn duty to show you how a man should treat his partner.” Bucky’s hands rise to cradle your face as he speaks, “If you don’t see me treat your mom with love,” he pauses to press a sweet kiss to your lips, “adoration,” another tender kiss to your forehead, “and respect,” a gentle thumb glides over your cheek as he kisses the other, “then how are you supposed to know how to treat the person you love? You can think it’s gross, but I’m doing my best to raise my boys to be loving, respectful men.” He gets a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Besides, your mom’s hot.”

“Oh, gross,” Artie makes gagging noises while Jimmy rolls his eyes.

The conversation is interrupted by a brief knock on the front door. “Hello! Everyone decent?”

“Grandpa!! Uncle Eddie!!” The boys run to the door and into the arms of the two men standing there. Technically it’s your grandpa and uncle, but Great Grandpa and Great Uncle Eddie is just too much.

“Hey boys, guess what?”

Your uncle has an impish glint in his eye…you know this look. You don’t know what he’s holding behind his back, but whatever it is isn’t good. “Uncle Eddie, no.”

“Uncle Eddie, yes,” he declares, presenting what he was holding behind him. “Happy birthday kiddos!”

“What the hell is that?”

You speak at the same time Bucky does, but louder. “No! You are absolutely NOT giving my seven year olds a potato gun!”

“We’re practically eight, Mom!”

“Wait, it’s a what?” Bucky looks both confused and delighted.

Your uncle smirks at the chaos he’s sown. “It’s fun!”

“It’s a weapon of mass destruction!” you shoot back.

Uncle Eddie shoots you an unimpressed look. “You’re being a little dramatic here.”

You march over to your uncle and lift the white plastic barrel of the gun. It still has its old Scooby Doo sticker on the side of it – the one you’d put there as a little girl. “It’s your old gun?? The one you souped up to make it even more powerful?! No. NO. And I’m not being dramatic – it’s works by combustion and the barrel is wider than two inches – it is classified as a weapon of mass destruction.”

“She’s not wrong,” Bucky interjects, sounding slightly impressed that you knew that.

“Aw, come on, peanut, you know we’re safe! You let Bucky teach them gun safety and you’ve let us take them deer hunting for the past two years. You trust us, you already know they’re in good hands!”

“Okay, first of all, the reason Bucky taught them gun safety is because there are guns in the house. They’re inaccessible to the kids, but he did it as a precautionary measure. Second, I am a grown ass woman. I officially outgrew the nickname peanut years ago. Finally –“

“No,” your grandpa interrupts gently, “You were my first grandbaby. You’ll always be my peanut.”

“I – okay, fine. But finally, your gun safety isn’t in question, the potato gun is. It doesn’t even have a safety!”

Uncle Eddie grins as he pulls the can of Aqua Net out of its chamber. “There, satisfied?”

You fold your arms and glare at your uncle.

“Please, Mom? Pleeeeeeeease?” Twin sets of beseeching eyes turn your way. “Just until the party?”

You can feel Bucky’s stare boring into the side of your head. He’d never contradict you in front of the boys – the two of you always back each other’s plays, and if ever there’s an issue it’s discussed later – but you can practically hear his curiosity begging for permission.

It’s pretty clear you’re outnumbered. And, truth be told, it’s practically a right of passage in your family. There was a time when it was you and your uncle begging your mom…

“Fine,” you relent, “but it needs to disappear before any of the kids get here for the party.”

Five beaming smiles are your reward as your boys, grandpa, and uncle race to the back door to get to the back yard.

“You know they’re gonna be fine, right?” Bucky holds in his excitement to pull you into a reassuring embrace; even now, your well-being is his priority. “Your family is really good about firearm safety, even by my standards.”

“You do realize that I just agreed to let my uncle – who drove through town last Saturday night with his bare ass smushed against the back window of his car while my aunt drove – take our boys out back to fire a homemade device that has enough power to shoot a potato over 200 yards?”

Bucky grasps you by the shoulders as he pulls back, eyes wide. “When you put it that way…”

All you can do is nod when you see his curiosity overtaken by common sense.

“I’m gonna go…supervise…” He doesn’t even have the sentence fully out before he’s speeding toward the door.

“They’re gonna be fine. It’s fine. Everything is fine,” you mutter to yourself as you return to the cupcakes.

* * *

It’s about a quarter past one, and the cupcakes are finally done. The boys’ friends will probably start arriving within the next 40 minutes or so, so you take the platter of cupcakes and the boys’ small cake for the candles and head out to the back yard to set up the cake table.

When you step into the afternoon sunlight, the sounds of giggles and shrieks meet your ears. They’ve been busy – all of the folding tables that had been placed are now decorated for the party. The potato gun is sitting on top of one of the tables, abandoned for a game of chicken. Jimmy is on Uncle Eddie’s shoulders, and Artie is on Bucky’s as they race around the yard.

As you lay out the cakes, everyone comes over to see what you’ve done, including the squirrel that lives in the tree providing the shade.

“Mom, those are so cool!” Jimmy’s practically jumping up and down.

Artie wraps his arms around your waist, “You’re the best momma ever,” he whispers, and your heart promptly melts.

Unbeknownst to any of you, the squirrel had shifted to get a better look at the brightly colored confections, not catching anyone’s attention until it let out a loud squeak as it fell out of the tree. This wouldn’t have been exactly catastrophic except that it landed just right on the potato gun, somehow managing to fire a potato straight into Bucky’s crotch from 20 feet away.

The former assassin drops to the ground like a sack of apples. His mouth opens in a silent scream as the blood drains from his face and he curls into the fetal position.

“Bucky, are you okay? Bucky?” You rush to kneel next to him, trying to offer whatever comfort you can. You’re reasonably sure that this can’t kill him, but that doesn’t mean it won’t hurt.

“Oh my God, I think this is the end of the line for me,” he groans, trying unsuccessfully to roll to his knees. “I can see flashing lights.” He gives up his efforts to move and curls into a ball in the grass. “This isn’t how I thought I would go.”

“Buck, you’re going to be okay.” Recognizing by his tone and actions that he isn’t in any actual danger, you have to swallow back the laughter that’s suddenly threatening to bubble out of you.

“No, I’m not. I really think I’m dying, and if I’m dying, let me eat cake.”

Yep, he’s fine. In pain, but fine. “You’re not dying.”

“Let me eat cake anyway.” He grins up at you with watery eyes.

You sit back on your heels, unable to fully hide your relief as you mutter, “You’re a shameless little shit.”

The boys approach slowly. “Dad?” There’s a hint of fear in their voices, and this is enough for Bucky to pull himself together.

“I’m okay,” he whimpers as you help him sit up. “I’m okay.”

They both kneel in front of him. “Are you sure?” Jimmy whispers.

Bucky nods while grimacing. “It’s just your standard potato to the balls, not much worse than Auntie Nat’s cheap shot in a fight. I’ll be fine, just gotta walk it off. Now help me up.”

As the boys help their dad, your eyes turn to your uncle, who is trying unsuccessfully to hide behind your grandpa. “Seriously? You forgot to pull out the hairspray and the potato?”

Uncle Eddie stares at you in mild terror. “I’m, uh, I should probably take that thing and leave because you have guests coming soon. See you next weekend, guys!” You’ve never seen your uncle walk so fast in your entire life.

You turn to your grandpa, and he starts chuckling. The laugh you’d managed to hold back earlier comes out in a snort, and the boys, understanding now exactly what happened, begin giggling uncontrollably.

“I can’t believe I still don’t get cake.” The disappointment in his hoarse voice is crystal clear. Shaking your head and completely unsuccessful at stopping your laughter, you pull his arm over your shoulders and help him limp back to the house. When you pass the fridge, you pause to grab a bag of frozen peas for him to ice his tender junk.

* * *

Later that night, after the party is done and the boys are all tucked in, you do what you can to make up for Bucky’s ordeal. He’ll be fully healed by tomorrow – the bruises are already beginning to fade – but you still feel bad for him.

Giggling to yourself as you put on the final touches, you listen carefully for any sign of your husband. Not that it really matters – if he doesn’t want to be heard, he’s as silent as night. Satisfied that he’s still upstairs in your bedroom either reading or writing in his journal, you snap the lid onto the dish, grab a fork, and make your way to him.

When you enter your bedroom, you realize why you were able to get away with preparing your little surprise. He’s outside on the balcony with the doors closed.

Bucky turns his blue eyes your way when you join him, smiling softly as he reaches for you before noticing the thing in your hand. Immediately recognizing the cake carrier, his eyes grow wide with delight. “Is that for me?”

You smile as you gently place the dish in his lap. “Mmm hmm.”

He removes the cover and bursts out laughing at what he finds.

A chocolate cake, decorated with an abundance of flowers and frosting at least an inch thick all the way around, with a message that leaves no room for misunderstanding as to whom this cake is for.

“Here’s your damn cake, you little shit.”

Tags: @hellomissmabel @howdoesoneadult @nykitass @danimuhle @iwillbeinmynest @shifutheshihtzu @passiononfire @learisa @widowvinter @kaaatniss @ladylizzieofdarbyshire @denialanderror @k-nighttt @givemethatgold @manders2487 @afangirlrambles @polkadottedpillowcase @msshadowboxer @bluebrrn @saysay125 @aikibriarrose @saharzek @mmauricee @imhereforbvcky @whenallsaidanddone @supernatural508 @scarlettsoldier @natalie-nightcourt @im-beautifully-sewn @lovemarvelousfics @feistytravel @tbetz0341 @nearly-whitches @jamie-leah @shliic @dessinemoiunehistoire @lucywinchester2000 @solarbarnes @a-proper-chicken @movingonto-betterthings

#SummerofSatire2018 #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes fanfic #my work #the potato of mass destruction

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thundersstruck · 6 years

Text

Do what you do best - (soft?) Morgan Rielly

A/N: So I’ve never written for Mo but he’s a dad basically... even though he’s only 24. Expanding myself here to other players.

(Y/n/n) means your nickname and (y/l/n) means your last name but your probably knew that..

Requested: umm kinda?? @thiccthighsandhockeyguys is writing a 3 part Auston Matthews imagine for me so like it’s kinda payment for doing that for me?? But she also picked the player????

Warnings: swearing, the brief mentioning of a sex life, angst and fluff

Word count: 1969 (I got super carried away and had to edit it and the post from my computer instead of my phone oof)

Gif credit: @espnlive (side note he looks so cuddly in this gif omg)

Enjoy!

(Y/N)’s POV:

"Mo you okay?" I ask while driving through the light snowfall. He sits beside me playing with the strings on his Maple Leafs hoodie. "Yeah I'm fine." He says with a sigh at the end, I put my hand on his thigh. "Bub I know you aren't okay. What's bothering you?" I ask as he puts his hand on top of mine. "I just, I know your parents like me and all but I've never met your whole family. What if your Aunt hates me or something?" He says glumly. "They aren't going to hate you because I talk about you all the time, very highly at that, we've been dating for a little over a year Mo, they know a lot about us... just not our sex life because that's weird." I say with a smile. "Umm your mom and older sister knows about our sex life." He says chuckling. "So does my older brother but that's only because the three of us are close. My Aunt doesn't know shit about our super spicy sex life." I say with a laugh. "Oh yeah but what about your younger siblings and your cousins?" He asks as he plays with the sleeve of my matching Maple Leafs hoodie. "Ahh my siblings and cousins worship you like a fucking god. Except my little brother Mark, he worships Steven Stamkos and the fucking ice he skates on... for some reason you'd think he'd at least like another maple leaf ya know?" I say giving him a grin. "I don't know maybe coming with you was a mistake." He says as I come to a stop sign. " I'm sorry what the fuck did you just say?" I snap. "You're here and you're gonna get the fuck over it Mo. I went to meet your family last Christmas." I continue as I pull away from the sign and closer to my house. "Babe that's not what I meant." He says as I pull into the freshly shoveled driveway and put the car in park. "Then what did you mean?" I say with an attitude and tears threading to spill. "I just uhh I don't know." He trails off. "Come in with me but if you leave at least get a fucking Uber." I say getting out of the car and slamming the car door. He follows in suit until we reach the door. "Let's pretend we're fucking happy okay?" I say and then open the door with a smile. We go inside with fake smiles on our faces and I'm greeted by my little sister with a hug. "Riells!!" I yell "(y/n/n)!!" She yells as she jumps into my arms, Mo is talking to my other siblings and cousins, looking like he's actually enjoying himself. "Is that MoMo?" She asks giving him a nickname already. "Yes it is Rielly do you wanna say hi?" I ask her walking towards Morgan as she nods her head. "Hey Morgan, someone wants to meet you." I say, calling him Morgan, something I only do when I'm mad. His head snaps towards me and his eyes go wide at the sight of my sister in my arms. "Why hello there, I'm Morgan what's your name?" He asks her "I'm Rielly! I like your hat!!" She yells. "Well Thank you Rielly, I like your name it's pretty cool." He says giving her a fist bump. She then asks to get down and runs off with the other kids. "She gonna call you MoMo because she's heard me call you Mo and probably be attached to you later." I say and then walk away into the kitchen. "They party has arrived and she needs a beer." I say to my older brother as he hands me what I need. "Long drive?" He asks "yeah you can say that." I respond as Morgan goes and sits down next to my father to talk. We all talk for a few hours, Morgan and I exchange a few glances every now and then and even more so as my aunt starts talking. "So (Y/N) how's your sex life?" She asks and I choke on my drink. "Oh my god." I whisper and look at Mo who's holding back a laugh. "Ummm it's fine?" I say as a question "why do you need to know?" I chirp back, something I picked up being around all the guys. She looks at me with disbelief and goes to speak but my brother Mark comes in to save the day. "(Y/N) are you and Morgan gonna come play some pond hockey with us?" He asks and I look over at Morgan. "Uhh yeah I'm down." He says "(Y/N our skates are in the car." He says standing up and I join him. We walk to the car in silence until Morgan speaks up. "(Y/N) I'm really sorry." He says as he takes his skates from the car and then hands me mine. "Oh are you now?" I say with an attitude, holding back tears once again. He shuts the trunk and takes my hand forcing me to look at him. "You know I am." He says softly "save it Mo." I say and walk away towards the pond in my backyard. The crunch of the snow under neath our feet calms me. I sit on the patio bench, Morgan sits next to me and put on my skates, he follows in silence. "So who are team captains?" My oldest brother asks "Me and Morgan." I say bitterly. "Alright let's do it." He says and we pick teams. "Take it easy on them, they're just kids." I say skating past Morgan. "I don't know how to do that" He says "yes you do, treat it like a family skate. This isn't out of your nature.Just do what you do best." I say as we come to the center for face off. Naturally he wins the puck and go after him like a mad man. All the anger and Adrenalin flowing through me. I get to him and give him a little shove to start, then a big shove, it's a big enough shove to have him go down and hit the ice. "The hell?" He asks "that's how you play hockey the (y/l/n) way" I say and skate away. Rielly sits and watches from the patio bench with my sister, mom and aunt next to her. Morgan and I go back and forth giving little shoves till I've had enough and I shove him to the ice, harder than the first time and drop my stick and gloves. "CAN YOU QUIT IT?" I yell at him. "I'm just playing how you're playing." He says getting up. "Yeah well it's real fucking annoying." I snap back not caring about the children around me. "Babe are you okay?" He asks. "DO I LOOK OKAY? NO IM NOT FUCKING OKAY GODDAMN IT MORGAN IM MAD AT YOU!" I yell frightening everyone around us. "I bring you home to meet my whole family at Christmas time, we love Christmas, and you tell me that you think it was a mistake to come with." I say lowering my voice a little "it hurt like fucking crazy! It was like you took the blade off your skate and just stabbed me in the heart with it. Mo it hurt to hear those words come out of your fucking mouth! Don't you understand?" I yell at him. I see a single tear roll down his cheek. "I'm sorry I made you feel that way, but it's not easy to be in my shoes. You talk so fucking highly of me your whole family thinks I'm a god! I'm not a god, I'm just plain old Morgan Rielly from the Toronto Maple Leafs!" He yells back "I TALK ABOUT YOU LIKE A GOD BECAUSE YOU ARE A GOD TO ME YOU FUCKING BLUBBERING IDIOT!" I yell back and then realize what words came out of my mouth. "Mo I..." I start but I'm cut off my his lips on mine and the tears coming down my face. He breaks away from the kiss "I didn't know you felt that way about me." He says pressing his forehead to mine. "Of course I feel that way about you, we are dating." I say giving a small smile. "Yeah about that..." he says trailing off and pulling away from me. "I swear Morgan Rielly if you break up with me you have to walk home." I say as he fumbles around in his jean pocket. "No I'm not that evil." He says still fumbling around. "Then what are you do-Oh my god Mo." I say as I realize he's on one knee. "Mo oh my fucking god what are you doing?" I say tears returning to my face, and my family gathering all together on the snow covered patio leaving me and Morgan on the iced over pond. "I can't tell you how much I love you (y/n). I love the late night dinners, the Netflix marathons, the blue nail polish you wear all season long, the smell of your shampoo, how you look when you wear my jersey at games, the support you give me, the karaoke and make out sessions we have in the car, the warmness of your smile and your hugs and cuddles, your laugh, how your hand fits perfectly in mine, how peaceful you are when you're asleep, when you fall asleep while I watch a game, our long talks, making dinner together, how you're always there win or lose your at every game, the injuries and the chirping, you put up with the boys. I love when we just take a bath together because you don't feel good but you want me to be there, the monthly trips to Niagara Falls because we really are those Canadians, when you ask me to get you Tim Hortons on the way home from practice, your love for pizza and your hair. I love when you put your hand on top of mine and rub comforting circles on it with your thumb and when we wear matching sweatshirts on accident but don't care enough to change. I love every single little thing about you, I love every little thing you do. I love you (y/n) (y/l/n). That's why even though we've only been together for a year I want to make you mine forever. I want to be able to have a family with you, because god seeing you hold your little sister made me think for us having kids together. That's what I want but I wouldn't want it with anyone else, I want it with you. So (y/n) will you please marry me?" He says as tears leave both of our eyes. "Mo, oh my god of course you blabbering idiot, yes I'll fucking marry you." I answer with more tears come down my face. He slips the ring on my finger and kisses me. It's a passionate kiss full of love and care. He pulls away and wraps his arms around me. "I was gonna mention something about our sex life but you're aunt kind of beat me to it earlier and there are children standing near us so..." he says. "God you're such a dork, I love you so much." I say kissing him again. "Well we know who's getting laid tonight, and it's not me." My aunt says and we all laugh. "Mo she just said that didn't she?" I ask "she did.." he says as we blush. Later that night when everyone goes to bed Mo and I sit in front of the fire cuddle into each other's arms. "I wouldn't want to spend Christmas any other way. I love you baby" He says as he kisses me. "I love you too Morgan Rielly."

#hockey #nhl #toronto maple leafs imagine #toronto maple leafs #morgan rielly #morgan rielly imagine #hockey one shot #hockey imagines #nhl drabble #nhl imagines #nhl one shot #nhl fanfiction #this is soft and wholesome #thundersstruck masterlist

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