#mace trying to pull him back but risking himself at the same time

[shadow0-1]

Caught in your event horizon

[sgt-seabass]

𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕

✧˚ · . 𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘢 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘢 𝘮𝘰𝘣 𝘣𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨.

pairing —  mob boss!prime alpha!nick fowler x omega!reader w/c —  13.7k this is a dark explicit fic. 18+ only.  AU Masterlist.

warnings —  dark!fic, non-con (non-consenting intoxicated reader), a/b/o dynamics, non-major character death (but it’s still gonna hurt), murder, violence, blood, violence against reader (face slapping, hair pulling, manhandling), pet names (pup, puppy), human trafficking and auctioning, biting, suicidal ideations, forced alcohol use, forced intoxication, choking, caging. a/n —  the Mace referenced in this fic is James Mace from Sunshine, not Mace from the 355. A massive fucking thank you to @buckybarneschokeme​​ and @navybrat817​​, this fic wouldn’t exist without either of you. And thanks to everyone who let me scream at them about this idea. Beta read by @buckybarneschokeme​ but any mistakes are mine.

I want to hold you close, skin pressed against me tight Lie still, close your eyes, girl, so lovely, it feels so right I want to hold you close, soft breath, beating heart As I whisper in your ear, "I want to fucking tear you apart" ↳ Tear You Apart, She Wants Revenge

The blazing summer rays burned into your back as you walked down the cracked sidewalk, the concrete only further radiating the ardent heat as you struggled to keep a hold of your grocery bags.

They were heavy and overpacked, and your body feverish, but you were almost too tired to care. Your childcare shift in the town’s daycare had gone over, and so you were stuck out late with the week’s groceries in your grip.

The sweat trickling down your skin made you feel as if you’d gone into heat, but the distinct lack of slick coming from your core confirmed you were just boiling under the evening sun’s remaining beams of light.

You had no doubt your scent must be in full force. You’d already seen the way Sherriff Bodecker had eyed you as he passed in his police cruiser, window down and shameless leering gaze on you as he passed. Creep. He could have at least offered you some help.

As your tired feet continued to lead you down the street, passing by the small houses that adorned your wayward town, all similar in design and undeniably boring in architecture, you couldn’t help but notice a black SUV with tinted windows roll past you. Not once, but twice.

It sent an odd chill through you despite the scorching temperature, the hairs on the back of your neck standing up. And as your eyes caught sight of a missing poster on a nearby lamp post, an image of an Omega from a few towns over the presentiment of danger worsened. The image of the smiling girl felt as if it was peering into you, warning you as severe, cutting anxiety settling in the pit of your stomach, beginning to spread like rot through an old oak tree.

Your steps quickened, ignoring the sweat beading along your forehead and dripping down your face, before you dipped down a side street and into a nearby park, hiding yourself amongst some foliage. Time seemed to slow as you waited, wanting to see if the car would pass you again. But it never came.

As you hid you thought of James. Your boyfriend would be home by now, his appointment at the VA having finished at noon. He wasn’t the same after he returned from deployment, his left arm gone like a lot of his joy for life, but he was working on himself, and it made you so proud.

You knew the risks of having a partner in the Army, but you were lucky to have him. While neither of you were ready to bond, his presence was undoubtedly calming, the two of you like yin and yang, fitting in a perfect harmony. You didn’t have to try with James, he was a sweetheart through and through, just the mere thought of the Alpha put a smile on your face. He wasn’t there, but it was like you could feel his arms tight around you, whispering in your ear that you were safe.

“I’m never leaving again, doll. Never again. Just you and me ‘til our last breaths.”

“Don’t be so grim, Jamie. We have all the time in the world together. You and me. What is it you always say to Steve? ‘Til the end of the line, right?”

His breath fanned over your neck as he nuzzled into you. Comforting warmth washing over you, his hands ghosting over your flesh with a gentle touch.

“Yeah, sweetheart. ‘Til the end of the line.”

It was difficult for him integrating back into society, especially when in a small town all people do is gossip. But he’d found a nice group of friends he played social poker in the next township over. While you lost Wednesday nights with James, you were hoping he was finding himself again. One step at a time.

Once enough time had passed you crawled out of the park and back onto the path home, that nervous feeling still fluttering in your stomach. The sooner you got home to James and the comfort of the beefy man’s tenderness, the better.

It luckily wasn’t much longer until you were close to home, the sun beginning to reach its lowest point, red and gold hues filling the sky like flames beckoning home the oncoming darkness.

You stopped for a moment, right outside your house, distracted by the artistic colours that painted the horizon before you noticed it. The black SUV. Parked in your driveway in front of the house that was undeniably no more aesthetic than any other. But it was yours. Yours and James��.

James.

It felt as if you were moving in slow motion as you made your way to the ajar front door, each step getting heavier as you feared what you would witness on the other side.

But no amount of time could have prepared you for the sight awaiting you in your home.

As you passed the threshold of the doorway, you dropped the bags to the floor with a shrill scream. The fresh produce spilled across the carpet as you took in the situation before you, milk spilling from the carton around your feet.

In your living room was James, bloodied to a pulp, his face hardly recognisable as a group of six men surrounding him.

“James!” You exclaimed with a rush of tears, ignoring the suited men as you rushed to your Alpha’s side, cupping his face in your hands, your skin becoming tainted with his blood.

The other Alpha’s seemed wholly unperturbed by your entrance.

“Get out of here…” James mumbled, barely coherent through his puffed face, pulling more sobs from you as you glanced over his body.

Slashes and bruises covered him. He was a strong Alpha, but with a missing limb and far outnumbered, he’d been beaten within an inch of his life.

Rage burned through you as you turned to the men, eyes falling on the one with the most dominant presence in the room, his scent competing for dominance with your Alpha’s. Clean cut hair, piercing azure eyes, 6’4” hulking figure, and a tailored suit probably worth more than your yearly salary.

“Get. Out. Of. My. House,” your words came out dripping like venom from a snake’s fangs, a hiss rising from your throat.

The man just laughed at you, squatting so he was eye level with you as you cowered to protect James’ body.

“Feisty Omega.” You watched the way his eyes travelled to your exposed neck, his head tilting slightly, “feisty unmated Omega.”

Under the man’s leering gaze, you kept your body in front of James, blood covering every part of you that touched your Alpha as it spilled from him. But you could still hear his little wheezing breaths that told you he was alive.

‘Til our last breaths.

“Just leave us alone, please. I don’t know who you are or what you want, but we don’t have anything to give you.”

“Well, puppy, that’s the problem. Your boyfriend doesn’t have anything to give me. Including the money he owes me.”

You blinked in confusion, the lack of understanding clear on your face.

“Oh, he didn’t tell his Omega he was in debt from his little poker habit. And I thought communication was the most important part of a relationship. Although I guess being unmated, well, maybe he just didn’t think you were worth it, little puppy.”

He was mocking you, ridicule clear in his baritone tone, and it made you even more enraged.

“Nick… Leave her alone, please...” James’ weak voice sounded behind you, but all you saw was red.

Without thinking you leaned forward to push the man, Nick, backwards from his squat. But his hands easily latched onto your wrists, pulling you down on top of him. His deriding chuckle had you squirming to get off him, but he held you close, hand gripping the back of your neck and pinching the muscle that caused Omega’s to go limp.

Your body gave way with a cry, weight lying on top of his chest as he kept his fingers firm on the scruff of your neck. “Good puppy,” he mused, sitting up with you in his lap, taking the opportunity to nuzzle his nose into your scent gland with a deep inhale.

Through dazed eyes you watched as his eyes fluttered, pupils dilating before he scented you again. And again. As if he couldn’t get enough of your smell, mouth salivating. “Oh, I see why he likes you now.”

The other men simply stood by and watched as Nick licked a stripe up your neck, growling into your ear and nipping at the lobe. “But you still smell too much like him.”

“Boss,” one of the armed men caught Nick’s attention, nodding towards the body of James.

Nick stood, letting go of your scruff and gripping your forearm instead to have you rise with him. Tears streamed down your face as you looked at your Alpha, struggling to pull himself up with his right arm, looking up at you with pure desperation.

Shivers ran down your spine as Nick’s lips ghosted over the shell of your ear. “You really want a future with a broken Alpha like him, hm? Thought he was going to give you pups? Maybe buy an old home, fix it up together. Grow old in your rocking chairs. What a waste, a sweet puppy like you with a man like him.”

You watched as James managed to get to his feet, his form swaying as he could barely keep himself up.

You wanted nothing more than to reach out and grab him. Hug him. Help him.

But your intuition told you this wasn’t going to have a happy ending for either of you.

“James…” Whimpers left your lips at the sight of him, heart twisting as your pulse raced. “I love you, James.”

Nick’s grip on your forearm tightened, and you could sense the anger under his confident persona as his jaw clenched. Now he’d scented you, he wanted you all for himself.

James smiled at you, his glazed eyes boring into you.

He looked so tired.

And both of you knew how this was going to end.

“I love you too, doll. It’s okay.”

“Mace, hold her.” Nick ordered the man with a military style buzz cut, shoving you towards the Alpha who easily took you into his grip, his handgun held to your side as you couldn’t do anything but watch.

“Just let her go, Nick. Please. She has nothing to do with this. I can get you the money, I can work for you, anything but hurting her, please.”

“You really think I would fall for that? With the amount of money you owe, it’s impossible.”

“I-I can work for you. I used to be in the military.”

Nick glanced at James’ left shoulder, scoffing. “Well, I wonder why they didn’t want you anymore. What the fuck am I meant to do with a one-armed Alpha who can’t even mate an Omega?”

“Please, just leave her alone. She didn’t know. She’s innocent. Just leave her be, please.”

Hearing James plead, his blood dripping to the floor from where he stood, it was almost surreal.

How quickly your life had been turned upside down, what was a normal quiet existence becoming something macabre so quickly.

Time slowed as Nick looked James over, a twinge of a smirk on his lips.

And then he said the words that forever sealed your desolate fate.

“I’m good.”

Nick raised his handgun without reservation, not an ounce of hesitation as he began firing his entire clip into James, the man’s body jolting with every shot before collapsing to the ground.

“No!” The scream that ripped from you was inhuman as blood splattered over all of you, your ears ringing as the white of Nick’s shirt stained with your Alpha’s blood. Your legs gave way as you wailed, Mace letting you drop to your knees and crawl over to your Alpha, your James.

“Jamie. Don’t leave me please. James.” As you knelt before James’ body, the hardwoods turned crimson with the leaking ichor. You shook his body, as if this was all a bad dream and he would just wake up. “James. Baby. Wake up, please.”

All you could see was his lifeless eyes staring back at you, mouth agape and skin turning ashen. Every part of him you touched was getting cold, your tears dropping against his body as you sobbed, clinging to him. “James. Don’t go.”

“That’s enough, puppy. He’s dead.” Nick looped his forearm around your waist and hoisted you up, ignoring the way you thrashed and clawed at him as you shrieked, your nails clawing against his clothed arm.

“No! No! Let me touch him! Please, he needs me! I- I need to help him!”

And when he placed you down you turned and tried to go for his face, but another Alpha bodyguard was quick to grab your arms and hold them behind your back.

“Thank you, Beck.” Nick said coolly, straightening his crimson-stained suit before his attention was brought back to your struggling form. “You can do this the easy way, or the hard way. But no matter what you choose the result will be the same, puppy. You’re coming with me, and Jamesy here is dead.”

“Fuck you!” You spat, struggling against Beck, but like Mace his hold was strong. “You killed my Alpha. I’ll fucking kill you!”

“He’s not your Alpha anymore. I’m your Alpha now. And you will address me as such, pup,” Nick cupped your bloodied face with his palms, considering you for a moment. “Do you have any idea who I am? The things I could do to this shithole of a town if you don’t comply?”

You spat again, this time hitting Nick in the face with your saliva. He tutted, wiping his face before slapping you across the cheek, the impact immediately sending stings through your face with a sob. When you looked up, he slapped you again before gripping your chin tightly. “Would be a shame for something to happen to all the little angels you care for, hm?”

A prickling pain radiated in your cheek as shock coursed through your system. “You wouldn’t.”

“You have no idea how far I will go for what I want, Omega.”

Your fight started to die down, because you could tell he wasn’t lying. He’d just killed your lover in front of you, if that wasn’t evidence enough. You didn’t want to push this man to see how ruthless he truly is.

Taking advantage of your moment of stillness Nick picked you up, throwing your body over his shoulder with ease. Your fists pounded at his back with a keening cry to no avail as he started walking out of the house with his men in tow.

When you looked up, the last sight you got of your home was James. Dead on the floor surrounded by the memories you had made together.

This was the end of the line.

The car ride was silent, the only noise filling the SUV was your soft sniffles as you continued shedding tears. You hadn’t stopped crying since Nick had carried you from your home and shoved you into the leather back seat, wedged between him and Beck, Mace taking the driver’s seat. The other men taking another car that tailed yours.

When you’d tried to attack Nick, Beck had easily grabbed your scruff, immobilising you before zip tying your hands behind your back. The plastic cut into your wrists, stinging pain harmonising with the twinge still present in your cheek from where Nick slapped you. Partway into the drive, once you’d crossed state lines, Beck placed a blindfold over your eyes, ignoring the way your sobs worsened.

“How is she still crying?” Beck asked, mostly in amazement and slight concern as your tears wet the fabric around your face.

“She’ll run out of energy eventually,” the voice you recognised as Nick spoke, sounding unamused as you could hear the clicks of him typing on his phone, like he’d been doing for the whole journey.

You didn’t know how much time passed, but he was right, you started to run out of tears. Your body began to give way to fatigue as the adrenaline subsided.

Tiredness claimed you and your senses became dulled and all you could smell was the copper of dried blood. The dried blood of your Alpha. Well, your previous Alpha.

The bumps on the road caused your body to jolt, someone’s hand keeping you in place until finally, after what felt like forever, the car stopped.

You could hear as the car doors opened and Nick got out, leaving you with Beck, who picked you up and stood your shaky legs on the gravelled turf. When he took the blindfold off you were temporarily blinded by the sun, its shining rays hurting your dry, tired eyes. Had you been travelling all night?

“Going to be another hot one today,” Beck mused as he closed the car door while keeping a hold on your forearm, allowing you to take in the sight of the mansion before you.

It was the biggest home you’d ever seen. Incredibly modern with natural wood features meeting the minimalist undertones of the grey brick and concrete, large open windows sprawling across the structure to let in ample natural light, although the glass was tinted so you couldn’t see in.

To you, it didn’t look homely at all, instead clinical and exceedingly large, as if the structure was there for showing off instead of actual functionality.

Nick’s voice caught your attention as he was standing by the car on his phone, seemingly caught up in a conversation that Mace was paying close attention to. Neither of them were looking at you. And when your gaze turned back to Beck, he was distracted by a text on his phone, his grip at its weakest point.

Blood surged through you as without hesitation, knowing this would be your only chance, you ripped your arm out of Beck’s grasp and bolted. All three Alphas yelled after you and made chase. But they were no match for the speed of a fleeing Omega.

Not knowing where you were or where you were going, you barrelled past the home and into the backyard, quickly surveying your surroundings.

A pool, pool house, and barn further back on the property, all surrounded by perfectly manicured gardens and a forest edge.

You started sprinting towards the barn, hoping you could find a hiding spot amongst some hay or at least mask your scent with animal droppings if you had to.

As you reached the wooden building you ran around the back you took a moment to calm your panting breaths before you raised your arms behind you. Despite the pain radiating in your wrists, you repetitively slammed your arms down against your tailbone until the zip ties snapped, leaving your skin a bloody mess from where the ties had dug in deep.

You wondered how much untainted skin you had left, a mix of James’ blood and your own covering you.

With limbs freed, you tried to open the back door, letting out a huff when it didn’t budge with a keypad keeping it locked. Noticing an ajar window, you decided to go there instead, using a nearby log to get the height to be able to hoist yourself up and into the structure as you heard Nick and his men yelling your name outside.

Amongst the commotion you could hear their boyish laughs and howling calls.

“Come out, come out wherever you are, little puppy.”

They were enjoying this.

Fucking Alphas.

You fell with an ungracious ‘oof’ through the window, your back hitting the cement floor. The pain stunned you for a moment, expecting a softer fall, but as your eyes adjusted to the darkened room you became confused. It was modern, not like the barn exterior at all.

But then you realised what the barn contained.

It took everything in you not to scream as you scrambled to your feet, taking rushed steps backwards until your sore back hit the wall.

You couldn’t believe it.

Rows and rows of cages filled the barn, like a pound.

But instead of animals, there were Omegas.

Most of the cages were empty, but your eyes fell on one sleeping form, curled up against the back wall of her enclosure with tears streaked down her cheeks.

It was the girl from the missing poster.

It was a baffling realisation as you approached her cage, seeing a profile sheet on the outside of the cage. Everything about the Omega was recorded. Height, weight, mating status, virginity status, likes, dislikes. All of it. And below it all. Expected sale price.

You’d heard of Omega trafficking in the news, but never like this. You knew the man who took you wasn’t good, but this was something else.

As if he could sense your thoughts, Nick opened the main door to the barn, smirking as three Dobermans followed in tow. You wanted to move, but your body remained frozen in shock, standing in the centre of the cages.

“That’s enough now Omega. We’ve had our fun. It’s time to come with me.”

Nick wasn’t Alpha commanding you, playing his twisted game. He was testing you, seeing if you were ready to submit.

Your eyes glanced to the cages before turning back to him, muscles tightening in preparation to run again as he began making slow steps towards you with the dogs following.

"Don't worry, pup. Your place is in my bed, not here."

“Why?” Your voice was weak, vitality wavering as the exhaustion was starting to set in. Deep and painful in your body.

Nick chuckled as he started edging closer. You took steps back, but once you were stuck against the wall you had nowhere to go, the only open door on the other side of the barn.

“Because I want you,” he said simply, as if it answered all your questions with complete clarity. His eyes glanced at your bloodied wrists before returning to your face. “You’ve had a long day so I’m being lenient, but playtime is over. You’re bleeding, let me get Beck to have a look.”

Beside you the back door opened as Mace entered, and you didn’t hesitate to break out into a sprint again, Nick and Mace both trying to grab you but narrowly missing your darting form as you ran out into the forest that surrounded the property.

But this time you weren’t just being chased by the Alphas.

This time the dogs were quick to run after you too.

Every muscle in your body screamed at you to stop as you stumbled through the thick foliage of the forest, but the sound of barking dogs close behind you spurred you to keep going despite the branches cutting at you and leaves slapping against your body.

When the padding of the four-legged creatures got louder you chanced a quick glance over your shoulder, gasping at the sight of the Dobermans almost on your heel.

The distraction caused you to miss the thick branch laying over the forest floor, your ankle getting easily caught in it. There was no time to brace yourself as you fell hard, body slamming to the ground without an ounce of grace.

The impact winded you, your face smacking against the hard dirt and chest bouncing. Everything hurt, vociferous agony spreading through your battered form. Your nose leaked blood, small droplets hitting the ground below as you let out a pained whine.

A tearless sob left you as the dogs came bounding up to you. You closed your eyes, waiting for the feeling of teeth in flesh, for the pain to increase as the dogs attacked you. But the hurt never came.

A small shuffling next to you caused you to open your eyes, a sharp wheezy inhale sounding as you looked next to your body. One of the Doberman’s, with the name Apollo on his collar, was lying next to your body, beady eyes gazing at your face.

The other two, with the names Icarus and Hermes, sat attentively behind Apollo. Icarus looked at you while Hermes’ sight was on the path from where you came.

Apollo nudged your side with his nose until you rolled onto your back with a cough, looking up at the treetops. The sun was shining through the leaves, and you could feel the warmth on your skin.

For just a moment, the pain stopped, the world stopped, and it was just you gazing at the rustling leaves as you lay on your picnic blanket, waiting for James to bring the carefully crafted picnic basket from the car.

But that wasn’t your life anymore.

Your dream dissipated as quickly as it started, pain blooming in your chest as Nick put his tailored shoe on your chest, giving enough pressure for you to whimper. “Stupid puppy. If you didn’t want to get hurt, you shouldn’t have run,” he taunted, but you could see the way he was looking over your body, counting the injuries as Mace and Beck followed shortly behind him.

“Don’t move, pup.” Nick sighed, nodding his head at Beck for him to come over.

Nick’s foot lifted from your chest, allowing you to draw a deep breath as you watched him move to the side with Apollo, squatting down to give the dog a treat. “If only you were a good puppy like him, maybe you’d get my treats too.”

You ignored him, not letting out a sound apart from the occasional hiss as Beck checked over your body, the man asking if certain spots hurt or if you could move certain digits and toes. The urge to run had long left you, so you lay as Beck gently touched your face, inspecting your nose and the growing bruise from where you hit your head on the ground.

“She’s a little beat up, but she’ll be fine. Just need to get the dirt out of her cuts so it doesn’t get infected.” Beck looked to Nick, awaiting his next order.

It was odd seeing the way the two Alphas submitted to Nick, when they were Alphas themselves.

But then you smelt it. You’d been so distracted by the lasting scent of your dead Alpha that your body had shut out Nick, but as you lay on the forest floor the strongest Alpha scent you’d ever experienced invaded your senses.

A strikingly masculine scent that smelt nothing short of lavish entered your sinus, a mix of black tea, leather notes, and geranium flowing through you as you couldn’t help but be enthralled by it. Underneath it all, there was a hint of lavender. A softness that finished the scent from being too overwhelmingly bold. You couldn’t even smell Beck or Mace as Nick’s aura eluded from him, your eyes fluttering as you whined and hips writhed.

You hated how much you loved it.

Shit.

Nick was a prime Alpha. The head of his pack.

It made sense, seeing as the other Alphas were so quick to fall into line for him.

Hearing your whine Nick let out a teasing coo, shushing you as he reached under you to pick you up bridal style, your dirty body further staining the white of his shirt. A meld of red and brown ruined the pale fabric, his clothes becoming a canvas of your pain.

The yip you let out was pure Omega, hindbrain taking over as the primal urge to nuzzle against him took over. You would feel the rumble of his chest as he laughed at you, his grip tightening at little.

As he began to walk with you out of the forest you couldn’t help but close your eyes, allowing the pure exhaustion to pull you under into its endless depths.

When you woke you felt weightless and surrounded by a comforting warmth. Your lashes fluttered open, instantly landing on Nick’s face as he ran a lathered sponge over your bare body.

The bath was filled with bubbles, and his hands ran tenderly over your skin as all the dirt and blood was washed away, the water discoloured and muddy.

“You’re finally awake, puppy. The day was quite exciting, wasn’t it?”

You didn’t respond, but didn’t push him away either as your skin was cleared from the weight of dirt. You watched the way Nick carefully washed your cuts and abrasions, making sure not to irritate them further.

He was being caring, and it had you on edge. There had to be a catch, and there was.

Nick stripped himself of his clothes, and while you wanted to avert your gaze, you couldn’t help but be entranced by the Alpha as each patch of skin was revealed to you. Deep chiseled muscles adorned his broad frame, small nicked scars on his skin as if he held a battle scar for each rise of the rank to the top.

Your breath hitched and eyes widened at the sight of the intricate lines of black ink that flowed across his body. With no fabric covering him, you could discern the roses and thorns that stretched along his neck and down until it met his chest piece. The thorns flowed into a forest scene where on his pec a wolf bared its teeth, snarling ominously at the moon along the treetops. As your eyes moved lower you saw the way his left arm featured a smoky darkness, skulls decorating the limb as it melded in with the haze.

And then you saw his hand. On the back of it was a grandfather clock face, stylised to fit in perfectly with the rest of his pieces, his fingers blackened to look skeletal. Some of the tattoo was hard to see with the silver rings embellishing his fingers.

It was objectively a stunning piece of art. But knowing the creations sat on such a wicked man put a distaste in your mouth.

You wanted to read the time on the clock but he moved before you could, filtering out the old water and replacing it with fresh clear liquid as he maneuvered you so you were in his lap, his thick thighs either side of your legs.

You tried to wriggle away with protesful cries, but his grip was strong as he held film, the water splashing around you as he scented into your neck, the deep inhale against your skin causing you to shiver. “You smell so fuckin’ sweet, puppy. It’s a wonder that boyfriend of yours never claimed you.”

James. Just the thought of him had tears welling in your eyes, a reminder of Nick’s power.

A sob bubbled out of your throat. “I wasn’t ready—“

“Don’t worry, after you’ve had my knot you’ll be more than ready. That is,” he dragged his teeth along your skin, lapping his tongue against your mating gland, “if I can stop myself from taking you right here, puppy.”

“Don’t!” You cried out, unable to fight him in his unrelenting grip as he smirked against your neck, continuing to swirl his tongue along the sensitive patch.

“You know, good puppies care for their Alphas,” his lips moved against your skin as he spoke. “And you will care for me in every way.”

“You’re not my Alpha.” You protested as you tried to ignore how good it felt to have his lips on you.

“Not yet.”

His teeth grazed your gland as you keened, back arching against him as you felt the way his cock twitched between your cheeks.

Nick ground his cock against your ass, and you could feel the tension in his body as he held himself back from biting you. It was as if he was fighting himself from doing it.

With a growl he lost control and moved to your other shoulder, sinking his teeth into your supple flesh as his hands moved your hips against his cock.

A yowl left you as you squirmed, hands gripping the edges of the bathtub as your blood trickled into the water. Although Nick didn’t allow much to spill before he licked the wound, helping it to clot.

The scent in the room was completely overpowering, the lust of the prime Alpha like a thick smog that filled your lungs. It tried to pull you down into terrifying depths, where Omegas submitted to their Alphas and did as they were told without argument.

“Mm, bath time is over puppy. I want to claim my Omega.”

Your words got caught in your throat as Nick picked you up with ease, the water dripping down into the bathtub below. You looked down, almost wishing he would just drown you in it.

It would be more peaceful than what you knew was to come.

Harrowing thoughts swirled through your mind as you became pliant in Nick’s grip. He dried you, moving you around so he could move the towel against your skin as you considered your options.

You could drown yourself, but that was incredibly hard to do, and cited as one of the worst ways to die. You couldn’t set yourself on fire, another less than ideal option. If you could find something sharp. That could do the trick.

If Nick could just give you a moment alone, you could rummage the cabinets and surely find something that would work, something that would save you the reality of being mated to the mob boss.

But he wasn’t going to leave your side; you knew this. He wasn’t dumb and would see right through a ploy you put before him. But you didn’t want to be mated to him, you didn’t want this life. You wanted the simple happiness of James and the boringness of your home town.

You had no desire for lavishness, especially when it’s being funded by something as heart wrenching as what you had seen in the barn.

You couldn’t help but feel anger, hating whatever it was that Nick saw that made you special enough to mate. It felt like more of a prison sentence than being locked in a small cage and whisked away to the highest bidder.

Nick acknowledged your apathetic gaze with a roll of his eyes, picking you up like a ragdoll to bring you to his bedroom.

It was as luxe as you had expected given the mansion exterior. Lots of greys and blacks blended into a modern look. But to you it just had no character. No life. The hues of the room mirrored how your heart felt. Empty of feeling and desolate.

There was one thing that caught your eye. By the bed was a large dog crate, pink and blue blankets neatly folded along the base of it for bedding.

It was odd only seeing the one cage. Didn’t he have three dogs?

Nick placed you down on the floor by the bed, dropping you to your knees so you knelt before him. His fingers danced along your jawline, tilting your face up so you saw his towering form above you.

“There’s going to be new rules now, Omega. But I’ve made them nice and simple for that dumb puppy brain of yours.” Nick moved away from you to the small alcohol collection that sat atop of his dresser, pouring himself a caramel liquid in a crystalline glass with a harboured sigh. As if having to explain the rules to you was a taxing task for him.

“You do what I say, when I say. Don’t make me have to Alpha command you, it’s irritating. You’re permitted to speak, but never interrupt me or my guests. You are to be my good little Omega and if you do as you’re told your life will be easy. If you act up,” Nick moves back towards you, swirling the liquid in his glass as he looks down at you. “Well, there will be consequences.”

There was a beat of silence, the air in the room getting a twingle colder, your bare skin chilled under the Alpha’s icy glare. “Your antics today were one example of disappointing me. So, Let’s test your obedience now, puppy. Open your mouth.”

You stared at him as he looked expectantly at you. There was no thrall over you. He hadn’t commanded you. You didn’t want to do as he said, but the heavy burden of possible repercussions weighed heavy on your shoulders. Was fighting even worth it?

Hesitantly, you opened your mouth, your nails digging into your thighs as you presented to him. Nick hummed in approval, taking a swig of his drink before he reached down, thumb pressing down on your tongue so your mouth opened wider for him. It made your jaw ache, and you wanted to do nothing more than cower away.

You were preparing yourself to bite him, building up the courage to fight back against the bulky Alpha. The expectation of him using your mouth for pleasure had your lip turning up in disgust, your teeth baring to him.

Right as you’d built up the gall to do it, jaw ready to snap closed around his digit, Nick caught you off guard when he poured the contents of his drink straight into your awaiting mouth.

The sudden burn of the whiskey made you cough and splutter, momentarily drowning in the hard alcohol as your throat struggled to swallow without inhaling the drink straight into your lungs.

“You seemed thirsty, puppy.” Nick mused, removing his thumb so you could heave properly. You fell to your hands, wiping your mouth as you finally regained your breath.

As the burn started to satiate from your throat the warmth began blooming in your chest, the strength of the alcohol quickly invading your body and making you woozy. Your eyes scrunched closed as you sat back into your kneeling position. You never drank, so the feeling of lightheadedness was entirely foreign. And you hated it. You hated the way you could feel yourself losing control of your body.

Nick was taking everything from you. And you couldn’t stop him. It was a battle that was weighted against you from the start.

With a light chuckle, Nick refilled his glass, taking a sip before running his fingers over your whiskey stained lips. “Open, Omega.”

It felt like your stomach did a flip at the thought of more alcohol. “I- I’ll be sick. Please. I don’t want it.”

Nick’s expression hardened, a deep rumble coming from his chest. “First and last warning, puppy. I didn’t ask for your opinion. I told you to open your fucking mouth.”

Your teeth sunk into your lower lip, almost drawing blood as you whimpered. Nick growled as you kept your mouth closed, his hand gripping your chin in a painfully tight hold, the rings on his fingers cold against your face. “Fine. We’ll play this game. Open your mouth nice and wide for me, Omega. And say ahh like a good puppy.”

When his hand let go the Alpha command took hold, tears brimming and beginning to trickle down your cheeks as your jaw moved of its own volition, a force bigger than your own making your mouth open wide for the Alpha towering above you.

You hated the ‘ahh’ that was forced from your throat as your body complied with the Alpha’s wishes, the tears beginning to flow more steadily.

The laugh that came from Nick was pure sneer as he cupped your cheek, giving it a few gentle taps with his palm. “That’s better. Don’t make me ask like that again or you’ll be sleeping in the fucking crate.”

Your eyes glanced at the cage that sat at the foot of the bed. Oh. It wasn’t for the dogs. It was for you.

You didn’t have much time to think as more whiskey was poured into your mouth. Nick let it flow slower this time, using his free hand to plug your nose so you had to swallow it all, despite the fiery feeling in your throat that travelled all the way down to your stomach and bloomed through your body.

Nick smiled as he finished, downing the small amount of liquid left. “Good girl. You must be really thirsty for some water, right puppy?” He contemplated with a devious spark, picking up a bottle of water as you looked at it with a salivating mouth.

He was right. You were really fucking thirsty. The alcohol had your mouth dry and entire being parched.

Haziness that had started to overtake you had the room becoming a bit wonky and unstable, but at least the radiating pain of your sore muscles and cuts was starting to subside. The agony in your heart had even begun to ease as your body was forcibly calmed.

“Yes. M’want some wa— water, please.” You were still a little breathless as your words came out unintentionally slurred.

Nick tutted, holding the bottle of water right in front of you, swinging it nonchalantly. “What was that puppy? I couldn’t understand you.”

“C-Can I please have some- some water? I’m so— I’m so thirsty.” Somehow your words were even more inebriated as you swayed in your spot on the floor, Nick’s smirking face becoming a little more obscure in your vision.

“Mm, still can’t understand you, Omega. Sounds like you should address your Alpha and beg if you want his attention.” He was closer to you now. Squatting in front of your kneeling form with the water bottle in hand. “Put your hands up like a puppy too.”

“Alpha.. Can I please have— have some water, please?” No amount of alcohol could have stopped the pure humiliation you felt as you raised your hands in front of you, like a puppy raising its paws.

“Good girl. Yes you can. But I bet a dumb little puppy like you wouldn’t be able to drink from a bottle right now. You’d spill it everywhere and that would be such a waste. It’s a good thing your Alpha has just the idea for you.” His words flowed through your ears but you didn’t actually process what he was saying until he poured some of the water into his palm and held it to your mouth. “Drink up, pup.”

Any dignity you had was washed away by the buzzing in your system, your hindbrain controlling most of your decision making as you let out a soft whimper. You would be horrified to see yourself as you leant forward, hands holding onto Nick’s arm as you lapped the water from his palm.

You let out a sigh of relief when he refilled his hand, allowing you to drink more water from him. The clear liquid helped to ease some of the pain in your throat and stomach, the queasiness quelling a little with each run of your tongue through the aqua.

Nick continued until the bottle of water was finished, and you could see his cock hardening between his legs as you drank. You hiccuped as you felt brimming with liquid, your stomach swirling like a bilious storm.

“What do you say when your Alpha does something kind for you, Omega?” The anticipative smirk Nick gave you made your stomach turn over on itself again, knowing he was enjoying every moment of toying with you, seeing how far you’d go.

“Thank you.” Your voice was barely higher than a whisper, your breath turning bated as you waited for the Alpha’s next move.

Nick let out a disapproving croon, tipping the water bottle over your head so the last trickle of water drizzled into your hair and down your face. You looked at him with wide eyes, shocked at the water dribbled down and mixed with your fallen tears.

When you remained silent, Nick yanked your hair, tilting your head back as his face got close to yours with a snarl.

“Th-Thank you, Alpha.”

You were still rocking unstabily in your position, and when Nick picked you up from your armpits you had to rely on his strength to hold you up. Your legs had gone to sleep from sitting in the same position for so long, and painful pins and needles deep in your muscles, causing you to whine as he held you.

Nick hoisted your body onto the plush grey sheets with ease, lying you on your back as he admired your form. “It’s almost cruel how beautiful you are, Omega. Just look at you.”

His praise fell on deaf ears as the exhaustion threatened to take hold of you again, the comfort of the bed drawing you closer to peaceful doze. It felt like lying on clouds, but as Nick’s form settled between your legs, you realised you were far from heaven.

“No time for sleep, puppy. Not yet.” His hands roamed over your body, the coolness of his rings leaving goosebumps in their wake. He paid particular attention to your breasts, his dark orbs watching as he palmed them, kneading the supple flesh in his grip.

Nick licked his lips before he leaned down to press a wet kiss to the swell of your breasts, causing your breath to hitch as you couldn’t help but feel the anticipation rising in your core. The alcohol had dampened your anxiety and left you with just arousal as your nipples hardened under his teasing touches.

A moan spilled past your lips as his tongue ran across your hardened bud, swirling around it as his hand began tweaking your other hardened peak. Scorching desire started to build in you as Nick began sucking, seemingly taking great pleasure in making your hips squirm against the bed as you couldn’t help but make noises for him.

As he continued his ministrations, Nick angled his erection between your folds, slowly sliding himself along your wetness and up your stomach.

Nick swapped sides, giving both tits equal attention with his mouth and hands as he thrusted along your pussy lips. Your skin glistened with his spit as he started getting more and more animated, sucking and touching harder, gravelled groans coming from him as it almost started to hurt. The fine line between pleasure and pain was getting blurred as your wetness threatened to drip down onto the bed below.

You saw the same look on Nick’s face as before he lost control and bit you while in the bath, causing you to try and writhe away. His hands gripped at your waist, holding you in place as his erection lay hot and heavy on your glistening cunt. There was only a split second before Nick bared his teeth and bit the top of your left breast.

It hurt so good as his canines pierced your skin, the Alpha possessively marking you. The world was still groggy and when you tried to push Nick off your arms had no strength in them, the Alpha not budging at all when he finally let his jaw go slack.

“I just can’t control myself around you.” Nick husked as he moved his lips to your arm. You howled as he bit again, leaving another mark. The room became filled with your cries for him to stop as Nick moved his mouth all over your body, covering you with bites and nips.

Your heart began to hammer in your chest as he moved lower, dizziness overtaking you when you tried to sit up. Nick’s hand easily pushed you back down onto the bed before his teeth sunk into the soft flesh of your inner thigh. Despite all the pain your cunt clenched around nothing as your heady arousal grew.

It was wrong. You shouldn’t enjoy this. So why did being claimed by the Prime Alpha feel so fucking good? It was as if with each clench of his jaw pure dopamine was pumped into your system, your hindbrain finding comfort in knowing it was okay, your Alpha was there.

Your mating gland remained unmarked as Nick regained control of himself, his shoulders rising and falling with each deep breath as his cock stood proud between his legs.

The pure size and girth of it should have scared you, but your hindbrain replaced your fear with a lusted whine. “You like what you see, puppy? Want to be torn apart by your Alphas cock?”

An internal struggle began as you shook your head. No— You didn’t want it. But the pulsing need between your legs indicated otherwise as the intoxication warped your mind.

Nick smirked as his fingers dipped into your slit, collecting your juices on his fingers before holding them up in front of you. “If you don’t want it, then why are you so fucking wet?”

You could smell yourself on his fingers as he brought the digits to your face, nudging your lips open with a soft command, “suck them clean.”

Impatient, Nick let an Alpha command out, revelling in the way you opened your mouth to hungrily suck his fingers, not leaving a spot untouched by your tongue as you let out little uncontrollable yips. “Good puppy. You deserve a reward, and your Alpha can’t wait any longer.”

Nick lined his cock up to your entrance, giving his hard length a few pumps before breaching your tight hole. He let himself sink in at an excruciatingly slow space, letting out a long groan until he reached his hilt and he was fully sheathed by your wet walls.

It hurt, the stretch near unbearable, but the moment Nick started moving the pain quickly turned into overwhelming sparks of pleasure that travelled through your whole body and had your back arching.

The pleasure was like nothing you’d ever felt before as Nick speared into you, his scent just growing stronger in your senses as strings of moans sounded from you, mixing in with his animalistic groans.

“Fuck, oh god, that’s it Omega. Fuck, you’ve got such a tight little cunt. Such a dumb slut for my cock, aren’t you?”

You couldn’t respond as he started snapping his hips harder, your body jolting with each punishing thrust that had you gripping into the sheets below.

“Fucking dirty slut. Tell me I’m the best cock you’ve ever had,” Nick’s hand slid up your body to rest on your neck, beginning to put pressure down on your airways. “Tell me I’m better than James.”

The mention of his name had you quickly shedding tears with hiccuped sobs that mixed in with your mewls.

Nick didn’t slow his pace as his fingers tightened around your neck, and for a moment you considered not responding just to see if he’d choke you to death. But the logic in you knew he wouldn’t. He wanted you and there was no escaping that.

With each drag of his cock against your slick walls your resolve faltered more, the lack of oxygen making you feel euphoric. “Tell me.” You could barely make the words out between his growled huffs of breath.

And when Nick angled his cock to hit your g-spot you fell down the rabbit hole of pure pleasure.

“You— You’re the best cock I’ve ever had. B-Better… Better than James.” Anyone who knew you would know the voice that came from you wasn’t you. But Nick didn’t seem to care as he grinned proudly, his trusts moving even faster against your sweet spot.

Tears continued to stream down your cheeks as you gripped onto Nick’s arms hard enough to leave crescent marks on his skin as he just didn’t stop. His unrelenting pace had a tortuous pressure building in your abdomen.

“That’s it. Give yourself to me. Cum for me, Omega.” Nick pressed his hand onto your stomach so he could feel himself fucking you, making the pressure of him inside you even more intense.

Your entire body started to go taut as the raucous rapture had your cunt clenching around Nick, your mind allowing you sweet indulgence as you came with a cry. The release was like being on cloud nine, your pleasure and anguish melding into one as you let it all go, the pillow below you dampened with your tears.

“Shit, puppy, look at you creaming on my cock. Squeezing me like a fucking vice. Fuck, gonna make me fucking breed your cunt like a bitch in heat.” Nick’s words kept flowing as he flipped you onto all fours, pushing your face down into the mattress as he pounded in harder and harder until you could feel his knot beginning to catch at your entrance.

Just when you thought you couldn’t get any more full his knot just kept growing, stretching you further than you thought humanly possible as he locked himself in place. “Fuck, oh god, fuck I’m gonna to cum, I can’t hold it. My filthy slut, gonna stuff you full of me. Breed you so deep you’ll feel me dripping out for days.”

Nick collapsed over you as his hips stuttered and rolled, his cock buried deep. You felt him pulsate before his release started spilling inside you, the bulge at his base stopping any from leaking out as your eyes rolled back from the sensation of fullness.

“You’re mine. All of you. Give me it all.” You could feel his panting breaths against your neck as the cum finally seemed to stop, but there was no rest as Nick’s teeth grazed along your mating gland, rasped breaths against your ear that became silenced as Nick bit into your mating spot.

“No!” Your cry did nothing as you felt everything change.

Despite your intoxication, your vision cleared and your head became less clouded. Your senses heightened as Nick’s smell enveloped you like a warm hug, his presence alone calming you. Any thoughts of self-harm dissipated as you wouldn’t want to upset your Alpha, and the thought of James became less painful than before, you have an Alpha now, anyone else doesn’t matter. You felt a sense of adoration for Beck and Mace for taking such good care of your Alpha and you felt pure love for the three dogs that stood by your Alpha’s side.

The home that you hated didn’t feel lifeless anymore. Because Nick was there. And Nick made everything better. You’d live in a cardboard box if he told you, because he made everything okay.

Your entire being was overpowered by Nick. Your Alpha. As the bond took hold. And when Nick let your neck go and you glanced back you could see the way his gaze had changed for you too. The harshness was still there, but there was a hint of something new. He cared for you. And nothing could make a mob boss weaker than caring for someone.

It was dangerous territory for both of you, but you couldn’t find yourself caring as Nick moved you so you could lie on his inked chest, his knot holding you together.

You were deathly tired. You had been on a roller coaster since Nick entered your life, and now it was coming to a stop the exhaustion was severe.

Tears kept falling and you didn’t know why anymore. The sorrow in your heart was slowly being overtaken through your bond, leaving you with sadness you no longer understood.

You could feel Nick’s own fatigue through the bond, his emotions wrought as well. Your hand ran over his abs and rested on his chest by your head. You could feel the steady beating of his heart and the momentum lulled you closer and closer to the edge of sleep.

“Rest, Omega.” The richness to Nick’s voice had you relaxing further, snuggling against him as he pulled the covers over the both of you.

Your mind was still going through a whirlwind of changing emotions, but as you closed your eyes the blackness that filled your vision quickly pulled you into lethargic slumber.

When you woke up, the sweet smell of pancakes hit you. It was nice. Homely almost. Almost.

You knew Nick wasn’t there before you even opened your eyes, his warmth gone and the bond feeling further away. But you could still feel his presence with you, reminding you who owned you, his scent still forefront in your senses.

It’s okay. Alpha isn’t far.

You squeaked when you opened your eyes and saw Beck sitting at the foot of the bed, quickly making sure the covers were over your naked form.

“Don’t worry, I’ve already seen it all. Nick had me check your wounds while you were asleep,” Beck’s words came out softly, a plate of perfectly round pancakes topped with berries and maple syrup in his hands. Your stomach growled just at the sight of it, the sound bouncing off the walls.

Beck laughed, moving to put the pancakes and utensils in your lap, eyes lingering on your mating bite. “He got you pretty deep. That’ll scar nicely. I’m happy for him, finding an Omega of his own.”

It was as if he was thinking aloud rather than speaking to you, and when he pulled back you took the chance to thank him for the food before beginning to eat. Having only had whiskey and water the day prior, the spongy goodness was amazing.

Beck moved to the closet, disappearing for a few minutes as you ate all the food on your plate, enjoying the moment of solace where you couldn’t hear anything except the shuffling of hangers and birds chirping outside.

The bond had settled, the feeling of connection with Nick not as strong, and it allowed some of the harboured feelings towards the Alpha to resurface.

You placed the plate by the bedside, choosing to forgo modesty so you could gaze out the window. You could see the backyard, and it was nice, until you looked at the barn. It looked nondescript, but knowing what it contained put a pit in your stomach. You wondered if the Omegas in there were awake. Had they been given breakfast? Were they being treated nicely? You highly doubted they were treated to pancakes.

Beck returning to the room cut your thoughts short, your brows furrowing when you saw what was in his hands. A stunning dress and heels were placed on the bed, along with a modestly sized makeup bag. You remained wordless, simply looking at the items as if they would grow sentient. You felt entirely out of place.

“Boss wants you dressed and downstairs within thirty minutes. You’ve got an event to attend.”

“And if I say no?” Your words were sharp, an attitude coming from you despite the humiliation of standing naked in front of a man you didn’t know.

Beck sighed, crossing his arms. “You’re a smart woman. You know he won’t take disobedience lightly.”

You knew Nick would be able to feel your emotions through the bond, but you couldn’t help it. With a huff you brushed past Beck and moved to the bathroom so you could shower. It was even more enraging seeing all your favourite products already there. Although your hindbrain interpreted it as your Alpha caring for you, you knew he was a horrible person. That barn was evidence enough.

As you showered you thought about the night before. You were mad at yourself for not fighting back harder. But you knew you were in no position to. Nick had made sure of that when he forced whiskey down your throat.

With a groan you rested your head against the shower wall, letting the hot water flow over you.

Even if you wanted to, you couldn’t wash Nick’s hold away. You turned to look in the reflection of the glass door, lips pursing at the sight. Bites covered your entire body, small bruises and cuts joining the marks. You looked like a mess. And you were.

Your fingers idly ran over your wrists, the skin still irritated from where the zip ties had sliced your flesh.

A knock on the door told you’d been in the shower too long and so you made quick work of drying off and returning to the bedroom. The sun was reflecting golden hues into the room and it made you realise it was actually afternoon. You’d slept longer than you thought, not that time seemed to matter much anymore anyway. You had nowhere to be except for where Nick wanted you.

Beck held the dress out so you could step into it, gentle touches moving your hair out of the way so he could zip it up from the back. The lack of underwear had you frowning as the dress fitted around your body.

You tried to protest when Beck held out the shoes for you to slip into, but he just rolled his eyes and took your ankle to guide your foot in. The heels were higher than you’d ever worn before, and it felt like being drunk all over again as you found your balance in them.

When you made your way to the full length mirror you were speechless. The dress was stunning. A dark velvet emerald bodice showed off your curves, while the short sleeves sat off your shoulders, making your bitten skin visible to the whole room. The dress filtered out into an a-line figure, tulle flowing down your legs, but there was a distinct slit that would show your marked legs as you walked.

It seemed Nick intended on showing you off to anyone who so much as glanced your way.

Beck stood and watched as you put minimal makeup on. You never wore it before now, and you had no intention of actually trying to learn for the Alpha. He seemed to have no problem with it when he mated you anyway.

“One more thing.” Beck took a box out of his suit jacket, opening it to show you an opulent diamond collar that sparkled gorgeously in the afternoon light.

It was exquisite, and fit for a princess. But you didn’t want to be Nick’s princess. Not when your kingdom was built on the bodies of trafficked Omegas.

You watched in the mirror as Beck secured the jewels around your neck, the weight of gems a heavy burden you now bore.

When he’d finished, Beck held out his arm, but you shook your head and started walking behind him without his help. However, when you almost stacked it halfway out the bedroom door you decided to take him up on his offer.

Beck led you down the hallway until you reached the main staircase, walking you down with slow steps so you didn’t fall.

As you got to the bottom he left you there, allowing you to take in the sights of the large open plan living room and kitchen. It was immaculate. And part of you wanted to move one of the art pieces out of place just to see if Nick would even notice.

The sight of Apollo, Hermes and Icarus asleep together in the living room had the corners of your lips quirking up slightly. Alpha’s dogs. He loves them, like he loves you.

“Omega.”

Nick’s deep voice had you turning to look at him. You hated how attractive he looked in a dark velvet suit that matched the colour of your dress. He looked just as picture perfect as the rest of his home. Behind him you could see Mace and Beck coming out of the mansion’s enormous office, locking the door behind them.

“You look stunning, puppy.” Nick ran his hand down your back, resting at your lower back as he began guiding you towards the front door and outside towards his awaiting car.

“Thank you..” There wasn’t much sincerity in your words but Nick seemed too caught up looking at you in the dress and collar to care.

Mace opened the car door for you, giving you a small smirk as he helped you get your long dress into the car before he moved to get into the driver's seat.

Nick sat next to you, his hand running over your bare arm, admiring his work on your skin.

You felt wholly uncomfortable as Beck got in the passenger seat and the car started moving. You didn’t know where you were going, and you felt too emotionally exhausted to care.

Nick was happy, you could feel it through the bond, and that seemed to be enough for now. If he was happy maybe he’d leave you alone for the most part.

The drive wasn’t long, but Nick’s lingering touches and closeness as he replied to various messages on his phone made it feel like a century.

You watched out the window as you pulled into an estate, the car pulling up in front of an old Victorian style building where a valet service was waiting. It was easy to follow the motions as you were guided out of the car and had your arm looped together with Nick’s.

Just before you were due to enter Nick leant down to your ear, whispering, “be on your best behaviour puppy, or I will fucking tear you apart and show you how bad I can really be.”

Chills ran down your spine as you entered the building. The inside was even more impressive than the outside, every embellishment possible shown in the dimly lit space. There were at least a hundred people milling about socially, and nearly all of them turned to look at you and Nick upon your entrance.

Your breathing stopped under the leering gazes of a lot of Alphas, and some Betas. As you scanned the room you realised not only were you the only female. You were the only Omega. Anxiety shot through you and you were ready to bolt, but a soft coo in your ear had you coming back to reality. “You’re mine. Don’t worry, they’re not here for you.”

You didn’t understand but you couldn’t help but trust your Alpha as he led you into the room, a waiter bringing him a bourbon and when they tried to offer you champagne Nick turned them away with a smile. “I only want you drinking it when I can feed it to you. Plus, I need you sober to see my work.”

“Your work?” You frowned, letting Nick continue to guide you towards a small group of men.

“Since you’re my Omega it’s important to know what your Alpha does for work. That way when I rant to you after a stressful day you understand, and can help me relax. Think of this as a test of your obedience.”

You wanted to ask more but Nick brought you to the group of men who all recognised him with a grin.

“Nick! Well well well, I thought I’d never see an Omega on your arm. She’s beautiful.” The Alpha with caramel brown hair commented, his light blue suit standing out against the rest.

“Eyes off, Charles. She’s my mate, not just an Omega.” Nick spoke in jest, but you could hear the underlying threat.

“I can fucking see that, look at the marks on her.” Another Alpha, a brunette wearing a cable knit sweater spoke, eyeing your mating gland in particular.

“Like you can talk Ransom, have you seen some of the Omegas you’ve ripped into?” Your attention was turned again as a man with soft looking dark brown hair spoke. His smile was charismatic and you found yourself charmed by his presence. Maybe it was mostly his Beta scent that put you at ease.

“C’mon Steve. You literally cut into your Omegas so you can’t give me shit.” Ransom quipped, all the men laughing at a joke you obviously weren’t clued into.

Nick kept you close as they all kept talking, no one acknowledging your existence past the occasional glance in your direction.

It wasn’t long until the waiters returned, this time handing out numbered paddles to everyone except Nick.

You watched as Steve was given the number 7, Ransom was given 15, and Charles was given 45.

“What’s going on?” You whispered to Nick in a moment of quiet as the men we’re busy moving to another room.

“You’ll see, pup.”

Nick led you into the next room, your eyes adjusting to the darkness as it was even more dimly lit. There were chairs all facing a stage, the various men taking their seats as you wanted to do nothing more than run away.

Your feet moved as your mind screamed to run as Nick moved to the front seats that had reserved signs. When you sat next to Nick, Mace sat on your other side so you were boxed in with nowhere to go.

You waited with bated breath until a suited man stood at the podium on the side of the stage, various attendants standing around the room with tablets in their hands. Your brows furrowed in confusion before the dots started to connect, your jaw dropping in shock as you realised what was happening.

The first Omega was brought to the stage, clearly dazed and barely clothed. It was as if your body was frozen as you watched the bidding start. It was a whirlwind, and it wasn’t until the seventh girl that your heart started pumping again. She was the one from the missing poster, the one you’d seen in the cage.

Her blonde hair flowed down her back, skin barely covered by a navy camisole as she seemed like a deer in headlights. An attendant held her front and centre, and you could see the way she stood unsteady on her feet, as if she hadn’t been allowed to move for days.

You tried to stand, to stop the madness, but Nick and Mace held you down firmly to your seat with a hushed scowl.

“We’ve got quite the beauty here. She comes from a military family, so she knows authority. She’s a kind soul. Even offered up her food for the younger Omegas. A non-virgin, so we’ll start the bidding at $25,000.”

You watched in horror as paddles were raised by the men in the room bid in increasing increments, and as the price rose the bidding started to die down until there was one man left.

“Sold to gentleman 36 for $115,000.”

You looked over your shoulder as other Alpha’s were congratulating the winning bidder. A sickened whine bubbled from your throat at the sight of the winner, other Alpha’s turning their heads to look at you. But you didn’t pay them any attention. All you saw was Sheriff Bodecker, chuffed with a large grin.

That fucking bastard knew the whole time. He could have saved you. Saved these girls. But there he stood, erection clear through his uniform slacks as his dilated eyes watched as his omega was escorted off the stage.

Nick soothed you through the bond, your sounds dying down as he forced through a calming vibe that had your shoulders relaxing into the seat.

The soothing calmed you for a short while until the tenth Omega was brought to the stage. She was adorable, a small Omega that was sniffling as tears ran down her cheeks as she tried to cower to cover up her scantily clad figure, her only coverage a lavender lingerie set. The girl shivered with each hiccuped cry, her wispy black hair falling to cover some of her horrified expression. The poor girl.

“We’ve got a special Omega here as number ten. An international student from the Philippines. We acquired her and her roommate, number 18. She was studying medicine so she’s very intelligent, and this little one is a virgin. Bidding starts at $50,000.”

The room became animated with bids, and you could hear Ransom’s paddle, 15, being called out along with another man's. Number 51. The two of them battled out, the price getting higher and higher until Ransom relented.

“Sold to gentleman 51 for $240,000.”

You felt Mace chuckling next to you before he moved behind you to whisper to Nick. “So, Freezy finally brought an Omega.”

“About fucking time,” Nick muttered, fingers idly running along your neck as he checked the sale prices on his phone.

You wanted it to end. But there seemed to be no finale in sight as another Omega was brought out.

This poor girl was sobbing the most out of all the others. Her frame shook with each wail as an attendant held her up, the man moving her soft blonde hair out of her face so it was visible to the room.

“A real sweet treat we have here. She’s not a virgin, but she does have quite the innocence in those blue eyes, doesn’t she? An immigrant from Ireland, so she’s got a bit of spark. Bidding starts at $25,000.”

Nausea sat heavy in your throat as the bidding began once again. Your own tears started flowing, mascara running down your cheeks as you watched the girl sob in fear.

“Sold to gentleman 45 for $155,000.”

You’d been so focused on her you hadn’t paid attention. But you recognised that paddle number. Charles.

The girl was whisked away and replaced with another. This Omega was different though. She didn’t seem afraid, a stern look on her face. She seemed angry. It was a polar opposite to the Omega’s before her. Her black dress barely covered her body, but it showed off her amazing physique and lush coiled black hair. The Omega’s arms were tied behind her back, and she had two attendants with her instead of one.

“A bit of French fire for you gentleman. She’s a force to be reckoned with, but it will make the taming even more fun. A challenge, if you will. We haven’t been able to get close enough to determine sexual status, she’s a bit too violent. Bidding starts at $25,000.”

There were less voices when the bidding started, but it seemed that the parties that were interested wanted to fight for the Omega.

“Omega 13 sold to gentleman 66 for $190,000.”

Nick raised a brow, scoffing under his breath. “Of course Chase wants the violent one.”

When the next Omega came out you wanted to run and hug her. Taking small steps, the girl came out with her hands tied behind her back and a black muzzle fitted to her face like a feral animal.

“Nick, you can’t be serious.” You gasped, hissing in pain when Nick pulled your hair.

“What the fuck did you just call me? I don’t want to hear another word from you until the auction is finished,” Nick growled, and the command was quick to take effect, your lips closing as your voice was unable to come out.

“This one comes with a warning. She bites. This is the roommate for Omega 10, a Philippines student. But while the other one was quite the good little girl, this one thrives on a bit of trouble. And to make it better, she’s a virgin. Bidding starts at $50,000.”

Quite a few Alpha’s became interested in the Omega, a war starting for the girl. You wanted to open your mouth and scream, but your jaw reamined wired shut under the Alpha’s command, even when you strained your muscles painfully.

As the Omega was sold to Steve, the man you had seen earlier, Nick noticed your writhing as you kept trying to open your mouth.

“You really want to be disobedient, don’t you Omega?” Your focus bore heavy on Nick as the next Omega was brought out to the stage. If looks could kill, Nick would be dead. You huffed through your nose as you felt his irritation irk between the bond.

You stared right into his eyes, challenging him. The Alpha didn’t back down, his phone discarded in his lap as his lids narrowed.

“We’ve got a stunning Puerto Rican veterinary nurse here. She’s always caring, and will be great for someone requiring a lot of attention. Virgin, so the bidding starts at $50,000.” The voice of the auctioneer drawled on in the background as people began bidding again, but the staring match between you and Nick continued despite the events in the background.

Your chest seized with panic, the stress of the auction, the inability to speak, the exasperation you could feel through the bond - it was all becoming too much. The anxiety that began pumping through you had your breath quickening the room became hazy with your unshed tears. Pure shattering dread overtook you as you began to break out into a cold, shaky sweat. 

When the Omega was sold to the man in the sweater, Ransom, you broke the stare to flee from the room. Mace and Beck, distracted by the events of the auction, missed grabbing onto you as you fled, but it didn’t matter much as Nick was close enough to be breathing down your neck behind you.

“Omega, stop.” Nick commanded as you made it out of the auction room.

You could barely hear him over your hyperventilating breaths as your feet slid to a stop, your legs wobbling under the frailty of your heels.

“Fucking hell, did you have to work yourself up so much? I can feel it all. Alright, you can open your mouth.”

The moment your muscles relaxed a sob escaped you as your mouth opened, sharp pain in the sides of your face from the strain. “How could you? How could you think I would be okay with this?”

“You don’t have to be okay with it. But consider it a reminder.” Nick pointed to the closed doors, expression tight. “This was supposed to be your fate, but I changed that. I saved you from that destiny. You could have it a lot fucking worse. You should be thanking me it’s not you up on that stage tonight.”

A scoff fell past your lips, feet still unable to move as Nick circled you. “You may have control over my body, Nick. But you will never own me. And I will never be thankful to you. I’d rather be dead than be mated to you.”

Nick grabbed your scruff from behind, squeezing your skin so your legs gave way and you collapsed to the ground. With a sigh, he took out a clamp from his pocket, securing it to the back of your neck so you remained unable to move. “I appreciate your energy, Omega. But you’ll see, I own all of you. Bad puppies like you just need some weaning before they’re ready for training.”

Nick’s hand ran along your body, feeling the fabric of your dress as his hand cupped your bare cunt as you let out a distressed high whine. “I could take you right here. Wait until all the Alpha’s are coming out and fuck you right in front of them. And you wouldn’t be able to do anything about it, puppy. I might even let them use that mouth of yours.”

Mace and Beck came out of the auction room, both looking with wide eyes at your crumpled form on the ground as Nick’s threats were cut off. “Ah, perfect. Take her back and put her in the crate. I need to finish here.” Nick glanced at them before grabbing your face with his hands. “I’ll see you at home puppy. You better be ready to apologise for your antics when I get back.”

A low mewl left you as Mace picked you up, tailing Beck as they brought you back to Nick’s car. They were gentle with you, but didn’t remove the clamp from your neck despite your woeful cries the whole car ride back. Mace turned the deep bass of the music up to drown out your sounds as you lay across the back seat.

It was hard to form words in this state, but you still managed a few desperate howls for help as the car got closer and closer to your personal prison, Nick’s home. Your mind wandered to the other Omegas. What would become of them now? You hated to admit it, but their chances of survival seemed much more slim than yours.

These Alphas, so desperate for control and power, you feared to think of the lengths they would go for an adrenaline rush. The things they would do to their Omegas were, daresay, unspeakable

It all seemed like a game. A game you and all of your peers were losing.

Beck took you out of the car, carrying you up the stairs, past the dogs who looked at you curiously, and into the master bedroom.

“You should just do what he says, Omega. It will be much easier for you.” Beck spoke softly as he navigated your body into the crate, lying you down on the blankets that covered the hard base and pushing the fabric of your dress into the confines. There was no real cushioning, and you could already imagine how sore your joints were going to be after a few hours of being cramped in the same position.

Beck took the clip off your neck and locked the cage door, giving you a sympathetic look as you just cried.

You mourned the loss of James, the loss of your life, the loss of everything you knew.

Beck turned the light off as he left the room, covering everything with a shroud of darkness, the only source of light from the moon.

You turned in the dress, tulle all around you as you cuddled into the foetal position on your side.

The room was silent, just the rustling of the trees outside audible.

Your eyes fluttered closed, fingers resting against the diamond collar and deep mating mark.

As the cold evening air settled over your skin, your resolve was set. Your Alpha would not break you.

Deft fingers danced over the collar, fiddling with the gems that embellished it. It had become looser after the clamp on your neck had damaged it slightly. Instinctually you pulled the collar tighter so you would feel its presence against your windpipe. It was comforting, as if Nick was there, giving you a comforting touch. Your tight chest eased just a little.

It was then you realised there was only one problem in your plan. Nick Fowler had already won.

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[teletraan-meets-jarvis]

What I Want - Part 2

AO3 Link

Chapter Title: What I Need

Pairing: Crosshair x fem!Jedi Reader

Summary: Following the awkwardness of the night before, you go to an old friend to try and process your feelings for Crosshair.

Click here for Part 1

Warnings: 18+, a bit more frisky business but not full on so rated 18 just to be safe. Swearing.

Word Count: 2.6k

Author’s Notes: You ask, you get!! Thanks so much for all the support and love for part 1 ❤️. As a thank you, I bring you part 2, I hope you enjoy! If this one takes off a bit as well, I do have an idea for a little bonus chapter around the Bad Batches' reaction. As always, feedback/comments are massively appreciated along with reblogs. Fic is below the cut off, thanks for reading!!

Taglist: @aerynwrites @shannon-lynn-21 @saltywintersoldat @tired-night-owl @wille-zarr

A comm alarm beeped softly, slowly pulling you out your slumber. Giving the device a sleepy glare, you shut it off and huffed back onto your bunk. Wrecker’s snores were echoing off the small ship barracks, you rolled your eyes at his sleeping form across the room as you swung your legs over the side of your top bunk. Below you, Tech slept soundly, he managed to fall asleep with his goggles on which were now sitting wonky on his relaxed face. He also had a datapad clutched to his chest, almost like a teddy bear, which made you chuckle to yourself.

You’d barely slept after getting back from the mission but being a General stopping over on Coruscant meant rest would be a pipe dream. Your alarm was set to get you out of bed and ready for the first of what you were sure would be a hundred and ten briefings today. You were always happy to shoulder the politics for the team, removing that burden from Hunter so they could keep to themselves. But today, you could really do without it.

You looked over at Hunter and Crosshair’s bunks, the former sleeping up top with an arm over his eyes. Probably to block out the few small coloured lights on the ship that shone from critical systems, preventing the room from being truly pitch black. You didn’t envy Hunter’s enhanced senses, they seemed to cause him quite a bit of discomfort when they weren’t on missions. You should probably pick him up an eye mask one of these days.

Below him, Crosshair slept with his back to the open room. One of the few times you ever saw his body relaxed was when he slept. You cringed as you remembered yesterday’s awkwardness with the sniper and mentally cursed at yourself for causing, what was, an easily avoidable situation.

Shaking your head you jumped silently off of your bunk, mindful to not wake any of the batch. You gently removed Tech’s goggles, placing them in their usual spot before moving over to grab some fresh robes and head for the fresher. Today was going to be a real drag.

—————————————————

“Hey! Look what the Lothcat dragged in” someone called after you as you trudged up the steps to the GAR Headquarters. You turned around to see none other than Anakin Skywalker jogging up behind you.

“Nice to see you too Skyguy” he chuckled at the nickname as he threw an arm around your shoulders.

You fell into companionable chatter as you made your way to your first meeting, the dark halls of the military headquarters looking indistinguishable as you attempted to find the correct room. Members of the Coruscant Guard patrolled the halls, nodding politely to you both as you strolled past.

Eventually you found the room where Mace, Plo and Luminara were waiting, along with some clone and human high command. You stood outside the door for a moment, readying yourself to seal your fate of being talked at for a solid eight standard hours.

Eventually you caved, mostly as you were on the verge of being late if you debated standing outside any longer. Begrudgingly, you sat through briefing after briefing. All the voices and different rooms blending into one grey blur as you tried to take in what information you could, but your tired and stressed mind was having none of it.

While it was nice to catch up with some of the other Jedi, you always felt a bit out of place among the perfect members of the council. More so now than ever.

You ended up wandering back to the temple with Anakin where you both retired to his room and you flopped down onto his simple bed with a whine.

“Okay, what’s going on? You’ve been off all day” Anakin was the closest thing you had to a brother, you trained as Padawans together and due to your similar age you became fast friends. You knew about his marriage to Padme and decided that if you could offload your dilemma on anyone, it’d be him.

“I fucked up” you groaned out from behind your hands.

“What’d you do?” Anakin replied in a playful tone.

“I might’ve got a bit hot and heavy with one of the clones in my squad, led him on and then cut it off” Anakin raised an eyebrow at your confession. “And now he’s pissed at me”

“Why?” You weren’t entirely sure which part of that entire thing he was questioning.

“Because I started the whole thing, I wanted it. Then all of a sudden I did that whole guilty Jedi, must follow every word of the order thing, gave him some pathetic look which said really sorry I can’t have attachments mate, hope you understand. He called me out on it before I could even utter the banthashit excuse and then he stomped off and hasn’t spoken to me since.”

“In his defence, seems like he was probably wound a little tight” Anakin replied with a chuckle which you just groaned at.

“He has every right to be pissed. Hells, I would be if the roles were reversed. Whats with this whole self-righteous act us Jedi have going on?”

“Look, it’s hard being a Jedi at the best of times. It takes an inhumane amount of self-control, which is why its not a path for the weak. But being a Jedi while at war… it’s a lot. You’re emotions are running high, you’re forming bonds with soldiers on the battlefield that you shouldn’t be, but none of us can help it because it’s uncharted territory. Maker knows I’d hunt down anyone who hurt Obi-Wan or my Captain. Yes, It’s not the Jedi way, but neither is fighting a grand-scale war.” Anakin’s eyes were alive with emotion as he spoke, be he quickly caught himself and then it was gone.

“My point is, don’t beat yourself up so much. No one is getting kicked out the order or in his case reconditioned if that’s what you’re worried about. Figure out what it is you want, and then just be discreet about it” you looked at Anakin like he’d grown two heads, he just winked at your confused stare.

“Okay let’s keep it simple. Are you attracted to him?” You thought back to the night before and firmly nodded in response.

“Do you like him as a person?” You pondered his question.

“Well, it’s Cross. I wasn’t sure if he even liked me for a long time. He’s closed off, anti-social, but he’s also a good guy, cares about his brothers, has saved my ass multiple times, and he is kinda funny in his own, snide way” you rattled off with fondness in your words.

“Well then I suggest you go and talk to him.” Anakin replied, giving you a knowing look when he spotted the small smile on your lips as you spoke about the sniper.

You took a deep breath, glad to have finally gotten that off your chest and feeling content that you now knew what to do next. “Thanks, Ani”

“Ugh please don’t call me that” he moaned back, apparently only Padme was allowed to get away with that one.

————————————————

Your walk back to the Marauder felt like it dragged on and on. Your brain ran over a thousand scenarios of what to say, how he’d react and you were about to short circuit. There was so much risk, so much possibility, that you did your best to shut your mind off and let yourself handle it in the moment. These things never went as planned anyway, it was best not to guess.

The large door to the ship hissed open, your boots clanking on the metal surface as you cautiously walked into your home. It didn’t take you long to find Crosshair, he was sat in the main hull methodically cleaning his hand blaster. Everyone else must’ve been asleep. He was just in his blacks, the material hugging him in the most wonderful way, it’s like whoever designed those things was trying to trip you up. The contours of his arm muscles flexing as he worked, his strong chest looked practically chiselled at the heart of his lean frame. You had to force yourself to calm down a little bit.

“Uh, hey” you greeted awkwardly. “Mind if I join you?”

You took his silence as a well he’s not saying no. He didn’t spare you a glance as you walked in and took a seat opposite him. As a General in the GAR, you rarely got nervous. War, as a concept, was simple. You knew your purpose, your objective, you had a job to get done and you’d do it. The risks never stopped you, rather they fuelled you. Probably why you’re such a good fit for the bad batch.

But this right now, personal feelings, not knowing where you stand with someone you care about. Because if you were honest, you really did care about Crosshair, the same as you did the rest of the team. You’d only been with the squad just under a year but you’d gladly lay down your life for any of them in a heartbeat. If you could at least get back to where you were before the other night, you’d be over the moon.

You weren’t used to being so nervous, you let your hands fiddle with you dark Jedi robes as you readied yourself to speak again.

“Look, I’m not here to throw some crap about being a Jedi at you, I promise. And I’m sorry for trying it before” he still didn’t look at you, finding his blaster much more interesting. But you could tell he was listening, you had his attention. Might as well keep babbling.

“In terms of an explanation for what happened yesterday, well I guess I panicked.” You sighed as you tried to find the next words “The way you made me feel that night, I… I’ve never felt like that before and everything i’d been taught over the years screamed at me that what I was doing was dangerous and wrong. I now realise that I’m just an idiot. I make my own decisions and I… uh -well, I stick by that one, starting something that is.” Still nothing.

“I know this is probably a long shot. But in the interest of being transparent” you rambled “uh… if you want to go down that road again, I’m up for seeing what happens, can be as casual as we like. I promise I won’t freak out on you again.” You chuckled and thought you almost spotted a slight pull in the corner of Crosshair’s lips “But if you want to go back to how we were before, I’d also really like that.” You watched him for a while as he gave no acknowledgement of your words, his cleaning finished as he now gave the weapon a once over in his hands. Having said everything you needed, you got up from your seat, looking away from him.

“Well, if I can do anything else, let me know” you turned on your heel to leave, feeling slightly defeated but glad you’d at least made the first step.

“I could think of a few things” he finally spoke as he leaned back into his seat and continued to stare at his blaster, still not meeting your gaze.

Well that caught your attention, you turned back around to face him as he carried on ignoring you. While his tone was unbothered as he spoke, you knew him just enough to know his words held a meaning. He was playing with you, back to his usual teasing and you could’ve laughed at the relief that washed over you. This you could work with. A cheeky idea popped into your head and you’d decided to run with it.

“Oh really?” Throwing caution to the wind, you strode over to the sniper slowly. His gaze finally meeting yours after all this time, watching you as you got closer and closer. Practically drawing you in with his amber eyes. You pushed him back by his chest, creating enough room so you could straddle his lap. “Care to elaborate?”

He huffed out a short laugh at your words, his face overall unbothered but his eyes, they were burning into you. “You’re a smart girl, I’m sure you’ll figure it out”.

You hummed in response, deciding to kick things up a notch you wrapped your arms around his neck, bringing your faces just breaths apart. “Something like this?” You asked, pausing for another second before bringing your lips to his in a surprisingly soft and gentle kiss. You felt his hands come up to rest on your back, pulling you closer as you continued your slow dance. This was so different from the other night, where before there was desperation and lust, now there was something more… tender, passionate. You were quite glad you weren’t standing as the way he moved against you would’ve definitely made your knees weak.

Dragging yourself away from his lips, you searched his face. His mouth pulled into a barely there smirk “That’s a start.”

“Who said I was finished?” And just like that, the last few strands of tension between you both snapped and you relaxed in his arms. You fisted your hands into the front of his blacks and pulled him back to you, his tongue slipped between your lips, curious and demanding. He was everywhere again, filling your nose with the scent of the standard cheap GAR soap but mixed with something earthy, something so distinctly Crosshair and you couldn’t get enough.

You could tell why the Jedi order frowned upon such activities, kissing Crosshair was intoxicating. You couldn’t think of anything else other than the handsome clone in front of you and just how much you wanted him in that moment.

His hands wandered lower and lower down you back until they rested comfortably on your backside, pulling you further up his lap. Feeling mischievous, you started trailing kisses along his jaw. Setting a teasing, languid pace as you mapped out the spots that made him squirm. Crosshair was never a man of many words, so you made it your mission to see just how vocal you could make him.

As your lips met his pulse point, he gave a loud exhale and you smirked in victory against his skin as you continued the onslaught on his senses. You definitely seemed to be doing something right as his hands found themselves in your hair, clutching slightly and you couldn’t help the soft moan that escaped you. Even while trying to gain the upper hand in the situation, he always had some control over you. It was maddening in the best way, setting your veins alight with desire.

Determined to get another victory you traced your tongue against the base of the side of his neck and trailed it all the way up to the bottom of his ear, which you teasingly took into your mouth, teeth grazing the soft skin. A strangled moan escaped the clone and that was the moment where you knew you were hopelessly and utterly gone. Your mind filled with nothing other than wanting to be closer to Crosshair.

“Not very Jedi of you” he commented, slightly breathless when you finally stopped teasing him and came back up to meet his eyes. Looking down at where your bodies were pressed against one another, you chuckled.

“What exactly about this situation led you to believe I was ever a model Jedi?” You smirked, though it was only visible for a second before his mouth was back on yours, devouring you as his hands greedily roamed your body.

You continued making out like teenagers for most of the evening, taking the time to explore each other, enjoying the closeness. Contentment settled over your body, almost as if this was were you were meant to be. If Crosshair’s arms were where you belonged, well, you could think of worse places to be.

Back to Part 1

Back to Masterlist

[imarvelatthesight]

Spar

A/N: I’m trying to branch out to more Marvel characters :) let me know if I should start adding a fic summary

Summary: Reader fights Thor on Saakar.

Pairing: Thor Odinson x Avenger!Reader

Pronouns Used: Gender Neutral (They/Them)

Recommended Song: Tia Tamera by Doja Cat ft. Rico Nasty

Word Count: 1,578

Warnings: fighting, one mention of blood, reader has super strength and partial magical abilities, mention of alcohol, swearing, it’s kinda sad in places

   The day you had been brought to Sakaar had been possibly the worst day of your life. And that was truly saying something. Being in a relationship with a god-- never mind the fact that he was also an Avenger-- was a trick in itself. Trying to have a good relationship with his adopted brother? Well, that’s how you ended up in this mess. Get caught snooping around his room once and suddenly you’re on a different planet.

Your clothes were uncomfortably tight and the decorative paint on your face had you dying to itch it. Every week for the past two years you’d suffered this same treatment. Though, the fact that you had survived your rounds in the pit meant you were treated more well-off than others. A nice room, any alcoholic drink you could wish for (but because you were from Earth, more than a couple of sips would have you off your ass in moments). Even with all of your so-called luxuries, you felt empty. Why had no one come to rescue you? Did the Avengers even notice you were gone?

The door opening in front of you interrupted your thoughts. There was no time to think about anything else other than trying to survive. The roar of the crowd above you had your ears nearly ringing. “My champion!” You heard The Grandmaster announce. You burst out into the area, the crowd seemingly getting even louder. Before you had time to revel in the applause, one of the few advantages of your predicament, your eyes settled on your opponent. “Oh shit.”

“Yes!” The god of thunder boomed, excitement covering his face. Silence befell the crowd. Your features softened for a moment, happy to see your lover. You knew, however, you would not be able to express it. If you showed any fondness for each other it would surely compromise your life. “They’re my lover!” He threw his hand in the air, swinging his weapon up with it. “This is great, Y/N! I’ve been looking for you- Loki’s alive. Loki!” 

Your eyes snapped up to the god of mischief. You scowled. You could faintly see him gulp and mouth something. “Thor.” You turned back to him, leaning forward slightly. “If we don’t fight, they’ll kill us both.” 

“Nonsense, come with me and we’ll go-” Thor’s words were cut off by you grabbing him and flinging him away from you. His body slid through the dirt, a pained groan leaving him. The stands erupted with joy at the battle beginning. Thor jumped to his feet, brushing himself off. “Love, this is embarrassing! I told them we’re lovers!”

His words made you hesitate. You didn’t want to hurt Thor. But you couldn’t risk both of you dying. Someone would figure something out. Hopefully. You raised your hand and Thor’s weapon flew out of his grip, finding it’s home in your palm. The mace was in your hand for a fraction of a second before you flung it back at your partner.  Your eyes clamped shut, not wishing to see if it struck him. After a few seconds you opened them and watched as Thor caught the mace and swung it back in your direction. Quickly, you raised your hands in an attempt to catch it again, but the tip of the mace nicked your cheek. You dropped the weapon, your thumb sliding over the wound to collect the blood from it. 

Your feet carried your body with agility as you leapt through the air. Thor threw a swift punch to your abdomen, throwing your frame into the wall where it dented from the force you landed with. Fuck, that hurt. A collective gasp filled the arena. 

The sound of quick footprints coming closer caused you to groan and assume a pleading position with your hand outstretched in front of your face. “Y/N, sweetheart?” You lifted your head, watching as Thor crouched to your level and extended a hand to you. “It’s alright. I won’t hurt you anymore. No one will.” The god of thunder cooed. Timidly, you reached out to him. “There you go, c’mere darling.” He smiled and pulled you into a hug, practically purring.

You melted into the contact. You were home. Anywhere with Thor was home. But part of you couldn’t resist looking up to where The Grandmaster sat. A frown soured his expression, Loki bouncing his leg at the opposite end of the couch. “Shit.” You whispered, though your Asgardian boyfriend didn’t notice as he placed a tender kiss to your forehead. The crowd was growing restless. Reluctantly, you pulled out of his hold. You grabbed his biceps, mentally admiring the way the muscle rippled under your touch, and lifted him in the air--using both your strength and your magic to assist-- before slamming him into the ground again. 

Your fists found purchase on his face, tears filling your eyes and a scream tearing through your throat. To the crowd, it was a war cry. To you, a plea of mercy to whatever higher being was listening, and a shriek of forgiveness from Thor. The god laid there, your punches landing blow after blow on his cheeks. Within moments, his body and eyes flowed with electricity, and he returned your action, the lightning launching your body into the air and backwards, where your head made contact with the loose dirt. 

Both astonishment and horror ebbed through you at the sight of Thor, covered in lightning, walking in your direction with purpose. You thought to do the same move you’d tried previously and leap at him. Only this time, he copied your movement and delivered an uppercut to your jaw. The sonic boom that erupted from Thor’s fist had your ears feel as if they were bleeding. Luckily, you’d managed to gather your bearings and land in a three-point stance. As Thor paced toward you, blue flashes decorating his muscles and dancing from his fingertips, he suddenly began to convulse and fell on his side. “Thor!” You cried, falling on your knees beside him. 

Your gaze shot to the large window again. The Grandmaster slid his finger back on a device and Thor stopped twitching. Of course. He couldn’t afford to lose. You stroked your lovers face. His hand covered yours. “My love, I’m so sorry. I-I didn’t want to hurt you.”

He chuckled. “It was quite a fight you put up. I’m sure Tony would have liked to see.” 

“We’ll tell him when we get back to earth.” You muttered. As Thor went to speak again, he started shaking again, the veins on his face darkening. Mere seconds later, an electric jolt shot through you and your consciousness slipped away.

When you awoke, it was with panic. You recognized the room as the one you’d been forced to stay in for so long now. You groaned and attempted to roll over, being stopped by the weight of another person. Your breath hitched and you tried to move away, only for an arm to be wrapped around you and pulling you closer, a deep sigh escaping the person.

“My love.” Thor rasped out as you flipped over to face him. He playfully rubbed his beard against your jaw. His contentedness left as his hand gently grasped your face, his thumb moving over the scratch on your face. “Oh, Y/N. I wish this had never happened. I’m sorry it has taken me so long to find you.”

You turned your head and placed a kiss on his palm. “A few years is quite a long time.” You agreed.

“Years? You’ve only been gone for a week, dove.” He cocked an eyebrow at you. “Though according to Loki, time does move quite differently here.”

You rolled your eyes. “Ugh, Loki. That fool is the reason I’m here in the first place.” You snuggled into Thor’s chest and he pulled his arms tighter around you like you would disappear. “I want to go home, Thor. I want to listen to Steve complain, and I want to watch TV with Wanda, and I want out of these stupid devices-” You barely noticed the sobs leaving you as you tugged on the technology implanted on your neck.

Thor took your face in his hands. “We will get out of here, sweetheart. I will be sure of it. And Loki will right his wrongs, I swear it.” He kissed you softly. You nodded, silently acknowledging his words. “I love you, Y/N L/N.” Another kiss. “The light of my life.” Another. 

You held back a laugh in favor of burying your face in the crook of his neck. “Stop, you big sap. I love you, Thor Odinson.” You suddenly pulled away with wide eyes. Thor only smiled in confusion. “Valkyrie! She and I get along quite well, she’ll help us. I know it!”

Footsteps from down the hall had Thor scrambling out of the bed, standing politely with his hands folded. You rushed to the door, where Valkyrie nodded in you greeting. “Y/N. It was quite shocking to learn that you are romantically engaged with our lord of thunder here.” She motioned with her hand.

“It’s god of thunder, actually-”

“We must get to training, Y/N. You two can kiss it up later.” She looped her arm through yours. You cast a look over your shoulder at Thor, who gave you an enthusiastic thumbs up. 

“So, Val, I must discuss a proposition with you...”

“Does it involve drink?”

“It can.”

“I’m listening.”

[remmushound]

Curse of the Clan part 6! @scentedcandlecryptid @selfindulgenz @digitl-art-monstr @brightlotusmoon

As Bishop guided the Clan through the cold, sterile halls of white, none of the brothers felt comfortable enough to say much of anything. Bishop’s footsteps echoed with each sharp strike of his formal black shoes, the only sound in the facility aside from the mechanical murmuring of machines and employees at work. When the silence became too much to handle, the brothers began to try and bully each other into saying something to break the cold tension. They nudged and shoved and whispered hush whispers to each other before Leonardo finally spoke up.

“Hey Bishop!” He called, “can I have a sip of your water?” He pointed to bishops flask on his waist.

Bishop stopped walking and snapped to look back at Leonardo, though his smile never faltered. “It’s not water.”

Leonardo’s nostrils flared to bring in more of the acrid smell. “Seriously? Drinking on the job?”

“It doesn’t at all affect what I do here, trust me.” Bishop laughed.

“And what exactly is it that you do?”

With a sharp turn, Bishop went right back to walking. The Hamatos huddled around each other, hesitant to follow until Bishop called back to them without stopping his stride.

“Come along then, Hamatos, we have a lot to discuss.”

One by one, the brothers continued to follow Bishop down the hall until it opened into what seemed almost like an underground warehouse, though Bishop and the family were on a higher deck looking down upon the expansive room.

“What’s this place, mister Bishop?” April asked, walking over in an attempt to peer over the barrier.

Bishop grabbed a hold of April’s arm with a vice-like grip and yanked her back hard. “Don’t go near the barrier, little girl.”

Raphael was upon Bishop in an instant, snatching Bishop’s arm and twisting it slowly. Bishop resisted for a moment, but ultimately relented with a laugh and relinquished. When Raphael let him go, Bishop brought his arm back to his chest and rubbed it gently.

“You okay April?” Raphael asked, looking to April.

“I’m fine.” April huffed, rubbing her arm where Bishop had grabbed her as she pressed herself deeper into the group so she wasn’t so readily exposed.

“Sorry to frighten you.” For the first time, Bishop smiled in April’s direction. “Just didn't want you to fall.”

“Would ‘please step back before you fall’ not have worked?” Leonardo asked with crossed arms.

“Yeah!” Michelangelo added, “You didn't have to put your hand on her!”

“My apologies.” Bishop gave a laugh that shook his whole body and removed his hat to give a bow. “It’s just dangerous here in the holding area. Wouldn’t want you getting hurt…”

“Wait wait, holding area…?” Donatello prompted with a deepening frown. “That’s deeply concerning.”

“What exactly are you holding?”

“Yes. Here at TCRI, we isolate and incapacitate dangerous mutants, yokai, and other cryptids that might pose a threat to human safety and put our work here at risk. You understand that don’t you?” Bishop was almost like a snake, cold and constricting as he circled the family with his eyes trained on April. “Wouldn’t want you getting hurt.”

“You said that already.” April huffed, glad to be able to hide her full body behind the bulk of Raphael.

“Did I? Sorry.” Bishop laughed, finally stopping circling the brothers and starting to walk along the length of the balcony. “What exactly I do here isn’t much your concern, you know. I protect people, and that’s all you need to know.”

“But why the whole conspiracy?” Leonardo wasn’t going to stop questioning everything here, no matter the fact that each of Bishop’s words seemed to cut deeper and deeper and made Leonardo almost sick. “Why is it so important to keep humans blissfully aware of the creatures they share earth with?”

“Silly boy. Humans barely accept other humans of different skin and beliefs…” Bishop looked back at Leonardo without completely turning around, “Do you really think they’d accept a whole other sapient race…?”

***

The tour took far longer than any of the family was comfortable with, so when Bishop finally brought them into the elevator to take them to the roof, it was a great relief. But soon it turned quickly as awkward when they saw just how many floors they had to pass.

“Dude, how tall is this building?” Leonardo scoffed, motioning to the wall of seemingly endless buttons.

“Just 56 floors above ground. But there are five floors below.” Bishop answered helpfully.

“Sounds… great!”

Five floors up and already the silence was stretching before them. Michelangelo looked around at each of his family, watching the nervously anxious expressions on their faces that only served to further his own upset until, quite suddenly, he piped up with,

“There once was a ship that was put to sea and the name of the ship was the Billy of Tea~ The winds blew up, her bow dipped down, oh blow my bully boys blow.”

A heartbeat of silence before Leonardo’s musically inclined voice sounded. “Soon may the Wellermen come to bring us sugar and tea and rum~.”

Not to be outdone, Donatello took the second half of the verse with great enthusiasm. “One day when the tonguing is done, we’ll take our leave and go!”

April broke in before Michelangelo could say the next verse, but Michelangelo didn't care; especially not when he got to hear April’s angel-like voice. “She'd not been two weeks from shore when down on her a right whale bore! The captain called all hands and swore he'd take that whale in tow!”

Everyone, sans Bishop, joined in the next verse. “Soon may the Wellermen come to bring us sugar and tea and rum! One day when the tonguing is done, we’ll take our leave and go!”

They kept singing, much to Bishop’s increasing frustration, until they reached the top floor and Bishop gladly ran out. He motioned them to quickly follow. Their song was drowned out by the loud whirl of metal as a helicopter awaited them on the roof, its blade spinning and ready for takeoff. Bishop had to talk extra loudly to be heard over the rumble.

“This is the helicopter that will take you to the drop-off point.” Bishop practically yelled, “You will be provided with enough food and supplies to last the fortnight!”

“Wait—just like that?” Leonardo asked, “Shouldn’t we get more details or something? You’ve hardly told us anything!”

“I don’t have any bags packed!” Michelangelo whimpered.

“I need at least a two day notice before doing any traveling!” Donatello scoffed.

“You will be provided with more information on the way.”

“I’d like to be provided with it now.” Leonardo called, then turned to his brothers, “I think we can all agree this is highly sus, right?”

His family nodded their agreement.

“There is no time to waste, Hamatos.” Bishop called, “You must hurry.”

“It— it’s fine Leo.” Raphael tried to comfort with a nod of his head. “We’ll be together, right? We’ll be okay. Come on Mad Dogz!”

Raphael smiled and stood up straighter as he went to lead his family onto the helicopter. Bishop stopped Raphael before he could get far.

“What are you doing?” Bishop asked.

“Uh. Going on the helicopter…?” Raphael pointed.

“No. Not you.” Bishop shook his head, “Or you or you.” He pointed to Leonardo and Michelangelo.

“What?”

Bishop pointed at Donatello. “HIM!”

“Me?” Donatello gawked, pointing at himself.

“What? Wait—wait! Why does only Donnie go?” Raphael demanded. He and the rest of his family formed a protective circle around their brother.

“Because unlike you three, he was competent enough to not break his mystic weapon.”

“But… Donnie doesn’t have a mystic weapon?” Michelangelo frowned.

With a wave of his hand, a guard came over and offered Bishop what could have been mistaken for a bo staff, with a spike at one end joined with what looked like a sickle claw and on its other end was a spiked mace. Bishop accepted the weapon, and then presented it to Donatello. It took the softshell a moment to realize he was supposed to take it, and when he did take it, his movements were slow and hesitant.

“Ain’t that the weapon we saw when we all got our mystic weapons?” Raphael asked, rubbing his head.

“Yeah!” April agreed, “And Donnie didn't want it, so he left it on the shelf!”

“Talk about luck.” Leonardo whistled.

“Wait wait wait!” Raphael shook his head and put a hand on Donatello’s shoulder, pulling him back protectively. “You can’t take Donnie!”

“Why not?” Bishop asked, tilting his head, and widening his grin.

“Because he’s our brother!” Raphael declared, “And you ain’t taking him without us going along!”

“There’s only enough provisions for one.” Bishop laughed.

“Then we got a problem, don’t we?” Raphael crossed his arms and stood strong and stubborn. His family followed his stance and stood as solid as a brick wall.

“You all will be too busy with your own missions to miss your brother, don’t worry.”

“What missions?” Leonardo demanded. “You’ve told us literally nothing!”

With another motion, three more guards came forward and presented Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Raphael with weapons of their own; a set of tonfa, an odachi, and a kusari fundo.

“Ohhhh!” Michelangelo’s eyes shimmered like gold in the earth.

“Nice!” Raphael felt the weight of his weapons approvingly.

Leonardo accepted his weapon, looking down at it a moment before looking back up at Bishop. “We already have weapons.”

“Oh? Do you?” Bishop’s head tilted to the point of almost snapping.

“Yeah. Katana and sai and nunchaku, like we had before we got the mystic weapons. Our nimpo weapons? Thought you were up to date?”

Bishop’s entire body trembled with each laugh. “Oh, no no no. Those won’t do. The mystic weapons have to be the same. Otherwise you can’t seal the barrier!”

“WHAT BARRIER?!” They all cried out as one.

“We don’t like to mix things up when it comes to mystic weapons.” Bishop said. “You understand don’t you?”

The brothers all looked around at each other. Each of them could read the other like a book, their mixture of emotions collected into one shared feeling of anxiety as they fed off of each other's fear and distrust of the man in front of them.

“You have every right not to trust me.” Bishop nodded as he spoke, “You do not know me. It is only natural to be nervous. But please do allow me to tell you what you will be spending the next two weeks of your life doing. Unless you want the evil to escape?”

“Nobody wants that...” Raphael grumbled softly

Bishop clasped his hands together and looked expectantly between the brothers and their father, overlooking April pointedly. Raphael put his hands on his hips and gave a long, heavy sigh.

“Fine.”

“Oh, wonderful.” Bishop’s eyes gleamed, “I shall start with you then, Raphael. With your Tonfa, you must find the blessing of a king. How fun.”

Raphael looked down at the tonfa in each hand. “I get to meet royalty? Sweet!”

“Your journey will take place in the western wing of the hidden city!”

“Isn’t that the bad side of town?” Leonardo asked.

“Exactly.” Bishop turned to Leonardo. “And you, Leonardo, must get the blessing of a ronin’s ronin.”

“What does that even mean?” Leonardo scoffed.

“You tell me.” Bishop laughed and closed his eyes a moment. Then he handed Leonardo a small medallion. “This will help you get back home! Your journey is taking you somewhere far, far away, where Yokai thrive and humans do not.”

“What about me?” Michelangelo squeaked.

Bishop looked to the smallest. “You must get the blessing of a Seamer of Time!”

“What does that mean?” Michelangelo frowned, bringing a finger to his lips in concentration.

“It is not me to tell you. You must figure that out yourself. But you may find your answer somewhere in the hidden city.”

“What? I don’t even get a specific part of the Hidden City?! That’s so... Vague!”

“And uh… where do I fit into this picture?” Donatello raised a hand.

“You are a very special case, Donatello.” Bishop walked close to Donatello. Uncomfortably close. “The closer the mystic weapon is to the barrier, the longer it can hold. And you will be the one who brings it there.”

“And then?”

“And then keep it there!” Bishop laughed. “And Japan will be your hime while you wait for your brothers.”

Donatello frowned. “I’m just gonna sit around and wait for my brothers to do all the fun work? Don’t I get a mystic prophecy or something?”

“Well you are rather soft.” Bishop whistled through his teeth. “You should be glad. You won’t be in any physical danger!”

“And how do you know all this?” Leonardo asked, motioning vaguely.

Bishop gave a low, growling hiss. “You ask a lot of questions boy.”

“And you don’t give a lot of answers.” Leonardo met evenly.

Bishop and Leonardo remained staring at each other until Splinter decided to break it up, tugging his sons and April aside for a family chat.

“You can’t seriously be considering this, dad!” Leonardo growled.

“Blue…” Splinter didn't seem to know what to do, shaking his head. “This is something we can’t risk! We… we have to do this.”

“I don’t trust Bishop, dad.”

“Neither do I!” Splinter almost snarled, “But we don’t have many other options. Bishop has information and technology that we do not! You don’t have to trust him, Leonardo, but I ask you trust me…” Splinter put his paws to his chest in a pleading motion.

Leonardo looked around at his brothers and April. “What do you guys think?”

“I mean… if it’s important enough that grandma comes back from the dead to warn us, then we should probably at least look into it.” Donatello said.

“But— Donnie! You’d be a whole country away!” Leonardo said desperately, “And— and I don’t have my odachi to reach you! I can’t use my nimpo weapon without the nimpo state!”

“We have Draxum…” Michelangelo suggested softly. “He can make gateways...”

“Raph?” Leonardo looked to Raphael.

Raphael gave a nervous whine, his face practically melting with anxiety as his eyes darted back and forth as if looking for the right thing to say. When he finally decided, it was like a lightbulb blipped to life in his eyes.

“Donnie’s right! We at least gotta give this a shot!” Raphael decided with a nod, “I mean, it’s only two weeks right? We can handle ourselves for two weeks!”

“I trust your judgement, Raph.” Leonardo had to bite his tongue to force back the doubtful anxiety that tried to escape him. Raphael was the leader, and Leonardo had to trust in that. He just hoped Raphael knew what he was getting them into.

[sepublic]

The Art Gallery and Mega Maze Car!

           …Goddammit Kez. I really don’t know what I expected, but of course MORGAN wants you dead as well…!

           Also, I called it- Morgan is the castle! Anyhow, RIP to the judge, I really liked her design and was glad she survived the zapper… But then Pig Toddler got interested in the word butter (clever writing for these two unlike things to come together like that), and I knew it was all over! Damn he was terrifying and hilarious, breaching the rubble like a freaking Mosasaur to devour the judge, alas! So much for a peaceful resolution… Also, seems only Pig Toddler and the Bouncer are left. What was up with the Bouncer at the end there? I dunno, but I’m glad the person with an actual family to feed has a new job now; Guarding Morgan might make ends meet and help them reconcile with Kez, or at least decide NOT to kill her…

           Seriously though, that gag with the Bouncer catching them at the end after you forget, only for THAT joke- This show is so funny you guys.

           But, let’s backtrack for a bit… Okay, that Hand Monster was TERRIFYING, and I was lowkey afraid it would join up with the posse after Kez, but thankfully not! But JEEZ, the shadowy hands, the sound design like it’s from the Grudge… And the DESIGN, it’s so visceral and grabby and uncomfortable, like it’s grasping onto and constricting and strangling you, it’s violating, and I LOVE IT! It’s SUCH a metal character design, whoever came up with it, I wanna shake your hand, and maybe even kiss you! I’ll have to plagiarize- I mean, TAKE INSPIRATION FROM, this type of superb peak character design later down the line!

           But seriously, with how it’s made of hands, and one of them has a number on it… Does this denizen like; KILL passengers, and add to its mass with their numbered hands; The higher the number, the better? I’d suggest it aggravates passengers, but Min and Ryan seemed to agree that it didn’t ACTUALLY influence them, this was just all them going out… That, or it enabled them to say what was on their minds the entire time! Oof, that thing gave me heebie-jeebies, but also…

           THIS is a character-heavy dump, let’s go into it! It seems Min and Ryan are afraid of being the other… But they also want to BE the other as well! And Min, he’s got abandonment issues, which makes sense- He’s clearly a more anxious and reserved person and an only child… But Ryan doesn’t think people will miss him because he feels like he’s always overlooked, that he has to earn attention! He doesn’t think Min cares that much about him, and vice-versa… Oof, love that trope, the tragedy of such misunderstanding because of insecurity and self-loathing, thinking you’re not good enough! And damn, Min really broke at the end there, thinking Ryan had abandoned him…

           I do wish Kez had cleared up that the Art Gallery Car would NOT let Ryan back inside and even silenced him, but like. It still opens how he feels in general, and it led to some honest discussion in the Mega Maze Car, so it’s fine… Love you Kez, you adorable weirdo just screaming and weirding out even this hand-monster! I love how she’s SUCH a shameless freeloader, but she also serves to lighten the mood, and she’s something Ryan and Min can BOTH agree upon! She’s the glue that holds the trio together, I love and adore Kez…

           But back to Ryan and Min! Like I suspected, being in a large family, Ryan feels ignored and undervalued, just another face in the crowd, so he wants to be somebody… And Min, he didn’t want to go off and abandon things, he felt Ryan wasn’t taking him into enough consideration; But maybe he also hoped that Ryan would see that Min wasn’t ready, and then stay for him? And then it broke his heart when he went on anyway… And Ryan, he thinks Min is looking down on him, and in a sense it’s like… They WANT to be one another in some ways, but are also afraid of that? Ryan wants to be more level-headed, Min more bold, but not to the extent that it becomes negative, because they can see the good AND bad in each other’s traits!

           Min is kind of jealous of Ryan’s boldness and more fun life… And it’s like, these two can’t progress until they learn to respect one another’s decisions and places in life more, to recognize their own decisions, etc.? To not look down on each other, to think they have to guide the other and look after them… Hence Ryan saying initially that Min is just ‘dead weight’ to him, because he still wants to be his own person and individual and live his own life, so maybe he doesn’t need Min anyway?

           And Min, he’s amazed at how Ryan can be so bold and be himself, but Min, like he said- He’s tired of faking things, pretending he’s fine when he’s not, that he’s okay with this… And he gets an outlet to admit how he feels aloud, instead of trying to be calm and level-headed about it! Min’s just having this identity crisis, figuring out who he is… Ryan probably thinks he’s secretly dumb, Min’s belittling didn’t help, as did Ryan admitting he could never get into university. Ryan doesn’t feel respected, and it’s just AMAZING how… How each has a trait that can easily be both the best and worst of them at the same time! It’s SUCH good writing… Min feels left behind from taking things too slowly, and Ryan keeps moving forward so he can stand out; One wants companionship from being alone, the other wants to be an individual and recognized!

           Min thinks that Ryan complicates things, that HE’s the one making them difficult, and Ryan feels like he’s being dragged down and discouraged, that he has to pull Min along, because he DOES care and wants him; And they think they’re the others’ caretaker. Ryan wants HELP, he wants support, and he feels like he gives it to Min, but Min doesn’t reciprocate and instead just tells him his ideas are dumb. And it’s this duality of Min wanting conformity and safety, belonging, while Ryan is sick of that and wants adventure, risk, individuality and to stand out after being overlooked, to be free and not weighed down! It’s fascinating, they’re like mirrors of one another, if one were a denizen I’m SURE Mace would get a kick out of this…!

           Overall, this was a really weighty pair of episodes. It helped us get into the meat and confrontation of their emotions, of their issues; The darkest parts, their low point. But they say after the low point comes the triumphant rise, hopefully… If Min and Ryan are about two coming together and becoming whole again, it could contrast with Amelia, who is missing her other half; Let’s hope it does! I’ve never seen passengers constantly go back and forth, relapsing, tugging on the progress on opposite ends- Really conveys the frustration of two people whose numbers are together, bound, like a three-legged race.

           And, well, we’re on it- The final pair of episodes! And possibly our last episodes yet, EVER… This might be the last time I see a new Infinity Train episode. Here’s to the final destination, guys… Our journey might be over, maybe not. There’s more to the journey than just the destination, but eventually you always get there; All things, inevitably, come to an end.

[tatooinetraders]

Sides

Anakin Skywalker x Jedi!Reader

word count: 2169

summary: anakin is concerned about y/n’s wellbeing and takes obi wan’s side and y/n is upset with him. angst, but a happy ending :))

prompt: “You’re taking their side?”

“This isn’t about sides-”

“-I can’t believe you! What next, you lock me in my room like a misbehaving child-”

“-YOU COULD HAVE DIED!” In the aftermath of the shout, the silence seemed deafening. The other took a step closer, clutching hold of them. “You could have died,” softer. “I nearly lost you. If you want to make this about sides, I’m on whatever side keeps you alive. Can’t you see that?”

author’s note: i want to give a huge thank you to @notphilosopherstudentblog for helping me come up with the inspo for this story and finding this prompt! bella is amazing, so go shower the absolute legend with some love! this went through a lot rewriting, so i hope y’all enjoy!

“Master! They have arrived!” y/n’s Padawan yelled across the quarters. She was heading out the door to join Ahsoka when Anakin and Obi-Wan knocked on the door.

And with that y/n hastened to the door as she finished pulling on her boots. She was happy to see that they had arrived so quickly; she was in need of assistance as the Sepertist cause had taken over a city on her home planet. She was prepared to fight alongside the clones to protect her home. Y/n was ecstatic that the Council had chosen Anakin to come help.

“Please, come in,” y/n stated while she walked to the open door. “I am so glad that the two of you were able to help me with this situation. I was talking to Master Windu, but he said that he would have to have a meeting first and since I am not on the council, I had to just sit and wait for news.”

“Of course, y/n. The plan is to send General Skywalker and the 501st, but we recommend that you stay here. We do not want to-”

“Master Kenobi, I appreciate the sentiment, but I will be joining the General. This battle is just like any other.”

Obi Wan sighed as Anakin gave a final warning, “This is a very heated matter, not just on the battlefield, but politically too. You will be a target; the Separatists obviously do not like the Jedi and they will be delighted to take out one from your home planet. We cannot stop you from coming, but take some time to think this through while we finish preparing for tomorrow’s departure.”

“I need to go, but y/n, I plead you to sit this one out,” Master Kenobi said as he made his way to the door.

Anakin longingly looked into y/n eyes and implored her to stay.

“Stop looking at me like that. I am going with you no matter what Obi Wan says.”

“I can’t stop you,” Anakin sighed and shook his head. “You better be ready to kick some droid butt.” Anakin made his way out of y/n’s quarters and laughed. The both of them loved to bicker with each other.

Once the fighting began, it seemed endless. Dust and smoke were one in the same, clouding the sight of the clones as they tried to protect the city and subdue the droid forces. Both Anakin and y/n were fighting side by side, as she insisted on being on the front lines. They bickered like friends as they took down droids that were firing from all around them.

“You owe me for saving your ass on that shot, Skyguy!” y/n laughed as she shot down a droid that was controlling a tank. The nickname she learned from spending time with Ahsoka. She always knew that she could confide in her about her emotions. Y/n knew that Anakin could not love her because of the Jedi code, but it did not stop her from flirting with him and wishing for it to be something more.

Anakin turned around to face her and that is when everything started to get uncharacteristically chaotic, more so than what the battle was previously. Blasters were being fired in both directions and Anakin pushed y/n behind him, but he was too late. The shot hit her shoulder. Y/n screamed out in pain and Anakin fell to her side.

“Kix! We need you over here!” Anakin frantically screamed out while trying to search through the smoke. Y/n started coughing and her eyelids began to feel heavy. “Stay with me, y/n, please,” Anakin begged. Again Anakin yelled out for the medic and he arrived just after y/n was unconscious. “Please help her Kix, I can’t live without her.”

Kix, with the help of a few other clones, took y/n back the ship and began to examine her. Immediately after preparing the ship, it was flown to the nearest medbay. The battle raged all around Skywalker, but his mind was only focused on y/n and watched the ship as it faded away.

———————————————————————

After 36 standard hours, y/n’s flickered open and took in the stark white room and the tubes connecting her to machines. The only thing that was out of place was a dark Jedi robe thrown over the chair in the corner. A few moments later the door opened and Anakin rushed to her side. He could sense that she was awake and rushed across the medbay. When the door opened, Anakin’s eyes lit up and relief washed over his features. Y/n smiled when she saw Anakin’s face, but was shocked that his was the first one that she saw.

“Anakin?” y/n asked in a raspy voice.

“Yes, it’s me,” Anakin said softly with a smile. “I was talking to the nurses a few minutes ago and they said that you should be able to leave in a few days, but I think that the Council wants to talk to you when you get out,” y/n raised an eyebrow and was ready to ask why the Jedi Council was interested, but Anakin’s comlink started to beep with a message from Obi Wan. Anakin quickly answered it and a frown replaced the smile that was once there. He dismissed himself from the room and y/n could tell that Anakin was not taking the news, whatever is was well. After he was done communicating, it looked more like arguing, with Obi Wan, he returned to the room stoic. It was like a switch was flipped. Y/n could not sense anything from Anakin and it was partially because she had just woken up, but he was guarding himself.

“Master Kenobi has alerted me that my presence is needed in front of the council. I haven’t been back to the Temple since the battle, so I guess that it is time to be there in person. I hate to leave, but I need to be there. Goodbye, L/n.”

Y/n was in shock when Anakin squeezed her hand before he grabbed his robe and went out the door. He did not look back as he left. Not only was that whole interaction strange, but y/n was still a little out of it and could not comprehend that Anakin was there when she woke up. Why would he wait for her to wake up, but be so cold? And what did Obi Wan say that shut him off?

———————————————————————-

A few days later, after spending time healing in the medbay, y/n made her way to the Jedi Temple. Upon arrival, she was led into a council meeting. Fellow Jedi greeted her as she made her way into the middle of the room.

“Hello, Master l/n. I am glad to see that you have had a quick recovery,” Mace Windu stated first.

“Thank you, Master Windu.”

Obi Wan then skipped the formalities and cut to the reason for the meeting. “Now, I suppose that you are wondering why you have been called in front of the Council. We,” Obi Wan spoke as his arm motioned around the room “believe that you need a leave of absence from the battlefield.”

“Great, your mind is,” Yoda added. Y/n was shocked that Master Yoda had given her the compliment, but she was furious that it implied that she could no longer fight alongside the people that had risked their lives for her countless times.

“I apologize, but if you think that I am capable, why would you take me off of the front lines? Is this because I got shot by some droid? Because it will never happen again.” Y/n begged.

Obi Wan spoke up again. “Listen L/n, you are a valuable asset for this war and we do not want to risk losing you on the front lines. I am positive that General Skywalker would agree that your skills are worth protecting.”

Anakin finally spoke up, but still did not make eye contact with y/n, “Yes, Master.” Y/n scoffed internally and felt betrayed. She thought that she could trust Anakin, but clearly he was incapable of that.

“You can’t be serious. What good can I do by staying away from the war? We are not going to win by pulling Jedi from the front lines! I just-”

“L/n, that is enough.”

Y/n immediately felt ashamed that she spoke out and looked down avoiding eye contact with all of the members.

“My apologies, Master,” y/n said softly, eyes still on ground. “I understand.”

Everyone left the room one by one and just as Anakin left, he tried to talk to y/n, but she turned her back and rushed away. Anakin was left standing there with his thoughts. When y/n was shot he believed that he was going to lose her, but she survived. What he did not know that he was losing her and it was going to be his fault.

———————————————————————

The afternoon turned into evening and y/n was still frustrated with the Council’s decision. Why should they have control over whether or not she went to battle? If Anakin was free to take Ahsoka with him into battle, why couldn’t she? Also, she did not put her own padawan in danger during this battle, considering that she wasn’t even there. Suddenly, there was a knock at her door and her droid alerted her that Anakin was standing outside of the door. Although he was the last person that she wanted to see at the moment, she was feeling lonely because he was always the one that she could confide in about her problems. Ahsoka and y/n’s padawan, usually the ones that she went to when she had problems with Anakin, were on a mission with Plo Koon leaving them out of the picture. This was one of those times that she needed a warm embrace and reassurance that it would be alright, but Anakin was not here to provide a shoulder to cry on.

Y/n went to the door and debated whether or not she should open it. She had previously ignored his last attempt in the Temple, but she wanted to know why he did not speak up for her and why he had acted strangely at the medbay. Against her better judgement, she opened the door to let Anakin into her room. Before Anakin was able to speak, y/n huffed out while turning her back to the door “Kriff you, Skywalker! I trusted you to have my back in there, but you never were on my side. I should be able to make my own decisions on whether or not I am on the front line! Just because I got shot does not mean that I am fragile and unable to hold my own. And why do you even care? One minute you are happy to see me and then you get a call and suddenly you don’t care!”

“Y/n, the Council is concerned for your safety. There is a war going on and we need you to win it! You need to be able to see the big picture. I begged you to sit the battle out, but you didn’t listen! And look where you ended up, the medbay! We can’t afford to purposefully put you in harm's way!”

“You’re taking the Council’s side?”

“This isn’t about sides-”

“-I can’t believe you! What next, you lock me in my room like a misbehaving child-”

“-YOU COULD HAVE DIED!” In the aftermath of the shout, the silence seemed deafening. Anakin took a step closer, clutching hold of y/n’s hands, just like in the hospital room. “You could have died,” Anakin said softer. “I nearly lost you. If you want to make this about sides, I’m on whatever side keeps you alive. Can’t you see that?”

By now, tears of frustration were running down y/n’s cheeks. She loved Anakin endlessly and the words that he just said confirmed the way he was feeling. Through her own tears, y/n finally noticed the tear stained cheeks that Anakin was presenting himself with. It was a look that she had only seen when he talked about the death of his mother. Anakin had talked about not being able to keep her alive and how it haunts him. Y/n finally understood that Anakin just wanted to keep her safe, unlike what he had done for his mother, and it pained him that he had to agree with the council in order to do so.

“Oh, Ani,” y/n breathed out and threw her arms around Anakin. He pulled her in tighter and savored this moment where everything around them stopped and it did not matter that a war was going on. The only thing that mattered was here and now. “I will never leave your side.”

[pit-and-the-pen]

Don’t Underestimate Me

Here it is! This story is becoming a spider web of ideas for me so i can promise most of the chapters are just going to get longer from here! 

so a little clarification since I have the ideas in my head and I want to make sure it’s completely clear. The OC and main character is named Skylar. When she is in the castle being “herself” she goes by Abigail. They are the same person and from Freds POV he caller her Abigail in the castle. So just wanted to clear that up because it will happen a lot as the story progresses and didn’t want anyone to be confused! 

Warnings: None 

Taglist: @they-write-once-in-a-blue-moon @magical-spit @birdie-writes @ickle-ronniekins @heart-of-tempered-steel @wand3ringr0s3 @thoseofgreatambition @things-that-start-with-f @elf-punk @bitchywhisperswizard @a-little-too-much @izzytheninja @kpopgirlbtssvt @shadowsinger11 @harrysweasleys @obsessedwithrandomthings (let me know if you want to be added! or taken off)

Word count: 2.8K

Chapter 1: The Fine art of Bullshit. 

She let out a grunt as she got slammed into the ground for the second time in a row, knocking the wind out of her. A feeling she’s never fully gotten used to since it happens so little. 

“Come on, really? You’re not focusing!” Her brother yells at her from where he stands. 

“You could have blocked that in your sleep.” He continues goading her. Sighing, she stands up and brushes the dirt off of her palms. Cracking her neck and rolling her shoulders, she takes a deep breath and tries to focus. 

Every time she tries all she can think of is the unopened letter sitting in their kitchen. The one made from heavy parchment with the red wax seal of the royal family. 

“What if they know?” She asks again for what seemed like the thousandth time since they started practicing. 

“Then you better go down with a fight.” He responds with a laugh. 

“Mace! This isn’t funny. Do you know what they would…” 

“How could they have found out? You haven’t done anything wrong. Now stop making excuses and bow.” She huffs at how casually he can brush this off but bows anyways. The sounds of them counting seem to be far away and her body picks up the familiar hum of energy, like a snake getting ready to attack. 

This time she manages to block everything he throws at her. Colorful and powerful swirls of magic aimed just so perfectly. “Fight back!” Mace yells. “Stop blocking and fight!” His words distract her for a split second and she’s fumbling over her feet and when she goes to block the next spell, her balance is off. She stumbles and falls over her own body, something she hasn’t done in years. 

“Stop. Enough of this. Just let me read the letter.” She calls, rolling out of the embarrassing position of falling straight on her face. 

“Oh how the mighty fall.” Mace laughs. His laugh is cut off when he gets blasted off of his feet and lands on his back. 

“Cheater!” He calls after his sister as she runs into the house. 

The house isn’t anything special. Smaller than most for this area actually, but it’s home. A small part of her thinks her father kept it small to stop people from wanting to visit. Or come to fight. No one would think the best duelers in the entire kingdom would live in a house like this and that keeps them safe. More than anything it keeps Skylar safe. If someone found out that there weren't three children in this house, if someone pieced together all of it, she would be doomed. Or not be able to fight, snap her wand and tell her she could never duel again and at that point they might as well just kill her. 

She closed the screen door behind her, letting it slam harder than she normally would. Every thought on the tiny innocent letter that could ruin her life. Vaguely, she processes that Mace is now in the kitchen with her. 

With shaking fingers she rips open the seal and pulls out the letter. 

 “We hope this letter finds you well. 

On Behalf of His Royal Majesty, William Weasley, 

The presence of both Mason and Skylar Green are being requested to partake in the Tri Wizard Tournament. 

A carriage arrives to pick you up on the first of May. 

Best regards, 

Alastor Moody, Assistant to the Royal family.” 

“May first. That’s a week away.” Mace says once he finishes scanning the letter over his sister's shoulder. 

“I can't go!” She screams. Voice wavering slightly. 

“It doesn’t look like you have a choice. You don’t turn down a royal summons.” He says grabbing the letter out of her shaking fingers. 

“I’ll write back and say I have dragon poxs. Something.” She shoots back after a moment of thinking. 

“And risk them sending a doctor? Absolutely not.” 

“I’ll hide. Run away?” Mace just shakes his head. 

“Calm down. We’ll think of something. Nothing is going to happen to you. I promise.” He says and grabs her to pull her into a hug. 

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep.” She cries into his shoulder. 

The week goes by quickly, and they still did not have a plan. Not one that was rational at least. And Mace shoots her down everytime she suggests just disappearing. 

“We do not back down from a challenge” He says sternly. 

“This isn’t a challenge. This is crazy.” Was her response to that comment. 

The general feeling of dread seems to intensify as the two go to bed on the last day of April.

“Merlin, just let it turn out okay.” Skylar says to herself before she blows out the candle that night. She stays up most of the night tossing and turning. A small part of her contemplates waking up Mace but what good will that do in the long run. He’ll just say she’s overreacting again. So she tries her best to sleep and ends up falling asleep shortly after the sun rises. 

A loud knock startles her out of her sleep. Mace opens the door with a grim face. Behind him is a server-looking woman with square glasses. Her black hair is pulled back into a tight bun that gives her entire face a very pitched looked. She was wearing an emerald traveling cloak. Skylar jumps out of bed before she remembers herself. Standing next to her bed she realizes that they’ve already been caught. 

“I’d rather hoped you had come up with  a plan on your own.” The older woman sighed as she walked into the room, closing the door on Mace. She suddenly reached into her bag and pulled out a large page hat. “That’ll cover your hair enough to get you into the castle.” She pushed Skylar into her vanity chair and promptly started braiding the girls hair. Once done she pins the hat over her hair in a way that shades her face as well. 

“That’ll do.” She says in a satisfied voice. With that she walks over to the small closet and looks through it. “As will these.” Pulling out clothes she throws them to the very confused girl. The woman gives her a look and up and down and Skylar suddenly realizes she wants her to change now. 

“Girl I’ve raised more children than you can count. Change. Now.” She sighs when she notices the look on the girls face. She at least gives her the decency of turning around while she strips to her undergarments. Hiding her embarrassment, she pulls on the itchy tweed pants and the green linen shirt she had also been thrown. McGonagall gives her a stern look over and simply nods her head. 

“Pack all of the clothes you have. Leave the dresses. It looks like the princess might have some that will fit you.” With one more stern look Skylar realizes she had been given another instruction. 

“Oh..Yes..Yes ma’am.” She says as she went to grab her small suitcase and starts throwing all of the work clothes she had. That plus some of her more favorite dueling wands. 

She doesn’t miss the way her eyebrows raise when she sees them. 

“Okay.” Skylar says looking around. “That’s everything then.” 

“Perfect. Let’s go get your brother and we’ll be off.” She pulls out a pocket watch. “Better be fast. We’re already running behind.” She shoos the girl out of her room and grabs her bag before closing the door. 

“How did you know?” Skylar asked the woman when they got outside of the house. 

For the first time she sees her smile. “I’ve seen all the birth records for this area and nothing matched up.” Skylar pales at her words. The woman gives a small laugh. “Nothing to worry about by seeing them I changed them to match what everyone already assumes. Although I’m glad you can see the severity of being found.” The smile falls away. “I have been in charge of raising the royal families children but I do have other duties in the kingdom. So now my job is making sure you survive this whole ordeal.”  She looks the girl up and down and sighs. 

“Lady Minerva McGonagall.” she says, extending her hand slightly. Skylar grabs it and gives her hand a firm shake. “I do hope you have a better plan than what I saw today?” 

“My plan was just to run away but Mace says we never back down from a challenge.” Skylar responds. 

“And what a challenge this will be. Alright enough chit-chat.” 

Mace has now joined them outside. Carrying a small bag thrown over his shoulder. 

“Time to go.” McGonagall says and gestures for the two of them to climb in. After throwing their bags in the luggage carrier in the back they hop into the carriage and set off for the main city. 

The castle has been in a flurry all morning. Getting ready for the Tri wizard tournament champions to arrive. Maids and security running around getting rooms ready and greeting everyone at arrival. 

Fred sighed heavily to himself. This is the biggest deal anyone has made of the Tri wizard tournament in over a century. Leave it to Bill to try to outdo is father. Everyone in the family knows the real reason he’s trying to make this a bigger event than it needs to be, and while he understands it, what it symbolizes is terrifying. 

He stares out of the large bay window in his room. Sunlight just started to peak over the horizon making the grounds one of his favorite shades of pink. He should have been down in the rink to start his training about an hour ago but couldn’t find the energy to be around some of the new fighters that have come in. All so loud and determined to prove themselves. Once word got around that the Green brothers were coming it became chaos. Most of them personally having lost to them, it became a matter of pride. Seeing how they trained, how serious they must take the skill and most of all, trying to learn them well enough to figure out their weak spots. Training is something typically done in private so training with the same people you compete against is out of many of their comfort levels. 

A knock on the door pulls him out of his thoughts. “Yes?” He called in response. Already knowing who it was. 

“You never showed up. Come on, everyone is waiting for you.” A voice said from the door. 

“This is so pointless, George. You see that right?” He didn’t move when he spoke. 

“Mate, I hate this as much as you do but we have to set an example right?” His twin responded. 

“Says the one who gets to keep his nose buried in books all day. Why didn’t I choose to do more schooling?” He sighed once again and went to grab his training bag from it’s hook.

“Because we share one brain cell and we have found out we can’t both use it at the same time.”  The thought makes them both laugh. George always has a way of cheering him up and vice versa. The beauty of being raised alongside someone. If one was sad then they both would suffer so they do their best to keep each other in light spirits. 

“Let's get this over with.” He says, clapping his brother on the shoulder and closing the door. 

Of course the arena was already crazy by the time he arrived. George takes his place on the sidelines , notebook in hand to write about the events of training as normal for the competition. 

He ran into what he thought was a wall, but typically walls dont yelp. Fred looks in front of him and is confused, thinking he imagined it until he looks down on the ground and sees a mess of fabric and curls. 

“Oh no.” He scrambles to give her a hand up, wrapping his own hand around her shoulder. 

“Merlin are the hallways in this castle not big enough-” The girl starts, then her eyes go round as she sees his face. She instantly pales and he fights the urge to laugh at her expression. 

“I could definitely ask someone to fix that for you.” He said with a laugh. The first thing he really notices about her are her eyes. Now that they seemed to have gone back down to their normal size. He’d call them brown but that doesn’t seem to do it justice. Standing as close to the window as they are, he can see little flecks of gold and even some blue in them. Like someone splattered paint at a chocolate brown canvas. And her hair seems isn’t exactly curly or straight but a sort of wild middle.  He’d be an idiot to say she wasn’t pretty but with how shocked she looked she just looks funny. 

“I am so sorry. Pri-” He holds up a hand cutting her off for the second time. Formal too.

“I should have watched where I was going. And you must be new around here. Fred.” He holds out his hand and he can see her freeze. “It’s polite to shake it, ya know?” 

That seems to unfreeze her and she jerks her hand out, almost robotically. He noticed how her hand felt a little too rough. 

“Are you here for the tournament?” He asked once he let her hand go. 

“Umm...no..why would I be?” She responded a little too quickly. 

“My mom sent out a bunch of personal invitations to some of the ladies in the court. And some others.” Fred says remembering the way her hands felt rough. Like she actually does something besides sit around and try on hats and gossip. 

“Ah. Yes. Something like that then.” She says with a small laugh. 

“Sorry this is just my first day in the castle and I haven’t seen anyone.” This makes him laugh. 

“So definitely your first time in the castle. So what’s your name? Since you seem to know mine, it’s only fair.” 

“S..Um Abigail.” The girl responds. “Abigail Jones.” He laughs again. 

“You sure? You don’t seem so sure.” He giddies her. 

She nods. “Absolutely sure.” 

“Glad we could get that established.” She can’t help but give a small laugh at his tone. 

She has the kind of laugh that seemed like it belonged in one of his meetings. It was a deep belly laugh, even if it was just a little one. He made the decision right then and there to make her laugh more. 

A clink of heels echo through the hallway. 

“Oh there you are!” A familiar voice calls from down the hall. Fred’s head immediately snaps up. Used to people constantly looking for him. 

“Minnie!” He calls when he sees the woman standing in front of him. 

“Minnie?” the girl next to him whispers with a small giggle. 

“I have been looking for you everywhere!” McGonagall comes stomping down the hallway with a certain fury in her eyes that makes Fred feel like he just pulled one of his first pranks all over again. She completely blows past him and grabs Abigail's wrist. 

“Fred. Trouble as always I see” Minerva says with a slight smile. “You. Now.” She pulls the girls arm and starts heading the way she came. 

“Well it was nice meeting you!” Fred calls at the retreating girl. 

“Same to you.” She flashes him one of the biggest smiles he’s seen in a long 

“Now if i have to explain the simple rules of a duel to you one more time. I will hex you into the next century.” Mace screams into Krum’s face. A hand is suddenly on his shoulder. 

“I got this.” A voice deeper than what he’s used to saying in his ear. That one was his idea actually.  A spell to make her voice deeper to actually pass off as who she’s trying to. Forces her from being mute, especially when you have to count during duels. 

“Krum. You and me. Now.” Skylar shouts across the pitch. 

His chest actually seems to puff up more as he walks into the dueling area. 

The two face each other and bow. Through their masks, Skylar never takes her eyes off of the man. 

“One. Two. Thr-” Before the last syllable is even out of his mouth, he gets blasted onto his back. 

“Now next time, you’ll figure out that we have those rules to be fair. If that’s the only way you can beat someone. Do better.” Skylar calls to him before spinning on her heel and turning away. 

Fred just stares in awe as he walks away. Krum is one of the biggest douches there is and if he’s going to be the one to constantly put him in his place, then maybe this tournament is worth it after all.

[swtorramblings]

The Many in the One

For Day 3 of Mace Windu Appreciation Week.

Crossover: There are plenty of interesting works of fiction and fictional characters out there, let’s see Mace interacting with one, or more! Is it someone from another sci-fi series? Or another Samuel L. Jackson character? The sky’s the limit for who he might meet.

Sorry, but romance? Ships? I’d need a much longer run up for anything like that, if I could make it work at all. I should have started earlier in the month, I guess. Well, unless it was set to Disney music. Hmm… So, I went with the alternative. As such, it is quite a bit more far-fetched than the previous stories. Hopefully still all right, though. It’s also longer.

“Unlimited power!” As the last words Mace was ever going to hear, those were especially stupid. And horribly frustrating. He’d protected the Republic all his life. Dying now to this tyrant that had installed himself as its ruler, with the approval of so many, crushed his hopes long before it was going to crush his body. It was almost a relief when he was flung out the broken window. He fell, his final thoughts devoted to trying to find a solution, something that could have been done differently, tormenting him with answers that no one could have known until it was much too late. Then, he had a vision. Wolves, racing in a circle. A way to make another chance, a portal opened in the past, but reaching out to him now, and echoing into the future and the past. He reached for it with his remaining hand, closed his eyes, and pulled. He landed on a path, floating strangely in space. He had expected to be crushed by the fall, still, but looking around, his survival in this strange place was probably the least surprising thing about it. He could sense them out there, all of those that had ever been able to access this place, this world between worlds. In this place, there was only this one moment, so they were all here. Thousands of them, perhaps. Along with several other Mace Windus. He tended to his injury first. The wrist was cauterized, so he was in no danger of bleeding to death, but he wanted to be sure it wouldn’t cause him any further issues, other than having to adjust his fighting techniques. Then he remembered that he had lost his lightsaber along with the hand. He realized also that he was still in shock, from the fight, from the failure. No point in dwelling on it. He set off, exploring this strange place. He found several portals back to the galaxy, but recognized them for the past. He was tempted, to go through one, to warn them, perhaps even to warn himself. As he explored, though, he realized that he would unravel reality if he did so. What had happened was tragic, but he couldn’t risk making it even worse. Then, strangely, he found himself, but not as he had ever been. It wasn’t his past, and he had no future, so who was this? He was certain that it wasn’t just a random resemblance, but truly himself, and yet not. This portal, he could feel, was safe. More, it was necessary. He stepped through. The other him was startled, of coursed, but calmed himself quickly and echoed Mace’s own thoughts from earlier. “Well, you’re not the strangest thing I’ve seen lately.” “No, neither are you. Where am I? Who are you?” “It’s hard to explain. We’re inside a vessel from the far future, where a horrible accident flung it here. I’m Dr. Harry Adams.” “Ah, that does make sense. Mace Windu.” “That’s an odd name.” “I could say the same. Anyway, I’m dealing with time travel right now myself.” “Because of course you are. The problem is, this machine is twisting our own thoughts against us. I’m trying to be dispassionate, but my own fears will add to the others eventually if we can’t get them under control.” He felt it, pulling at him as well. Power to make his thoughts real, if he let it, if he could remain focused, but horribly destructive if he lost control. He smiled at his latest apprentice. “That, at least, I think I can help you with.”

The training took some time, but their unique situation made it possible, still. He didn’t have to train Harry in all the nuances of the Force, or lightsaber combat, strategy, or any of the myriad things a Jedi might need. Only the technique of self-control, awareness, and letting go. Still, it probably took years. Harry was normally too old to have accepted this teaching, but they had the time. Eventually, he shook hands with his teacher, and left the sphere. Mace knew he would eventually have to return to the path. He also realized that he had already done what he was about to do. He was beginning to hate time travel. He returned to the world between worlds, allowing himself to be drawn back. He looked at his new hand, a robotic one similar to the one Skywalker sported, created with the Sphere’s power. It made him uncomfortable, but something had told him that he would need it soon. The other item he’d created while in the Sphere he drew from his belt. As he pressed the switch, the purple light made him smile.

He came to another portal, seeing himself once again, an older man who had endured a great deal, and was using that experience to save others, to force them to act together to save themselves. Moments later, he died, horribly. Mace waited for the scene to start over again. He could appreciate irony, and knew he probably shouldn’t interfere, but this went too far. He was speaking his last words now. “But first, we’re going to seal off this…” Mace jumped through the portal and struck just as the massive aquatic beast emerged from the water, slashing through it with his lightsaber, driving it, badly wounded, back into the water. Then he raised his hand, strained for a moment, and brought down the heavy steel door slamming down to seal this entryway. His counterpart backed away, gaping at him in fear. He tried to smile reassuringly for a moment, but it wasn’t working, so he turned to the others. “All of you, are you going to listen to this man?” They just stared. “I said…” Uncharacteristically, he raised his voice. He preferred calm persuasion, but it seemed like what they would respond to. “ARE YOU GOING TO LISTEN TO THIS MAN?” They all started nodding vigorously. One of them said, “Yes, anything he says.” “Good. Maybe you’ll get out of here alive.” Two journeys, both underwater. He wondered if Master Fisto should have been on this journey, but the job had fallen to him. Still, he liked the idea that he was honoring his old friend here. He hoped he would approve, even if he had to hurt the sea creature. He nodded to himself, who nodded back, and stepped back onto the path.

He saved a brutal man, a version of himself that was a paid killer, with a simple telekinetic trick to divert the projectiles that would have killed him. This also saved this version’s friend, but only for the moment. The other him, though, decided to do better. As a small reward, Mace got a glimpse of something in a case his other self carried, and was comforted for a moment by its golden light. Really, the snakes were no trouble at all. His fragile but brilliant self Mace attempted to persuade from his path, but he was too enamored of his own theories about the way the world worked to be changed. A shame. The leader, the manipulator, the organizer, he also couldn’t save, gunned down in his apartment. Mace eventually replaced him, knowing that his work wasn’t done, learning enough of this strange world to be able to explain how he had lived through the attack that his allies found plausible. It was a good life for a time, though the eyepatch sometimes itched. Eventually, though, after having seen himself in many lives and many circumstances, his own hair grown and gray, he knew his time was nearly over. Through one last portal, before he returned to that moment on Coruscant, he heard his own voice, impossibly helping a young woman, a young Jedi, long after his own death. He knew he had to return to be there when she would need them all, so he went back to that first portal, finally, and fulfilled his fate and his duty with no regrets. Mace Windu became one with the Force, like all before and after him, but had touched the multiverse. How could he have regrets?

[halothenthehorns]

All in the Family

Chapter 128: Fight and Flight

Remus nearly lost consciousness; he hit something so hard and a flare of pain raked his whole body, but he absolutely refused to let himself black out again. If he was doomed to transform now, he would do anything to lock himself up alone first.

Instead he pushed himself off something solid silver, the red patches from where it had contacted his skin leaving him looking as if he had a fresh sunburn on his forehead, his palms shiny around the edges. The item had been the flat edge of a sword, now slightly dented from his impact, gleaming faintly in the poor lighting in here and waiting at the bottom of a long row of daggers, broadswords, and cutlasses on a rack. There were even more weapons all around, bows and arrows, spears, even a mace and trident. Nothing had come loose and killed him when he'd fallen into here, but he got cautiously to his feet and turned uneasily about the armory to see no one else around him.

He made instantly for the door and was relieved to be let out, only to find himself in an even more strange environment. He'd stepped right out of a tree, and there were clusters of others all around with doors carved into them. Even stranger still, he felt he should vaguely recognize the air as he took uneasy breaths, he just didn't care enough to figure it out as he immediately went searching for Sirius.

The village would have been fascinating to explore any other time. He passed homes that each had a unique care to it and even another room that stored some odd contraptions he'd like to take a look at under other circumstances. There were deep hoof marks in the dusty worn trails serving as roadways along each entrance. As far as he knew, nobody in history had been to one of these.

He just kept searching desperately, ears pricked for even the smallest noise. He couldn't actually scent out Padfoot, but his senses were stronger than most people's and he'd swear he'd be able to smell at least blood in the air if that had been around, and it was where he managed to find him.

Sirius was standing next to a crackling fire, looking at a deer carcass with a blank face. It was barely identifiable as such, it had already been skinned, the entrails were clearly being packed into salt crates around them, the hooves and tail were clearly next on the chopping block. Large stocks of fruits and vegetables all native to their Forbidden Forest sat in wicker baskets in carefully sorted piles.

Remus really hadn't a care, he was just surprised James hadn't beaten him here as he pulled Sirius to his chest.

He allowed it, but only for a few moments before he tried to pull away again. Remus tried not to let the panic force him to pull Padfoot right back as he got a good look at his face, the haughty look about him once more was terrifying. It's all he'd seen of Sirius those long three weeks they hadn't been talking.

"Don't do that Sirius," he pleaded, reaching for his hand. Sirius averted his eyes but let their fingers tangle together, Remus squeezed. "Don't close yourself off like that, please."

"I'm not," he was doing a passable job of just sounding bored, but he flinched terribly when Evans's voice echoed around them for the book, Fight and Flight. "Relax Moony, just because I'm not snogging you right now doesn't mean I'm not happy to see you."

"I really hope you don't think I'm buying that," Remus snapped, fighting the impulse to grab his face and force him to meet his eyes. "Your libido isn't the point, don't act like you don't care."

Sirius did look at him then, finally meeting his eyes but snatching his hand away and taking a step back, he obviously felt something now. "Don't tell me how I feel!"

The argument that had started this between them hovered dangerously in the air once more, Remus licked his lips and forced himself to remain calm. If he got Sirius shouting again, at least that would be an emotion to process. "I'm not trying to Sirius, just don't go off again pretending so. That's not helping-"

"You're the one who told me to piss off last time!" Sirius snapped, taking another step away.

"So that you could think about what you did, considering you were trying to pretend nothing was wrong!" Remus said slowly, forcing himself not to take another step towards him. If Sirius needed to shout then fine, but he wasn't going to help along the fight.

Sirius scoffed and turned back towards the fire, crossing his arms and snapping right back to that cool, aloof mask Remus was beginning to loathe. He very much wanted to hit him right now, or kiss him. Both urges were far too tangled up to be healthy he was sure.

Padfoot spoke in a bored, drawling tone, "I never thought Snivellus would listen to me and go down that tree. I thought you knew me better than that Moony, I don't care enough about him to actually try to kill him, let alone involving you! He's just a pest."

Remus's breath shuddered as he forced it to come out slowly, Sirius was absolutely still downplaying this then. He tried not to let his anger rise to the surface, but he didn't know how else to make Sirius see the consequences of his actions if he wouldn't even face them. Even with this future forced upon them, Harry was in this ruddy forest pissing off the centaurs right along with Umbridge while Sirius was being tortured, and still he refused to see anything wrong with his choices? "Why did you kiss me?" He whispered not because he feared anyone else could hear, but he was too afraid of the answer, he almost hoped Sirius didn't hear him.

He did though, turning back and looking at him with real emotion again, but he looked just as confused and hurt now as Remus felt, looking at the burn marks on his skin with concern as he spoke gently. "Because I do care about you, bloody hell what else do I have to do to show you that?"

'Show,' Remus realized. Sirius had always worn his heart on his sleeves and never really feared showing any emotion, it's why he was always so in trouble with his parents and he'd gotten on so easily with James who never hid anything from anyone. It took effort to do so like he was now and keep himself at a distance. He even stopped for just a moment, Sirius took a step back towards him and reached for his hand with an easy smile once more, but let it drop just as quickly and sighed, hair falling back into his face and making no effort to push it away. Whatever emotion he was trying so desperately to hold back was hurting him.

Remus wanted to pull him into his arms and promise he wasn't alone with this, but that would just be a lie, wouldn't it? He certainly hadn't been there for Sirius when any of it mattered in this future. If he did now, maybe- but then they spotted red sparks in the distance, and both of them winced a bit with guilt. James would be going spare, he wouldn't want Sirius out of sight and only Remus restraining him the whole of the last location had kept him from getting murdered by Buckbeak. Prongs would have risked whatever that hippogriff did to him just to be by his best mate right now, Remus had to keep a cool head for all of them.

He offered his hand, pretending as much as he could it didn't hurt when Sirius hesitated before reluctantly taking it and the two went towards the beacon. Remus dropped contact guiltily when they came into view, Peter looked exhausted trying to hold James in place beneath the signal and clearly released him with pleasure as Prongs tackled Padfoot. He didn't know where Regulus or the others were and frankly didn't care right now, surely there wasn't anything too dangerous in this centaur village torturing them even if Umbridge was being dragged off for here.

How was he any better than Sirius, not wanting to tell about the two off shagging whenever they could. He still wanted to talk to Sirius about it but had been avoiding it as thoroughly as he could since there had to be some end goal when this all ended, but how long could that last? Did Sirius even know he'd had a crush on this idiot since he was twelve and Sirius had offered to keep his werewolf status a secret even from James? How could he, when Remus had never exactly told him, returning the physical affection obviously did not mean the same thing to Sirius. That he didn't think they were just friends with benefits right now and he wasn't just doing this for some fun and good times?

Listening to Grawp stumbling onto the scene and saving Harry from the horde of still angry centaurs and that ensuing fight was not a kind distraction, nor was the rest of Harry's group arriving in the forest and those thestrals being attracted to the scent of blood, finally giving Harry some means to get to Sirius and witness it all in person. He longed to reach out and hold Sirius's hand, be damned anyone who saw, but he stopped himself as he still played back Padfoot's sudden reluctance. If he really thought this was just casual on the off, then he wasn't going to force something more intimate right now, especially as they could be heading right towards Sirius's dead body.

[hinamesh]

“Prince Aegon is a man grown, Princess” (Spoilers)

This post that I made on Reddit but I decided to share it here as well.  For those people who think Young Griff/Aegon was just a stupid boy.

It was Lemore who forced the water from your lungs after Griff had pulled you up. You [Tyrion] were as cold as ice, and your lips were blue. Yandry said we ought to throw you back, but the lad [Aegon] forbade it.

Here we've seen a glimpse of his compassionate side. Do not think of him like Joffrey, he gives Tyrion a chance to live on, showing him mercy.

Perhaps you should be the fool instead of me. Trust no one, my prince. Not your chainless maester, not your false father, not the gallant Duck nor the lovely Lemore nor these other fine friends who grew you from a bean. Above all, trust not the cheesemonger, nor the Spider, nor this little dragon queen you mean to marry. All that mistrust will sour your stomach and keep you awake by night, ’tis true, but better that than the long sleep that does not end.”

Meeting Tyrion is truly the turning point of his life. Because of Tyrion he learns to be doubtful and wary of the people around him, he stopped being the naive boy that he once was. As you can see in the future passage after Aegon met with Tyrion, he started to changed.

"I like the sound of that. My army.” A smile flashed across his [Aegon] face, then vanished. “Are they, though? They’re sellswords. Yollo [Tyrion] warned me to trust no one.”

He is not stupid and that naive anymore. He is starting to question stuffs. He didn't ignore Tyrion's advise and actually listen because his advise actually a good one. Showing a bit of his capability as the judge, a skill that needed for a future leader like him.

That dwarf had already planted enough doubts in his young head. “Not every man is what he seems, and a prince especially has good cause to be wary … but go too far down that road, and the mistrust can poison you, make you sour and fearful.” King Aerys was one such. By the end, even Rhaegar saw that plain enough. “You would do best to walk a middle course. Let men earn your trust with leal service … but when they do, be generous and openhearted.”

The boy [Aegon] nodded. “I will remember.”

Fortunately JonCon was on his side, he gave him a wise advise to walk a middle course. I don't think Aegon will walk on the path where he will be distrustful towards everyone like Tyrion's advise, but he will try to be in the middle following JonCon's advise as he said that he will remembered that. This is showing his grown from a boy to a man grown. He has good skill of listening to what is good for him.

This proof with his next action in ADWD, to earn the men's trust.

“The demon road is death. We will lose half the company to desertion if we attempt that march, and bury half of those who remain beside the road. It grieves me to say it, but Magister Illyrio and his friends may have been unwise to put so much hope on this child queen.”

No, thought Griff, but they were most unwise to put their hopes on you.

And then Prince Aegon spoke. “Then put your hopes on me,” he said. “Daenerys is Prince Rhaegar’s sister, but I am Rhaegar’s son. I am the only dragon that you need.”

He is starting to take charge of his own path. The golden company did not just give their allegiance towards Aegon easily, it was Aegon who actually pursued their trust and won it himself, using his words. But some of you quick to dismissed this skill of his.

Griff put a black-gloved hand upon Prince Aegon’s shoulder. “Spoken boldly,” he said, “but think what you are saying.”

“I have,” the lad insisted. “Why should I go running to my aunt as if I were a beggar? My claim is better than her own. Let her come to me … in Westeros.”

Yes, some of you would say he was just being a brat here, but he was not. He was trying to recruit them onto his team, showing his confidence and claim. A bit of pride that a leader must have. And this was actually work. One of the golden company squires, Franklyn Flowers actually bite the idea.

Franklyn Flowers laughed. “I like it. Sail west, not east. Leave the little queen to her olives and seat Prince Aegon upon the Iron Throne. The boy has stones, give him that.”

Aegon is actually earned the man interest and manage to impress him in the process.

“Has the sun curdled your brains, Flowers? We need the girl. We need the marriage. If Daenerys accepts our princeling and takes him for her consort, the Seven Kingdoms will do the same. Without her, the lords will only mock his claim and brand him a fraud and a pretender. And how do you propose to get to Westeros? You heard Lysono. There are no ships to be had.”

“Which plan?” said Tristan Rivers. “The fat man’s plan? The one that changes every time the moon turns? First Viserys Targaryen was to join us with fifty thousand Dothraki screamers at his back. Then the Beggar King was dead, and it was to be the sister, a pliable young child queen who was on her way to Pentos with three new-hatched dragons. Instead the girl turns up on Slaver’s Bay and leaves a string of burning cities in her wake, and the fat man decides we should meet her by Volantis. Now that plan is in ruins as well.

He did not received a full approval of the idea immediately from the group, some did counter his idea, but the other started to question their original plan. Considering Aegon's idea more seriously.

“Prince Aegon,” said Tristan Rivers, “we are your men. Is this your wish, that we sail west instead of east?”

“It is,” Aegon replied eagerly. “If my aunt wants Meereen, she’s welcome to it. I will claim the Iron Throne by myself, with your swords and your allegiance. Move fast and strike hard, and we can win some easy victories before the Lannisters even know that we have landed. That will bring others to our cause.���

These words of his manage to bring the golden company to his cause. He managed to pursue them, they approved his idea, not Varys/Illyrio's plans. An important note that people often forget. It was Aegon who gave the decision for the path to Westeros not someone else.

When all of them began to speak at once, Griff knew the tide had turned. This is a side of Aegon I never saw before. It was not the prudent course, but he was tired of prudence, sick of secrets, weary of waiting.

The side that JonCon himself never have seen before, Aegon capability as a leader who manage to bring men follow his wishes and idea. The tide had turned because of him, he was the one who responsible for the changing plan not JonCon/Illyrio/Varys. I think that was an impressive side of him that we must take note for the future books.

One by one, the men of the Golden Company rose, knelt, and laid their swords at the feet of his young prince[Aegon]. The last to do so was Homeless Harry Strickland, blistered feet and all.

When they knelt before him, it was Aegon's succeed, he earned the men trust. He didn't even ask nor order them to bow and kneel at him, they were doing it because they wanted to.

A solid man, and true, Connington thought as he watched Duck dismount, but not worthy of the Kingsguard. He had tried his best to dissuade the prince from giving Duckfield that cloak, pointing out that the honor might best be held in reserve for warriors of greater renown whose fealty would add luster to their cause, and the younger sons of great lords whose support they would need in the coming struggle, but the boy [Aegon] would not be moved. "Duck will die for me if need be,” he had said, “and that’s all I require in my Kingsguard. The Kingslayer was a warrior of great renown, and the son of a great lord as well.”

This passage again shows that he isn't just a stupid boy, he learns from history and not that naive anymore. He knows what will protect him and not. A man grown who has his own belief and thought of what's right and wrong.

No, I want Duck to stay.” The prince sat. “We’ve been talking with Strickland and Flowers. They told us about this attack on Storm’s End that you’re planning.”

Jon Connington did not let his fury show. “And did Homeless Harry try to persuade you to delay it?”“He did, actually,” the prince said, “but I won’t. Harry’s an old maid, isn’t he? You have the right of it, my lord. I want the attack to go ahead … with one change. I mean to lead it.”

Again, he is not Joffrey who cowardly hides himself behind his army, Aegon takes the initiative to lead himself, ready to risk his own life. (Spoiler TWOW) He does sucessfully doing so based on Arianne II TWOW, where they manage to take Storm's End. I think Lysono Maar has seen his bravery to the point he quicks to defend him from her insult by saying "Prince Aegon is a man grown." which I think as a reader should not dismissed it easily and give him some space to develop as a character.

Bonus, a chapter that showing a glimpse of his fighting skill..

When they fought with mace or blunted longaxe, Ser Rolly’s greater size and strength would quickly overwhelm his charge with swords the contests were more even. Neither man had taken up a shield this morning, so it was a game of slash and parry, back and forth across the deck. The river rang to the sounds of their combat. Young Griff landed more blows, though Duck’s were harder. After a while, the bigger man began to tire. His cuts came a little slower, a little lower. Young Griff turned them all and launched a furious attack that forced Ser Rolly back. When they reached the stern, the lad tied up their blades and slammed a shoulder into Duck, and the big man went into the river

So stop saying he was just a stupid feign boy, he is a character that still growing and hasn’t shown his full potential yet. So please give him a chance to show that in the next book. This person is Dany’s future rival and do you think GRRM will write him as just a lame character? No, I think he won't just throw this chance easily, he will sure use this to make the plot more thicken.

[winterknight1087]

The Trash Pizza Wasn’t Worth It

Summary:  After accidentally traumatizing Patton in a failed prank for his twin, Remus ends up getting into a fight and ends up in the hospital.

Word Count: 2912

Warnings: sympathetic Remus, sympathetic Deceit/Janus, fight mention, hospital, mention of medication, food mentions, injury mentions, tarantula, Remus has some intrusive thoughts, murder mentions due to those intrusive thoughts, cursing

Pairings: platonic sides, brotherly creativitwins

AO3 Link       My Writing

@franthehorsegir I am so sorry this is a little bit late! 2020 ended the same way it went. But still, I hope you enjoy your @sanderssidesgiftxchange present! It was interesting coming up with ways to try and incorporate all your gift wishes and I hope I did it justice! Happy Holidays!

Pranks were a very common phenomenon around the house. The two main culprits were almost always the twins, each trying to one up the other’s last prank. Everyone has accidentally fallen victim to the twins’ pranks at least once a week. A bucket of soap water dumped on Virgil’s head. The Crofters being traded out for what Logan swears was bubblegum toothpaste flavored jello. Patton got hit with a full-on cake, though he got to eat the rest so it was mostly OK. One time, the twins teamed up on Janus and they have never felt more fear than watching Janus stare them in the eyes as he drank the coffee mixed with salt instead of sweetener, acting as if that were his normal drink. Safe to say the coffee was never a victim of the pranks again at least.

Occasionally, a twin would go too far though. Once Roman shaved off Remus’s mustache, while Remus was fast asleep on the couch. Remus was livid and refused to go anywhere until it grew back. Remus had once accidentally knocked Roman unconscious with his inflatable mace. The others were terrified that Roman was extremely hurt, but once he woke up, he was fine, thankfully. However, one prank mishap will live on as the ultimate disaster prank…

 ***

 “You are going to sit here and wait for RoRo and then jump at him, okay?” Remus whispered to the giant tarantula, currently housed in an empty Crofters jar.

He set the creature down as he replaced the current jar with the prank one. He made sure that it didn’t look suspicious before setting up the rest of the prank. Remus carefully lined a tripwire directly behind where he expected Roman to be. He hid a camera behind the toaster to record the entire incident. The icing on top was a special sticky slime that Remus set up to dump on Roman once he tripped over the wire.

Remus hid in the pantry, waiting for Roman to come down for his afternoon snack. If it had been Roman, or any of the others, the prank would have been fine. Logan and Virgil would be momentarily surprised but wouldn’t do much more than look startled. Janus would have hunted Remus down and stole his fake deodorants as punishment. But no…

A high-pitched scream shot through the house as the sound of glass shattered on the ground. Remus was rushing out of his hiding spot in time to see Patton trip over the wire, onto the broken glass. His eyes were locked on the tarantula and when it moved barely a hair, Patton was screaming again as he scrambled backwards, not aware of the glass. When the slime fell, that was it for Patton. He let out another scream as he scrambled to his feet, frantically trying to get the ‘spiders’ off of him as he ran out of the kitchen.

Remus could hear rushing footsteps and Patton screaming about the ‘creepy crawly death dealers’ in the kitchen. The chaotic rat knew he was about to get into major trouble, so he started cleaning up the kitchen, particularly going after the tarantula first. Once it was in a box to give to Virgil later, Remus started sweeping up the broken glass, thoughts about how dead he was running through his head.

Honestly, the five minutes it took Janus to come down to scold Remus seemed longer than normal scolding intervals. But Janus appeared, caped PJs and bowler sleep hat revealing the snake had been taking a nap when awoken to screams. And one thing with Janus was that no one was allowed to interrupt his nap time unless it was a true emergency. Remus gulped seeing the furious man storm into the kitchen.

Let’s just say that Janus wasn’t his usual suave, collected self when he is rudely awoken by screams.

“I will give you exactly ten seconds to explain why you terrified Patton with a shower of spiders.”

“It was one tarantula and slime! It was a prank for Roman but apparently Pat went in without me seeing him!”

“You damn idiot. We all agreed that anything spider related would not happen in this house. Patton is petrified of spiders, even Vee’s spider curtains set him off. And yet, with all the power of your mere quarter of a brain cell, you decided that it was an OK risk to bring a spider into this house and not have a contingency plan to keep Patton away from it? Remus, I knew you were stupid, but I didn’t realize you were able to lower my standards even more than they already were. Even if it were to be Roman, how would this have turned out any better? Answer me that, Remus. How?”

Remus hung his head. “I don’t know.’

“Exactly. All of us put up with your random weird ass bullshit everyday because we’re your friends, but there has always been a line between an OK thing and a very not OK thing. Sending someone into a panic attack through their phobia? Extremely not OK. You useless trash rat, what were you even thinking!? Probably nothing as that useless brain of yours has only one thought a month.”

“Pardon me,” Logan’s voice cut Janus off, “but can the two of you move out of the way? Patton requires the first aid kit.”

The two immediately stepped aside, letting Logan access the medicine cabinet. This new information added fuel to Janus’ eyes, and Remus couldn’t help but remember the coffee salt incident and now really wanted his twin here to bear some of the fury. He knew the second that he had realized Patton fell into his prank that he had messed up, bad, but Janus was going to make sure that Remus could never hear the word spider without remembering his fury.

Logan left with the first aid kit, focused on how he was going to get Patton to sit still long enough to get the glass out of his hands and bandage them while the other was still panicking about spiders. Not that he would have really had any sympathy for Remus as he faced Janus’ wrath. They had all agreed that even Halloween decoration spiders were off limits. And Remus went and broke that agreement? His own fault for angry, sleepy Janus.

“Out.”

Remus blinked. “What?”

“Get out. I don’t want you in line of sight right now.”

Remus didn’t even bother grabbing anything as he quickly left the house. It was supposed to be a funny prank on his brother, not a traumatizing experience for one of his best friends. He even passed by his favorite store to terrorize, not in the mood to evade employees to set all the alarms to go off or add random items to people’s carts and wait for them to discover the item.

Go jump in front of oncoming traffic. It’ll save everyone the trouble of having to deal with you.

Remus had already started to step off the curb before violently shaking his head. What did Logan call those? “Intrusive thoughts. They aren’t me. They can’t be me. Those are just unconscious thoughts that come out of nowhere. They do not indicate who I really am.”

But they are your thoughts and you’ve thought of how to murder each of them so that they won’t laugh at you behind your back anymore. You are just a screw up that is a burden on everyone. Your brother had to convince his friends to let you move in with them, and it was probably out of pity or guilt than love.

“Not true.” Remus muttered to himself as he walked aimlessly. “Even for things I wouldn’t otherwise know about, all of them still invite me. They all willingly choose to be in the same room as me, even when I am being more extra than normal. They get upset when I do something stupid. That was something stupid, so they are right to be mad. Not what you’re telling me, you stupid brain.”

Remus didn’t notice his feet carry him to the dumpster behind the nearby Dennys. He was too busy trying to rationalize the thoughts running through his head and weed out Häagen-Dazs Distortions or whatever Logan called them along with his normal intrusive thoughts. Remus barely noticed climbing into the dumpster, but he settled down in the corner before curling up, filled with the rare instance of self-hatred.

He did eventually pull himself out of his thoughts long enough to text his brother’s old friend that he was in their dumpster again and not to panic if someone came to toss trash. It spoke multitudes to the amount of times Remus did this that the only response that he received was a single letter k.

What if you just poison Janus? Then you won’t have to suffer his wrath once you go home.

“Shut up, brain.”

Poison Janus and stuff Patton into a coffin!

“NO!”

Pretty sure if you sneak up on Virgil, you could get him to choke to death as well. Just need to figure out a way to get rid of Logan and Roman and you’ll be free.

“Stooooop” Remus covered his ears, as if that would block out

Janus said you were stupider than he thought, so why not show him how intelligent you can be by murdering all your friends and family and getting away with it?!?

Tears were filling Remus’ eyes as he desperately tried to clear his head. He accepted that these weren’t his thoughts, that they were just intrusive thoughts. He tried all the tricks he normally did that helped, but nothing was working. He even tried moving onto something else to distract him like eating left over pizza he found in the trash.

At least, until something opened the dumpster. In popped a beady-eyed creature in search of food. Remus growled at it, looking for a way to distract himself. Instead of being startled, the creature hissed back. The creature had spent the day running from human toddlers who wanted to do things the creature was uncertain of. It had spent the day dodging cars and animal control. It wasn’t about to let this weirdo stop it from enjoying tossed out hamburgers and pancakes. And if the weirdo was going to fight the creature, well, the creature wasn’t going to give up without a fight.

 ***

 Logan tightened his hands around the steering wheel as he waited impatiently for the light to turn. Janus sat next to him in the front seat, fiddling with his phone, hoping that there wouldn’t be a second call with worse news. In the middle of the van sat Patton and Roman. They were trying to distract themselves by planning the fun activities they could do after everything settled down. In the very back of the van sat Virgil, who’s anxiety and nervous tappings of various limbs magnified the worry that was probably spilling from the van.

Janus wondered if he hadn’t been so mad at being woken up by a hurt and terrified Patton due to an accidental misfire of a prank, would they have gotten that call? What had happened anyway? If they were going to get any call about Remus, it should have been from the local grocery store, banning him for the third time this month (though they always welcomed him back in because he was amusing and took on rude and self-centered costumers so that employees didn’t have to).

“He’ll be alright.” Logan stated, cutting through the worry. “It is Remus we are talking about.”

“Save it, Specs.” Roman muttered. “Until we see how bad off he is, nothing you can say will make things better.”

“Did-did they say what happened, Janus?” Patton asked, softly.

“No, all the hospital said was that he was admitted with several injuries and that I was the first listed emergency contact in his phone.”

“Well, I suppose you would be as your name comes first alphabetically.” Logan mused.

“Of course Wine Mom would be all of our emergency contact.” Virgil commented sarcastically.

“Excuse you, but Logan is mine. I wouldn’t trust the rest of you misfits to actually do anything productive if anyone contacted you all.” Janus spat back, glad for the momentary distraction.

“Fair.”

“You got me there.”

“True, but why you gotta call us out like this?”

There was a small chuckle that passed through the van, but almost as if some invisible barrier ripped the sound from the van, the mood soured as they entered the hospital parking lot. It took Logan a few minutes to find a parking spot and that managed to ramp up the tension and apprehension among the group, terrified of what they would find.

“Pat, you sure you can face Remus right now? I think we’d all understand if you decided to just sit outside the door and wait to hear how he is.” Janus asked, softly.

“No, no, I get that it was an accident. We’ve all walked into one of the twins’ pranks by accident. Accidents happen and I also want to see that he’ll be OK.” Patton answered before admitting, “though, I will need everyone else to open the Crofters jar for at least a month in case there is another giant creepy crawly death dealer in one of them…”

So, with that, the group went into the hospital. Janus went and talked to a nurse who directed him to the room Remus was in. Upon hearing the room number, Janus instantly asked if he had asked to be placed there, which made the nurse laugh. So, with that, the group headed up to room 6969.

“POOPY!”

“Sounds like he’s alive at least.” Roman commented.

A nurse came out of the room, shaking her head. She looked over the group before peeking back into the room and telling the occupant that he had company. The group shared a worried look before filing into the room.

Remus sat in a hospital bed with scratches and gaze all over him. His arm was in a sling, his foot in a cast, and a couple sets of stitches were hidden behind gaze or the hospital gown he was wearing. Despite this, Remus was cackling and being his odd self, so the group let out a collective breath, relieved to see he was alright, for the most part.

“How are you feeling, Ree?” Roman asked, moving over to his twin.

“Mhhhh, like cotton candy sprayed with mist.”

“So, that’s what? Like a 3 on the Remus scale?” Virgil asked.

“I would guess a bit higher but also toned done by medication.” Logan answered. “He would not use a nice analogy like that unless he were sort of out of it.”

“What happened, Remus? Did someone try to mug you or something?” Janus asked.

“Yup, and the racoon won both the fight and my trash-pizza.”

The group froze, staring at the chaotic man before Patton finally asked. “You lost a fight to… a racoon?”

“Yuuuuuuuuup.”

“Remus,” Roman sighed. “You are such an idiot. Don’t do something like this again. You scared all of us to death.”

The hurt one instantly froze, his eyes shooting onto Patton, as he remembered the fact he really scared one of his friends. “Oh, shit. Patty, I’m so sorry for what happened earlier! It was an accident! I was trying to get RoRo BroBro, not you.”

Patton moved over and set a comforting hand on Remus’ unhurt arm. “It’s OK, I know it was. You don’t need to beat yourself up over it.”

“Remus, did you seriously lose a tooth to a racoon!?!”

 ***

 The hospital released Remus a bit later, informing him (and more importantly Logan and Janus) about follow ups and care info. The group then dragged Remus to their van before picking up some (not trash) pizza and heading home. Patton tried to join in on pampering Remus, but their friends stopped him and basically forced the happy pappy Patton on the couch next to Remus, reminding him that he was also hurt and on the pampering list. So, instead Patton curled up and cuddled Remus while the other four went around prepping snacks, movies, games, and whatever else they could scrounge up to make sure the chaotic rat and pun-tastic father-figure were entertained.

Soon enough, Remus was surrounded by the group of people he considered his family (brother, what brother? Remus obviously doesn’t have a twin brother named Roman. That’s just his friend Wroammin). They weren’t going to let Remus live down the fact he lost a fight to a racoon, but how could he stop them making fun of it? It was hilarious and even more, they were checking on him every hour to make sure he was alright and comfortable, so they deserved a good laugh.

And if Remus’ brain tried to throw a couple intrusive thoughts at him, they didn’t stand a chance against the love surrounding Remus. Those weren’t his thoughts because his thoughts were focused on listening to Roman and Virgil argue about Disney meanings, cuddling Patton and waiting for Logan and Janus to return from the kitchen with drinks for everyone. How could disturbing thoughts harm him when he was feeling loved despite all of his failings?

“Remus, Thomas just texted me saying you were in their dumpster earlier. Did you really lose a fight with a racoon behind the Dennys?”

“Yuuuuuuuuuuuup.”

[secret-engima]

Nox verse. Nox's perspective of Nyx leading him away from the Hall of Arts during a Quiet Day and/or when she tries (and sometimes manages) to tug him away from the edge of a Quiet Day?

Hmmmm sure! Ficlet ramble time! Let’s say this takes place after they’re Galahdian Married but pre-Lucian fancy official wedding (and pre-Regis knowing about the whole oops-a-galahdian-just-married-your-son-without-telling-you).

...

“Oh, Nox.”

It’s the first thing to break through the haze, a soft voice he knows (has seen die has lived through the eyes of has known for years and loves-loves-loves), and he tilts his head toward it even though he can’t quiet get his eyes to focus (can’t look away from the tapestry before him and the lies-lies-lies-heartbreak-lies woven into the threads. A calloused hand gently takes his own, fingers twining with his own unresponsive ones, and he distantly thinks that he wants to grip her hand back, but he doesn’t have the energy and its already taking enough effort to remember which “her” this is (it’s not Somnus’s little Spitfire, it’s not Wanderer’s Twilight with her violet eyes and black and green tattoos winding up her cheek, it’s not Conquerer’s Flower or Wise’s patient Dawn or Mors light-love-heart Vita, it’s his, his love, his heart, and if he clings to that maybe he can finally wade out from the memories weighing down his bones).

She tugs on his hand, a practiced step and pull that finally forces him to turn away from the tapestry (not force, guide, because he wanted to stop, but stopping was too hard on his own, without someone to anchor him outside his head).

She’s beautiful, he thinks distantly. Not in the same ways Odessa-Vesper-Flora-Aurora-Vita-Aulea-so-many-others-names-faces were. She was beautiful in a rougher, wilder way. None of the past kings had ever wed a soldier, and it showed in her bearing. In the set of her shoulders and the callouses of the hand holding his.

It made her feel real. Somewhere past the fog.

“Come on,” she says, though he more reads her lips than makes out the individual sounds of her voice, “it’s late.”

Late.

Is it?

Oh. There’s moonlight on the floor. It is late.

Someone must have woken her up to come get him.

Sorry, he tries to say, but doesn’t manage more than an apologetic grunt. There are too many languages-phrases-pronunciations cluttered on his tongue to do more. If he says it, he isn’t sure which language it will come out in, or what era his accent will be from or-.

Better to just not try.

Her smile turns sad and he regrets. Today is ... bad. Very bad. But he can’t fix it.

It would be better if she just left him and went back to bed, but he isn’t sure how to tell her that, so she stays and moves to lean against his side, her arm looped between his and his side, her fingers still twined with his. The magic under her skin that is hers-but-not brushing against his without fear of drowning as she leads him slowly down the Hall. She talks as they go, little things. Meaningless things. Things that matter to Noctis-Nox-Noctis-Nox and not the unfeeling tide of ancient-kings-queens-lives trying to pull him down. He clings to the sound of her voice. To the little meaningless things she’s telling him (Libertus made banana bread today, Crowe almost set Captain’s eyebrows on fire with her new spell and had to scrub down his office as punishment, someone glued all of council room furniture to the ceiling and while no one has proof, Ardyn is looking awfully smug, tomorrow Sonitus is going to try talking to that girl he’s had his eye on for so long and we’re all going to come cheer him on- or tease him, depends on who it is).

A statue catches his gaze and he stops and stares. It’s Fierce, posing with that mace of his-mine-his that my-his-his Shield always teased him for because it was so big and fancy and silly, and Nox can feel it in his hands, feel the way it hummed and sang for the Tonitrus-him-Tonitrus like no other weapon in his training had-.

Fingers squeeze his hand, “Nox,” says the voice in his ear, soft and coaxing and familiar-loved-adored, “come on, babe. We’re almost out.”

Who is Nox? He’s Tonitrus.

No wait that isn’t right he’s Somnus-

No he’s-

He-

Noctis. He’s Noctis isn’t he? Or-

He used to be.

“Nox,” the voice (Nyx, his Nyx, his Night his Glaive his Love his Heart) says again, more firmly this time, and the combined tug-shove of her arm around his drags him past the statue of the man he isn’t-but-remembers-being. He manages to turn his head and drop his gaze to the floor, and some part of him is infinitely grateful that they never carried through on those renovations Mors wanted to make the floor one big mural of the history of Lucis because if they had done that he might actually drown-.

They clear the doors to the Hall of Arts, and it’s a bit like coming up for air after being underwater too long. He breathes and the air in his lungs trembles from relief. He’s still in water (still in a fog of memories that aren’t his and don’t belong) but he’s out, his head is above water. The world firms, reality becomes easier to touch, and he becomes aware of how late it is, aware that Nyx is wearing her Kingsglaive coat but underneath that her feet are in slip ons and her pajama pants have little malboros on them. He blinks a few times at her feet, then looks up slowly and meets her eyes.

She smiles at him, thin and sympathetic (she knows what it’s like to get lost in bad memories, even if hers aren’t nearly as deep as his, she knows what its like to drag other glaives out of the fog that weighs down their bones), “Hey,” she murmurs softly, “you back?”

He tests the words on his tongue before speaking them, and they taste like modern language, so he risks a hoarse, “Think ... think so.”

She tugs him closer and they start walking down the corridors back toward his suite together (genuinely together, not with her pulling and him shuffling along without conscious will of his own), “Good. Wanna talk about it?”

She asks that every time, just like she does for the other glaives, and every time he gives the same answer. “No.”

She lets it go, and the two glaives on duty outside his suite (there were two Crownsguard out there earlier he thinks, but they’ve been shooed away by a worried Libertus and a tired-eyed Tredd) let them through without comment. Nox blinks and isn’t sure when he went from the doorway of the suite to standing next to his bed, but he’s here now and Nyx has shrugged off her Kingsglaive coat and is gently tugging him down onto the mattress.

He lies down on his side and a moment later Nyx curls around his back, the big spoon to his little spoon, her arms anchored around his waist, ensuring he won’t get up and accidentally wander into the Hall of Arts again tonight.

She kisses the back of his neck as she whispers for him to sleep, and he carefully wraps his hands around hers, squeezing them in thanks. Tomorrow he’ll be better, more responsive. Tomorrow he’ll make up for the fact that she had to walk up from Little Galahd to the Citadel in her pajamas and coat to anchor him in place for the night. Tomorrow he’ll be ... Nox. Just Nox. And he’ll do something nice for her, like cook breakfast, or just take her out to the gardens and sing for her as they slow dance together. But for now... for now he’s tired, and the fog is dragging down his bones, and he’s not quite Nox enough to do any of those things.

So he relaxes into her hold and lets himself drift.

Nyx won’t let him drown in old memories tonight.

[croose]

Power Down part 2: Power Up

Request/Summary: Upon waking up after your most recent mission, you're immediately thrown back into the fray of things, not entirely sure what you're up against. And Rex doesn't seem entirely ready to watch you risk your life yet again.

Pairings: Captain Rex x Reader

Warnings: None

Author's Note: Protective Rex. Babey. Also, this is part two, but part one is pretty much the only other recent post on my account, so it shouldn't be hard to find. If my Tumblr gets more crowded I'll make a Master list and link previous parts in the author's note. Til then.

When you woke up, you were very careful not to reveal you were awake. It was a habbit you had long since gotten into.

Worst case scenario, you now had an advantage that your kidnappers didn't know you had which you could use to get out of this jail. Best case scenario, you were in your bed being woken up by your protcol droid who was reminding you that you had a council meeting in about an hour.

This day was something in between.

The first thing you noticed was the noise. It wasn't particularly loud, but it was busy.

The next thing you noticed was the scratchy blanket and the beeping of machinery keeping people alive. You were in a medbay.

Now you slowly opened your eyes, noting the clones and jedi in other beds, along with medical droids moving about to care for the patients.

You lightly closed your eyes and immediately saw, once again, the flash of the hallway roof collapsing in on you while Rex was forced to do nothing but stare.

Remembering the mission, you suddenly had no interest in remaining in the medical bay. You had needles shoved into your arm, but you wasted no time in pulling them out and clambering from your bed.

No one tried to stop you as you grabbed your jedi robes from the bedside table and left the medbay, heading towards the councilroom.

You only stopped once, in a refresher, to change, and so you made good time to the council room.

You weren't entirely sure what you expected to see, sitting on the benches outside, but it wasn't General Skywalker, Commander Tano and Captain Rex.

At your approach, the three of them (All battered and bruised, sitting on a bench with their heads hung in shame) looked up, thoroughly shocked.

"General?" Anakin asked, trying to process the fact that you were up and moving about.

"General." You responded, nodding politely.

"How are you?" Rex asked, his voice so quiet you thought he spoke with the intent of not being heard.

"Fine, thank you, Captain. However, I don't remember what happened."

The three seemed to deflate a bit at this. It was Anakin who told the story. He started with the events leading up, including the collapsing roof. Then he got to what you truly didn't know.

Dooku, of course, had escaped. But not before he managed to plug into a central computer and download all available information about Kamino, which struck you as odd.

Anakin speculated that he had let himself get caught, that he had a plan revolving around the planet. Then for the past three rotations (During which, you had been unconscious in the medbay) the three of them had been petitioning for extra security on the planet, but the Council seemed to think this was unnecessary.

"Even if it was," Mace Windu had apparently said, "We simply do not have the resources."

Anyways, the three of them were here to plea one last time to the council, hoping they would see reason before it was too late.

"You should come too, (Y/n)!" Ahsoka said, clearly testing out your name, seeing what you would allow her to have. "You know Dooku better than anyone! You've studied his moves, his attacks, you managed to track him down from across the Galaxy!"

You elected to ignore that it now seemed as though Dooku had wanted you to track him. Instead you paused to think, tapping your fingers to the side of your leg as you often did while thinking.

"Well, I wouldn't be opposed, Young Tano." You, similar to her, were testing out a nickname, exploring what she would let you get away with.

"Then it's settled!" Ahsoka said.

You laughed a bit but said nothing before the doors opened and a master and her Padawan walked out, nodding at your group as you passed, your group walking in, hers walking away.

Upon seeing you, Obi-wan Kenobi said, "Ahh, Master (Y/l/n), welcome back."

"Master Kenobi." You nodded, politely at him.

Anakin then launched into his plea for increased security around Kamino, which caused some groans and eyerolls.

"I thought we talked about this, General Skywalker." Said Plo Koon (Or, the hologram of him, as he was out on a mission.)

"Yes, okay, we did talk about it!" Anakin said. "But you all seem to think this isn't as important as it is!"

"Kamino is both safe and well-guarded, General." Shaak Ti said. "We have the protection we need. Dooku would never attempt an attack."

Anakin opened his mouth to protest, but this Master Windu cut through with, "Is there anything else any of you need?"

"Yes, actually." You said, brining the room's attention to yourself. "Where's The 307th?"

"They are with me." Plo Koon said. "You were out for three rotations and I needed a large attack force for my current mission, so it seemed only natural."

"Recovery time, you need anyways, hm?" Said Master Yoda. "On another mission, we will not be sending you until better you are." Master Yoda said this while pointing his cane at you.

You were pretty sure you saw Windu roll his eyes, but you couldn't be entirely certain, so you dropped it. Instead, you nodded, respectfully. "Yes, Masters."

"If that is all, then you're dismissed." Windu said, dismissively.

Anakin grumbled to himself and Ahsoka made a face as the group turned to leave. Rex, though, on the outside seemed perfectly fine. But you reached out into the force and, easier than you could with anyone else, you felt his emotions.

Again, you weren't entirely sure what it was, but it felt sort of like defeat. And while you were reaching into the Force you saw something else. A room on a Kamino lab... Or how to get there.

"The Council's probably right." Anakin grumbled. "It's not like we even know what he wanted from Kamino, or which cloning lab - if any - he was going to attack."

Ahsoka said nothing, but her face said it all. And Rex also tried not to show his emotions but he failed when he kicked a lose piece of trash across the floor.

"Awe, cheer up, Guys. It's not like the Resident Dooku Expert is dead!" You gestured to yourself, merrily, pretending to be unbothered by the choices of the Council.

"What, you?" Anakin asked.

"Yep! And as the Resident Dooku Expert - My official, legal title, by the way - I can safely say that Dooku is going to attack Kamino. And he is going to attack a cloning facility. And I know which one!"

The group stared at you.

"How?" Anakin said.

You shrugged a bit. "Lucky guess?"

"We don't really know if it's lucky, though. You could be completely wrong." Ahsoka muttered.

"Awe, psh! Go round up any clones willing to disobey the Council's orders - Though if it's to protect Kamino, I assume there will be a few - And meet me on your Republic Attack Cruiser as soon as possible." You were already disappearing down the hall as you spoke, leaving the group little choice other than follow your orders, or don't.

You didn't wait to find out, but you knew Anakin and Ahsoka well. They would listen. You, however, went to your dormitory and began packing basic provisions. You were just about to head out when your door buzzed, signaling a guest.

You checked the screen to see who it was and startled to see Rex standing on the other side. But for the first time since you'd met him, his helmet was off. Though his face technically looked the same as the other clones, something about him was just so much... More.

You opened the door and stepped back to allow the Captain to enter.

"General." He nodded at you.

"Captain." You responded kindly as the door shut. "What can I do for you?"

Rex took a deep breath and set his helmet down on your table. When he finally spoke, his voice was a bit shaky and he refused to turn and face you. "I don't think you should come." He whispered.

"Captain?"

He slowly turned from the table revealing a pleading expression on his face. "Don't come. Please don't come."

You spent a moment deliberating your words, but when you spoke, it was careful, precise. Your tone firm. "That's not a very fair thing to ask of me, Captain."

Much to your shock, Rex reacted with anger. His fist slammed down on your table, causing you to jump and his voice raised dangerously loud. "I don't care!" He bellowed. "Don't come!"

"Enough!" You snapped, your tone equally loud, though your body much more still than his. "First of all, you do not order me around! Second of all, you need to control your emotions!"

You weren't sure if it was because he was so used to only battling enemies and you weren't sure why you allowed it, but in a split moment, Rex had backed you into a corner and was now standing firmly in front of you, plasticore chest piece seemingly on display.

"I'm not like you!" Rex shouted. "I can't always control my emotions, but I don't always need to!"

This, you felt, had some underlying tones of something you didn't understand. That for some reason, the fact that there were no rules against him experiencing emotions was something upsetting him. But you didn't have time to unpack it, because you were also growing in your emotions.

Instead, you yelled, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't come!"

Rex slammed his hands into the wall, effectively blocking you in and yelled, "BECAUSE I COULDN'T PROTECT YOU!"

Now you faltered.

You had thought it had been about you, but... It was about him?

As you stared at him, his eyes reddened and he furiously blinked back tears.

"You were right there... Beside me. You saved my life." His voice cracked with emotions. "And I - I couldn't return the favour... You were lying there, trapped under the ceiling and... Everything I did just made the situation worse... And Dooku was killing my brothers. So I had to do the worst thing imaginable. I had to leave you.

"You only got out alive because Commander Tano..." Rex looked away and now tears did fall down his face. "I failed you, General. And I can't do that again."

You gently raised your hand to cup his face and scoop the tears from his cheek. "You didn't fail me, Rex. I made my choice knowing the consequences it would have, but I... I couldn't deal with losing you. That doesn't mean you failed me."

Rex sighed and lowered his head, similar to how he had on the ship, his upper forehead resting against your lower.

You moved your other hand to cup the other side of his face in order to pull Rex's head back just enough for you to place a gentle kiss to it.

"Please don't come." He whispered.

"Rex... I'm going to come. But I'm going to be fine."

"Promise me, General." It was technically an order, but he said it more like a request than anything.

"I promise, Captain."

You didn't know then the horrible truth that try as you might, that promise would be broken.

[logical-little-lies]

Easter Tears-Agere!Sides AU (pt.23)

a/n: this wasn’t supposed to be angsty I promise it just happened-. Happy late easter tho, enjoy everyone!

"Roman," Virgil sighed. Why did he think giving him candy was a good idea? Like yeah, it was easter, and Patton made them all cute easter baskets (like he did every year, same with halloween, candy bowls would just pop up in the apartment). Virgil always made sure he made himself one too, to even it all out.

Virgil himself had only eaten a few pieces of dark chocolate reese's when Roman began regressing. This year, Patton had added little bunny stuffed animals to their baskets, which was something cutesy that made Roman feel small.  Roman dropped the candy back in his yellow basket with a pout.

Virgil had been telling him nonstop every few minutes that he'd give himself a stomach ache. Of course, he didn't listen and ate the candy anyways. They sat in Roman's room with their baskets, Virgil sitting on the bed with his basket next to him, while Roman (for some reason) preferred sitting on a blanket on the floor. He only did this when he was little, the big prince would never place his clean blankets on the floor. But Little Ro definitely would.

"Hey, no, no, don't feel to bad," Virgil saw the guilty look on his face, probably at the fact that Virgil hadn't done much even though he was insistently not listening to his directions. "Every kid eats a bunch of candy on Easter, I'm not mad at you. Just slow down a bit, yeah?" he reached over and ruffled his hair. Roman nodded lightly, pulling the pink bunny stuffed animal close to him.

Roman then got up, moving to sit next to Virgil, hugging his side. "Are you sleepy, honey?" Virgil asked, and Roman shook his head.

"Just wanna cuddle for a second,"

"of course, little prince."

--

"Babyyyyy," Logan came back into Patton's bedroom, holding a bottle of warm cinnamon milk. He playfully gasped at the sight he saw, Patton in his onesie, nibbling on the chocolate was wasn't supposed to eat too much of. "Now, what did I say, little one?" he questioned,sitting on the bed and taking the basket and setting it on the floor, out of the boys reach.

Patton gave a guilty pout, his eyes immediately seeming more wet. "Not to eat to much of da candy, but-"

"No buts," Logan chuckled, letting him keep his Reeses Cup, "I said no. And you're supposed to listen, right?" Patton whimpered, nodding slightly. "It's alright though, don't cry," Logan went back to being soft on him, making the mental decision not to push to much about candy. He kissed his forehead.

"M' sorry, papa," he mumbled, eating the last of the small piece of chocolate. Logan took the wrapper, and it disappeared within a moment. He then leaned forward, lifting Patton's chin and kissing the button of his nose. Patton blushed lightly, "dada silly!" he giggled.

Logan nodded, climbing onto the bed more and shifting so that he was sitting next to Patton, his back against the headboard. He pulled the little into his lap, "You wanna drink this while it's warm, baby?" he held it up lightly. Patton seemed to regress a little younger immediately, making grabby hands towards it.

Logan chuckled again, kissing the back of his head lightly. Patton loved kisses, not usually on the lips when he was little, but it was common that he'd pout and fight against taking a nap until he had gotten a forehead kiss from Logan. He pulled a blanket over their legs, and Patton grabs his bunny stuffed animal. Logan helped him drink his bottle until it was all gone, and he replaced it with the kitten pacifier.

Patton cuddled in closer to Logan, and Logan pulled his glasses off. "How does a little nap sound?" he asked, and Patton protested.

"You're a little sleepy, I can tell. When you're little you need more rest, baby."

Patton tried to move out of his lap, but Logan tightened his arms around his waist. Logan fake gasped, "You're trying to run away from me now?"

Patton giggled, settling down and leaning into him. "Just twenty minutes, so you aren't to sleepy for the rest of the day until bedtime. And then after," he leaned in, talking in a fake whisper, "I'll let you eat some more of that candy you snuck."

Patton agreed, adjusting himself so that he was laying next to Logan, but cuddled into his side,holding his stuffie between them and burying his head in Logan's chest. Logan kissed his head one more time, and the boy drifted to sleep.

--

"Deceit! We totally need to crash their Easter!" Remus had walked down the steps from his room above Deceit's, bursting into Deceit's room, holding his mace casually above his shoulder.

"You suggested this last year, the year before, and even when Virgil was here. And you know, we're not gonna do it, it just upsets them," Deceit sighed, rubbing his head lightly and closing his notebook.

"You say that like I'm gonna stop. If it can't happen now, then I'll wait until Halloween, I suppose."

Remus sighed, "I get it, you miss your brother. It's okay, but its unrealistic that we're ever gonna get to see them without them sending us away. You want Virgil to be happy, right?" Deceit got up walking towards Remus, and passing him. Remus turned to see where he was going, Deceit just opened his door, motioning towards the staircase going up.

"Yes, of course I do. It's just-"

"Then leave it at that. He's happier with the core sides."

Remus sighed again, rolling his eyes and exiting the room. Deceit shut the door behind him, going back to his desk. He reopened the notebook, signing off on the note he had written, closing the book until further notice. He then proceeded to jump into bed, burrowing himself under the blankets and holding a snake stuffie close.

He missed the days where him and Virgil would take care of each other. He remembered when Virgil taught him all about age regression, which he had learned about exclusively off of Tumblr. He wondered if Virgil was still a little, after these few years. Virgil was probably the only one that saw the soft, babyish side of Deceit.

The reason why Virgil was so good with Patton, so understanding when he went into babyspace, was because Deceit regressed to around the same ages. Little Patton was similar to Baby Deceit in a lot of ways, he was needy but no one minded, would easily cry, but was also adorable and cuddly. Maybe that's why Virgil was so protective over Little Patton, because he reminded him a lot of what his life was before.

Deceit blinked away the tears in his eyes, cuddling the stuffed animal closer. He didn't have the energy to get up and find his pacifier. It was harder to summon things in the darker part of the mind, good magic was harder to discover. This just made it harder for the dark sides to do things, made life harder. It was also harder to create good things, so little gear was sparse anyways. He hoped Virgil was able to create good things now, he hoped that Virgil was really getting better.

He may of acted like he hated Virgil for leaving, but honestly, he was shocked that he had the option to do so. And he was proud that he took the risk and did it.

He just wished that Virgil didn't have to leave him behind, and hurt him so much in the process.

[twilightofthe]

Mace Windu Appreciation Day: Family

Hi everyone!  So I didn’t follow any of the specific prompts for Mace Day, but one thing people tend to get wrong about Mace is something that they tend to get wrong about the Jedi Order in general, that they don’t love and that they don’t have any concept of family.  I decided to give a massive “to hell with that” and focused my piece on Mace and his family!

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“This was not the way I was planning on having our first official line gathering once we were finally all together,” Depa told Caleb as she tapped gently at Mace’s knee, urging him to move it so she could balance the tea tray on his sheets-covered lap.

Mace obediently shifted his legs in bemusement, catching Caleb’s eye as he hovered worriedly in the background while clutching a tin of what Mace hoped were those cookies from that bakery a district over Depa had introduced him to and had cottoned on to him perhaps enjoying more than he’d admit.

Mace’s eyes met Caleb’s.  The boy looked uncertain.  Mace felt his mouth quirk and gave an over-exaggerated eyeroll at Depa’s fussing.  Caleb’s eyes widened in shock and he nearly fumbled the tin.  He caught it, luckily, or Mace might have had to explain away some frivolous Force usage to catch the maybe-cookies.

“I didn’t realize you had plans beyond our usual meet-up in someone’s quarters,” he said to Depa as she finally stepped back after arranging a warm teapot and various cups and pots across the tray, Mace and his bed now the makeshift table.

Depa gave him a fond shake of her head, stepping back to pull up two chairs for her and Caleb to sit.  “I didn’t.  I wasn’t the one who switched the location to the Halls of Healing.”

Mace allowed himself a huff, sitting back into the much too soft pillow the Halls provided.  “This was hardly my idea, Depa.”

“Yes, well, you’re here now, and I’m not letting this place keep us from tradition any longer,” Depa replied matter-of-factly, Mace feeling a slight pang of regret at the remembrance of her long injury.

“Tradition?” Caleb blurted out, ducking his head slightly as both Masters turned to stare at him.  “Sorry, Masters, I’m just curious.  I thought we were just having tea.”

“Oh, we are,” Mace assured him, watching his new grandpadawan shift in his seat with both nervous energy prickling off him in the Force as well as the typical energy becoming of a healthy thirteen year old.  It was hard for him to ever remember being that young himself.  It was getting harder to remember Depa at that age too, he thought with another pang as his former apprentice smiled gently at her own.  “Very important tea.”

Caleb looked confused again, and Depa snorted softly.  “When I was a padawan, Master Windu and I would try to carve out time, once a week, to sit and have tea and discussion.”

“Discussion?” Caleb asked.  Mace hoped he never lost his inquisitive edge.

“Oh, various things,” Depa mused.  “My apprenticeship, what I was learning in classes, what odd fact Mace had come across this week, the goings about of politics and society.”

Mace hummed in agreement, nodding along.  “Now, we could talk to each other whenever, but I find having a specific time to relax one’s mind and engage in conversation leads to a healthier bond and a more open mind overall.”

Caleb nodded earnestly; Mace could see the little cogs in his brain grinding to take all of this information in.

“Even after my Knighthood, we would try to always make time for our tea meetings at least once a month, twice if we were lucky,” Depa continued.  “It’s become more challenging with the war and all, and my injury certainly put a decent-sized gap between get togethers.”  Mace found himself fixed with another warm brown stare.  “So when all of us are together in the same place, I’ll take the chance to introduce my Padawan into our own little tradition where I can get it, even if one of us has landed himself on bedrest.”

“Technically, I am fully recovered and back to duties,” Mace pointed out, waving an arm at the datapad full of responsibilities delivered by one of the Council droids upon his request as soon as he received the all-clear.  “I’m just being kept here longer so my condition can be monitored.  If one of you would be perhaps willing to help me get out of here...”

“What was that?  Couldn’t hear you over the memory of you selling me out to the healers the last time I suggested getting out of medical earlier,” Depa murmured, taking the tin from Caleb and revealing the-- yes, the green nut cookies Mace had grown so fond of.

As Mace tried to hide his pleasure at the risk of Depa’s knowing smirk, he saw Caleb’s face again as he reached for a cookie.  The boy seemed surprised at their banter, and Mace regretted that it had taken so long for the three of them to get together like this.  It had been over a month and a half since Depa and Caleb’s pairing, and Mace had only seen Caleb once briefly since then.

Mace figured it was all the better to get Caleb comfortably into the fold as soon as possible.  “Speaking of the wrath of the healers, I trust Caleb here knows to ah, perhaps not remember what exactly we’re enjoying here; I don’t think outside food, no matter how good it tastes, is welcome in.”

Caleb instantly rounded on his Master.  “So you were having me smuggle it inside my robe when you told me the cookies were better warmer and with body heat!”

Mace couldn’t help a laugh at Depa’s unapologetically guilty expression as she nibbled on a cookie herself.  “Perhaps,” she said, and Caleb giggled, bright and happy.

“All to preserve tradition, right Masters?” Caleb quipped, and Mace felt another laugh coming.  The kid was sharp.

“Technically, the tradition only extends to tea-making,” Mace admitted.  “Part of the first early get-togethers were lessons in how to make tea properly.  It gives you an edge when Master Yoda eventually invites you around for tea.”

“Is he hard to impress?” Caleb asked, paling slightly.

Depa’s mouth quirked, reaching for the untouched teapot to serve herself.  “I’ve had tea with him many times.  I’d say my Master was a tougher critic than he was.”

“Oh!”  Now Caleb was very pale, and he was leaning forward slightly to shoo Mace’s hands away from the teapot.  “Maybe you shouldn’t drink that then, Master.  I-- I made it, you see, Master Depa wanted me to try.  I don’t know if it’s good enough yet for--”

“I’ve been on a steady diet of hospital food ever since I got here, Padawan,” Mace interrupted gently but firmly, swiftly plucking the teapot out of Caleb’s hands and pouring his own cup.  “This will be a welcome reprieve, even if it’s beginner’s tea.”

“Mace!” Depa hissed at him as Caleb’s face made another grimace.  Mace blinked back unrepentantly as he allowed himself the slightest dash of sourberry juice-- absolutely no sugar, he wasn’t a heathen.

Just because Caleb was a beginner didn’t mean he should pick up bad habits.  Allowing himself a sip, he did take pity on the nervous Padawan as he offered him a smile and a raised brow.  “Not bad.”

Caleb slumped in visible relief.  “Do you think Master Yoda would like it?”

Mace reached for another cookie.  “I wouldn’t get that excited.”  He laughed in his throat as Depa swiped the cookie tin away from him in disapproval and focused on Caleb.  “Master Yoda is very particular about how he takes his tea, and how others take it too.  It is one of the few lessons of the culinary kind you should take from him.”

Now Depa was the one laughing in her throat while Caleb’s brow furrowed.  “What do you mean by that, Master Windu?”

Feeling amusement bubble up, Mace let Caleb in on a secretive smile.  It was his right and civic duty to warn Caleb of this.  So few of the Padawans and even some of the Knights made their ways through their apprenticeships-- himself included, unfortunately --without knowing the one key piece of information about the Grandmaster.

Mace called this payback from the time his ignorance had gotten him food poisoning.

“Master Yoda,” Mace began, “has a very specialized diet for his species.  He can drink things like teas along with the rest of us, but his meals...”

...memories of himself and a group of other Padawans watching Yoda swallow a live frog on a field trip...

“Well, he eats different things than most sentients do, and when he tries to prepare food for others and offer it to them...”

Depa was full on hiding laughter behind her teacup now, and Caleb was watching him with a completely stunned expression, ever-questioning mouth hung open and silent for once.

Mace tok a delicate sip of not-quite-right tea.  “It is best you have a strong stomach-- or at least a strong sabacc face.  Now that I think of it, a Master that can teach you to cook so you know the difference between good and bad taste isn’t that bad a thing to have either.”

Stars, Mace had known a number of people either trained by or from a line trained by Yoda, and he could maybe name one from each line that actually could cook more than water.

“So... that’s another reason why tea lessons are so important?” Caleb guessed, and Mace smiled at him.  

“Exactly.”

Depa sighed in fake distress.  “Honestly.  Caleb, if you’re caught badmouthing the Grandmaster this way, you know whose name to give when they ask where you heard it from.”

Mace waited for Caleb to duck his head in laughter and focus on mixing his own tea before Mace mouthed to Depa, But who would believe him.

Depa’s eyes lit up with playful warning.  “Oh it is so good to see you again, my old Master.  I do hope that nothing happens to you that you should have to stay in here longer.”

Mace had very much missed his old Padawan’s sense of humor.

He grinned challengingly, drinking his tea at her aggressively, only to pause at Caleb voicing another question.  “How did you end up in here the first place, Master?”

He looked at Caleb in surprise, who promptly backpedaled just the slightest.  “That is, if you wish to share.  I just heard you had an accident with some pirates.”

Mace turned to Depa.  “You didn’t tell him?”

Depa’s brows rose in a particular movement Mace knew would mean he was due for some explaining in the face of interrogation.  “Frankly, I wasn’t sure if I read the incident report correctly.  It seems to have configured itself with some of the wilder Temple rumors the mill has spouted.”

Mace offered her a sly smile, and Depa groaned.  “Oh, you actually did.  How even--”  She grabbed at his hand and examined it, seeming to seek satisfaction Mace was truly there in front of her.  Mace humored her and wiggled his fingers.

“Caleb,” he addressed his grandpadawan.  “A word of advice: space without an atmospheric suit is very, very cold.”

Caleb’s eyes turned to two green moons.  “You were in space without an atmo suit?”

Depa made an irritated noise as Mace responded, “Not purposely.”

“Don’t get any ideas, Caleb,” warned Depa.

Caleb shook his head rapidly, spilling a small splash of tea onto Mace’s blankets.  “Oh, of course not.  But Master Windu, how did you--”

“Survive that long?” Mace finished, flashing back to the icy, tight, pressurized weight squeezing in on his Force shields he had barely managed to throw up in time.  “Well for starters--”

Depa made a warning noise in the back of his throat.  Mace smiled innocently at her.  Perhaps being the indulgent grandmaster was even more fun than he had thought.  He scooted over on his hospital bed and gestured for Caleb to hop up and sit by his feet.  

“To start with,” Mace began, with a conceding nod to Depa to settle her hackles.  “I would recommend not finding oneself in a situation where pirates are threatening to space you in the first place...”