#that they aren't a burden or an annoyance for each other | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jadeylovesmarvelxo · 4 months

Text

Steve harrington x reader

Steve won the poll last time so this is a Steve fic :) ❤️

Part one

You and Steve grow closer after he saved you from the monstrous bats, you begin to spend the night with him, no sex just comfort.

It doesn't take long for feelings to deepen between the two of you.

18+ minors go away.

❤️

The first night once Eddie left was horrendous, you were exhausted and hurting all over. After taking some pain meds you still couldn't sleep.

Every position hurt like a bitch, when you closed your eyes all you saw was those vicious bats, heard that shriek that would haunt you for months on end.

You could have died. If Steve hadn't turned up you would have and that thought has anxiety choking you, clawing at your throat and making it hard to breathe.

This continues the next night as well which leaves you and into the next. By the time it's Monday you're cranky, sleep deprived and in no mood for Eddie's continued annoyance at your moment with Steve.

"For goodness sake Eddie, would you cut this shit out. He saved my life, he's a good guy. Just drop it" Eddie quietens but still drums his fingers on the table, a habit of his when he's annoyed.

"Wow, someone is bitchy today" Stacy snipes and Eddie glares at her exasperated. Dustin said they had some kind of argument on Friday but you don't know about what, honestly you're sick of the drama from her.

"Sorry of lack of sleep from nearly being bat chow and finding a dead body is making me a little out of sorts" usually you ignore her itchiness but you aren't putting up with it today.

By the end of the day you're eager just to get home, have a shower and head to bed and attempt to relax, you're head is pounding and the wounds are still hurting from time to time.

You can't head home though because Hellfire has an extra meeting today and it's past five before it finishes. You're suprised to see Steve but remember he will be picking up Dustin, Lucas and Mike.

He walks over to you looking concerned, gently touching your shoulder.

"You okay? How are your wounds healing?" the way he cares about you, even though he barely knows you makes you feel all warm and happy.

"I'm okay, they still hurt but they are healing, are you okay?" he nods and shrugs like it's no big deal.

"I've had worse, it's the nightmares... He shudders, it's better now than it used to be but they can come back out of nowhere" you definitely can sympathise with him and find yourself telling him about your own nightmares.

As you do his frown grows increasingly and he runs his hand through his perfectly styled hair, he opens his mouth then pauses before speaking.

"If you want you could come to mine, my parents are never around and it gets lonely. We could watch movies, just hang out for a while. I don't want you to be alone in this sweetheart" you brighten at this and nod.

"I'd like that"

❤️

It was like a weight had been lifted of you when you were with Steve. Mostly you just talked and set up a den of sorts in his lounge. Blankets, snacks and movies.

Robin joins you and Steve for a little while and watching their affection for each other fills your heart with joy. You're pretty sure they are platonic soulmates or something.

You find yourself opening up more to Steve about your complicated feelings for Eddie, he confides in you about Nancy and it feels good to get a lot of things of your chest, things you could never say to Eddie in fear of ruining your friendship.

"The burden of unrequited love. Shit, we're hopeless aren't we" Steve jokes and you snort, you really were.

When you head upstairs with Steve to his room you're struck by how bare his room is, there's not many personal touches at all. It hurts your heart that his parents don't seem to care about him one bit, only sending home the latest fashion and pushing Steve to be like them.

He could never be like that, he was too warm, full of love. You're just getting to know him and you can see that, plus Dustin, Lucas and Mike worship him.

"Uh, I can sleep on the floor, you take the bed" Steve offers. As he makes up a bed on the floor you tug his hand gently.

"There's plenty of room, can you sleep beside me just for tonight" The minute you look at Steve with a pleading puppy eyed gaze he's putty in your hands.

"Sure" he slips in beside you and you just talk for a little bit, talk until you're both struggling to stay awake and Steve's voice is thick with sleep.

Your eyes grow heavier and you fall asleep, to your surprise it's peaceful and when you wake in the morning nightmare free you feel so full of relief.

Steve's arm is slung around your waist and pulling you close to him. It feels nice, really nice and you're happy to fall back into a deep slumber.

❤️

You don't know when it was suddenly decided that you would spend every night at Steve's. At first it was because Steve's parents were never around, he was lonely and craved company, while you craved comfort and you helped each other.

It's so you both didn't feel so alone in dealing with all this monsters and shit that were in Hawkins. There was no way those bats weren't from some sort of hell dimension, they weren't normal that was for sure.

When you were around Steve the nightmares weren't so vivid and frightening, you'd wake up beside Steve and his arms would instinctively wrap around you, holding you close and whispering that you were okay.

One time you sleep so well with Steve, that you wake up late for classes and you're in a rush to get to school.

Steve drives you and Robin, who woke the two of you up, the little smile she had on her face, seeing you and Steve entwined leaves no doubt she will be grilling Steve about it.

Steve who look pink cheeked and didn't notice, when you stole one of his grey hoodies to wear because it was freezing outside.

He's not the only one who notices, Eddie was curious why you were late and at lunch Dustin looks at you wide eyed and points to the hoodie. ''Hey, that's Steve's"

The whole of Hellfire turn to look at you with varying expressions. Jeff and Gareth uses it as ammo to tease the shit out of you, Eddie is stunned and the rest are more interested in the campaign to care.

"Wait so you're dating Steve now?" Mike asks confused and you shake your head, though the thought of dating Steve gives you butterflies, which you ignore. No way are you entertaining what that means.

So yeah Robin knows, and now Dustin and the rest of Hellfire are aware that you and Steve are close.

"So you sleep together but not actually together?" Eddie asks looking confused and a little suspicious when you explain that you're spending the night at Steve's again.

"I can't explain it Eddie, it's just really nice and comforting, he's turning into a great friend" you say and Eddie grumbles and slams his locker shut.

"You have me, you can confide in me. We used to have sleepovers and shit all the time" he points out and you stifle a smile.

"Eddie we were kids then and besides you have a girlfriend who wouldn't he happy with that" he sighs and shakes his head, the look in his eyes concerns you. Did something happen with Stacy?

"We broke up, she was just too jealous and possessive. Last I heard she's dating some dude from the swim team now. Anyway, can we get back to you and Harrington"

You sigh and know that no matter what you say it's just going to cause him to be annoyed because he can't see that Steve is a decent dude.

He gets distracted by Gareth asking questions about the campaign but his reaction to Steve and news about his break up with Stacy is in your head all day, strangely it doesn't fill you with the happiness you thought it would.

Steve comments on your head being in the clouds later that night while he's making dinner and you shrug apologetically and let him know what's happened.

"Eddie broke up with Stacy" he stops chopping vegetables and his stance is suddenly tense, his jaw clenched.

"Oh, yeah? I guess that makes you happy, I mean maybe the two of you might end up together" his voice turns quiet and you want to know why he's suddenly went so... well moody judging by the way he's acting.

"I thought that's what I wanted but now I'm not so sure" Steve turns to face you and he looks less tense this time.

"Thought Munson was your dream guy?" he teases and you really don't know what that is anymore. So when the image of Steve as that guy enters your mind it throws you for a loop.

Well fuck.

A few days later you lay beside Steve, very sleepy and keen to ignore the beeping of his alarm. Steve is awake and absentmindedly tracing your arm with his thumb.

He looks lost in thought and you gently nudge him wondering what's going on in his head.

"Are your scars healing well?" you nod and narrow your eyes at him, you know very well he will look after everyone else first and himself last.

"Are yours?" he nods and you pin him with your best stern gaze that makes him laugh.

"Yes. I promise sweetheart. Shit, Nance gave me a telling off last time when I didn't" this makes you bite back a laugh but you know Nancy takes no prisoners so Steve will have been well and truly chastised.

He tugs off his shirt to show you and you pause as you remember the last time you and Steve were like this. That kiss...

The kiss that was so chaste and lasted only a few seconds but made you eager for more, kinda punch drunk and giddy whenever you remember it.

You focus on his wound thats completely healed and left only a tiny scar. Ever so gently you trace over it and your heart beats faster when you hear Steve exhale, then you kiss the scar tenderly, a soft sweet kiss.

"All better" you murmur and scarper out of bed when you hear Robin downstairs. Pink blooms up Steve's cheek and there's an ache inside you that wants nothing more than to bridge the distance between you and Steve, kiss him again.

You really were screwed.

❤️

Steve had a date. The words ring in your ears and you try to hide your reaction from Robin but from the way she's staring at you, it's obvious she knows something.

You had shower up at Family Video eager to see Steve and discuss plans for tonight, maybe Robin could stay over and the three of you could make a night of it?

However when you bring this up to Steve he suddenly went really quiet and a strange pit filled your stomach.

"Uh, I can't tonight honey. I have a date, you know the blonde who comes in here every Thursday for 60's movies, well she asked me out"

The pit in your stomach intensifies and you nod feeling incredibly foolish.

"I can cancel, I mean if you think there's a reason why I shouldn't go" he says to you and you shake your head. No, you can't be selfish and want to have him all to yourself. Maybe he really liked this girl and she could make him happy.

"Don't be silly. Go and have fun. Don't worry about me" you force a smile onto your face, you wouldn't ruin his opportunity for happiness just so he could comfort you. You needed to deal with this yourself.

Was it just your imagination or did he look disappointed when you said that?

Before you can figure out why that is, the girl comes in and she's gorgeous. Tall, blonde and bubbly with killer blue eyes. There's a full ache in your heart as you greet her and find out she's called Emily and works at the arcades.

Quietly you slip out and leave Steve and Emily to bond. All the way home you feel sick to your stomach, the realisation that you've fallen hard for Steve sinks in.

And he doesn't feel the same way.

❤️

It's getting pretty late once you finish watching one of the films you've rented. Its past midnight and you're eyes grow heavy sleep beckoning.

The doorbell rings and you jump, it's unexpected and you never have visitors at this time.

When you find Steve waiting outside you're definitely surprised.

"Steve? How was your date?" he shakes his head and you worry that it hasn't went well.

"What happened?" you motion for him to come inside and he shrugs off his jacket, then turns to you his smile tender, his soft gaze makes your heart skip a beat.

"She was great, she's sweet, pretty" of course she was perfect. Perfect for Steve, you smile brightly even if you don't feel so chirpy.

"That's great Steve" his hazel eyes capture yours and he shrugs, the intensity in his gaze is making you feel all fuzzy.

"Really? Doesn't feel that great, I should be happy but I wasn't because all I can think about is you"

Hope blooms as you take in his words and move closer to him. His knuckles graze gently across your cheek, you lean into his touch and he looks at you with complete adoration.

"You're amazing, you're beautiful and kind, I can't stop thinking about you" He pulls your closer to him and kisses you, elated you kiss him back and run your hands through his hair.

Soft moans issue from your throat and he pulls back smiling, then presses a gentle kiss to your forehead.

"You wanna be my girl?" he asks you and there's a shyness in his tone which is very endearing.

"I'd love to Steve"

Fin 💕

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington x y/n #steve harrington x you

118 notes · View notes

wordy-little-witch · 3 months

Text

Silly hours but Shanks and Buggy being platonic soulmates is so cute and soft and I'm emotional.

They swore to each other to always be each other's in their own way, and it's a unique relationship. They aren't siblings. They aren't lovers. They're Shanks-and-Buggy, Buggy-and-Shanks, two threads woven together and twisted, tied, folded into one another. They do not swear over a drink. They do not swear by a ring. Instead they share blood, a ceremony performed in a little cabin with moonlight as their only witness, tears and blood shed and turned from fear and insecurity into resolve and love because it was them against the world, it was, it is, it will be, it will never not be. They cut their hands together, they press the wounds to each other's together, they cling together and they swear and they promise and they vow. And they heard a sea bird screech loudly in the quiet night, hear bells without source, and they press closer, closer, closer still until they may as well be one body, one mind, one soul. They fall asleep on the floor in a pile of limbs.

Roger notices the next day that something has changed. Their Haki has shifted, a change so minute that it was only because of his Gift that he caught it. The boys were together more often than not, and their Haki left imprints on the things around them, living and not alike. It was more odd to find one without a tinge of the other's presence. Roger nearly missed it.

He doesn't call it out. But he knows. He knows this the same way he knows that the sea is home and that the winds sing and the ocean wails in joy and grief. He knows because the world tells him in a language braided into his very cells. He know because he knows his boys. He simply smiles.

From then on, not much chages at a glance. The boys don't even actively notice themselves until well down the line.

They've always had something of a sixth sense to each other. Buggy always knows where Shanks is. Shanks always knows how Buggy is feeling. They move like a well oiled machine together, seamlessly bleeding into one another's space in a way alien to many but normal to the crew. It's always been this way.

This innate knowledge increases in fits and bursts. They are acutely aware of each other. They have a gut instinct if the other is hurt. They finish one another's sentences (to the fond-exasperated-annoyance of both), they share an entire conversation with a mere glance. It's uncanny, becoming undeniable, and the crew is left wondering how and why and where they managed to get the ability to do this. Roger, when asked, laughs. Shanks, when asked, just smiles. Buggy, when asked, flips off the inquirer at best, swings a knife while screaming obscenities with a blush at worst.

Through this connection, they share everything. Through this connection, they ebb and flow like the Seas that they rest upon and the winds they follow.

Through this connection, a question is asked in the pouring rain by a boy with the weight of the grief-stricken universe on his shoulders, and a boy equally hurt and equally burdened gives the answer to the real question beneath it all.

They clasp their hands, scarred palms pressed together in am echo of their vows years before, and they seek out a place to rest.

Shanks becomes a captain, a mentor, a warrior, a fighter, a father, an Emperor.

Buggy becomes a captain, a trickster, a deceiver, a puppeteer, a warlord, an Emperor.

Shanks loses an arm, and Buggy's detaches without warning, islands and Seas away.

Buggy is bitten by lightning and then seastone, and Shanks staggers from the sudden endorphin and adrenaline rush which is yanked away just as quickly.

Shanks punches a wall and Buggy shakes the tingles from his knuckles.

Buggy gets cornered in a cell by inmates worse than the rest, and Shanks chokes in the fear and reflective fury in his veins.

They do not see each other for years but they're always aware, always associated, always facing different paths, independent together.

Roger had seen the start of the connection between them, but it is Luffy who asks Shanks about the blue clouds at his wrists, who asked Buggy about the whisps of red at his crown and chest. They both note it, nod, and carry on.

They are each other's, a package deal, though never explicitly stated.

#buggy the clown #one piece #shanks and buggy #one piece headcanons

30 notes · View notes

ultrone · 10 months

Note

hear me out…shauna + reader but it’s the scene from tlou2 when dina tells ellie she’s pregnant ( the whole ‘don’t worry it’s not yours’ is just a funny moment to me )

"i got you," shauna panted as she helped you walk, supporting your weight as she held tightly onto your arm wrapped around her shoulders, her grip secure.

"here, got it?" she asked, letting you rest against the shed's wall, which was locked. determined, she grunted and used her body to hit against it, eventually breaking it open.

after inspecting the room and making sure that the coast was clear, she said, "alright, we're good. c'mon." taking you by the hand and guiding you inside.

while shauna was busy closing and securing the door with a chair, you noticed a couch in the middle of the room. carefully, you walked over, placing your backpack on the floor, and collapsing tiredly onto the couch, trying to catch your breath.

shauna soon approached you, standing a few meters away, and gazed at you intently. "you wanna tell me what's going on with you?" she asked, concern evident in her voice, though a hint of annoyance lingered as you had been acting strangely.

"what's going on with me?" you responded incredulously, still trying to catch your breath. "shauna... i just saw you breathe in spores," you explained, your gaze now fixed on the ground.

"i told you... i'm immune," she started to explain.

"okay, you're immune?" you repeated, raising your voice as you turned to face her. "come on," you shook your head with a sigh.

she looked down at the floor and continued, "i was bitten a long time ago–"

"what the fuck are you talking about?" you interrupted her, only to be interrupted back.

"i was bitten, and nothing happened," she retorted, raising her voice slightly and gesturing with her hands.

you were at a loss for words, tears streaming down your face.

"the chemical burn..." you began to say in a whisper.

shauna looked down at her hands, fidgeting nervously. "jackie, javi, and nat are the only ones who know," she explained, her voice filled with nervousness. "knew," she corrected herself.

you remained silent, trying to process the revelation, tears still flowing.

"now you know," she said, her gaze embarrassed as she looked at you.

"i can't," she started, "get you infected if that's what you're worried about," she reassured you, seeing your distressed state. "i can't make you immune either," she sighed in disappointment; she was waiting for a response, but you wouldn't even look at her. slowly and cautiously, she walked towards you until she was standing right in front of you.

"can you say something?" she whispered, her eyes furrowed, and tears welling up in her eyes.

"shauna..." you started, trying to slow down your breaths as you rubbed your teary eyes, finally able to look up at her. "i think i'm pregnant," you confessed.

her heart dropped. "what?" she responded, staring at you with wide eyes.

"don't worry, it's not yours," you reassured her while shaking your hand in a 'no' manner, accompanied by a chuckle.

shauna stumbled over her feet, almost falling as she nervously walked around the room. "what are we supposed to do now?" she asked.

"nothing," you let out in a whisper. "i just need to rest for a second–"

"are you fucking kidding me?" she whispered to herself, "how long have you known?" she raised her voice, sounding annoyed.

you sighed, "i was late a few weeks ago…"

she interrupted, "a few weeks? we could've… we could've still turned back," she said angrily.

"i didn't know," you stuttered, not knowing what to say. "i wasn't sure, okay? i didn't want to be a burden–"

"well, you're a burden now, aren't you?" she shot back in anger.

you both stared at each other, at a loss for words. shauna looked down at the floor and started to walk backward.

"i'm going to make sure this place is secure," she said, trying to regain her composure. "you just rest," she commanded before walking away.

bluds thought she was the baby father 🤣🤣🫵🏻🫵🏻🫵🏻☠️ ik shauna was the pregnant one on yjs but i wanted to humble her 🤭 i can write it the other way around too if u want tho

#𓏲 📂 ⋮ my works .ᐟ #shauna shipman #shauna shipman blurb #shauna shipman x reader #shauna shipman x you #shauna shipman x y/n #yellowjackets #yellowjackets blurb #yellowjackets au #yellowjackets x reader #yellowjackets x you #yellowjackets x y/n #shauna shipman au #tlou au #tlou2 au

66 notes · View notes

000marie198 · 6 months

Note

That Sonic and Leo ask from Anon is now living rent free in my head like all I can think of is the mischief these two would be. Especially with their loved ones like imagine-

Sonic and Leo bouncing different puns and catchphrases at each other making Tails, Knuckles, Donnie, Raph and Mikey all groan in affectionate annoyance.

Or them sassing enemies in their special, sarcastic smartass ways that they're known for.

Leo and Sonic talking about how amazing their brothers are and how they'd literally kill for them when in reality said brothers are the actual threats that enemies need to watch out for. Especially when said older brothers get hurt or worse. (God the possibilities there don't even get me started-).

Or how they could become friends, and possibly grow comfortable with one another to talk about the burdens they feel being the oldest brother as well as the leader of their groups and how stressful it actually really is.

Or them developing little habits from each other and using them in battle and whatnot.

Ohmigosh and the sacrificing thing. Just Sonic pushing Leo out of the way of danger, or Leo taking a nasty hit for Sonic.

Just bro. So many possibilities, so many things that could make them work out in the friendship department. Just......ohmigosh.

You, my friend, just unlocked the fangirl mode FYJGZSGJSSHSY

Sonic babysits Cream! He had attended tea parties, he would so join Leo to have tea parties with Chloe and being the hyperactive hedgie who gets adopted as honorary big bro of every child character in the franchise, has experience with keeping excited kids distracted. He'd be massive help when they gotta say goodbye to Chloe.

Leo tries to teach him stealth. It takes a whole lot of trials before he figures out that their method of stealth won't fit for Sonic. He's too impatient to sit still if he doesn't need to. Sonic makes an off-handed comment on how it was never a problem when he infiltrated Eggman's bases and the ninjas realize the method to teach stealth to the speedster was through his speed. He's swift enough to be invisible but not focused on stealth to be unrecognizable. Sonic and his friends were already formidable fighters but now they've learned forms and martial art techniques and stealth they're too powerful now.

The cons of this? Blue hedgehog is obsessed with scaring the living daylights out of anyone at any time and it's contagious enough to hit Leo and now they're both doing it. They almost gave Casey a heart attack twice in a span of 5 minutes.

......

Sonic starts feeling cooped up or heads out on a run and returns to find his little brother trying to placate four panicking ninjas and finds out this world isn't safe to be openly out and about in.

"But if the EPF finds out about you and your powers, they'll to capture you and dissect you-"

"Oh so this world's version of GUN then."

"What's GUN?"

"Military organization that pretends to be the protectors but they're just a bunch of single minded maniacs obsessed with firearms and experimenting on Mobians and making things worse"

"Ah, just like EPF. Got it."

..........

Sonic and Leo spar quite often with swords. What are you talking about, of course they aren't fan-boying at each other's skills, what do you mean Leo can deflect blows with his eyes closed, what do you mean Sonic literally wielded Excalibur shut up this is so awesome.

........

While on patrol with Raph and Donnie, some thug calls Tails a freak and, having heard this demeaning term and knowing the effect it can have on you through personal experience, the turtles freeze, white sliding over their eyes in silent rage as Raph lower the upset fox from his shoulders and hands him to Donnie before turning around and taking out his sais, street lights glinting off the metal blade.

"Take the kids home, I'll catch up in a few."

Donnie gives an understanding nod before stepping back, one hand moving to hold Sonic's as the other arm gently holds Tails, the purple clad turtle disappears into the shadows.

The terrified screams of the purple dragon echoed through the alley and tunnels as Donnie took the two mobians back home.

.....

Maybe letting Tails and Dee hang out without supervision wasn't the best idea. There's a molecular blaster in the lab and- are those blueprints of top secret EPF artillery?!

........

Leo and Sonic playing guitar together because they can and they have one.

........

Tails no. Tails you can't use Mikey to test your equipment when your brother is unavailable. TAILS WAIT NO HE'S TOO CHAOTIC-!

11 notes · View notes

whentherewerebicycles · 25 days

Text

ok let me just talk through this workshop as a way of trying to get myself to finish it. the main problem is that another woman is coming a month later to give a second workshop in this series, except that she already created hers and it covers a lot of the basic intro ground that you might expect (creating a mentoring philosophy and contract, communicating expectations, the value of mentoring for students, DEI best practices in mentoring, etc.). i don't want to teach the same thing twice so i have to figure out a different framework for mine. here is my idea...

a lot of mentoring resources focus on the beginning of a mentoring relationship. there's a lot of stuff out there on how to establish the initial mentor/mentee dynamic and mutually define expectations etc etc. and that is definitely important! but i think that most of the frustrations or pitfalls or obstacles in mentoring actually arise in the middle of the relationship. like at the beginning you have this burst of mutual energy where both people are excited to work with each other and enthusiastic about the project they're embarking on, and there's a lot of goodwill and desire to make things work. in my experience the beginnings of almost all mentoring relationships are very positive and defined by a lot of goodwill. but then like, energy flags, students seem to lose focus or lose a sense of direction or get overcommitted elsewhere, mentors start feeling the burden of having to do so much teaching/coaching/advance planning/feedack-giving (esp if they're working with multiple students), etc. and in some cases you both sort of end up limping to the finish line, or not quite creating a thing as ambitious as what you'd had in mind.

i got really interested in this problem in my last university job, where i was doing a ton of long-term project advising and was seeing these highly motivated students sort of peter out midway through the year (in the most extreme cases some of them ended up ghosting the program and never completing their projects). the general consensus in my program when i started was basically like, well, if students have the will/drive to succeed they will persist, and the ones who lose steam or drop off the map are the ones who just weren't serious enough about the work. and there was some light annoyance too about like, the idea that we invested a lot of time/energy in these kids and their projects, and some of them just didn't really respect that investment of energy or let other priorities take precedence. i'm not sure how exactly to phrase this, but i started thinking about how we really put the responsibility on the student to be "mentored well." we assume that if we show up to provide regular guidance/feedback on the student's work, the student should know how to benefit from that attention, ie how to translate it into successfully completing projects or carrying out leadership roles or whatever.

ugh that's a messy framing i have to come back to that and think about it a bit more!! and i am struggling a bit to translate it to the next part, like the actual meat of the workshop. but basically... i want to get people thinking about the common pitfalls that arise in the middle of a mentoring relationship... and i want to reframe those pitfalls not as failures of either the mentor or mentee, but as very natural and normal parts of the process of learning to be mentored well. i want to posit that basically, things like taking and incorporating feedback, exercising initiative, anticipating next steps in a project, diagnosing problems or obstacles in one's own work, asking for guidance in specific areas, learning from and persisting through failure, etc., aren't things that people naturally know how to do but are skills that can and should be taught/learned in the context of a mentoring relationship. and i think our frustrations with mentoring can be significantly alleviated when we see ourselves as responsible for teaching students how to do those things. then i want to present some specific strategies and structures that i've found helpful for teaching those skills, or for preparing students to exercise those skills effectively.

aaaaa this feels so messy still but ok i'm just talking through it i'm just talking it out. i'm thinking about structuring the talk around some common (and overlapping) frustrations that commonly arise in the middle of mentoring a student.

student doesn't take enough initiative. they may competently complete tasks as assigned but often sit around between meetings or tasks waiting to be told what to do next.

student experiences a motivation or productivity dip midway through the project/term/year. they might become harder to get in touch with or have a harder time balancing competing priorities or become less reliable or seem really overwhelmed.

mentor finds themselves doing WAY too much of the work. that might mean doing too many parts of the project on their own or doing too much prep for meetings or bearing too much of the cognitive load of deciding what the next step is... which, when you are advising multiple students, can easily lead to exhaustion and burnout. (idk #1 and #3 feel really close together i might need to think about how to differentiate them further.)

i can't decide if i'll name this explicitly but i think the thread that runs through all of these frustrations is like... the student is not exercising enough autonomy/self-direction, and so as a result the mentor is having to take on more and more responsibility for directing the project or the work, which makes the student feel more disconnected from the work and therefore increasingly less motivated to persist in the work (a diminished sense of ownership over the project) and makes the mentor feel more exhausted/irritated/burnt out (too much ownership over the project when it's not really 'their' work).

so how do we cultivate student autonomy? and i mean that in a really practical sense... like what are the concrete, observable things that successful mentors DO to help students take on more initiative? how do they teach, guide, and prepare students to take on greater responsibility and ownership of a project over the course of their time working together, instead of letting the energy peter out or having the mentor take on more work to ensure the project gets finished?

and then i think i will like... present maybe five different concrete strategies and structures? and maybe have some discussion time or group activities where we are thinking about how to adapt these to different contexts, or generating other ideas/extensions for addressing specific issues that arise in our own work?? ok don't despair jes you can pull this together you just have to think a bit more. i think post-movie i will come back to this post and do some more thinking aloud through the five-ish specific artifacts/examples i want to show them.

#mentoring #teaching #to think further

6 notes · View notes

bluiex · 1 year

Note

Well I'm in a better headspace than before, if it's Angst ya'll want.

This idea has swirled in my head for a while since playing KH DDD.

Takes place at the end of Double Life. Grian and the others are always stuck between worlds here, and Grian has mostly been searching for his friends. But instead finds himself in a desert of sand with Scar.

The person was over looking the cliff as Grian neared, the desert sun casting long shadows as the heat of the day turned to a chill. It brought back unpleasant memories. Staring at the remains of a ring of cactus's as he walked up to the person, the edges slowly coming into focus.

Here in the void between games, it was hard to make out things due to how this world wasn't very stable. Grian felt some hope that this might be one of his friends, maybe even BigB, "hey, who are you?" he asked, best way to start out, maybe they would recognize him.

Turning around, Grian found himself staring at familiar green eyes and a scared face. "Scar...?" he said a bit in disbelief, ofcourse he would end up back here, in a place of sand away from others. Why did he always find himself here, when each game ended, he ended up back here. Scar would welcome him back as always, and it would just repeat, Grian might be a little sick of it that this was his go to place.

Scar however said nothing looking at him with a sad smile, which this was different than before. Grian frowned, "Well... aren't you gonna say something?" he asked Scar, "Come on Scar, don't leave me guessing here, no welcome back, or even a hug?"

Green eyes stared at him still, and Grian found his annoyance fade to confusion, "Scar...?" he asked again, to his normally chatty friend's silence, eyes holding quiet fondness but something much deeper.

"You know," Scar said looking over at the ring of cacti, "This could have been different between you and me." his voice was calm, no joyous tone to it, just plain and mono.

Grian looked confused by this, "What... do you mean? Scar what are you talking about?" he asked him even more confused now.

"We used to be so close, me and you," Scar gripped his hands together, "But as the series went on, you weren't interested as much as I was... maybe I did choose to over look it, to maybe hope, like in this place, in a world of fake gold, I could make it real with you." he tells Grian.

Green eyes looked up at Grian with sadness, "Our bond allowed us to share pain this go around... I saw it as a chance to understand why, and you saw it as a burden on yourself."

Silence rang at that as Grian looked away, not wanting to see those emotions anymore. Not wanting to hear this anymore, "Scar, we had it once, but... not again, I don't want to do it again. Why can't you understand how I felt?" he asked him almost coldly.

Scar looked at him, then the sadness melted into a paned smile, "But I did Grian, I felt everything you felt, and..." he took Grian's hands into his own, Scar's hands were warm, he could make out the callouses on them from the many scars. He looked up at Scar confused, asking what he was doing, but Scar continued before Grian could say anything. "I'm ready to let go." he tells him.

For a moment there was a green string between them again, the string turning red soon after. And...

Grian felt like he hit the ground again, as the waves of emotions hit him. Memories not his own flood through, and Grian found himself gasping for breath as they hit.

Loneliness Unwanted. Anger. Longing. The bitter taste of blood and unrequited love.

He was alone always on a mountain of some kind, no one wanted to give him the time of day. No one wanted him. No one cared about him. Watching as the world goes by and people find a happiness that he never could. AS even someone who was suppose to love him, would go off with another to be happy without him.

All he wanted was someone to say the words, to fill the hole, even if it was friendship... he wanted to be loved, was that so much to ask for?

Grian's throat was tight, he felt tears running down his face, blurring the edges of Scar between the memories. Scar's memories, his emotions.

Scar's Grief.

The weight was then gone, and Grian stood there, looking down as tears fell at his empty hands. Scar was gone, yet the weight of his hands in Grian's was still there. Phantom feelings that let his body crashing in a dark, cold ocean.

The sun had long set, and the desert was silent, no... he... he was back at the Red Velvet. The cacti circle the ruined edges of the Jellie panda sanctuary. The black coated remains of what was once their home.

His chest hurt, he couldn't stop crying, how could one person, who always smiled, laughed, and carried on... carry so much pain?

Grian often would find himself for days avoiding people that he hurt. he hated feelings of negativity. He hated being reminded of his failings. Chasing that positive emotions with hopeful eyes that this time will be different. He learned to let go...

But not everyone was like him. Not every could let go. Some coped by smiling and pretending it was alright.

"It never was alright... was it?' Grian said to the empty air, his hands turning to fists as he felt anger. "Why didn't you say anything? Why did you continue to pretend to be alright?" he asked no one, alone, a bond broken.

But isn't that what he wanted?

Grian left Scar in pain every day these games started, and now... Scar's left him with his pain.

Roxas's Grief always gets to me, some characters are used and abused. Never really seeing a happy ending. Scar's Life Series Character always gave me Roaxs's vibes. Always smiling even though it hurt, to pretend, delude himself, he was alright.

Listening to Roxas's theme while writing this hits even harder. Grian and Scar deal with pain differently. Grian gets back up and is in a rage, Scar just smiles through his like he doesn't care...

Because if he thinks about it, he wouldn't be able to stop.

WAAAH IT HURTS MORE WHEN THEY LET GO AN MOVE ON *sobs in my cage* and Gri knowing the burden and pain Scar had.. HNNGNHNGBFB

#bluie gets an ask poggers #long post #tw angst

15 notes · View notes

michaelmorningstar13 · 2 years

Text

Hello fiends! I really just wanted to chat y'all's ear off about this movie I came across on Paramount + and really enjoyed. It was called Saint Maud, and is, I believe, a psychological thriller by the studio A24. The people behind The VVitch, Midsummer, and Hereditary.

I may say some things that fall in spoilery territory. So, I will be sure to tag the things I may think. aren't all that vague

But, it was a very interesting, well-paced, and overall surreal piece of work that follows our titular character, Maud. As we, as viewers, essentially follow her on her way to increasing levels of painful religious fanaticism after experiencing a horrible and traumatic incident in her previous job.

All while she takes on the role as in-home caretaker to a former dancer named Amanda Kohl, who is going through the stages of Spinal Lymphoma.

I think this movie really played well into the overall lonliness and isolation that can occur when you go through something so traumatic... Such as what Maud had... And ultimately how the trappings of religion and having this divine figure who is always with you, always there, can then be so enticing. Especially for someone, like Maud, who otherwise struggled to develop meaningful relationships with other people in her day-to-day life.

[SPOILERS]

As not only did most of her former co-workers not have any idea as to what happened to her after "the incident.". Or, even KNOW that she was still practicing nursing to some capacity under a different name... Or, even just the the fact that as she was questioning her faith and devotion, she was hanging out in a dive bar and struggled to find any sense of connection with the myriad of faces there and drawing blanks... All while she was throwing herself into these fleeting physical moments with men that seemingly left her feeling even more lonely than anything else... But, I think the biggest thing that I think really played into the overwhelming sense of isolation was actually the interactions we see her have with the woman she is caring for, Amanda.

[SPOILER]

Because not only through Amanda are we shown the inauthentic ways in which both of them carry out the relationship... Maud constantly trying to "save" Amanda's soul. Allowing her to not really see her outside of something that needs to be fixed. Or even Amanda playing into Maud's delusions at first out of amusement... Only to later interacting with her with a sense of sarcastic annoyance... Going so far as to call Maud "My Little Savior" as Maud tries to overreach and control bits of her life. But, I think it really is played into when we are introduced to Carol. A late night visitor of Amanda's who Amanda was likely paying for a bit of sexual fun. As is part of Maud's overreaching, she takes carol to the side to demand that Carol not to return... As she is viewed as a distraction. Only a flight of fancy that is detering Amanda away from having her lost soul saved... Who likely doesn't even care about Amanda anyway. Which, I thought was intriguing. As, I believe that Maud and Carol actually mirror each other in the way they operate. Because despite how much they tell themselves they care... They only REALLY care up to the point as to what Amanda can personally provide them. Carol with money... While, Maud is looking to proselytize and feed her savior complex...

Speaking of which, I think another thing they show well, is because of the guilt that Maud is experiencing after "the incident"... And how it has been exacerbated by her foray into religion... She had developed this savior complex most likely as a way to personally redeem herself and tear herself away from this guilt she has been burdened with as her own cross to bare. Which, because of that, her lonliness only grows due to her only being able to interact with people so as to proselytize... Only to further isolate her from everyone else and push herself even deeper into the trenches of religious fanaticism she has found herself in. All while we as viewers are held captive to watch as we see her fall deeper and deeper into this doom spiral of madness and delusion...

Overall, I would definitely recommend this movie in all it's delicious fervir and melancholy. As it truly was a trip to watch in all it's visuals and story telling and would be pretty decent if your someone who can't stomach a ton of violence in horror. Though, there is ONE scene that does get violent in the whole film... So, do be aware of that.

#horror movies #horror film #paranormal #creepy #a24 horror #religious horror #horror fans #psychological horror

2 notes · View notes

wolken-himmel · 3 years

Text

In which (Y/n) and Grim have to take care of Lucius because Trein had to leave for an emergency.

Grim, being the smart yet lazy genius he is, decides to call over all the dorm leaders to get them to look after Lucius in his place, telling each of them that they get to spend some alone-time with (Y/n).

Request by @poisonapplenecklace.

"Oh, aren't you a pretty little kitty, Lucius?"

Your fingers ran across Lucius' incredibly soft fur with your fingertips massaging that special spot the spoiled cat loved to be petted at: behind his ears. Cradling Lucius closer to your chest, you buried the lower part of your face in his forehead, whispering sweet nothings into his fur.

The Ramshackle lounge rung with your cooes and the cat's purrs, slowly driving Grim insane.

Grim narrowed his eyes at you as he tugged at your sleeve, wanting to get at least a fraction of your attention, too. Lucius lazily raised his gaze when you stopped spoiling him, and he even shot Grim a large grin, accompanied by a haughty 'meow' and a flick of his tail that slapped Grim right in the face. Grim let out a series of growls as he clung to your hand, trying to prevent you from petting Lucius again. "Hey, I'm still here, too..." he muttered, guiding your hand to his forehead, so that you would pet him, too. "Don't forget about me..."

Laughing softly, you ran your hand across his fur, flattening his ears whenever your hands trailed down his head. "What do you mean?" you asked with an amused smile on your lips.

Grim opened his mouth, about to complain about Lucius hogging all your attention, but was interrupted when Lucius mewled loudly and pawed at your shoulder, demanding attention once again. "Nevermind..." Grim hissed as he helplessly watched you go back to fussing all over this other cat. Crossing his arms and pulling his face into a grimace, he threw himself onto the couch again. "Why do we have to babysit this furball."

You shook your head and clicked your tongue, chiding, "Professor Trein said he would give us a better grade in Animal Language if we took good care of Lucius."

"I hate it when even the teachers burden us with their personal problems," Grim muttered under his breath, annoyed that he couldn't spend some time just relaxing on his own. All week long he had been working his butt off, attending classes and doing homework — and now he even had to spend his weekend babysitting a spoiled cat? No, he had better things to do...

"Come now, Grim," you mumbled and finally set Lucius aside to pull your other cat closer to you, deciding that he needed a good petting session, too. Grim's bad mood seemed to grow better when he knew your whole attention was on him, and he stuck his tongue out at Lucius. Rolling your eyes, you massaged Grim's little paws. "Professor Trein said he had to leave NRC for a few days because of his daughters. It's an emergency, or else he wouldn't have entrusted his dearest cat to us."

Grim let out a little yawn, and his eyelids grew heavy under your tender touch. He could just fall asleep in bliss — if it weren't for the annoying cat slapping him with his paw, eager to reconquer his old place in your lap. Grim pushed Lucius away, only groaning out, "Why are we the only trustworthy ones in all of NRC..."

You turned Grim onto his back, so that you could run your hand across his stomach, which drew a few purrs and sighs from him. Yet, he couldn't fully enjoy the luxury treatment since he kept his eyes trained at Lucius, staring holes into the other cat's forehead. Giggling, you teasingly prodded the fat on your companion's stomach. "You're jealous of Lucius, aren't you~?" you cooed, which immediately made Grim shoot up.

Glaring at you, Grim immediately bellowed, "No!" You raised your hands into the air, that smug grin never vanishing from your lips — much to Grim's annoyance. "I just don't want to look after that furball for an entire day!"

You exhaled and patted his head. "You'll just have to live with it..."

Grim immediately jumped off your lap and marched out of the room, leaving Lucius to immediately plant himself onto your thighs again, expecting the same treatment you had given him earlier.

"No! I am the great Grim! I won't look after an annoying cat," he yelled out as he marched towards the front door, eliciting a worried frown from you. "Heed my words, (Y/n)!" The sound of the front door falling into its hinges was the last thing you heard.

•••

Hours passed with Grim being gone, and each passing minute made you worry even more about the whereabouts of your monster friend. And finally, when the doorbell rang throughout the run-down mansion, you immediately jumped up from the couch, so quickly and suddenly that you almost yeeted Lucius off your lap. So, with the spoiled cat in your arms, you immediately dashed over to the entrance to push open the front door.

As if in a panic, you twisted the door knob to the side and pulled the door open with such force that it was almost ripped out of its hinges. Temporary relief filled your veins. "Grim? Are you finally back—" The relief in your system was replaced by confusion when, instead of your cat companion, you found all the dorm leaders standing on your doorstep. Your jaw fell down, and you clutched Lucius tighter to your chest. "Oh... what are all of you doing here?"

Riddle shrugged and crossed his arms. "I don't know whatever the rest is doing here," he said, pausing to look at all the other students on your doorstep, "but your cat — the other one — said that you needed help babysitting."

Leona let out a yawn and nodded. "That's what the raccoon told me, too."

"Right," Vil muttered as he was busy looking at his schedule, which he just had cleared to help you with that spoiled cat of your professor. Then, as realisation dawned upon him, his gaze snapped upward to look at his fellow dorm leaders. "Wait— did he tell all of us the same—"

Malleus opened his mouth, causing everyone else to immediately shut up due to the intimidating aura he exuded. Clearing his throat, he calmly announced, "The cat requested me to look out for Lucius with my Child of Man."

Azul shook his head, retorting, "No, the raccoon made a deal with me."

Suddenly, everyone raised their voices, their words all blending together into an incoherent mess. All of them tried to tell one another that they were the one whom Grim had asked for help with looking after the cat, but no one was listening to one another. Your ears slowly beginning to fall off, as well as Lucius thrashing around in your arms due to his sensitive hearing, you decided that, since they all had come to visit you already, you should invite them inside.

"Uhm..." You raised your hand, and they quickly quieted down again, all of their eyes focused on you. Laughing sheepishly, you opened the door farther and stepped aside to allow them entry into your humble abode. "Just come in, guys," you announced in hopes that it would diffuse the awkward situation.

"Gladly." Leona was the first to snap out of his stupor, and he immediately made his way past you, slightly glaring at you. "What's the shortest way to your couch."

"Straight ahead."

Before you could even pay attention to all the students pouring inside, Lucius was quickly snatched out of your arms by none other than Kalim. "Wah! A kitty!" he cried out happily as he threw Lucius into thr air, only to catch him again. Lucius let out a series of hisses and growls, but Kalim never seemed to mind. So, the Scarabia dorm leader ran off with the cat as his hostage. "Let me play with him!"

Eyes ripped wide open in horror when Kalim dashed into the lounge, you cried out, "Wait, no—" Yet, he ignored you and quickly disappeared around a corner. "Kalim!"

Idia's tablet was the last one to float inside. "Normies, tsk."

As you closed the door to Ramshackle, you were left seething in utter anger, your fists shaking and your eyes narrowed. "I'll have Grim's hide for this..."

#twisted wonderland #twst #twst x reader #twst x you #twisted wonderland x reader #disney twst #disney twisted wonderland #reader insert #y/n #grim #twst grim #twisted wonderland grim #gender neutral reader

1K notes · View notes

seacottons · 4 years

Text

reaper ; — k.hj x reader

pairing: hongjoong x reader, platonic wooyoung x reader

wc: 5k

notes: i guess this is horror? pft. idk. mild violence. set in the late 80s? early 90s? technology isn't prevalent here so- yeah. probably needs to be proofread but i'm too sleepy as of now. maybe tomorrow. also, happy hongjoong day 🤍

synopsis: after an accident leaves three of your friends dead and one in a coma, you and wooyoung struggle with living expenses and piling medical bills. in the midst of it all, you’re stalked by strangers who resemble your deceased friends.

"Bad day at the tavern, Woo?" You asked, arms wrapping around the black-haired man who stood over the stovetop. A gentle fire simmered the stew he was cooking, a thin sheen of oil and spices pooling on the surface. He nodded with a grim frown and tight jaw, shoulders tense as he stirred a ladle into the pot.

"Got in a fight with some asshole who thought he didn't have to pay for shit," he grumbled back. You frowned at the sight of a bruise on his jaw, and he caught your gaze before scoffing incredulously.

"Don't look at me like that. This is nothing," he quipped hastily, voice thin with resignation.

"I think I have some leftover ointment for that," you sighed, turning away to fetch the item. After dinner, the two of you sat in silence as you tended to his bruises and cuts, your brows furrowing into a glare as you wrapped his finger with scraps of linen you managed to find," You should be more careful with people like that."

"We need the money," he retorted gently, "Mr. Lee would've taken it out of my paycheck if I had let the guy go without paying."

"At the expense of you getting hurt?" He ignored the glare you sent his way.

"We need every silver coin and more right now, y/n," he exhaled softly, leaning back against the old headboard of your bed, "Yeosang's medical bills aren't getting cheaper, and we promised the landlord we'll pay her this month." He groaned, reaching up to massage his temple with a tight frown, "And I can't keep making you work two shifts every day. I see the toll it's having on you."

"I told you I'm fine," you gave him a hard stare, defensively crossing your arms above your chest, "We both work overtime, so it won't be fair of me to just throw all the responsibility on you."

He gave you a tired smile, eyes fluttering shut as he hummed back a reply. Bringing you into his arms, he placed a gentle kiss onto your temple, before cradling your head against his chest while laying down, "I'll always be grateful to still have you with me."

Wooyoung sleeping in your bed alongside you became a silent agreement of some sort months ago when he couldn't bear to sleep alone in the other room he and Yeosang shared. Since then, the two of you found comfort in each other's arms, so much so that it became difficult to sleep without the warmth of his arms wrapped securely around your frame every night.

You sat in a comfortable silence, eyes closed as you relaxed back in your seat while holding Yeosang's delicate hand. The occasional beep of the IV machine and other monitors filled the air of the small room. You peek one eye open to look at Wooyoung, his back turned to you as he gazes out of the window. Neither of you speak for a while.

"You really think the doctor's words are guaranteed? That he'll wake up soon?"

You watched from your spot as Wooyoung leaned over the blonde-haired male, his hands brushing the hair away from his closed eyes. He appeared to be in a very deep and peaceful slumber.

"Yeah. I'm sure–.. I know he will. Things will get better for all of us," he drawled out tiredly, a soft smile finding itself onto his visage as he turned to gaze at your hand grasping Yeosang's limp one, eyes puffy from his crying session last night, "I know it."

An hour later, a nurse peeks her head in to politely state that you two have exceeded your visiting time. The two of you bid your friend farewell and left the hospital.

"I'm actually going to run by the cemetery real quick before my shift starts," you explained while walking down the road with the other by your side, half frozen autumn leaves crunching beneath your boots.

Wooyoung pulled you into a tight hug, hand reaching up to tussle your locks, "Alright, please be careful. I'll see you later, alright?," he readjusted the scarf around your neck with his gloved hands, "We'll have fried fish tonight, your favorite. Don't overwork yourself at work again!"

Tears nearly welled in your eyes, knowing fully well behind his cheerful demeanor hid a scared and tired being. The unspeakable pain behind his eyes killed you on the inside. He overworked himself both physically and mentally, and you can only wish you can rid some of the burden off of his shoulders.

You were just as hurt by the circumstances that the both of you were in, but watching his mental health erode with each day was A lump formed in your throat, and instead of replying, you merely flashed him a smile, not trusting your voice.

You pressed a quick peck to his cheek only to laugh as he flinched away from your freezing lips, your laughter escaping as puffs of white in the frigid air. You bid him farewell and waved back as the two of you separated.

The low mist enshrouding the cemetery did very little to bring warmth in the early hours of the morning. Your hands absentmindedly brushed along the dew covered grass as your eyes fixated onto the inscription on one of the three tombstones.

Where there are flowers, there are butterflies.

"It's your birthday next month, Joong," you muse to the grave in front of you, "I'll make sure to spend the day here with you and the others when the time comes."

You adjusted your position on the grass, the gentle beams of sunlight sparkling in the beads of dew around you. Sitting cross legged, you reminisced the times you spent with the male and the other two friends that shared his fate.

"Wait— how come you get to be the flower? You should be the butterfly instead," you whined whilst poking his cheek.

With a playful quirk of his brow, he reached up to lightly flick your forehead before pulling you closer for a gentle kiss, "You're the butterfly, because you always bug me, baby."

You smiled to yourself at the memory, reaching down to admire the various flowers that have finally bloomed on Hongjoong's grave. Similar blossoms and flowering vines were planted and grown onto the other two graves to the right.

"I miss you so much."

You startled at the sight of a small butterfly fluttering over your head, only to smile once it landed on the purple blossom. You stilled your frame in fear of scaring it off, and watched as it flapped its blue wings subtly.

A small lizard peeked through the gaps of leaves, sharply and swiftly clamping its mouth onto the butterfly. It struggled to keep the bug in its mouth, its head shaking rapidly as the insect wriggled in its hold. Moments later, the bug stilled and the lizard scampered off with its prey.

You stood up, shoulders slumping as you gave the three graves a smile and a wave, "See you guys tomorrow. I love you."

You tightened the sweater around your frame as you made yourself out the gates of the cemetery, sighing in annoyance at the lingering and dense fog. It was difficult to even make out the next tree as you made your way back to town. You faintly hear the sound of a crow's caw in the distance and peer down onto the ground as you feel a tremor beneath your feet. Your head snapped up in time to have a large vehicle's headlights reflect in your wide eyes.

You somehow couldn't quite grasp what day it was, or even what happened at work earlier. Your head spun as if you had just awoken from a drunken stupor.

The sun had set and the moonlight washed the town with a silvery blue hue. Flames flickered within the numerous lampposts and pebbles crunched beneath your feet as you walked through the familiar cobblestone path back home. The streets were deserted. Many buildings were left with shattered windows, small plants and moss growing in the most delicate fissures on their walls. Plastered advertisements and papers on the walls and lampposts looked withered and aged, drooping forward and swaying with the gentle breeze. It was quite an odd sight to see. The once boisterous town strangely felt like a ghost town.

You shrugged off the ominous feeling growing in the pit of your stomach as you trudged along back home.

Along the way, you crossed the hospital where Yeosang was kept. You peeked back to glance at the building, your eyes immediately catching sight of a figure who stood behind a third story window. Furrowing your brows, you turned around to continue walking, the sight of the stranger leaving a bitter feeling in your heart.

The male had the same patch of silver hair as—

Suddenly, your feet came to a halt and you turned back frantically, but the figure was gone. In its place, the blue curtain of Yeosang's room swayed gently with the wind.

Shaking your head, you continued your path whilst rubbing your tired eyes.

"I probably just had a long day," you explained to nobody.

In the distance, there crouched a dark figure, his hands caressing the top of a stray cat's head. You met eyes with the stranger moments later, and you paused in your tracks, your heart dropping down to the floor and leaping into your throat almost simultaneously.

"San?" the figure's lips stretched into a wide grin at your acknowledgement, before he stood up straight to face you. Your legs shook and threatened to give under the sudden weight of your body, "San? Is that really you?"

"Long time no see, y/n."

He silently nodded, arm extending to beckon you forward with a small smile. You took a small step forward, brows furrowing in confusion, "But this can't be you. You're dead."

"Your eyesight is still horrible, I see," he drawled out with a roll of his eyes. You stood inches away from him, eyes widening in disbelief. He sounded like and resembled your late friend with a terrifying accuracy. With a trembling hand you reached forward to cup his cheek, eyes glassy with unshed tears.

"You're..," you trailed off, eyes briefly glancing to your right at the reflection of the store glass window. Your reflection grasped at nothing but thin air, and you quickly retracted your hand from his face, eyes wide, "You're not real, are you?"

In an instant, the bright smile vanished and his gaze hardened into a dark expression. He silently bore holes into your head as a gentle breeze swayed his ebony and silver locks over his eyes. You took two hesitant steps back, and a blur of black flew towards you at an inhumane pace, your back roughly slamming onto the cobblestones underneath you.

Your brain scrambled to process what had just happened, eyes widening as San gripped your two wrists above your head with one hand, the other reaching down to wrap his lithe fingers around the column of your neck to squeeze hard. You released a pained cry, face contorting into a harsh wince. The heel of his palm dug painfully in the middle of your clavicles.

With eyes wide as saucers, you frantically kicked at your heels, hitting his frame repeatedly in an attempt to escape his clutches. Your attempt was futile as he released a growl, eyes practically slits as he seethed down at you, his grip tightening at an unbelievable level.

You wheezed, mouth falling open as you choked out his name, before furiously and blindingly sending a stomp onto his crotch repeatedly, your other leg jutting high to kick at his shoulder. It loosened his grip just enough for you to wriggle away, knees buckling as you attempted to stand up, heels kicking at the floor as you scrambled up, desperately trying to create as much distance as possible.

His eyes spoke of unfathomable fury as he regained his composure, taking two big strides to reach you.

Hastily rising to your feet, you dove in an alleyway and into the dark, mind not even processing your whereabouts as you quickly attempted to flee.

Your mind was in shambles as you ducked past clothes lines and the multiple abandoned carts near one of the taverns by the tea shop you worked at.

Turning around another corner, you collided with a strong chest, and you stumbled back at the sight of San's dark eyes peering down at you with a miffed expression. You gasped, face draining of color and chest heaving as you stumbled back and away from him. His chest rose with heavy breathing, brows knitted together furiously as he scurried after you.

"Y/n, y/n," he tsked in amusement, voice chiming like he was singing a song, "Come back, I just want to talk!"

Minutes later, the sound of his heavy footsteps ceased, but you did not have the time or courage to look back to see if he was still following you. You scrambled through dark alleyways, turning around every other corner, heart beating frantically in your ears and weak legs threatening to give way under your weight.

Tears prickled your eyes, and a sob threatened to escape your throat as you practically threw yourself against the frame of your door, fingers frantically reaching down to pull out the key from your pouch. From the corner of your eye, you spotted San madly dashing out from an alleyway to reach you, his voice growling out your name.

"Why are you running away?" He mocked, brows quirking up, "I thought we were good friends?"

Your trembling hands scrambled to unlock your door, hastily clambering in and throwing your entire weight to close it shut. A heavy weight from the other side thudded against the wooden frame, and your hands shook whilst reaching up to slide the chain into place. A loud gasp left your lips as the door jerked open slightly, the thin chain straining under the weight that threatened to break it.

"I'm hurt, y/n," a laugh escaped the man from the other side as he lodged his foot in between to keep the door ajar, voice rising as he attempted to shove himself in once more, "Don't you miss me?"

"Leave me alone!"

A hand shot from the gap of the door to clamp around the chain, rattling it viciously, as his other arm bent at an awkward angle to coil his fingers around the side of your neck, "Come out, y/n. I just want to talk," he chimed.

A sudden surge of strength overtook your frame and you threw your weight forward, successfully ramming the door shut against his arms. You expected to hear a cry of pain, but a chime of laughter sent a chill down your spine. With furrowed brows, you repeated the action, slamming the door continuously onto his hands and fingers, the sounds of bones and tendons snapping making you cry out in anguish.

Your hands trembled as you quickly locked the door with the key, stumbling back onto the floor as the knob shook threateningly. The door and chain rattled under the heavy kicks the male delivered from the other side, The impact of his frame against the other side shaking the door slightly. You fell onto your bottom, wobbly knees finally giving in, hands clutching your gaping mouth, and tears silently streaming down your face. You can practically feel the smile in his words, "It's okay. You'll come out eventually."

The dark shadow of his figure disappeared moments later.

When you woke, you weren't exactly sure when or how you fell asleep. You couldn't quite grasp the memories of the night prior. Sitting up, you emit a disoriented groan before realizing you weren't in your bedroom, but rather in the waiting room in the hospital Yeosang resided in. Peering around in confusion, you took account of the night sky, brows furrowing as you scrambled to find the nearest clock. It was well past midnight and visitors weren't even allowed at this ungodly hour.

The room was vacant, and you couldn't make out any figures of the receptionists through the pebbled sliding-windows. Your hand grasped the doorknob of the entrance door, only for you to sigh in frustration after finding it locked. You turn to the other side of the room only to find the door to the main halls of the ICU left ajar ever so slightly.

You called for any doctor or nurse, but you were met with silence. After much contemplating, you decided to make your way through the long corridors of the hospital, your steps reverberating throughout the empty halls. Where are the attendants, and why is a place like the ICU empty?

If you were stuck in here, you might as well stay in your friend's room. The lights from the mounted sconces petered out against the wall and casted the hallway with a warm glow.

After much turning and walking, you reached the end of the hall, hand reaching for the doorknob when the hallway lights wavered for a second. You peered to the side in confusion, before entering the room, only to stop after a step.

The room was empty, the sheets on the bed untouched and perfectly made. A hiss of air from the corridor startled you, and just as you snapped your head back, the lightbulb above you flickered rapidly before it shattered along with the windows, showering your shocked form with glass shards.

The room was engulfed in darkness, save for the streaks of moonlight filtering past the curtains. You jostled up from where you fell from shock, legs feeling useless as you crawled back out of the room with trembling limbs. Not wanting to look back, you clutched the wall for support before hastily speeding through the endless turns of the hallway.

Corner after corner, panic settled through your system because these were definitely not the same hallway layouts you remembered and memorized like the back of your hand. They were endless and vacant, and you felt like a helpless little mouse in a vast maze. As you quickened your pace into a panicked dash, the windows and light sconces on the wall flickered and shattered with every step you took, and you hastily covered your head and face from the flying glass.

This isn't real, you thought. It can't be real.

"Y/n!"

You froze in your spot, breath caught in your throat as you clamped a hand over your mouth to swallow back a scream threatening to slip past your lips. Did you hear correctly, or was that part of your imagination?

"Y/n," the familiar voice spoke once more.

Your heart hammered against your ribcage as you daringly poked your head from the corner and into the other hallway. Blood pounded past your ears, and it took more than a second to realize there was a figure of a man at the end of the very long and dark corridor.

He took a step forward and the soft moonlight pouring from the window beside him illuminated his figure, and your breath faltered at the sight of the man's smiling face.

"Seonghwa?"

"What are you running away from, y/n?"

You couldn't properly form a reply at his remark, hands reaching up to rub at your tear pricked eyes. A sob bubbled its way up to escape your throat at the sight of your late friend who merely chuckled at your tears.

"Missed me that much, hm?" he mused, shoulders shaking with an amused chortle, "Why don't you come here and give me hug? You know I don't like seeing you cry."

You couldn't help it as a gnawing feeling of unrest settled in the pit of your stomach. A shudder traveled down your spine, goosebumps decorating your arms, and hair standing on the back of your neck. Your mind couldn't pinpoint what exactly it was that had you so disturbed, but your body displayed all the signs. His tone felt off, and you realize he's playing with you. Toying with you. A small distant voice in your head told you to get away.

A sudden thought found its ways into your mind.

Where was his shadow?

Sensing your hesitation, the friendly expression on his face soon dropped, making way for a stone-cold frown and unamused eyes.

"Y/n."

His cold voice snapped you out of your thoughts, and you take a hesitant step back, words slipping out before you even processed them, "I know you're not real."

The feral look that overtakes his expression has you reeling back, and you took off running in the opposite direction. Glass crunches beneath your shoes as you dashed from corridor to corridor, lungs burning and muscles aching from the rush of adrenaline. He called for you repeatedly, and you didn't dare turn back to see how far he's caught up with you. With every turn, his voice grew louder and closer, before a flash of black sends you flying back onto the floor. Your body skids onto the ground, shards of glass pricking at your skin. With a rush of adrenaline fueling your system, you hardly wince as you scrambled back from the towering figure, glass piercing your skin in the process.

You feel an excruciating burst of pain in your foot, and before you had the opportunity to pull your leg back, he slams his foot down onto your ankle once more, grinding the joint roughly with his boot. A loud cry of pain escapes your throat and you to struggle wildly to escape his unrelenting grip.

You glance up and through your tears, you make out the gleam of a large piece of glass in Seonghwa's hands, his threatening, blown out pupils pinning you down like trapped prey. Turning the large shard in his hand to examine it, he hums sarcastically before peering down at you with a quirked brow, "You know, I'm offended." Kneeling down to your level, he traces your cheek with a glass, watching your skin split at the action and beads of blood oozing out from the scratch, "And here I thought we were such good, close friends."

Without missing a beat, your hands flew to grasp the shard, roughly ripping it into the soft tissue of his eye and slipping past his frame to stagger to the nearest broken window. You hear a groan from behind you as he doubles over in shock, blood overflowing from his ruptured eye and spilling down his scowling face. Pain surged with every step you took, but if this was your only option to escape, you think maybe the idea of couple of broken bones doesn't sound too bad.

Hastily, you stepped over the windowsill, your arms and legs catching on the jagged teeth of glass remaining, your clothes tearing in the process. You took a sharp inhale before curiously taking a look back at Seonghwa one last time. The sight of him lunging after you has you falling forward and out of the window. It felt as if gravity had slowed the pace of your fall, and you held eye contact with Seonghwa as your frame descended down from the third story floor. Darkness fogged your eyesight, his figure vanishing within the black abyss.

The impact hit you like a truck, and you sat up with a loud intake of breath on your warm bed. Your chest heaved heavily as you took in your surroundings. You suddenly realize you're in Wooyoung and Yeosang's shared room that hasn't been occupied in months. Your eyes fall onto your feet, and your brows furrow in confusion as a sudden thought invades your head.

You faintly remember your ankle being crushed, but it seemed to feel just fine now. When you attempted to recall why you thought it had been broken, it felt like your mind was searching for a forgotten and fragmented memory. After calming your breathing and thoughts, you sit up to go and find your friend.

You called Wooyoung's name repeatedly, but the silence you were met with indicated he wasn't home.

Peering into your room, you hoped to find him sleeping, however your eyes landed on the wall, the sight of messily painted words catching your attention almost immediately.

Where there are flowers, there are butterflies.

Painted flowers and butterflies littered the wall, the excess ink dripping down into lines onto the wooden floorboards.

"Do you like it?"

You jumped at the voice behind you, swiftly turning around to meet the sight of a familiar head of blue hair. You stood there, mouth agape as you silently stared long and hard at the man that once held and loved you in his arms. A long silence followed suit, hanging in the air like the calm before a storm. A breeze hardly stirred from the open window and not a sound could be heard save for the pounding of your heartbeat in your ears.

The forbidding, subtle grin displayed on his features filled you with dread, and the mere sight of him gave your brain a debilitating shock. Your knees couldn't hold your weight any longer, and with buckling limbs, you were sent crashing down onto the floor, the look of disbelief and horror never leaving your expression.

You stared at him but it felt like you couldn't quite focus your gaze on him as he peered down at you in mock pity, a condescending smile playing on his lips. His dark gaze seared you as he crouched down to meet your eye level, hand reaching to cup your cheek as he leaned in to press numerous kisses onto your lips. The gesture was void of the warmth and care you remembered, and you sat still as he trailed fleeting kisses down your the column of your neck, his lips attaching fervently onto your clavicles.

"I missed you so much," you began, catching his attention. Pulling away from your irritated flesh, he quirked his brows at your words, hands brushing the hair out of your face as he let out a chuckle. His finely-chiseled face, illuminated by the oil lamps on the wall, broke into a fond expression. Pulling you close to his frame, he pressed your head against his chest, head dipping to kiss into your hair.

"Do you really?" Your brows furrowed slightly, eyes blinking away the tears as you wrapped your arms around his torso, head pressed against his chest. It's been too long without the feeling of your lover's arms around you. It's just been way too long for you, "If you miss me that much then-"

While nuzzling his chest, you come to realization he lacked a heartbeat, and with that thought striking your mind like lightning, you detached yourself from his form instantly. He eyed your trembling form without any sign of amusement.

"Don't look at me like that!" Cowering back against the wall, you broke into screams of despair, fingers pulling handfuls of your hair as you shook your head rapidly, "You're dead— you're not real!" you slapped the heels of your palms against your temple repeatedly, eyes scrunched shut, "Not real! Not real! This is all just my imagination!"

He released a chilling laugh that traveled down your spine and left your fingers and toes numbingly cold. A sudden gust of wind sent the crispy, autumn leaves scampering wildly into the window while also extinguishing the lamplights that illuminated the room, plunging it into darkness.

You only had a second to register his close proximity, your pupils dilating instantly, before a hand latched onto your throat, ramming your head back against the wall in the process. His vice-like, lithe fingers squeezed around your windpipe, successfully blocking your air flow as you squirmed in his relentless hold, lungs burning and diaphragm spasming.

"You'll join me so we can be together again, hm?"

The fist around your throat choked your response, and he tilted his head with a mocking smile, "I'm sorry, what was that?"

His hold only faltered ever so slightly to give you enough air to speak, "I don't want to die," your reply was a little more than a ghost of a breath.

"But, baby," his fingers coiled around your neck, pressing unforgivingly hard until your darkening vision littered with stars, "don't you realize you're already on the brink of death. Just give in, y/n. Don't keep fighting."

The silence of the atmosphere contributed to the solemnity in the air, and despite the clear blue skies and warm sun, there was a relentless chill in Wooyoung's heart. The black-haired male crouched down over the grave, gently placing a small bundle of roses onto the base of the tombstone.

"Happy birthday, Joong," he mused sadly, his puffy, tired eyes flickering over to the sides where the other tombstones lay.

"I'm so sorry for breaking my promise," he blinked rapidly to rid himself of the stinging tears threatening to spill, nose scrunching slightly as he sniffled, "I should've been there that day- shouldn't have let y/n come here alone- and.."

"You know nothing was your fault, Woo. Stop blaming yourself for something you had no control of."

A hand clutched his shoulder, and he peered with tear-filled eyes to give the blonde male a grateful smile, before turning back to the grave, "Yeosang's awake now though and- and the doctors said that y/n's case isn't as bad as his was, so we have hope."

"Y/n is a stubborn fighter," Yeosang offered the other a small smile, crouching down to rub his trembling friend's back, "Everything will be okay in due time."

"I hope so.. and I hope you'll forgive me, Hongjoong," Wooyoung murmured, watching two small butterflies flutter and chase each other around the blossoming flowers atop of Hongjoong's grave.

#ateez x reader #ateez scenarios #ateez reactions #ateez imagines #hongjoong imagines #hongjoong scenarios #hongjoong x reader #wooyoung x reader #wooyoung imagines #yeosang imagines #seonghwa imagines #choi san imagines #ateez horror

174 notes · View notes

random-fangirl003 · 4 years

Text

Notice Me - Nathan Drake

Fandom: Uncharted

Character(s): Nathan Drake, OCs, Sam Drake, Elena Fisher, Sully

Pairing(s): Nathan Drake x OC

Type: Oneshot

Warning(s): Cussing, Arguments, Pregnancy Mention, Teasing

Summary: Tired of playing second fiddle to Elena, Nathan's best friend decides to prove a point.

A/N: NEW TO THIS FANDOM, MIGHT GET STUFF WRONG!

Anyone who looked close enough, could tell that Savannah Grant was in love with Nathan Drake, and they could also see how much Nathan Drake loved Savannah Grant, but the two of them were as oblivious to their affections towards one another. So, they constantly spent time together, whether treasure hunting or otherwise, as best friends do. On the latest treasure hunt, Savannah had dug up information on the location of a map for Alaric's treasure, which was being sold in a charity auction, meaning that they would have to break in and steal it, or honestly bid on it, which was causing a bit of a dispute between the two best friends currently.

"No! No way!" Nathan huffs from where he's sitting, leaning back on two legs of his chair. "You can't just go into that auction unarmed and alone!"

"What?! I'm not strong enough to do it? Is that what you mean?!" Savannah demands, placing her hands on her hips.

"I never said that!" Nathan replies. "It's just too dangerous to go it alone!"

"Yet you had no problem sending Sully in alone, last time."

"That's different."

"How? How is it different, Nathaniel?! How is my going to an auction, while you do the exact see thing as last time, any different? In case you forgot, this is my treasure! I found it!" She growls, narrowing her eyes at him.

"It just is!" He replies as he stands up, pressing his hands on the table.

"If it were Elena, you'd have no problems with it!"

"That's different too! She's-"

"What?" She demands, cutting the treasure hunter off. "She's what? Stronger? Smarter? Prettier?"

"I never said any of those things!" Nathan yells, anger flushing his cheeks as she slams a hand on the table herself.

"You didn't need to." She growls as she presses off the table, her anger turning her vision red as she turns away. "I'm going! And if you're so fucking worried, I'll ask Michael to accompany me as my date!" She stalks off, leaving Nathan fuming behind her, Sully and Sam are off to the side of the room, completely forgotten.

"Michael?! How could she just invite that pompous, arrogant-?!"

"She is in charge, Nate. She's been doing most of the work this time." Sam points out, causing his brother to turn on him with wild eyes, raking a hand through his hair.

"But, he's played her so many times!" Nathan shouts as Sully holds up his hands.

"She's a big girl, she knows what she's doing." Her annoyance had bit at Nathan, and he knew she threw Michael's name into the fray, just to anger him, but he also knew that she would keep her word, and that jackass would be escorting her to the auction tomorrow evening.

"Doesn't mean I have to like it." Nathan retorts sharply, leaving the room. Elena and Savannah are sitting on the roof top patio in the hot evening sun of Southern Italy, where the blonde journalist is trying to calm the ginger treasure hunter down.

"Look, he didn't mean it like that, Vannah." Elena grasps her friend's hand. "You just have a tendency to go head first into things, without thinking them through."

"Seriously?! You just don't understand why I'm doing this, do you?!" Savannah exclaims, rage still burning in her words. "Nathan sees me as a burden! All I ever do is screw up, some way or another. I want to show that I'm worth being in this, being by his- I mean your guys' side."

"You don't always screw up," Elena shakes her head, patting Savannah's hand. "I mean, remember the time Nate didn't remember to write down the pattern to a puzzle in his journal, and you remembered it all, in order? Or how about the time none of us could speak that one language, uh-"

"Taushiro. I wouldn't have learned if I hadn't wanted to show up Nate." Savannah sighs, leaning into her fist.

"Exactly! You and Nate may fight, but you bring our the best in each other. You just have to understand where you both are coming from, ya know?" Elena's words make Savannah sigh again as she runs her other hand through her wild curls, pulling away her hand as she grimaces at the muck that always seems to find it's way there, due to the constant running, fighting, and everything else that is entailed with treasure hunting.

"I guess you're right." Savannah stands with a hesitant smile, heading towards the stairs, only to pause. "Elena, you don't happen to... like Nate, right?" She asks, looking at the blonde from over her shoulder.

"I, uh-" Elena pauses, and let's out a shocked laugh. "No, it's not like that. Nathan is like a brother, I mean once, yeah, I did. But, you know how it is, I mean-"

"Is it Sam?" She turns bright red at that, causing Savannah to giggle, shaking her head. "You might want to talk to him about that."

"Like you can talk?" The journalist teases, causing Savannah to scoff, entering their hotel room.

"Savannah, I-" Nathan starts as he walks over to her from the other room, but Savannah pushes past him.

"I need a shower, Nathan. Then to make a call." She slams the door to the room that she and Elena share, grabbing her toiletries, clothes, and a towel, before exiting her room to enter the bathroom, leaving Nathan standing in the hallway, stunned at her behavior.

The silent treatment continues through the night, and into the next day, where Elena and Sully go over the layouts of the mansion where the auction is being held, and the plan for the others, while Savannah spends the day getting ready. At half past eight, she finally leaves her room, entering the living room in a shimmering blue dress with a slit up her thigh, and silver high heels on. "God, my stomach is in knots." Savannah says as she walks over to the kitchenette, Nathan's mouth dropping open at the sight of her, Sam's and Sully's mouths aren't far along.

"Don't you look nice!" Elena says brightly as she pulls out supplies for a sandwich. "You are probably hungry."

"No, I'm in heels and a dumbass dress, that feels like I had to be slathered in Crisco to get into. I hate being unable to wear my boots, and clothes I can fight or defend in. You ever see someone ungraceful, who could dodge a bullet in a dress?" Elena shakes her head with a laugh, and starts to spread mayo over her bread.

"Well, eat before you go. You'll feel better." Elena says.

"No way, if I eat one bite, every seem in this thing will split open." Savannah says as she glances back at the dumbstruck men, who are watching her, instead of preparing for the night. "Are they alright?"

"You look like a girl!" Sam says, causing her to snort.

"I am a girl." She points out, causing Nathan to snap his mouth shut, slugging Sam in the arm.

"Yeah, but you don't look it!" Sam replies, causing Savannah to sigh, threading her fingers through the one long sleeve of her dress, feeling rather sheepish now.

"Well, you look lovely, Sav." Sully says, pressing out of his chair, before crossing to her with a cigar clenched between his teeth.

"Thanks Sully, I'd give you a hug, but Elena lent me her expensive perfume, I don't want to smell like cigarettes too, I'll smell like a hooker." She giggles at Sully's affronted expression, there's a knock on the door that silences them all. "That'd be Michael." She says, grabbing her clutch from the table by the door, and opening it to show a suave man in a tux, his black hair is slicked back, and he has a cocky smirk on his clean shaven face.

"V-V." Michael sweeps her up in a hug, causing her to let out a surprised laugh, hugging him back as Nathan grits his teeth, clenching a fist behind her. "How have you been, luv?" He asks as he pulls back to set her to the floor.

"Living one day to the next." She answers honestly, before walking over to grabbing her shawl from the chair beside Nathan, not even sparing him a glance as she walks back towards Michael. "Well, are we going?"

"Indeed," He grabs her hand, bringing it up to press a kiss to her gloved knuckle, before tucking it into his arm. "far well all, enjoy your evening." He bids, telling them all that Michael has no clue what is really going on as Savannah waves, closing the door behind them after, a sweep of her shawl over her shoulders. During the drive to the mansion, Savannah and Michael make polite conversation with one another, while back at the hotel the others are getting dressed, and preparing for the sting, while Nathan seethes in his anger.

Pulling up to the mansion, Savannah removes the invitations from her pouch as Michael rounds to the other side of the car, opening her door, before offering a hand to help her out of the car. Taking it, the ginger treasure hunter stares up at the manor, her green eyes wide as Michael chuckles, tucking her hand through his arm. "Are you sure you'd rather be here, than somewhere else for our date? I'm only in Italy for the weekend."

"Michael, you're my escort, this isn't a date." He fakes a wounded look as he walks her towards the door, where the guards study their invitations, and scan her purse, before allowing them in. The main foyer is full of people in fancy dress, the artifacts are spread out on the tables for examining, there is music, dancing, a grand chandelier, and a champagne fountain with flutes next to it for drinking. "Will you get me a drink? I want to look at the artifacts." Michael nods, giving her a teasing bow as she starts towards a table, pretending to be examining a golden plate as she pulls out a lipstick container from her purse. Pretending to put the lipstick on, she pulls the ear piece out of the bottom, sticking it in her ear, before smacking her lips together as she puts the lipstick away.

"Check check, Sav can you hear me?" Sully asks as she let's out a hum of acknowledge, though to others it might seem like she's humming along to the music.

"We're outside right now," Nate says, his voice a welcome distraction from the pit in her stomach. "I'm working on getting the passage under the mansion open for the others."

"V-V, luv?" She turns to the British ambassador as he walks over with two champagne flutes, offering her one as she bites her lip.

"Actually, I haven't ate yet. I really shouldn't drink on an empty stomach." She says, causing Michael to deflate as Nathan chuckles in her ear, causing her to struggle not to roll her eyes.

"No matter," Michael sets the flute on a passing waiter's tray, tucking her hand into his arm again. "I do wish you had mentioned something, I would have made sure you ate before we had come."

"I'm alright." She says as they both start to wander around, her looking for the artifact that hides the map, and Michael watching Savannah's expressions and mannerisms.

"Savannah, I need you to open the servant's door leading to the kitchen." Nate's voice is in her ear, making her swallow thickly as she glances at the clock.

"Michael, I'm going to go to the bathroom and fix my make-up-"

"Ah, luv, no need, you are beautiful, as always." Michael reaches up to brush a wild curl from her face, and she blushes.

"Oh please." Nathan says in the ear piece, making Savannah's face to crumple, and Michael frowns.

"What's wrong?" She shakes her head, forcing herself to smile convincingly.

"My stomach is eating itself. I'm going to pop into the kitchen and grab something."

"Are you sure that's wise?" Michael asks, grasping her hand as she pulls away, and she looks back at him.

"I'll ask permission if anyone spots me." She gives a teasing grin. "Besides, mister ambassador, I remember the two of us having quite a bit of fun sneaking around, while we were younger." Michael chuckles, rubbing his neck as Nathan makes a gagging sound in the mic as Savannah struts away, her path towards the kitchen dead ahead. Slipping into the kitchen is fine, the servants merely sent questioning looks, though seeing her attire they left her alone, most guests were allowed to do as they wished, as long as they caused no trouble. The area around servant's door to the kitchen was abandoned, but she was careful when resting upon the wood, her back flat against it as she looked around, watching the servants carefully as she unlocked and opened the door.

"Finally!" Nathan groans as he enters, dressed to the nines as she glares at him, holding out her hand for her pistol- with Nate, shooting was never far behind. He hands the weapon to her, making her throw back the skirt of her dress from the slit, and slide the gun into the holster on her leg, Nate's eyes trailing up and down her legs as she tugs the gown back into place.

"Have you found the artifact?" Elena asks, entering the kitchen in a waitressing outfit.

"The map is in the vase, like I thought. Lot number 31." Savannah says, holding out a stolen apron from a kitchen cart. Elena pulls on the apron, tying up her hair as Sam ties the apron behind her back, he's in his own waiter outfit, and Sully is obviously waiting in the car for their getaway.

"Do we need the vase?" Sam inquires, causing her to roll her eyes.

"The map is in the vase." She replies, making him frown. "It's also from the year Alaric died, we might need it- it could contain a clue, or be part of a puzzle, so yes. It's not a very big vase, and it's more than likely full of dirt, considering it looks like an urn, but the marking indicate that it isn't."

"So, we're stealing the map, vase and all." Nathan replies, and Savannah looks at him, before frowning.

"You're supposed to be a waiter."

"I couldn't find a uniform in my size, so I knocked out a guest, and stole his clothes." She wrinkles her nose, attempting to hold back a giggle as Nathan smiles. "I'm a guest now."

"Well, Michael knows who you are, so if he asks why I didn't come with you, tell him the truth. We're fighting." She states.

"Are we really?" Nathan asks, causing her to glare at him. "You are beautiful tonight... so beautiful." He says softly, causing her to blush as she looks away, shuffling a bit until Sam clears his throat, looking up as Elena elbows the older of the Drake brothers in the stomach, she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, and starts towards the party.

"Show time." Elena says into the ear piece, making Savannah paste a smile on her face, exiting the kitchen alone. She heads over to Michael, an apology on her lips as he smiles at her.

"Sorry, I had to meet Nate at the door. We're fighting, but he insisted on coming." Michael frowns as he glances around, probably for Nathan, as Savannah smiles up at him. "I'll take that champagne now." He nods his head, grabbing her hand to tuck it into his arm, before escorting her towards the champagne fountain.

"I hope he doesn't interrupt our time again, tonight. I have missed you V-V." She forces herself to continue to smile.

"Gross. Watch, next he'll say he wants to get back together." Nathan hisses in her ear as she takes the flute of champagne from Michael, sipping on it the bubbling drink.

"I mean it, V-V, my love. I made a mistake, I wish to be with you once more." Savannah chokes, spitting her drink right in Michael's face, coughing out an apology as Elena, as a waitress, hands him a napkin from her apron. Savannah takes the other napkin, dabbing at her chin as Elena shoots her a sympathetic grin, walking behind Michael to hover.

"I-I am so sorry." She coughs, shaking her head. "I didn't mean to-" He wipes his face with the napkin.

"No no, you didn't do anything wrong, luv." Elena pretends to stick a finger down her throat behind him. "I merely chose the wrong moment to speak my mind." He continues to wipe his face as she sets the drink down.

"I-Look, Michael, you really hurt me last time, you took advantage of my heart and my feelings, and I just- I just felt that I could never love again. You know how difficult it was for me to trust you, the only other person I could ever trust like that, was Nate." Michael clears his throat, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"So, you have turned me down. My heart is now the one to have been played."

"Michael, I never said this was a date, and I never implied that we'd be in a relationship. I needed an escort, that is all. And, as a friend, I thought we could-"

"You've still rejected me!" Michael says, anger in his voice.

"Shh, please, don't make a scene." She begs softly.

"Can I at least be told why? Am I not man enough? Did I hurt you too much?"

"No, that's not it. Well, it's sort of it, but I just-" She bites her lip, looking around. "I just-"

"She's with me." She jumps at the feeling of a familiar arm falling around her waist, pulling her tightly against the person's side, and she looks up to see Nate. "We've been fighting, so I asked her to at least, if she didn't want me to come, invite someone she knew could be trusted, to escort her tonight. What can I say? We fight, but I love her." Savannah's heart pounds and sputters at those words, making her blush as Michael looks at her for confirmation, and she freezes, then slowly nods.

"I see. As far as I can tell, you've made up quite well, and I shall be on my way." Michael bows, walking away with arrogance in his stride as she glances back up at Nate, before she pushes him away a bit.

"I had that!" She snaps, causing Nate to roll his eyes.

"Not from what I saw. Elena was about ready to pour champagne on the guy, to get him to leave." Rubbing her arm, she swallows thickly, glancing at Elena, who is handing out drinks to guests, and she sets her own down.

"So, you decided to play the noble hero and sacrifice yourself for the greater good of the mission?" She scoffs, roll her eyes as she walks away. Nathan grabs her by the wrist, turning her back to him.

"Hey, I never said that! What the hell is with you lately?" Her face falls as she jerks her wrist from his grasp.

"Let's just finish this mission, and I will be out of your hair for good!" She snaps, stalking off towards the artifact, waiting until everything goes dark, and her night-vision contacts come flooding to life, allowing her to slink silently to the table. She quick in grabbing the vase from the table, before hurrying towards the kitchen door. Just as she slips inside, Nathan, and Elena right on her tail, the foyer floods with light again. Tossing the vase to Nathan, who hides it in his pocket, Sam meets them at the servant's door, the four of them exiting without anyone noticing. Or so they thought.

"So, hey," Nathan whispers as they slink through the mansion. "what did you mean by out of my hair "for good"? Are you leaving after this hunt?" She glares at him as she takes measured steps, ignoring his question.

"Who goes there?!" A guard shouts, causing her to flinch at the sound of her heels hitting the floor, and Nate turns his flashlight on them. "The wind?" The guard asks, causing her to glance at the guard from behind the pillar, watching him walk away. Her breath stutters in her relief as she stands flush against the stone pillar, the others are just as quiet around her.

"Take them off, Sav!" Elena whispers in a rush, causing Savannah to nod.

"I'm on it." She shuffles nearly silent as she struggles to get the heels off, then she tosses them to Sam, who hurriedly catches them, before padding up to the guard as he turns back towards them, his flashlight barely hits her toes, before she swings her arm up. Driving her elbow into the guard's head, she knocks him out as he drops to the floor like a sack of rocks, his flashlight rolling across the floor. Nathan whistles softly, impressed as he drags the unconscious guard behind a flower box to hide him, and the four of them continue on their route.

"Are you going to answer me?" Nate asks after a few minutes of silence, then as they round another corner, she just shoots him a glare.

"Now is not the time, Nathan." She retorts as the whistling of a bullet goes past her head, skimming across her cheek as it blows her hair past her eyes, and they all turn, Nathan pushing Elena behind the nearest cover as Savannah dodges another bullet, dropping behind cover. The darkness provides ample cover as she pulls out her gun, and she nods to Nathan, who in turn nods to her, the two of them taking turns to pop out of cover to shoot, not a single word said between them, while Sam scouts ahead.

"How about now?!" Nathan asks as he presses against the pillar, reloading as Savannah pops out of cover, shooting one of the guards in the shoulder, making the guard scream as he falls.

"No, Nathan!" She replies, shooting down another guard. "Why does it always end in a firefight with you?"

"Brilliant question! Let's ask them next time." Elena says as Nathan pops out of cover, firing as Savannah drops back into cover, reloading her gun.

"Are you leaving?!" Nathan asks as he fires one last round, and the final guard falls, the three of them standing as Sam pops up from the route ahead, beckoning them silently. "Hey," Nathan grabs her hand, tugging her to a stop as Elena and Sam continue on ahead. "are you?"

"Nate-"

"Don't Nate me! Are you leaving? Are you done after this?" Nathan asks, his face is sad.

"I-I don't know." She answers truthfully, looking at the ground. "I just don't know." She pulls away, starting towards the exit, followed by Nathan. Sully is as quick a get away as always, the four of them are in the car with the door barely closed, before Sully is peeling out of the mansion gates, the guards start to pile out of the mansion, guns firing. "Heads down!" She shouts, pushing Nate's head down as she drops her head into his lap, a bullet piercing the back window, and out the front. Sully drives like a mad man, swerving and stopping and driving in and out of alleyways and places where a car can barely fit, Nate's arms are around Elena, making Savannah feel bad as she struggles to stay in her seat from the jostling, unable to latch her seatbelt, unlike the others. The bridge on the way to the hotel starts to lift up before them, and Sully clenches the wheel, gunning the engine.

"Hold on!" Sully shouts, driving off a bridge as she let's out a scream, Nathan's eyes go wide when he sees her flying from her seat, his arms reaching out to catch her, jerking her into his lap as Sully lands on the other side of the bridge, and the guards chasing them have no choice but to stop as Sully speeds away. She gasps, clinging to Nathan's arms that are secured firmly around her, heart pounding for two different reasons as Nathan murmurs calming words in her ear, stroking her arm. Nathan holds her shaking form all the way back to the hotel, where Sully swerves around the back, into the underground parking space, allowing Sam to help Elena out as Sully climbs out, Nate muttering that the older man is a "son of a bitch" as he unbuckles, pushing Savannah into a sitting position as he slides out of the car. She sits still as a stone, her heart pounding so hard that it aches, and her eyes wide from the terror flushing from her veins, she doesn't even notice Nathan opening her door, turning her around as he places a warm hand against her cheek.

"Sav? Hon? We're back." Nathan murmurs, causing her to blink, sucking in a sharp breath as she looks around, head jerking from one direction to the other, before she slowly climbs out of the car, her bare feet touching the ground for barely a moment, before Nathan sweeps her into his arms, Bridal style.

"N-Nate?" She asks in confusion.

"You're still a bit shocked, right?" He closes the car door with his shoe, following the others to where they disappeared into the hotel, and when they return to their hotel room, nobody says anything while Nathan whisks Savannah away to his bedroom. "You've got a bit of blood on you," Nathan says as he comes back from the bathroom with a damp rag, having set her on the foot of his bed. "I also grabbed some bandages for your feet. You didn't say anything, but you probably have blisters on your ankles from those heels, huh?" Savannah looks away, sheepishly as Nate scrubs at her elbow, where she can already feel a bruise under the blood, from knocking that one guard out, and then he moves to her cheek, where the first bullet had barely gazed her. He hadn't said anything, but his heart about stopped when he heard and saw that bullet coming at her, and while he pushed Elena down, he had wanted to tackle Savannah to the ground, and shield her with his entire body. "You were shot."

"I'm fine." She answers truthfully, he drops the rag, his hand coming up to cup her cheek, before she looks at him, eyes finally focusing. "I am, Nate." She covers his hand with her own, causing him to lighten up on the pressure, taking a deep shaking breath. "I'm fine." He leans up, pressing a kiss to her forehead, before he pulls back to kneel, taking her foot to clean it, before placing a bandage over one of her heels, where a blister is. He does the same with the other as she let's out a soft sigh, looking out the window beside the bed. "You were reckless tonight." She says, causing him to glance up at her, she realizes that he's shed the jacket of his pilfered suit, and he is now fiddling with the strap to the holster on her leg. "I understand that you're worried about Elena, but how many times has she been through this?"

"I don't know what you mean." Nate says defiantly as Savannah sighs.

"You were circling Elena like a guard dog, you wouldn't even give her a gun. It was an argument for her to even be allowed to join us on this mission!" Savannah pushes a stray curl from her face. "You know that she can take care of herself, she has more proved it, I just don't get why you suddenly have become so overprotective of-"

"Elena is pregnant." Nathan says as he sets her holster on the bed, looking up at her from where he squats, watching her press her lips together in a firm line, her eyes flicking across his face to determine if he's telling the truth.

"She's... and are you-?"

"No!" Nathan scoffs, rolling his eyes at her implication. "Sam is." She snaps her mouth shut, smiling a bit as she shakes her head.

"And they didn't want to distract from the treasure hunt, so they hid the pregnancy and kept their relationship a secret." She rolls her eyes.

"You've been after this treasure for a couple years now. It's understandable on why they'd want to keep quiet if you finally got a lead." She huffs a curl of hair from her face, but it just drops back down, making her sigh as she pushes it back behind her ear.

"So, you aren't with Elena?" Nathan blanches at that, as if the idea makes him sick. "God, if someone had just told me that!" She groans, pressing her palms to her eyes. "I mean, Elena said there was nothing going on, but with how protective you've been, and reluctant you've been about treasure hunting, I just thought- I guess I dunno, that you guys wanted out, so you could settle down in peace? I thought maybe Elena told me what she told me, because you guys were trying to cut me out!"

"Never, Sav. You are my best friend." Nathan says as he stands, and she slowly rocks to her feet.

"Now, don't even try to lie to me about your relationship with Chloe, after we all separated from each other a couple years back." Nathan groans as he presses his face into his hand, shaking his head.

"You're never going to leave that be, are you?" He asks as she waltzes to the bedroom door, tugging the fraying hairband out of her flaming mane, letting the curls fly free.

"She dumped you in the end, didn't she? What happened there, Nate? You were a good match, the double agent and the blind buffoon." She teases as Nathan glares playfully at her.

"None of your business, huh? The only thing she was right about, is missing her ass." Nate retorts as she throws back her head, laughing as the first rays of the sun catch in her mane from the window, lighting it on fire as she slips out, ready to finally look at the map to Alaric's treasure, and get some sleep after being up and on the run all night.

It takes weeks of searching, clue after clue, until eventually they find the treasure- Elena and Sam had taken off almost a week previous, for the safety of the baby, and Sully had ducked a week before with the same excuse as always, "I'm getting too old for this shit!" and that left Nate and Savannah, still slightly at odds, left to chase the treasure. Of course, like all of the hunts involving the Drake boys, this one was a race to the vault, in the middle of a Southern Italian countryside, and lots and lots of guns. "Duck!" Savannah shouts at Nathan as she tosses a grenade over their cover, dropping down as the little ball rolls into enemy cover, and Nathan throws his hands out, slapping them over her ears as the explosion goes off, leaving his ears ringing.

"Think before you throw, Sav!" He hisses as he rubs at one of his ears, and she gives a sheepish grin as she leans around the stone they're behind, firing quickly at any stragglers.

"Ah shit!" She shouts, swinging back around to press against the stone, her hand gripping her shoulder of her dominant arm, gun having been dropped in her panic.

"W-What?" Nathan asks as he continues to fire, and she shakes her head.

"No, it's nothing. Keep shooting." She says as she reaches into a pocket of her cargo pants, ripping a bandage from the pocket, and sliding her shirt sleeve up, her hand pressing the adhesive bandage to the bloody wound. "Are you ready to move ahead yet?" She asks, shouldering her shotgun after she grabs it, and Nate looks at her, spying the blood smeared down her arm.

"Sav, are you okay?!" He asks worriedly, causing her to nod, wincing noticably, making him give her a look that says he's not buying it.

"I'm fine, let's just get to the treasure vault." She rolls out of cover, back flush against a barrier that one of the enemies had setup, before she glances around the corner, then clambers to her feet with her shotgun holstered, her dominant arm useless while injured. Picking up a fallen enemy's pistol, she checks the clip, before she slides it back in, cocking the gun, readying to shoot as they move through the countryside.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take a look at that?" Nate asks as he watches blood seep through the white bandage and the green of her shirt. "You might need stitches." She shakes off his hand when he reaches for her arm.

"I'm fine, Nate! Let's just get to the vault." She says again, making Nate groan, chasing after ambitious young woman as they duck around passages, shooting a couple more enemies, and solve a couple more riddles, before they both enter the vault, where the leader of their enemies- Michael himself (honestly, why is she not surprised?), is stalking back and forth, flaunting and rambling his victory to the rest of his men.

"-this wealth, nobody would dare to reject me again!" He booms as they press against nearby pillars, and Nate shoots her a look.

"You dated this guy? What does he have performance issues that he needs to compensate for?" Nathan hisses as she rolls her eyes.

"I wouldn't know, we never went that far." She reaches into a pocket of her pant, pulling out silencers for their pistols, one of which she tosses to Nate. They waste no time screwing the silencers onto their guns, before she lurches around a cover, and a muted shot leaves her gun, striking one of the men on the balcony above in the middle of the forehead, he drops dead as she leans back into cover.

"Nice shot." Nate whispers as she blushes, watching him do the same from his place, they are silent at picking off the men on the balconies above the vault as the other men start to carry out the treasure, the opposite direction of where the treasure hunters are.

"With this, I can make her pay, make them all pay!" Michael rambles, unaware of his men dropping dead around him, until they've all been picked off. Putting away her pistol, she shoulders her shotgun, training it on Michael as Nathan watches her back.

"Michael!" The British ambassador turns, eyes wide as he sees her. "What've you done? Why are you here?"

"Ah, V-V, my luv. I see you've brought... your friend." He grimaces at Nate, before looking back at her. "I figured that since you had an interest in this treasure, perhaps you might be willing to come back to me, if I had it first. I had planned on telling you back in England, but you were a saucy minx, and hot in my trail. I needed to move quickly."

"What happened to you?" She asks as Michael gives her a crazed grin.

"Love, my darling. It does things to a man, things he never thought possible." Michael trains his gun on Nathan, making her freeze as she looks back him, seeing Nathan freeze as two big guys come in, grabbing him by the arms after wrestling the gun away from him, one kicks it towards Michael, making her eye it as she throws down her shotgun, she knows the drill by now. "Now, I will give you a choice- it's not a hard one. Come with me, and live in the lap of luxury and be my wife. Or, choose Mr. Drake over there, and die with the man you love."

"What?!" She barks, looking at Nathan, who shakes his head, urging her to not sacrifice herself for him. "You can't be serious, Michael! You can't just kill him, f-for-"

"I can and I will!" Michael booms, his shout making her flinch as she glances at Nate, who watches her in fear. A plan forms in her head as she turns to Michael, and she starts to edge towards him a bit.

"Michael," Her voice falling into a more sultry tone as she sways over to him, making the Brit grin sickeningly sweet.

"Sav, what're you doing?!" Nathan exclaims as she turn to him, pinning him with a glare, before discreetly shooting Nathan a wink, before she wraps her arms around Michael's neck.

"Oh, Michael, can't you tell when a girl is playing hard to get?" She asks, running a finger up the ambassador's chest, causing the man to purr as he wraps his arms around her, and she rests her head against his chest. "I had Nathan fake being my boyfriend at the party, to make you jealous. You're so sexy when you're jealous." She swallows the rising bike in her throat as she leans up on her tip toes as Michael grins, leaning down with their lips hovering near each other, until he freezes as she buries the pistol into his stomach, making him freeze. "Call them off." She hisses as he glances up at her, before he looks at the man, then waves the men off, and they drop Nathan, who dives for his gun, turning to sink a bullet between both the men's eyes. "Now, we are leaving-" She let's out a choked noise as something sharp sinks into her side, pain lancing through her side.

"NO!" Nathan let's out a panicked shout as Michael pushes her away, and she stumbles back, her hand coming to her side to press against the soaked material of her shirt. She looks up, seeing a blade glistening with her blood, in Michael's hand as her knees become weak, she falls to the floor as he brings the blade up, licking the gleaming silver with a disgusting hum. Nathan let's out an enraged scream, unloading the remaining clip of his gun into Michael's body with a scream. "No no no no!" Nate murmurs quickly as he scrambles over to her, once Michael's body collapses, dropping to his knees to press his callus covered hands on her side, making sure to put pressure against her wound as he looks around. Eyeing the only other exit, he lifts her into his arms, following the trail that the looters took, leaving her behind a cover as he takes out the rest of the men on the only truck, which is loaded with gems and gold.

"N-Nate," She calls weakly as he rushes back to lift her into his arms, the world is blurry as she looks around, letting out a whimper when he starts to run, jostling her wounds. "Nathan-" She whimpers, and he shushes her as he lays her in the front of the truck, buckling her up.

"You're fine. You'll be fine!" He repeatedly says, turning the key in the ignition, gunning it through the trees, gravel spitting everywhere as she groans at the jerking movements of the truck. "I'm sorry, Sav. I know sweetheart, I know. I know it hurts, but it'll be okay, you'll be okay." He promises as he starts towards the small town they were staying in now, not far from the vault as he starts making calls while he pulls into town. He barely has the truck in park, key out of the ignition, before he rounds to her side, climbing into the giant truck to lift her, carefully, out of the truck, yelling at the townies for the doctor.

Days now move sluggishly as he paces constantly outside of the medical clinic, his eyes flicking from his phone to the door, to the truck to back again. The treasure they had loaded into the truck was a good amount, but nobody knew except for Nathan, but he couldn't even focus with Savannah incapacitated. Sully, Sam, and Elena eventually make it to the town, if you could even call the practical village, a town, but the doctors still do not give any updates on Savannah's status, despite Nate constantly prodding and camping outside of the clinic every night and day.

"If she dies-! I-If I lose her-" Nate groans, running his fingers through his short hair.

"Nate, kid, relax. You ain't gonna lose her." Sully says from his spot on a crate, flicking his cigar.

"No, Sully, she was distracting him for me! She sacrificed herself, made herself vulnerable for me! So, I could escape. It's all my fault." Elena huffs as Nate's stalking back and forth before the door increases, his fingers digging against the root of his hair.

"I always knew that Michael was an off bastard, but this is sickening." Sam says as Sully and Elena both nod in agreement. "He licked her blood off the blade?"

"Yes." Nate replies, he remembers the look on Michael's face as he licked Savannah's blood off the blade, the disgust rolls through Nathan again at the memory of ecstatic look that Michael had on his face, from Savannah's blood on his lips. "He looked like an addict getting his fix."

"Like an addict getting his fix?" Elena shutters as she looks at Sam, who clenches her hand in understanding of her concern. "God, and Savannah once thought she was in love with that creep."

"Let's not talk about that." Sully says as Nathan runs his fingers his hair, tugging his hair at the roots as he groans, stalking up to the door to the clinic, fist poised to pound on the door, when it flies open.

"D-Doc?" Nate's voice is worried as the doctor wipes his hands off on a rag, tossing it over his shoulder.

"Your friend will live. We did not want to give you news until we were sure." The Doctor says as he looks at everyone, before he looks up at Nate. "You may see her, but only one at a time." The Doctor enters the clinic, leaving the door open as Nathan looks back at the trio that are looking at him.

"We can wait, Nate. Go see her." Elena urges, causing him to nod, ducking into the clinic towards the back room, where the Doctor had motioned him to be, and he pauses outside the door, before opening it to the room. The bed occupies Savannah's weak form, with bandages wrapping her shoulder and her stomach, up over her chest, so she is left in only her pants, and a threadbare blanket over her legs. Her long ginger mane is pinned beneath her, tied back with a strip of leather, and caked with sweat, congealed blood, and muck. Walking around the bed, Nate kneels on the floor beside her, grasping her hand that was resting on her stomach, his eyes down-turned as he rests his forehead against her hand.

"Sav," He sighs weakly, his thumb rubbing back and forth across her soft knuckles. "I am so sorry. For everything." He murmurs as he looks up at her. "I don't expect you to forgive me, but if you could just... I know the doctor said you'd be fine, but I need to to pull through. I need you to open your eyes, and show me that you'll be fine. I-it's been almost a week, so please, let me know that you're okay. Just open your eyes, Vannah." He groans as he runs a grungy hand over his face, then looks up at her face again. "You said that you wanted to leave, that you were done... can you please wake up, and tell me that you are done. Call me an idiot again. Anything. If you want to be done, we'll be done together, I promise. If you want to start a normal life, we can start a normal life together." He reaches up to caress her freckled cheek. "I can't live without you, Sav. I-I love you." He rests his forehead on her hand again, feeling exhaustion washing over him. "Did you hear me, Sav? I'm in love with you! So, just... open your damn eyes! Let me kiss you, or you can yell at me, you can slap me for all I care! Just wake up!" Nate pleads, clutching her hand tighter as he grits his teeth.

"Nate?" His head snaps up, but Savannah is still unconscious, causing him to turn, seeing Elena standing in the doorway, her eyes are sad. "I-I couldn't wait, I was so worried."

"It's okay," He clears his throat as Elena looks at Savannah, then back at Nathan.

"She loves you too, you know?" He furrows his brow as Elena smiles to herself. "She'd kill me by now, if she were awake, but you deserve to know." He runs his fingers through Savannah's hair, before he presses off the ground beside the bed.

"I'll be outside if-"

"No no no, you deserve to stay in here. Be the first thing she sees when she wakes up." Elena waves him off, pressing a hand to her back to stretch, after the last couple weeks, she's starting to show a bit. "Besides, Sam and I are going to head to the hotel, your niece or nephew is killing me."

"Alright," He pulls her into a hug, letting go the minute that he hears an agonized cry, turning to see Savannah's eyes wide open as she holds her side, while trying to sit up. "Sav!" He crosses to her side once more, easing her up off her elbow as she let's out a tearful whine. "It's okay, easy hon." He props the flat pillows up, leaning her back against them as he sits on the side of the bed, tucking a wild curl behind her ear.

"N-Nate?" She swallows thickly, causing him to grab his canteen off the belt, twisting the cap off, and placing it to her lips. She takes long pulls of the water, before turning her head away, wiping her mouth on her arm as Nathan chuckles, putting the canteen away. "Where are we? How long have I been out?" She murmurs, causing him to smirk.

"We're in the village, not far from the vault. You've been out for a week..." She looks at him questioningly, but he shakes his head. "The longest week of my life. I've missed your voice." He cups her cheek as she frowns.

"I'm so-"

"No. You didn't know." He leans forward, pressing his forehead to her own. "You just wanted me to be safe, I just wish you hadn't had to get hurt by that freak, in order to keep me safe." She looks confused as he pulls her close, kissing her deeply. She makes a noise of surprise, but falls into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"You don't know how long I've been dying for that to happen." She murmurs as she leans away, looking up into his blue eyes, seeing them spark with light after her words register with him.

"You have been?" He asks softly, causing her to blush, pressing her lips together in a firm line as she nods. "I'm in love with you, Sav. I have been for years."

"Really?" She asks softly, skeptical and hoping as he smiles, nodding. "You couldn't have told me, I dunno, before I almost died?" Nathan chuckles at her words, leaning in to kiss her again.

Hope I've done the characters justice, I'm seriously new to this fandom- like I just started watching a playthrough yesterday. But, Nathan is just so nnn. I couldn't not write a story. Anyways, I hope you enjoy, sorry if the characters are a little OOC.

#nathan drake imagine #nathan drake x reader #nathan drake #Nathan Drake x OC #Jealous Nathan Drake #Jealous OC #uncharted #uncharted imagine #Uncharted Oneshot #Nathan Drake x OC oneshot

82 notes · View notes