#Captain Crater

[wild-karrde]

Part 2: The Pillar

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A/N: ALRIGHTY THEN. Did I intend to write a part 2 for this little ficlet from my 400 follower celebration? No. Did I do it anyway and use it as an excuse to introduce my OC Crater? Yes. Will there be a Part 3? Also yes. I REGRET NOTHING. The biggest of thank you's to @teletraan-meets-jarvis, @sleepingsun501, and @rexxdjarin for helping me make sure my boy gets the best intro and that all of the thoughts/thots about him in my head translated well onto paper! If you'd like a little more info about Crater, you can find his character sheet here.

Pairings: OC Crater x f!Reader, mentioned Gregor x f!Reader

Rating: E (18+ MINORS SKEEDADDLE)

Warnings: language, dom/sub dynamics, spanking, fingering, rough sex, anal play, oral sex, PiV sex, marking, anal sex, sex toy use, cum eating, mention of foursome

Word Count: 13.5k words (I'm sorry... it got away from me so fast)

“KARKING HELLS, CHUCK! Do you have mynock shit between your ears instead of brains?” 

You’re angry. Angrier than you’ve been in a while. And Chuckles isn’t backing down either. 

“I don’t know who the kriff you think you’re talking to, Bolts, but you’d better take a walk before we both say something we’ll regret,” he grits out, teeth clenched and a fire in his eyes. 

But you’re not about to be told what’s what. Not when he’s on your turf. 

“It’s my fucking garage. You don’t like what I’ve got to say? You take a walk.” You jab your finger into his plastoid chestplate threateningly. His nostrils flare as he glares at you, and you can see him teetering on the edge of control.

You’ve gathered a bit of an audience as you and the mohawked clone pilot go nose to nose, some of which are snickering and “ooooh”-ing. 

“Your garage?” Chuckles snarls.

“Yeah, in case you missed it, I run shit around here. And I’m telling you I can’t get your fucking fighter fixed until next week.”

“That’s not good enough.”

“You should have thought about that before smoking your stabilizers flying like a fucking hotshot.” 

“You sure you wanna tell me how to fly my ship, Bolts?” 

“Since you don’t seem to have an idea how to, sure.” 

The vein in his neck is bulging now, and the scar at the corner of his mouth is pulled tight. You’ve known Chuckles long enough to tell that you’ve pushed all the right buttons to get a rise out of him.

Good. Asshole. 

“I thought Gregor fucked the grump out of her,” Strike mutters from his seat on a crate, which garners more snickers. You whirl on him, brandishing a wrench and waving it menacingly at the pilot. 

“You want me to fix your face next, shithead? Got the only thing I need for that right here.”

Strike scowls, pushing himself to a standing position. “You’re out of line, Bolts.” 

“I’m out of line? Fuck you.”

“That’s enough.” 

The jeers and laughter grow silent and the crowd parts as the commanding officer of the 28th Combat Wing strides forward, carrying his helmet under one arm. Crater’s voice is gruff as he steps in between Chuckles and you, glancing back and forth between the two of you. 

“She’s right, and you know it Chuckles. You’ve been told before not to fly in that config. You know it burns out the stabs faster. Now, I’m sure you’ll get your fighter as quickly as Bolts can get to it. Isn’t that right, Bolts?” 

You glare at him, but his eyes demand a response. “When I get the parts.” 

Crater watches you for another moment before nodding. He seems to understand that’s as much of a concession as he’s going to get out of you right now.

And then he whirls on Strike. “And you will learn to hold your fucking tongue. We don’t do that shit here. You want to air other people’s business out in front of everyone? You go run for the fucking senate. Until then, you keep the scuttlebutt you hear to yourself.”

“Didn’t hear anything. Just not hard to put two and two together,” Strike mutters under his breath. 

Crater strides forward until he’s looming over Strike. They’re the same height, but somehow, the captain towers over the other pilot. His tone is low and dangerous, his voice dropping to a gravelly octave that makes you shiver. “I know you haven’t been off of Kamino long, but around here, you don’t speak to a commanding officer that way. Especially when you don’t have a single scratch on that shiny fucking armor.” 

Strike swallows slightly but says nothing else. 

Crater glares down at him for one more second, pinning him with his gaze before he turns and addresses the rest of the onlookers. “Now all of you get to the fucking barracks and get cleaned up. You stink to the seven hells.” 

The squad departs, some of them still shooting dirty looks over their shoulders at you, especially Chuckles.

He’ll get over it.

You turn on your heel, heading towards your private office in the corner of the garage. The door’s been off track for a while, so you slam it open unceremoniously and stride inside. Just as you go to slide it shut with a grunt, a gloved hand slips around the edge, keeping it open. You glance up and meet Crater’s eyes. 

“Can we talk?” 

You shrug, stepping away from the door and plopping down on the creaky chair by your desk. The joints protest as you lean back in it, threatening to finally give out and dump you on your ass. Crater shuts the door behind him before setting his helmet on your desk and leaning a shoulder against the wall, crossing his arms as he studies you. He looks tired, and you’re not sure if it’s the campaign he just got back from or his men or you. A small pang of guilt shoots through you as he meets your eyes, raising his scarred eyebrow at you.

“You wanna tell me what the hell that was all about?” 

You sniff, shrugging as you pick some lint off your jumpsuit. “Nothin’. Just a scuffle.”

“Seems like you’re getting into more and more of those.” 

You and Crater have always gotten along just fine, finding a mutual respect and trust almost immediately. He always seems to have everything figured out, and you’ve never seen him fly off the handle like some of his brothers. In fact, the incident in the garage just now is the most upset you’ve seen him, and even that was hardly more than a growl and a few threats. You admire his leadership. He always seems to find the right thing to say to each of the various personalities on his squad, but sometimes you dislike when he deploys the same understanding on you. It unnerves you to a degree. 

Now, you roll your eyes at his observation, astute as it is. “Your boys don’t listen, Crate. Neither do any of the other flyboys that come through here. Everyone’s shit is broken because they can’t be bothered to fly with an ounce of sensibility, and then they’re all pissed when it takes time to get repairs done.” You wave your hand at the stacks of datapads and flimsi that are stacked on your desk. “I’ve got backorders on backorders, out-of-date maintenance logs, you name it. But I’m one person. And there’s not exactly a line to come work down here.” 

“You’re stressed,” he notes. 

“No shit.” 

“Overwhelmed.” 

“Tired of giving orders and making requests that are ignored.” 

“Tired of being in charge?”

“Sometimes. Yeah,” you admit. “But someone has to be.”

He nods. “When’s Gregor planetside again?” 

You glare at him, but he gives you a knowing look. You sigh. “Who the kriff knows? That’s not a regular thing, by the way. Just a way to blow off steam. But it’s been months since I saw him last. Seems he’s being kept busy.” You worry about the commando sometimes, but you’re not about to admit it. Judging by the look Crater gives you, you don’t need to. 

“And you were more tolerable when it was happening,” he teases.

“Yeah, yeah. Well, I’m on my own in that department for the foreseeable future.” 

You don’t know why you feel comfortable talking with him about Gregor. Probably because it felt less like an accusation and more of just a concerned observation, not like he was looking to get more gossip at your expense. 

Because you trust him. Maybe too much.

Crater is quiet for a moment, watching you carefully, clearly weighing something. 

“What?”

He smirks. 

“Well, if you’d ever like to blow off some steam, let me know. But you can’t keep taking it out on my men.” 

You snort out a laugh. “Crate, I don’t think you can help with that.” 

“Oh, I think I could.” 

“How so?” Your curiosity is piqued, particularly with the way his grin is playful but his eyes have darkened considerably. You’re in denial internally about what he might be implying, but that only lasts for another second as Crater huffs a quiet laugh before closing the distance between you. He puts one gloved hand on your desk, leaning over you as his other hand comes to rest just above your shoulder, gripping the back of your chair. Your stomach flutters as he stares down at you, tilted back in your chair so far you feel as though you’d tip over if he let go. The chair creaks, but you hardly note it over the sound of blood rushing in your ears. You can feel his breath on your cheek and your cunt throbs at the realization he’s standing between your knees, your toes barely touching the floor with the way he has you tipped backward. You feel as though you can’t breathe. He’s studying you again, clearly making a final judgment call before he speaks. 

“I think you’d like someone else to take charge for once. So you can let go.” 

His voice is so low, it feels as though it rumbles every organ in you and sends shivers down your spine. He’s so close, you can smell him, see the tattoos on his neck that just barely poke out above the collar of his black undersuit, and the greys that are beginning to dot his dark chestnut beard and hair. You’ve always thought Crater was attractive. You’d have to be blind not to, but you’d never anticipated having him lean over you like this, so close that you can feel the heat radiating off of him while he suggests things like that. 

At least, you think that’s what he’s suggesting. 

You can’t help but tremble slightly at the thought as his eyes bore holes into yours. Your thighs clench together subconsciously, and his eyes dart downwards, watching you squirm. He laughs in a low rasp that promises trouble, straightening and picking his helmet up off the desk. You haven’t moved, but he’s already at your door, pushing it open again. 

“Remember what I said, Bolts. All of it.” 

And with that, he’s gone. 

—

Weeks pass. Nothing gets better. If anything, things get worse. A major supply hyperspace lane gets shut down by Separatist forces, meaning parts are even harder to come by, causing even more delays. At least the clone pilots seem more understanding, the 28th Wing in particular. You aren’t sure if Crater privately met with his men, but they have been suddenly more lenient with you. The natborns, however, make up for it by being infinitely more terrible. 

“THIS IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE,” one particularly surly human admiral rants, spittle flying unchecked as you don’t even bother looking up from your datapad. “You are to have those fighters ready to go within a rotation. That is an order.” 

“Well, unfortunately for you, Admiral, I don’t take orders from the GAR,” you mutter. “And unless you’ve got a stash of converters, stabilizers, hyperdrive capacitors, and power couplings in your back pocket, no, your fighters will not be ready to go in a rotation.”

“I’ll have your job for this.” 

You’re exhausted, but can’t help but give him a smug smirk, nudging him even closer to an explosion. He’s easy prey in that respect, hardly sporting, but it’s been a miserable week, and you’re ready to have some fun. He’s not the first officer to try to intimidate you with unemployment, and you know he’s unlikely to be the last. But you also know it’s an empty threat. No one else could handle this work. If that person existed, the GAR would already have hired them since you’ve pissed off everyone else. 

“I have work to do, Admiral. So if you’re done bloviating, get out of my office and try to have a lovely evening.”

The man is practically purple with rage, veins bulging from his throat above his tight Republic collar. He clearly isn’t used to having people check him, and his response is even more telling. 

“I’d heard you were challenging, but really, you’re just a frigid little bitch.” 

That does it. 

You stand, kicking your seat away from you. It rolls into the back wall with a loud crash. “You wanna try that again, Admiral?” you ask, charging towards him with anger heating your cheeks. He’s taller than you, but that’s never stopped you, and you certainly aren’t going to let some washed-up asshole that reeks of stale caf and cheap cologne talk to you like that in your own office. His fists clench, and you almost hope he swings first so you have an excuse to pummel him right there. 

“Problem in here?” 

You both whirl to look at the doorway. There stands Crater, helmet on and cocked to the side as he studies the both of you. His posture is completely relaxed, as if he didn’t just walk in on the start of a physical altercation. 

It takes all of the wind out of your sails. 

The admiral turns and smirks down at you, clearly convinced he’s won by your reaction. “I was just leaving.” He pushes past Crater, exiting the office. Crater’s visor never leaves you, but you can’t look at him. 

You’re fuming. Angry that nothing’s going right. Angry that your garage can’t run efficiently and the reasons are completely out of your control. Angry that you didn’t sock that admiral in the jaw. Angry that he got the best of you and he knows it. 

Crater says your name, but you don’t look up, trying to slow your breathing. He sighs and turns to leave. 

You make a decision. 

“Captain.” 

He turns back. 

Your tongue darts out to wet your lips as you plunge into uncharted territory.

“I’ll take you up on that offer you made a few weeks back.” 

He doesn’t move for a moment before, clearly making sure you won’t change your mind. Some of your fire returns at his hesitation, and you jut your chin out defiantly. 

“Chickening out on me?” you challenge.

In an instant, he’s closed the distance between you and has backed you up against the wall. Your breath fogs his visor as he stares down at you, resting his hand against your throat. 

“You certain you want to be a brat right out of the gate?” 

You swallow hard, feeling the gloved palm of his hand press against your neck. 

“Might want to pace yourself. Otherwise you’ll be in for a long night,” he warns.

“What makes you think that isn’t what I was hoping for?”

He chuckles darkly, and the helmet’s modulator seems to make it even more intimidating. 

“What are your hard no’s?” 

“You’ll be hard-pressed to find them,” you reply. Your mouth is dry, but other places are already soaking. You’re almost glad he has you braced against the wall because your knees suddenly feel gelatinous beneath you. 

He tilts his head. “Think on it a bit more. Have an answer when I come back from my briefing. Then we’ll begin.” He releases your throat and steps back. “Be ready.” 

He once again leaves you alone in your office, shivering in his absence. 

How the fuck do I get ready for this?

You brush your hair out of your face, catching a glance at your reflection in the small mirror you have stuck to one wall. You’re covered in grease and sweat, and your hair is sticking out at odd angles. 

A shower then. 

You’re glad the day’s over as you slide your office door closed. It would be hard to concentrate on anything else right now. You push through the door that connects to the small apartment and refresher that have become your home away from home. It had been one of your few stipulations when you took the job, knowing you’d rarely make it back down to your lower-level Coruscant apartment. It had originally been a large storage closet, but with some work, you’d converted it into a decent-sized bedroom, stacking a few changes of clothes in an empty crate in one corner. The bed was at least comfortable, tucked up against one wall with a small bedside table next to it. You quickly shove the dirty clothes strewn on the floor in a corner before shucking off your jumpsuit and hurriedly showering. You don’t have any sort of lingerie or anything remotely alluring here, and you’re considering what to wear while wrapped in a towel when you hear a soft knock at your door. 

You turn and find Crater’s silhouette looming there, blocking out the dim light of your office. 

“That was a quick briefing.”

He shrugs as if he’s used to coming upon you in only a towel. 

“You shut the office door?” you ask.

“Yes. And you should really get that fixed.” His helmet is off, and his dark eyes are roving over you and your towel-covered body. 

“Add it to my list,” you mutter, trying to maintain some sort of confidence under his stare. “I’m sure that admiral will be so pleased to hear it takes priority over his fighters.” 

He snorts in amusement as he steps into the room, shutting the apartment door behind him. He sets the helmet on the ground before he starts peeling off the top half of his armor, one piece of plastoid at a time, and neatly stacking it in the corner. 

“Did you think more on what your hard no’s are?” he asks. 

You’d come up with a few and rattle them off. 

“Those are fairly extreme. Don’t think you’ll have to worry about that,” he rasps. The top half of his armor is completely off now, and he rolls up the sleeves of his black shirt as he approaches you, circling you slowly. “But I’m glad you put serious thought into it and came up with something.” 

“You got anything I need to avoid doing?” you ask, trying not to nervously rock on your heels. You’d rarely had issues with people seeing you naked, but for some reason, Crater’s gaze has you feeling timid, even with the towel still hiding your body.

“I don’t think you’ll get there, but I’ll let you know if you get close,” he replies as he comes to a stop in front of you. His sleeves are rolled all the way to his elbows, and you can see the tendrils of the other end of his tattoos poking out on his forearms. You’d never realized how far his tattoos stretched, only ever having seen the fine lines that poked out of the collar of his shirt. Now, you find you want to know how much of his skin is inked and how far the pattern stretches. 

“My eyes are up here, gorgeous.” 

You flush, but raise your eyes to meet his steady gaze. He’s watching you carefully and fuck, you want to squirm with him looking at you like that. 

“So you respond to praise then. You prefer that?”

You shrug. “Could go both ways.”

“Where would you like me to cum?”

You can’t help but smirk at that question, but his expression is stern. “Wherever you like,” you reply. “I’ve got an implant.”

He hums, gently brushing some of your damp hair out of your face, a tender gesture that contrasts sharply with his next question. “May I mark you?” 

“Nowhere the jumpsuit can’t cover.”

“How rough would you like me to be?” 

You think for a moment. “Breathplay is good. Impact too. Bruising is fine. Nothing that would draw blood.” 

He smirks. “Good girl.” 

Your thighs rub together, and he notices, huffing a quiet laugh. 

“Toys I can use?”

You point to the bedside table. “In that drawer.” 

“You know the color system?”

You nod.

“Give me your definitions.” 

“Green is good. Yellow is slow down. Red is stop.” 

“And if you can’t verbally communicate?”

“Three taps.” You reach out and demonstrate on his chest, letting your fingertips rest there.

He catches your hand. “I want to be very clear here. You are under no obligation to do anything with me. And if you say red, we stop. No debate, no questions. This is for your benefit, so I’ll push, but when I hit a limit, you have to let me know. Deal?”

You can’t help but smile there. “Deal.”

“Any other last requests?”

“Ruin me.” The words fall out of your mouth before you realize you’ve said them, but you don’t regret them. You need this, and he can see it. Crater’s eyes darken even more, and he grins wickedly as he pulls your wrist to his lips. You feel his beard scratch your skin, and you shiver at the thought of where else you may feel that sensation before the night is over. 

“With pleasure.” He cups your jaw, running a thumb over your lower lip. “You will refer to me as Captain or sir. Understood?”

A thrill shoots through you, and you push your luck, shrugging. “Sure.”

His nostrils flare and his grip on your jaw tightens. “You are such a fucking brat,” he whispers. “I'll fix that.” He grips the towel, giving it a firm yank and tossing it in the corner. He steps back and studies you. You shiver again, although you can’t be sure if it’s from the chill on your damp skin or his piercing gaze. He circles you again, inspecting every inch of your body. You feel yourself tremble slightly as he leans in, his breath hot against your ear. “On your knees.” 

You think about pushing him further, but decide against it, at least for the moment, slowly sinking to your knees and gazing up at him expectantly. 

“Open your mouth.” 

You narrow your eyes at him. He squats down in front of you, balancing on the balls of his feet, watching you. You start to giggle from nerves, but his hand rockets out, catching your jaw again and squeezing until your lips part from the pressure.

He slips the tip of his glove into your mouth. 

“Bite,” he grits out. 

He loosens his hold just enough for you to do as you’re told this time, gently taking the tip of the fabric between your teeth. His fingers slip out of the glove, and he takes it from you. He repeats the exercise with his other glove, tucking them both in his back pocket. Warm tan fingers press on your lower lip, and you open your mouth, allowing him in. Two fingers slide in, pressing on your tongue. Saliva pools in your mouth, but Crater keeps your jaw pried open until you feel some drool slide down your chin. 

“Messy girl,” he rasps. “Suck.” 

You close your lips around his fingers, sucking gently on the pads. You can taste his sweat, slightly salty against your tongue. 

“Oh, come on, gorgeous. With a mouth like that, I expected more. You’re going to have to do better than that if you want me to let you suck my cock later.” 

You feel your cunt throb and you inhale sharply as warmth floods between your legs. You’re certain you’re dripping onto the floor by now, and it’s only been a few minutes. 

“You like that thought, don’t you?” Crater asks, shoving his fingers into the back of your throat. You gag, and he starts to withdraw, but you catch his wrist, pressing his fingers deeper while you run your tongue over his knuckles. 

Crater’s brow furrows and his lips part slightly as he watches you gag again on his fingers, but you keep going, obediently sliding them in and out of your mouth. You hum around him, and you can see he’s fighting to maintain control. You grin. 

“Something to say, pretty girl?” he asks, shoving another finger into your mouth. “Go on.” 

“Having fun, Captain?” is what you try to ask, but it comes out garbled around his digits. 

“Try again, gorgeous. I can’t understand you.” 

You glare up at him and he smirks before withdrawing his fingers. 

“I was always told it’s rude to talk with my mouth full, sir,” you snark. 

“You’ve had no problem being rude up until this point,” he murmurs, letting his damp hand trail across your collarbone before grazing your breast. 

You clench around nothing. It's been months since anyone touched you. 

He notices your response, raising his eyebrow as he pinches one nipple between his fingers and tugs it gently. You whimper quietly. 

“Needy,” he observes. 

“Been a while.” He pinches your nipple harder. “Sir,” you gasp. 

“Hmm.” He releases you, pushing himself to a standing position. You shift, trying to gain some source of friction, but he slips a knuckle under your chin, tilting your head upwards. “None of that. You take what I give, and nothing more. Understood?” 

You bat your eyelashes at him. “Yes, sir.” 

Crater stares down at you with an unamused expression for another half a beat before releasing you. He crosses your room to your nightstand and pulls open the drawer, rummaging inside. You can see his eyes raking over the contents, carefully cataloging everything before he holds up your plug, glancing over at you. 

“You stretch yourself on this?” 

“Yes, sir,” you say quietly. 

“Anyone ever taken you there?”

“No.” It’s something you’ve always wanted to try, but you’ve never had a partner you felt bold enough to ask. And those that have asked have always seemed too eager. So you’ve resorted to toys, stuffing your ass full with the plug as you fucked your cunt with another toy. But no matter how many times you came, teeth clenched around the fabric of your pillowcase, your curiosity about the real thing still wasn’t sated. You always knew it would have to be with someone you trust completely, someone you know won’t push you or your boundaries just to lay claim to you. 

Someone like Crater. 

He stays silent, clearly expecting more from you. 

You try to stutter out a more thorough response. “B-but I like to feel full when I…”

“When you what, pretty girl?” 

“When I fuck myself.” 

The corner of his lip curls. “Filthier than I thought. Good.” He takes out a bottle of lube, your dildo with the remote, and the plug and sits on the bed with them next to him. He leans forward on his knees, crooking a finger towards you. 

“Come here, gorgeous.” 

You grin, falling forward on your hands and crawling towards him, allowing your ass to sway back and forth. His face remains neutral as you slide between his knees, running your hands over the plastoid that still covers his thighs. You’ve always been good at finding the right buttons to push with people, but Crater has largely remained a mystery to you in all the time that you’ve known him. Now, you watch carefully as you scrape your fingers closer to his inner thigh, watching for any telltale twitch. You want to see if you can make him crack. 

He’s immovable. 

“You seem to think this is some sort of competition,” he says quietly, as though he can read your thoughts. “You won’t break me, sweetheart.” 

You pout your lips. “You’re no fun.” 

He slips one hand into your hair and grips tightly, pulling your head back as he leans over you again. You can feel the roots of your hair tug sharply, and it sends another thrill through you. Crater leans forward to whisper directly into your ear. His beard scrapes your cheek, and his breath is hot against the shell of your ear. “You’re still being a brat.”

“I thought pilots enjoyed a challenge,” you manage to gasp. 

“I do.” He releases your hair, and you sit back. He shifts back on the bed and pats his knees. You start to straddle one, but he places a hand on your hip, stilling you. “No, love. Over them.” 

Your legs quiver at the realization of what he’s asking, and your mouth falls open slightly. 

“Tick-tock, pretty girl. The longer you stand there and waste my time, the longer this’ll be.” 

You drape yourself over his thighs slowly, shuddering at the chill of the plastoid and how the edges of it bite into your skin. You rest your elbows and knees on the mattress on either side of him, balancing as he pushes down on the small of your back to arch it to his liking. Your ass is in the air, and it feels so exposed. Crater rubs small circles in your spine before allowing his hand to drift downward, lightly passing over the curve of your ass. You feel your skin explode in an array of goosebumps as a jolt shoots through you. You unleash a shuddering breath. 

“You are needy. So eager to be touched,” he teases as he traces down the curve of your ass, curling his fingers on the inside of your thigh. He’s so close to where you want him, but he steers clear of your dripping cunt. For now. 

“I think fifteen is a good start considering how you’ve behaved the last few weeks,” he rasps. “And if you’re good, I’ll let you have my cock.”

“Fifteen, huh? Can you count that high, Captain?” you ask, earning yourself a sharp pinch to your nipple with his other hand. You inhale sharply, biting back a curse. 

“Twenty then. And you’ll be the one counting. I’m sure you can do that, can’t you, smart girl?” 

You open your mouth to retort, but the first smack lands hard, biting into the skin of your asscheek. Heat floods through you and your mouth falls open. 

You’re already craving another. 

“Count for me, or we start over.” 

“One,” you pant. 

He continues, landing some blows over the same area, and you can feel the heat and redness bloom there. Other times, he moves onto an untouched patch of skin, and the shock of sudden pain makes you squirm, desperate for some sort of friction against your neglected clit. It feels as though electricity is licking up your spine with every strike, the pain giving way to a euphoria you’ve never before experienced as his warm palm soothes your stinging skin in between each blow. 

But you keep count. 

“See, I knew you could be a good girl for me. You’re doing so well,” he whispers as he rubs the place you’re certain he just left a handprint. “Halfway there.” One hand curls around your thigh again, and you feel fingers finally brush against your folds, slipping along them with ease. “I see you’re enjoying yourself,” Crater observes. “You’re soaked.” He lifts his fingers to his lips, sucking your taste off of them before he lets his hand slip back between your legs, sinking two of his thick digits into you. You fist the blankets as the next blow lands at the same time Crater curls his fingers inside of you. 

“Ah fuck! Eleven!” 

Crater pulls out slightly out before pressing back into the knuckle, driving into you. He finds the spongy place inside of you and bears down on it as he spanks you again in the same place. Your eyes roll back into your head. 

“T-twelve.” 

“Good girl.”

SMACK.

“Thirteen,” you whine. The plastoid is so cold against your heated, sweaty skin as you writhe in his lap, trying to press back against his hand. He adds a third finger. 

“Who would have known all it took for you to be nicer was a few spanks and some fingers in your pussy?” Crater chuckles. “Such a desperate girl.” 

“Please,” you whisper. 

“Please what?” 

“More.” 

“So polite all of a sudden.” He presses against your asshole with his thumb, and you arch your back, pushing against him. “Oh, you want me to take you there, don’t you? Want me to claim your ass tonight?” 

You do. You want him to, and he knows it. You mouth a silent “yes” as you glance back at him, and his eyebrow raises at your muted admission.

Crater hums as he pushes harder against the tight ring of muscle and you gasp. Your knuckles are white with how hard you’re gripping the sheets. 

“Color?”

“Green. Fuck. Green.” 

SMACK.

“FOURTEEN.” 

Your breath is coming in short pants as he rubs at the raised, tender flesh of your ass. You hear the click of a cap, and suddenly his thumb is pressed back against your asshole again, slicker than before. He pushes forward, breaching the tight ring of muscle as he curls his fingers in your cunt again. 

“Oh, Maker, yes. Right there, Crate-”

SMACK.

“It’s Captain or sir,” he reminds you in that same gravelly tone he used on Strike, sending a shiver through you. “Now what do we say when someone gives you what you want?”

“Fifteen! Thank you, sir,” you gasp, tears starting to pool in the corners of your eyes.

“Good girl.” 

You clench around his fingers at the praise, and he huffs another laugh, pressing his thumb deeper into your ass. He lands the next few blows in rapid succession. 

SMACK.

“SIXTEEN. THANK YOU, CAPTAIN.”

SMACK.

“FUCK. SEVENTEEN. THANK YOU, SIR.” 

You can feel the coil tightening in your stomach as he lands two more, nearing the end. After nineteen, you’re babbling in his lap, desperately pressing back against his hand, trying to fuck yourself on his fingers. 

“You think you deserve to cum?” he asks.

“Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease,” you whimper. 

“Not yet, pretty girl.” 

SMACK.

“Twenty,” you sob. 

He removes his fingers from you, and you immediately feel painfully empty. His other palm rests on your back, rubbing soothing circles as you feel your pulse in your fluttering, empty cunt.

“You did so well,” he praises. You quiver under his touch. “Are you still green?”

“Still g-green,” you stutter. 

“Louder.”

“Green,” you declare more firmly.

“Good. Lie down.” 

He helps you stand on shaky legs, carefully moving you to lie on your back on the bed. You feel the softness of the blanket rub against the inflamed skin of your ass and thighs, and you shudder at the thought of the marks that’ll be there tomorrow, a reminder of your night with the captain. 

But he’s far from done with you. 

“Wait here,” he commands. “Don’t touch yourself.”

“Yes, sir,” you sigh with a hint of a whine. 

He retreats to the refresher, washing his hand before he comes back, his head tilted as he watches you, laid out for him on your bed. He quickly removes the rest of his armor and boots, grinning smugly as your eyes follow every new part of him that’s exposed to you. You want him, and he knows it. Reaching for his waist, he tugs his shirt up and over his head, tossing it next to his armor. 

He’s fucking stunning. You knew he would be, but somehow still weren’t prepared. The tattoos you’d seen evidence of curl from his elbows over his shoulders, weaving in geometric patterns across his collarbone and shoulder blades before reaching up his neck, where they end. Each line seems to flawlessly frame a muscle or tendon, perfectly accentuating it. His body is littered with small scars, with one larger one visible on his hip, dipping below the waistline of his pants. Without his codpiece, you can see the pronounced outline of his cock, straining against the black fabric. Your mouth waters, and you lick your lips, meeting his eyes. 

“Not yet,” he teases.

You’re huffy now, having recovered slightly from your denied orgasm, and he glowers at you as you pout. 

“Hands under the headboard,” he orders. You glare at him for another moment, and he raises his eyebrow again in warning. You concede, slipping your fingers under the wooden edge and gripping it tightly. “Good. Keep them there,” he orders as he slowly approaches the bed. “Or else I’ll get some binders.” 

“Probably the most use they’ll have gotten,” you snicker. 

“You really want to make this difficult?”

“Got a reputation to keep up.” 

He snorts before climbing onto the bed and straddling you, lowering his body onto yours slowly. You can feel the warmth of his chest against your skin, and your body is screaming at you to wrap your legs around him, but you really aren’t that interested in the binders that he threatened you with. 

You’re more interested in getting his cock inside of you as quickly as possible. 

Crater is infuriatingly patient and precise in his motions, but then again, you suppose that’s why he commands an entire combat wing. He slips his hand into your hair again, gripping but not pulling. He tilts your head slightly, exposing your neck to him. “If I remember correctly, your jumpsuit collar goes to about here,” he whispers, nosing at the perceived boundary on the skin of your throat. His beard is tickling you, and you’re shaking with anticipation. “That seem right to you?” 

“Yes, s-sir,” you stutter. 

“Already a mess and I’ve hardly started,” he rasps, an amused smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. “I’ll have you begging soon enough.” He kisses your neck, and you let out a sharp exhale. You’ve tried to play it neutral, but somehow, he’s zoned in on the exact spot you like to be kissed, the spot that drives you wild. And he notices the way you respond, bearing down on it with his teeth and tongue. You start to grind against him, desperate for any sort of friction, desperate to feel his cock. You manage to catch the head of it on your clit through his pants, rubbing for a millisecond before his unoccupied hand locks firmly on your hip, holding you still. 

“You’ll take what I give, pretty girl,” he snarls in your ear. “And the longer you’re greedy, the longer you’ll wait to have me fill that pretty pussy.” 

You whine but relent, letting him resume his attack on your neck and collar bone. He works slowly and methodically, marking you as he works his way to your breasts, where he seemingly spends an eternity lavishing them with attention. He sucks bruises, he bites gently, and he takes your nipples in his mouth, paying special attention to what makes you writhe and gasp. 

And then he moves lower, slipping between your legs and kissing just below your navel as he spreads your legs wide with his hands on the back of your thighs. His breath is so warm against your dripping cunt, and you spasm in his grip as he blows on you purposefully. 

“Asshole,” you grumble. 

He bites the inside of your thigh hard, and you yelp. Looking down, you can already see the bruise blossoming where his teeth caught your skin. 

“Only nice girls get to cum. Now, remember, keep your hands where they are.” 

He nuzzles against the flesh of your unmarked thigh, placing warm kisses and gentle bites. His beard scrapes the tender skin just before his teeth graze you, threatening to mark you where only you’ll see. You close your eyes, tipping your head back as you try to fight the way your legs are trembling, but that earns you a sharp slap to the inside of your thigh. 

“Eyes on me, pretty girl.” 

You catch your lip between your teeth as you obey, your eyes finding his brown ones, which seem to be practically glowing. He keeps his gaze locked with yours as he nuzzles your clit, blowing on it gently. You whine, and your legs try to close, but he firmly holds them open. 

“I’m going to break you,” he whispers. “By the time I’m done, all you’ll know is my name and the word ‘please’.” 

You tremble again just as he dives in, driving his tongue and eating you ravenously as you gasp and thrash in his grasp. 

Crater is a master at pulling you apart slowly, and he takes his time, working you to the edge with his tongue and mouth and then chuckling as he pulls away, leaving you trembling and crying out in frustration. He’s a quick study and eventually adds his fingers, thrusting into your cunt as he suckles at your clit in the way that he now knows will have you clenching and gasping. The third time he deprives you, you unleash a frustrated growl, and he laughs quietly at your frustration. 

“Please, Captain,” you whine. “Please.” 

“Not yet.” 

He goes at you again, alternating with his tongue and his fingers, and it feels as though it only takes seconds for your body to begin to tighten, begging for the release that he’s robbed you of. 

“Knew you’d taste good,” he mumbles into your skin as he presses his fingers back inside of you. “So sweet and warm.” 

“P-p-please. Please.” 

He nips at your thigh and you cry out, tears leaping into your eyes as droplets of perspiration dot your forehead. Crater bears down on the spot inside of you, watching you as you babble. 

“Please, I'll do anything you want. Please, sir, please. I need it.”

“Tell me what you need, gorgeous.” 

“I need to cum. Please. Do anything you want to me. Please just let me cum. PLEASE!”

“Not yet.”

You sob. 

He keeps working you, disintegrating your resolve with every pass of his tongue and his fingers. The scratch of his beard is delicious, contrasting sharply with the warmth of his mouth and the soft press of his tongue against you as he laps at your heat.

“Captain, please. Gods above, I’ll let you have anything.” 

“Anything?”

“Yes. I’ll suck your cum out of your cock. You can have my ass. I’ll give you anything.”

He chuckles. “At the bargaining phase, are we?” 

The tears are streaming from your eyes, and you unleash a choked sob. 

“Ask me again.”

You’re gasping now, teetering on the edge. 

“Please, Captain. Please let me cum.”

“Good girl.” He kisses your clit, and you moan, your knuckles aching from how hard you’re holding the headboard. 

“Cum for me.” 

You do, screaming his name as your body spasms with wave after wave of your orgasm. He holds you in place, working you through it until your body finally sags into the bed, slick with sweat and wrung out. Your mind is hazy as you feel him crawl up next to you, pressing his fingers against your lips. You let your mouth fall open, welcoming them in as you clean your release from the pads of his fingers. When he’s satisfied, he leans over you and kisses you, and you can feel how wet his beard is from your release. He reaches up as he kisses you, pulling your hands from the headboard. You immediately bury them in his dark curls, running your fingers over the back of his head, relishing this new touch he’s permitted. 

The way Crater kisses you feels as though he’s stealing the air from your lungs. His tongue gently finds its way inside your mouth, running along your lower lip as his hands wander your body, gently rubbing and caressing. After what feels like an eternity and not long enough, he relents, resting his forehead against yours. 

“Are you ready to continue, my gorgeous girl?” 

“Yes, sir.” You’d been determined to make this harder for him, but he’s broken you, and you’re more than ready to bend to whatever his will may be. You trust him implicitly, just like you always have, but somehow, it feels deeper now. You know as rough as he may be with you here, he’ll never hurt you in a way you don’t ask for. His eyes are staring directly into yours as he strokes your cheek tenderly. 

“So good for me,” he whispers. He kisses your cheek, moving along your jaw until he reaches your ear. He gently takes your earlobe between his teeth as he grips your thigh, coaxing you to wrap your legs around him. You do it immediately, quivering again at the thought of finally being filled by his cock. 

Crater is kicking his pants off as he whispers into your ear. “Now that you’re being good, I’m going to fuck you until you’re boneless. You’re going to cum exactly as many times as I want you to, and no less. But you have to ask me first, and ask nicely. Do you understand?” 

You nod. 

“Use your words, love.”

“Yes, sir. I understand.”

“Color?” 

You can feel the head of his cock resting against the puffy, soaked lips of your pussy. Crater is stroking himself against your slit, coating himself with your release. You look down and see he’s as big as Gregor, but with a little more girth, and Maker above you’ve never wanted anything more. 

“Green.” 

He grunts as he notches his head at your entrance. “Good girl.” 

Crater enters you slowly, watching your face as he breaches you. Your release makes it easier to take him, but not easy. You feel your walls stretch to accommodate him as he slowly thrusts shallowly into you, pressing a little deeper each time. Every time his head catches your entrance, you whimper, and he responds with a thrust. You can feel how tightly you’re stretched around him, every ridge apparent as he takes what you’re more than willing to surrender.

“Fuck, you’re so beautiful like this,” he whispers. 

You reach up to touch his face, and he catches your hand, pressing a kiss to the inside of your wrist before he leans forward and captures your lips again. He groans into your mouth as he bottoms out, pressing his hips against yours, and the feeling of him inside of you is bliss you’ve never experienced. He stays still, but his entire body is tensed, a taut spring waiting to be unleashed. He strokes your cheek. 

“Are you ready?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I won’t be gentle.” 

You raise your head, grazing his lips with yours. “I don’t want you to be.” 

He chuckles darkly. “Good.” 

His hips draw back before slamming against yours, and you see stars as the head of his cock finds the perfect place inside you. He starts off at a steady but hard pace, knocking the wind from you with every thrust of his hips. His hands wander your body, squeezing your breasts, playing with your clit, finding every place that makes you unfurl more underneath him. 

At one point, he sits up, placing his hands at the back of your knees and pushing them towards your chest. The angle of his next thrust has you screaming to religious entities you don’t even believe in as he reaches impossibly deeper inside of you. His thrusts are deliberate and perfectly timed, his fingers bruising, and it’s not long before you’re pleading with him again. 

“Maker, I’m gonna cum again. Please let me cum, Captain. Please.” 

“Yeah? Already? You’re not making this very difficult.” He sheathes himself to the hilt and holds there. It feels as though he’s rearranging your insides, and you’re shocked you can’t see an outline of his cock through your stomach. 

“Gods. Please, Crate. I’m so full.” Tears are leaking from the corners of your eyes as he drags himself out again, leaving just the head inside of you. His thumb presses against your clit with a feather-light touch, and you jolt at the contact, whining desperately. 

“Not yet, you’re not,” he rasps. You feel his fingers prod at your asshole, and you fist the sheets, arching your back as your mouth falls open. You hear the click of the lube bottle opening again. 

“Color?”

“G-green.” 

His cock slips from you, and you want to scream, but he holds your legs where they are, and you feel the blunt head of the plug nudge your other entrance. 

“Relax for me, pretty girl.” 

You do, inhaling and exhaling deeply as you quiver with anticipation. The plug slips inside you, and it’s bliss you’ve never experienced. Crater watches you for a moment before he slides his cock back inside of your pussy, folding you back in half again. 

You’ve never felt this full before, never this pleasured, and you’re not sure you’ll ever feel this way again. 

But you need it. 

“Fuck. Don’t stop.”

A hand settles on your throat, firmer than the last time he grasped you like that.

“Eyes open for me, love.”

You didn’t even realize you’d closed them, but your eyes flutter open and find Crater’s in the dim lighting. They’re piercing. Your tongue darts out to wet your lips, and his gaze follows it. 

“Do as you’re told, yeah?” he groans. 

“Yes, sir,” you gasp. 

The grip on your throat tightens slightly, pressing on the sides. “Squeeze for me.” 

You focus on contracting your muscles even though your mind feels like a blur. Crater grunts as your cunt tightens around him. “Good girl. Good fucking girl.” His cock slams into you, and you relax, letting him fill you. 

“Again.”

Crater releases your legs, fucking you with his hand around your neck. You’ve never tried spice, but you imagine this has to be what it’s like. You’re floating, you’re moaning, you’re sweating, all while wave after wave of pleasure washes over you, more intense with every thrust of Crater’s hips as the head of his cock continues to stroke that perfect place inside you. The grip on your throat tightens when he wants you to flex your muscles, and after a few cycles of it, you tighten around him without having to be asked. Crater’s fucking you in earnest now, the hand still around your throat, and your head is swimming. He releases you for a second, watching you. 

“Color?”

“Green,” you whisper. 

“Louder for me.” 

“Green,” you say more firmly. 

He’s still watching, and you see a flicker of something, concern maybe. 

“I said I’m green, Crater.” 

He takes your hand, placing it on his side. “Tap if you need.” 

“I will. Now please fuck me.” 

The grip tightens again, and you’re back to floating, and before you know it, you’re begging him again. 

“Cum on my cock, pretty girl.” 

You do. You cum hard, clawing at his back as he bites your shoulder. Your vision whites out as you writhe underneath him, clenching around his cock until the orgasm subsides, leaving you panting. 

“Good. That’s two.” 

“How many you shooting for?” you gasp. 

“As many as it takes. Now on your knees for me, love.” 

You roll over onto your knees, bracing yourself against your elbows. You feel exposed like this, back arched and presenting yourself to the captain. You feel him staring at your dripping heat, and you shiver under his gaze. His fingers trace along your lips as he positions himself behind you, nudging your knees apart as he presses his cock back into you. Your back arches almost by instinct, and he groans as he bottoms out, leaning over you. You feel his abdomen press against the plug in your ass, and you try to push backwards to drive it in deeper, but a sharp smack to your ass makes you freeze.

“What did I tell you about being greedy?” he rasps. “You take what I give you.” 

You squeeze around him in the only act of defiance you can muster, and he chuckles darkly before he leans forward, pinning your arms behind your back with one hand while fisting your hair with the other. The roots of your hair creak again under his grip, but the pain is beautiful as he slams into your cunt again with a wet slap that makes your face burn. 

“You talk a big game, but I know what you really crave,” he grunts as he fucks you. “You want to be told how filthy you are. You want to be used like this, to surrender to someone else. You want someone else to take charge. Your dripping little cunt tells me everything I need to know.” He’s got his weight tipped forward onto the small of your back, arching it even further as he snaps his hips into you again, accelerating the pace with each thrust until he’s pounding you into your mattress. Your head is pulled back and forth by the grip he has on your hair, and you allow yourself to go limp as Crater drives into you again and again. You’re more than happy to let him use you, especially as he strokes your insides deliciously, stretching you around his cock as your ass relaxes around the plug. It’s bliss. 

After a few minutes, he adjusts again, tipping further forward, and suddenly, he finds the deepest part of you again, and he knows it when you moan loudly under him. He slows, dragging himself out of you before thrusting roughly back in, and you try to bury your face in the sheets to hide the obscene whines that are falling from your lips. But a rough tug of your hair turns your face outward, and you gasp and moan, some of your saliva leaking onto the sheets as Crater fucks you. 

“None of that, love. I want to hear every noise you make.” 

He pulls you apart, piece by piece, yanking another orgasm from you in a matter of minutes before he flips you back onto your back, pulling your ankles up to rest on his shoulders and gripping your hips as he pistons into you roughly. You lose track of how many times you’ve orgasmed, and each time, Crater only allows you a moment to catch your breath before he’s moving you again, gripping your body roughly and taking what he wants from you. You’re boneless and malleable, and he’s seemingly insatiable. 

He’s fucking you on your back again, with one leg extended between his with the other on his shoulder as he drives into your soaked cunt. Sweat is trickling down his neck, trailing along the lines of his tattoos. His dark curls are glistening with moisture, and one drop falls from his nose, landing on your abdomen as he snaps his hips into you relentlessly. 

“I’m almost there, love,” he gasps. “Gonna fill this pretty pussy up.” 

You’re panting with exertion, trying to hold your orgasm at bay as he grips your hip, driving himself into you impossibly deeper. You worry that his orgasm will mean the end of this night, and he seems to notice your concern.

“Ask for what you want, pretty girl.”

You’re suddenly shy, even with his cock buried inside you, even wearing the marks of his teeth and his hands on your flesh. 

He slows, whispering your name. “Tell me what you want.”

“I… I want you to fuck my ass. I want you to have me there, Crater.” 

His eyes search yours for a second before he resumes his relentless pace. “I’m going to cum in this pussy. Then you’re going to clean my cock off with that smart mouth of yours. And once I’m nice and hard again, I’ll claim you there. That what you want?”

Heat rises in your cheeks. “Y-yes.”

“Yes what?”

“Yes, sir. Please sir.”

“Good girl.”

He leans forward, adjusting to the angle that he knows will rip another orgasm from you, and sure enough, you’re pleading with him again in a matter of seconds. This time, he’s merciful. 

“Cum with me. Right now. Do it.”

You’ve never been so responsive to a lover, never felt as though your body was perfectly calibrated to follow their commands, but Crater’s words send you hurtling over the edge, and you feel him twitch as he empties himself inside of you. It takes several thrusts, and you’re certain you’re full of his cum, dripping with it. 

His final thrusts make obscene sounds, and you feel the warm stickiness dribble out of you. Crater pushes himself up on his hands and knees, reaching for the dildo and gently nestling it inside of you, replacing his cock. It’s cold and not enough compared to him, but your disappointment only lasts a moment as he crawls to the head of your bed, sitting against your headboard with his legs spread. He reaches for the remote on your nightstand and beckons you forward. 

“Come clean me off, love. Get me ready to take you again.” 

You feel as though you’re drunk as you roll yourself onto your hands and knees, clumsily crawling towards him on wobbly limbs. He watches you with a slight smirk as you drop to your elbows between his knees, nuzzling at his abdomen and kissing the scar on his hip. He gently brushes your hair out of your face, gathering it in one hand. 

“You want this, love?”

“So much,” you whisper. 

His cock is still half-hard, glistening with your combined releases, and you gently wrap your lips around the head, swirling your tongue around the tip. The taste is salty and tangy and warm, and you can’t believe how quickly you crave it, slipping him further into your mouth. He grunts in surprise as you suddenly feel a second wind overtake you, making you eager to run your tongue along every inch of him. You clean him until your saliva replaces the slick cum on his shaft, tracing veins and flicking the head of his cock with your tongue. You hear a dull thunk as his head falls back against your headboard, and he gathers your hair in one hand, applying pressure to the back of your head. 

You want him to use you. You want him to bruise the back of your throat. You want him to make your voice rasp in the morning as a reminder of this night. 

His cock hits the back of your throat, but you hold yourself there, fighting your gag reflex and the tears that are blurring your vision. You can see his abdomen heaving as he experimentally thrusts into your mouth, testing your limits. You swallow around him. 

Crater moans. 

“Good fucking girl. Maker, I knew that mouth would be incredible. Gonna have to be careful or else I’ll cum down your throat, love.”

You hum and the grip on your hair tightens as you feel his cock swell and pulse against your tongue. 

“Oh, you want that do you? You want me to fuck your mouth?”

The sounds as your saliva squelches around him are obscene, but he begins pistoning up into your mouth, moving your head to meet his thrusts. You rest one hand on his thigh in case you need it, and you feel his muscles tense with every snap of his hips. 

“So fucking good. I should come by more often just to do this. Shut your office door and fuck your throat when you get mouthy with me. You love this, don’t you? Love being put in your place. Love being used to slick my cock, you sloppy little thing. Relax your throat for me. Oh, fuck, yes. Just like that.” 

You’ve never heard him this vocal, and as you manage to glance up, you see how his lips are slightly parted. His brows are furrowed, and you can tell you might finally have him knocked slightly off balance. A new wave of arousal shoots through you at the thought of making Crater crumble. With renewed fervor, you bury your nose in the curls at the base of his cock, inhaling his scent just before your airway is cut off, and you gag. But you hold yourself there, and his hand rests heavily on the back of your head. 

Suddenly, you groan as he clicks the remote for the dildo in your cunt. It vibrates to life, pressing against your stretched walls, making your legs quiver.

“Good girls get rewarded,” he rasps.

You become ravenous, eager to taste his cum, desperate to have this man fill your throat. You want nothing more than to pleasure him, to submit to him, and you let him take what he wants from you. Crater drops the remote, burying both hands in your hair as he lazily thrusts in and out of your mouth, giving you instructions occasionally, which you follow without question. The dull buzz between your legs combined with the pressure in your ass and the throb of Crater’s cock on your tongue brings you to the edge again, but this time, you can’t beg with your mouth full. 

He notices. 

“Do it. Cum for me. You’ve been so good.”

He clicks the remote again, and you scream around his cock. He presses your head all the way down, groaning as your shrieks vibrate around him. Just as you’re spent, he pulls you off of him, turning the vibration off. He’s almost painfully hard, you can see that. His cock is fully erect and twitching, glistening with your saliva in the dull lighting of the room. You rest your cheek on his thigh, and he strokes your hair. 

“Tell me what you want, pretty girl.”

“Wanted… wanted to taste… you,” you pant.

He strokes your hair. “Another time. I promise.” 

You whine. “Please fuck me.”

That was apparently the answer he was hoping for, not wanting to expend himself too early if that’s what you really wanted. He’s read you again, but you can’t be bothered by it as he asks you “Where?”

You know he’s making sure this is what you want, so you meet his eyes with as firm a gaze as you can muster. “Please fuck my ass, sir. I need it.”

“How could I refuse such a polite request?” 

Crater eases out from underneath you, crawling around behind you and guiding you onto your stomach. He folds a pillow in half and helps you raise your hips to stuff it under them, raising them to his liking before he straddles you, enclosing your legs with his. He pushes the vibrator in your cunt a little deeper, you having squeezed it out slightly during your last orgasm, and then he clicks the low vibration back on. Your muscles tighten around it, and you grip the sheets, arching your back and moaning as he presses it further in and clicks the button again. The vibrations ramp up, and you writhe beneath him. He taps the end of the plug in your ass, and you turn to look over your shoulder at him. 

“You gonna let me have your ass, sweetheart?”

It’s one last check. And you’re so grateful for it. But you’re also so impatient. 

“Yes. Please fuck my ass, Captain.” 

His eyes leave yours to watch as he plays with the plug a little, tapping and moving it in and out of you before he removes it completely. You feel achingly empty and wiggle your ass, hoping it will entice him to fill you faster. You’ve never been taken there before, but right now, you want nothing more. 

“I’m going to go slow. Use your colors.”

“Please, Crater.” 

The lube bottle clicks open, and a few seconds later you hear the sound of him slicking his cock. Coolness hits your asshole, and you gasp as fingers slip inside of you, working you even more open. 

And then you feel it. 

Crater uses one hand to spread your asscheeks as he notches the head of his cock at your entrance and slowly begins to ease in. So slowly. Tears leap into your eyes as your muscles stretch to accommodate him. It’s slightly painful, but the pleasure outweighs it as he gently thrusts just the head in and out of you. It feels as though your cunt is stretching too, and the vibrations inside of you suddenly become more intense. 

You need him deeper.

“More,” you plead. 

Crater sinks a little further into you, moving his hand to the small of your back instead to brace himself. And that’s when it hits you: he’s inside of you completely, not having to hold himself there, in a place no one else has ever been. 

The realization drives you wild. 

And then he taps the vibrator again. You gasp loudly, fisting the sheets. 

“More. Please!” 

He sinks deeper, but it’s too much too fast this time. You gasp out a color.

“YELLOW.” 

He backs off quickly, but your hand rockets around to keep him inside you. 

“Just a little slower. I’m sorry. I thought I was ready,” you choke out.

“Don’t be sorry. Not at all. I’m glad you told me.” His voice is tight. You know he’s holding back. And that’s why you want to keep going. Because you trust him like you’ve trusted no one else. 

“Don’t stop. Just go slower. But please don’t stop.”

“You’re sure?” he asks again.

“Yes. Please. I’m green.” You thrust back slightly, just to your breaking point, and he takes your lead. You feel your body relax around him, and this time, you’re positive when you ask him for more. He’s slow and patient, working his way inside you. The stretch is delicious, and Maker, you’ve never been this full. Nothing you do with your fingers or toys after this will be enough. Not with the way his hand is rubbing comforting circles in the small of your back as he destroys you one centimeter at a time. 

“More.” 

He sinks deeper, and now you’re babbling as he slowly drags himself back out of you before sinking back in. You reach between your legs to press the vibrator against your clit. 

“Fuck, Crate. You’re so big. It’s so big and perfect. Fuck. I fucking love the way you feel in my ass.” 

“You gonna let me cum in this tight ass, pretty girl?” he grits out. He doesn’t correct you on his title, but you’re pretty sure he’s almost as far gone as you are.

“Gods, yes. I want you to claim me there. Paint my walls where no one else has. I want to feel you leak back out of me.”

His hands grip your hips so hard you’re certain there’ll be a perfect set of fingerprints there. He’s doing everything in his power to go slow, and you can’t wait to turn him loose. 

“More, Crate.” 

You feel his hips come to rest against your ass as he bottoms out. He’s panting against your shoulder blades, attempting to keep his composure. The realization of how deep he is inside of you has your cunt fluttering around the vibrator, and you almost orgasm from the thought alone. He stretches his legs out, lowering his weight on top of you. One set of his fingers interlaces with yours, and the other hand comes around to cup your throat. He doesn’t squeeze this time, just cradles your jaw, holding your head up as he nuzzles against you. 

“You’re so good for me,” he whispers against your skin. “So fucking good.”

You look over your shoulder at him as much as you can, watching a line of sweat trickle down his temple. 

“Fuck me, Captain.” 

He does. He’s slow at first, but the drag of his cock all the way back out and all the way back into your ass makes you mewl, and before long, you’re pressing back into him. He ramps the vibrator up to its highest setting, and your eyes roll back into your head. 

“Harder. Please.” 

He obliges, snapping his hips deeper and putting more of his weight into each thrust. Your toes dig into the sheets as your whole body begins to tighten. 

“I’m so full. It’s so good. So good. Fuck.” You can’t stop babbling as he pounds into you.

“You’re so fucking tight,” he gasps. “You take my cock so fucking well. Like you were made for it.” He groans loudly as he bottoms out again. “You love this, don’t you? Being stuffed in both holes?”

“Yes,” you sob. “It’s so good.”

“I bet you’d love to have Gregor’s cock in here too. Maybe he takes your sweet little cunt while I pound your ass.” You moan, clenching at the thought. Crater doesn’t stop. “But that still leaves your mouth. Maybe I get Chuckles in here to fuck that smart little mouth while Gregor and I take you. Would you like that, pretty girl? To be ruined by three men at once?” 

You whine and spasm around him, and he feels it. “Fuck, you’re such a dirty girl. Who would have known the smart-mouthed mechanic would let me do this to her? Let me ruin her in the backroom of her office. I want you to always remember this when you’re out in that office working. How I took you back here and made you scream my name. How you begged for my cock. Maybe I’ll take you over that desk before I go in the morning so you think about that for the rest of the day while my spend leaks out of you.” 

“Crater, I’m gonna cum.”

“Not until I say you are,” he grits out. “Not until I’m ready to.” 

You inhale sharply, trying to keep your body from toppling over the edge. 

“Don’t you cum yet,” he snarls. 

“I’m trying,” you whine. “But I’m so close, Captain. So close.” 

“Keep talking.” 

Your mouth runs on autopilot, desperate to find the words that will yank him to the edge alongside you so that you can both tumble off together. 

“Your cock is so fucking good, Crater. Gods, nothing will ever be enough after this. You fill me up so perfectly. I need it, Crate. I need to feel your hot cum in my ass. I want to feel it leak out of me. Fuck. Please give it to me, Crater. Please cum in my ass.” 

His thrusts grow more erratic, and you know you’re about to get what you want. 

“G-gonna fill you up,” he growls. “Gonna be the first to claim you here.”

“My ass is yours, Crater.” 

“Yeah it fucking is.” The grip on your throat tightens, pulling your head back again, and that last little pinprick of pain has you teetering on the brink. It’s like the first day when he had you tipped in the chair of your office, your toes barely touching the floor. All it will take is the slightest push to send you toppling over the edge.

Just a little further. So close.

“Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease,” you sob. 

“You’re so cute when you beg,” he rasps directly into your ear. And with a loud groan, his hips stutter as he cums in your ass, gasping. 

“Now,” he moans.

And your orgasm rips through you. He drops your head, and you scream into the sheets as wave after wave washes over you in the most intense orgasm you’ve ever had. Tears stream from your eyes and your body spasms again and again. You feel like you’re floating somewhere between consciousness and some other plane of existence as you come out of it, barely aware of what day it is or what your name even is anymore. 

When the waves of your orgasm finally stop battering your wrung-out body, you collapse limply against the sheets of your bed. They stick to you, but it feels as if you’ve sunk halfway through the mattress somehow. Your mouth feels dry from screaming. Your tongue darts out to moisten your lips, and you’re aware Crater is laying on top of you, panting against your neck, but trying to hold the majority of his weight off of you.

“Get it out,” you mumble. 

He’s already slipped from your ass, but he quickly turns off the vibrator and eases it out of your cunt. You feel yourself start to shake uncontrollably. You’re not sure if it’s due to the orgasm, the sudden chill on your sweat-soaked body, or something else. Regardless, Crater lies next to you and pulls you close to him, being careful to keep his sullied hand clear of you. His nose grazes yours as he gently cradles your head. 

“Breathe with me, Bolts.”

You do, and the shivering begins to subside after a few cycles. You finally open your eyes and find Crater’s steady gaze watching you, a comfort as always. 

“I’m going to go get something to clean you off with. I’m going to be right back. Alright?” You nod, your mind still hazy, and he leans forward and presses a gentle kiss to your forehead before moving off towards your ‘fresher. The sink hisses softly, and a moment later, you feel your legs gently being parted and a warm, damp cloth moving over your body, thighs, and between your legs as Crater carefully cleans you. Once he’s done, a dry towel runs over the same areas, soft and gentle, before he rolls you onto your back, removing the pillow from beneath your hips. You hear the mini-fridge in your outer office open and close, and a straw is placed at your lips. You drink greedily as he strokes your hair, draining the water packet in a few seconds. 

“Good girl.” The words are softer now, carrying no heat. “Do you need more?” 

You shake your head and open your eyes just in time to see him toss the spent water packet into the rubbish bin. He slides into the bed next to you, pulling the blanket over the two of you before wrapping his arms around you and pulling you close. You snuggle into the crook of his shoulder in a daze, inhaling his smell and draping one of your legs over his thigh. His fingers stroke your cheek, and he presses gentle kisses to your forehead and cheeks. Strong, gentle hands trail over your skin, caressing tenderly in a way that so sharply contrasts with how he touched you just moments before. He searches for sore muscles or tension left untouched but finds none; you’re completely relaxed in his grasp. His fingers graze over the bruises and bite marks he left, pressing gently and watching for your reaction, ensuring you’re not in too much pain. It’s sweet, but not something you’re used to. You know this hardly counts as being pampered by most people’s standards, but you’re not used to the doting tenderness. Even if you do find yourself melting into him more with every passing second, allowing your eyes to drift shut again as you release a satisfied sigh.

“I’m alright, Crate,” you mumble after a few moments, growing shy under his attention. 

“I need to be sure,” he says quietly. “That was intense for you.” 

You smile. “It was, but it was so good.” Your eyes flutter open, and your heart melts at the way he’s looking down at you. You were worried about how this moment might go, concerned about how your friendship might shift after allowing this to happen. 

But you should have known better. Crater is a pillar but also a soft place to land, someone you’d confide in without hesitation. His men fall in line because he’s someone to fly into battle with, someone you know will keep you safe. He’s proud but humble. You know he won’t tell a soul about this night. He doesn’t need to. He knows what he did for you, how you begged for him, and that’s enough. And if you’re honest, you think he got as much out of it as you did, enjoying watching your walls come down and you relaxing with him, enjoying the process of helping you. 

“Just didn’t realize this was an all-inclusive sort of encounter,” you joke. “You’re starting to make me feel like royalty with all the attention.”

His expression grows serious as he looks down at you, pushing some of your hair out of your face. “You shouldn’t be accepting any other kind of encounters, Bolts. Do I need to chat with Gregor when he gets back?”

“Nah. He’s fine for what he is. And he does take care of me. It’s just… different.” 

He grunts noncommittally, pulling you closer. You feel his thumb graze your spine. 

“You jealous?” you ask, tongue poking out between your teeth teasingly.

“Not at all. We’re different people giving you different things.”

“That makes it sound like you don’t intend for this to be a one-time thing, Crate.”

“That is entirely up to you.” His thumb caresses your lower lip, and you kiss it. 

You pretend to consider it for a moment, as if this night won’t have you craving his touch seconds after he’s gone. “Well, I can’t be getting cranky with your men again, now can I?” you murmur, snuggling deeper into the crook of his shoulder.

The corner of his mouth twitches into a smirk. “Definitely can’t have that. And I’m more than happy to do my part.” 

“More than happy?”

“Yeah, Bolts. I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t think I’d enjoy myself too.” 

“You do this with a lot of people?”

“Nope. Only ones I trust. And that trust me.” 

You twist one end of your hair nervously, the mention of trust bringing a question charging to the forefront of your mind. He can tell, taking your fingers and carefully intertwining them in his own. 

“What is it? You having second thoughts?”

“No, not at all. This was great. It’s just… have you heard if Gregor’s talking about him and I? I didn’t think he would, but what Strike said a few weeks back stuck with me. I don’t want to be the Battalion Babe of the week.” 

He nods, pulling your knuckles to his lips. “I can assure you that I haven’t heard anything and I don’t think Gregor’s like that. I think Strike was angry and lashing out. I know several of the men did see you leave 79s with Gregor, so the conclusion wasn’t too far-fetched. But Gregor’s not feeding the rumor mill.” 

You sigh. “Dammit.”

“For what it’s worth, you haven’t been a topic of conversation within my earshot. I had a chat with Chuckles too and asked him to make sure it wasn’t happening when I’m not around. He said he would, and I trust him. As much of a pain as he is at times, he’s a good man. I trust him.” 

You nod appreciatively, melting slightly at the thought of Chuckles doing that for you, but the mention of the mohawked pilot brings another question to the front of your mind. “Were you serious about you and Gregor and Chuckles?”

He shrugs. “It was something I said in the moment, but not a thing I’d approach them about without your express consent. No one needs to know about this if you don’t want them to. And I would only bring in people you and I trust explicitly. Gregor and Chuckles are two of those people. But again, it was said in the moment and doesn’t have to be a serious thing ever.” 

Your mind is whirling at the thought of having three of them at once. You can’t lie, it does pique your interest. You smirk up at him. “I’ll let you know.”

He huffs a laugh. His eyes are gentle as he leans down, pressing his lips to your forehead. “Thank you for trusting me to do all that for you.” 

You snuggle further into him, absently tracing his tattoos with your fingertips. “Thank you for doing it for me in the first place. I’d have never asked.”

A quiet laugh rumbles through his chest. “I know. You’re too stubborn. That’s why I offered.”

“Glad you did.”

“Me too.”

His steady heartbeat lulls you to sleep only a few minutes later. 

—

When you wake in the morning, Crater’s still there, but he’s in the process of getting dressed. He’s snapping his vambraces in place as you stir, sitting up and stretching. You ache deliciously in all of the right places, but seeing him standing there reawakens your hunger. He smiles at you as you sit up in bed. 

“Morning. Figured I should get out of here before the droids start powering on. They’re not known for gossip, but better safe than sorry.” 

“I suppose you’re right.” You can’t keep the disappointment out of your voice, and even if you had, you’re confident he still would have picked up on your cues. He pauses. 

“What’s wrong?”

You wonder if you’re overstepping, but after the night you just had, you figure it doesn’t hurt to ask. You get out of your bed, opening the door to your office. Despite you being completely naked, covered in his marks, Crater’s eyes are firmly locked on yours. You lean against the doorframe, glancing over at your desk. 

“You mentioned a parting gift last night that involved my desk. That offer still on the table?” 

He huffs a laugh, his hands falling to your waist and gently guiding you out into the office. The cool edge of the desk presses against the front of your thighs as he leans down to speak directly into your ear. 

“Elbows on the desk for me, pretty girl. And try to be a little quieter this time.” 

You shudder as he nudges your feet apart, placing his codpiece on the desk next to you. 

“Yes sir.” 

Tag List: @seriowan @partoftheeternalsoul @misogirl828 @ellichonkasaurusrex @zoeykallus @the-sith-in-the-sky-with-diamond @staycalmandhugaclone @redheadgirl @fordo-kixed-rex @wizardofrozz @ariadnes-red-thread @extrahotpixels @justanothersadperson93 @leftealeaf @dnxgma @meekaielmyerhs99 @kaminocasey @echos-girlfriend @lucyysthings @obihiddlenox @merkitty49 @littlemissmanga @clonecyaree @baba-fett @rain-on-kamino @ladykatakuri @arctrooper69 @hidden-behind-the-fourth-wall @samspenandsword

[fischyplier]

Hello! Quick question? If you are taking gif set requests, can I make a request? If yes, can it be the one where Mark and the captain are in lady’s office and he says, “Take that Oppenheimer, sack of shit!”

PS: I love your gifs and everything you do it’s awesome!

Great news, I already made it! Here it is:

Thanks for the request!

[melonthesprigatito]

DOES THIS LOOK LIKE

THE FACE OF MERCY

[thevagabondexpress]

ooh, new conflict just dropped. nice.

[theroadtripgirl]

8 Day Guide to the Big Island of Hawai'i

Overall thoughts on the Big Island The Big Island is the youngest and largest island of Hawaii with active volcanoes still creating new land. We recently spent 10 days on the Big Island, covering both Kona and Hilo. We know a lot of friends going to, or wanting to visit the Big Island, so this blog post series is for you! We chose to go to the Big Island based on raving reviews from a few…

[awritingcaitlin]

Pitch Your Story as a News Headline

[rorywritesjunk]

Let's be one another's present tense

Buggy 'rescues' you from an abusive situation, and after a less than stellar introduction, he has you audition for his crew to keep you safe. You want safety, security, and joining a circus seems like the best idea. Rating: R-ish for now. Warning: First chapter has bruises and talks about abuse (not from Buggy), though Buggy has his explosive moments. There's an asshole much older ex-husband in this story. Swearing. Nose bonks. A/N: This has been sitting in my head as I worked it out for an Anon's request. I have been really intrigued by this and wanted it to be just right. Also, it gave me the chance to ask my circus obsessed friend about different routines and we bounced some ideas off each other. This is also a touch different than other things I've written, which is why I've been taking so long to work on it and get it posted. Enjoy! Title comes from "Crater Lake" by Lady Lamb.

Chapter 1 + Chapter 2 + Chapter 3 + Chapter 4 + Chapter 5 + Chapter 6 + Chapter 7 + Chapter 8 + Chapter 9 (NC-17) + Chapter 10 + Chapter 11 + Chapter 12 + Chapter 13

Chapter 1

“So we have a deal then?”

“Yes… yes, we have a deal.”

The clown pirate grinned at the old man sitting across from him. Buggy cheerfully cut a chunk out of the apple in his hand with his knife, tossing it into his mouth before he suddenly slammed the knife down onto the table, letting it stick into the wooden table top. The old man jumped while you flinched as you stood beside him. The bartering to keep the town safe from Buggy and his crew had finally finished and now it was just an uncomfortable time to be in the room.

Buggy looked at you and winked before he retrieved his knife, turning his attention back to the old mayor. “That your daughter there? She’s cute.” 

“No, she’s my wife.” He replied; Buggy had just taken a bite of the apple only to spit it out across the desk at the man in mock surprise. The man did his best not to react while you covered your mouth with a look of disgust on your face.

“Wife?” Buggy chuckled. “You have one foot in the grave and you’re married to someone who looks young enough to be your daughter?” He shook his head. “And people think pirates can be disgusting. They don’t really care what their local politicians are up to, do they?” Buggy took another bite of the apple, giving you a once over before he grinned. “Throw her into the deal.”

“I-I suppose we-” The mayor started but you cut him off.

“No, I’m not going with some disgusting pirate like you!” You snapped. “Who knows what you would do to me!”

Buggy locked eyes with you in that moment, the playful attitude gone and replaced with something you couldn’t quite figure out. He stood up and approached you, knife in one hand and apple in the other. The mayor just sat and watched, trembling in his seat, refusing to do anything to protect you. The captain smiled at you as the knife cut into the apple; you could hear the fruit cracking from the force of the knife, saw the juice spill over his fingers, soaking into his gloved hands.

“What did you say about my nose?” He asked, voice eerily calm as he tossed the bit of apple into his mouth. 

“I didn’t say anything about your nose.” You spat as you looked him up and down, crossing your arms. “Though I doubt I could say anything about it that you haven’t heard before.”

He smiled at that before raising the knife up and throwing it into the wall behind you. You turned to see where it landed but his hand was on your throat, backing you up to the wall and next to the knife. Buggy held you there for a moment, the smile disappearing as his hand tightened its hold on you. 

“You’ve got quite the mouth on you.” He murmured as you grabbed his hand with yours, trying to pull him off you. Buggy suddenly smirked and let go of you. “You’ll fit in with my crew. Though, I should warn you, every time you mouth off I cut off a bit of your tongue.”

You rubbed your throat, breathing heavily as you turned to your husband. “You’re… you’re just going to let him take me?!”

“He’ll destroy the town if I don’t!” The mayor wailed. “I can’t allow that to happen! Sa-Sacrifices have to happen!”

“I’m not a sacrifice!” You exclaimed as your hand went to where Buggy was just touching you. You felt… weird from that, never having been touched in that manner before. You were used to aggression, pain, fear. His touch was… strong but there didn’t seem to be malice, but more of a performance. He caused you discomfort but there wouldn’t be a bruise left on you from him that you could tell. You shook your head and looked back at Buggy. “What do you plan to do to me?”

“Target practice, maybe.” Buggy shrugged. “I got this new thing I wanna try where I cut off a volunteer’s clothes with my knife throwing, y’know. Getcha right where the seams of your clothes are and see if I can cut through them.” He looked you up and down as he reached out to touch the fabric of your blouse. “Though, this is nice fabric, I don’t know if I want to risk damaging it.”

You slapped his hand away before turning to slap your ‘husband’. He recoiled at your touch but you didn’t care. He had no issue giving you up to some dirty pirate like this. Sacrifice? You were not some animal to be led for slaughter, you were a person, and you would take out Buggy and his crew even if it killed you. As you turned to face Buggy, he was already at the door of the office, but a hand was in front of you, holding a small red ball. With a squeeze, red smoke burst out of it and everything went dark.

~

The rope around your wrists was tight, scraping and irritating your skin. You were groggy as you came to but you were on a soft surface, fabric rubbing against your cheek almost comfortingly as you tried to get your head to stop spinning and for the nausea to cease. It took a few minutes for you to recall what your last moments were. Slapping a hand, your ex-husband, and some kind of smoke. 

Oh shit you were captured by a pirate. A clown pirate with a bright red nose who was sensitive about it.

You moved your tongue around in your mouth, relieved that it was still whole. He didn’t cut it out yet, but was that empty threat or was he really going to do it? And what was he actually planning on doing with you? Stories often went around about pirates and what they were known to do to their prisoners, and you had heard many of them to give you some idea what to expect. Would he kill you after he was done with you, or would he kill you first and toss you into the sea to be food for the fishes and sea kings?

Heavy footsteps were approaching your room. You shut your eyes, hoping whoever it was would see you were asleep and would leave you alone. 

Except that was expecting too much. 

“Get up.” Buggy said as he walked over to the bed and grabbed the rope, pulling you into a sitting position. You glared up at him and he smirked, patting you on the cheek just enough to emit sound without the sting of a slap. “Rise and shine, cupcake. We need a new freak out there and you gotta earn your keep.”

“I will do no such thing.” You snapped as he pulled you up to your feet. Your body was still feeling the effects of the smoke and when you stood up you were off balanced, falling into him. To your surprise, he caught you, steadying you on your feet before he led you out of the room and down a walkway to another. You didn’t want to follow him, choosing to let your legs give out and falling to the floor. He stopped and turned to look at you.

“Really?” He shook his head and picked you up, slinging you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. “You haven’t even had one performance and you’re already acting like a diva.” 

“Excuse me?!” You wriggled around, trying to get him to drop you, but he laid his hand over your back, steadying you as he walked. “Put me down now!”

“You seem to think you can tell me what to do, cupcake.” He chuckled as his hand slid from your back down to the top of your ass. Without warning he gave you a pinch, causing you to yelp in surprise. “You may have been that loser mayor’s wife, but here? You’re just another freak like us.”

He set you down in a chair and stood behind you. There was a mirror in front of you with lights all around it. You didn’t want to be looking in the mirror right then, seeing the bruises on your face, the black eye that was healing, or the cut on your cheek that was scabbing over. You shut your eyes and took a deep breath. What was this clown playing at?

“Now, we both know I didn’t do that to your face.” He murmured as he put both of his hands on your shoulders and leaned down towards you. “That old man did, didn’t he?” He touched the cut and you jerked away. “Weird, he seemed scared of you back there.”

“He was scared of you.” You hissed as you opened your eyes to glare at him. Buggy put his hand on your other cheek and you flinched, jerking backwards and nearly headbutting him. “Don’t touch me!”

“Cupcake, I just gotta do your makeup.” He told you calmly as he moved just in time from getting a bloody nose. “Cover up your battle scars, y’know. Can’t have the audience thinkin’ we rough up our performers here.”

You jerked again in your seat, trying to get out of reach of him. You didn’t want him touching you, speaking to you, or being near you. You didn’t want to go home but you didn’t want to be here. Why did this happen to you? 

“Red lipstick would look wonderful on you, y’know.” He murmured as he leaned forward, looking at your face. “Or maybe I just throw you out there and let me and Cabaji practice our knife act on you.” He grinned. “I don’t want to waste makeup on you if you’re going to start crying out there.”

“Fuck you!” You spat as you threw your head forward, colliding with his nose. He reared back, swearing loudly as he clutched it while you slumped in the chair, dazed. You didn’t think it would do anything but he fell to the ground on his ass, stomping his feet in pain from the hit.

“Agh, you bitch! Why there?!” He shrieked, covering it with his hand as he tried to breathe through the pain. “Fuck, is your head a cannon ball? It felt like being hit by one!”

You lifted your bound hands to your head, rubbing your forehead. You could say the same thing about him, but then again you didn’t make it a habit of headbutting strange men. Your head felt a little rattled from the attack and the sharp pain in your forehead was throbbing.

“I didn’t think I’d hit your nose!” You shot back as you shut your eyes in pain. “Fucking asshole!”

He gave your chair a kick before getting to his feet, cursing you, headbutts, and noses before storming out of the room and leaving you by yourself. Your head was still hurting and you wondered if you were going to have a new bruise to add to the collection, but at least this one was from self defense, and you'd do it again to him if you had the chance. 

“Fucking clown.” You sighed as you leaned back in your seat. You needed to figure out what was going to happen next.

[airis-hunter]

I just had a fanfic idea!

So it takes place during justice league unlimited S2 E7, Clash

When Captain Marvel and Superman are fighting Superman is about to hit Captain Marvel again when Danny Phantom in full ghost king gear appears in from of CM or swoops in from behind him and punches Superman or or omg! He could stop the punch with only one hand! Omg...

First option: punches Superman

Danny would appear in front of CM and punch Superman with a right hook down wards, throwing Superman to the ground and creating a giant crater. Danny would glare down at him as he floats in front of CM.

Second option: stops Supermans punch

Both options after Danny steps in: If you lay another hand on my son I will personally see to it you have the worst afterlife imaginable.

[miniwheat77]

Caught. (Captain Price x Reader.)

!CW! Kidnapping, mentions of torture and rape, death, violence, angstyyyy, happy ending (lemme know if I missed any)

(Summary): After you're captured on a mission gone wrong, Price goes a little crazy.

"May have found something here, Captain." Gaz looks upon the old washing machine. "Give me a hand yeah?"

"I'll push, you pull." Price says lowering his rifle and walking around to the other side. Once it's been moved, Price raises up his gun again. He steps inside, looking upon the dingy room and crater in the floor. "Kate, we've found passageway."

"Good work." She says through the radio. "Look at this." Price says to Gaz. "Jackpot." Gaz laughs.

"Be advised, multiple boats approaching our position."

"Need help?" Gaz is the first to respond. "Could be fishermen, stay on mission."

Price's hair stands up upon hearing it. He doesn't like this one bit. He is first to descend, Gaz following close behind him. When they reach the ground Price takes out a man waiting there silently, after that they await more words from Laswell as they creep their way through the tunnel. "Cartels love their tunnels."

"Wish I could say the same." Gaz groans. "Age before beauty Captain."

They continue their way into the tunnel, curious as to where it leads.

"Bloody extensive." Gaz says, noticing the way the dirt turns to mud.

"Must lead out to water." Price says, lifting up his radio.

"Kate, I'm in the tunnels heading toward the coastline, you okay?"

"Boats are still closing, no trouble yet."

"I don't like this Kate." Price growls.

"Comes with the territory John."

"You shouldn't be out there alone just the two of you."

"We aren't alone, we're armed and dangerous Captain. Out."

Bullets flying past the both of them has them crouching down, firing back. Gaz raises up over the crate he'd hidden behind, firing at each of them until he doesn't see anymore movement, moving up. He doesn't see anymore cartel. "All clear." He says, lowering his weapon.

"Have a look at this." Price pauses. "Submarine."

"Fuckin' hell." Gaz says looking over it. "Cartel's using it for transport."

"Things big enough for a missile." Gaz sighs. "Barely. You couldn't cross the Atlantic in that heap." John raises his radio.

"Kate, we're in a cave just off the coast. No personnel, no missiles."

"Copy, I'm directly across... I think we've got problems here John."

John feels the pit of nervousness growing in his chest. "Copy, stand by. Gaz, get your gun up towards the ocean!"

"What is it?!" Gaz asks. "Boats are closing in- looks like AQ. They heave weapons."

"Contact, engaging!"

"KATE!" Price growls into the radio. The only thing Price could do is watch in horror, trying to pick each of them off but it's no use. "Fuck! They're boarding!" Price says. "KATE..! KATE..!" He yells into the radio but receives nothing. "LASWELL!" Gaz yells into his own radio. "FUCK! What the fuck- I can't see what's happening!" Gaz panics. “They have them hemmed in, they're surrounded!” Price growls.

"Al Qatala's on the boat, they're taking it, or us." They could hear men yelling at her in Arabic. Not being able to understand. They're yelling too loud for the radio to pick their voices up clearly. "Get your fucking hands off of me! Let her go!" They hear Laswell yelling. "Laswell! Laswell!" Price yells. "They're on the AQ boat, they're taking them!"

"They got them Captain." Gaz says, defeated. Worry sets in immediately. "Let's get off the X and talk to Shepherd." Price says crawling back up onto the ledge they'd both come off of to get to the entrance. "We need to get them back."

"Let's move."

---

"This is proof of life." Gaz says, looking at the laptop. It's a video of Al Qatala pointing a gun at Laswell. "Where did this come from?" Price asks. "Urzikstan." Shepherd says through the radio. "Look." Price says, pointing at the screen. "They're pointing east."

"Likely to Al Mazrah." Shepherd says.

"If they get them underground there we'll lose them for good." Gaz says.

"We'll lead the rescue team." Price says, patting Gaz on the shoulder as he turns to walk away. "That's not gonna happen John." Shepherd says, making him stop right in his tracks. "Say again, general." Gaz says. "This is a tug o' war boys. We need to pull back, not lean forward."

"Since when." Gaz says. "Since now. We can't just send in the cavalry, these things take planning and preparation." Shepherd says sternly. "These things take violence and timing, I can do both." Price growls. "Their lives are in a fuckin hourglass." He's furious.

"I know you're upset captain. This happened on your mission and that's a tough pill to swallow." Price's face is turning red. "Are you telling me we leave them?" He asks. "I'm telling you I can't help you… But I won't stop you." Shepherd says. "I'll have them back in 12 hours."

"Don't die doing this John, they wouldn't want that. I don't either."

"General, I thought Kate was your friend." Gaz asks. "War isn't about friends. It's about enemies. Good luck." They shut the laptop, turning to head in the other direction.

"We'd be going head to head with AQ on their home turf, they're gonna have hundreds more protecting them. We need an army." Gaz says, concerned. "I can get us an Army." Price says, bumping Gaz's chest with the side of his fist. Walking toward the Exfil Chopper.

---

Upon finding out you and Laswell had been captured, Price and Gaz knew they had to act quickly.

Price got all of 141 on board, everyone was acting fast to get to the both of you. They were on their way to the both of you in no time.

The only set back to that was, when they'd gotten into the car Laswell was in, you weren't there with her. Laswell was freaking out when they got her out, asking where they'd taken you. Only then did they realize, you weren't with her.

They had no idea at which point the both of you had been separated. They couldn't get in touch with you in any way whatsoever. They had no idea where they could have taken you, leaving them on a mission.

Shepherd told him it was no use, that you were probably already dead, but Price refused to give up.

After months of searching for you, trying to find any sign of you at all, Laswell told Price he needed to give up. She tried to break it to him easy, that Shepherd was right, you were probably already dead.

Price felt empty, he felt like he failed you and in a way, he knew he did. At the bar sitting with Ghost, Soap, Gaz, and Laswell after Hassan had been associated. He felt nothing but anguish. Defeat. The rest of them could tell that he was off. Could tell that he was damaged by your loss. You and Price got along really well. Price was sick, they took down Hassan, killed commander Graves. He wanted to tell you everything. He loved talking to you. And you'd missed all of it. He wanted to see your face even if it was just once more.

You were quiet and followed orders well, didn't let anything bother you like the rest did. You were level headed, asked questions before acting. You were calm. Maybe that's why the both of you got along so well. You were good at soothing him. When he was stressed and you'd rest your hand on his shoulder or back, he would calm immediately. His heart would still in his chest. His blood would stop pumping. You were the calm to the raging sea inside of him constantly. He favored you by accident sometimes. The others never really seemed to notice but he did. You were always someone he could talk to. Someone he felt comfortable around. He remembers the conversations the both of you had shared on the rooftop changing watch. Your smile, your eyes.

As time went on, he started to forget. He'd forget some of the little things you would do. It hurt him even worse to know that he was forgetting. He'd dream of you, dream of finding you. And one night, the last dream he'd had of you. He knew what he was feeling wasn't just a Captain and a Sergeant. These were feelings, and the dream he had of kissing you after finally being reunited with you, is when he realized it. He realized the feelings of heartbreak he felt were real, he had actual feelings for you and had been so blinded by your loss he didn't stop to realize it. He remembers the night after the dream when Laswell seen him up at ungodly hours of the morning, seeming so stressed and exhausted. She ended up sitting down next to him, she was on base for just a couple days to aid in some more small missions. "It's Y/N isn't it?" She asks. He looks up at her, eyes glossed over. The first time Laswell had ever seen the man even start to look upset. "Keep having nightmares about her." She nods her head. "It's tough. I know it is." She looks down.

John doesn't know what to say. Should he hope that if they had killed you that it was a fast painless death? Al Qatala wasn't kind to other militia. They beat, tortured, raped. They did everything before finally killing them. Is he supposed to hope that you're alive somewhere? Battered? Broken? Or does he hope that you had a fast death? Which is the better of the two, because to him they're both fucked up. Laswell can see the back and fourth in his brain. She can see how he's struggling. "I'm worried I'll forget her." He sighs. One single tear falling from his eye, running down his cheek just slightly before he furiously rubs his eye. "You won't. I found this in one of her old rooms, thought you should have it." She slides the photograph over to him. It's his entire team. After a mission that had gone a little south. Everyone was dirty and covered in blood, the brightest thing about each of them was their teeth as they smiled brightly at the camera. You were to the left side next to Price, he had an arm draped over you and you were smiling so beautiful. His heart aches at the thought of you, that he'll never see you again.

He hates this.

-

He's looking through the scope at a group of men, lost in thought. It was dangerous for him to be in his head so much. He risked his team every time he did it, but he couldn't stop it.

Gaz is trying to flank them from behind. They need information and this is how they'd get it. He'd gone inside sometime ago.

"Clear." Gaz says over the radio. Price emerges from the bushes, walking up to the house from his spot outside. "Got his phone." Gaz breathes. "What's it say?"

"Nothing important." He sighs. "More cartel."

"Already?" Price shakes his head. "Yeah. Assuming Valeria has a second in command. Probably already in her spot. Same with Hassan I'd imagine. There's always more."

Something moving catches Captain Price's eye and he raises his gun, firing immediately. He rushes to the room the man had been trying to run into. "No! Please don't kill me!" He raises his hands. Price realizes he'd shot him in the shin. Price lifts him up to where he is sitting, aiming his gun at him. "Tell us what you know."

"I.. I don't know anything."

He tries to maintain silence, but Price pulling the slide back on his pistol has him freaking out. "Your friend! I know where she is!" He cries. Price's face drops immediately and he lowers his gun. "Who? Who are you talking about!" He roars. His sense of urgency has even Gaz flinching. "I.. I think her name is Y/N or something like that." He cries. "Where is she?" he growls. "I'll tell you but you can't kill me." He breathes. "Okay." Price lifts him up, Gaz zip tie's his hands behind his back and they lead him outside. They had to wait a while on exfil but they could manage to stay hidden until then.

They chose to hide in an empty vehicle until the chopper arrived, it being only a couple minutes out. "Where is she? Is she alive?" Price asks. Gaz missed you too obviously. You treated everyone in 141 well in the time you had spent with them. "She works for him. In a safehouse in Mexico." He breathes. "Show us." Gaz asks. "If she isn't alive, you're dead." Price breathes. This random man could see the death stare in his eyes. How serious he was about killing him. The only thing he could do was hope you were still alive, knowing full well most slaves didn't make it out alive. He didn't have his radio, couldn't call for help. Not like his boss would help him anyways, he was disposable.

When the exfil chopper arrives, Price rushes him up onto the ramp. "Stay there, and don't try anything or so help me god I will blow your head off." He growls. "Watch him Garrick." He orders and Gaz nods his head. "Laswell, this is Price." He says into his cell phone as she answers it.

"John it is 5am this better be good."

"We captured a man and he says Y/N is working in a cartel safehouse, she's a slave."

"Price..." she trails off. "He's probably lying." She sighs. "He said her name Laswell. He said it first." she sighs, he can't hear or see her, "Laswell. She's on 141, we need her, we owe this to her. I'll follow any lead I get, even if it takes me right to a dead end." He growls. "Are you going to help me or not?"

Laswell gets up from her bed. "I'm on my way down to the office, hold tight." He sighs in relief. He needs you back. So much worse than he ever thought he'd need anyone. Laswell sighs, throwing the blanket off of herself and standing up to change her clothes. Once she is dressed, she picks up her keys and bag, heading out the door to her car.

When they return to their base, Price can do nothing but wait anxiously.

He’s sitting on a bench, elbows on his knees, resting his chin on his hands. He was anxious. Bouncing his leg up and down, switching the position in which he’s sitting every few minutes. He wanted to come out of his skin. “Cap.” Gaz says sitting down. “You look distraught.” John sighs. “Just.. nervous.”

Gaz nods his head. “Please excuse my digging sir. But.. you’ve changed since she went missing. Do.. do you have feelings for her?”

“Garrick, she’s one of my own.”

“I know sir. It’s just that.. you seem to be more interested in finding her than anyone else. I just wonder if your feelings for her aren’t greater than even you’ve realized.” Captain Price shakes his head. “Garrick.” John stands up. “This a mission, treat it like one.” He says, going to walk away. Right as he does, his phone rings. “I tracked Y/N back to a workshop. I’ve got in contact with Alejandro and Rudolfo in Mexico. They’re familiar with the area. They’re going to meet you, and help you get her back.”

John breathes a breath of relief. You were so close. There was a part of him that knew this wouldn’t work out. That knew you were long gone and wouldn’t be there anymore. He knew for sure he’d never see you again. But he at least has to try. He knew not to get his hopes up. “Garrick! Get everyone else. We leave in 15!” He says, walking up the stairs and going into his office. He gathered up everything he thinks he’ll need, heading back down the stairs to meet with everyone else. “Y/N has been tracked down to a workshop in Mexico, she’s been a slave for the last few months. We’re not sure if she’s still there but we’ll be meeting up with Alejandro and Rudolfo. They’re going to help us.”

“She’s.. still alive?” Soap is the first to speak. “Unsure.” Price lowers his head for a second. “That’s what we’re going to check.”

—

“Captain.” Alejandro nods his head. “Alejandro, how are you?”

“Hanging in there. Ready to get your girl back?” He smiles. “Always.”

Captain Price and Gaz set up snipers. Soap and Ghost are creeping their way up to the buildings, looking for those Price and Gaz may not see. Alejandro is going to try to find another way inside, Rudy is waiting in a vehicle in case anything goes wrong. One by one, they’re each picking off members of the cartel. “I’m inside.” Alejandro says into the radio quietly. “I see a lot of women and children but the place is crawling with cartel. We’re going to have to attack.” He says quietly. Price and Gaz emerge from their hiding places. Slowly making their way toward the building from the buildings they’d taken post up on. They meet Ghost and Soap. “Okay. Each of us will take a different side. If they do not surrender, fire.” Alejandro is stern and everyone agrees. Price walks around the back, finding a dirty white door. “On 3. 1… 2… 3!” They each bust the doors open. “Mexican Special Forces!” They hear Alejandro yelling. Gunshots ring out throughout the building, followed by eerie silence. Price creeps up a set of stairs, hearing Alejandro reassure the women and children below that they’re going to be okay, that they’re safe now.

He continues up the stairs. Noticing a single door at the end of a hallway. He tries the handle, but it’s lock. He takes a deep breath, praying you'll be behind it. He kicks the door open, hearing a scream.

When he sees you, his heart stops. The heartbreak, nightmares, dreams. Everything. It’s finally coming to an end as he sees you sitting at a desk, trembling with your hands over your face. “Y/N?” He asks. You freeze, slowing lifting your head up from your hands. When your eyes meet his, a sob leaves your throat and he drops all of his equipment to get to you. “Y/N..” he pulls you into him. You’re hysterical, can’t get out a word. You’re a little skinnier than when he last seen you. Hair was longer, you had circles under your eyes. You were bruised, beaten. But you were alive. And you were in his arms right now. “It’s okay. It’s okay. I have you now, you’re safe.” He breathes. He lifts you up, holding you. He hears footsteps coming up the stairs, seeing the rest of 141. “Holy shit!” Gaz laughs. They crowd you, each of them hugging you, trying to reassure you. Gaz digs a candy bar from his pack, Soap passes you a water from his as you sit there. Alejandro calls for backup to get the place under control, he needed to keep everyone safe. “What happened?” Gaz asks. “They separated me and Laswell onto different boats. I was traded to the cartel, she went with Al Qatala. They bounced me between safehouses, and I ended up here.” You breath. “They.. beat me. Starved me. But.. I’m still fucking alive.” You laugh. “We thought Captain was going to go bonkers.” Soap laughs. “We have so much to catch up on. Let’s get you back home.” Price stands up.

“I think me and Ghost are going to stay here. Help Alejandro out with the women and children here until it’s secure.”

“Call for exfil when you’re ready to come home boys.” Price smiles. Gaz and Price help you out to the exfil chopper that had brought them in. The first place they took you was the nearest hospital. Captain Price never left your side aside from going to get you something to eat and showering. But he slept in the uncomfortable hospital chairs, stirred awake at the slightest noise, and on the night you’d have nightmares, he was there to comfort you. He was amazing to you.

He’d gone to shower and pick up food for Gaz, you and him. Gaz happened to be near so he decided to stop in and check up on you. You were doing good and healing well. He was sitting next to your hospital bed, talking to you about some of the missions they’d been on while assassinating Hassan.

“You know.. he likes you.” Gaz laughs. “What?” You ask. “He went crazy after you got captured. Barely slept, barely ate. Couldn’t focus on missions. I thought it was just because you were part of 141, but I realized he has more feelings for you than just.. being alongside you as a team.” He laughs. “He’ll never be up front with you. So I just thought I’d tell you.” Gaz laughs. He’s sitting in the chair by your bed, hands clasped together. “Are.. are you sure?” You ask nervously. “Oh, dead sure. When I tried to bring it up to him he got all stern with me. Bloke can’t express his feelings at all.” He laughs. You smile at him, and Price walks inside the door, bags of food in hand. “Ahhh. Captain Price, always looking out for his team.” Gaz smiles.

After you finished eating, Gaz told the both of you he needed to be heading back to base, and that he’d see you both there when you felt better. As much as Price wanted your safety, he also wanted you back on base. It was lonely there. He hated it without you. He sits in the same chair Gaz was in. The entire time. Refusing to leave your side.

“You can head back to base Captain. I’m sure that chair isn’t comfortable.” You laugh. “Nonsense. I’m here to watch over you, make sure you’re safe. I’m staying here until we can leave together.” He smiles. You send him a tired smile. “Get some sleep love.”

You roll over onto your side, pulling the blanket up to your face and getting comfortable. It was hard to imagine. He’d spent countless hours tracking you down. Looking, yearning for you. You figured he would, as your Captain. But you figured he’d given up. But he never did. You’d grown pretty fond of him too, the countless hours the both of you had talked about anything and everything. Getting used to each others presence. He’s who you thought the most about when you were kidnapped. The conversations, his warmth. He was comfortable and nice. He was safe. You always imagined him rescuing you light a knight in shining armor, and that's exactly what he did. That had to mean something right?

You don’t remember falling asleep, but you do remember being awoken by the sound of John talking. You stir awake, listening. He’s mumbling incoherently, you don’t understand. He lets out a gasp, “no, let her go!” He cries out in his sleep.

“John?” You ask. You wait a minute but receive nothing. You sit up from your bed, rubbing your eyes. He squirms in the chair, the nightmare he’s having he can’t wake up from. You swing your legs over the bed, grasping the IV pole and wheeling it toward him, limping your way over to him. “John?” You say quietly, placing your hand on his cheek. “No- no! Y/N!” He was having a nightmare about you getting captured again.

“John!” You say a little louder, shaking him.

He jolts awake, looking up at you. The small lamp on in the room allows him to see you. “Are you okay? Why are you up?” He asks. “You were having a nightmare.” You breathe. “Let’s get you back to bed sweetheart.” He stands up. You climb back into the bed. He covers you with the blanket, taking a step to go back to the chair. “John?” You ask. “Yeah?” You look down. “Will you lay with me?”

“Y/N.. I don’t know-“

“The nurse doesn’t come by until 8am, please?”

He sighs, looking down. “Okay.” He breathes. He walks around the opposite side of your IV lines. Climbing into bed next to you. The bed is pretty small so he has to be close to you. You turn your back to him, and he pulls you into him, wrapping his arm around your waist. It doesn’t take long before the both of you fall back asleep. John’s internal alarm clock has him awake a few hours later at 6am. A little later than usual. He’d slept better than he ever has as cliché as it may sound. Holding you, right up to him. You were safe.

You were able to leave the following day, you’d need to work on your strength. You were hurt and had to be careful. You’d gained a little bit of weight being in the hospital which was good. When you arrive on base, everyone greets you. Laughing and hugging you, so happy to see you doing better. John had a hard time leaving your side. He knew that these feelings he had for you would never go anywhere. He knew he needed to back away from you before he had anymore feelings.

-

The first night back, you couldn’t sleep. You laid awake until around one in the morning before getting frustrated enough, standing up. You crept down the hallway quietly until you reached his room. You knocked at the door quietly, hearing him rustle around inside. “Y/N?” He asks opening the door. “Can I stay with you? I don’t want to sleep alone.” You ask. “Of course love, Cmon.” He opens the door wider. You walk inside and he guides you to his bed. He yawns, rubbing his eyes. You lift his blanket crawling underneath it. He wraps his arms around you again, pulling you into him. He loves the way that your hair smells. “John?” You ask. “Yeah?” You breathe. “Gaz told me that you like me. Is that true?”

“What?” His heart freezes in his chest. He’s nervous.

“Because.. I like you too.” You breathe.

He pulls you to turn over, looking at you. “I think you’re tired sweetheart.”

“I think.. you’re the person I thought about the very most while I was gone. I always wanted you to come save me, as pathetic as it was.” You look at him. He takes a deep breath. “I do like you. I.. nearly went crazy when you were gone.” He chuckles. You lean into him, eyes traveling from his eyes to his lips. He takes the hint, pulling you into him and kissing you hard. At long last, he’s kissing you.

"I don't want you to think you owe me something Y/N." He takes a deep breath. "Of course not John." The use of his first name takes him a little off guard. "I'm not tired, I'm in the right state of mind, and I like you. If I could lay here with you forever I would." You sigh. He smiles. "You've got a lot of healing to do Y/N. I want you to know that I'll be alongside you the entire time, sweetheart." You smile. "I'd love that." He pulls you into him and you rest your head on his chest. He was safety, and he'd always look out for you no matter what. "I've got you now, you can sleep." He breathes. In just a few minutes, your breathing has settled and deepened telling him you've fallen asleep. John's own eyes grow heavy, feeling you by his side finally.

You were with him, and he'd never let you out of his sight ever again.

He lost you once, and he never would again.

[lovelybrooke]

I have to be dreaming (Chapter 4)

Series Masterlist~~AO3~~Regular Masterlist

I apologize if some of the terms aren't correct. I'm using the manga for the dialogue, so some terms like Gods Army are different. I'll try to make sure everything is consistent but feel free to tell me if I messed up.

"These trees are enormous! I wonder how old they are!" Nami gasps, gazing up at the huge trees, the roots spanning miles across the Island.

You crane your neck, the sky covered by thick foliage which enveloped the Island in darkness except for the few bits of sunlight. "I can't see their tops."

You and Nami hover on the clous, observing the strange trees until a crack is heard. You grip tighter on to Nami's waist, turning to see a man crawling on his arms and legs, blood pooling from his mouth.

"Help me...Get me out of here!!" He lets out a guttural groan, begging. "I missed the ship!! Please!!"

"We already have too many people on the waver! We might sink!" Nami replies. You feel bad for him, unable to do anything from your place behind Nami.

At the response, the man groans, using all his energy to gaze up at the sky. He whimpers as the grass around him burns and flies around him. He lets out one more cry, before a beam of light shoots down onto him, blinding both you and Nami.

You hear another man scream, and then the sounds of whooshing grow and grow until it dies. You wait to open your eyes until the ringing in your ears stop. There was a giant crater in the side of the Island, and when Nami opened her eyes, she was already moving right towards it. You protest, but her stern determination is outmatched by your fear.

"...Old lady Amazon said there was a ship with seven Blue Sea people aboard." You hear as Nami drags you towards the forest. You stop abruptly, listening carefully as the strange men whisper to each other.

You couldn't listen for a second longer, you grunt as you use all your strength to drag Nami away from her stop back onto the waver. "Come on Nami, we need to tell the others." You huff, Nami nodding as she revs the waver forward and back to the Strawhats.

---

"Pagaya, who are those guys." Luffy stares confused at the group of men strangely crawling on all fours towards them. They don't acknowledge them, continuing to craw until they reach the group.

"Heso!"

"Good work, Heso!!"

"Why were they crawling." Usopp, who was now on the Merry with the others, asks. Sanji shakes his head, watching as Luffy begs for the waver to work.

"So, you're the ones from the blue sea!! The seven trespassers!" The man leading the strange group yelled. They looked like military men, and judging by their stiff demeanors they might as well be.

"What's that?" Luffy tilts a head.

"Don't try and talk your way out of it. Amazon, the inspector at Heaven's gate sent us this picture she took with a vision dial." The leader said.

"That's ridiculous! It must be a mistake, Captain McKinley!" Pagaya says, his voice nervous. "These people don't seem like criminals to me." He swares.

Sanji squints towards the others on the beach, "What's that about trespassers?" He asks while lighting a cigarette.

"The entrance fee was one Billion Extols. We didn't pay it, remember?" Robin assumes while watching the others.

Usopp gasps, growling at the thought. "But...she said we could pass!! That old snitch!"

Back on the beach, Captain McKinley stares harshly at the pirate. "No excuses, just accept responsibility. But there's no need to panic." Luffy and Pagaya sigh a bit, relived. "According to the Heaven's punishment statues, trespassing is only a class-11 offense. If you pay the fine, you can become legal tourists."

"Well why didn't you say so?" Sanji crosses his arms. "But what exactly is this punishment?"

"It's simple. Just pay ten times the entrance fee." Captain McKinley responds. "That would be 10 billion Extols each, or 80 billion Extols for all eight of you. If you pay up right now, you record will be wiped clean.

Usopp gasps, his mouth agape. "Seventy billion extols?! How much is that in Berries?"

Captain McKinley focuses as he calculates numbers in his head. "Berries...that Blue Sea currency? Let me see...there are 10,000 extols to one Berry."

"That's a fortune!!! We risked our lives to get here and now you want use to pay to stay?!" Sanji was in disbelief.

The Captains face grows stern once again, "It's your own fault! You should've just paid the original fee.

"It was too much!!"

Conis ignores the in favor of watching the waves, her attention being broken by the loud revving of a waver. In the distance, she could see you and Nami speeding towards the ship. The others dont seem to notice, however.

"I should warn you, we white Berets serve Gods Army, you'll only make things worse for yourselves if you resist." His voice was ominous.

"Um...sorry to interrupt, look." Conis pointed to the ocean, the others turning their gazes toward the sight of you and Nami.

"Huh?! Nami, (Y/N)! You're safe!" Nami screamed in relief. Nami revved the engine, making you hold onto her harder as she speeds towards the beach.

Thump

You jump, falling off the waver and into the sand, tumbling a bit before falling onto you back. "Huh? Sorry..." Nami sweats, Captain McKinley groaning underneath the Waver. You feel yourself be tugged upwards and into some ones back. You could immediately tell it was Luffy by the tight grip of his stretchy arms.

"Thank you for letting us use your waver, mister." Nami pulls it towards Pagaya, who sweats as he attempts to help the fallen captain. You pulled away from the worried man yet again as Nami takes Luffy by the shirt and pulls you both towards the ship.

"There's nowhere you can run! First you verbally abused us!" The captain stumbles up slowly. "That attack was clearly a case of obstructing a government official from performing his duties. A class-5 criminal offense!!" He snarls at the Merry, his nose bloody and face bruised.

"In the name of the God Enel, I declare you exiled to the clouds!!" Conis lets out a large gasp.

"Exiled to the clouds! That sounds nice." Luffy was still wrapped around you, his chin resting on your shoulder as he talks to Conis.

Conis shakes her head. "It's a death sentence, you'll be dropped onto an island cloud with no way to escape and you'll stay their until you're nothing but bones!"

Robin is somehow still smiling. "Ahh...that explains the ship that fell from the sky. That 200-year-old galleon. Maybe its crew was exiled to the clouds.

The Captain doesn't continue listening to Conic's explination. He yells for you all to be errested, his men drawing bows and aiming their arrows towards you. "Run!! Please, you can't fight them!" She screams desprately.

"Hold your tongue young lady! Or I'll have to charge you with aiding these criminals!" The captain declares, glaring at the already frightened girl. He turns his attention back towards his men, enforcing them to fire.

Your thrown away from Luffy, back towards where Nami was standing closer to the ship. He yells something to Nami about making sure you don't get heard before your whisked away. Sanji and Zoro don't waste time perusing the men, arrowing flying passed them that leave a long white cloud. Luffy avoids the substance by wrapping his arms around a palm tree and charging up punch after punch before knocking out a majority of the men.

Sanji and Zoro take out the rest, causal about the whole situation. "How much money do we have?" Luffy asks, landing back on the ground.

"50,000 berries in cash."

"That's all..." He groans, huffing at the sky. "Why are we so poor?! As you Captain, I have to say this--you guys spend too much money!"

"Most of it went to feed you!!" Sanji growls.

"You should've surrendered quietly." The captain stands up, smirking. "We're the friendliest law officers you'll find in Godland." He stares at the group, a strange unreadable emotion behind his eyes. "They won't be so gentle with you!"

"You're class-2 criminals now, make all the fuss you want. But God's Army in the upper yard will deal with you!" He booms.

Luffy giggles, his posture playful. "Oh well. We're used to being hunted." He giggles some more, taking a look at you and Nami. "Why'd you come back anyway? We were just about to have an adventure and look for you."

Nami sighs, waving her hand towards him. "You're a real genius, Luffy."

"We need to find a way out of here if we're technically fugitives." You ignore the two bickering as you contemplate a way to

Sanji nods, now standing near Conis. "Now that I think about it, we never gave any thought to how we'd get back." He adds. Conis thinks about it for a second, biting her lip in thought.

"It's very perilous, but there is a way down to the Blue Sea, you have to go down one level and sail to the far east of the white sea to a pace knowns as cloud's end. You'd have to cross a vast sea in the sky."

"What? So, we can't go home." Luffy gawks. Nami snorts, waving him away as she walks towards the ship.

"But isn't it just as dangerous for us to stay here? If we stay, we'll make trouble for you. They know where we are! Let's sail! Conis! Pagaya! Thanks for everything!" Nami walks away, waving to the kind family.

She makes it halfway to the ship before realizing that no one is following her. "Hey! Where are you going?"

"To get the food." Luffy pulls you towards the stairs leading to Conis home. You send Nami a sympathetic look as her and Zoro join the others on the ship.

---

"Are you the ship's carpenter, Usopp?"

Usopp shakes his head, "No, I'm the sharpshooter. We don't have a carpenter yet. But those guys depend on me for everything. I guess you could say I'm kind of like a second captain--"

Pagaya had walked away at that point, eyeing Sanji and his cooking. "Your arrangement of food is very artistic. What lovely colors." Sanji places some food in front of you, smiling at you.

"You seem hungry." You take the bento from him and place it on your lap as you shovel the rice in your mouth. Sanji blushes, only looking away when Luffy reaches over from his spot next to you to try and grab some food. "Hey! Hands off!"

Luffy sulks back next to you, watching as Conis moves into the room. "It's all so beautiful." She murmurs.

"Well, it all looks the same once it's in your belly." Luffy grumbles, hungry and bored. You've been back for barely an hour, and you haven't been paying attention to him at all. He couldn't pay attention to anything, not even Usopp moving towards the balcony.

"Hey, there's something going on out there!" He points towards the sea. "There's a ruckus on the ship!!" Sanji rushes over, Luffy quickly following him. You look at them, too concerned with your food to get up and look.

"Huh?! The ship's moving!!" Luffy squawks. Putting down your bento, you move to the balcony, nearly coughing on the food left in your mouth. The ship was moving fast through the clouds. You all watch in horror as the ship basically flies away.

"Where'd they go?" You turn to ask Pagaya. He gives you a solemn look.

"The special lobster express is one of the God's servants. Everything it carries off becomes an offering of the God." His face somehow becomes darker as he continues to explain. "It's headed to the northeast of the upper yard, to the sacrificial altar."

Your breath hitches, they're going to be sacrificed? That can't be true. While stuck in your disbelief, Sanji moves towards the man, clearly astonished. "You mean Nami, and the others are gonna be sacrificed?!" Pagaya look remains down.

"It's all part of heaven's punishment. Criminals either become sacrificial offerings or they undergo a challenge." He sighs. "Or so I've heard. They're in the Kami's power now. "Sacrificial offerings" they're hostages."

"The ones who are really being punished right now are you four." He pointed towards you. His explanation didn't make you feel any better, and all you could think about was your friends, the only people you had in this world, dying. It made your stomach turn and you slightly regret scarfing down Sanji's food earlier.

"If I had a map..." Pagaya mumbles, Usopp stopping him by handing the earlier obtained map. He looks at it for a second, before tracing his finger towards the back of the island.

"This is very old, but it looks accurate enough. This is our present location. The sacrificial alter lies to the Northeast. There's only one way to get there. Find a dial ship and follow the Milky Road through the forest where God's Army is." Usopp and the others conversed over how to get to the alter but you were to spaced out to notice or add anything. You mind kept wandering to the ship, to it being dragged away, to everything that has happened so far. You couldn't help but question everything, whether it was a dream or reality. It sure didn't feel real.

If it is, then you wonder why out of everyone, you had to get sent here.

"(Y/N)! Come on, we're leaving now." Luffy takes your hand, dragging you away before you could say a word.

---

"Why is everyone avoiding us..." Usopp says, watching the locals side eye him and the rest of the crew.

Sanji takes a drag of his cigarette; his back hunched a bit from all the supplies he's carrying. "They must know we're outlaws." Luffy simply smiles, holding your hand tight as you walk with him.

"This is great! The town center is totally empty!" Luffy looks over at you, your face emotionless, like you were somewhere else entirely. He pouts, waving his hand in front of your face to get your attention.

"Hello! (Y/N)?! Did ya hear what I said?" You snap out of your stupor, growing embarrassed at the concerned looks the others give you. You laugh awkwardly, looking away from their stares.

"Yeah, something about the town being empty." You voice was quiet, and it didn't quite convince Luffy. His pout grows deeper as you look away from him and try to get your hand out of his grasp.

"Luffy, you know you don't have to hold my hand everywhere, right?" His grip grows even tighter in response.

"I don't want you to run off again." He says like it was the most obvious thing in the world. The others don't seem fazed, their eyes locked ahead. You huff at Luffy, but he doesn't seem to care, awestruck at all the strange food and items in the stalls.

"Luffy! We're not here to shop!" You tell him.

He giggles, "Don't worry, Zoro's with them."

Sanji brows furrows, snarling at the captain. "You trust that guy to protect them?!" His cigarette nearly falls out of his mouth with the scream.

"Huh? What's that in the middle of the road?" Sanji groans at Luffy's clear ignorance of him.

In the middle of the road, there was a strange idol, Conis nodding as you all move closer to it. "That's a varse. To the inhabitants of the sky, it's an object of eternal admiration."

Luffy shivers. "Huh?! You guys' worship that thing?" Conis laughs.

"I suppose Blue Sea people wouldn't understand." She smiles as she points you to the wharves.

The people around you all stare silently as you move to the peers. Luffy gasps at all the different boats, begging Conis for anyone that looks cool. Sanji hits him on his head, blowing smoke in his face. "We're here to save Nami and Robin, you idiot! Stop being such a tourist!"

Eventually, you reach your ship, which was, strange to say the least. It was a long boat, the head being in the shape of a crow. "This is the Kara-Sumaru." Conis says. "I used to use it all the time before I learned how to ride a waver. It's not as fast as a waver, but it's got two wind dials."

"But...I like that one better." You kick Luffy's leg, causing him to quiet immediately. Conis quickly becomes embarrassed, a red blush adorning her cheeks as she waved her hands towards him.

"You...don't like it? I'm sorry but I don't have the money to rent that one for you."

"Don't worry Conis, this one's perfect." You attempt to reassure her, which she smiles at. Soon, her embarrassment shifts to a sterner expression.

"The way out is through gate two. You'll come out onto the Great Milky Road which will take you to Upper Yard. Then just keep to the road." She explains, a slight shake to her.

Luffy recovered from your kick quickly, turning to look at Conis with a hard expression. "Conis, ever since we left you house you've been shaking, how come?"

Conis's shaking intensified at the question, sweat beating down her face. It was like the world became silent instantly, the on lookers staring at the five of you intensely.

"You're all pale, if you were that scared, you should've said something." She didn't respond to his probing, looking away clearly nervous as he moved closer.

"I..I'm not..." She huffed out, stuttering. She took a second to collect herself, her words becoming clearer as she spoke. "Don't you think it's strange that I'd tell you how to get to the challenger and even lend you my boat." She looks up, staring Luffy in the eyes.

"It's almost as though I'm leading you to your doom."

"Hey!! Stop!! Are you insane." Someone in town said as Conis fell to her knees, sobbing.

"Please run away..."

She dug her nails into the ground.

"I'm sorry."

Your chest hurt.

"Stop!! What are you saying?!"

"I was the one who summoned the special lobster express!!" Conis admits, her sobs nearly overtaking her words.

No, that can't be true. Why would Conis do something like that. You hear Conis sniffle, wailing to the sky.

"If a citizen of Skypiea knows that someone is a criminal and doesn't lead him to the punishment site that citizen is killed!!

Luffy's nails dig into your hand, his grip hurting you it was so tight.

"Stop it!! Don't you realize what you're saying!!" Somone says.

"It's blasphemy!!"

"Grab that girl!!"

Conis covers her mouth to quiet her cries. "It's the duty of every citizen!! Please forgive me!!"

Luffy finally let's go of your hand, moving towards Conis with a strange determination. "You had no choice, right?! So why did you just tell us that?!" He grips her shoulders. "Now you're in trouble!!"

She doesn't respond, but the people around become erratic, spewing sickening words toward the poor girl. You're frozen in place, barely able to feel the buzzing around you. Taking a deep breath, Luffy grabs Conis and pulls her away from the beam of light.

You feel yourself be pulled into someone chest, your breathing erratic, the ringing in your ears preventing you from hearing anything. The only thing you can feel in the hand on the back of your head, cradling you as they scream something to someone else.

You're finally able to hear the flapping of wings before passing out.

---

You don't know where you are, everything is fuzzy.

"Dude, you're spacing out again." The person talking to you had no clear face, almost like it was obscured by something. You could hear them clearly, but your mind couldn't make them out.

"Come on, we need to be studying." You hear them say, ignoring them in favor of viewing your surroundings. You were in a bedroom, small but large enough to fit you and this other person. It was sunny, you could feel it on your skin, and for a second everything felt so real.

Until suddenly, your body doesn't feel right. You feel like you're floating in water as the mysterious person speaks inaudible words to you. You look down at your hands, they appeared to be floating through time. The longer you stared at them, the more they warped and bent.

You finally pay attention to the other person across from you. "(Y/N), you need to keep your head out of the clouds." They laugh, but it was more ominous than funny. "Eventually, you won't be able to find your way back."

You feel like you're falling, the world around you crumbling away into nothing as your heart sinks.

---

"When are they going to wake up..." Luffy watched your face, which was motionless as they speed down the Milkey Road.

Sanji stays focused on what's ahead of them, still very much concerned about you and your safety. He drags his eyes from the front to you, sighing as he relaxes a bit.

He moves closer to you, feeling your forehead and frowning at the shear cold he felt. He looks at Luffy, who's still staring intensely at you. "Luffy, get that blanket, they're freezing."

Luffy doesn't move for a bit, unable to take his eyes away from you. He felt like if he looked away for even a second, you'd be gone. He couldn't handle that. Regardless, he digs though his bag, pulling out a soft, blue blanket. There were a few ruffles at the ends, but overall, it was comforting. Luffy definitely thought so.

Luffy takes the blanket, holding it close for a few seconds before wrapping it around you. "Do you think they'll be okay?" Usopp wonders, looking nervously at you. He's been trying to avoid you sense you passed out, afraid off look at your near lifeless body. You looked so cold, so weak, like one small brush would cause you to shatter. He looks away before he can imagine anything worse.

"This boat is too slow." Luffy says, easing some of the tension.

"That can't be helped. It's a lot heavier than a waver, so don't expect too much." Sanji huffs, his hair blowing in the wind. As the move forward, trees upon trees towered over them, covering them in shadow.

"Well, there's a forest, but nothing like this." Usopp glared at the map as they sped into the strange forest.

Sanji's eyes traveled upwards, following the large trees into the sky. "Whoever owned that map lived 200 years ago, right? It may have been an old map even them. It'd take a thousand years for a forest to grow to that size."

Luffy gasped, steering straight towards the entrance. Various idols were decorated around the trees, adding a strange sense of fear into the hearts of most the crew. Ship parts were strewn about, torn in half by something, but Luffy didn't seem to care, fascinated by the sounds and sights all around him.

"Th-There's something out there!!" Usopp gasped. his eyes darting around from tree to tree. Luffy laughed at him, totally careless until the shifting grew louder.

"Faster!! Row!!" Usopp yells at Luffy as his face hardens. The boat speeds up as the wind around them wooshes, a large axe descending upon them. It swings back and forth, swiping through an already dilapidating ship, causing it to sink into the clouds.

"Look out!! There's another one coming!!" Luffy didn't have to order Sanji to row, him moving quickly before any more axes to come their way.

Sanji takes a quick look at you. You appeared undisturbed, your unchanging expression bringing him a small sense of ease. His eyes are dragged away from you as Luffy winds up his arm, angling it towards one of the large axes before launching them off of it. The fly forwards, falling far from danger as they continue to row away, an entrance far ahead of them.

"The entrance is way over there." Sanji says, heart beating quickly.

"Should we get off here?"

"Are you crazy?! We'll be killed!!"

"Maybe so." Sanji said, the sound of whooshing nearly drowning out his words. Behind them, a gigantic eel barrels towards them and Sanji wastes no time to send it flying when it gets too close.

"This Milky Road is bad news, if we hang around here, we're doomed. Looks like we have to keep going forward." Sanji lights another cigarette as they move forward.

About an hour passed before they reached another entrance. "Waah! A giant!!" Luffy points in front of them.

"That's just a statue Luffy." Usopp says as feels your forehead. You were still so cold. He takes the blanket and wraps it around you tighter, smiling as you slowly start to warm up.

"There are four entrances!! Does each one lead to a different place." In front of the pirates were four large opening, each with a different title leading to different directions.

"Challenge of the swamp, challenge of the iron, challenge of the string, challenge of the ball..." Usopp reads the aloud. Sanji reads the titles in confusion, while Luffy seems amused.

"Let's go with the ball! Doesn't that sound like fun!" He points.

"It's a challenge! It's not fun!" Sanji responds, growling at the smiling boy.

"I like ball too! It sounds the most harmless...I hope." Usopp shivers. Sanji groans, steering the boat towards the Challenge of the Ball.

"Oh well, it's decided. But stay alert, we're in the Upper Yard, 33,000 above sea level! Anything could happen!" Sanji says as they are all shrouded in darkness. Usopp grits his teeth, while Luffy squints his eyes.

"Huh what's this." Sanji's able to make out a small exit, the tunnel becoming brighter as they got closer. "Weren't there four entrances."

Luffy giggles, poking a shaking Usopp "One's right and the other's are wrong."

Usopp gasps, looking back at the giggling captain "What!? Don't tell me that now!! What if we chose the wrong one?!"

"If we're wrong, let's see...maybe we'll fall off the sky island." Sanji adds, which doesn't help Usopp whatso ever. He screams as they grow closer to the exit, the light nearly blinding them.

"It's 33,000 feet to the Blue Sea!!" They reach the outside with a woosh, and for a moment, everything was still. Until Usopp looked down and was met with the sight of a waterfall pooling into the clouds below them, and he screamed.

Sanji waits no time grabbing you, hoping you tight as they descend rapidly into the clouds. All he can hear is the screaming of his crewmates and his own bated breath as he holds onto you for dear life.

The clouds shot out around them as they land, the boat shaking at it attempts to balance itself. Sanji's chest heaves up and down, fear rushing through his veins as he takes a look at you. You looked unfazed, the blanket still around you. You were so peaceful, it almost made him forget about the situation they were in right now.

"This is all your fault, you idiot!!" He puts you down gently before kicking Luffy. Usopp sobs as he attempts to calm him breathing, while Luffy simply laughs, which fills Sanji with even more rage.

"Ha ha ha ha!! Ahh...that was scary! I thought I was gonna die." He's almost breathless as he giggles uncontrollably, Sanji rubbing the sole of his shoe deeper into the cheek.

The forest around them was covered in large, white balls, all floating in the air. "Wow!! They're like gigantic snowballs!" Luffy awes, moving away from the cook's foot. Sanji regains his composure, his brows ruffled at the sight. "What's the challenge supposed to be?!" Luffy asks as Sanji sits down next to you, deliberately lighting his cigarette in the opposite direction.

"Who knows? Maybe we're completely safe now. But I doubt it." Sanji mumbles.

At the answer, Luffy jumps up, a determined look on his face as he gazes towards Sanji. "Maybe we chose the right opening! Maybe if we'd chosen one of the others, we'd be in big trouble right now."

Usopp, seemingly recovered from his previous stupor, nods his head slowly. "Oh...yeah you could be right."

Sanji rolls his eyes at the two. "Don't let you guard down! They brought us here to punish us! There's sure to be danger." He blows out some smoke. "Use your head, it's bound to be some kind of trap."

"Stay alert and let's just keep moving forward." Sanji says. "I'll steer, you two keep a lookout on either side." He says as they travel higher and deeper into the jungle.

Sanji looks away for a second before Luffy and Usopp were goofing around, playing catch with one the balls near them while chewing on crackers. "You're supposed to be standing watch!!" Sanji spits at the two as they continue to toss the ball back and forth.

Suddenly, the ball bursts, a vicious snake wriggling towards Usopp, who cowers himself into a ball as Luffy kicks the snake away. He huffs in surprise as Usopp points a shaky finger towards another ball coming Sanji's way.

Sanji kicks the ball away "stupid balls!! Are they all floating snake nests?!" The ball, however, explodes upon contact, the three covered in ash. "These balls are booby-trapped!!" Sanji places his foot down angerly.

"Ho, ho, ho! You never know what's inside them!" They turn their head towards the voice.

"They're surprise clouds." The strange voice says again.

"Hey!! Who was that?!" Usopp mumbles as a large rotund man appears floating on a ball.

"Ho, ho, ho! Heso! You did well to choose my challenge of the ball!" The man begins to dance around on top his ball, angering Sanji and Luffy.

"Stop dancing around! Who are you?!" Sanji yells to the man, assumedly one of Enel vassals.

"Hey, dumpling! Nami and the others better be okay!" Luffy screams to the man, whose smile remains ever present.

"You mean the hostages? I don't know. They're as good as dead, even if they somehow manage to get off the altar. Every road here leads to death."

He hops around so more. "But you'd better worry about yourselves. You have to defeat me if you want to get out of here alive." He hops once more, an array of balls coming towards them.

"He's coming Luffy! Get him!" Usopp yells, Luffy nodding while winding up a punch.

"Ho! So, you can stretch!"

Luffy shoots out a pistol attack, the man dodging it easily. He extends his hand, a powerful blast exploding in Luffy's face. Luffy is pushed backwards, his back hitting a tree.

"Luffy?!"

"Luffy?! Hey, Luffy!! You're all right, aren't you?! No way a simple blow like that could hurt you!" Usopp begs for his friend to wake up, but he remains silent.

"A simple blow?" Steam blows off of the man's hand. "You're wrong there!"

Sanji grits his teeth "I'll show you wrong!!" He extends his leg towards the back of the man.

"Ho, ho!! Head kick, right leg" The man mumbles with a jolly voice as he places his hand on Sanji's face. "Mantra is a power granted only to the faithful."

An explosion goes off, and Sanji falls to the dirt. "Huh, Sanji!!" Usopp screams as he watches Sanji grow still, the man extending his arm towards him, blowing him off the ship.

Luffy recovers soon after Usopp is blown away. In a crazed state, he looks back towards the boat, you being the only one left. He snarls at the round man. "Sanji, Usopp!!." He screams, the two groaning in pain.

"...what is that guy?!" Sanji mumbles in pain as Luffy keeps his eyes locked on you. He can see your chest rise and fall, your nose scrunch up a little, even the twitch of your fingers.

"Ho! Ho! Ho! My name is Satori!! I'm one of the Vassals that serve the omnipotent God Enel!!" The man sings, dancing. "I rule over the varse in the forest of no return."

"No return!" Luffy stands.

"Yes. Your boat will be lost in the great forest." Luffy's heart stops as the boat containing your sleeping body float down the Milky Road.

"Hey!!" Luffy snarls, his fists tightening.

"It will roam this forest on the Milky Road until is eventually finds the only exit on its own." The boat floats away, out of sigh.

"Welcome to the forbidden sacred land, the Upper Yard. Ho! This is the Challange of the ball!"

"Luffy! We have to stop that ship!!" Usopp was now standing near him. Luffy doesn't respond which causes Usopp to chase after the ship.

"Wait, Usopp!!" Sanji yells to him.

"You two take care of the ship. Make sure (Y/N)'s okay." Luffy's voice was quiet as he cracks his knuckles. Sanji doesn't waste any time obeying his captain and running after you.

"Don't be reckless Luffy!! I'll come back as soon as we stop the ship!!' Sanji runs after you, Luffy winding up his arm in a circle.

Luffy stretches his arm towards the Satori, who dodges quickly and grabs onto him. Luffy screams as he's whooshed around, slamming headfirst into a tree, his arm extending back into himself.

"No need to rush. Take it slow and easy." Satori dances around, looking for the others.

"Now then, where are the other two? I won't let a single one get away!" He swings his head back and forth, eyeing the two other rushing the forest. "There they are!"

"Usopp, any signs of the boat! Sanji yells to Usopp who's on the branch of a large tree.

"There!! I see it!!"

"Give me directions!!"

It's straight ahead of you!! Climb the second tree! You should be able to jump from the branch to the ship!"

"Got it!!" Sanji leaps, grabbing on to the tree Usopp points him too.

Satori kicks one of the balls towards Sanji. "Sanji, watch out!! Ball coming your way!!" Usopp screams causing Sanji to look back. The ball zooms towards him, hitting the tree and ricochets off another tree, heading towards Usopp.

The ball doesn't explode, instead a flower blooms out of it, Usopp still falling off the tree in surprise.

Luffy jumps up toward Satori, throwing punch after punch at him. Many of the balls near Satori are pushed away by the impact, some exploding, while others turning into strange creatures. One of these balls becomes a giant eel, biting Luffy which causes him too nearly fall through the clouds before he grabs onto a vine.

Usopp slowly gets up as Luffy swings back towards Satori. "That's it! Now's the time to try out my latest invention!" Usopp flicks down his goggles, eyeing the boat. He shuffles through his bag, pulling out a strange belt that shoots a hook rope towards a branch.

It wraps around the branch, Usopp tugging it to make sure it was secure. "Perfect! It's a straight shot to the ship!!" He says to himself, before swingling towards the boat. He nearly makes it, "The rope is stuck to the belt. I can't drop down!!" Usopp swings back, stuck to the rope.

"Look, let's just forget this little incident. Now, are you two through monkeying around?!" Sanji takes a drag of the cigarette which was somehow still in his mouth.

"Yes!! I'm sorry!!"

"Won't happen again!!"

Sanji takes a breath. "We need to get back to the ship (Y/N) is still--"

Satori floats down, and explosion blowing Sanji back. Blood rushes out of Sanji's mouth, his cigarette no more. His eyes are blown wide as he falls to the ground.

"One down, two to go."

---

The smell of ash was the first thing you smelled when you awoke.

You slowly sit up, the blanket that was wrapped around you falling from your shoulders.

You were covered in black ash, the blanket losing its blue color.

"My blanket." Was the only thing you could say, your mind still slightly hazy. You swipe some ash off, giving up when it seemingly sticks onto the blanket.

You don't remember finding it, maybe one of the others found it and gave it to you?

Wait, where is everyone. You look around you were alone on a strange boat. Crawling on your knees, you peer over the edge, coming face to face with the Milky Road.

You realized that the boat was speeding down the road, your friends nowhere to be seen. Your heart quickens as you look around the boat for a sign, nothing other than ash left.

"Luffy!!" You cup your hands around you mouth, screaming. "Sanji!! Usopp!! Where are you!!"

Tears stream down you face as no one answers. The forest remains quite as you continue to scream.

"Please!! Anyone!! Where are you?!"

---

A large dragon made from the balls of clouds towers over the pirates. They lay on the ground, defeated and groaning in pain.

"You might as well give up!! I am a vassal. I know no rival!!" Satori lets out a manic laugh.

"I-I can't go on!! I've had too many scares...my heart won't hold up!!" Usopp was bruised and beaten, his words grating as he speaks.

"You're out of options. Soon your precious ship will be out of the forest!! And then, it will be over!! Ho! Ho!"

"That's not going to happen!!" Luffy stands, extending a punch towards the dragon. It charges after him, Luffy running up a tree and grabbing onto a string right above the dragon.

"Oh!! I get it...this thing's being controlled with a string!!" Luffy snaps the string, Satori howling in shock as he's unable to control the dragon. Using the piece of the sting still attached to the dragon, Luffy pulls the dragon towards Satori, a large explosion rattling through the woods.

Satori takes a breath as he watches smoke travel through the forest. Pieces of wood around him were scorched, heat billowing around them.

"Man, that was close." Luffy mumbles.

"Huh?! You're alive?!" Satori screams.

"Hang onto him Luffy!!! Don't let that lumpy loser out of your grip." Sanji was sitting on one of the balls, Satori growling at him.

"Sanji, you're alive?"

"Barely! You almost killed me with that explosion!!"

"Hey, you guys!! Not fair!! Cowards!! It's two against one!!"

Luffy wraps his arms around Satori, keeping him locked in place as he wobbles about.

"You kidnapped my friends, without warning--made the cute angles cry and tried to kill them! So, you tell me who's the coward." Sanji snarled as he stood.

Luffy lets out a giggle at the man's struggle, his grip tightening. "Being able to predict out moves must be pretty handy in a fight. But it won't do you any good if you can't get out of the way!! Hee, hee!!"

Satori gulps in fear. "Stop!! You fools!! Don't you know what you're doing?! I am a vassal! I serve God! Let go!!" The two were silent, the only sounds being Satori's whimpers.

"Luffy!! Sanji!! Usopp!!" Satori went silent as his attacker's eyes went wide. It was a distant sound, but the two recognized it loud and clear. It was your voice, yelling for them. You were awake.

Luffy's grip becomes painful as Sanji's foot plummets into his face, a sickening crack reverberating through the woods as he falls to the ground.

A crater forms around Satori, his body motionless. Luffy snarls at the man, his chest heaving up and down as your voice rings in his ears. He watches as Sanji grinds his shoe deeper into the man, feeling no remorse when he whimpers in pain.

"Luffy!! Sanji!! I found the boat!! Hurry!! It's about to leave the forest!!" Usopp pants. Luffy spares one last glace towards Satori before rushing towards Usopp.

"Guys!! Grab onto my body!! The boat is heading towards the exit!!" The grab onto him, Luffy wrapping his arms around Usopp in a tight embrace.

"Guys!!" You wave your arms towards them as a rope wraps around the neck of the bird. You watch as the three are flung around, all of them landing on top of you, groaning in pain.

"I'm glad you're okay..." You mumble.

Luffy shoots up instantly wrapping his arms around you as he wails into your shoulder. "I thought you were a goner!! I'm so happy you're okay!!" You hug Luffy tears escaping your eyes as you smile wide.

When Luffy lets you go, Sanji extends a hand to your forehead, "how are you feeling?" His voice is low, it sends shivers down your spine.

"Fine..." Sanji takes a second before putting his hand down, nodding.

"You were cold when you passed out, but you warmed up considerably." He blows out some smoke. "You should keep that blanket on you, just in case."

Oh yeah, the blanket. "Where did you find it? I lost it ages ago?"

Luffy giggles, snuggling up next to you. "I took it."

"Why?" You look at him, his face was calm.

Luffy shrugs. "I wanted it." You realize you weren't going to get much out of him, so you end the questioning there. It's just good you have your blanket back.

"(Y/N) ...you were asleep for a while...are you sure you're, okay?" Usopp asks and you nod. You didn't want to tell them about the dream, afraid of how they'd react. Honestly, you didn't think you could describe it to them. You'd rather keep it to yourself until you figure out what it meant.

---

The sight in front of you was that of a large field, filled with flowers. Upon closer inspection, they weren't flowers at all, they were skull on top of poles, which sent dread through your body.

You watch the skulls, flinching when one cracks, a bullet passing through one. You and the others duck as a group of men duck and twirl over you. Luffy deflects a bullet, it exploding in the air near one of the men.

"Those are the same masked guerrillas we saw on the white sea!!" You yell, Luffy growling at the man with the bazooka.

"Hey! What's the big idea?! You don't want to mess with us!!" The man lays his bazooka across his shoulder.

"So, you're the ones. The Blue Sea people who are shaking thing up in Skypiea. If you value your life, go back to the Blue Sea." The man's look becomes dark as he looks away. "If you insist on interfering on this island, we'll erase you along with Enel."

"Is that a threat?! Bring it on baldy!!"

"No, stop!! Don't say another word!!" Usopp begs Luffy/

"Of course, that assumes you're even strong enough to get off this island." He and his fellow men whoosh away into the forest, Luffy sitting back down angerly.

"Just who are those guys?!"

"Whoever they are, they aren't friendly with that God Enel guy. And they sure don't seem friendly to us! Let's keep moving." Sanji says as they steer forward.

---

It didn't take too long before you finally reached the alter with all your friends. With the help of Sanji, you made it back onto the boat, it being in complete disarray. Parts of it was burned and the mast was completely gone.

"Oh, Usopp! I'm sorry. I tried to stop him. But there was a big fire...I did what I could." Chopper cried.

Usopp shook his head. "Did you take care of your wounds?"

"Huh?" Chopper tilted his head.

"A burning spear is serious business!! I'm just glad you didn't get burned to a crisp. A mast can always be replaced, but we can't replace you."

"Oh..."

"Speaking of wounds, (Y/N) needs a checkup, Chopper." Sanji leads you towards the reindeer. He jumps at the sight of you, nervous and covered in ash.

"Oh! What happened!!" Chopper takes your hand, but you stand still as he tries to pull you.

"I'm fine, I just got scared and passed out." You smile at him. "There's bigger things to worry about right now." Chopper lets go of your hand, albeit slowly, patting the back of it before moving towards Luffy.

"Chopper!! Where's the weird old guy? Didn't you say he was badly injured?" Chopper lights up.

"Yeah!! The sky knight!!" Chopper leads the crew into the medical room, the sky knight laying on a cot, unconscious.

"All because he gave us a whistle and came back to help us. If the sky knight hadn't come, the ship and I would be goners." Chopper reminisces solemnly. Luffy crouches down next to the knight, messing with his beard. The Sky Knight's bird was watching his owner with a look that made even you feel bad.

"There're lot of things I wanna ask him, but let's wait until he's awake." Sanji takes a quick look at the bird. "You too, thanks."

Sanji takes his hands out of his pockets, wiping his hands together with a deep breath. "Well, we're not going to fix the ship tonight, so returning to angle island will have to wait till tomorrow."

You all walk out of the medical room, Sanji pointing toward the forest. "Let's go set up camp by the lakeside Should anything happen, it'll be easier to fight there." Luffy shoots up in excitement.

"Yahoo!! Yes!! We're going camping!!" It was nice seeing everyone being so normal, especially after everything that's happened. You watch as Luffy goofs around with Chopper and Usopp, not noticing Robin taking a spot next to you.

"You should really get checked up; you look sick." You jump at the sound of her voice, laughing nervously at her concerned look.

"I think I'm just hungry." You reply.

"Well then, let's go eat." Robin takes you hand and pulls you towards the land. Her hold was strangely constricting, like she was trying to keep you as close as possible. Her hold let up as you got to your camping spot, Sanji already cooking, motioning you over to cry some.

---

"Attention! Everyone, thank you for your reports!! Many things are becoming clear thank to the data." You chew on a skewer as Usopp continues his tirade. You've all spent about an hour listening to the others recount what they've been doing while the four of you look for them. The one that stood out particularly, was Robin detailing her finding a dilapidated city deep in the jungle. "It turns out this island is the very "El Dorado" that the monkey mountain allied force was searching for!!"

"No kidding?!" Luffy spit out his food at the revelation.

"I told you earlier!!" Nami shouts at him.

Luffy swallows a large gulp of meat. "A city of gold, huh? Now this is the kind of adventure I've been waiting for." He stands up, wiping his hands on his pants. "Alright!! let's find that gold!!"

You sigh at Luffy's exuberances, placing down the stick from your now finished skewer. "Okay, well then we should get previsions for tomorrow." You announce. "Some of you should go and get some more food, we should also boil some water..." You list things off one by one, the others getting to work.

---

Instead of helping, Luffy decides he'd be the one to watch the water boil instead of help. He lays on the ground close to the fire, groaning as it continues to bubble.

"Man! This is so boring!" He rolls over dramatically.

"You don't have to watch the pot, stupid. When there's enough distilled water in the bowl pour it into the flask." Sanji chops away at some vegetables. "That's all you have to do. We need water tomorrow, enough for each one of us." He directs as Chopper and Zoro get back from collecting food.

You listen to the chatter of the crew as you help put food away into boxes. You huff, sweaty and exhausted, still tired from passing out earlier. You wipe your forehead with your hands, Zoro giving you a strange look as he walks by.

"You good?" Zoro raises a brow at you, his frown deepening when you nod.

"I'm fine." You say, you're voice stilted. "When does everyone think I'm not fine."

"Maybe because you look like you're going to pass out again." You role your eyes, picking up a hammer to seal the box before Zoro takes it away from you, smirking when you grow frustrated.

"You can get the hammer back when you go rest." He saunters away, the hammer tight in his hands. You gape at him, staring at the back of his head with a stupid look.

"Zoro, come help cook the stew." He groans at the sound of Sanji's voice, placing the hammer in one of his pockets before walking towards him.

"My swords aren't made for this!" Zoro was steaming a rock over a fire, his brows furrowed as he places the stone into the stew.

"Huh?! We're eating rocks too!?" Luffy stares as Sanji covers the pot.

"As if! This is "Hot Rock Stew!"" The pot sizzles. "The heat from the hot rocks cooks the stew. When you cook this way, the ingredients keep more their nutrients."

You take a seat next to Nami, who was drawing a map on a log. "Alright everyone!" Nami yells as everyone gathers around her. "Ready? First a review of Noland's picture book. He first discovered El Dorado 400 years ago. Several years later when he returned to Jaya, not a trace of gold was to be found."

Food is passed around, Chopper handing you a blow of stew with a smile. "In other words, during those few years, this island, which is the fragment of Jaya wound up in the sky."

"On the knock up stream?" You mumble, Nami nodding.

"Yes, that's the only explanation. Cricket said that the location of the underwater explosion differs each time. An explosion like that would send any island flying."

"It's just hard to image this insanely huge forest is the same forest we saw on Jaya." Zoro says with a mouth full of food.

"That's probably due to the difference between "sea clouds" and "Island clouds." It sems that there's something about the environment that of the Skypiea that has the power to rabidly speed up the growth of fauna and flora." Robin explains.

"The south birds which save us were huge too." Chopper extends his arms out wide for emphasis.

"About that...why did the south birds save you guys." Sanji asks.

"I don't know. Maybe it's related to everyone calling the sky knight "God."" Zoro chokes on his food while Luffy gapes at Chopper.

"God!" Luffy points as the Sky Knight laying on the medical bed. "So, we just need to beat up that old man?!"

"No Luffy!" You yell at him.

Nami ignores Luffy's screaming. "Noland also mentioned "Gold Ingots shaped like a bell" and south birds."

Robin nods. "And on the last page was scrawled a seemingly nonsensical sentence supposedly the last thing Noland wrote before he died. I saw gold in the skull's right eye."

Nami nods quickly, "That's it!!" She pulls out a paper. "Look at this!! I rescaled a map of Jaya that Robin picked up and paired it with an old map of Skypiea. It's an approximation, but when you line up the house of the seashore..."

She lines both the maps up, them linking together to form one large island. "This is the shape of Jaya four hundred years ago." You mumble.

You think for a second, gasping and pointing at the map. ""The right of the skull", Noland was talking about the shape of the entire Island." You say, Usopp gasping.

Nami smiles, pointing at you. "But there's only half an island left, so it's no wonder the mystery couldn't be solved."

"Treasure!!" Luffy jumps up, yelling towards the sky.

"Tomorrow, we can head straight for this point. We can't just abandon the ship so we should divide into two teams!!:

Nami smirks, clearly dreaming of the berries she could get. "Make no mistake!! A vast treasure trove of gold awaits us!!!"

---

The others celebrate the discovery by bonfire, the sun completely set at the only sounds being those of bugs and celebration.

You sat farther away, fighting off sleep. "Why don't you go celebrate with them."

The Sky Knight was finally awake, his body covered in a cloak. You shrug at the man. He gives you a strange look you try and ignore as he sits down next to you.

"I overheard you meeting earlier. I understand this island was once called Jaya. In Skypiea this place is called "sacred ground." Do you know why?"

He takes a handful of dirt. "For you all, this land is something you take for granted. But here in the sky this shouldn't even exist. Things can grow on island clouds, but they can't be born there. Greenery and soil don't normally exist in the sky."

"We call this varse." You gape at him, your eyes wide as you watch the dirt fall back onto the ground.

The old man takes a look at you, the same strange one from earlier. "You're not from this world, are you?"

---

[wild-karrde]

OC: Crater

Alright, so I figure it's time to do an official Crater post since he's appearing in a few ficlets soon.

Crater, who was first mentioned in my fic One Step at a Time, is the captain of the 28th Combat Wing, which Chuckles is a part of, piloting a Z-95 Headhunter like the rest of his squad. He serves as the commanding officer until his death (Chuckles loses the majority of his Wing in the same battle).

In terms of physical appearance, Crater most resembles THIS clone we see in The Bad Batch (I was super stoked to have a close visual reference):

His hair is a dark chestnut color (not quite the black color we see with most of the other clones, but it's still VERY dark). He keeps his hair cropped close and his beard well-maintained. He's an older clone, and whether due to stress or Chuckles's incessant injuries from pranks, he's starting to go grey with silver dotting his hair and beard. He has a scar through one eyebrow, and at times adds a second notch to match the pinstripe pattern on his armor (the colors of the 28th Wing are magenta and grey, and he has a double grey pinstripe that runs down the right side of his armor). He has tattoos that wind from just below his elbows, up over his shoulders and shoulder blades and up his neck. When his helmet is off, you can normally see the very tips of the tattoos sticking out above the collar of his undersuit. Here is a reference I use for his tattoo pattern:

This is very much how I envision them, slightly geometric and winding (a few more lines/tendrils to them), and then the positioning is different than what we see here.

Crater is a quiet leader that prefers to adjust his leadership style to the various strong personalities on his squad rather than trying to intimidate them into falling in line. He has to deal with everyone from Chuckles to Sticks to Strike, and they all require different tactics to motivate them. Crater is incredibly observant, picking up on the different ways his squad responds to feedback/encouragement/discipline, and he adjusts accordingly. He's the type to sit back in a briefing, watch what's happening around him, and then swoop in with his opinion and thoughts that he's been working on for the last twenty minutes while everyone else got heated.

With the rate at which pilots lose their lives during the war, Crater quickly comes to understand the importance of having his men trust him completely, and he doesn't take that trust lightly. He's proud, but not vain. He knows he's good and doesn't require validation from outside sources, particularly natborns, and he'll get in the trenches to back his squad anytime he needs to. He's quietly intimidating, honest even if it hurts, but above all, he cares very much for his brothers, and that's a large driving factor for how he operates as a leader.

Crater's last words to Chuckles are “Run, Chuckles. Get your ass out of here. Carry on the fight.” 

[carionto]

Another Happy Landing

Space!

It's huge!

Like, beyond words and stuff.

So anyway, people want to get to places that are far away, BUT they also don't want to wait for months and centuries to get to those places that are really REALLY REALLY REEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLY far away.

But then there's this jerk called Physics, you know, total rules lawyer, nobody likes them, but their dad is God, and just generally a total Karen when you try something they didn't think of before. Real party-pooper. Meanwhile, you're just a guy named Greg. With a bad knee and student debt. And your wife left for Chad. She found a nice beauty resort and booked a three week experience. She'll bring back souvenirs. If she remembers. Which she won't, just like the last three times. But it's okay, you've got a bucket of ice cream and the entire TNG series loaded up. Not the movies though, you're trying to erase them from your mind.

Back to Greg. Wait, no - Physics.

Today, Captain Knoslark and his advanced research ship - The Radiant Dusk at Everest (and crew) are going to give that snotty brat the middle finger.

For today, marks the beginning of a new era of space travel. One that barely involves using space at all. Time either. We're just gonna bypass those two pesky nuisances and finally freely go from one point in the Universe to another!

Combining our research into Warp technology, which essentially just uses a Fuck Huge amount of power to rip a hole in Time-Space, with the surprising developments into short range teleportation by an independent facility, as well as [insert favorite brand of gobbledygook], we will finally overcome the issue of getting spaghetified and/or transported into the center of a star!

Champagne for everyone!

All that's left is to fire up the miniature star reactors, crank the output to 400%, and bask in the applause!

"This is your Captain speaking. Hello everyone! I'm excited! Fire it up! LET'S GOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

With the message clear, the crew continued to do what they were doing. You know, following procedure and guidelines, of which there were, admittedly, less than normal given this is the first full test of this nature. it'll be fine. They said igniting a miniature star inside a reactor would blow up the whole planet, but it only took out a 200km chunk of it once, not that big a deal.

The energetic smile and tense grip of the railings Knoslark held on to for the subsequent forty minutes without letting up for a single second. It kinda got a little creepy, but the crew will never drop their poker face in front of him. They won't give him that victory.

Anyway. Again. The final step of the sequence has finally arrived and all that's left to do is for Knoslark to push the big red button on his data pad. Which he did immediately and with the most dramatically long winded motion his body could produce - swinging his whole arm from the back, over his head, and stopping just before slamming the button with his fist to gently extend his pinky finger to lightly tap on the button.

A brilliant black light in a perfect sphere engulfed the whole ship and then they were gone.

Immediately afterwards, just slightly above the surface of an unknown planet in orbit of an uncharted system in a galaxy that has a grand total of two entries across all databases. It's name - TPSC-SY398-2250074, and age relative to what the Milky Way can see - 1.8 billion years. None of that matters.

What does matter is that this planet has a new crater with a stupidly huge piece of junk lying in the middle of it. Mostly intact. Actually, who am I kidding, it's our well known Human engineering we're talking about here, the only problem is that it crashed sideways and a few fires sprung up, no worse than an overly exciting game night turned drinking party.

"Well, that was unexpected. Everyone good? Can we upright The Dusk?" Knoslark inquired right after climbing his way out of a pile of chairs, loose equipment, and three crewmen. Sergeant Ying Zhao emerged from from behind him, dusted off, relocated his shoulder, and grunted. "Seems so. Engineering - what's your status?"

"Minor leakage of non-essentials, two reactors stopped purring, could use a nap, don't let the captain say it and we'll be good." replied Chief Engineer Ira Tameki over the comms. "Negative, Ira, he's got the look already." "Groan for the two of us then." "Roger that." "Not you too..." "Sorry."

As the reports of minor damage, light injuries, and general mess came in, Captain Knoslark was pleased with the results.

"Excellent work everyone. Everyone's alive and The Dusk still works. You know as they say - another happy landing!" Knoslark said, with a big dumb grin.

"So anyway, where are we?"

Continues->

[idyllic-affections]

though the wind may carry everyone's woes, who carries the wind's?

summary. friends tend to show other friends the most vulnerable parts of themselves. trigger & content warnings. blood, hand injury, implied self-destructive behavior (not the reader). tropes, pairings, fic length, & other notes. reverse hurt/comfort. venti & reader. 1.4k words. they/them pronouns for reader. author's thoughts. i dont write about venti enough. hes my favorite ever. anyway of course i decide to write an angsty fic for him when i havent written about him in a while LMAOSHSKGJ also in this oneshot [name] is implied to be related to a major historical figure in mondstadt (like jean, diluc, & eula).

       "Venti?"

       It wasn't uncommon for a certain windborne bard to worm his way into their bed at night; after a lifetime of being cared for by him, nurtured by the winds themselves to be smart, independent, and strong, they felt it was only right to return the favor when he needed it. Some nights, he'd stumble into their residence drunk out of his mind—they didn't mind much. He was quite touchy and affectionate in such a state. It was cute. As an Archon, his hangovers were much more manageable than some of their other friends' (a certain Cavalry Captain was a nightmare to deal with when hungover), which was an added bonus. However, not all nights were so calm and easy. Some nights were more... difficult. Emotional.

       To be so close to an Archon meant seeing them at their absolute worst.

       In the Anemo Archon's case...

       They tried to remove most mirrors in their home to prevent the very scenario they were now presented with. Still, at least one needed to stay, and that was the bathroom mirror. Perhaps it would have been a wise idea to cover it in some way; accomodating their home to suit the bard's emotional needs was something they'd do in a heartbeat. 'A simple bedsheet should do,' they mused fleetingly.

       His mortal name garnered no response, so they tried again:

       "Barbatos... please look at me," they whispered softly, hand held out invitingly so that, if he so desired, he could initiate or reject physical contact. Their gaze flickered between his bloodied knuckles to the pieces of shattered glass spread around to the crater in their wall where a mirror had once been in tact.

       Certainly, the deity at their feet was much stronger than what people gave him credit for.

       Even so, not a single spark of fear ignited in their chest; all they could wonder was how they'd explain the hole in their wall and the mirror shattered beyond repair when getting everything fixed or replaced. Never would they be afraid of someone so gentle. Venti—Barbatos, rather—was not the kind of Archon to bring harm and destruction upon anyone other than himself unless it was completely necessary. After having known him for so long, any fear that they may have felt when being presented with an emotional, heavily worshipped god was gone. He would never so much as think about hurting them. He'd only ever hurt himself, much to their despair. If there was ever any way for them to take away his pain, they'd do so in an instant. Barbatos deserved so much better than how the world treated him; that's what they thought, anyway. Perhaps they were biased.

       With the side of their bare foot, they gingerly nudged some of the shards away, careful not to harm themselves.

       Upon hearing a barely supressed sniffle, their chest tightened, flicking away the glass with more purpose once they saw the first tear fall.

       Once they lowered themselves to the glass-free ground, the bard was quick to shift closer to them, laying his head on their shoulder. "I'm sor— sorry—" he cried between hiccups, nimble fingers clutching their silken nightshirt with suffocating strength. His knuckles throbbed, but he paid them no mind, nor did they to the fresh blood that dripped onto their clothes with the contact. "I didn't— didn't mean to—"

       "Shh. It's okay. It's okay. It's just a mirror. I can replace it," they reassured in a hushed murmur, pressing their cheek to the top of his head and wrapping their arms around him. Fingers calloused from years of archery, hunting, and mandatory lyre lessons rubbed little soothing circles on whatever skin they could reach. "Let it out. I'm here. You're okay. Let it all out."

       He sobbed harder into their chest at that. All they could do was gently hush him, subconsciously rocking back and forth as if to soothe a child, until he calmed down to coherency. There was no way to help if they couldn't understand him, after all.

       (Despite that, they knew him well enough to know what troubled him so terribly. Over time, they learned that it was best to wait for him to talk rather than try to reassure him before they could tell what exactly he wanted them to do. Sometimes all he needed was a shoulder to cry on; sometimes he needed reassurance.)

       A cool burst of wind caught their attention. After concluding that it wasn't the god's doing, they looked over their shoulder.

       Oh.

       There, in the doorway, a small cluster of wind wisps looked inward, chittering nervously at the sight of one of their own crying. They weren't unfamiliar with the little beings; more than once, they've woken up only to find the wisps snuggled in their hair and clothes with Venti laughing at them good-naturedly, telling them that they legally could not move until the wind wisps decided to first. They'd scoff, but abide by his rules anyway. As one would not dare to disturb a sleeping animal, they would not dare to disturb the sleeping winds.

       Barbatos showed no objection to the way the wisps slowly drifted in, settling both on and around the Archon and his friend. He absently stroked a finger over one of the little ones, slowly calming down to a more grounded state. A comfortable silence descended, occupied only by occassional sniffles and chirps.

       "Would he be mad at me?"

       A million thoughts raced through their mind at the sudden question.

       Would he? There was no easy answer to such a question, despite how deeply they wished there was. There was no way to know what a long-deceased person would think of the way a friend chose to honor him. If they were to make a guess... they imagined that the bard, the boy who once led the resistance against Decarabian alongside one of their ancestors, wouldn't hold it against Venti.

       Shakily, they carded a hand through his dishevelled hair, mentally noting to tend to his wounded knuckles later. A trembling kiss was pressed to his forehead.

       With all the strength they could manage, they tried to keep their voice from wavering.

       "...I don't know. I didn't know him. I only know you, love." With their freehand, they ran their thumb soothingly over his cheekbone, eyes fixed in the direction of the ceiling. They'd cry if they were to see how wounded and defeated he looked; they knew themselves well enough to know that. "I'd... imagine not, though. He sounds like a very gentle soul at heart. I think he'd understand, Barbatos."

       "...Maybe."

       "You don't sound very convinced." A deep sigh left their nose as they kissed him again, only now on the crown of his head. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, darling. I'm sorry the world has treated you so poorly thus far. I— I wish I could help you, but I just... all I can offer you is a safe space. You're safe with me. There's nothing you could say or do that would make me angry with you. I know it must be so hard being immortal, but through the legacy of my bloodline, I am too. You can tell me anything. I like to think you'll always be safe with us, with me."

       "...Perhaps so," Barbatos whispered in reply. "Your family was always very kind, to me and that bard and anyone else who needed a secure place to hide in a world of insecurity."

    ��  "So I've heard. I suppose it runs in the family."

       "...Can we stay like this for a while?"

       "Sure."

       The silence returned once again. Rough fingertips drew random shapes and patterns on the Anemo Archon's skin. When his weight fell heavier on their chest, theiy dared to peer down.

       "Barbatos?" They brushed some of his hair away from his face, heart shattering into a million pieces at the sight of remnants of tears on his reddened cheeks. His chest rose and fell with the newfound peace and solace that unconsciousness offered, and yet, he still managed to look so... sad.

       A shaky breath left their quivering lips.

       "Celestia above," they choked pathetically, squeezing the sleeping god close to their body in a way that was undoubtedly protective. The wind wisps stirred, some quickly rushing to their face and seeming to try and pat their tears dry. More tears fell down their cheeks at the inherent kindness the winds displayed. "Give him a break. Please, please... he doesn't deserve this. Why do you all hate him so much?"

       The gods in Celestia gave no indication of a response.

[she-posts-nerdy-stuff]

Welcome to my first ever fic! I have another one in the works as well but currently neither of them have a title because title's are hard, so for simplicity's sake this one is Kanej themed and when I share the other one I'll refer to it as Helnik themed.

Concept: Around ten years after the events of Crooked Kingdom, 25-year-old Captain Inej Ghafa frees Maya Olsen from a pleasure house in Ketterdam. Maya is looking for revenge against the man who out her in her position, a man who she knows nothing about except his name: Kaz Brekker.

Tags: @wraith--2 @lunarthecorvus @just2bubbly @real-fragments7

I've only tagged people who specifically said they'd like to read more, not everyone who expressed general interest, but if you'd like to be added to the list let me know! <3

Content Warnings: in more general terms I want to remind people to be aware of the nature of Kaz and Inej's experiences and relationship since even if I'm not directly addressing these things they tend to be implicit in any writing about them, but specifically to this chapter there's descriptions of blood/wounds, and implied sa references (not graphic).

Chapter One - Kaz

"Now listen," Kaz leaned back and ran a gloved hand through his hair, vaguely aware of the traces of blood he was leaving on his forehead, "this has been fun and all, but I promised my wife I'd be home in time for supper,"

He consulted his pocket watch and frowned.

"And I'm already running late,"

It was clear that the man tied to Kaz's chair had no idea what to say. Or maybe he just couldn't. His cheek was a bloody crater; his jaw tight at a painful looking angle. Kaz paused for a moment to survey his half-closed eyes, wondering if he'd done the job too well. But the man was still breathing his pathetic, shaky breaths, and his eyelids were quivering slightly. Kaz hit the chair leg with his crow's head cane, and the man shook back to life.

"Are we done here?"

The man nodded shakily, quivering as he leaned as far from Kaz as his chains would allow.

"Good. Then I'll see you next week, with the money," Kaz pulled a key from thin air and placed it on the man's knee, "Have fun getting out,"

He walked away, listening to the man attempt to call him back through a mouthful of blood right up until the door slammed shut. Kaz stretched, smiled, rolled his shoulders. That had gone well. He was late though - she wouldn't be happy. Speaking of which, Annika was leaning against the wall opposite him, picking at her nails with a knife. She must have news.

"Go check on him if he's not out in an hour. Cleanly, for now, but keep an eye on him. If he tries to run this week, put a bullet in his skull,"

"Why me?"

"You're in my line of sight. And on that, what are you doing here? Aren't you meant to be at the Crow Club?"

"Just came off a shift. Brought you a message,"

Kaz nodded.

"She's back?"

"And pissed at you," Annika confirmed, "She's coming to find you,"

Kaz was meant to go to her. If she'd decided to come to him, it could only mean one thing: he was in deeper shit than running late.

"Fine," he said, and marched upstairs.

" - something else!" Annika called after him.

Kaz turned.

"Yennefer Baars is dead,"

"Then it's a happy day for everyone. Except for me, because unlike other people's spouses when my wife suggests murder, she actually means it. Go to the dock's and rustle us up some attention, the Silver Six is quiet,"

And with that, ignoring Annika's brief mumble of protest, Kaz began to head up the stairs. Yennefer Baars was dead. So that's what Inej had been up to. She'd been gone for the last month, and as a rule they didn't tell each other what a job was until it was over - no sense in worrying each other over nothing. But that didn't mean they didn't guess at what the other was up to, and usually figure it out. Kaz knew that Inej wrote a goodbye note before every job she did and left it with a particular member of the Merchant Council and his risk-loving fiancé, to be passed on in case something went wrong. He only knew that because he did the same thing, and Jesper was a terrible liar. Inej was better at figuring out what he was up to than he was her, that was true, but usually he had some idea. This time he'd heard nothing, until today. Yennefer Baars, owner and proprietor of the Tulip Mill, the most successful pleasure house in Ketterdam since the Menagerie close, was dead. Kaz had to smile.

Even if he was next on Inej's list. What the hell had he done this time?

It was raining, but what else was new? Kaz opened the window and listened to the droplets flowing over the pane and hitting the sill like a waterfall. He couldn't hear Inej, but he wouldn't be able to. Definitely not over the wind and rain. He left the window open for her, and headed to the basin. He shed his gloves and began to wash the blood off before it dried. Running hot water. Years ago he'd added this, with the bathroom of their suite at the Geldrenner on this mind. It was such a luxury, back then. So normal now.

"Inej,"

He smiled to himself as he imagined the brief look of annoyance on her face at him greeting her just as she opened her mouth to do the same.

"Kaz,"

He turned to see her, and immediately Annika's message was unimportant. It was good to see her. She smiled.

"How are things, Kaz? I heard the Silver Six has been quiet,"

Of course she had.

"A little slower than usual, but the Crow Club's booming. I've got time to fix it before the profit's take a hit,"

Inej nodded. A moment passed in silence, before she said:

"Maya Olsen,"

"What of her?"

"You know her then?"

Kaz shrugged.

"One of Yen's girls, isn't she? The Tidemaker. Never met her, but she passes information to the Dregs. I have a few people watching her, making sure the information's good and trying to find out where she gets it. Why?"

"I met her tonight,"

"You mean when you killed Yennefer Baars?"

They looked at each other, dark eyes stone. And then both their hard expressions collapsed, and they smiled.

"It's good to be home, Kaz,"

He liked it when she said 'home'. Really, he knew, 'home' was Ravka. But the Suli travelled the country, never static, never anywhere long enough for that one solitary place to be the only singular point they'd always want to return to. That was too limiting for Inej; she existed to explore. To her, 'home' really meant 'family'. It had taken the last ten years to get here, but he'd come to like that word.

"But we do need to talk,"

Kaz sighed.

"Of course we do,"

Kaz cooked. Nothing special, just warm bread and soup, but Inej seemed to like it. They sat opposite each other at their little wooden table, eating and waiting for the other one to talk first. Kaz was stubborn, but Inej was infuriatingly patient when it came down to this sort of thing. Eventually, he broke the silence.

"Maya Olsen, then?"

"She's at the shelter - "

"I didn't ask where she was, I want to know - "

"Let me finish, Kaz,"

"You know I've killed people for less than interrupting me," he smirked

"And I've killed people for far more. Now be quiet, and listen to your wife,"

Kaz frowned and mumbled something about only agreeing to marriage for the tax break, but stopped interrupting her all the same.

"Maya's sixteen, I met her tonight at the Tulip Mill and took her to the shelter along with a couple of others, but they were the only ones I managed to get out," she paused and glanced away, just for a second, before picking up the thread of her story, "the other girls were both passed out - long story, I'll tell you later - I'm going to check on them in a couple of hours. But Maya was awake, so we talked and... Kaz there's no easy way to say this, but she wants to kill you,"

Kaz almost laughed. So this was why Inej had come to him, instead of waiting for him near the shelter. The had a second place there, unbeknownst to the gangs or anyone else, except the liberated kids - in case they needed Inej.

"Invite her to join the queue,"

"This is different, Kaz. This isn't some random act of aggression or some boy from a rival gang who wants to prove himself. She hasn't just picked you because you're Dirtyhands, she's picked you because you're... you,"

Kaz collected their empty bowls and began to head towards the sink, before Inej tutted and took them out of his hands, swapping them for his cane. He leant against it, and pretended the relief wasn't palpable. Somehow it was still a bad thing to rely on her.

"How does this kid even know about me? The information she was sharing wasn't specific to the gang, she didn't know who she was talking to. Just that he paid her to talk, and to not talk to anyone else. Did Yen find out about the extra income?"

"I don't think so, but Maya didn't say much about it,"

"So what information, in your extreme wisdom regarding matters of life and death, did you manage to gain?"

Inej looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Information isn't my specialty anymore, Kaz,"

"Yes it is,"

She laughed, and Kaz closed his eyes to listen to the sound, but it was only short.

"She blames you for her indenture,"

Shit. No wonder Inej was mad at him.

"What do I have to do with that?"

"Apparently there was no choice but to sell her indenture to a mercher, when her father was in debt. The mercher died and her contract changed hands, several times, before it ended up with Yen,"

The tap hummed as Inej washed the plates. Kaz shifted his weight against his cane.

"She blames the man her father was in debt to," she glanced at him over her shoulder, "No prizes for guessing who,"

This wasn't sounding too good.

"And just for that she wants to kill me? So do a thousand other unlucky sods, Inej, I'm not concerned,"

"You also killed her father,"

Damn it.

"So, she wants to kill me. That doesn't mean she gets to. Doesn't really mean she even tries. I've killed a lot of people's family members, but I'm still standing here. Did you...?"

"Tell her we're married? Yes, Kaz, I'm that much of an idiot,"

"Alright, alright. Still, you might as well. Talk her down, take her back home and find some relative or whatever to take her. That's what you do, right?"

Inej rolled her eyes. She was now perching on top of the half wall between the little kitchen and dining spaces.

"She can't go back. She's a Fjerdan grisha, she wouldn't be safe. And as for relatives - anyone she's got would either kick her out or not dare the risk of taking her. But that's not the problem, Kaz,"

"Right, and remind me why we're more worried about this murderous little problem than any of the others?"

"Because she's different to the others, Kaz. She... well, she reminded me of you,"

"Oh," said Kaz, freezing for a second before slowly returning his watch to his pocket, even though he hadn't checked the time yet, "Then I guess we have a problem,"

Problem was an understatement, and both of them knew it. There was every chance that he was completely and utterly fucked.

[anxi-aashi]

high seas and gnoses (pt 1)

tartaglia x gn!reader

words: 1.9k

warnings: cursing, scary tagtag, thats pretty much it tbh

summary: somewhere out there is a dragon that thinks you stole its treasure. who better to help you return it than a pirate captain with an addiction to adrenaline?

a/n: this is the 1st chap of a series i came up with while watching a youtube vid on pirates of the carribean and i remembered how much those movies slapped and thought "what if i slapped genshin on this and made it even better" so here's the beginning to a pirate au you didn't ask for but I'm delivering anyways. super exited to see where this goes, i have some ideas for how its gonna work out already!! maybe smut later on but i haven't decided ;);) didn't proofread this so good luck lolololol

They came at the crack ass of dawn.

As you slept (read: tried not to throw up and embarrass yourself) on the damp floor underneath a stranger who was practically sweating through his hammock, the scout above deck screamed his warning:

Pirates. 

The crew around you burst into action as if none of them had been snoring loud enough to rival a warhorn just seconds before. A menacing alarm bell pierced the frenzy of orders that suffocated everyone below deck. What remnants of drowsiness you had were officially gone. 

Pirates. You hadn’t even been on sea for a full 24 hours and you were already being raided by pirates. They couldn’t have at least waited to board and slaughter you all until you’d had some breakfast?

The men and women of the Alcor scrambled about. Your hand flew to your trouser pocket – it was still there. With your conscience slightly eased, you grabbed the shoulder of a young girl as she rushed past you. She turned, clearly a bit irritated at your interruption; you were only a passenger, of course. You weren’t one of them. “Can you –” she began.

“What do you need me to do?” Your voice shook while you said it. You weren’t even sure if she could hear you over all the noise. But you knew if you sat still long enough, the panic would take over and devour you whole.

Her gaze softened a bit. “Follow me.”

It was in the middle of lugging a cannonball under the young girl’s instruction that you were caught.

A large hand grabbed a fistful of the back of your shirt, forcing you to drop your load. It slammed into the wood boards below you, narrowly missing your toes, and forming a little crater in the floor. 

You tried to wiggle out of the stranger’s grip. “Hey! Get the fuck –” 

A slap, and suddenly your head was turned to the side, your cheek tingling. Your jaw hung open in shock. “Stop squirming,” your captor grumbled. He was a large, heavy-set man, his face almost completely obscured by a mask and hat. 

To your left, the young girl hung over the shoulder of another pirate, dressed and built similarly to the one that handled you like a mother cat to her kitten.

The both of you were carried to the top deck and plopped unceremoniously in line with the rest of the crew. On the horizon, the sun peeked above just enough so that its rays shone directly into your eyes.

You squinted and hung your head down to let your eyes adjust. A few of the pirates muttered amongst each other while the rest carried crate after crate of food and valuables from the ship's hull. Their heavy footsteps creaked on the deck. It only made the silence of the sea that much more deafening. 

You took a deep breath. Focused on a hole in the wooden plank below you. Though you weren’t a sailor by any means, the gentle swaying of the ship managed to calm your nerves a bit.

As your eyes adjusted, your eyes settled on the stone narwhal heading the massive vessel. It formed a majestic arch, its horn pointing proudly at a perfect 45-degree angle. 

Your heart sank. The relic in your pocket suddenly felt infinitely heavier. Of course, the first pirates you ever encounter are the crew of the Childe of Abyss.

“Fantastic! Is that everyone?”

The cheery voice ripped you from your thoughts. You glanced to your left. The crow’s nest scout, Kazuha, kneeled next to you; a few people down from him, the Alcor’s captain, Beidou. She glared up at the man who stood in front of her.

At first glance he was short. He was a short man with obnoxiously orange hair that you quickly realized was natural and not dyed. But then you took in the way he leaned over Beidou, towered almost, and it dawned on you that this man was not short, the rest of the crew was just freakishly tall. 

And when Beidou aimed her angry, “Fuck you,” at the lanky ginger, it clicked that this was his crew. 

He let out a laugh that almost sounded genuine. “You’re not my type but I appreciate the compliment! Now,” he scanned over you all and placed his hands on his hips, “empty your pockets.”

“What, are the three chests of gold you dragged up not enough for you?” Beidou snarked. 

No one moved. A pirate sporting a hood and mask that covered the bottom of his face had his dagger at her throat in an instant.

The ginger chuckled and placed a hand on the man’s arm that held the dagger. Slowly, the dagger was put away. “A bit antsy today, aren’t we?” He cocked his head. “Normally I’d love to fight this out with you, comrade, but unfortunately, I didn’t sleep too well last night. Why don’t you take a look around you instead?” 

Beidou held her glare, then glanced around at her crew. When she looked at you, a twinge of remorse appeared. 

The ginger bent down to catch her eyes. “You’re a good captain. I can tell you care for your crew. You want what’s best for them.” He straightened up and crossed his arms over his chest. “And I want what’s best for mine. And I’m nothing if not a thorough captain.”

The captain of the Abyss didn’t reiterate his command, but it went unsaid. Beidou gave a short nod, almost imperceptible if you weren’t looking for it, but it was all her crew needed.

Everyone shoved their hands in their pockets, dredging up the last of their wares for the awaiting hands in front of them. Lockets, trinkets, crumpled pieces of paper – Kazuha even produced a pendant and a blunt.

You, however, were frozen. You only had one thing in your pocket, and it was something you could most certainly not give up. 

The pirate in front of you brandished his gun at your forehead. You tensed, but kept your gaze forward. 

“Pockets,” he repeated. 

“I don’t have anything. I’m a civilian.” It was only half a lie.

He cocked the gun’s hammer.

“Ah, a stubborn one so early in the morning?” 

Your eyes flicked up to see the captain resting an elbow on his subordinate’s shoulder. It was a little too high up for it to look natural. Despite the gun to your head, you couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh. 

The captain cocked an eyebrow. “Somethin’ funny?”

You averted your gaze and shook your head, smile fading.

He crouched down to your level. This close, without the sun as a backlight, you could see him better. A red earring dangling from his left ear. Freckles blooming across his face from hours spent in the sun. Eyes like the ocean; deep, dark, and holding secrets you probably didn’t want to know the answers to. 

He held out a gloved hand. 

You held his stare. Your hands stayed pressed to your clothed thighs. 

He frowned, no, pouted as your defiance, then stood up. “Kill her.”

“Wait!” you blurted out. “I –” You looked to everyone surrounding you, enemy and ally, then back to the captain. He held a hand up to the man holding the gun, looking at you expectantly. 

“Can I speak with you? In private?” you asked. 

The captain sighed and thought on your request for about .7 seconds. “Okay.”

And strutted off to the captain’s quarters without a second look. 

You blinked and shot a glance at the man still holding a gun to your head. He shook his head in a way you’d only ever seen tired dads do around their rambunctious toddlers, but holstered his gun. You took that as your cue and dashed after the man who held your life in his hands. 

When you opened the door to Beidou’s quarters, the captain was waiting for you, leaning against the desk that centered the room.

The door automatically closed behind you with the motion of the ship, making you jump.

The captain watched you curiously, but the way his fingers drummed against the rim of the desk told you his patience wouldn’t last forever. 

You steeled your nerves and reached into your pocket, hesitating.

The captain huffed out a laugh. “Jeez, you really know how to up the suspense, don’t you?”

You glared at him. “I’m nervous because I know you’re probably going to think I’m crazy when I tell you what I need to. And my life quite literally depends on whether you do or not.”

He held up his hands in mock surrender, but his amused smile didn’t fade.

You pulled the relic from your pocket and showed it to him.

He stared blankly at the golden chess piece in your hand. “What the fuck is that?”

You ignored him. You expected this. “Do you know what a gnosis is?” you prompted.

He snorted. “You think I've managed to live my entire life as a pirate and not know what a gnosis is?”

You rolled your eyes. “It’s a yes or no question.”

“Fine. Yes.”

“Great. This is the Geo gnosis.”

The captain stared at you in what could only be described as bewilderment. Then a laugh bubbled out of him. His shoulders shook as he dragged a hand down his face. When his laughter subsided, he spoke. “What’s your name?”

Your eyebrows furrowed. Did this mean he was going to let you live? “(Y/N),” you replied.

“(Y/N), sweetheart, that is a chess piece,” he concluded.

Before you could launch your tirade, he cut you short. 

“A very fancy chess piece, I will say! But, still a chess piece.” Pity was written all over his face. 

You collected yourself. The last thing you needed was to piss him off while trying to convince him to keep you alive. You clutched the gnosis with an iron grip. “Don't patronize me. Whether you believe me or not, the point is, I’m not supposed to have this. And there is someone – some – the owner of this chess piece,” you spat out, “is looking for it. I’m trying to return it before they find me.”

The captain reached up to scratch behind his ear, making the red stone in the earring flicker in the dim light of the cabin. “And what does this have to do with me not killing you?”

“The owner of this… relic is very, very rich.” Not a lie. An estimation based on what had read about dragons. “Personally, I just want to drop this thing off and be rid of it. Which means if you take me where I need to go, whatever treasure we find is yours for the taking.” A lie. You had spent all you had on passage aboard the Alcor, which was now in the hands of one of the worst pirate crews in Teyvat. You would be taking at least one thing for yourself. 

The captain takes a moment to assess you. Then, “Okay.”

Again? “... Okay?”

He nodded, apparently not seeing the problem with his quick decision-making. “I don’t have any thieves on my crew. And you’re interesting. That’s hard to come by on these waters,” he laughed at his own joke.

“I –” You didn’t steal it. That’s what you were about to say. You got it from someone else. Were they the thief? Maybe. Or maybe it was the person who gave it to them. You didn’t know how far the trail went back. But if you said that, you’d be throwing away the only leverage you had on your life. 

“Somethin’ wrong, comrade?” And he was very close to you now. 

You avoided his eyes, afraid they might somehow see your thoughts, and answered. “No. Sorry. Thank you, uh… captain.”

A grin stretched across his face, revealing faint crow’s feet at the corner of his eyes. “Tartaglia,” he winked. “Welcome aboard.”

[stories4thepack]

Omg, something about Carol always being warm because of her powers and vampire R always cold because of the undead, perfect match 😍

The three times hot and cold clashed:

“We couldn’t fucking stop it.”

Carol shouts. Monica, Kamala and you stand silently aliens the room. Watching as your girlfriend paces helplessly in the field you had crash landed in

“Carol it’s alright.”

“No it’s not. “

Carol shouts, making Monica fall suddenly silent. You can see the blonde’s fists beginning to glow as she speaks to the others, and you know full well she’s in the verge of loosing control.

“Listen, we have time to revere this and prevent her from stealing earths sun.”

You say, stepping forward with your arms raised as you attempt to calm her.

“WHAT IF WE DON’T, SHE IS STRONGER THAN I ORIGINALLY THOUGHT AND IF I FAIL AGAIN”

Her body bursts with that solar light making Kamala and Monica stumble backwards, but you leap forward, pulling Carol into a tight hug. You hear her gasp, startled, but she slowly wraps her arms around you, allowing your freezing frame to calm her. Letting the light fade away once more.

“That- That was something.”

Monica mutters as Kamala’s grin grows when Carol lets her head fall onto your shoulder.

——————————————————————

”Alright then, are you sure about this Y/n?”

Carol asked. You both were stood on a moon far away from Earth, with a phone places up against a rock to record the event for Kamala back home.

“So ready Captain”

You grin, throwing a thumbs up at the camera knowing full well Kamala will be jumping out of the couch for this.

“Alright”

Carol smiles, her hands glowing in that same, glorious way that never failed to catch you in a trance.

“Start small?”

You ask, receiving a determined nod in return. You slip easily into your defensive stance, focusing on the emptiness where your heart should be beating.

You feel your instincts to take over, eyes burning red as you hand moves impossibly fast from your side to catch one of carols solar blasts. You watch the light twirling between your fingers, licking at your skin like golden flames.

“I’ll be honest, I thought I was gonna throw you across the planet”

Carol beams, making you chuckle, throwing the light into the stone ground, feeling the pebbles flick up at your ankles.

“Again.”

You growl, Carol punches the air In front if her, sending a second polars in your direction you catch it with ease, this time throwing it suddenly back the way it came. Carol barley dodges the attack by rolling into her knees sending a beam of light over at you. It hits you square in the chest, making you stumble backwards, but you dig your heal into the ground, countering the burning blast with your own undead coldness, tearing the attack apart in a flash of blue before it could actually damage you.

Carol watches shocked, before you use your inhuman speed to appear in front if her. Tackling her to the ground, laughing at her surprised expression.

”I think I’m good.”

You whisper, placing you hands firmly on her shoulders to prevent her from getting up. She smiles, grasping the back of your head and bringing you into a kiss. Letting her hands wander up your chest, as your lips before against hers. She pulls away, kissing gently up your neck to your jaw until she reaches your ear

“are you sure about that?”

She whispers, before sending a blast into your chest. Throwing you across the planet, crashing roughly into the hard ground. Sand and stones fly up around where you land, a small crater looming around you. You watch as Carol appears above you, looking both concerned and as if she’s trying not to laugh. You point at her, sounding as stern as possible:

“EDIT THAT OUT!”

——————————————————————

Carol could feel the tears sliding down her burning cheeks before she had properly adjusted to her surroundings. Sweat flowed from her forehead as she ran her fingers through her hair, heart pounding painfully against her ribs. Every night she has one of these nightmares and yet, they never cease to scare her senseless.

“Carol?”

You mutter, shuffling closer to where you had crouched by the woman. You can hear her gasps for air as she hides her face behind her hands. Her body shook as if she was cold, but you could feel the heat radiating off her and it didn’t help that she practically had the power of a burning star boiling through her veins.

“Y/n”

“Hey, I’m here. I’m right here.”

You whisper. At first, it was strange to see her like this, weak, scared, vulnerable. But now, it brought a throbbing sense of sorrow to your undead heart because you knew, behind her stoic and strong demeanour, that she was a broken, fearful mess.

“May I touch you?”

You ask softly, pulling the sobbing woman into your arms as she nods. You sink into her bed, allowing Carol to curl into your chest, her hand clutching the fabric of your shirt.

“It’s alright, I promise.”

You hum, tracing small circles along her spine.

“You’re so cold.”

She says, hiding her face in the crook of your neck

“Sorry.”

“No. M’like it.”

She says, snuggling impossibly closer. You can feel the rapidly beating of her heart calming down as her body cools, her breath fading into soft snores.