#love those ch when it's just clearly putting the squad into Situations

[riacte]

so hey guys i finished dungeon meshi yesterday and i'm still thinking about it

[elizabethrobertajones]

Still thinking about this kid... I had to get a screenshot from our first encounter when I played through on the bunny after this exchange in the Alpha and Omega quests.

The first line has stuck with me since I first played, I just didn't know what else to say about it except that it was adorable that Vrtra played with the kids in the city and it was one of those lines they stuck in that made him my new favourite character in the whole game like, IMMEDIATELY.

He played with them so often that they think of him as part of the squad and know he's the slowest but still look out for him. Like, that makes THEM protective of HIM and just speaks to them clearly knowing him really well like they have all his Kid Stats for games like normal human children do :')

And this thousands year old dragon just bopping along after them trying to either maintain his dignity and not tear after them with abandon, or just being worse at piloting a kid mech suit than a normal kid inherently is at running and not normally having to put that much effort in to run and jump and swim when doing his dignified little thousand year old creepy kid job. And just being The Worst in the group, but they all still love him and want to play with him, and it doesn't bother him to be the clumsy weird one who's trailing after the group all the time because he's not been socialised as a little human child and also is not taking anything away from this except I'm sure total glee that he gets to play with them.

(I mean this line alone makes it way less weird that he kept on making children for his undercover boss routine... It's very funny to me how the Radiant Host pre-unveiling legit ask Varshahn if he's like. In Trouble. And I can see them loving that kid so much it panicked him that they might try and overthrow the Satrap for child abuse for making him work so hard and he had to reassure them he wanted to be there. Lines which are MUCH funnier once you know the whole situation on a replay. Then in hindsight is just another moment where he was so endearing to his people :))

And then when you come back to talk post-EW, this same boy misses his friend, of course. But he also shows us in a way how Varhahn/Vrtra has aged out of that. Not only is he just really busy doing all his work as satrap right when the most work needs doing after the whole apocalypse thing, but when he does go back, he no longer pretends to be a kid with them, because he's a good honest dragon and they know who he is.

It's almost like it didn't occur to him to code switch with them and offer to play or turn down the Ancient Dragon vibes for the sake of the kids, but he now inherently moves about with the creepy child vibes (affectionate) he only occasionally gave off before where he acts his age. And it shows he's passed a line in the sand of a second growing up arc where he can't and doesn't want to pretend to be a child, not even for the sake of getting another afternoon of playtime in with his old friends. Like, yeah, he's busy, but that's also just not who he is any more.

He WANTS to use grown-up words and move among his people with them knowing who he is, and he's enjoying this new time in his life where they all adore him for who he is and are delighted to be the coolest city in the world because they have a DRAGON for a leader. So it's not just his time constraints but his whole personality that have moved on. Being a kid was fun while he was in hiding but he was the one who chose to approach his old friends with formality and they themselves responded to it by finding him strange and too grown up for them now. They can't sink into that pretense and it's sad that he's "grown up" from that perspective but also amazing that he grew up from every other perspective since it shows him maturing into being a leader and how he's fulfilling his role now. This is just a necessary thing he had to leave behind, but it was lovely for them in the past and he has memories of what it's like to have a childhood in his own city which is adorable and great perspective for him.

I do hope the long arc sees him get an adult body for Varshahn and this is a part of sort of moving him on from being seen as a kid/seeing himself as a kid. But also I guess there are world leaders who literally are also perpetually child-like and literal children walking around talking to/with the authority of world leaders so it's not UNPRECEDENTED... Still, it would be a nice symbol of Vrtra sort of emerging more into his role if he did eventually 'grow up' in that respect too...

Anyway if you need me I'll just be over here thinking too much about this sweet dragon :')

[inkribbon796]

Dr. Strangelove and Ticking Timebombs Ch. 2: Slippery Fingers

Summary: A strange container, strange meet-ups and zero coincidences.

Chapters: 1, 2, 3

When the heroes got to the warehouse, they were stopped by the bomb squad and several individuals in full hazmat gear walking around. Abe was sitting on a bench and rubbing his temples, Oliver was standing next to him. His vape in his hand.

Which surprised Logan because Oliver usually didn’t travel this far from the base.

“What happened, did the situation get worse?” Logan asked.

“You could say that,” Abe rubbed his face and stood up. “I was planning on showing you what was in that container in person, but Bing was in some camera feed and he called Brighton’s Health and Safety, and they came with fucking hazmat suits. Then he came in and started clearing people out.”

“Why?” Logan asked in confusion.

“Lo,” Bing shot out of the closest electrical panel, “there you are. An’ Marvin, perfect, I was about ta call you.”[1]

“Yeh wanted me an’ Logic?”[2] Marvin asked in confusion.

“Yeah,” Bing answered. “So you can’t go inta the warehouse, they’re still sortin’ out the pitchblende an’ findin’ what else got contaminated.”[3]

“Excuse me, did you say “pitchblende” why is that here?” Logan demanded.

“What’s pitchblende?” Tommy asked

“It’s a radioactive ore,” Logan explained. “Uranium-235 and Uranium-238 can both be synthesized from the ore to build nuclear reactors, but why is it here?”

“Why are you guys here then?” Silver asked.

“Well the ship’s manifesto caused some red flags to get raised,” Abe answered. “Some good Samaritan called the cops and pulled the container to the side. But instead of there being people in the cargo, there were some crates. And one of them was a lead box full of what Bing identified as pitchblende. He was watching us through some camera because he was bored, or some shit. And I’m glad he did because he saw what was in the box when my partner lifted some of it out and he cleared all of us out instantly. He was looking out for us.”

“Do we know where this shipment was supposed to go after it reached port?” Logan asked.

“Apparently a truck was supposed ta[4] come fer[5] it last night,” Bing answered. “But they pulled the container an’[6] no one saw a truck pull up fer[5] it. So I bet it scared ‘em[7] off.”

“I believe you might be right,” Logan decided. Then he looked at Abe. “Was there a name orva destination?”

“Just a name, a Tuberculosis Gadget,” Abe read with the type of smile he usually had just before he hit someone . . . typically that someone was Wilford. “I’ve seen some bad fake names, but this one is pretty up there.”

“Tuberc—” Tommy repeated in recognition.

Which immediately got Abe and Logan’s attention.

“That name ring a bell, kid?” Abe asked.

“I’m not a kid,” Tommy shot back.

“Whatever big guy,” Abe rolled his eyes. “Do you know the name or not?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know why it would show up here,” Tommy shrugged. “Don’t know what Tubs would want with somethin[8] radioactive. He’s a lawyer, not some crazy maniac.”

“Does he have other aliases, do you know this individual’s name?” Logan demanded.

Tommy hesitated for a second before he opened his mouth, but Ghostbur had started glancing around, half bored and half unable to put his concentration on any one thing for too long.

As the other heroes were trying to get information from Tommy, Ghostbur spotted two people off in the distance, watching them. He was so excited he spoke without thinking. “Tubbo? Hey Big Man, look, it’s Tubbo and Jack.”

The heroes looked at the two people just inside the cordoned off area. One was a man with a shaved head and red and blue glasses, the other was a much shorter man with a fluffy vest and brown hair that covered his eyes and most of the burns on his face. The second figure had a set of curled goat horns coming from his forehead.

“Tubbo?” Logan repeated in surprise, recognizing the burns.

Abe startled a bit, “Excuse me, but this is an active crime scene investigation, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

“Ghostbur, what are you doin’[9] here?” Tubbo asked before his eyes scanned the crowd before he just stared at Tommy. “Tommy, why the fuck are you workin’[10] with these assholes?”

Tommy sputtered in surprise, as the other heroes braced to intervene, “I am not some common pleb named “Tommy” or some such shit.”

“Tommy, don’t be a fuckin’[11] idiot,” Tubbo shouted. “I know it’s you, I’ve known you fer[5] fuckin’[11] years. You’ve only covered half yer damn face, an’[6] you didn’t even try to even talk deeper at the very least. You’re shit at hidin’[12] yer[13] identity.”

Tommy paused for a second or two, then said in a deeper voice, “I am not Tommy.”

“That’s worse, mate,” Jack Manifold told him, rolling his eyes behind his 3D-colored glasses. “Please use yer[13] normal voice. That one’s just complete dogshit.”

“Well fuck you too,” Tommy scowled, his tone a touch quieter.

Logan’s head was spinning, unable to reconcile the young man at the bed and breakfast who loved bees, with this same young man arguing in front of him. His whole body felt on edge. “Did you order this shipment?”

“Yer[14] gonna half to be specific,” Tubbo asked with a smile. “I order a lot ‘a[15] things.”

Jack looked at the amount of heroes, “Maybe we should just—”

“Save it, you can go, but I’m not goin’[16] anywhere,” Tubbo warned with almost an angry growl to his voice.

“This is an investigation, you can’t just be here,” Silver warned.

“Were you here to pick up a shipment from dock 14?” Logan asked.

“The one with my new smoke detectors an’[6] lanterns?” Tubbo smiled.

The other heroes were confused, but Abe and the androids weren’t.

“That’s not the only thing in there you sick fuck,” Abe spat.

“So it is yours?” Logan reeled a bit, Tubbo’s smile didn’t drop. “I don’t understand, you own a bed and breakfast, what on Earth do you want with Uranitie?”

“Ehhh, science marches on, big guy,” Tubbo shrugged.

“This not just for the sake of science,” Logan rebutted, a desperate tone to his voice. “This is a potential ecological and natural disaster waiting to happen. What do you intend for these items?”

Tubbo’s answer was given with terrifying calm, “To prove a point, really.”

“Ta[4] us?” Marvin gestured to them. “We get it, yeh[17] wanna be some big scary threat. We’ve faced worse.”

“Nah,” Tubbo dismissed. “You’re still human. Don’t care what you think ‘a[15] me.”

Then he gestured to Logan, “I meant ta[4] them.”

“Me?” Logan scoffed in disbelief as the pads of his fingers tapped once to his chest. “I thought you proved your point more than effectively at your establishment. But clearly I was gravely misinformed about your character.”

“I meant demons in general,” Tubbo dismissed. “Don’t take it personally. Although speaking ‘a[15] you, how lifelike are yer[13] little arms because the one that liked spiders had a whole personality an’[6] everythin’[15]. Did you give him that or is he naturally that skiddish. Hope it’s the second one because that’s seriously fucked up, dude.”

“The—” Logan felt alarm pass through him, he hadn’t been aware that Virgil and Tubbo had done more than look at each other across the game room of the bed and breakfast. “When did you speak with him?”

Tubo’s entire demeanor seemed to change. “The purple one? Can you not see everythin’[18] the others do?”

The skin and hair on Logan’s body stood on end, as if one current was going through him, “I think you must have confused me with someone else.”

“That depends on if you’re still the one who said you liked my bees,” Tubbo asked.

“I don’t think it wise of me to give my identity to you,” Logan warned.

Tubbo nodded, “Then tell yer[13] boss that Dream wants to speak to him. Has fer[5] a while now, we just haven’t been able to get past his door guards.”

Tubbo and Jack then looked up at something.

“Well, I think you’ve all made yer[13] point clear so you win an’[6] get to keep my stuff,” Tubbo shrugged. “G.G, we’ll just be off then.”

“No wait a second,” Abe ordered as Jack and Tubbo pulled out some green eye orbs and were already turning.

“Give me those!” Marvin yelled as the heroes raced forward. The orbs went sailing as Silver and Marvin raced for the two of them. Marvin grabbed onto Tubbo’s arm. “Yer not goin’ anywhere yeh—”[19]

The eyes opened and Silver flew back in surprise but Marvin didn’t and felt something rip Tubbo right out of his grasp.

Marvin screamed in pain as all of his fingers broke and the two people were gone.

“Fook!”[20] Marvin shouted in pain, holding his hand. “Motherfooker!”[21]

“Marv,” Silver began. “I’ll call the docs.”

Marvin screamed as he tried to keep his fingers still. “No, I’ll go after, we need ta[4] find these guys.”

“****!”[22] Bing cursed. “When did someone ****[20] with the cameras?”

“What?” Abe shouted and raced back into the warehouse. Logan was already on the phone with Henrik for Marvin.

Tommy and Ethan were a bit torn on who to go with for a bit but he shouted for Tommy to start getting into communication with Jackie and the other heroes.

Bing and Oliver were faster into the warehouse, keeping Abe out until they were sure it was clear. When the two androids got inside they saw several agents and hazmat workers lying dead around the facility. Arrows sticking out of some of them, bullet holes in others, and one or two of them had three lined up puncture wounds like they’d been stabbed with a trident or a multiple-pronged weapon like it.

Besides the dead people, the boxes were all missing. There were a few stray smoke detectors and a lantern or two that had been thrown by the wayside and were probably broken. But the lead boxes were gone, as were the box of magical crate

Bing tested the radioactive signature on the air and still found it slightly contaminated and therefore unsafe.

“Hey Bing,” Oliver messaged the other android.

“Yeah?” Bing replied as he was messaging Abe and giving him pictures and a report of the situation.

“Found something,” Oliver held up a small box that had come from the crate of magical supplies. Bing took a few pictures of it before opening the box and found that someone from the investigation team had already started labeling it. It was full of chunks of raw coconut.

“Weird,” Bing commented, taking more pictures and then placing the box in a radioactive-leak proof container so they could decontaminate it later.

They had missing radioactive material to find.

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

Accessibility Translations:

1. there you are. And Marvin, perfect, I was about to call you.

2. You wanted me and Logic?

3. So you can’t go into the warehouse, they’re still sorting out the pitchblende and finding what else got contaminated

4. to

5. for

6. and

7. them

8. something

9. doing

10. working

11. fucking

12. hiding

13. your

14. You’re

15. of

16. going

17. you

18. everything

19. You’re not going anywhere you—

20. Fuck!

21. Motherfucker!

22. Shit!

[summahsunlight]

We Belong to the Stars, Ch.21

Rating: Mature (18+ only)

Word Count: 2255

Pairings: Poe/Evelyn (OC)

Characters: Poe Dameron, Leia Organa, BB-8, Kaleb Skywalker (OC), Evelyn Skywalker (OC), Karé Kun, Iolo Arana, Snap Wexley, Jessika Pava, BB-8

Masterlist / Read on AO3

A/N: Here is the next chapter. Likes and reblogs are always appreciated :)

It never failed, by the end of the week, if you need a party planned, the pilots had set up a make-shift bar with whatever booze they had found on supply runs. Snap would always have his moonshine on tap as well, but Poe knew from experience to just stay away from that stuff.  He wasn't one to shy away from a little indulgence every once and a while, as long as he didn't need to drag anyone's asses out of the brig for too much moonshine and fighting. 

For the last several days, the Resistance had gotten no where in tracing anymore of Lothor's transmissions or in locating Lor San Tekka.  It had led to a few heated confrontations between Jas Dane and the members of Black Squadron, Leia being the one to calm the tempest.  Poe was close to pulling his squad from this mission; Dane constantly treated them with disrespect and made lewd comments towards Evelyn, Karé and Jess, clearly putting his disrespect for women on display.  It was even starting to get underneath Snap's skin since he regarded Jess and Evelyn as little sisters--and Karé? Well, everyone knew how Snap felt about her...

Hopefully, tonight would help his friends ease some stress; they were all in need of a little fun, which was probably why Snap had organized the bonfire and party down by the lake that evening.

Nights on D'Qar were cool, once the sun disappeared from the sky.  Poe tossed his favorite leather jacket on over his shirt as he made his way towards Evelyn's quarters. He was a little late going to pick her up--he'd gotten tied up in some meeting at the end of shift and had been late returning to his own quarters. Poe sighed. He was doing it again. He was putting his commitment to the Cause before her.  This was why he'd lost her the last time, because he put his duty before his love of her.

He was going to have to be better at placing her first.  Tonight, was a step in the right direction.  Poe could have stayed behind in that situation room planning for hours, instead, he was looking forward to having some drinks with his friends. 

CB-2 greeted him when the door to her quarters opened.  Poe smiled at the little droid, affectionately scratched her on the side, like he would often do with BB-8, and laughed when the little droid offered to give them privacy, rolling off to the hanger.  Stepping inside the room Poe caught sight of Evelyn.  She was wearing a simple, sleeveless, emerald dress that highlighted her curves.  She'd left her hair down, which was something she never did considering how hot it could get during the day. Poe was suddenly rendered speechless, which hardly ever happened to him. 

"Hi," Evelyn said, turning to face him.  She clasped her kyber pendant behind her neck, letting it fall gracefully along her collarbone. 

"Hey," Poe said, still soaking her in. He stepped towards her, eyes softening as he gazed at her. "You look beautiful tonight."

Evelyn smiled, shyly at him, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "Just tonight?"

Poe grinned at her, gently placing his hands on her waist. "Oh no, you're beautiful all the time, just tonight... even more than usual."

She reached up and adjusted his collar, wondering if if he knew how good he looked in the leather jacket, black pants and white shirt. "You clean up rather nicely yourself."

He moved one his hands to the small of her back and pulled her closer to him.  Dipping his head, his mouth connected with hers. Instantly the scent of her perfume filled his nostrils, fueling his desire even more.  Her lips were soft, supple, and he couldn't resist the urge to run his tongue along her bottom lip before he tasted her.  Hearing her little moan of pleasure made his heart slam against his chest.  

"We're...we're gonna be late," Evelyn gasped between his heated kisses.

"So? That party is going to be going all night, sweetheart," Poe replied, letting his hands explore her exposed skin. "Let's be late."

"If we leave the party early we have all night together..."

"I like the sound of that better..."

"Figured you might."

"Shall we get going then, princess?"

Evelyn let him take her hand, pull her out of her quarters.  She wrapped her fingers around his, not caring if they were making heads turn or about the hurried whispers that followed them down to the lake as they walked hand in hand.  Daring to look at Poe, she could see his brown eyes sparkling with warmth, the corners of his mouth pulled in a sweet smile. She tightened her hold on his hand and leaned against his shoulder while they walked towards the sound of chatter and music.

Poe pressed a kiss to her temple. If he was lucky, he'd find the time and the privacy tonight to actually kiss her again.  The other members of Black Squadron would hopefully be too drunk to even notice or even have the mindset to interrupt them.  As they approached the party, Jess waved them over.  She'd found a grassy patch near the lake and, he noted, she had a bottle of brandy in her hand.  On a nearby tree stump were several empty shot glasses, just waiting for the pilots to use them.

Jess grinned wildly as Poe sat down in the grass, guiding Evelyn down towards him and situating her between his legs. "Snap owes me twenty credits; I knew you two would show up here, together."

"Aw, kriff," Snap groaned as he arrived and saw them sitting there.  He grumbled and handed the credits over to Jess.

"Hey, if you want to win money on me," Poe quipped with a big grin, "maybe you should let me in on the bet."

"Shut up, Dameron."

"Ouch, he's grumpy when he loses."

Evelyn laughed. "Just wait until you see him drink..."

Poe looked at Snap in shock. "You get grumpier?"

Jess shook her head. "No, he gets friendlier.  Real friendly."

Snap poured the first round of shots. He passed them out to his fellow squad mates. "At least in this bar we can drink...and hopefully this time Poe won't start a fight." He gestured across the sandy beach towards a rather furious looking Jas. "He's already made one spy very jealous."

"Don't worry," Evelyn said, letting her head fall back to rest against Poe's chest, "Jas won't do a damn thing.  He wouldn't want someone messing up his pretty face."

"I don't know, a black eye might improve that scowl," Poe joked, just before tipping his head back and downing his shot. He wrapped one arm tightly around her waist as he poured himself another drink. "If I happen to be the one to give it to him, then I happen to be the one to give it to him." 

"You're gonna have to get in line," Iolo remarked as he joined them.  "I think Karé might have first shots at him."

"Why Karé?" Jess asked. 

"Guy's a scumbag. He undressed practically every woman in central command yesterday and then he was hitting on Karé after lunch."

"Poe. You're gonna have to let me get a swing in first."

"Easy there, Snap, that's the booze talking."

Snap threw Poe a stiff glare and then poured another round of shots, passing them out to his fellow pilots. "Just drink," he ordered them. The pilots burst out laughing, and then fell into easy conversation. 

It was nice to take a break from the constant stress of mission planning and briefings, Poe realized. Maybe it was the alcohol that was creating a nice buzz, but Poe felt the most relaxed since joining the Resistance. Every now and then, when he lifted his eyes to look across the beach at the party, he'd catch the almost possessive way that Jas' looked at Evelyn.  This made Poe pull her closer and not because he was trying to make Jas jealous, but because he felt the need to protect her. And maybe to make him a little bit jealous...

He wasn't sure how many rounds of brandy the pilots had consumed, Poe just knew that they were laughing and sharing stories--at one point Snap sang them a song. It was also obvious that Poe and Evelyn weren't going to hide their feelings anymore, not with the affectionate caresses and soft kisses the pair exchanged.  

They were all feeling pretty good from the alcohol when Jess announced that she was going to get more booze for the group and gestured for Evelyn to join her.

Evelyn slipped from underneath his arm, planted a kiss on Poe's cheek and told him she’d be right back.  As she weaved her way through the party, she felt a hand grab her arm.

Rose had caught up to her.  “What are you doing?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh come on, the flirting, the touching—kissing Poe's cheek.  Everyone is talking. You keep this up you’re going to end up in his room tonight.”

“So? Maybe that’s what I want.”

“Well, judging by the way he’s looking at you—he wants it too.”

Evelyn sauntered up to the bar, glancing over her shoulder to see that Poe was watching her every move—his dark eyes drinking in the sight of her, like she was the only woman on that beach. Poe quirked a coy smile in her direction as he held her gaze.  

Jess chuckled and elbowed her while they waited at the bar for their drinks. "I'm telling you... the two of you should just kiss already! It's so obvious that the two of you want each other."

Rose wasn't sure if Jess had heard the rumors going around, but the mechanic was pretty sure the two of them had already kissed.  Judging by the way Poe and Evelyn were looking at one another, it was hard to dispel those rumors. "Are you and Snap betting on that too?"

"Hey, Snap's the one that keeps making the bets and then losing them," Jess said with a shrug.

"Since I'm involved in the bet someway," Evelyn interjected, "when am I suppose to kiss Poe?"

"I have it happening tonight; I have twenty credits on it."

"What did Snap say?"

"Snap thinks you're both going to be stubborn for another week."

Evelyn looked for Poe once again, but he wasn't sitting where the other pilots were gathered.  She glanced at Jess with a wide grin. "What if I told you that you're both wrong?"

Jess quirked an eyebrow. "Really?"

Rose laughed. "I knew it."

"Wait," Jess said, eyes going wide. "You kissed Poe? When?"

"When you left us alone in the cockpit on the 690," Evelyn replied, honestly.

"BeeBee said nothing happened!"

"BeeBee was sworn to secrecy."

Jess half-glared at her, half-smiled, grabbed up the new bottle of brandy, and headed back towards where the rest of the pilots were sitting. 

Evelyn laughed and turned to follow, when she felt someone grab onto her wrist--forcefully.  She was roughly turned towards the person that had grabbed her and she came face to face with Jas. The possessive, hungry look in his eyes made her blood run cold and instantly she sobered up.  "Jas, what do you want?"

Jas gestured with his chin in the direction of the pilots. "I don't get it, Evelyn. You tell me that I'm arrogant, only care about myself, and yet you're with that guy. What can you possibly see in him? He walks around here like he owns the place, that he can do my job better than I can--he flirts with everyone woman on base. Something, by the way, you accused me of doing."

She could hear the cold, hard, hatred in Jas' voice. "Maybe I like him because he doesn't treat me like the only thing I'm good for is sleeping around.  You know, he actually cares about me and my feelings."

He scoffed. "I care about you, Evelyn. We didn't break up because I didn't care. We broke up because I couldn't give you what you wanted. Newsflash, Poe Dameron can't give you what you want, either.  The Resistance, the cause, that's more important to him.  He isn't going to give you love or a family or all those silly things girls want."

"Let go of me," Evelyn snapped, tears springing into her eyes. Don't listen to him; you know Poe loves you...

"No. Not until you listen to me," Jas argued, tightening his hold on her wrist. "I'm tired of being disrespected by you, a woman."

"Jas! You're hurting me! Please, let go!"

"Why? So you can run off? Back to him so you can humiliate me some more? I don't think so, Evelyn!"

Evelyn felt his fingers close even tighter around her wrist, causing pain to shoot up her arm and she let out a small cry. Her fight or flight instinct began to kick in and as she stood there, thinking about how to take Jas down, someone else punched him right in the face.

Jas stumbled backwards, crashing into several unsuspecting mechanics, before he toppled against the make-shift bar. Blood seeped out of his nose and guessing by its angle, it was broken... when the spy glanced in her direction  with such malice and fury, it caused her heart to beat anxiously. He made a fist and growled, "You'll pay for that, Commander."

[narutofoxlover]

A Fishy Dilemma: A MerJack AU CH. 5

                           Sara took a steadying breath before she turned on the camera. “Sup guys. Hopefully you remember me from the Floof Off video from a few days ago. I’m sure you’re all wondering why he hasn’t been on since then. That’s why I’m here. Mark’s sick, he ended up catching what Jack’s got. He’s okay he just won’t be able to make any videos for awhile. Unfortunately the doctors have told him that he shouldn’t fly home till after he’s better so he’s stuck here in Ireland till he recovers. Mark mind saying a few words so they don’t think I kidnapped you?!” She yelled over her shoulder towards the living room. She was currently sitting at a table in the kitchen which was adjacent to the living room. “I’m fine guys! Just gotta take a break from Youtube till I get better!” He shouted back from in the tank, faking a raspy voice and pretending to erupt into a fit of coughing. They weren’t even going to show his face in the video, they weren’t taking any chances this time.No one could find out the truth.

                            Sara stared at her laptop as the video finished uploading to Mark’s channel. Hopefully his fans would believe the story they had come up with. “It’s gonna be fine Sara. They aren’t gonna suspect a thing,” Mark said, trying to reassure her. “I hope so. We can’t afford anymore trouble from AGRO,” She said.

                             She glanced over at Jack who had been oddly quiet. He looked to be deep in thought. “Something on your mind Jack?” She asked. “I was just thinking, AGRO’s an American company isn’t it?” He said. “Yeah, so?” She wasn’t sure what he was getting at. “Well didn’t you mention once that your mom is good friends with a former FBI agent and that you have a step-cousin in the Secret Service?” He said. Sara’s eyes widened. “Jack you’re a genius! I’ll call my mom and have her contact them. Maybe they can call in some favors and help us. We’ll have to wait till the cure is ready before we have them try anything though, we can’t risk you two being stuck like that forever,” She said. She was filled with excitement as she called her mom, they had a way to get back at AGRO!

                           Jack looked away from the game he was playing with Mark to look at Sara. It was fairly hot today and unfortunately the air conditioner was on the fritz. Him and Mark were fine since the water stayed fairly cool but it was obvious Sara wasn’t. He smiled when he got an idea. “Hey Sara! How bout you come in here with us and cool off?” He said. Sara thought it over for a moment. She had brought a swimsuit in case she ever needed to go into the tank. And it was hot, especially since she had heat sensitivities. She might as well, it’s not like they were contagious. “Sure! Just give me a sec while I go put my swimsuit on,” She said.

                          She came out a few minutes later wearing a two piece swimsuit. (( it looks like this: https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1PhEyKpXXXXbpXVXXq6xXFXXXv/NEW-0002-Vintage-Girl-Plus-Size-Galaxy-Purple-Aurora-Skye-3D-Prints-Two-piece-Vest-bikini.jpg_640x640.jpg )) “Galaxy bathingsuit, cool,” Mark said, his love of space clearly the reason behind the compliment. “What can I say, galaxies are pretty,” Sara said as she climbed up the later to get into the tank. She got a mischievous smirk on her face when she reached the top. “Canonball!” She shouted before jumping in. Jack and Mark scrambled to get out of the splash radius as she landed in the water. For someone who was 5 foot 4 she made a pretty big splash. She came back up to the surface laughing.

                          Now that they could see her stomach Mark saw a familiar scar on her. “Hey, did you ever get your appendix removed?” He asked. “Yeah, I had appendicitis when I was six,” She said. “Six! Damn that must have sucked. I had it a couple years ago,” Mark said. “Yeah, I saw on your Draw My Life video. Your medical history is almost as bad as mine,” She said. They ended up talking about their experiences in the hospital for the next fifteen minutes. It was interesting getting to bond over something like that. Jack kinda just listened awkwardly, having never been in the hospital for anything serious before. He’s never even had a broken bone, which is surprising considering how much he loved to climb trees when he was a kid. The only thing even remotely nasty that happened to him was when he got that infected cut near his eye that spawned the Septiceye nickname.

       Sara noticed how Jack was feeling left out and decided to change the subject. “I just realized, its pretty ironic that they used that serum on you instead of me Mark. You know, considering your fear of the ocean. I wonder if they knew and that’s why they injected you with it instead of me,” She pondered aloud. “You mean like they were watching me and did this to mess with my phobia? Good god I hope not. That would be way too creepy. This situation is already fucked up as it is without the possibility of that,” Mark said. “Yeah, I’d rather not entertain the idea that those sick fucks have been watching our every move,” Jack added. “I guess its best to just not think about it for now. So, what should we do now? It’s kinda boring just floating around,” Sara said. “Improv or Don’t Laugh challenge? I always thought they looked pretty fun when you did it Mark,” Jack suggested. “Oh i would kick your scaley asses at Don’t Laugh! I got the best poker face!” Sara said. “Sounds like we have a challenge,” Mark said.

@magic-marvin-protection-patrol @ego-protection-squad @chase-brody-protection-squad

[slyreaderslibrary]

CH. 12 Alibi (Last Chapter)

AO3: Here

Fanfiction: Here

Summary: Keeping a secret identity secret is normally hard enough but when you’re as beautiful as Minako Aino you’re bound to have all kinds of creeps and weirdo stalking your every move. Now there’s a cop hot on her trail and she’ll have to be quick on her feet if she’s to keep her identity on the DL. Just what is a gorgeous super-heroine to do?

Venus cursed as another branch slapped her in the face and several more scraped against her thighs. That was it! She was going to put an end to these trips if it was the last thing she did! She didn't care how much Serenity cried and begged. No man was worth this aggravation.

She shoved a few more branches aside, allowing her to see the long, golden trailing tails of her princess some several feet away.

"Found you!"

Venus grabbed one of Serenity's tails before she could slip away but she was so focused on her target, she failed to see the two men standing nearby as her princess cried out her typical excuses.

"It must be hard having a bundle of curiosity for a princess."

Startled by the deep voice, Venus spun automatically, locking eyes with a tall, handsome man. She felt her breath catch as he chuckled, his silver eyes dancing with amusement despite how annoyed his prince appeared to be.

"Kunzite!"

Minako jolted awake in a small and bare windowless room, with her arms tied behind her back and her head throbbing from abuse. The last thing she remembered was watching that drug deal going down with the detective…Minako's eyes widened.

The detective!

She twisted around and was relieved to see his figure across the room with his long silver hair spilling out across his face. A face that, now that she was thinking of it, looked oddly familiar with its sharp cheekbones, full lips and regal nose. Hadn't she just been dreaming of that face? The man could be Kunzite's twin! Why hadn't she ever noticed it before?

Keisuke (aka maybe-Kunzite-maybe-not-Kunzite) groaned, reminding Minako of the situation they were in. They needed to get out of there, fast, before any yakuza returned, wherever "there" was. She twisted her arms slightly and then wriggled her bindings around her legs until her hands were back in front of her.

"I've got a knife in the lining of my jacket," Keisuke muttered, his eyes pressed tight with his head resting against the cement floor.

Minako hoped he didn't have a concussion.

She scooted across the floor until she was close enough to search and ran her hands along the inside of his jacket until she felt a small bulge. Quickly locating a zipper, she extracted the knife, extended the blade and set to work on cutting through Keisuke's bindings. Once he was free, he took the blade from her and made quick work of her own, the whole process taking them a matter of minutes.

She checked the door and pouted when she found it locked. Couldn't anything be easy?

Minako nibbled her bottom lip as she weighed her options. She could make quick work of the lock by using her power but even with Sailor Moon's help she was still exhausted from earlier. She'd have to transform unless she wanted to faint immediately right after which was not an option.

~~~

"You wouldn't happen to know how to pick locks would you?"

Keisuke opened his eyes to stare at Minako who was looking at him with a mixture of hope clearly laced with doubt. He raised a single eyebrow.

"I'm afraid I don't make a habit of learning criminal activities."

"Damn."

Minako snapped her fingers but didn't appear to be particularly affected by this news despite the way she was incessantly tapping her thigh. She stopped and looked at him again, this time with such a serious expression that Keisuke feared she was about to tell him she murdered somebody.

"Can you keep a secret?"

Keisuke blinked slowly.

Had she really murdered someone?

"Does this secret entail breaking the law in some way?"

"What? No!" Minako paused, "Well, maybe."

While that didn't sound promising, it also didn't sound like murder, so at the very least she appeared innocent of that.

"Tell me your secret."

Minako hesitated.

"You promise you won't tell?"

Keisuke just stared at her, which must have been enough because soon she was muttering about impatient jerks as she shoved her hand in her pocket, grabbing something, and then thrust it high in the air.

What followed was the most unbelievable thing he had ever seen, which was saying something considering he'd just witnessed someone create lightning from thin air earlier that day. First Minako lit up like a freaking torch and then her clothes melted away only to be replaced with a leotard, a short skirt and flowing ribbons. She looked like the senshi from the video he'd seen at Ueda's.

"You're one of them."

It certainly explained her interactions with the senshi at the mall.

"Why?"

Minako blinked and tilted her head to the side.

"What do you mean why? Why am I a senshi?"

He nodded and her brows scrunched like she had never been asked such a thing before. Maybe she hadn't.

"Well," she said eventually, "To cut a long story short, I was born this way."

Born with the ability to transform into matching outfits with several other girls? There had to be a lot more she was leaving out but he could get answers later. He nodded towards the door.

"Are you going to fry the handle?"

"I was thinking something a little more subtle," Minako winked, stepping up to the door and placing a hand on the door knob. It took on a golden glow, eerily similar to the beam that had almost smashed him and now that he was thinking of it, it was also similar to the gun from the bank that had twisted abnormally before the robber had tossed it aside. The knob however, appeared entirely unaltered when Minako pulled her hand away, but the easy way she opened it proved she had done something.

Keisuke inspected it closer but saw nothing to indicate it had been tampered with. "I don't understand, what did you do?"

"I can manipulate metal," Minako shrugged. "I unlocked the door."

"Wait, does that mean earlier it was you who saved me?"

Minako nodded. "I did. It was why I'd collapsed. Using my powers without transforming makes me anemic."

"Ah," Keisuke nodded, now understanding their past interactions and why she had currently chosen to transform. "So what do I call you when you're," he gestured to her uniform.

"The Senshi of Love and Beauty, Sailor Venus!" Venus quietly exclaimed, striking a pose with her fingers in a victory sign.

She dropped her pose and winked, "But you can just call me Venus."

Venus, the roman equivalent of Aphrodite. Keisuke couldn't help but smirk at the apt title. It was fitting, even if he wasn't sure how metal related to love and beauty. However, again, those questions could be answered later, they had wasted enough time as it was.

"Venus it is then." He gestured towards the door, "We should get out of here before anyone comes looking for us."

"Agreed. Let me just peak around the corner to see if the way is clear."

Keisuke frowned, not liking letting a civilian take lead in what could be a dangerous situation but, as he watched her pull out a compact and bend it to see around the corner, he realized she wasn't exactly a civilian. Her actions were precise and controlled but fluid. This was something she had done many times before.

And it was familiar. So, so familiar. He couldn't remember when but he knew he had seen her like this before. Searching for something, for someone. They had been outside and she had been alone until he'd found her sneaking through the bushes.

Endymion had asked him to distract her. He'd wanted more tim—

"Hey!"

A hand on his shoulder snapped him out of whatever daydream he'd been having and his cheeks grew warm when he realized Venus was staring at him with concern.

"Are you alright?" she whispered, her bright blue eyes drilling into his. Blues eyes that he knew he had stared into a hundred times before.

Keisuke's gaze dropped to her lips, lips that he had dreamed about, and he had already begun to lean in when he caught himself. He straightened abruptly, pulling away.

"I'm fine," he said after a moment, although Venus hardly looked like she believed him. "We need to get out of here."

Thankfully Venus couldn't argue with that, so instead she nodded and slipped her hand into his, pulling him down the hall and into a large warehouse type room with rows and rows of miscellaneous objects on industrialized shelves. He could hardly believe that any idiot would have the nerve to have an entire warehouse of illegal goods but at this point he wasn't about to rule anything out. He just hoped he could get a squad back here in time before they could move the goods somewhere else.

They made their way through the rows of shelves quickly until he spotted a loading dock a few rows in. The dock itself would create too much noise upon opening, and would likely attract attention, but there was a side door that they could quietly escape from. Venus worked her magic over the lock again before powering down to her civilian self.

"Just in case anyone thinks to put me and me together," she explained. "If they see you escaping with Sailor Venus, without me, they might figure out my identity."

Her reasoning was sound—even though Keisuke doubted the intelligence of the average criminal—but her timing turned out to be rather poor.

"Hey!" came a shout behind them, "Get away from there!"

Minako yanked the door open, shoving him behind it just as a cascade of bullets came raining down on them. The metal door thunked loudly several times as the bullets embedded themselves into it while Minako muttered beside him that they had ended up on the wrong side to escape.

A few seconds later the shower of bullets ceased and shouts could be heard in the distance. Keisuke knew it was only a matter of time before more men showed up. He grabbed Minako's hand and yanked her across the aisle, weaving his way in and out between the shelves in an attempt to lose whoever may be following them. They ended up in a dark corner, where little could be seen through the shelves, filled as they were with boxes labeled something in a foreign language he couldn't understand.

He felt Minako tug on his hand and turned, only to see that she was already halfway up the shelf. Keisuke frowned, but the sound of footsteps drawing closer spurred him to follow, his body rolling out of sight—and on top of Minako—just as two men rounded the corner.

~~~

Minako stiffened when she heard the men curse below, praying that they hadn't left some kind of trace behind. The men whispered heatedley to one another and then took off down another aisle, their footsteps echoing away from where she and Keisuke were hidden.

She allowed herself to relax marginally and then turned her attention to the man lying on top of her. He was watching the men retreat, having a better vantage point than her, and the serious expression he wore was so identical to the man she'd known before that Minako knew without a doubt that he was Kunzite reincarnated.

She just wasn't sure how she felt about that.

And then Kun—no, not Kunzite, Keisuke—Keisuke turned his silver eyes on her, his expression one of anxious concern, and Minako realized she didn't care. So what if he'd been Kunzite in a past life? Kunzite had been a good man before he'd been twisted by Beryl and Metallia and Keisuke had proven to be just as good. She wouldn't let the likes of Beryl and an incarnate of chaos influence her.

"Are you okay?" Keisuke whispered, his breath tickling her cheek and Minako had to tear her gaze away to prevent herself from doing anything stupid.

She swallowed and nodded, hoping he couldn't see the blush on her cheeks.

"I think the coast is clear for now." She listened closer for any sign of a yakuza. "We should get going before they come back."

Keisuke murmured his agreement, his low tones sending shivers through her, and then carefully rolled to one side before climbing down the shelves. Minako gave herself a moment to regain her composure and then followed quickly after.

~~~

"Do you think you can use your powers again without transforming?" Keisuke asked Minako as soon as she had both feet on the floor.

Minako turned to him curiously and then nodded slowly as she thought about it. "I think I could. Sailor Moon revitalized me earlier but I just didn't want to chance it without knowing the layout of the building. Why, do you have a plan?"

Keisuke nodded. "A simple enough one really. Let's get as close as we can to the door and then you can make sure it's unlocked before knocking over one of these metal shelves as a distraction."

"I like it," Minako smiled, her eyes sparkling playfully, "But I'm afraid I might not be quick on my feet after that. I might even need some big, strong man to carry me."

Keisuke smirked.

"I'm not just a pretty face you know."

Minako rolled her eyes but remained smiling until they began putting their plan into motion and then they were both serious, eyes and ears trained for anyone coming their way. They made it through the first few rows easily but had to pause when moving down an aisle until a man standing guard wandered over to another area. In the end, it only took them a handful of minutes but every second felt like twenty times longer.

"Get on my back," he ordered when they had arrived at the closest point to the loading docks.

Minako did as instructed and then stretched an arm out in front of her in the direction of the door. Keisuke could see both the door and her hand glow temporarily before Minako shifted and directed her power toward the back corner of the warehouse. He couldn't see the results but he could certainly hear the crashing of shelves and other items followed shortly by a stampede of footsteps running in that direction.

Keisuke waited until Minako squeezed his shoulder and then took off running towards the dock door while a weakened Minako clung to his shoulders. He threw the door open and then raced down the alley and around a corner straight into a line of gunmen aiming their weapons in his direction.

"NO!"

Keisuke wasn't sure who shouted first but both he and Minako threw their hands out—Minako probably to stop the bullets coming at them, him to...well he didn't know what—only for a dark portal to open up, engulfing the bullets, close and then reappear directly behind the yakuza, releasing the bullets and letting them strike the yakuza down.

"Nephrite!" snapped a voice behind them that made the hair on his neck stand on end.

Keisuke had barely begun to turn in search of the voice's owner when two men walked past him, inspecting the fallen criminals.

"What?" asked the taller man, presumably Nephrite, as he nudged a man with his boot. He was wearing some kind of uniform with a long brown cape to match his wild hair and Keisuke couldn't stop staring knowing that he'd seen that uniform before. "They're alive."

The second man, this one decked out in black armor, murmured something and then bent and placed his hands over one of the injured men's eyes. A warm soft glow emitted from his palm, wrapping around the fallen man and Keisuke gasped in recognition.

He knew this man!

All at once a sharp pain began stabbing between his eyes and he crumpled to the ground as he struggled to fight it. He could hear Minako by his side, calling his name, but his vision was blurred and all he could focus on was the pain...and then there was warmth, glorious beautiful warmth and his body relaxed and his mind raced as memories upon memories came rushing back to him.

His first time on a horse...winning the tournament...taking his oath...training with his brothers...and of course countless hours with his liege, Endymion...and then there was Venus and Serenity and all of the Senshi and he was no longer confused, he was just amazed at how he could have ever forgotten them.

Keisuke opened his eyes to see Endymion's deep blues ones staring back at him, hope warring with fear in his gaze.

Well that just wouldn't do.

Keisuke smirked and then pulled the other man into a hug that sent them both laughing with exhilaration only for Nephrite to dogpile on top of them, sending them to the ground. They were still missing two of their brothers but they were alive and whole and they had found each other and how had he ever forgotten them?

"I'm going to take Minako home," interrupted a cool, sophisticated voice, prompting the men to look up at the dark haired woman supporting Minako with one arm. "You three can join us when you're done catching up."

Endymion nodded as Minako gave a tired little wave and Keisuke started to stand and then paused, staring after them as they walked away. It could wait. He would see her again, and soon from the sounds of it.

"Man you are relentless! Just how long do you plan to pursue her?" Nephrite groaned as he dropped his head onto the ground narrowly avoiding a questionable puddle.

Keisuke frowned, suddenly realizing that perhaps the ground of an alleyway was not the best place for their reunion.

"What do you mean?" He asked as he picked himself off the ground and then offered a hand to Endymion who smiled and took it gratefully.

"You've been chasing Venus' for over a thousand years!" Nephrite exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "Give it a rest already!"

Keisuke blinked, looking to Endymion who was still smiling, albeit a bit more amused now. He glanced back over his shoulder, just in time to see Minako and Sailor Mars vanish around the corner, and smirked.

"Why? Things are just starting to get good."