#sorry for putting your reply on blast ive had this building up for A While | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

fxckn-sxck-fr · 5 months

Text

𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 — 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐈𝐈

Yandere Dick Grayson x GN Reader

❥ Part I >> Part II >> Part III >> Part IV

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐗𝐓: EXPLOSION, UH-OH. Reader does a thing, gets scolded for doing the thing, and deals with the aftermath of doing the thing. Just read part I, SOBS. But anyways. So, uh, this is a series now. This part would’ve came out sooner if I didn’t get sick. SORRY FOR THE WAIT.

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒: platonic sibling yandere content, older brother Dick Grayson, younger sibling reader, non-vigilante reader, adopted reader, slow burn yandere(?), the pacing is very a-day-in-the-life-esque, burning buildings (only in the beginning, though), Dick yelling at you, lowkey guilt-tripping, lowkey manipulation, Dick somehow knows shit, something miiiiight be up with Dick (reader isn’t sure).

❥ 𝐈 𝐀𝐌 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐁𝐋𝐄 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐌𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐀 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍. 𝐁𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐃.

“D— NIGHTWING??”

…

“NIGHTWING?!”

…

“S-shit…!! NIGHTWIIIIING?!?”

…

No answer.

You honestly had no idea how you got in the building to begin with. Upon arriving on the scene, there was a shit ton of police officers, 2 fire trucks, and EMTs carting off the wounded and into ambulances. There was no sign of Dick, and according to a very distraught bank teller, “Nightwing’s still in there!!” The longer you searched the parameters for at least a sign of Dick, the more your body became filled with fear. He was in that burning bank somewhere; he had to be. With no reply to your frantic attempts to contact him and the horrible realization that, shit, someone could stumble upon him and find out his secret identity, you took matters into your own hands.

That’s how you ended up on the unstable, still very much fiery second floor.

“NIGHTWIIIIIIING,” you shouted, coughing into your fist as the smoke started to irritate your lungs. God, could those firefighters do their job and put the fucking fire out already?! It would make your search a whole hell of a lot easier… “NIGHTWING, PLEASE!!”

Suddenly, your ears picked up on distant footsteps. Someone was on the other end of the corridor, slowly making their way towards you. Hope was starting to blossom in your heart, but was quickly squashed when an unfamiliar voice called out. “ARE YOU OKAY?”

Fuck. That wasn’t Dick.

The more feminine voice was muffled, like a scarf or a mask covered their mouth. It dawned upon you that they were possibly a firefighter searching for people in the wreckage, and your shouts most likely drew them towards you. With another curse, you ducked into a side room with a collapsed-in wall, frantically searching for something you could hide behind.

You didn’t need rescued. By some miracle, you got into this building to look for Dick, and you weren’t about to be escorted out of it.

The footsteps were gradually getting louder, the voice calling out once again. “HELLO? CAN YOU CALL OUT AGAIN? I’M HERE TO HELP.”

Your lips pursed together. Trying to stay as quiet as possible, you nudged yourself in between some debris (some miscellaneous parts of the ceiling and a desk, you presumed from the rubble you saw) and waited for them to walk by. The urge to cough was strong, but you did your best to keep it inside your lungs as the firefighter approached your room.

“I’M A FIREFIGHTER,” they shouted. “I CAN HELP YOU, BUT I NEED TO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE, OKAY?”

The footsteps were sounding more and more distant. With a tiny sound of relief, you began to slowly wedge yourself out of your hiding space. They were probably going to circle around again, but it gave you enough time to continue looking, possibly to even go a floor up to see if Dick was caught in the blast there.

That’s when strong arms wrapped around your torso.

A startled yelp was ripped from your chest, your legs beginning to dangle in midair. Whoever grabbed you began a brisk walk towards the nearby window, which luckily had all its glass blown away from the explosion, while using one of their arms to configure something that sounded mechanical.

PSHHhhh-ZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP.

Next thing you knew, you were flying through the air.

Seeing as you weren’t used to the feeling of being airborne, you found yourself squeezing your eyes shut as you body curled into your apparent kidnapper. The ride was short, only lasting about 10 seconds before you were gently dropped on solid ground. You could feel the uneven texture of concrete digging into your shaky knees as you braved your nerves to crack your eyes open.

Before you was Nightwing.

Oh, thank GOD.

He looked a bit banged up. There were rips in his costume, a nasty cut split his lower lip down the middle, and one of the white lenses in his domino mask was missing to reveal a swollen-shut eye. Not in the best shape, but he was able to stand up straight, and more importantly, alive. You couldn’t help but sink further into the gritty ground of what looked to be a parking garage he brought you to.

“Dick,” you practically sobbed. “Oh my god, you scared the shit out of—”

He fiercely cut you off. “What the HELL are you doing here, kid?!”

The pure aggression in his voice caused you to flinch a bit. Any words of relief died on the tip of your tongue, now feeling like dry sand stealing the away any moisture. You’ve heard him angry before, but his rage was never directed towards you. At least, not to your face.

You swallowed thickly, willing away the shivers that wanted to dance against your skin. “I… I was scared—!! I-I saw the explosion happen, and you weren’t answering any of my texts, a-and I tried to call you—”

“YOU WENT INTO A FUCKING BURNING BUILDING,” the vigilante yelled. “WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! ARE YOU TRYING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED?!”

As much as you wanted to say something, you were so taken aback by his outburst that you couldn’t help but to let out a pathetic whimper. Okay, looking back on it, maybe it wasn’t the smartest move. You weren’t exactly a trained professional, and the bank looked close to collapsing in on itself at any second. Not like he gave me many options, you bitterly tried to reason with yourself. For all I knew, he was fucking dead!!

The moment you gained the courage to say something, however, he continued.

“I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO STAY PUT. DO YOU NOT KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?! WHAT IF YOU GOT TRAPPED UNDER SOMETHING, AND YOU SUFFOCATED FROM THE SMOKE, HUH!? I JUST—” He threw his hands in the air with a noise of frustration. “I JUST CAN’T BELIEVE YOU WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT!! HOW THE HELL DID YOU EVEN GET IN THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE?!”

Your voice came out barely even above a whisper. “I… didn’t want to lose you…”

He parted his lips to say something, but seemingly decided against it. Several moments passed where the two of you sat in total silence, the sounds of sirens and damage control from outside echoing through the parking garage. It was almost startling when he finally let out a shaky sigh. “Let’s…” his voice cracked around the edges, “let’s just go home.”

All you could do was slowly nod at that.

With no protests on your end (though it probably wouldn’t have matter to him; his way was always the way), one of his arms looped around you to bring to his side. Now in close contact with him post-outburst, you noticed how his entire arm seemed to shiver, like the temperature was 10 degrees colder than it actually was. You said nothing about it, however, as he brought you close to the ledge, grappling hook ready in hand.

PSHHhhh-ZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIP.

Once again airborne, you felt your eyes fluttering shut. At the very least, now that you knew you were in the arm of Nightwing, you felt slightly better about this form of travel. Before you knew it, tiredness overtook your brain, your racing thoughts slowly dissipating into nothing.

You passed out with one last inquiry prodding at the back of your mind;

Was it by chance that he found you in the bank?

When you woke up, it was dark. The blinds were drawn closed, allowing very little moonlight to filter into the room; your room, that is. Some familiar features stood out to you from the shadows, like how furniture was oriented and a couple of your miscellaneous knick knacks. Sitting up straight in your bed, you noticed how you were still dressed in your school uniform, which was slightly charred and dirtied from… ah, yeah. Hours prior.

A heavy weight crashed down on your chest. Dick seemed pretty pissed at you, and understandably so. You managed to set a new precedent for dumbest shit someone could ever do, and probably gave him a heart attack while doing so. After all, you’re under his care on Bruce’s behalf. If anything happened to you, it would probably destroy their already strained relationship once and for all.

Doesn’t help that it would be the second kid Bruce has lost…

Shaking the thought from your mind, you threw your blankets off and got out of bed. Your entire body felt extremely dirty, probably due to the smoke and ashes from the explosion aftermath, meaning a shower was in order. A heavy duty shower, you mentally scoffed as you grabbed the necessary clothes from your dresser. Who knew that walking through a burning building could make someone feel so nasty?

Now equipped with something fresh to change into post-shower, you began to venture forth to the bathroom.

… Only to have your quest cut short as soon as you opened your bedroom door.

At your doorway stood a very tired-looking Dick. No longer in his Nightwing uniform, you were able to gauge his condition. Several bandages of different varieties decorated his form, ranging from butterfly bandaids like the one on his lip to an ace-wrap around his forearm. His one eye was no longer swollen shut, though there was still a gnarly dark ring surrounding it, serving as a not-so-friendly reminder of its previous state.

Overall, he looked well.

You felt your shoulders lose some tension at this revelation.

His face held an blank expression. It was far from surprised, in contrast to yours, and there was a hint of expectancy in his eyes; like he just knew the door was about to open (honestly, you weren’t even phased by that notion. With that dumb Bat-detective intuition, he could probably sense you waking up from a mile away). There were a few moments where nothing was said, his gaze scanning over your body for assumingely any physical ailments.

As soon as he was finished, something you would’ve never expected happened; he gave you a hug.

And not just a half-assed one, either. You were practically ripped away from your spot and sent careening into his chest, arms wrapping around you in a vice-grip. He was like a boa-constrictor, crushing your bones together and squeezing the air out of your lungs. It was as if he was forcing your body to fuse with his, and from the was your vision genuinely started to become spotty, you almost thought he was succeeding.

Beyond the sounds of your blood swirling in your skull, you could vaguely hear his wavering voice. “Don’t do that again, kid. Don’t… don’t ever do anything like that again…!!”

You couldn’t tell if your throat was closing up from the lack of air or guilt. “… ‘M sorry,” was all you could manage back.

His hug got impossibly tighter before letting up. There were still hands gripping desperately at your shoulders, but you were now gifted with the privilege of breathing again. A frown tugged at the corners of his mouth, though there wasn’t any anger behind it. Couple that with his slightly upturned brows and shimmering eyes, you realized the concern that was probably tearing him apart from the inside.

“You scared me half to death back there,” he softly uttered. “I’m sorry I yelled earlier, but, I— I just… I don’t wanna imagine what would’ve happened if I wasn’t able to grab you in time. I was just so scared that… I would… I would have to…” he couldn’t seem to finish his sentence. Opting for a new angle, he tried speaking again. “Please promise me you’ll never pull something like that again. Okay? I don’t ever want to break the news to Bruce that something happened to you. He can’t lose another kid, (Y/N). Not like this. Not ever like this. Promise?”

The only thing you could do was nod.

Hesitantly, he pulled his shaky hands from your shoulders. Tired blue eyes did a final check on your condition, then he turned to saunter back down the hall. As soon as he rounded the corner, a sad sigh spilt from your lips, and you couldn’t help but pathetically hold the bundle of clean clothes in your arms close to your chest. Way to go, (Y/N), you bitterly chastised yourself. Really making this whole temporary guardian thing easier for the guy, aren’t you?

Well, beating yourself over the head with how big of a fucking moron you are isn’t gonna help. With one deep inhale through your nose, you were dreadfully reminded that you still reek of smoke and rubbish, and it was about time you rectified that with a shower.

So, with one last sigh, you began to head towards the bathroom again.

Maybe there was some way to make it up to him, you wondered.

“… Uh..?”

Dick barely even gave you a sign of acknowledgment. “What’s up, kiddo?”

“You’re… not ready,” you hesitantly noted, your brows furrowing in confusion at the sight in front of you. Usually, Dick was dressed and impatiently waiting next to the door by now. He’d be swinging his car keys around his index finger, foot tapping against the linoleum floor as he’d check his wrist for the time (it didn’t matter if he had his watch on or not; anytime you were running a bit late, he liked to make a show of his restlessness just to be a jackass). However, upon stumbling into the kitchen, you were surprised to see Dick leaning against the counter, wearing house slippers, plaid pajama paints, and a bathrobe of all things, phone in one hand and a coffee mug in the other.

Did he… forget you had school today?

As if reading your mind, Dick let out a breathy chuckle. “Yesterday was way too taxing. So, we’re gonna both take it easy for a bit.”

It took a bit to process his words. “… Take it easy?” You owlishly blinked at him, then shook your head. “But, I have a test in world history today… I can’t just skip it—!”

“You’ll be able to make it up,” Dick reasoned. He took a sip of his coffee, then continued. “And if you’re worried about it, I can help you study.”

… What.

Not a single coherent thought could cross your mind. Dick wanted to help you study? Hold on, you’re not even over the previous bombshell; Dick wants you to stay home from school?!

This is weird, you mentally concluded. This is SO weird… what the hell is even happening?!

The vigilante across from you seemed to take your silence as a yes. Setting his mug down and pocketing his phone, he pushed off of the counter and walked towards the table. “Go get your notes, or whatever. We can start now.”

“W-wait,” you managed to stutter out. “You’re just letting me stay home? Just like that?”

“Said we were gonna take it easy, didn’t I?” He began to clear off the tabletop, making room for your supposed notes. One of his brows quirked upwards, a lopsided grin spreading on his face (it looked a bit strained, but that might’ve been just from his busted lip). As he moved an empty plate to the counter, he gave your form a once-over and added, “you can lose the uniform, by the way. Looks way too uncomfortable for the day-off vibe.”

Day-off. This was a day-off. He was allowing you a day-off from school. After disobeying him and running into a burning building without even giving him a heads up, he thought the best course of action was to give you a day-off. No punishment, nor further admonishment, just a day-off. Was this some sort of trap? A mind game, even? Maybe he was so pissed off with you, he decided to go the psychological warfare route, luring you into a false sense of security to make you feel even worse.

… Or maybe studying with him IS the punishment.

His voice snapped you out of your thoughts. “Just gonna stand there, kiddo? C’mon, get your things. I wanna see what this test is on.”

“U-um—” you coughed into your fist. “Right…”

Whatever his game plan was, you would have to figure it out later.

For now, it was time to frantically look for the notes you carelessly stuffed in your book bag.

This wasn’t a day off; this was a week off.

After spending the entire day “studying” (in actuality, you spent exactly 5 minutes going over the material before it devolved into bickering, then a Google deep-dive to prove each other wrong, only to turn into a ghost hunting binge session after an article caught your attention… don’t ask), you went to bed wondering how to explain your absence to your teachers. Maybe you could make up another embarrassing excuse at Dick’s expense.

Morning came, and Dick was just as prepared for school as he was the day before, his excuse being that “he didn’t really feel like leaving the apartment.” To distract you from your growing apprehension at missing two consecutive days of school, he introduced you to an old action Bollywood film that had both of you in hysterics before taking you out for ice cream later (well… so much for him not feeling like leaving the apartment, huh).

The third day rolled around, and he wasn’t even there. Only a note remained on the kitchen counter, explaining that duty calls and that your ass better stay put. “Please actually listen this time,” he wrote with an angry frowny face next to it. So, you watched cartoons on the couch until Nightwing came through the window hours later, no bumps or bruises present (much to your relief). He teased you about watching Looney Tunes all day… because of course he knew, and you spat out a lie about just now turning the TV on as he flipped over the couch to join you. It was evening by the time he finally got up to change, realization dawning upon you that you didn’t go to school yet again.

Friday marked the fourth day.

You had your school stuff together and uniform hanging on the closet door, but you held off on actually ready ready. There was an obvious pattern emerging, and while the day before was kind of an exception with Dick’s hero shit, he did evade your small question about school when he rejoined you on the couch that evening. What made this whole thing even weirder was that he was actually hanging out with you. You’ve spent more time with Dick these past couple of days than you have the entire month (and it made you realize how little you knew about him before… despite how much he seemed to know about you).

So, almost cautiously, you crept through the hall to see what the verdict was going to be. Upon crossing entering the kitchen, your eyes immediately connected with Dick’s. He was seated at the table, dressed in a navy blue flannel and sun bleached jeans; a common going-out fit that he would wear, you’ve noticed. Perhaps that meant you really were going to school today?

“Morning, kiddo,” he softly greeted. He seemed to scan over your form for a brief moment, but didn’t comment on your lack of uniform like you were expecting him to. Instead, he amusingly commented, “nice shirt.”

You looked down at your own torso with furrowed brows. The shirt you were wearing was an old Superman jersey that you found in your dresser. It wasn’t yours — at least, you don’t remember ever owning a shirt like that — but you hadn’t a chance to use the apartment complex’s laundromat since you arrived, and you were running low on clean clothes. “Uh…” you confusingly looked back at him. “Thanks?”

A smirk split onto his lips as he quirked a brow at you. He then picked up an empty plate from the tabletop and brought it over to the sink. “You should get dressed,” he instructed you.

Ah, so you were going to school. After three days of skipping (involuntary skipping, might you add; you weren’t some school-fanatic or anything, but you did want to set the record straight), you were finally going back to school. Of course, you’d have to make up a viable excuse… and make up a shit ton of missing work, much to your disdain… but you might be able to get Alfred on the phone to help out over the weekend, and who knows; maybe Dick could actually help out for once—

“I’ve got some errands I need to run, and I want you to come with.”

… Huh?

You couldn’t stop the parroted word from spilling out of your mouth; “errands?”

“That’s what I said,” he teased while washing his plate off. “What, do kids not know what an errand is nowadays?”

“Wha… no, no!” Your hands waved off the notion, then you continued. “I know what an errand is, it’s just… what about school?”

Dick stilled his movements. A humorous smile tugged at your lips as you realized he must’ve forgot. Though he had his back to you, you wanted to imagine his face was contorted into an exaggerated, almost cartoonish shocked expression, and you were waiting for him to shout out a panicked, “OH, SHIT,” like he did that one time he overslept.

It never came.

There was an uncomfortable couple of seconds where time seemed to freeze, save for the running water, which finally Dick shut off with a slow turn of the kitchen sink’s knob. Now that it was eerily quiet, your smile dropped entirely. Something… wasn’t right. Something didn’t feel right. You didn’t know what it was, but the heavy, borderline suffocating silence made it clear that… well…

Dick turned towards you with a smile.

It was one of his signature Richard Grayson smiles. Dimpled, charming, and slightly lopsided on the left. You’ve seen enough of those tabloid pictures from your brief period of research to pick it out from a lineup. It’s his press smile; the one he pulls out whenever he puts on that Ward of Bruce Wayne persona.

The one he pulls out when he’s lying.

Azure eyes held no warmth. Instead, a cloud of darkness blotted out any twinkle of light, his cold gaze wrecking a shiver through your shoulders. Something wasn’t right. Like the first time you were dropped off at his place, something didn’t feel right. Except, this wasn’t the same Richard Grayson doesn’t like you feeling… this was something much darker.

Something was wrong.

Something was so wrong.

What the hell is wrong?

“… Sorry, kiddo,” he coolly began, his lips still stretched out in that same endearing smile. “Totally forgot. Is it not a Saturday?”

All you could do was shake your head, your voice refusing to work at the moment.

He let out a chuckle. It sounded genuine, almost cleansing the air of the accumulated uneasy awkwardness. “My bad. Lost track of the days. Yesterday just felt more like a Friday than a Thursday, y’know?” He then heaved a heavy sigh. “Well… there’s not much we can do about it now. You’re supposed to get your flu shots done today at noon.”

Flu shots… Dick didn’t tell you that…

Theoretically, he could take you to school, pick you up at noon for your shots, and then drop you off again until dismissal. But that sounded like a lot of running around, even for an errand day. And it’s not like you were feeling confident enough to suggest alternatives… especially after whatever the hell… that… was.

So, finding your voice again, you merely said, “oh… uh, alright. That’s okay.”

“Thanks for understanding, kiddo,” he mused. “Now go get dressed. We’ve got some shopping to do before your appointment.”

You didn’t have to be told twice.

So, yeah. Your day off turned into a week off. Not that you were necessarily complaining, of course, but all of the work you were missing out on was beginning to plant a seed of dread in your stomach. Maybe Dick saw this as a fit punishment for earlier that week, and catching up on four days of schoolwork was merely the consequences of your own actions. Or maybe you were just overthinking things, cuz that’s just fucking ridiculous.

But, either way, you still had to come up with an excuse for your absence. And since being held hostage for almost a week by your kind-of older brother probably isn’t an acceptable reason, you might have to just go with sickness.

So, you got yourself ready for a day of shopping, and…

… wait, did he say flu shots?!

#❥ TW: YANDERE #❥ LIFE WITH OLDER BROTHER #❥ YANDERE CHARACTER #❥ PLATONIC YANDERE #❥ YANDERE DICK GRAYSON #❥ YANDERE DICK GRAYSON X READER

94 notes · View notes

natsfirecat · 3 years

Text

Cold

summary: r has always liked having pyrokinesis, but after getting into trouble, she leans onto natasha for support (i’m sorry that is an awful summary fhjkdsf)

Part Two

pairing: Natasha Romanoff x fem reader

word count: 5k

warnings: swearing, needles, kidnapping, mentions of arson, lmk if i need to add any more!

A/N: this is gonna have multiple parts btw! i’m planning on 3 parts, but it could be more than that haha. also, since i’ve written a lot of pyrokinetic reader x natasha, feel free to imagine this taking place in any of those universes. preferably not the operation fire widow/bring you back universe. nat and r have been through enough there- but i imagine it in the you saved me universe!

You huffed out a sigh as you took in your surroundings. It was completely dark except for the small, irritating light in the corner. There was a pain in your arm, you felt a poke, and assumed it was an IV.

You tried to use your powers to get out of here, you tried to create a light, you tried to burn the ropes holding you to the chair, but nothing worked. Probably a result of the IV.

You were here because of a stupid decision you thought was right at the time.

You were fighting in the middle of the city, HYDRA decided that they wanted to make a scene. Mid-battle, you noticed a HYDRA agent carrying a child who was screaming and thrashing. No one else seemed to notice, they were all busy fighting.

You couldn’t ignore it, you couldn’t let them take a child. So, you made a large blast of fire, hoping that would prevent anyone else from following and attacking you as you went after the kid.

Looking back now, you should’ve at least gone on coms and told the team what you were doing. But you weren’t thinking straight at the moment. You just kept running until you reached them.

It wasn’t like you could send fire at them like you had before; you couldn’t risk hitting the kid.

So there you stood, coming up from behind to knock him down.

As soon as you lay a hand on him however, you let out a gasp of pain as something sharp poked your neck.

As your vision began to fade, you looked down to see the child staring at you with a guilty expression as he held the syringe.

You fell to your knees, hearing nothing but laughter from the man.

That was two days ago. And that was what got you into this situation. You weren’t sure if anyone even saw you go after him, so for all they knew you just disappeared out of the blue.

Guilt began to consume you as you thought about your girlfriend, Natasha.

She knew you were strong and could look out for yourself, but that didn’t stop her from completely freaking out every time you were injured. You could only imagine what was going through her mind now.

At the compound, Natasha began pacing back and forth around the living room. Everyone was seated there, wanting to talk about the mission and your disappearance.

“How could none of us have seen her?” She asked, making eye contact with each and every one of her teammates.

“Where could she have gone?”

“Who took her?”

Before she could talk any more, Clint stood up and put his arms around her to stop her from pacing.

“We’re gonna find her, Nat,”

She let out a defeated sigh, collapsing onto her friend.

“I’ve got satellites looking, FRIDAY is hacking into every street camera, we will find her,” Tony assured her, standing up.

She managed to give him a nod before leaving and making her way back up to her bedroom she shared with you.

Once the door closed, she collapsed onto the bed, clinging onto your pillow as tight as she could.

She had spent two nights without you by your side, she had barely gotten any sleep.

She missed the feeling of wrapping her arms around you while you clung onto her like a koala. She missed waking up next to you, placing a few kisses on your forehead.

She just missed you.

Of course, you had spent nights away from each other on missions and stuff. But this time, she had no idea where you were and when she would be waking up with you again. That just made everything worse.

One of the perks of having a pyrokinetic girlfriend was that she was never cold anymore. Sometimes you would hold your hands over hers, using your powers to warm them up. Or sometimes she would cup your cheeks to gather up the heat you were radiating. If she was really cold, you would wrap your arms around you as she would completely bury herself in you. Even after she was warmed up, it would usually just turn into a cuddle session of holding one another close.

She hugged the pillow even tighter, so desperately wishing it was you. She didn’t even realize she was crying until she noticed how wet the pillow was.

Letting out a long sigh, Natasha pulled all the blankets she had gathered over her, flipping the pillow over.

No matter how many blankets she had, none of them were able to give her the warmth you had.

Without you, she was just cold.

Another day passed before something finally changed. The lights were turned on, and you were given more water than before, and you were actually given some food.

You noticed the person walking in was the boy you were trying to save, but ended up stabbing you with the needle.

“Hello,” he said, placing the food tray down next to you.

“Hi,” you replied flatly.

As he headed for the door again, he made eye contact. Your heart dropped at how apologetic he looked.

“What’s your name?” You asked.

“Henry,”

“What’s a boy like you doing here, Henry?”

He shrugged before turning back and taking a few steps closer to you.

“It’s just the life of someone who’s dad is big in HYDRA and decided to get full custody after killing your mom,”

Your heart dropped, this boy couldn’t have been more than 10 and he had already lost so much.

“I’m sorry,” you told him.

“Why? It’s not like you killed her,”

You sighed before noticing the sadness in his eyes and the tears threatening to fall.

“Do you want to talk about her?” You offered. He thought for a moment,

“Maybe, but I can’t right now, I have to leave. But I’ll come back tomorrow,”

“Okay, bye Henry.”

“Bye!”

As promised, he did arrive the next day. He came in with a smile on his face before setting your food down.

“Hello!”

“Hi,”

You reached out to grab food, but winced as you moved your arm, remembering the needle in your arm. So you reached over with your other hand instead.

“Do you know what the heck they’re putting in me?”

He shakes his head no,

“It takes away your powers, but that’s all I know. I did hear someone say that they plan on changing the needle tomorrow,”

“So what other stuff do you hear?”

“It’s just bits and pieces,”

You let out a sigh as he reached up to grab some of your food. You held your good hand up to stop him.

“Kid, I’m the hostage here. I know you’re getting fed better than me. So unless you plan on giving me some of your food in exchange, hands off,”

Henry sighed, then pulled his hand back and sat down again.

“What’s it like?” He asked after a few moments of silence.

“What’s what like?”

“Everything. Being an Avenger, having powers, fighting people,”

You laughed at his excitement,

“Being an Avenger has its perks, it’s always nice saving the world every once in a while. The powers are nice too. I remember the first time I made fire appear in thin air, it was one of the best feelings in the world. I can make myself really warm, which works out perfect for Nat-” you stopped yourself as you thought about her.

Your face fell, thinking about your girlfriend and how much you missed her.

He turned his head to the side at your expression.

“Why are you sad?” He asked. “Do you miss your powers?”

“Yeah,” you answered quickly. “I just miss my pyrokinesis. Whatever you’ve got in here is really effective,”

“They’re still gonna make you go to sleep tomorrow, in case your powers come back when they change the needle. Why do they change needles anyway?”

“To prevent infections,”

“Oh,”

He sat there criss-crossed, holding his hands in his lap while moving his thumbs around. You noticed that he looked slightly happier today compared to yesterday.

“Who’s your favorite Avenger?” He asked.

“Black Widow,”

“Why? She doesn’t have any powers! She just fights,”

“Exactly. She’s just as important to the team as the rest of us without powers, that just makes her even more impressive. She holds us together, we would be lost without her,”

He gave you a mischievous smile as he observed the way you talked about her.

“Do you have a crush on Black Widow?”

You scoffed at the young boy. There was no way in hell you would be discussing your relationship status with him.

“What about you, Kid? Who’s your favorite Avenger?”

“Spider-Man. He’s so cool how he swings across buildings! And he has super strength!”

You smiled at him. You would most definitely be telling Peter about his young fan.

“He’s pretty cool,”

He smiled for a few moments, before turning back around and facing the door.

“I should probably go,” he said, his voice dropping. “I don’t want him to find out. I’ll come by again after they change the needle!”

“Alright,” you said. You were sad he was leaving, you had been enjoying his company, but you completely understood his worries.

He waved goodbye, then left the room feeling better than he had when he walked in. He would be back soon to talk with his new friend.

“I’ve got her!” Tony said as he stood up from his desk. “I know where she is!”

“I’ll get everyone ready,” Steve replied, leaving to make the announcement.

Natasha changed into her suit faster than she ever had before. Now that they knew where you were, she wanted to get to you as fast as they possibly could.

So she was the first to meet Steve and Tony outside the Quinjet.

Her expression was emotionless, but they both knew she had so many thoughts and feelings running through her mind right now.

Wanda was the next one out, taking her spot in between Steve and Natasha. She was almost as nervous as Natasha.

Soon enough, the rest of the Avengers all made their way down and were ready to go.

Clint had to physically restrain Natasha to stop her from pacing mid-flight. He knew she was scared, but what she was doing wasn’t helping.

She made eye contact with Wanda, then felt a few tears threatening to form. She took a deep breath in, then restrained her tears.

She finally let out the breath as she felt her best friend hug her.

It would be okay eventually, but for now all that mattered was getting you back.

“What’s that noise?” You asked, jerking up.

“I’m not sure,” Henry said, looking up too.

As soon as the others left your room, he ran in and stayed by your side until you woke up. He was hoping for another day of fun conversations, but he had a feeling that wouldn’t be happening now.

“You should get out of here, don’t let them catch you like this,”

He thought for a moment, then looked back out the door. An alarm went off, and he recognized the signal it was sending.

“Your friends are here for you,”

You let out a sigh of relief.

“Do me a favor and pull the needle out? It’ll be better to have it out sooner now that they’re here,”

He hesitantly held his hand over the needle, his breath hitched as soon as he touched your arm.

“You can do it, Henry. Just pull it out as fast as you can,”

His breaths became shaky as he grabbed the tip of the needle.

“I’ll count down for you,” you said as he nodded. “One… two… three!”

Just as he pulled it out, he let out a scream at the sound of a gunshot from right outside the room.

The door opened, and there stood Natasha.

She no longer had the glow in her eyes, or the softness on her face she normally had around you. In fact, you would be terrified of her if she wasn’t here to save you.

Your face fell as you saw she still had her gun raised.

“Don’t hurt him!” You yelled, holding your hand out protectively over him.

She said nothing, but walked over to you, wrapping her arms around you while holding you up.

She brought a hand to your cheek, stroking it gently for a moment while keeping her other arm around your back.

You leaned forward, then rested your forehead against hers as she held you.

“Uh, guys,” Henry interrupted your moment. “You should probably get out of here,”

You nodded, then looked out the door Natasha came from.

“I’ll buy you some time!” He offered.

You thought for a minute, your gaze shifting between him and Natasha.

“I’ll come back for you,” you told him. “Be careful!”

“Don’t worry about me! Just go!”

You nodded, then completely leaned onto Natasha. Your arm was still sore, and your legs could barely hold you considering you had hardly moved them for a few days.

Luckily for you, your assassin girlfriend was really strong and had no problem picking you up and carrying you as you wrapped yourself around her.

She was easily able to run through the halls, holding you with one hand and holding her gun with the other.

You buried your face in her neck, wanting to hide from everything going on around you. She heard you whimper, then tightened her grip on you.

It felt like it had taken forever, but eventually you were outside again. You finally opened your eyes when you heard the familiar sound of the Quinjet engine.

Natasha never left your side, keeping an arm wrapped around you as she set you down.

It had only taken a few minutes for everyone else to get back after Natasha told them she had you, taking out a few HYDRA agents along the way.

Steve’s gaze softened when he saw the state you were in. He was about to say something before Natasha met him with a harsh glare. You needed to rest after what just happened.

“It’s okay, baby,” she whispered to you, finally letting her softness return. “You can rest now. You’re okay.”

When you opened your eyes again, you were in a hospital bed back at the compound. Natasha sat in the chair next to you, one hand over yours while the other was holding her head up as she slept.

On the other side, Bruce and Dr. Cho were talking to each other about your condition.

“Y/N,” Dr. Cho said as she met your eyes.

Her voice woke Natasha up, who immediately gave your hand a gentle squeeze.

You turned to face your girlfriend, extending both arms out to her.

“Lay with me,”

Natasha looked at the two doctors, as if asking for permission. Once they told her it was fine, she pulled the sheets down and crawled next to you. She began to completely drown their voices out as she ran her fingers up and down your arm, drawing small patterns on your shoulder. Ever so often, she would lean forward and plant a kiss on the back of your neck.

“How long was I out?” You asked.

“Almost 24 hours. The stress of the situation, plus what they were putting in you definitely called for rest.”

“So, am I gonna be okay?”

“Yes,” Bruce said. “However, we’re looking into what they were injecting you with. It definitely had to do with your powers, so it’s best if you don’t use them for a few days.”

You nodded, then turned back around to face Natasha.

“You’re cold,” she said as you wrapped your arms around her. “That’s a first,”

“Don’t worry,” Bruce assured both of you. “You’ll be warm and pyrokinetic again in no time.”

Later that evening, you were on Natasha’s lap with a blanket covering both of you. She hadn’t left your side the entire day, apart from when you needed to use the bathroom. Even then, she stood right outside the door waiting for you to come back out.

“Natty,” you said to her. She removed her lips from your neck, then planted a kiss on your cheek instead. She hummed, waiting for your response as she continued littering kisses all over your face.

“I don’t want to go back there,”

“You don’t have to. You never do,”

“Yes I do. I promised Henry I would come back for him.”

“The same boy who shoved a syringe in your neck?” She said, eyebrows raised. “Tony was able to get footage,”

You sighed as she kissed your neck once again.

“It’s a lot more complicated than that,” you began. “He told me all about how his dad is a big part of HYDRA, and he killed his mom.”

“Y/N, I love you, but you have to know that there’s a high chance he was lying about all that.”

“Then why would he tell us that he’d buy us time when he left?”

“Probably just saying whatever it took for me not to kill him. It’s awful, but he was probably recruited at such a young age so they use that to their advantage.”

“Oh come on, Natty,” you said. You turned around and straddled her waist so you could face her. “Shouldn’t you have more sympathy for him? Especially considering where you were at his age,”

She thought for a moment, then pulled the blanket up closer.

“Maybe I’m a little biased because he’s part of the reason you were taken,”

You sighed, then leaned forward and rested your head on her chest. You’d get through to her eventually, but for now all you wanted to do was lay in her arms.

You huffed out a sigh as you pushed all the blankets off of you. That was something you definitely hadn’t gotten used to, and you couldn’t wait to take them all off the bed.

Natasha chuckled at your frustration, then sat up and smiled at you.

“Good morning, detka,”

You grumbled again, but couldn’t help but smile at the way your girlfriend was looking at you.

“It’s been three days of this shit,” you said as you sat up. “As soon as we go to Bruce today and get cleared, I will burn some of these. God, you have no idea how much I’ve missed setting things on fire,”

She laughed, then tucked a strand of hair behind your ear.

“So my sweet little girlfriend just wants to go commit arson? Tell me again why you’re an Avenger?”

“You know what I meant!”

She laughed again, which prompted you to throw a pillow at her.

“You’re gonna regret that, detka,”

“Will I?”

She stared at you for a few moments, a mischievous smile on her face as you smirked at her.

You let out a squeal as she suddenly pounced at you, knocking you back down. She placed several kisses on your face, but her hands also found their way under your shirt and onto your stomach.

You let out another squeal as she began ticking you, moving her hands up and down as you began to let out uncontrollable laughter.

“Natty, stop!” You begged between giggles.

She stopped for a moment, still smiling at you.

“Are you gonna throw a pillow at me again?”

You hesitated for a moment, and that was enough for her to move her hands again.

You nearly screamed as she continued tickling you. This only made her smile more.

“How about now?” She asked. “Will you throw a pillow at me again?”

“No! I promise!”

She seemed satisfied, then removed her hands from your body as she gave your forehead a quick kiss.

“Let’s go get ready for your checkup,” she said, then smiled again. “And then my baby can get back her ability to commit arson with her mind,”

You rolled your eyes, but followed her out of bed.

After getting changed, you held her hand as you made your way back to medical. You couldn’t help but feel nervous and anxious the entire walk there.

Bruce was waiting for you as you sat on the exam table. Natasha stayed standing, but kept her hand attached to yours.

“We’re gonna need to take a blood sample,” he told you.

You nodded, but squeezed Natasha’s hand tighter. You had always hated needles, and your previous experience definitely didn’t help.

As he inserted the needle in your arm, you closed your eyes and kept your tight hold on your girlfriend’s hand.

She hated seeing you like this. She hated that you even had to go through this in the first place.

Her hand was beginning to hurt from the amount of force you were squeezing her, but she didn’t flinch at all. She just kept her eyes on you, making sure you were okay as Bruce got the blood sample he needed.

When he took the needle out and put a bandage on your arm, you finally opened your eyes again.

You didn’t even realize you had tears in your eyes until you saw how blurry your vision was. You tried to blink the tears away before anyone would notice, but you were too late.

Natasha gave you a solemn look before bringing her other hand up to your face. She used her thumb to wipe the tears away, keeping her other hand attached to your own.

She then sat next to you on the table, and wrapped an arm around you as you leaned into her. She reached her hand behind you, then gently stroked your hair as she held you close.

“So will I get to use my powers again?” You asked Bruce.

“We’ll find out in about five minutes,”

You nodded, then leaned further into your girlfriend.

“How’s your arm feeling?” She asked as she continued stroking your hair.

“Hurts,” you admitted with a light laugh. “Not too bad though, not as bad as the HYDRA needle. God that one burned.”

You looked up at her, then nuzzled your head in the space between her neck and shoulder.

“I can’t wait to be your personal human heater again,” you told her.

She smiled, kissing the top of your head.

“I’ve just been glad to have you back, detka, but I’m also looking forward to being warmed up by you,”

Bruce smiled at the two of you, but his face fell as the results appeared on the computer.

“There’s still traces of what they put in your bloodstream,” he said. “Until it’s gone, you won’t be able to use your powers. I’m sorry, Y/N. We can check it again next week,”

Your heart dropped. You held your hands in your lap, looking down at them. You thought about all the times you made flames appear just from your palms. Now, you weren’t sure when you’d be able to do it again.

Natasha met your eyes, a neutral expression on her face. She was also sad about your powers, but she didn’t want to bring your spirits down even more. So, she interlaced her fingers with yours.

“Okay, so maybe a few more nights with blankets,” she said softly. “Then I get my favorite blanket back,”

You sighed, then stood up, keeping your fingers interlaced with hers.

You thanked Bruce, then walked out and went to the kitchen.

One of the perks of having pyrokinesis was that it made cooking easier. Sometimes you would just heat up the food in your hand, or hold the pan until everything cooked. It took awhile to figure out how to get it right, resulting in accidentally setting the fire alarm off multiple times as you burned food to a crisp. But eventually you were able to get your powers to work as your own oven and microwave.

Now that you couldn’t do that, you chose cereal instead. As you swallowed your first bite, you shivered as the cold milk went down your throat.

“I hate being cold,” you grumbled as you wrapped your arms around yourself.

Natasha smiled sadly, then brought your non-dominant hand to her mouth as you kept eating. She placed lengthy, but soft kisses on the back of it.

“I can keep you warm now,”

You smiled at the gesture, then let out a small chuckle.

“Natty, I love you, but we both know you’re way too cold on your own to warm someone up,”

She rolled her eyes.

“I could totally warm you up,”

“Please, you’re literally an iceberg. Why do you think we go so well together?”

She laughed, then kissed your hand again.

“Well right now we’re both icebergs. I think we can keep each other warm if we stay close, y’know, sharing body heat,”

You sighed, then leaned forward before kissing her.

You intended for it to be a quick, short kiss. But she had other plans.

She ran her tongue along your bottom lip, grinning as you allowed her entrance. Once you did, she grabbed your hips and pulled you onto her lap.

“See?” She said with a grin. “You’re warmer already,”

“You’re right,” you said, cupping her cheeks. “We should keep each other warm more often,”

She smiled, then kissed you again. You deepened the kiss this time, keeping one hand on her cheek and wrapped the other around her neck.

“That cereal is pretty good,” she said between kisses.

You laughed, then reconnected your lips. You stayed in her embrace, kissing her, for what was far too short in your opinion. You only stopped when you heard someone clear their throat from behind you.

You turned around to see Clint getting his own food.

“So what’s the news on your powers?” He asked. “Do we need to have fire extinguishers at the ready?”

Natasha glared at her friend, tightening her grip on you. He got his answer as soon as he saw her glare and noticed the way your face dropped.

“I’m sorry,” he said. He was going to say something else, but decided not to as Natasha kept her glare. So he waved a short goodbye, then left.

“Can we just go back to our room?” You asked.

“Of course,”

After putting your bowl away, you followed your girlfriend back upstairs, fully intending on staying in bed all day.

You glared at the blankets, but reluctantly pulled them over you.

You felt a little better once Natasha pulled you into her arms once again. You leaned back into her, holding onto her hands that lay around you.

“I love you,”

“I love you too,”

“I’m going to get my powers back,”

“Just focus on resting up for now, okay, detka?”

“Okay.”

A week later, you woke up ready to see Bruce again. You had been counting down the days, desperate to get your powers back.

Natasha gave a hesitant smile as you greeted her with a good morning kiss. She wanted you to get your powers back too, but she didn’t want you to be let down after your hopes had been so high.

Of course, she did miss using you as a personal heater. But even more than that, she missed seeing the smile on your face as you would control the flames emitting from you. She missed the satisfied smirk you would give whenever you knocked down someone you were fighting with fire. She missed how you would squeal excitedly after your powers helped you successfully cook something.

You were practically bouncing in your steps as you walked down to Bruce. While you dreaded the needle from the blood sample, you tried not to focus on that. Instead, you focused on how amazing it would feel to make fire again.

You still held on tight to your girlfriend’s hand as the needle pricked your skin. She ran her thumb over the back of your hand as you let out a small whimper.

Everyone in the room seemed to be holding their breath as the computer analyzed your blood.

Natasha was almost as nervous as you. Her breath hitched when Bruce said the results were coming in.

His eyes lit up as he read them.

“Your bloodstream is clean, Y/N,”

You smiled, then hugged Natasha out of happiness.

He smiled at you, then you thanked him, still bouncing in your step.

“Alright, let’s go outside. I want this flame to be good,”

Natasha nodded, keeping her hand connected to yours as you led her out. Bruce decided to follow, just in case there was something he missed.

Your smile grew even wider as you stood in front of the compound.

Taking a deep breath, you gave both yourself and your girlfriend a reassuring nod.

You took a step away, then flicked your wrist.

Nothing.

“What the fuck?”

You flicked it again. Still nothing.

Again. Nothing.

You flicked your other wrist, desperate to see the smoke rising from your palm. Once again, nothing.

“No,” you said, dropping to your knees. “Why don’t I have my powers?”

Natasha was by your side in a split second, putting an arm on your shoulder.

“I thought you said my bloodstream was clean!” You said to Bruce, feeling tears swell in your eyes.

“It is,” he said softly. “I’m so sorry, Y/N, but if you still don’t have your powers even after it’s out of your system, then that means whatever they did to you took your powers. Unless there’s an antidote, they’re not coming back,”

You let out a sob, completely wrapping yourself around Natasha. Bruce took that as his cue to leave, walking back inside as you continued crying in your girlfriend’s arms.

“What do I do, Natty?” You said, your voice breaking.

Her heart broke for you. She said nothing, but kept her hold.

“These powers, these abilities, controlling fire has been a part of me for such a long time,” you said as a few more tears fell. “And now… I’m just cold.”

#natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff x you #natasha romanoff x yn #natasha romanoff x fem reader #natasha romanoff x fem!reader #natasha romanoff fluff #natasha romanoff angst #soft natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff hurt/comfort #black widow #black widow x reader #black widow x fem reader #black widow x fem!reader #natalia alianovna romanova

319 notes · View notes

majorshiraharu · 4 years

Note

Angst: 1, 2 and 3, with Kix please. The Jedi reader is fighting on the battlefield when there was a sudden explosion, the reader and their battalion got caught in the blast. Kix, plus a few other troopers to help him cary the wounded, was looking for any survivors. The reader calls out for help, hoping someone can hear them, using the little energy that they had left, being trapped under the rubble of a building that collapsed in the explosion.

---------------------- 1. - "it’s going to be okay, you’re going to be okay, ive got you" 2. - "i know it hurts, but you’ve got to stay awake" 3. - "don’t close your eyes, please don’t close your eyes" ---------------------- Kix x Gender Neutral Jedi Reader Saving Reader’s Life ---------------------- Content Warnings: Descriptions of Injuries Wounded Reader Medical Talk Injury ----------------------

Joining the 501st for a battle you were currently leading some of the men down the southern streets of a city while Skywalker was off fighting the other part of the Separatist forces in the east of the city. "We need to take cover, fall back!" You yelled covering the men as everyone funneled back to a more secure location, too many droids pouring down the small streets, overrunning your position. -- While you and some other trooper attempt to hold your ground as the others call for reinforcements a missile hits one of the nearby buildings, it was an extremely tall and large structure. Crumbling down from the hit as a second missile exploded not too far from you, knocking everyone down as the blast helped take out the building, dropping it down on you and your troopers. You attempt to use the force to stop it, but there's too much and it's too heavy, instead, you use the force to push away as many men as you can before the rubble comes crashing down, trapping everyone else underneath. The surviving troopers follow your last order, to retreat and get help, reluctantly they leave going to find General Skywalkers forces. "Rex, get some of your men together, take out those clankers, and get out any of the survivors, we'll be fine here." Anakin order, knowing those trapped under the rubble wouldn't last long. "Understood Sir!" Rex said standing at attention before going off to gather some men, "Jesse, Hardcase, Kix, with me now!" With a few others and the remainder of your troopers, they head off to your last location, finding the droids was the easy part, Rex is able to lead the droids away from the rubble, giving Kix and some of the others room to rescue survivors. Kix, Jesse, Hardcase, and a few others were searching through the debris, calling out to see if anyone answered, "Over here, help me lift this and get these boys out of here," Kix said pointing to an area where some troopers were trapped. The rustling of the rubble waking you, feeling the weight of the leftover building on your chest as you tried to breathe, attempting to get enough air to cry out for help. "Help!" You're able to mutter, not loud enough for anyone to hear so you try again this time a little louder, "Someone help!", tears running from the corners of your eyes as you attempt again, "HELP!" This time loud enough that someone heard it. "Hello?" You heard a voice call, footsteps crossing the rubble around you, "Where are you, are you injured?" - The voice is familiar, he's panicking, but his tone is still soft and caring like he's trying to hide his worry. "Here, help, please," you mutter, but to your surprise, he heard you and found you, it was Kix, despite having his helmet on you knew his expression was one of worry. "I need help moving this stuff, I found the General, they're still alive," Kix shouted, your vision disappearing for a short time until you hear his voice again, it was more clear this time. Opening your eyes you see Kix kneeling down beside you, his hands placed on the injury you had as another trooper gave him some medical supplies, you wince in pain, letting out a small mumble of pain when he pulls back bits of your uniform, trying to remove anything from your wound before he could patch it up. "Kix..." you muttered, reaching out a shaking hand.

His attention quickly focuses on you, reaching out with his left hand to hold yours as he kept pressure with his right, "It’s going to be okay, you’re going to be okay, I've got you," he says looking directly at you, making sure to let you know that he was there when he gently squeezed your hand.

"Kix....it hurts....it hurts..." you say quietly with a tear running down your face.

"I know -- I know, Y/N I'm here, you'll make through this," he replied changing his focus to your injury for just a moment so he can work some more on it, looking over at you to make sure you were ok as he continued. When he pulls some shrapnel out you let out an agonizing yelp, "Kix, it hurts, I can't, it hurts so much, please..." you mumbled words unsure of what you were trying to say, but he seemed to understand.

"Y/N, I know it hurts, but you’ve got to stay awake. -- Please just stay with me, okay?" He says letting go of your hand to finish taking care of your wound, when he looks over to check on you he notices your eyes closing. "Hey, Y/N stay with me, come on!" He said applying more pressure to your injury, "Don’t close your eyes, please don’t close your eyes." You can see and feel the panic from him, reaching out your hand and placing it on his leg as he finishes putting a bacta patch on your wound. Looking over to you he places one hand on top of ours, reaching the other one over to cup your face, whipping away some tears, "You're going to be okay, you got this, -- I got you," he whispered. --

The next time you open your eyes you see Kix's face, he's looking at some medical scans, looking over to you for just a second at first not noticing you were awake, but then suddenly his head turns back towards you with a delighted and shocked expression.

"Y/N!! You're awake," he exclaimed sitting down on the side of your bed, grabbing your hand holding it tight between both of his. "It still hurts," you joked with a small and weak grin on your face, making him smile with some relief. "You did well, but you had me really worried there for a moment," he said moving one of his hands to brush your cheek. "Sorry, I got scared..." "Hey, you had every right to be scared, Jedi or not you're a person with feelings and emotions," he says leaning down to kiss your forehead, "You need rest, but I'll be right here if you need anything." "Thank you, Kix," you whisper before falling asleep, him still sitting by your side.

#clone medic kix #clone trooper kix #kix #kix x reader #clone medic kix x reader #clone trooper kix x reader #501st #kix request #kix x jedi reader #kix angst #kix fluff #the clone wars request #the clone wars #tcw #star wars

83 notes · View notes

sunshinehawks · 4 years

Text

5 times bakugou was protective of the reader and the one time she was protective of him.

tw/ mineta being a perv & panic attacks

it wasn’t a secret that mineta was a perv and that the girls and guys of class 1-A really didn’t like him. bakugou hated being around the shit stain, but stayed around him so he could keep him away from girls, especially you.

you and bakugou were extremely close, not in a romantic way, but platonically. you were one of the few who knew his anger wasn’t usually actual anger, and was very seldom actually angry.

well, until today.

training was going like it normally would, until aizawa called over bakugou to ask him a question, and mineta was immediately by your side.

“so are you and bakugou dating?” you heard him ask, making you jump in surprise, not expecting him near you.

“what? no, we’re just friends,” you said, hoping this would end the conversation with him.

“i’m surprised he hasn’t tried to fuck you yet, your body is amazing,” mineta said, his mouth watering, and your disgust and uncomfortableness growing, “i know i’d love to f-“

he was cut off from bakugou blasting him away from you, “shut the fuck up, you purple shit stain!”

bakugou turned from him to you, walking up to you, “what the fuck did he say to you?”

when you struggled to speak, kirishima did, “he said he was surprised that you hadn’t tried to fuck her yet and that he’d love to fuck her.”

if bakugou wasn’t livid then, he is now, “he did what?! aizawa!”

aizawa turned from todoroki, and raised an eyebrow at bakugou, “what?”

“can i spar with mineta?” bakugou all but shouted and you swear you saw aizawa smirk behind his scarf.

“just don’t kill him.”

bakugou smirks, “no promises.”

II.

everyone in class could tell you were out of it today, especially since you hadn’t spoken a work the entire class, which was odd.

“(y/l/n),” you heard aizawa say, although it took you a minute to respond and turn your head his way, “are you okay?”

you nodded slowly, “just tired, mr. aizawa. i’m okay.”

he didn’t look convinced, but carried on with the lesson. when the bell finally rang for lunch, you stood up next to bakugou and kirishima, ready to follow them to lunch, when your vision started slightly blurring and you got lightheaded. grabbing onto bakugou’s shirt, he turned his head at you, ready to yell at you when you passed out in his arms.

waking up in the infirmary was not your ideal situation, especially figuring out you passed out.

“oh, you’re awake little listener!” you hear present mic’s unnaturally quiet voice, “i just kicked bakugou and aizawa out. they’ve been here the entire time.”

you blink slowly, “the entire time? how long was i out?”

mic sighed, moving his chair closer to the bed, “school ended 3 hours ago. it’s 6pm right now.”

it was quiet it for a bit, letting it sink in that you had been asleep for 6 hours and that aizawa and bakugou had been with you the entire time.

“they stayed the whole 6 hours?” you ask, your voice quiet, soft, unlike how it is when you’re in class and happy.

mic nodded, “bakugou was dead set on staying, so aizawa stayed too. they’ll be back soon, they went with recovery girl to get some food for you when you woke up. considering you haven’t been eating or sleeping much,” he says, voice stern, and you nod.

“i know,” you speak, and mic’s expression softens, although you don’t see it, “i can’t, i just can’t sleep at night, and when i do sleep, it when we have free periods or free time, which,” you trail off.

“which interrupts your eating schedule,” he finishes, and you nod, “well, you’ll still get a strict speaking to from aizawa, and i don’t think bakugou will let you out of his sights for a while, so, you’ll be okay. we’re here to help. don’t be afraid to lean on us, okay, little listener?”

you finally look at mic in the eyes, “thank you.”

III.

it wasn’t like you to miss a training sessions after school, especially with bakugou, so he got worried. not that he’d ever admit it, but he did. when he finally found you in a hallway, he was relieved but it only lasted a few seconds. upon closer look, he realized that you were having a panic attack.

“fuck,” he whispered, and ran to where you were sitting, “hey,” he spoke, his voice still husky, but definitely gentler than you’ve ever heard it, “i’m gonna put my hand on your fucking leg, okay?”

a nod.

“good,” he says, and he rests your hand right under your knee, “i’m gonna start tapping, and i want you to count them, okay? and when you’re grounded, tell me how many taps.”

a nod, and he starts tapping right where his hand was.

42.

in total it takes around 42 taps before you are grounded, and calm.

“sorry, i’ve been feeling on edge all day and it hit all at once and i-“ he cuts you off.

“don’t fucking apologize for something you can’t control, idiot. it’s not your damn fault.”

you smile and nod, “can we reschedule the training?”

he nods, “yeah, let’s get something to fucking eat.”

IV.

was it cold in the classroom? yes. did you forget to bring a jacket? also yes. usually the classrooms, hell, the school in general, was never this cold. according to nezu, as aizawa said, the heating was currently out, and would be on later today.

thing is, it’s below freezing outside right now, and you don’t have a jacket.

it wasn’t till you guys were given a free period to study or catch up on work that kaminari noticed.

“woah, (y/l/n), you good?” he asks, concern lacing his voice.

“yeah,” you replied, “i’m just cold.”

“why didn’t you bring a damn jacket, you idiot?” you heard bakugou say, and you turn around in your seat, semi glaring at him, “i train in the mornings with shinsou, so by the time i leave that building, i don’t need my jacket, i’m too hot.”

kirishima chuckles, “guess you learned your lesson though, i’ll give you my jacket.”

you shake your head, “no, it’s ok kirishima! i don’t need it, really.”

bakugou makes a ‘tch’ noise, and starts removing his jacket.

“bakugou?” you ask, and he shoves his jacket in your face, “no, really, it’s o-“

“just take the damn jacket, i’m starting to sweat anyway.”

you smile softly, and put the jacket on, the smell of caramel hitting you, “thank you bakugou.”

monoma was known for hating class 1-A and often tried to pick on them, and today, you seemed to be his target.

“did you hear that she has a villian’s quirk?” monoma yelled out as you entered the lunchroom with sero and kaminari, making you freeze, “i can’t believe that you’re even in UA at all!”

sero immediately stepped in front of you, trying to shield you, while kaminari tries to calm you down before you get angry or work yourself into an anxiety attack.

“what the fuck did you say, extra?” you hear bakugou say, but his voice doesn’t contain his normal anger. no, this anger isn’t loud or brash. this anger is cold, collective, calm, and precise.

“your little friend here isn’t good enough to be here, or a hero at all! she would be so goo-“ monoma gets cut off, as bakugou punches him in the stomach, no quirk use at all.

“let me tell you something, you fucking extra,” his voice colder than you’ve ever heard, and the cafeteria is so quiet you could hear a pin drop, “don’t you fucking dare think about saying shit like that to her. you understand? you don’t know what the fuck she has been through. get it through your fucking envious ass brain, you don’t get to fucking walk all over everyone and think you’ll win, because you won’t.”

with that, bakugou walks away from him and starts making his way over to you, sero and kaminari immediately get out of his way. bakugou sees you pulls you into him, walking out of the cafeteria with you, pulling you into, what you two think, is an empty classroom.

“are you okay?” he asks, his voice soft, kind and gentle unlike normal.

you nod, “yeah, i’m used to it, but everytime monoma says it, it just makes me want to cry.”

“don’t worry,” bakugou says after a bit, “i don’t think that fucking extra will be talking about it for a while.”

+I.

getting into a fight with villains was definitely not on your lists of things to do today, but you did what you could. messaging the rest of your class, besides bakugou, who was with you and finally had his provisional hero license, and starting fighting. you had no idea how long backup would be, and the villians knew hand to hand combat and were good. you felt trapped but finally won against the villain you were fighting, and tied him up. looking for bakugou, you saw the villain draw a gun, realizing what was happening, you immediately jumped in front, just as the villain pulled the trigger.

you don’t remember anything until bakugou finally pressed on the wound, and screamed for help. that was the last thing you remembered.

—

blinking slowly, making your eyes adjust to the bright light, you hear movement to your left, and you turn your head, facing the noise.

bakugou.

looking at him, you realized he was asleep with his head against your bedside. was he here the whole time?

“bakugou,” you whisper, nudging him slightly, “bakugou, wake up. you’ll hurt your back sleeping like that.”

he blinks owlishly, slowly sits up, and then registers you’re awake.

“what the fuck were you fucking thinking? you goddamn idiot,” he spoke, a glare on his face, but his tone.

his tone showed he was scared.

“i don’t remember much after i blacked out, what happened?” you asked, voice husky.

he sighed, his glare disappearing, “aizawa showed up, and so did a few other pros but i was focused on aizawa because he saved you. you were bleeding so much, and you weren’t responding, and i was scared. i was so fucking scared that i was about to lose someone i had gotten so goddamn close to. i-“

bakugou is cut off by you wrapping your arms around him, “i’m sorry. but i couldn’t let them kill you, and i would do it again.”

bakugou grips you tighter, and maybe, just maybe, he cries.

707 notes · View notes

obibabykenobi · 4 years

Note

Can I have one for Anakin Skywalker? She’s one of his Padawans and she is a bit rebellious. She sneaks out while everyone was asleep and takes off with some strangers. She was offered tickets to go see her favorite band, “The Offspring” in concert. But she was on probation and was forbidden to go. So she makes up an excuse that she wanted to sleepover at her friends. But really, they sneak off to the concert. Anakin and the Jedi council found out anyway because she posted it to her story on

that is funnyyy!! i love this idea. ive never seen or read an AU like this so I’ll try to the best of my abilities! i kind of changed a few things.

✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎✍︎︎

————rebel

𝚊𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚔𝚢𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚎𝚛 𝚡 𝚙𝚊𝚍𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚗!𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛

𝚜𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚢: reader sneaks out but gets caught

𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜: profanity, characters in this oneshot are still jedi’s and stay in the temple, but it’s in modern times and instead of robes they wear modern clothing. (ex: master’s wear suits and button ups, padawans wear what looks similar to a school uniform) however Anakin is gonna keep his long hair ;)

You were out in the city, sent out by your Master to pick up groceries. You were sporting your Temple uniform, a navy blue blazer with a crest of two lightsabers in an x, one being blue and one being green. Your shorts were also navy blue with blue and green plaid decorated on it, and you always voiced your thoughts on how ugly they were whenever you had the chance. You wore a white button up underneath your blazer and had knee high navy blue socks on, your black shiny shoes were reflecting in the light. You strolled down the many aisles of the local farmers market, picking up fruits and vegetables and placing them in your basket as you went. You actually liked this task, cause you were out without your master and this was the only time you could go outside, being on “temple arrest” after your most recent shenanigan. Once you were done shopping, you paid in credits and slowly walked back to the temple, trying to make this walk leisurely and remember your moments not cooped up.

You felt multiple people near you, looking at you. You knew they wouldn’t do anything, everyone knows the uniform you’re wearing means you’re from the Jedi Temple and shouldn’t be messed with. However, these people were ballsy enough to call you over. You sighed, you usually didn’t give people the time of day in the city, but you really wanted to be in the fresh air as long as possible, so you turned around and walked to the strangers.

“What can I do for you...” you trailed off, looking the strangers up and down. They were definitely on the rough side, probably trying to pick a fight with you. “Fine people.”

They smirked and looked at each other, and oh how you loved the thought of getting in a fight with them. “Do Jedi listen to music?”

Well that shocked you. Why were they interested in that? Unless it was a new tactic to distract you. You raised a brow at the stranger and folded your arms. “Yes, we’re not closed off creatures who live under rocks.”

The one in the middle of all the strangers, you’re assuming him being the leader, reached his hand into his jacket. You thought he was about to pull out a blaster, but you were faster than them and immediately whipped out your saber, bright blue whizzing in the still air.

“Woah! Chill, doll. I was just gonna see if you wanted one.”

You watched cautiously as what seemed to be a ticket, with the words “The Offspring” printed on them, were held in between his fingers. You knew they were having a concert tonight, however your Master didn’t allow you to go and you didn’t have your own credits to pay for a ticket, you only get some from the Temple when they send you out on tasks.

“And why are you offering me a ticket? What do you want in return?”

Still having your lightsaber up, the leader raised his hands in defense at your statement. “We,” he refers to the strangers around him. “Had an extra, we couldn’t let it go to waste. We figured you looked like you listened to them. Do you not? If not, we’ll just give it-”

“No!...I’ll take it. Do you want anything in return? I-I don’t have much...but I’d really like to go.”

He took that into consideration and nodded. “Well, first, please put your saber away.” And you slowly lowered it, turning it off but still holding it tight in your hand. “Second, just come with us. You don’t gotta pay us. Meet us here at six P.M., Yea?” You nodded slowly and watched as he cautiously handed it over you to you. You snatched it out of his hand and quickly walked away. You could still feel their eyes boring into you.

——————————————

“No! No way. You are not going.” Your master told you sternly.

“And why not?” You countered back.

“You got this ticket from strangers! It could be fake for all you know. People just don’t go around handing out free tickets.”

You groaned and collapsed on the couch that was in his quarters. “I didn’t sense that they were lying, they’re legitimate!”

“You’re still a Padawan, if I’m not correct your senses aren’t as heightened as mine.”

You rolled your eyes and kicked your legs up on the coffee table in front of the couch. “Yea well my fighting skills are more heightened then theirs, so if they DID lie to me I’ll kick their ass.”

He walked over towards you and removed your legs from the coffee table. “Not everything leads into a fight, young one.”

He was wearing a white button up with his sleeves pulled up to his elbows, and his shirt was tucked into his black clean ironed slacks. You had to admit, he looked really good when he was irritated or angry. Right now, he was just a tad bit irritated. He sat down beside you and you noticed a few tiny grey hairs. You gasped playfully and he looked over at you with his eyes brows furrowed.

“Master, you’re greying! Oh my, did I do that?” You snickered while he touched his hair.

“Would you quit that?” He asked irritatingly.

As much as you irritated him, he loved having you around because you made him feel young again, and he loved getting into little fights with you.

“You’re not going to the concert, understand?”

He gave you a very stern look which created a swirl in your stomach.

“Yes, Master.” You reluctantly replied. Oh, but if only he could see the crossed fingers behind your back. You were definitely going to that concert.

——————————————

Somehow, you successfully snuck out of the temple without raising suspicion from others. It was easier than you thought. Your master was in a briefing, so you quickly changed into your civilian clothes and made a run for it. If a Jedi asked you where you were going in civilian clothes, you replied you were going to take some younglings to the park. Even if they could sense you were lying, they didn’t even bother to try to change your mind because your famous for rebelling against the rules.

So, here you are now, at the concert with the group of strangers. It was a blast, the music ringing through your ears and the bass thumping throughout your body. Your throat was scratchy and coarse from screaming the lyrics at the top of your lungs. You whipped out your phone and recorded you and one of the strangers, who quickly turned into your best friend, singing to the current song playing. You uploaded it to your Snapchat story without even thinking about who could see it. All you could focus on was how happy you are.

——————————————

As soon as you got back to the temple, you could feel your masters anger seething throughout the large building. Your heart rate quickened and you stopped in your tracks. Immediately taking out your phone, you looked at the people who viewed your story and sure enough, you were in deep shit. In white lettering, you saw the name “Master Gaywalker”. The name you gave him on this app still makes you laugh.

“Come to the briefing room now.”

Anakin’s voice rippled through the force with anger dripping with it. You didn’t even try to run, not wanting to feel his wrath. You obediently walked your shaky legs to the briefing room.

——————————————

Your ass? Chewed. Chewed out by the whole council. And now Anakin was walking you back to your quarters while still chewing you out.

“I told you to not go, and what did you do? You completely disobeyed me!” You were walking farther ahead of him to try to get away from his nagging, but to no avail. You saw your quarters in view and made headway.

“Seriously, what does a Master have to do to keep his Padawan in check! Do I have to put baby monitors in your room?”

You finally reached your door and quickly stepped in. He quickly followed you inside and still wouldn’t shut his mouth.

“Okay, I get it. I’m sorry! I have no excuse, just please for the love of maker stop nagging and DON’T put baby monitors in my room.” You folded your arms and kept his stare across the room.

“Sorry doesn’t cut it. You lied to me, disobeyed me and embarrassed me in front of the council-“

As he kept rambling on and on about how much he’s disappointed in you, you couldn’t help but stare at his peachy lips. He kept licking them, making you hungrier for them to be on yours. Finally, not even thinking, you walked right up to him, grabbed his face and kissed him.

You broke the kiss, and took a step back. His eyes were wide, cheeks red and he couldn’t even form a sentence now. You smirked, and took seat on your bed.

“Who knew that kissing you would make you shut up?”

#anakin x reader #anakin x you #anakin skywalker #anakin ask

48 notes · View notes

zombiesbecrazy · 5 years

Text

look after their own

Summary: Five times Robin was pinned down.

AO3

Jason hit the ground hard, feeling the skin of his knees skid in a way that he knew was going to leave a trail of blood behind. Stupid Robin shorts. Who thought those were a good idea? Bruce said that Dick designed his own costume but why the hell would he and Alfred let him go out like this? It was just dumb, increased mobility be damned. He couldn’t wait for winter so he could break out the insulated pants that he knew were in the cave.

The more he thought about it, the more irritated he was. Why on earth was he using a second hand costume? Sure, Dick had given him this one which made it special, but Bruce was a kagillionaire. He could afford a suit with pants if he could afford to make all those batarangs.

He tried to get up, eager to get back into the thick of the fight, only then aware that there is a larger body pinning him down. He twisted around, ready to sock the would be attacker right in the kisser when he recognized the masked face above him and teal markings of another ridiculous costume.

Speak of the devil, the OG booty shorts Robin himself.

“What the heck?” Jason didn’t punch him, but slapped Dick’s arms a few times, not trying to hurt him, just maybe annoy him to the point of letting go.

“Stay down, Little Wing,” said Dick, tone serious. Not like it was when he fought with Bruce screaming at top volume, more like Bruce himself when he was teaching a new skill, when Jason needed to pay attention. Low, patient, but unyielding. “Wait for it.”

“Don’t call me that,” Jason automatically replied. That was the third time Dick had called him that, dangerously close to it becoming a thing and he absolutely didn’t want it to catch on. “Wait for what?”

“Three… two… one…” Nightwing pointed his finger like he was ticking off a checkbox and as if on cue a barrage of bullets shot out over their heads, just where Jason had been standing before Nightwing had swung around, tackling him to the ground. Jason flinched at the sound, both of the gun firing and the bullets hitting the wall behind them.

Jason would have been like Swiss Cheese his Dick hadn't shown up.

“How did you know that was going to happen?”

“It’s Penguin. It’s what he does.” Dick shrugged and rolled off Jason, sitting on the ground beside him instead “Did you see that little twirly thing he did with his umbrella? He always does that before going trigger happy. Always dive when you see him do that because you have about eight seconds. It’s not a lot of time, but it's enough.” Jason nodded. Bruce hadn’t said anything about that when they had been learning about Copplepot in training, but if Dick was telling him about it and based on what had just happened, it would have to be true.

“Now what?”

“He’s gotta reload before he does it again.” Dick peeked over the fence they were behind, taking a look at what they were up against. “So I think that now is the perfect time for Robin and Nightwing to swoop in and save the day before he gets a chance to do that.”

Jason spat on his knee, attempting to wipe up some of the blood and grinned when he saw Dick scrunch up his nose at that. “What about Batman?” he asked. He had been patrolling solo, but had called in the Penguin sighting before shit had hit the fan, so B should be close by now.

Dick shrugged a shoulder, not overly bothered about where Batman was or wasn’t at that particular moment. “Well sure he can help, I guess, if he shows up, but between the two of us we don’t need no stinking Batman.” They could hear Penguin calling out, taunting them, calling them out to face him and it just made Dick smile. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve always wondered what a penguin would look like hanging upside down from a lamp post. What do you say? Waddle try?” he asked before jumping to his feet and running, apparently starting whatever plan he had up his dumb looking sleeves.

Jason groaned and scrambled after Dick to chase him down. That was a terrible joke and he just couldn’t let that fly.

He opened the door and the strange ticking noise that he had been following got a lot louder, which he really knew wasn’t a good thing. His gut had been telling him that he was doing something stupid and he should probably call Batman in, but his curiosity got the better of him and he had kept following the lead on his own.

Big mistake. Big, big, big mistake.

Tim’s eyes grew wide when he saw the glowing red numbers, counting down in what he logically knew was by the second but they seemed to be going impossibly faster than that. Relays, switches, a mess of wires; there just wasn’t enough time to defuse it no matter how good he was. The warehouse was going to blow in eighteen seconds.

Batman wouldn’t be able to handle it if he got himself exploded. He had to run and hope that he got far enough away from the blast so that it didn’t kill him. He couldn’t do that to Bruce. He needed Tim. Especially now.

He was tackled around the waist and pressed hard into the ground just as the building behind him exploded. There was a rush of warmth as the flames engulfed the area, but he was just far enough away that the fire didn’t reach him, if only by a few feet. There was debris landing around him, he was safe and secure, somehow covered by the a larger body who had pushed him just far enough out of the way to not toasted.

The figure above him groaned and pushed himself off, crawling to his knees and Tim could hear him panting loudly through his helmet. His red helmet with the voice modulator.

Red Hood. Robin. Jason Todd.

Jason Todd had recently beaten Tim to a bloody pulp in Titans Tower. Recently enough that Tim still had bruised ribs from the attack.

Jason pulled his helmet off, red domino mask on, gasping in deep breaths, hands shaking and he completely ignored Tim beside him, instead staring off at the burning rubble of the warehouse instead, watching the flames flicker and slowly destroy the remains.

“Hood?” Tim sat up, hand to his head, running his hand through his hair that was quickly filling with ash. “Why…” his voice was choked and his words stumbled over themselves. “Thanks for…” Tim coughed, lungs trying to catch up to what had just happened. He didn’t know what to say to his strange rescuer, the man that had just saved his life, and finally settled on. “Jason, why?”

Jason pulled his knees towards him, trying to curl his large frame up into a very small ball, and stared off into the fire. “No one,” Jason finally said, voice hoarse with smoke and fire and maybe something else. Tim could see the fire flickering in the reflection of Jason’s mask lenses. “No one should go out like that.”

They both stared at the building for a few minutes, side by side, but by themselves. “I thought you wanted me dead,” whispered Tim

“Yeah, well. No one gets to kill you but me.” There had been a moment, a moment there between them where they understood each other. It was fleeting, and now it was gone, but it had been there. Jason had saved him. His Robin had saved him.

“Run along back to your big bad Bat, little Robin,” Jason said, still watching the fire with intensity, showing no sign of leaving any time soon.

And Tim ran, knowing the whole way that he wouldn’t mention a word of it to Bruce.

It was their little secret.

“So I should probably sweep the leg, like in the Karate Kid?” asked Stephanie as she circled him on the mat, trying to figure out what his stance was giving away to her. They had been working by themselves for a while, Steph determined to become stronger in her fighting skills and Tim looking to still somehow help even though he was no longer help. He could say to his dad that he was helping a friend with her homework and not technically be lying.

Except in the way that he totally was. He had only lasted three days before he was back in the Cave after school just like he always had, even just for a little while before he had to leave so his dad didn’t find out. Today though, today Ives was lying for him if his dad asked. Today he could even stay for dinner and the pre-patrol debrief before he had to hurry back home.

He missed being Robin so much and it had only been a week.

“Sure. Just no Crane kicks. Those are illegal.”

Stephanie burst out laughing, losing any sort seriousness that she had barely been clinging to through the session. “We dress up like vigilantes, fight crime in the shadows and have villains who can control plants, but sure, let’s not use illegal martial arts moves, Tim.”

“Look, I know that Johnny was a jerk, but Daniel should have been disqualified.”

“You are very hung up on this.” She stopped in front of him, smiling at his outrage. He knew that he had ranted about this to her before but it was something that bothered him a lot about the movie.

“There are rules and he didn’t follow them. Especially in an organized sporting event like tha...”

Stephanie kissed him, and Tim’s body froze, but his brain started running at top speed, mildly panicking. Did this mean she wanted to get back together? Should he kiss her back? He liked kissing her, and she tasted like strawberry lip balm which was his favourite but he wasn’t sure what this meant. It would be polite to kiss her back but they might be better off friends. He was about to pull away but before he could figure out what he was going to do, he was flat on his back, Steph pinning him down, counting loudly and smacking the mat with each second.

“I win!” She raised her arms up in the air and threw her head back, cackling loudly and then rolled off Tim, and laid down on the mat beside him, breathing hard as she laughed.

He rolled his head to look at her, pretending scowl and look put out for falling for her move. “You fight dirty.” They were sparring, not making out. There were rules . Why was he even a little surprised that she didn’t follow them?

He sort of liked that she didn’t.

“Hey, whatever works.” She chewed on her lip and had the sense to look a little nervous. “I’m sorry. That probably crossed a line.”

“Yeah, but it was nice.” Tim could feel his ears growing pink, embarrassed even though he didn’t really know why. It was far from the first time that they had kissed, even since they had broken up. “Sometimes I miss kissing you.”

“Yeah?” she asked softly, looking at his lips. “Only sometimes?”

“Maybe more than sometimes.” He could feel himself being drawn closer to her, like a magnet or gravitational pull. They probably should stop or walk away or go back to sparring. This was probably a bad idea.

Steph closed her eyes and leaned forward, whispering, “Me too.”

This definitely didn’t fall into helping a friend with her homework in any possible way and Tim was more than okay with that.

Sometimes bad ideas weren’t so bad. As long as they heard Bruce coming down the stairs in time.

“Robin!” Stephanie pinned him down, legs straddled over his waist but he was struggling against him and was just so damn squirmy. “Damn it, listen to me, you little brat.”

Damian’s eyes were panicked and he was doing everything that he could think of to throw her off, and while he was a better fighter than she was, he was down to three good limbs to her four and it was enough for her to have the advantage in this position. It didn’t stop him from arguing with her though. “We have to get to him, we have to help him, we have to get to Batman.”

He had been arguing with her for a while, and she had begun to realise that he was bordering on having a panic attack. He knew that she was there, and who she was, but nothing that she was saying was registering and he wasn’t even realizing how badly that he had been hurt. She had to stop him from moving, from making a severely bad break into something closer to a permanent injury.

This wasn’t him fighting because he needed to; it was fighting because he was scared and not thinking straight.

Stephanie ran out of options and slapped him in the face. Not hard, but enough to get his attention and derail his rambling for a second, hopefully long enough that she could get through to him. Damian eyes were wide but he stopped thrashing and he locked his gaze on Steph. She tried what she had been trying to tell him before again. Maybe the fourth time would be the charm. “Batman is fine. Oracle called in backup for him and Red Robin is there.” Damian was breathing hard through his nose, chest heaving with effort, but he was listening. He nodded at her, which was better than the other times had gone so Steph kept her voice calm and continued. “You on the other hand, are completely not fine, unless you normally have a bone sticking out of your boot?” Damian’s breath hitched at that, but he shook his head. “Didn’t think so. Compound fibula fracture, kiddo. You aren’t running off anywhere.”

“But…” he turned his head in the direction of the battle below, where Batman had redirected the fight after Robin went down, trying to draw the goons away. Stephanie gently pulled his chin back towards her. It wouldn’t help for him to think that he was needed elsewhere when he wouldn’t even be able to stand.

“Nope.” She climbed off of him and helped him sit up, careful with the injured leg, but he still hissed as he moved and saw the bone poking out. Steph took her cape off and covered Damian in it like a blanket so that he wouldn’t be tempted to keep looking at the leg. “Chill out with your favourite Batgirl for a while until the fights over and someone can pick us up.”

“You should leave and go help the others.”

“Nah. They’ve got it.” Steph could hear the fight going on through the comms and it honestly sounded sort of boring. If anything Damian would be mad later that his injury wasn’t caused by something more exciting instead of just a poorly placed kick and tumble. “I’d rather hang out with you. Can I make you a splint? I’ve been practicing.”

“I don’t want your third rate splint.”

“Excuse you, my splints are now second rate, because I’ve been practicing.” Damian glared at her with his stone cold expression. “Fine. No splint. Wait for B and he’ll do it if you want a perfect splint, your highness. Want to watch cat videos instead?”

“You brought your phone on patrol? Why?”

“To watch cat videos, obviously.” Damian said nothing so she pulled up YouTube and shoved the phone into his hands “Here. I found this great compilation of them pushing glasses off tables earlier. You’ll love it.”

Fifteen minutes later, Batman appeared on the roof only to find them sitting side by side, watching a baby elephant playing with a ball in the water, and for the first time in what felt like forever, he didn’t comment on her bringing her phone on patrol, instead setting to work on splinting Damian’s leg and with what she thought might possibly be a grunt of approval.

It was hard to breathe and it was the pressure on his chest was the thing that he thought had woken him up but he couldn’t be sure. Dick sluggishly blinked a few times and saw the familiar looking cave ceiling, fluorescent lights strung across. Medbay.

His foggy brain couldn’t remember how he had ended up there. Well, not specifically, anyway. He had been on patrol, he had been called in for back up for… something and that was about it. He must have been dragged back to the cave in the batmobile, but everything else was a blur of blackness and screaming and pain until there was nothing.

He tried to shift to get a little more comfortable but his entire body protested, partly due to bandages, whatever painkillers that Alfred must him pumped him with and the small dark haired body curled up beside him, head resting on Dick’s chest.

At least that explained the weight that had woken him up.

Dick slowly raised his hand and ran his hand through Damian’s hair, feeling his brother relax deeper into the touch, making Dick grin. If anyone outside the family ever knew that the small, angry Robin was such a big cuddler, he’d go on a rampage about it.

“He refused to leave your side,” said Bruce quietly, from his typical spot on the right hand side of the bed. He had his reading glasses on, the ones that he wore when he was exhausted but determined to stay awake, sketchpad in hand. Dick was just able to make out the lines of what looked like it might be him and Damian sleeping on the cot before Bruce flipped the book closed. Bruce always kept his 'doodles' private.

There was a cooled cup of coffee and abandoned tablet on the table next to the bed, as well as an empty plate, more signs of Bruce keeping watch. “Looks like he wasn’t the only one.”

Bruce hummed, and watched Dick adjust again who winced slightly as one of Damian’s elbows jabbed him in the stomach, probably over a bruise by the feel of it. Bruce frowned at the action, eyebrows pulling together. “Do you want me to take him upstairs?” He didn’t move though, probably guessing the answer. It was a fairly common tradition that only got passed over when the injuries were too severe for Damian to sleep with Dick when he was injured. He claimed that he was guarding him, but everyone knew better.

“Nah. We’re good.” Dick dropped his hand lower and rubbed circles on Damian’s back, who snored once and then snuggled in tighter. “Was I ever this small?” Dick asked quietly before he registered the words that came out of his mouth, and then huffed out a laugh, because yes, he knew objectively that he had been that small at some point, he had been a child after all, but he couldn’t quite fathom being this size at the manor.

“Smaller.” Bruce seemed to understand what he meant, taking off his glasses and tucking them into the neck of his shirt and watched his oldest and his youngest in silence as he thought about it more. “You were tiny. You would crawl into my bed after having a nightmare and I was afraid that I’d roll over in my sleep and crush you.”

Dick did remember doing that. Bruce’s size was part of the appeal of doing that; he could protect Dick from any monsters, dreams or memories that haunted him in the night. “Yeah, well, you are a behemoth who sleeps like the dead. It was probably a valid concern.” Bruce chuckled and then got up to check Dick’s vitals, both of them knowing that it was more out of something to do rather than necessity at this point.

“Do you want me to stay?”

“We always want you to stay, B.” smiled Dick, looking down at his brother. "But I don't think you need to. Robin's look after their own."

#whumptober2019 #no.16 #dick grayson #Jason Todd #Tim Drake #Stephanie Brown #damian wayne #bruce wayne #robin pile #minor tim/steph

244 notes · View notes

enchantedlokii · 4 years

Text

Peppermint

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: near-death experience, anaphylaxis, language

Characters: Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Clint Barton, Natasha Romanoff, Bruce Banner, FRIDAY

Mentioned: Happy Hogan, May Parker

Peter was never quiet. The hyper teenager was always bouncing around, babbling about his day or an idea he had. So when the boy came in and silently threw away his empty cup, Tony knew something wasn’t right. At first he assumed that he was upset over something, but then he noticed the red tint to his cheeks and knew that the kid must be sick.

“Hey, Kiddo,” he stepped over and put an arm around the boy, surprised when he noticed that Peter was shaking a bit. Not only that, but he seemed winded, a slight wheeze coming with his slowed breaths. “Are you feeling okay?”

“I actually feel really sick, Mr. Stark,” Peter admitted, leaning against him a bit. “I was feeling fine this morning. I don’t know what’s wrong. I didn’t think I could even get sick.”

“Come on, let’s sit down.” Tony led Peter over to the couch, worried by his slow movements and the way he stumbled a bit, grasping Tony’s arm for balance and closing his eyes for a moment. “Talk to me, Pete. What’s wrong?”

“My throat hurts,” Peter murmured, his voice starting to sound scratchy. “And my chest. And my head. Everything hurts, Mr. Stark.”

“Okay, okay, hey, don’t panic,” Tony noticed that Peter was taking sharper breaths now, the wheezing becoming more prominent. “Just breathe, Kiddo. When did you start feeling bad?”

Peter seemed to think for a moment, glancing towards the empty cup he had thrown in the trash. “After I started my smoothie,” he told him. His eyes widened a bit as he came to a realization. “Oh no.”

“What? What is it?” Tony asked. He didn’t look up as he heard footsteps in the doorway. Something was wrong with Peter, and that was more important than whatever whoever was there needed.

“Peppermint,” Peter told him, looking up at him with wide eyes. “Peppermint. Spiders don’t like peppermint.”

That’s when it clicked. “Sh*t, Peter,” he huffed, trying to keep the panic from setting in. He raised his head now and turned to look at whoever had come in; Clint and Natasha. Good. “One of you run and get two EpiPens from the medbay and one of you find Bruce.”

He didn’t wait for a response before turning back to Peter. They had argued in the past, but he knew that neither of them would deny helping someone who needed them. Especially not when that someone was Peter. They loved him — all the Avengers did. “It’s going to be okay, Kiddo. I promise.”

Peter shook his head. He opened his mouth to speak, but all that came was a wheeze. His eyes were pleading now as he looked at Tony, silently begging him to help. And he desperately wanted to help, but he didn’t know what to do. He had to wait for Clint or Natasha to get back with the EpiPens and pray that the boy wouldn’t stop breathing.

He saw tears in the boy’s eyes and pulled him close. He found himself pushing his finger’s against Peter’s wrist and counting the faint heartbeat in an attempt to calm himself. His heart was still beating. He was still alive. He wasn’t going to die.

But Peter was getting weaker every minute. He started to collapse against Tony, and when the man looked down he saw that the teenager’s mouth was gaping now, desperately trying to pull in air but not managing to get any. His lips were paling and his eyes were starting to droop. “No, no. Stay with me, Pete,” he said quickly. He could hear the panic in his own voice. Because he knew that he wouldn’t last much longer without help. “FRIDAY, where are they?”

“I’m here!”

Tony looked up at Clint, silently pleading as he watched him shaking the EpiPen and snapping off the cap. “Sorry, Peter. This is going to hurt a bit,” he said quickly, pressing a hand against Peter’s hip before stabbing the needle into his thigh. Peter didn’t react, still struggling to try to take even a small breath. His lips had a blue tinge now, and he was constantly blinking in an effort to stay awake.

“Just a little bit longer,” Tony told him. “Come on, Pete. Come on. Breathe for us.”

“Should I get another ready?” Clint asked, already pulling a second shot out of his pocket. In his eyes, he seemed torn between giving the boy another dose and waiting another minute to see if it kicked in.

Before Tony had a chance to reply, the silence broke and Peter wheezed weakly, managing time take in a small breath. Then he took another, slightly stronger. He shook his head, probably trying to wake himself more.

“There you go. That’s it.” Tony pulled Peter close again, rubbing his back. He hoped that it would help him regain control of his breathing. He was aware that his voice was breaking, but that didn’t matter now. All that mattered was Peter. Because he had to be okay. “That’s it, Pete. Keep breathing.”

The color started to come back to Peter’s lips as he started to take stronger breaths. His cheeks were still flushed, but the pain was fading from his eyes, replaced with pure exhaustion. Then they flashed with recognition and fear and started to swell with tears. “T-Tony. . .”

“Shh, save your strength, Pete,” he whispered, pulling Peter closer and cradling his head. “You’re okay now. I’ve got you.”

He silently hoped that Peter was too out of it to hear his rapid heartbeat. Now that it was okay — now that Peter was okay — he realized just how terrified he actually was. Even though he kept telling himself he wasn’t going to die, he knew that truthfully Peter had just almost died. Peter knew it, too, based on how upset he was. It was too close. Way too close.

“Oh, thank God.” Tony looked up as he heard Bruce. He was winded from obviously running to them. “He’s okay.”

Tony just nodded in reply, pressing his face into Peter’s hair. The boy was still crying, but that was okay. He was breathing again. His heart was still beating — much faster than it should be, but he knew that was from the epinephrine. “It’s okay, Pete. You’re okay.”

“Hey, Peter?” Bruce came over and crouched down beside them, rubbing the boy’s leg. “I want to get you up to the medbay and keep an eye on you for a few hours, okay?”

Peter shook his head and pressed closer to Tony, his trembling fingers grasping his shirt. “It’s okay, I’m coming with you,” Tony murmured, stroking his curls. “I’ll even carry you up, alright?”

Peter just whimpered in reply, still crying. It broke Tony’s heart, but he tried to again focus on the fact that he was alive and breathing. He could handle crying. He couldn’t handle losing him. So he carefully maneuvered himself to the edge of the couch, carefully lifting the surprisingly light teenager.

“FRIDAY, care to have Happy call May and let her know what’s going on?” he asked as they walked towards the elevator. “Actually, have him go pick her up. Don’t need her driving while she’s upset.”

“Will do, Boss,” FRIDAY replied.

“Great,” he replied, pressing his face into Peter’s hair again. “Let’s get you fixed up, Buddy.”

The first thing Peter noticed when he woke up was the annoying beeping of a heart monitor. The rhythm was steady, not too fast or too slow. If it was an actual heartbeat he was hearing, he might find it comforting, but it was instead a high-pitched beep that hurt his sensitive ears. Then, he realized it was his heartbeat that lined up with the monitor.

Peter scrunched up his face, noticing that a cannula was pushed up his nose, helping him breathe. There was an IV in his right arm, pumping fluids into him. His thigh was sore, but his chest and throat ached more than anything.

He groaned softly, moving his head sideways and letting his eyes open slightly. The lights were dimmed, thank God, and he was able to make out the familiar medbay. He was safe.

That’s when everything came back to him. Peter had bought a peppermint smoothie after school. He had been thirsty, and it was hot outside. It wasn’t until he felt his throat starting to close off that it hit him that he was most likely allergic to peppermint now. Unfortunately, that most likely was a certainty. He had panicked, searching Tony’s eyes for some sort of hope that he would be okay, but he could see the fear in his eyes that didn’t fade even after Clint stabbed in him in the leg with an EpiPen and he managed to refill his lungs a few minutes later.

And Peter had cried. He had cried and clung to Tony like his life depended on it. Because he had just barely escaped death, and he wasn’t ready to die yet. He didn’t want to leave. Not when he had barely lived. And he definitely didn’t want to die from an accident that could have been avoided if he hadn’t been so ignorant. And after the incident, he realized, he didn’t want to die in front of Tony. Because the man’s panic showed him that he would have been a mess if they hadn’t managed to pull Peter away from his near-death.

Peter didn’t realize that his eyes were filling with tears again until he looked up at the sound of someone coming in and realized that his vision was blurred. “Oh, Pete. Hey, it’s okay.” Peter sniffled as Tony came over and combed his fingers through his hair. “You’re okay.”

“I-I almost died,” he breathed.

“But you didn’t,” Tony whispered. Peter was surprised when the man bent over and kissed his forehead. “You scared me, Kiddo.”

“I’m sorry,” Peter murmured, his voice breaking. He felt arms wrapping around him and squeezing him tight. “I-I should have realized.”

“Shh,” Tony hushed him. “I’m just glad you’re okay. That’s all that matters, alright? That, and peppermint is now forbidden in any Avengers facility. Period. If anyone so much as brings a peppermint scented candle in this building I will blast it with a repulsor.”

Peter managed a small chuckle, feeling Tony smile above him. “Thanks, Mr. Stark. I-I’m sorry that I was clingy afterwards. I. . . I was kinda terrified.”

“It’s alright, Pete. If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t want to let go either. Not sure how much you remember, but Nat practically had to peel you away from me for Bruce to look at you.”

Peter smiled a bit and pressed his face against Tony’s shoulder. “I-I need to thank them too,” he murmured. “And Clint. For, um, stabbing me to life?”

“That’s one way of putting it.”

The two jumped at the voice, pulling apart. Tony rolled his eyes, looking up at the vent on the wall. Clint waved through the bars, causing Peter to chuckle. “Thanks, Clint,” he said quietly. His throat still itched and he was tired beyond belief, and he silently hoped that the man had his hearing aids turned up enough to hear him.

His hopes were answered when the man opened the vent and jumped down. “Of course,” he replied, scratching the back of his neck. “I’m with Stark; just glad that you’re okay. And sorry if it hurt. I know it was necessary but I still feel kinda guilty for it.”

“It’s okay,” Peter promised. He shifted in his bed and opened his arms. Clint smiled and came forward to hug him. His hug was gentler and shorter than Tony’s, but just as caring.

“Does Aunt May know?” he asked as Clint pulled away.

“She just left for work, actually,” Tony told him. “I can call her and ask her to come back if you want. I already planned on pulling some strings for her to get the night off, but you know how she is.”

“Could I just call her and let her know I’m okay? So she doesn’t worry?” Peter asked. He reached to try to find his phone only to realize he was in a gown rather than his normal clothes.

“Sure. FRIDAY has her number on file. You want us to step out?” Tony asked, rubbing Peter’s arm gently.

“No, you can stay,” Peter told him. “FRIDAY?”

“Yes, Mr. Parker?”

“Call May Parker, please.”

#marvel #mcu #avengers #irondad #spiderson #peter parker #tony stark #clint barton #natasha romanoff #bruce banner #friday #iron man #spider man #hawkeye #black widow #hulk

8 notes · View notes

witharsenicsauce · 4 years

Text

Chosen Stories From the War #18: If U Seek Amy

It seemed to Kon-Mai like she had spent her life here, in the ship’s infirmary.

In a way, she had been born—reborn—here, awoken to darkness, with new possibilities surrounding her. Her brothers, too. They had all been born here.

And now Colonel Zhang was born anew here. Or at least, he would be.

Kon-Mai stood over him, peering over his body curiously. His skin had returned to a more normal tone, his face slightly flush from the warmth of the room. His knuckles and joints did seem to be a bit chafed, but that was superficial and would likely pass. Tygan, though incredibly miffed at her brother for his...relative carelessness, had managed to work with what he was given, and Zhang was likely to come out of this with all his insides where they were supposed to be. That was thankful. He’d need them.

She wondered how old he was. From what she knew, Zhang had appeared to ADVENT already an old man, but there was no way a frail old timer could survive what he had. Unless…

Something must have been very special about him. It would explain why ADVENT kept him so secret, even from their own Chosen.

Kon-Mai pondered the thought. Come to think of it, there was so much she did not know. Some things she had never known. The Elders never told her, and she never questioned. Yet some thoughts seemed to echo in her mind, like imprints of old memories, but without her chip, that was all they were. Imprints. A few lines of code here, a mountain range there, the walls of a black building, a clone...

Zhang’s body jolted beside her, and she felt him scoot away, or at least try to while hooked up. She looked up to meet his golden eyes, awake and glaring at her in terror.

Kon-Mai bowed her head and knelt beside him, trying to seem as non-threatening as possible, but he still seemed to startle at her presence. She knew he would, but it still hurt to see him panic at the sight of her.

“Colonel Shaojie Zhang.” She said in that raspy, inhuman voice of hers. “I am Sergent Kon-Mai Mordenna. I am…” She hesitated. What was she to XCOM? Was she still a Chosen? Was she a soldier? She finally settled on “I am an agent of XCOM. The Commander instructed me to-”

“You.” He choked out through his oxygen mask.

She startled. “You recognize me?”

“Where am I?” He demanded, beginning to sit up, hissing as the stitches on his abdomen pulled with the movement.

“You’re in XCOM’s flying base, the Aven-” Kon-Mai broke off as Zhang began to tug at the wires, and she grabbed his arms to stop him. “No, Colonel Zhang, you mustn’t do that! You will injure yourself further!”

“Are you truly of XCOM?” He hissed. “Let me go, I need to see the Commander. It is urgent.”

“I am, I assure you! You can tell me, and I shall report to the Commander.” Kon-Mai said.

“No.” He insisted. “Her ears only. I need to see her.”

“She cannot be seen at the moment. And YOU cannot leave-” Kon-Mai did not get a chance to finish.

Zhang threw out his hands in a shove, and a wave of psionic force pushed Kon-Mai away. She flew backward, slamming against the railing of another bed and flipping over, the metal frame landing on top of her. She tried to roll over, and heard her own voice scream out with the pain of doing so.

Zhang was getting up from his bed, slowly, and grabbed at his IV drip, perhaps intending to pull it out before he decided, smartly, to simply bring it with him. Kon-Mai kicked the bed frame off of her and scurried to her feet, rushing to block the exit. Zhang tried to hit her again, but she was ready and ducked under his blast. It still knocked into her shoulder though, and she stumbled, which gave him the opportunity to grab a nearby tray and attempt to hit her with it.

Kon-Mai raised her arm, blocking his blow from hitting her in the head, but he swiped his foot across her leg. She tried to roll with the motion, but her back cried out in pain and she slipped back to the ground, hitting with a thud just as footsteps could be heard from outside in the hall, running towards them at breakneck speed.

“What the hell is going on?!” Bradford cried, and Kon-Mai felt a much stronger pulse than anything Zhang had put forward. Someone reached down and scooped her into their arms, and she looked up at her big brother as he stared down in horror at her condition.

“Dhar-Mon, I am fine.” She assured him, but her voice was weaker than she expected. “The Colonel simply...caught me off guard.”

“How DARE you strike my sister!” Dhar-Mon turned and bellowed at Zhang, who was currently focused on Bradford. In fact, he didn’t even look up until Dhar-Mon growled like an angry dog, and even then, Zhang did not seem intimidated.

“I don’t have time for this.” Zhang snapped. “Bradford, I need to speak with you and Senuna.”

“Hold the fucking phone.” Bradford snapped. “First of all, hello Zhang, nice to see you too. Second of all, you just ASSAULTED one of my soldiers, and finally, get your ass back in bed! That’s an order!”

While Kon-Mai simply chuckled at this, Zhang looked absolutely flabbergasted by Bradford’s display of authority, to the point that he seemed completely frozen and speechless.

“Back in bed.” Bradford said again. “Then we’ll talk. And the Commander is busy.”

“I need her to hear this.” Zhang growled. “Believe me, Bradford. It’s of great importance.”

“Well then, I’ll just go grab her out of the fucking shower. I’m sure she’ll appreciate that.” Bradford growled. “No. It can wait. Ass. Bed. Now.”

Too bewildered to argue, Zhang complied, getting back into bed in a half-sitting position.

“Brother. I am alright.” Kon-Mai assured Dhar-Mon, who was still holding her. “You may release me…”

“I could hear you scream from my quarters, Sister.” He replied. “And it was so painful I could feel your injury in my own bones. I will not let you down until I know you are well.”

“Oh? And when will you know that for certain?” She chuckled and leaned against his chest.

“Central.” Dhar-Mon stood at attention. “Permission to take my sister to her room.

“Granted.” Bradford chuckled. “There’s ice packs in the bar, if you need any.”

As they left the room, Kon-Mai glanced over Dhar-Mon’s shoulder. Zhang was staring at them intently, looking like he wanted to say something. But alas, he remained silent.

The garage door peeled open slowly, and the cool night air hit Gur-Rai full force. He took a deep breath, pulling his hood closer around him. “You smell that, Lily? That smells like adventure!”

“Right?” Shen crossed her arms. “I’ve always been a night owl. That’s the one thing I do appreciate about the city centers: they got rid of so much light pollution.” She pointed up. “Look at all those stars!”

He chuckled. “If you think that’s impressive, wait till you see the planets that orbit them.”

Shen’s face lit up. “Seriously?”

“Oh yes.” He smirked, wheeling the bike out onto the open grass. “You believe in aliens, don’t you?”

“Yeah yeah, smart ass.” She chuckled and took the other handlebar, helping him push it to a semi-recognizable road. “These old roads are so...haunting, under the starlight.”

“Did you ever see Uruguay before it looked like this?” Gur-Rai asked. “When it was actually inhabited?”

“Nope. I saw Mexico once though!” Shen chirped.

“Your father’s work, I assume?”

“Kinda, but not really. It was for the Commander’s wedding-” She broke off, her face going pale.

“The Commander’s what now?” Gur-Rai’s bald brows shot up.

Shen kept her mouth shut, only smiling at him before turning her gaze back to the bike.

“You said her wedding?” He leaned forward. “She had a wedding, Lily?”

“Yep.” Shen pressed her lips into a thin line.

“No, Lily, don’t leave me hanging like that!” Gur-Rai leaned over the bike. “The Commander is married?!”

“Uh...it’s complicated.” Shen coughed.

“Well, I’ll say! Who did she marry?”

Shen scoffed “I don’t remember his name, Gur-Rai. I was six!”

“Well, you have to remember something! One doesn’t just forget the COMMANDER of XCOM getting MARRIED!”

“Look, I remember taking a lot of pictures and not being able to breathe in the dress my mom made me wear!” She cried. “I sure as hell don’t remember her husband’s name.”

“But it was a man?”

“Pretty sure.”

“Hm.” Gur-Rai pursed his lips. “I always assume she played the other team...well, she really is full of surprises then.”

“She never brings him up.” Shen said. “And, seeing as he’s not here?” Shen raised an eyebrow and waited for him to make the connection.

“Isn't that a love story for the ages!” Gur-Rai sighed wistfully. “Doomed lovers separated by war, torn apart by duty to their cause and an evil like the worlds has never known! Will fate ever smile down on them? Will they ever be-”

“Hey, cut it out.” Shen snapped. “If you’re trying to squeeze more info out of me, I already said I don’t remember. And have you seen the Commander when she gets upset? I wouldn’t ask her about it, Gur-Rai, so just drop it.”

“Oh but Lily, the drama!”

“No, seriously.” She said, her face pleading. “I don’t want to hurt her like that. She’s been through so much already.”

Gur-Rai’s smile dropped. “I won’t, Lily. If it’s that serious…”

“Yeah...good.” She sighed. “I’m...sorry. I kinda snapped at you there.”

“No, no, I should apologize.” He patted her back. “I’m sorry, Lily. I shouldn't be prying into things like that.”

“Oh shut up, you drama queen.” Shen smirked. “Let’s get this thing out on the track, ok?”

Kon-Mai pouted as her brother carried her down the hall toward her room. “I can walk perfectly fine, Dhar-Mon.”

“I will take no chances with your health.” Dhar-Mon insisted, his loud voice booming in the empty hallway.

Kon-Mai rolled her eyes. “He did not hit me that hard.” She chuckled. “The bed did most of the work.”

“The impact could have broken your back!” Dhar-Mon asserted. “No, it is better you do not try to walk on an aggravated injury!”

“Would you do this with Gur-Rai?” She asked. “Is it because I am so young?”

“Of course I would do this for him!” He scoffed. “And you two are both incredibly young. As your eldest brother, it is my job to protect you!”

Kon-Mai fell silent at that. “Your job?”

“Of course.” He said calmly. “If it were Gur-Rai in this predicament, I would bear his scrawny little body to bed as well.”

She didn’t know what to say to that, but something about it sat ill with her. It felt strange to be curled in her big brother’s arms like a child. Strange, but not exactly bad.

She pressed her face into his shoulder as he opened the door to her room. “Rest here, Sister.” He said as he laid her gently on her large bed, stopping her as she went to rise from it. “Would you like anything? Some water perhaps?”

“Well, if you are going to insist I bind myself to this bed, then yes, I would welcome some water.” She chuckled, as he took the glass already at her beside and went to fill it at the sink. She turned onto her side, her back still aching but the pain subsiding slowly as the fresh injuries faded into bruises. She had to admit, her throat was a tad sore.

“Take this, you insolent child~” Her brother mumbled, chuckling, as he came back to her. Instead of just leaving it, he put a hand to her back and directed her to sit up, handing her the water and ensuring she drank.

“Why do we still drink?” She said as she handed the now half-empty glass back to her brother. “We do not need food, why water?”

“Psionic energy can compensate for many things.” Dhar-Mon took the glass and left it beside her on the table. “But it cannot compensate for moisture. And the Elders could not eliminate that need completely.”

“They could not do many things, under examination.” Kon-Mai chuckled.

Dhar-Mon sighed, taking a minute to formulate whatever he wanted to say next. He would open his mouth, then close it again and shake his head.

“You are right, Sister.” He finally said. “They couldn’t deliver upon half of what they promised us.”

She reached out and rubbed his arm. “Do not try and justify their actions to yourself. The Elders are incapable of feeling the love you held for them.”

“I try.” He admitted. “But I find the more I try to accept this evil as fact, the angrier I become. Sometimes, it feels even worse to accept that they are morally deprived. It is easier to think I did something wrong.”

Kon-Mai followed his silence with her own, only reaching out to take his hand and give it a gentle squeeze. “I know.” She whispered. “I know the feeling of it. It hurts me, as well, Brother.”

“Please, let us not dwell on this.” He stood up. “Do you need anything else?”

“Hand me some of the fabric over there, and my pins.” She smiled. “If I am now bedbound, I’m going to get to work on making you those shirts.”

“And Gur-Rai his trousers.”

“Ah, yes. I need to get his measurements…” She sighed.

Senuna threw on her blue cardigan, buttoning the front few buttons just as the door slid open. Bradford wheeled Shaojie Zhang inside, toting his IV drip behind him. The old man looked like he was on death’s door still, but upon seeing Senuna, his face lit up.

“Sunny.” He whispered. “It really is you.”

“Chilong!” She vaulted over her desk and sprinted up to him, kneeling down and reaching out for his hands, as though she were afraid to touch him.

“Come now, is that any way to greet an old friend?” He held his arms open, and she smiled and dove into his grasp, leaning into his hug.

“It’s been so long.” She whispered. “There’s so much I have to tell you.”

“And there is much I must tell you.” Zhang pulled away. “Commander. You will want to sit down for this.”

She furrowed her brow, moving back to her desk as Bradford pushed Zhang in front of it. Jane, ever watchful, sat off to the side on one of her white leather couches, her hands in her lap. Bradford moved to the Commander’s side, reaching for a discarded mug of coffee that had long gone cold.

As soon as everyone was settled, Zhang spoke. “Moira Vahlen is alive.”

Senuna gasped. Bradford dropped his cup of coffee, shattering it on the floor. Even Jane’s stony face twisted into a look of shock and horror. Zhang maintained eye contact with the Commander the whole time, the lines across his face making him look almost angry.

Senuna began to tremble, her lip quivering. “...Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.” He nodded. “I heard she was passing through Triad territory.”

“Stop stop stop.” Bradford raised a hand. “Triad is still operating? Under ADVENT?”

“That is what I heard.” Zhang said. “They’re operating...WITH ADVENT.”

“Christ.” Jane sighed. “That’s what we need right now.”

“If Vahlen was in Triad territory, then…” Bradford closed his eyes, and they could practically smell the gears turning in his head.

“She might not be there on behalf of ADVENT!” Senuna cried. “She might be on the run from them. Or was escaping capture. And it’s the first lead we have.”

“It’s been 25 years.” Jane said. “How did you even get this info, Zhang? I thought they had you locked up.” She glared at him suspiciously.

He sighed. “I understand your concerns. Rest assured I had no love affair with ADVENT.” He growled. “But with the torture of my mind...my powers grew. I heard things.”

“Oh?” Jane’s look did not soften.

“Yes.” Zhang met her gaze. “While my body rotted and festered, my mind grew sharp. Soon enough, Nuwa’s little birds heard my message. And they got you to come to me.”

Senuna was silent, seemingly pondering all of this. “...So the Triad...is loyal to ADVENT?”

Zhang looked up. “No...ADVENT and the Triad work hand in hand.”

“Why?” Senuna raised a brow. “ADVENT is in charge of the world. They don’t need the mafia.”

“They are technically in charge, but their hold on China was never strong.” Zhang admitted. “Triad operatives have made ADVENT’s takeover much...smoother in the past 25 years. Their agents work as members of ADVENT. They hold jobs as governors. They administer finance. And from what I heard, they are beginning to grow dissatisfied.”

Senuna smiled, her teeth glinting in the light. “Then this is our perfect opportunity. The stars have aligned, it’s time for XCOM to get down and dirty.” She stood up. “When you have recovered, Zhang, how would you feel about making contact with the Triad again?”

“I don’t know how welcoming they will be.” He admitted. “But for you, Sunny, I am willing to try.”

“Thank you.” She stepped around her desk again her desk and embraced him in a gentle but firm hug. “I missed you, Chilong.”

“And I you, Sunny.” He patted her back gently with the arm not hooked up to the IV.

Dhar-Mon had actually hoped his sister would request that he stay with her for a bit. Talking to her was always so much fun, she had a brilliant mind, and her presence was calming. In fact it was perhaps one of the only things that did calm him since his...resignation. He would much rather have spent the afternoon helping her with her projects.

But instead, he was stuck here. In the radio room. Looking at maps.

This assignment had actually been Bradford’s idea. He’d assumed that since Dhar-Mon had set up his stronghold in the most famous church this side of Christendom, he was at least competent in strategy and geography. And, truth be told, Dhar-Mon did KNOW it, he just...found it mind-numbingly boring.

So he sighed, and sat back in the chair that was way too small for him, and stared over the map. He was supposed to scan each area for resistance contacts, or havens trying to get in touch with XCOM. That was coming up empty most places he looked. If they were out there, they were being quiet.

The day felt like it was dragging on, minutes blending into hours. Dhar-Mon leaned back in his chair, blowing a strand of hair away from his face, looking for something that captured his attention. He could find faces in the stucco on the ceiling; he’d done that back at the church when he couldn’t sleep and it was always a good use of his time. But this ceiling was made of metal grates, and there were no faces to find.

As Dhar-Mon leaned back even further, his heart leapt into his chest, and he felt a rush of air as the chair tipped over backward. He waved his arms around, trying desperately to grab something, and something he did indeed grab. Unfortunately, it lifted off the table with him, and he fell backwards onto the floor with a crash.

Dhar-Mon lay there for a moment, rubbing the soreness from his head, but really it was his pride that was hurt more than anything. He grumbled a few words in Etheric that he would have flayed Gur-Rai for saying, and slowly got to his feet, realizing that the object that caused his fall was still in his hand.

He looked down, then lifted it to his face for a closer look. It was a large, brown rectangular box, with black mesh on one side and several dials on the front. On the top was a large power button.

“Curious contraption.” Dhar-Mon set it on the table and stood the chair upright once again, sitting down carefully and making sure not to lean back this time. He stared at the map again for a moment, before his eyes wandered back to the strange machine on the table behind him.

It was dusty and cold, utterly lifeless. Gur-Rai would probably have a field day with it. Gur-Rai would probably know what it WAS for that matter. But Gur-Rai always got to have fun with electronics, and Dhar-Mon had found this one, therefore he should be the one to play with it. It was only fair.

Dhar-Mon grabbed it again and set it on his lap, staring at it. He turned it over, saw nothing, and then set it upright again and pressed the power button.

“HELLO LOVELY LISTENERS, THIS IS YOUR DIVINE DJ-”

The loudness of the noise coming from the machine frightened Dhar-Mon so badly, he flung the box across the room. It landed with a loud thud and skipped a bit, but the extreme clamor continued. He huddled in the chair, staring at it for what felt like an hour.

“AND I’M HERE BRINGING YOU ALL THE BIGGEST HITS FROM BEFORE THIS DAMNED DECADE!” The sound was far too loud, but now that he wasn’t startled, Dhar-Mon was more intrigued by this strange noise maker. He got up and slowly slunk over to it, reading through each of the buttons as he got closer. He tried turning one, and the noise turned to static for a moment but it did not get any less loud. The one right next to it, however, brought the volume to an acceptable level.

“Anybody remember the early 2000’s?” The DJ said, his voice now at a level Dhar-Mon could listen to without cringing. “I was just a little kid back then, but man oh man, those were some good times. Stealing my sister’s rubber bracelets, diaries with voiced passwords, we thought that was the future.” The DJ chuckled with nostalgia as Dhar-Mon set the box down on the table again.

“Well here’s a classic from all the way back in 2009! My momma used to play this on the radio all the time...heh, she never caught the double meaning. Here’s Britney Spears in “If U Seek Amy.”

The music started off slow, with a high pitched woman’s voice singing the tune, but Dhar-Mon startled once again as the beat suddenly dropped. It was a pounding, rhythmic melody, and he almost turned the volume back down until she started singing again.

Oh baby, baby, have you seen Amy tonight? Is she in the bathroom, is she smokin' up outside? Oh baby, baby, does she take a piece of lime For the drink that I'mma buy her, do you know just what she likes?

At first, Dhar-Mon bristled. This was the kind of music Gur-Rai would listen to, and he took anything that boy recommended with several grains of salt. But he found, as the melody continued, the beat was rather catchy, and the music, combined with the woman’s amazing singing talent, was beginning to loosen his trepidation.

Love me, hate me Say what you want about me But all of the boys and all of the girls Are begging to “If U Seek Amy”

It definitely did not help him pay attention to his task at hand, in fact the music drew his attention away, but with almost no resistance on his part, Dhar-Mon let his mind wander with the beat of the song.

Love me, hate me But can't you see what I see? All of the boys and all of the girls Are begging to F-U-C-K Me

Malinalli hated days when it wasn’t busy, especially if those days came right after a mission. It meant that something had gone terribly wrong.

She’d helped with Zhang’s clean-up, but the surgery itself Tygan shooed her out of the room for, and he’d been assigned a different recovery nurse. Everyone was talking about this enigmatic new stranger who the Commander put so much stake in, and all the medics wanted to be the one to oversee his care. But his room was locked up tight, save for a few officers. She’d seen Kon-Mai go in there earlier though. Maybe the Shrinemaiden could sneak her in~

The area she was supervising was pretty much empty, save for the occasional soldier coming down for Tylenol or because they found a tick on them or because their tongue was green after they’d eaten three lime popsicles. Malinalli sighed at the empty room as she ran her fingers through the supply cabinet one more time. Some things never changed, from bootcamp trainee to Avenger medic.

She pulled her hair out from it’s bun, rubbing her sore scalp as her natural curls flowed free. As important as it was to ensure the cotton balls were sorted on merit of fluffiness, she figured a fifteen minute break wouldn’t end any lives.

She turned on her heels and began down the hall, her steps a bit off kilter as she closed her eyes and yawned. Maybe she’d get a nap after her shift. But she had promised Dhar-Mon they’d practice more today…

Dhar-Mon. She’d never miss out on a session with him. A flush of warmth came to her cheeks. Of all the girls to get so lucky-

And she cut that thought right there! Dhar-Mon was a friend, and had pretty much just been introduced to life outside a cult. She’d never push something like romance on him, not like that.

Malinalli took a deep breath and straightened her back, shoving those thoughts down. Dhar-Mon was her friend. A very, very good friend, whom she trusted. He was her friend.

As she reached the women’s barracks, she stopped, her ears picking up a faint, almost silent noise.

Of crying.

Malinalli steeled herself. This sometimes happened after a particularly hard mission, and she knew the last one had seen a casualty. Soldiers close to one another would sometimes snap from the pressure.

But as Malinalli rounded the corner, she did not expect to see- “Vicky?”

Her fellow medic sat in a puddle of her own sorrow, her nose and eyes beet red from, presumably, hours of crying. Her usually neat little buns were hanging loose by her neck, and she hadn’t even taken off her uniform, still from that fateful mission.

At the sound of Malinalli’s voice, Vicky lifted her head, staring up at her with melancholic brown eyes. Malinalli almost staggered at the sight of this usually cold, bitchy nurse with an ego the size of Earth, now crumpled on the floor.

She thought of asking Vicky what had happened, but something told her the death of Shamil Naumov had something to do with it. Instead of saying anything, she sat beside her colleague, offering her some comfort even though they had never been close. Malinalli reached out, not quite touching her, but offering her a hand.

“If you want to talk about it, I’m here.”

“It’s not fair!” The floodgates opened again, and Vicky began to bawl. “It’s not fair! I tried so hard, Molly!”

“I know.” Malinalli put a tentative hand on her back. “It’s not your fault.”

“Tell that…” She hiccuped. “Tell that to the Commander!”

“The Commander? Vicky, what happened?”

Vicky began to sob harder, to the point that Malinalli couldn’t understand a word she was saying.

“Vicky, hey, take a deep breath.” She patted her back. “Please, you’re gonna make yourself sick crying like that.”

“She’s making me go! I don’t wanna go!” Vicky said, continuing to wail.

Malinalli furrowed her brow. “Making you go...where?”

“Off the ship! She said...she fired me, Molly!”

Malinalli gasped, a numb feeling of shock settling over her bones. The Commander fired Vicky? “Why?”

“Because I…” Vicky’s sobs were turning to sniffles. “I was trying to save Shammy…”

“Are you kidding?” Malinalli scoffed. “That...that’s…” She clenched her fists and took a deep breath. “That isn’t right.”

“She said because of me Zhang…” She couldn’t finish the sentence. The tears began again. “Molly...Shammy was like...he was all I had…”

“I...I know.” Malinalli squeezed her shoulder. “Shamil was an amazing person, and he wouldn’t stand for you being treated this way…” She stood up. “Wait here for me.”

Vicky looked up at her. “What are you going to do?”

Malinalli pondered that for a moment. “Either to get you your job back, or to get kicked off the Avenger myself.”

Shen let out an ear splitting scream as Gur-Rai’s bike flew over a bump in the path. He revved the engine and leaned forward, the wheels gliding back onto the dirt like it was butter.

“THIS IS AWESOME!” Shen dug her nails into his jacket, and Gur-Rai laughed.

“Just you wait, Lily!” He chuckled as he sped up, the wind whipping past his face and a smile on his lips.

“WHERE ARE WE GOING?!” Shen screamed in his ear as he headed straight for a large, conspicuous pile of dirt off the side of the road.

“Hang on!” He called back to her, and floored the pedal. He had no idea how fast he was going, but this was the most excitement he’d felt since XCOM had come knocking on his door.

“GUR-RAI!” Shen screeched and buried her head in his shoulder. “NONONO!”

At the last second, he pulled up, the front wheel lifting from the ground and colliding with the dirt pile. The bike zoomed to the top and flew into the air, Shen screaming the entire time, and Gur-Rai let out a whoop and a holler as they came back down with a thunk.

“Stop! Stop for a second!” Shen pulled on his jacket. As she wished, Gur-Rai pulled over, and Shen sprang off the seat and sprinted into the weeds, stopping only as she bent over and hurled into the grass.

“Oh, stars.” He put the kickstand down and jogged over to her, brushing her short hair out of her face as she continued blowing chunks. “I’m sorry. Never doing THAT again, that’s for sure.” He patted her back. “I’m sorry, Lily.”

She coughed, spat, and waved nonchalantly. “That...was so fun!”

Gur-Rai blinked. “...You just made your insides your outsides.”

“Yeah. I mean it was fucking terrifying.” Shen shrugged. “But that was the most fun I’ve had in AGES!.”

Gur-Rai chuckled. “And this is why I hang with you, Lily.”

“Thanks, same to you.” She caught his hand in a tight shake and pointed to the grassy area not covered in her puke. “Mind if we sit for a bit? My legs are wobbly.”

“Of course.” He plopped down in a shorter patch, and Shen laid down beside him on her back. There was a brief moment of comfortable silence between the two.

“Man, I really do love the stars out here.” Shen sighed. “Now if only humanity didn’t have to be enslaved to get this clear a sky.”

“One of these days I’m taking you up in a spaceship.” He said. “You’d LOVE the stars you see up there.”

She looked over to him. “You’ve been in spaceships?”

“Oh yes. A few times.” He laid back beside her. “Not often, we could teleport back then, but I got to go up in a couple scout ships.” Shen was silent for a moment, and he took the opportunity to interject. “What about you, Lily?”

“Have I...been in a spaceship?”

“No.” He chuckled. “I mean, what about you, Lily? What brought you here? What made you want to save the world?”

She hesitated. “Well like I said, before, Dad worked for XCOM...and I guess I wanted to be near his memory.”

“But you’re not your father, Lily.” He looked her over.

She fell very quiet. “...No...sometimes I worry about that.”

“About what?”

“That I don’t measure up.” Shen answered so quietly he could barely hear her. “Sometimes...I dunno. It’s stupid.”

“No, no.” Gur-Rai turned over on his side, facing her. “Sometimes what?”

Shen hesitated. “Sometimes, I still feel like a dumb teenager who just wandered in here. Like I don’t actually belong…” She sat up and threw her arms around her legs. “Like, my dad had a doctorate in Engineering and Artificial Intelligence. I’m just some kid who puts parts together, and makes things run good.”

“Oh hang on now.” Gur-Rai sat up and grabbed her shoulder. “The FAMOUS Lily Shen is not just some dumb kid slamming parts together.”

“I feel like it, sometimes.” She whimpered. “I feel like everyone else is so important and I just...don’t belong. My dad should be here.”

“Your dad was a brilliant man, I will not deny. But YOU are just as brilliant, Lily, if not MORE!” He jumped to his feet. “Look at that bike!”

“Yeah…?”

“You built that bike!”

“WE built that bike.”

“Yes but you knew EXACTLY how to make it run smoothly. If that was all me? It would have exploded the first bump it hit!” He sat down again. “Whatever. Here’s my point: you do your job better than anyone else on this ship, Lily. Fuck the doctorate, doesn’t mean shit anyway, at least not in ADVENTLAND.”

She looked up at him with shiny eyes. “...You serious?”

“Lily. Some of what you built rivals ADVENT tech.” He clapped. “That...that’s INSANE. You gave THE ELDERS a run for their money. You are flipping incredible as an engineer, and I’m so happy I’m on your team now because you could kick my ass without lifting a finger.”

She chuckled. “Well, yeah, THAT’S true.” She winked. “Although I bet I could get in a few good hits myself.”

“Well then I challenge you to a duel. Later.” He grabbed her hands and hauled her to her feet. “Look here, I call you Dr. Shen not because of a piece of paper, but because what you’ve done makes you a certified genius.”

Shen rubbed the back of her head and kicked the ground. “...Thanks...Gur-Rai.”

“Anytime, Lily.” He winked.

“No, I mean it.” She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his torso, squeezing him in a tight hug.

“I never assumed you didn’t.” He chuckled and patted her back. “Hey. Why don’t you drive us home?”

She scoffed. “Me, drive? Are you kidding?”

“Of course not. Go on, Doctor.” He grinned.

She punched him in the arm and sauntered over to the bike. “If we crash, it’s your fault.”

“Always is, Lily, it always is.”

Malinalli sucked in a breath as she stood outside the Commander’s room. It was always so nerve-wracking going in there. Even though the Commander was only ever sweet and kind to her, she was also very high strung. One wrong word and she might blow up in your face.

But she had to do this.

She reached for the door and knocked. After a bit of clunking on on the other side, it slid open and Bradford stood there. “Oh, hello Molly.”

“Um…” She stammered. “Is the Commander busy?”

“She’s finishing up meeting with Zhang right now.” He said. “But I can tell her-”

“Is that Malinalli?!” The Commander called from inside, and Bradford sighed.

“Yes.”

“Tell her to come in! Molly, come in!” Senuna called. Malinalli heard the Commander say something else, addressing Zhang, but the words were muffled.

“She is on the ship? That’s dangerous, Sunny.” Another voice whispered, deep and accented, and somehow familiar? That must have been Zhang.

Malinalli stepped inside and saluted Commander Senuna, who giggled and returned it. The medic gazed around the room, and her eyes fell on the old man sitting in the chair, still in his hospital gown, still connected to the IV drip.

“Colonel Zhang.” She saluted him. “It’s...nice to finally meet you. I’m Malinalli...Zúñiga…” She watched in confusion as he seemed to say her last name under his breath. Had she imagined that?

Zhang bowed awkwardly around what Malinalli was sure was a sore wound. “Hello Malinalli, it’s an honor to meet you as well...Senuna has told me so much about you.”

Malinalli smiled in confusion. “Oh...that’s wonderful.” She glanced up in bewilderment at the Commander, who smiled with a hint of sadness in her eyes.

“What did you need, sweetie?” Senuna asked.

“Um…” Now came the hard part. Malinalli swallowed and took a deep breath. “Madam, I’m here to discuss Vicky’s termination. I don’t think it was right.”

The tension in the room grew cold and stiff, and Bradford slunk back to Senuna’s side, seeking to prepare himself for the explosion that was brewing.

Senuna’s green eyes turned cold. “Oh?”

Malinalli was shaking like a leaf, but she forced her voice out. “I understand she performed...poorly-”

“Poorly is an understatement.” Senuna snapped. “She completely disregarded her duty as a soldier. Ask Colonel Zhang. HE was the one she was meant to save.”

Malinalli looked to Zhang. His eyes were plastered onto her, watching her every move. She felt like she was on the verge of shattering.

“Madam...she was scared.” Malinalli whispered. “Sometimes...the best of us break. It happens in battle. I’ve seen good, strong soldiers lose their cool in the stress of combat. Even I’ve done it before.”

“You never left a soldier to die, Molly.”

“I don’t know about that...” Malinalli met Senuna’s eyes, turquoise meeting aquamarine. “People have died under my care before...I’ve frozen up, sometimes when I couldn’t afford to. Maybe some of them I couldn’t save, but some...if I’d just had my wits about me, maybe they’d still be here.”

Senuna seemed to ponder that. “That being said, this was not just a soldier. This was Zhang. Vicky understood how important he was to retrieve alive.”

“I know. And I’m not saying she shouldn’t be punished. She should.” Malinalli held her hands out in a pleading motion. “But...please Madam, give her another chance.”

“And if she fails again? If she freezes in the field? If she lets another soldier DIE?” Senuna snapped, and Malinalli swore her eyes were glowing.

“Then I’ll take responsibility and you can demote me as you see fit!” This part made Malinalli scream internally, but it was a gamble she had to take. The Commander had to know she was serious. “If you truly decide to terminate Vicky’s employment with XCOM, I won’t question you. But...I think she’s capable, Madam. She just needs a second chance.” She glanced over to Zhang, and noticed a slight smile on his face.

Senuna sat in utter quiet for a moment, and Malinalli feared the worst.

Then she took a breath and spoke. “You make a good point, little one.” She shrugged. “And really, we can’t afford to lose any good medics…” She tapped her glittery nails on the desk. “Fine, I’ll reinstate her employment, but she will be demoted to Squaddie, and I’ll need her to go through at least 100 hours of training before she sees combat again.” She laced her fingers together. “And maybe a written apology for her behavior. I don’t know. I’ll think on that~”

Malinalli physically sighed, letting out the breath she’d been holding. “Thank you! Thank you so much, Madam! Thank you, thank you!”

Senuna smiled. “Oh Malinalli, anything for you sweetheart.” She pressed a button on her intercom. “Would Victoria Immanuel please report to the Commander’s Quarters? The Commander needs to speak to her.”

Malinalli saluted Senuna and turned to leave, glancing one last time at Zhang. His golden eyes still following her, he nodded slightly, the smile on his face growing into a knowing smirk.

The door closed behind her.

“That was ‘I Gotta Feelin’” by the Black Eyed Peas! Always were a favorite of mine.”

Dhar-Mon hadn’t even realized he’s been staring at the same spot on the map for 15 minutes straight. He was lost in the songs. The music was captivating, his mind would go miles a minute with the beat of each one. It felt like he was reading a book, but each word had orchestral accompaniment.

He reached over and turned up the volume just as the DJ began to speak again. “Now for our next song: if you were alive before 2015, you’ll know this voice. Maybe not the song, but hell, you’ll know the singer. This is ‘Porcelain’ by the woman who needs no introduction!”

Dhar-Mon listened closely, the beats beginning soft, the tune syncing to the squeaking of chains. Then he heard her voice.

Hold your horses Hold, hold the border Don't come closer Don't, don't let go of me

It sounded so incredibly familiar, but in any case, it was beautiful. Her words carried with them such emotion, it nearly crippled him.

I'm like porcelain When you're with me All, all I know is

Just about a million ways to harm you All the things I shouldn't say Are the things that, when I want to make you happy Only comes out of me

This one didn’t feel like the others. The beat drew up again and became faster, but something about the music was agonizing and melancholic and so, so sad. Whoever this woman was was hurting when she wrote this, when she sang this.

We have got the power of destruction You can always let it fall But when we try to work on something solid It is too goddamn hard

He took a breath and knew he should probably turn this off. He’d been sitting here for too long anyway, he had to get back to work. But he could not bring himself to move his hand, to reach for the power button to turn off the machine.

Why did this song make him think on Malinalli’s face?

The song trailed off and ended just as he reached for the button, and Dhar-Mon froze as the DJ spoke again.

“That was ‘Porcelain’ by the lady, the lovely, the legend, Senuna.”

(After that last chapter, some things needed to be sorted out. I’d say it all turned out better. At least I hope it did!

I REALLY need to thank @pgirl1986 for helping me with Zhang’s characterization. She was the one who inspired me to add him with how she wrote him! Thank you for all the help! d=(´▽｀)=b

Songs used are “If U Seek Amy” by Britney Spears and “Porcelain” by Skott.)

Archive: chosenstories.tumblr.com/

#xcom #xcom2 #xcom 2 war of the chosen #xcom 2 #xcom assassin #chosen assassin #xcom hunter #chosen hunter #xcom warlock #chosen warlock #xcom zhang

12 notes · View notes

cdelphiki · 5 years

Note

Hello! Could you do "I'm not leaving you here!" with Tim and Damian? Can't wait to see what all you do!

There was no time.

Normally, Tim could form half a dozen plans, and then five more for every outcome of the first six whenever anything happened to them. But this time—there wasn’t time.

They had really gotten themselves into quite a pickle.

Well…

Damian had gotten them into said pickle.

He was too brash sometimes.

Maybe if he stoped to think more often, Tim would have more time to think now.

But instead, he found himself collapsed on the floor, trying his best to hold all his insides in where they belonged, while Damian subtly panicked by his side, similarly applying pressure to the massive gash in Tim’s abdomen.

It’d been a lucky hit, honestly. Tim had been distracted by trying to disarm the moron with the gun and wrongfully assumed Damian was handling the idiot with the knife. He hadn’t been. And that guy managed to slash out at Tim and get him, right in the side.

At least Damian took him out immediately after. What he’d been doing before Tim nearly lost more of his organs, he isn’t sure. But at least he pulled through in the end…

Now, though. Now they were royally screwed.

They were in a room, deep inside the compound they’d infiltrated, essentially trapped. There were two unconscious guys handcuffed to the radiator pipes, and about three hundred more outside.

Looking for them.

Tim could hear gunfire down the hall. The periodic bang bang of a trained gunman, walking through rooms, and shooting at whatever he saw. It was setting Tim on edge, because he knew they were looking for them.

And Tim couldn’t walk.

He could do nothing to defend Robin. To defend himself. He’d just be a passive observer to Robin’s death.

“Robin,” he wheezed, causing Damian to look up from his wound, the whites of his lenses not revealing anything the boy was feeling, “Go.”

There was nothing Tim could do. He wouldn’t be able to follow Damian. Wouldn’t be able to even make it out of this room, much less follow the complicated path they’d taken to get in this far. And Damian most certainly couldn’t carry him. Sure, he was strong, but Tim weighed more than him, and at this point he’d be pretty much dead weight.

“What?” he demanded, “and what, you’ll just cartwheel your way out behind me? Don’t be ridiculous.”

After pushing himself into a sitting position, Tim tried to shove Damian away from him, but all he succeeded in doing was groaning as his side protested at the movement.

“Drake,” Damian snapped, “do not be stupid. You are in danger of bleeding out if we don’t staunch the blood.”

“You,” Tim said, his breathing labored as he tried to get his body to obey him, tried to keep his strength in check, “need to leave.”

Instead of respond, Damian pushed Tim back down into a laying position and started rifling through his pockets. He pulled out an emergency suture kit, and Tim just reached out and grabbed his hand.

The gunshots were getting closer, and each double tap filled Tim with more dread. Because if they entered this room, there was absolutely nothing he could do. He’d be helpless, just laying here. As he calculated, he only had a few more minutes of consciousness before the blood loss got him, and then not much longer beyond of actual…. Aliveness. And Damian would likely get himself shot trying to defend Tim, and he did not want his last minutes on this earth to be crying over the death of Robin.

No thank you.

He’d much rather Robin leave and get away. Go find help, maybe. It didn’t really matter what he did, as long as he had a chance.

“No. There isn’t time. You have to get out of here.”

Damian scowled and pushed Tim’s hand away from the wound, after he’d threaded the needle and stuck a flashlight in his own mouth, to point directly at the wound.

Tim grimaced as the needle went into his skin, then clenched his teeth so hard he thought he might crack the crown in there when Damian pulled it through.

“Damian,” he plead, between stitches, “Please. You have to go.”

“No,” Damian snapped, pausing just long enough to hold the flashlight so he could talk, “I am not leaving you. So shut up.”

The gunfire paused for a moment, and Damian took it as an opportunity to get three more stitches in, each one making Tim suppress a groan. Because, damn, Damian was not being gentle.

“Sorry,” Damian mumbled, around the flashlight, “we’ll have to redo…”

“If you don’t get leave,” Tim whispered, just as the gunfire started up again, now more constant than before, “they’re gonna catch us. The sutures won’t matter.”

Scowling harder, Damian picked up the speed and put four more stitches in before finally cutting the thread. He spat the flashlight off onto the ground and snapped, “Do you want to die?”

“I want you to not die,” Tim replied, echoing Damian’s tone.

“Right,” he said, aggressively ripping open a clean pack of gauze before he placed it over the fresh stitches and started wrapping Tim’s entire abdomen, “Great. I live, you die. Just how everyone would want it, right? Is that what you think?”

The next gunshot happened not even 30 feet away, outside the locked door they were hiding behind. It made Damian jump, just slightly, before his scowl deepened.

Tim closed his eyes and put a hand to his forehead. “You bought us time,” he mumbled, trying to think through the haze that had started to set in, “You can get away and go get help. Then come back for me.”

“I’m not leaving you,” he whispered harshly.

“We don’t have much of a choice,” he shot back, succeeded this time at sitting himself up, Damian now done wrapping the wound. It was still bleeding, ever so slightly, but it wasn’t a danger of bleeding out anytime soon.

Kill him with infection? Sure. But that required he lived long enough for it to get infected. Either he’d be shot in about 64 seconds, or they’d escape and Alfred would fix it.

He was kind of counting on the getting shot option.

Damian looked around frantically and locked eyes on a pipe, laying on the ground among a pile of random repair pieces. He grabbed it, then tip toed to the door, positioning himself just beside it, waiting for their hunter to bust in the door.

“Damian,” Tim pleaded, whispering as loudly as he dared with someone just outside.

“Shut up, Tim,” Damian whispered back.

Just a second later, the door knob jiggled, and Tim sucked in a breath. Damian gripped the pipe tighter and lifted it high, ready to bring it down on the head of whoever broke in.

A gunshot went off, blasting the lock into a dozen tiny pieces, and then the door was kicked open, faster than a strike of lightning.

Tim was unable to suppress the pained cry he made when he jumped, possibly tearing one of the already shitty stitches.

At the same time, Damian swung the pipe and connected solidly with the helmet of their hunter, causing a crack to form right at the crown of it.

“The fuck,” Jason cursed, snatching the pipe from a stunned Damian and throwing it across the room, away from both Tim and the unconscious thugs, “Watch where you’re swinging shit, brat. You’re lucky I wear a helmet, unlike you dumbasses.”

“Hood,” Damian sighed, the relief in his voice so palpable, it made even Jason freeze.

“Yeah, kid,” he said, awkwardly patting Damian on the head, “I’m here.”

“Was that you shooting?” Tim asked, pausing in the middle to take a breath. His side was hurting about fifty times more, now. With the definitely popped stitch.

“Uh huh.” Jason crossed the room in three long strides and knelt beside Tim. Damian retrieved his pipe and took up position by the door, but considering how relaxed Jason was acting, Tim doubted there were anymore men outside to post threats to them.

He just hoped Jason hadn’t killed everyone in the building…

“Heard you two were infiltrating this place tonight. You should have talked to me first, I’ve been watching this operation for months. You were woefully unprepared.”

“Yeah,” Tim laughed, moving his hands so Jason could look at the quickly bleeding through bandages, “Figured that out.”

“Seriously, you brats taking on an entire gang’s main operation? By yourself? Idiots.”

“Tt,” Damian huffed, “We were fine until Red got himself stabbed.”

“It was your guy,” Tim protested, “Your guy stabbed me.”

“And then he wanted me to abandon him to die,” Damian continued, completely ignoring Tim.

Jason added another layer of gauze to the wrap, then pat Tim on the shoulder. “I know teaming up with the demon is difficult,” he said, slipping one arm behind Tim’s back and the other under his knees, “but really, there are much better ways to be rid of him than dying. Trust me. Been there. Done that. 0/10 would not do again.”

“Shut up,” Tim whined, trying his best not to cry a little as Jason jostled him. He wrapped one arm around Jason’s neck and closed his eyes tight. “I didn’t know you were the idiot shooting everyone.”

“Yes,” Damian drawled, falling in step just before Jason as they began making their way out of the compound, “I was not aware you were in Gotham tonight.”

“This idiot just saved your hide, you ungrateful little brats. And I lied about going on a mission. I wanted a break. But nooooooo, you morons had to go on a suicide mission instead.”

“Tt. It was not-”

“Red is actively dying,” Jason interrupted, “So zip it.”

Surprisingly, Damian did zip it. And he kept it zipped, at least as long as Tim could remember. Because he did eventually fall asleep, lulled there by the gentle swaying motion caused by Jason’s gait. If Jay tried to wake him, it didn’t work, and in retrospect, Tim was glad for that.

Because the next thing he knew, he was waking up in the Batcave, his torso properly cleaned and sewn up, an IV in his hand, delivering what Tim was sure to be heavy antibiotics to stave off whatever infection the crappy field suturing probably caused.

When he looked around, he was mildly surprised to find no Bruce sitting at his side. Usually Bruce was all over these sorts of things. His guilt complex awesome at making him be comforting after nearly dying.

Honestly, there was nothing like a ‘I’m glad you didn’t die, Tim,’ hug from Bruce.

But Bruce wasn’t there. Instead, Damian was sitting in the chair, his legs thrown up over the side as he watched something on his tablet, completely oblivious to the world.

“Where’s Bruce?” Tim croaked, then paused to clear his throat, because wow. He hadn’t used his voice in a while, had he? “How long was I out?”

Damian looked at his watch and said, almost uninterested, “About 17 hours. Pennyworth made Father go to bed a couple hours ago.”

Tim wanted to ask Damian why he was there, then, but he had the feeling doing so would just make Damian leave. And Tim didn’t really want to be alone. He always hated being alone, trapped in the medbay in the cave. It was dark and spooky down there, honestly. When alone and unable to work on anything. The screeching of the bats was just creepy. Sometimes.

So instead, he asked, “What are you watching?” as he sat his bed up some.

“A documentary series I found on youtube. It’s about royal families in Europe and how they’re all related.”

“Uh,” Tim said, scrunching his eyebrows, “That’s interesting.”

“Hardly,” Damian dismissed, waving a hand at Tim, as if asking him to stop talking.

And maybe being alone down here wouldn’t be so bad, after all. “What are you doing down here?”

Annoyance flickered on Damian’s face before he clicked the tablet off and stood. “If you ever,” he said darkly, taking the few steps to Tim’s bedside to point a finger at him, “ever ask me to leave you to die again, I’ll…”

Damian paused, and narrowed his eyes. Tim couldn’t help it, he had to ask, “You’ll what? Kill me?”

“Tt,” Damian huffed, scowling now, “Obviously not. That would be counterproductive.”

“Then what?”

“I’ll tell on you,” Damian decided, nodding to himself.

“You’ll tell on me? What are we, five?”

“Yes. I’ll tell Father and Grayson about your recklessness and—”

“I wasn’t being reckless,” Tim said, “Your guy stabbed me. Not! Reckless!”

“Whatever,” Damian said, rolling his eyes, “Just don’t do it again.”

Tim wanted to keep arguing. He wanted to tell Damian there was nothing he could threaten Tim with to make him value his own life above that of a literal child’s, especially when that child was kind of technically his little brother. But instead he could see the underlying anxiety forcing this entire encounter, so he couldn’t help himself saying, “Aww, you were worried about me.”

And instead of snap back and deny it, as Tim was expecting, Damian just scowled harder and said, “Of course I was. You were trying make me let you die.”

“Damian,” he sighed, rubbing at his face with his free hand. He was honestly so exhausted. Which was weird, sleeping 17 hours and all. “I was just trying to save you.”

“We’re family,” Damian said slowly, looking away from Tim as he did and crossing his arms, “I can’t….”

“Damian,” Tim interrupted, reaching out and latching onto Damian’s sleeve.

“Tim. Don’t ask me to do that again.”

All Tim could do was nod. Because he was afraid if he tried to say anything, he might just cry. Or say something stupid and ruin the entire moment.

But Damian spoke up, holding his tablet up for Tim to see. “I have movies on this.”

With a smile, Tim scooted over the best he could and let Damian climb up next to him. About an hour into The Incredibles, when Damian’s eyes keep drooping more and more with ever blink, and Tim was just about as close to falling back asleep, Tim whispered, “Sorry.”

And when Damian just nodded and leaned his head against Tim’s shoulder to fully fall asleep, he took it as forgiveness.

260 notes · View notes

hinabes · 5 years

Photo

Soft Serve Cone’s Backstory

A story about promises.

I.World Demolition

It was the best of times-- Humans had bested the elves and created a new world where they ruled.

It was the worst of times-- Fallen angels, bad guys born from the curses of elves, kept invading human settlements.

“--And you food souls,” With an air of self-satisfaction, Westminster went on and on, talking about things I didn’t really understand while he struck a match.

“See, you guys are like the flame. While we humans are the friction on the match, in the end, you guys are the lit fuse.”

He turned to face me, the prancing, flickering flame in his hand putting a crafty smile on his face, eyes brightly lit.

“Little Cone, are you afraid?” “What’s there to be afraid of! Go on! Toss it in to see what happens!”

I didn’t want to listen to his boring and cryptic philosophies and pestered him to toss the match in the fuse notch of the experiment.

“Hahaha, you’re so like me!”

He let go. The burning match fell into the notch and the fuse instantly lit, its flame racing into the inner workings of the experiment. Sparks flew, and Westminster grabbed my hand, pulling me to duck away.

A huge explosion resounded, followed by Westminster’s excited chatter.

“--And so, let’s blow this world up.”

Alas, moments later.

“Ah… Another failure!”

I picked through the debris of the experiment for the thing we were refining for, to no avail.

“Don’t get too down, failure is but another step to success.” Westminster comforted me.

“This… Alright, how are you able to convince me every time?” “Because I’m a genius, best scientist in the world.”

“Say that all you want… You’re just a student… Crap! Let’s run, someone triggered the ice trap I put by the entrance! It must be the warehouse guard!” “What? Isn’t today the open house? Shouldn’t that guy be having a blast at the idol performance?”

Westminster was shoved forward by me, his shock not impeding his complaints.

“Who knows, let’s get out first!”

“Party pooper… I’ve already come up with the next experiment too… Coney, I’ll definitely become a professor here in the future and build my very own lab here! Nobody will disturb me then!”

“Alright alright, you’ll definitely get it! As long as you don’t get caught sneaking into a warehouse and kicked out of school today!”

I collected the moisture in the air to form a snowflake, making our escape on it through the skylight as always. The sparrows sleeping on a cedar tree outside were startled awake and jostled about with chirps and screeches, followed by the angered complaints of the tardy security guard.

Westminster and I shared a smile. --This was the most interesting experience I had at the magic academy.

II. Life Creation

To me, I was quite lucky. Because the first person to summon me was an interesting guy.

He was Westminster, and he often proclaimed himself the “number one science prodigy” to me. Though in reality, this was just something he said.

In the Academy, Westminster wasn’t on particularly good terms with the other students. He said that prodigies have always been alone since time immemorial as nobody understood them, so he didn’t bother with the common folk.

That was why, even though it was the celebrated open house when all the students were having fun with their families, friends and other visitors, I was the only one by his side.

“Hey, Westminster, since we can’t continue the experiments, where should we go?” “Where do you want to go?” “Hmm… We could take a look at the fallen angel weapons display? Or the master attendant appliances display?” “Those are all plagiarized off my work, what’s there to see?” “Then… the puppet show?” “That time would be better spent researching how to make puppets move by themselves.” “...Then what do you want?” “It’s getting late, let’s go back to the dorms.” “...Hey! Westminster!” “What?”

I turned around somewhat angrily to see him innocently grinning at me. We were flying above the school, wind whooshing past our faces.

“It’s my birthday!” “What did you say, the wind’s too loud!”

He played dumb, and I got ready to shake the snowflake under us--

“Hey hey hey, alright alright, I heard it!” He laughed out loud. “I remember! How could I forget your birthday? I’m going back to the dorms to get the tent and warm clothes I prepared--”

Like a conductor, he pointed elegantly towards the snowy peaks looming over the academy grounds.

“Then we’ll go there, how about it? We’ll get to see lots of stars.” “Woah! Let’s go!”

This was why I was happy to be with him; he made every new day unlike any that came before.

My birthday’s easy to remember, it’s the annual Academy open house.

It’s been so many years.

Back then, Westminster wasn’t so arrogant as to go against the proceedings. He, like the other students, was assigned a task-- To create something new that will be on display in the exhibition, that will be promoted and advertised to visitors from around the world.

Teachers and students alike were worried over what sort of “hazard” Westminster would create, but he went against his usual antics.

He didn’t create anything like the music box that could wake a dormant fallen angel, nor the perfume that could revert a food soul into an uncontrollable younger form.

Using cream made from a base of water from the Lake of Ice Tears, he created ice cream that wouldn’t melt. He then baked a thin omelet till it was hard and crispy, which he placed the ice cream into-- --That’s right, that’s the food I’m based on: the soft serve cone.

The day of the open house, the soft serve cone that was very convenient and didn’t create waste was well received and praised by the guests. Westminster managed to sell cart after cart of it.

Unable to keep up with its popularity with the visitors, Westminster received a permit from the Academy for large-scale extraction of water from the Lake of Ice Tears. He then extracted and collected the inedible magic crystal components of the water in secret.

The last day of the open house, Westminster somehow sneaked into the vault of the old enchantment furnace behind the main hall, and using ice cream infused with magic crystal energies, he summoned me.

“Hey, Little Cone. I’m Westminster. Welcome to the world of Tierra.”

He stood before me, face covered with machine oil, yet his eyes shone bright.

III. Remember the Stars

Atop the snowy peaks.

I sat in the tent with Westminster, stars circling the sky above us, and I saw in them his eyes when we first met. I never could find an apt comparison, but it suddenly came to me that night, under the stars.

“Are these stars your birthday gift to me?” “Stars are the universe’s reply to stargazers. And you, are the universe’s reply to me.”

I blushed.

“Sounds nice and all, but if you can’t take it, you can’t keep it.”

Westminster opened his eyes and reached out his right hand, grabbing nothing but air.

“We’ll come more in the future, you’ll remember them after looking at them more.” “There are so many stars, there’s no way I can remember them all.” “How will you know if you don’t try?”

Some things are only proven to be impossible when you try.

“Westminster, are we going to the mountains tonight?” “Not tonight, there’s an assignment I have to do.”

“Westminster, can we go stargazing? Even the school observatory is fine.” “Sorry, I have to record experiment data tonight… I might have to stay in the warehouse late into the night.”

… Slowly, I understood-- Change is the law of the universe, people and stars both change, new interests, new goals, new lights at the end of the tunnel. Nothing stayed the same forever.

Not excluding Westminster and me.

Not long after the trip to the snowy peaks, one day, Westminster and I sneaked into the warehouse through the skylight again. This was our secret base; besides having to avoid the security guard and covering up our traces as those of stray cats and birds, many successful experiments went on here.

But this time, we had an unexpected encounter. He seemed to be a teacher or a higher member of the Academy staff.

“Crap, what if he’s forced to drop out…”

As Westminster was taken away, I had uneasy thoughts. If Westminster had to quit, would I have to as well? Would the outside world be more interesting than here?

But I was wrong. After a long chat with the person, Westminster returned with the happiest expression he’s ever had.

“Haha, didn’t I tell you, I’m a genius!” He showed me the key in his hand. “Coney, I’ve got my own lab from now on!”

Seeing him so ecstatic, I felt oddly worried.

IV. Promise of Reunion

From then on, it was as if Westminster became a different person. He was very, very busy, often falling asleep in the warehouse, going days and nights without food or water, mumbling to himself in front of various strange devices and data.

“Empty shell, empty shell.” Often did I find him chanting to himself repeatedly.

Westminster told me that the mysterious man offered him limitless riches and power for him to research the creation of food souls and life itself. And empty shells were what he couldn’t wrap his head around.

Westminster always said that empty shells were food souls with practically no soul power, and their existence proved that food souls were more than soul-powered weapons created by humans, that food souls were preexisting beings. Then, what power does the human’s imagination hold that is able to summon us unknown life-forms? As he got more and more engrossed in the topic, he said that behind all of this hid the secrets and origins of the world and soul power.

In the beginning, I was still able to understand what he was talking about. Later on, the lab’s security got tighter and tighter. Finally, one day, as I was flying in through the skylight, I was blocked by a strange, invisible barrier.

That day, only when it turned to night did Westminster trudge out of the warehouse, exhausted. His eyes were bloodshot, his unshaven face making him seem decades older. It was as if the warehouse was a man-eating demon, having consumed all of his life force. He faced me, an apologetic look in his eyes.

“Sorry, Coney, my experiments are dangerous, so I can’t let you into the lab from now on.” “I wasn’t coming to disturb you, I just…”

I lowered my head, doing my best to hold in the sadness-- I just wanted to tell you, it was the day of the open house. Have you forgotten my birthday too?

I didn’t want to cry. I’ve never cried. The ice from the Lake of Ice Tears will never melt, and having inherited its properties, how could I ever cry?

“Coney…”

Suddenly, my hand was grasped.

“Come with me.”

I followed Westminster dazedly. We didn’t follow the usual path, instead, he brought me into the majestic main hall and after making a few turns, we somehow came to a secret passageway.

“In here, we won’t be found by anyone. Shh, don’t tell anyone either.”

He brought me into the warehouse.

It was completely different from when I was created; filled with strange, rotating devices, it had become a real lab.

Still holding my hand, Westminster led me into the depths of the lab and handed me something that looked like a telescope.

“Look.” “At what? The kaleidoscope?” “Even better”

Withholding my disbelief, I looked into the telescope. --To see a skyline out of this world, with the brightest stars I’ve seen.

It was the same sky we saw that night on the snowy peaks, stars in neverending rotation; there were two particularly eye-catching ones, swimming in irregular orbits.

“Happy birthday.”

I heard Westminster’s voice. Averting my sight, I saw his forced smile, an uneasy premonition settling over me.

“See those two stars?”

Westminster patted my head, the coarseness of his hand unfitting of a young man.

“I might have to leave this place.” “Remember, when those two stars come together… I’ll be back.”

V. Soft Serve Cone

Nevras is home to the best academy of all of Tierra, the Academy of Magic.

It is the genius’ cradle, one of whom being Soft Serve Cone’s master attendant.

He was the youngest professor in the academy and had his own laboratory, and with the support of a mysterious investor, he researched food souls in utmost secrecy.

Due to the high security of the research, for a long time, Soft Serve Cone was separated from her master attendant and was unable to see him.

Later, for the next stage of his research, Westminster left the academy for a long-term study, declining Soft Serve Cone’s request to go with him.

And so, Soft Serve Cone stayed behind at the academy, and entrusted by Westminster and his investor, she lived fruitfully and was allowed to take part in the various classes the academy offered.

Like a human student, she studied everything she found interesting.

Time flew by, until that year, that open house.

A bored Soft Serve Cone picked up the kaleidoscope on a whim, to see the two stars suddenly come together. Her heart beat fast as she dashed to the warehouse-turned-secret-lab.

Passing through the secret passageway, opening the door, she saw the absent professor.

“Is that… you?”

Soft Serve Cone hesitated. The figure of the person before her had changed far too much.

“Long time no see, Little Cone. Now… will you create a new world with me?”

TL Notes

EVERY SINGLE TIME! Every single backstory’s chapter 4 just gets me soft and kinda wanna cry! Every single time! How does funtoy keep doing this!

This one was kinda very a little bit self indulgent.......... stars.......... kaleidoscopes............. deep lore............. westminster............. the academy.............. cute gorl............ its got it all.....................

The significance of the kaleidoscope:

Soft Serve Cone in Chinese is 冰淇淋花筒 (bing qi lin hua tong, lit. ice cream flower cone, where the last 2 characters mean “flower cone”).

Kaleidoscope is 万花筒 (wan hua tong, lit. million flower cone), feelssoftman

“The figure of the person before her had changed far too much.” haha funney joaks hahah

lil coney here better not be lookin at this and thinking “omg westy is that u??????” unless he already looked like this as a human in which case WHAT THE FUCK

anyway. this entire story is a lot of feelssoftman. see ya im off to make a kaleidoscope and cry a little from the softness

also if u were wondering yes the original does swap between kaleidoscope and telescope like that one katy perry song

#food fantasy #ff soft serve cone #translations

77 notes · View notes

dccomicsimagines · 7 years

Text

Broken Secrets - Barry Allen x Reader

Requested by bon-travail98 - Barry x reader where he has to choose between saving the reader's life or Iris' and he chooses Iris at the last minute. Have it be something like the meta has them separated and there's a bomb but they're to far apart for even Barry to get to them both. oh and maybe have the reader live but not know why because she knows she's not a meta, and she finds out it's because she's pregnant with Barry's kid(s) and somehow their speed force is temporarily hers and her body acted on some instinct and ran her out of harms way. But she's so upset with Barry that she keeps the fact that she's alive a secret and eventually runs into someone... is this too much?? (At this time Barry's the only speedster)

An unknown figure appeared on the screen, shadowed from view. “You have a choice, Mr. Allen.” Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin stared at the screen with wide eyes. “Which one do you love more?” Suddenly, two pictures of you and Iris appeared side by side on the screen. Both of you were tried up to a chair with a bomb strapped on the back.

“Where is this coming from?” Barry demanded, his eyes wide with panic. Cisco started typing rapidly on the computer.

“I don’t know. It just took over the system.” Cisco spun around to try a different computer. “I can’t access the system.”

“I can’t get in either,” Caitlin added, frowning at her own computer.

“You have five minutes, Mr. Allen, before the bombs explode,” the figure sneered as a map appeared on the screen. Two red dots appeared on the map. One was in Mexico while the other was in Canada. “One or the other, Mr. Allen. You cannot save both.” With that, the figure disappeared from the screen leaving only the map.

Barry stared at the screen before glancing Cisco and Caitlin. “See if you can hack those bombs and slow them down.” He studied the screen, tortured as he glanced between you and Iris. He made a snap decision. “I’ll go after Iris first, so focus on stopping the bomb on (Y/N).”

“Wait, Barry,” Caitlin shouted, but Barry was already gone.

You struggled against the ropes as the ticking of the bomb sounded in your ears. The ropes cut into your skin. A giant computer screen sat in front of you showing you footage of Iris, who appeared to be in the same predicament as you.

The last thing you remembered was walking out of work. You were just about to text Barry to let him know you were heading home when someone grabbed you. The next thing you knew you woke up tied to this chair.

“He’s not coming,” the shadow figure cooed through a speaker next to your chair. “Allen has chosen Iris.”

“You don’t know Barry,” you shot back, ignoring the lump in your throat. “He’s fast enough to save us both and stop you.” The shadow figure laughed coldly through the speaker.

“I don’t think so.” The speaker clicked as Barry appeared on the screen with Iris.

Barry quickly freed Iris before picking her up in his arms. You glanced at the clock, your eyes widening when you saw only a minute left.

“He’s not going to make it,” you mumbled in horror as Barry zoomed off screen.

The speaker clicked back on. “No, he’s not. I told him to make a choice and he has chosen.”

You swallowed hard, your stomach twisting from the betrayal. Tears burned your eyes as the clock ticked down. “Please, I don’t want to die,” you begged softly, sagging against the ropes.

“I’m sorry, my dear, but Allen must learn he can’t save everyone,” the shadow figure replied. The clock had thirty seconds left. “Goodbye.” The speaker clicked off, leaving you with only the ticking clock.

“Barry, why didn’t you pick me first? I thought you loved me,” you sobbed, fighting the ropes. You knew it wasn’t fair to put that on him, given Barry cared about both you and Iris. Though, you had always seen a attraction between the two of them. “You love her more.”

You closed your eyes, unable to stand watching the clock tick down. Sobbing uncontrollably, you tensed when you heard the bomb beep before it exploded.

The blast hurt your eardrums as a sudden wind zoomed passed you. Your ear rang when you suddenly found yourself standing outside of the building you were kept in. The building was in ruins, smoking from the explosion.

“What?” you gasped, frowning when you couldn’t hear yourself. “Barry?” You glanced around you in confusion. “How did I get out here?” Shivering, you fell down to the ground. A sudden dizziness overcame you as your vision faded to black.

You woke up alone in a hospital room. Your body aching as you sat yourself up to look around. An IV was in your arm, limiting some of your movement. Frowning, you pressed a hand to your forehead, trying to remember what happened.

Suddenly, everything from the kidnapping to the explosion flooded into your mind. “Oh,” you gasped, tears flooding your eyes when you remembered Barry choosing to save Iris instead of you. Your heart felt like it was being ripped from your chest.

Noticing a tissue box on a bedside table, you reached for one only to find your hand vibrating. Your mouth dropped open as you stared at your blurred hand. The shock froze the tears on your face.

“What?” You shook your head before rubbing your eyes with your non vibrating hand. Recognizing the blur to be super speed, you struggled to figure out why you would have it. You weren’t a metahuman, having never shown signs of superpowers before. At least you didn’t think you did.

You quickly grabbed your vibrating hand to still it as the door open. “Aw, I see you are awake,” the doctor said, coming into the room with a clipboard in hand. He came to stand at your side. “You had us pretty worried.”

“I did?” you asked nervously, wondering if they discovered your sudden super speed.

“Of course, especially when you were found by that exploded building,” the doctor explained, studying you. “Do you remember that?”

You nodded slowly, watching the doctor carefully. “I remember the explosion.”

The doctor sat down on the side of your bed, smiling at you. “Do you remember your name? We weren’t able to find any ID on you.” You frowned, reaching for your pocket only to realize you were wearing a hospital gown.

“(Y/N),” you answered softly. You hesitated, choosing not to tell the doctor your last name. The doctor pursed his lips, writing on his clipboard.

“Okay.” The doctor cleared his throat awkwardly. “Well, you are physically fine, despite being admitted while unconscious. The babies are fine too.” Your eyes grew wide from shock.

“Babies?” You blinked rapidly, shaking your head. “I’m not pregnant.” Furrowing your brow, your thoughts drifted to the times you and Barry had been intimate. The memories were a knife in your heart. “I couldn’t be, could I?”

“We took blood tests, and they say you are. You would know better than I if you are,” the doctor replied honestly, raising an eyebrow at you. You could sense he was trying to draw as much information from you as he could. He only saw you as a puzzle to solve.

You laid your hand on your stomach, caressing the little lives inside of you. Barry was their father, you knew it for he was the only one you had been with. A theory about your sudden super speed developed in your mind.

The doctor studied your reaction before laying a hand on your shoulder. “(Y/N), is there anyone we could contact for you? There has to be people wondering where you are.”

Biting your lip, your mind ran in a thousand directions. However, you knew the answer to his question quite clearly. The discovery of your pregnancy didn’t change anything. “There is no one.” The doctor gave you a long look as a tear slipped down your cheek. He handed you a tissue before standing up.

“I know you must be hungry. I’ll have a nurse bring you some dinner,” the doctor said, heading towards the door. “Please try to get some rest, (Y/N).” You nodded at him as he closed the door, leaving you alone again.

Sinking back against the pillows, your mind slowly began to piece together your new reality. You were pregnant with Barry’s children yet Barry was in love with Iris for he picked her over you. Your sudden super speed got you out of the building before the bomb exploded. The super speed must have come from the babies, who have proven through the sudden presence of the speed force inside yourself that they will take after Barry.

You sat back up as you realized you couldn’t go back. Barry was obviously in love with Iris and only settled for you for the time being. If he really loved you, he would have come for you first. Barry wanted to be with Iris, and you coming back with your pregnancy would only force Barry to be with you for honor’s sake. Barry would come to hate you for keeping you away from Iris, perhaps going so far as to wish you died in the explosion.

Your chest compressed, breathing suddenly became difficult as you zoomed to your feet with your borrowed powers. You removed the IV before you found your clothes on the chair in the corner. Getting dressed quickly, you sped out of the hospital with only the thought of escape in your brain.

Years later, you found yourself sitting at a hotel’s front desk, working as a receptionist in a small town in the middle of nowhere. Setting up a reservation that came through an email, you smiled when you saw the time.

The sound of giggling and chattering sounded from the door as your two beautiful five year old twins appeared. “Mama!” they shouted in unison, running behind the desk to give you a hug.

“Hello Darlings,” you cooed, laughing in delight. You kissed them both on the cheek. “How was school?”

They both began to speak so fast all you could hear was a hum. You winced, gesturing to them as a reminder to speak slower.

“Mama, I learned how to write my full name today,” your little Nora announced proudly. She opened her purple backpack to pull out her paper. You gasped, smiling at her.

“That’s wonderful, Honey.” You kissed the top of her head. Your little Don climbed onto your lap, capturing your attention.

“I learned how to write my name too,” Don interjected, taking his paper out of his green backpack. He held it in front of your face. You laughed before taking it.

“Wow, that is great, Donny,” you praised, ruffling his hair. You kissed the side of his head as Nora climbed onto your lap too. She barely fit, both your kids were almost too big to sit on your lap at the same time.

Your boss walked by, giving you a warning look. You gave her a sheepish smile before making both your children get off your lap. “Now go do your homework.” Nora and Don whined a little bit before begrudgingly walking over to one of the breakfast tables nearby. Your boss was kind enough to let your kids stay there for your last hour of shift, so you were careful not to piss her off.

You went back to work while keeping an eye on your kids. They finished their homework and started to color together. At one point, Don dropped a crayon, causing him to super speed to pick it up. You winced, glad the lobby had been empty at the time. They were usually good about not using their super speed, but Don, in particular, would slip up once and a while.

About five minutes towards the end of your shift, your kids came to stand by you with their backpacks on. They wanted to go home, and knew that they had to keep bugging you to make sure you left on time. However, a woman entered the lobby when you were just ready to clock out.

“Hello, how can I help you?” you asked as the woman turned to face you. The blood drained from your face as you recognized her immediately.

Iris’ mouth dropped open. “(Y/N)?” She came towards you. “It can’t be. You’re dead.” You flinched at her words, swallowing hard.

“I think you’re mistaken,” you replied quickly, looking away from her. Don and Nora watched Iris with curiosity and nervousness, sensing this woman upset you.

“Who are you?” Don asked, moving to your side protectively. Nora came to your other side, narrowing her eyes. Iris glanced at your twins, recognizing the resemblance between them and their father instantly.

“It can’t be,” Iris whispered in awe, glancing between the twins. The twins looked confused, huddling closer to you.

“We have to go,” you said, jumping to your feet. You grabbed your bag before pulling your kids out behind you.

“Wait, (Y/N),” Iris called after you, but you and the kids were already gone.

Staring out the kitchen window with a drink in hand, you debated on what to do. Don and Nora sat at the table behind you, nervously eating the two casseroles you made for them. They inherited Barry’s fast metabolism as well.

Part of you wanted to pack up everything and run while another part reasoned you should let Barry find you. Even if he did pick Iris over you, he deserved to know about his kids. Besides, you could use some help with their super speed.

Of course, there was always the case that Iris might not tell Barry about you. After all, she probably won’t want you back since she now had Barry to herself.

Taking another sip of your drink, you turned away from the window to find both of your kids staring at you. Nora took a bite of her casserole, mumbling as she chewed. “Mom, who was that lady?”

“Don’t talk when you’re eating,” you scolded lightly before sinking into a chair at the table. Both Don and Nora watched you, waiting for an explanation. “She is someone I knew from a long time ago.”

“Why did she say you’re dead?” Don interjected, refusing to let you off the hook. He took a sip of his milk, watching you with eyes so much like his father’s.

You sighed, burying your face in your hands. “She and your father are very close.” Both kids go still, staring at you with big eyes. “When your father and I were together, she and I were kidnapped. Your father was forced to chose which one of us to save. He chose her.”

Nora and Don burst into tears, zooming over to hug you. You returned their hug once you got your bearings. “How could he do that?” Nora sobbed as Don just kept mumbling ‘mom’ over and over.

“Hush now,” you soothed, your own tears flowing down your cheeks. “You know I was pregnant with you both at the time, though I didn’t know it.” Kissing the top of their heads, you pulled them into your lap despite them almost being too big for it. “The two of you saved me.”

“How?” Don asked, perking up slightly despite his tears.

You gave a halfhearted laugh. “The two of you let me borrow your super speed to escape,” you explained, smiling at how wide their eyes grew.

Nora cuddled into you. “Well you can always borrow it again, Mom, if you ever need it,” she said sincerely. Don nodded, agreeing with her.

“Thank you Darlings.” You kissed both of their cheeks before pushing them off your lap. “Now finish your supper.” The twins eagerly went back to their chairs, finishing their casseroles.

Hours later, you crept out of the twins’ bedroom after telling them a long bedtime story. You did your best to carry on calmly, pushing aside your fears. Going into the living room, you sat down on the couch to watch the news.

The next thing you knew you were being jerked awake from a knock on the front door. Getting up slowly, you rubbed your eyes as you stumbled to answer it. When you saw who was on the other side, your heart stopped.

“(Y/N)?” Barry Allen gasped, drinking in the sight of you. He looked horrible. His hair unwashed, dark circles around his eyes. This Barry looked like a dead man, far from the man you loved so much. “Is it really you?”

Your breath caught in your throat as your knees threatened to give out. Panic left you trembling. Making a quick decision, you started to close the door in his face, but Barry stuck his foot in the door.

“(Y/N), please, don’t shut me out,” Barry begged, tears filling his eyes. “I can’t believe you’re alive. I thought I lost you.”

“You knew you would lose me when you picked Iris,” you snapped, your eyes are burning with your own tears. “Go away and be with her.” You pushed the door on his foot.

Barry winced at the pressure on his foot, but he stayed where he was. “What do you mean be with her? Are you talking about Iris?”

“Please don’t rub it in my face. I knew you were always in love with her,” you sobbed, shaking your head. “Now leave me alone.”

“(Y/N), what are you even talking about?” Barry argued, his face twisting in confusion. “You’re the only one I’ve ever loved, (Y/N). It’s always been you.”

“Stop lying,” you growled, reaching out to push him away from the door. However, Barry grabbed your arm and pulled you to him. His lips slammed into yours. The kiss was as earth shattering as it had been five years before.

“When the message came through, I did run to Iris first, because I didn’t think. I just knew I had to move fast to be able to save both of you,” Barry explained, locking you against his chest. Your heart started beating fast at his closeness. “When I didn’t make it to you in time, I felt like I died along with you. (Y/N), I have wished everyday since then that I chose you first, even though that would mean Joe would lose Iris.”

You blinked, stunned by his words. Your lips were still tingling from the pressure of his kiss. Searching his face, you struggled to speak. “Do you really mean that? You didn’t pick Iris because you loved her more?”

“No,” Barry answered, drinking in your eyes. “I mean I love Iris like a sister, but you are the love of my life, (Y/N). Can you forgive me?”

Sobs wreaked out of you. “Yes,” you choked as you grabbed Barry’s face and brought your lips to his. A passion sparked between you as if five years had only been a day.

Hours later, you and Barry were laying in your bed, cuddling into each other. Barry was staring at a baby picture of the twins, holding it in his hands from the moment he saw it on your bedside table.

“You never asked how I got out of the building,” you commented, rubbing circles into his bare chest. Barry glanced at you, blinking in surprise.

“I guess I didn’t think about it,” Barry admitted, blushing slightly as he stared at the picture in front of him.

“Well, if it helps, you did save me in a way,” you explained, glancing up at the picture of your babies with a smile.

Barry’s hand dropped into your hair as he studied you. “What do you mean?” He asked in confusion.

“I’m not really sure how it all works, but the twins sort of gave me their super speed to escape the building.” You frowned for a moment. “I had it for the last few months of my pregnancy before it disappeared when the twins were born.” A soft smile grew upon your lips at Barry’s shocked expression. “So by giving me the twins, you did save me.”

“So they are mine?” Barry asked, studying the baby picture again.

You sniffed, sitting up. “Of course, they’re yours. Do you really think I would have been with anyone else?” Barry’s hand on your arm drew you back against him. “It’s always been you.”

He kissed your lips, brushing away a tear from your cheek. You hadn’t notice it. The baby picture was set back on your bedside table. “I’m so glad I found all of you.”

“Me too,” you sighed, relaxing back against him. Barry hummed, tightening his arms around you.

“Will I get to meet the twins in the morning?” Barry asked softly just when you were about to fall asleep. You opened your eyes a little, smiling at him.

“You will, but be warned they aren’t always the most friendly with people they don’t know,” you mumbled, snuggling against him. “They’ll warm up to you though, once they know who you are.”

Barry chuckled in relief as you relaxed completely against him. Your breath became even and slow. Barry counted them, drawing himself closer to sleep. Sighing deeply, Barry found he finally felt complete at last.

#barry allen #barry allen x reader #barry allen imagine #flash #flash x reader #flash imagine #the flash #the flash x reader #the flash imagine #dc comics imagines #dc reader insert

1K notes · View notes

elegiesforshiva · 6 years

Text

Ghosts Pt IV: Face Paintings

Masterpost Previous | Next

Sakura’s first mission in years is estimated to last less than two days, but she still finds herself heated in anticipation. She hasn’t traveled since she was in ANBU, excluding diplomatic conferences. But she hardly remembers much of it. She hardly remembers much of anything besides the death tolls, the adrenaline, and the clandestine despair.

Their mission is a simple rescue one and she is placed in a team of four. There’s one sensor, two combat nins, (one of which had just been on the last mission with the nin they were meant to retrieve) and her, the medic. The team leader is monstrously tall with sleek black hair and hard features—an intimidating shinobi named Enra. Sakura can tell the kunoichi was from Root. Stone faced as shinobi often come, there is something about the stiffness in which Root members spoke with that gave way to hardness that other shinobi couldn’t quite emulate.

They are being sent to find two nin who have been separated from their team along the border of Tanigakure. One of the missing nin is a Hyuga, and Sakura morbidly wonders if a team would be sent out in the dead of night with such haste had it not been for the threat of losing a nin with a kekkei genkai. It’s no secret that certain shinobi are valued over others. If there is one thing being introduced to the shinobi world alongside Naruto and Sasuke taught her, it is that.

The squad is silent when they meet at the gate and Sakura can feel each of them momentarily study her. Whether it’s because of the unruly cotton candy on her head or because they recognize her as Tsunade’s apprentice, she’s not sure. But she’s that much more thankful that they are quiet.

They head out towards Tani, leaping from branches of Konoha’s thick oak. There’s the incessant rattle of crickets and the occasional hoo-hoo of an owl. It’s frigid at this time of night and the air stings Sakura’s flesh more than she cares to admit. She hopes she isn’t as out of practice as she feels.

They run for long hours before their sensor stops. “Wait!” His cry comes from her left, deep and boyish at once. Her feet ground into the branch she lands on, toes curling with the momentum of her forceful plant. The sensor is quiet for a moment, head tilted to the side. He’s the only chunin in the group and with his scrawny build, bronze skin, and viridian hair, Sakura can’t help but admire how beautiful he looks amongst the trees. It is as if he hails from forest nymphs.

“Well?” A teammate, Haru, impatiently asks. He is much bulkier and has long blonde hair, tied back into a braid. He is the nin who had been with the squad they are meant to save and his excessive agitation is forgiven for the sole fact. He looks tired and anxious and horribly guilt ridden.

Sakura knows that shame—feels it every time she sees the red. But she’s learned to keep her mouth shut and mind focused when she can help it. Panic attacks can’t bring the dead back to life, even if the heart doesn’t know any better.

“I think...I think I can feel them. It’s faint. But I’m picking up a chakra that matches the Hyuga’s description,” the sensor says. Kaito. Sakura remembers. She studies him closer and she could have sworn that she’s worked with him before. She remembers green hair and almond eyes behind a rabbit mask. But this sensor is only a chunin and Sakura was insane during her times in ANBU.

“Is he alone?” Sakura asks. Are we too late?

“No. There’s one other chakra signature,” he says. “It’s so faint, I can’t tell if it’s rival nin or not.”

Sakura lets out a shaky breath. They’ll probably be stumbling upon a body soon. She didn't expect any less, but she often hopes anyway. She suspects it’s a trait she’s retained only because of Naruto’s influence.

“Which way?” Enra speaks this time, and the fixture of her lips even as the words come out unsettles Sakura.

“Left of here. About 60 kilometers,” Kaito says.

“We’ll follow your lead,” Enra says. And then they’re off.

It’s daybreak by the time they arrive, the sky warmed in hues of oranges and pinks, undisturbed by the strifes of nin below.

The first thing that hits Sakura is the smell. It’s heavy, and sharp, like someone shoved incinerated coal right against her nostrils. Her gloved hand smacks over her mouth and nose, stomach protesting violently. Katon, she thinks horribly. The squad was burned to death. Just like Kakashi in her dreams.

Then they finally come upon three leaf shinobi by a river, and only one is visibly conscious.

The first is nothing but a charred corpse with several limbs missing, the obvious source of the combustion wafting in the air. Another is unconscious, his legs are bloody stumps beneath wet bandages, plasma oozing through. The last is the Hyuga, propped up but barely conscious. Maybe it is just the way he is curled up and shaking, but he looks far too young to be a shinobi. Sakura spots charcoal in his lap, and it’s only then that she realizes his right hand had been severed too. She shuts her eyes to take a deep breath through the leather of her gloves. Then she rushes forward.

His pearl eyes pass from Haru and then to Sakura. “Oh,” he squeaks, arms spasming around his knees. “I d-don’t—Please—”

Sakura is already kneeling by the nin with their legs missing, and swallowing her horror at the puddle of blood. The skin is purple, then black and red and she thinks the nature of the burn may be the only reason why he hasn’t bled out. An explosive she thinks. It wasn’t a katon. It was a blast. Shit. He’s definitely going to be hemorrhaging.

She slides her palm onto the nin’s chest, pumps chakra into the nin’s chest. She treats the lungs first, sewing injured tissue back with the snaking of her chakra into the nin’s body. Decompression. Higher oxygen flow. Fluid management. Sakura wishes there was another medic, or at least more equipment. But all she has is her chakra so it will have to do.

“My hand,” the Hyuga boy croaks. His voice is the most miserable thing her heart has heard all week. But the blood is oozing, smearing against ash, and she needs to remember triage.

She’s ripping off the bloody bandages and fastidiously pushing chakra into the stubs with one hand while the other disrobes what it can. And the body is so black. And any flesh not covered in charcoal is swollen red. At once, she sees muscles spasm to life, and she tries to analyze where the decay begins and ends. Please. Please make it.

Sakura sees green creep into her peripheral then. “Sakura-san,” Kaito says. “How can I help?”

She is speaking instantly, nods over to the Hyuga. “Blood replenishing pills. Give him two. And one blue and yellow pill in my pouch.” He moves quickly, and Sakura is grateful, feeling him wrestling in her pouch in methodical haste. “I’ll see if he needs more. Start disinfecting his wound with the alcohol too.”

“Who did this?” Enra asks.

Sakura’s eyes dart to the boy, who’s trembling, his muted lips set in a straight line. It’s usually a bit hard to see where a Hyuga’s iris begins and ends, blending nearly perfect into the sclera. But his are bloodshot, lids swollen, and cheeks tracked with the line of his tears. He makes a noise low in his throat, gazr flitting around like he’s not really sure where to look.

“A bandit,” Haru responds then, since the Hyuga couldn’t seem to.

Kaito scoffs at that. “You’re joking. Bandits did this to you?” He places pills in the Hyuga’s remaining hand.

“Not ordinary bandit.” The boy finally says, before sliding the pills in his mouth with quivering fingers. He tries to swallow the water Kaito hands him too, but it ends up splashing most of it around his face and clothes because of the tremors.

“There was only one?” Sakura asks, scrunching her nose, trying not to inhale too deep. The air alone is so charred; she can’t bear to look at the body of the last teammate just yet.

“J-just one,” the Hyuga responds. His voice sounds like his throat has just been freshly sanded.

“Is he dead?” Enra asks.

“She,” the Hyuga corrects with a crack in his voice. Kaito brings the canteen to his lips, helping him drink this time. “Yes,” he says, his voice marginally steadier before Sakura sees his face turn towards her. “Please. I—I found my hand for you. Please put it back.”

Sakura turns her head to face him. His eyes are white and red and haunting, glazed with desperation. “I’m sorry,” Sakura says with an apologetic frown. “I can’t reattach it. It’s been burned too badly.”

“It’s my right. I need it,” the boy replies, as if it didn’t matter. Gods, he looks so young.

“This bandit was a shinobi?” Enra asks, carrying on as if he isn’t having a breakdown. Sakura has to turn her head to look at the kunoichi, because she can’t tell if it’s the question or her mind that’s misplaced right now. But Enra is nonchalant, and she gazes an exterior too cool and analytical. No, Sakura decides. She’s not the alien here. Enra is. She eyes the burnt corpse they’ve all been purposefully neglected—except Haru, who just keeps staring at it.

“Yes,” Haru answers this time. His voice is calm despite the hellish look in his eyes. “She had to have been. She used explosives. Out of thin air. No tags.” She wonders how long he’s been watching the body.

“And you ran!” The Hyuga squacks suddenly, the sound high pitched and so tense it snaps everyone’s eyes towards him. And the gaze he pins with Haru is belligerent, his lips peeling back to show white, clenched teeth that looked like they would snap from the sheer force behind them. Sakura can see the thin blue lines by his eyes begin to protrude. He looks like madness. Fuck. Fuck he’s going to kill him, she thinks. “Just left us for dead!” Kaito is rigid next to him, nimble arms cocked like he’s about to pin him down.

Sakura intervenes, speaks with a controlled calm while pulling out a syringe and filling it with fluid from the bag on her back. “He just went to get help,” she defends. She slowly inserts the needle into the unconscious nin she is still tending to. She needs to work fast. He needs attention. He’s just a boy. “If he didn’t leave, then—”

“Me! She came for me!” the Hyuga screeches. He lifts his bloody stub, pointing it at Haru accusingly, his shaking more violent than ever. “And you ran! Left me for dead. I’m a Hyuga!”

“I came back!” Haru’s cry is too vehement and awkward, though he tries to school his features into something more composed.

“It’ll be alright,” Sakura says, imitating a professional medic who hopes to placate their patient. But she feels like an imposter. “You’re still alive, don’t worry. We’re here, we’ll take ca—”

“Fuck you!” the Hyuga spits, and Sakura tenses beneath his vitriol, caught by the way his veins and eyes pop out of his small head. His face is ghastly, and his arm is spasming with the surges of his trauma. “Hiashi-sama—He will kill you!” His cry is shrill and his head swivels in jagged motions to look ahead, veiny white fixed on something not there. “Will kill Rokudaime! Kill all of you for this!” He looks rabid, and deluded, and starved for justice. Sakura doesn’t blame him.

“Watch your fucking tongue, brat!” Kaito seethes, grabbing the dark locks and yanking them down, his other hand tightening around the Hyuga’s wrist so hard his knuckles turn white.

“Stop,” Sakura says, her voice hushed and soft, veiling the panic and guilt for the boy’s upset. She should have given him something that would tend to his anxiety faster. Instead she’s riled him up. I’m disappointed in you, Okaasan would say sometimes, though not always with words. Sakura nods with a hard swallow because she’s disappointed too.

Sakura places her hand on one of Kaito’s, gently prying it away from the boy’s hair and he lets her. “It’s okay, he’s just in shock.” She cups the Hyuga’s trembling face, who looks at her wide eyed and then suddenly so sad. He looks like he’s about to cry. She pushes her warm chakra through him, tracing his chakra pathways down to his brain. His shaking quells just a bit and his web of veins gradually grow faint beneath the white of his skin. “Be gentle. This isn’t easy.” Her hands wrap in green and she surveys his wounded stub delicately. This one wasn’t blasted off, it was cut. She needs to cauterize the wound.

Kaito acquiesces, relaxing his grip on the Hyuga’s wrist until finally letting go. Still he remains fixed beside her, hoving over the boy as if he expected him to snap any minute. Haru finally goes to make himself busy, taking out a scroll to seal the charred corpse so they can take it back to Konoha. Sakura could not be more thankful when the malodorous fumes dilute in her lungs.

“Where is the body of the bandit?” Enra asks then. “We should take it back with us too.” Sakura wishes Enra would just shut up already, even though her questions are essential to protocol.

“Exploded,” The Hyuga boy mumbles, a hitch in his breath. “And took Nohmi’s legs.” He gasps a breath and the shaking gets a little worse. Sakura pushes more chakra in. She wants to run her fingers through his hair like when otousan did when she was scared, but she would just stain him with blood.

“Where was this encounter?” Enra asks. Sakura chews her lip, glancing up at the boy only to find his eyes pasted to her work. He doesn’t look like he heard Enra at all.

“Please put it back. I was looking for a long time,” The Hyuga says, and he doesn’t even look at Sakura—just stares at his bloody stub like it’s not real. “Just try. Please. It’s my right.” He’s shaking so hard, Sakura has to hold his wrist to continue healing him.

“Let’s put off the questions right now,” Sakura decides. She quickly bandages the wound. “Just look around for it. It’ll be hard to miss if there were explosives.” Sakura pushes his shirt up to search for other wounds. “He couldn’t have carried the bodies far either.”

“Fine,” Enra agrees, and she sounds neither annoyed nor pleased with the suggestion. “I’m taking Kaito in case there’s an ambush. Will you and Haru be okay?”

“Yes,” Sakura says, before she starts to fish in her medical bag for a vial. “Just don’t take too long. I’m worried about this one,” she nods her head towards the nin who had their legs blown off. “He lost a lot of blood. It’s a miracle he’s still alive.”

“Will fifteen minutes do?” Enra asks.

“That’s fine.”

Enra nods, then her and Kaito take off. Sakura tries to engage the Hyuga, asking questions about his family and Konoha to ease his tension and keep him conscious. She takes pains to be gentle when she touches him, and her heart aches when he responds with a despondent “Oh.” when she explains that she’s sorry but he won’t be getting his right hand back and he’ll just need to use his left from now on.

Haru stays silent throughout, caught in a trance. Sakura shoots him a question every now and then to gage his mental state. He was looking at the body too intensely for her not to be worried. She’s sure he knows what she’s doing too, because his responses are terse and laced with cynicism. Still, they’re sweet relief in comparison to the crippling panic in the Hyuga’s eyes.

When they run back to Konoha, Sakura is the one to carry the nin with their legs missing. The weight makes her slower than it should, but no one notices except for her. She desperately tries to forget they’re carrying a corpse that has been blown to black.

The Hyuga manages to stay conscious for it all, and he asks her to reattach his hand two more times before he finally realizes it’s gone for good.

The retrieved nin are deposited in the hospital before Sakura’s team reports back to Shikamaru—Kakashi himself is stuck in a meeting. Enra finishes explaining the details of how she gathered very little from the remnants of the battle.

“It was done with intention,” Enra says. “The enemy wasn’t trying to kill our nin with her blast, she was trying to make sure she left no remains before she died.” Sakura’s stomach curls in. She should be used to this by now—a nin choosing death for a grander cause—but she’s not. She can’t help but think of Enra’s word choice. The enemy. She thinks of Sai, of Danzo, of the rigorous brainwashing that was upheld Root. But it doesn’t matter what fancy rhetoric they slap on, she knows; they’re all the same—pawns on the chessboard.

“I guess that means we can expect more to come,” Shikamaru surmises. “And the Hyuga is missing a hand.” He sounds genuinely tired rather than apathetic like usual.

“I couldn’t reattach it,” Sakura explains, and her voice is soft in apology. “It had been too badly burned.”

Shikamaru sighs, his hand coming to cradle his chin. His eyes slant off to the side, thoughtful. “This isn’t good. Hiashi will be upset.”

“At least he only lost a hand. If he lost his legs or ended up dead like the other ones, the Hyugas would have Hokage-sama’s head on a platter,” Kaito says, and there’s a faint amusement in his tone that makes Sakura cringe.

Haru’s discomfort is more audible than hers, a sound slipping out that he tries to cover with a rough cough. When she looks over at him, she can see a steadfast guilt at the mention of his mutilated teammates. It makes her heart expand in her chest in a painful way, like it’s been punctured on her own ribs.

“They’re both shinobi,” Sakura says, her head swiveling towards Kaito and Shikamaru in what is likely misplaced vehemence. But she doesn’t care. They need to know. Everyone needs to know. Her head is throbbing with upset. “All of us are. And all of us could be dismembered or die in the line of duty every time we walk out on a mission.”

“Yeah, but he’s a Hyuga,” Kaito responds, and there’s a look of disbelief in his features. Something that she’s sure is meant to mock her intelligence. “And a young one at that.”

“So?” Sakura challenges sternly, and she can feel her heart speed up. “What are you implying?”

There’s a flash of realization across his face. “N-nothing,” Kaito sputters, and his expression contorts in such genuine alarm that Sakura instantly feels guilty for lashing out. “I-I’m sorry, I just—”

“Really? Aren’t you a sannin?” Haru asks, his tone so haughty and demeaning, her anger is pushing right back against her forehead. “You can’t actually be this stupid.”

Sakura is snapping before she can think. “You got something to say, asshole?” She took pity on him for most of his outbursts, with his eyes perpetually wide with the gore of the day. But now all she wants to do is grind his bones into the tower walls, consequences be damned.

“Yeah, I do,” Haru sneers right back, hot red in the face. “A couple of things, actually.”

“Fuck off, Haru,” Kaito spits. “You’ve been nothing but unhelpful this entire mission, all you’ve done is bitch and—”

“I’m still here,” Shikamaru says, looking every bit as unimpressed as he sounds. “Just thought I’d remind you.” There’s an awkward, explosive pause as the three struggle to flatten their emotions for the sake of formality. But they’ve been with singed bodies all day, they’ve found nothing concrete to the cause, and Shikamaru’s nonchalance is hardly motivating for anyone.

“I think you misunderstand, Haruno,” Enra says, so monotone it grates Sakura’s head. She huffs, turns away from Haru to look at the towering kunoichi. Her expression is empty and mute, and Sakura feels her anger wafting away in the face of it. She doesn’t know what to feel when her gaze falls on that mask. “Nin with kekkei genkai get priority,” Enra says flatly, like it’s a matter of fact—a rule of physics itself rather than the result of a flawed system.

It almost pricks her, the way they’ve collectively misinterpreted her upset. But Sakura is not articulating herself well and she knows it.

And all she can think about is how she told Naruto that she’ll get better so she can speak to Sasuke. Like she owes him that. Their precious, beloved Sasuke. Special. Like Naruto. And unlike her.

“Exactly,” Haru says. Then he shoots her with a glare that’s paved in a new distress—envy. Sakura is overcome with the horrible sensation that she’s looking at her reflection. “You should count yourself lucky. If you hadn’t been trained by Senju Tsunade, the greatest honor someone like you could ever achieve is dying by a shinobi with a kekkei genkai.”

Sakura averts her eyes, inhaling sharply as her mind spins with the revolutions of red soaked stars and the madness of a beautiful boy who lost everything. She fights the urge to place her palm over her chest, the place he shot his hand through once upon a time. She shouldn’t know what it’s like to die by chidori. But she does.

Ductus arteriosus. Pulmonary artery. Pulmonary vein. Superior vena cava. Crista dividens...

“Or dying to protect one,” Kaito’s voice smoothes through her head, determined and full of revere. Sakura exhales as her mind puddles into the calm cerulean and glowing grin of a beautiful, knuckleheaded boy. When she finally looks at Kaito, she finds his gaze delicately soft and distant too. She wonders who put the sun in his sky.

Shikamaru crosses his arms and shakes his head. “I don’t have time for this,” he sighs, bored. “Go mope about being a nobody somewhere else. And have a written report submitted by Thursday morning.” He dismisses them with a turn of his heel.

“Sakura-chan, you have to see Sasuke,” Naruto says, guzzling down ramen at a nauseating pace.

Sakura turns her head to avoid the display, and tries to block out the wet sound of his slurps. “Not this again, Naruto.” She thinks she’s going to be sick.

“You don’t understand. He was so drunk the other night. And he—”

“Can we please talk about something else?” Sakura asks, fingers tight around her glass of water. She forces a breath, before swirling the liquid with tilts of her hand. She hones in on the clang of ice against the glass, then takes a sip. It’s pleasantly cold, and helps abate the queasiness, just enough for her to meet Naruto’s dramatic pout.

“Oh fine,” He says, begrudgingly, before proceeding to inhale his ramen like it’s the planet’s only cure for bad company.

They had decided to check out a new ramen stand on the outskirts of the main village, right by the civilian area where Sakura’s parents used to live. And this didn’t unsettle her as much as she thought it would, mostly because they’re dressed so casually. The ramen isn’t as good as Ichiraku, but Naruto still ate six bowls. Sakura has only eaten a quarter of her first before placing her focus solely on her water. She’s sick of ramen.

“How’s Hinata?” Sakura asks, eager to steer the conversation away from the cause of her nightmares.

Naruto takes the bait easy, his face lighting up in that way it always does when he thinks about her. “Amazing, as always.” He sighs sweetly with rose speckled eyes. “She sings a lot more these days. In the open too! Not just when she thinks I’m not paying attention.” Naruto’s gaze is whistful, and proud. “Her voice is so beautiful, Sakura-chan. She’s just so...I don’t know.”

This tender part of Naruto, soft and yearning, is not new concerning Hinata. But it’s been amplified since the pregnancy. Sakura can’t help but to think of how lucky they both are to exist as nothing but themselves in these moments. It’s such a rare thing for shinobi. “I can’t believe you’re going to be a father,” Sakura says.

“Me neither.” His smile is gentle, a different kind of honest than the usual loudness of his grin. “I still can’t believe I even have her. And now a baby? It’s crazy, it’s…”

“Everything you’ve always wanted,” Sakura finishes. Putrid smells forgotten, Sakura is melting beneath his warmth.

“Yeah,” he rasps. Sakura is happy for him. Endlessly. Naruto deserves the world he saved.

“Have you thought about names yet?” She asks then, her finger trailing along the seam of their wooden counter. She suddenly remembers young girls asking each other that long ago, and she recalls herself thinking It doesn’t matter. Sasuke-kun can pick. Her nails leave white lines along the grain.

Naruto’s smile dampens too, although more with a wobbling uncertainty as he scratches the back of his neck bashfully. “I mean, I have a couple but Hinata didn’t seem to like them.”

“Really?” Sakura asks, intrigued for more reasons than one. “Like what?”

“Well...okay, okay, hear me out on this…” Naruto says, clears his throat, and looks her dead in the eye with a twinkle in his. “Ichiraku Uzumaki.” Her anticipation splats flat on the ground.

Sakura rolls her eyes. “Of course you would.”

“Don’t give me that look! It’s a good idea!”

“Well, I guess you’d keeping the tradition of bland names centered around food,” Sakura mutters, unimpressed before taking a sip of her water, wondering how he could be so obsessed with ramen while she’s trying to avoid getting sick from the smell alone.

“Hey!” Naruto scowls and folds his arms. “You’re one to talk. A pink haired girl named Sakura?” He rolls his eyes, mockingly. “Gee, wonder where your parents came up with that!”

Sakura’s eye twitches just slightly. Yes, it was her father, known for his self indulgent humor, who had named her. He thought it was brilliant and fitting, which is just so like him. She doesn’t agree with the sentiment, but she loves her name anyway simply because he gave it to her.

Sakura fists her hand in the thick fabric of Naruto’s collar and violently pulls him close, lips twisting in a slightly humored but mostly maniacal smirk. “I dare you to say that again, you little orange shit,” she whispers. Naruto mock cowers on cue.

“Dickless! Ugly!”

They snap their heads to the left to see Sai and Ino approaching the booth. “Oh,” Naruto says, his smile larger than ever. “Hey you two!”

“Hey Forehead,” Ino takes a seat next to Sakura, unmoved by the scene she had stumbled upon. She helps herself to Sakura’s barely touched ramen. “How was the mission?”

“Fine,” Sakura spat reflexively, turning to face Ino after releasing Naruto. She examines her friend, at once spotting several shopping bags she had dropped by her seat. When Ino only quirks a brow, inquiring for more, Sakura takes a moment to contemplate her thoughts. Horrible. Traumatizing. “Suspicious,” she picks.

“Suspicious?” Ino echoes, slurping the ramen into her mouth in a manner much more eloquent than Naruto could ever manage. The sight must inspire the jinchuruuki though, because she hears him ordering another bowl.

“Yeah, it was ...strange,” Sakura says, pensive. She thinks of the young Hyuga and tries to swallow the memory of his radiating panic with the cool of her water. “I was meaning to tell you about it,” her voice is somber.

“What happened?” Ino quirks an eyebrow and Sai sits next to her, setting down a few bags of his own. He wraps his arm around her shoulder and Sakura watches as his fingers rub tentative. At once, Ino turns her head to her boyfriend and her fingers come to wrap around his own. Her voice is soft, and Sakura imagines her expression is even softer. “Split a bowl with me?”

“Of course, Beautiful.” Sai returns her smile with a natural cadence, and Sakura is bewildered by the ease of it. How far Sai has come. She forgets he used to be as awkward and empty as Enra. He orders a bowl of ramen for the two of them.

“Yeah, you didn’t tell me you had a mission,” Naruto chimes in, voice coarse with slight offense. “What happened?” Naruto asks, starting on his seventh bowl.

“We’re in public,” Sakura responds. The four of them had long discarded any notion of secrecy concerning missions between each other. Still, they keep discretion while in open areas. It was dangerous to talk out in the open.

“There’s no other shinobi around for at least 20 feet,” Ino informs, her voice slightly hushed as she pulls apart a new pair of chopsticks. “You can keep it broad.”

“Wait, how do you know?” Naruto quirks a brow, squinting at Ino in suspicion.

“She is a sensor, Dickless.” Sai supplies, and Sakura can almost hear the slight offense in the statement. As if Ino’s prowess is an obvious adornment she wears for everythone to see.

“Oh. Yeah.” Naruto grins then, ear to ear and blinding. “Sorry, it’s been awhile since I’ve been on a mission with you, Ino.” He scratches the back of his neck bashfully. “I guess I forgot.” Ino waves it off with her hand before urging Sakura to continue with an insistent look.

“It was a retrieval mission,” Sakura says, voice low. “We rescued a squad that was nearly decimated by a single bandit. And there was a nin with a kekkei genkai on that squad too.”

“Wait, a bandit?” Ino asks, maintaining her whisper. Ino and Sai look at each other then.

“What is it?” Sakura asks, gut twisting. She hates the idea of needing to revisit the scene. Amputations are commonplace, but there is little medics can do when explosives are involved. Nothing can be recovered that way.

“This job sounds awfully similar to our mission,” Ino says, then carefully takes a mouthful of ramen, chewing thoughtfully. “We had self proclaimed bandits, too. I mean, they were totally defected nin but they said bandits.”

“Our mission?” Naruto repeats, and Sakura is almost astounded he remembers to keep his voice down.

“Mine and Beautiful’s,” Sai clarifies, before reaching for Ino’s chopsticks.

“Wait, what!?” Naruto loses all discretion in a beat. “You two go on missions together!?”

“Keep your voice down. We’re in the middle of a civilian market, you moron.” Sakura crosses her arms, shooting an discomforted glare at her blonde-headed teammate.

“Yeah, and?” Ino says, eyeing Naruto before sliding carefully woven noodles into her mouth.

“What the hell!” Naruto growls, ignoring Sakura’s pleas. “Kaka-sensei never puts me on the same squad as Hinata! And I actually ask too!”

“Naruto, you idiot, shut your trap,” Sakura reprimands, shrinking into herself as she spots a few heads turning in their direction. She wishes she could wash out the pink of her hair. It’s bright and revolting and everyone will know it instantly.

“Perhaps it’s because you are unprofessional,” Sai says with so much certainty that Sakura would have laughed if she wasn’t busy being mortified by the stares. She doesn’t know if they think of her as Kizashi's girl or Mebuki's. And she can't tell which is worse.

“What!? Unprofessional my ass! I’m the best shinobi there is!” Naruto proclaims loudly, zealous as ever. Sakura’s skin crawls with something heated, and it grows exponentially with every turn of someone’s head. She feels their eyes sizing them up and down, and notes the looks of disapproval, fear, anger. They’re talking about the war. About fucked up shinobi that kill before they protect. “I’m Naruto Uzu—”

Sakura smacks Naruto’s bowl of ramen in his face and she almost wishes the porcelain cracked on it too. “Will you shut up?!” She hisses, shifting uncomfortably. She hears Ino choke on her ramen from the side, before she starts to giggle. Sakura whispers again, unrelenting. “Sensei just probably knows you’d sloppily compromise a mission or other teammates if it came to Hinata or something,” She huffs, watching the bowl slide off his face with a clang while wet noodles slip off his dumbfounded expression. “Sai’s right, you are unprofessional.”

Naruto licks the side of his chin, slurping a loose noodle into his mouth before wiping broth off with his sleeve. “Oh please!” He growls. “Like Sai and Ino wouldn’t do that for each other too.” He pouts, before accusingly pointing his finger at Sakura. “And you owe me another bowl of ramen!” Sakura scoffs.

“We would,” Sai agrees with a nod. “But we have more…” He searches for the words with a single finger to his chin, and Sakura almost needs to hold back a smile because she knows he picked up that mannerism from Ino. “...discretion about the matter.”

“Yeah, exactly,” Ino agrees with a haughty smirk. “Kind of helps to not be an overly passionate blockhead that blurts everything that comes to mind sometimes.”

Naruto whines. “Aw, c’mon! I’m not that bad.”

“Beautiful,” Sai calls to get Ino’s attention, holding the last clump of ramen in their bowl between chopsticks. He leans the piece forward towards her lips.

“I mean, just look at that!” Naruto exclaims, his hand gesturing out as Sai feeds his girlfriend.

Sakura sighs, tries to force the tension of nearby people away. They probably don’t even remember, she reasons. No one ever does.

“Just leave it alone, Naruto.” She turns her head to face the man she’s come to look upon as her brother. Adopted, of course—different parents. “She’s pregnant anyway, it’s not like she’s even able to go with you right now.”

Naruto grumbles under his breath, arms crossed in defiance. “Yeah, whatever.”

“Well, now that we have the whole market staring at us, and Naruto is thoroughly coated in ramen, how about we head to the training grounds?” Ino asks with a smile. “I want to hear more about your job, Sakura. You two are free, right?”

“I’ll take a raincheck,” Sakura says before she finishes her glass of water with two last gulps. “I have a shift coming up in thirty minutes.” And she needs to get the hell out of this district.

“Damn.” Ino snaps her fingers. “Forgot you’re on nights this week.”

They pay for their meals, Sakura taking it upon herself to pay for one of Naruto’s seven bowls of ramen. Naruto thanks her with a wide grin.

“I’ll see you two around. We’ll figure out plans soon, I want to finish that conversation.” Sakura promises with a nod of her head to Ino and Sai.

“And me too!” Naruto says with a sunny, boyish smile. Sakura takes a short pause to admire how he managed to maintain that youthful expression despite how they’ve all aged.

“And you too.” She smiles.

#sasusaku #fanfiction #ghosts #elegiesforshiva #efs writes #homemade trauma soup

46 notes · View notes

sunbaethehuman-blog · 7 years

Text

Indecisive - ( Pt. 1)

Yoongi Angst | Taehyung x Reader

PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 (coming soon)

Pairing: Yoongi x Reader | Taehyung x Reader

Genre: Angst, fluff, BTS x Reader, series

Author’s note: SECOND FANFIC AYYYYY. I’ve been writing this one since….. this summer maybe?? lol idk im lazy af and i still have other stuff to write. RLLY GOOD STUFF TOO. ive been into angst stuff lately bc i love to break my heart over n over again :’))) thats my kink guys!!! getting my heart broken!! haha jk im srry i will sto p anyways. I love yoongi with all my heart,,,, but i also love taehyung with all my heart so i was like WHY NOT AHAHAHA bias vs bias wrecker ok now i’m overdoing this author’s note thing im srry pls enjoy btws i posted this without rlly reviewing it so YEAH LETS GET IIIIIIT

“Ew, what kind of face is that?” a low voice asked, looking at the screen on the phone you were holding up, the front camera facing you and raven haired male that sat next to you as you took a selfie. You had your face scrunched up, eyes rolled up to the point where the only the whites of your eyes were shown, you clicked the camera shutter.

“What’s wrong with silly pictures?” You pouted and turned to your date. As he looked back at you, he scoffed, “you call that silly? That’s more ugly than it is silly.” His tone was serious but you knew his humor consisted of roasts.

You couldn’t help but laugh and playfully hit his shoulder, “Okay, okay. We’ll take a good one.” Your hand still in position, you smiled at the camera showing teeth, while the young man smirked. Click. “There we go.” You cooed. The lights began dimming, indicating the movie was about to begin so you put your phone away.

You were amazed by the fact you were able to ask Yoongi out on a date to the cinema. You weren’t sure how to go about it but you asked your best friend, Taehyung for advice, he seemed weird about it but eventually he said to just go for it. You and Yoongi were good friends to begin with but you felt something else go on between you two (a lot of sexual awkward tension to be exact). For a while, neither of you acknowledged it, knowing it could possibly ruin your friendship, and that’s something the neither of you wanted.

Deciding to see a romantic comedy, Yoongi was first against it, but it was the only thing you could stand watching. Horror wasn’t your cup of tea, so Yoongi let it slide. To your surprise, you heard Yoongi laughing along beside you. Looking at him laughing, you couldn’t help but smile too.

Then, a sudden burst of happiness hit you. It was weird–it would happen from time to time and it’d come at the most random times. The feeling was strong and passionate that just couldn’t be ignored.

“Hey, Yoongi…” you began, but you stopped. Yoongi’s phone was vibrating in his pocket. As the screen lit up, his eyebrows knitted together, “ahh, what can I do..” he flashed his phone at you, “it’s Suran. I’ll be back.” Answering his call in a low whisper, he got up from his seat and walked while crouching, trying not to block people from veiwing the movie and walked outside of the movie theater.

All of your firey passion was gone in an instant. Your heart’s content was quickly replaced with sadness. ‘Why am I being like this..? It’s not like he’s leaving.. Ohmygod. Am I jealous?’ You felt frustrated about your own feelings. ‘No! I can’t be. They’re both my friends.’

Holding a burdensome conversation with yourself, a voice whispered into your ear, “I’m so sorry,” it was Yoongi. Making you snap out of the lonesome quarrel, you turned your head towards him, “Suran is… in need of my help. I have to go. I’ll see you later.”

To your understanding, you nodded, “alright. No worries, I hope everything’s fine..!” and with that, he rushed back out.

Trying to keep your cool, you sunk into your seat, ‘they’re both my friends… then why am I feeling like this?’ you could only ask yourself that same question over and over.

‘Next time, maybe?’ you asked yourself. The autumn night breeze blew your hair, chilling your cheeks and runny nose. The hoodie you wore under your jean jacket kept you warm. After Yoongi left, you had been in a sour mood and decided to leave without finishing the movie. You felt like you needed to take a walk, and that’s what you did. It felt nice to have some time to yourself and sort out these senses.

Getting home, you plopped down onto your bed, spreading your limbs out. Staring at the ceiling, you contiplated whether or not to text Yoongi. And after many debates, you finally decided yes. Pulling out your phone from your purse and clicking the message app, you picked Yoongi’s contact.

YOU: Hey, how is Suran doing? Is everything okay?

After a few minutes, you recieved a reply.

Yoongi-nie: Hey, everything’s fine, I guess. her boyfriend broke up with her so she needed my moral support… how was the movie? sorry i didn’t stick around long enough to see the ending. did they end up together?

YOU: oh no that’s terrible. HE DIDN’T DESERVE HER. HE’S AN ASS. I got her back, tell her that. and the movie was good. :) you lied guess we gotta redo this lil date so you can find out for yourself! haha

The reply from Yoongi took a little longer than you had hoped.

Yoongi-nie: Date? i didn’t know this was a date… i thought we were only hanging out….

What–. What the hell is that supposed to mean? Your heart was pounding hard against your chest.

YOU: Oh, hanging out? lol then do u want to go on a date sometime with me…?

At that point, you felt like your heart was going to beat out of your chest. Turning your screen off, you screamed while throwing your phone to the other side of your bed. The anticipation and anxiety began to build. “WHY DID I DO THAT? JEEZ, FUCK. OHMYGOD. NOOO. FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK–” Ding! You received a message.

Quickly crawling to the other side of your bed, you flipped over your phone and rushed to unlock it.

Yoongi-nie: No. Sorry. I don’t like you like that. I always thought I treated you like my annoying little sister, but I don’t want to keep leading you on. I’m sorry but I don’t feel that way.

Your heart sunk. It was the end. Honestly, you didn’t know what you were expecting. Your life isn’t like the romantic comedies. You weren’t going to get the boy. It happens.

YOU: Ahhh. Okay. Sorry, I misunderstood. I probably made you feel uncomfortable. Thanks for telling me the truth, though. I really appreciate it.

Yoongi-nie: Are you okay? I don’t want you to be depressed or anything.

At this point, your heart felt destroyed.

YOU: OMG. Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it. I just need some time if that’s okay.

Yoongi-nie: Take all the time you need. Again, I’m sorry.

YOU: Don’t apologize. It’s okay, seriously. Goodnight.

Yoongi-nie: Goodnight.

Recieving that last text, you set your phone on silent and played music. You didn’t think playing your favorite songs could make you feel so sad.

———————————————————————————————————–

The next day felt draining. Although you didn’t have work, your morning wasn’t as enjoyable as it could’ve been. Doing what you usually do on your day off, you jumped into the shower. Since you had no plans of going out, you only changed into comfy sweats and a t-shirt, and tied your hair up into a pony-tail. Next, you cleaned your apartment while listening to music that blasted through your speakers. It was a good distraction until you heard a knock at the door.

Turning down the music, you took a look at yourself in the mirror that hanged in the hallway before the front door and moved away misplaced strands of hair out of your face then opened the door.

It was Taehyung wearing his baggy tan hoodie and ripped blue jeans. He had what seemed like bags filled with food in his hands. “Good morning!” He smiled. You were able to keep it together since the night before and all morning but for some reason, seeing your best friend’s face made you break into tears. “Taaaaaehyuuuuung..!” you sobbed.

The brunette’s smile was wiped off with concern and confusion, “woah, woah what happen?” He closed the door behind him and placed the bags onto the table before wrapping his lengthy arms around you.

His warm embrace made you cry into his chest even harder and hug back. All that was heard were muffled sobs. “There, there.” he said softly, stroking the top of your head. He was patient with you, he always was. And it was rare to see you cry, Taehyung knew you were a strong when it came to your feelings. Stress, frustration or even just sad movies never made you cry.

After a few minutes of ugly sobbing, you stepped back, letting go and looking up at him through your blurry vision. Taehyung looked back into your eyes and only chucked, “well that’s a sight for sore eyes.” cupping your cheeks, he wiped away your tears as you sniffed. “Are you ready to tell me what happen?”

The only response you gave him was a slow nod. Tired of standing at the door, the both of you moved the conversation to your living room, where you told him about your heartbreak.

You sat at one end of the couch in a little ball while Taehyung sat at the other end. “Ahhh… this is so embarrassing…” you sighed, rubbing your eyes and sniffed.

“Why are you embarrassed? These are your feelings. There’s nothing you should be embarrassed about.” Taehyung comforted.

You sighed once again, “ah… why did I have to fall for Yoongi? I should’ve just fallen for you instead. We’re practically married,” leaning your head against the leather cusion of the couch and giggled.

Only a corner of Taehyungs lips lifted, “that’s food for thought.” He leaned over and patted the closest limb he was able to reach, which was your foot, weird but it still felt comforting, “I don’t know what else to say but to move on–things like this happen. I don’t want to sound like a jerk and tell you this but it’s the truth,” he sighed, “and I don’t want you to keep bringing your hopes up for them to be suddenly broken down again.”

Taking a deep breath and rubbing your eyes before combing through your hair with your fingers, you looked at him, “aghhh, you’re right. I have to get over him…. and I’ll start by eating that food you brought–where it at?” you got off the couch and quickly walked to the table in the hallway where Taehyung left the bags.

Opening the bags, it felt as if the food itself was glowing and shinning on your face. Was there a choir of angels singing? Who knows but you could hear them loud and clear. All you could do was mischievously laugh to yourself, “oh, Taehyungie. You know me so well.” The bags were filled with all of your favorite snacks and drinks.

“I thought we could watch some movies and chill all day while eating junk food,” the owner of the low and husky voice popped in, watching you drool from the hallway.

You looked up at the direction it come from and smiled, “Taehyung, you have perfect timing.”

#bts #yoongi #suga #taehyung #kim taehyung #min yoongi #angst #bts angst #kpop #kpop angst #yoongi x reader #taehyung x reader #one shot #fluff #agust d #part 1 #BTS - Indecisive

80 notes · View notes

saltynemo · 7 years

Text

Break-Up

WHATADO Everybody its your boi Nemo back at it again with another fanfic. Noq today I'm gonna disappoint you and leave you with a cliff hanger. I made a Brendon Urie fluff awhile ago but life has been busy lately. Btw, small angst at the end (I'm Jena from the future: excuse writing errors and shit cause this is one of my first stories)

Summery: Y/n decides to fly out to Brendon to comfort him about the Break-Up he has recently went through. This gives him and Y/n quality time together and things start to spark, but not in the way you think

Type: Fluff/Angst

Warnings: Cussing, Small angst at end, Fluff, I think that's about it

Requested?: Kind of, Yea

Word Count: 3.4k (3,478 words)

PT.2

Now without further ado, P-P-P-P-PLAY IT

I have been friends with Brendon since 2nd grade. We do everything together! His family adores me and its like im Brendons sister. I was there with Brendon when he had his first Flirting experiance. I was there with him when he had his first Break-Up. I am almost always there for him and there is nothing separating us. Mostly, the only time were apart is when hes on tour or I have things to do. But this time, he is touring and playing his usual gigs and I decided not to tag along with him. I didnt decide to go this time because of his girlfriend, Audrey. She has always been such a snob to me and I just never liked her. The number one reason I didnt like her is because she abuses Brendon. Its just that Brendon loves her too much to even notice! I try to tell him, but he just keeps telling me the same thing over and over again, "Shes just annoying me with her love and affection" And I keep replying with the same answer over and over again, "Shes abusing you and your money!" After a while, I gave up...Brendon loved her and Audrey didnt so much love him.

I woke up to the sound of a vibration next to my head. I lazily turn over and answer my phone in a groggy voice, "Hello..?" I heard sobbing on the other line, and I could tell it was Brendons. "Brendon, are you ok? What happened? Its..3 am" "S-he bro-ke up wi-th me.." Brendon stuttered. He was histerical. I tried to calm him down by telling him im here for him and such, but most of it didnt work. "Damn, i wish I could be there to give you a hug! You sound horrible" I say, on the verge of tears myself. "Y-yeah i wish too. Why d-o i d-do this to myself?! Am i t-too nice?" Brendon sobs. I tell him that hes too caring for some of these woman and to take a break. We talk back and forth about what happened and how we can resolve it. "Its 3 am Y/n..ill let you go. Ill just cry myself to sleep.." Brendon sniffled. We both say goodnight and I dial Josh's number. "Hey Josh?" "Yea, Y/n?" "Did you hear from Brendon yet..? Im kind of worried for him" I ask, pacing around my room. "Yea, i heard him talking on the phone with someone about his ex. Was that you?" Josh replies. "Yea, that was me. Also, how do you know he broke up with Audrey?" "Oh yea! I went on tour with him, just to tag along. Since im still on my haitus I thought i would give him some company" He says. "How long have they been broken up? Did it just happen?" I say, raising my voice a little. Josh starts to tell me the long story of how Brendon and Audrey broke up. It was pretty violent from my perspective. I hear sobbing in the backround as Josh went on with his story. "Wait, im gonna go outside..i feel like im destroying Brendon by telling you the story" Josh says, moving away from Brendons hysterical voice. "Brendons pretty..heart broken. Like is there any way you can calm him down? Your the only person I know who is that close to Brendon" "I tried! But i dont think I can do it over the phone, you know what I mean" I reply, leaning my head on my hand. "Is there any way you can like..come down here?" Josh asks. I can hear him pacing around outside. "I dont have the money ya know..im living in an apartment" I say, laughing a little bit. Josh chuckles but cuts out his laugh mid way. "I can PayPal your flight! Like-please come over here? Brendons destroyed..do it for him" "Ugh! Fine..Ill have to order the Tickets right now then. Send me your PayPal info and ill get packed" I sigh. "Sweet, Y/n!! I knew you would do it" "But ill need a ride..Can you do it?" "I dont think so..ill ask Tyler or Patrick. Both of them love you so it wont be a problem" He replies. I lay back on my bed, phone still next to my ear, "Welp, ok! Cya then. And dont tell Brendon about this..I want it to be a suprise" I say, smiling uncontrollably. "You gotcha. Cya then" Josh says. I could tell him winked by his tone. We said our goodbyes and I put my phone down. I sighed very loudly, almost thinking my neighbors could hear me. I sit back up and limp over to my Computer

Josh sent me his PayPal info and I bought the plane tickets. The plane was scheduled to leave at 3:00 pm tommorow. I closed my laptop and jogged over to my closet, packing up so I wont have to do it later. I didnt think much on what I should bring, but I threw in a couple outfits, toothbrush, hairbrush, and some headphones all into one SuitCase. I zip it up and put it to the side. Its now 4:00 am. I should get some rest..since I got lots of planning to do. I crawl back into bed, trying to put my worries about Brendon and my schedule aside.

*TIME SKIP Brought to you by Brendon's High notes*

Its 1:30 pm..I called a Taxi so I can get driven to the Airport. Josh texted me telling me that Petes going to pick me up. Im always excited to see Pete and..pretty much all of my Friends, so i was excited. Once we got to the airport, I payed the Taxi driver and headed for the long journey of ID Checking and security. Once I hit my first checkpoint, I put my bag on a conveirbelt and show them my Passport and ID. They aprove it and I grabbed my stuff. I found a very comfy bench near the Exit to where my plane is. I sit and wait forever, untill they finally call my plane. "Plane 3A!! All abourd 3A!" The flight attendant shouts. I pick my stuff up and head twords the door. I show her my plane ticket and I head to the back of the plane

The plane ride was quiet and peacefull to my suprise. No crying children, no kids kicking the back of your seat, and no rude or distracting people! I put my headphones on and put my music on shuffle. The very first song to come on was 'Dont Threaten Me With a Good Time'. I smiled brightly and tapped my foot to the beat as the plane flew through piles of clouds. I knew this was going to be a fun trip.

The seatbelt light flashed aboved my misty eyes. I packed up my things and secured my seat belt. I have always hated the landing of a plane, it just uneased me. The plane decended to the ground and skirted to a hualt. All of the passengers, including me, exited the plane through the door and a tunnel. Once I reached the end of the long corrador, I saw Pete! "Hey Petie!" I cheered, giving him a quick hug. "So nice to see you, Y/n!" "Hows Brendon?" I asked, pulling away from the hug. "Oh, about him, Hes...still depressed. I took a picture of him about 30 minutes ago" Pete exclaimed, showing me a photo of Brendon's head down, his arms hiding his face. He was in a position as if he were playing 'Heads Up Seven Up'. "Aw man...sucks" I say, itching the back of my neck. "How about we go suprise him now?" Pete said adding a cute smile. I smiled with him and we walked out of the airport.

Once we reached petes car, I threw my bag into the back seat and hopped into the passanger chair. "How about we play some music so we dont have an akward car ride" Pete said as he sat down in his drivers seat. "Sounds great, give me the aux chord" I demanded as i smiled a little bit. "Just dont play trash! You got it?" "Yea yea, I wont" I said, trying not to laugh. I typed into Youtube: "Josh says Penis Sized Nipples for 10 Minutes". I tried my best not to laugh hystericly, but i let out a small giggle. I plugg in the aux chord and I turn the 'music' all the way up. "Penis sized nipples, penis sized nipples, penis sized nipples" blasted in the car. I couldnt hold it in any longer and I bursted out laughing. Pete joined with me and was hystericly crying while trying to drive. I was about to change it when Pete stopped me: "Keep it on, and roll the window down!" He yelled through the 'penis sized nipples', echoing in the car. I rolled down the window and pretended to dance to it. We both laughed and drove to our destination, laughing all the way.

Once we reached the building where Brendon and our friends were, I turned off Joshs voice and put my phone in my pocket. "Here ya go" Pete said, swinging my bag over my shoulder. I wasnt expecting that so i crippled a little bit. "Sorry" Pete laughed. I smiled a bit and began walking to the front door. I reached my hand out to open it when Pete held my wrist, stopping me. "Before you go in there...just know Brendons sensitive right now..do your best to help him, he is seriously depressed." Pete said lowly. "I understand, now let me talk to him" I whisper back. Pete let go of my wrist and opened the door for me. I stepped inside to see all of my friends..especially Brendon. Josh, Tyler, Patrick, Joe, Andy, and all of the important folks were here. I waved to all of them and pressed my finger againts my lips. They all nodded and smiled, watching me creep up to Brendon. He was still in the same exact position from an Hour ago. I saw an empty glass of whisky by his side with a mountain of tissues. I dropped my bag besides a wall and leaned my mouth to his exposed ear. "Im always here for you Buddy" I whisper in his ear, putting my hands on his shoulders. He quickly lifts his head up, exposing his red & stuffy nose. His eyes were puffy and red from all of his crying. "Y/n" He asked in a suprised tone. He quickly rapped his arms around me, pulling me into a hug. I hugged him tightly, softly rubbing his back in the process. "Im so glad your here with me Y/n..ive missed you so much" He whispered, holding me tighter. His chest was warm and I never wanted to leave this position. "Ive missed you too, Brendon" I reply, lightly pushing him away. Brendon let go of me and gave me a bright smile through his depressed state. I smiled with him, knowing ill make him feel better.

We stared at eachother for a little while, enjoying our facial features and what not. Finally, Brendon snapped out of it. "Im gonna go clean the-uh-tissues up" He said, walking away to the mountain of tissues. "I knew you could do it" Josh whispered in my ear. I glanced at him, "I didnt expect him to feel better that fast, wow" "What would he do without you" Josh added, smiling and walking away. I found a chair to sit on as I watched Brendon joke and play with his friends. I leaned my head on my hand, day dreaming. "Hey, Y/n/n" Said a blissful voice. I turn my head to see Patrick. "Oh, hey Pat" I said, making room for him. "You really did wonders for this guy, ya know?" Patrick said, adjusting his sitting position. "Yea..I guess I did" I paused thinking of a question. "Speaking of Brendon...when did Audrey and Brendon break up?" I asked, turning my head to face him. I saw Patricks jaw clench at my question. "You know how Brendon called you?" I nodded in response. "He called you right after they broke up. Audrey stormed out of here and i dont know where she is. I hope she doesnt come back" Patrick added, folding his hands and looking down. "I really do hope so too" "But look at the bright side, Brendons bank account wont be empty" Patrick said, laughing a little. I laughed too, relizing he was right. I looked at my watch: 7:10. "Shouldnt Brendon be getting ready for his Meet&Greet with fans?" I asked Pat. "Oh, shit. Your right. Hey Brendon: Meet and Greets at 7:30!" Patrick shouted, getting up from his chair. He shot me a quick wink before walking over to Brendon. I smiled and got up, grabbing Brendons phone from a bench. "Here Bren, I think you might need this" I say, jogging over to him. He smiles and takes it, "Thanks, honey" He winks as he walks back to a table. The nickname he gave me cought me off guard, making me stand still. Tyler patted my back, making me come back to relization. He laughes as he follows Brendon.

I grab the Millions of pens lying on the floor and follow them. I set them on the Meet&Greet table and Sat in a Chair. I grabbed a hard, wooden surface, incase I had to sign things too. Brendon's fanbase loved me, even though I really wasnt that popular. "Y/n, you can sit at the table, I dont bite" Brendon calls, offering me a seat. I smile and sit next to Brendon. I thank him for the offer and we wait for the millions of fans to enter. I glance around the room, looking at Tyler, Josh, Patrick, and the security guards. I saw Andy and Joe, leaning againts the wall on their phones. "Here they come" Brendon whispers into my ear. I grin as I see fan girls come around the corner, with million doller smiles on their faces. The security guards step up, making sure the girls dont attack us. Suprisingly, the fan girls behaved very well. No cluttering or fighting or anything.

After about 30 minutes of watching Brendon sign papers, a girl comes up to me. She has brown, curly hair with freckles. She looked very sweet. "Arnt you Brendons close friend?" She asks, holding a binder closley to her chest. "Yea, I am. How did you know?" "Oh, I mean he posts about you all the time! Im suprised no one reconized you yet" She adds, placing the binder on the table. "Do you mind if you can sign my binder?" "Of course not! And whats your name" I reply, grinning as i sign my name onto the front cover of her binder. "Its Scarlett" She replies, smiling uncontrolably. "Thats a pretty name. Here ya go!" I complimented her. Scarlett smiles from ear to ear and takes her binder back. "Thank you so much!" She says, skipping away back to her friends. I smiled at her as I continued to watch Brendon. "I guess you got a fan" He whispers in my ear. For some reason, that sent chills down my back, making me jump a little. "Your jumpy today" He whispers again, handing a girl back her paper. I bite my lip and grin at him. He smiles and we both put our attentions back to the fangirls.

*TIME SKIP brought to you by Brendons body*

"Ok! Meet&Greet is over! Exit the room please!" The security guard yells. The room is filled with fangirls groaning and leaving the room. "Y/n..my hand hurts like crazy" Brendon groans, holding his hand. "I only signed a couple, so i guess im just lucky" I chuckle, placing my hand over Brendons, massaging it. He groans, smiling a little bit. I rub his hand as I hear snickering in the room. I ignore it and I continue to rub his hand. "Thanks Y/n. I dont know what I would do without you." Brendon says, smiling at me. I take my hand away from his and grin back. "Come on love birds, lets go watch Netflix!" Josh yells to us as he jogs to the cough. I laugh at his comment and get up, following Josh. Tyler, Andy, Pete and Joe were all sitting on the cough together, while Patrick is making popcorn. "Move, Im gay" I say, sitting on the couch. They laugh as they all scootch down. "Nice Brandon Rodgers referance" Andy comments. I laugh in response and Patrick sits on the carpet infront of us. "Get some popcorn before my fat ass eats it all" He says, holding up the popcorn bag for everyone to get. I took a hand full and stuffed it in my mouth. I feel a kernal of popcorn fall from my mouth and down onto my lap. I went to pick it up when suddenly, I see Brendons hand snatch it. "Hey! I was gonna eat that" I say, lightly pushing him. He laughs as he stuffs it in his mouth. He sits directly infront of me on the floor, along with Pat. "What are we watching?" Josh asks, scrolling through movies. "Fight Club" We all yell in harmony. Josh laughs as he hits the 'Select' button for Fight Club. We all seddle down and watch the movie.

After about an hour into the movie, I hear a knock at the door. "Ill go get it.." Pete groans, getting up from the couch and slowly jogging to the door. I put my attention back to the screen, when all of the sudden I hear Pete raise his voice. "Audrey?! What are you doing here?" Pete asks. I quickly turn my head to the door. I really didnt wanna go see her or even move. I cover Brendons ears, knowing the name will hurt him. "Im fine Y/n" He laughs, holding my hand. I smile and I take my hand away. "Brendon doesnt want to see you! You hurt him pretty bad" Pete yells once more. "Ill go see whats going on" Patrick says as he puts the popcorn bag down and walks twords the front door. I keep staring at the conversation, wondering what Audrey wanted. "Move, Emo boy! Let me see Brendon" Audrey shouts, trying to shove Pete out of the way. "Darling, Im not budging. Its best if you leave" Pete scoffs, closing the door. Before the door can fully shut, I hear a thud. I quickly get up and walk twords the door. I see Pete holding his crotch as he backed away from the door. "Audrey! What the Fuck! Leave right now, before I make you!" Patrick yells, pointing to the door. "What the hell is going on!" Brendon yells, stomping twords the door. "Oh..Hi Brendon!" She cheers. I stay in my standing position while i watch the battle set sail.

"What are you doing here?" Brendon asks. "I came here to see if I left my bra here" She said with a smirk. "Do you really think I still have your slutty bra?" Brendon says, walking infront of me. "Well, you must know what it looks like. We have had amazing sex before" Audrey comments sarcasticly. I feel my face burn with anger and embarissment. He stays quiet. "Cant you just leave? Were trying to watch fight club!" Josh, Tyler, Andy, and Joe all say from the couch. I snicker at the remark, but turn back to Audrey. "Well, if you dont know what it looks like, it looks like this" Audrey says, unbuttoning her shirt quickly and exposing her lingera bra. Patrick and Pete turn away from her and face the wall. Brendon is too angry at her to even look away. "Its best if you leave right now!" Brendon says, rasing his voice. "Oh cmon baby..I know you still want me..dont fight it" Audrey says, stepping twords Brendon. I push Audrey and get between her and Brendon. "Move away, slut" She scoffs, pushing me away with all of her might. I was strong, with no doubt, but I wasnt expecting this force. I was pushed back into the wall, my head hitting the wood hard. "Audrey! This need to stop, you should le-" Brendon begins to say, before being interuppted by Audreys lips. He tried to back away but she kept moving into the kiss. I felt my face burn with anger. Everything was happening in slow motion. I ball up my fists, trying to contain my anger. "What would I do without you" echoded through my brain. My face begins to scrutnch up and my eyes are blurred with tears.

(I put the cliffhanger so that you will beg me for more...unless I wrote a terrible fanfic. But whatever. I hope you enjoyed it and cya next time or somethin. Like for more!)

147 notes · View notes

bloojayoolie · 6 years

Photo

Af, Anime, and Apparently: , Okay Ibl, story ame when I wss younger, had this Irish friend who pred our school when w as like 17, Dude ded recently nd here丐the ballad of the merveeus bsstard be average as fuck 17 year old Bribong Some foreign guy has just joined, his family just moved here city called Dery in Mgved here with his dad and his lite sister, his mum died when he was younger He gets put in my class and ends up stting nest to me This is howl met Eigh-Beers Mgee the all him Call him a hippo because of his fucking industrial size frant teeth and his big flucking lps Greg uses his adism to get out of doing and saying whatever the fuck he wants noing EB wth she lke Greg has his desk very paricularly arranged, pens on one side in a straight ine pencis on the other Dude is OCD as fuck with his pencilcase and shit Goes nuts i anything gets moved, so this desk is sightly apart from everyone elses We all get in shit twe fuck with him an purpose, We ought to know better The sutistic hippo keeps trying to get a reaction out of EB the whole class All af a sudden EB just casualy raises a foot and pushes the Hppo's desk right the fuck over Teacher hurries oer and trying to explan to EB atma Gregs autism while Greg teaks the tack G in his chair, breathing reawy ss thoug gh nong bd sheer辍tstie resentment EB looks at Greg and betsthe teacher "Oh sorry, wedant have Wid bump with more nenhinbeland' h on EB's third day at our school He's a pretty cool guyikes the 쑈me vidya and movies as me and is a big fan of Rugby, was captan of his team back iieland ell hem the school has s rughy searn he says EB goes to check it out, starts off on the lower team because hes think theyire ston of kind of fast runners gets recks fucking everyone that next hal f hel take him Jumps on him, grabs him by the neck to pull him down and iterally rolls on him ike a fucking rolling pn -EB didniteven have the bal What the fook you playin at son I didnt even have the ball, do you even know how to fookin play the game lad EB grins You know over in Ireland you have to be fit to play sports, the fatties get leit on the sideline EB grabs his amn and tosses him to the ground dude twists his anke or something and starts twitching and squeaking lke a baby elephant with parkinsons EB gets put on top team Anonymous (D wHTHOgC) 03 19/14(Wedj20 28 25 UTC-5 No 538041137 Reple 41T months without inc dont give long as youre cool to him dents aside from a few close cals with Greg the Mildly Autistic Hppo e pretty close Apparently ㅲ Ireland they don't have gangs they have paramitanes fighting between whether Northern lreland ts Britsh or hsh >He plays 4down a kal, bd ican tell some shit mu have Pagpened because he always changes the subject when gets clos·tohame Edgy fapgot Luke comes back to school Luke hangs around with a pack of riggers who are all apparenty in a gang, he les to pretend he's part of this "gang" and carries this fucking Stanky e around that he panted red and bue for some reason aOne day at lunch Like corries up to EBied o ofnotere starts askrig his datisalcoholc Nope aound Tm guessin your mam had a far lew belore you were born though mate Well tuck Ind wanna sift speI had to sht out a dat bastardlke yourset. Jog on ン"You win t)4ck with the wrong person t y inst, boy?" EB starts laughing, IHeraly loses his sht at the ste of this Itle fagpot in a trenchc oat with a stanley knfe and actualy presses EB grabs his wrist, takes the fabled blade from the hands of the chosen one tosses t over a fence and punches him straight in the face We're out geting beer, Tm with a 7/10 GT that Ive had a crush on for tucking months Her and EB get along realy wel, athough I sort of think she only hung out with us because EB did That right when we're all drunk, me and QT end up fucking Leaving out my side because this is the ballad of Eght Beer, not me Spend ages taking with QT,estabǐshthat shè apparenty seat, ikes me back EB heads up to bed, I stay down with the other guys to watch TV, QT was askeep when 1 came down QT comes running do wwith a towel round her, soaking wet, and rung out the ont door Apparently EB sleeps naked, not surpnised since Ive found him naked before after a night of drinking Says she came on to himeven ater all he shit she said aLaugh숨 and says he took aprt to bed with hm,awas cn e tablo and when she ed onwth him he lossed all over her Threw her clothes out the wendow into the rain and told her to go and fetch Two weeks later he takes me to a pub and hooks me up with a 910 Anonymous (TDwHT HOC) 03/1914(Wed 20.43 59 UTC-5 No 538044014 Raps.4380408044772 332420 EB and me are total bros after being fnends for a few years 가%aving hm as a best friend is Ike havngtose nasty trainers as a kid Shit get pretty he avy >Him and E汨were close, mostly because EB would buy him vidya and act super interested in the anime sht he lied because nobody else other than me would loses his har chermo aGotovst him, EBisgung me there >He thinks rs awesome get our photo taken together witout any har EB lets him draw all kinds of dumb sh on his bad head, lets him draw a dumb moustache on him o Spend ages just dicking a >Son of a bitch luke who R is, Dukey the Rookie is across the bar in the same tucking trenchcoat he wore back at school >EB says hi chats away to him lbe nothing ever happened >We head home and EB spend the night sitting up with me playing Batlefront on my old P52 and drinking, just trying to cheer me up me every time Sorry for that 2sad4me post, but iti make sense later Anonymous (IO woitth%) 05/19/14(Wed)20 52 46 UTC-5 No 530045357 Reeses 씌38amsrme esaaa Lving together in a let with some chick and her boyfriend The one song I remember is "Uncle Tommy by The Rumjacks, because it played when sht went down EB told them that he "ain't lookin any trouble lads, have a beer and forget that tripe for the night aye? 4 of them jump on him, start beating the shit out of him -l tackle one of them to try help him, get the fuck beaten out of me but fuck that it's goddamn E8 in there EB broke the dudes fucking am He gets up, bleeding out of every pore in his beaunful iwish body Bouncing around with his fists up, Ieraly looks ike he could fly around the room he's bouncing that much The skinheads keep going for him but back off every time aher he swings, it looks lke he could knock a building down with that sh Babbling some incoherent shit in lrish rage, nobody understands the words but everyone understands the meaning pack up there sht ike a scene from a fucking move Eight tucking beersl You splied eight of me fucking beers you hairless tuckin mongrels Eight beers lad, eight fucking beers What's the fucking craic there lke Anonymous (D: wHTiHOgC) 031914(Wed]21:6 02 UTC-5 No. 538047326 EB sgoing back to Ireland to vist his nan, she's real sick 기we lar dr, Befast-thritrs the captal of the oth but not of Ireland ckhow t wori ed EB never eaty expla edit, 5ad you wont understand the bullsh politics unless you grew up there go 1o vist his nan with EB' Sweetest tucking old lady ever, says that EB was always a rough lad but awk he'd never hurt a sour greedy fucker This woman is clearly the most infuenial famly member in the Eight Beer famly EE shows me round Derry, tels me about how 5pIt relgusy and shows methes bg ass wall cood place Takes me to Belast agan and shows methe pace wherethe ttanc was bu -we end up going to place caled The Crown Bar Ger pretty drunk, or Tpped as EB calls it Walked around Belfast for a bt, he tells me about the history of some stuf »Spend a few nights there, have a fucking blast but decide to head home don't wanna be an inrusion on the whole nan stustion Lad you're practicaly a part of the famly Anonymous D wH7HOQC) 03/19/14Wd21 18 48 UTC-5 No 538040230 Getting close to the end now Shits hard to wrte, I miss hat fucker Life is prety uneventful for a wle pparentty some Kiddy Fiddler called Wilm Whight fucked EB when totally agan family home a load of sht, fucks 2EB spends all nut there next to her, nearly gets wolent when staff ask harto leave so doctors can sort some 닸官out calm him down and we wat r, hosptzd for brig bme B's Sister gets beter, but is pretty fucked for life Never taks never leaves the house she's pretty much a goddarmn vegetable EB spends all of his time off work with her, never comes out anymore, just sts in with her. We sometimes come ound and drink with him but he refuses to leave the house -One night while he's sieeping, EB's fucked up sister C's faul, that's pretty much the main subject of t. I don't get why she'd need to say that but whabever Tels me he waan't that close with his family back home his dad is fucked up with grief and everythings just a mess ie doesn't want to go home because he has nothng there other than remnders, but doesn't want to stay here because of what has pened Does his best to be the usual bi9dck coolguy that he always was, puts on a brave face but f you c h him on his own he's luckn9 merable ite gets in 갠 few fights when we're ot dmkrg ry one who gnestmamy 5hvt gets m edistety fucking amidated none ofths ads everyone on" that he used to do s fighting back tears already guessed, but he starts teling me about how he blames himseffor what 거had pened to his sis have tucking known better >Lterally carrot change his mid anthis shit, looks like he has himse#1uly convinced th this is his taut we talk about old imes laugh a be things actualy seem back to normal for whie Ainight mabe. Let's have one for old tme's sake, ae? Hie eventualily leaves, but before he goes he tells me that 'You've been a good mate from day one mate. Honestly out on a limb rd do fuckin' anything for ya Take t easy lad speti ong tme EB doesn't reply to teats or Cutign place doeant answer B tucking hung himsel is fanly tatoo many things that I don't need thanked every tme fucker

#funny #lol #humor #memes #meme #memehumor #dank memes #funny pics #rolf #lmao #Af #Anime #and Appare

2 notes · View notes