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pretentious-blonde · 5 months ago

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jealous much?

pairing: steve harrington x reader

summary: steve may not be the jealous type, but when he sees someone else eyeing his girl, he’s more than happy to remind you exactly who takes care of you the best

warnings: 18+ this is smut, filth with feelings, depictions of sex, p in v, fingering, manhandling, steve being a cocky little shit, lots and lots of aftercare because how could i not???

a/n: to the anon(s) that told me they wanted steve to be a bit harsher, i gotchu <3 pt. 6 but can be read as a standalone!!

series masterlist

Steve’s bedroom was always comfortably cluttered—movie tickets scattered on the nightstand, a lone shirt draped over the desk chair, and a rumpled blanket that smelled faintly of his cologne. You loved it here. Loved being with him here. The two of you were sprawled across his bed, legs tangled, currently discussing the goings-on with the people in Hawkins.

He always had a soft spot for scandal, unable to shake his love for idle gossip. He kept up with every whisper in the school hallways—a habit that only worsened once he gained access to the town’s personal archive of movie choices.

Dangerous information for him to have, truly.

“You should’ve seen what Keith has been checking out lately,” he said, propping himself up on his elbow, eyes bright. “Nothing but straight rom-coms. He thinks we don’t notice—‘cause, y’know, he does it on his own time—but Rob went snooping through the store’s computer system.”

“No way. Keith?” You snorted. “I thought he was into those art-house horror flicks or those silent German ones.”

“Right?” Steve agreed with a dramatic roll of his eyes. “We’re putting money on him having a girlfriend. That would explain why he’s been giving us both more hours lately—guy’s gotta prioritise his love-life, you know?”

“Huh,” you mused, nudging his knee with yours. “So he finally snagged a girl?”

“That’s the theory,” he affirmed, voice dropping conspiratorially. “Now we just gotta figure out who it is. Or corner him into telling us.”

You giggled, leaning your head against his shoulder. “Well, I’m sure that won’t take long. Keith has never been good at subtlety.”

“Kinda jealous he’s the one who arranges the schedule, though.” He hummed, shifting closer until you could feel the warmth of his breath on your hair. “Means I gotta argue with him if I want a full weekend off.”

“You poor thing,” you teased, tapping his chest. “I can always come hang out if you get stuck working. Keep you company.”

He brightened. “Yeah?”

“Totally,” you said smiling. “I don’t mind. I'm very entertaining.”

“Well, does that mean when I get a weekday off, I can come crash your work?” he asked, waggling his brows. “I look great in a tie.”

You eyed him skeptically, but there was no denying he’d look downright mouthwatering in a suit. All done up, weaving through your office like he owned the place—it made your insides curl.

He’d probably climb the ladder faster than you, effortlessly charming his way to the top. It was unfair how charismatic he could be, even without trying.

“I wish you could.” You groan, getting your mind out of the gutter. “It’d make the day go so much faster.”

"I’d be the perfect intern," he agreed, "I could grab the coffee for a change—plus,” a playful smile tugs at his lips as he gazes down at you, “I already know exactly how you like it."

You laughed, then shrugged. “Actually, you wouldn’t have to run for coffee now. We got a new hire last week—Ryan, I think his name is? He’s younger, maybe by a year or so, but super eager. I’ve been showing him around, finally getting some of the stress off my plate.”

His expression changed with a touch of curiosity or perhaps just a pang of protectiveness—but it settled quickly into genuine affection. He reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair away from your face.

“You looking out for him, angel?”

“Yeah—well, I mean—” A flush crept up your cheeks. “I would’ve liked if someone had done that for me when I started, you know? Don’t want him to feel overwhelmed by everything.”

He almost melted as those words left your lips, loving the flustered look on your face when he praised you.

God, you’re too sweet for your own good sometimes.

You snuggled closer and let out a yawn, feeling his arm tighten around you in a gentle hug as you hid your face in his chest.

“Alright,” he said, clearing his throat as he glanced at the clock on his desk. “Come on sleepyhead. You’ve got an early morning, gotta get some rest."

You groaned dramatically. “Ugh, don’t remind me.”

“Hey,” he offered with a warm smile, “want me to drive you? I’ve got tomorrow off so it’s really no trouble.”

“Honestly, it’s fine.” You shook your head tiredly. “Have a lie-in for once, you deserve it. Besides, you’re picking me up after work anyway, right?”

A lazy, content grin spread across his face.

“Yeah, yeah. Alright,” he murmured, leaning in to kiss you—slow and sweet. “Come on, sweetheart. Bedtime.”

Steve insisted on seeing you off that morning, even when you tried to do the nice thing and let him sleep in.

He woke up with you anyway. It baffled you how he could sleep through his own alarm but miraculously rise at the first buzz of yours. Even when you tried to turn it off and sneakily creep around his room without rousing him, your efforts were futile.

He followed you downstairs and sipped the coffee he brewed for you both at the kitchen counter, watching while you tugged on your office blazer, making sure your hair was just right in the reflection of the hall mirror.

It made him grin stupidly, watching you hustle around in your formal attire—his career girl.

He couldn’t help himself. He’d pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead at his doorstep before you left, telling you to “knock ‘em dead.” Which earned him a huff from you.

He was far too corny in the morning for your liking.

Only when your car was out of sight did he head back inside, now all glum that he had to entertain himself for the rest of the day.

He spent his time alone doing errands—laundry, a quick trip to the grocery store, all while counting down the hours till he could swing by your office.

It wasn’t pathetic, but he’d be the first to admit he was maybe a little too eager. Then again, he’d found his person, and he figured it wasn’t a crime to want every spare minute with you.

When the time finally came, he pulled up outside the Hawkins Post, scanning the pavement for your familiar silhouette.

He spotted you laughing with someone—the new hire, must be, he deduced as he took in the guy’s slightly younger appearance and the way he stood just a bit too close to you for his liking. His fingers tightened around the steering wheel as he examined him further.

Great. Of course he’s hot.

You glanced up just then, beaming at the sight of the familiar BMW. After a quick word to your coworker—who, he noted—looked decidedly unhappy as he caught Steve’s eye.

You bounded over to the passenger seat as he gave the guy a little wave, more smug than polite, and felt a twist of satisfaction when the guy’s scowl deepened.

You slid into the seat, barely getting the door shut before he leaned in over the console to kiss you—deep and warm, with a hint of urgency that made your pulse skip. You let out a surprised hum but quickly relaxed into it, hand coming up to rest on his cheek.

“What was that for?” You pulled back, blinking at him.

He shrugged, eyes flicking past you to the figure still hovering on the pavement.

“Nothing,” he said, casual as can be. “Just missed you, that’s all.”

He caught your colleague staring and resisted the urge to smirk openly.

Gotcha.

You huffed a playful laugh, still a little breathless. “Well, I’m not complaining.”

“Ready to go?” Steve asked, turning the key in the ignition. You nodded, and he eased the car into the street. “Oh—there are M&Ms in the glove box. Grabbed 'em for you.” He added, remembering picking them up at the store earlier. Knowing you’d appreciate it.

“Ugh, you’re the best, you know that?” you said, popping open the compartment and grabbing the bag, eagerly tearing through the plastic.

He glanced sideways, a small, satisfied grin tugging at his lips. Holding out his hand, he waited as you handed him a few—only fair, after all.

Because, yeah, he is the best.

Damn right.

And he’s glad you think so too.

Dinner had wrapped up at your flat, the remnants of takeaway containers still on the coffee table, but neither of you paid them much mind. You were curled up with him on the couch, your legs draped over his lap as you recounted every last detail of your day—he hung onto each word like it was the most important news in the world.

Well, more important to him than the news you printed, anyway.

“And,” you said, voice cracking with excitement, “they’re finally letting me write my own story! The whole thing, just me.”

His grin was instant, radiant enough to outshine the lamp in the corner. Pure happiness poured from him as he watched you speak, your joy lighting up the room.

There wasn’t a trace of resentment—just pride, just excitement, just you.

He was every bit as thrilled as you were, because he knew how hard you’d worked to get here. And now, seeing it all finally pay off, he couldn’t have been prouder of you.

“That’s incredible, honey,” he said truthfully. “Seriously, can’t wait to read it. What’s it gonna be about?”

You shrugged, flustered and thrilled all at once. “I have so many ideas—I haven’t decided yet.”

“Well, whatever you choose, I’m first in line for a sneak peek.” He draped an arm behind you on the couch, giving you a playful nudge. “You gonna let me see the first draft?”

“Nope.” You snorted. “You have to wait until it’s printed, just like everyone else. No boyfriend privileges here.”

“What?” He let out a mock-offended huff. “I’m supposed to wait for the issue like the rest of town? Come on you gotta give me, like, a preview or something.”

“Alright, alright,” you conceded, stifling a laugh at his dramatic pout. “Let me get changed first, and then maybe we can brainstorm together, okay?”

He leaned back, playful grin returning. “But I like the corporate look.”

“Yeah, well, now you get the pajama look,” you countered, sticking your tongue out as you got up.

He watched you walk off, fondness swelling in his chest. He’d never get tired of that view—hair done up from a day at the office, blouse slightly rumpled from a long day’s work.

You disappeared into your bedroom, leaving him alone on the couch. He let out a contented sigh, kicking his feet up on the coffee table.

With a lazy flick of the remote, he turned up the volume on the TV, barely sparing it a glance. What you wore didn’t matter to him—truth be told, he loved you just as much in cosy attire as in your best dressed-up look.

Comfort suited you, and therefore suited him just fine.

Not even a minute after your departure, the phone rang—a jarring, tinny sound that made him glance over his shoulder. It only rang twice before he heard your cheerful voice answer in the bedroom.

His ears perked up. He couldn’t help it—he was nosey.

Sue him.

Muting the TV, he angled his head to listen, as your muffled giggle drifted through the space.

“No, seriously, don’t worry about it,” you said. “He doesn’t need it until Monday—promise.”

He rose from the couch, moving quietly toward your slightly ajar door. He caught a glimpse of you standing by your chest of drawers, one hand on your hip, the other clutching the receiver. He couldn’t quite make out every expression with your back turned, but your tone was friendly, warm, comfortable.

An unwelcome pang of jealousy flared in his chest, though he quickly reminded himself that you love him, you’ve talked about this, he trusts you.

Still, he couldn’t resist sidling closer.

“Yeah, don’t listen to what he said,” you continued, your tone soothing. “He’s all talk, trust me.”

He inched into the room, sliding his arms around your waist from behind and nuzzling his face against your neck. Your skin was still warm and you let out a tiny squeak of surprise, but you didn’t pull away. Instead, you leaned into him.

He inched down to whisper in your free ear, low and soft.

“Who is it?”

Turning to him, you quickly covered the receiver with your palm. “Ryan,” you mouthed.

Ryan. Right. Great.

He rolled his eyes a little, then brushed a slow kiss on the side of your neck.

“Call him tomorrow, sweetheart,” he murmured, voice playful but filled with an undercurrent of impatience.

You already spent the whole day with the guy, and now he's calling you? Even when he saw him pick you up? It didn’t take a genius to figure out you had other plans, and the thought nudged at him uncomfortably.

You shook your head in exasperation, though you were smiling. He continued to nuzzle you, pressing you gently forward until your back arched at the contact.

“Leave work at the door,” he teased, fingers pressing slightly into your waist.

You exhaled a soft laugh and brought the phone back to your ear. “Hey, Ryan? I’ll, uh, I’ll just swing by the office a bit earlier tomorrow if you need anything else, okay? … Yeah, no worries, meet you outside. Bye.”

You placed the handset back in the cradle and turned fully to face your boyfriend, still in your work clothes, not yet changed.

Crossing your arms, you fixed him with a look, and he couldn’t help but smirk, already anticipating the playful scolding coming his way. But all he could focus on was you—standing there in your blouse and slacks, looking far too damn sweet for him to take even the slightest bit seriously.

“Feeling needy, huh?” you asked, tilting your head.

He let out an incredulous huff, the corner of his mouth tugging upward.

“What? Couldn’t he have waited till tomorrow? I mean… come on. He could have talked to you anytime today.”

You shrugged. “I did tell him he could call if he had any questions.”

He snorted, stepping closer, fingers trailing gently along your waist.

“Questions, huh?”

“Questions,” you confirmed, heart skipping a beat at the intent look in his eyes.

His touch lingered, a tiny spark of possessiveness flickering behind his eyes. Then the realisation seemed to strike. You saw it—the slight tightening of his jaw, the faint furrow between his brows. It made you bite your cheek to stop from letting a giggle slip.

“Wait a second,” you said, holding back a smile. “Steve, are you… are you jealous?”

“What? No.” He shifted, clearing his throat. “Absolutely not.”

“You so are,” you pressed, delighting in the way his nose scrunched ever so slightly.

“Sweetheart,” he warned, voice dipping lower, “I’m not.”

You only giggled, emboldened by the rosy flush creeping into his cheeks, wanting to push his buttons just a little.

“Aw, you think I’d ever pick him over you?”

Something sparked in his eyes, a confident glint that made your stomach flutter.

“Oh, honey,” he purred, “I know you wouldn’t pick him over me.”

You couldn’t resist teasing him one step further.

“Oh, well…” you sighed, letting the words trail with a mischievous lilt, “I’m not quite sure. I mean, he knows my coffee order too, you know.”

The air shifted—his hand slid up your torso in one smooth motion, fingertips barely brushing the exposed skin of your collarbone before settling at the base of your throat.

His palm rested there, thumb gently grazing your quickening heartbeat as he angled your chin up to face him.

“You wanna finish that thought, sweetheart?” he murmured, voice low enough to send a tremor through you.

You swallowed, a sudden dryness in your throat. He smirked, clearly relishing your hesitation.

“Didn’t think so,” he whispered, brushing his lips fleetingly against the corner of your mouth before pulling back.

Your heart pounded, body already hyper-aware of each place he touched you. You wondered if he could feel the way your pulse had sped up beneath his hand—because from the triumphant gleam in his eye, it was clear he knew precisely what kind of effect he had on you.

When his fingers trailed beneath your collar again, you shivered, and the reaction only seemed to spur him on.

“Think I’m jealous, baby?” His mouth hovered just above yours, teasing, refusing to close the distance.

When you leaned in, he pushed back just enough to make you wait, to make you listen.

"Need me to show you how well I take care of you?” His other palm slid against your lower back, holding you flush against him. “Can’t have you forgetting, can we?"

The way he was looking at you, like he dared you to argue.

His eyes were locked on yours, hungry and unapologetically smug, as he backed you against the counter. Waiting for the subtle nod of your head to tell him to continue.

His fingers fiddled with the button of your trousers, and you could practically feel his heart racing in sync with your own.

“H-haven’t forgotten,” you managed to stutter out, trying to sound more confident than you felt.

He cocked a brow as he paused his motions, leaning in until his breath fanned over your lips.

“You sure? The way you were talking—almost like you need a reminder.” A slow, dangerous smile tugged at his mouth. “And you know how much I love proving my point.”

You swallowed hard. You did know—Steve was stubborn as hell, and once he made up his mind, there was no talking him down.

You’d learned that the very first time you hung out with him—he spent a whole hour building you that damned bookshelf that was wedged in the corner of your living room, refusing to even let you help him carry it up the stairs. All in an effort to prove himself to you.

And by the way he was acting, he was determined to prove himself again.

“Say the word, baby, and I’ll stop.” He tells you earnestly, as his brown eyes search your face.

He would stop in an instant if you told him to, but the way you're looking at him tells him you won’t. Something tells him that you want him to show you how good he can make you feel.

And Steve?

Well, Steve never backed down from a challenge.

You let out a shaky exhale, no response forming except the pleading expression you're giving him. A small, triumphant noise rumbled in his throat. Your slacks and underwear hit the floor, and in one swift motion, he coaxed you against the side of the counter, broad hands splaying over your hips.

He brushed his hand against you slowly, cautiously, fingers gliding against your core and making your knees threaten to buckle.

“Already?” His tone was low, teasing, right at your ear as his fingers entered you with a lewd, wet sound. “You’re shaking, baby. Maybe I have been neglecting you.”

“Please,” you whimpered after a moment, overwhelmed by how slow and teasing he was moving—he wasn’t normally quite so unhurried with the foreplay.

Steve usually never made you beg for anything.

He let out a soft chuckle, pressing a slow, teasing kiss to the side of your neck. Clearly, he was enjoying this—relishing the way your hands pawed at his shoulders, desperate, pleading for more. For him to stop playing and just give in.

“Shhh, I’ll take care of you, alright?” His fingers moved with agonising precision. “So sensitive—so sweet for me”

Your breathing stuttered; the sensations bloomed hot and electric with every brush of his fingers. But his mouth kept going, sliding into that cocky territory he owned so well.

“Bet he wouldn’t even know where to start with you,” he murmured, voice laced with pride. "Wouldn’t even know how fucking beautiful you sound when you—" his thumb pressed hard against your clit, dragging a desperate, wrecked moan from your lips, “—fuck yourself on my fingers.”

You could tell he was on a roll, completely caught up in the moment, but you mustered the courage to speak anyway.

Feeling bold, you forced a small smirk, even as your body threatened to betray you. You’d never seen him this pent up before—this utterly consumed—and the sheer thrill of it sent a sharp, electric spark through you.

Curiosity burned—just how far could you push him?

“O-oh, I don’t know—” you managed to choke out, stepping on dangerous territory. “He’s a keen learner…”

So that’s how it’s gonna be, huh?

Everything stopped—his fingers, his breath, the push of his body against yours. He stilled, letting a harsh exhale flare his nostrils.

Then a dark, knowing laugh bubbled out of him as he lifted his head to look at you—really look at you. You caught a glimpse of his determined face, before all composure snapped.

Now he really had something to prove.

“Fuck, angel,” he groaned, voice taking on a frustrated edge. “You just don’t know when to stop—do you?”

Before you could react, he flipped you around and pushed your hips down against the dresser with a firm grip. The wood pressed into your stomach, your palms splayed on either side as he molded himself to your back.

He cupped your jaw from behind and you gasped at the harshness of his grip, every nerve alive. His teeth found your shoulder, biting just enough to blur the line between pleasure and pain.

You let out a sharp cry, and he swallowed it with a low groan. Running his tongue against the dull ache as a gentle apology.

“One of these days," he muttered, "that smart mouth of yours is gonna get you in trouble—” you could feel his breath, hot and ragged, “—lucky for you, I’m the one who gets to teach it a lesson.”

His words send shivers across your skin and you tried to twist in his grip.

“Oh no, you don’t,” he chided as you tried to squirm, pressing against you back as he stilled your movements. “Stay.”

He placed one strong palm between your shoulder blades, guiding you lower, til your chest made contact with the wooden surface. Keeping you where he wanted you.

He wasn’t pushing, wasn’t forcing—just holding you there, making sure you felt him, making sure you knew exactly how this was going to go.

Your legs stumbled as you adjusted to the position, and he just laughed, sliding his fingers inside you once more, coaxing the most desperate little noises from your lips.

“Say my name, angel,” he demanded, that infuriating confidence dripping from every syllable.

“S-Steve,” you whimpered, voice barely recognisable to your own ears.

“Good,” he praised, dipping his head to kiss along your shoulder, fingers hitting that sweet spot inside that he knew drives you wild. “Want it to be the only thing in your head, okay?”

You moaned out his name once more, and he hummed with approval.

“That’s right." He cooed. "You're a fast learner, baby.”

He pulled away momentarily and you whined at the loss of contact, until you heard the metallic rasp of his zipper. He was right back against you, pressing his length along you with a low moan.

"You feel that?" he murmured, voice thick with need as he pressed against you, rolling his hips in a slow, deliberate grind. The friction sent sparks through your core, pulling a soft gasp from your lips. His grip tightened, fingers digging in just enough to make you shiver. "You're soaked, sweetheart."

He didn’t want to wait—couldn’t wait. He needed to prove it to you, needed you to understand just how much he could give you. Just how much he deserved you.

You tried to speak, but your voice came out ragged. Then, mercifully, he pushed inside—slow enough to let you feel every inch. The stretch pulled a drawn-out, trembling whine from your chest.

“Ah, fuck—.” His own voice cracked, hips snapping forward as though he couldn’t possibly wait another second. “That’s it—see how good that feels?—pussy was made for me. Ain't that right, angel?”

You only mewled in response as he settled into a driving rhythm, each thrust pushing you into the surface, bullying his cock deeper and deeper inside.

He wrapped a hand against the back of your neck, keeping you pinned where he could use you, pressing hot kisses along your shoulders when you cried out. It was music to his ears as he continued his relentless pace.

Normally he was gentler, but now, he was done holding back. The litany pouring from his mouth was shameless, full of desire and unfiltered possessiveness.

“Should’ve kept him on that damn phone—” he rasped against your neck, each word punctuated by a thrust. “Should’ve made him listen to how you sound—‘cause that’s the closest he’s ever gonna get to having you like this—”

Your walls tightened around him as his words poured over you, and he noticed—of course he noticed. He drank in every tremor, every flutter of your pussy, letting out a breathless laugh tinged with disbelief as he felt you squeeze him deeper at his teasing remarks.

"You like that?—really?" He let out an amused chuckle at the new information. “Shit—never knew how filthy you were, baby.”

The way you gripped his length, pulling him deeper, the sinful sounds spilling from your lips—he knew he was giving you both. Worship and destruction.

And fuck, you loved it.

You dragged your nails across the dresser’s surface, searching for an anchor in the storm of sensation. His hand slid over yours, fingers lacing as he drove into you, relentless.

“Too fucking bad he’s never gonna see how pretty you look when you're fucked dumb,” he whispered, leaning in to kiss the side of your neck, his hot breath sending shivers down your spine. "That's just for me."

You felt your composure slipping, your body teetering on the edge. Your head rolled to the side, a broken string of words escaping.

“Steve, please—” spilled from your lips, but you weren’t even sure what you were begging for at this point.

He tangled his fingers in your hair, pulling you upright just enough so he could whisper directly into your ear. The pain was delicious as you arched against him, lungs gasping for air as he continued to spill every dirty thought he had.

"It's alright sweetheart—I’ll give you what you need. Just look at you—can’t even think straight." A soft, desperate moan tore from your throat as his mouth continued to run. "Just falling apart on my cock, letting me fuck every last thought out of that pretty head of yours."

His pace quickened, your body overwhelmed with the slide of him inside your walls, the heat of his skin, the possessive timbre in every word he rasped into your ear.

"But you know what you will remember?" he purred, teeth grazing the shell of your ear. "Every time you see him, you’ll remember how I had you bent in half, screaming my name—not his." He let you fall back onto the dresser, firm grip returning to your shoulder. "I want this burned into you, baby. So every fucking time you even look at him, all you can think about is me stretching you open—ruining you for anyone else."

Fuck, you knew Steve was loose-lipped in bed, but this was something else entirely.

He wasn’t making love to you—he was fucking you. Hard. Rough. Saying whatever filthy thing came to mind without a second thought.

You wished you could throw back a sly quip, but at this pace? You could barely breathe, let alone speak.

Not that it would matter—he wouldn’t give you the chance.

Your moans rose in pitch, matching the mounting tension in your core, and he groaned, voice unraveling into something so heady it almost vibrated through you.

"I—fuck—I want you feeling me tomorrow, sweetheart—want every step you take to remind you exactly what’s waiting for you when you come home." He thrust sharply, greeted with the cry that tore from your lips. "‘Cause, baby, I’ve got no problem bending you over like this again and again—’til the lesson sticks—"

That final promise was all you needed—you came hard, a wave of ecstasy rolling through you as your body clenched around him. Your cry echoed in the small space, and you felt his grip falter as he groaned your name, riding the crest of your climax.

“Fuck, baby—that’s it,” he choked out, thrusts turning erratic. “So good for me, taking me so—”

Then he followed you over the edge, hips snapping one last time before his body seized. You felt his breath come in ragged pants against your neck, his chest pressed to your back. Every muscle in him went taut, then slack, as he let out a deep, guttural moan of satisfaction.

Your name fell from his lips in a trembling exhale, and for a moment, neither of you moved—both lost in the aftermath, hearts hammering in sync.

He held you for a beat longer, both of you still catching your breath. Your body trembled against the wood, and as he finally pulled out, he stayed close—almost reluctant to let you go.

But as he pulled away brushing a knuckle over your spine, guilt crept into his eyes the moment he took in your shaky form.

“Ah—shit” he murmured, voice low. “Hey, sweetheart, you with me?”

You nodded weakly, turning your head and giving him the smallest smile of reassurance, but he still frowned in concern. Maybe he'd gone overboard.

“Yeah… all right. Can you stand?”

“I—I think so,” you managed breathily.

“Okay,” he whispered, guiding you upright with one gentle arm around your waist. Once he was sure you weren’t going to topple over, he bent down to scoop up your trousers and set them aside. You’d probably complain if they got creased—more creased than they were. Though, that wasn’t his number one priority right now.

You noticed the way his forehead furrowed in worry as he led you to the bed, helping you settle against the duvet. He slid in behind you, propping himself against the headboard so you could rest in his lap.

Your hands trembled a bit from aftershocks—adrenaline still coursing through your veins. He felt it, too, and his anxious expression only deepened.

He tucked a piece of hair behind your ear, pressing a soft kiss to the crown of your head.

“Hey, angel?” His voice was gentle, coaxing, as he sought your eyes. “Can you look at me for a sec?”

You tilted your head back to meet his worried gaze, your cheeks still flushed and eyes glazed with the rush of it all. His own eyes flickered over your messy hair, the light smudges of your makeup, and your rumpled work shirt. Guilt pinched at his features.

“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” His words tumbled out in a rush. “I’m sorry if I got carried away. I just—just got caught up in everything, and you—”

You let out a soft chuckle, lifting a hand to cover his mouth gently.

God, he’s adorable when he’s fussing over you.

“Steve,” you said softly, watching him go silent. “You didn’t hurt me. I promise.”

He still looked unconvinced. “You’re just saying that.”

“No, I'm not,” you replied, smoothing your thumb over the swell of his bottom lip. “I’m really, really good. Better than good.”

He cupped your face gently, thumb brushing soft circles into your cheek, eyes flicking between yours as if searching for any sign of discomfort.

“Didn’t mean to be so rough,” he murmured, voice laced with concern. "Should've been more gentle with you, angel."

You were still quivering in his lap, body still sensitive. He was torn between holding you tighter against him, or letting you breathe.

You leaned forward after sensing his hesitation, brushing a soft kiss to his jaw, you make the decision for him.

“I loved it." You tell him truthfully. "I love you.”

He exhaled a shaky breath, hands finding your hips and holding you there. His warmth seeped into you through the fabric of your rumpled work shirt.

You loved him.

No matter how many times the words left your lips, it still made his chest ache.

"Love you too," he murmurs, eyes avoiding yours as they dart to his lap. "Just... don't want you thinking I, like, lost control or something." He looks up at you sheepishly. "Never want to hurt you."

“I know that.” You rested your palm against his jaw, the intimacy of the moment made your heart flutter. “I trust you. And if it was too much, I’d tell you.”

He stared at you for a moment, brow furrowed in uncertainty. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

A long exhale left him, relief slumping his shoulders.

“Thank God.” He leaned forward to rest his forehead gently against yours.

“But… you’re probably right.” You managed a playful smile as his eyes snapped to yours. “I’m definitely going to feel it tomorrow.”

A rosy flush bloomed across his face, and he buried it against your neck with a half-embarrassed groan. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” You gave a teasing shrug, ignoring the dull ache that made itself known the second you moved your hips. “You might’ve had a point, too.”

“Yeah?” he asked, lifting his head, curiosity flickering in his eyes.

A teasing grin curled your lips. “You are kinda hot when you’re jealous.”

“Oh, God, don’t say that.” He winced exaggeratedly, making you laugh. “You’ll give me a complex or something.”

You laughed again, and he couldn’t help smiling back, brushing his nose against your cheek in a moment of affection.

“But, I mean, are you feeling jealous?” You asked him with full seriousness. “Because if you are, you can talk to me about it.”

He swallowed, his grip loosening slightly as his eyes softened, realisation settling deep in his chest.

You cared. So much. He thought about it for a brief moment—was he really jealous?

But then he looked at you, all concerned in his arms. The way you gazed at him, unwavering and sure, the way you had trusted him completely not five minutes ago, letting him take control, letting him have you.

It was all the answer he needed.

There was no room for doubt, no reason for insecurity. You were his—entirely his—and he knew it.

“No,” he finally said, voice gentle. “’M not jealous. Not really. I just—I don't know—wanted to make my girl feel good.” His lips quirked up in a small, sheepish grin. “And I guess I wanted to remind you who you’ve got waiting when you clock out.”

You leaned up to plant a reassuring kiss on his jaw. “Well, message received,” you teased, drawing a chuckle from him.

Steve glanced down at your blouse, still haphazardly half-done-up, and your bare legs still shaking.

“Let’s get you cleaned up, yeah? I kinda distracted you from changing.”

“You definitely did.” You smile softly as he gets up, offering you his hand to stand.

“C’mon, let’s get a bath running.” He tells you as he cocks his head towards the door.

He guides you to the bathroom, flicking on the light and starting the taps. As water rushed into the tub, he helped you out of your disheveled work shirt, eyes flicking appreciatively across your skin. Gently, he traced a thumb over a reddening mark on your neck where he’d bitten down. A pang of guilt made his eyes tighten.

“Sorry about that,” he whispered, pressing a featherlight kiss over the mark. “Got carried away.”

You rolled your eyes, fighting a grin. “Hey, you got what you wanted, didn’t you? Everyone to know I’m yours?”

“Yeah,” a bashful smile tugged at his lips. “I did.”

Once the bath was ready, you both climbed in. The warm water soothed the lingering tension in your muscles, and you leaned back against his chest with a contented sigh. His arms draped loosely around your middle, fingers stroking lazy shapes over your skin.

“So,” he spoke up after a moment, lips brushing your ear. “you wanna brainstorm those ideas for your article now, Miss Journalist?”

You chuckled, letting your head fall back onto his shoulder. “Oh, now you’re interested in my writing process?”

“Course I am.” He gave a soft laugh, tightening his hold on you. “I’m always interested in whatever you’ve got going on. You know that.”

“Alright,” you teased, “I have a few pitches… maybe a feature on that new charity coffee place that’s opening up on Maple Street? Or this local teacher doing after-school science programs? I’m torn—so many good leads.”

Steve made an encouraging noise. “I like the teacher one,” he mused, brow furrowing in real consideration. “I mean, c’mon, that sounds like it’d be really feel-good for the paper. Everyone loves seeing that kinda community stuff.”

“You think so?” You felt a wave of affection swell through you at how genuine he was.

“Yeah. It’s definitely the kind of story that’ll get people talking in a good way.” He paused, a grin curling his lips. “But I gotta say… I also love coffee.”

“We’ll see which one the editor likes.” You giggle.

He helped you out of the tub once the water began to cool, wrapping a towel around his waist before carefully bundling you in another. He pressed a sweet kiss to your temple, then led you back to the bedroom, flicking off the overhead light so you were left in a peaceful glow from the bedside lamp.

You slipped into a soft tee and lounge shorts as he grabbed his own pyjamas from your chest of drawers, blushing at what transpired on it previously. He would never look at it the same way again.

You curled up against him in the bed—his arms around you made everything feel warm and safe.

“What time do you have to be at work tomorrow?” you mumbled against his chest.

“Not ’til afternoon,” he said, carding his fingers through your hair.

A content sigh escaped you, eyes fluttering shut. “Nice for some, I guess.”

“But,” he continued, clearing his throat pointedly, “I’m definitely dropping you off tomorrow.”

Your brow creased, and you glanced up at him with a sleepy frown.

“Why?”

He smirked, his hand coming to rest gently on your hip. “Because… you said you were meeting him earlier, right? The new guy?” He leaned in, voice dropping playfully. “I wanna see the look on your face when you see him—see if you remember exactly what we did tonight.”

Heat flooded your cheeks, and you smacked his chest lightly. “Steve!”

“What?” He chuckled, utterly delighted, pressing a mischievous kiss to your forehead. “I’m curious.”

You huffed in mock-annoyance but couldn’t hide your smile. “You’re incorrigible.”

His chest rumbled with laughter, and he buried his nose in your hair. “That’s me,” he murmured, voice going soft again as he held you closer.

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington #stranger things #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington fluff #stranger things x reader #steve harrington fanfic #stranger things imagine #steve harrington angst #steve harrington smut #stranger things smut #steve harrington fic #steve harrington x you #stranger things fic

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lush-escape · 1 month ago

Text

This is Me Trying

Part 2

pairing: Jason Todd x Reader

a/n: I'm realizing just how long this is going to be :') anywhoooo thank you to my sister for her help with this chapter bc I was stuck. you the best @clawdee

prev: part 1

next: part 3

Okay, hearing Damian and Dick talk about Jason feeling a rush while racing was starting to make sense. You watched Dick’s race alongside your friend. Hearing the roar of the engines, reverberating deep in your chest, was a thrill you hadn't experienced before. Watching the cars take off was a whole other experience. The wind rushing passed you, the intensity that hung thick in the air - it was all starting to make sense. You, your friend, and Tim rushed down that quarter mile stretch to meet Dick at the unofficial finish mine. Damian had stayed back with Jason in preparation for his own race.

Dick had come in second in his trans am but you would think he'd came in first place, winning that massive pot of money, with the way he picked your friend up and swung her around. There was an automatic smile on your face, unable to control yourself around Dick’s own excitement.

“What'd ya think?” Tim asks with a nudge of his elbow.

“It was… exciting.” You answer with a light laugh. “I'm starting to see the appeal.”

“Knew you'd come around. It's hard not to.” Dick laughs a bit breathlessly. His pupils are blown wide with adrenaline.

“Hey,” Tim gets the attention of the group, “Bikers are starting their race. Wanna stay down here and watch Jay win?” There's a confident smile on his face. “Or watch from the start?”

“Let's wait down here. It'll be easier for Damian to find us. And you know Jason gets all nervous when we watch him start.” Dick jokes with his brother.

Even from over a thousand feet away the loud cacophony of motorcycles was easy to hear. The sound sent a small chill down your arms causing goosebumps to raise. If watching cars race was exciting, you were sure bikes would be even better.

And you were right.

Watching Jason cross that imaginary finish line was other worldly. Despite his face being covered by his matte black helmet you could feel how focused he was as he sped by. His aura was intimidating, fierce.

Your small group huddled around him as he parked his bike and accepted his winnings - a nice stack of cash. Dick clapped his shoulder as Jason tore his helmet off and shook out his hair. You never in your life wanted to run your fingers through someone's sweaty hair as badly as you did in this moment. You barely catch the way he sizes you up again before his attention is back on his brothers.

“See,” your friend sidles up next to you with a knowing grin on her face. “I told you that you'd have fun. The after parties are even better.”

Right. The after party. Not typically your thing but you've already been surprised once tonight.

The “after party”, you find out, is being held at a random person's house. Dick tells you who the person is on the ride over but the information doesn't stick. Not that it matters much anyway. The house is massive, daunting, with a beautiful lush front yard that's currently being puked on by a random that had too much to drink.

The inside is almost as nice as the outside. At least you're pretty sure it is but it's hard to tell when every square inch is filled with drunk bodies. Already you've walked by at least three different couples making out. Yeah, you're definitely going to need a drink.

“Wow, so this is like.. a really stereotypical house party.” You joke, entering the kitchen with your friend and Dick. Every counter top is full of drinks ranging from Hawaiian Punch to tequila. Red solo cups fill every empty space.

“Oh yeah, it makes it more fun that way.” Dick jokes back as he helps your friend pour her drink. She orders him around in the sweetest of ways and he listens with hearts in his eyes.

You're almost jealous of the both of them.

You're helping yourself to a drink when you hear an almost familiar deep voice.

“Took ‘im home.”

“Thanks, Jay.” Tim sounds relieved. Right, Damian is definitely too young for a house party. “B would've had my head.”

The two pass by the kitchen in a blur. Looking over your shoulder you make eye contact with Jason. It lasts a split second, probably half of a split second. But it feels like it lasts an eternity. Something sharp shoots through you, like an electric current. You almost think Jason's eyes soften the moment he catches sight of you but then you tell yourself you're imagining things with the way he narrows his eyes and walks off with Tim. You can hear his heavy boots against the hardwood.

There's a brief moment of silence before your friend and Dick start snickering together.

“You totally have a thing for him.” Your friend calls you out. You gasp. Sputter. How dare she?

“I do not!” You defend yourself with warm cheeks. You look away and busy yourself trying to chug your drink. Not at all suspicious.

“You totally do.” Dick snorts. “Just a fair warning - Jason is only someone you go after if you're serious. He's not a one and done kinda guy.”

“I don't even know him! I'm not gonna ‘go after him’.” You roll your eyes at the two. ‘Not a one and done kinda guy…’ At least he's pretty to look at. And at least the alcohol in your system helps you relax.

And so the night continues. You get to know Dick and Tim better and they're easily becoming fast friends. You've already given Dick your “best friend seal of approval” and you make a mental note to ask your friend where she found someone like him. You excuse yourself to the restroom and when you come back your friend and Dick are gone.

“They said something about going upstairs really quick…” Tim offers you a sympathetic smile. And you can't fault your friend so you shake your head with a smile of your own.

“No worries, I'm gonna get another drink. Want anything?” You offer.

Tim shakes his head, “No, I'm good. Thanks though.”

The kitchen is empty, as are half the bottles that litter the counters. You make a small noise of disappointment before you concoct some sort of drink. Sprite, fruit punch, vodka, and what might be pink lemonade but you aren't entirely sure.

“Looks good,” you hear a voice from behind you. It's low, raspy, and unfamiliar. “This is way better though.”

You turn to see a strange guy behind you at the entrance of the kitchen. Plain in every way, someone you haven't seen all night. He's holding out a cup to you, offering whatever was inside of it.

“Oh, thanks. But I've got my own.” You hold up your own cup with a smile.

He shakes his head and his smile oozes condescending douchebag. “C'mon, this is way better. It's not even that strong. Promise.”

Ugh.

“No, seriously. I'm fine. I have my own.” Your voice is a little sharper, much less friendly. Your smile drops into a flat expression. He's standing next to you now and he reeks of cigarettes and alcohol.

“No, no, no. You're not listening. Try it. Come on.” Now his tone is sounding more serious.

‘This place was packed twenty minutes ago, where the fuck did everyone go?’ You look around for anyone you might know but your friend is upstairs with Dick and Tim is no longer sitting on the couch you left him on. Fuck.

“I said try it.” He's trying to lift the cup to your mouth now. His tone and expression are serious, he's no longer trying to be friendly. You were starting to think this type of situation only happened in movies and yet here it is, happening to you.

“Dude. Seriously, fucking back off.” Your voice leaves no room for argument but he doesn't get the hint.

His hand is on your wrist one second and the next he's on the ground.

‘What the fuck?’

You stare wide eyed at Jason who's towering over the creep with his hand curled into a tight fist. There's a mean scowl on his face as he flexed his fingers and you realize… He just punched that guy in the head.

taglist: @theendofthematerialgworl

#jason todd fanfic #jason todd fanfiction #jason todd x reader #jason todd x y/n #lizzy writes

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xreaderbooks · 10 months ago

Text

Paradise on Earth (22)

Chapter: 22. The Bells

Pair: JJ Maybank x Routledge! Reader

Summary: stuck in a room with Rafe and the impending sense of doom.

Warnings: language, mentions of violence, hostages, strangling, drowning

Word Count: 1.9k

Wattpad | AO3 | Playlist

Chapter 21 | Series Masterlist | Navigation | Next Chapter

Rafe clutched onto your shoulders with a frantic look, "No bullshit, Do you have the diary?"

You didn't want to talk to him, your eyes traveled to Kie's worried gaze welled with tears, a deep frown set in her features that matched your own. "No."

It was the only word you planned on speaking to him, one word for him to let go of his hold on you. When he didn't immediately remove his hands from your shoulders, you brushed them off and walked to the opposite side of the room.

Shit, shit, shit.

You didn't have the book. Would it even matter if you told Singh that you didn't have the book? With the way you perceived him to be unhinged, you doubted that he would believe you.

"We're fucked," You spoke directly to Kie with concerned eyes, whatever happened to Rafe was not your problem anymore and if you were being honest with yourself, he never was.

~~~

You and Kie took up the bed and had Rafe sleep on the floor, your room was long forgotten and it didn't seem like the guards cared, you weren't going to be able to escape either way.

You dreamt of the water, weaving beds of leaves, and being taught how to spearfish. It was a memory of a lifestyle you lived not too long ago, it felt like a dream.

Kie was above you a distant look on her face as she spoke to you in a hushed tone, "I have a plan, but you have to trust me." Anxiety settled into your chest as you remembered you were not still stranded on the island or even on the outer banks. The bed you sat up in with eyes still crusted with sleep belonged to a man willing to murder you and your best friend for a diary you currently did not have.

"What plan?" You rasped.

She moved fast, knocking on the window where a guard stood by and looked at her expressionless. "Go get Mr. Singh, I need to talk to him." She mouthed to him, he didn't move an inch, he simply turned his back to her.

"Kie, whatever you're planning isn't going to work if you don't talk me through it," You moved out of bed to follow her to the door and noted how sore your body felt. Your leg felt tender and bruised. When you looked down to inspect it, you saw the inside of your flesh from how deep the wound was but it wasn't bleeding so you called that a positive. You limped as you followed her around the room.

"It has to," She insisted. She pounded on the door, Rafe stirred in his sleep, waking up to her shouting for the man who was posted in front of it.

"The hell are you two doing?" Rafe's question goes unheard.

When neither of you two acknowledged him he tried to get your attention, "Hello?"

Ignoring Rafe, You shook your head, "I'll go with you. He seems to have some sort of interest in my family history, maybe it'll help."

"No fucking way," Rafe tells you. "Can someone please tell me what's going on?"

"Stay out of this," Kiara snaps at him. "Y/n, I'm going, you're hurt."

"I was just fine last night," You lift the leg of your silk pajama pants and show her that the bleeding had stopped. "It's a scratch."

She narrows her eyes, "You need stitches. I'm going."

The face of the man who's on guard duty comes in and Kie tells him she needs to speak with Singh urgently. He side-eyes you and Rafe and says, "Yes." He snatches her bicep.

"I got this," She whispers to you before she's dragged out of the room.

You punched the door in frustration, stressfully running your hands through your hair, and slid down the door, clutching your knees to bend to your chest. You heard Rafe take a step in your direction and your eyes jumped to his tense form.

"What is she going to do?" He asked.

You didn't respond, you thought if you ignored him, he would go away. He didn't.

"Y/n, Can we just talk?"

"No."

"Is 'no' the only word in your vocabulary now?"

You wanted to say that it was the only word you thought of when you saw him. It was a no to keep yourself from him, a no that should've been said when you became entwined in each other's lives deeper than they were or should have ever been. His whole existence to you is a no.

Instead, you said, "No."

"Please, Angel-" He pleaded. You cringed at the nickname that once made you feel weak-kneed, you didn't want to feel anything towards him or the words he spoke.

"Don't." You sent him a warning look, he didn't deserve any moment in your presence from the moment he strangled you. The moment he shot Peterkin and framed John B, all the way to when he drowned Sarah. He didn't deserve you way before then.

"Just hear me out, alright?" He kneeled to your level, "Please."

You turned your head to stare blankly at the wooden floorboards, he wasn't going to stop trying to talk to you. "I have nowhere to go, Rafe, so say whatever you want to say to me but I don't care. It doesn't change anything."

"I love you," He confesses and your heart tightens.

You deny it with a shake of your head, you didn't want to hear this, but you did just tell him to say whatever he wanted to. He's trying to lower your guard, you tell yourself. Don't let him get to you.

"I do, you know I do-" He sounded like he was pleading for you to believe him.

"You shot and drowned your own sister, what do you know about love?" You helped yourself up from the floor and walked around the room anxiously, ignoring the ache in your ankle and picking at the skin around your nails.

You wished Kie would've woken you up earlier and told you her plan. You felt bothered, even more so that she left you alone with Rafe.

"What went down between me and Sarah has nothing to do with us."

"There is no us." You laughed humourlessly, "Do you remember strangling me that same night?"

"I'm sorry, alright, you don't know how sorry I am. I never meant to hurt you." His eyebrows creased to match the pout displayed on his face. "My mind just goes places sometimes."

You halt in your steps and face him, "It is not my job to help you stay sane or to relieve you of your guilt, nor your deep-rooted daddy issues, Rafe."

You barely caught him flinching at your words but you did and didn't hesitate to continue, "I meant what I said that night. That I loved you, I did, but I've gotten over it and eventually you will too so while you deal with that, if you truly do love me then you'll leave me and my friends alone."

He opened his mouth to say something but Kie came through the door with a forceful shove.

"Kie?" You softly spoke her name, the girl was visibly upset. She held her head in her hands and her face was red. "What happened, what did he say?"

She avoided looking directly at you, "It didn't work."

"What didn't work, can one of you tell me what you just went to do?" Rafe insisted.

"After everything you've done, we don't owe you shit, Rafe." Kie sounded tired. "Shooting Peterkin, Sarah, Y/n."

Little did she know you had already had this conversation with him.

"Peterkin, I was protecting my father, okay?" He came closer to you both and you stepped in his way to block her from him just in case. He glanced at you and Kie, scoffing. "I did what I had to."

You sat next to her, rubbing circles on her back to soothe her, Rafe's voice cut through the calm with his excuses. You noted how he got more defensive around her.

"I'm as much of a victim as she is- think about it, what did I get from shooting Peterkin?" He waited a second as if waiting for either of you to respond, "Nothing. Okay? I had nothing against her I mean- I liked her, you think I wanted to make that choice?"

Unhinged is the word of the week, you thought, maybe you should spend less time around people like this. You almost laughed at your thought, maybe if you could stop getting kidnapped for more than five seconds.

"What I did was a gift, from me to my father for him and I got screwed because of it, I lost the only thing that mattered to me-" He glanced at you as he said that last part and focused his attention back on Kie. "So don't get that look when I say I'm a victim."

Kie didn't do so much as glance at him as he continued his rant, but regretfully, you did. You didn't know what was wrong with you, why you felt your heart grow with pity. It was a familiar feeling when you were around Rafe, not that your feelings for him were solely based on the sympathy you felt. It was very much real and pure attraction starting from the branches of kindness he would extend to you, and only you.

"I will admit, though, what I did to Sarah- what I tried to do- I admit that was wrong." His voice broke and tears were beginning to spill from his eyes. "I know that, so you don't have to remind me."

"Rafe," You uttered his name barely above a whisper. You didn't want to hear anymore and risk lowering whatever shield you had managed to build to keep him out.

"She was family, I should've never touched her, I should have never touched you." He reached out to you and recoiled, correcting himself, noticing how clearly you didn't want him to touch you. "I just lose control in moments like that, and I don't know what happened. I'm trying- I'm trying to get better."

Kie only gave a nod of recognition that she was listening.

"I'm just saying I'm not the bad guy here, but even if I was, bad Rafe Cameron or something- you got no choice. You may not want to trust me, but I'm your best bet."

You crossed your arms, your only way of denying him.

"I got a boat that can get us off the island, but first we gotta get out of here and it is better if we work together."

There was a commotion outside which made Kie rush to the window.

"They're leaving?" You came up behind her and peered over her shoulder.

She let out a shaky breath, "They're going to find Sarah and John B."

"How?" You panicked, "How did he find them?"

Her face contorted into a deeper frown as she finally told you, "They were setting themselves up as bait, pretending to be hostages."

The panic that had been festering the moment Kiara was tossed back into the prison of a room had sunk in deeper but you couldn't allow it to take over. You had to take this opportunity to form a plan to escape, there was no time to worry about your friends.

If only you can get the guard assigned to the door to come inside, you begin to think of the possibilities. He would have to think something was going on, something that would force him to come in, get him out of the way so that there would be no obstacle preventing the three of you from leaving the room.

"I think I have a way to get out of here."

~~~

let me know if you'd like to be tagged :)

a/n: been a while, how's everyone doing? I'm sorry for the major delay in updating, hope you all aren't too mad at me, its a short update but I figured something is better nothing after months of not being active

taglist:

@deanwherescas - @thtbwltts - @nerdypartytrashpsychic - @random-girl-army - @hereliesjanuary - @instabull - @sexyfoxlady - @bubs-world - @sdawn03 - @jellybassett - @mendesclines - @simpingbutch - @obx-pogues-4-life - @landosgirlxoxo - @p-prettybitch - @namacissi - @dczedhee - @inkandpen22 - @royalavenger - @ayeitsjustmee - @80strashbag - @onlyangel-444 - @freds-slut - @poppet05 - @itsjuststaticnoises - @ahnneyong - @lovepizza567 - @jasminfelling - @rana030 - @loki-loveer - @rana030 - @lostinatimeline - @boldlypessimistic - @clinelyn - @a-j-stuffs - @yunhobug - @syd223sworld - @strawberry-fawn- @mysticalavenuecheesecake - @itsmytimetoodream - @natashtessabeth12 - @thatsthewaythechrissycrumbles - @chervbs - @or-was-it-just-a-dream - @newbooksmell777 - @afterzonee - @ilovemen2much - @ilovesteveharrngton - @s1lngwns - @ye0nvibezzn - @ausipcious-manner - @mirellef2001 - @jjmayabnkisbf - - @flairtune - @callsignwidow - @yornayyy - @mxnst3rz

(if youre name is crossed out that means tumblr wont let me tag you, I'm sorry)

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greyyson-but-no · 8 months ago

Text

yellow is the colour of his eyes

they weren't, though. they were blue, but somehow he radiated yellow. just his brightness, his ability to light up a room. he was the colour yellow. and he was currently halfway across the world from you. it didn't make any sense. you thought he was supposed to be the person you would end up with and yet, he was in a different continent and you were stuck at a desk in england working a job you hated.

why you had taken the job, you didn't know.

currently, you were sat at home, on the phone late at night because of a stupid time difference that meant you were never able to even talk to him. you thought living in a different apartment block was different, you never would have believed you would be trying to continue dating him when living in different countries. but the two of you were trying, and that's what was important. the act of trying.

his voice came through soft. "sweetheart? you still with me?"

bringing you out of your head, you grumbled and nodded even though he couldn't see you. "yeah. just about."

"what's the matter?" and he immediately knew something was wrong, just as he always did when you were just a five minute walk from his apartment. "you can tell me."

"i miss you? I think." you coughed away from the phone, nervous for what this conversation would lead to, what it might not lead to and the incorrect implications he may take from it. "I don't know. this is so difficult and I'm struggling so much. and yeah. it's nice to hear from you but it's getting rarer and rarer and I don't know how much longer I can do this for."

chandler hummed on the other end, noises of him shuffling around on his bed echoing through. "i understand."

slowly, that lump was starting to form in the back of your throat, voice going all wobbly like it had been doing a bit too much recently. "it's just... im stuck in this dead end job that I feel like I'm never going to get out of, and at the same time my boyfriend that I love with my whole heart is in another country and I barely see him anymore that it doesn't even feel like we're together anymore."

"honey... I don't know what to say."

you sighed, fiddling with the chord of the telephone. "yeah i know. me neither. it's too difficult."

"it's christmas soon, maybe I could come and visit over the holidays?" he offered. "I'd have to take some time off work but that's something I'm willing to do for you."

"your work hate you taking days off though. didn't they say it's a risk of demotion?"

chandler laughed lowly, shaking his head. "anything for you."

"chan, I couldn't ask you to do that." you told him, biting your top lip as you weigh up the price of seeing him again with the price of him risking his recent promotion. as much as you would kill to see him again, to hold him, his job was just too important to him. joey and him needed the money in new york with joe losing his place on days of our lives. you couldn't ask him to risk that. "im saying no, chandler, I'm sorry."

he hummed again, clearly put down by your words. "yeah I know, it's too risky."

"maybe..." but you faded your words, not wanting to even think of what your brain was telling you. the thought was making you distraught. and you'd just had a whole thing about its the act of trying that matters most. the two of you couldn't just give up.

but chandler caught it, eyebrows furrowing in manhatten, monica and joey looking over at him from where they were sat in the living room. "what? maybe what?"

you shook your head, even though again he couldn't see. "nothing. just..."

"go on."

"maybe this is too difficult. maybe we shouldn't..."

"darling, what are you saying?"

you sighed, falling backwards onto your bed, letting the duvet surround you. "maybe we should stop trying."

chandler didn't speak for a bit. on the other end, he had fallen against the wall, not being able to believe what you had just said to him. his shoulders dropped and his voice did too, not understanding what was happening. "are you..." he coughed. "is that it then? are you breaking up with me?"

"I'm sorry. I wish this was easier."

"yeah. mhm." was all he mumbled, before pulling his ear away from the phone and ending the call, disrupted, slamming it against the stand on the side of the wall.

a week later, you were groggy, tired, and every bone in your body felt like someone had smacked each of them with a hammer individually until they shattered. but this would be worth it. the plane journey was terrible, with several babies crying throughout and some guy next to you that hogged the arm rest. but once you had your notebook out, planning what to say to him, all of that zoned out.

the cab was okay. you spoke with the driver bit and used his conversational skills to text what your plan was. he thought it was a good idea, even when you had explained what happened.

when the cab stopped outside the apartment block, you thanked him, paid him and continued to run straight upstairs, your bag knocking against any wall and any stair possible with the speed you were running at.

quitting your job wasn't difficult for you. the night after the break up you didn't sleep, contemplating what you could possibly do to change the decision you had made. the only one that made sense was quitting the job you had only just taken and move back to new york to be with him again. the company had been sad to see you go, and your boss specifically kicked up a fuss but you had made your decision.

chandler was who you needed.

this was definitely the right decision. it didn't matter that your parents didn't like him, or that they wanted you in a steady job in a country you knew. but new york was your home. the guys and the girls were your home. the apartment with ross was. chandler was your home.

that was the final thought that occurred to you as you opened the purple door to the apartment you had missed so much. chandler would either be here, his own apartment or central perk. this was the first and best bet.

"chandler?" he turned on the sofa, the rest of the group turning too but you didn't even notice them, even though they were all there, you were too occupied. "chandler."

he stood up abruptly. clearly, he didn't know what to do.

because after very possibly the worst break up of his life, you were standing right there. eight hours of plane on you, hair tied in two plaits and eyes drooping like you hadn't slept all week, but standing there in front of him, actually there.

"what?" he stepped around the settee, following you as you moved closer, nearer the table in the kitchen. "there's no way you're actually here."

you tilted your head. "I'm moving back."

"what?" his eyebrows furrowed.

"I quit my job." you explained, stepping closer to him yet again, not being able to figure out what he was thinking. "I never should have broken up with you. I never should have taken that job from my mum. I love you, and if you'll have me back, I'd like to move back to new york and be with you."

"are you sure?" his voice went low like it had over the phone last week. "you're not going to leave again?"

you shook your head. "never, I promise. I swear, pinkie swear."

chandler's expression softened, the blue in his eyes warming to that look that you knew so well. "honey, you are the only person I've ever wanted to commit to."

for the first time in two weeks, you grinned up at him, happier than ever to be in his arms again. his hands snaked around your waist, pulling you closer as your arms naturally fell around his neck, letting his nose nudge against your neck in a hug for the ages.

"thank god!" joey cried from where he sat on the ottoman. "cause even I was getting sick of him moping about."

the whole group laughed as you let your head fall onto his chest, gripping his sweater as your shoulders shook. chandler swiftly moved his head downwards so his lips were at your ear. his voice breathing against your skin as he spoke. god, you'd missed him.

"i missed you, wanna go celebrate?"

"if celebrating is implying what I think it is... then yes." you murmured back with a grin, hands against his chest and making sure you weren't loud enough for the rest of the group to hear.

chandler pulled back and grinned, taking your hand in his as he turned to the rest of the group. "we're gonna call it a night guys, jet lag is crazy and you know... we've got catching up to do."

"they're gonna go have sex, right?" joey asked, just as the two left, earning a laugh from the rest of the group.

you knew the answer to his question, very easily.

#friends #chandler bing #chandler bing x reader #chandler bing fluff #chandler bing fanfic #chandler bing imagine #angst

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thebluediner · 2 months ago

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Heyyy my lovey, not sure if your requests are open so please ignore this if you want!

Pleaseee tell me you've seen billies new video of making the album cover! It's given me so many cute ideas 😭

I'd love to see the reader being the photographer who's taking all the photos, and right after this busy day, billie just cuddles with us looking through all the photos. (Cons of having a famous photographer as a gf) 🤍

a/n: I've seen the other request and that author already did it but the more the merrier.

CAPTURING THE MOMENT BUT MOSTLY YOU

when you were hired to be apart of the journey of the hit me hard and soft it was about three years ago, to be exact 2022. truth be told you had worked with so many celebrities in hollywood and this was just one of many but what you didn't expect was to get a girlfriend out of this.

you first met billie on a bright hot summer day that had you wearing the least amount of clothes you professionally could. the address was in some place up in the hills which ended up being billie's house.

you had knocked against the wooden door and two seconds later a girl with a messy bun and blue eyes opened the door. her eyes locked onto your own dull ones before she seemed to frantically pull of her scrunchy her hair falling down to her shoulders before patting it down her hair to appear more presentable.

''hi sorry I didn't know you were coming...'' you looked at her with confusion when she said that because how could she not know it was on the schedule sent to the team for the albumn preparations.

'' no I mean I forgot sorry... come in'' billie was being weird anybody who knew her personally could tell but to you she was just frantic like you had caught her in the act of something she shouldn't be doing .

you made your way into the house your eyes trailing along the decorated walls and plain ceilings before being greeted by finneas. he was very friendly and made it a point to make you feel at home by offering you every possible snack in the house while billie trailed behind you.

''I'm okay thank you, you can both act like I'm not even here so I can get the most authentic pictures'' you told the siblings before they seemed to nod and offered small smiles before they led you to the studio outback.

the moment you took off the strapped camera from your body the work started. you were like a shadow stuck against the walls while the two did their job of recording jotting down notes and a notebook with multiple scribbles in them. you walked close towards them to get a picture of the page and like you were prey billie's eyes scanned your figure a moment of distraction until you moved away.

the first couple days were like that. you'd come at the same time just to stay in the background to capture moments they would need for later once the albumn is out. there would be days where it wasn't just the siblings but more people like producers, artists that reviewed the songs, friends, family. claudia or even billie's boyfriend accompanying the artists whoever entered the space was captured.

but obviously you weren't following them day in and day out. weeks and months would pass without you seeing them at all. billie and finneas were busy tackling media and tour of the current albumn while you did your freelancing with other artists and models too.

the next time you saw each other was maybe three to four months later where billie and finneas where to discuss the visuals for the albumn. visuals often included lots of people in a room and lots of printed paper. when you arrived billie was the first one to lock eyes with which didn't last long because the noise in the room was too much to ignore. you gave her a smile before you disappeared , not to billie though, into a corner somewhere where you had enough coverage for more wide pictures.

the day mostly consisted of taking pictures of drafts of the visual, billie working with the team , the managers discussing the impact of each choice. the whole team was there as you took pictures of moments of cooperation between the team even through heated moments where billie struggled to express her vision for the albumn enough for her team to understand.

takeout arrived and people dispersed into each one of their food packet. it was in those moments where your camera came down from your face and you weren't hidden by a piece of machinery and those moments were the same ones that led to billie approaching you.

''I hope we're not boring you '' she would say scratching her neck exposing her back tattoo just enough for you to see. you'd smile at her before answering.

''you guys are boring actually'' you'd tease and at first billie's faced dropped before she busted out laughing getting your sarcasm. just like that you both started to speak whenever the camera wasn't in your face.

months passed once more and the next time you saw each other was when she started talking about upcoming music videos since the music was officially over. that was when you saw her almost every day. by this time billie and the boyfriend weren't a thing anymore you'd know because you kept up with the internet and didn't live under a rock.

as soon as the production for each music video started you were on set early in the mornings at six carrying camera equipment at dawn through to noon. you had gotten in way before billie and finneas did taking footage of the set and the crew before the production starts.

by the time billie entered you were ready for her. the camera followed her every move through every decision which was the main reason why you became close.

it started innocently well from your side it did billie she had her eyes on you since you showed up on her door. she didn't really recognise the feeling then but post breakup her mind was clearer than ever. she talked to you more, laughed with you more basically throwing the whole thing of acting like you weren't there away with how much she interacted with you. you weren't complaining though she kept the day interesting.

one time after filming lunch the crew decided to go out and have a couple of drinks and you tagged alone. billie was there too and as soon as the liqour entered her system she started saying things that made you realise the reason why she was acting frantic the first time you met.

she would lean against you whispering how she preferred you without a camera against the frame of your face and when you asked her what she meant by that she didn't hesitate to call you pretty. she clung to you the whole night eventually leading you to taking her home.

by the time she was filming chihiro you had known her interest in you and you for sure didn't try to hide yours too. pictures you took went from her solely focused on work to her smiling at you from across the room, when she was sleeping somewhere around the set every mundane things possible and those were the ones you were going to keep to yourself.

it wasn't long before you two coughed up the feelings you harboured for each other. by this time it was only a few months before the albumn in announced meaning the official albumn pictures were set to be taken.

the first sets of pictures were set outside where the set was built. the set was a kitchen tapped with blue wrap and soon enough billie appeared from the set with a big foolish smile when she saw you waiting for her with the camera set right infront of you.

''take good pictures of me babygirl'' she'd holler before positioning herself however she wanted.

''don't I always babe'' you chuckle before your face is against the fame already clicking away.

the other time was when you had to spend hours and hours trying to get the right picture for the albumn cover. billie insisted to be underwater for the picture like demanded she do it exactly like no matter how many times the crew suggested just editing it.

so there you were on your knees and the camera gripped into your hands tongue sticking out clicking as many photos you can while she was plunged underwater because getting up and walking towards her every time she had her head above water to see if she approved of any of them.

now many many many moths after the abumn comes out to be exact a year your camera was gong through a deep cleanse because a lot of pictures you took of billie were coming out to the public in celebration of one year of hit me hard and soft.

not all of them though some were special to you so you kept them but decided to print them out to show billie later than evening.

a cool night in spring you walked out of the shower putting your hair up in a bun entering your shared bedroom. as you turn the corner of the room you can see billie is already in bed her fingers full of printed out pcitures going through each of them.

''your going through them without me'' you pout whining before getting into the bed opening the comforter getting in.

''you shouldn't be whining baby you've had these for what?, a year '' billie says side eyeing you.

''two years'' you mumble before getting closer to her letting your arms wrap around her waist pulling her closer while burying your face into chest hiding from the reaction she was about to give you.

''two fucking years baby what the hell'' billie says in disbelief laughing as she turns over to another of her smiling as you while laying in a field, the same one she filmed chihiro in.

''hey you love them though ,don't you '' you raise your head peeking at her.

''of-course I do my pretty baby took them but she kept them from me'' billie says leaving the pictures for a second to pull you into a small kiss.

''like this one was way before we even started dating and it's so embarrassing'' billie says picking up one where she's asleep mouth slightly with her head hanging over the chair in her dressing room.

''excuse me that's one of the cute ones on there'' you say defending the picture.

''you're being biased baby, like look at this one'' billie is full on giggling as she picks up another one of her taking a huge bite into a sandwhich as the set of lunch.

''you can say whatever but I love those pictures'' you grumble before holding her tighter and laying your face on her chest once more. billie looks at you shaking her head with a slight blush spread across her face before she she continues looking at the pictures commenting when she needs too.

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nonymous-nb · 1 year ago

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•────~❉᯽❉~───────────────•

Biograft + Reader

•───────────────~❉᯽❉~────•

"I'm Getting What? — Adopted!"

PHIGHTING! | One-shot | Fluff | Platonic / Comedy-ish.

Warning/s: [he made his entrance.]

Extra: [you stealing a biograft from subspace 👍✨ + biograft's pronouns: they/it + short one-shot]

"..Where Are You Taking Me?" Biograft asked as you drag them away to who knows where. "My part of the building." You told them as you unlock the door that leads through your very own lab in Blackrock. Biograft stayed silent as they observed whatever human tendency you are doing, letting you drag them as you are an ally to it's creator, seeing no harm in doing whatever you want with them as Subspace didn't instruct them to kill you.. yet. But Biograft 'sense' some peace in you, plus the other Biografts 'likes' you too.. in biograft kind of sense. You haven't harmed them or anything so what's the issue with doing something small like this?

"And.. here!" You made Biograft sit on one of the chairs as you gave them a piece of paper on the table. "Now, I need you to sign this if you could." You told the Biograft pointing to where it needs to sign. Tilting it's head in confusion. "Isn't This Supposed To Be My Creator's Job?" They asked thinking it's one of those work papers that Subspace does. "No, this is a.. uh, paper- paper that meant we work together for future collaborations." Biograft began to process what ever the heck you meant because they think they saw the word 'trade' and 'adoption' until you covered half of the paper. Plus, aren't you and it's creator already in a collaboration? "Then It Should Be My Creator's Responsibility To Sign These."

"He's uh.. busy, you know.. with other stuffs that's already piling in his lab? Plus he said it's alright for you to sign some." You quickly came up with some bs you know that ain't true, Biograft narrowed it's eyes at you, but it seems like Biograft took it either way. "How Do You.. Sign Papers?" Oh, heck yeah you're safe. "You just write your name over here.. and sign over here!" You pointed at the same spot again, quite giddy. "Oh, also put Subspace's name over here.. and yours here." You pointed out as Biograft just nodded and did as you told them to. Haha, this Biograft is yours now—

*slAaM?!*

"What is the meaning of this?!" And speak of the devil.. the demon himself appeared. "Oh, heya Subspace." you just gave him a smile as if you done nothing. Biograft didn't care enough on what's going with the two of you and just kept writing and signing on the paper. Subspace noticed that his Biograft is.. writing something?? "Biograft, what are you writing on??" The scientist asked. Biograft stopped it's writing and it looks like it finished it. "Signing A Paper." Subspace narrowed his singular working eye at the paper. "And that paper is about??" Biograft then looked at the paper to read it while you just smiled at Subspace. "A Fully Official And Legal Trade Adoption Paper.." Biograft trailed off.

"..WHAT?!" Subspace screeched out and went fully inside in your lab to take the paper and tear it apart. "Nuh-uh" You said as you snatched the paper first and hide it in your pocket, Subspace gave you a narrowed look. "Phuck you mean 'nuh-uh'?! I created them!!" You stuck out your tongue at Subspace. "The contract has been signed, loser." You flipped him off with an innocent look, yeah Subspace didn't like that. "You— GET OVER HERE!!" He began to run at you. You quickly carried Biograft on your shoulder and ran away like how you would run away from a nextbot and juke it.. Except that nextbot is Subspace. "THEY'RE MINE NOW BIATCH"

Biograft just chilled on your shoulder, finding the current banter with you and their creator normal.

"What A Day."

{Have some small portion of food 😔}

#—♡nb writings #phighting x reader #biograft x reader #phighting biograft #roblox x reader #phighting subspace #platonic #phighting!#x reader

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holocene-sims · 6 months ago

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next // previous

june 3, 2022 2:00 p.m. newcrest counseling

"i'm really happy to hear you think you worried too much, but what makes you say that? did you feel differently than you expected?"

"i did, actually. as i've figured out over the last week, doing the work to become a healthier person means i know how to better manage negative emotions. i often still default to seeing myself as the person who just falls apart as soon as i feel any emotion less pleasant than neutral. at first, when i was on the plane and then in my hotel room alone, i was battling negative thoughts, but i turned it around pretty quickly. to be honest, that was weird. i'm so used to having to completely lose it before i can recover. recovering at the first very tiny peak in severity is almost a miracle.

finding the good things, however small, to focus on last weekend was what helped me revert my mood and stop feeling icky before icky became horrendous. the negative thoughts on my mind, i redirected to the best of my ability. like, for example, okay, if i never fly an airplane again before i die, i'll just be thrilled i could do it for a few years. a few wonderful years is better than zero years. little kid grant never thought he'd survive past 18, let alone follow his dreams. if time travel were possible and i could go back and tell grant kid he flew an airplane one day, he'd never fucking believe it. so, i already won. nothing can take that away.

on that note, i'm historically not the best at being open to good things or experiences. i'm at least prone closing myself off to relishing them once they're over. i spent so long being lashed by the world with no end in sight that i don't trust goodness, you know? i expect people to get fed up with me or to hurt me. i expect the universe to screw me over. i also believe i don't deserve goodness, and i've thrown away good things myself for that reason alone. i think i'll struggle with those specific thoughts for a very long time, but i do know that i am learning move past them. i'm learning to believe i deserve better and to appreciate things more and to extract what i can from my experiences.

i realized i was moving past those thoughts for the first time after dealing with my ex and then cutting off my dad for the second time, but especially after my dad, and now i'm confirming the changes. i felt like hot garbage for weeks after that final conversation with him because i just did. reminding myself of how truly horrible he was as a father hurt, but after a while, i was glad i told him the truth, and suddenly, i had much more appreciation for the male figures in my life who were or are kind to me. a burden was legitimately lifted off my shoulders, and old me would have never managed to find anything positive in that situation, so the fact that current me did says a lot. if i can find something positive there, i can find something positive anywhere.

but hey, i'm not even getting to the most fulfilling part of why i felt differently than i expected. the wedding was genuinely great, and i ended up wasting no substantial amount of time absorbed in my own feelings, so i got to be present with my friends. even when i was pretending my trauma didn't exist years ago, i spent so much time stuck in my own head or my own body, always filtering every personal conversation through that lens, and you don't get how much energy and attention that soaks up until you can be fully present with people. of course, it helps that i knew all these people and knew i could relax and trust them, but still. it felt good to be able to devote my entire attention to celebrating them and their lives and not have split it between them and my own exhausting thoughts."

#ts4 #the sims 4 #sims 4 #sims 4 story #sims 4 storytelling #simblr #hlcn: everything the stars promised #holocene.docx #holocene.png #hlcn: grant #hlcn: margot #hehe the new arc is pretty much entirely set up now #i know some of this technically happened off screen but so much of grant's progress happened on screen that this update is still logical

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wooahaeruby · 7 months ago

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Chapter 41: Stuck In Limbo

This chapter :D It hurts :D It's really sad and kinda fucky. I don't technically have any trigger warnings for it, besides making sure you have tissues on hand. I'm, again, so sorry for my transgressions. I am evil. I know. It…kinda gets better from here, promise. :D

Master List | Prev | Next

The space around you was bright white. You were floating on a blank canvas ready and begging to be colored to life.

Your head felt light, no ill thoughts currently gracing your mind. You tried to figure out where you were within this unknown light void, turning your head too and fro in hopes to get an answer. The void extended as far as your eyes could perceive. You attempted to call out but no words left.

Lifting your arms to look at yourself, there were no rope burns that you believed should be there. The step you wanted to take forward didn’t do much, but your body felt weightless yet heavy, like you were moving through mud or sludge. You took in the clothes you had on; a loose, white shirt and flowy, soft black pants. The pants contrasted heavily with the pristine white that surrounded you, yet it gave you peace that there was something that was different here.

Out of curiosity you started in the direction in front of you, taking the movement slow since your movement was slightly hindered. You couldn’t tell the time, but walked and walked through the empty space, hoping something would appear before you. Again, you tried to call out to no avail.

Were you dreaming? You didn’t remember a dream so void of anything in the past, but everything seemed fuzzy.

Why did you think you had rope burns? Where did that come from earlier? Swallowing thickly, you raised a hand to rub at your chest, flinching at the sudden pain just under your collarbone. You pulled the collar of your shirt, finding the fabric stuck uncomfortably to your skin. Glancing down, you could see a raised X on your chest. It stung and itched painfully but as you touched it, it didn’t hurt.

What?

Your eyes flitted to your wrist, cut up and dark, dark bruises staring back. Rolling your wrists, it hurt, however, like your chest, it didn’t hurt as you touched the wounds. It confused you, questions spinning in your mind.

Come on . A voice rang around you, whipping your head around to find where it came from. Help me get her up there.

Turning around, you came face to face with a black door. It appeared out of thin air in silence, but…the voice was coming from within. You’ve heard the voice before, it was familiar, yet you couldn’t place the name or the face.

Looking over your shoulder, you questioned if the void was safer – if it would protect you. Yet…something inside told you that it wouldn’t, that whatever was beyond the door was better than being here. Safer .

Taking a deep breath, you reached for the door handle and pushed it open, coming face to face with a second void, this one pitch black.

Yeah, let me get the x-rays, I’m going to get an MRI too so we don’t need to move her later.

You stepped inside, peering around curiously, and an unseen force slammed the door shut behind you.

“Hello?” You called out, surprised to find you could talk. “Anyone?”

Biting the bullet, you took another step, hoping for a change, anything – but whatever you considered the floor was gone and you were falling. You screamed, sharp pain in your sides, face, chest, and soreness through your limbs creeped up quickly, only to be soothed by a numb sensation washing from head to toe.

I gave her some pain meds and antibiotics. Another voice started. When will they get here?

Unsure, I just called that we have her in a bed but they could still be listening to Wonwoo and Seokmin. That…Yeah, that sounded like Jihoon’s voice.

The falling feeling stopped, now simply floating aimlessly in the dark space.

She has a lot of injuries. Definitely a concussion, her heart is beating a little weird too. Broke ribs, internal bruising probably. She had some water in her lungs too. Let alone anything else we can’t see along with that branding. That sounded like Seonghwa’s voice now that you thought about it, laced with concern.

You focused on his words for a moment, and everything hit you like a truck.

Kihyun, Monsta X, and the torture they put you through. It was vivid like the first time it happened. You swore you felt someone’s hand on your hand, holding it gently, and you wished you could pull away and hide.

I won’t know the real extent until Mouse wakes up. That is the part that is worrying me more.

I don’t think she will be okay. Jihoon had sighed from what you heard. Look at her, Seonghwa. I’ll be surprised if she is anywhere close to the same when she wakes up.

Enough of that. Just focus on being there for her when she wakes up. His voice was further away and the sound of a door opening followed. Leave her alone for a bit. We have food here.

But-

Doctor’s orders.

Dude, you don’t even have a PhD.

I basically do at this point, but hush, come on.

You felt the grip on your hand loosen and fade away, a sigh of relief leaving you. The feeling was…uncomfortable. You didn’t want anyone to touch you right now.

At least you had confirmed you were safe, hopefully your mind wasn’t playing any tricks on you about that. You probably hadn’t been out long, maybe a few hours, and they had given you some medicine. The question you had was why weren’t you waking physically? If they were actually there and you were listening, conscious in your mind, shouldn’t you be awake?

“Maybe to let me heal.” You answered yourself out loud, relaxing in the vacant space.

You couldn’t tell if you were facing in the right direction, though you weren’t sure there was a correct direction. There was nothingness all around you, a numb feeling from whatever medicine they pushed through you. You wondered when you’d wake up. How long would your body need?

Yes, you could rationalize here in the in-between space, you could tell yourself you wouldn’t change, but the reality could be much different once your eyes open. Day to day might be horribly different. That left a foul taste in your mouth.

You heard heavy footfall, a shout from someone and the door slamming open loudly. There were many voices surrounding you, someone grabbed your hand tightly and a head rested near your shoulder.

Oh, my baby. The sob in Jeonghan’s voice was heartbreaking, but your skin crawled at his touch.

Someone else brushed some hair back from your face and you flinched in the void. We are here, Mouse… That shaky voice was Joshua’s.

Why isn’t she waking up? You think that was Jun but his voice wasn’t that close.

I have no answer for that, only some guesses. Seonghwa’s voice got close and there was the beep of a machine or two. She was tortured, starved for a few days, and dehydrated. Shock could be a good reason, self preservation to get her energy and strength back. That’s the medical thoughts.

Medical? Do you have some other thoughts? Jun didn’t sound happy.

Someone cleared their throat. Spiritually, she could be in her own Limbo. That was Mingyu, voice rough.

You sound ridiculous, Gyu.

He…isn’t though. Seonghwa sighed. I’m not saying you have to believe it, but if her heart stopped at any point, some say the person questions whether to come back.

But her heart is beating now .

It doesn’t matter. Mine stopped and started again. Mingyu continued. I...I got to pick. I chose to stay. We might need to let her…pick.

Staring into the darkness, you took a deep breath and closed your eyes.

Had your heart stopped earlier? You had no clue if it did, but there was a chance after Kihyun pumped epinephrine through. You remembered how fast your heart raced and it slowed so quickly before you passed out. Thinking about it, the chance could be a strong yes…

But…you thought going through the door earlier into this space was your decision to want to come back. You were hearing your family as your physical body laid unconscious wherever you were taken to.

That meant something, right?

It meant you wanted to wake up…

Right?

New rule because you all are way too many here. Three to visit each. There was a chorus of complaints flying around. Unlike your warehouse, I do open this place to people in need of free medical care.

Then why not transfer her to us instead? Seungcheol asked, sounding tired and concerned.

You guessed Seonghwa sighed. You and I both know that isn’t a good idea. If something was to happen, heavens forbid, your team might not be able to handle it professionally.

Clearing his throat, it sounded like Minghao spoke next. Cheol…It’s okay. I agree with him on this…

You all can visit any time, I’ll keep the back unlocked but no groups bigger than three. I need to be able to violently push you out of the way if anything happens.

That is so unfair. Jeonghan sniffled, the grip on your hand tightening.

It is unfair, but she won’t recover any faster with all of your hovering. I’ll have a guard on her twenty-four seven with you here or not. Yunho, Yeosang, and I will be no more than fifty feet away in the other room most times. Seonghwa continued. Plus, SVT isn’t going to be the only ones that would like to see her.

Give them, like, half an hour. Yeosang advocated somewhere in the room.

There was a pause before Seonghwa reluctantly agreed, stepping out of the room to leave you with your family.

How sure are you that it was them? Minghao asked, to who you didn’t know yet.

I’m fifty percent sure, but I don’t have any way of confirming it until Mouse wakes up and tells us. Wonwoo sighed and a warmth was present beside your leg and you felt the bed dip as if he sat down. Whenever she wakes up.

Someone sat on the bed opposite of him and the claustrophobia panic settled in your chest. Everyone was too close. You couldn’t push them away if you wanted to. The once comforting presence they had when close was replaced with the overwhelming need to be alone, away from everyone – far away from everyone.

Then we wait. Seungkwan said reassuringly, confident even. When she wakes up, hopefully we will have an answer. For now, we just pray she wakes up soon and that she remembers who did this. We just need to be here when she wakes up.

Jeonghan, Joshua, and Seungcheol were the first three to stay under Seonghwa’s new rule. The rest said goodbye but said they would, in fact, be drawing straws for who comes in next to kick them out, along with the other groups getting a turn.

They were silent for a good while, the only thing you were able to hear was the occasional sniffle and a sigh. Jeonghan still held your hand tightly and Joshua, you believed, was resting his head next to your other arm. His hair always felt different from Jeonghan’s. It still left that icky feeling in your stomach.

I- Seungcheol started but groaned. I should have given her that tracking thing we talked about or something like that. It could have prevented-

Jeonghan cut him off. You didn’t now, none of us knew this would happen.

Still-

No, Cheol. It happened, okay? Don’t go around blaming yourself like Seokmin did, it isn’t going to change anything in the past.

What he said. Joshua sounded exhausted, voice muffled. We just need to take steps forward.

Another bout of silence came before a groan and a sharp inhale was heard, along with Cheol speaking.

Fuck- This sucks. He sounded like he started crying. I’m sorry, Mouse- Fuck! I- We should have found you sooner. I’ll kill them, whoever they are, for them. I promise this will be made right.

Why did Seungcheol crying pull something in your chest? Why did your heart feel heavy?

He tried to keep himself quiet, the sound muffled but he choked out a breath. The space where Joshua’s head was growing cold, probably moving to comfort the leader. Soon, all three were crying. Tears were felt wetting the skin of your hand, the one Jeonghan was holding. Subconsciously, tears welled up in your eyes, floating off your cheeks and into the ether out of sight.

“I just want to wake up.” You pleaded the unknown, wrapping your arms around yourself. “Why won’t you let me?”

I don’t think I can stop crying . Seungcheol gasped, clearing his throat. I- We are a mess-

I am so tired and have no energy to cry but shit, I can’t stop crying. Joshua signed, clearing his throat. I just want her to come home.

She will come home soon…

You wiped your face, signing heavily.

There was nothing you could do to fix the situation. You didn’t know how to wake up or help yourself to begin with. Nothing made a lot of sense at the moment. Your attempts to find your footing didn’t find any solid place to stand or lay, leaving you suspended in the air.

You didn’t enjoy the unknown, not that anyone really did, but this was another level of unknown that was harder to traverse. How long would you need to contemplate in the void before you were given a chance to decide your fate? What was there even to contemplate in the first place?

She was only gone for a few days and I miss hearing her talk. I miss her smile. Joshua spoke softly. I miss talking to her about anything.

Seungcheol hummed. This is going to sound a little weird, but I miss her cooking. Everything was thought out, homemade, and like she genuinely wanted to cook.

I miss curling up on the couch and just being close to her. She is so…comforting. Jeonghan’s hand released yours then gently ran a hand up your arm to your shoulder. She is so gentle. A calm presence. I’m scared she will be so different later on when awake.

Trauma changed people. We just need to support her through the changes. Minghao’s voice piqued your interest, not hearing the door open of anything else really.

Are you kicking us out? Cheol huffed.

Yeah kinda. Mingyu answered next. We won the coin toss against most of Dreamcatcher and I made food back at the penthouse.

There was a loud, gurgly grumble heard close to your body and a stutter left Jeonghan.

That- okay, maybe I am hungry…

Go, we’ll keep watch. Minghao sounded close, near Joshua’s side you believe.

Someone kissed your forehead then a soft whisper from Jeonghan to tell you he’d be back soon. Someone took your hand and kissed your knuckles and the last kiss was to your cheek. That sick feeling of being touched jumped tenfold when you were kissed and you desperately tried to push it down. The nausea didn’t last long, they moved away thankfully, but you hated it. Hated that you didn’t, somehow, didn’t feel fully safe. Only Safer than what you were. It didn’t make sense.

They exchanged goodbyes and the scrapping of chairs surrounded you.

Do you think she can hear us? The tremble that accompanied Seokmin’s voice had you focusing and trying to internally force yourself to wake up.

I’d like to believe so. Minghao hummed. Even if she couldn’t, I’d still think she could to give me a sliver of peace.

Mingyu sighed. Once she wakes up, I’m going to cook all her favorite foods like she did for me.

I don’t think any of us will let her raise a finger for herself for a while. Seokmin’s comment had the three snickering.

She might go crazy if she doesn’t get to do something.

“He isn’t wrong.” You scoffed. “I’d like to see them try to make me stay still.”

Mouse is putting up one hell of a fight in there.

Of course she is, she is a fighter! Mingyu huffed. And when she wakes up, we can tell her that she is a strong person. Mouse’ll feel like she lost all confidence and will feel really weak. We gotta hype her up.

One of them took a deep breath before a long, wobbly sigh followed. You felt the air on your arm and shivered in the void.

Wonwoo is getting a note for an emergency leave of absence from work, but…She might have to quit. I don’t want to make that decision for her but the people above me are starting to ask too many questions. Seokmin groaned . And I have to go back, but I told Cheol that I am gonna quit too. There is no way I can stay there with all the questions and rumors.

Minghao clicked his tongue. Maybe it's for the best. Whoever did this could be vindictive enough to expose us and you both should get out of there. I never liked the idea to begin with.

I spoke to Jongho earlier. Mingyu hummed and you felt a pinkie link with yours. He said we need to tear apart her apartment and find this chicken pot pie recipe she has from her grandma. He rambled that she made it when needing comfort or during special occasions.

Didn’t she make it for Christmas?

You sighed and laughed, smiling at nothing. “Of course that little shit would remember that to tell them.

Have either one of you told her what happened before you joined SVT? The question from Minghao caught your interest.

Last week she asked and we talked . Seokmin answered. Why?

I dunno. I thought telling her would let her know we’ve all had some sort of trauma. That we understand that moving forward isn’t easy sometimes.

Mingyu snorted. Okay, dude, some of your stories are insane though. I was just a gambler that was really good at card counting.

You spend six months in jail, scammed other inmates with your card counting, and got the shit kicked out of you. There was an unamused tone in Seokmin’s voice.

Seven months in jail and a five-thousand dollar fine, thank you very much. Oh! And I’m banned from ten casinos worldwide. I’m the only one in this group with a federal record and was on probation.

Congrats, you were a prison bitch.

Nothing wrong with that. It was stupid how proud Mingyu sounded, but he was one of your idiots so… Out of the three of us, Hao, yours is the most complex.

I won’t compare our stories, we all have had different experiences with life. Minghao tried to justify but the silence that followed had him scoffing. Okay, shut up with your expressions.

Yeah, can’t compare mr. ‘I’m a trained assassin’. Sure. Mingyu snarked but chuckled either way. Truly you are the drama movie life here.

Him and Jun.

For two cry babies that could barely breathe earlier, you both sure yap a lot.

Don’t act like we didn’t see you silently crying in the corner.

“You all argue like children.” This was a nice change from the tears you guessed.

They shared a laugh, a warm, fuzzy feeling flooding your heart.

Come on, tell Mouse your story, or do we need to leave the room to give you some privacy? Seokmin snorted his words out, hearing Minghao sigh in return.

Both of you are insufferable.

Insufferably irresistible~ Mingyu hummed.

Maybe you should leave, both of you. Minghao cleared his throat.

Fine, but I’m going to see if Yunho has food here. Come on, Seok.

The pitter patter of footsteps faded and a familiar hum came from the youngest of the three.

I’m not really sure if you can hear me… Mingyu said he kinda could when he got shot… Minghao sighed through his nose. I grew up in a place that trained children to be assassins. Think…Avengers Black Widow but not as dramatic. Though- Okay, maybe from the outside it is dramatic.

He laughed to himself, his voice sounded closer when he spoke next. Anyways…Jun and I have similar backgrounds actually. Trained killers that really didn’t know any other way of life. It’s why I indulge a lot in the finer things now. I didn’t even know my parents because of my upbringing. It’s why Jun is also a little childish, but we understand each other decently. It’s why I’m great with a gun and fighting. It’s why I know every way in and out of a building I walk into.

I’ve hurt many people, seen horrors I didn’t and still don’t know how to explain. Most of my scars couldn’t even compare to the ones you’d be waking up to.

I used to be told that emotions were faulty things that hindered the job I needed to get done. If we cried, they’d punish us. If we, as children, threw tantrums, we were locked in these pitch black rooms so we could reflect on our mistakes. For so long, it was all I knew. Missions, debrief, repeat, nothing else mattered.

He took a shallow breath, linking pinkies with you as Mingyu did earlier.

Someone that managed me – I guess I’d call her my handler – was sweet, always trying to break the emotionless shell I was. She was an amazing cook and made me try food from all over the world. Looking back, in a lot of ways, you remind me of her. Maybe that’s why I became close with you. You both are easy to talk to, when I learned to speak for myself in her case.

She was the one that helped me leave them. It took a while but she did it and I was…free for once. However, for a period of time, I was alone until she got out too. He chuckled quietly. I survived off ramen and rice for two weeks until she came. She said we needed to flee the country so we came here. We weren’t here long until someone came to kill us.

“Let me guess…Jun.” You laughed.

And that is the story of how I met one of my brothers in person- Minghao giggled. But really, he tried to kill us under orders and I knocked him the hell out. Don’t think he expected the lamp to the back of the head, gave him a decent scar under his hair. Truthfully, I can’t even place how we got him to defect so easily.

“Maybe it was the concussion you gave him, Hao.”

The only problem after was finding a purpose. All our lives were as I said earlier. Then…she died in an accident. She was crossing the road and a truck’s brakes stopped working and it hit her. She died instantly, thankfully she didn’t suffer, and it was the first time I cried since I was a child. Jun and I were really alone after that. We applied to jobs with no experience and we stumbled upon Seungkwan and Chan by accident.

“Note to self, ask about Seungkwan’s background…” You snorted.

Seungkwan took us in, no questions asked and gave us a home. We all ended up meeting Jeonghan together and worked to build up Pledis and SVT. I…it was dumb maybe, but I asked if I could continue to do as I was trained, even if it was a little bit, if needed. It was the only thing I was good at at that time. They helped me grow into the person I am today, and I’m grateful for them always supporting me and having my back.

He gripped your hand gently in both of his, thumb rubbing the back of your hand. When you wake up, Mouse, I’d like you to learn her name, my handler, but you need to ask me once-

Alright, loser, we gave you plenty of time to spill your guts. And we have raided their snacks. Mingyu’s voice boomed through the room, the sound of bags crunching and crackling getting closer. I left a hundred bucks so no one gets mad.

Slowly, their conversation came secondary to the tired, lethargic feeling that crept up. Your brain was fatigued, overworked, and you let their voices ease you into full unconsciousness.

Your eyes fluttered open to the divine smell of freshly baked, warm pot pie.

Confused, you weren’t met with the dark void, but rather your childhood bedroom laying in bed with your childhood sheets.

You barely remembered it truthfully. The furniture and all the pictures on the wall were so foreign, a distant memory, long forgotten. You weren’t even close to the same person this room reflected. This person, this girl , had very different dreams, a blood family even if it was hiding an addiction secret, and a decent amount of stability. She wanted to be a nurse to help people like her father did.

All those dreams got crushed the day her parents died.

“Little Bear, are-” The door to your old room opened and your breath caught in your throat, seeing your grandmother standing before you. “Oh! You’re awake, I made your favorite.”

Staring at her, any words that were in your mind slipped into the abyss and faded away.

She looked so full of life, smiling brightly at you like you were the only thing that mattered. Her hair was neat, make up neatly done, and her favorite wash-faded, fuchsia apron wrapped around her front that you got her many many years ago.

“Aren’t you hungry, Little Bear?” She stepped over and brushed some hair over your shoulder. “You haven’t eaten in so long, you must be. You are looking a little thin.”

“I’m-” Swallowing thickly, you continued to take her in, seeing her for the first time since she passed away. “How-”

“Come on, I’ll explain downstairs.” Your grandmother took your hand and gently got you up, leading you out of the room.

Your home was the same as you vaguely remembered, homey and orderly. Your mother never left a mess, a busy body needing to fulfill her stay at home wife role. The floral scent with mild hints of cinnamon was nostalgic to say the least. Mom always loved making common buns…Dad’s favorite treat…

“Are-”

“It’s complicated, Little Bear.” She started, bringing you into the kitchen. “You and I don’t have a whole lot of time together. I wanted you to myself for a little while before they returned.”

“I don’t understand, Gigi. How am I seeing you?” You sat down on a stool by the kitchen island, trying to wrap your head around everything.

“Because you are here to choose, Y/N. You need to choose what you want.” She patted your cheek gently. “But you already knew that, sweetie.”

“This doesn’t make any sense. Aren’t you supposed to make me want to stay?”

“Now why would I do that? You have a home waiting for you out there.” She busied herself with getting the food from the oven, placing them on the counter to cool. “I’m here to see you and only you, not lead you to a place you don’t want to be. You don’t wanna be here, Little Bear. You have your whole life ahead of you.”

“Are mom and dad-”

“They will be here a little later.” She hummed, sliding a ramekin over to you with a fork. “They are the ones you need to fight against.”

Eyeing her signature dish, you deflated, letting tears rim your eyes. “I miss you, Gigi. Nothing has been the same without you.”

Lifting your head, you watched her come to your side and pull you into a hug, kissing your cheeks. “I’ve missed you so much, you have no idea how long I’ve wanted this to happen, but it’s too soon. You don’t deserve to be here.”

She sat down beside you and for a while, you rambled on about your life, what happened and how things have turned out. You told her all about your idiot plan of breaking into a warehouse but how it led you to an amazing (fucked up) group of people that you love. She gave you a high five when you told her you didn’t have one but two significant others and laughed when you told her how you ended up with each of them.

Gigi ended up leading you into the living room and sat you down on the couch, kissing your forehead. She took a seat beside you and booped your nose, smiling all the while grabbing the remote. Furrowing your brow, you went to voice why she was going to turn on the TV, but a harsh gust of air whirlwinded you into a movie theater, the big screen staring back at you.

“I remember when you first joined me in the kitchen to help me cook. You were about four and a half and you cried your eyes out until I got that step stool for you to stand on.”

The screen came to life with your standing beside her, kneading dough for biscuits that she was making for a small family gathering. You were all giggly and smiling, flour covering your shirt and cheeks. Gigi stood beside you, hands on her hips and she shook her head. She said something about you needing a thorough bath later and you squealed with joy. She got you a circular cookie cutter, helping you cut and shape each ball and placing them on a baking sheet.

“And I’m so glad that your love for cooking never stopped as you got older.”

The scene faded to you standing in SVT’s kitchen, laughing at the absolute mess Vernon made of a container of ricotta cheese.

He, wanting to help and learn something to cook, asked if he could be your pseudo sous chef to make the multiple pans of lasagna. You gave him the first easy task of mixing the ricotta in a bowl with parmesan and mozzarella cheese to make a perfect blended layer in your dinner. Vernon went to dump the tubs of ricotta into the bowl but the container slipped from his hand and splattered all over the floor.

He looked like a deer in headlights, mouth agape and he stared down at the mess he caused. You were going to pee yourself from how hard you were laughing.

Seungkwan had rushed in from down the hall as you screamed, gasping for air. He too stared at the mess, disbelief written all over his face, before helping you clean everything up. He grumbled that the cheese got everywhere, but laughed when Vernon continued to apologize.

“And I’m glad you’ve found other people that you care about and love.”

Your second to last 99 line meet up at your apartment flashed on the screen. Games, movies, and a lot of drinking. You laughed and enjoyed the night despite the downfall that was happening around you. They cheered you up and made you feel safe at that moment.

“Those SVT boys are waiting for you. You’ve found yourself a nice family, Little Bear. Though, you’ve seemed to have gotten into some trouble recently.”

You peered over to her and sighed, sinking into your seat. “I know. They are good people and they make me happy…Me getting hurt…I don’t blame them for that.”

She reached over and placed her hand on yours, giving it a gentle squeeze. “And you shouldn’t but will you be able to handle the reality of waking up?”

“What do you mean?”

“Sweetie, you know what I mean.” Gigi looked you in the eyes before glancing to your joined hands and that skin crawling uncomfortability creeped up once more.

You flinched your hand back, leaning away from her.

Another gust of wind whipped you back into your living room. Looking around, your grandmother was standing at the front window, peeking past the curtains then rushed to you, grabbing your shoulders.

“You need to wake up, Y/N. Don’t let them tell you otherwise, do you understand me?” She was a little frantic, giving you a shake so she knew you were paying attention. “I love you, Little Bear. It was so good to see you after so long-”

“Y/N, we’re home!” The crystal clear ring of your mother’s voice was heart stopping.

Right before you, your grandmother was gone. You looked around but she was nowhere to be seen.

Stepping into the living room, your mother smiled brightly, placing her worn but well loved purse down on the coffee table. She took your hands and pulled you to your feet, taking you in from head to toe. She cupped your cheeks and swiped the stray tear that you didn’t know fell away. You heard the door open again and your father came into view, dressed in his police uniform.

“It’s good to see you back home, Y/N.” Your mother said, stroking your cheek with her thumb. “I missed you, Sweet Pea.”

“Look at you,” The joy and astonishment in your father’s tone had you holding your breath. “My little girl is all grown up. I never thought I’d see the day.”

“Come, we need to eat dinner, we need to talk! There is so much we need to catch up on. You have to tell us how life has been. I bet everything has been great-” Your mother pulled at your hand, and her words had you tugging out of her grip.

“Great? Are you kidding?” Frowning, you stared at both of them. “For so long, nothing was remotely okay. You both died and no one in the family wanted me!”

“But- But look at you now!” She waved you off, motioning you over. “Aside from the little mishap here, you are doing great! But…we miss you, Sweet Pea. You should stay. Stay right where you belong with us.”

Your father stepped close, placing an opened hand on your upper arm. “You shouldn’t leave us, Y/N. We could all be a family again, just like you’ve wanted.” He tried to gently push you into the kitchen but you resisted, moving into the middle of the living room.

“No, we can’t do that more. I…I don’t want that anymore.” You shook your head, trying to collect your thoughts. “Both of you chose addiction over your own child! You are dead and I’m laying in some clinic bed wanting to go back to the people I call my family now!”

“But they aren’t your family, Y/N. They aren’t blood. Look what they let happen to you!” Your mother rushed towards you, turning you around to come face to face with a long mirror.

Your shirt was gone but your chest was covered, able to see every cut, bruise, scabbing skin, and the branding staring back. Your heart beat oddly, like it skipped a beat, and the heaviness settled in your chest that was felt in your throat. Shaking off the fluttering feeling in your chest, you turned back to them and the pure white void surrounded you, both of your parents dressed in white while you were in black.

“Baby, just come with us. You won’t have to be in pain when you wake up. You can be with your grandma too!” Your mother begged, hugging your father’s arm. “Forever, Y/N. You could be with us forever. You don’t have to hurt anymore.”

“I-” Frantically, you looked around, anxious in the bright space, needing a way to escape. “I want to go home – going with you, that isn’t home anymore. That stopped being home the day you left me.”

Taking a step back, you felt that same flutter in your chest, gasping for air to ease it.

“They want me,” You forced out a breath, tears in the corner of your eyes. “SVT wants me, ATZ wants me, DC wants me, so many people want me to wake up. They’ve wiped my tears, they’ve brought me genuine happiness, and they’ve never judged me for being myself. They’ve made me remember what familial love is with you gone and I’m not going to break their hearts like you broke mine.”

“We never meant to hurt you, Y/N.” Your father held your wife, looking remorseful.

“But you did and somewhere along the way I forgave you, and I need to get back to them. I need to wake up, mom, dad…” Approaching your parents, you pulled them into your arms and hugged them tightly. “I love you both for bringing me into this world, but I love them more for saving me from myself.”

“You…You have grown up into an amazing woman, Sweet Pea.” Your mother and father kissed your cheeks, tears running down their faces. “I couldn’t be more proud of you.”

“I don’t wanna see you go.” Your father wiping his head, sighing. “But…your grandmother is right…you aren’t meant to be here. Be happy with them…”

“I will, and I am.” Parting them from, you turned around, facing the familiar black door, watching it open and beckoning you inside.

“Go one, I think they are waiting for you.”

Looking over your shoulder, you gave them a sad smile. “I love both of you…and I’m sorry…”

You gave them a wave, whispering a goodbye as you stepped through the door, letting the darkness consume you.

…fuck up- I don’t want us to get caught. Yunho sighed, I snuck you in to be nice but if Seonghwa sees or hears us, I’m screwed.

Then be quiet, idiot. Mingi snickered.

You felt more…lucid, or what you thought was lucid.

Well, you didn’t have to bring us in here. Wooyoung teased and the sound of a slap followed. Ow, hey!

None of you left him or Yeosang alone to get us in here. Gahyeon sounded close, sighing and someone, probably her, fixed your blanket.

Ah…99 line were all there, not just ATZ.

She’s been out for five days. There was worry and exhaustion in Chan’s voice when he spoke up opposite of Gahyeon. None of the guys and I have had a moment of good rest in days.

You’ve been out…for five days? How is that possible? It couldn’t have been that long?

She just needs time, Chan. Gahyeon spoke again. We don’t know what demons she is fighting in there.

While you were still semiconscious, you weren’t floating or falling in the void. Any attempt to look around was only met with darkness, you couldn’t see yourself. There was a chill on your skin, a twinge of pain in each hair from what you guessed was IVs. Pain subtly radiated through your limbs, the brand on your chest itched excruciatingly, but your arms were heavy, probably from no proper movement in days. Your mouth was horribly dry and your throat hurt when you breathed in through your nose.

Things were starting to come back to you, the reality of the whole situation, not something conjured up by your head.

You were waking up – or, you were getting there.

“She looks so peaceful despite everything.” Yeonjun hummed to your right. “I hope the time she has spent resting will be good once she wakes up.”

“Mingyu and Jongho found the recipe in her kitchen and keeps trying to recreate it from what he remembers from Christmas. He has had so many of us trying it.” Chan huffed, “Nothing has been close to her though. She…made it so perfect.”

“What are you all doing here?” Jongho’s voice had the rest going quiet. “You are lucky Seonghwa is asleep right now. He texted me earlier to check on her since you two were supposed to be resting too.”

You assumed he meant Yunho and Yeosang.

“Did you expect anything else?” Mingi asked.

“No, but there are a lot of you here. What if she wakes up and you all crowd her?”

Changbin chuckled. “Then we back up.”

“Shut up, loser.” Wooyoung scoffed.

You took a deep breath in, swallowing dryly.

“Guys-” Gaheyon slapped someone a few times to get their attention.

When your eyes first opened, you grimaced at the bright light, struggling to adjust. The white ceiling stood out to you before multiple heads popped into your blurred vision. Both of your hands were grabbed and too many people were rapid fire talking at once. Someone was crying, you couldn’t tell who, they crowded closer, and you were getting overwhelmed.

You flinched away from them, inwardly with nowhere to go, and your breathing started to quicken. They were too close, not enough space to breathe. The heart monitor started to beep loudly, feeling the organ beat violently in your chest, and the sound was the tipping point to send you into a panic attack. They started to back off, giving your space, and your hands were released. There was an angry shout before Seonghwa came into your line of sight. In your panic, you didn’t realize you had ripped the IVs from your hands and you were bleeding.

You tried to voice that you couldn’t breath, gasping for air as your hands moved frantically to convey your distress. He – thankfully – picked up on your message and grabbed an oxygen mask and blasted the air as he helped it over your head and onto your face. You weakly pushed yourself up and Yeosang hurried to raise the back of the bed for you.

“All of you out!” Seonghwa ordered with a boom to his voice, standing before the group of your friends, all in different states of confusion and concern. “Now.”

“Guys…come on.” Yunho’s head hung but 99 line left with tears and whispers of apologies in their wake.

Once the door was shut firmly behind them, Seonghwa turned back towards you, eyes riddled with worry. Your breathing started to even out but your hands shook vigorously at your panic, trying to clasp them together to the best of your abilities.

“Mouse…” Seonghwa slowly strided closer, sitting on a chair beside your bed.

Unintentionally you flinched away from him and hugged yourself, protecting yourself weakly. He cringed at the reaction, eyes scanning over you while giving a moment of brevity before diving into what needed to be done. Squeezing your eyes shut, you breathed in through your nose and out your mouth.

“I won’t touch you unless I really need to.” Seonghwa spoke softly, reassuring your worries. “But you will need to at least talk to me. I promise you I will not say anything to anyone if you don’t want me to, but if you plan to harm yourself in any way, I will break that promise.”

“Can I have some water?” Your throat was screaming, hoarse and sore from how dry and unused it was. “Please.”

He was quick to get you a cup of water and straw, placing it on the small table beside your cot so there would be no touch shared. You downed it in one go, gasping at the sweet relief that flooded your throat. He took his seat once more after getting another cup just in case, sighing through his nose.

“I’ve been giving you some painkillers and antibiotics. You are probably hungry so I can get you whatever you’d like – anything you’d like. I think it’s well deserved.

“Have I really been out for five days?”

Seonghwa gave a small nod. “You were taken on the thirtieth. We searched all day and night. And we didn’t find you until January first. Today is the sixth and it’s-” He glanced down at his watch. “Four in the morning, Jesus Christ.”

You glanced around the room, taking in the different cots, the multitude of locked medical cabinets, and a shiver shot down your spine. Your skin crawled, out of place and uncomfortable; it was too white, clear, pure , and it reminded you too much of your void you escaped.

“You don’t have to give me any details, however I’ve been running around trying to figure out what has made your heartbeat a little weird when we got you here.”

Sucking in a deep breath, you turned your attention back to him. “They…They injected a higher dose of epinephrine than what's in an epipen. I-” Dropping your gaze, you tried wrapping your head around everything. “I heard you question or whatever that my heart stopped. I remember my heart was beating really fast, like it was in my throat and ready to jump out, then it slowed down quickly and I passed out or maybe-”

Seonghwa stopped you, holding his hand out so as to not push you further. “It’s okay. It just means I’ll want to monitor your heart a little while longer. Would it be okay to ask about the burns on your sides?”

“Wet sponges and either a generator or something, some things are still fuzzy and my head hurts.” Your lie was weak, you simply didn’t want to relieve all of the pain right now, there was already a pit in your stomach as heavy as a boulder.

“Yeosang, Jihoon, and I bandaged and cleaned you up the best we could. I asked Sona and a few women she trusted to do anything else since I didn’t know how comfortable you were… We could only do so much about the…branding. Once it heals, we can look into plastic surgery for you-”

“When can I go home?”

“Home-?” He stuttered, collecting his thoughts and nodded, this soft, caring side of him show. “If you let me examine you one more time and promise to rest, I don’t see why you couldn’t go home later today. I’ll get a portable heart monitor you could wear on your chest that is all for you as well. I need to order it though.”

Only nodding to him, Seonghwa stood and you flinched once more. “Do you just want to get this done before people show up and I’m already awake?”

Wordlessly, you nodded for the second time and he quickly shut the privacy curtain just in case. Seonghwa took his time mainly for your sake. He touched you as little as possible and apologized each time you flinched, but overall asked you to move your limbs to show him what he needed. He did get bandages for your hands that you placed on independently. He explained the signs of a concussion; heightened agitation, lack of focus, weird eating patterns, and asked to let him know if your headache persisted longer than a few days. When you needed to stand, your knees buckled and you fell to the floor, yelping in pain.

It took all your willpower to let him help you up. If he noticed how you tensed up despite him gripping your clothes more than you, he said nothing. He gave you plenty of space after, giving you breathing room before you attempted to stand again, holding into the bed. Seonghwa explained it was mostly from being bedridden for days and to not beat yourself up about it.

When he was somewhat satisfied with your mobility, he further went on about wanting to change the bandage on your chest, but offered to take you to the bathroom with the mirror and walk you through the process on your own. As per…third degree burn treatment, he had been changing the sterile bandages and placing an antibiotic cream on it to not risk any infection so close to your heart. It would, sadly, take a month or two to fully heal, but he was sure it would heal without an issue as long as you cared for it. You took his offer to learn how to change the dressings for at home care, but you wanted to see how it looked…

Seonghwa hesitated for a moment, the discomfort evident on his face, but he agreed, knowing you’d have to see it sooner or later either way. He guided you into the bathroom after gathering what was needed and stood silently in the corner of the bathroom, staring at you concerned as you unbuttoned your shirt enough to remove the bandage.

It looked…gross to put it lightly. The skin was swollen and irritated, dry as hell around the edges of it. The brand spot itself was white with spots of brown and red, blistering too, seeing the lower layer of your skin, which looked slimy and had bile burning the back of your already sore throat. You were lucky the shirt they changed you into was button up style and you could cover a majority of it while resting here.

As promised, Seonghwa guided you through the proper dressing procedure and cleaning, saying he’d send enough supplies for a little while home with you. He pointed to himself a lot which you watched in the mirror to guide you, answering any questions you had.

You could already hear commotion outside as you placed the last piece of medical tape to secure the bandage. Hesitantly despite the curiosity, you rolled up the sleeves and stared at the healing handprint bruises on your forearms and upper arms.

Staring at yourself for a moment, you cowered at the memories that raced through your mind. Every moment felt fresh, you would probably feel scared and uncomfortable for a long while. Hell, you were kinda scared to shower giving the drawing you experienced. Your body ached and all your nerves were alight with anxiety.

“Do you want me to ask them to leave?” He asked, placing the garbage in the trash. “Or-”

“I-” You fully buttoned your shirt, sighing at your bruised face and split lip. “I want to see if I can handle it with them…”

“Are you sure?” Glancing at him in the mirror, Seonghwa looks nervous for you. He didn’t look a smidge confident.

“I don’t have much of a choice, Seonghwa.” Sighing again, you made sure your sleeves were fully rolled down and checked yourself one last time in the mirror.

You looked tired, one could say ragged. Someone had braided your hair so it didn’t get knotted and tangled, probably Sona. Your skin was begging for a proper shower and you wanted your coziest sweater to sleep in. Everything was going to be weak as you healed, you just hoped that you’d be able to have some normal feelings soon.

“Let’s do this.” You whispered to yourself and moved to the door.

You could feel Seonghwa’s looming presence behind you, that prickling anxiety giving your goosebumps. With one final breath in, you pushed the door open, tensing at the hoard of eyes full of worry and tiredness staring at you.

Chan tried to call out to stop them, but Jeonghan, Joshua, and Seokmin rushed forward and you recoiled away from them. They were talking quickly, loud , and at least one of them was crying. They were touching your hands, arms, and someone was holding your face gently. Someone else was telling them to stop, but they argued, not that you could hear the exchange with the blood rushing past your ears. You were breathing hard again, heart beating out of your chest, trying to push them away and struggling as the rush of the members of Monsta X holding you down flooded back. You didn’t know if you were verbalizing things, your panic attack scrambling your thoughts, but your body felt like it was on fire. Your lungs burned, your skin growing flush, and you were starting to sweat.

Every fiber in your body screamed that it was in danger – you were in danger.

Someone yelled – wait – you think you yelled, screamed .

“Back up!” Seonghwa yelled like earlier, grabbing you and pushing you back into the bathroom.

Your back pressed into the freezing cold tiles and you slid down to the floor. There was shouting and the door slammed with a harsh thunk, the sounds outside muffled.

Hugging your knees, you tried to stop yourself from shaking, rocking yourself back and forth comfortingly, sucking in short breaths to regulate. The pins and needles feeling was slowly building in your hands and feet, you were lightheaded and so glad for the cool temperature in the bathroom.

You didn’t know how long it was until the bathroom door opened next. It was much quieter, but Jongho and Sona stared down at your broken form when you looked up. You tried to look past their legs, able to see many other sets of feet in the distance still.

“It’s okay.” You’ve never heard Sona speak so softly before. She squatted down, keeping her distance. “You can come out.”

“Everything hurts.” You sounded congested, complaining tiredly, and she scoffed while Jongho gave a sad smile.

“Well yeah, that’s what happens when you pull out your IVs and don’t have any pain meds and have two panic attacks. Duh.”

Jongho looked over his shoulder and huffed, whispering his words. “Seonghwa is giving them an earful.”

“They deserve it for being fucking stupid.” Sona rolled her eyes, clearly unhappy after learning what happened.

Slowly you peeled yourself off the floor, huffing out in exertion. Your sides hurt, your chest itched, and you think you were hungrier under all the heightened emotions. Sona placed herself between you and the rest with Jongho trailing behind, walking out to the open medical room.

“That was the most reckless thing you could have done, do you know that?” Seonghwa’s tone and the tearful expressions most wore was enough to know the scolding and scare they got.

“I want to go home.” You cut Seonghwa off before he could continue and there was a mix of reactions staring back. “I want to go home now.”

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@unlikelysublimekryptonite @iiaweirdo @aurorajoye @gaslysainz @sarcasticsagittarius1998 @vanteel @clownprincehoeshi @kpopandbookschild @honeybunchcrunch @black-swan-blog27 @peachie-wonu @kpopsimpsblog @choppedballoondetective

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kuroppiii · 1 year ago

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little mermaid ᵕ̈ boyfie!kuroo tetsurō x gn reader ˎˊ˗

⋮⋮ ˒ ₍ᐢ..ᐢ₎ 𖥻 ⿻ : "not even the ocean could ⋮⋮ rip me away from you. i'm not going ⋮⋮ anywhere. what am i? sea foam?"

📋 content ♡ # 𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘧𝘧 🐮 ♡ # 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘣𝘣𝘭𝘦 🥛 ♡ # ~800 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴

🧸 directory ‹ ✩ like what you read ? check out more of my blog ! •ᴗ•

💬 kuroppiii ─ “ i ' m in the summer mood thanks to @lcvemiyuki 's account xx . hot writer summer !!! ( not proofread !! ) ”

you turn to the next page of your book. you try your best from letting the sand that's stuck to your sunscreen-ed arm deposit little grains into the nooks and crannies of the novel's binding, but it's hard considering your lounging on your towel stomach-first. the seagulls circling above you and the shade of your beach umbrella mock you as you inevitably fail to do so. you try to lean forward and gently blow the sand off the neatly-printed letters when–

"stop moving babe!" your boyfriend of 6'2" whines like a child. "you're going to ruin art. my art."

and with that, you feel more sand getting dumped on the back of your legs and the light patting of hands to shape it around your body. kuroo was currently trying to give you a mermaid tail.

"how much longer is this gonna take, tetsu?" you struggle to say without giggling through your words. you hear him return your laughter, and although you can't turn around to see it, you can picture his smile and the way his eyes crease at the corners as he does so. you hear his steps in the sand as he comes up to join you and your book.

"it's almost done," he announces before nosing at the side of your face and leaving loving kisses from your temple to your slightly-sunburnt shoulder. you feel the ocean water still remnant in his hair from the swim you two shared earlier.

"you said that about 20 minutes ago if i recall correctly," you tease, trying your best to dodge his sea salty kisses.

"i told you to stop moving! oh, i'm gonna have to start all over again at this rate," he complains with the most dramatic sigh any one person has ever mustered, making you laugh more. "and how do you know it's already been 20 minutes, anyway? i haven't seen you check your phone at all, you've had your nose stuck in that book."

"well can see from the shadow of the sunscreen," you start through your fit of giggles, but as you start your defense kuroo starts to shift so he's right in front of you–face-to-face with you and leaning on his side. maybe it's heatstroke, but you swear you can see a twinkle in your boyfriends eyes, like the way the ocean shimmers in the midday sunlight. "and y'know if the egyptians, if they can use their sun dials to, to tell the passage of time, then... then..."

your laughter dies down and sound of your voice trails off. a subtle smile graces kuroo's lips, and you start to feel small by how devoutly he's admiring you.

you two share a peaceful moment, a lull where it's just you two and the sound of waves crashing against the shore nearby.

"i should bury you in sand more often," he suddenly blurts out, interrupting the silence.

you start laughing again, "why on earth would you say that?"

kuroo shakes his head and places his hand to the side of our smiling cheek, "because that way i know you won't go away. i like having you here, with me."

"i could never leave you, tetsu. even when i get my legs back. not even the ocean could rip me away from you. i'm not going anywhere. what am i? sea foam?" you lightheartedly joke. kuroo hums in response, and you feel the pad of his thumb start to caress your cheekbone.

suddenly you realize how close you two were, you can almost feel his lips on yours and the feeling makes your eyes flutter shut. at last, you feel his soft and tender (and a little sandy) kiss as his hand comes down to take your hand away from your book and into his own.

you depart and it's like you're in a daze. you have to take a deep breath of seaside air and rest your head down on your arm as you and kuroo smile at each other like the two lovestruck idiots you are.

then he goes to brush off the sand from his swim trunks and sit up, "alright babe, what do you say to some sea shells to decorate your marvelous tail–the one you definitely love and will stay still for because yours truly is making it?"

you reach out and grab a fistful of sand and launch it at his torso, which he lets out a pitchy yelp at in response.

"whatever you want mr. artiste, as long as i can get my legs back soon so we can go out and swim again," you say as you shift to continue your book.

kuroo gives you a wink, "anything for my little mermaid."

#🌼 𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗸𝘆𝘂𝘂 #🌼 𝗸𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝘁𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗼 #my big baby #haikyuu #kuroo testuro #kuroo tetsuro x reader #kuroo x reader #kuroo fluff

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indigosabyss · 9 months ago

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Meanwhile, With Tommy... (+A Ms Marvel Show Tie-in)

He was Thomas Shepherd. All the documents said he was Thomas Shepherd, so he had to be.

But then why did that last name sit so wrong? What was it supposed to be? It was on the tip of his tongue, if he just concentrated a little harder-

The guy in the cell next to him rammed into the wall separating them with a scream loud enough to break Tommy's concentration. Fucking asshole.

Guess it didn't matter what he was or wasn't, anyway. He was still going to be stuck in this godforsaken place.

Tommy didn't want to say he hadn't done anything to deserve being put here. They found him in the epicenter of a massive explosion, as the sole survivor, with no memories whatsoever. Yeah, people were going to have questions.

It just so happened that Tommy didn't have answers to those questions, because he had no memories whatsoever.

The cops seemed to get this eventually, and he'd been... Wherever this was.

The wrong place. Tommy was sure of it. He wasn't meant to be here.

Where was he meant to be?

Well, there was this tug that he carried with him. His own personal compass, like an invisible thread yanking him to a place he was unable to go. Not with these bars in the way. And especially the cuffs.

He was hella fast, it turned out. And not the fun kind of fast. The type of fast that made things blow up. The type of fast that society didn't need.

The knock against the wall this time was more intentional. There was something about the force behind it that clued Tommy in. Other guy had real anger management issues. The stabby type, apparently.

But since his tantrum had abated, Tommy knocked back.

Other Guy had snuck Tommy a code to a knock cipher, before the guards realized his shiny crystal things could sneak through the bars on the cell door's window and barred it. It was tedious as fuck, but also the only conversation he ever got that didn't involve also being electrocuted and following instructions like a lab rat.

I've been disguising my advancing control, Other Guy reported. And then, seemingly unrelated: Note that we seem to be the only ones here?

What about it? he responded, having noticed that too. Seemed that superpowered people that have been deemed public menaces but not bad enough for the Raft were in short supply.

There'd been a bunch more. Triple the current population, which wasn't much. They were from Other Guy's party, if he was remembering the gossip right. Escaped and left him bleeding out on the stairs.

The next series of taps took a long time to finish.

It wouldn't feel right, leaving anyone behind. But if you're sure it's just you and me, then I think we can try a break for freedom. Not sure where we would go, though.

Freedom? Tommy didn't even remember what that was supposed to look like. But the feeling tugging in his gut flared, and the direction remained constant, no matter which room he was moved to, or where he faced. Everything went back to that one point.

I think I know a place, he finally told Other Guy

------

When they punched through the outer wall, they were met with dirt. Other Guy was thinking things through, as he activated his turquoise crystals to burrow through the ground into a perfect tunnel.

"Great, now let's get out, out, out!" Tommy grabbed him by the shoulder and slipped into superspeed.

They were laughing hysterically when the tunnel finally came out onto an honest-to-god meadow, with sunlight streaming in, and no walls in sight. Just fences, a house a little ways away.

"So, where's this place you had in mind?" Other Guy asked.

"Uhh... straight shot this way," Tommy recalibrated himself to his own true North. "Gonna be a bit of a walk."

"About time I got to stretch my legs," Other Guy shrugged, strolling in the direction Tommy had pointed out.

They were walking shoulder to shoulder ffor several minutes when Other Guy smacked his forehead, "I completely forgot to introduce myself! And after all the time we've known each other. I'm Kamran."

"Tommy..." he took his proferred hand, and the word dangling on the tip of his tongue finally came loose. "Maximoff."

[Based off my prediction that the DODC detainment facility the Clandestines were kept in is where Tommy is being kept like in the comics. Sequel ficlet incoming of these two showing up at the Kaplan house while Billy is doing his part in AAA]

Part 2

#tommy shepherd #tommy maximoff #kamran ms marvel #kamran the clandestine #agatha all along #ms marvel #ibis ficlets

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countrymusiclover · 1 year ago

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1 - The Arrangement

Part 2

The Last Velaryon

Tag list @rise-my-angel @cdragons

When I was a child I wouldn't have believed you if you told me that one day I would find myself tangled in the claws of both a Lion and Wolf......

Monterys Velaryon, a name that every young child knew of our house before my grandparents died. He was declared the heir to Driftmark at only the age of six and got control of an entire fleet of ships and sea. The name doesn't truly live alive to this day...except for the fact that I exist as the only true born child. My father only was with one noble girl but she died giving birth to me.

But in this world women don't get any claim to a household

Walking through the castle hallways I was lost in my own thoughts about our current situation. It was declared that House Velaryon was to no longer have any high power when House Baratheon took the Iron Throne from the Targaryen. So we had a small castle that was near the same sea that brushed up against Dragonstone that was also claimed by the Stag house too.

Footsteps came running down towards me when I stopped to peek out one of the windows. "! There you are. I went into your chambers but couldn't find you."

"You know I don't care about being stuck up in the same rooms all the time." I responded leaning my back against the wall responding to my lady in waiting who was also my best friend, Chezney Ally.

She became close to me since she had lost her mother at a later age then I did. Unfortunately I never got to know who she was. Chezney had dark brown hair pinned up into two braids while she wore a light blue dress to match our house colors. "You're not trapped here, ."

"Really. Let's think about this shall we." I tapped my chin with my index finger in thought. "I live in a castle that is only surrounded by sea and the only way I will ever be forced to never see this place again is if I wed off to some snob lord far far away."

Chezney sends me a raised brow. "Don't say that you could be wed to a young lord who is actually nice to you."

"Pfft I doubt that. But anyway, what were you wanting me for exactly?" I questioned my friend.

She clasped her hands together. "Since you're not busy with ridiculous lessons can we go swimming off the castle."

"Absolutely you know I love the thrill." I nodded in agreement where we both ran through the hallways. I wasn't wearing flat dress shoes like she was. I was wearing riding boots with a knee length sea blue tunic shirt that was big enough on me it looks like a dress.

Chezney swings opened the door that led to one of the boat docks that was just a little high above the water. She ran to the edge not caring about her clothes get wet when she hit down into the sea. "Come on, !" She cheered, pooping her head above water.

Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear I ran forward and hugged my knees to my chest. I hit the water and felt my hair that was in a braid slightly fall apart. "If I ever have a husband they better be fun or I'm running away." I swam up taking a breath once my head is out of water.

"And I'll come with you if they allow that." She replied, grinning at me.

Splashing some water playfully in her direction I laughed. "Of course I'll allow it and if they don't then I'll find a way to make them."

"Yeah I know you will. Uh oh they found us." Chezney splashed some water back at me looking over my shoulder and her smile dropped.

Turning around in the water I glared at the young guard my father had assigned to me for my protection since he was always busy with being Lord of the Tides. "What are you doing here, Antler!"

"You're wanted by the small council, My lady." He bowed with the wind catching his dark brown curly locks.

Shaking my head I grumbled. "What could they want with me? And tell whoever is asking that I am spending time with my friend."

"I don't think that will fair over with your father, Lady Haelesa ." Antler gulped in a slight nervous tone. "For he is the one asking for your presence at the time."

"I better go. Can't keep daddy waiting I suppose." I swam away and Chezney followed after me. We didn't bother changing into dry clothes since he clearly wanted to see me right this second. Tying my boot laces back properly I sighed following Antler through the dark hallways. The castle was usually cold during nighttime but during the day the ocean wind wasn't unbearable. I honestly enjoyed the taste of sea more than most did and that's saying something since we're all raised to be able to handle sea life. The three of us finally halted outside a set of large double doors where Antler knocked three times signaling we were there.

The doors opened and I stepped inside seeing my father's lord advisors and him sitting around a circle table. The doors were shut behind me where I felt slightly nervous since Antler and Chezney were left outside in the hall. "Leave me alone to speak with my daughter now." My father Monterys declared getting to his feet.

"What did you want to talk to me about, father?" I questioned softly under my breath.

His eyes locked on mine. "It has come to my attention that our house is almost gone. Our heirs are either dying out or are Bastards by my only living son. That needs to change before we're gone forever."

"Change how?" I nervously asked him.

My father rounded the table and came to stand in front of me. He placed his hands on my shoulders before he spoke out. "It is past time you were wed, ."

"What...no." Immediately came from my mouth.

He lowers his gaze. "This isn't up for discussion, dear. It must happen to save our house and name."

"That's not right, father. Something shouldn't just be done because it's been done for a thousand years and no one else has had the balls to change the tradition!" I snapped at my father in disbelief.

He drops his hands from my shoulders. "Watch your tone. You are my daughter and you will serve your house like your mother did before she died."

"If the only way I will ever see the rest of the world is through a ridiculous marriage then I have one condition. Chezney comes with me to whatever house you're sending me to for the rest of my life." I suggested to him with my hands on my hips.

The lord of the tides paused in thought watching me closely then finally replying. "Fine. I'll inform Lord Tywin of the response.....just remember where you come from my dear girl."

"The Old, the True, the Brave." I mumbled back to him when he started to walk away from me until I realized what he had said to me. "Wait a second you said Tywin Lannister?"

My father looked over his shoulder. "Yes I did. Tywin of House Lannister. You are to wed his eldest son Jaime. You will be sailed to Kings Landing and from there the wedding should take place within a fortnight."

"But isn't Jaime a member of the Kingsguard? He took the oath. He can't marry or bear children with anyone. He would be exactly like my brother." Listing off my fingers, this wasn't making sense anymore.

Lord Monterys moved back and sat down in his lord chair. He ran a hand over his chin in silence. I knew that he had a lot of weight on his shoulders and I was probably making it worse. Yet I had all the time in the world to read up on all the houses and history that we had gotten from Dragonstone. "Tywin has assured me that he was removed of his white cloak by King Robert Baratheon. The man who now seats the Iron Throne. So you shouldn't be worried about such matters. Now go back and start packing your leaving in a few days."

"Okay...I still love you father." Pausing in my step just beside the double doors I eyed my father in his chair figuring this would be the last time I saw him.

He sends me a grin. "I love you too, ."

The day for me to leave my family home had finally come to pass. The whole castle staff had been gathering supplies and getting the ship prepared that would go to King's Landing. Gazing out the window I just sat on the windowsill listening to the sea hit against the castle as best as I could. There was no guarantee that we would immediately go to Casterly Rock so this comforting sound needs to be my last memory of home. ", can I come in?" Chezney's voice broke me from the silence.

"It's open, Chez." I answered her, seeing her peak her head inside.

She shut the door with her foot behind her. "Antler sent me to inform you that everything is ready. We just need to get you dressed to go."

"I'm not wearing a tight dress on that boat. It doesn't matter if I'm marrying the wealthiest family in the seven kingdoms, I will be comfortable for as long as I can." I responded to my friend watching her go over to my chest of clothes and shoes searching around for what we could pick.

Sliding down from the seel my bare feet hit the wooden floor until I snagged my boots on. Tying the laces I stood upright. "Okay so let's do one of your brother's old tunics that he grew out of." Chezney draws out some dark blue trousers with a sea blue tunic.

"Can you do the braid your mother taught you?" I asked her to sit down at the window once I had changed my clothes for the trip.

She nodded beginning on the braid. "I heard some of the kitchen staff gossiping about the man you're to marry. They said that Jaime is supposed to be so handsome and the best swordsman in the kingdoms."

"Looks and sword skill aren't all that should define a person. From what I read about the Lannister's they throw gold at all their problems. It's the decisions that someone makes that matters." I rolled my eyes when she finished the braid, letting my silver-blonde hair over my right shoulder.

Chezney shakes her head. "Maybe you'll get lucky and you'll find your right person before your wedding." We clasped hands and left the castle with my father accompanying us on the journey. I don't really remember much of the trip. It was just a lot of sea and not many nights of proper sleep before we were woke to see a much warmer climate and a large populated city unlike what I was used to.

One of the Baratheon guards helped me out of the boat when we ported it to land. My gaze shifted around recognizing the certain king and his queen that was Jaime's twin sister Cersei. "Lady Velaryon, here I thought that your house was gone for good. And all the material with your name had been forged into weapons." Someone remarked in my direction where my gaze shifted across the crowd of people.

I finally stopped searching when I met a second pair of green eyes and blonde hair that fell almost down to his shoulders. And a sword attached to his hip. "Jaime Lannister, I presume."

"The one and only, my lady." He smirked at me smugly.

Putting one hand on my hip I flipped my hair out of my face, getting the sense that I was right about what I read about this family. "Well, be careful, Lannister. My house may not be as known as yours. But I may surprise you and everyone here." Jaime smirked still down at me before I took a bow in front of him and Chezney just quietly smiled at our interaction knowing this was not going to be an easy arrangement.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

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flamingspud · 2 months ago

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Chapter 6: It’s About to Blow Up.

Lizzie tries to end Pearl and Scott’s arguing, meanwhile Joel is sent to deal with a noisy neighbour.

Chapter Under the Cut:

1812

The room was crowded with bodies, each moving in sync with the next to the beautiful music of the band.

Among them was Scott Smajor, the only son of the house, who's blue suit easily outshone those of the men around him, the grace with which he danced truly something to behold.

He didn't miss the way the women he danced with looked at him, whether it was due to his status or a genuine interest he couldn't tell. Not that it mattered, he didn't currently and would never feel the same way.

Speaking of, Lord Covington met eyes with him across the room, and a sly smile crept onto his face. Scott felt himself smile back, plenty of memories coming to mind. He found his eyes straying lower than the lord's face.

Before he could break away to sneak off with him, he was passed off to dance with another woman.

Fine, he figured, one more dance won't hurt.

The woman was taller than him, and her outfit was strange, to say the least. Like most of the attendees she wore a black masquerade mask, the design simple enough. Over her shoulders she donned a red cloak, the hood pulled up over her head just far enough that it wouldn't cover her face too much.

But the oddest part by far were the clothes she wore underneath the cloak, as instead of a dress she wore an ensemble of a simple shirt, black trousers and leather boots.

Scott's initial reaction was to wonder who on earth let her in, and whatever could've possessed her to dress in such a manner to a party?

He then wondered if there was any chance she was like him.

"Good evening," he told her as they glided across the dance floor.

Her eyes were a dazzling blue, and her grin was wolfish. "Hi Scott," she returned with too much familiarity for someone he just met.

Before Scott could ask her one of the many questions that flitted through his mind, ranging from "what hole did you crawl out from?" to "do you like women?" something thin and circular was pressed against his abdomen.

He looked down to see the form of a silver flintlock pistol held against him, the woman's cloak serving as a frustrating barrier that stopped it from being easily visible to the rest of the guests.

"Say anything and I'll shoot," she said quietly into his ear.

He kept his expression neutral, though his instincts were screaming.

"Why don't we get out of here?" She asked, and Scott wasn't inclined to disagree.

***

"Scott I'm going to kill you!!!" Pearl yelled.

"Hate to tell you but someone beat you to it!" Scott spat back, "oh wait."

"That wasn't my fault and you know it-"

"-like it was my fault?!-"

"-and you knew it was my turn under the shaft! And you sat there anyway!!!"

"I didn't see your name on it!"

"Oh, you!-"

"God, whatever I did I'm sorry," Lizzie muttered as she cast her eyes heavenward.

"Ghosts annoying you again?" Joel asked as he sipped his coffee.

"Yep," Lizzie said with resignation. "It's like Pearl and Scott are actively trying to step on each other's toes."

"That sucks," Joel sympathised, though it was clear he couldn't understand the extent of her struggle.

At that moment, the ground shook as a loud explosion could be heard in the distance. It caused Joel to spill his coffee on himself. "Bloody hell!"

"What are they doing over there?" Lizzie asked, walking over to the window.

For the past two days their neighbour had been causing all kinds of disturbances, from loud machinery to explosions that shook the ground to bright lights in the middle of the night to awful smells that stuck to you.

"I don't know but I wouldn't be surprised if it was illegal," Joel muttered.

"Lizzie, Pearl won't stop poking me!" Scott complained, running into the room.

"I didn't even touch you!" Pearl told him.

"Barely!" She was making jabbing motions at him, only stopping centimetres from his skin.

"That's it! You two are going to couples therapy!" Lizzie decided, slamming her hands down on the table.

"What?!" Scott and Pearl exclaimed at the same time.

"Yup, you're going to talk about your feelings and learn to get along," Lizzie told them.

"But a therapist can't see us," Scott pointed out, somewhat smugly.

"Well it's a good thing I can then, isn't it?" Lizzie replied.

Scott's face fell.

"That's right, you're going to be talking to me about it," Lizzie told them with a smile.

"But-" Pearl started.

"No buts," Lizzie said finally.

The pair of ghosts sulked as they walked out of the room.

"You really told them," Joel said once he figured the conversation was done.

"Yup, let's just hope I can follow through," she said with a sigh.

"Of course you will," Joel encouraged, "you're like the pied piper of ghosts!"

Lizzie smiled at him. "Thanks-" she stood up- "while I do that will you please go tell that neighbour to shut up? It's driving me crazy."

"Yes ma'am," Joel replied, saluting her as she walked out of the room.

Once she made it to the door, a voice beside her spoke. "It's never going to work, we've been trying to stop them from fighting for centuries."

Lizzie turned to Impulse. "We won't know unless we try!" She said with forced optimism.

Impulse shook his head. "Whatever you say…"

Lizzie was going to get to the bottom of this, she had to.

***

Joel marvelled at his neighbour's house as he approached it. The style was similar to his and Lizzie's house, though it seemed better maintained, giving it an extra air of sophistication.

The main difference, however, were the random contraptions and pieces of scrap materials scattered across the lawn, and the suspicious burnt patches of grass gave a chaotic look to the place.

Once he reached the door he rang the doorbell, and bounced on the balls of his feet as he waited for the neighbour to open up.

Eventually the door opened to reveal a late, middle-aged man, who's blond, soot-stained hair was being held back by goggles that rested on his forehead. His clothes were dark greys and reds, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.

Joel watched his red eyes light up with excitement at his presence. "Hi! What can I help you with?"

"Oh, well I'm Joel and I live next door with my wife-"

"Oh! You're the new neighbour!-" the man quickly grabbed Joel's hand with both of his and shook it excitedly- "I'm Tango! Sorry I couldn't greet you when you first moved in, I was at a convention in Hermitville, and by the time I came back I felt it would be a little awkward to show up unannounced."

He laughed awkwardly, and Joel slowly nodded.

"Yeah, been there haha. Anyway, I wanted to ask you-"

"Come in, come in, I'll show you around!" Tango insisted, cutting him off and pulling Joel across the threshold.

Everywhere Joel looked there was a new thingamajig or doodad taking up space, their purposes beyond Joel's imagination.

"You sure have a lot of machines," Joel commented, his eyes taking everything in as Tango led him to the kitchen.

"Made them all myself, well, mostly," Tango explained, beaming with pride.

"Mostly?" Joel echoed.

Tango looked at the clutter with a far-away expression. "I used to do all this with my pal, Zed, but he's not here anymore."

"By not here, do you mean…"

"Dead?" Tango sighed. "A year and a half ago he was diagnosed, six months later he was gone. There was nothing we could do. Now I keep doing what we loved, hoping to honour him."

Now that they were in the kitchen, Tango was gripping the back of one of the wooden chairs at the table. His bubbly personality was gone.

"I'm so sorry-"

"Hey, what's done is done, no use dwelling on it! So uh, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" It was clear he wanted to change the conversation.

Joel was blindsided by the topic being brought back. He wanted to tell him to keep the noise down, but how could he say that after learning he was experimenting in the name of his dead friend? He wasn't a monster!

"I uh, wanted to know if you had any restaurant recommendations? Lizzie and I are still trying to figure out where's good," he fibbed.

"I wouldn't be the person to ask about that," Tango admitted, "though I heard The Kitty Cafe is meant to be good."

Joel nodded. "I see…"

"Hey, do you want to hang around for a bit, help me out with some of these things?" Tango asked.

"Sure!"

***

Scott turned on the lights as he led Pearl to his room.

"Fancy," Pearl commented, her eyes flicking from flame to flame.

"They're powered by gas," Scott explained, proud despite his dire situation. They were still quite a new invention, after all.

Pearl set the candle she had used to travel through the dark hallways down on the bedside table. "Now, open the safe."

Scott did as he was told, keenly aware of the pistol at his back while he fiddled with the combination. How to get out of this? He wasn't left with many options.

Footsteps could be heard from further down the landing. Instead of closing the door and turning her back on Scott, Pearl blew out the flame closest to her, the one in line with the open door, while keeping the gun pointed at him.

"That's not how you-" Scott began, but Pearl bared her teeth at him.

"Hurry up."

Scott rolled his eyes, and once the safe was open he pulled out some of the riches from inside.

He turned to face his captor and handed them to her.

Pearl held the jewellery closer to her face so she could inspect them, and while she was distracted Scott grabbed the closest thing, the candle, and swung it at her.

Pearl jumped back, dropping the riches and holding her pistol with two hands. However, neither of them got to see what she would’ve done next as the candle in Scott's hand came into contact with the gas leaking from the empty sconce.

That was the moment the world blew up.

***

"So that's what happened…" Lizzie mused.

"It was his/her fault!" The pair accused in unison.

Lizzie sighed. She had initially gone with trust exercises, though that quickly went south when Pearl pointed her gun at him and asked "do you trust me Scott?!"

It was safe to say he didn't.

She then tried talking about their feelings, but that just devolved into petty insults.

After that the topic of their death came up, which still involved a lot of bickering.

"Have you stopped to consider that it's both your faults?" Lizzie asked.

"Excuse me?" Scott demanded.

"No way!" Pearl insisted.

"I mean, you blew out the light, and Scott lit the explosion," Lizzie pointed out.

"She was robbing me!" Scott reminded her.

"Get over that, you had plenty to spare," Pearl spat.

Scott crossed his arms and let out a huff.

Pearl turned away from him.

"Look," Lizzie began, "you hate each other , I get it, but hasn't it been long enough? Aren't you sick of fighting all the time?"

"Do you forgive everyone who wrongs you?" Scott asked.

"You seemed pretty mad at the neighbour this morning," Pearl added.

"No," Lizzie admitted, "but I also don't have to spend eternity with them."

Scott frowned. Pearl glanced at Scott.

The latter sighed and turned back around. "I'm sorry for trying to rob you and for the part I played in our deaths." Despite her reluctance, she held her hand out in front of her.

Scott looked at her suspiciously. Lizzie gave him an encouraging nod.

"And I'm sorry for my role in our deaths too."

He reached for Pearl's hand, but she pulled it back. "And?"

Scott furrowed his brow. "And what?"

Pearl looked at him incredulously. "I can't believe you!"

"I apologised!!!"

Pearl shook her head. "After all these years and you still don't remember who I am!" She exclaimed before storming off.

Scott ran to the door. "Well my murderer isn't very easy to forget!" He yelled after her.

Lizzie stared in shock. "What just happened?"

It was going well one second, and the next they were fighting again.

Scott rolled his eyes. "Like I know- every time someone tries to get us to make up she freaks out about something or other. I don't know why I even bother…"

Lizzie considered running after Pearl before Joel walked in. "Hey Lizzie, how's therapy going?"

"Not good- how did the talk with the neighbor go?"

Joel looked sheepish. "Well…"

"Joel! You were over there for ages!"

"It's not my fault! He started talking about his dead best friend and I couldn't bring it up after that!"

"For goodness sake, must I do everything myself?" Lizzie made her way out the front door and towards the neighbour's house, with Joel on her heels, leaving Scott behind.

***

When Lizzie and Joel returned to Tango's house, Lizzie spotted him in the garden, milling about in his lab coat.

"Hey!" Lizzie called.

He startled when he saw Lizzie trotting over to him.

"I'm Lizzie, Joel's wife, he came over earlier and was supposed to ask you to keep the noise down as it is getting impossible to think!" She explained with exasperation.

"Uh, Lizzie?"

"Yeah?" Lizzie turned to her husband.

"There's no one there…"

Lizzie slowly turned back to the ghost.

"You can see me?" He asked.

"I, uh, fell down the stairs…"

His eyes went wide. "Goodness me- you can see me!" The ghost exclaimed with excitement.

He tried to grab Lizzie's hands but his just passed through them. "Well, I'm Zedaph, I'm kind of like the supervisor around here, make sure everything runs smoothly and all that."

"It's nice to meet you Zedaph, but we have to go talk to Tango now," Lizzie explained.

"Zedaph?" Joel asked, "Tango's dead friend?"

"Yup!" Zedaph replied cheerily.

"Appears so," Lizzie relayed.

"Oh, hello!"

The three of them turned to see Tango stepping out from the house.

"He's actually Tango," Joel quickly whispered into Lizzie's ear.

The living blond trotted over to them. "I'm Tango, you must be Lizzie!" He greeted.

"Yup!" Lizzie replied. "Joel was telling me about you."

"Oh yeah? Good things I hope," Tango said with a laugh.

Lizzie chuckled along politely, before giving Joel a subtle but hard nudge.

Joel cleared his throat. "Hey, Tango, so you know the way that we live right next to each other?"

"Mhm?"

"Yeah, well you're very…" he struggled to find the right word, "…noticeable."

Tango cocked his head to the side. "Noticeable?"

"Yeah…"

Joel was awkward, Tango was confused, and Lizzie was fed up.

"He's means you're loud," Lizzie said abruptly.

"Oh my god!" Tango exclaimed, "I didn't even realise! The old woman who lived here before you was practically deaf so it never occurred to me that it'd be an issue!"

"As long as you promise to keep it down in future…" Lizzie started.

"Oh, definitely! You won't hear a peep outta me!"

It wasn't long after that that Lizzie and Joel went home to enjoy their newfound peace and quiet.

***

Impulse found Scott sulking in his room.

"Hey; I take it making up with Pearl didn't go well?"

Scott let out a humourless laugh. "Like always."

Impulse sat down on the bed next to him. "Well, there's always next time."

Scott shook his head. "What's the point? She's never going to like me, and frankly I don't like her."

"Right…"

The pair sat in silence for a moment before Scott found himself compelled to fill it again. "I mean, what does she mean I don't know who she is? She's a lowlife thief is what."

Impulse frowned. "You know-" he considered what he was saying, then shook his head.

"What?"

"Do you seriously not remember?" Impulse asked.

"Remember what? I remember everything about that night," Scott replied.

"That's not what I'm talking about."

"Then what?"

***

A knock came from the door. Grian followed the servant to the door, to reveal a group of men in fancy suits.

"Mr. Smajor," she called, "your company have arrived."

She then led them towards the drawing room, where they'd conduct their business.

Grian and Martyn followed, acting as if they were cut from the same cloth as these men. The act sent the two into hysterics.

Impulse, on the other hand, had no interest in the talk of finances and companies. He much rathered to stick with Mr. Smajor's son, Scott, who was only about eight at the time.

He had a seat next to the stuffed animals who were gathered for their tea party, and enjoyed making conversation, despite none of them being able to talk back.

Scott was in the middle of telling the Marquis of Rivendell (his owl teddy) that he couldn't afford to send reinforcements in their war when a little girl of about the same age appeared in the doorway.

"Hello?" Scott said, a little confused.

"I'm Pearl," the girl said shyly, "can I play with you?"

"I don't see why not," Scott replied, making space for her. "My name's Scott."

Pearl nodded and sat down. She picked up the teacup in front of her and pretended to take a sip. "This is some lovely tea you have here," she commented.

Scott smiled with pride. "Thank you, I import only the best from Chromia."

"Well, I'll have to tell my maid about it when I get home," she replied.

Scott nodded. "Well, have you heard any interesting gossip recently?"

Pearl grinned. "Do you know the Queen of Gilded Helianthia?"

Scott gasped. "This is about a Queen?!"

It was Pearl's turn to be proud. "Yes!"

Impulse smiled. This was definitely better than the grownup discussion.

***

"You two were friends for years," Impulse explained.

"Why didn't you tell me this?" Scott asked, his thoughts racing. Pearl? His friend??? Impossible. But at the same time… he did remember the girl who'd play games with him, who he'd confide his secrets in. He just never made the connection.

"I thought you knew," Impulse admitted.

Scott brought his hand to his mouth. "I need to find Pearl."

Impulse watched him hurry out of the room.

It didn't take Scott long to find Pearl outside, watching the trees.

"Pearl!"

She ignored him as he approached, eyes glued firmly to the birds that were building a nest.

"Pearl," Scott repeated once he was next to her.

She turned to walk away when he said, "I remember.”

Pearl paused. "How I murdered you?" She asked bitterly.

"That we were friends."

Pearl slowly turned around, arms crossed expectantly.

Scott took a deep breath. "Pearl, I'm truly sorry I forgot about you."

Pearl kicked at the dirt, avoiding his eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Scott asked.

Pearl brought her gaze back to him. "You were my best friend. And you forgot me."

"You left!" Scott reminded her, "you didn't even say anything."

"Yeah, well it's not like I had a choice either!" She sighed. "I was hoping you'd recognise me when we.. you know…"

"You held a gun to me," Scott said, still resentful.

"But you know what?" Pearl held the gun up towards the sky and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. "The damn thing isn't even loaded."

Scott blinked. "You're joking."

Pearl shook her head. "Nope."

A fragile silence fell between them again, as if one wrong breath could relight their tension, like a candle and gas.

"…Why did you leave?" Scott asked tentatively.

"My father made some bad deals, and then his ships never came back from sea. We lost everything in weeks," she admitted.

"Is that why you-" Scott motioned to her gun.

Pearl nodded. "Yeah…"

"Maybe- maybe we could start again?" Scott asked.

Pearl considered this. "I would like that."

While their relationship wasn't immediately mended, for the first time in over a hundred years, Pearl and Scott finally made a step in the right direction.

#Life Series Ghosts Au #Fire’s Stuff #fanfiction #the life series #trafficblr #life series #traffic series #fanfic #lizzie ldshadowlady #pearlescentmoon #scott smajor #tangotek #impulsesv #joel smallishbeans

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tinynerdz360 · 9 months ago

Text

Future Ghost Chapter 9

Edit date 6/13/25

Flashback: In the ghost zone: Far Frozen: Dr. Bonechiller:

After a long fight with ghost after ghost and then Vlad, Danny found himself in the swirling green void of the ghost Zone. He was drifting closer to the Far Frozen. He planned to make a pit stop there before heading home. Dr. Bonechiller would help patch him up. The giant Yeti was a gentle soul.

"Danny, come in," Dr. Bonechiller called, his furry face peering out. Danny phased through the door into the examination room. The good yeti doctor sat Danny down on a medical bed and started patching up his wounds, making small talk as he went.

After his current injuries were tended to, Danny perked up and asked a question that he had wanted to ask for a while but kept forgetting or backing out.

"Hey Doc. So... about these electrical scars..." Danny held up his arm, revealing the Lichtenberg scar branching from his hand up to his shoulder. "Any way to get rid of them?"

Dr. Bonechiller examined the scar, his large fingers tracing the pattern. "I'm afraid not, Danny. These types of scars are tied to the trauma you experienced. They'll only fade once you've emotionally processed and healed from what happened. Once your core has healed from the trauma that inflected this injury. Technically, there is no surface damage; it’s more of a reminder to you."

Danny's shoulders slumped. "Great, so I'm stuck with them."

"For now, yes. But you're strong, Danny. You'll get through this." Dr. Bonechiller turned and retrieved a small black data chip. "Here, this contains all your important medical information from your visits and extra information I felt you would find helpful. It also contains my emergency contact. Only call me if it’s an emergency. Keep it safe."

Danny took the smooth rock. Part of him wondered if this was some odd joke. Danny decided not to ask how to access the data chip, stone technology, or whatever this was. He felt too prideful and embarrassed to ask. *I bet Tucker can figure it out.* With that thought he tucked it into his pocket. "Thanks, Doc. I will."

Danny unfortunately forgot about the smooth stone in his pocket, failing to ever ask Tucker to look at it.

Enterprise: Sickbay

Danny found himself under the keen gaze of Dr. McCoy. The hum of medical equipment provided a soothing backdrop to the tension that had taken root in Danny's chest.

"Alright, let's take a look at you," McCoy said, scanning Danny with a medical tricorder. The readings were all over the place, flickering between human and some unknown energy signature.

"Fascinating," McCoy murmured. "Your cellular structure is in flux. I've never seen anything like it."

“Yeah…...” Danny mumbled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “I guess that’s cause I can switch between two different forms.”

McCoy nodded. "And this ability of yours to switch between ghost and human form...it's fascinating. I'd like to see it in action later, if you're up for it."

"Sure, Dr. McCoy," Danny said, though he couldn't shake the sense of being a specimen under a microscope.

McCoy's eyes fell on the electrical scar peeking out from under Danny's sleeve. He gently took Danny's arm, pushing up the fabric. "Those electrical burns from the accident, too?" McCoy asked gently.

Danny pulled his arm back, tugging the sleeve down. His shoulders hunched, and his gaze dropped to the floor. "Yeah," he mumbled.

McCoy's heart ached for the boy. What kind of parents let their teenage son wander into an active portal unsupervised? He resolved to get Danny the counseling he likely needed.

“Would you like me to treat it?” McCoy afford. “A dermal generator will patch this up in no time.”

"Dr. McCoy, these... they aren't just scars; they're remnants of trauma that echo in my ghost form," Danny began, cautiously opening up about his past injuries. "When I'm in my human form, they're like memories. I was told that technically that they are healed physically, it’s like a physical reminder of my trauma, and they won’t fade until I deal with it.”

McCoy leaned forward; his professional curiosity piqued. "You mean to tell me these are more than physical? That they're tied to your... psyche?"

“Yeah, I guess so, I was told I’d have to deal with it emotionally and mentally…..In the Ghost Zone, where I'm from, we have something called a core," Danny began, tapping his chest. "It's like a heart, but it's the source of our powers. When I got shocked, it...it hurt my core. Left these scars." *Granted, that shock created my core, but I don’t really want to explain that. * Danny thought to himself.

McCoy nodded, jotting down notes on his PADD. "Now, tell me—do these scars cause you any pain?"

“Sometimes…...usually on the day I got it…..like an anniversary. It hurts all over on that day like it did when it first happened.”

McCoy made a note on his tablet.

“So this core, it's a physical organ?" McCoy asked.

Danny shrugged. "Sort of? It's more like a manifestation of our essence. Our souls, I guess you could say."

McCoy raised an eyebrow at Danny's poor explanation. The kid was clearly no doctor. "Alright," he said, lowering his tone. "Where exactly would this core of yours be located?"

Danny bristled. "That's private," he insisted. "People just don't give that info out."

McCoy squinted down at the teen ensign, his patience wearing thin. "Listen, kid," he growled, "that's what doctors are for—to help when private things get hurt."

"I..." Danny started, his voice shaking. "I don't know if you can even detect it in my human form. But it's under my human heart." He paused, taking a deep breath.

McCoy picked up his tricorder again. "Speaking of your ghost form, do you think you could show me? I'd love to get some readings and see how your biology changes."

Danny hesitated, old instincts urging him to keep his powers hidden. But he forced them down.

"Alright," he agreed, hopping off the biobed. "Just...don't freak out, okay?"

McCoy chuckled. "Kid, I've seen my fair share of strange things in this galaxy. I think I can handle a little ghost action."

Danny took a deep breath, reaching for the familiar chill at his center. A flash of light engulfed him; twin rings traveling across his body as he transformed.

McCoy watched in awe as the scrawny teenage boy was replaced by a white-haired, green-eyed floating teen. His tricorder scanning and recording away.

"Remarkable," he breathed. "Your entire molecular structure has been altered."

Danny rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly self-conscious under the doctor's intense scrutiny. "So, this is my ghost half."

McCoy circled him, tricorder whirring. "And you can switch between this form and your human one at will?"

Danny nodded. "It took some practice, but yeah. It's like flipping a switch."

Danny transformed back into a human, with a wry smirk on his face. "That's me. Just your average half-ghost freak."

McCoy frowned at the self-deprecation. "Hey, now. None of that. You're not a freak, Danny. You're unique. Also, I’m pretty sure you check all the boxes to be counted as a living being, just cause you all call yourselves ghosts, doesn’t make you any less alive. "

Danny ducked his head, unused to such open acceptance.

"Thanks, Doc," he said softly.

McCoy smiled, resting a hand on Danny's shoulder and gently squeezing it.

****

"First things first, you're going to rewrite your mission reports. Add in the details about when you used your powers. I want a full picture. And the captain will want that full picture as well.” McCoy ordered. Giving the teen work to keep him busy. As well as getting on record any time Danny used his powers on past away missions to help the crew. It would only help the boy’s case, especially if they could confirm the weird energy readings they had recorded were him. Already from McCoy’s scans, he could tell it was the same type of energy reading.

Danny groaned inwardly, hating paperwork with every fiber of his being. "Reports, really? Isn't there something more... hands-on I could be doing?"

"Nope!” McCoy said with a wry grin. "And while you're at it, I'll be setting you up with some educational material. We need to fill in the gaps in your knowledge."

"Education tests? I've done fine in engineering," Danny protested, but McCoy raised an eyebrow at him.

"Son, engineering is one thing. But you skipped high school and the Academy. We need to know where you stand academically." McCoy handed him a PADD loaded with learning modules. "Except for history," he added sternly. "You're blocked from those searches, given your status."

"But...but I know stuff!" Danny protested. "My parents taught me a lot about science and engineering."

"I don't doubt that. But humor me, alright?" McCoy tapped at the PADD.

Danny slumped in defeat. "This is payback for lying, isn't it?"

McCoy smirked. "Consider it tough love, kid. Now, get to it. Doctor's orders."

Danny sighed, accepting the PADD. Writing reports and taking tests wasn't exactly his idea of a good time, but it may be worth the hassle if it meant gaining the crew's trust and understanding.

"Yes, sir," Danny said.

"Hope to it, kid," McCoy grunted, patting Danny's shoulder.

He stared down at the PADD in his hands, trepidation swirling in his gut. Rewriting all those reports, recalling each time he'd used his powers to save the day...it was going to be tough and tedious.

*It's just great! Here I am in space but stuck in a space hospital doing my least favorite thing: HOMEWORK! * Danny mentally groaned to himself.

As he got to work on his assignments, he glanced up and noticed his friend Kas enter his med bay room. At first, he felt happy to see her, but then he felt fearful. *Oh, God, what if she knows? What if she’s mad? What if she hates me?* Danny hunched his shoulders, not wanting to face the music. He had forgotten the Andorian girl worked in medbay. She might know everything.

Danny was surprised when he felt Kas’s arms wrapped around his shoulder in a side hug. It was a bit awkward with him sitting up in a bed.

“Are you all right?” Kas asked, her big black eyes looking at him with concern. “I saw you got a talking to by the big three! That must have been scary!”

“I’m alright, Kas…...wait, you’re not mad?” Danny asked.

“No! Why would I be mad? Is it about you being underage? Now don’t be mad about how I know that, Daryle might have let that slip…..But I’m sure it will all turn out ok!” Kas rumbled, giving him a tight squeeze.

“Yeah, I’m fifteen…...” Danny wheezed as Kas hugged him tighter. He was surprised at her strength.

“OMG! You’re just a baby!” Kas squealed.

“Oh god! I can’t breathe!” Danny joked. It was only partly true; he’d be fine without breathing, but man, was she hugging him tight.

Kas let go and frantically apologized. She looked a bit embarrassed. “Sorry for being too much, but I just want you to know we can still be friends.”

Danny felt so relieved. “You’re not mad about the hybrid things either?”

“Hybrid? What do you mean?” Kas asked.

“Oh…..I thought……I thought everyone would know since I got caught.” Danny stammered.

“Danny! This is medical; we aren’t going to air your private medical files! But no, I didn’t know.”

“Oh……” Danny blushed, realizing his mistake and how he just outed himself.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to…...that’s private stuff, you know?” Her blue antenna dropped in concern. “But for what it's worth, I don't think any less of you. So, you're a little different. So what? We're all unique in our own ways. And I won’t go around telling people if you don’t want that."

Danny's smile grew a bit more genuine. "Thanks, Kas. I appreciate that. And please don’t tell; it was hard enough coming clean earlier…..."

Kas shot him a sympathetic look before bustling off to attend her duties, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

****

Doctor McCoy was examining Danny again. Danny was getting really tired of being poked, prodded, and scanned. But he was trying his best to be good. Maybe they’d let him stay if he was good.

“Danny, have you ever had someone to talk to about ghost stuff and the accident? Not just friends or family but a professional?" McCoy asked. He was already making a list of potential therapists for the kid to see. A few were already on the ship, and a few were selected for video calls. He was just curious if the kid had ever gone to therapy before.

Danny hesitated, memories of Dr. Bonechiller surfacing in his mind. "Actually...yeah. Back in my own time, I found a ghost doctor who helped me understand my powers and how they affected my body. I’d go to him if I were close by, and he’d help me if I were hurt."

Danny's eyes widened. "Actually! Dr. Bonechiller gave me a data chip with all my information. I completely forgot about it until now. It's back in my quarters."

"Kid, you're telling me you've had your medical records this whole time?" Dr. Leonard McCoy grumbled as he glared at Danny Fenton, who had the grace to look sheepish. His arms crossed, McCoy leaned back against the edge of a biobed in Sick Bay. "And it didn't occur to you to mention it?"

Danny fidgeted, scratching the back of his neck where the electrical scar ended. "I kind of forgot about it, Doc. Everything's been so crazy since I got here..."

"Forgot," McCoy echoed with a huff, shaking his head. Typical teenagers, forgetting important things. "Well, go get it then. Kas can go with you. I’d rather have it than fly blind.”

Danny nodded eagerly but was also too embarrassed to mention that he didn’t know how to access the ghost file.

Danny rummaged through his belongings in his quarters, searching for the data chip Dr. Bonechiller had given him. After a few minutes, he triumphantly held up the small, black stone. "Found it!"

Kas stood behind Danny, looking around his room, which he shared with Weston. Danny was very relieved his roommate wasn’t in.

Before they could leave and head back to sickbay, the door to the room opened.

The door slid open, revealing Walton Weston. His smile faltered when he spotted Danny. "Oh. It's you."

“Yes, just us, and we are leaving,” Danny said, trying to sidestep with Kas in tow.

Weston blocked the exit by leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. "Why are you letting him out and about, Kas? He’s dangerous, probably some sort of alien shapeshifter.”

Danny's hands clenched into fists at his sides. "I'm not an alien."

“Back off, Weston, or I’ll report you for harassment and intolerance.” Kas glared, getting in between Danny and Weston.

“But I was right, wasn’t I?! He was lying this whole time! He should be in the brig!” Weston shouted.

Kas grabbed Danny's hand and shoved Weston out of the way. “You need to be quiet, and that’s not up to you. Danny is a patient in sickbay, you need to back off.”

Weston glared at their retreating forms.

~Back in sickbay~

Danny held out what looked like a polished, black stone. "Here it is, Doctor McCoy."

"Looks like a paperweight," McCoy muttered, taking the object and turning it over in his hand. "How does it work?"

"Uh..." Danny hesitated, his youthful face scrunching up in concentration. "Dr. Bonechiller just handed it to me. He didn't really explain."

"Of course, he didn't," McCoy said, not quite managing to hide a smile at the teen's befuddlement.

"Let's see if we can't make heads or tails of this thing." McCoy activated his tricorder and passed it over the stone. The device emitted an odd whirring sound, its screen displaying a series of fluctuating energy patterns that were undeniably similar to Danny's unique readings.

"Interesting..." McCoy mused, eyebrows knitting together.

"Yeah, I'm not really sure how it works," Danny admitted sheepishly. "Ghost technology can be pretty weird."

"I bet Scotty would love to take a look at this. Maybe he can figure out how to access the medical data stored inside." McCoy mused.

Chapter 10

#my writing #danny fenton #danny phantom #crossover #danny in space #fanfiction #danny phantom au #star trek tos #dr. mccoy

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stardusthuntress · 2 years ago

Text

EnigmaTech - Ch. 4

My Tech Lives AU! (see prior chapters for summary)

Chapter 4 - A New Perspective

Tech x female!reader (pronouns only)

Word count: ~8.3k

Chapter Summary: Picking up right where we left off, the lost 3 and the regs now freed from that creep, Hemlock, are in need of a chance to heal. And, as Tech would say, the human body is fascinating, and especially puzzling when driven by the emotion center instead of the logic center.

Also, Tech may or may not end up shirtless at one point! Kinda needs a warning of it's own, hehe! <3 I recommend referring to the following fan art pieces by @amorfista (here and here) and @lightspringrain (1; 2; 3) and @bruh-myguy-what (here) and so many more, but these were the ones that have been on my mind lately!!! <3 love you guys!!!

TW: mentions of Tech's injuries again. I'm not a fan of the way shows show a character getting injured and then in the next episode they're fine. It's just so unrealistic. So, Tech is gonna be recovering for another chapter or two beyond this. It won't be gruesome tho. No descriptions of grossness. Just mentions of where Tech's mods are.

A/N: I am not a medic, nor do I know a damn thing about medical treatment! Nothing gross. Nothing angsty. A touch of jealosy, but that's it. Tech figuring out what the fuck it means to flirt. Reader's callsign still used intermittently.

It's been so long since I've added to this story! I've been so busy. Lift took a turn I did not expect, but I think it's actually gonna be a good change! Just needed some time to figure out what to do with the curveball. I've had most of this chapter pretty much ready to go for a while tho, so it's time to release this to the world! Doing my best to getting back into writing these, I miss writing so much!

Tech dividers: @/djarrex

“Tech, let’s give those meds a few more minutes under observation to bring your system back to a somewhat normal level before we do anything else, just to make sure you’re stable. Okay?” Spitfire checks in with her patient.

“Yes. That is an excellent idea. I will inform you if I perceive any changes in my current state of being. Perhaps it will provide adequate time for my brothers to receive medical attention as well?”

“Certainly,” she nods, beckoning Wrecker over. “Wreck, the left shoulder?!? Again???!!! Your poor left shoulder, Big Guy! That’s at least the third time you’ve taken a hit to your left shoulder since the Empire became a thing!”

“Tech told me once that it’s better that it’s my left rather than my right because I’m right handed.” Wrecker’s voice is quiet.

Spitfire sighs, “He’s correct there, but either way, less hits to any of you at all would be ideal. Let’s get you patched up, Big Guy.”

“Awwww, no I hate medical stuff. Do we have to?”

“Yes, we want it to heal. It will be over before you know it. Tech and Crosshair are getting patched up too. I won’t do anything that might hurt if I don’t have to, I promise.” She pats his arm, trying to reassure the large man with touch as well as words.

Tech didn’t remember seeing Wrecker take a hit to his shoulder, but he’s glad someone noticed.

She has finally managed to sit Wrecker down and has started rummaging through the med pack Echo got out to use on Tech and Cross. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices Wrecker fretting.

“You remind me of another trooper I once worked with, Big Guy,” she starts, “I was working with the 104th at the time. The man’s name was Numbskull.”

“Hah! how’d he get a name like that?” Wrecker asks. The room is quiet, all the men listening to her voice in an attempt to keep their minds off of the horrors they found within the walls of Hemlock’s facility.

“By doing the same thing you do, Goofball! He took so many hits to his shoulder that he eventually lost all the feeling in his arm.”

“His whole arm?” Wrecker seems stuck somewhere between amusement and worry.

“Mmhmm. After enough hits to the pressure points and the spaces between the gaps in his armour, he said all he felt was a tingling in the back of his skull when the doc tried the good old pinch test.”

“Where you pinch his arm to see if he can still feel it?” Once Wrecker started trying to think his way through the story, his worry began to fade.

“Exactly, all he felt was a little tingle in the base of his skull. And then eventually he lost all the feeling in his arm completely. But he could still use the arm like normal, he just couldn’t feel it.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad. I’d rather not feel any pain.” Wrecker’s shoulders relax.

Tech and Echo laughed, exchanging glances beside her, as she continued her work on Wrecker. The idea isn’t so bad to them either, a numb Wrecker would certainly be a lot easier to deal with during medical exams, thats for sure.

She smiled. Her story was working, distracting and calming not just Wrecker, but all the boys, while she patched them up, but she was only getting started.

“There was this one day where Numbskull was fighting a battle down a seppie hallway. The boys had managed to take out the main power generator, so the whole base was running on backup power. Now, this base was enormous! Definitely ended up a lot bigger than the Seppies intended it to be. So much so, that the entire base was really struggling to function on backup power. Doors would only half open and then get stuck, and blast doors could easily be pried back open without much effort. Battle was going surprisingly well. Turned out they were trying to empty the base anyway, probably because it got too big and was only good as a diversion anymore, so it was just a skeleton crew there. And Numbskull’s squad was one of the ones assigned to work their way through the hallways and clear out any droids they found.”

She pauses to glance around the room at their faces to see if they want to hear the story before continuing, “Just his luck, Numbskull managed to find a room chock full of fully functional B1’s. Now, Numbskull liked to wield 2 blasters, one in each hand, like Tech over here.”

Tech smiles, surprised she was aware since he had clearly not been doing that during today’s escape.

“Numbskull’s preferred tactic was to plant himself in the middle of the driods and extend his arms in a T-pose so he could take down droids on either side at the same time, or so he claimed.” She demonstrated with her body: holding a pretend blaster in each hand, one outstretched on either side of her, pointing 180 degrees away from each other. “He thought that was the most fun way to take the droids down. After a while it kinda became his signature move.”

By this point, all the men are engaged in the story, various expressions of amusement on their faces and in their stance and posture, not paying much attention to the medical checkups she and Echo were conducting. Even Omega was listening from Hunter’s lap, and Hunter seemed relieved that she was so entrenched in the story and was getting a little of her mojo back. She’d grown rather quiet since their return to the ship. Meanwhile Hunter conducted a discrete medical scan of his little girl with one hand while the other comfortingly petted her hair.

“I was working with the Commander in the control room when the call came in. Numbskull’s squad had managed to draw the B1’s into the hallway, and Numbskull planted himself right in the middle of all the droids and pulled his signature move,” She’s laughing a bit as she tells the story. “The men were laughing so hard they could barely call it in. Turns out, Numbskull hadn’t noticed the blast doors closing, he’d been so focused on one blaster, he forgot to look back over his other shoulder at his numb arm too. You know how the blast doors close in a spiral so the last spot to close up is right in the center? Well, by the time he remembered to look at his other hand, his numb hand, his arm was stuck. The blast doors had closed around his wrist. It was a good thing the whole base was only functioning on low power, or it would have just taken his whole hand clean off and he wouldn’t have noticed a thing. In the end, he was fine, just some minor bruising. That was the day his squad knew they’d picked the right name for him.”

Wrecker howled with laughter, and the rest of the room wasn’t far behind.

“You should have seen the Commander’s face when the squad finally stopped laughing enough to tell him what had happened and that Numbskull was stuck and in need of an extraction.”

Echo paused, halfway through a procedure for Crosshair, earning a glare from his patient as he turned towards the woman, “Wait, did you say you were working with the 104th?”

“Yup!” She confirmed.

“That was the Wolffepack?!” Echo’s disbelief echoes in the small room.

“Yup!” she was laughing too. “So you know how Wolffe never smiles, and definitely never laughs?”

“Yeah…?” Echo’s disbelief has turned to skepticism, but it’s quickly fading, she knows too much about Wolffe for this to be completely made up.

“That was the closest that man has ever come to a laugh that I have ever witnessed. He could not believe the dumb shit his men had gotten into. He just stood there looking pained and staring into a corner for a second (though I think he was focusing all his effort on not laughing), before snorting in annoyance (or laugh that broke through his composure) and leaving the room. He told us later he had to ‘borrow Master Plo’s saber to get Numbskull out’. The control room was still on a holo-call with them when the second bout of uncontrollable laughter that came through the comms a few minutes later turned out to be the squad’s reaction to the way Wolffe just walked in and stood there, glaring at Numbskull’s arm for a solid minute, muttering something about ‘my circus, my monkeys’ and ‘definitely my idiots’ before he ignited the saber and took the doors outta commission.”

Wrecker laughed again, loud and proud, and clearly relaxed.

“All done, Big Guy!” she patted Wrecker’s uninjured shoulder, and he got up and walked to the cockpit. Omega jumped up and went with him, Hunter’s favorite soft blanket wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

Tech looked around the room. Spitfire had clearly done that to relax more than just Wrecker. His whole family (Omega was right) had clearly enjoyed the story.

Echo declared Crosshair done, and he stood to leave the room. He’d been so tortured, he wasn’t exactly up for walking on his own yet, and she let him put a hand on her shoulder for balance. She discretely helped him up and passed him off to Hunter who was standing at the ready for him. But before Crosshair let go of her shoulder, he gave it a quick squeeze of thanks, and a barely noticeable nod. He too had appreciated the distraction.

Echo joins her as they begin a scan of Tech’s injuries.

Still laughing softly to himself Echo shook his head in disbelief, “I still can’t believe that’s a Wolffepack story,” he snorted, pinching his nose. “Does Rex know this one?”

“Na. Never found the time to tell him. And somehow I don’t see Wolffe ever wanting to tell him that one either. But I sure hope he learns the story someday!” She had moved to helping Echo patch up Tech.

Tech notices how easily she and Echo converse, not to mention the indicators of a shared history that seems to go back to Echo’s 501st days. Tech wishes he had something like that to help him figure out what to say to this brilliant Mandalorian woman. Tech lets his mind drift a bit as they continue their tests and scans, realizing this is only the second time in his life he’s felt this way about someone.

Eye’s still glazed over, he begins to subconsciously turn towards the woman whenever she says something, but hardly reacts at all to anything Echo says.

“Uhh,” Echo looks over at her, “I think this part will go a lot faster with two hands.” He holds out the next patch Tech will need.

She smiles and takes it, “You don’t need my help, but since you’d rather I do this, I will.” She laughs, which makes Echo smile back. He always did love the sound of her laughter.

Echo smirked, glanced between her and Tech, and left the room.

Tech felt his own logic replaced by a sudden bashfulness, his mind nearly as blurry as his vision, but this time he gets the feeling the haze in his mind is from emotions rather than an unstable body in an environment designed to keep it off kilter. But he realizes her story was meant as more than just a way to calm them all down. She also liked it when her actions and words had many meanings, much like he did. She’d just given him a conversation starter.

“Thank you,” he muttered, unable to look at her as she finished patching him up. “For calming down the whole… family with a story. You’ve no idea how much they needed that. Wrecker can be quite the handful during medical exams.”

She laughs and nods, “Oh, I know.”

It’s not long before they arrive at the medical facility.

Medics determine that whether or not Tech needs a replacement eye is TBD, he needs to heal a bit first and they need to run a few more tests. So they send him back to his family and the Marauder.

In the meantime, they are quite overwhelmed removing the chips from the hundreds of clones now roaming the hidden medical facility. To help process them all, Rex volunteers those who have previously had their chips removed and the Mandalorian to aid the processing.

Naturally, she volunteers to help as much as she can. They assign her to work with Echo to monitor Tech’s state of health, and give her rotations of state of health checks for the other new rescues before and after chip removal, usually during Tech’s more intensive medical checkups with a real doctor.

This also means she needs to be more familiar with the specifics of Tech’s injuries. Back on the Marauder, she, Tech, and Echo set about constructing more detailed notes about every new mod now adorning Tech.

“I’m going to need you to take off your shirt for the next part so I can see the mods the medics mentioned on your torso, maybe add some fresh bacta and replace the bandages, you know the drill,”

Tech obliges without question. It is a logical request, she is only doing her job and intends to help him to the best of her ability as he adjusts to life with his newly modified body.

However, he finds himself sitting on the hem of his shirt. So, to make it easier, he simply stands up to take it off.

She turns back around, having just traded out instruments in her hands, doesn’t realize that he stood up to remove his shirt, and nearly faceplants into his bare chest.

Not that she’s complaining.

She does everything she can to NOT visibly react beyond simple and expected surprise, but boy is that hard! Tech is ripped. The man has very chiseled muscles. Clearly, Wrecker and Hunter weren’t the only ones hitting the gym frequently. It made sense, they are military men after all. Being in good shape was a logical choice for war. Getting a lot of exercise was a given anyways, and was common amongst the battle-hardened Mandalorians she was used to as well. But somehow, all that had slipped her mind, until Tech took off the tops of his blacks, that is.

She blushed and hoped her little inhale when she turned around and came face to face with his chest wasn’t audible. She does her best to concentrate on her work, but it’s hard given how attractive and intelligent this man is.

Wrecker grins at Echo from the doorway. Her reaction wasn’t lost on him.

Echo takes this as their cue to excuse themselves and return to the others in the cockpit.

“Oop, sorry! Didn’t realize you stood up!” Is all she says. Fortunately, without his goggles, it wasn’t likely that Tech would notice if her cheeks were heating up. Unless he touched her face, which he had no reason to do, so nothing to worry about, right?

“Ah, my apologies. You switched out tools more quickly than I anticipated,” Tech tried to look down at the blurry shape he knew was her.

To verify that the medbay station has not shifted - since it’s not like he can just look at the wheels to see if it is locked in place - Tech turns slightly and leans to place a hand on the medbay station he had been seated at.

Realizing only too late that she’s still in his personal space, she quickly attempts to shuffle back to a reasonable distance for two new acquaintances, only to find herself dodging his shoulder as he turns to place a hand on the pad.

Tech freezes when his shoulder brushes past soft hair. He can hear her shuffling around quite close. “Oh, forgive me, I should have warned you I needed to locate my seat, so that you knew not to start yet. Now that I am once again seated, you may begin.”

How sweet of him to assume she was simply eager to continue on with the state of health check. Of course that’s all it was. She tried to convince herself she had not just gotten distracted by his abs.

Thankfully, Echo and Wrecker had returned to the cockpit with everyone else, so no one was there to witness the full extent of her embarrassment. As such, there’s nothing much that can be done except to plow on though the medical exams, so that’s what she does.

Her hands are, once again, cold. So, she rubs them together in an attempt to warm them up before she begins.

“I take it your extremities are usually cold?” Tech inquires.

“Yeah, sorry. Not so great when I’m acting as a medic instead of a warrior.” Tech notes that this is the first time her voice has sounded a little shy.

Following the sounds of her, he reaches out for her hands, and takes them in his.

His touch is gentle, soft. Surprised that he reached for her hand at all, she is shocked into silence.

“That hardly qualifies as cold. You may begin, if you are ready,” Tech states.

“You know it will feel colder on the skin that is usually hidden beneath your blacks and your armor,” she points out, partially on autopilot, still trying to process the face that Tech just took her hands in his and that he just gave her permission to touch him.

“Yes. I am prepared,” Tech assures her.

“Alright, here goes,” she shrugs off her feelings as best as she can.

Gentle fingers examine the lines between machine and man, searching for bruises and tender spots in the hopes that the internal damage is minimal and was well patched up.

Tech is amazed by how gentle this woman’s touch is. There are moments when he is barely even aware that her fingers still rest on him.

And he quite likes having her hands on his chest and arms. He’s never enjoyed touch so much, nor had he ever liked touch directly on his skin so much before. In fact, he usually didn’t like it. He’d been trained to wear blacks and gloves whenever he did anything - building things, warfare, even when typing. He didn’t like things on his skin. His blacks provided a welcome barrier between him and the strange textures of the world around him.

Hunter had often placed a hand on his shoulder, and he’d noticed Captain Rex did the same. Even during medical assessments, the Kaminoans only touched the clones if it was absolutely necessary. Clone medics were a different story, many used touch to reassure stressed and pained brothers, but Echo, the medic of the 99th, knew Tech didn’t like touch.

Wrecker’s touch often annoyed him though. Wrecker often forgot how strong he was, and roughhousing wasn’t uncommon around him. Tech didn’t like it when Wrecker would shove his shoulder, but Wrecker meant well, so Tech didn’t say anything about it anymore.

But then she had touched him. And it was like she had known he was repulsed by, and unfamiliar with touch, so she kept her touches as light and barely-there as possible. As she works on a panel on his shoulder, her palm rests on his pec.

Tech quietly revels in it, resisting the urge to place his hand upon hers and hold it there flat against his chest for a moment. Was this why Wrecker and Hunter liked touch? No, it couldn’t be. Her touch was not like any other being Tech had ever come into contact with, pun intended. She was special, but he barely knew anything about her. He could barely even see her… and though physical attraction had never been important to Tech before, he found himself aching just to know her face. It hadn’t helped that Echo had made a point to describe her as cute when he introduced her to Crosshair. He wondered what Echo considered cute… if only he could see, then he might understand the comment.

Fixated on his ability to see, or rather lack thereof, Tech’s mind begins to spiral. He’s so used to being able to see the world around him, and so much of what he does depends on it, a few hours of blindness felt like an eternity.

Much of what Tech did depended on his ability to see, but now he’s going to have to learn alternatives just to live.

He can get a walking stick, or a guide massiff, though it’s not likely Hunter will allow the latter. They don’t need one more mouth to feed. Normally, he would just build a robotic one, but he can’t safely construct anything if he can’t see what he is doing. Gonky could help a bit as a proxy guide-massif, but there is a lot he can’t do, and he’s slow, Tech needed fast.

Speaking of speed, would he ever be able to run again? It’s hard to move quickly if you aren’t aware of your environment. He wouldn’t be much help on missions if he can’t move quickly… and he definitely wouldn’t be able to fight with just his hearing to rely on.

Now Tech wished he had the force. He’d heard tell of Jedi who learned to see through the force, but that wasn’t in the cards for a mere clone. The Kaminoans seemed certain that the ability to wield the force could not be cloned, and as far as Tech was aware there was no reason NOT to trust their knowledge there. After all, cloning was their expertise.

As she continues with the health check, she notices his demeanor falling again - he’s so used to being able to see the world around him.

In an effort to both cheer him up and bring in their other resident expert in modifications to living beings, she calls Echo back into the room. As it stands, they do have a lot of similar mods now. She asks Echo a few questions about various attachments now adorning Tech as they run diagnostics and make sure everything is interfacing with Tech’s own body in ways that won’t do more damage than good.

As they work, they place Tech’s fingers on each mod so he can “see” it, warning him of buttons and asking questions about what he can control.

“Echo, does this data port look familiar to you?” She is working on a mod behind Tech’s ear at the base of his skull.

Tech lifts his hand from his lap “Show me.”

She obliges and gently places his fingers on the port. Meanwhile her fingers drift off the metal and settle ever so gently on Tech’s own skin, remaining near the piece she is working on.

Tech twitches.

She quickly pulls her hand away. “Sorry, I know my hands got cold again.”

“It is quite alright, I was simply not expecting it,” Tech just hopes she misses the blush on his cheeks. He’s doing everything he can to keep his heart rate down too. He’d quite enjoyed her touch actually. Gentle and soft, despite the well-calloused fingers from years of working on wiring and machinery and armor.

But it wasn’t just that. Tech was learning all sorts of things about the human body he had never even considered before today. One of which, is that there seems to be an erogenous zone just beneath the ear. Right where her fingers had so gently brushed. The softness of her touch had sent a spark through his veins and a shiver down his spine. Truth be told, that was why Tech had flinched, not the temperature of her hands. But he needed more data, not to mention time, in order to prove whether it was simply the long-lasting effect of whatever drugs Hemlock had used on Tech, before he even came close to admitting the real reason why to anyone.

Unbenounced to Tech, Echo had noticed. Echo knew knew what it looked like when Tech flinched when he was startled. And the way Tech has straightened up instead of shifting away like he usually did looked a hell of a lot more like an aroused shiver to him. So a mind like Tech’s could be aroused after all. But Echo also needed solid proof before he’d believe it. And he was standing next to a very attractive woman. Afterall, the man was a Domino. So, naturally, there was one way to get more information quickly. He would flirt with her as the conversation continued, and watch Tech’s reaction.

“I wish I could see the port,” Tech’s voice is quiet, “I cannot quite tell what it is with just touch.”

“Yeah, it’s quite a small port and it’s recessed into the panel a bit.” Echo answers, no hint of mischief in his tone. Fives and Rex hadn’t nicknamed him ‘silver tongue’ for nothing.

“Hmm, I swear I’ve seen a cable with that end on it around here somewhere…” Her thought trails off as she looks around. “Any chance you remember where we should look to find a plethora of cables we could try, Tech?”

“If I could see my surroundings, I could probably think of the many places I keep assorted cables, but I do not know how things have been reorganized or shifted around since I was last on the ship…” Tech’s voice trails off with a sigh.

The room falls quiet for a moment. Tech can hear them rummaging around. He never thought losing the ability to see would affect him so much. In fact, he never really thought about losing his sight at all. His mind was not made to process emotions well, in point of fact it was made with the intent of avoiding the cumbersome ordeal of emotions so that logic would drive him in stressful situations. But even the Kaminoans couldn’t remove all the human pieces, so Tech still had emotions… he slouched forward, resting his elbows on his knees and hung his head.

Just a glimpse would be all he would need. He hadn’t realized just how dependent on sight his life was. No matter what happened, whether they were able to get him a prosthetic eye, like Wreckers, or whether they could not, he would make a point of learning how to cope in a world where he could not see, just in case. But for now, he was living in a world of VERY blurry shapes. He sighed heavily.

“I know,” her voice piped up from right beside Tech. He hadn’t realized she was still right next to him. He turned towards her, though it wasn’t like he could SEE her. He suppressed another sigh. And felt a light touch rest on his shoulder where a soft, very familiar material was draped over his arm; his blacks. He reached up for his shirt and she placed it in his hand.

“I know. It’s hard to lose a sense that you had previously depended on so much. We will find a way to get some of your sight back. We can also find other ways so you don’t have to feel so dependent on seeing the world around you, if that would help?”

Tech nodded, “Thank you,” he replied quietly, placing a hand over hers on his shoulder. “And, for the record, your hands are not that cold.”

“Oh,” her voice took on a teasing tone, “so they are a little cold, huh?” She nudged him with the hint of a laugh in the air between them.

He let out a little chuckle too. Tech found himself unknowingly leaning into her touch a bit. He couldn’t see, but he could feel - touch as well as emotions. He’d learned that much from his interactions today.

But the happiness on his features quickly faded, the weight of his current predicament too great to allow simple distractions to last for long.

“Maybe you don’t need to see it or touch it to figure this out. What do you feel?” Her voice dragged his wandering mind back to the real world.

“WhAt?” Tech’s heart raced. Had she already figured out he liked her touch? Had he been that obvious? Internally, Tech went into panic mode. Externally, he did his best to keep his cool, like he always did.

“Can you access the port and tell us what kind of data it is programmed to receive?” She asked.

“Ah, excellent idea,” he replied, cool and nonchalant. Of course that was what she had meant, Tech’s panic subsided. He put his shirt back on and took a moment to search for the device driver in his operating system.

“It seems to be set up to take in all media types: text files, binary files, audio and video files, a wide variety of map files, anything a typical datapad can handle.”

“WAIT!” Her voice was laced with a revelation.

Tech jumped at the excitement in her voice, and he could hear Echo stop his rummaging. He had likely stopped to turn and look at her.

“What is it, Gorgeous?” A teasing smirk graced Echo’s features as he looks at her, watching Tech in his peripheral vision, knowing full well Tech can’t see the look on his face, “another useful factoid on the tip of your tongue?”

She laughed. Tech wished he could tell if she had also smiled at Echo or not. She likely had. It was a fairly common reaction when someone was flir—Wait! Was Echo flirting with her? Tech found himself getting angry. Illogical, he barely knew her! But he did like her touch, as well as her demeanor, not to mention her wit! She was kind, gentle, and had so far proven to be his equal in mind. She had, as Hunter described it, been the one to sift through Tech’s notes and make sense of them, and figured out he was still alive. He felt like he owed her his life as much as he owed it to his brothers.

And yet the way Echo had called her ‘gorgeous’, and the ease with which they communicated in half-formed sentences while searching the room, as well as the shared experiences implied by the story earlier, would suggest they had known each other for quite a while.

We’re they partners? And if so, in what sense of the word? Had he finally found his equal in mind, the kind of person he’d finally allowed himself to dream of having as a partner, only to discover that her heart had already been given away to someone else? Tech desperately hoped that was not the case. Though, if it was, Echo was a lucky man indeed.

Tech was lost in his thoughts, his mind racing away in a split second, missing that he had not hidden the pinch of his brow when Echo called her ‘Gorgeous’. Echo took it to mean that Tech was upset that he couldn’t even see her face.

“Video files! Tech! You brilliant man! You already solved it!” She exclaimed.

“Pardon?” Tech was confused. He wasn’t holding anything. He hadn’t been fiddling with anything had he?

“Where are the goggles?” He could hear her excitedly shuffling around him.

“Goggles won't do much, I’d need ey—“ he stopped, realizing exactly where she was going with this. “My recording device! Do you think you could make it into a prosthetic eye? I could provide instructions, if need be.”

“First, let’s just see if this is gonna work. Ah HA! Here they are! Echo, do you remember where we put the cable for them?”

“Yeah. That I kept safe. It’s over here,” Echo’s footsteps walked past Tech, towards Echo’s special spot where he kept his important belongings. So that much had stayed constant during Tech’s leave of absence.

“Okay,” she started, again at Tech’s side. “I repaired your recording device, and Echo made sure there’s no trace of the Empire’s meddling left on it. So, in theory, all we have to do is plug it in. Tell me if something doesn’t feel right, and we will unplug immediately and start a diagnostic. Okay?”

“Excellent,” Tech replied. “However, if anything goes wrong, I suggest you have a mild sedative on hand to knock me out, and a set of cuffs ready just in case the Empire tries to take my mind back.”

She sighed, Tech felt a new touch on his shoulder. Definitely her touch, but not like a touch he’d felt before. Echo could be heard retrieving the necessary preparations in the background, while Tech sorted out this new feeling. Then her hair brushed his bicep. She was resting her forehead on his shoulder! She laughed quietly.

“You really do think of everything don’t you?” She’d said it quietly, so quietly it was likely that Echo couldn't hear exactly what she had said.

“It is wise to be prepared,” Tech could feel his finger rising to accentuate his point, automatically.

“Yes, but I seriously hope we don’t have to use them,” she muttered quietly, to him alone.

“As do I,” He agreed.

Echo returned with the cable and Tech’s suggested in-case-of’s.

Tech sat there, waiting. Nervousness painting his features. He might be able to see again, momentarily! And if he did, would it be enough to make him useful again until he could teach himself alternative methods? Would it be enough to allow him to continue to participate in their chaotic lifestyle? Questions danced around his mind. But he took a deep breath and refocused himself on the here and now, on the senses he could still use.

He could tell that she now stood side-by-side with Echo. Echo in front of Tech, while she returned to her post at Tech’s side. He tilted his head to give her better access to the data port there.

“Let me take the remaining fragments out of the lenses. Maker, why didn’t we do that ages ago? Why did we let this sit here with shards of transparisteel in it?” She muttered.

Tech noted that she seemed nervous too, though he was not sure why. He could hear the pieces entering the waste receptacle as she removed them one by one. Tech waited patiently, doing his best not to tap his foot. He needed to stim, but he didn’t want it to come across as impatience.

“It’s okay if you need to stim, Tech,” she must have noticed what he was doing. “I understand this is a big moment, if you need to move to process it, don’t stop on my account.”

Tech let a small smile cross his features, as he let out a sigh he didn’t know he was holding. “Thank you,” he said to the floor. He took a deep breath to let his nerves around her out - it was actually sort of helpful that he couldn't see her yet, it became significantly easier to let go when he was only vaguely aware of her presence - and allowed his foot to resume its rhythmic tapping.

“Alright, you ready?” She asked.

Tech nodded. “Ready when you are.”

“I’m going to put your goggles on you first, over the bandages.They’re gonna be very loose though, we don’t need it creating more injuries while these heal. You adjust them as needed so it feels comfortable, then when you’re ready, I’ll plug it in. I don’t know how it’s going to interface with your operating system, but I bet Echo can give you some tips on that if he hasn’t already. He’s standing right in front of you so he will be the first thing you see. Okay?”

“Understood.” Tech held as still as he could, his anticipation palpable.

“Here goes. Goggles going on…”

He felt the band slip over his head, and reached up to adjust it as she had suggested. His fingers brushed over hers. He felt that new spark again, racing from the point of contact between their hands to his core. But right now he was too excited to see again. He pushed the spark to the side, hoping he would have time to focus on that later.

“Ready to receive data,” he told her, closing his one good eye to avoid the juxtaposition of one blurry and one clear image confusing his brain.

“Plugging in… there.”

She and Echo watched the red light on the side of Tech’s goggles blink to life, and then go a steady red.

Tech remained still for a moment.

She and Echo exchanged hopeful glances.

Then, Tech’s brows rose and his chin lifted, pointing the camera up, towards Echo’s face.

“Hello, Echo,” Tech chirped, relieved to have some sight to work with again. Though this new perspective - from the side of his face - would take some getting used to.

For the first time in a while, Echo smiled. “Hello Tech! Good to have you back, ol’ buddy!”

Tech looked slowly down at his lap, and raised his hands, getting adjusted to the side-shifted perspective.

Next to Tech, she giggled. “Oh you brilliant mind, you!” And she pressed a quick kiss to Tech’s temple.

As heat rose to the surface of Tech’s cheeks, he was suddenly struck by the fact that he still hadn’t seen her face. He didn’t know why that made him nervous though.

Echo laughed. Her surprise kiss to Tech had caught even him off guard.

“Oh! Sorry, I didn’t even think about it, I just did it. Was that okay? I’m sorry if I overstepped!” She babbled.

Tech opened his mouth to answer, but found his mind vacant of any coherent sentences. It was all he could do to try to refocus on his surroundings to ground himself once again.

So he focused on Echo, who was still standing in front of him. It had been a while since Tech had seen Echo laugh like this. And their reactions would clearly indicate that Echo and Spitfire were clearly not ‘together’ as his brothers would say. But the nerves quickly took over Tech’s mind again as he realized she had withdrawn her touch from him while she waited for his answer. He did his best to reacquire his ability to speak.

“It is quite alright. I do not mind,” Tech replied. Odds were, he was not hiding the warmth in his face now. He had completely lost control of it. Oh well, at least it was appropriate in such a situation. And it gave him an excuse to look at her.

Slowly, so that his new perspective wouldn’t make his stomach spin like his head currently was from her kiss, he turned to look at her, hoping his naturally emotionless exterior would swoop in and save him from further embarrassment.

But it seemed his subconscious wanted to make him suffer today. It took extra effort to hide his reaction. Echo was right. She was gorgeous. Tech had known she was smart, at least as intelligent as he was if he had to wager a guess. He was well aware that he liked the gentleness of her touch. And he had known that she had a pretty voice, and an even prettier laugh. But she was also very physically attractive. Especially with the flustered expression currently adorning her face as she bit her lip and looked nervously at him.

Once again, Tech didn’t have words, he just looked at her. He didn’t know what he expected, all he knew was that her natural beauty threw him off guard.

Beside them, Echo was trying to contain his laughter; though admittedly, he wasn’t trying that hard.

“Brother, you’re staring,” Echo chortled, shaking Tech’s shoulder to snap him out of it.

Tech started and snapped his gaze back to Echo. Too fast. He could feel the nausea rising in his gut. He tried to close his eyes and then remembered his real eye was closed and this new ‘eye’ didn’t have eyelids. He got the feeling his face was likely draining of color.

“You okay?” Concern laced her voice.

“Unplug,” Tech managed, swallowing hard, “please.”

She hurriedly unplugged the device. “What’s up, everything okay?”

Tech sat still and breathed for a moment. Well, all things considered, it does make sense that a new point of view would be disorienting. However, since they had decided so quickly to try this, it was not an outcome he had yet thought through.

One more swallow and a long deep breath and he was ready to speak again. “Yes. Thank you for unplugging quickly. The point of view of my recording device is a little too far to one side. I moved too quickly, and became disoriented and slightly nauseous.”

Next to Tech, Echo was not even bothering to hold in his laughter anymore.

Hunter appeared in the doorway, the laughter having drawn his attention from the cockpit, as Echo piped up, “Of all the things I thought might happen when we got out your goggles, ‘Tech getting distracted by a beautiful woman, and then allowing his own jumpiness to make himself sick’ was certainly not on the list.” He laughed harder, “I can’t wait to tell Rex this story.” Now Hunter was laughing too.

Tech’s cheeks blazed with heat.

“Are you sure it wasn’t the fact that I’m NOT actually attractive that made him sick, Echo?”

The room fell silent.

“WHAT!” Hunter and Echo’s voices suddenly filled the ship’s hold, reverberating off the durasteel walls.

“Why would you think that?” Hunter asked.

“Don’t coddle me Hunter, I’m used to it.”

Hunter and Echo sat there fishing for words like fish out of water. Their mouths opened and closed, but no sound came out.

Tech could hear only silence in answer. That was not okay. Why weren’t his brother’s saying something? No matter, Tech would do his best to remedy the issue.

“Then allow me to put your concerns to rest,” Tech butted in, “For I AM certain that it was my startled reaction to Echo bringing me out of my reverie. I was indeed distracted by your beauty. I have rarely ever encountered an individual of your caliber. I must admit, while the first thing I noticed about you was your voice, it was your mind that truly caught my attention. But now that I have seen your face, I can confirm that you are indeed quite a stunning woman as well.”

She spluttered for a moment, struggling to find words of any sort. “I… well… umm……… thank you, Tech. That’s… that’s very sweet of you.” She rested her hand on his shoulder again, and this time Tech happily reached up and placed his over hers.

“He’s right, you know. I don’t call just anyone Gorgeous,” Echo flirted. Tech could hear Echo moving towards her, and desperately wished he could see what they were doing. But wait, that could work! Though he didn’t quite know why he was so desperate to keep Echo from flirting with her - was this jealousy? All he knew was that he was going to act on it regardless.

“Will you, um,” Tech pointed to the side of his head. “I would like to see the rest of my brothers now,” he finished while she reconnected the cord. “We will have to find ways to do this differently in the future, but for now, at least I am not totally in the dark.”

Off to the side now, Echo chuckled quietly to himself. So he had been proven right. Tech was already quite taken with her.

“I’ll go get the others then,” Echo volunteered to give them a moment to themselves, already heading towards the cockpit.

Tech sat still for a moment, and she watched the light blink and go steady again. And then Tech’s hand reached to the side, towards her. She knew he could not see her where she was standing, but it surprised her when he found her hand and gently pulled her in front of him, so he could look up at her again.

“Yes.” Tech said, eyes wide. “You are indeed quite attractive, My Dear. Now, if only I could quantify that for you to prove it.” He smirked, “perhaps I can, though it will take time and deliberation to develop a good system. You are not something that can be taken lightly.”

The surprise on her face pleased him. But his emotions were becoming very confusing for his analytical mind. He felt a rush at having so successfully complimented her on his first try. But he also felt nervous that he wouldn’t be able to best that compliment. And he felt ‘screwed’ as Wrecker would describe it… there was no way to avoid falling for this woman. But somehow, knowing that he was fated to fall for her was… thrilling? Emotions were complicated… and not at all logical… and so rarely ever came one at a time anymore. but alas, those were issues for later, he reminded himself again. Right now, he wanted to see his brothers, and sister!

“My Dear,” he practically purred, he could see Hunter raising his eyebrows at him in the doorway behind her, “Would you help me to stand up slowly so that I can look my brothers in the eye when I greet them?”

“You might want to wait on that one,” Hunter was now leaning against the wall just outside the main room, looking over his shoulder towards the copilot's seat as a blur of blonde dashed out ahead of Wrecker, Echo, and Crosshair.

The woman stepped aside as the blonde dart zipped in for a hug.

“Tech! I still can’t believe you’re alive!” Her voice was muffled as she refused to raise her head from his chest to speak. “Echo said you can sorta see now?” She uncurled herself from his chest and backed up so she could see his face. “Ooooh! Are you using the recording device on your goggles as your new eyes?” She asked. She seemed impressed.

“Indeed. Good observation, Omega.”

“COOL!”

Tech couldn’t help but smile. Behind her, Hunter’s grin was the biggest of them all. Though Wrecker’s teary one might surpass that quickly.

“Tech!” Wrecker blubbered from over Omega’s shoulder, “I’m sorry I couldn’t get you outta the railcar fast enough. If I had, maybe you wouldn't be dealing with this now.”

“Wrecker, there was nothing you could have done. But it does not matter. I am here now, and we are finding solutions, just like we always do.” Tech’s voice was matter of fact, as always, but in a way meant to reassure Wrecker.

Wrecker’s tears subsided a bit, and he tilted his head to the side, realizing he was standing directly in front of Tech, but Tech’s new eye was off to one side. By tilting his head, he could more directly look his brother in the ‘eye’ so to speak. “Is it… like normal… or is it… offset?” He asked.

His observation impressed Tech.

“It is offset. So much so, that if I move too much or too quickly it will make me feel nauseated.” Tech explained.

“So, no sudden movements?” Wrecker tucked his arms in, resisting the urge to hug his brother.

“Correct.”

“That’s why you were laughing earlier, right?” Hunter asked Echo.

“Yeah,” Echo answered, taking the opportunity to fill Wrecker in, “he made himself woozy when I startled him because he got distracted by her.” Echo used his thumb to gesture at Spitfire.

Wrecker smiled, and had been about to further Tech’s embarrassment when Crosshair stepped forward, and for a moment the room fell silent.

“It does not look like they treated you well, Crosshair.” Tech observed.

“You could say that,” Crosshair drawled.

“I wish there was more I could have done to prevent that,” Tech spoke up again. “I was connected to the main system at the base, but it seems Hemlock did his research well, and learned what not to do from our mission to break Echo out of the Techno Union’s control. I suspect Spitfire already told you as much… In short, the effect on my end was that I could see you two, but I could do nothing to protect you.”

Crosshair shrugged and looked away. He was surprised that Tech still wanted to protect him. After they all kept their blasters trained on him while he rescued Omega from the sinking wreckage on Kamino, he had thought he’d lost their trust forever.

“However, I could access your record,” that earned a side eye from Crosshair as Tech continued. “I am sorry about Mayday. Though I am proud he was our brother too. I would have acted much the same as you, had I been there in your stead.”

Crosshair retreated into himself, jaw clenched, but nodded subtly.

The other’s exchanged glances, that name was new to them. Omega opened her mouth, questions on the tip of her tongue, but Hunter shook his head, and she fell silent, understanding that that meant that Crosshair was clearly not ready to talk about it.

“Have you received the medical attention you need since returning to the ship?” Tech inquired.

Crosshair nodded, doing his best not to show how grateful he was that Tech had diverted the topic at hand, but Tech’s observational nature noticed every detail.

“Echo made me his nurse!” Wrecker chimed in. “Don’t feel bad waking me up for anything Cross, I’ve got ya!”

Tech let a half smile sit on his lips. He was back home with his brothers and sister again. Everything was going to be okay. And there was a highly intelligent, highly attractive woman, whom he was willing to believe was flirting with him, if her sudden kiss to his temple earlier was anything to go off of.

Please don’t steal my work! I pour my heart into these so if you like it please reblog to share instead of reposting it!

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