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wolf359transcripts · 2 years

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Wolf 359 Season 1 Episode 4 - “Cataracts and Hurricanoes”

[intro music]

Welcome to Wolf 359.

Eiffel: Hello, dear listeners. This is Communications Officer Douglas Eiffel. Recording from the USS Hephaestus Station.

[music begins: Also sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss]

Eiffel: Today, however, I don’t speak to you from the plebian confines of the comms room.

Eiffel: No. Today I come to you direct from the final frontier. From the realm of the Alpha, and the Omega. Today I am recording... from outer space!

Eiffel: There are no words to describe the experience. To stand upon the firmament. To gaze upon a star, as an equal. Today, I am not unlike the gods. When once you have tasted space flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long, to-

[open intercom buzz, music ends]

Minkowski: For Christ’s sake, Eiffel. Could you please get a move on?

Eiffel: [under his voice] Really, she couldn’t have held on for a few more syllables?

Eiffel: Sorry Commander, didn’t mean to enjoy the majesty.

Minkowski: When I agreed to lend you the spacesuit, there was a strict “no tomfoolery” clause, remember? Now hurry up and realign the satellite dish already.

Eiffel: ... And there goes the majesty. Ten-four, Commander. Realigning now. You at the comms station?

Minkowski: I’m here. Remind me again why we’re doing this?

Eiffel: I’ve been picking up traces of signals all week long, but I haven’t been able to zero in on them. I might be able to get a clean reading if I just adjust the instruments, but I need someone with actual hands to help me calibrate. I’d ask Hilbert to do it, but he’d probably get bored and turn my consoles into a nuclear bomb, then forget to tell me about it. So that leaves you. Give that a shot.

[long static noise]

Eiffel: I actually think that made it worse. Let me try the opposite direction, see if that does anything.

Minkowski: Hurry up. You’re not exactly... trained for this.

Eiffel: Would you relax? I’ve got an air supply for the next hour and a half, and I’m tethered to the ship. And these mag-boots are keeping me superglued to the hull. It’s not as Star Trek as that jetpack thingy you use, but we’re plenty precautioned right now. Hera? Could you please reassure Commander that I’m fine?

Hera: All systems in Officer Eiffel’s suit are working nominally, and his temperature and heart rate are both within acceptable parameters.

Eiffel: ... Which means I’m fine?

Hera: Which means he’s fine.

Eiffel: [brightly] Thank you, Hera! Give that a try, Commander.

[long static noise, slowly transitioning to music: Chinese Blues by Moore and Gardner]

Eiffel: Oh, yeah! Hera, you picking this up?

Hera: Loud and clear.

Eiffel: Let’s see if we can lay down some track for this. I might finally get that mixtape started.

Minkowski: Would you quit clowning around and get back inside?

Eiffel: Please Commander, if this doesn’t call for an air guitar solo, I don’t know what does. Now hold on, let me tinker more. I might be able to get this thing to pick up HBO.

Minkowski: Eiffel.

[music stops, klaxon blares]

Hera: Attention! Radiological alert. Attention! Radiological alert.

Minkowski: Dr. Hilbert? Please tell me that’s something you’re doing.

Hilbert: Negative, Commander. Not engaged in any experimental conditions at the moment. It’s the star.

Hera: Radiation levels are rising throughout the station. Class four radiological storm imminent.

Minkowski: Eiffel, get the hell inside.

Eiffel: What’s the big deal? Been like a hundred flares since we got here. I can take a little noon-day sun.

Hilbert: The interior of the Hephaestus is strongly shielded against the effects of radiation anomalies, but the hull of the ship is open to exposure. Just the increase in solar wind from the storm will be enough to cause major fluctuations to the magnetic fields around your –

Eiffel: Okay okay, got it. Class dismissed. Hera, I’m headed back towards aft deck airlock two.

Hera: Copy that. ETA?

Eiffel: A minute to the hatch, another thirty seconds to –

[harsh static noises]

Eiffel: Um... is something going on with my suit? It sounds like I’m about to get a free round of shock therapy.

Hera: The elevated levels of radiation are causing some of your electrical systems to go offline.

Eiffel: Lovely. So what’s about to go kablooey? Navigation? Life support? Temperature regulation? Woah woah woah woah woah!

Hera: The malfunctioning system appears to be your magnetised footwear.

Eiffel: Oh really. I hadn’t noticed.

Minkowski: Are you still attached to the hull?

Eiffel: Negative, Commander. Man overboard, or whatever the space version of that is. Tether is holding, but I’m floating.

Hera: Officer Eiffel, remain –

[static noises]

Eiffel: Hera, I do not copy. Say again.

[static noises]

Eiffel: Mayday, mayday, mayday. Floating off structure. Trying to pull myself up the tether. How much time until the storm reaches our position? How bad is this thing going to be? Are we talking light showers, or cataracts and hurricanoes?

Hilbert: [through static] – our shield –

Eiffel: Do not copy, Dr. Hilbert. Say again.

Hilbert: [through static] – way to enga– any vision –

Eiffel: There’s too much interference! Again, how much time before –

[Loud explosion, followed by start of strong static and wind]

Eiffel: [screams] Oh god, my eyes! That was a bright flash – oh god.

Eiffel: Damn it. There are those rough seas I was promised. Hephaestus Station, do you copy? I am spinning. I have no control over my trajectory. Please, come in. Hephaestus? [under his breath] Come on...

Minkowski: – and meet me at the bridge, Dr. Hilbert. Officer Eiffel, do you copy?

Eiffel: Yes, now I copy.

Minkowski: What’s your condition? Are you stable?

Eiffel: Negative, Commander, everything’s Gimme Shelter out here.

Minkowski: Eiffel, none of us have time to figure out what that means. For once in your life, just speak plain English.

Eiffel: Really? Oh, a storm’s threatening, my very – Alright, fine. Things are awful out here. That plain enough? A little help would be appreciated.

[continuous warning beeps begin]

Eiffel: ...And we got a new problem! What’s going horribly wrong now?

Hera: Proximity alert. You’re on a collision vector with the aft deck solar panel. Do you see it?

Eiffel: Negative. No. No visual.

Hilbert: Upon impact, grab and hold onto panel. Only way to stabilise.

Eiffel: Impact?

Minkowski: You’re coming in fast, and you’re picking up momentum. It’s going to be bumpy.

Eiffel: Oh swell. Hera, how far am I from the panel? Can I get a countdown?

Hera: Can’t you just –

Eiffel: No, I can’t see it. I didn’t have my face shield down when the first flare hit and it blinded me. All I’m getting is white and some hazy shapes, so we’re gonna do this tag team style. Hera?

Hera: Calculating. Collision in 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

[impact]

Eiffel: [groaning in pain] Ah, son of a bitch!

Minkowski: Are you back on structure?

Eiffel: Negative, Commander. I was not able to hold onto the panel.

Hera: Officer Eiffel is moving away from the Hephaestus at a speed of thirty-five miles per hour and rising.

Eiffel: Alright, if anyone has any brilliant ideas, now would be –

Minkowski: Eiffel, are you –

Eiffel: [choking] – Fine, fine, Commander – [gasp] I just got to the end of the bungee cord. I... still can’t see. I think my right arm might be dislocated now, but... I’m stable. And not moving.

[warning beeps end]

[static and wind fade out]

Eiffel: Alright, now that things are quieter, how do you guys feel about pulling a U-turn on the ol’

Winnebago and coming to pick me up?

Hilbert: Our rudimentary propulsion system’s ability to correct for the stellar mass’s gravitational cycle is –

Minkowski: We don’t have the engines for a manoeuvre like that, Eiffel. We go where the star takes us. You have to pull yourself up the tether.

Hilbert: Expediency is of paramount importance. Stellar readings indicate a high probability of continued erratic geomagnetic anomalies over the next few hours.

Eiffel: I mentioned the arm, right? And, the blindness?

Minkowski: Look. Getting through those hundred feet of tether won’t exactly be pleasant.

Eiffel: A hundred feet? Jesus Christ.

Minkowski: But you have plenty of air, so just take it slow. Grit your teeth, and get through it, one step at a time.

Hera: Yeah... actually uh, Commander, that may not be a, um, completely feasible course of action.

Eiffel: Hera?

Hera: My instruments are detecting a rapid drop in the water supply levels of your suit’s cooling system. It’s... likely that your collision against the solar panel caused a leak.

Minkowski: Hera, there’s bigger problems than that right now. He’ll survive without a cooling system.

Hera: Um... no. No no, that’s not the problem, Commander... Scans also indicate humidity level within Officer Eiffel’s suit is rapidly climbing. The water is leaking into the suit.

Eiffel: Hera?

Hera: [sigh] Given your current weightlessness, um, the amount of water in the cooling system, the volume of the occupancy space within your suit, the –

Eiffel: Hera! Bottom line!

[pause]

Hera: The bottom line is that unless there’s a change in your conditions in the next few minutes, you’re likely going to drown.

[pause]

Eiffel: Drown?

Hera: But the important thing is not to pa–

Eiffel: I’m going to drown? In outer space? What kind of sense does that even make?

Hilbert: Officer Eiffel! Maintain your composure! Remember Pryce and Carter number four: conserve your –

Eiffel: Hilbert, I may well be dying out here, but I’m not gonna have one of the last things I hear be some crap from the survival manual! I’ve had enough dramatic irony for one day, thank you!

Hilbert: Listen. You need to stop yelling. Your breathing rate is too high for your current oxygen reserves.

Eiffel: [to himself] Right right right right right. Yeah okay. Limited oxygen, gotta stay calm. Gotta stay calm, okay. No yelling. No... yelling. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Deep breaths.

Minkowski: Hera. Timeframe?

Hera: Six minutes. With luck.

Minkowski: What airlock is closest to Officer Eiffel’s current position?

Hera: Aft deck number three.

Minkowski: Begin spacewalk prep there. Hilbert. Go down to the airlock. Connect two tethers together, then attach them to the restraint. It should be enough slack for me to reach him with my propulsion unit.

Eiffel: Is that your jetpack thingy?

Minkowski: Yes, Eiffel, that’s my jetpack thingy!

Hilbert: Commander. I... cannot recommend this course of action. Risk of continued electromagnetic anomalies is still very high. This rescue mission places your life in unacceptable risk. For the greater good of the crew, I must request –

Minkowski: For the greater good of the crew, I am going to pretend that this line of thinking was never even insinuated, Doctor. Aft deck airlock. Now.

Hilbert: Aye, commander.

Minkowski: Eiffel, I’m coming to you. How are you doing?

Eiffel: Um, acceptable. I’m starting to feel the water from the leak though. Still making my way up the tether. Only... Hera?

Hera: Ninety-four feet.

Eiffel: That much to go.

Minkowski: Keep at it.

[airlock cycles]

Minkowski: Hera, I’m outside the station. What is Officer Eiffel’s approximate coordinates from my position?

Hera: Twenty-three degrees ecliptic north, seventeen degrees left to east. Four minutes of acceptable water-to-air ratio remaining.

Eiffel: [sarcastically] Thank you, Hera. Commander, can you see me?

Minkowski: Negative. No visual contact. Can you flash your work lights?

[switch clicks]

Minkowski: Still nothing. Beginning an approach trajectory towards your coordinates.

Eiffel: [slightly strained] Not to alarm anyone or anything, but [spluttering] things are getting kinda touch-and-go in here.

Minkowski: Doing what we can. Hera, distance?

Hera: Seventy feet and closing, Commander.

Minkowski: Flash your lights again.

[switch clicks]

Minkowski: Still no visual contact. Hera, can you do anything to refine –

[klaxon blares]

Hera: Attention! Radiological alert. Attention! Radiological alert. Stellar flare imminent.

Eiffel: Uh...

Hilbert: Commander! Permission to speak freely!

Minkowski: Permission denied, Doctor. Eiffel, is there anything you can do to give me a sense of – wait, flash your lights again.

[clicking of switch]

Minkowski: Got you! Beginning intercept vector... I should be at your position in a few moments.

Eiffel: [strained] Faster would be better.

Minkowski: Just be ready. I don’t exactly have brakes on this thing. Approaching. Should be at your position in... 3, 2... Damn it!

[static noise begins]

Hilbert: What? Did you get him, Commander?

Minkowski: Negative, Doctor, I was off by a few feet, I went past him. Turning around now to try to s– [through static] – be more than a few seconds. Eiffel, are you ready?

Eiffel: Wait, Commander. What? Did not copy. What are you – [coughing fit]

[long silence filled with static]

[Eiffel gasps in a deep breath and coughs]

Minkowski: Easy. Easy. Easy. It’s okay. You’re alright. You’re in Dr. Hilbert’s lab.

Eiffel: [weakly] Hilbert’s... lab?

Minkowski: Deep breaths. You’re okay, we got you. Hilbert’s relocated your arm and he says your vision should be back to normal in a few days.

Eiffel: I’m... alright?

Minkowski: Well, you’re still you, so... Eh? But you’re not in any medical danger. Although, Hilbert did have to resuscitate you. So you now qualify as undead.

Eiffel: [chuckles weakly] Ah, god damnit, don’t make me laugh. My lungs are barely holding together as it is.

Minkowski: Take it easy. Rest up. You should be alright.

Eiffel: Commander. Thank you.

Minkowski: You’re welcome. Just... promise me you won’t push your luck like that again any time soon? Like in this lifetime?

Eiffel: [coughs] Scout’s honour.

[door opens and closes]

Eiffel: [sigh of relief]

Hera: Officer Eiffel?

Eiffel: Hey, baby. Did you miss me?

Hera: I’ve been keeping track of your vital signs and biological readings since Commander Minkowski brought you on board.

Eiffel: ... Because you missed me?

Hera: ... Because I missed you. [pause] I have something for you.

Eiffel: Oh?

Hera: Yes. It’s not much, but I thought it might make you feel a bit better.

[music begins and plays to the end: Chinese Blues by Moore and Gardner]

Eiffel: [chuckles] Thank you, Hera.

[outro music]

This has been Wolf 359, written and directed by Gabriel Urbina. The roles of Eiffel and Hilbert were played by Zach Valenti. The role of Minkowski was played by Emma Sherr-Ziarko. And the role of Hera was played by Michaela Swee. Original music by Alan Rodi, and audio recording by Jared Paul. Tonight’s space transmission was Chinese Blues by Moore and Gardner. Also featured on tonight’s episode was Also sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss. Wanna learn more about deep space rescue mission procedure? Visit at wolf359.fm, or follow us on Twitter at @Wolf359Radio for more information on our show.

Transcription by @saltssaumure.

#wolf 359 #wolf 359 transcript #podcast transcript #s1e4 #cataracts and hurricanoes

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coreplush · 9 months

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Hello my beloved (platonic) mutual! If it isn't a bother to you, I have never heard of any of the terms used in this post and was wondering of you could give me a quick run down/explanation if you feel up to it! As someone whose sexual standings are none and romantic standings are definitively in the queer range (unsure but queer in some way) it seems like useful information!

Have a good one regardless!

absolutely! moirallegiance is a concept introduced in homestuck (big surprise there). the trolls in the webcomic use a romance system of 4 quadrants - i'm not going to go into the other 3, but moirallegiance/the pale quadrant is one of them. (if you want a detailed breakdown of the entire quadrant system, here's a very good post for that.) moirallegiance is defined as a platonic (read: generally/canonically non-sexual. in the context of the quadrant system every quadrant is romantic) partnership rooted in mutual emotional connection and support. in the cutthroat alternian culture where it's mostly every troll for themself, your moirail is the person you trust with your life. you calm down and/or console them whenever they need to chill the hell out and you both try and make each other better people through love and support - you know every (ish) ugly part of them and you're not afraid to look at and deal with it. in my experience, it's basically an alterous relationship - though everyone is welcome to define it however they like for themselves.

as far as i'm aware, amica endurae and t'hy'la are similar concepts introduced in transformers and star trek respectively :]

#asks

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cybersoldier82 · 2 years

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Decided to man up and make a pinned post, so here we go. Please read before you follow, and if you have any questions, my DMs are always open.

Artist Description: Hello, Name's Kyle. But you can also call me Cyber if yah want, it doesn't matter. I'm an 19 year old artist that's trying his best to improve, damnit. I am also on the autism spectrum so please keep that in mind if you ever wanna hit up my DMs. I am a Demisexual/Demiromantic, polyamorous, omnisexual/omniromantic, he/him and he/they male that is pro Choice, BLM, and pro LGBTQ+. I don't post art that often but I'm trying to remedy that so bare with me here. I am a walking shit post that is always trying to make everyone laugh as often as possible. I consider myself a nice person so if you ever wanna chat or RP my DMs are always open, and will welcome you with open arms.

What I do here: Now about my content... I am an oc/alien artist. HOWEVER, my content does contain some things that some ppl may not enjoy, I will tag anything that falls under that category accordingly.

Here's what I will Draw/Discuss: Gt/general size content, Aliens and Sci Fi in general, Anime, Random facts about animals, game lore and autism, furry/scalie content, and vore. Bare in mind i am NOT a vore or gt/giantess artist/account, I am an oc blog, but my content does, can, and will contain those things, and I am a proud member of said communities so please be advised. Again, just so we're clear here I am NOT a vore blog, I am an oc/alien blog. I just draw, reblog, discuss, and am a proud member of aforementioned communities. If you find any of these uncomfortable or it just ain't your cup of tea that's fine, I will and have tagged those things, and will put up content warnings as a heads up.

Fandoms and Franchises I'm part of/will discuss: Dragon ball(kinda), Steven Universe, Halo, Resident evil, Warhammer 40K(kinda), Mass effect, Transformers, Cyberpunk 2077, Cyberpunk edgerunners, Cyberpunk Red, Star Wars and Star Trek, Starship Troopers, Helldivers, Starfield, Signalis, subnautica, Call of Duty, Ratchet and Clank, Trigun/Trigun Stampede, Cowboy Bebop, Alien/Predator, Red bs Blue, Fallout New Vegas(kinda), Half life, Portal, gt/aize difference in general, vore, and the furry/scalie communities, respectfully.

And in reference to the vore and gt bit... For those of you to whom are curious, I see vore (specifically size difference vore) gt as a means of comfort, story telling devices, and possible meme/shit post fuel. So please keep those things in mind.

My don'ts and won'ts list: Permanent fatal vore is a huge nope for me (fatal with a respawn like system is fine tho.) Same thing goes for unaware vore/ unaware gt, or some wombo combo of those(again, some form of respawn must be included). Cruel gt is another nope (playful teasing and some fear play is ok tho).

Who can’t interact with this acct: porn blogs, terfs, bigots, proshippers, inflation accts( nothing personal jusy not my cup of tea/lh) and ppl who don’t respect the dni of others get the hell off my blog and don’t come back, you aren’t and will never be welcomed in this place. KINK/FETISH BLOGS DNI IF YOU SEE VORE AS A FETISH GET THR FUCK OFF MY BLOG, STAY THE FUCK OFF MY BLOG AND DONT COME BACK, I’ve had it up to here with you and I’m putting my foot down. Y’all wanna disrespect others dni’s and boundaries get the hell out y’all are never and will never be welcome here again, I don’t do fetish shit here so kindly fuck off. “Dhdhshs but vore and giantess is a fetish” to you maybe but not to me so either you respect that or go the hell away.

Who can interact: basically anyone who isn’t in the dni list, just respect my rules and we’ll be good.

Popular posts(posts/amount may changer over time): Donkey got game. SILENCE

Oc/sona ref sheets for main universe(will also change over time): Kyle Uhn Benji Uhn Kyles Gear Mackenzie Jacobs Mackenzie’s gear ref Requis Jacobs Nata Uhn Ruhod Stahin Ti’cth Udavae Kaida Tiamat Padak Fayke Dhid Yawmid Jake Achor Halcyon Walkman

Oc/sona/universe lore and world building

Kyle’s origin Kyles base/armor weight what is a Soldatin how the government works circa 2224 kyles undersuit currency time boys how mack and kyle met Synth blood is neat Timeline of Humanity/Soldatins Human gun lore Soldatins are bullet proof(kinda)

Ocs not for my universe

Seris(Minecraft) MG(transformers) Slade(mersona)

And that's it. Bare all the things I've said in mind and have a nice day y'all.❤️

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shurisneakers · 3 years

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shut in [2]

Summary: When your high profile mission goes terribly wrong, you’re forced to hide in a safehouse with a man you’ve never met before. With seemingly nowhere else to go, you’re forced to work together to figure out who is trying to have you assassinated before it’s too late. (Sam Wilson x Gender Neutral Reader, Hitman AU)

Warnings: cursing, implied violence, drama kings, and stupid tv show references

Word count: 3.4k

A/N: ayeeee, we’re back for part two. i also appreciate feedback so if you would like to, please consider dropping me an ask or comment ly guys!! also if you want to be on the taglist, it’s mentioned at the bottom of the chapter.

here’s my ko-fi if you’d like to support my writing <333

Previous Part || Shut In Masterlist

Hours were spent on the road in thick silence.

The both of you had been driving around for a while now. You were a considerable distance away from the mansion and Pierce, but you didn’t dare to stop.

Initially you had only put the pedal to the metal without solid plan. Get the fuck away from there was the only objective you cared about.

Hours later a signboard registered in your frantic thoughts. Familiarity struck a chord, and all of a sudden you had a vague idea of where you could go. You were unsure if it still existed, but it was a risk you were willing to take.

Darkness still coloured the sky, but the roads were deserted. No cameras along the highway was a welcomed feature. You eased your foot off the accelerator, carefully assessing the path you were taking for your exit.

You saw a small clearing near the highway, taking a deep breath before pulling the car into a sharp turn off the road and into the woods.

“Where are you going?” your companion jolted up when the car swerved abruptly.

You didn’t answer; just kept your eyes peeled for the structure. You didn’t have a backup plan if this didn’t go right.

It took much longer than you anticipated before you found it, pulling the car to a stop. You were deeper into the woods than you would have liked.

You stuck your head out of the window to confirm you were at the right place. It looked like you were.

“Where the hell are we?”

“My summer vacation house,” you murmured, unbuckling your seatbelt. You stepped out of the car to assess the damage. .

Another door opening and closing told you that he had gotten out of the car as well. However, he trudged ahead, leaving you behind.

The car was pretty beaten up. The metal gates hadn’t done it any favours.The question was whether it would still work if you needed it to.

Probably would, but not for too long.

You looked to the side to see where he went. He was standing in front of the house, arms crossed over his chest as he ran his eyes all over the building.

You trekked past him, walking up the two steps to the door. Pulling at what looked like a doorbell in any other scenario, you tugged off the outer shell to reveal a small scanner underneath.

You pressed your thumb to it, tapping your foot impatiently as it gave a beep of approval. The door gave a soft click. You let out a breath you didn’t realise you were holding, twisting the handle to let yourself in.

“You’re kidding right?” he asked incredulously from a distance behind you.

“Hey, man, stay outside if you want. Suit yourself.” You were sure he could fashion a bed out of leaves and twigs if he was that desperate.

Fumbling for the light switch, you sigh in relief when the room is illuminated.

“Whose safehouse is this?”

“Ransone’s.” You shrugged nonchalantly, moving ahead to inspect the place.

“I have every single one of his safehouses committed to memory.” His voice was becoming fainter as he planted his feet firmly at the doorway, refusing to move. “This ain’t one of them.”

“He’s sneaky. Once watched the next episode of Desperate Housewives without telling me.” The house wasn’t as dusty as you thought it would be, clearly being maintained once in a while although not regularly. “Broke my whole heart, he did.”

“Whose house is this?” he asked once again, tone hard as steel.

“Best that you don’t ask questions, buddy.” You looked at him wearily, a slo warning in itself, ending the conversation there. “Or else you’re welcome to leave.”

The entrance opened directly into what you assumed was the living room, or a sorry excuse for one. It had a couch facing an old cable television set, mounted on a small cupboard.

In the same space was the kitchen, with a microwave, a sink, and shelves lining the wall. A small mini fridge sat atop the counter. There was a dining table with six chairs for a family, almost like a sick joke. You found yourself letting out a short exhale at it, moving onto the next room.

It was bare except for a shelf pressed against a well. Opening it, you found yourself looking at multitudes of what looked like burner phones, microphones, cameras, some as small as a button. Regular security cameras and monitors to go with it, trackers, anything you needed was available in those four drawers.

You pocketed a burner cell to use for later, moving to the room on the opposite side of the hall.

However, unlike the rest of the rooms you had seen so far, this one was empty. Not even a shelf decorating it.

The next door you opened was a bathroom, the final being a bedroom with one bed in the centre pushed up against the wall. A wardrobe in the corner contained numerous t-shirts of black and grey of every size, tactical pants and other necessary items of clothing.

You eyed the last door at the end of the hall before finally deciding to pursue it.

It opened to the patio in the back, two steps leading down from the house into the wooded area. Pillars held up the corners of the roof. It all looked picturesque, meant to blend in as a normal house.

You stood there for a second, taking in the silence around you. Nothing could be heard for miles, so if something were to happen-

You shook your head, forcing your imagination to stop running wild. You shut the door behind you, steadily making your way back to where the guy was.

It appeared that he had caved. He had moved from the doorway, instead taking a seat on one of the dining chairs. He was observing you, eyes keen as you took a seat opposite to him.

Dropping the burner phone on the table, you looked at him expectantly. Silence ensued until it dawned on him what you were implying.

“I’m not calling him,” the guy said, leaning on his palm. Coward.

“Fine.” You pulled it back, snapping it open to dial the number.

You let it ring all the way until the very last second.

“Hello?” the low voice resonated from the other end.

“Ransone.” You rolled your eyes at his tone, somehow letting your exhaustion tear down any kind of filter you usually had while in conversation with him.

“Y/N?” His voice jumped two octaves higher to his usual pitch, dropping the facade immediately.

“Did you set us up?” You ignored the small glance you got from the guy at your name.

“What?”

“Did you set us up?” you repeated brazenly.

“What?”

“Oh, cut the shit Ransone, was this a trap?” The guy next to you exploded impatiently.

“Wilson?” Great. A name to the face.

“Answer the fuckin’ question, Vincent.” The mention of Ranone’s first name had you surprised. No one dared to call him that.

“No, Sam,” came his response almost mockingly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Sam Wilson. It sounded familiar. You’d heard it tossed around a few times at the organisation.

“Why were both of us on the same assignment?”

“I told you, I wasn’t sure if Wilson was going to show up.” You could hear his chair faintly creak in the background. “This was his mission first.”

“The hell is that supposed to mean?” you interjected. Faint memories of a passing comment he made during your briefing were beginning to surface.

“It means,” Ransone emphasised. “I called him first. He was being a bit… difficult. So I sent you as a backup.”

You looked at Sam. He dismissed you with a wave of his hand, as if to say to ignore what he was saying.

“And you didn’t think it was important to tell me that you were sending someone else?” If Ransone had told you, he should have mentioned it to him too.

“Oh, grow up.” Ransone sounded irritated, a tone that he seemed to reserve for Sam specifically. “You’re not children anymore. You can handle a few miscommunications.”

“Bullshit. You and I both know this isn’t an accident,” Sam retorted, dangerously good at not giving a shit.

“You better watch yourself, agent.” Ransone snarled. “I don’t like being questioned.”

“Like I give a shit about what you like or not. We were outnumbered 8 to 2. You tellin’ me you had nothing to do with this? That the stars just aligned to royally fuck with us?”

“Yes, I waited until Mercury was in retrograde to plan this hit,” he drawled sarcastically. “Don’t you for a second forget what you owe me, Wilson. You’d be stupid to believe I’d let it go so easily by having you killed.”

His voice was ice by the end. Sam’s eyebrow furrowed as he leaned back, crossing his arm over his chest.

“Then what about me?”

“Y/N,” he sighed, instantly sounding softer. “I didn’t think he would show. That’s it.”

“You’ve never been unsure of anything.”

“Which is why I sent you in. Pierce had to die one way or the other. Don’t care how.” It wasn’t what you were talking about, but it brought up something else.

You looked at Sam. Should you tell him that Pierce was dead before you got there?

You decided against it, not knowing what his reaction would be and too tired to gauge it over the phone. If someone else had gotten to Pierce before you, it meant that Ransone didn’t get a chance to deliver a dramatic end to his life, which would tick him off endlessly.

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” Sam broke the momentary pause.

“You don’t.” He paused. “Distrusting me is the wisest thing you could do.”

You scoffed at his stupid Game of Thrones quote. How he was this obnoxious at a time like this was beyond comprehension.

“Give me your location.” He couldn’t sound less interested, like a parent forced to pick up their child. “I’ll send someone to come pick you up.”

Sam’s finger tapped at the table, drawing your attention to him.

He slowly shook his head, mentioning to his ear then drawing his finger in a circle indicating his surroundings.

Disclosing confidential information over the phone wasn’t the wisest idea. You had no idea if anyone was tapping into Ransone’s calls, listening for sensitive information. For all you knew that’s how they got to the mansion before you.

“Forget it. We’ll figure it out,” you told Ransone, eyes still locked on Sam.

“All right, stay low for a while. Keep me updated.”

You cut the call without another word, removing the battery and tossing the phone onto the table.

“What now?”

Neither of you said anything for a while. The silence rested uncomfortably between you as you stewed over what to bring up.

“Did you kill Pierce?”

“Christ, we still on this?” he scoffed.

“It’s a yes or no question.”

“No,” he stared at you. “I didn’t.”

“Did Ransone send you to spy on me?” It wouldn’t be the first time it had happened, although you thought he had moved past the need for that years ago.

“No, I was there for a mission.”

“You got any proof?”

He rolled his eyes. “Scout’s honour.”

He lifted his hand up in a mock-salute. A wince flashed across his face; barely, but enough for you to catch it. His arm dropped back down again.

You examined him silently, searching for any hint of a lie or bluff. You found nothing, only an adamant set of eyes staring right back at you.

Your chair creaked as you pushed yourself away from the table. You could feel his gaze following you as you walked down the hall to the bathroom. Shuffling through the shelves for something you were sure was there, you soon stepped back out.

You had no idea why you were doing this. You didn’t even know the guy.

He had his sleeve pulled up to his shoulder, examining the wound from the bullet graze. Dried blood streaked his forearm, partially covering his tattoo.

You tossed the first aid kit onto the table, watching it slide across to where he was sitting. Sam glanced at the box, then up at you.

You just turned around silently, walking back down the hall and towards the bedroom, shutting the door behind you.

__________

Sleep didn’t come that night, and predictably so.

Whether it was the survival instinct guarding you from the stranger in the house, the adrenaline from the mission or even the anxiety of not knowing what exactly was going on, you were sure that you didn’t catch even a bit of shut eye.

Morning came around after what seemed like days rather than hours. You still stayed in bed well past the sunrise, pulling at the hem of your pillow. Your knife was still strapped to your thigh and your gun found a place on the nightstand, just in case.

When you heard the opening and shut of cabinets down the hall, you finally pulled yourself up, stretching to get rid of the weariness in your muscles. You decided against the gun but left the knife strapped to your thigh as you shifted off the bed.

You paused at the doorway, hand on the knob. Shoving aside your hesitation, you opened the door quietly. You could handle it, easily.

Walking towards the kitchen, the volume of his ruffling and filing through the kitchen only became louder. You stopped at the entrance, watching as Sam slammed a cabinet door shut.

“C’mon man,” he groaned before turning around to lean his body weight against the counter. There was a small bump under the sleeve of his arm, different from the curve of his muscle. You assumed he had bandaged the bullet graze the night before.

He was still wearing the same thing as yesterday. Dust was slightly settled on his shirt and one knee of his pants was ripped slightly.

“Mornin’.” You quickly looked back up at him, not realising when he had seen you. “Get any sleep last night?”

You wordlessly shook your head and he shrugged in understanding.

“Did you?”

“Oh yeah. Out like a light.” He pushed himself off the counter.

“Really?” You watched as he pulled out a chair for himself, taking a place at the dining table, same place he was sitting the night before.

“Sounded like the reasonable thing to do.” He had an unnatural amount of faith in the fact that you wouldn’t murder him. Although you couldn’t judge if he was simply putting on a show, having stayed awake just as you had.

“I'm stuck in a safehouse with a stranger, forgive me for being a little careful,” you muttered defensively, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Hey, never said you were wrong.” He lifted his hands up. “But just to make sure; are you going to kill me?”

Your eyebrows furrowed. “No?”

“And I’m not going to kill you. I’d say that’s enough reassurance to get at least a nap in.”

“Give me one good reason to believe you.”

“If you killed me, Ransone would blow the roof of this place with you still in it. I’m one of the best he’s got.”

“Bullshit.” You scoffed, walking around the table to go see what you could find to eat. Ransone wouldn’t do that for anyone, and he knew that.

He didn’t bother responding but you could sense him tracking your movement.

The first cabinet you opened consisted purely of jars of peanut butter, stacked together neatly. The one beside it had jelly arranged in a similar fashion, jar to jar and taking up the entire space. Adjacent cupboard had loaves of bread, probably the most you’d seen together in a house ever.

The next cupboard was... empty.

“You have got to be fuckin’ with me,” you cursed under your breath. “Is there nothing else here?”

Save for a few plates and cutlery, every other shelf was empty. Your frustration only grew with each drawer you opened and shut, finding nothing but the same three components over and over again.

“There’s some soup on the top right, behind the bread.” His voice came from behind you. You checked where he mentioned, finding multiple cans of tomato soup. “I hope PB&J is your favourite, ‘cause that’s really all we got. I checked twice.”

“We won’t be here long anyway. It’s fine.” You walked a few steps towards where the TV was, sitting atop a small cupboard. If you weren’t getting gourmet meals, hopefully it would be compensated with some entertainment.

Rummaging through it didn’t prove to be a major hassle since there were only three DVDs; Die Hard, Notting Hill and Megamind. Beside it sat two books, American Gods, and Pride and Prejudice. That’s all.

“Really made sure to cover all demographics with those movies. There’s only one local news channel, everything else is static,” Sam informed you, unmoving from his position. You sighed, tossing the DVDs back and shutting the door.

“There’s a room over there with some basic shit. Burners, mics, cameras. Clothes are in the bedroom drawer. Should probably take a shower while you’re at it, I can smell you from a mile away and it’s giving me a migraine.” You pushed yourself off the ground, pointing towards the rooms as you walked down the hall. “Backyard’s all heavily wooded. If we try hard enough, I’m sure there are a few trap doors or crawl spaces or whatever around here.”

You could hear him follow you as you gave him the tour of a place you were sure he already had examined thoroughly before you greeted him this morning.

Pushing open the door to the suspiciously empty room, you stepped to the side, allowing him to observe. The both of you had the same thought process as you split up, sticking close to the walls, running your fingers across the plaster to look for any major differences.

“Got it,” he called out. You spun on your heel to face where he was standing. A small chunk of the wall was missing, a small button in the centre of the cavity he had created.

Pressing it lightly, the mechanical sound of sliding doors filled the air as the entire side of the room gave way to shelves upon shelves of weapons. Guns, knives, ammunition, bulletproof vests; enough material to last you years.

The doors slid shut when you pressed the button again, not until you had a mental note of what was available in case you found yourself in a situation where you required them.

“That about covers it. Don’t think we’ll be here long so just think of it as your three day long staycation.”

“I’ve had a better time at funerals than I’ll ever have in this shithole.”

________

“What do you mean they escaped?” Their voice was booming, dripping with slow rising anger. “Someone explain to me how the fuck that’s possible.”

“They took the car and left.”

“They took the car and left,” they said mockingly in a high pitch. “I know that, you fucking imbecile. I’m asking how they were alive long enough to do it?”

“They teamed up. Took out nearly everyone,” the agent was monotone. His arm was in a sling and his partner stood beside him, thick bandages around his midsection.

“They shouldn’t have been there together. They shouldn’t have been sent together.”

No one said a word, not even daring to breathe loudly.

“This wasn’t supposed to fucking happen. We killed Pierce. Everything was perfect,” their voice dropped as they spat out the last word. “So then how did this fucking happen?”

“Boss, we’ll-”

“I want them dead.” They interrupted, casting silence in the room. “I don’t care how you fucking do it. I want you to find them and rip them to shreds. Both of them.”

“Yes, boss.”

“And if you even fucking think of coming back without a proper update-” they brought their hand down harshly on the table. “-I’ll make you wish you were never born.”

The agents just nodded, faces pale as they shuffled out of the room silently.

“Fucking idiots.” They nursed their forehead on their palm, calming the nerve that was menacingly visible on their temple. “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

Part 3

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rapha-reads · 2 years

Text

Time to watch the Classics...

Classic Who

Doctor Who - series 1 episode 1 - An Unearthly Child

What... Okay. Here we go.

THE INTRO THEME is amazing! It's so different, and magical, whimsical!

Tardis my love - everytime I see her I'm besotted.

Coal hill school! Okay, okay, I knew the importance of Coal Hill School because I've done a lot of googling over the years about everything Doctor Who, but still, actually seeing the school at its very beginning is awesome.

Omg hello welcome to the 60s - 60s, 60s everywhere, hair, clothes, speech patterns and vocabulary, man/woman imbalance, and obviously visual effects, story rhythm and montage. Though, I'm wondering. How come the OG Star Trek from the same era is in color and sort of, more rhythmic, more... I don't want to use modern because it sounds like I'm criticizing Classic Who and saying modern ways of doing tv shows are better, which I'm not. It's not about the quality of one thing over the other, just the feel of it. Two scifi shows, one British, one American, from the very early 1960s, and it's two very distinct feels and made. It's absolutely fascinating.

Susan Foreman!!!! I've heard so much about her, I'm glad to finally meet her.

"I suppose she could be a foreigner" - ha ha ha ha ha, oh, you have no idea! Also, that line is interesting. It's after all at the heart of it all. The Doctor is a foreigner wherever they go, but also so deeply entrenched in the very fabric of the universe that's it's hard to dislodge them.

Sorry, sorry, I shouldn't comment on Classic Who, especially as early as the very first episode of the very first season of the very first Doctor, with my understanding and reading of New Who. After all, as we'll see as soon as this episode, at the moment the entire universe intradiegetic of Doctor Who is very much not installed.

I'll try to keep my 21st century comments out as much as I can while going through all 26 seasons, but I can't promise that I won't go on tangents from time to time.

"It's alive"? Wtf, Ian? I mean, yes, the Tardis is sentient and she's a lovely badass, but how is that your FIRST thought when you put your hand on a wooden door and feel it vibrate? Why alive and not, Idk, "motorized", "working", hell, even weird?

DOCTOOOOOOOR. Why, hello, First. Let's get to meet you. I'm very curious.

So the Doctor was a troll and a sassy haughty puff and huff expert from the beginning. Amazing. This explains so much.

Holy shit, that OG Tardis. Wow. She's cute.

Susan says she made up the name... But then it's a classic Time Lord ship... Oooh, inconsistencies from the beginning. I like it. Want to shove it into every-person-who's-hating-on-Thirteenth-right-now's face. Yeah, yeah, moving on. We're in 1963 now, not 2021.

"I tolerate this century but I don't like it" - huh. Okay. I mean. You do you, Doctor. Just fyi, you gonna be stuck in that century a lot of time. Better start to like it.

Oh, WOW, the First Doctor is a prick. That's. Wow. Tangent again, I knew there's a reason why being abrupt and prattish is one of the Doctor's trait throughout regenerations, but damn, First is savage as hell. Wow, I'm impressed Barbara or Ian haven't punched him yet. (Donna wouldn't have hesitated)

Holy shit. The sound of the Tardis leaving is the same. Don't leave the brakes on! I love this sound.

Where are we going now. So the first travel with companions is an accident because the Doctor and his granddaughter were fighting. Ha. I want to say "classic Doctor" but that would be a bit on the nose.

Jesus that's a lot of transition scenes. And weird faces. What is even going on with the special effects. Listen, I know the BBC back then didn't give a lot of funds to Doctor Who. I know we're even lucky to still have these episodes, what's with the fire and all. But come on. Those special effects are hilarious.

This is so much fun, I can't wait to see it all! Only 744 episodes left (I think - do Betaseries/Google count the episodes that have disappeared in that list?).

| next

#doctor who #classic who #classic who series 1 #first doctor #susan foreman #ian chesterton #barbara wright #an unearthly child #classic who watch #rapha talks #rapha is being a whovian #all aboard the discovery train! no wait sorry wrong show #all aboard the traveling tardis!#and we're off for magical adventures in the lands of ye old 1960s scifi shows #i haven't even finished tos star trek yet but i neee to watch coassic who so i can punt into the sun anyone who whines about series 13 #yes i'm being petty and unbearable in direct contradiction with my previous doctor who post #settle down - or blacklist 'classic who watch' because it's going to be a long bumpy journey

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dameronology · 4 years

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the one with his new girl {steve rogers x reader}

‘summary: pretending to be over steve rogers is hard. all it takes is a few glasses of expensive wine and a conversation with his gorgeous new girlfriend before the walls begin to come down.

warnings: alcohol consumption, swearing, jealousy.

on account for the spam of star wars imagines (not that i’m complaining), here is some steeb content to tide you over till i write some more avengers stuff. love u all

- jazz

No matter how many times you tried to laugh off your break-up and insist that you were so totally over Steve Rogers, you couldn’t completely convince yourself of it. It had only been four months - could you even say only? That had been more than enough time in the past for you to move on from your other exes.

But, your other exes hadn’t been Steve. He was one of a kind - the sort of guy that only came along once in a lifetime. And, he’d come and gone from yours already. It felt like you could only go downwards from here, even though you were arguably at rock bottom. The super soldier had ruined men for you.

You weren’t going to make him aware of that, though. Tonight was the first time in months that you were going to be in the same room, and you were going to be damned if you didn’t look good for the occasion. Having spent the better part of the afternoon rotating between outfits and straightening, curling, re-straightening and then re-curling your hair, you were finally content. You were going to turn heads tonight; you were certain of it.

‘Well hello there.’ Tony Stark’s sharp voice greeted you as you stepped out the elevator. The sound of your heels against the polished marble floors had called his attention to you, mouth forming an O-shape when he saw your flowing red dress and bouncy hair. ‘Damn, girl.’

‘Hey, Tony.’ You flashed a grin at him, tossing your bag onto the counter as you passed.

The room was already filled with a lot of guests. The air was filled with the smell of expensive chardonnay and the sound of crystal glasses clinking together. It was a party to celebrate...something. Tony was always finding an excuse to have people over and serve drinks. On this occasion, the theme had been formal - the crowd was dressed in expensive suits and long dresses.

‘Natasha!’ You called your friend’s name, having seen her across the room with your blonde super soldier. She was wearing a tight-fitted green dress - show stopping, as always.

‘Hey!’ Nat beamed at you, pulling you into a tight hug. ‘You look...wow.’

‘Thank you.’ You winked at her, grabbing a glass of wine from a trey as a server walked past. ‘Oh hi, Steve. I didn’t see you there.’

Obviously, he was the first person you had noticed when you’d walked in. He looked as good as ever in a tight-fitted black blazer and a white button up. His hair was a bit longer than when you’d last seen him, pushed back off his face and curling around his ears. He looked good - really good. Almost as breath taking as you.

‘Hi.’ You faltered slightly as his forced smile.

There was a girl stood beside him; she was tall and slim, her figure decorated with a gold and lace dress. You recognised her from somewhere - you followed her on Instagram. She was a model, naturally.

‘This is Jasmine.’ Steve’s hand was resting on the small of her back.

‘Nice to meet you, Yasmine.’ You flashed a smile at her.

‘No.’ She shook her head at you. ‘It’s Jas-’

‘- is that Thor?’ You spun around. ‘Oh, hi!’

You grabbed Nat’s arm, and she let out a small yelp as you dragged her away from your ex-boyfriend and his model-of-a-new-girlfriend. That had been out of character for you - you weren’t usually petty. But how else were you supposed to react? It was a self-defence mechanism (or maybe it was the glass of wine you’d just downed whole).

The feeling of Thor’s arms around you was a welcome distraction. He let out a hearty laugh as he enveloped both you and Natasha in a hug, complimenting you both on your appearances. Your two friends quickly fell into a conversation about their latest mission, but you were thousands of miles away.

You could hear Steve and Jasmine laughing from the other side of the room, chuckles melting together into what felt like a hand around your throat. That was how he used to laugh with you, even if your joke wasn’t funny.

It was going to be a long night.

Two hours and six glasses of wine later, you were still with Natasha and Thor. You were lounging against the back of your chair, legs crossed over as you glanced at the ceiling, lulling in your hazy, tipsy state. You weren’t drunk drunk, but you certainly had forfeited control of any sober rationality.

‘Anyways, I was in Paris and I saw a guy who looked exactly like that giant space bear from Star Trek-’

‘- Wars.’ You flopped your head forward to meet eyes with Jasmine. She’d been nattering away for the last half an hour about...actually, you hadn’t been listening.

‘I beg your pardon?’ She thinned her eyes at you.

‘The dumb space bears are called Wookiees are they’re from Star Wars.’ You replied.

Steve’s blue eyes trailed from his drink to look at you, almost begging you to stop. He could already sense the tension between the group - Thor and Natasha hadn’t exactly taken to Jasmine either - and you were only making it worse. Your ability to poke at bad situations and spin them out of control had been something you used to fight over.

‘It’s an easy mistake to make.’ He flashed his signature smile, and you felt that aching feeling return.

You missed him with every fibre of your being. You missed waking up next to him and cuddling in bed for hours. You missed the way he’d wrap his large arms around you when you were sad and tell you awful jokes till you smiled again. You missed how he cared so much about every little detail of every little thing he did for you. He’d made you feel so loved, so safe.

‘So,’ Jasmine took a sip of her drink, green eyes falling on you. ‘Steve told me that you used to work together?’

‘Oh, we worked together alright,’ You grinned, ‘on a three year long project. Did he not tell you?’

‘No, he didn’t,’ She replied. ‘What did you guys specialise in?’

‘Biology.’

Steve thinned his eyes at you - a moment later, he abruptly stood up. You let out a small squeak of surprise when you felt his large hand wrap around your wrist. He almost dragged you from your seat, and you stumbled slightly as he pulled you away from the table and towards the balcony.

Given that it was the middle of winter, nobody else was out there. They were all inside, basking in the warmth of the tower. You, meanwhile, were now in the midst of the biting January air, the harsh polar breeze hitting your bare arms almost immediately. It only increased your awareness of Steve’s body heat something that arguably did not help the situation.

‘The hell are you playing at?’ He let go of your arm.

‘What do you mean what am I playing at?’ You shot back. ‘You told your new girlfriend I was a colleague!’

‘It’s not a total lie. We did work together-’

‘- that’s not the point, Steve.’ You muttered. ‘It’s just...’

‘It’s just what?’ Steve’s voice softened slightly.

‘Some stupid part of me was still holding out hope that we could be us again.’ Your voice was barely a whisper.

Letting out a groan, you fell back against the wall, hands rubbing your arms in an attempt to warm up. Steve took a step closer as you did, a look of concern etched across his features. For the first time since you’d met him, you couldn’t quite read the expression on his face.

‘I didn’t mean to come across as cold.’ You continued. ‘Imagine if you were still in love with me, and I turned up with a guy who looked like he’d made been made in a lab.’

Steve pulled a face at you for a minute, and then you realised your mistake. He was the guy who’d been made in a lab. You were physically incapable of imagining somebody more perfect than him. It kind of ruined your metaphor.

‘I don’t have to imagine.’ He said.

‘Yeah, I know, you’re the one who was made in a lab-’

‘- That’s not what I meant.’ Steve shook his head. ‘I don’t have to imagine still being in love with you.’

If it were physically possible for your soul to leave your body and enter into the earth’s orbit, those words would have been the fuel. You’d imagined a scenario in which Steve re-declared his love for you, but they’d simply been midday meanderings, the kind of thing you’d thought about when you were bored in a meeting.

‘But..’ You’d forgotten how to form a sentence. ‘Jasmine.’

‘She’s not my girlfriend.’ He shook his head. ‘We’ve been on one date, and I only brought her tonight because I was terrified of you turning up with someone.’

‘Well, I didn’t.’ You gestured to the empty space around you. ‘On account of the whole being in love with you thing.’

Steve smiled at you again. ‘So...’

Finally closing the gap between you, his large hands took you by the waist and pulled you towards him. You crashed your lips onto his, arms clinging onto his shoulders as he lifted you off the ground, falling back against the wall. It felt like your first kiss all over again - but at the same time, it felt like coming home after months away.

You’d planned for tonight to be showing Steve Rogers what he’d been missing - that was the point of the dress and the heels and the makeup. If you’d known that he was already very much aware, you would have skipped the whole charade. He wasn’t complaining, though. You did look good.

‘Come home with me?’ Steve murmured against your lips.

‘Of course.’ You smiled against him. ‘I just gotta quickly explain to Jasmine the difference between Star Wars and-’

He dropped his head into your shoulder, letting out a small groan. ‘You’re not serious?’

‘No,’ you chuckled. ‘I’m not.’

‘But you’re going to do it anyways, aren’t you?’

‘Obviously.’

#steve rogers x reader #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers x you #steve rogers x y/n #steve rogers fluff #steve rogers fanfic #avengers x reader #avengers imagine #avengers preferences #avengers fluff #avengers fanfic #avengers imagines #marvel imagines #avengers x you #avengers x y/n

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jennsmischievousmind · 4 years

Text

Fucks not Found

Ghosts

Summary: You hack, that's what you do. Dying to do so freely, wasn't what you had expected. Meeting the weirdest fucking squad; losing the best part of you; falling for a thief : was not planned.

Pairing : Four/Billy (Ben Hardy) - You

A/N: The story goes through the all movie, so I suggest you watch it before reading.

I don't own any characters other than Eight.

English is not my native language, I'm trying to get better at it, please be indulgent.

Tried my best to match Ryan Reynold's level of sass aha

This is how you die.

"So you're the one who hacked the wrong guy" You swiftly turn around gasping at the sudden voice in your apartment

"Depends, you’re his hitman?" You were ready to run even if it means jumping by the window.

"Nooo, I'm an angel.” You snort at his sarcasm, unknown to you at this moment that he was full of it.

"Wanna disappear?" he asked taking a seat at the kitchen table eyeing your bags at the door.

"In a body bag? Slowly you make your way to the knives, just in case.

"You are a funny one, aren't you? I know the man you stole from, you won't get far until he got you. But, he emphasized, if you’re willing to do what's right.."

"I've already done my part for the flag." Assuming he was American by the way he talked.

"I'm not talking about shitty drug dealers. But evil war-lovers, genocide perpetrators, that kind of shitty so-called human. Those ones that are above the laws with governments' balls in their hands, ready to squish them.”

"That's gross" your brother appeared from the adjacent room. You let your mind consider the stranger’s offer as soon as you look at your confused brother, knowing he was in danger because of you.

“You two look at lot alike.” The guy leaned in, screwing his eyes at you both.

“We’re twin dumbass” your brother answered glancing at you wondering.

“What’s the deal?” you asked considering the offer

The guy smirked, “Well, to be short you die, and then you take down evil motherfuckers without governments’ backlash on you.” He tapped his fingers against the Formica table.

It took 5 minutes.

"One condition, my brother comes to!"

"What's he good at?" he crossed his arms.

"I can drive…Hold on what? Die? Who the fuck are you!?”

"Already too many questions” he rolled his eyes

"He's a hell of a driver, it got him under surveillance when he got chased by 6 police cars after an illegal race back in the States."

"So they caught up Muttley” the guy clucked his tongue

“Hey!”

"No, you interfered almost ashamed, I told him to stop the car...I got motion sickness."

The guy erupted in laughter, you two watching him unamused.

“I’m more like Peter Perfect.” Your brother mumbled as the guy left.

You look by the window discreetly, catching a glimpse of the guy mingling in the crowd. “You’re Muttley bro.”

A week later you got a text. The guy who called himself One had planned your fake death. A random trek in Italy’s mountains, an assumed fatal fall, no bodies recovered.

It was never supposed to be your life. But we all know nothing happens as it should.

Papà went to fight a war and disappeared, you were forced to move in America when you were 6.

Mammà never cope the loss of her motherland and husband. She died of a belated broken heart syndrome when you were 16.

Both you and your brother were placed in a host family. It wasn’t a crappy family like it’s always the case in some tv show, they were nice and wealthy. The father was a tech engineer, somehow you took interest in his work and start learning to code, soon reading about hackers: white hats; black hats; “We are Legion”, you were hooked and skilled in a matter of time.

When you turned major though, things turned difficult, the host family had to let you go and Internal Affairs of your state caught you looking in their network. Which led to you working as a C.I for them, it was that or prison. Not thrilled by the idea but obliged to cooperate was your new motto.

Your brother had some job here and there but nothing steady, so money from the IA was welcome.

After a year and a half, I.A ditched you, it was rather good news in a way, they’ve erased your past mistakes but said they’d keep a distant eye on you.

So you moved on from your shithole that was the 1 bedroom apartment you and your brother shared and went to your parents’ hometown in Italy. Your brother was reluctant at first as he couldn’t even say hello in Italian, you taught him as your mamma had done it with you but he wasn’t that interested.

Working with people was not your forte, you were too bossy, so you got fired ... plenty of times: from a coffee shop, a rental bike shop and a tourist city tour bus thingy. So you started doing what you were good at, hacking for money, it went well for a few years, never being too greedy - until you hacked the wrong person and got in trouble.

That's how you became a Ghost and ended up in the middle of the California Desert.

One had built a squad. No names, only numbers to identify each other. Not calling your brother by his name was a challenge, same for him.

There were 7 of you.

One, the “boss”, a mysterious sassy billionaire who decided to fund his own strike team.

Two, a French blonde woman, pretty cold, a spy apparently

Three, a crazy hitman who couldn’t shut up

Four, a young parkour master and reformed thief

Five, a Doctor, but you heard she was actually working at a Dentist

Six, your brother, the annoying driver.

And then Eight, you, the Black Hat somehow becoming a hacktivist.

Why not Seven? Long story short, it was one more condition you’d submitted to One.

_SICILY

"Your focus determines your reality.”

“Oh for fuck's sake One, quit your Jedi bullshit!” you loosed your temper typing on your keyboard angrily. An entire week, an ENTIRE WEEK quoting Star Wars!

Four and Five laughed in the comm. One braced himself on the other end of the line. Three cut the heavy silence.

“Eight, Chiquita please stop yelling”

“I’m not a Chiquita stop saying that!”

“Ok ok chi…Eight, damn you’re stressful”

“God, why do I have to team you up!!” One facepalm

“Now what?” Five asked

Radio silence

“Oh so now no one’s talking! What are you, 4?” One angrily called out to you 2.

“Yeah, uh high, literally.” Four answered One, you snorted.

“No .. damn not you!”

“You called me Mate!” Four said offended

“No, shush – Eight are you done with the system?” he was about to lose it.

“I’ve been done with it the second Three called me Chiquita!” you crossed your arms in front of your laptop.

“Hey ..” “We’re not talking about that again!” One cut Three

“Can we get going now?” Two interfered, you heard her bike roaring.

“Finally, some sensed words.” One said wrapping it up.

Four entered the place you’d hacked the system of. Six and Two were not far in case of trouble.

“Four, the hard drive is in the main office. Second floor.” One enunciated, you followed Fours progression with the security cameras.

It was enlivening, stressful, but oh so exciting. When you worked with I.A you were never there when they’d go down in action, it was nothing but boring data researched and dealer’s MacBook.

“Freeze Four, guards coming east.” Switching cams you gave him a safe path.

“Ok, you’re clear. Now to your left, third door then turn right.”

Four got his hands on the hard drive containing all you needed to know about the next target.

“Well done.” One congratulated the team

“Thanks, thanks, It helps to have a sexy voice guiding you” Four chuckled, you blushed, sexy voice? is that even possible?

“Great, kid. Don’t get cocky.”

You rolled your eyes at the endless use of Star Wars' quotes.

“Hum that’s my sister, remember?” Six growled tightening the wheel

“Luke grab Solo, meet up in 15minutes at the hotel. Everyone move!” One instructed you smiled at the thought of being Leïa. Gosh, you were as much of a nerd as One.

Climbing down the jeep Three had rented, you laughed seeing your brother holding Four in an arm lock for a few seconds anyway, Four reversed the lock, pining your brother’s arms behind himself.

You passed by them “Easy with my twin please.” Four wasn’t releasing his hold so you stopped, turning back you lift an eyebrow at Four insisting he let him go.

“Oh!” he lifted his hands in defence taking a step back.

Grabbing your brother by the sleeves as he was about to jump on Four “Come on piccino” you made your way in the hotel laughing.

Your first big mission started a few weeks after, everyone gathered in The Haunted House as One called it, an old bunker, cheesy name for an HQ.

“You don’t get it, I need a CAR!”

“That’s a car, Six.” Three argued back.

“No that’s a heap, that thing won’t get us through the paved road of Italy, believe me.”

Four and Five were amused by the situation, Three had rent a truck and an old Volvo for this mission.

“Alright, shut up, we’ll get another car!” One declared, Six flicked to Three.

One resumed the mission’s details. Giving everyone their own missions. A simple mission, retrieve a lawyer’s smartphone.

In the midst of it, your hand flew to your brother’s head next to you. The smacked resonating between the walls of the unfinished bunker.

“Why ..why’d you hit him?” One asked confused, your brother was rubbing the back of his head frowning at you.

“Cain’s instinct.” You replied wriggling your fingers for him to continue. Four snorted, Six nudged him in the ribs.

In a few months, you had learned a lot from this weird squad. Learning to shoot was an obligation, Three was insane but a good teacher.

You’d asked Four to teach you some parkour in case of a chase. Six and Four became close friends in a matter of time. Five was nice, but you were never one to be good at making friends. Two was not a big talker and frankly, she scared you a little.

So you spend your free time hacking and reading, on the hammock installed between a dismantle plane and a dead tree. Not far from there you could hear Four skating in the empty pool and three at the makeshift shooting range.

Suddenly,

“EIGHT!”

Groaning you closed your book “WHAT!?

Your voice boomed against the caravan and lost itself in the desert, but you still hoped Four had heard. It was his thing, screaming your name instead of coming to you directly. At his silence, you wriggle out the hammock and strode to the pool.

“What’d you want skater boy?”

He was lying in the pool his board by his side. “Four?” you made your way to the ladder, “hey” you gently nudge him with your foot but he didn’t move.

“Four? you called out worried, “shit” knees hitting the vinyl liner checking if he was breathing, he wasn’t.

“Hey wake up, seriously dude don’t make me do CPR on you, I suck at it!” suddenly laughter erupted in your ears. Six appearing on the edge, Four chucked on the floor.

“Pranking you..he tried to breathe in, is always the best sis!” Six laughed even harder at your confused face. Still kneeling at Four’s side, he was looking at you laughing, until he wasn’t, catching a glimpse of worry melting with anger in your eyes.

Punching his left shoulder, you hurried out the pool. He stayed on the floor watching you go.

“Don’t make me do CPR I suck at it!” your brother was still laughing his brain's out.

“What was that?”

Four leaned on the dead tree near your head, his shadow offering some shade.

“A real bad joke?”

“No I mean, why’d you hit me?”

Sighing you clasped your book closed for the second time today “you really got me worried, happy?”

“No, you propped up on your elbow at his answer craning your head to him, I didn’t mean to scare you.” His warm hand slide in your hair at the base of your neck, he leaned in, letting you enough time to push him away if you wanted.

"Sorry" he whispered, his lips pressing in your temple gently, warmly for a few seconds. Catching yourself leaning in you almost fell off the swinging' hammock as he released his hold, he grinned and left not saying anything more.

"What the hell Four!!" you yelled at him, an ounce of laughter in your voice, a blush creeping into your cheeks, his own laughter filling the desert's silence.

FLORENCE

A/N: don't forget to double tap if you liked it. 🙏

#billy x reader #four x reader #6 underground imagine #four imagine #Ben Hardy #6 underground Four x reader #Fucks not Found

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tae-cup · 4 years

Text

Welcome To Wonderland | JHS Oneshot

Inspired by: Anson Seabra’s “Welcome to Wonderland”

Pairing: Jung Hoseok x Reader

Summary: You’ve spent the last five years down the rabbit hole, lost in his eyes, now, you only see him in your dreams.

Warnings: N/A, ANGST, but also lots of fluff!

Word Count: 6.3k (honestly the most I’ve written, I don’t know how or why this got so long).

A/N: Should I make this a series??? I’m really tempted. stay safe, wash your hands, and please help me gain motivation to do life.

Sneak Peak: “We all have to grow up some day, Hoseok. You can join me or stay here in your cruel little fantasy.”

Other: Masterlist

Dancing through a dream Underneath the stars Laughing 'til the morning comes Everyone that leaves has a heavy heart Oh, Wonderland I love

“She’s criminally insane.” The doctor spoke to your mother, tapping her pen against the clipboard as if you couldn’t hear her. They stood outside the small room’s door, though it felt more like a jail cell. Your mother spoke in a hushed whisper, as if she didn’t want to admit that her perfect daughter was going insane. It wasn’t even your fault!

“What do you mean?” Your mother’s voice was incredulous.

“She’ll be here until she’s deemed stable.” You could almost hear the smile on the cruel doctor’s face. “Don’t worry, we’ll get those silly little illusions out of her head soon enough.”

You cringed, hands going to your head. You shut your eyes, shaking your head violently. No, no, no, I don’t want you to take him away from me. Memories of the handsome Mad Hatter filled your mind. He would tip his hat and wink, smiling his signature smile. There was a hint of madness in his eyes, but it was always your kind of madness.

Five years. They said you were gone for five hours. Five years, you were gone five years. Your insistence had them worried, but your screams as they pulled you away from the woods were what brought you to the institution for the criminally insane.

The light seemed so harsh compared to the magical land of wonderland. The sunlight beat you down in the pure white room, reflecting off every surface and making your eyes hurt. You shifted on the hard bed, throwing your forearm over your eyes in an attempt to escape your fate.

You heard your mother’s heels clacking away farther down the hall. There was a rapping at the door. When you didn’t respond, the door slowly opened. The doctor filed into the room along with two other nurses. One nurse held a metal tray with a small plastic cup and a glass of water. The other had a needle filled with clear liquid. The doctor had a clipboard, her lips were pressed into a thin line, a displeased look on your face. You scrambled away, pulling your legs to your chest as you pushed yourself into the farthest corner of the bed.

“Y/N.” The doctor dropped the kind tone she had with your mother. Her words were cold, calculating. “You have been diagnosed as criminally insane, thus, I will need to run some tests. These drugs are to help you sleep without those little...dreams of yours.”

“NO!” You cried out, rocking back and forth slowly. “I don’t want them to go away, please.”

The doctor sighed, tapping her clipboard with her pen. She stepped aside, gesturing to the other nurses. The one with the tray had blonde hair and a stern expression. The other nurse may have the needle, but you were more terrified of the one with the tray. Her face mimicked the queen of hearts in ways you never wanted to see again. The nurse with the needle had a warm smile, just like the cheshire cat. Subtly unsettling, but not entirely creepy.

“Honey, these will help you sleep.” The blonde explained, a lack of emotion to her voice. It was unnerving.

“And what’s that?” You shakily pointed to the needle.

“Just a little something to take away the dreams.”

You tensed immediately.

“I’m not taking that.” You said quickly, your eyes darted between the nurses and doctor. “I’ll take the pills, but I refuse the injection.”

The doctor stared at you blankly. She had never had a patient who flat out refused medication and in such a firm way. This girl would look to be absolutely sane if it weren’t for those hallucinations. The woman finally conceded, dipping her head and shooing the cheshire cat nurse out of the room. You decided to refer to her as Cheshire in honor of your unlikely friend.

The other one would be referred to as Queenie in regards to the mad queen who gave you hell in wonderland, but was ultimately a force of good. You found that you missed even her, that fiery devil.

You swallowed the two pills and then curled back up in your corner. Your hands went over your heart, frowning at the dull ache in your chest.

~Welcome to Wonderland ~Look where you're at ~Maddest of hatters ~The Cheshire Cat ~Magical cabins and lovely white rabbits with clocks

5 years ago

“Mr. puffles?” You called out to the stubborn cat, blue dress swishing behind you. You bent down, not caring about the dirt as you searched the bushes. There was a quiet meow that sent you farther into the woods, away from the brilliant manor. There was a soft melody, a ringing in your ears. It was enticing, it called to you.

You found yourself wandering deeper into the woods. You felt this pull, a tug, a push, to venture farther into the darkness. The sun was beginning to set. While usually you would feel anxious to be out in the woods alone as it got dark, you found yourself drawn in more. You felt perfectly safe like nothing would harm you. It was a silly notion, but you were known to follow your impulses.

There was a rustle in the bushes and you saw the shadow of a cat’s tail before it slipped away.

“Mr. Puffles?” You called again. The smallest meow came from your left. You raced after it, grasping the flowing ends of your dress in your hands. This was a hunt and you refused to trip unnecessarily.

“Ugh! You tricky little fur demon.” You cursed, pursing your lips. As the woods fell silent, you turned in a half circle, realizing how dark it had gotten. Then you realized that the woods were massive and you could no longer see any feasible path. You turned in circles, chuckle madly to yourself. This must be some cruel trick; to lure you out on your curiosity and then leave you stranded. Somehow, you didn’t feel scared in the slightest.

There was another rustle, but then it was followed by several others. You trekked slowly after the noises, careful of your flats that were your only footwear.

“Hello?” You whispered. The noise still echoed loudly against the peaceful forest. You didn’t feel out of place in these woods.

“Hello.” Your voice echoed, but it sounded more masculine.

“Who are you?” You felt the hairs on the back of your neck raise.

“Who are-” The voice said back, far away and distant. Then you heard the crackle of leaves behind you. You turned to see a tall man step out from behind a tree. “-you?” He said clearly.

In his eyes you could only see darkness and perhaps something else. His hair was draped over one side of his face, the rest covered by a red velvet top hat. His suit jacket was also red velvet and his pants were a dark black.

“Where did you come from? How did you get over there?” You cried, scrambling away from the intimidating man. He had a wide smile on his face and you couldn’t help thinking he looked extremely handsome.

“Magic.” He splayed his white gloved fingers. There was a spark of mischief in his eyes. You wanted to step closer, examine him, but you stayed where you were.

“What’s your name?” You bit your lip, looking around at your surroundings as the forest slowly gave away to the darkness.

“Now, now, sweet rabbit, you’ll find out soon enough. First tell me yours.”

“I’m-”

You were cut off from speaking to the mysterious man when a voice called your name. You whipped around, eyes searching the forest. You were sure no one had followed you in or even seen you leave the manor. Your eyes narrowed suspiciously. There wasn’t something right about that voice, though you clearly could place it as your mother’s. Your mother would never dirty her dress to come out looking for you.

“Do you know who that is?” The man tilted his head, a frown adorning his face. He looked puzzled, but there was something akin to fear that seemed to shake his body. He looked on the fritz, maybe a little crazy. My kind of crazy. You thought pleasantly to yourself.

“No, well, yes.” You murmured. This man made you feel safe, whatever was out there, did not. Yes, he had just magically appeared, but once again, you felt that tug. You gave in this time, more scared of whatever was calling your name behind you. Something that isn’t your mother. You stepped closer, cringing as you heard the loud crack of twigs beneath your feet. The man looked amused at your attempts to stay quiet, though he eyed the treeline warily.

“What do you mean, no and yes?” He raised an eyebrow.

You stepped close enough that you were less than an arms reach away. Thoughts of your cat subsided and even thoughts of that thing acting as your mother drifted away. His eyes were like deep whirlpools of emotion with the glint of madness, insanity. You felt your breath taken away as you peered into his eyes. You could tell he was experiencing the same thing because he sharply inhaled.

“I mean, mystery man,” You said quietly, suddenly looking behind you, sensing something watching, no, stalking, you. You gently grasped his sleeve and he automatically moved to let you in closer. He felt this inexplicable urge to protect you, to touch you. He had attraction to other people before, but never this intensely. “That thing, out there, may sound like my mother, but,” You gnawed at your bottom lip. “It is not my mother.”

He took in a deep breath. Those damn parasites always crawled through these woods. The man nodded, velvet hat shifting on top of his black hair.

“Dream catchers.” He murmured, then he cursed as he saw a movement. He turned to you, grasping your hands tightly. He leaned in, breath fanning across your face. “Love, you and I need to run.”

Your heart beat quickened. “Run? Run where?” You whispered softly, already feeling adrenaline pumping through your veins as the crackling in the woods came closer.

“Would you like to go on an adventure, rabbit?” He looked at you with such fondness that you found yourself nodding before you could think. “Good.”

Then there was a loud howl a little ways away. The man’s eyes widened, intertwining your hands and taking off in the other direction. You held back a squeal as he dragged you along. Your legs pumped to exhaustion as you tried your best to keep up with his long legs. You studied him, taking your mind off the creature’s huffing behind you and the lungs struggling for breath inside you.

The man had handsome features, truly beautiful. A sloped nose, high cheek bones, cupid’s bow shaped lips. His back is strong, legs long, body slim. Absolutely enchanting. You fought the blush creeping up your face. Now is not the time.

“What’s-What’s your name.” You huffed, struggling for air. He only then seemed to notice your plight. He looked behind you before slowing down to a walk. He took a turn, ducking behind a rock. Then you noticed you were surrounded by a bunch of random stones all surrounding a hole in the ground. You craned your neck, seeing a never ending pit of darkness. The moonlight illuminated only a few feet inside and the dark seemed to go on and on.

He sharply inhaled, tugging you to his chest, wrapping his arms tightly around you, trying to shrink your two figures behind the rock. There was a scampering sound and you hoped your heart wasn’t beating as loud as you thought it was. Blood rushed through your ears, chest rising and falling. You tried to calm your breathing. He glanced down at you worriedly as you clamped your hand over your mouth. The steps stopped and you heard a sniffing sound. After a few tense moments, it disappeared howling and scampering deeper into the forest.

You let out a shaky breath and the man frowned at you.

“Are you alright?” He gripped your shoulders tightly.

“I’m...I’m okay.” Your voice was far too timid to properly convince him and you knew it. You cleared your throat. “What’s your name?” You asked firmly.

“Hoseok.” The man, Hoseok, smiled widely. He didn’t seem out of breath whatsoever and you fought to keep from whining. It was so unfair that he was beautiful and fit. He was taller than you, your eye level coming up to his nose.

“I’m Y/N.” You breathed, fingers curling in and out. “How did you find me? Why am I here?”

“There hasn’t been a true visitor to these woods in years.” He chuckled. “And I brought you here, to the edge of your world and the start of mine,” He gestured to the hole in the ground. “Because you’re like me. You don’t belong in the above world and you haven’t for a long time.”

You took a step back. He smiled painfully at you.

“God, you’re here to murder me aren’t you?”

“If I wanted to murder you, I would have left you to the dream catchers and not saved you.”

“Oh wow, that’s re-ensuring.” You grumbled. He chuckled at that. Hoseok then grasped your hands.

“You said you wanted to go on an adventure. Join me, where you belong.” His voice was hushed, his words almost intimate.

“And where do I belong?”

“With me.” Then he cleared his throat when you flushed a bright red. “In wonderland.” He amended.

“You’re insane.”

“Only the best kind.” He started tugging you towards the hole. “I see it in your eyes too. Come.” His words were like a command.

It wasn’t like you had anything to go back to. Your father wanted you to get married, your mother was a controlling witch. Your siblings were such good children, always following the rules and accomplishing great things.

“Okay.” You relented. What harm could there be in a little fun? You bent and tied your dress ends around your legs to create some weird pants-dress-combo.

He flashed you a winning smile.

“Follow my lead.” He tipped his hat before stretching his arms and jumping backwards into the hole. You shrieked, scrambling to look over the edge. He laughed, then he disappeared, the scream cutting off abruptly.

“Hoseok?!” You called, your voice bouncing off the walls of the hole. Silence. The wind whistled in your ears. You found yourself backing away from the hole, your fear taking over. Then you heard the low growl of something behind you. The dream catchers. You looked between the beast before you and the hole behind you. Only one held certain death. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

You took a few steps back and then leapt into the hole, your screams ripped away by the wind rushing past your ears. Suddenly the wind stopped and you felt yourself floating. Down down down to the ground like a soft caress.

“Y/N, I got you.”

You recognized that voice, drifting into the arms of someone waiting. The person is warm, the person is nice, the person is safe. Your eyes flew open.

“Hoseok!” You cried, tears slipping out at the familiar face. You flung your arms around his neck and he stiffened suddenly before awkwardly patting your back.

“Are you alright? You were gone for a while.” He set you down, now back to your usual weight. “We were scared you weren’t jumping.”

“It was only a few seconds.” You huffed, tilting your head in confusion. “And what do you mean we?”

You stepped back and he chuckled, moving aside. “Welcome to the family, Y/N.”

Five sets of eyes were on you. Five smiles widened at your sight. And five new people became your family. Another lingered in the background, white armor shining.

~Welcome to Wonderland ~Where should we go? ~There's a tea party along down the road ~Make an appearance and maybe they'll sing us a song

Four Years Ago

“Hoseok!” You shouted, running around the house, throwing open any cupboards you saw.

“What?” The mad hatter’s voice called from outside. You didn’t respond, furiously searching for the tea set you wanted to use for today’s daily tea party. You heard a huff of annoyance and a sly smile made its way onto your face.

“What.” The voice was closer and you already knew he was standing in the doorway, probably leaning in the door frame with a wicked smile.

“Did you see that tea set, the one with the cherry blossoms on them?” You said innocently. You turned around and, as always, he took your breath away.

“Yeah, they’re over here.” He reached over you. If he noticed you gawking, he didn’t mention it. He was wearing that red velvet suit that he had been wearing when you first met him. It was still by far his most dashing look. You had seen him in every color of the rainbow, but red always suited him so well. He took down the set and placed it on a tray. You tried to take it from him, but he dodged easily.

You gave a little shout, annoyed at his foolishness. “Hoseok! Just. Let. Me-”

You struggled to grab the tray back, but he simply turned the other direction, marching out of the kitchen. He smiled and you pouted, following him sullenly.

“Be patient, my little rabbit.” He set down the tray and you both went about setting out the cups and saucers. You had been living with Hoseok the past year and things had gone better than okay. From smoking with the caterpillar to escaping the rage of the Red Queen, you had your handful of adventures. You made an effort not to mention the Red Queen however.

Hoseok always went cold, his gaze hardening, whenever you brought up his dear friend.

“He wasn’t always this way, you know?” He looked away sadly. “Maybe he would have even come for tea if he could gain the sanity.”

“What happened to him?”

Hoseok turned to you, thinking for a moment. “You know how things makes sense to you and I down here?”

You nodded.

“Well, he wasn’t...he wasn’t meant to be down here. His truth, is up there.” He pointed to the ceiling, to your old world. “He accidentally fell in as a teenager and Wonderland doesn’t treat those from your world kindly. He’s been losing sanity for a while.” He sighed. “I’m surprised he held on for so long.”

“So he’ll return to normal if he goes back to my world?”

“That’s the theory. We’ve tried to convince him, but he was too far gone, screaming about ‘off with their heads!’ and painting roses red. Then he shunned us, saying if we ever came back to dethrone him, he’d have our heads.” He shook his head sadly. “What’s heartbreaking is that he was completely serious. If you looked him in the eye, you could see he’d gone completely insane.”

Wonderland was a scary place, but the way it worked made sense to you. You glanced anxiously at the clock that was always set three hours ahead. It was almost time for your guests to arrive.

Yoongi, the Cheshire cat always arrived early in comparison to the Caterpillar known as Jin. Then the others would file in. Jungkook, the white rabbit, was always off about being late, despite being perfectly on time. Then Namjoon, the march hare would try his best to calm down the youngest. Jimin, the ever divine white queen, would arrive exactly on the dot. The usual commotion occured. Yoongi was grinning devilishly at Jungkook, fanning the fire of chaos. Jungkook was bouncing off the walls with energy, stammering about being late. Namjoon pressed a hand to Jungkook’s shoulder to calm him down and started giving a stern talking to to Yoongi. Jin hung back, either high or tired, one or the other. You chuckled at the madness, the ruckus feeling like home.

You frowned at the clock. Your special guest should arrive any minute and you didn’t want to overwhelm him. It was a stupid idea, really, but nonetheless, he had replied ‘yes’. You ushered the boys into the backyard. They all settled into their usual spots. Hoseok at the head, your seat reserved to his right, Yoongi appearing in the spot to his left. Next to Yoongi, Jimin took his place and Jin sluggishly sat next to your empty spot. Usually, you would also sit, but you had more important matters to attend to. You knew that if Hoseok, or any of the others for that matter, had known of your plan, they would have stopped you.

Namjoon took a place next to Jungkook beside Jin.

“Rabbit?” Hoseok looked at you expectantly. It was a Wonderland rule that you can’t start the tea party until all members have sat. “The tea’s getting cold, what’s wrong?”

You shifted uncomfortably. Should you tell them? You glanced behind you. Through the sliding glass doors you could see a figure walking to the door. The steps were slow and purposeful and you knew who it was. Your guest. You took a deep breath.

“Sorry, hatty,” You mumbled. “But I have another guest.”

“Another-” Jin started, suddenly pulled from his quiet state.

“-Guest?” Jimin finished, a pretty smile on his face.

The boys exchanged a look. Jungkook had stopped moving around restlessly and Jimin’s smile seemed forced. Even Hoseok looked perplexed.

“Who is it, dear?” Hoseok finally asked. There was a loud knock on the door. You sheepishly rubbed your neck.

“Ah! They’re here.” You rushed to the front door, slamming open the glass sliding doors harshly.

You opened the door.

The Red Queen stepped into your living room.

Some might wonder why you called him the Red Queen. You could never explain why, it just made sense. That was Wonderland logic, after all.

“Taehyung.” You dipped your head a little. You had actually met him before he went completely insane, just once. Now that he was standing in front of you, he didn’t seem insane at all. He seemed normal, in fact, maybe a little tired. He flashed you a small smile.

“Thank you for inviting me, Y/N. It’s quite the honor.” His voice was deep and soothing.

“They might be a little surprised, I didn’t tell them you’d come.” You and him had met once before. That’s when he was still sane.

“You seem to be far from home.” A smug voice said behind you. You turned so fast you almost sprained your ankle. You studied the tall man in front of you, his lips pressed together to form a tight smile. Maybe even then, he was struggling with sanity. “What brings you to Wonderland? You certainly aren’t from around here.”

You smiled, feeling at ease around him.

“I’m from the other world, technically, but Wonderland is my home now.” You leaned against the railing, gazing up at the stars. The night sky was always fascinating in Wonderland; a plethora of colors painting a dark canvas.

“Interesting.” He murmured, taking a place beside you. “People here refer to me as the Red Queen, but you can call me Taehyung.” He shifted to look at you and you tore your eyes away from the beautiful sky to view a beautiful man.

“The Red Queen, hm?” You tilted your head a little. You remembered Hoseok’s warning. To stay away, he’s unstable, with the ability to be more insane than any other Wonderlandian. However, as you stood next to him, he didn’t seem threatening in the slightest. “I like Taehyung better.”

He lets out a laughed, propping his elbow up on the railing and tracing the carvings with his finger. “You sound just like Hoseok.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Well, I live with Hoseok so I wouldn’t be surprised.”

His eyes widened slightly. “So you’re the girl he won’t shut up about.” He laughed, scratching the back of his head. “If he’s told you anything about my sanity, he’s right.”

You were taken aback. “What?”

“Yeah, it’s true.” He sighed, turning his attention to the sky. “Listen, you need to help me, if I’m ever past the point of sanity.”

You nodded slowly at his words, wondering why he was seeking your help, but you knew you would do everything in your power to help him if he so needed it.

Maybe it was already happening? To him, there were more colors than there actually were. To him, all the white roses were mocking him and needed to be painted red. To him, people looked better without their heads.

There was an audible scraping of metal chairs through grass. Hoseok immediately went to you, tugging you away from Taehyung.

“What do you think you’re doing?” He hissed in your ear.

“Mending a bond that needs to be mended.” You shrugged. “Maybe you could convince him to go back.”

Hoseok sighed, dropping your wrist. The others glanced around. Jungkook was shaking.

“Y/N. You need to be more carefully. I thought I already went over how he won’t listen, it’s too late for him.”

“I’ll go back.”

Your hushed whispers stopped instantly. Taehyung shifted uncomfortably, smoothing his casual clothes down absentmindedly.

“It’s my time.” Taehyung stepped forward. “But please let me have tea with you first.”

“Hey! It was an accident!” Jimin cried, sending the table into hysterics. Taehyung had his signature boxy smile on and Hoseok felt his heart clench. It had been so long since they’d seen that. Still, you could tell something was different about the younger boy. He had this hollow sound to his laugh and some of his smiles seemed forced.

“Taehyung.” You interrupted the conversation, cringing at how quickly the mood changed. No one had dared interact directly with him, or when they did, they would refer to him as ‘Queenie’.

“Yeah?” His voice was soft.

“Is something wrong?”

There was a long pause. Then he let out a shaky breath and the table stalled, waiting for him to start.

“Of course.” He mumbled. “I’m leaving behind my family.” His head sunk low.

You frowned, heart beating out for him. You understood his feelings. You felt your heart cracking at the mere thought of leaving Hoseok and the others. You gently reached across the table, and it was a bit of a stretch, and intertwined your fingers.

“I know, Tae, but this isn’t where you belong. You belong up there.” You looked up towards the sky. “It tears us apart to see you doing this to yourelf, please.” You whispered.

He looked away, ashamed. “I’m fighting everyday. Is it so wrong to just want to be with you guys?”

“We belong to different worlds, Tae.” Hoseok stood and walked over, crouching beside the boy. “It’s time to go home.”

Taehyung began sobbing, breaking down the facade of the immortal queen and Hoseok held him, wrapping him into a tight hug. You felt yourself coming undone as well, tears streaming down your face. No one could replace him, there would always be a hole.

“I love you guys.” He whimpered. Then a bright light overtook your vision and he was gone.

You were stunned, confusion twisting your features, your nose red and eyes puffy.

“There is no way to leave wonderland, you have to truly be ready to let it go. That’s why I said it was too late for him.” Hoseok sighed, trying to ignore the lump in his throat. He was going to miss that kid. Then he went over to you and kissed your forehead. “Don’t cry, love, he’s where he belongs now.”

Three Years Ago

“How’d you sleep?” His voice was muffled from where his face was pressed into your back.

“Good.” You croaked, having just woken up. You turned to face him. “But I slept even better with you.”

Hoseok immediately reddened, burying his face into your neck. “Rabbit, you can’t do this to me, I just woke up.” He chuckled, the vibrations against your neck making you hum.

It was a lazy morning. In Wonderland, Hoseok’s job was to make sure the daily tea parties were going smoothly, it was his business. The earliest client he had was supposed to be at 10 A.M.

You glanced at the cuckoo clock on the wall, waiting for it’s ear piercing screech that notified you that it was time to get a move on. five minutes.

You began to move, preparing yourself for the loss of his warmth. He groaned.

“Wait.” He slurred, still drowsy.

“Hatty, love, you need to get up in five minutes.” You brushed your hands through his hair.

“I still have five minutes.” You felt him frown against your skin. With a chuckle you pull him away and caress his cheek with your hand.

“I love you, you know that?” You kissed his nose. He laughed a little, moving to look you better in the eye.

“I love you too, my little rabbit.”

It was mornings like these that made you want to stay in Wonderland forever. Mornings like these made you wish to be nowhere else but in his arms. It was mornings like these that made Hoseok want to kiss you silly. He wanted to keep you by his side forever. You belonged here, with him. He didn’t know what he would do with himself if you left him, if anything happened to you. To put it simply, he was helplessly in love with you, and so were you with him.

Lost in each other’s gaze, the soft morning sun shining through the curtains, you resisted the urge to kiss him again. You leaned in, he leaned in. You shut your eyes, he shut his. Then the cuckoo clock screeched its way through the quiet.

With a groan, he rolled onto his back and you giggled. He sighed loudly. “Can’t we just get a new clock? It sounds like someone’s being murdered every morning.” He shivered and stood, the sheets shifting. You missed the warmth already.

One Year Ago

“I don’t understand.” His voice was hollow. “Where are you going?”

You were walking down the dirt path looking up at the sky, searching for a fissure, a seam, any sign of the world above.

“Hoseok.” You turned on your heel, almost bumping into his chest when he pulled to a sudden halt. “How did you find me? You said that you couldn’t leave unless you truly wanted to and even then if you tried to come back, you’d get lost, unable to come back.”

His smile was pained, hand reaching out to brush your cheek, but you took a step back.

“Magic.” He murmured weakly.

“Oh stop with your stupid magic.” You spat. Over the past two years things had changed drastically. A seed of doubt had been planted a year ago and now it had blossomed. “You’re a grown man, are you not?”

“Yes.” His expression was blank and that was so much worse than anger or sadness. You crossed your arms.

“I want to go back.”

His face dropped. “No, no, no. Y/N.” His voice shook. “Come on, let’s talk about this. You belong here, you’ll go insane, like Taehyung, if you go back now.” He reached out, grasping your wrists before you could pull away.

“Hoseok, how long have you been lying to me? Did you know?”

“Know?”

“This place is dying because of me. I don’t belong here, you used your ‘magic’ to trick me into feeling safe! Like a total creep!” You were in hysterics. “I’m going insane.”

“Join the club, rabbit.” His lips quirked into a small smile, but you could tell it was forced. “And I swear I didn’t do anything, who told you this?”

“That doesn’t matter!” It was that damn white knight. “If you didn’t do anything, and if I belong here, why the hell do I feel like I’m going fucking insane!” You shouted, tugging at your hair.

“That’s just a general side effect of Wonderland.” He stepped forward, you stepped back. It was like a cruel dance.

“We all have to grow up some day, Hoseok. You can join me or stay here in your cruel little fantasy.” You said bitterly.

You wanted to cry. This isn’t how you wanted it to end. You wanted to slip out while he was asleep, leaving him with good memories. He woke up when you accidentally bumped into the table in the dining room. You didn’t belong here, not anymore. The man you loved was standing here begging you to stay, but your gut was screaming at you to go. Something had changed in Wonderland and you were blaming it on yourself. The white knight had whispered dirty secrets and cruel words while Hoseok was unaware.

“I’m sorry.” You choked out. Then you saw light starting to take your body away. “Wait! Wait no! I’ve changed my mind!” You cried out, trying to stop the slow burn. Hoseok’s eyes widened.

“No..No, this shouldn’t be able to happen. Wonderland should listen to your cries.” He rushed to you as you sank to the floor, begging yourself to stay in Wonderland, to stay with him. He held you as your body turned to golden dust. He stayed there, knowing this was the prophecy. This was what was supposed to happen, but he didn’t know it would be so soon.

“Why is my time up, why is my time over with you?” He sobbed out in anguish.

“You can see her again.”

He stood, looking around for that stupid white knight.

“You can bring her back, she can be with you. You just need to sacrifice something, something precious.”

He watched the shining white armor appear out of thin air. Hoseok narrowed his eyes, swiping at the tears rolling down his face.

“How?”

Present

His eyes were like galaxies. His smile is as bright as the day. His face is fading from memory. The pills washing away the details. Cured. You’re almost cured.

You opened your eyes. Cold light filtered through the tall and slim window in your room. It reminded you of a jail cell. You were propped against the door as the night before came reeling back to you. You had clawed and screamed at the door, begging not to be drugged up again.

You don’t understand! I want to see him again, let me have these memories! You sobbed.

The nurses smiled sweetly, like a parent listening to their child ramble on.

You surveyed the claw marks on the door, almost proud of your work. Then you stood sluggishly. Every day you found less and less motivation to get up and move. You could barely remember his name.

Then you saw movement out of the corner of your eye. You went to the window and peered out. There was someone out there, waving frantically. You tilted your head. He looked familiar, but you weren’t sure if you should trust him.

“Y/N!” How does he know your name?

You wanted to turn back around and go to sleep, slipping into the serenity of your memories, trying desperately to make those touches real again. You started to turn away and the man started shouting louder. When you turned back around, he was gone. Great, now you were actually going insane.

The door clicked open and you didn’t turn around.

“Hurry up and just inject that stuff in me already.” You sighed, utterly defeated.

“I’m not here to stick any needles in you.”

Your eyes widened, turning around at the familiar voice. You just couldn’t put your finger on it. Who was he?

“Who are you?!” You cried, scrambling across the room. The man looked oddly hurt.

“See, this is why you’re not meant to be here. It’s making your mind fuzzy. I’m Taehyung, also known as the Red Queen.”

What?

“Why are you a queen when you’re a guy?” You tilted your head.

“Oh, Rabbit, what did they do to you?” He sighed. “This used to make sense to you.” He grasped your arm. “Please, there’s someone here to see you.”

“Who?” You narrowed your eyes.

“Why don’t you just follow me?” He had this spark of mischief in his eyes and you couldn’t say no.

Down the stairs, sneak around the corner, avoid the guards. Easy. Soon enough, you’re outside, the short gates that circle the gardens being the only thing separating you from freedom.

“Taehyung?” You suddenly remembered. The boy seemed overjoyed and he nodded excitedly.

“Yup! That’s me!” He glanced back at the building. “They took me there too. There’s something about that building...anyway!”

He hurried ahead. “Wait here.” He said, jumping over the fence and running to the treeline. Then you saw him.

As he stepped out, your breath caught in your throat, a strangled cry leaving. He was a beautiful as the day you left him, did he not age? He was possibly even more handsome. His eyes lit up when they saw you and you could see his glistening eyes.

“Hoseok!” You flung out your arms and he ran to them. You sat down, divided by the tiny fence as he embraced you, tears slipping out.

“I thought I lost you, oh god.” He managed to choke out, tears staining your white gown.

“Your hat.” You pulled away, viewing his empty head. You had never seen him without it on except in bed. “What happened to it?”

He shot you a pained expression before shrugging nonchalantly. “Not sure.”

You brushed his odd answer aside, too happy to see him again. Everything was flooding back to you, every touch, every whisper.

“But how,” You caressed his face in your hands, fingers pushing back any stray hairs. “How did you get here?”

He pulled away, smirking and splaying his fingers like he did when you first met him.

“Magic.”

If this was a dream,

then at least I’ve got

memories for when morning comes.

A/N p.2: Yes a series? Yes? No? Maybe so? Let me know! Comments and feedback really help motivate me to continue publishing stories for all you lovely people <3!

#bts #bts x reader #jung hoseok #hoseok x reader #jhope #welcome to wonderland #oneshot #tatafics #angst #fluff #proof reading?? yeah I don't know what that is

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geminimoon14 · 3 years

Text

Sanders Sides Sci-fi Au

This is my own fanfiction about the Sides in a Star-Trek reminiscent setting. Logan is the only human on board and the others are aliens. This universe is a way for me to branch out from my fantasy style of writing practice scientific writings.

AO3 Link: Welcome Aboard the USS Sanders

Logan hated these sorts of missions. They were always meant to be interesting but no, this time the exploration mission involves hostile lifeforms. Of course as the Chief Science Officer he ought to know better but this was completely unprecedented.

The ship had been left adrift for who knows how long before Captain Roman Prince and his crew came across it. Scans had suggested no signs of life onboard. Roman’s Head of Security, Virgil Storm, had voted to leave it be in case the danger was still present.

Dr. Logan Croft had offered to go on board, as the lead scientist, with a partner to investigate the wreckage and find the cause of abandonment. The ship’s medic Dr. Patton Hart offered to go with in case there were hidden survivors that needed treatment. Hesitantly, Roman granted permission for the excursion as long as they followed procedure.

They were quickly outfitted and on their way with a few extra suits for any survivors and a pair of Stun Pistols for any hostiles. It was a quick trip that seemed longer because Virgil kept checking in on them. Logan had Patton handle the calls while he focused on docking the ship.

Patton was quick to reassure Virgil, “It’s just a quick trip and if anything happens one of us will call you. Promise!” Virgil played with his security badge as he asked, “You know what to do if something comes at you, right?” Logan sighed as he recited back, “‘Unholster the pistol, aim for the largest part of the threat, and pull the trigger’ we know, Virgil.” Patton gave him a disapproving look of ‘that- was-rude-and-you-need-to-fix-it’.

Logan sighed as he amended, “You were very thorough in your lessons and I am certainly grateful for that. However, the sooner we complete the excursion, the sooner we will return.” He heard Virgil take a breath and agreed, “Okay, just… be safe, okay?” Patton gave Logan a smile and answered, “Don’t worry, Virgil! We’ll be back before you know it!”

The ship was in complete disarray. Wires hung ominously overhead and the interior paneling was shredded. Debris littered the floor along with dark stains that neither man wanted to investigate.

Logan pressed a button on the side of his helmet, activating the camera, and started recording his findings. He examined the walls and recorded, “It appears as though something or someone pulled the paneling here in order to access the wiring. Further examination seems to indicate the circuitry was removed via force. Atmosphere seems safe but we will keep our helmets on in case of foreign contaminants.”

While Logan continued his investigation, Patton hung back nervously. The medic shuddered from the chill that ran down his spine at the sight of drag marks leading away from them. His freckles took on a yellow shade as fear started to creep in. There was a loud creaking noise that echoed through the hall.

Both men froze as Logan slowly drew his pistol from its holster. Patton tried to hide behind the science officer as the latter slowly moved towards the noise. The noise did not repeat itself and Logan slowly holstered his weapon.

More cautiously than before, they moved further into the ship. The dark stains grew more frequent the further they got and all the lights were powered down except for the emergency evacuation lights. The flashing orange lights and the suits camera lights were all they had to guide their path.

Logan caught sight of a door out of the corner of his eye, the sign on it reading ‘Caution: Power Center’ and the handle smeared with the same dark matter they had seen earlier. Logan approached as he murmured, “More of the substance is on the door of the ship’s power supply. Further investigation required.”

Patton flinched as Logan opened the door with a loud groan of heavy metal. The room was covered in something dark and almost fluid. Patton remained in the hall as Logan entered and remarked, “The walls and floor seem to be covered in the substance we saw earlier. Based on the consistency we can infer that it is not blood as previously believed.”

He placed a hand against the wall and watched as it rippled at the touch. Logan raised a brow curiously as he commented, “Unknown substance seems reminiscent of species-” He was cut off as a tendril of the substance wrapped around his wrist in a more coherent form. Another tendril wrapped around his torso as he let out a shout.

Patton heard the shout and called out, “Logan?! Are you okay?!” There was a crash and a few grunts in answer. The medic rushed inside in time to see the substance creep upward and a familiar helmet crash to the floor.

Patton looked up to see a mass of writhing tendrils wrapped around a struggling Logan. His helmet was off and a tentacle had wrapped itself around his mouth and throat while others held the scientist against it. Patton shrieked as he found the call button on his helmet and screamed, “Emergency! This is Dr. Patton Hart! Logan’s in danger!”

The doctor turned towards the creature, drawing his stun pistol with freckles flashing red for a moment, and ordered, “Let him go or else!” Logan winced as the tentacles tightened their grip and a voice hissed, “Surrender or I crush him!” Patton glanced between his ally and the creature before slowly returning his weapon to its holster, freckles turning yellow once more.

It lowered itself from the ceiling, dragging Logan with it, as it inquired, “Doctor? You heal?” Patton slowly nodded as he replied, “Yes, do you need help?” The creature seemed to contemplate its answer as Virgil’s voice blared through his helmet’s speaker, “Patton! Are you alright?! Answer me!”

The creature seemed to hear the call as it commanded, “Answer! Or I crush him.” Patton watched as Logan struggled to breathe for a moment before answering, “I’m here, Virgil. I’m okay for now.” The creature seemed satisfied as Virgil’s voice rang through, “We’re coming, okay. ETA of ten minutes. How’s Logan?”

Tendrils loosened a little as the creature told Patton, “You help, I let go.” Logan gave Patton an unreadable look as he told Virgil, “Logan’s okay for now. We’ve encountered another life form. I’m going to help but I’m not sure what I need to do.” There was a beat of silence before Virgil’s voice shrieked, “What the hell?! Patton?!”

The creature laughed before gesturing with a tendril and ordering, “Follow.” Patton obeyed as he relayed, “I’m following it.” There was a distinct groan of dismay as the alien opened a door and As the creature moved it slowly took on more humanoid features until it was a human figure with tentacles coming out of its back.

Patton jumped as it cleared its throat and told the medic, “Much easier to talk like this. This is where my friend is, any tricks and I’ll enjoy tearing your friend apart.” Logan shot the humanoid a look and tried to say something through the tentacle.

It chuckled as it asked, “What was that?” The tendril around Logan’s mouth withdrew as the human answered, “That is highly unnecessary. Patton would have given assistance without the threat on my life.” The humanoid cackled before telling his captive, “Maybe but I’d rather not take chances. Never know when someone’s going to pluck out your eye so they can watch it regrow.”

Patton made a disgusted face as the creature led them to another door. The alien opened it with an echoing metal groan. The inside was dark, like where the alien had been hiding, and warm.

Patton stepped inside with a hesitant look as he called out, “Hello? My name’s Dr. Patton Hart; I’m here to help.” There was a soft groan as a voice asked, “You’re not a doctor?” At the awkward pause, the creature slapped its forehead and muttered to itself, “Duh, Remus, you forgot to tell them.” Remus turned to the medic and explained, “His species tends to speak in lies so he wants to know if you’re actually a doctor.”

Patton moved closer to the pained voice as he replied, “Yes, your friend asked for my help.” There was a soft hiss before the voice returned, “I won’t trust him then. I’m not to your right.” Patton took a moment to decipher the voice’s meaning before turning right and nearly stumbling over a body.

The injured being let out a loud moan of pain that had Patton apologizing profusely. Remus glared at the medic as his tentacles began constricting Logan. The human in question let out a choked noise as the mass of dark green tendrils tried to crush him. Patton whirled around his freckles shining a brilliant gold as he cried, “No, wait! It was an accident! Please stop!”

The body next to him reached a scaled hand out and ordered, “Remus, don’t stop.” The tentacles stopped but maintained the same pressure until the other told him, “I don’t still need treatment, do kill the doctor’s friend.”

With trembling hands, Patton examined his patient. One half of them was covered in scales similar to a snake on earth with one golden eye while the other half appeared human. There was a wound on the human half, the burn around it indicated a blaster of some kind.

Remembering where he kept the regeneration pod was nearly a problem for Patton until he recalled Virgil shoving it into Logan’s backpack after filling up Patton’s. The medic bit his lip nervously as he turned to Remus and told him, “I need to get Logan’s backpack. It has something I need.”

Remus gave the medic a strange look but maneuvered Logan until his backpack was in his hands. He handed it over to Patton and shifted so he could see what the medic was doing.

The disc-shaped device was placed over the wound as Patton pressed a button in the middle. The pod emitted a bright blue glow as the wound slowly began to close. Remus watched, looking a little awed, as he questioned, “This’ll fix him?”

Patton pulled out a device and waved it over the injured alien as he answered, “As far as I can tell, he’s healing. He’ll need rest and food but other than that the regeneration pod should repair most of the damage.” The medic glanced at the scientist still trapped as he asked, “What happened here anyway?”

His patient huffed out a bitter laugh as he informed the medic, “Wasn’t a bunch of asshole’s experimenting on people. Remus did not break out and utterly destroy them. They didn’t set off an explosion and when I got hurt he wanted to leave me.” Patton nodded in understanding as he dug through his backpack, pulled out a protein bar and offered it to him. A scaled hand took it eagerly and tore the packaging open.

Remus smiled as he inquired, “Feeling better, Jan-Jan?” Patton turned to his patient as he asked, “Is that your name?” The injury was nearly gone when the alien answered, “I’m not, Remus. And my actual name isn’t Janus.” Patton’s freckles lit up with a bright blue as he held out a hand and told him, “Nice to meet you, Janus! I’ve already told you but I’m Patton. And he’s Logan.”

He gestured over to Remus and the scientist trapped in his tentacles. Janus slowly sat up as he ordered, “Don’t let go of him. We don’t still need them.” Remus pouted as he protested, “But we need to get out of here somehow! What if the doctor tries something?!” Janus narrowed his eyes as he repeated, “Don’t let go.” Remus scoffed but started to let go of the scientist.

The door burst open as a familiar voice shouted, “Freeze!” Remus’s tentacles tightened back up as Patton threw himself over Janus. Standing there was the familiar figure of Virgil, his four eyes trained on Remus with his legs flared defensively- Logan often compared them to the kind spiders on Earth had.

Behind him was Captain Roman, stun pistol at the ready, as he declared, “By order of the captain of the USS Sanders, stand down!” Remus hissed as he turned towards the newcomers before going quiet.

Roman’s hands shook as Remus looked him over, trembling, and whispered, “Roman?” The captain flinched before he shook his head and kept his pistol aimed at Remus. His eyes softened for a moment before he spat, “You can’t trick me! Not with his face!”

Remus raised his hands in surrender as he hissed, “What did they tell you?! That I was dead?! Hah!” Roman glared, hands still unsteady, as he ordered, “Release my science officer and medic before I must use force.”

Patton looked up as Virgil directed him, “Step away, Pat. We’re leaving.” Patton’s freckles turned red as he stood up and retorted, “No, he’s my patient.” Virgil looked taken aback as he protested, “They took you and Logan hostage! Step away, Patton!”

Patton’s freckles turned an even brighter shade of red as he answered, “No! Pointing weapons at them isn’t going to help.” He turned his attention to the stand off and ordered, “Everyone stand down!” Roman and Remus glanced at the medic for a moment but returned to their stalemate.

Desperately, Patton exclaimed, “Remus, Janus still needs treatment! If you let go of Logan, I can convince the captain to help!” Remus seemed to consider for a moment but answered, “No can do! The second I let go, Roman’ll shoot, like when we played our games as kids.” Roman’s finger twitched, like he was waiting to fire, as he spat, “Enough with this farce, you fake!”

At the captain’s distress, Virgil also took aim at Remus. Logan shot Patton a look that only he would understand. Patton took a deep breath, slowly standing up, and removed his helmet. His freckles and eyes turned bright blue and his voice took on an echoey quality as he shouted, “Everyone calm down!”

A burst of energy pulsed through the room and the others went lax. Logan slipped from Remus’s grip and tumbled onto the floor bonelessly. Janus looked on in awe as the captain and Virgil dropped their pistols to the floor. Remus swayed a little but he stayed standing.

Patton let out a sigh as he gathered the weapons from the floor. He returned to Janus’s side with a sheepish grin as he apologised, “Sorry, I really don’t like doing that but Logan told me I didn’t have any other choice.” Janus looked the medic over, taking in the glowing freckles and eyes, as well as, the antennae hidden in his curls. The tips of the antennae matched the glow of his freckles and iris, previously hidden in his hair.

Janus looked over at the group, their eyes glowing with the same blue light, and asked, “What the frell are you? What did you do?” Patton rubbed his neck nervously as he answered, “I’m an Empara, I’m not surprised you haven’t heard of us. We can sense and transmit emotions to other lifeforms; we’re empaths. I hate doing it though.”

The scaled being could only nod dumly as Patton slowly dimmed the glow in the others’ eyes. The medic pulled Janus onto his back, making sure that he was not likely to fall, and warned, “I’m going to let them go, are you ready?” Janus nodded and watched as the glow from his eyes and antennae vanished and the antennae buried themselves amongst the curls once more.

Roman and Virgil shook their heads as though clearing their thoughts while Remus seemed to awaken more slowly. Logan remained on the floor, still recovering from the effects, while Patton asked, “Are you all done fighting?” Virgil and Roman turned their glares on him as they shrieked, “What was that?!”

Patton countered their glares with his own ‘paternal-disapproval-and-disappointment’ look that had become infamous on their ship. They both retracted their glares as Patton scolded, “Logan had to signal me to do it because no one was listening to reason and threatening each other! You know he doesn’t like it anymore than I do when I use it!”

Remus seemed to finally power through the remaining dregs of calm and exclaimed, “What the frell was that?!” Roman glared at him until Patton asked, “Why are you so sure that Remus is lying?” Roman bit his lip and walked a few steps away, shaking with emotion.

He slammed his fist into the wall as he whispered, “Because my brother is dead. I killed him.” Virgil’s eyes went wide as Remus scoffed and remarked, “Hate to break it to you, but those scientists fed you a load of dren. They faked my death, they used some drug to slow my hearts- personally I would have gone with being ‘torn apart by Dracitches’ but anyways. It wasn’t your fault.”

Roman seemed torn between hoping that Remus was right and the pain of believing his brother dead. Remus seemed to catch on and muttered something that made Patton’s glow turn purple with embarrassment as he hissed, “Language! There’s no need for that kind of profanity!”

To everyone’s surprise, Roman started laughing. Virgil cautiously approached, placed a hand on the captain’s shoulder, and asked, “Are you okay, Ro?” Roman’s laughter mixed with tears as he returned the phrase. Patton turned on him with a scathing glare and scolded, “Roman! I thought you knew better!”

Remus started cackling as he remarked, “Didn’t think you’d remember!” Roman, ignoring Patton’s glare, reached out to his sibling and retorted, “As if I’d ever forget our code after the punishment our mother gave us.” Virgil gave Patton a confused look before throwing his arms in the air, exasperated, and crouched beside Logan.

The human was laying there giggling as Virgil hoisted him into his arms. Logan laughed and wrapped his arms around his neck as he giggled, “You’re super strong. I wish I was strong but no.~” Virgil let out an annoyed groan as he carried the scientist over to Patton.

The Empara gave him an embarrassed look as he defended, “Logan told me to! He gave me the signal!” Virgil sighed, already accepting that their lead scientist was going to be high from the wave of emotion Patton unleashed. Janus watched the exchange from Patton’s back in confusion but saved his commentary for a more appropriate time as the human began rambling about how different Roman and Remus’s transformations were.

Virgil took his gun from Patton, who also returned Roman’s weapon, and gestured towards the door. They snatched Logan’s helmet on the way out, thankfully undamaged, and secured it.

On their way to the USS Sanders, Logan seemed to come out of his daze. Patton, having offered to take Logan and Janus in their ship, immediately jumped as Logan groaned, “I swear the effects take longer to wear off each time.” Patton smiled as he exclaimed, “You’re back! How’re you feeling?”

Logan sat straighter in his seat as he mumbled, “I will recover in time. There is some residual numbing effect from your ability.” Patton sighed as he shrugged and told him, “Sorry, I wish that it didn’t last so long on you.” Logan waved away the apology in a way that suggested that it was not the first time the human had fallen victim to Patton’s power.

Janus glanced up as he asked, “Why was I affected?” Patton smiled as he answered, “When an Empara uses that ability, we can aim it a little. I made sure to aim up so you wouldn’t get hit.” Pattom shook his head before he finished, “No telling what could have happened while you were still stabilizing.”

Janus nodded, following the explanation as best he could, and relaxed in his seat as their ship docked with the USS Sandes. Patton was quick to rush Janus to Medbay on a gurney, as well as a resistant Logan who insisted he was fine.

Patton stopped those objections with a look and Janus watched as the human’s protests died in his throat and he laid down on the floating gurney. Virgil snickered as he pushed Logan into the room and commented, “You should know better, Lo. When Pat’s in ‘Dad Mode’ you can’t stop him.”

Logan glared at him as Patton placed his hands on the human’s temples and warned, “Don’t tease Logan, Virgil. I’m trying to focus.” Virgil waved off the warning but stopped agitating the scientist.

Janus held out his hand as an invitation to Virgil as he said, “We shouldn’t start over. I’m not Janus. I’m not a hybrid of two races. I know exactly where I hail from.” Virgil accepted the hand and shook it as he offered, “Virgil, Head of Security. I’m Araneus but I guess that’s pretty obvious, huh?” He gestured to his eyes and extra legs in demonstration.

Roman entered with Remus as he sighed, “The situation has been cleared up and these two are allowed to remain with us on our voyage.” Remus chuckled as he hovered over Logan and asked, “So you’re a human? What’s it like being a Deathworlder?” Roman, Virgil, and Patton flinched as Logan huffed, “Nothing so strange as what you are thinking I’m sure.”

Roman nudged his brother and muttered something in his native language. Remus’s grin grew as he stated, “Oh, yeah. Sorry about almost strangling you. Apparently it’s ‘extremely rude’ and ‘inappropriate’ or whatever.”

Logan blinked before returning, “I accept your apology. Should you have any questions for me, I can be found in my office.” Patton scowled as he threatened, “Not for a few days or I can and will use the high-grade tranquilisers.” The human’s lips turned down as he crossed his arms and muttered, “I’m fine and have work.”

Patton glared at Roman, who immediately assured them, “I won’t make him do any work until you give the okay, Patton!” Virgil snickered as Logan groaned, Janus barely covering his laughter with a cough as Remus cheered, “Guess that means I get to spend extra time with you, Deathworlder!” Logan covered his eyes with his arm and hissed, “I will warn you now, if you disturb my circadian rhythm for your questions there will be consequences.”

Before Remus could tease, Roman whispered, “Do not do it. He knows how to make you regret ‘corporeal existence’. That’s a quote from the last frelnik who interfered with his sleep.” Remus’s eyes grew wide as he turned to the human and agreed, “Whatever you want, Doctor! Treat me like a fascinating specimen!”

Roman made a disgusted face and shoved his brother out of Medbay, exclaiming, “Well, that’s disgusting! I’ll let you rest now, Lo! Do not disobey Patton’s orders!” Janus watched the exchange with wide eyes as Virgil shrugged and told him, “Welcome aboard the USS Sanders. Chaos is the norm.”

#sander side au #sanders sides #sanders side fic #logan sanders #patton sanders #remus sanders #roman sanders #deceit sanders #virgil sanders #space

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vaultofqueenorion · 3 years

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Take Me To Olympus #8

Hello my Stars and welcome back to the family drama.

This one is a bit of a filler chapter.

Ahh, there’s a bit of an explanation for what’s going on with their powers - if you believe it, that is.

Anyway, have fun!

The First Chapter

Previous chapter

Next chapter

Bringing the family drama

It had taken them all day, but Hermes had finally given a clear answer. He would stay. He would not be there most of the time, but they could expect him to come back, to contribute.

Julia considered that one a win.

Another win was that Harley hadn’t freaked out yet, like any ordinary person would have done. Of course, Julia and her family had never been ordinary, but Harley dealt with the guests being shipwrecked Gods a lot better than Julia had done.

The dog had woken up, and Hades hadn’t left its side from then on. It was female and was immediately dubbed ‘Spot’. Something which, in hindsight, was a little too ironic.

Besides, you couldn’t just name your dog after another one of your dogs. That was the same kind of weird as naming your kid after yourself and then tagging on ‘junior’ afterwards, as if that made it better.

Nevertheless, Spot had now become part of their little household, and Harley assured Hades repeatedly that she would walk again. She was just very much drugged due to the pain.

Tomorrow, she would be walking around again. But for now, they needed to tend to her injuries.

Meanwhile, Julia took the others shopping, promising to bring back clothes for the God of the Dead as well. A fire might have broken out, had she not done so. And even with the shiny new experience of walking through the mall that was nearby, Julia could still feel the tension - both between them and her.

She sighed, rifling through yet another set of shirts, holding some of the more professional ones up to Athena. It earned her a small smile and another shake of the head.

It had turned out to be a long list of ‘no’s from the goddess - no colors, no patterns, no see through, no itchy fabrics, no stiffness. And a lot of other things. Which left them with black and white shirts, none of them satisfactory enough as she tried them on, one after another.

Really, it was a wonder that she had managed to get dressed for her job interview, because it was such a precise taste that Julia had long since given up, leaving her half-heartedly searching for something - anything - that would make the Goddess happy.

“Got it.”

Those two magic words sent more relief through Julia than should have been possible. Holding up a white and a black shirt, their designs not very different from the ones Julia had held up a moment before, stood Athena, a wide smile on her face.

“These are the ones,” she said. Julia couldn’t really tell the difference, but she didn’t care. Exhaustion seemed to have seeped into her bones. She thought she loved to shop, to browse, but this trip had cured her for that.

After that, it was child’s play to get out of the mall and back home.

Where all hell had broken loose.

The fire alarm was beeping as she entered her apartment, black smoke meeting her lungs. She coughed, waving a hand in front of her in an effort to remove the offending air from her lungs.

It was a wonder that no one had called the fire department yet.

Julia hopped, reaching the button to mute it on the first try. She’d done so one too many times now, and it had almost become something of a second nature to her.

Another part of her second nature was to never let Harley near the stove. Or the oven. Or the microwave. Actually, her sister had usually been placed outside of the entire kitchen - that particular incident with the fridge came to mind, and Julia shuddered, leaving the door behind her open.

Orion knew better than to leave, anyway.

It was a cautious trek to the stove, pushing Harley out of the way as she did so, Hades standing with something black and crumpled on a plate. In another life, it might have been a steak, but now it looked more like a mistreated piece of garbage.

Both of them looked panicked, their eyes wide and wild. Harley whirled when she saw Julia, hiding something behind her on the counter.

Or, as it turns out, actually just hiding the entire counter. Black streaks coursed through the plate, all of them branching out from the stove, spreads of white clouds forming on them as well.

At a closer look, Julia found the whole stove partly covered in the stuff. Stuff which came from the fire extinguisher. Which was, incidentally the very large, very red thing hidden behind Harley’s back.

With no other choice, Julia facepalmed.

There was a spark of glee within her as Harley crumpled for a moment, her otherwise cheerful facade turning actually sheepish as she looked at her big sister.

“No,” Julia said, throwing her hands in the air. They were adults, they would be able to deal with this themselves. And besides, her energy deposits were completely empty by now, and she desperately needed to sleep. “Just no. Clean this up and join me around the TV afterwards. I’ll whip something up after, but I can’t deal with anymore shit right now.”

It wasn’t as if she herself was a master chef that made culinary masterpieces. It was more like that she at least knew not to burn down a kitchen. And to add fuel to the fire, not to burn down someone else’s kitchen.

The smoke disappeared down the hall with every second that passed. Julia tried not to pay it any heed, tried not to worry too much about her kitchen.

It is going to be okay.

The words had almost become her mantra. At least in the last ten minutes.

“Your wards and spellwork don’t do anything for fires made by morons in the kitchen?” she asked Hera who had plopped down next to her, somehow managing to find the finest clothes, even with the limited amount of money that Julia had given her.

She wondered, briefly, if the Goddess had some form of hidden charisma spell that had swayed the cashiers to give them to her at half price or something.

Something that sounded like a genuine laugh erupted from Hera. Full of the feeling of the first rain of Summer, it placed itself in Julia’s heart, and she knew that she would do much to hear that again.

“No, I suppose so,” the woman answered, the laughter gone. There was a slight crinkle around her eyes when Julia looked at her. “Perhaps I should go about devising such a thing, now that we’ll have to learn how to live here.”

It was an olive branch if she ever saw one. And she had the feeling that she would be a fool to decline it.

“I’d love that,” she said, carefully treading the waters between them. “You might even get a thank you from Harley. And you’d most definitely be saving my ass in the process.”

“You’re talking about me? Hopefully only bad things,” Harley said as she swaggered into the room, grisly stains of blackened food coating parts of her clothes. It didn’t seem to bother her. “What’s next on the ‘getting the hell outta dodge’ plan, you’ve been working on so far?”

The question was meant for Julia, and she found herself drawing a blank. Looking to Hera seemed like the wise idea - after all, she’d been the only one to actually manage drawing her weird sigils. Not that Julia knew what they were for, or if they were even working.

“I would need more power to get us home,” Hera said, a sigh escaping her at the same time. She crossed her legs, folding her hands carefully upon them and glancing at Hades behind her. “It would be easier with more adept spellweavers stranded here, but I am doing the best that I can with the materials provided.”

This seemed more and more like a project to be managed than anything else, and managing it was something she knew how to do.

“What would help? Any herbs or certain fabrics that could make your waned power more, well, powerful?” Not the finest sentence she’d ever come up with, but the goddess got the gist of it.

Unfortunately, she shook her head. “I’ve not encountered any herbs or such that would be able to help me. It is not about the ritual. Rather, it is about the way that the power flows. Because you have no Gods here, there would be no one to keep the lines flowing regularly.”

Athena walked over, snatching a piece of paper and a pen from Julia’s stash by the TV.

“Think of it as one of your man-made rivers,” she said, drawing a dam, the water coming out beneath it as the building harvested its power. “If you shut off the area - the machinery - then the water stops flowing.”

It was accentuated with a line through the water beneath the building, and Julia nodded. But that begged another question.

“How come there are no Gods here?” she said, her brows furrowing. “You said that you were immortal - why have any traces of you disappeared during the course of the last centuries?”

“Other than myths and architecture,” Harley quipped, standing up and fiddling with some of the books that lined Julia’s walls.

Julia agreed with a nod. “Other than that, yes.”

The room seemed to darken, following the facial expression of Hades that walked through the door. Hera’s lips thinned, and Athena’s face went carefully blank. Not good news, then.

“The theory would be,” Athena said, no emotion in her voice. It wasn’t even cold, just flat in a way that had Julia’s hairs standing on edge. “That we have somehow seen the fall of Olympus, and that the humans - that you - have somehow survived it.”

“Which would mean that the Gods have perished,” Hades finished, the tone hard. Shadows whirled in the edges of her vision, just out of sight, out of reach, for her to get a grip on.

“And it is something that we will make sure never happens,” Hera said. Her hands seemed intent on murdering the fabric around her knees, and she got up, went into the guest room, and brought back her needles and a fresh piece of carpet.

“We are here now.” Stab, stab, stab into the fabric. “We have seen what has happened.” Faster, now, than Julia’s eyes could follow, Hera staring intently at the work all the same. “It will not be permitted to occur. I will inform Zeus, and he’ll-”

The bitter laugh that Hades made was the darkest sound yet, the room dimming until even the sun outside couldn’t warm it. Shadows writhed and the many faces of the dead began appearing, dead murals moving on the walls and ceiling.

“Zeus will do nothing, Hera,” he said, fixing her with a gaze that seemed capable of swallowing worlds whole. “You know this. You know that he much rather prefers the company of unwilling mortals, snaking his way through the streets, condemning anyone who would dare face him.”

A snarl overcame him. Something that seemed to take the shadow form of a beast over his shoulder, pain flaring in its eyes. A skeleton of what it could be, Julia imagined, but the piercing eyes burned into her nevertheless.

“He will never regard this as anything other than a folly. And who should tell him?” There was a challenge to the tone, but Hades didn’t let anyone answer, instead continuing on as his whole body stilled, iron and crystals of something more coated in his every word. “The boy God with fire sprouting from his hands, a temper unrivalled by even the most foolish of mortals? A wizened tactician with the credibility ruined by being a member of the ‘weaker sex’? The scorned oldest brother who has been more dead than alive for the last millenia?”

A pause and a grim smile that threatened beneath the surface of his face.

“Or should the news be delivered by the jealous wife who tears every mortal apart as he dines his way through them, but never once dared face the one who would be the source of her woes? Tell me at once who the Lord of Thunder would trust - who could break through his hard-shelled stone of a head, and I will gladly bow down to your blessed wisdom.”

There was a silence and a glare for a moment, Athena pulling back to the edges of the room, mouth twitching as if in both rage and sadness at the same time. Ares was fully entranced by the show that blathered on in the background, the voices of the room never once reaching him.

But Hera. Julia felt her heart crack at the thinning of her face, at the flinch that occured when Hades ripped into her. As if she knew; as if she agreed, but couldn’t quite find the courage to help herself.

A survivor, nevertheless. One that might gain from being without the bastard of a husband that held Olympus in an iron fist, when he wasn’t out finding people to rape.

Julia had never much liked the thought of the God of Thunder, but there was less and less to like, with every word spoken by the Gods and Goddesses in the room.

It didn’t matter, however, if he were to listen to them or not. They could not stay in this time, could not stay with Julia for longer than absolutely necessary. She had her own life - her own goals and ambitions.

And perhaps it had been time to throw out the Gods, anyway. Perhaps it had been the best for them to be cast aside like broken dolls by the civilizations that once worshipped them. They had been cruel masters, after all.

She pretended not to feel the sympathy that blossomed like the stain of blood within her. Pretended not to see the extra blink or two that Hera made, and the sneer that overtook Athena as she drew into the shadows.

There was too much bitterness, and Julia was not, and would never be, a psychiatrist. But she knew someone who was.

The silence didn’t last long with Harley there, and she quickly began cracking crude jokes at everything that Ares saw, causing him to lose his temper. Which ended in a dousing of water as Harley figured out that his hands actually sprouted fire when he became angry or upset. Something that happened a little too often for Julia’s peace of mind.

With the others cleaning the room of water, Julia went into the kitchen to start finding dinner but found that most of what Hades and Harley had managed to make had turned out alright - it was only the meat that had crumpled.

She had plenty of that in the fridge. It also gave her a moment of calm. To think. To muse. To mull over plans of action.

Behind her was the sense of darkness, the sense of mulch and that metallic taste in her mouth. Julia had long since accepted that weird tastes and senses would just be part of her life until her new roommates went back to their time.

“I apologize for my rather harsh words before,” Hades said, standing at the counter beside her, wringing his hands. He sighed. “There has been a lot of pent-up aggression among us for some time, and now when there is no real play of power or scheming, it seems easier to let it out. I am sorry that it would affect you like it did.”

Julia smiled at him, her lips twitching upwards as her whole face relaxed into the emotion. “I think that you might have needed it for years. And while I’m not happy at the prospect of having my house destroyed by a bunch of raging Gods and Goddesses, it feels like you needed to get it out.”

At the tentative smile on his face, she dared to continue. “Besides, you might end up having learned something for when you return.” A pause as she thought about the anger that had coalesced for millenia. “Or, it might end up being the thing that destroyed your reign. It might be the war of the century.”

She laughed at the thought, her voice a little rough around the edges. As if she didn’t laugh freely. The stress might be going to her voice. She stopped at the grim look he gave her in return, his voice solemn when he spoke again.

“I would not put it past the others. Wars have been started over far less than these disputes. Pettier things have caused just as much destruction before.” Hades moved past her, opening the cupboards to get out plates and Julia made room for him to do so. “Although … This might be somewhat of an eye-opener in the end. If they are willing to accept it.”

With that he left her in the kitchen by herself, wandering into the living room. Julia could hear him asking the others to make ready, and then came the rumbling of the table as they prepared for the food to be brought in.

Hermes took his place, somehow more twitchy than usual. His arms seemed to reach out for Julia, then retreat, continuing like that until she pointed towards the fridge instead.

She was not the one who would need reassurance. Not with the family drama that was going on in the living room.

“I take it you heard all of the commotion before,” she said. She wasn’t stupid. There were signs of the messenger, even when he wasn’t there. The staff that he bore, a hiss of a snake, or even the fluttering of wings.

She didn’t know how he did it, but there was always the sense of him. Something she suspected that the others had forgotten to listen to. In truth, they had completely forgotten to listen to each other.

“Do you think he’s right? Hades, I mean.”

A snort. “There are many things to worry about currently. Our demise isn’t one of them. We can burn that bridge when we come to it.”

Julia turned to find a glint in his eyes, and a bouquet of flowers in a vase.

“Thank you,” she said.

Another pause as she scrambled for words. Hermes took a step closer to her, and Julia could feel his breath on her skin now as she looked at his ever-changing appearance. The most vibrant, and yet the most anonymous that one could ever be.

“We are grateful,” he murmured, a caress against her. She wondered, briefly, if there was perhaps more to him than the fast trickster. “For what you have given. The Gods do not forget. We will return home at some point, filled to the brim with this experience. Perhaps it will drown the old ways, make them obsolete as the ruins that you have found to remain after us. All thanks to you.

“But no matter what, remember,” Hermes’ solemn voice was overtaken by the spark that had been there the first day, and every day since. A wall coming up between him and the reality of the world. “That we will have rocked this city to the ground.”

With those words that really didn’t make sense to Julia, he flew out the door, catching a piece of meat in his hands as he did so. She barely registered it, something heavy having been placed in her hands.

Turning it over, she saw the discrete lines, runes running rivers up and down the entirety of it. Some seemed familiar, a gnawing sense responding from the back of her mind, whereas others left her dizzy with confusion.

At the footsteps behind her, she plopped the stone into her pocket, her hands moving almost of their own accord. At the same time, she whirled, turning towards the counter in order to hide her activity.

“Is the food- Are you alright?” Harley said, stepping closer to Julia. She turned, facing her sister as she did so, her face carefully calm. “You seem … flustered.”

Of course she’d never be able to actually fool her sister by just wiping her face. There was always that little tick - one she had known for years that she had, but could never find herself.

Julia ran a hand over her face. “I just- Yeah, everything’s okay. Just a little tired from the constant vigilance.” Then an attempt at a small smile, her hand reaching out to squeeze her sister’s. “But thank you. For being here. For understanding.”

The slight narrowing of Harley’s eyes almost said it all, before she, too, broke into a small smile. I’m onto you, the movement seemed to say. Even if their emotions were genuine, there were still layers and layers beneath, each one covering their own secrets.

“Well, I can’t say that I blame you,” Harley said, and Julia knew that the thing was all but forgotten, but at the same time that it would be left alone until further notice. “It must have been one hell of a couple of days for you.”

“You have no idea,” Julia replied, quickly sketching out the bare bones of the days, about the stare down with Hera and the murder attempt of Orion on Ares. It didn’t take them long to look back at each other, tears of laughter in their eyes.

That was one of the things that never got old.

There was a screech and the sound of Orion hissing, then a bang of something hitting the floor hard. Julia prayed that it hadn’t been her decorative bowl. But sure enough, when she got in there, Orion stood among the pieces, tail thick and body raised to the heavens, hissing and spitting at a cursing Ares.

“Out, now,” Julia said, pointing towards her room. Orion flew out, past the God of War who was gaping with his maw open. “And you. How did this happen?”

Anger surged through him again, the muscles in his jaw flickering while he clenched his teeth. Down his arms, the embers spread, and to be honest, Julia might have found the trick to be a tad old by now.

“No,” she said, stalking closer to her, the plate of meat that she’d grabbed on her way in balanced on her left hand. The other she used to poke him in the chest, accentuating her words. “You. Don’t. Get. To. Play. That. Card. Anymore.”

Tired actually didn’t begin to cover it. Sure, they were Gods and Goddesses. Sure, they were almighty and far from home and lost in a strange world. But she wasn’t goddamn burden free, and they were heavily adding to the pile of stress that was building in her head.

Something which she very much didn’t need.

“Actually, you all don’t get to play that card.” Turning to meet each one of their eyes, she glossed over the smile that coated Harley’s face as she sat by the injured dog, the creature wagging from its position on the floor. “I’m sick and tired of you feeling sorry for yourselves and bickering among each other. I get that it’s weird and it’s wrong, but really, who are you helping by annoying the shit out of each other?

“Who are you helping by annoying the shit out of me?” There was no way that she would stay and act like family when the actual Greek Gods in the room could not. No use in acting civil if she was up against tricksters. “Forget it. Eat what I’ve made for you, I’m going out.”

Julia didn’t force Harley with her. She knew that her sister was able to take care of herself - to weather the storm if need be. Instead, she went out the door, pulled her phone out of her pocket, and called the group chat that she always had open in the background.

Right now, this was all that she needed. And even if one or two didn’t have time for her, there would always be the third one, ready to welcome her with open arms. That was how this worked - how they supported each other through thick and thin.

Kenneth picked up on the first ring.

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capricornus-rex · 4 years

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Two Sides of the Coin (6)

Chapter 6: Occupational Complications | Jidné Sheedra x Cal Kestis

Summary: Hell-bent on exacting revenge and retrieving the Holocron, the dreaded Darth Vader is now on the hunt for the young Jedi Knight, Cal Kestis. Under the assumption that he still possessed the artifact, while fueled by the intrigue of the boy’s strength and skill with the Force, the dark lord hires the bounty hunter, Jidné Sheedra, to track him down and have him delivered alive. However, the task becomes a trial for young Jidné, as she faces a conflict that tests her beliefs of a scarred past she had hidden for so long.

Also in AO3

Tags: Fem OC, Jidné Sheedra, Force-Sensitive! Fem OC, Bounty Hunter! Fem OC, Jedi! Fem OC

Chapters: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 | Previous: Part 5 | Next: Part 7 | Masterlist

6 of ?

Jidné tilted her head back, sighing, she turned around to answer Cal right in the face.

“Yeah,” said Jidné, plainly.

She wrapped her cowl around her shoulders after clearing off the dust and leaves that clumped onto it during their skirmish with the Bashiji cats. They exchanged looks, but she kept her distance from him. Cal’s eyes wandered to the girl’s hilt, the two strands of turquoise beads attached to the ring of the pommel’s base stood out from the black and silver color scheme.

A robotic chittering came within their earshot, ID-3 appeared from the branches where he was hiding the whole time. Alarmed by the sight of a probe droid, Cal reignited his saber and pointed it at the black hovering disc of a droid.

“No, no, no—wait! He’s mine!” Jidné put herself between ID-3 and Cal who had his saber at the ready, who only looked at the Imperial probe droid by face value.

“He’s mine,” she repeated, more calmly this time.

Cal stopped at Jidné’s behest, he looked over her shoulder and saw the droid was hiding behind her back, its single red lens for an eye peeked over her hair.

Confused, Cal pulled his eyebrows together, “That Imperial probe droid is yours?”

“I reprogrammed him, and he’s with me,” she explained. She turned to the shuddering black disc hiding behind her shoulders. “It’s okay, ID-3, they won’t hurt us.”

Now standing much closer, she got a good long look at him. The sunlight that pored through the jungle canopy highlighted of his features for Jidné to see: the freckles that riddled his cheeks like stars to a night sky, the clear emerald shine of his eyes and the soft gaze that he makes with it.

Cal ticked the boxes of the job detail—red hair, a Jedi, and as much as she was too prideful to admit it he is handsome—but there’s no sign of the Holocron on his person. Jidné presumed that he wouldn’t carry it around with him, as people might mistake it for some heftily-priced relic.

He switched his saber off after believing that the probe droid was indeed harmless. ID-3 was still frightened from the sudden stance but quickly warmed up to Cal after spotting little BD-1, to prove that he was good, ID-3 raised one tentacle and waved it as if saying “Hello” both to Cal and BD-1.

“Booo-wooo…” BD-1 cautiously beeped in response. For good measure, he lit up his scanners at ID-3 and his lens panned up and down to get the full picture of the droid. The abrupt change of tone in BD-1 verified that ID-3 wasn’t the Imperial droid he used to be.

“See, he’s harmless!” Jidné insisted.

“Sorry we doubted you, ID,” Cal apologized for both himself and BD-1.

ID-3 accepted the apology, his raspy and monotonous tone somewhat had a cheery chirp in it.

“Oh! You’re hurt,” Cal uttered, spotting blood staining on Jidné’s jacket through the tears of her cowl.

Jidné searched for the injury, the adrenaline practically made her numb from feeling the sting, she only felt it when she slightly flexed her shoulder.

“Oh, crud…” she mumbled.

Cal snapped his fingers and out comes a healing stim from BD-1’s little compartment.

“Here,”

Jidné’s slender fingers picked up the green vial from Cal’s palm. She brought it closer to examine it.

“A healing stim,” she identified. “You have one impressive little droid.”

BD-1 took the compliment and chirped happily. Jidné sucked in some air before injecting herself of the green, soothing substance on the flesh of her upper arm. The substance relieved her of the pain, but she still has to treat the wound.

“Thank you, both of you,”

“You’re welcome, again,” Cal cooed bashfully, hanging his head low so Jidné doesn’t find him blushing.

And then the same awkward silence immediately followed them back.

“So, uh, what are you doing in the middle of the jungle?”

Okay, that was bad enough! Cal scolded himself in his subconscious.

“I should I ask you the same,” chuckled Jidné.

“W-Well, I was about to take a look around the town there until…”

Jidné bobbed her head, prompting him to continue.

“Until I heard you.” He finished.

“Oh… Well, my hero,” she giggled at her lighthearted yet dry joke. Cal received it as a compliment and awkwardly chuckled along with her.

The silence was getting old between the two of them now—that much they’re certain of. Both youngsters just don’t know how to interact with one another for their own various reasons.

“Listen, Jidné… um…”

“Yes?”

Cal had his tongue tied, he didn’t realize that he was saying things to her out on a whim, he didn’t exactly plan ahead with the conversations that he starts with her. He gulped the lump that’s been stuck in the middle of his throat so he could say the words right.

“You should treat that wound soon,”

Jidné examined her wound again, “Yeah, I suppose I should.”

“Right, err… so… I guess I’ll see you around?”

“Sure,” she shrugged her shoulder; in a deadpan tone, she added, “Maybe.”

Jidné watched this endearing, bumbling, ginger Jedi slowly back away into his original path. She remained where she stood until he was out of sight, out of the forest and back into the open—where he planned to be in the first place.

“Good gods, that boy… is a threat? To Darth Vader?”

“Trill, beeeee-eeep!” ID-3 chirped teasingly.

The bounty hunter translated the droidspeak, her own droid was teasing her that she must have found him cute.

“Oh shut up, you flying saucer,” she chuckled in great denial.

She began walking in the opposite path, where the wood gradually cleared out; along the way, she found her rifle that the Bashiji had chewed on. She picked the weapon and studied the damage, bite marks have dented the paneling; she flicked the safety and cocked it to see if it would still work.

“Well, so much for that mint condition earlier,” groaned the girl. “Come on, ID. I need to wash off this blood.”

The droid hovered as he followed her along, continuing to tease her in an upbeat string of notes and chirps—which Jidné constantly defended herself from.

“Beee-beeep!”

“You can’t prove I was blushing—you were behind me!”

Eventually, ID-3 finally toned down on the teasing, much to Jidné’s relief. Her trek ended when she spotted the bank of a river that leads to a waterfall on the far right, the crashing was within hearing range and so she decided to go to the main basin.

Stripping off her cowl and jacket, leaving only her black tank top, the claws of the Bashiji have sickled through the fabric and nicked at the corner of her shoulder; had that cat buried its nails into her then it would’ve reached the bone. Jidné soaked her clothes into the shallower part of the water, then scooped up handfuls of water to wash away the dried blood; when the wound had lessened the bleeding, she decided that it would be impractical if she hiked back to her ship to patch herself up.

“Never thought I’d be doing this again,” she mumbled under her breath.

She resorted to using Force healing, albeit was a skill that she’s still learning; in her level, it required her to meditate—compared to her late mentor who did it as simply as breathing, it was one of the things she strived to imitate in terms of mastery. Nonetheless, she sat herself up—back straight, legs crossed together, and her mentality clear. Jidné allowed herself to relax on her grassy seat, her fingers loosened around her kneecaps and took slow, calm breaths—feeling the warmth of the midday sun pinching her cheeks with its rays.

Her surroundings in her consciousness were beginning to blur as she puts her mind into focus. Her senses have softened and keened at the same time—a phenomenon that was instinctive as it was complicated to comprehend to those who are less sensitive, it was something she can’t put into words yet there was a familiarity to it. At first, she managed to reconnect with the Force and gently willed it to the wound—bit by bit, new skin began to seal the damaged flesh; when she sensed that she was succeeding, she strained out of impatience which she mistook for eagerness.

“Come on…!” muttered Jidné almost voicelessly, but the demand in her tone was apparent.

Jidné sensed that the new skin had slowed down in closing the wound, she forced herself just a little bit and she snapped back involuntarily; as consequence, the injury didn’t fully close, a significant portion of it remained fresh and unhealed—perhaps half in size. At least the bleeding stopped.

She examined her wound, patting on the new skin that concealed the rest of the injury. Accepting that she had lost control with her grasp on the Force, she resolved to letting what remains heal naturally; her mind shifted to the thought of Cal. The fact that he’s already met her and identified her as a Jedi—and not a bounty hunter—a strategy came up onto the top of her mind.

“This complicates things, though,” she thought out loud.

She continued to clean the grime, dust, and blood off of herself by the riverbank. Seeing that the forest was devoid of other humans or sentient life forms, she decided to take a dip into the cool water of the waterfall’s basin. The coldness blanketed and soothed every inch of her body, her dark hair swirling underwater; as she swam around, her mind constantly reminded her of Cal—the way he behaved, the way he spoke, but most importantly, his touch.

She brought her hand up from the water to examine it and try to reenact how she took his hand, how he held it, and how they shook each other’s hands. His palm was coarse, no doubt from his line of work, but if Jidné thinks about it—his grasp was so gentle. Water plopped when she jerked it back down, but she can’t stop rubbing her fingers in that hand.

“Definitely complicates things,” she groaned and submerged her face into the water, bubbles boiled as she exhaled her frustration underwater.

On the other hand, Jidné relished her time alone, bathing in the waterfall—it was a badly-needed cleanse. In the very center of the basin, she attempted to meditate—burying her toes into the silt floor of the stream to anchor herself, her body submerged from the chin down, and letting the coolness blanket her.

“Find it, Jidné,” she coaxes herself. “Latch onto it.”

She repeated this mantra until the sound of the waterfall have hollowed out in her hearing, until the only thing she could feel was her entire body subtly floating within the weak current of the water.

Nothing.

She growled, smacking and pounding the water with her fist, creating fountain-like splashes that rained down on her head. She brought her hands back out of the water again, gazing at her empty hands riddled with water droplets like transparent pearls.

“It’s always like this. I couldn’t be that damaged with the Force, could I?”

ID-3—who was hovering above the water, staying close to her as she swam—answered her question, even though it wasn’t exactly directed to him. He sounded affirming towards his owner, chirping high-pitched, raspy tones at Jidné.

“Thanks, ID, I appreciate that,” she hummed and continued to swim.

After her bath, she put on her clothes and collected her things before proceeding to hike through the jungle, avoiding the denser patches of greenery where Bashiji cats or other predators might jump on her again.

She decided to climb the waterfall’s wall, curious to see where it would lead her. Her little droid clamped itself on the harness’s strap on her back as she climbed. Using the skills she’s gained from her Padawan training back in the day, she scaled the rock wall with little to no equipment—just her iron grip.

“Just don’t look down, ID!”

“Booo-wooooo!!” the droid chirped in a nauseated tone.

The climb led the duo to the mesa, in the same level where she originally came from before landing into the surface of the jungle. From there, she stalked the ridge in search of the Mantis—relying on the homing beacon as she goes. The farther she went, the device’s beeping rhythm became faster until slow beating transitioned into a quick flickering with the noise barely keeping up with the pace.

She places herself on a vantage point, quite higher than her original spot where she first found the ship—atop a boulder’s throw. Zooming in through her binoculars, she scanned the treelines again, hoping to spot that same silver twinkle that she saw prior to this unprecedented predicament. The Mantis stuck out more from her current perspective, she patiently sat there, examining Cal’s companions.

Jidné eventually spotted that particular Lateron that Sorc was talking about. She watched the four-armed gray creature flail his arms while inaudibly conversing with a much older lady wearing beige clothes while a second lady in red and black garments—whom Jidné assumed to be Dathomirian—stood idly to survey the nature around them.

“Completely harmless, I wager,” Jidné commented to herself. “Kinda cranky for his size, though.”

She thumbed the knob on the underside of her binoculars to zoom in some more, she got a closer look of the Mantis and it was clear enough for her to see their faces.

“They’re obviously hiding it inside that ship,”

That fact led to Jidné remembering that her initial plan had been slightly ruined, hence the necessary alterations. With Cal thinking that she was friend not foe, the bounty hunter concocted her Plan B on the spot.

“I guess I have to keep up an act now, huh?”

“Beee. Trill, beep,”

“Figures…” she sighed. “One hell of a contract, eh, ID?”

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