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ronwestbreeze · 8 months

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you're gonna go far | 5

pairing: jake sully x neytiri x tsu'tey x fem!human! reader summary: a scientist arrives on pandora (unwillingly) a year after the exile of the rda. now she must deal with the likes of a clan leader, a great warrior, and a thanator rider. . . word count: 7.4k

read on ao3

“What do you mean pregnant?” Jake questioned looking absolutely bewildered.

Next to you, Norm cleared his throat, “While we were doing our rounds here, Dr. Reeds discovered it. We ran some tests and turns out it’s true. Grace’s avatar is pregnant.”

Jake frowned, “I’m sorry, that still doesn’t explain how she got like this.”

You shrugged, not looking up from your tablet, “Well, apparently when two avatars love each other very much—”

“We don’t know.” Norm instead answered, sending you a glare, to which you ignored.

After your rather strange discovery, Norm got in touch with Jake and an hour later the rest of the scientists were cleared out of the room. And in replacement, three tall ass Na’vi crowded around Augustine’s avatar tank while you and Norm—still in human form—stood on the other side of the tank, staring straight at the glass while Jake, Neytiri, and Tsu’tey looked over it.

Their reactions were as expected. Jake confused. Neytiri wary yet curious. And Tsu’tey with his usual scowl—you were seriously beginning to think it was just the way his face was set—but with a hint of apprehension.

“She’s two months along or more, I’m honestly surprised we hadn’t noticed it until now.” Norm frowned, looking at the small stomach. The avatar wasn’t showing yet, perhaps because of how thin they all naturally were—but upon further inspection, the small two-month-old bump was quite noticeable.

“So, it just appeared? No explanation?” Jake questioned, also frowning down at the avatar. “How is that even possible?”

Again, you shrugged and finally looked up from your tablet. “Well, that depends,” Frankly, you didn’t want to be here. Being practically stuck in the same room with two people who both pissed you off and had you on guard constantly. Like they were going to attack you at any second—perhaps throw more baseless accusations your way. It would often leave you exhausted afterward. “What exactly was Dr. Augustine doing before her avatar ended up unresponsive? Any secret relationships? Did you ever find her sneaking out—possibly to meet someone in secret?”

Jake was the one who responded, unfortunately. “We shared a station together for three months. She never left that place or met with anyone.”

Norm nodded in agreement while Neytiri placed her hand on the tank glass, “In her last moments we tried moving her spirit through Eywa and into her false body. But she was very weak…Could she have been with child then?”

“Had to be. She couldn’t have been pregnant after—after she passed.” Norm crossed his arms—almost like he was hugging himself.

Well, that wasn’t much to go on but you didn’t say it out loud since the very sight of this woman’s avatar—or at least talking about her clearly made the four of them react.

You had no personal connection to the late Dr. Grace Augustine, she was your role model of course but that was about it. You’ve never met her, therefore you were the only one with an unbiased perspective.

Their reactions were different but the same in some ways.

Norm hid it by pushing forward and moving the conversation along. Neytiri doesn’t hide her emotion when talking about Dr. Augustine. Her face was gentle and grief-stricken. You wondered if Neteyam, who was snuggly strapped to her chest, felt his mother’s strong emotions.

Jake wore a mask of sorts but you could still see the traits. Low ears, tail tucked behind his leg, avoidant gaze—it was then you realized how easy it was to read Na’vi’s expressions. You wondered if reading humans was difficult for them, except for Jake. Na’vi just had a more expressive face. Unless they were experienced at hiding it well.

Like Tsu’tey. The clan leader looked distant and was the quietest out of the four.

You supposed that Grace seemed to be the one thing that bonded the four. Especially Jake, Neytiri, and Tsu’tey. They had each other to lean on, you could tell by how unconsciously they neared each other.

But you and Norm? Maybe you could lean on each other but it wasn’t necessarily the same.

You lost your mother. Who could you lean on?

It must’ve been nice.

You knew you had been staring too long when Tsu’tey’s eyes locked with yours.

As subtly as you could, you looked away to tune in back to what Norm was saying, “So obvious questions aside, what should we do?”

“That’s not an obvious question?” You frowned, earning a jab in your side from him.

The three were quiet as they glanced at each other—or rather they were having a silent conversation with each other. You could tell by the way Jake raised his brows in question. Neytiri’s meaningful look. And Tsu’tey’s narrowed eyes.

You tucked the tablet under your arm and cleared your throat, drawing their attention to you, “While you guys decide who should take care of it, the avatar would have to stay here. The baby—if there is truly one in there—would have to be born here.”

Norm nodded in agreement, “Grace’s avatar will be under Dr. Reeds’ care since she is the one who identified the fetus—"

“No.” Tsu’tey instantly scowled.

“Told you,” Norm mumbled next to you.

You rolled your eyes, briefly locking eyes with Neytiri who watched the two of you with a small frown. There was a flash of something that floated passed her eyes, something you didn’t have time to make out right now.

“The Sky People know nothing about caring for a child of our people.” Tsu’tey scowled. “None of them do! I will not trust the child—or sa’nok’s body in the hands of—”

“—Demon. Yeah, you’ve made that clear.” You cut in calmly, earning a warning look from Norm and a vicious glare from the clan leader. You ignored both, “The facts don’t change. The body cannot be moved. The avatar is essentially dead—this tank is its life support, therefore the baby’s life support. So, if we keep the avatar and the baby here—"

“You do not get to decide this—”

Now you were irritated. You tried. You really did. “Then deal with a dead fucking baby for all I care—”

“Reeds.” Norm frowned.

“Tsu’tey!” Neytiri hissed, giving the man’s arm a slight shove.

The only person who appeared calm was Jake—which wasn’t surprising. He was looking at you, not with malice or accusation, but with contemplation. “If we keep the baby here…?”

You pressed your lips into a thin line and let out a short, agitated breath. “Since the avatar is basically dead, it can’t push the baby out the usual way when the time comes to it. We’d have to perform a C-section to get it out.” Tsu’tey opened his mouth to protest but you quickly beat him to it, “Once the baby is born, it’s yours. I nor the rest of us have an interest in keeping it here. It would be illogical. Are rations are terrible already—we don’t have the resources to take care of a baby. So you won’t have to worry about it being raised by demons.”

In the last part, you directed your pointed look toward Tsu’tey was still glaring at you. A part of you was smug, the fear and hesitation around him slowly going away.

You really didn’t care much for what he thought about you and you made sure he knew it. Of course, being this reckless with your mouth wasn’t the smartest idea and he probably didn’t appreciate it—but perhaps that was the best part about it.

He hissed something in Na’vi at you, which he knew you wouldn’t understand. The one thing he had over you. And with his own carefully crafted smugness, he knew this too. You rolled your eyes.

Neytiri snapped at him in response which seemed to surprise both Tsu’tey and Jake. You glanced toward Norm with a questioning look. He leaned toward your ear and mumbled, “Essentially, Neytiri’s okay with you watching over Grace’s avatar.” You both watched Tsu’tey reply with the same amount of ferocity. “And Tsu’tey’s pissed that she’s siding with you.”

You hummed but didn’t respond. Neytiri agreed with the plan, this also surprised you but you refused to allow the others to see that. Instead, you’d hold your chin high and bathe in your victory of having at least one of them agree with you for once.

It was nice that Neytiri was defending your idea. At least someone in this room was sane enough to.

Jake, who had been silent up to this point, suddenly cut into Neytiri and Tsu’tey’s argument, which caused the both of them to turn to him. He said something to them in a lowered voice and before you could ask Norm what he was saying, Neytiri and a begrudged Tsu’tey suddenly left the room.

You watched their retreating figures with quiet curiosity, until Jake spoke again in English, “Norm, can Reeds and I have the room?”

Now you were frowning. Hell, you were sure you looked like Tsu’tey then. Norm gave you a pleading look, one that said, ‘Just talk to him’.

And it took a lot. Every bit of strength to restrain yourself from snapping at Norm and telling him it was a bad idea to leave the both of you alone.

But instead, you ended up holding back a groan in your throat. You wouldn’t let him see you snap like that. You wouldn’t break your resolve so easily around him again.

Eventually, you nodded stiffly, “Go ahead. We’ll be quick.”

After a nod and a pat on your shoulder, Norm left you and Jake alone.

The last time the two of you had been alone was when you set your mother’s lab on fire. You wondered if this was his chance to find fault in you again. To throw more accusations your way.

Jake watched you. And you watched him.

Stubbornly, you weren’t going to speak first. After all, he was the one who wanted to talk to you alone.

After another few seconds of you sizing each other up, he finally spoke, “Why the sudden interest in looking after Grace’s child, huh? What’s in it for you?”

You raised a brow, “Do you want some kind of sinister motive?”

He frowned at your very sardonic response, “No. Just the truth, if that isn’t too much.”

“The idea of truth seems subjective here.” You argued dryly. “No matter what I say, somehow I’m still made into this heartless demon you all have painted in your image. Don’t be surprised when I start acting like it at some point.” The latter was a dark joke of your own. But you failed to make that known to him.

Jake glared, leaning on the tank. The glass was impenetrable, it wouldn’t break under his weight. But it would leave unnecessary hand prints for someone to clean later. “Christ, can we just be straight with each other? You said yourself you had no interest in raising it. So why willingly volunteer to watch it?”

Despite your dislike for being alone with him—or him in general—you expected this question. It was an easy answer to which you had no problem responding to. Whatever it took to get this interaction done and over with as quickly as possible.

So, you gave a simple shrug, “The avatar got pregnant without having any intercourse. And I’ve checked. The development is impossible but remarkable. I want to study it closely, to learn how it happened and how it will continue to develop over time. Hell, we’re not even sure if this is an actual baby inside. Could be something else. We won’t know until it’s out.”

The answer didn’t seem to satisfy him. You could tell by the way his ears remained pinned at the side of his head, “So that’s what all of this is to you? A science project?”

“I’m a scientist.” You said plainly as if the answer was obvious. “Plus, it gives me something to do here. I have to make up the time I’ve lost.”

Jake frowned as if waiting for more. You did not offer more.

“And you think you are capable of doing it?” It was your turn to frown. That was a question you weren’t exactly prepared for. More or less that was the last thing you expected him to ask. “Are you really equipped to take on something like this? Especially now?”

You glared now, “Are you questioning my credentials?”

“No, I have no doubt that you’re good in your field—”

“Excellent. I am excellent in my field.”

“—Your actions are unpredictable—”

“Ah, so you’re questioning my stability.” Your skin boiled with barely hidden rage. You wouldn’t let him see you snap like that. You wouldn’t break your resolve so easily around him again. “Afraid I’ll blow up another lab?”

Jake scowled, “That’s not funny.”

“It wasn’t a joke.”

It was a standoff. The two of you. Jake’s gaze was intense and yours severe. His jaw tightened and he shook his head with a humorless snicker, “You're impossible.”

“And you have no right to question whether or not I am in stable condition for a job I am qualified for.” You snapped back, your resolve barely holding by a thread. “So, is this what you wanted to talk to me about? Is that why you wanted to see me alone so that you could ridicule me without eyes watching? Do you think you’re a better man for that, Sully? Why don’t you just be straight with me, like you wanted? Stop fucking beating around the bush!”

“Yeah?” He challenged with a mocking chuckle. “You want me to be straight with you? Fine. Tsu’tey doesn’t trust you with Grace’s avatar—”

You scoffed, “Clearly!”

“—and I don’t either.”

With a shrug, you placed your tablet down, “Frankly, Sully, I have no interest in earning your trust. I’m here to do my job. That’s all. A job I have no choice in doing since I am stuck here on your planet. Trust has nothing to do with it.”

He looked resigned, guarding his face once more. The silence was all too consuming.

Jake didn’t want this. He was supposed to be making peace with you. At least attempt to be cordial with one another.

But you were impossible. You were difficult.

You saw no point to this conversation. Never did from the beginning. Why he wanted to talk to you in private only to rehash what’s already been said. What’s already been known. You didn’t understand what he was trying to do here. There was nothing else they could possibly talk about past the subject of the mysterious fetus. You did not want to be here.

He was impossible. He was difficult.

Jake straightened his back—a small inkling in the back of your mind wondered if that was the Marine in him. Standing to attention, as if addressing someone with power well above him. Or his enemy. You really couldn’t tell with them. “So where does that leave us?”

“It’s really simple, actually.” You crossed your arms. “The body can’t be moved. The avatar stays here. And so does the growing fetus. You clearly want it so it will be all yours when it’s born. Far away from my destructive hands. Does that work for you?”

After a long—unnecessary bout of silence—Jake finally pushed away from the tank, “Norm will be with you?”

You glared and clenched your jaw, “If that will get you to leave quicker, then yes.”

His tail lashed behind him, “Fine. Do what you want.”

Finally, he left. And you were alone.

After a moment of silence. After a moment of gathering yourself with a bit of pride left , you moved closer toward Dr. Augustine’s tank and frowned down at the growing stomach, “Good luck, kid. If you’re not careful, he just might end up as your father.”

The following days continued as usual, except after you were done with your garden, you headed over to the tank room to check on the fetus. You did things like making sure it’s kept healthy and or safely growing in the womb. Surprisingly, it was just as peaceful as tending to your garden. Sometimes a few scientists would pop in every now and then to check on other tanks, but most times it was just you and Dr. Augustine’s avatar. And it wasn’t entirely so bad being in almost total silence for the first time in a while.

Neytiri would come to the gardens whenever she could. Either keeping you company while giving advice and directions about how to better your crops. Or gently scolding you about how loud you continue to be while trekking through the forest.

Today, you were doing the latter. It was something different, a little change in your usual routine. You now carried your tablet in a bag in case any alert from Dr. Augustine’s avatar notified you as you followed Neytiri through the forest. Mimicking her every movement like you had done last time.

“You move with the forest. You listen. You see.” Neytiri jumped over a branch as you finally finished the climb up the tree the both of you were on. A part of you was envious of her ability to climb with ease while your cheeks only flushed with both being out of breath and embarrassed as she watched you try and fail to climb this godforsaken tree.

“Okay,” You nodded as you settled on the branch with her. It was uncomfortable, especially squatting the way she was. “What exactly am I supposed to be seeing?”

Neytiri frowned, “I cannot make you see. Only you can.”

You looked down at your now bare feet, not really sure how to respond to that or what it really meant. And you had a feeling that if you asked again, she’d probably scold you for it and further confuse you. So instead you looked up at some of the leaves above you. You raised your hand and let your fingers gently graze it, so very gently as if it would crumble beneath your touch.

The forest was overwhelmingly beautiful. Every day it was like you were looking at it for the first time. The healthy trees and plants. The wildlife that you avoided but watched from afar. Hearing the quiet streams of water running about in whichever direction you turned.

Somedays it reminded you of what you lost back on Earth. What the world had done to it. And how many, many years ago it had once looked as beautiful as this.

On other days, you appreciated the forest. For its food, for its beauty. Sometimes you liked the idea of calling this place your new home even though you weren’t quite sure what the exact word ‘home’ meant to you right now.

While caught up in your misty thoughts, you missed the way Neytiri watched you quietly. How she noticed your hidden wonder. The way your lips almost curve up until it’s back in that firm straight line again. Or how your face became gentle even for the slightest second before it’s gone as quickly as it had come. Like you were consciously keeping yourself from being content.

It was intriguing, watching how Sky People worked. Though of course, Neytiri would never admit this out loud.

But most of all, it was intriguing—almost alluring—watching how you worked.

Eventually, she caught sight of your mother’s songcord still wrapped around your wrist with a small frown.

Your slow methodic thoughts were soon interrupted when Neytiri grasped the wrist with your mother’s songcord around it. Instantly you tensed as she brought your wrist closer for her to see. But once you realize she made no sudden moves to take the cord from you, you relax. Only slightly.

She thumbed one of the beads, “When you die, your family sings your songcord to remember your life. And then it is given back to you.” Neytiri looked at you then, curiously. “You do not know your mother’s songcord.”

It wasn’t a question but more a knowing statement. Carefully, you took your wrist back from hers and held it close to your chest, “Obviously, I didn’t get much of a chance to.”

She nodded but didn’t push on the subject. Instead, she stood up on the branch just as something shuffled below the both of you.

Neytiri grabbed your arm and pulled you to your feet, “Come, come!”

Shed led you through the trees. It was especially difficult to keep up going from branch to branch and copying her movements to the best of your ability. At some points, you nearly slipped only to be quickly caught by Neytiri and forced to keep going. You both admired and envied her ease in prowess.

At some point, you both landed in a tree that gave you both a good view of the forest floor. There, was a creature slinking around the thick bushes. Neytiri crouched on the branch to watch the creature just as another came out into the light.

“Nantang.” She pointed at the creature below. “You Sky People call them viperwolf.”

“Nantung.” You repeated slowly, crouching down next to her.

“Nantang.” She corrected.

“Nantang.”

With a small nod, she gave your forehead a little shove with an open palm hand, “You are not good with our language.”

But she didn’t seem annoyed when she said this. Instead, she looked rather amused with the way her ears were raised high and her tail swinging behind her.

Below you, the viperwolves began moving away from the trees and further within the bushes. You watched them curiously, moving Neytiri’s hand from your forehead, “Are they dangerous? The—Nantang?”

“Most are.” Neytiri frowned, dropping her hand to her side. She then stood. “We leave them be. We do not kill unless—unless we have no choice.”

“Hmm, so no hunting them then?” You watched her thoughtfully. “So are you guys vegetarians?” She stared at you blankly. You pressed your lips into a thin line and reconsidered your words, “Do you not eat any meat?”

Understanding crossed her features as she nodded, “We do. Just not them.”

You nodded, crossing your legs together on the branch you were sitting on as you thought about this. After another pause, you took out your tablet from your bag to take down some notes—only for Neytiri to smack your arm and scowl, “No. None of that! We move.”

“Alright, alright.” You sighed, placing your tablet back into your bag. “But if I slip again, just let me fall. I deserve it for being so unathletic.”

Neytiri rolled her eyes and pushed forward. Reluctantly, you followed her.

At some point, you stopped wearing shoes in your avatar body.

After unlinking for the day, you headed over toward the tank room, only to find a certain Na’vi already there talking to Norm. Both noticed you and stopped whatever conversation they had upon seeing you enter.

“Ah, Reeds!” Norm cleared his throat as you approached Dr. Augustine’s avatar. “We were just finishing up here. We’ll be out of your way soon.”

You shrugged, tucking your tablet under your arm as you studied the controls of the avatar’s tank. “It’s not like you’re not allowed in this room. All I do is make sure the baby is healthy and leave. Doesn’t really take that long.” Eventually, you allowed yourself to acknowledge the Na’vi curtly. “Sully.”

“Dr. Reeds.” Jake nodded back with a tight, awkward smile.

“There haven’t been any big updates if that’s what you’re here for.” You said while staring at the avatar. It twitched every now and then as usual.

“We were just catching up.” Norm explained with a faint smile sent your way. “How’s the garden holding up?”

You shrugged, keeping your focus glued to your work, “Everything’s growing just fine. In a few weeks, we might be ready for harvesting. It’s actually fascinating how fast everything’s growing.” If you were in your avatar body, your tail would be wiggling from side to side at this revelation despite your monotone voice. “Neytiri’s been a big help too—the Na’vi way is a lot more effective compared to human techniques and efficiency. I’m actually starting to wonder what else I could learn from her…”’

It wasn’t intentional, but you were really beginning to become intrigued by the Na’vi and their culture. If you were going to be on Pandora—for what seemed like a long time—then you’d have to get accustomed to their ways at some point. Especially, when you didn’t have any particular interest in causing problems with them by doing everything wrong and very human-like. Attempting to do it their way was the only way to go and the easiest path so far.

Norm was grinning at you and you frowned, “What?”

“Nothing. I’ll leave you to it.” He then turned to Jake. “You stayin’ longer?”

Right, you had forgotten about him for a second. Briefly, with little interest, you glanced toward Jake who gave a short nod, “Yeah, I’ll stay for a little bit.” He then met your gaze, matching your guarded expression. “If that’s not a problem”

Norm watched the two of you, noticing the tension.

You stiffened. What the hell was this guy’s problem? Did he enjoy fighting with you, what was it? There was nothing stopping him from waiting until you were done so that he could have the room alone. But for some reason, he thought staying with you there was a good idea.

He must’ve been some kind of masochist. Yeah, had to be.

That, or he was keeping a close eye on you. After all, he did say that he didn’t trust you. Wouldn’t be a totally impossible thought.

So instead, you answered his question with one of your own, “Is it a problem for you?”

His tail swished behind him, “No. Not at all.”

He watched you. And you watched him.

You sniffed and returned your focus back on the avatar, “S’like I said. I won’t be long.”

Cautiously, Norm spoke, “I’ll leave the both of you to it then, yeah?” He walked passed to you, not before mumbling, “Play nice,” and he departed, leaving just you and Jake in the tank room.

The room was deathly quiet as you worked. You figured since Jake was going to be here watching over your every move, you’d ignore him and just do the work. Quick enough for you to leave and be out of his presence. That was all that mattered at the moment.

There was just nothing more to talk about with him. Besides the fetus, you couldn’t fathom what else there was to be discussed.

So far, you were actually doing a good job pretending he wasn’t there. Sure, he was a ten-foot-tall alien that practically towered over you and made you freeze every time something in the corner of your eye moved—it was him every time—the work in front of you was distracting enough. And so was observing the mysteriously pregnant and obviously brain-dead avatar.

It was weird, no, fascinating. How an avatar would end up pregnant without the user actively using it was beyond you. It was like one of those unsolved patient stories or records back on Earth. Only this time you didn’t have to worry much about necrophilia. At least you hoped you didn’t. You put that in your notes.

“I’m sorry about your mother.”

Despite your stubbornness, you froze. Unsure if what you heard was real or perhaps that you imagined it. A part of you hoped you imagined it. A part of you hoped that you had just gone crazy. Yes, that should’ve explained it. Some childish part of you just wanted someone to pity you for once. To say these words to you. And so you imagined them to cope. You imagined someone would for once see you passed the Dr. Reeds. Human. Demon.

It was only your imagination—

“And I’m sorry for how I acted before.” Jake continued on the other side of the tank. Your grip on your tablet tightened as you listened to him. He paused for a long moment as if carefully considering his words. “You’re in a difficult position and I didn’t make it easy on you. That’s on me.”

So much for ignoring him.

You forced yourself to look up at him, a frown on your lips, “What do you hope to gain from this? Why apologize now?”

He winced but didn’t back down. His resolve was much more brazen unlike yours which was still barely hanging on by a thread. Unlike you, he wasn’t exhausted keeping it up all the time. “A truce. Especially, since I will be visiting often.”

Now you were more annoyed than confused, “Why do you need to keep visiting? I already said there haven’t been any updates. Plus, Norm would be telling you whether or not you’re needed here—”

Jake shrugged, ears twitching, “Well if I’m hoping to be her father, I gotta see her progress for myself, don’t I?”

You stopped and watched him both warily and—maybe intrigued by this new piece of information. It wasn’t shocking, really. You kind of figured he would end up taking responsibility for this child. And you had no doubt Neytiri and—possibly Tsu’tey agreed to this considering how much all three of them seemed to care for Dr. Augustine. It wasn’t at all surprising that they decided to raise the child as if it were their own.

“And you’re willing to endure interactions with me for this child?” You chuckled humorlessly. “How brave of you.”

But Jake shook his head, “No, it’s not just about the baby. We have to work together on this. All this hostility—it has to end right here right now. We don’t have to like each other—but I will admit I wasn’t fair to you and I let the situation—your whole arrival get to me. A rookie mistake on my part. I thought—I was protecting my clan.”

For a moment you really considered him. Considered his words. Considered all of him. All of what you knew of Jake Sully so far.

And then you remember Norm’s words to you all those nights ago. When you were going to meet the Tsahik. You remember him saying that they were scared when you had arrived and you remembered understanding that. In the midst of your anger, you understood why they acted the way they did. Still to this day, a part of you knew they were justified in their hatred for the Sky People. Hell, you faced DeVoe and developed a certain dislike toward those people as well.

But it was still your anger. You would not take the blame for something that was out of your control. Something you had no part in. You would not apologize for being put in unfortunate circumstances.

Surprisingly, Jake seemed to read your mind as he said, “I’m not asking anything from you in return. Just a truce and an apology. You deserve that, at least.”

You pressed your lips into a thin line, clutching your tablet close to your chest, avoiding his gaze, his expectant look that waited for you to respond. Right now you really wished you were in your avatar body because you hated him looking down at you. You hated being small around him.

But your steeled spine made up for it at least. “We don’t have to like each other.”

Jake nodded, “We don’t.”

You sniffed, “Good. Because I don’t particularly like you still.”

“Yeah,” He sighed, massaging his face. “Sometimes I don’t either.”

Neytiri didn’t come the next day. Which wasn’t out of the ordinary. Some days she just didn’t come. She had a baby and a clan to worry about after all. You couldn’t exactly expect her to put all of that on hold for you and your little garden.

Plus, there wasn’t much to check in the garden anyway today. All you had to do was water it and make sure the sun was shining on the correct plants. So, you spent most of your time foraging in the forest—making less noise like Neytiri showed you—gathering new fruits and mushrooms to plant once your other ones were finished growing. Of course, you’ll already have the seeds from the newly grown plants but it was nice to have a few extras just in case.

When you finished your foraging and stored all the fruits and mushrooms in a safe place, you unlinked from your avatar and went to the tank room. Technically, you weren’t really required to check it every day once you got a better understanding of the tank. It was specifically created to hold a growing avatar, sure, but you didn’t know if that stretched to a pregnant avatar or not. So checking on it every day was an extra precaution.

You weren’t exactly well informed about how the whole avatar creation or technology worked. All you knew was the information that was given to you through your mother’s diary videos. Even then she really didn’t go into too much detail about it as she kept jumping from one point to another with haste and excitement.

So, during your visits to the tank room, you took notes. By now you are almost halfway through your journal the more you write. And it wasn’t even organized, just a bunch of random notes and thoughts on a piece of paper. With writing that looked like chicken scratch.

When you had nothing more to write or look at on the tablet, you examined what would be Dr. Augustine’s face on the avatar.

Norm came in at some point and you asked him, “What was she like? Dr. Augustine.”

He’d smile fondly at the avatar, his eyes glazed over in memory, “A brilliant woman who cared a lot for the Na’vi. You know she had a school? It’s what made her fall in love with it all. The children loved her.”

You raised your brows curiously when he said that, “You mention you’re around children for most of your day. Are you running her school now or something?”

“No.” He laughed as if the thought were impossible. “No, I just help out with the Omatikaya children whenever I can. Sure, I do teach them English but not on the level Grace did it. Not even close.” His eyes twinkled when he looked at you. “I think she would’ve liked you.”

You didn’t say anything to that. Instead, you offered, “Don’t sell yourself short, Spellman.”

“Same to you, Reeds.”

A few days went by and it was time to harvest your garden.

Neytiri came with Neteyam strapped to her chest. He was wide awake, staring around wide-eyed and curious as usual. Your chest felt just a bit lighter watching him, his innocence so very infectious. You had never been around many babies—no younger siblings and all. It was always you and your mother. And many other scientists. Come to think of it, you weren’t really surrounded by many children your age. If any at all.

You filled the second basket up with more fruits from your garden before glancing toward Neytiri who was picking the mushrooms and collecting them in her arms.

“How are they?” You called.

Neytiri looked back at you and nodded, “Very healthy. Enough to feed an entire village.”

You walked over to her and hummed, tail swinging slightly. “You think it’s too much?”

She shook her head and smiled contently, “No, you did really well with them. Do you plan to make more once you’ve harvested?”

“That’s the hope.” You nodded, crossing your arms. Neteyam’s large yellow eyes looked at you quietly as you moved around her to get a better look at the mushrooms. “Maybe I’ll dial it back with the next one. Technically, I didn’t plant these, all we did was save it from dying. Imagine if we let them die, all of this. What a waste it would’ve been.”

“I’ll help whenever you do,” Neytiri assured, which surprised you. She then grabbed your wrist. “Come. We should put this all away. We’ll travel through the trees again today.”

Intrigued by this, you nodded. After you brought all the freshly picked fruits, vegetables, and mushrooms to the scientists to put away, you followed Neytiri into the forest.

It was the same as last time. Both you and Neytiri quietly moved through the trees—it was a struggle still to climb again but thankfully Neytiri didn’t notice. Or if she did, she didn’t say anything. Just correct your body whenever you are doing something wrong. Whenever she did correct you though, it made the climb a little easier as you went.

You ran into one of those viperwolves but were able to get past them without any problems—again, thanks to Neytiri. But you did eventually end up running into a couple more creatures that seemed to be less dangerous.

One of them being those horse-like creatures.

“Pa’li,” Neytiri had called these creatures while petting one of them.

You watched them in awe and interest as she mounted it. She took her braid—queue—and placed it near the pa’li’s antenna. Your eyes widened when the tendrils between the queue and the antenna connected. Once it did, the creature calmed underneath Neytiri. Becoming familiar with her, as if they had known each other for a while. And maybe they did.

Neytiri smiled down at it, “We bond with them just as we bond with the rest of the life here. It is our way.”

A few other pa’li galloped toward you. One nudged past you but was quite skittish about it. At first, you didn’t approach it right away. Instead, you tried to remember how Neytiri did it. Slow in approach, which actually worked. The pa’li watched you, both warily and intrigued.

When you were close enough, you grabbed your queue and placed it near the antenna. Awed, you watched the tendrils slowly connect. A sudden unfamiliar feeling hit your body when your queue connected with the pa’li. The sensations were strange but you felt another emotion that wasn’t your own. The pa’li.

Scared but curious about you. Hesitant to get near you but also feeling the bond beginning through your queue. It was all so strange and unlike anything you’ve ever felt before.

A sudden shudder hit your spine just as the pa’li screeched and ran off, breaking the connection.

You grunted while Neytiri laughed, “Maybe next time, tanhi.”

There was a small pout on your lips, a quiet part of you missing the strange and new connection, “Guess I’m just not an animal person.”

“You will try again soon.” She assured as she slid off her pa’li with Neteyam babbling against her chest. “But it will not be today. I must leave for a hunt soon. Another day, perhaps, I will teach you.”

You were surprised at this, “Really? Teaching a Sky Person, huh? Does that mess with you morally or…?”

Neytiri frowned, “Teaching you will help you survive. Not me.” She patted the snout of the pa’li before watching it gallop away with his group. “It is not the first time I have taught a Sky Person our way.”

It took you a moment to realize what she meant, “You taught Sully, didn’t you?”

She did not answer this of course, but you had a feeling you already knew it without her having to say it. “Do you want to learn or not?”

Your tail swished, Neytiri noticed. “I’d like that. Besides, you’re a pretty good teacher as far as I can tell. I don’t think I’d want anyone else.” There was probably no one else who would even offer to teach you like Neytiri did. So, this was the kind of offer you couldn’t refuse.

Neytiri nodded, the beginnings of a smile reaching her lips. For a moment you admired her smile.

And then the next you envied it.

Jake was in the tank room on another day. You entered as usual in human form. A week had passed since your agreed-upon ‘truce’ and you were slowly growing accustomed to his presence the best way you could. Most days, he wasn’t always there. Those were the days when you were relieved and felt like you could relax a bit.

But on the days he was there, you took to ignoring him like you originally planned. And thankfully, he didn’t seem bothered by that. Sometimes he’d ask questions here and there about the fetus, but other than that, the two of you were in your own little worlds.

And you were fine with this. Perhaps Jake had the right idea about this little truce. It certainly made things easier. You were still tense around him of course—mostly because you felt like he was watching you whenever he thought you weren’t looking—but it was manageable.

Upon observing the avatar, you noticed the belly bump becoming just a little more visible as time went by—which wasn’t much time at all. You began to wonder about the differences between Na’vi pregnancy to human pregnancy.

Currently, you are going through past video logs of Grace Augustine to get some idea of how her avatar came to be pregnant.

Once more you were reminded that you weren’t alone as Jake spoke from the other side of the room, “Any theories?”

You glanced over your shoulder to see that he was watching you work with an intense look—or maybe his face was naturally like that.

A beat went by before you considered responding to his question, “Besides divine intervention? No, not really.” You turned back to the logs and made a face when Norm started showing up more in her videos. You turned back to Jake who was still watching you, “Norm and Grace didn’t—”

“No, no, they didn’t.” Jake quickly said, looking just as uncomfortable as you felt asking. “God, at least I hope they didn’t—I wasn’t always around them when linked up—he was always with Trudy actually—you know what, I rather not think about it.”

You hummed, “It was worth a shot asking.” After shutting and placing your tablet down on the table you sat at, you sunk further into your chair as you began mumbling to yourself. “Looks like I might as well have to stick with your Eywa impregnating her. Virgin Mary and all.”

“Right.”

Another silence settled between you two. You wrote down in your notes while absentmindedly listening to Jake’s quiet breaths further behind you, too acutely aware of his presence.

“About what I said about not trusting you…” Jake started and you refrained from rolling your eyes at the interruption of your note-taking and thoughts. “I’m not here to monitor you or anything and I didn’t mean—”

“Sure you did.” You say simply, glancing back at him with an impassive expression. “No point in going back on it now.”

“I was reckless with my words—”

“Reckless words have some truth to them.” You shrugged and turned back to your notes. “If it helps, I don’t trust you either, Sully.”

“Neytiri does.” That made you pause. That made you look back at him in both defense and confusion, trying to figure out just what he was trying to get at here. Jake wore a look of contemplation as if he were trying to figure something out himself, “She was the first one to agree to you watching over Grace’s kid. She fought Tsu’tey on it when usually she’d be on his side whenever it came to humans. That means something to me.”

You considered his words. Truth be told, you didn’t know why Neytiri agreed to it. Frankly, it was going to happen either way—but having Neytiri unexpectedtly on board with the plan wasn’t something any of you saw coming. You still didn’t necessarily know how to feel about that yet.

But it seemed Jake did.

Instead of addressing it, you clicked your pen close, “I’ll send updates through Norm if anything changes. Maybe through Neytiri too whenever she makes her rounds over here.”

After a pause, Jake nodded, “Copy that.” Surprisingly—and quite relieving—he began to take his leave. Which meant that the conversation was now done, thankfully. Before he left the room, he turned back to you with a twitch of his tail, “And thank you, Doc.”

“Just doing my job, Sully.” You shrugged, closing your notebook. “It’s about time, right?”

It meant something. It had to. Even if he wasn’t sure if he believed in all this Eywa stuff, he believed in Neytiri. He respected Mo’at.

They saw something in you that he clearly could not see just yet. Perhaps it was now time he had to open his eyes.

Perhaps it was time for Jake to finally see.

hiii! wow, sorry about the wait! my schedule got so crazy the past couple of weeks, i barely had a moment to actually sit down and write this. but finally, here is chapter five!

i know a lot of you were worried i dropped this but don't worry, i'm still here! just barely surviving life lol.

anyways, looks like jake and reeds are finding each other at least tolerable now...

(i'm not adding anymore people anymore!)

taglist: @doggyteam2028 @bigbootahjudy @innercreationflower @n7cje @celi-xxmoon @readerofallthingss @sillyblues @squirtlebob @saturnhas82moons @1mawh0re @aprosiacperson @loserwithnofriends @garfieldsladybird

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writing0305 · 6 months

Text

Trouble. Pt.2

Pairing: Billy Butcher x F!Reader.

Summary: You go to Butcher after being threatened by Homelander and come clean about the daughter you were hiding from him. Butcher is furious that she was kept from him and gets tearful when holding the little girl for the first time. And when she's put in danger, he's there to protect his little girl.

Warning: Heavy swearing. Billy Butcher. Child endangermant. Blood and death.

Pt.1 - Pt.2

After managing to gather yourself, you got your daughter in your car and gave her, her tablet, putting on a video for her. You drove to the dodgy abandoned building that Billy had claimed they were at and parked in the back alleyway, behind the dodgy grey van. A back door opened behind your car and three familiar men stepped out

You turned to your daughter, reaching out to cup her cheek in order to get her attention. “Baby, I need you to stay in the car.” You told her softly as she stared up at you with her dark hazel eyes. “Just watch your show.” You insisted as you pointed at her tablet.

“Okay.” She whispered with a nod of her head, pulling her feet up onto her seat and resting her tablet against her knees.

You breathed deeply before climbing out of the car, approaching the three men. From where they stood, they couldn’t see the little girl in the passenger side of your car. “Billy.” You whispered as you stared at the man, the man who had haunted you through your daughter for the past six years.

“Hello, luv.” He greeted softly. While your face was always a pleasant one to see, Billy couldn’t ignore how pissed he was about so many things. Unaware he was about to get a whole lot more pissed about a whole lot more things.

You turned to an old familiar face, a smile tugging at your lips. “Frenchy.” You greeted softly.

“Y/n.” He greeted as he approached you and pulled you into a tight hug for a brief second, one you found pleasant and welcoming. When he pulled away, he cupped your cheeks for a second. “It is good to see your face again,” he said and you let out a soft chuckle.

When Frenchy stepped away, the new familiar face approached you, smiling awkwardly. “Hi, we haven’t formally met,” he said before holding out his hand and you offered him a smile as you took his hand and gave it a brief shake. “I’m Hughie,” he said and you nodded.

Before anyone could share any more pleasantries, Butcher spoke up. “What’s goin’ on, Y/n?” He questioned as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Thought you had too much to fucking lose?” he asked as he quirked an eyebrow.

“I do.” You whispered with a slow nod of your head. “And thanks to you, I might just fucking lose it.” You snapped, angry at him for coming to find you because that small visit could put your daughter in a shit tone of trouble if Homelander ever found out about either Butcher having Translucent or meeting with you.

Butcher was taken aback by your accusation, his eyebrows furrowing. “The fuck did I do?” he questioned as he spread his arms out by his side before dropping them down.

“Homelander found me.” You muttered softly and Hughie ran nervous hands through his hair as he cursed and Frenchy shot Butcher a pointed look. Butcher managed to look more pissed, his jaw clenching. “Asked about Translucent,” I informed him. “He thinks I have something to do with his disappearance because of my brother.”

Butcher took a step towards you, his gaze darting over your face and body, looking for any visible injuries. “That fucker hurt ya?” He asked in a low voice.

You quickly shook your head. “No, but he threatened me.” You muttered softly as you clenched your fists by your side.

“Well then maybe you comin er’ wasn’t the best idea yeah?” He questioned as his head tilted to the side and he leaned a little closer to your face, quirking an eyebrow. “Tought you wanted nothin to do with this?” he asked in his low voice.

“I don’t!” You yelled, and again, Hughie was startled. How Butcher got him into this shit, you truly didn’t know. You let out a shaky breath as you lowered your gaze. “But I’m fucking scared and I don’t know where to go.” You whispered as you sniffed.

Butcher stared at you silently for a second as he squinted his eyes. Never before had he seen you this scared and he knew there was more to the story than what you were telling them. “What he threaten you with?” He questioned, knowing the Y/n he knew back then, wasn’t this shaken up by threats of getting killed. No, there had to be something else.

You sighed deeply as you turned your face away from him, sniffing softly. “Fuck…” You whispered under your breath as your heart clenched in your chest. If it wasn’t bad enough that you’d have to tell Butcher about the daughter you’ve hidden from him for six years, you had to do it in front of Hughie and Frenchy.

“Y/n I can’t really help ya if you ain’t being fuckin open with me.” Butcher muttered softly as he shook his head.

You turned to face him again, silently staring at him for a second before turning around and walking towards your car. All three men watched you with eyebrows furrowed in confusion. You were nervous beyond the point of feeling nauseous as you opened the passenger side door and crouched down.

“Baby, I need you to come with me for a second.” You softly informed your daughter as you reached out and unbuckled her safety belt.

“I’m watching.” She told you softly as she showed you her tablet, her lips slightly pouting out.

You nodded in understanding. “I know, but I need you to meet someone.” You explained softly as you took the tablet from her hands, turning it off before tossing it onto the driver’s seat. You took her small hand into your trembling one and helped her out of the car. You avoided looking at Butcher as you closed the car door and walked towards them.

“Y/n, who is this little one?” Frenchy asked as he appraoched you, his eyebrows deeply furrowed in confusion.

“Willow, my daughter,” You whispered with a shaky voice as you hesitantly looked over at Butcher. His eyes were glued to the little girl who was a mirrored image of him, even he could see that. “Homelander threatened to hurt her.” You whispered as your gaze diverted to your daughter.

“Bonjour petit Willow.” Frenchy greeted with a smile as he crouched down in front of the little girl, too taken by her cuteness to even realize who she reminded him of. But one look at Hughie, told you he knew, as he kept glancing between Butcher and Willow with furrowed eyebrows and parted lips.

Willow giggled as she stared at Frenchy. “You speak funny.” She said and he chuckled, nodding before reaching out to ruffle her hair.

“When did ya pop her out?” Butcher asked as he stared at you with cold, knowing eyes, his jaw tightly clenched. Frenchy looked over at the man when he spoke and then his eyes widened in realization as he glanced at Wilow and the back at Butcher before he slowly took a step back, and so did Hughie. This was a conversation neither of them wanted to be a part of.

“It doesn’t matter.” You whispered as you shook your head, gulping down the lump that formed in the back of your throat.

“It fuckin does to me.” He snapped in a low voice as he stepped closer to you, his face mere inches from yours. “How old is she?” He questioned as he nodded his head at Willow, who stared up at him with curious eyes.

You remained silent for a long while before taking a deep breath. “Six.” You admitted softly as your gaze diverted down to the ground beneath your feet.

Butcher hummed as he slowly nodded his head, his gaze darting down to Willow. “She’s mine then, yeah?” He asked softly as his gaze returned to you, his eyes squinting.

You closed your eyes as you nodded your head and you heard him inhale sharply. You looked up at him with teary vision. “I’m sorry…” You whispered.

“You're fuckin’ sorry?” He repeated in a rather loud voice as he glared at you with a look of utter betrayal and anger etched onto his face.

Hughie hesitantly stepped towards you. “Guys, maybe we should take this inside.” He suggested, fearful a certain supe with super hearing would hear and find you.

You nodded in agreement but you struggled to pull yourself away from Butcher’s cold glare. Frenchy’s placing a gentle hand on your arm snapped you away from Butcher’s eyes. He led you and Willow inside the old abandoned McDonalds and Hughie followed. It was only a few seconds later that Butcher came storming in, slamming the door behind him.

You turned to your daughter as you wiped down one of the dusty benches. “Baby, sit here for a second.” You insisted as you lightly nudged your daughter to sit down on the spot you had wiped off. “I’ll be right back.” You assured her as you wiped your hand clean on the back of your jeans and followed Billy. Frenchy and Hughie went to sit with Willow, watching her while you talked with Butcher. You found him in the bathroom, hunched over the sink. “Billy.” You spoke up softly as you closed the bathroom door behind you

“She’s why you left.” He muttered in a low voice before pushing himself away from the sink and turning to you, a deep scowl on his face. “You left with me fuckin kid?” He asked in disbelief, and it made your heart hurt.

“I’m sorry…” Is all you could manage to whisper as your eyes pooled with tears once again.

Billy inhaled sharply as he held a hand up to stop you. “Stop…stop fuckin sayin’ that.” He snapped in a low voice as he slowly shook his head, approaching you. “I had a right to know.” He insisted.

“I didn’t think you’d want a kid.” You muttered softly as you shook your head, taking a deep breath as you ran a hand through your hair.

“That ain’t your fuckin choice to make!” He yelled as he pointed an intimidating finger at you.

“You didn’t want children with your wife, I didn’t think you’d want Willow.” You said as you desperately shrugged your shoulders, a tear rolling down your cheek and a few more began to follow the first.

Butcher turned his back to you for a second, breathing in and out as he tried to calm himself. “I ain’t want kids…I still had a fuckin right to know I did have one.” He muttered in a low voice as he turned to face you again, his jaw clenching.

You couldn’t say anything back to him, not knowing what to say. He huffed and stormed passed you and out of the bathroom. Then and there you broke down crying, the weight of everything you had caused, crashing down on you. You cried for a good few minutes before gathering yourself, and wiping your wet cheeks with the palms of your hands.

You left the bathroom with red eyes and tear-stained cheeks. Frenchy and Hughie left the bench when you went to sit down next to your daughter, giving you some space. Willow turned to you, her eyebrows furrowing. “Mommy, are you okay?” She asked softly.

You offered her a small smile as you wiped at your cheeks again. “Just a little sad baby.” You whispered and she shifted on the bench, climbed onto your lap, and wrapped her arms around your shoulders, resting her head against your chest.

You sighed softly, resting your head against hers as you held her tightly against your chest. After a long silent few minutes of holding her in your arms, Billy walked out of the back room, hesitantly and slowly approaching you, his eyes on the girl in your arms.

When he stopped a few feet away from you, you looked up at him. “Do you want to meet her?” You asked him softly. He silently stared at Willow a little while longer before meeting your gaze, hesitantly nodding his head. You lifted your daughter’s head from your chest, cupping her face between your hands. “Willow, this is Billy.” You introduced as you pointed at the man standing a few feet away. “He’s your dad.” You explained to her. “Like I’m your mom, he’s your dad.” You told her,

Once she started going to school, Willow understood the concept of having a father. She understood while all her school friends had one, she didn’t have one. The little girl asked a few questions but you always avoided telling her any part of the truth.

Willow seemed to understand what you were telling her and she turned to Butcher with her toothy smile. “Hi.” She spoke softly as she scooted off your lap and slowly approached Butcher, wrapping her arms around his legs as she hugged him.

Butcher almost looked frozen for a second before he reached down and hesitantly picked up the little girl, resting her on his hip. His eyes scanned her face for a second, his eyebrows deeply furrowed. She offered him another smile before wrapping her arms around his neck and nuzzling her head against his chest, like she always did with you.

Butcher closed his eyes and you watched silently as a lonesome tear rolled down his cheek and dissapeared into his beard. The sight broke your heart, knowing this was all because of you. Because you were scared.

After a few minutes, Butcher placed the girl back down on her feet before turning around and rushing into the backroom again. Willow watched him go before returning to your lap. Everything was quiet after that and you didn’t see Butcher for a long while. You had fetched Willow her tablet and put on a video for her when she grew bored.

After nearly an hour and a half, the three men came out of the backroom. Butcher approached you, his eyebrows furrowed and his jaw clenched. “Homelander’s close.” He informed you and your heart dropped to the pit of your stomach. “Gotta throw the cunt off our trail,” he muttered and Willow’s gaze shot towards him, recognizing the bad word she got grounded for saying. She truly was her father’s child.

“Can you…watch your language around her?” You asked him softly, focusing on the most unimportant thing in his sentence but you couldn’t deal with Willow picking up his bad words.

“Right…sorry.” He muttered softly as he glanced over at Willow before his gaze returned to you. “You two stay inside with Hughie.” He ordered before he and Frenchy left.

You and Hughie sat on one side of the bench while Willow sat on the other side. You made small talk as Willow watched her videos in complete silence. After a long few minutes, Butcher and Frenchy still didn’t return.

Your conversation with Hughie was interrupted when your daughter shrieked as she was suddenly yanked off the bench and dragged to the other side of the room, clawing at something around her neck. “Mommy!” She screamed loudly for you.

“Willow!” You screamed as you shot up to your feet and so did Hughie, pulling the detonator of the bomb that was shoved up Translucent’s ass, out of his jacket pocket. Your heart sank to your stomach, knowing the invincible freak had your daughter. The same monster who killed your brother.

You took a step towards your daughter who still clawed at her neck. “Back off before I snap her neck!” Translucent yelled in a warning tone.

You gasped, backing up until you bumped into Hughie. “No, please don’t hurt her!” You screamed as your eyes pooled with burning tears, your heart aching painfully as you watched your baby’s scared and distraught face.

Butcher and Frenchy who had heard both you and Willow screaming, came running inside. “Y/n!?” Butcher called out, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw Willow struggle against an invincible force. He immediately knew it was the invincible fucker. “Oi, you best let her go, mate.” He spoke in a low voice.

“I’m taking her to Homelander,” Translucent spoke up and you slapped a hand over your mouth as a sob slipped from your lips. “You will all pay for this.” He taunted, thinking he had won because he knew no one would blow him up when he had the girl so close.

“Take me.” You insisted as you took a small step towards him, holding your hands up. “Take me instead.” You demanded as tears ran down your cheeks.

“Why would I do that?” Translucent questioned you.

“Because I can give Homelander more information on these three than a six-year-old can.” You replied as you pointed between the three men before nodding at your daughter.

Translucent was silent for a second before he spoke up. “Come here.” He demanded and you slowly approached him.

You gasped as your arm was grabbed and your back was pulled up against his chest, at the same time as Willow was shoved away. “Go baby.” You demanded as you nudged her shoulder.

Willow ran straight towards Butcher. “Daddy.” She called out with tears rolling down her cheeks and he caught her in his arms without hesitation. He held her close as she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

You stared at Butcher, making intense eye contact with him before your eyes shot towards Hughie and then down to the detonator in his hand and then back to Hughie again. Both men seemed to understand what you were trying to tell them and Hughie gave the smallest nod of his head as his thumb hovered over the big red button on the detonator.

“Ready?” You questioned, your gaze darting between Hughie and Butcher, but Translucent thought you spoke with him.

“Yeah,” Translucent replied, his voice right behind your ear, telling you exactly where he was as you heard him sniff your air and sigh softly.

Your jaw clenched as your gaze darted towards Hughie again. “I hope it fucking hurts asshole.” You spat before throwing your head back, hitting his head. The blow wasn’t hard for him, but enough to startle him and make his grip on you loosen. You yanked free from his hold and jumped out of the way, falling to the ground. Just as Hughie pressed the big red button, Butcher turned around and crouched down with Willow in his arms, shielding her from the blood bath.

And it was a fucking blood bath when Translucent exploded. There was no limps or guts. Just blood and chunks of meat that rained down on you. You gasped, closing your eyes and ducking your head down as you felt it rain down on your back, covering you in crimson red.

Willow looked up from the crook of Butcher’s neck and began wailing when she saw everyone and everything covered in the red. She didn’t know what it was, but the looks of horror on everyone’s faces were enough to scare her. “It’s alright sweetheart, I’ve got ya,” Butcher assured as he held her close, running a hand through her hair. “I’ve got ya.”

You cleaned yourself off, covered in the most blood and chunks of meat as you were the closest, before heading outside to your car where Butcher had taken Willow to calm down. You stayed out there with her, sitting in the backseat while she laid with her head on your lap, sleeping.

After helping Hughie and Frenchy clean up most of Translucent, he came to check up on you and Willow. He crouched down beside the open car door, hesitantly reaching out to run a hand over Willow’s head. “How's she doing?” He asked softly.

“Sleeping, so better than most.” You replied softly as you sighed, smiling down at your sleeping girl before turning to Butcher with your lips pulled into a thin line. “Thank you for protecting her.” You whispered thankfully.

”She’s me, daughter.” He spoke up softly as he looked up to meet your gaze, “I ain’t lettin' anyone hurt her.” He assured as he shook his head.

#the boys #the boys x reader #the boys x you #the boys x y/n #billy butcher #billy butcher x reader #billy butcher x you #billy butcher imagine

223 notes · View notes

seokjinsonlyone · 1 year

Text

build a bridge

pairing: yoongi x f! reader

summary: “God, sometimes I’m happy when you go off on me because at least then I know what you’re thinking.”

genre: co-parents to lovers; angst; fluff

rating: pg

warnings: brief mention of general/postpartum depression other than that it’s just the fact that yoongi’s a DAD!!!! CERTIFIED DILF!!!!!!

wc: 3.2k

You heard a muffled, “Guess who’s here?” then the sound of small footsteps pattering towards the door. After a few more seconds of shuffling it opened and your daughter all but flung herself on you.

“Mama!”

“Luna!” You opened your arms wide, expecting the tackle she always greets you with when you pick her up from her father’s. You pepper kisses all across her cheeks, heart melting at the way she giggles in your embrace. “Hey, baby. Did you have a good time with daddy?”

She nodded, wrapping her arms around your neck, snuggling into you further.

“I missed you.”

She pulled back, lightly grasping your cheeks and pressing her own mildly slobbery kisses to your face. “I missed you.”

Before you could get overly emotional, her father cleared his throat reminding you two that you weren’t alone. You plastered a fake smile on your lips. “Hey Yoongi.”

He nodded back at you, lips pressed in a straight line.

“Do you have her stuff ready to go?”

“Uhhh… just about. Time got away from us a little bit. You want to step inside while I finish packing her up?” he asked, gesturing for you to come in.

You couldn’t help the sigh that escaped your lips as you entered his house. You don’t understand why he couldn’t just have her things ready to go. Whenever it was his turn to pick her up, you always had everything ready and waiting for him. Your goodbyes may have been a little long and drawn out, but once he was able to pry you two apart it was quick and easy. “Luna, baby, why don’t you show me some of your toys while daddy gets the rest of your stuff?” you suggested, setting her down and letting her guide you into the living room.

Her eyes lit up at the request, light bulb going off in her little toddler brain, rushing to the corner to find whatever item your statement sparked.

It was then that you noticed her outfit. You rolled your eyes at the shirt he donned your daughter in—bright pink, with sparkly gold lettering reading “Daddy’s Little Girl.” It was gaudy and definitely not something you bought for her, but she looked cute anyway. She always did. She had half of your DNA, why wouldn’t she? You shook it off. You know he only did things like that to get under your skin, as if he needed to put in any extra effort for that.

Your eyes roamed around the room, inspecting the interior. A nice sleek, modern yet homey design only interrupted by the sight of dolls and cars spread over the floor. He had good taste. You paused looking over the mantle where he had a few photos displayed. Your eyebrows shot to your forehead, realizing that the one stationed in the very middle was of you and your daughter from when she was about two months old and just started smiling. Your lips were pressed to her cheek and she had a big, toothless baby grin that was nearly identical to your own spread across her face. You knew the photo well seeing as it’d been your lockscreen pretty much ever since he snapped it.

Your inspection was cut short by your daughter calling out to you. “Look at my tabby, mama!”

“Huh?” Your brows furrowed in confusion. Your daughter’s speech was pretty good. And what she lacked in vocabulary and pronunciation you usually made up for on account of you being fluent in Luna, but you’d never heard her speak of a ‘tabby’ before. All confusion was cleared up, however, when you turned around and saw the tablet in her hands. You were already irritated, but now you were pissed.

“My tabby.”

“Oh wow,” you said, feigning enthusiasm. “When’d you get this?”

“Daddy got it for me,” she replied. That didn’t really answer the question, but you didn’t think she would. As a three year old, her concept of time was all but nonexistent. He must’ve just gotten it for her, though or you would’ve heard about it long ago. One thing your child did was talk. She began flipping through the apps, showing you each one, and you wanted to give her your full attention. You really did, but inside you were seething.

Yoongi came out holding both of her bags just in time to feel your wrath. You stood abruptly cutting Luna off. “Really, Yoongi? A tablet?”

“What?”

“Don’t ‘what’ me. You know I didn’t want her having one of these. Not at this age.”

He rolled his eyes. “It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not,” you snapped back. “You know what? Never mind,” You snatched her bags from his hand ready to just leave. You could feel yourself getting worked up by the second and you did not want to traumatize your child by having her watch her parents argue in front of her. “Come on, Luna. Put that down, it's time to go.”

“I bring my tabby with me.”

You stooped down to her level. “No. You’re leaving it here. Go put it back. It’s time to go home.”

You had to refrain from rolling your eyes as hers filled with tears and soon after she burst into sobs. You counted to five in your head, willing yourself to exercise the last bit of patience you had. “Miss Luna,” you said sternly, forcing her attention to you. “We’ve talked about this. Babies cry because they don’t know how to talk. But, you know how to talk. Are you a baby or a big girl?”

“A- a big girl,” she sniffled, sobs dying down a bit.

“Okay. So you need to calm down. Come on. Take some deep breaths with me. In,” you inhaled deeply, “and out,” you exhaled. You did it a few more times, Luna following suit until she was calm again. You wiped the tears from under her eyes. “Now talk to me. What’s wrong?”

“I want my tabby,” she pouted, looking like she was about to get teary again.

“You know that you have some toys that stay at mama’s house and some toys that stay at daddy’s house. The tablet stays at daddy’s house. You can’t bring it with you.”

“It’s fine. Just let her take it,” Yoongi piped up.

You turned to him with fire in your eyes. “Can I talk to you in the kitchen?” He sighed, slumping his way to the area, while you brought your attention back to your child. “Luna. Go put your dolls and your cars back where they belong, then you can play with the tablet until mama finishes talking to daddy, okay?”

She nodded, happy to have reached some sort of middle ground, and did as you said, and you all but stomped into the kitchen. “I hate it when you do that,” you fired immediately.

He rubbed his hand down his face, looking like he was already over it. “What did I do now?”

“Yoongi,” you stressed, “I’m sitting over here telling her that she can’t bring it with her, and then you telling her that she can. How does that make me look? Who is she supposed to decide who to listen to? What are you gonna do when she doesn’t listen to either one of us? Stop undermining my authority.”

“I’m not trying to undermine your authority, but you’re making a big deal out of nothing. I don’t see why you’re so against the tablet in the first place.”

“She’s only three, Yoongi! What does she need to be on the internet for? There is so much out there that she absolutely does not need to be exposed to. And on top of that she doesn’t need the constant stimulation. You know she already has a predisposition to ADHD. Do you even monitor her when she’s using it?”

“She’s only three, __! Of course I monitor her. And for the record. I hate when you do that.”

“Me?” You pointed back at yourself, raising your eyebrows incredulously. “What did I do?”

He leaned back against the cabinets and ran his hand through his hair, trying to maintain his calm exterior but you’ve obviously ticked him off. “You bottle everything up! I know that in your head Luna is just your daughter, but I’m sorry she’s not! She’s mine, too. I’ve mentioned getting her one of those things several times, and the only thing you’ve ever said was ‘I don’t think that’s a great idea,’ and then you would switch subjects. I respect you as her mother, but I’m not just going to blindly accept everything you say. How was I supposed to know you felt this way about it if you never told me? I can’t read your mind, __. And, you always do this. God, sometimes I’m happy when you go off on me because at least then I know what you’re thinking.”

The anger dissipated from your body with every sentence he spoke and by the time he finished speaking, your lips began to wobble. Yoongi watched as your eyes slowly filled with tears and the only thing he could think of before they broke loose was how eerily similar to your daughter you looked. The same expression having crossed her face not ten minutes ago. He sighed, pulling you into his chest much in the same manner that he would do her as well.

You allowed yourself the comfort of his touch for all of thirty seconds before stepping back and wiping at your eyes, ridding them of the few tears that slipped out. You turned around peeking past the wall, making sure your daughter was still occupied. She was. Dolls successfully put away as you told her, while she sat tapping away on the tablet.

Unfortunately there weren’t many other things you could do to stall for time. You had no other option but to turn around and face the truth. “You’re right,” you conceded, ripping the band aid off. You weren’t lying when you said you didn’t want to argue with him, but you were just so passionate about anything concerning your daughter that you let your emotions get the best of you more often than not.

“I didn’t mean to make you cry, and I’m not just trying to win an argument, you know?”

You nodded, bottom lip tucked between your teeth, even though you didn’t know, not really.

“Can we sit?”

You nodded again, taking the seat adjacent to him.

“___, you know I don’t do things to intentionally piss you off, right?”

“Except when you put her in shirts that say ‘Daddy’s Little Girl,’” you pointed out, trying to lighten the mood. You hadn’t had a heart to heart with him in god knows how long. Hadn’t been in this proximity to him in even longer.

He rolled his eyes in return. “Well, yeah. That’s like the one thing. I like the way your eye twitches whenever you notice it.”

You breathed out a laugh. “My eye does not twitch.”

“It does. Your eye twitches, you stare for like two minutes, then give me one of those exasperated sighs. But, that’s not what we’re talking about. I’m being serious.”

“Look,” you exhaled shakily, “I’m sorry for snapping at you and for not communicating effectively. I–“

“I already told you I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad. I just– I really hate the way our relationship is now. When Luna was first born, we agreed that we would do this together. Now I feel like I can’t even talk to you anymore. The only reason I even got her the thing was because I felt bad for her.”

“Why?”

“She was, like, inconsolable a couple days ago because she wanted you so bad. Poor thing cried herself to sleep and everything. The next day she was still sad, so I took her to the store, and we picked it out. That was the only thing that got her to stop crying over you.”

“Why didn’t you call me? I would’ve came and gotten her.”

“I didn’t want my time cut short, and I didn’t want you to think that I couldn’t handle her,” he admitted softly. “I want you to trust me with her.”

You furrowed your eyebrows. “Yoongi,” you called with your stern voice and waited until he made eye contact with you. “You’re her father. Of course I trust you with her. If I didn’t, I would’ve taken you to court and you’d be seeing her every other weekend at best. I know I can be overbearing, but it’s only because I’m scared,” you replied, slipping out a confession of your own.

He reached out, covering your hand with his own. “Scared of what?”

“Everything? I’ve spent the last three years terrified. She’s my whole world. I don’t know what I would do without her. I wish you would’ve called me when she was throwing her tantrum because all I do when she’s away from me is worry and wonder and wait until I can see her again.”

He tutted. “See. This is what I mean. Luna wanted you. You wanted her. I wanted to call you, but I didn’t. Because of what?”

“Because of me.” You felt yourself getting worked up again, tear ducts beginning to well up. “You said it yourself. I bottle everything up. I push people away. I pushed you away, and we were supposed to be in this together. All I want for our daughter is for her to have the best life possible, yet I’m the one ruining it.”

“Hey, now. Cut the crap,” he deadpanned, cutting your spiral session short and scooting closer to you. “You’re not ruining anything. You’re the best mother that–“

“Mama?” you hear a little voice call, followed by small footsteps pitter pattering, and a few seconds later your daughter came rounding around the corner.

You quickly swiped at your eyes. “Yeah, baby?”

She handed her tablet to Yoongi, before turning back to you, lifting her hands up so you could hold her. She gripped your face in her little hands. “You sad?”

“Yeah, mommy’s a little sad,” you answered honestly. You always tried to treat her like a human. You wanted her to know it was okay to show emotions, and that you were human just like everyone else. You weren’t a superhero, just someone who loved her very very much.

She pressed big, sloppy kisses on each of your cheeks then laid her head down on you, putting you in a position very similar to when you first entered the door, except then you wanted nothing more than to leave and now you found your brain cycling through reasons you should stay. “Feel better now?”

“Yes, ma’am. Thank you very much.”

At your confirmation, she wriggled out of your lap and into Yoongi’s reclaiming the device and continuing her game. Your heart melted as you looked at them, really looked at them together for the first time in a while. She really was a good mixture of you both. Your face shape and lips, curl pattern at least a standard deviation looser than your own but flowing wild and free nonetheless, his cute button nose and crescent shaped eyes. She was absolutely adorable, they were adorable together. You sighed heavily, suddenly nostalgic over all the time you missed together. “I’m sorry. It really is all my fault.”

“I told you to cut it out,” he said seriously, eyes focused on whatever your daughter was doing.

“No, really, Yoongi. I wasn’t okay for a long time after she was born.” He grimaced, likely remembering the time period after your daughter was born. Postpartum depression transitioned into general depression and for a while you found yourself just floating through life, unable to find a balance between being a human and being a mother. It was rough. He tried to help you so many times but more often than not he just bore the brunt of your emotional instability. “By the time I finally got some help, there was so much time and space between us. I just… I had to go.”

He squeezed Luna a little tighter. “I wished you didn’t. I hope you know that.”

You bit your lip. “I do. You tried to get me to stay, but my mind was already made up.” You weren’t quite sure if it was the right decision, but you know that you definitely feel more stable now than you did then. Although today had been proving that your road to recovery had not been fully traveled.

“What about now?”

“What do you mean?”

He locked his eyes on yours. “Is your mind still made up? Because I love you.” Your breath hitched. “I’ve loved you for a really long time, and I think my biggest regret out of everything was not telling you that sooner.”

“Yoongi I-I…” You were at a complete loss for words.

“I know there’s a ton of time and space between us, but I’ll build a bridge and we can walk across it together.”

You wished Luna was in your arms at that moment. She was your excuse, your scapegoat. Whenever you felt uncomfortable or vulnerable you’d just hug her to you and give her all your attention until whatever it was went away. You suppose it’s a good thing she’s not seeing as it was that mentality that got you here in the first place. You had to stand on your own two feet now. Easier said than done. Your mouth opened and closed a few more times, still no words being formed.

“Baby, go play in your room for a bit,” Yoongi told your daughter, then placed her on the ground, keeping hold of the tablet. She reached for it, but he held it at bay.

“Daddy,” she whined.

“Nuh-uh. I think we’ve had enough playtime on this today. Room. Now.”

He ticked his head to the side and she stomped away, rolling her little eyes, which would be a topic of discussion sooner rather than later. For now though, you focused on trying to process the fact that Yoongi was in love with you.

“C’mere.”

You stood wide-eyed and allowed him to pull you into his lap. You were stock still as he wrapped his arms around your middle and pressed his face into your neck simply breathing you in. “Yoongi…”

“Shhh… Just let me hold you for a little.” And he did. Until you completely relaxed into his embrace. It was a lot. It’d been nearly two years since you were this intimate with him and anybody else for that matter. “You don’t have to say anything. I don’t want to take more than you’re willing to give.”

You sighed. “You’re a good man, Yoongi. A great father. I care about you, but you deserve more than I have to offer.”

“I don’t want any more than that. The only thing I want is a chance. Let me be there for you. Not just because you’re the mother of my daughter but because you’re you, and I love you.” You inhaled sharply at his admission once again. He smiled into your neck. “Will you let me be there for you? Can you do that?”

It was nerve wracking to open your heart up again, but honestly you weren’t sure if you ever took it back from him in the first place; so, you shakily brought your hands up to cover his that were around your waist, interlocking your fingers together. “I can do that.”

#bts #yoongi #yoongi x reader #yoongi fanfic #bts fanfiction #yoongi fanfiction #min yoongi fanfic #bts x reader #suga x y/n #suga fanfic #yoongi x you #bts fanfic

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justa-rat · 10 days

Text

Meeting of Minds and Gunpowder. Pt. 2.

May 12th,

Word Count: 920

Part One

Goodnieghbor bloomed before the Ghoul. A mix of robots, ghouls, and smooth-skins. Compared to Diamond City, it was a true mixing pot of all sorts. However, one thing that pulled them all together in similarity - was the no good aura around them. Each and every person was scum, he could tell. Pickpockets, thieves, and scammers the lot of them. Even the spare raider could be spotted slinking in and out of doors in the back alleys. Dried blood splattered on the pavement underfoot, telling stories of mugging and knife fights long passed. A place of true degeneracy. It was about what the world had come too in a nutshell - a steaming pile of shit. As long as he got what he needed, the Ghoul could care less. He adjusted the hat on his head, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and strode deeper into the city. Another wretched bout of coughing wracked his lungs, his head tilting down on instinct as he shoved himself into an alley. He leaned against a wall for a moment, sweat beading down his forehead. He took a wheezing breath, sliding down till he was sitting, resting his aching head in his hands. His body was shaking, not out of any fear - but of need. The world blurred, spinning around and around twistingly.

"Hey… Guy. You feelin' alright?" A raspy voice sliced through the Ghouls' thoughts.

A man stood before him, he wore a brazen red coat - fashioned in a colonial style. Atop his head sat a tricorn hat, it looked to be old, worn, covered in dirt and old blood. The Ghoul swatted a hand lazily in his direction, voicelessly forfeiting the others assistance - yet the stranger still persisted.

"C'mon pal, just talk to me. What's the problem? Run 'outta Jet? Psycho? Buffout? Withdrawal can be a bitch, I've been there." His words sounded oddly sincere. This was no doubt going to cost him. It didn't really matter, if this dumbass stranger could get him in the same room as some Rads - he'd be all set from there.

It was a shame the strangers voice only worsened his aching head.

"I don't need no damn drugs. Not them kinda drugs, anyway." He growled out through grit teeth, the wave after wave of vertigo driving him near mad. His expression turned to a wince, and the stranger nodded in understanding. Wordlessly, he fumbled throughout the pouch attached to his waist. Inhalers and tablets shifted about as he dug through it, momentarily producing a small vial containing a yellow liquid.

"Here, friend." He extended his hand, the vial resting in his palm. The Ghoul wasted no time snatching up the precious vial, uncorking it with his teeth - he paused, looking up at the stranger. A fellow ghoul, it seemed.

"If this is piss, I'll fuckin' shoot your ass." He lifted the vial to the gaping hole in which his nose once rested, sniffing it. It at least didn't smell like piss. The stranger only snorted in response, but said nothing to his comment. The Ghoul lifted the vial to his chapped and broken lips, tilting his head back and slurping up the small amount of liquid greedily. Instant relief washed over him, and a sigh left his body. He relaxed, waiting for the rest of the symptoms to slowly subside.

"Feel better?" The stranger was leaning against the wall now, one ankle crossed over the other as the full of his weight rested on the building behind him. His arms were crossed, and he was watching the other man keenly.

"What do you want, exactly?" The Ghoul cut to the chase, he understood how the wasteland worked - nothing was truly for free. "Caps? Want me to kill someone for ya?" His tone was demeaning, taunting even. Guy looked like he was ripped out of a damn history book.

The stranger simply put his hands up in resignation, bowing his head ever so slightly, "I don't want a damn thing from you, friend, just a fellow forgotten and undermined man looking to help another get back on his feet." A smile appeared on his face, and the Ghoul realized it was worse than anything he could have thought. The man was an idealist.

Pushing himself away from the wall, the stranger took a few paces towards the Ghoul. He tensed in reaction, hand unconsciously feeling for his gun - but the other made no move to pull out a weapon. Instead, he reached out a hand towards the Ghoul, an offering of peace - and to help the fellow stand. The Ghoul's eyes narrowed, and he denied the help - pushing the other ghoul's hand out of his face, and getting to his feet on his own. They stood eye to eye now, rather than the stranger lording over him in a state of vulnerability. The Ghoul even took slight satisfaction of being taller than the other, tiling his head up ever so slightly. He took a moment to look the stranger up and down, fully taking in the revolutionary war garb he dawned. He made a vague gesture towards his clothing, curiosity overpowering anything else in that moment, "So uh… What's up with the getup… You some kinda… Weird reenactor? Thought thems all died out with the war n'all."

The stranger's smile didn't fade, he even let out a laugh, "Ahh, nah. Not really. Outfit just… Spoke to me is all. The name’s John Hancock, I'm the mayor here. I'd like to personally welcome you to my little slice of heaven, Goodneighbor."

#fallout #fallout 4 #fo4 #the ghoul #the ghoul fallout #fallout show #fallout ghoul #john hancock #john hancock fallout 4 #200 words #200 words challenge #may challenge #short story #fanfiction #fanfic #fic

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captainx-camino · 1 month

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Someone commented on an old video recently asking me (genuinely) if one of my speed paints was AI because 1) it was broken up into highlights for TikTok, and 2) I have a very unorthodox sketching process. So, I have decided to show the entire ass backwards way I sketch out the nearly incomprehensible nonsense that my mush brain spits out at me.

To preface, I use Ibis paint x on a cell phone.

I do not have a fancy program like procreate or clip studio, or even a tablet and a lot of how I work has evolved from what I have found works the best for drawing on my tiny, little, shitty phone screen.

That being said....

A speed paint video

To begin, I rarely map faces more than just very basic shapes. (Though, I will admit the structures can get more complex the less comfortable I am with drawing the face.) I usually start with a very basic framework that I implement half from just years of practice in drawing faces and becoming more comfortable with those base shapes, as well as the fact that I'm already aware I will inevitably be over using the liquify pen. Now, I would like to say this is a crutch and I just do it because it's easy, but unfortunately it's actually just because I have fat fingers and a tiny screen (sometimes I can place lines better with my pen but it's still a really small surface to work with) and it's just less of a headache to address the lines with liquify than redoing them a million times or zooming in so close that I lose the rest of the picture.

I will often start with faces because they tend to have the most small details. From there, I will then usually shrink the drawing down and place it about where I think it'll need to be to draw the next part, all while less than strategically erasing the piss poor guidelines I had originally given myself.

SOMETIMES I will save my guides of a second layer in case I might need them later, but that's about as far as I ever plan ahead to be honest...

And we can see that in the next part where after scribbling in a few vague marks for their hair I then IMMEDIATELY regret erasing my head guides and hastily sketch them back in so I can proceed to poorly map out their bodies (most of which I will inevitably be covering up anyway, which I KNEW was going to happen with this one and I cursed myself the entire time). I then fill in where I want all the glorious hair, which fills up the rest of the blank space in the art with fun and interesting shapes and conveys the lore of the AU.

After this, and to take this from a sketch to actual lineart, I will clean up some of the lines on a second layer and keep some of the original sketch features where I like them. This helps me keep the life of the original sketch while also allowing me to clean up the more scratchy lines, which usually produces a pretty nice, clean looking line work.

Should I do a lore drop for my AU next??

Kinda want to...

#sketch process #bluffy #bulu #buggy x luffy #buggy #luffy #moon god buggy #anti ai

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jellyfishinajamjar · 4 months

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Man something needs to be said for media access in Warhammer. I’m making a medic themed loyalist Death Guard chapter, so my thoughts was ‘oh, I should probably read Flight of the Einstein, cause that’s basically my chapter’s founding myth’. Except it’s not for sale. Anywhere. You can buy a paper back on Amazon for 200 bucks or get an ebook or get fucked. Those are your options

So often in 40K you’ll read some cool bit of lore in a wiki article and you go ‘that sounds fucking awesome where can I read that?’ And then you look it up and it’s from an anthology book made available only in a limited run at the 2018 Horus Heresy Weekener convention and now its only available from GW as an mp3 file for $26.99 (yeah, I’m that pissed off that I can’t read The Ancient Awakens by Graham McNeil that I googled what fucking convention the paperback was exclusive to, it’s a good fucking story. Or it would be if I could FUCKING READ IT)

So yeah, it blows that I can’t get these books without a time machine. I want to have a library of books not some tablet that has books. I want to be able to loan them to my friends, I want to build a timeline on a shelf so I can judge when something happens in relation to the rest of the setting, I want to have annotated copies and be able to reference a piece of lore I half remembered cause I thought of a new idea for an army based on it. But no, for the vast majority of Warhammer fiction, unless it’s new or really popular it’s audio book, 200 buck scalper copy, or a pirated pdf. I want paper in my hands I want to look at my shelf and see all the good times I had reading I want to get contact memories touching old paper and remembering where I was in my life when I first read it I want physical paperback books. James Workshop please I’m willing to pay like an extra twenty bucks to get it made to order please. Please don’t let all this good writing languish in inaccessibility I want to give you money in exchange for goods James please

#jellyfish jams #media accessibility #warhammer #games workshop #black library

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reallyromealone · 2 years

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the angst is killing me rome :(( (but i love it) how about some fluff with kakucho? kakucho and reader have been together for a long time. one day after reader picks kakucho up from work and they pass by a couple with their adorable kid/s which causes kaku to have real bad baby fever but doesnt tell reader because hes scared that he might not want kids. eventually reader finds out and (lovingly) confronts kakucho and they end up adopting 1 kid

Kffkfkfk

And this is lovely!

Ten years.

That's how long (name) and Kakucho has been together, dating for three and a half years and married for six and a half.

He wouldn't give it up for anything.

(Name) drove down the streets of Tokyo in the expensive armored car his husband gotten him when they got married, wanting his beloved to be able to go where he likes knowing he will be safe.

A guard sat in the passenger seat, the house husband either having a guard or four with him or Kakucho himself to keep him safe.

(Name) made small talk with the guard he learned was named Makoto, asking about basic things and just generally being pleasant to the guard who was not gonna lie, kind of scared of the driver.

He was his bosses husband after all.

Pissing him off meant death by Kakuchos hand.

Once at Bonten headquarters the guard quickly got out and kept the passenger door open for Bontens third, closing it behind the man.

"Hi baby!" (Name) said sweetly as the two kissed, soft and sweet "how you doing pretty boy?" Kakucho asked in a low tone, enjoying seeing even after all this time a simple nickname like 'pretty boy' got him all blushy.

It was precious.

"I don't know, how are you?" (Name) fired back with a blush, watching his husband roll his eyes playfully "it was good, nothing I couldn't handle" kakucho said as the couple drove off, talking about their days and such.

"You still wanna help me grocery shop?" (Name) asked his husband "I said I wouldn't I?"

"I just wanted to make sure you weren't to tired"

"Never to tired to help my baby"

Kakucho stood behind his his husband as (name) went about shopping, asking his husband for his opinion on options ever so often as the couple did their shopping together in peaceful silence.

During their shopping, something caught Kakuchos eye that he wasn't expecting to.

A small baby, maybe a year old sitting happily in the cart kid holder as their mom looked at meats.

Something sparked inside of Kakucho as he looked at the babe before looking at his husband and couldn't help but think that (name) would make an excellent parent.

He didn't know what to do with that sudden thought, kind of startled by it and just did the best thing he could

he ignored it.

Turns out?

Ignoring it?

Not that easy!

Seriously how many babies were there in Tokyo?!

Kakucho groaned out as he plopped onto a chair in the executive lounge at Bonten headquarters, resting his head back "what's got you're panties in a bunch?" Koko asked, not looking up from his laptop "why do you care?"

"I don't, I'm just bored"

Kakucho looked at the man with a glare and rolled his eyes "I want a kid with (name)" he grumbled out "so do it"

"It's not that easy"

"Oh? And why is that"

"Because he probably doesn't want kids"

That is a good reason.

"Well then...suffer in silence "

(Name) hummed as he pulled up Google on the tablet, looking up recipes when he paused at the Google search history.

They were all baby related stuff?

One caught his eye though:

'how to tell you're spouse you want kids'

Frowning (name) felt a little hurt he didn't notice be wanted kids...

Because he did as well.

"Baby I'm home!"

"You want kids?"

Kakucho froze as he looked at the tablet then (name) "uhh...yeah i did"

"The penthouse isn't big enough for a baby..." (Name) said softly walking up to his husband and wrapping his arms around his stunned self "do you mean...?"

"I do, i wanna baby with you"

"Really?"

"Never said anything since you already worry about me... Didn't wanna make you worry more"

"Never baby... I'm so happy!"

"So how we doing it?"

"Could.... Could we adopt?" Kakucho asked softly and (name) smiled softly "yeah... Yeah we could"

Kakucho felt heavy as he stood Infront of the orphanage he once stayed at with Izana, gripping his husband's hand tightly as they walked in to hopefully meet their newest member.

He couldn't wait.

#tokyo revengers x male reader #tokyo revengers x reader #tokyo revengers fluff #bonten x reader #kakucho x reader #kakucho x male reader #male reader #x male reader

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who-is-shades · 6 months

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raz dnd 25

last time uhhh bye teya :(

awkward silence as they walk. android is just steaming in rage. kay is listening in since teya is gone lol.

walking for hours and we hear something stommping? here comes a giant metal beast made of random bot parts and peoples bodies strapped to it? already dead lol.

parsley and wheatley are so fucking tired lol here we go again. roll initiative!

android is pissed and just starts shooting at it. parsley hurls his axe at its head and hurls the other one then uses rage. wheatley uses heat metal. the creature attacks! it opens its mouth and fires out gas! senna is paralyzed! it attacks zen! but zen dodges nice. zen attacks! good job and he paralyzes it! senna unparalyzes herself nice but that uses her turn fuck.

android just keeps shooting. parsley yeets his javelin then misses his sword stab. wheatley uses branding smite on his gun nice. the beast is paralyzed lol. zen punches it nice. senna uses witchbolt nice. the beast falls apart!

parsley goes to collect his weapons. senna starts removing the organics bodies and parsley begins pulling it apart. it looks welded together. old circuits and one of those soul jars in it. parsley manages to take it out! wheatley gives him a thunbs up. senna tells him to break it. 'on it boss.' he flies up and yeets it at the ground. good job.

senna finishes removing the bodies. she inquires their souls were used in that power jar, and hes trying to control organics the same way he controls robots. (cave johnson is william afton) zen sighs and says its camp time, cause were all just tired. long rest!

we continue! nothing happens, more awkward hours. wheatley holds sennas hand this time. parsley carries SP. we come to a clearing in the woods. theres an abandoned building, looks like one from the time bubble but its ancient. an old outpost? wheatley drags senna with him toward it. he thinks its a mimic hes so sick of it lol.

its covered in foliage. its mostly empty with some panels. racks on the walls with robot bits, super rusty. wheatley ponders how he missed these things for 800 years. wheatley taps on the consoles but nothing happens. android finds a more intact screen and taps away and it flickers.

senna opens a door and inside is a stock of weapons. old, rusty, and broken. she goes to open the other door. a big metal table with a big old map with specific points on it. she picks up their current spot on the map. outpost map nice. she calls out and tells them.

zen comes in to check the map. he compares it to his projection. most are out of the way but 2 of them are on the path their taking. they'll talk about it at camp, since those might be too dangerous. he puts the pins on his map.

androids tablet turns on and displays files! theres an introduction file. goddamn cave johnson aperture sound lol. they can hear zorbolts voice. parsley walks in to hear this. senna comes in cause she hears parsley. zorbolt explaining the outpost, prepping for invasion. sleeping quarters down below for handlers. then its over.

wheatley asks if theres more files. theres a crackle of blue energy! theres a big flash of light! its spingledorf jingles crust. teya sent him? oh he brought teya!? shes dressed like a witch. spingledorf gave it to her and a magical broom lol. space core makes happy beeping noises and wheels over. wheatley looks distrustful. 'you chose to forget us. to leave them behind.'

android starts trudging over very pissed. she didnt wanna forget us. he punches her in the stomach ouch. 'yep deserved that one.' he walks away. zen gives her a big hug awww. 'am i allowed to just join back up?' wheatley says she chose to leave us behind. 'i couldnt do it.'

parsley asks if she got it out of her system. 'fuck you.' 'yep, there she is.' 'damn make up your damn mind.' 'want me to leave again?' 'that would be kinda funny.' sunnie convinced her to return? wheatley brightens up at that lol. sunnie read her journal xD wheatley says its gonna be a long time before he can trust her again. shes hopeful though.

senna slowly walks over and asks zen to put teya down. she just stares at her for a while. she slowly takes teyas hands and kisses her forehead. 'welcome back teya.' senna is holding back her tears a bit. (is she not mad? hmm) 'hey parsley. missed you.' 'fuck off!'

zen glows yellow again. he was just about to send bots to her lol. shes got lots of people to protect now. hes pissed, so many lives are in danger when she left. she just didnt see herself at able too. but he chose her. shes not alone. he says if she decides to jump again he will take her memory immediately. teya wants everyone to agree to let her in. android grumbles but allows it lol. wheatley says teya's negative talk is what made her leave the first time.

zen is back to normal and he hugs teya again lol. wheatley walks over and looks at her complicated. 'please dont leave me behind.' then he hugs her awww. then he tells her about the videos. gotta find the bunker. android slams on the floor and opens a hatch. now they wanna know wtf a video is lol android vaguely explains it. he gives up lol. wheatley explains it better.

wheatley wants to plug into the fucking tablets and project his memories oh no. senna talks him out but now hes trying to project with his eye. he finds one from when he woke up. waking up in a field of wheat.

back to the tablet video files. 1 more file, the others are corrupted. Plan of attack oh no. its asking for a password. android cant get in darn. parsley shoves wheatley over and asks him to try. he wouldnt know he was cannon fodder xD android gets it though lol. it was his name.

a map projection. army formations. outposts attacking certain kingdoms and projections of the areas. one with a giant wheat field in the background. its the closest to Novis. capture people or kill them if they fight back. bring back damaged bots for repair. wheatley is disgusted what he was made for. but he did fight wars after waking up.

senna goes down the hatch. parsley and wheatley follow. theres skeletons. parsley lights his torch. teya wants to put the skeletons in the token lol. dorf finally speaks up lol. no one cares teya wants the bones lol. wheatley asks if she can speak with dead but she cant.

teya stores 7 skeletons in her token nice. wheatley wont give her back the sending stone though. he squints and slowly hands it back when she says shes not going anywhere. teya suddenly gets launched at the ceiling lol. dorf says the broom is temperamental. then wheatley says he doesnt like spingledorf DX

parsley keeps lying that he missed teya and gets hurt lol. time to leave. wheatley is upset he isnt sp's favorite, its teya lol. senna thanks dorf for bringing teya back. time to go! 'may the wind be at your back spingledorf.' he disappears. wheatley fucking says he hopes he never comes back the bastard. parsley says senna has bad taste cause she likes dorf and is dating teya lol she hits him.

back in the woods! senna tells teya about the beast robot and the god juice stuff lol. zen says robotgod used the wards to understand the evil stuff and made better wards for them nice. as we walk teya gets pulled into the ground lol that broom is a dick. senna tries to lift her and the broom shoves teya right into her. senna is gonna try carrying her lol. the broom is tugging her backwards lol. teya threatens to put the broom in the token lol. gonna keep carrying her.

SP is doing donuts around them shouting about the broom lol. after hours we find a big plain. we see a giant structure in the distance. old crumbling walls its huge. a small kingdom? the road we follow doesnt go there but there is an old path that does. zen says we can go yay!

the grass is long. parsley and sp are too short lol. wheatley sees something in the grass. its an old rusted bot missing parts! wheatley covers sp's cameras. he asks parsley to take SP. senna asks if hes ok. he shoots a bolt directly into its head making sure the processor is destroyed. he wont let them get back up. zen says it wasnt necessary, its gone.

zen pulls out a scanner. its the battlefield. wheatley looks ill. the drone finds something! one of the bots isnt as damaged. time to go find it. parsley is still on babysitting duty. wheatley is pulling out some rope. we find a rusted but good condition bot. senna offers to tie it up for wheatley. gotta be careful and all that. we yank it from the ground cause its stuck. tie it up nice.

the switch is already on. oh. he turns it off and on. nothing happens. god shows up to help! its still affected when god turned them off. wheatley has us move out of the way. (rick portal lol) wheatley is checking him out. he asks about the war. wheatley asks android for help. android feels uh complicated. he does explain tho.

he can feel things! his mind is free! yay! no more control! but his purpose is gone. wheatley tells him he can pick his own. and god can help him if he wants. hes got nothing else going on so wheatley unties and helps him up. very rusty. wheatley hugs him lol. they talk about their handlers. rick asks wheatley his designation. its just wheatley now.

meanwhile senna and teya talk about war. and teya pisses off parsley about treating kids like pets lol now senna is trying to message him.

rick says he wouldve been on the frontline if he hadnt been shut off. wheatley wishes him the best. he introduces us to him nice. protecting us is his purpose ;-; rick can make his own choices! he introduces himself to us. senna shakes his hand. he registers her in his database lol. teya also greets him. a milipede falls off him and lands on teya lol. wheatley takes it off.

parsley tries to find us lol. wheatley pings him. rick has an alarm he thinks parsley is attacking and tries to tackle down but just falls over. wheatley introduces parsley lol. senna and wheatley pick him back up. Parsley hands SP back to wheatley and rick registers that fairies can fly. he gets to meet sp nice. robotgod grabs him and clears up the rust. he registers him as my lord lol.

rick is accessing old files. he knows god cool. he can access files easily, they are mostly undamaged. rick says wheatley can have files imported. androidis in his files ooo. wheatley corrects rick on the name. rick says it may be best to delete the corrupted files but says he can do what he wants.

#senna #dnd #dnd adventures

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neopuff · 1 year

Text

title: outreach word count: ~2400 ships: six/holiday summary: He decided not to beat around the bush. "How much money did Brandon Moses steal from you?" ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/47694358

“Who’s Brandon Moses?”

White Knight looked up at his ex-partner, raising an eyebrow curiously. He’d just moved into the Dam Base with Six, Holiday, and Bobo a few days ago and of all the questions he expected to get from Six, that was not one of them. “Why are you asking me that?”

Six scowled at the non-answer. “Just tell me.”

Knight shrugged, moving his attention back to the tablet in his hand. “Scientist that scammed Holiday out of her life savings.”

There was a sudden, stark silence in the air that made the man in white look back up. Six’s expression was a mixture of shocked, confused, and deeply pissed.

“Are you telling me she never told you about that?”

“No,” Six spit out venomously. “She didn’t say anything. But I was just informed of his location by an associate that you told me I’d lost contact with.”

“Ah.” Knight bit his tongue - he wanted to make a comment about Holiday probably being too embarrassed to admit her folly to Six, but decided against it. “I don’t know what to tell you. You probably reached out after he got away.”

Six repeatedly clenched his fists at his side, looking at the wall in the direction of Holiday’s current lab. “He stole her money and we let him get away?”

“There were other priorities at the time,” White said matter-of-factly. “Lots of dangerous EVOs to deal with."

With a petty huff, Six turned around and left the room, leaving Knight alone once again. Knight watched him leave with idle curiosity, wondering if he was going to confront Dr. Holiday. She spent a lot of time by herself nowadays - they all did - and probably wouldn’t react well to an interrogation.

He went back to organizing documents on his tablet. They’d probably be fine.

Six stormed down the halls with a deep frown on his face. He’d been told so many amazing things about his older self, hearing that the man let a con-artist get away with all of Holiday’s money…it pissed him off. It pissed him off a lot. And why wouldn’t she have told him about it?

Was she embarrassed? He’d obviously sent out some inquiries for Moses’ location before losing his memories, so he was involved. He’d wanted to get her money back - or at the very least, get revenge on her behalf.

He took one last step towards her lab and paused, considering for a moment if he should be mad or not. He had asked her, specifically, on many occasions, to tell him as much about his old life as possible. He'd asked for, at the very least, all the significant moments that she'd been present for. This sounded significant to him, especially if he'd reached out to certain individuals to try and find out more.

It was possible that Holiday didn't know. Maybe the time was significant to her, but his older self had never made his interest in her situation clear.

Six crossed his arms over his chest at that thought. He didn't think that was true. Though his old self tended to be tight-lipped, often when it came to the doctor, he wouldn't have let some thief rip her off without getting directly involved. He was still surprised he let the man get away, even if there were EVOs that needed corralling. Holiday must've been in danger.

With his decision not quite made - angry or not angry? - Six walked the rest of the way into her lab.

She was sitting at her computer, back turned to him, completely unaware that he'd entered the room. He needed to do something about that. She was vulnerable to attack if she wasn't paying close attention.

"Holiday."

"Oh!" She swiveled around and gave him a smile. "Hey, Six. Need something?"

He decided not to beat around the bush. "How much money did Brandon Moses steal from you?"

Her smile, pretty and bright and always lovely to see, immediately turned into a frown. She looked surprised and uneasy and quickly turned back around to her computer. "That's not really any of your business."

Six didn't like that answer. That answer said a lot. Maybe Knight wasn't exaggerating when he said this man had taken her life savings from her. "I think it is my business."

She scoffed and turned only her head to glare at him. "How do you even know about him? Did White tell you?"

"I have his location."

Holiday froze, glare dissipating and transforming into an expression of pure confusion. It couldn't have been more clear that she didn't know the old Six had reached out. "...how?"

"That's…" Six shoved his hands into his pockets. He really doubted his older self had told her much about life before Providence. "...not important."

She exhaled loudly and turned to the computer again. “I can’t deal with this right now.”

He glared at her and walked closer, grabbing another chair and taking a seat next to her. “Did this have something to do with your sister?”

Holiday kept typing, refusing to look at him. “Yes.”

“And you didn’t tell me.”

“She’s my sister. It had nothing to do with you,” she mumbled, her typing slowing down just a bit.

Six raised an eyebrow at that statement. “I really doubt that, Holiday. Tell me what happened. When was this?”

She glared at him again and then stood up from her desk to leave the room.

Six quickly followed and grabbed her arm, stopping her in place. “I’m not going to let this go.”

Holiday took a deep breath and ripped her arm out of his grasp. “I can see that.”

“Why don’t you want to tell me?” he asked, annoyed at her attitude. “It can’t be that bad.”

“It’s just…” She wrapped her arms around herself, looking small and uncomfortable. “I was desperate, and I did something stupid, and I almost lost everything because of it.”

“But you didn’t lose everything.” He started to piece together different nuggets of information he’d been told over the past few months. “Is this when your sister was cured?”

Holiday sighed again and stared up at him. “...yes, it is.” She looked nervous for a moment, as if she was deciding what information she was willing to share. “I almost lost her. And…I almost lost you.”

“Me?” Six raised an eyebrow curiously.

She bit her lip for a moment and turned away from him, looking towards the door. “Moses had built a machine that could isolate the bonds of active nanites. I realized we could break them using your magnablades to reverse and amplify the-” Holiday cut herself off, realizing Six didn’t understand a lot of what she was saying. “It doesn’t matter. You used your magnablades to help her and the machine exploded and I thought you were both dead.”

Six stood there silently, not sure how to react. He definitely should’ve been told this story earlier, that was one thing he knew. He was also pretty sure he’d sacrificed himself for Holiday and not her sister, but that was neither here nor there. “Obviously we didn’t die. Is there something else you’re not telling me?”

Holiday brought a hand to her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. “It’s humiliating, Six, alright? I was fooled by Moses because it was Beverly’s birthday and I was feeling too emotional and-” She paused, annoyed at herself for ranting. “...and I didn’t even check his work. I didn’t trust myself to get it right. I didn’t look for any additional information, I just took his word and handed him my sister’s life. So I don’t like to talk about it. Doesn’t matter that it worked out in the end.”

He ground his teeth lightly, hands twitching in his pockets again. “He manipulated you, Holiday. That’s not your fault.”

“It is, actually,” she said while rubbing her forehead gently. “And I’m still dealing with the consequences of it.”

“I can go after him,” Six suggested. “Get your money back. Or at least give you an opportunity to punch him.”

She let out a short, hollow laugh. “I already did. A couple of times.”

He smirked, despite his annoyance that this was all kept from him for so long. He would’ve liked to see that. “Just say the word and he’ll be at your mercy.”

Holiday hugged herself again and Six noted that she did that a lot. Especially around him, and especially when he made her uncomfortable. He wondered if she’d always done that around him or if it was new.

She hadn’t said anything and he took a step closer, reaching out to grab her arm once more. “Holiday.”

“I don’t know,” she said quietly, turning around to face him. “I…it’s really not a good time, okay? Obviously I don’t want him to get away with what he did, but there’s too much else going on right now. We need to focus on finding Rex.”

He watched her face carefully, trying to figure out if she was being honest with him or not. Sometimes she was like an open book, but other times he couldn’t read her at all. She hid a lot from him, he knew that and tried to respectfully keep his distance, but he also found it unfair. She probably would’ve told the old Six the truth.

Six wanted to ask if she was sure; he wanted to reassure her that this wouldn’t interfere with their mission; he wanted to fight for her and do something for her that he would’ve done before the memory loss. He wanted to be there for her when she needed him to be.

But he also didn’t want to push it. If he pushed too hard, she might pull further away.

“If you’re sure.” He frowned and looked down at her hands. She still seemed nervous to him.

She took a deep breath and held a hand up while she spoke. “I appreciate this, Six, I really do. But he's been hiding out for the last three months. I doubt we could even get much of my money back.”

Six raised an eyebrow. He didn’t realize how recently this all happened - it would’ve been just before his memory loss, in fact. He wasn’t sure if that changed anything, but it made him even more curious about this being kept from him. It was a recent significant event where he did something heroic and saved Holiday’s sister. Why wouldn’t she want him to know about that?

Was she worried he’d get a big head? Maybe she thought he’d use that knowledge to try and get a date. He’d stopped acting flirty around her once he realized how important she was to him, but in those first few days it wouldn’t have been that strange an idea.

Instead of arguing, he simply nodded - though he knew he’d still be keeping tabs on the man. Just in case she changed her mind.

That didn’t fix the issue of her continuing to keep important information from him. Since they’d left Providence, Knight was back to telling him almost anything he asked. Bobo was always happy to share stories, though Six couldn’t vouch for their accuracy. Holiday, however, was still giving him some trouble. Cold shoulders, demands to stop asking, excuses about being too busy to talk.

She acknowledged his nod with a half-hearted smile and started to leave the room again, but Six wasn’t finished.

“Doctor, is there anything else you’re not telling me?”

Holiday sighed and looked at him again, clearly tired of the conversation. “What are you looking for, Six? I don’t have time to give you a detailed summary of every single day we spent together.”

He frowned. “Then just that day. When Beverly was cured. Did anything else happen?”

She blinked at him a few times, looking confused, and Six noticed the smallest hint of a blush on her cheeks (he was surprised he could see it at all in the light of the lab). That was interesting, though he couldn’t be sure what it meant.

“I…met your pink-haired friend. Sort of,” she mumbled, not looking at his face.

Six walked closer to her. “Five?”

“Yeah, that sounds right.” Holiday stared at his feet as he stepped closer. “She found Moses for us after he’d taken Beverly.”

“Hm.” That was nice of her. Six was surprised she didn’t bring it up when they’d fought just a short time later. Though he hadn’t given her much opportunity to chat. “Anything else?”

Holiday still wouldn’t look at him. “No. Not that I can think of.”

He took another step closer and found himself right in her personal bubble. There was still an inkling in the back of his mind that she was hiding something. He just had no way to prove it. He couldn’t even place exactly why he felt like there was more, but it was nagging at him. Still, he didn’t want to piss her off any more than he already had. “Alright.”

She looked up at him finally, and as Six stared into her green eyes - he was met with an expression of fear and unease that had his heart racing. She was definitely, absolutely, one-hundred percent hiding something. And he desperately wanted to know what, but the look in her eyes left him speechless. For whatever reason, she was afraid to tell him something and he might never know why. He wished he could know so he could rectify the situation and make her more comfortable around him. He wasn't sure if there was any possible way to do that.

Holiday glanced away and took her leave, pausing at the entrance to the lab in anticipation of Six stopping her once again. This time he let her go and just stood there in the middle of the room, feeling like an idiot.

With every question answered, he was just left with even more questions.

He sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets, wondering if he should’ve continued to push her. Maybe tomorrow he could try asking her again, see if she’d be more talkative after some sleep.

…probably not. But hopefully it wouldn’t hurt to try.

#generator rex #agent six #rebecca holiday #white knight #holix #not rly but its fine #carrofics #eehhhh i really lost where i was going with this one. it happens

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palidoozy-art · 2 years

Text

Session Summary

it was our 69th session, nice. Though technically this summarizes the 67th and 68th session as well, just because that’s pretty much the entirety of the Twilight Lord’s excavation arc.

Note: post is extremely long but I at least throw pictures and the battlemaps I made/used in at places.

The party attempted to descend into the Twilight Lord’s lair, only to discover the only way to access was through traveling in a river of corpses. Having seen Goran disappear into it earlier, they took the plunge, fighting off two giant bone worms while within. Though disgusted at, y’know -- being pinned to corpses with bone shards, they successfully killed them and traveled through the grotesque pile.

Thankfully, the party had a friend on the other side! Goran helped pull them out of the pile. Though he said nothing, seemed he was thankful for the food they gave him earlier. As the party moved forward, he decided to lurk behind him and follow them the whole way. The party kept feeding him, after all!

The group fought the Collector first, the creature responsible for crafting all of the cadaver collectors the party has been running into throughout the entire campaign. After killing him, it was then that they realized he wasn’t undead or a construct -- he was a giant, a living creature, and the last of his kind. Here, Kelogul got a legendary weapon -- taking the creature’s former weapon, a giant fucking log (that deals strength mod * d8 damage).

(note: battle map made with assets from Inkarnate)

They headed in further, saw some spooky ominous shit in the ruins, and found what had happened to all the corpses the collectors were collecting. They were reanimated and... digging. They weren’t sure to what end. An ominous mural showed a giant “worm-like creature” destroying a world. Ellerian successfully managed to intuit that the creature was none other than an astral dreadnought. They fed Goran every opportunity (Kelogul kept giving him rum. Rahadin started making fun of Kelogul, telling him the real reason for giving Goran rum was to see how much the elf would drink before puking).

They came into a room with a bunch of faceless steel mannequins, and discovered the crown of the queen that had gone missing, as well as a few, uh. Suspicious bloodstains. Players connected the dots here. Into the next room, they encountered a room full of urns, as well as an ornate one set up in the middle with a bunch of cards. When Ellerian approached to try to draw one, it sprung to life and attacked as the Prophet.

(battle map made with assets from Inkarnate)

It was a pretty cool fight which I had to buy an actual tarot deck for (the fight mechanics involve its powers being increased depending on the draw), but it was fun, and it terrified the piss out of my players because the thing dealt 383 damage in one round. Mercifully, Ellerian was polymorphed into a dragon at the time. Kelogul missed a whole bunch, blink never worked for Ellerian (an ongoing trend in our campaign), and Yoli got the killshot with a bunch of scorching rays.

They took a rest in the tomb. Goran picked up the cards dropped by the being and taught the party a method of seeing the future -- not with magic, but with the mundane. The end result was the party learning a new skill, Prognostication (they can divine objects and try to see their future or their past as an epic skill). He also gave the deck of cards to Yoli, which wound up being yet another legendary item (5 charges, can use a bonus action to spend as many charges as you want. Each charge either deals 35 damage or heals 35 hp).

(Note: this has also resulted in me having to learn how the fuck tarot cards work, because Yoli now uses prognostication constantly with the deck lol).

They finally pressed on deeper, finding evidence of the Twilight Lord along the way. Blood trails, old ruins. They found a huge old tablet that was purposely damaged and destroyed, and managed to conclude that it was some kind of giant spell scroll. They couldn’t make sense of what it was. Pressing in deeper, they found another one... but this one was blank. Suggesting it had been used. Evidence of the corpses showed that they were former heroes and adventurers who had tried to stop something awful, and failed. The party came to the conclusion it was the Eclipse. Yoli found the corpse of the legendary lizardfolk hero, Ixtzal, and packed the body away to return to her people. The party continued to feed Goran. Kelogul gave him two bottles of rum to double-fist at one point.

(Side lore note: The Eclipse was considered a huge event in the world, where the sun went out for an entire year about 176 years ago and chaos ensued. It set the world back tremendously and is the reason a lot of the nations operate the way they do. I’m not really doing a good job encapsulating how big the Eclipse was in term of campaign events here, but the party finally got closure on it and it was exciting).

Finally, they reached the bottom, heading into a long, stretching hallway leading forward. The party tried to feed Goran... but he refused to eat, instead taking the rations and walking forward. He placed them by a painting of the Three Kings -- one in front of each of the other ones -- before disappearing into the darkness, and it was then that the party connected the dots and realized “aw, shit, this guy’s the final boss huh.”

They finally confronted him in front of one of the giant wall spell tablets, and it was then that the “final battle” started. “Goran” wound up actually being Serafim -- the Lord of Twilight Woods and the last king of the dusk elves. I started initiative and told them that they could either talk to him through RP, use a skill, attack him, or pass their turn. They spent every round trying to talk to him, lol. Nobody attacked and nobody passed. Some generalized notes:

- Yoli was the MVP of the “fight”, being the only one to talk him down successfully without provoking his self hatred every single turn.

- Rahadin existed pretty much just to piss him off throughout the “fight”. He quickly realized that the party was much better at solving... disputes than him and shut the fuck up.

- Kelogul was I think the one that inadvertently convinced him to kill himself every single turn, lmao. His last turn was even spent offering one last bottle of rum out to him so he could drink before he went.

- Ellerian pissed him off before he adapted and learned what worked and what didn’t.

It took 5 rounds, and each round I had a description of how the guy was doing so they could get a gauge on their actions. I went into it not knowing what the fuck they would do, and assuming that the default plan (guy uses the giant spell behind him, then boss battle starts) would go through. I had a final boss fight written and planned. Even had his true form token!

(battle map quickly drawn by me)

They actually almost ended the fight with him simply killing himself, but Yoli swooped in on literally the last round before he took action to crawl up to him, give him a hug, and offer him three of her “best rations.”

So that was how the fight ended. He dropped the staff and the party was able to speak to him further afterwards, asking him his motivations. When he revealed to them that the spell behind him was simply an extremely powerful wish, Ellerian lost his shit. He gifted Ellerian his spellbook with his notes (a legendary item that not only teaches Ellerian Wish and a number of other cool spells, but is also gonna operate basically identical to the Tome of Stilled Tongue. We use gritty realism, so the player is EXTREMELY excited about it, lol).

The group of them realized that since they pretty much had access to a free wish spell, they could make one right there... and with it, instead of empowering themselves, or reviving their dead friends...

... they chose to break the curse of hunger on the Lord of Twilight Woods.

It was definitely an ‘anime is real and friendship is magic’ ending lol, but all my players are extremely excited. They want to try to go find the goddess that trapped him in the woods (the Queen of Air and Darkness -- the three kings made a bargain with her to escape their former master) next. Unsure if this will be the lead in for the epic campaign or what. Next few sessions will probably be wrap-up and figuring out what they want to do.

Oh also because they released two of the kings (their spirits moved on when they wished to break the curse), said Queen of Air and Darkness is EXTREMELY pissed at them. It will be my in-game way of awarding them their first epic “boon” -- immortality! While technically a boon the entire last half of the campaign has been pretty much about how immortality sucks, lmao.

So we’ll see what happens. I’m gonna leave it up to my players if they want to time skip jump into the epic campaign or play their children for a bit of an intermission. :D

#palidoozy rambles #d&d #from the mists #i may rewrite the monster block for the lord of twilight woods and release it just so all that work doesn't go to waste #im not mad it all went wasted though. i think it's an extremely interesting direction they took #and thinking of the way the dusk elven madness impacts this old ass character has been interesting #i just think they're neat ok #long post

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