#Face Detection Sensor

[luludeluluramblings]

Neglected!Pregnant!Reader x Yandere!Bat Family Part Four

☁��☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️

Part One ☁️ Part Two ☁️ Part Three ☁️

☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️

Warnings: Pregnancy, Yandere themes, Fem!Reader, and one more that I will not say just be prepared at the end.

☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️

You knew Bruce would find out eventually. As much as you liked to pretend he wouldn't you knew. It was only a matter of time until he had noticed what was going on under his roof. You also knew he'd have a bad reaction to it. You just hadn't realized how bad until the day came.

The attic of Wayne manor became your new domain. Surprisingly, it wasn't as dark and gloomy as the rest of the manor.

The light from the dormers filled the space with warm light that was rare to see in a place like Gotham. The old vintage things stored about made it feel like a timeless, but lived in space. No faces of strangers from portraits or the one's you'd pass in the halls in sight. Boxes of photo's and some historical relics were all over the sprawling space.

It truly felt like lives had been lived from the items you found and not just names you where somehow related too.

You primarily came up here search for things for your future nursery. There was a town home in the more stable side of Gotham that you had been eyeing. A charming little place that could use some time, love, and care. But, it had two bedrooms and you could buy it with cash.

Sure, you had wanted to get out of Gotham. Run off back to the childhood home you'd been left to inherit. But, traveling by plane with your constant nausea seemed daunting.

It was probably the worry eating at you. The new parent jitters. Traveling with a baby right after birth? Sounds difficult. Traveling with a toddler? Even worse.

You had to fight the overwhelming feeling of becoming a parent often. To stubborn to give in or give up. Now, your battle with your hormones? That fight was easily lost. Tears were annoying, but you didn't care how much you cried as long as you got what you wanted. Which was your baby boy in your arms and some peace for the both of you.

You had wanted to get out of Gotham. Go back where there was grass and less insanity. But, you mostly wanted stability and a familiar space. Even if you had to make it on your own for a bit.

Though, what you wanted most at the current moment was to stop sneezing. The dust that caught the light from the window and gave the attic an enchanting look was also agitating your nostrils like hell. It was already sensitive as is from pregnancy. However, now each time you sneezed you felt as if your were going to piss your self.

"A-choo! Urgh, so much damn dust…" You grumble to your self as you dig though the delicate vintage model airplanes. You'll have to get Jason you haul this stuff down to your room until you can hire some movers. You plan on holding the cake and the cornbread over his head for a good long while.

As the old saying goes, when you sneeze it usually means someone's thinking about you. Though that thought didn't cross your mind as you kept having to cross your legs and pray every time your nose itched.

Down below in the cave system beneath the manor, someone was listening into on you. Or trying to. He had to be still pretend to be interested in what Tim was showing him.

"We implemented a new system in the BatComputer that Tim programmed. It allows us to detect alien DNA with the sensor range. Including Kryptonian." Bruce was explaining to Clark while Tim tapped away at the keyboard. Less interested in showing off his creation and more suspicious of while Conner was acting so distracted, for lack of a better word.

"So, you're saying we could use this to see if there are other Kryptonians out in space?" Jon asked curiously, looking at the screen with mild interest from where he's lounging next to Damian.

"Possibly one day. But, this is mostly so we can have a better understanding on how much of Earth’s population is actually human." Comes Bruce's pragmatic answer as he stand stoic still, though with a the ever slightest twitch of his lips.

"Another one of your contingency plans incase we’re all slowly replaced with lizard people?" Clark's joking causing a few chuckles that echo mildly in the cave.

"It always tickles me that you guys watch alien sci-fi movies." Dick commented from where he stood, looking like Bruce's second in command, but with better humor and a better smile. Causing another round of chuckles to echo. Though Conner wouldn't include himself in that. Too busy listening to you sneeze from the attic and detecting another noise in the general vicinity. Something that he has to fight narrowing his eyes at while he tires to figure it out.

"I’m assuming you want to run a test with it." With an unsurprised look and years of working the man, Clark turns partially towards Bruce with an almost knowing smirk on his face. By now understanding this was the man's way of showing off his children's accomplishments.

"Being that we’re the only aliens you regularly tolerate." Jon tacks on for good measure

"Tolerate is a strong word." Damian responds with impressive deadpan, not even a twitch of muscle in his face. Though, judging by the mirthful look in his eyes, he only halfway meant it. Tim himself smirked at Damian's comment before turning all his focus on to the BatComputer and running the Biological Program he'd spent months developing.

"We might also have a bet going on how many aliens are in— What the hell?"

"What?"

"There’s four signatures in the manor."

"What do you mean there’s four signatures. We’re testing for Kryptonians."

"Yeah," Tim says sarcastically while he's already moving to locate the extra trace of life. "I'm still counting four. It says right here that there’s four Kryptonians!'

"Pull up the cameras. Now." BY the time the order has left Bruce's mouth all of the manor's live security footage is being pulled up on screen for him to scan with his own eyes.

Nothing seems out of the ordinary. No unusual shadows. No misplaced of moving objects. He see's you in the attic, which feels him with fear. Your alone up there and so far away with an unknown anomaly in his home. A home you were suppose to be safe in. "Where’s the signature coming from?"

"… The attic…" Tim says seeing you sneeze on the screen, complete oblivious to the danger and fear everyone was experiencing.

Conner didn’t hesitate. With an unknown signature in the manor your safety was his priority. He didn't even care is Clark or Jon where faster. At that moment, he was just the first to move and the first to react.

No one in the family objected to it either.

Rushing towards the attic with his ears peeled for where the extra signature could have come from, you're in his arms before you could blink. One of the vintage plane models still in your hand as you were rushed form the dust and gentle sunlight of the attic to the cold dark cave below. A shiver running down your spine and as the change in temperature caused your skin to prickle. Already you felt a wave of vertigo hit from the sudden rush of moment.

Causing you to drop the little vintage plan and press a hand against the muscled chest holding you while you took gasping breathes. It was nothing serious, but the sudden shift in altitude and climate had your ears ringing and you eyes struggling to adjust to the shadows and artificial light.

You could feel another, much softer hand touching you in comparison to the strong figure holding you, a slightly soothing noise being made as voices echoed in the room. Or at least you thought is was a room until you realized it was the Bat Cave.

It was very very rare you came down here. You could count on one hand with missing fingers how often you’d been down here.

You’re eyes taking a moment to adjust to the shadows and artificial light as you make out nearly everyone looking at the Bat Computer monitor. Including Bruce's guest.

It's Stephanie that's touching you, her hand just barely having been becoming familiar to you over the past few weeks.

“Thank god, there’s an intruder in the manor. We’re trying to figure out where or who or, hell, even what it is.” She explains, which was nice. You deserved an explanation.

But, more importantly, you glance up to see who was holding you in their arms. Noting with mild surprise that it was Conner. You can’t help giving him a bit of wiry smile. The sudden rush of speed and the strength you could feel made sense. “You can put me down, you know. I ain’t gonna break.”

“No can do. Not after you just gave me a heart attack.” He gives you a shaky smile, completely forgetting the fact that he didn't include any one else in that statement. Just him. You were still to dizzy to catch the specific word yourself as you can faintly hear the discussion of the unknown intruder.

“I can hear an extra heartbeat, but where did the signature go. It vanished as soon as Conner grabbed—“

“The hell is going on?" You can't help asking. Having not been informed of any test as you tried to climb out of Conner's arms. He, however, seemed to have his arms locked tight and they may as well have been steel bars holding you in the air.

You turn towards Clark just as he looks at you with furrowed brows that being to rise almost as fast as he can fly. With a few context clues you piece together what he realized and gave him a narrow look daring to speak.

"Uh… I know where that extra heartbeat is coming from, Bruce. It's doesn't explain the signature. Why would of be Kryptonian…" And, then his eyes go wide as he trails off. It's almost comical to see Superman of all people and creatures with eyes growing to the size of dinner plates as realization hits him. But, you yourself are confused. Surely you being pregnant wasn't that big a deal?

You glance around the room from where your held in Conner's arms. Looking at Stephanie first before the others that knew and the rest that were starting to realize.

An extra heartbeat would make sense. The little bugger that's been fluttering in your abdomen for the past few days with his powerful little kicks would be the reason for that. But, why would--

It's not until you feel yourself being squeezed and everyone turns to look at who is holding you that the slow, slightly rusted gears in your head shift. And, your head moves so fast to look up at the awestruck Conner still holding your ass midair like a crashing airplane carrying precious cargo that you feel another wave of dizziness hit.

"So, it was you! You're the motherfuck--"

"We need to get rid of it." Bruce's voice made you words die in your throat with a choke. All complaints gone as you felt something rush down your spine.

This time it wasn't a chill.

This time it wasn't fear. It's was a good thing Conner was built tough, because the hand you had resting on his chest clawed up as you felt violence bubble in your gut next to your son's gentle fluttering. Faintly you can hear it stutter under neither your palm, but you're not questioning it. You're not even questioning the way his arms seems to curl even more around you are the air leaves your lungs for a different reason this time.

This time you slowly turned towards the man who fucked your mother once and face him with a look that promised you'd tear him apart with your teeth. Even if it killed you.

☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️

Taglist Below:

@bunbunboysworld @ellaprime7 @bad4amficideas @victoria1676 @nebulousmoon3990 @n-lol @ellelabelle @vanessa-boo @twinklingbeautifulstars @wisefuncherryblossom @mybones537 @pato-spoiler-27 @darktrashpoetry @kitkatkitmeow @eyeless-kun @love-zami @cloudserenity @roseapov @nommingonfood @minkyungseokie @nervousalpacalady @allycat4458 @shadowytravelerlover @faimmm @otterluver05 @ousama-tobio @gabbiegabbie24 @timotheechalametswifeys @princessninii @sweetsugerskull @exactlynumberonekryptonite @sillysealsies @caged-birdies-blog @sirenetheblogger @wpdarlingpan @h0neysiba @jjsmeowthie @00hellohello00 @agsggebhzgehkfisnx @agsggebhzgehkfisnx @misokins @chenlelover @twismare @ssak-i @tacodeemon @momentomoribitch @redkarmakai @couldeatthatgirlforlunch @heyitsaloy @grossstinkygoblin @sg-obsessedfreak @anakilusmos @alittletiredcry @stargirl404 @bath1lda @kittzu @numbu5 @stickyricewithmangosauce @nessielovesfood @atanukileaf @sukaretto-n @nommingonfood @bunniotomia @jensenacklestoothpick @jellystar-star @calicocat-ina-tuxedo @yl90 @angelbelles @jayjayjayson @quotesandanime @sleepyghoster @sheep-from-rad @obsessedwithromance @ferchu0406 @insomniaallnight @simpingfor-wakasa @radiantdanvers @yuyuzi-ling @lunayaps @fantasyhopperhea @fae26 @butterflycardigann @bycstop @ddeliajo @justanerd1 @haniyaasads @bellethesleepypotato @izarosf1833 @izarosf1833 @alwaysholymilkshake @iamapotatoe @cxcilla @revelintales @nuttyrebelflower @sra7riddle-malfoy @obsessedwithfanfiction @pearlyribbons @creat0r-cat @nickey-diano @craulo13 @moonstonedust24 @anamiranda7383 @fto6 @burningkittenprince @senhoritaapple @plus-ultra-girl @oliviaewl @dragons-h0ard @1abi

☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️☁️

A/N: Yeah, sorry to end it on the cliff hanger and unexpectedly like that. I just wanted to convey the anger and the outrage Bruce's reaction caused reader. I struggled with this chapter y'all. Struggled. I rewrote it entirely and changed major plot points, but this has all been flying by the seat of my pants. When I do the AU BatBoys x Pregnant!Reader that will have a lot more planning.

A/N: I made a ko-fi. But, feel free to ignore that. I just wanted Diet Coke. My true vice.

A/N: Don't know when Part Five will come out, but that will be Conner feels and the family's reaction to Reader moving out. I have that roughly drafted.

[narnian-neverlander]

One Night Stands Only [Jason Todd x GN!Reader]

Summary: It’s obvious Jason only has one night stands - right?

Genre: fluff, tiny bit of hurt/comfort

Word Count: 4,6k

Warnings: none

A/N: Came across the DC Valentine’s special again and… yeah. Decided to do sth about it 💁

If you use any of my works for AI I will hunt you down for sport 😬

“You were right, it’s a nice place.” Bernard nods appraisingly, glancing around the newly opened bookstore, little café situated right in the middle. It’s not a new concept by any means, but the high ceilings and big windows allow the little natural light Gotham has to brighten the entire place and the cozy couches and booths scattered between shelves make for a nice and different respite from what the city usually has to offer. Tim hums in approval as he glances over the menu again. “Yeah; quiet, comfy, good coffee selection. I should thank the person who recommended it.”

“And who was that?” Bernard asks over his shoulder before greeting the girl working the counter and placing their order. Tim’s brows immediately furrow. “It was… I heard about it from… Uhm…” The blonde chuckles as he steers his boyfriend towards a nearby table, eyes flicking towards a corner sofa. “You think it might’ve been your brother?” Tim snorts. “Which one?” He receives a gesture at something behind him as an answer and finds Jason sitting on one of the couches a little further back, book propped open in his lap and a few more stacked on the small, round table in front of him and Tim nods. “Okay, sure, that tracks.” Bernard watches over Tim’s shoulder a few moments longer, then a small smile forms on his face. “I mean, yeah, it is a nice place for a date.”

Tim’s head snaps back around so fast it’s comical, a disbelieving, almost scandalized ‘Date?!’ out of his mouth before he can stop it. Sure enough, someone else has joined his brother, just in the process of placing two cups on the table - or trying to anyways; an almost impossible task with the amount of books already occupying the small space. And while he might not be able to hear either of you, he wouldn’t be part of a family of world class detectives if he couldn’t read lips.

‘Okay, should I just get like, a whole teapot now? How long do you plan on being here?’

‘Eh, not long.’

‘Jay, even you can’t read five books at once.’

‘Watch me.’

A cocky grin and an eyebrow waggle, which earns him an eye roll from the mystery person, albeit attached to a fond smile, followed by a shooing motion to scoot further down the sofa and make space, to which he obliges immediately. Tucked into Jason’s side, his arm coming around your shoulders entirely too naturally as both of you go back to your books, seemingly all settled and content to simply be in the other’s presence like this.

Tim turns back to his boyfriend with brows drawn together, lips pressed into a thin line and fingers tapping his chin in thought - and Bernard knows exactly what that look means. “Tim, switch outta detective mode. Your brother has a date, so what?” But the gears are clearly already turning and not stopping anytime soon. “It’s just… Jason only has one night stands.” It’s a look somewhere between surprise, disbelief and even offense before the blonde speaks up again. “Isn’t that a bit presumptuous? You don’t know if—“ Tim vehemently shakes his head to interrupt him. “No, no, I mean that’s literally what he told me; what he tells anyone from the family who asks, as far as I’m aware.”

Bernard’s eyes move over to the couch again, simply observing for a few seconds before he shrugs. “Well, one night stands don’t exclude a date. Or maybe he’s changed his mind. People are allowed to do that, you know.” he says with an easy grin right as the little round sensor on their table starts vibrating, indicating their order is ready. He snatches the device up and stands, placing a hand on Tim’s shoulder, effectively gaining his attention. “Either way, I don’t think it’s anything for you to lose sleep over. Or any of your business, to be honest. If he is in a relationship and you don’t know, I’m sure he has his reasons.” He grabs the hand Tim has been busy biting the cuticles off of and presses a kiss to his knuckles. “Just let it go, detective.”

With that he’s gone to pick up their drinks, meanwhile Tim almost turns his head to look at the couple again, but ultimately decides against it, instead racking his brain for wether or not any of his other siblings ever mentioned Jason having a partner, but nothing comes to mind. Fingers drumming against the table, he’s one spiraling thought away from getting up and going over there to satisfy the annoying itch of curiosity, but then he watches Bernard walk back towards him, a coffee cup in each hand and a happy smile on his face, his own heart skipping a beat at the sight, and he realizes that his boyfriend’s right. It doesn’t matter right now, nor is it any of his business; if this is someone, important to Jason, he would tell them - in his own time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Okay I had my doubts, but that was pretty good.” Stephanie states as she stretches her arms over her head, following the crowds out of the theater into the big entrance hall. Cass grins and nods enthusiastically in agreement, while Babs only shrugs and hums in thought. “I mean, sure, it was good; solid storytelling, breathtaking visuals, but—“

“I still think the book’s better, though.”

They all know it’s exactly what the redhead was gonna say, but it doesn’t come from her. Even so, the voice is familiar and all three of their heads snap up almost in unison to look for the source.

A joyful laugh, from around the pillar a little ways in front of them, followed by, “That’s the most Jason thing you could’ve said, ya know.”

Now that voice isn’t familiar to any of them, neither is the person who appears in their field of view a second later, hands linked with someone still hidden by the pillar - not that it’s still much of a secret who it is.

“So? It’s still true.”

The soft grin on the stranger’s face morphs into something more mischievous. “Riiight. I’m sure you hated every second of this. That’s why I saw some tears during a scene or two.”

A squeak as the person gets yanked forward, disappearing from sight again; then laughs can be heard accompanied with, “It was dark, you didn’t see shit.”

The three girls exchange glances, all wide eyes and raised brows. Then they watch the couple walk out into the open of the entrance hall, towards the exit, one of Jason’s arm’s wrapped tightly around your shoulders as he presses a kiss to the top of your head.

Cassandra is the first to shake off the stupor, a soft smile spreading across her face. “They’re cute together.” she signs. “Yeeeaaahhh…” Steph starts, staring at the doors the two had just left through. “Too cute. And definitely too familiar to just be a one night stand.” The wicked grin is a telltale sign of trouble and Barbara pinches the bridge of her nose because it doesn’t bode well for anybody.

“Just leave it alone, Steph.”

“Oh come on!” the blonde complains. “He’s the one who’s been telling us for ages that he doesn’t do relationships and now he’s out here all sweet and cozy and lovey dovey with someone? And you’re not the least bit curious? I say we investigate!”

Barbara levels her with a blank stare. “And you don’t think that might be the exact reason he doesn’t tell us anything?” Stephanie narrows her eyes at the redhead in suspicion. It’s unlike her, unlike Oracle, not to want all the details of a situation. “Did you already know?”

“Whatever gives you that idea?”

“Because you know everything. And wouldn’t you—“

Barbara doesn’t let her finish. “Would you want a date to be interrupted by your siblings just cause they feel like annoying you? Pestering you about your partner? Jason isn’t the most open, conversational person at the best of times; what do you think is gonna happen if he catches onto your little investigation?”

Steph is about to argue back that sure, while there’s some personal entertainment value involved, she just doesn’t like the idea of someone she cares about being with someone she doesn’t know. What if they’re not a good person? What if they end up hurting him? What if—

Her thoughts are interrupted by a hand on her shoulder and she turns to find herself looking straight into Cass’ dark eyes, her expression serious.

“They really like him, don’t meddle.” she signs.

That takes some of the wind out of Stephanie’s sails and she visibly deflates a bit. “You, uh… you could tell, huh?” The black haired girl nods eagerly and Steph runs a hand through her hair in contemplation. People are an open book to Cassandra, without her ever having to have exchanged a single word with them. If she says you’re fine, that you truly like Jason and have no bad intentions, then… then Steph could leave it alone with an easy conscience. For now, anyways.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Thank you for the assist, Master Richard, but I assure you, while welcome, it was not necessary.”

“It’s fine, Alfred.” Dick reassures while loading the last of the groceries into the back of the car. “I know you can handle the regular grocery shopping just fine, but it’s rare to have that many people at once at the manor; I’m glad to help out.”

The older man gives him a grateful smile in return, then plucks a piece of paper from inside his coat pocket and checks it over. “Oh dear, I do believe I’ve missed something.” he mumbles and hands the list over to Dick. “Master Richard, would you mind looking our current purchase over again, just in case? I’ll be right back.”

He watches Alfred hurry back towards the store, someone else exiting when he’s a few feet away from the entrance. A short exchange, quick thanks presumably, as the person holds the door open for him. Then you steer left, in his general direction and—

Hold on. He wasn’t here when him and Alfred got outta the store a few minutes ago.

The parking lot is situated lower than the actual store, some stairs to his right leading up to the higher level, so Dick takes a few steps backwards and cranes his neck back slightly, a leafless hedge partly blocking his view, but the tall, broad stature clad in a leather jacket and the black and white hair are a dead give away. He’s about to call out, surely his brother just didn’t spot him yet, but someone beats him to it.

“Okay, let’s go home.”

The person who’d just left the store. Most definitely talking to Jason. And you seem more than a little annoyed and exasperated.

Meanwhile his brother looks like he’s trying not to burst out laughing.

“What?” the mystery person barks, eyes narrowed at the tall man suspiciously.

“I know I did not just watch you whack an old lady over the head with a magazine cause she tried to take the steak from you.”

“It was the last one!” you complain and the tension bleeds from Dick’s shoulders as he realizes that this is in no way a serious altercation. “Besides, Constance had it coming, not the first time she tried to pull a stunt like that; she’s a fucking menace to everybody.”

Silence for a few long seconds. Then, “If you laugh right now, I swear to God I’m leaving you out on the street tonight, Todd.”

Jason snorts. “And then who’s gonna make the food you fought so hard to get? Sure as shit not you; last time I left you alone with the stove, I thought Firefly had broken into the apartment.”

Dick watches his brother’s conversation partner huff, arms crossed over your chest in defiance as you stare Jason down - until your shoulders sag in defeat and you break eye contact, because apparently, he’s right. “You’re lucky you’ve got other talents besides just being pretty, you know that?”

Jason takes the bags from you, met with only mild complaints, as he grins. “You think I’m pretty? Aw, thanks, babe.” You roll your eyes at that, but there’s a smile tugging at the corners of your lips either way. “Leave the corny flirting to Nightwing, it doesn’t suit you.” And Jason actually has the audacity to scrunch up his face in distaste. “Hey now. I was only teasing you; comparing me to him is a straight up insult, take it back.”

“Make me~” you taunt with a sing-song voice and a mirthful smirk, then take off full speed in the opposite direction, past the store, with Jason hot on your heels not a second later.

And Dick hasn’t seen his little brother wear a smile that big in such a long time, he almost forgets to be offended.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Damian isn’t sure why he’s even here. It’s not like this has any actual academic value for him.

That’s Chrysaora fuscescens.

Over there, Hippocampus hippocampus.

And that one’s Anguilla dieffenbachii.

He’s studied all these creatures and more before and even if he wouldn’t learn anything new about aquatic dwellers, his father had insisted on him going on this field trip. Something about a chance to ‘improve his social skills’.

Tt.

If that’s the mission he’d been given, he’d succeed. Even if he thought it utterly unnecessary. At least he could do it in the presence of one of the most beautiful creatures on the planet, the mighty—

“Shark! Jason, look, there it is!”

With the level of excitement, one would think it’s coming from a child, but no, it’s very much an adult, standing in front of the big glass tank, in the company of Todd of all people. Damian slows his steps to a halt, coming from one of the smaller side entrances that lead to the huge room, and simply observes from a safe distance.

“Uh huh, I see it. And I feel like now would be a good time to remind you that you have plenty of shark memorabilia and that we’ll simply be walking past the gift shop later.”

An inelegant snort, as the person side eyes him with amusement. “Would now be a good time to remind you that we both know that’s not happening?”

Jason pinches the bridge of his nose as he heaves a sigh, but Damian detects no true malice in it. He’s seen him truly irritated, angry - this is nothing of the sort. Fond exasperation, if anything.

“I know they’re nowhere near as dangerous as the media likes to make them out to be,” Jason starts, “but I’m still not sure how you can look at something decidedly dangerous, built for killing, and think it’s… cute.”

The look he receives in return is one Damian can’t quite identify and apparently neither can his brother.

“What?”

“Really? You can’t figure that out?” You cross your arms over your chest and cock your head to the side in thought. “Well, I think you should meet my boyfriend, then. Cause ya know, he’s pretty dangerous and rough around the edges, too, and I still think he’s cute.”

Jason mimics your stance as he responds. “Oh, do you now?”

You nod eagerly, grinning ear to ear. “Of course. When he gets up all groggy with a bed head cause he works late? Cute. When he pretends to get annoyed at his best friend cause he called him a silly nickname? Cute. When—“ That’s as far you get, interrupted by your own squeal, as Jason brings one arm around your shoulders to pull you in and smoosh your face against his chest, the other around your waist so you can’t escape. “Yeah, yeah, got it; I think I’ve heard enough about that guy now.”

Meanwhile you’ve managed to gain enough wiggle room to loop your arms around his neck and pull back to look up at him, lopsided, lovesick smile plastered all over your face. “Sorry, I can’t help it sometimes; I love him very much.” And it’s embarrassing, Damian thinks, how fast Jason breaks, all affectionate grin and soft eyes, just because someone is batting their lashes at him. “Well, he’d be a fool not to love you back.”

Damian turns away in disgust right as the couple is about to share a kiss and retreats down the hallway he came from. He’d never taken Todd for a particularly… honorable man, but courting someone he knows to be in a relationship with someone else? That’s a vile breach of trust that he won’t stand for. And, if he bothered to be honest with himself, not something he could actually see Todd engaging in. Despite his many flaws, he’s proven himself a loyal man often enough. But Damian can’t ignore what he heard with his own ears, that would be disregarding incriminating evidence, so he’ll need to have a talk with his father as soon as he gets home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You’re curled up on the couch book in hand when the front door all but flies open, your boyfriend hurrying inside and immediately locking the door behind him again. Before you even get a chance to greet him, he’s speeding through the rest of the apartment, making sure all the windows are shut tight and locked, too. You’ve put the book away, instead staring at him over the back of the couch with raised, quizzical brows when he comes back down the hallway into the living room, finally kicking off his boots at the entrance and hanging up his jacket. Then he beelines for the sofa, lifting up your legs to make room and plop himself down, settling your legs in his lap before he tips his head back and scrubs his hands over his face with a groan.

“Okay, Jay? I need you to talk to me; what kind of apocalypse should I be preparing for here?”

He doesn’t answer for a few long seconds, simply drops his hands from his face, his fingers coming to draw anxious patterns into your thighs instead. “Yeah, we’re totally busted. They know about you now.” And as miserable as he looks, as much as you know that spending time with his family is often draining and challenging for him, you can’t help the relieved laugh that bubbles up out of your throat, because with they way he’d just put your apartment on complete lockdown, you’d been expecting something - or someone - way worse.

Still chuckling, you grab one of his hands and squeeze. “Sweetheart, your family literally consists of detectives. In my opinion, we’re damn lucky to have even made it this long without them knowing.” He sighs, eyes still fixed on the ceiling. “I’m not convinced Babs didn’t know before tonight. That woman knows everything.” While you’ve only heard stories and seen some pictures of the redhead, you have absolutely no trouble believing that. “So what happened, anyways?”

He mulls it over for a moment. “Well, I think it started when Damian tried to have me disowned.” You almost choke on nothing but air, a sound somewhere between a snort, a cough and a laugh leaving you. “Okay, you’ve completely lost me, babe.”

“Honestly, I was mostly just surprised I’m even still in the will.” A not so gentle nudge of your foot, an annoyed whine of his name because sure, you’d play along for now. Let him get the jokes and sass out of his system and pretend that you don’t see that the lazy grin he gives you is forced. That you don’t feel one his feet tapping the floor anxiously. That you don’t notice the way his eyes keep flicking towards the window and the door, like he’s expecting them to be kicked down any second now. “Apparently Damian saw us at the aquarium together and somehow assumed I’m your, uh, your mistress? And thought it dishonorable enough to bring up disowning me because of it.” Admittedly, picturing that elicits a real laugh, one you try to hide, but the next part still comes out as more of a wheeze than anything else. “And he just… what? Brought that up casually over dinner?” Jason shrugs. “Basically. Tried to talk my way outta it, but turns out some of the others saw us together, too, and things just spiraled from there.” It’s quiet for only a moment, then you, very much still intent on helping him distract himself from whatever it is that’s truly eating at him, but mixed with just a tad of entertained curiosity now, hit him with, “Well, yeah, makes sense; you have been getting sloppy.” His head shoots up from the back of the couch so fast you’re afraid his neck might snap and he actually looks offended. “How exactly is this my fault?”

“Come on, Jay. First couple of months of this relationship you wouldn’t even leave the house with me. Now? Grocery shopping, the movies, café dates, the aquarium - we’re barely apart, so it really was only a matter of time till they figured it out.” Rolling his eyes, he slides further down his seat and pouts, fully aware that technically you are correct - doesn’t mean he has to like it. “Great, helpful as ever, darling. And what do you, in your infinite wisdom, suggest we do about this now?” You regard him in silence for a moment: how he fiddles with your fingers, the set of his jaw, the furrow in his brows, the way every muscle in his body seems tense.

“Hey…” you murmur gently, interlacing your fingers. “Why do we have to do anything about this? What are you so worried about? I promise not to bite them when I meet them. Unless you want me to.” Careful prodding, still interlaced with humor - to let him know he can talk to you about it, but only if he wants to. He huffs out a quiet laugh, giving your intertwined hands a squeeze. “You can be such a gremlin sometimes, do you know that?” Bringing a hand to your chest in mock offense, you grin at him. “Oh, you do not get to call me a gremlin when you’re the one who consistently feeds me after midnight and gets me plenty wet.” The following eye brow waggle from your side is what breaks him; a full blown, joyful laugh as he shifts, picking you up and depositing you on his lap sideways, his arms encircling your middle, some of the previous tension visibly leaving his face. “See, that’s the exact kinda shit I don’t need you saying around them, cause I’ll never live that down.” Humming in thought, you get comfortable in your new position, resting your head in the crook of his neck. “Sounds like a you problem, though.” It earns you a playful pinch to your sides that has you batting at his arms and hands to try and get him to stop; a fruitless effort of course, but he eventually settles his hands back on your hips. In turn, you place a hand on his chest, feeling for his heartbeat; most definitely too fast for simply fooling around with and teasing you. He’s not just worried, he’s scared, so you decide the time for games is over. “I’m being serious, though, what’s the matter? This isn’t anything you actually need to be concerned over, is it? It’s really not that big of a deal. So what if they know about me? So what if I eventually meet them now; not like it’s gonna change anything between us.” It’s small and if you didn’t know him as well you did, you probably would’ve missed it or written it off as irrelevant: the way he ever so slightly flinches at the last part.

Bingo.

But you don’t push, you know better. You let him get his thoughts in order, shifting restlessly beneath you while he does and let him answer in his own time.

“It’s stupid…”

“It’s not stupid if it’s bothering you.”

A sigh, then you feel him rest his cheek on the top of your head.

“I dunno. Being around you is always so… easy. Comforting. Being with them isn’t. It’s complicated and it’s messy and overall just exhausting, most of the time. It’s not all bad, just…” He shakes his head slightly, like he’s trying to get rid of an onslaught of memories; good or bad, you’re not entirely sure. “I guess I just don’t want them rubbing off on you, is all.” Pulling back to look at him, you find his eyes elsewhere, anywhere but you, desperate to avoid your scrutiny. “In other words, you’re worried your relationship with them, their opinions of you, are gonna affect mine, right?” He still can’t bring himself to look at you when he mumbles, “Basically…”

You shuffle about until you get your legs back under you, straddling him and cupping his face in your palms, running your thumbs along his cheek bones until he willingly brings his unnaturally green eyes back to yours and you feel like your heart might crack at the uncertainty you find there. “You’re forgetting that, aside from you, I’m probably the most stubborn person in this city; once I’ve made up my mind, it’s hard to change it. If anything, you should be worried about me not shutting the fuck up about how amazing and wonderful you are around them.” He scoffs and tries to turn his head out of your hold, but you refuse to let go and press a quick kiss to the tip of his nose instead, effectively stunning him into obedience. “Uh uh, you’re not going anywhere, I’m not finished yet. I’m on your side, okay? Even if it feels like nobody else is. I’m judging you based on my experiences with you, not theirs. And sure, not everything’s been great; you’re not perfect and neither am I, but that’s human. We live and we learn and we fuck up and then we try again. And I know you try, Jason. Every day, I know you’re trying. Trying to navigate a second life you never asked for. Trying to live in a body that never feels right, no matter how much time passes. Trying to mend the bonds with a family that more often than not still sees the ghost of a boy looking back at them, instead of the man you’ve become. Trying to make things better in this city, so that no one has to go through the same things you did. And nothing your family could say or do or show me is ever gonna change what I see with my own eyes.” He’s been silent this entire time, letting you speak, but you watched his shoulders slump, the tension that’s kept him wound up like a spring finally dissipating, and his own hands are now gently holding onto your wrists.

“And what do you see?”

It’s barely above a whisper, so quiet, you almost miss it despite how close you are.

You don’t have all the answers. You don’t actually know what meeting his family is gonna be like, how it might affect your relationship, but this? Oh, this you can answer just fine.

“A man who’s scarred and deeply flawed, but is still trying to do better, to be better. A man who wants to make up for the mistakes he did make, but sometimes nobody cares to listen. A man who, for all his efforts to appear ruthless, is still the most caring person I know. I see a man who, despite life never having been kind to him, retained a kind soul.”

And with the way he’s looking at you right now? Nothing but wonder and admiration and affection written all over his face? How could you not be sure about what you’re gonna say next? Sure that no one, absolutely no one, would ever be able to change your mind about him.

“I see the love of my life.”

[fangswbenefits]

Side Effect

Summary: Miguel has been acting off lately and you find out why… the hard way.

Pairing: Miguel O’Hara x spider-woman!reader

18+. Feral Miguel. Rutting Miguel (side effect of the serum he takes). HEAVY breeding kink. Creampie. Fangs. Hormonal manipulation (mention of serums being injected).

You paced hurriedly through the long corridors of HQ determined to get an answer.

A proper one.

If Miguel O’Hara was growing tired of your casual relationship with him, he’d have to tell that to your face instead of avoiding you.

This had been going on for a couple of days, and you patience was now hanging by a thread. You had tried to reach him through your watch, but he’d either ignore you, or have Lyla come up with ridiculous excuses.

“Visiting Peter and MJ my ass,” you grumbled under you breath, your paces echoing loudly.

The moment you were met with the lab door shut, you stopped dead in your tracks.

That was weird.

“What?”

Approaching the scanner on the wall, you reached out your arm, allowing the sensor to read your dimensional travel watch.

<ACCESS DENIED>

That was really weird.

You flicked your wrist again, but were met with the same message.

This had to be Miguel’s poor idea of a joke, because it made no sense that he’d restrict your access to the very place you worked at.

Letting out a strained breath, you tapped on your watch, hoping to reach Miguel.

But it was Lyla’s orange hologram that emerged instead.

“What’s up, sugar?” she beamed happily, filing her nails.

You scowled. “I was calling Miguel.”

“He has redirected every contact to me,” she shrugged, checking each nail individually.

You pinched the bridge of your nose. “Why can’t I get in?”

“That’s classified.”

“Classified?”

She nodded with an obnoxious smile that only served to grind your nerves. “I work here.”

“So does Miguel and he is working now,” she said with another shrug.

Anger flared inside you as your worst fears were confirmed.

He was avoiding you in particular.

“Can you just open the door?”

“No.”

“Please?”

Her eyes narrowed behind her heart-shapped glasses. “No.”

“I really need to talk to him.”

Adjusting her long coat, she clicked her tongue. “I can pass him a message.”

That wasn’t good enough and he would just ignore it as usual.

“Lyla…” you started, putting on your most convincing fake smile with an equally forced sweet voice to match. “You know I’ve always like you, right?”

The AI scoffed. “Nah, flattery doesn’t work on me, sugar. It wasn’t programmed into my coding,” she grinned deviously. “But you’re free to suggest that Miguel adds it in a future patch.”

You shot her a death glare. “Fine. Just… tell him I’m here and… yeah…” your voice trailed off.

She winked. “Gotcha!”

The hologram disappeared at once and you were left staring at the large metal door in front of you.

You waited for a couple of minutes, before realising she wasn’t coming back with an answer, as you had expected.

A random thought crossed your mind when your eyes landed on the scanner, reminding you that there was another way in.

Miguel would probably get really angry that you were about to activate the emergency protocol, but you couldn’t care less at this point.

Tapping the pattern onto the pad above the scanner, you couldn’t help but to feel victorious as the door swung open, alarms blaring and a mechanical voice echoing through the lab.

“Emergency protocol activated. Proceed with caution.”

You only made it a few steps past the door, before something — or rather someone — flung you across the room with the weight of their body keeping you pinned against a wall.

A muscled forearm was at your throat, effectively caging you in.

“What the fuck?”

“Emergency protocol activated. Proceed with caution.”

The red alarm lights rotated hurriedly on the ceiling, but you were able to identify Miguel, as his weight dug further into you.

“What are you doing here?” he growled, the eyes on his mask narrowing menacingly.

Something wasn’t right.

Your spider senses detected an alarming accelerated heart rate from him, as well as increased body temperature.

“Miguel, let go! It’s me,” you grunted, clawing at his arm to alleviate the pressure.

“I know it’s you,” he said lowly, the digital mask vanishing.

From the corner of your eyes you saw him baring his fangs, droplets of paralysing poison dripping.

His pupils were fully blown and you felt fear rise inside you. “What are you doing?!”

As if your voice had managed to snap him out of it, he eased the pressure on you and took a few steps back.

“Lyla, deactivate the emergency protocol and resume the serum synthesis.”

“Got it, Miguel!”

The alarm was turned off immediately and silence took place.

Your breath was coming out in shallow pants, as you tried to make sense of what had just happened.

Was he that angry that he had gone completely feral?

“Miguel… what…”

He turned his back on you and paced to a nearby centrifuge, the screen atop announcing: <DNA stabilising sequence at 24%>

What was he doing?

“Leave.”

“Can we just talk?” you said, still keeping your distance. “I don’t know why you’re avoiding me, but barring my access-“

Miguel turned around to face you, a deep scowl had settled on his face, twisting his lips.

The glare he gave you was enough to send shivers down your spine.

“I need you gone. Now.”

Fuck. Was he that over you that he couldn’t even stand your presence around?

He had shortened the distance between you two, crimson eyes never leaving yours.

“Why? If you don’t want to be with me just say that,” you groaned in frustration. “Don’t stare at me like you’re about to split me in half. It won’t work.”

Miguel had effectively managed to have your back hit the nearby wall once more, just from the weight of his stare alone.

“I told you to leave. I can’t have you around me.”

“Oh, great!” you scoffed. “Thanks for being so direct.”

Miguel didn’t stop moving until his face was only a few inches away from yours. “You don’t get it.”

“You’re right. I don’t. We’re both adults, so you could have just said this a couple of days ago instead of acting like I’m some nuisance.”

His hand came to grip your jaw and you widened your eyes. “You’re on birth control, right?”

“What…”

He took a deep breath, fangs grazing his lower lip. “Answer me.”

“Yes. Of course.”

Wait… was he scared that he might have knocked you up?

His fingers loosened and he pressed his forehead to the wall right beside your head, groaning out loud.

“Miguel… what is going on?”

You wanted to him a comfort squeeze on his arm, but were too frozen to move.

“Why… why do you have to be on birth control?”

Was he pulling your leg? Was this his twisted version of a joke?

This time, you frowned. “What do you mean why? I don’t want to get unexpectedly pregnant.”

Miguel punched the wall with such force it dented the material and making you jolt.

“I’m rutting.”

Your eyes darted to his face as he straightened up, pupils still dilated and beads of sweat rolling down his temples.

“What… rutting?” you asked, mouth dropping open in confusion.

He growled impatiently. “Side effect of my serum. I usually have an antidote at hand when this happens, but I ran out of one of the components…” he paused briefly as if struggling to breath properly. “I had to go to Peter B’s Earth to get more.”

Oh. So that hadn’t been one of Lyla’s ridiculous lies.

You glanced over at the nearby screen:

<DNA stabilising sequence at 34%>

Oh.

“Why didn’t you tell me about this before?” you asked, wanting to bring him some comfort somehow. “We’ve been together for a few months.”

“It was never necessary. I always had the neutraliser for my serum at hand.”

You bit your lip.

He let out a low dark chuckle. “You have no idea how badly I’ve been wanting to breed you.”

This definitely wasn’t something you were expecting to hear from Miguel O’hara himself, and it made your heart skip a beat.

His arms were caging you, his talons digging deep into the metal right next to your head.

“Is… huh… is there anything I can do?” you asked in a whisper. “I mean… in the lab.”

He pressed his lower half into you at once. “Let me breed you.”

You flinched as his hard cock dug into your crotch and you let out a gasp.

“Can’t you just wait for the synthesis to be over?”

The sound of the metal being shredded tore through your ears and his lips nearly brushed yours. “I told you to leave, but you’re too stubborn, aren’t you?”

His breath was hot and you felt goosebumps rise throughout your body.

“Always running that mouth,” he growled, eyes landing on your lips. “Always defying me… and now I really, really need to breed you.”

For some twisted reason, his words and cock twitching against you were slowly swallowing your mind, causing you to abandon reason.

Miguel was a very dedicated lover, but you had never witnessed such yearning from him.

That was a novelty and it was doing wonders to your ego.

Even if there was a scientific explanation, you could help but plant a soft kiss on his cheek. “You can’t breed me… I’m on birth control.”

His hand came to grip your chin again and you saw anger flicker in his eyes. “There’s ways around that.”

Your eyes widened.

He wasn’t being serious…

… was he?

“Miguel…”

The grip tightened and he rolled his hips. “Let me. Please.”

You knew exactly what he was talking about. He had developed a serum that would neutralise all hormonal manipulation as a way to reset your body in case a spider needed to be injected with a serum.

You had helped him develop it.

Its efficacy neared 90%.

You guessed this neutraliser wasn’t able to prevent the side effects from his very specific serum.

And now he wanted to use it on you, so he could successfully breed you.

“Are you sure?” you asked, not sure why agreeing to this in the first place was sending such an adrenaline rush through your veins.

Miguel moved away from you, bolting to one of the desks, rummaging through the drawers.

You swallowed hard, but remained glued to the wall, heart hammering fast in your chest.

<DNA stabilising sequence at 41%>

In a blink of an eye, he was on you again, holding the syringe in his trembling hand. “I’m desperate, but I need your words first.”

You clenched and felt wetness spilling from you.

How was this so arousing?

“What words?”

He moved to place a quivering kiss to your forehead and you saw the liquid wobble inside the container.

“That’s… not the compound we synthesised.”

“It’s more than that,” he said with another kiss. “It stimulates your ovaries.”

Oh… fuck.

He trailed kisses down your face, before pecking your lips. “I have to breed you. Successfully.”

Your legs nearly gave out at his confession and you nearly moaned as he ripped your suit to gain access to your bicep.

“Tell me I can do this.”

His cock was nudging you again as a reminder of his desire, and you nodded.

“No. Say it.”

He was rubbing your skin with his thumb right where he intended to inject the serum.

“Go ahead.”

“Gracias,” he whispered, planting another kiss to your forehead.

At this point, you were far too drunk in lust to think clearly and your lips parted in a pained moaned as you felt a sharp jab in your arm. He kept his lips on you as reassurance, as the liquid tore through your muscle.

Your heartbeat skyrocketed straight away.

You felt your knees buckle under you, but Miguel steadied you with both arms. “I got you.”

A gasp quickly turned into a moan as the effect of the serum consumed you with each passing second.

He trailed his hands down your body and gripped your hips.

“Turn around.”

You let him guide you, biting down hard on your lower lip, you panties sticking to your soaked folds.

More ripping sounds filled the air as Miguel tried to get rid of your suit, exposing your underwear to him.

You balled your fists and felt one hand on your lower back, adding light pressure. “Bend over.”

Doing as commanded, you felt more wetness spill from you as your body readied itself for Miguel.

The pressure increased. “More.”

Your panties were torn apart right away and you glanced over your shoulder, catching a glimpse of Miguel’s fangs peeking through his lips.

His thumb dragged along your folds, teasing your swollen clit and earning a whimper from you.

“Sorry, but I really need to be inside you,” he grumbled and you nodded.

Your heart skipped several beats, as you tried to control your breathing in anticipation.

The tip of his cock was soon pressed against your opening, and you squeezed your eyes shut.

“I’m sorry.”

Before you could inquire what he meant, your mouth fell open as he rammed inside you, bottoming out at once.

He didn’t wait for your to recover from the initial shock, and began pumping into you so ferociously, you had to grab a hold on the metal railing to your right to keep yourself from losing balance.

Miguel heaved a heavy sigh of relief as if he had been waiting a lifetime for this sensation.

Grunts and groans mixed with the wet sounds of your pussy engulfing his cock over and over again.

“Should have bred you sooner…” he managed to say in between snaps of his hips. “Developed that serum just for you…”

Miguel’s idea of dirty talk was effective. Too effective, because you couldn’t hold back from clenching hard around him, savoring the friction and feel of being stuffed full of him.

He picked up the pace and you thought you were going to die.

Not because it was uncomfortable, but because it was too overwhelming, and your body was responding to his in a way you had never experienced before.

You felt your lower abdomen coil at the sides and figured the serum had reached its target destination.

Miguel gripped both your arms and you let go of the railing, as he tugged hard to have your back smack against his hard chest.

“You’re so lucky this rut didn’t hit me harder,” he growled, hips never faltering. “I was barely able to control myself around you…”

Your eyes fluttered shut and you moaned loudly, feeling his pectoral muscles press into your back. This man was too hot and you found yourself thinking that not being bred by him would be a waste.

That genetic material deserved to be spread.

“Being on birth control with me…” he said through gritted teeth, and you felt his fangs nipping your ear lightly. “You. Deserve. To. Be. Bred.” he punctuated each word with a snap of his hips.

An intense wave of pleasure pulsated from your clit, and you recognised the familiar strings of an orgasm pulling you in and embracing you gentle with each stroke.

“Miguel…” you moaned, blinded by lust and desire.

The grip on your arms loosened briefly and he let your torso lean forward ever so slightly, angling your hips in a way that made him his cock hit you over and over again just where you needed the most.

“I want you full with my babies,” he gasped.

Your orgasm hit you with such force, you thought you were going to collapse and slide off his cock, but he wrapped one arm around you, not allowing you to part from him.

“You feel so good… tighter… tighter,” he urged, as your walls contracted around him rhythmically, faintly at first, but the next stronger than the one before.

You were far too gone to form any words and just let your lips part as an intense moan ripped through your throat.

Miguel was mumbling something behind you, but you couldn’t make out any words as you descended from your height.

Even through quivering legs and pulsing clit, you were able to feel it.

He was now pumping you full with broken snaps of his hips.

You glanced down and saw strings of cum dripping from where he was connected with you.

So much cum.

He wasn’t even slowing down, as he’d usually do at this stage.

Miguel kept on ramming into you from behind, sending more and more cum to drip from within you.

An animalistic growl left his mouth as he finally came to a halt, breathing hard.

He remained balls deep inside you, and you planted on hand on the wall to look in absolute awe at the cum dripping and dangling from your clit, a pool of it now at your feet.

“How did you cum so much?” you managed to say in between laboured breaths.

“I’m rutting, cariño. My body produces more,” he said, pressing a kiss to the back of your neck.

You glanced to the screen nearby.

<DNA stabilising sequence at 100%>

“Maybe you can take the neutraliser now?

He slid his cock out of you halfway, before slamming it back, and you felt more cum spill out. “I don’t think so.”

Oh, you were utterly fucked.

In every sense of the word.

Masterlist

[redflagshipwriter]

Snatching Snitches 6

Part 6

masterpost

“Yes!” Danny snickered into the air. Tucker made incoherent sounds on the other side of the group call. He matched another line of cupcakes and they disappeared with a chime, sending a cascade of bright baked goods down the phone screen. 

“But who was she?”

Danny shrugged indolently. “Some suit? Government kinda lady.” He lined up double chocolate cookies, sending a macaroon off to be lonely in a sea of jellybeans. “She wanted to hear alllll about how Ember and Skulker have been hanging around and breaking stuff.” He smiled dreamily to himself. “You should have seen how she sent Ember packing. It was hilarious, she ran off.”

“She ran off,” Tucker repeated, sounding disturbed. “And you’re not worried about that at all man? Ember is a scary girl, my guy. That implies this government suit has bigger teeth.”

Danny blew a raspberry. “No, why would I be?” He won his game and sent the screen awash in bouncing candies. “She is just some nice old lady who is obsessed with maintaining order or something. She was talking about keeping ruffians out of Amity Park, and wanted to know about the GIW and stuff.” He leaned over to grab for the remote and couldn’t quite reach. He heaved himself over the edge of the sofa and then struggled back upwards, like a fishline. He made a victorious sound as he turned on the T.V. “Everything is coming up Danny!”

He wiggled further into the cushions. “And thank god she ran Ember off before Dani showed up,” he mused. “What a day. Yesterday was a long day.”

Tucker’s sigh came across static. “Think you can set this bureaucrat on Vlad?” He joked. 

“Ugh,” Danny groaned. He turned the volume up with one hand, letting the soothing sounds of a news report about that stupid dinosaur island seep through the room. He didn’t know why they kept going back. It seemed obvious to him at this point that the theme park was a loss. “I don’t think that’s in her pay grade. Vlad is a bad dude, my guy.”

“No argument from me,” Tucker agreed practically. “He’s a bad guy, my dude.”

“Bad duuuuuude.” Danny crooned. “But hey, I got a free clone out of it.”

Not that he knew what the hell he was going to do with her. Dani needed, like, more than he could offer. Ugh. That problem was too overwhelming to confront head-on right now. Danny scrambled for a distraction and came up with making a perfect nest in the sofa.

“A free clone is always a good deal.” Tucker was typing rapidly on the other end of the line. “Can’t say no to a free clone in this economy.” He cleared his throat. “Hey, uh. Think she’s doing ok with Sam?” 

“Sam’s scary,” Danny said philosophically. “Someone is going to get bit, infect the other, and then they’re going to come back both worse and meaner.”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. “Dani is like, really reformed, right?” Tucker checked. “Like, she did try to kill you yesterday for Vlad’s approval–”

“Yeah, it’s fine.” Danny dragged a pillow up onto his stomach. The doorbell rang downstairs. “And she wouldn’t mess with Sam, anyway,” he said. He frowned in the general direction of the door. Shit. Did he have to get that? He waited a few optimistic moments for the sounds of adult footsteps.

Nothing. Ugh. Had his parents left the house early?

He launched himself up and rubbed at his face with a hand. “Just a sec, I gotta get the door,” he groused, phone still in hand.

“Sucks,” Tucker said. “Who is it?”

Danny jogged down the stairs with loud, unhappy thumps. “I dunno.” He got to the bottom of the stairs and did a tactical roll to get into the kitchen, dodging the new sensor in the living room with the ceiling mounted turrets. He crept by using the counters as a barrier and then ducked into the entryway before he finally stood up. “Sup.” He flung open the door and immediately choked on his own spit. 

“Who is it?” Tucker asked again. “Are you ok?”

Danny looked at Damian Wayne, also known as the detective-acrobat Robin. Hm. Maybe he should have expected this. There was some goth lady with him too, but she barely registered. The air smelled like ecto guns somehow, as if they’d been at a firing range. “Uh, my Dad,” Danny told Tucker. “Must have lost his keys. I’ll call you back.” He ended the call.

Damian blinked up at him. No. He slow-blinked. It made him feel weirdly happy and safe. Danny slow-blinked back. “Greetings, Snitches,” he said warmly. “I am relieved that you are well. I have come to take you home.”

Danny swayed back a few steps, shook as hell. “Um. Yeah.” He worked his jaw a few times, struggling to catch up to this morning. “Uh, I’m sorry I ran off, I had to get home. I-”

The goth girl reached out, closed her hand, and yanked back.  Danny found himself pulled through the air towards her. He caught himself in the same instant that a laser blast from the living room connected with the coat rack.

Goth girl looked at the smoking wreck of a wool hat with impassive patience, as if she saw lasers every day and couldn’t be bothered to have an emotional reaction. 

Damian frowned at it in tremendous disapproval, as if outraged the turret was misbehaving inside. 

Danny sneezed rapidly. Allergies. “Ecto gun, sorry.” He leaned away from the smoking wreck that could have been his ectoplasmic ass. Whoops. It was really hard to keep the firing range in mind at all times.

The lady hummed in the back of her throat. She had, Danny noticed, terrible vibes. Sam would like her, probably. 

“Danny!” Jazz shouted from downstairs, voice high in concern. She ran up the stairs with a series of thumps and threw open the lab door. “Are you okay?” She was halfway into a lab suit for some reason, hair askew from a rapidly removed headpiece and her eyes were wild. She looked in the living room first, frantic. 

“Hey,” Danny said, and waved sheepishly. “Forgot about the gun range, stepped into the living room radius and was still for too long.” 

Jazz’s shoulders slumped in relief and she sighed. She paused a moment before she set in on him. “You have to be more careful,” she scolded, and only then seemed to notice their guests. “Oh. Uh. You’re…”

There was a very long moment as Jazz regarded Damian. Damian looked back. It was like they were having some sort of silent communication.

He looked at Goth Lady for clues. She rolled her eyes.

Hmm. No clues there. 

“You found your cat,” Jazz finally said. She broke her stare off to look at the smoking pile of hat. “You’ve come to take him home?”

Damian nodded slowly. “That is correct.” He was also looking at the laser’s hit site.

Danny rolled his eyes. “Okay, very funny, but I am not actually a cat,” he pointed out. “You wanna come in, Damian?” He didn’t wait for an answer, because this conversation was too serious to have crammed into the entryway. He turned on his heel and neatly rolled back into the kitchen shelter. He landed in a crouch and leaned with one hand on the floor to look back over his shoulder. “Come in, come in.” 

He shuffled behind the countertop and then lunged the few feet of visibility to the staircase. Now safe, he turned around to grin down at the guests. 

Jazz rubbed at her temples. “You might as well come in,” she said. “You, uh.” She looked pained. “You don’t need to do that.” 

Damian and the goth lady were looking at the ceiling mounted living room turret. Damian gave Jazz a very doubting look.

“You won’t activate it,” Jazz said dryly. She sighed and flicked her hair over her shoulder. “Do come in. There’s a TV room upstairs.” 

Danny shot them double-thumbs-up and then scrambled up the stairs to hide his empty chip bag before Jazz got in and saw what he’d had for breakfast. 

“Lovely place you have here,” he heard dryly floating up the stairs behind him. “The guns really add something.”

“Oh, yes,” Jazz said proudly. “You should see the experiments ongoing in the in-ground pool.”

[heyimkana]

i'm reading the solo leveling LN again to see how the jinhae moments are portrayed in the novel. this is gonna be animated in the first episode of season 3 i think.

adding commentaries cause i need to YAP about how cute this scene is.

“Hunter Cha, one moment please.” “Hmm?” “You don’t have to go that way.” “…?” Cha Haein stared at Jinwoo with a puzzled look. There was only one door to the meeting room. Surely he couldn’t be thinking of jumping out of the window. Jinwoo closely approached Cha Haein, who stood still, “There’s an easier way to get to that place.” “Huh?” “I’ll have to be a bit close to you. I hope you don't mind?” “Ah…” Cha Haein recalled Baek Yoonho’s retelling of that day’s events. When Korea’s attack team was in its most dire situation, Hunter Sung Jinwoo appeared out of nowhere behind Baek Yoonho. ‘Is he going to show me that?’ Jinwoo was up close, more than she had expected. Cha Haein stared at Jinwoo’s face which was now right infront of hers and gulped, “Excuse me.” Jinwoo pulled her into a light hug. He didn’t think much of the gesture. After all, he had carried her all over the place when she was unconscious in the ant hive. However, Cha Haein’s face turned bright red in an instant, yet she managed to remain still. ‘…He smells nice.’

GIRLLLLL STAND UP IM CRYINNGGGG okay real talk tho i know that man smells nice i know he smells like aftershave and pine trees and soap and everything that smells CLEAN

jinwoo saying "excuse me" and asking her for her permission before he touches her... i know that's bare minimum but that's a MAN right there!!!!

Even as her face turned beet red, Jinwoo carefully held her as to not lose her. ‘Alright.’ He wanted to see if this would work, thinking that he wouldn’t get a chance like this again anytime soon.” “You might get a little dizzy.” He recalled his first time activating this skill. Cha Haein put her hands on Jinwoo’s waist and let out a soft and almost whisper-like, “Okay.” Facing forward, Jinwoo triggered the skill by focusing mentally, ‘Exchange.' The pair fell into the shadow on the floor without a sound. With a heavy mechanical sound, the rows of lights overhead came to life one after another. The room’s automatic sensors had detected the pair’s magic power and began to illuminate the chamber. Cha Haein still had her eyes closed, but opened them once she sensed the brightness. “How…!?” Her eyes were opened wide, unable to contain her surprise. In a blink they had been transported from Jinwoo’s Guild office to this familiar location. ‘Is this even possible?’ As far as Cha Haein could recall, there had been no documented Hunter ability even remotely close to this. She stared at Jinwoo with a mixture of disbelief and awe. “You…” Cha Haein paused. She wanted to know everything about this enigmatic Hunter, but found herself unable to speak. One reason for this was that she had too many questions and didn’t know where to start. The other reason for this was that Jinwoo’s face was mere centimeters away from hers. “Um… It’s okay now.” Gently, Jinwoo touched her hand. Cha Haein could feel the temperature of her cheeks rising as he peeled her arms off from around his waist. “You don’t have to hold onto me anymore.” Breathlessly, Cha Haein nodded as she stroked the spot on her hand where Jinwoo had touched her.

SHE WAS WRAPPING HER ARMS AROUND HIS WAIST??? THAT WAS NOT IN THE MANHWA BRO

also I wishhhhh they included the last part in the manhwa cause it would have looked SO MUCH CUTERRRR RAAAAHH I can imagine jinwoo looking down at her, she looks so small in his arms, and he's so tall and awkward and they're staring at each other, their faces are so close, and he's like “uhhh you can let go now” and cha blushing MADLY while stroking the spot he'd touched her????? SHUT UP THAT'S SO CUTE THEY'RE SO EMBARRASSING

Jinwoo walked away from the corner where his shadow soldier was hiding and made his way towards the center of the gym. “So, let’s get started.” “Okay.” Cha Haein started after Jinwoo, but paused suddenly. She suddenly remembered that she had left her sword back in her car, thinking that it would be rude to be armed while visiting someone else’s office. “I left my weapon in my car…” “Oh, your pickaxe?” “Huh?” “The weapon you were holding in the high orc Dungeon was a pickaxe, right?” Cha Haein felt the blood rush to her face a second time as she recalled that embarrassing encounter. “No, my weapon is—” Jinwoo was fighting hard not to laugh. Seeing his expression, Cha Haein realized that he was teasing her. “…” Cha Haein flushed an even deeper shade of red. Mercifully, Jinwoo held up his hand. “Just kidding.”

HELPPPPP HE'S JUST AS ANNOYING AS HE IS IN THE MANHWA but in the LN it plays out more naturally so it really feels like he's just a normal guy teasing his crush???? i didn't know jinhae was peak romance in the LN bro

It was Igris, the strongest swordsman of his Shadow Army. ‘The strongest swordsman, yes. But not the strongest overall…’ Jinwoo decided that it would be overkill to call upon Beru. Afterall, he already knew that Beru’s original form had easily overwhelmed the entire Korean S-rank team and left Cha Haein in mortal danger. Even though the shadow retained a fraction of its original’s power, Jinwoo was cautious of the psychological toil that the ant king might impose on her. Similarly, calling upon Tusk was out of the question, as Jinwoo could not count on the high orc sorcerer to avoid damaging the Association’s property. In the end, Jinwoo decided on Igris. “Are you sure? It might be difficult to use a weapon that you’re not used to.” Cha Haein shook her head dismissively. “It is not the tools we use that make us good, but rather how we employ them. Besides, if I was fighting a magic beast, they wouldn’t wait for me to fetch my usual weapon.” Jinwoo nodded in agreement. Cha Haein’s sentiment was admirable and he found himself warming up to the female Hunter.

the way he was worried about her, not wanting her to get PTSD... but he also acknowledges her strength and he admires her... god this man

also love how cha acts throughout the chapter, she's cute but also a baddie at the same time

Even though the sword was a common, average-level magic weapon, it looked incredibly formidable in that moment, gripped confidently in Cha Haein’s hands as she stood ready for combat. ‘She truly is strong.' 'Hold on…she said that she doesn’t care about what weapons are used, right?’ A wry smile formed on Jinwoo’s face as he decided to use Cha Haein’s words against her. “Um…could you turn around for a sec?” “…?” Cha Haein tilted her head in puzzlement but did as he requested. Once her back was turned, Jinwoo promptly called up his inventory and pulled out the Demon King’s Longsword. ‘Use this.’ He placed the weapon in Igris’s hand. If a magic beast doesn’t care about their opponent’s weapon, then logic dictates that a Hunter shouldn’t either. Igris bowed his head in deep gratitude and began to bend the knee as well, but Jinwoo stopped him. ‘Hey, I told you already that you don’t have to be so formal with me.’ Jinwoo sighed. If only he could take half of Igris’s chivalrous personality and give it to Iron. Having completed his preparations, he called out to Cha Haein. “Okay, you can turn back around now.” When Cha Haein faced her opponent again, she noticed that the knight held a new sword. Electricity coursed through the blade with bright flashes, lighting up the area around them with its eerie blue glow. “…” Jinwoo avoided eye contact with her and shuffled his feet, feigning ignorance. “Ready to get started?” “…okay.” Cha Haein realized that she had no room to complain, given her words about weapons earlier. Still, she could not help but let the discontent show on her face. Jinwoo felt slightly guilty, but it was too late to change his mind now. “Begin!” Igris moved immediately at the start signal, sweeping the Demon King’s Longsword in a large arc and activating its ability. With a blinding flash, a bright bolt of lightning streaked across the room towards Cha Haein. The brightness stunned the woman for just a moment before her combat experience kicked in. With cat-like grace, she bent backwards to let the lightning sail harmlessly over her body. The attack struck the far wall of the gymnasium with a thunderous crash, leaving the wall charred and smoldering. Cha Haein recovered her stance and shot a dark look in Jinwoo’s direction. However, the newly-appointed S-ranker avoided eye contact once more. Instead, he appeared to be intensely focused on checking the length of his fingernails. ‘…’ Rather than complaining, Cha Haein grasped her sword with both hands. Jinwoo subtly signalled to Igris to avoid using the lightning strike.

Jinwoo: “Summoning Tusk will just end up damaging the Association’s property with his fire magic.”

also jinwoo: gives the demon monarch's sword that can cast LIGHTNING BOLTS to igris

sdfasdfds HE'S A MENACE IN THE LN HE'S SO MISCHIEVOUS

NOT HIM AVOIDING EYE CONTACT AND SHUFFLING ON HIS FEET AFTER IGRIS THREW A FUCKING LIGHTNING BOLT AT HER LMFAOOOOASJFOASKD TRYING TO ACT ALL INNOCENT WHEN CHA WAS LOWKEY GLARING AT HIM HELPPPP THIS IS LITERALLY THEM

ALSO NOT JINWOO LOOKING AT HIS FINGERNAILS WHEN IGRIS KEPT SPAMMING LIGHTNING STRIKES AND PISSING HER THE FUCK OFF HE'S REALLY LIKE mm-mm i didn't see that i don't know what you're glaring at me for girl that wasn't my doing

okay but when he actually felt guilty in the end and silently told igris to stop with the lightning attacks... this is my husband!jinwoo omg he's sweet but also so annoyinggggg

also it's sweet that igris still bends his knees for him and jinwoo stopping him like "bro come on we're friends now" while also throwing shades at iron LMFAOOOOAJSFOSD

[rose24207]

The Triangle’s Mercy

Summary: You defy the rules of life and death, sparing Player 333 on the field and pulling your gun on another player in the dormitory, leaving him questioning why a guard would protect him.

Genre: angst, dark, survival

TW: death, blood, guns, fights, the games in general, not 100% accurate

A/N: let me know if you want more of that! English is not my first language. I hope you enjoy it though! Requests are open and welcome!

Masterlist

You stood in the sniper station high above the field, peering down through a small window as the players shuffled into position. It was your assigned post for the first game, Red Light, Green Light. From here, you had a perfect view of every player.

Your job was simple: if the doll detected movement, you would receive the player number through your earpiece. Once detected, you would pull the trigger without hesitation. That was the rule. No exceptions.

The field was eerily silent except for the nervous murmurs of the 456 contestants. Among them, your eyes caught Player 333, Myung-gi.

He looked calm but his hands were shaking, his feet barely steady beneath him. There was nothing special about him—just another face among the desperate masses. But something about the way he clung to hope, even in the face of calmness, struck a chord in you.

A beep drew out to signal the start of the game.

“Mugunghwa kkochi piotsseumnida.”

You held your breath. The field froze.

Your earpiece buzzed.

“Player 117. Movement detected.”

Your scope locked onto the target. A man in his mid-thirties stood near the back, his left foot trembling slightly as he struggled to balance.

Your gaze was sharp as you fired.

The crack of your rifle echoed across the field. The man fell instantly, a crimson stain spreading across his chest.

The song resumed, and the doll’s head swiveled back toward the trees. The remaining contestants hesitated, glancing at the fallen man, before cautiously moving forward again.

“Player 335 Movement detected.”

Another shot, another body collapsed. The doll’s sensors worked quickly, and you kept up with the pace, eliminating each target as the system flagged them.

The ground was slowly littered with bodies, some still, others leaking trails of red into the dirt.

Then came the voice of Player 456, shouting above the chaos

“Everybody, stop moving! Just freeze!”

His instructions spread like wildfire. The remaining players obeyed, standing still like statues. The field grew eerily quiet again.

You scanned the group for anyone who moved. You listened for instructions but none came.

As the game continued, your earpiece buzzed again.

“Player 333. Movement detected.”

You froze.

The scope of your rifle shifted automatically, locking onto Player 333. The young man, trembling violently, stood in the middle of the field. He had stumbled slightly, his foot dragging across the dirt. His face was pale, his lips quivering as if he was seconds from screaming.

He knew he moved.

You placed your finger on the trigger.

But something made you pause.

You were supposed to shoot.

But you didn’t.

Something inside you stopped you. Maybe it was the terror on his face or the way his chest heaved as he realized his mistake. Whatever it was, you couldn’t pull the trigger.

The doll’s scanners shifted, the moment passed, and Myung-gi froze again, acknowledging the fact to how close he had come to death.

He wasn’t the only one confused. Far below, Player 230, Thanos, watched him. His sharp eyes narrowed as he realized what had just happened: Myung-gi had moved, but he was still alive.

The game ended with a beep of the clock. The surviving players were herded back to the dormitory, their faces pale with shock. Bodies were dragged from the field, their screams and cries of mercy now replaced with an eerie silence.

The players sat or stood near the rows of towering bunk beds, their expressions a mix of fear, anger, and grief. You were stationed by the door, your rifle slung over your shoulder. The cold metal walls of the room seemed to amplify every whisper, every muffled sob.

But your focus remained on Player 333.

He sat on a lower bunk, staring at his hands. Across from him, Thanos approached, his face dark with suspicion.

“You,” Thanos exclaimed, crouching down to meet Myung-gi’s eye level. “You moved during the game. I saw it. Why aren’t you dead?”

Myung-gi blinked, startled. “What? No, I didn’t—”

“Don’t lie to me!” Thanos growled, grabbing his collar. “The guards shot everyone else. Why not you?”

“I don’t know!” Myung-gi snapped, his voice shaky. “Maybe I didn’t move as much as you think—”

Thanos slammed him against the bed frame, rattling the metal bars. “You’re lying! You’re cheating somehow!”

The commotion drew the attention of nearby players, who watched nervously but kept their distance. You descended from your position by the doors, rifle in hand, and approached them.

“Break it up,” you ordered, your voice cold and sharp through the modulator.

Thanos looked up at you, his grip still on Myung-gi. “This one’s a fraud! He’s—”

“I said, break it up.”

Your rifle shifted, the barrel pointing directly at Thanos. The gesture was subtle but enough to make him freeze. Slowly, he released Myung-gi, his hands raising in surrender.

“I didn’t mean anything by it,” Thanos muttered, backing away cautiously.

Myung-gi remained pressed against the bed frame, his breathing heavy as he watched the exchange. His gaze flickered between you and Thanos, confusion evident in his expression.

Why had you intervened? Why was a guard protecting him?

You didn’t offer an explanation. Instead, you took a step closer to Thanos, your rifle still aimed at him. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Thanos nodded quickly, retreating into the crowd of players. The tension dissolved as he disappeared, leaving you and Myung-gi alone.

For a moment, neither of you spoke. Then, hesitantly, Myung-gi asked, “Why… why did you do that?”

You stared at him through the mask, your heart pounding. You couldn’t answer, not without revealing too much. Instead, you simply turned and walked away, your boots echoing against the cold, metal floor.

Myung-gi watched you go, still confused but alive. And that was enough for now.

Thank you for reading!

[stellarbit]

Caught on Camera

3.7k words - NSFW

Tech's loses a screw in his bed and finds your earring instead. He looks back through some camera footage to see how it may have gotten there. Turns out you had gotten more than comfortable in his cot.

Piggyback's a tiny bit off of an earlier fic. Just barely though. Enjoyyy

***

Tech marched to his cot, flipping a few parts around in his hands as he went. They needed tweaking, possibly a complete overhaul, but regardless, he was set on documenting his repairs. He’d installed a motion sensor, barely detectable, microcamera in the upper corner of his cot for such occasions. While he rarely needed to review his procedures, he found satisfaction in adding to his archive.

Shoving aside chords and spare parts, Tech swung his feet up, unfazed by the clutter that surrounded him. His brothers often questioned how he managed to sleep amidst the chaos of tools and bolts scattered around him. To them, it was a horror, but to Tech, it was a carefully organized system . He found the idea of having to get up for common parts more horrific.

As Tech delicately removed a small screw, the piece slipped from his grasp, bouncing off his fingers, and, by the sounds of it, into the corner behind him. . With unwavering focus on the device before him, Tech maneuvered his fingers into the tight space, determined to retrieve the errant screw. The first thing he felt was definitely not the screw.

Examining the object in his hand, Tech raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Hold on," he muttered to himself, turning the item over in his palm. Upon closer inspection, it became evident that it wasn't a stray screw at all, but rather a piece of jewelry—a stud earring, to be precise. Intrigued, Tech glanced around his immediate surroundings, searching for any other anomalies, but found nothing amiss.

Glancing at the cot hanging on the opposite wall of the Marauder he had no doubt the earring was yours. The question lay in how it found its way into his cot. Closing his fist around the stud and setting aside his projects, Tech left his cot to grab his datapad. Once in hand, he settled back into his usual spot, plugging into the dataport next to his cot, and began sifting through the camera footage.

While Tech seldom needed to review the recordings, he was meticulous in his examination. As the footage played, he focused intently, scouring for any unexpected visitors in his personal space.

It didn’t take long for him to find the clip. More than 30 rotations ago, you appeared on screen, settling onto the edge of his cot, looked towards the exit, and pulled yourself fully up into the bunk. Mimicking your actions, Tech leaned out to survey the area for any potential interruptions before returning his attention to the footage, his curiosity piqued.

As Tech continued to watch the footage, he observed your relaxed demeanor as you settled into his space, making yourself at home. Your hands explored the surroundings, tracing the sketches adorning the wall and the edges of his bed before coming to rest on your stomach. Tech glanced at the pillow beside him, surprised he hadn’t picked up on your scent.

In the video, you leaned back, seemingly preparing to relax, prompting Tech's curiosity to peak. He watched intently as you closed your eyes briefly, a fleeting moment of apparent calm. However, your fingers soon began to fidget, and your eyes opened again, scanning over his drawings. Tech observed with a mixture of fascination and perplexity as you pulled your shirt from your pants, revealing the skin below your navel.

Tech didn’t have time to consider what you were doing before your hands got to work on your pants. Adjusting his goggles and bringing the datapad closer to his face, he watched intently as you deftly worked on your pants, effortlessly opening them just enough for your hand to slip inside. Even through the fabric, the movements of your fingers were unmistakable

Tech reared back slightly, his mind racing with thoughts. He paused the video, freezing the image of you lost in your own touch, unaware of the camera recording your actions. His thumb wandered along your silhouette, he’d witnessed you sleeping and caught you off guard on occasion but this felt very different.

Although you were technically intruding upon his personal space, Tech reasoned that you likely believed you were not being watched. Holding his breath, he hesitated for a moment before pressing play, eager to see how the situation would unfold.

Tech's eyes widened as a mixture of disbelief and arousal washing over him. Your actions were intimate in a way he hasn’t expected. His hand instinctively moved to adjust his goggles, his focus unwavering on the datapad screen as you continued.

Your hand dove farther into your pants while your free hand slid up your body and onto your chest. The hand on your chest mirrored a moment he couldn't forget—the moment he had separated you and Crosshair by means of a hand Crosshair’s shoulder and another your chest.

He heard you hushedly moan, “Tech.” The way you said his name sent a shiver down Tech's spine, his heart rate quickening in response.

He hesitated for a brief moment, torn between shutting off the video and continuing to watch. It wasn't until he felt the undeniable strain against his own pants that Tech finally forced himself to pause the recording. His mind raced as he pieced together the timeline of this event, recalling the mission with the 501st that had stirred up unresolved feelings and tension between you and the Bad Batch. 

Tech watched you in his cot and a small smile came to him. Evidently it was his touch that had the most impact. With a thoughtful expression, he uncurled his hand, the stud earring still nestled within his palm. Casting a glance at the concealed microcamera, Tech knew he had to handle this situation delicately.

As he pondered his next move, Tech considered the whereabouts of his teammates. Echo and Hunter were engaged in a meeting with a Jedi general, Crosshair and Wrecker were occupied restocking supplies, and you had taken on the task of handling rations. You made it clear you were only handling the rations this time.

Glancing at the time displayed on his datapad, Tech calculated that you would soon be returning. With a sense of anticipation, he tapped the corner of his datapad, preparing himself for your imminent arrival.

He pinched the earring between his thumb and forefinger to place it on your pillow. Unplugging from the dataport, Tech went to stand in the Marauder’s doorway. Leaning against the frame, he appeared engrossed in his datapad, though his mind was preoccupied with thoughts of your impending return.

As he scrolled through the datapad, Tech played out various scenarios in his mind, preparing himself for the interaction to come. He wanted to handle the situation with finesse, ensuring that neither of you felt uncomfortable or embarrassed.

Soon enough, he spotted you approaching, a hovercart laden with rations in tow. Your smile was warm as you greeted him, not at all surprised to find him waiting. You chuckled lightly as you shook your head, teasing him by saying, "Guess I shouldn't be surprised you're already done with your tinkering," you remarked, your tone affectionate.

Tech remained focused on his datapad initially, not looking up as you approached. "I've told you, it's not 'tinkering,'" he reiterated, his tone matter-of-fact. With a casual push off the doorframe, he straightened up. "Besides, there's another matter that has arisen, and I require your assistance with it."

You leaned casually on the handles of the hovercart, feigning nonchalance. "My help? Must be pretty desperate," you teased, eliciting a bored, almost annoyed look from Tech. Chuckling at his reaction, you urged him to lead the way, pushing the cart toward the ship. "Fine, fine. Let's get whatever it is over with."

Following Tech inside, you watched curiously as he handed you his datapad. He retrieved a long cord from beneath his cot and plugged it into the device and the dataport beside his cot. Pointing towards your cot opposite his, he instructed, "You may sit there."

You followed Tech's suggestion and settled into your cot as he maneuvered into his bunk, opening a panel beside the dataport. "I need to calibrate a camera I installed in my bunk.”

The word 'camera' caught you off guard, and you struggled to maintain your composure, your surprise barely contained to a single raised eyebrow. "Since when do you have a camera in your bunk?" you asked, trying to sound casual despite the rush flooding your mind. Inside, you felt a sense of panic at the implications of what might be hidden in the camera's memory. Your heart raced as a live feed of Tech working on the datapad panel appeared on the screen, confirming your suspicions.

"For playback purposes when I make repairs," Tech said with a shrug of a shoulder. "It can prove useful for reference purposes. However, I've never found the need for it," he added with a smirk of triumph.

Internally, a wave of relief hit you. It seemed that Tech had never bothered to review the footage, which eased your earlier concerns. "So, you just have a constant recording going?" you asked, trying to sound bored.

Tech shook his head, scoffing at the suggestion. "That would be unnecessary," he replied. "The camera is motion-activated. Recording only initiates when someone moves in front of it. Even I would find it tedious to scour a constant feed for a single event.”

You nodded, your attention fixed on the screen as you watched Tech's movements. The camera panned smoothly, capturing every adjustment he made. "I'm not sure what I am looking for, but the view looks fine," you said.

“Sarad.” The mention of the Mando’an nickname caught you off guard and put you on high alert.

“Hmm?" you responded, feigning nonchalance as you hummed out a reply. Onscreen, Tech closed the wall panel and settled back into his cot, positioning himself to face the camera directly. His gaze locked onto the lens, and even through the video feed, you felt the weight of his stare, a subtle kind of eye contact.

"I believe I found something of yours, it is on your pillow" Tech said, pointing towards you as he addressed you directly. Your gaze followed his gesture, and sure enough, there it was—a tiny stud earring perched on your pillow. You brightened at the sight, recognizing your lost jewelry.

 Ditching the datapad, you plucked the earring and returned it to its rightful place in your ear. You beamed at Tech, who was now looking directly at you. “Tech, thank you! I thought it was lost for good.” Already forgetting the previous circumstances, you asked, “How in the stars did you find it?”

Tech's gaze softened as he watched you reclaim your earring, a subtle smile playing at the corners of his lips. "I stumbled upon it recently during my ‘tinkering’ as you say."

Your beaming dimmed with a bit of confusion as he continued, "It was nestled in an unexpected place—in my cot, of all locations." He paused, allowing the implication of his words to sink in.

A short, nervous laugh bubbled out of you. "In your cot? How did it end up there?" you asked in a bad play confusion. You suddenly knew exactly how you came to lose it.

Tech's eyes narrowed as he soaked in your reactions. He was committing this interaction to memory. Never having experienced exchanges like the ones you two shared, and with nothing to relate it to, he found himself struggling to predict the next outcome.

He cleared his throat before speaking. "Actually," he began, his tone betraying amusement, “I do have an idea of how it ended up in my cot." Pausing for a moment to gauge your reaction, he continued, "You see, while reviewing the camera footage for the earring’s orgins, I happened to come across a rather fascinating incident."

"It seems that during a moment of relaxation, you may have inadvertently misplaced your earring," he explained, choosing his words carefully. His eyes dipped for a blink as he practically purred, "It was quite captivating, really.”

Tech noticed the hastening of your breaths and the familiar red blotches blossoming up your neck. The corner of his lips twitched in rhythm with his fingers. 

Despite the temptation, he knew it wasn't the time for such impulses. He resisted the urge to reach out and feel the warm flush of your skin. He found himself wondering how you would react, but he pushed aside those thoughts.

You sat there wide eyed with an anxiety induced smile stuck in place. No words came to mind, all you could imagine was what kind of expression Tech had while he watched you.

“How much did you see?”

“May I ask you something?” He completely ignored your question, too engrossed in dissecting the situation for it to register. You squeaked out a yes and he asked, “What you did in my cot…” He leaned forward, hands on his knees, “Do you do that in the others’ cots?”

He’d asked you something similar in the past. About whether you reacted to his brothers the way you did him. If he knew of the ache between your legs his intense watch was causing, well that would be his answer. 

Your breaths became heavier and your tongue still felt like lead when you said, “You don’t like that idea. Do you?”

Tech considered the concept for a moment. “That is irrelevant to my question.”

You sensed his hesitation, but you needed a definitive answer before proceeding with your plans. "Amuse me," you urged, pushing him gently for a response.

As Tech's gaze momentarily flickered away, a serious expression crossed his features. “I have no say in where you choose to… relax.” After a brief pause to compose himself, he adjusted his goggles and met your gaze again. “But no. Hearing you’ve done so in other cots is not something I would enjoy.”

“Are you angry with me for what I did?”

Tech's response was immediate and straightforward. "No," he replied, his puzzlement evident in his tone.

“May I show you something?” You were on your feet and in front of him before the question was finished.

In response to your abrupt question, Tech found himself slightly taken aback. "I-I suppose so,"Tech watched as you undid your pants, mirroring the actions he had witnessed in the recording. However, this time, instead of proceeding as before, your hands settled beside you.

He stared at the little spot of abdomen peeking out. Keeping his head still, Tech raised his eyes to meet yours, a question evident in his expression.

There was a moment of silent understanding between you, mutual acknowledgment of the question hanging in the air. Tech's analytical mind raced, seeking to decipher the meaning behind your actions, yet he remained composed, awaiting your response with a mixture of curiosity and intrigue.

“Take off a glove, Tech.”

He didn’t break eye contact as he lifted his right hand and pulled at each finger until the glove was off. Bracing a hand on the bunk above him, you leaned down to reach for his hand. An inch away, you stopped. Tech was so careful with you. Getting clear consent and understanding before even touching you. You wanted to afford him the same thing.

Your stomach fluttered as you confessed, “It happened only once outside of my own bed.” He swallowed upon hearing that, fueling you to continue. “The thought of you, Tech, makes my body react in a way it doesn’t for others.”

Obliviousness was not a characteristic of Tech’s. Certain social cues were lost on him, but he was the most intelligent man you’d ever met. He could read between the lines and he was. Tech’s hand closed the small gap to lay palm side up in your hand. 

“I require a better understanding of what you mean.” Without speaking you guided his hand to the cusp of your pants, his fingers barely touching the patch of exposed abdomen.

The surprise on his face only encouraged your rising fever. “If you want a better understanding,” You leaned into his touch, “You’ll have to get one for yourself.”

In the thralls of discovery, a ravenous look consumes Tech and that was the expression spiraling over him in that moment.. He put his left hand on your hip, pulling you slightly lower while, at the same time, angling his hand between your pants and your body and right between your legs. His touch took your breath away. 

His middle finger smoothed over your skin and hit the wetness dripping out of you. He pressed another finger over your slick entrance and pulled a soft noise from you.

“This is unexpected.” Tech’s face was vibrantly proud. It was that cocky self confidence that made you weak kneed in the first place. “I rather like it.” He applied more pressure and his fingers began to dip inside of you.

Your knees bent at the touch, your body begging for more. It worked to the point of getting his fingers farther inside. Tech responded by curling the two fingers into you and pulling you forward. The grip you had on the bunk above was the only thing keeping you from collapsing to the ground. When his fingers started to move, that life line nearly snapped.

“I didn’t watch your recording very long.” Tech admitted while his free hand moved to grip your ass. He gently squeezed your ass and said, “This is something I wanted to observe first hand.”

“You wanted this?” Your question came out in a whine, you could barely think of anything other than the fact Tech was fingering you.

Tech buried his fingers deeper, “Oh, most definitely.” At this point, his hand was about the only thing keeping you on your feet. The angle of his palm made it so he was constantly brushing against your clit, making it hard to stay standing. He felt your knees wobble and he tugged your forward again, fingers still working inside of you.

You fell into him, hands on his shoulders and a shin over his thigh. The sounds you were making for him, only for him as he was constantly reminding himself, were working him into a frenzy as well. He wanted more, he needed to know what other faces you would make for him. What sounds he could pull from you as he played with you.

  With each careful movement of his fingers, Tech observed the subtle shifts in your expression, the moments when your eyes fluttered closed or your breath caught in your throat. He adjusted his touch accordingly, seeking to provide you with the perfect balance of pressure and release.

You had long since lost yourself in the sensation of his touch, your gaze drifting away as you surrendered to the pleasure coursing through your body. It had been years since you had felt this kind of intimacy. It was with a member of the 501st and it had never felt as intense as this moment with Tech.

Tech studied you far more than you realized. Learning how you worked and what you liked was intoxicating him. This was no different. He had no relevant experience with such intimacies, but he was priding himself on learning your body. You’d never have guessed this was his first time with the way his fingers strung you along.

His middle finger curled into a soft spot on your wall, sending a jolt through you. You leaned farther into him, panting into his ear. “Tech, you can’t keep doing that.”

Tech barely let off the pressure. Instead he rolled his finger into the spot over and over, coaxing you to tighten around him and collapse. You were straddling him at this point and, with his free hand anchoring you in place with a firm grip on your ass, release was rushing towards you. “I’ve barely done anything yet.” The timbre in his voice sent a shudder through you. 

You pulled back and held his face in your hands. “Tech,” his name came out in a whine. “I don’t want the first time you see me like this to be on your fingers.” Your mouth hung open in a soft moan.

Tech’s gloved hand flew to your face to hook a thumb into your mouth. He drew your face closer to his, his voice dropping to a low, almost teasing tone. "Too bad," he murmured, his words laced with playful defiance. 

He gripped you with whole hand, his palm working into your clit while his fingers kept up their pace. The combination made you see stars as heat burst through you. Pleasure shot from your core to every nerve in your body. You arched into him and you rode out your climax on his hand. His hand moved over your mouth, his thumb now wet with your saliva.

You pushed his hand off your mouth, it fell to your back, and you caught his lips in a kiss. It quickly became a hungry dance between you. The pressure of the kiss was almost bruising, but neither of you cared about air at the moment. As you licked and nipped at his lips, Tech quickly followed your rhythm until you pulled his tongue into yours for a gentle suck. He groaned at the sensation and couldn’t stop the thought of what else might find its way into your mouth.

Gradually, Tech slowed his fingers and the kiss faded into soft exchanges. Tech was withdrawing his hand when the kiss finally broke completely and you both were left panting.

Tech’s gloved hand casually cradled the small of your back as he shifted your weight onto his left leg. He brought the fingers, still slick with you, to his mouth to suck on the tips. He smirked at your blatant surprise, gave his hand a wipe on his cot, and set it on your thigh.

“With your permission, I’d like to refer back to this particular recording in the future.”

It took a moment to shake off the haze of pleasure and remember the camera. You shifted your focus to the lens, then leaned in, your voice barely above a whisper. “Only if you touch me like that again.” Satisfied with your playful tease, you attempted to lean back, but Tech's firm grip held your head in place. His lips brushed against your ear.

In a quiet, firm voice he promised. “That was only the beginning.”

[wing-ed-thing]

Late Night Study Session (Trafalgar Law x Reader)

Synopsis: You've been studying day and night all week. You can't help but goof off a little.

Word Count: 1.7k

Tags/Warnings: No Reader Pronouns, College AU, Suggestive Language

Notes: I didn't think it'd be here but it's here

“Are you an appendix? Because I have a gut feeling I should take you out.”

”Jesus Christ.”

You thought you just about broke him, your hysterical laugh turning into a wheeze as Law buried his face in his hands. You sat in the study room together. Just about the size of a large closet, the walls of the room were covered in whiteboards. A table, now littered with your laptops and hand-written papers, sat in the center with a large, fancy power strip. 

Law’s coffee sat amongst the empty take-out containers. The caffeinated drinks you had imbibed only contributed to the chaotic table. A warm light glowed overhead, glaring at Law’s scribbles on the whiteboard walls. It glowed a bit brighter than the light panels on the ceiling outside, the motion-activated sensors having dimmed when the new, expensive science building vacated long ago. 

You and Law had your last final together, which unfortunately fell on the last day of finals before move-out. A more advanced anatomy class, your test would encompass all the material you had covered since week one. Of course, this didn’t include the online modules that weren’t covered in class but would also be on the test. Even more, unfortunately, your final exam would make up forty percent of your overall grade. 

Quizzes, notes, and study guides from previous tests sat in a haphazard order across the table, over your empty seats, and pinned to the whiteboards like a detective’s evidence board. Pen ink smudged across the crinkled pages, and a patch of eraser dust lived on the table no matter how many times you tried to brush it away.

You were sure you were the only ones occupying a study room at the hour it was. You had practically been living out of it for the past week in preparation for finals. 

“Are you a heart surgeon? Because I get tachycardia whenever I see you.”

”It’s probably that abomination you’ve been sipping on all night.” Law gestured to one in your small army of drinks. You conjured up a concoction that contained just too much caffeine and sugar. “That stuff will kill you someday.” 

“If it gets me a passing grade, I’ll take ten,” you sighed, perusing a stapled packet of printed questions. You stopped at a page in the middle of the thick collection, taking a moment to think. “You can fill my… caudate nucleus with dopamine anytime.” 

You grinned, looking up at Law, whose already hooded gaze appeared even more narrow. His hand ran across his face, massaging the skin around his eyes. 

“You’ve officially lost it.”

”I lost it a few hours ago; let’s be real.” 

Law paid you little mind, shuffling around his notes before rearranging them in reverse order. For as rapidly as his eyes glanced over them, you knew Law was at his limit. There were only so many times you could look at the same collection of letters scrambled together before your brain fried, and frankly, you and Law had likely overstayed your time in the study room trying to push yourselves. 

You just weren’t afraid to know when it was time to give up.

”Are you a femur? Because you’re… you’re the largest bone in the human body.”

”That one doesn’t even make sense,” Law mumbled, still not entirely focusing on his notes despite his unmoving gaze. “The brachial plexus is formed by the anterior rami of the spinal nerves C5 to T1,” Law recited, a bit of forced certainty laced in his voice. 

“Yeah,” you hummed, playing with a pen and an empty coffee cup. 

“And the median nerve innervates the flexor muscles and the thenar muscles in the hand,” Law spoke definitively, crossing off a point of your massive study guide.

”And?”

Law glanced up at you.

”What do you mean ‘and’?” 

“Forearm. It’s mostly the median nerve you’re gonna lose points if you don’t also mention—”

“Ulnar. Fuck.”

Law threw his packet on the table. He hadn’t been this sloppy when you started that afternoon. But since you took a break to eat dinner— you were sure dinners with you in the study room were the only full meals Law had since the finals crunch began— studying had been futile. 

You had about eighty percent of the material sort of under your belt, but even that was shaky, considering the doomed format of your exams. No one in your class (or any of the other sections) received a passing grade during the midterm, and you were more than sure that even the study guide was a rough basis for what would actually be on the exam. 

“Maybe it’s about time we’ve turned in for the night,” you said quietly. 

Law had thrown his head back as he slumped over the table. A hand covered his eyes. His chest heaved a deep breath. 

The final was a lot of material, almost an impossible amount. You were on your own when it came to studying— the study guide (if you could even call it that)— was a miracle in and of itself. 

You knew that no matter how much you studied, you were bound to come across some curveball question about some obscure minutia you read about once. But Law, on the other hand, Mr. 52/100 on the midterm himself, was as stressed as ever. It didn’t matter that 52 was the highest score across all three sections; he was absolutely beside himself.

“Maybe,” he affirmed. Law would never tell you outright if you were right, even as he began to gather his things. 

You also began gathering your things, discarding your trash in the can, and sweeping your written notes unceremoniously back into plopped binders in your backpack. You finished moments before Law and waited by the door.

The bags under his eyes were more severe than usual, and he carried himself like his body was heavy. Law slouched a bit under the weight of his backpack but ultimately joined you at the door, grabbing it from your grasp to head out together.

You weren’t entirely sure why Law insisted on your study sessions to begin with. As serious and studious as he was, you were sure he had some rigorous study strategy he’d want to do alone. But ultimately, Law insisted that you study together and hardly gave you a choice in the matter. Given how much he talked to himself, you assumed he just wanted a warm body to bounce things off of. 

“Are you an ulnar nerve? Because you’ve got me feeling all the right sensations in my hands and my heart.” You placed your hands over the left side of your chest as you made your way out of the building. 

As you anticipated, the halls were quiet, and your voice bounced off the tiles. The motion-activated lights took a moment to flicker as the two of you passed. The sky outside the windows you walked by was pitch black, and the paths were illuminated only by the campus street lights. 

Law shook his head as the most subtle snort of amusement left his nose. His mouth scrunched together to contain his subtle laugh, but the motion was just enough to brighten his demeanor. The energy around you rose like a breath of fresh air had just wafted through. 

“You’re terrible at those,” Law said, holding the door for you as you stepped outside. 

The night air was cool when you left the building, being just chilly enough to prickle your skin. The streetlights lit up a fair amount of campus, illuminating your path back to the dorms. The door to the science building shut behind you, officially locking you out of the building. 

“Like you could do any better!” you laughed, clutching your backpack straps as you stepped out in front of Law. You pivoted on your heel, only to notice he hadn’t moved. You met his dark eyes with a crinkle of your forehead. 

Your face fell in confusion, which only mounted as Law took two wide strides to close the gap between you. Without warning, his hand found the underside of your face, cupping it firmly to tilt toward his. His other hand was shoved in the pocket of his coat. Your breath hitched as he leaned in.

“Wanna exchange genetic material?”

“Law!” you gasped, nearly shrieking his name in surprise, as your first instinct was to roughly shove him away as heat rose under your skin. You stumbled a few steps down the path, trying desperately to hide the embarrassing expression that graced your face. And when you did turn back to look at him— in sheer astonishment— Law was proudly wearing a pursed-lipped smirk.

“You’re the one who challenged me,” Law hummed with an amused bounce of his brows. He followed as you began in the direction of the dorms. 

“I’d hardly call that an anatomy-themed pickup line!” you exclaimed, your voice a pitch higher than usual. Law reached for your sleeve, a shine in his eyes as he slowed your pace. You kept backing up down the path, playfully tugging him along. Law rolled his eyes.

“Is too. You’re just embarrassed that I made you all flustered—”

“You’re just embarrassed that I trounce you at anatomy-themed pickup lines!”

You hardly finished your sentence before Law used the grip on your hand to his advantage, twirling you around into his arms, backpack and all. The movement felt bulky and heavy to you, but Law kept control over your movements, once again trapping you in proximity.

You lost your voice in your throat as you stared into his dark irises. They appeared even darker in the dim lighting, like the glinting gaze of a leopard as nocturnal bugs chirped around you. He raised a brow, his face swiveling cockily as he delivered his line.

“You wanna learn some real anatomy?” 

“Get outta here!” 

You pressed your palm to his forehead, playfully shoving his head back as Law relinquished you as you covered your hand with your face. Law grabbed your sleeve again, moving in front of you to tug you back to the dorms. 

Maybe he won that round after all, but you’d never tell him that. 

Thank you to all who liked, reblogged, followed, and supported. Your support means so much and is greatly appreciated.

"I was pretty sure you'd sleep in and forget to meet me this morning" “Wouldn't have forgotten if I was sleeping with you" “But look at this.. Jesus.. look at this outfit" vibes

[starqueensthings]

We need to talk about Echo (and by talk I mean screm). S3 E13 + 14 Spoilers!

FRIENDS, I'M GOING TO EXPLODE. I need to talk about Echo for a minute. We need to talk about Echo for a minute,  because he has spent the last two episodes in the absolute thralls of complete and total danger, and I personally don't feel like there's been enough of a celebratory uproar for me to be satisfied with the level of appreciation and love that man deserves. (Remember when Hunter ran face first into a colossal exhaust pipe and we all collectively lost our minds because it was so impressive and so sexy? Remember when Tech drove a speeder really fast through a tunnel and we all fainted? I'M A TECH GIRLY. IT WAS ME! I FAINTED!!) but, Y'ALL, Echo deserves that right now!! And for all eternity!!! Because he is wholly submurged in the harrowing potential of torture and execution, and he didn't even bat an eye to put himself there. My awe of him is all-consuming, so please forgive me if this rant reads as nothing but incoherent screaming. 

Echo haters (first of all, we can't be friends....) come on this journey with me! Let's back pedal to the beginning of the last episode (13). He stole an imperial shuttle. Let me repeat, he stole an imperial shuttle. And not just an attack shuttle. Not just a lil one-pilot transport. Bro somehow stole a Rho-class medical transport, which is very large, obscenely conspicuous, and very easily tracked. And, to use his own words, it was "the best he could do on short notice." The man stole a shuttle on short notice. ON SHORT NOTICE? HELLO, HOW DID HE DO THAT. WHY AIN'T WE LOSING OUR COOL ABOUT IT. 

Next stop on this I-love-Echo journey through my mind: not only did he provide his brothers transportation in the complete void of their own (RIP havoc bb), but he also came equipped with intel and clearance codes, and, as Rampart stated, those things change DAILY. Echo somehow procured top secret imperial clearance codes, and a fkn SHIP, within hours of the Batch requesting his help. Not to mention, the ship had yet to be reported missing (which means it was only-freshly commandeered), and the clearance codes worked. Of course they did. Echo never fails. Never doubt Echo. "Echo's on it."  

Choochoo, next stop! Once they arrived on that station orbiting Coruscant, and made their way to the control room (lookin sexy as heck in his armour-au-noir), he broke imperial encryption, hacked into the Imperial database, almost instantly found them the location of a ship departing for the prison that holds their daughter Tantiss, AND THEN DIDN'T EVEN HESITATE TO CLIMB ABOARD AND STOW AWAY.  

He didn't even remotely have a plan, or have time to make a plan. He didn't know who or what else would be on board that mysterious vessel. He didn't know where it was going other than the name of the fkn mountain (which has proven to be nothing but unhelpful thus far). He just ARC-troopered his way through that crowded hangar, dodging aggressive astromech's and inconsiderate loader droids, shirking from the perspective eyes of highly trained commandos, and snuck his way onto a heavily guarded, extremely unknown science vessel. Then, of course, he wasted no time, hacking into the ships control system (may I gently remind- there were at least three pilots and an officer prepping the ship for jump and closely watching all aspects of its controls), disabling the proximity sensors without being detected, and then seamlessly covered the troopers absence by pretending to be him (which we all know is what should have happened on Serenno but... hindsight is 20/20.)  

So... SO.... now we're at Episode 14. Here we at fkn terrified station because HULLO ECHO IS ALONE ON A SCIENCE DIVISION TRANSPORT; we have literally seen them carry around Zilo beasts in that shit. What the heck else could be on there that they don't know about? Literally anything. Because THEY KNEW NOTHING before attaching themselves to it. Echo knew NOTHING before sneaking onto that thing and creepin' around. Thank heck he didnt come across a fkn fresh wave of slither vines ok?  

NEXT, Echo shoots (not stuns- lol) a sassy fkn droid (they had it coming, not sorry), then another trooper. AND THEN discovered his only option for departing the ship once it enters atmosphere is going completely undercover, because (in true "we improvise everything" CF99 fashion that gives me heart burn just thinking about it), they had zero fkn plan to get off the ship. I will repeat: completely undercover. On Tantiss. COMPLETELY UNDERCOVER ON TANTISS. NO COMMS, NO BACK UP, NO RECON, NO PLAN, BARELY ANY GEAR, and I would just like to stress... no neuro brace. He left his neurobrace on that ship. Left it. LEFT IT AND TOOK A HAND INSTEAD. PLEASE FKN SEDATE ME.  

We can't leave this station yet... This I-love-Echo train needs to linger at this point for a sec because I think it's lost on some people how wild this is. Echo without his neurobrace is huge. It's a bigger deal than Echo without his armour. Armour is, in the grand scheme of things, inconsequential (one can find more- see Howzer). Echo's neurobrace is not armour, it's a computer and it's so so so crucial to how his mind processes information and events. Don't forget, the Technounion HIJACKED HIS BRAIN. They took every memory from him and manipulated it for their gain. Pruned it, tweaked it, blanched it, poached it, turned it into scrambled eggs, and then fkn ate it up and used it to defeat their enemies (Echo's family- I'm sobbing). They implanted him with an unfathomable amount of information; they changed the way the neurons in his brain fire in relation to stimuli. That neurobrace is so so critical for him. Now, we know he can operate well enough without it, we saw it in the last episode of the TBB arc in season 7 of Clone Wars, but... please.... to what extent? We don't know what an extended time without that neurobrace looks like for him... especially when all other aspects compliing his surroundings foreign, unknown, and dangerous, and that scares me.

AND NOW HE'S ABOUT TO RUN AMOK IN TANTISS with Emerie who, (I'm sorry) is wishy-washy as heck (who are you loyal to!!!!! What is your history!!! Are you trustworthy and what are you looking to gain!!!), trying to adopt a collection of Jedi children whove spent maker-knows how long playing space tetris, WHILST ALSO ATTEMPTING TO LOCATE AND ESCAPE WITH HIS BROTHERS UNDER THE EYE OF THE GALAXY'S SECOND MOST DANGEROUS MAN. 

So yes, short of d-d-d-di... can't say it... short of THE WORST CASE, Echo has made the ultimate sacrifice to save not only Omega who is literally the only person we've seen able to make him truly laugh, but all the clone brothers that he's been desperately trying to locate and rescue. His bravery and determination are literally unrivalled, and he did it while feasting on nothing but humble pie because that man wouldn't know arrogance if it danced naked under his perfect nose.  

Okay so welcome, we've finally pulled into I-Love-Echo station. Before departing the ride, please stand and do a hip hip hurray for the miracle that is Echo, including but not limited to, everything he's done, is doing, and is willing to do for other people. 

[hyugos9blue6small9hairs]

Sol x reader

Wearing costumes associated with each other to the halloween party

You're head is down on your desk, infront of you is Crowe "I just don't know what I'm going to do about the party" you grown as you punch the desk that's under you, Crowe softy smiles at you, you pause as you look up at him, his gaze soft and welcoming "why don't I help you figure it out" he tilts his head to the side with a smile on his face as he spoke "I mean it's only in two more days, and Sol's coming, right?" He asks, you nod in response.

Now you're here at some halloween themed store (Totally not spirt halloween) you're following behind Crowe browsing the Iles

"what are you being?" You ask him, Crowe cracks a smile in response to your question

"I'm going as a plague doctor" he beams his bright, welcoming, gentle smile, he turns away awkwardly scratching the back of his head "though...I did consider going as a crow" you smile in response placing your hands behind your back and standing up straight

"Considered picking something that fit the name?" She teased leaning in towards him

"Yeah" he whispers happily.

Something finally managed to catch your eye.

Crowe's voice from behind you made you flinch "you're going to be a vampire?" He asks

you quickly turn around to face him "no" you say firmly standing up straight with your head up high "that's unoriginal, I'm going to be!" You slam your foot down on a sensor triggering a monster to pop out at Crowe, he moves back in response in an attempt to continue looking at you.

"I'm going to be a vampire's victim" you overdramaticly place the back of your hand on your forehead.

Crowe chuckles slightly "a Vampire's victim?" You nod enthusiastically

Crowe stares at you "wouldn't you just be wearing normal clothing?"

You fold your arms staring back at him "I'll manage" you smile.

You're at home lying on your couch on your phone, your phone vibrates, phone already in hand you look to see who texted you

Hyugo

He texted you

"I heard you're going to some halloween party, what are you going as?"

You: "a vampire's victim, how did you know I was going?"

"Sol said you invited him"

You:"I did 😅 he still going?"

"With him right now, he's being grumpy cuz I dragged him to this detective movie 🙄"

"This dude has to figure out why all these kids have been going missing, turns out this one girl had this stalker-"

Hyugo continued ranting to you about the movie, all you could do was smile down at your phone.

Day of the party

You're at the front door Crowe is greeting you and you head inside while texting Sol that you are inside, you quickly run and check a close by mirror to make sure you're makeup is okay, you have a very detailed bite mark on your neck with blood running down it all the way to the top of your chest. Your phone vibrates

"Here"

You quickly move to the door opening it and Sol walks inside, the two of you make it to a corner out of people's way, Sol turns to look down on you.

You finally see the details in his costume "you're a Vampire" you mumble with surprise.

I wasn't sure how to continue this, so if you want a part 2 please give me some ideas T.T

[fazedlight]

Write (supercorptober fluff)

Great idea, walking into a Luthor’s office while solarflared, Kara thought. 

It’s not like she could tell Snapper “no” to interviewing Lena Luthor - she was a rookie reporter, and she needed every article assignment she could get. Besides, walking into Lena’s office while solarflared was only risky if Lena both knew who she was and intended to harm her. After their first encounter… Kara just didn’t think either was likely.

But Rao, Kara was still kicking herself. After her last battle, Alex had told her to cool it with her powers to recharge. Now Kara was going to have to explain that she solarflared after a short flight across the city. Oh well, she thought, as she walked into Lena's office. “Well, I'm glad to see you decided to give reporting a shot,” Lena said, rising from her desk as the niceties were exchanged - Kara’s bus flub thankfully went unnoticed. “Although if you're here on the same day the president is in town to sign her Alien Amnesty Act, then…” 

Kara grinned. “I must be here to ask the sister of Earth's most notorious alien-hater for her take on the president's executive order.”

“I want to show you something,” Lena said, barely containing her excitement as she tugged her desk drawer open, revealing a small device inside. “It's an alien detection device - it allows humans to find out who among them is not truly one of them.”

Kara’s jaw dropped as Lena removed the device from the drawer. “W-why?”

“It’s the best of both worlds,” Lena explained. “The aliens will get the amnesty they need, and people will be able to tell who they are when they need to.”

“Don’t… don’t you think this device will force aliens back into the very shadows the president is trying to shine a light on?” Kara said weakly.

Lena furrowed her brow. “If aliens want to be citizens, that's now their right. But… if humans want to know which of their fellow citizens aren't actually one of them, then that's their right too.”

Kara’s body was screaming run. Or fly. Not that she could, when she was solarflared. But this device set a panic through her veins - what were Lena’s intentions? “How does it work?” Kara asked weakly, as her mind frantically searched for an excuse to leave.

“A simple skin test,” Lena said, pressing her thumb to the sensor for a demonstration, watching the device flash green. “This device is going to make us a fortune. Unlike my brother, I'm going to do it for the good of the world.”

The good of the world, Kara thought, eyes falling on the device. She supposed that a woman steeped in a family of lies might rebel by seeking truth. Kara could see how one could think that simply revealing truth would be good for the world…

But this woman had no idea of the danger that the truth could put people in, if not carefully concealed. They simply didn’t exist in that kind of world.

Kara’s stomach dropped as Lena held out the device for her to try, a playful smirk on the CEO’s face as she encouraged the cub reporter to test the device herself. No heat vision, Kara thought, wishing she could simply fry a wire. It would definitely be too suspicious to leave now.

But the look on Lena’s face… Kara was certain that the CEO had no idea what was about to happen. She was misguided - and hopefully that’s all she was - but Kara clung to the fact that she didn’t seem to have a clue who Kara was. She was just a woman trying to take control of a narrative, desperate to turn away from her brother’s path.

And that gave Kara hope.

As Kara pressed her thumb down on the device, she prayed her instincts were right, that the woman wasn’t the monster everyone suspected her to be.

The device beeped, and Lena stared down, confused at the bright red that flashed in front of her. In that moment, her entire demeanor shifted, as she slowly - achingly, worriedly - looked back up at Kara.

Kara watched as the emotions flit across Lena’s face, a complicated array that passed in mere seconds as Lena realized what she had done. Kara could feel the pounding in her own heart - but there was no hiding the remorse on Lena’s face.

But Lena was clever, and Kara sensed what was happening as Lena’s eyes moved from Kara’s glasses to her ponytail, the CEO mouthing flew here on a bus silently. Discovering that Kara was alien was just a small step from knowing who Kara really was.

But hope continued to bloom in Kara’s chest, as she watched the concern in Lena’s gaze. Perhaps it was foolish to trust the Luthor so early, but Kara just sensed… she wasn’t sitting across from her nemesis. Perhaps they could rewrite the narrative.

“A super, at the mercy of a Luthor,” Kara said softly, rising from her seat, proud that her voice didn’t waiver. “I should be terrified.”

Lena’s eyes darted between Kara’s, but Kara gave a small smile that she hoped conveyed I believe in you, before turning and making her way out the door. Snapper would have to get his interview another day.

Lena stood silently at her desk for a moment, staring after the reporter in confusion and awe, before a small smile crossed her own lips. Lena reached down to her phone, tapping at a couple buttons. Had Kara had her superhearing intact, perhaps she would’ve smiled at Lena’s words. 

“Jess, put me through to R&D. I need to cancel a product.”

[bluemoonsymphonies]

Headcanon #18

Leo is a great detective.

It is already established that Leo is great at strategy, which means the he's good at spotting small details that most people miss.

I imagine that when they were younger the turtles liked watching those murder mystery shows with Splinter. Eventually, they turned guessing the killer into a contest. April later joined them in it on the weekends.

Donnie probably ended up watching true-crime shows just to beat Leo in guessing, which backfired when Leo started joining him in watching them and it became a twin thing.

Raph and Mikey probably, at one point, teamed up to try and cheat by Google-ing episode synopsis before everyone watched it. But Donnie's No-Cheater Sensors (Patent-pending) immediately pinged the search and Raph and Mikey lost a point each for the attempted cheating.

Leo took pride in his winning streak, but probably wouldn't, truly, mind all that much if he lost. Not that he wouldn't play up the dramatics. His favorite part of the contest was watching the shows with his family.

Leo still rubs his ability to always guess the killer in everyone's faces.

One time, after Leo rubbed it in a little too much, April, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey agreed to cheat just to knock him off his high horse. They picked a movie that many people said the plot twist was impossible to guess, and then they learned the plot twist before hand.

During the next Sibling Movie Night they played the movie, and they were ready to wait for the perfect time to place their guess. Until Leo guessed, within the first 15 minutes, what the plot twist was. The following conversation was hilarious.

Leo: Yeah those two's vibes ar- Uh guys?

April, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey: *Jaws dropped*

Leo, getting worried: Are you guys okay?

April, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey, still not reacting: *Mentally going "What the fuck"*

Leo, poking them in the face, trying to hide his concern: Helloooo, anyone home?

April, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey: *A fly flies up April's nose and comes out her mouth*

Leo, blatantly concerned and on the verge of an anxiety attack: DAD!!!!

After that Splinter had to come in and wave his socks in their faces to get them to un-freeze. They all silently agreed not to cheat again.

Masterpost | Ko-Fi | First | <Prev | Next>

[delight-angelsbliss]

s1 nr30 with metal sonic pls!! where the reader made the letter and metal detects their letter in the trash somehow if it's not too much to ask!! ty<3

Prompt: writing a letter only to throw it away

Warnings:

Notes: it feels so good to finally be writing again after a while!! I hope you have an amazing day and valentines spent with ur loved ones <3 edit: this got out late because I was having issues with Tumblr resetting this so some requests might be on hold until I get that fixed

A robot that doesn't feel, Aka metal sonic! It doesn't feel nor does have a need for physical contact which makes him the "better" sonic right? So why did nobody treat him like something that is a true organism?

So why did you try? Everytime he sees u the fans in his body immediately try to cool his heating body so it wouldn't overheat

The faulty in his code made his "thoughts" wander away from his tasks and that thought was of you how was he able to get so distracted by a mere mortal like you

He didn't know how he could control these disruptions or why they were there but if he knew one thing he knew it was because of you

He knew that everytime he saw u going easy on him or still having respect for him that his body would start heating rapidly

it would be reasonable to confront the disruption right?

His mechanical body was seen walking through the streets, on his way to your apartment

He didn't know if he could feel or even WAS feeling something but even then he didn't want to just waste the opportunity to see you

Was it a bad thing to show up empty handed? He didn't know, but for some reason it didn't matter all that mattered right now was that he was going to your place

After a while he finally reached your apartment building, your window was open and an easy entrance for him

As the robot was climbing through the window his sensor notices something, a piece of paper in the trash

His curiosity gets the best of him

His metal claws screech against the the trash can before he picks up the paper

It was a white letter with many pink hearts but what Intruiged him the most was the fact it was addressed to Metal sonic

The more he reads the more he understands you feel the exact same way as he does

Right on cue, you walk through the entrance door, towel on your wet hair and fresh new pyjamas

Your face heats up as you notice the letter in his hands

"You didn't read it.. Did you?"

Metal only looks at you in response, nodding his head, it's sad he doesn't have a mouth to talk

Silence fills the room, it felt so wrong to be here but also so right

Your voice cuts through the silence

"Do you wanna stay the night?.." You ask, unsure if he would agree or not since he now knows you're in love with an inorganic robot and might be weirded out.. Is that even possible?

How wrong you were, just maybe the robot can reciprocate your feelings for him

[redflagshipwriter]

FIC GAME: guess the context

This is an excerpt from the Snitches pic, part 6. I very badly want to know what you think is going on.

“Sam’s scary,” Danny said philosophically. “Someone is going to get bit, infect the other, and then they’re going to come back both worse and meaner.”

[...]

The doorbell rang downstairs. “And she wouldn’t mess with Sam, anyway,” he said. He frowned in the general direction of the door. Shit. Did he have to get that? He waited a few optimistic moments for the sounds of adult footsteps.

Nothing. Ugh. Had his parents left the house early?

He launched himself up and rubbed at his face with a hand. “Just a sec, I gotta get the door,” he groused, phone still in hand.

“Sucks,” Tucker said. “Who is it?”

Danny jogged down the stairs with loud, unhappy thumps. “I dunno.” He got to the bottom of the stairs and did a tactical roll to get into the kitchen, dodging the new sensor in the living room with the ceiling mounted turrets. He crept by using the counters as a barrier and then ducked into the entryway before he finally stood up. “Sup.” He flung open the door and immediately choked on his own spit. 

“Who is it?” Tucker asked again. “Are you ok?”

Danny looked at Damian Wayne, also known as the detective-acrobat Robin. Hm. Maybe he should have expected this.

[silvercoloredskiess]

Brother In-Ho/Front Man x Sister squid game guard reader (Platonic)

Requested by this lovely person: @maryberry2711

Synopsis: You reluctantly became a guard for the squid games, but are completely unaware your brother is the front man.

Genre: Angst

Warnings: Squid game so there is shooting. And death. Mention of sibling estrangement. Some mild cursing. Sad ending. Let me know if I forgot any!

Word count: 1,239

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's been countless years since your brother In-Ho and you have been estranged. It's very complicated as to why, but you mainly decided to cut ties with him because of his very unusual behavior. You saw him way less often than you used to. It's almost as if something changed him. Every time you two were in the same room it was like the atmosphere changed instantly.

Which is why you decided to stop texting him, or having plans together. No more birthday celebrations or weekly calls you two used to do often. And in return, he stopped doing anything either. You realized your efforts to do anything with him were never reciprocated, so why keep trying?

Some days ago, you received a business card from a weird person who approached you as you were resting by the sidewalk. It was for a job, and after reading the description, you spent an entire night in your car deciding whether you should pursue this unknown job. You ultimately decided to go to where this job was.

And that's how you became a guard for the squid game, as the front man called them as he was telling every other unknown person dressed in the hot pink costume and the mask covering their face. You had a triangle mask, which meant you had to kill any player who fails a game. Your eyes widened as you were given the weapon.

It was evident almost all these guards had seen enough things to not care about the dangerous things they were about to do, so you were in the minority. The mysterious recruiter must have thought you were going through something tough, which was partially correct; you had to live in your vehicle due to being evicted recently.

You were all sent to your rooms, and nobody was allowed to talk with one another. Not like it mattered anyway since everyone had to stay in their room. Taking off the uniform, you immediately tried to go to sleep, but the sight of the gun and uniform hanging on the wall across your bed was already haunting.

The next morning, everyone was instructed to wake up very early to prepare for the new players. The square guards mobilized to the lobby to tell the players why they were there, explaining the rules of the game and the grand prize money. You were fixing up your uniform in the mirror; looking at yourself once again, before moving to the area the Officer wanted the triangle guards to be in; the compact rooms behind the walls of the first game room.

Some hours later all the players entered the room to play red light green light. Your instructions were to shoot any players detected by the system as moving during the red light. You took a big sigh and tears rolled down your face. You didn't want to do this anymore. Was the money really worth it?

When the robotic girl doll at the finish line turned around shouting "red light!", some players did stand still but trembled immensely. They were caught by the robot's sensors and the guards were ordered to shoot them. But you refused to pull the trigger on one very shaky player. The other guards thought you were going to get to them, so they ignored it.

This went on for the rest of the game. Unfortunately, for the Six-Legged Pentathlon, you had to shoot the losers of the game because you were being watched by the other guards. The other guards were overjoyed since you didn't shoot the players too much. They needed the bodies for selling their organs. You weren't aware of this operation though.

In the game of Mingle, you were assigned to shoot any room full of players if the number of players didn't match the number announced. The good news was, you got away with ignoring those rooms, looking inside the rooms to make it look like you were going to do something. However, the square guards monitoring the games had a suspicious feeling about you.

You went straight to your room after the game ended, hiding under the covers of your bed. There were a few sudden knocks on your door, but you ignored them in fear you would be punished. That night would be the supposed Lights-Out game, which didn't need to be moderated by the guards unless necessary. So you just slept.

For an hour at least..

Apparently there was a rebellion, started by player 456. All guards were ordered to report to this immediately, and so you rushed out of bed and put your uniform on, heading down with the other guards. Opening the big lobby doors, you and the guards quickly discovered the players were armed, so the guards in front shot at the players as you quivered in the back.

Lots of gunshots between the players and guards could be heard. You loaded your gun in case a player tried to shoot you as well. If only these players knew you were the reason half of them were alive at the moment... sigh.

You got way too scared and tried to make a retreat when every guard was shot by the players. But the doors closed on you, making you a shaking whimpering mess. Player 456 and 001 walked up to you, holding you at gunpoint. You took the mask off at their command and agreed to take them to the control room.

The other players who could shoot fought back against the other guards that were mobilized to the other room. 456 and 001 ran with you to the entrance of the control room, giving them the mask you were wearing to see if they could sneak in. The men thanked you as they ran into the control area.

(This is also the period of time where Young-il disappears and wears the Front Man outfit.)

Suddenly, you felt a huge pain in your head, and dropped to the floor with unconsciousness. You were shot. When the Front Man noticed all this activity and ordered the Officer to take your body away, you were brought to the crematorium.

"Pathetic..." The Front Man said, looking at your unconscious body. But, the realization came into his head. He realized you looked very familiar. Were you.... his sister!?

The Officer looked at him in confusion. But the front man was already having a breakdown.

"F*CK... (Y/n)? Is that you!? Answer me! Please!"

He shook your body. Since you were shot in the head, and looked very unconscious, it might've already been too late. He took his mask off, revealing himself to be Hwang In-Ho.

"God damn it! Is my sister really dead!? No... no!"

He felt your cold face and started to cry. But he wanted to take revenge. He ordered the Officer to pull up the camera footage, since there was still one camera left. The officer identified the guard, and immediately shot him as according to In-Ho's wishes. It was surprising that guard was still alive..

Unfortunately, you would never get to know the truth behind why your brother was distant toward you. But he regretted it deeply. He didn't even care about the rebellion anymore. If only he had spent more time with you when you tried to see him. What a foolish man he was.

As desensitized to death as he was, he will never let you go.

[nowimjustastranger]

possible fic request: chap 2/3 ford pov of you look like yourself (but you’re somebody else) when he sees stan/saves him from the creatures/patches him up? whatever works best

Ford crouched on top of a large rock that protruded from the sand, his eyes vigilantly sweeping over the expanse of desert as he sipped from his water canteen. Most of the wildlife on this planet resided underground so the ability to see had been bred out of most species, replaced with sensors that could detect vibration.

Delta/R3 wasn’t the worst dimension that Ford had traveled through, nor was it the most dangerous.

Ford paused when he saw something move in the distance, half hidden by another boulder. He tapped the side of his goggles to zoom in on the area of interest, brows furrowing when he saw a pair of human legs sticking out from behind the rock. Ford shifted as far over as he could while remaining on his perch, screwing the cap back onto his water canteen before stuffing it into his pack.

The legs shifted again, boots digging into the sand as the knees drew up to brace under an equally human torso. Ford had been consuming plenty of water and even started eating semi-regularly between doses of his meal replacement pills again, so he highly doubted what he was seeing was a result of a hallucination. Still, Ford did a quick recon of his body to be certain that he could trust his eyes.

It quickly became apparent that he was in perfect health save for some lost sleep, which meant that there was an actual human being in this wasteland with him. Ford widened his stance, pressing a hand to the rock to keep his balance, his free hand rapidly tapping the side of goggles to enhance the image. He caught a brief glimpse of grown out brown hair and an arm before a Guux descended upon its unsuspecting prey.

Ford hadn’t even seen it emerge from its burrow, as focused on the human as he was.

The scream that cut through the air had Ford’s body lunging off its perch before his brain could even register that he recognized that sound, hitting the ground running. He jammed his finger against the side of the goggles to reduce the zoom so his depth perception wouldn’t be off, his other hand drawing his gun. He couldn’t get a clear shot with the boulder in the way, so he adjusted his course to a wide arc.

Ford’s finger froze on the trigger when he cleared the rock and saw just who was dangling from the Guux’s jaws, his heart leaping into his throat at the sheer amount of red that covered both Stanley and the surrounding area. There was far too much blood outside of Stanley’s body, which jerked when the Guux began to retreat back to its burrow with its meal.

Ford heard a choked cry and it was due to muscle memory that he was able to react as quickly as he did, his hand smoothly correcting his aim before he squeezed the trigger. Ford had to lock his knees to keep from rushing to Stanley when he dropped from the Guux’s mouth, hitting the ground in an unmoving heap. Ford’s vision tunneled on Stanley as the Guux roared at him, silently willing his brother to show some sign of life.

After what felt like an eternity –but was really only a second or so– Stanley moved, weakly pushing himself up. The Guux twitched when it sensed Stanley’s movement and Ford fired two more shots before it could go for Stanley a second time. The Guux twitched as it toppled over to lay in a rapidly growing puddle of its own acrid yellow blood, sending up a plume of sand that obscured Ford’s view of his brother.

Ford prowled forward, sidestepping the Guux’s corpse as the cloud of sand was broken apart by the wind, revealing the familiar face of his teenage brother. Ford would assume he was seventeen if not for the hair, but he couldn’t possibly be any older than twenty. Ford leveled his gun with Stanley’s chest when the teen pushed himself back a bit, forcing his hand to remain steady.

Ford crept closer at a controlled pace so he could dodge at a moment’s notice, searching for any indication that this was some kind trap meant to lure him into a false sense of security. And, if it was a facade, it was a good one. Ford couldn’t find any deformities or imperfections that would reveal that this was indeed just an elaborate plot with the end goal of killing him.

So that left the suddenly very real possibility that he was currently holding his brother at gunpoint.

Stanley was talking, saying something, but Ford couldn’t hear it over the heartbeat thundering in his ears. But this wasn’t the time nor place for a breakdown, he had to compartmentalize and keep moving. Stopping meant death or worse, especially out in the open. Even so, Ford was undeniably compromised and Stanley needed immediate medical attention.

But one last test first. He had to be sure.

Ford swiftly closed the distance between them as a bitten-off shout emitted from Stanley when he foolishly tried to gesticulate, Ford swallowing the impulse to scold him for forgetting the fact that his arm and shoulder were more shredded meat than functional limb at the moment. Ford’s stomach rolled at the comparison, startling him. Ford hadn’t been squeamish since he was still a child, so feeling nausea outside of contracting an illness was a novel experience.

Stanley’s wild eyes darted down to Ford’s hand when it slipped into the inner pocket of his trench coat to retrieve the DNA reader, telegraphing his movement as he extended the device with the intention of taking some blood that was leaking from Stanley’s wound. However, Ford wasn’t exactly surprised when Stanley twisted away, shielding the wounded limb as best he could under the circumstances.

Ford’s finger tightened on the trigger automatically, causing the gun to charge in an upward crescendo that had Stanley’s face going alarmingly pale as he obediently stilled. Ford carefully relaxed his finger as he collected a sample of blood, the wind abruptly dying down as if the universe itself were holding its breath. Ford split his attention between the device and Stanley as the compartment snapped shut, braced for the worst.

The screen lit up and Ford’s mind went blank, staring down at the results in disbelief.

Stanley Filbrick Pines – Dimension M55”0