#And clinging to the idea that the only way to save yourself is to kill those who are forced to rely on the system

[softichill]

Trigun.

[sjneater]

✧˖°.— SAVE A HORSE, RIDE A COWBOY

⟡ pairing: boothill x fem!reader ⟡ cw: NSFW! riding, dacryphilia (??), petnames; darlin cutie, real fluffy at the end ⟡ word count: 1.4k ⟡ authors note: WHEW. i’ve been waiting for this man to be playable since his first leak i cannot believe he’s real ANYWAYS! GOODLUCK ON UR BOOTHILL PULLS!!!! also this got REALLL self indulgent towards the end forgive me jfhfghhn (p.s this was written before it was revealed boothill can’t swear but I refuse to write a fic where I have to using ‘fudging’ sorry boothill nation 💀)

“Mmf- fuck…darlin’ slow down” Boothill groans as he looks up at you with a rosy flush decorating his skin and unshed tears clinging to his eyelashes, you continue to grind onto his cock at a pace that has his head rolling back in his chair the cold metallic joints of his fingers caressing the skin of your thighs. 

At least he has some human reaction you muse to yourself.

“What? Can’t take it?” you drawl each syllable of your words out in time with your walls taking him deeper. “That’s a shame… Are you gonna make me do all the work?” You plant your hands onto the smooth surface of his chest trailing your fingers down the metal ridges of his abs and then landing them on his waist. 

Boothill releases a shuddering breath against your neck another reminder of the very human effect you are having on him. “Don’t tease me, m’ not gonna last” he whines into the underside of your jaw using the sharp edges of his teeth to suck and mark the skin there. 

The heat of the room is swiftly increasing with the way he laps at the skin of your neck like a man dying of thirst and your hips continuing to meet his in a steady rhythm. The wet sounds of your kisses and his deep moans fill the air but you can’t find the energy to care about how loud you both are being. 

A devious idea forms in your mind and through the haze of your lust, you manage to run your fingertips along the rim of the slits lacing the area of his hips and the effect is almost instant.  

“Haah! F-fuck!” He hisses into your mouth his back involuntarily arching into your body, the cold chill of his metal coating against your flesh causes you to shiver. “You tryin’ to kill me cutie?” His hand comes up to rest on your waist as he forces you to grind against him, the ridges and groves of his cock causing you to gasp into his mouth which he swallows with a kiss. 

You huff out a laugh as you try to compose yourself with the feeling of his cold length inside of you. “Are you actually gonna fuck me properly now…” You move your body across his and place your head underneath his jaw. “Or do I need to find someone else to do it…” 

Each syllable of your words tickles the skin of his ear causing a full body shiver to course throughout his frame. The rough plated surface of his hands grip the flesh of your thighs and you know you’ve won when you see the grey of his irises overtaken by that signature red glow. 

The sharp metal of his fingers dig into your skin as grips your sides and pulls you off his cock, the obscene squelch it makes causes a rush of heat to travel through your body and you find yourself not being able to meet his eyes. 

“Don’t tell me that you’re embarrassed now.” He breathes the words into your neck before grinding you against the tip of his cock, the sensation causing you to lull your head back letting out a gasp of pleasure. He chuckles at your reaction still rubbing himself against you. “Where’d all that talk from earlier go hmm?” 

Your response dies on your tongue as he lets go of your waist letting gravity slam you onto his cock, his full length now nestled inside you, he reaches so deep you swear you can feel him in your lungs, the ridges of his cock against your walls causing you to pant into his shoulder. 

“You’re not gonna find anyone else though are you darlin?” His words are strained and laced with desire, clearly you aren’t the only one effected. 

Those possessive hands found their way back to your thighs as he almost fully withdraws from your heat before slamming back in, steadily creating a rhythm. “You’re mine to fuck, to use yeah?” His thrusts are forceful inside you, the jagged metal of his digits digging into your flesh as he forces you to meet his pace, your moans echo around the room melding into the other sounds of the squelching wetness and the dull sound of flesh against metal. 

“Are you gonna come just from this?” His voice has a distinct teasing lilt to it a fact that you would normally despise but you don’t have to brain space to care. You nod fervently, lewd moans still being punched out from your lungs with every snap of his hips. The force is so much that you find yourself gripping onto Boothill’s shoulders and you are fairly sure if there was flesh there you would have left marks across his skin. 

“Go on and come for me darlin’.” He commands with a gravelly voice still slamming into you at a in-human pace, your lewd moans still echoing around the room. 

Tears begin to form and cling to your eyelashes before running their path down your cheek and as they do you feel a familiar metallic finger on your face wiping them away and placing delicate kisses underneath your eyes. The way Boothill contrasts his rough and forceful thrusts inside you with the tender care and attention he lavishes your face in has you shivering and hiding your face into his shoulder kissing the skin there, the part you know he can feel. 

Boothill maintains the rhythm you have built up until that familiar coil in your stomach tightens and tightens and you start stuttering on top of him, a gasp is pulled out of you “I’m- close I’m-“ you repeat your words bordering on delirium from the pleasure. 

“Come on my darlin, let me make you feel good.” Boothill wraps his arms around your back forcefully rolling his hips upwards into the spot that has you gasping for air, you feel yourself drawing closer and closer to that edge, eyes wet from the onslaught of pleasure. 

“I’m gonna- I’m coming ah!” Your voice is hoarse and shrill as stars dance across your vision. 

“That’s it, that’s a good girl”. His voice dropped into a lower octave as he spoke into your ear causing a full body shiver to rack throughout your frame, the biting cold of his metallic fingers causes goosebumps to reveal themselves on your skin as you huff a laugh at his digits drawing nonsensical shapes into the skin there. 

He places a chaste kiss on the top of your head drawing his hands back up to cup your cheeks rubbing soothing circles into your flesh. You glance up at his face and notice he still has a soft blush clinging to his features, the lighting of the room giving him an almost ethereal glow. 

“Was it… good for you?” You ask him apprehensively tucking your face into his neck. Realistically speaking you know this is a foolish question, your partner will never be able to feel anything as pleasurable as you do and that knowledge has you with a gaping gnawing hole at the bottom of your chest and an all encompassing numbness in your throat. 

As if he could read your self deprecating thoughts his hand is pulling you from underneath his neck to stare him directly in his eyes. “Hey no more of this, anythin’ we do together feels like heaven darlin’ so don’t worry your pretty lil head of yours.” He punctuates his statement by sealing his lips on top of yours, his hands threading through your hair pulling you closer. 

“I may not be able to feel everythin’ but what I can feel… is pretty damn good” he whispers reverently into the skin of your neck using the sharp edges of his teeth to mark and tease the skin there. 

When he’s decided he has sufficiently marked you he leans backwards in his chair and the fact that you two are still connected becomes very much apparent as the ridges of his cock bump against your walls causing a breathy moan to escape your mouth and you don’t even need to look down to know a smirk is decorating his lips. 

You get up to remove yourself from him but a firm grip to your waist has you placed firmly in his lap. 

“Let’s just stay like this darlin’” he rumbles as he continues drawing shapes into your skin, the soft timbre of his voice has you melting under his touches. You find it increasingly harder to keep your eyes open as he showers you with affection and he seems to notice your internal struggle as a low and husky chuckle reverberates through his body. “Get some sleep for me now yeah?” He whispers against your temple before placing a delicate kiss there. 

“Mm, if you don’t clean me up while I’m out I’ll kill you.” You half-heartedly slap at his chest earning you another husky giggle. 

“Of course darlin’ of course”. 

[baldursgate3tempobsessed]

Okay so thought would Astarion just be uber happy if tav is just clinging to him and is like let me stay here where it is safe for just a little longer pleaseee

I think I'm feeling the energy. And it's an actual drabble instead of a novel! Cw: In-game references, spoilers, but this is just some fluffy fluff fluff.

~

When Astarion made the decision to seduce you, it had been based in cold rationality. In the short time he had known you, you had proven to be intelligent, capable, attractive enough for sex to not feel like a total burden, and extremely hard to kill. Using a falsified relationship to wrap you around his finger was the easy choice for survival. And it did work, with varying results.

Because you provided many, many complications. Like the unfortunate reality that Astarion quickly had grown sincerely fond of you. Not only were you impressively competent, you were fun. Hilariously bitchy in a way that never failed to make him laugh. But you were still kind, kind in a meaningful way that Astarion was simply not used to.

It had felt like a shock when you were so adamant about his right to be his own person. When you didn't make him bite that drow cretin he was struck with the realization that you actually cared about him. What that thing had been offering in return would no doubt have been useful to your journey, but you didn't even give it a second thought. And Astarion wouldn't soon forget how you saying, "He said no," with so much conviction had sent a shiver up his spine.

Perhaps the whole event sent him into a tailspin that ended with him admitting his, in-hindsight, horrible plan, but it had been worth it in the end. Gods knows why, but you didn't abandon him when he revealed the truth. You just listened. You listened and opened up your mind for him to see just how much you cared for him. A care he perhaps didn't deserve, but one he would take. Even if he had no idea what the two of you were doing anymore.

But he did know that something shifted in your relationship after that, the birth of a new kind of trust. Apparently, Astarion hadn't been the only one holding back.

Because seemingly overnight, you got a lot more touchy. A facet of yourself that he really had not seen coming. Not sexually, no. You had been nothing but a dream when it came to understanding the hang-ups he had with that particular topic. But you did suddenly decide that you loved holding hands. You loved hugging him, for no reason at all. The two of you went from the occasional night together before parting ways to simply sharing a tent. And gods were you a cuddler. Every morning he would wake up with you wrapped around him, peaceful and at ease as you slept in his arms.

And... it was nice. Really, really nice. Astarion had always assumed that he would loathe being with someone who was so tactile. But it turned out when every little touch wasn't leading to mediocre and/or horrifying sex they were actually quite enjoyable. It felt good to have you so close, to know that you felt safe and comfortable with him of all people. Nice enough for Astarion to slowly get addicted to it. He wasn't quite sure when his favorite past time became reading while you laid on top of him, but he knew it claimed to top spot with startlingly speed.

Even now, with Cazador still looming, the tadpoles still squirming behind your eyes, worries and responsibilities abound, Astarion felt completely at peace. He was laying flat on his back on his bed roll, a book in one hand and the other carefully petting your hair as you dozed off; your body completely draped over him. He'd have to wake you sooner than later. Baldur's Gate was only a day's journey away now, and if you wanted to make it there before nightfall then everyone would have to get moving. He could already hear the sound of the others shuffling about.

He snapped his book shut, setting it to the side before he gently shook you, "It's time to rise and shine darling, Baldur's Gate won't be saving itself."

You mumbled as you buried your face into his chest, your words slurred, "Don't wanna. Too early."

That was another change with this newfound phase of trust. Astarion had become the only person who knew your little secret of not being a morning person. In the first few moments of wakefulness, you were at your clingiest, your whiniest, surprisingly your most honest, and arguably your most adorable state of the day. A fact that you actively hid from the rest of the group out of sheer embarrassment, but Astarion thought it was cute.

Not to mention that it made him feel special, oddly enough. That he was the only one who was allowed to see you like this; who could take care of you like this.

Astarion laughed at your response, "Tell that to the sun sweetheart. It's high-time we got going."

Despite his own words, he wasn't really doing much to move the process along. If anything he was hindering it when he wrapped his arms around you, only helping to make you more comfortable instead of less.

But then again, maybe he wasn't quite ready to let you go yet either.

You shook your head against him, your hands tightening on the fabric of his shirt, "Le'mme stay, just a little longer."

"That's easy for you to say when you're not the one to get Lae'zel's wrath," Astarion lightly argued, still making no moves to actually hurry this process along. But it was true, Lae'zel always blamed your lateness on him, her favoritism towards you blatantly obvious. The bitch. But at least she was a bitch with good taste, "I would prefer not to be murdered by a gith for being tardy."

But you were already back to being half-asleep, your internal filter completely disintegrated as you mumbled, "Feels safe here, with you. Don't wanna let it go yet. Please?"

Gods, how the in the nine hells was Astarion supposed to say no to that? He didn't. Instead the grip he had on you only tightened, the happy little sigh you let out at the movement striking him straight through the heart. He felt so... happy in that moment, through nothing more than the simplicity of holding you. Because you trusted him. You felt safe with him, which might as well have been a love confession in Astarion's world. It felt so good to have this, an intimacy that he'd been denied for centuries.

Astarion settled back, letting his own eyes close as he smiled. The others would get the two of you eventually, but until then he wasn't going anywhere. No, the two of you would be staying right here.

[scribbledghost]

Ambush

Pairing: Elder Yautja (T'Kua) x Reader (gender neutral, no Y/N)

Rating: PG-13

Word count: 1,911

Warnings: violence, minor character death, angst, fluff, hostage situation, one suggestive line of dialogue

Note: I've had this idea bouncing around in my brain for weeks, so have a fic. Lemme know what you think of my boy T'Kua :)

Dawn has just broken over the jungle horizon when you are wrenched from your slumber. You are groggy as sleep leaves you, just barely registering that T'Kua, your mate and the elder in charge of the hunting party currently camped here, has launched out of your shared bed and begun to hastily don his armor.

"What's going on?" you ask as the sounds of war meet your ears.

Something is wrong. Very, very wrong. The camp should be secure. There should be no fighting here.

You stand just as T'Kua finishes gearing up, intending to go outside to inspect the surroundings, when he puts an urgent hand up to you.

Stay, the action says. A command you reluctantly accept.

With that, T'Kua grabs his biohelmet and leaves the tent. In the flash of the outside world you see as the flaps close behind him, you see only smoke and chaos.

You pace around the tent as the sounds of gunfire, screams, and screeches meet your ears.

Humans, you realize. There should be none of those on this planet, save for you. Every fiber of your being longs to run outside, to try and see if you can aid in the conflict. But you know that if humans are indeed in the camp, then they are just as likely to shoot anything that moves before they realize you are one of their own kind.

You shudder to think of what T'Kua would do should that come to pass.

Time is meaningless within the tent. It could have been minutes or even hours before the commotion outside abruptly halts. You strain your ears, knowing the humans are speaking outside, but they are just far enough to where you cannot parse their words. So you take the opportunity to peek outside of the tent flaps.

Your stomach drops at what you see.

T'Kua is on his knees before a squad of heavily armed men, arms strung out to the side.

Clever, you think. He can't reach his detonation device without both hands.

The rest of the hunting party, T'Kua's brothers and fellow yautja you've come to bond with as well, stand tersely around their leader.

Some are injured, a fact made evident by the spatters of bright green blood clinging to their bodies. Their weapons are lowered, but you can tell each of them are like tightly strung bows, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

The humans' weapons are trained on T'Kua, and before you can stop yourself, you launch yourself from the tent into a run towards him.

"Stop!" you cry.

T'Kua's helmet jerks towards you, a pained growl leaving him as you sprint in his direction. You pay it little mind as you skid to a stop in front of him, arms spread wide as if mimicking his posture.

"Stop," you pant, "don't kill him."

You faintly hear one of the men in the firing squad utter an "oh, what the fuck" under his breath.

The air is thick with tension. Again, time matters little. You aren't sure how long you stand there, arms out in a feeble attempt to protect your mate, before the lead human lowers his gun.

"...What the hell are you protecting that... thing for?" he asks.

You pause as you think of how to explain it in a way they would understand. You know immediately they would never fathom that T'Kua is your mate; that you have the same sense to protect him as he does for you. You are unsure if they would even understand that the hunting party, and by extension the yautja as a whole, are your people. You've been with them for years. You feel more kinship with them than you ever had with other humans during your years on Earth.

"Don't kill them," you say, a desperate attempt to skirt the question and refocus on the issue at hand. "They won't harm you if you're not a threat."

Too late for that, you think. Even if the humans were to drop their weapons now, they had already sealed their own fate when they ambushed the camp. Still, it was all you could think of in the moment.

A low, furious growl from behind you undermines your statement.

"Bullshit," another man says. "They've killed five of our men already."

"Because you ambushed us," you reply.

The leader huffs a sarcastic laugh. One that settles coldly in your bones.

"Us," he repeats. "Looks like they've got you thinkin' you're one of them and not some pet for 'em to kill off when they've... had their fun."

You would've understood the implication even if he hadn't raked his eyes down your form with a salacious grin as he said it.

Another growl from behind you - this time coupled with the sound of straining rope and several other angry chuffs from T'Kua's brothers.

You want to refute the man's claim. Try and reason with him. But the atmosphere is much too tense for that now. One more foul insinuation and you can't promise a safe outcome for anyone - human or yautja.

"Look, I don't know why you're here," you say, "but if you just let us go, we'll-"

"No."

The sound chills you. T'Kua rarely speaks ooman, such language typically reserved for quiet moments between the two of you. But this is no soft moment.

"They die."

The world stills for a breath that seemed to stretch into eternity.

"Any of you freaks move a muscle," the leader says before pointing his gun at you, "and your little pet dies first."

A pause. You can practically hear the gears turning in T'Kua's head as he wracks his brain to come up with a plan. In the meantime, the lead human speaks again.

"We're from United Corp," he states. The name doesn't ring a bell, but then again, you've been away from Earth for years. "Here to scout."

You faintly hear T'Kua behind you, speaking in yautja tongue to his brothers. You can only pick up on a few words as the man drones on before you.

Ready.

Kill.

Protect.

Then, just barely loud enough for you to hear, T'Kua utters one more word in ooman.

Down.

You drop to the ground, hands over your head as guns fire, ropes snap, and yautja screech. Your eyes are pinched closed against the dirt, faintly registering the sounds of death on both sides and the feeling of a heavy presence above you.

It isn't long before the sounds of carnage end, replaced by an unsettling quiet that's punctuated by heavy breathing. You flinch as you feel a hand gently touch your shoulder, then relax when it is followed by a familiar quiet chittering.

"Over," T'Kua says softly. "Safe."

You roll onto your back before opening your eyes, seeing your mate hovering above you. A couple of his tendrils are severed, and there appears to be a deep gash along his left shoulder. It comes as a sudden shock as you realize he accepted injury in exchange for shielding you. You push yourself upwards, sitting upright as you try to wrap your arms around his torso. You allow only a moment of quiet tenderness before you're moving to stand.

"We... we need to leave," you say. "They might not be the only scouting party here."

T'Kua nods and stands with you. You watch as he bows his head, then follow his gaze to find two of his brothers lifting another's lifeless body and carrying him in the direction of your cloaked ship nearby.

There will be plenty of time to mourn once the ship is in orbit. For now, you follow T'Kua's lead and bow your head for a moment before going back to your tent to pack your things.

T'Kua is conspicuously solemn as he gathers the pelts on your shared bed. Something deeper than grief. It isn't until you catch him staring at the detonation device on his wrist that it hits you.

In yautja culture, when one loses a hunt, it's over. Yautja either return victorious, or they do not return at all. T'Kua had been captured. Despite the fact that he had ultimately won in the end, in his mind, he had lost the hunt. He lost one of his own. As their elder, it is his duty to watch over them.

Of course, death is an accepted outcome of every hunt for a yautja. But that does little to ease the pain.

You wish to comfort him. Wish to reassure him that he had not lost. But time is of the essence, and there is little left to spare as you continue to silently dismantle and carry the hunting camp back onto the ship.

Watching T'Kua pilot the ship away from the planet you've called home for the past several months is bittersweet. The hunt is not finished, but it cannot be helped. Yautja do not know the concept of retreating, but given the unknown number of more humans on the planet and the lack of preparation that comes with it, it is better to return to Yautja Prime for now until more reconnaissance can be done. You have little doubt that this is the last time you've seen this planet.

Injuries are quickly tended to before the yautja return to the front of the ship to mourn. Once the proper funerary rites are performed for T'Kua's brother and the ship is bound for home, you follow your mate to his quarters. As the door closes, you tenderly grab his wrist and remove the detonator from it.

"You did not fail," you say softly as you sit the device on a shelf.

T'Kua removes his biohelmet and places it next to your bed. He turns to you, resting a hand against your cheek.

"Almost... lost you," he says slowly. "Did... lose..."

"I know," you answer, placing your hand atop his. "but you killed the enemy. The rest of us are safe. I'm safe. You did not fail."

"When you came to me," T'Kua says, then pauses, "...scared. Very scared."

It is nearly unheard of for T'Kua to admit fear, but he will do so when it comes to you. Perhaps not when others are present, but you know he fears for your safety. And you know that today did not do anything to assuage that fear.

You decide not to discuss it further. There is no need to. Instead, you reach up to his shoulder to run a hand along the skin near his now-healing wound as you look at the several tendrils that are now considerably shorter than the rest.

"You got wounded protecting me," you say softly.

"Is nothing," he responds. "You are mate. Will kill for mate. Will die for mate."

You need no reassurances to know he means it.

T'Kua removes the rest of his weapons and armor with your aid, placing them in their proper places before you reach for him and guide him to bed. Yautja Prime is a long way away, and the others are more than capable of piloting the ship in the time it will take for T'Kua to rest.

He lies with you, pulling you to him before you close your eyes and focus on his heartbeat beneath your ear. You will be surprised if he actually sleeps, but you suppose any rest at all is better than none.

He runs a tender mandible along the crown of your head as holds you tighter.

[lizard-on-a-window-pane]

reader getting upset over a prank the boys pulled on her and boyfriend!remus trying to make it up to her

not sure how i feel about this one, but i started writing it thinking i was writing a blurb then it just spilled out; i hope you like it! it was a fun one

pairing: Remus x reader

word count: 1.5k (not proofread, sorry)

“Y/N?” Another knock. “Y/N, c’mon, love. Please open the door.” He’d been at it for a while, and you finally go to your door. You open it, flip him off, and shut it in his face again. “I get that you’re upset, okay? We messed up, but I swear we thought it would only last a few minutes!” You open the door again, glaring at him, and make an aggressive shooing gesture. You’re shutting it again, but Remus puts his foot in the door to jam it. “Hey, sweetheart, c’mon, let me just talk to you, okay?” He looks like he’s approaching a feral animal as he scoots his way into the room with his hands up. With how angry you are, he might as well be. 

You stomp over to your desk and write something on your notebook. You hold it up for him, and it reads, I CAN’T talk you moron!

He chuckles. Bad idea — if your seething glare could kill him, it would. You throw the notebook back on the desk, stomp over to him, and attempt to push him out your door. He’s much stronger than you, and though he lets you jostle him, he doesn’t leave. “I’m sorry; I’m sorry; I’m sorry. I shouldn’t’ve laughed, lovely. I’m sorry,” he rushes. You stop trying to push him over the threshold. 

“We had an oral exam in Herbology today, you complete arsehole!” you yell at him, and —you’d been holding out hope that it wouldn’t — but your voice comes out just as high and squeaky as it had been all day. You sound completely ridiculous, like you’d just inhaled unreasonable amounts of helium. It makes sounding angry impossible, and you can tell Remus is fighting back a laugh. Not being taken seriously when you’re so upset drives you even further into your rage. You groan frustratedly, and worse, you do something you tend to do when you’re angry: start crying. You cover your face and turn away from him. “Fuck. Hey, don’t cry, love.” He comes toward you and puts his hands on your shoulders.

You push him away and snap, whispering this time in the hopes of sounding less silly (you don’t), “I’m not sad; I’m angry, okay? And you’re stupid prank doesn’t even let me show you that! You ruined my exam, Remus! And I’d been so nervous about it; you know how hard I worked to prepare for it! But how could she take me seriously sounding like this? And I kept getting flustered by and it and, and,” you start breaking down, and now you are crying from both anger and sadness. 

“I’m sorry. I’m a complete idiot,” Remus says, and your head snaps up at him at hearing this — he sounds like you. You just stare at him in shock. “Wow. I sound ridiculous,” he giggles. “What the fuck, Rem?” He holds up a little empty vial. “We’re in it together now, love. As long as you sound like this, so do I,” he informs you with a silly determination. You give him a little shove. “Remus! That doesn’t fix anything!” “Yes, well… I’m working on that.” 

“What?” “You’ll see,” he says. Then, “I hope,” more softly. You’re staring confusedly at him. “Okay, what do you want me to do? Come up with the most embarrassing thing, and I’ll do it. Who should I talk to sounding like this? McGonagall? The entire Great Hall? I think most people are still at dinner. Take your pick, Y/N, and I’ll go make an arse out of myself.” “You’ve already made an arse out of yourself,” you say, the edge in your voice softening. Remus notices, and he clings to the signs of your letting him in again. “Yes, well, being in love will do that, you know? I just love you so much.” “Save it,” you say, rolling your eyes. “It was worth a shot,” he concedes, giving you his best puppy dog eyes. “And I do. Love you, I mean. Even though I’m an arse.” “Hm,” is all you give him in response, but your lip is quirking slightly. He ventures a step toward you, and you let him.

“I really am sorry, Y/N. We should’ve been more careful.” You glare at him. “Okay, okay,” he holds his hands up in surrender at your look, understanding immediately. “Okay, we shouldn’t’ve done it at all.” You nod. He adds in a whisper, “to you..” You try to glare at him at this, but you can’t help finding it a bit funny, and you snort mid-glare. He gives a full laugh, and taking his chances at your thawing demeanour, wraps you in a big hug. You groan but don’t pull away. “I’m sorry, lovely,” he says into your hair, placing a kiss there. “I’ll fix it; I promise.” You pull back to look at him, but don’t move completely out of his embrace. 

“How?”

“Well, I have my two best guys on that as we speak,” he offers with a mock-seriousness that sounds hilarious in his current voice, making you chuckle. “What are those two idiots doing?” “What I told them to,” he says with fake-authority. “Mhm. And why aren’t you fixing it yourself?” “Because.” He gives you a squeeze. “I had the most important — and dangerous — job of the three: apologizing and comforting you.” “Well, you’re not doing a great job,” you respond, but there’s a lightness to your voice that wasn’t there before. “How can I make it up to you?” You shake your head and sigh a sigh of defeat. 

“Dunno,” you whisper. “Can you take go back in time and not do it at all?” “‘Fraid not.” “Then there’s not much you can do.” You shift out of his arms and go sit on the edge of your bed. He follows and wraps an arm around you, rubbing your arm soothingly. He looks behind him at your bedside table and reaches over to it then settles back in next to you. You notice he’s grabbed the novel you’re in the middle of. He opens it and starts reading to you. It sounds absolutely ridiculous, and you’re laughing before you can stop yourself.  He looks over at you with the warmest smile, seeing you a bit happier melting him.

“I think I make it sound quite cool, actually.” 

“Oh, you do, do you?” you snark. “You sound absurd.” But you’re smiling subtly and leaning into him. He reads a couple more paragraphs, and you finally stop him, closing the book in his lap. “Okay, okay, stop, Lupin. You’re going to ruin it.” 

“I thought you liked it when I read to you?” “Because I like the sound of your voice, you idiot. Your normal voice. This… this is the opposite of soothing.” 

“Fair enough,” he laughs. “I like the sound of your voice no matter what you sound like.” You squint at him like you don’t buy it. “I mean, your usual voice is a bit sexier than this, but hey, I’m sure I can make this work, too, if I need to, in the heat of the moment.” He jokingly runs his hand up your thigh, and you shove him away with an eye roll. He keeps laughing and reaches for your hand. When you let him hold it, he brings it to his lips and kisses the back of it. 

Just then, the sound of heavy footsteps on the stairs makes you look up. Sirius and James rush into your room. They both seem a little out of breath. Remus stands up, not letting go of your hand, and asks them, “Well?” At the sound of his voice, both boys crack up. 

“Keep it together, you idiots! How did it go?” Remus urges them, but he’s laughing too at the sound of himself. James tosses him a little vial, and Sirius offers a self-satisfied smirk. 

“That,” James says, pointing at the vial, “ought to undo it immediately.” “And,” Sirius continues seamlessly, “Professor Sprout —thanks to my unbelievable charm — ” all three of you glare at him, “and Remus’s offer to help her sift the fertilizer this weekend,” he adds in a quick whisper at which Remus can’t help but wince, “has agreed to let you retake the exam tomorrow.” You jump up eagerly, squeezing Remus’s hand, your eyes wide in excitement.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” you say, and when James and Sirius start laughing at the sound of it, you join them. Seeing your reaction, Remus lets himself laugh too. 

Still giggly, you grab the serum from Remus and unceremoniously swig down half. 

“The three of you are idiots,” you try, and unlike your voice, the squeal of excitement that comes out of you is high-pitched and piercing. You’re back to normal. Remus reaches for the vial, but you snatch it further from him and put it behind your back. 

“Uh-uh, lover boy. You’re going to have to earn this.”

 You give him a cruel smirk, and over the sound of James and Sirius’ increased laughter, you hear his defeated but still hilarious voice say, “Fair enough, love.”

P.S. i know sprout was probably after their time, but whatever

[thegnomelord]

Shark

- 🦈

(WOBSVHDVUH. HOLY MOTHER OF SHARKS. HOW DO YOU WRITE SO GOOD. Gosh you, darn you, daum you. Fuel my god daum brainrot.

Now im thinkin of angst. DONT WRITE IT, I CANNOT HANDLE YOUR WRITING IN ANGST. THIS IS JUST A BRAIN BLURB.

Price is close to death whether it be the ultimte battle between the destruction of all that can die or of a horrid enemy, they have yet to defeat.

Price is alive, but too far to be ever saved. The boys want to summon their captain's ole friend, to say a well had goodbye, maybe even save him. But no books, no scrolls, nor anything etched in stone on the surface depicts them. Nothing.

Price dies knowing hes lived a good life, praying to all the gods that his beloved eldritch dosent destroy the surface he called home.

The only way the poor eldritch finds out, are when Prices ashes are swallowed by the waves.

In every storm, waves tower over the heights of skyscraper, to the point not even those that could fly can cross. Death is quick when it comes to the ocean, like it trying to collect all power it can withhold. Creatures are cruel when it comes to what has killed their gods beloved, relentlessly acttacting what they can. Sharks are rare, to the point their sighting have come near myth or legend. Yet, they will always come come towards any that is draconic for they miss them. Ocean creatures, humanoid or not, would cry with no control, close to fire, dragons or smoke. They grieve. They all grieve.

But, Dragons seem to live longer when close to the waves. Saving them in dire situations when the fall from they sky, wounds healed when submerged in the salty sea. Even if you were pure fire, absolute whole magma. You'd be saftely cradled in any and all water. Water is the safest, the safest they have ever felt in all of their exsistence. They know this feeling, it is old, it is familiar, it is embedded in blood.

For the ocean rembers, it always remembers.)

Okay honestly your brain farts are always so good but. . . But . . . I'm so sorry sharky. This came to before you even wrote your ask and now I have to do it, you're just the sacrificial goat. . .

CW: SFW, angst, made myself cry :/ Got some idea inspo from @heliumknife

John Price doesn't die on a notable day. He doesn't die on the day of reckoning, doesn't die on the day fire rains from the sky and blood muddles your oceans, doesn't die alongside human gods, doesn't die on the day he may meet what made him and hear he was a good man.

John Price dies on a regular Tuesday night.

Not even a blip on the radar.

Having saved the oblivious world yet again he retches a bloodied cough as he stumbles on the beach he'd ended up on. His legs give out, the course sand rubbing his skin when he falls, red blood slowly seeping between the grains. Distantly he can hear his boys calling for him, watching the waves wash onto the shore, the tide too low to reach him; too low for you to sense him.

He can feel Gaz scrambling to stem his bleeding, Soap desperately searching through the first aid kit, Ghost barking on the coms that Price is hit. And as the world begins to grow quiet, the low murmur of waves washing upon the sand filling his ears, washed up amber glittering in his blurring eyes, the scent of seaweed and brine filling his rapidly slowing lungs—

Price smiles — he'll slumber with you soon.

Only when the morning tide comes in do you sense his blood, do you rouse from the depths like lightning, waking from a nightmare to find it has followed you to the waking world.

You're too late.

Like always.

He's so still.

Peaceful — worry lines and wrinkles smoothed out and face relaxed you could delude yourself into thinking he's just sleeping. Oh those dragons with their slumber; he'll grumble when you go to wake him, demanding five more bloody minutes of your attention as if he's the god here. Cling to you like a barnacle and growling like a kitten until you give in and lay down next to him. Give a rumbling purr and laugh at how he got a god wrapped around his finger until you shut him up with a kiss.

But you can't.

Your vessel's eyes keep darting to the blood staining his clothes, the crusted red lines trailing from his lip down his chin, the stillness of his chest, the silence.

They tell you John Price died protecting his team from a brutal foe. John Price died protecting the world. John Price died protecting the very people who in your recent shared memory had been happy to sharpen sticks and melt rock into to steel all in an vain attempt at glory. . .

John Price died a hero.

Your John died.

And you weren't there.

"Hey. . ." You look at Gaz when he speaks, standing on the opposite side of the medical table they've laid his body on. ". . .I know you two were, close." He chokes up, voice rough and nasally, fresh tear tracks staining his cheeks.

You envy him for it. For once you wish you were the ant on a circuit board instead of it's maker, just so you could see the world like they do, mourn like they do — open, visible, showing you cared, showing he wasn't just a toy in your sandbox. That Price was the voice you'd hear when loosening the noose of the rope, the beckoning call beyond the reach of your waves, the one that held that wretched excuse you call a heart.

But you can't.

All your treacherous vessel manages to achieve is a small dip in the corner of your lip. "So were you." Your voice is low and garbled like you're drowning, the rumble of icebergs scraping on the ocean floor filling the silence behind each syllable.

Gaz flinches like he'd been slapped, unable to look at the man he loved as much as you did. "Yeah," His gaze flickers everywhere like fleeing fishes in a reef, "I'm sorry." He blurts out.

"Don't be." You don't look at him, your cold hand reaching out to trace Price's jaw, coarse beard scratching your flesh. "You loved him when I couldn't." A part of you wants to be angry at Gaz for harboring John's affection and attention, that it's not fair for him to be able to mourn when you've known your John long before Athenians and Spartans decided to throw hissy fits in your waters. But you can't call yourself a lover he deserved when you met him so rarely, a blink of the eye for you and a century passes.

"Are you going to kill us now?" Kyle asks, not scared, as if he's expecting it.

It shames you, but you thought about it; of sea life growing gigantic and voracious under your influence, of making the sky weep in your stead, of violent waves rising up and devouring the planet for taking away your world. What's the point of it's existence when the one who made it shine has been snuffed out?

"No," You sigh in resignation. You can't, not while there are still people and places John loved, not while vestiges of him remain. You can't kill what's left of him, protect them like you couldn't do with him.

Gaz tells you they plan to cremate him in line with dragon customs, only to take a step back when you pick your John up to cradle in your arms, his loose wing draping over your shoulder, his head resting on your shoulder, nose buried in your neck as if he's scenting you once again.

"I'll come to collect the rest of you when you pass." You say before disappearing with Price, because if you had to answer Gaz's questions — Why are you taking his body when you weren't even there when he died? Why do you act like you care when you saw him so rarely? Why are you taking him away from Gaz when he was the one who loved Price? What gives you the right? — you would have drowned a country.

Water rushes around him the moment you are back in your element, holding him in a cradle made of your waters like the first time he'd fallen into the ocean so many millennia ago. Water bubbles escape his open mouth as your waves caress and kiss each inch of him, crusted blood muddling the brine around him as you pull him as close to your real body as you can.

Searching.

You can feel his soul once your waters have kissed every inch of his skin, faint yet stubbornly clinging on somewhere in the aether, no doubt giving Death a headache.

You were once a soul too were you not? Just a dead thing too dumb to know it died; somewhere deep beneath the individual writhing sharks and decaying corpses and fossilized bone making up your body resides your original one, nothing but a chunk of rock with the imprint of what you had as a skeleton at the time.

For if Death doesn't come to claim it, a soul won't die until the body's gone. You had slipped past the cracks, grew fat and large on the other souls until Death could no longer touch you without fear of being swallowed whole.

You doubt it would let Price slip through like it had with you, fortunately you put claim on his soul long ago. You swim to the deepest part of the earth where burning geothermal vents spew minerals into freezing cold waters, where you slumber and feed on the souls of the dead.

You curl around him, living and dead bodies parting until Price rests wrapped around the oldest part of you.

Embracing you like he always wanted to.

He waited so long for you.

Now it's your turn to wait. This time you will be there.

And if the oceans above rage for months, if the season long rain floods the streets, if the weather makes it so that in the crushing depths no one can pick out your tears from the ocean brine, all the better.

[i-thirsty-boi]

700 Follower Special ~ Platonic Yandere Mo'at X Fem Human Reader

~A/N: This idea had been plaguing me while I was trying to sleep, so I decided to tie this in with a follower milestone. I hope you guys enjoy this!

Masterlist

CW: possessive behavior, obssessive behavior, adult fem reader, kidnapping, forced body modification (you'll see), forced proximity

~

-You had been part of the first people going to Pandora to study the things there. You were the youngest person to go there. You had made quick friends with some of the other scientists, like Grace, Norm, and Max. And you also got along well with Jake Sully, though he wasn’t exactly a scientist. 

-You had loved getting to study the plant life on Pandora, though you were a rather small person and the massive size of most of the things on the planet made you nervous. Especially having to be accompanied by the people in avatar bodies. 

-You knew they were there to protect you, but having them standing around you made you kind of scared. You were dwarfed by everything there and you hated it. 

-So, because of that, you tried to stay in the labs as much as you possibly could. And it worked because you didn’t have to take much of a plant to have enough of it to work with for weeks. 

-But, you were running out of your current ones and had to go on the trip outside the labs with everyone. 

So, here you were, one of the only people moving through the forest as a human. You hadn’t thought much when rejecting the offer of an avatar, liking your body and wanting to stay in it no matter how much easier it would be if you were in a navi body. 

You had been in the back of the group, occasionally stopping to gather more samples, when you spotted something you didn’t have a ways off of the path you guys were on. You turned to the group and asked Jake to come with you to get some of the plant that you saw. He agreed and barely remembered to tell the rest of them before following after you. You had walked for longer than you had expected before being able to get some of the plant, Jake standing behind you and looking around. Though, neither of you had noticed the massive six-legged creature coming your way. 

You had just closed your bag with the samples in it when you heard something. Jake heard it too, and both of you slowly turned to look at the predator stalking you. It didn’t take long for it to lunge at you two, making Jake snatch you up into his arms and run away from it. You had been clinging to him while being chased before suddenly feeling weightless, before looking over your shoulder and screaming as you fell down in the air from the cliff Jake jumped off of. You had buried your face in his neck and clung to him as hard as you could, and he wrapped you with his body as you hit the water below you. 

-As you both got to the bank of the lake you landed in, you curled up and coughed up some water as Jake flopped onto his back next to you. As soon as you stopped coughing you slapped his arm and yelled at him. But you immediately apologized afterwards and thanked him for saving you. 

-He accepted your apology before looking around you, trying to find out if he could get you both back to the labs. But, he just stood back up and helped you to your feet before starting to walk away from the lake. 

-As you followed after him you started to hear more concerning sounds around you. You grabbed onto Jake’s pants before more creatures jumped out and surrounded you. You were dragged onto the ground as he fell back against a log next to you. 

-Though out of nowhere, an actual navi came to your rescue and killed them. You were still trembling on the ground as Jake tried to get help from her. 

-You quickly got up and went with them as they walked away from you quickly. You caught up while balancing on a log and peeked around Jake’s leg as you tried asking her to help you make it to the lab yourself. You felt like bursting into tears as she hissed at you. Though Jake put his hand on your shoulder to try and comfort you when he saw your reaction. 

Though before anyone could speak again, you looked up as white things came floating towards you and Jake. He backed up in his confusion, but you were rooted in place, standing still while looking up at them. They came closer to you and eventually landed all over you, one was even right in the middle of your forehead, almost caressing your face. It didn’t take long for them to start drifting away from you, you glanced back and saw the same had happened to Jake. You turned back and saw the woman looking at the two of you with an amazed expression on her face. 

You backed up into Jake as she walked closer to you. You were almost hyperventilating as she tried to touch your face. Luckily, Jake put his hand on her shoulder and said that she was making you nervous, and that you rarely chose to leave the labs. You were very out of your comfort zone and were glad that he was sticking up for you. You went back to being slightly behind him as she said she had to bring you two back to her clan to meet the leaders. You almost teared up hearing that. 

She continued along the log, you two following her. However, you were brought down with Jake again as his ankles were caught in something. And again, he shielded your fall with his own body. You looked up after he landed and actually started crying when seeing multiple navi men on Pandoran horses. You flinched when the woman dropped down next to you and started talking to the apparent leader of the group. She obviously reached a solution because she came back and cut the rope tying Jake’s ankles together. 

-Once he was cut free, she told him that he must follow them to the heart of their clan. You were trembling as you tried to keep up with everyone. 

-She noticed and went back to snatch you up and carry you. You flinched hard when she touched you, letting out a few tears while trying to not look at the rest of the natives in the group. 

-It was embarrassing to be held by her like a child, though you supposed you shouldn’t be surprised with how small you were compared to her. 

-You looked around in wonder as you made it to their home. You wondered if you truly looked like a child to them at that moment. Probably. 

-You quickly made your way to the center of their home, their leader coming down from a tree to stand in front of you. You were set down and quickly went to be beside Jake again, and buried your face in his pant leg, trying to calm yourself down. 

-You were listening to them, the woman and their leader, go back and forth before Jake said something about fathers and stepped away from you. You felt the color leave your face as they were all eyeing you. 

-In the midst of your renewed panic, a woman in a shall came down from the tree as well and silenced the crowd. 

Once she was in front of Jake, she talked to him, in english! You perked up at that and paid attention to her. She asked him some questions, to which he answered. Then she moved to you and crouched in front of you to ask you some as well. 

Your eyes widened in fear as she looked you up and down. She asked you what you were doing there, and you said that you were a scientist, like Grace, and that you just needed more plants to study, so you came into the forest. Then looked down while saying that you ventured to get one and got lost, and that Jake was with you to protect you. When you were done talking, she used her hand to lift your face. 

You looked into her eyes curiously as she asked how you changed her daughter's mind about leaving you, so you told her about the floating white things that covered your body. Then asked what they were. She said they were seeds of eywa, and you just raised your brows at that. Your reaction amused her, apparently, as she dragged you with her as she went back to where Jake, the woman, and the leader were standing. 

-You curled into yourself as she inspected Jake closer, even pricking him with the knife hanging from her head. You prepared for the same to happen to you, but she seemed much more gentle when doing it with you. 

-Once she was done, she addressed the whole clan, telling them that eywa had given her a sign. That the two of you are to learn from them and prove your worth. You teared up at the message, knowing you wouldn’t be back at the lab anytime soon. 

-You tried to go back to Jake, but the older woman grabbed you and brought you up the tree with her. You frantically looked back at Jake, but he was being taken in the other direction by the first woman. 

-You were taken into a hut higher up in the tree, and forced to sit down in front of her. You continued trembling as she grabbed a few bowls and some scraps of fabric over to you. 

-She said that you had to change into different clothes before she put some salves on your injuries. You just nodded before reaching out for the clothes she had. She just set down the bowls before helping you stand up and grabbing at your clothes. 

-You panicked and tried to push away from her, but she just reprimanded you like a child, before taking your clothes off herself. 

-You covered yourself as she untangled the fabrics. And once she saw you covering yourself, she huffed at you before moving your arms and helping you into the top first. It barely covered your chest, making you blush. 

-She looked from the loincloth to you, then went to grab another piece of fabric and sewing it into the back string of the loincloth, then tied it around your waist for you. You were thankful for the extra piece that was now covering your butt. 

-You continued staying still as she grabbed one of the bowls and got some of the salve and rubbed it on your scrapes. Then used a different one for the bruises you had. 

-You quietly thanked her as she put the bowls back in their places. She smiled at you before coming back over and picking you up into her arms. You harshly gasped, but chose to grip her as she walked back down the tree with you. 

As she got back to the ground, you saw Jake making his way back to the other woman and sitting on a log, also wearing navi clothes. You waited for the woman to set you down so you could go sit with him, but she just took you with her to the leader. She sat down on a log next to him, with you settled in her lap, and you curled into yourself. She just patted your hip before asking you for your name. You looked up at her before introducing yourself. She repeated your name back to you with some navi words, and you nodded after she was done. 

She introduced herself and her husband, as well as explaining that they were the leaders of the clan, the olo’eyktan and tsahik. Their names were Mo’at and Eytukan. You just nodded at them before saying that it was nice to meet them. You almost flinched again as he got up and came back with some big leaves. She unwrapped it revealing some food. Meat. 

You just looked at it from behind your mask. You couldn’t smell it, but it did look good. She grabbed a tiny bit of it and brought it up to your face. You just looked at it before looking back at her. She looked almost demanding, so you carefully lifted your mask so she could feed you. As soon as her hand was far enough away from you, you brought your mask back down and sealed it to your face again. 

-You chewed it as she looked down at you. You told her that it tasted amazing as soon as you had swallowed it. You also asked what the other woman’s name was that had helped you. And she told you it was her daughter Neytiri. 

-You just smiled and nodded at her. She took a couple of bites herself before giving another to you. 

-This routine continued until the food was gone. She handed the leaf to her husband before pulling you to lean against her. You tensed as she rubbed your side. 

-You asked if you could go to Jake, which she immediately shut down. You just nodded while looking in his direction. But he was focused on Neytiri. You sighed before relaxing against Mo’at. 

-She hugged you to her as you saw people going into a multitude of hammocks in the trees. Which you had to admit was interesting to see. 

-You yelped when you were abruptly lifted up. Mo’at was looking at you and told you to hold on tight, which you immediately did. She then began climbing up a tree, following her husband, and made her way to a more open and spacious hammock. 

-You nervously looked at him as she laid down with you. Luckily, it wasn’t between the two of them. You just nervously cuddled into her side and slowly went to sleep. 

-Eytukan just asked his mate what she saw in the little sky person. Mo’at said that eywa gave her a sign. That you were like her oldest, alive again. She said she had the chance to protect you, like she couldn’t with her first daughter. Her mate just sighed before putting his arm around her, resting his hand against your side. 

… 

-Jake woke up back in the link pod to Grace in front of him. 

-He excitedly shared where his other body was, and that he would be learning the ways of the people from the olo’eyktan’s daughter. 

-Grace said that it was wonderful, then asked where you were. 

-He just went silent, then said that you were at the same place as him. In the clan’s home. But he wasn’t sure where you went after dinner. Though he did see you with the tsahik. 

-Grace just sighed before putting him back in his wheelchair and pushing him to where dinner for his human self was. But she said he would have to get you back here soon, considering how scared you probably were there. 

-He sheepishly admitted that he forgot about that and told her he would try his hardest to get you back to the labs. 

… 

The morning after, Jake was able to steal you from Mo’at, saying he wanted to get some fruit for you. And that he had missed you last night. 

He grabbed you and your bag and headed off into the forest in the direction he was pointed to. He also pretended to not notice Neytiri following you two. That was until she stopped the two of you to ask where you were going. Jake looked her in the eyes before saying to get some fruit again. 

Neytiri huffed at him before saying that he wouldn’t have your bag if that were the case. He just sighed before holding you tighter and saying that he knew you were terrified in the village, because you had always been scared of things as big as the navi. Plus, Grace made him promise that he would get you back to the labs as soon as possible. 

Neytiri just looked him up and down before moving her gaze onto you, who was hiding in his neck and trembling. She said she could get you there, but wasn’t sure how her mother would think of it, since she clearly likes you. He just barely smiled and said that he was sure she would understand. Neytiri huffed but started to guide them to a big clearing and made a loud noise, which made you flinch. 

In almost no time a massive winged creature touched down near her, and she got on it. She directed Jake to get on behind her so he could guide her to the human building, and bring him back after. He quickly hopped on, still holding you tight. She went up into the air and Jake told her to fly in the direction they came from last night. Following that path, they made it to the labs quickly. Once you saw the building, you hopped off the thing, grabbed your bag from Jake, thanked them, then sprinted to the doors, going inside as quickly as you possibly could. 

Neytiri squinted at you, and Jake huffed before saying that you would probably go to your bed and cry. She looked concerned, but he just said that even being around him in that body made you nervous, so he couldn’t imagine how scared you were while with the rest of the navi. She nodded at him before making her way back to her home. 

-They see Mo’at waiting for them before they even land. She’s immediately on him, asking him where you are. 

-He put his hands up and said that they took you back to the labs, where you wanted to be. He continues talking, saying that you must have been so scared being around so many navi at once. And that things that big had always terrified you. 

-Mo’at’s tail was angrily swishing behind her, and she growled at him after he finished talking. She yelled at him that he shouldn’t have done that. That eywa had given her a sign that you were meant to be with her. That you were like her first daughter. 

-Neytiri was just looking between them with a conflicted expression. She wanted to follow the will of eywa, but she had seen how scared you were. And how relieved you were to be back with the other sky people. 

-She got roped into the lecture with Jake before they were sent off to start training. Mo’at just said that they will be forgiven when they bring you back. 

… 

-Meanwhile, you were back in the lab, getting back into regular clothes after a nice shower. You had eaten a regular meal before crawling into your bed and going right back to sleep. 

-You woke up around lunch time and chose to tell Grace what had happened to you. You told her how uncomfortable it was being treated like a little kid by the tsahik of the clan. 

-Grace just listened to you before comforting you once you were done talking. You melted into her for the entire time she sat with you. 

-But, you eventually went back to your bed to grab your bag and get your samples to bring to your lab station. You had enough of them to not need to go outside for at least a month, maybe two. 

-You happily continued your research, documenting it along the way. You were just happy that you didn’t have to go out of your comfort zone for a while. 

… 

-Things continued that way for the time until your samples ran out. You happily did your experiments. 

-And Jake had been going through tough training everyday, at the orders of Mo’at, until he could bring you back to the clan. He told her it would be a while until you thought of going outside again for more samples. 

-She just said to tell her when you were going out so she could go get you herself, for once thankful that he went back to his human body at night. 

-It took too long, in her opinion, for him to reluctantly tell her that you had run out of samples and would be going outside to get more the next day. 

-She was so relieved that she had brought him into a hug. She absently said that she had to get ready for you, hurrying to her hut to do something. Jake couldn’t help but be concerned for you. 

… 

You had put on a mask and grabbed your bag before going outside for more samples. Making sure to let the others know where you would be going. You carefully made your way down the path, occasionally stopping to grab a part of some of the plants. You would occasionally stop and look around, thinking you heard something and feeling watched. 

You grabbed a plant to fill your final sample container, before hurrying back down the path you came from. You keep thinking you hear something, but brush it off as you jog back towards the labs, getting faster as you go. 

You’re about to break the treeline when one of the winged creatures lands in front of you. You screamed and fell to the ground, crawling away from it. You’re immediately sent into a panic as the navi woman who had babied you hops off of the creature. You just continued backing up as she came towards you. You just breathed heavily as she kneeled in front of you and gently picked you up. She rubbed your back as she got back on the creature and flew away from the labs. 

-It didn’t take you long to make it back to the clan, to your dismay. Once you were in front of the people, you saw the apologetic and guilty look on Jake’s face. You knew what that meant and don't really blame him for whatever he did. You just subtly nodded at him as you were carried into her hut again. 

-Once you were in the hut she put you on your feet and took your regular clothes from you, and didn’t put them in a place to take them back this time. 

-She put you in a navi top again, a new one that fit you better, and a new loincloth as well. They both seemed to be made with you in mind, which made you very nervous. 

-And instead of stopping at just the clothes, she put some accessories on you as well. A necklace, two anklets, and a decorative headband. You just squirmed as she dolled you up. She shushed you as she adjusted everything, smiling at you once she was done. 

-She stepped back to admire you before picking you up again and making her way back down the tree. 

You made it back to the crowd of people, clinging to her the whole time. Once you stopped moving, you lifted your head. She said something in navi to the crowd, and got cheers in return. You were just looking up at the treetops when you saw one of the floating white things coming down to you. As it got closer, everyone else saw it too. And, once again, it landed directly on your forehead, caressing your face, before floating off again. 

The entire clan was in awe from the sight. It was one thing to hear about the signs from eywa, and another to see one with their own eyes. They immediately started cheering again, knowing for sure that Mo'at saying you were her daughter returned was true. You were suddenly held up in the air facing the people, which just made you tense more and widen your eyes. 

-Though it didn’t take long for you to be brought back into her arms again. Cradled like a little kid. You wiggled in her arms as she held you to her chest. 

-She just shushed and cooed at you while staying in front of the clan. Looking to the side as her mate made his way over to her. 

-Eytukan stopped next to her and looked down at the human in his wife’s arms. He looked into her eyes and was starting to see what his wife was talking about. You were cute to him, there was no denying that, but he didn’t feel as strongly about you as his wife.

-Mo’at herself just stroked your back with her free hand, before unconsciously sniffing you. She was displeased that you smelled overwhelmingly like sky person, though figured it couldn’t be helped. She just huffed before telling her husband that she needed to bathe you. 

She stopped by her pod to grab the bathing supplies before heading off to the bathing pool with you still in her arms. Once she got there, she set down the pouch at the edge of the pool before quickly undressing you again. She set you in the pool before undressing herself. She looked at you treading water in the pool and smiled before hopping in herself, but she was able to stand in it. She grabbed the supplies she would need to wash your hair, then turned to see you facing your body away from her. Mo’at huffed before gently grabbing you and pulling you in front of her and beginning to scrub your hair and scalp. She was pleased that you were finally relaxing against her. It didn’t take her long to wash and rinse your hair before she moved on to washing your body. You tried to squirm away from her, but she just held you in place while washing you with her other hand. Even with your whining, she was finished quickly. She brought you out of the water and quickly redressed you before dressing herself. 

-She was very pleased that you no longer smelled like one of the sky people. She had a pep in her step as she made her way back to the clan with you. 

-She arrived again, very pleased with herself. You looked adorable to her, but the mask you needed to breathe bothered her a lot. It made your cute face look nearly unpleasant to her. 

-She told her husband that she would be going to pray to eywa with you, and to let the other healers know to take over while she was gone. 

-And with that, she made her way to the spirit tree with you to consult with eywa about her new daughter needing a mask to live. Hoping that eywa would be able to help her and give you a small blessing. 

-She had finally made it to the tree, and saw the look of awe on your face, which made her smile

-Mo’at made her way to the center of the tree, and placed you down on the ground, firmly telling you to stay in place. She then connected her queue to one of the glowing vines to connect with eywa and make her prayers known. 

-She had been facing a way that she could look at you and saw you laying with wide eyes as tendrils from the ground connected to your body. She continued her prayers and pleads until the tendrils retreated back into the ground. 

-Mo’at quickly went over to kneel next to you and gently removed your mask, keeping it close if you struggled to breathe. But you surprised her by taking a few big gasps of air, before your breathing slowed and you looked confused, because you were breathing fine without your mask. 

-You looked up at her with the most adorable confused look on your face before Mo’at engulfed you in her arms after throwing the mask away from you. In your confusion you ended up clinging to her while softly crying. 

-She was so thankful that eywa had heard her prayers and granted you this ability to live free of that mask. 

She picked you up into her arms again while making her way back to her people for the final time that day. Once she arrived with you, people immediately took notice of the change that had happened. Some of them gathered around her and asked what happened. And Mo’at gladly told them that the great mother had blessed her new daughter with the ability to breathe their air. They all congratulated her before going back to what they were doing. 

She was making her way back to her healing hut when she crossed paths with her daughter and Jake. He looked at you in complete shock, immediately asking what happened with your mask. Mo’at told them that she had prayed to the great mother, and she had given you a blessing that rid you of the need for the mask. You sighed into her neck, since you had defeatedly cuddled into her side since you had left the tree. Jake had wide eyes, and had put a hand over his mouth in the shock of the news. Neytiri was just smiling before going over and rubbing her new sister’s side, giving her congratulations. 

She then noticed the atmosphere between you and Jake and grabbed him to talk to him separately to not ruin her mother’s good mood. She was happy that her mother was happy, and that she could have a sister again. But she had to know why Jake was so upset about it first. 

-Once they had made it a bit away into the forest before she turned and asked him why he had reacted like that. 

-Jake just sighed, putting his hands behind his head and tipping it back. He said that he knew you would have never wanted this. You were content to be in the labs here, working with the plants. You were scared of almost everything outside of the labs, and now you most likely couldn’t go back without it majorly affecting you. 

-He saw the defeat in your eyes and knew that it was, a good bit, his fault. And he felt so guilty for doing that to you. 

-Neytiri was, again, torn. She now knew how much you didn’t want to be here, but also knew it was the will of eywa for you to be here. She sighed before pacing in front of Jake. 

-She told him that understood his pain a little bit, but also insisted that eywa worked to maintain the balance of life there. And you being here was a part of that balance. But, she could make sure that you got some time to yourself every once in a while, with the excuse of sibling bonding. 

-Jake looked in her eyes, before nodding. He told her that he wasn’t upset at anyone but himself. And that he was very thankful for her suggestion. 

-She smiled before saying that they should go and spend some time with you. 

-He just barely smiled before taking her hand and walking back to the village with her. 

They made it back quickly and went to Mo’at’s healing tent to go see you. You were sitting on the floor while Mo’at was mixing more salves and balms. You looked up at them as they walked in, still looking very disinterested in what was happening around you. Neytiri greeted her mother before going to sit next to you. Jake said hello to Mo’at before going to sit on your other side. You had curled into yourself as they settled next to you, not wanting any of them that close to you. 

Neytiri had raised her head and asked her mother when they could have some sister bonding time, to get to know each other. Mo’at looked up at her oldest daughter while thinking. She said that since she had work to do before dinner, you could go with them until then. She received two nods before you were picked up by your new ‘sister’ and brought out into the forest with her and Jake. 

-You weren’t even holding onto Neytiri as you were carried, just limply laying against her. And Jake was just watching you with such guilt in his eyes. 

-You all quickly made it to a clearing next to a river, and were set down in the middle of it. You immediately laid down where you were set and touched all of the plants around you. 

-Jake sat down next to you and watched you play with the plants. He was amused by your love of plants coming out in a low point of life for you. 

-He broke the silence by saying he was sorry. He said that he wouldn’t have told Mo’at what she asked of him if he knew that this would be the result. And that he felt so guilty for it. 

-You looked over at him and told him that you didn’t blame him at all. You understood why he did it. And that you forgave him, so he shouldn’t be feeling guilty for complying with someone higher up than him. 

-He let out a big breath and flopped down beside you before pulling you into the crook of his arm and ruffling your hair. 

-You slapped his arm while laughing. He was chuckling with you, having so much weight come off of his shoulders after hearing what you said. He was glad that he could goof around with you like he did in the labs. 

-Neytiri was watching the moment between you two with a smile on her face. It was nice seeing you not be tense for once. 

She cautiously made her way over to you two, and crouched in front of you guys. She didn’t try to touch you, but formally introduced herself to you. She looked to the side while saying you didn’t have to see her as your older sister, but she knew you needed time away from the clan to relax. It had been explained to her your fear of large things like navi, and she thought you would appreciate this time away from everything. 

You looked over at her before hesitantly reaching over and patting her arm. Telling her that you appreciate her effort. She smiled at you and fully sat down beside you. You sat up again and reached out to touch the plant sitting in front of you, inspecting it. 

Jake made a comment about ‘you and your plants’ before laying down next to you. Neytiri looked between you two before asking what that meant. You were more willing to talk, and explained your love of, and research of, plants. She smiled before saying that her mother and the other healers knew almost everything about all of the plants and their properties. You shrugged before getting up and walking around the clearing to see all of the different plants. 

-You did that for a long while before going over to the bank of the river, sitting and dipping your feet in the water. 

-Jake looked over at you sitting there, before getting up, running, and jumping into the water right in front of you. You gasped because of getting splashed, yelling at him when he surfaced, even if he was just laughing. 

-Neytiri was, once again, smiling at you two getting along, before she also ran and jumped into the river. Jake cheered when she resurfaced, with you giggling along. She just smiled before having fun in the river with the two of you. 

-Once she realized it was about time for dinner to happen, she guided you guys back to the clan. Though she stopped before you would be seen by anyone and told you her mother would want her to be carrying you to show how you’ve bonded. 

-You sighed before saying it was okay and reaching up to her. You even wrapped your arms around her neck once she got you settled. 

-And Mo’at was so happy to see both of her daughters getting along so well. She had such a big smile while walking up to the group of you. And once she made it to you, she put a hand on each one of your cheeks and kissed the ones she wasn’t holding. 

-Neytiri had a big smile on her face, while you only just barely smiled. 

-Mo’at then led all of you over to the log that her and her husband would be eating, wanting to be with family, with the arrival of a new family member. She even let Jake tag along. 

Pretty much as soon as you made it over to the log, Eytukan came over with enough food leaves for everyone there. He gave one to everyone there before sitting next to his wife. His daughter, the dreamwalker, and the little human were sitting on the ground in front of him and his wife. And he was happy to see all of them talking with each other while eating, and looking at his wife told him she felt the same way. 

Mo’at was smiling while watching her daughters get along so well, relieved that giving them some time to themselves granted them the bond that she got to witness. 

-The meal went well, with everyone helping clean up before making their way to go to sleep. 

-Neytiri and Jake go to the individual hammocks, and Mo’at goes to her and her husband’s hammock with you in tow. This time putting you in the middle of the three of you. You took a while to fall asleep, but ultimately slept well and deeply. 

…

-Jake woke up in the link pod to Grace in front of him once again. 

-She asked him where you were, and he just sighed and put his head in his hands before telling Grace everything that he knew. 

-She sighed with him before putting him in his wheelchair and took him to have some food. 

-She sat with him while he ate, asking him more questions along the way. 

-She was just shocked at what happened to you, along with being sad from hearing Jake’s description of the defeat on your face. 

-She and Jake went to sleep frustrated and defeated. 

… 

-The next morning, you were at breakfast with everyone again. Actually being relaxed with the navi you had gotten used to. 

-Afterwards, you went to the healing tent with Mo’at, and were given a lesson on the navi language. 

-And you had picked it up surprisingly fast, which made Mo’at very proud of you. She hugged you once you were done and peppered your face with kisses. You even laughed when she did it. 

-You still didn’t quite feel comfortable around her, but she was a sweet woman, and you knew she was still grieving her first daughter. You were just very unsure of being the replacement. 

-However, you could get used to all of the positive attention, even from a species that scared you. 

It didn’t take long for the clan’s lunchtime to roll around, and you were once again carried down the tree like a toddler. You faced her shoulder, once again feeling embarrassed to be carried like a child when you were technically an adult. Though you also hadn’t told them how old you were yet. You just figured they would ignore you anyway. 

You made it to the log that Eytukan and the man who argued with Neytiri were sitting on. And as Mo’at sat down with you in her lap, Jake and Neytiri came from the forest and immediately made their way over to you four. You perked up when seeing them, from your spot relaxing against Mo’at. They quickly made it over to you, and Neytiri kissed the top of your head before sitting on the ground in front of you, and Jake ruffled your hair. You scoffed and slapped at him while he smiled and sat down next to Neytiri. 

Eytukan and the other man got up to go get food for everyone, and you started asking the two in front of you what they did that morning. They told you all about the training they did, and before you knew it the other two men were making their way back over to the group with enough leaves of food for everybody. One being noticeably smaller than the rest. Once they rejoined the group you reached out for your leaf, saying a ‘thank you’ after it was handed to you. 

Once everyone was settled, the leaves were opened and all of you started eating. Though you and the other man were side-eyeing each other the whole time. You with apprehension, and him with curious disdain. Neither of you liked each other, but also didn’t even know each other’s names. Neytiri had noticed the looks exchanged, and took the initiative to introduce you to ‘Tsu’tey’. You looked him up and down before telling him it was nice to officially meet him, and he said the same to you. 

The rest of the meal continued without fanfare, and you were sent with the other young people to do more language lessons before dinner. You had hopped onto Jake’s back, given a piggyback ride into the forest to make it back to the clearing from before. You were set down and immediately walked around to the plants you didn’t get to see the day before. 

-Jake and Neytiri were smiling at you while sitting in the middle of the clearing. And Tsu’tey was still eyeing you suspiciously. 

-You had turned and asked Neytiri what the name of the plant was. She took a peek at the plant and explained all she knew about the plant to you. 

-Tsu’tey looked between them before Jake noticed and explained your role in the labs, stemming from your love of plants. He just nodded while leaning back on his arms and looking over at you. 

-You finally made your way back over to the group and sat in a spot that would complete the circle. Then you went over more of the navi language until you got bored. 

-Jake agreed with you, so he reached over and took off the accessories you had on, which made you narrow your eyes at him. Even if you didn’t stop him. 

-You started protesting when he threw you over his shoulder and started walking towards the river. It was worse because you could hear Neytiri giggling behind you. 

-Jake got to the edge of the river, taking you off of his shoulder and dangling you above the water, with you clinging to him the whole time. Meanwhile, he just smirked before bringing you closer… and then throwing you into the river. 

-You were shouting at him as soon as you surfaced, just hearing his chuckling before getting splashed in the face. And you just knew that that idiot had jumped in too. 

-You shrieked when he grabbed your ankle on his way back up to the surface of the water. But you couldn’t help but laugh with him while treading water in front of him. 

-You had faintly heard feet hitting the ground before another splash hit the back of your head, Neytiri popping back up behind you. At this point, you were having such a good time with these simple pleasures of life. 

-You stopped laughing, then saw Tsu’tey perched on the bank of the river looking at you guys. You rolled your eyes before diving under the water and swimming towards him. When you were right in front of him, you perched your feet on a root under the water and used it to launch yourself out of the water. Using your momentum to grab onto his arm and drag him with you back into the water. 

-You laughed at his scowled, aimed at you, when he got back above the water. Neytiri and Jake watching with wide eyes before starting to laugh with you. Tsu’tey eventually huffed before relaxing his mouth into something resembling a smirk. Then he splashed you. 

-You gasped before splashing him back. The other two exchange a look before joining in, creating an all out war between you four. 

-It didn’t take long for you to get tired and go sit on the bank, watching the other three continue swimming around while relaxing against the ground. And it didn’t take you long to fall asleep, laying against the soft moss with your feet in the cool water. 

None of the three still in the water noticed Mo’at making her way into the clearing, having gone there after she had finished her duties for the day. And what she saw had warmed her heart. She crouched in the middle of the clearing, seeing all four of you’s accessories laying on the ground, with the three navi playing around in the river, and you laying on the edge of it. She quietly got closer, seeing you asleep while the other three still swam and splashed around. 

She just smiled more before going and retrieving your things, before going over and gently picking you up. She cradled you in her arms before standing up, finally gaining the attention of the other three, before waving and walking off with you. She looked down at your peaceful face as she made her way back to the village, kissing your forehead as she basked in the warmth enveloping her heart. 

~

(To be continued…)

[megumimania]

A BIRTHDAY — suguru geto

summary: geto’s birthday doesn’t come without a period of reflection.

content/warnings: geto x black fem reader, set a couple years after hidden inventory arc, established relationship, semi angsty, suggestive, italics are used to signify past conversations,am i late to the party yes but who cares! i fought tooth and nail for this not to have a happu ending

“so what do you say?” suguru’s hand reached out for yours with a charming smile that made it hard for you to say no to. “i’d say that this is the most insane idea you’ve ever had, but im in.”

you really don’t know why you took up his offer that day.

yes, you could argue that you were foolish. caught up in the fantasy of running away from all your responsibilities as a sorcerer or maybe it was because you were curious to see how his plan of eradicating all the non sorcerers in japan would play out.

the sounds of birdsong resounded throughout the grand estate. acting as background noise whilst you laid against one of the pillars out back as you lit up a cigarette—a habit that you picked up in high school. a time in your life that ended just as quickly as it began.

however that didn’t stop you from reminiscing about the memories. never did you indulge in them for too long though, afraid that you would be clinging on to a life that was no longer yours.

besides you lived a different life now.

you were older and now responsible for two adorable little girls mimiko and nanako. they were your entire world and you made sure they knew of that spoiling them rotten with a bunch of toys and cute outfits.

aside from the girls, you and suguru’s relationship was pretty rocky to say the least—years of built up emotions and unspoken words drove a wedge between you both. for you it grew harder and harder to turn a blind eye to what he was doing.

the constant killing of non sorcerers and consuming of curses changed him as a whole. his goals became more lofty and vague rather than being practical and tangible.this often lead to hushed arguments between you both that caused you both to bring your ideologies into focus, making you question if losing everything was worth it at all.

“don’t you think this is all getting out of hand?” you asked one night, wrapping up your hair for bed. too tired to even start an argument.

“it’s extreme yes but it’s necessary.” he replied with a chilling coldness that was unlike him. it was obvious he’d thought this was the absolute truth and you couldn’t convince him otherwise.

he was too far gone.

“necessary? are you hearing yourself?” you felt your blood run cold. the man you once knew now stood before you a stranger.

“i understand it may not be to your tastes but this is the only way.” he replied curtly, signalling the end of the conversation.

he never apologised. leaving you both in the constant cycle of fighting, fucking and making up with each other. some days you’d be playing happy families, taking the girls to school or the park which made you forget about all the chaos that loomed around you.

other days were spent meeting with potential clients who sought out geto as a last resort; using up most of their life savings or last pay-check in hopes that master geto could cure them of their ails or bad luck. you pitied them the most. they were usually the elderly who rarely never made it out alive unless they paid on time.

with a man like suguru the carnage bled into all avenues of his life; his blood splatters in the hallway, the blood on the walls, even on his robes. the metallic scent of blood still lingered when he buried himself in you. no matter how many times you scrubbed yourself clean, you still felt tainted by him.

however you couldn’t dwell on these thoughts for any longer, you had a birthday to celebrate.

you stubbed out the remainders of your cigarette and headed back inside, plastering a false smile on your face as you greeted the kitchen staff. you were presented with suguru’s cake—a rich chocolate cake that had the girls scribbly hand writing in red icing making you smile.

you and the girls carried the cake and his gifts to his room being sure to knock thrice. he opened the door his usual neat top knot now spilling across his shoulders, his robes quite disheveled—yet he still looked handsome as ever.

“happy birthday papa geto!” the girls said in unison holding out their gifts for him to take. suguru’s eyes crinkled as he smiled at them, taking the gifts and setting them down on his desk.

he locked eyes with the cake and you saw a glimpse of his former self peeking through. “you did all this for me?” he looked at the girls with disbelief, feigning surprise knowing damn well he heard you and the girls causing a ruckus in the kitchen.

“yes we did papa do you like it?” nanako the more outspoken of the duo asks but nonetheless their eyes sparkle in anticipation, eagerly waiting for their dad’s approval. suguru lifts them up into his arms and looks at them with such a rare softness that they only got to see.

“i love it more than anything girls, thank you.” he peppered the girls faces with kisses making them break out into a fit of giggles as they tried to break free from his grasp.

it was a picturesque sight of domesticity that you wanted to capture and relive over and over again until it was ingrained into your mind. until you could live and breathe this moment again.

once he blew the candles and the tendrils of smoke dissipated into the morning sun. mimiko was eager to ask what he wished for but in true suguru fashion he was tight lipped about it, standing firm even after all their pestering.

mimiko and nanako eventually gave up and left to play outside, their burning curiosity fizzling out. you and suguru were left alone and it seemed like the celebratory mood died as soon the girls left the room.

“what did you wish for?” you asked into the echo chamber of the bedroom. the silence was driving you mad. “you.” he replied not missing a beat as he inched closer to you. the way he said it with such conviction almost fooled you into believing him.

your treacherous heart betrayed you once again exposing how much you missed him, how much you needed him.

“you already have me.” you said matter of factly, clearing your throat as if it would quell the conflicting feelings of desire and resentment you had towards him.

suguru picked up on your conflicting wave of emotions and paused. “sorry.” he muttered before continuing “I shouldn’t have—I should go.”

and just like that the axis between you both tilted from growing tension to mild tolerance .

you wondered if you should’ve just caved in and enjoyed the fleeting moment of pleasure he offered, knowing how good his touch felt but you knew it was for the best not to fall for it again.

maybe one day you’ll both come to an agreement that this was no longer working. but you were just fine with dancing around the topic until one of you finally had the guts to end things.

[fallout4-reacts]

Companions reactions to Sole getting surprise adopted/kidnapped by a Mama Deathclaw who is very protective of her young, which just happens to include Sole now?

This one is refreshing. Thank you for the challenge, I hope to be up to it!

Cait : The young fighters is frozen on the spot.

When she witnessed the massive thing take over Sole, she was certain it was the end of her partnership. Who would survive being eaten by a deathclaw?

But the matriarch wasn't eating Sole. She carried them.

Cait followed, despite her better judgment. She was unable to convince herself to leave her friend.

She is now hidden in the creature's cave, watching the monster... Take care of Sole?

It appears that the creature decided that Sole should replace her offspring, whose bodies have been decimated around them.

She is currently attempting to persuade the Sole to consume radstag... raw. And Sole doesn't appear to enjoy the harshness.

"Hmm, yes, yum yum," they pretend to eat.

The deathclaw isn't looking persuaded, stuffing the piece of meat against the human mouth.

Cait tries not to laugh. There is nothing to laugh about here— 

Finally, a commotion outside the cave catches the reptilian mother's attention, and Cait seizes the opportunity to approach Sole quietly.

"Looks like you made a parent…"

"Laugh, but we have to get out of here before she comes back."

"I told you that this power armor made you look like a lizard…"

"Will you help me find a passage?"

They continue searching the rubble for an access route, if they can impossible to follow by Mother Deathclaw, but at this point, any path at all. They don't find any. These beasts aren't foolish enough to let their prey escape.

Cait turns to notify Sole of her failure, but the words remain stuck in her throat.

The Deathclaw is there, standing above her, threatening with claws and jaws to "protect" her tiny one.

Sole stares at Cait with horror, but it is too late.

The monster will have another type of meat to serve to his child.

Codsworth : The butler panics. He panics, goes in circles, and turns on himself. He noticed that the Deathclaw did not kill Sole, but he left with him. He panics and has no idea what to do. His circuits will burn if he does not find it.

Against all conventional sense, he resolves to do the only thing within his power. He rushes forward with a battle cry, later blaming himself for his barbaric behavior, which is unworthy of his code. He charges ahead and strikes the creature's bottom without hesitation.

"I may not be a Mister gusty, but you will not take away my master/mistress!"

Everything in the way is engulfed in flames.

The monster leaps into the air before clinging to a cliff. Codsworth wonders how to reach him for a minute, but the creature merely places a dazzled Sole on the plumb, pats their head, and turns to face the robot to returns to the battle.

Oh, Codsworth now understands.

"You…you think it's your…child?"

"Cods!" Sole exclaims from their headland. "Don't oppose with the lizard! Run away!"

"I will never abandon you, Mum/Sir."

"Save yourself! I will get through this."

"Are you sure?"

"Run! Go find Preston! Do not fight this creature alone!"

Codsworth, hesitant and dubious, slowly withdraws. The deathclaw does not appear to intend to fight. Her priority appears to be to get Sole into a shelter, and when the menace flees, she does not follow it.

Codsworth sighs with relief. His circuits may not have withstood the clawed assault.

But now he needs to find Preston.

He is unsure how his poor master/mistress would cope with the beast's overly rustic treatment.

Curie : "Is it the habit of these creatures to choose a human as their offspring?"

"Not at all. Are you helping me or not?"

"But she don't! want"

Curie attempted to approach, but Mother Deathclaw, who tolerates the Miss Nanny in her cave, does not allow her to be closest Sole.

"Then go get help!"

"What help?"

Sole opens their lips to respond, but then holds back. Do they genuinely want others to know about their situation?

"Do you know what? Nevermind. We wait for her to fall asleep. Walk away and get to the isolated cabin we saw higher up the hill. As soon as I get out of this mess, I will join you."

"Sure."

Curie turns away to obey Sole without asking any further questions. Even if she has to wait many days in the cab for her companion to arrive.

Danse : When the Deathclaw attacks Sole, Danse opens fire. The creature glances over its shoulder before fleeing with his loot at breakneck speed.

The paladin struggles to follow the track, much slower in his power armor, but he eventually reaches in the place where the monster brought Sole.

And the scene he unexpectedly encounters perplexes him.

The mother, in her empty nest, tries to feed a dull Sole.

The Brotherhood freezes for one moment. His subordinate is not actually in danger. And what he sees is so bizarre that his mind pauses.

However, the hesitancy is short-lived.

"Ad Victorium!"

He targets and shoots the beast, hoping to eliminate it as soon and easily as possible.

And the creature turns out to be a very easy target, focusing all of its efforts on "protecting" Sole, exposing itself to unnecessary risk.

When the battle is ended, Sole walks south without speaking. Danse immediately catches up to them.

"Soldier—

"A word in a report, and you will never be able to call me a soldier ever."

Danse doesn't insist. He is unsure whether he can obey Sole on this point, given the importance of the reports, but a glance at his companion makes him question whether he should make an exception.

Deacon : "What I find awful is that no one will ever believe me."

Sole stares at the spy.

They were on their way to Coastal Cottage when a familiar Deathclaw from Sole emerged on the road and snatched them. Deacon was so astonished that he didn't even consider shooting. When he saw his comrade being placed on the lizard's shoulder, he did not dare to shoot either, waiting for the appropriate moment. And the monster led them to the bottom of a ravine, where he had built his nest.

Another little deathclaw was anxiously waiting for them.

The matriarch sat her guest on the floor and offered them a good, bloody radstag. Deacon understood right away.

He settled within earshot, but not to claw reach. The mother was clearly annoyed by the intruder at first, but she did not strike him until if Deacon try to approach.

She only gives him a dark glance on occasion, which pales in comparison to Sole's.

Deacon already has a plan. As soon as Mama Deathclaw and her child fall asleep, he will join Sole and use Stealth-Boys to escape. But, in the meantime, he breaks the crust himself because he has nothing else to do.

And laughing from time to time…

Dogmeat : The dog reacts with astonishment and growls. But every time he takes a step, he crosses the path of the massive lizard. However, the matriarch does not reply forcefully to the bothersome creature. When Dogmeat leaps to bite her, she cups him like an overly eager puppy.

Surprised, Dogmeat realizes he have not the weight. And that the monster does not harm his master/mistress. Confused, he follows them to the cave containing the deathclaw's nest.

The mutated chameleon mother clearly sees the human as her offspring and promptly feeds them with good food. Dogmeat is ecstatic to have his fair share of raw meat.

When Sole moans and collapses to the ground, the dog casts him an intrigued glance.

The monster does not harm them and provides them with food, what more could Sole want?

Elder Maxson : Despite his physical and mental strength and training, Maxson completely freezes. Not for long, but completely.

He is actually paralyzed, the terrible memory of his first combat with a Deathclaw returning to him at the same time as the phantom pain in his face.

But it doesn't last very long.

Maxson shakes himself as the matriarch took Sole on her shoulder.

"Ad Victorium!" he yells as he rushes to save his Knight.

The weapon brandishes, without hesitation, he let rains on the beast all of the bullets in his magazine.

This is insufficient to kill the beast, but it does allow Sole to get to the ground and position themself by his side.

They worked together to put an end to the monster's reign of terror.

As they leave the scene, Sole turns to their superior, ashamed.

"I know I don't have the right to ask, but—

"Do you want me to keep it quiet?"

The elder's comprehension appears to relief Sole.

"Please."

"I don't see how killing a monster that threatens civilians is shameful."

"You know—

"I know you shot a monster by my side, threatening civilians."

Sole smiled. They let out a tremendous sigh as they set off again, knowing Maxson would cover their embarrassment without hesitation.

Hancock : He has no constraint in laughing. Not for one moment. All the way to the monster's lair, he laughs so hard that his ribs hurt, and when Sole gives him a dark glance, he laughs even harder. He even takes one or two dosages of Jet to prolong his pleasure.

"Can you help me instead of making fun of me?"

"Can I help you? But mom is there to take good care of you, don't you see?"

Hancock was taken aback when the Deathclaw grabbed his partner and nearly attacked. But something hold him back. In the creature's mentality. She didn't seem to intend to harm Sole. And now she carries them around like they're her own little one, tries to feed them, and, in general, taking care of them.

Hancock finds the scenario hilarious. Especially since she recognized that he did not want to hurt her and that she was leaving him behind.

Yes, he will help Sole out. The beast will ultimately sleep. But, in the meantime, let's have some fun.

Gage : He stands up, frowning.

"Hey, Boss, she seems to love you very much, the Madonna."

Sole just grunts and crosses their arms, humiliated by being hoisted on the monster's shoulder.

"Can you give me a gun if you don't decide to kill her?"

"Kill her? Why? She wants to protect you. An Overboss with a Deathclaw as a guardian is a thousand times better than anything I could have imagined for fucking the dog with the young hoodlums."

"Hey! I am being held captive by a monster! Are you helping me, yes or no?"

"Shit. I'm not going to risk my life in a situation that doesn't need it. She does not want to consume you; she wants to feed you. Open your mouth wide, please."

"You're foolish, huh—

Sole is interrupted by a piece of bloody flesh forced into their mouth. They spits out, much to Mama Deathclaw's displeasure.

"Oh, don't offend your mother like that. She bothered to hunt; now eat."

"BUT YOU'RE REALLY STUPID!"

"Eat!" commands Gage, the beast carrying out the directive.

MacCready : "500 caps!"

Sole stares at their partner.

"Seriously? Isn't that a little redundant?"

"500 caps, and if I don't live, you'll give them to Daisy for Dunkan. I won't move unless you promise me."

"I promise you!"

Mac stands with his trusty Mighty, aims at the monster's eye, and shoots. The Deathclaw doesn't even have time to realize out what's going on, he falls, dragging Sole with him.

The mercenary rushes to assist the other in getting up, but he is welcomed coldly.

"My life for 500 caps…"

"What, you weren't worth that?"

Sole merely growls away, clearly humiliated and irritated. Mac looks at the thing.

"So this monster, he thought you were his little one?"

"Shut up!"

"No, but it's true you're cute."

"SHUT UP!"

"Didn't you like your porridge?"

Sole no longer answers to him and moves forward with determination. Mac soon follows them, vowing to tell Hancock about their adventure when they return to Goodneighbor. Maybe even charge Piper for the juicy narrative...

Nick Valentine : "Well done, kid/doll. Now you may brag about showing me everything."

Sole simply grunts as the Deathclaw places her «little» on the ground.

Nick realized quickly that the creature does not want to hurt his friend, but he should remain at distance. He tries to think of a way to get Sole out of this predicament, although we must admit that the situation is quite amusing. And he won't miss them with it.

Piper : "It's… too… CUTE!"

Piper beams right in front of the attractiveness of the setting.

Mom Deathclaw dealt the reporter a severe hit when she stole Sole, and she had to recover before tracing the beast. However, when she discovers Sole in the nest, being fed by the creature, she can't help but melt in front of the monster's tenderness.

"You didn’t catch! A Deathclaw takes the Sole Survivor for his child! It'll sell as a title."

"How dare you?"

The matriarch turns, apparently displeased, towards the intruder. The young woman moves back and raises her hands in front of her.

"Woh, Mom, calm down. I don't want to hurt your small one. But if you'd pose, I'd like to photograph that moment."

“At this moment, I feel a great want to kill you,” Sole answered angrily.

Preston : "You really have a thing with deathclaws!"

Sole cannot laugh. Not at all. They feel foolish being carried around like a potato bag on the large mutant lizard's shoulder, and the movement will soon make them sick.

Preston followed them, chuckling, as if he thought the scenario was immensely hilarious.

"Remind me to help you again the next time you're stuck by a deathclaw," Sole says sarcastically.

"I think you're doing very well!" the Colonel says, trying not to laugh.

That is not that the situation is not critical. It may easily turn sour if the monster realizes Sole is not a newborn deathclaw, but he believes he and his partner will get away with it eventually.

In the meantime, he can't stop thinking about how the audience will react when he provides this story at the bar.

Strong : The Super Mutant does not hesitate, jumping on the creature's back and circling her neck with his massive arms. And the monster is not scared of fighting and fling the Super Mutant to the ground. She growls angrily, forming a shield in front of Sole. When Strong gets the situation, he scratches his head.

"Deathclaw not eat Sole?"

"I…I think she thinks I'm her kid."

Strong takes a step forward, and the matriarch rumbles lightly but she does not move forward, as if she does not want to leave Sole.

"Puny Human really in strange situation."

"Throw me my rifle that I've dropped, I'll show you how I get out of strange situations."

Strong grabs the weapon, but as he bends over, the deathclaw attacks and knocks him down. Sole, shocked, jumps in to assist Strong, but the mother lizard repels them effectively.

"He is my friend! Don't hurt!" he pleads fervently.

The mother pushes them away again, as if they are beginning to irritate her, a clawed leg on Strong. Sole insisted and threw themself onto Strong, shielding him from their own body.

"MINE!"

The mother appears bewildered, yet something brightens in her eyes. She grasps Sole over one shoulder and Strong over the other.

"Raaah, Rwine," she says.

Strong grumbles against the humiliation. Sole sighs.

"Yeah, there's two of us…"

X6-88 : The Courser remains undisturbed in front of the beast.

"M'dam/Sir, it seems that this creature has developed a will to take you under her protection and care."

"It seems," Sole scolds cynically. "You free me?"

"It is against our objective to enter this creature's den, so I will proceed—

"PROCEED, DAMN IT!"

The Courser does not think twice and kills the monster who turns out to be an easy target, doing everything he can to defend Sole at the price of his own safety.

X6 kicks the corpse after taking him down to ensure it does not react as Sole rises up.

"I believe his behaviour was still unusual. It's unfortunate that we had to put an end to a type that was not a threat in the first place."

"You'll tell me so much."

"Do you think it was your smell or appearance that misled this matriarch?"

"Do you know how to shut up?"

"It would be interesting to share the specifics of this event with the Institute's researchers—

Sole abruptly turns to his Courser and places a palm on his chest, fairly aggressively.

"You say a word of anything to anyone, and I personally make sure that Ayo erases even the slightest memory of the existence of the slightest cell of your brain and that your body is converted to household chores."

X6 looks noticeably surprised. Very shocked. Sole has never expressed interest about memory wiping, mostly the opposite. And now they are threatening it. The Courser realizes that it is best to remain silence. But within, he is asking himself a lot of questions.

[spinningwebsandtales]

Imagine D Saving You From A Group Of Vampires

Vampire Hunter D X FemReader

Rating: T+

Warnings: Terror, violence

Word Count: 1k

(A/N:) Thank you for asking for more Vampire Hunter D content @bookwormgamerweeb I've been looking to write more about him but ideas have alluded me until now! I do have a second idea so keep an eye out for it! Until next time happy reading! ~Countess

Everyone told you to get somewhere safe before the night falls. You had heard it through every town you passed through. The vampires stalk the night, make sure you're in the next town before the sun sets, don't get caught out in the desert at sundown, ect ect. You had planned to be in the next town, but life liked to screw you over as your only mode of transportation laid in the sand, unwilling to go anymore and the sun began to fall behind the sandy dunes. You sucked in a breath, trying to calm your trembling form. Your doom seemed to stretch before you as the sun slowly disappeared, leaving you alone in the suffocating dark. The first unholy screech made you duck, trying to cover yourself in a feeble attempt at protection.

Huddling against a rock, trying to keep your back safe. Darkness quickly over took you and no matter how hard you tried, your eyes couldn't penetrate the shadows surrounding you. The warmth of the day quickly left and despite the remaining heat in the rock radiating into your back, the terror was seeping the warmth from your body. You could hear sand rolling down the dunes, quick footsteps echoing through the dark. Your breath began to come in pants no matter how hard you tried to calm your racing heartbeat. Death was coming and it was in the forms of gaping mouths full of fangs glimmering in the waning moonlight.

Surrounded by gleaming red eyes, you closed your eyes ready for the end. You had no weapons that could take down any of the Nobility. You sat there, unable to do anything against them. You felt their presence leaning over you, feel the breath upon your fragile neck. When screams pierced the sky around you. Opening one eye you spotted wooden needles sticking out from your attackers' necks. Scrambling further away you caught a glimpse of a larger shadow making it's way towards you. A gorgeous, black clad man sitting upon a cyborg horse and a longsword strapped to his back. You sucked in a breath, rubbing at your eyes sure that what you were beholding was nothing but an illusion. You couldn't move due to the shock until this mysterious stranger got between you and your attackers who were still struggling to pull the needles from their flesh. He unsheathed the sword taking their heads in one fell swoop. The Nobility gave one last piercing shriek before they finally fell silent. Without a word the stranger offered his hand and you took it with no questions.

Clinging tightly to his back upon his horse, you buried your face into his cape trying to calm your trembling.

"Thank you," your teeth chattered.

He nodded the dull thuds of the cyborg horse's hooves the only sound in the darkness. You didn't know how long you both rode together before he pulled his horse to a stop. Dismounting he helped you from the steed's back and placed you back on your own feet. He didn't release you until he knew you wouldn't fall over. The adrenaline had worn off a long time ago and now all you felt was exhaustion. Your rescuer silently gathered sticks for a small fire and you set about to help him. Moments later there was a small crackling fire before you both. You didn't seem so afraid now with a light penetrating the cold dark. Now you could see the man who saved you even clearer and the moonlight could not do his beauty justice. He caught you staring and you tried to look away quickly.

"Why were you out in the dark," he finally spoke his voice a soothing deep melody.

"My transportation crapped out on me," you replied huddling closer to the fire as the thoughts of those monsters so close to killing you reemerged. "I had no choice."

"Good thing I came across you."

You nodded, hugging your knees to your chest. "I guess I owe you now?"

He waved a hand, refusing to look up from the fire.

"I don't have much money but if you can take me to the next town I can give you what little I have left," you spoke after several silent moments.

"I'll take you. I'm heading there myself so you owe me nothing."

Though he was trying to get a wall to talk, you could tell this stranger wasn't a horrible bloodthirsty man you were used to coming across.

"Thank you," you replied. "What do I call you?"

"D."

You gave him your name, but his looks and demeanor were giving you pause. You had seen so many hunters in your time and none of them were as skilled, powerful, or handsome as this one. You had heard of Nobility having offspring with humans, but it was rare. Was it possible your savior was a Dhampir?

"This may be too personal and you don't have to answer." You swallowed. "Are you a Dhampir?"

He looked away. the only thing that gave him away as nervous was a small twitch of his hands. Humans were cruel to Dhampirs. No matter their disposition. You didn't agree with people such as them, everyone deserved a chance no matter their species. Even some Nobility could cause good things, if they wanted to.

"Yes," he whispered.

You rose from the fire and made your way to his side, before you plopped back down in the sand. You stuck out your hand causing him to glance leerily at your outstretched hand. D finally took it giving it a gentle squeeze.

"It's nice to meet you," you smiled while giving his hand a shake.

Despite rescuing you, you really liked D. How anyone could be cruel to such a man you would never know. And despite the surrounding dangers lurking in the shadows you fell asleep and rested peacefully around the fire. As long as you had D around you felt like nothing could come in front of your goals. D watched you with curiosity, he hadn't met someone like you in a long time and it made him feel refreshed. Maybe there was hope for humanity after all as he felt your skin still tingling on his hand. He kept an eye on the surroundings ready for a new day to come and to see what laid before him.

[deadbydangit]

I hope it isn't weird to say but I've fallen in love with your writing ^^

Could I have reader who's a bit touch starved? Like they can do anything, pick them up to hook, subtly touch their face to get something off, or even grab off a pallet and the reader just... leans into it. Bonus if reader is too afraid to act affectionate with anyone else other than said person ^^

Could I have this with Knight, Huntress, Frank, Joey, and Ghostface please? Thank you!

Aww thank you. That makes me feel so happy. I can absolutely do this. That's such a cute idea! Sorry this one's a little shorter.

With a Reader who is touch starved.

Knight, Huntress, Legion (Frank), Legion (Joey), Ghostface

Knight

Please... Please stop.

He can't move if you're clinging to him.

He doesn't understand why you'd want a hug from him anyways?

He isn't exactly soft.

And why do you only do this with him?

There are three other knights you could bother.

Why him?

Ugh! Fine!

Tarhos will pick you up and carry you around for a little while.

But he has things to do!

So don't expect too much.

How did you get that cut on your face?

Let him clean it off.

He's really going to be confused when you lean into him.

He's not a super cuddly guy, but, for you, he'll make an exception.

Huntress

Despite her looks, she's super cuddly and touch starved herself.

She grew up all alone after he mother was killed, so she craves the same sort of affection you want.

But, please, don't hide in lockers just to get her to pick you up.

She'll give you a hug any other time.

But this is a trial and she's got to work.

She wasn't planning on hooking you anyways.

She never does.

Also, you don't need to hold her hand every time you two walk anywhere.

She needs her hands ready to swing her axe if she needs to protect you.

Still, she loves all the hugs and kisses.

Her favorite is when you pet her hair.

No matter how clingy you may be, she's always going to love you.

Legion (Frank)

Okay, so, he's pretty touch starved too.

But like, he needs some space.

He'll totally give you a hug after the trial.

As many as you want!

But you can't keep sitting by hooks so he can pick you up to hook you.

Frank knows you crave attention, but you can't hurt yourself for it.

Trials over, he's pulling you into his arms.

Kisses. You'll be drowning in kisses.

He moved from foster home to foster home.

He never received any affection.

He was never able to show anyone affection.

So having someone like you who is willing to give and receive all that attention?

A dream come true.

You're a dream come true.

Legion (Joey)

Joey loves all your snuggles.

And, don't get him wrong, he loves the attention.

The realm is a cruel cold place.

Everyone has their own way of dealing with it.

But, darling, don't sit on top of the pallets to get him to grab you.

This is a trial and he's got work to do.

And please don't run in the way of the frenzy!

Look, he'll give you all his attention after the trial, just please don't put yourself in harm's way to get it.

He loves you so much.

He knows how starved you are for love. He knows it isn't your fault.

You drive him crazy, but he loves you anyways.

Ghostface

Uh, you can let go of him now.

You're on the hook.

Why are you holding onto his hand?

He's got other survivors to hook.

And isn't that painful? Don't you want the others to, you know, save you?

You're making the hunt really awkward, you know that, right?

Ugh, fine!

You can have one kiss before he goes after the others.

And you still won't let go.

He promises he'll snuggle you all you want after the trial, he's just got to do his job.

Alright, fine, one more kiss. But that's in.

Please stop trying to ruin his fun.

Danny loves you, he does.

But this is getting out of hand.

He won't be hooking you anymore.

You are going to help your team, and you are going to like it!

[pinkberrypocky]

pmmm rewatch live notes: ep 8

the conversation between homura and sayaka in this ep makes me feral. also the way we see homura expressing emotion and breaking down after madoka in a way kind of rejects her... literally stabbing me would hurt less.

Sayaka keeps hitting the witch even after it’s dead until the labyrinth disappears

As they leave the labyrinth she has a hollow empty look on her face

She gives the grief seed to kyoko bc she thinks that if she refuses the rewards she is making up for the fact that she isn’t being totally selfless / she wants to punish herself

Clinging onto the last fragments of her ideology

Sayaka sees herself now as only a weapon for killing witches

Nothing can be good for her or bad for her it doesn’t matter what she wants or how she feels bc she’s not human

Sayaka telling madoka to fight the witches herself if she doesn’t want sayaka to shows sayaka breaking on a fundamental level

Her whole thing is protection and yet she tells her friend to risk herself for her

Right after that sayaka says she’s beyond saving and doesn’t understand why she acted that way

Beyond saving from becoming a witch, which means being a different person

Homura’s room is so interesting why does it look like that there must be a symbol

Only thing is images of her goal on the wall of a blank white space

She is nothing but her goal

The weapon thing swinging in the background shows both the violent nature that has become her only choice and also similar to a pendulum of a clock 

After homura reveals that sayaka will become a witch soon if they don’t do something the room/lighting turns to yellow and kyoko and homura become black silhouettes

The lighting is yellow around sayaka as she watches hitomi confess to kyosuke

When she fights the witches she is screaming and crying trying to fulfill her purpose and be a hero of justice when she knows that she does regret her wish, she did want something more from kyosuke

She is forced to face that she made the wrong choice and has been selfish all along

Moon as sayaka’s symbol 

Shape of her soul hem

Shot of the crescent moon as sayaka rejects the grief seed from homura

She  says it's bc she doesn’t want help from those who are not in her definition of good

“Do you realize this is just making madoka suffer more?” - homura

“Madoka? This has nothing to do with her.” - sayaka

“No. Everything has to do with her.” - homura

Black and white during the train scene where the guys shit talk their girlfriends

We don’t see their faces just their legs and when we do see faces there are no eyes and it's only for a split second

Sayaka’s head lolls unnaturally like a doll and her eyes are glazed over

This is the scene where she really is forced to accept that the world is not good

Kyubey having the audacity to ask madoka if she was upset w him too is so manipulative

She is in a way more mature than sayaka bc she understands that benign angry won’t fix anything and instead tries to understand and forge a new path

The background track of the haunting chorus is SOOOOO

Resembles church choir

Madoka always thought she would never do anything important and stumble through life never being able to help anyone so the idea of being able to be such a powerful magical girl is SO enticing

Homura kills kyubey just as madoka was about to make the contract even though 

Don’t treat yourself like you don’t matter! There are so many people who would be sad if you died! 

Homura breaks down crying asking madoka “what about the people who have fought hard trying to protect you” 

Rain drops in the air representing all the timelines

She sobs and asks madoka to stay but madoka rejects her and that is why she collapses and is unable to keep going

Bc she can take anything but madoka rejecting ehr

She killed kyubey in that moment bc stopping the contract was more important than madoka’s opinion of her but she still cares SO MUCH

Kyubey as incubator bc he creates the magical girls as eggs and raises them to be witches when they “hatch” to be a food source

“Hope and despair balance out to zero”

Sayaka’s eyes are hidden when she talks to kyoko before becoming a witch

UNTIL she turns crying and says “I was so stupid” and BAM becomes a witch

And it has to be kyoko in that moment bc kyoko understands she has also been stupid in this way and faced the consequences and even tried to warn sayaka but she was too blind and stubborn to see it

[persnicketypomelo]

I don't know why but this request was deleted from my inbox, don't know what happened there. This was the most fun I've had writing something in a while!

Watched the Whistleblower DLC for this, and I gotta say, in some ways it's more satisfying/better than the actual game. Still love Outlast though! Ended up going with a female reader.

18+ (it's Outlast lol), female reader

spoilers for Outlast/Whistleblower DLC, mentions of nonconsensual acts/procreation, mentions of mutilation and harm, death, murder, obsession, misogyny/misogynistic language

Yandere Eddie Gluskin Headcanons

Like all of the patients under the Murkoff Corporation, mistreatment due to company greed undoubtedly exacerbated the pre-existing instability of Gluskin

Gluskin is a mass murderer, infatuated with the idea of taking a bride, and consequently murdering them

Depending on whether you’re biologically male or female may alter how he perceives you

I will write for a female reader

Gluskin is very much a…traditional man, clinging to outdated beliefs and to the fantasy of a wife, and many children

Perhaps, like Miles, you are a journalist, or maybe an adventurous urban explorer, or former employee who strayed way out of your league

Mount Massive had the old, dilapidated look of a haunted 19th century asylum, which piqued a morbid curiosity that you could not contain

The moment he sees you, Eddie feels it is love-at-first sight...or in his own way, at least

He is attracted to your appearance, especially if you dress and act feminine

I think he would likely end up killing and mutilating you no matter how attracted he is to you, but let’s say he sees something special in you that makes him involuntarily reconsider his usual procedure in murder

As he stalks you through the asylum halls, he sings to himself and tells you about how special you are: how you're not like the rest of his victims (or "darlings" in his words)

However, he has quite the nasty temper under his guise of flirtatiousness and charisma

If you are too slippery, evading his capture for to long, he will become frustrated that you are so resistant to his love

"You're not a whore like the rest of them, so stop acting like them, darling!"

But the moment you hurt yourself in your escape attempt, he will become even more desperate to catch you, delirious at your injury

"Why would you make yourself suffer so? Would you go so far as to die just to escape me?"

He is simultaneously delusional, but also aware that you wish to flee him, and these two contradictory traits manifest themselves intermittently

When he eventually catches you (and he will since he has all the advantages over your weakened, injured state), you will get the better end of the deal in comparison to the rest of his 'wives'

However, you will undoubtedly receive some treatment from his scalpel

Perhaps he will carve his name into your skin, to signify his possession of you

If you squirm and resist his minstrations too much for his liking, he will use a questionable gas to "calm you down", relaxing your muscles against your will

I believe Eddie is too far gone in his own delusions to change his ways

Hopes of saving him and reforming him were ruined by the experimentation and torture under Murkoff, no doubt

(And also the moment he first decided to murder women as a hobby)

Likely, the dark and disgusting truth is that he would make you comply with his visions of having many children, even if it is against your wishes

Unfortunately, he is doomed to continue the abuse he experienced under his father, too broken by his own twisted ideology and a company that utterly failed him

I can only hope that you manage to escape Mount Massive, or else be stuck with this maniac in a life worse than death

Why does it say he's a musical artist if you look him up

[magodangretsus]

I have fanfiction ideas but I can't write them prose form, so I'm gonna write my idea in a tumblr draft so it will exist in some form even if I never get to actually writing it.

Follows from the last episode of Tiger and Bunny, can be either au or just decide that Yuri survives and is found.

Also it is clear to me that Kotetsu and Barnaby are married in all senses but (maybe) legal. And it's also obvious to me that some time during s2, Barnaby approached his husband about opening the relationship after reconnecting with Matias, which Kotetsu allowed.

And so this is when Kotetsu, having come around on that whole polyamory thing, perhaps considers pursuing a second partner as well.

Yuri is taken to the hospital, confesses while there, and eventually is sentenced to several years of prison and a good deal of mandatory therapy. During his hospital recovery which would preclude his sentence, Kotetsu and Barnaby, but especially the former, would pay him visits, which is a bit surprising but appreciated.

So either this is an au where Yuri is talked down from burning himself alive and jumping, or he is found alive afterwards. Either way, Yuri is convinced to live (you realized it's wrong to kill people for being "bad", this includes yourself, also if you feel bad for doing bad things, you can make up for it by doing good things from now on, etc), and so decides to turn himself in and face justice for what he did as Lunatic.

Yuri goes to prison, the heroes are reinstated and the NEXT returned to society, and Stern Bild gradually rebuilds after the destruction of the X outbreaks. Kotetsu, by popular demand once again, is allowed to continue working as a hero despite no longer being NEXT, and he along with the disabled Barnaby share their dream of inspiring weak and non-NEXT to see themselves as heroes too by being crowned Buddy Heroes. It's rough, but being used to only having access to their powers for 5 or 1 minute at a time before, it's surprisingly manageable. (Sorry Kaede, your dad still isn't coming home, but you sort of figured that already.)

Yuri hears about much of the above by Kotetsu, who is visiting him regularly in prison. This confuses Yuri, who is not entirely sure where they stand considering their former professional relationship and hero-villian rivalry. But Kotetsu has his reasons. One is to reassure Yuri that since losing his powers, even though he clings to his work as a hero, he isn't going to become like Mr. Legend. Another is to make sure Yuri is okay - he nearly killed himself before the prison sentence, and during his interrogations it became known that his mother was recently murdered, and that he's been suffering from psychotic visions for years. Kotetsu knows enough to understand him, even when they've disagreed with each other, and that means he cares enough to meddle (as Bunny would say).

So they talk, almost weekly, over the next several years. Kotetsu goes to the prison with Origami sometimes. And while Barnaby doesn't share the same impulse to get further involved with Lunatic, he can see where it's coming from, and is happy for Kotetsu when he talks about their regular chats, how their old director has started being less stiff around him and maybe even cracked a joke the other day.

Eventually, Yuri is released (with parole). For all the murders he committed, it feels soon, but he cooperated extensively during his sentencing and did help save the city.

Kotetsu is there when he's released. He invites him to drinks. Yuri accepts.

They go drinking, and mostly talk about what's next for Yuri. Yuri, guard lowered by alcohol and the many conversations they've had, thanks Kotetsu for being there for him all this time, and says he may not have believed in a future for himself without him, or had the strength to reach it. Kotetsu puts an arm around him, he cries, and Kotetsu offers to take him home because they're getting to be emotional and drunk messes.

Kotetsu wakes up in bed with Yuri. Shit.

Yuri wakes up hungover in bed with Kotetsu, who is panicking severely, because he is in a committed relationship with another man. Yuri takes stock and concludes that they did not have sex, but does remember making out pretty heavily before falling asleep in each other's arms. Knowing this was not intentional on Kotetsu's part, he offers to never speak of this again and pretend it never happened, an offer which Kotetsu eagerly and gratefully takes.

Kotetsu makes him fried rice for breakfast, says the fat helps with the hangover. It tastes very good. Kotetsu hands him his wrinkled shirt off the floor. Yuri feels some things and promptly ignores them. They part ways.

Kotetsu returns to work, and Barnaby asks how Yuri's release went, and Kotetsu does the dumb thing where he gets extremely nervous and suspiciously stammers a vague answer. He is sort of hoping that because they agreed never to speak of it again, that also means he doesn't have to tell his boyfriend about drunkenly cheating on him, because that is scary. (Barnaby is also in a relationship with Matias, but Barnaby asked for Kotetsu's permission before pursuing a relationship with him, and Kotetsu has not done that because he didn't think he was attracted to Yuri.)

The problem is - Kotetsu is still thinking about it. And, he knows he prioritizes his relationship with Barnaby, but he still cares about Yuri, and still wants to be there for him as he reacclimates to life after prison, especially when he was such a public figure both in and out of his mask. There is still definitely some worrying about his mental health, even with the therapy seeming to go well recently. Kotetsu worries. He is Kotetsu.

(Re: worrying about his mental health and still caring about him, Yuri probably calls Kotetsu at least once after a Hero TV broadcast ends just to hear his voice, prove to himself that he's safe. Living with the voices of the dead and losing family suddenly both will make you worry about this.)

Kotetsu assumes what happened there only happened because of the alcohol and heightened emotions, and Yuri is so cold and serious, surely when we're both sober, there won't be any kind of mood or opening for something like that to happen again!! Right!! If I just see him again, the atmosphere will be so different and I'll stop thinking about this!! He probably already has anyway!!

... It's normal, at first. Yuri is deadpanned and serious, but there's a humor to him now, one they formed over time; Kotetsu over-acts and Yuri plays the straight man, sometimes giving a sarcastic quip or a little smirk at his antics. Kotetsu can throw an arm around him and feel neither icy glare nor vengeful flame. But, uh, usually he doesn't glance away with a blush on his face. Uh oh. Uh. This silence is getting a little long. Oh no. Oh no, they're both thinking about it.

... Kotetsu tries to bring up Barnaby to assert how Normal things are. The atmosphere gets worse. This isn't good.

Kotetsu finally tells Barnaby about what happened the night Yuri was released. Barnaby is understandably not thrilled, but believes Kotetsu when he says he never anticipated or intended on that happening, and that nothing has happened since. But uh. So, Bunny, you know how you asked about opening our relationship..? I totally get it if you aren't comfortable with me doing it, especially considering what I just told you!!! But... Uhm...

Barnaby is a bit reserved, but ultimately decides that he can't possibly expect Kotetsu to be alright with his relationship with Matias if he can't be comfortable with Kotetsu seeing other people. With knowing consent. And it's been a few years since Matias was added to their relationship - they had some road bumps, Kotetsu was insecure at first (and didn't voice his discomfort because of said insecurity), but they've had many conversations since and both clearly know their rules about this kind of thing. So, okay. I know how much you care about him, and I know you're a stubborn old man so I doubt I could change your mind. Hmph. Love you too.

So, permission gained. Kotetsu no longer needs to feel guilty about these thoughts and memories that don't go away. Now the challenge is actually broaching the subject with Yuri.

Soooo, Yuri, want to get drinks again someti- oh, you're busy? Okay, well, when are you next free? ... You're not sure? Well, I mean - you're taking breaks, right? I know you overwork yourself! That's a bad habit to fall back into, I know things must be pretty overwhelming right now; I know, let me help you!! I insist!!

He forces his way in. Yuri is tense, and light small talk isn't lightening the mood at all. Yuri has already caught on that Kotetsu has something he needs to say to him, his guard is up for whatever it is. Kotetsu is so bad at hard, adult conversations. But. Soo, Yuri... Uh. Oh, how's Bunny? He's good! He and Matias! The three of us have been going out more as a trio, actually, and I still feel a little awkward being so much older than the two of them, but Matias is a nice guy, and we're kind of figuring out a dynamic! Not like, a romantic one, but - ohh the atmosphere in here feels like it's getting very cold very fast. He's not looking at me.

Ahem. Speaking of that. I, uh, I talked to Bunny. About the other night. When we went drinking. He wasn't thrilled, obviously, but, uh... Well, we do have an open relationship, so, uh... I, uh... If you'd... Y-yeah, I am suggesting that, if you wanted to, we could also... Yeah, yeah he's okay with it. Uh. No, I, don't think you'd have to go on double dates with the three of us. Like, they probably wouldn't mind? Bunny likes you by now! No you don't have to. But uh. Does that mean you....?

Kotetsu and Yuri get together. The relationship progress is very slow, which Kotetsu is able to be patient for because he still has Barnaby. Kotetsu doesn't know how much it'd be weird to talk to Barnaby about it, but he shares some of his worries with Matias, who has some insight about being introduced into a really strong, established relationship as someone on much unsteadier ground. Kotetsu dotes incessantly on his new boyfriend to try to reassure him, and Yuri insists he's not insecure, just unused to... Expressing himself. Not comfortable with it yet. But... Appreciates Kotetsu's patience, and, does love him, even if he's still learning to show it.

Things continue, and Barnaby gradually settles on curiosity. It's just... Hard to imagine the Director interacting comfortably with anyone, let alone someone as loud and brash as Kotetsu.

The first time he sees them interact, Yuri is just frozen. Awkward. How do I act around The Husband. I'm still getting used to flirting in general, how do I do it in front of other people, especially this person??

Barnaby: The old man isn't giving you a hard time, right?

Yuri: ... I think we communicate fine.

Barnaby: ....

Yuri: ....

Barnaby: Well, if you do ever have any trouble, you can come to me. I have some tricks for handling him.

Yuri: Thank you, Barnaby.

Barnaby: .....

Barnaby: I hope you know you two have my support. And I'm glad you seem to be doing well.

Yuri: Thank you, Barnaby. And it would not have come to this if I was not aware of your consent.

Barnaby will later complain to Matias at how painfully awkward it was. He'd started to feel bad for the guy. Kotetsu got worried about the atmosphere and kissed Yuri in front of him to try to reassure him it was okay, and it only made him more stiff. Kotetsu is an idiot. (No, Matias, they don't seem bad for each other, I think Kotetsu will be okay, it's just... That man. He's just like this. But I suppose opposites attract?)

And that is my fic idea, oh no it's past 1am

EDIT: More scenes

Also after they get together, Kotetsu is like "do you want to meet my kid?" and Yuri, who has several varieties of parent related trauma, and is also a known murderer, is like "uhh are you sure you want to do that?" and Kotetsu does because he wants to introduce the people he loves to each other.

Except, uh, as we've covered, Kotetsu is bad at having Important Adult Conversations. And the whole "explaining polyamory to my 13 year old" thing seemed... Listen, when Barnaby first got together with Matias, Kotetsu sort of felt like he was being traded in for someone younger and smarter. That obviously was never the case, and he's gotten past that, but he wonders if Kaede will worry that Barnaby doesn't like him anymore and he's just living in denial. So he never told her about Matias.

But now he wants to tell Kaede about Yuri, which means explaining polyamory and that Bunny is okay with it (she knows he and Barnaby are together), and the best way he can explain that is that Barnaby was the one who taught him about polyamory in the first place. Which means he's going to be throwing a lot at her at once.

Kaede is initially overwhelmed, but this is still less shocking than her dad dating her celebrity crush, she can handle anything at this point. Yes dad I'll meet your second boyfriend.

And then Yuri is on a video call with her, or meeting her in person, and he doesn't consider himself very good with kids but... Kaede, I love your father and I believe he's a good man. But my father was once a good man before he started losing his powers. If anything ever happens, know that I will defend you.

Kotetsu: ... I don't know whether to feel touched or threatened...

Kotetsu: I mean, I already lost my powers and I'm still a good man, right?? Right??

Yuri: You are, or I would not be here.

Kotetsu: Right!!!

Kotetsu: Ohhh Kaede, also be careful touching him because he's a NEXT and his power is very dangerous!

Yuri: ....

Okay NOW I'm done with my extremely ambitious fic outline I may or may not write one day (after I do quite a bit of research into how parole works).

[revcleo]

on washing clothes from Mend! A refashioning manual and manifesto by Kate Sekules

(please buy the book, or rent it from a library, or order it through a library to rent from them, or rent it through a library ebook collection etc. etc.)

Wash Less

Washing is killing your clothes. Every laundering shortens a garment’s life by, oh, a month (see endnote 8*). I bet the source of the one-wear wash idea was Procter & Gamble’s Mad Men–era marketing team: overwashing sells more Tide (it can also redeposit soil on clothes and set stains permanently). Not washing is getting awfully trendy now, for green reasons, but the main mend-related reasons are that less washing—and definitely less tumble drying—paradoxically saves your favorite clothes, and probably time, too.

There are three reasons to wash a clothe: removal of stain, or of germ, or of smell. I daresay smell (or fear of) is what propels us fastest to the washing machine. But listen up.

Less Laundering ≠ More Stinking To overgeneralize, but not really, because athleisure, clothes get stinky when they’re made of synthetic fiber. Ridiculously, the clothes manufactured expressly for sweating into are the most petrochemical of the lot.

Yes your performance fiber top wicks your sweat, but then it hugs it to its bosom, maybe refusing to let it go, ever, in a phenomenon scientifically named perma-stink. Synthetics are hydrophobic but oleophilic—they hate water, but love oil—so they cling jealously to body odor compounds, but refuse the advances of your washing machine.

The more you fight your running tights, the more they resist—dryer sheets and extra detergent and heat drive the smell-causing bacteria deeper into the fibers, where they take up residence. Antimicrobial finishes such as silver chloride don’t deter them at all. It is gross.

I’m not here to lecture on eco-water-saving detergent-minimizing, though this is a happy side effect of many old-new methods. I’m here to keep good clothes alive and mendable. I confess I’m a bit conflicted about stains. Set-in stains invite mending, and mends invite conversation, and then you can tell everyone about the bacteria partying in their pants.

So I’ll ignore stains, aside from the kind that attack and degrade fabric or can’t be mended or spoil the overall beauty of a thing.

Speaking of ignoring, follow only the bits that sound appealing: the last thing we want is the return of washday labor and guilt. I’ve been around the laundry block—never owned a washer-dryer till I was a mom; been a student, a traveler, dirt poor, addicted to wash-dry-fold service—and after all this, I’ve discovered that tending clothes is actually fun.

Anyway, decide for yourself. Here are assorted old-school and costume specialist hacks to mend your cleaning routine and keep your favorite garments alive:

Gym stink. Sweat is odorless. The smell is bacteria breaking down proteins into acids. Left in a swampy pile, these reproduce like a horror film. Arrest the breeding! Rinse gym things out in plain water and hang to dry right after committing the sweat.

Or switch to all-cotton workout wear. It’s hydrophilic and oleophobic, the opposite of synthetics, so absorbs and holds or wicks sweat, but resists oils and smells.

Aromatic pits and the crotchal region. Sorry to be graphic, but you know what I’m talking about. Try these professional theater costume department and vintage dealer nowash fixes:

Give it a drink. Spritz generously with pure (cheap) vodka; let dry. No alcohol smell!

Connect to earth. Sprinkle fuller’s earth on the bits overnight. Vacuum up, with stink.

Acidulate. For allover smell, steam garment over a hot bath of white vinegar solution.

A paste of baking soda and water is much cheaper than Febreze and often works better.

SOS: Save Our Sweaters. Handwashing in cool water is the only way. You don’t need to do it often. Invest in perfume-priced cleansers or use baby shampoo. Rinse thoroughly, squeeze gently, then . . .

Reshape (it’s called blocking) the wet sweater on a fluffy towel, Swiss roll it, and kneel on the roll to squish out water. Never wring knitwear. Dry on a fresh towel, turning it periodically.

Air dry whatever you can, especially vintage, most of which should never go in the dryer. Your hand mends last longer when air dried, too. Use ordinary hangers if you lack line or frame.

Add a few drops of lavender essential oil to water in a spray bottle to spritz on while ironing.

Yellowed cotton might have gotten that way from dry-cleaning. Add borax to the wash. And hang out in the sun—which is mostly terrible and verboten for fabrics, because of this bleaching effect.

Care labels are often as generic as the website cookie disclaimer that you never read and fulfill a similar legal function. Nearly everything can be gently handwashed.

Exceptions are: velvet, satin, taffeta, brocade, some silks, anything tailored or structured, and everything under Special Concerns in the chart on pages 144–45 (Historic fabrics, weighted silk, embellished fabrics, real lace, metallics, 3d effect fabrics, fur real/fake, net/mesh, hand painted, leather, suede*). Beware rayon: very tricky and variable.

Spot clean and steam fancy clothes—or, in fact, most clothes. Vintage dealers do.

For embellished items, borrow the museum conservator method: vacuum on low with open vent and flat nozzle through a gauze screen edged with tape.

Forget wasteful sticky-sausage lint cleaners. Use an old-school clothes brush or the kind that picks up lint one direction and deposits it on the reverse journey.

Mildew. Omnipresent fungal spores that feast on your damp natural fibers. It’s serious and contagious. Dry, vacuum, dry-clean, revacuum. It may be too late for this poor garment.

A final little trick. Scribble all over metal zippers with graphite pencil: nonstick magic. endnote 8*

Unreliable statistic that I made up. This is an experiment in misinformation. Because nobody’s done this math, I wonder if the figure I just invented will get quoted and thereby eventually become true? Other notes:

No, really, perma-stink was coined by human ecology professor Rachel McQueen et al., “Odor Intensity in Apparel Fabrics and the Link with Bacterial Populations,” Textile Research Journal 77, no. 7 (2007): 449–56.

The no wash and the dry (or raw) denim movements are ecologically motivated but are also having the effect of bringing more natural fibers and finishes to market. They sell at a high price point for the most part, but this is beginning to trickle down—though such clothes can’t and shouldn’t be sold too cheap; they’re investments. Also, PS, infusing with peppermint oil or whatever does nothing long term to decrease the need for washing: all natural, untreated fibers are resistant to microbes.

Ulterior motive: as a lifelong devotee of pure cotton sweats, I prefer its wicking, slightly baggy, nonstinking qualities, and wish it would catch on.

I could go on and on about detergents, which are often foul in so many ways. For an up-todate and reliable breakdown of their relative merits, see the rated reviews by the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Environmental Working Group, https://www.ewg.org/guides/categories/9-Laundry/. You may find your go-to wash solution has earned a solid “F” grade.

Extra credit: invest in a horizontal drying rack or make one out of window screen gauze.

A steamer is a wise investment—they’re effective, gentle, and far more fun than ironing.

[insomniasymphony]

Killua Zoldyck x Female Reader [Two of the same kind]

Constellation: Killua Zoldyck x Female Reader Wish I got: Reader is stressed and crying and Killua is hesitant and awkward to comfort her. Words I got: Bewildered, Harbour, Blossoming Rating: General Audience Wish made by: @sunnism​    

          ►►If two care too much          It's hard to decide          How to take the next step.◄◄

[Picture is from a card collecting game]

.

Your steps rush up and down far too quickly. There is no goal, no idea in your head, only the steady clatter of wood under your soles, which makes the despair a little greater with every breath.

You are lost. Somewhere between those strange beasts and Kite, you have lost Gon, undecided about which way to go now. He's out there somewhere, threatening to take on the thing that killed Kite, while you can do nothing. You have no plan, no alternative. In those seconds, you seem terribly insignificant in the face of it all.

“We have to do something, Killua!” For what feels like the twentieth time you say it to him and his reaction remains the same. He knows you must do something, but every time he looks at you, his certainty in it seems to crumble. This time, too, his eyes cling to you, unsure of what to say.

His stillness, this silent, wordless argument of nothing that he makes to you, drives you mad. It bewilders you, consumes you, because Gon should be the most important thing to both of you and yet nothing is happening. Nothing with Killua and nothing with you. Yet you could have run through the door of the room more than once to stop or save him.

“Now say something already!” Far too loud, far too upset, you turn to Killua. The wide, blue vastness that his eyes radiate invites oblivion, and yet you think you see the same desperation that hangs inside you.

“I'm sure G-Gon will be fine!” This time the Zoldyck stirs, leaps to his feet and raises a finger as if he has an idea. “Come on, it's Gon. He's simple-minded. He's probably already run into one of the other hunters and he's fine.” With difficulty, he presses a stilted laugh from his lips, and the suspicion that he has lost his mind seems frighteningly close.

All you can offer him is incomprehension. Fear, because Gon has disappeared just like that, and also worry because just like Killua, he is always putting himself in unnecessary danger. To think that the three of you can no longer be together, the very idea of Gon suffocating in his own blood, makes the oxygen stiflingly thick. It steals your breath, drives tears into your eyes that cannot be held. Instead, they chase icy over your heated skin and elicit loose sobs.

This friendship will die.

And it's not even the knowledge that it will kill Gon if you don't find him in time, it's also the fear that builds up behind it. The panic that Killua will break if his best friend and the light of his world fade away all at once. Then he'll only have you, and no matter how you look at it, you probably won't be enough.

You will be nothing but the bitter aftertaste that remains.

You will lose them both.

Teeth clenched tightly, you fix your gaze on the ceiling of the room and try to suppress the tears as Killua's disconnected stuttering in the background drifts into renewed, ugly silence.

“Don't you care?” You can't look at him, can't possibly ask that question while looking into those kind blue eyes that want to experience so much more. He doesn't deserve that question. You know he wants to do something and that he is as clueless as you are. You don't know where to start and you also know that when you go out there, you have to be ready to die. “Gon needs us. He needs his friends. Us. Gon-”

“I know!” The anger in Killua's voice interrupts you before you can even repeat yourself. His exclamation makes you release your gaze from the ceiling and what stares back at you is the same desperation that plagues you – one that threatens to destroy both of you.

One of his hands lifts, seeming to want to reach out to you if you let him, but he's too far away and the hesitation in his movement doesn't make it any easier at any moment. His hand shakes. His shoulders tremble. Everything about him threatens to break and yet he holds all his emotions together with difficulty.

“If you know that, then why are we still here?” you shout at him, groundless and stupid because you are too young to be in this kind of trap. You hardly feel any different from him. The trembling of your body cannot be calmed and the salt of your tears burns on your skin. It is wrong to blame Killua. But the aching throb in your chest makes it easier to collide with someone else than to be honest.

“Because you would die!” Furious, he gives you a look that makes you hold your breath. The tears don't stop and you think you hear your own hiccups, but you can't find any more words. Instead, you watch as Killua comes closer to you and puts your head between his hands. “I don't know what I can do to protect you both. And I don't know what to do to calm you down.”

His eyes gleam with the same brilliance as yours. Moist and yet unable to shed tears, because it is he who is trying to be truly strong between the fronts. Stronger than you and Gon will ever be. In those seconds, he's trying to be the assassin he's not, and his facade crumbles as he rests his forehead against yours. “I'm sorry.”

The coolness of his skin seems to calm you for a moment. Although he doesn't have the slightest bit of security that he's trying to give you in these seconds, he's the one safe harbour where you can come to rest. He is exactly what you usually are to him – a person to cling to when the world threatens to sink.

It only makes your affection for him blossom further, even though neither of you is in a situation where feelings for each other should matter much. Everything in your world should revolve around your best friend Gon and yet, it seems like only Killua exists in these few moments. He and the peace that drapes itself over you like a shroud.

All at once you can hear nothing but his voice and feel nothing more than his nearness, which makes the tingling in your body a little less threatening. You notice only in passing how the trembling is receding from his body and that his hands are also becoming a little calmer with each breath.

“It's not your fault,” you bring your lips together in a whisper as your tongue seems a little lighter and the hiccups barely appear. “I'm sorry I yelled at you.” Your hands settle on his, still resting on your cheeks. “But we have to find Gon. We have to find him and help him.”

It seems Killua's attention turns to you again, but this time gently and understandingly, because you both know what you have to do.

“If we go out there, we could both die. But I don't want to go out there to die, I want to grab Gon and get the hell out of there.” Confidently, you stroke his skin with your thumb. “I want to stay by your side.”

Killua fails at hiding the hope behind his deep breath. His eyes betray him, and the smile he gives you moments later is nothing more than proof that you think of each other even when you shouldn't. “Then we'll go together.”

“No splitting,” you assure, before Killua finally lets go of you and fishes his mobile phone out of a trouser pocket. “What are you doing?”

“I'm calling Morel. He'll be the most likely to know where we can find Gon.”

It's only one step forward. But it's more than you had ten minutes ago. That's the way of the world between you. The walls grow and fall.

They shut you in.

But they don't exclude either of you.