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anakinskywalker97 · 2 months

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Rise of Skywalker

Darth Vader x Ex-Padawan Reader

Reader gets captured by her former master. Things don't go as expected as they hash out old feelings.

Warnings: not gonna lie it's really dark in the beginning, Anakin redemption, hurt comfort, good after care, CNC, Rape, Dom Vader, he thinks it's her pulling him into it but it's really the force forcing them together, it's complicated and dark, but feelings confession, part of a larger series, vaginal sex, blow jobs, orgasms, I've never written anything like this before so hopefully it's alright.

Chapter One: Revenge

It was beyond stupid to stay on the ship when they were being boarded by Imperial soldiers. You should try to escape on one of the fighters. Deep down you knew it was too late for that. If you were in your own ship it would have been possible. Your shoulders tensed as the Imperial ship came closer, you recognized a Force signature you’d certainly wanted to avoid. It wasn’t quite the same as it had been when he was a Jedi, it was twisted but still somehow him. You handed the ship over to someone else and grabbed your bag.

You never got the chance to go up against your former master. Something that Obi-Wan had said you should feel grateful for. He knew the two of you had more going on than what was appropriate for a Master-Padawan bond. To fight against someone you love, well, Obi-Wan still wasn't the same man. He was empty, a shell of what he once was.

You felt disgusted with yourself. You wanted to hurt him, knowing whatever damage you did would only be a fraction of the pain he had caused you. You wondered when this life would ever leave you behind.

His presence moved through the ship and you were sure that the plans beamed to them were going to be discovered. Another failed attempt. You hadn't been aware of their plan when you had agreed to pilot the ship. It was supposed to be a diplomatic mission.

“Just let him take me.” You had told the rebel leader. Her face pinched in annoyance.

“You do not understand what he’s capable of -” She started but you cut her off.

“No, you don’t understand now fuck off.” You snapped at her, she felt guilty that someone innocent would be sacrificed for her plan. You moved towards the landing bay. You turned the corner in the final hallway, smoke billowing everywhere from the blasters having been fired. He stood tall at the end of the hall. His features were masked but his presence was shaken by your gaze.

“Take her to the detention block.” When he finally spoke his voice was metallic and dark. Storm troopers flooded towards you and you went with them gracefully. You wanted to draw them off the ship and give these idiots a chance.

They checked you over once they got you into the cell. They took your bag, lightsaber, and blaster. You were truly a prisoner. Laying down the sleeping platform you tried to rest.

Meditation was never your favorite thing, but you knew that whatever happened next you would need your strength. Your mind went the same way it always did when trying to mediate. Memories flooded you and your heart clenched tightly, but as it had been for so many years, there was no Obi-Wan to scold you and put you on the right path. No Anakin laughing at you. Just pain and an embarrassing amount of longing.

The Force seemed stronger around you than normal, maybe this was the path it wanted you to take. You tried to manipulate it but it wasn't interested in letting you be in control, it was pulling you and weather you liked it or not you were on this ride.

The silence was a welcome change, your life had become very complicated recently with trade route disputes and the rebels constantly trying to recruit you.

You thought about the last time you saw Anakin. Rage flared through you and you wondered when that wound would ever heal. It festered inside you. You could push it down, keep busy, but if he was ever brought up you would get sick almost immediately. He’d pushed you away. Sent you away from The Order and The War only to blow himself up and take the Jedi with him. You did come across the full prophecy years later while on a side quest in the Dagobah system. Anakin didn’t choose to become a Sith, at the core of his creation he was a Sith. Your stomach twisted painfully. This information had haunted you for years. Did this excuse him? Did it mean he was evil the whole time? Did he choose this life over you or did he have a choice at all?

You felt his darkness prodding at your mind. You kept yourself shut down tight, no way you were letting him in. A com chimed and his voice echoed in your cell.

“It seems you have something I want.” He spoke slowly. “Go to the ship's lower quarters.” The door slid open and you sighed. You moved through the seemingly empty hallways. You followed the trail he set for you in the force. Doors sprang open and eventually, you knew you were in his quarters. The air was different and the lights were dimmed. You moved into the space and decided it felt suffocating. Artifacts were displayed throughout the room and a desk near the window was covered in the contents of your bag. He had carefully laid out every single item. Even the charm he had carved you all those years ago was lying amongst medical supplies and various books. In the center of the room was a large orb, and in the center a large throne-like chair. The rest of the room went to the right and was obscured from your view.

Once satisfied with your observation of the room you finally dragged your attention to the masked figure sitting on his throne.

“You called?” You said calmly. His gaze was hidden in his mask but you could feel it resting heavily against your skin.

“How have you been?” He asked in a dead voice. The sound of it was created to frighten people, it was nothing like Anakin's voice. You cocked an eyebrow at him and moved closer. “It’s not like you to be captured so easily.”

“You’ll have to excuse me, I never finished my training.” You said hoping it bothered him. You tried not to show him any emotion knowing it would only delight him. You looked out the window.

“I thought maybe you had come to me for that reason.” He said and you snapped your head to him.

“I’d die first.” The words were coated in venom. You wanted to fight him. He made an exasperated noise that reminded you of who he used to be.

“Fuck me.” You knew how the words were intended but the suite spoke them as a request rather than a whisper under his breath.

“Maybe I will.” You snapped back. It was an overused joke, said hundreds of times all those years ago. But this wasn't your Master, this monster before you was a stranger. He looked at you for a moment longer and you hated how hard your heart was hammering. You were waiting for his attack. Your mind had half a hold on your lightsaber across the room. The force was vibrating through you while also being completely resistant to your request.

His large gloved hands moved to the sides of his sleek black helmet. The sound of air escaping sounded and he pulled the top half off. Your hand immediately reached towards him before you dropped it at your side. The state of his skin made you want to throw up. It was badly damaged, but it looked fresh. As if he had just fallen into lava yesterday. He took the bottom half of his mask off. Then he worked on unfastening his top.

“What are you doing?” You said in a high-pitched tone. You wanted him to cover himself, you didn't want your heart to reach out to his obvious suffering. You didn't want him to have Anakin’s features.

“Can’t fuck you in all this.” There was a collar around his neck that kept his voice the same. His eyes were red and they burned into your skin. You realize then that he’s serious. Panic washes through you, but there isn't a clear escape. Your mind is still preoccupied by the sight of his damaged flesh and prosthetic arms. They were metal, just like his hand used to be. You assumed he would have had them replaced with the new kind of prosthetics. He kept his gloves on and motioned for you to come up the steps to him.

“Don't lie to me Padawan.” He growled. “I can feel you pulling at me in the force.” His voice made you shiver but it wasn't you pulling on the force, the force was pulling you.

You resisted then felt his force presence grip you. Your clothes started to move off of you and you tried to fight him.

“Come to me.” He said and you resisted now almost naked. His eyes feasted on your form and you didn't know how but you were going to make him pay for this. While your mind was frozen with rage and fear your body was more than happy to fall into him. He pulled you across the room till you were in front of him. It was hardly fair to be naked and displayed in this way. He’d stripped you down and was now enjoying the sight of you, sitting comfortably on his throne, legs spread. No way he would actually force you into this, but then again there was a running list of things you thought he would never do. Unfortunately, when he checked an item off of it he tended to do it with as much dramatic flare as possible.

“I won't.” You said firmly.

“You will.” His voice was tauntingly calm. He pulled you onto his lap and you tried to break his grasp on you. He had undone his pants and you realized this was actually happening. “You have something I want.” He whispered causing your body to shudder. To your horror he gripped your hips tightly. You felt your body coming undone in his presence. The force was useless, it was pulling you to together. You could feel it now, he could bend it but he couldn't control it entirely. It pulsed around you pushing you further towards him, preparing your body.

The head of his cock pressed against your entrance you expected it to hurt. His goal was to hurt you, to punish you, and probably get you to spill about rebel plans. This was a torture session. But as he pulled your hips down you could feel how wet you were. Your body opened to him easily. The feeling of being stretched out for the first time in years overwhelmed you. His eyes are red so deeply clouded with rage, something inside you broke as he bottomed out. You wanted to see his brown eyes. You wanted him to be Anakin. Your face flushed at this realization and he groaned.

“Even now you still need me” The words turned your face red with embarrassment and shame. They cut you. But there was no anger in your body, only need.

Vader settled himself in your tight cunt.

“Move.” His deep voice commanded. It was beyond cruel to force you down on his cock only to make you fuck yourself on it. Your hips moved as if working on muscle memory. You moved slowly and every time you bottomed out on him he moaned. The sound made you pick your hips up and do it again. You would probably do it forever if it meant feeling this again. The pleasure he gave made your mind hazy.

He did something unexpected, his hands were large enough that he could move his grip slightly and brush your clit with is thumb. Just then he used his other hand to push your hips down. His cock reached deeper inside you and you felt it swell within your tight walls.

“Show me how bad you’ve missed me.” He commanded and your body responded to his touch. You came, walls collapsing against his cock, you felt his seed flood inside you. Your body helped him off, just like it used to. You felt your defenses fall, as your forehead pressed against his shoulder. He moved within your mind pulling from you your worst memories. He searched for something inside you and his grip on your mind hurt. Years flashed before your eyes and he gripped your hips tighter and tighter as you relieved your worst moments. He growled as every part of you was in submission to him once again.

He picked you up and pulled you down. He was using your body now, and you hated how easy it was for him. You did nothing while he lifted you and slammed you down on his cock. The pressure started to build inside you again.

“Cum.” He commanded and you felt your orgasm grip you tightly. Your pussy choked on his cock, and he continued to move you through it. Once again he filled you. You were too far gone to push back into his mind but you could feel a certain ache in his chest. One that belonged to you. Tears formed in your eyes as you felt his emotions but not his thoughts.

You felt his force presence wrap around your body. You laid back in it like it was bathwater letting it caress you. You were fully on display and watched his eyes devour where your pussy swallowed his cock. He loved how you were on display for him, he loved pleasuring you. His feelings for you were deep and consuming. This thumb found your clit and you bucked your hips against him. He remained seated moving in and out of you slowly, eyes focused on how his cock fit inside you.

Eventually, he stood. He set a ruthless pace, hammering into you. But in your half conscious state, you could feel that every time his emotions peaked into rage it would quickly turn to something warmer. He hated that he couldn't hate you, that he couldn't hurt you. That as badly as you needed him, he needed you even more. While his grip and pace were rough, his force presence was soft. Touching you in the ways he missed being able to touch you. He was touch starved and wild with your body.

You felt his need for you and choked on it as if it were a hand on your throat. You felt hot tears stream down your cheeks as those deepest needs inside of you were finally held. You finally felt at home.

“Master.” The word rolled off your lips and then you couldn't stop saying it. You said it as if his old title could somehow bring him back to you. His voice was deep and he moaned loudly at your acceptance of him. He attacked your clit and your body was pulled under fully. Your vision was gone, and your ability to breathe was gone. You felt like you were going to die, maybe that was his desired outcome. You came for what felt like an eternity as he pumped more and more of his cum inside you. Finally, it’s grip on you ended and you felt him pull your limp body to his chest. His arms wrapped around you, the cold metal reminding you of what had been lost forever.

He held you tightly and you realized you were still crying. He tried to soothe you but the pain was inescapable. It took you a long moment to understand what it was. You weren't grieving him, you were feeling him. The pain coursing through his body at this moment. It ran the length of his spine and radiated out to what amount of limbs he had left.

Take this off - you demanded through the newly established force bond. You felt him hesitate before he realized he was hurting you too.

I don’t know if I can - He tried to unclasp it, only then did you feel his fear and then acceptance. It could be the only thing keeping him breathing, and yet he undid it regardless. Even if he died he had gotten his last wish. He held his breath and took the collar off. Breathing was challenging but not impossible without it. The pain diminished and you took a deep breath.

You took the collar from him and examined it, you quickly dropped it to the floor in horror. It had been designed to attach into his spinal column, disrupting his peripheral nervous system. The radiating pain finally stopped. Your fingers ran across the raw skin of his neck and you shuddered at his increased pain. You could also feel his pleasure, so starved for touch that he could adore your touches even if they caused him tremendous pain.

Take it all off - you urged him knowing it was the cause of most of his pain. He reluctantly pulled out of you and placed you on the edge of his desk. He slowly removed the rest of the suit and you felt him get lighter. You took in the full extent of the damage. The suit had been designed to dig into his flesh causing it not to heal properly. Your mind was still hazy but you reached out with the force and pulled a container of healing salve. It was so easy to feel and use the force now it felt strange to you.

No - He realized what it was the moment it landed in your hands. He picked you up quickly and carried you to the bathroom. He placed you down on the countertop and got a warm washcloth. He cleaned you carefully, then began to wash the rest of your body. His fingers run over the bruises forming on your skin. You could feel his distaste for the new scars that had been etched into your skin since the last time he saw you naked.

“I’m sorry.” He said, his voice thick with emotion. His voice. Anakin’s voice without that stupid collar. You squeezed your eyes shut feeling it run through you. He sighed feeling your chest split open for him.

He carried you once again through the space into a smaller room. It had a large bed covered with black silky sheets. He set you down in it carefully. He could feel your arousal at his tenderness and he planned to fully enjoy it despite having just washed you.

You used the force to pull him down this time. You got him on his back and straddled him. You could feel his disapproval but didn’t care. You grabbed the container of salve and started with the deep gashes in his neck. He let out a sound of relief and you covered his scalp and face before moving to his torso.

You felt him let his guard down completely, you had free run of his thoughts as you treated him.

“Anakin.” You had never used his first name and it felt strange in your mouth. His body tensed but you continued. “I don't blame you.”

The words may have been more for yourself than him. His hands gripped the sheets and you could feel how much pain he was in at your words. But when you could feel someone's heart it made sense. You had known of the prophecy in it’s entirety for around three years, and only now could you feel what they actually ment.The years of slavery, The Order - you felt his last interaction with you. How he had insisted you leave The Order. Leave the war. Only now did you understand what he was trying to protect you from. The loss of your companionship only made it easier for Palpatine to pull him in. All he wanted was order and control. After being in pain his whole life it made sense. Palpatine’s warning to him that you would die in battle rang through his mind and it was your turn to grip the sheets and clench your jaw. His last fight with Obi-Wan, how much he hated himself for it. Dark memories of his surgery came in bursts and it felt as if you were experiencing it with him. Every memory after that was coated in a thick syrup of pain. Palpatine's rage and manipulation are so clear to you now, the way he regularly lashed out and tortured Anakin.

The moment Palpatine told him you were dead. The feelings he felt in that moment hit you. He had really thought you were gone all this time.

I didn't intend to show you that - he sounded deeply uncomfortable.

I guess you had something I wanted as well - Before he had a chance to react and ruin all the carefully placed salve, you got down between his legs. You felt his vulnerability and knew that it was likely to snap sending him back into his cave, further into the Sith. You didn't fancy having to fight him after your muscles felt like jello. You closed your mouth around him wondering how you used to do this. It was sloppy and uncoordinated as you tried to remember how to get him down your throat.

His mind moved back to the first time you had ever done this. You re-lived your shared memory. It was late and you had been training well passed when you should have been. After years of unresolved tension, when you had him pinned on his back, you moved into the same position you were now. You’d read your first romance novel and couldn’t stop reimagining the scenes with your master. You begged him to let you do it. You wanted to please him and feel pleasure so badly it was driving you mad. He’d let you, but only for a moment before forcing you on your back and eating you out. He hated taking from you if he wasn't also giving you pleasure.

“Tell me I was the last.” He said before groaning deeply as you moved him passed your gag reflex.

Last, and only - You hated yourself for it, but his abandonment had twisted you up so badly you could never trust another to get that close again. You felt him slip into ecstasy at this revelation. Quickly he pulled you hair and dragged you off his cock with a pop as his head slid from your lips. He pulled you up onto the bed with the force and you landed on the soft sheets. The salve was dry and you thanked him for waiting.

He moved inside you quickly then stopped. The feelings vibrating through the both of you were so strong. There was still the towering darkness in him that you left untouched. You had some of Anakin back, that would have to be enough for tonight.

Search your feelings - he gasped. You did and could feel it pulse through you. The force was moving in both of you in a way you had never felt before. It was harsh and raw, it was something bigger than the living force. Something deeper. The realization of what it was choked you.

Love - Not something Sith did. Not like this. Not pure like what was running through the both of you. He fucked you slowly, and you felt his surprise when you kissed him. He moved in and out of you with a tenderness that brought you over the edge in a different way. Something had permanently bonded between the two of you. Separating was impossible, but which side would win out. Would you be Sith? Or Jedi? Or your preferred option of nothing.

This orgasm left you drained. There was nothing more you could do tonight. Your mind was gone, vision blurry with sleep. Your eyelids became heavy and you felt him get up. He came back with a damp cloth and cleaned you once more. You could feel his fascination with your skin and wanted to ask him about it but couldn't.

________

Vader had pushed you too far. Your mind collapsed from all the feelings and sleep took you. He held you tightly in his arms only drifting off for an hour at a time. He would wake up startled having to check that you were still real. Then he’d have to check your pulse, feeling it with the force until he would drift off again. The force was taking him on a different path. One he had given up on long ago. But he knew that you were stubborn, he had his way with you last night but tomorrow would be a different story. You would either go with him back into the light or leave him. The thought of losing this power crushed him, but knowing he could be loved again would be worth it.

A feeling overtook him and he realized he would do anything to live within your love for him. The way he had treated you was unforgivable, and yet you had so carefully tended to his wounds. Even after he had just inflicted wounds on your own flesh you still cared for his. He pulled the pot of salve from his nightstand and carefully applied the last of it to the deep purple bruises he had left on your flesh.

He felt sick. He went to the dark side to end the war and prevent your death. He had ensured that you were safely away before crossing over. Palpatine had told him you were dead. He’d believed it, unable to feel you in the force till that ship had come into range. He wanted you to be untouched by his evil and last night he had all but raped you with it. Forcing your body to betray your mind. If he could get up without waking you he would have gone to the bathroom and vomited. The pain he felt was so great he felt you jump in his arms. Your head lifted from his shoulder. Your hair was a mess and your eyes could barely open, puffy from crying.

Does it hurt - I can put on more salve. - Your words were hazy even in the bond.

Go to sleep - he pushed away his frightening thoughts and tried to be calm to sooth you. Your head fell against his shoulder and you were out cold again.

He didn't have to do right by The Order, Obi-Wan, or Palpatine. He just needed to do right by you with what time he had left. The force was strong with you and your choices, so he made the choice to follow

Chapter Two: Finding Obi-Wan

#anakin skywalker #star wars #anakin skywalker fic #anakin skywalker imagine #anakin skywalker x reader #anakin skywalker smut #anakin x reader #anakin skywalker x reader smut #dark anakin skywalker #dark darth vader #darth vader #darth vader x reader #darth vader smut

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nanowrimo · 1 year

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10 Ways to Turn Revision Into an Adventure

For some of us, revision may be your next big challenge during Camp. Sounds a little intimidating, doesn’t it? Well, have no fear! NaNo participant Madison Vaughn-Parra is here to make revision fun! So… you’ve got yourself a first draft. Perhaps it’s years worth of work, or perhaps it was the product of the frenzied rush that is National Novel Writing Month. Either way, you’ve deemed it a complete work, which means only one thing: it’s ready for revision.

Did you picture lightning striking on a dark and stormy night when reading the big “R” word? If so, you’re not alone! For many, revision is even more intimidating than dreaming up a novel from scratch. If writing a first draft was an adventure of epic proportions, then revising that same draft is a slog through already-explored terrain, right?

Wrong! I’ve found that revision can be just as grand of an adventure as writing 50K in 30 days! To prove it, I’d like to share ten ways you can turn your revision journey from a dreaded duty into an exciting adventure:

1. First things first: make a copy of your first draft, and then don’t touch the original! You don’t want your adventure bogged down by regrets, after all, and having an untouched first draft will ensure that if you’re unhappy with any changes, you’ll always have the original to fall back on.

2. Be prepared! Just as you wouldn’t want to forget your socks and undies, you’re going to want to pack everything you need to help you on your revision adventure. NaNoWriMo’s “Now What?” revision guide should come in handy, for starters!

3. Take a trip off the beaten path and explore all of the “What If’s”, no matter how wild they might seem. What if you added to the chemistry of your main characters and turned your action-adventure novel into a full-blown romance? What if the murder mystery mastermind was the other guy? The possibilities are endless!

4. Go on a hunt to find the most hilarious typos born from the fever-induced ramblings of the NaNo mind, and share them with your writing group for laughs!

5. Make it a game! For example, does your novel have a character who keeps disappearing from scenes they’re supposed to be in? (Mine was a tiny dragon named Mouse…) Every time you write that character back into a scene, reward yourself with a treat for “finding” them!

6. Gleefully chop away at tangents, plot twists, and descriptions you included in your first draft simply for word count. No one can stop you from backspacing now!

7. Try new tools! Is there any better feeling than using a brand new travel accessory for the first time? That’s how I felt when I first tried Scrivener’s split-screen feature and discovered just how fun it made revision. Why not check out NaNoWriMo’s offers page to see if any new tools spark your excitement?

8. Delight in discovering passages that you have absolutely no memory of writing! If you’re anything like me, there will be quite a few of them, and you’ll find you can improve them with the ease of editing someone else’s writing.

9. Capture your favorites! Create a “Snapshots” document or folder and fill it with all the first draft passages that you got right the first time. If you start feeling discouraged during revising, simply pull up these snapshots and remind yourself of your own genius!

10. If you really want to capture the NaNo spirit, try rewriting your novel from start to finish without even glancing at your first draft. This trick terrifies me, personally, but I know folks who swear by it! Congratulations! You’re now ready for your revision adventure! Pack up your bags, be kind to yourself, and have fun exploring your novel again. I’ll be right there with you!

Madison Vaughn-Parra is a lifelong writer and passionate geek, who technically works a corporate job in program management but prefers to spend her time in fantasy and science-fiction worlds of her own creation. She’s happily lost in the woods of her own revision adventure at the moment and hoping to dive into the publishing process next. She rarely posts on Twitter, but you can still follow her @vaughn__boyage if you’d like! Header Photo by Leah Kelley from Pexels

#nanowrimo #writing #writing advice #revision #editing #by nano guest #madison vaughn-parra

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sweetlittlegingy · 1 year

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In The Mood For Chaos

"He knew her in a way no one else ever could."

“You corrupted her soul, what else did you expect”

🍒 Previous Chapter | Next Chapter | Callsign Cherry Masterlist

🍒 Pairing: Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Y/N 'Cherry' Bishop, Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw x Y/n 'Cherry' Bishop

🍒 Word Count: 7.3k

🍒 Warnings: Parental death, angst, POW and very sensitive topics, Bradley... idk what he's doing today lol, swearing, breach of trust, loss of friendship (and love...), protective Jake, protective Bob, mourning, a lot of crying, drinking, dark headspace

🍒 A/n: I would like to note that I know how sensitive this topic is and I want to caution anyone that is reading this. I could never know or capture all of the feelings that families go through, and if you have been through this situation or lost anyone while they were in the military, I'm sending you my deepest condolences and am sending you all the love.

🍒 A/n pt 2: I just wrote this in the last five hours and cried a lot. It wasn't supposed to be an angsty story, but we've got multi-layered characters here.

🍒 Library (Follow for updates! I no longer have a taglist.)

Your chest heaves as the sweat drips between the swell of your breasts, and the sound of your shoes hitting the packed sand keeps a steady tempo for you to run to. The sound of waves crashing barely reaches your ears, as you push yourself harder. You catch sight of the sun starting to peak up over the horizon, which causes you to check your watch.

4:45

4 miles in 45 minutes wasn’t horrible, but it was nowhere close to your best. You had woken up at 3, drenched in sweat and gasping for air. It was the same reaction every time you came back to San Diego, maybe it was how abruptly your grandparents took you away, maybe it was a visceral reaction that you had no control over, or maybe you were still that broken little girl.

It was most likely the latter, though you don’t allow the thought to float around long in your head. It’s how you had ended up running, any way to get away from the reality of the situation. Quiet literally running away from your problems.

The bay curves around, low tide with an expanse of sand that led right up to the house you rented. Your eyes cast across the bay and find the small white house, placed perfectly on the beach and close to the base, with a small dock off the back that connects directly to the harbor.

You only let yourself look at it momentarily as the sunrise lights up the expanse of sand, before focusing back on the path in front of you. A harsh breath pushes from your chest as you break out into a sprint, a gasp toeing the line of a cry. Your chest burns and you relish in the pain, anything to take away how your heart hurts.

You reach the pavement of the street that’s a straight stretch to the bungalow, 1 more mile. You had been pacing yourself, but as memories flash across your mind you could care less. You needed, to feel something that was physical pain, to prove you were still breathing. A sharp ache settles in your side, but you can see the front porch from a distance and so you push harder.

A grimace crosses your face as a metallic taste settles in the back of your mouth, and your chest aches, but you can’t stop not when you were so close. Another gasp releases from your chest and causes you to push that final step more.

You don’t make it to the door, the moment your feet touch the grass, you collapse. Your chest heaves in pain and have to spit out the mucus coating your throat. Though the tint of red proves that it was more blood than spit. You roll on your back as your gasps, turn into silent sobs.

Your body aches and screams at you for your reckless behavior, though you settle in the pain. Letting it pull you down and consume you completely. Your therapist had once told you that pushing this hard, was a form of self-harm. You stopped seeing her after that appointment, it wasn’t that you couldn’t come to terms with your trauma. It was the fact that it was the only thing, other than flying, that could clear your mind.

Besides, it wasn’t the worst thing that you could do.

No, you’d gone down that road while in high school. Jake was the only one that knew just how far things had gone. As much as you despised him now, for a long time he was your only reason to keep breathing.

...

You wipe the steam from the mirror, before towel drying out your hair. The sound of a door closing is followed by a knock on the door.

“Hold on Bobby. Your coffee is in the kitchen too.”

You hear a small hum in reply, and you laugh lightly. Bob was never a morning person and in the last two weeks, you had made sure that you had his coffee ready before he got out of bed. It’s not that you liked waking up early, but more so that sleep escaped you regularly.

You grab the oversized tee shirt from the counter, before slipping it on your frame. For going shorts, the old Texas longhorn’s shirt covered enough and it wasn’t as if didn’t Bob hadn’t already seen everything. One of the perks of living with each other for 4 years, it had become such a regular occurrence that it no longer phased either of you. You were quite positive that you could walk around naked, and the only thing Bobby would comment on would be the set of tan lines that adorned your skin over the past two weeks.

You slip out of the bathroom and head toward the kitchen, wanting to make sure that he had indeed found his coffee, but also that he didn’t steal yours. You almost laugh at the sight of his half-naked form leaning over the kitchen table, while keeping his coffee tucked in close.

Though the cup of coffee sitting opposite of him, has you smiling as you slip into the seat across from him. You slip your cup silently waiting for Bobby to at least get half the cup in his system before you try and hold a conversation. You glance at the oven, it was only 6:30 and you didn’t have to be on base until 8 and the drive was only 15 minutes. Your eyes fall back to Bob as an empty cup now sits between the two of you. You snicker as he rakes a hand threw his hair, it causes his baby blues to settle on you.

“It’s Saturday tomorrow, Bobby. Two whole days for you to sleep in.”

“Yeah, as long as you don’t wake me up.” His tone is teasing though your smile falls into a frown.

“I didn’t mean to wake you; it’s just being back here.”

Your words have his sleep-deprived brain clearing and the apology is already sitting at the tip of his tongue. Though you stop him before he has the chance, by giving his hand a small squeeze. His hand settles in yours and gives you a squeeze in return. You had lost so many people throughout your life and couldn’t have been more thankful that you had him.

The pair of you sit in silence, enjoying the quiet morning before the chaos of your everyday life commences. The past two weeks had been relatively calm, other than the sublet jabs that Rooster and Hangman like to throw at you. It was funny, and it only got worse as you stayed slightly ahead of them in all of the exercises. It had gotten to the point that you were just taunting them; dogfights were your favorite. Maverick had switched to having someone from the class be the enemy target and somehow.... by some luck unbeknownst to you, the three of you always ended up in the air together.

The three of you had kept the jabs surface level, nothing digging too deep that would actually cause damage. You weren’t willing to risk losing your place on the detachment or let some feud put anyone else in the squadron at risk.

Your eyes shift back to Bobby as he rises from his chair and takes both of your cups to the sink. His hands settle on your shoulders as he stands behind you and places a kiss on the top of your head.

“You don’t have to go through it alone, Cher.”

Your hand reaches up to clasp one of his hands, giving it a squeeze and a small kiss. While Bobby knew everything, it didn’t make actually talking about it any easier.

“Thanks, B.”

The nickname slips from your lips and causes Bob's hands to tighten, as a full laugh falls from his lips. You rarely called him B, and when you did it was used to break the tension in the air. That first night that the pair of you tried to see if you could be anything more, you had made a point that you wouldn’t be moaning Robert or Bob. So, B became the given name, and well... it only landed you two in a fit of laughter. It was your own personal inside joke.

...

Your eyes scan the hanger as you and Bob make your way to your seats, though as your eyes settle on a familiar face a massive grin appears on your lips. Bob had already made it to your seats, and you give his shoulder a gentle squeeze to get his attention from Phoenix.

You nod to the front of the hanger, toward the group of older gentlemen talking before the day starts. His eyes find the dark head of hair that had been missing for the last two weeks and gives you an understanding smile, before pushing your hip forward lightly.

Your boots echo through the hanger, and you can feel the different sets of eyes find your passing figure, though you pay them no mind. You come to a stop just behind the three men, waiting for Maverick to finish his sentence. You see Warlock’s shift to see you and give you a small smile, which makes your own smile grow as their conversation ends.

“Admiral.” Your tone is steady as you say it, and you quickly wipe the smile from your face as he turns.

“Lieutenant.”

His face remains serious as the pair of you stare at one another. You can hear the rest of the pilots behind you quietly talking about the pair of you, though you pay them no mind. Slowly the stern look turns into a full smile, though yours stays in place waiting.

“Hey, kid.”

The nickname makes a full smile break across your lips and for a moment you’re a little girl again. His arms reach out to hug you, though you’re already throwing yourself into his arms and grasping on like you were worried he might slip away.

“Hi, Uncle Beau.”

Your throat catches as you say it and cause Cyclone’s arms to tighten around you before letting go. The both of you pull back and give each other one last smile, before falling back into line. You nod at the other two men who hadn’t moved, each of them giving you a small smile. You give the three of them one last smile, your heart already finding some form of peace over the fact of having your godfather close.

Your smile falls as you turn and make direct eye contact with Hangman and Rooster, before brushing passed them to go sit with Bobby.

“Lieutenant Bishop,” Cyclone's voice echoes through the hanger and causes you to turn back around. “Come see me later, we’ve got a few things to talk about. One of them being Lieutenant Commander Adams.”

Your eyes widen slightly, the man might have only been your godfather, but he sure took the job of vexing any of your “friends” seriously. You can hear Bob laugh to the side of you and your arm punches out to hit him on the shoulder.

“Of course, Admiral.”

You sink down into the seat next to Bob who is still snickering beside you, “You think it’s about you and Adams in that f-18? What were you doing again?” Your face blanches slightly, though your eyes remain trained on the whiteboard. “Going over how well you could grip the yoke?”

You slowly turn to Bob, who has a cheeky smile taunting you. Your eyes find Payback, Fanboy, and Phoenix who are practically leaning over the back of your and Bob's chairs to hear. Each of them looks at you while trying not to smile, which they are failing phenomenally at.

“Fuck you, Robert.”

Your tone is anything but harsh, and a small chuckle breaks from your chest as you rest back in your chair.

...

Once again you had been chosen to be the enemy target for the dynamic idiot duo, by now you were sure that Maverick was doing it as a way of “therapy” for the three of you. The two of them stop at their own F-18s as you head farther down the tarmac, though Rooster’s voice yelling at you has you turning around to see what it was now that he was bitching at now.

“What do I have to do to get on the Cherry Popping List, Cherry?”

You almost let the words go over your head, though the small snicker at the in pulls you back. The comment and action not only affect you though, as you watch Jake tense up and glare at his wingman. If looks could kill, Rooster would be six feet under.

“Sorry, I’m not one to lower my standards.” A smile crosses your lips that has Rooster standing straighter. “Especially for pilots that can’t get into the Academy on the first go.”

You don’t wait to see his reaction, already knowing that Maverick holding his papers was a sore subject. You’d heard the rumor when the three of you were in the Academy, though hadn’t realized it was true until you heard Maverick and Rooster arguing last week.

It doesn’t take long for the three of you to get in the air, as you hear the pair chattering across the coms. You stay low level, just above the hard deck, waiting for them to get restless.

Rooster's voice cuts across the frequency again, “So Hangman, tell me, was she any good? Figure asking from someone with first-hand experience is better than nothing.”

Rooster's laugh echoes across the radio, and for the minute you give them, before you're officially pissed, Jake doesn’t say anything. You glance up and see their pair of F-18s right above you before you pop up. They’re separated just enough, and they have no clue that you’re just under them, soon to be on top.

“You should worry about your own sex life Rooster; I’ve heard quite a few underwhelming reviews.”

The sentence slips off your lips, though before either of them can reply you shoot up through the pair. Sending each of them off to the side in a barrel roll and now it’s your laugh that echoes across the coms.

“What the fuck was that.” Jake’s voice rings out and breaks up the laughing fit you were having due to them both gasping.

“It’s called, I’m about to kick your ass and win 50 bucks from Coyote.” They both go silent trying to figure out what you mean. You knew that the rest of the squad would be listening to the coms, specifically Javy. “Ain’t that right Javy? This will make ten-”

You're cut off before you can finish, “We’ve gotten tone on you six times.”

You roll your eyes at Rooster, as you bring the nose around and find the two of them.

“No, you’re right Rooster. You’ve done such a good job of coming in second, too bad there’s only one winner.”

You go silent after that, paying neither of them any mind. You need to focus and not worry about the birdbrains; you also knew that your silence unnerved them. Just another perk. It doesn’t take long for you to get behind the pair, though it’s Rooster who you have your eyes on.

He had constantly been trying to piss you off. While Jake made comments, dumb snappy comments, Rooster was like a lover scorned and picked at every little thing he could.

He’d almost brought up your dad the other day, after seeing a picture of your father and Cyclone standing side by side on a carrier. Both of them had been deployed and it was one that you personally had tucked away at home.

Though just as the words “Your father” slipped passed Rooster's lips, Hangman had thrown him a glare that silenced the man. For a minute you saw Jake, not Hangman, though the flash of his green eyes to you was quickly covered up and Jake was gone again.

You didn’t know if you could ever forgive either of them, you had never really thought about it until now, with every look that Jake gave you, you questioned yourself. Could you ever risk opening up like that again, giving someone that much power over you.

Sure, Bobby knew everything, though the “power” he had over you was different than Jake did. Jake held a power over you that terrified you, your bond ran deep and though it was broken, you had never been able you get rid of it wholly.

The pair of them split and you immediately follow Rooster, he’s just in front of you and with every second you’re gaining on him. You’d need to get tone soon; Hangman would be circling back around any moment and on your ass.

“Hey, Chicken” Your words cut through the radio before tone rings out alerting everyone. “Your dead.”

You hear Rooster swearing over the coms, though you're too focused on finding Hangman.

“Where’d you go Hangy.” Your voice is condensing and as it slips over your lips, you level out to find him directly in front of you. The pair of you heading directly for the other.

“Hey, Cher” His laugh has you gritting your teeth, though neither of you hit the button to get tone, even though you’re directly in line.

“You really wanna do this?”

“I missed our games, sweetheart.”

Every second brings you closer, and you can hear chatter echoing through the radio from the rest of the dagger squad.

“You should know better than to play this game, Jake.” The name slips out, though you don’t even realize you’ve said it.

“Just break off Cher, easy as that.”

“Then you do it.”

“Y/n Marie Bishop,” Bob's voice cuts through and gains your attention. “break off. Cher, you don’t need to do this.”

You don’t reply and Jake’s right in front of you now. He doesn’t say anything either and you silently wonder if still remembers how the pair of you played it in the Academy before he ruined everything. You’d gotten caught a couple times and had your fair share of ass chewings. Though if there was anything Jake was good at, was sweet talk his way out of anything. Even when a higher-up was threatening to ground you.

There’s a round of voices echoing through the coms, even Rooster freaking out slightly. Though they fall silent to your ears as one voice echoes out.

“Y/n” Your name falls from his lips so gently that it makes your heart ache. The last syllable of your name passes Jake’s lips and you both break hard right, just barely slipping passed the other.

You’re not sure how to feel knowing that Jake had remembered; did it mean anything or was it just a random fact he hadn’t forgotten?

...

Before you know it you're back on the tarmac, slipping your helmet off and tying your flight suit around your waist. The afternoon heat had become unbearable, and your sweat had made your damn shirt cling to you like a second skin.

You see Hangman and Rooster both climbing from their jets, chatting back and forth, though you can’t hear what they’re saying. Hangman catches your eye, though doesn’t say anything. Maybe he would have if the rest of the squadron wasn’t making their way across the tarmac, Bobby leading them as his lethal gaze settles on you, not wavering in the slightest.

You step toward Bobby, as his eyes asses your sweating form. His hands settle on your shoulders, and you give him a tiny smile, knowing that you were about to get your ass chewed.

“You’re, okay?” The question doesn’t surprise you; Bob had always made your health and safety his first priority when it came to ripping you a new one.

“Yes, Bobby. In one piece, and ready for the Floyd ‘I’m disappointed in you’ speech.”

The answer causes him to laugh, before pulling you in for a hug. A quiet whisper of comfort is muttered against your shoulder and has you tightening your hold before pulling away.

By now the rest of the group, as well as Rooster and Hangman had formed around the pair of you. Your eyes move around the group and each of them looks at you in stunned but apprehensive silence.

“Bob might not be ripping into you, but I sure as hell don’t wanna be there for when Cyclone gets ahold of you.” Fanboy’s comment has a smile breaking across your lips, as you pluck your sunglasses from Bob’s shirt pocket. Bobby clicks his teeth before a small chuckle pushes pasted his lips as he shakes his head at you. Your eyes leave Bob and you give the rest of the squad an award-winning smile.

“You would be surprised just how good I can sweet talk someone,” You move towards Fanboy, and pat his chest gently as you pass. “Especially when it comes to my godfather.” The words are thrown over your shoulder, though you keep walking as a round of questions breaks out.

“Seresin, let’s move it.”

Your tone is harsh, though has both you and Hangman questioning when he became Seresin to you again.

...

“What in the hell were the two of you dumbasses pulling out there?”

Cyclone paces behind the desk that both you and Jake stand at attention in front of. Though before you can answer, Jake speaks up.

“It was my idea, sir.” Both yours and Cyclone’s head whip to look at Jake in bewilderment. “I wanted to make a point that this mission was serious, that it is life or death.”

Cyclone hums though his eyes don’t leave your own, “and you thought playing chicken, with government property, was the proper motivation.”

A sharp nod comes from Jake while his eyes remain dialed in on the bookshelf behind Cyclone.

“First of all, even without hearing the audio from the coms, I would always know this was something Lieutenant Bishop orchestrated.” Cyclone’s eye glances at you, though you’re quick to move your center focal point to something behind him. “Secondly, don’t think that I forgot about the shit you both pulled in the Academy.”

Your eyes follow Cyclone’s gaze to Jake as he mutters that last word. By the way, Jake’s eyes widen slightly and the harsh tone of your godfather, you know that your flight habits are no longer the topic at hand. The silent stare-down between them would be unsettling, if you didn’t know how big of softies, they both were. The clearing of your throat has them snapping out of the daze.

“I’m not grounding you, not when the mission is so close.” A sigh you didn’t realize you were holding leaves your body, you had yet to be grounded in your career, and the thought honestly scared you. The closest you fell to your parents was in the sky. “But I promise you, if either of you pulls that shit again, I’ll ground you the second the mission is finished.”

While you knew that Cyclone was being a hard ass, was because it was his job. On base, he would always be Admiral before Uncle, though the flash of worry in his eyes tells you that it wasn’t his only reason.

“Lieutenant Seresin, you’re dismissed.” Jake glances at you as he leaves though your focus remains forward, silently trying to figure out just how much Cyclone knew about yours and Lieutenant Commander Adams’ agreement. The clicks behind you and the sight of your uncle sighing so heavily does nothing to ease your worrying mind. A nod of the head to the chair directly across from his own causes you to sit.

“What did Adams tell you about the mission?” Your head cocks slightly, this was defiantly not the direction you thought and prepared yourself for.

“Only that Jake and Bradshaw were going to be here.” There you go again, how had he in such a short amount of time, have you back to using his first and last name. You had stopped using them after everything and started only calling him Hangman. He hated when you called him by his callsign, always said it was too impersonal.

Your uncle’s silence paired with the tick in his jaw, causes your chest to tighten. He was never this serious when it was just the two of you, that wasn’t the type of relationship you had. The last time you remember seeing him like this was the day your grandparents took you back to Texas, while you bawled and clutched onto him and your Aunt Julie begging them to change your grandparents’ mind.

“Y/n, Sweetheart, we need to have a talk.” You quietly suck your teeth, and your eyes instantly land on the file Beau sides across his desk. The bright red letters spelling out classified aren’t what catches your attention, it’s the black letter under it, in such blocky letters ‘BISHOP’ glares back at you.

“Honey,” your eyes leave the smile, and the small tremble in your bottom lip, confirms to Cyclone that you have an idea where the conversation is happening. “you were so young when everything happened. I didn’t have the clearance to tell you, even if I wanted to.”

You force a harsh breath through your nose, silently begging for whoever controlled the universe to not break you absolutely with whatever lies with those pages.

“But with you getting placed on this mission, Commander Kazansky, and I both agreed that you should know. That you had a right to know.”

The words catch in your uncle’s throat and have your eyes flashing to him. You wish that you’d have stayed focused on the file because seeing the eyes of one of the strongest men you know lined with tears makes it all worse. Makes whatever you’re about to read more real.

“What part of the story wasn’t true? What’s it have to do with this mission?” you’re surprised that he can even hear you, with how quietly the words slipped passed your lips.

“We’ve been watching the location, where the Uranium plant is for a long time, honey. It wasn’t a plant back then, it was supposed to be some ragtag militia group that broke off Russia’s military.”

Your hands twist in your lap as you boot intently taps on the floor. You can’t bring yourself to grab the folder, too consumed with the voices bouncing around in your mind. They hadn’t told you much back then, just that it was supposed to be an in-and-out mission. Things went wrong, and they lost him. They’d given you minimal details, you were only seven and you’d never questioned what happened.

Because you knew what happened.

Didn’t you?

“We didn’t have the right intel and it wasn’t until we were right over them, that artillery that rivaled ours at the time, started going off.”

A harsh breath leaves your uncle as he turns and pulls a 5th of whiskey from a bottom drawer. The seal is still intact and the snap of it echoes threw your ears, as your eyes slightly blur in and out of focus. A glass is sat in front of you, though you can’t seem to make a move for it.

“Your dad’s plane went down in a clearing; it was the perfect spot. The safest crash site we could have asked for.”

The shake of your uncle’s hand as he downs the rest of his glass has your gaze, you’d never seen him so unkept. Beau Simpson was the top of the top, the United States Navy’s poster child for god’s sake.

“He was gonna be fine, we’d already called in e-vac.”

The shake of his voice as your eyes refocusing and the red-rimmed eye’s staring back at you aren’t one’s you’d ever seen before. Not in this capacity at least.

“They appeared out of nowhere,” your jaw clenches and it’s surprised your teeth haven’t cracked. “they had him out of his plane, before any of us to circle around and get a shot.”

Your body lurches forward slightly and it feels like all the air had been ripped from your chest and the ringing in your ear only gets louder as your uncle talks.

“We were able to bring him home, the week before your mom passed.”

You hadn’t had a panic attack since you were a teenager, though the way you gasp for breath as the words break from you. “That was three years later.”

How you ended up pacing is beyond you,

“don’–” your hands brace against the back of your chair as you rock back on your heels. “Don’t tell me that they had him for three years.”

“That they held him captive for three years before you could get him.”

Your legs fall out from under you and cause you to harshly crash to the floor. Your breath shutters, as you wrap your arms around your knees. Your eyes fall in and out of a hazy as flashbacks of his funeral filter through your mind. “He was alive for three more years, and you swept it under the rug. They had a funeral...”

Your eyes meet Cyclone’s as he watches you, and it breaks you even more. He was fully prepared for you to hate him. You can hold his gaze, instead, you find the folder that lies on the desk still. Without a second thought, you scramble up for it, you knew that whatever it was going to break you. But you had to know.

Cyclone's hand lands on it at the same time yours does, holding it firmly on the desk.

“Sweetheart, you know now. You don’t need to see; I shouldn’t have even gotten the folder out.”

“I need to. I need to see just exactly what I’m going up against, the reason that I’m going to fly this mission and kill every last one of them.”

Your throat is raw with pain, though the drip of hate that seeps from it echoes even after the words died out.

The folder slides from your uncle’s hold and you grasp it cowering back to the corner of the room settling against the wall. The file just sits in your lap, and your hands shake while they ghost over the top though you make no move to open it. Cyclone doesn’t move from his chair and by the time your fingers pry the file open, you don’t know how long you’ve been sitting in silence.

The top page is just logistics and a few photos of the landscape you’ve studied endlessly over the last two weeks. Even after 23 years much hadn’t changed, sure they had a runway and a couple more buildings now, but you and your father had studied the same location.

Your tears had stopped falling by now, the realization that your mother had only lived long enough to get buried with your dad settles in. She had been so numb and broken, but still holding it together for you. Nights that you cried yourself to sleep, yelling at the universe for taking him from you. And yet she knew.

She knew that he was somewhere, possibly dead, possibly captive...

Death would have been easier, clean-cut. Without the constant wondering.

Without the small piece of hope that you’re, she held until the very end.

The next page has your stomach turning, and your hands shaking as they ghost across the page. Tracing the fuzzy images, and even though your heart aches, you could feel that blank numb feeling settling in with each page you flip. It’s the last page that kills something within you, your body acting on its own accord as it starts to shake.

It was your father

the lacerations lining his back and chest

the caved in eye socket and broken jaw

the burns and carvings spread across every inch of skin

it was your dad

but the once bright blue eyes were dimmed

dead

he was dead

three years of mutilation

23 years later and now you finally know

but even still it didn’t change that he was gone.

And somehow it felt like a piece of you was too.

Your feet push up from the floor, though the shaking in your hands remains. Your foot sets are slow and careful as you place the folder back on your uncle’s desk. Though the last page remains in your hands, slightly crumped from the grip you have on it.

Those first years in Texas were hard, you missed your parents, but you knew they were together at peace. Now, there still together and at peace... but the truth tares into you in a way that their death hadn’t even been able to.

“Y/n, sweetheart?”

You can barely find the strength to lift your eyes, and the sight of heartbreak looking back at you is only worse. Your head shakes, though the words can’t seem to form. You knew that he would want you to talk about it, but you couldn’t. Not with so much more on the line with this mission. You could finish what your father started; you could do one last thing for him. You would let the pain consume you for the next two days, but when Monday came, you’d shut it down.

Your nose sniffles and your eyes ache. You were tired, so emotionally and physically tired. A knock at the door pulls Cyclone’s attention though your eyes stay settled on the folder. You hear the voice and while you would usually have some snip to say to him, you had nothing. The whiskey bottle sets on the edge of the desk and the hand gripping the god-forsaken page reaches out and grasps it. Your hand drifts off the side of the table, you can’t seem to find the strength to carry it and so it just hangs at your side.

You turn to find a silent Rooster staring at you, they had been talking but stopped at some point now both of them quietly watching you. Your eyes glance back to Cyclone and you can see that he wants to talk, to protest your leaving.

“Not today. Not tell I finish this fucking mission.” Your empty hand points at Cyclone, though your voice lacks your usual conviction.

You can hear him start to say your name, though before he can you sidestep passed Rooster and leave. Your shoulders brush and cause the pilot to turn and watch your disappearing figure. Rooster glances back to Cyclone, though he doesn’t meet Rooster's gaze. His eyes stay settled on the folder on the desk and just barely Rooster can make out your last name.

...

The sound of the Hard Deck door has Bob’s head snapping up in hopes to see you. Jake had shown up two hours ago and said that Cyclone kept you to talk. It didn’t seem like anything out of the normal, plus Cyclone had made the comment about Adams, Bob was sure that you both were just having a good catch-up and laugh.

Though the uneasy face of Rooster coming through the door gains his and everyone else’s attention. It’s a little busier tonight, but Rooster makes it through the crowd in record time and aims straight for Bob.

“Something happened.” The comment is aimed at Bob, though it gains the attention of the whole group and causes them to surround the pair.

“What are you talking about?” Bob was usually meek and mild around the group, though with you missing and Rooster now, his voice comes out hard and demanding.

“Cherry, Y/n.” The use of your name doesn’t go unnoticed and the sight of Rooster now racking a hand through his hair and pacing causes an uneasy feeling to settle over the group. Before Bob can reply, Hangman’s voice cuts in and if you’d have heard it, you would have known that it was Jake. At that moment he was your Jake again.

“Bradshaw, stop fucking pacing and talk.”

“I don’t know what happened. I had to talk to Cyclone about some paperwork, but when I got to his office Y/n was there. Just standing in the middle of the room, gripping onto some paper and not saying anything.” His pacing starts up again, though he keeps talking. “I was just going to ignore it; tell Cyclone I’d talk to him Monday. But the look in his eyes as he watched her, he was barely holding it together. Before I could leave Y/n grabbed the 5th of whiskey and went to leave, she was a shell, guys. Cyclone tried to stop her, and I don’t know what she meant, but I’d never heard her sound like that. Broken, completely vacant.”

“What the fuck did she say Rooster?” The curse word falls from Bob’s lip so naturally, it would call for some attention, though with the problem at hand, no one seemed to notice.

“She said ‘Not today. Not till I finish this fucking mission.’ The words were barely a whisper and then she was just gone. I caught sight of a file on Cyclone’s desk, was classified but it had Bishop blocked out across it.”

You and Bob had this location rule, that you would always keep it on for each in case something happened, and he had never been so thankful. He hears Hangman release a round of curse words as the group talk trying to figure out what to do.

The small dot that lights up Bob’s phone has him releasing a breath, though the location was on the edge of the water, and he didn’t have any idea where you would be around there.

“I’ve got her location, but I don’t ha–”

The phone is ripped from his hand by Jake and before Bob can say anything Jake shoves the phone back into Bob’s hand and turns to leave.

“You’re not going to see her, Hangman.” The comment halts Jake and causes him to slowly turn around and assess Bob. “You’ll just make it worse; you need to say here.”

Jake’s shoulders tense up and the five steps to Bob only take him two. The pair of them stand eye to eye and causes Javy to try and slip in between them.

“Floyd, don’t fucking test me right now.” Bob doesn’t falter at the words and instead steps that inch closer. “You might know a lot, but this, you don’t know fucking shit.”

Jake’s voice cracks slightly and Bob’s stance softens slightly.

“I know exactly where she’s at and I’ve got a pretty good idea of what it’s about. So, I’m gonna go and if you try and stop me, I’ll put you on your ass so fucking quick.”

“Thought she didn’t mean anything to you anymore?”

“She has and always will mean everything to me, Floyd. And right now, she isn’t Cherry. She’s the little ten-year-old that I hugged and held every day that first summer. That little girl needs me and I’ve fucked up a lot, but this. You would have to kill me, to stop me from helping Her.”

...

How you ended up back here, you’re not sure. Call it survival mode that took you back to your safe place. You hadn’t been here since you were fifteen, when you and Jake had flown in for your mother’s, and you guess your father’s, five years.

You’d stripped out of your flight suit after you finished 1/4th of the bottle, finding a pair of shorts in the back of your jeep. Then found your way out to the little cove, it was just off the trail you ran this morning and from it, you could watch the one place that should have been your forever home. But lost the glimmer and shine after they died.

You lift the bottle and the lightness of it has you looking at it in wonder of how you had already put over half the bottle away. Your toe’s dig deeper into the sand as you take another drink. The tears flow from your eyes freely and the burning sensation that should be in the back of your throat is missing.

The sound of feet walking across the slippery rock path, that’s slowly disappearing as the tide rises, gets your attention and you find the one face that you're surprised to see and yet not at all surprised. Jake was the only one you’d ever brought here, he was the only one you trusted enough once upon a time.

“Are you Hangman or Jake today?” Your eyes cloud over and cause you to look back out at the water as he stops just to the side of you. “Cause there’s only one of them that I’m gonna talk to.” You try to sound strong and sure of yourself, though the end breaks through with a small laughing cry.

“Hey, Darlin’.”

The name causes a sob to release from your chest and finally breaking down around the only person you’d ever let fully in. For this moment none of the bullshit matters, you’d need him. You needed your Jake, and he’d come.

His arms wrap around you as your chest heaves, and you can’t seem to catch your breath. Though the hand against the back of your head and the chest you rest against feels like home. He rocks you gently, whispering soothing words against the crown of your head, separated by a kiss every now and then.

Time seems to escape you, though you know it’s been a bit because the tide has risen, and yet Jake hasn’t let go of you once. Your breathing has finally slowed and matches his, grasping onto the one thing that has always grounded you. Even through the bullshit, the thought of Jake, not Hangman, but Jake always settled you.

“What happened, honey?”

Neither of you had talked, other than Jake’s quiet muttering, you had disconnected. You pull back from the warmth of his chest before your eyes then fall to the crinkled piece of paper sitting under the whisky bottle. You don’t make a move for it, you couldn’t look at it again. One of his arms slips from around you to grab the paper, and the small whimper that leaves your chest has Jake’s other hand tightening around you.

“I got you.” You cling to his shirt as another kiss is placed on the top of your head. The sudden tension that rips through Jake’s chest confirms that he’s finally looked and knows exactly who he’s looking at. Anyone could see the resemblance between you and your father, but Jake had come to know him on a deeper level. Through each picture, letter, and tearful night Jake knew him through your eyes. He knew what he meant to you.

Another shaky breath falls from your chest, at the thought of the image and Jake is quick to discard it. He leans back from you, to look at you, needing to see what was racing through your head. He lays a hand across your cheek and gently wipes the falling tears away.

“That was three years after his funeral.” He’d never seen you so broken, not even during the first years you lived in Texas. His brow creases in question and the words fall from your lips so vacantly. “They had him for three years, Jake. They... they... they”

The sentence doesn’t make it passed your lips, as another sob breaks from your chest. You fall back into his chest and the arms wrapped around you hold on to you a little tighter. You miss the shutter breath that matches your own, the harsh breath that shakes through his chest. The words try to break from your lips, but only quiet mutters bounce off of his chest.

“I know, darlin’.” You miss the tear that falls from him. “I’ve got you; I’m not going anywhere.”

You stay like that, curled up in Jake Serein’s lap. The home that you lost. And somehow found again.

He was your Jake again...

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agent-whiskeys-sweetheart · 1 year

Text

Property of Blue Jones

Pairing: Blue Jones x F!Reader

Summary: After you disobey Blue’s rules, he finds that he has to figure out a way to put you back in your place.

Warnings: SMUT, this fic contains CNC elements so please take precaution and consider your own limits before reading, degrading language, intense impact play with a ruler, some misogyny (it’s Blue folks), maybe a little bit of Stockholm Syndrome, face fucking, rough penetration, anal, anal creampie, safe word/consent checks.

A/N: This is probably one of the darkest fics I’ve ever written so please use caution when reading. Know your own limits and stop yourself if you know it will make you uncomfortable. This dynamic is very toxic and I do not share the views that are written below. I hope you enjoy this twisted little fantasy!

You were sitting with your legs folded beneath you on the edge of your bed, mindlessly playing with the hem of your blanket. It had been a particularly slow night and the other girls were all chattering away about this or that. Your mind, however, had wandered elsewhere. On slow nights like this you usually spent your evenings with Blue. He would come fetch you from your bed and lead you down the hall to his office where you would keep each other company into the early hours of the morning. This little arrangement had gone on for a few months now. Not only did your body belong completely to him but your mind and your soul were his property as well. It worked well for you both. The ownership he had over you set your heart at rest in a world of turmoil. In fact, you looked forward to the time you spent with him. That is what had your mind wandering as you impatiently waited for Blue to come find you, not caring to invest yourself in the conversation that the other girls were having.

Just as you were about to lay down for the night, the door to the sleeping hall came crashing open. Blue was standing in the doorway flanked by two large men which you knew to be his guards. At first you perked up at the sight of him but soon you realized that something wasn’t right. Blue’s eyes were dark and filled with rage, a look you knew well. He panted with seething anger and you saw that his knuckles had turned white from how hard he was clenching his fists. You began to think he was there for someone else but you soon determined that you were in fact the target he was searching for as he made a direct line for your bed. Seeing his purposeful march made you scoot back towards the head of the bed. However your movement made no difference. As soon as he was standing in front of you his hand shot outwards and fisted into your hair. You cried out in pain as he pulled until you were stumbling off the bed, following closely behind him as his hand stayed tightly fixed in the tendrils of your hair. You looked around the room at the girls who watched you with frightened eyes. Then you were being dragged down the hallway. You knew the path well. He was taking you to his office.

Once you had reached your destination he tossed you through the doorway. Your hands covered your head as you went sliding into the front of his desk. “Make sure we’re not disturbed.” He barked at the two guards who dutifully took up their post outside the office door which Blue closed behind him. When you finally uncovered your head and took in your surroundings you saw that Blue was standing over you, hands on his hips and eyes dangerous. After a moment of regaining your senses you started to sit up. However Blue quickly stopped you, the heel of his shoe digging into your chest to knock you back to the ground. “No. I want you to stay down there. You need to learn your place little girl.” Your eyebrows scrunched together as you squirmed under his heel, unsure of what exactly was happening.

Once Blue was certain you weren’t going to try to move he removed his foot and squatted in front of you, tilting his head to the side as he took in your form. “Blue--” you started but before you could finish his hand took a firm hold of your jaw, causing you to shut your mouth.

“You are not to speak unless spoken to. Do I make myself clear slut?” You nod, looking at him with wide eyes. “Do you know why I’ve brought you here tonight?” He asks. You shake your head, too frightened to answer. “Of course you don’t.” As he says this he stands and makes his way to the chair on the other side of the desk. You falter for a moment, unsure if you’re supposed to follow him or stay put. However, your answer comes quickly. “Am I supposed to talk to thin air slut? Crawl your ass over here and look at me when I’m talking to you.” Without another moment of hesitation you crawl around the side of his desk so that you can look him in the eyes.

“I’m surprised. I was under the impression that you didn’t know how to follow basic instructions.” Your eyebrows scrunch again as you search the depths of your mind to figure out what has him so upset. “Nothing coming to mind princess?” He coos, a dark condescension in his voice. “Let me jog your memory.” Blue leans forward in his seat, elbows on his knees as he gets in your face. “You know, I heard a little story through the grapevine. A story you probably didn’t expect to get back to me. Trouble is, I have ears all over this place sweetheart. Nothing gets past me.”

The memory suddenly comes flooding back to you. It was a conversation you’d had with Babydoll. You considered her to be your best friend in this place. You told her everything. It was after you had been with a client. Blue had a set of rules that he asked you and you alone to follow. One of the rules on that list was that you were not to kiss anyone on the mouth but Blue. He considered that to be special and didn’t want you to share that intimacy with anyone but him. However a particularly pushy client had been very insistent that you kiss him. With men like him you were never quite sure what they were willing to do to get what they wanted so you had indulged him. Afterwards you went running to Babydoll, telling her everything that had happened. You were terrified for Blue to find out for this exact reason. He was very possessive over you and didn’t like it when other people touched what belonged to him in a way he didn’t approve of. Now, you were about to face the consequences of those actions.

Blue recognized the look of realization in your eyes. “Ah. I see that helped you remember. Do you know why you’re here now?” You nodded. “You kissed him. It was a very simple rule and you broke it. You kissed him on the mouth. That is only for me. You know that’s only for me. And you did it anyways didn’t you?” You nod again.

“I’m sorry.” You whimper.

“You’re sorry? You’re sorry, slut?” He takes a minute, leaning back in his chair. After a moment of thought he leaned in again, closer now. “Are you scared little one? Are you scared that I’m going to hurt you?” You nod a third time, fighting the urge to slink away from him.

“You should be afraid sweetheart. You should.” This statement causes a shudder to curl up your spine. “I am going to hurt you. And do you know why?” You shake your head. “Because you hurt me princess. Right here.” He points to his heart, eyes softening a bit for a moment before becoming frighteningly dangerous again.

“Stand up.” You do so quickly, afraid of what might happen if he had to ask twice. “See, now you’re following directions. That’s good. If you only you’d thought to do that a few nights ago.”

“It won’t happen again sir.” You mumble.

“Oh I know it won’t. I’m going to make damn sure of that.” With this he takes you by the hair again and forces you to lean over his desk. One of his strong hands finds the bottom edge of your skirt, yanking it down your legs so that your ass was exposed to him. “Now keep your mouth shut and take your punishment like a good little girl.” You knew what was coming next but you still couldn’t help but gasp in surprise when his hand came crashing into your bare flesh. Blue was not joking around as he immediately picked up a rapid pace, smacking each of your ass cheeks over and over again until you could feel the heat radiating from your abused skin. Each slap caused a strangled whimper to come from your mouth. Blue’s hand came down extra hard making you yell, unable to control yourself. As soon as the noise left you his hand clamped down over your lips. “I said keep your mouth shut. Even when I’m punishing you you can’t seem to follow the rules.” He stays still for a moment, his hand resting on your ass. “It looks like I need to try something a little more ... drastic.” With that he backs away from you, walking away for a moment. You stay frozen in place, frightened to see what he has in mind.

Blue doesn’t say another word. Instead he chooses to fill the silence with a sharp smacking sound as he brings the ruler he fetched from his desk drawer down onto your ass. You bite your lip, too scared to make another peep. He slaps you with the ruler over and over again, causing purple and red bruises to form where the thin slat of wood continued its harsh movements. As much as you wanted to squirm away you knew you’d be worse off if you did. So you stood your ground, internally screaming at the pain spreading through your ass. When Blue finally stopped you realized that your lip was bleeding from where you had been biting it. You licked up the excess blood and lifted a hand to wipe sweat from your forehead as well.

“You know, I don’t like doing these things to you sweetheart. But sometimes you really give me no choice.” As he says this he traces a finger down your spine before gently rubbing a hand over each reddened cheek. You wince at the feeling. Blue quickly replaces his hand with his mouth, kissing you delicately so as to sooth the marks he’s left on you. You can feel him stand to his full height after a minute of sweet kisses, hands finding your hips. He softly kneads your flesh, gliding up and down your sides as he takes in your body.

“You’re beautiful. You know that? You’re the most beautiful woman in this place. Have I ever told you that princess?” You nod your head, unable to stop yourself from blushing at his words. “Good. It’s important to me that you know how desirable you are to me. I’m so hard on you compared to the other girls because I know that you can be extraordinary. You just need some guidance.”

Blue’s hands take a firmer hold of your hips, flipping you over so that you’re facing him. He locks eyes with you, a finger finding the underside of your chin. “There’s my pretty girl.” He says, a wicked grin painting his face. His eyes trace down your body, taking in the sight of you. “Hmm. I think you’re wearing too many clothes though princess. Why don’t you strip for me?” With that he sits back down in his chair, turning so that he’s facing you as you start to peel off your top. “Remember baby. Slow. You know the way I like it.” You obey him, taking off your clothing very slowly, one piece at a time. He watches you hungrily until you’re completely naked in front of him.

“That’s a good girl.” As he says so, he starts unbuckling his belt and undoing his zipper. You watch as he pulls his cock out, already hard and heavy in his hands. “Now, didn’t you say you were sorry baby? Why don’t you come over here and show me just how sorry you are then.” You realize what he wants rather quickly, dropping to your knees in front of him. You replace his hand with your own, giving his cock a few long strokes. He grunts happily as you take his tip into your mouth, sucking hard as your tongue licks his slit. Swirling the head of his dick around in your mouth, you stroke him with your free hand. The other cups his balls, massaging them gently. Once you can tell he’s starting to get impatient you start to swallow more of him. Bobbing your head up and down, you take as much of him as you can. Each thrust into your mouth causes you to gag, spit dribbling down your chin as you struggle to take his thick length in your mouth. “Come on princess. You can do better than that.” With this he places a hand on the back of your head, shoving you all the way down until his cock is lodged deep in your throat. This causes you to choke loudly as he holds you down, not letting you up for air until he can tell you really need it. He lets you go for a moment and you gasp gulps of air into your lungs. When you’ve had a sufficient amount of air he shoves you back down on his cock although this time he pinches your nose closed so that all air is cut off. You begin to struggle against him, pushing back on his hand before he finally lets you off again. “You’re such a good cocksucker baby.” He comments, holding your hair back as you bob up and down on his dick a few more times.

“Come here. I can’t fucking wait anymore. I need to fuck you.” Before he can even finish his sentence he’s pulling you to your feet, manhandling you as he pushes you towards the desk. As soon as your thighs hit the edge you’re falling onto your back, legs spreading wide as soon as you’re staring up at the ceiling. “So pretty on your back all spread out for me like that. Just like an Angel. My Angel.” You smile up at him, spreading your legs little wider so that you’re fully on display for him. You can feel Blue line his cock up with your entrance, his tip thick and swollen against your slit. “Do you want it baby?” You nod, eyes wide as you look at him towering over you. “Princess. I want you to use your words now. Can you tell me what you want?”

“I want your cock inside of me Sir.” You whimper.

“Not good enough. I really want to hear how desperate you are for it.”

“I need your cock inside of me Blue. Please. I’m begging you to fuck me. I need your cock inside of me like I need air. Please.”

“Now that’s what I like to hear.” That’s all he needs to begin pushing his fat cock inside of you. Your mouth gapes open in a silent cry as he shoves his thick length into your tight pussy. “Oh, princess. I’m sorry, I know Sir scared you. You can make noise now. You have my permission, okay?” You nod, immediately dissipating into a puddle of whimpers and moans. “There we go. There’s my pretty girl. Moan for me baby.” You happily oblige him, creating a cacophony of sounds as he picks up the pace. His cock drives in and out of you at a rapid pace, hitting deeply with each thrust. The two of you are nothing but a symphony of moans and grunts, falling apart against one another. Blue’s hand finds your throat as he fucks you hard, pounding your cunt just the way he likes it. As much as you love the way he fucks you, this is still a part of your punishment. You have to remind yourself of that as you lose yourself in the ecstasy of his cock. It doesn’t take long for all thoughts to leave your head. For the only thing you’re capable of thinking about to be his big dick inside of you. It fills you up and stretches you out with every single thrust.

With a slight shift in his hips you feel his head ramming into your g-spot with each thrust. This causes you to cry out even more loudly now, not wanting to lose the feeling of him. When you open your eyes you see that Blue is staring down at you intensely, lust filling every fiber of his being. Your hands find his back, nails digging into his skin to leave dark red marks. However, you know that Blue doesn’t mind. He loves feeling how primal your lust is for him. Suddenly, just as you feel that familiar coil building in your stomach, he pulls out. You gasp, looking up at him with pleading eyes. “Don’t worry. I’m not done angel. Come here.” He puts you back in the position you started in, bent over the desk. He kicks your legs apart a little further.

You feel Blue’s cock nudging against you but this time it isn’t pushing against your slit. It’s pushing against your asshole. You reach back almost immediately and grab his arm, stopping his movements. “Oh. Poor little baby. Are you scared for me to fuck your tight little hole?” You nod quickly, knowing that Blue’s cock is bigger than the clients you see. It’s never so bad when they fuck your ass because it’s like you can barely feel them anyway. With Blue, you know you’re going to feel every single inch. He dribbles spit down onto his cock, making himself slick so that it will slide in easier. “Now, remember sweetheart. This is still a punishment. So you’re going to take it like a good little girl, aren’t you?” It takes you a moment to respond but finally you nod. “Good. Now relax for me.” You follow his instructions, pushing out slightly so that your hole is relaxed and pliable. The tip of his dick pushes gently, easing its way into your tight hole. The feeling of him stretching you open makes you whimper loudly. This doesn’t slow him down though. He continues to gape your ass open with his big cock, driving deeper and deeper inside of you. After what felt like forever you could finally feel him buried balls deep in your ass. You panted heavily, trying to stay relaxed. However you knew you were getting tense. Blue pulled out about halfway and pushed all the way back in. He was gentle though. He didn’t push too hard. Of course it hurt but he didn’t make it intentionally painful. You appreciated that. Even as he punished you, you could feel the care he had for you.

Then he pulled out a little further before pushing all the way back in. This time the thrust was harder than before and a tear slipped from the corner of your eye. When Blue noticed this he stopped his movements. “Is it too much princess?” You shook your head breathlessly. “If you need me to stop you know what to say. It’s one little word. You say it and all this stops. Do you remember it?”

“Grenadine.” You whimper.

“Do you need to use it?”

“No Sir. I’m okay. Please keep fucking my asshole.” When you say this you can feel his cock twitch inside of you.

“Well. Whatever the lady wants.” With this he starts fucking you in earnest, pounding your tight hole. You jerk forward against the desk, crying out loudly as he fucks you as deeply as he can. His cock is huge inside of you and the stretch of him is almost barely too much. However, you know you can take it. And you want to take it for him. You want to show him how good a girl you can be.

“Oh god baby. Fuck, you feel so good. Such a tight little hole. And it’s all for me isn’t it? Who owns all of your holes?”

“You do Sir!”

“That’s right. All mine. You’re all fucking mine.” With this he growls deeply, fucking you even harder than before which you didn’t think was possible. One of his hands fists into your hair again, pulling your head back as his other hand wraps around your throat. With this new leverage he is able to pull you back onto his cock as hard as he wants. You whine, rocking your hips back against him to prove that you want it. “Oh god princess. You’re going to make me cum.”

“Yes please Sir! I want your cum!” You call out.

“Yeah? Tell me where you want it Angel.”

“Please cum in my ass Sir.”

“Yes ma’am.” After that it doesn’t take long for thick spurts of Blue’s hot cum to shoot into your tight hole. You feel his load filling you up and you whimper. Holding onto the desk as he thrusts into you extra hard one last time, you feel him drain his balls inside of you. “Oh god. Oh god.” He grunts before pulling out. Without him having to ask you sink back down to your knees and give him a few languid strokes with your mouth, cleaning him off. “That’s such a good fucking girl.”

Blue backs away, standing against the wall for support as you sit there on the floor, feeling the cum drip out of your ass. “God you made me cum so hard baby. Sir forgives you.” You smile up at him, crawling across the floor so that you’re positioned at his feet. For the first time that night he smiles down at you, a hand softly finding your head and caressing you gently. “Now that you’ve learned your lesson, I have some more instructions for you to follow. Can you do that?”

“Yes Sir.”

“Good. I want you to go to your room and pack up your things.” Fear strikes your heart immediately. Blue sense your anxiety and shushes you. “Don’t worry Angel. I’m not getting rid of you. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. I’m taking you home with me.” Your head tilts to the side inquisitively. “That’s right, I have a home outside of the brothel. After your little ... mistake ... I realized that I can’t stand the thought of other men having their hands on you. So you’re being promoted to my own personal fucktoy. Would you like that princess?” You nod eagerly, happy to hear how much he wants you. “Good.” You go to stand so you can leave but before you do so he stops you. “Wait a minute. How could I forget the most important part? I’ve got a new accessory for you.” With this he makes his way over to the desk, digging around through the top drawer. He pulls out a collar with a shiny tag on it. You get a glimpse of the writing. It says “Property of Blue Jones”. You blush. He fastens the collar around your neck before giving your ass a smack. Before you can leave he stops you one last time. “You look beautiful princess.” The man closed the distance between the two of you and punctuated the evening with a deep and meaningful kiss.

Tags: @villainvindicator @jakelcckley @loki-hargreeves @wysteria-clad @blackleatherjacketz @stormkobra-5 @kikis-writing-world @mrsaugustwalker @eroticandawkward @leiakenobi @bluejones

#blue jones #sucker punch #blue jones x reader #blue jones x you #blue jones x y/n #blue jones x female reader #sucker punch x reader #sucker punch x you #rough #intense

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thebibutterflyao3 · 2 months

Text

Day 26 - Prompt: Question @pandalilymicrofics

February Daily Series - 729 words

<<<Previous Part OR Start Here

Anticipating Lily’s tendency toward overthinking, Pandora wriggled out of Lily’s jacket and linked their hands together. She led the way toward the winding path that led to the shore while she texted Regulus the change in plans. The last thing she needed was him panicking and blowing up her phone tonight.

“Wait, shouldn’t we talk about this first?” Lily asked cautiously, tugging on her hand.

“If we do, will you talk yourself out of it or overthink it to death?”

“I don’t know.”

Pandora abruptly stopped mid-step and spun around with a scoff. Lily inhaled sharply when she narrowly missed colliding with her and swayed a bit as they stood toe to toe in the middle of the path.

“Lily, be honest,” Pandora said, meeting her gaze and holding it. “Without analysing the details or questioning the consequences, do you want to stay with me tonight?”

“But what does that mean?”

Pandora lifted her eyebrows and tipped her head forward. “Does it matter? Will that information change your answer?”

“It could.”

“How?”

Lily waved a hand vaguely at the path. “I’m not prepared. I didn’t pack a bag or make any arrangements or…I just like to know what to expect.”

“Well, I like surprises. So, come along and surprise me, Lily Evans,” Pandora announced, spinning on her heel and leading the way.

“Surprise you? Are you saying that you don’t have a plan?”

“Correct.”

Lily hummed thoughtfully as she lengthened her stride to keep up with Pandora’s purposeful steps. After a brief silence, Lily squeezed her hand. “Would you say that we’re improvising?”

“Sure. Let’s go with that and see what happens,” Pandora agreed, swinging their joined hands between them.

“Good! Then, I think that we should enjoy a romantic walk back to the Inn.”

Pandora stumbled when Lily suddenly slowed her steps, then lost her balance entirely when her shoe slid off the edge of the pavement. Their hands slipped free as Lily flailed in an attempt to catch her. A startled yelp caught both of them by surprise as her ankle turned sideways and she fell down…down…down.

Falling in the dark was so much worse than during the day. Instead of watching the ground rise up to meet her, Pandora was surrounded by inky night as she tumbled down a hill blindly. She gasped when her back hit the grass, then squealed when her body rolled of its own accord.

“Pandora! Oh…oh no. How do I…ffyc.” Lily’s voice sounded panicked and was quickly muffled.

Pandora curled into a ball and threw out her arms to protect her head as she crashed through the tall grass. Twigs snapped and leaves crunched loudly beneath her in a cacophony of sound that drowned out everything else. She couldn’t think, couldn’t catch her breath, and couldn’t stop.

Eventually, the ground levelled out and her momentum slowed. Pandora sprawled out as her chest heaved with the desperate need for air. When her mind stopped spinning, she gingerly checked for injuries. Fingers wriggled fine, arms and legs were sore, but not broken. Her back was probably bruised though, it ached every time she tried to turn over.

“Pandora? Can you hear me?” Lily called. A bright light appeared at the top of the hill. It’s halo encircling the woman who held it over her head. “Are you alright?”

“Define alright.”

Lily’s relieved sigh echoed in the night. “You’re conscious. Thank goodness.”

“Ouch!” Pandora cried, rubbing her shoulder after she tried — and failed — to sit up. “I’m going to need a minute, I think.”

“No, no! Don’t move! I’m coming to you.” Heavy, careful footsteps crunched through the grass and leaves. “Just stay where you are, cariad. Wait for me…to…climb down.”

Pandora fumbled for purchase amid the dry foliage around her, then hissed through clenched teeth when a sharp pain rushed over her hip. “Merde! That hurts.”

“Stop moving! You could…still have a concussion…or a broken…tailbone.” Lily’s stilted speech matched the long, intentional strides she took in the shaking beam of light from her phone. “Where does…it hurt?”

“Lily?”

“Yes?”

“No spiralling. I’m fine.”

Lily huffed derisively. “I’m not—”

“You’re listing worst case scenarios to a trauma victim,” Pandora said, giggling at the absurdity of it. “Take a deep breath, then another one.”

“But you’re-I’m not…alright, I am a…little worried.”

“You think?”

“Hush, you.”

Next Part>>>

#pandora lovegood x lily evans #pandolily #pandalily #lily x pandora #pandora lovegood #pandora rosier #lily evans #pandalily microfics #marauders girls #marauders era

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themorningsunshine · 1 year

Text

Light in the midst of darkness (4)

Series Masterlist

Pairing - Bucky Barnes x f!reader

Summary - Sometimes he thought she was a segment of his imagination, a figure conjured up by his mind for a sense of peace among his tormentors. Why else would somebody as pure as her will be at Hydra? But then he realised the imagination of his broken mind could never be so beautiful.

Word count - 2k

Warnings - Brief mention of chemicals and brainwashing

a/n - Here it is!!! I know this chapter took me ages and I am really really sorry. But silver lining, I have created an outline for the whole story so updates can hopefully be quicker. Thank you so much for sticking along.

The path to the medical rooms isn't how it used to be and the soldier wonders if they were always this brightened by light.

He had walked on these paths a lot of times before. Now that he knew for how long he had been here, he could only imagine how many times they had brought him here and erased his memory of the crime they had just made him commit. They never liked to leave evidence. What better way than erasing every trace from the committer's mind?

But he hasn't been strapped to that chair in 3 months. He has started to find tidbits of his memories, which changes much more than he ever thought. He still doesn't look into the mirror, but this time, not because he can't recognize the person staring back at him but because he despises the person who stares back at him through the mirror.

Every time he is sent on a mission, he loses a part of himself. He realizes he doesn't want to kill those people. He never did. The little voices that he used to hear from inside him during missions, begging and pleading with him to let those people go, make more sense now. The voice is much stronger now. It's like his own.

As the room with the chair approaches, he holds his breath. He never liked the chair before but he couldn't afford to be strapped now. It was nice knowing about himself. It was nice knowing that he wasn't bad. That he wasn't one of them. He also had someone other than himself he didn't want to forget.

As the two guards take him to the dreaded room, they can hear tidbits of conservation from inside. It was clearer to the soldier, owing to his super hearing.

"No, sir. We can't do that." There was that voice. The one who somehow could always calm him down. The voice that he had started to crave.

"What do you mean? We can't let him be without the wiping. It's too risky. We can't afford to do that." It was the voice of the general. The guards knew better than to interrupt now.

"Sir, but..."

"No, buts!! You are here to do as we say. Last I checked, we keep you alive to follow our orders and not give suggestions." The general's voice bellowed through the halls and it took everything in the soldier to not burst in, pick him up by the throat and throw him on the wall.

The general was about to walk towards the door, head tilted upwards with arrogance, when you spoke up again, "He will not be able to survive it, sir."

The general turned back and the soldier could almost sense how his brows would have furrowed.

"What do you mean? The soldier isn't an average human. He is a weapon. His endurance knows no bounds." The general lets out a dark chuckle at that as if he had tested it himself.

You need to physically hold yourself back from taking a step forward and punching the general. "That is how he has survived this long, sir. But you need to understand. Brainwashing releases Lysergic acid diethylamide into the brains of the subject. This blocks the memories of associates and almost any sense of environment. That is what makes them extremely obedient in the first place. But extreme use of this acid can lead to blockage of the nerves and then damage to the nervous system. Nobody can survive at that."

"What are you trying to say here?" The general asked with irritation in his voice, too arrogant to accept that he hadn't understood what had just come out of your mouth.

"Sir, in simple words, the soldier has been strapped to this chair for decades, it has damaged his mind. He has no memories or recollections of who he was. If any more of this is thrashed upon him, his mind will finally give up and all of Hydra's attempts at creating more supersoldiers will prove futile."

The soldier narrows his eyes. He feels a sudden rush of anger inside him. Why did you have to say that? If another one of those 'sessions' would kill him, he would willingly walk towards it. He wasn't allowed to choose for decades but he knew that if he got the opportunity now, he would rather die. The prospect of eternal peace is promising to him. No more missions, no murders, no more blood on his hands, none of those training sessions. He would much rather die, he thinks.

He knows his anger is unjustified. If anything, you were trying to save his life.

But another thought confuses him. You had said he had no recollections of his past, but if there was one person who knew that wasn't the truth except for him, it was you. Whenever he met you after missions or sessions or even during medical reports, he would talk to you about what he had started to remember and in turn, you told him about your family. So, what you said about his memories wasn't true.

The voice of the general brings him out of his thoughts. "Fine, do whatever. Just sew him up. A critical mission is coming up. We cannot take any risks." You just nodded your head trying your best to not smile.

After giving the soldier a disgusted look, the general steps out and walks away. The guards pushed the soldier inside and walked away.

When your eyes met him, you let out a sigh of relief. Most of the time when he came to you, he was in a terrible state. Even though you knew it was a regular medical report today, you couldn't help the relief that ran through you every time you saw him, well and alive.

You smiled at him and whispered a small, "hey"

The soldier didn't give you a response and just walked towards the devices which he knew would take recordings for the report. You didn't mind. Even though he had now started to talk to you, there were times when he preferred to be quiet and you understood.

As you walked towards him, your smile didn't flatten. "I am now going to take recordings of your heartbeat." This was a new habit you had developed. Even if you were about to do something as painless as listening to his heartbeats, you would always tell him about what was to come. Considering how everything was just thrashed upon him and how he had been treated by doctors all these years, you knew he hated all the medical procedures and you sincerely hoped this would slightly ease his worries.

But he didn't look up or meet your eye. He just sat there, muscles tensed and jaw so tightly closed, you were worried it would break. "Bucky, are you okay?"

He had thought he wouldn't reply to anything you said today or even look your way, but your voice dripping in concern and your eyes desperate for anything to calm down your worries made it impossible.

"Why?" He just whispers the first word that comes to his mind.

"I - I don't understand, Bucky. Is everything okay?"

"Why didn't you just let me die?" This time, he looks directly into your eyes, and all air is sucked out of your lungs at the intensity of his orbs.

"Bucky, I -. It's not what you think."

"Then, explain it to me. Tell me what that was about." It is the first time he has raised his voice in a commanding way and for a second, he is scared you would flinch away from him. That you would hate him, or worse, be scared of him. He didn't want to scare you. He was not as angry with you as he was with himself.

But you don't flinch. You understand his frustration and you know he deserves a chance to know the truth. He has had things hidden from him for years, you couldn't do the same to him.

"The chemical. The one I told the general about. That's not a real thing. I mean, it used to be. Like, 50 years ago but not anymore."

Bucky narrowed his eyes at you. He was relieved that you weren't scared of him but your statement confused him even further.

"Bucky, they don't use chemicals for brainwashing anymore. Maybe they figured out long ago how harmful that chemical could be and changed to electrocuting. And as dangerous and painful as that is, it is not life-threatening the way the chemical would have been."

"So, another one or two brainwashing sessions on the chair won't kill me."

You shook your head. "Nope. They have done that to you so often now that more sessions would hardly make a difference to your health."

"And the general doesn't know about this?"

"Nope. He has no idea about what happens outside the missions or the training grounds."

The soldier pauses for a second. Why did you do that? Lies or deceit were taken very seriously here. The consequences were worse than death. Why would you put yourself at risk?

"You can't keep lying to them. One day, they would find out." He says and internally prays to whatever god is up there that day never comes.

"Worth it." You reply without any ounce of hesitation in your voice. And you were being honest. You wouldn't let them hurt him, no matter what.

He shakes his head. "You don't have to do this for me. I am not worth it." And he believes this with every fiber of his being. Why would anyone risk anything to save him from pain?

"First of all, you are. You are worth much more than this, Bucky. And Second, I am not doing this for you. I am doing this for myself."

He narrowed his eyes at her in confusion before she continued.

"What will I do if you forgot about me, soldier?"

Bucky looks up and when his blue eyes meet yours, for a second, the whole world stops, there's no Hydra or the constant fear of something happening, the guilt or the memories, it's just two people who had found each other at the worst possible time and were now praying to whatever god was up there, to let them have this. Each other.

Things were calm and peaceful.

And it would stay like that. For some more time at least.

Taglist - @vicmc624 @buckybringsviolets @caritobbg @soulofendlessbook @kamaria-sweet-writes @pixxerella94 @shortnloud

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crystalninjaphoenix · 18 days

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Many Roads Diverge in the Woods - Second Run - Part Three

The Beginning | Previous

The results are in.

Your path has been decided. Strange how such a small choice can change so much. Hope you guys have fun with this route :D

The poll at the bottom to decide what happens next is only open for one day, expiring on April 14th at 12:00pm PST. Part Four will be up the next day, April 15th, at the same time.

<><><><><><><><><><><>

A moment passes in silence. “God, guys, it’s just a basement,” Marvin finally says, rolling his eyes. “Fine. JJ, give me the keys, I’ll go down there.”

JJ hands them over. Are you sure?

“I bet the most I’ll find down there is dust and cobwebs. Maybe toolboxes or something, I don’t know.”

“Sorry, Marv,” Jackie mutters. “I just... it’s weird that it’s locked up, isn’t it?”

This is more of a vacation home than a real home, JJ says. Of course they would lock everything up when they’re not using it.

“The bedrooms and bathrooms weren’t locked, though.”

“That’s cause the bedrooms and bathrooms only lock from inside,” Marvin says as he walks over to the basement door. “If they locked them, they’d have to leave through the windows, and I don’t think the ones in the bathroom open up.”

“I guess that’s true.”

“You okay with going down by yourself?” Chase asks. “It’s probably pretty dark down there with the power out.”

“It’ll be fine, I have my phone flashlight. I bet the fuse box is right by the staircase anyway—got it!” The basement door unlocks and swings open. Marvin looks back at the others. “See you in a few minutes.” And he starts down the staircase before they can say anything in response.

A couple minutes pass in silence. Chase fiddles with the controller. Jackie picks at a seam on his hoodie. JJ stays standing, pacing across the floor. But soon, the lights turn on again, as does the TV. “Oh sweet!” Jackie says. “That didn’t take long at all!”

“Marvin must’ve been right about the power box being next to the stairs,” Chase says. He looks at the TV. “Hmm. Everything looks fine. We probably lost our progress, but whatever. Wanna get started again?”

“Sure,” Jackie says.

Shouldn’t we wait for Marvin? JJ asks.

“Oh shit, wait, yeah.” Chase laughs. “We just forgot about him. Great friends.”

Schneep walks into the room. “You all got the lights back on?”

“Yeah, Marvin found the fuse box in the basement,” Chase says. “We’re just waiting for him now. He should be right up.”

“Ah, I see. He took the keys, then? I’ll ask for them back when he returns.” Schneep sits down to wait with the others.

A minute passes. Then another. Then a couple more. Everyone keeps glancing towards the open basement door, expectantly at first, and then nervously. What’s taking him so long? JJ worries.

“He probably found something cool to mess with or something,” Chase says. “Uh... I guess we can text him.” He pulls his phone out of his pocket, shooting a quick text at Marvin’s number. A few seconds pass. Jackie and JJ lean closer, looking at Chase’s phone.

After a full minute, Jackie says, “Okay, yeah, he’s probably distracted with something. That’s fine, we can just keep texting him.”

He’s clearly not getting the messages, JJ says. We should go down and check on him.

“Marvin has never been the best at answering texts right away,” Schneep recalls. “Perhaps a few more will be fine. Though if you want to go downstairs, Jameson, you can.”

I’m going downstairs, JJ says firmly. Do any of you want to come with me? Clearly, going alone is not ideal.

Chase gave JJ a puzzled look. “What d’you mean?”

I’m worried! JJ says. If Marvin’s trapped beneath a fallen shelf or something, I can’t lift it up by myself!

“Uh, oddly specific situation, but I guess that’s a good point,” Jackie says slowly. “I doubt something like that is happening, though.”

Chase sighs. JJ is clearly ready to go downstairs anyway, so there’s no real need for anyone else to go. But it would probably help assuage JJ’s worries if someone else went with him.

#jacksepticeye #jacksepticeye fanfiction #jacksepticegos #septic egos #septic egos au #jacksepticeye au #marvin the magnificent #chase brody #jameson jackson #jackieboy man #dr schneeplestein #brigid writes fanfiction #manyroadsdivergejse

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juniminabloom · 2 years

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If your asks are open then I have a fanfic idea! Where it’s Mortimer freeze x Fire being reader! I’m a sucker for opposite lovers

A/N: Mhm! Hope you like it! And sorry for not posting in a while. Everyone deserves a break every now and then, right? Right! Keep reading placed due to lengthiness.

Mortimer Freeze x reader: “That Can’t Stop Me” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You looked in the mirror. Expecting to see you, you only saw a monster. Someone who doesn’t belong, only because they say “You aren’t like the rest of us.” You were only a monster. And that’s all you’ll ever be.

Sitting on your bed in your champagne chateau, you couldn’t help but think of what it would be like to have lived a normal life growing up. You were always teased at a young age due to a special power you had. You could manipulate and create fire from the palm of your hand.

The adults always considered you a danger to their children, and the children thought of you as a disgrace.

But it’s been 20 years. You live a lonely life. No one to talk to, no one to bond with, no one to even call family. Just because you were different. But you’re fed up with it.

Sitting upright, you let a small flame burst in your palm. The embers softly graze your face, but you’re practically unfazed. You’re through with everything. Taking the small flame, you hold it up against your bedsheets. Slowly, it begins to catch fire, and it spreads quickly. You sprint to other places in the house, and begin lighting them on fire too: curtains, couches, carpets, etc.

After your work is done, you look back at your old life. No smiles, no regrets, no apologies. As your house goes up in beautiful flames, you set off to find a new path. A new life.

~5 years later~

Just a few more steps... You see that right ahead of you is a small bakery. Through all these years, you’ve eaten mere scraps of food, and you’re desperate for something to eat. Pushing yourself, you open the door and stagger inside. A chubby, jolly looking man walks out to the counter with a smile. But when he lays his eyes on you, his face drops. “Oh my goodness! Are you alright?”

He rushes over to you and holds your hands in his, donning a worried expression. You stay silent from his sudden reaction, until he speaks again: “Please, are you alright?” You shake your head. No, you aren’t. You have no home, no friends or family, and you’re famished. “I need... food..” You mumble.

He drops your hands and he rushes to the back of the bakery. He doesn’t have many meals, but he saved half of a sandwich he had earlier. He comes running back out with the half and he shoves it to you.

“Take it! Take it and eat it. You need it.” You gently take the sandwich and wait a moment, his eyes never leaving you. You take a small bite out of the sandwich and immediately melt from the flavor. In just a few minutes, you scarf down the whole thing, savoring every delicious bite.

“Thank you, kind sir!” You exclaim. “No one has ever done a nice gesture towards me like that. May I have your name?” “Of course, dear! My name is Chef Saltbaker. Do you need anything else? I’d be happy to help!” You tell him that you don’t have a place to stay and that you don’t have any acquaintances, and he shakes his head. “You can stay here until you get things together if you’d like.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I wouldn’t want to take up extra room here. But I’ll keep it in mind, I just really needed the food right now. I’m going to keep exploring this place, and thank you again for the kind gesture!” You say. “Absolutely! Come back anytime!” He replies with a smile.

After about 2 hours, you’ve seen most of this island, and it’s starting to get dark. You decide to take up Saltbaker’s offer and stay the night. But as you’re walking back, you feel a chill overtake your body, making you shiver. You turn around to meet a large igloo with loud chants coming from it.

Curious, you decide to walk over to it and check it out. You knock on the doors, and when they open, it just looks like they opened on their own. You cautiously step inside and find a bunch of- snow golems?- lining bleachers. They’re all chanting some strange incantation.

They suddenly stop. They all turn to stare at you.

“H-Hello...” You manage to stutter. All eyes were on you in the silent, cold room. All of the sudden, you hear the tinkling of bells and the beat of percussion. The crowd starts cheering, gradually getting louder as the percussion speeds up. Poof!

A plump blue man in a raggedy purple coat gently floats down into a large icy throne. The golems turned to stare at him, and they all began to cheer. “Mortimer! Mortimer! Mortimer!”

Mortimer raised his hand in silence, hushing the crowd. He turns his head to you and gives you a smile, but not the welcoming one. “What brings you here, foreigner? What is it that you seek? Perhaps the guidance of Them?” “I’m sorry, sir, but I came here out of curiosity. I recently was on a journey to start anew and found this island. I spoke with a baker nearby and he offered to let me stay as his place for a while, but I decided to do a bit more travelling and found myself here.” Mortimer nods, and the crowd starts to whisper. You can’t quite hear what they’re saying, but Mortimer seems pleased.

“If it’s refuge you seek, we only help those who worship and believe in Them.” He replies. “We must get to the prayers! I’d like you to speak with me alone after this. Now go!”

Before you can even blink your eyes, you’re now outside the igloo. Synchronized chants can be heard coming from it: that must be the prayers. You don’t know when it’ll be over, or if Mortimer will come get you, so you decide to wait, slouching down against the wall. It’s cold, but very tolerable with your powers.

After maybe five minutes, you find yourself back in the igloo again; like you’re just being teleported. The golems on the bleachers are all gone, like they teleported too, or melted. Mortimer is sitting in his throne again.

“What are you, creature? I don’t think we, or I, have ever seen the likes of your kind before. So what are you?” “A human,” You answer. “But a monster. Ever since I was born, I possessed fire powers. But kids would always tease me and say I was horrid and would never be normal. I could never be normal. I’m not normal.”

He tilts his head, almost with a sad gaze, but sits upright again. “I’m sorry to hear that,” He replies.” But in this place, we accept everyone, especially those devoted to Them. But, with your powers, I’m afraid we could never make physical contact.” “I only create heat when it’s in my hands, but I guess that’s okay. And who is this ‘Them’ you speak of?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~3 Years Later*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Over the course of three years, you had gotten to know all the residents around town, get your life together, and devoted yourself to Them. Not that you were religious, but you believed that it could awaken something to help those in need. This world seemed full of magic, so you thought anything could happen.

Since you devoted yourself to Them, you’ve been spending a lot of time in Mortimer’s igloo. Whenever you arrive, he seems super glad that you’re back, even if it’s only been 10 minutes. It makes you laugh. You two have become super close. But recently, without you knowing, Mortimer has had conflicting feelings towards you. Feelings that a cult leader like him shouldn’t have to a cultist like yourself. He didn’t know the name of it- but it was there. So he had been talking to someone about it; another golem, but one that seemed more powerful than the rest, and he was chained to a wall at the top of the igloo. The golem is not good at forming sentences, but he tries his best for Mortimer.

“I don’t know the name of it! It’s like, I really, really like them!” Mortimer whisper-yells. “But it doesn’t seem right for a cult leader like me to have feelings for them! I have to devote myself to Them!” The golem nodded its head. “It okay. How feel to them is okay.” Mortimer smiled. “Then I’ll tell them. In the form of a note though- I need to pray for myself after this...” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You swung open the doors to his igloo, but to your surprise, nobody was there, and nobody came to greet you. You walked inside, and you noticed a small piece of paper stuck to the base of Mortimer’s throne. You leaned closer to examine it: It read, “Y/N” Taking the paper off, you began to read it.

“Y/N, It’s very hard for me to explain this- I’ve never felt this way before and I’m not quite sure how to express it. But you see, I think I’ve been catching feelings for you. I do not know the word for it, and I do not know if it is right, but I need to let it out. It’s been bothering me for too long. I hope you understand and I hope you feel the same. -M”

Your eyes lit up with sparkles while reading it. It was so cute! You felt the same way too. You hugged the paper to your chest and spun around, childish giggles erupting from your smiles. You couldn’t wait to tell him.

You couldn’t believe someone loved you for who you are. You weren’t a monster. You aren’t a monster. You are you. And someone loved you.

#Cuphead #cuphead x reader #cuphead dlc #mortimer freeze #mortimer freeze x reader

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an-aussie-button-masher · 1 month

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Who Needs PvP? Five of the Latest and Greatest Singleplayer Adventures

What’s the most annoying aspect of modern gaming? Is it all the greedy battle passes and microtransactions? The incessant toxicity of online playerbases? Games demanding your endless interaction with constant daily or weekly challenges that guilt you for deciding to play anything else? It’s probably a combination of all of the above, really. Well, if you’re looking for a break from all that games-as-a-service online nonsense, seeking something a bit more casual, why not try these singleplayer adventures? These are a handful of the latest and greatest solo games, all enjoyable offline with no toxicity or microtransactions in sight. Of course, while they’re increasingly outnumbered by online titles, there’s still far too many of these types of games to list here - so, I decided to gather a small yet diverse variety to show off here: a sprawling fantasy RPG with endless possibilities, an action-packed rhythm platformer, a creepy eldritch fishing game, a pantheon-slaying titan of storytelling, and a game where you play as a cat. Take a look for yourself!

Baldur’s Gate 3 Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year, you’ve definitely at least heard of this game - especially after it won 2023’s Game of the Year. Baldur’s Gate 3 is about as close as it gets to a full Dungeons & Dragons campaign on your PC or console - no need to organise all your friends to show up for a campaign session! In this massive RPG, you can play as a handful of pre-set characters, all with their own expansive stories and countless unique interactions, or make your own from a dozen different races and classes. Want to be a Fighter? A Wizard? Barbarian? Cleric? Bard? Some unholy mashup of everything? Perhaps you’ll play as a human, or an elf, or a gnome, half-orc, or dragonborn - there’s a practically endless list of possibilities, and that’s just in the character select screen! Everything you do has some kind of impact on the hours of storytelling: who will you help, and who will you fight? Where will you go? What sides will you take in this absolute narrative feat? There’s an overarching plot, but the path you take through it is entirely yours to decide - for better or worse.

Hi-Fi Rush Bethesda sneakily released this bumping rhythmic platformer early in 2023, and it quickly became a number-one hit. Play as Chai, a bit of a loser with ambitious dreams of becoming a rockstar - and when he accidentally gets his music player implanted into his heart and the whole world around him starts moving to the beat, those dreams start to literally become reality. Suddenly, Chai’s fighting off a dark corporate conspiracy with the power of music, friendship, and blunt force trauma with a sick guitar made of magnetised garbage. In this game, everything - everything - moves, jumps, flashes and swings to the rhythm of the music playing from Chai’s heart, and moving yourself and your attacks in time makes you stronger and earn higher scores. Hi-Fi Rush is truly an earnest throwback to old-fashioned straightforward action platforming, with a linear level-after-level structure and no side quests or unnecessary padding to get in the way of the story or the rapid-tempo gameplay. It’s got a beautifully colourful and chaotic artstyle, genuinely entertaining characters and hilarious writing, and of course, a banging soundtrack to top it all off.

Dredge Let’s take things down a notch for those looking for something a little more casual and slower-paced - assuming you can keep your anxiety in check, that is. Dredge is a chilling eldritch cosmic horror story, disguised as a simple little fishing game. Sail out in your little tugboat, pull up any fish you find (don’t worry about the increasingly-creepy and disfigured catches, it’s probably just your imagination) and make absolutely sure you return to port before dark - you’re not alone out there. You might catch glimpses of things much older and much bigger shifting just beneath the waves; how much of it is really there, and how much is just your paranoia getting the better of you? Are you willing to take the risk that there’s nothing really there…or that it didn’t see you? Once you start collecting some decidedly-unnerving artefacts in the waters, a puzzling storyline begins to take shape, capped off with a stunning twist and a dangerous choice to make…or, you can just mind your own business and keep busy catching and selling all the fish from day to day, upgrading your boat and relaxing on the mostly-calm ocean. Just mind those lights in the fog - pretty sure that isn’t a town in the distance…

God of War: Ragnarök Now, back to something a bit more blood-pumping with a true linear action titan - God of War: Ragnarök. Kratos, the former god-butchering Ghost of Sparta, is back, and (reluctantly) doing what he does best as he faces off the might of the Norse gods including Thor, Heimdall, and Odin himself, alongside his growing son Atreus. Between all the enemy-slaughtering and gallivanting across the Nine Realms, Ragnarök tells an emotional and engaging narrative of a father not wanting to lose his son, fighting against fate itself to protect his boy just a little longer. The game features graphics and visuals as gorgeous as its’ writing and acting is brilliant - it’s little wonder why Christopher Judge won 2022’s Best Performance as Kratos. Besides the story is the fast-paced complex combat system God of War fans know and love, with Atreus joining his father as a playable character with his own array of skills and attacks; time to get that hand-eye coordination up! For returning players looking for a good reason to jump back into action, a recent DLC expansion adds a brand-new challenging mode if you’re after a true test of skill in the hallowed battlegrounds of Valhalla.

Stray This is a game where you play as a cat. Need I say more? Well, if the feline gimmick isn’t enough to interest you, how about a surprisingly fascinating world and endearing characters? Stray pits the cutest protagonist in gaming against a dark, treacherous world that’s much, much bigger from the perspective of our tiny fuzzy hero. In this game, you’ll climb, jump and sneak across a neon-lit city populated entirely by robots, all carrying on with their jobs long after humanity is gone in a tale that explores questions of sentience and societal growth - and collapse. Come for the adorable little kitty, but stay for the interesting story, beautifully haunting visual style, quirky robotic characters and some thought-provoking puzzles. How far can this cat go to reunite with its lost family? Will this unlikely hero be the key to helping its new mechanical friends find freedom from the massive locked-down city? What happened to humanity in the first place? There’s a lot of questions to answer, and yet you’re just a cat. Additionally, the game also features the best button prompt ever: Press O to Meow!

Like I said, there’s plenty more solo adventure games to be found beyond these standout examples - which one is your favourite? Are there any more worthy additions to this list you know? Let’s hear it! Feedback, reblogs and likes are all much appreciated! Thanks for reading!

An Aussie Button-Masher

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the-monkey-ruler · 4 months

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Do you think that if Wukong had not killed the Six-Eared Macaque, the Six-Eared Macaque could possibly have been punished and then tried to be redeemed? I feel that since Heavenly monkeys are one of a kind, it might be one of the reasons why Buddha reacted the way he does after Wukong killed him. It's the way he reacts that makes me wonder what Six-Eared Macaque's fate would have been if it weren't for Wukong killing him.

Although I know that metaphorically, Wukong had to kill the evil part of himself.

That is just it! In the story, metaphorically yeah, Wukong has to kill him. I've talked about this before but Wukong facing off the Six Ears is legit him looking at the worst parts of himself, seeing the murder, the rage, the lack of empathy, everything, and telling himself that he is better than that. The whole ID versus Ego kind of battle of the mind of which one is going to win out and whether Wukong is able to control his murderous thoughts or let them win. But also Wukong looks at the worst side of himself and knows that not only can he overcome it but that he can become a better person. Knowing you are able for great good but also great evil and the need to keep yourself in check else you start going down a dark path. Wukong faces the reality that he is capable of horrid atrocities and needs to hold himself accountable and understand the consequences of his actions.

Wukong had to face his worst inner traits and say "I'm better than that" and he IS! Wukong looks at himself the selfishness, the ruthlessness, the lack of empathy and he hates that about himself but the only way to change it is to confront it head-on and personally stop it. He always trying to do better and that is why it is symbolized in a fight to the death.

But hypothetically, if the Six Ears was NOT a metaphor for facing your inner demons... I think he could be redeemed.

Because Wukong was redeemed as well.

The thing about Xiyouji is that it shows that no one is past the point of recognizing that you need to change and while isn't easy, anyone can self-reflect. Anyone can reach that point of knowing they can change and anyone can be a Buddha... even a monkey.

So with that being my belief of what the story is about I think that perhaps Six Ears could have turned that new leaf as well if given the right teacher and the right motivation. I don't think that Buddha had plans for the Six Ears because he would also know that Wukong would kill him. Even when you know something is going to happen you can still be saddened that it does happen, and I think that is why Buddha expressed his disappointment at Six Ear's death even if it was inevitable.

I don't think the Six Ears was even meant to be redeemed but rather that his needed death was still upsetting to the Buddha considering that Buddhas should not kill.

We see other demons on the journey being taken in as well like the Black Wind Demon, Red Boy, and the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord. These demons were taken in by heaven and given positions to work under them so this wouldn't be out of the ordinary if given the right circumstances. Two of these demons were redeemed by Guanyin herself and she used the fillets to motivate and highlight their need for self-control. Perhaps If Guanyin didn't use the Prohibitive or the Golden fillets beforehand then it could have been used to monitor the Six Ears.

JTTR did suggest a secret fourth headband Strength for AU ideas so that would be a fantastic suggestion here I would say. He would be either under a buddha or bodhisattva if this was the case (most likely Guanyin since she would have the headband) and he would have to start his own path of self-reflection if he is to even reach enlightenment. Considering he is similar to Wukong then perhaps he would first have to go through a similar punishment under a mountain would be fair but if we compare him to the other demons that were redeemed on the journey it would also be understandable if that was skipped as well.

But those are my thoughts if this was the case as it could be a fun idea!

#anon ask #anonymous #anon #jttw #journey to the west #xiyouji #ask #six eared macaque #sun wukong #monkey king #liuer mihou #liu'er mihou

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kybabi · 3 years

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Can I request an hc where crush! s/o overhears them saying they don’t like her just to get people to stop asking and she believes it? Your writing is so cool! Thanks 😌❤️

their crush hearing them talk about them behind their back

w/ suna, aran, and atsumu!!

(a/n: whew that title’s weird anyways

thank you for requesting babe :)) i really like this prompt hehe

uh also i accidentally made this one super super long so i apologize !! the endings are also not super fluffy or anything since i didn’t wanna make them any longer :(

for this one only atsumu’s is in the timeskip! everyone else’s scenarios are set before !!)

suna

you and suna had been good friends since your first year

while you were always attracted to him somehow, you also cherished the friendship you had

even so, sometimes you wished for more

you loved to invite him over to study on your bed, snacking on chips and sharing answers

and you loved coming to his games and supporting them

while he wasn’t the best at showing it, you knew that deep down he held that same appreciation for you

you exhale, finishing the last sentence of your essay, and look outside. it’s alarmingly dark, and you’re surprised that so much time has passed. you check your phone and sigh.

it’s too late to take the train home alone, and you don’t want to walk by yourself either. it’s also raining, and you completely forgot to pack an umbrella before school.

you realize the team should be getting out soon. maybe suna can walk home with you?

you pull your hood over your head and rush out of the library, searching for a dry place to walk under, and head toward the gym.

while you don’t want to face it, your heart is beating wildly in your chest, and you’re giddy with excitement. being alone with rintarou has always made you felt this way, and you smile softly to yourself.

when you approach the club room, you’re about to knock on the door, until you hear a voice.

it’s rin, you think.

your heart picks up it’s pace again.

“will you all just lay off about y/n?”

“hey, if you have feelings for them, you don’t have to be insecure or anything,” a voice teases, and you lean in closer.

“atsumu, don’t be stupid. why would i ever go for someone like them?”

your heart stops.

“well, you’re awfully close to them for someone who—”

“look, the only reason i keep them around is because i need answers for the homework. and no, i’m not insecure, you’re just stupid.”

a bitter mixture of hurt and anger bubbles up in your chest, and tears are stinging at your eyes from his betrayal.

you want to leave, but your feet are stuck to the ground. you want to scream, but you can’t utter a word. and you want to run away and never look back at his stupid face ever again.

you can hear footsteps approaching, but it’s too late to react, and the door is opening.

rintarou stands in the doorway, fingers wrapped around his umbrella, and prepares to go out.

but his eyes lock on yours, widening at the hurt written all over your face, and he drops the umbrella. it makes a loud thunk on the floor, and his heart drops into his stomach.

“i guess i should’ve known, huh?” you laugh, the sound broken and watery. “i should’ve realized it sooner.”

panic starts to suffocate him, and he finds it hard to speak. “wait, that’s not—”

“not what? the truth?” you ask, angry.

suna opens his mouth to speak before closing it, and you scoff.

“i thought maybe you...” you trail off, defeated. “never mind. it doesn’t matter anyway. i’m sorry for wasting your time,” you say quietly, turning on your heel and leaving.

it’s only a minute after you’ve left that he realizes what he’s done, and that the entire team is staring at him.

“uh. suna—”

“have to go,” he mutters, grabbing his umbrella and running after you.

the rain is cold and your vision is blurry, but you try your best to find your way home in the dark. you hear frantic footsteps behind you and pick up your pace.

“wait! please!” rintarou calls behind you, and you wipe at your cheeks, continuing your path down the sidewalk.

“please,” he begs, stopping in his tracks. you’ve never heard him sound like this, and you freeze, turning around slowly.

“why? what could you possibly have to say to—”

“i like you. a lot. probably too much,” he blurts awkwardly, shifting between his feet and rubbing at the back of his neck.

you’re sure your heart has completely stopped beating.

“what?” you whisper, barely audible, and he steps up to you.

“i didn’t mean it. what i said, back in the club room. i just, uh,” he mutters nervously, “i didn’t know how you felt and i didn’t want them to know.”

“but,” you mumble. “you’re telling the truth now?”

he nods. “promise.”

your cheeks feel hot despite the cold, and you move a little closer to him.

“i like you too.”

“yeah?” he whispers, and you nod.

“yeah.”

aran

when you first met aran, you were instantly drawn to him

he was one of the kindest people you’d met at inarizaki and the two of you became friends quickly

he loved to sit with you at lunch and just talk with you about anything

he was your best friend, and while you felt an attraction to him that was more than that, you didn’t think he felt the same

even so, it was lovely having him around, and you cherished his friendship more than anything

once class is over, you sigh, resting your forehead on your desk, and take a few breaths.

today has been exhausting, and you’re glad school is finally done for the day. you hear footsteps leading up to your desk and look up, brightening upon seeing aran grinning down at you.

“tough day?” he teases, and you shrug.

“‘s alright. practice today?” you ask, putting your books back into your bag, and he nods.

“yep. i’ll text you after?” he says, and you smile gently at him before waving him off.

once you’ve got your bag slung over your shoulder, you notice that aran’s water bottle is still sitting on his desk.

“aran, wait!” you yell after him, but he’s gone. so you shrug and pick it up yourself, deciding to drop it off at the club room.

you assume the boys are already in there. you can hear kita and aran talking about something, and you stand just outside the open door, snooping even when you know you shouldn’t be.

“i just want to make sure you aren’t getting distracted.”

“yeah! i think aran has a little crush,” another voice jumps in, and you pause. crush?

“if this is about y/n, i don’t wanna hear it,” aran says, and hope starts brimming in your chest at the mention of your name.

“why are you getting so defensive? are they distracting you?”

“will you all just shut up? they don’t mean anything to me. you’re crazy if you think i’m letting some random person affect my playing skills.”

stunned, you stand in the doorway, staring at the team. you’re not even sure when you made it there, but now everyone is looking at you, and it’s hard to breathe.

you were never sure what you were to him. but you never thought it’d be nothing.

aran is the last to realize that you’re there. he follows the other members’ gazes to see you standing alone in the doorway, frozen. his heart completely stops at seeing you.

“i’m sorry for intruding. i, uh,” you search for words, but you’re coming up blank. “i think you left this in the classroom. i’ll just leave it here,” you whisper, trying not to embarrass yourself by getting emotional in front of the whole team, and leave the bottle on the floor. you leave quickly, ducking your face and dashing away before anyone can say anything.

he starts to panic, looking to the rest of the team for assistance, but they all just send him weird looks, and he sighs in frustration.

“warm up without me!” he calls, running out of the room in hopes of finding you.

what he’d said earlier couldn’t be further from the truth. he’s always felt different about you, but never attempted to convey those feelings to you out of fear of rejection. he supposes none of it matters now, however, because in the end he just hurt you.

“y/n, wait!” he yells after you, frantic, and you freeze.

he finally catches up to you, grabbing your wrist and sighing. but when you turn around and he sees the hurt he caused, guilt washes over him like a wave.

“i don’t understand. why would you lead me on like that?” you whisper shakily, gaze averted. his heart breaks at seeing you so hurt, and he wishes he could take back everything he said. “i didn’t even do anything wrong.”

“look, i didn’t mean anything i said back there, okay? i just said that to get them off my back, that’s all,” he tries to reassure you, but you scoff.

“you know, i don’t get you. behind my back, you treat me like shit. what do you want from me?” you demand, and he scrubs a hand over his face in frustration.

“i really didn’t want to do this right now,” he mutters, and you stare at him, confused.

“do what?! all you’re doing is just confusing me, and i don’t think—”

“i really, really like you, okay?”

you stop in your tracks. that was not at all what you were expecting him to say. you can feel your skin getting hot at his admission, and you stand there awkwardly.

“you,” you murmur quietly. “you like... me..?”

he swallows nervously. “y-yeah.”

“but all those things you said...”

“i know. i’m sorry. i just got defensive and said some things about you that i didn’t mean,” he explains, padding over closer to you.

you can sense that same sincerity that’s always been there in his eyes, and while you’re not completely sure if he’s telling the truth, something in you wants to believe him, so you relax.

“i thought i was the only one,” you exhale, relieved, and he looks at you hesitantly.

“you..?”

“yeah.”

he’s inches away from your face now, and you look up at him.

“thank god,” he whispers before leaning down to kiss you.

atsumu

you’d actually met atsumu through his brother as osamu had hired you to work at his restaurant awhile back

he was much louder than osamu and quite obnoxious, but he was also kind and funny and sweet, and somewhere along the way you fell for him

the two of you would spend days out on the town and sometimes you’d bring him food from the shop, the two of you eating comfortably at his place

he quickly became your best friend, and you fell in love

atsumu waves at you from below, and you grin, silently mouthing a proud of you and waving back. he throws up a peace sign and you sigh.

gathering your things, you stand up and step down the stairs of the bleachers, hoping to catch the team. you pass osamu on the way out, who nods at you in greeting.

today, you’ve prepared a couple light snacks and a small bento for atsumu. the two of you have had this ‘thing’ for a long time, bringing him food after a game. he’s usually pretty tired and hungry, and working at a restaurant comes in handy.

you see the team having a discussion about the game as per usual, so you wait patiently until atsumu is free to talk to you.

they exit the building and walk out around the corner, and you’re about to follow them when you hear something a little off. you backtrack, dashing behind the wall where they’re talking, and stand there silently.

“who were you waving to earlier? is it... a lover?” a voice says, whom you assume is hinata’s, and your breath hitches.

“i’ve never seen you so distracted before,” sakusa notes, voice muffled, and someone snorts.

“it was just y/n, calm down,” atsumu mumbles, and hinata laughs.

“so i was right! why won’t you just admit you have feelings for them?” he teases, and you can hear a faint smack.

“i think it’s a touchy subject! little tsumu is embarrassed,” someone else joins in, and you shift nervously.

“you know what?” he starts, and your heart beats rapidly in your chest. “i have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

hope starts to rise in your chest, giddiness making your pulse race.

“why would i have feelings for someone like y/n? they’re annoying and i can’t get rid of them,” he laughs, and your heart stops completely. “i guess they’re not that bad, though. the food y/n makes is pretty good,” he says, and your heart breaks into two.

you feel empty and used, but most of all you just feel stupid. he was right. why would he ever have feelings for someone like you?

but you’re more upset that he never even cared about your friendship in the first place. he lied to you and strung you along, and now you’re lost.

so you turn on your heel and walk away, bento clutched in your hand, and don’t look back. but you hear excited footsteps approaching you, and something in your stomach stirs bitterly.

“y/n! where have you been?” atsumu asks eagerly, and you don’t turn around. “i’ve been looking all over for you. i didn’t get a chance to see you, and—” he explains, but pauses when you turn around. you can see the exact moment that his expression drops, and you wipe at your cheeks angrily.

“y/n? what’s wrong?” he asks softly, and you want to curse him for making you feel this way, but instead you just laugh dryly.

“i heard what you told the team about me. about how you felt,” you mutter, and watch panic replace the sympathy on his face.

“t-that wasn’t—” he tries to explain, sputtering.

“look, i don’t really care if you hate me. i just thought you’d have the guts to say it to my face,” you spit, shoving the bento into his chest and leaving.

he wants to chase after you, but he knows you’ll just resent him more for it. his eyes sting as they watch you leave, and atsumu’s never felt so helpless in his life.

—

the bell jingles and you look up, ready to greet whoever has entered the shop. your mood instantly falls at seeing atsumu in front of you.

“y/n,” he says nervously, and you look down. “do you think we could talk?”

you look down at the desk below you, picking up a pen and twirling it.

“i’m working right now,” you answer coldly, and he swallows.

“i talked to samu about it,” he explains, and you look up at him hesitantly. “just— please?”

you look around. the restaurant’s not too busy, and you’ve got a little time on your hands. you sigh, irritated.

“you’ve got three minutes,” you mumble, leading him into the back room, and he follows you, relieved.

“what do you want?”

he sighs. “i’m sorry. for everything. i didn’t mean anything i said that day.”

“why did you say it then?” you ask, incredulous.

“i don’t know, okay? i kind of just blurted it out and i just get really nervous when people bring you up ‘cause i think i’m in love with you and, well... yeah,” he rambles awkwardly. “sorry. it all kind of just came out,” he murmurs, cursing himself for his clumsiness.

you stare at him, holding your breath. “do you really feel that way?”

he nods, and you sigh.

“you— you really hurt my feelings, you know?”

“i know,” he mutters guiltily, and somehow you know he’s being truthful.

“i’m in love with you too, tsumu.”

he freezes.

“really?”

“really.”

taglist! (bold = cannot be tagged)

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magicaltecito · 2 years

Text

𝑷𝑰𝑪𝑲 𝑨 𝑪𝑨𝑹𝑫: Message from your inner magic!

- Admin Sun ☀️ Instructions: Focus on the energy of asking for guidance and choose the pile that calls to you intuitively! If it's more than one, then read them!. My style: I used tarot, and oracle cards (I used the star dragon oracle, believe in your own magic and the angelarium) and a lot of my intuition!

Disclaimer: keep what resonates with you, english is not my first language so sorry in advance if anything is weird sounding, hope this helps if you have any idea for a pac please send me an ask or dm!

Pile 1 First of all, you haven't listened to your inner magical self for some time, they're telling me that there is this disconnection between the two of you. I see a lot of stress or anxiety for some projects not going how you want it or people don't listen to you about the things that are important. The first thing this magical you wants to tell you is that please, please make the change, you can't continue expecting someone else to fix things, to people behaving the way you wish, or for someone to save you (I know it might sound harsh) but you have all the power here, you just need to speak and found the right people that are willing to listen, and stop loosing your power on ears that are shut down for you. This is the time to start a new way of living, they're asking you to start something new, maybe a new creative project, a see a lot of "cottagecore activities" like sewing, knitting, and embroidery. The way you connect with your magic is through creation, you literally put magic in the things you do with your hands, I see this inner magic of you as a big sun or flame in your interior, and every time you make something a little bit of gold dust fells in to make it come into magical life. There is someone willing to help you with your creations/projects, I sense a best friend or even a platonic soul mate that will be your partner in this discovery of your magic craft, but first, you have to listen to what it wants to create, the rhythms of heat and passion are inside you let them free now. As a final message, I have that if you ever are criticized, misunderstood, or disrespected by anyone around you, call upon this magical flame and rely on your connection to fire and light to see through the dark times. Channeled words: “Life is nothing without a little chaos to make it interesting - Amelia Atwater-Rhodes", hairstyle, mirrors, kintsugi, stallion, catita, 417, red orchids, la paura del buio, lemon cakes, pen pals, ginger, in the deep forest, shadow work. Pile 2 So, someone has been manifesting lately, well I have good words, they're coming and fast, but only the things you are wishing for yourself and not to impress others or because of the opinions of others, what do I mean by that, like for example the partner you're manifesting is because you deserved to be love and you want to love someone or because you don't want to be alone, or because someone put you on the idea that being single is bad, the same goes with work and others desires you might have. So ask yourself, Why am I manifesting these things?. But there is a change coming for sure for the better, also the person (I feel is a bad friend, maybe an ex) that hurt you and has been bothering you will pay his karma, and it'll be divine justice, but sweetie you have to understand that you can't keep giving people seconds chances or using your time to check one them, unfollow them, blocked them, do whatever it takes, they're taking to much of your energy and they don't deserve it. I feel your inner magic is attracted to things that are not so common, that are different, so reach out for what your soul and magic self wants and needs, I feel you're being called to a particular path or way of living life, it may not make logical sense for the rest even sometimes for you, but honor it, you might have engaged in negative behaviors in a misguided attempt to heal others or to make yourself feel better in the eyes of someone else, but is time to have a drastic change, to embrace what you really want to manifest in your life, and to make it your own, your inner magic has particular gifts to share with you, but first, you have to promise them to deep the soulful connection with your true self, and embrace every different and may I say "dark" aspect you may enjoy and have. The path is opening for you, the time is moving fast to bring you closer to the future you want, use it!. channeled words: falling star, tea leaves, bones, justice, Bruno from Encanto, cheating, the innocent by aurora, Hecate, dancing barefoot, 4 am, tattoo hands, south wales. Pile 3 The

first thing that they're telling me is about your head being too deep in your problems, something about not letting go of things of the past related to your family, like the relationship with your parents or your grandmother. Like this feeling of "well, I can't do this because of the way I was raised" or "I have abandonment issues because of my dad, so that's why I have trouble trusting people". The thing here is, you can choose to live your life making excuses for the way you live today and act like a victim of your family or you can choose to break these patterns and use your energy to clean your path instead of blocking it. I know it is hard, I, myself, am going through the same process with my mom. But your magical self is asking you to use your magic in standing for yourself and getting out of this type of situation, to enter a new path and a new way of loving yourself not as a victim or as a member of the family of your parents, but as an individual capable of going in the direction they want and having what the want. Maybe you can do a cord cut ritual or a Familienaufstellung therapy, or even some genealogy/ancestral tarot. I remember something my grandpa used to say: "Sometimes to travel far, the traveler needs to put down his pack and just keep walking." You're not in this world to carry the problems of your family or to meet their needs and expectations, don't accept the rules you have placed to yourself or that others have placed on you, choose the paths that sets you free and lead you to happiness. Be kind, forgive others, yourself and give yourself permission to be forgiven. channeled words: keep going, coffee shops, candles, magic shop by bts, Mikasa, mermaids, the little mermaid, brave, drop out. no roots - Alice merton, long hair, the little prince, Endurtaka mig - dadi freyr, nona.

Pile 4 A lot of capricorn energy here. First of all, your energy is super powerful and is asking you to start right now. That huge project or idea you have dreamed of since childhood, is probably that you're or are entering your Saturn return, so that's why it is super emphatic with "Now" being the right time. Let go of hesitations and explore the future you envisioned for yourself. I would say that your fears and hopes often turn out to be one and the same thing, which is why a hope or a dream remains only a hope. If you weren't afraid of it in some way, you would have achieved it already, because you have all the tools to do it. So the first step is to think before judging yourself by those fears and practice a lot of self-love, a lot a lot, then to paint the mural of your future again. It is weird because all the piles are talking about the same in one way or another, about being honest with what we dreamed as children. I think it is because we believe in our magic as children, so you need to connect yourself with what your inner child wants and what your inner teen wants to explore, honor them, to honor yourself, be the protective and guide adult they need it, your magical self craves to express itself through your goals and achievements whether you wish to express yourself creative, logical, as leader or whatever, now is the perfect opportunity to take deliberate steps towards your life purpose. I see a lot of children's activities, like looking for bugs, exploring, painting with our fingers, playing with your imagination (maybe something like d&d) to connect with your child & teen, ask them and ask yourself if there is something that would worry them about taking this step, and if so what is that exactly?, but remember the world and the universe is with you to help you accomplish this things so be brave! Channeled words: oranges, reading to sleep, clear, cooking together, fluorescent adolescencent - artic monkeys, snap out of it-artic monkeys, 7th grade, braids, childhood crush, tom & jerry, painting and wine, Dante, Scouts, England, Concepción.

#pac #pick a pile #pick a card #free tarot readings #magic #magic self

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banditthewriter · 2 years

Text

Close - Geralt of Rivia

Prompter: @dreamcatchernightsky Prompt: Geralt of Rivia, best friends slowly turned to lovers. They always spend time together. Everyone thinks they are together but there both very obvious to it. Slowly they will realise and finally get together. The reader is also a witcher and there going home (kaer morhen) for the winter.

Sorry it's taken me so long to get this. And I'm sorry it's a lot shorter than I said it would be. But here you are! I hope you like it. I changed a few bits but still hope it fits the general bill.

Enjoy!

*gif not mine*

*****

“Catch.”

A dagger came hurtling through the air at you but your hand was faster. You snatched it from the air and quickly brought it down to stab into the wolf that was about to bite down on your ankle. Then you spun around and checked to make sure nothing else was lurking on the edge.

“You’ve gotten better,” Geralt said as he came over, already wiping the blood from his blade.

You glared at him as you held his dagger back out at him.

“Fuck off,” you swore with a roll of your eyes. “I could take you in a fight.”

“We’ll test that at Kaer Morhen and see who wins. Now c’mon, before more comes. We have a ways to go.”

This wasn’t your first time going to Kaer Morhen with Geralt. Although not technically a Witcher yourself, as women weren’t able to be one with how the mutations worked, you had been trained since you were young. The magic that flowed through you was just as twisted and mutated as the experiments that Geralt had gone through so you had that in common. The two of you had bonded when he had found you chained up in the dungeon of the people who had been re-experimenting on you.

It had been fifteen years and the two of you traveled together often. This would only be your third winter at Kaer Morhen though. The first time he’d offered you to join him at his home, you turned him down. The second time, you had your own plans. The third time hadn’t been an offer but a demand. Since then it had become a tradition.

Still, for some reason, you were nervous. Just as you had been the last two times. As if being around his Witcher brethren would make things awkward. Or as if you’d mess up somehow.

It wasn’t like you cared about embarrassing yourself honestly. You didn’t care what people thought about you. You didn’t want to embarrass Geralt in front of the people he considered family.

You climbed back onto your horse and waited for Geralt to mount Roach. He checked on you first and then nodded in the direction the two of you had been heading before the wolves came out of nowhere. Both of you would need to keep your senses open for the time being to make sure there were no other surprises lurking.

Twenty minutes after you set out, Geralt halted Roach. You immediately went into alert, your hand back on your sword.

“We should make camp here.”

That made you turn back to him. He gestured off to the left.

“I’ll check for a spot. Stay here and keep alert.”

He dismounted Roach and handed you the reins. You took it with a dumbfounded look, blinking in surprise down at it. Before you could even ask what he was doing, he disappeared off into the treeline.

Hadn’t he just said that there was still a ways to go to Kaer Morhen? You were pretty sure you knew generally where you were, although it was a new path than where you usually went. You’d started in the east and usually you started in the west.

It was a nice change of pace, seeing new things. Fifteen years traveling off and on with Geralt and you’d seen a lot of new things with Geralt, but you never got tired of it.

It was part of the reason you’d been so hesitant to go to Kaer Morhen in the first place. While you loved spending time with Geralt, being close with him, you knew that getting to see him in a place that he was comfortable and felt safe would be…

Well, a different kind of danger, to be sure.

A few minutes after Geralt disappeared into the darkness, you heard a familiar whistle. You dismounted your horse and led both of them in the direction he had gone. You knew how he liked to pick his camping spots so you knew what to look for. Sure enough, a small clearing with a few large trees, a small creek. He was even working on a fire as you started to tie up the horses.

“Is there a reason we’re making camp? I thought we’d want to ride further before we camped.”

Geralt didn’t even grunt to acknowledge you. You watched the curve of his shoulders as he hunched over the wood that he was trying to light.

You narrowed your eyes and whispered a word, fire jumping from your fingers to the wood. It startled him backwards. He swore a bit and turned to glare at you.

“You going to answer me now or just keep ignoring me?”

The corner of his mouth ticked up and then flattened.

“It’s a long ride. We’ve got time before winter comes in full force. Let’s just…not rush it.”

You watched as he turned to the fire again. Geralt was taciturn at the best of times, but this was something new. You couldn’t pinpoint the turn. Something between the wolf attack and now, but there was nothing.

And you knew you wouldn’t get anything from him tonight. For now you’d leave him be. He’d open up when he was ready. At least you hoped.

------

An arm was wrapped around your midsection. You shuddered into the touch, warmth slowly spreading over you. You tucked your face into the warmth in front of you. Your hands moved up over the thing in front of you, warmth and firmness together. A noise came from your lips as you cuddled in closer.

“Shh, it’s okay,” a rough voice whispered into your hair, “you’ll be okay. I’m going to make sure of that.”

The haze that had settled over you started to shift a bit. Clarity started to poke into the recesses of your mind.

You’d been asleep on your bedroll on the other side of the fire from Geralt like always. You’d woken up at one point to a light drizzle but you’d slept through that before. You thought you remembered thunder as you were drifting back to sleep.

Perhaps the weather had gotten worse. You could hear rain hitting something so perhaps he unrolled a hide over the bedroll to keep you both dry once it started. He’d done it before. This was the first time he’d climbed in with you though. Usually he just made sure you stayed dry and then went to his own bedroll with his cloak.

Your face tucked into his neck, as easily as if you’d done it a million times. He froze for a second but then pulled you in closer to him.

“I’ve got you,” he mumbled into your hair.

Your clothes were wet. His were too. It didn’t bother you though. Instead you just held on and kept your eyes closed tight.

With the sound of the rain in the distance and Geralt’s arms wrapped around you, you held on and let yourself drift back to sleep.

You’d deal with everything in the daylight.

------

There was no more sounds of rain. That was the first thing that you noticed. The second thing was that you were still wrapped up in Geralt’s arms.

Usually in the morning he was the first one up, getting some food and everything ready for the two of you to get back on the road. The sun was shining, you could see through the trees and from the hide that covered the two of you. He should’ve been up and moving a long time before now.

“I didn’t want to wake you.”

You let out a laugh at that. Of course he knew what you were thinking.

“I was sleeping pretty hard apparently. I didn’t even feel you join me, so I doubt I would have noticed you leave.”

“You sure about that?”

He tapped on your hand. You blinked a few times. Then you slowly leaned back and looked down to where your hand was clenched tightly in his cloak.

You tried to unclench your fingers but from the cold in the night, your joints were stuck. You made a noise at the pain and stiffness but he wrapped his hand over yours.

“I’m in no rush.”

That made you pause. It made you pull your head back more so that you could look up and meet his gaze.

Those piercing eyes met yours. Last night he could barely meet your gaze but this morning he refused to look away. You’d known him long enough to know that much. And you weren’t going to look away either.

He could have gotten out of your grip if he wanted to. He could have covered you last night and left you alone. He could have done a lot of things. With winter approaching, he would want to be in Kaer Morhen as soon as possible, but he stopped last night even though he would’ve known a storm was coming. His body was more attuned to the changes in the weather than yours.

Oh.

You used the grip you still had on his cloak to pull him closer to you, leaning in to close the distance as well. Your lips touched his, soft and gentle. In the seconds before you kissed him, you wondered if he would pull away or hesitate, but the moment you kissed him, he was kissing you back. He pulled you closer to him, his body pressed along yours as both of you traded slow lazy kisses.

You pulled back and blinked up at him, a small smile starting to grow on your lips.

“How…why didn’t you say anything?”

Geralt smiled and leaned in to kiss you again. You laughed and kissed him back, your arms going around his shoulders. A rumble in his chest made you pull back to find that he was laughing.

“You know that everyone thinks we were happily in love this whole time, right? Lambert, Eskel, Coen, and Vesemir. Ciri. Jaskier. Yennefer. Everyone.”

As he listed everyone that you knew he considered family, including Yen, you realized what that meant. You laughed and tucked your face into his neck.

“That’s because we have been happily in love this whole time, haven’t we?”

Geralt reached between the two of you and lifted your chin up with one finger to make you look at him. His eyes were soft and gentle. He looked sincere and at ease.

With both of you.

“Of course we have. This has been the longest courting mission anyone has ever undertaken, but I think it’s been worth it.”

You opened your mouth to counter him, but then you snapped it shut. You had no counter to that. Instead you just had happiness.

“We need to get up and moving. We should be getting home for winter,” you said quietly before you leaned in to kiss him again.

His kiss felt so much better with a smile.

Thanks for reading.

#geralt #geralt x reader #geralt imagine #geralt fanfict #geralt of rivia #my writing #request

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madstwd · 2 years

Text

Home at Last

Daryl Dixon x Reader

Warnings: None

Words: 3k

Season: 9 & 10

Hello! I hope you enjoy my first fanfiction of Daryl! Requests are open!

Thank you for reading - Mads :))

Summary: You and Daryl have been together since the start, after Ricks death you both separate. How does it affect your relationship together....

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Watching your brother on that bridge struck harder than any death you had seen, the cries of everyone that loved him seemed to blur as you watched him look at you before falling. All of the communities were grieving in different ways, the people inside them even more so. You, Michonne and Daryl were part of the only few that even believed he was alive. Continuing your search for him everyday before retreating back home crying. You had become numb to almost everything, Aaron the only person noticing helping you through the loss of Rick as he mourned the loss of his love and took care of Gracie.

It wasn't until months later when Daryl moved in the woods that you truly broke. Not knowing what to do without him, you just stayed in your home staring at the colt python Michonne had found on the river bank, it felt wrong seeing it on display and not in his hands. You stared at it every night, angry at how you lost him. With nothing to distract yourself you decided to take on the job of taking care of Negan, the only person in Alexandria that didn't give you side glances at your bloodshot eyes and dark bags. You had found it hard trying to move on, so taking care of Negan bought some form routine. You also placed care packages to your lover outside of the walls, he did everything he could to find Rick and you did everything you could to keep him safe. You remember back to the last time you dropped one off to him:

The weather was harsh tonight, the storm was harsh against Aaron's windows as you hid with him for warmth. You couldn't bear to think of how Daryl was doing outside them. “I need to get to him, at least give him dry clothes and dry everything else please Aaron” you pleaded, Aaron sighed. It was the 5th time you had begged him to go. He nodded, placing Gracie in the cot downstairs before helping you gather everything to give to Daryl. By the time he came out of the kitchen you were already ready to head out the door and face the harsh environment of the storm. “Please be safe” he asked, you nodded, the makeshift mask tied so tightly against your face making it hard to move it. You hugged him before turning and bolting out of the door.

It was difficult traversing through the woods at night, in a storm. But somehow you managed, as if you knew the path off by heart at this point. Over the stormy winds you heard his scream. You started into a sprint, your boots splashing in every puddle. “Daryl” you screeched when you finally saw his camp in the distance. The camp looked as you suspected. Daryl had the Tarpaulin draped over him instead of the shelter he had made which was now crumpled on the floor. He looked up at you, tears streaking down his face. You quickly ran to him, bringing him into a hug. “What’re ya doin ‘ere” he mumbled into your hair. “Helping your sorry ass” you laughed. “Come on let's get this fixed up” you held out your hand as you stood back up. Taking it the two of you quickly went to work putting his shelter back up, both working in complete silence. He thankfully covered his firewood, making a fire was easy now you had enough tarpaulin to make a cover. You both stripped down getting close together under an emergency blanket as the harsh winds began to ease a little bit. He softly kissed the side of your head, “thank you” he mumbled. You looked into his eyes and smiled, turning his face for a kiss. “I can’t lose you not after—, I had to check” you sighed, bringing your eyes back to the dancing flames. “I love you” he whispered. “I can’t leave until I find ‘I’m”

“I understand, thank you”

After that night you went every week, once. Except these few weeks he wasn’t there the packages were still being taken. Since Alexandria went on lockdown, Aaron went with you most of the time. Wanting to escape every once in a while.

The leaves crunched under foot steps, “it’s been a while since I’ve seen him Aaron, he always told me when he would move to a different spot” you sighed, kicking a rock. “How about we have a look after for a while?” He muttered. You nodded. When you came to the spot you found the bag empty yet again. Aaron watched your back as you filled it up, only the sound of laughter filled your ears. A female. You slowly stood up, taking your knife out of its holster. You cocked your head towards the river, motioning to Aaron you were going to check it out. Your movements are almost silent, the sound of a dog barking and water sloshing. However you stopped when you saw a familiar figure...a familiar crossbow. The laugh you heard next confirmed your suspicion. He was there. Alive. In front of you. Your heart stops when you watch the woman walk up to him and lean in, both of them now kissing. The bag slipped out of your grip, now alerting the couple. Aaron dragged you away, wiping the tears you didn’t know had started to dampen your cheeks. You followed behind him, eyes glued to the twigs breaking under your feet.

When the gates came into view, the sky had started to become pink. You heard faint shouting before you both came face to face with angry Michonne, RJ attached to her hip. “Not now Michonne” Aaron whispered before turning back to you. She glanced in your direction, handing RJ to Aaron who silently walked off. “What happened?” She whispered cupping your cheeks gently. “H-he found someone else” you cried, tears already beginning to pool in your eyes. She brought you in a tight embrace as you sobbed.

You decided to stay at Michonne's, not wanting to be alone. “I lost them both” you whispered as she handed you a mug of tea. She sat down next you, bringing you into her shoulder. “He was meant to stay, just looking he said” you sighed bringing the cup to your lips. “I know honey, you got us though. Me, Judith, RJ. We aren’t going anywhere” she said softly.

“I’m scared” you cried.

“Why?” She asked

“I’m pregnant” her eyes widened at your statement. “And it’s his”

Months had past, 9 to be exact and you now had a little girl. New born. She looked exactly like him. Alexandria was still on lockdown but the kingdom was holding a fair. You were practically begging Michonne to go, even Judith was a well. She had just come back from the hilltop taking some newcomers there. Your little girl strapped to your chest when you came up taking Negan his lunch. Even though he caused the war and killed two of your family, you had never been more grateful for him listening to your worries and rambles for 9 months, the least you could do was let him see the little girl once in a while. “Welcome back” you muttered as she brought you into a hug. “Hey you too” she smirked. “How was the trip?” You asked. “Not too bad, nice to see some old faces even though they hate me” she laughed. You laughed with her. “They don’t hate you, just pissed off” you said. She hummed. “Saw carol, she was asking about you, wants to see the baby” she said. You chuckled, “of course she does, does she know whose it is?” you asked. Michonne nodded. “She had a good guess” Her eyes looked down quickly, flashing guilt. “What is it? You got that look on your face” you muttered stopping in your tracks. “He was there ” she said. The plates in your hands dropped, waking up your little girl on your chest. You quickly began to sush her. “He know ?” You asked barely above a whisper. She shook her head, “he will, there was an issue, Jesus died. Some people dressed as walkers showed up. We need you” she said. “I’m not him Michonne, or Carl, or Glenn. I can’t fill Ricks shoes. I just had child, we have a council, let them deal with this” you said sternly. She sighed, as if she expected your answer. “ I love you, like a sister, I need you. Maybe not out there, but around. You will never fill his shoes, I don’t expect you or anyone to. But the name Grimes give people hope, let them remember what we all achieved” she said. You nodded, bending down to pick up the broken plates. Commotion started at the gates, you nodded for Michonne to leave and sort it out. “What am I going to do little

one.” You sighed. Once the larger pieces were picked up you began your journey back to the house, finally happy she was ready to be put down for a nap.

It was around dinner time when you heard a knock on the door, “one second” you shouted, wiping the spices that were on your fingertips on your jeans, before jogging to the door. When you opened it you almost wanted to shut it again. There he stood, in front of you, the first time in months with that shy smile you loved. “Hey” he grunted. His voice making you knees weak all over again, you thought you were over him, you made sure of it. “Hi” you shuddered. You moved aside so you could let him in, “I’m just cooking dinner, do you...uh., want any.” You spoke nervously. He grunted, before shyly nodding. You were unsure on what to do as he stepped inside the house, confused was an understatement. Are you meant to be mad? Do you tell him about the small girl lying in her crib in the other room? His child?

You both quietly moved through the house to the kitchen where you placed an extra set of cutlery on the table for him. “Should be done soon” you stated breaking the silence. He nodded. You gripped the counter tightly, your eyes staring into the pot. “I’m sorry” he said, scaring you. You turned to see him staring at you, “for disappearing. And I know you were there that day, that you saw” he said, lowering his head guilty. You said nothing. “Her dog found me, I was curious. Wanted to make sure she was okay I guess. I moved up stream closer to her. Her dog kept coming back. I kept going to her. I moved into her cabin in the winter. Your letters and parcels kept bringing me back.”

You were stunned, unsure of how to react to what he was hearing, you couldn’t move, or say anything. Your eyes still glued to him, watching, taking in the information he was giving to you. For months you wanted to know why, why he left, where he went. And here you are getting answers weeks after his little girl arrived into this world. “I saw the bag and regretted everything knowing you had seen, later that night she told me to choose. So I left, I couldn’t fail you anymore than I already had. I wandered back to the old spot looking harder than before, except now I had the dog. And I hurt not having you show up anymore, but I understood. Hell I deserved it” he said, his voice breaking. You felt a tear fall on your cheek.

Soft cries broke you from your trance. “Give me a moment” you said, walking out the room to attend to your daughter’s cries. You didn’t expect him to follow, but you should have expected it. You picked her up gently, humming gently like you always did. Her cries stopped when you pressed her against your chest, your heartbeat calming her down. You smiled sweetly at her, her presence grounding you, calming you from her father in the other room. Except he wasn’t in the other room, he was in this one. He stood stunned at the sight he was seeing. You were clutching a small baby, she had a head of brown hair, eyes as blue as his. You turned, jumping slightly seeing him at the door. “She’s yours” you muttered. His eyes widened. “Mine?” He gasped. You nodded, the tears now freely flowing down your face. “I was going to find you that day with Aaron and tell you, when I saw you I had to leave. I couldn’t bring myself to go to you again, soon enough I was too large to go out. I had her about 3 weeks ago” you said. He didn’t say anything, you didn’t expect him to, you just dropped a bigger bombshell than he did to you. The smell of burning caught your attention, you quickly grabbed the smaller cot and took it with you to the kitchen. Daryl watched you run around sorting out the food, after placing her in the cot. He walked over and looked at the small child, his child. She looked just like him, he was stunned. He couldn’t believe he was a father, he still loved you, he knew that much. Leah never felt right, it’s why he left. Not only that he told Rick he would never hurt you, hell he promised Rick he would never hurt you. Yet he did.

“She looks just like you” you spoke as you started to dish up the plates. “I think that was the worst part, just seeing you in her, I won't lie it hurt so much watching it. I was broken for months” you sighed. You set the bowls on the table and Began to eat, trying to ease your nerves from this conversation. “I'm sorry” he muttered again, “Daryl I know. It's in the past, I wish you just came home instead of finding her. Even after you could have helped me and been there I guess. I needed you, you also needed me” you said. You looked him in the eyes as he sat down. Rick’s death not only drove the communities apart but his family. As much as you hated what he did, how you went through birth and a pregnancy alone after seeing him with her you knew you needed him now, you needed him eating dinner everyday with you. His arms around you or holding the small girl. He watched your eyes, mesmerised by them all over again. Confused as to how you were so accepting of this.

“I never named her,” you said, breaking eye contact. “I couldn't, without you, it felt wrong” you said. “Did you have anything in mind?” He muttered, still in shock from all of this. “Robin” you stated. He nodded. “It's nice” he grunted in reply. “And Elizabeth for her middle name like Beth,” you said shyly. He paused and thought, smiling a bit he nodded. “Robin Elizabeth Grimes, sounds nice” he mumbled. “Not quite” you chuckled. He looked up at you confused. “She was a pain in my arse during labour, and kicked me all the time. She ain't no Grimes I'll tell ya that” you laughed. Daryl smiled widely. “Robin Elizabeth Dixon” you said, glancing over to the cot. You stood up and walked over to her, gently taking her in your arms before bringing her back over to Daryl. He looked at you confused, but you just smiled and held out the delicate child. He gently took her, holding her like he would hurt her or someone would take her away. You smiled at the sight, feeling foolish and guilty from leaving him out of this. “I woulda come back if ya told me” he said, not taking his eyes away. “I know, I'm sorry I took this away from you” you sighed.

He held her as you finished eating, she started to stir in his arms. He glanced at you worried he was doing something wrong, you smiled and shook your head before standing up and taking her off him. You walked to the front room where you began to feed her. You could feel Daryl's presence over your shoulder as he watched her feed. Mesmerised by the act. You gestured for him to sit and join you. “Do you have somewhere to sleep for the night?” You asked. He nodded, “Michonne offered me hers, unless ya want me ‘ere” he replied. You nodded. “I’d like that” you said softly.

Soon enough it was time to start to go to bed, robin now soundly asleep in Daryl's arms. You gave him back to her as you both talked over everything, staring on a fresh page. “Let's head to bed” you said standing up. “Sure, where am I sleeping?” He asked. You smiled, “with me? Only if you want to of course, I don't want you to be pressured or any–” your sentence was cut off with his lips against yours. At first you were confused but soon melted into the kiss. “I'd like that” he said as he broke the kiss. You both swiftly got ready for bed, he got in behind you holding you close like he used to, except his arms were more defined, his chest firmer. You curled back into him, relaxing instantly. You wanted this for so long and you finally had it. “I'm staying” was all you heard before sleep finally took over.

You awoke in the night to the cries of Robin, you went to stand up but felt no one next to you. Instead you saw the familiar back already getting the child. Bringing her closer to him as he tried to shush her back to sleep. You smiled at the sight of them, finally happy that this was real and you were all together again. You looked at the night sky, hoping that your brother and nephew were smiling down at you, proud of the family you created. It wasn't long before you felt him slide back in behind you, kissing your shoulder as he laid back down. You smiled quickly, falling back into a slumber happy now and looking forward to the future with your child and Daryl. He was home at last.

#daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl dixon #daryl dixon x y/n #daryl dixon x reader #the walking dead fanfiction #the walking dead x reader

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imaginingmanyfandoms · 3 years

Text

Paul's Lullaby | part one

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"Sam?" Paul was, he was in pain. He respect Sam and Emily's privacy, but he needed to talk to Sam now.

Paul wasn't angry, he was in pain. He felt like the world had opened up and swallowed him whole. He ruined his own life, and he didn't know where else to turn.

"Paul?" Sam asked, opening the door. Emily was behind him, face covered in concern.

"I imprinted tonight," Paul said, "but she hates me. She really, really hates me."

"I'm sure it's nothing you can't fix," Sam said, ushering Emily to come closer.

"Sam, I'm not exaggerating, she told me that she hates me. In fact, she should hate me." Paul looked at his feet, but only to try and hide the distress on his face. "If anyone treated her that way I used to, I'd rip them apart."

"Paul," Emily said, reaching out. Paul flinched back.

"I don't deserve your sympathy. I just, I don't know what to do."

"Be patient. Maybe you just have to prove you're a different man now," Emily offered a sad smile, but it was the exact thing Paul didn't want. He shouldn't pitied, he didn't deserve it. He could feel his heart bruise and falter. He broke his own heart and has no clue on how to fix it.

Emily had to go back to sleep, but Sam sat up with Paul for a while longer.

When Paul finally left, it was almost two in the morning. He took off running through the woods, shifting when he knew he was hidden by the tree line. He tried to outrun the heartbreak, but obviously it didn't work.

You were sitting at your desk, staring at your computer. You wanted to work on your writing, but you were so angry at the audacity that Paul had.

You had done everything you could to avoid him the last couple years - and you managed to make it to the first day of summer after graduation. You'd run into him on the beach.

He was just such a jerk, acting like his words had no effect on anyone. Like he could just laugh behind your back and it wouldn't hurt.

But he used to tell people nasty rumours about you. Until nobody really wanted you around them. And then he had to take it that much farther, when you were both fifteen, he took you on a date, acted like he'd changed and grown. And right before he kissed you he said, "I know you fall for it."

That date alone triggered years of trust issues. You'd felt alone ever since.

Back to the beach, he was blocking the trail you needed to head down to get to work on time. You'd hoped that putting your head down and just trying to slide passed would work, but he recognized you. He tried talking to you, but you ignored him.

After taking a couple steps down the path he said, "don't be like that."

This made you look up, astounded that he would even say something like that. Until you finally looked into his eyes, and you recognized how beautiful he was. He also looked stunned, like he'd run into a glass door. He reached out to you, but recoiled, dodging his touch like he was on fire. Somehow, you'd felt even lonelier than ever.

One look at his face and you felt like you were missing something. You tried to keep your cool but you just couldn't. Tears brimmed at your eyes, and his friend Jared Cameron coughed, before walking to the water just to give you two some space.

"Y/N," he said, his voice low and hesitant. Making you panic, thinking he was toying with you again.

"Stay away from me," you warned, taking a defensive step back.

That hit Paul harder in the heart than you would ever know. His soulmate, his imprint, recoiling away from him defensively. He found the person he was supposed to protect, to be needed by, and you couldn't stand the sight of him.

"Just wait a second," he begged, not moving towards you again. He didn't want to scare you.

"I hate you," you whispered, and then louder said it again. And louder again. Until you had screamed it, and the tears had taken over your cheeks. Every time you said it was an arrow to Paul's heart. He nodded, and let you turn around to run off without another word.

You didn't notice him run into the woods, followed by his friend.

You called work saying you had a personal emergency, and then went back home for the night.

Back in the present, you were tearing up at the memory of it. You were sick, you think. Addicted to red flag behaviour because there was no way you were thinking of Paul's hurt face, and feeling bad for causing it. He should feel bad for all the pain he caused.

You looked at the clock, it was almost three in the morning, but you were too caught up in all your feelings to send yourself to bed. You walked to the window, and noticed some kind of animal by the tree line. You lived in the middle of the woods, in an old cabin your grandma used to live in. You moved in when she got sick but never moved out. You liked it. It was cozy. It was private.

Finally relenting, you crawl into bed and did your best to sleep.

The next day, you were walking along the same path on the beach. You offered to cover the shift of the girl who had covered yours at such last minute.

Paul was in the same spot, but alone this time. You tried to walk passed him without acknowledging him, but something stopped you. You didn't want to see him sad again, it hurt you. And it made no sense why, you'd spent two years hating him.

You were only a few steps passed him, so you turned around, gripping the end of your sweater sleeves in each hand.

Paul had his head down, but looked up when he heard you sigh. You were standing in front of him, looking so terrified to speak to him. Paul could've started crying.

"I'm sorry about yelling at you like that yesterday," you said. "I should've just walked away so... sorry."

"Don't be sorry," he said, a flash of excitement crossed his eyes, and you mistook it for something sinister. You tried to remain calm, but you were feeling lightheaded. You just couldn't trust his motives. "I deserved it."

Now that, threw you for a bit of a loop.

Fool me once, you thought.

"I still think we should just keep our distance," you said. "You kind of broke my heart."

"I'm really sorry about that, I was trying to impress the seniors. I was a tool. An idiot."

"Finally we agree on something," you said. He looked at you, and you both let out a small smile. He pushed some sand with his foot. His bashfulness made you want to believe him. "I work just up the hill. You can walk me if you want."

"Can I walk you home when you're done?" he asked, quickly falling in perfect tandem with you.

"No," you said. "But you can walk with me right now."

"I'll take it," he said.

"Why do you want to talk to me anyway? I thought you hated me," you said.

"I could never hate you," he said. "I do hate how I treated you though. Not my finest hour."

"I think your finest hour remains to be seen."

Paul stayed quiet after that. And you were oddly comfortable in the silence. You're not even sure why you invited him to come along, but some sick part of you wanted him to. You wanted to reach out and touch him. His arms just looked so welcoming, and the way he stretched his hand open and shut made you think he wanted the same thing. But you couldn't let him in, not after one day.

"Have a good shift," he said, putting his hands in his pocket.

You smiled at him ,and thanked him for walking you. When you smiled, he smiled. And you caught onto that.

Paul had been standing in the same spot every day to walk you to work. Out of curiosity, on one of your days off, you snuck close to the spot to see if he was there. And he was, leaning against the same railing, in the same spot that he waited for you everyday.

You got comfortable in a cozy little spot in the trees. You wanted to see how long he waited for you. You dozed off before you could get your question answered.

You woke up hours later, when the sun was already setting. You hated walking through the trees in the dark. You started walking on your own, but you had a bad feeling in the pit of your stomach. So you swallowed your pride and called someone you knew would answer.

Paul was sitting at Sam and Emily's table, enjoying the dinner she made while waiting for his turn to go on patrol. It was Jared and Quil out there now. Paul could hear Seth snoring on the couch, making him laugh. Things that used to annoy him, didn't really seem to annoy him anymore. Not since you started letting him walk you to work. He even got Sam to let him change his patrol times to make sure he could be there every day.

His phone rang, and with a mouthful of food checked the number. He almost chocked on his food when he saw your number. He answered, hitting his chest to dislodge the food.

"Y/N, hi," he said, big grin on his face as he stood up and walked outside. Behind his back, Emily and Sam shared a knowing look, and he leaned in to kiss his wife.

Paul noticed Jared sitting nearby with Kim, and didn't think too much of it with you on the line.

"This may sound stupid," you said, "but can you walk me home? I don't like to go in the dark."

"You never let me walk you home," he said.

"If this is a bad time, it's okay," you said, disappointment clear in your voice.

"No, no... where are you? I'll be right there." He stepped back inside the house to grab his shoes, but the sound of you gasping stalled his movements.

"I'm by our meeting spot," you said. His grin returned when you called it that. "It's so dumb, I wanted to see if you went there when I didn't work and fell asleep."

"You were spying on me?" he asked. You were silent on the other end and he laughed. "I'll be right there."

"Who are you?" you asked.

"Huh?"

He heard you scream, as did Sam and Emily who's cheeky glances turned to concern quickly. "Y/N?" he asked, panicked. He was already running outside, Sam on his heals.

"Jared!" Sam shouted, "Why aren't you on patrol?"

"Seth said he'd do it!" Jared yelled back. Paul dropped his phone, and shifted, running top speeds to where you said you were.

Never in his whole life had he been this scared. He could hear Jared apologizing for the mixup in his thoughts, but Paul didn't really care what he had to say. If you were hurt, Paul would die. Paul would simply die.

He needed you to be there safe.

I knew something was wrong, Embry thought. Paul didn't even see him show up. Sorry I didn't act on it.

Shut the shit up and run, dammit!

When he got to the meeting point, you were gone, but your bag was abandoned nearby. Paul sniffed it, getting your current scent memorized. He took off when he found the trail. He also smelled a retched, filthy bloodsucker. It wasn't one of the Cullens. No, this was different. And it started at the water, that's how it got passed their lines. Not that they had enough people around.

Paul howled, the pain in it was evident for anyone around. It was him saying get here, or suffer the consequences.

I don't smell their blood, Jared thought.

You don't get to talk about them. This anger didn't derive from a bad temper, it was fear. It was just fear talking.

Paul kept running, catching a fork in the scent trails. One way was Quil, Leah and the bloodsucker. And the other was you, all alone. Alone but alive. If he couldn't hear Leah or Quil think, that was a good sign. Meant that they'd changed back, and Leah would never do that unless she killed them.

Go to her, we'll find Leah. Sam nodded at Paul.

You were crying as you ran, clumsy feet stumbling over tree roots and your own blurred vision totally betrayed you. Someone had come out of the water, eyes red like rubies. And they were so pretty that you just had to look at her. Until the showed her teeth, forcing you to flee in fear. She was faster than you, but you think she was playing with you.

And then if that wasn't scary enough, when she was jumping down from a tree to kill you, a wolf jumped from the shadows and grabbed the woman. And it was her turn to flee. Another wolf jumped out, and you were sure you were a goner.

But it just chased after the other two. Leaving you alone and confused.

You stumbled back to your feet, running as fast as you could towards your cabin. You would be safe in there. Maybe. It was the best you could do right now.

You cried harder when you thought you heard more rustling in the trees. You were at your door, struggling to get your keys out and unlock the door. When you did, you slammed it shut and locked it behind you. You dove over the sofa and kept your eyes on the door, as if that's all it took to keep you safe.

Your phone was lost somewhere in the woods, but you could still hear them. Out there. Maybe it wasn't real.

There was a feverish knocking on your door, and you couldn't peel yourself away from the couch.

"Y/N! Are you in there," Paul shouted. Oh my God, thank everything, it's Paul.

"Paul, I'm coming," you struggled, fighting through your tears to answer. It killed him, but he was so happy you were okay.

You opened the door, and cried even harder when you saw his face. You couldn't hate him now, now when he came running for you. He ignored his usual boundaries and pulled you in for a hug. He was so warm wrapped around you. Your arms were still tucked into your chest. And his totally encompassed you.

"Just breath, honey," he said, rubbing his hand up and down your back. You tried to take his advice, but you couldn't focus.

"You came for me."

"I always will, you can always call me. I will always come running," he said. And you believed him.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" you asked, pushing yourself away from him enough to look up at his face. His features were uncharacteristically soft as they looked down at you.

"Of course," he said. He kissed your forehead, and you felt the instinct of pushing him away - but you ignored it this time.

"On the couch," you said.

"Sure, honey." He brushed his hands up and down your biceps, helping you take a few deep breaths. "I'm not going anywhere, don't worry."

"I don't understand what happened," you said, pushing yourself away from him. "She came out of the water, and then she..."

"It's okay," he cooed, "you don't have to say anything."

"And this doesn't change anything," you said. "I trust you with some things but not other things."

"Some things?" he asked, more amused than anything.

"I trust you with my life, not my heart."

"We'll work on it," he said, pulling you in close for another hug.

"Yeah," you agreed. "We'll work on it."

[requested] [part 2?]

I kind of love this?

#imagine #imagines #paul lahote #paul lahote imagine #paul lahote imagines #twilight #twilight imagine #twilight imagines #part 2

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