#listen i know she left them in a cave or whatever but i made up my hc for sirion wayyyyy before i read that piece of info

[anarchy-n-glitter]

The Good, The Bad, and...

Summary: Lucy and The Ghoul encounter a shadowy figure from his past while on their way to New Vegas. This stranger, nicknamed Red Eyes, is intent on collecting a bounty on The Ghoul as a means to settle a feud between the two after they were betrayed by him. Will Red Eyes succeed, or will they have a change of heart based on their complicated feelings toward the man? (Cooper Howard x OC/reader) Words: 2,941

A/N: I forgot to post chapter 1 of this on here sorry guys. Anyway this is low key a Star Wars AU because as a Cad Bane fan I simply could not help myself so this is technically kind of a follow up to this fic. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

From the Desert Comes a Stranger

“I’ve taken down so many of dese clones over da years…” Her father began in his heavily accented manner, sighing, and pushing his hat back with his pointer finger as he glanced at her from the corner of his eye. The red of his irises were somehow muted by the red lenses of the goggles he wore, which made it hard to see the look in his eyes as it was. He quickly dropped to his knees and with a single swipe of his knife he removed something from the clone’s body. She couldn’t quite make out what it was before he pocketed it.

He turned around quickly, pointing his gloved finger up at her. She straightened up.

“Now, Ciella, what ya need to know is…” He handed her the bloodied knife, closing her fingers around the hilt and holding her smaller hand in his. It was one of the only times he made a tender gesture towards her other than the odd hug here and there. 

“Once you figure out one da rest are easy.” She had to wonder what the point of all this was. 

When they arrived on the site - an old, decrepit warehouse with a caved-in roof - her father was quick to corner the clone that now lay dying before them. He tried his best to grab the gun that was strapped to his leg, fumbling with it and managing to point it in her father’s general direction before he was gunned down. Two shots in the chest from the looks of it, shots that left the man (clone) heaving and wheezing on the floor with blank eyes, and she knew that’s what he wanted to happen. If he wanted to shoot the man in the head he would have. He was the fastest shot in the Wasteland, and it would stay that way for many years. 

“Now, I want ya to take dat knife dere and,” He finally stood and moved her closer to the dying man. “Yer gonna have to cut his throat, unless ya want to hear him scream. I’m not against it but it’s best dat we keep him quiet. Don’t want any stragglers comin’ in and takin’ us by surprise.”

Ciella drew in a deep breath as she knelt down beside the man. His blank eyes suddenly held so much emotion, it was a look she’d seen in her own eyes a few times before. Mostly on dark nights in the Jewel as she listened to the way men spoke to her mother… and the way her father spoke to her at times. It was the look she saw in the mirror after she saw how her mama took care of those men - their purple, mangled faces contorted in pain and their eyes bloodshot staring up at her, and their hands clutched around their throats. 

This man was in pain, and he was afraid of dying. 

There was a large tattoo on the side of his face, around his eye. It was a symbol, most likely belonging to whatever faction he belonged to since escaping his vault. From what she overheard her dad discussing, Vault 66 seemed to be defunct, with the clones created within revolting and escaping into the Wasteland. He had been hunting down the clones for the last five years, among other things. She never quite understood why anyone would flee a vault to live on the surface. 

Her father took the respirator off of his face, letting it hang below his chin. She felt more at ease at this, happy to hear his own, unmodified voice walking her through what she was about to do. Her heart was beating fast and felt like it had leapt into her throat. She glanced at the open ceiling and focused on the large, white moon that hung in the deep blue sky. 

Perhaps the sky full of swirling stars would be enough to comfort her.

“When he’s dead, cut off da part of his face with da tattoo and hand it to da Tin-Man. Den we can go home.” He instructed. Ciella hesitated. 

The clone looked at her, stared her down, silently begging her for mercy. He was just a clone, and he was wanted so he must have done something bad, right? She looked back at her dad, who had pushed his goggles up onto his forehead, revealing his bright red eyes staring back at her expectedly. Tufts of navy blue hair peeked out from under his hat and over his goggles and his lips were curved into a small smile. 

He actually looked like a supportive father for the first time in his life.

Ciella made her decision at that moment, and the girl at only eight years old turned around and drove the knife into the clone’s throat. His eyes widened and met her gaze for a moment and she felt her heart drop. He groaned and wheezed, the blood gurgling in his throat as the crimson substance dribbled from the corners of his mouth. A sputtering cough had his blood spraying across her face and she wasn’t sure if it was on purpose or not. She tried not to heave at the disgusting feeling. 

On instinct, she pulled the knife from his throat and drove it back into his flesh. Over and over. A larger, warmer hand wrapped around her wrist and stopped her mid motion. 

“Dere ya go.” Her father smiled wider as pride swelled in his chest. His baby would be a killer, just like he was. “After dis I’ll teach ya everyding I know.” 

☠☠☠☠☠☠☠

The sun bore down unbearably upon the duo traveling along the Mojave Desert. It had been miles and miles of desert between the Griffith Observatory and the place the Ghoul was certain Lucy’s father was heading. The vaultie was starting to fall behind, clearly tired from the constant moving. It was hard to find shelter all the way out here, and unfortunately for her the Ghoul didn’t feel comfortable stopping out in the open. 

They had traveled through a few settlements at that point, each one growing more and more decrepit and sparse. The people were quieter and hid away in their own corners of the small towns, eyeing the Ghoul and his traveling companion wearily. The whispers and glares of the different townsfolk hardly made for good hospitality, if anything it was that fact that drove him away from each place. Something was happening, someone said something, and he felt it was too risky to stop for a few nights in any of the settlements.

The last place they’d been to was a day’s walk away at this point, and the talk amongst the people in that saloon made him deeply uncomfortable. Then there was the body. 

In the sandy dunes of the last settlement they had been to laid a man with sun kissed skin and snow white hair stained at the temples with red. The poor man had his brains blown out, by who…  well, let’s just say he had a good idea of who it was. It was clear the job was done quickly, the man clearly didn’t see them coming, and the fact the man’s armor and other supplies went untouched raised even more alarm bells. He got them out of there quickly and quietly.

Unfortunately for Lucy, the Ghoul was one-track minded at the moment. His family was out there, he could feel it. There was a reason he kept going for over two hundred years, and he would not let those years of anguish be in vain. 

He would kill anyone who tried to get between them. 

“There’s gotta be somewhere we can stop, right?” Lucy sounded hoarse, tired. He wished he could answer her truthfully. He hadn’t traveled this far into the desert before, and the way the sun seemed to hang so high in the sky for so long made him question whether anyone ventured that far, let alone set up shop. He shrugged.

The dunes seemed to stretch on for miles and miles, with only a few rocky formations on the horizon. A few dried plants littered the ground here and there, somehow finding the strength to grow in such a harsh climate. It was a wonder anything was able to grow and flourish after the bombs. Maybe he should have sent the vaultie to ask for some sort of transport back at the saloon instead of being stubborn like he usually was. 

“Maybe that person’s coming from a settlement down that way?” The Ghoul froze, feeling himself go numb. 

Among the dancing heatwaves stood a dark-clad figure on the horizon. 

They stood still, any discernible features hidden by a wide-brimmed hat and respirator over the figure’s mouth. The wind blew and kicked up dust and whipped the figure’s coat to the side, revealing the large holster against their hip. Their dark attire starkly contrasted with the bright blue sky and pale sand. 

The words of the men in the saloon ran through his mind. 

Someone’s lookin’ for a ghoul just like ya! There was a bounty put out not too long ago, I think it’s been taken offa the board. A lotta caps goin’ for that guy. He considered that a warning at the time. 

Anyway, it looked like the guy who took the bounty was Red Eyes. He had the goggles an’ everything, but we all thought he was dead. 

And Red Eyes was supposed to be dead. He died around five or six years ago. 

The figure in front of him was a ghost. 

Red Eyes stopped a good twenty feet in front of them, standing perfectly still. The wind shifted again and from beneath the wide-brimmed hat came a tuft of navy blue hair that blew in the breeze. The desert was all too quiet now, and it felt like something from one of his old movies. Red Eyes felt like an old western villain, dark and ominous, seemingly a force of nature. He worried the figure wasn’t only after him. 

“Lucy, you should head back.” The Ghoul muttered, putting a hand out to stop her from moving any further. She stared at the figure for a moment, suddenly afraid because of the Ghoul’s reaction. 

“It’s only one person.” She muttered. “Maybe they’re lost?” The Ghoul stayed silent. He would not repeat himself.

Her doe-like eyes flickered to him and she noticed the way his mouth was set in a seemingly permanent frown. His whole body looked stiff, like a cornered animal. She nodded, understanding finally, before turning on her heel to make a run for it. 

The Ghoul watched as the stranger glanced in Lucy’s direction. Red Eyes observed her, seemingly studying her like an unbothered predator eyeing a nearby animal knowing it couldn’t do anything to stop it. He grit his teeth and took a few steps forward, spurs jangling with each stride. 

This was not good. 

“Now I know that fancy getup you got on is not yours.” He began through a false bravado, flashing teeth that used to be a pearly white. It was so easy for him to slip back into a role, something he had been doing this entire time. Yet, this time, he was given the chance to play the good guy. It felt unfamiliar somehow, after all, it had been several years since he’d done such a thing. He was almost grateful for this stranger’s theatrics. “Who might you be? Cause you sure as hell ain’t Red Eyes… he’s dead.” 

He knew all too well who this was. 

Red Eyes looked up, the red goggles reflecting the bright sun and making it impossible to see past their lenses. More of the stranger’s hair seemed to flow from behind them, long strands of navy waving in the wind like a flag. Their stance shifted from one of leisure to subtly looking like they would pounce. The stranger moved their coat away from their hip, revealing the large gun strapped to their form. 

“I’d be careful where I was sticking my nose if I were you.” The heavily modulated voice called out. “Or lack thereof.” 

The Ghoul bit his tongue. “I’m assuming that corpse we found back there was you, then? Certainly wasn’t the handiwork of any ol’ fiend.” 

“Wasn’t much work.” Red Eyes spat quickly. “Was a clone. They're easy. Woulda gotten in my way.” Their accent, even through the voice changer, was thick. Louisiana, most likely from the New Orleans area. 

“You’re here for me.” He didn’t feel the need to ask. He threaded his thumbs through the belt loops on his trousers, opting to seem more relaxed than he was. He knew Red Eyes would see right through his guise.

“Isn’t that obvious?” Their hand twitched beside their gun. He eyed them wearily.

“Well, I’m not goin’ willingly.” A low, rumbling chuckle sounded from the stranger. 

“I never said I was gonna take ya in alive.” They answered, voice cold with an edge to it. He fought the urge to argue, to call their bluff, for doing so would be too risky.

Truthfully, Red Eyes had every reason to want him dead. It had been a few years, five to be exact, since they last saw each other. Five long years since he turned the fellow bounty hunter in for killing a crime lord. Five years since he left them for dead. This would be a fitting end for their little rivalry, even if it wasn’t always that way. 

But he wouldn’t go down just yet. Not without a fight. 

He had to find another way to fight them. A quick draw duel would mean a death sentence for him, unfortunately. Red Eyes was and still is the quickest draw in the Wasteland. He would have to throw them off somehow, say something to really disarm them. 

He did the only thing he could think of, and instead of indulging in the stranger - instead of going for his gun - words that he never thought he would say slipped from his dry, cracked lips.

“Ciella, I’m sorry.” 

Red Eyes froze. Their hand was still dangerously close to their gun’s grip. Over the wind, he vaguely heard the sharp, uneven intake of air from the figure. The breeze picked up again, blowing open the stranger’s coat to reveal the figure of a woman. 

“It’s a bit late fer that, isn’t it, cher?” It most definitely was her. “I came ta finish the job. I shoulda known a coffin wouldn’t hold yer ass.” 

Cooper held back a laugh. Ciella Bane was an ally at one point, and maybe even a friend, but the moment her picture was up on one of those boards he knew their partnership was over. Someone was offering a hefty reward for whoever could bring the bounty brat in, preferably alive. 

That was his mistake. He knew he probably should have killed her while she was sleeping and taken the smaller reward for her corpse. Killing her like this would be a pain in the ass. 

“You wanna take off that ridiculous getup and let me see you?” He taunted, much to Ciella’s dismay. He just had to hit her where it hurt, get her emotional and in her head so she missed when she inevitably shot at him. However, it had been a few years, he couldn’t be sure that trick would still work.

Though with dear ol’ daddy not around to give her more of his tips and tricks he doubted she would have improved much more than the last time they brawled. 

Ciella scoffed. “The last thing you’ll see are these goggles. Everyone’s gotta know it was Red Eyes who took ya out, ghoul.” She spat, though there was a sadistic playfulness in her voice. Cooper rolled his eyes. 

“I got places to be, girl.” Cooper countered with equal venom. He was getting antsy, and he felt she was wasting his time. “Let us through and…” He stopped.

What would he do? What could he do? What could he possibly offer her where she wouldn’t be on his trail while he and Lucy trekked the Wasteland on a wild goose chase? Ciella coming back from whatever corner of the world she ran off to after burying him alive was the last thing he wanted. 

“Let us through and we can finish this some other time. I’ll tell you where I’ll be and you come find me.” He offered finally, feeling the weight of his words in his chest. He wouldn’t give up finding his family so she could have her petty revenge, but maybe one day, when everyone around him was gone and he knew his daughter was safe and could live a happy life, he would go to Ciella and let her put him out of his misery. 

“We do this here and now.” The bounty hunter replied. “That head o’ yers is fetchin’ a pretty penny. Figured it was better I did it than some chem addicted fiend on the street.” Her words were purposefully inflammatory. She was doing the same thing he was. 

She straightened up again, mimicking the stance of a cowboy in a western getting ready to draw, and Cooper knew what it meant. She wasn’t giving him a choice. They’d done this dance once before, and unfortunately for him it didn’t end well. 

The Ghoul sighed and moved his coat from his holster, and he mirrored her stance. “This ain’t gonna go the way ya think it will, sweetheart.”

“I doubt that.” That same, robotic voice answered, yet he knew she was still all too human underneath. 

#cooper howard x oc #cooper howard x reader #cooper howard x you #star wars au #fallout fanfic #cooper howard #the ghoul #the ghoul x reader #the ghoul x oc #fallout #cad bane mention!!! #so #cad bane #fallout tv series

[runawaymun]

Elwing's goodbye, for @nolofinweanweek filling both prompts for Day 4 and for Day 5 (Elwing, Elrond, Elros). Double posting today because I'm working the rest of the weekend and I don't think I'll get around any more prompts this year.

This hurt to paint lol. I need to go lie on a cold floor for a while.

#nolofinweanweek #nolofinweanweek2023 #listen i know she left them in a cave or whatever but i made up my hc for sirion wayyyyy before i read that piece of info #and it has stuck with me #in my head Elwing hid them like in a closet or something #there wasn't that kind of prep to leave them outside of the city or somewhere more secluded #and she just told them to wait for her #and then mae and mags found them while searching the house for... whatever #blind oath rage and all that y'know they weren't thinking straight #but i think she was hoping that if she jumped off that cliff they'd jump off after her and drown #and then it would finally be over and Elrond and Elros wouldn't have to deal with this shit #haha...well... #anyway #elrond #elros #elwing #sack of sirion #my art

[normspellsman]

She Is Mine

part one | part two

pairing: neteyam x fem!omatikaya!reader

genre: violence, bit of angst + fluff, & comfort

word count: 2.7k+

warning(s): death threats, mentions of death + injuries + blood, reader thinking she’s going to die + accepts it, neteyam going apeshit on an avatar soldier, reader being stabbed, mentions of brutal killings / violence, reader crying, & a bit of dark!neteyam

taglist: @aonungsmate @dearstell @optimisticblazetrash @thatonegirlwiththebeanie367 @liyahsocorro @amortencjja @universal-s1ut @goodiesinthecloset21 @chshshhshshshshshshshs @minkyungseokie

word bank: mawey — calm; calm down, eywa / the great mother — goddess deity that the na’vi believe in, ikran — winged creature used for flying + hunting, yawne — beloved, & yawntutsyip — darling; little darling

note: literally wrote this within two to three hours so it might not be that great, so bare with me. hope you guys liked it & let me know if i should do something similar to this with lo’ak <3

It was stupid really.

When you think back on it, it was definitely stupid to agree to tag along with Lo’ak and the rest to wherever the hell they were planning on going. But you could not say no to Tuk when she asked you to come with them. She was your weakness and used it to her advantage.

You’d been silently weaving a new armband for your boyfriend, Neteyam, when his youngest sister had approached you, hands interlocked behind her back and the all too familiar ‘innocent’ look plastered on her face. You knew that whatever she was thinking of saying or asking you would end up in you ultimately agreeing to it, most likely getting you in trouble with your lover.

“Join me and Kiri to the mountains with Lo’ak. Pretty please?” She had asked, pouting and widening her amber eyes up at you as she gently swayed from side to side.

You gave in immediately.

It was sad how fast the youngest Sully got you to cave in so quickly. You had restraint with the others, even Neteyam, but had none whatsoever when it came to Tuktirey. You had such a soft spot for her and Tuk took advantage of it every time.

Should’ve never said yes, you grumble to yourself inside your head, head shaking to yourself as you struggled against the restraints the RDA soldiers had put you in upon catching you all when you attempted to leave the scene you weren’t supposed to be at.

Jake instilled it into you guys so many times to never get close to the abandoned shack. You needed asked why. It was something that Jake wasn’t going to argue about and made it very clear after his youngest son tried to pry the answer out of him the first time he mentioned it. Should’ve listened to Jake.

Everything went by so fast, you had barely had time to process what was going on before you were shackled in handcuffs and essentially held prisoner by RDA Avatars.

“Who is she?” A deep voice asked, pulling you out of your seething thoughts.

Quaritch had a good estimate on who was who in the little rag tag group he caught. The five fingered teens one-hundred-percent belonged to Jake Sully while the human boy was a result of the Corporals past. So, that left you and Tuk. He would give it a fifty-fifty chance that the both of you were also Jake’s kids. Man, he and the Missus sure was busy, he thinks to himself, smirking at the thought.

By the only Na’vi boys reaction, Quaritch could tell that you were something else to the kid. A girlfriend perhaps?, he thinks, best friend?.

Lo’ak knew he was fucked the minute Tuk managed to convince you to join in on their little ‘adventure’. Neteyam continuously told him to look out for you whenever he left to go hunt or do whatever their parents told him to do, threatening bodily harm and death if he didn’t obey. He had a bad feeling about the whole thing but regardless of it, still continued on with his plan. Neteyam was so going to kill him.

“Our sister,” Lo’ak muttered, the soldier behind him still had a tight grip on his queue, tightening it before he answered.

Everyone on the scene could tell that Lo’ak was lying. It was evident. The boy's ears were pinned back, mostly in pain, and his tail fell limp beside him as it gently curled in on itself.

Bingo, Quaritch thought to himself, more leverage.

“Hmm, I think you’re lying, boy,” the Corporal starts, inching closer to Lo’ak, “And do you know what I do to liars?” he asked.

You gulped at the man’s words. You could only assume his following answer would entail torture or death. You all were totally fucked either way.

Lo’ak refused to answer the man’s question, making Quaritch smirk even more.

“I punish them,” he answered, a sick and disturbing glint in his eyes as he stared down Jake Sully’s second son.

Anxiety spiked in all of our systems, making you struggle further in the soldier's grasp.

“Don’t hurt him,” you and Kiri pleaded, the soldiers behind you yanking back on your braided queue, making you cry out in pain.

Quaritch tsked at your response, turning towards you as he stalked towards your figure. “I’m not going to hurt him, sweetheart. Just you,” he finalized, pulling out a knife that was sheathed in its carrier on his hip.

You and everyone else began to protest at his words.

“(Y/N)! No!” Lo’ak cried out, trying to inch closer towards you to protect you but was pulled back by a soldier, hissing out in pain and frustration.

Tuk began to cry as she saw the knife inch towards your face before it dipped down to your neck.

“You fucking asshole!” Spider yelled out, struggling in the grips of the two Avatar soldiers holding him, surprisingly making them struggle to keep him in their grasps in return.

Kiri could only close her eyes in response, not wanting to see you get hurt in front of her.

You stopped at the contact the cold knife made with your warm skin, the temperature of it making you lightly flinch back at it. Your heartbeat rose increasingly within the confines of your chest, hammering against the bone. Holy shit, you thought, this is how I’m going to die.

As you looked around and saw your friends' reactions, you accepted your fate. You accepted that you were going to be murdered in front of them. You could only hope that your death would help the Sullys and Spider escape from the soldiers and Quaritch safely and unharmed. You also hoped that it was going to be a quick death. You didn’t want them to see you suffer.

It’s okay, be calm. Don’t fight back, it’ll only make it worse. Mawey. Eywa, please ensure the safe return of the Sully’s and Spider. And make sure that Neteyam finds only happiness after this, you prayed.

Quaritch had taken your queue from the soldiers grasp behind you, granting you momentary relief from the tight hold only to be replaced with an even harsher grip. You hissed out at the returning pain.

“Now, listen here boy,” he starts, pointing the clean knife at Lo’ak, making him look at him, “I want ‘ya to contact your Father and tell him that if he isn’t here after the sun sets, girly over here,” he gestures to you with the knife in hand, “Is going to be gutted and strung up on the tree line as a little surprise for your Daddy. Am I clear?”.

His words makes Tuk cry even harder, making the soldier behind her give up on her hold on the girls queue and instead hold her up by her arms.

Lo’ak reluctantly nodded at his words, swallowing down the gathering spit in his mouth. His eyes jumped from Spider to Quaritch to you, then to Kiri and Tuk. He was dreading the moment his parents and Neteyam arrived, knowing that regardless of how much they cooperate, Quaritch is going to do whatever he wants to even if that includes staying true to his words of harming you.

———

The three were close to nearing the old abandoned shack when Lo’ak called in again, the line going static for a second before he spoke up.

“Quaritch is giving you until after sunset to arrive,” he shakingly starts, anxiety clearly evident in his tone as he speaks, “Or…or he’ll gut (Y/N) and string her up as a welcome gift for you.”.

Neteyam nearly crashes into a tree when he hears his brother's words.

Quaritch was threatening the life of you, his mate, in hopes of riling up Jake. Well, it was working, except it was Neteyam who was riled up and not his Father.

All the boy could see was red as the three of them silently continued their flight towards your destination after Jake told Lo’ak that they were on their way and that the message was clearly received.

Rage boiled up inside of Neteyam’s body, causing him to slightly shake from the emotion atop his ikran. He was going to kill every single one of the soldiers there once he arrived. He’d do anything to get you back. Anything.

———

Everything ached.

From your queue, to your scalp, to your neck, and to the fresh new wound Quaritch left after he decided Lo’ak was taking too long to relay his message to his Father. He had sliced your thigh and stabbed the wound in response, jamming it into the flesh/plush of your thigh. You cried out to the brutal attack, growling out in pain as a handful of tears fell down your cheeks. Quaritch only smirked at your reaction, throwing you down onto the ground as the rest of the soldiers followed suit in discarding their prisoners, herding them into a circle.

Kiri helped you up, allowing you to lean into her. She quickly assessed your wound and deemed that you were going to be fine, as long as no one pulled the knife out from your leg.

Lo’ak held your head in the palms of his hands as he looked for any other slices Quaritch managed to make before stabbing you. He didn’t find any and sighed out in relief from that.

Spider had gathered Tuk in his arms and tried to silence her crying before any of the soldiers got inspiration from Quaritch and decided to punish the child for crying.

“Fucking son of a bitch,” you whispered between grinded teeth after the attack, trying your best to not yank out the foreign object in your thigh. You began to think that maybe you will end up dying out here after all, amongst the beautiful greenery of Pandora. Albeit it not being the way you wanted to go out, it still wouldn’t be the most gruesomest death you imagined happening. You just wished that you were able to kiss Neteyam goodbye one last time.

———

Furious wouldn’t even begin to describe the type of emotion he was feeling at the moment. There probably was no word equivalent to the emotion he currently felt.

Neteyam had ended up disobeying his Fathers orders of him staying with the ikrans, saying that he was ‘too emotionally invested’ and that his anger was too risky for what he was about to face. He thought it was utter bullshit that he wasn’t allowed to aid his parents in rescuing his siblings and his lover from Quaritch. If anything, it gave him more of a reason to focus and get everyone out of there safely.

He had managed to take down two Avatar soldiers in his search for you. He decided that they weren’t worthy of wasting his arrows on, slicing and stabbing them until their throats were practically open wide in exposure or had any time to process the pain. He’d been quick and brutal in his attacks. The more bodies he left behind, the more closer he was to having you in his arms.

His Mother had already released her arrow by the time he arrived on the scene, causing the other soldiers to shoot out into the trees and pull you all up in response. He was forced to hid behind a tree, eyes desperately searching for your familiar figure amongst the Avatar bodies and his siblings.

Neteyam’s eyes finally found your body, still in a soldiers grasp as they tried to pull you away towards where the others were gathering.

His gaze narrowed at the soldiers tight grip on you, robotically notching an arrow and drawing his bowstring back, almost immediately letting it go just as quick as his initial drawing of the arrow.

The arrow lodged itself in between the eyes of the soldier, it’s body slumping backwards as it’s grip loosened on your body, allowing you to follow its descent to the ground.

You groaned out in pain when your body made contact with the forest floor. You were too tired to move out of the way once you realized the soldier that had you in its arms had died, accepting your fall to the floor as gracefully as you could. The knife was still in your thigh, shooting electric hot pain up your leg upon being disturbed from the short fall.

You felt another pair of hands grab you and roughly pull you upwards, you screaming and kicking in retaliation. But just as quickly as their arms grabbed you, they let you go, a loud grunt and hiss following as their body was thrown to the side.

Neteyam had quickly made his way to you once he spotted another Avatar pull you up. He had unsheathed his knife and jumped on the soldier, causing the two of them to roll around on the floor before Neteyam brutally and repeatedly drove his weapon into the Avatar’s body, not stopping until he was certain that he caused enough damage to the fake Na’vi.

Stay away from her, he thought after every stab he inflicted, it’s not her time.

You had looked up when Neteyam delivered the final blow, slitting the insignificant soldier's throat.

You had never seen your mate this angry. Sure there were times where he lashed out at you after an argument or got so angry he hissed and growled at his brother for his ridiculous antics. But never, never have you ever seen him so vengeful. You didn’t even know if vengeful was the right word to describe how Neteyam looked like at the moment. But nothing else came to mind.

“Yawne,” you whispered out, desperate to catch your boyfriend's attention, wanting to get out of the line of fire as quickly as possible.

The teen whipped his head towards you, eyes dilated to the point where they looked like slits in his pupils. His chest was heaving up and down heavily, lungs taking big gulps of air as he did so. A few braids fell in front of his face, masking some of it as he looked at you.

His whole expression softened once he laid eyes on you. He could tell that you wanted to get as far away from the scene as you quickly could, that sad and traumatic look in your eyes at you pleaded with him.

Neteyam quickly shook out of his stupor and gathered you in his arms, being weary of the knife in your leg that he just noticed. Another thing that made him want to kill Quaritch himself.

“It’s okay, I got you yawntutsyip,” he whispered back, dodging all of the flying bullets and arrows he could as he weaved into the heavy forest foliage. His grip on you never faltered as he jumped over logs and ducked under stray branches to get you to safety. His whole body was on autopilot as he ran around, solely focused on getting you out of there alive.

Once Neteyam had decided he was far out enough to not be chased or caught by any more Avatar soldiers, he gently laid you down onto the soft grass, eyes quickly assessing your figure for any other injuries he should be aware about. He let out a sigh of relief when he came to the conclusion that you had no other wounds that needed tending to, softly bringing you into his arms for a warm embrace.

You immediately broke down into the hug, burrowing your face into the crook of Neteyam’s neck and wrapping your arms around his back to bring him in closer. Your sobs were a telltale sign of how distraught you were from the events that just occurred, brain still racing to process it all.

Neteyam softly shushed you as he put one hand on the back of your head and the other on the lower portion of your back, softly rubbing the skin in attempts to comfort you.

“You’re safe now, my love,” he whispered, kissing your hair, “I got you. You’re safe.”.

You relaxed into your lovers arms as he comforted you, feeling safe in his hold.

Neteyam had never gotten that blood thirsty before and that frightened him a little. If he acted like this when you were in trouble, can you imagine how’d he act if you actually died as a result of tonight’s events? He didn’t know the answer to that. All he knew was that you’re his and he’d do anything to ensure that it is not your time yet.

#atwow imagines #avatar #avatar imagine #avatar: the way of water #atwow #atwow x reader #atwow x you #avatar x reader #neteyam imagine #neteyam #neteyam imagines #neteyam x y/n #neteyam sully x y/n #neteyam sully #neteyam sully x reader #neteyam x reader #neteyam sully x you #neteyam x you #neteyam x omaticaya!reader #neteyam x na'vi!reader

[zep-zep-blog]

This is 100% based off the song and episodes 🫡. I also might rewrite this to fit Lucifer too.

Vox x gn!reader

Genre: Angst, fluffy ending, hurt/comfort, song fic

Cw: Imposter, talk of being replaced, mind control(?), swearing, fighting

☾Seeing doubles☽

Reader and Vox are getting married, but something seems off about reader and Vox seems more laggy than usual. Is it nerves or something else?

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Velvette knew something was off. She always had a hunch about something. She knew when Valentino hid his anger or at least tried..and failed, she knew when you and Vox tried to hide your relationship at first, hell she even knew Vox wanted to marry you before he knew himself. Yet she couldn't pinpoint what was off about you and Vox. You guys acted like normal, but Vox seemed more dazed than usual and you seemed to snap at random. That definitely wasn't right, but she chalked it up to nerves or stress about the upcoming wedding and all the planning that had consumed your daily schedule.

It started off small, making comments you usually wouldn't make, having a strange aura, and overall just acting off. Then, she noticed your taste was different, liking a different flavor of cake and other desserts. Then your style was weird, you had always wanted a certain type of outfit for the wedding and yet there you stood in the bridal store wearing something you would never even look at.

Vox was no different, he always had an 'all bark, no bite' vibe, but he seemed more dazed, and laggy, and he blue-screened more than usual. Again, it could all be chalked up to wedding nerves and cold feet or whatever. But when Velvette had a hunch, it was usually right.

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She placed hidden cameras around, ones that Vox couldn't connect to. She hired imps and sinners she made deals with to follow you and Vox around. She constantly tried to keep an eye on you and it finally paid off. She had caught you talking about not loving Vox and sucking the love out of him, this confused and worried her. This person wasn't you, you loved Vox dearly and definitely showed it.

When she found this out she tried to share it with Valentino, but he was both stubborn and blind to hear her out. She tried to get through to Vox, but he lagged and shooed her away. She was frustrated and royally pissed off, someone definitely replaced you and she will get to the bottom of it.

She decided to confront your imposter at dinner before the wedding in hopes of them coming forward. Unfortunately, it ended with everyone shunning her and shutting her down. She left the restaurant pissed, no one was listening to her clearly concerning revelation. She turned the corner and was face to face with you? The imposter?

"Oh, what do you want? I know you aren't the real [Name]." She says with a sour tone.

"Oh, I just wanted to apologize." Your voice rang out, but it had a creepy undertone.

"What the fuck-" Velvette gets cut off as a ring of green fire surrounds her and her vision goes black.

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For what felt like months you were trapped, stuck in this mirror-like prison. With no light except the natural red one that reflected off the crystal-like cave walls. You felt helpless, and scared, with no idea what that monster did to Vox. She was hungry for power and love, she fed off it.

You were so excited, to walk down the aisle with your fiance. To share vows, kisses, and cake, but now? It seemed all too futile. Your eyes were red and puffy from crying tears of frustration and sadness. Your hair was messy from being kept from a hairbrush for heaven knows how long. You had a few scrapes and bruises from wandering aimlessly in the dark, unable to see where a rock or wall was.

That was how it was until you heard the familiar voice of Velvette echo through the caves. Soon she found you, her phone flashlight bouncing off the crystal walls as her eyes met yours.

"[Name]? Is that really you? You're not that prick that replaced you, right?" She asked, looking you over with concern and weariness.

You nod several times, tears welling in your eyes as you hug her. This is the first contact you had with anyone for a long time. It wasn't the warmth of Vox, but it was still comforting nonetheless.

"We have to get out of this shit hole and stop her," Velvette says, pointing her phone flashlight toward the end of the crystal tunnel.

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"This day is going to be perfect. The kind of day of which I dreamed since I was small." Your imposter said, spinning a red rose in between her fingers before putting it into the bouquet.

"Everybody will gather 'round, say I look lovely in my gown." She said, twirling in the mirror, the white lace and silk of the outfit spinning around her figure. "But, what they don't know is that I have fooled them all." She smirks, placing the matching accessory in her hair. She had successfully replaced you and would soon get what she wanted.

'This day was going to be perfect..the kind of day of which I dreamed since I was small..but, instead of having cake with all my friends to celebrate. My wedding bells, may not ring for me at all..'

You and Velvette raced desperately to find a way out, hoping to make it before your double married Vox. You feared what would happen if those vows were made before you could escape.

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"I could care less about the dress." She said, taking a seat at the vanity. "I won't partake in any cake." She took one of the makeup brushes and applied blush to her cheeks. Your replacement stood up and again did a once over in the mirror before turning to a picture of you and Vox. It was your anniversary, both of you smiling and facing the camera. "Vows? Well, I'll be lying when I say, 'That through any kind of weather I'll want us to be together.'" There was a mocking tone in her voice as she scowled at the photo.

"The truth is I don't care for him at all." She took the picture frame and shoved it into one of the dresser drawers, slamming it shut in disdain. "No, I do not love the groom. In my heart, there is no room."

'But I still want him to be all mine.'

"We must escape before it's too late, find a way to save the day." You say to Velvette, searching around for an exit to the reflective prison. She places her hand on your shoulder, breaking you out of your desperate daze. "We'll make it. Don't worry.

'Hope I'll be lying when I say 'I don't fear that I may lose him to those who want to use him. Not care for love and cherish him each day. For I-oh so love the groom. All my thoughts he does consume.'

You and Velvette finally find an exit, rushing to see the surface of hell. You hope that time will be on your side and those wedding bells won't ring soon.

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'Oh Vox, I'll be there very soon.' You pray to the same god that condemned you down here as you and Velvette weed through the streets of the entertainment district. Hoping the crowd would move faster so you could make it to the venue before your imposter made it down the aisle. You and Velvette make it to the entrance, weaving in and out of the crowd as the wedding bells ring out. You look at Velvette with wide eyes, doubt clouds hers as she realizes there's a chance you won't make it.

'Finally, the moment has arrived for me to be one lucky bride.' She smirked as she walked down the aisle, your aisle towards your future husband. Her veil trails behind her as she steps in tune with the wedding march being played.

'Oh, the wedding we won't make, he'll end up marrying a fake. Vox will be-'

'Mine. All mine.'

She gets to the alter, facing a dazed and glitchy Vox. He was clearly under some sort of magic or curse as she stood there. Right as the officiant clears his throat to start his speech you burst through the doors. The guests gasped and turned their heads, there you stood looking madder than ever. The guests looked back and forth between you and the imposter, not knowing who was real and who wasn't. The sinner in your place stared daggers at you, throwing the bouquet to the floor.

"You bitch!" You screamed, pointing fingers at your double. The room went silent, most of the crowd was shocked. "H-how are there two of you?" One of the guests shouts, causing the rest to start whispering amongst themselves.

"She's a shapeshifter! She takes any form and gains power from the love you have for someone!" This caused the fake you to cackle. She stepped forward, smashing the bouquet. "Right, you are. I've been feeding off his love for you, every second I grow stronger." She stepped towards you, green flames engulfing her as she transformed back into her original form. "He may not be my husband, but he is under my total control-" You cut her off by punching her in the face and knocking her to the floor. At this point, the only people left were you, her, and the Vees, the guests had left in a hurry as soon as she transformed.

"Fuck with me or Vox again and I'll remind you why I'm down here." You glare, your words sharp. Her eyes were wide, you had landed a hit on her when she had been practically untouchable for years. She scowled, "This won't be the last time you see me. Mark my words." With that, she disappeared into a pillar of emerald flames.

As soon as she's gone you rush to Vox's side, putting your hands on his shoulders and shaking him softly. "Vox? Vox, please snap out of it." You beg, tears starting to well up in your eyes. Your voice broke as he didn't seem to register your words. You broke down, hugging him tightly. Velvette and Valentino stood there silently as you sobbed into his shoulder, your relationship, him boiled down to nothing from the shapeshifter's doing.

In a last-ditch attempt, you kiss him, hoping it would spark something between the wires for him to snap out of it. Your hands grip his shoulders as you pull away, looking at the black screen. It flashed and he slumped into your arms with a groan.

"Vox? Vox?" You gently shake him, trying to him to look at you.

He turns his head up and looks at you in confusion, "[Name]?"

You hug him tighter, tears falling down your cheeks. Vox is super confused as to why you're crying and the fact he was in an empty wedding venue with you.

"What the- what are we doing here? Why the hell are you so dirty?" Vox pulled away and wiped your tears with his thumb. "We can talk about it later, let's just get home." You say softly, leaning your head into his touch.

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Over the next few weeks, you and Vox planned a real wedding, with the real you. You and Vox picked the right flavors and bridal outfits, happy that it was actually you two. Velvette had never seen Vox this happy and she's his business partner and one of the closest people to him this side of hell.

You finally felt at ease when you walked down the aisle with Vox, saying your vows and slipping the matching rings on. Not even a spear made from shiny angelic steel could break this.

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IT'S FINALLY FINISHED ᕙ(⍢)ᕗ Hope yall enjoy <3

Requests open!!

Tag list: @mrssabinecallas

#Spotify #vox x gn reader #vox x reader #hazbin hotel #hazbin hotel vox #hazbin hotel velvette #hazbin hotel x reader #songfic #mlp #this day aria

[specialagentlokitty]

Master chief x reader - for you I’ll do anything

Every since you were a child joining the marines was all you had ever wanted, all you had ever thought about.

Just like your mom. Her dad. His father. His father’s mother.

Your family had been part of the marines for as long as you guys were able to go back through military history.

Your name was known throughout the entire military, from new members to high ranking officers, they all knew your last name.

You quickly rose through the ranks, and you loved every single moment off it, and your ability to combat made you an easy choice when it came to putting people to work with the Spartans.

You were used to working with them, and had grown used to their patterns, growing to accept them as friends even if they kept you at arms reach.

Standing with your hands clasped behind your back, you listened as the admiral talked.

“This is a simple in and out mission, do not make contact unless you have to.” She spoke.

You nodded your head.

“Yes ma’am.”

You walked over to the table in the middle of the room, pulling up a hologram, pointing to one of the paths as you looked to the silver team and their chief.

“We mapped this cave system a few weeks back, but we never found what the covenant were looking for. There’s a small group of them there now, we assume just as guards until their people can come and retrieve it.”

“How do you know where it is then?” Vannak asked.

You flicked through some files and pulled up a short video, playing it for them.

“I was able to place a tracker in one of them, and they’ve been taking the same path every single day.”

You pulled up the map again, highlighting the route that the covenant soldier always took.

“My best guess is that somewhere along where we’ll find what we’re looking for, most likely in this cavern here.”

“What do you need us for Marine?” John asked.

You turned your attention to him.

“I need you guys as a safety net essentially. I can get in and out by myself, there is a short window when they swap their shifts, if something goes wrong I’ll actually the alarm on my vest.”

“So we’re babysitters?” Riz huffed a little.

You knew she wasn’t mad at you, they just didn’t like having to escort people places, or do anything that wasn’t what they were usually trained for.

“If I can get this object, I can bring it back for Miranda to take a look at. We aren’t sure what it is, all we know is that we need to take it out of their hands.”

They nodded their heads.

“We need to leave in an hour, be ready at at the ship.”

You turned away from the group and back to the admiral.

“Are you sure this is worth it?” She asked.

“I’m not entirely sure if I’m honest ma’am, but I am sure whatever this is seems really important to them.”

She nodded her head.

“Bring it straight to me as soon as you get it.”l

“Yes ma’am.”

You left, going down to your office, you pulled your armour on, putting your helmet on and grabbed your gun.

People moved aside as you walked down the hallway, and you heard the heavy metal sounds of the Spartans all falling in line with you.

“Do we have any indication on what this object is?” John asked.

“My guess is I think it may be something they use to create their weapons. Years back a storm swept over the place, buried everything in water, which destroyed the ground’s integrity, and it collapsed. The cave used to be a valley.”

“So a few of their soldiers were in there and got caught, unable to get out, maybe they were carrying something?” Kai asked you.

“Covenant ships have been know to crash there for years, we’re not sure why. But every time one does they go and scrap the ship, whatever is on those ships they want back, I reckon that’s what this is. Maybe a black box of sorts.”

You walked over to the ship, waiting for them to go in first before you went to your own ship.

It was smaller, only enough room for two people and you got everything ready.

“Master Chief, are you patched in to my location?”

“Yes. Ready to follow.”

“Then let’s go.”

It was a long travel to get there, and you had to land a good distance away from them.

Making your way out of your ship, you walked over to the four.

“It’s a straight line from here to there, there’s some large rocks not far from here.”

“We can wait there.”

You nodded your head, leading them to the rocks and they all got in position while you looked at your watch.

It was old, passed down through generations of your family, and you crouched down, waiting for the right time.

“Marine?”

You glanced up at John as he crouched down next to you, taking his helmet off so the others weren’t able to hear what he was saying.

“Are you sure this is worth it?”

“We need to get our hands on whatever it is their after John..” you whispered back.

“If something goes wrong we’ll be too far away to help.”

You sighed.

“Then you get the object back to the admiral.”

“Leave you here?”

You looked up at him.

“They did with my father, it would make no difference if you left me. My father spent months trying to get this, his job is my job now, John please. He died trying to get this.”

John sighed, putting his helmet back on.

“Cortana, is there another place to hide closer to the cave?”

You didn’t hear a response, but John stood up, and you did the same thing.

“There’s a small ditch, just big enough for one of us to fit in. I will hide closer to the cave just in case.”

“Remember the mission, get the object and go.”

He gave a nod of his head, and you both made your way over.

You left him in the ditch, and carried on jogging, making your way towards the cave and you checked the time once more before ducking into the cave.

You didn’t have long at all, so you needed to be in and out.

“Take a right.”

You did as John instructed and came into the cavern, kneeling to the side as you looked around.

“It’s not big, I should be able to carry it out…”

“Bring it out, we’re on standby awaiting orders.”

You crept forward, and you noticed there was two things laying on the floor.

“Guys I’ve got two of these objects, I’m going to bring them both out.”

“Hurry, we’ve noticed movement nearby. Take the first left and run straight.”

“Thanks chief…”

Grabbing the two, you quietly crept back, taking another tunnel to leave while the covenant were coming in.

You knelt at the exit, looking to make sure the coast was clear.

“On my way, get ready.”

You broke out into a dead sprint, praying you wouldn’t get caught along the way, and you jumped down into the ridge, kneeling in front of John.

He knelt over you, using the green on his armour to hide you both.

“They’ve found out it’s missing, they’re sending a group this way, do not move.”

You nodded your head, listening as the alien jets flew overhead, and he placed a large hand on your back.

“Let’s go…” John muttered.

You both broke out into a run again, he was slightly ahead of you as you regrouped with the others.

“Let’s go, I’ll run a scan on these in my ship when we’re safe.”

They joined you, all four of you making your way back to the ships.

“You three go back, we’ll meet you there.” John said.

“Chief?” Riz asked.

“Go, we’ll be right behind. No doubt if they find out we have them they’ll come after us, so I’ll take a different flight path.”

They nodded, you followed John into your ship, securing the objects into two separate holding areas before sitting in the back.

“Let’s go!” You called.

You had to wait for John to clear the atmosphere before you could get up, but the moment he did you were up and inspecting the objects.

He glanced back at you before turning back to the front of the ship.

“Any idea what they are yet?” He asked.

“No, but they seem to react the closer they get to each other.”

“Good or bad?”

“No idea.”

Walking behind his chair, you grabbed your bag and pulled out your father’s notebook, tossing the bag back down so you could look through it.

Walking back to the table you leant over it, eyes scanning over the pages as you flicked through them.

You were looking to see if he had any indication on what these things were.

“Any sign of us being followed?” You asked.

“None yet, either is silver team.”

“Good.”

You turned around, looking at the scans you had taken, and you looked at your father’s notebook.

You turned back to the devices.

Setting your notebook, you grabbed the two objects, holding them apart as you walked to the emergency escape pod.

“We’ve got company!” John called.

“Hold them off!”

You set them carefully on the ground, and walked over, getting a look at where you guys were and you saw a familiar planet under you.

You had been there before, and it was as good of a place as any.

“John keep going until you get back to reach.”

“What?”

He turned to you in confusion.

You slowly backed away from him, giving him a small smile and a salute.

You pressed the button on your vest to open your com.

“It’s been a pleasure working with you all, and I couldn’t have asked for a better team to be paired up with. I’m glad to know my father’ss work wasn’t in vein.”

You stepped into the pod, hearing John trying to get out of his chair but he kept getting stuck on everything.

“(Y/N)!” He snapped.

“They’re bombs, the moment they came into close proximity, AKA when I picked them up, they activated. They’re going to go, and the covenant are going to follow them.”

You could hear them all shouting your name, including the admiral back at reach.

“Catch you on the flip side I guess.”

You slammed your hand into the button just before John could reach you, and you took control of the escape pod.

If you could get it to the ground you could find a place to hide while the bombs went off.

Of course the moment they moved the aliens followed you instead, and you could still hear everybody calling out for you.

You tried to ignore it, getting closer and closer to the ground, alarms were sounding all around you, smoke bellowing up from blow the pod.

Turning around in your chair, you grabbed one of the bombs, opening the door to the escape pod and threw it, then threw the other one.

Closing the door again you rushed back towards your chair to try and gain control over it but you couldn’t.

Bringing your hand back up to your com and pressed it.

“Covenant fleet and the bombs have been disposed off, but I’m hit. I’m going down, I’m not sure where and I doubt I’ll make the crash. This is captain (Y/N) (L/N) signing off.”

The door to pod blew off, and you took your com out, not wanting to hear the voices shouting anymore.

The ground grew closer, and you pulled the handles up, bringing the pod up as it hit the sand and your chair was ripped out along with a whole bunch of other things.

Everything went black, and you weren’t sure for how long you were out for.

When you came too, you undid the straps from your chair, taking a deep breath.

Your body was in shock, you couldn’t feel much pain, but when you stood up your legs were weak and you saw blood coating your uniform.

You walked away from the ruin, getting as far away as you could before your knees gave in, you placed your hands on the ground coughing up some blood.

Pushing yourself up, you took your vest off, and your shirt, leaving you in your undershirt.

Taking a few shaky breaths, you placed a hand on your side, and slowly sat down, looking at the water as it softly rippled against the shore.

It was like all the movies you had seen, the photos of the peaceful beaches.

Sure, reach has some beautiful places, but you absolutely admired this view, and if it was the last thing you saw that was okay.

Taking a few breaths, you pushed yourself up, taking a few steps and you stumbled again, more blood falling from your side.

You slowly stood up again, but you couldn’t, so you stopped trying and just laid there, staring up at the sky.

Your blood stained the sand, and it was in your hair, all over your clothes.

You were sleeping between unconscious and conscious, unable to do anything else to keep yourself alive.

The pain was creeping up on you.

The ground seemed to vibrate, and you put it down to your body shutting down, but the large green suit above you told you otherwise.

You saw the numbers.

117.

“John…”

“(Y/N)!”

He crouched down, looking at your vital signs which were Reading critical.

“I’ve got you.”

He carefully picked you up, running you back to your ship, and he laid you down on the floor.

“(Y/N)?” He called.

“I.. I want.. to go in.. the water…”

John quickly put the ship into autopilot and he made his way back over to you, pulling his helmet off, setting it aside as he pressed one of your shirts to your side.

You always kept spare everything on this ship in case of emergencies.

“I need you to stay awake.”

Your eyes slowly met his.

“Can we.. can we go… in the water…?”

“We are going back to reach, they have a team of medics on standby.”

You took a shaky breath, and a few tears fell from your eyes.

“I don’t… want to.. die…”

“You’re not going to die, but you must stay away.”

You sniffled a little bit.

It was strange for John to see you in such a state, he had never seen you so scared, he had never seen you cry.

He’d seen you angry, he’d seen you happy, but it never crossed his mind that you could actually be scared of something.

“Just stay awake…” he whispered.

You coughed up more blood, and he looked at you with furrowed brows.

John slowly reached out, gently placing his forehead on your, just like you had done for him once when he was seriously injured.

“Stay awake…”

He had to leave you in order to land the ship, but the moment he landed it, he rushed back over to you, but you were immediately taken away from him.

Grabbing his helmet he rushed after you, but was forced into a debrief.

After he spent hours waiting for any news of you, but he kept getting taken away to do other things.

“(L/N) will be fine, but it will take some time for a full recovery.” A doctor said.

John nodded his head, standing up.

“What room?”

“Just down the hall to the left.”

John made his way in, and sat on the chair next to your bed.

Every day he often came to see you, needing to make sure that you were okay, even as a mission took him away for a month, he came back and straight to your room.

You were up, slowly walking up and down the lengths of your room.

“You’re okay.”

You turned to the door and smiled a little bit.

“As good as new, can go back duty in a couple of months.”

He nodded his head, and closed the door.

You sat down on your bed, and he stood there with his arms clasped in front of him.

“When will you be released?”

“In a few days, why?”

He didn’t explain, and a few days later he asked for you to meet him by the Spartan ship, not explaining why even as he took flight.

You recognised the flight path, even as you two landed.

You walked out on to the vast sand.

“John? Why did you bring me here?”

He walked over to you, he wasn’t wearing his suit, just normal gym clothes.

But he did have his weapons on board the ship.

“When you were injured you kept saying you wanted to go into the water.”

He gestured to the water.

“Now you can.”

You smiled at him, walking to the water, taking your shoes and socks off, rolling up your trouser legs and you walked into the cold water.

John walked over, doing the same thing as he stood next to you.

“I saw my dad.”

He furrowed his brows, looking at you.

“When I was dying, and I said I didn’t want to go.”

“You remember.”

You slowly nodded your head.

“I wasn’t saying I didn’t want to go to you. I was saying it to my dad, he wanted me to go with him, but I wasn’t ready. I didn’t want to die.”

“Are you scared of dying?”

“Everybody is, but we all die eventually. But I guess I always thought I’d either die naturally or painlessly at least. I’d never been so close to death. But I was also scared you leaving you behind, you having to lose another person.”

John nodded his head.

You placed a hand on your side.

“I left my ship because even as a Spartan there was no way you’d survive that blast, and there was no point taking us both down.”

“You were protecting me?”

You turned to him, giving him a small smile.

“Of course I was John. Look, we’ve had this on and off thing for a while, but I wasn’t going to let you die because of a mission I insisted on. I would do it again if I had to.”

“But I don’t want you to die.” He said quietly.

“You know I’ll more than likely die before you right?”

John turned to look at you.

“Yes, but that still doesn’t change the fact I don’t want you to die.”

You laughed softly, reaching out to take his hand, placing your other hand on his chest and he stared down at you.

“I’m sorry…”

You closed your eyes, resting your forehead on his chest for a moment before pulling away to look at him.

“Thank you for bringing me back here…”

John brought a hand up, placing it on the side of your face, and he leant down, hesitantly kissing you and you moved your hand to the back of his head to kiss him back.

John pulled away first, and he just looked at you, his eyes boring into yours.

“Will you be okay?”

“Yeah John… I’ll be okay I promise…”

He nodded his head, and you moved to stand in front of him, your hand holding his to your side you had injured, back resting against him as you just looked at the water.

He wasn’t going to pretend he understood your fascination with it, because he didn’t, but you wanted to come here so that’s why he brought you here.

He was still learning about emotions, and what exactly was going on with you two, but he did feel lost when you were stuck in that room, he was so used to you by his side that when you weren’t there he didn’t know what to do with himself.

So, now he was here with you, he was going to memorise this moment because he realised how easily you could go and leave him behind and he wanted something to remember you by

#halo #halo x you #halo x reader #halo imagine #halo the series #master chief #master chief x you #master chief x reader #master chief imagine #John 117 #John 117 x reader #John 117 x you #John 117 imagine

[rebelliousstories]

Stockings

25 Days of Ficmas

Relationship: David x Reader

Fandom: The Lost Boys

Request: No

Warnings: Fluff, David being David

Word Count: 1,457

Masterlist: Here

Summary: This was NOT what he had in mind when someone mentioned “stockings.”

David did not know what he was thinking. He did not know how he got here, yet here he was. He meant to be on the boardwalk with his brothers, and lover, enjoying a night of mischief and fun. But here he was. Where was here exactly? A Christmas pop up stall on the boardwalk. When his lover came to him and asked him if he wanted to help her pick out stockings, he had a totally different idea in mind. Now, he was trailing after the girl awkwardly in the store. She picked up a navy blue stocking with gold embellishments and turned towards the vampire behind her.

“Do you think Laddie will like this?” She asked, eyes watching his face intently.

“Sure.” The response was so dry from him that she leveled an unimpressed look with her lover.

“Could you at least pretend to like this stuff?” She questioned, turning back to the stockings in front of her.

“No, I can’t.” David quipped, looking around to see if he could disappear into the night away from the candy canes and glitter.

“Listen,” she turned back around, “if you help me picking out stockings for everyone to put up in the cave, including your own, I’ll make it worth while. But you need to pretend for as long as we’re in the store.” Her offer was tempting; but David being David, pushed a little closer to the edge.

“Worth my while, huh? Meaning anything I want?” He teased, reaching a hand up and caressing her cheek with gloved fingertips. Her look turned bashful for a moment before she returned to her usual expression when dealing with David; mild annoyance mixed with flirty.

“Sure, Davey. Anything you want to make this worth your while.” She purred, getting closer to him and leaning up against his chest. Her hands ran up his chest, resting right at the top hem of his shirt and staring him dead in the eyes. Crystal blue eyes barred right back into her own, but neither moved.

“Fine. I’ll pretend for you.” David relented, resting his hands on her waist with a squeeze. She turned back excitedly to the decorations in front of her, and began her perusing once more. David allowed her to drag him around the store, and entertained her with comments and input on whatever she grabbed.

“Really? Glitter?”

“No. Get Paul the pink one.”

“Dwayne might like the tiger on that. Get it.”

Once he started pretending to like that stuff, the less he had to act. David found himself enjoying offering the comments and critiques to his girlfriend. He liked joking around with her and messing around with the garland hanging around the aisles. She would giggle anytime he messed around, and laugh when he would make jokes. It was nice to see her lover pretending to enjoy himself. It was almost to the point where she truly believed he was having a good time with her.

Eventually, with bags a plenty, the couple left the Christmas shop to head back to the cave. Arriving at the boardwalk again, she had to fight to keep Marko and Paul's hands from getting inside said bags.

“Hey!” She exclaimed, slapping both of their hands before they could get to close. The vampires let out small whines when they got hit, making David chuckle at them.

“Hands away. You'll find out tonight when we put them up. Behave.” Her words made the boys perk up again. Everyone made their way to the bikes, and she had to situate herself on the back of David's while still holding on to the bags. Star saddled up to Marko as Laddie went to Dwayne. The pack made their way down the beach, screaming and whopping into the chilly air of the night. Arriving at Hudson's Bluff, Dwayne made Laddie help carry some of the bags of Christmas decorations down into the cave. David led his lover down the steps while Marko and Paul kept rough housing behind them.

Stockings of all different varieties were pulled from the bags before abortions could stop the terror twins. And they were in awe.

“Everyone, stockings! Come and get ‘em!” Marko cheered as he excitedly tore apart the bags to get a good look at each one. He set the patchwork quilt style one aside, knowing immediately that was his. Marko gave Star the bright pink one with glitter on it, only to be given a dry “thanks” and a disappointed look on her face. David chuckling made both of them stop.

“That's not Star's, Marko.” He got out in between chuckles, but the vampire was still confused. He looked at the stockings they had, and quickly found the one with the moon and sun drawn in an astrological style. Marko gave that one to the female, who had a much happier expression this time around. He pointed the bright pink stocking towards the girl who was now sat on David's lap. The blonde vampire's face held a smirk and shook his head, looking over to the other blonde in the group.

“Oh hell no.” Paul exclaimed, coming over to snatch the stocking out of Marko's hands. Turning to face her lover, she gave a ridiculous look to David who merely shrugged as he went to light a cigarette. Paul was digging through the bags, looking for another stocking that seemed to belong to him. But he dropped them when he saw there were none. He seemed to come to terms with it pretty quickly.

“Oh well, not the worst thing. Honestly, it looks like something I saw on acid once. Least I didn't get David's stocking.” And then he ran away before said vampire could ask him what he means. David was now curious about Paul's statement, but tried to hide it as best he could.

Marko held up an intricate looking stocking, with a Bengal tiger embroidered on the front. There was light bead work all around the stocking, but nothing could draw Dwayne's eyes away from the ornate artwork on the front. He could not take his eyes from the stocking as he turned to go sit down, and almost ran into Laddie who had made his way over to receive his.

“Here you are, little dude.” Laddie grabbed his navy blue and gold stocking excitedly, and ran over to Dwayne to share their stockings. And then there were two. Marko did not even bother taking them out of their bags, he just brought it over to the couple, and left.

Now, they sat in the chair together, with a single bag between them. She was encouraging him to open the bag first.

“Go on, David. Open it.” The vampire held an unimpressed look, but amused his lover. He reached down into the bag and pulled out a stocking with a dark red rose on it. However, she grabbed it.

“That would be mine. Go on.” Her smile overtook her face and she was almost buzzing where she sat. What David pulled out next, confused him. It was a black stocking, with no embellishments, yet held a blood red trim. He was confused because there were no stockings at that shop that looked like that, even though they only looked at the stockings in that shop that were of alternative designs. His confusion must have washed over his face deep enough that his lover was speaking up.

“I wanted yours to be a surprise since I knew you'd be coming with me. So I went during the day today and got this one for them to hold till I got the others tonight with you.” She explained, watching his face for any sign of discomfort or anger. But all she found was wonder. David was a man of few words, and that did not change now. No, now, he turned their heads together and joined them. Pouring all the love he could not say with words into this kiss, keeping his girlfriend pressed against him. When he eventually let her up for air he did not need, she held a dizzying smile.

“What was that for?” She asked dreamily, staring into the pastel blue wires of her lover.

“Just the fact that you did that. Means a lot.” David sealed his words with yet another kiss that she was quick to end.

“Look inside.” Her whisper enticed him. Reaching his hand inside the stocking, like she said, there was something there. David started to pull out whatever was inside, but stopped quickly. He saw black fishnet material and turned to his lover with an impish grin. She merely matched his expression.

“Told you I'd make it worth your while.” Now that was his kind of stocking.

#rebelliousstories #writing #the lost boys imagines #laddie the lost boys #the lost boys #david tlb #david x reader #marko lost boys #marko tlb #dwayne tlb #dwayne lost boys #david lost boys #paul tlb #paul lost boys #lost boys star #25 days of ficmas #25 days of christmas #ficmas 2023

[nurse-buckley]

Sicktember Day Eleven - Emergency Room/ Ambulance

Fandom: 9-1-1  Pairing: Buck x Reader  Word Count: 1,095 words  Prompt: @sicktember Day 11 - Emergency Room/ Ambulance, written for the amazing @floralbuckleys  Tagslist: @firemedicdiaz @fireladybuckley @winterreader-nowwriter @iamasimpingh0e @dayrin085 @hauntedmilkshakeghost @floralbuckleys @writingmysanity  If you want to be added or removed from my tagslist, please let me know!  

Buck had warned you on more than one occasion to be careful carrying stuff down the steep stairs of his loft, even more so now you had both welcomed the latest edition to your family. The shelter a block from your shared apartment had had a special event for the cats and kittens in their care with their kennels recently overwhelmed. With a lot of pleading from you and the endless cute cat photos you'd sent to Buck, he had eventually caved and you’d adopted Sammie, a beautiful little white and ginger cat who had definitely made the place her home. 

“Come on girl,” you gently nudged her with your foot to try and get her to walk ahead of you, your hands full with a basket of laundry that had built up. You giggled as she didn't listen, flopping over dramatically in front of you before moving to weave in and out between your legs as you continued to ignore her. 

You’d had a few near misses, Sammie wanting to be right by your side, rubbing her face against your legs as you attempted to move past her. “Sammie, come on sweetheart, you’re going to trip…” you didn’t have time to finish your sentence as you came tumbling down the stairs, Sammie running off to hide with her tail fluffed as the flying laundry startled her. 

You tumbled down the stairs, each one seeming to find a new spot to hit, sending jolts of pain through your body until you flew forward, your head landing on the floor with a sickening thud. 

With the wind knocked out of you it took a little while for the initial shock to wear off. You took a shaky breath before you began to move each of your legs, testing for injury, moving higher and higher as you checked your body over. When it came to checking your wrist, you let out a yelp as a jolt of pain shot up your arm.  The jerk sent another pain through your head and you could already feel the large lump forming near your temple where you’d made impact with the ground. You lifted your hand to inspect the side of your head, gasping when it came away with a smear of blood from a cut on your forehead. 

With the danger over, you glanced around as you heard a meow, the sound followed by Sammie who had come out from her hiding spot to investigate what had happened. She made her way over coming to nuzzle against your side; if you knew better you would think she was apologising for causing the accident. 

“And this is why we’re careful on the stairs,” you groaned as you cautiously sat up. Sammie seemed to take this as an invitation and she climbed onto your lap, her paws coming to rest on your chest as she nuzzled against your face. “Alright, get off me. I guess I’ve got to go and get checked out at the hospital.  What’s your dad going to say about this? You think we can get away without calling him from the ER?” 

Being gentle, you shoved her off before you slowly got to your feet, glad you were the only injured party between you. Once you were sure you were okay to stand, you made your way to the bathroom, grabbed some gauze for your head, and left your apartment for the short walk to the hospital. 

By the time you arrived in the ER and were triaged, the pain in your head and wrist had doubled and you were beginning to think maybe it would be a good time to call Buck. 

“Y/N?” 

Your thoughts were interrupted as you heard your name in an all too familiar voice. You turned just in time to see Buck and Eddie wheeling a patient into the ER, cursing whatever power had led them to bringing someone in at that exact moment. 

“Heeeeeey babe. It’s not as bad as it looks,” you replied. 

Buck wasted no time, checking that Eddie was okay being left with the patient before he made his way over to where you were sitting. 

“Let me be the judge of that,” he said as his hands came to hover over you, afraid to hurt you as he checked over your injuries. He put a gentle hand over the one holding the bloodied gauze to your head, pulling it away with a hiss as he got a glimpse at the wound. 

“Y/N what the hell happened? Why didn’t you call me?” 

“I swear, I was going to as soon as the nurse saw me. I wasn’t looking where I was going with the laundry and Sammie got under my feet and I ended up falling down the last few steps.” 

Buck sighed as he glanced over the various bruises that had begun to form over your body and the swelling in your wrist, “that looks like a lot more than a few,” he admonished.   “I’m going to go catch up with Bobby and let him know I’m staying with you, you’ll need someone to take you home with that head injury…,” Buck paused, “wait…how did you get here anyway? Did you drive with a head injury?  Y/n, do you even know how dangerous…” 

“Buck,” you interrupted him. “I’m not that stupid, I didn’t drive here…I walked.” You realised as soon as you said it and by the look on Buck’s face that it probably wasn’t the wisest decision you had made either, but you decided to chalk that up to the head injury.  

“Why didn’t you call 911, or me? You could have had a spinal injury, you could have a serious head injury and be unconscious on the side of the road right now,” he continued rambling off each and every worst case scenario he could think of. 

“I know and I’m sorry, I was embarrassed, you’ve told me time and time again to watch out for Sammie and I didn’t listen.” 

Buck silenced you with a chaste kiss to your forehead, “it doesn’t matter now, as long as you’re both okay. I’m going to take the rest of the shift off, take you home, and we’re going to get your favourite takeout and chill on the couch tonight.” 

You stopped him as he began to turn and walk away to find his captain. 

“What’s wrong baby?” 

“Can we stop by the store and get Sammie a treat? She’s had a trauma today too!” 

“Anything for you two,” he chuckled, shaking his head. 

#911 fanfic #9-1-1 fanfic #911 x reader #9-1-1 x reader #evan buckley x reader #buck x reader #sicktember #sicktember 2022 #sicktember day 11 #sicktember 2022 day 11 #emergency room/ ambulance ride

[cyberphuck]

ROYAL ASSASSIN ABRIDGED: PART TWO

My friend Razz wants to understand my shitposting about Robin Hobb’s Farseer Trilogy, but they don’t want to actually have to read the books, so I’m summarizing it for them (and you)! (Check out all the other entries in the Farseer Trilogy Abridged series at the masterpost. Also if you think I’m funny you can send me a ko-fi from there.)

EDIT: added some strikethroughs where they were supposed to go and put something funny where I had just left the reminder to write something funny. Last Time on Dragon Book Z (rip Toriyama sensei), Fitz finally made it home from the mountains. He’d seen via Skill-o-Vision that Molly had been viked by Vikings, and he was desperate to see if she’d flagged herself ‘safe’ from Being Raided on Facebook…

The next day, Fitz is minding his own business being told by Cook Sara that he looks like shit when he spontaneously decides to climb sixty four flights of stairs. Considering that his tiny teenaged body is still 89% poison by volume and he just got home from the worst road trip of his life (so far!), by the time he gets to the top he's facedown on the floor, pushing himself along by his toes.

  “Hello, Lil Accident,” Verity says, putting down his binoculars. “Wow, you look like shit.”

  “So I’ve been told,” Fitz mumbles to the floor. ”You look a lot less skeletal than when I last saw you.“

  ”Thanks! I had sex.“

  Fitz tries to get up and fails. ”I didn't even know you'd be up here.”

  “Aha, but you see, I Skilled you here, and you didn't even know it. In fact I've been balls-deep in your brain for a week with you none the wiser, because this is a thing I can do with the Skill.“

  Fitz spits out a mouthful of dust. ”Wow, when do I get to learn that kind of thing?“

  ”Never,“ Verity smiles, turning back to the window. ”Come look at my ships.“

  Dragging himself up to the windowsill, Fitz peeks out. “Neat! We'll be able to defend ourselves against the Vikings with these for sure!“

  ”Yes,” Verity growls. “And I can't wait to continue the cycle of violence by going all the way to the Viking home planet and viking them back!“

  Somewhere downstairs, the Fool rubs his temples, sighing loudly.

  ”Anyway, now that I've forced you to climb all the way up here, let's go back down so I can get something to eat.” Verity picks Fitz up by the scruff of his neck. “I want to hear all about your little trip to the Big Onion.“

  They head down to Verity's man cave, and after watching 'ASSASSIN'S APPRENTICE ENDING EXPLAINED— WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO AUGUST,' Verity reads the comments, most of which point out that Regal should have totally died in a fire for plotting to kill his own brother and murdering a bunch of the wedding party.

  Fitz looks at the hay bale in the corner, where the Fool is updating his Linkedin. ”Listen, I have a way bigger part in this book than the last one,“ the Fool says without looking up. ”I'm not gonna have time to re-explain who everybody is to you whenever you want. I've got a big death scene coming up.“

  ”You're going to die?!“ Fitz cries.

  ”Someone is,“ the Fool murmurs.

  ”You're probably wondering why I haven't punished Regal for any of the stuff he did last book,“ Verity says, steepling his fingers. ”And the truth is, I'm not going to, because he'll just throw a temper tantrum about it and I don't want to deal with that.“

  ”What if he tries to kill one of us again?“

  ”Pff, don't worry about it, Lil Accident.“ Verity waves him off. ”You can take tomorrow off to go look for your dead girlfriend.“

  Fitz stands up. ”Thanks Prince Verity, I'm gonna go have a seizure before bed.“

  But as soon as he steps out of the room, Lacey jumpscares him and drags him off to go see Lady Patience, who is laying in a pile of her current hyperfixations. ”You missed the wedding,” she says accusingly.

  ”Sorry, Mrs. My Dead Dad's Wife,“ Fitz sighs. ”Regal tried to, uh, do whatever the opposite of poisoning me and trying to drown me is, and now whenever I get excited I fall over.“ He accepts a glass of wine from Lacey, then dumps it over his head. “I've gotta move on to the next plot point now.”

  Fitz is staggering up the stairs, leaving a wet smear of Rosé after him, when a Servant Girl comes to take his arm. “Here, sir,” she says sweetly. “Let me help you weave drunkenly back to your chambers. Wouldn't want you falling down the stairs and breaking your stupid lying neck.”

  “Thanks, mysterious servant girl. You can drop me off at the corner, I’ll walk from here.”

  But instead of letting him have a seizure in peace, the Servant Girl punches him in the gut and kicks him in the nads, because she's Molly!

  “Holy shit, you're alive!” Fitz sobs. “Oh man, I had a vision that you got viked, it was awful—”

  Molly kicks him in the nads again. “I did get viked, and afterwards I came here looking for you to ask you to loan me some cash, or get married to me. My dumb ass went around to all the servants going 'hey, have you seen the scribe's apprentice, he looks just like FitzChivalry Farseer,' and someone filmed me and made a TikTok titled 'tfw you find out your boyfriend is really The Bastard.'”

  “Oh,” Fitz cringes.

  “Yeah 'oh,'” Molly says. “It has sixteen million views and hashtag Cat-Fitzed is trending on Twitter.”

  “It's called X now,” Fitz squeaks. “What about the older, hotter guy I saw you walking off with?“

  ”That was my cousin,“ Molly snarls. ”Do you think I'd date someone with an earring?“

  “Gosh, it's a good thing I don't wear one of those,” Fitz says, polishing his collar.

  ”Anyway, you're gross and I hate you,“ Molly declares. ”Do not, under any circumstances, continue to attempt to woo me. Goodbye.”

  Despite Fitz's best efforts, he continues to have a seizure any time he tries to do anything except have a seizure. Even into the next day, he's still ragdolling like a character in a seventy dollar video game on release day. The Fool appears briefly to catch a glimpse of Fitz in his underwear, but before they can do any real flirting, Lacey and Patience show up again.

  “Listen, Prince Dumbass,” Patience says, “you fucked up bigtime letting Molly think she was in your league. She came here thinking you'd grown up in a double-wide same as her, drinking off-brand kool aid and saving butter containers to use as tupperware. When people found out you lied to her, they started calling her a hump-and-dump.”

  “But we never even humped,” Fitz objects.

  “And it's a good thing, too, because as royalty you're only allowed to hump at the King's pleasure. Princes are not allowed to run around sticking their dick in whoever they want, that's how we ended up with you. You'd just make a bunch more Fitzes, and we don't have enough paid extras anymore to traumatize *all* of those kids.”

  “We could drown them,” Lacey suggests, working on a cross-stitch that says 'GALS BEING PALS.'

  ”They wouldn't be Fitzes if me and miss Molly got married,“ Fitz says. ”I'll just go and do that real quick.“

  Patience whacks him in the head with a rolled up newspaper. ”No! You're going to marry whoever the King tells you to marry, and no one else. We learned our lesson with Chivalry: we can never, ever allow you to have any control over your life whatsoever, and that includes caring about anyone other than whoever is wearing a crown that day. Besides, didn't you already sign a contract to do whatever King Shrewd told you to do without question forever?”

  “I was nine, I don't really feel like that was binding—”

  Patience grabs Fitz by the front of his shirt and jerks him forward. “Do not,” she says, “have sex with Molly. Do NOT have sex with Molly. DO NOT HAVE SEX WITH MOLLY.”

  “No promises,” Fitz shrugs. “Hey, do you have a backstory other than being the ADHD widow of my deadbeat dad?”

  Patience runs away crying. As soon as she's gone, Chade shows up. “Hey,” he says gently. “Don't cry. Kettricken's dad roped her into a political marriage and now she's miserable and lonely. That can happen for you, too.”

  “This sucks,” Fitz moans.

  “Remember not to have sex with Molly,“ Chade says as he crawls back into his wall-hole.

  ”Whatever. I'm going down into town to find my soulmate.”

  Fitz, wearing his slouchiest beanie, his blackest hoodie, and his unhappiest expression of teenaged angst, stomps down the road into Buckkeep town, hands shoved in his pockets. “Stupid Farseers,” he mutters. ”Always hasslin' me and tellin' me what to do. What do they know? Man, nobody understands what it's like to be me.“

  *Oh, you you think you got it bad, little bitch boy?*

  The entire fandom erupts into cheers and applause as the character in possession of the single teaspoon of sense in the entire series arrives.

  Fitz looks up, snarling, and locks eyes with a wolf trapped in a cage labeled 'ESSENTIAL NPC'. The angry little ball of fluff is just one of many wares sold by a dude in a full body fursuit. “Good morrow, emo child,” Fursuit says, oozing greasily forward. “I see you eyeballing that young cub. You know, an animal like that could really be useful if, say, you were a royal Bastard with Doctor Doolittle magic who was sent out to fight zombies a lot.“

  ”I'll trade you a pack of gum for him,“ Fitz offers.

  ”He's worth way more than that,“ Fursuit says. ”I went through all the trouble of building a rocketship for his wolf-mother and wolf-siblings so they could return to their home planet.“

  *I'll kick your ass! I'll kick everyone's ass! I'll kick my own ass!!*

  *'Shut up, I'm negotiating!'*

  ”A pack of gum AND this cool rock I found,“ Fitz bargains expertly, then kicks Fursuit in the shin, grabs the wolf, and runs off.

  Fitz carries Wolfcub back up to Buckkeep, looking forward to the 'wrestling with a wild animal to show dominance' scene, but then realizes that the cub is too weak and tiny to put up a good fight. What was even the point of having a pet wolf if he couldn't have a badass fight with it and then stand shirtless against the sunrise? Also, Fitz has already had two canines in his life bond to him and then have to return to their home planets, and he's kind of tired of that happening.

  *'My apartment has a no pets policy, so you're gonna have to stay in the tool shed,'* he tells Wolfcub. *'Don't wit-bond to me.'*

  Then, with nothing better to do, he leaves to go do the thing Patience and Chade explicitly told him not to: Have Sex With Molly.  ”The fuck is wrong with you lately?“ Burrich asks, some days later while he and Fitz are hanging out at the bar.

  Fitz sighs. ”I keep trying to have sex with Molly, but things are always getting in the way of my dick," he says mournfully.

  ”Mm. Been there,“ Burrich mutters, pulling down his sleeve to cover up his 'PATIENCE CHIVALRY BITTERNESS AND BURRICH 4 EVER' tattoo. ”Which one is Molly?“

  ”The hot one that kicks people in the nuts.“

  ”Oh, yeah. Half my age. I like that in a girl,“ Burrich says, and everybody decides to just go with it. ”Here's my advice to you: give up and move on. Get your post-rejection glow up, and your girl will go off to marry someone else.“

  ”That sounds like it sucks,“ Fitz says doubtfully. “When do I finally get to have sex with her?”

  Burrich grins. “That's the neat thing! You don't.”

  The next morning, Fitz gets out of bed, takes a big, cleansing breath, then puts his earbuds in and turns on his Montage Song.

  “Time for that glow up,” he says really loudly because he can't hear himself over the music.

  'Cause baby you're a firework

Fitz wrapping measuring tape around his bicep and frowning;

come on and show 'em what you're worth

running laps around the castle with Wolfcub chasing after him;

make 'em go oh! oh! Oh!

standing on one foot like in Karate Kid while Pat Morita decomposes nearby;

as you you shoot across the sky-ay-ay

Burrich taking away his AXE body spray and shoving him into the shower;

baby you're a firework!

carb-loading at the local Fantasy Pizzeria;

come on and let your colors burst

lifting weights while Wolfcub tries to bite him;

make 'em go oh! oh! Oh!

measuring his bicep again, and nodding in satisfaction.

you're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe

  “I'm bored,” Kettricken sighs as she and Fitz hang out with Kettricken's entourage. “I wish Verity would get me pregnant.“

  ”How can you be bored with fifty people constantly offering to play with you?“ Fitz says. ”Also, ew.“

  ”I could be back home fighting bears and lifting sacks over my head,” Kettricken whines, “but I'm stuck here in Lamesville with these boring losers and my husband is constantly off doing Skill stuff instead of having sex with me. Lady Modesty is constantly suggesting we watch the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice,” she adds, disgusted.

  Fitz slaps her. “Your job here isn't to be butch! This castle has been a fucking sausage party for years, and the best person to Girlboss it up is you. That means making moodboards, drinking iced coffees, doing each other's nails and YES, watching the objectively worse version of Pride and Prejudice! Look at Lady Hopeful, she's unironically singing along to 'I Knew You Were Trouble'! Now suck it up, buttercup, and go watch the part where Mr. Darcy confesses his love to Elizabeth!”

  “Yes sir,” Kettricken mumbles.

  “Bastard, first name The?“ a messenger says as he clips through the wall. ”King Shrewd finally wants to see you.“

  Fitz stands up, brushes himself off, and heads up to Grandpa's house...

#rote #royal assassin #ra abridged #fitzchivalry farseer #farseer trilogy abridged

[writing--whore]

The Art of Survival - Chapter Two

Pairing: Luis Serra x Reader (set in The Hunger Games)

Chapter summary: When the Reader is stung by trackerjackers, mutant wasps who cause their victims to hallucinate, she is placed in a vulnerable position where anything could happen to her. When Luis finds her staggering through the woods, will he be a friend or foe???

Word count: 3k

Warnings: graphic depiction of violence (some of the violence is committed against you), hallucinations.

A/N: lmk if you want me to give a list of all of the Spanish translations?? But I will say that conejita = little bunny.

Part One - Part Two

Several days into the games, Luis had managed to set up shelter in a hidden cave. He kept away from people for the most part, only venturing out to forage for food. He’d only run into another person once.

He was exploring the terrain outside his cave when he heard a twig snap uncomfortably close behind him. 

A contestant raised a sharpened tree branch to stab him and, as Luis turned, the shiv pierced his shoulder. Pain burst through him but he’d experienced far worse. 

Coming at him with nothing but a shiv had been a foolish move. In a heartbeat, Luis trapped the contestant in a headlock. The constant wriggled, panting as he tried to pry Luis’ hands off. With a twist of his hands, the contestant’s thick neck cracked. The contestant’s limbs went still and Luis threw them to the floor. 

He cursed as he made his way back to the cave. The wound itself wouldn’t do much to weaken him. But he was certainly going to get an infection. 

He ran his hand through his hair. The odds of him winning against the strongest opponents here were slim. The odds were even smaller now he would have to fight them through a fever. 

The sun was beginning to set when he returned to his cave. He prayed to whatever God was listening that all of the opponents could just kill each other while he hid here. But he knew that would never happen. Only the most vicious opponents would be left standing and they would find him. With an infection, he stood no chance. 

Some sort of God answered his prayers. A thud sounded outside his cave and, pipe in hand, he went to investigate. It was a package from his sponsor. He ripped it open to find medical supplies. He could fall to his knees with relief. 

As he poured rubbing alcohol down over his wound, he silently thanked Ada. He almost dropped the bottle when music blared outside. It was time to announce the fallen tributes. 

The loud music wasn’t the reason why his whole body went taught, his hands slightly trembling. It was because he was waiting to see her face light up in the night sky among the other dead tributes. His chest wound tighter with each face, sure that the next one would be hers. 

The projector shut off. He released a shuddering breath. She wasn’t dead yet. But that didn’t make him feel any better. 

He wondered how scared she was right now, fighting for her life day after day. Time moved so slowly here. 

Maybe he should have left her to die on the first day. Then she wouldn’t have had to suffer. 

He didn't even know her, he thought - angry at himself for placing so much emotional importance on a stranger. But she was more than a stranger, she represented innocence, something he had lost years ago. He hated to see it being taken from her. 

No, seeing her face light up among the night stars would be a mercy. If by some miracle, she survived, that meant he would have to kill her himself. 

He prayed there could be a version of events where he didn’t have to see her face again. 

Too many of his prayers had been answered and now his luck had run out; he had ventured outside to collect some water from the stream when he heard a shriek that cut to his very core. Dread gripped him by the throat. He recognised that scream.

~~~

Y/N had not been entirely honest when she’d told the adjudicators and fellow contestants that she possessed no skills. She wanted to keep some tricks up her sleeve, thinking it would give her an advantage if she was underestimated. 

Crime rates were high in district 2 and she had taught herself how to fight with a knife, and even how to throw them. Although, she was sure throwing knives at a wooden target was much different to lodging them into a flesh. She was yet to find out for certain. Her sponsor had sent her a set of knives but her instincts kept choosing flight over fight. 

Her second talent was her knowledge of animals, it calmed her to read about them. And so she elected to sleep beneath a trackerjack nest, knowing how to be around them without disturbing them and hoping the sight of one would deter opponents from approaching. 

Approaching voices startled her away. A group of contestants caught sight of her and instantly sped towards her. 

She surprised herself by how quickly she reacted. She hurled a knife at the nest and rolled away. The nest hurtled through the air and crashed to the floor. Angry trackerjackers fled from their home and swarmed the group of contestants. They screamed and tried to swat the mutant wasps away. Y/N took this as her opportunity to run. 

The trackerjackers’ stingers jabbed every inch of the group's exposed skin. Through gritted teeth, one of the girls nocked an arrow. She wasn’t going to let Y/N get away unscathed. With shaking hands, she released it into the air. 

Letting out a cry, Y/N keeled over onto her knees. The arrow had lodged in the back of her leg. A second sting stabbed her in the neck, this one from a trackerjacker. 

The archer wasn’t done yet. Now that Y/N was an unmoving target, she aimed a second arrow straight at Y/N’s back, knowing it would pierce her heart. A trackerjacker stung her in the eye and she screamed as she released the arrow. 

Tears burst free from Y/N’s eyes as the arrow sliced into her thigh. She had never felt pain like this before. Even through the shock, she could feel the pain pulse through the tendons in her legs with an indescribable fire. But she couldn’t afford to be weak, she needed to keep moving before she got stung or shot at again. 

She pushed herself to her feet with gritted teeth. The arrow heads carved deeper into her flesh with each step. 

A second trackerjacker stabbed her in the arm, and then a third. She cursed under her breath and picked up her pace, tears streaming freely down her cheeks, brows drawing down in agony.

She had already known it was likely the trackerjackers would turn on her if she were to set them on her opponents. It was the best plan she could come up with. She had known their venom would cause her to hallucinate. She just hadn’t planned on there being arrows lodged into her leg at the same time. And despite having days to think about what her plan would be if she were to get stung and start hallucinating, she hadn’t managed to come up with anything better than fleeing to safety and praying she didn’t run into anyone. 

The greens of the forest grew more vivid, the first sign that the hallucinations were kicking in. She would have thought it looked beautiful if she wasn’t in so much danger. She glanced over her shoulder to find that none of her attackers were pursuing her. That was something at least.

She slowed down and leaned against a rock for a moment. She couldn’t keep walking with long arrow shafts dangling from her leg, slowing her down. And God forbid what would happen if she were to fall onto her back. Before the hallucinations got worse, she needed to snap the end of the arrows off. 

With a deep, strained breath, she took hold of the first one and snapped it in half. The force reverberated through her leg and she bit her lip to keep from making too much noise. 

Fractals and strange blobs started to fill her vision as she took hold of the second arrow. She didn’t think she could handle anymore pain but it was necessary. 

She took a few more deep breaths to steady her shaking hands. This snap was clumsier than the last, driving the arrowhead deeper. She wasn’t able to stop the cry that left her lips this time. 

The world started to turn and twist around her. Hallucinations mixed with an overwhelming amount of pain was not a fun combination. Blood gushed in great waterfalls down her legs and she prayed she didn’t pass out from blood loss. 

Part of her wanted to give up but she steeled herself. Pushing away from the rock, she stumbled onwards. She needed to put a bit more distance between herself and the group that had ambushed her, if any of them had survived the swarm of trackerjackers. 

Voices murmured in the distance behind her. She kept whipping her head behind herself and kept finding nothing. There was no way of knowing whether it was real or imagined. She quickened her pace regardless. One benefit of the trackerjacker poison was that the pain in her leg was starting to give way, she could hardly feel her body anymore, it was almost as if she was floating. 

But then the voices sounded like they were coming from in front of her. She paused. No, they were coming from all around her, she was surrounded. She held a knife out in defence. 

The voices turned to laughter. Then someone touched her shoulder. She spun around to find nothing but the air. Fuck. She was so vulnerable like this, not being able to discern reality. 

Her vision grew blurry at the edges and she tried to blink it away to no avail. She spun slowly in a circle, not wanting to take the chance that the laughter wasn’t a hallucination. Somehow everything seemed to slow, moving at half the speed it should, the leaves leaving trails of motion as she spun. Then everything suddenly changed into 2x speed as the trees zoomed past her and she lost balance, her feet falling out from under her. 

Strong hands caught her, keeping her from hitting the ground. Those hands were most certainly real. 

She screamed and thrashed but the hands kept a firm grip on her, caging her in close to her attacker’s body.

“Keep your voice down.” A male voice instructed. 

At the mercy of this man, she was almost certainly dead. All that she could do now was alert others of the location of this man and doom him too. And so she screamed again. 

“Hijo de puta.” He muttered under his breath and clamped a hand over her mouth. 

Her eyes shot open wide. This was it. She was about to be murdered. Panic drowned her brain but she had the sense to at least try to pull his hands away from her. That’s when she remembered she was holding a knife. The venom was making her body feel weird - liquidy -; she could hardly tell where her body ended and his began. But she gave it her best shot, wildly driving the knife behind herself. 

When the hands loosened from her and he exclaimed, “Mierda”, she knew she’d done the trick. 

She staggered forwards on her gelatinous legs but a hand clutched her wrist. She whirled around to face him and her breath caught in her throat when she saw who it was. It was the man who had attacked those district 9 kids, he was back to finish the job. 

She tried to twist her hand to stab him in the wrist but he squeezed hard and she dropped the knife to the forest floor. 

Her body shook hard in tandem with her racing heart. He was among the list of contestants she was most afraid of. 

“If you could just calm down for un momento, I am trying to help you.” 

Help her? Why would anyone want to help her? This was a trick. 

She tried to pry his hand off her, digging her feet into the dirt as she pulled. 

He sighed and easily grabbed her other wrist. She gasped and knew she was well and truly helpless.

He caught sight of her dilated pupils; he had been fairly certain that she was hallucinating when he’d found her spinning around in a circle for a good few minutes but getting a good look at her confirmed his suspicions. 

“You’re hallucinating, my friend, and you’re badly injured. Stop fighting and let me help you.”

He called her his friend? This had to be a trap. Her worst fear had been dying but when humans were trapped in an arena together with no laws, she started to realise worse things could happen to her than death. 

The edges of her vision went from blurry to dark, leaving nothing but Luis’ face. She could physically feel the poison gripping her harder, shuddering through her veins. It was scrambling her thoughts. For a moment, she forgot her situation, she forgot her fear. Her mouth hung slightly agape as she stared at the man in front of her. She marvelled at how beautiful his face was, how strong his body was. Her thoughts snapped back to reality when she remembered strong equals dangerous. 

Her legs spurred back into action, trying to push away from him, trying to kick at his legs. But her legs gave out from under her. His strong arms kept her upright. 

“Dios mios.” He exclaimed at her unrelenting fight. “I am not your enemy, conejita.” 

Coming to terms with the fact that she wasn't going to trust him, he would have to change his tactics.  Now that she’d repeatedly alerted others of their location, they couldn’t waste another second. 

“I am sorry about this.” He said as he gently let her drop to the floor. 

With deft fingers, he ripped some fabric from his shirt and tied it around her mouth just as she was about to let out another scream.

“I am very, very sorry.” He said again, guilt pooling in his abdomen. 

With a grunt, he lifted her up and threw her around his shoulders so the side of her body was pressed against his neck, her head was dangling over one shoulder and her legs were dangling over the other. He wrapped his hand around the back of her legs, careful to avoid the arrow heads, and clasped her wrists in the other. He trudged as quickly as he could back to his cave, praying he was fast enough to evade any pursuers. 

The trackerjacker poison made her limbs absolutely useless. She was helpless prey. But all the while, she let out muffled screams, it was all she could muster and she wasn’t ready to give up, even as her heavy eyelids started to droop and everything went dark. 

When she opened her eyes again, she was lying on a cave floor with a handsome stranger kneeling in front of her. She stared at him blankly, unable to piece together what was going on. 

“I’m sorry I had to carry you here. But I promise I’m here to help you. Run if you want but I have this.” He held up his medical supplies. “And I intend on patching you up.”

She looked down at the arrowheads jutting out of her leg. Her eyebrows pulled down. How did that happen? And why couldn’t she feel a thing?

“Just don’t scream, okay? For the love of God, I’m fairly fond of this hideout.”

His hand seemed to glide through the air in slow motion as he reached to pull the gag off her mouth. She hadn’t even realised it was there. 

When she made no attempt to scream, he sighed with relief. 

“Okay, excelente.”

Her bleary eyes focused on his face. God, he was absolutely beautiful. Misty grey eyes, a strong nose, sharp cheekbones and perfect stubble. She wanted to reach out and stroke his face.

“I’m going to take these out of your legs now, okay? It’s going to hurt like hell but I need you to be quiet for me, do you think you can do that?”

She didn’t reply. His words were meaningless, she was fully entranced by his murky, almond-shaped eyes. 

He waved a hand in front of her face. 

“Huh?” She asked.

“Listen carefully, conejita, you are injured. I am going to help you. It will hurt but you will be able to take it. I just need you to make as little noise as possible, okay?”

“I’m injured?” She drawled.

“Si, mi amiga.” 

He could facepalm but admittedly, there was something cute about her delirium, or at least it was much more preferable to when she was trying to stab him. 

“Can you hold my hand?” 

“Si.”

She gripped his warm hand as he gripped the first arrowhead and started to drag it out. A strange sensation rippled through her body. It wasn’t painful perse, just deeply uncomfortable. 

“You’re doing so well.” He praised, his words causing something strange to flutter in her abdomen. 

The second arrow was a breeze now she knew what to expect. Her eyelids grew heavy again. She barely felt a thing as he disinfected the wounds and wrapped a bandage around them.

He lightly slapped her leg when he was done. “You’re all patched up now. You can rest here tonight, sleep the poison off.”

She’d been poisoned? But she felt fine, euphoric even.

“Whatever you say, handsome.” She giggled. 

That comment caught him off guard and he blamed her words on the poison. He just shook his head and laughed it off. 

She watched with excitement as he removed his jacket and was disappointed when he simply rolled it up and placed it underneath her head as a pillow. 

“Sleep well, conejita.” 

His words gave her permission to let go, and she fell into the black nothingness of exhaustion. 

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I'm gonna tag some people who might be interested. Lmk if you want to be removed or added from this tag list! :3

Tag list: @asdfav @aguamarinee @freshlemontea @heydreamchild

#luis serra x reader #luis sera x reader #luis serra x you #luis serra #luis serra navarro

[darklydeliciousdesires]

The Dark Passenger - Chapter Ten.

A big thank you to everyone for your feedback! I’m going to push the boat out a little and say this time, it’s 40 notes to unlock the next chapter, of which you can accumulate with your likes, but most importantly, comments and reblogs. Don’t let me down with the engagement, now!

Previous chapters - One  Two  Three  Four  Five  Six  Seven  Eight  Nine

Words - 3,154

Warnings - 18+ content throughout, minors DNI!

Tag list - In the comments. Please DM to be added/removed

“Hey, Garcie,” Gilly spoke, entering the garage of his home, which he’d converted into a workshop so Amelia could have a place to run her business from and work on her leathercraft items in plenty of space, her hands currently pushing a piece of black suede through her sewing machine. “Listen, I brought Camille back with me, she’s in the lounge. Something, um... something bad went down tonight.”

She ceased her sewing immediately, taking her glasses off and turning in her chair. “Is she okay? What happened?” In her heart, though, she knew. She just knew that whatever it was, it involved EZ.  

“She and EZ got into a fight, and he slugged her. Knocked her out cold.”  

Immediately she gasped, pausing to hug him and kiss his head before exiting her seat at speed.  

“I know I said we shouldn't get involved, but...” he trailed off, Amelia halting.

“You did the right thing.” He knew he had, knowing she shouldn’t be alone, especially since he didn’t trust his president not to turn up at her home and perhaps do something else heinous, where she wouldn’t have anyone there to protect her from such. He’d attempted to get out to her before they’d left, Bishop hauling him back, telling him to ‘get inside and leave her be’ as he’d worded it, stating strongly that he’d done enough.  

“Sweetie?” she spoke softly, Camille emerging from within her hands, her cheek already turning an angry shade of purple. “Oh, love. Come here.” Seating herself beside her, Amelia pulled her into a hug, letting her cry in her arms, stroking her back, Gilly coming back in through the side door and making a motion with his hand that he’d fix them both a drink. Luckily for Camille, his girlfriend was also a fan of rum, going over to the small bar in the corner of the room and grabbing a bottle along with two glasses, and a beer for himself from the mini fridge.  

“I can’t believe he did this,” Amelia began, Camille straightening, thanking Gilly for the drink he slid across the large, glass coffee table towards her, his girlfriend picking hers up and sinking it in one, topping off both their glasses after she watched her friend do the same. “Is this the first time he’s hit you?”  

She nodded, but then made a face that alluded to more, looking a little uncomfortable. Gilly read the room quickly. “I’ll leave you girls to it. I got dragons to slay on Skyrim.”

“Nerd,” Amelia joked, poking out her tongue, chuckling softly when he raised a middle finger. “Love you!”

“You’d better.” Exiting the lounge, he headed into what used to be the dining room, he’d carved out the space as his man cave, giving the girls the privacy he sensed they needed. They both moved further back onto the big, comfy couch, sitting cross legged as they faced one another, Amelia holding her hand.  

“He hasn’t hit me before, but... he, he has scared me by being overly physical,” Camille stated, Amelia nodding. “When we were having sex once, he gripped me around the throat and called me a whore, and I’m not the kind of girl who likes that. I mean yeah, dirty talk and throat holding is great, but he was close to throttling me. I tried to get away from him, but he wouldn’t let me go. As soon as he saw me crying afterwards, though, he was completely different, so apologetic and loving, and I don’t understand it, how he can be so lovely to me one minute, and then... then...”

“Abusive the next,” Amelia finished, sighing, her worst fears confirmed. “Because that’s abuse, Camille. And you shouldn’t have to tolerate it. It isn’t acceptable, no matter how much you love him, or how much he says he loves you.” They were silent for a time, the weight of her words sinking into Camille’s head, the truth she’d been so desperately trying to ignore. “What triggered him tonight, what was it that happened that lead to him hitting you?”

Camille sighed, knocking back her drink, Amelia quick to top up her glass. She was so thankful, to have fallen on her feet with finding such lovely new friends in the shape of her and Bella. She guessed it was easier to confide in them somehow, because they saw it too, they knew of the duality in her boyfriend. They had insight to offer. “I booked tonight off to spend time with him, but my boss called me and asked if I could come in at short notice as he was two girls down, both testing positive for covid. I said I would, but when I revealed that to EZ, he went ballistic.”

“He just turned, and this time it was worse than before. His whole personality, it shifts sometimes, and so rapidly, but tonight it was something else. He started by saying that, oh, I can’t remember exactly now, something about him having to be cool with me going to grind on someone’s lap, and I tried to keep my cool and remind him that it’s exactly how he first met me. He’s never, ever had an issue with the fact I dance and strip, ever, but now I’m thinking he must’ve had something brewing away, and tonight it just exploded.  

“I said to him that he was the only guy it had ever gone further with, and he immediately told me that he didn’t know that for sure, and for all he knew, I could be taking guys out back and fucking them. Then he accused me of doing that with my boss, too! That was it, I was out of there after hearing all of that, but he wouldn’t let me leave. He grabbed me and said he wouldn’t let me go and hoe it up in that place, as he worded it, so I slapped him for it. The next thing I knew, I had a fist in my face.” 

“Oh god,” Amelia exclaimed shakily, running a hand through her hair, the other tightening its clutch on Camille’s. “What the fuck is wrong with him? He was never like this! I’m sorry, babe. I’m so sorry he’s put you through all of this.”  

Camille nodded, sniffing as tears prickled her eyes again. She couldn’t believe it either, feeling like she was a magnet for bad guys, whether they’d always been bad or not. She couldn’t discount it, though, that beneath the considerate, loving boyfriend he was, there was something very, very dark festering within. What she hated more? The fact that all she wanted was to fix him, because she knew, even though she’d only been with him for four months and known him for just under five, this wasn’t him.  

She was shaken and scared after being on the receiving end of his fist, but she wasn’t blind to wondering what the hell was wrong with her in all of this, that her first instinct wasn’t to run as fast as she could in the opposite direction of her abusive boyfriend. True, she had no desire to see him right at that moment in time, but in her mind, she at least wanted to hear what he had to say, to explain it, indefensible as it was. She wanted to get to the bottom of it all with him, because she was emphatic in her stance that it wasn’t truly him.  

Sitting there, she detailed all of these thoughts to Amelia as well, her friend nodding, her face creased with concern. Inside, she felt very frightened, that being knocked out wasn’t enough to make Camille see that if she stayed with him, she remained very much in danger of the same thing happening again. However, she also knew as a grown woman, she couldn’t tell her what to do.

“Look, I can’t sit here and tell you how to live your life, or be governing over the decisions you make, but all I will say is that if you remain with him, it’s gonna set a precedent, it’s gonna tell him that hitting you isn’t the final straw for you. In other words, he’ll know he can do it again and it won’t change anything, you’ll still go back to him.” Biting the corner of her lip with nerves, she had to wonder if she’d said too much, Camille’s face twisting, sighing heavily, sinking her drink in one gulp.  

“Right now, I don’t know what I want, Amelia,” she began, unclipping her mountain of curls and running her fingers through them, setting the clip down on the table. “My better judgement is telling me it can’t continue like this, and I hear what you’re saying, but there’s something I feel so deep down, something that’s yelling at me that this isn’t him. I think he needs help, someone to bring him back to himself, and that someone is me. I know it sounds like wishful thinking and that I’m making excuses for inexcusable behaviour, but I feel it so strongly.”  

It did. It was exactly what it sounded like to Amelia, her concern growing. If being knocked out didn’t frighten her away from him, what on earth was it going to take? While Amelia sat there having no clue how to guide Camille into safer waters, the storm she wanted so desperately to protect her from was being placated by large measures of alcohol, just the two of them remaining in the clubhouse.

Pouring a bourbon, Bishop slid it across the bar, the glass scraping against the wood from the jerky movement it had been passed with. EZ took it, glancing at his VP, his jaw tight and twitching.  

“Thanks.” He knocked it back, the glass snatched away again, anger still cording the muscles in the arms of the man who refilled it, sliding it back once more. “I’m kinda surprised you’re actually sitting here drinking with me, though. I have to say.”

Bishop’s tone was biting, frostier than a Siberian chill. “Oh, I ain’t doing this out of any feelings of brotherhood. I’m doing it to get you so wasted that you’re incapable of getting on your bike and riding off after that poor girl to start round two.” His nostrils flared, sinking his drink and refilling it, a rasped sigh echoing his throat. Bishop Losa had few lines he drew in concrete, ones that he considered too much to ever cross, but striking a woman who had done absolutely nothing to deserve it was at the very top.

So, she’d slapped him. For what he’d yelled at her, it was the very least he deserved, Bishop thought. He’d caught the same from his wife in the past, after coming home drunk and calling her a complaining bitch, Julia leaving a sizable handprint upon his cheek. Even near blackout drunk, he’d realised he’d been in the wrong, and very much deserved that ‘come to your senses, you absolute mess’ slap. EZ was sober, and so far, not verbal at all in admitting any wrong.  

“You have a problem,” he began, knowing now was the time to voice it, what everyone had been thinking for months. “And it needs to be addressed. Your behaviour, EZ, it’s spiralling. You’re spiralling, carnan, and if no one pulls you up, pretty soon, ain’t nobody gonna be able to reach you to help you stop spinning.”

EZ bit down on his tongue, suppressing the urge to speak from sarcasm about Bishop stating he wasn’t there for brotherhood, only to offer words that reflected it.  

“What is it?” he spoke, the statement delivered a little gentler than the sharp cut of his words to him so far. “What the fuck is causing you to behave like this, together one moment, only to descend into unhinged, reckless asshole territory the next? You have virtually everyone in your life walking on eggshells around you. It’s like dealing with a mine field with you. Nobody knows where the hell to step, save being blown the fuck up.”

Looking at him, Bishop finally watched some of what he felt on the inside play across his face, EZ closing his eyes, shaking his head. “I don’t know, and if we’re being candid, that’s the truth.”  

Straightening, Bishop topped up their glasses again. “I think we’re way past anything less than total candidness, don’t you?”

“I do.” The words slipped from his mouth on a sigh, sinking his drink, refilling it himself. “Sometimes, I have control of it, other times, I don’t, but I can see myself doing it. Sometimes not in the moment, actually most of the time not in the moment, and it feels soothing when I am, when I’m acting in a way that dictates I have to have a stranglehold on every single aspect of my life. The club, my friendships - or rather what little is left of them - and then of course, Camille. I’m sure I can’t count her now, after what I did to her.”

Finally, he had the good grace to look ashamed.

“You can’t carry on like this, mano,” Bishop stated, lighting a cigarette, the air filling with blue-tinged smoke.  

EZ shifted uncomfortably. “I know.”  

“So, what are you gonna do about it?”

“I don’t know.” And it was the truth. He didn’t have a single clue over how he should begin putting himself back together again, sewing up whatever gaping hole had been torn into his psyche that allowed the free-flowing darkness to keep creeping in and poisoning his entire life. Suddenly, he didn’t feel quite so prepared to discuss it further, simply turning, sliding from the bar stool and heaving himself up the stairs, feeling heavy, his shoulders slumped, his head starting to pound.  

The only thing that could improve upon this was sleep. It was, as he anticipated, completely unattainable, though. His bed felt cold and vast without Camille next to him in it, and he didn’t know how to undo the kind of damage he’d done that would prevent him from feeling her warmth within it again, or even if that was possible at all.  

What was worse? The fact that it wasn’t hitting him as profoundly as it should have. Yes, he knew it was wrong to punch his girlfriend straight in the face, even more so to knock her out, but it didn’t cut him deep. He was more irritated by his complete loss of control than he was at the fact he’d hurt someone he loved.  

That was, until he saw her the following day, Gilly arriving with her on the back of his bike so she could collect her car while he was out in the yard, throwing a ball for Sally. Sitting on the steps, he saw the bluish-purple bruise as soon as she took off the helmet, handing it to Gilly and kissing his cheek before she slowly walked towards him. Her steps grew slower, the fear of him palpable, swirling around her, her arms folded as she stopped in front of him, EZ viewing the damage close up.  

“Jesus,” he whispered, dropping his head after seeing it, the darkly bruised, swollen cheekbone, her bloodshot eye, and absolutely no sparkle left. “I’m so sorry, and I know that’s not enough, I know it isn’t. I know I’ve lost you now, because how the hell could you ever still want a fucking monster like me after I did that to your face?”

When he looked back up at her, he had tears streaming down his face, reaching for her, wrapping his arms around her thighs, hugging them tightly. Eventually, Camille rested her hands to his head, her nails trailing his scalp softly, biting her lip before she spoke.  

“Because I know you’re not a monster. I know that underneath whatever it is that causes this, there’s a good guy. Don’t ask me how, but I just know. I feel it. I’ve seen him. He’s the man I’m in love with. If you want me to stay with you, though, you need to get help. Go see a therapist, get to the bottom of your anger issues, because you can’t go on like this any longer, and neither can I. Do something about it, or I’m gone.”

Suddenly, he felt scared, very, very scared, both sides of him. The one that saw the control he had over her slipping, but even more so, the man who was in love with her, and didn’t want to ruin what he had with her when it was good, and then be without her. The thought left him terrified. Looking up at her, he felt icicle cold in the pit of his stomach, Camille stroking his cheek before dropping down to sit astride him, beginning to cry. “Please, please don’t let me down.”

Looking at her, stroking her face gently, her tears wetting his fingertips, he nodded, kissing her forehead. “I’ll try. I will. I don’t want to be like this.”  

And he meant it. For how long, though, neither of them knew. That was the thing about inner darkness; it overshadowed everything, whether the person afflicted by it wanted it to or not. With EZ, he was at about fifty fifty. Unfortunately for them both, the pendulum that was his fragile mental balance would only continue to swing further into the shadows. Luckily in that moment, though, his keel remained even, standing up with her in his arms, carrying her inside, Sally running in after them.

Taking her upstairs, he lay down on his bed, stroking her fondly, telling her the same thing over and over again. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”  

“I know you are.” Pushing herself up, she rested her head on her hand, her other stroking his chest. “However, things won’t go back to how they were, at least when they were good, until I see you starting to really try here, not giving in to your anger. Your arms used to be the place I felt safe, untouchable. I don’t any longer, no matter how much I love you.”  

His face crumpled, shifting to prop his head beneath the pillows, both eventually moving so they lay side by side. “I understand that, I do.”  

And he did, he knew it would take time before she trusted him again, he understood that.  

And the darkness? It smiled. Because it knew it held all the cards. The side of EZ that wanted to remain in control of it, though, it tried like hell to fight it. The last little spark of the man he used to be didn’t want it, to be so in tune with his darkness, and that’s what he knew made it so difficult. Dark felt good. Dark felt right, but then again, so did lying there holding Camille, telling her over and over how much he loved her.  

#ez reyes #ez reyes fanfiction #ez reyes smut #ez reyes imagine #ez reyes x ofc #ez reyes fanfic #ez reyes fic #mayans mc #mayans mc fanfiction #mayans mc imagine #mayans mc smut #mayans mc fanfic #mayans mc fic

[mrmustachious]

@tagminibang

For @soniabigcheese // @followthepaintbrush

Based on this piece of art!

Something about this piece and the way they are looking at each other so desperately reminded me so strongly of that one Fitzsimmons scene in Agents of Shield, so this is partially based on that as well. I had so much fun looking through all your art @soniabigcheese​, and I hope you enjoy!

“Hey, Pen?”

Penelope lifted her head towards the man who occupied the small space with her.

His face was illuminated by the small amount of light that came from his torch and her compact, and Penelope could see the harsh bruising that covered his left temple.

“Yeah?” Her voice sounded scratchy to her ears, which was a result of all the dust that had kicked up around them, and the coughing fit that had followed.

“When Virgil gets here, he’ll only be able to take one of us up at a time,” Gordon explained, though she already expected as much. “You should go up first.”

“What? No, it should be you.” Penelope couldn’t believe her ears, and she walked across the small space to stand across from him. She had already resigned herself to the fact she would go up second, and for good reason. “You’re hurt!”

Aside from the bruising on his face from a possible concussion, plus the broken arm that he had fished out a sling from his sash for, he probably had other injuries that they hadn’t realised yet. He was the one who protected her from the rocks when the cave began to collapse, so he was the one who should be saved first.

“You’re hurt too.” With his good arm, he pointed to her fingers that were crudely held together with the best splint Gordon could make with his limited supplies.

They hurt like hell and were probably broken, but it paled in comparison to Gordon’s injuries.

“Besides, I’m used to situations like this,” Gordon continued. “This is my job, which is to save people. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I saved myself before you.”

“This is my job too,” she argued back. “I may not find myself trapped in caves as much as you do, but I can handle myself.”

“I know that, but… I couldn’t take it if something happened to you.” Gordon’s voice lowered and his eyes briefly flickered away.

Penelope felt her cheeks heat up. She didn’t know why those words made her feel like she suddenly had butterflies in her stomach, especially as they came from Gordon. However, this was not the time to dwell on it, so she shook off whatever those feelings were.

“Well, I also don’t want anything to happen to you.”

They both knew what they were really arguing for here. The cave surrounding them was precariously held together. One shift of a rock, a small quake, it could all send the rest of it tumbling down on top of them. It was a miracle they still had this small, safe pocket.

Every second that passed was another moment closer to them not making it out of this cave, so the chances of them both making it out of there was slim. Penelope had trust in Gordon’s brothers to do everything it took, but even they couldn’t stop a cave from falling on their heads.

And Penelope couldn’t live with herself if she made it out of there and Gordon didn’t.

She was stubborn, and was determined to keep fighting the other man until he listened to her.

However, before Penelope could argue further, Gordon continued.

“Pen-” He hesitated, and his voice shifted. With his good hand, he rubbed the back of his neck as he cast his eyes to the floor.

It made Penelope pause. Gordon never seemed shy, not like he did at that moment. Despite her thoughts and the pressing time limit they had, she waited for him to continue.

“You mean so much to me. So much more than anyone else,” he eventually said as he dropped his hand and lifted his eyes to meet hers. There was a vulnerability in them that she had never seen in the other man. “I was too scared to tell you sooner, but now I’m afraid I’ll never get another chance.”

He took a step closer and she didn’t move, either because she was stunned by the words, or because she didn’t want to move away from him.

“I really like you, Penelope. Since the day I met you, I knew how I felt about you.”

He lifted a hand and brushed his thumb against her cheek, like he was wiping away a bit of dirt, before he tucked back a piece of her hair.

“You don’t have to feel the same way. I just wanted you to know.”

Penelope’s heart was thumping rapidly in her chest as she stood unable to move. They were standing so close to each other now, their faces only inches apart. He held her gaze, and she couldn’t look away from his eyes.

The trance was broken by a loud noise above them, and small rocks started to fall around them, landing in their hair. They both quickly glanced up, but things thankfully seemed to settle. Hopefully, it was just a result of Virgil getting close to them.

When she looked back at the other man, Gordon was already stepping away.

“We’re not fighting about this. You’re going first.” Gordon’s tone left no room for argument.

“Gordon…” She finally found her voice, not that she knew what to say.

What was she meant to say?

“I’m almost there, coming in from the west,” Virgil’s voice cut through, ending any further words between the two of them.

She didn’t know what direction west was, but Gordon appeared to, as he grasped her wrist and pulled her to one side of their small space.

“FAB,” Gordon replied to his brother as he tapped his sash.

Penelope couldn’t look away from Gordon, but the man seemed to ignore her, as he stared at a spot in the ceiling. She could still feel the touch of his glove on her cheek.

Anything that could have been said between them was swallowed by the loud noises of machinery and crumbling rocks as more dust was kicked about.

When it settled and things grew quiet again, a hole was revealed in the ceiling, along with Virgil, who was lowering himself to the ground by a rope attached to his harness.

“How are you both doing?” He placed the tool he had been using to cut the hole by his feet as he reached the ground. He had already been informed of their injuries after he demanded a status report when the cave first collapsed, but he still looked them over.

“We’re fine.” Gordon replied before she could. Then, he gave her a gentle push towards the other man. “Take Penelope up first. I can wait.”

Penelope went to protest, but when she looked at him, he gave her a watery smile, and she found she couldn’t.

Before she knew it, she was wearing a harness and Virgil had an arm around her as he prepared for their ascent.

“You’ll be alright, yeah? I’ll only be a few minutes.”

Penelope realised he was talking to Gordon, to which the man replied with a smile she could see through and a thumbs up.

“I’ll be waiting.”

As they started to make their way out of the cave, Penelope caught sight of Gordon one last time. He was waving at her, but she caught something in his eyes, something that was shared only between the two of them. Then, he was gone from her sight as her vision was replaced with the walls of the hole Virgil had created, and then a much bigger cavern.

The air felt fresher and cooler, and she no longer felt so claustrophobic. Virgil lowered them both onto the ground, and then got to detaching her harness from his rope.

His movements were swift and it was clear he wanted to get back down to Gordon as quickly as he could, but it was too late.

Suddenly, the ground began to shift, and Penelope was reminded of the first quake that had trapped them in the first place.

Her heart plummeted.

Gordon.

Her mind was yelling his name, and it took her a moment to realise Virgil was yelling it too. He rushed over to the hole he had created, to find it had been blocked once more.

No.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Don't worry he's fiiiiiine. Virgil will get him out, though maybe he'll forget everything he just said 🤭

#tagminibang #tagminibang2023 #thunderbirds #thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds fanfiction #penelope creighton-ward #gordon tracy #virgil tracy #mine #pen&ink

[rinwritesfics]

How (Not) to Heal - Part 8

Plot: After being rescued from Mount Tantiss, Crosshair has to figure out how to work with the Batch again - and their new medic. It would be fine if he didn’t start to fall in love with her.

Warnings: Crosshair is shirtless in this one (injury treatment-related)

Word Count: 1957

Author’s Note: After last week's debacle, I figured out a way around the Tumblr character limit, haha! Also, massive thanks to @fakegingerrights for reading this one over.

Previously - Start Here!

Chapter 8

The Marauder landed back in the cave it started the morning in and Crosshair was the first to get off almost immediately. He’d shoved his helmet on and pretended it wasn’t to hide his emotions. His shoulder ached but he refused to let anyone handle it. He would heal.

Dipping behind the ship and out of range of anyone’s sight, he took off the armor surrounding his left shoulder and moved it around, feeling the pain as he went. But he’d miraculously gotten it back in place earlier.

It had been drilled into them to seek medical attention after a serious injury. He knew letting it heal on its own was a terrible idea with this much pain.

That still didn’t make him want to admit he had been injured.

As an enhanced clone, he’d heal. It would be fine, he��d be fine. He could keep up with that lie.

In fact, for the next couple of hours, he did. Keeping his helmet on helped immensely, even if it got a couple of weird looks from others.

The illusion broke soon thereafter, when he went to raise the box above his head. He yelped, nearly dropping it on himself. Luckily, Hunter was there to steady the weight.

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing,” Crosshair bit out.

Hunter scowled and Crosshair scowled back, even if Hunter couldn’t see it. Before Crosshair could make another move, Hunter grabbed his uninjured arm and dragged him along back into the Marauder.

“Where’s Ka’li?” Hunter asked Echo and Tech at the ship’s main computer.

“Down in the cargo hold organizing supplies,” said Echo, looking bewildered as Hunter let go of his brother. Crosshair tore off his helmet so Hunter could see him seething.

Hunter turned back to Crosshair. “You’re going down there and getting medical attention. We don’t need you injuring yourself further.” Hunter’s voice was stern and Crosshair scowled at his brother until Crosshair began the descent into the cargo hold.

At the bottom, he clutched the injury and considered climbing back up and hiding away again, but it was too late.

“Crosshair?” Ka’li called out, then noticed him touching his shoulder. “Come here, let me look at it.”

He turned away.

“Sit. Now.”

He scowled at her. She scowled back. Finally, he walked over and sat down on a box by her.

“Shoulder. Explain.”

“It’s back in place. Nothing to explain.”

“Wrong. Just because it’s relocated doesn’t mean you can use it in the same way right away. It needs to rest and rehabilitate.”

“I told you, I’m fine!” He stood up and got in her face.

She closed her eyes and took a measured breath. When she reopened them, her gaze was steely. “Fine. If you want to permanently damage your shoulder, then who am I to stop a grown man from doing so?”

She scooped up her medkit and made for the ladder.

He sighed. “Wait.”

She stopped, but didn’t turn around.

“Yes. I know it needs to be partly immobilized.”

She didn’t move.

“I’m asking for help, here,” he said, annoyed.

“Then ask for it. I don’t appreciate you expecting me to do whatever you tell me to do. Asking for my help can go a long way.”

“Okay,” he said more calmly. “I’m asking for help.”

She turned back toward him, but didn’t look him in the eye. “Okay. I’ll check it out.”

“Ka’li.”

His voice was softer, startling her enough to look him in the eye.

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, too, Cross. I shouldn’t have been sharp with you.”

He chuckled drily, hoping to hide the thrill at the nickname. “No, that’s pretty much the only way they can convince me to listen.”

“You deserve better. I’m not part of your family, so I don’t need to assume I can treat you the same.” She looked away again, but he looked at her straight on.

While she thought he deserved better, he didn’t believe her. He had done bad things. Terrible, really. There wasn’t anything he deserved, in his opinion.

If his silence effected her, she didn’t show it. She just sat on his left and opened the medkit.

“Funny thing about treating your shoulder for something like this requires your shoulder to be bare.” Her tone was one of amusement.

He smirked. “Are you asking me to take off my clothes?”

She blushed. “No! Well, just your upper body glove. I need access to your bare shoulder.”

He took his shirt off and she started looking his shoulder over before handling it.

“Does it feel like it’s back in place?”

“Yeah. I have a little bit of motion.” He paused. “It really hurts.”

“I’d be surprised if it didn’t.” She looked over the swelling and the bruising. “You know I have to handle it to do this.”

He grunted in response.

“Do I have permission to proceed?”

He looked at her and cocked an eyebrow, then nodded. She touched his shoulder and elbow with both hands and started to move his arm. He bit back a yell and she stopped.

“How much pain is it? Is it moderately affecting daily activities or severely affecting you?” she asked quietly, refocused on his arm.

“It’s….” Did he tell her? He wanted to hide it, but this was his only chance. She waited patiently and he conceded. “Severe. I can’t raise it without the pain distracting me.”

She let go of his arm. “You’ve got a strain, then. Any tingling or numbness?”

He shook his head.

“Cramping?”

“Mild to none at this point.”

“Good. No nerve damage.”

“Was it an easy pop-in?”

“It was pretty quick.”

“Partial dislocation, at least some tissue damage, indicated by the bruising and swelling. I’m going to apply ointment and partly immobilize it.”

“Immobilize? No.”

“Crosshair,” she said in a dangerous tone. He scowled and she continued. “Your tissues need to heal. I understand you don’t want to do this. I understand that you feel it makes you weak. I can’t say I know exactly what you’re feeling, but please. Let me help you heal.”

He ground his teeth and looked away, pursing his lips. Finally, he agreed.

She applied the bacta, slowly and in circles, and despite the aches, the firm but gentle touches made him want to lean into her. Each touch was relaxing and he enjoyed the warmth her hands brought, both to his skin and his heart. When she got done with the application, she let him put his shirt back on and began to wrap his arm in a makeshift sling, crossing the wrap over his body a couple times, enough to give it a range of motion, but still keep it steady for at least a day. Each near miss her hands had with his chest brought him butterflies. What did she think of him each time she got this close to him? Did she want to stay this close just like he did?

He frowned at the thought. That wasn’t something he needed to worry about, especially only in his bodyglove.

She cleared her throat. “I’d like to ask you something.”

He looked at her working on his shoulder.

“I saw your face when you came back up the ladder. That pain wasn’t just in your shoulder, was it? Did one of the droids have the same sound as before we found you?”

He knew she was avoiding certain words, even with her voice hushed, to keep the torture a secret between the two of them still, but his walls still started to go back up.

“Crosshair, I just want to see if there’s anything else I can do.”

His scowl deepened and he couldn’t hold his defensive retort back. “Why, so I can be emotionally reliant on you? No, I’m not weak, I’m not one of your projects.”

She froze. “I-I’m sorry, I just -”

“Yeah, you wanted to help. I know. And I don’t care, just hurry up.” His cheeks warmed and he had to steel his gaze to hold back the stinging of tears of frustration.

She bit her lower lip. “You know, you can just tell me you hate me and I’ll stop bothering you. It’d be quicker that way.”

Hate her? Maker, no. That was the farthest from the truth she could get. He sighed, “I don’t hate you. And I… I do care that you want to help.”

“Then why are you so mean to me?”

“Because trust is hard!”

She didn’t say anything, just looked up at him with a softening gaze as the words sunk in.

“Trust is hard, Ka’li. If I give myself over to someone, if I let them in, I’m going to get hurt! I can’t let that happen. So I’ve been trying to keep you at an arm’s length.” He paused, then glanced away. “But that’s been hard, too.”

She bit her lip again, then nodded. “If you want me to not get close, I understand. You’ve had so much trauma, that I can’t even begin to expect you want someone to be an outlet. Just know I would still like to be your friend if you change your mind.”

He pursed his lips, then nodded. As she went to pack up, he caught her elbow. “I’d like to try again.”

“Okay. Well, Cross, let me know if you need anything else.” She gave him a slight smile. He nodded back.

“Ka’li?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

The blush in her cheeks did not go unnoticed by him and a surge of pride grew in his chest.

The moment was interrupted by Omega calling down that Ka’li was needed in the cockpit. The two then traded glances before climbing the ladder. Crosshair, stretching his wrapping and getting used to the limited range of motion, followed closely behind her.

“What is it, Hunter?” she asked, entering the cockpit.

“We just got word from Rex about an outer rim planet aiding in the rebellion’s cause. On the planet, one of the villages needs medical help after their recent quake, and while I’m not ordering you to go, they very much need your expertise.”

“Are we all going?”

“We’ll all land, but not all of us are needed. Some of us will get supplies that we desperately need. But someone else can go to the village with you.”

“Okay. When do we leave?”

“We can leave as soon as everyone’s ready.”

Ka’li nodded, deep in thought about the needs of the people. Crosshair watched her, also deep in thought for another reason. Just that morning, he’d insulted her for wanting to help people, insinuating it made her a savior. But she was doing this purely out of kindness.

Guilt swam in his stomach and he looked away, managing to catch the attention of Omega by accident, who cocked her head in a thoughtful, then a knowing smile. His sister was very intuitive and he couldn’t afford to slip up around her. She would start to ask questions, and he wasn’t ready for that.

He wasn’t sure if he was ready to start answering them to just himself, either. Ka’li had a good heart. He didn’t want to get in the way. He also didn’t want to be seen as a project for her, someone to be saved.

No, he decided he didn’t deserve to be saved. It hurt to think about.

Silently, he cursed himself. He had to at least be honest with himself if he couldn’t be honest with her. He didn’t want to be rejected, either. If he didn’t deserve redemption, then all he would face was rejection.

And he had enough of that in his lifetime.

Ka’li was good. But even she had her limits.

He didn’t want to find out he was one of them.

Chapter 9 Tags: @crosshairsbabygurl, @starrylothcat, @thecoffeelorian, @idoubleswearimawriter, @heylosers06, @totesnothere04, @dangraccoon, @the-hexfiles, @jediknightjana

#tbb crosshair #tbb crosshair x reader #the bad batch crosshair

[tiktokitssinoclock]

Comforting you after a Breakup- The Valorant Guys (p.I)

For the past few months, I've been talking to a close friend over Snapchat about a guy I like and found out last night she showed him everything I said. He handled it very well and rejected me so sweetly, so I'm not even terribly upset on that front. I'm just really sad someone I trusted would betray me like that. This is very self-serving so my apologies, but writing it has made me feel eons better <3

SFW // Minors and ageless blogs, DNI // You will be blocked

Sova

The poor man thought for sure someone you loved had died

He noticed how every time you left your room, you'd look like a zombie

Hair messy, dark circles to the max, eyes still red and puffy from crying, etc.

When he asks around the protocol to try and figure out what happened, most of the guy agents seemed just as clueless as he was

Your closer lady friends, though, like Jett and Raze, just kinda shook their heads and told him to give you some space

He wasn't a fan of that approach, though, because in his opinion, no one should have to grieve alone

Sova decided to go to your room with a box of tissues and planned to talk to you about it, perhaps also remind you that you're allowed to take a short leave for bereavement if necessary

Although it took some major convincing, you finally let him into your room, the messy state of your usually clean space alarming him

Once you were both seated on the foot of your bed, he offered you the box

“I know dealing with loss is never easy, but you don’t have to hole up alone. We’re always here to listen.”

You blinked in surprise before giving him a watery laugh

You were touched by the gesture but explain that no, no one passed away, you just got broken up with

“Oh. Oh, I thought- I’m so sorry.”

“I still think this was very sweet of you, Sasha. Everything just... kinda sucks right now, you know?”

While he was relieved no one was dead, it still bothered him to see you so upset

He decided right then and there that he was going to help you feel better, starting first by cleaning your room

You initially protested as he walked about with your trash can in tow, picking up the trash he found here and there

By the time he started hanging up the laundry you neglected to even fold, though, you accepted you weren’t shaking him that easily and begrudgingly helped him clean

Afterwards, he had you put on your favorite show and hung out with you, letting you lean into his shoulder when you got a little teary-eyed and stroking his hand soothingly over your hair

Quality time was just what you needed to pull yourself together, and he was willing to give it to you as long as you needed

Yoru

You thought you were doing well at hiding how upset you really were, which was quite the feat

Especially since getting dumped over text really fucking blows

But the other agents weren't clueless, especially Yoru

He noticed how your usual spark seemed to dim- you weren't kicking your feet while sitting in your chair, you weren't animatedly talking to everyone about this and that, the usual banter between him and you during missions had all but dried up

Something was off

He really didn't like that

One night before you could run off to your room right after you finished training, he caught up with you in the hallway

He practically demanded that you spill the beans on whatever was going on, and after a few minutes of pressing, you finally did

You showed him the texts and he scrolled through them, his eyes rolling as he skimmed over the exchange

"Being a dick myself, I can truly say that was a dick move."

“It’s really not that big of a deal, I’ll be fine- hey!”

He steered you both into the common area and plopped you down on the couch, where he wouldn't let you leave until you actually got it all out of your system

It didn’t take long for you to finally cave and do just that

You ended up ranting to him for an ungodly amount of time, going back and forth between being really pissed and really upset

Admittedly though, being able to release all those bottled up emotions felt really good

For the next few weeks, he took to inviting you to the gym at late hours to rough up a punching bag or two

Whether or not you felt the need to speak, he was always there to help you wrap your fists before starting and perfect your technique

Although the outlet seemed to help you get back to your usual self, he still couldn’t shake the growing anger he harbored towards your ex

With each powerful punch you sent into the bag he held steady for you, he had to refrain from taking your ex’s number to Killjoy and getting their exact location

Chamber

No one on the protocol could figure out why, but out of nowhere one night, you took to baking until early in the morning

Not in a peaceful manner, either

You would practically slam dough flat with the rolling pin, ignore the cacophony that the pans and pots made when you were searching through them for a pie tin, fume in an unspoken rage that drained the life out of the kitchen

You weren't one to get mad and, not wanting to piss you off any further, the agents largely tried to stay out of it

Not Chamber, though

Especially when your antics were keeping him awake

He walked into the kitchen when you were being especially noisy one night, finding you trying to scrape burnt cookies off a tray while you cursed under your breath

He pinched his nose and sighed

"What are you doing?"

"Not anything right, that's for sure. First I added too much baking powder, and then I burnt the fucking cookies, and... and..."

You fell silent, your movements slowly growing still

"Dammit. That bastard fucking cheated on me."

His eyes widened at the confession as you finally abandoned the pan in the sink, sitting down at the dining table so you could bury your face in your hands

There were a lot of things going through his mind, namely ‘Who?’, ‘Why?’, and ‘Could Cypher wipe my name from a warrant registry?’ but first and foremost, he pulled up a chair beside you

He got the feeling you didn’t really want to talk about it, at least not yet, so he offered the next best thing

"Do you know how to make madeleines?"

"... Madeleines?"

"I'll show you, if you want. Come."

He spent the rest of the night showing you how to bake the small pastries, helping you take it slow and steady

He even managed to earn a few laughs from you after a mishap with the flour left his glasses coated

He was careful not to breathe a word about your situation, proving to be a welcome, calming distraction you needed as you processed everything you were feeling

The anger pumping in your veins was gradually purged out with the help of his gentle company and after about four days, you finally felt like talking it out

He didn’t once judge you or give any smart remarks, he simply listened and offered advice you actually found useful

The creative insults he sent your ex’s way certainly soothed the burn, too

#valorant imagines #valorant headcanons #valorant sova #sova x reader #valorant yoru #yoru x reader #valorant chamber #chamber x reader

[mortal-mayhem]

˚·*༊Euphoria Collab༊*·˚

Macaque x Reader x Sun Wukong

Warnings: Smut, mention of death, LBD manipulation, overall darker tones, obsessiveness and possessiveness, overstimulation, mention of crying, fear, etc.

Notes: I had so much fun with this! I hope I could get some of the 'backstory' across well. I definitely think it could use some more dark aspects, especially with where I was trying to lean. It was very loosely inspired by The Lotus Maiden by Mereeples on Wattpad, along with the danger of love spells going wrong. I'm excited to see where you take this, @sublieu! ^^

Growing up, your childhood in Lantern City had been joyful and full of mishaps. Rather average. And your parents, having adopted you when you were merely 2 years old, were always loving and kind.

They especially adored the birthmark you had, always saying it's what drew them to you. A small heart on your collar bone.

When they encouraged you to go to college in Megapolis, you thought nothing of it. They wanted you to follow your dreams, supporting you emotionally and, no matter how many times you told them not to, financially.

One day, they weren't answering your calls. You figured they were busy.

Whether they knew where you'd end up or not, your fate was sealed.

You should have never opened your door to the knocking that night.

You should've stayed in your apartment, safe from the cold rain.

But once those cold, empty white orbs met yours, there was no going back.

ㅤ

The next thing you knew, you were opening your eyes.

It was dark, with the only light being a faint blue. Where that light came from was a mystery to you. It was just an empty cave. It seemed to simply.. exist.

And once a small girl came to you, confusion was all you knew.

Strangely enough, you felt no fear. Like it had escaped you entirely. It was a little hard to think.

She told you you'd no longer need it. Not for the destiny that awaited you.

Her story of a new world, free of pain and discomfort, made you listen closely.

There was a sense of familiarity.

Upon asking her why, why it is that you feel like you know her, she smiled.

Of course she'd remember her little helper, she said.

Long ago, she connected your soul to a certain enemy of hers, which you had supposedly agreed to willingly. Doing such in a way, with a special spell, that he'd have no choice but to focus in on you, once you were known of. Now, she has two of those enemies she'd rather have distracted.

She took your hands as she spoke, holding them gently yet firmly. A flash of images and emotions entered your mind at her touch.

Being alone, feeling miserable.

Her offer, feeling grateful.

And the outcome, feeling fearful.

The.. memories, you supposed, were fuzzy. She told you that the fear in them came from their loss.

She had killed you then, before she was locked away. To keep you free from their grasp, she assured.

And, though you were cautious, a part of you was inclined to listen.

You wouldn't be on the battlefield this time, either. All she needed was your image. To have you right where you were.

Your purpose, for the time, was to sit pretty and wait for her to return.

Her assistant had brought you drinks, food, after she left. Whatever you needed.

You recognized his eyes immediately, and he spoke of how honorable it was for you to assist his lady.

He disappeared not long after, too, telling you that his lady was in need.

During your wait, you were able to think again. Your anxiety spiked, and you no longer felt fearless.

And you never saw them again.

Who you did see, however, frightened you beyond belief.

ㅤ

It was unnervingly quiet for a long time.

So, when an explosion shook the cave, causing you to scream and duck behind some stalagmites, your shock was justified.

He stood in the rubble of the cave wall, having burst through it. The sun shone in from the opening, leaving him in an intimidating silhouette.

The dust settled after a while, and neither of you had moved. You remember seeing feathers atop his head, and a.. cape? Gently floating behind him. You didn't dare look out again, however.

"Peaches?"

You tensed, covering your mouth to keep from making noise.

You heard him take some steps, the crunch of the newly made gravel echoing against the walls. Movement from inside the cave caught your attention, and you glanced over. You saw, what you assumed to be, his shadow, moving in time with his steps.

"C'mon, baby.." He breathed. His shadow had a tail, you noticed, and it flicked back and forth, "I know you're in here.."

You heard a faint, almost silent chime. And, within a second, he was in front of you, his eyes fading from a light they previously had. You screeched in fright, falling back on your behind, but he was unbothered.

His golden eyes held adoration, relief, and something else you couldn't quite place.

"There you are," He sighed, speaking mostly to himself as he crouched down.

He reached one of his hands up to hold your chin. You tried to pull back, but his grip pulled you forward. His nails- Claws, more like it- Just barely brushed against your skin.

Of course you knew who this was. What you didn't understand, though, was the pain in your chest that tugged you toward him. Or why he looked at you with such a happy grin.

His touch brought images, emotions, to your mind again. Like before with the girl.

Being alone, feeling miserable.

Her offer, feeling grateful.

Being found, feeling uncertain.

Being betrayed, feeling fearful.

"S'been so long.." He breathed, leaning forward. You saw his shadow, on the wall behind him, sink into the ground out of the corner of your eye.

"I thought I'd never see you again.."

His eyes trailed over you, like he was trying to convince himself you were there. Yet, when they passed your birthmark, his eyes shot back to it immediately.

Taking his hand from your chin and pressing against the mark, he hissed.

"Why are there two?"

Suddenly, you felt yourself falling, and for a moment you couldn't breathe. You couldn't scream.

The next, you were in someone's arms, and the royal from before had a bristled tail in irritation. He was baring his teeth, standing upright in front of you with a growl.

Your chest ached, but you couldn't tell if it was from the sudden lack of oxygen or something else. You breathed heavily as you slowly lifted your head, finding an identical face to the monkey.

His fur was dark, and he held you so tightly it was nearly painful.

"Sorry, Wukong," He spoke mockingly, sharp teeth shining in the sunlight as he grimaced. You felt him pull you closer.

"They aren’t made for just you anymore."

ㅤ

Since then, it's been a tug-of-war between them, you being the rope.

They explained the situation to you, of course. And answered any questions you had.

The spell that connected you to them, how it worked.

But as you asked, sandwiched between them, if there was a way to reverse the spell, their grips on you tightened.

You learned quickly that there was no getting out of this. Not with their compliance. Any time you'd try to leave, try to go home to find your parents, they'd know. And you'd be right back where you started.

They fight over you rather frequently. You've never seen them fight physically, save for the first time you met them, but you still see the bruises and cuts.

The way they glare at eachother while they each hold on to you. They don't hesitate to fight for your affection and attention. They don't hold back, either.

Especially with the challenges they face off in, with you being both the topic and the prize.

ㅤ

"A-ah-!"

Your back arched, pressing your stomach further into the wall in front of you. Your nails left faint scratches in the paint.

Your moans, whimpers, sometimes even screams, filled your bedroom as you felt Macaque press into you, his cock stretching you oh-so perfectly. His tail wrapped around one of your thighs as his hands rest on your hips. You can't remember how many times you've come undone tonight.

"Such pretty sounds you make for me.." He purred, lightly panting. You felt his cum drip out of you, only to be pushed back in as he rolled his hips against your ass with a groan. His chest was pressed into your back, giving him room to press his face into your neck, "All for me.."

You felt him smirk against your skin before giving a long lick, trailing up to the soft spot under your ear.

"Does that feel good, sweet thing?"

You could barely respond with a long moan, feeling his length drag against your walls as he slowly pulled back, only to squeal as he drove his hips forward in a rough thrust, tears pricking your eyes.

He chuckled with a mocking tone, starting to fuck you in a slow, deep, hard pattern. His hands moved, one trailing up to your chest to tease your nipple as the other slid down to your front, playing with that sensitive bundle of nerves.

"You have to answer me, plum," He hummed, nipping your neck as he lightly pinched and twisted his fingers, "How else will I know what you want? Tell me what you want, baby."

You tried to speak, gasping as he gave a particularly harsh thrust just to cut you off, his sadistic chuckle making you whimper.

"Pl-please- fuck, please-" You nearly sobbed, voice pitched high and wavering from the overstimulation, "So good, feel so good, please-"

"Yeah?" He laughed, his hips pressing into yours for a moment, letting himself bottom out before picking you up by your thighs, your face smooshed into the wall and his tail wrapping around your ankle instead. You felt his cock twitch inside of you, before he used the new angle to quickly, deeply rut into your warmth. His voice rasped, almost a growl, "Why don't you cum for me then? Cum all over, make a big mess for me, yeah?"

"Fucking bastard."

You tensed at the harsh voice, eyes widening right before they rolled back. The knot in your stomach snapped, and you let out a long scream as you came, your back arching and pressing your front further into the wall. It's a good thing these apartments were soundproofed.

You felt another gaze on you, and heard a deep growl. You felt yourself shake from both your orgasm and the worry.

"What?" The dark-haired simian chuckled smugly, knowing full well what he's done, "I figured I'd give them a treat before my turn was over. Mark them up a bit, stuff 'em full.."

His cock sliding out of you made you twitch, a small whimper escaping your mouth as his cum slid down your thigh. He still held you up as he pulled you away from the wall, legs spread as he carried you by your knees, leaving you on full display. He turned to face Wukong. Your hands moved to grip onto his forearms, legs shaking as you tried your hardest not to look away. They didn't like when you looked away from them.

"I didn't expect it to last so long! My bad.~"

Wukong stood in your balcony door, the morning light just barely peeking over the adjacent buildings. His eyes glared harshly at his counterpart, softening up as he trailed his eyes over your form. His tail changed from flicking in irritation to swaying in delight at the sight of you. You whimpered as you saw a tent in his pants begin to form.

"Yeah, like I'd believe you didn't do this on purpose," the royal grumbled, sliding the door behind him closed. He crossed his arms, leaning back against the glass. As his eyes slowly met yours, you recognized the same emotion from so long ago that you'd first missed. Desire.

"Well, you know me," Macaque hummed in amusement, deciding to take a seat on your bed, where he slowly inched you back down onto his dick. As your voice quietly echoed in the room, the sensitivity making you almost feel dizzy, he continued, ignoring the king's glare, "Always schemin'.."

He used your legs to hold you up, tilting both you and him back to put you on better display, his tail balancing him on your bed. He slowly brought you up and down, just enough to make you whimper and Wukong glare at him again.

"Too bad I've already filled them up today.~ Looks like you'll have to wait for your breeding session."

Your eyes widened in worry, glancing over your shoulder for a moment, only to look back at Wukong. He kept his gaze on you, his fists clenching in agitation as his eyes darkened.

"Unless.. You wanna see who can fill them most? You can try to get past mine, but.." He trailed off, his smug tone only irritating the king more.

He stopped moving you as he brought his face to your neck once more, leaning his head on your shoulder. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw his gaze fall to your 'birthmarks'- The ones that marked you as theirs. His eyes trailed back up to your own, and you shivered. His grin grew as he twitched inside of you from delight.

"What do you say?"

And as Wukong's eyes met yours, ready for a challenge, you knew what his answer was.

#lego monkie kid #lmk #lmk sun wukong #sun wukong #lmk x reader #lego sun wukong #lego macaque #lego monkie kid x reader #lego monkie king #legomonkiekid #lmk macaque x reader #lmk six eared macaque #monkie kid macaque #lmk macaque #🐰 euphoria collab #sun wukong x reader #lmk wukong #macaque x reader #macaque #love spells are never a good idea #yandere x reader #yanderes are only okay in fiction #y #x reader #yandere wukong #yandere macaque #yandere sun wukong #sun wukong x reader x macaque #wukong x reader x macaque #wukong x reader

[queenofanime]

could like make a second part to the horse dude/beastars x fix reader PLSSSSSSSSSS idk do whatever you want just please make a pt2

Yafya x fox reader

Part 1

One could take all the preventions in this world, be cautious all you want but another animal isn't… and you get all caught up in their mess. There is also such a thing as bad luck and a bike accident was just such a thing. It happened so fast, Y/n wasn't able to react to it.

**** The moment the bike hit the concrete wall, I assumed I was dead. The bicycle had flipped so many times that I had become disorientated. I kept waking up, only to become unconscious again. I preferred to be unconscious rather than awake. Because when I was awake I could taste the coppery blood pooling in my mouth. I could feel it grazing my teeth and soaking my tongue. I felt the aching and cracks in my bones. Each crack felt like rocks were burrowing into my skin. I sucked in cramped air, feeling my lungs caving in on themselves. I could hear the sound. It was a noise, mangled metal. I saw the spots in the corners of my vision. Then came a blue flicker, the sound of sirens in the distance.

****

To say Yafya was panicking, was an understatement. The horse swallowed hard, trying to keep the stoic expression he was known to wear. But from the corner of his eye, Gosha could tell his friend was scared. He was scared of losing someone who had crawled their way into his heart unexpectedly. The ride to the hospital was rather quiet; time seemed to pass in slow motion. Yafya decided to keep his eyes on the road, keeping himself from spiraling. 'What if the last thing he sees is your lifeless body, rotting away in a hospital bed?' 'What if you died, without ever knowing how much he loved you and how you are worthy?' 'What if you leave this world feeling underappreciated, filled with bitterness about all the animals (including him) that took you for granted?' It was clear that the view wasn't helping him at all with his thoughts.

**** Once the nurse greeted them and explained the accident, she let the visitors through Y/N's room, where the little fox was resting. Louis and Legoshi felt bad when they saw Y/N. After their unexpected visit a few months ago, they had become quite close, since there wasn't a big age difference. Haru had also been introduced to Y/N and had hit it off immediately. After a couple of minutes, the only one present was Yafya.

**** It hadn't been long since the accident, and as my aburn eyes open slowly, adjusting to the light of the room, I remembered my near-death experience vividly. I didn't exactly know where I was but from the cold metal bed rails, the soft pillows, and the scent of get-well flowers, I could guess it was a hospital. But what really got my attention was the soft snoring sounds that came from below. Slowly, I turned my gaze to the sleeping horse, sitting next to me on the floor, his hand holding my own. Looking at him, Yafya's pose didn't seem at all comfortable. Despite his young appearance, Yafaya was already in his 50s and it made me worry that his body could possibly hurt later on. Subconsciously, my small hand started caressing his much bigger one. His hand was rough, his nails shorter than mine, but I couldn't care less. My eyes traced over his facial features; loose strands of his black crest falling, covering his eyes. Though my scouting came to an end when the sound of the door opening interrupted my concentration. Panicking, I closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep. The doctor and nurse stepped into the room, waking Yafya in the process. I kept my eyes close. Attentively, I listened to the doctor and the old herbivore talking about me. After asking about personal information and things such as insurance, the nurse replaced my serum and both left the room again. I could feel Yafya's intense gaze on me, but my eyes were kept shut. After a couple of silent seconds, I heard a chair being dragged across the floor, shuffling, and silence again. I tried my best to keep my cover and act unconscious as best as I could. My curiosity slowly betraying me. "I like you," he finally said. "No, I'm not expecting a reaction, I'm just stating the fact that I like you. I've been in major denial for months now, denying these feelings inside my heart but I'm done. I like you. There… it's out in the world." Yafya took a deep breath before continuing, "I like you, and if you don't feel the same, that is okay too. I'm not expecting you to like me back, no one ever does." And I could only wonder how the hell someone could see his face, hear his thoughts, and look at his smile, but not fall in love with him.

@toxic-chainsaw-666 @couldyouspeakmyname

#beastars x reader #beastars #beastars yafya #yafya x reader #carnivore #foxreader #little bit of angst

[echantedtoon]

True Enough

Joe discovers that his love just might be true enough to save her naive soul.

(I don't own anything, everything belongs to Disney, coverart not mine, etc. Found art on Pinterest. If the original artist is found I will credit them here)

(I don't own anything. There's a reference to Steven universe and The Swan Princess in here.)

He was there when it happened. 

In the cave. In the darkened waters as they brought her into the witch's home. Oh he knew her plan. He made no objections to her plan nor did he physically do anything to stop it. So why did it feel so surreal and shocking to see her swim into this miserable place. This is what she wanted all along. Isn't it what he wanted all along as well as her assistant? What they both wanted? He was the girl's friend to relay information and to help in everything that lead up to this moment! But..her shocked face seeing him there...

It hit him harder than it should've.

However she wasn't there to see him. She was there for HER. The sea witch. He was there when she asked to be turned human. And all for what? To pursue a Prince that she only met once?! He knew she a bit naive but not to these levels! But he should be happy that it made her fall into the witch's hands..Right? Then why did it make his chest tighten up so? It was so easy for her to be tricked.

"The only way to get what you want is to become a human yourself."

"Can you do that?"

He saw the EXACT moments of (excuse the pun) hook, line, and sinker. And his stomach sure sunk when seeing the witch's face.

"My dear, sweet child. It's what I do."

Despicable. Absolutely despicable.

"Now here's the deal. I'll make you a potion that'll turn you into a human for three days." She looked at him. Not at the witch. A look of concern that made him twist inside. But the witch made sure to pull her attention back to her. After all Ariel should pay attention. Ursula was always VERY specific with the effects of her spells and the rules she laid down. "Got that? Three. Days. Now listen. This is very important. Before the sun sets on the third day, you've got to get dear old princey to fall in love with you."

Three days? That's not enough time to properly fall in love. He should know. Ariel was dead set to fail. The sea witch definitely planned this thoroughly.

"That is he's got to kiss you. Not just any kiss. The kiss of true love." 

And there it is. The loophole. He was always able to spot them in her deals.

"If he does kiss you before the sun sets on the third day you'll remain human forever. But if not you'll turn back into a mermaid and you'll belong...to me."

He hoped if she had any smarts left she'd use them now.

"Have we got a deal?"

"If I turn human.. I'll never see my father or sisters again." She looked at him again with that pleading look of desperation like she was asking him for his input. For help.

He hoped to send back a mental message. Yes! Please!Think of your family instead of the prince you just met one night!!

"That's right. But you'll have your man. Life is full of tough choices isn't it? Oh! That reminds me. We haven't discussed the process of payment. You can't get something for nothing you know." What? What price? He wasn't told about this! "I'm not asking much. It's just a token. A trifle really. You'll never even miss it. What I want from you is...Your. Voice."

What?! What was she thinking? It would put her at an awful disadvantage more than what she already was at this point!! But...she agreed. Of course she did. And then this entire mess started. He could've done something but..Well at least he had the comfort of knowing that there was no way the prince would succeed. And he'd be lying if he said he was pleased with their intervention of that kiss. He took whatever time the witch wasn't looking to read EXACTLY what was written on that contract.

'I hereby grant unto Ursula the Witch of the Sea one voice in exchange for humanity. If true love's kiss is not met in three days time by sundown I forfeit to her my servitude for all eternity. Signed-'

And then her name was written there. Ah. Oh yes. He believed he knew exactly what was to be done about this. He just wondered what exactly would happen afterwards.

"You kissed me."

"So I did didn't I?"

The water was warm today. Very nice as they sat on the rocks. Of course..she didn't have any legs this time around again and had her voice back obviously or she wouldn't be able to talk to him. The rocks surface was smooth obviously smoothed out by the sea water waves rolling over them for so long. It made for a perfect spot for him to just lay there and stare at the blue sky. Well that was before a pouting face leaned over him to stare down at him.

"You know what I mean."

"So I do. ..Nice day isn't it?"

"Joe, don't change the subject. Why?"

"Because it was one way to ensure you'd have more chance of success. " His eyes looked to hers. "The written contract stated that in order for you to not become in her endless servitude you needed a kiss of true love didn't you? The written contract never said that it had to be from the prince specifically."

The salty fresh air smelt nice and it made her hair wave just right as her brows furrowed. He had the idea she looked quite nice with her hair flowing like that.

"But my voice..My legs." Her eyes glanced down to the shimmering emerald tail. "You didn't change anything."

"On the contrary. You got the voice back yourself all on your own." A hand reached up to flick her nose. She did look so adorable when her delicate hand grabbed at it in a pout. "The written agreement stated that a kiss of true love would keep you out of her servitude, and it had. However your verbal agreement made it so it had to be the prince to remain human. I wasn't the prince...So as a result of not keeping up the second bargain, you resumed your natural form." His form sat up shrugging his shoulders. "As for your voice...that was something you did on your own. Saving the prince and defeating Ursula was also your doing. Not mine."

"That wasn't funny." Her face remained scrunched in a pout as she rubbed at her nose making him huff a chuckle. "And even if what you say is true, nothing happened. I'm not human..Not.. anymore." Her beautiful blue eyes turned back out to the water. Still confused on such an idea. 

Such a thing was always a fun little expression for him to see on her.

"Silly girl. You don't have to be human to have the concept of humanity within you." The little head turned to him blinking. "That was why you saved him in the first place wasn't it? Because you had more humanity in you than anyone I've ever met. Including myself. Besides...Even if you had kissed Prince Eric, I doubt that it would've been enough."

"Why wouldn't it have been?!" He rose a brow at her sudden defense and frown. "Love is a strong concept that can break even the harshest evils."

"You really are a silly girl aren't you?" She was taken aback as she fully sat up, and suddenly finding the calmness of the waves hitting the edge of the rocks at his feet very interesting. "...Love at first sight doesn't exist. Love takes time and love takes work. At the very least you have to know the other person." An eye glanced her direction briefly. "And you literally know nothing about him."

Blue eyes widened at him. "But...I do know him."

He chuckled. "Yes. But how much? You know he's a prince. His name is Eric." A head tilted to distant land. A beautiful scenery of green and pearly white castle. "And he lives in a castle by the sea with a kingdom he rules over kindly. Oh yes. He is a very nice prince isn't he? But what else is there?" His head turn around to meet the wife eyed silly girl sitting beside him. "Being a kind and caring person is a very good thing, but what ELSE?"

"I-...what else?"

He slowly nodded. "Yes. What else? What else do you know about him? What else is there to him?" His hand was quick to tap her nose before she even noticed. "Does he make you laugh in joy? Is the way he carries himself something you like? What if you hate the way he does something? What if you two have too many different views on things? What if you find no attraction at all? It takes more than three days to get to know a real person."

Blue eyes went cross to look at the nose before back to him. "He saved my life-"

"And you saved his." A hand pointed at her. "And your father saved yours. ... Allow me to give you a truth. You need more than three days to love someone. Love at first sight does NOT exist. You can certainly have attraction at first sight, but love is like a flower. Anyone can be attracted to it's petals but it's not beautiful instantly. It takes time to be planted. It needs time to be nurtured and grown into a strong stem before anything beautiful can blossom from it. Attraction is only a factor. Not a whole."

The waves were his solace away from the staring of eyes as he turned towards the water's. So comforting with it's gentle feel and waved lulling you asleep like a lullaby.

"Then..You mean you-?"

"Would I have helped you the way I did if I didn't?"

There was a bit more of that calm silence.

"..How long have you- ..I mean when did you start-" She trailed off unsure of how to say it before gesturing to herself. "For me?"

...He shrugged. "I'm unsure of the exact amount of time, but I would say a few years. Certainly longer than three days." Eyes curiously side glanced at her. "... You're not with HIM right now. Curious. Isn't that what You've wanted from the start?"

"I-.." Blue eyes looked away. "I'm...not sure anymore." His head turned further to her. "Maybe I will but now.. Maybe I won't after all. I need more time to think about everything. And you."

"What about Eric?"

"If he loves me then he'll understand. ..If he loves me. I'm sure he at least cares."

He nodded. "He is a kind prince. I won't speak ill about someone when there's nothing to speak ill about. And...your family?" Her father?

She smiled brightly at him. "He's much better. I think he finally understands me now. They're glad to have me again."

He hoped that would last a long time too.

"Hm. And...Me?"

Her face went thoughtful for a moment humming before the same smile greeted him. "I believe if you love me, then you'll understand what entails too."

A blink of his eyes. And a turn of his reddened face greeted her giggles. 

"Silly girl. You'll never change."

And deep down he hoped she never truly did.

#eight foot joe #Eight foot Joe x Ariel #Ariel x Joe #the little mermaid #villain recruiters #disney villain recruiters