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grippingbeskar · 2 years

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salt, ice and fire | frank castle

chapter fourteen - body clock

[series masterlist] [previous chapter]

frank castle x fem!reader

word count: 4.9k

warnings: explicit content minors DNI 18+ (oral f receiving), swearing, canon typical violence, blood, torture, mention of injuries/cuts/scars, death, guns and punisher type shit. the usual. execution style killing. baby we ROLLIN OUT!!!

a/n: idk why i’m so scared posting this, but i queued it so i wouldn’t be awake bc i don’t have the balls. goodbye.

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You all but slam into the wall as Frank walks out of the shower, placing you gently on the sink. His hand comes up behind your head, making sure you don’t hit it as he pushes himself against you, but also using it as leverage to keep your lips attached to his. His tongue needs no permission, your mouth already open and begging, and you moan at the sensation of being this close to him again.

His free hand slides up your leg, fingers grabbing at the covered skin. You shimmy as close to the edge as possible, trying to feel more of him. His hand slides down from your neck, meeting the other one at the button of your jeans.

“Can I take these off?” He says into your mouth, kissing you between each word.

“Yes. Please. Hurry up.” He smiles against your lips, hands working at the zipper a mile a minute.

“Easy, sweetheart. I’m gonna take my damn time.” Finally he gets past your zipper and starts to pull your pants down. You lift your hips as best you can, trying to kiss him while he does it. You feel starved - you aren’t sure how long it will be between the next, so you were getting as much as possible in this moment. He still tastes like you remember - rough and earthy, something a little bitter and entirely him.

“I like it when you call me that.” Your pants hit the floor, and Frank doesn’t respond straight away. He was staring at you, still covered by your underwear and bra, but it felt like you were completely naked when he looked at you like that.

“Hm?” He says, running his hands up and down your sides, not looking at your eyes.

“I like that name.” He says your real name then, a low groan, and it gives the same effect. “Maybe it’s just the way you say it.”

“You are so god damn beautiful. I ever tell you that before?” You can’t find the nerve to answer him, so you pull him back to you. He keeps saying things against your mouth but you don’t know what they are, too consumed in the way he feels against you.

Suddenly his hands are on your thighs again, this time the rough pads of his fingers drag searing hot lines up your bare skin. Goosebumps appear in their wake, and you feel yourself practically shivering in anticipation as he gets higher and higher. He was going slow; slow enough that you could easily stop him if you wanted, but all it was doing was making you dizzy with need, waiting for him as if you haven’t spent the past months dreaming only of him. He pulls away from your mouth, and your eyes flutter open to find him staring at you, fingers stilled on the highest point of your thighs.

“Is-“ You swallow, finding your throat dry with the way he was looking down at you. “Is everything okay?”

“How you still look so gorgeous after all the shit we been doing last night?” His eyes trail down your body, searching you in a way no one ever has before. You’d been here more times than you could count, stripped down in next to nothing, having people hang over you. Usually when they stared at you though, it was like an experiment gone wrong, but this was something completely different. You wanted him to look, to see you the way you have only ever dreamed of being seen. In a way that makes you feel good - attractive. Wanted. You lean up and kiss him again.

“I could ask you the same thing.” You feel his laugh on your shoulder, hot air making the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

“Sure you could.” He mumbles into your skin before picking you up and leading you back through to the bedroom. The door was still locked shut, and you had a passing thought about how the Colonel was still outside, bleeding out tied to a chair. You had no desire to think any more of it - if he died now, at least you wouldn’t have to ever leave this place, locked away under Frank.

It was irresponsible, but Frank laid you down on the bed and crawled on top of you, just like that night a few days ago, and you suddenly didn’t care. Frank made you like that - unable to think of anyone but him, to do anything without looking to him. It was like a magnetic pull.

He kissed you once more before working his way down, his mouth ghosting along the lines of your body. Your eyes fluttered closed, just to feel him brushing over your collar bone, the line of your bra, and then kiss you just above the seam of your underwear. It makes you shiver, and his hands hold your hips down to stop you squirming. The sudden stop of movement has your eyes opening again.

“You okay?” He breathes against your skin before kissing your left hip, hooking his fingertips under the fabric.

“Mhmm.” Swallowing, he kisses the scar on your other hip, almost completely healed over.

“I gotta take these off, baby. Okay?” He says it like he’s in pain, and when you nod he ever so slightly he drags the fabric down, exposing an inch more skin, giving you every chance to stop him. Instead, your fingers thread through his hair and tug, a little harder than you need, subconsciously telling him to hurry the fuck up. He shakes his head under your hands and smiles, before throwing your underwear somewhere in the room.

The width of his shoulders force your legs open as he moves down, and you can feel every short breath, every tense of his muscles in between you.

“Frank.” You practically whine, and his face presses against your under thigh.

“So pretty, baby.” Your toes curl at the compliment and everything gets warmer. He presses a kiss to the inside of your thigh and you whine again.

“Please.” He lets you sit in silence for another second, enjoying the sight of you squirming— begging for him. Every muscle in your body is tense, waiting, and looks up at you again.

“Say it again.” The words practically go through you, and you whine as he drags his teeth lightly along your skin.

“Please.” He groans, and finally lets himself give in.

He starts slow, teasingly so, one of his arms wrapping under your leg encouraging it over his shoulder so he can snake his forearm across your stomach. Your hands tighten around the short strands of his hair, and he hums against you at the feeling. As much as you were trying to speed him up, encourage him in any way as your hips rolled at the new sensation, he held you down with one strong arm.

Once you didn’t pull away from the first touch, he takes the green light and dives into you. Nothing can prepare you for the force of it; hands holding you down, forcing you to take every roll of his tongue over your clit. You swear your eyes crossed for a second, electric heat overwhelming all the parts of your brain you could feel.

No one had ever done this to you before - no one had poured this much attention onto just you, unless they were causing you pain. Your brain, fuzzy as it was, couldn’t comprehend why someone would dedicate this much energy to only your pleasure - your body. You.

“You taste fucking perfect. Christ - could spend all fuckin’ night right here ” You can only say his name in response, and his free hand snakes up your side, threading into your own that was fisted into the blanket. You tug harder on his hair and your fingers interlock with the other, and the bed suddenly feels like it was made of clouds.

“Shit.” You suck in a curse and his tongue glides over your clit. The arm that was holding you down snakes underneath, one finger sliding inside of you and curling at an angle that has you seeing stars. Your eyes manage to open for a second, and he’s staring up at you, glazed over at whatever you look like. After he catches your look for a second, he’s encouraged because he starts getting faster and it’s so much all at once you think you might actually black out-

“Oh fuck, fuck.” You cry out, tears nearly forming in your eyes. “Frank…”

“Feels good?”

“Y-yeah. Just like that. God, feels so good.”

“I know, baby. I know.” You don’t know what he was doing, but the pressure in your stomach was building so much that you knew it would burst any second. Your back arches off the bed, fingers twisted in his hair, and you squeezed his hand so tight you felt your nails - your real nails - digging into his skin.

Your face turns into the pillow trying to muffle your sounds as best you can, but nothing dulls the sensation of your orgasm completely wracking through your body. Franks hand works you through it, his mouth still attached and tongue dragging over your clit slowly, as if he was doing it just for him.

As soon as you start to come down from your high he’s moving up your body, lips finding yours and not giving you a second to inhale. His hand against your side is light and gentle, completely opposite to the way he was kissing you. It was messy and you could taste yourself on him, a mixture of something in between the taste of him. Somehow the combination was even more intense - like a mix of you and him was an elixir to beat any other. You opened more for him, greedy and wanting to take as much as you could, and he groaned into your mouth as your hand ran down his abs.

You mirror his teasing, letting your hand continue it’s path down to palm him through his jeans. He sucks in a breath, forehead pressing to yours and looking down to where your hand is. You were still naked from the waist down, and you saw his control snap before your eyes when he took in the sight. You let your fingertips trace lightly around the outline of him, and the muscles in his arms flex next to you.

“Something wrong?” He blows out a laugh, pushing forward to kiss you again.

“Nothin’ at all.”

“No?” You bring your hand up to the hem of his pants, fingertips grazing the bare skin as you undid the button, trying your best to take the zipper down with one hand. You could feel him hardening under you, and your eyes looked back up to him. “You want something?”

“I - Jesus Christ.” He stutters on his words when you gently wrap your hands around him through his boxers. Running your hands along him, you feel his breath shudder, and his head drops to the crook of your neck. He shuffles further up so his arms don’t have to hold his weight so much. “C’mon baby, you don’t-“

“Shh.” You brush your lips over his, already knowing what he was going to say. You don’t have to do anything. You know you don’t have to - which makes you want to all the more. That and seeing how unraveled Frank was above you has you squeezing your thighs together already, breathy sounds and groans filling your ears like sweet wine. “You’re so b-“

A clash from outside the room snaps both your attention to the closed door. All the air in Franks lungs leaves in one exhale, and you can almost hear how hard his hands are clenched. The Colonel. The very last person you want to be thinking about right now is going to ruin this. You nearly cry when Frank pulls away from you, the only solace being that he looks like he’s in as much pain as you are.

“I’ll take care of it. Stay right here.” He hangs over you, watching as you pout in frustration. “I’m going to fuckin’ kill him.” Frank mumbles and kisses you once before rolling off the bed, struggling to get his pants up over his hard on as he stomps towards the door. He closes the door behind him, leaving you on the bed in nothing but a bra, and the magnitude of what just happens begins to wash over you.

You try to put yourself together, but you can’t think of anything else. You have no idea how you are supposed to now. Nothing but his face, his warm breath on your skin, his mouth on yours, how he kissed you with a need you’d never felt until he’d showed it to you.

You hear a scream from outside, and there’s no mistaking who’s it is. Frank is taking out his frustrations on the Colonel, and as much as you enjoy the idea of Frank beating the shit out of him, you want him to come back in here and take it out on you. You quickly gather some clothes and walk yourself to the door on shaking legs, opening it just in time to see Frank throwing another punch, his fist landing straight into the Colonels stomach.

“You think that was the worst of it?! They will rip h-“ The wind is knocked out of him with another blow, and as your walking over, your eye catches movement on one of the cameras.

“Frank.” You say, not needing to shout to get his attention. He shoves the Colonel over, his chair sending him immobile on the floor. “Look. Camera 12.”

He leans over your shoulder, staring hard. The black and white picture is hard to make out, but the cameras still work well enough to see a man crouching down behind a bin, talking through a watch.

“Where is that?” Your stomach drops as seven more men appear on the screen.

“Two miles out.” Frank had already turned, going to pack his things into a bag for the thousandth time.

“I told you. I told you they would come.” The Colonel groans on the floor, and Frank zips up his bag before going over to him, grabbing him buy the hair. He groans, blood pouring from his mouth.

“You tell ‘em where we were? Huh?” The Colonel spits blood at him, and Frank lets his head drop heavy back to the concrete.

“Are they tracking him?” Your eyes still haven’t left the monitor. A familiar face passes over the screen. Even in black and white, you would know it anywhere. It’s the face of all your nightmares, the only one you can see clearly in all of them, looking over you on the operation table, or locking the door of your cell three years ago, leaving you in darkness. “Bobby Gnucci is with them.”

“Fuck!” Frank slams his shoe into the Colonel, and he splutters out more blood. He’s weak, and if you don’t move soon, he will be dead within the hour. “We gotta move.”

“Put him in the boot. We can drive out the back, right?” Frank was already shoving the Colonels lifeless body into the car, still tied to the chair. “If they’re tracking him, we’re just delaying the inevitable.”

“There’s dozens of them. We need to move. At least get a vantage point.” Frank comes up behind you. “Didn’t think he’d show.”

“Always one for a dramatic entrance.” You knew he was talking about the man you were now fixated on, watching the leader of the Gnucci gang position men on either side of him, as well as three surrounding. “Does this have sound?”

Frank bangs around on a few things, and suddenly a radio flicks on. He walks away to pack the rest of your stuff in the car, not that there was a lot, but he leaves for long enough that you hear a voice come through the receiver.

“Theres no way in.” A man comments from Bobby’s left, and the look he gives him is enough to silence him.

“You’ll find me a way in. They are in there. I will not lose it again.” It. You’d spent so much time out of containment, you’d nearly forgotten what it was like to be talked down about. Even if it was two miles away. “I can feel it.”

“But sir-“ The other man pipes up. “How do you know? What if this is a trap, and The Punisher is waiting for us? Or worse - it’s watching us right now?” Bobby turns around, pulls out his hand gun and shoots the man in the back of the head with no hesitation.

“I know. I know it’s here. Does anyone else want to question my intelligence?” Silence booms from the radio, and you look back to the screen where the men begin to move up. “Good. Move in.”

“We need to go. Now.” Your heart was beating so fast you can hardly register a nod at Franks words.

You don’t have a chance to turn back around, just shoving yourself in the passenger seat of the shitty car you stole weeks ago now, and Frank flat footing the accelerator out the back entrance. When you hit the main road, you could hear shouts echoing as your car sped past, and you could have sworn you saw Bobby’s face, almost smiling as you disappeared into the night.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“We need to kill him. Now.”

“We kill him, and we have a whole new army of guys coming for us.”

“Nothin’ I haven’t handled before. You think we can’t take ‘em?” Hovering over the open trunk of the car, Frank watches as your hand lightly slaps at the Colonels face, doing nothing to wake him from unconsciousness.

“I think that if we can use him to get New America off our backs, then we should before we kill him. At least get something out of this.” Frank slams the boot down, still pissed.

“The guys a leech. He’s got nothing, and he’s grasping at straws, pulling at your weakness to stay alive.” You sit up on the boot of the car, and your head snaps to him, eyebrows furrowed.

“I’m not that gullible. I just thought it would be smart to hear him out.”

“I could of told you what he told you. Bobby’s still coming for you, and he’ll be missing the man power and pull the Colonel gave him. If we don’t kill him, it’s gonna bite us in the ass either way.” Killing the Colonel would be the final string cut between the two groups, and as much as the guys were assholes, they were tamed in comparison to the Gnuccis. They were the real prize, and they still had your brother.

“If ‘New America’ finds out we killed him, which they probably expect, it will even give them reason to work with the Gnuccis. The enemy of my enemy and shit, right?” Your head drops to your chest, and you run one hand through your hair. Frank resists the urge to tuck it behind your ear. It falls against your face, and it looks soft, even more so under the morning sun.

“I’ve been thinkin’”

“Oh, here we go.”

“I think I have someone that can help us out with that.” Frank turns the gears in his head. Sure, if the ‘New America’ men found out their leader was butchered by the Punisher and a gang experiment duo, they might have more reason to side with the Gnuccis, or at the very least come after you and him on their own. But, if he could change the story, paint it as a betrayal by the Gnuccis themselves, it would stop them from breathing down your necks. Hell, maybe they’d do him a favour and knock down some of the Gnuccis while their at it.

“Another army buddy?“

“She’s a writer. Works for a newspaper. She could twist it, make it seem like the Gnuccis set him up.” You were nodding, sliding off the car and pacing around the back.

“There’s camera footage somewhere, right? If they were feeding the FBI a loop, something has to be capturing the original footage. A picture of Bobby Gnucci leaving in the car paired with a few bodies in the morgue, add a timeline and a few fancy words. Those guys will believe anything they read.” Fuck, you were smart. So much smarter than you gave yourself credit for. His hand was nearly making a dent on the truck. “Who is she?“

“Names Karen Page. She’s a-“ Frank paused. He’d never let it get anywhere for her to be considered anything, really. She was too good, and he needed her as far away from his shit as possible. The further he was from her, though, the less his feelings felt like anything other than love for a damn good friend. So that’s what he settled on. “A friend.”

“That’s a big pause for a friend.” You were standing almost underneath him now, head tiled back, a tiny smirk on your face. He could see one of the hickeys he’d given you just under your jaw, and his hand couldn’t hold back, brushing over it slightly.

“She’s a friend, and one that could get a whole lot of guys off our backs if we play it right.” You clearly aren’t done with the conversation, but the Colonel starts banging around in the boot, and your attention redirects.

Christ - he was going to enjoy dumping this guy.

The boot swings open and the Colonel, now gagged, was sitting and kicking around. You grabbed him with one hand and hauled him out of the car. There was nothing for miles, Frank had driven you out of the city and deep into bush land. No one would find a body out here until he wanted them to, or until he told Karen where you’d left it.

You ripped the gag out of his mouth and started talking, but he couldn’t hear what it was you were saying. Moving closer, he heard a dry laugh coming out of the Colonel, and you grabbed him by the collar.

“You thought on my offer?” He croaks out under the pressure you were putting on his throat.

“Shut the fuck up.” Frank groans.

“You getting your dog to-“

“Shut up.” You say through your teeth. You pull out the gun that Frank gave you, holding it to his head. “The only thing you should be doing is thanking me. This is a hundred times less what you deserve. In the next life, I will make it slow.”

The gun shot rings out, and the Colonels flesh splits neatly right at the centre of his temple.

“You satisfied?” Frank said from behind you.

“Not really, no. I don’t like guns.” He watches as your hands clench at your sides, and he knows you were holding back because this has to be believable. Ripping his head off isn’t exactly Bobby’s style. “Should we take a photo of it?” Frank was two steps ahead, pulling out a burner phone and snapping an image before shoving it back in his jacket pocket.

“So now we…what? Send it to her and wait?” You both turn back to the car, and Frank sighs.

“We’re gonna have to go to her.” You give him a quick sideways glance. “I don’t think she’ll answer the phone if she sees it’s me calling.”

“Great. So not only is it an ex, it’s a bad ex. What, did you like, cheat on her or something?”

“She’s not my god damn ex girlfriend. Drop it.” He knows it’s harsh. He sees you stop walking next to him, and he regrets it instantly. He wants to take it all back, reverse this whole fucked up day to when he was buried between your thighs. It was the only place he didn’t have to fucking think about all this.

Thinking of Karen with you next to him just feels… wrong. He’s still got a lot of love for her. She’s the only kind of family he has, but that’s really how he sees her. He isn’t sure he ever felt anything else for her, but she was there for him at a time when he had no one, and he held onto that like a life raft. That was nearly two and half years ago, though. He’d changed, and so had she, and he was happy for her, but the last time she’d seen him, it had been the same as it always was with her.

She needed him to be something else. She wanted him to change, to be the man he was before. If he was really honest, there was a time when he’d wanted that too - but it wasn’t possible. That version of himself was dead and buried with his family, and what lived now was… he was still trying to figure that out. Whatever it was, it wasn’t what a woman like Karen Page wanted, or needed. And truth be told, she wasn’t what he wanted.

You slide into the seat next to him, shoving the sunglasses onto your face and staring out the window. Everything in him drew him towards you, and the memory of just hours before was burning into his brain. The way you sounded saying his name like that… Frank didn’t think he’d be able to hear anything else for the rest of his life. You. You were what he wanted. He knew that more than he knew anything else. Especially right now, when he knew you probably needed him and he was being an asshole. You just killed the man who held you captive for two months, and here he was complaining about a girl.

“I-“ He starts, but you cut in.

“It’s fine. Just drive.” You lean your head against the window, jaw clenched shut. You were done talking, but he wasn’t.

“You got a thing about cuttin’ me off, huh?” He could see the roll of your eyes under the glasses as he pulled the car onto the road again. “I’m sorry. She’s… it’s a long story, and the main thing is none of it matters anymore.”

He sees your head turn dramatically towards him, eyebrows raised, flipping to the side as if to say ‘really?’.

“I’m serious.” His hand goes over the console to rest on your bare thigh. He runs up and down the exposed skin, and he thinks it the first time you’ve ever worn shorts. He shifts in his seat, and squeezes your leg lightly. “She’s a good friend, but it means nothin’.”

“Alright, I got it. You’re a free agent.” He uses everything he’s got to focus on the road, and not on the way you were watching his hand on your thigh, your breath hitching just slightly as his thumb stroked up and down. “How’s your arm?”

“Fine.” He lies. It was still bleeding 12 hours later, but he hadn’t had a fucking second to sew it up. He doesn’t care about that though, just about how he could make sweet little sounds come out of your mouth if he let his hand drift a little higher. Smirking, he sneaks a glance at you. “Are you feelin’ okay?”

“Definitely feeling something.” He feels the tense of your muscles under his hand as it crawls just an inch higher, and he smiles, blowing out a laugh. After a moment of silence, you crack again. “I’m not, like, jealous or anything. If she is more than a friend, I wouldn’t get in the wa-“

“Stop.” You hold up your hands in surrender, staring forward. He squeezes your thigh, bringing your attention back to him. “It was never like that. And it isn’t now. Besides, kind of got my hands full right now, don’t I?”

“Was that supposed to be a joke?” You’re smiling, which is a good sign. He knew he’d fuck whatever this was with you up eventually, but he didn’t think it would be that fast.

“I’m hilarious.” He looks over to you again, watching as you roll your eyes and angle your body slightly towards him. You yawn, and he’s suddenly aware of how long it’s been since either of you have slept. “You should get some rest.”

“So should you.”

“I’ve got a couple more hours in me.” He can’t think of sleeping when your leg is under his palm, and the way you’re moving on your seat, shifting slightly so he’s got more access if he wants it has him more alert and awake than ever.

“I don’t want you running us into a tree or something. Pull over.” Rationally, he should keep driving, because chances are the Gnucci’s are out looking for both of you, especially if they were tracking the Colonel. They would find his body soon, and then come for you. But you were already climbing into the back seat and you tugged on his arm once, asking him to follow, and he was indicating and pulling off the side of the road before he could think for another second.

Without another word, you’re pushing the seats down and he’s climbing over, his body wrapping you up, moulding together. It’s the most comfortable he’s ever been, even though the seat is tiny and he’s half falling off the back, he can’t think of anywhere he’d rather be. He tightens his arms around you.

“Frank.” You say softly, and his head buried itself into your back.

“Yeah?”

“You think this is gonna work?” The sun was still streaming into the car and he feels you shift back into him to press closer.

“The car? It’s a piece of shit. Wouldn’t be surprised if it busts into flames or some shit.” He feels your laugh against him, tired as it is, and kisses the back of your neck. “You’re gonna be fine.”

“I wasn’t talking about just me.” Your voice is as small as ever, and his hand gently sweeps across the hair in front of your face, just like he wanted to do before.

“I know.” You go to say something else, your mouth opens but nothing comes out, and before he knows it you’re dead asleep, body going limp against him.

It took him a while to realise, but since the moment he tied you to that radiator, he hasn’t had a single nightmare. Usually he’s waking up in cold sweats, breathing heavy and shaking his head until he realises where he is, where he’s not. Since you came around, though, he’s been sleeping like a fucking baby. He used to hate closing his eyes, it was like falling asleep was a punishment in itself, a comfort he didn’t deserve, but with you pressed against him, soft sounds coming from your mouth as he kisses the back of your neck, he lets himself drift off.

When he dreams now, it’s only of you.

[next chapter]

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

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frozenjokes · 6 months

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To Keep // 4

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A note from Cub: Scar’s entries were not separated very clearly, so I have done my best to assemble them in a format that makes sense. I hope to keep his journal, but in the case that something happens to it, I have copied his entries into my own notes. This is for the best; his handwriting is atrocious. It is clear he did not intend on sharing these with anyone.

From the night after Scar’s return from Hermit Island.

When I changed out my bandages, the wings started moving on their own. Apparently it was the fabric from the island keeping them down, because the bandages I switched them out for did fuck all to restrain them. It’s annoying. I can’t really feel them besides a phantom presence, but they itch like hell at the bases. I’m glad I’m in my room now, I don’t know if the other pirates will be able to see them.

I don’t want them to.

///

I didn’t think to look in the mirror yesterday, so the new blonde strand of hair was a surprise this morning. At this rate, half my head will turn white. At least this one is small.

I also learned humans can see the wings. Cleo stopped by and made sure to tease me about it for the whole five minutes we talked. At least she tried to help me get them back under my clothes. Unfortunately, she couldn’t touch them.

I haven’t seen my ghosts at all today. I guess that’s not too abnormal, but I usually see at least one or two of them wandering around. I usually see Mumbo. He must still be angry with me. I can’t say I know what the hell set him off in the first place though. We were having a nice time, I thought. Ghosts will be ghosts I guess. I hope he gets over it soon, my back is killing me.

I stayed inside my room trying to figure these things out all day, with no luck. If I could just control them, I could force them under my clothes and out of sight. No need to ask questions. But then Sausage started to get on my back, telling me I had to ‘go outside’ at some point.

Tonight he asked to come in. It wasn’t really a question.

I pulled a blanket over my back before he opened the door, but go figure, the wings phased right through it. It’s safe to say all the Kestrels know now. I wish they’d all just mind their own damn business.

Sausage felt bad, which I didn’t expect. He said he never would have suggested I go with Cleo if he knew the ghosts on that island would try and hurt me. Don’t like that.

I moved them. I think. It was just for a second, where I felt them really be part of me, just like an arm or leg. But it was more than the wings.. there was something else too, something… deeper? Bigger?

I looked in the mirror. For changes. I didn’t see anything but.. I don’t know. Something just isn’t right.

I’m definitely dying.

At least my ghosts, wherever they ran off to, seem to be having a good time. Honestly, it’s been months since I’ve felt this good, not just with my back, but my eye and my throat and everything. I don’t know what they did at that island, but if it keeps me in this good of shape, I might just be glad I went. Well. Not really. I’m still surprised though that I haven’t seen my ghosts. Maybe not Grian, Pearl, or Impulse, but Mumbo has been attached at my hip for weeks. I wonder what they’re up to.

I can’t shake the feeling that something is different. I keep looking in the mirror, but nothing has changed.

I also feel like I’m being watched, but I think that has more to do with my nosy ass ghosts than anything. I keep getting these twinges in my back and stomach? Mumbo and Pearl must not be happy about something, but Grian and Impulse still seem to be fine. I still haven’t seen any of them, but I think Pearl has been keeping an eye on me while I’m out and about in the Faction Isles. I can feel her. Well, I can feel the discomfort in my stomach. She doesn’t like it when I talk to Cleo in particular. Whatever. Pearl can throw however many fits about it she wants, that won’t change anything. She’s dead. If she didn’t want me making friends, she should have killed me when she had the chance.

Mumbo is different. He only comes around at night. Again, I haven’t seen him, but I know he’s around, especially when he thinks I’m asleep. I’m not really sure what he wants or what he’s upset about. Well, Mumbo’s always upset about something, so that shouldn’t be a surprise. I wish he’d just hang around normally though. I like having him around.

The area around my new wings has been healing quickly. Abnormally so. Though, my experience with injuries and stitches starts and ends with physical, alive humans, so maybe this is normal for ghost medicine.

A SCARCATION! THEY’RE CALLING IT A SCARCATION! I can’t believe it! My own ghosts are taking a vacation from me and they didn’t even tell me about it! WORSE! They told Cleo! AND CLEO DIDN’T TELL ME! Not until today at least! I can’t believe this! I have horrible friends!

I’m so snitching on Mumbo and Pearl.

Still, nothing has changed, not physically anyway. I admit, I’ve gotten a bit obsessive over checking mirrors, to the point where I think the Kestrels have noticed, but I don’t care. They don’t know what it’s like.

I haven’t been able to move the wings again since I did the first time, but in all honesty, I haven’t been trying very hard. Most of the time, I forget they’re there. It’s awkward to run into pirates from other factions, but that’s the only time they’re a nuisance. They don’t even hurt or itch anymore. Honestly, I barely feel anything at all back there. I guess I should be concerned, but I’m not overly bothered. I’d rather be numb than deal with Mumbo’s angst manifesting in my back. Though, it’s been more difficult to sense him lately. I didn’t realize how much of my ability to do so was tied t

The entries end here. I don’t know everything about what happened after this, but I believe Scar must have been interrupted before he could finish this entry, possibly by Mumbo. It would make sense, given that he wouldn’t have time to continue it after revealing to Mumbo why he killed him and the others. I am curious about that, but it’s none of my business. I don’t even think Grian and Impulse know. I wonder if I gave Scar a new journal now, if he’d write in it…

#hermitcraft #pirates smp #gtws #goodtimeswithscar #boatem #cubfan #cubfan135 #boatemghostsau

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iamvegorott · 9 months

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Meeting A Magical Man Pt. 35

Part 1: Link Prev: Link Next: Link

“Ow, ow, ow,” Chase whined as his arm got twisted behind his back. Mare kept a firm hold on him as he held Marvin by the front of his shirt and pressed his back against a wall.

“What the fuck do you want?” Mare nearly growled, using his slight advantage over the two to keep them from doing anything.

“Firstly, let go of my man. He’s not a magic user.” Marvin didn’t even bat an eye, casually gesturing toward Chase. “And, secondly, we’re here to help you get away from Actor and back to your brother, Phantom.”

“Phantom?” Mare echoed the last part before looking at Chase and letting him go. There was a pause, and then he did the same to Marvin. “What do you know?”

“I’m coming!” Mad yelled as he ran into the room, holding a large weapon up and ready to strike.

“We’re good!” Mare quickly caught Mad’s hands. “We’re good.” He repeated.

“You gave your twink a large hammer?” Marvin scoffed.

“Excuse me?” Mad huffed and lowered his weapon, having the head of it rest against the ground as he leaned against the handle. “It’s a mallet. I made it, and what in the world is a twink?”

“You made that?” Chase asked, stretching his arm across his chest.

“You don’t know what a twink is? Oh, honey.” Marvin placed a hand on his chest. Mad opened his mouth to say something, but Mare placed his hand over it.

“He doesn’t. Now, what do you know about my brother?” Mare lowered his hand and made a face. “Really? You licked me?”

“Suffer the consequences of your actions.” Mad stuck his tongue out.

“Oh, so he’s a twink and a brat?” Marvin couldn’t help from teasing.

“I’m a what?”

“You have five seconds to tell me what the fuck is going on before I kick you out of the house with maybe your heads attached.” Mare’s voice dropped, and Marvin noticed how that got Mad to straighten up a little. That was a fun note to keep in the back of his head.

“Fine, if we’re being blunt and honest with each other. Dark says I can break my apprentice contract if I bring him Actor’s apprentice.” Marvin pointed up and down Mad’s body with a finger. “He’s heard that he’s a little…messy with his magic and worries Actor could do some damage with him.”

“What does that have to do with my brother?” Mare asked, taking a step so he was mostly in front of Mad.

“Phantom’s working with Dark and has helped us find you. Sounds like he’s worried about you and threatened to hunt us down if we got you hurt.” Marvin casually looked at his nails, clicking his tongue when he saw a little chip from when he had hit the wall. “Do you have a nail file by chance?”

“I can go get-”

“You’re not getting him a nail file.” Mare caught Mad’s arm before he could walk off. “Okay, you found us, what about it? It’s not like we can just walk out without pissing Actor off and having him hunt us down instead.”

“We take you to Dark’s, and he can’t find you there,” Marvin said.

“There’s a reason you want your apprentice contract broken. Why would I let Mad have one instead? What if Dark is worse than Actor? Mad needs training.”

“I’m right here.” Mad pulled his arm out of Mare’s hold. “I think we should go, or at least I will if you won’t come with me.”

“You’re not going anywhere without me,” Mare said softly.

“You guys are adorable.” Chase chuckled.

“Sh-Shut up!” Mad’s face went red almost instantly, and Mare awkwardly cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck.

“So, do you really think going to Dark would be better than what we got?” Mare asked.

“I mean, Dark trained me.” Marvin shrugged, letting that little moment go by. “And yeah, he’s a pain in the ass, but he knows what he’s doing. He also doesn’t purposely trigger me to catch on fire and then have his fuck buddy dump water on me.”

That caused a long pause to hang in the air. Mad turned his head away and hugged himself, hands rubbing against his burn scars. Chase saw this time how those marks were slowly healing as each second ticked by, meaning they’d likely be gone soon if more didn’t come before then.

“I’m going.” Mad finally broke the silence. “It can’t be worse, right?” He was looking only at Mare. “He seems to have good control over himself but…but what if…”

“I was also a mess when I first got my magic.” Marvin took a deep breath before he removed his mask, letting Mad see his own marks. “Mine won’t heal, though, but Dark was able to get me to not explode again, and I’m sure he’ll do the same for you.” He still wasn’t sure if Dark would be the best for Mad, but he had to be better than Actor or at least be a way to get Mad away from him. Maybe Marvin could-

No.

Marvin could never do that.

“I’m going to start packing,” Mad said and stepped away.

“I’ll come help,” Marvin said and followed him, wanting to see if he could get more from Mad without Mare around. He shot a quick look at Chase, hoping he’d catch what he wanted him to do.

“I’ll come-”

“So you and Mad are friends?” Chase awkwardly asked and was even more awkward with stumbling in front of Mare to distract him. He wasn’t sure why Marvin wanted to be alone with Mad, but he at least understood that he wanted to.

“Yes?” Mare tried to walk past Chase but got stopped again, and Chase held a hand out.

“I’m Chase. I figure it’d be nice to share names since me and Marv know you and Mad.” Chase was going to make Marvin buy him something after this was over.

“Marv?”

“Marvin, but I call him Marv sometimes.”

“Because you two are dating?”

“Yeah!”

“Cool. Now, if you’ll excuse-”

“Are you and Mad dating, too?” Chase watched how that question got Mare to go stiff. “I mean, like, you two seem all close and stuff. If you’re just friends, that’s totally fine because you can be just friends and not want to, like, fuck, or anything. But also, I don’t know, you just seem really into him, but I’m not always the best at reading people, so I could be totally-” His rambles got stopped by Mare placing a hand on his chest and shoving him back against a wall.

“You need to shut up. Right now,” Mare warned.

“Hey, hey, I was just saying what I saw.” Chase held his hands up. “You kind of remind me of how Marvin was at the beginning of knowing him. Although you seem a lot less horny, but that might be because you save the horny side for when you’re alone and-”

“Stop.” Mare pushed a little harder on Chase’s chest.

“Hint taken, hint taken.” Chase was getting tired of strong magic-users.

“Are you trying to fuck him or scare him?” Marvin said as he returned to the room with Mad, both holding a suitcase. “Because I’d like to watch if you’re going to fuck my boyfriend.” He added with a grin.

“You were right about him being horny,” Mare muttered with a roll of his eyes, dropping his hand. “I guess we’re heading off, then?”

“The sooner we get you two out of here, the more time Dark has to make sure you’re hidden from Actor,” Marvin said.

“My car’s right out front.” Chase pointed with a thumb.

“I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this.” Mare sighed.

----------

Tags: @brokentimewatch @bookwormscififan @d-structive @rainymae523 @ashtonisvibing

#meeting a magical man #trickshot #veggie writes

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writingforfun0714 · 3 months

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Hey everyone, sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted. Here’s Chapter 5 of my Arcane fanfic

Sisters of Mine (all chapters—definitely recommend reading before this)

Warnings: AU, spoilers, reader insert fanfic, POV changes

Word count: 7,406

Sisters of Mine: Chapter 5

3rd POV

It’s been 6 long years since the tragedy at the old cannery in the Undercity. Vi is now a tough young woman of 22 and has been in Stillwater prison ever since the night Vander died. She had to learn quick how to survive in such a brutal place and she has gotten used to the nightmares that have plagued her since that horrible night Vander was taken. In that time, Silco has raised Powder, now known to those in Zaun as Jinx, and is his daughter. She’s a master sharpshooter that’s a loose canon because of her unstable mental state. It sometimes seems like Silco actually can’t control Jinx. In turn, the 16yr old wildcard of a teenage girl has thought of the crime boss as a father figure and has gotten deeply attached to him due to what Silco thinks is empathy. Nightmares also haunt Jinx’s mind, both when she’s asleep and when she’s awake, but she, like Vi, has learned to live with them.

Last is Y/N. While she isn’t the best at engineering or inventing like her older brother Ekko, she does like to tinker and she’s grown into an excellent artist. She’s only 10, but she’s quick to help others and is quite curious, to Ekko’s dismay. He loves the girl obviously but he understands Vi’s frustrations in regards to being in charge of a living being and Y/N sometimes doesn’t know her limits.

Y/N’s coloring the mural when she sees Ekko and Scar along with a few others, including Eve. Eve is a young woman a couple years older than Ekko with short, shaggy pink hair and a scar on the bridge of her nose. She’s really nice and often looks out for the girl if Ekko and/or Scar is busy. If Y/N’s honest, Eve’s pink hair really reminds the girl of Vi and a part of her sometimes can’t tell the difference, though Eve completely understands and doesn’t mind at all. Ekko and Y/N make eye contact before the girl suddenly drops the paint brush and races over to the older boy.

“Bro? Where’re you going?” She asks running up to him.

“There’s a shipment of Shimmer going into the docks in Piltover. We’re gonna do somethin’ about it,” Ekko says smirking before turning serious.

“Stay here. You know the rules,” Ekko says. She nods and looks away, clearly upset she can’t go with him.

Reader POV

“Stay here. You know the rules,” Ekko tells me. I nod but look away, pouting with my arms cross over my chest.

“We’ll be back before you know it. Keep an eye on the place,” Ekko says and I nod again.

“I love you,” he says.

“Get outta here already!” I exclaim and shove him away as he chuckles.

“Alright-alright-but seriously, I do love you,” he says and I can’t help the small smile that tugs my lips up and I nod once.

“I know. I love you too big bro,” I say and hug him tight before pulling away to watch him and the others leave the sanctuary.

Once I’m alone I sigh and head back to the mural to clean up my paints. I head back into our house that is now perched up in the tall, thick, sturdy tree limbs. I get to my room and sit on mine and Ekko’s shared bed.

Word of our sanctuary grew among the Underground since Silco flooded Shimmer in. People had either gotten addicted to it or moved here. Because of our growing numbers, we have to be careful. Luckily there is a dedicated group to defending the sanctuary. They are self taught and most of them have been there the longest and are most loyal to me and Ekko. I look around and spot the toy I’m building. It has spinning blades and is supposed to be controllable. I’m working on the controller now and have been over the past 3 months. I can’t figure out how to solder the electrical motherboard. Ekko taught me the basics but not enough to build a device that transmits radio waves. I try not to worry about Ekko when he leaves, and it really helps knowing he’s not alone, but I can’t help it. If anything happened to him, I’d be alone and everyone would depend on me. I can’t help them…not like he can. I can’t do anything…not even make this stupid toy! Angrily I throw the wired board across the room and it clatters to the floor. I can’t just sit here and do nothing. That’s when I remember Ekko was having problems getting enough food. I know someone who’d gladly give us his extras. Jericho. Ekko doesn’t go to him because his shop is so close to The Last Drop but we need food and I know Ekko coming back to one less problem would help. I make sure I have my key before putting my shoes on and hurrying out. I lock the main door that keeps what little supplies we have.

I hurry past Lyanna, a young woman who lost her home due to Silco taking over her neighborhood. She’s really nice and I trust her.

“Lyanna, I’m going out. I’ll be back in an hour,” I tell her.

“Where’re you goin’?” She asks.

“Helping Ekko collect more food. One hour,” I repeat and she nods.

“Yeah-I got it, an hour. I thought you weren’t allowed to go off by yourself since last time-“ she says but I cut her off since I could tell she was going to mention the time Ekko scolded me in front of everyone.

“He’s desperate. I’ll be back,” I insist and she nods.

“Alright, be careful,” she tells me as I nod and run off into the Undercity.

I make my way through the alleys, streets and I even crawl through the sewers for a bit. I manage to come out of a dark but crowded alley to see the neon sign of The Last Drop. Home. Memories of Dad and my older siblings flash by in my mind. I love Ekko, but I miss them. I miss how things used to be. I hadn’t even noticed I was crying until I see my vision blur from the tears. I sniffle and angrily wipe away the tears. No. That doesn’t help. Ekko needs me now and I have to focus on my mission.

I know Jericho’s place is nearby but I’m not for sure. I try the alley to the left and hurry. So much has changed, it’s hard to tell where I am…but there are familiar buildings. Like Margot’s Pleasure House and Benzo’s boarded up shop.

The alley opens up to another market area and I look around and spot Jericho and his shop. Thank god. I walk through a small crowd and head to an empty stool. I climb up and tap the counter. Jericho turns and smiles widely when he sees me.

“Kid!” He exclaims.

“Hi Jericho, it’s been too long,” I say and he nods.

“I’ll say, you’ve gotten bigger since the last time I saw you,” he says and I smile.

“What’re you doin’ here?” He asks.

“I came to ask if you had any old food you could spare? We’re running low,” I say.

“Well I got these burned bread loafs I tried to make. I’ll definitely stick to stews and seafood,” he says, pointing to the wall behind the counter. I kneel up on the chair to see a stack of bread loaves that are darkened to black on one end.

“I think I also have some leftover gumbo,” he says, checking a stew pot on the counter by the sink in his kitchen area.

“Thanks Jericho,” I say as he packs up the bread and grabs a spare backpack. I watch as he pours the gumbo into a rusty pot and locks the lid.

“Keep the pot,” he tells me, putting the gumbo in first before stacking the bread loaves in on top.

“Really?” I ask and he nods.

“Sure,” he says and I smile.

“Thanks,” I tell him and he nods.

“So where’s Little Man?” He asks, handing me the pack full of food.

“He’s out at the docks trying to stop some sort of Shimmer shipment coming in,” I explain and Jericho’s eyes widen.

“Hey can I get a-“ someone tries to order, but Jericho glares at him.

“We’re closed!” He snaps, hitting the counter with his large hand, making everything rattle. The other customers scurry away. He leans in towards me.

“You have to get Little Man and the rest of your people out of there,” Jericho warns. My eyes widen.

“What? Why?” I ask.

“Word is Sevika is going to pick up this latest shipment of Shimmer,” Jericho says and I gasp.

“Sevika? She’s alive?” I ask and he nods.

“Ok, thanks Jericho..for the info and the food,” I say, shrugging the pack with my shoulder. He nods.

“Come see me again sometime…if you get the chance. It’s always good to see you kids,” Jericho says and I nod.

“You too…you know the offer to come live at the sanctuary’s still open,” I tell him.

“Ah, nah, the Lanes are my home. I can’t leave,” he says and I nod. Sometimes I wish I didn’t leave but I know we had to otherwise Silco would’ve killed us.

“Be safe,” I tell him and walk away with the pack of food.

“You too kid..and tell Little Man to come visit more often!” He calls to me and I wave, chuckling to myself.

I make my way through the alleys until I can look up and spot a bit of blue peeking through the buildings. I look around before seeing I’m alone and start climbing up.

I leap from a metal awning and onto a pipe sticking out. I grab hold of it and start inching my way up, swinging back and forth until I can swing my leg over and stand. I grab hold of a windowsill and pull myself up before jumping to another pipe that goes straight up. I scrape my knuckles against the brick building but manage to cling to the pipe, panting a bit. I manage to use my legs to help inch myself up. I pull myself with my arms with my foot slips and I fall briefly before I manage to catch myself!

“Gah!” I yelp, gripping the pipe for dear life.

I gasp and sigh with relief before pulling myself up. I manage to climb up to the side of a building that has a ladder and I get all the way to the rooftop. My breathing is a bit ragged, but that’s nothing new. Ekko had Scar look me over and he said I have ‘asthma’. It’s from the Undercity because lots of kids my age have it too. I look up and see the sky is so blue and bright that I have to squint slightly. I take a breath and enjoy the sweet fresh air for a moment. I grab my scope and look around.

As I look around, I see life is much different here than it is in the Undercity. People seem…happy. It’s…it’s not fair. I feel myself get angry and I realize that this is probably what Vi felt all those years ago when she was taking care of us. I can’t help the tears that form at the thought of my eldest sister with bright reddish pink hair. Stop! STOP THAT! I hit my head and pull my hair. I have to focus. Jericho said to get Echo and everyone else out of the docks. I don’t have time to be sad about anything right now.

I look through the scope again and see an airship heading a bit down near the big tower. There! I think those are the shipping docks! I shove my scope into my pants pocket and start making my way there.

Silco’s POV

I’m expecting a shipment of Shimmer from Piltover. Because I’ve had to expand production, one of my warehouses happens to be on Topside. I’ve had Marcus keep the Enforcers out of the area and he keeps me informed on the Council. The latest batch is ready but I know it won’t be an easy job, especially since the Firelight gang has gotten…bolder as they’ve been insignificant so far. I’ve sent Jinx to deal with them. Over the years I’ve noticed she seemed to have some sort of personal reason for attacking the Firelights. I’ve never questioned it since it helps me anyways. I just make sure Jinx doesn’t get in over her head. I can’t lose her. I’ve also sent Sevika, to make sure things go smoothly with the dock manager. Jinx was upset with me at first because she thought I thought she couldn’t handle it, and argued she didn’t need Sevika, but I made sure to give her clear instructions.

“Your targets are the Firelights. Let Sevika handle the Shimmer. Now..can I count on you Jinx?” My voice tells Jinx.

“Sure thing Pops,” Jinx’s bubbly voice response echoes in my mind.

3rd POV

Y/N finds her way to the docks and makes sure to hide. She hides behind a stack of wooden crates and spots an airship slowly coming in. The girl watches as various workers walk around until her eyes widen when she sees a hulking man with pale skin and tattoos. She recognizes him as one of Silco’s men. Y/N can’t see on the ship so she looks around and spots a place to climb up into the metal pipes that support the giant buildings. She only slips once but manages to catch herself until she can pull herself up onto a horizontal pipe so she can sit and look down.

On the ship, barrels of Shimmer are being loaded. Silco’s men make sure to keep track of how many barrels.

“Uh-shipping manifest?” The dock worker asks, holding out a clipboard of paperwork. A small pouch of coins is tossed on top and he looks up at the dark skinned woman standing before him.

“From your friend—downtown,” Sevika tells him, glancing at the bribe. The worker looks over and the muscular, tattooed man sneers at him, making the worker gulp nervously. He nods slightly and as he’s about to pocket the bribe, a flash of green light whizzes by! They gasp and Sevika stands at the ready. Masked Firelights, including Ekko fly by on hoverboards.

“Ah shit it’s the Firelights!” The worker exclaims. As people scramble, Ekko manages to toss a couple of crystallizing traps, pinning Sevika down. Ekko and the others land and the boy pulls out his stopwatch, clicking the timer button.

“We’ve got 5 minutes,” he instructs, unaware he’s being watched by Y/N.

A Firelight walks over to the barrels and pries the top open to see the sickening purple liquid.

“Have you ever seen this much Shimmer before?” She asks.

“They’re expanding,” Ekko says.

“Check for more below, burn it all,” he orders.

Two Firelights find the hatch that leads to below deck. Y/N watches as Ekko and the others move around on the top deck. Luckily the alarm hasn’t gone off yet. She looks and sees the other workers around the docks haven’t really noticed, just the ones near or on the airship.

Without warning, Y/N gasps when the airship suddenly explodes on the inside! It rocks back and forth as smoke billows out the windows that got shattered. The young girl watches smoke cover the top deck and that’s when she sees two long blue braids emerge from the smoke. Her dark eyes widen when she sees her older sister, Powder, who now goes by Jinx, step out. She blows her bangs out of her face.

“Hi,” Jinx greets before pulling out two grenades with chomping teeth and pulls the pins with her teeth. She throws the explosives as hard as she can, hitting the two Firelights beside Ekko, knocking them over the side and exploding. Y/N’s eyes are filled with shock and fear when she sees the two Firelights disintegrate in the explosions.

Jinx walks forward, twirling her pistol in her hand. Ekko grabs two more crystallizing traps and throws them at Jinx, but she easily dodges and fires off a shot at Ekko, that he ducks from. That’s when Y/N sees movement at the top of the ship and she realizes it’s Scar! He leaps down on Jinx, piercing the spot where she was with his spear, but she manages to see him in time and move. She aims at him and fires a shot! He manages to hold up his clawed hands in time. He has metallic gloves on but because of how close Jinx is to him, he gets knocked down and disoriented. Jinx jumps and stomps down on his head, forcing him to stay down. Y/N can’t help the anger that bubbles up inside her. Scar is like another older brother to her.

While Jinx is distracted, Ekko and another Firelight spill the Shimmer out of the metal barrels. Ekko whistles and the Firelight moves to the next barrel, opening the top. The Firelight ignites a flare and is about to drop it in when Jinx catches her wrist before roughly slapping the mask off, exposing the identity of the Firelight. Y/N sees it’s Eve, the girl with the same short, shaggy dark pink hair as Vi.

Jinx gasps, her eyes widen when she sees Vi!

“Vi?” Jinx asks. Eve gives her a confused, questioning look.

“I can’t lose you,” Vi’s voice echoes in Jinx’s head as a memory plays in her mind. She remembers sitting on her shared bed as Vi gently brushes her hair out of her face and gently strokes her cheek. But it’s not exactly the same. The pain warps the happiness.

“Why did you leave me?!” Powder wails.

“Because you’re a jinx!!” Vi’s voice snaps at her.

Jinx is so wrapped up in the painful memories that she doesn’t stop Eve from dropping her lit flare into the Shimmer, igniting a purple fire. Eve gasps and tries yanking her wrist out of Jinx’s grip, but Jinx won’t let go. Jinx’s dark eyes twitch in realization that the girl is not actually Vi. Eve manages to break free but that’s when Jinx grabs her pistol and instantly shoots Eve in the back!

“NO!” Ekko yells, reaching out to her. Jinx pants, holding the gun up by her head as she breathes hard. Ekko pulls out his pocket watch as the anger starts boiling in him. He looks at Jinx before looking down at the watch. His 5 minutes are almost up. It’s now or never! Ekko takes a few breaths before grabbing his metallic bat and charging Jinx, screaming.

“RAAAAUGH!” Ekko yells but that’s when Jinx pulls her gatling gun from behind her and sprays bullets.

“AAAAAGGHHH!!!! AAAAHGGGHHH!!!!” Jinx screams angrily. Fear and sadness takes over and all she can do is spray fire in every direction, not knowing where the Ekko and the Firelights are. Sevika manages to break free of her trap and hide but the hulking, pale man with tattoos isn’t so lucky. Jinx hits him and he cries out in pain.

Scar managed to get up at some point during Jinx’s firing and rescue Ekko. The surviving Firelights manage to get away on their hoverboards as Jinx’s gun slows to a stop. Sevika pushes past wooden boxes that are now destroyed thanks to Jinx. The dark skinned, one-armed woman storms up to Jinx and pushes her shoulder to make the teenager look at her.

“You were supposed to GUARD the cargo!” Sevika snarls as the Piltover alarm sounds in the distance. Jinx chuckles humorlessly with a small smirk. Sevika hears the alarm and looks away. Jinx tilts her head and darkens her glare, remembering how Mylo acted on the robbery job all those years ago. Knowing Enforcers will soon be swarming the area, Sevika and Jinx head back down to Zaun.

Y/N puts her scope down and thinks on everything she saw before also heading back down. She has to beat Ekko back to the Sanctuary otherwise he’ll know she was out when he told her not to.

Ekko’s POV

As we use our hoverboards to fly back down to the Undercity, I can’t help but replay everything that happened in my mind. Jinx killed Jax and Zane with her two grenades and Eve…Eve was shot in the back. She…she was so good with Y/N and I know the girl will be devastated to learn that we all didn’t make it.

“Hey, you good Little Man?” Scar asks me. I nod.

“Yeah…you know the drill,” I tell him and he nods back. Any time we lose someone, we prepare a funeral service. It’s nothing special really but it’s intimate and even though I don’t like funerals, I know it’s important to everyone else. Being in charge of the Sanctuary, I hate the services because it’s like losing a family member each time. I know I’m not alone in that feeling…but it’s different being the one everyone depends on.

We can’t go back for the bodies, so Scar usually goes around and asks for pictures of the deceased and gives them to Y/N. At first she thought they just went away…but would be back. But when Y/N was 8, she realized that each picture was of someone that died. I had a talk with her about it.

We descend into the Undercity. The air gets thicker and…grosser, plain and simple, but I’m used to it. We fly by the mines, where it’s the worst, but luckily it doesn’t last long.

We arrive back at the Sanctuary. The air is a bit better here thanks to our tree, especially compared to other areas of the Undercity, like the mines and the Lanes, but it’s nothing like Topside. We head through the small maze of alleys and come into the open courtyard with the tree.

Those that live here permanently look at us and when they see we are missing most of our people, they turn sad. I see Lyanna, a young woman who lost her home to Silco, hurry up to us.

“Ekko, we heard the alarm Topside sounded-“ she says, hugging him. He hugs her back lightly before pulling away. She looks at the group.

“Where are the others?” She asks. I shake my head.

“They…didn’t make it. We were ambushed by Jinx,” I explain and her face darkens. Lyanna knows Jinx through stories I told her.

I glance around.

“Where’s Y/N?” I ask and that’s when I see Lyanna shift on her feet nervously.

“I-well-“

“Lyanna?” I ask seriously. She’s about to answer but I see her eyes glance behind me. I turn and see Y/N walking in. We make eye contact and her eyes widen a bit.

“Oh shit-“ she says.

“Y/N! Where were you!?” I ask, running up to the girl.

“I-I was just-“

“I told you not to leave the Sanctuary while I’m gone-“ I scold as I take a knee so I can look the girl in the eye. I put a hand on her shoulder.

“I make these rules for a reason,” I tell her.

“I know-I just..I couldn’t just sit here while you do everything so…I thought I’d restock our food supply,” Y/N explains, taking off her pack. I watch curiously as she opens it and starts pulling out food wrapped in foil and in old containers.

“W-Where did you get all this?” I ask. This is one of our biggest restocks, even I couldn’t get this much last time I went out asking around. I notice that Y/N isn’t looking me in the eye and I realize I’m not going to like the answer.

“Y/N? Where did you get this food?” I ask seriously and she shifts.

“Jericho’s,” she admits.

“Y/N! You know you’re not allowed to go to the Lanes!” I snap angrily.

“I was careful! I made sure I wasn’t followed and no one even saw me!” Y/N argues with me.

“You don’t understand, it’s what could’ve happened! You know Silco’s base of operations is at the Last Drop!-“ I say.

“I can handle myself! I know I can’t fight like Vi, and I can’t shoot or make things like Powder could…but I’m small and sneaky. And Jericho seemed really happy to see me,” Y/N’s face softens at the mention of the seafood stand owner. I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose in frustration.

“I don’t want you going to the Lanes period, end of story. Understand?” I ask and she pouts.

“I’m not a little kid anymore Ekko, I can help out around here so you don’t have to do everything,” Y/N says and I freeze for a moment.

“W-What?” I ask.

“You do everything around here. You keep us safe. I wanna help you,” Y/N explains.

A memory from 6 years ago comes to my mind. It was a few days after Benzo and Vander were killed. Y/N was plagued by nightmares and I couldn’t stop thinking about what happened…about what could’ve been different. I remember something Y/N said about Powder. When they were left alone at the Last Drop, Y/N said Powder wouldn’t stop crying until she remembered the blue crystals they found on the job Topside I told them about. I wondered if Powder had been given something to do, would she have been alright?

Now…is the same true for Y/N?

“I..I know you wanna help out, but you’re only 10. You’re still a bit too young,” I tell Y/N.

“You’re just being overprotective big brother,” Y/N says. I smile.

“That’s what big bros are for. But…since you’re so eager to help me…I guess we could go on supply runs together. You could show me how you got to Jericho’s,” I tell her and her eyes light up.

“R-Really?” She asks excitedly and I smile and nod.

“Yeah…but together,” I tell Y/N seriously.

“Together,” she nods in agreement.

“Why don’t you go put that in the supply closet? I’ll meet you back in our room,” I say and Y/N nods.

“Ok!” She says and shoves everything back into her backpack and hurries over to the small brick and wood building off to the side, behind the tree.

I turn serious and look at Lyanna.

“I told you to make sure she stayed,” I tell Lyanna.

“I’m sorry Ekko—Y/N can be…stubbornly determined when she sets her mind on something,” Lyanna says. Stubbornly determined. Like her older sisters Vi and Jinx.

“Makes sense,” I sigh.

“You go ‘head and get cleaned up, we’ll take care of things here,” Lyanna says, motioning to Scar and the others. I nod my thanks and head up to my room I share with Y/N.

3rd POV

Despite the turmoil going on at the docks, life goes on for the Council and many others in Piltover, including Jayce Talis and his partner Viktor. Working together using their hextech science, Jayce and Viktor have set out to improve the lives of those in the Undercity, people like Viktor. Viktor himself has thought about using it to see if he improves from his own illness. Together, they’ve created 2 new inventions. The Atlas Gauntlets are giant mechanical gloves that allow mine workers to work more safely and efficiently. The other invention is a mechanical arm with a laser strong enough to cut through a block of obsidian rock. The two decided to show Council member Heimerdinger. Along with being the head of the Council as a leading founder of Piltover, Heimerdinger is also Jayce’s mentor and was originally Viktor’s boss.

While proud of the two boys, Heimerdinger concluded that the two inventors needed more safeguards for their inventions, rightfully so after Viktor nearly accidentally killed Heimerdinger’s poro that follows him everywhere. However, Heimerdinger doesn’t understand the urgency of Viktor’s illness, which is why he had such a problem with Heimerdinger’s objections.

Back at the docks, the new Sheriff of the Enforcers is talking to the bribed worker.

“I think there were 4 or 5 of them-“ he says. Young rookie, Caitlyn Kiramman makes her way into the crime scene and looks around at the destruction. Bullet holes cover everything, the floor is scorched and empty metal barrels lay all around along with the remains of the crystalline traps. Cait glances around. She looks and spots an open hatch to the deck below and sees a messy monkey head painted on it. Cait grabs her camera and takes a picture. She takes pictures of everything while looking at the bullet holes. The Rookie Enforcer holds her hand up and points around, mimicking Jinx’s movements from earlier until she spots one of the crystal traps has blood on it. She follows the trail and spots a small hiding space in the floor and shines her light in to see the huge, hulking man with tattoos. He groans, clutching his side. Cait gasps and jumps down to help him.

“What happened here?” She asks, but he doesn’t say anything.

“Who are you working for?” Cait asks and again no answer.

“Who shot you?” Cait asks and the man looks at her, wincing in pain, clutching his bullet wound.

“You can tell me, I’ll protect you,” Cait says.

“I can’t…he’ll kill me. She’s crazy,” he pants, breathing hard.

“Who?” I ask. Before he can answer, a shadow falls over them. Cait turns around, gasping when she sees Sheriff Marcus.

“Caitlyn Kiramman, why am I not surprised to see you?” he asks rhetorically.

“Interfering with an investigation, again,” Marcus scolds.

“I realize you’re used to getting your way, Kiramman, but we have a chain of command for a reason,” Marcus tells her.

“I understand, but there’s more going on here than just smuggling,” Cait tries to tell Marcus, “if I could question him-“ Cait motions to the injured man but Marcus interrupts.

“I’ll take it from here,” Marcus says definitively, “since you’re looking for work, you can take the graveyard shift tonight at the fair.” He orders.

“Yes sir,” Cait sighs.

“Good. I want this one on a boat to Stillwater prison,” Marcus orders before walking off.

“Yes sir,” an Enforcer replies.

Back in the Lanes, Sevika makes her way to Silco’s office in the Last Drop. She managed to grab a bottle of whiskey before walking into Silco’s office, shutting the door shut behind her. She sits and pulls the cork out of the bottle with her teeth, spitting it to the floor.

“She fired on us,” Sevika tells Silco, who’s sitting at his desk.

“There are always mishaps in battle. The Firelights were her target and most are dead,” Silco argues calmly as he flips a page in his paper, reading, seemingly not taking Sevika seriously as she takes a swig from her bottle.

“It wasn’t a mishap, she froze up and lost her shit. I could’ve handled those brats. She’s a problem and we all know it,” Sevika explains frustratedly.

“We? Who’s we?” Silco asks, turning to look at Sevika darkly. She looks away, not answering him.

“I expect better from you than excuses. It was your job to make sure things went smoothly. You failed. Don’t disappoint me again,” Silco tells her. Sevika grunts as she pushes herself up off the couch and she storms out, slamming the door behind her.

Silco sighs.

“The world’s growing smaller everyday, thanks to the Hexgates. And now, we’re cut off, the topsiders are leaving us further and further behind” Silco says, grabbing his eye poker off his desk and puts the two pieces together.

“What happened?” Silco asks and at first, there’s no answer.

“She already told you,” Jinx’s voice carries down from the rafters. Sevika hadn’t noticed but Jinx has been perched up on a wooden beam the whole time.

“I’m asking you,” Silco insists, wanting to hear Jinx’s side of the story. He hears a thump and turns to see Jinx sitting with her legs pulled up to her chin on his desk.

“One of those Firelight wackos was a girl…with pink hair,” Jinx explains.

“Hmm…” Silco says, turning to her. He holds out his eye poker to the wild, explosive teenage girl he considers to be his daughter. Despite her personality, he trusts her with his life and she with hers. They understand each other. Jinx takes it and moves to sit on the edge of Silco’s desk so she can lean against him, which he doesn’t mind.

“Your sister’s gone. You know that as well as I do,” he says as she leans against his chest.

“I know..I know! Sister’s right? Can’t live with ‘em, can’t shove ‘em back in the ol’ babymaker. Hehehe-“ Jinx says before blowing on the ring around the eye poker, making a slight noise.

“Today’s screw-up will set us back weeks,” Silco tells her. She lets her head rest against his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” Jinx apologizes before playing with Silco’s eye poker.

“I need to know that I can rely on you,” he says and grabs her wrist to get the girl’s attention and it does.

“I’m doing this for us, Jinx. All of us. The sons and daughters of Zaun deserve more than their runoff,” Silco tells her before leaning his head back.

“It won’t happen again,” Jinx tells him.

“I know,” he replies as she lines up the eye poker and makes one quick poke on his eye. He grunts in pain and bends forward a bit before managing to sit back and sigh with relief. Silco uses his hand to wipe away the excess Shimmer that leaks out of his eye.

“Sevika will clean up today’s mess,” he tells Jinx.

“Sevika?! That ogre couldn’t clean a dust bunny with a blowtorch,” Jinx argues.

“She’ll suffice. You should focus on your gadgetry,” Silco suggests.

“Ugh,” Jinx groans.

“Take some time,” Silco says as Jinx lays down on his desk.

“I-I don’t need time-“ Jinx tries.

“Take it anyhow,” Silco insists. Jinx’s lip trembles slightly as thoughts of being incompetent take over before she gets up and heads out to her own personal workshop.

Jinx grabs her grenades and sits on the propellor that hangs over the seemingly endless cavern below her. Her ‘workshop’ is actually part of a destroyed airship that hangs over the cavern that leads to the mines.

Ekko’s POV

Because she disobeyed my rules, I did have to ground Y/N. She’s not allowed to leave unsupervised. While she didn’t really argue, I can tell Y/N’s not happy about it.

The sun is set and things have settled down a bit. I’m tweaking the fan blades on my hoverboard while Y/N’s working on the mural. I see she’s adding in Jax, Zane..and Eve. Y/N’s just doing the basic shapes right now with chalk but I can tell who’s who. I didn’t tell her what happened though. I couldn’t so I blamed the Enforcers. I know I shouldn’t lie to her, but Y/N’s only 10 and she still thinks she can get her older sisters back. She definitely has Vi’s determination I’ll give her that.

“Ekko!” I hear Scar call to me. I turn and see him run up to me. I can easily see the worried look in his eyes.

“What’s going on Scar?” I ask, putting my tools down and pulling him a few feet away so Y/N doesn’t overhear.

“There’s been an attack, topside,” Scar tells me.

“An attack? Where?” I ask.

“The Progress Day ceremonial hall, where the new inventions are debuted,” Scar explains.

“Was it Silco’s guys?” I ask and that’s when Scar looks away uneasily. I frown.

“Scar? Who was it?” I ask.

“Jinx. I don’t have confirmation but there’s rumors she took something important to those fancy scientist topsiders,” Scar tells me and my eyes widen.

“She..took something?” I ask and he nods.

“I don’t know anything else, but we should be careful next time we attack Silco,” Scar tells me.

“There won’t be a next time. Lay low here for a while until the heat from Jinx dies down. Y/N just stocked up on food so we should be ok,” I say and Scar blinks in surprise.

“Y/N? As in, Y/N-Y/N? I thought you said she wasn’t ready for working around here-“ Scar says and I nod.

“I know-and yeah, she’s not. She left while we were out at the docks. She decided to go off on her own. The older she’s gotten, the harder it is to keep her out of trouble,” I sigh. I feel bad for Vi. She kept us all out of trouble when Vander or Benzo was busy. Now that I have that job…I can understand how stressed she must’ve been.

“I’ll have Kiyi and Senna keep an eye on her, make sure she doesn’t leave, yeah?” Scar asks me and I nod.

“Thanks,” I say, “and tell everyone to lay low here until the Enforcers calm down.” I remind him and Scar nods.

“Will do Little Man,” Scar replies and walks off, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I mostly wonder about what Jinx stole. I glance back and see Y/N starting to add details to the faces as well as the first layer of color.

3rd POV

Spending her night working the graveyard shift, Caitlyn was there during Jinx’s attack, and even caught in her as well as 6 other Enforcers in a massive explosion, killing everyone but Cait. She managed to catch a glimpse of someone chuckling before passing out.

Luckily Jayce was nearby and managed to get Cait to safety. He took her to a nearby clinic and despite her objections, took her back to her parents. Jayce explained what happened to the Kirammans but had to leave to check on Viktor. He didn’t want to leave his partner but the young man heard about the fire and explosion and the Enforcers.

Despite the robbery, Cait is still invested. She managed to gather all the information she could. Everything about the robbery, what was stolen, the photos she took of the docks, the monkey symbol. She had seen it trying to put out the fiery building before getting caught in that explosion. It has to mean something. There was also the muscular, heavily tattooed man that was shot. He made it seem like…like he was shot by someone he knew. Someone on his side. Friendly fire.

Cait is working in front of her evidence board on the floor when she hears a knock.

“Jayce?” She asks, turning to see the young man she sees as her older brother. He’s holding a bouquet of white lilies.

“Good, you’re here, I have to tell you something-“ Cait tells Jayce, hurrying up to him. She grabs him and pulls him towards her evidence.

“Shouldn’t you be resting?” He asks, handing her the flowers.

“While the trail’s hot?” She asks back, tossing the flowers down to the side with the rest. She’d gotten nice ‘get well’ flowers from various people her parents know.

“What trail?” Jayce asks.

“I think the same person who started the building fire and killed those Enforcers is the same person who attacked the Hexgates,” Cait says.

“The same symbol showed up at the botched smuggling operation at the Hexgates.” Cait tells him, referring to the monkey head symbol.

“The Hexgates?”

“Keep up,”

“All this time, they’ve kept their dealings localized to the Undercity. Low priority. The attack on the square changes things. They’ve overstepped. If I can figure out who made this,” Cait says, putting down a picture of Jinx’s monkey symbol, “it could lead me directly to whoever’s behind it all. The answer is here, staring me in the face. I can feel it,” Cait steps on to her footstool and looks over everything.

“How do you intend to prove any of this?” Jayce asks.

“If I can just work this out, Marcus will have to listen,” Cait insists.

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned about the Council, it’s that they need more than theories,” Jayce warns the young woman. Cait chuckles.

“Since when did you concern yourself with the Council’s opinion?” Cait asks.

“Since I..became a Councilor,” Jayce reveals. Cait looks at him and at first she doesn’t believe him but when she looks in his eyes, her face changes.

“You’re…serious? When? Why?” Cait asks, “have they discovered how to govern with grease and a spanner?” She jokes.

“Haha-“ Jayce replies sarcastically, “I was actually hoping you’d consider joining my staff,” he says, handing her paperwork in a message tube. Cait takes it and opens the canister to read the files inside.

“‘House Talis Security’. That’s a ceremonial position, I’d live behind a desk,” Cait says.

“You almost died, Cait. I just…I just want you to be safe-“ Jayce steps towards her but Cait shoves the canister back into Jayce’s chest.

“Thanks. But I already have a job-“ Cait says, kneeling down.

“No. You don’t,” Jayce reveals and Cait’s eyes widen.

“After the attack, your parents talked to the Sheriff,” Jayce explains and Cait groans quietly in frustration.

“This was the best I could do,” Jayce tells her.

“I don’t need charity, Councilor. Yours or my parents,” Cait replies, not looking at him.

“Cait-“

“Get out,” she orders in that quiet serious tone that Jayce knows not to argue with. Once Cait hears Jayce’s footsteps head out the door, she looks over at her map and sees Stillwater prison.

Marcus. Marcus sent that injured man there. Cait believes she can talk to him. She grabs what she needs, gets her clothes on and makes her way downstairs. She spots her father and hurries up to him.

“Father-I-I need to talk to someone about a case I’m working on..it’s important,” Cait tells him urgently.

“Cait-I…if…if you’re certain you can go,” he says, trying not to be as overbearing as his wife is. She nods.

“I feel fine,” she assures him and he nods.

“I’ll talk to your mother. Go. Come home when you can,” Mr. Kiramman says and the two hug before Cait sneaks out a side door of the estate.

Cait manages to take the ferry to Stillwater Prison and heads inside. It’s dark, cold…unpleasant. Cait walks up to the Warden’s desk.

“I need to speak to one of the inmates,” Cait says.

“Oh, folks in here aren’t usually very talkative,” the Warden tells Cait.

“This one was hit by friendly fire. He’s got reason to talk. Must have been sent in…today?” Cait asks.

“Oh. Inmate 2135,” the Warden recalls.

“Yeah uh..I’m afraid that’s not possible,” he tells Cait. While the two talk, said inmate is getting his jaw broken by a cafeteria tray.

“Why not?” Cait asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Uh..well, there’s been..an incident,” he says.

“What kind of incident?”

“The not so pretty kind,” he tells the rookie Enforcer.

“You don’t understand, I have to talk to him,” Cait insists.

“Oh, you’ll be able to talk to him…as soon as he can move his jaw again,” the warden explains.

“Who assaulted him?” Cait asks.

“Inmate 516, sub level 40, cellblock 25,” the warden tells Cait, who nods her thanks before walking back to the elevator.

Cait makes her way through the hall, clutching a manilla folder to her side. As she gets closer to cell 25, she hears a noise every second or so. A thudding sound. Like something hitting the cement walls. Cait stops in front of cellblock 25 and spots a mop of shaggy, short, bright pink hair that’s shaved on one side. The inmate’s head turns to reveal her ice blue eyes and small cheek tattoo

“Who the hell are you?” The pink-haired prisoner asks Cait.

End.

#arcane #arcane fanfic #arcane sisters of mine #arcane fanfiction #fanfiction #arcane fanfic chapter #arcane fanfic chapter 5 #chapter 5 #sisters of mine #sisters of mine chapter 5 #arcane reader insert #female child reader

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aquaquadrant · 2 years

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nature’s productions - chapter eight

Rated T for: Language, PTSD, blood/injury, violence, gore, death, past animal death. Summary: Three years after the disaster at Jurassic World, Claire Dearing and Owen Grady are contracted for a mission to save as many dinosaurs as possible from the impending eruption on Isla Nublar. But when they arrive, they experience an unexpected complication; six teenagers who were left stranded on the island when the park closed.

Surviving has left the campers scarred in more ways than one, and they’re pretty sure that their would-be rescuers have less than good intentions. But with a volcanic eruption at their heels, they’ll do whatever it takes to get a ride home- and save the dinosaurs while they’re at it, because that’s kind of their thing.

A/N: Hey guys, sorry this was a little delayed! I was away this weekend visiting family. But hey, this chapter is a whopping 11k words, so hopefully that makes up for it! Lots of things happening in this one, take extra caution with all the violence warnings, and please reblog/comment if you enjoy! - Aqua

(Read on A03 for previous chapters and complete tags)

~*~

chapter eight - mutual affinities of the organic being

~*~

As soon as Darius disappears into the vent, Sammy races over to the control panel.

She scans the various screens and buttons quickly. In a surprising turn of events, everything is actually labeled- but of course, it’s not in a language she can read. That’d be way too easy. What even is that, Russian? Hopefully she’ll be able to figure this out by looks alone.

One screen seems to depict the ship’s sonar, with numbers along the side and the bottom depicting their position. There are a few fancy compasses set into the panel, an assortment of knobs and dials, and a large handle right next to the wheel. Like one of those handles that controls the speed of the rides at the county fair.

Sammy glances over her shoulder at the captain, still tied up in the corner. “Is this what controls the engine?” she asks, pointing at it.

The captain turns away from her sullenly, but she caught the brief flash of surprise in his eyes and has an idea what that might mean.

Well, they still aren’t moving because the engines are sabotaged, so it can’t hurt to try. Sammy grabs the handle and pulls it down to what she hopes is zero. There’s no change in the other instruments, no sudden alarms or beeping, so she marks it down as a success. Once the others get here, Kenji or Brooklynn should be able to tell for certain whether the engine is off. Just in case someone out there manages to actually fix it.

With that handled, Sammy starts looking for the radio. Luckily, it’s easily recognizable; a standard black speaker with a dial for frequency and an attached receiver. Sammy unhooks it and holds the button down while she speaks.

“Mayday, mayday, anyone out there?”

Nothing but static. Sammy tries again, slowly turning the dial through different frequencies as she repeats her message. She’s watching the captain out of the corner of her eye just in case he tries anything, but also hoping for some indication as to whether she’s doing this correctly or not. It’d be pretty embarrassing if she missed something simple, like turning it on-

“This is Mexico Maritime Search and Rescue, MRCC Mazatlan.” A man’s voice with a strong Hispanic accent crackles out of the radio. “We’ve received your distress signal, do you copy?”

Sammy gasps, nearly dropping the receiver in her surprise. Over in the corner, the captain makes a sound that might’ve been a swear; hard to tell with the gag.

“Oh, thank goodness!” Sammy says, relief washing over her. “Yes, yes, I copy! My name’s Sammy, y’all have no idea how happy I am to hear you!”

“Okay, Sammy, what is your current position?”

It takes Sammy a moment to find the right screen. “Uh, our latitude is twenty-six, longitude is negative one-eighteen,” she reads, squinting. “At least, I sure hope I’m readin’ this thing correctly…”

“And what is your emergency?”

“Well, me an’ my friends have stowed away on this big ol’ cargo ship that’s stolen a bunch’a dinos from Isla Nublar.”

There’s a pause.

“... please verify, you are on a ship that is in possession of dinosaurs?”

“Yes, that’s right,” Sammy says. “Probably at least fifty of ‘em. We don’t know where they’re headed, but they plan to sell ‘em on the black market.”

“Okay, I’m dispatching a patrol to your position now.” The voice sounds a little more urgent. “Can you tell me more about your situation?”

“Oh, sure!” Sammy’s mind races; there’s so much to tell, where does she even start? “Right now I’m holed up in the bridge, I’ve got the captain tied up here an’ the door’s locked. My friends are supposed to meet me here. Darius is off savin’ Ben from the bad guys and the others just got done sabotaging the ship’s engines, so we’re dead in the water. Should make it easy for y’all to find us.”

“I see,” the voice says after a moment.

A sudden thought occurs to Sammy. “Also,” she adds, “I should probably mention that we’ve been stuck on Nublar for the last three years. We got left behind when Jurassic World closed. Then this here ship turned up right before the volcano erupted, so we figured we oughta hitch a ride.”

“… alright, Sammy.” The voice is a bit softer now. “Could you give me the full names of you and your friends, and country of citizenship?”

Oh, duh! “My last name is Gutierrez,” Sammy says quickly. “The others are Yasmina Fadoula, Darius Bowman, Benjamin Pincus, Kenji Kon, and Brooklynn Ortega. Except she don’t like to use her last name. We’re all Americans.” She perks up. “Are y’all gonna call our folks?”

“Not directly, we’ll be passing that information to the United States Coast Guard as we coordinate with them for this operation.”

“Oh, okay,” Sammy says, trying not to sound disappointed. She knows that right now, contacting their parents is probably the least of any government’s concerns, with a freighter full of dinosaurs and traffickers drifting along the pacific coast.

Which reminds her of something else she should tell them about.

“By the way, there’s some other people here that are helpin’ us,” she says. “They didn’t know this was a trafficking operation when they agreed to come. Claire Dearing is one of ‘em, I don’t know the other’s last names but they’re Owen, Zia, and Franklin. So once y’all get here, make sure not to hurt ‘em, they’re on our side.”

“Oh, alright.” The voice sounds taken aback. “I’ll make sure the boarding patrol is made aware. Isla Nublar is under UN quarantine, so we’re going to try to get ahold of a representative to assist us.”

Sammy blinks in surprise. She vaguely recalls Mitch saying something about that, what seems like a lifetime ago. If the United Nations have taken responsibility over Isla Nublar, then they’ll probably be responsible for the dinosaurs, too. She supposes it’ll be good to have some real manpower behind the effort to relocate all these animals.

Speaking of relocation, they ought to figure out where, exactly, they’re going to put them all.

“Gosh, I almost forgot,” she says, smacking her forehead. “These folks claimed they were sent here by a fella named Lockwood. I guess he was old business partners with the guy who made the first Jurassic Park? There was supposedly a sanctuary prepared for the dinos, so if y’all could look into that, I’d sure appreciate it. We’ll need a place to put them all, and Nublar probably isn’t an option with the whole volcano thing.”

“Okay, I’ll pass that along,” the voice replies. “The patrol is about twenty minutes out from your location. I need to speak to some other people now, please stay by your radio and alert us if your situation changes.”

“Will do!” Sammy says cheerily.

The radio goes silent. Sammy lets out a heavy breath as reality starts to sink in.

They’re finally being rescued. Like, really truly rescued by government authorities. With the patrol on its way and the UN about to get involved, the chance of these crooks slipping away is almost zero. Even if someone happened to breach the room and get the ship moving again, their location is known, and a ship this big is slow and easy to spot.

All they have to do now is not get killed in the next twenty minutes.

… that might be easier said than done.

~*~

“I think we’re clear now.”

Brooklynn’s sudden whisper makes Yaz jolt. “You sure?” she breathes, squinting to try and make out the other girl’s face in the scarce lighting. The room they’ve taken shelter inside is dark, but they don’t dare turn on the lights.

They were almost back at the hold when the ship finally stopped moving. Wheatley’s announcement came moments later, and the sudden surge of crew members to the engine room had forced them to duck through a side door, into an inky black room. And there they’ve waited, the minutes passing in heart-pounding silence as new footsteps thundered past them every few seconds.

There’s a moment of silence before Brooklynn replies; either she’s pressed her ear to the door, double-checking that the coast is clear, or she’s forgotten that Yaz can’t see her nod. “Yeah,” she says. “Ready?”

“Yup,” comes Kenji’s voice beside Yaz. “You good?”

“Yeah.” Yaz takes a steadying breath. “I’m good.”

Her ankle has just about reached its limit for the day, but she isn’t going to let herself slow them down. Not now, when they’re in the home stretch. All they have to do is get to the bridge, and then they’re home free. She can tough it out for a few more minutes.

“Alright.” Brooklynn’s voice is tight with nerves. “Three, two, one, go!”

She slides open the door, and they take off down the hallway. The sudden glare of fluorescent lights is a little jarring, but Yaz’s eyes quickly adjust. She keeps pace beside Brooklynn, guarding her blind spot, as Kenji brings up the rear.

Already, Yaz’s ankle is starting to ache. Stubbornly, she pushes it down and keeps running.

After a couple more turns, the hallway opens up into the hold. They dart behind a shipping container, pausing to catch their breath as Brooklynn peeks around the corner.

“Okay, now we just need to get upstairs,” she says lowly. “Look, there’s a couple ramps on the far side that might lead to the deck. We should be able to find a way up to the bridge from there.”

Yaz follows her gaze; they’ll have to cross pretty much the entire hold, with its maze of vehicles and crates. But hopefully most of the crew is preoccupied with the engines, and they won’t have to sprint the whole way.

Kenji catches her eye, and she waves him off before he can ask. “Lead the way,” she tells Brooklynn.

As they take off again, Yaz tries to envision a finish line waiting for her at the bridge. Her racing days feel like a lifetime ago, but sometimes she still draws motivation from them. Not that anyone really needs motivation to keep going when they’re being chased by dinosaurs, but still. It helps her push through the discomfort of her injury. She’s competed with injuries before, spurred on by the knowledge that she’d be able to rest when it was over.

This is perhaps the first time in these last three years that she can really count on that promise again. Back on Nublar, she could never truly rest because it was never truly over.

Sure, there was a recovery period every time they escaped certain death. Brief moments of safety up in their clubhouse, quiet days where they had no reason to leave. But it was never long before the next threat reared its ugly head, and for that reason alone Yaz couldn’t relax.

She isn’t sure she even knows how to relax anymore. But there’s no point in thinking about what’s next until after it’s all over. It’s almost over, she just needs to hang on a little longer-

A loud crash echoes throughout the hold.

Instantly, the three of them stop running and go back-to-back. Yaz keeps a hand on her knife, quickly scanning their surroundings as Brooklynn cranes her head to listen. It’s not long before another crash rings out, followed by what is unmistakably a dinosaur’s roar.

Brooklynn inhales sharply. “It’s Bumpy!” she says, without any trace of uncertainty in her voice. Aside from Ben, she’s spent the most time with the Ankylosaurus out of all of them, and would be best able to recognize her by sound alone.

Yaz’s knees go weak with relief. “Thank god,” she breathes. “Guess that means Ben pulled it off?”

“Sounds like it,” Kenji says proudly. He glances off in the direction the noise came from. “Should we go make sure he doesn’t need any help?”

Brooklynn makes a noncommittal noise. “Darius told us to come straight to the bridge when we were done. Besides, he’s got Bumpy with him. I’m sure he’s fine.”

There’s another bellow, and Kenji frowns. “Hey, isn’t it weird that we’re only hearing Bumpy?” he asks, his voice now tinged with concern. “Usually Ben would be screaming along with her to like, establish dominance or something.”

Brooklynn hesitates at that, and Yaz’s stomach drops. He makes a solid point. This isn’t a stealth mission- for a big distraction like this, Ben would definitely be trying to draw as much attention to himself as possible.

“You’re right,” Brooklynn says uneasily. “I don’t hear him at all. Maybe we should go check, just in case.”

Yaz nods her agreement, and the three of them start off in the direction of all the commotion. It’s taking them a little way’s off their intended path, backtracking towards the center of the hold, but it hardly matters when one of them might be in trouble.

The sounds get louder as they approach; Bumpy roaring, metal screeching, and even people shouting in alarm, but still no Ben. As soon as they’re close, Brooklynn signals for them to sneak up, creeping alongside a large shipping container to peek around the corner.

It’s definitely Bumpy. To this day, Yaz has never seen another Ankylosaurus with her unique coloring, and the asymmetric head bumps are indisputable. She’s swinging her clubbed tail at the mercenaries trying to surround her, forcing them to dive out of the way. Several of the nearby vehicles have giant dents in them. All in all, it’s a brilliant distraction that seems to have gone exactly to Darius’s plan.

Except Ben’s not here.

Bumpy’s back is conspicuously empty, and there’s no sign of him in the immediate area. It wouldn’t be like him at all to hide while Bumpy takes the heat- unless he was planning an ambush. But as they watch from the shadows, it’s obvious that Bumpy is fighting on her own. She looks highly distressed and not entirely focused on the mercenaries, almost treating them like an afterthought as she charges around the hold and roars.

Kenji’s jaw is tight as he desperately scans the area. “Where is he?” he mutters.

Bumpy charges at the mercenaries, and they make the collective decision to retreat- with a lot of panicked shouting. Coming to a stop, Bumpy gives a derisive bellow and beats her tail against the ground, the vibration shuddering through Yaz’s feet.

“Bumpy!” Brooklynn calls softly, taking a cautious step out from behind the container. “It’s okay, girl, it’s us!”

At the sound of her voice, Bumpy whirls around with a startled rumble. Upon recognizing them, she hurries over- only to stop short once she realizes Ben isn’t with them. Bumpy sniffs the air and lets out a dismayed chuff, shaking her head like there are flies buzzing in her face.

“It’s okay,” Brooklynn says again, reaching a hand out to the Ankylosaurus. “I know, Ben’s not with us. We can-”

Bumpy cuts her off with another apprehensive roar, turning away from them.

Instantly, Yaz tackles Brooklynn to the ground. The Ankylosaurus’s heavy tail swings around over their heads with enough force to cave in their skulls.

Without so much as a second glance, Bumpy lopes off in the direction the mercenaries had gone, disappearing into the maze of trailers. After a couple seconds, the cacophony of noise starts anew; clearly, Bumpy is on a mission. It’s almost enough to make Yaz feel bad for the mercenaries.

Almost.

Exhaling slowly, Yaz picks herself up, one hand braced against the shipping container for support. “Not quite the warm welcome I was expecting.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Brooklynn says shakily, rising to her feet. “Whatever happened to Ben, it’s got her pretty upset.”

“Hey guys!” Kenji calls suddenly; while they were dealing with Bumpy, he’s crept around the other side of the shipping container. “Come look at this!”

Yaz exchanges a surprised look with Brooklynn, and they quickly run to meet him. Kenji’s got his back to them, crouched beside a transport vehicle whose metal doors are flung wide open; smashed and barely hanging on to their hinges.

“This must be where they were holding her,” Brooklynn realizes, circling around to stop beside Kenji. “What’re you- oh.”

Kenji straightens up, turning around with something familiar in his hands: Ben’s spear, broken in two. It was snapped a few inches from the spearhead- though whether it was intentional or not, Yaz can’t say.

“He was here,” Kenji says urgently.

Yaz knits her brows together, studying the spearhead. “Look, this blood is fresh,” she points out, her heart jolting. “There must’ve been a fight.”

“I don’t think anyone was seriously hurt,” Brooklynn chimes in, her sharp gaze sweeping over the floor. “There’s not enough blood for that. But if this was left behind, then-”

“Ben’s been captured,” Kenji finishes, his voice wooden.

Yaz’s stomach sinks. As much as she doesn’t want it to be true, it’s the only explanation that makes sense. Nothing else would’ve taken Ben away from Bumpy.

Brooklynn kneels next to the front cab of the vehicle, poking her head inside. “These wires were cut,” she calls over her shoulder. “That must’ve unlocked the doors. But he wasn’t around long enough to actually open them, so Bumpy had to break herself out. It had to have happened pretty recently.”

“Where do you think they took him?” Kenji asks anxiously.

Brooklynn straightens up, dusting off her knees. “My guess would be to the man in charge.”

“Wheatley?” Yaz surmises. “So you think he’s at the bridge?”

“It’s as good a guess as any,” Brooklynn says, folding her arms. “Besides, we won’t be able to search the whole ship. And if I know Ben, he’ll escape before we even have a chance to track him down. We should go to the bridge and meet up with the MVC, see what they know. If Ben’s not there, we’ll figure out what to do.”

“Okay, you’re right,” Kenji relents, though he still looks unhappy. He sets the shaft of the spear down, pocketing the spearhead. “We should get moving, then.”

They set off yet again, the sounds of Bumpy’s rampage fading behind them. Now that Ben is a concern, their speed has picked up even despite how exhausted they all are. It’s been a long day, to say the least. Yaz just keeps reminding herself that it’s almost over, like a silent mantra chanting through her head.

Soon enough, they’re sprinting up the steep metal ramp out onto the deck. It’s actually darker out here than it was in the hold. At some point, the sun had finally sunk below the horizon, leaving the deck shrouded in shadow. The only light comes from the nearly full moon hanging low in the sky- the crew must’ve turned the external lights off to decrease the chance of being spotted.

Most of the deck is occupied by rows of even more shipping containers, moonlight glinting off their metal walls, and a low fog drifts through the air. Overall, it’s got an eerie sort of feel to it. Yaz vividly remembers being chased by two Ouranosauruses in a similar setting, and suppresses a shiver.

“This way,” Brooklynn whispers, shaking Yaz from her thoughts. “It looks like there’s a door leading inside the upper levels.”

Sticking close together, they move quickly and quietly across the deck. With so many crew members inside the ship, trying to fix the engines or round up Bumpy, it’s virtually a ghost town out here. Yaz’s breathing is almost deafening in the oppressive silence, nothing but groaning metal and crashing waves to fill the air.

But Brooklynn still seems to be keeping an ear out, as always, because she suddenly holds a hand up to stop them.

Kenji puts a hand on his machete, tilting his head in a silent question. Brooklynn shakes her head uncertainly, signing ‘wait.’ Yaz strains to hear whatever Brooklynn caught wind of- and can now make out the sound of rapid footsteps that are steadily growing louder.

Different scenarios flash through her mind. They sound too fast and light to be any of the larger dinosaurs- and of course, the only dinosaur that should be free right now is Bumpy. Most likely, it’s a mercenary. But something about them doesn’t sound human; they don’t echo the way shoes on a hard surface should-

Abruptly, the footsteps stop.

Yaz shifts closer to Brooklynn and Kenji. Their backs are pressed together, hands creeping towards their weapons, gazes darting around anxiously. It’s just as silent as it was before they heard the footsteps, but something feels off. Yaz’s skin is crawling, almost like a sixth sense she’s developed since living on the island. Like she can feel when she’s being watched… or perhaps more accurately, when she’s being hunted-

A shriek pierces the air as a figure leaps out of the shadows, landing in front of Yaz with a heavy thump.

Blue.

Scarce moonlight ripples across the raptor, leaving most of her form shrouded in darkness. But as she curls back her lips to hiss at them, her teeth catch the light, illuminating the fresh blood that stains them. Her blazing amber eyes almost appear to be glowing, those slit-like pupils staring Yaz down through her very soul.

And Yaz freezes.

All of a sudden, it’s like every muscle in her body has turned to stone. Brooklynn and Kenji have spun around to face Blue, but Yaz is rooted to the spot. Her hand hovers by her knife. Her breathing turns shallow. Her heart starts to race. A distant, detached part of her mind abruptly grasps the gravity of the situation, dread settling cold and heavy in her stomach.

There’s a dinosaur in front of her, and Yaz can’t move.

Blue’s talons click against the deck, a warning growl starting in her throat as she takes a step forward. Her head jerks around erratically, tail lashing behind her as her claws flex aimlessly. Altogether, she seems highly agitated, sides heaving as she pants and sniffs the air.

“We’re alright,” Brooklynn says, her voice low. “Just back up slowly.”

Together, Brooklynn and Kenji take a slow, careful step back, disappearing from Yaz’s peripheral vision.

Yaz’s body refuses to comply. She can’t tear her gaze away from Blue, even as her eyes start to water and she absently realizes that such a staredown could be taken as a challenge. For the first time in her life, it’s as if she’s completely unable to control herself, and the horror of it is almost enough to match the horror of the nightmare creature staring back at her.

“Yaz,” Kenji whispers urgently, somewhere behind her. “You okay?”

Yaz can’t even respond, her attempt getting caught in her throat. Her fingers twitch helplessly mere inches from her knife’s handle as Blue’s legs coil beneath her, snarling a warning.

‘She’s going to attack me,’ Yaz thinks distantly, her mind screaming for her to move, move, move-

Kenji steps in front of her.

“Hey Blue,” he says softly, holding his hands up in a placating gesture. “It’s okay.”

Blue rumbles an uncertain growl, shifting her weight from foot to foot. Brooklynn takes a careful step next to Yaz, tugging on her arm even as she leans in to whisper in Kenji’s ear.

“What are you doing?” she asks, her voice tight with restrained panic.

“It’s okay,” Kenji says quietly, keeping his focus on Blue. “I’ve seen Darius do this before.” He stretches his right hand out towards Blue. “It’s alright, Blue, we’re not gonna hurt you. We’re cool, remember? We-”

Blue snaps at his fingers.

Kenji jerks his hand back with a yelp. Stepping back, he quickly curls it to his chest, but not before Yaz sees a flash of red.

Brooklynn glances at him out of the corner of her eye. “She get you?” she murmurs.

“Nipped me, yeah,” Kenji says faintly, a crooked grin pulling at his lips even as he keeps his eyes on Blue. “Guess I’m no dino whisperer.”

Blue’s teeth gnash together, her claws clenching and unclenching rapidly. Her talons scrape the ground like a racehorse at the starting gate. She shakes her head wildly, a tremor running through her body as her nostrils flare and her pupils start to dilate.

“We have to go,” Brooklynn breathes, her grip tightening around Yaz’s arm. “She can’t be reasoned with right now, she’s too keyed up.”

Leaving sounds great to Yaz. Unfortunately, her body doesn’t seem to be on board. Oh well. She had a good run. At least Brooklynn and Kenji will have time to escape while Blue is busy turning Yaz into deli meat-

“Hey, who’s there?”

The shout comes from behind them; a man’s demanding voice. He must have a flashlight because light suddenly floods in their direction, fully illuminating Blue in all her terrible glory.

Blue screeches, jaws spread wide and lips peeled back to show all her teeth. In unspoken agreement, Kenji dives out of the way and Brooklynn tackles Yaz to the ground as the raptor goes sailing over their heads. She lands on the other side and keeps going, the man screaming in terror as he sees her for the first time. The light goes out, and then the real screaming starts.

Just like that, the spell is broken.

Yaz scrambles to her feet, gasping for breath like she’s just surfaced from a deep dive. Brooklynn’s hand is still gripping her arm and Kenji’s right behind them as they start to run, the man’s screams and Blue’s roars fading behind them.

(Later, when they’re safe, Yaz will feel guilty. She’ll be horrified and ashamed at how she froze up, how her sudden inability to act almost cost Brooklynn and Kenji their lives. Because she’s not supposed to get scared like that. She’s faced down predators five times Blue’s size before, and has never experienced anything like that, not once in three years of living on a dinosaur-infested island. This was new, and she’ll be terrified of what it means for her.)

But for right now, there isn’t a single thought in Yaz’s mind except for running.

So Yaz runs.

~*~

The vent grate clatters to the floor with a jarring smack, and Darius lands on top of it.

Wheatley has barely turned towards the sudden noise when Darius tackles him. He has the element of surprise on his side; the impact knocks the gun out of Wheatley’s hand. But it’s not enough to actually throw him to the ground. With a surprised shout, Wheatley staggers back a few steps, struggling to dislodge Darius with only one working hand.

“So kind of you to join us,” Wheatley sneers.

Darius doesn’t reply, his eyes fierce as he grapples with Wheatley.

Darius won’t be able to hold him long, Ben realizes. Wheatley is much bigger and stronger than him, and Darius has always been less inclined to combat than the rest of the herd. But he’s given Ben a chance.

That’s all he needs.

Ben rocks forward onto his toes, enough that all four legs of the chair come off the ground behind him and the weight almost tips him forward- before he pushes off his feet and throws himself backwards.

Impact shudders through his body. The chair’s legs hit the ground with a loud snap, splintering into pieces beneath him as the seat comes apart from the back. Ben uses the momentum to roll backward, landing in a crouch as the ropes fall loose around him.

He comes up just in time to see Wheatley throw Darius against the wall. He lands with a heavy thud, gasping as the air is knocked out of him.

Legs coiling beneath him, Ben dives for the fallen gun- but Wheatley’s already there. He intercepts Ben using his body as a shield, his hand darting forward to snatch Ben by the throat.

Grabbing Wheatley’s arm to use as leverage, Ben drives his knee into Wheatley’s gut. The hold around his throat loosens, and Ben presses his advantage.

Jab, jab, swipe. He goes on the attack, aiming his hits towards Wheatley’s face. The time for restraint is over; there’s only the feeling of flesh and bone beneath his fists as adrenaline courses through his veins.

The first couple punches hit their mark before Wheatley brings his arms up to block. Ben shifts focus; he latches onto Wheatley’s injured hand, digging his fingers into the fresh bite wound.

“Motherfucker!” Wheatley screams, swinging his arm to try and throw Ben off.

At the same moment, Darius leaps onto Wheatley’s back, wrapping his arms around the man’s neck. Wheatley stumbles around wildly, trying to shake them, his eyes wide as he chokes-

Then he slams his back against a wall, and Darius with him. Ben hears the crack of Darius’s head against metal before he slumps to the floor.

Alarm shoots through Ben. But he can’t even cry out to Darius because Wheatley lands a sound kick in his stomach, knocking him back a few steps. By the time Ben has recovered himself, Wheatley’s turned to snatch his gun off the floor.

Every other thought vanishes from Ben’s mind.

Ben rushes him on instinct, lunging forward to grab him by the wrists. He steps into Wheately’s space, close enough that the gun is held beside his head instead of in front of it, making it impossible for Wheatley to aim at him. He tries to headbutt Wheatley to unbalance him, but Wheatley jerks his head back, out of reach- so Ben’s forehead smashes his nose instead.

There’s a satisfying crunch. Blood starts to stream down Wheatley’s face. His eyes flash with rage as he struggles against Ben’s grip.

Ben’s arms tremble with the effort of holding Wheatley back, but he doesn’t buckle. Wheatley tries to kick him, but Ben brings his own knee up to block, baring his teeth in defiance. They’re caught in a stalemate, neither willing to yield so much as an inch- but the difference is that Ben has backup.

Behind Wheatley, Darius is rolling onto his hands and knees. He’s a little disoriented, one hand clutching his head, but it won’t be long before he’s back in the fight.

Wheatley seems to realize this. “I’ve had about enough of you!” he snaps.

He pulls the trigger.

The gun discharges right next to Ben’s ear, and his world erupts into pain.

It’s less of a sound and more of a feeling, the gunshot tearing through his skull. A sudden and intense pressure seizes him, so strongly that every other sensation vanishes. He can’t tell if he’s screaming. He can’t tell if his eyes are closed or if he’s actually been blinded by the pain the way his panicked brain seems to think. He can’t move, he can’t think, he can’t breathe, oh god oh god-

Then it passes. Ben slowly comes back into awareness; he’s on the floor, his cheek pressed against cool tile, though he can’t remember how he got there. Something warm is trickling out of his ear. And then it dawns on him that everything is silent- save for the high-pitched ringing in his skull.

Ben lifts his head. It takes great effort, and feels as if everything’s moving in slow motion.

In front of him, Darius is fighting Wheatley. He’s drawn his knife now, the weapon clutched in a shaky hand as he stabs and slashes at Wheatley with fervent desperation. His mouth is open in a scream that Ben cannot hear. Not above the ringing. It’s a surreal sight, like watching a silent movie as an alarm blares in the background.

Wheatley is bleeding in more than a couple places now from shallow gashes, but it doesn’t slow him down. He grabs Darius by the front of his shirt, lifts him off the ground, and throws him against the wall. Ben can’t hear the thud, but he feels the vibration hum through his skin. The knife slips out of Darius’s grasp, skittering across the floor.

Ben struggles to push himself upright. His vision is spinning and his head feels like it’s going to fall off his shoulders, nausea churning in his stomach. As Wheately advances on Darius, Ben looks around desperately for something, anything he can use- then his gaze falls on the heap of the broken metal folding chair.

Looming over Darius, Wheatley raises his gun.

Ben’s fingers curl around a snapped chair leg; a thin, hollow shaft with one sharp end.

(When Ben decided to make his first spear, all that time ago, it was solely based on convenience. With his limited knowledge and resources, he had no way of making any other kind of weapon. But he soon found he liked the reach a spear gave him, allowing him to fend off dinosaurs without getting too close. And even better, he could throw his spear as a last resort, knowing he’d have the means to replace it later. So, even when the herd found some spare weapons at Mitch and Tiff’s campsite, he’d decided to stick with spears.

Since then, he’s had a lot of practice. He practiced in the river for hours on end until he could hit the tiny fish with pinpoint accuracy. He practiced striking the trees surrounding their home until he was strong enough to tear through the thick bark even from a great distance. It was difficult work, but his survival depended on it. And more than that, his herd’s survival depended on it. So, he worked to develop strength and accuracy and calluses alike, knowing that someday, someone’s life might depend on his ability with a spear.

Someday, Ben will realize that his time on Nublar has uniquely prepared him for this moment, and that there are very few other people on this planet that could make the throw he’s about to make. But that day is not today.)

All this to say that when Ben throws the shaft of metal at Wheatley’s back, it’s his accuracy that allows it to hit its target dead-on, and it’s his strength that allows it to rip through the layered skin, flesh, and bone to emerge from Wheatley’s ribcage.

Ben doesn’t hear it. From his angle, he just sees the chair leg embed itself in Wheatley’s back, half of its length vanishing as it punctures through to the other side. He sees the blood that splatters onto Darius’s shocked face. He sees the gun fall from Wheatley’s hand and land soundlessly on the floor- the vibration an afterthought- before the body topples along with it.

With one hand braced against the wall, Ben slowly rises to his feet and watches.

Wheatley is writhing on the floor- not dead, but dying. Blood seeps from the wound and bubbles out of his mouth, smearing against the white tile beneath him. His hands twitch at the metal protruding from his chest, legs jerking involuntarily as he chokes on his own blood, eyes wide and bulging and unfocused.

An oddly detached part of Ben is abruptly reminded of Toro, the only other kill he’s ever made besides fish.

After he and Bumpy pushed Toro off the cliff, he hadn’t known if that’d be enough to do the Carnotaurus in. It wasn’t a very high fall, not much more than a single story, but Toro had landed hard on his spine and laid there, writhing in the dirt, screaming a dinosaur’s scream that still haunts Ben in the quiet hours of night.

And Ben had just watched, his harsh breath ringing in his ears as Bumpy shifted uneasily at his side. He’d watched even as his skin crawled and his stomach churned because he had to make sure Toro wasn’t going to get up, because assuming a premature victory could very well end in his death. He’d watched until the dinosaur’s thrashing resulted in a sudden snap, and his cries got strangled in his throat, and his movements weakened into sharp twitches that seemed more involuntary than anything. He’d watched long after Toro had gone completely still and silent because even though he knew what it meant he couldn’t bring himself to move, not until Bumpy finally nudged him in the ribs with enough force to bruise.

(He leaves that part out, whenever he tells the story of Toro’s defeat.)

Ben watches Wheatley die, and can’t bring himself to feel anything. He hadn’t wanted to kill anyone- none of them did. But he made a promise to himself what seems like a lifetime ago, as he’d watched his herd fall apart while their boat went up in flames. He’d promised himself that if they ever got another chance to go home, he’d do whatever it takes to make it happen.

Whatever it takes.

Sudden movement snaps Ben out of his trance, right before Darius wraps him in a hug. He pulls away just as quickly, his eyes brimming with tears as he looks Ben over. His hands are shaking too badly to sign so his mouth is moving, head tilted in an obvious question.

“I can’t hear you,” Ben says.

It’s a strange sensation, to feel his own voice rumble through his chest and have it not reach his ears.

Shock flashes briefly across Darius’s face before sorrow crashes down in his eyes. He squeezes Ben’s shoulders, one hand coming up to form a trembling ‘sorry.’

Ben’s heart tightens. He wipes some blood off Darius’s cheek and gives him an easy smile. “Had to happen at some point, right?”

He’s certain he must be talking too loudly, from the way Darius jolts. Then it’s his turn to sign ‘sorry,’ which makes Darius crack a halfhearted smile. He sobers quickly though, glancing over his shoulder at Wheatley’s motionless corpse before turning back to Ben.

‘Okay?’ he asks, brows knit in concern.

Ben nods. Aside from the ringing in his head and a few bruises, he’s made it through the fight without injury. Of course, maybe he’ll feel differently once his numb shock wears off.

Darius takes a steadying breath. ‘Go, fast.’

He’s right. Wheatley may be permanently out of the picture now, but there’s no telling if anyone else is on the way. The shot Wheatley fired off might’ve drawn attention. And even though many of the crew members are dealing with Bumpy and the sabotaged engines, it’s not like all of them are busy. They should get to the bridge while they still can.

‘Follow,’ Ben agrees.

Darius reclaims his fallen knife, slipping it back onto his belt, before pressing Wheatley’s gun into Ben’s hand. ‘Take,’ he tells him.

Ben takes the gun. Hopefully, he won’t need to use it, but at least they can make sure it’s not laying around here for someone else to find.

Darius swings open the door, and together they dart out into the hallway.

~*~

Brooklynn raps her fist against the door to the bridge.

“Guys!” she calls breathlessly. “It’s us, open up!”

After their encounter with Blue, they’d wasted no time finding their way to the bridge. Yaz and Kenji are slumped against the wall, catching their breath. They seem to be on their last legs- quite literally, in Yaz’s case. Her ankle isn’t bearing weight anymore. And Kenji has his injured hand curled tightly against his shirt, blood seeping into the white fabric.

They’re in rough shape, and Brooklynn wants nothing more than for them to finally rest, barricaded safely inside the bridge and awaiting rescue. Assuming the MVC were actually able to call someone for help using the radio-

There’s a loud clunk of a lock sliding into place, and the door swings open.

“You made it!” Sammy gasps, ushering them inside. She quickly locks the door behind them before whirling around to wrap all three of them in a bear hug. “Gosh, I’m so happy to see y’all!”

“You too,” Brooklynn laughs, despite most of the air being squeezed out of her lungs.

Sammy releases them, taking a step back to look them over. Her gaze falls on Yaz’s ankle almost instantly. “You okay, sweet pea?” she asks, her brows creasing with worry as she offers a hand to Yaz.

“I’m fine,” Yaz says shortly. Then she winces, dipping her head apologetically. “Sorry, I’m okay,” she amends, her voice softer. She lets Sammy guide her to sit, stretching her leg out in front of her, and adds, “Just tired.”

Brooklynn catches Kenji’s gaze out of the corner of her eye, seeing her own concern reflected there. They haven’t forgotten the way Yaz shut down with Blue, but now isn’t the time to bring it up.

Especially because Brooklynn’s just noticed that, besides the man tied up in the corner who she assumes is the captain, there isn’t anyone else in the room.

“Where’s Darius?” she asks.

Sammy winces. “He went to rescue Ben.”

“You saw Ben?” Kenji asks hopefully.

Sammy shakes her head. “Didn’t see him, just heard. They took him somewhere for Wheatley to question him. Darius has only been gone a few minutes.” Then she gives Kenji a double-take, her eyes widening. “Woah, you alright, Kenj?”

Kenji glances down in surprise, as if he’d forgotten about his bleeding hand. “Oh, yeah,” he says ruefully. “We ran into Blue on our way up.”

Sammy’s eyes go even wider. “Blue’s free? Oh, that ain’t good.” She pulls off the gray jacket she’s wearing- which Brooklynn distantly recalls as having previously been in Darius’s possession- and hands it to Kenji. “I’m glad y’all are okay, she’s a real pill without Darius or Ben.”

Kenji takes the jacket and wraps it around his hand. “Don’t I know it,” he chuckles.

Brooklynn turns towards the control panel. “Okay, so the engine is off,” she affirms. “Were you able to reach anyone on the radio?”

“Oh yeah!” Sammy walks up beside her. “Mexico Search and Rescue! Guess we’re in their waters right now. I gave them our position and a short version of the story, and help is on the way. They’re even gettin’ the UN involved!”

The relief those words bring is almost a physical thing. “Thank god,” Brooklynn breathes. “Okay, we need to-”

Someone pounds on the door.

“Hey!” It’s an unfamiliar man’s voice, gruff and angry. “Open this door right now!”

Brooklynn glances over to see a couple mercenaries through the window, looking furious as they shout and bang on the door. Figures that someone would catch up to them eventually, though she would’ve preferred if it was after Darius and Ben got back.

“They can’t get in, right?” Sammy asks nervously.

“Shouldn’t be able to, no,” Brooklynn says, frowning. “But I don’t want them lurking around with Darius and Ben still out there. We need to get rid of them.”

“How?” Kenji pipes up. “Do you mean like… get rid of them?”

Brooklynn shakes her head. “No, I’ve got something else in mind.”

Gaze sweeping over the control panel, Brooklynn spots what looks like a cabinet set into the counter. She pulls it open to reveal a few folders of messy papers inside. Most of the writing is foreign, but as she rifles through the pages, she’s able to recognize what she’s looking for quite easily.

Blueprints, and the ship manifest.

She scans them quickly, an idea already taking shape in her mind. Every lifeboat is clearly marked on the ship’s blueprints and- after doing a rough count of the number of people on the manifest- her suspicion is confirmed.

There are international regulations that stipulate a certain number of required lifeboats based on a ship’s size and number of expected crew. But an illegal operation wouldn’t be held accountable for following them. They’d hire as many people as they needed to get the job done, whether or not there were enough lifeboats for them all. And if ditching a few lifeboats created more room onboard for valuable cargo, well, it’s a no brainer.

Brooklynn clears her throat and holds down the intercom button.

“Attention everyone, this is your new captain speaking,” she says. “The bridge is now under our control, and the authorities are on their way. It’d be in your best interest to surrender now.”

She pours as much conviction into her voice as possible. Right now, they’re on the brink of victory; they just need Darius and Ben to make it back safely, and hold out until help arrives. And they’ll have a better chance of that if Brooklynn can get as many mercenaries as possible to give up and abandon ship. Their very lives might depend on it.

So she puts her shoulders back and speaks with all the confidence of someone who has survived far worse than this, who has stared death in the face and screamed defiance at it, who has been forged and tested by nature itself to handle anything the world can throw at her.

If they can hear all that in her voice, they’ll take her at her word.

“In addition,” she continues, “there are at least two pissed off dinosaurs roaming the ship. A ship that, by the way, doesn’t have enough lifeboats for all of you. Maybe a third, at best. So if you don’t want to end up in federal prison or eaten by a furious velociraptor, you should get to a lifeboat while you still can.”

She casts a sidelong look over at the door. The mercenaries have stopped trying to get in, though she can still see them out there, hovering uncertainly.

“It’s either that, or you’re swimming,” she says pointedly. “Your choice.”

The mercenaries turn tail and run.

Brooklynn exhales slowly, running her hands over her hair. That should get at least some of the mercenaries out of the way. And even if they manage to escape in the lifeboats, it’s not like they’ll be able to outrun the government’s fleet of rescue boats for very long. Their fate was sealed the moment Sammy gave the ship’s coordinates.

“Woo hoo!” Sammy cheers, shaking Brooklynn by the shoulder. “Way to go, Brooklynn!”

“Good thinking,” Yaz praises from her spot on the floor. “What do we do now?”

Brooklynn allows herself a faint smile. “Now, we just need to find Darius and Ben,” she says.

Turning back to the control panel, she focuses on the several screens embedded along its length. A couple of them are on, displaying the ship’s sonar and other diagnostics, but some of them are off. She starts flipping switches and pressing buttons to turn them on, hoping to find a security monitor. Surely a ship this large has a surveillance system in place.

Her efforts are quickly rewarded when one screen turns on to display what looks like a live security feed of a hallway. The video quality is grainy and there’s no audio, but it’s better than nothing. She starts flipping through the channels, switching through the various cameras positioned all over the ship.

“Oh, neat,” Sammy breathes, peeking over her shoulder. “This is like somethin’ outta Esther Stone.”

“Woah, this ship has cameras?” Kenji asks. He’s taken up pacing across the room, cradling his hand to his chest. “I didn’t even notice.”

“To be fair,” Brooklynn says, eyes locked on the screen as different feeds blur past, “we had other things to worry about.”

“Look!” Sammy gasps, pointing at the screen.

The monitor has landed on the view of a tiny room that’s mostly empty- save for a solitary figure. It’s a man laying in a pool of blood, with what looks like some kind of pipe impaled through his chest. From this angle, Brooklynn can’t make out his face, but she’s pretty sure she recognizes him, anyways.

Sammy inhales sharply. “Is that-”

“Wheatley,” Brooklynn confirms.

Maybe the sight would’ve had a greater effect on her three years ago. But she’s witnessed death first hand before and is almost numb to it now. It’s just part of the harsh reality they’re living. The only thing different about this one is that a dinosaur didn’t cause it; it must’ve been Ben or Darius. But she can’t fault either of them because she knows they would’ve only killed if their lives depended on it.

And she can’t say that she’s sorry to see Wheatley go.

“You found him?” Kenji hurries over. “Is he with- oh, shit.” He stops as soon as he sees the screen, eyes widening.

“What is it?” Yaz calls from behind them.

“Wheatley’s dead,” Brooklynn informs her briskly. “Stabbed through the heart. Must’ve been Darius or Ben, but there’s no sign of them.” She starts changing channels again. “Let me see if I can track them down.”

“Damn,” Yaz mumbles. “Bet it was Ben.”

“Probably,” Kenji says plainly.

“Wouldn’t be surprised,” Sammy agrees.

Brooklynn says nothing as she continues searching through the security feeds. Part of her is aware that killing a human isn’t something to take lightly- both in terms of emotional impact and legal consequences. Even though it was in self-defense, there will likely be some sort of proceeding to deal with once they make it back to society.

But that’s a worry for another time.

“Wait!” Sammy says suddenly. “Was that them?”

“Hang on,” Brooklynn murmurs, skipping back a couple channels. She’s just able to catch a glimpse of movement, disappearing from the camera’s field of view. Squinting, she tries to follow it through the previous channels, though it’s difficult when she can’t specifically select which one she wants to view-

There’s a knock at the door.

Brooklynn clutches her heart; her nerves can’t take much more of this. “That better not be another mercenary,” she grits out as Sammy runs over to check.

“It’s them!” Sammy gasps, hurriedly opening the door.

Brooklynn whirls around as Darius and Ben rush inside, holding a hand up for the others to stay back. Considering what the two of them might’ve just gone through, it’s probably not a good idea to rush them. Hell, it’s dangerous to rush Ben on a good day.

Sammy closes the door behind them as they double over to catch their breath, and Brooklynn quickly looks them over.

The first thing she notices is that Darius is covered in bloodstains. But once she pushes through the initial jolt of alarm, she realizes most of it looks like it was splattered onto him, rather than originating from any kind of wound. Overall, he appears unharmed.

Ben’s in a little rougher shape. He’s got a fresh bruise darkening above his eye and his knuckles are split and bloody. Oddly enough, there’s a dried trail of blood down the left side of his face that almost looks like it came out of his ear- though Brooklynn can’t see any obvious injury. He also seems to have acquired a gun; the weapon is currently tucked into his waistband, and she has a good idea where it might’ve come from.

“Are you guys alright?” Brooklynn asks, taking a tentative step forward.

Darius straightens up and manages a small smile, though it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. ‘Safe,’ he signs, still catching his breath. He glances over at Ben, who’s met his gaze expectantly, and nods.

“Hey guys,” Ben says, speaking louder than what’s normal even for him as he turns to face them. “I can’t hear anything.”

Brooklynn’s heart drops into her stomach.

“Wheatley fired a gun right next to my ear,” Ben continues bluntly, “and now there’s this ringing in my head and I can’t hear, no idea if it’s permanent or not.” He shrugs. “Then he tried to shoot Darius so I had to kill him.”

Then he averts his gaze, as if not wanting to see their reactions. Darius puts a gentle hand on his shoulder, giving the rest of them a sad, knowing look.

“Oh god,” Sammy murmurs, her hands covering her mouth.

“Shit,” Yaz swears, her eyes alight with fury. “Wheatley’s lucky he’s already dead, I could kill him right now.”

“You and me both,” Kenji growls.

All Brooklynn can feel is sorrow. She knows that hearing loss associated with a burst eardrum usually isn’t permanent. But since Ben’s hearing was already starting to fade due to other factors, it’s likely that the gunshot did additional, and irreparable, damage.

The timing is the worst part. They were so close to being in the clear. Ben could’ve made it home with only partial hearing loss, and without any more dinosaurs around to roar their deafening roars, it wouldn’t have accelerated for many, many years. But now, he’s facing total deafness at seventeen years old.

Sorrow doesn’t even begin to cover it.

Carefully, Brooklynn takes a step forward and squeezes Ben’s arm to get his attention. When he looks up to meet her eyes, she’s startled to find that there’s a little bit of fear in his expression. But it’s not because she took him by surprise. It’s like he’s afraid of what they’ll think of him, either because of his injury or because he had to kill someone.

As if any one of them would just sit by and let Darius get shot.

Brooklynn gives him a soft smile. ‘Safe,’ she signs. ‘Okay.’

They’re safe, and that’s all that matters.

Ben manages a small smile in return. “Whatever it takes, right?” he says wryly.

Kenji gently slips past Sammy and Brooklynn to embrace Ben, pressing their foreheads together with his good hand while his injured hand remains tucked against his chest. Brooklynn recognizes the familiar gesture as one of Ben’s many nonverbal ways to express affection. Not that either of them are shy about that kind of thing; Ben just usually saves his kisses for when they’re safely back home.

“I love you,” Kenji says as he pulls away, enunciating his words very clearly so Ben can easily read his lips.

Ben gives him a fond look. “Love you too,” he says. “If that’s what you said.”

Meanwhile, Darius has just noticed the blood-stained jacket wrapped around Kenji’s hand. His eyebrows shoot up in alarm as he looks over at Brooklynn, tilting his head questioningly and pointing at his own hand for reference.

Brooklynn winces. “We ran into Blue-”

“Are you okay?” Ben asks suddenly, unaware he’s interrupting as he looks up at Kenji. He’s noticed the injury, too.

‘Okay,’ Kenji quickly assures him.

“Blue?” Darius repeats, sounding concerned.

“Yeah,” Brooklynn says, folding her arms. “No idea how she got free. Right now, she’s out there with Bumpy giving the mercenaries hell.”

Darius frowns, rubbing his chin. “N- n- not good.”

“Uh, hey Kenj?” Sammy chimes in hesitantly. “That’s actually bleedin’ an awful lot. How bad did she get ya?”

The apprehension in Sammy’s tone immediately puts Brooklynn on alert. She takes another look at Kenji’s hand- and her stomach drops as she realizes he’s almost bled through the jacket entirely. That’s… a lot of blood for just being nipped.

Kenji pauses. “I’m not sure,” he admits, the slightest hitch in his voice.

There’s an abrupt shift in the room, a shared realization that Kenji might be more injured than he was letting on. Or, even more than he was aware of.

Brooklynn creases her brows together. “Can you check?”

“Nah, it’s fine,” Kenji brushes her off, though he can’t quite mask the sudden fear in his voice. “It can wait-”

“Kenji,” Brooklynn says gently, despite her growing dread. “Can I take a look?”

Kenji swallows. For a moment, she thinks he’s going to refuse. But then he nods, albeit reluctantly, and slowly holds his hand out to her.

Brooklynn gives him a grateful look and starts unwrapping it, carefully peeling back the bloodsoaked fabric and mentally preparing herself for what she might see. When the last of it falls away, her breath catches in her throat; she didn’t prepare herself for this.

The last digit on three of Kenji’s right fingers- pointer, middle, and ring- has been bitten clean off.

It’s almost an abnormally clean severance, which is a testament to how sharp Blue’s teeth really are. Due to the curvature of her jaws, the middle finger has a bit more length taken off it than the other two- it’s gone past the first joint and right through the bone. The stumps of all three fingers are still bleeding, dripping steadily down his hand in ripples.

For a moment, all Brooklynn can do is stare as her brain struggles to grasp the reality of what she’s seeing. The captain- who she’d almost completely forgotten about- groans in horror from his corner. Next to her, Ben hisses through his teeth.

“Fuck,” he says, his loud voice jarring in the stunned silence.

“Oh,” Kenji says numbly. “So that’s what I was feeling. Okay, cool.” He gives a short, jerky nod, and Brooklynn can tell from the look in his eyes that he’s rapidly dissociating from the situation. “Cool, cool, cool.”

“Sit down,” Brooklynn orders, grabbing his arm and pressing the fabric back over his fingers. A tidal wave of emotions is coursing through her, but she can’t stop to focus on any of them.

“I’m fine,” Kenji tries to insist. But Ben moves to his other side and helps Brooklynn guide him to sit against the wall.

“Was it Blue?” Ben asks, making Brooklynn feel a pang of guilt for how out of the loop he is. At Kenji’s nod, he scowls. “How the hell did she get loose?” It’s clearly a rhetorical question, though, as he starts digging around in his waist bag for supplies.

“Heavens to Betsy, Kenj!” Sammy says in a way that almost sounds like swearing as she rakes her hands through her hair. “Why didn’t ya say somethin’?”

Kenji makes a noncommittal noise. “I didn’t think she bit them off!” he protests, though his voice wobbles.

Yaz is staring at Kenji’s hand with wide, guilty eyes. “Blue did that?” she breathes, and it’s obvious where her mind is at; this wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t frozen up.

Panic flashes across Kenji’s face. “Yaz, it’s alright, it wasn’t-”

“It’s okay,” Brooklynn cuts in, her voice gentle but firm as she keeps Kenji’s hand elevated. “You’re gonna be fine.” She looks over at Yaz, her expression softening. “He’ll be fine, I promise.”

Brooklynn’s pretty sure he will be, at least. While an injury like this is definitely serious, it shouldn’t be life-threatening. It’d take a long time for him to bleed out from his fingers and he’s already been applying pressure to stop the bleeding. The greater threat in this case is infection, but they’re about to be rescued. He’ll be able to receive medical care soon, so any infection he develops will be dealt with properly.

They just need to make sure stays here resting, so he doesn’t get himself hurt by passing out from blood loss or shock. With their luck, it’d happen when he was right next to the edge of the boat, and he’d go splashing into the ocean. Or maybe he’d collapse right in front of Blue, like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

“Hold still,” Ben murmurs. He’s fished a few scraps of fabric and vines out of his pouch, and is starting to tie them around the ends of Kenji’s fingers.

“Not too tight,” Brooklynn tells him lightly.

And then she remembers that he can’t hear her. So instead she hooks a finger through the vines, indicating that they should only be tight enough to hold the fabric to his skin. Ben blinks his acknowledgement, and Brooklynn holds Kenji’s hand steady for him while he works.

Behind them, Darius is pacing. “Wh- when are th- th- the uh, the authori- ri- rities getting h- here?” he asks anxiously.

Sammy glances over at the ship’s clock. “Should be another ten minutes or so,” she says.

Darius makes an unhappy noise. Brooklynn glances over her shoulder at him.

“Hey, it’ll be alright,” she says soothingly. “Kenji will be fine. I’m sure they have emergency responders with them, they can patch him up until we get to an actual hospital.”

Darius nods, but he’s still got a certain look in his eye that Brooklynn knows all too well. He’s planning something- but to what end, she isn’t sure. They’re all safe and all together, locked inside the bridge and awaiting rescue. What else is left for them to do?

“All done,” Ben announces, having wrapped the jacket back around Kenji’s newly patched fingers.

Kenji uses his good hand to sign ‘thanks,’ offering a faint smile.

“Here,” Brooklynn says, tugging on Kenji’s shorts. “Knees up, head down. Keep your hand elevated and focus on taking deep breaths.”

Kenji follows her directions without complaint, resting his hand on his bent knees as he tucks his head between them. Ben squeezes his shoulder before he straightens up, looking at Darius expectantly.

“So what now?” he asks, putting his hands on his hips.

Darius’s expression hardens with resolve. ‘Split up,’ he signs, then adds ‘wait’ before turning to Sammy. “St- stay here w- w- with… th- the A-List. Me a- and uh, and th- the B-Team w- will go s- st- stop Blue.”

“What?” Brooklynn frowns, rising to her feet. “I thought the plan was to wait in here until the authorities arrive.”

“That w- wa- was before… be- before B- Blue got f- free,” Darius explains somberly. “Ev- every minute w- we wait, she’s… she’s out th- there k- killing people.”

Brooklynn hesitates. “Why should we care about these guys?” she asks, wrapping her arms around herself. “They aren’t good people, Darius, and they aren’t worth risking our lives for.”

Darius looks taken aback. “What a- a- about… uh, C- Claire and th- th- the others?” he asks, creasing his brows together.

“Oh, come on,” Brooklynn says dismissively, “Blue won’t hurt them with Owen there.”

Darius’s face twitches. “Are y- y- you sure?” he asks pointedly. “Didn’t uh, didn’t think sh- she’d um, hurt a- a- any of us.”

“Uh, guys?” Ben prompts, watching them in confusion. “Are we going or what? I want to check on Bumpy.”

‘Wait,’ Brooklynn signs before turning back to Darius. “That’s their problem, okay?” she insists, starting to feel her patience strain. “They’re adults, they can take care of themselves.”

“Th- then what ab- bout Blue?” Darius counters, holding her gaze evenly. “What d- do you th- th- think will, um- will ha- happen to h- her, when th- the authorities g- get here? Do y- you think they’ll… t- try to uh, take her a- a- alive when sh- she’s… killed an ent- t- tire ship of p- people?”

“I can’t believe this,” Brooklynn huffs, throwing her hands up. “You’re still worried about protecting dinosaurs? After Blue bit Kenji’s fingers off?”

“Hey,” Kenji pipes up from his spot on the floor, “that wasn’t her fault, I was being stupid-”

“That’s besides the point!” Brooklynn snaps at him, her tone harsher than she intended. The frustration boiling in her blood is a foreign thing, because she’s not used to it being directed at her herd. But right now, she can’t bring herself to care. “We’re so close to finally being safe, we shouldn’t be risking our lives to save a dinosaur again!”

Darius holds his hands up, placating. “If y- you d- d- don’t uh, want t- to come, you… you don’t h- ha- have to,” he says quietly, and that makes her even madder because how dare he make her the only one arguing here?

Brooklynn bristles, glaring up at Darius- when did she take a step forward? “That’s not what this is about!”

“Hey,” Ben says loudly, clearly getting fed up with being ignored. “If Blue’s out there, she could hurt Bumpy. We have to help.”

At the same time, Brooklynn and Darius whirl around to sign ‘wait’ at him. The tension in their movements almost gives the gesture an unkind feeling, like they’re shouting. Ben raises a deliberate eyebrow at them, making Brooklynn wince with immediate regret and shame.

‘Sorry,’ she signs, almost simultaneously with Darius.

Ben makes an exasperated noise. “I’m going back for Bumpy,” he tells them stubbornly, folding his arms, “whether you help or not. Hurry up and decide.”

Darius gives Brooklynn a pleading look. “He’s r- right. Sh- should w- w- we leave Bumpy out th- there to… t- to fend f- for herself? After ev- everything she’s d- done for us?”

Brooklynn flinches. “Look, all I care about are the people inside this room, okay?” She means for it to come out cold and firm, but to her horror she just sounds desperate and scared, even to her own ears.

“That’s n- not true,” Darius says softly, looking at her in that special way of his, like he knows what’s going on in her mind and heart even more than she does, and Brooklynn finally breaks.

“I wish it was!” she shouts, tears springing to her eyes.

Shock flares in Darius’s eyes, but now that she’s going, she can’t make herself stop. “I wish it was true, I wish none of us had to be the big damn heroes all the time! I wish we could be selfish for once, instead of taking on all this responsibility just because we were unlucky enough to get stranded on an island full of dinosaurs for three fucking years. After everything we’ve done, everything we’ve been through- god.” She puts her face in her hands and takes a shuddering breath. “It’s not fair. It shouldn’t always be up to us.”

An awful silence follows, in which Brooklynn can only hear her own ragged breathing as she fights back tears. Her stomach is in knots and she hates how weak she feels- only a child would cry about life being unfair.

But it’s been three years, and she’s so tired.

She’s just about gathered herself to speak again- to say what, she doesn’t know- when two hands cover her own, fingers stiff and clumsy in a way she only knows Darius’s to be. Gently, her hands are tugged away from her face, and she finds herself looking into Darius’s eyes.

“I kn- know,” he murmurs, nothing but empathy in his tone, his gaze full of infinite understanding. “You’re… you’re right, it sh- shouldn’t. I w- wish it wasn’t, either. But I can’t- I c- can’t just… sit h- here wh- while lives are lost, n- not when I- I can do s- s- something about it.” He squeezes her hands. “I’m s- sorry. I ha- ave to try.”

And that’s what it all comes down to, isn’t it?

That’s how six teenagers managed to come together and survive for three years on an island that almost seemed hell bent on destroying them, to the point of blowing itself up in the hopes of taking them with it. That’s how they survived among some of the deadliest creatures on the planet, and the most ruthless of humanity, and the very elements of nature itself, time and time again. They survived and they evolved and they suffered- oh, how they suffered. But they built a life out of suffering and a home out of wreckage and a herd out of strangers because they never stopped trying.

Even when things fell apart, they never gave up.

Brooklynn takes a deep breath. “I know,” she says quietly, managing a half-hearted smile. “It’s one of the things I love about you. Even if I don’t like it right now.”

Darius’s mouth quirks into a fond grin, tinged at the edges with relief. “Th- thank you.” He never needed her permission to go, but definitely prefers to have it. Stepping back, he signs ‘okay, follow’ to Ben as he turns to go. “Lock th- the d- d- door behind us, o- okay? We’ll b- be-”

“I’m going with you,” Brooklynn says plainly.

Darius whirls back around in surprise. “What?”

“Come on, Dino Nerd,” Brooklynn sighs, amused. “You didn’t think I’d let you go all self-sacrificing again, did you?”

Darius blinks. “I uh, I g- guess not,” he says, sounding taken aback but happy all the same.

“Besides,” Brooklynn adds, crossing over to put an arm around Ben’s shoulder, “I can’t break up the B-Team.”

Ben looks back and forth between them. “You guys done?” he asks pointedly, though there’s the slightest hint of bemusement in his eyes.

Brooklynn nods. ‘Sorry,’ she tells him, before directing the apology to the rest of the herd.

Sammy’s watching them with a sad sort of pride in her eyes, like a mom sending her kids off to college. “Please be safe, y’all,” she says, clasping her hands together. “I just couldn’t bear it if somethin’ happened to ya.”

“We will,” Brooklynn promises. She glances over at Kenji and Yaz. “You guys rest. I mean it,” she says firmly, even as she smiles. “Sammy, make sure they don’t get up.” She turns to follow Darius and Ben to the door. “Lock the door behind us, keep an eye on the captain, and look after each other, okay? We’ll be back after we deal with Blue.”

“Good luck!” Kenji calls after them, sounding a little out of it but still earnest.

“Don’t die!” Yaz adds, using a dry tone of voice to cover up her concern.

“Mrmph!” the captain grumbles from his corner.

Brooklynn falls into step with Ben on her left and Darius on her right, stopping in front of the door as Sammy peeks through the window to check that the coast is clear. She lightly bumps her arm against Ben’s while slipping her other hand into Darius’s, taking a steadying breath.

“Alright,” she says. “Let’s go save the day, one last time.”

Darius huffs a laugh. “Y- you got it, S- Super Star.”

~*~

#jurassic world camp cretaceous #jwcc #camp cretaceous #jurassic world fallen kingdom #my writing

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babygirl-riley · 2 years

Text

Healings

Allison is slowly healing from the recent events, having nightmares to make sure she doesn't forget. How does she cope? While Ghost slowly comes to terms on the light weight feeling he gets when seeing Allison but also what the heavy means with her as well.

Warnings: Mention of rape, ptsd, swearing

Healings and Confessings

War meant victories and accomplishment, being able to save that family from bullets, save your comrades from a certain doom. War also meant failures and wishes, watching your comrades fall, watching as the target you were after escape, and not being able to pull back time.

Simon felt this at this moment. Watching Allison’s normal skin tone turn more white made his stomach turn. After all these months, he was able to continue his bantering as a no flirting policy towards her, just last month though he broke.

“Bravo 0-1; Bravo 0-7 and 0-8, in position.” Simon said through coms.

Allison and him were just looking for the target and making sure it was the correct man they were looking for. Classified mission as well. Need to know bases. There were rumors going around about a new shipment of armory that Iran wanted to transport to a different country and we need to know which.

Simon watched carefully as Allison watched his six.They sat on the hill for hours with nothing changing. Simon would take glances at Allison. Four months since she has been on the team. He grew to like her. Just the other day she made him laugh, an actual laugh, which Johnny never let down since he hasn’t even come close to that break.

Last night they played poker, when she turned red after a little flirting it made his thoughts go wild. He naturally had sexual feelings towards her but knowing that he made her flustered made him think of…

“You know eventually when I retire,” she started getting him out of the thoughts. He shifted looking through the scope once more. “I want to be in the middle of nowhere. In hiding. Somewhere is the forest maybe.”

“Isn’t that so?” Ghost responded giving a glance at her then the scope again.

“Yeah a dog too,” She sighed. “Cabin, you know the typical stupid hallmark type.”

Ghost huffed. “Never took you as a romantic.”

“Eh those cheesy romantic shows are interesting at times,” she shrugged. “My sister and I would make fun of them.”

Simon took note of family, this was her first time bringing up family. He scoffed. “No chap back at home?”

She was quiet for a moment. “No.”

“Good.”

There was a long pause. “Why ask?”

Simon could feel his heart increase. Shit. He should have known better that she wouldn’t call him out. “Just curious.”

It was quiet again. “Do you have a scar?”

Bloody hell. “You have been talking to McTavish haven't you.”

“Well I was curious after last night.”

“After I made you turn red?” The teasing came out. He wanted a reaction and wanted something back.

He heard you shift and chuckled. “Yeah, now all I can think about is what you look like.”

Simon smirked. “I made a good impression then.”

“Just a little.”

“How can I make a better one then.” he froze for a moment. He broke the breach. He can’t back out now.

She scoffed. “I don’t know any ideas?”

“I have a few.”

“Elbroate.”

He was about to say something, not so professional but naturally the target was there. After the mission she gave me a look of we will talk about it later. Little did she know Simon had a few ideas on how to make it up to her.

That’s when he knew he was in trouble. When the thoughts came in. When she mentioned her Hallmark Cabin, he couldn’t help but think he wanted that as well. Having that stupid mutt and listening to the morning forest sounds. Now it could be taken away. Allison laid in the makeshift hospital, IV attached to her, they got her infection out of her leg and was able to be more stable. They did lose her a couple of times. Which made him even more sick.

Soap had to tell him on the heli that he had to move out of the way, since a medic was on stand by when getting her. He didn’t want to, he wanted to hold her, cover her up. Her chest was out vulnerable and with a cut going down towards her stomach. He felt his fist clenched up and his rage fogging into his head.

Now she was here stable, alive. He blamed himself, he does when things like this happens. It’s war. Things are victories or failures. This was a failure. He failed her. Because of her they did have the information where Ghorbrani would be. In a month's time they were going to be trading with the Russians.

He hated this feeling. It made him angry. He never was like this. Vulnerable. Soft. That never came across him. Simon had to stay cold hearted. Because when these things happen he can’t mourn, there will be no time to. Can’t have that distraction.

But he can worry about that later. Right now she will heal and Simon will be right next to her the whole time.

…………………………………………………………….

It was two weeks since being rescued from being tortured. I had night terrors to where I would wake up swimming in sweat. Luckily the wound on both my shoulder and leg was scarring up pretty well. But my brain couldn’t scar up the flashbacks of the torture.

The nightmare would start with the toothy yellow colored smiling men around me, stabbing me, burning me, attempting to drown, and doing what they never got to finish. When it would end would be hearing a shot and flash. This time though, my body hit the ground. Blood coming out of my head. I shot up, panting hard, my hair sticking to my forehead, clothes sticking.

I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I had to leave. I looked around my tent. It was empty but my gear and the crate at the end of my cot. I grabbed my boots, slipping them on. I put my gear on and brought my knife and sidearm. There was a spot you found, it was a little bit of a walk from the base but I loved going there to watch the stars.

It was quiet at this time, just a couple of patrols walking around making sure the base was secure. Heading up the hill was the best part feeling the soreness on my leg but when I reached the top it was the best feeling. It looked over the base and the sand field. It was empty out there for the most part. Which means I could see the sky. I stood there feeling the cold breeze hit my face, making me close my eyes.

“You shouldn’t be out here by yourself.” I snapped my head pulled my sidearm out aiming towards the voice.

Ghost. I glared at him and grunted putting my pistol away. “Shit Ghost you could have given a better heads up.”

“Sorry,” He said walking fully up the hill. “Cant sleep?”

“What are you doing here?” I asked, looking away from him.

He didn’t say anything for a moment. “I saw you walking away from the base, just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Anger. Why anger? He didn’t do anything. I scoffed. “What do you think?”

He approached me, standing in front of me to have me look at him. He stood basically a foot taller than me. I forget how tall and how big he is. He could snap me in half. His brown eyes bore into mine. His look was stern. “That you are not.”

“Then why ask?”

“Because I want to.”

I couldn’t argue with him. He was the Lieutenant after all, yeah I am too but he outranks me by experience. Being in charge right next to Price. “I will be back on my feet soon sir.”

He shifted for a moment. “Fox.” He stopped then nodded. “Do you want to be left alone?”

I could feel the tears. “No, can’t we just watch the stars? And talk about this later?”

I sat down looking up at him. He sighed and moved over next to me, pretty close, close enough for our shoulders to brush against each other. Nothing was said for what felt like hours. “Do you know anything about the stars?” I said quietly.

“No.”

“Me neither, well not scientifically. I know what a constellation is, what type of thing. I love being able to see them. To search for each one,” I looked around for a moment to see the three stars lined up. I pointed to them. “Orion's belt. Which would lead you to the dippers.”

He followed my hand, listening carefully. Watching every one that I would point out. Ask questions about each one. Until a shooting star passed. “That's my favorite thing.”

“Shooting stars?” He questioned.

“Yep.”

“Why?”

“My mom would tell us to make wishes, knowing we as a family would make them with whoever would be making it.”

He hummed at the explanation. It was quiet again. Which wasn’t awkward, just a comfortable silence. I could feel his eyes on me every now and then. It was nice having the company, we didn’t need to talk or make conversation just this was good enough.

It went quiet once again. “I am sorry.”

I turned my head to him. He was looking up at the stars. “For what?”

“For what happened,” He whispered. “It was my bloody fault, it happened under my command. Maybe if we brought someone to watch your six, you wouldn’t have gotten captured.”

“Ghost you couldn’t have prevented it. You had to get that information.” I bluntly said, still looking at him.

He didn’t say anything. I knew nothing could change his mind on what he felt. “I was terrified,” He looked over at me. His eyes looked into mine. “You were so pale, so weak. When you passed out I thought,” he paused then placed a hand on my cheek. “I thought you were gone.”

I have never seen this side of Ghost before. I didn’t think it existed. That’s when the memory came up when he grabbed your chin saying ‘I’m sorry love.’ The warmth on your cheek was his hand. The ‘cold hearted man’ was showing something. Right here. Right now.

“Ghost.” I whispered, placing a hand on his leaning into it.

“Simon.”

I smirked. “Simon?”

He didn’t say anything but nodded. “It wasn’t your fault. I am here now.” I said reassuring him. “Some torture wasn’t going to kick me out of commission.”

He chuckled. “Bloody hell I will write that down for next time.”

I huffed and smiled. “Ghost,” Price's voice came through the radio. “What’s your location?”

He took his hand off my cheek and pressed the radio. “Just outside the base sir.”

“Well after you take your nightly stroll we need to plan the next step with Laswell.”

“Rog,” Simon looked at me. “See you down there?”

“Yes sir.” I smiled.

He nodded and got up looking down at me then walking down the hill. I watched until he was safely in the base. Maybe the nightmares will stop now. Maybe just maybe.

#call of duty modern warfare #simon ghost riley #call of duty mw2 #simon ghost riley x allison fox lawson #simon ghost riley x oc #simon riley #simon ‘ghost’ riley #stargazing #these two are a mess

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books-and-catears · 3 years

Note

I liked the one about a ghost MC it was a really cute idea! I wanted to request something similar, where the MC who has a the appearance of the Japanese slit mouthed woman. She is a regular human and you can decide if she got the scar's from an accident or not, but she always where's a face mask to hide it and eats alone rather then with the brothers. When she's asked why they say "People can't eat when I they see my face." But one day she finally trusts the brothers enough to show her face.

OH MY GOD I KNOW THIS GHOST. If I'm not wrong, this ghost is called the Kuchisake Onna, kuchi meaning mouth.

This is so wholesome I love it. Your asks are so adorable :')

It has been forever since the accident. And yet the scar makes it feel like yesterday. Two scars running up towards your cheeks, making it look like you're constantly smiling. You hated mirrors at this point, without your mask especially.

You hear loud talking from the dining room downstairs as you stare at your meal on your study table. When was the last time you ate a meal with other people?

"What do you mean you won't eat with us MC?" Mammon and Asmo parotted every other day.

"People can't eat when they see my face." You left with that reply, refusing to answer the follow up questions.

Yours was a face only a mother could love, they said. Some screamed, some smiled sympatheticallly, the others nervously scattered away from the last time you tried to eat out by yourself. The restaurant requested you to leave since they were losing customers.

You walk up to the stairway, watching the brothers in their usual chaos. Maybe - just maybe, they won't be repulsed. Surely they've seen more horrifying things than you?

"Um..." You cleared your throat loudly. All of them stopped and looked at you. You usually never showed up until half an hour after meals.

But today you called out to the one of them. "Would you mind eating with me tonight...?"

Lucifer

"Of course I wouldn't mind MC."

He promptly got up with his plate as if he was already prepped for this day. Swiftly follows you into your room.

He sat down across you and began eating normally. "Thank you for inviting me in MC. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Nothing just..." You said untying your mask. "It felt like a good day." The mask fell off your face into your lap.

You paused and stared at Lucifer. He only looked shocked for a split second before a hidden rage clouded beneath his eyes. "Did someone deliberately-"

"No it was an accident. I was getting my teeth fixed when the lights went out and I moved. And something cut through my- well you can see." You explained.

"I see. Well that's quite unfortunate." Lucifer said and began picking at his plate.

You felt uneasy as chewed your food."You can leave if you feel repulsed. I wouldn't force you to-"

"No such thing MC. I was just thinking of consulting Satan and Solomon. Surely they know of spells that can heal your scars if you want them gone." Lucifer replied promptly. "And it's going to take a lot more than scars to scare us demons away."

"Lucifer...thank you." You said quietly.

"If possible I'd like to eat dinner with you from now on, MC. Frankly it's much calmer and it's a relief from my brothers."

After a long time, you laugh without your mask on.

Mammon

"I'll be right there, MC!"

Hurriedly grabs whatever food he has making a mess and jumps to his feet. He is in such a hurry, it's a miracle he didn't drop half of his dinner.

He plops down across the table from you, grinning ear to ear. "Of course you'd choose the Great Mammon to eat with ya!"

You nodded and chuckled, "Of course. But would you choose to eat with me?" Your pulled your mask away from your face.

His eyes went wide and then watery in the same instant. Is he..crying? "I-Im sorry..." You feel horrible so you hurry and tie the mask back up. Mammon grabs your hands and holds them down.

"I'm not crying stupid human! I'm just...you..you must have been in pain..when that happened." He said. "Who did this to you..."

"It's okay it was an accident, Mammon." You try to calm him down.

"Then why do you hide it? It's not even your fault!" Mammon said pouting. You looked down, "People get uncomfortable..."

Mammon shot up from his chair. "WHO DARE MAKE YOU FEEL BAD ABOUT IT? Show me I'll get them all! Noone messes with my human! I'm yer protector ain't I?! You never have to wear that thing around me!"

You blushed as he moved forward and hugged you, burying your face into his shoulder. "Mammon..."

You knew he was the best protector out there.

Leviathan

"I'm coming right away, don't worry MC!"

Stumbles around with his plate at your sudden invitation. His day has come. He is the chosen one.

He struggles to sit down, feeling estatic and nervous at the same time. "I didn't think you'd want to eat with me of all people, MC..."

"After tonight, maybe you'll feel that way about me Levi..." You said, taking off your mask. His face lit up as he let out a loud "Woahhh!"

Thinking he was scared you tried to hide it again before he screamed, "MC you look just like my favourite character from that horror romance anime "I fell for my best friend's scarred smile! That's so cool!"

You blink at him, blushing. What is with him and his oddly specific anime names!? Levi was oblivious to your shock ,going off at his own tangent. "You could pull off the perfect cosplay, come to my room tomorrow I can design it for you and then I'll make my own to go with it and we can go to the next convention-"

"Levi Levi calm down you'll run out of breath!" You couldn't hold in your laughter.

He stared at you awestruck,"So cute...why would you hide that cute face MC?" You shake your head, "Not everyone sees it as cute Levi."

"Well sucks for them to be such stupid normies." Levi blushed and scoffed.

Levi was the best friend everyone deserves and you were glad to have him.

Satan

"I'd be delighted to join you MC."

Was slightly taken aback at first but quickly composes himself and his dinner and follows you. His pace faster than usual.

Pulls out your chair for you like a gentleman and sits down himself. You smile and blush at the action. "So how was your day MC?" He asks like a gentleman, avoiding the elephant in the room, choosing it normalise it. You let the mask fall off your face.

"Oh..." Satan sat up straight, his shoulders stiff, his eyes going wide in anger. "Who dared to-"

"No no no Satan it was an accident!" You had to explain the whole thing for him to calm down. Then he nodded and held out his palm. "May I see how the deep the scar is MC?"

That was new. Noone has wanted to touch your scars before. When you nod, he reaches out and runs his fingers softly across your scars. "Hmm don't worry. They're not too deep. I can have them gone in a matter of days. That is if you'd like to me to."

It's like he knew. As much as you hated that scar, it kind of helped you see people's true intentions. You looked down unsure. Satan held your hand. "It's normal to get attached to scars you have for too long. None of us here will treat you any differently with or without it."

You smiled at him and held one of his fingers playfully. He laughed, his cheeks turning pink. "Ah now that's a smile I'd love to see everyday. May I have dinner with you more often MC?"

"Of course." His words and his presence were always calming to you.

Asmodeus

"I was wondering when you'd ask MC!"

Daintily picks up all of things and paces after you. He was excited but he restrained himself but he didn't want to scare you off.

Sits down close to you, smiling gleefully. He's just happy to be there with you. Grabs something off your plate with a fork and holds it upto your mouth. "MC come here let me feed you!"

It was probably the most nerve wracking to open your mask in front of him. The Avatar of Lust, the most beautiful being in Hell, and you- ugh, what's the point? You've come this far, let's get it over with. You put your mask down, bite off the potato off his fork.

You'd think Asmo would probably gasp and act all dramatic and hysterical. But instead he cupped your face, his eyes filled with worry and tenderness. "MC how long have you had this...?"

"A little over three years." You answered honestly. Asmo looked like he was about to cry. "You've been hiding away your pretty face from people for three years..." Asmo pulled you in a hug. "Noone deserves that. It's too lonely."

"Oh I'd hardly call it pretty-" Before you can even retort, he is glaring and pouting at you, holding your shoulders.

"I think I know beauty a little better than you, MC. And I say you're gorgeous and I'm going to eat with you everyday now." Asmo huffed to which you laughed.

Everyone deserves a hypeman like Asmo in their lives.

Beelzebub

"Oh? Me? Sure MC!"

Is surprised but happily goes along with you with all his food. You know he loves you when he gets midway from eating just to eat in your room.

He sits across, already muching away at his food. "Thank you for asking me to eat with you MC." You nod and tentatively take your mask off, trying not to draw too much attention for it.

Beel looks up shocked, his mouth full of food but he stopped chewing. He involuntarily reaches out to touch you, "Does it hurt MC?"

You shake your head. "It's years old Beel. It's okay. " Beel looks genuinely relieved at that and goes back to eating again. He doesn't seem bothered by it at all after that.

"Say MC will you be free next week? I could use your help in the new workout I'm doing. I need to train particular muscles for the big game they said." He switched to a whole new topic just like that. "Also this means I get to eat with you every day right?"

You felt warm inside. You were more than just your scar and Beel made you feel like that by hardly saying anything at all.

Belphegor

"...me huh? No I wouldn't mind."

Has a smug grin on his face as he gathers up his meal and slowly heads upward with you, making sure his brothers see how you chose him over the others. Cheeky cow.

He sits leaning into you cause he's too lazy to sit up straight. "So what's the special occasion MC? A face reveal?" Wow this one is direct.

He is staring right at you, as you pull off the mask slowly, thinking if it was a bad idea. His eyes grow wide for a split second before his fingers are already near your mouth feeling the scars.

"Deliberate or accident?" He asks. "Accident." You answer. He nods, "Good. I'm too tired today, wouldn't be able to take appropriate revenge." His fingers never leave your face.

"Is that why you keep it covered? You're embarrassed of it?" He asks. You think about it for a while. "I think I accepted it, it just seemed to make people uncomfortable and scared, if I smiled or opened my mouth to eat." You answer.

He smirked. "Then smile more. Let their cowardly selves feel uncomfortable. It's their problem that they can't see how cute your smile is."

That was surprisingly thoughtful. You smiled at him. "Thanks..."

He smirked back, "Also I'm going to be eating here from now on. My brothers annoy me."

He's cheeky but he has a good heart. Smiling never felt so easy.

#obey me headcanons #obey me lucifer #obey me satan #obey me levi #obey me beel #obey me belphie #obey me mammon #obey me asmo #obey me fluff #obey me imagine #obey me game #obey me angst #obey me angst fic

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wint3r-h3art · 3 years

Text

Baby Step | College!Shangqi x Reader

@aliiiyyaaah asked: soooo what if the reader also has like a break up when she was around 18 and because she has attachment/trust/ abandonment issues she never dated again and shang chi tries to prove his love for her after someone tells him the reason as to why she is the way she is? idk or something like that anything is cool 😹

@moitiedemoncoeur asked: I was wondering if I could request something for Shang-Chi x Reader with kissing prompts? 1) almost kissing before turning away from each other & 2) slow and drawn out kisses where neither wants to let go. thank you! :)

Warning: None. A bit angsty at the beginning with a happy ending (very on brand of me) I’m using Shaun before this is before the even of Shang-Chi.

Word counts: 1.2k

A/N: Both of your requests just seems fit, so please don’t mind me if i combine them. Sorry this takes so long. I didn’t know how to start or end this, so now it becomes an open-ended sort of drabble. I hope it’s ok. I’m sorry again for take so long going through requests. I hope this is what you’re looking for. No beta. Whatever mistakes are mine. If you enjoyed this, comment & reblog is greatly, greatly appreciate it.

“Tell me why you hate me,” Shaun looks at you as you try very hard to ignore him. The thing that you don’t get about Shaun is his persistence in getting an answer out of you. You haven’t really said no, yet you haven’t really said yes to him either.

“I don’t hate you, Shaun,” you mumble as you close the textbook. You’re thankful that the library is quiet at this hour.

“Then why are you ignoring me?”

You look at him before you’re looking down at your fingers. You noticed the flaking of the nail polish on your fingers from all the time you’re picking at them. You’re not sure about it yourself. A part of you is terrified of letting him in.

Shaun has always been a sun to your cloudy days, but sometimes he shines so brightly that you’re terrified to get burned by him. You know he’s not like the other guys, but after being broken-hearted so many times, you’re becoming more guarded to let anyone in. Your last long-term relationship left you emotionally drained, and physically tired of simply being letting anyone that close again. Though it has been months, time doesn’t really heal the scars completely.

“I’m not ignoring you, Shaun. I-I just have a lot to do. My mid-term is coming up and I--”

“You know, I wish that you could just stop and tell me the truth for once,” he cuts you off. His expression suddenly changes to a serious one. You gulp, feeling like your heart is about to burst at that moment.

Those soft, warm amber eyes burn into you, catching you right in the act. You hate lying to him, but no matter how many times you tried to run the scenarios in your head, you just can’t bring yourself to give into him. No matter how many nights you spent thinking about his smiles, his laughs, or the way his hands caresses yours whenever he handed you back your notes. Every touch feels electrifying, yet your stubbornness prevents you from just accepting the fact that perhaps someone as nice and as good-looking as him wants you.

“I am being truthful.”

“Bullshit.”

“Excuse me?” you’re clearly taken aback by this.

“You’re such a liar.”

You open your mouth about to say something, but nothing comes out except an exasperated noise as you look at him stunned.

“You told me one thing and act like it never happened.”

You swallow hard at this. It’s true that you and he shared a kiss one night at a mutual friend’s house party. It was a nice kiss, you admit, but then you realized that deep, deep down you will never be able to reciprocate that same kindness and love he has shown you. It felt like you’re taking advantage of him alone.

“Please, don’t say that,” you manage to get the words out. You can feel your chest tightens at the thought of hurting him intentionally, but what can you do when you can’t seem to pull yourself together and allow him in fully.

“Then why are you keep lying to yourself about us?”

You finally look up to meet this gaze. You didn’t realize then that you’re crying before he reaches out and wipe your cheek with his fingers. His callus fingers feel rough on your skin, yet it feels comforting in a way.

“I don’t know,” you say breathlessly before more tears spill down on their own. It feels like a floodgate of emotion just burst out of you the moment you admit to yourself that you do want him so damn much.

“I-I’m just scared of letting anyone in, y’know. The last time I get my guard down, I was taken advantage of in every single way that I don’t think I can trust anyone again.” You don’t understand the words that came out of your mouth, but the more you talk, the more you feel so vulnerable. All of the armor and fortress you build up to protect yourself is slowly crumbling down.

Shaun sighs and brings your hand to his lips. The kiss feels almost featherlike the way his soft lips brush against your knuckle. You can feel your cheeks warmed at that. For a man his size, he has the softest touch, you thought.

“I know it’s not reassuring to you, and I’m sure you heard the bullshit words so many times before, but please believe me when I say this: I will never hurt you. I’ve never wanted to make anyone happy as I want to make you happy. You’re the sweetest, kindest, most beautiful, intelligent person I’ve ever met. Every time I’m with you, I feel like I can let go of all of the pretenses and just be myself around you.”

“Please don’t say that.”

“Say what?” he asks, his hand covering you before he gives you a slight squeeze. “The truth about how much I like you?”

“You’re just infatuated with me, Shaun,” you let out an uncomfortable chuckle amidst all the tears.

“You don’t get to decide how I feel about you when you don’t even know how you feel about me yourself.”

“Shaun…” you utter softly as he leans in closer, pressing his forehead against yours. His eyes close as if he’s trying to savor your scent. His breath smells of caramel and coffee, sweet just like he is. You wouldn’t expect any less of him.

His lips slowly close in on yours, and you can feel yourself tremble in his arms. Your heart beats heavily against your chest the closer you are to him. His warmness radiates to you like a furnace in the mid of the autumnal wind. For a brief moment, it feels perfect.

Yet, you turn away.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“No. No, don’t ever apologize. I shouldn’t,” he clears his throat. “I shouldn’t have force--”

“Stop right there,” you say firmly. This time it’s Shaun that’s staring at you. Shocked.

“You didn’t force me to do anything.”

“But I didn’t ask you or any--”

“And I didn’t say no either,” you cut him off. You look down on your hand as you begin to pick at your nails again. “I wanted it too...I’m just scared you know.”

“Then let’s take it slow. I’m willing to work for your trust, y’know?”

You look at him briefly, shocked to hear his offer. “What if it takes months?”

“Then it takes months.”

“Shaun, please be serious.”

“I am. I don’t mind waiting for you.”

“And this is why you shouldn’t. I feel like I’m taking advantage of you.”

“Well, it wouldn’t count as that when I am your willing victim,” he smirks, and you cannot help but sigh, trying to hide that small, shy smile from him. Only Shaun is able to make you smile admit crying.

“Small step,” you reiterate and you can see his expression change into a warm bright smile once more. He reminds you too much of a Gold Retriever.

“Baby step,” he repeats before placing a chaste kiss on your lips.

You and him look at each other briefly before you are the one who leans into hims this time. Your arms wrap around his neck. His tongues glides against yours. Time seems to stop at the moment. It feels as if the world has dissolves around both of you. It feel exhilarating to be wanted and needed by someone like him. You don’t it then, but when Shaun pulls away, you both are breathless and panting. Shaun’s face is flushed. His lips is a bit swollen and red. Your arms are still around his neck, and he wouldn’t want them in any other way, except for when you see people starts pouring into the library. Your private moment shared between Shauns soon cut short.

“Baby step,” you mumble softly to yourself as you withdraw away from him.

“Baby step,” he echoes, smiling at you as he helps you gather your text books.

#shang chi x reader #shang chi x you #shang chi x y/n #shang chi imagine #shang chi imagines #shang chi drabble #shangqi x reader #shangqi x you #shangqi x y/n #shang chi #shang chi and the legend of the ten rings #marvel fanfiction #marvel shang chi #mcu fanfiction

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imagine-a-life-like-this · 3 years

Text

Break My Heart (L.F/H.HJ)

Warnings : suggestive content

Word Count : 2821

Synopsis : she could feel herself falling for hyunjin, but after seeking comfort from felix, she realizes that maybe she’s not actually in love with hyunjin, but in love with felix.

She looked over to his sleeping figure, sleeping peacefully beside her while there’s an internal war happening between her heart and mind. Her hand hovers over his face, hesitating whether or not she should brush the hair out of his face. She leaves the apartment unheard instead.

How did it get this far, she wonders to herself, sitting in her car outside the apartment building. He was just a friend, one of her best friends since childhood, and that’s all he was supposed to be. Until one drunken night when lust took over their bodies and she woke up in his bed for the first time. No strings attached. They whispered between stolen kisses, but over time, the strings began to attach.

She found herself jealous whenever he was talking to another girl, jealous that someone else was getting the attention she so desperately craved. In the early mornings as the sun is starting to rise, she finds herself hesitating to leave, wondering what he would do if he were to wake up and she was still there. Would he wrap his arms around her and press delicate kisses to her face? Or would he coldly kick her out like the others?

She likes to believe she’s different than the other girls; better in a way. They are best friends after all. The friendship they’ve built over the years hasn’t changed at all with this new development, but she knew it would if her feelings were to be known. He doesn’t do feelings, and she knows she will never be the exception.

He wakes in an empty bed, feeling emptier than usual, and he knows why. Once again she disappeared before sunlight, before he woke up. It’s for the best, he reminds himself, but he wishes just once she would stay. Give him the chance to fall in love with her like he so desperately wants. The crush he’s had on her since high school slowly growing over the years, but never reaching love.

He doesn’t do feelings, but she’s different. She’s always been different. She’s different in the best ways. He can be himself around her, he can feel vulnerable and self conscious when she’s around; she doesn’t judge him. Instead she tells him reassuring words, helping him love himself once again. He can open his heart to her and know that she would never hurt him, not in the ways he’s been hurt in the past, not at all.

But they’re just friends, best friends. She’s a person he can’t lose, so instead of opening himself up to these growing feelings, he pushes them down and pretends they don’t exist. He pretends they aren’t there until lust takes over and he kisses her with passion. He takes his time with her, savouring every moment like it’s his last. Sex with her is different because it doesn’t feel like hooking up; it feels like love. Like a love that can last.

She meets her other best friend, Felix, at the café on campus before class, like they do every day. Her coffee is already paid for and on the table in front of an empty chair. “Good morning, angel.” Felix smiles, pushing the coffee closer to her as she sits. He takes in how exhausted she looks; not just physically but emotionally as well. Bags hang under her eyes, an obvious attempt to cover them failed.

She doesn’t say anything as she holds the warm cup in her hands, taking a sip and tasting the sweet taste of her favourite coffee, her order exactly as she likes it. “Can we skip, just for today?” She speaks softly, so softly that if Felix wasn’t entuned with everything about her, he wouldn’t have heard a single word.

“Anything for you, angel.” He closes the notebook he’s been studying from and takes one of her hands in his from across the table. “Did you want to talk about what’s bothering you?” Yes. She does, but she can’t bring herself to say the words. I’m in love with Hyunjin. The words are stuck in her throat, burning to be released, but she meets Felix’s happy eyes and can’t bring herself to say them.

“I’m just really tired today.” She lies. She lies so easily she wonders when she’s changed so much. She never made it a habit to lie to her best friend, knowing Felix knows her better than she knows herself.

“Movies and cuddles?” He asks, a soft smile on his face as she agrees with a quick nod of her head. He wanted to do everything he could to see her smile again; the same smile that takes his breath away. She was his angel, that was no secret, but she was also his first love, and that was a secret.

“You’re heading for class already?” They heard the familiar sound of the third person of their small group, the same group from middle school. Hyunjin could see the exhaustion written on her features, wondering if she even got any sleep the previous night. Is it hard for her to sleep next to him even though he only sleeps peacefully with her by his side?

“We were actually going to do a movie day today.” She spoke up, trying her best to keep her voice even while looking at Hyunjin, taking in how absolutely ethereal he looks even so early in the morning.

Hyunjin watched as she left with Felix, their hands clasped together. He could feel her slowly slipping through his fingers, landing in Felix’s open arms. He knew Felix would be the better choice for her, always waiting for her with open arms and her favourite snacks and drinks. Felix knew everything about her, learning her likes and dislikes and her life story throughout the years of knowing each other.

But Felix doesn’t know her the way Hyunjin does. He doesn’t know each and every curve of her body, the way her toes curl as pleasure takes over. He doesn’t know about the freckles on her back that Hyunjin loves to connect with his fingers while they drift off to sleep. He doesn’t know how she shies away when her clothes come off, not realizing just how beautiful she is.

Hyunjin knows the stories behind all her scars. He traces them with his fingers, pressing delicate kisses as he whispers how beautiful he finds her. He knows she closes her eyes, scared of the intimacy of eye contact in the moment. He knows the small squeaks that turn into loud moans when she can no longer hold back.

He likes to believe he knows her intimately, but intimacy is more than being naked and having sex. It’s knowing why she hides her face when she gets a compliment. It’s knowing her comfort drink when she needs a hug from the inside. It’s knowing why she doesn’t expand her friend group, keeping just Hyunjin and Felix in her close circle despite many people begging to be let in.

Hyunjin knows what she’s like in bed, knows what she looks like naked. He knows about the scars and the stretch marks. He knows about the hidden birth marks.

But Felix knows what makes her tick. He knows her favourite thing to drink on rainy days. He knows her coffee order down to the exact amount of sugar. He knows what her parents do for a living, and how often she speaks to them. Felix knows when she’s lying but knows she will tell him the truth when she’s ready. He knows how to cheer her up when she’s been crying. He knows the ins and outs of her life, the things Hyunjin wishes he knew. The things he wishes he took the time to learn.

She’s curled up in Felix’s arms while he brushes his fingers through her hair, comforting in a way she knows Hyunjin never could. He whispers little nothings to her, reminding her that he’s by her side no matter what. “I think I’m in love with Hyunjin.” She eventually lets out as a tear slips from her eye. She can’t see his reaction with her head in his lap, staring towards the television that was playing a movie she honestly doesn’t remember the name of.

She can’t see the heartbroken look on Felix’s face as he tries to play off the hurt by chuckling. “It was bound to happen.” He blinks back his own tears as he focuses on comforting the love of his life. He always knew it would be Hyunjin over him, but he still held out hope.

“I don’t want to love him.” She moved so she was facing Felix instead, his hands still in her hair as their eyes met. He could see the heartbreak in her eyes, the same heartbreak he’s sure she could see in his own.

“Then love me instead.” Silence fell over them as the credits rolled in the movie neither of them were watching.

“I wish I could.” She whispered, reaching up and wiping the tears that couldn’t be held back anymore. She keeps her hand on his freckled cheek, rubbing his cheek with her thumb, hoping to comfort him the way he always did her.

“Pretend. Let me help you not love him anymore.” He would take her pretend love over no love at all any day. He would take her in any capacity she would allow. Maybe over time she would fall for him instead, he would just have to prove himself.

“I don’t want to break your heart, my sunshine.” Her sunshine. The man that could brighten any dark day with a simple smile. How she wishes it was Felix she fell for.

“I don’t care if you break my heart, angel. Break my heart if it means you fall out of love with Hyunjin. I would gladly have my heart broken by you a million times if it brought the light back to your eyes.” She sat up slowly, bringing her other hand to his other cheek, cupping his face gently before pressing her lips to his.

He melted into her kiss, a kiss that he’s fantasized about for years now. He wonders to himself if this will be the only time he feels her lips, so he savours every second. He wraps one arm around her waist, while placing the other hand on the back of her head, pulling her as close as he could. “Don’t hate me if I break your heart.” She whispered; her forehead rested against his.

“I couldn’t if I tried.” He admitted. He meant every word. No matter what’s going to happen, she owns his entire heart. He wouldn’t be able to hate her if he tried.

She spent the night at Felix’s, wrapped up in his loving embrace, and waking to his delicate kisses on her cheeks. She couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face, taking in just how nice it was to wake up beside someone. “Good morning, angel.”

Felix was delighted when he woke up with her still in his arms. He’s spent years wondering what it would be like to be with her like this. This morning was a dream come true; for once reality was better than his dreams. “Good morning, my sunshine.” She pecked his lips before sliding out of bed to get ready for classes.

Just like every morning, Felix bought her coffee and the two waited for Hyunjin at their regular table. Unlike every other morning, Felix had his arm draped across her shoulders, looking at her like she was the only person in the room. She wondered how she never noticed the love Felix held for her.

Hyunjin was shocked at the sight he saw when he walked into the café, and if he’s honest, a little jealous. “You two look extra cozy this morning.” He chuckled, taking a seat across from them, trying to keep a fake smile plastered on his face.

“We’re dating now.” Felix beamed, not knowing that those simple words, the words that made his world spin, broke Hyunjin’s heart. But there was nothing he could say, because he knew that Felix could treat her better than he ever could. Felix was ready to make her his entire world, but Hyunjin wasn’t.

“I guess if there was anyone good enough for her, it’d be you.” Hyunjin commented, putting on his best fake smile as he watched the way she looked up at Felix with the same stars in her eyes that he wished she looked at him with.

As the days and weeks passed, Hyunjin started distancing himself from his friends, finding comfort in a new woman every night. He was losing himself, his grades dropping as he slowly gave up. She noticed, trying to reach out and help him, but he shut her out. He yelled and screamed until she left his apartment with tears in her eyes.

She found comfort in Felix, just like she always did. But something felt different. The more time she spent with him, pretending to love him the way he loves her, she found herself pretending less and less. Every smile that was meant for her spread warmth through her body. His touch burned her skin in a way Hyunjin’s never did. Her smile came naturally every time she woke up in his arms, him pressing delicate kisses to her face, smiling his infectious smile, and looking at her with all the love in the world.

As the realization hit her, there was a knock on her door. Hyunjin was stood on the other side, his hair dishevelled as if he just rolled out of bed. He was nibbling on his bottom lip as he paced her apartment, trying to think of the right words. He needed to get everything off his chest before he could mend his friendships and fix himself. “I like you, Y/N. More than I thought I did.” He finally sat beside her, looking at her with a look of adoration she’s never seen from him before.

“Hyunjin…” He shook his head, effectively stopping whatever she was going to tell him.

“I’m not here to tell you to break up with Felix, because frankly, that man loves you more than I ever could. No matter which way you look at it, Felix will always be the better option, and I know you know that too. I’m here to fix our friendship that I threw away because of my jealousy.” He paused to run his fingers through his hair, thinking of what else he needed to say, wishing he wrote everything down as to not forget anything. “The three of us have been together since middle school, and I don’t want that to change. And honestly, I want to watch the light return to your eyes as you two fall more in love. I know being with me drained it, and god I am so sorry. I’m sorry I was so selfish, wanting to keep you for myself because you made me happy; I didn’t even realize you weren’t happy.”

“I was, Hyunjin. For a while I was happy with you. So happy I thought I was falling in love with you. But it was lust.” As the words left her lips, Hyunjin teared up. She took his face in her hands, wiping the tears away as they fell. “Just as you made me happy before, Felix makes me happy now.”

“You deserve all the happiness.” They both chuckled, tears falling from both their eyes now.

“So do you, Hyunjin. And you’ll find it.” He wrapped his arms around her, thankful that his best friend refused to leave him even when he deserved it. “It’ll be the three of us until the end of time, so you’re stuck with Felix and I whether you like it or not.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

When Hyunjin left that night, she couldn’t sleep. Flashes of Felix’s smile swirling in her mind every time she closed her eyes. Without thinking twice, she was out her door. In no time, she was standing outside Felix’s place, waiting for him to answer her knocks. As soon as the door opened, she threw her arms around him, pressing her lips to him, taking him by surprise, but he wasn’t complaining. The shock quickly wore off and he was wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. “What’s with the surprise visit?” He chuckled as they pulled away, closing the door as they entered his apartment fully.

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” She admitted. “I’m in love with you, Lee Felix.” She beamed up at him, watching as he mirrored her wide smile.

“And I’m in love with you, L/N Y/N.” He pressed his lips to hers again, knowing there would be many more kisses to come. Knowing that he wasn’t going to get his heart broken.

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