#but he'd JUST come out of a literally torturous transformation

[soldsouls]

Anyway I can self-indulgently say that, in this AU, Luci did have to throw down with Asmodium to get his friends out. He caught them as they were escaping. Luci pushed the two of them out a window, and threw himself at Asmodium [who is not only more powerful but also physically larger / stronger even after Luci's promotions]. He knew he couldn't kill Asmodium, but he could at least incapacitate him. That was the aim anyway. He had only the briefest moment to do so as his friends plummeted toward the ground. He knocked Asmodium through a solid stone wall, left him with scratch scars across his neck and chest, then immediately dove out the window to catch his friends. They were mere inches from death when he caught them.

[aliciavance4228]

Here Are A Few Things From Greek Mythology Which Not Only That Make Sense, But Are Actually Quite Briliant

1. The children of Ares (war, combat, bloodlust) and Aphrodite (beauty, sex) are: Eros (love), Anteros (requited love), Himeros (uncontrollable immediate desire), Pothos (longing desire), Harmonia (harmony), Phobos (fear), Deimos (panic/terror) and Adrestia (revenge); which are all of the emotions that can happen in a relationship between the foul-tempered abusive jock and the pretty girl. The ancient Greeks understood relationships.

2. Perseus is the son of Zeus. Why didn't Hera go after him or his mother? Because they're from Argos, and she's the patron of that city.

3. The story of Heracles states that Hera tricked Zeus into saying that the next king of Argos shall be the next male born. Of course, she manipulates events to happen so that Heracles's cousin Eurystheus is born first - thus making him the rightful king. But wait - Heracles has a twin. (Iphicles) So why go for his cousin, and not his fraternal twin to really rub salt in it with Zeus ("Hey, Alcmene's son is the next rightful king - Ain't no rule saying it had to be Heracles, haha!")? It makes a bit of sense actually - by making Eurystheus the next born child, she ensures that it's not Heracles. If she induced labour in Alcmene, there was still a chance Heracles could have been the first one born - and not Iphicles.

4. Why would the relatively amiable Hades kidnap Persephone to make her his bride? Well, according to some sources, he did that after asking Zeus for relationship advice. Given the fact that Zeus has raped and/or kidnapped plenty of women (and poor, minor Ganymede) just 'cause he felt like it, it isn't surprising that his advice would involve something like that.

5. Every source and most people tend to think Hades got the worst and Zeus the best of the deal when they divided up the world, but actually it's kinda balanced because all three of the brothers' domains come with some great perks. Zeus' is obvious, but consider this: Poseidon got the element that covers about two thirds of the planet, with earthquakes to boot, and for Greeks travelling by sea was something of a necessity, while Hades got all of the minerals and gemstones, and as many point out, the one biggest flaw of humanity is that the dead have always and will always outnumber the living.

6. Most stories of Andromeda mention that she was supposed to be eaten by a monster because her mother Cassiopeia blasphemed and made Poseidon mad by claiming Andromeda was more beautiful than the Nereids. All nice and good as the Nereids were supposed to be extremely beautiful, including Amphitrite, Poseidon's wife herself, but the thing comes in when you remember that the Nereids had a brother called Nerites, who was even more beautiful than them, and who was Poseidon's first serious relationship besides his wife. No wonder he got pissed off, she was badmouthing both his wife and his boyfriend!

7. There's some poetic justice in the fact that Narcissus, who saw himself as an unattainable treasure, got transformed into a flower — something that literally anybody can take and do with as they wish.

8. The anger the Olympians felt when they discovered Tantalus' crime makes even more sense when you remember that at least Hera, Poseidon, Hestia and Demeter (Hades wasn't present at the time) all know how it feels to be eaten by your own father.

For Hades' part, it certainly explains why he'd give Tantalus such a torturous punishment in the afterlife.

Made worse by Tantalus being the son of ZEUS.

9. Why are all the gods (save Hestia) prone to so much hypocrisy, violence, sexual assault, and abuse? Well, each god is typically associated with either an aspect of nature (such as the oceans, plants, weather, etc.) or emotions and biological reactions (bloodlust, love, sexuality). As such, the gods are less like people, and more akin to forces of nature; the gods, like nature, are indifferent to humanity, so sometimes they’ll harm people when they’re angry, reward people when they’re happy, etc.

10. Some of Typhon and Echidna's offspring, such as Cerberus, Ladon, the Caucasian Eagle and the Colchian Dragon were utilized by the Olympians in some way despite the fact that they were the offspring of their Nr. 1 Enemy. Sounds odd...but when you think about it, it's actually genius. It's an excellent way to prevent the monsters from running wild and destroying stuff, whilst simultaneously taking advantage of their destructive tendencies.

11. Why is Hades such a faithful husband (Leuke and Minthe were later Roman additions) when both of his brothers are pretty unfaithful? Well, Hades has a very important job that never seems to end. He’s in charge of the Underworld and since someone is always dying, Hades is always very busy which means that he didn’t have time nor interest in having affairs. Also many couples were likely to be together in death. Perhaps Hades saw through those couples what it means to be a good husband. It does help that Hades is also far more mature than his brothers.

12. Nyx is one of the few beings Zeus is too afraid to face, having let her son Hypnos get away with messing with him since he went to his mom. Why's he scared of her in particular and not other primordial deities like Gaea? Depending on the myth Nyx is the mother of many personified concepts, and that includes the Fates...aka the one force even gods like Zeus can't overcome. Imagine how outclassed Zeus'd be if he had to fight their mom!

13. Why is Hestia the least problematic deity out of all Olympians? Cronus ate five of his children, and she was in there the longest. Perhaps the reason Hestia is the sanest and nicest of the six Olympians is because she as the oldest was forced to mature faster in order to take care of her younger siblings while they were trapped in their father's stomach. Hades being the second oldest and first son similarly assumed this role as well. Then we have Demeter, then Poseidon, then Hera and Zeus. While not a perfect graph, you could graph 'reasonable behavior' as being tied to 'who spent the longest in his stomach'.

Credits: TV Tropes

[yukittywrites]

You'll Love it When I Give it To You

⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙

warnings: dom reader and sub yuta, nipple piercings, nipple play, coming untouched, dry humping, some light degradation

word count: 2.2k Read the full story (6.28k) here!

a/n: did i forget tumblr existed? who knows? (the answer is definitely yes) anyways, thanks for being patient. reader is gender neutral, no mentions of your genitals/race/majorly identifying features. it is implied that you and 127 are very close/you're in 127 (read how you will) but it's not really plot necessary! reader in the original story is actually mark...so you're a little mark coded but im sure you're fine with that ;))

It was only natural. Yuta had always been in love with piercings and tattoos.

Of course he'd gotten tattoos once he was permitted to. A 127 chain around his bicep, a butterfly on his hip, and finallly, a feather on his pelvis, trailing low enough that no one who saw him decent would be able to see the full thing.

Then, he'd gotten piercings as well. His ears had been pierced for ages, but he'd gotten a bunch of new holes added throughout time, until he had a near absurd amount. The last one he got, a navel piercing.

The navel piercing was painful, but worth it, especially for the reactions he got for it, and it was only the next step in his gradual transformation to his emo/v-kei/rockstar aesthetic that he'd been steadily building over time.

Nipple Piercings

They were hot, easy to show off, the company didn't care about them and the fans would love them.

So he was quick to run to the tattoo and body piercing parlor and have them shove some black studs straight through his nipples.

And he had to keep them mostly untouched (aside from a shirt or a jacket rubbing against them) for ages, but finally, the sensitivity wore off.

That was when the torture began.

It was so easy to tease him about them, because his nipples were suddenly very sensitive where they had not been before, and the members were quick to use this to their advantage, tweaking them to get a rise out of him, humiliate him, knock him down a peg, make him do something—truthfully, they used them for so many things that Yuta wasn't even sure he could recall all of them.

But, of all people, the person who didn't bother him with nipple torment was you. And, by all account, you had the most reason to.

Yuta believed that you had just seen the amount of absolute hell that he'd endured (with hell being a rather dramatic term, he really didn't hate it) and you'd decided to take mercy on him.

But, as it seemed, you were simply waiting for the right time to strike.

Doyoung, his other main victim of teasing, was probably the only other person who had a justified reason to tweak his nipples so much, had definitely gotten his fair share already, and you definitely deserved it too, because Yuta just loved to tease you in a different way.

He lived for the rise he could get out of you with overly suggestive comments, revelling in how you would turn red and sputter whenever flirted with.

A suggestive comment here, a lip bite or wink there, a gesture that was far too dirty to be entirely innocent (like that one time he got white yogurt on his hand and made eye contact with you as he licked it all off his hand in the dirtiest way possible.), all of them would leave you a mess, choking on sputtered protests in mashed up Korean and your native language.

And all he'd do was smile brightly, then slip away to do nonsense, leaving you before you could even recover.

So, anyway. Yuta thought you were a benevolent saint who ignored what everyone else was doing.

Yuta was (unsurprisingly) wrong, and just like how it happened with Doyoung, he probably earned it.

Yuta starts it.

“Dude, that’s literally massive.” You say. You're referring to the size of the package that Johnny just walked past the doorway with, because the box really was huge.

But of course, Yuta couldn’t pass up an opportunity to tease you a little bit. “Yeah? I’m sure I could think of a lot of things that are massive, Y/n.”

It’s not his best work, but it gets the point across, and you flush beet red. Yuta snickers. 

This is your time. You blink at him for a second or two, and Yuta can see the gears turning in your head. It’s almost like you're buffering, and Yuta opens up his mouth to make another retort, but you seem to understand his idea at the same time because you move from the chair you're sitting on to climb on top of him.

And not in the same way that the others had done, no. You shove his chest into the back of the chair and settles your body on top of it in a way that is practically obscene. 

Yuta, for once, is speechless. His lips part in sheer shock, and you can't help but grin. “A lot of things, huh?” You question, your voice mantaining a teasing lilt, blended with something that Yuta’s never heard from you before.

“Yep. Why? Do you want to know what they might be?” Yuta replies, despite internally screaming, because YOU are sitting on his lap, pressing him into the chair, looking down at him, and he thinks he might lose his mind. 

“You’re so cocky, Yuta.” You say, your hands move from the arms of the chair.

“And what reason would I have not to be?”

“Hmm…” You fake contemplate, “This.” 

Then, your hands connect with Yuta’s nipples, both of them at once, and the sensation is different.

It’s not like how it was when everyone else touched him—this is closer to how it felt when he touched them himself, and his body spasms.

You seem to take this as the same sort of spasming that would occur whenever the others would touch him, so you do it again, and Yuta writhes, lips pressing into a thin line.

“Most people don’t react this way when someone does this.” You tell him, stating the obvious.

“Well, n-no shit!” He hisses. His voice is too pitchy to bite back his real reaction, and he stutters a little.

You laugh, evidently amused by the reaction that you're getting. When you rubs them again, Yuta releases some noise that’s in between a whine and a gasp, a little too suggestive to be purely a gasp of shock.

However, Mark’s favourite past time is to make suspicious noises, so they're not that uncommon, and so you must not even realise that Yuta is not joking.

You take your hand and pinch his fucking nipple through his shirt, and despite the buffer of fabric between the two of you, it is game over for Yuta because his back arches. One hand shoots out to grab at your waist for stability, and the noise that leaves his throat is clearly one of arousal.

You still instantly, and Yuta panics, because this is really fucking weird. You are touching his nipples and sitting on his lap, and Yuta is holding onto your waist, skin flushed. 

He gets ready to apologise—to say sorry because he’s really weird for getting off on this right now, especially when he was fine while everyone else touched him—but you shift your weight slightly.

Oh. Oh no. He’s hard. Like, rock hard. He hadn’t realised it because he was more focused on trying not to reveal to you what he was thinking, but now that you have moved, he can feel it.

And you can too.

Your lips curl up into a smile again, though Yuta can see something else swimming in your eyes. 

“Is that a lightstick in your pants, or are you just happy to see me?” you question, leaning in (and down) to be a little bit closer to him.

Your hair covers his eyes when you do.

Yuta swallows, “Y-Y/n, I didn’t—uhm.” His Korean fails him for the first time in a while, and he closes his lips again.

“I thought they were sensitive, but I didn’t know they were sensitive like that.” You tease, and Yuta wonders if, for a moment, you've switched personalities, because usually he’s the one teasing you, and it’s never this intense either—

“Uh. They aren’t—well, they weren’t before. Not when the others touched them.” Yuta replies, and now you really smile.

“So you are happy to see me.”

Yuta doesn’t know how to reply, but again, he opens his mouth, and you rolls a nipple at the same time, and his brain short circuits.

“Oh.” He moans, his eyes slipping closed for a moment. When they peel back open, you're staring at him in fascination.

“You really like this.”

“I—” But you're right, because he does, and he likes you too. “Yeah. It’s the piercings. They make it so…it’s so sensitive.”

You hum, slipping your hand up under Yuta’s shirt, touching his waist where his belly button piercing is, then you pause and takes your hand out.

“Can I…” It’s hesitant, because if you pull off Yuta’s shirt, then you two have to acknowledge what’s happening. 

Yuta nods quickly, and you decide that is a talk for later, as you slide his shirt right off, pulling it off his body.

Yuta’s piercings catch in the light: the stone on his belly button, the metal barbells on his nipples, the chain dangling from them (which totally wasn’t so he could pull it later).

“I still can’t believe the company let you get these…” You whisper

“Don’t talk about the company right now." Yuta replies. "We all know what they think.”

“They’re so pretty too.” You say, thumbing at his left, and Yuta’s fingers twitch. 

“Thanks,” he replies, his eyes almost falling shut again.

Your fingers twitch towards a barbell, obviously wanting to touch it.

“You can—you can touch them; pull them.”

“Pull it? But, dude, doesn’t it hurt?”

“Of course it hurts, but it’s a good hurt.” 

You laugh, “Good hurt? I didn't know you were into that.”

You do grab the end of the piece between your fingernails, regardless, and pull it softly.

Yuta’s arm stops working, and it falls off your waist limply. “Mmmh~ Fuck.”

“Oh my god. I can’t believe we’re doing this.” You says, a little frantic. You pull again Yuta’s hips buck up. They brush against your inner thigh, and Yuta moans again. 

“You can pull harder—please. As hard as you want, Y-Y/n, it’ll feel good.” Yuta says, near desperate.

“Slut.” You whisper, and it jars Yuta, but the moment he processes it, he whimpers. 

You can't help but pull at his barbell fervently.

“Oh, god!” Yuta cries out, his head lolling back and his hips rolling against your thigh.

Your thighs are muscled and firm against his cock as he grinds against it, and you don't move it. 

“You like this? Grinding against my thigh and begging me to make you hurt?” You question.

You're a little baby dom, Yuta can tell—into being condescending and a little bit of pain but not quite secure in it—and somehow it’s still just as hot.

“Y-Yeah. So good, it’s so good. Fuck, Y/N!” Yuta moans, his tone pitching into something whiny and desperate.

You laugh, “I always thought you were a dom top, Yuta. It turns out that you really just want to feel good. You’ll beg for it, won’t you? You’d beg for me to make you feel that pain?”

“Yes, yes, I’d beg if you made me! Please, please. Do you want me to? I really want it—” 

“Aw, Yuta. I won’t make you beg for me.” You tease, pushing your thigh closer to Yuta’s cock for him to grind against even harder.

“Thank you!” Yuta gasps, his head lolling back again, as he takes advantage of your benevolence. 

You giggls, leaning close to him and pressing a kiss to his neck, trailing down to his chest. The position looks uncomfortable, pretzel-like, as you bend your head in a weird way to do so. Yuta would mention it if his brain wasn’t actively draining from his head.

You kiss his pec, then, in one fluid movement, suck a nipple into your mouth and suck.

“Nngh! Fuck, Y-Y/n~” He practically wails, his chest arching into your hold, begging for any pleasure, then spasming away, causing you to lose contact.

“Come on, Yuta. I thought you wanted it?” You sneer.

“I do! I do—”

“Then stop moving and take it.” You tell him before grabbing his waist and putting your lips back on Yuta’s nipples.

“Oh god.”

Yuta has never been more horny in life, pleasure bursting behind his eyelids as you tongue at his nipples and pull on his piercing with your teeth.

Your leg is digging into his crotch, and somehow, even that feels great. 

His hips spasm rapidly, and a garbled whine strains from his throat.

“I’m gonna—Y/n, I’ll cum—oh fuck!” He cries out.

You giggle against his nipple, and that’s it for him.

Stuttered mash ups of Japanese cries of him cumming spill from his lips as he cries out, ”Iku! Y/n, Y/n, iku~ I’m c-c—”

Yuta’s head falls back, and his eyes roll until only the whites are present. His body stills entirely, his mouth open in a silent moan. 

You let him bask in the feeling before pulling away.

“I can’t believe that we did that.” You whisper quietly.

Yuta laughs, breathless. “Yeah, me either. That was crazy, but I don’t think we’re done yet.” 

“Wh—oh!” You cry out, as you're spun around.

It's going to be a long night.

⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧͙⁺˚*•̩̩͙

Again: read the full story here!

[666writingcafe]

MC's Boogeyman

Solomon

As MC leaves the stand and walks over to the chest, I look over at Diavolo and Belphegor. They look as worried as I feel. You see, the test that Craxon has assigned to MC hasn't been used in many centuries, because the boogeyman has a tendency to drive people mad from fear. Some have even died. The last time the boogeyman was utilized was as a means of torture, and that was shortly after I got kicked out of the Society.

Craxon clearly wants to know what MC's biggest fear is--his prolonged silence earlier indicates that much--but I have no idea why he'd need that information. Then again, he often keeps his cards close to his chest, so it's usually hard to tell what's going through his mind at the best of times.

MC takes a deep breath and indicates that they're ready. The chest is open, and the boogeyman flies out of it in a flash of bright purple light. The room becomes pitch black for a few seconds before revealing that the boogeyman has transformed into...

MC?

At least, I think it's MC. Between the glowing eyes and sinister grin, their features are nearly unrecognizable.

I watch my apprentice shake as the boogeyman circles them.

"You poor thing," it coos mockingly. "You just can't control yourself, can you?"

"Stop it," MC whispers, causing the boogeyman to snicker.

"What's wrong? Too scared to confront the truth?" It stops behind MC and leans close to their ear. "You're a monster, darling. How is anyone supposed to feel safe around you?"

MC clenches their jaw as a few tears escape their eyes, and I have to stop myself from launching myself at the boogeyman. Judging by the looks on Belphegor and Diavolo's faces, they're having a similar struggle.

"One day, everyone will come to their senses and realize that trying to keep you alive and sane is an unnecessary burden," the boogeyman continues. "Your death would benefit the greater good."

"Enough," MC murmurs. The boogeyman tuts in disapproval.

"Pathetic."

"I'm not pathetic."

"Sure you are. Why do you think the most powerful people in the three realms are interested in you? You're like a wounded animal that they can't help but feel sorry for. They don't actually care about you. They'll turn you out the moment you become too dangerous. After all, they can't have you slaughtering their own kind just because someone hurt your precious little feelings."

"Enough!" MC glares at the boogeyman. "I may be a freak of nature, but that doesn't mean that I'm unworthy of love."

"Is that so?" MC nods.

"I have thought about ending my life on many occasions, but each time these guys give me a reason to stay. If they didn't love me, they wouldn't even try." The boogeyman bursts out laughing, but instead of cowering, MC stands their ground.

"Oh, you're actually serious," the boogeyman states once it composes itself.

"Of course I am," MC replies. "My life is not a joking matter." The boogeyman rolls its eyes, but I can tell that it's losing its power. For one, it appears a bit smaller than it did a few moments ago.

"Furthermore, a literal reaper went out of her way to ensure my survival, even though I only knew of her existence a few days prior," they add. "If that isn't a sign that I'm meant to be alive, then I don't know what is." Silence. The boogeyman continues to shrink.

"And even if I feel helpless and weak, I know for a fact that these guys will support me every step of the way. I almost feel sorry for you, because you'll never know what it's liked to be loved by even one person, let alone several. You'll just be seen as a mere object, a tool at best." MC directly calling out the boogeyman causes it to screech loudly as it quickly disappear back into its chest. Once the lid closes, MC collapses onto the ground and begins sobbing.

I look up at Craxon, and he silently nods, granting me permission to comfort MC. Diavolo and Belphegor are close behind.

In my opinion, MC has earned their star of humility.

Taglist: @lost-in-time-wanderer, @fuzztacular, @dianedancer18, @sweetbrier2908, @flare-love, @completelyshatteredbrokenmschf, @thunderlightning351, @l3v1chan, @anxious-chick, @5mary5, @expressionless-fr

[superscourge]

Can you tell us more about the Childhood Friends AU?

yeas

i guess i'll give some lil details abt it. this is gonna be long so under the cut it goes

sonic and scourge (also sonic at the time) meet each other when a portal opens up between their dimensions when theyre both about 10 years old. they both are pretty attuned to changes in their world, so they find it at the same time and are like "What The Heck You're Me!" but they hit it off pretty quickly bc they figure out the other one is just as fast as them and they race and a bond is formed.. they decide to call each other nicknames (buckles for prime sonic, shades for alt sonic bc at the time he's wearing the leather jacket + boots + shades) just to make things easier

for a little more context, in this au moebius is more like just. mobius but a little to the left. its not an opposite world like it is in canon, its just kinda...Different? if that makes sense? so shades isnt Nice, hes kind of a dick and he's rude, but he's not evil or malicious

buckles finds out after a while that shades has...not the best home life. his dad fuckin sucks. so shades stays with him and his nonna a lot (buckles' parents are gone already and he ends up staying with this sweet old cat lady he calls his nonna). this eventually culiminates into an awful thing when theyre about 14--shades ends up being pushed to the point of where he actually kills his dad. he doesnt show up for weeks, and buckles is worried, but he eventually shows up again, but hes different. hes not okay. and suddenly hes talking about how they cant be friends, how hes going to leave and never come back. and they have their first fight, which ends with shades leaving and buckles being left alone and devastated

they dont meet again until a couple years later when theyre both 16. shades had eventually returned to mobius and had been crashing there for a while, but he was stirring up trouble under the name of sonic. prime sonic finds him on angel island--apparently he had caused so much trouble that even sonic's enemies were targeting him now, so he wanted to use the master emerald to gain power so they'd stop messing with him. of course this goes south when he powers up with the emerald and knuckles defends it by slashing him across the chest during the transformation, interrupting it and putting him in a permanent half-super state (the green). he proclaims his new name is scourge, and they fight again, but scourge ends up using the master emerald to chaos control away, and once again they dont see each other for a while after that, bc then sonic is dealing with the Worst fucking year of his life (shadow, unleashed, forces). they basically dont talk again until theyre 19.

when they do talk again, sonic's really messed up from forces--the torture from infinite on the death egg really fucked him up and was making him question his reality even after everything. but scourge runs into him and knocks some sense into him (literally punches him in the face LOL) and sonic realizes this Is real, the war Is over, and everything fucking sucks. his nonna died while he was away. scourge doesnt take this well at all, and neither does sonic when he realizes its real, and they both kinda have a mutual breakdown moment because Neither of them were there when she passed and they both majorly regret it. but scourge still doesnt end up staying; he takes sonic to a nearby village when he falls asleep and then he leaves again. but that lets sonic know that scourge still does care about him, despite pushing him away for all these years. so hes going to figure out why, and bring back his friend.

they finally meet again post-frontiers, when sonic has a clearer head and has healed a lot. they fight again Of Course, but it ends up with scourge finally confessing why he'd run away so long ago, why he'd been trying so hard to push sonic away and drive a wedge between them to make sure sonic would Stay away--it was all because of the thing with his dad. he was ashamed of himself and didnt want his only best friend to see him as a murderer. but yknow what? sonic isnt fazed. he doesnt give a Shit. in fact he literally tells scourge that if scourge hadnt done it? sonic would have. jules was awful and beyond saving and the world was better off without him. scourge is shocked by all this, not really understanding...but they end up making up and finally, Finally becoming friends again

so thats the whole story LOL. ive been developing it w jester behind the scenes and while it isnt a Long au story its a fun and angsty one hehe. might be a little sonourge eventually. you know how it is

[tallseaweed]

Relinquish Your Burden: Chapter 2

Word Count: 2.9k

1,277 days.

42 months.

3½ years.

No matter how Mobius construed the data, time was passing. It was a phenomenon he was shockingly unfamiliar with.

The irony was far from lost on him. He, Mobius M. Mobius, a literal agent of time itself, had never truly experienced the very thing he'd been trying to protect for as far back as his modified memories allowed. Laughable really.

At first, he'd kept track of the passing days for the sheer novelty of being able to. Now, it just left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Because each day that passed was another day without him.

How was he supposed to move on, knowing that somewhere out at the edge of time, Loki was holding together the multiverse all by himself? He was stuck eternally shouldering a burden that should never have needed to be his to bear.

Why had he thought it was the only way?

Loki had seemed so sure, but minutes before he'd been fully on board with attempting to use Victor's Throughput Multiplier.

To Mobius, it seemed like some other force was at play, but he couldn't see how. They'd fixed Loki's time slipping! He'd literally risked his own skin to do so.

And he knew he'd do it again a thousand times over.

Sometimes, Mobius almost found himself wishing he could go back; before the multiverse had been unleashed, before Loki had met Sylvie, back when he thought his life had meaning. He always shut down that train of thought immediately. How selfish was he? Everyone in the multiverse now had free will, and he was missing a time when he'd been intentionally pruning innocents?

Yes, he could argue that he'd been brainwashed, but as Loki had been quick to point out:

"You and I here at the TVA, we're the only ones who are actually free."

He'd had the free will to do something back then, but had been perfectly happy to let himself believe they were the good guys.

But maybe he wasn't giving himself enough credit. He had cared once, back when he hadn't been able to prune that 8-year-old boy in the Black Sea. That little slip had cost the lives of a couple of Hunters, and Ravonna never forgiven him for it. Hell, he hadn't been able to forgive himself either. But that little boy had been so carefree, so happy. At one point Mobius had a heart, but his work at the TVA left it damaged, covered in scar tissue.

"You know where I'd go if I could go anywhere? Wherever it is I'm really from.

Yeah, wherever I had a life before the TVA came along."

No, It wasn't the TVA he missed. It was Loki.

The God of Mischief's absence was the main reason Mobius hadn't been able to stay. It had been torture, constantly expecting to see him come around the corner with some new ingenious idea, or to sit down at Mobius's desk and strike up their usual banter.

That specific brand of emotional torture—paired with Sylvie's confrontation before Loki's sacrifice—had led him to where he was now: the midwestern sprawl of Cleveland Ohio.

"You found out you're a Variant, and you haven't even looked, have you?

It's just another bad day at the office for you. Timelines are just lines on a monitor. Doesn't matter if a few disappear.

Because you've never bothered to look if one of them was yours."

Well, he sure was looking now.

After Loki's sacrifice, Sylvie had been quick to leave the TVA behind. Luckily, he, B-15, and O.B. had managed to confirm that they'd be able to communicate with her TemPad in case they ever needed her help again. When Mobius had decided to leave the TVA, he'd sent her a message letting her know where he was going. He was shocked when she actually showed up to give him a send-off. The gesture had meant a lot to him.

After her quick departure, he'd spent the majority of his first weeks on this timeline covertly watching Don from a distance. Everything about his Variant fascinated him. Mobius had always been good with young Variants, but he'd never envisioned himself as a father. Kids weren't permitted at the TVA for obvious reasons, so it was somewhat jarring for him to see how naturally Don took to the role.

Fatherhood aside, there were more similarities than differences between them. When Mobius had seen where Don worked and that they shared a passion for jet skis, he'd been over the moon.

It was relieving—and a little disconcerting—that the TVA hadn't been able to take that from him. He cherished the reminder of his humanity, but it also served as undeniable evidence that he'd actually had a life before the TVA. One that he still wasn't sure he wanted to know about, even if Sylvie offered to release his memories.

So he'd kept that uncomfortable curiosity at bay by watching Don.

After a while, he began to feel a little creepy. It was one thing to analyze people from the temporal distance of the TVA or every once in a while on a field mission, but doing it while living on the timeline felt distinctly stalkerish.

He'd decided it was about time he got a job and a place of his own. By then, he'd started to run low on the 21st-century American dollars from the TVA's stock that B-15 had sent him off with. "For until you find a place to land," she'd said.

Ultimately, he'd decided that he would try to live a life that was somewhat similar to Don's. If it satisfied his Variant, maybe it would someday satisfy him too. Anything to fill the void Loki's absence left behind. Luckily, he'd had just enough money left to scrape together a month's rent for a modest apartment. From there, he'd managed to use his passion for jet skis to pull a job at a water sports rental shop.

He enjoyed the job, particularly how it gave him the opportunity to use his people skills in ways other than interrogation. His extraordinary work ethic had even secured him a permanent position. In the winter off-season, his duties switched from customer service to equipment maintenance and upkeep. His coworkers were incredibly kind and welcoming, but no matter how much he tried, he still felt distinctly detached. It was hard to get close to anyone when they could never know who he really was.

~

Presently, Mobius rolled over to glance at the familiar numbers on his bedside clock. 7:30 a.m.. Even on his days off from work, his body always woke him at the same time. Slowly, he pulled himself up to standing. After meticulously making his bed (a habit from the TVA he'd never been able to shake), he trudged toward the bathroom.

Pale blue eyes rimmed with dark circles met his reflection in the mirror. He'd let his hair grow longer during his time here. At first, he'd done it as a makeshift disguise in case he ever ran into Don. After a while, he'd decided he liked it that way. It felt symbolic.

"Let time pass."

~

Mobius flipped through his TV's channels, looking for the news. He enjoyed getting to hear about events that the TVA (or He Who Remains) had decided were too insignificant to monitor. He was also curious to see if he would recognize any current events. Since he was on a branched timeline and the future wasn't written anymore, anything could happen.

It wasn't long before the existential dread began pressing in. As a general rule of thumb, he avoided being in his apartment as much as he could. The small, impersonal space served as a reminder of just how alone he really was.

Hoping some fresh air would help loosen his knot of tangled emotions, he hopped into is car and drove toward Lake Erie.

~

Once parked, Mobius set off to find his usual spot on the lakeshore. He had chosen it for its balanced proximity: close enough to people to remind himself he wasn't completely isolated, but far enough away that he could still have a little privacy.

As he sat down, the frigid January air pierced through his warm layers, whipping the hair around his face. Unbidden, memories flooded from his subconscious.

Mobius rushed back toward the time theater, carelessly shoving past the various TVA workers dutifully going about their tasks. Variants. All of them. Loki hadn't been lying, the TVA had. And he hadn't believed him for a second, sending him right back into the Time Loop.

How many times had Sif berated him? "I hope you know you deserve to be alone and you always will be." He felt slightly nauseated.

The memory skipped ahead.

"Do you really believe you deserve to be alone?"

"I don't know."

Mobius's gloved fingers pulled at his hair, head bowed with guilt. In the end, Loki had ended up alone. He just prayed his friend knew he didn't deserve it.

Why should Loki have to be the one to take up the mantle the TVA should have been upholding all along? He'd fought so hard to do the right thing—bringing the TVA's despicable actions to light—and now he had to physically hold the multiverse together all by himself?

It wasn't just unfair, it was cruel. Loki had tried—really tried—to make the TVA better, and had even seemed to believe that it could be. All that misplaced hope, just to end up sacrificing himself for the cause.

"You can be whoever, whatever you wanna be, even someone good. I mean, just in case anyone ever told you different."

The smile that bloomed across Loki's face was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

Hot tears stung at his eyes, slipping down his crooked nose until they fell between his knees, gathering on the concrete.

"I know what I want. I know what kind of god I need to be.

For you. For all of us."

As soon as those last words had left Loki's lips, Mobius had realized he was saying goodbye. He knew from the countless times he'd watched Loki's file that those were the same words he'd said to Odin before letting himself fall from the Bifrost.

The first time Loki had said them, he'd been using them as a cry for help, a desperate last attempt at validation from his dismissive father. This time, it was painfully clear that he'd really meant what he'd said.

"For you."

As Loki's eyes locked onto Mobius's, the bittersweet determination in his gaze shattered Mobius's heart into a million pieces.

Suddenly, his subconscious made a quick, painful segue to the memory that haunted him most.

"Mobius, if I… If I don't make it back, I…"

"You'll make it back."

"Right, but when I use this thing, I might not make it back…"

What had Loki been about to tell him? At the time Mobius had cut him off because he didn't even want to consider the pain of losing him. But now that Loki was really gone, the unspoken words constantly tormented him, picking at his grief like a scab, never allowing him to fully heal.

A green butterfly with purple wing tips landed on Mobius's knee. The tears just flowed faster.

~

"Thought I might find you here."

Mobius jolted at the familiar voice.

"Sylvie?" He whirled around.

Sure enough, Sylvie was situating herself to sit down next to him, dressed as if she'd just walked out of the '80s. Which he belatedly realized she probably had.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Am I not allowed to check in on an old friend?

"Well, see you around, I guess."

After her parting words, he hadn't actually expected to see her again, even if initially, he'd desperately hoped he would. He'd briefly considered the possibility that they might be able to grieve Loki's loss together, but quickly recalled that she wasn't the type of person who did that sort of thing. At least not for him, anyway. Centuries of hunting her down like an animal didn't earn him any favors.

At a loss for what to say, he gave a noncommittal hum and decided to change the subject. "You hungry?"

"I could go for a bite."

"Let's get some takeout. We can talk back at my place."

~

The car ride home was—awkward. He'd tried to make small talk by asking how her new life was going, but she mostly just gave him vague, distracted answers. Obviously, something was on her mind.

After a brief stop to pick up some Chinese food, they made it back to Mobius's apartment complex. He pulled into his designated parking spot and proceeded to lead her through the long winding hallways until they stood in front of his door. As he turned the key in the lock and led them inside, he winced.

Through her eyes, his place must look like a hotel room. Nice looking, but entirely impersonal. Unlived in. He'd even left the news running in the background. Glancing back and seeing her raised eyebrows, he knew he'd been right in his assumption.

"This is… nice," she said unconvincingly.

He sighed. "Yeah, well, I'm still adjusting to it all."

She nodded, opting not to comment on it any further.

After hanging up their coats, Mobius led Sylvie to his dining room table and began unboxing their food. She slid into one of the wooden chairs, and he followed suit a moment later. For a minute or so, they ate in uncomfortable silence. Then, she set down her fork.

"Mobius, I need to tell you something."

He set his fork down too, stomach roiling in apprehension. "What is it?"

"I…" she hesitated. "I did some investigating, and I think Loki might be able to come back."

Mobius froze.

"What did you say?" He whispered, almost unwilling to believe he'd heard her correctly.

She sighed. "I went to the place that Loki opened the portal to—the place where he dragged the timelines. It used to be He Who Remains' Citadel. I thought I'd find him holding on to all the timelines, and I'm pretty sure he is, but-" she paused, collecting herself. "He's formed them into a living, self-sustaining magical entity." Her shining eyes met Mobius's. "He's turned them into a multiversal Yggdrasil."

Mobius took a moment to consider what she'd just said, emotions running wild.

His immediate reaction was elated disbelief. Could she actually have found a way to help Loki? Hope was such a precarious thing, but he couldn't deny that it was beginning to take root. He wanted to jump out of his chair and spin her around with joy, but then the full meaning of what she said finally registered.

"Hang on, you're telling me you've known exactly where Loki's been this entire time and you didn't say anything?"

He'd spent every day of the past 3½ years trying to think of ways to get to Loki, but never even knew where to start. He'd assumed that Loki had gone to some obscure, unknowable place at the edge of time, but now Sylvie was telling him she'd known exactly where he'd been all along?!

"Mobius, I didn't think there was anything we could do. You saw him on the gangway, the branches died when he let go! How was I- how were any of us supposed to know that he'd be able to create something like that with the branches of the multiverse? It's literally unheard of."

He stared at her incredulously for a moment before he snapped.

"First of all, if you had stuck around at the TVA for a bit instead of immediately running off to gods knows where, you would've already known that Loki had woven the timelines into a tree! We didn't know it was self-sustaining, but maybe knowing that would've given you a reason to investigate! You of all people should know better than to assume that anyone knows the extent of what Loki is capable of. Bringing timelines to life with magic? That was unheard of too until we saw Loki do it literally right in front of us!"

She let out a resigned sigh, dropping her head into her palm. After a moment, she replied defeatedly. "Yeah, you're right." She lifted her eyes and met his. "I'm sorry, I should've told you, or at least checked sooner." Sitting up fully, she leaned forward. "But right now, I think we can do something about it. Will you help me?"

Mobius rubbed a hand over his face, exasperated. "Of course I'll help you, I'd do anything to bring Loki back. But that doesn’t mean I forgive you." He fixed her with a glare.

She raised both her hands in acquiescence. "I don't expect you to."

Selfishly, he let Sylvie fidget in the tense silence for a moment before deciding he'd let it stretch on for long enough. "So what are you planning?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but her gaze suddenly latched onto something over his shoulder, her eyes growing wide. He whirled around, expecting some sort of threat, but only saw his TV—still dutifully playing the news.

Which featured live footage of Thor Odinson battling aliens in New York.

Sylvie sucked in a breath. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, I think the last part of my plan just fell into place."

"Wha-"

She pulled open a Time Door and looked back at Mobius, pointing at him in a very Loki-like fashion. "Don't move, I'll be right back."

The next second, she was gone.

Five seconds after that, Sylvie, a young girl, and the God of Thunder were all standing in his living room.

-----

Notes:

Hey everyone! Thank you so much for all support you’ve shown this story!!

Poor Mobius is really going through it 😭❤️‍🩹

Next chapter we’re getting a partial Thor POV, and Sylvie explains her plan to the freshly compiled Team Free Loki.

Unfortunately, I’m about to enter finals season, so I won’t be able to post Chapter 3 for at least two weeks 😓

My entire month of December is going to be very chaotic, but starting the second week of January I’ll be updating this story weekly!

taglist:

If you'd like to be added or removed from the taglist at any point, please leave a comment or send me a message :)

@loopsisloops @muddyorbsblr @superficialdomina @infinitystoner

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[saibug1022]

For Magnus, Apollo, and that FINE AS FUCK lavender bg3 mc:

I am obsessed with the how others see them, vs how they see themselves, vs how you the all-knowing creator see them.

But also like, with symbolism (ex as a cloud/as a flower/as a type of water, etc) 👀👀👀

THIA I ABSOLUTELY ADORE YOU. I'm about to talk so fucking much. So I loaded some classification things into a randomizer and used one for each character

let's do this

Magnus (Windverse/LoA) - Animal

If you asked other people what animal Magnus is, they'd say a panther, something intimidating and powerful, yet elegant and reserved.

But if you asked Magnus himself, well first he'd refuse to answer because he'd think the question is ridiculous, but then he'd say an owl because they're known as clever and tend to represent wisdom, which is the piece of himself he's put so much value in and relied on his whole life.

However, I've always associated Magnus with butterflies, specifically blue butterflies. Butterflies obviously represent change and rebirth which Magnus has done multiple times, breaking free from his old life for a new one and becoming someone new. But blue butterflies also represent joy and love, and the love of others (both platonic and romantic) and Magnus's own love are what showed him the joy in life and let him become one more version of himself: a happy one.

Apollo (The Elementalists) - Flower

If you asked most other people what kind of flower Apollo would be, they'd say a sunflower for pretty obvious reasons. Apollo is bright, kind, and passionate, and I mean. It's literally called a sunflower. It's very surface level but unfortunately most peoples' view of Apollo is very surface level.

If you asked Apollo what kind of flower he'd be, honestly he'd probably say a sunflower at first too, but if he thought about it for a second, he would say a hibiscus. Hibiscus flowers are bright and colorful and grow tall in warm climates. But they need sun to to bloom and even then only bloom for a day, closing again by night which is exactly how Apollo sees himself. Without his sun attunement, aka his power, he would be nothing. To go even further, when people look at him he's bright and beautiful but as soon as he's alone he's terrified and sad and stressed.

For my assessment, I'd say a lotus flower. I may be biased because it's my second favorite flower but Lotus's bloom up through muddy water and still come up beautiful which is exactly what Apollo did (symbolically at least). He was hunted by Raife from the moment he was born, had his memories erased and childhood stole, lost his parents, was lied to his entire life and was raised without magic and his twin, finally found somewhere he felt he belonged only to be hunted again, nearly lost his friend and almost died, then he was accosted by Kane and tortured, then (in my version of canon) ended up losing his mentor and hunted by his own people. But he came out of it beautiful and bright

Kieran (BG3 Durge) - Element

Most people when asked would definitely say Kieran is fire. Dangerous, unpredictable, (hot-) and passionate, maybe warm, but destructive.

If you ask Kieran themself, they may also say fire honestly, for the same reasons as every one else. But if you find them in a nicer mood they might say earth. Dark caves and sharp things but equally full of life and beauty. Something determined and strong.

But I would say water because more than anything Kieran is adaptable, no matter what situation they end up in, no matter who they're with who what they're facing, they always end up on top. More than that, Kieran just has this deep sadness within them that is best reflected in water. Water is also a symbol of transformation and healing which is a summary of Kieran's entire arc. Even better, it's what he evokes in so many of the people around him, not just themself.

[voxmyriad]

Cal Kestis Week 2024 Day Four: Reacquainted

Prompt: Scars | “We shouldn’t be doing this.” | Bad Ending | Ponchos

✨ALL FOUR✨

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply

Category: Gen

Fandoms: Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order Series (Video Games); Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi (TV)

Characters: Cal Kestis, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Reva Sevander | Third Sister, Darth Vader

Additional Tags: Implied Torture, no actual torture, Reva and Cal were friends in the Temple, Cal also only met Obi-Wan Kenobi in person a couple times, Chapter 2 is the whump part, Chapter 1 is actually quite hopeful

Chapter One: Good Beginning

If someone had asked him, Cal would have said Nur was a terrible idea. They shouldn't be doing that. Nothing good could come of going back there, and nothing could convince him to do it.

Almost nothing, as it turned out.

He heard about it by accident, or coincidence, or just the movements of the Force. On his second visit to Jedha, Cere had pulled him aside and told him one of her contacts on the Hidden Path had reached out with an emergency. A Senator's daughter had been kidnapped by an Inquisitor. They knew nothing about the Fortress Inquisitorius. They needed help that Cere couldn't give...and Cal could.

After his vision on Bogano, Cal couldn't just stand by and let a little girl stay there.

It was another coincidence that he arrived at the briefing just as he heard someone say, "We shouldn't be doing this. No one's ever made it back out."

"Almost no one," he said as he walked in, BD on his back peeking curiously out at the group.

"Who are you?"

Cal opened his mouth to answer, but someone else there beat him to it. "Seriously? How can you not recognize him, Wade? That's Cal Kestis. He's on the Empire's Most Wanted list! The hair, the scars, it's got to be him. He's even wearing the poncho! You are, aren't you?"

"Uh. Yeah," Cal said, a little flustered at being recognized—not that it should have been a surprise. He'd quite literally raced across a billboard with his own face on it, showing his Wanted notice. "I heard you needed help getting into the Fortress. I was there five years ago. Sneaked in, although getting out was a lot, uh, louder. But we can help."

He patted the holotable and BD-1 hopped down and projected his own map of the interior, far more detailed. He'd even kept records of the troops they'd encountered, as Cal had sliced his way through.

"Oh wow. You really have been there. We could never get that kind of intel from the outside. Why were you there?"

"One of the Inquisitors got a holocron. A list of Force-sensitive children."

For the first time, a bearded man in the back made a sound, a strangled sort of gasp. "What happened to it?" The voice was a little rough, but Cal still knew a Coruscanti accent when he heard one, even this far out from the Core. In the Force he was…muted, like a gray veil was drawn across him, but…

"I destroyed it," he said, watching the figure steadily as the others crowded around the holotable to study BD's maps. "I got it back, and I destroyed it. Those children deserve better than to be hunted by the Empire. Like we are."

That sigh told him everything. Cal had felt another flare of surprised recognition when his name had been said, but it had disappeared too quickly for him to figure out where it had come from. Now that he was paying attention—and a lot about this man discouraged paying attention, maybe a little too much—Cal was almost sure he knew who this was.

Everyone else was still occupied, arguing over how they were going to get in, how they would get everyone out again. Cal stepped closer, lowering his voice just in case. "Master Kenobi?"

"Ben," the man said immediately, but Cal had been feeling for it in the Force this time, that brief spark of recognition. Then Ben paused, and finally turned to look at Cal directly for the first time, searching his face curiously. "You were the one Quinlan spoke of."

"Master Vos?" Cal asked, surprised. Quinlan Vos had taught him, just for a few months, only a year or so after he'd arrived at the Temple. He'd been the only one who could teach a young Cal Kestis how to understand and control what he was seeing when he touched things. For a while, Cal had hoped Master Vos would ask him to be his Padawan, and had guiltily harbored a little disappointment when it hadn't happened, but that was all…so long ago now. "Uh…yeah. I must be."

Master Kenobi—Ben—gave him a quiet, tired smile. "I cannot imagine your unique abilities have made navigating this galaxy easier," he said, "but in case you hadn't heard, Quinlan is still alive."

"He is?" Cal's heart lifted. Any news of just one other Jedi still living… "Masters Eno Cordova and Cere Junda are also alive. They're together, they're working to rebuild the Archives."

"Don't tell me anything more," Ben said quickly, but there was a bloom of relief in his eyes before they were both called to the table to help plan.

The trip to Nur wasn't long, but long enough for Ben to sit quietly beside Cal, desert robe folded across his lap. "The Empire's Most Wanted? From what I understand, the Empire is hunting a great many people. More than it would like known about publicly. What exactly did you do to earn a spot on that list?"

"Where do you want me to start?" Cal answered with a wry grin. "That picture they're using is old. Probably from the security cameras the first time I was in the Fortress."

"How did you make it out again, exactly? Your ship?"

"Well…yes and no. Cere and I were facing Vader—"

"Vader?" Ben exclaimed, drawing a few looks from the others. "You've faced him?"

"Yeah. I kinda flooded the place. I guess they fixed it." Cal shrugged, as though surviving Darth Vader was only an irritation, an inconvenience, and not something almost no Jedi have done. "He got me, but my friends took care of me. My friend Merrin got me and Cere out of the water. I remember seeing her magic."

"Her—"

"She's a Nightsister of Dathomir." Then, as Cal watched Ben's face turn wary, he added, "She's family. She's the only one left of her sisters. You'd like her."

"Oh, I'm certain. What makes you say that?" Ben asked skeptically.

Cal grinned. "You're both really good at being sarcastic," he said, and felt a little silent triumph at the startled expression. "Seriously. She's a good friend."

"Well. We've all had to adapt, I suppose." Ben shifted as the ship trilled its warning that they'd exit hyperspace in five minutes. "Did you really destroy that holocron?"

"Cut it in half with my lightsaber. It…I think it was the right thing to do. I wonder sometimes, but—"

"It was." Ben was watching the flow of hyperspace out the window instead, but Cal felt how much he meant his next words. "We need to keep those children safe."

"Yeah. Including the one the Inquisitors have." Cal's hand settled on his lightsaber as the others started getting ready. "What's her name again?"

Ben's fear was beginning to leach into the Force, but he smiled, clearly thinking of her. "Leia. It's Leia."

"Leia," Cal repeated, committing it to memory in case he found her first. "I'm looking forward to meeting her."

Chapter Two: Bad Ending

"Reva?"

***

It was later. He couldn't see. He could feel the tightness of the manacles around his wrists, arms, legs, thighs, head. Something on the chair beneath him was wet. He could smell blood, taste tin. He could hear the faint hum of the electrodes in the chair, dormant, waiting. Distant footsteps. Voices outside the closed door.

Reva's voice, growing louder. "...something for you. A surprise."

"I do not enjoy surprises, Third Sister. You will not distract me. Do not think I will so easily forget your incompetence at allowing Kenobi to escape."

"Not a distraction, just a token. In apology, Lord Vader. A Jedi. It's not Kenobi, but still one I think you've wanted for a long time."

He heard the door open. He heard slow, firm footsteps on the grating. He felt the temperature drop in the room. The swirl of cold in the Force that accompanied Vader everywhere he went.

He heard the breathing.

There was a long, horrible pause.

"Kestis." Vader drew it out, adding sibilance, as if savoring the name. "You have done well to capture this one. Keep him alive. Do not let him escape. When I return…he will accompany me to Mustafar."

"Of course, Lord Vader."

Cal could hear the swirl of Vader's cape in the stillness, feel the air move, the pressure in the room dropping again as that presence moved away.

Then a hand. Fingertips on his jaw, so sudden and gentle as to be shocking. There was nowhere to move, but he jerked aside anyway, gritting his teeth against the flaring of pain.

"Why you?"

Reva. Reva's voice, low and angry and wracked with guilt and pain Cal knew she couldn't afford, as an Inquisitor.

"Why did it have to be you? You got out of here once, you got away from him, and you came back."

The hand slid down to his throat and squeezed. Cal's hands balled into fists—but her grip released him and she just rested her hand there, against his pulse.

"I can't. He'll kill me and then it's all wasted. I can't save you."

Cal swallowed against a sandpaper throat, licked cracked lips. "You…put me…here."

"I know. And you have to stay. I can't explain why." He heard a little laugh, just a chuckle, just like she used to do in the Temple. She'd always been so serious. "You'll probably die here. Maybe it'll even be a mercy. But he won't take you anywhere."

"Reva."

He felt the warmth that was her leaning closer. She needed to. His voice was barely making it past his lips. "Trilla…" he managed, and felt her jolt of surprise in the Force. "She…wanted…to stop…he k-killed her for it…and Masana…I set her free too…you can…still go back…"

No answer, but he knew she hadn't left. Her finger traced along the blaster scar on his neck. He wished, recklessly and with the intensity of knowing his life wasn't long now, he wished he could tell her how he'd gotten them. About Master Tapal, about Prauf, Cere, Cordova, BD, Greez, Merrin, Bode. His people, his family, the one he'd found after he'd lost Reva and Caleb.

"She wanted…Trilla…she said, 'avenge us'..."

"I know." Now Reva sounded like she had before, cool and calm with that edge of disdain. "Sit tight, Jedi. I'm sure someone will be along soon."

The hand withdrew, leaving his neck cold from the lack of contact. He heard her boots on the grating. "Reva," he tried again, hoarse, barely more than a whisper. He'd told himself he wouldn't scream, but everyone screamed eventually.

The door slid shut.

[jupiterjelliez]

Ink Demon vs Vesty

I'm rambling my thoughts here!! There's been plenty of questions surrounding whether Ink and Vest share thoughts, are two completely different people or simply just different forms of the same being (similar to Ink Bendy and Beast Bendy in BATIM [as in they were the same person, just looked different]) so here are my thoughts about it. I'm gonna be using the names Ink (Bendy/Demon) and Vesty so it's easier to tell who I'm talking about. They are the same person. Ink is no longer just a wandering souless monster anymore, he can speak and think for himself. Ink Demon only appears after you hurt Vesty, which what we know from the Keeper tapes, he was severely wounded, tortured basically and probably does not respond to pain that well. Traumatic reasons yknow? That's when Ink actively looks for you and tries to hunt you, always having the black and white presence whenever he's out to kill you. If you're playing the game straight through, it's a low chance to get an Ink Demon attack after the transformation scene outside of Gent. In my personal experience at least, I didn't see him once until the ending. Okay, if they're the same person, why does he act so wildly different towards Audrey? This is more getting into headcannon possibly canon territory as none of this is truly explained. I personally think, because Bendy has always been visioned as a monster for his entire life, he tries to deceive you in some way. His Vesty form is the only time someone has ever looked at him with joy, so he plays up that role. Being nice, helping out, not speaking, just to make Audrey think they are not the same. The transformation scene has to be my biggest evidence, as when it's revealed, he glances at you and just does a walk of shame to go hide, both from the signal towers and probably the crushing reality of Audrey now knowing. When Audrey mentioned the Gent building, Vesty was very visibly upset and did not want to go. Audrey pushed and he had no other option but to help and follow. He is aware he is extremely vunerable in this form, that's why he stays out of trouble, he isn't stupid. The second Audrey loses sight of him, he completely dissapears. This also is never explained, nor does Audrey ever comment on it. Next scene is the Ink Demon stopping Audrey from entering Gent, no black and white filter which presumeably means he's not killing her. But the towers flash on, he transforms and has no other choice but to leave. When it comes to in-game scenes and such, Ink Demon feels way more friendly-ier then beforehand after the Gent scene. For example, before recruiting Vesty, Ink would always say how it's fate for her to die and how he'd find you regardless but afterwards, he warns you of Wilson and offers to help you when at your most vunerable (ending cutscene). I'm not saying Audrey and Bendy are now buddy-buddy, but they definitely have some sort of respect for one another. For christ sakes, Bendy quite literally saves her from being consumed by Shipahoy. He only gets aggressive once again when Audrey tries to break the cycle, the one thing he didn't want her doing. If you had trauma of no one ever liking you and only hurting you, I bet you'd become immediatly aggressive to whoever would hurt you. As to why after shocking Vesty, Ink Demon immediatly tries to hunt you down and the second he doesn't feel your presence in Animation Alley, he calls out to you instead. I don't blame him at all. That mf has been thru some shit. Anyways I think that's it, my silly lil BATDR theory / headcannon.

[talesofmetalandmagic]

Azir, Xerath and What Could Have Been

As in the song from Arcane, performed by the one and only Sting and with the iconic violin solo from Ray Chen.

The lyrics are clearly tailored to Jinx and Vi, but I love how they also befit Xerath and Azir, especially in the scenario I've been building so far.

I don't want to make it look as if I'm just writing Xerath as a one-dimensional whumper who wants to make Azir's second life as miserable as possible because he's EEEVIL. Xerath to his core is a traumatized man from a terrible background who endured an inhuman transformation – Azir is a majestic bird of prey, while he's literally become his own prison – and who lashes out on Azir in the hope that making him suffer will quench his own endless rage.

"Worst of all, for me to live, I've gotta kill the part of me that saw that I needed you more"

Part of the reason why, at the end, Xerath backs out of his deal – build a temple for me and I'll let you go – is because he doesn't want to deal with Azir anymore. He doesn't want to live in the same world Azir lives, he doesn't want to fathom any possible recovery (Azir is a tough cookie after all), he doesn't even want him to be hurt by someone who's not him. He's a problem that needs to vanish. But whatever little shred of love he has for his so-called brother is there, and it torments Xerath to no end.

"I couldn't care what invention you made me/cause I/I was meant to be yours"

So he takes all his senses, locking Azir in what could be seen as a little world of his own separated from anyone else – hence him sowing the hood onto him instead of locking it as he'd usually do, as if to make it a part of Azir's body – and forcing him to wear his own coffin too, putting them at the same level after all.

"I want your to hurt like you hurt me that day/I want you to lose like I lose when I play"

After all Xerath spent three thousand years sealed away. Azir spends... maybe a couple weeks until a. Xerath decides to sell the coffin containing him to Malzahar as a tribute to Bel'Veth, but Kai'sa rescues him or b. Rek'Sai wrecks the temple in her rampage, dragging Azir's coffin out of the sands, and then Kai'sa rescues him.

Finding out Azir has indeed grown humble after his torture, coming in contact with commoners, using his control of the sands for means that go beyond combat, apologizing formally to Taliyah and her people and trying his best to quench Renekton's rage, makes Xerath even angrier, because morsels of regret start to bite.

Azir is still pompous, graceful and determined, but he's more willing to listen, more content with simple things, sweeter in demeanor towards his retainers and generally more conscious of what a ruler's duty is – as well as more aware of his personal trauma and biases, which came way before the whole "kidnapped and tormented by Xerath" part of his life.

And the fact that he always had the potential to be this way confuses and pains Xerath, because it gives even less leeway to his "he deserves to suffer every drop of pain I inflict upon him" conceit and opens the door to the chance that, had Xerath not sabotaged his Ascension, things could have gone well for them.

"What could have been"

[shlutnutt]

Aisle 7

loved the way this one turned out hope you enjoy!

warnings: public oral sex, robbery, masturbation, overstimulation mention, etc, just regular smutty shit

Warren Lipka and you were inseparable. You were best friends, boyfriend and girlfriend, husband and wife, soulmates, enemies, lovers, but for most you were fuck buddies. You'd travel around together, even if that were to be across the globe or for a quick joint wrap to the nearest corner store. No matter what you guys' were up to the adrenaline was always there, leading you guys to do unholy things in the most unholy places. Even if that were to be in a church, a kids' playground or even in the middle of fucking nowhere, to clubs, reunions, rooftops or a stranger's left open garage. But there was one place you and Warren haven't tested yet, and it was very much needed to be checked out of your bucket list.

Waking up to Warren's angelic self laying beside you, taking a moment to breath in his masculine heaven sent scent and his beautifully unique facial features you soon realize a cute perfect curl resting on his forehead, using your finger tips to swipe it softly behind his ear so it doesn't bug him, hearing a soft groan fall out of his pink lips. Shifting a little, Warren pulled you in close to him wrapping his muscular arms around your bruised naked body, causing a small whimper to fall out of you as he accidentally held a little too hard on your contused waist, from your guys' long night.

"S-sorry." apologized Warren in his adorable morning voice, half awake kissing your shoulder caustiously, loosening his grip on you as you're now the little spoon. Warren wasn't the type to apologize, his way of apologizing was pleasing you through sex, he never wanted to show his vulnerability to you.

"Since when do you apologize, Warren Lipka?" you asked as he replied with "God. I love the way you say my name.." completely avoiding your question lifting his huge pointer finger to your lips to shush you nicely, still half asleep.

Getting up now and getting dressed for some food you look over at the man shifting aggressively looking for his most comfortable position peeking over at you discreetly, you ask him what'd he want from Dunkin's. "Gonna go to dunkin's, want a coffee, a bagle or something?" "Yeah.. no sugar and a bagle.. maybe get some wraps while you're out, hm?" Warren mumbled under his breath lazyly lifting an eyebrow to your sudden silence and unmovibility. "wanna come.. maybe?" you fill in the silence, in hopes to him agreeing since you feered going out alone.

Warren just strecthed and hummed pushing the blue striped covers to the side as he lazyly dragged himself out of the bed, unaware he was still butt naked from the previous night you rested your head on the windowsill, unable to keep your eyes off of his morning wood, in which was fully hard for you to see. Your arousal was soon arising, causing you to tighten your legs in amusement.

Clothed now, Warren points at the keys signaling you to pick them up and get the car running while he looks for some money he had misplaced. As you speed walked to your car, tripping along the way. You struggle to catch your breath as you sigh in sexual frustration. Even after your guys' long overstimulated night you couldn't bare the need of wanting more. So, unwilling of simply asking Warren to fulfill your needs you pull up one of his old nudes that you had saved on your phone, satisfying yourself quickly before he'd notice.

You groaned to yourself lowly as you massaged your clothed clit, not daring to take your eyes off of his nudes. So lost in the moment you hear a faded knock on your car's window, taking you by surprise. With the knocking fading in now, you look up to Warren who's eyes were lustfilled and lips were smirked signaling you to open the door and slide over to the passenger seat.

"I- I–" "Shh, princess." Warren shushed you as he buckled up his seatbelt, reaching out for yours and buckling it in for you also, his hand swiping pass your lower abdomen making you jump slightly.

The ride quiet and awkward you look over to him, only to catch your focus onto his hands now, which were swiftly and roughly operating the steering wheel. His hands veiny and pale, you zone out to only get zoned back in to a harsh grip onto your upper thigh.

"Dare or dare, Y/N?" Warren dares you, sharp stare suited on his eyes, which move from your own to the road in a rapid manner. "Bring it on, baby." you tease, knowing he had evil plans coming for you after what he's witnessed.

"Suck me off in the supermarket."

"What-"

Warren only chuckled to your reaction but he was dead fucking serious. This man is literally crazy. It amazed you how you've put up with him for all that time, but you matching his level of crazy you accept his dare, causing Warren to give your thigh a little slap as he parked in the empty parking lot an evil grin glued to his face. "I'll go in and order if you want." he tells you whislt shoving a couple hundreds in his green coat, you nod in response. Him now jogging into dunkin to place your orders as fast as he possibly could, he stops a little to give you a wink before going in, an evil ass wink.

As Warren took a little longer than usual you predicted that he were to be committing yet another crime, so you prepare to be his getaway driver for the third time that week, it only being Thursday.

Rolling your last blunt to waste some time, you spot Warren from the corner of your eyes running like a maniac towards your car, dozens of bags and coffee placers in hand, bright big smile suited on his face as he sped to the passenger seat. Throwing all the bags to the back seat he slaps your thigh repeatedly demanding you to go.

"Fuck Y/N! I fucking love you!" Warren yelled in between pants, the huge wide smile still placed on his face as he sweated like a pig, taking off his heavy green coat replacing it with a brown one to semi-cover his identity, as you guys sped off uncautiously manefesting a ticket.

"Yeah, yeah. I fucking love you too." you sighed in between giggles.

The adrenaline now going to its norm you feel a sharp familiar gaze on you. Keeping your eyes on the road, you hear Warren's breathing escalate inconspicuously, making your curiosity grow by the second you attempt to ask the man what was going on, only for him to shush you once again.

"Park right there." ordered Warren, pointing at a supermarket's uninhabited parking lot. You follow his orders instantly, carefully parking your car near some trees, making the parking lot appear more blank than what it should've been.

Warren's stare only intensified as you grew in curiosity. With him placing his huge hand on your thigh once again, you couldn't bare the need to kiss him, crashing your lips onto his sloppily to soon straddling ontop of him. Warren didn't hesitate to kiss back, placing his hands on your waist grinding his rising clothed boner onto your clothed pussy roughly.

"Fuck me.. baby please" you insist in between the makeout, panting pathetically against his shoulder, as you two humped for several minutes now.

"You owe me a dare, Y/N." replies Warren in between heavy grunts, referring to his previous 'Give me head in a supermarket' dare.

"But- bu-" "No ifs or buts Y/N, dare or nothing?" Warren teases giving you no other option,you needing all of him desperately you accept his dare getting off of him to unlock the car and walk out of it.

Warren only looked up at you in amusement, with the coincidence of you guys' being parked outside of a supermarket he only grew excited, jumping out of the car walking behind you exhilaratedly.

Now entering the unoccupied supermarket you look around to make sure there wasn't a soul around to witness the unholiness you were about to commit to. Not a single person around other than the 2 cashiers up front you grab Warren's hand and drag him down aisle to aisle speed walking almost, as you search for the most hidden aisle in the back of the supermarket.

"Aisle 7." you murmured under your breath as you pull Warren in for a kiss, the kiss transforming into a unconditional make out. Warren suddenly held onto your waist firmly once again as you kissed down his neck, him leaning his head back, giving you more access. You lose no time to fidget your fingers curling on his sweats strings, to massaging his shaft softly.

This producing some soft groans to fall out of your comrade's mouth you push him slightly onto the tide pod shelf behind him, lowering yourself smoothly. Your face now confronting his clothed member you look up to him in concern of getting caught. He only whispers "No cameras." to give you comfort.

Pulling down his sweats you are suprisingly tapped across your nose with your lover's tip, in which is leaking in precum, turning you on incredibly. Twirling your wet tongue around his reddened tip you take time to give his balls attention also, massaging them thoughtfully. "Oh fuck." moaned Warren to your delicate and thoughtful touch on him as he struggled to keep an eye out for anyone coming.

You sucked on him desperately, now allowing his shaft to torture your throat leisurely. The situation becoming heated by the time you lightly tap on Warren's thigh to shush him from his loud disturbing moans and groans, struggling to not come too quick.

"Come for me." you order, soon feeling a creamy warm liquid drip from your lips. You intentionally keep sucking to make his manly self beg for you to stop.

"W-wait." stuttered Warren, looking down at you with squinting eyes, you ignore him supposing he wanted you to stop overstimulating him, continuing since he hadn't said his safe word. "Y/N!" he called for you once more, causing you to annoyingly stop to face him.

"Camera.." was all he said, looking up to it nervously. You get up to face a security camera pointing directly at you guys.

"Well fuck, we can cross that off the list now, can't we?" joked Warren as you wanted to instantly die from embarrassment leaving through the emergency back door unable to look at the cashier after what you've just done.

[somersetmummy]

(A/N): This fic takes place immediately following book 1 chapter 11 (after being rescued by Sam from Sofia's closet). Not going to lie, I originally posted this monster fic (7000+ words) on Wattpad as a whole (my first fic, I didn’t know better!) so I’ve taken the opportunity to re-write and condense but thought it read better as two parts. 

Series/Pairing: The Nanny Affair (M!Sam Dalton x MC Katie Hide) 

Original characters - all property of PB: Katie Hide (MC), Sam Dalton, Mason & Mickey Dalton, Jenny Blake, Robin Flores (Part Two only)

New characters: (Present in Part Two) Serena-Rose Warren, Tessa Finch, Lucinda Hansen 

Rating/Content warning: 18+ Light sexual language

Word Count: 1880

Summary: Driving home together, Nanny Katie Hide and her boss Sam Dalton get a little hot and steamy after she receives an offer of a night out with the girls. 

Find Part Two here.

Part One -

The companionable silence within the car provides a stark contrast to the chaos of rush hour on the streets outside. Sam leisurely meanders through the traffic seemingly taking care not to rush the journey, enjoying a rare opportunity for the two of them to steal a fleeting moment to themselves. With their fingers laced together resting on his thigh, as his other commands control of the steering wheel, she steals a lingering glance in his direction relishing in the flutters which catch in her stomach as he notices her watching him. His lips curl into a comfortable smile in reply of her unspoken affection and it takes all his might to keep his eyes on the road.  

In the footwell below her feet the distant hum of a phone, neglected in her bag, buzzing faintly to itself punctuates the quiet once again, as it has been for the last ten minutes. Tired of being ignored, the buzzing transforms into a piercing ring causing its owner to startle and refocus. Untangling her fingers from Sam's she reaches down to collect it, her frustration at being interrupted quickly forgotten when she sees her friend's name on the home screen.  

"Finally!! So you are alive!" Jenny squeals down the phone without restraint.  The smirk on Sam's face is unmissable as he recognises the shrill voice on the other end of the phone. Katie returns his glance with an eye roll of her own as she braces herself for an interrogation.

"Ok, ok I get it, I'm here now. What's up?"

"You need to ask that gorgeous boss of yours to give you Friday night off, we're taking you out and I won't take no for an answer! It's about time we had a girls night, we've barely seen you since you've been living it up with that sex god."

Katie winces hoping Sam hadn't heard that last bit, subtlety was never Jenny's strong suit. She knows she doesn't need to consider her answer, just thinking of how much she's missed her friends the last few months sparks a pang of guilt deep in heart. A night free from the drama of fiancés, stolen glances and torturous longing sounds perfect.

"That actually sounds great Jen, I'll try my best to come. Aren't we pushing it to get a spot at any of the good places though if we're leaving it this late..."

Jenny scoffs, feigning disbelief that Katie would think she didn’t already have a master plan. If she wasn’t her best friend she’d feel a little insulted.

"You don't think I'm already all over that?! And I mean literally, I've got Josh on the case for us and I definitely got all over that!" 

The smugness in her voice carries her words and Katie can't help but giggle as she pictures how her unabashedly forward friend would've convinced her current flavour of the month Joshua Demarco, to use his connections to get them access to the hottest new bar in town. She'd no doubt that while a few flutters of eyelashes and some kind words would have sufficed, it was more likely that Jen would have insisted on giving him something more in return. And that something would most definitely not have been PG. 

As the more outgoing and vocal half of their partnership, Jenny has always had a way of charming everybody she meets, her connection with people is effortless, something which Katie finds both admirable and terrifying. 

While some could argue that Katie too could charm and impress people effortlessly, she is undoubtedly more comfortable in the background, observing and understanding how things work before weighing in. She notices the details, picking up on key points of conversation, getting to know people on a personal level and drawing on their connections to help assert herself. Jen needed to be visible at all times, she was like the sun, drawing people in to her warmth and reflecting her own energy back at them in return. 

"I'll leave it with you then Jen, just text me with the details and I'll see if I can make it. And I don't mean the steamy details of you and Josh, you can save those to share with me over cocktails!" Sam's intensely brooding gaze falls upon her, no doubt trying to glue together the pieces of conversation he'd just overheard. She turns to him realising he probably already suspects there’s a further story to be told. They’d not yet shared much about their lives beyond the penthouse but he’d heard enough to know that she could be easily influenced by her impulsive friend. 

"Jen I'd better go, speak soon."

Returning the phone to the depths of her bag, she catches Sam's eye, his expression warm but curious, clearly waiting for her to elaborate.

"Would you mind if I took the night off on Friday? Jen's asked if I can meet her and some friends, we haven't seen each other for ages...."

Unsure where the feeling comes from, the urge to say more rushes over her like a wave crashing on the shore. It’s the same as the feeling of nervousness she had that night a few weeks ago at the diner, almost like first date nerves. Perhaps, she realises,  they’ve resurfaced because her whole life has been tangled with his for the last few months, she's not really sure how to break out of it and step back into her own, or whether he'll let her. 

"Obviously I'll make sure I get the boys dinner sorted, the place tidy, laundry done and get them to bed before I head out....and I won't stay out late, I wouldn't want to cause any disruption....unless you've got any pressing work or meetings which means you'll be home late... I can cancel, I know it's short notice..."

"Woah, who are you, Cinderella?!"

The mirth in his tone instantly relaxes her as she realises he's only teasing. While attempting, and failing, to look defiant her nose inevitably crinkles, unable to contain the laughter bubbling to the surface at the silliness of her outburst. He leans over gently resting his hand on her knee to placate her, stroking her delicate skin with his thumb.

"Of course you should go out with your friends."

"Really?"

"Definitely." He continues, "as much as I would love to keep you to myself I know that you have a life of your own to live too and you, more than anyone, deserve to go out and enjoy yourself."

Sweeping his hand into her own, she gracefully brings it to her lips, tickling featherlight kisses along his knuckles.

"Thank you....but I don't know that you'd really want me to let my hair down if you knew how our girls nights usually play out..."

A wicked smile casts on her lips as she looks at him from under her long eyelashes, she continues to caress his hand, her lips teasing his skin with every word. He struggles to keep his eyes on the road, his mind racing with the many possible indiscretions which he imagines could take place on girls night, especially with Jenny at the helm. The visions in his mind entrance him and he can't decide whether he wishes he was part of them, or that she wasn't.

"I see, a bit of an every man for himself situation is it?!" 

He pulls her hand over to his lap where he secures it on his thigh under his own. His hope that by keeping his hand on hers he can keep her grounded to him before losing her to the inhibitions of the impending night out.

"Let's just say it'll be a hot mess of short skirts, high heels, cocktails and getting sweaty on the dance floor."

Realising that the car has come to a stop at a red light she turns to Sam looking him straight in the eye as she slides her hand brazenly up his thigh. She can feel his pants straining to contain what's growing within them while his chest visibly rises and falls more rapidly, struggling to control the pulsing hunger running through him. 

"But don't worry, we usually only break a few hearts".

Unable to restrain himself any longer, he launches across the centre console, holding her head in his hands and devouring her mouth with his hungry wet lips. She lets herself fall deeply into his kiss, smiling against him as she thinks to herself that she should ask for time off more often.

The light turns to green and then red again, disgruntled drivers behind sounding their horns in annoyance as the immaculate silver Audi blocks their path, but neither occupant notices as they loose themselves in one another.

Her gentle hands press against Sam's muscular chest, marvelling in the ripples beneath her fingers, before sliding them up into his hair pulling him deeper into the kiss. He keeps one hand firmly at the back of her neck, anchoring her to him while the other roams down the curves of her body, his thumb tweaking a now erect nipple before grasping at her hip.

Intruding on their entanglement, the sound of the in-car phone system echoes around the plush detailing of the car, with 'Home' appearing on the display. Breaking apart in surprise, they finally catch a breath. Sam rests his forehead intimately against hers as he gives the voice command to answer the call and Mason's innocent voice pours out of the speakers.

"Hey dad, are you gonna be home soon? We're staaarving." It's impossible for Katie not to break into a smile as she thinks about the boys at home with Carter, no doubt teaching him all sorts of tricks which she'd never let them get away with. Sam notices her thoughtful smile and matches it with his own as their minds work as one imaging the same scene. Their eyes once again meet as they resign themselves to the intimate moment being lost, instead committing it to memory to recall again when the urge to immerse themselves in thoughts of each other inevitably come to call.

"Yeah buddy, I've just picked up Katie and we're heading home now."

The smile in Mason's voice is evident as his tone becomes more upbeat. 

"Oh great, Katie's with you?...Hey Katie!"

"We missed you today, why'd you have to spend the day with Suck...I mean with Sofia anyways?!" Mickey interrupts, his fear of missing out pushing him to insert himself in the conversation.

Sam and Katie stifle their giggles at Mickey's slip of the tongue, aware of the microphone above their heads. Sam places a soft kiss on Katie's forehead before pulling away begrudgingly as she in turn adjusts her position, smoothing over her now crumpled skirt. 

"Hi boys, I missed you too. I was just helping her with some grown up work stuff, definitely not as fun as a day with you monkeys though.”

Much to the relief of the drivers behind them, Sam's already breezing through the now green light towards the penthouse, this time with more urgency as the sky above begins to melt into dusk.  

"How about your dad and I pick up some pizza on our way back...."

Without even a moments hesitation the twins excited voices burst through the speakers once again.

"Score!"

Tag List:  @shewillreadyou @txemrn @silma-words @thefrenchiemama @secretaryunpaid @sfb123 @fanjessfic

[emachinescat]

Title: Hands | Fandom: MacGyver

Summary: Jack says goodbye with a handshake. But sometimes a handshake can mean more than a hug. Or, I attempt to reconcile with the way Jack left the show using some deep introspection and gratuitous bromance.

Characters: Jack, Mac

Words: 1,196

TW: None

AO3 Tags: Season/Series 03, Season 3/Episode 14, Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Bromance, Goodbyes, Spoilers

Year Published: 2020

Full story here or on AO3!

When Jack says good-bye, he hugs Bozer, embraces Riley.

He shakes Mac's hand.

This farewell handshake between best friends, partners, brothers in all but blood might seem, to the uninitiated, strange. Cold, even. Distant. But the fact is that just because Jack does not pull Mac into an embrace, their good-bye is not heartless, not meaningless. Indeed - this handshake has more heart and meaning in it than any hug ever could.

Their hands clasp, and stay that way until Jack turns to leave. The touch is familiar, comforting. It's a promise. Each hand holds that promise, to stay alive, to come back safe, to stay strong, to keep saving lives and to never stop thinking. All this is conveyed through a handshake, because Jack's hands have never let Mac down, and Mac's have never failed Jack.

Jack's hands are large, rough, calloused. They are strong, and have taken out scores of dangerous men and women, many while protecting his EOD nerd, then his partner and best friend. And yet, these dangerous hands are gentle when injuries inevitably occur in the line of duty. Somehow those warrior hands can gently stitch together a knife wound with the precision of a surgeon.

Mac's hands are smaller than Jack's, his fingers slender and agile, the skin softer, less calloused. They are strong and capable, constantly fidgeting, yet able to manipulate the tiniest component with ease and grace. They have the nearly inhuman ability to create something out of practically nothing.

But that is where the differences end.

Their hands are lifesavers, protecting countless lives, each in their own way. Yet it's so much more personal than that:

Jack's hands have saved Mac again and again, and he has had so much blood on them, literally and figuratively - literally, he's killed many men to save Mac, and won't hesitate to do it again; figuratively, he has had Mac's blood on his hands far too often. And even though during those times, he was doing his damnedest to keep that blood in the kid's body, it still stung like acid and never seemed to fully come off, no matter how long or how hard he scrubbed.

Back in the Sandbox, while the kid defused bombs, with a twitch of his trigger finger, Jack saved Mac. At Lake Como, Jack dove into the water, concussed, and his hands dragged a semi-conscious Mac from the lake, then held firm, steady pressure on the wound until backup came. He had a head wound, he was shivering and wet. But his hands didn't tremble as he fought stubbornly against Mac's life slipping between his fingers. He'd done the same when Murdoc "helped" the kid by shooting him, keeping the rifle trained on the psychopath with one hand, keeping pressure on Mac's shoulder with the other. He would have done it again, too, in the woods, during that training gone wrong, if he had been there. Jack still beats himself up for not being there for his kid, even if his other two kids had done a great job in his stead.

Mac's hands have also saved Jack - so, so many times, and though violence isn't his way, he feels that he has blood on his hands, too. Jack's blood, from when Mac believes he wasn't fast enough, or clever enough, or when he just wasn't there and Jack got hurt. When he was shot on Goat Island. When Mac had used Jack's heart to keep another heart pumping. When he hadn't been there to stop Jack from being tortured. When Jack had been captured and dosed with truth serum.

But his hands have saved Jack far more times than they have had his blood on them (though of course he sees the former so much more often in his mind). Mac has disarmed so many bombs that would certainly have killed Jack, with his steady, sure, and agile fingers. In the Sandbox, defying direct orders to leave and save himself. In the back of the truck, with Jack's foot on a pressure plate, eyes terrified, pleading. Don't let me die like this, hoss. In his own house, he and Jack sealed inside by the Ghost. He'd defused them all, and many more.

MacGyver's hands have made so many gadgets over the years, tiny miracle after tiny miracle that saved his life, his team's lives, Jack's life … over and over again. And when he doesn't have time to improvise, he does whatever it takes, uses his hands at whatever capacity, no matter the cost, to protect his overwatch. Mac spent weeks unable to use his hands, exchanging burn cream and bandages for physical therapy, after reaching into and pulling a flaming casket out of an incinerator with his bare hands to rescue Jack. But it was worth every ounce of pain, because Jack is still here.

Their hands are comfort, during times of grief, during pain and panic and flashbacks. Jack's hands squeezed Mac's trembling shoulders in solidarity when Frankie supposedly died… and when Zoey actually did. Mac has stood at Jack's father's grave and done the same.

Jack's hands rubbed small circles on his partner's back when Mac slipped into a panic attack after he was tortured by El Noche and on the agonizing flight home as the kid's muscles spasmed uncontrollably from VX nerve gas. His fingers carded through sweaty blonde bangs on the sidewalk as a drugged Mac - the only kind of Mac that would allow that degree of "parenting" - cowered away from the medics trying to insert an IV into his arm. And Mac's hands massaged the spasms and cramps from Jack's stint as the cattle to his torturer's prod, treated his bullet wound at the Naval base, and set broken bones. Mac's hands wrapped cracked ribs from their escape from the fallout shelter, apologizing - needlessly - again and again for what he had pretended to do.

Jack has let Mac's hands squeeze his own through the kid's own bullet wounds and broken bones - as Mac has done for Jack. Their hands ground one another through flashbacks of the Sandbox, of missions gone terribly wrong and of torture - whether it is their own or one another's.

Their hands are faith, and trust. Faith in one another, every day trusting one another's lives in the other's hands, able to do a job that could get them killed with the firm belief that they are protected. Faith in themselves, knowing that where one falters, the other will remind him of his worth.

Their hands hold so many things. Tears, blood, laughter, fear, pain, defused bombs and sniper rifles and chewing gum and random bits and bobs. They hold memories. A friendship galvanized through hardship, hard fought but so very worth it. A partnership that will last a lifetime. An unbreakable bond.

Right now, their hands hold one another.

Warm brown eyes meet blue, and though so few words are spoken, the remainder have either already been said when Jack first broke the news, or they don't have to be spoken out loud.

The handshake - this promise, this reminder, these memories and moments and this blood and this laughter and trust and faith - says it all.

[bots-basket]

Snapshot: make a little doodle or drabble one of your favorite scenes!

{ Yeah So My Brain Miraculously Decided To have motivation and Did a Full blown Story with Pictures So Here Ya Go!

*Note: Some of the pics used are screenshot redraws. }

🌀Vortex 🌀

Terrible. Absolutely Terrible. How could things Go So Bad?

The Tobot Crew had Awoken To a start. The Princess had Gone Missing! Onyx was the first to realize she was Missing when she didn't come out for breakfast that Morning. At First The Eldest Kept it to himself as he searched around the Junkyard, Hoping he'd Just find her Hiding or sleeping in a Random Place again. Whenever he didn't have to Worry his little Brothers the better. But After a while of Searching he Began to get concerned.. and So Did His siblings.

It was obvious that this was going to be an unavoidable Conversation, So He told Rox and Zephyr the News. Zephyr was the first to Panic.

" WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PRINCESS D: "

Zephyr Exclaimed as he Flared his Arms around in worry. How Could she be Missing?! She was Just here Last Night.. Why would she Leave? Now she's Lost in the city with who knows what lurking around the next Bend.

Rox was also Wildly Concerned for the Princess, But Handled it a bit better for Zephyr's Sake. Though he Put on a Brave Face he couldn't Hide the worry in His Tone as he Looked to Onyx.

" If we Hurry, we Might be able to find her- Right? I'll Do a Sweep of the entire City If I Have too.. W.. We'll definitely Find her.. No Matter what.. Right..?"

Onyx Looked to Rox and Zephyr and saw the complete Desperation in their Optics.. Glinting threw their Masks and Visors. He didn't Know where The princess could be or What has become of her.. But he Isn't going to Let Those negative Thoughts get to him. He has to be Strong.. for the Princess- And For his Brothers. He Gave a Swift Nod to Rox and Zephyr before responding and taking Charge of the Matter.~

" We Are going to find her, But we'll Need to broaden our Search by splitting up. Rox, You Go North towards the City Shops And Keep an eye in the sky. Remember, She likes to Avoid Contact with others so keep close attention on the Side-streets. Zephyr, You Head South towards The Villages and see if she's at any of her usual Alone-time Spots. I'll Head towards the Woodland Area where she Goes to find lost things. And keep Your Comm units up."

The Two Smaller Bots Nodded before Transforming into their Alts and Zooming off to Go Look for the Princess. Before he Left he Glanced Around the Junkyard.. Something Was giving him a Bad Vibe that something was going to happen As soon as he Left this place.. He wasn't sure about why he was feeling this way, But He wasn't going to take it lightly.

/// *I'll Just Have to Keep my Guard Up..*\\\

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

It Had Been Over 2 Hours since the Squad had been Searching For Their Little Lost Princess.. And there was No Luck Or Clue to her whereabouts At All. Rox had Circled the City Twice Now .. He Hated to Admit it, But He was starting to Get as Worried as Zephyr was about Their Pilot. What Kind of Hero Could he be if he can't even protect the ones he Loves?

He was about to Double-back Once More when Something Caught the Edge Of His Optic. He Transformed Midair and Zoomed down to A Nearby Rooftop to get a Better Look at What he Saw. As he Peaked over the edge of The building, The Thing he saw was unmistakable.. He was going to need Backup. He Shakily Reached for His Comm Unit before speaking In A broken Tone.

[* I.. Found Her.. *]

[* What? Where!?* ]

[* Roxas Where's the Princess?*]

[*- Is Struggling to Answer-*]

[* ROXAS!*]

[* It's Tobais.. He's.. He's Got Her..*]

Onyx Felt as If an Arrow Pierced threw His Armor and into his Core as He Heard the Name That They All Dreaded come out of Rox's trembling Voice. No.. NO- Not Him.. Anyone But Him-! This has turned into the absolute Worse case Scenario. Whatever that Bad Man is planning he Must Be Stopped at Once! Their Princesses Life may depend on them-!

Zephyr Was Shaking too as he heard Tobais Ring out throughout his Mindcore. The Last encounter with Him Lead to The Poisoning Of the Princess.. they were forced to Do Terrible things just to get the Antidote. That man Was a Psychopath- who Knows What He'll Do To Their Princess now that she's in his Clutches. Even though he was scared of Tobais.. He Has To Be Brave! They Have to Save Her!

[* Rox, Where Are You Now? *]

[* I'm Down Norsh Street, Near the New Coin Factory. I Can see Some Of Tobais Badnicks Guarding the Place.. What Do I Do? *]

[* Staying Hidden will be the best move for Now Roxie, We'll come to you. We are Stronger together plus Have each other's backs Incase Tobais Might try to Capture you too. *]

[* Understood, I'll Keep You Posted if anything Happens.*]

Rox Hated All Of this. Tobais Never Fails to Get Under his Metal Plating. Why Must He Have his Wicked Heart Set On Torturing his Family! He's Crushed Rox's Dreams Of Being a Heroes To this City.. He Made them Become Criminals... all At The Princesses Expense. But This is it. He's going to Make Tobais Pay for everything He's Put him and his Family through.. There is No Redemption for this Villan.. He Must Be Vanquished.

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

It didn't Take Long For the Other two the Show Up and meet Rox on the rooftops. Having Scoping out the Area and Situation, The small Squad of Robots Came Up with a Plan. Now all they had to Do was Take Action. Onyx Glanced to his siblings before Whispering

" You ready to Storm the Villan's Castle?"

" Absolutely."

Zephyr Nodded as he made his Servos into a Fist. There's no way he's getting away with this.

" Then Let's Do This!"

Rox Shouted before Flipping off the Roof. The Mecha Guards Looked Up in surprise as The Orange Mech Came from outta Nowhere and Falcon Punched one of them Into The Factories Walls.

The Other Guards Quickly Armmed themselves with their Pistols and began Firing Blasts at Rox. In an Instance a Blue Energy Shield protected him from Taking any Damage. Behind the Shield stood Little Zephyr in a Protective Manner, Making Sure Rox Was Safe.

" I Am a Knight of Valor and Won't Let you do as you Please!"

Rox Smiled To Zephyr Before reaching for his second set of Wings And Unhitching them from his Back, Revealing that they were actually Duel Blades. He Gave a Swift Leap into the Air and Hovered above The Guard Robots. Placing his Blades together he dragged them against each other as an Electrical Pulse Began to Surge from his Body and into the Blades. With a Glint in his Optics Shinung through his Visor he Let Out his Catchphrase.

" To Save the Innocent From This Evildoer's Clutches, I Am a Hero! "

He Sent A Slash Of electricity Down Upon Most of the Guards, Leaving only a Few left Standing. The Last Of them Who Managed to Miss the Charge Of Rox's Ability Sent Guided Missiles at the Flying Mech, Attempting to Put him Out of they sky For Good.

The Eldest Sibling However wasn't going to let him be taken Down So Easily. With the whirl of his Cape He Skillfully Cloud stepped and Got infront of Rox within a Few movements. Raising his servo he managed to create a Magnetic Field to Divert the Course Of the Missiles and sent them Spiraling Down on his Opponents.

" Your End Is Near- For I Am Their Guardian, So Accept Your Fate."

Zephyr Stood his Ground as the Blasts from the Missiles Blowing Up the Remains of the Guards nearly sent him perpeling backwards. Before the Dust could even Settle The Three Hurried Inside The Factory Opening, Hoping that They could see some sort of Clue to where Tobais was keeping their Princess.

Bad Move.

As Soon as they Entered The Factory Bright Spotlights Blazed in their Optics Causing A Temporary Blindness in their visual Sensors. In an Instance Rox Felt Something Grab Onto his Wrist and Twist it Violently Behind his Back, Causing him To drop his Swords and let Out a Screech in Pain by the sudden forced Movement.

" AAAARRRGGHH!!"

Onyx's Sensors Flicked Slightly as he whipped around Towards the direction of Rox's Screams. He Darted Towards the source while Unsheathing His Arm Blades. He Slashed In the direction Of the last known Sound, Hitting something.. Metallic. He Heard Rox give a Subtle Gasp as he felt the grip of his Attacker leave his Wrists for a Moment. The Purple Mechs Sensors Flicked Once more as he Glanced around Blindly. Suddenly he Felt something Grab his Leg- Slamming him into the ground and then Into Rox in a Brutal Manner.

" ACK- *SLAM* UGH-!"

" UCK-"

" ROXIE! ONYX- WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Zephyr's Headfins Flapped Wildly as Anxiety began to Creep into his Mindcore as he Frantically Tried to Figure out what was happening. And Fact that he couldn't see anything didn't Really help his Demeanor either. All He could Do was the cries of Pain Of his Big Brothers as something was Attacking them.

Then The Sound of Metal crashing to the ground stopped abruptly- Causing him to Literally freeze in Panic. He Felt a cold Shivver Creep up his Spine as Something loomed Over him. At that very Moment His Optical Functioning restarted... But it was too Late. A Metal Hand Slammed It's fist ontop the Little Bot, Knocking him Out Cold.

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

In a Few Moments The Squad Came too, And Found themselves in a Very dreadful Situation. They were Hanging from The Ceiling in a Steel-Inforced Net, All Of their Weapons and Gear was confiscated, And Worst of All- There Stood Ontop a Mighty Mech was Tobais, Wearing a Wicked Smirk as he Held Held up Their Beloved Princess.. With a Look of True Terror in Her Tear filled Eyes.

" YOU COWARD! USING YOUR UNDERHANDED TRICKS TO CAPTURE US! IF YOU DON'T LET GO OF THE PRINCESS RIGHT NOW SO HELP ME-"

Rox Snarled as he Grabbed onto the Metal Netting, Attempting to Break Threw It. HOW DARE HE TREAT THE PRINCESS THAT WAY!! Showing her off Like Some Trophy he'd won. If he has hurt her in anyway he was going to Cause some Serious Damage to this Dude.

" wHy Are You Doing this To Us-! Release the Princess!.. Please..She's Done Nothing To You- "

Zephyr Was Trembling as he Spoke. The Sight Of His Princess So Afraid Made him Scared aswell.. He knows What this Man was capable Of.. And the Fact that He Not Only has Her.. But he Single Handedly managed to Capture All three of them aswell Made him Even More Afraid. The edges of His Optics Began to Spike to mimic that Of Crying.. He wished he could Just wake up from this Nightmare.

" What Do You Want Tobais! We'll Do whatever You Say, You have Us! Just Don't Hurt Her! She's Just a Child! She doesn't have a use for Your Plans!"

Onyx Called Out in hopes Of Negotiating with Him. He would give himself Up If it meant protecting Her.. They Owe her their Lives, He can't just let her Loose hers.

But Tobais, on the other hand, Could Honestly Care Less. He Only Laughed at their pleas Before Throwing their Princess Off the Mech and watched as she crashed to the ground. She groaned in pain As she weakly looked up to her Protectors Dangling helplessly in the air calling out to her.

" PRINCESS!!"

The Prof. gave a Small Humm as he Turned his Attention to the Trio Aggressively trying to Get To their Pilot, Only to Continuously Fail. It was Quite Amusing To say the least.

" Your Right You Know.. I Don't need Her.. But I Don't need You anymore either. I have Proven that A Human Mind and Intellect Is Stronger than your Dumb Little Mindcores with this Mech."

~ He Smiled as He Slid into the Cockpit of the Mecha And Stood Proudly Behind their Fallen Pilot. ~

" Now I'll Be Able to Achieve my Greatest Ambitions with This Mech suit. Best Of all I won't have to Worry about you Ruining my Schemes. I'm Sure You're gonna make Great Spare Parts once I Dismantle you. I'm sorry To Say but.. You've Outlived Your Usefulness.. Just Like this Child."

~ He Moved The Large Mech Towards the Girl, It's Large Metal Feet shaking the factory with each Step.. She Couldn't get away.. she couldn't even see it coming.. Her Fate was set as the Giant Mech Lifted it's Pede Above their Pilot.~

" So Long little Princess."

"No..-"

" NO..-!"

" NOOO!"

She Saw the Metal Foot Coming Down Upon Her.. She Heard the Horror striken Cries of her Tobots.. she couldn't see a way Out.. She Closed her eyes and Let out One Last Shriek as the tears began to Flow down her Face..

" AAAAAAAAA-"

...

...

...

...

*Woosh!*

In that Instance, A Few Moments before disaster Something happened. Tobais Felt The Mech be sent Backwards as Something with Great force Rammed into it. When he went to See what the heck Just Hit him, He Couldn't believe his eyes. There, Towering Over the Small Child he was Going to crush... Was a Panther Of some sort.. No.. It wasn't a Panther.. It was a Tobot! But that can't be possible.. He'd never seen any Tobot that looked like him before- Where'd she get ANOTHER ONE-!?

" WHO ARE YOU!?"

" I Am Bass, Her Solider Of Destruction. All who Dare Hurt her Shall Succumb To My Claws..

So. Stay. away. From. My. MASTER."

Bass Snarled As the edges Of His Servos Dug into the Ground. He Didn't know who this was, Or How he even Managed to Capture her Guards and get his Grubby Little Hands on his Master.. But he's Going to make him Regret the day he even Laid eyes on Her. Bass hated to Admit it, But He's Grown rather Found Of his Master.

Ever Since she Helped Him Escape From his Creators.. From his predetermined Fate.. He Decided that Rosie and Rosie Alone Shall be His Master. But the time has come for Him To Step Up and Make it Known That She is His.

Tobias Was Appalled to be threatened by a Raggedy Looking Robot! Doesn't he Know who he Is! He'll teach this Dumb Cat Some Manners!

The Mech Regained itself before Sending a servo Towards the two, Aggressively Grabbing at them. In an Instant Bass Grabbed onto The scruff Of Rosie's Hoodie and Leapt Backwards, Avoiding being Caught By Tobais's Grasp. As The Mecha Grabbed and Swung at Them, The Feline-Estique Tobot Manged to Dodge every Swing Skillfully- Jumping into the Air with each Swing. As He was In Midair The Mech's Other Servo Grabbed his Leg and threw him into the ground with a Forceful *CRASH!*

Bass uses his Body to Sheild Rosie From Receiving any Damage from the Collision with the Floor. He Let Out a Hiss Of Pain as he Landed infront the Trapped Trio Struggling to get free. He Glanced at Them and then to Tobias Closing in on them. He Got to his Pedes and Set The Child Down Before Stepping ahead of her to Face the Man in the Mech.

"This Ends Now. "

He Let out a Thunderous Roar Before Slamming his Servos onto the Floor- Letting his Claws Dig deep to give himself Stability for The Stunt he was About to Pull. His Back Arched and Snarled. His Tail Began To Sperate into Sections as a Dark Purple Substance Swirled Out of It..

Tobais Couldn't believe what he saw! This Tobot.. Had Created A VORTEX!? How Could Something Like this even be possible!? He didn't Have time To Process what Was Happening as a Bright Purple Glow Engulfed the Room..

"ARRRGGGGGHH!!!!"

.....

.....

....

~Elsewhere~

....

...

...

A Large Purple Vortex Opened In the middle Of a Clearing beside a Lake- Throwing Bass, The Trio, And The Princess Safely- But roughly- Onto the Grass. The group Gave a Slight Groan as they Slowly Regained themselves. Bass Looked Over Rosie to Make sure she didn't hurt herself from the fall. Rox was the first Person to break The Silence

" I'm Sorry But What The Heck Just Happened-?!"

"..I.. I'm Unsure.."

Onyx Rubbed the Side Of his helm as he Glanced around the Area.. He didn't recognize this place at all.. Were they even still in the city? His attention shifted to the Mech Checking over their Princess.. He remember he had Appeared Suddenly and Saved her.. But just Who was he exactly..? He Flinched Slightly as the other looked back to him.

" I Created a Vortex To send us somewhere Safe."

Bass Spoke Up as he Finished Looking over His Master. She Only seemed to Have Sprained her wrist, Other than that She was just a little shaken up. That was a Relief. He Gave the Girl Her Glasses and Stood Upwards while Brushing himself off.

" Ah, Yes..Who the Heck are You! "

Rox Pointed his Digit At Bass As The Mech Stood Up. It's not that he isn't grateful or anything on how he kept the Princess Safe.. But How does a Random Guy Come outta Nowhere, Just Totally CLAIM the Princess, Face-off with Tobias, and Then Just Poof! Sent them to who knows where just like that!?

" I literally Just Declared my Name Five minutes Ago. But I suppose you couldn't hear me over your Failure to Protect The Kid."

Bass responded Coldly as his Tail Lashed From side to Side. He definitely wasn't impressed with His masters So Called 'Guardians.'

" WHAT!!"

Rox's Wings Flapped as He let out a Low Churr in irritation. Just Who does this Guy Think He Is!

" You Heard me. I'm surprised she's managed to survive this long Under Your Care."

The Mech Scoffed.

" Why You-"

He Growled as He Went to Punch The Smug Cat

" Roxie.."

Zephyr Placed his Servo on Rox's Shoulder and Looked at him with One of those Looks. Just Let it Go.. He Helped the Princess and That's all that matters.

" HMMPH!"

The Orange Mech looked to Zephyr and then to Bass and Huffed. Fine! Whatever! Let the jerk be a Jerk. At least he seems like the Loner type to Ridicule You Before Leaving in a Pretty Stupidly awesome Manner.

" Thank You For Your Assistance.. We Owe You Our Lives. "

Onyx Smiled Warmly to the other and offered his Servo to him. But that Motion didn't seem to fair well with the feline as he Avoided it like the plague. Onyx Lowered His Servo and Frowned Slightly.. Did he just Offend Him..? He Glanced to Zephyr and Just Shrugged.

" Let's Start Over.. I'm Zephyr! And these are My Older Brothers Rox and Onyx.. And You Are..?"

Zephyr Caught Onto Onyx's Motion and Quickly tried to Apologise while Also get on his good Side. He must Obviously be a Good Person To Come and Help them in A Time of Need, Right?

" *Tch* My Name is Bass, And from Now On I shall be the True Protector of Your 'Princess'. "

He Stated as he wrapped his Long Tail Around Rosie in an Defensive Manner while Glaring at the Trio. There was No Way he was Just going to let them Be her Caretakers. From Now On He's Going to Be Her Protector.. and there's Nothing they can Do About it.

" W H A T - "

All three Siblings Gasped in Unison-

Well that Was Unexpected. Looks like their Lives are About to get A Bit More Interesting~

~ End..? ~

[detroitbydark]

Title: Sidearms

Summary: a Mad Max:Fury Road fic

He was dead now and she didn’t know whether she should be happy or sad

Word Count: 1400

Characters: The Bullet Farmer, OC Female, OC Males

Warnings: Mentions of Mad Max standard violence against women.

Authors note: I wrote this in Jan 2017 before I even thought of coming into tumblr. Since than it has exactly 73 hits on AO3. Literally my saddest showing. It remembered it existed just today when someone commented on it and all the head canons and stories I had for Pistol cane rushing back. So... here it is because I can’t let it die such a mediocre death.

He called her Pistol. She'd had another name once, thousands of days past. It had been musical and rolled off the tongue like a bird taking flight. She didn't think about those things much anymore.

She was Pistol.

His Pistol.

Her life would never be what it had been. Not ever again.

She'd come from the clan Boheme. They'd been peaceful, or as peaceful as folk were able to be, they'd made it through the waste earning what they could entertaining at settlements. They were near happy. In the caravan every woman was mother, every man was father. She never was sure who bore her but she never questioned it either. As she grew she was taught the music makers. As a babe, she'd crashed her hands into drums and rattled tambourines. As she grew she learned the stringed git, practiced til her small fingers were well adorned with callouses from plucking the strings. She'd been praised for what the elders had called "perfect pitch" when she sang. When a war party had raided their camp one night it became clear it was both a blessing and a curse. Her family had been torn from her. Shots rang out. The flames of life were snuffed. She'd closed her eyes unable to witness the massacre. In her mind she liked to pretend that her brothers, fathers, and mothers were still out there playing in night.

Her purpose within The Bullet Farmer's fortress was often misunderstood. Brought in as a young girl, it had been assumed she was to be a wife. They thought he'd use her as a breeder such as the Immortan at the Citadel had with any full life girl he could find. Few people if any ever truly understood the Bullet Farmer. Kalishnakov. He had no use for the 'sins of the flesh', as he'd told her when she'd come of age. He would not be joining her in her bed chambers. Her job was to help him maintain appearances. Her job was to ease his tortured soul. His kind had been around when the Earth had gone sour. They'd caused the Guzz Wars. They'd taken part in the Wars for the Aquacola. They'd killed the world.

She'd sit on the floor near his desk, a word burger in hand, like a well healed dog waiting to be aknowledged. When the mood would suit him he'd clear his office of his sargents and captains and she'd sing for him songs she'd learned from her family or from the black discs he called "records". She'd watch his eyes flutter shut, the lines on his face would soften and she could almost see him as a he must have looked as a young man. Other times he'd ask her questions about the word burgers he'd have her read from his collection.

On rare ocassion he'd have her sing quietly while his top men were in the room as they planned an attack or discussed trade with the Citadel or Gast Town. Smith and Wesson, the look alike brothers who maintained the manufacturing of the munitions, would sink into the animal hide arm chairs. Their typical twitchy nature eased if only for a few moments. Remington, the Farmer's second in command, would watch her with a gaze she didn't understand. Her face would become hot and her heart would pound until she'd have to look anywhere but him. If Kalishnakov noticed he never said anything.

While she escaped the intimate torture, the rapes, that many or her sex knew as part of life she was not immune to brutality. While the Farmer would not use her carnally he expected her to perform whatever he asked and expected it to be executed perfectly. If she didn't he was not above corporal punishment. She'd been in his house 340 days when he ushered her into his private chambers and showed her an instrument taller than herself.

"A harp." He'd explained before he proceeded to play her a record of what it was to sound like. "You will learn to play this."

He'd left her there in his inner sanctum surrounded by book shelves and paintings of lush green places that she had only ever dreamed about. She'd worked than for hours, until her fingers were red and tender trying to mimic the sounds she'd heard. When he'd returned and demanded she play it was no where near what he'd wanted. She'd been punished, lashed until black began to creep in the corner of her eyes. While he did it he spoke to her, explained what his expectaions were. His voice held no anger. He remained cool an detached. In control.

He liked to remind her that she was merely property. His to do with as he pleased. He could offer her up as tribute to Immortan Joe if he pleased. A threat that became all the more terrifying after he'd taken her to a "conference" at the Citadel. She'd seen the haunted looks in the eyes of the half naked harrem of wives that sat huddled at his feet, the swollen belly of one prominently displayed for the visiting dignitaries. Kalishnakov had made it clear to the Immortan that she was HIS property and would not be available for his use. Remington ushered her back to their rig shortly after to await the short trip back to The Bullet Farm. He growled at any War Boy who'd had the balls to look at her and offered to share his ration of Aquacola with her.

Kalishnakov also seemed to find pleasure in reminding those around him that he held the power or life and death in his hands.

"You forget your place, young Remington!" he yelled at his most trusted soldier. Pistol had paid little attention as the voices had become louder. It was not uncommon for heated discussions to take place in the "war room". It wasn't until her name was sharply barked that her spine straightened.

"Pistol. Here. Now." had her jumping to her feet and rushing the The Bullet Farmer's side.

"Sir?" she questioned quietly keeping her eyes down. She could hear a cold smile in his voice as he spoke.

"Now see?" he questioned, not to her but to the man across the room. "My little Pistol knows how to take an order. Don't you , sweet girl?" he finally asked her as his hand came up to stroke her lower back in a mock sign of affection. She thought she heard a noise come from Remingtons direction but that was that wasn't her concern right now.

"Sir. Yes sir." she responded quietly.

"Now, dear girl, I want you to look at this soldier and tell him what you would do if I told you to sleep in the barracks tonight." Pistol looked up from the Bullet Farmer's cruel smile to Remington's grim one. His jaw twitched as her bottome lip began to quiver.

"I would follow your orders sir."

Remington snapped, "They would tear he apart down there! She'd be used up six way from Suns Day!"

Kalishnakov stood from his chair at this, slamming his fist into the wooden desk top. "And I would do it to, you insubordinate little smeg, if it meant teaching someone a lesson!" he growled, spittle forming at the corner of his mouth. The fight seemed to drain from the young commander who finaly conceeded.

"Sir. Yes Sir."

"Thats what I thought." the old man smiled cruelly, "dismissed."

She never did end up in the barracks.

"You know why I call you Pistol?" He'd asked her recently. A tiredness had sunk into his voice. Her fingers danced over the harpds stirngs. The lamp in the corner cast shadows across his face as he lay in his bed. His cheeks looked more sunken, his skin sallow, and for the first time he looked old and feeble.

"No Sir." she answered quietly as she continued to weave notes into melodies.

His eyes fluttered closed and his breathing began to slow. for a moment she thought he'd fallen asleep until he finally spoke, "every man aught to keep to keep a hidden weapon at their side. Something that makes them feel powerful even when they're not." He'd fallen asleep than leaving her with more questions than she'd started with.

He was dead now. That's what the scouts had reported back. As she sat on the rug in his chambers watching, if not hearing, the record player in front of her skip she wasn’t sure if she should be happy or sad.