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ladykissingfish · 3 years

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The Akatsuki’s Reactions To Thunderstorms

Got the inspiration for this because lately we’ve been having a bunch of storms where I live, like back to back ((in fact it’s pouring outside my window as I type this)) so yenno it got me thinking, how would my favorite Band ‘O Killers™️ react to this situation?

Pein (Nagato) and Konan:

Storms of any kind, especially involving rain, are triggering to both of them. They come from a place where, as their friend Yahiko once put it, is “ALWAYS raining; like this whole village is constantly crying”. Rain to them represents pain, and hunger, and suffering. Konan is actually terrified of thunderstorms; one time when Pein was out, there was a storm and Konan, who usually went to Pein for comfort, was beside herself. Kisame found her curled up and shaking on the floor in the hallway (the one place without any widows to see the lightning) and, without asking questions, he laid beside her and put his arms around her, holding her and gently talking to her until the storm had passed. Pein doesn’t have the same physical reaction as Konan; rather, storms tend to intensify the repressed anger that lives in his chest. Every member of the Akatsuki knows to avoid Pein during a storm, because they know it’ll be the time he’s most likely to hand out difficult missions, or yell at somebody about something they’ve done.

Deidara:

Maybe unsurprisingly, the blonde artist loves storms. The bigger the better, the louder and more destructive, the more “artistic”. Storms bring out the competitiveness of Deidara, who always insists that he can match (or top) a clap of thunder with one of his bombs. Loves to see lightning strike things, and has to be stopped from going outside during storms to see this happen up-close. Since they won’t let him outside, he’ll stay with his face pressed up against the window, his expression the same as a child watching fireworks go off in the night sky. Also exponentially prefers night storms to daytime storms, as he claims the booming and shaking helps him to sleep.

Tobi (Obito):

As Tobi, he acts almost as scared of thunderstorms as Konan, although in a decidedly more goofy and exaggerated way. Hiding under the bed or in the closet, clinging to Deidara, making comments about “monsters in the sky coming to eat us!” As Deidara loves storms, he’s often impatient with Tobi and his irrational fears, giving him long lectures on the wild, untamed beauty of nature. As Obito, he actually finds rain and storms to be quite soothing, especially at night. He likes to sit in his room with his mask off, staring out the windows and letting his mind wander. The constant drumming of water hitting the ground relaxes him like nothing else, and he’ll always sleep better during a storm than any other time. The night after a particularly strong storm was the only time that his Senpai came close to seeing him without a mask on, as “Tobi” fell asleep and stayed sleeping very late into the morning, forcing Deidara to come looking for him. He woke up just seconds before his door burst open, just enough time to slide his mask into place, but still.

Sasori:

Doesn’t really care one way or the other about storms, unless he’s traveling in them. There’s been a few times in the past when he’s been on missions with Deidara, the two have been walking along, and a sudden downpour stopped them in their tracks. Seeking shelter during a storm is always a difficulty, especially to two people trying to remain largely incognito, the way the Akatsuki was supposed to do. Also, his young partner really enjoys the rain, and Sasori has to keep an eye on him, to make sure he’s not sneaking out into it and potentially getting sick. If there’s one thing that Sasori does enjoy about storms, it’s the smell of the air after it rains. He’s tried for years to duplicate this smell into a scent that could be put in a candle or incense, but to no avail.

Kisame:

Wind, WATER, danger — what’s not to love?! If he’s able to leave the hideout, Kisame will seek out the nearest body of water, and go swimming. Rainwater tapping the surface of a lake or river makes all the smaller fish come to the top, making it incredibly easy for Kisame to scoop them up in his jaws. The warmth of the water from the sky also mixes with the natural coolness of running water, creating a delightful sensory experience for the half-shark. Sometimes, however, a “cozy” mood will envelope him and he’ll simply desire staying inside, often curling up with a good book or spending time sipping tea and eating snacks with his partner Itachi. And “snacks” is putting it mildly; for some reason stormy weather always awakens a voracious appetite in Kisame, and he can easily put away the entire house’s weekly supply of food in one sitting ((and Kakuzu knows this, hence why he’ll literally put locks on the cabinets if Kisame is home during a storm)).

Kakuzu:

When Kakuzu hears rain, he hears the sound of money flying out the windows. Every single place that the group has ever used for a hideout has been of the absolute bare-minimum construction, which unfortunately allowed for some of the outside elements to get inside; like snow, and heat, and bugs ... and rain. Water damage is a particularly expensive bitch to fix, and Kakuzu is constantly forced to shell out money from the treasury to reinforce the roof, and/or provide rain gear and supplies for those venturing out on missions during storms. And missions carried out during storms alone are horrible, as they generally slow down speed and productivity, meaning longer times until mission completion and a delay in obtaining the goods or people or (most importantly) money that they were sent to retrieve. The only positive thing that Kakuzu can find to say about storms is that the rain helps the fruits and vegetables in the Akatsuki garden grow, which of course saves money on grocery trips.

Zetsu:

LOVES the rain. Storms make him ridiculously happy, and he likes to go outside and stand directly in a downpour, letting the cleansing water soak into his plantlike skin. Like any blossom, however, he has to be on guard against getting TOO much water into his system. Everybody knows not to bother Zetsu during his “meditation” time in a storm, as he will undoubtedly be standing out there in the nude. Storms also pose an interesting challenge to him, food-wise. Most of the small animals that Zetsu likes to prey on hide or burrow themselves during a loud rain-lashing, making them more difficult (but much more rewarding) for Zetsu to find.

Hidan:

Hidan is constantly seeking ways to test and prove the “limits” of his immortality. He’s “died” and come back from pretty much everything one can think of; stabbing, evisceration, decapitation ... but one thing he’s never done is “come back” from being struck full in the heart by a lightning bolt. So whenever a good storm gets going, Hidan will strip naked, wearing only his metal Jashin necklace, and stand in the rain, daring the lightning to hit him. If this had been anyone else, every Akatsuki member would be breaking their neck rushing outside to drag him back in. But with Hidan, everyone is, well, curious. CAN he withstand lightning? IS he truly immortal? Anyone who’s able will gather at the windows or just inside the front door, to watch the spectacle of Hidan screaming obscenities at the sky and taunting nature ... but unfortunately nothing ever happens. Hidan will just end up coming back inside soaked to the skin, and Kakuzu will yell at him for dripping all over the floor. But Hidan will point out that water is better than the blood he usually leaks, which the others whole-heartedly agree with.

Itachi:

When Itachi was younger, storms used to scare the hell out of him. He could go to his mother for comfort, but only if his father wasn’t home. If he WAS, he’d tell Itachi to toughen up and “be a man, son.” He later came to find out that his little brother Sasuke was the same way; at nighttime Itachi would wake up during a storm and feel a small body burrowed next to his, shaking like a leaf. He’d hold his brother and tell him stories until he fell asleep, and in doing so, learned the first valuable lesson of his life; it’s hard to be brave when you’re alone, but infinitely easier when you have to be brave for the sake of someone else. Now, storms always put him in mind of these long-forgotten moments of sibling tenderness, which in turn makes him sad. To combat this he copies his younger brother by seeking out comfort, mostly in the form of Kisame. Sometimes he’ll also go and spend time with Konan, as he discovered that SHE was afraid of storms, as well. Oftentimes he, Kisame and Konan will stay together, taking turns telling stories until the wild weather has passed. Another lesson: it’s easier to be brave, the more people you have around you trying to be brave as well.

#the akatsuki #thunderstorm #storms #naruto shippuden #pein/nagato #konan #sasori #deidara #kakuzu #hidan #zetsu #tobi #obito uchiha #kisame hoshigaki #itachi uchiha #headcanon

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a-world-in-grey · 3 years

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Sola/Calling for Rain

@secret-engima and, months later, the snippet I promised!

Karin’s first memories are her mother’s grave and her sister’s sick bed.

She knows more than that of course. She knows how her mother died, forced to use their family’s healing ability until they’d drained her chakra dry. She knows her older sister nearly followed their mother that night, eight years old and already scarred across her arms and shoulders.

But that knowledge isn’t seared into her memory the way her mother’s gravestone is, the bamboo marker plain and unmarked, nothing like the stone markers bearing carved names for the village shinobi. That knowledge doesn’t paint itself across her closed eyelids like Kyoho’s frail form, skin too pale, breaths too shallow, wild hair tumbling across the pillows like a splash of blood.

Karin remembers when Kyoho first opened her eyes, how her sister had looked to find Karin first, and hadn’t settled until she could clearly see Karin was well.

Karin doesn’t know how much Kyoho’s near death changed her older sister. She can’t remember what Kyoho was like before, can’t remember a time when Kyoho didn’t braid their hair with little painted beads and thin cords of braided thread. Can’t remember a time when Kyoho didn’t hold her close at night and whisper bedtime stories in words that sound like thunder and rain.

Stories and Songs and meanings just for the two of them. Braids and beads hidden beneath hair and cloth, Clan secrets told in the dead of night in a tongue only they knew. Teaching Karin to dance, to fly.

Teaching Karin to survive.

Kyoho trains with the determination not to learn, but master every skill she can. Taijutsu, weapons, healing, ninjutsu. She claws her way up the ranks of Kusa’s shinobi, genin at nine, chuunin at eleven, jounin at fifteen.

Kusa’s own little prodigy. A match for Konoha’s Uchiha Itachi or Hatake Kakashi. Or so Kusa likes to think.

There’s a lot Kusa doesn’t know.

They don’t know of the fuuinjutsu, of the basics learned from their mother that Kyoho took and reinvented on her own. The black tattoos spiraling across Kyoho’s skin hidden from sight under dark green clothing.

They don’t know about the chakra chains Kyoho painstakingly learned to use. Chains Kyoho learned to modify, to shrink to the size of a fine gold chain, to enlarge to the size of the massive chains that once rose from the waves to close Uzushio’s ports.

They don’t know of Kyoho’s sensory abilities, so fine tuned she can pick out a shinobi’s specialization from the feel of their chakra alone. They don’t know of the weapons Kyoho can wield beyond her glaive and curved shortswords.

They don’t know Kyoho’s taught Karin everything she knows. They don’t know Karin isn’t the fumbling, lackluster genin overshadowed by her prodigal sister’s brilliance.

“My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I’m going to kick all of your asses!”

The room goes silent, every genin present turning to stare, and Karin feels her breath freeze in her lungs as the chakra signatures around her spike with anger and disbelief.

Karin buries her own chakra, smothers it down to a spark so small even Kyoho has difficulty detecting, hiding the surprise and recognition and the tangle of emotions she can keep off her face but not out of her chakra. And she knows she shouldn’t focus her attention solely on the loud Konoha genin as his teammates and comrades converge to scold him for his recklessness. There are others in the room far more dangerous than the rookie too dumb not to draw the ire of the rest of the competition before the Exams have even begun. And yet-

Uzumaki.

He doesn’t have the red hair. But that’s the mon on his shoulder, black and purple instead of the black and blue variant Kyoho’s stitched into their clothes, in places easily hidden because there’s Clan Pride but then there’s announcing to all the Elemental Nations that they’re female kekkai genkai bearers.

Karin lessens her hold on her chakra, reaching her senses past the thunderstorm-shadow-river feeling of the three genin standing beside him.

Warmth. Bright encompassing warmth, intense but not painful, the ocean breeze across her skin on a clear sunny day. Swirling reserves deeper than she’s ever sensed, even deeper than Kyoho’s hearth-fire chakra.

Karin suppresses her chakra the moment the blond’s thunderstorm teammate glances her way, glancing away and digging her fingernails into the back of her hand so hard she’s surprised she doesn’t break skin.

She swallows back a sob.

Uzumaki. He’s Clan.

But not Galahdian. Not a child of the Storm-Father, not someone who grew up with the Clan Laws and the certainty in their bones that even if the world fell apart, the Clan would always have your back.

The Uzumaki are a shinobi clan. Karin can’t… how can she know if she can trust this wayward Uzumaki? How can she know if he will hold that same fierce loyalty that blazes in her and Kyoho’s souls?

She shouldn’t. Oh, but by the Storm-Father, Karin wants to. This long lost kinsman who wears Freedom and Protection across his shoulders. Who looks at the world with Protection in his eyes and crowned with Love.

Karin knows the Colors don’t apply to the natural world. To things that are mere happenstance and genetic chance. But-

(‘Sometimes the Gods paint us with specific Colors,’ Karin remembers Kyoho telling her, ‘A message and a warning, for souls so strong the physical has no choice but to reflect it.’

Karin had looked into Blue eyes framed by Red hair, and never asked if Kyoho spoke from experience.)

For the first time in nearly ten years, Karin hopes.

She has to try.

And that means staying in Konoha long enough to get a measure of Uzumaki Naruto.

Karin is perfectly happy not knowing how something gets named the ‘Forest of Death.’

Unfortunately, as the location of the Second Exam, Karin’s not going to get a choice.

Kyoho would love it, Karin thinks as she miserably fills out the liability waiver. Kyoho had spoken of many places in her past life, but none so fondly as Galahd, deadly and wild and all the more beautiful for it.

She lets her ‘teammates’ take the lead as they scout through the forest. Her head’s busy planning her next step. Should she focus on passing the Second Exam? Kyoho told her how the Third Exam was always an exhibition for clients, so she’d have plenty of time during the preparations to track down and try to get to know her kinsman. Perhaps with Kyoho’s help even - surely her mission would be finished by then?

But that assumes Karin and the two idiots she’s assigned to play chakra-battery for can pass at all. They aren’t the weakest team in the forest, even counting Karin’s careful pretense, but there are a lot of teams stronger than they are. Stronger, and all too willing to kill.

Karin could ditch the idiots. She’s kept track of where she last sensed Uzumaki Naruto’s chakra, so she could find him and get to know him in the time before the Second Exam ends. Maybe even steal the Earth scroll and bring it as a good faith gift.

But she’d be on her own, carrying a high value target, and gambling on her kinsman caring enough about a cousin he didn’t know to trust and protect her.

Karin tugs on the loose ends of her hair in frustration. Why is this so hard?!

Kyoho would know what to do.

Kyoho’s not here, Karin firmly reminds herself. She has to figure this out on her own.

In the end, she chooses to stay with her teammates. There's too many unknowns for her to risk running now.

Two days later, staring up at the bear taller than her house, Karin's regretting her decision to stay.

They left me!

Stay and hide, they said. You'll be fine.

If they're still alive when Karin finds them, she's going to throttle them. Hiding her chakra doesn't matter when enemies can find her by her scent! The bear snarls, and Karin gives up any pretense of hiding her abilities. She's out of her depth, anything less than her full skill will only end up with her dead-

("Above all else," Kyoho had whispered the night before Karin left for Konoha, "survive.")

She reaches for her supply of explosive tags (way more than anyone thinks she has, way more than she probably needs, but they're the easiest seal to make and Kyoho always says there's no such thing as overkill) and prepares to turn the bear into a pile of charred meat and fur.

Only, there's movement above her, a blur of black and purple, a flash of silver-

Thunder. Lightning and rain and the howling storm as she huddles by the warmth of hearth, each flash of light in the sky accompanied by the rolling drums that echo in her chest; an invitation, a challenge, to face the storm and laugh in the embrace of the sky.

Uzumaki's dark haired teammate lunges from the trees like one of the jungle cats of Kyoho's stories, dropping down onto the bear with a spinning, flying kick, and Kyoho freezes.

Kyoho knows that kick.

(Karin stares wide-eyed as Kyoho all but flies through the air, leaping and spinning with the grace of a breeze through the prairie grasses. Kyoho's been teaching her how to dance, but those jumps have nothing on the ones Kyoho is doing!

"Will I learn to do that too?" Karin asks. Nerves flit in her gut like butterflies. She's trying to learn everything Kyoho can teach her, but those leaps are so high.

Blue eyes soften as Kyoho ruffles her hair. "You don't have to - it's not part of the Ostium Dance."

Karin blinks. "It's not?"

"It's Ulric, our sister Clan." Kyoho says. Her gaze grows distant. "Clan of Sky and Storm, Coeurl-kin, first of the Storm-Father's children."

Karin's touch on her arm brings her back to the present. "Were you Ulric first, before you were Ostium?"

Kyoho laughs. "I was Furia, Clan of Sea and Horizon, but I learned the Ulric Dance because I was Sky-born instead of Sea-born.")

She can't see a braid, but- Black and purple. A pair of well worn kukri at his back. The aerial combat she's never seen anyone but Kyoho use.

Her fingers tremble around the string of explosive tags as the genin checks to make sure the bear is dead. Then he turns to her with an easy grin. "You're an Uzumaki, right? Do you want to meet your cousin?"

And Karin has been so keyed up over possibly having Clan, over being in hostile territory with no one to watch her back, with desperate hope dogging her heels for the past three days of finding someone she can trust-

(“You can always trust the Clans. Even the most bitter rivals will protect a Clan child, if they are threatened by Outsiders.”)

"Are you Ulric?" She blurts.

Dark eyes sharpen. "How do you know that name?" But his gaze flits to her temple, to the black braid joiner peeking out from her hair. Karin removes the grey hitai-ate and pulls her hair back to show him her braids. The Ostium Braid and the Mourning Braid for her mother, unlike Kyoho who also wears Marriage, Hero, and Revenge Braids. Braids Karin and Kyoho have never shown anyone but each other.

But the boy's eyes widen in shock and recognition, and pale fingers pull the Ulric Braid threaded with the purple ribbon of a Chief from its hiding place behind his ear.

("And if you get the chance, run. Before Kusa kills you too.")

Karin sobs.

This boy is Clan. He's safe.

#A Shadow of Heaven's Light #fusion #naruto #Calling for Rain verse #Uzumaki Karin #Uzumaki Kyoho #Nyxsuke #Kusa doesn't know how badly they screwed up #Kyoho's worn a Revenge Braid since Kusa killed their mom #she's just been waiting until Karin is safe to be able to take that revenge #Kyoho's not had a Braincell for almost ten years #she might be a touch feral

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wiypt-writes · 4 years

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Stark Spangled Banner

Ch55: The Fallen Warrior

Intro: The Avengers mourn the loss of one of their own.

Warnings: “Language!” Smut (NSFW, 18+) Character death, angst.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Chapter 56

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Katie felt numb. Wordlessly, Steve guided her back to their quarters where she trudged through the living room and into the bedroom, every so often raising her hand to wipe away her tears. She sat on the edge of the bed, kicking off the court shoes she had stolen from the base before her hands flattened against the mattress as her head dropped slightly, and she began to cry.

Steve sat next to her and she turned into him, pressing her face into his chest. His arms encircled her, as he lay his cheek against the top of her head, gently rubbing her back.

“She’s gone.” Katie whispered softly “I…I can’t…” “I know.” Steve replied gently, sniffing as his own tears fell.

“How are we gonna tell the kids?”

“Together. We’ll figure it out.” “Like we always do huh?” Katie muttered as she pulled away from him, a hint of what sounded like sarcasm in her voice. Steve frowned.

“Honey?”

“I need a shower.” Her tone was monotonous as she stood up and made her wait into the en-suite.

Steve sighed and ran his hand over his face before he untied the combat boots he’d ‘borrowed’ and shucked them off. They had all the stones, they should be elated. Instead they were grieving, subdued, because Natasha hadn’t made it home and it cut Steve, like a knife in the gut. Other than Katie, she’d been the one person at SHIELD who had been ever present in his life post coming out of the ice. His partner in STRIKE, one of his best friends, a member of his fucking family.

And now she was gone.

He was trying to stay strong, trying to be the leader the group needed, but he was fucking upset and tired. His body ached all over from his tangle with his 2012 self, and if he was honest all he wanted to do was sleep for a week.

His sharp ears picked up Katie’s quiet sobs in the bathroom. Just like that day when they came back from Wakanda over five years ago, he peeled off his outer clothing and gently pushed the door to the bathroom open and what he saw broke his heart. Katie was sat in the shower cubicle, hugging her knees as the water cascaded down on her. Without a word he opened the glass door, still in his boxers and with a silent groan he sat next to her, and wrapped his arm round her, his large hand on the side of her head as she turned into the contact and lay her cheek against his shoulder.

As with all missions, there was a routine that followed and this one was no exception. If anything, the routine made Katie feel better, gave her something to focus on rather than the mission itself. Her head was still reeling from watching Steve’s reaction to Peggy, seeing her dad again after almost thirty-two years and the fact that Nat wasn’t coming home. Steve managed to coax her to her feet, leaving her to shower, but she didn’t really speak as she dressed, instead retreating to dig out the arnica gel as Steve’s torso and back really had taken a beating. She could tell he was in quite a bit of discomfort, and she didn’t like seeing that regardless of how angry she was feeling towards him.

An anger she knew deep down was completely irrational, but she couldn’t help feeling it nonetheless.

“Thanks.” Steve smiled softly as her gentle fingers finished their dance across his shoulders. He rolled his head back, expecting her to be there but she’d already moved to wash her hands. He sighed and then stood up from the bed, grabbing a top out of the case they still hadn’t unpacked. He pulled it on with a grimace and then there was a knock at the main door before they heard Tony’s voice as he walked into their apartment.

“You guys decent?”

“Yeah.” Katie called back, shrugging on a purple vest top, before grabbing a white hooded cardigan.

Tony gently popped his head round the door to their bedroom, his eyes red from his own tears. He took one look at his sister before he sighed and strode towards her, Steve watching as Katie melted into her brother’s arms.

“I thought that all of us, well the original Avengers that is could meet down by the river on the jetty.” Tony cleared his throat, looking at Steve over Katie’s shoulder. “Maybe talk about what happened.” “She died.” Katie pulled away. “That’s what happened.” “Kiddo,” Tony began and Steve simply looked at him and shook his head slightly from side to side. Tony took a deep breath and watched as Katie walked over to the windows and looked out.

“Going over what happened won’t bring her back.” She shook her head.

“No but it might help.” Steve said.

“Help how?” She turned to face him, her eyes blazing “When has going over what’s already happened, what’s in the past, ever helped?”

Okay, so Steve knew that little dig wasn’t merely about Natasha. He took a deep breath, rationalising in his brain that she was merely angry and taking it out on him. And Steve understood he had to be the metaphorical punch bag.

“Clint.” Tony spoke quickly, sensing something wasn’t quite right between the two of them. He knew the look on his sister’s face well enough to know she was going to blow if he didn’t diffuse the situation, and right now Steve looked broken. This was the last thing the group needed. “It might help Clint to tell someone what happened.”

Katie cocked her head to one side as she looked at Tony before she shrugged and walked passed the two men to grab a hair tie from the dresser. Quickly pulling her damp hair into a braid she looked over her shoulder at the pair of them and nodded. “See you out there.” “What’s going on?” Tony asked as soon as she was out of ear shot.

“To be honest Tony, I’m not one hundred percent sure.” Steve sighed, heading out towards the living area, Tony following. “We saw Peggy at the base, then your dad. I think it was a little overwhelming maybe and now Nat.”

“You saw Peggy?” Tony frowned

“Yeah we had to duck into her office after that woman from the elevator was looking for us with security.”

“So you hid in her office?” Tony arched an eyebrow.

“I know what you’re thinking but I didn’t do it on purpose.” Steve shook his head as he sat on the sofa, reaching for his leather boots which he had kicked off the day before. “It was just the closest room and…”

“Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world.” Tony looked at Steve as he tied the laces of his right shoe.

“Did you seriously just quote ‘Casablanca’ at me?” Steve paused and looked up at his brother in law who shrugged. Steve shook his head, a small chuckle escaping his chest as he resumed the task of tying his laces. He exhaled loudly again and rest his hands on his knees. “I wish I understood what she was pissed at…I mean, yeah we saw Peggy but we didn’t speak to her.” “Did you do anything, or say anything?” Tony asked.

“Nothing, only that she looked good, you know, that it was nice to see her not ill.” Steve pondered “The stupid thing is Tony, there was nothing there when I looked at Peggy, nothing at all other than this overwhelming sense of serenity that she looked so, well, normal and how I remembered her, not some frail old lady in a bed.”

Tony looked at Steve for a moment before he shrugged. “Katie’s grieving, we all are. She’ll come round. Just don’t take anything she says to heart.”

“Easier said than done.” Steve mumbled as he stood up. With a deep breath he grabbed his jacket and made for the door, Tony clapping him between the shoulder blades as they walked.

******

“Then I guess we both know who it’s gotta be.” Clint swallowed, taking a deep breath. He was ready to do this, ready to sacrifice his life for the stone in line with what the keeper had said, a way to make up for what he had done over the past five years.

“I guess we do.” Natasha looked at him, smiling and Clint took a deep breath as he reached out to take her hand.

“I’m starting to think– we mean different people here, Natasha”

“For the last five years I’ve been trying to do one thing: Get to right here.” her voice dropped slightly as the tears shone in her eyes “That’s all it’s been about. Bringing everybody back”

“Oh, don’t you get all decent on me now.” He said, his own tears springing forth.

“What, you think I wanna do it?” She looked at him, “I’m trying to save your life, you idiot.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t want you to, because I– Natasha, you know what I’ve done.” he pleaded with her, how could he look his wife and kids in the face after the atrocities he had committed? “You know what I’ve become”

“I don’t judge people on their worst mistakes.”

“Maybe you should.”

“You didn’t.”

Clint let out a smile, his tears now falling softly “You’re a pain in my ass, you know that?”

He leant down slightly, pressing his forehead against hers and he took a deep breath.

“Okay. You win” he gave a sad smile, stepping back. And when he knew she’d taken her eye off the ball, truly believing he was letting her do this, with a quick swipe of the legs he knocked her over.

“Tell my family I love them.” He turned to go but she grabbed his arm, tackling him to the ground.

“You tell them yourself.” She smirked, shooting one of her stingers at him, leaving him writhing on the floor. He managed to shrug it off and grabbed his bow and arrow, shooting an explosive dart at her which knocked her to the side. He began to sprint, casting her a look and a smile as he jumped…

He was falling, and he closed his eyes. This was it.

Except it wasn’t. A pair of arms hooked round his waist and then his fall was stopped as Natasha’s line attached to him with a grappling hook, leaving him clutching her arm.

“Damn you!” Frustration laced Clint’s tone. He tried to reach Nat with his other hand, but the line started to give. And if both of them fell, then neither took the stone home.

“Let me go.” Natasha pleaded with him, her eyes soft. “It’s okay.” She assured him with a smile as be began to protest. There wasn’t an inch of fear on her face. In fact, quite the opposite, it was like she was wanting to do this.

“Please– no!” Clint tried again, but as he spoke Natasha kicked the wall and wrenched her arm out of his grip. Clint screamed after her, turning his head away unable to watch as she fell to her death. When he eventually did look back he saw her sprawled at the bottom, legs and arms bent in an unnatural way, crimson blood framing her head like a macabre halo…

Clint trailed off recalling what had happened as his voice cracked and he looked out over the river, falling silent, arms crossed. Katie sniffed from where she was sat beside Steve on one of the benches, his hand gently resting on her knee.

“Do we know if she had family?” Tony asked, looking around.

“Yeah.” Steve said fiercely as he looked up through his tears. “Us.”

“What?” Thor demanded, walking over to Tony.

“I just asked him a question–“ “Yeah, you’re acting like she’s dead.” Thor snapped “Why are we acting like she’s dead? We have the stones, right? As long as we have the stones, Cap, we can bring her back, isn’t that right?” Steve looked down at his feet and Thor growled slightly. “So stop this shit. We’re the Avengers, get it together.”

“We can’t get her back.” Clint shook his head, his voice quiet as Thor looked at him. “It can’t be undone. It can’t.”

Thor gave a dry laugh causing Katie to look up for the first time since she had sat down

“I’m sorry. No offense, but you’re a very earthly being, Okay?” Thor looked at Clint “We’re talking about space magic. And “can’t” seems very definitive don’t you think?”

“Yeah, look, I know that I’m way outside my paygrade here. But she still isn’t here, is she?”

“No, that’s my point-“ “It can't be undone. Or that’s at least what the red floating guy had to say.” Clint’s voice gathered pace and volume until he was shouting. “Maybe you wanna go talk to him, okay? Go grab your hammer, and you go fly and you talk to him!”

At that point Katie stood up and made her way to the archer as his head bowed in grief. She gently rubbed his arm as he turned to face her, tears trickling down his face.

“It was supposed to be me!” He looked at Katie, then to Steve and Tony. “She sacrificed her life for that goddamn stone. She bet her life on it.” At that point, in a burst of anger, Bruce ripped a bench from the edge of the jetty and hurled it straight across the water before he turned back to the group, his anger spent and a resigned look on his face.

“She’s not coming back. We have to make it worth it. We have to.”

Steve stood up, Bruce was right. They had to make her sacrifice count. “We will.”

Bruce sniffed and then looked at Tony. “I’m gonna go back to the lab, take another look at the gauntlet.” “I’ll come with you.” Thor nodded and the two men wandered off up the walkway. Katie watched them for a moment before she turned back to look at Clint.

“I think I’ll stay here for a bit.” He sniffed. She nodded and gave his shoulder a squeeze as Tony and Steve both walked towards him.

“You gonna be okay?” Steve asked, and he nodded.

“I just wanna be on my own for a bit, Cap.”

He patted the man on the back before the three of them headed up the walkway to the lawn area at the back of the building. Katie stopped and looked at Steve.

“I’m wanna take a drive up to the house, see the kids.”

“Yeah, me too.” He gave her a small smile as Tony looked at them both, nodding.

“We’ll all go.” ***** They told Emmy and Pepper first, hidden on the porch outside, away from the younger kids. Pepper had instantly welled up, gently wiping away her tears whereas Emmy’s face had crumpled and she’d turned to her father, as she sat on the seat next to him, pressing her face into his top as she sobbed. Steve felt utterly helpless, unable to do anything but comfort her. Eventually, she pulled away and accepted the tissue Tony offered her.

“It was her choice Emmy.” Katie’s voice was broken. “I know that doesn’t make it any easier to take or understand, Sweetheart.” “She,” Emmy took a deep breath, “she was a hero until the end, huh?” “She was.” Steve agreed, smoothing back her hair.

“I err,” Emmy stood up. “I think I’ll take Lucky for a walk round the lake.” “Good Idea.” Tony agreed “How about me, you, Pep and Morgan head down to feed Gerald. Leave your mom and Sad to speak to Jamie.” Emmy nodded. Tony walked round the little porch and opened the door, calling the younger kids out to them. Jamie frowned when he realised he wasn’t going on the walk, and positively scowled when his parents told him it was because they needed to speak to him.

“But I don’t wanna.” He protested as they took him back inside.

“Please, sweetie, it’s important.” Katie sighed. He looked at her with piercing blue eyes so like his fathers and gave a huff, sitting down beside her, folding his arms.

“Am I in trouble?” He asked, looking up. “I didn’t do it.”

“No, pal, you’re not in trouble.” Steve assured him, sitting at the other side of him. “We just have some news to tell you.” He glanced at Katie and she gave him a helpless look. How do you make a three year old understand this? Understand any of it? Jamie sat patiently waiting whilst Steve took a breath and turned to face his son in his seat, his knee pulling up onto the cushion slightly as he did so.

“You know how me and your mom have been working on a big job with your Uncle Nee and Auntie Nat-Nat?”

Jamie nodded.

“Well, there was an accident.” Steve paused, trying to compose himself as best he could. “And Auntie Nat-Nat…well she, she’s gone to heaven buddy.” “Heaven?” Jamie frowned “Like, in the sky? With the angels? And my nannies and grandpas?” Katie nodded. “Yeah, baby.” “So I can’t see her again?” His little voice was quiet as his face fell, and Katie felt a lump in her throat as she struggled to speak.

“I’m sorry, buddy.” Steve gently, reached out to stroke his son’s face. “I know you can’t see her but you’ll always have her in your memories when you think about all the fun things you did.” Jamie nodded. And looked around. “Okay.” He whispered as he took the information in. Steve and Katie looked at one another, they’d tried to be honest, explain as best they could with the simple facts but in a way he would understand the harsh reality that his Auntie was gone, and not coming back.

“You alright?” Steve asked as the boy stood up.

“I’m sad that I won’t see her again.” Jamie shrugged, looking down before he stood up and looked his father straight in the eyes “But Emmy says her first mommy and daddy are both in heaven and the sun shines there so Auntie Nat-Nat will be okay. And I will see her when I go.” He nodded firmly. “But that won’t be for a very long time.” “No.” Steve reached out to pull his son into a hug. “No, it won’t.” Jamie wrapped his arms around his dad’s neck as he gave him a hug back, before he turned to his mom and did the same. Katie pulled him close to her, dropping a kiss to his head as her tears once more began to fall.

And they were falling again when they headed back to the compound later that afternoon. Katie didn’t want to leave the kids behind, but there was work to do, and she knew they couldn’t be there when the stones were. It wasn’t safe. She remained silent for the drive home, both Tony and Steve glancing back at her on occasion, the men sharing significant looks as Steve drove the car back to the compound. He hadn’t even pulled to a stop when she was climbing out and striding towards the doors.

“Good luck.” Tony nodded towards her retreating back.

“Thanks.” Steve mumbled. He paused for a second, taking a deep breath of air before he headed after her. She wasn’t in their quarters, so a quick question to FRIDAY later he headed to the communal lounge, where she was stood behind the wet bar, pouring herself a large vodka.

“Want one?” She asked and he shook his head. “No? There’s some of that Asgardian shit here somewhere.” “Katie, I don’t want a drink. “Well I do so,” she knocked the vodka back and hissed slightly, “shit she’s right, that stuff is like paint stripper.”

She poured another one and Steve watched her knock it back before he walked round the back of the bar and gently took the bottle from her.

“Sweetheart, this isn’t going to help.” “Why are you getting off on telling me what to do all of a sudden?” she looked at him, snatching the bottle back. “You did it before at the base too!” “That’s not what I was doing.” Steve calmly shook his head. “I was trying to stop you being seen.” “Didn’t care about that when you dragged us into Peggy’s office.” Steve took a deep breath, sensing the impending argument, desperately seeking for the words to cut it off before it could start. “I dragged us in there to stop security finding us. And I didn’t know it was her office until you did.” “Course you didn’t.”

“I didn’t.” He sighed, his tone flat. He was completely and utterly worn out. And he didn’t have the energy to argue. He was done. So, instead, he turned to leave.

“Sure you were horrified when you got to see her.” Katie shot at his back and Steve took a deep breath.

He knew she was poking for an argument now and he wasn’t going to give her one. He turned to face her, shaking his head and shrugging a little. “I was glad when I saw her. Glad I got to see her looking so healthy instead of some frail old woman dying in a bed. And I make no apologies for being happy about that fact.”

Katie snorted and poured another drink into her glass.

“But if you’re asking me if I suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to run to her and declare my undying love then the answer is no.” Steve held her gaze. “I love you.”

Katie rolled her eyes as she shot her third vodka straight down, grimacing again as it burnt its way down her throat. It wasn’t having any effect on her yet, but she still had a dangerous desire to jab at her husband’s wound again. For no reason other than she was angry.

Angry at everything and everyone…

But Steve wasn’t rising to the bait. He was angry too, angry at her for behaving the way she was, angry that Natasha was gone, angry at this whole fucking situation, but he wasn’t giving her what she wanted. Not this time. He would deal with his anger alone later, in the way he always did

“We have kids, a home, we’ve built a whole goddamned life together over the past ten years, and I don’t want or need anything or anyone else, no matter what you choose to believe.” “Well if you change your mind, I snagged some extra particles from Pym. You could always go back, check out what you missed.” She shrugged, her eyes flashing as she watched his reaction. Steve grit his teeth together, the nerve in his jaw twitching but still when he spoke, his voice was level.

“I know you’re upset. You’re grieving. We all are.” Steve threw his arms out to his sides. “And if you wanna take it out on me then fine, but I’m not gonna stand here and start screaming and shouting at you.” His hands dropped back to his sides, slapping against his denim clad thighs. “I don’t have the energy. I’m hurting too. So is Clint, Bruce, Tony, Thor, you’re not the only one who loved Nat.”

Katie looked down at the empty glass, before she turned for the bottle of vodka and refilled it.

“I love you, I love our life, I love our kids.” Steve continued, his eyes locking onto hers when she finally looked back at him. “I don’t know what else I can do or say to prove that to you.” He took a deep breath. “If you still don’t believe me after I’ve spent ten years telling you that there’s never been anyone I’ve loved as much in my life, that you don’t trust me enough to believe me when I say that Peggy doesn’t even come close to you, what hope do we have?”

His last sentence hit her like a tonne of bricks and she swallowed as she looked at him, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Tell FRIDAY when you need me to carry you back to the apartment.” He nodded to the bottle in her hand, and with that he turned and left the room. Katie stood still, her tears began to fall and with an almighty scream she launched the glass she had been holding against the wall before she turned and left the room.

She walked for what felt like hours. Through the woods, down by the river, and eventually came to the little clearing, the place that her and Natasha had often come to hide from everyone when they wanted a break to either sit in the sun or just chill after a particularly hard mission. She was surprised to find Clint already there, leaning against a tree trunk.

“Didn’t know you knew about this place?” Katie looked at him.

“Nat brought me out here the other day.”

“Figures” Katie dropped down beside him. “She brought me here too, quite a bit actually.”

“Where’s Cap?” Clint asked. Katie shrugged, tugging at the grass on the floor, before throwing the strands she pulled from the ground into the air in front of her. “You two had a fight?”

“Kinda.” she sighed. “I said some pretty shitty things.” “Sure it’ll work out.” Clint said.

“Maybe.”

Clint turned to her “It can’t have been that bad, surely?” And then before she knew it, she’d told him everything. About the mission, about Peggy, about being angry for no real reason other than she felt a pang of jealousy over him smiling when he saw another woman back in the seventies, a woman who he had last seen frail and ill in a hospital bed. And then she was angry, angry at everything, at why Natasha had taken those fucking words, Steve’s words, ‘whatever it takes’ literally, and had given her life to bring people back.

“We don’t’ trade lives.” she sniffed, finishing rather pathetically as she wiped her eyes.

Clint sat in silence, sliding an arm round her shoulders. “She chose to do it Nova. I tried to stop her but…” “Her choosing doesn’t make it easier, Clint.” “Not for those of us left behind, no.” He agreed. “But she was at peace with her decision. And this isn’t Steve’s fault no matter what you think.” “I don’t think that.” Katie sighed “Not really.” “Good because that is almost as stupid as the other shit you’re thinking.” Clint looked at her “Steve loves you.”

“I know he does.” “Just listen to me.” the Archer looked at her sternly. “It’s always been obvious how much he loves you, and over the past few months I’ve also seen how much he loves your kids.”

Katie looked down at her hands as Clint continued.

“But the thing is, you love your kids because you have no choice. And by that I mean you just can’t help it. They’re part of you, but each other, well you choose that.” He paused as she looked up at him, his eyes flashed with a mix of upset and slight anger. “You need to get your head out your ass, Nova, and look around you. I lost my family five years ago. You gained yours, and you’re trying to do what exactly? Goad Steve into an argument about an ex-girlfriend or whatever from almost eighty years ago?” Clint shook his head “Stop being a dick.”

Katie knew he was right. She was being ridiculous, she’d known that the minute Steve had left her in the common room. She took a shaky breath, the tears pouring down her cheeks and the arm round her shoulders gave her a squeeze

“Nat would be so pissed at me right now.”

“Yep.” Clint breathed out, and Katie gave a soft watery laugh, as she lay her head on her friend’s shoulder, the two of them sitting in silence. *****

When neither Steve nor his Sister answered FRIDAY’s calls, Tony figured that something had happened so he’d gone in search of Steve first, knowing he’d be the most rational out of the two. FRIDAY told him he was down in the gym, and as he rounded the corner towards the training room, he could hear the sound of fists pummelling the punching bags. The door swung open and sure enough, the soldier was there, his arms moving at an astonishing rate, grey t-shirt stuck to his back with sweat as he hit the sand bag again and again and again.

“Cap?” He spoke a little tentatively, and Steve landed one final punch before he grimaced slightly, turning round, shaking out his hand. “Take it it didn’t go well then.” “You could say that.” Steve sighed, breathing heavily. “I left her in the common room with a bottle of vodka.” Tony frowned “Was that wise?” “Probably not.” Steve shrugged, feeling a pang of guilt before he took a deep breath, blooded hands falling to his hips. “But I don’t know what else to do Tony. She was just trying to goad me into an argument and, well, frankly, I couldn’t be bothered.” He slumped down onto one of the benches, running his hands through his sweaty hair.

“They say there are five stages to grief.” Tony mused, sitting down next to him. “Denial, anger, bargaining…” “…depression and acceptance, yeah.” Steve nodded.

“Well, you apparently go through them in order.” Tony looked at him. “But from personal experience, that’s a load of shit. When mom and dad died I just went off the rails. Oh, I accepted they were gone but, well the anger and depression continued for a very long time.”

Steve took a deep breath and looked at him.

“And I reckon it would have continued even longer had it not been for the fact that it became a very real threat that Kiddo would have been taken off me.” “I know she’s grieving, Tony, I really do but this whole thing about Peggy is ridiculous. You know what she said? That she’d stolen extra Pym particles and told me I could go back, see what I missed.” Steve snorted, shaking his head. “I mean does she actually seriously think that I’d even consider that?” “No.” Tony cut him off. “She doesn’t, not really. Look, today has been a head fuck for us all. She’s lashing out and wants a reaction. You’ve done the best thing by not giving her one and instead you’ve taken it out on a non-sentient item…” He nodded to the punching bag which was dripping sand to the floor.

Steve sighed and looked down at his split knuckles, flexing his fingers and wincing slightly. “Suppose I best go see if she’s drunk herself into oblivion yet.” He stood up “FRIDAY, where’s Katie?” “Mrs Rogers is back in the Living Quarters, Captain. Would you like me to call her?” “No, it’s okay, thanks.” He sniffed as Tony stood up. Steve gave him a gentle nod, before he left the training room, without another word.

Tony watched him go before he looked around at the three destroyed bags, sand scattered all over the floor, spotted with a few droplets of Steve’s blood from his knuckles. He sighed, his head hanging heavily for a moment before ran his hands over his heard.

“FRIDAY, get someone to clean this up.”

**** When Steve walked back in the apartment Katie stood up off the sofa and looked at him for a moment, an awkward silence hanging between them.

“Where’ve you been?” He asked, his voice even and soft.

“With Clint. Talking about stuff.”

Steve fully understood that ‘stuff’ would most likely have included as well as Natasha. He took a deep breath and gave her a curt nod. “I’m going for a shower.” “Okay.” She replied gently, almost nervously even. Steve gave her another passive look before he headed into the en-suite, turning the water on as hot as he could stand. He ached even more now than he had before, and he was beyond tired. He didn’t want to fight, not anymore. On the plus side, Katie wasn’t drunk, so that was something. He just hoped that whatever Clint had said to her had helped. He cleaned himself quickly before shutting off the water, drying himself down and emerging a few minutes later, dressed in a clean pair of sweats and a t-shirt. He found Katie in the kitchen, pulling a dish out of the oven.

“I assumed you’d want food. I made mac and cheese. Call it a peace offering?” She looked at him, her eyes watering a little.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know.” She sniffed, and Steve saw her bottom lip beginning to quiver again. “Stevie, I’m so sorry, I…” With a sigh he reached out to her and pulled her to him and she went willingly, melting into his arms. “I love you, and I shouldn’t have taken stuff out on you, I’m sorry, I really am…” she rambled into his chest as he held her close.

“I know.” He pressed a kiss to her head. “But, honey, I’m tired of trying to make you understand. I love you. I don’t want or need anyone else.” “I know, I was just, well, I just saw that photo on her desk and…”

“It was just a photo.” “Yeah but that’s it, it’s not just a photo.” She protested between her sobs. “I have that exact photo in my office too, because it’s you and,” she took a deep breath, “I never knew you before the serum but I wish I did because it’s who you are. Not Captain America but Steve Rogers. My Steve.”

“Oh, baby.” Steve pulled away and took her face in his hands. “I’ll always be yours.”

She gave a watery smile and slid her hands over his as his thumbs gently wiped away her tears, and then she frowned as she felt his knuckles. She gently pulled his hands down to look at them before she glanced up at him, fresh tears in his eyes as the memory of the last time he’d beaten his hands to a pulp on the punch-bag flashed across her mind, the time he’d been grieving for their lost friends and their baby.

“You haven’t done this since…” “I know.” “Stevie.” Her face crumpled again at the thought of what she had pushed him to and he shook his head, his hands falling to her hips.

“Look at me.” He instructed, and she raised her gaze to his. “I heal fast, you know this.” She spluttered a laugh and he smiled. “But I really am fucking hungry, so how about we eat and then curl up in bed and tomorrow we face head on together?”

She nodded. He dropped a kiss to the top of her head and she turned away to dish up their food.

They ate in silence, but it was comfortable and when they’d finished they both cleared away the dishes before heading into the bedroom. Katie retreated somewhere for a moment, coming back with the first aid kit which she used to gently clean his split knuckles. There was no need, they weren’t as bad as they could be, but she wanted to care for him, and Steve wasn’t about to deny her the opportunity. Then came the arnica, which he really did want as his upper body was absolutely wrecked.

She gently grasped at the bottom of his T-shirt and pulled it over his head before he shifted so he was lead on his front, with a groan befitting of all his hundred and five years. Katie moved so that she was straddling him from behind, her soft hands gently rubbing over his broad back.

“I would offer you a massage. But I think it would hurt.” “Yeah it would so thanks but no thanks” Steve mumbled into his pillow and she gave a soft laugh

“Maybe tomorrow?”

He nodded as her hands slid up to his shoulder, gently working there before she patted him softly on the ass.

“Turn over.” With a heave he did as he was told, eyes closed as she gently swept over his bruises to his ribs and torso, before her thumb skated over the one on his left cheek. Her thumb was replaced by her lips, which flickered down his jaw, his neck, over his Adam’s apple and back up to his mouth. With a soft sigh he accepted her kiss which was soft and she pulled back, nibbling on his bottom lip before she pressed her forehead to his.

“I love you.” She whispered softly, and he opened his eyes and nudged her nose gently with his. “I’m sorry.”

“I know, and I love you too.” His eyes locked onto hers. “So goddamned much it hurts at times.” “Just at times?” She teased and he rolled his eyes, causing her to giggle a little. He reached up and brushed her hair behind her ears.

“Until the end of the line.”

She looked at him, her eyes full of warmth before she leaned down and kissed him again, this time with urgency. He hungrily kissed her back, his hand in her hair as he pulled her to him, before he rolled them over, ignoring the aches to his body. Nudging her head back with his nose on her jaw he gently kissed up her neck, nipping at the spot underneath her ear, listening to the soft sigh she made before she moved and pulled his mouth back to hers, her hand tangling in the hair at the back of his head. He grasped her T-shirt and broke the kiss to pull it over her head before their lips locked again, his hands gently squeezing her hips as she shimmied under him with a soft whimper. A few deftly undone buttons later and the pair of them were naked, soft kisses and teasing touches being shared, but no words.

They didn’t need any.

Steve laced his fingers into hers, gently holding her hands above her head as he slid home, causing her to gasp and drop her head back. His movements were slow, deliberate, his hips hardly moving as he rocked into her, stroking her spot again and again. She arched her back, her head dropping further onto the pillow, and his lips kissed every inch of her neck he could find before he sucked and nipped his way across her collarbone whilst she keened underneath him, hiking her legs around his waist, locking her ankles behind him to keep him close to her. His movements grew deeper, but never faster, there was no urgency to any of this. It was love, it was about being close, the connection, making one another forget the shitty events of the day. Steve wanted his wife to understand what he felt and in turn she wanted him to realise she knew. She knew he loved her, and she loved him.

She came with a soft cry of his name, her orgasm creeping up on her. It wasn’t a sudden explosion, more a long drawn out burn but no less intense. Her back arched and she pulsed around him, drawing a deep rumble from Steve’s throat as she did, and his lips caught hers with slightly more urgency as his hips picked up their pace, thrusting deeply whilst she clamped around him, hot and tight. It wasn’t long before he found his own release and with a low keen of her name his rhythm stuttered, eventually slowing to a stop and he let go of her hands, breathing heavily, as he gently cupped her face and kissed her deeply.

Still without a word, her hands tangled in his hair, nails scratching his scalp and he gave a soft sigh, closing his eyes as he relished her touch. Sliding his nose up against hers he gave her a gentle smile before he rolled over, pulling her with him. Her head found its favourite spot on his chest, and her hand gently tangled in the dark hair besides her cheek.

“I’m gonna miss her.” She whispered a moment or so later. “So much.”

“I know, Doll.” he sighed, pulling her closer, pressing a kiss to her head. “We all are.” Katie didn’t speak again. It wasn’t long before her breathing grew even and Steve knew she was asleep. He could feel himself slipping under, and right before he lost consciousness, for some reason Katie’s voice came back to him, her angry jibe filling his head.

“You can always go back, check out what you missed.”

Steve realised there was a slight irony to her words, as roughly eleven years ago he would have jumped at the chance. But not now.

Not now…

Chapter 56

#stark spangled banner #steve rogers #steve rogers fanfiction #Katie Stark #steve rogers x ofc #steve rogers x original female character #mcu #mcu fanfic #mcu fanfiction #chris evans #chris evans characters

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elylandon · 4 years

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Part 1 - Chapter 16.1: Camping and Scars

Summary: You’re running for your life when you cross paths with an ex-bounty hunter and his small, green companion. You never thought you’d find someone throughout the whole galaxy who was as lost as you.

Pairing: The Mandalorian/Din Djarin x Female Reader

Word Count: 6,085

Rating/Warnings: M for mature content. Swearing, smut, unbelievable softness.

Chapter 16 | Chapter 16.2

Note: (Slight AU) And we’re back!! I hope you all enjoyed the start of the new season! I can’t wait to start Part 2 of this story, but I figured while I wait a few weeks to outline my plans with the events of season 2, I’ll drop a couple epilogue chapters to get us caught up with what Din and Reader have been up to! I really hope you guys enjoy this addition, and thanks for still supporting this story! 💜🤍

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Three months. It had been a little over three months since Nevarro. And in that time, Din quickly realized that he had no idea how to take a proper vacation. When he’d suggested taking a break, you said that you would follow him. But in the end, he wound up following you.

Every place the three of you visited in that time had been a suggestion on your part. Suggestions of things you’d wanted to do on Earth growing up, while Din interpreted those things and found what he knew to be similar. Grand waterfalls, deep canyons, towering cities, sporting events, pod races, museums, libraries, menageries- the works. It was as if you saw the many wonders of the galaxy on a platter and you wanted to sample all of them.

But as the two of you agreed, this break would have to come to an end soon. Your birthday happened to be two weeks away, so you had a couple more ideas as a sort of celebration before getting back to reality, and finally setting out on Din’s quest with the child, and your quest to find Zekir.

Your first idea was recreational camping.

“Camping for… fun?” Din had asked, bemused. The way he was raised with the Mandalorians, camping was for survival, and nothing more. He tried to imagine the drills he’d been put through to survive several days on his own, only using the resources around him, as fun.

“Yes! It was something my parents liked to do every summer. We’d go to the same campsite every time, a forest on a mountain, and set up our camp next to a river. My dad would fish while my mom and I would hunt for crawdads and trap chipmunks. We’d cook our meals over a campfire and find constellations at night. It was probably one of my favorite things we did as a family.”

Din didn’t think he could say no to you after hearing that, even if he wanted to. There was a light in your eyes as you told him about it. Excitement, and longing for something you’d cherished in your past. He could understand that, the desire to relive something from a time when you were so happy, so carefree about the dangers of the galaxy.

So he agreed, and the two of you made plans. First, preparation.

Din escorted you to his usual trading spot and set you loose. It was like that first time the two of you had been there, all those months ago, where you followed him to each stall as he knew exactly where to go and who to talk to in order to pawn off all the things you’d looted from Thasar’s ships. This time, though, it was him following after you, watching you haggle for things he’d never seen a necessity for, but were apparently crucial to recreational camping.

You were a fast learner. He’d been teaching you other popular languages spoken throughout the galaxy, and you were using a lot of those new skills now, speaking as if you had been fluent in these languages your whole life. With each passing day, it made more and more sense how you’d learned so quickly under Zekir’s teachings and Thasar’s tutors. Despite that, though, it also became painfully apparent the absolute waste of your potential over the last decade while you were isolated to Thasar’s whims. Din could tell you regretted that lost time, that lost education. But you didn’t waste it now.

You were almost as much of an expert on the Razor Crest as he was. You were well versed in his armor too, in case you ever found yourself in a situation where he was incapacitated and you could benefit from having access to something like the Whistling Birds. You’d improved on your marksmanship and your close combat fighting, with and without weaponry. You’d also become partial to using an ornate dagger you’d spotted on your travels, sheathing in your boot, just in case you lost the use of your blaster holstered against your thigh.

All of this was to say that, taking a break for Din meant helping you grow, watching you take advantage of your freedom, and enjoying your whims, because he didn’t really have any. Of course, you also encouraged him to enjoy things that he might have missed out on at certain points in his life, just as you were doing. However, he wasn’t really sure what he’d missed, until he was doing it with you.

Once you were done shopping, you finished prepping by packing the newly acquired camping equipment into bins down in the hull. While you did that, Din took on the task of finding a place to camp. He remembered how you had explained your camping trips from your childhood. A river in a forest on a mountain. A place that made you think of home, of Earth.

He knew the perfect place.

Before long, Din was dropping into the atmosphere of a lush, green planet. Feeling the descent, you came up to join him in the cockpit and looked around, eyes glowing, mesmerized.

“It looks… just like I remember it. I mean, I know it’s not Earth, but it looks the same.”

“I had a job here once. This planet has a large caving system. I had to walk in circles down there for three days before I finally found the guy. Once I got topside again, I thought I wouldn’t mind coming back to a place like this. If I had to walk away from the Creed, or got too old and slow for the job, this was the kind of place I’d want to retire to.”

“You’re a cabin in the woods kind of guy, huh?” you teased. He only shrugged.

Din quickly found a small clearing to land in, and you eagerly waited at the back ramp as it slowly lowered. As soon as it touched the ground, you took off into the trees, the child happily bouncing against your hip in his satchel. You followed the sound of streaming water. After a hundred or so yards, you came up to a slow moving river. Just before the bank was a small circle of clear forest floor, big enough for both a campfire and a tent. And off to the right of that was a large outcropping of rock, forming a short cliff and overhang, below it a small pool branching off of the river.

You turned as Din came up behind you, having found your trail and followed you through the trees. You beamed up at him.

“This is the perfect spot.”

You proceed to set up camp. Din moved the camping bins from the Crest to the campsite while you and the child started pitching the tent. Once that was done, you went around gathering rocks, creating a circle away from the tent to form a firepit. Then you collected firewood. Din eventually joined you, unwittingly volunteering to be the firewood carrier as you and the child slowly added to the load in his arms.

You let the child play in the empty tent while you unloaded the equipment from the bins. One was stuffed with blankets and pillows, and you used them to create a huge nest in the tent. You followed that by tossing your pack to one side and Din’s to the other, then tucked a lantern into one of the corners closer to the opening, and finished prepping the tent for basic hibernation.

Once the camp was put together, the three of you spent the rest of the day doing the activities you remembered doing with your parents. Din fished, but with a handmade spear instead of a fishing pole like you remembered your dad using. He stationed himself in the river, only out far enough for the water to run around his calves. He’d rolled his pants up, and stashed his armor away in the tent. The only thing remaining of the “Mandalorian” was his helmet. But even while he was now more flesh than beskar, he still had a way of keeping himself absolutely still as he waited for his quarry to be daring enough to swim within his reach.

As he did that, you and the child played in the pool. Or rather, you collected some more rocks and formed a small circle in the most shallow part of the pool, just a few feet off the bank, and he splashed around in that while you swam. At one point, he’d used his powers to push the water, splashing at you. You gasped in mock betrayal and swore vengeance. Several minutes later, Din came over, a basket of fish in hand, only to find you two soaking wet and a mess of giggles.

As it started to cool down in the late afternoon, you and child migrated away from the river and into the trees. You set up small traps for rodents on the forest floor, laying out a few tiny boxes, and propping one of their sides up with sticks. You both hunkered down behind some brush and waited, watching for little critters to come and snatch the bait you’d left under each box. After cleaning the fish for dinner, Din joined you, shaking his head as you and the child took turns using your power to knock out the sticks from under the boxes, so that they would fall over your unsuspecting prey. Of course, you’d let them go as soon as you caught them, and the poor rodents would dash away as soon as they were free. But they kept returning, as if the circumstances of their potential capture had changed. Needless to say, it created a couple hours of harmless entertainment.

As night fell, the three of you roasted Din’s catch over a roaring fire and feasted. Afterwards, bellies full, you all laid out beside the fire, relaxed and content after the busy day. Din pointed out several constellations as the stars started popping up in the night sky, remembering what you had told him about your parents doing the same. And it wasn’t long after that the child fell asleep against your chest to the sound of Din’s low, modulated voice.

As much as you loved this kid, there were times when you were eager for him to fall asleep, and hopefully a deep sleep at that. Between the child, the armor, and the exact parameters required for such an occasion, intimate moments with Din were hard to come by. You loved spending time where the three of you were together, but you also relished the moments you could spend alone with Din.

Said man went to grab some more firewood while you made your way up the short hill to the Razor Crest. Over the last few months, you’d managed to jury-rig a connection between the Crest’s intercom system and a long range coms device. Voila! Instant baby monitor. You snatched it up from it’s charging port on the supply shelf and tucked the child in on Din’s cot. He’d be a lot warmer on the ship, and if he woke in the night, you’d hear him.

When you made it back to the fire you found Din kneeling in front of it, stoking the wood to keep it burning. You dropped down beside him, savoring the toasty warmth of the flames with a sigh. You criss-crossed your legs, your knee brushing against Din’s calf, and glanced around the camp.

At first, your eyes went to the tent, and you contemplated how many more seconds you would last before you started dragging Din into it behind you. A wry smile played at your lips, but then your brain threw up another idea.

Slowly, your gaze swung towards the pool you and the child were playing in earlier that day.

“Now what are you scheming,” Din asked, noticing the look on your face.

You tossed him a mischievous smile.

“I think I want to go skinny-dipping.”

Din was still and silent for a full thirty seconds as he assessed you. Then he shifted in an almost resigned fashion.

“What is that?” he asked, tone suggesting that he wasn’t sure he really wanted to know.

Your grin became devilish and you stood. As you turned away from him, you tugged the hem of your shirt-- his shirt, the one he had given you the first day you’d met him-- out of your trousers, then over your head. You were already a few steps away, tossing your shirt aside when Din processed your actions enough to jump up and follow after you.

“Y/N,” he called, a question in his voice, confused. You bit the inside of your cheek to keep from giggling, then shed the band covering your chest.

The closer you got to the pool, the more clothing you lost, leaving a trail for Din to follow. He was still puzzled by your actions, the sound of your name becoming more and more clipped as that legendary patience of his frayed. You glanced back at him once, and saw that he was picking up after you, your clothes and boots a bundle in his arms. Grinning so much that your cheeks hurt, you finally reached the bank of the river and the edge of the rocky cliff face that formed an overlook above the pool.

While you were swimming with the child earlier, you’d checked the depth of the water, wondering if it would be safe for cliff jumping. The cliff itself wasn’t too high. In fact, you could compare it to jumping off the high dive at a public pool back home. And the pool was deep. Not deep enough for diving, but jumping in would be fine.

You started to climb, and that sharpened Din’s tone.

“Y/N, what the hell are you-”

You ignored him, scrambling up to the top of the cliff rather quickly. Yes, it was exactly like the high dive. Looking up at it from down below, it didn’t seem like such a big deal. But being up there, knowing what you were about to do…

Don’t think, just do it.

You stripped off the last piece of your clothing, tossing your panties down for Din to add to the pile of your clothing. You knew his gaze was incredulous and reproachful as you met it, but you winked at him anyway, then shot forward, and jumped.

As much as this reckless decision was to mess with Din-- give him a little strip tease and then a heart attack as you jumped off a cliff-- it was about you too. Earlier that day, you’d looked at the rocks and thought that it would be crazy, and adventurous, and fun to jump from them, naked, into a wild pool at night. You wanted to do it. You could do it.

So you did.

That quick fall, the feeling of your heart dropping into your stomach, a gleeful shout bubbling up from your throat- this was freedom. No shitty foster family. No Thasar. No Zekir. Just you, and the freedom to do whatever the hell you wanted, even something as crazy as this.

You hit the water, and that feeling propelled you forward, swimming out a few more feet just to feel nothing but calm, silent water around you. No pressure. No anxiety. Just serenity, and lightheartedness.

When you broke the surface, you were laughing. Laughing so hard, so unreserved that you almost took in a mouthful of water. Through your peels of laughter you shouted, “Fuck! It’s freezing!” as the cold finally started to penetrate your bliss.

You pushed your hair from your face, treading the water, and turned back to the shore. Din was standing there, arms full of your clothes, body language suggesting he was so done with your antics. Not in a serious way, but in a I-can’t-believe-you-just-did-that-and-yet-I’m-not-even-surprised kind of way.

“You’re a madwoman,” he muttered, then louder he said, “Get out of there before you freeze to death.”

“No way,” you called over, shaking your head. “Now it’s your turn.”

Again, Din was comically still for half a minute.

“No.”

You snorted a laugh at his very Din-like answer. So deadpan. So serious.

“Well then I’m just gonna hang out here.”

“Y/N.”

“I’m not leaving until you join me.”

“You’re going to freeze.”

“I guess you’ll just have to live with the consequences of your actions.”

“My actions-” Din cut himself off, realizing that you were poking at him and he was biting. He turned away, like he was going to start walking back to camp.

“I’m s-starting to turn as b-blue as a Mythrol out here,” you stammered as your teeth started chattering. He just shook his head, so you sighed and tried a more serious tone.

“Din, you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. But trust me, all you have to do is let go. Let it all go and just… be free. Just for this moment.”

Another pause, and then Din sighed. Not his heavy, impatient sigh. Just a slightly resigned one. Then, he dropped your clothes on the bank, and reached down to tug off his boots. You continued to tread in the water, elated at the thought that he was about to jump into the pool with you, but also pleased to take advantage of your own little strip show.

Din pulled his thick shirt over his helmeted head. While it was still dark as hell out here, the moon gave you just enough light to see more of Din than you ever had before. You never would have imagined how beautiful his skin was. For a warrior, you pictured… well you weren't at all sure what you pictured. All you knew was the feel of him. Seeing him now, it was no wonder why he always felt so warm, despite appearing cold in all that armor.

His skin was a tawny color, his chest smooth, inviting. The armor made him appear bigger, but there was nothing lacking in his toned arms, broad shoulders, and thick neck. You were too far away, and it was too dark to see them, but you knew there were scars peppering his skin too, like yours. You’d felt a few of them before, while exploring his skin. But considering how you felt about your own scars, you never asked him about his.

As Din reached for the waistband of his pants, he glanced up and noticed you watching. He cocked his head to the side, disapproving.

“You’ll still have to turn around, Y/N.”

“Oh, I know. But you’ve only ever expressed that your Creed forbids you from showing your face. You’ve never said anything about the rest of you. I think I’d like to enjoy the show as long as I can.”

As if just to spite you, Din reached for his helmet first, not his pants.

You scoffed, turning around. “Spoil sport.”

You heard the rustling of him removing the rest of his clothes, and setting them in a pile on the ground, most likely next to your own. You stared up at the sky, listening to Din’s slight, unmodulated grunting as he pulled himself up onto the rock. After a few more seconds, you wondered if he’d need some more coaxing, but as you opened your mouth, a raucous splashing erupted behind you. The waves he created rippled around you, and you sighed in slight disappointment. You didn’t often find yourself wishing you could see more of Din than usual. But in that moment, you kind of did. You would have liked to watch him make the jump.

Alas, you kept your back to him as he surfaced, laughing some more as he released his own string of curses about the chill of the water.

“Amazing right?” you called back to him. He muttered under his breath as he moved closer to you, stubbornly avoiding agreeing with you about how incredible it felt to jump off the cliff.

You glanced over towards the adjacent river. “Maybe now we should try floating the river. It doesn’t look too fast.”

“No. No- Y/N!” Din caught up your bicep as you teasingly floated in that direction, pulling you back to the shore. You laughed again, just as carefree as before.

“Kidding! I was totally kidding.”

“Alright. You’ve had your fun. You even got me in the water. Time to get back to land and warm up.”

“I know a few ways you can warm me up without getting out of the water.”

Ew, did I really just say that? You’d always hated it when men said slimy things like that to you in the past.

“I know a few things you can do with that mouth.”

You shuddered, and opened your mouth to backpedal that statement. But what came out insead was a small yelp as Din yanked you back, spinning you as he did so. You squeezed your eyes shut, as he must have known you would have to keep from seeing him, and then-

And then his lips were on yours. Cold, but soft, unwavering. You sighed, immediately wrapping your arms around his shoulders, pulling yourself closer, seeking his warmth.

It was totally a ploy. You could tell that as he tried to discreetly move you back towards the bank, kissing you as a distraction. But you were both very naked, and you had a few distractions of your own.

Din liked to be touched. Correction. Din liked to be touched by you. You slid one hand up along the back of his neck, fingers threading through his curls. Your other hand traced over his shoulder and down his arm. Those arms were wrapped around you, his hands splayed against your lower back, never going any higher than that. As you moved against him, your breasts brushing against his chest, his fingers flexed, and he drew your hips closer, almost involuntarily, like he momentarily lost focus.

He hummed softly against your lips.

I know what you’re doing, he seemed to say.

Your retort was the tightening of your fingers in his hair. Is it working?

The brush of sand and smooth rocks against your toes said not quite. He was determined to get you out of the water, and had managed to push you back enough to be swallowed up by the cliff's shadow, solid ground teasing you, just an inch or so out of reach.

Alright, time for some more drastic measures.

Your next kiss came a little harder, tongue flicking out to tease his, to taste him. Your fingers against his arm crept down along his side, then ghosted over his stomach, lower, and lower, until-

Din’s teeth caught your bottom lip, nipping you sharply as he flinched back, hissing. You stroked the length of him once again and he seemed to hold his breath in response, anticipating, already growing hard despite the frigid temperature. When you wrapped your fingers around him completely, he breathed out a soft curse, the word not one of the basic language.

Mando’a, you’d come to find out over the last few months. When he swore or muttered under his breath in a different language, he was speaking Mando’a. He’d taught you a few words, but he’d also been teaching you many other languages, so sometimes you had to pick through the different files in your brain to decipher what he was saying.

Back to the matter at hand-- so to speak-- you brushed your lips against his strained neck as he tried and failed to regain his focus, and slowly, oh-so-painfully slow, you slid your grip over him. Long, steady strokes that made his fingers dig deeper into the skin at your waist, restraining with all his might from bucking his hips against your hand.

The thing about Din was that he was such a deliberate, controlled man. Every move he made was calculated, every reaction thought out. He didn’t rush things, or at least didn’t like to. When he lost control of a situation, he’d try to think five steps ahead, and if he couldn’t, he would at least execute his next step as efficiently as possible and move from there. It was how he overcame fighters or adversaries that were better than him, and how he kept a level head in tense situations.

So attempting to undo this man was a battle. One you’d been winning more and more over the last few months. And when you did win, when Din finally snapped and let go of all that control-- like jumping off a cliff with you-- that victory was so delicious, so intoxicating-

Just thinking about it sent a burning jolt of desire through you, and you squeezed him, just a little bit tighter, the rhythm of your strokes wavering, just slightly, and that did it. That unraveled him.

He growled, and his fingers dug so hard into your hips that you gasped. His superior height must have given him the extra length needed for steady footing on the sandy floor, for he straightened, hoisting you up without more than a slight grunt of effort. You wrapped your legs around him in response. No teetering or sinking, except he did move forward. You hadn’t realized how close you’d been to the cliff face until your back was brushing against it, rough, but not enough to cause any real pain. Din supported you with a hand gripping the back of your thigh, and the other positioned on the rock behind you.

He kissed you again, hard, lips bruising. You returned it in kind, thighs squeezing his sides, hands on either side of his face, sighing, and gasping- and then moaning as he pushed into you. You were taken aback by how rough it was, the water tricking you into thinking it would have been smoother, easier. But it was the opposite, and you threw your head back, crying out as he thrust into you again.

Oh gods!

Din groaned, dropping his forehead against your collar bone as he moved against you. Water sloshed with each thrust, but it was no longer cold. Nothing was cold. This- this was wildfire, and hard, and blinding. Din wasn’t even sure he remembered where he was, just that he was with you, and that every inch of his skin that was touching yours was coursing with electricity, his senses in overdrive.

You brushed your fingers against his cheek, and he lifted his face to meet your lips once again. In that kiss he felt the desire to be closer, push deeper. He slid his hand over your thigh, tracing the skin down to your knee, then hooked his arm under your leg, giving him a slightly different angle, allowing him to drive further into you. You whimpered into his mouth, your fingers digging into his shoulders, clinging to him as if he was your lifeline. It wasn’t long before you were trembling beneath him, your walls constricting around him so tightly that he saw stars. Your climax came on a broken gasp, and Din helped you ride that as long as possible. And then all it took for him was your hand, laid tenderly against his cheek, your forehead against his, your noses brushing as you breathed his name, the sound so quiet, it was almost carried away by the river.

The two of you hung there, as if suspended in a brief pause of time as the euphoria faded into something softer. Din kissed you again, his movements slow and tender. You tried to smoothly extricate yourself from him, and when he didn’t have to support you anymore, his hands moved up to cup either side of your face, savoring the sweetly lethargic kiss.

Seemingly every time, why was it the sound of his name one your lips that did it, that pushed him over the edge? You somehow always managed to put so much in just that one syllable, it was maddening. You said his name like it meant something, like you cherished it, like a prayer, and that would forever be his undoing.

And then the cold started to seep in.

“Will you get out of the water now?” Din asked.

You scoffed.

“You did not just do that to get me out of the water.”

When he merely shrugged, you swatted his arm and turned towards the bank, eyes opening now to navigate your way.

“If that was the play, all you had to say was that we’d do it in the tent.”

“Who’s saying that we won’t still?”

You quickly scrambled out of the pool and Din laughed. You closed your eyes and turned, waiting for him and smiling at the sound.

“Here,” Din said as he caught up to you. Your clothes found their way into your arms, and you were sure Din was grabbing his own as he said, “Lead, so you can see where you’re going. I’ll follow.”

You did as you were told. You turning your back to him, as you had done earlier while stripping and making your way to the pool, was a testament to how far the two of you had come together. Six months ago, you would have argued, falling back to be the follower. For one thing, you hadn’t trusted him yet, and for another, you used to go out of your way to hide your scars from him.

However, as the two of you grew closer, you slowly got used to it; letting him see that part of you, just as he was getting used to being around you without his armor. Din saw those scars now, your back a maze of them. They criss-crossed over each other in a mess of ruined flesh. Lashings. He knew they’d come from lashings. He’d almost witnessed new ones about to be made the day you’d finally killed your tormentor. Having initially seen your scars that day as Meck and Gurn ripped your shirt open, watching Rhet prepare to add to them, hearing the words Thasar used to crush you, and seeing the absolute emptiness in your eyes, he’d been only a breath away from vaporizing every last one of them.

Din tucked his clothes under one arm, then caught you around the middle with the other. He bent down, and kissed one of the bigger scars, starting just at the base of your neck. You jumped, gasping in surprise, more from the gesture than the touch of his lips on your back. But you didn’t tense. Another landmark, to show just how far you’d come.

“Sorry,” Din murmured, stepping back. “Couldn’t resist.”

You hovered there for a moment, dazed, unable to put to words what that had just felt like. When Din gave your hip a gentle push, you scampered forward, back towards the camp.

Still slightly disoriented, you muttered the only thing that your brain could register, and that was, “Cold, cold, cold, cold, cold.” You quickly stepped up to the fire that was barely smoldering now and said, “Fire?”

“Tent.”

“R-right. Tent.”

You unzipped the flap and clambered inside the nearly pitch black tent. Din followed as you scuttled over to your pack, dropping your clothes and digging through it to find a towel. Din did the same on his side, turning on the lamp as he did so.

“Careful,” he said, referring to the light in case you happened to turn in his direction. You hummed an affirmation and quickly dried yourself, shivering as the cold sank into your skin. After a moment, another towel landed on your head, covering your eyes.

“Come here,” Din sighed, though his tone hinted at a smile on his lips. You turned towards him, repressing shudders as he worked the towel through your hair. You couldn’t quite manage to silence your chattering teeth, though.

“That’s what you get for jumping into a river at night.”

“It was so worth it,” you countered, smirking. You could just imagine him shaking his head, but really, his eyes were skimming over your still naked form as he thought, Okay, it was a little worth it.

When Din finished drying your hair as best he could, he reached for the lamp, extinguishing it. You were both still so cold, so you quickly burrowed into the nest of blankets. You blindly searched until you found Din’s hand, and he pulled you close, tucking your head under his chin as you buried your cold nose against his neck. He shuddered, arms wrapping around you, legs tangling with yours.

You grew drowsy as you started to warm up, and you were just starting to doze when you felt Din’s thumb slowly glide up and down your right arm, tracing the scar there. The one Xi’an had given you. As if he could sense your attention on it, he stopped.

“Is this alright?” he asked, relaying an unspoken question. You understood his sudden hesitation and nodded.

“It’s fine. It’s not as bad as the other ones.”

You thought back to before, though, when he’d kissed one of those other scars, and you hadn’t arched away from his touch. You wondered why he’d done that, and why you sort of wished he’d do it again.

“Xi’an got me too, one time,” Din said quietly.

“What?” you blanched, almost jumping up to look at him.

His fingers trailed back up your arm, running along the scar, before reaching your hand, cupping the back of it in his. Slowly, he dragged your right hand over to the skin between his shoulder and collar, and your fingers ghosted over a small section of puckered skin.

“One of her knives found this spot here, right where my chestplate ends.”

You were silent, letting him tell you the story of his scar. Though, the thought of Xi’an and one of her knives being that close to his heart sent your insides roiling, that familiar rage bubbling up. Sensing the change in you, Din pushed on, this time guiding your hand up to his chin.

“This was pre-helmet. Took a pretty bad hit during training and landed on my face. Split my chin open and broke my nose.”

You’d guessed that his nose had been broken at one point in his life. Considering this, while you’d always respected his Creed, you found that you were actually feeling grateful for his ever present helmet now, especially considering how many hits you’ve seen him take in the last six months alone.

Din continued to guide your hand, taking you on a tour of his scars, and there was something just so intimate about it. So vulnerable.

I know your scars make you feel exposed, a physical reminder of the pain they had all caused you, inside and out. So let me show you mine.

There were a few on his arms, one on his collar bone, and a couple from narrow misses around his abdomen. When he slid your hand over one on his left side, your fingers grazing over what must have once been a large gash just under his pectoral, you sucked in a breath with a strange mixture of excitement and trepidation.

“I have one there too.” This time, you took his hand, and led him to your left side, letting him feel the raised skin just below your breast. He carefully traced the length of it, finding that it wrapped around your side, blending into the scars on your back.

When Din paused, not wanting to push you, you whispered, “It’s okay.”

However, he didn’t continue along your back, but simply brought his thumb back along the scar on your side. After a measured pause, he gently pushed you back into the nest of blankets, then lowered his head, and pressed his lips against the scar.

Your heart skipped and your exhale was a shuddering sigh as you watched, unable to see more than the outline of Din’s curly hair. He kissed it again, this time brushing his knuckles along the side of your breast. You didn’t dare speak as he finished, his lips trailing upward along the hill of sensitive skin before catching your taut nipple between his teeth.

This time, it was your turn to snap. You shoved against him, rolling. Din chuckled as you crawled on top of him, but the sound died away as you leaned down and kissed him. And then, you took your time kissing his scars.

---

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#the mandalorian #the mandalorian x reader #din djarin #din djarin x reader #the mandalorian x y/n #din djarin x female reader #the mandalorian x female reader #din djarin x y/n #baby yoda

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hoe-for-yukhei · 4 years

Text

SUICIDE MISSION

captain yuta - lieutenant reader

kinda long drabble

au: attack on titan, comrades

warnings: character death, self harm, expletive, blood, violence, [unedited and badly written]

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!!” Gisselle cries as she landed on the top of one of the roofs where you’re standing. She’s sobbing horribly and traumatized. “GISELLE! WHAT HAPPENED?! LOOK AT ME!” Gisselle are one of the newly recruits of scout regiments. The 6 of them Shotaro, Ningning, Winter, Karina, Sungchan we’re very skilled and has potentials but you have to be emotionally strong too. “L-lieutenant we we’re on near the river and the number of titans were slimming down but then...but then they started falling from the sky! and W-winter and Sungchan we’re-” Gisselle can’t finished her sentence. she just cried and cried. can’t accept the fact that her dear friends became titan food on their first mission. “L-lieutenant... your brother... Mark’s is still unconscious, still healing but the armored titan got him.” In your 4 years of service of being a Scout you learned many things, and one of them are ‘people like you don’t deserve to grieve’. you took a deep breath and kept the stoic face you always have. How dare that fool step in your work?! The overwhelming anger in you starts to intensifies and your mind went black.

“Lieutenant?! Stop there’s over 50 titans over there!”

Ignoring your junior’s words; you didn’t stop swinging from houses to houses, tree to trees. you took out your blades and automatically sliced the napes of the titans you passed by not missing one of them. you can’t afford to lose your brother. you can’t afford to lose your only family. you can’t afford to lose the beast titan. Unlike the previous owner mark’s beast titan is far from an ape. He has long and slim body, four paws, covered with spots and really fast making him invisible to enemies. Unaware that your gas emptied while you’re having 1 to 1 combat with pure bred titans you started falling taking out your knife ready to unleash the female titan in you a black haired man killed the titan faster than the speed of light while wearing his infamous smirk. “I believe we don’t need the female titan for now” “that’s what you thought captain. Out of 400 we only have 7 men left, were running out of gas, supplies, and ammunition and they have mark.” Yuta quickly erased his teasing smile he had on his face. you’re right there’s no time for leisure and jokes right now. Because this clearly isn’t good since the commander is dead now so it’s all up to him “Shotaro!” “Captain!” Shotaro quickly landed on the wall as the Yuta called him. “check for the wounded, and other comrades! i want to see them at the tallest tower at the middle of the town”

“Captain, Eric and Kevin are inside the walls they have mark! they’re heavily guarded and looking at the amount of gas we have we’ll not make it and not to mention they’re still dropping titans. this is clearly a suicide mission.” Doyoung stated. he’s right. but still we can do something. Donghyuck just came up with a look on his face and his pants are quite heavy “Donghyuck. what did you find?” “Captain I-i found our cargo but they’re on the titan’s base. they’re eating the- our horses. it has all things we needed including the thunder spear...” upon realization you all met each others eyes coming up with a plan.

you jump off the tower taking out your knife and slitting your wrist followed by a flash of bright light appeared indicating a titan just transformed. Your comrades jumped on your body as you take them to the other side of the town to retrieve your cargo, killing all the titans you all encounter. as you got hold of all your weapons you threw debris and explosives where the titans came from. Everything is going as plan until Eric transformed into an armored titan. buying time to let the jaw titan escaped with mark.

Eric and you fought hand to hand throwing punches and kicks to each other. you turn around and kick him in the face performing a back roundhouse kick which results to him falling down exposing his nape, Giselle quickly aimed for it but the armored titan stands up immediately which cause us to miss his weakest part.

Looking back you saw mark tied up to Kevin getting away, and other comrades being eaten. you lost composure and fell to the ground due to armor titan’s hard punch. the armored titan quickly hovers you, you grabbed his nape, pulled it and locked his legs and rolls to the ground now hovering him. you hardened your fists and threw punches at him. slowly moving your hands northward exposing his nape. Donghyuck and others fired thunder spears at him penetrating to his hard armor not giving him enough time to switch consciousness he almost died on the spot.

“to the last man if that's what it comes to! Mark mustn’t reach the gate! I don't like a single titan anywhere near him!”

Done with the armored titan you came for the jaw titan with a tied up mark in it’s hands. you hopped on it’s back causing the titan to fall. but it’s so agile it slept through your hands and had quite a hard time to catch it. you’re also careful that you wouldn’t hit mark with your punches and attacks, but as you throw debris at the jaw titan a metal cut through Mark’s shoulder causing an injury. worried left you as your attack suddenly awakened his titan form.

blinding lights and hot steamed surrounds the area.

Mark has turned into his beast titan.

A cheetah.

Fighting a Jaw titan was quite hard for a four foot fur titan that has no hands. but it’s pace, size, large mouth, sharp teeth and sensitive ears & nose gave him so many advantages.

You left them and went for the walls with cracks. pure bred titans instantly came to you they’re too many of them but thankfully 6 of them synchronously fell down as they were hit by yuta’s swift moves using his odm gear. “go on! i got you!” running for the large wall crack much bigger than it’s gate. you got several houses stacking it up to form as a base then you hardened it with your ability

You all rest at the roof of the tower you came to earlier. With heavy pants yuta just stares at you while you’re drinking water watching your comrades clearing the vicinity. Mark and Donghyuck came flying with their ODM gear while carrying two barely alive personages.

“Armored titan.”

“Jaw Titan”

Mark stared at you with a large smile at his lips. everyone might be thinking ‘he’s so happy we won’. well in fact you and mark are far from happy.

“Thank god you saved my ass back there, Kevin said they came for us. they want us to retreat. i don’t want to go so they tied me up.”

“Are you insane why would i let you? they’re obviously tired of waiting and thought we’re doing nothing that’s why they want us to go back. we all know they’re going to take our titan if that happens.”

“should we continue though? i mean this?”

“remember what we have in line mark. we’re not the type of people to grieve, to love or to have any emotional attachments to any eldians.”

You all had retrieved 4 out of 9 titans. by the time the Eldians got the grip of all all 9 of it you and Mark can go back home successfully bringing glory to the nation.

“Wall Maria retrieved! Mission accomplish”

or was it captain nakamoto?

Yuta is unknowingly falling for an enemy who’s responsible of her squad’s death. this is clearly a suicide mission that’s he’s getting himself to and he’s more than willing to die for her.

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crystalirises · 3 years

Text

The Promise of Rest (The Promise of Blood II)

*the request: fluff and wholesome* Me: ah yes, a n g s t

I'm so sorry but my brain just died and said, let's make this slightly angsty because is it 1:00 AM and I am currently listening to Tightrope from the The Greatest Showman.

So, have this fluff and angst XD

TW: Implied Possessive Behavior, Implied Kidnapping, and Implied Gaslighting (Not Done by Technoblade)

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28886223/chapters/81753769

The sword flew from his grasp, the metal glinting off the dull sunlight of the arctic before skidding across the ice lake. He groaned, collapsing to the ground, snow pressing through the blue cape his uncle had generously let him borrow. He glanced up at the light blue sky, his bones aching with the day’s fatigue. His uncle’s footsteps faded away for a moment, giving him but a moment to catch his breath. It had barely been five seconds before a heavy boot stepped near the side of his head, the tip of his sword appearing just above his nose. He let out a tired whine.

“How do you expect to face Wilbur if you could barely hold a sword?” His uncle’s words were a splash of ice cold water, reinvigorating him to the reason why he’d asked to be trained. The sword disappeared, replaced by a scarred hand. Fundy hesitated, before reaching up. Techno pulled him back up to his feet, letting him pat the snow off his clothes before handing him his training sword. “If you would rather hide in the cabin, then I suggest leaving your blade here.”

“Wha— I don’t want to hide in the cabin! I don’t…”

Fundy curled up around himself, letting out a small sigh. He knew how to handle a sword, he’d been through two wars, after all. But months of inactivity had left him weak, and Techno was a master warrior, of course Fundy had no hope of defeating him in combat. He glanced down at the iron blade in his hand, his hand curling against the hilt. But his fingers wouldn’t stop shaking.

A hand enveloped his own, prying the sword from his hold. He let Techno sheathe the sword to his belt, the piglin hybrid’s own sword left within his hand. A part of him felt ashamed for wasting his uncle’s time, even Techno had warned him that he wasn’t ready for training. He had begged his uncle to train him for days, a constant noise in the warrior’s ear ever since Fundy realized that Wilbur would come for him soon. He should have listened to Techno, should have listened to his uncle’s advice. All that he could do was hide. He wasn’t his father, he didn’t have the charm or the words to convince Wilbur himself to leave him alone. He wasn’t Tommy, he didn’t have the confidence or the gall to face a bigger opponent. He wasn’t Techno, he wasn’t a warrior and he didn’t have his uncle’s fearlessness. He was just… Fundy. A boy who only ever wanted to find his place while still remaining in his father’s good graces. Now, he had neither.

He jumped, snapping himself away from his thoughts. He hadn’t even realized that they’d made their way back to the cabin… Fundy shook his head, casting his tired gaze low to the ground.

“There is a reason I didn’t wish to train you.” Techno lead him to sit at a chair that his uncle had dragged out the second day of Fundy’s permanent (temporary?) stay. The piglin hybrid leaned against the wooden railing of the porch, his blood red eyes taking in the sky for a moment. Fundy pulled his knees up to his chest, forcing himself to expect the inevitable speech of how he wasn’t capable of protecting himself, that Techno would be better off fighting for the two of them. Wilbur - during the time where he was locked inside the house - told him that Fundy was never meant for fighting, never meant to be anywhere near the field, may it be political or the battlefield. He reminded him of what he’d done during the Manburg Era… how Fundy had let the temporary power go to his head. But he was wrong, Fundy had been spying for his dad, he never let the power get to his head… right? “You need to heal first, Fundy, before you train.”

Fundy’s ears flicked up at that, tail wagging ever so slightly before he pushed down the bubbling feeling of hope. Techno wasn’t finished. He gave his uncle a hesitant side glance, “W-what?”

Techno sighed, a wince flashing across his uncle’s lips. His uncle leaned down, placing a hand on Fundy’s knee. “What happened with Wilbur… It still affects you. I will train you, honestly Fundy do you think I’d let a freeloader live with me? But, you have to heal first before training.”

“You… You’ll train me? Even if… I’m weak?”

“I assure you, Fundy, that everyone is strong… and everyone is weak. We are strong in our own ways, in the skills that we were gifted with, and with the skills that we’ve honed in our lifetimes. Still, no warrior will ever escape weakness, may it be physical, mental, or emotional… Do you know the story of Achilles?” Fundy shook his head, face heating up in embarrassment, everyone knew that Techno was well versed in the olden myths. Fundy never had time for them, and Wilbur certainly never mentioned them. Either way, he still didn’t know where his uncle was going with it… “Achilles was a great warrior, the greatest some might proclaim. Yet even he had his weaknesses. His heel, his physical weakness for his mother had dipped his whole body in the River Styx… except for his heel. He also had his emotional weakness, Patroclus, whose death sent him into a rage. The point is, Fundy, that even great warriors have their weaknesses.”

Fundy continued to stare, afraid to admit that he… didn’t quite understand what Techno meant. The piglin hybrid sighed at his lack of reaction, reaching up to pet him on the head instead. He leaned into the touch, closing his eyes. It felt nice, it reminded him of his dad during the good days. After a moment, Techno slowly withdrew, tossing Fundy an apologetic look before gesturing towards the front door. He blinked, realizing that he was shivering… and not because of the cold. He wiped at the tears that pooled at his eyes and fell past his cheeks, but it wouldn’t stop. Fundy let out a small sob, rocking back and forth before lunging forward. He shouldn’t surprise Techno, but he just wanted to be held. He just wanted someone to hold him for a bit.

“I don’t want to h-hide. I-I want to… I want to face him. I want to… to ask him why… why…”

He held onto his uncle’s shirt, claws poking through the cloth but Techno didn’t seem to mind. Fundy couldn’t stop crying, bawling right into Techno’s chest like a child. His uncle held onto him just as fiercely, rocking him back and forth while whispering reassuring words into his ears.

“You’ll get to ask him yourself. I promise. Yet, a warrior can rest before a battle. So, rest.”

#fundy #technoblade #dream smp fanfiction #dsmp #uncle blade #;-;

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ivyuns · 4 years

Text

landing in my heart: paragliding

han jisung

genre: angst

word count: 2.1k

warnings: location spots are in north and south korea, language, mentions of mines, weapons, death, cliffhanger, if i missed anything plz lmk :)

A/N: first part of landing in my heart series! changsik is y/n’s helper for la vie en rose

navigation

landing in my heart information

LIMH chapters

“tomorrow, the story about you and actor sangu will be posted”

“itll say how you two were just pranking fans that you two are together. as you see, the picture just shows that you were just holding his wrist. plus your face is blurred so there shouldnt be a problem” changsik says.

you turn off your phone and start paying attention to changsik. “okay but can we do something about the blur effect?” you asked. “oh, do you want me to ask them to blur your face more?” “no, its just that they put the effect on my earrings. you know those earrings are rare to get in the collection”

everyone in the meeting takes a big sigh. “ah, purchasing manager. what are you going to do?” you asked as he slams his note taking book close. “pardon?” “the earrings, purse, shoes. you need to make sure theyre in stock at all times” nodding his head, he goes to restock the items you told him to.

exiting your office, everyone talks about you. “is that her?” “she looks ugly in person” “hes probably with her for her money��. continuing walking behind your bodyguards, you get a call from an unknown number.

“look at you. you look like a celebrity or something”

“who is this?”

“i- you dont even have my number saved? its your eldest brother, sejun. anyways since you dont keep up with the news, dad is coming back home from probation. you should probably come by the house and greet him”

pausing your tracks, “is this your number?” “yes, please just save it” “dont get another number or blocking it for two times will be annoying” you said and blocked sejun.

hesitating to enter your family’s house as you heard sejun and sehyeong argue about who will be deserves to inherit the family company during diner and your dad yelling out where were you. stepping into the house, the house was quiet.

“hello dad. congratulations on getting out on probation. i heard you wanted me to be here. is there anything you need to speak to me about?”

“you should move back in” “is that all? i was wondering why. you look great by the way. please take care of your heath. i just came here to say hello so ill be leaving now” you waved goodbye and walked towards the exit.

“i want you to take my position” you dad tells you before you could exit the room. “dad!” your brothers yell out. turning around, you see everyone looking at you as your mom shakes her head towards you. “you left home and started your own company for 10 years, i think you deserve it”

hesitating to answer, you agreed to take the position which annoyed the brothers. finally exiting the room, you left the house with fear in you.

“shall we start?” you asked as everyone gets your parachute ready for paragliding. running off the cliff, you begin floating in the sky with a huge smile on your face. “miss yoon, please be careful!”

peacefully enjoying the scenery, you take notes on how beautiful it was. you then see a floating tractor. worry takes place as you realize theres a tornado happening. trying to not get in it, the wind forcefully takes you to the tornado, making you scream out for help.

north korean boarder

jisung heads to the northern side of demilitarized zone to patrol with company five and a few other soldiers and hears shooting going on. quietly walking into the direction of everything going on as a group, jisung stops as soon as he hears what type of guns theyre using.

“captain han, theyre heading into this direction, judging by the sound of the gunshots” hyunjin pauses, “maybe its a deserter from the south-” “the combat site is 400m away from our current location. going in at 11 o’clock, total count is 10. k2 automatic title, six in total. and tokarev tt-33, three are in use” jisung tells them.

“whats tt-33?” seungmin asked. “theyre our camrades” jisung answered and started walking with his group behind him. seeing whats going on as he saw three men on the ground and the military of the south, he gave him group a signal to continue walking. lifting their guns up, the southern sees them and puts their guns up as well.

“step back. take one more step and youll enter our garrison” jisung shouts out. “hand these three over and well be gone” one of the soldiers said. “theyre our camrades” jisung answers. “captain! we got the state security departments approval and came here to hunt deers but we got lost by the tornado” one of the men on the ground said.

“they crossed the southern limit line and caught digging cultural artifacts” the same soldier said and shows proof. “is anyone injured?” jisung asked as the southern military puts their guns towards him more. “the problem is solved. put your guns down and we will too. i swear on my countrys honor and will stictly punish them. when it comes to punishments, we, the north will certainly outdo the south. well drop our weapons on the count of three.”

by the count of three, everyone puts their weapons down. the three men on their knees sees a gun in front of them and grabs it. trying to shoot the soldiers, jisung quickly grabs them. everyone puts their guns up till- “just return, dont get into conflict with the north” “do you hear me? dont conflict with the south” the radios from both sides said.

after gathering the three men and tying them, company five got them as jisung stayed behind. making sure the south was gone.

back at the gate, jisung is in front of the car that the three men are in as he waits from cheolgang to arrive. seeing him arrive, he stands up straight and salutes him, as well as hyunjin and seungmin. cheolgang sees the three men in the car and turns to jisung.

“greetings sir. company five is is on standby to transfer the grave robbers, who we arrested in the northen demilitarized zone” jisung tells cheolgang. “good work. anything else?” jisung relaxes and tells him how some of the fences were down due to the tornado. “we should tighten security for the area thats damanged until everything is fixed”

cheolgang nods his head. “they probably crossed the southern line due to misunderstanding so let their punishment be lenient” “it happened in our patrol zone. this cannot be taken lightly” “you are well aware that the state security department gave them permission for them to be here” cheolgang says.

“are you saying that they gave them permission to pass the demilitarized zone just to collect artifacts?” jisung asked, feeling annoyed with cheolgang. “of course not, captain han” he chuckles, making company five tensed. “i told the south that they will be taken for punishment, and i shall keep that promise” “do whatever you want, but i do have a promise. i, jo cheolgang, never go easy on anyone. no matter what their ranks are. if you create any act that may threaten our army security, youll be finished right on the spot. but of course, youll never do that” cheolgang finishes. jisung salutes him as he leaves.

south korea

“but i need to get there, i need to see miss yoon” changsik says as he heard people said that youre nowhere to be found. as he sees someone on the stretcher, he starts tearing up as he thinks youre dead. the police comforts him and sees the cameraman that was supposed to take videos of you in the sky. “hey! wheres my boss?” changsik yells at him. “i dont know” he cries out in pain. “didnt you have a camera? why didnt you take a video of everything?” “in that situation, i couldnt. i nearly died!”

changsik was left alone as the rest of the rescue crew tried to find you. “gosh why did you have to make yourself do this y/n”

north korean boarder

you wake up, high up in a tree. as you yell out for help. as jisung and seungmin is around the area, he stops walking and asks seungmin if he heard anything. shaking his head, seungmin gets a call from the other company five members, asking for him to come back and help with the fence. jisung gives him a signal to go and looks around the area.

as jisung sees you in the trees, you look down. “excuse me, can you help me get out of here” seeing his metal and gun pointing at you, you quickly unbuckle everything and falls onto jisung. realizing, you quickly get off of him.

“ah, did you come here from the north? are you a defector? welcome to the republic of korea” you said. “r-republic of korea? i think youre mistaken. i didnt go to the south. you came to the north” not believing what he said, you looked around and saw his serious face. “since you came here, youll be taken for investigation” jisung says. “huh?! wait i didnt mean to come here at all-” “then explain everything to them like that.

after arguing, you ran but was stopped by jisung yelling you to stop since theyre mines in the area. “dont move or else youll loose an ankle-” jisung pause as he accidentally steps on a mine. “are you okay” you asked. “im fine” “are you sure because you dont look fine-” “i said im fine!”

jisung grabs his walkie talkie to call seungmin for help when his grip failed and the device fell into the river. walking to the walkie talkie, you picked it up. “thank you for picking it up-” “who said i was gonna give it to you?” jisung sighs. “tell me which way i need to go first” “follow the path and when you meet with two paths, take the right one”

after telling you the directions, seungmin calls out jisungs name. “im here!’’ jisung yells out. fear taking over you, you quickly ran.

seungmin finds jisung on a mine and quickly sets him free. “captain han, is there anything wrong?” seungmin asks. “let the crew know that someone is in the zone by accident” “huh? is it a spy?” “no, a south korean girl who accidentally came here” seungmin nods his head and lets the crew know what happened by radio.

as you ran, you took the left path instead, not trusting jisung. you came across of a field that had a sign saying ‘mine field’. turning around to a safer route, you see the soldiers looking for you. headed to the minefield instead, you ran through it and the soldiers made a detour to get you.

as seungmin and hyunjin are trying to get you, you saw a broken tree on the fence, thinking it will lead you to the south again. as youre on the top, you see the two men giving you signals to not go there. not listening, you jumped over the fence as you saw hyunjin raise his gun at you and fired.

as you kept running, you passed jeongin who was reading a letter from his mother in the fields. as you were running still, you ran into a forest and tripped on a rock. “mom-” you said quietly. trying to pull yourself up, you go back into the past. everytime you fell, you would always cry out for your moms name. but realizing how weak you relationship with her was weak and she was not here with you.

regaining your strength, you got up and walked.

back in south korea, your mom gets a call saying that you were lost and tells the rest of the family. sejun and sehyeong and their wives are pleased, knowing that one of them will get their dads position.

“honey, you need to make sure you get this position” sanga tells sehyeong. “but you still need to find minseok” sehyeong nods. “dont worry sanga”

“hyung. do you think sehyeong will find me?” minseok asks mr oh. “i think we should go somewhere else, i dont think its safe here anymore” minseok nods his head and packs up to go somewhere else.

as an old lady asks for a ride as she sees military trucks, she was rejected. she then sees three men in one of the trucks. as they hit the end of the road, she sees another truck hitting them and another one, making the truck that the three men are in fall into a ravine and explode. she gathers her stuff and tries to run away when another truck runs into her.

after walking for miles in the dark, you ran into a village. feeling relieved, you smiled. until you saw the lights shut on, you were met with music going on. seeing everyone getting ready for their morning routine, she now believes shes deeper into north korea,

just as the leader enters the village, jisung quickly grabbed you and hid you in his chest from getting caught.

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riversofmars · 4 years

Text

Negotiation

So @rocketoo7 and I had a chat and agreed that there is just not enough fanfiction of River Song kicking ass in hand to hand combat. So here you are, literally just River fighting off bad guys and the Doctor & Fam watching adoringly/terrified/a little horny. Recreating this awesome bad ass scene from the most recent episode of Star trek: Discovery because, you know, Georgiou and River have the same BDE. Writing action is hard so I sort of did this as a quick exercise to practice, it's no great work of genius but it was fun. Anyway, enjoy! :D

Ship: River/13

Rating: T (I guess?)

Word Count: 1600

AO3

Negotiation

“So what’s the plan, Doc…“ Graham asked as the Fam crowded together behind the Doctor. The were in a sort of bar in the far-flung reaches of the galaxy. What had been meant to be a lovely walking tour ending with a pint at the pub, had turned into a bit of an unfortunate situation that involved guns and a band of bandits wanting to steal the TARDIS.

“Working on it…“ The Doctor retorted drawing herself to full height attempting to shield her friends from the guns pointed at them.

“You always say words beat guns, this would be a great moment to prove that theory.“ Yaz quipped.

“I suggest you show us to your ship.“ The bandit leader, an unpleasant looking fellow with greasy hair, said.

“Well, that wouldn’t be much use because you wouldn’t be able to fly her.“ The Doctor retorted, trying to reason.

“That’s our concern, not yours.“ He shot back, annoyed at her back-chat. “Get a move on.“ He pointed towards the door of the bar.

“Why would we show you to our ship when you want to steal it and leave us stranded?“ Ryan asked.

“Because you want to live.“ The bandit snarled.

“Living, yes, big fan of living, maybe we can come to some sort of arrangement where we just, you know, drop you off somewhere along the way?“ The Doctor intervened, trying her best to sound positive.

Suddenly there was a discharge of energy, like a flash of lightning but it wasn’t a shot as the Doctor had expected.

“Did I interrupt a critical moment of diplomacy?“ River Song looked around the room at the shocked faces all round, immediately guns were pointed at her and ignoring that fact, she gave a little wave to her wife who seemed frozen to the spot.

“How did you get in here?“ The leader of the bandits barked at her.

“Oh you know, just your standard vortex manipulator, cheap and nasty time travel but it’ll do in a pinch. And when one’s wife is being held at gunpoint? It makes for a great entrance.“ River retorted in amusement and winked at the Doctor who shook off the initial shock.

“Did she just say wife?“ Yaz asked and exchanged confused glances with Ryan and Graham. They had seen a lot of things travelling with the Doctor but having someone teleport into the middle of a stand off claiming to be the Doctor’s wife… that was new.

“You know her?“ The bandit leader looked back to the Doctor.

“Ah well, see you got yourself into a bit of a tiff now. That my friend River…“ The Doctor caught River’s affronted glance and corrected herself. “And when I say friend, I mean wife, and unlike me doesn’t mind hurting people, shouldn’t like that, kinda do…“ She shrugged giving her wife a little wink.

“Glad to see some things never change.“ River smirked.

“Well, you know I like a bad girl, me.“ The Doctor grinned.

“You can show me just how much when we’re done here.“ River retorted smoothly.

“Are you flirting?“ The bandit leader interrupted, annoyed at being ignored.

“Sorry, it’s been a while. She was a white hair scotsman last time we met. Back to you, you were saying?“ River turned to the bandits almost patronisingly. She was already formulating a plan. There was seven bandits in total… shouldn’t be too difficult.

“I want that device.“ He pointed to her vortex manipular.

“When I say, you hide behind the bar, okay?“ The Doctor spoke softly and turned to the Fam. They nodded uneasily, before returning their attention to the face off between the mystery woman and the bandits.

“Hand it over.“ He insisted.

“What, this?“ River lifted her wrist that the vortex manipulator was strapped to.

“Hand it over or you die.“ All guns were on her now.

“I don’t respond well to threats.“ She shook her head disapprovingly.

“And I don’t respond well to surprises.“ He squared his jaw.

“Oh, then you’re gonna hate this.“ River smirked and gave the chair next to her a kick, knocking it right into him, knocking him over.

“Now, Fam, right now, take cover.“ The Doctor exclaimed and Ryan, Yaz and Graham didn’t need to be told twice, they dove behind the bar and watched the mystery women swipe her arm across a nearby table throwing glasses at the men coming towards her. They turned from the flying splinters guarding their eyes just long enough for River to grab a bottle and smash it over the closest attacker’s head knocking him out. She ducked an oncoming punch and rammed her knee into another bandit’s gut.

“Okay, who the hell is she, Doctor?“ Yaz exclaimed watching the scene in front of them in shock.

“Long story, people usually need a flow chart…“ The Doctor retorted, looking on uneasily and admiringly in equal measures.

River ducked a blast and threw herself into the shooter, she knocked his arm with the gun up and smashed her elbow against his temple. As he fell to the floor she kept hold of his arm and took the gun, shooting a man coming at her from the right.

“See, boys, when you let me have a gun, things are almost over.“ She taunted with a smirk. She jumped onto the edge of a table to her left flipping it over, knocking out another bandit with the other half of the table flipping upwards. She landed and steadied herself from the little stunt when someone lunged at her from behind and put her in a headlock, forcing her to drop her gun. She rammed her elbow into his stomach, then knocked her head backwards into his face. He let go groaning in pain. Probable a broken nose, nothing too serious. Behind her, the lead bandit pulled his gun on her. She whirled around pulling the man with the broken nose in front of her and used him as a shield. He took two of his boss’s shots before he stopped firing. River grabbed a hunting knife that was strapped to the bandit that was limp in her arms now and threw it, catching the bandit leader in the shoulder. He let out a strangled cry of pain and dropped his weapon. Plenty of time for River to drop the dead bandit and pick up her gun again.

“Oh mate, that was like stealing sweets from a child.“ She grinned slightly out of breath as she headed towards him.

“River!“ The Doctor shouted as one of the others slowly got back to their feet but River was ahead of her. She only half turned to fire, she barely looked, but struck them down. The leader of the bandits scrambled for his weapon but River stepped on his wrist and held the gun to his head.

“Remind me. What was your negotiating position again?“ She asked in amusement.

“I think he got your point.“ The Doctor drew her attention as she got up from behind the bar, all the other men were either dead or unconscious.

“Did he? Because my finger is rather itchy.“ River chuckled.

“You bitch.“ The bandit leader spat.

“Sounds to me like he hasn’t learned his lesson.“ She stepped off his hand but only to deliver a kick to the side of his head and knock him over.

“I’m going to hunt you down. You’re gonna wish you died here when…“ He groaned in pain.

“Spare me the empty promises, that implies you’re gonna walk out of here alive.“ River pointed the gun at his head.

“River.“ The Doctor tried to get her attention.

“Not now Sweetie.“ River huffed.

“I really think you’ve made your point.“ The Doctor insisted more firmly.

“You’re no fun at all.“ River sighed and used the hilt of the gun to knock him unconscious.

“That was…“ Ryan didn’t really have words. They looked around the room taking in the destruction. Broken glass, thrown over tables and chair, seven grown men flat out. River meanwhile pocketed the gun. It would be a nice addition to her collection and a lovely memento of this trip.

“Fam, meet Professor River Song.“ The Doctor grinned as River walked up to join them. The three of them didn’t know what to say. There was a lot of information they had yet to process.

“You’re welcome.“ River smirked.

“That was… quite the safe. Very impressive.“ The Doctor had to admit as she came to a halt in front of her.

“Oh, you were watching?“ River smile innocently.

“Very carefully.“ The Doctor couldn’t help but admit.

“I bet you were.“ River smirked.

“Worked up a bit of a sweat haven’t you. You look a bit flustered.“ The Doctor observed, brushing back her curls a little.

“In my defence, so do you.“ She replied in amusement, running her hand along the Doctor’s coat collar.

“Right, okay, we get it.“ Yaz interrupted the flirting, unable to watch any longer. “Beating up bad guys is a turn on. Now, can we get out of here before they wake up?“

“Wouldn’t want me to have to do it again, would we.“ River sighed and winked at the Doctor who blushed.

“Let’s go back to the TARDIS.“ The Doctor agreed and they crossed the room, stepping over the bandits.

“So, what sort of a professor are you?“ Graham asked trying his best to sound casual and ignore the destruction all round.

“Archeology.“ River replied cheerfully. “Love a tomb.“

#river x thirteen #river song #river song being river song #bde #doctor who #thirteen #thirteenth doctor #13 #fanfiction #space wives #yowzah #star trek discovery #Hand to hand combat #action #is so hard to write #river x the doctor #jodie whittaker #Alex kingston

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pricetagofficial · 4 years

Text

Ghost -Part Eighteen

Warnings: Language, violence, angst, fear, panic, mentions of death

Masterlist

Word Count: 3K

Tag List: @kishony-the-geek @idkmanicantenglish @unknowntoanyone @subtleappreciation @catxsnow @nightwcngs @woahjaybird @screennamealreadyused @river-bottom-nightmare @bikoncon @arestorationofbalance

A/N: Oops??

The days passed slowly, but Rory was growing more comfortable in her position with the Titans. No one but Tim knew that she was Ghost, and the other four were asked to keep it on the down-low that Rory was even with them. The story that Rory and Tim gave the rest of the team was that the League of Assassins was after her, trying to get her to join so Rory ditched the hero gig and went into hiding.

That was the story that everyone was supposed to give if anyone outside the team found out that she was there, and considering that the story was mostly the truth, they weren't asking too much of their friends. It gave them plausible deniability, and Rory an out just in case it came to it.

It also helped that they were all scared of her in some shape or form. Even from her Arrowette days, Rory had a reputation of being good at what she did. She was smart, resourceful, and was skilled in multiple forms of combat. After revealing that she took down Superman in a spar twice, they seemed to tiptoe around her. Rory didn't mind it that much, she wasn't there to make friends. She was there to hide and get answers.

It had been two weeks since she arrived and the Titans often went out on patrol without her while Rory played guy-in-the-chair for them while they were out. She was smart enough that it benefitted all of them, and it gave her the chance to talk to people she enjoyed speaking with.

"So, is it just me, or are things really fucking slow lately?" Duke asked, his voice coming from the speaker to Rory's right.

She glanced between monitors while she watched Tim and the others walk around Jump City. "What, did I take all the excitement with me?" she chuckled, checking her phone.

"I don't want to jump to conclusions, but it really looks like it. Not one peep out of assassins here and a few of the rouges have been awfully quiet too. Ivy and Scarecrow were active for a couple of days but fell off our radar again. Bruce and the others are waiting on more activity from her before acting." he explained.

Rory froze at the mention of Poison Ivy. It had been a long time since she had seen the supervillain, considering that she was in Arkham until after Rory had left Gotham. She was willing to put down good money on the fact that she had a grudge against Rory still, amongst other things.

"She doesn't know that I was back in town does she?"

"Why would that be important? Is there anything we are missing?" he asked immediately.

Rory scolded herself for mentioning it. Of course, Bruce and the others were keeping tabs on Ivy considering her past with her. It was embarrassing enough the first time when she learned what had happened, but now it just hurt. That was the night she first kissed Tim and even thinking about it brought up memories that she wanted to forget.

"Rory? Is everything okay? Did Ivy do something to you that we don't know about?"

Rory snapped out of her thought and shook her head. "No, I just have a let's say colorful past with Ivy. Bruce knows about it, but I'm sure she probably wants to kick my ass for-"

She should have been watching the screens more carefully, how could Rory have been so careless about it? If she hadn't have been lost in her own world, Rory would have noticed it sooner. There was no way she could mistake what she just saw, that shade of orange was ingrained into her brain.

"Rory? You there? Why would Ivy want to kick your ass?" The tone of his voice sounded panicked, probably close to how Rory looked.

"Duke, I have to go. Call you later." she quickly hung up before pressing the coms button to link herself with Tim.

"Tim! Get out of there now and get back to the tower as soon as you can!" she cried.

Tim froze in his tracks and turned, the camera turning with his body. "What are you talking about, there is no one here?" he asked.

"There is no time to argue! You and the others need to get back here now!" she snapped slamming her hands on the table.

Now that she thought about it, the other four were quiet as well all of a sudden. Their cams seemed to be normal, but something felt off. They were all stationary for way longer than they should have been.

Rory listened as he contacted the others, only for there to be no reply. This set her on edge even more, which was not a good sign. There was no way in hell that he had found her that fast and took out the other four Titans without her or Tim noticing.

With that last thought, the realization dawned on her. It wasn't the others he was truly after, the target was Tim.

As if it was confirmation of her thoughts, Tim's camera lost signal completely and she stared at a static screen in horror. Tim was in trouble and the others were most likely unable to help him. She was the only one who could.

Without a second thought, Rory dashed to her room and pulled on her Ghost suit, and grabbed her swords and handguns. She was not about to walk into this situation unprepared. Jumping out of her window, Rory grappled across the rooftops as she chased the small red blip that was supposed to be Tim. It was still active so that meant that Tim was alive, but not for much longer if she took her time.

The names of the streets blurred as she ran across the city, the red blip getting closer and closer. She had to get there in time, to save Tim. Just because they weren't together didn't mean that he deserved to die for her mistakes.

Soon Rory was on the same rooftop, but there was no one around. The tracker was activated by organic material and was placed in Tim's arm. if Slade removed the tracker, it would have shut down. It had to still be in him and he had to be alive.

With a sound of air rushing past her, Rory jumped back and saw a white arrow there in front of her with a note attached.

If you want him back alive and unharmed, go to the old abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. You have one hour or he will die.

Below the arrow was a pigeon struggling for breath and had a large incision on its side. Taking a deep breath, Rory dug her fingers in and let out a shaky breath at what she was holding. It was the tracker from Tim's arm. She watched as it quit sending a signal and the red dot disappeared from her radar.

He must have done something to the others for them to not respond immediately, and Rory was scared to find out what it was. What were her better options, go and save Tim alone or try and find at least one of the others and risk wasting time and Tim dies as a consequence?

Rory let out a cry of rage and kicked the now dead pigeon across the rooftop, he knew just how to manipulate her into these impossible positions. She was playing his game once again, but if she could win last time then Rory can sure as hell beat him again and again until he finally quit and left those she cared about alone.

This would be the last time Slade Wilson interfered with her life, Rory was going to make sure of it.

Shoving the note in her pocket, she tried once more to reach one of the others. It took a couple of minutes but she managed to get responses from both Superboy and Magician. "Is anyone there? I need a response sooner than later." she snapped.

"I'm here sunshine, what the hell happened? I feel like I got hit by a bus and that's saying something." Superboy groaned through his com.

"One second I was keeping an eye on downtown and the next I was dragged from the roof and was knocked out. I'm guessing the same happened to the others?" Magician asked.

Rory let out a huff. "If only it were that simple, Tim's in trouble. He took the four of you out so I would be lured out into the open. Safe to say that it worked." She took a look around the city and then at her clock. She was wasting time by playing catch up, when Slade made a promise he made sure he fulfilled it, and if he said that Tim would die if she didn't show within the hour, then it was going to happen.

"What do you mean he is in trouble?! Who is this he!? Sunshine, you better start explaining fast." Superboy snapped.

"Deathstroke, he has him. He did this to drag me out of the tower. If I don't show up in the next hour, he'll kill him." she explained. "I just wanted to make sure the rest of you were okay before I left."

"Rory, that is the stupidest idea I have ever heard out of you. You really think that you will make it out of there alive?" Superboy growled before he let out a groan. Whatever it was that Slade did to him, it was still affecting his body.

"You need to get back to the tower, I'm not sure what he did to all of you but I can hear your groans of pain. Magician can check you over back at the tower. If Wonder Girl and Impulse are okay, have them on stand by in just in case I need a quick getaway."

Rory could hear Superboy start to argue her point, but then he let out another groan and there was a thud from his side of the link. Slade had to have used something on him, Superboy was their hard hitter outside of Wonder Girl and made sure that they were out for the count.

"Magician, take him back to the tower," she ordered. "I'll radio once I'm close."

There was a hum of agreement and Rory heard Magician mutter a series of spells before there was nothing.

"Who the hell put you in charge Sunshine?" Superboy asked, trying to breathe through the pain.

"I'm the only one who wasn't knocked on their ass. Besides Wonder Boy, I have years more experience than the rest of you including our fearless leader. Now shut up and get the help you need." With that, Rory signed off and took off across the city towards the address on the note.

It didn't even take her that long to find the warehouse, no more than twenty minutes. Slade had given her a full hour, so what was the catch? Was she at the right place, or was he planning something specifically for her once she arrived?

Taking a deep breath, Rory jumped down and swung through the nearest window shattering it as she landed in a roll. Bracing herself with her hand, Rory took a quick look around. The warehouse was dead silent, no sign of any living thing not even a groan from a captive Tim.

Narrowing her eyes, Rory scanned the area before she went further into the building. Whatever it was, something was messing with the video in her mask. The screen was glitching every few seconds and she couldn't get a full reading of the building.

"Of course," she muttered and removed her mask before tossing it to the floor. Slade had to have brought her to a building that knocked out her mask's sensors. It wasn't something Rory needed it was more of a precaution, but she knew that Slade probably had some dramatic reasoning for it.

Slowly she rose to her feet and walked across the flooring, she stayed silent as the night listening for a sign of anyone or anything closing in on her. Floor by floor, Rory ignored the slow-growing headache as she checked every room for something she could be missing that could give her a clue to where Tim was being held.

She could feel her body getting more and more sluggish by the minute, but brushed it off as typical exhaustion. It wasn't until she got to the ground floor that Rory figured out that Slade was holding Tim captive in the basement. Looking at her clock, she had at least half an hour to find Tim-

Rory shook her head, that couldn't have been right. Not even three minutes ago, the clock she had just under 35 minutes and now she was down to five. The lingering headache that had been growing in the back of her head suddenly became stronger and her heart rate began to pick up.

She continued to take deep breaths and hurried her way down the basement steps, halfway down she tripped over her own foot and tumbled down the rest of them. Something was very wrong, she was never this clumsy even when she was drunk Rory was not clumsy.

There was only one door at the bottom of the steps, Rory's vision blurred as she tried over and over to reach the handle only for her hand to phase through it. Quickly she got angrier and angrier, why couldn't she just grab the fucking handle?!

She was covered in a thin layer of sweat now, and it seemed that her suit was choking her. Tugging at her collar, Rory finally managed to get a hold of the handle and pushed it open. The only thing was, there wasn't a basement on the other side.

In fact, it was daylight where she was now. Turning back to find the door, Rory saw that it was gone, and left in its wake was a familiar collapsed building. Rory swallowed the lump forming in her throat, she knew exactly where she was.

Rory was back in Star City the day that Slade killed her parents. Deep down Rory knew that they were not good people, but the version of her parents she knew could not be tainted by the knowledge that they were assassins, no different than she was anymore.

Hearing a cry behind her, Rory turned on her heel only to be met with a younger version of herself sobbing over the lifeless forms of her parents. Only this time, there was no Oliver and Dinah there to comfort her. Instead, they were dead next to Michael and Clara Sonnet with Roy at their feet.

Seeing them like that broke something in Rory, she let out a choked gasp as she pushed her younger self out of the way and tried to shake Oli, Roy, and Dinah awake.

"Please, Oli come on! Please! You promised you wouldn't leave me! I can't lose you too!" she sobbed before trying to shake Roy awake.

"This is all your fault." a voice spoke from behind her.

Rory snarled, ready to maim whoever it was that said that only to see that it was her younger self there staring at her with innocent eyes.

"Their deaths are on your hands, just like theirs are." Little Rory pointed behind the older one once more.

Taking a shaky breath, Rory slowly turned on her heel and the sight she saw was devastating. Instead of a crumpled building now, Rory was in Gotham again. There sprawled across the steps of Wayne Manor were the lifeless figures of Alfred, Cass, Duke, and Damian. '

"No no no no no!" she cried diving for them, trying to feel for a pulse. Her eyes met the lifeless gaze of Damian and she grew hysterical. He was so young, he didn't deserve this fate!

Her headache began to grow worse, and before her eyes Rory watched the scene morph into the Batcave. Across the floor of the cave were the last residents of Wayne Manor. Dick, Barbara, Stephanie, Jason, and Bruce were lying dead on the floor with gold daggers sticking out of their chest and a single feather resting on the keyboard of the bat computer.

She couldn't stand this any longer, Rory gripped her hair as she fell to her knees. It was becoming too much, every single one of them died because of her. Her body began to shake from the sobs she was trying to hide, even though she was the only one there.

A hand fell on her shoulder and Rory jumped to see Jesse's animated corpse staring down at her. Letting out a scream, Rory dove backward and away from her dead friend. This had to be a trick, Jesse was dead. She was there when they buried his body in Star City in the Queen family mortuary. That was the last time she ever saw him.

A long skinny finger reached out and pointed at her as Rory laid there in fear. "You did this to me, it's all your fault Twinkle Toes. You're a plague, a curse on those around you," he grumbled, Rory watched in horror as his hair fell out and his face became more sullen and maggots crawled out of the holes that once held his eyes.

Rory was close to vomiting at the sight, her heart rate was erratic and she was barely able to keep herself up. Her throat was sore as if she had been screaming and her hands and hair hurt like she had been pulling it this entire time.

"It's your fault Tim was taken and it's your fault that he died."

Those words struck fear in her heart. Her eyes went wide as everything faded away leaving just herself and a lone figure out in the distance, a figure she knew by heart. Rory ran as fast as her feet could carry her, she stumbled every few steps trying to get to him but it seemed that every step she got closer he would get farther away.

After what seemed like hours, Rory reached his body and rolled him onto his back. Tim Drake laid dead in front of her with a hole through his chest. Rory choked back a sob, Tim was dead and she wasn't there to stop it. She cupped his face letting the tears fall freely from her eyes as she begged and pleaded for him to wake up. This was the last thing Rory wanted, everything she did was to keep him safe, and here she was crying over his dead body.

"Tim, I'm so sorry." she sobbed. "I wasn't good enough..."

Pulling his upper body into her arms, Rory cradled his lifeless form burying her face into his shoulder as she held his body with a grip that could rival death.

#Costly Affairs #Tim Drake #Timothy Drake #tim drake fanfic #tim drake fanfiction #tim drake fic #Red Robin #red robin fanfic #red robin fanfiction #red robin fic #DC comics #The Archer #The Aurora Queen Saga #tim drake x oc #red robin x oc

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mostly-megan · 4 years

Text

I Read The Triple Frontier Early Draft Script

And I have several thoughts on it. @frannyzooey Told me to, so I’m going to go down the line of points I thought were interesting and notes on the characters. It’s all going to be below the cut so we don’t bother the people who don’t care.

It was clearly a very early draft, but I still think it’s interesting to see how the characters changed over time.

Important note: Everyone except for Benny and Tom is only referred to by their nicknames, no real names. So I keep that up to keep from getting confused.

I do not link to the google doc with the script, but you can dm me if you want the link privately.

Warnings: Mentions of violence, suicide, and sex; mild gore; character death; racism

Story:

Pope during the drug raid learns from a teen in the gang where Lorea keeps his money

Redfly, Benny, and Cat are in North Carolina and keep turning down bs military mission

Pope shows up on Redfly’s stoop, stays with his family, and he tells him about the heist

Redfly seems to agree, but only because Pope is asking and not for the money

The “ You were shot 5 times for your country and can’t afford a new truck” scene is here bit for bit

They go meet Ironhead at one of his support group speeches to convince him to join. He begrudgingly agrees.

Cat and Redfly talk at the fight about the job and both reluctantly agree since the other will do it

Cut to South America running through surveillance, we learn that there are two gun towers, ground sensors, machine guns, and several guards

Pope’s informant is Lorea’s sugar baby(?), Yovanna, who gave him a pic of the money in the office a few weeks prior

The plan is to hide in one of the maid vans and make their way in and out with the money

Everyone is distrustful of his old intel, so they do their own surveillance

Getting caught in rain on heist day, they wait in the jungle for the guard rotations to resume, almost catching hypothermia

The heist vibe is the same, but this time they find the money is not there instantly

Redfly and Cat try to call the mission, but Benny and Pope insist on getting the money

Benny gets shot(grazed?) in the face and wants to say fuck it, but Redfly reminds him it was his idea

Pope blackmails the guard in the video room and gets the tape before killing him

While Cat, Benny, and Redfly grab the money, Ironhead is shot badly and they have to tape his mouth to keep him quiet

This is when Redfly snaps and decides they go out blazing

Lorea’s guards are outside waiting for them, but the boys literally blow up the front of the house and make a run for the river behind the house with a raft waiting

Lorea’s personal guard shoots him

Kidnapping Yovanna from her apartment, they get her money, passport, and visa to her Redfly grills her and seriously debates killing her, but instructs her to get to Australia

After essentially holding up the airstrip workers, they see the news of the break-in on TV and weigh 8 tons of money

Cat argues it’s too much weight, but agrees it will probably be fine

During the flight, Ironhead dies from his wound

Helicopter crash is the same

Pope goes in solo to speak with the farmers and they actually almost kill him before Redfly shoots way too many of them

They get pack animals from the farmers, load up the money and Ironhead, and start climbing

At some point, Cat insists they bury Ironhead because taking a body with them is going to start causing way worse issues

They camp at the burial spot, Pope voices how he blames himself for the death

The trek up the mountain is the same, including dumping some of the money and memorizing the coordinates

Getting to a port town, Cat gets sick from exposure, so they rest a few days

The local gang leader figures out who they are and uses his gang of kids to confront them

They shoot their way out and grab with guns and the money backpack on the way to the car

Benny drives and they almost flip the truck

They literally ALL get shot, but still make it to the boat and get away

The boys all agree to donate all the money to charity, in honor of Ironhead, and almost literally head off to the sunset

Characters:

Redfly

All-American late 30′s white guy; genuiniely wants to be a good person, but seems too wrapped up in the Army life

He’s the main character and most of the story is his POV

He is still with Molly and the girls, and we actually get a nice scene with them in here

He legitimately snaps once Ironhead is shot and doesn’t come back until after they bury him

He seriously almost kills Yovanna and sounds like he regrets not doing so

Says the words to her “After you sucked him off? You were lying there, playing with him- And you asked ‘What’s your real name? Where are you from?’-What did he say?” and I disliked it

Yovanna tells him that Pope thought he was so honest and he hates knowing he is not that person anymore

Pope

Mid-30′s white guy; way more of an instigator and really manipulated his friends to join him

They never give a reason why he wants to get rid of Lorea

His argument for committing a crime is that America was founded on crimes and it’s not different them the war crimes they committed under orders

Seems embarrassed about his relationship with Yovanna and it’s implied he actually told her his name, but he told her Redfly is the most honest guy he knows.

Calls some indigenous South Americans “Indians” and says they “don’t even know what century it is”

When an informant runs late, he says it’s because they run on Latino Standard Time

He saved Ironhead’s life once in fire and that is how he convices him to come, so he blames himself solely for his death

He literally brought cigars with them for after the heist. They smoke them once they are in the boat

They made Pope the asshole we don’t like, which is understandable, but upsetting

Catfish

Laid-back mid-30′s white guy who now trains Benny and works as a Private Investigator

He still is the main joker and sarcasm, but they really make sure we remember how dark his past is

There is a scene played as a laugh where he gets annoyed waiting for a cheating couple to fuck, so he holds them at gunpoint, tells them to strip and kiss, take the picture, and then tells them he’s sorry, but they should just get a divorce. It comes off terrifying and gross.

He seems to really distrust Pope and is closest to Redfly

He barely speaks Spanish

The Special Forces Museum put up a statue of him, the only living operative to have one, and his wife tells him to retire then because there was no topping that

When they argue about the weight limit, Cat says “Oh, I’m sorry, I missed you going to flight school.” And I appreciate that line.

Benny

Early 30′s white fighter

He’s described as being all or nothing and prone to manic depressive behavior and “prone to pills”

Redfly thinks he’s too old to go pro in fighting and Benny is v offended

He’s the only one to cry over Ironhead’s death

He still uses his “fuck you” money for a fire

He seems to have the most med knowledge and is the one checking for hypothermia, gives the “reason” why Ironhead dies, helps nurse Cat when he’s sick

He’s mostly played for laughs and it’s sort of a waste

Ironhead

Grizzled, but generous 55 year old white vet

He is literally the father figure here and is called that often

He is not related to Benny, but he seems to have a very soft spot for him as the youngest

He somehow served under Redfly?

He gave up running and gunning to mediate and help newer retirees

In the support group, his speech details all of the horrible things that he’s seen and had happen to him, this is supposed to be the reason why the younger soldiers listen to him

One of the group admits to almost committing suicide the past night and Ironhead say he will not tell him not to do it, just that he will not do it tonight and they all recite not tonight, it’s actually touching to “see” them all taking heart in what he is saying

He only agrees to help Pope because Pope once saved his life in combat and he told him he owes him. This scene is described as a father sadden that he can’t get through to his son, but says yes to keep an eye on them

In the “what will you buy with your money” scene, he says he will donate it to charity. It’s quickly followed by Benny excitedly saying he wants a Ferrari and Ironhead affectionately looks at him and says, “That’s a nice car, Ben!” Which made my doubting heart melt...

He the entire time gives the boys reminders to preserve their humanity and is the one who tell Redfly it’s good he let Yovanna go

When he’s shot, they say that the wound was through, meaning that the bullet entered and exited. But, when he dies, Benny says the bullet must have shifted and nudged into his heart. And I’m really annoyed by that clear mistake....

I genuinely did like this version of the character, not more than OUR Will, but I liked him

Lorea

His intro to the movie is literally leading the police in a high-speed chase in his yellow Lambo

He brings a business partner to his mansion during the boys surveying his house and they see his personal guard shoot the partner and cut off his head so it fits in the trunk of the car

I had to learn that, so now so do you

He has a thing for exotic birds and has to bring in several shifts of maids to clean up after them

He comes off here as way more of a rich wimp

Yovanna

Lorea’s sugar baby/girlfriend who sleeps with Pope and gives him info

She used to be a beauty queen

The script says Redfly is her type and she says out-loud that she wants to watch Pope and Redfly fuck.

She taught one of Lorea’s birds to say “Hello, Beautiful” and lets that bird get loose in the mansion so she can get the pic of the money for Pope

I genuinely liked her character, too

My Review

I prefer the actual plot and planning of the final movie. The plan and surveillance here slowly fell together smoothly, but ultimately made far less sense.

But, I think they felt like actual friends here. They interact with each other instead of around each other

But this version is racist and kind of gross, so I’d take kind of boring any day

4/10, please do not make me read again

Tagging because you guys seemed interested: @frannyzooey @mandoplease

@krissology @pedropasscals (thought you might like it)

#triple frontier #excuse me while i go rewatch the movie #i only genuinely rooted for ironhead in this #and sometimes cat and benny #redfly bored me as usual #weird script review

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mythologyfolklore · 4 years

Text

Marpessa isn’t into gods (and Ares makes a speech about love)

(My take on the myth where Marpessa rejects Apollon out of worry, that he would abandon her in old age)

Apollon was arguing with a mortal man over the probably most gorgeous girl he had ever seen.

Who did that boy think he was anyway? Daring to compete with him for a girl's hand! Him, the god of light, music, medicine, prophecy and so much more! This puny mortal man couldn't compare with him to save his life and he had the gall to point an arrow at his face!

“Lower your bow”, he ordered. “Cease this nonsense. You're insane to attempt to go against a god.”

“I don't care, if it's crazy!”, Idas spat. “I will stop you from taking away my bride, no matter what!”

“Cute”, Apollon commented, “But there is nothing you can offer her, that I don't have as well.”

“Sure is!”, Idas spat. “How about true love and a faithful and caring husband?”

The god gasped at the insolence: “Are you saying that I'm a liar and a player?!”

“No, I'm saying that you're an arrogant prick, who only wants her for her beauty!”

By now Apollon was too angry to just point out, that Idas was being hypocritical, since Marpessa's beauty had been the reason why he had abducted her in the first place.

With a face like thunder he pulled out the sword that was hidden beneath his chiton (and no, that was not a euphemism, that was an actual sword). “That's it! You must be hubristic or suicidal – or both! Either way, enough of the useless talk. Let's duke it out. Single combat, for the sake of fairness I won't be using any of my divine abilities.”

Idas nodded grimly. “So be it then.”

Then the god and the mortal engaged in mortal combat, while poor Marpessa just stood at the side, not knowing what to do.

This lasted for several hours and it was getting nowhere.

But then, all of the sudden a voice boomed: “EVERYBODY SETTLE DOWN!”

And in a flash of lightning, Zeus and Ares were standing between the contestants, driving them apart.

“Cease this pointless fighting right now!”, Zeus ordered. “This is getting ridiculous and the noise can be heard all the way up to Olympos.”

“Yep”, Ares nodded. “At first I thought it was funny, but then I looked down and saw, that you're fightin' over my granddaughter like she's some kinda prize.”

Ares' granddaughter, huh? Well, that explained why the oaf of a war god was here.

“So”, Zeus said, “why don't we just ask the lady herself? Has that occurred to you?”

Apollon felt just a little awkward, because in his case the answer was no.

Idas cleared his throat, making the three gods glare at him.

“In all respect”, he coughed, “Marpessa agreed to elope with me, because we're in love with each other and-”

“Did she?”, Ares questioned coolly. “Certainly didn't look or sound like that to me earlier-”

“No, no”, Marpessa finally spoke up, “He really didn't abduct me. I was just fearful, because the chariot was so fast. The speed was scary.”

“Huh. Sorry, my bad”, Ares apologised. “But her father (my son) just drowned himself in a river in despair, when you made off with his only child, so do forgive me, if I'm not the most reasonable.”

“My father is dead …?”

Zeus clapped his hands to get everybody's attention. “No time for this. Let's get it over with. Everybody be silent, except for Marpessa. This young lady here will choose who she wants to be with and the loser has to accept her decision. Is that clear?”

The two contestants nodded and Zeus turned to his great-granddaughter: “Well then, child. Make your choice.”

Marpessa looked back and forth between the god and the Argonaut.

For a few minutes, she considered.

Eventually she addressed Apollon (he could hear her heart racing in her chest): “Phoibos Apollon, Life-Giver and Lord of the Oracle …”

“Just Apollon will do”, he told her gently and tried not to look too nervous.

She swallowed and went on: “Please forgive me, but I choose Idas.”

The god of light felt all colour drain from his face, while Idas cheered in triumph and danced around joyfully, like young men in love had the tendency to do.

Great. Now that bold son of Poseidon got to be all smug and happy, while-

Oh, what was that? Ah, that was Apollon's heart being shattered into a thousand pieces! Again.

“Wh-what?! Wh-why?!”, he choked. “What does he have that I don't?!”

“Mortality”, she answered.

“What?!”

“Let me explain”, the young woman pleaded. “You're without a doubt the most handsome man I have ever seen – no offense, o King of the Gods …”

“None taken”, Zeus laughed in good humour.

“… I know what I would gain with you, Apollon”, Marpessa continued. “You're the god of many wonderful and terrible things and abundant in talents and virtues like no other. You could give me everything: adventure, excitement, and so on. But you're ageless and immortal. I'm not. I will age and die. You love me now, because I'm young and beautiful, but how will it be then? Will you still call me the most beautiful woman you have ever seen, when my face is covered in wrinkles and kiss the top of my hair, that by then will have gone grey? Will you be there, when I die? Will you cry, when I'm gone? Will you remember me fondly, because I delighted you in my youth?”

The god of music was speechless.

The question had hit him right in the gut. He hadn't thought about that – never had, because it had never been necessary. His lovers usually either broke up with him after a while, or they died young. Or he didn't get lucky in the first place, like now.

“Your silence says it all”, Marpessa sighed. “You wouldn't – perhaps even couldn't – stay with me for the rest of my life. But Idas would. He truly loves me. We will grow old together and, for all of his adventures, he will never abandon me.”

The Argonaut hugged her from behind and she turned her head to smile at him.

No, there was no chance he could convince her to change her mind, Apollon realised.

Suddenly there were sniffles behind him and to everyone's surprise, Ares was wiping his eyes.

“That was one of the most beautiful speeches I have ever heard!”, he sobbed. “I just can't even! Anyway, well chosen, my granddaughter. You two have my blessing. Off ya go!”

She beamed at the war god and let Idas help her back onto his chariot.

And off they went.

Zeus gently pat Apollon's shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. “Better luck next time, my son”, he said. Then he vanished in a flash of lightning, leaving Apollon with Ares of all gods.

“Won't you leave too?”, the god of prophecy asked.

Ares shook his head. “Ya don't wanna be alone as much as ya think ya do.”

“Ares, please.”

“M-mh. What she said back there really got to ya, didn't it?”

The blond god groaned in distress. “She really thinks I'm so shallow as to abandon her at the very first wrinkle.”

“Well, is she wrong?”

Apollon stared at the black-and-red-haired god. “Excuse me?!”

“Has anyone ever asked that of ya before?”

“Well, no, but-”

“Would you have stayed with her?”, Ares queried sternly. “I'm her grandfather, so I wanna know. Would you stay with her until she dies? Would you make the effort of weathering the storms of life with her, for better and for worse? Would you be to her what every person, mortal or divine, needs: a constant in her life, who's always there? Would you give her the loyalty every woman wishes for? Could you handle the pain of seeing the woman you fell for grow old and frail, while you stay forever young? Could you still love the face that belonged to the once most beautiful girl in all of Hellas, when it's full of wrinkles? Would you still find her beautiful? Would you wax your pretty poetry and tell her cheesy shit to cheer her up, when she gets nostalgic? Would you take care of her, when she can no longer take care of herself? Would you hold her hand, when she lies on her death bed, tell her how much you love her and give her one last kiss, before she descends to Hades?”

“I … I …”

Ares cupped Apollon's chin and forced the younger god to look him in the eyes.

“You're not that kinda guy, Apollon”, he stated with uncharacteristic gentleness. “Ya give your affection so easily, but it fades so quickly. And even if not, you leave your lovers with pretty gifts and abilities and then watch them from afar. But that's not what they need. What humans need is commitment. What Marpessa an' I just listed up? That's commitment. That's real love. And it takes a kind of courage most gods don't have or are unwilling to muster, 'cuz lovin' a mortal is painful. You an' I know that all too well, don't we?”

By now Apollon was trying really hard not to cry in front of the savage god of terrible war. But damn, Ares had a forsooth impeccable talent of hitting people, where it hurt the most. It was rivalled only by Aphrodite and their arsehole son Eros (like parents like son, Apollon supposed).

Ares sighed and hugged his younger half-brother.

“I hate you!”, Apollon choked. “And your oldest son too! What have I done to you for you to always hurt me like this?!”

“I know, I know”, Ares muttered. “Promise, I didn't do it on purpose this time, though. I just wanted ya to understand.”

“…”

“It's okay to cry, by the way. I may not be the best shoulder to cry on, but I won't judge. Let it out. It'll do ya no good to bottle it all up.”

Screw it.

The god of light collapsed in his older half-brother's arms and began to bawl relentlessly into the other's shoulder.

“Shhh”, the other murmured, while soothingly rubbing Apollon's back and holding him tightly.

They stayed like that for a while, before Ares backed off to look at the other.

“Man, they're really screwin' you over, huh?”, he asked sympathetically. “C'mon, lil' brother. Let's go home. Hestia gave me lots of cookies, but I don't like sweets, so you can have them as comfort food. Take a break from love and while you're at that, think of what I said, hm?”

Apollon just sniffled and let the older god transport them both back to Olympos.

#Greek Mythology #apollon #idas #marpessa #zeus #ares #apollon needs a hug #ares is sympathetic #ares tries really hard to be a good bro #he's not really that good at it #zeus has the biggest braincell in this situation

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aboveallarescuer · 4 years

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How Dany assesses the counsel she receives and makes her own choices - The way from the Red Waste to Vaes Tolorro

This will be a series of posts meant to show that Dany is open to receiving advice and criticism, but that she doesn’t act solely based on what other people tell her to do. On the opposite, GRRM makes great effort to write a Dany who most often merges different viewpoints and/or finds her own solutions to the problems she’s facing. I won’t include every single decision she ever made (e.g. her decisions at court are often made without counsel and her execution of the ritual to hatch the dragon eggs was already exhaustively and deftly analyzed by other people), but there will be plenty of instances in this series that will prove my point nonetheless. The metas will always have four items: in which chapters the events mentioned take place; what advice she receives and from whom; what were her actions; the verdict (whether she followed other people’s advice, ignored/rejected them or did both at the same time).

Chapter (s):

ACOK Daenerys I

The advice Dany receives:

Jorah and Rakharo advise Dany to avoid any route that any other khal took.

Jorah says that, while it's uncertain that they will survive by moving forward through the Red Waste, it's certain that they will die if they try to go back.

Jhiqui and Irri advise Dany to not enter the city because of the evil ghosts that inhabit it.

Dany's actions:

As I said in my meta about the relationship between Dany and the prophecies, Dany thinks it's best to follow the comet both because it's her only viable alternative and because there would only be despair left if she didn't believe that it meant something. As she lays out, all the other paths would compromise her small group:

She dare not turn north onto the vast ocean of grass they called the Dothraki sea. The first khalasar they met would swallow up her ragged band, slaying the warriors and slaving the rest. The lands of the Lamb Men south of the river were likewise closed to them. They were too few to defend themselves even against that unwarlike folk, and the Lhazareen had small reason to love them. (ACOK Daenerys I)

By the way, it's noteworthy that Dany was able to assess her situation and think of all these implications on her own. And I do believe she did it on her own, considering that the author explicitly recognizes when the ideas come from other people:

She might have struck downriver for the ports at Meereen and Yunkai and Astapor, but Rakharo warned her that Pono’s khalasar had ridden that way, driving thousands of captives before them to sell in the flesh marts that festered like open sores on the shores of Slaver’s Bay.

“Why should I fear Pono?” Dany objected. “He was Drogo’s ko, and always spoke me gently.”

“Ko Pono spoke you gently,” Ser Jorah Mormont said. “Khal Pono will kill you.[”] (ACOK Daenerys I)

And this leads us to an interesting exchange between Dany and Jorah. As I said before, there are lots of instances to infer that she says things she does not necessarily believe in to obtain his respect, and this is one of them. First, he says that she and her hundred warriors won't stand a chance against Pono's ten thousand warriors. In her mind, Dany is quite conscious of her vulnerabilities, for she knows she doesn't even have a hundred warriors:

No, Dany thought. I have four. The rest are women, old sick men and boys whose hair has never been braided.

But instead of revealing these insecurities, Dany declares:

“I have the dragons,” she pointed out.

Which then leads Jorah to reply that they won't help her that much, since they are still hatchlings; in fact, they may be liabilities at this point since everyone will want to possess them. Dany fiercely says that they are hers and no one will take them from her while she lives. She is putting on a facade here, and admirably so. As the last Targaryen, khaleesi and now Mother of Dragons (as they started to call her), she is their leader and the one who must organize them to work towards a single purpose. To be in that position means being firm and reliable when no one else could be:

“We follow the comet,” Dany told her khalasar. Once it was said, no word was raised against it. They had been Drogo’s people, but they were hers now. The Unburnt, they called her, and Mother of Dragons. Her word was their law.

They are not strong, she told herself, so I must be their strength. I must show no fear, no weakness, no doubt. However frightened my heart, when they look upon my face they must see only Drogo’s queen. She felt older than her fourteen years. If ever she had truly been a girl, that time was done.

Dany kissed him lightly on the cheek. It heartened her to see him smile. I must be strong for him as well, she thought grimly. A knight he may be, but I am the blood of the dragon.

Like I said before, while Viserys used the expression "the blood of the dragon" to be ostentatious and coerce others into doing whatever he wanted, Dany reclaims it to restrain her emotions so she can be the kind of leader who "belongs to her people, not herself". The use of that phrase is also reminiscent of her duty not being only towards the living, but also the dead, whom she doesn't fail to mention:

Her father had been slain before she was born, and her splendid brother Rhaegar as well. Her mother had died bringing her into the world while the storm screamed outside. Gentle Ser Willem Darry, who must have loved her after a fashion, had been taken by a wasting sickness when she was very young. Her brother Viserys, Khal Drogo who was her sun-and-stars, even her unborn son, the gods had claimed them all. They will not have my dragons, Dany vowed. They will not. (ACOK Daenerys II)

Dany is being very protective of her dragons for two reasons:

She loves them as she would love her human children and considers them family.

They are also the means for her to successfully claim her father's throne. Only then she will honor all of these people that the gods claimed. That is also why she won't admit defeat in Qarth when all hope seems lost - she has the dragons and a shot at doing justice for her ancestors and carrying out their legacy, so she will not look back and be lost.

Because Dany's leadership style is rooted in empathy and accountability, she never takes advantage of her position:

Dany hungered and thirsted with the rest of them. The milk in her breasts dried up, her nipples cracked and bled, and the flesh fell away from her day by day until she was lean and hard as a stick[.]

Another leader might have taken most of the food or water for themselves, but that's not what Dany chooses to do. She "must know the sufferings of her people", after all, even more so when she is unable to help them the way she wished she could. The trauma of seeing so many of her people perish will later inform her attempts to bring peace (untenable as it was) as quickly as possible to Meereen in ASOS and ADWD.

Wine gave out first, and soon thereafter the clotted mare’s milk the horselords loved better than mead. Then their stores of flatbread and dried meat were exhausted as well. Their hunters found no game, and only the flesh of their dead horses filled their bellies. Death followed death. Weak children, wrinkled old women, the sick and the stupid and the heedless, the cruel land claimed them all. Doreah grew gaunt and hollow-eyed, and her soft golden hair turned brittle as straw.

[H]er khalasar withered and died. Around them the land turned ever more desolate. Even devilgrass grew scant; horses dropped in their tracks, leaving so few that some of her people must trudge along on foot.

Dany looked at the horizon with despair. They had lost a third of their number, and still the waste stretched before them, bleak and red and endless.

Even here, Dany does the best she can to alleviate their pain. She respects and follows their customs:

Three days into the march, the first man died. A toothless oldster with cloudy blue eyes, he fell exhausted from his saddle and could not rise again. An hour later he was done. [...] Dany bid them kill the weakest of their dying horses, so the dead man might go mounted into the night lands.

Two nights later, it was an infant girl who perished. Her mother’s anguished wailing lasted all day, but there was nothing to be done. The child had been too young to ride, poor thing. Not for her the endless black grasses of the night lands; she must be born again.

She also feels a lot of gratitude for Doreah and strives to make her death a little less agonizing:

Doreah took a fever and grew worse with every league they crossed. Her lips and hands broke with blood blisters, her hair came out in clumps, and one evenfall she lacked the strength to mount her horse. Jhogo said they must leave her or bind her to her saddle, but Dany remembered a night on the Dothraki sea, when the Lysene girl had taught her secrets so that Drogo might love her more. She gave Doreah water from her own skin, cooled her brow with a damp cloth, and held her hand until she died, shivering. Only then would she permit the khalasar to press on.

Later in ADWD, during a feast where people start bringing up the names of the combatants in the upcoming duels at Daznak's Pit, Dany feels complicit in their imminent deaths. She remembers Doreah as an example of someone who died under her protection. More than that: in Dany's mind, Doreah is proof that "[n]o queen has clean hands" because that's how guilty Dany feels about what happened:

Much of the talk about the table was of the matches to be fought upon the morrow. Barsena Blackhair was going to face a boar, his tusks against her dagger. Khrazz was fighting, as was the Spotted Cat. And in the day's final pairing, Goghor the Giant would go against Belaquo Bonebreaker. One would be dead before the sun went down. No queen has clean hands, Dany told herself. She thought of Doreah, of Quaro, of Eroeh … of a little girl she had never met, whose name had been Hazzea. (ADWD Daenerys VIII)

I want to cry.

Also, even if in vain, Dany's proactive (though failed) efforts to find resources in the Red Waste should not be overlooked, for it's still admirable that she took them without anyone even suggesting:

Dany sent outriders ranging ahead of the column, but they found neither wells nor springs, only bitter pools, shallow and stagnant, shrinking in the hot sun.

And neither should Dany's discovery of how to feed the dragons. While Viserys gave her the knowledge, she was the one who retained it in her memory, guessed that it might work and applied it:

Such little things, she thought as she fed them by hand, or rather, tried to feed them, for the dragons would not eat. They would hiss and spit at each bloody morsel of horsemeat, steam rising from their nostrils, yet they would not take the food ... until Dany recalled something Viserys had told her when they were children.

Only dragons and men eat cooked meat, he had said.

When she had her handmaids char the horsemeat black, the dragons ripped at it eagerly, their heads striking like snakes.

Eventually, Dany and her khalasar arrive at the abandoned city that would later be named Vaes Tolorro. She is the one who takes precautions at first:

They made camp before the remnants of a gutted palace, on a windswept plaza where devilgrass grew between the paving stones. Dany sent out men to search the ruins. Some went reluctantly, yet they went ...

But then, after finding out that the place has figs, fruit trees, vines and water, she decides to enter it, stay, rest and be practical rather than leave it because of superstitions:

... and one scarred old man returned a brief time later, hopping and grinning, his hands overflowing with figs. Other searchers returned with tales of other fruit trees, hidden behind closed doors in secret gardens. Aggo showed her a courtyard overgrown with twisting vines and tiny green grapes, and Jhogo discovered a well where the water was pure and cold. Yet they found bones too, the skulls of the unburied dead, bleached and broken. “Ghosts,” Irri muttered. “Terrible ghosts. We must not stay here, Khaleesi, this is their place.”

“I fear no ghosts. Dragons are more powerful than ghosts.” And figs are more important.

She takes note of the resources available to her ("food and water here to sustain them, and enough grass for the horses to regain their strength") and gets her people to work on the different tasks she finds for them:

Dany gave him charge of a dozen of her strongest men, and set them to pulling up the plaza to get to the earth beneath. If devilgrass could grow between the paving stones, other grasses would grow when the stones were gone. They had wells enough, no lack of water. Given seed, they could make the plaza bloom.

Dany thanked him and told him to see to the repair of the gates. If enemies had crossed the waste to destroy these cities in ancient days, they might well come again. “If so, we must be ready,” she declared.

In these two cases, we have explicit cases of Dany concocting ideas to improve Vaes Tolorro's facility, namely by improving its lawn and fortifying it. Not only that, but we also find out that, under Dany's leadership, her whole khalasar is now taking action and making the place better in the ways they can help:

Women harvested fruit from the gardens of the dead. Men groomed their mounts and mended saddles, stirrups, and shoes. Children wandered the twisty alleys and found old bronze coins and bits of purple glass and stone flagons with handles carved like snakes. One woman was stung by a red scorpion, but hers was the only death. The horses began to put on some flesh. Dany tended Ser Jorah’s wound herself, and it began to heal.

This is all great setup for when Dany becomes Queen of Meereen and handles large-scale projects to improve the city's economy and infrastructure.

However, even though Dany thinks it "pleasant" to stay in Vaes Tolorro, she's aware that she must eventually leave, and she doesn't want to do so without being fairly sure of where she's going. With that in mind, she makes the clever decision to send her bloodriders in different directions so that, hopefully, one might find a path that's not as arduous as the one they had to face:

The next morn, she summoned her bloodriders. “Blood of my blood,” she told the three of them, “I have need of you. Each of you is to choose three horses, the hardiest and healthiest that remain to us. Load as much water and food as your mounts can bear, and ride forth for me. Aggo shall strike southwest, Rakharo due south. Jhogo, you are to follow shierak qiya on southeast.”

“What shall we seek, Khaleesi?” asked Jhogo.

“Whatever there is,” Dany answered. “Seek for other cities, living and dead. Seek for caravans and people. Seek for rivers and lakes and the great salt sea. Find how far this waste extends before us, and what lies on the other side. When I leave this place, I do not mean to strike out blind again. I will know where I am bound, and how best to get there.”

And this decision pays off when Jhogo returns with the three strangers who will guide Dany to Qarth.

Aside from the beginning when Dany ponders which direction to take, neither Ser Jorah nor her bloodriders are ever mentioned as part of Dany's decisionmaking. Instead, GRRM takes pain to make Dany's reasoning and actions her own, while also showcasing her selfless nature. ACOK Daenerys I is a chapter that highlights the authorial intent to portray Daenerys Targaryen as an intelligent, capable and principled leader.

Verdict:

From the Red Waste to Vaes Tolorro, Jorah and Rakharo advise Dany about where not to go (though it must be said that she had already made most of the assessment on her own). Besides that, every single action that Dany takes is of her own volition and without the influence of anyone's help. She:

Exhibits emotional intelligence by acting as a leader who drives her group.

Tries to find resources in the Red Waste.

Attempts to ease the khalasar's pain by taking part in their customs and giving Doreah a less painful death.

Decides to remain in Vaes Tolorro despite superstitions.

Takes note of the resources that she has in her disposal.

Gives her people several different tasks to improve the city; thanks to her guidance, some possibly started to do different activities on their own.

Sends her bloodriders in different directions to find one that isn't as taxing as the previous one.

#daenerys targaryen #asoiaf meta #a clash of kings #valyrianscrolls #dany and her choices

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gusu-emilu · 4 years

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Cantatio: Chapter Thirteen

Ship: Lan Zhan / Wei Ying (POV Lan Zhan)

Summary: Wei Ying’s plan to stop the guardian lion statue requires some *physical contact* from Lan Zhan. The lion reveals who brought it to life—and it's a shock.

Cloud Recesses AU, Rated T, No Warnings Apply - read on AO3

< Ch. 12 | chapter list

* * *

“Stop!” Lan Wangji shouted.

Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng, and Jin Zixuan ignored him and continued to battle the guardian lion statue. The creature barely put effort into the fight, clearly just wanting to be left alone, but even a mere swat of its paws sent the disciples flying into stalagmites and cavern walls—and then Jiang Cheng into the lake.

Jin Zixuan was the only one fighting earnestly in his senseless attempt to preserve his honor, but all three were battered and only getting worse. Lan Wangji and Wen Qing stood at a distance, watching with growing worry.

“Stop!” Lan Wangji shouted again.

Wei Wuxian glanced back at him, then made a point of fighting even harder. Jiang Cheng trudged out of the lake, spitting out equal amounts of water and curses, and swung Sandu at the lion.

Lan Wangji had never been so blatantly disregarded in matters of combat. A nerve twinged in his temple.

Maybe they needed to be forced to stop. He turned to Wen Qing, raised his eyebrows, and pretended to throw a needle.

“I could,” Wen Qing said, “but then they’d pass out on the ground and get crushed under the lion’s paws.”

That wouldn’t work. Lan Wangji squared his jaw and turned back to the chaos around the lion. “Wei Ying!”

Wei Wuxian jumped into the air and flew over to land in front of him. “What is it, Lan Zhan.”

His voice was still bitter. Still spiteful. Lan Wangji had heard this tone from Wei Wuxian before, but it made his throat tighten to have it directed at himself. How long would Wei Ying be angry at him?

Still, this was better than being ignored. As long as they could still work together.

“It speaks,” Lan Wangji said.

Wei Wuxian cocked an eyebrow and pointed over his shoulder with his thumb. “The lion?”

“Trans-Himalayan.”

“So that’s what all that moaning is about?” Recognition spread across Wei Wuxian's face. “I thought it sounded familiar. It’s that dumb old language that Lan Qiren made us read poetry in! What’s it saying?”

“Horrified, the warrior realized that, like a swan crushing her eggs as she shielded them from a snake, it was his hand that plunged the knife into the Emperor’s heart.”

“…It said that whole mouthful?”

Lan Wangji nodded.

It was a line from the poem about a warrior who discovered he had been manipulated by his enemies to assassinate the emperor he served and loved. The warrior retreated from the world for eternity to atone. Lan Qiren had said this was the most important line of the poem.

“Out of all things, why would it say this?” Wei Wuxian said softly, wondering out loud rather than asking.

However, Lan Wangji had an answer. “Recitation of the most famous line to imply the entire poem."

“Exactly,” Wen Qing said. “It’s probably because the warrior's story relates to it somehow.” She looked at the guardian lion, narrowing her eyes as if watching her thoughts sharpen before her. “The daozhang had told us that guardian spirits are difficult to communicate with. A few lines of ancient poetry might be all it’s learned to say in the physical realm.”

“Hm," Wei Wuxian said. "It was his hand that plunged the knife into the Emperor’s heart…” He fell silent for a few moments, rubbing his chin. “Well, the entire purpose of guardian statues is to protect their location from evil and intruders. But this one attacked a guest disciple.”

He snapped his fingers. “It must have realized that Jin Zixuan was someone it was supposed to protect! Then it ran away to hide from the world and repent for hurting him, just like the warrior in the poem!”

A smile tugged at Lan Wangji's lips. "This is a promising theory." Wei Wuxian had figured it out so quickly.

Wen Qing shook her head solemnly. “The lion must feel terrible, having us chase after it and attack it. All it wants to do is push the young masters away, not harm them, but it keeps hurting them regardless.”

They looked over at Jin Zixuan and Jiang Cheng, who now seemed to be quarreling with themselves just as much as with the guardian lion.

“Get out of my way!”

“Why don’t you call your rich daddy to come fight instead if you can’t handle it?”

“Why don’t you call your ugly mom!”

“Fuck off!!”

“Hey!” Wei Wuxian shouted. “Stop! Leave the lion alone! And each other!”

Jiang Cheng pulled away, but Jin Zixuan did not relent. He leapt into the air and swung Suihua at the lion’s head.

“Idiot. We’re going to have to force him to stop,” Wei Wuxian said.

“That might be risky,” Wen Qing said. “If the lion sees us start attacking each other, it might choose one of us to defend. It is bound by duty to protect someone. I saw it eyeing Young Master Jiang suspiciously when those two started shoving each other.”

“Great. Just perfect,” Wei Wuxian muttered. He snapped his fingers again. “What if I try telling the lion to stop? Now that I think about, I’m pretty sure in Song Lan’s class, I did some weird half telepathic, half broken Trans-Himalayan communication with the pixiu in the spiritual realm, since I had been thinking about old Qiren’s poetry class right before I touched it. I can try the same thing with the lion. If it listens to me and stops moving, then you and Jiang Cheng can get the peacock out of its way.”

“It will require great spiritual energy,” Lan Wangji said.

“It’s just talking. I think I can manage it.”

“As you managed the pixiu?”

As soon as he said it, he knew he shouldn’t have.

Wei Wuxian shot a dark glare at Lan Wangji. “Fine. I get it. You don’t trust me.” He turned to Wen Qing. “Well, then what else should we do? Tackle Jin Zixuan and hope he doesn’t fight back?”

“I trust you.”

Wei Wuxian blinked at him several times. “Huh?”

A peculiar warmth filled Lan Wangji’s chest.

“I trust you.”

For the first time Lan Wangji had ever seen, Wei Wuxian blushed.

He made Wei Ying blush.

The warmth inside him grew hotter, filling him with heady lightness like a paper lantern floating into the sky. Perhaps there was more he should've said to apologize, but Wei Wuxian seemed to understand everything Lan Wangji meant just from these few words.

“Are we going to do something,” Wen Qing said, “or should I start playing romantic music?”

Now it was Lan Wangji’s turn to blush. Except this was more like a fire.

“Wen Qing!” Wei Wuxian said, putting one hand on his hip and gesturing toward Lan Wangji with the other. “We’re having a moment! Don’t try to make everything about you and Lan Zhan!”

The warmth fizzled away immediately.

Wen Qing raised one eyebrow as the corners of her mouth crept upward. “Wei Wuxian, for someone so smart, you’re really, really dumb.” She exhaled sharply and clapped her hands together. “Okay, come on, let’s help Young Master Jiang and Young Master Jin so they stop shouting. I already had a headache before I fell in this cave, and I'd like some quiet.” Her lips tightened with disapproval as she watched the disciples battle the lion. "And they do not need to get any more injuries."

Wei Wuxian nodded. “Lan Zhan, I’ll need your help.”

“Mn?”

“I’m going to jump onto the lion’s back. But if I spiritually connect to it, I’m afraid that I’ll lose touch with the physical world, and I’ll fall off. I need you to ride the lion with me and hold me in place while I talk to it. You can send me spiritual energy too.”

Side by side, they leapt into the air and landed on the stone back of the lion. They sat down as if riding a horse, Wei Wuxian in front with Lan Wangji behind him. They gripped the flanks of the lion with their legs to stay upright, a slight burn growing in Lan Wangji’s hamstrings as he held tight. The creature bucked up and down as it fought Jin Zixuan, who was still hacking at the its paws below.

“Alright. I’m ready,” Wei Wuxian said. “Put your hands on my hips.”

The fire in Lan Wangji’s cheeks blazed up again. He hesitated.

Wei Wuxian looked over his shoulder. “Lan Zhan? Hello? You still trust me, right? As long as you hold me, I won’t fall off. I’ll be fine.”

Lan Wangji placed his hands on the slender waist before him.

“Tighter.”

Something other than motion sickness was making Lan Wangji dizzy. He began to worry that if Wei Wuxian didn’t fall off the lion, he might himself.

He wrapped his arms around Wei Wuxian’s entire torso, hugging him into his chest. He didn’t know which gave off more heat—the body he held, or his own face.

“Perfect,” Wei Wuxian said with a slight lilt in his voice.

Lan Wangji closed his eyes and sent spiritual energy through his embrace.

The scent of plum blossoms. Pine trees. Cloves.

When was the last time he'd hugged someone?

His mother used to cradle him during the one day a month he was allowed to visit her. But she died when he was six years old. His uncle had only ever shown affection through the rare words of praise that slipped through his scolding. And his father…well, he had never been around to begin with.

The last time was when Lan Wangji was twelve years old and nearly drowned in the waterfalls outside Caiyi Town. After his brother fished him out, he hugged Lan Wangji so tight that it was even harder to breathe in Lan Xichen's embrace than it was underwater.

That hug had been freezing cold, with the river water of Lan Wangji's soaked robes between them. But this hug—Wei Ying’s—was comfortable and warm.

It was absurd to feel so at peace in this moment. They were on top of a guardian lion’s back, in an underground cave with no way out except a steep muddy tunnel, with a bloodied, kidnapped disciple slashing a sword below them. Yet Lan Wangji felt so incredibly happy.

He did not know how long it lasted, but it was not long enough. Suddenly the lion beneath them stopped moving. The clamor of swords ceased.

A honey-coated voice. “Okay, Lan Zhan, we’re done. Thanks for helping.”

“Mn.” Lan Wangji pulled his arms away and immediately shivered.

Wei Wuxian looked over his shoulder and smiled. He appeared tired, yet content. Lan Wangji realized that he felt quite tired as well.

Wei Wuxian sank back into Lan Wangji’s chest, resting his head on Lan Wangji’s shoulder and gazing up with a lazy smirk that crinkled his eyes. “No crooked path this time. Just a friendly conversation, although it took a lot of energy to talk to the old lion. I don’t think I could’ve lasted if you hadn’t sent me your spiritual energy. I’m spent.”

“Alright, help me get down from here,” Wei Wuxian said as he sat up again. The sudden absence of touch on Lan Wangji's body felt worse the second time, like a cold gust of wind. “I’ll tell everyone what the lion said.”

* * *

They dismounted the guardian lion and walked side-by-side toward the other disciples with a drunken sway in their steps from lost spiritual energy. Jin Zixuan was brandishing his sword in an indecisive half-stance and appeared to be held captive by a smug Wen Qing. The lion sat calmly and watched.

Jiang Cheng gawked at Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji, his eyes darting back and forth between them angrily. “The hell you smiling about?”

“Scolding me already?" Wei Wuxian said quietly, pretending to be hurt. “Why don’t you tell me I did a good job instead?”

Jiang Cheng scowled. “Not when you creeped me out with all that smiling.”

Wei Wuxian laughed. “If you didn’t want to see smiling, you should’ve just watched Lan Zhan instead.”

Jiang Cheng gave an uneasy glance at Lan Wangji, then immediately looked at the ground. “Wasn’t any better,” he mumbled, barely audible.

Had…had Lan Wangji been smiling the entire time?

He took a step away from Wei Wuxian, who didn’t seem to pick up on Jiang Cheng’s remark. Suddenly, the serenity that he’d felt a moment ago with Wei Wuxian in his arms was overtaken by a chafing awkwardness.

He had...liked it.

Could Wei Ying tell? Did he like it too?

Lan Wangji shoved the swarm of questions out of his mind. He hadn’t liked it that much. This was the time to address the problem of the guardian lion, not to wallow in frivolous thoughts.

“Hurry up,” Wen Qing said dryly. “Just tell us what happened.”

Wei Wuxian explained that the guardian lion had awoken without hearing any instructions from its life-giver. It didn't know why it had been animated, or what danger it was tasked to fight. The last time it was awake in the physical realm had been too long many years ago to count, and therefore it didn't recognize most of its surroundings.

When it saw Jin Zixuan, it thought he was an intruder, and immediately attacked. It dragged him out of the Cloud Recesses to protect the Lan Clan, but after Jin Zixuan had been shouting in a language that the lion didn't understand, it eventually realized that it was in a much different era.

It had captured and injured a guest of the Lan Clan—someone it was bound by duty to protect. After this unforgiveable mistake, the lion posed a greater threat to the Cloud Recesses than any enemy could. It retreated to the underground cave to hide and repent.

“You got all of that from Lan Qiren’s dumb poetry language?” Jiang Cheng said.

Wei Wuxian laughed. “Nope. Three quarters of it that story is just a guess. I had to connect the dots, sprinkle in some filler and embellishments. I had to at least make it exciting, right?” He crossed his arms and glanced at the lion with a small sigh. “Well, I suppose now I should ask the lion to return to the Cloud Recesses.”

“I shall be the one to do so,” said a voice behind them.

Song Lan was standing on the bank of the lagoon. Wen Ning was peeking out from behind the cultivator’s dark robes.

“Daozhang?” Wei Wuxian said.

“A-Ning? What are you doing here?” said Wen Qing.

Song Lan took a step forward and folded his hands behind himself. “Young Master Wen informed me that there were some daring disciples who hopped on swords looking for trouble.”

“Wen Ning! You ratted us out?” Wei Wuxian said.

“I’m s-s-sorry!” Wen Ning scrunched his shoulders together and stared at the ground. “I’m sorry, Young Master Wei. I was going to tell Clan Leader N-N-Nie instead because he seems like he’s friends with Second Young Master Lan…but he doesn’t like me at all…so I had to tell the daozhang.”

Song Lan inclined his head toward Wen Ning. “You should be grateful that Young Master Wen was so ardent about preserving your safety.”

It was hard to tell, but Wen Qing might've smiled at this.

“What is the meaning of this?” An indignant voice shouted. “Why are so many disciples down here with the lion? And why are they covered in mud?" Lan Qiren stormed down the path along the lake, his face red and his breath short.

“Despite the obvious need for disciplining,” Song Lan said gently, “Shifu should be grateful that these young cultivators found the lion.”

“That does not matter! This behavior is unacceptable!” He turned to Lan Wangji, boiling over with fury that Lan Wangji had not faced in a long time. “Wangji! What are you doing here?”

“Uncle—"

“Wangji, you are head disciple!”

“Clan Leader Lan,” Song Lan stepped forward to stand beside him. “Let us deal with the most urgent matters first. The lion must be returned to the Cloud Recesses.”

It took several terrifying moments for Lan Qiren’s glare to release Lan Wangji and focus on Song Lan.

“It appears that our guardian lion situation has been resolved,” Song Lan said. “However, there is one important question that must be answered. I shall ask the guardian spirit who brought it to life.”

He walked over to the lion and placed one hand on its forehead. He remained motionless like this with his eyelids softly closed for a long time.

He gasped.

A deathly white color spread across his face. He opened and closed his mouth several times as if struggling to speak, then wrenched his hand off the statue, sank to his knees, and stared blankly at the imprints the porous stone surface had left in his palm.

“Daozhang?” Lan Qiren said, leaning forward. His voice wavered. “Who was it?”

“Bao…Bao..."

Lan Qiren’s eyes widened.

“Baoshan Sanren,” Song Lan whispered.

* * *

Thanks for reading! These chapters (and more to come) can also be found on AO3!

chapter list | Ch. 14 >

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