#Puzzle rail rush generator

[marauderstrashh]

A Break in The Day

(Y/N) wasn’t exactly the clumsy type. She danced ballet as a child, climbed mountains in college, and could sprint in heels if necessary. So, when she slipped on a wet patch of pavement outside the café on Maple Street, it wasn’t just the pain that shocked her—it was the betrayal of her own coordination.

The world flashed white as she fell. Then black. Then a thousand tiny stars of agony spread across her side. 

She couldn’t move. It had felt like mere seconds as she kept her eyes shut from the pain, the sudden rush of fall disorienting her.

“Oh, that’s definitely broken,” came a voice from above—light, cheerful, and oddly amused.

“James,” another voice said, “maybe don’t say that before we check her vitals.”

Two figures crouched beside her, both in navy uniforms, badges reading Emergency Medical Services. One had a mess of dark, unruly hair and a grin that looked permanently stitched into his face. The other was leaner, sharp-eyed despite his glasses, and wore a mischievous smirk that matched the first like puzzle pieces.

“I’m James,” said the second one, his tone now more soothing. “This is Sirius. We’re going to take care of you. You’re doing great, alright?”

(Y/N) gave a weak thumbs up and immediately regretted the motion. “I think my hip…” she gasped, then winced.

Sirius whistled low. “Yeah, you’re not going to be doing any marathons for a while. But don’t worry, you’re in good hands. We’re the best.”

“The modest best,” James added, already checking her blood pressure.

Despite the pain, (Y/N) found herself chuckling. That was a mistake. It hurt to laugh.

They worked quickly, securing her on a stretcher, cracking jokes the whole time. Sirius told a story about how James once got locked out of the ambulance in the middle of a call. James countered with a tale of Sirius slipping on a banana peel during CPR training, fracturing his own collarbone in the process.

“You two always like this?” she murmured as they loaded her into the ambulance.

“Only when people are conscious enough to appreciate it,” Sirius winked.

At St. Mungo’s General Hospital (the name had always made her think of a wizard’s school, which amused her), the ER was a blur of motion and fluorescent light. James and Sirius handed her off to a doctor with kind eyes and faint scars carved into his face. "(Y/N) (L/N), 24, took a tumble on the pavement. BP 110/70, heartrate normal, no signs of head trauma." Sirius rambled off whilst eyeing the doctor with a very unprofessional gaze, setting your gurney next to a hospital bed. He and James made quick work of transferring you with minimal pain. They made off with rather salacious smiles to the Doctor.

“Dr. Lupin,” he introduced himself, voice soft but steady. “Let’s take a look, (Y/N). You’re safe now.”

There was something calming about him. Like if the world was chaos, Dr. Lupin would still be standing in the middle of it with a cup of tea and a reassuring word.

“Hairline fracture of the hip,” he said after examining the X-rays. “We’ll get you set up with orthopedics, but no surgery needed. Just a lot of rest, and no slip-and-slides for a while.”

“I was aiming for the Olympics,” she said, trying to keep her humor afloat. “Guess that’s on hold.”

Dr. Lupin smiled gently. “Postponed. Not canceled.”

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽

Over the next few weeks, (Y/N) saw a lot of Dr. Lupin. Quiet, thoughtful, often carrying a book in his coat pocket when he came to check on her. He never rushed her. Never spoke down to her. He’d sit by her bed and ask how she was, not just her chart.

And she saw James and Sirius again, too.

They visited once, bringing her flowers and a laminated “No Running Zone” sign as a joke.

“You know,” Sirius said, leaning on her bed rail, his hair pulled back into a loose ponytail “we’ve seen a lot of injuries, but you’re the only one who’s managed to look graceful while breaking a hip.”

“She apparently screamed and fell on her coffee,” James corrected.

“Still. Graceful.”

(Y/N) laughed. This time, it didn’t hurt quite as much.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽

By the time she was discharged, (Y/N) had made a promise to herself. Not just to be careful around slick pavement—but to never let a single bad fall define her.

And maybe, just maybe, to see if Dr. Lupin ever wanted to get coffee sometime.

As she left, Sirius waved her off dramatically. “Be safe out there! And if you fall again, make sure it’s in our district, sweetheart!"

James rolled his eyes. “We’ll come running, (Y/N). Just for you anyway."

She smiled, tucking the little sign they gave her into her bag.

[lobyuslucas]

Talking about my musical choices for Splatoon 4 and what I wanted for the next game in this franchise

General context:

The music from Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 in multiplayer:

An undeniable fact is that Splatoon would probably be better off in the hands of SEGA directors, taking into consideration Jet Set Radio and most of the Sonic games, just seeing the soundtrack of both games that fit into Multiplayer and Story Mode, since Rock with Sonic Adventure to Jazz punk and acoustic instruments with Sonic Unleashed and Sonic Colors, or even more ambient music and the totally surreal sounds of Hero Mode, with Hideki Naganuma's Sounds in Jet Set Radio. Even more so, the urban culture theme of Jet Set Radio would be perfect for Splatoon 4, as this is not as well explored and seen in Splatoon 2

Pizza Tower Soundtrack:

In addition to the Goofy sounds and good rhythms, a sound like "Bye Bye There" being the final farewell to humanity and to Splatoon 1 itself would be ideal to replace the same massive plot of Idol songs played at every holy end of the game. The Noise Update Soundtrack for Salmon Run fits Salmonids' Spicy Little Gremlins personality, perhaps "World WIde Noise" would be a great theme for Salmonlings if we get that one day

Jet Set Radio/Bomb Rush Cyberfunk in Hero Mode:

"The Concept Of Love" is a good choice to be in the style of "Shark Bytes" and "Hide and Sleek" but much more punk, "Sneakman", "Fly Like A Butterfly" and "Teknopathetic" are good to play in confrontations against Rival Octolings (Although I wanted more of Inklings and Octolings in general, without the cliche of Rival Octoling Hair, which would be good to have available as available hair for an Octoling), and some separate aspects as something for more nocturnal activities , like "watchyaback!" and "Electric Tooth Brush", something in the style of "Nine Out Of Tension" and "Tentacular Circus", as well as "Right There, Ride On", sounds for stages with a focus on Ink Rails being something like "Ride Of Fry", as well as "Feel The Funk", and other specific things

Most memorable areas:

Some songs from Sonic CD I included because I wanted more memorable areas, this would serve to make the hero mode more memorable, just like Sonic was a classic era, it would bring more memories to those who play the game, that's why songs like "Metallic Madness" or "Spring Yard", something that was variable where each sector has its specific challenges and its focus that could vary between puzzles, speed, quick thinking or just stopping to appreciate the level design

Agent 4 and his "Endless Possibilities" :

Most people are probably thirsty for Agent 4 in the next Splatoon, I'm the type who compares Agent 3 with Shadow, so such an emotional sound for a final battle like "Endless Possibilities" would be perfect for a face-to-face fight against Agent 4, especially considering what this song is about

The Idols of the next game:

I thought a lot about a group of 4 idols, to finally be able to put at least two men to break the standard of women, in addition to putting more songs from that party atmosphere with Funky rhythm like something like "Soda City Funk" and "Next To Me " as the main theme, in addition to electronic breakbeat rhythms from Hideki Naganuma for Turf Wars such as "GET ENUF" and "Never 4ever", or even classic video montage types. EXE" such as "YO-KAI Disco" and " Radical City: Living In The City" (by the way, Sonic R's OST would be a good inspiration as it is this fast and energetic House Music). My choices come from the fact that I wanted an aesthetic that ranges from POP of the 90s and EDM of the 2000s, with its members inspired by classics from those times.

Bands in general:

We would probably have a continuation of Punk Rock, but I would prefer something more Industrial Rock, a style of music more like "Boarder 70" and "Rhythm and Balance... for White Jungle". There could be exploration of genres such as Breakbeat with acoustic Jazz instruments, such as "Windmill Isle" and "Sweet Mountain", Big Band as in the Team Fortress 2 OST but more similar to the community remixes. The band "Chirpy Chips" could adopt a style from Scott Pilgrim's OST or HI-FI Rush, and could expand these genres to remix the already famous songs in Splatoon

...if I have the option to have Octoling Rival Hair, I'll be happy enough

[asheternal]

Game's I've played recently and my quick thoughts

Brief thoughts about several games I've been going through recently under the bar

Signalis-

The BEST modern survival horror game marrying old school controls and puzzles, the combat is a little clunky but that's to be expected by the format, but god... I love lesbians man... I also really like the art direction, and I'm not the biggest sci-fi horror fan on the planet, but this game feels more Silent Hill than most games meant to be Silent Hill-y.

Needy Streamer Overdrive-

Meh. I get what it's going for but I have major issues with how this title handles some of its subject matter as well as being generally not fun to play. Some of the music is amazing, others hurt my ears and make it hard to focus on what's happening. I really liked the art, I just don't think it's for me.

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk-

AMAZING game, I love the general vibe and how good the music is. Only issue I really had was on my end, I just think comboing needs a bit more explanation because I didn't know how to go between rails for a while

Slay the Princess-

Up there with DDLC in my favorite visual novels list, I adore this game. I'm still working on it as you read this but of the several endings I've seen so far it's really good. I love the art style and narration, not to mention how they handle text is easy on my eyes. Very good horror title!

[mysticalwriterwithintrusivethoug]

From Code to Headlines: How PR Fuels AI Startup Success in a Skeptical World"

A Startup’s Quest for the Spotlight

It is a chilly San Francisco evening, the kind where the fog rolls in like a soft blanket over the city.

Maya, a 30-something dreamer with a knack for code, is tucked into a corner of a lively co-working space, her face lit by the glow of her laptop.

Her startup, AIHealthGenix, has just unlocked something extraordinary an algorithm that can predict disease outbreaks with a precision that feels almost magical.

Her team’s riding a high, and investors are starting to whisper her name. But there’s a problem: outside her tight-knit circle, nobody knows about AIHealthGenix or its life-changing tech. In the thrilling, chaotic, and sometimes downright scary world of artificial intelligence, Maya’s story is one of thousands.

Countless AI startups, each with a flicker of brilliance, are battling for a moment in the spotlight in a market as packed as a rush-hour BART train.

That’s where a powerhouse like Golin PR Agency steps in, spinning marketing and advertising gold to transform unknown innovators into front-page stars with sharp press releases and hard-earned media coverage.

For Maya, the right PR partner isn’t just a bonus it’s the key to either fading into the background or lighting up the world.

The AI revolution is in full swing, and it’s nothing short of electric. It’s 2025, and the global AI market is racing toward $1.8 trillion, growing faster than a meme gone viral.

Startups like Maya’s are the heartbeat of this transformation, cooking up ideas to revolutionize healthcare, shake up finance, or even craft poetry that could give Shakespeare a run for his money.

But here’s the catch: AI is a tough sell. It’s hard to explain, harder to market, and hardest to earn trust for. A 2023 Edelman survey found that 60% of people eye AI companies with suspicion, worried about privacy breaches or algorithms that play favorites.

Toss in the ethical tightrope, cutthroat competition, and the challenge of explaining neural networks to someone who thinks “cloud” just means rain, and you’ve got a PR puzzle as tricky as building the tech itself.

Cast your mind back a few decades, and tech PR was a different beast, think shiny brochures and a friendly chat at a conference booth. By the 2000s, it was all about wooing bloggers and dipping toes into social media.

Today? It’s a high-stakes dance of reputation and crisis management, storytelling backed by data, and sidestepping public doubts.

AI startups like Maya’s have to win over investors who want million-dollar proof, convince customers their tech is safe, and reassure regulators it’s above board all while standing out in a crowded field.

One wrong move, like a buggy demo or a tweet that lands like a lead balloon, can set the internet ablaze. Just look at the startup whose AI chatbot went off the rails last year, becoming a trending cautionary tale for all the wrong reasons.

Maya’s story is every AI founder’s story. Her algorithm could save lives, but without a megaphone, it’s just code on a screen. A PR agency can amplify her voice, but not just any agency will do.

Pick the wrong one, and you’re burning cash on generic press releases that land in spam folders. Pick the right one, and you’re on the front page of Wired, with investors knocking.

This article is for founders like Maya, marketers crafting articles, and investors sizing up the next big thing. It’s a deep dive into the world of PR for AI startups why it matters, who’s doing it best, and where it’s headed.

We’ll unpack the challenges, share stories of triumphs and flops, and give you a roadmap to choose a PR partner that can turn your vision into a movement. By the end, you’ll know how to navigate the chaos of emerging tech and make your startup’s story sing.

The Wild World of AI PR Today

The Big Picture: Trust, Noise, and the Fight for Attention

It’s 2025, and PR for AI startups is like trying to shout over a rock concert. The opportunity is huge AI is reshaping everything from cancer diagnostics to self-driving cars. But the scrutiny is brutal.

People are nervous about AI, thanks to sci-fi horror stories and real-world fumbles like deepfake scandals. A 2024 PRovoke Media report says 70% of PR pros now use AI tools themselves think sentiment trackers or predictive analytics to stay one step ahead of crises.

Meanwhile, startups are drowning in competition. A 2025 Coinbound study found 80% of AI startups fail to snag meaningful media coverage in their first year, often because their PR game is weak.

Agencies like BCW PR Agency (now Burson, post their 2024 merger with Hill & Knowlton) are stepping up, using global networks and sharp data to cut through the clutter.

But it’s not easy ethical controversies, public distrust, and the need to make tech sound simple without sounding simplistic keep PR teams on their toes.

Telling a Story That Sticks

AI is brain-bendingly complex. Try explaining a convolutional neural network to a journalist who barely passed high school math. Now try making it exciting to a nurse, a CEO, or a policymaker.

A 2023 ReBlonde report says 65% of AI startups botch their pitch, leaving investors confused and customers cold. You’ve got to make your tech sound like it matters without losing the magic of what makes it special.

Dodging the Ethical Minefield

AI’s got a PR problem: people think it’s creepy. A 2024 Cision survey found 55% of folks want to know exactly how AI companies use their data.

One wrong move like an algorithm that accidentally discriminates can tank your startup. Just look at the 2023 mess when an AI startup’s facial recognition tool misidentified people of color, sparking a Twitter storm that cost them a major contract.

Breaking Through the Media Clutter

The media’s inbox is a warzone. TechCrunch, Forbes, and Wired get hundreds of pitches daily, and most get trashed.

A 2025 Prezly report says 70% of startup pitches flop because they’re generic or lack connections. For AI startups, it’s even harder journalists are sick of AI hype and want real stories.

Becoming a Trusted Voice

AI startups need to be seen as experts, not just dreamers. But building that cred takes time founders don’t have.

Thought leadership through articles, talks, or whitepapers is key, but it’s tough when you’re busy coding and fundraising.

Privacera’s Rise to Fame

Privacera, a data governance startup, teamed up with Actual Agency in 2024 to become the go-to name in AI security.

Actual wrote articles on industry trends, got Privacera’s CEO on stage at AI conferences, and pitched them to Forbes. The payoff? A 200% spike in coverage and a reputation as the expert to trust.

Picking Your PR Partner

Choosing a PR agency for an AI startup is like picking a band for your wedding you want someone who gets the vibe and won’t miss a beat. Let’s look at three heavyweights: Golin, BCW (now Burson), and Ogilvy, and see how they stack up for AI startups like Maya’s.

Golin PR Agency is a media magnet. Their work with McDonald’s, using data to track campaign success, shows they’re pros at proving ROI perfect for startups needing to justify every dollar.

Golin’s Rolodex gets you into Forbes or TechCrunch, a must for media coverage. But their big-brand focus can make them less nimble for small businesses and startups, and their fees might make a bootstrapped founder wince.

Golin’s your pick if you’ve got funding and a clear story, like AIHealthGenix aiming for global buzz.

BCW PR Agency, now Burson, is the crisis whisperer. Their 2024 merger with Hill & Knowlton made them a tech PR juggernaut, especially for startups facing regulatory or ethical heat.

BCW’s global setup means they can tailor campaigns to local markets, a boon for AI startups going international.

But their corporate vibe can feel cold for early-stage teams, and their size can slow things down. They’re perfect for startups like Clearview AI, needing ironclad reputation management when the going gets tough.

Ogilvy PR Agency is the creative jack-of-all-trades, blending advertising, content, and PR. Their work with IBM’s Watson turned a complex AI into a household name by focusing on human stories.

Ogilvy’s great for startups wanting to build thought leadership with flair. But their broad focus might mean less AI-specific know-how, and their price tag can sting. They’re the choice for startups like Anthropic, who want bold, creative campaigns that last.

What They Bring and Where They Fall Short:

Golin: Killer media connections, but not always startup-friendly.

BCW/Burson: Crisis pros, but can feel too corporate for scrappy teams.

Ogilvy: Creative storytelling wizards, but might lack deep AI chops.

How They Could Step Up:

Golin could offer leaner packages for small businesses and startups.

BCW needs to speed up and personalize for early-stage clients.

Ogilvy should double down on AI expertise to match niche players like ReBlonde.

Where AI PR Is Headed

The future of PR for AI startups is a wild ride. By 2030, AI-powered PR tools will be everywhere think platforms like Sprinklr predicting crises or personalizing pitches in real-time.

DeepSearch mode, like what Grok uses, will let agencies dig through web and social data to craft laser-focused campaigns. But new headaches are coming: deepfakes and AI-generated content will make trust harder to earn.

A 2025 IPREX report predicts 80% of PR campaigns will need to tackle deepfake risks by 2028.

What’s Next:

Hyper-Targeted Campaigns: AI will let agencies customize content for every stakeholder, like APCO’s Margy platform already does.

Ethics First: Startups will lean into transparency, with agencies like Actual Agency leading on ethical messaging.

New Media: AI-generated videos and podcasts will take over, pushing agencies like Ruder Finn’s RF Studio53 to master new formats.

Your Story, Your Future

Maya’s journey with AIHealthGenix mirrors every AI founder’s dream: build something world-changing and get the world to notice.

This article has walked you through the chaotic, thrilling world of PR for AI startups. From Golin’s media savvy to BCW’s crisis control to Ogilvy’s creative spark, each agency offers something unique.

Niche players like ReBlonde and Actual Agency are proving smaller can be smarter, especially for AI. The challenges ethical traps, crowded markets, tech complexity are real, but the right PR partner can turn them into opportunities.

Stories like DeepMind’s AlphaFold show what’s possible when PR nails the human angle, while Clearview AI’s fumble reminds us what’s at stake when it doesn’t.

The future? It’s AI-driven, ethically charged, and multimedia-heavy, with agencies needing to stay nimble to keep up. For founders like Maya, PR isn’t a side gig it’s the heartbeat of success.

Pick an agency that gets your tech, like W2O Group amplifies your vision, and has your back when things get messy. In the fast, fragile world of AI, your story isn’t just code it’s the spark that lights up the future. Go tell it.

[allyear-lff]

Enys men

Summary: a woman in mourning descends into a state of mental confusion while dealing with memories of the past.

Plot and musings with spoilers: Enys men (pronounced "mein", because apparently that is Cornish language pronunciation, all this told by the affable BFI chap that said a few words about the film) is a magical psychological study of a woman in mourning.

The woman in question, portrayed very credibly and intriguingly by Mary Woodwine, is in an isolated island, we first see her in a cliff by the sea absorbed in a bunch on little flowers, she looks at them, seems to take the soil temperature and walks back inland passing by a derelict building, there she picks up a stone and drops it in a well that seems to be quite deep, she continues her walk to a basically provisioned cabin and writes an entry on a diary about the flowers: no change, the same temperature, this simple routine is followed during the film no matter what but not all visits to the flowers will be the same.

The cabin where she lives, apparently alone, has few amenities, she needs to start up a generator in order to use them: an old radio and a radio communication set where she keeps in touch with a man at sea, all seems in the brink of collapsing and looks like she will need fuel for the generator very soon, all feels very precarious and lonely, beyond the front door in the distance there is a stone that resembles a Virgin Mary statue, this will be all present, like a silent menacing character throughout the film. 

We see the routine repeated a second time and it all seems to be descending into monotony when we a young girl appears briefly, she seems to be in the same house, which is immediately weird and spooky because the film is quite advanced by now and the woman has not acted in any way that would suggest she has any company.

The routine resumes, but now the woman hears noises in the ground below the cabin, she decides to go and investigate, finds an ancient rail track and at the end of a tunnel we are shown visions of men, miners of all ages working down there, at this point I assumed they were spirits of times gone by, I suppose these are the Enys Men of the title, the interesting thing is the they aren’t the only phantoms we have seen, at some point we saw women dressed on the use of hundreds of years ago appearing briefly behind the woman in the flowers’ cliff, we see a priest, also out of time, reading some religious stuff that was supposed to make sense at this point, and for a moment we see a bit of water flowing backwards, all this punctuated by sweeping views of the desolate landscape and other psychedelic images.

Given the  aesthetics of the film, grainy and off-washed colour it reminded me of several films from the 1970s  with similar psychological tones,

We do a couple of important jumps to the past, the woman at some point, while simply changing clothes, reveals a big scar on her abdomen, at that point it doesn’t make sense, but later on the young girl we saw early on in the film appears to the woman while standing in the roof of the cabin, the phantom girl will make another apparition again in a moment of confusion with women and girls all over the place (more spirits or something) and then the girl falls (jumps?) from the roof, we see her fall through a glass ceiling and once she lands in the floor we can see a fresh scar on her abdomen, now we know, the girl is the woman herself.

The final bit of the puzzle is drawn when a man shows up in the cabin, he seems to just being bringing supplies but now the woman detaches herself from several scenes in which she and the man get intimate (dancing, having sex) but she is an outside observer looking at herself interacting with him, this comes to a dramatic conclusion when the woman rushes to the pier and can see the body of a man in the water, it is him, her man, being rescued, lifeless, but she can see herself in the rescue boat helping to get him on board.

Confused? I am pretty sure that was the intention of the director, to shift the ground all the time to keep us in our toes trying to figure out what is going on, to each one his own but I don’t particularly enjoy this kind of trippy films, I have to say that the presence of Ms Woodwine holds the film together, she looks like a woman that has lived who is at that point in life between the end of youth and the beginning of old age, not middle age as such, words fail me frankly, but a point in which she is at the peak of her womanhood, I just liked her lots, she plays her character with conviction and the film was tolerable only because her full commitment to the idea, as for the spirits of times gone by I don’t dig that spiritual, paranormal stuff.

Rating: 3.5/5

80 of 168

Date: 19 January 2023

Venue: BFI Southbank

The list of films in the LFF 2022

[midnightstar789]

The tournament came down, of course, to Dwalin and Thorin.

Last two in the ring. Each chest heaving as they slowly recognized this fact and turned towards each other.

Sword clashed against axe and axe against shield as they met in the middle.

A split second where Thorin's attention focused on something rather further over Dwalin's shoulder and the hall went silent as Thorin's sword was wrenched out of his grip and an axe blade found itself hastily pulled back so it just nicked the tender skin under Thorin's still short shorn beard. Thorin looked stricken. Dwalin himself was in quite a bit of shock.

"We have our winner? Dwalin Fundinson!" Fili hesitated to announce but did so at Balin's nudge. "If you would come forth to receive your prize..." He trailed off at the apoplectic look on his uncles face, firming his stance as he felt Bilbo step up next to him, borrowing some of the Hobbit's bravery. Something brushed against his arm.

"Come, Guard Captain Fundinson, approach so you might accept your prize." Bilbo called to the still frozen seeming dwarves in the middle of the ring. "And you as well, King Thorin, for placing second in this tourney." Bilbo's addition caused the dwarrow in the stands to break out into hushed muttering. Or perhaps it was the flowers he was holding onto, really, he mused to himself, if they think I would bestow a kiss on just anyone...

Dwalin approached the Royal box slowly after sheathing Grasper and Keeper. He could feel Thorin a half step behind him as they stopped at the railing between the box and the tourney floor. He was puzzled by the flowers in Bilbo's hands but figured the hobbit would explain himself shortly so didn't ask.

"As was requested of me, I will bestow a kiss upon the winner of this Tourney as a Hero of Erebor. However being I am a hobbit, to do so as Dwarrow do, would leave us with a dead Captain of the Kings Guard." Bilbo smirked in such a familiar fashion that Dwalin realized it had to have been learned by seeing Thorin do so. Bilbo had to raise his voice to be heard over the general clamor his statement brought about.

"A Hobbit's kiss is poisonous to all but our Chosen and our immediate family! Thus I will gladly bestow these flowers bearing kiss in their names to our winners. I even went to the trouble of getting them in bearded form of Irises." Bilbo handed the first two flowers to Dwalin explaining as he did that Bearded Irises are known to represent Courage and Valor.

"This first one is called "Iris Country Kisses" while the second you hold, the moonstone looking one, is "Iris Friendly Advice".

Dwalin stepped to the side admiring the pair of flowers, paying especial attention to the more gem like, allowing Thorin to step up to the railing. Thorin gazed at the Hobbit in apprehension, the Royal Box was raised enough that he was at eye level with Bilbo for once. It was weirdly disconcerting. With a blush just beginning to rise high enough on Bilbo's neck the hobbit handed him the remaining two flowers.

Thorin gently brushed a finger along the salmon colored flower before looking back to Bilbo.

"That one is called "Iris Blushing Kiss". Bilbo said as his blush rose higher up his neck, voice rising with it as he rushed through the name of the second silvery bloom and not waiting for anyone to say anything in response to it he left the Tourney grounds for his rooms.

Surprisingly Oin showed up before Thorin did.

"What's this I've been told about you being poisonous, lad?" He asked as he visually checked him over. Bilbo chuckled.

"I might've exaggerated just a bit. It's not truly one kiss and you're dead, more like 10 kisses and a Dwarrow might start to get ill from it. Although even that might be pushing it currently, seeing as I've only just gotten my foxglove and belladonna plants capable of producing." Bilbo mused, hearing his outer door open but paying it no mind.

"Belladonna?" Oin asked as he looked up from trying to gauge how healthy Bilbo's foot hair was without touching it. Bilbo nodded a pleased look on his face.

"Of course! Not to mention the Hemlock and the Death berries on the second level," Bilbo cut a look to the dwarf standing in the doorway at their panicked inhale, "There is a reason I requested that the second level have a lock that only I can unlock, Thorin, I know you dwarrow."

"Besides, if we were to start now, I could have you immune to even Poison Oak by this time next year." Bilbo said with a small smile as he stared at the heavily ruffled, fluted bloom colored a beautiful silvery blush that Thorin was clutching to his chest. Thorin colored immediately.

"You mean it?"

"Yes."

"The flower and, and the reason for this named flower?" Thorin's voice wavered with the hope Bilbo could see shining from his dwarrow's eyes.

"Yeah, I figured that "Iris Head Over Heels" was better then the other one I wanted to give you. "Iris Marital Bliss" probably wouldn't have gone over quite as well with the rest of the spectators." If Bilbo had thought that Thorin was flushed before now the dwarrow was redder then his prize tomatoes.

------------------------------Credits Below--------------------------------

All pictures are from this site: https://library.floretflowers.com/collections/irises

------------------------------Author's Notes-------------------------------

I am up ENTIRELY too late to be good for me, but the idea wouldn't let go. gonna tag a couple of people because i can

@shantismurf, @nostalgicnarrator, @lucigoo, @khazdmazerb

Bagginshield prompt: pre relationship with Bilbo in Erebor being asked to bestow a ‘prize’ to the winner of an annual tournament. Bilbo thinks he’ll pass off a trophy but turns out the ‘prize’ is a kiss from a hero of Erebor, when Thorin finds out he practically jumps off his throne to fight in the tournament himself. He says he wants to save his friend from having to kiss a stranger but of course he wants the hobbit kiss for himself

[toruro]

Tell me why I had this stupid thought of mingyu making you cum 21 times since you're turning 21 on your birthday lmao 😭😭😭 so like all day sex and everytime he finds an opportunity, he's fucking you, the counter, the dining table, the bed, the couch, the wall...

I think my brain is broke bye and also maybe because my bday is soon ndjdjdn I'm sorry this was so random

- Corruption kink anon

drinking legally for the first time??? nah. fucking??? yeah, that’s more up mingyu’s speed.

the second you wake up, your legs would be thrown over his shoulders and he’d eat you out. then fuck you into the mattress just moments after that.

rolling out of bed, he’d make you pancakes and then you’d get whipped cream all over your face and when he leans in, you think he’s going to wipe it away with his finger but then he just licks it off of you and then bends you over the counter to rail you again. and after you cum he’d pick you up and have you straddle him while you sit on the counter and proceed to drive you to yet another orgasm.

and then you two would sit down for a show but you don’t last more then three minutes sitting between his legs before you feel his hard against your back and suddenly he’s fucking you, ass up while you lay on the cushions. then there’s sex again on the floor because you fall off the couch.

then he remembers that you need to open his gifts. there are a few cute ones, like a puzzle of a picture of the two of you and your families that you’ll be making with him later, and then a perfume set that you’ve been eyeing for a while, and then last but not least, of course he got you a vibrator.

suggests you test it out and then you’re back on the bed with the little buzzing device plunged deep into your cunt while mingyu slaps your pussy until you’re reaching another orgasm.

fucks you god knows how many times after that.

lunch is rather peaceful—you two make it one hour without sex and then he lets you talk on the phone with your family for a bit and once you’re done he’s insisting on fucking you until you’re full of his cum.

afternoon goes bye bye.

you’d think by the time it’s evening neither of you have it left in you to fuck any longer. when you go out for dinner, you make the dangerous mistake of wearing a tight dress and when mingyu sees you he just can’t hold himself back and fucks you standing up in the closet.

you think it’s safe to go to dinner with your friends and mingyu after you both let that out, but then he’s eyes you all up and down at the restaurant and it’s driving you fucking crazy so you just have to rush off to the bathroom with him for a quickie.

and then when you get home he fucks you sweet and slow and it literally brings you both to tears, both from emotions and just how sensitive you are in general and fuck, you know he’s the love of your life.

[fvrxdrm]

5 Times

Pairing: Damnation!Leon Kennedy x Reader

Warning(s): None

*****

4 times Leon didn't confess his love and 1 time he did.

One

It was the giggles that sailed upon your boat, the laughter, the smiles. You both saw the funny in everything and that was your bond. You could be serious too; you loved deeply of others more than what was generally accepted. So you guessed the humor was how you let out the tension that kind of love brings. In those silly moments you were perfect, and they were the sweetness you needed in rough times. That's what friends do, right? It's the love that makes doors in emotional brick walls, the love that makes everything possible.

That's what Leon always thought. It was so cordial and unique in a way that he felt like what he valued so much was somehow outlandish and alien. He couldn't distinguish what comes out of him whenever you were with him and every tingle that raises hills on his skin was a puzzle he was unable to solve.

"I'll see you around," you mumbled against his chest.

"Yep." Leon unwrapped his arms around you albeit slowly, reluctant for some reason, and smiled through his pursed lips. "I'll see you around."

He watched as you wended your way from his house and into your home, a teasing tug pulling his lips at the ghost of your own against his cheek.

Two

Under the dim lights and the colorful ornamentations, your raiment sparkled against the gleam, catching the eye of many guests, predominantly Leon. You looked like a princess wearing a headband that imitated a crown, a top and a pair of pants embellished with a winking glint that could be mistaken as diamonds from afar, and heeled leather boots that comically made you look tall. Your hair was in a loose and messy braid with a few strands hanging just beside your face and a light chain that twisted along your H/L H/C locks.

Leon was in awe, no doubt. His focus was glued to your appearance. Even when his friends were making random conversations with him, he found it unbearably hard to keep his icy blues away from you.

"You should just ask her out, you know. You've been staring at her with heart eyes the entire night," Chris spoke as he followed the trail of Leon's gaze towards you.

Leon broke away from his stupor and shook his head at the man's voice, his blood rushing towards his neck and face.

"What? No, no. You're mistaken. I-I don't like her like that."

"You sure? Last time we were drunk you were yelling about how much you love her right into my ear."

"We were drunk, Chris."

"And? What's that saying again? A drunk man's words are a sober man's thoughts?" Chris simpered as Leon's eyes widened in surprise.

"What? Th-that's not true!" He denied.

"Mhm, sure. Anyway, my girlfriend's probably looking for me now," the taller and bulkier man said. "At least ask her to dance."

As Chris' footsteps faded away into the beat of the music, Leon thought about what he had said.

Did he actually like her, or was it just something he was confusing himself with? Either way, you were still a treasured dear to him and whether or not his heart was romantically beating for you, he would still value you the same, although he would probably be a bit clingier if you did end up together.

For now, he'll just ask you for a dance, go with the flow, and see what happens.

Three

The night rode in on a horse of pure midnight velvet, beckoned by the stars under the glow of a full moon. As the colors of the day rested, perhaps dreamt of the morrow, the forest became its monochrome beauty, darkened greens and golds that made an ever-changing, ever-present puzzle, question and answer united.

Fire danced beside you as you and Leon laid against under the constellation of stars and talked the night away, smiling and laughing at every jest that was told.

It felt pleasant to be in his arms and he felt warmth as a wild heart beat in his bars.

"This one," you began, leading his fingers towards a raised and silvery part of your skin, "I got this when I was younger. I got stabbed by a pencil."

"A pencil?"

"Yeah. My friend and I got into a fight and it was buried, like, 3-fucking-inches inside of me. And holy shit, my teacher didn't fucking notice it while I was bleeding profusely. I was leaking hamburger helper!"

Leon busted a gut and pulled you towards him even more as he shook in laughter.

You went on and on about the most absurd things that had happen during your childhood until you lost all energy and eventually fell asleep in Leon's arms.

You looked peaceful, he thought. Your face was so serene as if nothing had really affected you in any way. The world was cruel, but you only sought for the brighter side and stood along it with your back turned to the hell it truly bore. Your lips were parted lightly, and hair just a tad bit messy from all the exaggerated movements you'd done while telling your stories and tossing your head back while laughing. A part of your skin was showing as your top rode up, and he couldn't the blush that crawled up to his face when realized his hand was rested on that patch of skin.

He smiled.

Maybe he did like you, or love you. If his admiration wasn't enough, then his heart reassured him.

Four

"Oh, fuck!"

You swam away from Leon as fast as your arms and legs could fight against the water as he chased you, muscles and quads aiding him. Compared to you, he was more skilled in this type of stuff while you had chicken legs with barely anything of assistance. So it was no surprise when he caught up to you with spider hands and wrapped his arms around your waist. He tickled your stomach, the bareness of it making the stimulation all the more patent and making you guffaw while squirming in his arms.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" You cried in between laughter. You turned around to face him when you felt his hands making a stop against the side of torso and looked at the wonders of his eyes steadily and intensely.

You didn't notice it, but Leon's breath hitched at the proximity of your faces, the hot air that flew out of your nose hitting the droplets on his face. You were in a daze. Both of you. It felt so intimate and bona fide that for a second that was your only reality.

Your fingers trailed up his chest, neck, and finally his cheek, and for a moment, your hand was still on his face with only your thumb moving to stroke the scar that was stripped away from his hair. Leon furrowed his brows. The inside of your lip was lightly bitten as you thought about your next action for a moment. But decided that fuck it, life is short. If he felt the same way than congrats! But if he didn't, well, it's either he'll pull away or kiss back with no purpose. And hey, what's the matter with making out with your best friend?

And so, you drew a bit closer, albeit rather slowly in case Leon wanted to pull away. But seeing as he was copying your motions, you saw his intention and pressed your lips against his in a shy lip-lock.

Five

Leon tugged on his tie as he looked at the people dancing around inside of the venue, his heart doing a little dance of its own when he saw you smiling with the crowd.

He blew a sigh, the breeze intertwining with the air. He could see the party from the balcony: flashes of different color schemes, the swaying of dresses as the women moved, the chattering of people as they drank the glasses of champagne. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe this was all about you and him; two souls entwined by love.

"I see you didn't invite me," a sultry and velvety voice said from beside him. He knew who it was and it didn't faze him anymore to see her appearing uninvited as she always did.

"What are you doing here, Ada?"

"What, I can't go see two of my favorite people anymore?"

"Well, it always ended in a mess, anyway, so what's the point." Ada chuckled in response and leaned back against the railing, the smile her giggling left still ghosting on her face. It was all jokes, fun, and games to her for a moment until she turned serious and gazed at you from a distance where you couldn't notice.

"Take care of each other, Leon. You both are worth more than what you give yourselves credit for," she muttered. "I wish I could've given her the life you're giving to her now. But I can't, and I'll remain like this until I die."

In the depths of her mind, Ada reminisced on the time when she was in Leon's position. She gave the love you needed and wanted, and cared for you in so many ways. But she was a mercenary, a wanted one at that, and she knew that one day, everything would be thrown into a void or burned until it turned to ashes. So, she broke what you had off and handed you to Leon where he could give you a better life.

Leon couldn't say anything. It seemed rude and odd but he remembered when you knocked on his door, drenched in rain water and sobbing everything from your chest. It hurt to see you like that. And so, he promised. He promised to be the best husband he could ever be and shower you with everything he could give you.

"Leon!" Your voice rang out as you ran towards him with a wide smile on your face, startling the both of them.

Leon turned towards where Ada stood but saw that she was gone as if she was nothing but an apparition that was made by his mind.

He was befuddled for a moment, pondering about his encounter with the woman, but found his heart racing as you came closer to him.

What transpired was long forgotten and all the world could see how Leon mimicked the smile that defined the joy you brought to him. He was just happy to share such a beautiful moment with you and he optimistically wondered about what was ahead of you.

He pulled you towards him and spun you around as he battered your face with kisses, whispering 'I love you's and so many more sweet nothings against your cheeks while you laughed in his arms.

Hidden within the shadows was the raven-haired woman, imitating their smiles as she watched the intimacy from afar. She felt like her mission was done and although it hurt, she was thankful for what she'd done. Leon was going to give you the life you deserved and he was going to fill the holes she'd left.

*****

This was rushed. Lol. And I'm using my phone. How was it tho?

This was the outfit I had in mind. Feel free to change it though.

[impulsivefanwriter]

A Tiny Spark Leads to a Roaring Flame (But Flames Can Always be Doused by Water)

Heeyyyyy so y’all know the Reverse Thanos Snap AU for SPBNR? Basically everyone but Smith/S!Kai gets sent to the M!verse. Everyone. The entire population of S!verse Ninjago City & a few surrounding areas. Except poor Smith. Essentially it happens because S!Garmadon tries to send Smith to a place where he can't mess with his plans, and ends up sending everyone away from Smith to take him out of the equation. 

The second part to this AU is that the S!Ninja end up searching for Kai in the chaos and grab the Red Ninja before jetting out of there with the Bounty. Except... they didn’t grab Smith (who’s still home), but rather Red (M!Kai).

Red thinks the S!Ninja are babysitter clones created by Garmadon after he somehow turned Lloyd younger without his memories & is trying to raise him to be his new General #1. With this in mind, he pretends to be S!Kai, and waits for the moment he can rescue Lloyd.

What would happen in the S!Ninja discovered his deception/their mistake of grabbing a wrong Kai and mistake Red for a recreated Aki (aka Bizarro Evil Clone Kai) before he could enact his plan?

Well, this is that idea. (Title inspired by how a crack AU spiralled into a beautiful angst-fest)

Enjoy. :3

-----*-----

Red was going to get Lloyd out of here tonight. 

Away from these Not-Friends made by Garmadon to emulate the Ninjaforce. Away from this flying ship built to emulate Master Wu's ship, so familiar and yet so off. Away from this false reality and back to the real everything where they could hopefully get his memories back and his age back and everything back to the way it was before the city descended into chaos.

He just had to... bide his time. Be patient. 

FSM, he was bad at being patient. 

His hands itched to grab Lloyd and run now, but he was horribly outnumbered and without his mech. No matter how badly he wanted to, he couldn't rush this. If he did, he would make everything worse. Like he always did.

But fate- or rather, Lloyd- had other plans.

The little version of his younger brother- yes, they were roughly the same age normally, shut up, Lloyd was still his younger brother- had been... eying him weird all morning. Not like Not-Jay and Not-Cole and Not-Zane, but like Not-Nya. Like he actually knew instead of suspected. These babysitter clones seemed to think he was the Not-Kai, and if that was the opportunity the universe was going to give him, then by the flames of the departed world was he going to skip this chance to save Lloyd.

Currently he stood on the deck of the ship as they parked in the sky a few meters above the docks on the outskirts of the city. It wasn't the docks with the Bounty warehouse, curse his luck, but it wasn't the endless sky or the empty ocean (though it was still too close to that murky, haunting water for his liking. Water was his sister's domain for a reason). At least he could sneak Lloyd off in the cover of night, maybe find someone in the city who wouldn't recognize the Son of Garmadon this way and would be willing to help them hide until they could make it back to the real ninja.

"Kai," Not-Zane spoke suddenly next to him. 

Red would never get used to the way his voice... lacked the same effect the real Zane's had. The effect that Kai and the rest of his team had assured their friend over and over was unique, special, but in a good way. To embrace it. That it wasn't noticeable, but when it was, that it was so Zane that his friends didn't care that it was different. 

This 'Zane' sounded much too different than his own. He hadn't recognized Kai's tested line of 'road work ahead' when they passed one of the many construction signs littering the city (even more so since the chaos happened a week ago), and instead had responded with 'a great deal of work to fix in the city'. 

Seriously, Garmadon, do better research on your clones.

Not-Zane was also much too... calm. Too 'wise' compared to the wild teen that was Zane. And he walked without heelies or whatever Zane used to slide around like a boss, though he was still silent. And that meant, like now, he snuck up on Red fairly often- and Red was training to be a Ninja, so that took serious talent. 

"Kai," Not-Zane said again, and Red finally broke his gaze from where he'd been staring over the railing, planning tonight's escape route. "Lunch has been made for over an hour. Are you alright?"

Red forced his brightest smile. "Course I'm alright! Just trying to figure out what happened, as usual."

Why Lloyd was suddenly like, 8, and without his memories. Why the Not-Friends were on this Not-Ship and had mistaken him for Not-Kai. Why the city was in a state of disarray and chaos. 

Not-Zane studied him, then turned to give the city a sad look. "I'm not sure myself. My scanners can't seem to figure out what is happening. It is as if... blocked by some force."

Red winced, then expertly disguised the move by leaning against the rail. Zane never would use 'my scanners', despite how often Red and the others assured him it was okay. Yet another reason why this wasn't his friend.

"You know Ninjago City," Red said with a weak laugh. "Always one crisis or another. Always those annoying Garmadon Attacks"

This seemed to satisfy Not-Zane, who nodded thoughtfully. "This event definitely seems to have Garmadon's hand in the mess."

He patted Red on the back. "Well, don't worry yourself ragged, Kai. Come in for lunch soon, alright? We have training for Lloyd later."

Ah, right. Training. AKA what Red assumed was how Garmadon was planning to shape this impressionable version of his friend into his new General #1.  

"I'm ready for training now, Zane!"

Speaking of Lloyd- 

The little gremlin came up from the hull with the rest of the Not-Ninja. Red hated when the entire group was together; it was way more difficult to act as Not-Kai around them, especially around Not-Nya. 

For starters, Not-Jay had a notch in his eyebrow that the real Jay never had. He was missing the iconic freckles, and the scarf, and the fluffy hair, though you could always say it was just a wardrobe change. What you couldn't change was the personality differences. This couldn’t be Jay. Jay was anxious and quiet, his jokes (while plentiful) said more timidly and his newest ideas shared with hesitance that only shrank after years of encouragement. He would never be this loud, ever. 

Not-Cole was the leader, probably because Lloyd was so young. But even then, in Red's team, Nya would probably take second-command. Cole was their sturdy support, yes, but he was chill, laid-back. Ready to follow and support his friends to the ends of the earth with his tunes and occasional sarcastic wit, but not lead. Not like Not-Cole, who was more serious and commanding and didn't. listen. to. music. Red hadn't spotted a single record or boombox in the room in the hull. That was a tragic oversight on Garmadon's part. The members of his research team should be Fired.

And then there was Not-Nya. Who wore a dress with confidence that his sister would love but never publicly wear. Who had short hair- Nya had tried that style once, and decided it itched around her neck too much- and jewelry, and a giant flying Samurai mech suit. His sister had the Water Strider Mech, and Not-Nya had a flying combat suit. Sure. Close enough. Personality-wise they were similar. 

Similar at first glance. Nya was fluid and adaptable to whatever role she needed filling. She was spunky, and as fiery as him when it came to tempers, though she knew how to keep hers in check (she had to, right? No one called her hot-headed and impulsive and reckless and blamed her temper for mistakes or damage or whatever the news comments liked to say about the Fire Mech). Not-Nya was also adaptable and independent-minded, but she seemed more rigid. More doing her own thing. 

Point was, everyone wasn't actually his friends, despite how much they tried to prove they were. And they kept acting like he was this Not-Kai, who was just as hot-headed but apparently more mature and training-oriented and basically the better, cooler (or hotter, perhaps, for the fire theme of the red ninja) him, since his acting never seemed to fully convince them. Trying to impersonate a standard he couldn't seem to reach, some legendary hero he wasn't- er, wasn't yet! Yeah! He just needed to prove himself, be better, and he'd be fine. Just... fine. Yeah.

Mini-Lloyd (Red was tempted to call him L'ilyod in his head, but that felt wrong somehow, like he was infringing on some kind of copyright law) stared at him like a goddamn falcon, and he wasn't talking about the bird that circled the ship. He had this bowl-cut Red would tease him about endlessly after all this was over- seriously, how had Mr. Fabulous Hair started with this mess? Garmadon probably didn't even have hair, so there was no way the guy knew how to style it, and it was very evident based on Mini-Lloyd's hairdo. 

Red noticed that all of them were staring, actually. Despite his relaxed rest against the rails, his fingers behind his back clutched the cool bar with a dull shake. He didn't notice how the metal seemed to glow red under his touch. 

"Training, right, we should get onto that," Red tried. "What do you want to start with, Lloyd?" 

"How about a little game?" Lloyd asked with complete innocence. "What we were playing last week before we got interrupted."

Oh sh!t. 

"I-I don't know, shouldn't we start with stretches? Or how about some sparring, that's always more fun than a game!"

"But I wanted to continue our game..." Mini Lloyd said, and FSM's sake, he couldn't deal with that pouting look.

Okay. Okay, don't panic. Think logically. What kind of game would an 8-year-old Lloyd like to play with him? Something physical, so no board games- he liked to test his mettle against Zane on those, and sometimes he would almost not-lose. Logic puzzles also fell more on Jay's area. Trivia, especially music trivia, was a bubble between the anxious motormouth and Cole. Video games fell on team building, and wouldn't classify as a training warmup.

"Well," Red said, taking a hopeful stab in the dark. "There's not too much space on the deck for... tag..."

Lloyd nodded, looking satisfied. The Not-Ninja looked- well, their expressions were hard to read because of how different it was compared to his friends. But Red was a master of deception (well, fire, but eh, technicalities), and he had them fooled, and he just had to keep it up until nightfall so he could rescue Lloyd and explain in a safe location-

"HE'S NOT KAI!"

Orrrrr improvise. Okay, yep, he could improvise. 

Red lunged forward and grabbed Mini Lloyd's wrist from where he had his hand extended in an accusatory point. He ducked under Not-Jay's attempts to grab him- fast, but not as fast as his Jay, his Jay who could disappear from an awkward social interaction in the span of a flickering lightbulb- and dragged his younger brother with him as he vaulted over the railing. Not-Zane almost managed to yank him back onto the Not-ship, but his icy grip caught only empty air as Red pulled Lloyd into a tight hold and ducked.

He hit the dock below with a stumble, rolling back onto his feet and taking off with a very stubborn green ninja in tow. It took all his strength to drag Lloyd (kicking and screaming like he was being kidnapped or something when Red was just trying to rescue him, for FSM's sake. Lloyd didn't know that, but he could still try to be at least a little more considerate.)

The wooden docks creaked and shuddered underfoot and Red grimaced; whoever rebuilt them after the latest Garmadon attack had shredded them like newspaper clearly hadn't wasted any unnecessary change. It certainly didn't help that Lloyd packed quite the punch for someone so small. Red definitely would come out of this with bruised shins and arms from where Mini Lloyd tried to push him away, but it would be worth it to keep his teammate, his younger brother, safe.

Then green filled his vision and broke his hold on Lloyd's wrist, sending him skidding across the dock planks as he was sent flying. When he finally rolled to a stop, neck and shoulder stinging from where the blast had caught him (no burns, just jitters like he'd been shocked), he had to take a few seconds to re-orient himself. Did the Not-Ship have cannons or something? What hit him from behind, so close it could have hit Lloyd?

Lloyd. Was Lloyd okay?

Red pushed himself to his feet, ignoring the bleeding scrapes on his hands and legs from where he'd gotten banged up by the splintered docks. His gaze, sharp and frantic, searched for signs of green. The warning of more blasts, the flash of the fabric of a gi, anything.

He spotted his brother in the arms of Not-Cole. No, no, no-

And suddenly Not-Nya was there, given a boost by Not-Jay. Her grip was as if she were wearing the robotic mech suit, harsh and powerful and near in-human. She threw Red back to the dock floor as her face twisted with the fury of a storming ocean. A resounding crack rang out over the harbour.

Red couldn't tell if it came from the planks under him or his own shoulder.

She pinned him to the wood, barking accusations and threats in his face faster than Not-Jay could talk. Red blinked through a haze of pain, trying to focus on her face and words. She was missing the beauty mark on her face, he noticed. Yet another tell she wasn't his sister.

"-scar on the wrong side-" And it was hard to hear again over the ringing in his ears. He tried to throw her off, get back to Lloyd, anything, but he was-

Useless. 

Her hands suddenly got in his face, slamming his left cheek to the wood. She was close- close to his face, close to his eye, close to his scar- pushing and prying as she tried to do something. Red picked up in his struggling, his attempts to free himself turning to desperate shoves and wild clawing like a trapped animal. He wouldn't let this creation of Garmadon's finish the job that teen had started all those years ago. 

"Or better yet, he needs to shut his damn mouth."

The flash of a knife. His vision half-blurry. Blood- so much blood- and a lasting scar.

"-contacts-" "-red-" "-struggling-" "-we know what he- it- is already-" "-not the real Kai-" "-wish-" "-Garmadon-"

He had to get away. Get Lloyd away from them now.

In one surge of strength- and yep, his shoulder definitely wasn't okay after that move, as if he'd ripped it not just from its socket but from its very attachment to his body- he knocked Not-Nya aside. If he could’ve seen through the red haze, he might have noticed red embers dancing around his fingertips as his desperation and fear tapped into something deep in his soul.

He tried to shoot to his feet, tried to run for Lloyd (held so tight in Not-Cole's grip, surely they were hurting him, he couldn't let that happen-). He roared, "LEAVE MY BROTHER ALONE!", but before he could take another step through Not-Jay and Not-Zane in his path, the docks gave one last ominous shudder  before deciding it had finally had enough.

The planks crumbled underfoot like charred firewood in a crackling campfire, and Red was sent tumbling into the frigid ocean water below.

[tvdiaries-imagines]

Old Flame: Pt. 17

Warnings: Cursing, tobacco use

Word Count: 4694 (the longest chapter so far!)

OLD FLAME MASTERLIST: CLICK HERE

-

“WHERE IS SHE?!” 

Klaus roared throughout the courtyard, furious that you are nowhere to be found after you successfully snapped his neck. The moon was out the last time he’s seen you but waking up, the moon had disappeared and now it’s daylight. He usually wouldn’t have woken up this late from a simple snapped neck, but you took a page out of his book and stuck a vile of vervain in his system after successfully finding his vervain collection.

Hayley and Jackson were across the way on the second floor, having a quiet chat beside the railing. “Who?” Hayley asked, puzzled.

“Y/N!” Klaus shouted, fuming as he’s glancing around the vicinity.

Kol stepped out of one of the rooms on the second floor after hearing a frantic original. Hayley and Jackson stepped inside the nearest room, figuring Kol could handle Klaus. “I thought she was with you, Nik?” Kol brought up.

“Apparently, she said she was fine last night.” Klaus raced towards his brother who sauntered inside the bedroom he’s occupying during his stay. “Then she snapped my bloody neck and disappeared with the stake.” He retrieved his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed your number. After a couple rings, he nearly cursed after being sent to voicemail. It wasn’t a surprise to him since almost every time you’re in a dire situation, your phone is never answered. But, Klaus figured he’d try. 

“What happened to her when I left to speak to Esther?” Klaus asked, jaw clenched. 

“If I tell you, give me your word that you won’t be cross with me.” Kol eyed him anxiously. 

“What did you do?” Klaus muttered in an alarming tone.

“All I did for Y/N was a favor. I had no control of how she’d react.”

“Spit it out, brother. What is it?”

“She was worried about her friend, Kai Parker.” Kol answered. “Figured Esther was behind it, so she requested I find out. Turns out, mother sent him to a prison world and there’s no fixing it.”

“And that’s the reason for her lunacy?” The hybrid’s nostrils flared in aggravation.

“It is.” 

“Good riddance. I don’t know what Y/N sees in that imbecile.” Irritation pricked at him.

To add even more stress, an angry Finn Mikaelson immediately walked in, magically breaking one of the vases on the table. “Where is she?”

“Finn, please, join us.” Klaus said with blatant mockery. 

“Don’t make me ask again.” Finn sneered. 

“I assume you’re referring to our mother. Fear not, she’s tucked away somewhere perfectly safe.” Klaus added. “You’ll never find her.”

“You think you’ve won. Let’s see how long that arrogance lasts, brother.” Finn glared at his brothers before turning around and marching away with heavy steps.

Klaus tried reaching you again but was sent to voicemail. That alone ticked him off and he was close to throwing his cell phone at the brick wall. 

“I’m going to find Y/N. You’re coming with me, Kol.” Klaus made his way out of the bedroom in lengthy steps.

“Oh, splendid.” Kol responded back, trailing behind his brother.

Reaching the courtyard, there were a handful of Hayley’s wolf allies and Marcel’s group of vamps gathered together. Klaus is aware that it’s Hayley and Marcel’s attempt for them to make a truce for the bigger picture.

“Klaus, stop!” Hayley blurted, Klaus and Kol stopped in their tracks.

“Finn spelled all of the exits. We can’t leave.” Marcel added.

Klaus put a palm up at eye view, slowly reaching out until his skin sizzled against the spelled blockade, letting out a faint groan from the affliction. He threw his healing hand down to his side and shifted his view to his youngest brother, expression hardened. “Fantastic.” Klaus muttered sarcastically.

(Meanwhile…)

After disappearing into the night, you booked a suite at the Ritz-Carlton. You’re aware that Klaus has plenty of connections, so you assured that you didn’t put a card on file in case he traces it. Instead, you compelled the staff to allow you to stay for free. You even took extra precautions and showed them a photo of Klaus so that if he ever steps foot into the Ritz-Carlton, they’ll notify you right away.

Having your humanity off so far has been dandy because you had no care in the world. If you were your normal self, there’s no doubt that you would be following Klaus around like a lost puppy during one of his missions and the thought made you sick to your stomach right now.

You woke up this afternoon to your suite nearly trashed from the little party you decided to throw last night because you gathered a handful of good looking people from bourbon street and plenty of liquor to keep you inebriated throughout the night. A man and a woman stayed overnight, thanks to your compulsion. You knew you’d be famished this afternoon and fresh blood ultimately did the trick for you. 

After an incredible shower and devouring your sinful snacks, you compelled your victims to bandage up their wrists and be on their way. Housekeeping began tidying up your suite after you made your way out.

Though your craving for blood is fulfilled, you desired a hot bowl of gumbo, so you threw on your sunglasses and trekked through the quarter, crossing your fingers that your pesky beau isn’t looking high and low for you in the area. Your heels clicked along the cement, wearing your best black dress sitting pretty just above your knees.

Gumbo Shop was what you decided on and the friendly host sat you down at a table inside, farthest away from the windows. She did as expected by leaving a menu with you and handing you off to a server.

Within the hour, all of your cravings are satisfied so you left a generous tip for your server and went on your merry way. You weren’t sure what you planned to do next, so you allowed the city to decide for you. A street performer captured your attention so you stopped to observe. 

Out of the blue, you spot Finn Mikaelson nearly walking past you in a rush. “Hi Finn. Why are you always so glum?” You teased, brow raised. He put a halt to his steps, hands behind his back. He wore a dark suit, the jacket fully unbuttoned.

“No use in going home anytime soon, dear Y/N.” He implied arrogantly. “Nobody can get in or out, thanks to my spell.”

“I wasn’t planning on it, but alright.” In the blink of an eye, Finn strolled away. “Change of plans I guess.” You smirked.

(Later…)

Entering through the gates of the compound, you discovered over a dozen people in the courtyard. It seemed like they were not enjoying themselves whatsoever. There were a few familiar faces as well, including Marcel, Josh and Hayley. You wondered if Klaus or Kol managed to get trapped here as well since they weren’t in the space from what you can see. Your presence seemed to catch everyone’s attention though.

“Don’t you all look cozy.” Your haughty tone was obvious. 

“Y/N wait!” Marcel alerted. “Don’t take another step. Finn put up a boundary spell.”

“Thanks for the heads up Marcel. But I already knew that. I bumped into Finn earlier.” 

“But you came anyway?” Marcel raised a brow in suspicion. 

You shrugged your shoulders in response, leaning against the wall close enough to the invisible barrier. Once everyone else besides Marcel realized that you were no help in freeing them, they were no longer interested in your presence and went back to sulking.

“Ah I see.” He came to a realization. “You’re here to gloat. Why?”

“There you are.” Klaus appeared from the shadows. His edge of irritation returned and drew a scowl over his face.

“Here I am.” You were feeling exceptionally smug. While examining your fingernails, you planned to get a manicure after this foolish conversation.

“Where the bloody hell have you been?”

You showed uninterest without any eye contact as you pulled a cigarette and lighter from your purse. You placed the toxic stick in between your lips, lighting the end of it and taking a puff effortlessly as if you’ve always been a smoker. Klaus glared at your repulsive act.

“I’ve been around.” You responded after exhaling, finally making eye contact with the hybrid.

“Care to explain why you felt it was necessary to render me unconscious for hours on end and then scurry off to god knows where.” With a brisk elevator look, he motioned a nagging hand at you. Klaus was displeased with your outfit choice without him there to claw the eyes out of every man that looks at you with hungry eyes.

He almost asked you about the whereabouts of the white oak stake, but he remembered that there are ears around that he doesn’t trust. 

“The thought of having to explain to you bores me.” You fake yawned. “So I don’t think I will.” 

“Something’s different about her, Nik.” Kol added, his mouth set in a hard line.

“I’m aware. Her humanity must be off.” Klaus made his way closer towards you, stopping as close to the barrier as he could. You stepped over to be face to face with him, sniggering.

“There ya go.” You snorted in amusement, the toxic stick weighing at your sides, carelessly flicking off the ash on the grounds of the compound. “You really aren’t the dumbest Mikaelson, Nik.” Klaus ignored your unnecessary comment, his firing eyes following the cigarette going from your mouth to your sides.

Kol began sauntering over to his brother, standing side by side. “Oh sister. Your humanity, eh?” He shook his head in disappointment, arms folded across his chest. “I thought you were bigger than this.”

You dropped the half finished cigarette on the concrete by your feet, crushing the butt with the ball of your stiletto. “My favorite Mikaelson brother is disappointed in me.” Your hand flew to your chest, fake pouting. “I’m crushed. I really am.” 

“Stop this nonsense immediately, Y/N.” Klaus said, a scowl strewn across his face. 

“Or what?”

“Do not test me.”

“Well last time I checked, you’re trapped in there while I’m free out here. So joke’s on you, my love.” You teased. 

A sinister chuckle left Klaus’s mouth. “You shut off your humanity for whom? A useless dullard.” You stared at the ceiling, placing your hands at your hips. “Out of all the choices Esther has made in life, I’d say that sending Sir Malachai Parker back to the prison world was the best one.” He grinned, hoping to have hit a nerve to get your humanity back. “It pleases me knowing that he will be stuck there for all eternity. All alone.” He chose his words carefully and perfectly. 

Suddenly, your hands fell and your blank eyes set onto Klaus’s, unmoving. By your reaction, there was a glimmer of a chance that it worked. You grasped both of the Mikaelsons’ undivided attention. 

“Nice try.” You cocked your head to your side, your once unreadable expression is now evidently complacent and it boiled Klaus’s blood. His hands clenched at his sides as he’s trying to hide his defeat from you. Kol just simply sighed at their defeat, aware that it was a longshot anyways. “I’m bored. Bye boys.” Without a care in the world, you turned on your heel and departed the compound.

Once you were out of sight, Kol turned to face his brother who was still looking at the spot you were once standing at, unable to mutter any words. “Nik?” Kol murmured, careful not to overwhelm him.

After a beat, Klaus continued to ignore his brother and vacated the spot where he stood. He made his way towards a vacant section of the compound. Kol followed behind him. 

Before Klaus could touch the handle of one of the doors on the first floor, Kol attempted to acquire his attention for the second time. “Brother?” Klaus puts a halt to his long strides, taking a deep breath.

In the blink of an eye, he vamp speeds to Kol, barely leaving any space in between the two as his murderous eyes bore into Kol’s. “Don’t.” Klaus warned through clenched teeth. That dangerous tone itself informed Kol to leave him alone in the meantime. And just like that, Klaus swung the door open and violently slammed it behind him, causing a few of the other vampires and wolves to flinch. 

Your mani and pedi finished in an hour. You began scouring the quarter for inspiration on what other shenanigans to get into again. After walking in and out of a few gift shops along the way and stopping to tip some of the street performers, you finally stumbled upon bourbon street.

Normally you’d throw your money at the bartenders in one of the many jazz clubs, however, house music blared through one of the other clubs and it instantaneously called your name. Males and females in their 20s occupied this loud space, yet, you didn’t mind one bit because they’re of your age compared to your 1000 year old lover with anger issues.

Dancing and mingling with these fine people made your current cold heart wish that Camille was here to join you. But you wouldn’t dare risk having her call Klaus or Kol and informing them of your whereabouts. Who knows, you might end up snapping her neck dead for doing so and you didn’t care to waste your energy. Marcel and Josh could be trusted not to tell a soul, however, they’re trapped in the compound.

You released your sharp teeth from a poor soul’s neck on the dance floor undiscovered. The warmth of her blood brought you satisfaction. “Go wipe that up in the restroom.” You compelled her and she walked off like a zombie.

(Meanwhile…)

The longer time passed with the magical barrier being up, the more Marcel and his vamps’s hunger grew for blood. It wasn’t looking good for Kol and the werewolves. They were practically walking blood bags.

To make matters worse, Klaus’s patience started running out. He needed to get to you before you caused any havoc or came to any harm. This is the first time you’ve ever turned your humanity off so he has no idea what to expect. The feeling made him sick to his stomach. Not to mention, the white oak stake can be anywhere but he trusts you’re smart enough to have it hidden somewhere good.

The entirety of the barrier will not diminish until nightfall and they couldn’t wait that long. But to their luck, it’s a miracle that Davina fancied Kol. She received a phone call from him, needing her assistance for a spell to lift the barrier and she put whatever she was doing on hold to come to his aid. 

They were almost certain that the spell would work. However, being that Finn is channeling something extremely powerful, they were only to be given 60 seconds for the barrier to be down. The plan was to have the wolves, Kol and Klaus exit the vicinity. 

Davina and Kol now stood face to face with the invisible barrier in between, palms as close to touching as it would allow them. Small, lighted candles lined up in front of the witches and a circle of salt surrounded them as they continued muttering their spell to one another.

Due to the spell taking its course, all of the vampires needed to resort to cowering in the shadows until after Kol and Davina’s spell die out. Klaus and the wolves were allowed to wait beside the barrier. 

A gust of wind abruptly flew through Kol and Davina, causing the candles to blow out and some of the salt to scatter. They exchanged smiles and were relieved to have the chance to touch palms. 

“Okay, Jack. Now!” Hayley announced.

“Come on, let’s go.” Jackson didn’t hesitate to rush his pack out of there, guiding them towards the exit along with Hayley.

“Remember, 60 seconds!” Kol reminded them. He was eager for the werewolves to egress and then he followed suit. 

But before Kol could take another step, Klaus dashed to him, holding him by the shoulder. “Slight change of plans, brother.” In a trice, he threw Kol in the air until he landed about 50 feet away, grunting in pain. “I no longer have to treat you like anything but the treacherous liar you truly are.” The hybrid spat. Davina’s neck snapped to him, bewildered. 

“What the bloody hell?” Kol gradually sat up, feeling just as confused as Davina.

“Where is she?” Klaus questioned, vampires eyeing his brother hungrily while they still waited in the shadows.

“Please, they’ll kill him!” Davina pleaded.  

“Well, he should’ve thought about that before he betrayed our sister.”

“What will Y/N think?!” She added.

 “Not to worry about my beloved’s opinions of Kol’s predicament. Let’s just say, she’s not herself today.” Klaus replied to Davina before returning his attention to the mischievous Mikaelson, who now rose to his feet. “Rebekah never made it to her new body, did she? Seeing as how you casted the spell, and well, you’re you. I’d hardly call it an uncrackable case.”

“Rebekah’s fine, Nik. It was a prank.” Kol quicked marched towards his older brother. “Nothing more than what you lot have done to me.” He pointed a nagging finger. “But I guess it’s different when it’s one-” The magical blockade was up and running again and its wrath burned Kol’s pale hand, causing him to reel backwards and hiss in pain.

“Barrier’s back up.” Klaus flickered his eyes at the ravenous vampires coming out of the shadows. “And those vampires look oh so hungry.” 

Kol grew anxious as the vampires made their way to him like a predator ready to take down its prey. Davina’s eyes began to well up in tears, yearning to come to Kol’s aid.

“I was willing to welcome you back into my home, but you had to return to your selfish petty jealousies.” Klaus said. “Well, let’s see how they help you survive when you’re stuck in there!” He stormed off towards the exit without the thought of a glance. He felt no remorse whatsoever for his little brother.

(Meanwhile…)

The sun began to set and it was no secret that you look damned good in the tight dress and towering heels. A handful of men even offered to pay for your drinks and you obviously obliged although you could’ve easily compelled them to. This made your job much easier. 

Since you were pretty buzzed and in an amazing mood, you allowed one of the pathetic men to dance with you, only being allowed to touch your arms or your waist. 

Due to the substantial amount of liquor in his system, his confidence was at an all time high and he attempted to lean in for a kiss. You snorted at his juvenile gesture and turned the other cheek. “N-Nice try. Fun’s over.” 

“Oh come on.” He insisted. As you were about to free yourself of his hold, he tightened his grip on your waist and it caught you off guard. Little does he know that you aren’t human, so you prepared yourself to use your vampire strength to free yourself. You smirked, allowing him this minor moment before you stripped it away from him. 

The drunkard fool leaned forward once again to press his lips onto yours while his hands stroked your waist. You rolled your eyes, snickering as you seized his wrists. “I said-” In a flash, he was thrown across the dancefloor but it wasn’t because of you. Some of the clubbers' attention were focused on what just happened and others acted like nothing happened. Before he could think to stand to his feet, one of the sizable bouncers roughly brought him to his feet to begin dragging him out. 

Everything happened so fast and you focused your view to the only person standing beside you to your left. Klaus Mikaelson. “Oh fuck you, Nik.” You grimaced at your inessential savior, your heels rapidly clicking off of the dance floor towards the exit. As much as you wished to vamp speed away, you were smart enough not to do it in the public eye. Humanity off or not.

Instead of hiding off in an alley, you stayed put by the entrance of the club where passersby can clearly see you, leaning against one of the brick walls. You searched through your small purse until you found a cigarette and lighter, but as you were about to light it, rough fingers pulled it out of your mouth. 

Klaus didn’t mutter a word, but you can tell by the expression on his face and his body language that he was seething inwardly. You were revelling in the moment. “I’m a vampire. I can’t get lung cancer, idiot.”  You scoffed at him. As much as you want to try to light another cigarette, you know that Klaus is just going to toss it. 

“We’re going.” He grabbed a hold of your bare upper arm, signaling to follow him or suffer the consequences. You shook his grip off, unphased by it. 

“You’re hilarious.” You said, keeping your feet planted to the ground. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“I’m serious, love. This isn’t a game. Let’s go.” Klaus remarked, towering over you. 

You peered up at him through your lashes, shooting daggers. “Did you forget? I don’t fucking care. Now leave me alone.” You shot him a glare and attempted to walk past him, but he stepped to the side as a wall.

“You out of all people know what I am capable of.” Klaus started. “And yet, you are determined to incur my wrath.” 

“Your wrath?” You snorted. “Okay then, show me. Right here, right now. In front of all of these people.” Klaus took a peep over your head, unmoving. You hummed in amusement. “I thought so.” 

You wasted no time and began trekking down bourbon street’s sidewalk, unsure of where you are headed as long as it’s away from Klaus. You freed your cell phone from your purse and began endlessly scrolling through social media, ensuring not to bump into anyone coming your way.

To your misfortune, Klaus materialized beside you, walking on the outside of the sidewalk.  “Oh, you’re still here.” You said dryly, eyes never leaving the screen. 

“In what world is this heretic worth your humanity?” He asked, disgusted. His eyes flickered from straight ahead to you. 

“My world, apparently.” 

“You know, you have people that could have helped you. There’s Stefan, Damon, Kol.” One by one, Klaus counted up to three fingers in the air before going back to relaxing his hand at his side. “Even Rebekah, if it weren’t for Kol’s foolish prank.” 

“Good to know, Nik.”

He gazed at you, swallowing before speaking. “You also had me.” 

“I can see that since you keep following me.” You finally peeled your eyes from your phone, throwing it back in your purse, raising your chin up at Klaus. He briskly narrowed his eyes, not allowing your cold response to get to him.

“Oh come now, sweetheart. Let’s not make this difficult for the both of us.”

“You’re making it difficult for yourself.” You waved an airy hand. “Now shoo, you’re killing the vibe.” 

“Alright then, Y/N. I’ve been far more patient with you.” Klaus creeped up behind you and swiftly cracked your spine so that you were comatose. Then, he scooped you into his arms so that he held you bridal style. 

To his luck, his swift, yet flawless gesture didn’t get a second look from anyone in the crowd. It seemed as if you were absurdly tipsy and he prevented you from falling to your knees. He felt a pang of relief and his tense shoulders relaxed knowing he can safely bring you home.

(Later…)

Finn’s barrier spell throughout the Mikaelson compound is now nonexistent. It is dead silent and the only two souls occupying this vast structure are you and the original hybrid for now. Your limp, unconscious body is tied to a wooden chair including your wrists and your ankles. 

Klaus has been pacing for the past few minutes, conjuring up different plans to mentally bring back the woman he loves, instead of this facade of a nightmare that is taking over. And hell, if it weren’t for your humanity switch, he would revel in tearing that dress off of you and making love to you until the sunrise. 

The sudden sound of your groaning put a halt to his steps. He watched as your head steadily moved up and you cracked your neck. Your eyes caught a glimpse of your surroundings which appears to be one of the many rooms in this godforsaken building. You raised a brow at your lover who is standing merely a few feet away just ahead of you. “This doesn’t look like the Ritz-Carlton.” You said in your head. 

“It would be impolite if I didn’t ask how your catnap was.” Klaus commented, wearing a shit eating grin.

“It was fantastic.” You returned his cocky expression with a flashing smile of your own.

“Now that I have you where you can’t simply walk off, let’s get to business then, shall we?” Klaus took amble strides towards you and kneeled until he was at eye level with you. “This will only take a second.” He noted, voice low enough for only the two of you to hear. 

As soon as his irises stared into yours, you turned your chin to the right, but Klaus was quick to seize your jaw with his strong fingers, shifting your view back to him. You knew exactly what his intentions were at that very moment. 

He’s going to compel you. 

The location of the white oak stake is still unknown to him and since he is closer to getting you back to your normal self, he’ll finally get the stake back. 

“Get on with it already. I don’t have all day.” You implied. Klaus kept his frustration in check from your moronic remark and went on with what he intended to do.

Your eyes focused on his, observing his pupils fascinatingly growing and shrinking. "You will put an end to this madness and turn it back on.” He released his grasp on your face. 

You blinked twice and your lips parted, chest rising and falling. “Nik.” You paused. “I-” Klaus began freeing one wrist from the bindings.

“What is it?” He asked, concerned.

As soon as one wrist was free, you sneered at him and before he could blink, you tore off the arm of the chair, flipped it over so that the sharp bit pointed out and stabbed Klaus in the neck with it. “Ah!” He called out, face contorting from the unexpected laceration.

Obviously, you could have simply kept playing it off as if your humanity was back so that Klaus frees you of all of the restraints. But, you wanted to poke fun at him instead. Inflicting pain onto Klaus was significantly more gratifying right now.

“You really thought you had me there, didn’t you?” You let out a burst of laughter. Klaus cried out in pain while pulling the stick of wood out of his neck and tossing it to the floor, taking heavy breaths as the gash healed. “Nice try, Nik. But I’ve been drinking vervain as of late. Thanks to Stefan and Damon for the tip.”

Instead of inflicting the pain back to you or snapping your neck to shut you up, Klaus stormed out of the room to overlook the courtyard from the railing. As much as he wanted to rip the railing off from his frustration, he shockingly kept his cool and an idea came to mind. He obtained his cell phone from his pant pocket and dialed a familiar number.

After many rings, his call was answered. 

“Klaus?” The voice on the other line said.

“Hello, old friend.” Klaus grinned, oddly comforted to hear their voice. “I’m in need of a favor.” 

-

A/N: Hope you guys appreciated the longer chapter!! I know the last one had a lot of Y/N x Kol moments, so I gave you guys more of Y/N x Klaus moments in this one. I have to say, it was quite fun writing with Y/N’s humanity off. And it was especially fun writing Klaus’s responses to it lol...Oh and I’m sure you guys can guess who Klaus’s ‘old friend’ is :)

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[nanaminokanojo]

Allies | Gojo Satoru X You

CHAPTER COUNT: 1/1

WORD COUNT: 1,446

GENRE: angst | slice of life | oneshot | drabble

TRIGGER WARNING: profanity

SPOILERS: n/a

collection masterlist

“Marry me.”

It took a lot to throw you off of your established equanimity. Even greater to move you in any way. And yet, those two words, uttered so fucking plainly to you as if it was a matter of conversation about the weather, was enough to elicit a profound reaction from you. It wasn’t really the words. No. It wasn’t even the manner in which it was said. To people like you, marriage proposals come as early as parents see it fit being members of the top three clans in the country. It was an economic proposition with no room for emotional sentimentality.

However, it had everything to do with the person saying it, and he always manages to throw you off.

You could have sworn the world tilted from its axis momentarily when he uttered the words. Your hand tightened on the rail surrounding the terrace as if to brace yourself from the sudden imbalance in the universe. The moment the final syllable left his lips, you expected a cataclysmic event to unfold before your eyes beginning with a massive explosion or perhaps the earth beneath your feet suddenly splitting in half. None of those things happened apart from the sudden rushing of the warm, summer breeze that punctuated the silence which followed.

“Didn’t you hear me?” he asked. You were sure he had a disapproving look on his face. After all, he always criticized your apathy and overall obliviousness. It was evident in his tone, too.

“I did.” Finally, you spoke.

“Then –”

You faced him, letting go of the balustrade to fold your arms over your chest, finally meeting his blue gaze. “The question is, out of the army of girls coming after you, why did you choose to say those words to me and pose an affront to the general nature of our relationship?”

He staggered literally and figuratively at your words. “A-affront?”

“Violation, defilement, desecration…”

He rolled his eyes at you. “I know what the goddamn word means.”

“That may be the case, but should I reiterate what we are to one another, Gojo Satoru?”

You didn’t exactly know where you would start with Gojo and what he was exactly to you. If you had a version of a person you grew up with, that they were practically family but the similarities stopped there as you were the polar opposites of one another, it was him. And by god, how you detested one another. It was as if the two of you were born to oppose the other regardless of circumstance.

As children, you often bickered, and at the end of every single day you were with one another, one of you would always end up in tears. It was to the point that you both had childhood marks from injuries you’ve inflicted on one another – his being a scar on his left arm after he sustained stitches when you knocked him off the treehouse and yours being the same kind of injury, just on your left knee when he pushed you into a ditch.

Your animosity for one another did not fade in the least as you were growing up, and it did not help that you seemed to have become rivals being compared all the time. He’s better than you as cliché as that was. It’s a puzzle how your parents never thought of separating the two of you as far as they could, knowing just what the two of you were capable of doing to one another at the worst of your tempers.

However, eventually, there seemed to be a truce between the two of you which remained at present as you grew into adults. That was on account of the fact that you had common, close long-term friends and a bigger part of it was because he was a reflection of who you are. That turned into general indifference and mutual tolerance. He was a constant presence in your life, and you were the same in his.

You had every reason to believe he had forgotten about your existence, but you were wrong.

“We’re friends,” he offered.

“No, we’re not.”

Hurt crossed his features. “We should be, Y/N. I can imagine myself seeing you as more than just that.”

“And is that supposed to be the basis of our union as man and wife? I don’t know if the pressure has finally managed to break you, but you’re regrettably disenchanting.”

“Far from it.”

“Don’t fucking kid yourself.” You shook your head, disappointed. You expected a better response. “We’re just people forced to be in the same sphere by social dicta.”

Be that as it may, you understood where he was coming from. You’ve heard the elders talking, and, as the next generation heir to the most powerful family and its all-encompassing influence, he was always the content of conversations. Gojo Satoru this. Gojo Satoru that. You almost felt sorry for him when the news that his parents were looking for a bride candidate for him reached you. Everyone commented, congratulated him even. You didn’t say a thing. He may be your enemy but none of them understood what it was like belonging to the circles you moved in. All financial and material freedom but ironically caged in.

“It is exactly for that reason that I am asking you, Y/N. You get me. You know what it’s like.” He sighed, his usually energetic self nowhere in sight. He looked older for some reason, and maybe you did, too. It was somewhat scary seeing him being so intently serious. “You are right. There are other choices, but I can’t just drag another person into our prison. You understand that better than anyone.”

Your pupils constricted at that thought of his basis for claiming you knew better than anyone. You turned away from him again. “So, your solution is to reinforce that prison by merging our families together?” You laughed humorlessly. “You’re barking mad!”

He joined you by the balustrade, standing a few inches away from you. He smiled at you, the action almost genuine if it weren’t for the irritatingly unpleasant glint in his eyes whenever he was plotting something. “Or we can team up to break everything down and build it from the ground up. We’re both heirs to the two most powerful seats in this whole system. In time, we can change everything, but we need to help each other.”

“I’m barely on my legs trying to keep up with all the bullshit in my life since I gave up on Kento, and you want to add into it, too? You’re cruel, Satoru.” Your words were at odds to your lack of enmity towards him. None of what happened to you was his fault. If anything, he was the only one who understood you, too, the only one who had been there when you were dragged away into a plane to keep you away from the boy your parents didn’t see fit for you. You never spoke about it, but the silence between the two of you that time conveyed more camaraderie than the two of you can ever manage in action and words.

Gojo nodded. “Yes, Y/N. Allow me this last act of cruelty towards you. Because I need you and you need me, no matter how much you hate that. Allow me to use you, and I’ll let you use me. What I know, you will know. We’ll be equals and partners.”

Well shit, you thought to yourself. To others, you were bigger than life, people to envy and emulate. To each other, you’ve both been reduced to nothing but tools, as he had put it. But he was right and you found yourself nodding. You were in hell anyway. Why not make a bigger hell out of both of your lives?

Taking your eyes away from the view before you, you met his gaze, believing in all the possibilities that shone in them. You may dislike him because you saw so much of yourself, so much of the futile power you possessed in him. You abhor him because you two were individuals cut out from the same fabric no matter how much you opposed one another, and with that, you two weren’t made for happy lives. But you trusted and respected him to a greater extent than you were wont to admit.

“Come on, Y/N. Can you think of a stronger tandem?” he asked teasingly, seeing how your resolve was crumbling. “So, what do you say?” He extended a hand towards you, finally showing that shit-eating grin he sports more often than not to conceal his unhappiness, the counterpart of which was your outward hostility.

You shrugged, clapping his hand instead of shaking it. “I’m in.”

-END-

Thank you so much for reading. Likes, comments and reblogs are deeply appreciated! Hope you enjoyed it.

© ORIGINAL WORK BY nanaminokanojo. CHARACTERS ARE INSPIRED BY GEGE AKUTAMI'S JUJUTSU KAISEN. [20210520]

PHOTO/IMAGE/GIF/FANART CREDITS TO THE RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

[lady-of-glass-and-bone]

Novalunosis

[n.] the state of relaxation and wonderment experienced while gazing upon the stars.

For @autumnleaves1991-blog Writer Wednesday, my first one! And this picture is gorgeous.

Pairing: Din Djarin x female oc (no name/features are mentioned)

Warnings: uh, don't jump off balconies into water please? Fluff, angst-ish, idk what I'm doing.

A/N: Takes place before the show.I don't know how the Force works? *waves hands* Fanfic! My first time writing for Din and Star Wars in general. Also, punctuation? Don't know her.

There's a vaguely familiar silhouette standing behind the gauzy curtain across the room. A room Din doesn't recall entering, which should put him on high alert but he finds that the adrenaline doesn't come rushing. Nothing about this room with walls the color of soft sunlight and warmth in the lines of its decoration sets him on edge.

If anything, he relaxes where he sits on the edge of the bed. Looking down he finds a muted green blanket and crisp white sheets tucked neatly around the mattress beneath him. Gloved fingers run over the slight sheen of the top layer, wondering how he could dream up something he's never seen before.

These dreams, and the figure across the room, find him when he sleeps. Not often enough that he expects them but with a frequency that puzzles him when he lets it. Nothing ever the same twice, nothing except for her.

"I think I was here with my parents once, when I was little" the voice reaches his ears like there isn't a barrier of beskar between the two and he has to reach up to feel for it, just to be sure.

The figure chuckles, pushing the curtain out of the way to smile at him. Having a smile offered to him, for him, is not a regular occurrence for the Mandalorian but still, it's nothing he seems to need to be wary of if the warmth uncurling in his chest is to be trusted.

The woman is barefoot, pale blue pants fitted with pockets at every chance with a well worn, cream colored shirt tucked haphazardly into the high waist line. Her arms are bare, scars on them visible from where he sits.

Her face is happy but expectant, eyes trained on him. Definitely familiar. A name floats somewhere in his head but he can't quite reel it in, even as she walks over to sit down beside him, one leg tucked under the other as she faces him.

She's close, knee brushing his thigh as she settles comfortably. Din knows her, she obviously knows him. How is the only mystery.

"Are we dreaming?" he asks, helmet turned in her direction, the use of 'we' coming out before he can comprehend it.

"Yeah, the first one in a while" she nods.

"How?"

"You always ask that."

"Should I not?" his tone is less than cordial but he's confused yet unconcerned at the same time and it is frustrating.

"Din, I know you, and I know the scar on your right hand palm because I put it there" as casually as she speaks his name, she tugs on the glove of his hand, arching a brow in question.

He lets her have it, her own hand wrapping around it, careful of his vambrace, and massages the scar through the leather of the glove.

"You were better with a vibroblade at the time" he huffs, more so at the strange sensation of saying something he knows is true with certainty, even though the memory attached to it remains blurry.

"Were?" she scoffs playfully and Din smiles just a little "I'd bet my whole weapons cash that I'm still better with one than you are, Din Djarin."

"Deal" he says and curls his fingers around hers, leaning into her space like the slow pull of gravity when a ship breaks atmo.

Forehead meets helmet none to gently but she just grins up at him, so close to the visor it might as well not be there at all. He gets the distinct sense that for her it makes no difference, she knows him. She knows his face.

One corner of her mouth pulls up with her grin, a little crooked, but it feels significant. Distinctive. It strikes a chord somewhere inside him and thrums its vibrations of familiarity all throughout his body.

"Wanna see outside? It's beautiful" she pulls back, standing with their hands still connected.

Din can only nod, getting to his feet when she tugs. A helpless satellite in her orbit.

The balcony behind the curtain is small but surrounded by green towers of hanging vines, leaves reaching downward over railings and stone architecture carefully crafted to feel open. Like the walls are meant to breathe with you.

He's too busy gazing up at the blue square of sky through the open roof that he doesn't notice her tugging off her pants until they are tossed at his helmet.

"What are you- NO!" the nervousness in his voice pitches upwards to panic once he pulls the fabric clear of his visor, only to see her push herself up and over the balcony railing.

The jump is graceful, muscles learned in quick movements, trained to lift, pull, and leap. It just about stops his heart as she slips out of his reach and down below. Maybe this isn't a dream after all.

The splash below nearly has him keeling over the railing, watching the fabric of her shirt billow out in the water, a stark contrast to the blue tile design on the floor of the pool.

"Are you kriffing insane?" he yells down to her once she surfaces.

"Cuy ogir'olar" she answers in Mando'a, crooked grin taking over her face.

"Irrelevant my-" he shakes his head "you could have gotten hurt!"

"This is a dream Din! Stop being such a gullipud and join me!" she kicks onto her back and begins to paddle calmly around the pool.

He sighs as he watches her, strong legs pushing her through the water leisurely while her arms keep her balanced. It's a steady rhythm, watching the clear water ripple around her, sunlight flickering on the miniature waves like metal in dunes of sand.

Din gives in sooner than he likes to admit. Removing his armor piece by piece to set it on the bed, hesitating with hands poised to remove his helmet.

This is nothing but a dream after all.

The sentiment makes it no easier to walk back out onto the balcony, devoid of any beskar, barefoot and balling his hands up so tight he can feel the bite of his nails on his palms. Looking down at the water, he spots her floating on her back, eyes closed.

Leaping over the railing is nothing, he does dangerous things all the time. It's when he bobs back up to the surface of the cool water that any kind of apprehension sets in because she's swimming over to him, that bright look back on her face.

"You look like a drowned Wookie" she teases, slowly lifting a hand to push the hair plastered to his forehead away "when was the last time you got a haircut?" He pretends to think about his answer, enjoying the feel of her skin on his face as she lets a finger drift down between his brows, across the bridge of his nose and all the way to tip. It's a circuit she repeats, back and forth. Up and down. Like she's putting him in a trance.

It works. Her question forgotten, just the warm brush of her fingertip and the feeling of being known. Even covered in his armor it felt that way.

He knows she doesn't like being told what to do, knows how hard the knuckles of her deceptively soft looking hands can be against flesh, knows she was a Foundling like him. He knows that she never gets tired of looking at the stars, no matter how far she travels.

She only startles a little when he lunges forward to lift her up and pull her tight against him, arms secure around her. His face is pressed against hers, every inch of connection he can wring out of this, he will.

"Hi" she whispers into his ear, with arms slung around his neck and legs around his waist beneath the water. She sounds like she's greeting an old friend who has finally recognized her.

"I missed you but I don't even know who you are" voice thick, he admits defeat "I don't know your name and I'm afraid to let you go."

"I know, Din, I know" she nods and the drag of her cheek against his sends a shiver down his spine.

"Tell me where you are so I can come to you"

"I'm right here"

"I mean it"

He pulls back, one palm cupping her face, staring her down. Intent on waiting her out. The water laps patiently at their movements like a ticking metronome.

"No, you're right where you need to be, on the path you need to go down" she smiles again but there's a sadness creeping into it.

"I don't care" his words are quietly fierce, pulling her back against him as if he holds on tight enough to her, he can pull her out of this dream with him.

He shuts his eyes and buries his face into the crook of her neck, the cool scent of water giving way to the layers underneath. Of bacta and herbs and something unnameable and warm assaulting his senses.

Around them, the vibrant green layers begin to brown and decay. Leaves fall swiftly down to float on the water, dissolving. The walls start to break slowly, color fading from the intricate tile work. She can hear wood splinter and give way under rot somewhere above them.

"This place, it doesn't exist in the real world anymore" she tells him, tears gathering as she looks up while still holding tight to her Mandalorian.

"I don't care" Din repeats, eyes open and trying for one more glimpse into hers but she's looking up.

So he does too and finds the sky dark, spotted with stars he's never seen before. They must be her stars, wherever she is.

"It's okay Din" she shushes him even as he shakes his head, the pit in his stomach a gnawing beast of panic he hasn't felt in so long.

He knows he wouldn't recognize himself at the moment, this silent begging thing clutching onto an almost stranger like she knows the universes biggest secrets. It's not okay.

"It is, it is" she leans in, finger beginning the endless loop of stroking the strong line of his nose, up to the furrow in his brow. Once, twice, and then she presses a kiss with warm lips to his cheek.                                   ----------------------------------- The mandalorian jolts awake, nearly spilling out of the pilots seat in the cockpit of the Crest. Heart pounding like a heard of bantha, sucking in breaths so fast he yanks of his helmet.

The blur of hyperspace stares back at him from the view port and he tries to tell himself the spot on his cheek that remains damp yet warm is simply sweat.

Not even the stars believe that.                                      --------------------------------- On a planet that spins beneath stars from a dream, the walls of her bedroom give a quick tremble in sync with her return to consciousness. She had given up on shelves and hanging pictures long ago.

They simply ended up breaking, like so many other things.

Pulling her blanket tight around her shoulders, she gets out of bed and makes her way through the dark maze of her home. It's large but not for the luxury of it, whatever isn't covered in medical supplies and random tech leaves very little for personal items.

An old habit from to much time spent planet hopping.

But the stars, there is always room for the stars.

[ceoofuwu]

𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐒𝐄... 𝐌𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐈𝐂𝐄 ;; 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘪 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰 𝘹𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳

𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐒: 𝟏.𝟓𝐤

𝐀/𝐍: Happy (belated) Birthday Shoto!!! as you can probably tell, this is a special scenario for this soft boi's bday (heck how could I not) so... please, enjoy!

𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒: obviously, you couldn't just sit and watch your precious boyfriend's birthday go by, just like every typical, boring day... he might not mind much but, with the help of a close companion, you manage to steal one or two smiles from his eternally unbending lips...

𝐓.𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒: none

«You think this would be enough?»

«Definitely. Knowing him, it would be way more than enough».

«Right. Thanks Natsuo, I’m eternally grateful…!»

«No worries. I’m always here for you, little one».

His last words sent a sweet smile on your lips as you heard the characteristic beeping sound of the phone hanging up.

You snatched your jacket from the coat rack beside you and hurried outside, heading to the Todoroki Abode. Your home wasn’t particularly far from there so… it wouldn’t be such a drag to go on foot.

Besides, you’d have time to muse over the details for today’s surprise.

Shoto was generally indifferent to every day, no matter how special it was. He liked to keep things neutral and routine above all, which meant that he wasn’t particularly touched by any occasion that belonged out of the ordinary. However, his birthday was what you’d call… an exception to the rule.

Okay, no exaggerations, there wasn’t any radical change in his attitude but, he seemed a little more… upbeat? That day, it was easier to steal soft chuckles or short-lived laughs off his lips, more common to witness him cracking a cutely awkward smile, to have his heart warm up, engulfed by your welcoming presence.

That is the very reason why you had decided to consult your so-called aniki – which was none other than Shoto’s own big brother – about any potential ideas to make this unique day even more amazing.

God, you felt so blessed to have such a kind-hearted boy to watch over and help you.

Like so, you had arranged to pick up Shoto from his house and then head out for a supposed walk. Oh, how you were looking forward to seeing his reaction upon meeting with the real surprise…

You were probably too lost in your thoughts as the image of an all too familiar traditional house flushed before your eyes, sending your heart race inside your chest. Anticipation shaking your body, your feet suddenly picked up the pace, breaths coming and going irregularly, everything around you turning into a blur.

In a matter of mere seconds, you were standing in the doorstep your boyfriend’s home, the door opening before you even had the time to ring the bell.

«You’re a little late».

Cerulean and pewter glowed before you, a thin layer of empathy lacing them, the phenomenal mix making you feel giddy, filling your mind with fuzzy clouds.

«I know, I’m sorry… I came on foot…» you explained, your head ducked just slightly but sufficiently enough for you to avoid his intense, curiosity-filled stare.

«But we were supposed to walk together…?»

You giggled, getting a hold of his hand and dragging him outside, «…I guess I needed a warm-up…»

A smirk played about his lips, as his arm slithered around your waist, «We’d better get going then…» his eyes snapped to yours again, with a hint of mischief this time, «…before you get cold».

He made sure to close the door and then you set off, without him having the tiniest clue about the upshot of your relaxing stroll…

«Haven’t we got too far?» Shoto asked, head continuously turning from the right to the left in alert.

«Well… that’s the point…» you said with a playful smirk, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him along, your once relaxing walk, now being turned into an impetuous dash.

Naturally, the poor boy didn’t know what to expect. Were you planning to run away with him? Maybe do something more… satanic? In all honesty, he had every right to feel clueless towards your intentions.

Until you finally ground to a halt.

«An ice… rink?» he questioned, making sure he was not hallucinating.

«Hey, not just any ice rink! This opened…» you held your chin, then your index rose and your eyes sparkled as if in a light bulb moment, «…like a couple of days go…!»

«I don’t remember it being here before, indeed…»

«So… wanna go inside? Have a go?»

«Is that what our “walk” was about?» he asked, feeling that he had finally collect the missing pieces of the puzzle.

«Well… I wanted to surprise you… for your birthday… and Natsuo told me that ice skating would be fun…» you confessed, gaze down, cheeks slightly dusted with a light shade of red.

Shoto chuckled.

«I don’t see why we shouldn’t enter…» he said, acting rather indifferent, while he was practically performing a whole choreography inside his head at the joy that he was overridden with.

«What are we waiting for, then?» you nearly shouted, roughly dragging him along, and inside the ice rink.

Shoto looked natural, as if he was meant to be on ice. Both him and his skates moved fluidly. There was not one jerky movement. For what it’s worth, he had flatly refused to wear skates in the beginning, claiming he was better off without them, as the use of his quirk while in a battle would have him ice skate basically barefoot. You could understand what he meant by witnessing just a scope of his abilities. He balanced himself so easily; like he truly was an expert. He held his arms out at just below shoulder level. His head was forward, his knees were bent slightly. He continued to have his body loose throughout the entire time.

You on the other hand, had decided to stay outside and watch… at least for the moment. There were times he held out his hand, urging you to join him and resembling a graceful swan, moving naturally. Soon after, he would continue to glide across the ice cold rink with ease. To you, he was a winner in his own game; and watching him was enough.

«Hey, you brought us here, no fair staying out of it» he pointed out having just come in the rail without you noticing, lost in your trance as you were.

«… I suck at ice skating, Shoto…»

«I’ll be by your side. Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall…» he assured, motioning with his head to the rink, «…I got you».

«You promise?»

«I promise».

His stern, mesmerizing look was enough for you to be convinced and go fetch some ice skates. There wasn’t another person in the entire world you could trust as much as him.

When you were done putting them on, you slowly entered the rink, clutching your boyfriend’s hand the entire time.

«The trick is to feel comfortable in your skates. Don’t think too much about falling unless you wish to end up doing so, okay?»

«Got it» you breathed, holding the rail beside you as if it was your life line. Little by little, you walked around the edge of the rink while holding onto the wall and struggling to keep your legs as steady as possible, trying to get used to the friction of the ice.

«You’re doing great, Y/n…»

A smile made its way to your full lips, «… it’s not as hard as I thought…» you realized, feeling your legs stabilizing more by the second.

When you first step foot in the ice rink you felt frightened. But now, with Shoto, who was practically beaming at your progress, you were beginning to feel more dynamic and… confident in your abilities.

Then, you worked up some courage and in one fell swoop had abandoned the safety of the wall. After pushing from your anchor, you felt free as a bird, holding your arms out and smiling.

To both your surprise, you were balancing almost perfectly on the icy floor. Shoto took a “step” back from you carefully, wanting to test how far you could go.

Your arms were flapping around like an airplane propeller, eliciting several chuckles from your “instructor”.

Taking a deep breath, you started moving and glided forward for a short distance. You lengthened your left and right leg, alternating your strides. Subsequently, you took longer and long strokes, one foot after the other. Gradually, you were balancing on either foot, making the sport look easy.

«I can’t believe it!» you shouted, excitement rushing in your veins.

«I can…» two strong arms were suddenly wrapped around your waist, cautiously bringing you closer to half-cold, half-hot body. Without allowing you to contemplate any more on what should be your next move, Shoto twirled you, bringing your façade against his, his dazed orbs hypnotizing you as you harmonically glided across the rink.

«Did I mention how awesome this surprise was?»

«Happy Birthday, Shoto» you said, folding your arms around his stiff neck savoring the conviviality of his presence and the elation of the moment.

It was worth it after all... aniki*...

*in case you're not aware/are new here: aniki means big brother in Japanese hehehe 💕

[papipopsicle]

GHOSTBUSTERS

Pairing: Bucky Barnes X Reader

Summary: In which Y/N keeps bumping into various Avengers on missions, sometimes to their benefit and others not so much. As Bucky finally decides to go back into the field, he comes face to face with a ghost from his past life.

Song: Death Valley by Fall Out Boy

Warnings: swearing, general lack of morals

Words: 2.4K

feedback is always appreciated

     "You sure about this, Buck?" Steve asked, willing his reassuring nature onto the stoic man sat next to him. They were eight minutes from the drop sight in south Ecuador and only Gamora was joining them on the mission.

There was no way in hell he planned on backing out now.

James Buchanan Barnes no longer held the mantle of the Winter Soldier, but ever since Shuri, Princess of Wakanda, extracted the programming in his brain, he remembered everything. At first it was like puzzle pieces, fleeting memories and nightmares that he couldn't quite put together. But the last fifty years slowly found its way back. And the twenty before that of torture too.

Every bullet.

Every last breath.

Every tortured soul he killed for Hydra. And the lives he was forced to steal, forced to work along side with.

Wanda found out rather quickly his mind wasn't a happy place to venture into. She cried herself to sleep that night.

It took a long time for Bucky to realise his body was no longer a weapon, and longer to even begin trusting his prosthetic limb off the battlefield.

This was only a minimal risk mission; a group of young inhumans had been wreaking havoc for the past few weeks, Friday had been tracking them and noticed they were meeting a large arms dealer in Amazula tonight. Fairly simple. The enhanced individuals would be handed over to Agent Johnson's task-force while any weaponry will be confiscated by the CIA under Tony Stark's surveillance. All the trio had to do was detain the inhumans. Easy.

"Sure," Bucky responded slowly and shrugged his shoulders, "about time I got off my ass, right?"

"You can wait here if you don't feel up to it." The Zehoberei woman replied while picking at her nailbeds, voice dripping with sarcastic sympathy. Admittedly, she enjoyed the presence of these two no nonsense men, but their friendship made them worry too much and she didn't have the patience for it.

Gamora released the hangar door and without waiting for the super soldiers to respond, she jumped. Steve rushed to the edge and rolled his eyes as she landed perfectly a hundred feet below them. Once the quinjet had actually landed, the three stealthily made it to the warehouse unnoticed.

"Eyes on the kids, all five are headed down the north corridor." Bucky stated plainly over the communication device hidden in his right ear, still unable to comprehend how a pair of goggles allowed him to see through steel walls. He stayed crouched down low in the overhead railings, his large figure hidden with ease from any surveillance equipment.

Only a few seconds could passed before his ears were assaulted by a string of curse words from the alien woman, even more surprised that Steve hadn't reprimanded her for the foul language.

"Gamora?" The Captain questioned, launching out of his position in pursuit of his endangered teammate. When he arrived though, the scene before him made his eyes hurt from rolling them so hard, a simple "Not you again." fumbling from his lips.

Bucky calmed at the annoyed tone, having scrambled out of his hiding space with surprisingly the same amount of stealth. His heart was erratic, thinking it was a code red, but his steps slowed to a jog as soon as he registered they weren't in any kind of peril.

Y/N grinned up at the man in his usual navy stealth suit, watching his irritated expression tauntingly, "You missed me really, Rogers."

She'd arrived after Gamora, finding the kids tied to a post by the green woman with illuminated ropes. The mercenary began undoing their bounds, but was soon interrupted by their capturer and eliminated the threat with great skill.

Y/N stabbed Gamora in her thigh, her copper dagger dripping with blood as she twirled it between her fingertips.

Bucky rounded the corner and entered the open warehouse, finding his friend jogging over to the scene several feet ahead. Steve began assessing Gamora's wound and was quickly shoved off by the warrior, who simply stood and wiped her leg down as if it was dust and not blood.

Bucky stood frozen. It felt all too surreal - the flicker of orange hair, the bright teal suit which was anything but stealthy, and the familiar scarred tissue surrounding her magnificent hazel eyes. She was anything but a ghost, though he felt a soul step through his being.

"Buck? A little help?" Steve pushed, watching his friend move towards the group of teens without taking his eyes off of the annoying mercenary. He'd met her on numerous missions throughout the past couple of years, mostly getting in the way of things and a handful of times even aiding them.

"Buck?" Y/N mocked in the Captains authoritative tone, "What kind of name is that? What's it short for? Buckbert?"

Bucky blinked, forgetting all about the young inhumans, "Buchanan, actually."

"James? What in the fuck are you doing here?!" Y/N recognised his voice instantly, the gravelly pitch unrivalled by anyone else on this planet. She stopped fiddling with the electrified rope and spun on her heel, finding the first Winter Soldier mere meters from where she stood.

The mercenary slid her blade back into its sheath on her hip, sprinting over to her former partner and before anyone knew what was happening, her body enveloped his. Y/N squeezed him so tightly he thought is eyes may just bug out, but with Steve and Gamora's astonished expressions watching him, he returned the embrace. It was familiar, and Bucky didn't know whether that should be a good thing or a bad one.

"I'm sorry, actually I'm not. Care to explain how you know the asshole who just put a hole in my leg?" The Zehoberei woman seethed, checking the detainees were still detained before marching over to the pair.

"Yeah, not that this reunion isn't..." Steve trailed off, motioning towards the two still embracing. Bucky eye rolled his friend, letting the mercenary drop from his body but keeping his arm around her, "whatever it is, but why is it a reunion in the first place? Please don't tell me you two used to-"

"Fuck?" Y/N scoffs at the insinuation, knowing she'd hit the nail on its head when Captain America turned the same colour as his shield, "In his dreams, maybe."

"Y/N used to work for Hydra every now and again." The super soldier intervened, watching her wounded eye twitch from the corner of his vision, "Even when she wasn't, she'd follow my missions and find work in the same countries."

"Until I stepped in one day when his handler was being especially dickish and got myself this as a memento." She signalled to her paled scar with a sad smile, "I'd lost you for a while there, but it's good to have you back, James."

Steve couldn't believe how casual their conversation was, but instead of finding the answers he so desperately wanted, he had a role to play, "Is she going to be an issue?" Is all he could ask.

Y/N frowned at his no nonsense attitude, he usually threw a couple sarcastic remarks for her to bat back before getting on track with his mission. She looked up at Bucky with the same expression, arms crossed and eyes rolling as she begrudgingly shook her head. If it wasn't for her old acquaintance, the mercenary would've figured out a small way to annoy America's golden boy.

"Not this time, at least." The metal armed man reassured his childhood friend, who was getting the group of inhumans ready for the inhibitor pod on the quinjet. Gamora was busy glaring Y/N down, throwing her own blade up into the air a few times before charging at the human woman with no fear.

"What the-" Y/N screamed as the alien's dagger became the only thing her eyes could see, and without any other option, she climbed Bucky like a tree. Her torso hugging his face and her legs wrapped around his neck, "I'm sorry, pretty green lady!"

The super soldier, slightly unsure of what was happening, unarmed his teammate and shook Y/N off his shoulders. She fell to the grass with a small thud, quickly getting to her feet and backing away from the seething warrior.

"Let me stab her, it's only fair!" Gamora demanded, struggling in Bucky's vibranium grip. At this point, Steve had already transported the enhanced teens onto the quinjet and had come back to inspect and take inventory of the weaponry, only to find this scene playing out in front of him.

"I said I'm sorry!" She definitely wasn't, and although she didn't know the green woman, she knew it wouldn't end well if her apathy shone through. While Bucky held her back, Y/N knew this was her chance to dip out. After all, she was only here as a favour for a friend, it certainly wasn't worth getting injured over. But, against all better judgement and knowledge of stabby people, the mercenary decided to stay for a while longer.

"See, she's apologised, she didn't mean it." Bucky reasoned, pleading eyebrows raised at Gamora. His body didn't know whether to go into shock or revert to the way it used to react around Y/N, and got stuck between the two. He remembered so much of her; her squeaky laugh and scrunched nose at her own sardonic jokes, the dark chestnut hair lying under her luminous wig, her soft lips kissing his at the end of a mission. It came rushing back like blood to a sleepy limb.

"Alright, alright." Steve interjected, not wanting to escalate the situation, "Let's not forget why we're here." He eyed the merc specifically.

"Pffft," She batted her hand towards him passively, no longer in imminent danger as the green woman stood with her arms crossed, "you can have this one, Golden Boy. Something else has taken my interest."

Y/N made a mental note to buy Wade something to apologise for not getting the guns and ammunition he wanted. He wouldn't really care, probably moved onto some other enemy already. Steve began closing the crates of various weaponry, not caring for the young merc until he heard her voice ring, "Mind if I hitch a ride with you guys, if you're heading back to New York."

"Sure." Bucky insisted.

"We aren't-." Steve objected, glaring over at his best friend before amending his words, "Fine. Just don't mess with anything."

Gamora found the woman intriguing, so laid back yet clearly on a dark path. If they'd met under different circumstances, she would've welcomed another strong and calculating female into her life suffocated by testosterone. But the Zehoberei warrior's leg still seeped with blood, aching with each step, so she wasn't ready to give in so quickly.

They all made the walk back onto the quinjet fairly quickly, passing by the white pod which inhibited each of their powers without causing them any harm. Y/N had never been on such a technical aircraft before, amazed by all the lights and buttons. But Steve swatted her hand away before she could find out what they did, "Sit down and stay out of trouble."

"So, you been doing okay, James? Back in the real world, I mean." Y/N slumped down on the seat next to Bucky's frame. She unhooked her tactical belt and slid off the bright ginger wig, slinging it on the metal cabinet beside her.

Bucky eyed her up, finding her raised scarred brow oddly endearing, "Not at first, a lots changed since the forties." He nudged her shoulder as a sad look appeared on her face, "I'm alive though, been going to therapy. This is my first field mission, actually."

"Looks like my bad timing's paid off this time, then." Y/N looked up at him sincerely, finding familiar icy eyes staring into her own. He had changed so much, and not at all in the same breath. She'd never seen a smile on his lips before, usually covered by a mask during missions, yet it suited him so beautifully. He'd brushed his shoulder length hair behind his ear, watching his jaw clench and relax.

They chatted back and fourth about the past few years, no boundaries or judgements held in the space between them. Y/N actually did research about a customers background before accepting their offer, targeting her homicidal rage towards sex traffickers whenever she got the chance. She still held no permanent home, currently residing in an abandoned apartment a dozen blocks away. The super soldier offered that she could stay with him if she ever wanted, used to her company and lax attitude.

"Thanks James, I'll keep that in mind." She hopped down from the hangar's opening, marvelling at the acres of land surrounding the Avengers facility. Steve and Gamora had left a while ago, briefing Agent Johnson on the inhumans. So it was just the two of them, a warm wind flowing through their hair. Y/N stepped behind him, tying his hair half up in a pony tail to stop it from getting in his eyes.

"Thanks, Y/N/N." He beamed down at her, "It's been good having you around again, hopefully it doesn't take a bunch of rebel inhumans for us to see each other again."

"It better not." She smirked, a fuzzy feeling sitting in her stomach as her nickname left his lips like a melody, "Now since this little mission was a success on your part, I feel it's only fair we honour our tradition. Especially since it's been your first in a long time."

Bucky didn't even want to waste time responding with words, his cool metal hand finding it's way to her neck pulling her closer. Their eyes both fluttered shut, Y/N pulled herself up onto her tiptoes just as he leant down enough to bridge the gap. Her body shuddered all over as she felt him return the kiss and his free hand grip her waist ever so tightly.

Bucky broke away first, noticing the lust blown look in his little mercenary’s eyes as she blinked innocently up at him. After a beat, she hid her head in his chest, only for him to kiss the top of her head. “Don’t be a stranger, Y/N/N.”

“Oh, don’t worry.” Y/N giggled, pulling away just enough to look up at the tall super soldier, “I can honestly say it would be my pleasure to fuck with Tony Stark and his band of merry men.”

“Invite me on your next job so we can do that again.”

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[sergeant-donny-donowitz]

Blood Stained Name (AldoxFem!Reader)

Requested by @svonschroeder​

@owba-chan​ @inglourious-imagines​ @war-obsessed​ @tealaquinn​ @struggling-bee​ @frozenhuntress67​

Let me know if you wanna be added to the basterds or OUATIH taglist :)

You were, what some may call, a legend during the war. And like many other legends, you served as a warning to the cruel, and an idol to the just.  And, like any other legend, you were hunted. In fact, there was quite a large bounty placed on your head, complimentary of the nazi party.

Dead or alive. The only problem was...your name was unknown. Your age was unknown. Your nationality was unknown. Any general description of you was flawed, full of anomalies thanks to  fearful stutters and shudders. You made it known that you were helping resistances and rebellions throughout Europe. With that many allies, and so few clues, you were even harder to track down. The truth was, it was hard to hunt a hunter...because in spite of all you'd done for others, every rescue, every code, every message... your real gift was hunting. Nazi hunting, to be precise. So, with nothing better to go on than "nazi-hunter," you were dubbed 'Orion,' and filed as an enemy of the state. The Orion Initiative started in 1941: An extensive mission and intensive investigation aimed at tracking you down, led by your polar opposite, the Jew Hunter: Hans Landa. Rumors of the nazi hunting started just months after the nazi party took over... An official (though top secret) report was started in 1940, when the hunt was clearly more than just a rumor. An official investigation was launched in 1941. By late 1942, a group of nazi hunters was identified, and originally considered a set of 'copy cats.' The theory was struck down...and the group became known as the ‘basterds.' It was now 1944... The Orion mystery remained unsolved, making it the longest investigation Landa had ever been on. It was a record... Something he was not proud of. He had to solve it.... The only problem was he'd never seen such a clean trail...such meticulous murder... Nearly a perfect crime, every time. Just enough evidence left behind to drive him insane, and just less than enough to piece anything together. It was done on purpose. It was a mockery, and he knew it.

What he didn't know was your name... In fact, nearly no one knew it. The French Resistance knew you as Anaïs Bellamy, a saving grace. To the Soviets, Tatiana Zima. To the Belgian Resistance, you were Cassandra Willems. But that was as many names as Landa could collect (through the most heinous means). Neither of them were legitimate, and all of them led to dead ends. You were a myth with a thousand names. Faceless, but full of lore. Each resistance that knew you, knew you as a hero. Nothing more, nothing less. Each nazi that knew you, never saw anything again. To the allies, you were an asset. To the nazis, you were a faceless, nameless menace. To Hans Landa, you were an abomination, and an embarassment. He would uncover your name and face,  and close that case and file, if it was the last thing he did.

He swore that he'd find you. You were just like him at the end of the day. You used the same strategies, same intimidation, you played the same game... Of course, you knew that. And it drove you crazy. Because you wanted to be nothing like him... Nothing like your father. Unaware of your million names, you were simply Y/n to him. His daughter.  To you, he was simply a nazi. Dead to you, the moment he first put on his SS uniform... But he didn't know that. He was too busy with work, and you didn't quite mind your game of cat and mouse. You liked driving him crazy without him even knowing. As he worked overtime trying to find a single connection, you smirked, as he rattled on and on about names and clues. He’d never been so frantic over any case before... Every once in a while, you’d throw him a bone. A useless, broken bone, at that. A puzzle piece to a puzzle without a picture.  Still, he’d smile at you, the only thing in the world he had, and sighed, “Danke, Y/n...” Y/N.  Very few people knew that to be your name. And one yank hillbilly by the name of Lieutenant Aldo Raine knew it.... 

By accident, of course. He never quite had the pleasure of making your acquaintance, but he did know enough of your friends in the resistance, and as a basterd, he was privy to some information most people weren't. It was rare, but he somehow connected the dots. He saw one of your identifications. One of the many.... He may have been a bootlegging redneck from the humble Maynardville Tennessee, but he was no idiot. And he practically had a photographic memory.

There were faces he never forgot. And yours, on those fake French papers, was one of them. Your name stuck with him... Your name....the thing you hated most about yourself.  "You're so much like him!" "Same eyes!" "Same brains, too!" You forced a smile through it all. You couldn't take much more of this. You were trapped in a crowded lobby, in a cinema, surrounded by your enemy. Your name... This was the exact reason very few of your allies knew your real name. They equated you to your father. They were suspicious of you, a possible double crosser... It took so much to convince people of your true colors. But...you couldn't blame them. You still carried all the blame of your father's sins. You didn't think twice. You just fought. And you fought the urge to cry and scream, and burn the place down in that moment. Landa was a blood stained name, and there was nothing you could do about it... You sighed, as your father interceded, accepted compliments on your behalf...and proceeded to encourage you to mingle. "I want grandchildren some day." It took every ounce of you to brace yourself, and remind yourself that there was already a plan for the night. You forced a smile as you lost yourself in the crowd, away from him, and leaned over the railing of the second floor, watching the final night of your life come and go, there at the Nations Pride premier. ******** The war went on, and the basterds built up a way into Emmanuelle Mimeau's cinema: Operation Kino. Along the way, Bridget revealed she had eyes on the sinde of the regime....and the theater. She showed the basterds the picture of her spy.  A 'darling little thing,' as she held up a newspaper clipping. A daughter of a renowned nazi officer. A face Aldo recognized.... but no... It couldn’t be... He’d believe it when he saw it. And there you were, in the lobby with the rest of the nazis, for the premier of Nation's Pride. Aldo spotted you from across the room as he walked in with Bridget, Omar, and Donny. He was caught off guard, seeing a legend like you in person was almost like seeing a ghost story come to life. He whispered with astonishment, "Y/N Landa." You had spotted them from a mile away, on the second floor, as you leaned over the rails. You smiled, having learned to read lips long ago,  as you looked Aldo in the eye. You knew time was running out. You knew Operation Kino in and out. It was a sign of the times...so you may as well have fun with what you had left of it. You winked at Aldo, and blew him a kiss. He was flustered for a split second. 

Donny snickered, Omar smirked, and Bridget looked away, blushing as she giggled. Only moments before the boys could make their way to you for last minute updates, they ran into a little problem. Your father. ....Still, Aldo smiled and nodded snarkily as he made conversation in an embarassingly tragic excuse for Italian. Aldo couldn't believe it.... Hans Landa had no idea who his own daughter was. **********1943*********** "Monsieur Raine, you've just missed her!" The Basterds' contact in the French Resistance, Etienne, chuckled. "Who?" He smiled, "Your counterpart. Orion." Donny raised his eyebrow, "You said 'her'?" Etienne nodded, "Her." He held out a copy of your resistance identification. Aldo held the paper, and looked up, "Orion's a woman?" He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the fake name: Anaïs Bellamy. Hirschberg leaned over his shoulder, inspecting the documents... a bit disappointed, having hoped that Orion was an American. Etienne rolled his eyes, "German. Y/n Landa. One of the best we got." Another resistance fighter smiled as he cleaned nazi blood off his guns, "Good kid. Good aim. Fast runner." ---Meanwhile--- "Verdammt. Verdaaaamnt. Verdamnt." You muttered under your breath, as you climbed through your bedroom window, threw off your bloody, war-torn clothes, and threw on something presentable. You quickly glanced into your mirror. You popped your thumb in your mouth, and then wiped away some blood from your cheekbone. Your hair was a mess, and you looked tired. Perfect. You practically flew down the stairs, and rushed down the halls. You had a job to do in Paris. You couldn’t exactly waste time conversing with that fiend that dared call himself a father.

But you were stopped by an old familiar voice. "Another bad night, liebling?" You sighed, and shuffled toward the doorway in the dining room. "Ja..." Your father sighed as he put down his newspaper, and looked at you, as he smoked his pipe. He shook his head, and went on about being worried, and telling you for the millionth time that you should see a doctor. "No, but I-" "Your grades are slipping! Don't think I haven't noticed." He grumbled a little.

"I'm still graduating next semester." "You're still seeing a doctor." "But-" "Tomorrow morning." "But." He raised his voice, "Case closed." That was it... 

Once Hans Landa said 'case closed,' he meant it. ************************ The night went on, as expected... Mostly.

As he interrogated Aldo and Smitty, he expected he had it all figured out. "What shall the history books read?" Aldo raised his eyebrow, "Yeah? An' what about Y/n? Ain’t that kid still in the theater? Be a shame. Ain’t that right, Utivich?" Utivich smirked a little, “Yes, sir.” Landa stopped smirking... His face grew spiteful, his eyes narrowed with the intent to kill, "Tell me how you know my daughter's name or I swear I'll send word to the theater, I'll have the rest of your men shot, and-"

"Relax Landa. I know all my associate's names." Landa shook  his head, "Associates?" He smiled, thinking he had it figured out again, "She was infiltrating your basterds, and didn't tell me!" He grinned, "I tell you, that girl is just like me. That's it, isn't it?" Aldo smirked this time, and shook his head once, "Nope." Landa's face fell. If looks could kill... "So you either make that there deal, or not. Y/n is my man on the inside. And ain't no way you takin em boys out without settin' em bombs off." Landa left the desk, and immediately sent orders out for you to be found, and escorted directly to him. Then he took the deal with the general.  He would deal with you later. He couldn't tell if what Aldo said was true, but he desparately hoped it wasn't... and even more so, he wanted you out of that cinema. As Smitty and Aldo were escorted onto the truck to be taken behind allied lines, a nazi ran up to Landa with some news. You were not found... He was silent for a moment, and looked down as he nodded slowly, bracing himself for the possibility that you never would be found. Perhaps, you'd gone out for some air. Maube you'd gone home, and finally got some sleep. Or you went out looking for your dear old dad... Maybe....maybe you'd met someone worth loving there, a high ranking officer. (You had...but Aldo wasn't exactly the man Landa had in mind for you.) "Sir." Hans snapped out of it, and nodded as he made his way to his seat. Everything went well...too welll... The next thing he knew, Aldo had carved a swastika onto his face, and as he screamed in agony, Landa saw a nazi truck pulling up.  A hijacked one. One with three familiar faces. Two basterds, and a hunter.

Landa was a smart man, but, his hope and sentimenatality won out for once. He believed for a few moments you were there to save him, that you'd apprehended Donny and Omar, and you'd given him a fighting chance. You were just like him, after all, all the people said so. Maybe you'd be a double crosser, and help him. But you didn't. As blood from Aldo's mark dripped into Landa's eyes, he looked up at you, betrayed for a moment. Then....it all came together. He pursed his lips, as he pieced every single bit of evidence together.  You knew things there was no way for you to know. You had been right under his nose all along. It had been the perfect place to hide.... He gave one psychotic smile, as he watched you raise your pistol, and aim it at him. "I knew you'd outsmart me some day." You heard Aldo step up from behind you, "Y/n...he's still your father. We can take care of this." Landa, at the moment, was truly intrigued at what would happen next. But you didn't put your gun down. You shook your head, not even looking at Aldo. In fact, you looked at your ‘father’ the whole time.  You muttered, "I don't have a father." He seemed betrayed again, for an instant, but then again, you were just like him. A double crosser with a mission. He nodded. He smiled as he nodded.

He accepted it... You were just like him, after all... And he finally had an answer to the Orion Initiative. It would remain unofficial, and lost... But the case was finally closed. To him, at least. The Orion Initiative had an answer. It had been right under his nose, all along. He really was impressed, and psychotic as it was...he was proud of you. But the feeling was not mutual. You knew even after all that, he wasn't sorry. And the guilt of the nazis had done would forever weigh on you...So one less nazi in the world, one last hunt was all you could ask for. The war was over, but at that moment, there were things you and every other resitance, soldier, and victim would never forget. This was it... He smiled, and shrugged, "Case closed, Orion." You pulled the trigger. At that moment, there were thousands filing into streets, drinking, celebrating, dancing in the streets.... But when the confetti was swept up, and the soldiers went home, and the toppled regimes’ dust settled...everyone would have somewhere to go.

The gunsmoke cleared, and you took a breath, for the first time in a long time. You lowered your shoulders, and unclenched your jaw... For the first time in a long time, you could rest... But you had no place to call home. No one to call your own, in spite of the thousands that knew you, your face, and your story, few knew your name... Even fewer knew you. But you felt a hand on your shoulder, and a soft voice with a strange accent. "Y/n..." And you turned to see a warm smile, and kinder eyes: Lieutenant Aldo Raine... But he'd tell you you could call him Aldo, later that day.  And your world turned upside down. "Well...” He put his hands at his hips and sighed as he smiled at you, “You ain't part of the deal, Orion, and I sure as hell am gon' get chewed out for this...but I think we'll find somethin' for ya." You smiled genuinely for the first time in a long time... That was the first, honest thing you'd heard in longer than you could remember... He took your hand, as you walked with the basterds to the west, to the general, and to freedom. As you smiled at Aldo, and he smiled at you, you knew you were going somewhere safe, somewhere far. Perhaps on a mountain, somewhere in the middle of Tennessee. It wouldn't be like the mountains in Austria that you knew, but, a kinder place, one far from war, and farther from your memories of it. There in Aldo's eyes, you found something new as the sun began to rise in the horizon. A beginning... A place to call your own, a name without a blood stain.

[hunterguyveriv]

Sometimes a Stranger can help you Heal

Another 2 day combined into one for the Day 5 (Conversation in Black Lion) & and Day 6 (Battle Injury/Angst/Healing).

Both Keith & Acxa may seem out of character, but this is how I see the span of time between the time of Zethrid’s ship and when the lions land on the planet Acxa was stationed. It is meant to only center on Keith & Acxa

"What if she makes a move against him? We barely survived our last ground encounter with the Generals, let alone them in the Sincline ships!" The voice of an older female could be heard, "I trust my son enough to hold his own. One of our training regiments was close-quarters combat to simulate an attempted Cockpit takeover. Besides, if this Acxa DOES makes a move against him, I won't need to worry about him..."

In a matter of seconds, the mouth was pressurized and filled with oxygen. Keith landed with the full force of their weight on his left shoulder, causing it to dislocate. The cockpit pathway was now available to both of them as Black turned and rejoined the other lions. He grabbed his numb unresponsive left wrist, picking it up from the area between her navel and waist, letting it drop to the floor. Keith grimaced as the angle his arm was in caused more pain, which he couldn't focus on. 

He jumped up, holding his left arm, rushing to the cockpit. Once in, he greeted his wolf, and delicately stepped over him. He was quickly hitting some buttons on the console. The console had a loading wheel before flashing off. He promptly sat in his chair, grabbing his left wrist again and resting his arm on his hip, hand limply hanging between his legs before holding the right-hand joystick. He shifted black to regroup and take the point in the formation.

Acxa was a mere 50 seconds behind him when she entered the cockpit. She saw Keith deliberately not using his left arm but saw some movement out of the corner of her eye. She saw and wast both shocked and startled that he had an injured Tlvdatsi Wolf. She looked back at the paladin, trying to figure him out. Figure out how the ruggle he got an animal supposedly extinct due to Zarkon hunting them down, wanting to unlock their teleportative abilities. She sat down slowly next to the wolf, not to seem aggressive or to jostle it, causing more pain. As she sat down, the wolf whined in pain, causing her to instinctively stroked his fur and prove some sort of comfort.

Over the comms came the voice of the one she knew from the Weblum as Hunk "Guy's we need somewhere to do close by to land and charge the lions! They can't take much more." A soft voice came from the floor, "I know of a place you can hold out." Keith looked at her as she typed on her gauntlet, "Go to Planet Verolgah-VI. You can lay low for as long as needed while they charge up."

Keith typed in the Planet's name and saw it would take 8 hours at their current levels to get there. Plotted a course, and everyone followed. He turned to face her and thank her for everything she had done, but she had fallen asleep next to his wolf. Stroking his fur gently, she had one of the most peaceful looks on her face.

She was woken up by some strained grunting. She looked up and saw a helmetless Keith standing near the cot for the Black Paladin. He had his hand in between the railing to get in it and the wall. He had is bayard in his mouth, chomping his teeth, which some looked Galra, and some looked human on it as he tried twisting his arm. She heard a growl escape his throat, which prompted his wolf to lift his head and look at him cocking his head. She saw him twist his arm relatively fast and yank. She heard a sigh come from him as he reached up and stroked his shoulder a little, telling her it was dislocated. She watched with abated interest then horror as she saw him take his arm from between the wall and railing and then slam his left shoulder full force into the wall. She winced, hearing a blood cruddling pop and a Yelp-like growl from being his bayard.

She watched as he flexed his left arm, even open and close his hand. He took his bayard from his mouth and let it dematerialize into its storage area in his leg armor. He turned, seeing her watching him, causing his cheeks to burn "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you." She waved her hand slightly and stiffly got up "It's all right, but if you needed help you should have asked." She got up and felt his left shoulder region for any severe damage.

Keith stopped feeling heat around his neck, "I know, but I'm still not used to asking for help." She rested a hand briefly on the space between his chest armor and shoulder pad. They stood there in awkward silence for a group of seconds before getting flustered. Keith went back to the pilot's seat. Acxa sat on a small ledge to his right, "But you are the leader of Voltron." 

Keith typed on his console's right panel, transferring power and controls back to the left side. He flexed his arm briefly before taking the left joystick releasing a sigh of relief. He looked back at her with a somber look, "Ever since my father died and and my mother-Krolia was out of the picture since I was a mere baby, all I could rely on was myself." Acxa to tell he was still hurting from his past as he looked back to his view screen, "Sure I had Shiro after he recruited me for the Galaxy Garrison and eventually became a type of brother figure to me, but…"

"You still remained an outcast." He nodded as she finished his thoughts. "Even now, when I am with the team it feels like I am still kept at a distance." She sat there intently, "but what of the one called, I think Hunk, from what I remember of the Weblum, he seemed like he was trying to get close."

She saw Keith reach up and touch the area of his right trapezoid and breastbone area. "Yeah, during a trying time, besides Shiro filling that brotherly role, of the team he was the only one who bothered trying." She looked at him, puzzled, causing him to sigh and looked at her. "I was in a dark place leading up to the battle in which Voltron fought Zarkon. Up to possibly a week prior to that battle, I had gone my entire life believing I was human. That was until I met a Blade member by the name of Ulaz."

He reached a concealed compartment that had mostly chewie snacks for his wolf, which prompted his wolf to get up and sit next to his arm, nuzzling it for some, along with his knife. He grabbed a couple of pieces of dried meat for the wolf and his knife. The wolf eagerly took the chewies and ran to "Daddy's Cot" and jumped on it.

Acxa, in a very long time, giggled at the defeated sigh but put her attention back on Keith. "My beliefs that I was completely human started to falter when Zarkon said, 'I fought like a Galra Soldier' which don't get me wrong was quite a compliment in itself." He saw her nod, "As you should." He held his knife forward, the same knife that transformed into a large sword at the Kral-Zera "But it was seeing this emblem on Ulaz's weapon that shook my foundation."

"Once we met with the Blade of Marmora to be potential allies against Zarkon, but things nearly spiraled out of hand until Blade-Master Kolivan put me through the trials in which I awoken the blade." As he put his knife in a secret hilt, he had specially made for his armor, "That is when you learned you were Galra?" He looked at the timer to reach the Planet that her base was on compared to the remaining power time for the lions, it was cutting it rather tight "Correct." He went back to piloting Black. "How did the others react?" 

She could see she struck a still-raw nerve with his demeanor change, "Sorry…" He politely waved her off, "No, no, it's okay." He initiated the auto-pilot, he shifted to face her. "Lance, the loud pain in the ass actually didn't insult me about it. He said it even made sense since I made Galra consoles work, and the jacket I wore before leaving for a time reminded him of Sendak's armor. Pidge, she looked at it from a scientific standpoint and Coran. Coran told me he already knew, but felt it wasn't his place to tell me.

"Is that why you helped me out in the Weblum?" She saw him smirk, "Yes and no." She gave him a puzzled look. "Honestly I had no idea you were Galra until I saw your insignia. But my father who was a firefighter, had taught me from a young age that if I saw someone in need regardless of who they are you help them." "Sounds like he was an honorable man," she placed a hand on his forearm. "He was, infact that is how he met mom. Watching a vision from the Quantum Abyss, she crashlanded on Earth preventing a scout from revealing the location of the Blue-Lion…" Smirking quite ironically "something that still irks Allura quite a bit."

That last bit, she barely caught, but something definitely caught her attention "It seems, we are destined to keep crossing each other's path." He looked at her, "Oh?" "Affirmative. According to you, we met the same way your parents and ever since, we have been crossing each other's paths." His face in a matter of Milliseconds to a sudden realization, "You may be right!"

"But why… wait, what about Allura's reaction?" "Maybe because of it? We had grown close before the revelation. We were always stealing glances from one another when others weren't paying attention. Of all the Paladins she was always eager to join me, even was the toughest on me because Red was her father's lion. But it all changed after my trials..."

Acxa could tell he was still hurting. Hurting that, he experienced something that she, Lotor, Narti, Zethrid, and Ezor grew used to in nearly a quarter of a century. "All she saw was me as a Galra. Keep in mind I had a lot on my plate, I needed support from my team, my ENTIRE, team. But she cut me so deep that I was willing to take a suicide mission. Even after her… attempt of an apology, how could I lead someone who didn't want me there in the first place." Acxa nodded, sensing there was more anger and bitterness under the surface.

"Well it's her loss." She placed a hand on his and squeezed it softly. "You will find someone worthy of your devotion." Turning to hide the blush on his face, "Maybe I already have." He flipped his hand over, so their fingers intertwined. They gazed into each other's eyes briefly faces slightly red and purple before the proximity alarm brought them back to the immediate reality.

Planet Verolgah-VI was approaching fast, with systems starting to shutdown. Acxa uploaded a map to her base, which Keith sent to the rest of the lions. She even announced over the comms that they have to be careful entering the atmosphere due to Ion storms that had a tendency to appear out of nowhere. Keith gave the order to put their helmets back on and divert life support and any other unneeded energy to thrusters. Seconds before entering the upper atmosphere, more and more systems start to fail in the lions, "Anyone who isn't piloting, strap in! This is going to be rough!"