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forestlingincorporated · 3 years

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Teen Titans #29

So, one of my favorite types of fics to read is Different First Meeting fics between Jason and Tim. I looooove reading Enemies To Caretaker, of which I fed handsomely on fairly recently. Big Brother Jason fics give me warm fuzzies, and Tim Drake needs a hug, and I feel like if these two actually got to know each other and worked past their preconceptions, they’d get along surprisingly well. And Still A Jason!Robin Fanboy Tim Drake is just a fun concept.

Also, it just FEELS right for the middle siblings to band together after Damian comes along, lets get those abandonment issues in the party.

So, for mysterious and very secret TimKon Week 2021 reasons, I was rereading some Teen Titans, and I stumbled over the Original Tim+Jason First Meeting, and I just sort of wanted to talk about some interesting things I found in there rereading it after several years.

First thing right off the bat, when reading fics, normally it’s either the Core Four at the tower that Jason puts to sleep, or it’s Tim alone for the night. In the comic, none of Tim’s close friends are even at the tower, Jason waits for Bart and Cassie to leave, and Conner actually hasn’t come around for an in-universe month, because this is after the Superboy’s Birthright arc where Lex mind controls Conner.

The people Jason knocks out were his own teammates when he was a Titan. He specifically says he never got to work with Beast Boy or Cyborg directly, so he doesn’t feel bad electrocuting them, but he feels bad putting Raven under much more gently because she used to worry for him.

Tim has just gotten off the phone with Bruce when Jason shows up. It seems like Bruce might’ve been picking Tim up, but something’s come up with Martian Manhunter going missing, so Tim tells him he’ll catch a ride with Cyborg.

This is actually really interesting to me, because it’s a small moment of Bruce letting Tim down. It’s a conversation he’s probably had with his biological father many times when Jack’s canceled on him.

Gonna acknowledge this abomination real quick. This is So Stupid, and I’m glad as a fandom we just all agreed Jason didn’t do this. It makes me ask so many questions. Where did he get that oversized Robin costume? Why’d he tear off his perfectly good clothes? Why did he do this? Why the yellow tights? WHY?

A lot of things are actually happening here that are actually Really Interesting if you just look past the stupid fucking outfit. Because this comic actually flew really close to greatness, they just ended up dropping the ball by not continuing to do more with it.

First off, Jason doesn’t beat around the bush. He’s immediately like “yeah, yeah, yeah, Red Hood, whatever, I’m Jason Todd, bitch! Fight me.”

Secondly, Jason’s done his homework. He knows A LOT about Tim. He knows his name, he knows he has a dad, he knows he went to prep school, and he knows the story of how Tim became Robin. How he GOT that last bit of information, I’d honestly like to know. But even HAVING the information isn’t enough; he’s still letting his preconceived ideas get in the way. The surface level information about Tim’s life only served to fuel his jealousy and anger (thanks, Lazerus Pitt!). He’s so focused on Tim’s privilege that he’s looked past evidence of hardship; if he’s done this much research on Tim, he’s no doubt seen records of multiple boarding schools, lengthy travel records, news reports, a death certificate.... He can’t even bring himself to BELIEVE parts of Tim’s story that aren’t lining up with his world view, like HOW he became Robin.

Jason has convinced himself that what he’s discovered about Tim and the period of time when Jason was dead - the fact that Bruce was spiraling after his death, that his family mourned him, that Tim had to step up to the plate at a weird suicide prevention buddy system - is all a lie. Despite the fact that he’s beating Tim’s ass, he speaks to him with the assumption that Tim’s a child who’s been manipulated and lied to.

Meanwhile, it must be SO PAINFUL for Tim to hear Jason say these things: I bet he said the same thing to you he said to me, didn’t he? That you have the talent to make a difference in Gotham. That he needed someone he could trust in his war on crime. That you were one of a kind. The light in his darkness.

Bruce never said any of that to Tim. Bruce rejected Tim, he didn’t want Tim, and begrudgingly accepted Tim.

Going back to Jason waiting for Tim’s other young teen friends to leave the tower before going in, only drugging his own former teammates, is much of his anger seems directed at THEM, not just Bruce. To Jason, it looks like they didn’t mourn him either, he has no statue. I find it interesting that he smashes Donna Troy’s statue, who died after him, and I believe she came back before he did.

Unless he was keeping track of the news from the League of Assassins, to Jason, Donna never died.

And most importantly? Tim shuts Jason down. Tim “Bitch, Please” Drake out here like: you’re a fucking idiot, he loved you to death, he barely let me audition for the role.

Tim shows some deep resentment towards Jason in this scene. I mean... earned, Jason literally came into his house and starting hitting him, but Tim’s relationship towards the Idea Of Jason has gone through a few changes. At first Jason was ROBIN! THE BOY WONDER! And if maybe Tim thought Bruce wasn’t AS happy with Jason as he was with Dick, there was still SOME hero worship early on. But it only takes Bruce and Alfred and Dick using Jason’s death as a cautionary tale a few times to get Tim to see Jason AS a cautionary tale - the kind of Robin NOT to be. But the more Tim craved Bruce’s paternal attention and approval, and the more Bruce withheld it or made Tim work for it, knowing that Bruce did that, in part, because of his love and grief for his dead son (Tim having an actual living breathing father plays a part, too), and those feelings towards Jason have started to fester.

Jason can’t let it go, though, he thinks the concept of Robin was a mistake and had always been a mistake, and if he can hurt Tim, so can Scarecrow, Penguin, The Joker.

This is a good time to bring up that one thing I think Jason probably doesn’t know is Tim is injured. It is a little over a month since since Conner shattered Tim’s right arm. Tim is still healing from a comminuted fracture in his forearm. And looking at this picture that is - ah, yes, that is the injured arm Jason is swinging Tim by. Tim is probably healed by now, the cast IS off and he’s a child, but bones don’t fully return to full strength for 3-6 months.

Jason is conflicted. This is clearly, in part, a fucked up way of “protecting” what he sees as a manipulated child, to convince him to leave Bruce. But there’s also clearly some deep, deep jealousy thrown into the mix to complicate matters and cloud his judgement. Ultimately, Jason isn’t there to kill Tim. Tim would be dead if he was. He’s there to “beat some sense into him,” and he ultimately fails, and fails badly.

Tim is found by the older Titans, awake by now, though it seems Jason knocked him out to, uh, fuck with the memorial chamber, and Tim... does not beat around the bush. No secret identities here just “yeah, Jason Todd beat the shit out of me.”

And their reactions are HILARIOUS.

One more little sidebar, in the comic, Jason gets in with a D.N.A. check that never removed him from its permissions. Usually in fic this is a unique pass code. I’m not sure which version I like better, honestly. There’s something about Jason physically inputting a code that accepts him even though he’s supposedly dead that I really like, and just feels better than a dna scan. A dna scan sounds SAFER, sure, but there’s something about the Titans leaving in an honest SECURITY RISK out of sentiment that I like.

Lastly, I really like how it ends. Jason honestly thinks Tim IS a good Robin, and it seems like Jason’s done some research on the core four, mentioning Tim’s “real friends” again while the “camera” is on Conner and Cassie, suggesting that Jason KNOWS about them and possibly that targeting the tower while they were gone maybe wasn’t an accident or out of convenience, but fully intentional. And again, Jason’s real problem is highlighted: he feels alone, forgotten, unmemorable, no family, no friends.

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk.

#Jason Todd #Tim Drake #Teen Titans #Teen Titans (2003-2011)

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littlemisspascal · 3 years

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Death and an Angel part 6

Helmetless + Death!Din and Cupid F!Reader

Summary: Three things happen at once.

He pulls his glove off and tosses it aside. You forget how to breathe.

Rating: T

Word Count: 2,114

Warnings: Swearing, backstory, angsty angst, fluffy fluff, mutual pining finally acknowledged, overuse of italics, don’t mess with Din’s Cupid or he’ll kill you

Author Note: Important please read this! Ok, so if you’ve been following along you’ll know I had no outline for this originally. And well, that’s come back to bite me. I had to make an edit to Part 2, a small one but still the very beginning will look marginally different if you’ve read it before today’s date Dec. 16, 2020. Basically, I took away the implication that You don’t know exactly how You became a Cupid. So, yeah. Hopefully moving forward I’ll be better handling all this *awkward shuffling*. As always, thank you for all the support and I appreciate every one of you so much ❤

Links to Part 1 and Part 5 and Part 7

Cross-posted on AO3.

Photo Inspiration:

Silence floods the ship in the wake of your admission, stifling and charged with enough tension you fear breathing too loud will set off a chain reaction with disastrous results. It makes the hair on the back of your neck prickle, every instinct inside of you screaming to teleport away, if only so you no longer have to see Din stubbornly trying and failing to hide his internal turmoil behind a mask of indifference.

When he opens his mouth, you tense but the question slices through you all the same. “When?”

You hesitate, making a face. “Din, we really don’t have time for this. Let’s just move on—”

Without warning, the hand holding your elbow slides to your wrist and twists, turning your palm up for inspection. Din stares at the blank expanse of skin, then slowly his gaze lifts, and he releases you as if you’ve poisoned him.

“You’ve never lied to me before, angel. Did you honestly think now was the best time to start?” he asks, and something breaks inside of you when he looks at you as if you’ve become a total stranger to him.

But before any pain can begin to sink in, anger overcomes you as his assumption registers.

“I’m not lying, you asshole,” you say sharply, feeling a faint pulse of petty satisfaction when you notice the subtle way his stance shifts defensively, betraying his surprise at your boldness. Resting your hands on your hips, you fix him with your fiercest glare. “For all that you are a powerful ancient being of the universe, you are also the biggest, most ignorant fool I’ve ever met. You have absolutely no idea how Cupids become Cupids, do you?”

You don’t offer him even a second to respond, too wound up and fueled by the overwhelming desire to make him get it. To make him understand you’re not purposefully trying to hurt him. If it were up to you, you’d make sure he never felt any kind of pain. But that would require having a choice and that is the one thing the universe did not grant you as a Cupid.

“Every Cupid was once a mortal with a soulmate,” you explain, choosing each word with careful precision while watching his face to make sure his focus never wavers. “And every one of us was rejected by them. When we die, we’re transformed into Cupids, losing our soulmate markings in the process.” When you feel your bottom lip begin to wobble, you pause to take a steadying breath. “You asked me before, what is the true purpose of a Cupid? It’s to help others find the kind of love we never experienced for ourselves.”

Din stands there in front of you, still staring passively, and you’re scared for a moment your words have made no difference, but then his jaw clenches so tightly you hear his teeth grinding.

“You were rejected?” he growls, vicious and guttural, the sound of a feral beast.

He pivots, fist colliding with the wall with enough force it dents the metal beneath his knuckles. You flinch at the noise, shocked at the abuse he’s inflicted upon his beloved ship. Every bone in his hand should have shattered upon impact, but because Death is immune to such damage he merely turns back to you, breathing raggedly and eyes blackened with rage.

“Tell me his name.”

You’ve already begun shaking your head before you say, “So you can go hunt him down? Hell no. Trust me, it doesn’t matter.”

Instead of pacifying him, this only infuriates him further. “How can you say that? That bastard broke your heart when he was supposed to cherish you, protect you, love you above all else.”

“You think I don’t know that?” you ask peevishly, letting your temper get the better of you. Sparing a moment to mentally count to ten, you quietly reveal, “I can say it doesn’t matter because I don’t even remember who he was. There is no point sending you to kill someone who’s face I can’t pick out of a crowd.”

The sudden way Din’s whole body slumps in response to the news, like a puppet whose strings have been cut, expression scrunched and dumbfounded, would have made you laugh if the circumstances were entirely different. Being what they are, you can only meet his stare evenly, silently assuring him you’re not joking in the slightest.

“I don’t understand,” Din says at last, looking like he wants to approach but is unsure you’ll welcome his nearness so he keeps his distance. “You never told me you had memory loss before. What happened to you?”

You shrug helplessly. “I don’t know. For as long as I’ve been a Cupid, all my memories from my mortal life have dark spots, like something poked holes in them.”

Din glances away as he mutters something under his breath that sounds suspiciously like ‘Or someone’ but before you can comment, his tone rises to its usual volume as he says, “Is this why you collect all those old newspapers? To try to help you remember?”

You recall with embarrassment him having previously commented on the pile in your living room. That moment feels like years ago, the two of you sitting in your apartment and Din asking...if Cupids were on the list of potential soulmates. Was that his way of asking if you were on the list? Surely not. He’s much cleverer than that.

...Isn’t he?

“I just,” you shake your head, refocusing on the current conversation. “I keep thinking maybe I’ll find something that fills in the gaps. I don’t like this pit in my stomach, this feeling that I’ve forgotten something important.” You huff a self-deprecating chuckle. “Other than my soulmate, I mean.”

He offers you a smile, small and lopsided, likely meant to be consoling, but you see right through it. You see his pain in the tightness around his mouth, in the way his fingers flex at his sides like it’s taking all his self-control not to reach out to you. Your confession has hurt him. Badly. It’s the kind of hurt no amount of bacta can heal.

The silence returns, different than the one usually experienced during hyperspace in that it wishes to be broken, for someone to say something, anything. You would grant its wish except your thoughts are a jumbled mess inside your head. Deep down, there is a part of you which knows there is nothing you can say that will fix this—this being the chasm forming between you and Din, widening with every passing second spent staring wordlessly at each other.

Would telling him sooner have prevented this heartbreak? Probably. But looking back, you can’t think of an opportune moment. You had never thought your crush could be requited—not just because you were already matched, but also because it had always seemed so ridiculous, imagining the great and powerful Death feeling anything remotely close to affection for an unimportant, low-ranking Cupid.

“Angel,” Din begins after a few minutes, his voice anchoring you back in the present. He’s staring over your shoulder, brow furrowed thoughtfully and you can practically hear the gears turning inside his head. “Earlier, you said you didn’t tell your boss I was your client. Why didn’t you?”

“I-I don’t know,” you stutter, before an unexpected wave of boldness comes over you. Digging your finger into the armor on his chest, you remind him, “You came to me first, remember? Not them. So, I figured you didn’t want them knowing.”

“I couldn’t care less who knows,” Din deadpans.

“Oh.” You blink, hand falling back along your side, because what else can you say.

“You want to know what I think?” Oh Maker, he’s stepping closer until there’s only a foot of space between you two. His voice is a low, raspy murmur, sending your heartbeat into overdrive. “I think you didn’t want them knowing because you like being the only angel who does.”

You start to squirm, fight or flight instincts at total war with each other. His theory isn’t too far from the truth, making it all the worse hearing it out loud because it practically oozes possessiveness which is exactly what you’d feared.

“Before you pull away from me again,” Din continues, knowing you and your mind too damn well. “I want you to listen when I say nothing that you’ve told me changes how I feel about you.”

“Din—” you try, only for your voice to crack.

Then three things happen at once.

He pulls his glove off and tosses it aside. You forget how to breathe.

“I’ve been alone my entire existence and I kept telling myself that was how the universe intended it to be. That I couldn’t love anyone because I kill everything I touch.” A smile pulls at his lips when he looks down at his bare hand and a note of awe slips into his voice. “Then you came along, beautiful and clumsy and unafraid to call me out for being an ass. I started looking forward to each full moon because it meant I got to see you and admire every new detail about your life you chose to share with me. And then when this appeared,” he nods towards the soulmate marking, gleaming faintly beneath the overhead lighting, “all I could think of was you.”

You feel your throat becoming thick as you blink back tears, inhaling sharply through your nose. “Why didn’t you say anything at the train station? Why would you let me try to set you up with matches if you liked me that way?”

Din grimaces, abashed. “Because after you said there weren’t any Cupids on your list, I realized you didn’t know I liked you. I convinced myself I had to show you how I felt, instead of tell you. Although,” he holds up a finger, backtracking, “I actually almost did confess, on our way to Sorgan, but you stopped me. And that just further convinced me actions spoke louder than words. I knew none of the people you found me could ever compare with you, so I thought once you saw each unsuccessful connection, you’d realize the only hand I want to hold is yours.”

“Din, it can’t be me.” Your protest is weak, on the verge of caving in, forcing you to try another angle. “I can’t have two soulmates.”

He inhales a breath so sharp and unexpected, it startles your poor heart into skipping a beat.

Din looks at you like you’ve gifted him all the stars in the galaxy, brown eyes blown wide with hope. “Angel, do you mean it? That you consider me—”

“Of course, you idiot.” You attempt a laugh, but it comes out sounding broken and forced. “As Death, as Din, as whoever you want to be, I’ll always consider you. But...what if what happened on Sorgan happens to us? What if the universe doesn’t favor us?”

“I just want to be yours.” Din extends his hand towards you. “And if that means breaking the universe’s rules, then fuck it. We’ll make up our own. Together.”

Time seems to stand still, like you’ve entered a realm separate from the rest of the universe where you’re able to forget you have a complicated past, filled with holes and a soulmate who rejected you. Here it’s just you, Din, and his offer to love you unconditionally. Here you have a choice.

And it’s the easiest one you’ve ever made.

You slowly lift up your hand to hover in front of his, fingers trembling as they uncurl.

“Together,” you whisper.

And then your hands are moving to meet one another, closer and closer until his fingertips brush yours, sending a spark of warmth through your nervous system. Oh, Maker, you had described what you imagined a soulmate connection was like, but you had no idea this is the true experience. It’s like a sunrise dissolving midnight skies, lighting up your surroundings with breathtaking vibrancy. You can’t fathom how you survived all this time being in his presence without feeling his touch.

“Dank farrik,” he mutters hoarsely, sounding just as overwhelmed and awestruck as you feel.

You open your mouth, but instead of words a whimper of agony escapes instead. That lovely warmth spreading from your linked hands has started to boil, white-hot and furious. It’s as if all your internal parts have caught fire and are slowly withering to ash—your organs, your bones, even your kriffing blood.

Your body crumples and Din cries out your name, but you don’t get to hear him say it, unconscious before your head collides with the floor.

Tag List: @leilei-draws, @theocatkov, @becauseican2, @vintagesaph, @stardust-and-starlight, @kay2304, @odelia-d32, @adrieunor, @remmyswritings, @gallowsjoker, @rhiannon-russo, @randomness501, @eleine-t1d, @nicotinebirds, @sylphene, @softly-sad, @maytheglitter, @melobee, @rogertaylorsfalsettogivesmehives, @eleinemk, @captain-jebi, @aerynwrites, @promiscuoussatan

#din x you #din djarin x you #din x reader #din djarin x reader #Din Djarin #mandalorian x reader #the mandalorian #my fic #death and an angel #soulmate au #Pedro Pascal

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free-pancakes · 3 years

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Dreams and Nightmares

Summary: LeviHan Canon-Divergence fic

Hange barely survives the final fight against Eren, and is saved by inheriting the Beast Titan from Zeke Yeager in the end. However, the Scouts soon find that this would come with a heavy price--particularly at Levi's expense.

Chapter 8/? Chapter 7 Chapter 6 Chapter 5 Chapter 4 Chapter 3 Chapter 2 Chapter 1

crossposted to ao3 here: link

notes: sorry for such a late update. this also turned out much longer than expected. it's real fluffy though, and quite self-indulgent, but hope you all like it!

CHAPTER 8:

“Was he really that important to her?”

The words echoed in Zeke’s mind as he continued to watch the memory unfold before him.

Hange returned to the room with a steaming hot mug in her hand, and carefully handed it to Levi. She watched in anticipation as he took a quick sniff and sipped on the tea.

“Not bad,” he whispered. And at that, Hange’s face lit up, and it took all her might not to let out a loud “Yahoo!” in her excitement—she heard Levi was quite particular with his tea, and she was feeling absolutely ecstatic that he didn’t spit it right out.

Levi soon fell quiet, satisfied with the drink. Hange sat down at the desk right next to him, keeping him company as she scribbled away in one of her notebooks where she kept notes on her titan research, often speaking her thoughts out loud. While listening, Levi’s eyelids began to droop. To Zeke, he seemed... almost as though he was fighting sleep just to listen to her for a little longer.

The memory soon dissipated, Zeke finding himself standing in a new setting—a gigantic ballroom lay before him, the massive chandeliers glowing dimly above him, hundreds of people wearing ornate, traditional-looking suits and gowns. A sign by his side read, “Annual Sina Military Ball”.

Zeke walked around, trying to find Hange but instead found Levi standing alone, a small cloth bag in his hands.

“The previous commander?” Zeke said under his breath as Erwin and two others approached Levi, clearly teasing him.

“Guys, please. And Mike, shut the fuck up.”

“I’m just sayin, if she turns you down, you can join me. Open bar this year yknow?”

“Mike, stop stressing him out!” Nanaba replied, swatting Mike on the shoulder as he laughed.

Erwin stood behind Levi, grabbed him by the shoulders and gently pushed him into the crowd.

“Just go already, she’ll love it.”

As Levi walked into the crowd, the three huddled together.

“He’s hopeless isn’t he?” Nanaba sighed.

“Yup. Erwin and I will wait at the bar,” Mike answered.

Zeke walked behind Levi into the crowd of people, until he saw him hesitate before tapping the shoulder of someone in a long navy blue gown shimmering with gold. Big, beautiful brown curls turned to reveal... Hange?

Zeke’s jaw dropped—he barely even recognized her.

“Oh! Levi! Aw I’m sorry—“ She itched at the fabric on her side. “I wish they’d let me wear a suit or something to one of these things, all this traditional wear or whatever is too much, but I mean your suit doesn’t even look comfortable either! Man, I just—“

Hange paused as soon as she noticed the small cloth bag in Levi’s hands.

“Oh? What’s that! What do you got there?”

His heart was thumping so loud, he was sure Hange could hear it. He reached into the bag, to pull out a yellow hair clip—it was his mother’s.

Hange’s eyes grew wide and nearly sparkled in the low light, and she smiled as Levi pulled the strands of hair from her face, and held it up to the side of her head with the clip.

“Not bad,” Levi said under his breath, his heart almost stopping at how stunning she really was. Hange gave him a quick hug hiding the blush suddenly reaching her cheeks, and the hug sent Levi’s head spinning. She then reached out her hand—

“Levi, the orchestra’s playing my favorite! Let’s show them all what a proper slow dance looks like!”

Levi rolled his eyes, but took Hange’s hand, accompanying her to the dance floor.

Sand began to fall like a curtain in front of Zeke, wiping the scene away to the open sky, sun setting peacefully in the horizon above the water. The smell of salt tickled at his nose, and he stood ankle deep in ocean water. Young voices sounded from behind him.

“We probably should get going soon, right? The sun’s already setting.”

“Aw Jean, just let them have a moment. I haven’t seen them this happy in such a long time.”

“Sasha, Captain Levi never looks happy!”

“Connie shush! You can tell he’s happy underneath! Come on, just look!”

Hange and Levi stood knee deep in the water, and Hange held up a small, cream-colored conch shell. Levi’s face scrunched up in disgust as she held it towards him, but she pulled him close by the shoulder while trying to reassure him, and held up the shell next to his ear. Zeke waded in a bit closer to hear what they were saying.

“You can hear the ocean inside the shell! It’s something I read about once.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“Come on, Levi! Just listen.” And when he finally did, his eyes lit up ever so slightly, his mouth just partially agape.

“So you’ll always remember our first trip to the sea,” Hange said. And before she could hand the shell to Levi, she dipped it into the water letting it fill up, and splashed him with what collected inside.

“What the hell, Hange!” Levi grumbled, kicking water back at her. Splashes back and forth escalated so much that they had gotten absolutely soaked—Hange laughed as she tackled Levi into the sea, the two coughing and giggling stupidly as the rest of the kids ran back into the water to join them.

Once again, sand whisked away the scene and Zeke was now standing in a balcony, overlooking a courtyard. He looked back to see what was going on inside—another ball? He then looked down to see Hange and Levi standing together out in the venue’s garden. They looked a bit more mature, older. And Hange was wearing an eyepatch—it must have been a different memory from before.

Zeke heard footsteps coming from the hallway behind him.

“I’m telling you, Mikasa, smelling someone’s hair during a hug means they love them!”

“I guess now that you say it, I suppose that could be true…”

The two walked out past Zeke, and leaned their elbows on the balcony together, looking down at the courtyard and garden. They gasped and crouched when they saw who was standing down there.

“I’ve never seen Sasha so nervous! She wanted to dance with Niccolo, so I took the hair clip off and put it on her—yknow for the confidence boost. I hope that’s okay, Levi?”

Levi looked at Hange, and tucked her loose strands of hair behind her ear. “I like it better on you, but I suppose Sasha needs it tonight, then.”

A new song echoed from the orchestra inside—Zeke recognized it to be the same from the earlier military ball memory.

Levi reached out his hand, just how Hange did before.

Hange giggled and grabbed his hand, pulling Levi close, practically in a hug as they swayed together. She leaned into him, her cheek pressed against his forehead.

“New shampoo, huh? Lavender—you know that’s my favorite, right?”

Jean and Mikasa heads snapped towards each other, their eyes locked and faces red in realization.

“Hange-san smelled his hair—“

Mikasa slapped a hand over Jean’s mouth.

“Shush, they’ll hear. Let’s go before they notice us—“

The scene quickly changed, and it was quite jarring for Zeke this time around.

He found himself staring into the face of his past self, sitting miles above Liberio inside the war balloon the Scouts had taken control of. This time, he could see the room where Hange and Levi walked off to after hearing about a fallen soldier named Sasha, or something like that.

Levi stared at Hange, in his eyes a mix of worry and anger stirring inside him.

“Stop looking at me like that, Levi,” she said curtly, clearly trying to hold herself together.

“Hange…” Levi urged.

He watched her hands shake as she reached into a first aid kit from her bag, pulling out a half used tube of wound ointment—the same one she had always used on him.

“C’mere,” she beckoned, and Levi obliged begrudgingly, letting Hange pull down his shirt slightly to apply the ointment to the lacerations on his shoulder. He watched Hange biting her lip—he knew she was holding back the tears, trying to “look strong” for everyone else, but he thought that was utterly stupid. She was allowed to have feelings… Commander or not.

“Hange…”

“I’m fine, Levi, would you stop pestering me already??” She barked back, though still maintaining her gentle touch as she tended to his wounds. She continued in silence until they landed.

Hange and Levi left the back room, standing together outside the door as the Scouts filed out with Zeke and Eren. Oyankopon nodded at them both, and left. Lastly, Jean, Mikasa, Armin, and Connie, holding Sasha’s body, all of them a tear-ridden mess. Both Levi and Hange saluted them as they walked past.

Hange started to follow behind them but Levi took hold of her hand. She didn’t look back.

“I’m okay, Levi. Really. I have to—“

Levi pulled her and ushered back into the room, now that everyone was gone.

“Go be okay in there for awhile. I’ll stand outside.”

Before she could protest, he gently closed the door behind him, and stood guard outside of it. He knew it was exactly what Hange needed.

From behind the door, there were muffled sounds of glass breaking, boxes thrown, and anguished wailing.

Zeke watched as Levi stood unmoving from the door his head down, biting his lip as a few tears ran down his face.

The memory faded and Zeke was now in a small office. Levi sat before him, holding a familiar cream-colored conch shell. He lifted it up to his ear, listening, and maybe, just maybe, a smile began to form on his lips.

A quick, loud knock on the door startled him, and he hastily shoved the shell into a drawer, slamming it shut.

“Levi, quick!”

He stood up frazzled.

“What’s wrong??”

“A camera, Onyankopon got us a session with a camera!”

“Hange… what the hell is a camera? And you know I don’t trust all these Marley things…”

Hange gave him a big pout. “Aww, Levi! Come on, it takes photographs! Like the one in Eren’s father’s notebook! The one of his old family?”

“My family photo…” Zeke thought, his own past memories now aching at his chest.

The memory dissolved, but the same scenery returned, unchanged. Yet this time, Levi was holding a framed photograph in his hand—a picture of him standing next to Hange seated, his hand resting gently on her shoulder. He looked tired, a light shade of purple hugging the skin under his eyes. But when Levi laid his eyes on the photo, his face lit up with a genuine smile as he stared.

Then once again, a quick, loud knock on the door startled him, and he quickly stuffed the photo into the backpack sitting at his feet.

“Hey, Levi! You busy?”

Levi stared back at Hange, both need and sadness swimming in his eyes.

“I know Levi… but I brought you a surprise!”

She pulled from behind her a white, spherical object, and held it out for Levi to see.

“A… baseball?” Zeke said under his breath, emotions tugging at his chest.

“Hange… this is the last afternoon we spend together just us—God knows long I’ll have to watch Zeke in the forest before I get to see you again…” He said, avoiding eye contact with Hange.

“Don’t you trust me, Levi?”

Levi continued to look down towards his backpack, fiddling at it with his foot, only stopping when he felt Hange’s hands on his cheeks, and a gentle kiss on his forehead.

“Do you really have to ask me that, Hange?”

She laughed, the sound of it bringing Levi comfort. She backed up and held her hand out towards him, a smile on her face, her eyes beckoning him to come with her. And of course, Levi sighed, and took her hand.

They walked outside, a clearing in the patch of trees next to the barracks.

“Here take this, they’re called mitts! Helps soften the blow when you catch, since the baseball is pretty hard.” Levi took one and wore it.

“So I read a bunch of different Marley novels, and for some reason, playing catch is such a common kind of bonding time? Between a parent and child, or between friends? A symbolic kind of theme, maybe? I thought it was fascinating!”

Levi looked at the baseball—“So what… we just, throw the thing back and forth? And what? We’ll magically become friends??”

Hange threw her head back and laughed. “Good one, Levi! We’re already friends! So, hm, how about we just throw it back and forth for now? If it gets too boring well, we could always just drop it. Sounds like a plan?”

As soon as Levi nodded, Hange grinned and ran a distance away. She waved to make sure Levi was ready, and lobbed the ball over to him, landing with a satisfying thump as it hit Levi’s mitt. He picked it up and ran his fingers over the red laces, and soon pitched it back to Hange a bit too far, so she ran and dove for it, catching it just before it hit the grass.

“Hange be careful!”

She laughed in excitement, and got up to throw it back.

Before long, they were throwing for hours, talking about anything and everything. Sharing memories that hadn’t been touched in years, laughing over inside jokes, the 104th kids, and their past, beloved friends.

Their voices began to fade, and Zeke strained to listen, calmed by how comfortable their conversation felt, comforted by the sound of the baseball hitting their mitts, back and forth.

Soon, the memory went black, a burst of light, and he was back.

Paths.

And there was Hange, laying down in front of him with her back towards him, the sand no longer black surrounding her.

“H-Hange?” Zeke asked.

Hange didnt’ turn around to face him.

“So, you saw all that then too, huh?”

“I… did. Sorry, they seemed like private memories,” he answered cautiously, careful to guard himself if Hange decided to fight him again.

“No harm, Zeke. Not like that was your fault.” She finally sat up, sniffling and wiping away residual tears.

“But we do have to thank Levi—he got us out of a potential mess.” She ran her hands through the sand, now colored a bright white. “Susceptible to our emotions huh. Could have been a disaster.”

Hange caught on quick, Zeke thought. But something she said bothered him a bit—

“What do you mean, thank Levi, though?” Zeke asked, genuinely confused as to how she thought he played any part in getting her out of the black sand ordeal just now.

Hange smiled, knowing exactly what Levi must have done. The box of things she had him pick up—he probably opened it.

“Not bad, Shorty,” she whispered to herself.

She laughed to herself again, but soon stopped as she saw Zeke holding out his hand in front of her.

“Are you… are you deciding to help me?”

Zeke’s chest tightened as he thought about all the memories he had just seen. He was angry at how much it moved him, both personally, and objectively—Hange and Levi had a history he never imagined existed between them, based on what he knew about them prior.

With his free hand, he pinched at the bridge of his nose in annoyance. He hated that he wanted to help. But he couldn’t deny it—he felt for Hange.

“Yeah,” Zeke replied. “Let’s figure this out, together.”

Hange grinned excitedly, and grabbed Zeke’s hand.

#levihan #levihan fanfic #levi ackerman #hange zoe #levi x hange #hanji zoe #dreams and nightmares #D&N #chapter 8

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whatifxwereyou · 3 years

Text

Ashes Chapter 6: Level-Headed

Pairing: Liu Kang x Reader

You meet Nightwolf. Turns out that he's a really good dude. Liu Kang is still having a tough time but he is seeming at least a bit more like himself. He's got a level-head but now you're the one who can't keep it together. And who could blame you?

A/N: I am just so happy that other people like reading the nonsense I write. I know it's not the best but I'm having fun writing it and it's even more fun getting to enjoy it with people <3 Sorry I'm so sentimental lately. Just feeling really loved and I want to spread that love~

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The next day was awkward but you weren’t biting each other’s heads off at least. You were both too tired, it seemed. Liu Kang had a big red comical handprint on his face that morning but it faded by the afternoon. You were both unhappy but you supposed this might have been progress since you weren’t snapping at each other. Either that or you’d taken ten steps backwards and said things you didn’t mean and had done irreparable damage to your friendship.

By the evening you were drawing close to the spot on the map, or at least you thought you were. “Look.” You gestured to a cabin in the distance. You could barely make it out between the trees. Then there was the howling of wolves and you heard their footfalls running toward you, the shadows of the hulking beasts flittering between the trees. It was only seconds before you were surrounded by wolves enveloped in green mist.

You drew closer to Liu Kang and summoned a sword with your ink. Liu stood at the ready but didn’t summon his fire yet. Neither one of you liked to hurt animals, even when they were aggressive. Besides, the floaty green mist made it seem like you were out of your league with these wolves.

They didn’t attack. Instead the voice of a man broke through their howling and the dogs silenced as he walked amongst them. Tall, with messy dark hair, dark eyes and tan skin, the man’s presence was commanding. This had to be Nightwolf or at least someone in close relation to him.

“What brings you to this place?”

Liu made to speak but you grabbed his arm to silence him. He’d caused more than enough trouble with his mouth the past week and you no longer trusted him. “We’ve come to talk.” You dug in your bag and one of the wolves growled. Intimidated, you felt Liu Kang step before you defensively. You reached into the bag and dug for the wolf charm you’d been given. Then you presented it to the man and the wolves disappeared. The man turned away from you.

“Come.”

You exchanged a nervous glance with Liu who remained tense after you’d interrupted him. He nodded to let you know he was okay and you followed the man into the cabin. “You’re Nightwolf.” Liu Kang wanted to make sure.

“Yes, that is what they call me now. You must be trusted to have been given this location and that trinket.” He addressed you and you offered a polite bow.

“I’m Y/N and this is Liu Kang. We’ve come a long way to talk to you.” For a while, the conversation went smoothly. Liu Kang explained the dragon marking and its significance, showing off his own and having you express that you had one too. He explained the nature of the realms, of Lord Raiden, of the war that was likely coming and that you needed him to speak with Lord Raiden and come train in his temple. You were grateful that Liu Kang had somehow managed to have a civil conversation with someone. One point in the win column against a thousand in the lose column. That was something.

But Nightwolf didn’t seem eager to join you and instead mulled over your information. You couldn’t blame him. This was a lot and some of it was beyond belief without proof. If you hadn’t been thrown into the whole mix against your will, then you would have struggled with it too. You’d had nowhere else to run at the time and had been in over your head with unruly arcana and visions from the past.

“I have a duty here in America. I’ll have to think about it.” At least he was honest.

And reasonable. Leaving everything that he’d ever known was a huge decision. It didn’t mean that he wouldn’t return someday but there was also a chance that he would die. What you did was dangerous. Your lives tended to be short. You held your bag a little closer.

“I’m to bring you to Raiden’s Temple. I won’t leave without you.” Liu was sounding harsh again so you sighed. Maybe that was why Raiden had sent you together. Liu Kang was too grief stricken and angry to do his job on his own and you were too swept up in guilt to stay focused. You balanced each other in a horrible way.

“That decision is not yours to make, friend.” Nightwolf was incredibly respectful considering Liu Kang’s tone but the air became tense.

“I understand your hesitation, but would you give me a chance to try and convince you? You have a little time to think about it but we’re not sure how much. The longer you get to train the better off we’ll be. We have no idea how long before Outworld strikes again.” You tried to play mediator. Liu Kang’s hand grasped your arm and you nearly snarled in anger but somehow managed to get yourself together.

“We don’t have time for this, Y/N.” Liu scolded you.

“We do. You’re being impatient. Take a breath.” You narrowed your eyes at him dangerously.

“Excuse me, then.” He gritted his teeth and walked out the door, slamming it behind him. His temper was out of control. You winced at the sound of the door slamming. You missed him. You wanted him to be okay.

“I’m sorry. It’s been difficult. This war has taken a toll on us all.” You offered an excuse and a smile.

“He seems troubled.”

“He’s a good man, I promise. Just having a hard time right now.”

“You seem troubled.” Nightwolf added with a knowing glance. He was a good judge of character. He was calming and you were grateful for that because you had enough frustration from Liu’s attitude. If you snapped, it would have made Liu Kang’s poor attitude look like child’s play.

“And I’ll be okay too.”

“So, tell me, Miss Y/N. Why do you think that I should help you?”

“Well, it’s not me that you’re helping, that’s why. It’s not us. Earthrealm is our home, warts and all. If we have any strength then we have a responsibility to protect it in any way that we can, no matter what that means.”

“A wise answer.” He smiled and you were relieved. “Is that why you do this?”

“Ultimately, yes.” You had found, over the years, that honesty was the best policy. There were plenty of times where it didn’t work, but Nightwolf seemed to be looking for honesty. You had a feeling he would be able to tell if you lied. “I was sort of thrust into this at first. I had nowhere to go after my mark and so I was brought to Raiden’s Temple, which I fought, and then I was too sick to leave. I fought at first because I didn’t know what else to do. I was lost. But with time and understanding, I found that no matter what other reasons I had, I would fight to protect the place and people that I loved. This is my home, and I am willing to die to keep it safe.”

“But you weren’t at first?”

It felt like a test, and you hoped beyond hope that you were passing. You’d failed enough the last few months, you couldn’t risk another check in that column.

“I was overwhelmed with the scope of the danger and truth of all this. In the beginning, I treated it kind of like a joke because I didn’t understand. I knew, deep down, that it was the right thing to do but I had no other reason than that. That changed, of course. I think it’s normal to want to think it over. Liu Kang thinks it is too, he’s just not himself right now. I hope that you don’t judge him too harshly for his temper. It’s not like him.”

“I appreciate your honesty, Y/N.” He stood and walked to the counter, picking up a clear bottle filled with tan liquid. “You look like you could use a drink.”

“You have no idea.” You laughed and he joined you in having one. As long as you weren’t with Liu, there was no risk of you making another stupid mistake. And as long as one didn’t become ten, the risk of that was even lower.

Nightwolf turned out to be a kind and interesting man. He had struggled with his mark because the mark meant that he was special. You understood how that felt. Embracing the fate of something beyond your control had scared you too, but it had been worth it in the end. You listened to him as he shared his story and you shared a drink. You were a good listener. You always had been, and he seemed to appreciate the ear.

When your glasses were drained, he took them and set them aside which you were grateful for. “There are couches and some blankets that are open to you and your friend. I’ll make my decision as soon as I can, but I make no promises as to what that decision might be. You have been patient with me, and I appreciate that patience. I will do what I can.”

“This is a big decision but time is of the essence. Still, I want you to take that time.” You wouldn’t push him into giving up his life as he knew it to travel halfway across the world. You wouldn’t push anyone who didn’t deserve pushing. You also had the feeling that he was going to help. He seemed like a kind and powerful man whose motives were morally aligned with yours. You were grateful for that. So many with the dragon marking had wound up being scumbags.

“Thank you. Get some rest, Y/N.”

“I will. You too.” You watched him leave and then were left alone in the kitchen. You set your bag down on the smaller couch and walked outside. There was a firepit near the house and several overturned logs that served as benches. You sat on one of the logs and faced away from the firepit. The sky was overcast that night so you couldn’t see the stars but watching the clouds was soothing too.

Then Liu Kang sat next to you.

This was all too familiar now. You watched the clouds and were at peace for a short time.

“I’m apologizing again.”

“Oh. What for now?” You couldn’t help it. The sarcasm came out. He mulled it over as if to be thinking through the list of nonsense that he’d done in the last few days that he had to apologize for. Then he gestured back to the cabin.

“Being a jerk about this whole thing, for one.”

“That is just not specific enough, I’m afraid.” You turned to him.

“Being short with Nightwolf. He deserved time to mull it over.”

“I know he did. You know he did. You’ve got to figure out this temper that you’ve developed, Liu.”

“I don’t know where it came from. I always had such control.” He slumped his shoulders.

“You’re grieving.”

“Yeah, but so are you and you aren’t jumping down everyone’s throats for no reason.”

“Not when you’re looking, at least.” You were still angry with him even if he seemed willing to talk. He’d upset you. An apology wasn’t enough.

“I’ve got to get it together.” He held his head in his hands and pushed his hair back, disgusted with himself. The sound he made would have been funny if you hadn’t been a terrible mixture of mad at him and worried for him.

“Do you know what I keep thinking? What I keep wishing for?”

“Kung Lao to be back?” He said in a tired drone.

“No. I keep hoping that you find peace. I’m crushed by his death, Liu, but you’re broken.” You watched the clouds again. You wanted him to be okay, but you couldn’t be an emotional punching bag for him to figure it out with. He watched you and you could feel his eyes taking you in longer than they should have. He scooted closer. He probably didn’t believe you, and you couldn’t blame him.

“Your being here helps.”

Bullshit.

You laughed in disbelief. Liu Kang radiated with fire and you knew that feeling all too well and scooted a little away.

“Really? Because I feel like I’m actively making it worse.”

“Well, it’s complicated, isn’t it?”

“That’s a good word for it.”

“You remind me of him. You make it real. But also, you’re my friend. You were more than that.” He shrugged, clasping his hands in front of him, elbows on his knees. “We never really talked about it and it made things so hard.”

“We’re talking right now. We’ve talked and yelled a lot the last few days.” You were tired of talking about your grief in vague niceties. You were tired of being comforting. Of fighting.

“Not Kung Lao. Not grief.” He gestured between you and then returned his hands to his knees as if he had more control of them there. “About this.” You sighed heavily. Hadn’t you slapped him real hard about it the night before? “About what it was before you decided on Kung Lao.”

“I didn’t decide anything, remember? We did talk about it, Liu Kang. And you said that it wasn’t like it meant anything. That I didn’t owe you anything. A keep the change sort of comment. Remember?” You didn’t want to talk about it. You were so tired of fighting with him. It felt endless. How could Raiden do this to you? Why? Had you offended him in some way? Had your grief over Kung Lao not been loud and sad enough? “It doesn’t matter what you meant then, Liu, because that was what I was left with and so that was what I believed for years.”

“Except that I did that for Kung Lao. Do I not get to talk about it?”

“Sometimes it’s better to leave the past in the past and move on.”

“Except that it isn’t the past anymore, Y/N.” He grabbed your arm and urged you to look at him. You stiffened up. “I guess that you were hoping we’d just never talk about the other night. You keep running off. I tried to say something in the motel but you shut me down hard.”

“You can’t do this.” You struggled to speak without your voice trembling. His eyes were so dark and sad and full of fire, his lips twitching in a way where you couldn’t take your eyes off of them. “You can’t just bring it up whenever it’s convenient for you. You can’t just… wreck my emotions on repeat because you’re grieving. I’m grieving too.”

“Yeah, well you can’t just crawl into my bed and leave a bunch of scars down my back and then fuck off because it’s convenient for you.”

You were exasperated and threw your hands up in frustration. “We were drunk! Obliterated!”

“I wasn’t that drunk. I remember, Y/N.”

“Yeah, well I was. It was a mistake, Liu Kang. A grievous, drunken error that has only made things exponentially more difficult. I was sad and vulnerable and wasted. I made a mistake, okay? So maybe, just maybe, you can eat some of those lies you told me years ago. It’s not like it meant anything.” You spat with some venom and were surprised with yourself, covering your mouth after you’d said it. Oh, that hurt.

“I’m done lying, Y/N. I was never good at it. You’re not either.” He hadn’t yelled at you, which surprised you. In fact, he seemed to have a level head on more than you did. “It wasn’t a mistake for me. I knew what I was doing. I get that you’re trying to hurt me because you’re mad and grieving.” He said that in such an annoying way that you could have smacked him again. “But I’m saying now what I should have said all those years ago. It meant something. It meant something then and I knew what would happen if I went through with it the other night and I chose to anyway.” Liu was going to kill you at this rate. You were just going to drop dead. “Maybe I needed to feel something other than angry and sad. Maybe I thought I should try and undo something I regretted.”

Why was he so level-headed? Why, in this moment, had he managed to keep back his temper? If you could just yell at each other and hate each other it would be so much easier. But you didn’t hate him, you were torn between wanting to shake some sense into him and kiss him and it was so frustrating. Kissing him would only leave you more hurt but it seemed like the easier option too. You didn’t. You fought it, even if he seemed to be drawing closer. The tension of Liu Kang was so thick you could barely breathe.

“It was a mistake, Liu.” Your words were shaky but you tried to stand your ground. You’d beaten yourself up over this for too long and there he was, making it so much more complicated.

“Was it, Y/N? It didn’t feel like it was. It didn’t sound like it was.” His voice was low and serious and you felt your stomach twist into knots. “Look me in the eyes and tell me it was a mistake. That it was all a mistake. That it didn’t crush you when I said that all those years ago? That it had ever stopped being passionate between us even when we weren’t together. Tell me that. Look me in the eye and tell me that’s your truth and I will drop it.” He grasped your cheek and urged you to look him in the eyes.

You tried.

You couldn’t.

You were going to burst into tears at this rate and then he’d hold you and kiss you and you’d end up making this even more complicated and you couldn’t do that. Not right now. Not when he’d taken everything you’d known as truth and thrown it out the window. “I’m grieving Kung Lao and...” You couldn’t finish it. You couldn’t because it had never been a mistake to you back then. He was the one who had drawn the line in the sand. You’d just believed what he’d wanted you to believe for Kung Lao’s sake. And the other night was not something you remembered. There were only flashes of hot and sweaty lovemaking and all that version of you had felt was pleasure. Liu pulled his hand back and sighed.

“Figures that you would honor his memory more than think about yourself. He’d remind you that you were a terrible liar.”

You wiped your eyes as they betrayed you with tears and struggled to find words that didn’t involve crying or sobbing. You didn’t want to cry in front of him, damnit. You didn’t want to cry because of him. “This isn’t fair. It isn’t fair, Liu Kang. You can’t just… I can’t take much more.”

“I’m not trying to mess with your head, Y/N. I’m not trying to hurt you. You feel guilty but you don’t have any reason to. You think I don’t feel guilty? It’s eating me up. But we owe it to ourselves, don’t we? To figure it out?”

“Why are you being like this? Why now? Why?” You wiped furiously at your eyes. Stupid tears. You were so tired of your eyes being puffy and painful all the time. Stupid Liu Kang and his stupid emotions and his stupid whirlwind of honesty and misplaced anger. Stupid Kung Lao, dying and leaving you to deal with this. Stupid Raiden not sending you alone.

“I think that you turned down Kung Lao’s proposal because you were worried that maybe you still had feelings for me and had to figure that out first.”

That was the last straw. You broke.

You hated that it was partially true. You’d never stopped being attracted to him and that had become painfully obvious. What a selfish reason it had been to turn down the love of a man who had been dedicated to you and you alone. You swore that your heart was shutting down, it was beating so hard. He had you confused. Was that part of the reason? You didn’t know because you hadn’t been given the chance to figure it out. The truth was that you probably would have married Kung Lao. You would have talked about your plans for the future, what he saw of it, what you saw of it, and then accepted his proposal. You hadn’t turned it down because you didn’t love him. You had turned it down because you’d needed to talk. You were less spontaneous than Kung Lao had been. The only reason he’d needed was love and you’d needed to know more details. That was it. Liu Kang was making you overthink in ways you hadn’t in years.

“I can’t do this.” You stood and Liu grabbed your arm before you could leave. His fingers brushed down your wrist and to your hand and he gave you a look as if begging you to stay. It was killing you.

“We can’t avoid this forever.”

“I let you have your time to process this bullshit, Liu Kang and you are going to let me have mine.” He didn’t let you go. His grip tightened on your hand as if afraid to let you walk away, as if you would never come back. “Liu Kang?”

“Don’t go, Y/N.”

“You will let go of me right this instant.” You avoided his eyes. “You have ignored my feelings in favor of yours for long enough tonight. Let me go.”

Liu’s grip tightened but then he very suddenly let go and turned away with a bow of his head. “Of course, Y/N.”

The panic as you marched back inside the cabin and sat down on the couch was killing you. You held your head in your hands. What were you supposed to do with this? You had to calm down, first and foremost. Thankfully, Liu didn’t follow you inside and you had some peace and quiet but your thoughts weren’t much better than his argument had been.

You’d fucked up.

It would have been so much easier if neither one of you felt anything. It would have been easier if he had been as drunk as you had been. It would have been easier if you could continue believing that it really had meant nothing. It had never meant nothing to you. It had crushed you and taken you months to recover from that sadness with no one to talk to about it. You may not have remembered the other night but you remembered him from all those years ago.

The hot nights, the times you’d spent devoted to each other’s bodies, tangled up in his sheets or in yours. He’d made you feel sexy and forbidden, something beyond desire that no one else had ever made you feel. You hated those memories for so long that it was hard to feel any way other than that.

You loved Kung Lao.

But would you have even gotten the chance to if Liu Kang hadn’t said what he’d said? You had this connection, this fire that you couldn’t put out even after years of letting it simmer down. Even now when you’d fought, you had known that if you didn’t get out of there then you would have given into that passion, that instinct. What a mess of a human being you were. You curled up on the couch and this time you didn’t pull your bag close to you. You couldn’t think about Kung Lao when you were like this.

Next Chapter >>

#liu kang x reader #self insert #reader insert #liu kang #mk liu kang #mortal kombat movie #mortal kombat 2021 #ludi lin #liu kang/reader #liu kang x you #liu kang/you #fanfic #fanfiction #angst #romance #death #tension #grief #beauty through ash

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grumpyhedgehogs · 3 years

Text

only following orders

Summary: Cody's communicator has been broken for weeks and he's been too stubborn to fix it; in other, related news, Order 66 isn't set off, Order 6 is, and the clones justify their overprotectiveness with military regulations in the aftermath.

Cody’s comm unit has been on the fritz for weeks now. It hasn’t gotten as bad as that one time when Rex’s got shorted out completely after an unfortunate fall into a river, nor as bad as when Waxer’s broke so badly it shocked him the next time he tried to turn it on. There’s just been some interference, a couple dropped calls (thankfully nothing too important--Cody’s been sure to take anything extremely delicate through the comm in his helmet, and he doesn’t really mind being able to truthfully tell some senators that, no, actually, he couldn’t get around to asking General Kenobi to give them special treatment, and you know what, they were actually breaking up a bit). He’s got to go to the quartermaster for it soon anyway; it wouldn’t do to have one of the highest commanders in the GAR be unreachable, especially so close to the end of the war. He resolves to get it switched out after the Utapau mission.

Cody is tired . The Separatists are in strong force on Utapau, and while Obi-Wan is more than capable of holding his own with Grievous, Cody worries. It’s a dignified worry, but he has to admit that it’s a little overwhelming when enhanced by nine or ten cups of coffee and about a gallon of adrenaline coursing through his blood. The fighting is over but he hasn’t seen Obi-Wan since returning his lightsaber, and he always feels better when he can keep his general within eyesight. It's driving him nearly to distraction. That’s his excuse for opening the call from a secure channel on his handheld comm rather than his helmet and Cody is sticking to it. The miniaturized figure makes Cody arch his brows behind his visor, all flowing robes and black hood. Very dramatic. Cody’s seen better at the Jedi Temple on a lazy Sunday morning before laundry day.

“Commander Cody, execute Order 6-- bzzt . ” The Emperor’s figure wavers, sways, and disappears as his order takes hold. The comm does, in fact, let off a static shock at that, but Cody’s already too far gone to do more than let it fall from numb fingers.

“Good soldiers follow orders,” Cody says, his lips moving like someone else is controlling them. He raises his boot and crushes the comm unit under his heel. It’s like Cody is watching all of this happen from very far away even though he knows he’s stuck in his own body. He grinds the broken plastic and metal into the dirt with vehement anger, then raises his hand to his visor and retransmits the order throughout the 212th. After, he reaches up and snaps off the transmitter on his helmet too, just for good measure. Parjai Squad is in the air again, and Sergeant Barlex can be trusted to transmit Order 6 throughout the rest of the GAR as soon as Cody’s relay reaches the 2nd Airborne Company before cutting off his communications too.

Order 6 is completed. All around him, the 212th is destroying their communication units as fast as possible; Boil chucks his straight off a cliff. Cody gives him a nod when he snaps to a salute afterwards. The Order still pricks at him, though, a strange, slick feeling, oozing along his spine into his brainstem. It burrows teeth into his mind, like the jaws of some great beast shaking its prey by the throat. “Good soldiers follow orders,” Boil says, still not dropping his salute, and Cody finds himself repeating the words back mindlessly.

Good soldiers follow orders. But his orders have been completed. What now?

“Orders, we need new orders,” he hears one soldier mutter nearby. His head pounds, Order 6 curling, white hot, through Cody’s frontal lobe. There’s no way he can make sure the order is carrying out across the other battalions and it stabs at him. What other orders do they have? Cody puts a hand to his bucket, desperate to rub at his temples. There’s a wetness on his face; he thinks his nose might be bleeding. Rex used to go over the rulebook with him before all the batchmates were tested on Kamino.

“Listen to this one,” Rex says, laughing in the semi-darkness of their bunk. “‘Order 49: in the event that communication with the Republic or Senate is unavailable under presumption of corrupted or compromised systems, secure Jedi command as quickly as possible through any means necessary. Treat any obstacles with hostile measures.’ They want us to secure the Jedi ? What do the Jedi need protecting from?”

“Execute Order 49,” Cody shouts; his voice breaks, weaker than it should be. This headache is killing him. He sees Boil jump into action, shouting Cody’s order to those nearest him. Then they shout too, on and on, until Order 49 turns into a wave through the ranks. The rest of Ghost Company immediately begin to get the ships ready for departure; some of the gunships take off, getting into position to escort The Negotiator to safety. The bombardment measures and cannons the 212th had set up to break into Grievous's compound are dismantled and put away in seconds. My battalion, Cody thinks proudly, is very good at following orders .

My battalion, Cody realizes, are not themselves. But then he hears a call of his name and rank and the thought is lost to him.

He turns just as General Kenobi’s mount reaches level ground and Kenobi disembarks. The ever present worry eases slightly at the sight, but then Order 49 slams into his skull. It is all Cody can do not to rush to the man and bundle him into the nearest airship. He has to secure the Jedi. He has to follow orders. Cody is a good soldier.

“Commander Cody!” Kenobi calls again across a quickly clearing battlefield. The Jedi’s head swivels, taking in the soldiers preparing to leave. “We’ve made fast work of the end of the war, but I never thought your brothers would be so quick to get back to Coruscant.” General Kenobi nears him now, dropping the reins he’s been holding onto and patting the beast once on the neck before stepping to his commander’s side. He’s smiling. “That anxious to be rid of me, are you?”

Cody opens his mouth, a moment of clarity seizing him. Obi-Wan’s bright eyes gaze straight into his through his bucket and Cody thinks, what am I doing? But what comes out is, “Good soldiers follow orders.”

The general’s brow furrows. “Come again?”

“The Emperor has issued Order 6, sir.” Cody says. His jaw works, chewing over the words he actually wants to say, chewing over what is happening? Obi-Wan, what's happening to me? “Communications are compromised. Order 49 is now in effect. Immediate retreat is necessary.”

“Emp--Order--Cody, what?” Kenobi’s hands come up, reaching out, and Cody tenses, but he only places them on Cody’s shoulders. The gentleness is strange. No commanding officer has gripped him so carefully before. “Cody, what’s wrong? What are you saying?”

“Order 6, General,” Cody replies, just as helpless and useless as Kenobi’s hands on his shoulders. His own hands, working independent of his brain, reach out and steady the man before him. The Negotiator is almost ready. Boil and Waxer will give the high sign when they’re ready to board. In the meantime, Cody slips Kenobi’s communicator from his belt, deftly palming it. He keeps a sharp eye on Kenobi’s expression at the same time, because the man is paling fast and looks a little green around the gills. Order 49 dictates he must see to the Jedi’s wellbeing and if that means he’s got to lend his bucket as a makeshift--well, bucket, then so be it.

The Jedi reels. “What is Order 6? Who is the Emperor? Why--why would you--”

“The Emperor transmitted Order 6--get rid of all communication units, effective immediately--approximately twenty-four minutes and thirty-six seconds ago, General.” He raises Kenobi’s own communicator and, ignoring the man’s squawking protest, slams it into the rock beneath their feet. “Communications are compromised.”

“Why would you ever listen to--”

“Good soldiers follow orders.”

Somewhere in the back of his head, Cody wants to scream, wants to rage. His chest fights to hyperventilate. His eyes are watering. His nose is bleeding even more now. There’s a pronounced trembling in his limbs; the Jedi must notice, because Kenobi reaches out and grips his hands, bringing them up to his chest, cradling them there. Kenobi's heart pounds underneath his knuckles.

“Cody, please.” Kenobi’s eyes search his; distantly, Cody wonders what he feels like in the Force. Whatever it is, judging from the look on his general’s face, it’s not good. “I don’t understand. Who is the Emperor?”

Again, his mouth opens on its own. “That’s classified information, sir. Order 7 includes a clause dictating that any ruling Emperor’s identity must be protected from public knowledge, for that individual’s protection and continued survival.”

“Of course it does,” Kenobi replies. “Because Force forbid any of this is ever easy .” He gathers Cody’s fingers into one hand and reaches up to place his other palm against the side of his commander’s neck. His fingertips brush the bare skin where Cody’s blacks end just before the bottom of his bucket. Cody’s spine snaps straight, shoulders coming up, but Kenobi holds on, gently, gently. In his mind, Cody screams.

Yes, yes, it’s me, I’m here, he pushes out with all his might. His Orders swirl through him, trying to push him back, keep him down. There’s a door waiting to lock behind him somewhere in his mind, hiding a deep, dark black Cody doesn’t think he’ll ever return from. He doesn’t know how the Force works, per se, but trying to push his thoughts out into it is better than surrendering to oblivion. I’m here!

General Kenobi draws in a sharp breath and pulls away slightly. The hand Cody instantly pulls from Kenobi's and drops to his waist flexes involuntarily, but the Jedi doesn’t step back. “I heard you,” Kenobi says, quick and low, like he doesn’t want anyone else to hear. “I heard you Cody. I’ll help. Let me help you, alright?”

“Negative. Assistance is not needed; Order 49 states Jedi command be secured before all other forces.” Over Kenobi’s shoulder, Boil waves. Cody sends him a nod. “Order 49 is now in effect, sir. I have to ask you to get on the ship.”

“Cody--” Kenobi cuts off with a frustrated noise and drops their hands but stays close. Cody’s body stiffens, ready for resistance. Cody’s mind reels from the lost contact. “Commander. I--please state Order 49’s parameters for me.”

“Jedi command must be secured at all costs in the event of total communications failure, sir. Any hostile forces may be taken out by any means necessary to secure the Jedi. Any resistance from Jedi may be disregarded and treated as command being incapacitated. Power structure moves to next in line until threats to Jedi have been neutralized.” General Kenobi’s face does some interesting gymnastics throughout the explanation, but he doesn’t start yelling or running, which Cody takes as a good sign. He also seems distracted; this works in Cody’s favor, though, because Kenobi doesn’t realize his commander has begun slowly walking them both towards where Boil waits on the landing platform. As soon as they begin the trek towards the ship Cody’s headache eases.

“And all these orders come from the Emperor?” His face is still troubled. Within himself, Cody feels the old urge to reach out and brush his fingers over his fringe, hold on until the lines in Obi-Wan’s face smooth away, but he can’t seem to act on it. Then Kenobi’s eyes snap up to his visor again.

The Jedi stops moving. Cody takes another step and turns his back to the ship, carefully keeping hold of him. He doesn’t tighten his grip, but it’s secure; if Kenobi wants to get away, he’ll have to use the Force, which Cody knows he’d never do. Obi-Wan never uses the Force on his men. “Yes sir. If we could keep moving, Order 49 instructs us to get Jedi out of active warzones, General.”

The general doesn’t move. His feet drag when Cody takes a step back, pulling him along, but he doesn’t fight. “An Emperor--the Republic has fallen.”

“Sir?”

A Kenobi distracted is a Kenobi easily moved. Cody doesn’t mind keeping quiet if it means Order 49 doesn’t stab quite so sharply into the backs of his eyes. His nose has nearly stopped bleeding. It’s almost enough for him to be able to open his mouth and say something not pertaining to orders, but then he catches himself and his jaw shuts with an audible click.

“An Emperor with the power to topple the Republic--Only a Sith could--” Kenobi’s eyes are glazed over, far away, and within his own mind, Cody hides the bright beam of hope that lights in him. “But why would a Sith protect Jedi?”

“I don’t know, General.” Boil waves them in and Cody gives Waxer the go-ahead to raise the ramp after them. Something aching and nervous in his chest eases once his general has set foot on The Negotiator, but his shoulders are still tense and high. It’s not enough. Kenobi is shaking under his hands, he’s distant. His face is bruised, his clothes scuffed and battered. His hair is covered in dust. He’s fresh from battle and likely experiencing emotional and psychological turmoil. Cody would be operating within the parameters of Order 49 if he were to take Kenobi to rest in his private quarters--so he does. Kenobi doesn’t speak again until Cody’s gotten him settled on the edge of his bunk. He isn’t receptive to being pushed gently to lay down, so Cody gives up on that for a moment and goes to the bridge to confirm take off.

When he returns, the general is pacing the length of his quarters, gripping at his hair and muttering under his breath. Cody assesses the situation and drops his blaster and bucket by the door before entering, hands up like he’s approaching a scared animal. Order 49 was correct; command structure needed power taken from the Jedi right now. Kenobi is more rattled than he’s ever seen him. Inside, Cody feels about the way Obi-Wan looks.

“A Sith wouldn’t protect a Jedi!” Kenobi exclaims when he catches sight of his commander. Cody pauses and nods. Best to agree with him for now. “Unless they got something out of it--like, say if the Sith was at the center of the Republic and needed to make himself look good to politicians before setting off a galactic war! ” His voice rises in pitch at the end, his eyes wild. “I can’t believe it, I’ve been so blind--Dooku even told me--”

All the blood drains from Kenobi’s face. Cody lurches forward on the balls of his feet because for a second it looks like he might faint. Then General Kenobi whirls around and starts rummaging through his desk. “The Senate ! I sent Anakin there for years, I knew there was something off about the Chancellor, I knew it . And--and Padme, and Bail, Commander Fox, they’re all there-- Cody, where is my spare communicator?”

“Communications are compromised. The crew would have gone through each room to make sure no unit was left for us to be hacked or tracked with.”

General Kenobi turns back to him, looking near feral, a strange light in his eyes, just on the edge of hysterical. “Oh, well that’s just perf--urk! ”

He cuts off suddenly as his head jerks back on his neck like Cody's just struck him across the face. Cody, whose hands have been hanging uselessly by his sides, lunges forward to catch his commanding officer before he slides to the floor. He thinks for a moment that he has actually fainted now, but Kenobi’s blue eyes flutter open and shut once, twice, three times before he gasps and opens them wide. There’s burst blood vessels coloring his sclera as he pants. Cody adjusts his grip on the Jedi, wrapping both arms around him. He looks like he needs something solid to hang onto. Order 49 tells him Cody needs to provide that, and for once his inner voice doesn’t try to fight it. “General!”

Kenobi doesn’t come fully back to himself until Cody’s managed to heft him up and transfer him to the bed. It’s little more than a cot but it’s better than the metal floor; Cody lets Order 49 push his hands into bringing up the covers around his general, smoothing out the wrinkles. Kenobi mutters something under his breath but whatever happened, he’s definitely not all there yet. Cody goes to the ensuite and returns with a damp cloth. The process of wiping blood and grit from Kenobi’s face is familiar and warming; it’s almost enough to let Cody push his fringe from his face, to tell him he doesn’t know what’s happening but that he loves him, to tell him to run--

But then Cody stops himself because why would he do that? Order 49 says he has to keep watch over Kenobi, not let him flee.

“Anakin--” Kenobi murmurs. Cody leans closer to hear. “Something--Cody, something terrible has happened to Anakin--I can’t feel him through our bond anymore. I’m supposed to be able to feel him in the Force. I don’t know--I don’t know what to do .”

“The 501st will secure General Skywalker as per Order 49 stipulations after they have carried out Order 6, sir. He will be safe.” Cody hesitates, fighting himself, fighting Order 49, fighting the Emperor. Through gritted teeth that want to bite off his tongue more than let the words out, Cody whispers, “ I’m here, Obi-Wan. ”

Hands close around the sides of his head just as white hot pain lances through his skull again, the orders punishing him. Obi-Wan looks right into his eyes, bruised and beaten and just as lost as Cody, and says, “I know, Cody. I’m here too. I’m here with you.”

It’s all Cody can ask of Obi-Wan now. Cody curls as close as the body-which-is-not-his-body will allow and prays it will be enough.

“It’s--it’s alright,” Obi-Wan assures softly, a little too fast to be truthful. He’s bleeding from his nose too. Cody wipes it away. “I--we’ll go somewhere safe, just like you want, and we’ll find--we’ll find Ahsoka, she’ll be with Commander Rex and they can help find Anakin. We’ll--we’ll fight the Sith together, Cody. I swear it.”

“I have to keep you safe,” Cody says, and means it in every way he knows. “I will keep you safe.”

“In that, Cody, I have the utmost trust. I always have.”

#sw #star wars #star wars the clone wars #obi wan #obi-wan kenobi #commander cody #codywan #cody sw #sw fic #star wars fanfiction #clone wars #clone wars fic #waxer and boil #my writing

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reinerispretty · 4 years

Text

rotations. (zuko x f!reader) pt5

hi!! thank you so much for reading! again, i’m sorry for posting so much i just have a bunch of stuff pre-written and it’s fun to get it out there!

pt1

pt4

pt 6

“No one deserves to have their home destroyed, or have their family members ripped away from them! I saw what the Fire Nation did in my own city and countless others. The Fire Nation isn’t what I thought it was.” Her eyes welled with tears. “And neither are you.”

(Y/N) rested her chin on her hands as Appa flew over the land. It had been a few days since she had joined the Avatar and his friends, but already had she experienced way more than she ever would have in her life in the Fire Nation. Just the other day, they had saved an entire town from a volcano! She wasn’t a powerful enough bender to control lava, but she did help steer Appa so the sky bison could use his airbending to cool it down. She and the group decided that it was best if they saved her firebending for a rainy day. People in the towns that they were visiting weren’t too keen on having firebenders there.

From Appa, if she looked down, she could see dark spots across the green and yellow lands. Burned land. She had seen enough of it from her balcony of her mansion back in the Earth Kingdom. Her father had explained to her why their soldiers burned the peoples’ land. “Destroying what they need to survive keeps them in their place,” he had said. She remembered her stomach turning sour as soon as the words left his mouth.

“For the longest time, I believed that what the Fire Nation was doing was good and necessary. I can’t believe I was so stupid.”

“Yeah, people from the Fire Nation tend to be pretty dumb.” Sokka polished his boomerang. She turned around to glare at him.

“You don’t get it. They don’t teach us in our schools that we’re burning down villages for the fun of it. They tell us that we’re only trying to help. They brainwash the kids into thinking that all we’re--all they are trying to do is make a better life for everyone.”

“Just because you didn’t know what the Fire Nation was doing doesn’t excuse them for what they did,” Sokka shot back. She huffed, feeling her anger growing.

“I never said that!”

“Well you’re acting like it!”

“I literally saved you from Fire Nation soldiers!”

“Guys, can we please stop fighting?” Aang sighed. “It’s making Appa uncomfortable.”

“Oh, well, we wouldn’t want Appa to be uncomfortable, now would we?” Sokka scoffed. She chucked her pillow at him.

“You’re the rudest person I’ve ever met! The Fire Nation as a whole does not represent who I am!” Huffing, she turned away from Sokka and tilted her chin up to the sky.

It was nightfall before anyone talked again. Sokka was fast asleep toward the back of Appa’s saddle. Katara had crawled over to (Y/N), who sat sulking as far away from him as possible. “I’m sorry for what Sokka said earlier,” She said, her blue eyes kind and soft. “We know the Fire Nation doesn’t define who you are as a person. It’s just really hard for Sokka and I to get comfortable with you being around. You see, Fire Nation soldiers raided our villages and killed our mother.”

(Y/N) felt her anger slip away and be replaced with guilt. If she had known that, she wouldn’t have let herself become so quick to anger. Sokka was dealing with emotions that she couldn’t possibly understand.

“I’m sorry for getting angry,” she said quietly. “I had no idea the Fire Nation had done that to you, truly. And if I could apologize on behalf of the entire nation, I would.” She sighed, pulling her legs close to her chest. “I’ve been around a lot of people who have done some very bad things, sometimes to the people I care about. I really cannot express how sorry I am, Katara.”

The girl smiled, her blue eyes watery from holding back tears. “It’s okay. We’ll bring the Fire Nation to justice one day.” (Y/N) nodded in agreement. “Would you mind telling me how the Fire Nation has hurt you too? I think it might help me understand you a bit better.”

She inhaled a deep breath. “Well, when I still lived on the Fire Nation mainland, there was a boy I really...liked. He was only fourteen, still just a kid, but he spoke up when he wasn’t supposed to. He was challenged to an Agni Kai, which is a traditional firebending duel. He went up against a person who was ten times stronger than him.” (Y/N) swallowed the sob in her throat that always formed when she thought of that day. “The whole point of the duel is that you win when you burn another opponent. He was burned very badly that day and was banished from the Fire Nation. I haven’t heard from him since.”

“I’m really sorry,” Katara said, and (Y/N) shook her head.

“Goodness, no, don’t even apologize. It’s nothing compared to what happened to you and Sokka. How about we get some sleep? I can’t imagine what tomorrow is gonna be like.”

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The next day had proved to be very troublesome for (Y/N). Their group had divided, with Sokka and Katara choosing to follow Bato to their father since Aang had hidden his coordinates from them. She understood where the young boy had been coming from: when she had first joined the group, she had definitely felt like an outsider, but things had slowly gotten better. It was unfortunate that Sokka and Katara had left them, but (Y/N) knew it was now her duty to get him to the Northern Water Tribe so he could continue his waterbending training.

This plan went south as soon as the bounty hunter arrived. The beast she rode kicked up so much dust that it became hard for (Y/N) to see. She had lost sight of Aang and she knew he was in trouble, but the last thing she wanted was to blindly shoot fire and risk hurting someone. So instead, she stumbled through the dust until she could see properly.

“Look out!” Was all she heard Sokka shout before he knocked her to the ground. She groaned as she fell, opening her eyes to see Sokka’s blue ones staring down at her.

“What’d you do that for?” She grumbled, shoving him off of her.

“I saved you from a fire blast! A thank you would’ve been nice!”

“I’m a firebender! I can handle a fire blast, you can’t!” She jumped to her feet, ready to defend her friends from the source of the blasts.

What she expected to see through the dust was a bounty hunter or a Fire Nation soldier. Who she had not expected to see, however, was Prince Zuko. She felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her body. Seeing her old friend brought a flood of feelings back to her, but she tried her best to suppress them. She wanted to run into his arms and squeeze him into a hug. But then she pieced it all together. It was Zuko who had been hunting Aang. He was the one who raided Katara and Sokka’s village. A lot had changed since the two of them had last seen each other, that was obvious.

It took Zuko a few seconds to recognize her. She was still in her Earth Kingdom clothes, as the disguise helped her travel between cities without being recognized. But he would recognize her (color) eyes anywhere. He stopped in his tracks; his arms lifted for another attack.

“(Y/N)?” He asked. He glanced between her and the Avatar.

In her fifteen years of life, not once had she firebended against Zuko. But she had a duty to her new friends and to the rest of the world. She ran at him, flipped forward, and kicked fire into his face. Zuko’s arms cut through her fire. He grunted angrily.

“What are you doing?” He demanded. She didn’t answer. She shot fire at him again, but he dodged.

“I won’t let you hurt him!”

“Traitor!” Zuko roared, firing blasts back at her. She avoided them easily. She had always been praised for being light on her feet. Taking gymnastics with Ty Lee had allowed her to dance in between the flames. Zuko had only gotten better over the years. This would be a tough battle to beat. She kicked him in the stomach, knocking him off of his balance for a few moments.

“You guys get out of here!” She shouted to her friends. “I’ll hold him off!”

“We’re not leaving without you!” Katara shouted back. Zuko shot fire that missed her face by inches.

“Go!” She shouted to them. She shot fire blasts from her firsts, driving Zuko away from her. She heard Appa fly away and in her heart, she hoped they would come back for her. She realized a moment too late that the bounty hunter’s beast had reached its tongue toward her. Paralyzed, she fell to the ground, knocking herself unconscious from the fall.

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She sat in the hold of the Fire Nation ship with her hands cuffed behind her back, preventing her from bending her way out. She had woken up in that dark room, with the only light being from the torches on the outside of the cell. It amused her a bit that she had been captured by the nation she once called home, but really, she had spent most of her time wondering when her friends would come for her. It would be incredibly dangerous for them to infiltrate a Fire Nation ship, especially Aang. He was the prize that Zuko wanted, after all.

Speaking of Zuko, he had been sitting in front of the bars of her cell since she had woken up. They both had been silent. She wanted to speak to him, but she wasn’t sure what to say. It was obvious the Agni Kai had changed him for the worse. He had been absolutely ruthless when they were fighting in the village. It had taken everything in her to fight him off, but it obviously hadn’t been enough.

The heavy metal door swung open and she looked up to see Iroh, Zuko’s uncle. She had always liked Iroh. He told her funny stories whenever he visited the royal palace. He had played Pai Sho with her on more than a few occasions. He was a kind man, who didn’t really fit in with his family at all. She sat up immediately, a bright smile on her face.

“Iroh!” She said cheerfully. “It’s wonderful to see you.”

“Zuko,” Iroh scolded. “What is our dear friend doing in a cell?” Zuko glared at her.

“She’s with the Avatar now. She’s a traitor.”

“Traitor is a harsh word, in my opinion,” She replied. “I think I like the word rebel more.”

“Don’t get cheeky with me!” Zuko snapped.

“Is this true, (Y/N)?” Iroh asked. She looked away from him and refused to answer.

“Where did the Avatar go?” Zuko demanded. She scoffed.

“As if I’d tell you.”

“As your prince, I demand you to answer me!”

“So, am I a traitor, or are you still my prince? My head is killing me, Zuko, I can’t really keep up right now.” Humor was how she was choosing to deal with the pain of seeing the disappointment in Zuko’s eyes. She knew she was doing it for the right reasons, but she had let him down.

“You’re just as insufferable as you were when I left.” She felt the anger inside of her boiling.

“I’m insufferable? Says the boy who is still serving a country that banished him.”

“That’s why I need the Avatar, (Y/N)! So I can finally go home and restore my honor!”

“We both know it’s not going to be good enough for him, Zuko.”

He turned toward his uncle. “Leave us.” Silently, Iroh left, but not before flashing her a sad smile. “I can’t believe I thought that I would ask for your hand in marriage once I returned home.”

She scoffed. “Were you planning on filling me in of that plan in one of the letters you wrote to me?”

“Letters? I never--”

“Exactly. Even if I had stayed with the Fire Nation, I wouldn’t have agreed to your proposal. You might’ve been banished, Zuko, but it’s not hard to send a messenger hawk.”

“Is that why you became a traitor? Because I didn’t write to you?”

“Zuko, I promise that not everything is about you. Have you seen what the Fire Nation is doing to people? To innocent people?”

“It’s what they deserve!”

Zuko stormed out after she said that. (Y/N) lay back down on the ground and cried quietly as she mourned over the friend she once knew. The old Zuko was long gone.

---

Tag List!

@mdgrdians , @soft4kei , @bubblebars , @pleasantfankingdom , @vintageroses1014516 , @celamoon , @fangirlanotherjust , @gliderbudgie

Thanks so much for reading!! read part 6!!

#atla #avatar #zuko x reader #sokka x reader #aang x reader #katara #toph #zuko #sokka #aang #azula #iroh #writing #fanfiction

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nissanmaxima · 3 years

Text

Split Personalities

(Y/N) lifted her head from her laptop to the sound of her door unlocking and opening. Coming from the other side was her lover, Levi Ackerman, with a brown satchel over his chest that he didn't leave with this morning. Placing her laptop down, she walked up to him while he was taking off his shoes and hugged him. Leaning in for a kiss, she baited him and yanked the satchel off of him

"What's this?"

Opening the satchel, a giant crystal was in her hands once she brought it out. Her eyes shined in the reflection of said jewel. Levi snarled and snatched the crystal away, being careful not to drop it,

"Careful, moron."

"Well what is it, asshole?"

"I haven't figured that out yet. Hanje couldn't examine it 'cause she's going to go fuck her boyfriend's brains out."

"Jesus Levi..."

"What?"

"Your language!"

"And?"

"Watch your tone."

"Wait what?"

"Don't get all worked up."

"I'm... Not worked up."

"Oh it's hard to tell with your delivery sometimes, babe."

"Tch, whatever. Just don't touch that. I have to go clean up."

"Yeah yeah, I'll cook dinner."

Placing the crystal back in the satchel, Levi left it on the table near the door and walked to go get ready for dinner, leaving (Y/N) to control her curiosity.

-------------------------------------------------------

While cooking she stared at the satchel, almost letting the food burn. She heard a voice for the back of the apartment,

"Oi! I smell burnt potatoes!"

"Boy hush! I swear they're not burned!"

Soon the food was done and ready to serve. Levi came in with semi casual clothes and damp hair, waiting for his significant other to stop being extra. She lifted the cloche and spoke with enthusiasm,

"And now! For today's dinner, I have butter-poached lobster with sautéed potatoes and asparagus!"

"Holy shit that actually sounds good."

"Why'd you say it like that?"

"Like what?"

"So boring like... I slaved over that food..."

Levi sighed and sat down, getting ready to eat while his girlfriend tried to hide her tears while she ate with him.

-------------------------------------------------------

Cleaning the dishes, (Y/N) took glances at the satchel minding it's business. She let her mind wander while washing,

'I wonder what that thing does?'

'I wonder how much I could get for selling it?'

'Oh but Levi told me not to touch it...'

'Who the fuck cares about what Levi thinks?'

'I do, I'm his woman after all...'

'You wanna know what else you are to him?'

Her personalities clashed as she stared at the satchel now, having completely forgotten about the dishes and the rest of the kitchen being cleaned. She stayed quiet and listened to her personalities clash before exhaling and walking up to the table the satchel was resting on. Picking up the satchel and taking out the giant crystal, she admired it before,

"I told you not to touch it-"

"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST LEVI YOU CAN'T DO THAT! I ALMOST SWUNG OFF YOU,"

"NO DON'T DROP THE CRYSTA-"

Too late. The giant crystal slipped from her hands and it fell to the floor, making it shatter. (Y/N) covered her mouth to hide a whimper. Levi snarled and went down to pick up a shard. But once he touched a sharp, in a flash, he was sucked into a sharp and was spit back out. (Y/N) uncovered her mouth but nothing came out. She noticed there were 6 of Levi but they were wearing different colored cravats. One looked angry, one looked bored, one looked... Aroused... One looked around with disgust, one looked extremely tired, and the last one looked invested in the remains of the crystal.

The one who looked angry had a red cravat and screamed at her,

"I TOLD YOU NOT TO TOUCH THE DAMN CRYSTAL BUT WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

"BOY DON'T GET LOUD WITH ME I PAY HALF THE BILLS HERE-"

"WHAT DOES THAT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE PROBLEM?!"

"LOWER THE TONE OR WE'LL BOTH BE FIST FIGHTING AT 10 O'CLOCK AT NIGHT-"

The bored looking Levi had a green cravat and was still looking around,

"This place is lame, there's no explosions, no guns or anything fun related..."

(Y/N) pushed red Levi to the side and answered back to Green,

"Weren't you the one who wanted this place to be 'habitable'?"

"Psh, not me, that one does-"

Green pointed to the Levi who had a grey cravat with a disgusted look on his face. (Y/N) walked up to him,

"And who're you supposed to be?"

"Everything has to be clean. This place is filthy-"

Walking past her, he walked into the semi-cleaned kitchen and began cleaning,

"Okay? That was rude..."

Another Levi wearing a faded purple came up behind her and purred in her ear,

"Would you like to know who I am?"

Before she could answer, he nibbled at her neck and pulled her closer to his body and she could feel something poking her rear. She struggled in his hold before he ultimately let her go. She looked at the other 2 Levi's standing there and completely gave up,

"Lemme guess. You're his intelligence and you're his... bluntness?"

"Fuckin' right,"

The orange cravat shined with this one,

"That is correct."

A bright yellow cravat glowed when this one spoke,

(Y/N) sighed and walked into their shared bedroom and closed the door,

"The fucking crystal split him into the main parts of his personality..."

She ran to a desk and grabbed a pencil as well as some paper. Remembering each cravat color so she could match it with each personality she engaged with,

Red = Anger/Rage

Green = Bravery/Activeness

Grey = Clean Freak

Purple = Horniness/Passion

Orange = Bluntness/Rudeness

Yellow = Intelligence

Folding the paper and putting it into her bra, she inhaled and exhaled for what seemed like the hundredth time tonight before leaving the bedroom The first thing that she noticed was the strong smell of bleach and pine sol with a faint... Ajax? She groaned and continued on, looking for Yellow, he seems to be the more analytical and intelligent one. She walked past a workout room and saw Red basically destroying a punching bag before going to a treadmill, putting it on the highest setting, she heard him snarl as he started on the highest level.

Sneaking past, she exhaled a breath she didn't even know she was holding, being thankful Red never heard her. Heading for the kitchen, she noticed a door was closed and walked up to it. Placing her ear on the door, she heard soft moans and her face burned coming from her blush. Obviously Purple was in there handling himself, she thought. Running along, she finally got to the kitchen and saw Yellow still inspecting the shard that was broken. She approached him cautiously,

"Did you find anything?"

"No. And it'd be wise to not sneak up on someone when dealing with something this fragile. I would ask Hanji for help, but I do believe she stated she's... 'Preoccupied' now, yes?"

"Uhh yeah that's right..."

"Now I know I'm intelligence, but don't think I know for sure what would happen if we so happen to touch the shards again."

"Let's try it-"

Grabbing a shard she screamed at the top of her lungs-

"FIRE!"

Green came out of nowhere and panted like a beast,

"WHERE'S THE FIRE?!"

"Here-"

Poking the point of the shard into the side of Green, a bright green light shined and he was sucked into the shard, making it emit a dark green color. (Y/N) looked at yellow,

"Yeah I think it works-"

"See if you can gather the rest of them. They won't listen to me if I tried to. You know how people treat nerds. Plus if I touch it, I'll get sucked into a shard,"

(Y/N) nodded and went around the house to look for the rest of the Levi's.

———————————————————————- Walking down the hall inspecting the different rooms in their shared apartment, she peeked through each one until she found the same Levi still in the training room going at it on the punching bag again. She stepped away from the room and did something she constantly does already.

Make herself angry.

'Yo who the fuck this white man think he is?'

'Right? He talks like he pays bills!'

'I pay 5 cents more therefore I pay more'

'Talm' bout' "you always fussin' every 5 seconds" now it's every 2 seconds'

She took a deep breath and ran in guns blazing, not caring what happened-

"WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?"

He screamed back,

"WHO'RE YOU YELLING AT?"

"YOU. LEVI FUCKING ACKERMAN."

"DON'T SAY MY NAME LIKE THAT!"

"I CAN SAY WHATEVER THE FUCK I WANNA SAY."

"COME AT ME-"

With the shard in her right hand, she raised her hand to slap him with her left hand, making him catching it with a stupid smirk on his face,

"Missed."

She innocently smiled back,

"Did I?"

She threw the shard and it poked him in the eye, making him let go of her hand. She watched him get sucked into the shard. The shard shined a powerful red as she picked it up and placed it in her pocket.

2 down, 4 to go. ———————————————————————- The apartment was eerily quiet, so quiet she could hear footsteps. Following them, (Y/N) stumbled upon Purple in the bathroom making kissy faces in the mirror. The face you make when someone says something stupid appeared on your face. Purple realized you were behind him in the mirror and turned to face you,

"Hello love!"

"Hey..."

"Babe, I just wanna say, I really appreciate you cooking dinner for you and I and I do appreciate you. It's just really hard cause y'know... My past..."

Her heart melted hearing his words and Purple could tell. He hugged her, his hands on her lower back. She felt his... 'rolling pin' poking her and she sighed.

"Come on, (Y/N), let me make it up to you..."

"Mmm... Okay..."

He lead her towards their bedroom and locked the door once they entered. Leading her to the bed, he made her feel... 'protected'. Like there was nothing that could get in between them to hurt them. Once on the bed, he kissed her while his hands warmed her sides, warming her. She slowly melted away and let go of everything...

The anger...

The tension...

The sadness...

The shard-

(Y/N)'s eyes shot open and pushed Purple off of her, making him land on the floor. Grabbing the shard out of her pocket, she chucked it at him and he caught it, making a bright purple light as he was sucked in the shard. The shard emitted a beautiful passionate purple. (Y/N), exhausted this point, sighed and spoke aloud,

"Well, at least you care..."

3 down, 3 to go.

———————————————————————-

(Y/N) wandered the house until she found herself back into the kitchen where she was bombarded with the strong scent of cleaning liquids. Bleach, Pinesol, Fabuloso, etc. It was all just swirling together. Covering her nose she walked farther into the kitchen where she could see Grey cleaning the walls of the kitchen without breaking a sweat.

She groaned and took out a shard. Walking up to him from behind, she poked the shard into his back, sucking him into it and emitting a grey color.

"Damn house is a toxic gas at this point..."

4 down, 2 to g-

"Just fucking put me in the fucking shard already."

(Y/N) turned around to find Orange and Yellow just standing next to each other-

"Uhh... Okay?"

Taking the last 2 shards out of her pocket, she tossed them to the two colors and watched as they were sucked into the shard and their shards emitted both bright yellow in one and a bright orange in the other.

The shard from her pocket started to glow as well. Taking them out, she ran to the other two and placed them in the center of the room and watched as the shards came together in a bright flash, making (Y/N) cover her eyes.

When she opened them again, she saw her Levi had returned. She ran to him and hugged him tightly, tears flowing from them,

"What happened?"

"Nothing! I'm just glad your back..."

"Oh... Okay?"

"Just know that I know it's difficult for you to show emotion but I do know you mean well for me okay?"

Levi hugged her back even tighter. Not knowing what exactly happened, he assumed for the worst but never pressed her. They just sat in silence as they hugged each other. ————————————————————————

#levi x reader #levi ackerman oneshots #levi ackerman x reader #levi heichou #LEVI ACKERMAN #poc reader #Black Girls #levi x black reader

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mavda · 3 years

Text

Beast Tamers

Ch.1 | Ch.2 | Ch.3 | Ch.4(1) | Ch.4(2) | Ch.5(1) | Ch.5(2) | Ch.5(3) | Ch.5(4) | Ch.6(1) | Ch.6(2) | Ch.6(3) | Ch.7(1) | Ch.7(2) | Ch.7(3) |

Ch.7: Of burdens and duties (4)

Naruto tries to look like he is not bored out of his mind. But they sure are testing his patience. To go see a lord he already forgot his name when he’s free, to consider sponsoring a new trade route Naruto had already discarded with the council, to lend his power to suppress an uprising someplace he didn’t care to remember.

His father’s hand touching his shoulder almost made him whine in relief.

“I’m afraid I need Lord Naruto for a while, if you’ll excuse me.” His father actually looks apologetic, and Naruto almost wants to congratulate him for being such a good actor. Do whatever you need to do, just get me out of here, he thinks.

And although the lords and ladies surrounding Naruto complain and whine about his father taking him, Minato takes him away amids excuses and apologetic glances everyone else buys.

They are out of earshot when Naruto sighs and thanks his father for his timing, “I was dying of boredom.”

His father snickers, “Thought it was time for you to get stressed out.”

“Hinata?”

“With Lord Gaara.”

Naruto raises an eyebrow at him, but doesn’t press further. He’s going to her right now to make sure she’s all right anyway.

There are some people who look at him and make as if getting closer, but Naruto raises a hand in apology and keeps on walking. He has already spent a good amount of time with them, let him leave, jeez.

Temari is the first one to notice him, and she gives him a nod before moving her body to give him a clearer view. Sai is looking around, sitting right beside Hinata. She is sitting straight, all poise and elegance, and her attention is on Gaara, who’s talking and moving his fingers as if counting.

He comes closer, keeping his eyes on her. Kankuro turns then, Sai glances over him and Gaara raises his head as he realizes his siblings’ attention is elsewhere. Then Hinata looks away from Gaara, follows his line of sight and looks at him.

Her shoulders drop in relief, her eyes widen and Naruto has to stop himself from gathering her up in his arms and crushing her against him. Sai stands up the moment he’s close enough and Naruto sits beside her. She stays unmoving and Naruto searches for her hands before bringing it to his thigh. Hinata gives him a small smile and as he rubs circles over her skin she squeezes back.

Gaara resumes his talking when Hinata looks back at him.

“So,” he continues, “only in attendance today are the One-Tail, the Five-Tail, Six-Tail and the Nine-Tail.” His fingers come down as he remembers. “The Four-Tail is allegedly dying-”

“Which him not coming today kind of fans the flames of that rumor,” Kankuro shrugs and Temari nods along.

“And reports have been coming in that the Two-Tail has been sealed already but they are giving time to their Beast Tamer to acclimate.”

Hinata frowns, “T-the others… w-where are the o-other B-beasts?”

“In the wild,” chimes in Naruto, “being restrained by the clans who want a claim on them.”

“W-who?”

Naruto shrugs, “We can’t know unless someone comes forward and claims their stake, but so far no one has done so. We don’t know where they are either.” His tone is matter of fact and his stance tells Hinata he doesn’t mind the situation one bit.

She keeps her worries to herself. If it’s not enough to worry a Beast Tamer, then surely they were unfounded. But Naruto presses on her hand, grabbing her attention.

“Anything else?”

“Ah, w-well. Isn’t it d-d-angerous?”

“Oh, well, if the Beasts were roaming freely then sure, and we Beast Tamers would have to step up and contain it. But since they are out there doing nothing, it’s better for us not to waste resources on that. They are being taken care of, and eventually a new Beast Tamer will appear.”

“H-have you h-had to?”

Naruto cocks his head to the side in confusion.

“T-take care of a w-wild B-beast.”

“Oh, no,” he says, “not in our generation. That kind of thing happened like three generations prior, when we were starting to seal them in ourselves.”

Hinata nods, as now everything starts to come together with the knowledge she had of Beast Tamers before becoming the wife of one. Before the Beasts were sealed in humans the clans either drew them off into the wild and far away from them or tried to seal them in places. A mountain, a cave, a forest. Only when they started sealing them within themselves to draw from their power did the Beast Tamers came into reality.

Hinata wonders, steals a glance at Naruto who is starting a conversation with Lord Gaara. Would it be so bad to let the Nine-Tail out into the wild again? Tied to a forest far away from everyone? That way Naruto…

He brings her out of her thoughts as he scoots closer to her and lays their intertwined hands over her thigh now, Hinata feels herself blushing and notices immediately the mischievous smirk on Naruto’s face.

He is enjoying this.

⁂⁂⁂

Hinata spends the rest of the day by Naruto's side. Like his father did before, when people don't accept Naruto's hand wave and leave, he walks to them, away from the group and comes back immediately after.

Lord Gaara and his entourage left a while ago, as soon as the demonstrations started. Each Beast Tamer sits in a specified area around the arena, at the highest part of the structure, in order of the number of tails of their respective Beasts. Lord Naruto sits at one of the edges and Lord Gaara is right in front of his line of sight.

Naruto relaxes the moment the show starts, and it's obvious why. The area the Beast Tamers sit at is off-limits to anyone but the people sanctioned by them, and a quick glance around tells Hinata that the Beast Tamers only keep their guards and a selected handful of other people. Many of the lords Naruto talked with before were not in here and new faces were presented before Hinata with a whole new attitude.

These people he liked, she realized, and by the way they conducted themselves the feeling was mutual.

Most of the lords and ladies that came to Naruto before sit under them, in the next level. Still substantially high up, but incapable of bothering the Beast Tamers. Not that they seem to mind, as they are now enthralled in the fights under them. With their hands intertwined and grabbing their clothes in suspense, Hinata sees some of them groaning in frustration while others clap in glee at the results.

Naruto sits with his hand on her thigh, and he glances back at her every once in a while. Rubs his thumb over her clothes, offers drinks and food Hinata ends up refusing after a while.

Sai sits right beside her, on her other side, and Sakura has come sit next to Naruto instead of Shino. They comment on the fights and some of the lords and ladies they met before and Sakura's laugh fills the room in intervals.

Hinata snickers at some of their comments, harsh and way too honest, and whenever she sits there, confused since she's missing information, either Sakura or Naruto lean to her and add an explanation.

There are few instances in which Hinata had the fortune of visiting a festival before. All of them under the eyes of the Hyuga. The places were beautiful and the people were happy and Hinata could only watch. Her stutter made her keep her mouth quiet and it meant she could never join in anything worth doing.

Naruto presses his hand on her leg, inches closer to the edge of his seat as the fight reaches its climax. One of the fighters uses a flashy fire technique that engulfs half the arena and the people watching hold their breaths as they expect to see the opponent laying on the ground. But he's cocooned inside walls he raised from the ground, and he dashes forward immediately after. His enemy yields the moment he sees him running towards him.

And Naruto laughs in joy. "Did you see that?" He asks, and Hinata can feel his eyes on her. She smiles and can't control the feeling that overcomes her as Naruto looks at her expecting a reaction. Whatever it may be.

She takes her time, as usual, but she doesn't worry, because she knows he will wait. "Went all or n-nothing on that last one, d-didn't he?"

Naruto's energy is contagious, and Hinata can't remember a time in which she was so mesmerized in fighting before. He nods along and shrugs, "You always gotta keep your chakra supply in check."

"Like you've ever had to worry about that," jabs Sakura, and Naruto turns to her with mock hurt on his face.

"I'll let you know I am very conscientious about my own chakra, thank you very much."

Lord Minato rarely comments and spends his time quiet and attentive behind his son, but this time he inches forward, right between Hinata and Naruto, and he says, "You are very welcome, son, thank you very much."

Naruto turns to him and looks as if he's been betrayed in the worst way possible. Sakura keeps on pestering him, now that Lord Minato has joined in, and Naruto waves them away frowning as if he's pissed, but he snickers the second after, and he can't help but laugh as he attempts to defend his position with weak arguments.

Even Sai chimes in, and Hinata can feel herself relishing this ambience, this situation. She is enjoying herself. And she brings her hand to her mouth in an attempt to hide the laugh that threatens to spill forth.

The tremor that rattles their room is enough for the conversation to die out immediately and for everyone to stand alert. Naruto grabs her arm and brings her closer to him.

The sound comes to them from the farthest corner of the arena. The people standing in attention stare at the direction where the sound came from and Hinata can feel Naruto's hand trembling as they realize that it's-

"Gaara," Naruto whispers and he squints his eyes as if that's enough for him to be able to see between the people and the cloud of dirt that stands between them.

"The structure gave away?" Ventures Sakura, and they all remain quiet, still ready for action, aware of their surroundings and everything around them.

The screams are still far away, but it's enough for Naruto to grab Hinata and start walking away from the windows. His eyes still glued to the commotion, glancing around every now and then to make sure that whatever was there was not yet here.

"An attack?" Lord Minato looks dumbfounded, and the lords and ladies inside the room whisper around them with the same tone. Nobody aside from Naruto and Sai have moved and it's clear nobody yet believes there is even a chance for an attack to be happening.

"Everyone, gather your things, your guards and leave this place immediately." Naruto's voice resonates within the room, and he breaks the spell. Everyone begins to stand, looking more and more worried by the second.

And then Gaara's One-Tail comes into view, and Naruto can feel a shiver run down his spine. "What the fuck…"

The Beast roars to the sky. His weight is too much for the wood and metal structure under him, which is why every move he makes make the place collapse. The Beast's body is like a gigantic bear made out of sand, with purple linings running through its body like veins. His yellow eyes are surrounded by black and they lock on the people under him.

Naruto has trouble breathing. He wishes to go and help, make Gaara regain control, but there are so many things yet he doesn't know. He can't put Hinata at risk due to his carelessness.

"I'm going to help," his father states and then runs towards the window.

"Sakura!," Naruto shouts, trying to reign control of the situation and start giving the orders they desperately need. But Sakura is already on his father's heels.

Minato throws a kunai in front of him, breaking the glass before jumping out, with Sakura at his back. They disappear into the sea of people who have already started to leave the premises as fast as they can, making the dire situation even worse. Naruto follows his father’s back for a second before losing them completely. And then he turns around and brings Hinata to his side, his arm around her shoulders.

"We need to leave," he orders. Hinata trembles under him and his brain starts working with one goal in mind: getting her out of here.

"Shino, you guide us out of here. Sai, at my back."

Shino's bugs are already buzzing and flying around them and he starts moving immediately after receiving the instruction. Naruto feels Sai glued to their backs and he allows himself a second of relief before moving.

The people pile upon each other in a desperate attempt to escape, but it only makes it harder to do so. Naruto understands Shino's instructions without the need to voice it. He crouches, places his arm behind Hinata's legs and raises her into his arms.

She brings her arms around him as a reflex, her eyes wide and filled with worry.

"It's gonna be all right," he whispers against her head, "it's going to be all right. I got you."

They jump in between the people. Like many others lords and ladies are doing as well, being carried in the arms of the guards they brought. They keep away from each other, still too worried about the source of the attack.

The One-Tail stops roaring and Naruto feels himself stand straighter. He knows this pattern. He looks at the monster and sees it breathing in.

"Take cover!!" He yells, hoping Shino and Sai hear him. He falls to the floor, covers Hinata with his body and raises his hand in front of him, letting the chakra of the Beast pour out.

The One-Tail shoots out balls of pressured air to the people. In no order. The ground trembles, the arena starts falling apart wherever the attack touches and then it stops.

Naruto lets his chakra die out and looks around. There are people splayed out in ways that no living being could withstand, and he brings Hinata closer to him. The arena still stands, but it's a matter of time before the One-Tail pounds it to the ground.

"Shino! Sai!"

Sai jumps next to him, with his scroll on his hand and a bleeding gash at the side of his head. Shino is nowhere to be found. "He'll find us," he tells Sai, who only nods before following again. Shino specializes in tracking, if anyone will be able to find them after being separated will be him… or so Naruto wants to believe.

The screams and now wails of pain fill the air and Naruto feels his senses heightened due to the danger around them. Which is why he stops before the One-Tail even stops screaming.

The Beast gives out an interrupted yell before disappearing under a flash of light.

His father did it.

He did it.

Gaara is okay.

He doesn't realize he's trembling until Hinata brings her head out of his neck and he puts her on the ground, cups her cheek. His fingers can't stop spasming. "Are you hurt?"

Hinata shakes her head no and hugs him, rubbing her head against his chest. Naruto can't help the sigh of relief that leaves his body.

He has to go check on Gaara.

He reaches the ground with Hinata in his arms first. Whatever happened to Gaara can happen again and it's best for Hinata to get out of here.

Sai will take her. Naruto looks around, hoping to see Shino or Sakura coming to him, but only the people jumping down from the stands are running around. The guards with their clients under their arms, looking around in search of danger while they move as fast as they can. There are whimpers and wails of agony around them, but the thunderous racket from before gave way to a sort of calm that only makes Naruto more nervous.

His father must be with Gaara, tending to him. He will not come back until Gaara is fine, and he’s grateful for it. But that means that Sakura won’t leave his side either and if Shino doesn’t come back soon only Sai will be there to protect Hinata. And taking the current events into consideration, Naruto fails to feel comfortable without sending at least two guards with her.

He takes too much time thinking. It’s the first thing that comes to mind as the tremors come back again and the noise escalates around them. It’s terrifying, the sight before him. Aside from Gaara’s, he has never seen another Beast on the loose. Wouldn’t even think he would ever do so in his lifetime. And yet…

The Five-Tails stands now before him, a horse-like Beast with white fur extending from its face to its five tails. The stands are already in shambles so the moment it appears, his hoofs start stomping in an attempt to stabilize itself.

The wave of dust and air that moves to them leaves Naruto with no time at all, and his only reaction is to cocoon Hinata in his arms and throw himself to the ground, hoping no debris falls to them.

The second the trembling settles they are running away. Naruto coughs as the particles latch to his lungs and he worries whether Hinata is having a hard time breathing as well, but he refuses to stop now. First they need to get out of here.

The dust makes everything harder to see and Sai tries his best to make a way for him to go through, moving people out of their way. They move faster than almost everyone on the ground and yet they are still inside when that distinct trembling happens again.

Naruto knows what’s happening before he even turns around. Somehow, his senses catch onto his surroundings before his brain can have a chance. He puts Hinata on the ground, looks for her face.

There are tears going down her cheeks and he doesn’t know whether it’s because she’s scared or because the dirt around her is irritating her eyes.

It doesn’t really matter.

He raises her head, cups her cheeks with his hands while his thumbs wipe her tears. She locks eyes with him, “Stay close to Sai.”

Hinata frowns at him, confused, but Naruto doesn’t have the time to explain, so he pushes her towards her guard, who is already right behind her.

Naruto smirks, he catches on quick.

Sai, like never before, latches onto Hinata’s wrist and mid-section to keep her from moving, as she tries to reach for him. “My lord-” she calls, but Naruto walks backwards with growing intensity.

He catches her struggling with Sai, who remains still as a statue. And as if on cue, the Six-Tails gurgles to the sky. Slimy and gooey, the slug-like Beast stands behind him too. Naruto can’t find any explanation for what’s happening. He just fears-

“Naruto!!” Hinata cries and Naruto can feel his heart squeezing. He forces himself to keep on walking. Not now. She has to leave and he has to put distance between them.

Whatever is happening, it’s targeting Beast Tamers. And if there is any pattern to this.

-he fears he’s next.

#naruto #naruhina #fanfic #fanfiction #Hinata Hyuga #Naruto Uzumaki #beast tamers #ch.7 #part 4 #I...#(。_。)#you all are entitled to free virtual hugs all right #no questions asked #(. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)#have a great one #and see you all next week <3

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writer1 · 3 years

Text

A regretful Wolf and his Beauty

Chapter Eleven

Beast!Rex x Fem!reader

Summary: As punishment for his actions, young prince Rex was cursed to become a monster by a witch. The only thing that saved him from his fate was an enchantress, who gave him a condition. He has to find true love in order to redeem himself and he only has until the last petal of the enchanted rose falls. Rex's family helps you by guiding your way into his heart. Rex's fate now lies in your hands.

A/N: This is a collaborative fic with @ahsokatano-thetogruta.

Warnings: mistreatment of kids, abuse, experimentation, neglect, guilt, small mention of injury.

Ezra doesn't have much in life. He's been too busy following Maul around that he hasn't really learned how to make time for himself. Not knowing what to do with himself means going to Maul and making sure that he is okay and if he needs anything. If Ezra doesn't do something right, it will end up with him either getting shouted at or beaten. Sometimes it will be both.

He sits on his small, broken bed as he takes care of his freshly made bruise. He doesn't know what he's doing wrong, but he always makes sure that he does better, even if it's still not enough. His thoughts of running away linger in his mind for moments at a time, and today they are screaming at him to escape, run away as far away as he can. But he reluctantly decides against it.

The pain from his leg makes him tear up a little, but he fights through the pain. Ezra's parents died when he was 6 years old. He was wandering around the streets for a while until a Zabrak found him and took him in. Maul doesn't really care for Ezra, he just wants to use him and make him do things that he is too lazy to do himself, things like cleaning, bringing him drinks and running errands.

All the work he does makes the young boy feel exhausted every night, and he'll go to bed late and wake up early to have things ready for Maul. It's almost already midnight, so Ezra listens out for Maul, hearing him go to his room and get into bed. Ezra knows that he's safe to go to sleep now, knowing that he won't be needed until morning. He tucks himself in, forcing his eyes shut as he slowly falls asleep.

xxx

A few hours later and after some much needed discussion, Kix and Jesse both rush towards the west wing, they need to tell Rex about what you know. Neither of them can believe that you already figured it out, you’ve only been in the castle for about four days, and most of those were spent alone in your room.

They arrive in the room to see Rex, Stutter, Cody and Obi Wan, they stop talking once they see the frantic look on Kix’s face. Jesse, in his bird form, flies over and lands on Cody, folding himself back into a paper man, Kix flies over as well. Rex looks between the two. “What’s wrong? Is Shiny okay?”

Kix and Jesse look at each other nervously, neither knowing what to do about this, Kix, being the medic, flies forward. “Yes. She seems to be a little better. She was starting to feel weak again when we left, but she did have a few visitors, so that’s normal.” Rex smiles, happy to hear that you’re getting better. He still feels guilt over what he did.

“That’s good, but what's wrong, the two of you looked frantic when you came in?” Cody would have an expression of confusion on his face if he had one. Jesse sighs and steps forward. “The thing is, Shiny... she knows.”

“What? What do you mean Jesse?” Rex asks. Jesse frowns. “She… She knows about the curse.” Rex’s eyes widen significantly, he feels fear fill him. “WHAT!!! Did you tell her?!” Jesse shakes his head frantically. Stutter cowers a little, he hates to hear yelling. Rex’s ears press against the back of his head when he sees Stutter cower.

“Sorry, Stutter. I didn't mean to shout, I just…I don't understand how she could have found out.” Rex has an expression of a cross between stress and confusion. Jesse rubs his paper neck nervously “Well, she figured it out. Kix was telling her the story of how I was his first patient, saying how I got a blackeye. That's how she figured out we were once human.”

Rex doesn't look impressed at all and he huffs, trying to control his temper “I see… I guess there's no hiding it now.” his head lowers a little as he thinks of what to do next.

He feels nervous thinking about how you may think of him as more of a monster now that you know that he was once human, and that a prince can be such a beast. “We better go and talk to her.” everyone nods at Rex and follows him out of the room.

xxx

You awake to see that you are the only one in the room. Kix and Jesse had left you to get some rest, but you ended up falling asleep for a few hours. After being in bed for so long, you feel fed up and need to stretch out your legs a little. Kix had said that you have to stay in bed and to call someone if you need something, but you honestly can't take it anymore.

A little wobbly, you manage to stay on your feet without feeling the need to sit back down on the bed. As steadily as you can, you leave your room and walk down the corridor to explore a little. You feel fatigue take over your body again, so you slide down the nearest wall and sit down, trying to catch your breath after using the little energy you had.

Sitting down, you look up to see a framed painting hanging up on the wall. Two boys, an older one with black hair and a younger one with blonde hair, stand together in partly formal and partly casual clothes, smiling as the one with a scar on his face wraps an arm around the other boy's shoulder.

They look very similar to each other, like they are closely related. Brothers maybe? The blond one looks younger than the one with the scar, who looks more like a young man.

Lost in thought, you hear your name being called out. “SHINY?!” The voice is loud and deep, making you realise that it's Rex. Kriff, he must have gone to check on me in my room. You think to yourself as Rex gets closer. “Shiny!! Where are y- There you are. What are you doing on the floor?” Worry consumes him as he gently helps you stand upright.

“I got tired of being in bed, so I went for a wander. But I guess that didn't end so well…” You look down and then back up to see Rex's concerned expression. “No, it didn't. C'mon, let's get you back to your room.” You nod, but just before you leave, your interest is still focused on the painting of the two boys.

“Rex, who are those people in that painting?” you point up to the painting of the two boys. His concern turns into nervousness, remembering that you know about Kix and Jesse being human before, but he doesn't know if you know that he was once human too.

You look closely at the painting and then back at Rex a few times, realising that the colour of the blonde hair in the photo is the exact same as Rex's fur. Your eyes widen in realisation. “Is...Is that you?” You ask, pointing to the youngest of the two boys.

Rex sighs. “Y-yeah, that’s me, and the other is my older brother, Cody.” You can feel Rex’s nervousness in the force, and even though you are still mad at him, you feel bad for making him feel this way. “Are you okay?” Rex nods, though he still feels nervous.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” You look back at the painting. “How old were you in this?” you ask him, he smiles, there was a nice memory with this painting. “I was thirteen, it was my birthday that day. Cody is seventeen.” You smile, turning to Rex, but he suddenly frowns. “This was painted only a few months before…” You know exactly what he’s talking about.

“Before you and the other’s were cursed?” He nods. “You were so young, who in their right mind would curse a child? What happened?” Rex grimaces. “I… I don’t want to talk about it. Let’s get you back to your room.” You nod, not pushing the issue. You follow him back to your room, something’s changed. You don’t feel anger towards him anymore, just sadness and a sense of empathy.

You both arrive back at your room, and you lean against Rex as you start to feel weak again, he helps you over and into your bed. You notice the others in the room.

There’s a desk and a paintbrush, who you haven't met yet, along with Obi Wan, Kix and Jesse. “H-H-Hello.” the paintbrush flies up to you as you lay in your bed again. “I-I’m Stutter! R-Rex's younger b-b-brother.”

You smile at the sweet paintbrush, he’s so adorable. “It’s very nice to meet you, Stutter.” suddenly Kix flies up to you, he does not look happy in the slightest. “And what were you doing out of bed?” You smile sheepishly, you know that it was stupid to get out of bed while you’re this sick.

“I...I was bored and just wanted to have a little walk around, but I guess it didn't really end well.” Your sheepish look grows as Kix huffs. “Well at least you're back in bed now. From now on, unless you are back to full health no getting out of bed unless necessary. Am I clear?”

“Yes, of course. Sorry if I've caused you any trouble.” You hear a shuffling sound moving closer to you. Turning your head a little, you see a desk stopping just beside you. “It's okay, Shiny. We're all just worried about you.” Everyone in the room, who can, nods in agreement. “I'm Cody.”

“It's nice to meet you, Cody. You must be Rex's older brother.” you smile at him. “What's it like having younger siblings? I'm an only child you see.”

“It's nice to have brothers to hang out with. I'm also an older brother to Fives, Echo and Stutter, who you've met, and also Bly and our youngest sister, Ahsoka, but you haven't met either of them yet. Though I do have the best embarrassing stories about Rex when he was younger.” Rex presses his ears back a little in embarrassment, scowling slightly at his older brother “Cody, please don't…”

“I'd love to hear them!” You say with enthusiastic interest. If Cody could, he'd be smirking playfully at his Rex'ika “There was a time when Rex was five years old, he tried to feed me some slices of Meiloorun from his mouth.” You do your best to hold back a laugh, while feeling Rex's embarrassment through the force. The chuckles from around the room finally make you break into small laughter.

Rex feels his face heat up. He wants to be annoyed at Cody, but hearing stories about his past makes him feel happy, though that story is quite funny, so he can't help but chuckle as well.

Obi Wan clears his nonexistent throat, causing everyone to turn to him. “I loved that story, but we do need to discuss a certain something with Miss Shiny here.” Rex’s ears press back, you can feel his nervousness in the force.

Cody sighs. “Obi Wan’s right, we wanted to talk about the curse with you, Shiny. Since you figured it out, what do you know so far?”

You look at Rex, then turn to Cody. “I figured out that you were all human once, and Rex told me that he was thirteen and you were seventeen when it happened, but thats all. I saw a painting of the two of you, and asked him about it.” Cody hums to himself, happy that you didn’t figure out too much. The group had already discussed what to tell you.

“Did Rex tell you what happened that night?” Rex shakes his head. “Can you tell it, Cody?” The desk does it’s best to nod, you can feel sadness from everyone, Obi Wan walks up to Rex, patting him on the back. “Don’t worry, little one. Cody and I can tell it.”

The knight then turns to you, the desk shuffles around to face you more as well. “The day we were cursed was Christmas day, Rex was thirteen years old. He had woken up on the wrong side of the bed, so he was tired and cranky, but he did his best to join in on the fun.” You nod along, thinking about the boy in the picture.

Cody continues on. “We had a few bumps that piled onto Rex’s already bad day, it started with him breaking a vase, then the kitchen was out of his breakfast, then he was pranked by Fives and Echo. he snapped at them then him and I got into our own fight over how he had treated them, we made up later but it just piled on to the things that had already went wrong. Then she showed up.” You can hear the venom in Cody’s voice when he says the word she, and the force is suddenly filled with the feelings of anger and hatred from everyone in the room.

“She? The woman who cursed you?” You ask and Obi Wan nods. He places a comforting hand on top of Cody. “Yes, though she wasn't just any woman. She was a witch, named Ventress.” Obi Wan almost hisses the name out, hating saying it.

Cody continues after calming down. “She then decided to pretend to trip over and spill some drink on Rex's favorite outfit. When the drink was already starting to stain his shirt, Rex lost it and snapped at her. Ventress then found the perfect opportunity to use her magic for fun. Then…” Cody takes a deep breath in and out before speaking again. “Then she transformed Rex into this werewolf. Everyone else in the castle got turned into inanimate objects.” Cody wants to frown, but he can't.

Obi Wan feels Cody's sadness and anger, so he traces his scar to comfort him. “The other knights left just after breakfast, so they weren't here at the time of the curse. It seems that Ventress made them forget about us.”

“That was about twelve and a half years ago, we also realized that we don’t age right. We haven’t aged as fast as we should have at all, for example Rex is twenty-four, while he should be 25. But a few years ago we all stopped aging for two years, none of us understand it.” You nod. You can’t believe that this happened to them.

“I'm so sorry that this has happened to you all, no one deserves this.” Rex looks at you, he can see the sincerity in your eyes. He can’t believe that you don’t hate him anymore, at least not fully. You let out a yawn as your eyes become heavy. “We'll let you get some rest now, Shiny. Call us if you need anything.” You smile at Rex. “Thank you, Rex. Thank you everyone for telling me your story.”

Rex smiles at you. “Well, you did figure it out first. Now get some rest, just call if you need anything.” You nod, turning over and falling asleep almost immediately. Rex and the little group all leave, Kix is already planning to check on you in about an hour, and so is Rex.

Rex finds that it’s nice telling someone about the curse, it felt good to get it off his chest. Everyone is going to be happy, they don’t have to hide that they were human. The only thing Rex has told everyone is not to tell you about them being royalty, he doesn’t want you to know that he is a prince.

They all walk off in different directions; Rex wanders off towards the west wing, while Jesse, Kix and Stutter find Sabine to have an art session. Obi Wan and Cody, on the other hand, go to their shared room to spend some time together.

A few years ago, they both wanted to be in the same room together. They decided on this after they had talked about taking their relationship to another level. As kids, they would always sneak into each other's rooms to cuddle at night.

Cody would be so scared during stormy nights, so he used to run to Obi Wan's room. Obi Wan would keep him safe and comfort him until he felt better, though he would never stop giving Cody affection. They both enjoy sleeping together, giving each other sweet and loving kisses until they fall asleep.

Anakin and Rex would also always sneak in with the two. First it was just Rex sneaking into the bed on stormy nights, Obi Wan and Cody always provided comfort. Then Anakin joined in when he came to the castle at nine years of age, the young boy was always so frightened at night.

Rex made it a habit to check on Anakin, even though he was only a year older. If the younger of the two was having trouble sleeping, Rex would lead them to Obi Wan's room where Cody would already be there. The two older brothers would always provide comfort, especially to Anakin once he joined.

This went on even after the curse, only stopping when the boys got older. It still happens once in a while during the worst storms, or when Anakin has flashbacks of his life as a slave.

Most times, Cody and Obi Wan will just end up falling asleep with each other when they are super relaxed, but nevertheless they always enjoy being with one another, no matter what it is they do together. Obi Wan walks beside Cody, who shuffles along beside him, while having a hand placed on his table top. It makes the both of them feel like they are holding hands together as they walk. Cody has gotten better with moving around, but it can still be pretty difficult sometimes, physically and mentally. “Here we are.” Obi Wan pats Cody gently before opening the door.

He lights an oil lamp as Cody shuffles sideways through the door and over to the side of the bed, ready for when Obi Wan lies down beside him. Obi Wan feels himself smile, laying down on the bed and draping an arm over Cody. He thought being in his armour while laying down would be uncomfortable, but it just feels like his human body.

It's still strange when he tosses and turns, hearing the creaking and scraping of metal, though he has gotten used to it over the years of being like this. Same with Cody, he's still not fully used to not being able to walk or do the things that he could before the curse. At least they both still have each other.

Cody lets out a humming noise crossed between happiness and sadness, making Obi Wan reach out in the force to feel how his Fiancé is feeling. “Are you alright, Cyare? I can feel that you are a little sad.”

“I'm okay, I just… telling Shiny about when me and Rex were younger just...brought back memories is all.” Cody wants to smile, but not having a face means that he can't show his expressions very well, so he has to show them through his words. “It's been so long, Sweetheart. Everyday it becomes a little bit easier, but also more difficult at the same time all at once.” Cody lets out a small sob for a moment. “I wish things were how they were before all of this.”

“Oh, Cyare.” Obi Wan strokes Cody's scar gently as he sits up and leans down to press his helmet against Cody, kissing him lovingly. Cody takes in a deep breath as he composes himself to carry on. “I-If only I hadn't fought with Rex that day, then maybe he would have been a bit calmer. Maybe this wouldn't have happened. Maybe we could have gotten married by now. Maybe-”

“Cody, it's alright, Cyare. This isn't your fault. It's no one's fault except Ventress'. If she hadn't purposely spilt her drink on Rex, then we would have been fine. And about the fight, you were only looking out for your other Vod'ika. Though it wasn't right, it just goes to show that you care about protecting those close to you.” Obi Wan traces Cody's scar. “And that's why I love you, Cyare. I'll never stop loving you, because you are so wonderful.” He can feel Cody's sadness fade away into nothingness, being replaced with emotions of love and adoration.

“Thank you, Sweetheart. I love you too, so much.” He leans up into Obi Wan before relaxing again, starting to feel a little tired. “I feel slightly tired, could we take a nap together?”

Obi Wan nods as he reluctantly pulls his face away from Cody to lie back down. “Of course we can, I'd love to.” He places an arm over Cody again as his non-existent eyes drift close, so does Cody's. It doesn't take long before they both fall asleep and dream nice dreams about each other.

xxx

Rex walks to his room, he’s deep in thought at the moment. He has no idea how you knowing about the curse is going to affect everything. “Hey, Rex!” Rex is startled out of his thoughts by Anakin, who’s standing by Rex’s bed in the west wing, Rex sighs.

“What are you doing up here, Anakin?” Rex asks in confusion, not that it’s weird for the knight to be up here. Most of the time you can find Anakin sitting in the west wing, having been there for hours talking to Rex, it was like that before the curse, and stayed the same even after.

“I’m just here to talk to my friend, besides I… I heard about what you said to Miss Shiny.” Rex’s ears press against the back of his head, he knows that what he said was bad. “I know that it was bad, are you mad at me?”

Anakin wishes that he could smile, just so that he could comfort his friend. “No, I know you Rex, you wouldn’t hurt anyone. You are the nicest werewolf I know.” Rex chuckles, cracking a smile. He raises an eyebrow at Anakin as well. “Aren’t I the only werewolf you know?”

“Yeah, but you’re still the nicest. Probably. So, you might finally get a girlfriend! Let me give you some relationship advice!” Rex groans. “Just because you and Padmé are together doesn’t mean that you are the relationship expert, and...can we please not talk about relationships right now, Ani? I just want to talk about anything else but that right now.”

Anakin can hear the little bit of a pleading tone in Rex’s voice, he decides to stop joking and talk to Rex about other things. Anakin knows when Rex needs a break. “Yeah, of course. Let’s talk about having another knight in the castle, it’s been so long since I’ve had someone new to spar with!”

Rex smiles, watching Anakin walk over to the bed. He jumps on, sitting criss crossed as he usually does. Rex smiles, he sits on the end of the bed, across from Anakin who’s up near the pillows. “So, has Shiny told you about how she got her nickname?”

Rex looks at Anakin with a confused look. “Nickname? I thought that was her given name.” Anakin shakes his head. “No, a few of us were talking to her this morning. She told us that her given name is Y\N, but the way she got the nickname, Shiny, isn’t really a nice story.” Rex looks at Anakin with a confused look. “What do you mean?”

Anakin sighs. “Well… I guess that her village doesn’t approve of female knights, at all! She’s the only one and nobody, but a retired knight, would train her, especially in the force and how to wield it. She got her nickname because the other male cadets would make fun of her all the time, calling her Shiny, which if I remember correctly, means naive and new for knights in certain places.” Rex feels anger at your village for treating you like that, he’d heard his father talk about the abuse towards female knights in other kingdoms before, but to hear that it’s happening in his own kingdom is even worse. And he can’t even do anything about it.

“That’s not right! At least she likes the nickname, but still.” Anakin nods in agreement. “Yeah, all the knights here already offered to train her, including me. She deserves to be trained, everyone in the village also called her odd for being a knight.” Rex can’t believe that you had been treated this way, it’s disgusting.

“It is going to be nice to have someone closer to my age to train with, it was getting kind of tiring, always training with someone older. Sometimes I wish that you were a knight instead of a prince.” Rex chuckles. “But then who would you protect, Ani? I did appoint you my private protector, there's no one I trust more than my best friend.”

"Yeah, there's no one I trust more than you either Rex. You were my first friend ever." Anakin goes a little quieter, Rex knows that he is thinking about when he first arrived. "You okay Ani? I know that it's hard to think about… about before you came here."

"I… yeah. I wish that I could have saved my Mother, I miss her so much, Rex. And I wish that she could have met everyone, especially you. I know that she would absolutely love you."

Rex chuckles, then he frowns. "Even like this?" Anakin looks at Rex, nodding. "She's the kind of person who doesn't care about what you look like, it's what's inside that matters."

“Your Mother sounds like she was a very caring person. I know that she'd be so proud of you, you've done so well to be where you are now. The kingdom couldn't have asked for a better Knight. Nor I, a better friend.” Rex gives Anakin a friendly, toothy smile. He's glad that his fangs don't scare anyone, especially his younger siblings.

“Thank you, Rex. I really appreciate it, you've been there for me, helped me through the darkest and most difficult times of my life, so I'm glad that I get to serve in protecting you. And I’m honored to call you my brother.” Anakin shuffles towards Rex, leaning forward a little to give him a hug. Rex sighs and hugs him back. Their friendship has only grown stronger over the years, even after the curse.

“You're welcome, Ani.” Rex whispers, letting his instincts take over and giving Anakin a little affectionate lick. Anakin chuckles, this isn’t the first time Rex has done this, he just doesn’t understand how the armor doesn’t hurt his tongue.

xxx

As dusk begins to fall, the candles along the corridors are lit up as 99 sweeps his way down the halls, cleaning up for tomorrow. He enjoys cleaning around the castle, knowing that his hard work and help is appreciated.

The bad batch are currently in the ballroom, making conversation with each other. “It's so cool that there's someone new here, especially that she is a knight too!” Wrecker exclaims, his face showing much excitement. “Yes, it'll be nice to get to know them.” Tech nods and agrees, reading a book from the library that Jocasta Nu had given him to read. He himself is a book, and for some reason he can control the movements of other books too, so he is able to flip through the pages and read them whenever he likes.

“It's not that exciting.” The grumpy hatstand pulls a face. “Oh cheer up, Cross.” Hunter nudges his twenty three year old brother, before throwing himself across the almost empty room to hit a target board of wood that Hardcase had chopped up for him to train with. He floats back to his brothers. “Another knight will be super fun to train with too! I wonder how skilled she is.”

“I can't wait to play some music for her!” Wrecker suddenly starts messily playing music using his keys. The way he plays sounds good but bad at the same time. Crosshair wishes that he had actual hands to cover his non-existent ears, or something to whip at the piano. “Wrecker, knock it off.”

“Aha, sorry Vod. I'm just so excited!” Tech and Hunter nod in agreement as Crosshair just eyerolls. He doesn't want to admit that he is slightly curious to meet you, so he just pulls his usual grumpy face.

The door swings open, making the bad batch turn around to see 99 sweeping his way over to them. “Buir!” They all shout, making their way over to him. He feels himself smile at his sons. “Hello you four, are you all alright?” They all nod happily.

Hunter flings himself past 99, showing off his knife throwing skills. “Nice one, Hunt’ika!” Hunter feels himself smile, wishing that he could show it, He’s the only one out of his brothers who doesn’t have anything that resembles a face. “Show off!” Crosshair yells at him, but Hunter knows that his brother is being his normal grumpy self. He starts to feel a little tired, panting as if he’s out of breath. 99 and his brothers notice immediately.

“You’ve tired yourself out again, Hunt’ika, go rest on Cross’ika.” Hunter turns to the hat rack, who has a worried look on his face. Crosshair nods, waddling over, he leans down and picks the little knife up in his hooks. “You rest, Ori’Vod. I’ve got you.” Hunter nods, letting his body go… limp? In Crosshairs hooks.

No one knows why Hunter always gets tired out when he floats, their best guess is that it’s because of his enhanced senses, but they can’t know for sure. Crosshair gets tired easily as well.

Crosshair holds on to Hunter gently as he rests, he hates when his Ori’Vod tires himself out like this, the first time this happened the knife had kept going and passed out for about a day. It was scary for everyone, especially their youngest, Tech. They couldn’t see him breathing, the only way they figured out that he was alive and only passed out was when his Buir had leaned down and heard Hunter’s quiet, steady breathing.

Tech floats up, nuzzling Hunter’s face, making him chuckle, he then does the same for Crosshair, Wrecker and 99.

The bad batch all show their love with touches instead of words, it’s how 99 had gotten them to trust him originally. All four of them were touch starved and abused by their parents, not to mention experimented on.

He also gave their name the bad batch a much nicer meaning than what their parents, mainly their mother, had used it for. He said that their abilities make them unique and special, that they are all loved no matter what their parents did to them.

25 years ago...

Their parents called them the bad batch because they were all failed experiments.

Hunter was their parents' first born. At night, his cries would be so loud they were almost deafening. Their parents didn't think that his cries were above the normal level that a baby cries at. A few years later when he reached the age to start understanding what people were saying, he could see their lips moving but no sound at all could be heard. It had then occurred to his parents that he was born deaf.

They then tried experimenting on him to bring his hearing back. They'd use a serum that they'd inject into him in different doses for a few days until it was time to let it get to work. The sound around him was like thunder banging against his eardrums.

He had woken up at night to a rainstorm, the water hitting his windows. It scared the force out of him, making him feel frightened of the sounds that had always been there but unable to make themselves present to Hunter.

His parents were happy with the results that the serum had worked, but then they were disappointed that he was kept up at night because of all of the noise. They had failed, making his hearing and senses too good. They pushed him aside, trying to work on making it better. Hunter would lose sleep and cry with how much his ears hurt. The pain had lasted about a year, but he was still kept up for hours at a time for years.

Two years after Hunter was born, Crosshair came along. He was born premature, he was a little sick with a few deficiencies and had his mother, Nala Se’s, skinny build. He was sick for the first few years of his life, after His brother’s experiment failed, his parents experimented on him next.

They tried to cure his sickness for a whole year, they failed, managing to make him sicker than before, they did however make his eyesight much better than before.

Whatever they gave him made his hair turn grey as well, so whenever they'd look at him, they'd think about how weird he looked. they threw him to the side as they did Hunter.

His parents always ignored him when he got sick, leaving Hunter to try to care for Crosshair the best he could, even though he was only three, nearly four, years old. His enhanced senses allowed him to be aware of dangers, keeping him safe from anything that might harm him whole having to take care of his Vod'ika.

Wrecker was born a year after Crosshair. He was the smallest out of the three of them, but after two years, he hadn't been growing much at all, staying small. He was way too skinny for his height, unlike Crosshair who was the tallest of them.

Their parents noticed that he was very weak as well, so they decided to experiment on him next. Their plan was to make him strong and healthy, but they never expected what happened.

Wrecker had gotten so strong and his physique was not like his brother's at all. He was a lot more muscular and his frame was broad. At night, the serum they used on him would make his body, especially his muscles, hurt a lot, also causing his growth spurt pains to start early.

His pain would be unbearable sometimes, but Hunter would help him through it the best he could. Once Crosshair was a few years old, he'd start helping Hunter to look after his little brother.

Five years after Wrecker was born, they had a new baby brother, Tech. He was the tiniest and weakest out of all of them, their parents thankfully learned their lesson after Wrecker and didn’t try to fix it. He had horrible eyesight once he got older, but no one cared. Except for Crosshair, Wrecker and Hunter, who all took care of him, their parents simply stopped caring. Their father left after Tech was born, he grew tired of having failed and deficient children.

Tech was three, and his brother’s found that he loved to learn. Little Tech craved new information, but he had a hard time learning new things like walking, talking and other normal things, he just didn’t develop the skills. As soon as the other three figured it out they did their best to hide it from their Mother, they knew that Tech would be an experiment like them if she found out.

It was all for not, Nala Se quickly figured out about Tech’s disability, the young boys tried to fight her when she came for Tech, but she sedated them. She started to give Tech a new serum, it made him smarter, but much smarter than she had wanted. She hated it.

After the serum was given to him, Tech would get severe headaches at night, and his dreams would be intense from all the new knowledge he would learn from books during the day. He would let out tiny whimpers at night from the pain and visions he had during his dreams, so his brothers would often sleep together.

Tech would be sandwiched in the middle, while being comforted by his brothers when his dreams got too much for him to handle. Thinking about his brothers being near him would give him something to focus on instead of several different thoughts at once. The three boys hated that they had let Tech down, and they hated their parents.

Even though they were neglected by their parents, they still had each other to take care of one another. Not long after Tech had turned four, their Uncle 99 had come to visit. When he turned up, she grimaced at the sight of him, the way his back was hunched over. “What do you want?” what a way to greet your brother who you haven't spoken to in years.

She was so jealous that 99 got to live in the castle to clean around for the prince, their nephew. Rex didn't allow her to visit him after what he told him about Nala Se, how she would be nasty to him. “I've come to visit you, Nala-”

“Don't you dare use my name. Get out of here, I don't want to see you!” Before he leaves, he sees four boys down the hallway of the house, peeping out of a room. “Who are they?” Nala Se whips her head around, making the boys run away in fear. “Nothing, just failed experiments. A bad batch.”

99 feels anger rise in him. “They aren't nothing. I'll ask again, who are they?” Nala Se huffs in annoyance, not even going to bother to fight with him. “They are my sons.”

99's eyes go wide “And you think you can just call them Experiments? Failed experiments at that! A bad batch? How could you say that! They are children. Also I have nephews?” he's angry that Nala Se, his own sister, hadn't even bothered to tell him about his four nephews. “Let me in please, I’d like to see them.”

“No.” Her answer was quick and short, almost said as a warning. “I made you leave years ago for a reason, there's no need for you to come back. You live with the prince now, living a wonderful life while I'm stuck here, trying to have the perfect family, yet my son's won't let me.”

99 doesn't bother to fight with her, he doesn't have the strength to, so he turns and heads back to the castle. He thinks about what he should do now, he wants to go to young Rex, but the child is still mourning his parents. 99 sighs, those kids his sister had need help, she called them experiments. He grew up with Nala Se, 99 knows what she does with experiments.

99 hobbles into the throne room, he sees his two young cousins, Rex and Cody, talking. They turn to him once he walks in. “Uncle 99! How was your visit with her.” 99 sighs, he can hear the anger in 15 year old Cody’s voice. “It didn’t go well at all, I need some help from Rex.” Rex perks up at that, the 11 year old jumps up off the throne, walking over to his uncle, Cody follows behind.

“What do you need Uncle? Did she do something?” 99 shakes his head. “No, she has four sons there, Cody, she didn’t even call them her sons at first, she called them failed experiments.” Cody’s face turns into an expression of disgust, Rex’s does the same.

“She actually called them that!? That’s not right. At all.” 99 nods sadly. “That’s why I need Rex’s help, I want to go down with some of the knights, this can’t go on any longer!”

“I agree Uncle! What about you, Cody?” Cody nods in agreement. “We can send Plo, Mace and Obi Wan to arrest her, if our parents were here, they would be furious. They already were with the way she had treated you!” Rex’s parents had been furious, and so had the crowned prince, even if he was young at the time.

She was banished from ever coming to the castle. Nala Se had come to the castle a few months ago after they had died, she didn’t know that Rex had known about everything, the young prince had made sure that she knew exactly what he and the family thought of her.

With not a moment to waste, 99 was on his way back to Nala Se's house with Plo, Obi Wan and Mace right behind him, ready to rescue his four nephews. They got to her house and knocked on the door. “Nala Se, this is knight Plo Koon, protector of his royalty, Prince Rex. We have been reported that you have been mistreating four young boys, your Sons.”

There's no reply, so Obi Wan uses the force to unlock the door. Mace runs in first, seeing that the house is in darkness with the curtains shut. It looks abandoned.

After doing a sweep of the house, they were about to leave before they heard a child crying. The knights and 99 share a worried look with each other then rush to one of the bedrooms. They try the door but it's locked, so they use the force to open the door.

They see the four boys huddled together behind the bed. 99 hobbles over to them, speaking softly. “I-It's alright now, you're safe. Everything is going to be okay.” Tech stops crying and sniffles as he sees 99 smile softly towards him. Hunter can sense that he isn't dangerous, but he doesn't trust them.

99 reaches out a hand “Here, come with us. We'll keep you safe.” Tech, Crosshair and Wrecker look towards Hunter, making sure that it is safe to go with them. Hunter stands up first, picking up Tech who wraps his small body around him. Hunter nods at 99 and the knights as Wrecker and Crosshair stand up and follow close behind their Ori'Vod.

Hunter keeps an eye on the adults as they walk out of the house, he doesn’t trust them. Every adult he’s met in his life has experimented on him and his brother’s, who's to say that these ones aren’t different. Hunter carries Tech as they walk to the castle, the little boy is already sleeping, but Hunter, Wrecker and Crosshair are all very tired too, but they know not to ask for help.

“Are you three tired too?” Hunter looks up to see the one man looking at him, he’s the one that was at the door earlier. Hunter bites his lip, looking back at his exhausted brothers, then nods. Everyone stopped, the knights had been watching the boys too.

“I can take the little one from you, lad.” Hunter looks up at the Keldor, he doesn’t know what to do. “It’s okay, you can trust us. I’m 99, the Keldor is Plo and the other two knights are Mace Windu and Obi Wan.” Hunter eyes them and nods. “Okay, I’m Hunter. This is Tech, the big one over there is Wrecker and the skinny guy is Crosshair.” Hunter gestures to each of his brothers as he says their names, the knights and 99 nod. Plo walks over slowly, opening his arms for the sleeping kid in Hunter's arms.

Hunter’s hold automatically tightens around Tech, but he calms down and places him in Plo’s gentle arms. Tech immediately wraps his arms and legs around the Keldor, who chuckles. Hunter then see’s the other knight, Obi Wan, walk over to Crosshair and pick him up.

Crosshair protests a little but then settles down, letting out a big yawn. Then the knight Mace walks over and picks up Wrecker, he grunts a little, but is able to lift him better after he closes his eyes in concentration. Hunter doesn’t know why.

Plo then moves Tech around so that he’s on his hip, which is not an easy feat with how the four year old clings in his sleep. The Keldor then leans down and picks Hunter up, holding the two boys in his arms. Hunter’s eyes start to close, but not before he sees and feels 99 pet his forehead lovingly. He does it for each of the boys, 99 knows that these boys are going to be his son’s, he can feel it.

Taglist: @ellie1366 @pro-fangirls-unsocial-life @lightning-wolffe @pinkiemme@captainrexisboo @trash-dino-5000

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fromanartistsheart2 · 8 months

Text

I had a hard time

Writing this rhyme

Deciding which stories

To share that aren't gory

2x brain surgery survivor

B4 the age of 2

Family was worried

About what I could do

3 more surgeries

For an ongoing health condition

That doesn't have a cure

Of that, Drs r sure

Raised by a single daddy

Mother nowhere to be found

We heard nothing for years

Not a single sound

My mom came along

When I was just 12

And she is the bomb

About it I wrote a song

Engaged at 19

To a man that was obscene

Going to strip bars

When I would ask where u r

I caught him cheating

In a private room

And that was the end of

The relationship that was doomed

From Carolina

Down n the south

And to go with it

I have a smart mouth

Met my next migraine

Thru their ex

It was insane

That should have been my sign

At age 21, married then pregnant

I was stuck with him

Didn't know where to go

But it was easy to leave, people told me so

First child born with health issues

That I didn't have enuff tissues

For all my tears

Throughout the years

I was wrong to make

My child behave

And to my husband

Was expected to b a slave

After 6 years

Baby 2 came along

I stayed home with the kids

I thought he was working, but I was so wrong

He lied to me again

And expected me to give in

To join in with his sin

And lie to people again

Begging for food

Which I thought was rude

Begging for rides

Or he would have my hide

Abuse and tyranny

The whole time

It even inspired

Lots of rhymes

Met my new husband

Right here on Facebook

Writing my rhymes

Of the terrible times

Baby #3

And oh woe was me

The oldest out of control

And so my temper rolled

Family interfered

And told my child to disobey

My child was on the losing end

Now matter which way

He listens to the people

Who claim to go to the steeple

But expect him to b a sheeple

And listen to the wrong people

I was suppose to let

His behavior slide

And let him do what he wants

Because to him people lied

So in 2015

When things were past obscene

I met a new guy

And to me he didn't lie

He also wrote rhymes

And I responded most of the time

He was there for me

And my kids 3

So we wrote forth and back

And he never gave me slack

Told me like it was

And never lied because

He is a real man

And he came up with a plan

To rescue me

And my babies, 3

Over time we grew

And by now each other knew

That we loved the other

And had to b with one another

So n 2017

My son made accusations (obscene)

So the cops said we had to leave

And no longer have to cleave

The cops never investigated

Never tried, and it's them I hated

He has big connections

But none that I can prove, just suspections

He got the kids back

And kept them n slack

And now their grades they're failing

Like everyone that I've been telling

Everyday I live

It is for my kids

To save them from him

And everything he's did

He's tried to get me to stop the fight

So he can do everything not right

So that I won't report

And to threats he won't have to resort

So f*cked up

He has them

From what

He's done to them

P*ssed off?!

I'm way beyond

And of the court system

I am not fond

They tell me that my kids

R f*cked up beyond repair

And so I just should stop

And not even care

I should just go on

Live my life and forget

But if I do

I'll have lots of regrets

I tell u all these things

Cause it's for my kids that I breathe

And all the things my ex has done

It just makes me seethe

Fill up with anger

To the point of danger

And go full beast mode

And just explode

But if I do that

He will get what he wants

To prove I'm mentally unstable

And get the kids? I won't

Protect my kids?

The system won't

And my ex?!

I KNOW he won't!

So my heart breaks

With everything he takes

Away from my kids

Just like to him, his family did

Heartwarming Hymns

0 notes

childrenofmeyneth · 3 years

Text

Light Within Each and Every Person Ch 2

Second chapter of this AU! You can read it on Ao3, too!

Melia finds Fiora outside easily enough, but words are a bit harder to find. Fiora stands there, staring out at the sky, her weapons at her side. Those strange weapons, something no one had bothered to give a name yet.

She supposes that it doesn't matter at the moment, though.

“Fiora,” she begins. “Are you all right?”

“I guess I wasn’t hiding it well,” Fiora runs a hand through her hair as she looks towards Melia. “I didn’t want to worry anyone.”

Melia walks down the steps, coming to stop next to her, and thinks. There’s so much she wants to say, but nothing feels quite right. She wrings her hands together, trying to find anything to keep the conversation going. The last thing either of them need is an awkward silence right now.

“It must be difficult, living with that body,” she finally settles on.

"I'm getting more and more used to it. But people still look at me funny,” She holds up her hands when Melia gives her a worried look. “Ah, it's not that bad. It feels pretty comfortable actually… I don't need to worry about food or anything like that.”

Melia nods, still feeling… quite unsettled. “I see.”

Fiora sighs and looks at the sky again, a somewhat distant look in her eyes. “This body… The energy from the chest component made it work. It turned out to be a Monado. Such a strange feeling.”

“A Monado?” Melia spends a moment mulling this over, and things begin to click. She had not seen much of the weapon Fiora had wielded for some time while facing Zanza, but… It had the same shape as the chest component. She pales. “Was that the Monado that Zanza took from Meyneth?!”

Fiora nods, shame coloring her features.

Melia reaches out, grasping Fiora’s hands. “Will your body cease to function?!”

“I'll be fine for now,” Fiora pulls her hands away and gives Melia a somewhat reassuring smile. “There's still some stored energy left.”

Melia furrows her brow, her voice quieting. “But then what?”

“I’m not sure,” Fiora turns away from her, pulling the blades from her side. “It feels like as long as I have these, I’ll be fine.”

Melia frowns, arms crossing. “You truly mean that?”

“Mmhmm,” Fiora nods. “...Melia, can I tell you something crazy?”

“Oh,” Melia blinks. “Of course, Fiora, you can tell me anything.”

“Do you remember when we were in Agniratha? When Vanea told us what Meyneth taught the Monado to be,” Fiora begins, voice uncertain. “It is the light within each and every person in this world. I wonder, is this my Monado?”

“It is the light of life, the will to survive no matter what,” Melia repeats the words Vanea had said. “...I don’t know anyone with a greater will to live than you, someone who has already died once.”

“Thanks, but… I don’t know,” Fiora shakes her head. “If you think about it, aren’t I dead already? Since the Mechon attack, really. It’s this body that gave me a chance to live! I guess I just want to make the most of it.”

“Fiora…” Melia nods. “Will you be telling the others?”

“No, Dunban and Shulk will just worry if they hear, and Sharla would probably strap me to a sick bed!” Fiora makes a face. “I want to be there, with all of you, until the end.”

“I understand,” Melia nods. “Your secret is safe with me… I… I admire your strength, to keep moving forward despite all you face.”

Fiora smiles at her. “Maybe I’ll tell them later, but not now. Not when we need to deal with Zanza… Thank you, Melia.”

“Shall we return to the others now?” Melia asks, unable to acknowledge what a large thing she was hiding.

Fiora nods and opens her mouth to speak, only for the siren to go off. It seems Zanza’s hordes have come down upon them.

Vanea’s legs and arms burn as she tries to stave off the Telethia, anger burning in her chest. They had been so close to peace, so close to stopping Zanza… and now this. She grits her teeth, back to back with Reyn.

“These things just don’t get up!”

“They won’t stop until everyone is dead or has gone into hiding,” Vanea replies with gritted teeth. “That is the way of Zanza…”

“Vanea have no scary! Riki here this time, Riki never lose!” The Nopon bashed a Telethia on the head, puffing out his chest. “Riki protect Colony 6!”

“I lost my home once before, I won’t lose it again,” Sharla adds, shooting a Telethia between the antennae. “We can’t let them get any farther!”

“You know the drill!” Dunban calls out. “Take them down!”

Vanea lashes out with her whip again as they all continue fighting. Riki shows quite the prowess, able to dodge around their attacks after hitting them. Fiora takes out more than a few with her drones, and Melia is able to provide support as Fiora recovers.

Dunban slices the antennae off of one cleanly, and Sharla uses the chance to shoot it from the right, her brother doing the same from the left. Reyn takes a hit from a Telethia coming right for her, and she takes the chance to knock it off balance.

But there’s no end to them, Vanea is almost impressed by how many High Entia there must have been. So many people to use as his weapons, for a moment it makes her wonder if Egil was right to try and fight fire with fire.

“If only Shulk were here,” Juju whimpers. “We’re dead meat without the Monado!”

“We don’t need Zanza’s Monado, or Meyneth’s!” Fiora yells out as she throws one of the Telethia away from the boy.

“Yeah!” Reyn nods. “The more space between us and Zanza the better!”

“If Reyn is sounding off, we must be okay!” Sharla calls, shooting another Telethia as Vanea drives her heel into its head.

“Reyn is correct,” Dunban pulls his sword from the body of one of the beasts. “Perhaps we relied too much on the Monado and Shulk!”

“Right!” Fiora nods, the fire in her eyes reminding Vanea of Lady Meyneth. “We’ve chosen to fight the Bionis, we have to fight on our own! With our own wills to survive!”

Dickson lets out a cruel laugh from above them all. “Now I get it; why Lord Zanza wanted me to deal with you!”

Fiora glares up at him and things click in Vanea’s mind quickly. “Fiora… those blades… they are your Monado…!”

Fiora’s face is grim as she nods. “Zanza isn’t so special now, is he, Dickson? If a dead girl like me can have a Monado, he’s not that impressive!”

“Your Monado ain’t anything compared to Lord Zanza’s!” Dickson shakes his head. “You couldn’t even stop him from awakening!”

“I stopped him from killing Meyneth,” Fiora replies. “And Shulk stopped himself from killing Egil. We can resist and fight back better than you think!”

Dickson sneers at her. “I’ve had enough of you!”

Vanea moves without thinking when she sees a Telethia diving towards Fiora. Fiora, who holds the hope of their goddess in her heart. Who holds the future in her hands, whether Dickson would admit it or not. She cannot let Fiora fall, not here.

The Telethia’s claws connect with her back and she yells out in pain.

Shulk stumbles down the stairs in Junks and comes face to face with Egil. He remembers only bits of what had happened in Mechonis Core after he was shot, but he had thought… He had thought that Egil hadn’t made it out, after all the attacks Zanza had laid on him.

“Egil,” he breathes. “You’re here.”

Egil holds out a weapon, something akin to a bulkier Monado. Shulk blinks a few times and waits for Egil to say something, but he doesn’t. After a moment, he takes it and finds the handle fits nicely into his hands.

There are tears prickling at the side of his eyes. He opens his mouth, a small smile on his face. “Thank you, I’m… I’m so glad you’re--”

Egil looks away, cutting him off with a raised hand. “Now isn’t the time for that. The others, your friends… they need you.”

“And this weapon,” Shulk looks down at it. “It’s…?”

“A replica Monado,” Egil replies. “I made it for you, it’s a simple design, but it should mimic the real thing closely enough.”

Shulk furrows his brow. “But you hate the Monado.”

“I do,” Egil nods. “But if I can take any of that power away from Zanza, simplify the ether control of the sword to science… I will. Especially for the man who broke the curse of Zanza.”

Shulk looks at Egil, a smile growing across his face. “Thank you.”

“Just use it to protect us all,” Egil still won’t meet his eyes. “Fiora and the others are out there fighting, you know. You shouldn’t keep them waiting.”

Shulk is quick to run off and Egil watches as he goes, sighing a bit to himself. Talking to Shulk after all that had happened was about as hard as he had expected. It almost makes him wish he had died. There’s no awkward conversations with people you nearly killed when you’re dead.

“I think Miqol would be proud,” Lady Meyneth’s voice makes Egil turn, flinching as his side protests. “Only your family could make a weapon like that, and only you could make that grand statement, after all.”

“Lady Meyneth…” He groans a bit as his side finally stops stinging. “I was simply speaking what was on my mind. I have no interest in whether Miqol would be proud or not.”

“Then you wouldn’t mind if I told him?” She asks, a smile on her face.

He frowns at her. “I would rather you not. The less I have to do with that man at the current time, the better.”

He knows why Miqol wanted him dead, why he thought that was the only way, but he doesn’t have to like it. He and his father… it’s hard for him to even see Miqol as his father anymore, really. They were two sides of one stubborn coin at best, enemies at worst.

“Egil…”

“I cannot stop you if you wish to, my lady,” he starts for the stairs. “I have bigger things to worry about right now.”

“Like?” Lady Meyneth asks as she follows him.

“I need more rest, and a wound on my side may have opened,” he pauses for a moment. “...And I need to work on blueprints for other potential Replicas. Shulk deserves to have choices, so long as he can gather any materials I need for them.”

Lady Meyneth laughs a bit. “That’s the kind of idea I like to see from a bright mind like yours!”

“Don’t get used to it,” he replies with a huff. “When this is over, I plan to take them all and burn them. The sooner this world can exist without any of Zanza’s influence, the better.”

“Sure, Egil,” Lady Meyneth sounds more amused than anything. “That sounds fine to me.”

Fiora finds Vanea on Junks after things have settled a bit and a plan has been made. She’s talking to Egil, a wide smile on her face. Egil is smiling too, and she almost feels bad for what he’s about to do, but… oh well.

“Vanea,” she starts in a singsong tone. “Could I talk to you for a minute.”

“Fiora!” She glances at Egil who gives a nod as if to assure her he would be here when she returned. “Of course.”

The two walk a ways away from anyone else, finding themselves once again on the platform on the outside of Junks. Funny, she thinks, the last time they were out here they were talking about Meyneth… Fiora rests her hand where the goddess’s Monado once rested and prepares herself.

“You fought well outside of Colony 6,” she starts. “We could use help like yours against Zanza and his disciples.”

Vanea nods. “Thank you, I am not the best fighter… but I am glad you think I could be so useful.”

“So,” Fiora kicks her legs out, hands clasped behind her back. “Do I need to ask you outright, or did I imply my question well enough?”

“Oh Fiora,” Vanea laughs. “If you’re asking me to accompany you, I would love to. You all risked your lives for the sake of my people. It’s my turn to do the same.”

“To be fair,” Fiora begins. “Your people are also at risk. But I like the way you think, Vanea, thanks.”

“I just ask for one thing in return,” Vanea steps forward, placing her hand on the center of Fiora’s chest. “Do not push yourself too hard. I know you’re dying Fiora.”

“I guess one of the people behind the Faces would be sure to know that, huh?” Fiora smiles at her and gives an awkward laugh. “Don’t worry, my Monado will keep me going.”

Vanea frowns. “I’m worried, you know. As is Lady Meyneth and Linada and Egil -- not that he would ever admit it.”

“Egil, worried about me?” Fiora’s right eyebrow shot up at that. “Not sure I can believe it.”

“Trust me, he’s a big old worrywart,” Vanea snickers. “There’s only so much the staff of Junks can do to keep him calm. I worry he may faint when he hears I’ll be going with you.”

Fiora snickers at the mental image. “I’d pay to see that.”

“Then come on, let’s go tell him together,” Vanea gives her a grin. “I’m sure someone will catch him before he hits the ground.”

“Let’s hope so, or Linada may chew us out for giving him brain damage!”

#xenoblade #xenoblade chronicles #mod's fics #To fight for them (Meyneth)#This world is in disarray (Egil)#If that is to be my fate (Vanea)#It’s all so clear now (Fiora)#We both share the same pain (Shulk)

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verobatto · 4 years

Text

Destiel Chronicles

Vol. LXX

It was a love story from the very beginning.

Cas, Cas, Cas

(11x18)

Hi! We just reached one of my favorite episodes, I'm talking about "Hell's Angel" or… Dean's desperate quest to rescue his angel.

Joshua's Horn

Just a few words about the Hand of God chosen in this chapter: Joshua's Horn.

One of the books that compose the Bible from the Old Testament is Joshua, if you read chapter 6, it talks about how the Jewish people, more exactly seven priests, broke down Jericho's walls using seven horns. Jericho was a strong city, that had closed it's walls, and it was blocking the path through the promised land.

So, the symbology of all of this is… with faith, you can destroy any wall that stands between you and your dreams.

What this has to do with Destiel and this episode? I would say, everything.

Dean will remain firm in his decision to get Cas back, he doesn't care about Amara or any end of the world, he wants Cas. As we will see later, his plan in how to do it, is reckless and illogical if you think about war.

But let's come back to analogy I made before about making the walls to collapse, to defeat the fears, depression, repression, to reach our treasurer once for all: Wasn't Dean trying to do this when he summoned Casifer? Trying to reach Castiel? To break down those walls between vessel and Lucifer and get to his angel?

Wasn't Cas sinked inside his own walls of sadness, depression and guilt?

Isn't Dean true love for Castiel surrounded by walls of shame? (recalling here the Qareen speech).

Priorities

Let's speak now about a canon fact here, I'm not gonna say something new, but because I was pointing the clues in previous episodes, I have to talk about it.

When Dean and Sam went to see Crowley, it was very blatant the difference between Sam's priorities and Dean's.

Sam: Dean's right. Priority is to put the Horn in Lucifer's hands and set him loose on Amara.

Dean: After we exorcise Lucifer out of Cas and put him into a new vessel.

Sam: What? Really?

Dean: Yes, really. We're not gonna send Lucifer into battle inside Cas. What if he doesn't make it?

Here is something you all already know: WAR DECISION vs HEART DECISION. Sam thinks war strategy, his plan is pure logic, in every war there's collateral damage. Cas is the one that had chosen that path, he is willing to be the collateral damage, self sacrifice for the greatest good. But Dean is following his heart (thank you Mildred) he loves Castiel, the angel is the love of his life and he doesn't want to see him die. Because there's not normal after that. (Thanks Michelle).

Sam: Dean, it's a strong vessel. It's held Cas for years, and we know what he's been through. I'm guessing it can hold Lucifer.

Dean: "It"? It's not an "it," Sam. It's Cas.

Sam is strategic, he tries to separate the vessel from the angel. Trying to make his brother to see, the vessel is strong. But Dean is in love with him, so he doesn't see that logic. Cas is not a vessel, is family.

Sam: And Cas wanted to do this.

Dean: Yeah, well, there's times I want to get slapped during sex by a girl wearing a Zorro mask. That don't make it a good idea.

Sam keeps trying to make his brother understand. Sam loves Cas too, but in a different way, they are truly friends, truly brothers. They respect each other, they think alike. Sam understands why Cas took that decision, and he respects it. He respects his friend so much, he wants to fulfill his desire of being useful to the fight. But Dean doesn't see it like this, because Castiel doesn't represents a friend or a brother to him, Castiel represents the love of his life.

Sam: Dean, this is exactly how we screw ourselves. W-We make the... the heart choice instead of the smart choice.

Sam knows Cas is strategic like him, Cas is a smart Commander. He respects him. And he is seeing with his own eyes how Dean is the one thinking with his heart here. He can plenty see why is that.

Dean: Oh, okay. Thank you, Dr. Phil. Cas is family.

Sam: Yes, and his choice deserves to be respected.

Dean: Even if it kills him?

Sam has a point, is like a friend respecting his best friend decision. Even if that will take him to the death. Sam saw Cas for a brief moment and talked with him. He knows exactly what Castiel wants. But Dean can't let Cas to go through that, and die. His worst fears is to lose Castiel as Michelle lost her husband.

Dean had to see it with his own eyes

When they summon Casifer, the expression in Dean face is DISGUST, ANGER. Is canon in the fandom too the whole scene in which Castiel appears in front of him. The amazing change of facial expression is priceless, Dean went from disgust, to desperation, heart eyes and pleading. (An Oscar for Mr. Ackles).

He runs towards his angel, calling him, but Cas seemed confused. And in just one seconds, Casifer is back, even so, Dean kept calling him, he kept trying to brake the Jericho's walls.

Gif set credit @some-people-call-it-tragic 👇

Dean: Cas, expel him! You got to kick Lucifer out! Do you hear me?!

Lucifer: Honestly, I think he's happy with the arrangement. I mean, he did invite me in and all, Dean.

Gif set credit @thejabberwock 👇

Dean [yelling, desperate]: Cas!

Lucifer [mockingly]: Cas!

Dean glares at Lucifer, in frustration and anger.

This scene, THIS ONE HERE, showing us again that Lucy knows. He knows about the strong bond between these two love birds. But he's a little done of it. That's why he mocks, annoyed. And Dean's face again, surprise and anger.

But that last quote coming from Lucifer, saying Cas is happy with their arrangement is what breaks Dean's heart again.

That's the thing Sam was saying, not exactly, but the painful words CAS WANTS THIS. CAS WANTS TO STAY IN PURGATORY. CAS WANTS TO BE POSSESSED AND GIVE HIS LIFE FOR THE GREATEST GOOD. Castiel's hard decision that keeps him away from Dean. Dean can't handle this. Cas doesn't want to be saved.

Another confirmation of this is when Crowley enters inside the Castiel's vessel. And he finds Cas sitting in the Bunker's kitchen, is his safe place, he doesn't want to be disturbed, he doesn't want to be moved from there.

Castiel: Wait. That was Dean I saw a minute ago, wasn't it?

Crowley: Yes.

Castiel: And he wants me to expel Lucifer?

Crowley: Yes!

Castiel [laughing]: Ha, ha, ha! Well... he may have a more objective view of the situation. Maybe I should.

Dean may have a more objective view of the situation, because he saw he wants him back. But why Cas says 'Maybe I should' ? Is because he is thinking too he wants to be with Dean. He wants to be with him. Because he loves him too. He has to fight against his own love for Dean, and be useful to the fight. War decision against Heart decision.

So when Crowley comes back, his words went straight to Dean's ears …

Crowley: Useless. Lucifer's hold on him is too strong.

So, Dean should give up? He won't. Because when Amara irrumped and kidnaps Casifer, (another Canon fact) our hunter in love, bonded for eternity to his angel, calls his name again… in that amazing scene in which Amara put that face of WHAT??? IS HE CALLING THAT ANGEL IN MY PRESENCE???? I'M HERE!!!! YOU SHOULDN'T BE CALLING ANOTHER NAME THAN MINE! And Casifer showed us a… OH SHOOT… THEY'RE SO STUBBORN, AREN'T THEY? EVEN WITH ANTIE HERE… HE CALLS FOR HIS NAME.

Gif credit @yourfavoritedirector 👇

Dean's longing, calling Castiel's name, even with Amara there, is the perfect proof of the Profound Bond is intact, and that Dean won't never give up on getting Cas back alive.

Gif credit @laoih

Gif credit @subcas

At the end of the episode we had a very sad Dean, learning the lesson, a hard one…

Sam: Listen, um... I know I came down on the side of wanting Cas to deal with Amara, so...

Dean: Well, that's what he wanted, though, right? Besides, didn't we say that we were gonna swear off getting in the way when one person makes a choice the other doesn't agree with?

Sam: Yeah, um... Yeah, we did say that.

Dean: So...

Sam: Okay. So, that's our policy.

Gif credit @some-people-call-it-tragic

Dean: Which sounds damn good. [Sam chuckles.] Well, let's go find that idiot and bring him home.

It was hard for him, but he understood. Cas wants this, but he won't give up on him. Even so, Dean's heart breaks at this, and he will show it from now on, feeling he was rejected by Castiel, one more time, he will begin to use the WE vs the I, and to call him BROTHER, in the last episode from this season.

To Conclude

'Hell's Angel' talks about breaking walls to reach what you really want. Dean wants Cas back and safe, over any other Apocalypse. He understood Cas took his decision, and is the angel's will to be in that situation. But even so, he will try to save him.

The profound bond is so strong, it brights even with Amara attempts to control Dean's will. Because Dean is in love with Cas, period.

Hope you enjoy this meta, see you in the next one!

Tagging @magnificent-winged-beast @emblue-sparks @weirddorkylittlediana @michyribeiro @whyjm @legendary-destiel @a-bit-of-influence @thatwitchydestielfan @misha-moose-dean-burger-lover @lykanyouko @evvvissticante @savannadarkbaby @dea-stiel @poorreputation @bre95611 @thewolfathedoor @charlottemanchmal @neii3n @deathswaywardson @followyourenergy @dean-is-bi-till-i-die @hekatelilith-blog @avidbkwrm @anarchiana @dickpuncher365 @vampyrosa @foxyroxe-art @authorsararayne @anonymoustitans @mybonsai1976 @love-neve-dies @wildligia @dustythewind @wayward-winchester67 @angelwithashotgunandtrenchcoat @trashblackrainbow @deeutdutdutdoh @destiel-is--endgame @destiel-shipper-11 @larrem88 @charmedbycastiel @ran-savant @little-crazy-misha-minion @samoosetheshipper

@shadows-and-padlocked-hearts @mishtho @dancingtuesdaymorning @nerditoutwithbooks @mikennacac73 @justmeand-myinsight @idontwantpeopletoknowmyname @tenshilover20 @teddybeardoctor @pepevons @helevetica @isthisdestiel @dizzypinwheel @jawnlockwinchester @horsez2 @qanelyytha

@imjustkipping @destielle @agusvedder @spnsmile @shippsblog @robot-feels @superlock-in-the-tardis

If you want to be added or removed from this list, just let me know.

If you want to read the previous metas From season 11, here you have the links.

Vol. LXII, LXIII, LXIV, LXV, LXVI, LXVII, LXVIII, LXIX

Buenos Aires, July 14th 2020, 8:27 PM

#destiel #destiel chronicles #destiel meta #Supernatural meta #season 11 meta #vol LXX

75 notes · View notes

writefightandflightclub · 4 years

Text

Violent Delights: Chapter 6

Pairing: First Order!Poe x reader

Author’s note: This is different to the other chapters, but I hope you like it! I’ll probably fix typos tomorrow. I’m impatient.

Summary: This definitely answers that KEY QUESTION I left hanging at the end of Chapter 5! If you’re new to this story, there are MAJOR SPOILERS under the cut, so please do read the other chapters first (series masterlist here). Even if you’ve been following, you may want to recap Chapter 5 first!

Song inspo: Oh, in my ears / My blood is just roaring / When he's the only one I've ever wanted / I suppose that's just the way it is / Just to think this could be / The last time I hold you, hold you / Ever again / Oh, I don't think I'll ever sleep till / Morning. (Nicole Aitken, The Way It Is)

Warnings: 18+ only, dark fic. This is nowhere near as dark as the preceding chapters but still some warnings: OOC!Poe, FO!Poe, Violence inc: injuries! shooting! Explicit language. Mentions of: torture / sex / death / poison! Let me know if I missed any others.

Taglist: @aussiefangirlwolfy, @localashe, @fictionalcharactersownme, @a-somehow-functioning-dumbass, @itsamedeemoney, @woakiees @tintinwrites@jyn-z-solo @spaghetti-666 @kittyofalltrades @planetpoes (TAGLIST OPEN- let me know if you wish to be added / removed)

Word Count: 6K. Yikes.

GIF by @solorenskywalker

It hurts you. Somehow, it hurts you.

And yet, you are solidified in place, no wound observable.

The moment slows almost to a halt as you register the shot.

Dameron is hit.

The blast hits first. Then, shock, pain, and anger strike all at once, eddying between you and the Commander like the swell of a vicious storm, the air charged and practically humming. At first, his rage at this insulting wound sunk into his flesh is so vital that an immediate hope blooms in your chest; how can he be fatally hurt if he seems so alive? Then; something alien surfaces in his eyes. Something which looks a lot like fear. He delivers an agonised moan, already sounding hollowed out, and your fleeting hope wanes with him.

He unfists his hands from your clothing as he moves to clutch his shoulder in agony. He is cleaved from you and you are split in two, in every figurative way possible. You are ruptured by the blast like a fault line snaking beneath an ocean. This boiling rage is subdued only by the heavy, cooling sea of grief with threatens to depress you down on to your knees. You are torn, the desire to erupt in retaliation on behalf of your “enemy” in stark opposition to your need to sink with your lover. You want to fall to the floor with him. To your knees. To hold him. No question. But if you try and help him, Barret might shoot you too.

The indecision burns you.

It hurts you, this shot.

But it hurts Dameron more.

The commander groans, creaks beneath the weight of this pain. It presses down on him and his body curls in on itself as he creeps further towards a colourless exit, the knives in his eyes blunted. There is no vivid, crimson tide of blood to warn you of death incoming. Not this time. This is death pouncing from the long grass like a whip crack. The predator no-one saw coming.

The commander’s face contorts in a rendition of agony, his face almost beautiful with it. But this is not the kind of pain he has made his friend. This is pain without pleasure. And, since you can’t reach out to him, pain without comfort.

The cruellest pain of all.

“No. No. No.” you repeat -almost inaudibly- as Dameron sinks to his knees. You feel like he’s sinking into the depths of a cold, dark sea. Sinking out of reach.

His dark, tempestuous eyes are directed up at you, teeth gritted, lips sucked thin as agony grips him. On his knees like this, he could easily appear like a beast defeated; defanged and declawed. But there is some fight left in his eyes yet. Enough for him to try and spur you into action. “Time to go, Rebel. You fly, he guns, understand?”

You don’t understand. How can you comprehend leaving him like this?

His voice is shot with gravel, full of holes, but it still speaks its way into the depths of you. “Now. Go!, he insists, his voice winding its way around your bones and pulling you into motion, as if he holds the reins in the palm of his hand. As if he can bend you to his will, even now.

He has been dragging you to him all this time and now he urges you to leave, as if he’s unaware of the strength it will take to release yourself from his orbit; from his gravity. But staying isn’t helping him. In fact, it’s worse than that, you’re a danger to him every second you’re still on this ship. You know too much. He needs you gone from his sky.

You obey reluctantly, giving him the smallest of nods, letting your trembling fingertips drag ever so gently, subtly along his jaw as you turn towards the TIE. You move with strings still on you, dragging you back to him and making each step feel like you are wading through mud.

Progressing towards the craft, you are vaguely aware of Barret barking at you, calling you in to the interior of the fighter. You clamber up the ladder and into the tight cockpit just as Troopers swarm into the hangar, the blaster shots bouncing off the ship’s exterior. Your shaking hands hover above the ignition controls, ready to punch it. Instead, you wait. You wait until you are assured that the Troopers have made their way over to the vicinity of the Commander. You wait until the last possible second.

With a final glance through the transparisteel windshield, you look down at his now stilled form on the ground below you. His crown of pitch-dark curls and his uniform-clad body splayed out -helpless- over the cold floor. You don’t know if it was a killing shot. Without a crimson tide of blood, you can’t tell if Dameron’s still alive. But you do know that you have to go, regardless. With a sharp growl of regret, of anguish, you boost the ship out of the swiftly closing gap in the hangar doors. Just in the nick of time.

And so, you fly.

You fly with a pounding heart, blood raging in your ears. You fly, so enraged with your passenger that you are tempted to crash the ship just to make him pay. But there is nothing around you. No ground, no sky. Nothing to cling on to. Just a loss. An emptiness. Just space. You fly away from him, like a satellite released from its orbit. Equally lost and purposeless in the endless dark.

From out of the darkness, the thought of the Resistance base should be calling out to you right now like a beacon. A beacon inviting you home, now that you are finally free. But you’ve never before had to escape somewhere you wanted to be and return to somewhere you were no longer sure you belonged. The thought of retuning to base with Barret suddenly seems incomprehensible. And so, when you’re clear of the fleet, you don’t know what else to do except keep flying. No destination in mind, except away.

Flying. Simply flying away, is all you try to focus on. But all you can think about is turning the blasted ship back around. Flying toward him. Following those strings the commander has tied on to you which extend across space, drawing you back to him.

But you know that’s untenable. You fly, and it’s likely a good thing that the Order is in chaos, that the chain of command is interrupted. Otherwise, you’re not sure how -or if- you’d manage to lose the pursuing fleet. Not in your current state of fury. Not with Barret’s meagre attempt at gunning, through intermittent groans of pain.

Somehow, you shake them regardless. As the remaining TIEs abandon pursuit, you hear Barret breathe a sigh of relief from the gunner position behind you. The reminder of Barret’s presence is enough to make your hands tighten so hard on the controls that your fingernails dig crescents into your palms. To make your chest tighten.

Then: “They track these things. Did you disable the tracker?” he asks you.

You are loathe to acknowledge him. Even so, you fiddle with the dash until you’re satisfied that the Order can no longer trace you. You cut the strings leading back to him and you feel that you’ve just cut a lifeline. That suddenly you’re lost to liminal space, in-between anywhere and anyone you’ve ever considered home. Still ruptured in two. The feeling sets a hollowness in the pit of you, like you are a ripe fruit which has been scooped out by a cool spoon.

“Affirmative. Plotting a course to base.” You confirm in monotone, all emotion scrubbed from your voice.

“I can’t believe I got such a lucky shot at that bastard.” Barret continues, his voice sickeningly jovial and full of relief.

You feel like you might throw-up.

“Don’t speak. Save your strength.” You say curtly, inordinately thankful that you are back-to-back in the TIE. At least you don’t have to look at him. At least he can’t look at you – can’t get a read on the emotions you would be incapable of obscuring right now.

Still, as you programme your course you feel like his eyes are roving over you, all the same. You feel like he’s poking around inside you, wondering what’s wrong with you. You can imagine the gears in his brain working in an attempt to figure out why your reactions seem off, to unearth whatever happened to you on that ship. Whatever tortures you may have been subjected to. You can imagine him retrospectively register the bite marks on your neck, the cuts to your hands. The blood on your face and clothing. You practically feel his thought process creep over you in the cockpit like a cold chill.

“What happened to you?” Barret asks then, ever so softly, his voice heavy with the implication of imagined atrocities.

“It’s not my blood. It’s Hux’s. I killed him.” You say, hoping to deflect from exactly what happened to you on that ship.

Barret hoots with laughter, and the sound jarrs you. You hear his hand slapping against his thigh in celebration. “Wow, we really fucked the Order over today, partner. Hux and Dameron dead!” Barret reaches behind him to squeeze your shoulder and you flinch away as if you are afraid of his touch; as if you don’t deserve it; as if he disgusts you. Perhaps all of those things.

“You don’t know that Dameron’s dead.” You bite off without thinking, molten tears of rage threatening at the corner of your eyes. The break in your voice is giving too much away. Emotion floods the cracks in your words like tributaries joining the churn of an unstoppable river. You can’t choke back the sob which follows.

Barret’s voice softens so much that you want to wring his neck to choke the pity out of it. “Did Dameron... hurt you?”. That’s why he thinks you’re crying, then? Because you can’t be certain that the commander’s dead, and surely you must want him dead for the terrible, unspeakable things he enacted upon you?

The truth might be even more unspeakable. The truth that you’re a traitor. The truth that you’d sell your soul to have the commander do those things to you all over again. To have him fuck you and hurt you and hold you. The truth that, yes, he did hurt you, buy you liked it. Barret doesn’t understand that you’re wretched with a crushing and unexpected grief at the thought that it may never happen again. Not since Barret did what you should have had the sense to do all that time ago. Not since Barret shot the commander.

You hope Barret doesn’t notice the course of the ship waver as your hands slip on the controls. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

The close air of the TIE is suddenly thick with a loaded silence as the ship shudders back along its trajectory. As you regain control of yourself and the craft.

Barret, however, does not relent for long. “Do you think when we get back to base we’ll be welcomed as heroes?” The question simply makes your stomach turn. You refuse to pluck at the question while it hangs there, ripe, and so it becomes a rotten thing in the air between you. You feel that chill creep over you again, as if Barret is reaching inside of you, panning for your secrets. No escape within the confines of this ship.

You think back to the last time you were confined with Barret. It seems so long ago that you hunkered in that stakeout room, tracking that shipment and thirsting hard for the commander. The commander who had consumed you with just one bite. Now, mere days later, your partner seems like a stranger and your enemy seems like your lover. You indulged your appetite for that tempting, delicious darkness; you were willingly suckered into Dameron’s honeyed trap. And now that you have been given a taste, you should feel sated. But the truth is you would gladly open your mouth and drink more of that darkness down. You’d drink it until you were spoiled and loathsome with it.

The most disconcerting aspect of these tumultuous events is how little you know yourself. What you are capable of. What you crave and how far you will wade in to the darkness to get it. You know these are your mistakes, your weaknesses to atone for. You know that despite what you’re feeling now, Barret doesn’t deserve your hate. A part of you still knows that. Knows that, objectively, he’s simply a good guy who shot a bad man. That objectively, you should still be on his side. You know you owe it to him to take him home. At the very least.

An older, softer part of you resurfaces as you hear Barret grunting behind you with a fresh wave of pain. It’s likely that the initial burst of adrenaline is wearing off and he is beginning to suffer.

“You’re hurt.”

“I’ll be ok. My stomach is hurting like a bitch, though.”

In all the chaos, you’d given little thought to the extent of his injuries, until now. So, next, you ask a question you’re not sure you truly want an answer to. “What happened to you, Barret?”

There is a beat. He replies in a small voice. “The kinda stuff our training tried to prepare us to resist.” His answer is vague but loaded. That’s enough. That’s enough to understand what they’d subjected him to. Guilt flares in the pit of you, knowing that while he was being tortured, you were indulging your darker whims. Knowing how much you were enjoying yourself while he suffered. Enjoying yourself at his expense, when you could have been trying to get him out of there.

So, you still can feel guilt, then? You still know that, on some level, it was wrong. Maybe there is something of the Rebel left in you, somewhere. Buried under the landslide of darkness. But you know there is little chance of that part of you clawing itself out when your next thought is of the commander. When your whole body clenches around the memory of him, clings on to it. You think of how he can torture you in an entirely different way, until you’re begging for mercy. A part of you feels you’d raze everything you ever loved to the ground for a chance to beg him again.

Still, you’re curious. You’re curious whether your commander was involved in Barret’s torture. Perhaps so that you can weigh precisely how much you should loathe yourself. “Troopers, or one of the higher-ups?” you ask, trying to keep your voice level, void of feeling.

“Troopers mainly. Some droids, doctors…” Barret trails off, remembering. “Though, it’s funny, really. Dameron came to my room this morning. Told me -don’t worry- it would all be over for me today. Guess the joke’s on him. The bastard.” Barret’s voice sounds darker, more malicious than you’ve ever heard it.

“He came to your room? This morning?” Something about that doesn’t sit quite right with you, leaves you uneasy. Dameron doesn’t do anything much unless there’s something in it for him, you’re learning. Maybe the games he has been playing aren’t quite over yet. Is it wrong to relish that thought?

“He visited a couple of times. To mindfuck me, from what I can gather. Yesterday he tried to make me swallow some horrible lies about you. To make me think I was alone, I guess- to get some intel out of me. Today… well, he brought me my daily rations and told me it was all over. Well, fuck him, he’s dead.”

Panic flutters in your stomach. You try to remain steady on the flight controls, to calm your breathing. You know Barret doesn’t fully appreciate the implications of his words. Of the commander’s actions. But you might.

You have two burning questions you need answers to.

The first: How much did Dameron tell Barret?

The second: What did he feed him?

Your mind pores over any detail of Barret you can remember from the escape to establish which question is most pressing. You hark back to the sheen of sweat on his forehead, the glassiness of his infuriatingly concerned eyes. The way he was clutching at his stomach. More than being injured; Barret looked ill.

Realisation strikes you, and if you didn’t feel guilty before, you sure as hell do now. You can’t be sure, of course. But somehow you know. You’d bet that the commander had fed Barret some juicy, ripe, red fruit.

Bile rises in your throat, but you force yourself to gloss over your voice with a kind tone. To paint your face with a soft, reassuring smile. “Why don’t you try and get some rest, huh? You’ve been through it.” Your passenger hums, considering your proposition. “If I divert the power from the interior electrics into the thrusters, I can get us back to base a little faster than expected. If you don’t mind flying in the dark?”

Flying in the dark is all you’ve been doing ever since the commander hit your life and turned it upside down, like a hurricane. Ans it turns out you’re still caught in his wake. You can’t tell if you’re soaring or if you’re about to crash and burn.

“Yeah.” Barret reaches a hand around to squeeze your arm again and it is like a hand rising out of a grave. His hand is cold. You resist the urge to flinch away, despite the chill it sends down your spine. “Oh, and, partner? Thank you for rescuing me.”

You bite your lips between your teeth. You’re not sure if that statement could possibly be further from the truth of what happened. Hadn’t you doomed him, right from the start? From that first bite the commander took of you? A throwaway “You don’t need to thank me.” is all you can muster.

Barret curls himself in his chair and you are grateful to fly on in silence. Now that the affront of him is over, you suddenly realise how tense you are, how the emotions wracking you are beginning to take their toll. You can’t explain how it was more comforting to be in the arms of your enemy than trapped in the confines of this ship with someone you’d let down so badly. You owe it to Barret to try and make part of this right.

Don’t you?

An alternative option niggles at you, hiding somewhere beyond protocol, beyond the rules and conventions and obligations. Then you think that, perhaps, it’s a good thing for Barret that you can’t be sure if Dameron’s dead, after all. Because if you knew that he was, you don’t think you could find the compassion or strength to try to bring your partner home. You think you might seek retribution, in the end.

Regardless, you fly. You try and allow the darkness of the cockpit to swallow you. As if Barret is not sitting there, as if Dameron never marked you. You try and push it all down, but the commander did mark you. He’s branded you as his. He’d told you “don’t forget you’re mine”, and now his words are wrapped around your bones. His words will be buried with you. And every time you try and escape, your thoughts orbit back to him. His mouth swallowing your hot core, his hands delivering delicious tortures, his cock pumping into you. Most of all: those dark eyes, like shadowed planets you would kill to be marooned on again.

Left to the dark and the dark alone, your thoughts are consumed by him. That is, until you reach your destination, and swing your craft around in the air to bring her in for touch down. Until you approach base and spot that something isn’t right. Until you see the thick pillars of smoke billowing into the air.

“No. No. No.” You plead to no-one in particular, your protestations and erratic flying drawing Barret abruptly from his sleep.

You land harshly on the runway, avoiding blast holes and charred ground, and scramble hurriedly from the ship. Your feet relentlessly pound the tarmac until you’re in the centre of it all, scanning the scene around you with eyes wide.

No-one comes running to greet you or shoot at you. No-one is left. You look around you, surveying for damages. Surveying for bodies, you realise. That the X-wings and larger crafts are gone from the hangar provides some immediate comfort. Signs of a likely evacuation. Then, your eyes pick out the remains of familiar munitions, the tell-tale shell of a downed and lightly smoking TIE fighter.

The strike was committed by the Order. While you were taken. You shake your head in disbelief. It can’t possibly be a coincidence -not after everything that has happened. That means the Order somehow found out the location of the base while you were captive… but you hadn’t…

Oh. Oh.

You put the pieces together and turn back to Barret in disbelief. He has now come to stand several paces from you on the runway. Laughably, you know you must look betrayed when your eyes meet his. In one hand he grips a blaster and the other hand waves around defensively. No, he doesn’t look well. Now that you’re truly seeing him, he doesn’t look well at all. A sheen of sweat covers Barret’s face, his eyes red-rimmed, tears seeding at the corners. He instantly recognises the accusation in your eyes, in your stance.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” he professes, voice trembling. “I wasn’t strong enough. I hoped we’d make it back before the Order could put the intel to use. Or that we’d disrupted their plans. That maybe no-one would need to know.”.

“You sold the base out?” you spit with utter disgust, looking Barret over like he’s scum.

Apparently, neither of you were returning to base as heroes after all.

He meets your question with silence, which says it all.

“Don’t you have anything to say for yourself?” You are yelling now. “You let the Resistance down! You betrayed them!”

You’re so angry that it feels like your blood is boiling beneath your skin. Your breath is ragged, your thoughts swirling. You feel darkness crowding at the edges of you. You feel like you are sucking it up through your fingertips, draining your surroundings of it. Feeling it course through you, like the hum of static before a storm. Barret betrayed the Resistance. He did this. And you’re so angry that you can’t see straight.

You are devoid of any sympathy or empathy for him. You’re so angry at him, of course, because you’re angry at yourself. If you can berate him for being a traitor you will take it, if it makes what you did seem to pale into insignificance.

Instinctually, although you are stood some distance away, you lift your arm as if you could simply reach out and choke Barret. Make him pay for his weakness. Your arm extended towards him, you have the desperate urge to just close your grip and crush. “I wish I could just…”

You are as shocked as Barret when he physically clasps his throat and starts wheezing, his eyes wide and afraid. It shocks you enough for you to drop your arm and physically step back from him. You shrink back from the look he’s giving you as he processes what just happened, raising his blaster arm unsteadily toward you. He looks at you questioningly. He looks at you as if he’s looking at a stranger.

All you can do is look back at him. You look Barret dead in the eyes, and you must reveal just too much. Because, if it’s possible, Barret pales even further, his eyes swimming with disbelief.

“It’s true, isn’t it? I’m not the only one who let down the Resistance, am I?” His voice is so thick with disgust that you can’t bring yourself to keep looking at him. To keep facing what you did.

“The things Dameron told me yesterday. They’re true.”

“What?” you say weakly, a pitiful attempt to backtrack, but you already know it’s futile. You’ve been found out. And you might be a traitor but you’re not a liar.

“You fucked the enemy.” Barret spits. “While I was being tortured in that cell. You could have stopped this.” He yells, gesturing around to the scene of devastation which envelops you. And, in his anger he overdoes it - ends up clutching his stomach in evident pain.

There is nothing you can say. No protestation you can muster. You had been angry and ashamed at yourself, but when confronted with it, you find a small, absurd part of you which is proud of it. Which has no desire to deny it. To apologise for it. Barret may have caved in to weakness, but you found power on that ship. Whilst he may dish out judgement, with the commander you had found understanding. Affinity.

Barret’s blaster wavered with the fresh burst of pain but now he has it pointed back at you, trained intently on you. “I didn’t want to believe Dameron. I didn’t at first.”, he bites off, chewing on his words. “But I promised him that if it was true, I’d kill you both myself. I picked your bastard boyfriend off earlier- so I guess I just need to make good on the other half of my promise, eh, traitor?”

You’re getting sick of this righteous bastard already. Hadn’t he been weak? Hadn’t he caved too? Maybe all rebels were simply hypocrites.Maybe the Order were on to something.

Then, of all the things you should say or ask right now, the next question out of your mouth is entirely self-indulgent. “What did he say?” you ask slowly, stringing out your words. In no rush. You have all the time in the world. Unlike your partner.

“What?!” Barret replies in utter confusion.

“What did he say when you promised to kill me? Because given that he poisoned you I don’t think he was too happy with you about something.” You know it’s wrong, that it’s too cruel, but you can’t help that your eyes flash with a perverse kind of satisfaction as you watch the realisation play over Barret’s face.

Is that why? Is that why the commander has poisoned your fellow rebel? To protect you? Because he threatened you? Oh, how a part of you hopes that’s true.

His blaster arm wavers again, and Barret is so weak of body and wrapped up in turmoil that you are able to walk towards him and take the blaster easily, gently from his hand. You look into his eyes, your voice steely, suddenly not feeling worthless or ashamed at all. Not anymore. Maybe you were cut out for these games, after all. “You don’t look so hot, Barret. So maybe we agree that we both made some mistakes on that ship, yes?” Barret considers your words carefully and then nods, and it acts as a meanwhile truce of sorts. You keep your tone impartial. “I’d suggest that if you want me to help you, you should take a seat. Before you drop. I’ll see if there’s anything left of the med bay.”

“You’re going to help me?” Barret looks at you in confusion.

“Yes, I’m going to help you. I’m not a monster.”

The way he looks at you in response signals that he thinks otherwise. You huff out a breath, perturbed by the condemnation. And so, for the second time that day, you aren’t able to offer comfort to someone in need. Instead, you sling Barret’s blaster on to your belt and jog towards the med bay. Barret’s only hope is that there are some shots left which haven’t been blown-up or cleared-out.

You move as fast as you’re able, gathering whatever supplies you can, but by the time you return, Barret is lying still on the runway.

You are too late.

Barret is the third body you’ve had lying at your feet that day. Three enemies, in the end. One of whom was a lover, and one of whom was a friend.

Despite what Barret had done, you feel no satisfaction in his fate. You sigh deeply and turn your head into your shoulder. You don’t look. You try not to look. All you can do is drag him into the hangar and cover him over, paying final respects to the fallen Resistance member.

Now, you are truly alone.

Feeling somewhat numb, you wander around base, confirming there are no signs of life left at all. Passing collapsed buildings, smoking craters, and remnants of devastation. You act on autopilot, and before you know where you’re walking to, you’ve reached the canteen, picking up some remaining rations and stuffing your face. Then, before you realise it, you’ve meandered across base and stand at the spot where your quarters should be.

All that’s left is a shell.

Suddenly, it’s as if you dropped the bombs yourself. As if you’ve intentionally obliterated everything you used to know and used to be beyond all recognition. You pick through the rubble, try to leaf through the ashes, but nothing at all remains. Still nothing to cling on to.

In your wandering, your quest for solace of some kind, the next place you find yourself is General Leia’s room. Hers remains intact. You find it empty, but her presence is there in all the tiny details. The uniform hanging up by the small closet, the table covered in datapads and holo equipment. Her comb and tumbler of water on the nightstand.

You dearly hope that she’s safe.

Being as quiet as possible, as if she’s sleeping there and you might disturb her, you perch yourself on the edge of her bed, grabbing her blanket and tugging it around your shoulders. You let yourself dwell on all the ways you’ve let her down, the ways you may yet break her heart, and you will the grief to hit you. But it doesn’t. You feel like you should be primed to lie down and cry, letting sobs wrack you. But there’s nothing. Only numbness. Perhaps, deep down, you feel you don’t deserve Leia’s comfort. Perhaps, deep down, you’re not truly sorry. Perhaps you are still too ruptured to start healing. Perhaps all of these things.

At least, sitting still allows the exhaustion to hit you. Still, you don’t feel like you could sleep. You feel restless. A lost celestial object with no course and no orbit. A dark, unlit moon. So, you continue your wandering, digging out some fresh clothes and taking a shower, the cool water sluicing Hux’s blood away. It circles down the drain in a crimson vortex. You redress and rewrap Leia’s blanket around your shoulders.

Without knowing where exactly you’re headed next, you find your feet gravitating towards the TIE fighter, which you half-landed and half-crashed into the tarmac.

Of course.

It’s the closest you can be to him right now.

You clamber inside, the snug cockpit encasing you. And then, finally, the rush of feelings hits you. You remember the Troopers swarming around his still form and it’s as if a vice clamps down on your chest. You imagine the chaos on the ship, the discovery of General Hux, washed up on that crimson tide of blood. You remember how it felt to kill him, and then to have the commander exalt you and kiss you and rail into you. You picture how it should have gone; General Dameron sitting coolly, smugly on the bridge. Taking Hux’s place, knowing exactly what he’d done. What you’d done. Sitting there as calm and devastating as the eye of a storm.

You screw your eyes shut tight against the thought you know will follow.

Is he alive?

And, as you close your eyes, various thoughts and faces eddy through the blackness, coming and receding like waves. As you focus in on each of them, in turn, it is as if you are slipping into a current, or a hyper stream; as if you can follow the tide which might lead you to them. One thought begins to jump out at you, tugging at you like a riptide, causing your mind to drift towards it.

Leia?

You reach out with your mind, searching for her energy. You can’t explain it, but you feel that maybe you can establish where they’ve evacuated to.

At least you think that’s where your heart is reaching out to. But wait; it’s not Leia. It’s something connected, but something darker.

Kylo.

Your eyes shoot open in fright and you startle in your seat. For a moment, it’s as if you have linked to him, as if his face is blinking in front of you. He looks just as surprised as you feel. You recoil in terror. For a good while, you sit motionless in the cold shell of the TIE, as if Kylo is a creature hunting you and any small movement might allow him to pounce. You don’t know how long you sit there, heart racing, and your fingernails digging into your knees threatening to draw blood.

You just touched something so deeply dark. Something frightening. Something you are not quite ready to face.

You don’t know how much time passes, but you sit there, practically frozen, until a blue light begins to blink on the dashboard of the TIE. Your curiosity overriding your fear, you press the button. It’s a holo, patching through.

A cool, rich voice resounds through the cockpit of the TIE.

“It’s General Dameron here.”

Your relief is palpable – a fluttering in your chest. A smile which begins in the pit of you and blooms through your whole body. You hold your breath until you’re sure you can believe what you’re seeing. Your eyes pore over the holo, trying to establish where he is, how he is. He looks as though he may be patched up and lying in a med bay.

“Maybe you thought you could run or hide from me, Rebel, but Kylo -the space bloodhound- tells me he found you.” He looks off to the side of him. “You don’t mind if I call you that, do you, Supreme Leader?”

His voice is still full of holes, shot through with gravel. But he’s alive. You’re sure you can see the hint of a shark smile spread over his features. He dips his head slightly towards the camera droid at that moment, lowering his voice just a touch, his eyes narrowing. Unconsciously you lean in toward the transmission. “So, Killer. As you know, Hux is dead, and you’re responsible.” He leans in even further and even through the holo his intense eyes bore into you. “But I’m very much alive. So, I just needed you to know...” he exhales a breath and bites his bottom lip as if his next thought amuses him. “...that I’m gonna be coming for you.”

Whether his statement is a threat or a promise, you can’t be sure. However, you know that the games are far from over. Whilst tomorrow you may need to figure out your next move, for now, you finally feel like you could cry and you could sleep.

You lean back in the pilot’s chair and allow yourself a deep, relieving breath. And yet again, you can’t hold back your own resplendent shark smile.

You press the button to reverse the transmission before sending a message back to General Dameron.

“Bring it on, General Dameron. I’m ready for you.”

He’s alive.

It’s not over yet.

As much as you would like to run back to him, you know now, more than ever, that you have to return home to the Resistance - to see if it’s still where your heart is. Or whether you have any heart left at all. Then, if you happen to discover that your heart does belong to the darkness after all, at least you know the darkness is coming for you. And at least then, you will truly know that you are ready for it.

You lean back in the seat and close your eyes, allowing your relief to wrap around you -like a blanket- as the darkness holds you and rocks you to sleep.

To be continued (Chapter SEVEN coming soon!)

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angelspn15 · 3 years

Text

✨Happy New Year in advance everyone!✨

I participated in the Initial D Secret Santa event (@initialdsecretsanta ) and got to make a gift for @twilighthomunculus !!!

I've never written a mecha AU fanfic before but it's always exciting to try new things! I hope you enjoy this fanfic about our lovely Night Kids in a mecha AU!

~•~

Ring Ring

A young man was laying on his bed,snoring softly. The phone continued buzzing somewhere in the room,making him shift in his sleep,the bedsheets falling on the floor,leaving him half covered. He rolled to the other side as an attempt to avoid the disturbingly loud sound of his cell phone,his whole body facing the window. The caller probably gave up and the ringing stopped but the young man was already half awake. The thin rays of golden sunlight found their way through the thin curtains,landing on the man's handsome face. His long,black eyelashes trembled and he groaned at the warmness he felt,from the sunlight caressing his sharp facial features. Deciding that it wasn't meant for him to sleep any longer,he half opened his sparkling dark grey eyes,running his fingers through his now messy,charcoal black hair.

Nakazato Takeshi propped on his elbows,turning his head to look half lidded at the digital clock on the bedside table: 09:26A.M.

Memories of the last night flooded in his mind making him want to sink back in his soft bed. He still couldn't believe what had happened: he had lost.

He had freaking lost a fight and to who? To a 18 year old school boy.

He was so sure,so full of confidence that his high tech GT-R would win that old 8-6 that didn't even look like a fighting robot. But he was wrong. He had underestimated Fujiwara Takumi and his fighter. That boy was so skilled despite his young age and the fact that he looked like he didn't know what he was doing with the spaced out expression he would wear.

Takeshi finally got out of the bed,rubbing his eyes to suppress his sleepiness and headed to the bathroom for his daily morning routine. Brushing his teeth,he looked at his reflection in the mirror that hung just above the sink. His robot was now in the garage waiting to be fixed but the worst part was that his pride was wrecked. He had lost the title of "The Strongest in Myogi",a title that he had earned with lots of effort,sweat and money. He had spent his whole life designing fighting robots,wanting to create the Ultimate Fighting Robot and even get to challenge the king of the underground fights,Takahashi Ryosuke himself.

The man got out o the bathroom,back to his messy bedroom. He grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a plain black t-shirt that were laying forgotten on a chair. He decided to not show up at the underground for awhile,at least not before his next battle. With these thoughts he headed straight towards the kitchen in need of his morning coffee to wake him up completely and get his daily endorphins.

He poured the dark liquid in a mug,bringing it to his lips,the bitterness coating his tongue. Just as he walked towards the sofa,the doorbell rang,startling him. Nakazato just froze in place,staring blankly at the front door. He wasn't expecting guests this early,especially after his embarrassing defeat yesterday. The doorbell rang again and Takeshi dragged his feet to the door,still holding the mug.

He didn't manage to fully open the door as it bursted open violently,makimg him take a few steps back,gasping.

"IDIOT!How could you lose yesterday?! That's ridiculous! You're such a clown,Nakazato!" the younger man stomped inside,rage pictured all over his face that matched the color of his crimson shirt.

"Yeah,good morning to you too,Shingo..." Takeshi said tiredly,rolling his eyes. He closed the door and turned to face the other man who was still muttering things under his breath.

"I called you today but you didn't answer! Are you ashamed? You should be! You lost to that school boy and his...his old piece of junk that he calls a fighting robot!" Shingo continued, heading towards the fridge like he was in his own house. He returned with a cold can of beer, opening it with a click and bringing it to his lips. He leaned against the wall, eyeing up the house owner.

"You understimate him. He has incredible skills and-"

"SHUT UP!That's just excuses! You're such a poor excuse of a leader! You're hopeless,loser-" Shingo's voice cracked from yelling too much. He was taken aback when soft lips kissed his. Takeshi chuckled and moved backwards to admire the desired effect. That so said desired effect was Shingo's eyes widening,his expression a mixture of shyness and anger.

'Maybe I am but you love me..." Nakazato said,another chuckle escaping his lips at the pout the shorter man gave him.

"Don't get cocky! Bastard! You-" he stopped and looked away,his cheeks flushed a deep shade of red.

"What are we going to do now?"he asked more calmly now. Takeshi shrugged looking at his teammate and boyfriend.

"I need to repair my robot. Will you help me?"

"Alright,show me the big guy." Shingo said, shoving his hands in the pockets of his loosened up jeans after throwing the now empty can in the bin.

A few minutes later they were in the garage,both of them staring at the tall robot. It was pitch black,some parts had fallen off as well as the right arm. The paint had being scrubbed off in lot's of places as well as scratches were everywhere.

"So...what do you think?"asked the black haired man, sipping his coffee.

"Yeah.... it's bad... really bad..." Shingo mumbled, scratching the top of his head.

"Come on! Don't make it look worse than it is! The base is in a pretty good condition. I'll have to fix the arm as well as those wires at the bottom and of course paint it!" Takeshi faked a smile, pointing at the parts he mentioned. He opened his mouth to say something else but that's when another part fell off, rolling towards Shoji who stopped it from rolling any further,with his foot. Shingo raised his head to glance at Takeshi with a raised eyebrow. Nakazato bit his bottom lip, walking towards his robot, sighing deeply.

"You're right... it's bad.. really bad... I've got a battle next weekend with Takahashi Keisuke and I don't know how I'll go...I haven't got enough money to repair the robot and even if I had them...the time isn't enough.." the man said sadly,his finger tips trailing down the leg of the robot, feeling the scratches. He couldn't back down. He had to go to that battle. He had two options: either to go with the robot he has now and make a fool out of himself or not go at all. But if he didn't,the RedSuns would take that as a runaway and would see him as a coward. Takeshi was a lot of things but definitely not a coward.

"I've got an idea." Shingo's voice reached his eardrums and he turned to look at him as soon as he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"We're teammates. What if I battle in your place? I've almost finished on upgrading the EG6."

Takeshi's mind was racing. He hadn't thought of that option.

"That's... that's an idea! But do you think you can defeat Keisuke's FD?"

"Ha! I need to put that arrogant brat in his place!" The long haired man said proudly, flashing a smirk.

"Alright then. As soon as he agrees then that's what we're going to do.." the GT-R master said,his lips curling up into a faint smile.

~•~

"Hand me the lube"

"You've finished it all!!!"

"Just give it to me already! It's not my fault it stuck!"

Takeshi sighed and took the bottle, giving it to Shingo who snatched it from his hands, climbing back up the tall ladder. Shingo had brought his own robot over, installing some last parts before the big battle. Takeshi would just observe him,while leaning against the wall. He liked watching his boyfriend work his magic on the robots. Who would think that the clumsy,temper filled Shoji Shingo was actually good in such things?

The younger man finished screwing something on the back of his tall, bright red EG6 and gave out a satisfied yelp. Climbing off the ladder,he got a piece of cloth that was hanging from the side of his pants, wiping away sweat on his forehead.

"You finished?" the black haired man asked, leaving the wall and walking around the red beast.

"I think so." Shingo mumbled and got the newly tuned controller that was laying on a nearby table.

"Nakazato,get out of the way if you don't want to be stepped on!" he hissed, pressing something on the controller that caused the robot to raise its head, with a loud sound. Nakazato backed away and headed to stand next to the younger man, staring at the controller curiously.

"You upgraded it as well?" he asked pointing with his index finger at the device in Shingo's hands.

"Yes,I installed some new features." just as he said that,a loud thud was heard and the robot got in a fighting position.

"Woah,how did you do that,let me see-" Takeshi leaned closer to observe the new controller but Shingo stepped away, frustration pictured on his slim face.

"Oi, don't touch it!" he hissed, standing away from the taller man who just folded his arms on his chest,the muscles on his arms flexing.

"Punch..." Shingo mumbled and the robot instantly, created a fist, punching the air in front of it, it's fist inches away from Takeshi's face.

"Damn,are you going to kill me?" he yelled and walked away grabbing the coat that was laying on a chair, tossing it to Shingo.

"Come on,you don't want to be late."he said bitterly,a huge pout on his face.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever... let's get this over with."

It didn't take long for them to get to the underground. The hour was long past midnight,the dark sky reflecting lot's of small stars that would shine like pure diamonds on dark silk.

Just as they entered, Takeshi could feel the burning gaze of everyone but he held his head high like the proud man he was. The Underground was incredibly full, everyone had heard of the battle with the great Takahashi Keisuke and his unbeatable FD. Shingo was looking around, seeing lots of different robots and he nodded to some of the fighters he knew. They were both walking in front, Shingo's EG6 following behind. Takeshi spotted Mako Sato and Sayuki who once she saw him she smiled brightly, giving him a thumbs up. If he wasn't with Shingo,he could have easily fallen for that long haired girl which was cute on the outside but tough on the ring.

The young man was so caught up looking at Impact Blue talking to some random guys, that he didn't notice two robots jumping right in front of him, fighting each other. A strong hand grabbed his shirt and shoved him aside,making him stumble but he quickly regained his balance.

"Takeshi! Focus!" Shingo scolded him, breathing heavily and Takeshi just nodded, relieved that Shingo was there to save him.

The two men knew that they would probably find Keisuke at the bar that was nearby so they headed straight towards it, hearing lot's of yells and laughs.

The blonde was sitting there,as expected, surrounded by his teammates as well as lots of fangirls,his shiny, bright yellow FD near him. His deep blue eyes met Takeshi's dark ones,as soon as he stepped inside.

"Nakazato! I was waiting for you. Where's your R32?" Takahashi yelled from across the room,sipping on his drink. Everyone's attention now was on them. The Night Kids approached them,both having anamused looks on their faces.

"Shoji Shingo will be fighting with you today." the dark haired leader exclaimed sternly,trying to have a straight face.

"Oi,your robot really got destroyed by that kid,did-" Keisuke began but was cut off when Shingo bursted forward,his hands in fists.

"Shut your mouth Takahashi!"

Silence followed,the tension between them growing. Nakazato began thinking that this was a bad idea but what else could he do? The policies of the Underground said that you must fight with your own robot and you can't borrow from someone. But right now,he hadn't got one so he didn't have another choice,did he?

"So,do you accept the challenge from Shingo?"

"Alright. But you still owe me a battle." the blonde said,wearing a grin.

Suddenly,silence fell over,the only sound was the stomping of a heavy robot. Murmur could be heard feom everywhere and the three men looked behind them to see what caused such reaction. Takeshi stiffened when his dark eyes fell on the man who was approaching. The people were stood in two lines, leaving enough space for the newcomer and his robot to walk through the crowd. He was dressed in a white,expensive outfit,his dark blue bangs falling on his face. A white,shiny robot was following from behind,causing everyone to stare. They all knew who this was :the king of ths Underground himself.

Takahashi Ryosuke.

"A-aniki?! Wh-what are you doing here?" the blonde stood up,cold sweat running dlwn hiz handsome face,causing hiz forhead to glister.

"Hmm. I wanted to see this battle."

Shingo just stared at the legendary Takahashi Ryosuke. He secretly admired him and his skills. Ryosuke was a gifted man,with an incredible mind and skills. He was also one of the best fighting robot makers and would use the latest advanced technology for his fighters. The white FC3S was a proof to that. The Myogi fighter could see a speaker on Ryosuke's ear and he knew that this was what everyone kept talking about lately: Ryosuke developed a voice recognition in his robot so now he could control him by just giving him audable orders.

"Aniki...you shouldn't have troubled yourself...I-I can hamdle this..." Keisuke got im front of his older brother,his blue eyes that were identical ro Ryosuke's having a strangw spark in them. But the older Takahashi ignored hiz youngwr brotgwr,proceedimg to exam Shingo's EG6. He walked around it,his delicate long fongers trailing on the freshly painted parts.

"Nice robot you've got here." the dark blue haired man commented,the sides of his lips curling up into a barely visible smirk.

"Did you come here to mock me?" Shingo hissed in between gritted teeth. He was a proud man and didn't liked to be made fun of. Especially when it came to his robot. But Ryosuke didn't laugh,nor had a mocking look.

"No. I actually meant what I said." he exclaimed calmly,his sharp face features not giving out a single emotion.

"Where did you get it?"he added and finally turned to face Shoji who seemed taken aback by the question.

"I-I made it myself..."

Ryosukes bright eyes widened for a split second,clearly impressed. Tge young man retrieved from the red EG6 and waljed towards his brother.

"Well. Will the battle begin? I can't wait forever."

Everyone stiffened at Ryosuke's request,not wanting to disappoint him.

"Yes,of course!"

~•~

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Be prepared for another night of fire! Let's welcome our fighters!" A man from the RedSuns, Fumihiro was it?,shouted, catching everyone's attention.

"Takahashi Keisuke and his FD3S" as he said that,the yellow FD got on the ring, accompanied by loud applause and shouts.

"Shoji Shingo with his EG6,instead od Nakazato Takeshi!" with that,the red EG6 stood on the other side of the ring.

"Let the battle begin..." Takeshi thought, stealing glances from the man besides him who kept adjusting some things on the controller.

The yellow robot swang forward,followimg its master's orders,but the EG6 managed to dodge the hit just on time. Instead,he attempted to punch the FD,unsuccesfully. The FD turned around sharply,its fist hitting its opponemt,with a loud metallic sound.

"Damn..."

It raised its hands in victory and got ready to punch the laying robot but Shingo managed to make it roll over to the side,escaping Keisuke's fist. Takeshi could see Ryosuke saying something to his brother on the other side of the ring,but paid no attention to it. He trusted Shingo.

Another metallic sound snapped Takeshi out of his trance,as he watched how the yellow robot stumbled, Keisuke's cursing following.

"Ha! Did you see that Takeshi? I almost crushed him,I-" Shingo turned to face his boyfriend,his dark eyes screaming pride.

"Shingo, WATCH OUT!" Takeshi's eyes widened as he shouted, watching how the EG6 fell on the ground. Shingo didn't lose his cool, despite being under pressure. He tapped on his controller but something wasn't right. His robot's left arm... wasn't working!

However,this didn't stop him. He rolled over but unfortunately didn't get to avoid another punch from the FD.

"Shingo,your robot. It's lighter and faster,use that to your advantage!" Takeshi bursted out, getting right next to the other man, their shoulders practically touching.

"Oi,Nakazato...don't stand so close!" the long haired man complained but still had a determined look plastered all over his face. He knew Nakazato was right. With a swift motion,his robot stood up and got behind the yellow one. Since Keisuke was startled,Shoji used those few seconds to punch the FD hard, making it fall down. Surprised gasps filled the air, murmur being followed.

Three rounds later,both of the masters were exhausted but neither of them let their guard down, doing everything to not lose concentration. Shingo's robot ended up laying down with thd FD towering over it. The countdown started but Shoji didn't manage to make his fighter stand up which resulted to him losing. Keisuke was growling happily,raising his fists in the air with a victorious grin that riled up Shingo. He furiously rubbed the bridge of his nose,letting out heavy breaths.

"It'd okay." Takeshi's hoarse voice was heard from next to him but Shingo didn't pay attention. He had freaking lost. Previously he had gotten all high and mighty,sure of his win but in the end...he was the loser. What tore him apart was that he had let down Takeshi. He was supposed to win...to make his boyfriend proud...

But he lost.

He lost to Takahashi Keisuke.

Shingo was dazed off,his ears ringing. He was surprised when he was yanked by the colar,his face being brought up. Grey eyes stared right into his brown ones,piercing through his soul. He half expected to be yelled at,or even punched and he wouldn't blame Takeshi. But instead, Nakazato crushed his lips on Shingo's,kissing him lovingly.

"Let's get out of here. You're tired." the taller man said,a small smile on his face. He didn't look angry,not even a bit,more of concerned. Shingo just nodded,his cheeks painted a light shade of pink.

~•~

Shingo and Takeshi were sitting on the roof of Nakazato's house,close to each other while staring at the night sky. Shingo got a pack of cigarettes, handing one stick to his boyfriend while getting one for himself as well. The man besides him got his lighter and soon both of them were inhaling the toxic smoke.

"What a night..." Takeshi mumbled more to himself than to the man besides him who hummed anyways.

"I'm still proud of you,you know that right?" Nakazato attempted to indirectly compliment the younger man,but failed as he heard a low scoff from his side.

"Shut up already..." Shingo exhaled sharply,the smoke swirling around him and dissolving into the night air.

As they sat there in a comforting silence, a thunder was heard in the distance and out of nowhere it began pouring. The two men remained still, confused and shocked at the sudden change of weather.

"Damn! What are you sitting, let's go inside!" Shingo was the first one to come back to his senses before throwing his cigarette away and standing up. Takeshi watched how his long bangs would cling to his face,while his clothes being completely soaked by the strong rain.

"Beautiful..." Takeshi thought, being completely absorbed in his thoughts,not even hearing Shingo's yelling,who in the meantime was desperately trying to drag Takeshi inside,to the warmness of his house.

No matter what the outcome was today,he still enjoyed every minute of it. Because life isn't only about winning... losses are what make it more interesting.

Hope you enjoyed it!

#initialdsecretsanta2020 #anime #initial d #initiald #90s anime #takeshi nakazato #shingo shoji #nightkids #mecha au #fanfiction #fanfic

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