#my wind team is fine but i feel like i could scrap it and make something better

[remysgamingsideblog]

one thing i really appreciate about gbf is that whenever i decide i wanna take grid building more seriously, it feels like the game awards me with good rng

anyway i just got michael from my 100 free pulls today

[dravid-writes]

Continuing my late @heropartnerweek entries, the day 5 prompt "Frosty Forest"!

"Thoooorn!"

Compass the Cyndaquil walks through Frosty Forest, calling their partner's name. Is Thorn really here? Xatu told them to come here, but it's been weeks since they were spotted here, and no one's found any trace of them since then. After all, why would a ground-type hide in such a cold place? Maybe because no one would expect it.

"Thoooorn!"

This is a terrible plan. Why would Thorn just come out, after hiding for this long? Maybe they'd reveal themself to their partner… That is, if Compass were still their partner. Maybe Compass should say something else? But what? They couldn't convince Leader Beacon to call off the hunt, so how could they-

Behind them, snow crunches underfoot. They turn around to see a lone cubone, wrapped in a familiar cloak. "What are you doing here."

Compass recognizes their voice… and their tone. They haven't spoken like that since they first came to Pokemon Square, so afraid and defensive and untrusting that they'd rather eat apples off the ground than accept a hand-made pie. But it's… different somehow. "I… I came to look for you!"

Behind their skull mask, Thorn's eyes narrow. They take a step forward. "What. Are you. Doing. Here." Their voice drips with anger and hatred so deep that even Compass can feel it.

Compass steps back. "I…" They've never seen Thorn like this. Not when they were angry and frustrated with Alakazam or Xatu, not even with Gengar. Suddenly, despite their fire keeping them warm, Compass is shivering. "I-I'm…"

"… You know, I've been sleeping outside, in a snow-covered forest, so afraid for my life that I don't even move unless there's snowfall to cover my tracks." Thorn pulls out their bone club. "So I could really use some exercise to warm me up."

"N-no, I'm not here to fight! I'm here to say I'm sorry!"

There's a long, still silence between them. Only the howling wind makes a sound.

Then, Thorn turns around and walks away.

"W-wait!" Compass follows them. "Where are you going?"

"Somewhere else. I've been found, so I need to run."

"No, I don't want you to have to run anymore! I want this to end!"

"You know better than anyone that only ways this can end are either me dying, or the end of the world."

"No, I don't. There HAS to be another way to restore the world's balance! We can find Ninetales and-"

"I already talked to Ninetales." That's how Thorn knows it's all over. That even if they were the human from the legend, not even their death would save the world. Everyone is going to die, and there's no way to stop it.

"… Did Ninetales say there's no other way to stop it?"

Thorn stops walking and looks at Compass in confusion. They're seriously not giving up?

"They didn't, did they! That means there's still hope! We can still figure something out, maybe we can find the legendary bird and-"

"We, we, we, what the hell do you mean 'we'!? There hasn't been a 'we' for THREE WEEKS! And you come out here, find me half-frozen and half-starved, say 'I'm sorry', and suddenly everything is fine!? After what you did to me!?"

"I-I'm sorry, it was a mistake, I wasn't thinking-"

Thorn walks toward them. "You weren't thinking and your first instinct was to betray me!? You ruined my life! You told me I could trust you, so I DID! And you took EVERYTHING FROM ME!!"

Compass walks backward. "I'm sorry, I panicked, I didn't mean to-" They trip and fall backward into the snow.

Thorn stands over them, glaring down. "I TRUSTED YOU!!!… I. Trusted. You. You were my partner. You were my friend. I trusted you so much that I put my life in your hands. And you sold me out. What, in that stupid, naive, wannabe-hero brain of yours, made you think I had even a scrap of trust left for you?"

"… W-well… Um… You came out of hiding to talk with me…"

Thorn just stands, staring down at Compass. For a long while, their mind is blank. "… Do you have any idea how much I've wanted to hurt you? The dreams I've had? The dreams where I hunt you down and KILL you for forcing me to live like this AGAIN-"

A blast of water knocks Thorn away.

"Compass!" Avalanche the Oshawott shouts, rushing over to help them up. "Are you okay?!"

Compass blinks at them in confusion. "What- Where did you come from?"

Torch the Charmander stands between them and Thorn. "Thank goodness we found you. Did you run away just to look for Thorn? Beacon was worried sick!"

"Just sit tight," Avalanche says, "we'll handle Thorn."

"No! Stop!" Compass jumps in front of them, arms spread wide. "I just finished explaining to Thorn that this needs to end!"

"… They were threatening your life ten seconds ago."

"Well I'm no better!"

Everyone, Thorn included, tilts their heads in confusion.

"I did this. I brought all of this on them. If Thorn hadn't run away, they'd be… They'd be dead! They'd die, and I'd have killed them! I NEED to fix this. Please, just let them go, I'll find another way I swear!"

Torch sighs. "Compass, you already asked, and Beacon's already tried. No one wants to do this, but the disasters are getting worse, and this is our only option. Besides, don't you remember the legend? How Thorn abandoned their old partner? You don't really know them-"

"I don't care! I know them enough! Maybe they were bad in the past, but they've grown! They want to help people, and they've been kind and patient. They were… They're my partner! It doesn't matter what they did in the past, they don't deserve to die!"

"Compass… Ava, get escape orb ready, we're heading back."

Compass sighs in relief-

"You mean with Compass, right?"

"Yeah, of course," Torch says, grabbing Compass by the hand.

"Wha- No!" Compass yanks their arm away, and Torch grabs it again with both hands.

"Compass, come on, Beacon's been searching for you 24/7!"

"No! Stop, let go! I'm not abandoning Thorn again!"

"They don't even WANT-"

"Let GO of them!" Thorn shouts, moments before their foot smashes into Torch's stomach. As everyone stares in shock, Thorn glares at Torch. "Compass doesn't like being touched."

Avalanche runs toward Thorn to attack, but Compass steps in front of them and taps their escape orb before shoving them backward onto Torch. The orb glows, and Compass says a quick "Sorry" as the pair teleport back to town.

Then, the forest is once more silent.

"… So um, Thorn, about those dreams-"

"Nightmares, more like. Where my anger takes over, and I lose control, hunting you down. You call for help, scream for mercy, and I…" Thorn trails off, tightening their cloak around themself. The cloak that they bought as a gift for Compass. That they kept close all this time. "I hate you, for what you did to me… But not enough for that. I don't want that."

"Oh… I was going to say, I… have dreams like that too. Dreams where I try to help, try to do the right thing, but… I always end up killing you… I understand if you-"

"Articuno is this way," Thorn says, walking away.

Compass stares at them in disbelief.

"Yeah, turns out they live here in this forest. Let's hurry up, I'd prefer to get out of here asap so we can move on to Moltres in that fire mountain on the way here." Thorn continues walking, then stops and sighs when they realize Compass isn't following. "What? Are you just gonna stand there and wait for the apocalypse?"

"Uh, r-right! I mean, no! Let's go!"

[sassycordy]

Hmm… I have been overloading Stargatelov3rs asks recently and during one of our discussions she brought up how you have a headcanon regarding the Daedalus being broken so they don’t have any easy access to earth.

First off, that idea is amazing, and second, could you expand on it?

Completely understandable if not. <3

so i haven't been as active, but i did see some of those conversations, and y'all were getting into some good stuff ahah. and yes ofc! i am the queen of long-winded rants so buckle up, folks aha.

so for some background, we were recording a new ep for our podcast, and as most of our listeners know, we all tend to get off topic pretty often lmfao. and so i went on this long ass tangent about how season one of atlantis is the best season of the show! regardless of personal feelings because it's the only season that truly sticks to the original premise. the premise being an expedition of humans travel to a new galaxy and have no connection to earth; therefore, they have to fight this new alien threat all by themselves.

I love atlantis and the franchise as a whole so much. I wouldn't be here if I didn't. but I'm also pretty vocal about all their shitty decisions lol. and unfortunately, there were a lot of those in atlantis! I don't know why the writing team thought it would be a good idea to keep that original premise for ONE season. I rly don't, but it drives me a little insane ngl ahha.

the reason season one is hands down the best of the show is because, throughout those 20 episodes, there is real tension. it rly feels like the team is barely scrapping by for most of the season, and watching them scramble on their own is what carries most if not all of the dramatic tension. and all of that excellent groundwork and foundation is immediately stripped by the second season. to clarify, it's not that the daedalus came to save atlantis at the end of the season. that's fine. it's the way the daedalus is used that ruins everything. (the daedalus is always there after season two to save the team whenever the plot requires them to).

so i came up with an idea to fix all of my issues with season two and the other season as well! i suggested keeping the finale of season one the same. at the eleventh hour, the daedalus shows up and basically saves atlantis. but instead of being able to go back and forth for season two, the hyperdrive breaks, causing colonel caldwell and the entire crew to become new residents of atlantis. this essentially changes very little about season two, except it brings back that dramatic tension and adds even more internal conflict to the base. now we have more people! but they weren't prepared for this expedition ooooooo. instead of that random ep where the team is on the daedulus being murdered by a computer virus, we could have an off-world & base dedicated ep! where we can see firsthand how much of an adjustment this is. colonel caldwell and elizabeth are clashing, john has to train new military personnel who have no idea what they're doing, and rodney is working with new scientists who don't listen or respect his leadership role.

you could even keep the original structure of the second season! the daedalus can be on standby, able to make small jumps to rescue the team if need be. but instead of just miraculously showing up and saving the day, this time, it actually makes sense lol. i think this change could do a lot for the show and its characters tbh because there’s so much they could’ve done with it! and maybe after half a season, the hyperdrive gets fixed. and half of the crew decide to leave with caldwell to get back to earth to warn them about the wraith. so the end of season two could be the team Finally having enough power to dial earth when something goes wrong. maybe michael sabotages it? or hell, maybe even the team decides to cut the transmission bc earth wants them to come back! im very much an atlantis should’ve been an independent colony stan lol (at least we’ll always have fic aha).

anyways sorry this is so long, and I hope this makes sense <3 it's a lot easier to rant when I don't have to type all this up ahah. thank you for asking this question tho !!!! I love talking about ways to fix atlantis lmfao cause while there's a lot to love, there's also a lot to critique ahah.

[mrpenguinpants]

Bennett: Affection HCs

I KNEW I HAD THIS ASK IN MY INBOX AND I JUST READ BENNETT’S BIRTHDAY LETTER TO YOU SO I SAID FUCK IT. I’M WRITING THIS. I MAY HAVE 2 FICS IN THE PROCESS BUT I CARE ABOUT BENNETT SO MUCH. 

---

Xiao Ver: Affection HCs

Bennet: Windblume Love Letter HCs

[Masterlist]

—

[taglist]  <- if you want to be added, please read this first.

 @mikeysbike @unionwitch @musekala @sunnshiii @stanzastic @akaasea @xoneaboveallx @adoring-ghost @asheseiler @childelover @dilucsz @dai-tsukki-desu @thicmitten @nonniechan @htnicayh @genshins1mpact​ @morthecreator​ @ aanne2601 @aklxojjk​ @fulltimeventisimp​ @hanniejji​

---

Bennett: Affection HCs

Bennett has so much love and affection to share but he’s also so shy and awkward in his delivery. It’s so endearing that you can’t help but but try and stifle your giggles lest he get more embarrassed. He just get’s so nervous since this is his first relationship and he knows his track record on luck isn’t super bright so he’s always fumbling. Trying to force his nerves away when he wants to hold your hand but as soon as he reaches out to lace your fingers, you’ll turn around, and Bennett throws his arm back so hard that he accidently pops his shoulder out of his socket. While you’re fretting over him he’s trying to reassure you that he’s completely fine and that this happens all the time. Which isn’t very comforting, he thinks things could have been worse. What if he accidently slips and drags you down with him or even worse, his pyro vision acts up and he has sweaty hands? He’s screaming internally at that.

Bennett totally reads romance novels to get a better understanding on what a relationship is like but his execution is a bit questionable. He tries to be suave and attempts to wrap his arm around your shoulder but he accidently slips halfway and he’s fallen into the fountain. But when he hears your barely contained chuckles as you try and help him out, he can’t help but feel a flutter in his chest that he doesn’t mind the unlucky accidents that happen to him if it makes you laugh. He’ll shake the water out of his hair and grin at you before he takes your hand in his and you both go back to the church to dry him off.

Whenever he sees you he has to take a couple minutes to calm his heart. Even when he’s out with Fischl and she’s talking in her special way, as soon as he catches sight of you, he’s sighing in adoration with the love-sick puppy eyes. That’s when Fischl knows she’s completely lost Bennett and you’re probably behind her. She sighs out a bit exasperated as she shrugs before she’s dragging him to meet up with you. No matter how red Bennett gets or what he’s yelling, Fischl has a death grip on him and grins smugly before she calls out your name to let you know someone’s got heart eyes for you.

While he’s extremely grateful to the Adventures guild and Mondstadt, having you beside him really hits deep. That you accept and love him despite the unlucky streak he has. You are so special in his eyes and the fact you choose to stay with him makes him sniffle a bit. Somedays he wakes up and can’t help but feel the rush of happiness he feels just being able to see your smiling face. He might get poked fun from his Dads but it’s completely worth it. It’s actually really wholesome when Bennett wants to introduce you to his family since they already know plenty about you because Bennett will literally not shut up about you.

The praise he receives from his dads and Katherine make him grin happily but when you praise him, he ends up growing so shy and pink. Awkwardly scratching at his cheek as he says it wasn’t that big of a deal just because he wants to hear you praise him more. He’s pretty hard on himself so your words really mean a lot to him. Likewise, Bennett is super optimistic. He’s your #1 cheerleader and it’s contagious adopting his positivity outlook on life. Whatever you’re interested in or wish to do, he’s fully on board and supportive.

He’s always coming back from his adventures with scraps and cuts that it really concerns you when Bennett shakes his pain away. He’s always had a head-first battle tactic that’s not easy to change in one day, so instead you ask Barbara to teach your some healing abilities or tips to try and help him out a bit. While you’re a bit clumsy and not as well-versed as Barbara. Bennett still hugs you with so much force as he exclaims he’s never felt so empowered before.

When Bennett feels sad, he’ll lean his shoulder against yours and close his eyes. Slowly moving down until it’s his head against your arm. He stays there before you reach over and place his head in your lap and slowly run your fingers through his hair. It’s a small and ordinary moment but it means the whole world to Bennett.

Bennett always keeps whatever you give him in a special pouch, from a small slip of paper wishing him luck to the small four leaf clover you gave him, it’s always on him whenever he sets out. He knows that despite his best wishes, you can’t spent every waking moment together and he doesn’t want to endanger you with his bad luck on more dangerous expeditions. He actually full on bawled when you said you wanted to join the "Benny's Adventure Team" and actually stuck around even after all the unfortunate incidents that happened. But whenever he’s far away from Mondstadt, away from you, he’ll take a small break and go through the small trinkets you’ve given to him with the softest smile as he handles them with care. They are his treasures after all.

It’s been a rather challenging adventure today. Bennett and you took on a commission to investigate a hilichurl camp on Starsnatch cliff only to run across an Eye of the Storm instead. While you both managed to defeat it, you both got your fair share of cuts from the anemo winds and the hard ground when you had to dive away from the orb crashing down. You’re silently thanking yourself for taking those lessons from Barbara as you’re trying to patch him up. 

“Sorry, I didn’t expect an Eye of Storm to appear instead. I guess my bad luck is spreading again,” Bennett chuckles awkwardly to himself as he winces a tiny bit at the throb of his cuts. You simply shake it off as you try and gently place the cloth back on his cheek to wipe away the small amount of blood. You’re just happy that you both managed to get away from that monster without any serious injuries. 

“Don’t say that Bennett, we defeated it didn’t we? That’s one less problem for the Adventures guild right?” you say as you smile encouragingly at him. He nods in silent agreement but his eyes rake over the cuts and on arms and knees and he can’t help feel sadden. He gently pushes your hands away from his injury's as he opens his own pouch that carries his adhesive bandages to place upon your scrapes.

“Bennett?” you question. You’re so used to the happy go lucky Bennett that this sudden quiet atmosphere looms above you as Bennett quickly returns the favour. It’s only when he takes a small moment to scan your body for anything he missed before he takes your hands in his. Rubbing small circles over your skin, whether he’s trying to comfort you or himself into speaking you’re not entirely sure. 

“There’s a dream I want to tell you about. I want to find the most valuable treasure to give back to Mondstadt and get our Adventures guild to become the biggest branch in Teyvat. That way my Dad’s can take a break and we can go adventuring all over the world. We can go visit Fischl at her home or take Razor to see the ocean!” he grins happily at you as his eyes light up in such a way that it takes you a few moments to register what he’s saying. You can feel such a rush of love pour into your system at his wholesome dream that you can’t help but clutch his hands closer to yourself. 

“I’ll stay beside you the entire time and I promise we’ll make your dream a reality. Benny's Adventure Team will be the greatest adventure team there ever was,” you lean forward and boop your nose against his, “But you need to take better care of yourself first mister.”

“Now come on. Let’s go home together Bennett,” you smile down at him as you stand up and extend your hand out to him. It takes a few moments for Bennett to act as he gazes up at you. The hand that’s been placed in front of him as support in so many of his unlucky incidents, covered in the bandages he carries around from the family he cares about, the hand that is still there after everything. Bennet knows he’s always been unlucky. That’s just the way it is. He’s always running on what drops of luck he can grab and live life to the fullest but right now. Even with the dull stings of anemo winds on his cheeks, the throb of new bruises he’s probably developing, he reaches out and takes your hand. He’s never felt luckier in his entire life.

---

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go gag on the sugar I just wrote. I may have strayed away from the affection hcs but I care about Bennett and his character stories cripples me. I had to re-write this so there are some issues but I’m tired. Either way, Happy birthday best boy 💕💕💕

[cazimagines]

Niki Lauda x Ferrari's first female engineer/mechanic hcs

Request: Could I request Niki Lauda x Ferrari’s first female engineer/mechanic? It was the 70s so even though she really knows her stuff she gets a lot of crap, and even though they vibe on cars she doesn’t take any from Lauda. She really loves what she does, the kind to stay up all night to finish or fix or tinker with something but usually catches a ride with Niki after races cuz she finds the afterparties boring/pretentious. Hope this isn’t too specific! -🦇

- You had fought tooth and claw to get where you were. Ferrari's first female engineer. Just thinking over it made you feel giddy. Ever since you were a child you were obsessed with cars and wanted to build them all. At a young age, you started making go-karts, riding them down your street. You would go searching for scraps at the local garage to improve your own kart and then race it against the neighbour's kids. While you enjoyed the ride, the feel of the wind rushing by your face as you travel speedily, you knew your heart always belonged to the actual making of the kart rather than racing

- You were always found around the local garage, and the men were kind enough to show you around and teach you skills, they found it amusing that such a young girl showed interest in such things. They saw it as a little hobby that you would grow out of one day, but they were wrong. This wasn't just a phase, it wasn't just a hobby. It was something you were passionate about and you were determined to follow it through

- And so you did. It had taken a lot. Men didn't like it that a woman was proving better than them. Showing them up. At all chances, they tried to pull you down, prevent you from getting far but even they couldn't deny the skill you had for engineering. In the end, their need for a good engineer won out against their misogyny and you were allowed to join the team. A lot of the men there still treated you like crap, never acknowledging your good work and treating you as if you were an idiot but you knew just being there you were an inspiration for other women who wanted to go into similar professions and you weren't going to give that up. Plus their remarks were easy to ignore until one certain guy came along

- You, like most of the team, scoffed at the fact that this guy Niki had to buy himself into F1. You had all joked around that he wouldn't last the season. He was just a rich boy using daddy's money to have some fun. And maybe Niki knew what was being said of him because he was quick to disprove these things. You had started to admire him, seeing just how skilled he was at driving. That was until he joined Ferrari.

- To give it to him, he didn't seem to mind that you were a female, at least if he did he never vocalized that. He did however choose to critique you and all of your team on everything they did to the car, constantly telling you what you were doing wrong and how you were costing him the races to Hunt. His arrogance pissed you off to no end

- You'd be working on adjusting the engine so it wouldn't fail from the speed it was having to push the car. He'd become up behind you, crossing his arms and shaking his head in annoyance. 'Your doing it wrong' he'd state. 'I'm the engineer, you're the driver' you'd bite back and his eyes would flicker to yours in anger. 'I know my car better than you. That's why all my improvements make my racing better, whereas yours just makes me as mediocre as Hunt'

- You'd throw the spanner to the ground in anger and stand up to glare at him, only inches apart, 'If you think you're improvements are so good why don't you just fire me and do the engineering yourself' 'Fine, I will if all you are going to give is a bitchy attitude towards me' you scoff at his words and storm off

- You thought that was it. That was the end of your time at Ferrari. But your resignation never came. You'd stay on. And it wasn't as if Niki had forgotten you existed. No, he started appearing even more when you were working on the cars. Criticizing you, undoing your hours of work and just being plain rude. It leads to many arguments with him, usually with you telling him to fuck off and yet he never got you fired and it confused you to no end.

- Because you enjoyed working on the cars so much, and how you wanted to prove to Niki that you were a good engineer, you would stay after hours most nights working on the car. The team didn't care, they usually left you alone, thinking you were stupid for wanting to spend more time there than you had already. On one night there was a party being hosted for Niki winning another race. You were invited but you didn't go, you hated the parties, usually because of the way the men treated you

- So you were working on the car when the lights were turned on in the garage and Niki's booming voice rang out, 'Who's there?' you appeared from under the car looking at him confused,' Aren't you supposed to be at the party?' 'I could say the same thing to you' is all he would reply. You would tell him you were just finishing up on some work and would be leaving in a minute. You expected him to leave you alone but instead, he waited till you were done. 'How are you getting home?' he asks as he starts to walk next to you. 'The bus?' you say, finding this very situation extremely weird as for once he wasn't insulting you. 'The bus is crap, it takes ages to get you anywhere and it's getting dark. I'll take you home' you were shocked, to say the least.

- You tried to argue against it but somehow you found yourself sitting in the passenger seat of his car and you quietly drive down the road, the awkwardness of the situation affecting both of you. 'You hate parties, even if they are your own?' you say finally breaking the silence, 'I enjoy parties, but I find the people insufferable' he simply replies back. 'Yes you seem to find everyone on the team insufferable, I'd assume me the most'

- Keeping his eyes on the road, his grip on the wheel tightens slightly. 'I don't find you insufferable' 'By the way all the work I do never seems to be good enough for you that was enough for me to believe that', he rolls his eyes as you speak. 'Your work is okay, but it can be better if you actually try'. 'I do try!' you exclaim but he just shakes his head, 'Not enough'

- Finally, you arrive at home, you turn to look at him, preparing to bite back the bitter feeling in your mouth and thank him when he says 'You can get out now'. You throw up your middle finger at him as you leave the car making him chuckle

- This incident somehow started a routine for you two. Niki realised it wasn't just that day but most days you choose to stay after hours, and suddenly he started staying after hours as well. At first, he would do the usual and just tell you everything you were doing wrong, then offer you a lift home. But soon he started helping you out, making adjustments together, and though you hated to admit it he was right with his suggestions, they made the car better. But in the same way, he was helping you improve your knowledge, and he started occasionally giving you compliments on your work, though very rare.

- He'd always offer you a lift home and honestly how could you refuse to ride with an F1 driver, even if he drove really slow on actual roads. Your conversations slowly switched from insulting each other to actually talking about common interests and joking around as if you were good friends

- Then you started to feel more, like when he was helping you on the car, and he would move past you, his hand resting on your waist briefly. Or when you would both lean over to grab something and his hand would come in contact with yours, and you would both stare at each other for a moment before he tells you to remove your hand.

- You started to actually celebrate when he won races, and not just because it was your team winning. He'd come out of the car and his eyes would first be on yours, smiling excitedly at another race won and seeing you cheer him on. Then when he was giving his winning speech and his eyes flicker to you, 'And I couldn't have won this race without the work from my team, specifically our main and first female engineer y/n'

- You could never explain the pure joy and happiness you felt at that moment. But it was very similar to the same feeling you got when you two were working on the car the next day and he asks you to look at him. For once in his life, his cocky attitude had gone away and he looked nervous but pulling himself together, he grasped the back of your neck with his hand and pulled you forward, hips lips coming to rest on yours.

[deniigi]

my supervisor fucked me over with all my other coworkers present. can I request a one shot from you to cheer me up featuring Sammy?

Did I give y’all the fic about the hotpot?

Well if I didn’t, I’m giving it to you now.

Title: hotpot

Summary: Ganke checks the comments for the Blindspot comic daily and there’s this one asshole anon who keeps talking shit about BT.

--

The Blindspot comic went live in the fall and Ganke couldn’t stop checking the hit count every five seconds. All night there had only been ten hits.

He told himself not to be disappointed. The only person who really mattered had read and loved the comic.

Miles said that BT had even forced everyone on the team to read an abridged version of Journey to the West, and had gone as far as to make a quiz to determine everyone’s character.

Miles refused to disclose who he’d gotten.

BT had clearly rigged the game to make himself Sun Wukong and Ganke was proud of him.

That kind of enthusiasm was exactly what he’d been hoping for, anything else now was just icing on the cake.

Even though it would be cool if it wasn’t just BT reading his own comics.

That would be pretty cool, right? Like. If people online all started reading BT’s comic. That would be sort of amazing.

Kind of excellent.

Definitely worthy of an A+ and double pats on the back.

Right?

The hit counter didn’t think so. But hey, five more people had opened the page since last night. That was something, wasn’t it?

 MM: dude why not just ask Sam to tweet out the link?

 How dare you, Miles Morales.

How dare you waltz into this place with logical thought.

GL: I can’t do that. That’s like. Idk. Inflating the views.

MM: okay yeah explain to me how appealing to the person in control of the largest part of his own fandom is inflating the views

GL: I see your logic and I’m banishing it

MM: I’m messaging him

GL: DON’T

MM: too late

MM: he says ‘gimme link’

GL: asdksjsjdks

--

 @blindspot: hi I know y’all can’t get enough of me to the point of asking shockingly invasive questions and for you I say good news! Some amazing folks have gone through the trouble of making a Blindspot comic. it’s good guys check it out [link]

--

 It helped.

A lot.

It helped a lot.

--

 People, on the whole, had great things to say. The panels were screenshotted and tagged and sent all over social media and even though Miles was pretending to be chill and aloof about the whole thing, Ganke could imagine him smiling big and bright and white at his phone non-stop.

Mom and Auntie saw a few of the bits on Twitter and tittered over them in the kitchen like pigeons.

The pride rose like a wave. Ganke kept waiting for the crash.

--

 It came two days later in the form of a comment that read ‘Christ, look at all this fuss. BT is fine. I hate his brother.’

It felt like someone punching the wind out of Ganke’s lungs.

He took comfort in the handful of people who leapt in to shout down the commenter. They emphasized that if the anonymous commenter didn’t like the story or the characters, then they didn’t have to read it and they, especially, didn’t have to say anything about it.

Ganke appreciated those guys. He got the feeling that a lot of the people on there knew that the whole thing had been done but a couple of kids.

Not that Anon cared.

Anon replied to all these comments ‘No, I’m gonna keep reading, thanks. Anyways, the brother is lame. The smart part is cool, but why’s it always gotta be a guy?’

The part that haunted Ganke even after he’d shut his laptop and had gone to stick his head out the window for some big breaths of cleansing air was that Anon was kind of right.

--

 GL: should we have made Guotin’s brother a sister?

MM: no

GL: why not?

MM: cause BT’s always wanted a brother

 Oh.

Okay. Then it was fine?

 MM: yeah man ignore them. it’s chill.

GL: k thanks my ego is huge and fragile

MM: trust me I know

 Asshole. Fine, moving right along.

--

 It didn’t stop. Anon commented on every page. Every. Single. Page.

Ganke didn’t know what to do or say. On the one hand, clearly this person was dedicated and deeply engaged with the comic, on the other hand, they needed a Rude Alert button. Ganke wondered if Ned could code one for them and them only.

The latest of their fury was directed at the big reveal in the second issue—BT’s face.

Having now met Sam, BT, Blindspot, Ganke’s whole image of him had changed.

He was not conventionally attractive as far as like, K-Pop idols and famous Chinese dudes went. His eyes were puffy and narrow and his face was round everywhere but the jaw. He leaned more towards ‘cute’ than ‘sexy,’ which Ganke sort of loved about him.

He was friendly. Stressed and grumpy and feisty as hell, yeah, but first and foremost friendly.

Miles claimed that he called it his ‘number one asset in employability.’ Which was wild because hello, Blindspot.

Obviously, BT couldn’t help his face. But Miles and Ganke could help Guotin’s.

Ganke had sent Miles about fifteen different images of Chinese celebrities and had told him to do his worst. They’d reviewed the final few drafts and had picked one that was most like a young Chen Kun. His face was more oval-shaped than BT’s. His chin and lips were slimmer but more defined. He was pretty, but not so pretty as to be called ‘feminine,’ which Ganke thought was a solid compromise between ‘handsome as sin’ and ‘looks like he’s got a quirky sense of humor.’

Anon hated him.

Anon thought that he looked like an idol, and they were not here for it.

They told ‘the artist’ to give him a mole or something, anything to make him look ‘less pristine. God, I can smell him from here and he smells like Dior and staph habitat.’

Ganke had to look up what a staph infection was. He regretted it. He asked Miles if they should censor Anon.

Miles said ‘mmmmm, idk it’s not like they aren’t saying anything that isn’t true.’

Ganke resented that. Clearly this was defamation of BT. This person hated him and was taking their feeling out on the comic.

 MM: I mean yeah but it’s not like they’re talking about the comic, man. They’re talking about the style and like, thinking about it, a mole or smth to help you tell him apart from other folks would kind of be helpful. Like, especially if we ever put him in a crowd, you know?

 HHHHHH.

Fine.

Anon could stay. But they were on thin ice.

--

 It was hard not to be bitter about Anon’s comments, especially when they arrived daily, as though Anon knew exactly what they were doing and which page they’d left off at. They couldn’t possibly be reading the comic one page at a time, this was intentional.

Ganke’s jaw hurt from all the tooth grinding he’d endured as of late.

This latest one read ‘yo, has BT ever mentioned fighting with a sword? I don’t recall him mentioning. Someone should take that thing away from him before someone loses an eye—or maybe even two.’

That felt like a pointed jibe.

That turned the churning irritation in Ganke’s gut into something much, much colder.

Did Anon know about BT’s black and blue eyes? How could they know? Was it a coincidence? It seemed to be more than a coincidence.

The pile of critiques was growing bigger and bigger, and now that Ganke thought about it, they all seemed to take issue with things that didn’t match the real Blindspot’s personality.

It was as if they knew him.

 GL: miles did you read the new comment from AnonTheAsshole?

MM: lol yeah

GL: tell me if I’m talking out my ass or whatever but like

GL: you don’t think they could be Muse, could they?

 Silence.

 MM: oh no

 Yeah. Fuck.

 MM: chances are low.

GL: they know so much tho??

MM: might be stalker? Maybe someone who’s over-invested in BT’s social media pages?

GL: maybe.

MM: hold on let me ask Spidey to screen it

GL: does he know Muse?

MM: no, but he’s paranoid and he’ll get Wade to be paranoid with him, and then they can decide whether its worth giving to DD for verification. He knows Muse.

 Ganke’s head was spinning. His fingers shook with guilt and the thought of Muse’s pale body hunched over a secret, cracked cell phone in a high security prison who knew where.

In Ganke’s head, he smiled wider and wider, until the skin on his cheeks cracked. He dug out scraps of paper and redrew Blindspot—Sam—with gaping holes for eyes and a screaming mouth and he drew dismembered corpses in black lakes and he laughed.

He just kept laughing.

 MM: hey ganke

MM: it’s going to be okay. It’s just a comic. I’m sure AnonTheAsshole is a stalker. They’re not threatening anyone.

MM: Sam can deal with a stalker. And we can too, okay?

 There was a reason that Miles was a hero. Ganke wiped at his eyes and swallowed.

 GL: okay. Thanks for doing that.

MM: 👍🏾

--

 It took a few hours because Spidey and Deadpool had lives outside of being Spidey and Deadpool, but not so long that Ganke ran out of nails to chew.

Miles messaged him back and said that Spidey had read through everything and ‘escalated it.’ This meant that whatever he’d seen had caused him enough concern to take it to DP.

Miles said that he’d get back to Ganke with DP’s verdict as soon as he had it. In the meantime, he’d run the comments by the other Spideypeople and they thought that it most likely wasn’t malevolent but was maybe something to keep an eye on in the meantime. He tacked onto all, somewhat stiltedly, that he had a weird feeling all of the sudden. The pink Spidey’s tone had changed. She’d shut down and gone cagey, which allegedly wasn’t like her at all. Then she’d told the taller guy to DM her and they’d vanished from the chat. Miles wasn’t sure what was going on there or if maybe they knew something about stuff going on that he didn’t, but he wasn’t super comfortable with it.

 GL: crossing my fingers its nothing?

MM: same man, same.

--

 DP escalated it.

Ganke couldn’t stay still in his room. There was no comfortable place to sit or stand or lay. There was nothing to do that would make him stop thinking about everything.

 MM: It’s gonna be fine, man, DD always knows what to do.

 Miles kept saying that for every step of the way, and yet here they were. Double escalated. Ganke wasn’t so sure he even knew what was happening anymore.

That was scary. Miles was supposed to be part of the in-crowd.

 MM: Wade doesn’t think it’s anything that can’t be nipped in the bud.

 That was easy for a contract assassin to say, wasn’t it?

 MM: he says that you and I are fine. Doesn’t see any links there. Waiting on DD for confirmation of tone.

 Hurry up, Daredevil. Your apprentice’s life might be about to take a nosedive into a heap of trash.

--

 Two hours. One text.

 MM: >:/

 Ganke couldn’t contain the bubble of laughter.

 GL: good news?

MM: [image]

 He opened it.

 SC: HANNAH YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE. STOP BEING A BITCH ON MAIN

HC: You can’t tell me what to do

SC: I CAN

HC: Mom he’s being MEAN

SC: Mom she’s scaring children online

HC: I scare children everywhere I go why are these ones special???

SC: Because I said so

HC: that doesn’t fucking work Samuel you’re not her

SC: I am your older brother

SC: your ELDEST brother

HC: YOU AINT SHIT

SC: THEY DON’T COUNT

SC: HALFSIES COUNT

 What.

 MM: so.

MM: she’s not Muse.

MM: Red’s laughing his ass off at all of us for taking this to a level three

GL: wait I don’t understand

MM: Hannah is Sam’s little sister. She’s found a new hobby in our website.

 Blindspot’s little sister was reading the comic??? Holy shit.

 GL: she hates him?

MM: no I’ve been informed that they would literally commit murder for each other but this is how they express love.

 No way. Siblings were wild.

 GL: so we’re good?

MM: [image]

  SC: apologize 🔪

HC: eat my ass

SC: apologize or else

HC: or else what? You gonna come in here and sit on me? Huh? Huh????

SC: I know your email password. All 3 you cycle through. What was his name? Uuuuuuuuuh Jing?

HC: you fucking bastard

SC: Hi Jing, it’s me, Hannah. I’ve been in mad crush with you since sophomore year. Please notice me senpai 😖

HC: Die

SC: kill me

HC: I will.

 The giggles that came this time were a mix of relief and genuine intrigue. This lady read the comic every day. She took the time to scroll through pictures of her brother being an absolute lunatic and fighting with a huge monkey. Then she hopped into that comment box and took him—not Miles, not Ganke, specifically Blindspot--down a peg.

She must miss him a lot. Ganke wondered if this was her way of keeping him in her thoughts.

 MM: I don’t think we’re getting a sorry, man. DD says Sam’s been at this all morning and has been tricked into apologizing himself twice

GL: so you’re saying that she’s an evil genius

MM: idk but she’s def Sam’s main nemesis. I always thought that older siblings got like, rights or something over younger ones, but idk anymore. Angel says this is normal.

GL: do you think she misses him?

 Miles took a long time to respond.

 MM: yeah

 Yeah, Ganke thought so, too.

 GL: should we change Guo tin’s brother’s name to ‘hamish?’

MM: ASDLDSDSFKdsjf

MM: one moment.

MM: sam says yes. Hannah says that she thinks our comic is shit and we need to draw everything uglier

GL: she’s kind of funny

MM: 👀perhaps she would like to be a consultant?

GL: 👀👀👀👀

MM: brb asking

MM: sam says no. Hannah says she’s got better things to do than proofread comics on the internet. She’s also not sorry. She wants that to be clear. DD says that the conversation has moved from English to Chinese and to maybe duck and cover for now. He says all is good tho. Thanks for checking in.

MM: Muse doesn’t use punctuation and talks in riddles, so if we get any of that, we’re supposed to send it to DP right away.

 Oh, nice. That was a relief.

 MM: oh

MM: sam wants to put us in a chat. Can I give him your number?

 Uh, only if he wanted Ganke to hyperventilate.

 GL: sure

 --

  [GL has been added to a Secure Chat]

 It was a page of characters and emojis that were somehow more menacing than Ganke had ever seen them before. Miles popped a little waving hand into the fray, as though testing the waters, but the characters just carried on scrawling around it.

Ganke wasn’t quite sure what to do.

 GL: hi? Are y’all okay?

 There was finally a pause. Then a few shorter lines of characters. And then finally, Blindspot switched from Chinese to English.

 SC: yes we’re FINE. We’re GREAT. Aren’t we, sibling from hell?

HC: who’re you? Why are you in our family chat? This is a family only zone, can’t you read?

SC: God Hannah he’s Korean don’t be a dick

HC: I can’t not be I learned it from you

SC: fair but pretend in the face of company

HC: okay fine. Hello losers.

MM: adksadfadsdfldfsldf

MM: hi

GL: hi?

SC: go on

HC: UGH

HC: fine

HC: I didn’t mean to shit talk your creation. Only my brother.

SC: also a sin, we’ll get to that later

HC: no one cares about you Samuel, stop spreading lies

SC: you first. We both know this is no lie, my white dad cares about me a whole lot

HC: well we can’t all have white dads now can we

SC: don’t be jealous

MM: lol you really call Matt your white dad??

HC: who is this person and how do they know our mutual parent’s name?

SC: this is not a mutual parent situation how many times have we been through this. He’s mine. Get your own.

MM: hi! 👋🏾I’m Bitsy! Spidey no. 4

GL: I’m his friend. He draws the comic. I write it.

HC: oh. nerd children x2

HC: anyways yeah Matt is our dad

SC: ffs

MM: he’s sort of dadly ig.

HC: ?? oho

SC: mind your face. Think about your face. Think about how much you like your face.

HC: little spider, did you not hear?

SC: kay everyone out. We’re done here

MM: hear what?

HC: lol Sammy you didn’t tell them about how Matthew Mcconaughey adopted you in all ways but paperwork?

 Ganke held his phone away from his face as far as it would go.

 MM: …wait are you for real?

SC: no. okay out.

HC: awwww Sammy so shy now. What are you embarrassed about? It’s cute.

SC: Hannah literally shut up I’m not playing

HC: damn okay sorry

MM: can I be honest?

SC: no

MM: I’m going to be anyways: I think we all sorta knew.

SC: …

HC: right?

SC: what does that even mean?

MM: idk, it just felt right, you know? You two are always fussing at each other and red lost his shit that time you got shot. He doesn’t treat you the way he treats the rest of us and we’re his teammates. He doesn’t even treat spidey like he treats you. So like, yeah. It fits.

MM: I’m really happy for you guys.

MM: is there a reason it’s a secret?

 Ganke eased himself back down onto the mattress. This was real. This was like, actual, real information. Something that he and like, four other people in the world now knew.

He kind of wanted to forget it. It didn’t feel right to know.

 SC: I dunno.

HC: if sam has an honest emotion towards anything he has to calculate its weight so he can make space for it in his collection of satellites.

MM: wh

SC: you’re so not funny.

HC: it’s called emotional repression, darling. It’s all the rage in this family.  

MM: oh

MM: so that’s why you and Red get on so well

SC: HHHHHHH

HC: HA

SC: okay but listen his is different, I’ve only seen him cry at his wedding. I cry at least 4 times a week. Obviously under the bed, but that can’t be emotional repression. That’s expression. That’s clearly expression

HC: I can make the old man cry watch me

SC: please don’t I’ll die

MM: awwwww

SC: shut up it doesn’t even matter.

MM: AWWWWWW

SC: LEAVE ALREADY

MM: no I like it here. I want to hear you talk about how much you love your white dad

SC: I don’t. He loves me. I’m fine with this because it results in food, shelter, and continued employment.

HC: uh huh

SC: I’m using him

HC: yeah because you’re like the most manipulative person I know.

SC: thank you

HC: /sarcasm

SC: I know I ignored it.

MM: so wait why do you actually pretend like you hate him tho?

SC: wh

SC: what the fuck am I supposed to do? Just go on up for a cuddle? Have you met Matt? The second someone starts crying, he finds trash to take out to the bins. Hell no. Life is easier for everyone if I stab him with a stick and he kicks my ass in training. It’s fine.

HC: Sam is learning how to be a Manly Man. This is step one.

SC: I’m plenty manly

HC: you’re what mom imagined as manly

SC: which is perfect. That’s all I need.

HC: mama’s boy

SC: must suck to suck, no one’s kid.

 Wow. Ganke had never been more glad that he didn’t have a sister.

 GL: That’s kind of cool, though.

GL: that you and DD are close like that I mean.

GL: Its different from all the other mentor/mentee superheroes we see who like, sort of hate each other.

SC: wh

SC: OH. you mean Peter and Kate. Peter doesn’t actually hate Stark, fyi. And Kate calls Hawkeye the Old bi-weekly to make sure he’s still breathing. It’s actually pretty normal.

MM: he doesn’t mean like that Sam. I mean, like those guys don’t associate with their Olds now that they’re grown up and stuff, but you and DD stick together. It’s like you’re family.

MM: and that’s super cool. Idk if Spidey would ever consider me family. I don’t think he wants that for us.

SC: I?

SC: oh shit

HC: CLARITY ON THIS FINE DAY. What was your name again, tiny spider?

MM: miles

HC: PRAISE BE TO MILES

HC: AN EMOTION WAS HAD

SC: get fucked

HC: An epiphany was obtained!

SC: would you shut up

HC: Something has finally permeated that non-porous, two-inch thick skull of my esteemed eldest brother

SC: I’m your only brother

HC: you’re not

SC: they don’t fucking count

HC: now will you FINALLY invite our mutual dad to hotpot?

SC: Hannah he doesn’t want to come to hot pot we’ve talked about this. it’s too spicy for him.

HC: I’ll make it 1/3 less spicy

SC: that’s still too spicy

HC: I’ll make it 2/5 less spicy

SC: 3/5

HC: listen

HC: I have all this fucking equipment that SOMEONE left here callously

MM: what’s hotpot?

SC: 👀

HC: 👀

GL: 👀

SC: well fuck

HC: EYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

GL: have we never taken you with us for hotpot???

MM: no?? is this the sticks?

HC: can be. Where do you live?

SC: Hannah no

HC: Hannah yes. We’ll make one here. You’ll make one there.

SC: do you know how much shit I’ll have to buy? Where are we gonna put it?

HC: this wouldn’t be a problem if you’d taken your goddamn inheritance with you to SF

SC: HHHHHH

MM: you guys are actually being serious?

HC: I am. I am here all on my lonesome. Abandoned by my only kin. I require enrichment.

SC: try doing your fucking homework

HC: did anyone hear something?

MM: lololololol I like you

HC: 😊

SC: wh

SC: oh no. No no no.

SC: you two don’t get to be friends

HC: come here bb pspspspspspsps

MM: I’m here

HC: got ‘im. Let’s have hotpot. Sammy send me resippy. We’ll do it together over video so I don’t fuck it up.

SC: I’ve got to go. This has been traumatizing.

HC: byeeeeeeeeeeee

HC: is he gone? Hell yeah, he’s gone.

HC: hey thanks for making that comic thing. It’s hella rad. He loves it. Mom used to call him Monkey when he was little.

GL: omg aw

HC: ikr? P cute. He misses her a lot so I think it brought back good memories. Anyways, I’m actually going to make hotpot. Come over and have some with me, it’s more fun with more people.

MM: you’re not joking

HC: nope, it’s been ages since your whole team has gotten together, right? Ask them to do it. I’m a shit cook, but Sam’ll show us how not to screw it up. And he’s playin’, he’s totally down to hang out with us. We never had more than three people. It’ll be new. Exciting. Enriching even.

MM: are you secretly a nice person, Hannah?

HC: the fuck do you mean ‘secret’??? I’m a delight.

MM: Okay I’ll ask the team and my mom

MM: ganke?

HC: 👀

 That—

Sounded kind of nice?

 GL: I’ll ask my mom.

HC: nice. You can tell them that it’s a friends dinner or whatever. Idc. I promise I’m not going to kidnap and murder you. I’ve got like, class and work and shit. I don’t have time for that.

MM: 👍🏾

GL: 👍🏼

HC: great here I’ll message you my number. This is legit our sibs chat so Sam’ll freak if you’re still here when he gets back.

MM: thank you! And sorry for thinking you were muse!!

GL: yeah that too

HC: lol np ttyl                                    

 That…had really just happened, hadn’t it?

Ganke needed to sit down even though he was already sitting down.

 GL: they’re so nice???

MM: ikr?

GL: are you actually going to ask your mom?

MM: Im gonna ask BT if its cool first. Then yeah. Why not? Our team really hasn’t gotten together in a minute. Everyone’s been super busy. It would be a nice change of pace, and if everyone brings smth then Hannah doesn’t have to pay for anything.

MM: ah, Sam says it’s okay. He says sorry his sister is weird and that he’ll make sure she doesn’t poison us.

GL: I kind of love her

MM: same

MM: okay will check in with the others. Talk to you later.

GL: yeah see you later

 Damn, at this rate, Ganke’s family was going to triple in size, and all thanks to a comic.

Before he left for downstairs, he made a note to make Guo tin’s brother snarkier.

[rosiehunterwolf]

And the Walls Kept Tumbling Down

Prompts: Trust and Breakdown

Word Count: 3,706

Characters: Pixal and Lloyd

Timeline: right before season 8

Trigger Warnings: Mental Breakdown/Panic Attack, Lack of Self-Worth

Summary: Pixal has been Samurai X for awhile, now- a role that allows her to be herself, to be happy. But it’s also... incredibly lonely. Luckily, she’s not the only one alone- Lloyd has been left in the city while his friends go after Master Wu, and his presence is comforting. But as they struggle with a mysterious biker gang, Pixal can’t help feeling the want to be part of something more.

Link to read on FanFiction.Net:

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13897921/1/And-the-Walls-Kept-Tumbling-Down

“Master Lloyd, maybe you should go get that checked at the hospital.”

“Pix, I’m fine, it’s just a scratch,” Lloyd mumbled through the gauze as he snapped it with his teeth, winding the last several inches around his forearm. “And I thought I told you to stop calling me that.”

“Why? You are our master now, aren’t you?”

Lloyd snorted, tentatively testing his arm as he moved it back and forth. “I’m no master. I can’t even keep our team together.”

Pixal stared at him, shocked. “We all agreed on this, Lloyd. It is the most efficient plan to find Master Wu.”

“Yeah, and whose plan was that?” Lloyd’s voice was suddenly sharp.

“I believe it was Zane’s, but-”

“Exactly! It was Zane’s plan, not mine. I did nothing. And now, they’re off searching for Master Wu, and I’m sitting here, doing nothing.”

An unfamiliar sensation squeezed at Pixal’s chest, one that felt hot and fierce and miserable all at the same time, before she had to remind herself that no, she didn’t have a body, didn’t have a chest to feel pain in, and that she was just speaking to Lloyd over the monitors.

At least, in the moment, she was.

“Zane trusted me to watch over this city,” she insisted, her voice unstable- which it shouldn’t be, she was a nindroid, not affected by such things- “He trusted us.”

Lloyd flinched visibly, looking away from the computer they were using to talk. “Pix, I didn’t mean- look, I’m sure Zane much would’ve rather had you come along with him, but instead you got stuck babysitting me.”

“Normally, I would object, but I think you’ve already proven your own point,” she commented, shooting a pointed glare at his bandaged arm.

Lloyd gritted his teeth, letting out a slow breath. “I get it, Pixal, I’ll be more careful next time.”

“A doctor’s visit couldn’t hurt, Lloyd.”

“Will you drop it already?”

She frowned. “I wish you wouldn’t grow cross with me, Master Lloyd. I am only trying to look out for you-”

Lloyd stood up sharply. “I get it, okay? I’m incompetant. You don’t need to keep calling me ‘master’ out of pity, I know I’ll never be able to live up to my unc- Master Wu.”

Pixal blinked at him, stunned. “Lloyd, I never-”

“Shut up! I don’t want to hear it!” And then he was reaching forward, slamming down the laptop’s lid, and Pixal’s world went dark.

He knew how much she hated that, when he turned her off or walked away without her consent, like she was some sort of object.

He hadn’t meant it- she had learned a lot about Lloyd in their past year alone together, and he often became impulsive when he was angry in order to cover up his sensitive, insecure side. It would probably only be a matter of hours before he came running back, apologizing repeatedly, and sobbing over what a horrible friend he was as Pixal patiently waited for him to calm down. But she had grown to like and respect Lloyd, and it still stung when he snapped at her, even though the logical part of her mind knew that it wasn’t really her that was the problem.

What bothered her even more so, though, was the things he said about himself. It had been abrupt, this time, but she hadn’t missed the times he had slipped it in more subtly into conversation. It made her angry, how he refused to appreciate himself.

And now, stuck in this stupid form, she couldn’t go after him.

Well. Technically, she could.

The Samurai X suit had been up and operational for a few months since her last major upgrade- the one that had finally given her her own, independent body, separate from just the mech itself.

But she was nervous to remove herself from the computer entirely. She was aware that she was so incredibly useful as a program, with instant access to all sorts of technology and data. She had become an asset to her team.

She liked feeling important, feeling like she was part of the group.

But being the samurai allowed her to physically be there. In these last few months, she felt like she had really grown to know and trust Lloyd- even if he didn’t know it was her beneath the samurai mask. She wanted to get to know the others fully, too- she was already fairly close to Zane, but she liked the rest of the team, too- Cole, Jay, Kai, and especially Nya, Pixal felt intrigued by. She had spent some time connecting similarities between them- there were a lot of differences, too, but she felt like they could be friends. A physical form would allow her to bond with them, like a human. She was well aware she wasn’t one, but she wanted to understand.

But she was afraid, too. Except for Zane, and maybe Lloyd, now, seeing the others again felt daunting. They had never been particularly close before she had been scrapped. What if they thought she was infringing on their team? The six of them had been close for so long. It would make sense if she wasn’t wanted there.

She just wasn’t ready, not yet. Communicating with Lloyd through the monitors would just have to do for now. It was difficult, though- it didn’t seem like he took her as seriously this way.

For now, though, they had bigger problems. Lloyd’s injury hadn’t been too severe, from what she could tell, and would heal quickly. But it had been a sizable wound, and could leave some pretty severe scarring, if he wasn’t careful with it- she knew he wouldn’t be, which was why she had to keep him in line- but the point was, these were no common thieves going around, dealing this kind of damage. This gang- whoever they were- were something bigger, more dangerous than their day-to-day threats. Pixal wasn’t sure if it was severe enough to start calling the others back- she didn’t want to interrupt their search for Master Wu. But she would certainly have to keep a closer eye on Lloyd from now on, to make sure he didn’t get in over his head.

She should probably start playing a more active role as Samurai X. Although the ninja had a tentative relationship with her mysterious persona, she wasn’t about to send Lloyd against this gang alone again.

She just hoped he would have her.

---

The next call came in much sooner than Pixal had anticipated. At the unappealing hour of four in the morning, Lloyd hauled himself out of bed and stumbled drearily out the door at Pixal’s report of a prison breach alarm coming from Kryptarium. With the rush, there was no time to talk to him, and the drive to the prison was awkward and silent.

When they arrived, it turned out the alarm had been triggered by accident. The good news was there were no criminals to stop, the bad news was that they had woken up at four am for no reason.

Not that Pixal particularly minded- sleep was inconsequential to a nindroid, but Lloyd was less than pleased.

“I mean, if you’re going to have an alarm system that immediately pages the city’s ninja team and makes them stop everything they’re doing to rush over there, it should at least be heavily guarded. How do you even accidentally set off an emergency alarm? I thought these guys were supposed to be professionals!”

Pixal stifled a laugh as he paused, taking a sip of the iced coffee he had picked up as they had headed back. He had told her, “If I’m already up and ready, I might as well spend some time in the city for a little while. Y’know, in case they trigger any other ‘alarms’ that I need to go rushing off to.”

“Perhaps they need a lesson from the ninja,” Pixal suggested.

“I’ll say,” he grumbled. “I don’t know how this city ever survived before we showed up.”

“Well, experience is the best teacher, and you guys have triggered enough traps and alarms to last a lifetime.”

“Wait, what?” Lloyd spluttered. “No, we haven’t! We’re highly trained ninja, we’re better than that.”

“Oh, really? I seem to remember quite a few in the Tournament of Elements, or the time with the technoblades, or when General Cryptor tracked you- shall I go on?”

“Shut up,” Lloyd snorted, trying to hide his grin. “You don’t know nothin’.”

“You’re right, I don’t. I was only with you for a short time before I was uploaded into Zane’s head, and after that, my view of your adventures was extremely limited. I can’t imagine how much more trouble you got into when I wasn’t there.”

“I hate you,” he said, attempting to scowl and failing miserably, the look on his face was too comedic for Pixal to bite back her laugh this time. It wasn’t long before Lloyd joined her, and soon, he was bent over, clutching his stomach, and he had to sit down for a moment to catch his breath. Pixal felt warm inside as she watched him take a long sip from his coffee. She enjoyed seeing him like this. He had been far too tense over the last few weeks, and she missed the more childlike, carefree side of him.

After a moment, though, the expression on his face fell solemn, and he turned to the tablet they were using to communicate to look her directly in the eyes. “Pix, I’m really sorry for yelling at you last night. I was being a brat.”

She paused carefully, both relieved and nervous that they were finally addressing this. “Lloyd, I know you were hurting. I am only trying to look out for you.”

He put his hands behind his head. “Yeah, I know, I need to work harder-”

“Lloyd,” she interrupted firmly. “That’s the other thing. I need you to stop saying things like that about yourself.”

He cocked his head at her. “Like what?”

Good grief, he doesn’t even know he’s doing it. “Talking down on yourself. I called you ‘master’ because that’s what you are now. You’ve earned this title, Lloyd. Just like you’ve earned everything else in your life, and more. It was not my intention to say you would take your uncle’s place, but say that you can be just as great of a leader as he was.”

Lloyd suddenly found the cracks in the concrete to be very interesting. “See, people keep saying that, but- it’s just so hard. I feel like I always mess everything up. Something always goes wrong, or worse, someone gets hurt-”

“Lloyd, you’re one person. You can’t expect to be successful all the time. You may be a ninja, yes, but your job is very difficult and dangerous, something most people wouldn’t even dream of tackling. You’re part of a team for a reason, and I’m sorry they’re not here right now, but until they return, you’re going to have to give yourself a little credit.”

Lloyd’s breathing hitched, and he scrubbed at his suspiciously wet eyes. His next words were so quiet, Pixal could barely hear them. “I just miss them. Everyone… everyone always leaves, and I’m tired of being alone all the time.”

Pixal was struggling to breathe herself- even though she was a nindroid, didn’t need to breathe- the sensation was still there.

She could remember when she had been alone too. Those nights after Zane had… had died, had been some of the worst times of her life. The emptiness had only made it sting worse, but when Lloyd had reached out to her, she had refused him.

She had been scared, scared to let anyone else into her life in case she lost them too, but now she realized that he had been hurting just as much as she had. She knew his friends had gone off on their own like she had, leaving him just as alone as the rest of them. She had been the cause of that, she had only hurt him more when he was already going through so much.

When she spoke again, it wasn’t just for the situation at present.

“I’m sorry, Lloyd. I’m so sorry.”

He looked up at the screen, his watery green eyes staring into hers, then raised an arm, his fingers ghosting the screen, before falling back to his side. He looked away, swallowing.

“What is it?”

“I just… I wish I could hug you. I wish you were here. Like, actually.”

“I am much more useful in the computer, Lloyd.”

“Yeah, but you’re not… you’re not here. I don’t care about how useful you are.”

Pixal let out a trembling breath, but Lloyd hardly seemed to notice, already beginning to stand up. “Sorry about being such a downer. I better get back to the Bounty, I’m sure the police have something for me to do.”

“Lloyd?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’ll be fine. I just… they’ll be back soon. I know they aren’t like… other people. They’re going to come back. And besides, until then, I’ve got you, right?” He gave her a shy smile.

Pixal froze. This was it. He was extending- a metaphorical- hand to her. Offering her to be part of something that she had been wanting for a long time.

But it felt wrong. She wasn’t a ninja. She wasn’t one of his teammates. What if she was assuming wrong? What if he wasn’t really asking that?

“I’m not one of the ninja, Lloyd. I can’t help you the way they can.”

“No, you’re whoever you want to be, Pix. But you’re still my friend.”

Friend. Pixal felt a sudden urge to correct him, to tell him he was mistaken. “I’m not part of your team. I… I can’t be.”

“Trust me, Pix- in every sense that matters- you are one of us.”

---

“Pixal, I need my car! Now!”

The nindroid’s voice came out slightly crackly from the radio. “Your coordinates, Master Lloyd?”

“I’m somewhere around… well, you know how to find me.”

The cable he was gripping onto slowed to a stop, then quickly began to swing back down. Squeezing his eyes shut, Lloyd prayed that Pixal knew what she was doing, and let go.

Air whipped past him as he fell freely, the fall feeling both agonizingly slow and alarmingly quick at the same time, but before he had time to question what the hell he was doing, a blur of green darted out from a nearby alleyway, and Lloyd fell into his car.

He quickly pulled himself up and took over the controls. “Impeccable timing, Pix! You’re getting good at that.”

“I have to do something while you’re busy fighting crime, don’t I?”

“Speaking of which…” Lloyd cut off, gritting his teeth as he wove in between cars on the busy street, chasing after the biker. “Who is this person? Anything you can tell me about them?”

“They appear to be affiliated with the same criminal biker gang we have been having trouble with over the last few weeks. I am afraid I cannot tell you anything other than that. They have been keeping a very low profile.”

“Well, whoever they are, they’re good. I’ll keep you posted.” Gritting his teeth, he pushed on the gas and shot through the streets after the mysterious biker. They were a skilled driver, but Lloyd wasn’t lacking in that department either, and soon, he had caught up to the biker. The person’s eyes glowed an eerie red through their mask, their expression emotionless, and Lloyd forced his gaze away for a moment to examine the object in the back of his bike- presumably the stolen item. It was a red mask, with an ugly, beast-like face patterned over the top, complete with a mouth of crooked, yellowing teeth, and deep, glowering eyes. It looked like nothing more than a costume. Lloyd wondered what they could possibly want with it.

Putting on another burst of speed, he pulled in front of the biker, making them screech to a halt to avoid a collision. The two of them stared each other down, only a short stretch of road between them.

The criminal revved his engine, and suddenly, was racing towards Lloyd. Lloyd began to do the same, and just when he thought the biker was about to hit him head-on, mechanical arms extended from the bike, driving into the road, and sending the biker flying over his head. Lloyd slammed to a halt and jumped out of the car, running over to the bridge as the biker went over the edge. He yanked something near his chest, and all of a sudden, a big sheet was billowing out from his back, gray and black and red-

Lloyd’s breath caught in his throat as the parachute unfolded fully, revealing the emblem of a face that Lloyd had never thought he would see again.

No, no, no. Lloyd stumbled back from the railing, his breath hitching in his chest as he tried desperately to draw it in. This doesn’t mean anything. Perhaps they just are a fan of Garmadon, it doesn’t mean he’s here-

But it wasn’t working. His body just wasn’t listening to him, his heart beating too fast, his breath trembling and shallow, and his head-

“Lloyd!” A voice came from seemingly out of nowhere, and in his panicked state, he couldn’t, he couldn’t-

“Lloyd, it’s Pixal. What’s happened, why aren’t you responding?”

Oh. It was Pixal, on… on the radio. With trembling fingers, he reached down and switched on his mic. “...Pix?”

“Lloyd, don’t scare me like that, what’s wrong?”

“Pixal… Pixal, I don’t know…” Oh gosh, he was spiraling, spiraling hard, panic swamped his brain as images of his father flashed before his eyes, first running off with the golden weapons, then trying to kill him when the Overlord had taken over, then when he had submerged under the ocean, down, down, down with the Preeminent-

No! Lloyd’s eyes snapped open, scattering the images. He couldn’t be thinking about this now, not- not when-

Oh gosh. His father couldn’t be involved with this gang, he couldn’t. He was gone, gone for good. He missed him, so, so much, but nothing with his father was ever that simple. Something always went wrong, and Lloyd was just beginning to get over his last death, he couldn’t- couldn’t live through the pain again-

“Lloyd, Lloyd listen to me, just try to breathe-”

He could barely hear her. His legs had stopped working, and he sunk to the ground, hugging his knees to his chest, trying to remember to breathe. The last thing he needed was to pass out from lack of oxygen.

He buried his face between his knees, gulping through the sobs. Dammit, why was he like this, he hadn’t had an episode this bad since Morro-

And now he was thinking about that part of his life, one he had so desperately hoped to forget- it had been years, why was still not over that, he had gotten good at suppressing those feelings long ago, but when he got like this, he couldn’t control anything-

He hated when he got like this, it was so terrifying, he just wanted to go home, he just wanted Kai to be here, why was he always all alone-

Suddenly, firm, cool arms were wrapping around him, pulling him close. Lloyd gasped, his eyes flying open sharply.

A pair of glowing green eyes stared back at him, shadowed with fear. “Hey,” she whispered, her metallic jaw moving with the words, “I’m here now. You’re going to be okay.”

He had lost it, he was hallucinating, how was- how was she here-

“Pixal?!”

“Yeah,” her voice was quiet, rubbing her fingers across his palm. “It’s me. I’m here.”

“How?”

“I’m Samurai X, Lloyd.”

“Oh.” Vaguely, a part of his mind told him he should be more surprised by that piece of information, but he was just tired. His mind was already on overdrive, he couldn’t afford to take in anything else.

“Lloyd.” Pixal’s voice was scared, and he realized he was trembling in her grip. “Please, what has happened to you?”

“It’s- it’s…” Lloyd gasped for breath. “My dad, he- the biker, he was- he had-” and those words alone were too much. Everything was breaking, splintering apart right in front of his eyes, and he clutched onto Pixal like she was his lifeline- in a way, she was. She felt different from Kai’s warm, soft touch- harder and cooler- but sturdier and stronger, too. And right now, Lloyd could use a bit of strength.

But most of all, she was here.

“Why did you tell me?” He managed to get out. “Out of everyone, you told me first? Not Zane?”

Pixal was silent for a moment. “I know what it’s like. I mean, not exactly- I can’t feel what you are feeling right now. But… feeling emotions has been hard. Draining. You, out of all people, seem to know that. But you’re still so strong through everything. I just… you helped me to see how to heal. How to get better.” She paused, looking down at her hands. “But I guess it doesn’t always work out that way. I figured it was about time I helped you back.”

He leaned his head into her lap, examining her long, silver fingers, brushing them gently. “I like you like this. You’re pretty.”

He wasn’t looking at her face, but he could almost feel her smile. “Thank you. I worked hard to make this. I wanted to make sure… that I was better, this time. I still have some modifications to make, but…”

Lloyd winced, feeling a pang of guilt. “I’m sorry I made you show me before you were ready.”

“Lloyd,” she said firmly. “This was my choice. Not yours.” She took one hand and turned his chin so their gazes met, green on green. “I trust you. I always have.”

Lloyd felt his lip tremble. “I-”

Pixal stopped him. “It’s okay, Lloyd. You don’t have to say it. I know.”

Lloyd curled into her side and wept.

[deecitys]

blue, white, and a little bit of gold; z. chenle

pairing: chenle x fem!reader

genre/warnings: school au, friends to lovers, student!chenle, fluff, swearing, food

word count: 2.7k

a.n.: this is part of the nct secret santa collab hosted by @neoculturechristmas ! i’m writing for @candychanhee i hope u enjoy <33

masterlist

lowercase intended

--

MONDAY, DEC. 14

“you’re really going to leave me alone?” you frown. “here? with mrs. s? out of all the teachers?”

your best friend, jiwoo, places her hand on your shoulder empathetically. “she called you. i’m terrified of her. the discussion is over, y/n.”

she bows like a ballerina and proceeds to jump away from you down the hall. you roll your eyes and push the wooden door open, sighing. the empty home economics classroom smells like freshly baked muffins, except evil freshly baked muffins, just because this is mrs. s’s classroom.

you walk up to the one desk you could find, clear of fabric scraps and needles, and dump your heavy backpack on it. the noise echos; or maybe it’s just your hyperactive brain anticipating for a jumpscare. in mrs. s’s classroom, anything can happen… 

but just as you were about to call for the terrifying teacher, the door rattles open behind you and you let out a yelp, scrunching down. 

“hey y/n,” a slightly familiar voice calls. you slowly shift your gaze to find zhong chenle. 

you’ve known chenle ever since middle school (you might’ve had a crush on him back then…), and he was in your friend group at one point, but you two have never crossed paths in particular especially after he was announced as mvp for the school basketball team and became mega popular. he was nice though, as far as you knew, and it was a sense of relief that you weren’t going to be the only one in mrs. s’s room.

“haha, um, hi chenle,” you force a smile and hold the desk to get up. something shifts in the storage room of the class, and when you two turn your attention to the noise, mrs. s enters the scene. her leather buckled shoes clack on the floor as she approaches you and chenle. 

“hello, chenle,” mrs. s greets the smiling boy with ink-black hair, and proceeds to frown on you through her narrow glasses. “you should’ve told me you’re here.”

“sorry,” you utter, avoiding eye contact.  

she mumbles something about kids these days. “i called you two here because i want to ask for a favor.” 

while mrs. s shuffles through her desk, you glance at chenle with wide eyes, who shrugs back in question.

“i’m on duty for planning, and you two are the highest performing in my classes. a week left.” mrs. s hands a piece of paper, and chenle reaches out to grab it.

“december 18th, friday, gym, at 6 through 8:30 pm… the winter dance?” he reads. “we’re supposed to plan it?”

“plan it, manage it, whatever else it needs,” mrs. s explains while you panic trying to think of an excuse out. chenle just stands, dumbfounded. “10 percent raise of semester grade of whatever class if it goes successfully.”

10 percent? holy shit, this is your chance. your math grade!

“we’re doing it!” you blurt out loudly, inducing an emotion (slight surprise? indistinguishable.) out of mrs. s for the first time. 

“we are?” chenle questions, to which you blink inanimately . “oh… oh yeah, we are. leave it to us! we’re really trustworthy, and we have teamwork. we’re, we’re practically best friends. you can count on us.” 

mrs. s slowly nods in approval while you force a big grin, grabbing your backpack and pushing chenle towards the door. “we’ll start planning now, thank you, see you in class!”

you two rush out of the room. “dear god,” you sigh.

“you know what? i need that grade raise, my english grade is, uh, kinda questionable.” chenle sighs. 

“so is my math grade, i’m literally about to be disowned. meet tomorrow after school at the gym?” you ask, and he nods, giving you a thumbs up. with a strained grin, you turn right around and speed walk to the end of the hall. jiwoo appears, peeking behind the corner. 

“is that zhong chenle?” 

--

TUESDAY, DEC. 15

“so…” you hold on to the ends of your puffy jacket to make sure they aren’t blown away by the freezing winter wind. “where do we start?”

“we could look at the gym and, i don’t know, envision the scene. i got the keys. and budgets tomorrow,” chenle enunciates, which you give a positive shrug to. 

the door creaks open and you hurry in to turn on the lights. you’ve been in here plenty of times before, and you try to remember the setup last year, hoping you would be able to get some inspiration. it’s interrupted by a tingly feeling in your nose and a following sneeze.

“god, it’s freezing in here too,” you exclaim. “doesn’t it get even colder? we’ll need to have everything indoors.” 

“do you think they’ll let us sell winter themed popsicles?” chenle asks. you frown at his contradicting question. he’s wearing a simple crewneck sweatshirt unlike you prepared for antarctica.

“...a hot chocolate stand?” he negotiates, noticing your glare. 

“a hot chocolate stand it is,” you take your phone out to write a note, pausing halfway to point at the spot near the entrance. “we could have it right there, with the entry fee stand, so people can grab one as they come.” 

“and this can be the dance floor?” chenle is now suddenly standing in the middle of the room. you nod, writing down another bullet point. 

--

“so, how was it?” jiwoo asks on the phone. 

“it wasn’t that awkward, he’s still chatty, actually,” you describe, twiddling the blanket you have over your head. “we got a week’s notice which is so shitty, but we got to everything we had to do and we’re on track. he comes up with the wildest, most unrealistic ideas, though. can you imagine popsicles in a winter dance? it’s fucking freezing, i’m going to work a bit on decorations after school so he doesn’t mess with it…”

--

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 16

“what are you wearing?” chenle lets out high-pitched laughs. it’s after school the next day, and this time, you’ve prepared for the climate. 

“what?” you frown. “it’s cold in there. i need to survive.”

“you look like a penguin.”

“it’s only five layers.”

“whatever you say, best friend,” chenle does a fancy little bow to lead you into the gym. you huff but follow him anyway.

“today, we have to do all the budget stuff,” he takes a seat on the open bleacher to open his laptop, and you hesitantly take a seat a feet away. “i actually did some research and found all the places we need to contact, with all the costs and fees written and added一 here.” he turns the laptop your way and you lean towards the laptop (NOT HIM, THE LAPTOP!) slightly to take a look. a lot of work with numbers is done and you’re actually quite astonished by the organization and amount.

“practice got cancelled, and so like i had a lot of time lying around. i’ve contacted some places if we already made the decisions on the specifics so some are finalized, um, if that’s okay,” he explains. you continue to scan through the spreadsheet. the dj, catering, lights, they’re all done.

“wow, chenle,” that’s what you manage to say. “i’m glad i did something too.” you quickly dig up your sketchbook from your backpack and flip through it until you find the decoration sketches. you hand it over to him with fully stretched arms, keeping your distance. “they’re all at target, all the stuff i marked. so we can go get them whenever, if the budget, you know, allows it.” you hold down the strong urge to bite your nails through the long, dreadful silence. where did the chatty chenle go while you needed his chattiness the most?

“this is really cool,” he finally speaks. “and it fits our budget, so it’s perfect. i remember you being really good at art in middle school! guess you didn’t change.”

you flush (for no absolute reason!) and quickly take the drawing away, mumbling up a ‘thanks’. 

“uh, anyways, today all we have to do is contact the rest of the people on the list, and then we’ll buy the stuff tomorrow, sell last minutes tickets on thursday, and theeeen we’ll decorate and see how the dance goes on friday, right? since the school’s been advertising since, what, last week?” you speak quickly to change the subject. he doesn’t seem to notice and instead nods. 

--

“tomorrow, we’re driving to target to get all the decorations. hey, remember when i liked him in middle school?” you ask jiwoo. it’s after school and you’re at her house, doing homework. she looks up from her science assignment to give you a look.

“don’t tell me you’re starting to like him again,” she laughs.

“hey, what’s wrong with that?” you raise your voice slightly, then turn your attention back to your laptop, suddenly self-conscious. “i mean, not that i like him, anyway.”

“you know i can see right through you?” jiwoo doesn’t take her gaze off of you for the long period of silence that follows. you roll your eyes.

“fine, whatever, i may have the tiniest physical symptoms of liking him again or whatever,” you admit. jiwoo giggles, then scrunches closer to you.

“so, what do you like about him?” she asks enthusiastically.

“i mean… he has a nice smile, yeah, that,” you mumble.

“and?”

“i guess he’s funny, and nice, and actually kind of responsible, i don’t know, and his voice一” 

your description is interrupted by jiwoo’s screech.

“shouldn't have brought it up…” you sigh.

--

THURSDAY, DEC. 17

what have you gotten yourself into?

out of all the cars, you’re sitting at the front seat of ZHONG CHENLE’s car. he’s driving. CHENLE IS DRIVING. 

the familiar roads aren’t so familiar when you’re in such a peculiar situation. he drives nicely though. and there’s the radio on. and he’s humming. super nicely. that’s so attractive. there’s nothing particularly attractive about humming, but on chenle it is. SHUT UP Y/N! 

“do you sing?” you unconsciously ask.

“yeah, actually,” he answers. “my dad doesn’t like it, though, actually, so i don’t tell a lot of people. he just wants me to focus on basketball, because i don’t sing in a deep tone like the opera people, and he thinks if i don’t do that, it’s not manly enough, or whatever.”

the mood… you brought up the wrong topic, you think. “sounds like what jake would say,” you reply in a lighter note. “remember him? the super old school kid from 7th grade?”

“oh my god, YES,” chenle laughs, moving on to talk about him and middle school memories until you reach target. you quickly find the party decoration section and pick out the things. you’re on your last item when chenle taps your shoulder. he’s holding packages of golden sparkly streamers.

“i know the colors are blue and white, but imagine a little bit of gold. a little bit of sparkle, but no annoying glitter shit! what do you say?” he anticipates. 

“actually, pretty cool, yeah,” you say, and chenle pumps his arm before throwing the packages into the shopping basket. 

“i was about to just say no without listening after that one time you suggested we get popsicles, but good suggestion. love the improvement!” you half-joke. he immediately mocks you, which you laugh at.

the car is loaded up and now you’re on your way back. you two chat about the most random things, from taste in food to tv shows to traumatic but funny experiences, and you keep yawning. it’s been a long day.

chenle drives out of route, but you’re too tired to realize; the most you can do is keep up with the conversation. a blink later and you’re at the drive-thru of starbucks. “pick a drink, miss,” he rolls the window down when the car stops front of the menu.

“me?” you ask in surprise.

“yes, you.” chenle laughs. “you look so dead right now, it’s only 5 pm. i think we both need a caffeine boost for homework.”

“ooh, so thoughtful of you,” you dramatize.

 he rolls his eyes. “shut up, i’m paying.”

“caramel macchiato please, mr. zhong!”

you sit patiently while he orders and gets the drinks; a caramel macchiato for you and a café latte for himself. you sip the drink in now comfortable silence and bliss (who wouldn’t be happy with a free drink?) on the way back. 

“why didn’t we ever talk before?” chenle asks, breaking the silence.

“dunno,” you say. “just we didn’t have any reasons to, i guess,”

“remember when i told mrs. s we were practically best friends? maybe that wasn’t a lie.”

for once, you love mrs. s so much right now.

--

FRIDAY, DEC. 18 (D-DAY!)

with the help of chenle’s friends, decorations are up on time and students show up to the dance. everything goes by plan and people are thriving, except… jiwoo had a change of plans last minute. and you were going to ask her to help ask chenle out.

“i’m telling you, it’s the perfect chance,” over the phone, jiwoo’s voice sounds passionate and a little distorted. it’s a little hard to tune into with the background noise, even outside of the dance room alone. “once this is over, nothing happens, and winter break starts, you guys will end up like before. distance friends with zero interactions and zero chances. take the risk while you can, y/n!”

“but you aren’t here to help me!” you whine. “i’ve never done this before! i wasn’t prepared for this! i’m not the kind of person to be doing this!”

“and you’ll never be prepared anyway, so what’s the point of waiting?” jiwoo argues. “don’t be a pussy and go for it. if he likes you back, that’s cool, and if he doesn’t, you have nothing to worry about because you guys won’t have a reason to talk anymore. now, i have an angry mother to deal with, so i’m hanging up, peace out and tell me how it goes. love you, bye!” 

your urgent call of her name is interrupted by a long and loud beep. you sigh. 

as much as you hate to admit, she’s right. there isn’t any other excuse to keep talking to him. you check the time, and it’s almost 8; half an hour until the dance ends.

“fuck it,” you say to yourself, pushing the heavy door open and meeting the warm and noisy atmosphere. it’s not long until you find chenle chatting with the dj. you take a deep breath feets away from his back and decide to approach him that way. 

“chenle! chenle!” you whisper-yelled through the booming music. he turns around immediately, eyes wandering until he finds you. 

“y/n! y/n!” he whisper-yells back. 

“i need to tell you something important.” you take his arm and start to drag him towards the door out.

“you good? what’s up?” he asks. you shake your head, signaling it’s too loud in the gym, and point to the door, continuing to pull him. through your booming heartbeat you keep calm until you reach the cold outdoor air where you finally let go of chenle.

“so, um, hi,” you greet, to which chenle chuckles.

“hey.”

“the important thing is,” you take a deep breath in. “ithinkilikeyouandithinkweshouldgoout.” 

it takes a second for him to process your fast words. maybe you shouldn’t have confessed, you think. you internally scream, and this is the longest second of your LIFE.

“uhh, this isn’t fair,” chenle argues, and you’re stand there, dumbfounded. ?_? “i was going to ask you out! life is so unfair.”

you gasp. “you’re KIDDING.”

“no, i’m not. uh, so, like, i think yes. what am i saying… i’m saying that yes, we should go out.” chenle looks nervous. CHENLE LOOKS NERVOUS!

“i was NOT expecting that,” you say.

“well, i wasn’t either, on my end,” chenle laughs. 

“well,” you hold yourself back from screaming and jumping. “we should go back in, we’re the managers, y’know?” chenle nods, taking your hand to walk back into the gym. smooth.

“also, y/n, when i bought you starbucks, the intention was not to seduce you, just wanted to clarify. that was only like, four bucks. you’re worth more than four bucks, i swear.” chenle rants.

“glad to hear,” you roll your eyes but end up laughing anyway. 

there couldn’t have been a better winter dance.

[fwibblefwobble]

modern!au single dad tomioka giyuu: a concept

modern!giyuu x reader headcanons

so a few days ago i was up late texting a friend and went wild with the idea of him as a single father in a modern!au... here’s a collection of my ravings

warning: light profanity

- you two live two doors down from each other in your apartment complex

- you quite literally bump into him on your way back in from work

- he’s like ack i’m sorry and helps stabilize you

- never really noticed you lived so close and keeps an eye on your door whenever he’s on his way in/out

- one time he’s just spacing out and staring at your unit and you walk out and make eye contact with him

- he’s like oh shit

- you’re confused but you just assume he spaced out and don’t ask

- he has somewhere to be but he goes back inside and waits until he knows you’re out of the building 

- just waits with his head in his hands like what the fuck

- his daughter’s like ???? you good????

- he’s like fine yeah 200% buttercup don’t worry about it

- proceeds to worry about it for the next week

- the next time you meet he’s checking the mail after a morning run

- light sheen of sweat and jacket rolled up to his elbow, some sweet forearm action

- it’s a sunday morning after you went out with friends and you look a lil trashed cause you spent the night at their apartment and came back early in the morning 

- your mascara’s kinda flaky and you did a half-assed job at washing your face but you didn’t expect to run into Hot Neighbor™

- he greets you and hopes that you forgot about the thing that happened a week ago

- if anything your mind is occupied by why the hot single dad two doors down is giving you butterflies

- he does the thing where he pushes the hair in front of his face back

- its hot in a post workout sweat kinda way

- casual conversation ensues again in the elevator

- you bring up something about you being a ta at a local uni getting her masters

- he’s like not to capitalize on your talents but would you mind tutoring my kid for a day, i have to work overtime at the office on thursday and all my friends are booked

- assures you his kid is a very well behaved lovely girl, you’re apprehensive because children but also yes sure i have nothing better to do

- my guy has her room decorated

- whatever color she wants he paints it for her

- she has her own lil window with fake plants cause she can’t quite take care of real ones yet

- you and his daughter hang out after you help her with homework, watch tangled for like 2 hours and make dinner together

- she doesn’t do much because children with knives is not a good idea but you make her feel like she’s contributing to the team

- lots of high fives and good jobs, makes her feel very important

- he comes back home so fucking exhausted but he sees you and his kid on the couch passed the fuck out and oh my god

- he has half a mind not to drop his shit right there and join you

- against his will he wakes you up and you’re embarrassed like oh my god i’m so sorry i fell asleep in your apartment cuddling your daughter

- he’s so in love lmao that image of you and his kid lives in his head rent free

- he’s kinda breathless thinking about it

- once you’re safely back in your own apartment he tucks his girl in and makes sure not to wake her up

- lays in his bed just like wow

- you guys talk the next day and you’re still apologizing profusely, you feel so weird and you can’t look him in the eye

- he insists on at least getting you lunch, you guys settle on dinner at a local place that’s not too fancy

- putting yourself together before the pseudo not date but kinda date is The Strugglebus Saga

- you get in a facetime with like 5 of your friends trying to figure out what to do

- tiptoeing the fine line between date and not really date, what’s too comfy and what’s too casual

- “is red my color? does he like red lipstick? is lipstick too much?”

- he kinda hears you cause the walls are just the tiniest bit thin but it’s cute cause he’s having a tiny crisis of his own

- arranges shinobu to take care of his baby while he’s gone

- his daughter helps him get dressed it’s so cute

- “ARE YOU GOING ON A DATE???”

- he’s like no...?

- “dad, that isn’t your color.”

- confidence lowkey destroyed but it’s ok

- wears his lucky socks his daughter gave him for father’s day for good luck

- it’s a very cute and chill date, he picks you up at your door and the both of you are nervous cause it’s been a while since you’ve put yourselves out there

- it’s a tiny bit awkward in the beginning but as you guys ease up a bit it’s all good laughter and banter

- he doesn’t want you to know he heard you freaking out but he makes sure to tell you that you look nice just as subconscious validation

- both of you are a lil sad when the main date portion is over so you guys decide to get ice cream and walk around after

- and wow is it just me or do the lights get brighter when he’s around???

- he thinks the exact same thing

- he hasn’t felt this alive in a very long time

- you guys split the bill for the main date but he pays for your ice cream cause he’s a big gentleman 

- and when you guys say bye to each other he walks into his apartment, closes the door and lets out this sigh

- he turns around and its his daughter and shinobu both giving him The Look™ and he just refuses to acknowledge it

- you go home and scream a little bit

- your ears are hot and your cheeks are burning but you can’t stop *smiling*

- gotta rub your cheeks a lil to soothe the pain

- by now you guys have each other’s phone numbers and text each other that you had a good time before you each go to sleep and both of you are smiling at your phones like absolute idiots

- the next time you see each other is completely by accident

- you’re at a bookstore browsing and you see him around the corner with some flowers tucked under his arm looking through some stationery or stuffed animals

- and you’re like?? flowers??? does he have someone did i misinterpret that whole entire outing was that just out of courtesy and not cause he was interested in me

- but he says hi and strikes up a conversation

- you kinda timidly ask about the flowers and he’s like oh! i saw these when i was coming home from work and i remember walking by the florist with my daughter and she said these were her favorite flowers so i was thinking of surprising her when i got home

- as if your heart could swell with any more love for this man

- the love in his heart and his attention for DETAIL?? unparalleled. he is TOP TIER

- and at that point you’ve been over close to a dozen times, his daughter’s a smart cookie she doesn’t even need tutoring but ever since you looked after her she keeps on asking him if he can invite the pretty lady next door

- he asks you and you are more than accommodating, that girl is an absolute angel

- elects to leave out the part where she called you his girlfriend

- not quite there yet but maybe someday

- he catches you and her singing the mulan soundtrack with plastic hairbrushes once and it’s adorable domestic ass shit

- you’re 200% down to listen to this girl talk about elementary school drama

- honestly better than half the shit that happens at uni

- giyuu asks you to cover for him at pta meetings and all the other moms are very disappointed to see you instead of regularly scheduled eye candy

- if marissa looks at me like that one more time i swear we’re gonna scrap

- when you tell him about it he’s absolutely oblivious to the fact that every single mom is in love with him

- he just thought they were nice, nothing more to it

- kinda really pissed that they treated you like shit and next time he goes AND brings you

- absolute power move, suck my ass bethany

BONUS FIRST KISS HYPOTHETICALS:

- happens very organically, both of you don’t even register it until it hits

- both of you are like fuck!!

- he’s like are you okay with it?

- and you’re like yeah 200% but are you okay with it?

- he’s like yeah of course

- and both of you say yeah and nod to each other back and forth until you take the initiative and pull him in again

- lowkey making out in the elevator

- your hands are all up in his hair and *wow this is exhilarating*, like his heart is full to burst

- and when he comes home his daughter’s like are you ok? your hair’s kinda messed up and stuff

- he’s like yeah it looked like this when i left

- she looks at him funny, like it definitely did not

- he’s just at a complete loss for words he’s trying to hide your lip gloss smeared on his face and his head is a lil woozy

- and he just gestures for a minute

- flails his arms weakly

- “yeah... uh... it’s, uh... wind.”

[milkywinnie]

"𝐈𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧" || PRINCE ZUKO

𝟎𝟎. 𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 (2,579 Words)

"You know, I live with many regrets, but the biggest things I regret at this moment was not bringing a jacket..."

You huffed, shivering from the cool breeze that swept past in your direction. Shakily, you rubbed your hands together, and lifted them next to each other to ignite a small flame from within your palms.

'It's so cold that I have to spare my breaths.' You sighed, spreading out the map down on the wooden surface. "I need to find a village soon. My food supply is running low." Ever since you had escaped from the Fire Nation and its kingdom, times have never been harder, especially knowing that you're constantly on the run.

The water currents shifted and swayed in a variety of directions, signaling the upcoming of a dangerous storm. "Oh no...! This can't be any good." You clenched your fists, discarding of the flames rising upon your palms, and rushed to find a secure shore to rest upon.

The tides raised chaotically as you let out a muffled scream as the waves crashed against the frail boat. With haste, you tucked the letter securely into your bag, before you felt your body being submerged into the icy waters below you. 'I can't go out like this...! I have to find the Avatar!'

But the air escaping from your lungs refused your desire to call for help. Desperately, you clung onto a scrap from the broken boat. "Someone, please..." You coughed out, your consciousness slipping from your being, feeling your body become lethargic, and your mind hazy and clouded.

In the distance, figures approached you, but they were too late - you had passed out.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

When you woke up, you realized that you were in an area unfamiliar of your own. "W-Where the hell am I...?" You murmured softly, lifting yourself from upon the firm polar bear skin you were snuggling upon. All you could actually recognize was the throbbing headache that was pounding against your head.

"Hey, I think she's waking up!" A feminine voice exclaimed, causing you to rise from your dazed state. "Who's there?" You stated in a demanding tone as you scrambled from the floor to get into your fighting stance. "O-Oh, don't worry! I'm not a threat to you!"

You skeptically glanced over  at the pretty, young girl in front of you. Her long, deep brown hair that was braided into a singular braid. Her sapphire-colored eyes shined brightly - maybe out of fear or bewilderment from your actions.

Her custom tribal clothing let alone made you immediately aware of the fact she was from the Water Tribe, and knowing your directions, most likely from the southern district.

"My name is Katara, and I come in peace. My brother and I found you washed upon a glacier." She introduced herself, extending a hand out in your direction. Relaxing your posture, you shook her extended hand. "Thank you for rescuing, I'm in your gratitude." You thanked her, before pulling your hand away.

"I'm sorry, but where is my bag? I must continue my venture as quickly as possible." You wondered, looking aimlessly in multiple directions in search of you beaten and probably soaked luggage, much like your cloak.

"Oh, everything was soaked to the bone in that bag, so my tribe took the custody into warming it up." Katara explained, placing a bowl of soup down on the low tea table in front of you. "I'm sorry, but I must be on my way! I have to meet up with the Avatar!" You instantly froze at her statement.

"The Avatar?!" You yelled, rushing up to her to clutch her shoulders tightly. Katara, obviously, flinched from your sudden burst of energy, but she nodded nonetheless. "Yes... His name is Aang, and he brought us back here while we were trying to reach out to you."

You were completely stunned with the news that you had received. "T-This is amazing! I'm actually speechless!" You gasped in amazement as you giddily embraced the younger girl into a hug. "Yeah, I definitely agree!" She beamed, hugging you back. Now that you've realized that your hunt was over, you felt a little more at ease.

"Wow, Katara, real professional, and you say I couldn't snuggle up with her while trying to warm her up." A make voice whined with disbelief. "And I'm going to assume that he's the brother you speak of, right?" The both of you giggled, pulling away from the rather warm hug.

"Hey, the name's Sokka, gorgeous." "And I'm not interested, lover boy." You hummed, winking playfully at the boy in front of you. His brown hair was shaved amongst most of its perimeter, leaving him with a parting on the top of his hair, which was formed into a bun. The boy, most likely the same age as you, eyes burned in your direction, mentally plotting as to what to do next.

He wore a familiar uniform, much like Katara's, but with his own weaponry slung around him. "But now..." Sokka began, before aiming his dagger, which was constructed into the form of a boomerang, pointing directly at you.

"What are you doing within this region?" He sneered shakily, but his voice demanded answers. You chuckled at his brute approach, watching how Katara attempted to calm her elder brother down. "Me? I'm just a mere traveler who sought to travel the world..."

The lies slipped past your lips with ease as you faked a wry smile. "It was so frightening on my own, and I appreciate such kind, humble citizens like yourself saving me." Sokka and Katara exchanged glances between themselves, watching their facial expressions shift into ones that displayed guilt.

"It's no problem, miss, really." Katara comforted, patting your shoulder gently. Sokka released a stream of incoherent words muffled under his breath in defeat.

"Fine, she can stay a little while longer, but by sunrise she must go." Sokka declared, looking over at you. you could feel his distraught, suspicious demeanor still wavering from off of him, but for now, you knew that you were in the clear.

"Great! Now you can stay, and even meet the Avatar!" Katara grinned happily, pulling you along outside of the tent. You squinted from the harsh sunlight that was being emitted, and reflecting from the pale white snow. Looking further, you noticed several little children and adults in awe, watching an entity fly throughout the cool winds.

You couldn't believe it, you were in amazement to the sight you were viewing. There he was, flying his in the bright blue sky. "Amazing..." Was the only word you could muster as you watched what took sight from above. Well, it was amazing up until the point where the poor boy crashed into the watchtower.

"My watchtower!" Sokka cried out, rushing to the pile of rubbish that as left behind for him. "That was amazing!" Katara gushed before rushing to Aang's side to help him up. "Definitely, I dare say that I am impressed." You smiled, clapping your hands together. Though the Avatar was much younger than you thought, it he was intriguing.

As Sokka was digging through the broken watchtower, Aang released a powerful gust of wind, causing snow to topple down upon him. You tried to muffle your giggle by covering your hand over your mouth.

"Great. You're an airbender, Katara's a waterbender, together you can just waste time all day long." Sokka taunted, patting the snow from off from his body. 'A waterbender, huh? Duly noted.' Your [e/c] eyes glanced over at the pair of teens conversing happily about their abilities, knowing that you couldn't put your input of your firebender powers.

'People fear others from the Fire Nation, they hate them...'

Sokka noticed your discomfort, and decided to approach you. "Hey, it's okay to be uncomfortable around benders. They're overrated, anyway." Sokka blushed slightly from your little laugh, watching as you shuffled closer next to him.

The invite to converse with another was refreshing, along with Sokka's vivid personality. Despite his misogynistic conceptions, you could tell that he was genuine with his passions., and you liked that especially about him.

"Hey, I've gotta go train my men, but you're allowed to observe, if a girl like yourself is into that type of thing."

You had to scoff at Sokka's comment. "Although I'd love to show you off at your little lesson, out of gratitude, I'll watch."

Sitting on the frozen water, you watched as Sokka assembled the team together with haste. While he was getting everything together, you quickly looked around for your bag, and an escape route, if things went in the wrong direction for you.

You were astonished to see a flying bison that was sleeping on the floor across from you. Its arrow symbols that trailed up and down its body made it easy to realize that it was Aang's, but then again, only the Airbenders wielded such useful and kind creatures.

'Maybe the flying bison wouldn't mind helping me...' You pondered, also mentally noting to grab your bag as well. Hopefully, no one bothered to look through it, or else you'd be given away.

"Now men, it's important that you show no fear when you face a Firebender. In the Water Tribe, we fight to the last man standing. For without courage, how can we call ourselves men?" You quickly realized that Sokka's training has begun, and decided to pay a bit more attention to him.

Not to mention that his "men", were a group of little toddlers who clearly didn't want to be here, especially one kid, who was desperately trying to go to the restroom. "I gotta pee!" He cried out, trying to hold his bladder best that the poor boy could.

"Just let the boy go, Sokka." You intervened, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. Though Sokka was ready to protest, you asked, "Actually, who else needs to go on a potty trip?" Every other kid raises their hands, and Sokka sighs at the sight.

You send them off to the bathroom, watching as Sokka slaps his forehead in embarrassment and disgust of his mini crew mates. "It's okay, Sokka. They're just little kids, after all."

After Sokka's failed lesson, Katara approached the two of you. "Have you seen Aang? Gran Gran said he disappeared over an hour ago." Katara's voice wavered, concerned for the younger boy as she looked around for him.

"No, I haven't seen him around, but I'm sure he's fine, Katara." As if on cue, Aang exits the bathroom with a childish grin. "Wow! Everything freezes in there!" The children laughed at his statement as Sokka becomes upset from the constant interruptions.

"Ugh! Katara, get him out of here. This lesson is for warriors only." Sokka grunted, making a shooing motion towards Aang. You barely managed to suppress a laugh. "I think your lesson is gonna be cut short, Sokka." You mentioned, directing your eyes over to the children playing around the bison.

"Haha, yeah!" Aang nodded, noticing your presence. "Hey, you're the girl Appa and I saved!" He grinned, making his way over to where you and Katara stood. "Appa?" You raised a brow at the unfamiliar name.

"Yeah! Appa's my flying bison, and I'm Aang!" He introduced himself, smiling proudly. A slight smile crossed your face as you waved politely.

"Nice to meet you, Aang. My name is-"

"Stop! Stop it right now!" Sokka yelled, finally done with putting up with all the chaos going on around him. "What's wrong with you? We don't have time for fun and games with a war going on." He seethed, pointing his finger directly into Aang's chest.

"What war? What are you talking about?" Aang stopped playing around at the mention of a war. He was so stunned at the fact that the world he used to know was changing all around him in an instance, and that scared him.

Though the feeling wasn't as severe as it were have been for you, knowing that your father had left for the war, and knowing that he would never return back home was always a sad thought. Knowing this, your mother was forced into careers that wasn't a pleasant lifestyle, but was something that she could provide for you.

"You're kidding, right?" Sokka's jaw dropped in surprise, unable to  believe that Aang was unaware of the constant war that was occurring for over one-hundred years. "Something's not right here..." You murmured softly to yourself, mentally connecting the dots as to why Aang didn't know everything that had transpired.

You were about to investigate deeper with Aang, but he was gone with the wind, along with Katara following after him. "Now that there's no more distractions, care to observe in peace?" Sokka flirtatiously wiggled his eyebrows as you rolled your eyes in amusement. "Sure, after I find my bag. I have a change of clothes in there." You motioned to your beaten up satchel.

"Fine, go look through your purse, I'll start again with my men."

"Sure, ponytail, but you'll be upset when I won't see what's going on."

And you wished you were out there when a sudden strike was laid upon the once peaceful village, and the heat of the attack made it all to familiar as to the enemies that were fighting.

"The Fire Nation..." You growled in disgust, quickly changing into your other outfit that covered more of your [s/t] skin, and covered your hair. You reached through your bag, grabbing your silver-trimmed fan with thin blades that structured the weapon.

You rushed out of the tent to see a large, metal ship heading in the direction of the village, already see part of the once frozen grounds melted with ease. "Oh no, they've already started attacking." You muttered, running up to where Sokka was tightly wielding his weapon, his hand shaking out of either fear or anger.

"You told them about us being here!" Sokka yelled, jabbing his pointer finger in my direction. "Maybe you just infiltrated our home, so that they could take over!" "And why the hell would I do that when I'm on the run from them!?" You shot back, aiming your weapon into his chest.

"Well, because we don't even know a lot of information about you like your name?!" Sokka defended his case, crossing his arms in protest. "Well, I tried to tell it to Aang, but you interrupted our conversation, dumba-"

"What the heck is going on here?"

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

[NOTE]: Thank you all for reading my Zuko x Reader Story! The purpose of this story was not only to relive one of my first childhood crushes, but to allow everyone who is new to this community to experience a proper fanfic that follows the plot of the story, and still with a hint of romance with our best boy, since I am aware that there is not many! Please know that this story will be a slow burn, and will have some moments of smut, so be aware!

Any who, please make sure to like, comment, and share this story to others who may enjoy it as well! Much love, and I hope to see you all in the next chapter, lovelies!

[winterscaptain]

transfer request. part two.

Aaron Hotchner x Reader

the aftermath. read part one here!

a/n: thank you to @stxrry-ixn for requesting a second part to this! i could happily continue (jack’s reaction, meeting with strauss, etc.) if anyone is interested. this part contains smut! 18+ only!

AO3 | Masterlist | Requests Open!

+++

They laugh and laugh through their kisses. They can’t get much closer, at least with all these clothes on – something they will remedy immediately upon returning home. Her body is bowed entirely into him, supported only by his hand between her shoulders and the other, splayed over her lower back and hip.

Aaron’s face is in her hands, and he can feel the cold platinum warming against their skin. He kisses her like a man drowned, incandescently happy and altogether relieved.

Jack will be over the moon.

She pulls back for a moment and presses her forehead against his.

“I love you.” That doesn’t even begin to cover it.

He laughs and brushes some hair away from her face. “I love you too.”

She looks over his shoulder. The team has abandoned their snacks and stationed themselves at the bottom of the stairs. Her bottom lip disappears between her teeth.

“We have a rapt audience.”

He follows her gaze, taking her with him as he turns. He sighs and drops his head to her shoulder. “Do we have to go out there?”

Y/N brings both hands to his hair, holding him against her. “That depends.”

“On?”

“On whether or not you’d like to go home anytime soon,” she says with a laugh. He groans and only tightens his hold on her waist.

She cards her fingers through his hair again, admiring her new adornment.

It’s stunning, with both vintage and contemporary detailing. It’s very her.

“Aaron?”

“Hmm?”

“It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

He raises his head and looks at her. He presses a kiss to her temple, inhaling deeply. “Anything, for you.”

+++

When they finally leave the office, they’re met with a chorus of whoops and hollers. Hotch swears he sees money change hands, but that’s nothing new.

Y/N flies down the stairs and into the waiting arms of the girls. They grab her left hand and huddle around it to get a better look at the ring.

She kisses JJ and Emily on the cheek and whispers quiet thanks to the both of them.

“I just knew it would look great on you!” JJ gushes, Y/N’s fingers still resting in Emily’s palm. Penelope is in tears, doing her best to keep it together as she incoherently sobs her congratulations.

Rossi had kissed Aaron on both cheeks before he could reach the bottom of the stairs. Derek wraps him in a hug from the front. Spencer stands a little behind him, and slips a piece of scrap paper into his pocket.  

Hotch can’t help but revel in the joy, laughing along with his team.

They had never seen him like this. He looks alive. He lets the joy wash over his face.

“Careful, Hotch,” Derek says, a hand firmly on Aaron’s shoulder. “You keep smilin’ like that your face might get stuck that way.”

Aaron’s smile drops and he restores his normal severity. When he’s sure Derek’s sweating, he laughs again, clapping his dear friend on the shoulder. “Not a chance, Morgan.”

Emily comes between them, and Aaron doesn’t quite know what to do. She pounces into his arms, and he hugs her tight, pressing his face into her shoulder. He’s not sure if he thanks her out loud or not, but she kisses his cheek and tells him she’s proud of him anyway.

“Thank you.” For everything.

She looks up at him, shrugging. “You and JJ fake my death, JJ and I find you the perfect engagement ring. I think we’re even now.”

He smiles back at her, opening his mouth to speak again.

“Don’t bother, Hotch. A simple ‘you were right’ will suffice.”

He huffs and recites, “You were right, Emily.”

She grins - a stunning, breathtaking phenomenon. 

Y/N reaches for Aaron, and he pulls her into his side. They accept the rest of the congratulatory affection as a unit.

“Alright!” Rossi draws the attention of the entire team. “As much as we love our lovebirds,” he looks pointedly at Y/N and Aaron, “I’m sure they’d like to get home and celebrate on their own.”

A blush creeps up on Y/N’s face.

Aaron rolls his eyes. “We’ll see you all tomorrow.”

“But wait –“ JJ steps around Emily with a concerned tilt of her head. “Is Y/N transferring units?”

“It looks that way,” says Aaron, “but we will submit the paperwork to Strauss in the morning, and she will have final say. The process will take a week at least, and if we pick up any cases between now and then,” he looks at Y/N, and she meets his gaze with a soft set of eyes, “Y/N will stay with the BAU until our work is done.”

+++

The house is quiet when they finally get home. Jessica is in the kitchen and immediately clocks the ring. She embraces them both.

“Congratulations. I love you both so much.”

“Thank you,” Aaron says. “This can’t be easy.”

Jess pulls back and shakes her head. “Haley’s my sister, but she wouldn’t want you to ever be unhappy.” She grasps Y/N’s hand in both of her own. “You’re my family too. Don’t you forget that.”

Y/N wraps Jess in a hug. “Thank you.”

While they embrace, Aaron pulls Spencer’s note out of his pocket.

Your odds are stronger than they’ve ever been.  

Aaron’s lips tip up in a smile, and he puts the note back in his pocket.

Jess leaves a few minutes later, shutting the door quietly behind her.

They’re alone.

Y/N startles a little as Aaron wraps his arms around her, devoid of his jacket and tie. “Ready for bed?”

She turns quickly in his arms, knotting her hands in his thick hair and pressing her mouth to his. He moans into her mouth and lifts her. Her legs wind around his waist immediately, and he blindly carries her to the bedroom, suddenly thankful he’s lived in this house so long.

They reach the bed, and he throws her into the pillows. They’ve already managed to get his shirt off, and they lost her shoes somewhere in the hallway. They fumble as they finish undressing each other, quiet laughter and adrenaline making their hands shake.

+++

Thoroughly sated, she rests in the circle of his arms. They’re both still a little out of breath, sweaty and flushed, but can’t bring themselves to separate. They breathe together for a few minutes, both close to sleep.

“Hey, Aaron?”

“Hmm?”

She smiles into his chest, devious. “It’s probably a good thing we probably won’t be working together much longer.”

“Oh?” He mumbles, rolling over to curl his body around hers. “Why’s that?”

She sighs, wiggling against him just enough and settling her back against his chest. “I’ve been having a terrible time keeping my hands to myself in the field.”

He shifts, lining himself up against her wet heat again. His voice remains admirably steady as she rocks back against him, just out of reach. “Is that so?”

“Mhmm.” She can’t help feeling a little breathless as he slips between her thighs. “I can’t stop picturing my unit chief under that suit and –“ she gasps and arches her back as he enters her. She throws her arm back and holds onto his hair for dear life. He sets a relentless pace. “He looks – fuck – unbearably hot giving orders and – ah – looking down the sight of his firearm – god, Aaron – and behind that desk.”

He locks her in an iron grip as she writhes against him. “Tell me.”

She’s hardly coherent as she mentions something about being bent over the desk or fucked senseless against the wall of a hotel room. He pounds into her, reaching his hand around to circle her clit. He sinks his teeth into her shoulder as he cums inside her with a strangled groan. She follows right after, pressing a hand over her own mouth to keep from crying out.

They both whimper at the sensation of him pulling out of her. She misses the feeling of him immediately, but realizes with a sigh she can spend the rest of her life in his arms if she wanted to.

He moves her hair, damp with sweat, and kisses the back of her neck. “You drive me crazy, you know that?”

She laughs, stretching in his arms. “Mhmm. How you manage to look me in the eye at work after fucking me like that will remain a mystery to me as long as I live.”  

“It’s a lot harder when I’ve got soundbites like that running through my head all day.”

She turns in his arms and slings a leg over his hip. “Well, my love,” she kisses him, slow and dirty, and speaks against his mouth. “You just shoot straight and keep coming home to me and we’ll do just fine.”

“I wish I could ask you to marry me again, just for that,” he says, his mouth still pressed against hers. He rolls onto his back. They land with her left hand resting against his chest, the diamonds in her ring glinting in the faint light from the window. He reluctantly pulls away from her.

“Who’s stopping you?”

His smile is bright in the darkness of the room. “Marry me?”  

read part three here!

tagging: @arganfics @stxrry-ixn

[ironhusband]

what are your ideal plots for armor wars and Ironheart??? 👀👀👀

Anon! How could you have known?

(Thank you so much for asking)

~~~

I spent a long time thinking about my ideal plot for the Rhodey show. It makes me desperately want to write fic, and I already scrapped at least five ideas. My final choice? 

So, in this new phase of Marvel, there seems to not really any Avengers. There’s a lot of crossovers but not really a team (though they might be building up to some kind of Champions-Young Avengers mash up group). Plus, the whole compound is destroyed so even if they are still at team, they don’t have a building to assemble in. So Rhodey won’t be an Avenger anymore. He’s just Air-Force now. Which is fine, it is! It’s just that he doesn’t have much to do... 

He keeps seeing fights and new heroes on TV, but the Air-Force above his shoulder keeps telling him to not engage. And besides that, which he can’t engage in, Rhodey doesn’t really have what to fight. So War Machine becomes less prominent, and he feels like he’s stuck in a stupid desk job, which is endlessly frustrating to Rhodey. The fight needs to be fought and they won’t let him!

He reaches his boiling point, probably around seeing Riri. It’s not that he thinks Riri is unsuitable, but a kid is carrying on his best friend’s legacy and he can’t be there because of his orders. 

So he quits. If this is the only way to be War Machine, maybe it’s better if he isn’t one at all. 

Only to realize that was the military’s plan after all. The Air-Force has all the War Machine blueprints, and can probably make a War Machine suit all on their own. Hammer jumps on the chance to build the suits. Suddenly, there’s a new legion of War Machine suits, and who knows what the military would do with them. They haven’t learned their lesson in Iron Man 2. 

(Bonus points if Rhodey is blamed by the internet for becoming corrupt because the military forgot to tell people about the new War Machine suits. The suits are never shown together, so everyone just assumes it’s Rhodey being evil)

Rhodey is caught between his ideals, his duty, and his retirement, as he starts building his own suits, using his niece as the girl in his chair, taking out the entire corrupt military, meeting other iron people, and creating his own legacy. 

He’s fighting for his own name this time. 

~~~

Now, I’ve only read Invincible Iron Man: Ironheart, so I don’t know everything about Riri’s story, but I do know that she mirrors a lot of MCU Tony’s arc. She’s motivated by survivor guilt. Isolates herself through her suits. She built her first armor from scraps. Doesn’t really have a secret identity. She’s extremely creative and when she manages to defeats the bots AI Tony used to train her, she whoops in a way that reminded me of MCU Tony shouting “yeaahhh!” in Iron Man. She’s Tony Stark in every way that matters to me. 

But the thing is, 616 Riri met Tony. MCU Riri would likely not (unless they make them meet post IW but pre Endgame). Which means, Riri would be completely self made. Even if she gets hired by SI in the MCU, even if she gets a Tony AI, it’ll be 100% her at the beginning.

And I think that’s awesome. 

The show starts by showing Riri’s childhood. Showing her growing up as a lonely genius until she meets Natalia. Showing her tense relationship with her dad, her supportive but worried mom, showing her best friend, only friend, that seems to be the only one interested in her inventions instead of scared of them. Then... Natalie and her step dad die. She has to be torn away from Natalie’s body. Riri looks at the screen with superheroes fighting, heartbroken and quiet, telling the police officer that it should have been her. 

Riri starts building a suit of armor. That was one of her last conversations with Natalie. That she wants to fly. And she does. She wants it. And maybe if she’ll fly high enough, she’ll be close to Natalie again. Or at least she wouldn’t feel this empty. She finishes the suit and takes it for a spin. And it’s amazing. The wind isn’t in her hair, no, but the adrenaline is in her veins. She’s floating in the air, the jets chasing her heels. She smiles, for the first time in months. 

She spots someone with a gun cornering someone in an alley, and Riri flies down and immediately bends the gun in half. The person runs in horror, and she turns to the person she saved. “You’re safe now,” she tells them. She flies away. 

Riri goes viral on the internet, with that person’s witness making everyone freak out. Everyone sees it.

Or at least enough people so that SI can reach her. 

Riri is watching the news about her, complicating whether she wants to be a superhero, when Pepper Potts knocks on her door with a suitcase in hand, asking for her and Riri to have a chat and a gift exchange. They talk about what it means to be Iron Man and why she wants it. Pepper hands her the case and tells her, “my gift is only this; promise you’ll do right by his legacy.” Riri Williams, determined, tells her, “I will.”

Riri finds AI! Tony Stark and starts getting trained by him. Every episode she learns a new lesson from the AI or from her experience, and all through the training she shows off how creative, smart, quippy and excited she can be. AI! Tony and Riri’s friendship is a slow burn, from purely AI Tony who’s a little shit and Riri who really wishes Tony had a mute button, to AI Tony becoming Riri’s best friend and her sharing things with him. 

Meanwhile, an original villain watches Riri in the background. Their plan has to occur without an Iron Man and they can’t afford Riri. They need to take her down. They send small villains after her, thinking she can be taken down easily. Riri fights those smaller villains, all sent from the ultimate villain, and Tony teases her about this all being training. Riri grumbles about not being taken seriously. 

The finale episode deals with that villain, that tells her, “fine, I’ll do it myself”. In that season finale, Riri realizes what she’s fighting for: she’s fighting for the future and for the people who don’t want progress. 

Riri stands in the middle of the crowd and she says, “I am the future. You have me now.” And what she means is, “I have a future. I’m not alone anymore.”

[bugmomwrites]

Bloody Knuckles (Satori Tendou x GN!Reader)

A/N: My first time writing for Tendou! He was definitely one of the more multi faceted characters I’ve seen thus far, and I wanted to portray him in a way that wasn’t just an unhinged crackhead and it turns out I’m soft for The Weird Ones With A Heart Of Gold so...yay? 

Give this song a listen while you read!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8GwUos_Mtw&list=LLMufVjq3gMI8bOOKLeFGq4g&index=257

If this takes off and enough people ask/comment/reblog I may write part 2 but no promises

TW: You break someone’s nose so a little blood? You can throw a mean punch in this one. Do with that what you will.

“Hey, I’m sorry for worrying you. Semi kind of exaggerated over the phone but I swear I’m fine.”

Silence.

You gulp. Tendou has already thanked the nurse for cleaning your cuts, and offers to wrap the last couple bandages. Sensing you two needed to be alone, she gives him the roll and quietly tends to the others. The several wrappings on his own hands must have been enough of an indication to them, seeming to say I know what I’m doing! I’ve done this before!, and it wasn’t like it was anything major. If it was something more graphic, say, a gun wound, they might have done it themselves. But here he was, wrapping you up with a level of care and intimacy reserved only for you.

How on earth did he let this happen again? You had been on your way to the gym around the same time he usually finished practice so the two of you could walk home together and hang out after school. Nothing out of the ordinary. You even had his varsity jacket on to block out the chilly autumn breeze, grateful that the sleeves were long enough to go well past your hands. His number 5 stitched onto the back was just the icing on the cake, and you wore it with pride.

Except today had been a little different.

As his s/o, you were very well aware of his past experiences with bullying, how he was labeled a “monster” by his peers; excluded from activities and singled out- sometimes even by the teachers. And while he had initially grown from the experience, feeling much more confident not just with age but with you becoming a vital part of his life as well, that didn’t mean he’d completely forgotten it either. Even though it was much less common in high school, there would still be the rare few that had something nasty say about him, but you didn’t think you’d ever witness it first hand in your third and final year.

As luck would have it, your “good behavior” streak came to a screeching halt when you heard snickers coming a little ways behind you. Frowning, you turned your head just in time to see a cluster of what looked like a few college kids from the team Shiratorizawa practiced against. You wondered briefly what was so amusing to them, when the shortest of the three beckoned you over. Hesitantly, you followed to where they were, just a couple yards away from the gym entrance.

“Can I help you?”, you asked curiously. One of them nodded, leaning down a bit and spoke.

“Yeah, we couldn’t help but wonder- are you dating the infamous Guess Monster of Shiratorizawa? The number on your back looked familiar.”

“Oh you mean Tendou! Yeah, he’s the greatest. Have you guys met him?”, at this they all exchanged incredulous looks before bursting into laughter. You faltered, half expecting that these guys were maybe friends of his, or at least on good terms. Anytime someone would ask you about your boyfriend, you were used to gushing about him to anyone who would listen, so this mockery was unprecedented. 

“Looks like even the Yokai scored a s/o before you did after all, Katsu. Pay up.” The one named Katsu groaned, but reached into his wallet nonetheless and handed over a few paper bills. At this, you frowned. Who the hell did they think they were, speaking so poorly about the man you loved with your whole heart?!

Indignantly, you huffed are them, demanding to know what kind of beef they had with Tendou. They glared down at you, retaliating with some judgmental comments. You couldn’t even remember how it escalated; whether it was a gradual build up or one sole thing that sent you from 0 to 100, but before you knew it hands were being thrown, and the little voice in the back of your mind warning you about utterly stupid you were acting was ultimately silenced.

Being outnumbered, and not to mention much smaller it wasn’t hard for them to land a couple hits on you. Unbeknownst to you Semi passed by the commotion just in time to see two of the guys comforting their friend, who was now holding a bloody nose.

This would have been the perfect time to make your getaway, but after you heard the words “psycho bitch” there was nothing in your veins but pure unadulterated rage, and any momentary relief Semi may have felt at the prospect of the scrap winding down, was shot down almost instantly.

He wasn’t too sure who he should be more worried for, but getting in the middle of it wouldn’t end well for anybody. The sight of maroon blotches on the concrete and smearing over all four of you sent him into a mild panic, as he turned the corner and dialed 911.

“Yeah, Shiratorizawa Academy. Just outside the gym. Thank you. Please hurry.”

He still had one more call to make, although he wasn’t sure if he could do it. Steeling his nerves and swallowing any anxiety that got caught in his throat he tapped the green call button. The dial tone sounded for fifteen long seconds before a cheerful voice finally greeted him on the other line.

“Semi-Semi? I’m right inside. Did you forget something after practice?”

“Tendou! It’s Semi. Hurry outside, it’s urgent.”

“I think the last time I decked somebody on your behalf was before we got to Shiratorizawa. Middle schoolers are ruthless”, you chuckled nervously, hoping to get some sort of reaction out of him. When he still didn’t respond, you cleared your throat.

“Tendou?”, you speak again, but this time your voice is much softer. Much more uncertain. As if you’re afraid to raise your voice out of fear of one or both of you breaking. With a shaky sigh, you reach a newly wrapped hand under his chin.

“Satori.”

This time, his face lifts into your view, and you don’t miss the way his brows furrow with worry, or the way his lips tremble as glossy eyes avert your own. A heavy hand is placed over yours, thumb rubbing gentle circles over the back of your palm.

People had always told you that one of these days that temper of yours would get you into trouble. That was one other difference you had with Tendou- your boyfriend was nicknamed the “Guess Monster” on and off the court, the title coming from his hyper observant nature and uncanny ability to easily read the people around him at a moments notice. Tendou was strategic, often analyzing even the most mundane from seemingly every angle, running the possibilities through his brain before executing a final decision.

You on the other hand? You were impulsive, brash, the patron saint of “act first think later”. You were prone to getting caught up in the moment, and being much more volatile than your romantic counterpart. That mentality, coupled with your loyalty and strong sense of justice was the perfect storm for leading you into scenarios much like this one. 

Sure, you had scared off bullies for Tendou before, and every time he would hug you tight and tell you to “be more careful next time”, and just like clockwork you’d be on your best behavior for all of a week or so before inevitably relapsing back to instinctive rage. The cycle would continue, and for a while spats like these became less frequent, much to Tendou’s joy.

This was not “just another spat”.

Instead of relieved affection and that familiar grin you knew and loved, the back of the ambulance was deadly quiet, save for the EMTs bustling around outside.

His name still hung in the air, and before you could say anything else you felt warm droplets rolling onto your newly wrapped hands. One by one teardrops soaked through the fabric in the form of little dots, and your heart dropped as the harsh reality set in. 

Tendou Satori was crying. Your lovably goofy, sweet boyfriend, who you swore to protect from all the vile comments. From all the evil in the world. From any and all things that would make him cry.

But this time, it was because of you.

In your crusade of being his metaphorical umbrella in the harshest storms raining from above, you had neglected to notice the muddy puddles below, leading him right into them while he faithfully believed in you. 

Those kids might have been calling Tendou a monster, but now? The title seemed to be more fitting for you. You had to fix this. You had to bring that smile back. You were the only one who could bring back the sun from the dreary raincloud that hung over the both of you.

“Tori, baby... look at me.”

After what seemed like eons, teary brown eyes met (e/c) ones. You wondered how it was possible for them to look so shiny, and yet so subdued at the same time. There were originally so many apologies and words running through your head that you had planned, each one thought out carefully enough to make Tendou proud. You wanted to tell him all of it, while putting some sense of comfort in knowing that you were trying to express your feelings with words (and not impulsive actions) that you pondered. That you came up with. That you considered before speaking, for once in your life.

But as soon as you made eye contact, they disappeared into thin air. Every mentally rehearsed statement, gone. So  you rested your forehead against his in a silent apology. Words would fail you, and as much as you wanted to be just as eloquent as Tendou, the small gesture seemed to do more than a million I’m sorry’s ever could.

So the pair of you sat on the stretcher in a silence that seemed much less suffocating now, forehead to forehead, and kissing away tears.

After several minutes had passed, Tendou leaned into your hand some more, and turned to lay a kiss into your palm. 

Now it was your turn to tear up a little. After seeing firsthand the kind of harassment your boyfriend went through on a daily basis, you knew you had to be strong for his sake. The reasonable part of you told you to not pick a fight with certain people, no matter what. That there was no shame in taking the high road. But then you’d remember all the times he’d come home dejected and hurt, and the indignation that came with people so casually dragging his name through the mud, having no idea just how much words hurt. 

Being “his protector” was taxing, and you realized that, while you’d do everything in your power to keep that smile on his face, sometimes you needed to let him be there for you too. As equals.

The tears were now dried up, no words needed as the walls of the tiny ambulance began to feel less restricting. Much like a sun shower, it wasn’t completely better yet, but it was obvious things were on the mend, at the very least. There was always a short window of time during a rainstorm where the sun would peek out, despite the last few drops of rain not disappearing completely. Moments like these- where the sadness was still lingering, but took a backseat to make room for relief, bittersweetness, and love- were where a rainbow would shine through. This purgatory was beautiful, yet ephemeral, and if you didn’t embrace it quickly enough it would fade away.

And with that, Tendou took a page out of your book and kissed you sweetly. It took you by surprise at first, but before too long you were melting into it. Vulnerable, but filled with a new kind of strength.

Pulling away as you remembered the ambulance doors were still half open, you attempted to reach to pull them shut. Alas, Tendou was a master at reading people, but most especially you, and you two were closed off from the rest of the world with a satisfying click.

Using this window of opportunity where his guard was down, you pulled him back down to your level for a longer, steamier kiss as you card your hand through his hair. You could almost feel him smirking against you, and in that moment you knew your sunshine was here to stay. After a few moments of shared breaths, mingling tongues and wandering hands, you finally separated and took in his dishelved appearance. Although, you were certain you didn’t look much better.

“I know I’m not as good with words as you are, but I’d love to apologize properly...maybe with actions?” 

His eyes softened, lifting both of your bandaged hands in his to his lips as he tenderly kissed your bruised knuckles.

“I’d like that.”

.

TAGLIST: @narutos-fat-meat @introloves @kzumesknma @lotsofangst @xsweetbutsaltyx

Send me an ask or a message if you want to be notified of future stories, and I’ll add you to the list!

[rayshippouuchiha]

Team Uzumaki AU, I can only imagine that Naruto's trip to Uzu is heartbreaking. He gets there and he sees how hard his family fought to survive in the destruction they caused and the bones of the dead. Even with every clone he can make it takes weeks to gather the bones for the funeral pyre he builds them. It's the first fire seen on Uzu in decades and somehow even after he leaves it never goes out.

It takes Naruto longer than he’d planned to get to Uzushio.

Months longer.

He’s older, wiser, harder now than he’d been when he’d left Jiraiya behind and boarded a ship at the harbor.

But, staring at the broken and shattered remnants of the island, he can’t help but think it’s for the better.

Because he’s not sure he would have been able to handle this without the growth he’d gone through these past few months.

Without the things he’d seen and done since leaving Jiraiya this might have broken something within him clean down to the core.

‘Home,’ something small and young and achingly sad whispers in the back of Naruto’s head.  ‘This could have, should have, been home.’

And he knows that voice is right.  Knows that, as much as he’s always loved Konoha, he would have loved Uzushio even more.

But it’s gone now.

Reduced to tattered buildings and suspicious stains that not even time and nature had completely erased.

‘A dead legacy,’ Naruto thinks as he crouches and presses the tips of clawed fingers gently against a scrap of fabric that must have once been a very fine kimono.

It disintegrate beneath his touch, like it was only ever waiting for him to arrive before it could finally disappear.

Naruto sighs, settles back on his heels, and tilts his face towards the sea-salt breeze and the blazing sun.

“I can’t go back and save you,” Naruto whispers to the silent street, to the dead city, the dead Village and it’s population of ghosts.  To the echoing whispers of his dead Clan.  “I can’t do anything to fix what’s already happened.  But I ... I can do my best to remember you.  And then I’ll make sure the rest of the world never forgets either.”

The wind swirls across the empty street, in the distance Naruto hears the sound of waves crashing.

It feels like welcome but Naruto’s sure that’s just a bit of wishful thinking.

‘A dead legacy,’ he thinks again as he stands back up.  ‘Filled up to the brim with bones.’

But, in the end, it’s his legacy and Naruto has no intention of ever letting it go.

[casualneonglitterpainterposts]

This piece and the story behind it was inspired by my wonderful friend @sol-line  - Featuring her very own version/ design of Livian too 😉👍💜💙

Also just a heads up, they aren’t really fighting one another, trust me- read the story below and you’ll see ^^

“I know this isn’t what you want,  Please, Let me help you”

Early evening had settled in, the streets of Metro city were busy with evening traffic of people coming home from their long working day. Though on the other hand trouble was afoot…

In a dark alleyway just down near the park a young beautiful blonde haired female robot was fleeing for her life. For you see she had just taken the life of the Mafia leader  - the thief and man who murdered her creator right in front of her very eyes.  The young woman managed to quickly lose them for a moment, so she took to the sky to flee them. As she fled through the sky, one of his henchmen shot her right through the arm- breaking her wing and leaving her to fall and badly damage herself …

“ARRGH”, the young blonde haired robot cried out as she fell to the ground clenching her damaged arm..

Staf: “Nice shot their, you knocked her out the sky pretty damn well”

Reich: “Tch, serves that bloody pesky robot right”. 

Pyotr (reloading his gun and placing it back in his holster, with a cruel smirk upon his face): “Hurry up, before she runs off find her and I’ll take her out just like last time”.

Staf: “Alright, Reich, let’s go”..

Staf and Reich ran off ahead to find her. Pyotr followed behind readily awaiting to whip out his gun and take her down once more. In the past when the three first found Professor Kondo’s robot, Pyotr was the one who had shot the beautiful blonde robot right through the head taking her out the first time so he, Staff and Reich could sell her on the black market. But now, taking revenge on her for killing the Mafia leader who paid them well, he was ready to take her out just like last time, even if it meant taking out anyone who got in their way too..

A block or so away from the park, the young blonde haired robot was picking herself up- clutching onto her damaged arm- her body was pretty dented, scratched up and she couldn’t use that arm anymore. She seemed a little jittery as she stood up, her past trauma had been brought up from being shot by Pyotr again- she knew she couldn’t stay there- either them or the police would catch her. She took a moment to calm herself down, then the young female robot let her legs take her as far away as possible from them and the police. She knew it meant leaving the only two robots she made friends with, but she thought it was for the best. 

Down in town.. Inspector Tatwashi, the swat team and the Anti-Robot Robot Squad were on the case- hunting down these bandits and this mysterious young blonde haired woman. They had been at this for months hoping to arrest these men and to salvage this mysterious young blonde haired woman..

Inspector Tawashi: “Have you and the ARRS located those bandits and that blonde haired robot yet Delt?”

Delta (via his built in intercom): “Not yet sir, but we’re hot on their track. Don’t worry we’re locating them right now inspector”.

The police were getting closer and closer to tracking her down, though she managed to lose sight of them so they couldn’t find her. She stood there for a moment to rest- though little to her knowledge, Staf and Reich had finally found her..

 Reich: “Ha, Gotcha now Blondie, looks like you’re too damaged to fight ”.

Staf: “He he you’re right, she’s nothing but scrap now. Hurry up Pyotr.. Come n’ shoot her already before she escapes again”…

Her eye’s screamed in fear, a cold chill ran down her body when she heard the clicking of Pytor’s gun and his footsteps getting closer and closer..

without any hesitation, the young blonde haired woman ran for her life. As long as Pyotr and the other two were there, she knew she wouldn’t be safe

As she ran half way down the street, Pyotr let his finger slip off the trigger on his gun, the bullet went straight through the young woman’s lower back- she grit her teeth from the pain but continued to run- faster and faster..

Right now all she needed to do was escape to the outskirts of Metro City.

Back down the street, Reich had quickly hijacked a car…

Reich (obnoxiously honking the cars horn) : “Hurry up and get in, we’ll catch that damn blondie faster in this- then she’s all yours for the killing Pyotr”

Staf jumps into the backseat with no hesitation ..

Pyotr (as he jumps into the passenger seat in the front): “Very well then, step on it Reich”..

The three bandits followed her as she made her escape through the city…

In the city street- walking back towards his place, Livian (my version) was lost in thought, she hadn’t seen the young blonde haired woman she met and made friends with in three weeks, so she couldn’t help but worry about her. As he held her hand, walking alongside her- Atlas looked at her concerningly..

Atlas (out of concern): “Hey Livy what’s wrong?”

Livian (My version) ( looking towards him and sighing): “I..it’s nothing..”

Atlas (Coming closer and looking into her eyes sincerely): “You don’t have to hide it Livy, you can trust me”..

Livian (My version) (slightly blushing but smiling a little): “Alright then.. It’s just that I haven’t heard from our friend Livian in weeks.. I’m worried about her. I just hope we see her again soon”. 

Atlas (trying to stay positive, though is a little concerned about her himself): “ Hey it’s alright, She’s a fighter like us. I’m sure she’s fine- Don’t worry my princess” 

Livian (My version) (Hugging Atlas dearly, though still worried a little): “ Y..Yeah you’re right..I guess. Come on we better get back to your place then (she says with a cheeky smile).

Atlas (With a cheeky smirk upon his face): “Very well then princess”..

Just as the two continued their journey back towards  his place, commotion came bursting through the city streets.. 

Livian (My version) and Atlas turned around to see what all the commotion was about- When she turned around, her eyes opened wide and her face went pale as if she’d just seen a ghost…

Atlas couldn’t believe his eyes either…

It was their blonde haired friend Livian (Sol’s version), She was in battle form, badly damaged/ scratch up, bullet wounds to her arms and back- with a look of terror and fear across her face..

People were jumping out of the way, running away screaming as a car came flying through- speeding up and honking at on-goers walking by in their way as they chased the young blonde haired woman down.. 

The two stood there in silence for a moment- shocked and horrified at what they’d just seen… 

Livian (My version) quickly snapped out of it, transforming into her battle form..

Livian (My version): “ Livian needs help, I’m going after her..”

Atlas grabbed a hold of her hand…

Atlas: “Livy wait, I’ll come with you to help her”.

Livian (My version) (looking into his eyes sincerely): “ Atlas, I can catch up to her in a flash, I know you’re worried about her too but you need to go alert Inspector Tawashi and the others.”

Atlas(sighing sincerely): “Alright then Livy, but please be safe”..

Livian (My version) (gently placing a small kiss on the side of his cheek): “ I will, and I’ll make sure Livian is safe too.”

And with that- using her super speed, she ran like the wind, in hopes of saving her friend from these terrorist bandits. Atlas himself transformed and flew off to alert Inspector Tawashi and the ARRS..

On her way towards  the outskirts of town, Livian (Sol’s version) could  feel her damaged body giving into her- she  was exhausted and could run no more, Running soon slowed down into a slight walk - many of her defenses were destroyed, leaving her a weak target to these bandits.  As she did her best to escape the city, the bandits had pulled up nearby, Reich honking the car horn like a wild hoon..

Pyotr and Staf jumped out of the car, Livian (Sol’s) stood there backing away slowly shaking her head in disbelief, traumatised as the past came back to haunt her…

Staf (in a smug tone): “Well.. well.. well fancy seeing you again blondie?”

Reich (being a complete ass and snickering) : “What’s the matter? Can’t attack us anymore you little blonde punk?”

As Staf and Reich stood there laughing and making fun of her, Pyotr pulled out his gun once more awaiting to shoot her in the head for the very last time..

Livian (My version) had caught up in no time, as she snuck up from behind she was horrified to see these men cruelly torture and terrorise her traumatised friend. She could see the pain and trauma this young woman had been through and even though she was troubled, She deserved to live.. 

Just as Pyotr lifted his gun up, with his finger ready to let go of the trigger, a certain badass female robot quickly dashed in using her cryokinesis, forming a shield around her wounded friend..

 Livian (my version): “HEY.. LEAVE HER ALONE”..

Reich (All smug): “Or what?’’…

Livian (my version): “Or I might have to kick your asses myself”..

Staf (being a smart ass): “Ooh, whatcha gonna do shorty? Build a snowman with that freezing power of yours?”…

As the two stood there laughing she rolled her eyes, leaving the barrier she made around her friend- Livian (My version) quickly started fighting back- dodging their attacks as best as she could using her super speed,reflexes and ice shields. Though she was hit and slightly damaged at times by them, she continued firing blockades of ice, trapping them in an icy cage. And freezing their hands together in handcuffs made of pure solid ice..

Pyotr felt a rage grow inside him, he couldn’t believe how stupid these two were, getting themselves beat by a robot like that. So  instead of shooting the young blonde haired woman- out of frustration he turned around.. 

Livian’s (Sol’s) eyes were wide open in fear, she could foresee what was going to happen. With a tremble in her voice, she shouted… 

“N..N.NOOOOOO!!!!”

“BANG,BANG!!!”

“ARGH!!!!!”

Pyotr had shot Livian (My version) twice right through the same arm. Though she was hit, damaged and in a lot of pain- she wasn’t ready to give in. Clenching her teeth together through the pain, she turned to face the tall dark haired man …

As she turned around, Pyotr was getting ready to shoot once more- though this time he pulled out another gun- one pointing towards her and the other point to Livian (Sol’s)..

Pyotr (with a pissed/ yet manic look on his face): “Now listen here you punk-ass robot if you come any closer, I’ll shoot you both in the head”

She looked over at her friend then down at her arm and back at Livian (Sol’s) again, sighing… 

Then stepping forward, just as he quickly turned both guns towards her and pulled the trigger- The blonde haired woman couldn’t sit there watching anymore.. In that very moment she snuck up from behind and stabbed him right through the shoulder- severely injuring Pyotr…

“ARGH, YOU FILTHY MACHINE, TAKE THAT!!!!!”

As Pyotr fell to the ground clenching his bleeding shoulder, he managed to take out the young blonde haired woman also- knocking her to the ground and adding more damage to her crippled yet dinged up body..

On the other hand Livian (my version) had taken the brink of the bullets he’d fired. They had torn right through her lower arm. Though she may have been damaged, she managed to pick herself up off the ground- then using her other arm cannon- she froze Pyotr’s free hand in ice..

Just as she did so- Atlas, Detective Tawashi, the swat team and the ARRS had arrived on the scene. Livian (My version) smiled when she saw him and the police..

Detective Tawashi, the swat team and ARRS had taken these terrorist bandits away. Tawashi turned his attention back to the young blonde haired robot..

Detective Tawashi (Raising his brow with a questioning look upon his face): “Who is she and what has she got to do with all this?”

Atlas (Interrupting/ chiming in): “Don’t worry about her, she is Professor Kondo’s robot, We were told to come find her and take her back to the ministry”.

Detective Tawashi (sighing in a slight somewhat grumpy tone) : “Hmph very well then”

And with that he, the swat team and the ARRS took off to the Metro City prison with the three terrorist bandits in the back of their van. After they had left the scene, Atlas quickly ran over to her side, he looked a little alarmed when he saw the bullet wounds in her arm..

Atlas ( out of concern): “Are you alright Livy, What happened?”

Livian (My version): “I.. I’m alright, don’t worry about me. Right now I need to Help Livian”

 She quickly turned her attention to her friend ,over in the distance slowly walking away. Livian (My version) slowly ran over to her and managed to catch up to her once more…

The young woman stood there, shaking trembling all over with a slight sadness, pain and somewhat manic look in her eyes.. 

Livian (my version) couldn’t stand to see this woman in pain, the woman had suffered enough- So she came closer …. 

“ Please don’t run away, not again. They’re gone now, nobody wants to hurt you I promise.. let me help you”.. 

Livian (Sol’s ): “Just leave me, I..I’m a monster.. I just can’t control myself”.. 

“I won’t leave you Livian you’re my friend, I want to help you.." 

Livian (my version) came closer to her traumatised friend, she could see the damage they had done to her. It hurt her deeply to see her friend suffering. In a moment of a flashback in her mind, deep trauma was triggered, just as Livy (my version) came close to her friend… 

Livian (Sol’s) swung herself around vastly and pulled her blade hand out towards her friend (she doesn’t mean to do so, it’s like a reflex thing) … 

Livian’s (My version) eyes were wide open and slightly watery, her heart pounding and sweat droplets crawling down her forehead… 

"P..Please Livian don’t do this….." 

Atlas too was shocked to see her pointing her blade towards her.

Livian (Sol’s version) with tears trickling down her face: "I. .. I can’t… I just can’t stop this… Don’t come near me.. I can’t control myself”.. 

Though she had the blade pointed towards her and she was willing to give up her own life to save her friend, Livy (My version) came closer- looking into her eyes sincerely she spoke… 

Livian (my version): “ Please don’t push me away..  I..I understand" 

The blonde haired beauty pulled the blade away from her friends face, retracting it back to her normal hand-letting down her guard. She fell to the ground on her knees and her eyes balling with tears, releasing all her inner pain..

Livy (my version) quickly ran over kneeling beside her and hugging her dearly in comfort. She was grateful for her friend and hugged her back… 

Livian (Sol’s version): "I’m so sorry for pointing my blade at you and all this unnecessary trouble I’ve caused” ( she says sniffing a tear back …)  

“Hey, it’s alright, it’s not your fault, you were only hurting. But now I’m here, and I’m going to help you heal”.. 

“You really wanna help me after all I did?" 

"Yes I do. I know in times like this, sometimes it’s nice to have someone by your side to help you out" 

She looked up at her wiping the tear from her cheek, with a sincere smile on her face. 

Livian (Sol’s version): “Thankyou”.

Livian (My version): “You’re very welcome” .

As the two girls got off the ground ,Atlas came over towards them. 

Atlas (sincerely smiling): “I’m so glad you two are alright, but it looks like you two could do with some repairs though”

Livian (My version, holding onto her damaged arm and rolling her eyes): “Yeah, yeah I know”

Livian (sol’s) stood there smiling and shaking her head a little at the two..

Then  turning her attention back to her friend, Livian (My version) spoke…

”Come with us Livian, my creator Dr. Okamato can fix us up. And if you like, you can stay over at my place- my parents won’t mind”.

Livian (Sol’s) was a little hesitant at first, then looking back at both Livian (my version) and Atlas she bowed her head in gratitude.. 

“Very well then. That would be nice. I’ve got my blue prints with me just in case also”

Livian (My version) smiled back sincerely. Atlas stood there rolling his eyes and smiling too..

Atlas: “ Come on then you two let’s go, before it gets dark”

 The two girls just shook their heads in disbelief, then followed along making their way to the ministry for repairs…

Livian (Sol’s version) was finally at peace with the world, though it would take quite some time for her past trauma to heal. But for now she embraced this new chapter in her life- in hopes that one day she would become that badass bodyguard she’d wanted to be..

THE END!!!!

Anyways, I hope you guys liked it, also please give my pal Sol’s design some love. And hopefully I’ll be drawing more of these two lovely ladies soon.

 “ 2003 Livian design (On the left) Belongs to me!!!! ”

“Livian (On the right) Belongs to @sol-line  !!! “

[thebrighteye]

Protector

I was broken you made me whole again The only one I trusted more than myself -What I Believe [Skillet] Febuwhump Day 14: "I didn't mean it." | Fandom: Overwatch (Pre-Fall) | Angela & Gabriel

AO3 | FF.net | Works

"Did you know that my parents died in the war?" She asked, the sudden change of topic making him blink with surprise. "Angela, what--" He started, but she spoke over him. "They died, leaving me an orphan with my grandparents. Already an outsider – the girl without parents – I buried myself in my academics because I had a burning need to prove myself worthy. So, I flew through school – all the way through university and medical school." Angela didn't know where the words were coming from, only that she needed to say them and he needed to hear them. "Then, my grandparents died - and I was truly an orphan then, with no one at all to turn to." She sighed as her eyes dropped to her lap. "I didn't have any friends, because who wanted to be friends with a child that was smarter than them? It was incredibly lonely, with teachers that had no time and peers that avoided me, so I drowned myself in my studies and ignored the looks and the whispers." Angela shrugged as if to say it happens sometimes, that it didn't matter - though clearly it did, considering she was recounting it to him now. "It was no different at the hospital; I excelled, moved up the ranks, and my peers hated me even as they respected me. I had no friends – not someone I'd gossip with or laugh with, though I admit I throw myself into my work so deeply that I have little time for such things, as you know." She smiled derisively, as if it didn't bother her – though if it hadn't, she wouldn't be talking about it, forcing the words out for him to hear. "Then you and Jack showed up, and I decided to join Overwatch – even with my misgivings. I expected it to be much the same, especially with my less-than-stellar opinions." She took a breath, having almost forgotten how to breathe in her need to speak. "But it wasn't. I have friends here – honest friends, not the ones that wait for you to stumble so they can pull the rug out from under you." Angela glanced up and saw that Gabriel was listening intently, still curious as to what – exactly – her point was. "You, Gabriel, you were my first friend – and I doubt you even knew it, because you're good with people in a way that I'm not. You and Jack and Ana, you were my first friends, ever since I was a small girl that still had parents." She took a shuddering breath and gripped her legs with fingers that trembled. "So believe me, Gabriel, when I say that I can't lose you – any of you. I have lost too much." Angela let out a breath that sounded like a sob. "But you go, all three of you - and you take risks, and you save people, and you get shot - and I am left behind to wait, hands wringing, praying that this time won't be the last time, that you will return home whole or on a gurney for me to put back together and not in a body bag for me to bury." Her words were heated with anger and terror and anxiety: because they made her stay behind, because they didn't trust her to survive on a battlefield, to watch their backs like they watched each other. She let the anger fuel her because anything else would lead to tears, and she just couldn't. Jack had led the team that flushed out the enemy, making sure the way was clear so she could move unhindered. Ana had watched out for her, making sure that they knew there was an enemy behind them so that she wouldn't be hurt. Gabriel had stayed at her side the entire time, and, when it came down to it, he jumped in front of a shooter for her. "So instead of letting me learn how to be useful, you three protect me like a delicate china doll. You shoved me aside to take a bullet. You gave me a concussion, but I still dutifully stopped your bleeding and even pulled a bullet out of you, because you're important and I didn't have time to take care of myself without endangering you." She practically growled the words. "Wait- you had a concussion and you performed surgery on me?" Gabriel's voice was indignant, and she rolled her eyes; he had, of course, missed the point entirely. "You're fine. All your pieces are in the right spots." She snapped back. "A concussion?" He repeated. "Yes. Blow to the head, causes dizziness, nausea? Stop me if any of this sounds familiar." Angela retorted dryly. "I know what a concussion is, Angela. Why were you doing anything with a concussion?" He demanded. "There you go again, coddling me! You had four bullets in you, and you still did your job – you," she hesitated only briefly, "killed the man that would have killed me. I get slammed into a wall – your fault, by the way – and you act like it's the end of the world!" She yelled, fury rising. "My fault? Excuse me for saving your life!" He yelled back, his own temper fraying. "But that doesn't give you any right—" Angela started yelling right back. "I'm the doctor; I have every right." Her words battled with his to be loudest. "—to perform surgery on anyone with a concussion." His eyes were blazing just as much as hers were. "You're the doctor; you should know better." "Are you dead? Dying? Missing pieces?" Angela demanded. "No, because I did my job. You. Are. Fine." The door opened, and both turned to glare at the intruders. Jack stood in the doorway, Ana a step behind him, both looking rather surprised to find the two of them at each other's throats. "My, someone's in a mood today," Ana remarked blithely, recovering first. "You must be feeling better, Gabe." She pushed Jack inside and closed the door behind her. "Now, what's got you both so riled up?" Angela crossed her arms and glared at Gabriel. "He doesn't think I'm capable of being a professional." She accused. "She had a concussion and was operating on me; I'm pretty sure I'm allowed to be pissed about that!" He met her glare with one of his own. Ana clicked her tongue and shook her head. "Simmer down, children." They both turned their glare on the older woman, who just laughed. "You're both right, though you're too angry to see it. Angela, darling, you shouldn't have been doing anything in your state – but in her defense, she was very protective of you, Gabriel." She winked jovially, and Angela found herself blushing despite herself. "Despite her injury, she still performed admirably, and had she been anyone else, you'd probably be praising them." Ana glanced at Jack, and he nodded in agreement. "Now, apologize so we can talk," Ana said, hands on her hips as she waited for them to get on with it already. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, Gabriel." Angela murmured, eyes downcast and genuinely contrite; now that the wind was out of her sails, she felt extremely remorseful. "Yeah, I know, doc. I shouldn't have yelled either." Gabriel sighed. "I didn't mean it." "Good. Now that that's done, Angela should have a report for us." The blonde doctor made a face as the other two found seats, but she sat up straighter and pushed her hair behind her ears dutifully.

So, like, 99.99% of this has been written for over a year (or three). This was originally going to be a scene in my long fic "Forging" (it would have been part of / the end of the second scene of the 8th chapter "Determination"). But, it got scrapped and put into my giant pile of 'stuff I eventually want to post somewhere' and now, well, here we are!