#rushjob

[stormy-writer]

Rumplestiltskin x Reader - Hot n' Cold

Summary: The rat-bastard needs a hug, but he doesn't wanna open up.

CW: Unbearably smothering fluff, one mention of mental illness, mentions of crying, light mentions of death

WC: 1.6k

Pairing: Rumplestiltskin x reader | Rumplestiltskin x fem!reader

A/N: I started writing, blacked out, and now I have this. Here, I guess. Inspired by a post by omgopalsapphire

I breathed in his scent as his warmth flooded me. He smelled like wine and woodsmoke, like a drink by the fire. But he also smelled like mushrooms. Like a rotted log, nestled in the darkness of the wood. His long, wavy hair shook in the harsh winds, and I could feel the cold creeping up my back. But his touch kept me warm. I didn't dare move, and neither did he.

He quietly sobbed into my shoulder as I rubbed his back, silently soothing his cries. The only audible thing was the wing whistling in our ears and our breaths as we stood, wrapped in each other's arms. I had barely known him, yet he seemed so… broken. He looked like he had seen so much pain, so much heartache. And now, as his body shook with his soundless sobs, I could only feel his pain even more.

I did not care how much he snarled and threatened, how he bared his teeth in a deadly grin. Now he was open, vulnerable. And I wasn't going to let anything happen to him. I felt connected to him, somehow bonded. I felt him relax after a while, his muscles no longer so tense. His body stilled and his tears stopped, but he did not let go. The warmth of the embrace seemed to fill him, as it did me. He sniffled, and I could tell he didn't want to let go. So as his arms loosened from around me, I picked him up.

In his surprise, he grabbed onto me again, holding me tightly. With a gasp, the untrusting tone from before settled back into his voice. “What are you doing? Set me down.” He was demanding, but he couldn't hide the emotion in his tone. I hummed in response, but I just turned around and started walking. Back to his castle, where he always was. He let out a small huff before murmuring, and I could tell he was saying “thank you”

.We walked in a comfortable silence, his breathing becoming light and steady as he fully relaxed into me. ‘He must be asleep,’ I thought. Walking as quietly as I could, I nudged open his doors and stepped into his domain, his large estate. The doors slowly shut behind me, and I paused. I knew nothing of this man, except for his terrible pain. I only knew about his home because I knocked on his door, seeking refuge from the storm. But, thankfully, as I stood there thinking, he leaned back in my arms, forcing me to set him down.

I looked on with concern as he slid out of my grasp, my hands ending up at his waist. “Thank you… for carrying me.” He spoke so quietly, I almost couldn't hear him. It was almost as if he was frustrated that I had helped him. “It's no problem. Are you alright?” We were still so close, my hands holding him in place as our breaths mingled. He paused, taken aback. After all the kindness I'd shown him, he was still shocked when I showed that I cared. Grumbling, he stepped back, getting away from me. “I'm fine. You go along and do whatever it was you were doing before you got here.”

How could he be so hot and cold? How could he pretend like the moment never happened? How silly he is. And frustrating. “I don't think you are fine. A man that-” “I AM NOT A MAN,” he screamed. His heart raced and I could see the anger on his face. But his eyes held only heartbreak. “I am nothing but a monster, and you need to learn that before you get hurt, dearie.” The venom in his words only served to frustrate me more. Who did he think he was?

“I am sorry, but you need to calm down. There's no reas-” Before I can finish, he storms up to me and grabs me by the throat, lifting me up. He was by no means a large man, and yet he had the strength of a giant. I choked, and he grinned evilly. Dropping me, he stepped away. I stood from my knees, rubbing my neck. “There's no reason to get so worked up over nothing.” I dropped my sweet tone, my emotions now shifting. He looked a little hurt, but he covered it with a look of anger.

“And who's to say I'm worked up, hmm? I feel PERFECTLY fine.” His tone raised, and I could tell he was trying to keep his walls up. “So fine, in fact, that I'll make you a deal.” I frowned. “I don't take deals. You know that.” “Yes, yes. But this will be a deal you cannot refuse!” He was hiding again. Hiding beneath that dastardly mask, that sinister smile. Shaking my head, I stepped forward, only for him to take a step back. “What's your offer?” My frustration seeped through my words, as well as my tiredness. Flamboyantly, he bowed and chuckled.

“Well, my dear, the deal is you leave my estate and never find me or it again, and you get something from me. A favour.” He took a pause, and his voice dropped to a whisper. “Anything.” Was he serious? He was pushing me away, shoving me out of his life, and for what? Because I got too close? Too close to the truth? He was really boiling my blood. I sighed. “Anything. Anything at all?” Nodding he straightened his back and stood tall again, or, as tall as he was. I looked away, thinking. But then I got an idea.

“Fine. I'll take the deal.” A look of pain flashed across his features, if only for a moment. Then he returned to his sly, smug grin. “So, what'll it be? Money? Perhaps a family? I can-” “I want you to rescind the deal.” He was shocked. His mouth hung agape as he looked at me like I was crazy. Then he shut it, smiling irritatedly. “That was fast. Don't you want to think it over, maybe? There's a lot I could provide you with.” He stepped closer, gesturing wildly as he tried to convince me.

“And, besides, it's such a simple task. Why not ask for something you truly desire? Hmm? Anything at all, and it will be yours.” Now he was close, almost as close as before. How could he have gone from crying into my shoulder to trying to get rid of me? He was more bipolar than Aunt Vicka. I took a breath, biting the inside of my cheek. “You're right. I have a better idea.” He seemed pleased at the fact I was changing my favour. Leaning down, I whispered as a grin spread across my face.

“Rescind the deal and you have to be nice to me. Or at least tolerant.” His smirk fell, replaced by a look of anger. He did not like being the one without control. He wanted to be the one with the upper hand. Growling, he glared me down as he looked up at me, our faces inches away. “You… And why exactly should I? I could just throw away this little deal, and I could kill you right where you stand.” His voice was low, and I could feel the hate in his breath. And yet his eyes told me of his true feelings. Feelings of hurt, feelings of frustration. Why wouldn't I just leave? I really could, and I could get myself a life of luxury.

But I didn't want to. I didn't want to leave. “No, you couldn't. I already accepted the deal. And now I’ve told you my favour, which you owe me.” I knew that magic binded his word, and I knew that he had to comply. He stood, his expression almost blank, if it weren't for the obvious anger. His lip twitched and he huffed, stepped back. “Technically, if I rescinded the deal, that would make the favour null. It would be useless. Inactive.” “No, it wouldn't. I'm calling on the favour while the deal is still in action, so you will have to follow through, no matter if the deal is terminated or not.”

I knew about tricks. I didn't know of his, but I knew of many. Sighing, he rolled his eyes and grumbled something I didn't hear. “What was that?” I stepped closer, closing the gap between us. He took a small step back, but he didn't move again as I stopped in front of him. “I said fine!” He snapped at me, but quietly. He looked like a little kid that just got told off. I grinned. Taking his hand, I planted a kiss on his green, scaly knuckles. I muttered against his skin, looking up at him expectantly. “Could I possibly ask for a room to stay here?”

I have no idea what the fuck I just wrote but my eyes hurt and I have a migraine. I made this because I saw a post of omgopalsapphire saying “imagine hugging Rumplestiltskin” and I couldn't get it out of my head. Thank you for reading.

[positivegreenford]

I don't know if the care (or lack of it) taken to paint around these labels on an electricity feeder pillar says anything about the speed with which the job has been done over the years. Greenford Road, Greenford, London Borough of Ealing, London, UK, September 2022. #rushjob #safety #Greenford #LondonBoroughofEaling #London #UK #September2022 #suburbs #suburban #suburbia #photography

[mutualcombat]

it's girls night at camp

[sircarolyn]

features i would have liked the new big finish app to give us:

marker for when you've listened to a story

ability to make playlists even without the episodes downloaded

option to have all special features automatically skip

looks nice

doesn't jump back to beginning of list every time you click on an audio

features the new app did give us:

search but you can't sort by range

that's it

[bythelightswitch]

you'll always be our sexyman, rythian

[doppel-dean-er]

hi. I wrote a fic. it's a puzzle

SO. a bit ago i made a post like "i'm not foreshadowing hhh i never write fanfiction and hate puzzles hh" and now. it is finished. partially. there are still a couple elements i'm going to add, but at this point you could get a whole story from the thing, I am proud (deeply ashamed) to announce:

Computational Analysis & Binary Code: A Trobed ARG

(It's more like an analog fanfiction type of thing??? whatever you get what I mean)

no spoilers, you'll have to discover things yourself, but remember that ctrl+a and the tab keys are your best friends when it comes to looking for secrets in a website!!

also, if you do end up getting somewhat far in it, be warned there is a man hanging dong on one of the pages if you scroll down. the link to the next section is visible from the top, and you also might not be able to see it if you have the nudity thing blocked on Tumblr, but just be warned. also warnings for attempted/failed suicide mention, but it's very brief.

this and this will be useful websites! I wish you luck on your journey. to begin, click the link in my bio. or I guess just this one that works too. Good luck!

[hirunda-maxpw]

Having been in @risu5waffles' stream and hearing the phrase "Walker Texas Box Enemy", I was gifted with the exact image of that character. So...

Behold

[worldendcross]

Here we go again with the Lady Nagant and Marcy Wu comparisons

Inspired by this particular Post last 2021. 

[cicadidae-tm9899]

ok ok so i was gonna go to sleep an hour ago, but i saw @honeybyte do this and i wanted to take a crack at it :D

a good amount of the art i did this year was traditional, as i only got my laptop at the end of the summer, but these are my favorites still!

this was fun! I hope everyone has a happy new year, and that 2023 is good to you.

[thespongemagic]

To quote James Rolfe, "It's winter. It's fuckin cold." Have a Santa Panda. Can you guys tell that this was a rushjob?

Merry Christmas!

[bunabi]

While I could be wrong, I read the staff announcement as meaning, tu/mblr will ("try to") stop third party AI scraping, except their partners: who are permitted to do so from blogs that don't opt out. If that helps.

That's why I'm waiting to see if they put out more information but honestly no it doesn't help :(

This isn't protection, this isn't prevention, this is the equivalent of putting a DNI banner on a post

This relies on trust, honor, and good faith to work; its doomed to fail from jump just like every other site that's implemented the same thing

This feels — to me — like a rushjob for plausible deniability

If they really cared so much about users they would divest from this nonsense because throwing folks to the wolves with a toy knife <<<<< keeping them out of the World Famous Human-Eating Wolf Enclosure to start with

[man-on-mars]

My little sister (7 years old) told me that her teacher had her class make cards for you that would be sent up on The Gay Probe™. I don't have the heart to tell her NASA definitely isn't sticking random cards from a class of 7 year olds in buttfuck nowhere Virginia in the rushjob of the century hail mary probe they're sending you

I'm gonna tell NASA to stockpile all the letters people send me and all the cards from schools in buttfuck nowhere and I am going to read them ALL on like a twitch stream or something if I get home

[beevean]

The more I think about S4 and how much of a rushjob the Styria plotline was, the more amazed I am at the utter failure that the ring is. When you really, really think in detail about how it works, it's so easy to see the gaps in logic in it.

What were the issues of using Hector to create an army for the Styrian council?

He would be able to create an army for himself that he could sic against the sisters. The ring allows them to assume control of the Night Creatures. We only see this as a short flash when Hector forges a creature, but he has to cut his own finger to force his army to stop attacking Isaac, so the ring solved this. One point!

Striga wants to strike the iron while it's hot and take advantage of the chaos in the region, and Lenore is taking too much time in "domesticating" him with good ol' fashioned gaslighting and manipulation. The ring brutally speeds things up: this could have been a nice plot point to show how prideful and eager to prove herself Lenore is, but in S4's quest to woobiefy her, it goes nowhere. Still, it can be seen as an answer to Striga's issue, so two points.

However, in the same scene, Striga also points out the paradox of relying on dead bodies to make an army when they need living humans to feed. This is straight up an issue with Hector himself, not the way he would be made to work. While we see mercenaries in the castle when Isaac assaults it, this problem never comes up again, and Hector is delivered as many bodies as he needs.

He doesn't want to be there. The ring binds him to the castle. However, considering Hector's plan apparently involved creating an escape channel that would connect his forge to Carmilla's quarters at the top, which he apparently planned to use to run away ("I had to assume I might be running from the top of the castle one day"), it seems that his own magic would have been strong enough to break the spell.

He doesn't want to work for people who hurt him. Lenore was actually doing a good job at convincing him to work for them with solid reasons, such as the fact that they shared the same plan and Lenore was willing to improve his life conditions and, by the time the idea of mercenaries comes up, she liked him enough that she was his only chance of being kept alive... then she raped him to put the ring on him, and as the beginning of S4 shows, Hector can stall for time as much as he wants. He still doesn't want to work, as we see later he's actually doing things behind everyone's backs, and nothing forces him to obey any orders. Lenore, his own mistress, has to plead to get him to move on!

That's two out of five, by the way, and one point only lead to bad consequences.

Lenore really did the exact same thing Carmilla was chastized for, breaking Hector's trust before securing his cooperation, and the story... is odd from now on. If you lay down the events, it seems that the ring's failure was an intentional plot beat: of course Hector would refuse to work for the woman who betrayed him. It looks like an honest mistake on Lenore's part, much like Carmilla beating him and then expecting him to do her bidding. But Hector actually doesn't display any anger like he did for Carmilla, and the two are on good terms... even though he planned to run away and bring back Dracula... even though he also waited for Isaac to kill him... even though he spares Lenore's life because she doesn't deserve to be hurt... even though he completely destroyed her life by causing Carmilla's death...? I honestly don't understand if it's a writing failure or not... which makes it inherently a writing failure lol. At least Carmilla got thoroughly called out for her idiocy.

The more I think about it, the more this mess seems to be caused by two ideas badly meshed together: it's possible that in the first draft, Hector was meant to betray Lenore and the others (remember the foreshadowing with the fireplace), which would explain his plotting behind the scenes, his little "thanks again for that", and the way he caused Styria's downfall... but then someone in the team decided to ship Hector and Lenore together, so the ring got completely nullified to remove as many reminders of her past cruelty as possible and he displays zero emotions other than vague fondness for her. With this in mind, it becomes effectively impossible to determine if the ring's ineffectualness was planned to facilitate Hector's revenge or was a result of rushed writing to facilitate Lenector.

A very, very simple solution to this entire mess would have been revealing that Lenore... never wanted Hector to work in the first place. She didn't like Carmilla's plan, but she wanted to save his life because she found him cute and wanted a sex slave pet, and she knew that the others were waiting for a good reason to get rid of him. So it was for her sake, and in her mind Hector's, but not for the council, who was planning to do something she didn't approve of and doesn't respect her anyway. That would have been nice, fit Lenore's established moral code (to be fair, she does look a little miffed at the idea of keeping humans in pens, and while she tells Hector that it's their plan, it's obvious she's only trying to manipulate him and has no feelings on the matter), and very selfish personality. Who cares about the livestock? She wants this new puppy! And she'll save it from mean Carmilla, because despite all the gaslighting and sexual coercion and trickery, she is a good person and likes feeling good! And if she can stick it to Striga who underestimated her, even better!

In short: no, the ring wasn't meant to work, only keep Hector docile!

I like this idea of Lenore having her own agenda and being with the council only out of mutual convenience: they don't like her but use her, and same goes for her. As long as they live nicely without causing issues, she cooperates, but Carmilla's plan is idiotic, so she snatches the pet for herself: from there, it's easier to have an arc where she grows to care for Hector as a person, without the pressure of the council who she doesn't care for in the first place, being fully aware of being nothing more than a tool to them (hint hint). And Hector can be as torn as he is supposed to be, but ultimately choosing to make Styria fall and only keep Lenore alive, but in a way that crushes her heart.

And since it's common to whitewash Lenore in S3 and assume she was a better person than what she actually was, no, I don't believe this was the intention:

Lenore wouldn't have pitched her deal to Carmilla, which was "he'll work for us in exchange for the castle". She wouldn't have even set up the expectations, because then no shit Carmilla would get "very cross". She could have kept it for herself and agreed with Striga's suggestion to hire mercenaries.

In fact, the very first perk of the ring she mentions is that now Hector's Night Creatures would obey the council as well, eliminating the danger of him using them to attack them. This is literally the only function of the ring that is shown in S4. Lenore expected Hector to work for them and was happy to reassure the sisters that he was no longer a threat.

In the dick jokes scene, Lenore sounds worried that she can't keep Carmilla at bay, but her solution is pleading pretty please for Hector to work, in a tone that implies that it's what she expects from him as well. The complete lack of apology for any morally questionable action she has taken doesn't help assuage the impression - as I have stated multiple times, the show is not subtle, and if Lenore meant to go behind Carmilla's back and was deliberately being twofaced, she would have admitted it.

Related to what above, Lenore keeps insisting that she's loyal to the sisters, and her whole angst is that she feels out of place among them in a way that implies that it's not just about her pride, but because she genuinely cares. Sure, she still comes off as a selfish brat who ragequits life because she lost all her power, but it's safe to say that we weren't meant to interpret her like that lol.

So yes, Lenore really expected Hector to work for her after breaking his heart, and pulled the mother of all shockedpikachufaces.jpg when he didn't. Although he still fell in love with her. Although he still planned to betray all of them. Although he still cared to save her life letting everyone else die.

It's just amazing to me. The more I try to meet the writing from different angles, the more issues I find. true peak.

I guess I can chalk this up to yet another way I could fix the plotline: have Lenore be a wild card in the council, and have her using everyone around her, to the point that no one can trust her, and she's only a Queen because someone like her is best to have as an ally and not as an enemy. Only after Hector betrays her, she starts to regret her actions: because for the first time in her existence, she had grown to care about someone other than herself, but by then, the damage was irreparable.

[but-a-humble-goon]

Replaying the Gears of War games lately has reminded me just how much of a blast a seriously well done Triple A shooter campaign from the last generation could be and it depresses me that I didn't appreciate that kind of game enough at the time. It was really easy to just lament the focus on brainless spectacle and linear action set pieces over more thoughtful experiences and I think me and a lot of others at the time did indeed fall into that trap. Looking back on it now though we so did not know how good we had it. I would take a single linear, well paced, tightly designed and satisfying dumb meathead roller coaster ride that focuses on doing what it does well over all of the threadbare, microtransaction laden, rushjob live service husks of a game in the world.

[golvio]

Okay, so, apparently Elon put up his new "X" sign to mark his territory on the Twitter HQ building, and apparently the sign's not only a cheap, slapped-together rushjob piece of shit that uses the exact same too-bright LED lights that people complain about in modern car headlights, but it has a regularly occurring strobe effect. As in it intentionally blinks like strobe light every 5-15 minutes or so.

Not only is this peak edgelord twelve-year-old boy aesthetic, this shit could seriously injure kill people. People have been reporting that merely the video people have recorded of this dumbass sign has triggered seizures in them. (Seriously, don't look up the video unless you're 100% positive you're not photosensitive in any way, and don't post it as anything but a link with a warning anywhere that has autoplay out of courtesy for disabled viewers.) There is an apartment building directly across the street that's filled with studio apartments that, if the building plans people shared are correct, have absolutely no way to escape this blinding rave light unless the occupant hides in their bathroom.

At this point, I don't know what it's going to take for that whiny douchebag princeling to face consequences he actually feels, at least enough to be discouraged from pulling stupid bullshit like this. At what point is Daddy's Emerald Mine Money not going to be enough to keep bailing him out of consequences for violating building codes, labor laws, civil rights laws, the friggin' ADA, and not paying his damn rent like the rest of us?

[emptystove]

Sparrow - Ch 3

One Piece Fanfic (Drama/Romance/Suspense)

Pairings: E. Kid x Reader, Sabo x Reader, Lucci x Reader (one sided)

Rating: EXPLICIT, 18+ ONLY

CW: Violence, Language

Chapter Summary: Sabo negotiates with Kid for your protection, and everyone learns something they didn't expect.

Links to AO3 -- Fanfic Master List

Chapter 3: Game of Questions

Sabo stood next to Koala in the dim light of the auto shop's back office, holding your unconscious form to his chest as they waited for Eustass Kid to speak. 

"Killer, remind me. When we were expecting Blue and his little army brats?"

"Next week, after we contacted him to confirm we acquired what they asked for," Killer replied easily as he leaned on the wall behind Kid, arms folded casually across his broad chest. 

Kid shot Sabo a wicked grin. 

"You seem to have forgotten the rules of our agreement," Kid stated lowly as he idly played with a knife. "You're lucky I value our working relationship enough to allow you to explain why you think you can show up here without an invitation."

"I'm sorry we didn't have time to call ahead. We were in a bit of a rush." Sabo glanced down at your sleeping form before continuing. "But I don't think you'll want to turn down what I'm offering."

Kid's expression turned serious as he tilted his head toward you. "That's not the kind of merchandise I work with, and frankly, I find it pretty fuckin' suspicious that you would bring whatever kind of rushjob this is to me." Kid was never a patient man, and it was clear whatever patience he had left was already worn thin. "I'll give you one more chance before I stop being so nice. Why. Are. You. Here?"

Sabo took a deep breath. His calm and casual attitude turned stern and serious. "I'm here because I didn't have another choice. I have two very serious problems. First, we have reason to believe we've been compromised." Kid's brows twitched, but Sabo pressed on before anyone could react. "If we are right, the source only had access to information from before we started working with you. I'm here because I know for a fact you are not at risk, and I need that to deal with my second problem."

"And your second problem is?"

Sabo swallowed hard before motioning to you. "Koala and I have to get the first problem under control, but we can't take her with us. She's one of ours, but the government is after her. We need you to hide her until we can get back. A few hours maybe, a day tops."

Kid frowned. "Government's always after you lot. What's so special about her?"

Sabo grimaced, and he tightened his hold on you without thinking. "The leader of CP9, he..." Sabo thought about what he witnessed from the shadows in the subway station. He knew Lucci only from the bodies he left behind. There were no stories from Revolutionary survivors because he left no survivors. The way he spoke to you though, he wasn't acting like you were a Revolutionary. He wasn't even acting like he wanted you dead. He wanted you alive, and he wanted you to go with him willingly. Sabo cursed his own mind for thinking up all of the horrible possibilities of what that might have meant for you. "He wants her alive, and he made it clear that he has a personal interest in capturing her."

"And you have a personal interest in protecting her?"

"I'll pay triple what I paid you for our last deal."

Kid hummed thoughtfully. He rose from the desk and sauntered in front of them. His gaze rolled over you, and a large finger tapped you on the cheek. Kid snorted when you sneered and grumbled in your sleep. 

"Heavy sleeper?" Kid questioned, but his implication wasn't lost on Sabo.

Sabo glanced away briefly before returning Kid's gaze. "I sedated her. She's been through a lot." Just how much, he wasn't even sure. 

Kid frowned as he took in more of your form. Your thin clothing was sweat-stained, your arm was recently bandaged, and your bare feet were filthy. 

"Eustass, please. Just keep her hidden, and call me when she wakes up."

"Triple last deal," Kid confirmed the price and pointed a finger at Sabo. "And you Blue, you personally owe me a favor."

Sabo nodded faster than Koala could open her mouth to protest. "Deal."

----------

You woke up in a drowsy haze. It was the first time you could remember waking up without gasping for breath. It would have been a nice change if you weren't also waking up in a strange place, chained to a desk.

You willed yourself to stay focused as you took in your surroundings. You were still an agent after all, even if you were a deserter. You remembered your training. Get your bearings, get yourself free, and get out. 

You sat in a leather chair with a rounded back. Your wrists were bound in handcuffs, and the handcuffs were attached to a chain that connected to the large metal desk in front of you. There was a door to your left. The only light in the room came from what slipped in under the door from the hallway. There was a window to your right. The blinds were closed, but the shadows cast on them from a large maple outside led you to believe you were on the second or third floor. You breathed deeply through your nose. The scent of rubber and oil hung heavy in the air. You weren't back at CP9 headquarters, and you weren't dead. Both unexpected. 

You angled your wrists toward the light from the doorway and examined your restraints. The cuffs were basic, and they didn't even bind your feet. Amateurs.  

You leaned your head down until it was close enough to your hands. You pulled two thin barrettes from your hair and maneuvered them into the cuffs. A small click sounded as each pin in the lock was released. You moved the noisy chain and cuffs to the floor as silently as you could, then took a moment to stretch your tense muscles as you stood up. 

You started to take a step toward the door when you froze. Everything about waking up here felt so different. It was probably the reason you let your guard down enough to miss the one familiar thing about how you woke up. You weren't alone. 

"Not bad." You expected a voice from behind you, but you didn't expect those words or that voice. It wasn't Lucci. It wasn't one of the other CP9 agents either. 

You lunged to grab the first thing you could see on the desk as soon as you felt his movement. He was lightning fast, reaching you and blocking you by the wrist before you were able to drive the object into his skull. Now that he was in the light of the door, you could see him better. He wasn't as tall as Lucci, but he still towered over you. Long blond locks covered his eyes, but you could tell by how relaxed his face was that restraining you was hardly a challenge for him. 

"Easy, girl. You're safe here." 

He could tell you weren't convinced though, and he twisted your wrist until your makeshift weapon dropped to the desk. He put you back in your restraints and lightly shoved you back in the chair before picking up the phone on the desk. 

"Kid, she's awake. Want me to call Blue?"

The blond pulled out a different phone to make a second call to a similar effect. He didn't give away who he was speaking to, but you got the feeling whoever it was would be there soon enough. 

It wasn't long before the man he called 'Kid' entered the room. He was taller than the blond, more muscular too. You could see the beginning of a few scars across his chest, peeking out from behind his open shirt. Wild red locks framed his hard face. The blond whispered something to him, and you almost faltered as he met you with fierce amber eyes. 

Kid chuckled. "I'm curious. What was your plan? Break out of here, and then what?" He clicked the end of your improvised weapon mockingly. "Take on the government with nothing but you and your clicky pen?"

Cocky bastard. "A pen can cut an artery just as well as a knife if you know how to do it. You can make it a lot more painful, too." You made a show of looking him up and down, doing your best to look unimpressed. "Unless you can't handle that kind of thing."

"I'm taking a pretty big fuckin' risk keeping you here. You should be grateful."

"Oh, where are my manners? Thanks so much for cutting my arm and chaining me to a desk," you deadpanned.

"Tsh. We may have tied you up, but we didn't slice your arm. Ya had that already when Sabo left you here."

"Who is Sabo?"

Your question had both men pause in clear confusion. 

"Don't fuck with me, woman. Your little boyfriend paid me good money to keep you here, but my hospitality only goes so far." Kid warned.

Now you were confused. Lucci didn't like relying on anyone outside of Cipher Pol in normal situations. You supposed this wasn't exactly a normal situation though.

"Who are you?" Kid asked curiously.

You let out a long sigh and shook your head. "What a question."

"Dammit, woman."

"Someone paid you to kidnap me, and you don't even know who I am?" You chuckled to yourself. "Thought I was the only one."

Kid slammed his fists on the desk with a loud bang. You didn't flinch. You had no intention of cooperating. 

"If he's using you to hold me, he's keeping this off the books. And if he's keeping this off the books, he isn't planning on keeping you alive." You were so busy riling up Kid that you didn't notice the blond studying you with concern. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised that went over your head, though. You clearly aren't the mastermind around here." You tilted your head toward the blond, but kept your eyes on Kid. "Why don't you ask your boss there what he thinks."

You couldn't hide your smug grin as you saw the giant before you lose it. You didn't have to wind him up, but it was just so easy. There was no deception in the redhead. From his words to his body language, he was an open book. You almost felt bad for how quickly you forced him to lose his temper, but you clearly weren't able to break out of this situation by force. And when all you had was your wits, a little chaos couldn't hurt. 

Kid's chair hit the wall behind him as he rose abruptly from his desk, but the blond was at his side instantly. He whispered something in the redhead's ear, and to your surprise, Kid strode out of the room, muttering a string of barely audible curses.

The blond picked up the fallen chair and sat it back behind the desk, but he retook his position leaned against the wall. 

He decided to come at you from another angle. He agreed to answer a question from you if you answered one from him. If you didn't want to answer a question, he would ask you a different one instead. It was terribly reasonable. 

The blond was definitely the more level headed of the two. You couldn't work his temper, but if you talked to him long enough, you could find something to exploit. Everyone had something. 

You begrudgingly agreed, and as a sign of good faith, he answered your previous question for you first. 

"You asked who Sabo is. He's the first officer in the Revolutionary Army. He brought you to us unconscious and paid us to keep you safe from the government agents hunting you."

Your eyes widened. CP9 not having you was a huge relief, but you didn't know much about the Revolutionaries. Lucci was adamant about keeping you away from any missions involving that group. 

"What do they want with me?"

He furrowed his brows briefly before shaking his head. "My turn to ask a question."

He considered you for a moment before deciding what to ask. 

"What's your name?"

You frowned. You hated your name. It probably wasn't even your real name, just another cruel gift from your sensei. The first thing you wanted to do when you left was get a new one.

"Alright. Where are you from?"

Your brows knit together. If they weren't working for the government and didn't know who you were, you weren't sure you should tell him that's where you came from. And if he meant before that, you had no idea.

"How old are you?"

You shut your eyes and grimaced. You didn't know. It wasn't necessary for your training, and it wasn't something Lucci could use to keep you under his thumb, so they never told you. 

"Ok, you have to give me something."

"You don't understand," you muttered softly. "I can't answer those questions."

"Listen, I get that you don't trust me-"

"I didn't say I won't. I said I can't." Your voice was steadier now that some of your anger was back.

He was looking at you closely now. You were in pain, and you were angry, but none of it was directed at him.

"Why can't you answer those questions?"

You knew you shouldn't trust him, but you didn't have much of a choice. He was definitely more sensible than the redhead. Maybe if you got on his good side, he could help convince the revolutionaries not to kill you. 

"Because I don't remember. I can't remember anything that happened before one year ago."

He was studying you, trying to see if you were lying. You weren't. He nodded, signaling that he accepted your answer and was now waiting for your question. 

You honestly weren't sure what to ask. You didn't know what the revolutionaries wanted with you, but they were spending money and taking risks to keep you away from CP9. You wanted to believe they would help you, but they could just as easily be keeping you alive only long enough for some sort of trial and execution.

Your body and mind were trained to survive. You knew you should ask something that could give you tactical insight. You looked at the blond man again, then around the room. You couldn't remember a time you spoke to someone outside of CP9 that wasn't part of a mission.

"What's your name?" You finally asked.

"Killer."

You chuckled. His name was as ridiculous as yours.

"Eustass Kid is the man you met earlier."

You nodded thoughtfully and waited for him to ask his next question. 

"What's the last thing you remember before you woke up here?"

You raised your gaze to where his eyes peaked out from behind his long bangs. His eyes were blue. "I escaped. I... I ran. I got all the way to the subway, but the fucking train was late. That's where he found me."

"Sabo?"

You shook your head and shut your eyes tight.

"Who?"

You couldn't help but picture Lucci's cold eyes.

"Who found you?"

"My turn to ask a question." You opened your eyes and let out a soft sigh. "Where am I?"

"South district. Kid's Body Shop."

You had never heard of it. Even the other CP9 agents rarely frequented this part of the city. Maybe that meant they really could keep you hidden from Lucci. 

"Where did you escape from?"

It wasn't a line of questioning that you liked, but at least you knew the answer. 

"The Cipher Pol Nine headquarter building, NWC Central District." 

You weren't sure, but it looked like Killer raised a brow. 

"You said Sabo is paying you keep me safe from the government. Why would he do that?"

"He didn't tell us much, but Sabo said the leader of CP9 is personally hunting you down."

You nodded sourly. "That's true."

"He said he wanted to capture you. What does he want from you?"

You swallowed hard. You thought he was going to kill you. He had plenty of chances to, but he didn't. He wanted you to go back with him. 

"He wants... to break me." 

Killer didn't seem to react, and you were too tired to care anymore. "Listen, it's been a long night and seeing as it might be my last, can we wrap this up?"

"Sure. Just one more question." He let a slight grin curl up one side of his face. "If you can't tell me your name, that's fine. But what should we call you?"

His question caught you off guard. You expected him to ask more about CP9. You tilted your head in thought. If you were going to die soon, maybe it would be better to die with a name of your own choosing.

Before you could respond, the door burst open. A familiar looking blond man stared at you from the doorway. He swallowed before rushing toward you. You flinched, expecting the worst, only to be wrapped in a tight embrace. He knelt in front of you, holding you hard against his chest.

Kid followed him inside. You searched both his and Killer's faces for an explanation of what was happening, but you found only deep frowns and furrowed brows.

"Blue," Kid's gruff voice was almost soft as he addressed the man holding you.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, (Y/n). I should never have stopped looking for you," Sabo whispered. His head was dropped onto your shoulder. 

"Sabo," Kid's voice was louder now.

"I know you hate me, but I'm just so glad that you're back. I can't believe you're back." You had no idea what he was talking about, but a familiar feeling was slowly creeping in your gut as his lips moved against your skin. 

"Sabo? You're Sabo?" you asked, finally making some sense of the voices around you.

The blond pulled back and held you by the shoulders. The sheer happiness on his face morphed into concern. "You... don't recognize me?"

"She told us she didn't remember anything before a year ago," Killer stated. "It's interesting that you didn't know that already."

"Wait, I do remember you." You looked at him again and fell back into those deep blue eyes. His face was a mixture of confusion and hope until your next words broke him. "You're that pervert from the train."

Apparently that was the wrong thing to say because you swear you saw all the color drain from his face. You didn't mean it to come out as bad as it sounded. To be fair, the last twenty four hours was a lot, and you had been drugged recently. 

Sabo took a step back, turning from you and trying to collect himself. Killer took him by the shoulders and filled him in on what you had just spoken to him about. 

You closed your eyes and tried to make sense of what was happening. He was talking like he knew you, but that was impossible. You were an orphan raised in a government facility. You were a trained CP9 agent. If you had made contact with a member of the Revolutionary Army before you lost your memory, there's no way Lucci wouldn't have killed you on the spot, especially if it was the kind of contact that led to him holding you like he just did. None of this made any sense.

"What's the last thing you remember?" You opened your eyes at the sound of his voice and found all three men staring down at you.

"I escaped CP9 Headquarters. I ran until I was in the subway-"

"No, no," Sabo knelt forward and put a hand on your shoulder. "What's the first thing you can remember."

You hesitated a touch too long before answering honestly. "I woke up exactly twelve months ago in the medical wing of Cipher Pol. Once I was healed, I returned to train under my sensei until I was reinstated as a full agent of CP9."

You weren't sure if it was your words or Kid's sudden grip on Sabo that shocked him more. Before you knew it, Kid was dragging him out the door and throwing him into what sounded like the room across the hall. If you thought you had made Kid angry before, he was truly furious now. Killer was quick to chase after them, and for the first time since you woke up, you were alone.

It only took a moment for your eyes to fall to the desk, right to where you left your hair pins, just within reach.

----------

Kid threw Sabo into the empty room across the hall. His feet slid backwards along the concrete floor, and Kid could admit he was impressed that Sabo didn't flinch. He kept his eyes on Kid, even when the drywall cracked as his back slammed into the wall. 

"You lied to me. You said she was one of yours," Kid growled. 

"I didn't lie, Eustass. She-"

"She's a fuckin' government rat!" Kid cut him off as he stalked toward Sabo. 

Killer was quick to step between Sabo and the redhead. "Kid, I think we should hear him out."

Kid was fuming, but Killer's actions gave him pause. The blond knew him better than anyone, and he was loyal to a fault. Killer wasn't shy about giving Kid his opinions, but it was rare for him to physically step in. 

Kid looked past his friend to Sabo, still standing where he landed against the opposite wall. "Alright, Blue. Explain it to me. And for Killer's sake, explain it in a way that doesn't make me kill you." 

It didn't take long for the two blonds to put together most of what had happened to you. 

Everything the government told you was a lie. 

You were an orphan headed down a dark path until the Revolutionary Army took you in. You joined their ranks when you were old enough. You were a devoted soldier and you were a trained killer, but not for the organization you thought. Sabo didn't go into detail on the mission where you disappeared, just that you were presumed dead despite them never finding a body. 

"So, she's a lifetime member of the RA, gets captured a year ago, you lot think she's dead, and they fuck with her head when she can't remember who she is." Kid was finally calm, though his anger was barely below the surface thinking about what kind of scum messes with a person's mind like that. 

"Not quite." Sabo pushed a hand through his hair in somber frustration. "The last mission she went on for us. The one where she disappeared. It was almost three years ago."

The room fell silent. It was clear what that meant. You were taken by the government three years ago, and they wanted the world to think you were dead. No one outside Cipher Pol would know what happened to you during the first two years you were gone, and they brain washed you into playing soldier for them during this past year. 

"You called her one of your own, but you left her behind. Ya left her to be eaten alive by the enemy." Kid's laugh contained no mirth, only contempt. 

Sabo's gaze was deadly as he faced the redhead. "You weren't there. What we found, all that was left of her." He gritted his teeth. "They were very convincing."

"What happens to her now?" Killer asked, breaking the tension between the two. 

Sabo thought for a moment, quickly burying his anger and reverting to calm professionalism once again. 

"We're still evacuating the safe houses and securing the assets she had knowledge of before she was captured. Once we have resources back in place, she'll want to see Dragon."

Kid's distaste for the situation was obvious. He turned his head and glanced toward the hallway. His eyes caught yours through the small crack in the door, and he refrained from cracking a smile. Of course you broke free again. 

His musings ended as soon as they began, though. He saw something in your eyes that was painfully familiar, and it twisted in his gut like a knife. 

Sabo and Killer were discussing the best way to explain all of this to you when Kid finally interrupted them. 

"Tell me this, Blue. What happens if you explain all this to her, and she doesn't want to play hero for ya anymore?"

Sabo looked down. That was clearly not a possibility he was ready to entertain. 

Kid scoffed as Sabo and Killer continued making plans for you. He looked back toward the door and left without excusing himself when he saw that you were gone. 

It didn't take him long to find you. There was only one light on, and it was coming from the floor below. He watched you from the doorway to the kitchen. You were sat on the counter next to the sink, scrubbing your feet clean with a damp dish towel.

"You're still here," he grumbled softly. 

"Looks that way."

"Not thinking of running away again?"

"Tch. I might not know who I am, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid. I'll be dead in five minutes, running from the government without some kind of help." 

He let out a short laugh, grabbing a beer and popping off the cap with the side of the fridge. "If you were so damn smart, why didn't you realize that before you escaped the government?"

"I did realize it." He knit his brows together as he looked at you. His smile faded as he realized what you meant. "Would you rather live in a cage or die a free man?"

Kid knew exactly what he would rather do. 

He took a second beer from the fridge and kicked it shut before closing the distance between you. He towered over you, even as you were perched on top of the counter. He knew how intimidating he was, and he didn't want to admit how much he liked that you weren't afraid of him. 

He kept his eyes on your face as he slid the second bottle under the metal edge of the counter between your knees, popping the cap with a casual flick of his wrist.

He handed you the beer and flashed a smug grin as he watched you try to hide the blush on your cheeks. He clinked his bottle against yours as soon as you accepted it. 

"I'll cheers to that."

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