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dandylovesturtles · 17 days

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alright, here it is: part 3 of the still untitled Room Fic! and boy is it long... this might be as long as parts 1 and 2 put together.

Content warnings for this part: vomit, serious discussion of food issues, internalized ableism, everyone being a little bit dumb

I am not a doctor and my meal plan for Leo is extremely lightly researched (mainly because it's hard to find information that would be helpful in Leo's situation but that isn't highly technical). in the end I went with what I like from a narrative standpoint. if someone starves as long as Leo did please get them to an actual doctor lol.

also I got tired and didn't proofread the last few sections.

just a warning that I'm going on vacation next week and will be out of the country for awhile so don't expect any more for this for quite some time. in the meantime, hope you enjoy this!

and if you're confused, start here!

-----

Leo wakes up.

The room is moving. His head is cradled in someone's lap. There's a furry hand stroking his arm, and a voice hums the notes of a lullaby he hasn't heard since he was a child.

-----

Leo wakes up.

He's lying somewhere soft and blessedly warm. There's a weight across his chest. Someone is chattering in his ear, happy and upbeat, saying something to him about Jupiter Jim on the desert planet Delta-5.

-----

Leo wakes up.

He's still somewhere soft but now it's too hot. He whines and pushes at the things on his chest. Near his ear someone tuts, and then a hand lands on his, giving it a squeeze.

"Nardo, you need to warm up. Don't-"

-----

Leo wakes up, and his eyes open.

"Leo?" comes Raph's voice. Leo blinks to clear his vision, then lets his eyes trail up, to find his big brother bending over him. "You awake for real this time?"

He isn't sure. Raph being here sure feels like a dream.

He lowers his eyes and looks around. He's not home. He doesn't recognize this place at all, actually. But the walls are beige (still unstimulating, but at least not white), the furniture is dark brown, the bed (not a cot) has a blue bedspread, the empty takeout containers on the table have a splash of red. It's not home, but it's not the room, either.

If he were going to dream, surely he'd just picture himself back home.

He blinks back up at Raph, and smiles.

"Wide awake," he says, echoing Raph from before.

Raph bursts into tears, immediately leaning down and wrapping Leo up in one of his signature hugs. For the first time in so many days (longer, longer, Leo can't remember the last time he got a Raph hug like this), Leo feels completely secure, fully enveloped in love and affection, held safe by his big brother where no one can hurt him.

The difference between this moment and the last week and a half is so stark it leaves Leo feeling dizzy. Like he hadn't even realized how scared and lonely and helpless he truly felt until all that pain was taken away. He's safe now. He's okay now. Raph is hugging him.

Leo hates crying in front of people, but even he can't be stoic for this.

"Oh Leo," says Raph softly once he realizes. "It's okay. We got'cha."

Leo sniffs, burying his face in Raph's plastron. He wishes he could hug back, but his limbs feel so heavy, like Donnie swapped them out for metal versions when he wasn't looking. So he can't hug back, but he leans in close and hopes that's enough.

They get about a minute to hug before Mikey is worming his way in between them, wriggling to push his arms past Raph's and around Leo for himself. "No fair, you got to hold him earlier!" Mikey declares, his voice thick with tears.

"You got to hug him earlier," Raph argues.

"He was asleep, it doesn't count!" Mikey hits back, and Leo laughs and shifts so Mikey can better get in the middle. Raph sighs exaggeratedly, but he gives Leo a pat and leans back to let Mikey in.

Mikey hugs even tighter than Raph, nuzzling in against Leo's shoulder. "I missed you," he says, then gives a choked sob he tries to bury.

"Missed you too," Leo promises, craning his neck so he can land a big smooch on Mikey's head. That replaces the sobs with relieved giggles that leave Leo feeling so much lighter.

After another minute, Mikey moves back and looks over at Donnie, who's been standing at the side of the bed wringing his hands. "Your turn, Donald."

Donnie makes a grumpy noise at having been perceived, but when Leo gets a look at his face he sees Donnie has tears shimmering in his eyes, too. They break free once Donnie's arms are around him, trickling onto the skin of Leo's shoulder.

"Crying over me, Don-ton?" he teases, even as his own voice is thick with emotion.

"Shut up, Nardo," Donnie snaps back, but his voice cracks at the end and he holds on even tighter.

"Alright, my turn," says April once Donnie starts to loosen his grip, and Donnie obligingly crawls off the bed, swiping at his eyes. Like he's looking for something to busy himself with, he starts throwing away the takeout containers on the table. They must be empty.

Leo tears his eyes away just as April swoops in to wrap him up in his fourth hug of the hour, giving him a kiss on his forehead as she does. "Hey, Leo. How're you feelin'?"

"Happy to see you," he says again, and she squeezes him tighter. "Kinda hot."

"That's the hypothermia talking," says Donnie. April shushes him.

"Hypothermia?" Leo asks. April pulls back so she can see his face.

"It wasn't that bad," she says quickly. "You'd started brumating, we think... Tromping around in the snow didn't help, though."

"Not to mention you used up the last of your energy portaling us out of there," Mikey chimes in. "It was really cool though!"

Leo laughs. "Thanks, little brother." Even with the containers thrown away, the smell of the takeout is thick in the room. Leo guesses they had Japanese. It can't have been that long ago. "Where are we?"

"Motel room about two hours down the road." April slides to sit next to him, keeping one arm wrapped around his shoulders. Her body heat is warm in a more pleasant way than the blankets, and he leans into it. "We wanted to go further, but we needed to get you warmed up."

"A motel...? Huh." Leo looks around again. This is his first time being in a hotel that isn't owned by Big Mama. He wonders how far it is from the Japanese place. Just, like, average delivery time. "What happened? It's... kind of a blur for me." He laughs.

They launch into the story without any more prompting. It all sounds like what Leo expected. Raph led the team. Donnie did science stuff. Mikey razzed his tazz. April used her investigative skills.

They tracked him all the way down to Colorado (that explains the snow) and broke him out. They floored it away from the EPF, got far enough they felt safe, then booked into a motel under April's name. That's where they've been since. Splinter and Draxum are out now, patrolling to make sure they weren't followed or discovered.

It's quite the story. And Leo knows he should be paying more attention than he is.

It's just, the takeout boxes. The smell coming from them is so strong, or maybe Leo is just abnormally sensitive to it. He thinks someone had steak, and someone else had fish. The fried rice had egg in it. His mouth is watering so badly he has to swallow every few seconds.

"Leo?" calls Mikey, and Leo startles, ripping his eyes from the trash can to look at Mikey's face. He's gripping the bedspread so hard his knuckles are cramping. He realizes this is not the first time Mikey said his name. Great, now they know he wasn't paying attention.

"Ah, sorry," he says quickly. "I didn't mean to zone out." He flashes them all the biggest smile he can, so they don't worry. "I was just, uh..."

He trails off, not sure of a way to say that he was completely distracted by the smell of their already eaten Japanese food without making it awkward.

"Sorry, Leo, we know you're tired," says Raph, reaching over and rubbing his head. "You can go back to sleep. We're not leaving for awhile."

Go back to sleep? Leo doubts he can, what with the hunger an empty yawning hole inside him. It had been muted while the cold and the exhaustion took over, but now that he's warmer and more rested his body is very painfully reminding him he still has another problem.

He's trying to come up with a casual way to approach the subject when his stomach does it for him, gurgling and growling loud enough that everyone hears it. Leo is very glad his blushes don't show up as easily as humans' do.

"Uh... heh heh." He scratches at his own cheek, then stops when he feels how disturbingly hollowed out it is. "Before that... are there any leftovers?"

Everyone's staring at him. Leo's too tired to puzzle out why they're all staring at him. Maybe there really aren't any leftovers? He did just watch Donnie throw everything away. Maybe there were some, but now they'd have to fish it out of the trash. Leo wants to say he'd happily eat it out of the trash, but that would be really weird and they'd stare at him even more.

(But he would eat it out of the trash. He may be too proud to say it out loud, but he can admit it to himself.)

"O-or," he says quickly, to fill the silence after his last question, "if... if it's not too much trouble, can you ask Dad and Barry to bring something with them when they come back? Even if it's just something from a gas station, or..." They're still staring, and Leo feels himself starting to ramble desperately, "Or if it's too late, I can just... I can just go back to sleep, hah, but... but can someone at least wake me up so I don't miss breakfast?"

His family stutters back to life at that. Raph gives a furious shake of his head and says, "Forget breakfast," which makes Leo's heart and stomach lurch painfully. Waiting until lunch? That feels like forever away.

But then Raph continues with, "Leo, why didn't you tell us you're hungry right now?"

Leo falters. "Uh... just... didn't want to interrupt the flow of the conversation," he says, which is true, but the way everyone is looking at him now, he's pretty sure it's the wrong answer.

"Please," says April, tone very close to exasperated, "interrupt the conversation."

"Will do," says Leo. But he's still not sure what to do, because no one has told him when food is coming.

(You want this? You beg for it.)

Before he can spin out on that thought, Mikey jumps off the bed and heads for the mini-fridge that Leo hadn't noticed until now. He yanks open the door and pulls out two takeout containers, a box and a cylindrical container.

"We weren't sure what you felt up to, so we got you steak hibachi and miso soup," Mikey says, waving each container in turn.

The thought of having to actually chew and swallow sounds exhausting, so Leo says, "Soup's fine." And then, just in case, he adds hastily, "Please."

"Okay," says Mikey, and even though he's clearly trying to sound upbeat, Leo can hear the strain in his voice. "Just give me a minute to heat it up for you!"

Leo would eat it cold. Leo would eat it frozen. But he bites that back and waits.

Mikey puts it in the microwave on top of the fridge. Every little tick down on the timer feels like it takes three eternities. The rest of his family seems to feel the tension as much as he does.

"April!" says Donnie abruptly, too loud to be natural. "You wanted to see what's on the sci-fi channel!"

"Thaaat's right!" she says, also a little too loudly. "I did. Hand me the remote."

Donnie gives her the remote. She turns on the TV just as the microwave dings.

Mikey yanks the door open as soon as it does, pulling the bowl out with no regard for how hot it is. He gives it a perfunctory blow to cool it down, then hurries over to the bed, pausing only to grab a plastic spoon off a little pile of utensils on the table.

He hands both the bowl and spoon to Leo, but Leo already knows his arms won't be able to maneuver the spoon, so he lets it fall into his lap, in favor of lifting the entire container to his lips. He hopes he doesn't look too pathetically eager as he tilts it back and takes his first sip.

It's good.

It's so good he starts crying.

It's not even the best miso soup he's ever had. In fact, it's a little too oily and nowhere near as good as the kind his dad makes, or what Mikey is capable of. But it doesn't matter. It wouldn't matter if this was the worst soup in the world, because right now it's the best thing Leo has ever tasted.

He may be crying more over this than he did over hugs from his family. Maybe he'll have it in him to feel bad for that later.

The TV is showing some old monster movie. His siblings pretend they're watching that and not watching him. He appreciates that, because it makes him feel less self-conscious as he desperately slurps down the soup, practically guzzling it, only pausing when he has to chew the greens here and there.

He eats until his stomach is full and warm. And then he keeps going. There's still soup left, and stopping feels impossible.

(Besides, no one actually promised him breakfast.)

"Hey, maybe you should slow down," says Donnie. Leo pauses, looking up at him, licking the remains of soup off his lips. The container is still about a third full.

Maybe Donnie is right. His stomach is actually starting to cramp. But... but...

He doesn't know what his face looks like right now. But something about it makes Donnie look sad.

He turns away, rubbing right between his fake eyebrows. "Okay, okay. Just... don't overdo it."

Leo sighs, grateful the soup isn't being taken away. He goes back to drinking it, feeling like the chasm inside him is finally beginning to fill.

-----

The next time Leo wakes up, it's because he has to puke. Unfortunately, he doesn't have time to communicate that before it's all over himself and the bedsheets.

"Whoa, Leo-" someone says, and then there's a flurry of activity around him. He can't keep up with who goes where and who says what. It's a lot to keep track of when he just woke up and is spewing half-digested miso soup and stomach bile.

"There we go... You're alright, Blue, you're alright," he hears once he comes back to his senses, and he blinks and looks over. His dad is standing on the bed next to him, and he leans in with a damp washcloth and wipes at Leo's face and mouth.

"Perhaps the soup was too much for your stomach," Splinter says as he finishes, tossing the washcloth into the floor. "How do you feel?"

"Mm... weird," Leo admits, leaning sleepily into his dad's shoulder. He shouldn't because he's gross, but Splinter lets him do it, stroking his cheek. "My stomach hurts..."

The loss of the food hurts; without anything in his stomach, he'll feel hungry again soon. Leo is terrified of that, of the deep empty chasm of his hunger returning, sucking him down into its depths. At the same time, the idea of eating makes him feel queasy.

He feels weird, and miserable, and scared, and he doesn't know when his dad came back, but he's so glad he's here.

"How much did you let him eat?" he hears Draxum ask. Leo finds the energy to feel offended that he's being talked about like he isn't in the room, but not enough energy to actually say anything about it.

"As much as he wanted," Mikey answers. Which, as Leo recalls, was almost all of the soup.

"And how much was that?"

"Here, look."

There's the sound of the mini-fridge being opened again. The pop of the takeout lid. Draxum hums in a way that does not sound pleased.

"Leonardo," he says, coming to stand by the bed now. "I have a very important question and I need you to answer: when was the last time you ate?"

Leo stares at him blearily. Then he raises a tired hand and indicates the mess all down his front.

"Don't get cute," says Draxum, ignoring the following grunt of warning Splinter directs his way. "You know what I'm asking you."

Of course Leo knows. But he doesn't want to answer. Not while his dad is holding him, and all his siblings are watching him expectantly. They aren't going to like what he has to tell them. He doesn't want to upset them.

But Draxum is unmoved and steely eyed. There's no way Leo is getting out of this without answering.

He sighs, shutting his eyes and leaning into Splinter so he doesn't have to be looking at the rest of them when he says it.

"Last time I ate was at Run of the Mill."

He hears a gasp, hears Mikey yell, "What!?" Feels Splinter's sharp intake of breath under his cheek, and then his dad shifts so he can hold him even closer.

"They... they didn't feed you in there at all?" asks April, like she doesn't quite believe it.

Leo nods.

"I should have leveled the whole building!" Donnie snaps, and Leo hears something get knocked to the ground.

Mikey comes closer, and puts a hand on his shoulder, drawing Leo's gaze back his way. He looks so upset, and Leo regrets looking. "Leo, why didn't you tell us? You didn't even say you were hungry!"

"Felt weird to bring it up in the middle of the happy reunion," he says. It's a weak justification, he knows. The look on Mikey's face just gets more miserable.

"Wait," Raph cuts in. "Wait, so... when Bishop said he gave you chances to cooperate for better living conditions, he meant..."

Leo swallows hard, not wanting to look at the distress on Raph's face. "Feeding me, yeah."

"What did he want out of you? What was he making you do?"

This part, at least, Leo can answer easily. "He wanted information. About the yokai and the Hidden City."

Raph sounds surprised. "He just... wanted you to answer questions?"

"Yeah." Leo nods again. "Like, how to get in, how many portals there are, what kind of defense capabilities there are, stuff about Draxum... That's what I remember."

"Why didn't you just tell them?"

Now Leo does look at Raph's face. He's staring at Leo with open horror and distress. But Leo doesn't understand the question, or the look. He did what he was supposed to, didn't he? He held out and didn't give Bishop any information. He did the right thing. So Raph has no reason to look so upset.

He smiles in a way he hopes is reassuring. "Hey, that's not what a hero would do, right?"

It's apparently not reassuring. If anything, Raph only looks more horrified.

He turns away from Leo abruptly and marches straight out of the room, slamming the door on the way out.

Leo doesn't understand that reaction. He did what he was supposed to, but Raph is mad at him, anyway. The rest of his family seems shocked, too, so at least Leo isn't alone.

"I'll talk to him," says April, the first to move. She leaves with much less noise, disappearing into the dark parking lot beyond the door.

Awkward silence envelops the room after that. Leo doesn't know what to do or say to break it. He made Raph mad, because he never does anything right, according to Raph. It's the same as always, but for some reason Leo feels even worse this time.

"...Well," says Draxum, cutting through the awkwardness when it becomes clear no one else wants to, "knowing this, we will have to be much more careful about what and how much you eat. I'll make a meal plan."

"Why you?" Leo grouses. "Let Donnie do it."

Donnie opens his mouth like he wants to agree, but Draxum cuts him off before he can.

"Me, because I have actual experience designing nutritious meal plans for children." Leo thinks of what he's heard about Draxum's lunchroom and makes a face, which Draxum ignores. "Besides, I can't trust any of the rest of you to actually tell Leo he can't have more to eat."

"I can handle myself," Leo argues.

"Clearly," says Draxum icily, indicating the mess still in Leo's lap, "you cannot."

Leo doesn't have a good response for that, and no one steps up to his defense. Back not even twenty four hours, and he already has multiple people mad at him. That has to be a new record.

"...Whatever," he says, because he doesn't know what else to say. Draxum nods like he actually gave approval.

There's another round of awkward silence. Splinter breaks it this time.

"Why doesn't someone call housekeeping to ask for some fresh sheets," he says, "while I help Blue take a bath."

"Ugh, yes, I'm calling them now," says Donnie. Leo notes for the first time that his most persnickety brother is as far from his bed as possible, having put the second bed and the table between them. "The whole room is starting to smell."

Leo cringes. "Sorry..."

"There is nothing for you to apologize for," his dad reassures him, patting his head. Leo isn't sure he'd say that, but he doesn't waste breath arguing. "Now, come with me."

It takes some maneuvering, but they get him out of bed without making a bigger mess. Mikey starts stripping the sheets, and he can hear Donnie on the phone with the staff across the room.

Leo's still not wearing any of his gear. It shouldn't matter because he's just in a room with his family, but he still walks to the bathroom as quickly as he can.

Splinter shuts the door once they're inside, then fills a little plastic cup with water. This he hands off to Leo, saying, "Drink this, and I will run you a nice warm bath."

Leo does as he says, and tries not to think too much about how Raph is mad at him.

-----

There's an old concrete barrier that stands between the motel parking lot and an open field. Raph hefts a piece of the crumbling concrete and chucks it as hard as he can, watching as it disappears into the tall grass beyond.

They starved him. They starved his little brother for over a week, because he wouldn't answer some questions. And he wouldn't answer those questions because...

That's not what a hero would do.

Raph's ninpo flares to life. Punching out another piece of the barrier is easy; he lifts the broken pieces and throws them after the first, watching them sail through the air.

"You better hope there aren't any security cameras out here," says a voice behind him, and he looks over his shoulder.

April is there, standing a few feet back, hands tucked in the pockets of her jacket. Raph's ninpo stutters out at the sight of her; he wonders if he looked scary.

"...What are they gonna do even if there are?" he asks. But he does stop his wanton destruction.

"I don't know, but just remember it's my credit card on file for damages." Her voice is teasing, though, and he knows she isn't actually mad. She comes over, turning so she can lean against part of the barrier that's still intact. "Come on, Big Red. Talk to me."

Raph doesn't turn around. He can't stand to look back at the motel, at the room where his brother is, tiny and weak and with a stomach that's been empty for days on end. He can't handle it right now. So he keeps his eyes on the field.

"Leo let those guys hurt him," he says.

"No he didn't," says April. "He can't help what they did to him."

"If he'd just answered their questions, they would have fed him."

"We can't know that." April shakes her head. "You heard what Draxum said about those guys. You saw what they were like. Maybe if Leo had answered their questions, they would have just killed him. Leo was probably thinking that, too."

"But that's not what he said," Raph points out.

"...Look." April takes a deep breath. "Leo... just went through a lot. We don't know what he was thinking while he was in there, or what he's thinking now. And you know that boy likes to say flashy things. Don't take anything he says right now too seriously."

"But what if this is the most truthful he's gonna be? What if he just hasn't thought of a good lie yet?"

"Raph-"

"No, you don't get it, April." Raph holds his head in his hands, like he can physically hold the dark thoughts at bay, but he can't, and they keep coming: horrific images of what could have happened, if they'd been too late, if the EPF had been less patient. "I told him to stop thinking of himself! Right before he disappeared, I told him he needed to be a hero! But Raph didn't mean like this!"

"Hey now, you don't know-" April tries, but Raph cuts her off.

"I just wanted him to stop doing everything himself! All the showboating, all the running in without talkin' to us... Raph just wanted him to remember that we're a team!" He lets go of his head and grips the concrete instead, so hard it cracks and crumbles under his fingers. "What if he took that to mean he should risk his life for everyone else? That he had to sacrifice himself?"

"Oookay, slow down there, big guy," says April, turning around and putting a hand on his arm. "You're taking one thing he said and blowing it way out of proportion."

"But what if I'm right?" Raph shakes his head. "How do I live with that, if I am? Knowing I almost killed him?"

"Okay, you look at me right now," she demands, in a way Raph can't refuse. He turns, and she reaches up and grabs his face by the cheeks, yanking him down until he bends to her eye level.

"You did not almost kill him. That was those EPF guys." Her voice is stern, and her grip on his face prevents him from objecting. "And even if you are right, and it's what you said to Leo that kept him from answering... well, then that's something the two of you will have to work out together."

She lets him go, putting her hands on her hips. "But what's done is done. Right now, Leo is exhausted and starved, and he's not really in a state for big emotional talks. So let's just get some space and get your head on straight. Once we get him home and everything's calmed down, the two of you can hash this out."

Raph lets out a strangled laugh, slumping down against the crumbling barrier. "Yeah, because that's so easy."

"I'm not saying it's easy." She sits down next to him, putting her hand on his arm. "But you guys love each other, so you'll do the hard things you have to do. I know you got this." She gives him a wink. "You're Raph."

Raph isn't sure he has that much faith in himself. But April isn't wrong very often, so he thinks he should probably listen to her.

-----

The water feels nice on Leo's skin, pleasantly warm and soothing. He sinks down until all but his eyes are in the water, letting it swirl around him.

He still feels a little exposed, but it's only Splinter in here, and that helps. It's like he's a little kid again, getting a bath from his dad, but he has to scrunch to cram his legs in the tub and that ruins the illusion.

"My Baby Blue always did enjoy a nice bath," says Splinter fondly, rustling up hotel soap for them to use.

He wets a washcloth and lathers it up, then cleans off the top of Leo's head and back of his neck, then down to his shoulders and the ridge of his shell. Leo would normally protest this kind of treatment, but right now he's not sure he can lift his arms above his head, so he doesn't.

Besides, it feels nice.

"Float on your front," Splinter says, adding, "Deep breath." It's what he always said when they were kids and he wanted to wash their shells. Everyone but Mikey can hold their breath for a long time, but he always says it anyway.

Leo takes a deep breath and flips onto his front, closing his eyes as his dad washes the back of his shell. It's so soothing he could almost take a nap here. The world is nicely muted under the water.

Splinter gives his shell three pats with his hand, the signal to sit back up. Leo does, rolling onto his back to rinse off. Splinter hands him the washcloth and soap, and he cleans his lower half, taking care around the bottom ridges of his shell.

"Thanks for the bath, Daddio," he says as he finishes. "I know I was starting to get pretty ripe." He pulls up the drain plug with a pop, watching the dirty water spin away.

He tries to imagine he's watching the last of that place drain away with it.

Splinter retrieves a fluffy white towel, drying off the top of Leo's head before handing it off. "I wasn't thinking of that," he says. "But I know a good bath always made you feel better when you were sick."

It was never really about the bath, but the undivided dad attention. How Splinter would wash his shell and pat his head and dry him off, just like he's doing now.

It occurs to Leo that he almost lost this forever, and its like his breath is taken away. He buries his face in the towel and tries to ride through it - he doesn't want to cry again.

Splinter must pick up on it, because suddenly he's sitting on the side of the tub, rubbing the top of Leo's shell. "It's okay, Blue. You're safe."

He's safe.

He really is safe, isn't he?

He lowers the towel and turns into his dad instead, wriggling his head into his lap. Splinter welcomes him, patting his head with one hand and the top of his shell with another. Leo's breath hitches and the tears break free.

"I know," says Splinter, and his voice is thick with emotion. Leo knows he can't look or he'll start sobbing. "I... was very scared for you, my son. I am so glad you're here, Leonardo. I love you very much."

"L-love you too," he warbles. His tears are falling fast, now, and Splinter takes the towel and dries them away every now and then.

By the time Leo sits up and rubs at his eyes, the towel is totally soaked through from being in the tub. Splinter moves away to grab him a fresh one, which Leo wraps himself up in.

"Leonardo," says Splinter hesitantly once he is out of the tub, "I know you may not want to talk about it right now. But I need to ask you this."

Leo wonders where this is going. He sits down on the toilet lid, looking at his dad. "Uh, okay."

Splinter looks him up and down before asking, "Did those men... hit you? Or touch you in any way?"

Oh. Leo shakes his head. "No. They didn't... I mean, they just put me in that room. They weren't, like... torturing me or anything."

He thought that would reassure his dad, but if anything Splinter only looks more sad.

"Not feeding you is torturing you," he says.

"Oh, well, yeah, I guess." Leo rubs the back of his head. "But I mean, they weren't... you know. Shocking me or whipping me or... putting me in that medieval stretchy thing from the movies."

"I see." His dad sighs, but nods. "Very well. I'm glad, at least, that you do not have any injuries."

Leo nods back. "Yeah, no, I'm all good." He tries to smile, but his smiles aren't really having the effect they usually do.

"Are you ready to go back?" asks Splinter, moving to the door. Leo nods again, standing up. "Are you still cold?"

Leo blinks in surprise, then realizes Splinter is referring to the towel he still has wrapped around himself. He's not really that cold anymore, but he grabs onto the convenient excuse, anyway.

"Uh, yeah." He grins sheepishly. "Actually, did you guys bring any of my clothes? I'm a little worried about the ride home."

"Ah." Splinter taps his chin. "I don't think we brought any of your things. Your brothers brought their hoodies, I believe, in case they needed to go in a store..." He reaches up and pats Leo's hand. "There is a gift shop in the motel lobby. I will send Purple and Orange in the morning - I'm sure they'd enjoy doing some shopping!"

"Thanks. I just need a sweatshirt or something. Maybe some pajama pants." He shrugs. "Gotta stay toasty, right?"

"That's right. No more turtle-cicles." Splinter reaches up and turns the doorknob, gesturing for Leo to lead the way.

Leo shuffles for the bed, keeping the towel tight around himself as he goes. He doesn't drop it until he's under the sheets again, safely tucked away.

Raph isn't back yet. The realization turns Leo's stomach. But Mikey barrels into bed next to him, cuddling up against one side, while Donnie scoots in on the other, tapping away at his phone, and Leo tries to forget about it.

He's sure that, as soon as he's better, Raph will be back to yell at him.

-----

Leo doesn't realize Draxum left until he comes back. He did doze off for a bit there, though, so it's not surprising.

Mikey was snoozing against Leo's arm, too, but when the door clicks shut he raises his head, blinking sleep out of his eyes. Donnie looks up from his phone. Splinter's asleep in the other bed, only grumbling incoherently at the noise before rolling over.

(Raph and April still haven't come back. It makes Leo's heart thud a little harder.)

"Hey Barry," says Mikey, voice still a little sleepy. He pushes himself up to sit against the pillows. "Find what you were looking for?"

"Yes." Draxum walks over to the bed, pulling a bottle out of a pharmacy bag. He twists the cap loose, then holds it out and says, "Leonardo, drink this."

Leo can't help the way his face screws up as he takes it, eyeing the label on the bottle. "Eugh. What is this?"

"Vegetable juice," Draxum informs him dryly.

"Gross." Leo does not bring the bottle any closer to his lips. "Can I have soda instead?"

"Absolutely not." Draxum's voice is stern. "No sugar or caffeine until I say otherwise."

The next several days are looking worse and worse. Leo grimaces. "Can I just drink water, then?"

"You can and should drink water. But you also need to steadily reintroduce your body to nutrients. The vegetable juice will help, until your stomach can handle more solid food at a time."

Leo groans, eyeing the bottle warily. Anything labeled "juice" should not be this color of red-orange.

"Draxum's just trying to help, Leo!" Mikey chimes in. "Besides, vegetable juice isn't that bad."

It's not the most reassuring endorsement, given that Mikey loves vegetables in a way Leo has never understood. But with his little brother cheering him on, he can't back down.

"Fine. Down the hatch," he mutters, then takes a swig. It tastes just as off-putting as he was imagining, and he shudders and smacks his lips. "Yuck."

"Sorry, Leo." Mikey pats his arm comfortingly. "As soon as Barry says it's okay, we'll get pizza!"

"Please don't remind me of pizza right now..."

"Here." Leo looks up to find Draxum is holding out a handful of crackers. "Eat these, too. Be sure you chew them thoroughly before you swallow. And keep drinking the juice."

Leo takes the crackers in his free hand, putting them in his lap on top of the sheets. There's only six, and they look boring even for crackers. but his stomach perks up with interest, reminding Leo that everything he put in it before got thrown up.

Leo thought he was going to be waiting until breakfast to eat again. The crackers ease that tension, relief he hadn't consciously realized he needed.

Still, can't let Draxum think Leo actually appreciates all his bullying, so Leo still makes a face as he holds up one of the crackers and examines it.

"And these are...?"

"Are you going to react like this to everything?" asks Draxum with a scoff. "They're whole wheat crackers. They'll settle your stomach, and you need food in you so can take these vitamins."

He pulls a bottle out of his bag and shakes it, filling the room with the sound of pills rattling around. Leo scrunches up his snout.

"You didn't get me the chewable kind? Or those fruit gummy ones?"

"Are you such a child you need your medicine in the form of candy?" Draxum rolls his eyes. "You will be just fine with the pills."

"Okay, okay!" Leo groans theatrically, leaning his head back. "I can't believe you guys are letting him take care of him. He'll be feeding me bugs and leaves next."

"Stop whining. No one wants to hear it this late."

"I actually like these crackers," says Donnie. "They're delightfully bland."

This statement is followed by a crunch.

The sound sends a shiver up Leo's shell, and he turns his head in time to see Donnie, one of Leo's crackers in his hand, a big bite taken out of it. He chews and swallows with a slight smile on his face, clearly unconcerned that he just took one of Leo's crackers.

Leo only had six crackers to start. Now there's five. He doesn't know when he gets any more. No one promised him breakfast. And now he only has five crackers, and not six. And he can feel the hunger coming back.

Donnie turns his head and they lock eyes. Leo has no idea what his own expression looks like, but Donnie's turns startled and then almost frightened. He's so shocked he drops the rest of the cracker into his own lap.

Leo just barely stops himself from snatching it back.

Because that would be weird. What he's doing right now is weird. Everyone is staring at him, the room has gone silent, he's acting like Donnie just committed an unforgivable sin when all he did was take a cracker, like the two of them haven't been casually taking each other's food their entire lives.

He's being weird. He needs to stop. He needs to go back to normal right now.

Five crackers can be enough. It's enough it's enough it's-

Leo forces his brain to restart, his face and posture to relax, his fingers to unclench. He schools his mouth into an unserious grin, glancing back at Draxum. "H-hey, so... how many crackers do I need to eat? Since Thief-atello just stole one."

"I'm sorry," Donnie blurts out, an extremely rare apology. "I wasn't thinking."

Leo waves a hand. "It's cool, man," he says.

"No," Donnie insists. "I shouldn't have done that, I don't know why I did that-"

Great, first he pisses off Raph and now Donnie's freaked out. Leo's family came all the way to Colorado to save him and all he's done since then is upset them.

"Dee," says Leo, and he knocks one shoulder against Donnie's. "Seriously. It's fine."

Because it is. They take food from each other all the time. Leo's the one who made it weird, not Donnie, even if he did take one of Leo's crackers.

Donnie looks at him, uncertain. He still hasn't touched the remaining cracker in his lap. Leo wishes he would finish eating it now, so it isn't tempting him.

"...Still. I won't do it again," says Donnie finally, looking down at his lap and wringing his hands. He looks miserable, and Leo hates that he caused this.

Before he can do or say anything more, Draxum gets Leo's attention by holding out a new cracker. "Here," he says, waiting until Leo takes it, before handing a few to the still shell-shocked Donnie. "Both of you can have crackers. Now don't squabble, you'll disturb the neighbors."

Donnie puts the crackers in his lap and doesn't touch them again. The air in the room is stifling. And Leo wants to eat his own crackers, but now it feels awkward.

"I think you should steal one of his to get him back," says Mikey in an exaggerated whisper, a gallant attempt to dispel the tension. It doesn't quite work, but it breaks the silence enough for Leo to force out a chuckle and pick up a cracker.

"Everyone eat what you've been given and settle down," says Draxum, going to sit on the other bed. Splinter mumbles in his sleep again and rolls over. Everyone relaxes a little more.

Leo bites into the cracker. It tastes like all of nothing, but it has a pleasant crunch between his teeth, and he finds that he likes it.

Next to him, Donnie hesitantly finishes off his own half-finished cracker. Then he half-heartedly eats the others. Leo drinks his vegetable juice, then swallows the pill Draxum gives him.

Mikey does his best to fill the room with happy chatter, and the mood lightens, little by little.

Everything's okay. He just can't do that again.

-----

Everyone but Draxum is asleep when Raph and April come back into the room, just a little before dawn. Splinter is splayed out across the bed closest to the door, while all three of his little brothers are curled around each other in the bed by the bathroom.

Raph and April spent a long time sitting by the barrier, talking intermittently between long spells of silence. Then they moved to the tank, taking a nap together on the bench seats.

April has her travel pillow and blanket now, and she takes both and spreads out at the foot of his brothers’ bed, wisely putting her head by Donnie, who sleeps still as the dead, and not Mikey, who has already moved several times since they walked in. She yawns and then conks out almost immediately, glasses held loosely in her hand against her chest.

Raph wishes he didn’t feel quite so wide awake.

Draxum is sitting in one of the chairs by the table, phone in hand. He has a notebook open and scribbles into it with a pen. Raph comes over and takes a peek: it’s all notes about nutrition, the vitamins that are most critically needed after a long term starvation event.

Draxum’s helping Leo. That makes Raph feel better, and he sinks into the other chair, leaning his head back.

“You should try to get some sleep,” says Draxum, voice low. “We’ll be leaving in a few hours.”

“Raph’s good,” he says, staying where he is.

He feels Draxum’s eyes on him, for a moment. “I’m taking watch. Go to sleep, Raphael.”

Raph hesitates, then gets up from the chair and goes to lay down next to his dad. Splinter grumbles in his sleep, but rolls over like he knows to make room for a son crawling into his bed.

From here Raph can see Leo’s face. It’s gaunt and washed out, and even with all the sleeping he’s done there are still dark circles under his eyes. He looks so fragile, and the anger burns in his chest again, that anyone could hurt him like this.

He’s safe now, though. Mikey has an arm curled around his plastron, and Donnie flanks his other side like a guard. He’s able to rest, and eat, and get better.

Raph remembers what April said. Give Leo time to heal, then talk about what happened in there. He can do that. He can be patient.

He hadn’t thought he would be able to sleep, but lying still, with his sleeping family all around him, safe and sound, puts him under in minutes.

-----

"Morning, Leo!"

Leo blinks awake, taking in his surroundings. The walls are beige, the bed is blue, there's a TV playing the morning news on low volume, there's sunlight shining through the window.

He can smell food.

"It's breakfast time!" says Mikey. He's standing next to the bed, holding a tray. Leo wriggles until he's sitting up against the pillows, grinning as he pats his lap.

"Thanks, Mikey."

"You're welcome!" Mikey gives Leo a thousand watt smile as he sets the tray down.

Leo wishes he could feel as enthusiastic as his little brother as he gets a look at his breakfast. There's a large cup of white yogurt, and a little plate of scrambled eggs that don't even look like they have pepper on them. He's glad he has food, he just wishes it was something more exciting.

He lifts his eyes and takes a look around the room. Donnie is in one of the chairs by the table, tapping away on his phone. April is in the other chair, and she smiles and gives him a little wave when he meets her eyes. His dad is in the other bed, munching on what looks like a muffin and watching the news. He doesn't see Raph, but he hears the shower running.

Draxum is standing by the doorway, watching Leo. When their gazes meet, he sighs, rubbing the furrow on his forehead.

"Are you going to ask me what you're eating again?"

"Yes!" Leo points at the cup of yogurt. "What is this!? It's not even fruit flavored!"

"It's Greek yogurt. You can have fruit when your stomach is more settled."

"Ugh..." Leo sighs, grabbing the plastic spoon off his tray and scooping up a tiny bite of yogurt. It's not terrible, but without any fruit it's not very exciting.

"Hey, look at the bright side," says Mikey, holding out a plastic cup. "You get apple juice this morning! Since it had no sugar added, Draxum said it's okay!"

Leo musters up a smile. "Well, it's better than vegetable juice..."

"Don't get too excited," says Draxum dryly. "You'll be drinking more on the drive home."

"You're such a buzzkill, Drax," Leo huffs, taking a bite of his eggs now. They're unseasoned, but they're something. And there's the part of him that is just happy to have any food, simmering under the surface and demanding he eat faster. To keep himself from cramming the whole of the plate in his mouth at once, he turns to Mikey. "Hey, sneak me a muffin. Blueberry or chocolate chip."

Mikey grimaces. "I don't think Barry wants me to do that..."

Leo pouts, chewing his eggs slowly. "Who are you going to listen to, him or me?"

"He'll listen to me," says Draxum sternly. "If you're still hungry after that, you can have some more crackers."

Leo sighs, but part of him feels better knowing the crackers are still on the table. He crams more eggs in his mouth and chews as sulkily as possible.

There's an Old Navy ad playing on TV. Splinter sits up straighter in bed when he sees it, getting muffin crumbs everywhere. "Ah, that reminds me! Blue wanted some warm clothes to wear on the ride home." Splinter reaches out and pats Mikey on the arm. "Orange, Purple - why don't the two of you go to the gift shop and do some shopping? You can get a souvenir for yourselves as well."

"Oooh, yes!" Mikey bounces excitedly in place. "Dibs on picking out Leo's clothes!"

"Gasp!" Donnie stands up, pointing at him dramatically. "You know I'm the fashionable one in this family! Leo, tell him you want me to pick out your clothes for our return trip!"

"Mmm, I dunno..." Leo grins up at his little brother, giving him a wink. "I think Angelo's got this."

Donnie makes a noise of utter betrayal while Mikey cheers and stoops to give Leo a hug. "I won't let you down, Leon!" he promises, giving Leo a big smooch on the top of his head.

"I know you won't."

"Fine then! I'll just have to make you all jealous with my own selections." Donnie looks down. "April, do you want to join us?"

"Yeah, sure." April stands up, stretching her arms above her head. "Maybe I'll get a keychain or something."

The three of them file out of the room, Donnie and Mikey still arguing animatedly. Draxum takes one of the abandoned chairs, and Splinter goes back to watching the news.

Leo continues eating his bland breakfast, and tries not to spend too much time wondering when his next meal will be. At least he's been promised crackers.

-----

Raph comes out of the bathroom about ten minutes later, just as Leo's finishing up his breakfast with a few crackers. He nearly jumps when their eyes meet.

"Oh, hey, Leo," he says, voice a forced cheerful. "You're awake! That's great!"

"Yeah," says Leo back, trying not to sound too awkward and failing. He holds up his empty cup. "Just finished breakfast."

"O-oh, yeah. Was it... good?"

Leo grimaces. "Not really."

"Oh." Raph hovers in the doorway, practically vibrating with nervous energy. Leo wonders if he should apologize, but he still doesn't know what he's apologizing for, so he doesn't.

He'd know if Raph would just go ahead and yell at him, but Raph doesn't seem eager to start. Maybe he doesn't think Leo is healed up enough yet, or maybe he doesn't want to do it in front of Splinter. Either way, no yelling seems forthcoming.

Instead, Raph says, "Uh, where's everyone else?"

"Shopping for clothes for Blue and for souvenirs for themselves," Splinter answers.

"Oh, cool. Maybe... maybe I'll go join 'em!"

Raph pats Leo on the head as he goes by, then leaves the room like it's on fire. Leo is silent; he has no idea what to say or do.

He's out of food now, too. He's already asked Draxum for crackers once, and he's not sure if asking again will actually gain him anything. And with Mikey gone, he feels too anxious to try.

He settles back on his pillows and turns his eyes to the TV, lifting the plastic spoon in his hands. He slots the handle between his teeth and chews, relaxing at the feel of it. It's sturdier than the water bottles, so he can't flatten it down as easily, but the way he can munch on it endlessly has its own appeal.

The news drones on. His dad laughs at something the anchors say. Draxum scribbles away at a notebook. And Leo leans back on his pillows and chews on the spoon.

On the ticker at the bottom of the screen, he notices the tail end of a news item about a training accident at a military facility in Colorado Springs - one injured.

-----

The outfit Mikey has picked out is a sky blue hoodie with "PIKE'S PEAK" in big block letters and darker blue plaid sweatpants. They meet Leo's standards for softness and comfiness, if not quite his standards for style. It's fine, because he's after the former right now.

"Did I do good?" Mikey asks, bouncing on his toes.

"You did great," Leo responds, motioning him closer so he can rub his head affectionately. It lacks his usual punch, but Mikey laughs and wiggles away anyway.

"We also got," Mikey rummages around in the gift store bag, then pulls out, "matching fuzzy socks!"

The socks are in their signature colors and have snowboarders on them, and each set has a terrible pun like, "SNOW RULES!" and "COOLER THAN COOL!" Leo loves them immediately.

"I think this is the best gift you've ever gotten me," says Leo sincerely. Mikey beams and comes in for a hug that Leo gladly returns.

"Here, put 'em on!" says Mikey after he backs away, nodding at the hoodie and pants on the bed. "You don't want to be cold, right?"

"Right," says Leo, lifting the hoodie in his arms. A quick glance around the room shows that they're all looking at him now - Mikey, Donnie, and April by the bed, Splinter from the other bed, Draxum at the table, Raph hovering in the doorway. Waiting for him to put the clothes on.

He wishes they wouldn't.

It's weird. He's never felt self-conscious like this. He and his brothers have never really practiced modesty the way humans do, especially around each other. And yet the idea of standing in front of them now with no clothes, not even his mask, makes him feel strangely queasy.

He tries to tell himself it's because of how he looks now. Stick thin arms and legs, weird, unhealthy skin tone, dark circles under his eyes that a few hours of unconsciousness and one night of intermittent sleep have definitely not erased. That it's just his normal vanity.

But he can still feel it: that guard's eyes on him, any time he left the safety of his hiding spot under his cot.

He pulls the hoodie on over his head while he's still in bed. Then he crawls out of bed and pulls the pants on as fast as he can.

He looks around to see if anyone noticed, but their expressions haven't changed. Mikey gives him a thumbs up.

He relaxes. With the clothes on, the feeling of being exposed finally ebbs away. And it is warmer like this, which is a plus.

It's okay. In a day or two, he'll be over this weird self-consciousness and back to normal, and no one has to know about it.

"Well, how do I look?" he asks, grinning and turning in a circle. Mikey and April clap indulgently for him.

"Lookin' good, Leo," says April, and he gives her a wink.

"Well, even though you chose to forego my aesthetic sensibilities, I got you something, too," says Donnie, pushing his way forward. He holds out a pair of flipflops, which say "We're in" and "CO" on the toes and have cartoon giraffes on the heels. Leo can't help but grin when he sees them. "Trust me, you'll want these if we have to go into any gas station restrooms. Shudder."

Leo laughs, then reaches out an arm to pull Donnie into a hug before he can escape. To his surprise, Donnie doesn't even put up a token fight against it, hugging him back more fiercely than usual.

"Thanks, I love them," he says into Donnie's ear.

"Of course you do," says Donnie smugly, but his eyes are suspiciously shiny when he breaks the hug. Nothing feels awkward between them now, even given the cracker incident earlier, and Leo is glad.

“Okay!” says April, clapping her hands. “Checkout’s in thirty minutes - if you have anything else to do, do it now.”

“Wait,” says Leo, looking around. “Where’s my mask?” It’d be nice for hiding the dark circles.

“Oh, I think Raph grabbed it,” says April, but when she turns, Raph is gone. April presses her fingers to her forehead and sighs. “Okay, you can get it later.”

Leo’s mouth suddenly feels dry. He reaches around and grabs a bottle of vegetable juice Draxum gave him, draining the last of it.

“Checkout in twenty eight minutes,” says Donnie to cut the awkwardness. “Let’s go, people!”

Leo sits on the bed and watches his family prepare to leave, gnawing on the top of his juice bottle.

-----

“Wake up, sleepyhead,” calls a voice, and Leo blinks awake to see April standing over his cot. No, not the cot - this is the bench seat in the tank. If he’s going to be sleeping so much, he needs to stop waking up confused.

And he has been sleeping a lot. The only time they woke him up was to eat another snack of crackers with a little bit of mushed up banana, like he’s some kind of baby.

The banana did help break up the monotony, though.

Leo can’t help but hope he’s being woken up for food again.

Like she read his mind, April grins and holds out a hand to help him up. “Lunch time!” she announces.

“Oh boy,” says Leo, taking the hand and slowly getting to his feet. He’s stiff from lying in the tank for so long, and he stretches and pops his arms. “More flavorless mush.”

“Maybe we can convince Drax to give you a little salt this time,” says April with a snicker. She waits for him to slip the flipflops on, then leads him out of the tank.

It occurs to him that this is the first time he’s really been out in the sun in over a week, excluding times he’s been unconscious and the short walk from the motel room to the tank. He takes a minute to just lean his face back and feel the warmth of it on his skin. It hasn’t even been that long, and he’s used to life underground, but somehow it feels different this time, foreign and new and sweet.

When he looks back at April, she’s tearing up again. She quickly wipes at the bottoms of her eyes and pulls on a smile, linking her arm around his.

“Come on. We can grab a picnic table and sit outside.”

It's then that Leo actually takes in where they are: a big travel center, or that's what the sign on the building declare. The tank is parked at the gas pumps, and Donnie, with his hood up, is excitedly talking about it to some interested truckers who have come over. He spots Mikey over at the grassy space for dog walking, laughing while a puppy licks his face, a seemingly annoyed Draxum standing off to the side with his arms folded. He doesn't see Raph or Splinter, but April fills him in as they cross the parking lot.

"Raph and Splints are inside ordering food. They have a whole diner in there!"

"Let me guess: I'm eating soup."

"I think it's potato."

"Well, at least it's not more tomato." Leo makes a face. "If I have to drink any more vegetable juice I'm going to turn red and swell up into a ball."

"You know what pizza sauce is made out of, right?" she asks, playfully bumping into him.

"Actually, I don't," he says smoothly, bumping into her back. They fake tussle outside the door for a moment, until both of them are laughing.

Someone trying to get past clears their throat loudly, and April and Leo shoot them an apologetic look before going on inside. Leo visits the restroom and tries not to look too long at the arrays of snacks on offer. April goes to help Raph and his dad with the food.

They all end up back outside at a large picnic table. His family has a mix of foods: burgers, hot dogs, salads, chicken strips. He knows there was pizza inside, and it touches him that no one picked it.

Next to everyone else's large, full plates, his own bowl of soup feels ridiculously small and sad. But he doubts any amount of pouting will convince Draxum to let him have a burger, so he digs in. At least this has some flavor.

Lunch is nice, even if Raph is still acting weird and distant. It’s just good being in the sun and the fresh air. Leo is reluctant to leave as they finish up.

“Come with me!” says Mikey as the others go to throw their trash away and buy anything they need for the return trip. He holds out his hand, and Leo takes it and follows Mikey back toward the grassy area at the edge of the parking lot. They make sure there are no dog droppings, then lay down in the grass, looking up at the blue sky and the clouds going overhead.

“I thought it’d be nice to get a little more sun before we have to get back in the tank,” says Mikey, limbs splayed out in every direction. He’s taken off his hoodie - no one at the travel center has paid much attention to the peeks of green skin they’ve been showing off, and no one is nearby right now, anyway.

It is a little hot. But the idea of being shirtless where a stranger can see him keeps Leo fully swaddled.

He pushes that thought aside, closing his eyes and just trying to enjoy the feeling of the sun on his skin, the breeze blowing by, the grass under his fingers. He doesn’t get to touch a lot of grass in the city, but it reminds him of times they would sneak out to Central Park.

“This is really nice, Angelo,” he says. “Thanks.”

“Mmhmmm.”

They’re quiet for a few minutes, just laying there, with only the ambient sounds of the travel center keeping them company. Leo starts to feel like he might doze off again.

“…Hey Leo?”

Leo blinks his eyes open, craning his neck to see Mikey. “Yeah?”

“Are you… okay?”

Ah. Maybe he should have expected this.

“Of course I’m okay,” he says, voice nonchalant. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Uh, well…” Mikey hesitantly trails off, clearly trying to decide what he wants to say.

Leo takes care of it for him. “It’s over, Mikey. You guys saved me. I’m okay.” He turns his head and grins. “And once Draxum stops being the food police, everything will be back to normal.”

“Mmm…” Mikey doesn’t sound as convinced as he should. Man, Leo’s smiles are really failing him lately. “But… if something’s bothering you… You’ll tell us, right?”

Leo pats his head. “Of course I will.”

If it’s worth bringing up to them, anyway.

Mikey’s eyes rove his face for a moment, but in the end he must be satisfied, because he smiles and rolls to toss his arm over Leo’s chest. “Okay. But I’ll hold you to that.”

“Or what, I’ll get a visit from the doctor?”

“You know it!”

Leo laughs, which gets Mikey laughing. They stay there until Raph calls their names across the parking lot, and they go back to the tank.

-----

He manages to stay awake after they stop for lunch, curled up on the bench seat. He doesn’t have the energy to talk as much as normal, but he leans against Donnie and contributes where he can. He’s just happy to be back with them, hearing and seeing them all around him.

But there’s something always at the back of his mind keeping him from fully relaxing: he doesn’t know when he gets to eat next. And he knows it will be okay - he’s with his family, and they’d never let him go hungry. He knows that, but about two and a half hours after lunch, he keeps finding himself returning to the same thought.

He’s drinking on a sugar-free Gatorade they got him at the travel center; one of the only non-vegetable or fruit drinks Draxum approved. Mikey has just finished up a story from one of the many art vlogs he watches, and, in the lag of conversation, he tries to broach the subject casually.

“Sooo… what’s our plan for the rest of the drive? Are we stopping, or…?”

“We’re going to try to make it all the way back to New York,” says April. “We already have our shifts picked out, and the autopilot is helping.”

“We can stop in a few more hours for another bathroom break,” says Donnie, pulling up a holoscreen showing their route and the drive time remaining. “Unless someone needs us to stop sooner.” He glances at Leo, and the way he’s bouncing the rim of the bottle off his teeth.

“Oh, uh, I’m good,” he says quickly, lowering the bottle. "I'm just wondering, uh... what about stopping for dinner?"

His family does about as good a job being subtle about looking at each other as he's being subtle about his worry. "We were thinking we'd probably try to find something around seven," says Donnie.

Seven. It's a little after three now. Okay. He can wait that long. What's four hours? And at least he knows what to expect now.

His family hesitantly return to their conversation. And Leo does his best to pay attention. April is telling them about all the stuff she's been doing to prepare for college in the fall, how she's already chatting with people running the student paper. She's excited about it, and Leo is excited for her.

"Ew, Leo," says Donnie suddenly, tearing him out of his thoughts. "Why are you doing that?"

Leo looks over at him in confusion. He starts to ask, Doing what?, but when he opens his mouth to speak, something falls out of his teeth and into his lap.

It's the Gatorade bottle cap, chewed down flat. Leo can see the marks from where his molars snapped through the lip, and the dents where he's been gnawing at it with his incisors.

He didn't even know he was doing that.

Everyone saw him doing that.

Embarrassment flushes through him, and he scrambles to grab the lid and toss it into their communal trash sack. Maybe no one noticed how thoroughly he had chewed on it.

"Gross," says Donnie, his nose scrunched up. So at the very least he saw. "You don't know where that's been."

"Oh please, it's not that gross," says Leo, doing his best to keep his voice light and airy. "It's just a bottle cap."

"That other people have touched and that you put into your mouth."

"Don't knock it till you try it, bro."

"I'm good not trying it."

"Your loss," says Leo with a shrug. He leans back, cool and calm and collected and not a total weirdo who gnaws on plastic like it's candy. "Stop looking at me like that, I threw it away already."

Donnie stops looking at him, literally. Things feel tense again. Leo doesn’t know how he keeps managing that.

Mikey jumps up, walking to the front of the tank, where Draxum is asleep in one of the chairs. Mikey shakes him awake, smiling in the face of his annoyed grumbling.

“Hey, Barry, is it okay if Leo has a snack?”

“Why do you have to ask him?” calls Leo, folding his arms. “Besides, I’m fine!”

His protests go ignored. “What time is it?” asks Draxum, sitting up and smoothing down his robes.

“I’m fine!” insists Leo, louder.

“It’s three fifteen,” Mikey says.

“Mm… Yes, he can have a snack.” Draxum gets up, going over to their snack cooler. “Leonardo, do you want crackers or more banana?”

“I’m fine!” Leo tries one more time, but his stomach flips when it occurs to him that he may actually not get a snack if he insists, and he wants the snack.

He sighs, sinking back in his seat, and says, “Crackers.” He wants the crunch of eating them.

Draxum brings him his crackers. There’s only four. He’s not sure why he’s getting less this time. Maybe because he was caught chewing on the lid.

He doesn’t ask. He eats what he’s been given, and then decides the best thing for everyone would be if he took another nap.

-----

Raph would have driven them all the way to New York if he’d been allowed. But they insist on having him swap with Donnie, and he ends up sitting in the back on the benches with because the other front chairs are hard for him to fit in.

Leo is asleep. He’s been sleeping a lot, but that’s to be expected. His body barely has any energy, and going by the dark circles, Raph knows he didn’t get much sleep while he was…

When Leo is awake, his family are their lively selves, chatting and laughing and enjoying each other’s company. Once he goes to sleep, everyone quiets down, Donnie dims the lights in the cab, and a weird melancholy sets in.

Leo looks terrible. They haven’t talked about it, but they all know it. Raph is shocked Leo has even been able to walk on his own, but Draxum attributes that to their reinforced mutant biology. He’s swimming in a hoodie that is his size, his hands and feet are skeletal where they poke out of his clothes. Raph wonders how long it will take for him to start filling out again, to have muscle like he did before. He’s afraid to ask.

Splinter sits with Leo’s head in his lap, rubbing his shell any time he shifts in his sleep. Mikey curls up against Raph and sniffles, and Raph pulls him closer.

He has to keep reminding himself that Leo is here, and safe. He just ate a snack, and soon they’ll get another meal in him. Just give it a week or two, and they’ll have their brother back.

And then, he’ll make sure Leo knows he never has to sacrifice himself again.

-----

Home looks just like Leo remembered it, and feels totally foreign at the same time.

His family clap for him as he walks in, and he does a little bow, which is a poor decision because it leaves him feeling lightheaded after. Luckily Raph is there to catch him and carry him from the garage to the chair in the living room. Things are still weird between them, but at least Raph isn't totally avoiding him.

(Raph still hasn't yelled at him. He wishes they could just get it over with.)

They eat lunch, with Leo getting bland soup and crackers again. Draxum notes that he could have peanut butter if they could have it in the lair, which makes Raph look pointlessly guilty, so Leo changes the subject. After lunch, April gives him a big hug and tells him she'll see him soon, but she has to go back home before her mom gets too worried. Leo feels bad when he learns she's missed several days of class now, but she just laughs and pats his head.

"I'm a senior and it's May, Leo; that I show up at all is enough for them."

Everyone's tired from being on the road for over twenty four hours, so after April leaves they unanimously agree on a movie marathon/turtle pile in the living room. His brothers drag out their comfiest pillows and blankets and set up in the floor, while Splinter cuddles up with Leo in his recliner. Draxum actually stays, to everyone's surprise, and Mikey jumps at the opportunity to introduce him to the magic of Lou Jitsu and Jupiter Jim.

Leo drifts in and out the whole evening. He'll be awake for the whole first act of a movie, then blink and suddenly they're partway through a different film. Each time he wakes his dad is there, patting his hand and saying, "Hello, Blue," and his brothers are around him, quoting their favorite lines or jumping up to act along with their favorite parts. It's normal and it's familiar and it's warm and soft.

He eats more soup for dinner, and crackers and banana and a little pudding cup, as a treat. His family gets more sleepy as evening turns to night; his dad's snoring fills the room, and Draxum finally leaves to go to his apartment. His brothers settle in and fall asleep around the middle of Jupiter Jim's Last Trip to the Moon 17, curled up in a heap at the foot of the chair.

He's home.

He's really home.

It's over.

Leo buries his face in his dad's fur and lets that thought carry him to sleep.

-----

Leo's home and it's amazing.

Raph wishes that meant everything was back to normal.

He doesn't know how to be around Leo right now. Every time he looks at him, he sees the stick thin arms and the gaunt face and he hears Leo's voice saying, That's not what a hero would do, and he doesn't know what to say anymore. What if he accidentally says something that makes Leo feel like what happened to him was right? What if he accidentally makes Leo think he should do it again?

It's only been a day, he tries to tell himself. Leo's still spending most of his time sleeping, between his regular snacks and meals. Even when he's awake, he doesn't have much energy for conversation, seeming content to just sit and listen to everyone else. It's just not the right time. It'll get better once Leo is better.

He can wait until then.

It's the afternoon now, the day after they brought Leo home. Raph just finished his workout and is making his rounds to check on everyone, just to make sure that everyone is... well, just to make sure. Splinter is in the kitchen making tea, a kind with no caffeine or sugar, as per Draxum's instructions. Mikey and Leo are in the living room, a half-asleep Leo watching Mikey play video games on the projecter.

Donnie isn't there.

His heart lurches, no matter how much he tells himself it's okay. Donnie is fine, Donnie is home, Donnie hasn't gone missing, not right after they got Leo back.

(He'd tried to tell himself Leo was fine in the beginning, too.)

He checks their rooms first, but Donnie's is empty. Then it's up to the lab, where he finds the door closed.

He knocks, and a robotic voice asks for identification. He sighs, not wanting to play this game right now.

"Donnie, it's me. You better be in there..."

The door beeps and then slides up, revealing a dimly lit lab. At first, Raph thinks he must not be here, and he's about to turn to leave, but then he hears a noise from Donnie's big computer desk.

A sniffle.

His big brother senses shifting into hyperdrive, he speed-walks over. The door slides shut behind him with a mechanical whir.

Sure enough, Donnie is there, legs pulled up into his desk chair, face buried in his knees. His goggles are off and laying on the desk, and his computer monitor shows a video, frozen on...

A white room, almost empty, save the cot that is for some reason propped up in front of the toilet, and...

Donnie sniffles again, and Raph tears his eyes away from one little brother to the other.

"Donnie...? What is this?"

Donnie sniffs and sits up a little more, rubbing under his eyes where tear tracks are already drying. "It's the surveillance video from the EPF base."

Raph gathered that much. "Why... are you watching it?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Donnie looks up at him. "I wanted to see what they did to him."

"You couldn't just ask him?"

Donnie's drawn on eyebrows go down. "I don't know, do you want to ask him?"

Raph imagines trying to ask Leo questions like that and can't help but cringe. "Okay, no. Raph doesn't want to do that."

"Exactly." Donnie gestures at the screen. "I got this footage from the base. And I erased it permanently from their systems, for the record, and destroyed the hard drives to be sure. But I kept a copy for us. I thought, if Leo wasn't in a state to... well, just in case. We might need it for medical reasons."

"But we know what's wrong with him," Raph points out.

"Do we?"

"Uh, yeah." Raph nods. "Starvation... right?"

"Well, yes." Donnie drums his fingers on the table. "But... he's different, now. He's pretending he's not, and he's doing his normal Leo thing of joking and smiling, but... he is." Donnie scowls. "And I already asked Michael to confirm my suspicions, and he said so, too, so I know this isn't me overreacting!"

"Okay, okay!" Raph holds up his hands placatingly. "So you wanted to watch the footage to see what happened. What'd you find out?"

Donnie wilts, resting his chin on his knees. "I couldn't get further than the first twenty four hours."

Raph feels a foreboding chill run over his spine. "You couldn't... or you didn't want to?"

Donnie reaches over and presses a button. The footage shifts to a different angle, so now he can see the wall Leo was curled up against. Donnie runs the footage back at a fast speed, and Raph watches as Leo gets up a few times, disappearing into the blind spot of the camera, or going to grab water from a little slot by the door, until Donnie freezes on a new scene: the wall opening up to reveal a large window.

He leans forward, putting his hands on the desk. "Raph saw that - they were watching his cell through that."

"Yes. And he would sit in that spot," Donnie runs the footage forward a bit, to where Leo is sitting against the now white wall, "because it's in a blind spot to the window."

Raph grimaces. "He didn't want them watching him."

"But it didn't matter," says Donnie, and he reaches over and taps the button to go to a new angle... and again... and again. "They have every inch of the room covered."

Raph's heart sinks. "Does he know?"

"Leo's not dumb," says Donnie, a magnanimous statement coming from him. "He knew they had to be watching him with cameras."

"But he still tried to hide..."

"He was doing whatever he had to to feel better," concludes Donnie.

Raph sighs. "I wonder if it worked."

Donnie clicks another button, and the video player closes. He swivels his chair to face Raph, his eyes shiny again.

"I don't want to watch anymore," he admits.

Raph nods. "I wouldn't want to, either."

"No, I mean... because he was trying to hide." Donnie rubs at his eyes again. "Maybe it is a little ironic for me to be saying this, but... it feels like it would be a privacy violation."

Raph turns that over. Maybe knowing what happened to Leo could help them. But what Donnie is saying feels more important.

He puts his hand on Donnie's shoulder, the part that's bare past his battleshell, and gives it a rub. "You love him and you don't want to hurt him," he concludes.

Donnie sniffles again, and then uncurls himself, putting his legs down on the ground. He doesn't have to do more than that for Raph to catch on, and Raph scoops Donnie up into a hug that is quickly returned.

"...I keep hurting him," Donnie admits, resting his head on Raph's shoulder. "I don't know how, but it keeps happening."

"...Yeah, well, join the club," says Raph sadly. He pats at Donnie's back. "Raph can't seem to say the right thing, either."

Donnie laughs miserably. "I thought getting him back would be the hard part. And then everything would go back to normal."

"Yeah..." Raph gives him a tight squeeze. "But you know what April said?"

"What?"

"That we'll do the hard part, 'cause we love him."

"Well, April is the only other smart one in this family," says Donnie, and Raph gives him a noogie with no actual pressure.

"Everything will be okay," he says. "Raph promises."

That seems to calm Donnie down. Raph just hopes he can actually keep it.

-----

It's his first night back in his room, and for the first time since escaping, Leo can't sleep.

He doesn't know why he can't. The sheets are the same as always. The dim lights from outside his subway car filter in through the windows the same as they used to. He's wearing his favorite pajamas, which have pants and long sleeves. The temperature is warm but not too hot. Conditions are perfect.

But he can't sleep.

At first he thought maybe it's because he's alone for the first time, but he doesn't think it's that. In fact, the idea of going to one of his brothers or his dad makes him feel even more exhausted. He loves them and he loves being around them, but he's had to work hard all day to not seem too weird. He caught himself chewing his spoon at lunch and had to stop. He paced the kitchen until Draxum gave the okay for him to have a snack. Mikey poked his head in while he was changing shirts earlier and he froze up, deer in the headlights. In the end, he went to the bathroom to change, because at least there aren't windows in there.

He's being weird, and trying to not be weird is taking all his energy.

So no. He's okay being alone right now. But something is still bothering him.

It's not the bed; he slept in the motel just fine. It's not the temperature, because they're making sure the lair stays nice and warm for him. And it's not the clothes, because the clothes are covering him up. And it's not the windows because it's not even like anyone is looking through them.

Right?

It's only then that Leo realizes he keeps staring out of them.

He tears his eyes away to look at the ceiling, taking deep breaths. What is he worried about? So what if the train car is full of windows? Who would even be looking at him? It's just his family outside, and if they need to talk to him they'll come in.

Besides, the windows are see-through. If someone were looking at him, he'd be able to see them.

Just to reassure himself of that, Leo looks around at all the windows again.

Yep. Still see-through. So it's fine. It's really not a big deal! No one is going to look through the windows at him here. No one is watching him. He's safe, and if he weren't, he would know, because he can see.

...Maybe he could hide under his bed.

Leo gives his head a hard shake. No. He is not going to hide under his bed, because that would be weird, and Leonardo Hamato is not weird.

Maybe he can just... put up some curtains in his room. Just, purely for aesthetic reasons. Yeah, that would look really cool. He could get some blue ones with some kind of sick design. Add some real originality to this place.

And then he could cover the windows and no one could look in unless he wanted them to.

Not that anyone is looking in, because he's home and he's safe and he's okay and he really wants to hide under his bed-

He takes deep breaths. His eyes land on the posters on the wall of the train car.

Maybe... maybe they would look better over the windows. Just... aesthetically.

He moves the posters to the windows of the train car, pressing hard to get the old tape to stick. It covers the immediate windows around his bed, but there are still others, and they're more in the dark, so Leo can't see who might be out there.

Not that anyone would be.

But if someone were, he wouldn't be able to know.

So he grabs towels next, and t-shirts, and anything he has lying around his room, and puts them on the bed. Then he sneaks to the kitchen to find a roll of masking tape.

It's not easy, but after about an hour he's managed to cover every window in the train car with something.

Just... a preview. For how sweet the curtains are going to look. And not for any weird reasons, like being scared.

Because he's not scared. He's home, and he's safe, and no one is watching him from outside the windows.

He lays down in bed and surveys his handwork. The room is even darker now, with every window covered, completely different from the stark ever-present light in that place.

It makes him feel safe and hidden.

No one can look in, and he's shielded by the dark.

(He has no idea how he's going to explain this tomorrow.)

But when he finally shuts his eyes, he sleeps like a baby.

-----

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 (here) | Part 4 (not yet out)

#rottmnt #dandy fanfiction #room fic #rise leo #rise raph #rise splinter #rise donnie #rise mikey #rise april #baron draxum #cw internalized ableism #cw vomit

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abbeym28 · 5 months

Text

Clarisse x Reader - Once More to See You

Clarisse x gn! reader, any cabin

An- sorry this took so long to get out! Anyways, thank you guys so much for liking my other Clarisse fics! This is my fourth one, so I hope that they get better with the more I write, but pls let me know if this is bad! Idk where my mind was when I wrote this lol. 3.3k words! Let me know if I messed anything up, and tell me what you guys thought of the last pjo ep! Dior looked as beautiful as always!!!!

Warnings!- nightmares, kissing, affection, mentions of training and weapons, pet names, pls let me know if something was missed!

The sun was almost to much to bear.

Beating down on Clarisse, it was almost melting. But she continued to swing her spear at the training dummy, hitting as hard as she could while making sure to be acutely aware of where she was landing the hits.

She was also very aware of the eyes that followed her every move.

She knew that it was you, the only person at camp she allowed to get close to her. For some reason.

“Do you want to train with me?” She paused to yell and to look over at you.

“I’ll pass.” You were standing on the sidelines holding Clarisse's water bottle and her towel. She looked back at the dummy once before relaxing a bit and walking over to you. She grabbed the water and jugged it.

“How's day goin’ for you, angel?” You rolled your eyes just a bit and smiled at her nickname for you. She has called you that ever since you two really became friends, and almost gone is the flustered feeling it used to give you.

Almost.

“Really good actually, pretty girl.” Clarisse then took that chance to roll her eyes back at you, but the sun was definitely getting hotter because there was definitely no other reason why Clarisse’s face was feeling so warm all of the sudden, even after her intake of cool water.

“Oh yeah? What have you been doing?” She took the towel that you had extended to her and sat down on the closest bench. She nodded along as you recounted your day and how you spent the most of it doing crafts and training with the younger campers. She sat and listened until it was time for dinner, where the two of you sat side by side at the Ares table, even though it wasn’t technically allowed.

A few of her siblings teased the two of you, but it was a common occurrence, so they all knew that this was normal and would continue to be so. But they also couldn't just let it slide.

Clarisse made sure you were close by the rest of the night, completing both of your nightly routines that have over time molded together to make sure that they could fit like a puzzle piece.

She walked you to your cabin, and just like on any other night, there was a slight itch in her hand and the thought in her brain that she should be holding on to you in some way.

Linked hands, her arm around your shoulder, her hand guiding you whilst being placed on the small of your back. All feel like they could be the most natural thing in the world, if only your relationship could be just a little different.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, ‘kay?” Your question broke her from her thoughts and she just nodded.

“Yeah. Sleep tight, got it?” You smiled and hesitated before pulling her in for a quick hug. She tried to get over her surprise fastly, but you were quicker to end the hug then she was able to melt into you.

“So, um… goodnight.” You turned and walked into your cabin, Clarisse and one of your siblings who had witnessed the event watching with wide eyes. She made eye contact with them, and her shock dropped from her face. “Scram.” Your sibling nodded and wordlessly walked past her, going to some place she could care less about.

She stood there for another minute or so, her hand covering the bottom off her face as she sighed. The sun was gone now, but for some reason, her face felt all too hot right now.

She was beginning to think that the reason and cause had to do something with you.

Clarisse woke with a start the minute the creak of a floor board was heard across the cabin. She had practically trained herself to be awake at any moment, though she could mostly thank her fathers genes for that convenient trait.

None of her siblings seemed to have got it though, since none of them had even stirred.

She squinted her eyes to try to see through the darkness. “Hello?” she whispered out. The outline of a person stuck standing near the doorway visibly let some tension out of their shoulders as they began to move towards her, seemingly uncaring of the other little creaks that the old wood would let out.

“Clarisse?” Clarisse also then let out a breath, as well as a lot of the tension she was also holding.

“Angel? What are you doing here?” She sat up a bit more properly and scooted more to the side of her bed that was touching the wall, patting the now empty wedge, the sheets still wrinkled from the few hours of tossing and turning and sleep she had got.

You moved into that space next to her, bringing your knees up to your chin and your arms wrapped around your legs.

Uh oh. Clarisse thought. The fetal position was never a good sign.

She hesitated before reaching her own arm around your shoulders, pulling you a bit closer to her, hoping that you could soak in some of the warmth Ares kids were notorious to have.

But she was still an Ares kid.

Comfort was not something she was really familiar with.

“What happened?” Her mind began to wander a bit, thinking that you must have gotten hurt. But who would hurt you knowing they would have to face her wrath? Her hands shook a little as she went through a list in her mind of potential people. It must have been one of your siblings, probably the one who-

“I had a nightmare.” Your voice was barely audible, but just the sound almost instantly calmed Clarisse down.

“Yeah? Do you want to talk about it? Or….” you shook your head no. “Do you want to stay the night here?”

You shifted a bit to look at her, and she noticed your eyes were a bit red and puffy. She wondered a bit about what could have happened in your dream if it made you have this strong of a reaction. All demigods got nightmares, you and Clarisse being no exception.

But this was the first time you had ever sought the other out like this.

“Can I?” You whispered.

“Any time.” She gently coaxed you out of your position so that way the two of you could lay flat on your backs, her arm still protectively holding you. “You know that I’m super strong, right? Whatever was scary in your dream was definitely no match against me.” You giggled, and Clarisse smiled.

She then spent some time talking about how she could protect you against anything, right until you fell asleep. She watched you for a moment, the peaceful look and the rise and fall of your chest bringing her comfort. She gently pushed a bit of hair away from your face and refused the urge in which was telling to place a kiss on your forehead.

She settled beside you, and sleep came easier for her then it had ever been since she had found out she was the daughter of war.

Sunlight streamed a bit too harshly through the windows making Clarisse try to close her eyes tighter. She groaned when she realized it was useless.

Someone cuddled in closer to her, their arms getting stronger around her waist. She tensed up a bit before remembering last night. The both of you were laying on your sides facing each other, all of your limbs seemed to be entangled with hers. She leaned into you more and began to close her eyes again.

That was before she heard the giggles of her siblings.

Her eyes shot open, and there were some of her brothers and sisters, standing above her bed, two of them with cameras. “What the fu- get away! Get!” She whisper- yelled, trying her best to not be close to your ear while making sure you didn't move much. Her siblings just laughed, took a picture, and then ran out of the cabin, their heavy steps making her flinch.

“What time is it?” Your voice distracted her from glaring at the still left open door. Her eyes flickered to her alarm clock. “It’s almost nine.” You hummed and burrowed your face into her neck.

She tried to ignore that.

Clarisse was always an early riser. Sleeping in any time after seven made her moody, and naps were completely out of the question and annoying to her.

So how was she able to sleep till nine, breaking her 5:30 wake up and missing both of her alarms? And why did she feel so… rejuvenated? Were you numbing her senses?

“We should get up.” You looked up at her, your eyes all sleepy and a small frown on your face.

“You don’t want to stay with me?”

Oh.

The room felt a bit hotter all of the sudden.

“Don’t you have classes to teach? The kids can't learn how to craft all by themselves.” She smirked as you blinked at her. You groaned and sat up, cutting off the skin contact and effectively making Clarisse feel colder and as if she was missing something.

“You’re lucky that I like what I do. I’ll see you at lunch, ‘kay?” You smiled at her and got up, stretching as you left her cabin to walk to yours.

All Clarisse could think about was; "is she actually lucky?"

The rest of the day seemed to go like normal, with you and Clarisse doing your separate duty’s while still finding times and places where the two of you could meet.

She was able to track and threaten her siblings, the ones who had taken the pictures of you two sleeping. She confiscated the camera, but when no one else was looking she pocketed one of the photos.

For safekeeping. She justified to herself.

To make sure that no one else would see it.

That night when you said your good nights, you hugged her again. This time it was a hug she was able to lean into, one that she was able to savor.

She was about to offer you to stay with her again, just another night. But the words got stuck in her throat as you pulled away.

“Stay safe, promise?'' Your words made her curious, but she wasn’t going to question you. It clicked that this was probably because of your dream.

“Have you even met me?” She laughed a bit, and you smiled at her softly.

It made her falter a bit. If any enemies were just a smidge like her, then that smile alone would stop an army.

“I’ll see you tomorrow. I promised the kids that we would teach the sword class together.” She sounded a bit breathless, and she hoped that it was only in her mind. You hesitated, but nodded.

“See you tomorrow.”

Clarisse has been on edge ever since the clock turned to twelve. It was around this time that you had come to her yesterday, and even though it was a one time event, (or so she figured it would be), it felt like there was a pit in her stomach, and she couldn't help but feel like you were in some sort of danger.

She was almost ready to jump off her bed and speed walk to your cabin.

“Clarisse, can you stop?” One of her siblings whispered from some other bunk and she sighed. She realized that she was tossing and turning louder than she thought.

“I’m taking a walk.” She flipped the sheets off of her and walked out the door, making her way silently to your cabin. There were only a handful of times that she has been in here, but she knew where your bed was.

You were tossing and turning worse then how she was, sweat dripping down your chin to your neck. She gently touched your shoulder, something she knew she probably shouldn't have done, but it was enough to wake you from your sleep.

You sat up fast, your chest moving rapidly as you tried to catch your breath. You gulped.

“Clarisse? What… why are you here?” Your eyebrows furrowed as you looked at her, still breathing hard.

“I felt that you weren't okay. Another nightmare?” You nodded as she continued to stand above you.

“Well, if you're okay, I'm gonna- I’ll… leave.” She turned around, but your hand caught her wrist with a tight grip before she was able to get far.

“Can you… can you stay?'' You were looking at her with those eyes again, and her breath was gone as well.

“Yeah. I can.” Her voice was too soft, a soft that would make her father distaste her even more. But she climbed into your bed, and for another night she slept with you in her arms.

The two of you occupied each other's beds for the next month, but neither of you spoke of the tension that riddled the space between you.

Nightmares didn't plague you any more, and Clarisse was getting better sleep then she had ever gotten before. That was until Chiron called her to his office.

“A quest?” Chiron nodded.

“Yes, one that was provided by one of the gods themselves, Hera. She asked for an Ares kid to complete this for her. You’ll think about it, won’t you?”

Clarisse nodded slowly.

“Perfect. Now, get back to your activities.”

Clarisse left his office like that. Her mind was clouded, and she didn't really know what to do.

Of course she had to take it, this was another great opportunity to show how great she was to her dad, and how far her training has come.

But she couldn't help thinking: what about you? How would you be if she had left? Quests could take up any amount of time, and what if something happened to her? Or you while she was away?

“What was that about?” Luke appeared next to her, catching her by surprise. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

“A quest. They specifically want me.” Luke nodded, and he had that weird thoughtful look on his face that made Clarisse’s nose wrinkle.

The two of them hardly got along well, but as cabin counselors they had to be civil. She looked around at the trees as they walked together towards the training ground, that is until Luke spoke your name.

“Do they know?” He asked. She shook her head.

“No other campers but you knows.” He just nodded his head again. He smirked and looked at her.

“Can't wait to see how that goes.” And then he turned and walked the other way, leaving Clarisse standing there in slight shock. What was that about? Did he know something she didn’t?

She shook it off the best that she could before walking to where you were.

There was a smile on your face as you helped an eight year old boy from the Hermes cabin hold his sword properly. She watched as you stepped back and let him swing it at the target, clapping your hands and laughing a bit once he finally got it right. He ran to give you a hug, and you hugged him back, and she could tell from where she was that you were praising his abilities. Clarisses heart felt so full, and all though she thought it was impossible, she could swear she was falling for you even more.

Maybe Silena was right, and she is a stickler for domesticy. Maybe a quest wasn't what would make her truly happy. Maybe it was a life with you.

“Clarisse!” You were running towards her and she caught you in a hug.

“Hey. I was actually hoping that we could talk for a bit.” The smile stayed on your face while confusion clouded your eyes and your eyebrows furrowed.

“Sure, okay.”

The two of you walked into the forest together, stopping in a clearing which happened to be Clarisse’s favorite place at camp. Other than wherever you were. You took her hand in yours in a way that she assumed you thought would bring her comfort, but it just made her heart beat faster.

“The gods want me to go on a quest.” She blurted out. Your face and mood fell and you took your hand out of her grip gently.

“And what did you say?”

“Well, I'm technically still thinking about it, but I think that this could be good for me. Hera wants this thing done for her, and you know that I have trained for this, and it would be nice if my father would recognize me at least once. But I also- Angel? Are you okay?”

You looked as if you were about to cry, one hand hovering over where your heart is and the other almost covering your mouth. You were shaking like a leaf in the wind, and Clarisse didn’t like it one bit.

She moved towards you, placing her hands on either side of your shoulders and helping you sit on the ground. She put your face in between her collarbone and neck, stroking your hair softly as you sniffled.

“What’s wrong?” She was unsure that you would answer, but you shifted your head a bit back.

“This is just like my nightmare.”

It all kind of made sense now.

“I had them, for like, a week before I first went to your cabin. It’s always the same some how, with you accepting a quest from Hera and never returning, or you go missing and I have to be the one to find your body, or I go with you and I can’t do anything about that stupid monster you fight, and I just-” You were crying, Clarisse could practically feel them burn into her skin.

“I don’t want to lose you Clarisse. Not on a dumb quest or ever. I don’t know what to do without you.” Clarisse nodded a bit and fiddled with a piece of your hair.

“I chased away the dreams though, right?” She had no clue if you would appreciate any type of small joke she made, and she figured she was dead when you pulled away from her a little and looked into her eyes, your lips slightly parted in what she could only guess was surprise.

Then you leaned in and kissed her on the mouth.

She was surprised, just like how she was when you had first hugged her. You pulled away quicker this time, fear evading finding your eyes for the split second before Clarisse pulled you back in, returning the kiss you first started with as much passion as she could possibly convey. You were both breathless the next moment once you realized that you had to get air.

“I don’t know what to do about the quest.” Clarisse whispered. She didn’t know why she did, but she felt like something could break if she didn’t.

“I don’t know either.” You responded, your voice as low as hers.

“I-... I think I like you.” Clarisse confessed.

Although they weren't exactly the words she wanted to say, (She knew for a fact that she was in love with you), but it still felt as if a slight weight was lifted off of her. You leaned back into her, so close that she could practically feel the smile that grew on your face on her lips.

“I think I like you too, pretty girl.” And she smiled too.

“Why do you call me that?” She tilted her head as you leaned back and laughed.

“Because you're pretty.”

The way you said it with so much certainty, as if you knew she could rival Aphrodite herself, made Clarisse feel bubbly, and she wasn’t someone who would ever really feel like that.

She didn't know what she would do about the quest.

She didn’t know what you would do if you found out if she ever accepted, or what punishment she would face if she were to turn it down.

But Clarisse La Rue was in love with you, and she would protect you from those nightmares for as long as you let her.

#clarisse la rue #clarisse la rue x reader #pjo #pjo x reader #clarisse pjo #dior goodjohn #clarisse x reader

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harmonysanreads · 2 months

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hello <3

wishing you freedom and happiness from academic hell before diving in. you opened requests so 👉👈

forgive me if this counts as idea stealing since you posted about it but yan! neuvillette with a darling who wants to file for divorce would be such a messy situation. court proceedings go to him now that the oratrice is no longer functioning. how do you expect to win against the law of the land?

filing divorce in a different land also isn't an option, because it is written in your marriage contract that you cannot leave fontaine without your husband and he sure as hell isn't going to come with you for something like this

oh well.

Jeux de Vagues

Yandere!Neuvillette x Reader

cw(s): yandere, implications of forced marriage, slight dehumanization, manipulation, fontaine archon quest act one spoilers, old married couple bickering (literally)

wc : 3k

hiii zuri!! i have been brainrotting this fic since version 4.0 so thank you so much for just giving me the opportunity to unleash it lol. for plot reasons this takes place between act 1 and 2. i dedicate this fic to all the anons who brain-rotted with me and kept me motivated to think about neuvillette with their creative asks <3 btw you get a 🍪 if you can recognize where the title comes from :>

“Husband, I wish for a divorce.”

In Spring, the snow of the bygone winter thaws and raises the tides. They twirl to the edges of the shores ; push and pull, back and forth, mesmerizing the nation of Hydro with their temptatious dance. You wonder what it'd take to entice the waves to your direction, to have the power to make them rage and placate. When one desires to control something great, they see its reflection upon mundane things �� just as you envision yourself dictating the tides upon cups of dainty porcelain, noon to evening and midnight to dawn — your spoon conducts its rhythm.

In Summer, the waters boil and vaporize upon the touch of sunlight to reach the heavens and complete the cycle. Just as wisps of steaming tea tantalize their way upwards from cups and tea pots. Beyond that translucent veil stares back a pair of watchful eyes, undecipherable are their emotions and primordial their age.

“The tides of time heed no one's orders or pleas. Very well, mon trésor, let us begin this trial.”

You're quick to catch the hint and slow to react, deliberate and relaxed as you bring the rim of the cup to your lips. The tea scathes your lips and paints your tongue bitter, bitter, bitter — a smile stretches across your tingling lips, deeming the liquid's taste adequate to your present temperament. You are bitter, not because of the contents of this ‘trial’ but, due to the delay of it. You've been crossing days after days from heaps of calendars, preparing all your accusations and aligning evidence to back up your claims for this chance only comes once every fin de siècle.

“I heard your justice machine broke?” a ‘clang’ accompanies the tea cup meeting the saucer. You focus on the chirping of birds and the noises of crystal flies buzzing past instead of the possible damage done by your words. You hear it, the swell of rising waves before they pacify with a purposeful cough. You don't let the event’s lamentable duration plunder your motivation, more precisely, you take it as a good start.

“Calling it broken is quite the stretch. You and I both know that the Oratrice Mechanique d’Analyse Cardinale—”

You swat a hand and the waves placate completely, sans any questions or any other brewing feelings. “I'm quite aware of what it's called, husband.” ‘I just could not care less’ goes unsaid.

You point your finger towards the Iudex of Fontaine, “You,” then return it back to yourself, “and I, both know the purpose of me bringing that incident up in our private trial.”

No amount of sensory loss would render someone ignorant of the mockery of your words. You bite the inside of your cheek in a lazy attempt to suppress a smirk, times like this really make you regret not having the privilege to face off against Neuvillette in the Court of this land ; you're quite sure your most recent stunt would earn you many bewildered gasps. If only the gates of your husband's manor crashed down, perhaps incapacitating him in the process for good measure.

“...Yes, we do. Your intention is to insinuate the impending prophecy and learn how we plan to prevent or battle it.”

Neuvillette's words resemble velvet in the manner they roll off his tongue, you catch his gaze drifting towards the chalice to his left, from where his reflection returns his stare. There are many tales passed among melusins of the equanimity practiced by your husband in even the most dire situations. But you have seen the depths of the ocean, where its secrets are forever concealed by an ever stretching darkness.

“Correct,” you affirm.

“Unfortunately, mon trésor, our investigations have not yet reached a decisive conclusion. While I can guarantee you that we'll do our utmost in the face of the prophecy, I cannot yet give you the specific details. Besides, this information is quite... arbitrary to our ‘trial’.”

The ocean returns your scrutiny, threatening to yank your breath away to that unknown darkness. You watch the ripples along its surface, wondering and devising plots to uproot the ocean's schemes from your safe space. You want to tear through that ataraxia and illuminate those depths for all to see its hideous secrets — so that your claims will no longer be deemed senseless.

“Well, you could try acting the part of the Iudex first.” you exhibit great interest in your nails.

“Apologies, mon trésor. The trial is now in session.”

The most preposterous trial there ever was, in fact ; spectated by cups of tea and plates of desserts, overlooked by the jury of birds and bees under the naked skies and one stubborn ‘judge’ to lay down the final verdict — who was also the accused in question. It'd be more fitting to call this some courtroom version of playing house and you wonder if Neuvillette sees it as exactly this ; since the notion of normal matrimonial life flies past his head.

You swallow your profound irritation at his nonchalance and that prickling soft gaze, the calm of the ocean surface is just a facade, you remind yourself.

“O honorable Chief Justice of Fontaine, riddle me of what I must do with my husband. He sees fit to cage me down while preaching justice simultaneously and allows me not to indulge in ‘rudimentary interactions’ with any other life forms. Do you not think that such hypocrisy is utterly ridiculous?”

Your hand cradles your heart, fully embracing the spirit of a mistreated spouse. Neuvillette regards it with an almost comical graveness, nodding as though he understands. Had it not been for the situation, you would've marveled at how willingly he's playing along with this fiasco.

A gloved hand stretches out to you in suggestion, “Perhaps it's because your husband just worries too much for your well-being?”

Your right eye twitches, “I’ve made it acutely obvious to him that I'm far from a toddler in need of constant supervision.”

The Iudex smiles succinctly, “I’m sure that he's not ignorant of that fact. But if, as you say, your husband guards you with such determination that you're not allowed to interact with any other forms of living organisms besides himself, it means that you hold great value to him.”

You cross your arms petulantly, it's not that you're forbidden from talking with everyone, many of Neuvillette's most trusted melusines do come to add flickers of color to your otherwise bleak existence sporadically. You're grateful for their kindness and brief companionship but, this small leeway does not outweigh the rest of your husband's misdeeds. Your eyes flicker to the patient eyes of the man separated by one small oak table, barely suppressing a scowl at his serene composure.

You despise it when he acts like the raw image of propriety, of an ideal husband ; so withdrawn from the covetous creature that he actually is — because it poses you as a lunatic, a lunatic who demands separation from what the rest of society perceives as perfection and debilitates all of your claims. The more you think about it, the more frustrated you get — you don't want to let frustration consume you, you don't want to lose this one opportunity for freedom. Your nails dig into the sleeves of your apparel as your mind scrambles to search for more accusations.

Why did you want a divorce again?

You control your erratic breaths forcefully, “Well, I don't feel safe in Fontaine anymore. A deadly prophecy is at our door and with no solution in sight. I'd much prefer to relocate to someplace with less volatile weather, like Liyue or Mondstadt.”

Neuvillette tilts his head, “Ah, you want to go on a vacation, am I correct? To be honest, I've been entertaining the thought of traveling to the other nations with you by my side for quite a while. Though, things being the way as they're now, that is not possible. I can promise you that after everything has been settled, we will go on a journey together, mon trésor.”

This time you don't bother to conceal your disbelief, of course he focuses on the part that most serves him and twists the narrative to further enrich his fantasies! You bite your tongue from yelling that you don't want a vacation, you want freedom from these suffocating high walls of marble. You don't just want freedom from Neuvillette, you want freedom from this cursed nation and it's solely Neuvillette's fault you were unable to do so with your kin five hundred years ago.

“Fontaine will face diplomatic and political consequences soon. Because you threw that Harbinger of Sumeru—”

“Sneznaya, mon trésor.”

“—I know that. My point is that we might face backlash from the Fatui in our vulnerable state and who knows? Fontaine might just collapse as a nation! I don't want to stay in a city like this.”

You freeze at the sigh that escapes Neuvillette's lips, you've been probing and digging for a normal human reaction from this man for a while, but at the instance that he actually gives it, you cannot help but find it jarring.

“Fontaine will not collapse from something as trivial as diplomatic pressure from the Fatui. Even though the prophecy looms above our heads, there are many factions that are actively working towards prevention. And even if Fontaine were to be drowned tomorrow, I have faith that not all of the citizens will be dissolved and you would always be my first priority. As for that Sneznayan Harbinger… we've merely followed the Court's protocols. If we did indeed convict him of crimes he did not commit, we'll most certainly compensate him to the fullest extent allowed by the law.”

For a transient eternity, all that echoed throughout the garden of the Chief Justice were the chirping of birds. Your mind carefully assesses the words from moments ago, searching for even a modicum of dishonesty. You watch the Iudex's unfettered gaze, at last giving a glimpse of the tumults raging beneath the pretentious still surface. You can hear the swelling of waves again, albeit not for the purpose to engulf but, with the determination to protect.

You'd recognize that look on Neuvillette's face even in your (unlikely) deathbed, the causation of your bafflement though is that, this is the first time you've seen it appear in correlation to something other than yourself. Your right hand idly smoothes your garbs and your left grips the wooden handle of your seat, you find both of your palms drenched in sweat upon contact.

“You’ve gone soft, ______”

You blankly admit in your semi-dazed state and it's Neuvillette's turn to take a deep breath. It's been a while since you've spoken that name aloud, the one that is only permitted to be uttered by you in private ambiances such as this and which serves as the origin for this clandestine marriage. For some reason you cannot quite comprehend — especially since your husband does not seem to suffer from it — your memory enjoys having a love-hate relationship with you. From what you recall at this instance, the last time you called the Iudex by his true name was when he gifted you this garden. Its utterance is so rare that even the bearer is rendered speechless each time.

Neuvillette copies your previous antics and pastes it onto the current situation with a prolonged look-over of your person, “Your apparel today suits you most exquisitely, mon trésor.”

You answer with a gracious eye-roll, “Don’t change the subject.”

The Chief Justice of Fontaine straightens his posture with a somewhat bashful chuckle, the afternoon sun's soft hues make the ivory strands of his hair sparkle. “Apologies, I've been meaning to compliment your appearance, not that it is ever short of radiant — I just could not find a suitable opening.”

You submit to the urge to slouch ever so slightly with a sigh, “You don't have to apologize for every little thing, you know?”

“Apologi—” Neuvillette corrects himself with a cough concealed by his fist, you watch with intrigue as soft coral dusts his pale cheeks, “As for your ‘question’, I will admit that throughout my coexistence with humans as Fontaine's Iudex, I've come to appreciate their ideals, characteristics and interpersonal relationships. In a way, I've understood myself to a great extent through observing them. Just as you wished I would.”

You furrow your brows in genuine confusion, “What do you mean?”

Your husband seems to steel himself for something, hands intertwined atop the oak table and eyes drained from his earlier playful light all too quickly. “You’ve always wished to become human. To view this world through the eyes of a mortal, to be able to have a taste of their myriad and complex relationships and... to die alongside someone you truly love.”

Somewhere in the crevices of your archaic mind, there's a vacuum hidden beneath the symphony of sea waves. Unchanging, uncharted and unperturbed by your attempts to identify what used to occupy that space. Neuvillette's cryptic admission creates a crack on what you assumed to be an empty spot occupied by white noise, the cleft dents your memories and spreads, a raucous scream threatens to rupture your eardrums.

“Are you, perhaps,” your fingers clasp onto the silk of your garb, “insinuating that you've granted me my ‘wish’?”

If you had gathered the strength to look up, you would've been blessed with the sight of the Iudex thrown off-guard. But the lapse in composure is short lived, “Of course.”

Something about his easy confirmation annihilates your decorum and replaces it with a rage of unknown origin, “So you think imprisoning me has made me happy? That it's made me feel human? That your kindness and preachings of justice have bewitched me so much that I've considered you as a lover for even a second? No, no and no! I have never and will never stop hating you, ______!”

But why do you hate him? Your thoughts echo back to you ; he's ensured you never have to ask for a meal, he's clothed you, he's provided a solid roof above your head and he's given you his heart — or at least that's what he says. For not once does a memory that he's mistreated you arise in your head but, what does bubble in your heart is an inexplicable hatred. A hatred so grave that it motivates you to not surrender to this unfair trial, contemptuous waves swell, rise to heights unseen, crash down—

“Do not forget that abandoned property belongs to whoever finds it first.”

And drag everything to the ocean's dark depths.

A jolt shakes your whole body, your eyes rise to meet the tempest in disbelief and suddenly, the dam shatters. Now you can see the serpent leering behind the charming flower, an unrestricted view of what the fair and ideal Iudex is inside those glimmering garbs of honor — a dragon with manicured claws and perfumed scales, seated to a chair of judgement yet, forever guilty of a sin he refuses to purge.

Only you remember that Neuvillette wasn't always like this ; in days not noted down in history he'd been an enigma, unsure of the significance of his existence, burning with contempt for the so-called Usurpers and sometimes cruel. But at least, he wasn't a hypocrite. He'd dug his talons deep into your heart and skin and engraved his name within your soul, he'd defiled the waters that construct your being with hatred and malice but at least, he hadn't refused to acknowledge that it was him who shackled you to this godforsaken nation, separated from the rest of your kin.

Neuvillette takes a deep breath upon noticing your erratic trembling, the tsunami recedes. “It always ends like this,”

It does. This excuse of a trial with your freedom as the wager, born of your husband's ironic belief of justice, that you should still be given a chance to speak up against iniquity. He'll take great note of any other issues that might cause you distress, but the actual concern will never be addressed — that's how it's been for five centuries. It is the kind of judge that Neuvillette has become in matters that concern you, finding loopholes to keep you attached to his name yet hidden from prying eyes ; all because of his principle that having a public personal relationship will bring the impartiality of the judiciary system to question.

“However, it must be done to ensure your safety.” you tense as he rises from his seat, gloved fingers trace the silk table cloth.

The grass crunches beneath his heel, “For who knows what the public's reaction would be if it was to be leaked, that the Iudex Neuvillette's spouse was the progenitor of the prophecy?”

You feel the familiar texture of Neuvillette's glove supporting your face, wiping the cascading tears that escaped without your notice. “Do you not remember, mon trésor, that you need me?”

Your vision blurs and all you see is blue, his blue or yours, your mind refuses to confirm. But what it does corroborate are Neuvillette's words, that you would not survive without his care, that you are the first who had wished to become human and that you are the first sinner.

You feel his touch more firmly this time, it's not warm like all the other times ; but soothing and sedating. As though, a cavity within your soul was given meaning and a portion of your memories hidden away. Your eyes are defeated against the temptation of slumber, but before the darkness engulfs you, you vividly hear the rumbling of an ensuing storm, the first of many tears of the sky hitting your skin.

“I suppose this must be my punishment. But, I would rather prefer being the recipient of your scorn and contempt than to not have you at all.”

But why go through such lengths? Neuvillette's conscience asks as he takes your limp body in his arms, the sound of heavy rain follows his footsteps back towards your shared ‘home’.

To this, he consoles himself : the words unspoken are the flower.

Trivia for Jeux de Vagues

#requests: batch two #answered #yandere #yandere neuvillette #yandere neuvillette x reader #neuvillette x reader #neuvillette x you #yandere genshin impact #yandere genshin impact x reader #yandere genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #yandere genshin imagines #yandere genshin #teabutmakeitazure #neuvillette

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morgana-larkin · 12 days

Text

Alright! Here it is, part smut, I meant two, part two, lol. It took longer than expected as I hit a creative block and was working a lot, as I did 26 hours on set in 2 days. Anyway, I would like to thank @esposadejoyhuerta for helping me by giving me angst free, I repeat, angst free, ideas and helped through my block. Not edited in the slightest and I hope you like it!

On another note: I’m getting through Worth It as I got an idea on how to continue it as I have 3000 words for it right now. So expect it hopefully tomorrow.

Calling 911 - Part 2

Warnings: Smut, lots of fluff

Words: 2k

*one week later*

Melissa: do I need to bring anything?

You: just yourself

You…with clothes that are easily removed ;)

Melissa: how subtle

You: I never said I was subtle

Melissa: fair

“Texting y/n again?” Barb says and Melissa looks up at her from her phone.

“Maybe.” Is all Melissa says and Barb rolls her eyes.

“You guys have been messaging each other all week. When are you going out on a date?” Barb asks her and Melissa freezes.

“Well we’re going out tomorrow night.” Melissa says and Barb joins her on the couch.

Melissa’s family never celebrates Christmas on Christmas Day. Everyone always has different parties and events to go too. So instead, they always celebrate it on the 27th and Barb and Gerald joined in this time.

“Oh how fun. Where are you going on a date?” Barb asks her and Melissa blushes.

“I um, I don’t know. She won’t tell me, wants it to be a surprise.” Melissa says, not wanting to get into specifics with Barb about the date.

The next day Melissa is getting ready for the date, she decides to go for a green shirt, leggings and her black heeled boots. She curls her hair and does her makeup and then makes her way to the fire station.

When she gets there, she notices that there’s only one fire truck there and she goes and puts her hand on it, smiles and stares.

“You really do like fire trucks.” You tell her and she turns and looks at you, and her breath catches in her throat. There you are in full firefighter gear, complete with the helmet and you look stunning.

“Wow.” She says and you smile.

“Thought you might like the outfit.” You tell her and walk towards her. “I kicked everyone out for the night, they’re hanging out somewhere with 2 fire trucks.” You tell her and she tilts her head.

“You’re able to do that?”

“Well, being the chief has some advantages.” You say and she widens her eyes.

“Why are you a stripper if you’re a chief?” She asks and you smile.

“I started out as one to pay the bills while starting out as a firefighter. I do like it, I mean, I don’t have to take off all my clothes, just most of them.” You tell her and she strokes your hair. “So, want that tour now?” You ask her and she nods enthusiastically.

You give her a tour of the station and just as you expected, she’s beaming like a child at a candy store the whole time.

When you’re on the second floor, you see the fire pole and you look at Melissa. “Do you want to slide down the pole?” You ask her and she grins and nods.

“Of course I do, what kind of question is that?” She says and practically bounces over to the pole.

“Wait, you might need this, to have the real experience.” You tell her and take off your helmet. You see her smile get wider while you place the helmet on her.

She goes and slides down the pole and she looks back up at you with a big smile when she lands. “You coming down too hon?” She asks you and you nod.

“Yep!” You tell her and slide down the pole. Melissa watches you slide down and she can’t help but feel how lucky she is. She’s attracted to you, and not just because you’re a firefighter.

Once you slide down, you then get an idea. You pull your phone out, and you set it down on a table nearby and hit play on a song. The song fills the room and you start dancing with the pole and you watch as Melissa just stares at you like she did during the private dance.

You had your back on the pole, with your right hand holding it from behind and slid down the pole while looking at her. You see something in her eyes change and she starts walking towards you and puts her hands on your waist.

“Can I help you?” You ask her with a smile.

“You are wearing far too many clothes for my liking.” She tells you and reaches for the zipper of your jacket. She looks at you and you nod. She then slowly unzips and realises you’re not wearing a shirt underneath and smirks. “I see you dressed for the occasion, or should I say, not dressed.” She tells you as she takes the jacket off of you.

She sees you standing there with the pants, suspenders and a fire red bra on and she smiles. “See something you like?” You ask her and she nods. You then lean forward and kiss her for the first time, and definitely not the last time.

You both pull apart and look at each other and then go back to kissing each other. You put your hands on the back of her head and she moves hers to your back. You pull her closer to you and she ends up gasping into the kiss and you slip your tongue in her mouth.

Melissa moves her hands and slips your suspenders off your shoulders and then unzips your pants and they fall to the ground. You step out of them and Melissa pulls apart to look at your body and she smiles. She sees you standing there in matching fire red lingerie.

“The boots really bring the outfit together.” She teases you and you roll your eyes and smile. You then flip each other so she’s against the pole and you take your boots off.

You then push her up against the pole, put your hand on the pole above her head and lean in close to her face. “Now, what am I gonna do with you?” You ask her in a lower voice and she unconsciously rubs her legs together and you smile.

You go to the hem of her shirt and you look at her and she nods. You pull the shirt off of her and see her in a black lace bra and she looks spectacular.

“Wow.” You say breathy. “How did I get so lucky?” You tell her and she puts a hand on your cheek and you look at her eyes.

“I was thinking the same thing.” She tells you and you lean into her touch. You then take her leggings and heeled boots off and you see she wore matching underwear.

“Want to do it in the back of the fire truck?” You ask her and she nods immediately. You take your clothes to offer padding for the floor of the truck and you walk up to it and open it up for her.

She gets in first and you climb in after her and put the clothes down. You kiss her against the wall of the fire truck and hoist her up and she wraps her legs and arms around you. You kiss each other full of passion and desire and the need for each other right then and there. She unclips your bra and throws it somewhere and you do the same to her. She pulls back and looks at you, full of lust filled eyes and swollen lips.

“Hmm, I’m calling 911 about a fire inside of me that needs to be taken care of.” She tells you and you laugh at her joke and then nod.

“Yes miss.” You tell her. You set her gently on the clothes and climb on top of her and kiss her chest. You put a nipple in your mouth and she gasps and grabs your hair at the back of your head. You swirl your tongue around her nipple and suck on it and you pull the most amazing noises out of her. You move to the other and pull more noises out of her that you absolutely love. You know you can spend hours just pleasing her chest but she’s really turned on right now and you know she wants you inside her right now. You take her underwear after getting confirmation from her and you look at her completely bare beneath you and she looks stunning. You smile and then go back to kissing her lips. You place your hand between her legs and rub her clit. She gasp and moans beneath you and you smile into the kiss. You then pull back and kiss and suck her neck. You slip two fingers in her entrance and you pull the most amazing moan from her.

You pump in and out of her while you continue to kiss and suck her neck. “Omg y/n! Yes! Please, don’t stop!” She yells out and you place your thumb on her clit and she bucks her hips. You place your body more on her to stop her from bucking her hips so much and then pump faster inside her. You have her coming in seconds after rubbing her clit and she comes with a gasp. You don’t stop and her second orgasm is fast approaching. “Y/n! Please, it’s too much!” She yells, very breathy.

“It’s ok, just let go, I got you, take your time.” You tell her and then she comes again. You pull out of her and kiss her lips while she comes down from her high.

When she stopped shaking, she moved her hands to your underwear and slipped them off. She then quickly slipped her fingers in you and you gasped into the kiss. She quickly pumped in and out of you and she moved her other hand to your clit and began to rub it. You were gasping and moaning into the kiss until you come with a moan. She pulls out of you and you both take a minute to catch your breath.

“Wow, that was amazing.” You say through heavy breathes.

“Ya, it was.” She says, agreeing with you.

“So, did I tame your fire?” You ask her and wiggle your eyebrows and she giggles.

“You did, but I might need you on speed dial in case it needs to be taken care of again.” She tells you and you smile.

“Well in exchange, I would like to take you out on a date.” You say to her and she nods her head.

“I like the sound of that, I would love to go out on a date with you.” She says and gives you a kiss. You get up off of her and you both get dressed.

“How does in an hour sound? That’s when my shift ends.” You tell her and she smiles.

“Sounds perfect.” She tells you as you both exit the fire truck.

In an hour, your co workers return along with the 2 fire trucks and they introduce themselves to Melissa. Melissa blushes a bit at all the attention she’s getting from all the firefighters and you wrap your arm around her waist to support her and she smiles at you.

On the date, she asks you something that makes you laugh. “Maybe we should make fire burning our song? Considering it was playing when we first met.”

“We didn’t officially meet until the private dance, but I do like that song.” You tell her and she smiles at you.

Later that night, you go to her place and you push her up against a wall as you both kiss each other. You pull back and you’re both breaking heavily. “Somebody better call 9-1-1, shawty fire burning on the dance floor, woah.” You sing and she giggles.

“Hm, I’m calling 911 right now, I have a fire down below.” She jokes with you. You lift her up and she wraps her arms and legs around you. You make the fire truck noises and she laughs. You spin around to go to the bedroom as she giggles. “Woah.” She says as she wasn’t expecting you to turn around. She then kisses you with a smile as you make it to the bedroom.

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Let me know if you want to be added!

#melissa schemmenti x reader #melissa schemmenti x oc #melissa schemmenti x you #melissa schemmenti fanfic #melissa schemmenti #x reader #fanfic #lisa ann walter #abbott elementary #law

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dxstopiaa · 11 months

Note

Hello! Your an amazing writer lol, but could I request anemo boys with a reader who's really anxious about people and just about everyone in general. The reader can be female or gn ^^

characters: xiao, kazuha, heizou, scaramouche x fem/gn! reader

warnings: themes of social anxiety, fluff! [thank you anon! this is so so late i’m sorry. this is a cute idea as someone with anxiety around others <3]

xiao

୨୧ Xiao admires your withdrawn personality— he didn’t think of your anxiety around others as a dire issue, especially as he was always there to protect you. Though his thoughts changed as it became worrying at one point.

୨୧ You wouldn’t leave the house at all if your boyfriend wasn’t with you, wether it was to get groceries or to simply get a breath of fresh air. He hated himself for it, thinking he’d probably caused it to worsen and he spent every minute with you to pacify your mind.

୨୧ He saw him within yourself— avoiding other people and interactions so avidly for the sake of your own comfort. With an abundance of reassurance and understanding, he had gotten to a point where he was semi-confident to appear in the streets of Liyue. All because of your words, those that you didn’t follow yourself.

୨୧ Xiao didnt know where to start, should he discuss it with you or should he remain subtle? He watched you closely, you weren’t as shy with him, if at all. Always so keen to share anything you had found while in the isolated forests, be it a flowering bamboo shoot or a photograph.

୨୧ Yet the second you entered the harbour, all your personality seemed to be drained from within you. He felt your shaky hand grasp his own whenever anyone came towards you, your heart was beating at a near unhealthy rate from the mere thought of engaging in conversation.

୨୧ It pained him to see such a lovely person like yourself feel like you didn’t fit in anywhere. Except from in between his arms, albeit inexperienced with embracing you, it was comforting nonetheless.

“Dear, if you ever need me, just call out my name.”

kazuha

୨୧ It wasn’t exactly unfamiliar for him at all, if anything, Kazuha slightly understood your apprehension towards others. When he had asked you why— out of curiosity, you couldn’t put it into words. Hence why such a poetic lover could do it for you.

୨୧ You’d shield yourself under his arms, hiding from something. Perhaps the lingering gaze of common folk, yet wouldn’t that prove how beautiful you truly are? Had he interpreted the message wrongfully? It seems so.

୨୧ “Like the breeze which flows across these lands, carrying all sorts of leaves, each different from the rest, some poisonous to the touch, others blank and rarely those with beauty in the howl they sing in passing.” Kazuha had described it, a suitable analogy according to your praise.

୨୧ He has never pushed you from where you were comfortable— insisting you take your time on the journey of expression. Need something from the market but you feel to anxious to go? Absolutely fine, your lover brings photographs and all you desire to familiarise the place to you. After all, nothing good is formed in rushed writing.

୨୧ On days where your perturbation reached worrying levels, Kazuha would sit beside you through it, offering to discuss your feelings. A compassionate man such as he listened to every tense word that stammered past your lips with only patience.

“Darling, I promise these turbulent emotions will pass, for now, please remember how much you mean to me and those who adore you.”

heizou

୨୧ It’s only natural for the renowned detective of the Tenryou Commission himself to notice your hesitation around people— you’d soon come to realise you weren’t as discreet as you thought you were.

୨୧ Simple gestures, like fumbling and fidgeting with your fingers or an object, even hiding your face from others behind your frail hands (which he found unusual, you’re beautiful, why would you hide yourself away?) to complete states of panic, where you would shut the world out for hours at a time.

୨୧ It wasn’t easy at all for you, he knew that best. He recalls how when he first started dating you, how quiet and tense you were. Now you’ve warmed up to him enough to tell him about your worries. Heizou would take your hands in his own, massaging them and observing your brittle nails from biting them so often.

୨୧ You’ve insisted multiple times that your boyfriend must of found you irritating or annoying yet he feels his heart break every time those accusations fall from your lips. How he hated the self-deprecating words you degrade yourself with. Heizou would do anything to make you realise the truth.

୨୧ He loves you— the detective would leave meetings and parties just to stay by your side, if you didn’t feel comfortable around a person he’d instantly leave and go with you instead. Nothing matters more than the apple of his eye, no matter how anxious you are.

“Sweetheart, i adore you for who you are, everyone else comes second to you.”

scaramouche

୨୧ When he met you at first, Scaramouche couldn’t understand your fear of other humans, why would your arms shake whenever someone merely approached you? Why wasn’t it the same with him— is it because he’s not human?

୨୧ A puppet, one too emotional to function as intended and one too unfamiliar with social norms. That’s all he was, and you were drawn into him for it. Now that you’re both closer than ever, he’s realised he’s not meant to decipher you, but rather to accept and protect.

୨୧ If anyone got too close to you, he’d shield you with his body in a heartbeat, deterring them away. Those cold, indigo eyes softened by your trembling hands. Such a delicate being, he’s handle everyone else like meaningless stones, yet you’ll be upheld and guarded like priceless pottery, as if you’d crack with the raise of his voice.

୨୧ He knows how it feels to be dismissed and ignored, and Scaramouche would do anything to abolish such a cruel act against you. His empty chest filled with warmth, all of your love and reliance into a loving pulse of affection. A makeshift heart.

୨୧ A couple of limited words, but so rich in actions the outside eye couldn’t see. You cherish what you have, and so does he.

“I’ll admit, when i’m with you, i don’t feel so inhuman anymore, i’m given a purpose that i’ve been searching for.”

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sugarlywhispers · 8 months

Text

g.satoru + reader that traveled dimensions

☆–ANGST, dimension traveler!reader, mentions of injuries and monsters/curses that eat people (lol i don't know how else to explain it), maybe a bit of fluff (? honestly, it's mostly angst).

☆–a.n; i was not able to finish the next chapter of KOI NO YOKAN cuz i'm a bit stuck, so it'll take a bit longer for that. as an apology, here is my first Gojo Satoru angst </3 lol take into consideration that i haven't read the manga, i only watched the anime, so sorry if it's not as accurate.✌🏼🤍

It's a Spring night, almost 11pm. You stand on the balcony, admiring the amazing view before your eyes. A beautiful forest that adorns around Jujutsu Tech, like a protection barrier that alienates the old school from the rest of the world, and beyond that, the city lights that illuminates the night. The soft breeze makes your hair float a bit and the fresh air makes you take a deep breath, enjoying the slight smell of damp grass and flowers. You couldn't sleep. And neither could him. How could you, after a day as stressful as it had been.

You look up at the night sky. For some reason, the city lights do not interfere in the amazing clear and full of stars sky above you. You wonder if it is some kind of energy that allows that.

It's so beautiful, you have never seen a sky as gorgeous as this one. The smile that spreads throughout your face is impossible to hold back.

"It's a beautiful night, right?" It's a rhetorical question you just ask to create a kind environment between you two.

Gojo Satoru accompanies you on the balcony, but different from you, he's not looking in the direction of the city. He's looking your way, his back towards the rest of the outside world, just leaning on the wall at the edge of the balcony right next to you. He's almost sitting on it, one of his long legs crossed over the other; one of his hands supports a bit of his weight over the space of the wall that functions as a railing, his other hand is stretched on his side, dangling the sunglasses he always wear when he does not have his blindfold over his eyes. You can feel them over you, following your every move.

It's been like that since what happened the day before.

Yesterday started quite normally. Even though you lived at the school –mostly for protection, there were still questions as to how you traveled through dimensions and landed on a world that to you it just existed in a manga and an anime. Gojo thought that the question should be directed as to who made you travel dimensions– you worked in the city of Tokyo, a very mundane job at a coffee shop compared to what the rest of the people you lived with did for a living.

Talking about it, you are able to see them–the curses. Why? You don't know. You don't have an ounce of cursed energy to fight them, but you can see them. And they are the ugliest and terrifying creatures you have ever seen. You remember the first time you saw one, the shock made you almost climb Gojo's tall body for protection, because he was right next to you when it happened. He had laughed so hard at you, you tried to punch him on the ribs. Unable to, thanks to his infinity cursed energy. It's a weird sensation, the space between him and his energy made tingles ran through your body. Pleasantly, because he wasn't in a fighting and protective mood against you.

Back to yesterday, it had been a normal day. Until the midday sun was almost completely covered by something so big in the sky it darkened the whole city. You knew it then. Something bad was going to happen.

And it did. Curses ran freely around the city center, very close to where your work place was. It was chaos. People getting killed and devoured by this creatures in the most grotesque ways. You have never seen anything like this, not even in your worst nightmare. Yet there you were, a baseball bat on your hands trying to land a hit on the medium to big, disgustingly ugly curse that had followed you, trapped in an alley with your coworker–a young girl, barely over her teenage phase, who was in her first year of college, screaming in fear and hiding behind you. You knew it was futile, a waste of time and strength. You could do nothing against this creature. So you yelled at her to run far and fast as you would try to distract it. You succeeded, but you didn't count on losing your bat as the curse ate it. Now you were screwed.

It's mouth stank of blood and dirt and something smoky you could not –nor wanted to– decipher what it was, but it was nauseating. When it swallowed you whole, you thought this was it; this was how you would die. Disintegrated inside a curse's stomach to nothing but mere liquid and…nothing. What a bitch of a luck.

So many things you regretted at that moment. Especially the things you didn't do or didn't say. Towards a certain someone.

Gojo Satoru.

You wondered where was he. Probably battling some other strong curse, the biggest and most dangerous from them all. He'll also probably–no, you were sure he would win.

And where were you? Inside of the stupidest curses of them all, judging by all the meaningless things this fucking creature ate apart from you. How pathetic.

You didn't know how many hours passed but you started feeling dizzy, weak and the stomach liquid of this curse was starting to burn your skin as it began to fill more and more the space. You were about to pass out when suddenly, the smocky, repulsive odor was replace by lightness… and the distinctive eyes of Gojo Satoru. A crazed expression on his face, like a madman possessed and ready for revenge.

You said his name, a faint murmur filled with content and relief, before letting yourself go to that darkness that was pulling your mind.

When you woke up at the next day, he was there. Gojo sat on a chair right next to your bed, his big and warm hand covering your bandaged one resting at the side of your body. He was wide awake, his beautiful and profound eyes looking at you. His other hand caressed the top of your head, as softly as he was able to, trying, afraid to touch any part of you that might hurt.

You smiled, "Hi."

"Hi," Gojo smiled back.

There was no need to say anything else. You both knew.

And since that moment, he hasn't left your side. You go to the kitchen, he's right behind you. You go to the living room area, he makes a few more steps passing you to open the big, old wooden door for you. You wanted to take some air out on the balcony, he's right there too.

Like now, like he's been all day.

When you talk about how beautiful the night is, Gojo Satoru doesn't look up at the sky. You can feel his eyes on you, so when you look back down, you're not surprise to collide with his. They look like they always do. Light blue mixed with tones of blue and purple and white and sparkles of the musky universe in them. It's so unique, you feel enraptured, completely spellbound by its shades. It's like watching the whole beauty of the universe in them. Beautiful doesn't even make them justice.

And those same eyes, that belong to this man right next to you, are the one who say, "You are beautiful."

The blush on your cheeks is inevitable, but it mixes with some of the reddish in your skin thanks to the burns. You break the spell looking down on your hands, which are bandaged and a reminder.

"I– "

"NO," you interrupt him, voice firm and looking back at him, who now has an expression of surprise and concern. You shake your head, "Just… Don't say it…" Your eyes close as your words end in a whisper.

You know what he's about to say. You can feel it. You have been able to feel it since a while ago. Because you feel it too.

You like each other.

Damn, you have liked him since he was only a manga character to you. How or why does he like you? You don't know. But there is something you do know…

You are not for him.

You aren't suppose to be here in the first place. You somehow believe that this world is real, that you traveled dimensions, simply because the pain you felt landing here was too great to fake it. Too real for your mind to just imagine it. But that's it.

You don't have any special talent to actually help or deserve being here. You don't have any reason to be here. You are as commonly mortal as you had always been, in exception to seeing curses. But here, there are normal humans who can see them too. You're not special.

And what happened yesterday only proves how weak you are.

You can't be with someone as strong as Gojo Satoru. He doesn't deserve it.

You suddenly feel something press against your forehead, and you know it's his when his breath collides with yours, his nose caressing yours delicately.

"Why?" He simply asks in a whisper.

You can't tell him what you actually think, it won't work. Gojo Satoru is known for being the kind of man who doesn't take a no for an answer if he doesn't have all the details. So you use logic. Cruel and horrible logic.

"I'm not supposed to be here," you begin, and he takes a deep breath in, ready to start to contradict you and protest. But you pull back a bit so you can talk looking at him in the eyes. "Satoru," his whole face shows how his name on your voice makes him melt a bit, falling more towards you. As if a magnet is pulling him towards you and he's not putting any force against it.

You want to melt in his embrace too, but you can't.

"We don't know how much time I'll be here. It could be years, or months, or weeks… Even days, hours…"

He shakes his head, his eyes clear in denial as his arms surround your waist, pulling you to him. But you're already so close to each other, you just take a step closer to be standing in between his now opened legs as he sits on the railing. Your hands lay on his biceps and your fingers pull the cloth of his jacket, in a desperate attempt you ground yourself and not give into him. He's making it so difficult as his hands caress your back.

You gulp when the intention is clear as water in his eyes. He wants to kiss you.

"I can't promise you anything…"

"I don't want promises. I want you."

Tingles ran through your body at his confession. And you want to cry. You want to drown in your tears and die so you don't have to say what you're about to.

"You know that if I have the chance, a minuscule opportunity to go back, I will take it. I have to," he cuts with the intense stare between your eyes and looks down, clearly hurt by your words. But you need him to understand. You grab his face between your hands, thumbs caressing the smooth skin of his cheeks and he leans into them, furrowing and arms tightening around your waist. Not wanting to let go.

Gojo opens his eyes again, and the pain in them is enough to break your heart in thousands of pieces inside your chest.

"Wouldn't you want to go back to your loved ones? Your friends? The ones you consider family?" He sighs, because even though he doesn't answer, it's a clear yes.

Tears slide down your cheeks, and Gojo hates them. Hates seeing you cry, in pain.

You don't say anything else. Simply connect your foreheads once more, indulging yourselves one more moment of closeness, of caresses that spoke volumes of how much you both wanted to be together.

After minutes like that, you finally move apart, and he closes his eyes. He doesn't want to watch you walk away from him, slide away from in between his finger like dropplets of water. He doesn't want to see your heart broken through your eyes.

And Gojo Satoru feels like crying when he feels your lips press against his forehead before you finally walk away.

He doesn't open his eyes, but he hears you. He hears you stroll as fast as you could towards your room, where you finally let your sobs free out of your chest.

Satoru finally looks up to the night sky, filled with shining stars that decorate the view beautifully and as he has never seen before. Maybe it's because there's been a massive clean of curses yesterday.

But it's not as pretty as you are. There will never be anything more gorgeous than you to him.

But Gojo Satoru coincides, "It is a beautiful night," a traitorous tear slides down his cheek. "As beautiful as you are."

#jujutsu kaisen fanfiction #jujutsu kaisen angst #jujutsu kaisen fluff #jjk gojo satoru #jjk fanfiction #jjk fanfic #jjk angst #jjk gojo #jjk x reader #jjk imagines #jjk x you #gojo satoru x reader #gojo satoru angst #gojo satoru x you #gojo fanfic #gojo angst #gojo x reader #gojo x y/n #gojo x you

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osmov5 · 2 months

Text

"listen to me, could you?"

Manjiro Sano x reader

word count: around 1100

an: this feels so awful dude i can't

Warnings / angst, hurt/no comfort?, mention of guns, mention of death, hinted death, fem!reader in mind (can be read at anything, just being reffered to as 'girlfriend' once), ooc manjiro, very ooc manjiro propably lol, that's all i think?

Dead silent.

That's exactly how the room was, dead silent, no words were spoken between the only two people that were present.

You were shaking, not able to control how much your body trembled or how tears appeared in the corners of your eyes. But how could you? How, when you had a gun pointed right at you? Especially since the person holding it was the very man you fallen in love with all those years ago. You loved him when you were in highschool, he loved you, so what happened to this feeling now? What happened to him?

╰── ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ──╯

The last thing you really expected on a normal Thursday morning was getting a mail from your ex lover, Manjiro Sano. Just a message asking you to see him, along with the adress and a date, nothing more. It wouldn't be this unsettling if it wasn't for the recent incidents that were happening to your old friends in highschool. One after one was being killed, the suspect being no one other then Manjiro. And maybe that should be enough reason for you to ignore the letter, burn it, do whatever but meet him where and when he asked you to. But could you really do that even if you tried? Propably no, not with all the memories and feelings that you shared with him. Something in you wanted to know what happened to him, what possesed him to do all the things he had done, if he even ever did them in the first place.

So that was probably the main reason you were standing in front of a ruined building in another country right now. When you entered this very ruined place you were met with silence and a lot of trash, but Manjiro wouldn't lie to you, so you entered the space, deciding to look for the person your heart still cherished.

╰── ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ──╯

Now, not even a moment in after you entered a secluded room on the second floor, being greeted by the sign of a black-haired man standing before you. At first he had his back turned to you, but before you could even get a single word out he turned around, not even letting you take a good look on his face before you had a gun pointed at you.

Your heart stopped then, you knew what you were getting into, you knew it well. What other outcome could you expect after he was suspected for killing all of his friends? Why wouldn't he also plan to kill his ex girlfriend? What was the difference?

It felt like your eyes were locked for longer then it was in reality, but looking into his eyes always felt like that for you, even if now they were washed out of ang emotion they could have, cold and dead.

"I didn't expect you to come here," a cold, yet painfully familiar voice broke the silence, making an unpleasant shiver run up your spine. When you didn't answer, way too aware of the fact that you were at gun shot right now, a small, barely noticable smile appeared on Manjiro's face, "Right, that's not what i wanted to do," he said before he lowered his hand, allowing you to take a breath.

"I wanted the complete opposite actually," he added before the gun he was holding before landed at your feet, your body making you take a step back without even realising it. "I have one thing i wanted to ask for," another wave of silence followed after this statement. You didn't know what to say, didn't even know if you should say anything right now. Your body started to tremble, either from the cold or the fear you felt in the moment, or both.

"Kill me, [ ]," you think your heart stopped beating. You weren't sure if it was completely silent now, or you just couldn't hear anything around you. A lot of feelings bubbled in your heart, fear, disbelief, and maybe a hint of longing. "What?" you asked back, feeling in deny of whatever he said just a moment ago. Your voice sounded a lot calmer then you expected it to, but it was better then crying out right now.

"You heard me, kill me, or else i'll kill you, pick up the gun," he repeated, his words making you feel lightheaded and almost dizzy. "Im not going to do that." you said, "Why would you even say that?" your words started sounding desperate, it was stupid, but you were too aware of the situation you found yourself in right now. Too aware of his eyes on you, the gun at your feet, another gun in his pocket, and too aware of how serious he sounded. It wasn't a joke, you met him after 12 long years, only to hear this?

"Can't you just do what i said?" was all you got as an answer after another long moment of silence. Silence that was making you feel like you're drowning on land.

"Of course i can't, why would you-, why? Did you really just-,"

"Don't come any closer," made you stop halfway through a step you tried to take, trying to get closer to him, reason with him, only to be met with the view of a gun in his hand once again.

"You don't mean that right? You don't, im sure you don't," you said, trying so hard to hide the truth from yourself, because you knew, you knew that he was serious about this. "Please tell me you don't."

"I do, why do you need to be so difficult? Im asking for one thing, don't make me do this," he placed his hand on the trigger, your body frozen in place, leaving you only able to watch. "One more word and i won't hesitate [ ], pick up the gun."

Silence filled the room once again.

You didn't had any answers, and he wouldn't give you any, as it seemed. You were given two options, and you knew which one you could never pick, not even when your own life was in danger.

You didn't even realised when the tears started wetting your cheeks, your lips quivering and nails dugging into the palms of your own hands, desperately trying to stop them from shaking.

You didn't had much choice.

"I loved you, still do," were the last words that left your lips. You didn't need to hear it back, you knew just from the way his own eyes filled with tears and pain after hearing your last confession.

Right as the gunshot was the last thing you heard before the world went black

#tokyo revengers #mikey x reader #manjiro x reader #manjiro sano x reader #x reader #tr #manjiro sano #mikey #manjiro #angst

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layla4567 · 6 months

Text

A WHOLE NEW WORLD PT2

Shanks x Mermaid!reader

Summary: You decide to stay with Shanks for a while and see what happens. You will discover that life will give you obstacles that you will have to face.

Warnings: Again fluff things (pretty corny), beta read, Shanks never loses his arm because I say so, kissing, sfw, a bit of angst near the end (but don't worry is a happy ending)

Wc: 4k

A/N: This will be the final part! I wasn't planning on making a second part but someone reblogged the previous part wanting it to continue lol (thank you for that I feel honored) So I got some inspiration, I hope you like it

"YES! I KNEW IT! THAT'S WHY YOU WERE SO WEIRD!". Young Luffy said, jumping with his arms raised as he saw the two of you.

Shanks moved away from you a little and looked at the laughing boy.

"And when were you going to tell me that you were playing with a mermaid, huh kid?"

Luffy almost turned pale and ran away. You and the redhead burst into laughter along with the rest of the crew. Even in the pirate's arms he turned to see you again and give you a smile full of love. Your eyes expressed what words never could, they were shining in a special way at that moment as if you had the stars hanging from your pupils, shining just for him, like a gift. The captain, after looking at you for a long time in silence, swallowed and said.

"What will you do now (y/n)? Will you go back to the sea?"

Your smile faded a little and you could see concern in his eyes. An immense longing for you to stay with him. You didn't know what to say, was it worth going back to the bottom of the ocean after everything he sacrificed for you? Would you still call it home even if he wasn't there?

"Please stay with me… Just for a while at least". He begged in a low voice so that others couldn't hear him.

His tone of voice made your heart ache a little. He really wanted to stay with you, and honestly you did too. But you were worried about what could happen if you didn't return to the sea, your parents could start a war to search for you in the sky, land and sea. But when you saw Shanks' eyes you knew it was the right thing to stay.

"I will, I'll stay"

The smile appeared on the previously dejected pirate and grew larger. Very gently he made you wrap your arms around his neck and lifted you up holding your tail. He took care of you carefully out of the raft and put you on the boat.

"What are you doing standing there watching? Come on move and get something where she can be in the water!"

The pirates, as if they were dolls that had been wound up, moved quickly like ants trying to get something for you. You smiled amused, Shanks seemed like a good captain because his entire crew always obeyed and you knew that this was because they liked him and felt comfortable with him, otherwise a severe and feared captain would not have been able to obtain the same results because at any moment his crew could stab him in the back. He held you firmly against his chest and you moved the tip of your tail up and down, waiting patiently. Suddenly a pirate dragged a wooden bathtub full of water, it wasn't very big but you could get into it. The red-haired man gently placed you in the bathtub. The water was perfect, neither too cold nor too hot. You shook your tail happily, splashing some water as he looked at you smiling. The other pirates gathered around you, completely surrounding you and looking at you with curiosity as if you were a creature from another planet. Well, you certainly weren't something you saw every day, but it still seemed overwhelming to you. Shanks noticed your concern and ordered the others to move away.

"Oi cods, give her space, come on, move away and continue doing your tasks!"

Again, although somewhat reluctantly, the crew slowly dispersed to different areas of the ship. Only you and Shanks were left on the deck. He approached and crouched down to be at your height, he placed a hand on the edge of the bathtub and slid his fingers into the water, checking the temperature, moving them and playing with the sensation of the liquid on his skin. Without stopping looking at you with a smile

"I hope you can adapt and feel comfortable on this boat, and don't worry about them, sometimes they are a bit airheaded but they are harmless"

You laughed softly and he admired every inch of you.

"Do you think this will work?" . You said a little worried and your brow wrinkled upwards, always so expressive.

"We'll make it work, you'll see."

Your face relaxed, when you were with him you felt safe. Your fingers touched his that were still in the water and you took his hand, intertwining your fingers and giving it a gentle squeeze. They looked at each other smiling, sometimes words were unnecessary when looks could say everything, he didn't want to leave your side.. A couple of pirates had stayed in a corner looking at their captain with amusement while they laughed softly and whispered among themselves. Suddenly their giggles caught your attention and when you turned to see them they were shamelessly mocking each other by drawing hearts in the air with their fingers or pretending to hug themselves and cuddle while kissing the air. You couldn't help but burst out laughing and Shanks, who until now only had eyes for you, looked in the direction of the other two pirates and opened his eyes wide as he frowned and blushed slightly. Disturbed and ashamed, he jumped to his feet.

"Damn seaweed, didn't I tell you to get to work?!". He exclaimed exasperatedly as he addressed them with his hands up, chasing them away as if they were dogs while you were still laughing.

Little by little you were getting used to life on the boat. It was still difficult because due to your status as a mermaid and your tail you had to always stay in the water, but the wooden bathtub they had gotten you was perfect and they had also placed one in what was your new room, so the only thing I had was What Shanks did was pick you up and carry you to your room, and he was always happy to do it.

Shanks had decorated your room in the best way possible. I had placed some shells on a desk and hung starfish and seaweed from the ceiling, so you wouldn't miss the sea so much. That gesture had touched your heart deeply. Who knew a pirate could have such a soft heart? You imagined them to be heartless and malevolent but he was different. Fun, attentive, kind… your parents might have been wrong in judging humans. Every night he came to wish you sweet dreams and sometimes he stayed a little longer chatting with you until you fell asleep.

You were sleeping peacefully in the bathtub with your hands resting on the edge and your head resting on your arms when you heard in your dreams that a door slowly opened. You blinked several times until you opened your eyes. The morning light streamed in through the ship's round window. When you looked towards the door you saw Shanks standing leaning against the frame smiling at you. You finished opening your eyes and smiled at him.

"Hello sleeping beauty, ready to start the day?". The pirate said as he approached you.

You closed your eyes and smiled toothlessly as you stretched like a cat, wrinkling your nose tenderly. He squatted down and rested his arms on the edge of the bathtub.

"Did you sleep well?"

You finished stretching and feeling your body more relaxed, you sighed "Like never before, thank you."

"I'm glad to hear that. Well beautiful, how about we go on deck? Luffy is waiting for you"

I then slide my hands into the water and surround your tail to lift you up. You, who were still half asleep, let out a surprised shriek that made him laugh. As always, you surrounded his neck with your arms and, yawning tiredly, you laid your head on his chest. Shanks, who was not expecting this, felt his heart speed up a little. When you reached the deck, Luffy was already waiting for you next to the bathtub. He had his arms up to the elbows in the water and moved his hands playfully as he concentrated on seeing the inside of the bathtub. The redhead arrived laughing when he saw the naughty boy. Luffy, upon hearing his footsteps, quickly took out his hands, caught red-handed, and blushed.

"Oh hi! I was just uhh checking to make sure it's not too cold for you!"

"Yeah sure, and you looked like a lot of fun doing it". Shanks answered mischievously.

Young Luffy got a little nervous and the pirate laughed amusedly. After leaving you in the tub he shook Luffy's hair and walked away. The curly-haired boy sat on the ground while still looking at your tail in admiration. His little eyes were big and bright and you thought they were adorable.

"Luffy do you like my tail that much?". You said laughing

"Is that is so pretty! I've never seen a mermaid up close, and she looks like the color of Shanks' hair."

You turned to see the captain who was busy at the helm. "That's true."

And so I spent the afternoon with you and Luffy playing. He was crawling around your bathtub and you were trying to catch him. Throughout the ship the only thing you could hear was the laughter of the two of you. From time to time the red-haired captain looked at the two of you, smiling warmly.

"Catch you!!" . You exclaimed as you touched the boy's back with the tips of your fingers.

Luffy squealed laughingly as he felt the water slip from your fingers and wet his shirt. He got up exhausted from having been crouched for so long but as happy as ever.

"You're very fun, I like playing with you!"

"You are too, in fact you are the purest child I have ever met. You are like a little walking rainbow, always knowing how to come out at the right time and bringing joy to everyone". You said solemnly

The young boy smiled until his little eyes wrinkled and hugged you tightly, hanging on to your neck. You gasped in surprise and giggled and hugged him back, rubbing his back. Shanks watched the scene from afar, sighing tenderly. Being so good with the children, he couldn't help but think how good a mother you could be one day.

When the child broke away from your embrace, he whispered in your ear.

"Could you sing that song you taught me one day, please?"

Smiling motherly at his cute request, you nodded, satisfying his wishes. Luffy sat cross-legged on the wooden floor and clearing your throat you began to sing. Suddenly the entire ship succumbed in silence to hear your voice, as if you had put them under a spell. Without realizing it, the other pirates had gotten a little closer to you and had also sat down like children waiting for their turn to ask Santa Claus for their gifts. It was a beautiful lullaby, it talked about longing for the old days and enjoying the little things like the warmth of the sun or the blue sky. You intoned each note with your heart. Everyone was looking at you and sighing with their faces resting on their hands, the only one who didn't seem so surprised was Shanks himself since he had already heard you sing, even so it was always a delight to hear you as if it were the first time. At the end of the song everyone applauded happily, you shrugged your shoulders blushing and smiled shyly. You looked in the direction of the redhead and you smiled at each other, holding your gaze for a few seconds.

That same night when the captain took you to your room bridal style and left you in the bathtub, he stayed with you a while longer.

"It seems like you won their hearts out there, should I be worried that they'll pay more attention to you than me now?". He said playfully.

You laughed softly, shaking your head vigorously. "Never that. They love you, you can tell that you are an excellent captain for them."

He nodded smiling and then took your hand to kiss your knuckles "But I love you and no one else but you."

You blushed and smiled looking down as he massaged your knuckles with his thumb always keeping his eyes on yours.

"You know, I love that you get along with Luffy, he's someone important to me and…"

Shanks stopped there mid-sentence, suddenly not knowing how to continue. He wanted to share his thoughts with you but he was afraid that you would reject him or get angry with him.

"Yes? Please continue, what were you going to say?". You said anxiously

He swallowed hard. "Uh, I think… you'd be good with kids someday… if you wanted to."

You looked at him open-mouthed and you felt your heart hammering in your chest. Was he trying to say that he wanted to have a child with you? Your cheeks began to heat up slightly and you could swear that the water would begin to boil and evaporate if he stayed there with you any longer. You accidentally leaned closer to him and he did the same.

"Shanks.. do you meant it?" You breathed close to his lips, looking at them.

His gaze went from your lips to your eyes "Yes… but I don't want to force you into anything, it's just-"

You didn't let him finish. You crashed your lips into his in a passionate kiss. You swallowed his gasp of surprise, you just wanted to taste his lips and eat his mouth. He slowly slid a hand into the bathtub, searching for your tail. When he found it with his open palm he ascended, caressing you gently. His touch tickled your belly. When he reached your stomach he rose a little more and the warmth of his hand made you let out a weak moan. You placed your hands on his shoulders and circled your waist, resting his hand firmly on your hip. Before things could continue to heat up you separated, catching your breath. You saw that he kept leaning drunk and eager for your kisses and when his lips approached yours again you laughed softly and gently pushed him back.

"Good night Shanks, sleep tight."

He looked at you with sad puppy eyes and gave a slight pout that almost made you change your mind but you stood your ground, you didn't want to wake the others. He understood and gave up, walking away towards the door. Before leaving he told you

"Rest (y/n), and dream of me". He winked

You giggled at his playful tease. When he closed the door you sank into the water and closed your eyes, and as if it were some kind of visionary, that night you did dream about him.

For a crew to have a mermaid was a good thing and with your knowledge of the entire ocean and its depths, the pirates you lived with had to take full advantage of that. So since you couldn't move on land you would do it by sea. Every noon when the ship set sail they would take you down into the boat and you would go into the depths of the water guiding the ship towards safe areas or warning of any rock that could not be seen with the naked eye and could sink the ship and leading the way. You were their eyes while they were up there

That day, like so many others, they had put you on the raft and then lowered you into the water.

"Be careful down there, okay?". Shanks told you something fearful

He was very protective and not only of you but of Luffy as well. He knew you could take care of yourself but he couldn't help but worry every time he left you alone.

You placed a hand on his cheek, reassuring him. "Everything will be fine, don't worry."

A few minutes later, the crew lowered the raft and with a splash it fell into the water where with one jump you sank into the sea. You were faster than any fish so immediately the boat set sail and tried to follow you closely. You explored the deep ocean without finding anything alarming. From time to time you let yourself be carried away by the happiness that came from being in the water where you had grown up and greeting one or another dolphin that passed near you. Satisfied with your search, you stuck your head out of the water a few meters from the boat and shouted to them that you had found nothing and that everything was in order.

Relieved, they looked at you smiling and prepared the raft to get you back on. Happy you looked towards the horizon enjoying the view. You stayed like that for a few seconds until you noticed something was wrong. Suddenly a small whirlwind began to open in the water. At first it was small but as the minutes passed it grew. Like a black hole that swallowed everything. They hadn't noticed it yet but you turned pale and your heart raced, I already knew what it meant. The whirlwind now seemed like a tidal wave and the blue sky was being covered with gray clouds, as if a storm would break out at any moment. At that precise moment Shanks looked at the sky and realized what was happening. He ran to the railing of the boat, sticking his head out, and saw you there unable to move in the water.

"(Y/N) WHAT'S HAPPENING?"

"IT'S MY FAMILY! I KNEW SOONER OR LATER THEY WOULD FIND ME!". You said desperately

Shanks noticed that the ocean currents were getting stronger and shaking the ship. Without thinking twice he let go of the raft, bringing the boat closer to you.

"COME ON UP, QUICKLY!"

You swam with all your strength feeling like something was following you but you didn't know what it was. You jumped onto the raft and when they were lifting you something jumped out of the water and grabbed your tail, pulling it and pulling you back into the sea. You screamed and clung to the raft, when you turned to see what had caught you you saw that it was your cousin with her face twisted with anger.

"Traitor!! You went with the humans and abandoned us!"

"No! That's not true! Let me go!!". You exclaimed scared.

Shanks along with his crew raised the boat at full speed but now with two mermaids it was heavier and they had to use force. When the raft reached the top he leaned down to grab you and you clung to his arms, shaking your tail hard to get rid of your cousin who was holding you firmly like a tick. Shanks leaned closer and closer to try to lift you up and onto the deck but he made a serious mistake. By bending so much he was at the complete mercy of your cousin who was blinded by anger.

"So this is the damned pirate that took you away from us, YOU'LL SEE WHAT I DO WITH HIM!"

And with the strength of a thousand horses she grabbed him by the arms and threw him into the sea along with her, sending him to the bottom.

"NO CORAL DON'T DO IT!!!". You screamed in anguish, your face scrunched up in terror.

In panic you saw how she was taken to the bottom of the ocean and in desperation you jumped after her, while the aquatic whirlwind continued to happen and the sky continued to get grayer and grayer, shaking the boat. You swam with all the strength that your tail allowed you. Your cousin dug her nails into the pirate's shoulders and you saw how he writhed. Your cousin, who was older than you, was faster and had more resistance, so little by little she was moving away. Frightened, you watched as Shanks was losing strength and moving slower, closing his eyes. This lit a fuse in you and, frowning, you swam further and further until you reached her, you weren't going to let them take him from you, you weren't going to lose him. With a strong and abrupt push you pushed your cousin away from him. Your rage and determination were so great that the blow sent your cousin away and when she tried to follow you you were already swimming towards the raft.

You nervously placed Shanks' unconscious body on top of the wooden raft as best you could and then climbed onto it, protecting his body with yours as if you were a shield. They took you up quickly and when you reached the top they helped you get on and put the captain's body on the ground. He dragged you quickly and desperately towards him while the others gave you space.

Luffy approached, scared and distressed. "Would he be okay?"

Distraught, you turned to see him, he was in the middle of two pirates looking at you scared. You turned to see Shanks who still had his eyes closed but was breathing. You also wanted him to wake up so with all your heart you hoped and hoped that he would be okay.

You moved closer to his face and placed your hands on his chest, his wet hair sticking to his face. Your brow furrows upward and your face wrinkles with sadness.

"Please, please wake up! Tell me something!". He implored with moist eyes and a broken voice

But he was still unconscious and you didn't get a response. You couldn't help it and burst into tears. Luffy wanted to sit with you and comfort you but a pirate stopped him by putting his hand on his shoulder. You clung to the captain's soaked shirt that was sticking to his skin.

"Please I want you to wake up. Don't leave me, I love you". You sobbed and rested your forehead on his chest.

A dead silence reigned on the ship. A couple of tears fell from Luffy's eyes. You felt terrible and deep down you felt like this was your fault. If you had not been so curious and so reckless, if you had listened to your parents and not approached humans, none of this would have happened. But another part of you didn't regret anything, because you had discovered a completely different and wonderful new world, you had met equally beautiful people, for the first time you had known what freedom was.

You were so deep in your thoughts and emotions that you didn't realize that Shanks had woken up. He slowly opened his eyes and when you heard a pitiful moan you raised your head with your eyes wide open. He began to cough and turned around to spit out the water he had swallowed. From afar Luffy shouted and clapped his hands happily. When the captain recovered he was still lying on the floor and you were on top of him. He looked at you smiling and a little tired but happy. You laughed and cried at the same time, relieved and letting out all the sorrows and emotions that you had saved. Shanks cupped your cheeks and placed his forehead against yours.

"I was so scared, I thought I was going to lose you and-". You said between hiccups

"Shh don't say that, I would never leave you, I'm already here". He calmed you down.

It was like a balm. They both merged into a strong hug while the crew, always happy that their captain was safe, smiled with relief. Suddenly the redhead separated a little from you and whispered in your ear.

"(y/n) I love you too much and I mean it since I saw you, you have opened my heart. When I was under the water I realized something and that is that I can't live without you. Would you do me the honor of being my wife?"

You felt your eyes glaze over again and you broke away completely to look at him before you could answer. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out something. When he handed it to you you saw that it was a ring, a wire hoop with a pearl set in the center. It was simple and simple but it seemed like the most beautiful thing in the universe and even more beautiful than if they had given you a diamond ring. The crew gasped in surprise. You covered your face with one hand and crying with emotion, you nodded your head several times. Feeling like his heart would burst out of his chest with happiness, Shanks smiled hugely and grabbed your hand to put the ring on it. The crew went crazy just like little Luffy and celebrating their captain's achievement they all shouted happily. Suddenly when the red-haired man finished sliding the ring on your finger you felt a tingle on your tail and you noticed that it started to glow. Shanks got up and you moved away and sat down, watching as your tail began to glow more intensely to the point of dazzling you. You covered your eyes a little and out of the corner of your eye you noticed how the tip of your fins was disappearing as if it were becoming invisible and some toes appeared in their place. The transformation continued until only two legs were left instead of your tail, you tried to cover yourself, embarrassed since you weren't wearing anything down.. Luffy opened his mouth in astonishment and a pirate covered his eyes so that he could not continue seeing.

Shanks saw you stunned but when he noticed that your legs appeared and that you were naked from the waist down he quickly took off his shirt and wrapped you in it.

"I-I don't understand why your tail disappeared?"

You looked at him smiling "When a mermaid commits to a human, she loses her tail and her status as a mermaid."

"Does that mean you're human now?"

You nodded, looking at him lovingly. You noticed that the waters were now calm and the sky clear again. Shanks approached you confused and crouched down next to you.

"You really gave up being a mermaid for me?"

"Oh love, I would go to the end of the world for you"

And you two looked at each other and, touching your foreheads, you felt that the best was about to begin…

....

"And what happened next!?". Exclaimed a small voice full of impatience

"Yes! What happens next? Come on, tell us!". Said another with annoyance

A tender laugh came out of a woman's mouth, while the children looked anxiously. "Well, let's say that the little mermaid and the brave pirate got married, had two beautiful children and lived happily ever after. Did you like it?"

The boy and girl sitting on the floor of the ship shouted happily in agreement while the woman laughed tenderly. Suddenly a handsome boy with a straw hat and brown hair approached the anchored ship and jumped up onto the deck.

"How are little Nerea and Luca?". He said smiling and looking at the children

The girl and the boy gave Luffy a big hug and you got up from the barrel you were sitting on and looked at them, feeling your heart warmer. Luffy has grown so much and now he even has his own crew called the Straw Hats. Shanks had given him his precious hat and now he cared for it like it was gold, he was so proud of it. Sometimes when Luffy had time he would come visit you two and tell about his adventures with pride. Although you were now the mother of Nerea and Luca, you still saw Luffy as a third son.

And talking about them you couldn't be happier. They both looked so much like their father. They had inherited her hair color, red as fire but Nerea had your eyes. And they both appreciate the pirate's personality, especially Luca. Shanks finished his work and came to your side, putting his arm around your shoulder and kissing your cheek. When the children saw him, they ran towards him.

"DAD!!"

"Hey flea! Come here darling"

The pirate lifted his daughter, kissing the tip of her nose.

"What about me?". Luca said a little sad and jealous.

"Oh you too, rascal, come." Shanks raised his son with his other arm, making him laugh. Luffy watched everything amused and you got emotional every time Shanks played with them. He was a loving father

In the end everything turned out well, you got used to your human life and you had built a beautiful and happy family. And you had seen Luffy grow up watching him become a pirate and captain of his own ship. You were proud of everything you had achieved and what your loved ones had achieved too.

But if it was about achievements, you couldn't leave your husband behind. He was with you through thick and thin, during pregnancy and when the twins were born. You looked at him and he looked back at you with a smile.

"I love you, you know that?". You said

"I know because you tell me every time you see me." He laughs "But I love you more."

He approached and kissed you lovingly, earning an eww from his children. Laughing Shanks tickled them and chased them around the ship with you running behind laughing happily, spreading joy. Yes, sometimes life takes away, but it also gives.

I'm a slut for Disney movies (the classics especially) so after doing a marathon of classic princess movies and some live actions this is what came out :P

I just love fairy tales and happy endings 😭✨

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cal-flakes · 11 months

Note

hii would you be interested in writing a fic where rafe is reader’s dealer and they party together a lot but he notices her addiction getting worse and worse and starts feeling bad for being the one supplying her? i knows it’s kinda a big ask but i’ve just been thinking about it lol

╰┈➤ “you’re cut off”

warnings: sensitive topics, drug abuse, sexualising of self, mentions of bad home life.

summary: y/n’s dealer starts to connect the dots.

he swept a clammy palm over his face, sighing as he watched her stumble down the stairs for the fifth time that night, making her way over to him.

her hair was messily tucked behind her ears and her dress was in need of a readjusting. her eyes flitted around the room, pupils blown while her jaw repeatedly clenched.

he’d kept an eye on her all night, attempting to indirectly protect her from any harm. his chest tightened as he took in all these little details about her, the feeling of guilt washing over him.

y/n y/l/n, the girl once so shy, she’d failed one of her classes because she was too nervous to ask anyone for help. but now, now she was somebody else, something completely different. and he felt awful, awful because he was the one that did this to her, fronting her a bag whenever she’d had a bad day.

“hey rafe!” she beamed, fidgeting with the hem of her dress, almost embarrassed to speak the words he knew to well. “nah, you’re cut off” he stated, turning back to the half rolled blunt between his fingers.

“what do you mean i’m cut off?” she snapped, drumming her fingertips against the edge of the table. “i mean, you’re not getting anymore coke tonight y/n. not from me, not from anyone. you’ve had too much”

“what? no! i-i’m fine! see?” she almost cried, sliding into the chair next to him, leaning in to show him her ‘perfectly fine’ eyes.

she huffed when he wouldn’t budge, staring at him expectantly as she placed a trembling hand on his thigh. “rafe, please..” she whispered, pulling her lip between her teeth anxiously. “stop that, seriously, you’re not getting anything from me, don’t embarrass yourself” he spat, feigning annoyance to hopefully snap her out of this dark spiral.

tears brimmed in her eyes as she pulled away from him, leaving the table and hurrying back up the stairs almost immediately.

he sighed once more, throwing his head back against the cushioned chair. he knew she’d just try and score more upstairs, and he had to get there before she did.

hot on her tail, he jumped up the steps behind her, his eyes darting around the landing to see where she had gone. just in time, a door slamming in the corner of his eye caught his attention over the numerous drunken teens congregating around him.

pushing past the swaying bodies, he quickly turned the handle, causing her to jump slightly as he burst into the room. “get the fuck out” he snapped, gesturing towards the trio of boys huddled on the edge of the bed, counting money.

“for fucks sake rafe!” she yelled, motioning to the people now leaving the room, the only other people who could possible give her more coke.

sighing heavily, he pulled a lighter from his pocket, hastily sparking the blunt that was now in between his lips. he stared her down as he inhaled deeply, intimidating her into lowering her voice.

“that was fucked up rafe..” she whimpered, shrinking into the assortment of pillows against the headboard. “no, what’s fucked up, is your problem with drugs. that’s what’s fucked up” he exclaimed, flicking the dead ash onto the floor of the spare bedroom, perching on the opposite side of the bed.

“why do you even care?” she croaked, still jittering. “i care- i care because this isn’t you, this isn’t the y/n that used to be too scared to even look at me, and now you’re all over me, because i’ve got what you want..” not giving her a chance to explain herself, he continued. “you’re throwing your life away for a temporary fi-” she cut him off quickly. “and you’re not?” she snapped, sitting up in anger.

“that’s different”

“how!”

“because i don’t have a life outside of what i already am, i’ve always been this y/n! you-you haven’t! you could make something of yourself, yet you’re choosing not to!” he stated in exasperation, now leaning against the window.

“you wouldn’t understand rafe, how could you..” she muttered, running her fingers against the expensive material. “you don’t understand that they won’t let me!”

“who won’t let you?” he questioned, cocking an eyebrow. “my parents! sure, you probably think i could run off to some fancy college with my good grades and my good girl attitude! but that’s not true. my parents want to drag me down with them..”

“did you know they belittle me everytime i make an achievement? or that everytime i came to school with a black eye because i’d fallen off my bike, wasn’t actually because i’d fallen off my bike?”

“some people need an escape rafe! some people need to feel free from the chains of their family, or others expectations of them, and this is my only escape. the only thing that makes the condescending voices in my head shut the fuck up for a bit!” he listened intently as she rambled frantically, her hands flailing as she spoke.

his eyes widened the more she spoke, surprised at the ugly truth, or more so, that he felt like he was looking in a mirror.

y/n and rafe had created a friendship based on escaping from the harsh realities of their day to day lives, yet never bothered to look further into each others reasons why, and as it turns out, they weren’t all that different.

he moved quickly to slide into the space next to her, reaching to cradle her head as hot tears cascaded down her cheeks. “i am so sorry y/n..” he mumbled, burning a hole into the wall as he stared ahead, completely dumbfounded.

“why would you be sorry rafe?” she asked, taken aback by his sudden affection. “i’m sorry for not realising earlier, for not caring enough to find out..”

“you don’t have to be sorry for that..it’s not your problem” she whimpered, relaxing into his touch slightly.

“i’m going to take care of you, m’kay? i don’t care what it is, you need someone? you call me, alright?”

#rafe cameron x reader #rafe cameron x fem!reader #outer banks #outerbanks rafe #rafe cameron #obx #rafecameron #rafe obx #dom!rafe #dealer!rafe #soft!rafe cameron #soft!dom #soft!rafe #dealer!rafe Cameron #rafe fanfiction #rafe x y/n #rafe outer banks #rafe x reader

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hotchsofficialwifey · 9 months

Note

Heyo, I'm about as new to requests as you are to writing fanfictions, so please also bear with me if I do this wrong xD Also, just write and don't say sorry, after all we should be thanking you for putting your content out there :3 Thanks for doing this! Looking forward to your stories :-) So for the prompts:

- Jonathan Crane date with scientist!reader (I'd be really interested in something completely different from Crane's interests, like computer science/math). Maybe they know each other from university and get in touch again when he works at Arkham and appears on the news or sth.

- Neil Lewis smut where the reader crushes a little too much on a character in a movie (👀) and Neil gets jealous.

- Jonathan Crane fluff/smut where the reader has a nightmare and Crane tries to comfort them while also being turned on by the fear? xD

hi! thanks so much for your request, sorry it took me so long to get to it. I'll try to do all of your requests but i'll start with the last one. thanks again, hope you enjoy!

summary: your sleeping over at your boyfriend Jonathan's house when you have a terrible nightmare. thankfully, he's there to help.

pairing: jonathan crane x fem!reader

warnings: light smut (jonathan's horny but nothing really happens, more smut to come later ;) ), fluff, descriptions of a bad dream (nothing too scary, dw), use of fear toxin, hurt/comfort,

You're sitting on a field, eating ice cream on a sunny day, and the drizzling rain doesn't deter you from enjoying your summer afternoon. The world is bright, fun, colorful, and at ease.

But it all passes as soon as it came. The drizzling rain turns into booming thunder, and it pours and pours like buckets. You run into a nearby store, soaking wet and praying for a safe place to wait out the storm. The sky is a nauseating shade of grey, you notice once in the safety of the store. Then, you see it. A shadow lurking in the walls with red piercing eyes. Your breath catches in your throat as you inch away from it.

It, however, lunges towards you, and initiates a chase. You're running through the pouring rain, heart pounding and screaming for help, but the world is empty. Silent. Under different circumstances, maybe even peaceful. You run faster and harder, wailing and begging for help, but when you turn around...it's gone! You sigh in relief, but hide behind a tree for safe-keeping. You wait a few moments, but the coast seems clear. As soon as you begin to walk back to the store, your snatched by a shadowy claw wrapped around your neck.

You wake with a jolt, gasping as your eyes shoot open. It was a dream, you think. Just a dream.

"You okay?" A gravely, half-asleep voice asks. You turn to see Jonathan's soft brown eyes, and your heart slows at the sight of him.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." You say, still slightly breathless. But upon remembering the dream, tears resurface in your eyes. " I just had a really fucked up dream." You say with a quivering voice.

"Oh, baby." Jonathan coos, wrapping his arms around you. "It's okay..." He murmurs. His voice is sweet as honey, but his mind is far from it. The tightening in his pants only grows as tears begin to stream down your face and land on his white shirt. He shifts uncomfortably, hoping you don't notice how flustered he is as his hand rubs your back carefully.

"Jonny?" Your sweet voice calls. "You okay?"

He nods quickly, trying to play it cool.

"Yeah..." he smiles. "Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just go back to sleep, sweetheart..." As you both lay back down, he quickly hides the can of fear toxin he used on you.

a/n: yay, first fic on here!! not my best work, but i wanted to write a little something because i feel like I kept y'all waiting for too long lol. hope this was okay, much more to come soon!

#cillian murphy #cillian murphy smut #cillian murphy x reader #fanfic #jonathan crane #Jonathan crane fluff #light smut #hurt/comfort #nightmares #dc universe #the scarecrow #scarecrow #cillian murphy fluff

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vivalas-vega · 1 year

Text

new perspectives / jake ‘hangman’ seresin x reader / prologue

new series alert !!!! I’m really excited about this one :) I’m still brainstorming a cute nickname for our reader here so if anyone has any ideas lmk and as always lmk what you think and if you want to be added to the taglist for this!

new perspectives / jake ‘hangman’ seresin x reader / prologue

to be tagged in future works, please turn on post notifications for @vegaslibrary

part one

word count: 1.7k

warnings: none :) series will include language, drinking, smut, the whole nine lol

You knew thoroughly and completely that this was supposed to be the most exciting time of your life… It was the time for new beginnings, to embark on new journeys and gain new perspectives but it didn’t feel that way at all. It felt like the sky was falling and your life was ending though it was truly just getting started and Jake was feeling the same way. Of course he did, you shouldn’t have been surprised, your families had joked you shared one brain since you’d first met at ten years old. A screaming match at recess landed the two of you in the principal's office with your parents and while you’d walked in as mortal enemies, you teamed up in your disdain for your parents and teachers assessment of the situation and left as friends, never to be seen far from the other for the following eight years.

“We knew this was coming, sweetheart…” he said, planting a kiss on your forehead as you nestled into his side. It was rather dramatic and you knew it, because he was right but that didn’t make this any easier. You weren’t leaving yet and neither was he, it was a simple question he’d asked… wanting to know if you’d made any college decisions yet and halfway through your answer you’d broken down. The weight of that decision had hit you like a freight train and left you wracked with emotion as you cried into his chest.

“I don’t want to leave,” you blubbered and he rubbed soothingly along your back.

“Yes, you do. I do, too. Trust me, if there was a Navy flight school in California I’d be there in a heartbeat.”

“If there was a good biology program in Florida, I’d be there in a heartbeat,” you replied and he just chuckled.

“Wouldn’t do much good anyways, I’d be off to Rhode Island before you graduated anyways.”

“Why would you say that right now?” you asked, another wave of tears cascading down your face. Theoretically you knew Jake’s dream career would leave him bouncing around not only the country but the world for seemingly the rest of his life and it was a disgustingly bitter pill to swallow.

“Hey, you’re going to be all over the place, too… after Stanford who knows where you’ll go for residency… then you’ll have your pick of fellowships because why wouldn’t you?”

“I’m offended you didn’t say Massachusetts for residency, you have to speak it into existence, Jake.” you mumbled.

“Your plans could change… it’s okay for plans to change,” he pointed out and you looked up at him deadpan. “Right, forgot who I was talking to,” he laughed. “We’re going to be okay.”

You shook your head, “no… we’re not.” This was where you and Jake differed. He had an unwavering optimism for your relationship's survival after graduation but you didn’t share that same hope. You knew what was coming, you knew how few relationships actually survived the first year of college. By some miracle if it did, it would only grow more strained once medical school started, and residency was a completely different beast… not to mention the fact that he would be frequently deployed only god knows where with no ability to call or check in.

“Honey…” he started, but you just cut him off.

“We have to be realistic,” you muttered. “I think we should…” you trailed off, feeling your throat grow thick, almost as if your body was forcing you not to say it because once you did everything would change. You felt him stiffen beneath you and your body’s attempt at self-preservation was in vain anyways, he knew where you were going.

“We should what? Break up?” he asked, hurt lacing his voice and you sat up to face him as you wiped your tears.

“No, I… I don’t want to break up, Jake, you know that… I just-”

“Think it would be easier?” he asked and you shook your head, taking his hands in yours as you tried to keep him from spiraling.

“I’m not saying this because it’s what I want, Jake. It’s the furthest thing from what I want, if I could make myself have the same dream as you and go to flight school with you so we could keep doing everything together like we always have I would. God, I’ve even tried to want that but we’re just… we’re on different paths. We both dream too big and eventually it was going to catch up to us.”

“So is this… are you ending this right now? Are we over?” Tears were forming in his eyes and you reached up to swipe them away as they fell.

“No. I’m saying that… I’m saying that we should soak up the time we have together, make the most of it before we both leave and when we do…” you trailed off again, and he cradled your head in his hands.

“When we do, we’re over.” You nodded, your face curling with pain and he couldn’t bear the sight. He pulled you in close, hugging you tight as if he loosened his grip you’d vanish into thin air. “I love you,” he mumbled into your hair and you nodded as you wrapped yourself around him.

“I love you too, so much…”

And you did just what you said you would. You made the most of the few weeks you had left. Your parents knew what was coming and loosened the reins, sleepovers that had stopped the moment you got together were no longer forbidden and despite their own grief at their babies moving out and moving on they allowed you to spend all of your time together because secretly your impending doom was just as hard on them as it was on you. The four of them had all known your relationship was an inevitability, even had wagers on when it would happen… your mom had won, something she boasted about frequently, she’d even gotten it right down to the day, your junior prom. They also knew what you did, that it would never survive the rigors of college, the unpredictability of the Navy, or the grueling schedule of residency. They’d raised two kids that were larger than life, two kids destined to become the greatest at what they did and you just weren’t old enough or mature enough to figure out how to make each other fit.

You helped each other pack, studied for finals, danced the night away at prom and walked with each other onto the field for graduation and when the time came to load you onto a plane to San Jose he was right by your side until he couldn’t be.

“This isn’t goodbye,” he said, sensing your body language as you turned to face him before entering the security line.

You nodded, “I know… I’ll see you at Thanksgiving,” you said softly and his hands rested on your hips. You had said your goodbyes to your parents this morning, they suggested Jake drop you at the airport to let you have your final moments in privacy… as much privacy as the airport would allow.

“We’re making the right decision,” you weren’t really sure who he was trying to convince but in the end it didn’t really matter. Neither one of you were sure this was true, but it seemed to be the only way to handle things right now.

You nodded again, “it’s not an ending it’s just… all we’re saying is not right now.” He leaned his forehead against yours, eyes fluttering shut as he pulled you as close as he possibly could and you felt tears spill out and onto your cheeks. “I’m going to go learn how to become a doctor, you’re going to go learn how to be the best damn pilot the Navy has ever seen and we’re going to be good.” Again, who you were trying to convince was up for debate. You pulled your head back to instead bury it in his neck as you threw your arms around his shoulders and breathed in as much of him as you could.

“We’ll be good,” he mumbled and you knew you had to pull away… you knew you had to turn around and walk away from him but you couldn’t bring yourself to do it just yet. You wanted to stay here, right here in this airport wrapped up in his arms for the rest of your life, but you couldn’t… you had a plane to catch and dreams to follow and he did too. You pulled away suddenly, keeping your arms around him as you looked at him seriously.

“Promise me something,” you said as you fought another wave of tears.

“Anything.”

“You’re not going to wait for me, we’re not going to hold back and miss out on life waiting on a maybe.”

“Honey-” he started to protest but you shook your head.

“Promise me, Jake, otherwise I can’t get on that plane. Promise me you’re not going to wait.”

He cursed under his breath, “okay, honey. I promise.”

“And promise me you’re still my best friend,” you said, letting the tears fall now.

“Oh sweetheart, not being your best friend was never an option,” he replied and you nodded, letting your hands rest on his cheeks as you looked him over. This was the last time you would hold his head in your hands and this was the last time you would look at him as your boyfriend, because the second you boarded your plane you would be single and embarking on a whole new journey. He placed a hand on the back of your head and pulled you in, pressing his lips to yours so gently, as if he applied any pressure you’d crumble beneath him. You had other ideas, kissing him back in almost a frenzy as he matched your pace and allowed his tongue to slip past your lips, tasting you for the last time and savoring the moment as he knew it was the last. You pulled away slightly, giving him a few more gentler kisses as you swiped away the tears wetting your hands,

“I love you,” you whispered and he kissed you again.

“I love you too, honey.”

next part

#jake hangman seresin #jake hangman seresin x reader #jake hangman seresin x you #jake seresin #jake seresin x you #jake seresin fanfiction #jake seresin x reader #hangman #hangman x reader #hangman x you #hangman fanfiction #top gun maverick #top gun fanfiction

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dani-says-stuff · 10 months

Text

The Art of Distraction

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❥ Back to the Control Center

❥ Nate Hardy Masterlist

- couldn't wait to bulk post, i'm actually pretty proud of this one

- i didn't end up using the exact line/prompt in the request because it didnt really fit, but it's similar enough for the point to get across

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Nate Hardy x fem!reader

Summary: Based on this request

i tried lol, i dont know if it's as spicy as you were hoping it to be, but i packed it with extra stuff just incase that part came out super cringy.

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: cringe, suggestive(?), mentions of a haunting that i completely made up for background, very very loosely based on the witch's forest video, inconsistent capitalization, my usual grammar warning... i dont think theres anything bad in here but to be honest i cant really remember

Dialogue Key: Probably dont even need this, but just for consistancy

Y/N

Nate

couldnt really find a great gif for this fic, but i think its funny so im dropping it here.

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It had been a few hours since you had returned home and you'd yet to stop shaking. You'd been on investigations with Nate and the boys in the past, but this one in particular threw you way more than you thought it would.

For the entire car ride back home, the events wouldn't stop rapidly flicking through your mind. Nate's arm resting on the console and his hand softly placed on your thigh did little to ground you as it normally did. The thought of reaching down and intertwining your fingers as you'd done many times before didn't even come to mind, your hands too busy picking at your sleeves to do anything else.

Dark midnight skies barely visible through clusters of twisted curling tree branches.

Thick wooden trunks placed around you like a maze, they all looked the same no matter which direction you went.

Dry dirt and bits of gravel kicking up in clouds behind you, scraping up the backs of your legs from the speed at which you were running.

Branches strewn across the overgrown path splitting and cracking loudly beneath your feet.

Your throat, raw from screaming out to the boys.

Your heartbeat, deafening in your ears.

Nate's one-sided conversation through the duration of the ride back barely made its way to your ears, it felt like you were underwater or your ears were stuffed with cotton.

The only thing you could hear clearly was the memory of your own panicked screams earlier that night.

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It had started just as any other investigation had, and for the first time in a while, it wasn't happening in a building.

The first half of the video held a strangely nostalgic vibe. In the days of a better quality Sam and Colby channel, where they were now able to book the big shot hauntings and go to different countries with loads of equipment, would sit a small video similar to those of their early days.

They were once again investigating an area that wasn't highly publicized, the only ones to know of it being the eager locals with decades of ghost stories to share.

It was said that there was a witch who lived deep within the forest many centuries ago. She dwelled in a quaint cottage where she would practice her spells and hexes... or at least that's how the villagers of the time saw her.

It didn't matter that the woman was in the woods alone because her family had all perished from sickness.

It didn't matter that she was cooking up the same herbal home remedies as everyone else.

When the drought came and wiped out the village crops but the witch's garden in the woods flourished due to the untouched aquifer beneath her land, they were furious.

It was said that they marched upon her house late one night, torches and pitchforks held high, enraged at the witch in the woods. They yelled, taunting her to emerge so they could take her into the small town square. When she refused, they tossed their torches at the structure, laughter overpowering the screams of the woman inside as the house was engulfed in flame.

It was thought to be an old wives tale, the witch deep in the woods brooding silently as she worked on enchantments was hardly anything new. It was simply a story passed down from parent to child in hopes of keeping the energetic children from venturing off too far on their own.

But then they started finding things.

The ruins of a small house, a foundation of stone left behind in the middle of the forest.

Old, hand-made historic brick, placed in a careful circle like the makings of a well.

The bones found throughout the property, most likely scattered by animals and winds over time.

With the influx of people from the small town once again venturing into the forest, it was only natural that the witch would awaken.

So, you all ventured into the woods with no more than a flashlight each, a spirit box, and a REM pod to see if you would be able to communicate with the spirit of the witch that haunted the woods.

When the sun set was when everything went wrong.

The REM pod began going off rapidly, pointing in every direction, no clear responses being drawn from the item. The spirit box chirped to life despite never being turned on, spouting one word.

Run.

Branches cracked from close behind you, startling your group of four to do exactly that.

You made it a few feet when you tripped over something cold and solid, just tall enough to catch the end of your shoe as you ran. Your flashlight tumbled from your hand, rolling across the ground to show two very terrifying things.

One, the lack of the three boys running along behind you, meaning that you had managed to run off in a different direction than they had. You were now completely alone in the forest that was difficult to navigate in a group.

Two, a short stone wall standing before you, encapsulating the leafy floor you were splayed across. You had managed to run straight into the remains of the cottage.

If matters couldn't get any worse, the very thing commonly experienced by those who ventured to this area happened to you. It was said that if you ventured onto her land, the witch would drain the power of your devices and most often—the batteries of your flashlights.

Any sort of light brought near the ruins in the dead of night would be promptly snuffed out, assumingly because of the tragedy that occurred the last time beacons of light were brought to the location.

Your flashlight began to flicker.

Once.

Twice.

And then the light was gone, submerging you completely in the stale darkness of night.

Everything after that was a blur, all you could comprehend were the quick flashes terrorizing your mind.

Dark midnight skies.

Clusters of twisted tree branches.

A wooden maze of towering trees.

Dry dirt and bits of gravel stinging your legs.

Burning muscles.

Overgrown paths.

Panicked screams of both you and Nate as you scrambled blindly through the wood.

Your heartbeat pounding in your head.

Just as it felt like you were running aimlessly then, you felt as if you could make no progress now.

No matter how far you ran—no matter how much time had passed—you stayed terrified.

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Both bedside lamps were on as you burrowed yourself under countless layers of blankets and sheets, your body curled in a tight ball. After all, if your blankets are covering you, the monster under the bed doesn't know you are there.

All that peaked out from the fluffy mass on the bed were your eyes, gaze solely focused on the Disney movie you'd turned on moments before, proving to yourself that witches aren't really as scary as they appear.

Good always wins and bad things can't reach you.

Nate entered the room about fifteen minutes into your movie, hair still damp from the shower and one of your favorite shirts of his draped over his shoulders. It was an old T-shirt from who knows how long ago, but it was soft from wear and one of the most comforting things in the world to have pressed against your skin when he pulled you into his chest at night.

His eyebrows furrowed at your eyes, wide and alert, quickly darting to him when he entered the bedroom, "Babe?" he spoke softly, slowly approaching and kneeling down by the bedside, fishing for your hand beneath the blankets, "Are you ok?"

His eyes were sincere and brimming with worry as he looked upon you, gaze scanning over what he could see of you, assessing any damage that may have occurred in the brief time he left you alone.

You nodded slowly, eyes abandoning the movie and choosing to find solace in him instead.

Once deeming you in no worse condition than he left you in, his head moved finally noticing the laptop perched on the mattress and the movie that previously held your attention playing out on the screen.

A teasing smirk graced his features, "Really?"

Heat rose to your cheeks and you somehow managed to descend deeper into your cocoon. Your words were muffled by the comforter blocking the lower half of your face, "I needed to get my mind off of it." Nate laughed quietly at your explanation making you double down out of embarrassment, "I needed something to distract me so I could sleep."

"A Disney movie?" he spoke, equal parts teasing and condescending.

"What?" you whined rolling your eyes at him, "It always worked when I was younger."

He hummed, standing up and plucking the laptop from the bed, quickly shutting it off and placing it to the side despite your protests.

"Well," Nate spoke, waggling his eyebrows at you a few times in order to get you to laugh, "now you don't need 'em."

You raised a single eyebrow, scanning him skeptically, "Why's that?"

"Because," he trailed off, leaning to press a loving kiss to your forehead, "I'm going to be the best damn distraction you've ever seen."

"Oh really?"

He hummed again, pressing a kiss to your nose.

You tilted your head slightly to the side with wide puppy dog eyes staring up at him, not quite getting what he was implying, "And how exactly are you going to do that?"

Nate pulled the covers down to your chin with a soft, lovesick smile, "Like this." he whispered, finally placing a kiss on your lips.

Your eyes fluttered closed, a warmth flooding your body unlike the one gained from the blankets. This was a warmth that came from the innermost parts of your soul, igniting each and every nerve, setting them on fire.

He slowly peeled back the blankets to reveal your form, arms covered with goosebumps from the stark temperature difference flew up to wrap around his neck the second they were released, fingers sinking into his hair. His own arms swiftly moved around your waist, pulling your bodies even closer as he moved onto the bed hovering over you, never once daring to break the kiss.

The only time his lips left yours where when they moved to trace your jawline and trail down your neck leaving you breathless.

He moved across your skin, leaving a tapestry of red and purple in his wake, painting your skin the same colors as the fireworks dancing behind your eyelids. With your mind focused on him, there was no room to think of anything else, he moved in a way that you couldn't fathom wanting to think of anything else.

His hands dipped lower and lower, teasing beneath the hemming of your sleepshirt and caressing your warm skin.

He leaned back, removing his lips from you after what felt like hours, pupils blown wide and a loving, lustful haze clouding over his eyes.

The only reason he parted was to drag the shirt up off your body with his own quickly following suit to be thrown blindly into a corner, lips hungrily returning to your own the minute the barrier was gone.

He held your attention fully until the sun breached the horizon line, chasing the moon and darkness of night away as it found its rightful place up in the sky. The night was over, any thoughts you had of terrible twisting branches and evil witches dissolved in the light of morning—at least the ones that hadn't been valiantly chased away by your very own knight in shining armor.

You lay in bed beneath the single bedsheet, head resting against Nate's chest as he absentmidedly traced shapes across your back, humming a random melody as he did so. The warm light of day breaching through the cracks of the drawn curtains, bathing your tangled limbs in soft gold.

He was right, you didn't need to distract yourself with the technicolor animations of your childhood. You didn't need to dull your senses with endless hours of princes and princesses saving the day anymore.

Not when you had your very own fairytale sitting right in front of you, ready and waiting to do whatever it takes to give you your happy ending.

With that thought and a sweet smile gracing your lips you closed your eyes, finally able to get some sleep.

#nate hardy x reader #nate hardy imagine #sam and colby imagine #request

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solarkindred · 1 year

Text

Sun Wukong x Dragon!Male Reader

An idea stuck in my head. Tempted to make a fanfic(i am considering it as i write this lol) but imma do this first so i get into some kind of flow. Reader will have a name(sorry) but human appearance is up in the air somewhat for you guys.

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Wukong couldn’t help but stare. He never could control his body when Huanglong was involved. It was naturally attracted to the dragon. Be it of awe or affection, he was just had to have Huanglong in his mind.

And now was no different. Sun Wukong, Huanglong and kids were in Pigsy’s Noodles shop. The kids were having an eating competition with Pigsy aggressively scolding them (that by no means is stopping them) while the Monkey King and the Yellow Deity sat in one of the more secluded booths, drinking a soothing tea. Not that it was working since Huanglong was glaring daggers into Sun Wukong’s form.

Sun Wukong glanced away from his… ex-lover? Wukong certainly didn’t consider Huang to be that but it would seem the dragon did. With an avid fury too. Sun Wukong slid further down the seat, face reddening. He took a cup of lukewarm tea and brought it to his lips, biting back a groan of disgust, afraid that if he spoke Huanglong would kill him on the spot.

The stone monkey looked back to Huanglong, taking in the dragon’s human form. His H/C hair was pulled into a messy man bun while the other half cascaded off his shoulders like beautiful waterfalls, bright yellow streaks came from the roots near his forehead. He wore clothes similar to Wukong’s, only black with yellow and gold accents and much more scaly in texture. Huanglong had four orbs floating behind his head, the highest orb being black, the left being blue, the right white and bottom red. Sun Wukong knew they represented Huanglong’s four younger brothers; Ao Shun of the Northern Sea, Ao Guang of the Eastern Sea, Ao Ji of the Western Sea, and Ao Qin of the Southern Sea.

Now, where would Huanglong fit into this family? Well, since his brothers took to the seas, Huanglong took the lands. All of Earth is protected by Huanglong.

It was hefty task that he probably couldn’t take on himself, no matter how hard he tried, Sun Wukong admitted to himself.

“Sun Wukong.”

The stone monkey jumped at the sound of his name, straightening in his seat and curling his tail properly on his lap,”Y-yes?” he squeaked.

“You wanted to speak with me?” Huanglong said slowly, a quiet entrancing hiss in his words. Wukong had will himself to not jump across the table and kiss Huanglong. Gods he missed the sound of his name coming from those lips. “Yes.. yes I did, ahem..” Sun Wukong cleared his throat, once again flushing at the feeling of having Huang’s attention on him. He didn’t notice the tip of his tail swinging.

“I.. I wanted to talk about that day.” Huanglong’s already sour mood turned several degrees more sour, electrifying E/C eyes glaring holes into Sun Wukong,”What about it? There is nothing to say.”

“Come on, Huang. We both know that’s not true..” Wukong tried, already itching to completely change the subject that he brought up. ‘Deep breaths, Wukong. He hasn’t torn your head off yet, you can still do this.’ he comforted himself. Taking a breath, he clutched the cold cup in his hands,”We both have things to say about then. A-and I plan to say them.” He spoke resolutely despite the slight stutter, warm gold eyes steely but wavering, his inner coward was begging him to stop. To run away again. Sun Wukong had always listened to that voice. But today, today was the day he would ignore it and face at least one of his problems.

“… I see.” Huanglong whispered, leaning forward onto the table and placing a gentle hand onto the teapot. His hand glowed slightly and before long the pot was steaming again. He poured the tea into his cup and took a sip,”Then how about we start with you, hm?” The dragon said, half lidded eyes unmoving from Sun Wukong’s.

Sun Wukong gulped, words of retreat bubbled in his throat but he swallowed them down before they could come out,”… Okay,” he cleared his throat and shuffled,”First things first, I want to say I’m sorry.”

Huanglong simply blinked. And Wukong already felt exhausted from those few words. He felt heavy, his armor felt more weighty than before, as did his eyes. He blinked the fatigue that tried to settle in his bones away, sitting up taller and gulping down his chilly tea.

He forced words to spill out of his mouth,”I know… I know a simple apology won’t suffice. It never will and I… fuck, I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to leave you there, to fight that demon on your own. I… I’m a fucking idiot. And I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you, even if it takes millions of tries and millions of years to do so.” Sun Wukong felt like throwing up. Those few sentences felt like sandpaper on his tongue and sticky bile was climbing up his throat. It wasn’t that he was disgusted by the situation, he was just so violently uncomfortable that he felt sick. The cold tea wasn’t helping…

Huanglong, basically being an expert on Sun Wukong’s behaviors, saw the discomfort in the tan furred immortal. Huanglong’s finger twitched against his cup, hands wanting to cradle Wukong’s face and pepper him in kisses, forgive him for his act of abandonment and just return to how life was before. But his still wounded heart won’t let him, afraid of being hurt again. Instead, Huanglong made a compromise,”I accept this apology.” Wukong seemed to light up at that,”But,” the monkey’s shoulders drooped,”I do expect numerous attempts to fix what you have broken. You broke much more than our relationship. This apology is but a beginning, the end is far.”

Sun Wukong let out a resigned hum but nodded. He went stock still when he felt a warm hand on his. “But, knowing you, my King, the end is never far.” Huanglong smiled fondly as the red that burned brightly on the ear he had whispered to. Leaning back and removing his hand, Huanglong stood from the booth,”Thank you, Pigsy, for your hospitality. I will have to repay you.” he lightly bowed to the short pig, who was holding two noodle-stuffed kids by their throats. The pig smiled,”Ah, don’t worry about that! You’re welcome here anytime.”

Huanglong nodded,”Thank you. I bid you all a farewell.” With that, the legendary dragon disappeared in a sparky display.

MK tilted his head back to wiggle his eyebrows at his mentor, who was still sat at the booth like a statue,”Oooo, someone’s got a crush!” He teased. MK’s tease seemed to bring Sun Wukong back from whatever plane of existence he was, he chuckled, face blooming red,”Hah. I wouldn’t call it a crush, kiddo… it’s complete infatuation.” Wukong hummed dreamily, hearts in his eyes.

MK grimaced,”Ew. Get that look off your face. You look weird.” Wukong didn’t hear him. He was too busy thinking about kissing Huang again.

——————

“WITHOUT A HEARTBEAT”

Im only on episode three and im already gay for an immortal monkey lmao

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flightlessangelwings · 1 year

Text

Trust and Intuition Chapter 1- The Vigilante

Din Djarin x fem!reader (no use of y/n)

Word count- 3.2k

Warnings- set between seasons 1 and 2, canon typical violence, action, suspense, protective!Din, badass!reader

Notes- While this chapter doesn’t have smut, my blog is still 18+ only so minors please do not interact! This is a rewrite of the very first Mando fic I ever wrote! And boy did I realize how choppy my writing used to be as I was editing and reworking this lol! But this will be 4 parts to this series and then some sequel fics as well so we've got a big story here! The planet here, Dria, is one I made up. Updates on Mondays. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

Feel free to follow s my update blog and turn on post notifications to stay up to date on when I post! @flightlessangelwings-updates

The Mandalorian sat in the cockpit of the Razor Crest and sighed. His new mission was simple in theory, but daunting in reality: find where this child is from and return him home. He stared back at the baby as he found himself wondering where in the galaxy he should start. The child just stared back at him and smiled widely. The pair stared at each other for a few moments in a comfortable silence before the Mandolorian spoke.

“We’ll figure this out, buddy,” he assured the baby, who giggled in response. As he stared at the little creature with affection, Mando remembered a planet that was renowned for its vast library and research. “That’s as good a place as any to start,” he sighed to himself as he set a course, “Dria.”

The trip there was quiet and uneventful; everyone in this part of the galaxy seemed to keep to themselves, which was completely fine with the Mandalorian. The Maker truly looked out for him this time as no one bothered him as he landed his ship in a dock on the outskirts of the capital city. From above, Mando could see several different climates on the planet, but the capital was a bustling spot of green and life in the middle of a desert region. Buildings lit up the landscape and the nearby sea reflected the bright sun that beamed down on the people there. Further into the desert and the outskirts, old ruins covered the landscape.

It felt peaceful.

The child babbled and watched as Mando gathered his weapons and prepared for the trek out, “Ready kid?” he asked as he settled him into his pram. Mando gently stroked the baby’s cheek once and tilted his helmet with affection as his foundling looked up at him in awe, “Come on.”

Dria’s capital city was bustling with life. Traders worked in the large market in the center of town, and there were libraries on every corner. Education was obviously highly important in this society as a school was almost always in sight. The Mandalorian spent most of the morning browsing around the libraries for any information on the child’s species, but with no luck.

“I’m looking for any information on a rare species,” Mando asked one of the scholars at the third library he visited as he laid his hands on the counter. The child stayed at his side in his pram, quietly looking around at the sights that Dria had to offer.

She glanced down at the child and studied him for a few moments, but obviously was unfamiliar with what he spoke of, “I think what you’re looking for is in the archives at the royal palace,” she suggested, “That’s where the most lucrative information is kept.”

“Well, I guess it’s the palace then,” he told the child with a heavy sigh. Having no other options, the Mandalorian went to the large palace on the top of the hill and asked for an audience with the king. The palace guards and advisors scrambled: what does a Mandalorian want with the king?

“Mandalorian, the king will see you now,” a guard called Mando’s attention just as he was about to give up and leave. He nodded without a word and followed the guard into the main audience chamber.

It was a lavish room filled with old weapons as decor on the walls and the best woven rugs on the floors. The only decor that stood out was the large tapestry with the crescent moon and three stars symbol: obviously the symbol of Dria. For how much it was decorated, the room itself was mostly bare. A few tables lined the walls, a few bookshelves littered the walls, and the large throne sat elevated in the center of the room. On that throne, sat the king, dressed in all black topped with a dark silk cape.

“I am King Vero Alcyron of Dria,” he spoke in an authoritative yet smooth voice, “But you already knew that.” The king had an imposing presence that commanded the attention of a room. He could be considered classically handsome and he was tall; one would find him charming upon first meeting. Yet, there was something about him that Mando instantly didn’t trust, he just couldn’t quite figure out why. Perhaps it was because he held a vague resemblance to someone…

Mando gave a small nod, but said nothing yet. He stood tall with his arms crossed in front of him.

“What brings a Mandalorian all the way out here to my humble little planet?” Vero stood and stepped down to level with the Mandalorian, “What could my archives possibly have that would be of interest to you?” his eyes dropped down to the child for a moment before meeting Mando’s visor once more.

“I’m looking for answers,” he stated simply.

“I’m afraid you’ll have to be more specific than that,” the king scoffed.

Mando chose his words carefully, “This creature,” he gestured to the baby reluctantly, hating having to draw attention to him, “I’ve never seen one like him before and I need to know more.”

The king sneered, “I thought your duty was only to capture targets, not ask questions, Mandalorian.”

“I have been tasked with something more with this one,” the words rolled off his tongue easily. When it came to the safety of the child, Mando had no hesitation. There were only a few he trusted, and this king was not one of them. Omitting information came easy when the child was on the line.

“I’m intrigued,” Vero paused for a moment as a huff left his lips, “I’ll grant you access to the palace library, but I need you to do something for me first. Nothing comes for free after all.”

The Mandalorian sighed quietly; of course it wouldn’t be this easy, “What do you need?”

“There’s a vigilante running around causing havoc in my city,” King Vero started.

“And you need this vigilante taken care of,” Mando guessed the end of his sentence.

“Yes and no,” the king paced, “I need him brought to me alive. You see, not only has he stolen from me and started riots in my streets,” he took a few steps towards the bounty hunter as he tapped his fingers together, “But he’s also kidnapped my queen. I need to know what he’s done with her,” his voice lowered to no more than a growl.

“Understood,” Mando said simply before he turned to leave, not having any interest at all in the king’s affairs. The baby’s pram followed close behind, never leaving his caretaker’s side.

“Alive, Mando!” Vero called to his back. His eyes narrowed as he watched the armored figure walk away and a dark smirk lit up his face.

You navigated your way through the busy plaza with your small embroidered duffle bag strapped tightly against your body. A hood covered your head, you wore goggles to cover your eyes and a mask with a voice changer covered the lower half of your face. Your identity was completely concealed. No one paid you any mind as you kept your head down and ducked around anyone you passed by. The only time you let your presence known was to help a woman that was being heckled by an unruly customer, and then went right back to your anonymity.

You came up to a stand and made a purchase quickly before you moved on, your purchase safely tucked in your bag. You took a few steps before you had a strange feeling, like you were being watched. As you looked over your shoulder, you noticed who was watching you: a Mandalorian. A short gasp escaped your lips as you turned to run, knowing instantly that he was here for you.

“Shit,” you cursed under your breath as you weasled your way out of the crowded part of the plaza. In the back of your mind, you knew it was only a matter of time before the king would send someone after you. He didn’t exactly approve of your presence in his city, especially since it made his citizens question his authority. You didn’t look behind you, but you knew he was still on your tail.

When you turned around a corner to a quiet alley, you almost ran directly into the Mandalorian. Without a word, he reached out to grab your arm, but you slipped back before his hand closed on you. In one swift movement, you flung your bag into the shadows and pulled out two small staffs. You were determined not to go down without a fight, even if you knew what the outcome would be. As you readied your stance, you noticed the pram at the Mandalorian’s side and the little green creature with wide eyes and a soft gasp escaped your lips.

The Mandalorian stood his ground and waited for you to make the first move, and it didn’t go unnoticed by him that you paused upon noticing the child. You exhaled before you lashed out at him with your batons. He ducked and countered with a knife. The alley was quiet, save for the clangs of your weapons as you parried with the bounty hunter. You groaned under your mask as you quickly realized you exerted more energy than he did, and you knew your disadvantage quickly.

After studying your movements, Mando got the advantage and knocked you off your feet. He was actually impressed how well you fought and held your ground until this point. You even managed to get a few hits in too: something not everyone could say. With a grunt you hit the ground hard, and the bounty hunter kicked your weapons away from you.

As you collided with the ground, your head hit the hard floor and your goggles shattered. You strained to push yourself up to a sitting position, and with a sigh you pulled your goggles off of your face. Your head throbbed, but you got lucky that your mask hit the ground and not your head directly.

Mando watched as you took a few deep breaths before you raised your hands up in surrender. He took a pair of cuffs out and locked your arms behind your back before he dragged you to your feet. The child watched with a soft coo as the fight ended, although he didn’t seem worried about you as a threat for some reason.

“Wait,” your voice sounded normal, the voice modulator in your mask must have broken when you hit the ground. You cursed to yourself; that would make things harder when he got you back to the palace.

“I’m taking you in,” he said simply.

“Just wait,” you said breathlessly, tired from your spar. This made him stop in his tracks. “Just do me one favor. Please,” you begged, left with no options than to plead with your captor.

The Mandalorian just stared at you, unsure of what to say. It was definitely bold of his target to ask anything of him. It wouldn’t be the first time, but Mando had no interest in what you had to say; you were just like any other bounty he captured before.

“Please,” you started, “This is important. Just take my bag to the temple Lux ruins on the outside of the city,” desperation lined your voice, “I promise it’s not a trap.”

He looked into your eyes and saw the genuine concern in them. He also heard the pain in your voice, which wasn’t the voice he was expecting to hear. Suddenly, you seemed different than the other faceless targets before. Suddenly, Mando was more interested in your story. His grip on your arm loosened slightly as something in his head told him to trust you.

“I can pay you,” you added in a last effort to get the bounty hunter to comply with your request, “You have a kid there right? Then you understand…”

That snapped him out of his thoughts as he glanced over at the child.

“In my pocket here,” you nodded your head to your right. Mando stared at you for a moment, and as if you read his thoughts you added, “I know when I’ve been defeated. I’m not going to try anything. These cuffs are pretty tight anyway,” you added with a dry laugh.

The bounty hunter tightened his grip on your arm as he reached for your pocket. Right at the top, he felt the credits you mentioned. He looked into your eyes again as he pulled them out before he led you back to the palace with the child’s pram following loyally behind.

Neither of you spoke again after that.

The large doors of the grand hall opened to let in the Mandalorian and his catch. Your arms were still bound behind you and a strong hand held you tightly. You held yourself tall and wore a fierce look in your eyes, the only part of your face visible.

King Vero sat on his throne and watched the two of you walk in alone; the pram that held the child was noticeably absent. A dark smile graced his face when he saw what the bounty hunter had brought him, “Excellent work, Mandalorian,” he spoke as he walked towards the center of the room to meet you.

Mando simply bowed his head slightly as he released his grip on you. Uninterested in what the king had to say, he turned to a steward behind him for his payment. Ignoring the Mandalorian behind you, you stared at the king with a fierce look, as if you tried to stab him with your gaze alone.

“Did the vigilante say anything, Mandalorian?” Vero’s voice called his attention.

He turned slightly back towards the voice, “Didn’t say a word.”

Under your mask, a smile flashed across your face, but you were careful not to let it know in your eyes. Though left with no other options, you were grateful that your gamble to trust the Mandalorian paid off… at least for now. In your eyes, all you let show was hate and rage directed at the king that now stood directly in front of you.

“Where have you taken her, scum?” King Vero’s voice was but a growl as he grabbed you by your collar.

With your voice modulator broken, you knew your voice would give your identity away. Instead, you chose to answer with action and headbutted the king, hitting him directly on the nose. His body flew back as he lost his footing and his guards shouted and aimed their blasters at you. Mando didn’t move, however, and under his helmet he smirked to himself. There was definitely something about the king he did not trust, even if he couldn’t figure out exactly why. He took the distraction as an opportunity to slip out of the room with his payment unnoticed.

King Vero raised his arms up, “Lower your weapons,” he ordered as he touched his hand to his face, now coated in blood that dripped from his nose. The guards obediently did as they were told. He sauntered up to you and took your masked chin in his hands. He studied your eyes for a moment before he spoke, “No one looks at me with that much open rage,” his voice was low so that only you could hear him, “Maybe some time in the dungeon will make you more amenable to conversation.”

You understood the threat in his voice, and knew exactly what his words meant. You sighed as the guards hauled you out of the grand room. The only hope you had was that the Mandalorian was a man of his word and would go where you asked him to. What lay there was more important to you than your life anyway. As long as that was safe, then you were at peace with your situation.

When the Mandalorian got back to his ship, the child was there waiting for him. He greeted his caregiver at the door with a wide smile. Mando put his bags down and scooped the child up into his arms.

“Sorry I was longer than I thought,” he told the child in a soft tone, “But I brought you something to eat.” Mando had a bad feeling about King Vero, and opted to leave the child on the Razor Crest before he took you back. There was something about the way he leered at the child that set him on edge, and he decided the kid would be safer here until he got back.

The child cooed as he grabbed a hold of the Mandalorian’s arm, happy to see him again. Mando carried the baby across the ship and set him down at a little table. He sat a small bowl in front of his foundling before he sat down opposite him.

As he watched the baby gleefully eat, his eyes drifted to the pile behind him. On top of that pile lay the embroidered bag he took from you after your fight. Mando was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice the child stopped eating and just looked up at him. He felt the gaze of those big, wide eyes and it shook him out of his trance. The two stared at each other for a few minutes, and seemed to have a conversation without any words.

After several moments, the Mandalorian sighed, “Come on,” he said as he reached for the child and headed for the door. He also picked up the duffel bag on the way out.

Under the cover of night, the bounty hunter went on foot to the edge of the vast city with your bag slung over his shoulder, and the child nestled secretly in his pram. The further away he got from the center of the city, the quieter the area became. The warm air of the desert faded into a crisp evening in the sand. He kept his stance tense, ready for anything that may jump out of the shadows.

As he stood on a small cliff on the city’s border, Mando focused a scanner to look for life in the ruins that you spoke of. It appeared to be an old temple, maybe jedi. Lux, he remembered, was what you called it. He still wasn’t sure why he was out here in the first place; maybe it was the look in your eyes, a look that whatever was here was more important than your life.

And he knew that feeling all too well.

He gave a quick glance down at the child before he went back to scanning the terrain. To the naked eye, there was nothing there. However, Mando could see about a dozen heat signatures hidden within the ruins. They were all small, and none appeared to carry any weapons.

“Strange,” he thought out loud before he moved to enter the ruins. The child followed close behind, in his pram, and Mando had his blaster ready in case of danger. However he was confident that whatever was here did not pose any threat. Something in the back of his mind made him very sure of that.

Out of the peripherals of his vision, Mando noticed movement; someone was watching him. Careful not to startle, he kept still, and watched as the figure slowly crept out of the shadows. It caught the bounty hunter off guard when he realized it was a child, no older than 11 he guessed.

“A kid…?” he breathed.

What had the Mandalorian stumbled upon this time?

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