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themidnightguardian · 2 years

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Day 9: Caught in a Storm -- Sakura

gen or pre-Sakura/Sasori | AU where the chuunin exams take place in Suna & Sasori is closer in age/not a puppet/not a missing nin | Content Warnings: sandstorm, unintentionally neglectful Team 7 (but only kind of)

Whumptober Masterlist

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It was Naruto and Sasuke’s fault, Sakura decided as the sun beat down on her, sweat and sand-grit stuck to her skin. The vast desert around Suna sucked, but it would have sucked less if the boys hadn’t been bickering to the point of annoying Kakashi-sensei so much that he sent them off to run laps while he set up camp for the evening. He’d picked a landmark on the horizon: some tall cactus thing that looked a hell of a lot closer than it actually was.

Stupid flat horizon. Stupid heat distortion. Stupid fucking sand.

Naruto and Sasuke had turned it into a race between themselves, lost in their rivalry and unintentionally excluding Sakura as per usual. They were both faster than her anyway and with better stamina, though she’d been trying to fix that since the utter clusterfuck that was the Wave Mission. Still, she’d only had a few weeks before they’d had to leave for Suna and the chuunin exams, and there was only so much she could accomplish in one month when she’d been practically neglecting her training for the previous five.

(If it hurt that they never bothered to think of her anyway—if it felt, sometimes, like Team 7 was Naruto and Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei but not her—she tried to ignore it. Self-pity had never gotten her anywhere she actually wanted to be.)

But that meant that Sakura was jogging alone in the desert heat, only just now reaching the cactus a good half hour after Naruto and Sasuke had passed her on their return trip, still shouting and trying to trip each other. Unused to the climate, she all but dragged herself to sit near the base of the cactus for a moment, taking a few minutes to analyze the plant and catch her breath.

She knew she must have been out of it—dehydrated, probably, and exhausted, definitely—but she was still startled when a shadow fell over her face, and she jerked, kunai in hand, to find a pretty, red-haired boy who must have only been two or three years older than herself staring down at her impassively. He was dressed as a shinobi, though better prepared for the sun than her with his sand-toned, lightweight clothing, and the hitai-ate marked with Suna’s symbol gave his village allegiance away.

“Little girl, are you trying to die?” he asked, voice bland, and she would have taken him for entirely disinterested if not for the sharpness of his eyes. He had pretty eyes too: amber hued and wide, slanted elegantly and framed by thick, dark lashes.

How unfair, Sakura thought. This boy had the sort of looks girls would kill for.

And then she registered his words, bristling. “I’m not a little girl.”

One perfectly arched eyebrow quirked, though the rest of his face remained stoic.

“You’re not a little girl, but you are trying to die?”

Sakura huffed irritably. “I’m not trying to die either.”

His head tipped to the side, smirking. “You don’t seem particularly equipped for a sandstorm.”

“A sand…storm?” Sakura repeated, dread curling in her gut, and when the boy nodded in the direction behind her, she almost didn’t want to turn and look.

Oh fuck, she thought, terror and adrenaline spearing through her all at once. There was a wall of sand off in the distance, barreling towards them, but Sakura knew now that just because it looked far off didn’t mean it was. Everything was distorted in the desert. Something that looked only a few hundred feet in front of you could be miles away. Something that seemed far off could be minutes from closing in.

“I have to…I have to get back to camp,” she said, thinking out loud. Proper shelter, like a cave, would be best, but the tents they had back at camp would be better than nothing. And right now, nothing was what she had.

The boy snorted. “You think you can outrun a sandstorm?”

Sakura opened her mouth to argue, but no words came. Realistically, no, even on her best days, even if she was in Konoha where the terrain was familiar and steady, her current fitness abilities were not enough to outpace a sandstorm. And now, here, in the heat and with shifting sand underfoot, exhausted and drained, she’d never make it back to her team in time. It had taken her nearly an hour and a half to make to the damned cactus. She didn’t think she’d have that long before the storm hit.

Some of her hopelessness must have shown on her face, because the boy gave a put upon sigh. “Get up, girl. We’ll shelter for the storm, and then I’ll return you to your jounin-sensei.”

There was a part of her—the suspicion that Kakashi-sensei had all but beat into them—that did not trust this boy no matter the kindness he offered her, did not trust him even if Suna was supposed to be an ally. But she could not afford to refuse. Without help, she would die out here: not to an enemy nin, not to an assassin or a crime lord or an army, but to the weather.

Pathetic, she told herself sharply as she stood, scrambling for a moment on the sand. She would have to learn to be better than this.

The boy was efficient, at least, wasting no time in guiding her in the opposite direction of the storm. He stopped at a seemingly random dune, but before Sakura could ask what he was doing, his hands folded into quick signs and a small wind-jutsu blew the top layer of sand off of…what looked to be a sort of manhole? He unlocked the lid easily—some sort of puzzle-like mechanism, Sakura thought, curious—and then started climbing down the ladder inside, only pausing to wave her in with a vaguely impatient look.

Again, the suspicious, paranoid part of her wondered if this was a trap, but it was far too late to make a run for it, and besides, the wind was picking up, sand whipping sharp against her bared skin, signaling the oncoming storm. She scrambled down into the hole, surprised to find that it was a full-on bunker furnished with cots and a table and basic supplies.

“Get comfortable,” the boy said, closing up the bunker lid before settling at the table. “The storm will last a while.”

“Thank you.” Just because he was strange and brusque and blunt didn’t mean that Sakura had to be. And she wasn’t going to hold his attitude against him either, because even if his words were sharp, he had helped her. Saved her, really. She owed him. “I’m Sakura.”

His pretty amber eyes darted up to meet hers, assessing. For a long moment, she felt like he could see right through her, and she idly wondered if there were any Suna clans that had mind techniques like the Yamanaka.

“Sasori.”

He didn’t say much else beyond that, but that was alright. Sakura settled in on one of the cots, back pressed against the wall as she watched him whittle away at a piece of wood—just because he had helped her didn’t mean he wasn’t dangerous, and she wasn’t an idiot even though she knew her team thought she was sometimes.

But Sasori kept his attention on whatever project he was working on, and soon, between the dimmed whistle of the wind outside and her exhaustion and the cool relief of the underground bunker, Sakura dozed lightly as she waited for the storm to end.

#whumptober2022 #no.9 #Caught in a Storm #naruto #haruno sakura #sasori #sasosaku #fic

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seeminglyseph · 5 months

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Aaahh.. I don’t know what I’m doing. I feel so augh. I’m trying to figure out the right balance of building up stamina and strength without accidentally triggering a fatigue relapse. And get the right timing for my IIH medication so I don’t also have relapse migraines, plus I think I had to adapt to my vyvanse increase because it increased pressure severely, but my focus and mental clarity has been really really bad on the IIH meds, and trying to get anything done when you just can’t think is just. Awful.

Plus some personal life stuff has been pretty terrible and I’ve been trying to like sort my feelings out, and trying to like. Not spiral into all of my worst feelings ever at the least opportune time ever, while also trying to actually keep on top of doctors’ appointments and holiday stuff and not being stressed as hell because like. Part of my brain is like “what if this is early signs that you also have ALS and you’re dying like your dad only faster” which probably not, my dad was 70, not 35, but my brain thinks mean things all the time.

I’ve cut out a lot of caffeine, and have been almost exclusively drinking Gatorade lately which feels wild I never thought I’d kick half of these habits. But so much of my life has shifted due to pain and the way medication has changed my actual senses. Like the fact that my sense of smell is so intense now is just. Really weird? I carry around one of those Vic’s inhaler pens because sometimes smells are just too strong to handle. I feel like I have to work harder to keep things clean just because I can’t handle the smell of things. Which is exhausting the hell outta me because I don’t have the energy to really keep up with all of it. I just start smelling things. I smell the water and our local water filtration system is actually really good. I smell the inside of my nose. I got a metal Gua Sha thing to try and do some of the sinus headache massage stuff I saw because they say it’s good for drainage? And headaches. I know some people are doing it hella wrong ‘cause they talk about toxins and weight loss and mostly it’s about like. Fluids and stuff. But when I put it in the fridge and cover my face with rose hip oil it feels really nice. I already did a drainage massage when I remembered but the little metal massage tool feels really nice. Plus the like stainless steel is easy to sterilize. The rose hip oil I have is probably mad old but whatever it hasn’t hurt yet. And I’m working on not being so dehydrated. Even though I’m drinking so much Gatorade. My meds are dehydrating. And it’s so dry out. I need to clean my humidifier, I think it sat a little long and now I’m worried about mould.

I’m worried about everything honestly. It sucks. I can’t tell what’s going on with me all the time. I think I’m hormonal, but like that doesn’t stop everything from being like… a lot all the time. And I don’t really always know what to do about it. My appetite is totally dead and I’m just trying to drink Ensure and drink Gatorade and I know I should work regular water in sometimes but I hate water and I don’t wanna drink it. I feel like a petulant child but I still just hate water. And now I can smell it somehow and it makes me like it less. And I remember throwing it up before and over and over again and it’s just. A lot. I don’t know for sure if I have POTS, the tilt table wasn’t conclusive, and the doctors haven’t confirmed it, and are still trying to get me to go for water over other things, but it’s still really a struggle. But I know hydration will make me feel better.

I just have a million symptoms for a million things that all seem like a million things that all seem kind of unclear. I feel like I’m only recently even starting to think clearly enough to even start putting any of it together enough to get answers to some of them. Even though I technically got the diagnosis last September I feel like I didn’t even start thinking at all until like a few months ago. I guess it makes a little sense, one of the symptoms is memory loss and a lack of mental clarity. But I really feel like my whole mind was clouded over. It’s frustrating.

#my life

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write-ur-wrongs · 3 years

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Nature’s Nurturing Ways

Hi y’all! This pandemic has really taken the wind out of my sails these past few weeks (maybe months? Time is completely untraceable right now). This piece is born out of a lovely anon’s request, bolded below. As always, I haven’t proofread this mess, so please forgive the typos! I’ll do my best to correct them post-publishing. I seriously can’t thank you enough for taking the time to send me your ideas, and I promise I’ll get better at writing actual drabbles LOL. I hope you enjoy :)

Hii can you write something abt Geralt being w a plant-based reader where she loves animals and nature? Tysm

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Geralt and Jaskier had been travelling for hours when the beating sun finally wore them down. There hadn’t been a breeze in days and the hot, stale air was starting to suffocate the uncharacteristically quiet bard, who wouldn’t dare compete with the surrounding cicada’s symphony.

“Geralt,” he rasped, “do you hear any running water? Drips or gurgles? I’ll take anything.”

“Jask, it hasn’t rained in days and it’s hotter than the depths of hell,” the Witcher sighed before continuing, “I said no yesterday, the answer is the same today.”

“Euughh!” Jaskier threw his head back in despair before hanging his head in exhaustion. “Geralt, I don’t want to be dramatic -,”

“Ha!” Geralt twisted in his saddle to look back at his friend with a quirked brow.

“- but I will fall off this horse and die of exposure if we don’t find water soon.”

Shaking his head, Geralt knew that despite the bard’s tendency to embellish, the situation was getting dire. They’d traveled this way dozens of times before and had always relied on the steady creek that ran alongside the trail for water. The region wasn’t known for dry spells and while Geralt was sure he could manage either way, his companion on the trail was not so durable.

They wouldn’t arrive at their destination for another three or four hours, at his level of dehydration and with probable heat exhaustion, Jaskier might not have that much time.

With another gruff sigh, Geralt pulled back on Roach’s reins and redirected her off the road and into the forest, turning back to ensure Jaskier’s horse would follow.

Geralt knew that there was a small clearing off the road where the thick leaves from the old trees made a lush, and shaded, canopy. He’d been there before a handful of times. It’s where he shared a tender first kiss, where he’d laid his head on Y/N’s chest before falling asleep feeling the cool, lush, grass cradling his large frame. It’s where he first said I love you.

Shaking his head slightly to pull himself from his memories, he dismounted and grabbed both sets of reins, leading the horses into farther the clearing. Once they’d reached the middle of the small field, Geralt released Roach’s lead and gave her a neck a scratch before leaving her to graze.

“Come on Jaskier,” he said, reaching into the gelding’s saddle bag for some food, “get off your horse and lay down in the grass.”

The bard fell out of his saddle with a thud while Geralt continue to root around the bag, huffing as he kept coming up empty.

“Did you eat the last of the cheese?”

“Mmpft,” Jaskier replied incoherently, face down in the grass.

“Hey –”

“Oi! You kicked me!”

“Where is the food? We had bread, cheese, and meat left over last night. Did you fucking eat it all?”

“No, you oaf,” he said, rolling over onto his back, “we ate the rest of it this morning.”

“Fuck!” Geralt cursed under his breath, pulling his hair up off his neck to cool off. He could barely remember what they’d done earlier that day. The heat had been unbearable all evening, and the rising sun only made it worse.

“Don’t worry about it Geralt! No need to apologize for accusing me so harshly.” Jaskier said, words dripping in sarcasm.

Geralt merely looked down at the bard with disdain and rolled his eyes, refusing to admit the sun might be affecting him too.

“Shut up and take off your shirt –”

“Oh-ho!” he laughed weakly, wiggling his eye brows at the witcher. No matter how beaten and battered the bard may be, he’d never miss an opportunity to tease Geralt.

“No, Gods! Fuck,” Geralt went on, flustered, “the grass will cool you down a hell of a lot faster if you’re in direct contact. And besides, Y/N will kill me if I let you die of exposure.”

“Always so serious, eh Geralt?” Jaskier chided playfully, pulling off his tunic before laying back down onto the grass, “Oh-ho-ho-ohhhh yes… Sweet merciful goddess of all that is good, this feels amazing! Yes, yes, yes!”

While he was sure the bard was still mumbling gratefully, and disgustingly, at the feeling of the cool grass against his skin, Geralt’s mind was elsewhere. Somewhere in this clearing, wild heliotropes had bloomed and the sweet, almondine scent was pulling him into a memory.

“Geralt! Witchers use herbs, mushrooms, and flowers in all kinds of magic,” you said, your hands resting high on your hips, “I find it incredibly hard to believe that in all your years and extensive travels, you’d never learned to forage?”

“All my years, eh?” he’d replied, cat-like eyes gleaming back at you.

“Well of course,” you teased, “I mean, unless you mean to tell me that silver head of hair is a choice born out of vanity?”

“I’m going to make you pay for that later, Y/N.” He laughed, taken aback and a little impressed that you felt so comfortable with his mutations as to mock him playfully.

“Ha! Me and what coin?” you reply with a light laugh, bending over to collect the generous mushrooms growing through the bed of leaves and needles.

Geralt turned his head towards you to hit you with a winning comeback, but found himself lost for words when his eyes failed to meet yours.

You get up slowly, peering over your shoulder to find your witcher’s eyes on your backside. Smirking to yourself and quirking a brow flirtatiously, you toss a handful of dirt and wet leaves his way, hitting the poor soul right in the chest.

“Distracted, Geralt?” you said, tossing your hair over your shoulder as you straightened up.

Geralt swallowed thickly, desperately trying to string together at least a couple words – witty at best, coherent at least – when he heard a twig snap in the surrounding forest.

Quick as a flash, he drew his sword and his attention towards the source of the disturbance, a large boar. Chest already swelling with pride at the thought of providing you with a hearty meal, Geralt prepared his attack on the creature before him.

Seeing that the “threat” in question was nothing but a passing porcine, you dove before him with a shout, dropping the mushrooms on the way. Your scream coupled with your sudden movement startled the beast, and it dove deeper into the brush to escape.

“Geralt, no!”

“Damn it, Y/N,” he swore, “I could’ve had it! We could have had a decent meal! We – we would have been set for days!”

“No, Geralt! We have food, right here in this clearing. We needn’t take lives from the forest to eat.”

“Gods, Y/N,” he sighed, dropping his sword to the ground in frustration, “do I need to remind you of the cycle of life? Creatures live, they die, and they get eaten so others can live –”

“Yes, and by leaving that gentle giant to its ruminations, we’ve allowed it to go on, to feed its young, or hell! By leaving that boar to live, we might have secured a lifeline for a fellow wolf or fox. Geralt look around you; mushrooms, flowers, these thick leaves, those berries? You see that tree there? At its roots there are nuts, and over there? Those flowers? Means there is garlic. The forest will feed us with ease if we simply care to drop our weapons, and look.”

Geralt looked at you and with soft eyes, he took in the way your eyes burned with passion, the way your chest rose and fell with every energized breath. He looked around you and really looked at the plants around him, beyond scanning for any toxic or dangerous herbs, he did his best to see the forest through your bright eyes.

Looking at you he felt his chest swell once more, but this time the feeling was warm, grounding.

“I love you, Y/N,” he said quietly, pulling you into his arms, “so, so much.”

You looked up at him with tears in your eyes. You knew he loved you. You had known for months, but you’d made peace with the fact that he loved you however he could, and that that would have to be enough, even if it meant you wouldn’t hear him say it.

“Oh, my sweet, sweet dove,” you murmured, reaching up to lay a soft kiss on his forehead, “I love you too.”

Geralt was wrenched from his thoughts by a swift kick to his shin, courtesy of the bard.

“Shhht!! Geralt!” Jaskier shout-whispered, still kicking at the witcher’s shins. “A deer! A d- dinner! Food! Geralt!”

Side-stepping out of the bard’s frantic little kicks, Geralt looked around him in a quick movement, spotting the deer with his hand primed above his sword’s hilt.

The world seemed to go quiet and still when his eyes met the doe’s. Despite himself, he could hear your voice in his head telling him that she’s a young, vibrant member of this forest’s population. That at her age, she’s likely a first-time mom or about to be. That she has more life to live and more to give to the land than be a poor man’s meal.

Jaskier watched in hungry-horror as Geralt waved his large hand at the creature, turning his back to it before looking down to meet his shell-shocked gaze.

“What the fuck, Geralt!” he spat, “what happened to “Y/N would kill me if I let Jaskier die”? What the fuck! That was food! Survival!”

“You’ll be fine Jask, shut up and lay in your grass.”

“As long as you don’t make me eat it.” He grumbled, not quietly enough.

A laugh rumbled through him as he walked towards to forest line, spotting thick dandelion leaves, mushrooms, and bushes ripe with nuts. He might not necessarily need to feed Jaskier the grass beneath his feet, but he was going to make him eat his words.

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“There you are my intrepid explorers!” You damn near squealed at the sight of them, dropping your basket of recently-purchased produce as you ran towards them.

At the sight of you, Geralt dismounts and runs to meet you in a tight embrace. You hold each other tightly, breathing in each other’s scent; his cedar, damp earth, and cut grass, and yours sweet almond.

You pull back just enough to look him over quickly and, spotting no fresh injury or new scars, pull your brows together curiously.

“Did you get lost?”

“Not at all,” replied Jaskier, clapping Geralt on the shoulder, “You’d be impressed, madam Y/N! Our dear witcher made quite the feast. Pulled me right out of the greedy jaws of death, he did!”

“Oh?” You said, brows furrowed in a silent question. Knowing what you meant, Geralt shook his head and kissed your temple to reassure you.

“Picture me this, Y/N,” Jaskier mused as he untacked his gelding, “I’m wilting away, inches from Death’s grip, and Geralt sweeps me under a lush canopy of trees and lays me in the grass…”

“Lays him in the grass? Should I be jealous?” you whispered.

“Never my love,” he replied softly, his forehead against yours.

“… then our honorable friend bid the deer a fond farewell, letting him get away! Yes, Y/N, there I lay, starving, thinking the sun must have cooked the sense right out of him when he marches out of sight only to emerge moments later with a bounty!”

“A bounty?” you mock-gasp, egging the bard on to Geralt’s great displeasure.

“Yes! We ate like kings in that forest, Y/N. All we did was eat but I felt hydrated and renewed! Truly a culinary delight.”

“A delight, Geralt!” you giggled, giving his waist a squeeze.

“Gods, won’t he ever shut up?” he grumbled, ghost of a blush creeping up his collar.

“Oh hush, my love,” you cooed, “without Jask’s bragging, I’d have never known what a big softy you’ve become.”

Wordlessly, Geralt looked down at you in mock-contempt, unsure that this wasn’t a veiled insult. He was instantly reassured though, when his eyes met yours.

“You left the deer.”

“I did.”

“And you foraged, found just what you needed.” You spoke softly, admiration and love rounding your features out beautifully.

“That’s right.”

“Now where did you pick up skills like that, my dove?” You chanced another tease, twirling a lock of his white, dust-packed hair around a finger before giving it a light tug, your head cocked to the side.

“Oh, I had an exceptional teacher…” he said, wrapping an arm tightly around your waist and bringing his other hand up to cup your face, pulling into a deep kiss.

#geralt of rivia #the witcher #the witcher fanfiction #the witcher x reader #the witcher fandom #geralt of rivera #geralt of rivia x reader #geralt x reader #Jaskier #fanfiction #fanfiction requests #fanfic #geralt imagine #anon

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study-coffee-chicago · 3 years

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Seasons of Med: Season 1: Glad I Didn’t Make it that Far (A Halstead brothers + Halstead sister! imagine)

Trigger warning: Talk of eating disorders

As always, I do not own any quotes from Chicago Med 1x04 that show up here!

Your age: 14

Jay's age: 28

Will's age: 30

"We should go to a movie," your best friend Emma suggested when you were sitting on the playground of Central Chicago's elementary school one summer day.

You had been coming here since it was pretty close to your house to be able to read without worrying that your dad would show up drunk. He wasn't violent, he was just rude, asking why there was no food and when you explained it was because he wasn't going shopping, he'd scoff and tell you to get a job if you wanted to eat. It wasn't your fault; you'd tried to get a job, but no one would hire you because you were only fourteen. Most places required that you be at least sixteen and the occasional place would let you start at fifteen, but only with very limited hours. And, the places that let you start at fifteen were too far away for you to walk to. You'd have to take the El...and that would turn out badly if Will and Jay found out, even though your dad wouldn't care in the slightest.

"Em, I don't have any money. I'm literally rationing out my feminine products at this point."

"Hey, just tell me if you need any. Me or my mom can get you some. Oh, and some neighbors of mine run a little kettle corn company. They're looking for some extra help on the weekends and they'll pay you under the table. I can give you their number if you want."

"Really?" Emma smiled and nodded. "Yes, please! And, you're the best."

But, what you didn't tell her was that you hadn't eaten since yesterday since there was barely anything in your house and that your cramps were killing you and because of all this, you were feeling nauseous.

"Let's go to the movies. My treat."

"I can't let you pay for me."

"Yes, you can. Best friends help each other out. Now c'mon, let's go." You sighed and closed your eyes as you stood up. "You good?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just dizzy."

"You wanna go home?"

"No, no I'm fine. Just seasonal allergies from all the pollen," you lied.

"Okay, let's go."

You started to slow down as you got closer to the movie theater. "I'm so excited to see The Longest Ride!" Emma squealed. "Scott Eastwood is just mwah!"

"Yeah, but he's- he's a lot-- I gotta, I gotta sit down," you stuttered, starting to feel more lightheaded and seeing your vision become blurry at the edges.

"Okay, let's get to the front where you can sit on the curb."

You slowly started to make your way there, but it was too late. "Em- Emma," you slurred as you tried to reach for her as your legs gave out underneath you, and then everything went black.

"Y/N!" Emma yelled as she squatted down next to you and pulled out her phone.

Just then, everyone started running out of the theater shouting something about a shooting.

***

Will's pager went off as he was eating with Natalie and the rest of the team from a taco truck outside of Chicago Med. And, everyone else's pagers were going off, too, making it sound like alarm clocks that were all set for the same time. Then, Maggie ran outside.

"Shooting in a movie theater! Mass casualties! It's about to get crazy!" she yelled to the doctors and other nurses. "EMTs are four minutes out!"

Not even a second after she finished her sentence, an ambulance pulled up with lights flashing and sirens blaring.

"Check that!" Will yelled as he threw his food in the trash can. "They're here!"

Then, all of them sprinted into the hospital, their main focus now being saving as many lives as possible.

"Another maniac gone crazy in a theater," Will said as he put something over his scrubs to keep them from getting blood all over them. "Is this the world we live in?"

***

You slowly opened your eyes to be met with the white ceiling and an IV in your arm. You groaned. "Where am I?" you asked as you rolled over to see Emma sitting on a bench. "Are we in an ambulance?"

"You don't remember?" Emma asked.

"You passed out, sweetie," a female paramedic told you as she put a blood pressure cuff around your arm. "Luckily for you, we came pretty quick after hearing about the shooting."

"The shooting? There was a shooting?"

"In the movie theater," the paramedic answered you. "You were lucky you didn't go in."

"Guess so."

Your eyes widened as you realized they were probably taking you to Chicago Med. You couldn't let your brother know that the most likely reason for you passing out was that you hadn't eaten since yesterday. They'd freak out.

"Am I good to go when we get to the hospital? I feel fine." You were still nauseous, but that was better than being passed out.

"You passed out, we need to get you checked out at the hospital."

"But I feel fine," you protested.

"I understand that, sweetie. But you need to get checked out anyway to make sure that there wasn't something that made you pass out other than the heat."

"She's right, Y/N," Emma said. "You need to get checked out."

You huffed. "Fine." Maybe Will would be too busy to even notice you were there. And, you figured your dad wouldn't pick up his phone, so you could just sneak out undetected when the doctors and nurses weren't watching.

When you got in, you were met by Natalie. "Y/N?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

"It's nothing. I just passed out. I'm fine, really."

"Shoot," Emma said. "My mom's here to pick me up. Said she doesn't want me here because of all the press since I'm not hurt. I'm sorry."

You waved your hand. "It's fine. Hopefully, I'll be getting out here soon, too. See you later."

"Bye, Y/N."

"If you passed out, you're not fine, Y/N," Natalie said.

As you were wheeled past a trauma room, you saw your brother. Luckily for you, he was too focused on his patient that he didn't notice.

"Want me to get Will?" Natalie asked when she saw you glance in there.

"No! I mean, he looks really busy and I'm not dying. They should be the first priority."

"Okay, well I'll have Maggie call your dad because after all the standard tests, if I need to do more, I'm going to need your dad's permission since you're still a minor."

"Okay."

"Hey, Maggie," Natalie called, "Do me a favor and call Y/N's dad for me. I just might need permission to run some additional tests."

"You got it."

You got on the bed in the treatment room and allowed Natalie to listen to your heart and lungs. "Were you part of the crush?" she asked. "Did you get the wind knocked out of you? Is that why you passed out?"

"No, I got dizzy before we could get inside. I felt nauseous, too, but I think that was just from period cramps."

"The paramedics said you were dehydrated and that they had to administer an IV. Have you been eating and drinking properly? I know it's hot and that can cause you to pass out. Other than that factor, have you been eating and drinking normally?"

"Yes," you lied.

"Okay, I'm just going to need to get your height and weight and other vitals before we continue."

You nodded and followed her to where she took your height and weight. She wrote it down and you started to walk out, but she stopped you. "Uh, Y/N, come with me."

You followed her to the doctor's lounge where she handed you her sweatshirt. "Why are you giving me this?"

"You bled through your shorts. There's free pads and tampons in the bathroom if you don't have any on you."

You nodded. "Thank you."

"Meet me back here once you're finished."

"Okay."

When you got into the bathroom, you took all the pads and tampons you could fit in your shorts pockets after you had finished changing your dirty one.

Now, it was time for your great escape. No one would see you; they were all too busy treating other patients and worrying about the press.

You were almost out into the waiting room, but then a voice stopped you.

"Y/N?"

Shit. Jay.

You stopped in your tracks but then continued walking.

"Y/N, I know you heard me. Come back."

You sighed and turned around, hoping you wouldn't have to spill all the secrets about what's been happening at home.

***

"Poor guy," Erin said as she and Jay exited Sharon Goodwin's office. "He thought what he was going was right."

"I probably would've done the same thing if I were in his shoes," Jay agreed. "I mean, if I thought I saw a guy with an AR-15 in a movie theater and then thought the shots from the movie were coming from the gun, I sure as hell would've acted. Not that my service weapon can shoot bullets off as much as my sniper, but I'd try. Try and save civilians."

"Jay." Erin placed a hand on his arm. "You're not in Afghanistan anymore."

"I know. There's just some sick and twisted people in this world. Why would someone go into a theater with a leaf blower anyway? With all the mass shootings that have happened, that's probably the stupidest idea I've heard."

"I agree with you. But he's just a kid. He didn't ask to get shot. But, if I were in that teacher's shoes, I'd probably do the same thing and draw my gun."

Jay furrowed his eyebrows as he saw someone walking towards the exit of the ED and towards the waiting room. She had shorts and a t-shirt on with a burgundy sweatshirt tied around her waist. Jay wouldn't have given it a second thought, but he knew you had the same gray beat-up Converse because he had gotten them for you for a birthday present two years ago and you always wore the same polka dot scrunchie when you needed your hair to be in a bun and needed it to be tight.

"Is that?..." Erin trailed off.

"I think so," Jay answered, quickening his pace to catch up with you before you got out of the ED and he lost sight of you due to the number of people in the waiting room. "Y/N!" he yelled.

The girl he thought was you froze for a split second and then continued walking, this time at a faster pace. That was all the confirmation he needed. "Y/N, I know you heard me. Come back."

You sighed and turned around.

"I was going to tell you," you mumbled once you were in front of him.

He scoffed and crossed his arms across his chest. "Yeah? And when were you planning on calling Dad? You know you're a minor so a parent needs to be notified."

"Y/N!" Natalie yelled. "I thought you left, I was so close to getting security to look for you. We couldn't get a hold of your dad and were going to call Jay since he's your secondary emergency contact, but he's here now, so if both of you could follow me then that'd be great."

"You got it from here, Erin?" Jay asked.

"Yeah, text me if you need me to pick you up and bring you back to the district."

"Will do. Don't let Voight bust my balls because I skipped out."

"I'll tell him Y/N had a medical emergency. He'll understand."

"Thanks."

You, Natalie, and Jay walked back into the treatment room where Natalie had been previously treating you.

"First of all, let me just say it was not a medical emergency," you told your brother.

"Oh yeah? Then why are you here?" he asked.

"I was feeling nauseous."

"And you came to the ED just because of some nausea?" He raised an eyebrow. He so knew you were lying.

Meanwhile, Will was walking out of a trauma room after Rhodes brought a victim up to surgery.

"Hey. You hear?" Reese asked as she walked up to the doctor. "The kid at the theater, the one who got shot, he didn't have a gun, he had a leaf blower."

"What?" Will asked, stunned. He had worked on that kid and knew that it wasn't good.

"Yeah, turns out it was some kind of prank." She was about to turn around to leave, but then stopped. "Oh, and your sister's here. Treatment one."

"What? Why?"

"I think she passed out or something. Dr. Manning's in there with her right now."

"Thanks, Reese."

Will barged into your treatment room. "So, she comes into the ED and nobody has the common decency to even notify me?" he asked rhetorically.

"You were busy treating other patients, Will. I was going to get around to it eventually," Natalie said.

"Natalie, please just finish explaining what happened. Or just start from the beginning because Will's here now," Jay suggested, not wanting to have to break up an argument between the two doctors.

Now it was Will who was the one who crossed his arms over his chest.

"So, Will, what happened was that Y/N passed out. She was almost inside the movie theater, but she passed out, so she didn't go in."

"The movie theater where the shooting happened?" Jay asked. You nodded. "Jesus, kid, if you would've gotten inside, you would've given both me and Will heart attacks."

"Sorry. But, I'm glad I didn't get that far."

"Yeah, us too," Will agreed. "So, why'd she pass out?"

"Can I talk to you two for a minute? Outside?"

They nodded. "Be right back," Jay told you.

"So, what's going on?" Jay asked once the three were safely outside of the room and out of earshot from you.

"Have you noticed anything strange with her eating habits lately? Any skipping meals? Going to the bathroom right after meals? Not wanting to eat?" Natalie asked the two brothers.

"No, nothing," Jay answered. "Granted, we don't eat with her a lot because she lives with our dad and we both live on our own."

"Okay, because since her physical check-up a month and a half ago, Y/N's lost fifteen pounds."

"Fifteen?" Will asked, flabbergasted.

"I thought she looked smaller, but I just thought I was hallucinating from lack of sleep because of all the crazy cases we've had," Jay said.

"No, she's lost fifteen pounds since her last check-up," Dr. Manning reiterated.

"So, what are you saying?" Will asked. "Our sister's anorexic? Bulimic?"

"I'm not saying any of those yet. But, I talked to Dr. Charles while Y/N was in the bathroom and she said to try and have her eat something, like the greasiest thing you can find in the cafeteria, and see what she does. We'll even leave the room after to chat and I'll have Maggie keep an eye on the bathrooms to see if she goes in there. If she refuses to eat or freaks out over it, then we might be dealing with anorexia. If she goes into the bathroom after, we might be dealing with bulimia. Or, it could be a combination of the two or just possibly her trying to lose weight. Has she ever mentioned wanting to lose weight to either of you?"

"No, not all," Jay answered. "Even when we went out after her last day of school, which I think was about two weeks after she had that physical, she ate a ton and she didn't go to the bathroom right after."

"But you did go home right after," Will pointed out.

"Yeah."

"But, with some bulimics, if they know that the food has already been digested, they won't try to purge. And, it sounds like the food had time to digest."

"Alright, I'll go grab her a bacon cheeseburger."

"And a side of mac n cheese," Jay suggested. "She loves that stuff." Will started to walk out, but Jay stopped him once more. "Can you pick me up a bacon cheeseburger, too? I'm hungry."

Will rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but just so you know, you're paying me back."

"I know," Jay said and then went back inside the treatment room.

"Where's Will?" you asked.

"He's getting you some food. How does a bacon cheeseburger and mac n cheese sound?"

God, your mouth watered just at the thought of the bacon cheeseburger alone. The juicy patty, melty cheese, and crispy bacon, yum. And, you hadn't had a burger in who knows how long.

"That sounds amazing honestly," you answered.

"Okay, good because that's what Will's getting you." He paused. "Is everything okay with Dad? Everything good at home?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," you lied.

"Did someone tell you that you were fat at all?"

Shit, he knew I'd lost weight. "No," you answered. "I guess I'm not just mindlessly snacking when I'm doing homework anymore. It's not like I'm trying to lose weight."

No way were you going to tell him that there was rarely any food in the house, not here anyway.

"Okay, good," Jay answered. Then, he looked out of the room to see Will talking with Natalie. But, they were close enough that you could hear them, so you turned your attention to the two as well.

"Hey, Nat," Will said, carrying a bag with three cheeseburgers and a side of mac n cheese.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"I'm thinking, I only live a mile from you. So, when you go into labor, call me. I'll drive you here."

"Thanks, but...you know it could be three in the morning, right?"

"Sleep's overrated anyway."

Then, Will made his way back into your treatment room. "I wanna take you to the hospital," Jay mocked. "Very smooth, Will, very smooth."

"Will's got a crush, Will's got a crush," you said in a sing-song voice.

"Would you two knuckleheads keep it down? And no, I do not have a crush, I was just trying to be helpful."

Jay scoffed. "Yeah right. You totally have a crush on her, man. Now, give us the food and we won't say anything."

***

"Everything seem normal?" Natalie asked Will as Jay was still sitting with you after the three of you had finished your food.

"Yeah, she ate a little faster than normal, but we waited an hour and she didn't even get up to go to the bathroom, so I don't think that's the issue. She told Jay she wasn't trying to lose weight. She said she just wasn't mindlessly eating anymore when she was doing homework. But, I don't think that could make her lose fifteen pounds. Do you?"

"No. But unfortunately, given her height and age, she still has a normal BMI, so we can't do anything."

"Yeah, I get it. Me and Jay will keep an eye on her. It was around this time when our dad just kind of checked out on parenting us."

"What do you mean?"

"He wouldn't cook or really help us with anything. But, it was okay because our Mom was still around, so she'd cook and help us with things. He just thought we were old enough to deal with stuff on our own."

"Things that a teenager without another parent still needs help with."

"Exactly."

Jay poked his head out of the room. "Everything good? Y/N's asking when she can leave."

Will rolled his eyes. "Wonder where she gets that from."

"Shut up."

"I'll grab you the discharge papers," Natalie said and then walked to a nurse's station.

Just then, Will's pager went off. "I gotta go." He fished into the pocket of his scrubs. "You can take my car home and then just come pick me up from work and we can drive back to the district to get your truck. That way you don't have to bug Erin."

"Thanks, man. Go save some lives."

Natalie came back and handed him the discharge papers.

"Thanks, Nat. Me and Will will be sure to keep an eye on her, maybe have her over for dinner once or twice a week to monitor her eating habits."

"That's a good idea. Good luck with all this. Will told me that this was around the time that your dad clocked out on you, so maybe pay him a visit when Y/N's not there and check? I don't know if that's something you'd want to do or not."

Jay nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

"No problem."

Jay signed the discharge papers and then walked back into the room. "Good news."

"We can leave?" you asked excitedly as you sat up.

"We can leave," he confirmed.

***

You got out of the car and stood on the stoop of your house, Jay right next to you. "Jay," you started, "I have to tell you something."

"Okay, what is it? You can tell me anything."

You opened your mouth to tell him that there was barely any food in the house and that your dad refused to buy you feminine hygiene products because, by his logic, if he had another son, he wouldn't need to buy them, so you should buy them yourself.

But then, the door opened, revealing your dad.

"I was just going to say thanks for staying with me at the hospital. I would've left if you didn't stop me."

"You're welcome."

"Care to tell me where you've been?" your dad asked.

You knew he was just putting on a show because Jay was there.

"I was at the park and then me and Emma were going to see a movie and then--" your phone buzzed, alerting you that you had a text message.

"I've got it from here, Y/N. Dad, can I come inside?"

Pat Halstead nodded and you walked inside followed by your brother. "I'm gonna go upstairs and change," you said.

As you walked past the kitchen, you noticed a bunch of grocery bags, all of them full. He must've gone grocery shopping. At least you didn't have to worry about food for the next few days. But, you didn't know if he just did that because he finally listened to his voice mails and heard that you were in the hospital and were worried that they were going to find out that he was an unfit parent or because he finally came to his senses and realized that he was still responsible for you because you were a minor, which meant he needed to have food in the house.

As you walked upstairs, you checked your phone. It was Emma's neighbor asking if you could start helping her with kettle corn this Saturday. You responded with a yes because now, if your dad went back to not buying groceries, at least you'd be able to buy some for yourself.

A/N: Sorry this one was so short! It's kind of just to foreshadow the next installment of this. And, in the next installment, I will probably combine Seasons of PD: Season 4 and Seasons of Med: Season 2 because the storylines kind of go together. Anyway, thank you for reading! Please reblog/like and comment and tell me what you think! As always, if you want to be added to the taglist, just tell me and I’ll be happy to add you!

taglist: @theambracer88 @virtualreader @kelelas-life @celyndavies @brookerz122493 @musicismyescape27 @anotherfan07 @thexplosivegirl @dreamingwithlens @xoxmariaxox @onechicago18 @iamasimpingh0e

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brutal-nemesis · 3 years

Text

Arthropod Day 2021: 🦀Time For Crab 🦀

Malacostraca Moment 😳🦀

So fun story I wanted this to be on a Saturday because SIDEWAYS SATURDAY but when I was deciding on the date I looked at the calendar for July without realizing it. Happy Sideways Stuesday I guess?

Castys Masterlist

Ingredients: drowning mention, animal attack (kinda chill tho it’s not really violent), dehydration, autocannibalism mention, parasitic insects, partial nudity, heckin surgery (but it’s CONSENSUAL (⊙ˍ⊙) who am I), suicide for convenience (immortal)

“This looks like a lovely spot for a vacation; thank you guys so much for finding it for me.” The small dingy had just landed on a sandy beach enclosed by dark rocks on either side, a lush forest leading deeper into the island. Casyts’s captor glared at him before harshly tugging the rope tied to his wrists, trying to get him to stand and step onto the beach with her.

“Shut your trap, Ragnarok, or I might change my mind about gagging you. Now get up or I’ll have my men drag you.”

Castys sighed and rolled his eyes, getting up and following her so his rope burn didn’t get any worse. “Aye aye, Yvonne.”

“That’s Captain Veldna to you,” she growled, jerking him forward. He stumbled a bit, but he was able to catch himself before he got sand up his nose. He debated trying to yank the rope out of her hands and running away or stealing the boat, but her very strong men were right behind him and that would probably just end in him having extra bruises. So he just followed her like a stupid little goat as she led him towards the rocks, hoping she wouldn’t leave him tied up so he could at least enjoy his time being stranded. But no, this was about sending a message to his crew or making him suffer or something. He didn’t really remember, he’d been dazed as hell when he’d initially gotten captured during a fight between their two ships. Blood loss was a bitch sometimes.

They forced him to sit with his back against a large rock, yanking his bound hands above his head and worming a large nail through the knotted rope before hammering it into the rock. “Not gonna lie, this seems a little extra. I’m not going to go anywhere, so, like, just let me-” Yvonne slapped him harshly across the face.

“You’re not here to have fun, you annoying little parrot.” She looked over at her men, who had just finished tying his ankles together and nailing them down in a similar fashion to his wrists. “If you lot are done, let’s leave.” She turned back to Castys, a wicked grin on her face. “I wonder how many times you’ll die before your crew finds you?”

“My money’s on eight. Do you want me to keep track and tell you next time we see each other? If only I could write in a diary what horrors I suffer sitting on this warm rock that you tied me to during high tide so I won’t even drown later. Now that-agh!” Yvonne stabbed him in the stomach, and Castys bit back a scream as she twisted her blade.

“The sound of your silence is something I could get used to.”

“Well, the real question is, is silence actually a sound-” Castys’s very valid observation was cut off by the bitch yanking out her sword and promptly kicking him in the stomach. He couldn’t help but cry out, doubling over as far as he could. Yeah, yeah he should probably just shut the fuck up and let them get on their merry way before he got more unnecessary injuries.

“Enjoy your vacation, Ragnarok,” Yvonne spat. As one last gesture of maturity, she kicked sand at him before walking off, and some of it definitely got in his stab hole, so that was nice. He watched them row away, sighing. Now it was just boredom city, but hey, at least he had a nice beach view. The sun was a few hours away from setting, not that it mattered that much since his skin was dark enough that he probably wasn’t going to get sunburned.

Being tied to a rock on the beach was...just about as boring as he expected. His arms got all tingly after a while from being stuck above his head, so he couldn’t even properly relax, and a man could only watch little waves roll for so long. He had a nice view of the setting sun, and hey, that means the light of dawn wouldn’t be shining in his face. While the sun was still a little ways above the horizon, he heard an odd rustling noise over in the vegetation, different from the background sounds he had gotten used to. He looked over, hoping it was a friendly man with a knife.

It was not a friendly man with a knife. But it wasn’t something bad, either. “Oh shit hello crabs!” Castys watched as they scuttled out of the treeline onto the beach, glad to have something fun to watch. One of them was slowly making its way towards him, and Castys wondered if he would be able to convince it to snip his bindings. “Hey there mister crab man, come on down, and please for the love of god untie me.” Yes, yes he was talking to a crab, because why not go full send on the insanity right away? It would be so much more fun, and it’s not like anyone else was here to judge him. “Yeah crab get in my zone-wow you’re kinda big.” He’d thought the crab was closer to him, but nope, it had been farther away but giant. Not like giant giant but not, like, normal crab size. It was almost as big as his torso maybe, but he was never great at estimating the relative sizes of things.

“You’re large but you’re a gentleman, ain’t ya? I don’t know why, but you just seem like a polite fellow.” The crab stopped not too far from Castys and just looked at him blankly. Or maybe it was making a face at him, but he couldn’t read crab body language. Could anyone read crab body language? Crabs, he would hope. “Could you bring me some tea, good sir? Or just...water. Water that’s not salty. I don’t actually like tea it literally tastes like nothing but you know what I would drink it now because I am thirsty.” There was a moment of silence. “Not like thirsty in the weird way some people are. I have no idea what that’s about. But like, I want water. Or...oh my god, Mr. Crab, bring me a coconut!” Castys closed his eyes and leaned his head back. “Yeah… that would be nice. Food and water and it’s prepackaged and I don’t know how I would eat it because my hands are tied but I’ll figure it out.”

A sudden sharp pinch against his wound jolted Castys out of his daydream. He looked down in horror to see that the crab was holding something in its claws. Something pinkish-red that was dripping blood down onto the sand. The bastard. The crab brought the piece of his flesh to its mouth and just ate it while staring right at Castys. “That,” he blinked in surprise a few times, “was incredibly rude.” The crab stayed still, watching him as it did its weird mouth movements that were maybe chewing. “You are absolutely not a gentleman. I rescind everything. You little garbage boy. Rapscallion. I bet you never get invited to the crab raves.”

And the crab. Had the audacity. To reach out its stupid pincher. And do it again. “Little bitch!” Castys yelled, squirming against the ropes in an attempt to scare the thing off. Shockingly, it did not work, because wounded, dying prey squirmed all the time, and...that’s pretty much what Castys was in this scenario, wasn’t he? He was just stuck sitting here while that stupid crab ripped off little pieces of him with its stupid crab pincher and put them in its stupid crab mouth. If he was lucky, this would make him bleed out and die faster and then he wouldn’t have an open wound anymore, which would be a bonus. Though, it had sand in it, and then if it healed…

A problem for another day.

Not the next day, though, or the one after, because, hooray, he was still tied to a rock, so even though he did die a few hours later, he couldn’t do anything about the Sand In His Insides. He made up a song about it, but singing it loudly did absolutely nothing to scare away the crab, whom he had named Crabstard (Crab Bastard). Crabstard seemed to think Castys was his new best friend, coming back regularly for meals. Castys liked to imagine killing and eating Crabstard as a show of dominance, but that made him wonder...would eating Crabstard be a form of autocannibalism? Because Crabstard had eaten him...

He wasn’t sure what was worse, Crabstard and his stupid giant pinchers, or the mosquitoes. There weren’t a ton of them, but their bites were just awful, littering his arms and legs with swollen, white boils, which were unusual and also very concerning but what the fuck could he do about it. Because of course he couldn’t scratch them, and they itched so much it hurt and he just had to endure it. Just like he had to endure fucking everything. The heat of the sun, the awful tingling in his arms, the soreness of his wrists, Crabstard pinching off bits of his flesh, the maddening pain and itch of all his bug bites, the hunger and thirst, the boredom, and the...the loneliness.

No, he was fine, he was fine with just himself, it was always just him anyway. He wasn’t imagining his crew rowing to shore and untying him and tending to him in his cold, dark cabin, because he couldn’t get his hopes up, because they probably weren’t even coming for him. They were just going to leave him behind like everyone else and fuck he was wasting water like a useless idiot and he couldn’t stop or even wipe them away and he probably deserved this for everything he’d done so what did it matter?

And, great, the next day he started hallucinating a passing ship and a rowboat coming for him. Thank you, dehydrated whore brain! Let’s get our stupid little hopes up! Dang, the people on the boat kind of even looked like some of his crewmates, which was rude of his brain to make this so realistic looking.

It wasn’t until his first mate, Kaveri, was untying him that Castys realized that this was real, that they’d really...really come for him. “I’m so glad we found you, Captain.” She pulled him into a hug as soon as he was free, and he hugged her back as best he could with his sore arms.

“I’m glad y’all did, too.” He leaned back when she let go and looked down at himself, wincing. “Well, before we get back to the ship, I am going to deliver a much needed death upon mys-“

“Captain, Captain, wait,” the ship’s medic, Sixtus, called as he ran over. He knelt beside Castys, taking his arm and examining the bug bites closely. “I knew it. These bites all over you are...they contain fly larvae. We’re going to need to dig them out before you heal yourself.”

“...what if I’ve died since I’ve gotten bitten. Like, earlier.”

“Well.” Sixtus breathed in sharply. “We will just have to wait for them to, uh, let us know where they are.” He sighed. “For now, let’s get you back to the ship and I’ll get out the ones I can. I don’t have the tools for it with me.”

“Can I kill Crabstard first?”

“Crab...stard?” Kaveri gave him a concerned look, and Sixtus felt his forehead.

“He’s a very impolite giant crab. He is my rival. I wish to vanquish him.” The other two shared a look.

“Do you know where this...this crab is?” Sixtus tried.

Castys held up a finger and opened his mouth, pausing for a second before shutting it and blinking a few times. “I. I do not. He just scuttles out of the trees to commit crimes every now and then. He has no friends.”

“Alright, in that case, no. You’re in no condition to wander around the island looking for a crab.” Sixtus held out his hand. “So, come on.”

“Fiiiine,” Castys groaned, letting the taller man help him to his feet. He was a little unsteady, but he was able to make it to the boat with Kaveri’s help. As they rowed away, he turned back to the island one last time, cupping his hands around his mouth as he yelled, “Fuck you Crabstard I hope you starve and die in a pit and the other crabs eat you!”

Once they made it back to the ship, Sixtus ushered Castys into his office, instructing him to sit up on the examination table and take his shirt and pants off. Kaveri helped him, opting to stay in case Sixtus needed a hand. He examined Castys thoroughly, using a lightstone to get a good look at the swollen bug bites littering his body as well as the number of small wounds in his side.

“These from the, uh, crab?” Sixtus asked as he gestured to them.

“Yup. Him and his stupid pinchers.”

“Alright, I know you don’t really get infections, but I’m going to clean these out just to be safe.” He paused. “Also it just feels. Really wrong not to. It’ll bother me if I don’t.”

“Do whatever, doctor man.” Castys did his best not to let his pain show as Sixtus dabbed at his wounds with a stingy liquid. It really didn’t hurt that much, but when Kaveri placed her hand on top of his as he gripped the edge of the table, he didn’t wave her off. He’d let it be Fuss Over The Captain Day. For their sake. Because they seem to have been worried about him.

“Alright, I’m all done with that, so if you could lay down, Captain, I’ll get started with removing those larvae. Kaveri, get him some rum and then hold him down.” She nodded, leaving and returning soon after with a small cup.

“You know, I haven’t had water in days,” Castys mused before winking at her and downing its contents. Kaveri shook her head.

“You literally emptied my waterskin while we were rowing back.”

“Oh dang, I forgot. Nevermind I’m actually not funny and am just stupid.” He scooted a bit and laid down with his hands behind his head. “Get rid of my worms.”

“They’re not-they’re not worms, Captain, they’re insects, since-” Sixtus stopped himself, folding his hands in front of his mouth. “Nevermind.” He cleared his throat. “Arms at your sides, please. Kaveri, if you would.” She nodded, holding down his shoulders as Sixtus turned Castys’s arm, locating the first larva he was going to remove. Castys breathed in sharply as the knife sliced into his arm, doing his best to keep still as Sixtus slid a pair of tweezers into the wound. The rum dulled his senses enough that it didn’t hurt as much as it could, but it certainly wasn’t painless, and he couldn’t help but gasp as Sixtus slowly pulled a small, wriggling grub out of the incision. He dropped it in a metal tray, cleaned the wound, and picked up his knife.

Then the process started all over again.

Castys didn’t bother counting how many times those tweezers probed around inside him, how many wet little plops he heard as another larva dropped into the tray. He focused on staying still, on the prickle of the rough wood table against his bare back, on the feeling of Kaveri’s hands on his shoulders, more comforting than restraining. They reminded him that he wasn’t alone in his suffering, for once. But he wasn’t supposed to need comfort, he was their immortal captain, the one who’d been through everything before and was strong enough to go through it again, the one his crew could always depend on to be strong. And here he was, teeth gritted against the pain, his forehead resting against Kaveri’s arm, fists clenched to mask their shaking, all over a few cuts and some little maggots.

“Alright,” Sixtus wiped his brow with the back of his hand, “I think that’s all of ‘em. That I can see, at least.” He looked down at Castys. “You had seventeen of those things in you, Captain.” He grimaced. “And possibly more, so please let me know if you feel anything, uh, wiggling. But for now, you’re free to...die.”

“Can’t believe I got a new world record for worm friends.” Castys grabbed the small leather pouch that usually hung around his neck from his pile of clothes, pulling it open.

“They’re not worms-”

“Thank you, Sixtus.” With that, Castys stuck his finger in the pouch and touched his death stone. He came back to life feeling infinitely better, but Kaveri and Sixtus still insisted he rest after he cleaned himself up. He grumbled, but he let Kaveri force him into his bed and bring him something to eat. Once he was finished, she collected his plate and stood awkwardly by his bedside.

“Do...do you want me to come back, Castys? Will you be alright?”

“Look, I’m honestly fine, you’re good. I’ve been through a lot worse, and I’m all healed up now so it doesn’t really matter.”

She pursed her lips. “I suppose, but that doesn’t mean that that didn’t still take a mental toll on you, and…” she sighed. “Just...call me if you need anything, alright?”

“Will do.” She nodded, but as she started to walk away, Castys realized there was something he’d rather not leave unsaid. “Wait, Kaveri?”

“Yes?”

“Th...thank you. For, uh, finding me.”

“Of course, Castys. We’ll always be there for you.” Castys opened his mouth to reply, but he stopped himself and just smiled and nodded, his shoulders only falling once she’d left.

He wished that were true.

Castys Cult: @as-a-matter-of-whump @blackrosesandwhump @fanmanga1357-blog @thehopelessopus @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi @hearse-song @muddy-swamp-bitch @whumpasaurus101 @yet-another-heathen @galaxywhump @starnight-whump @his-unspoken-words @misspelledwitch

#i wrote something #arthropod day #arthropod day 2021 #castys #immortal whumpee #dehydration cw #animal attack cw #painful caretaking #partial nudity #parasites cw #surgery whump #suicide for convenience #yes the rocks are basalt #welcome to castys's irrational hatred of crabs he now has a blood feud with any and all crabs #using my favorite life hack called ''these crabs are BASED on coconut crabs but since they are fantasy crabs they will do what i want''#the botfly larvae are botfly larvae ✨ grubby boys #i did write portions of this while on an actual beach so like 😎 kinda pog #wasn't gonna do the rescue bit but castys got sad and also that meant SURGERY #*gives sixtus my obsessive wound cleaning tendencies and adherence to biological classification schemes*#this random man can have these little traits of mine. as a treat #also i realized like a day after i named him that he is in the clan of lads who's names end in -us #six letter names that end in -us are simply peak boy name i dont take criticism #i literally have FOUR of them: erebus jairus corvus and sixtus

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btsslowburnfic · 3 years

Text

The Arrangement Ch. 15

Story summary: Desperately in need of money, you answered the questionable ad. AKA-Arranged marriage AU featuring Y/N and Yoongi.

Chapter Summary: Your attempt to help your brother move result in Yoongi meeting your family -_-

Previous Chapter here

TW: as previously mentioned, YN and her brother were abused by their dad. It is mentioned by her brother. Trigger will be labeled before and after by ** ** Yoongi’ song “The Last” is also referenced at the very end, which implies thoughts about self-harm/suicide attempt. But it’s a good, long chapter! There is fluff and humor in it too!

---------------------------

Late last night you received an email from your brother’s school informing you a dorm space had opened up and he could move in as soon as possible. You wanted to check and make sure there wasn’t anything else you should be doing today before you rented a van.

You put on your robe and headed out to the main living area. Half the coffee pot was already gone and you heard light movements from upstairs. You wondered if Yoongi was prone to hangovers or not. You poured yourself a cup of coffee and heard Yoongi pad down the stairs.

“How are you feeling today?” You asked without looking up from your steaming mug.

“A little dehydrated but fine.” He passed you as he headed over to the sink for water. “Really? We’re just wearing robes around the house now?”

You waited, slowly savoring the taste of the hot bean water in your mouth. You swallowed. “You were in your underwear the other day. I think the robe is fine.” You turned dramatically and looked at him. “Unless you prefer just underwear?”

“Aish, don't remind me.” He waved in your direction as though he could dissipate the memory with his hand. It was too early for flirting.

You laughed. “Hey, if it's OK, I'd like to go help my brother move today. A dorm space opened up for him and I'd like to get him settled in before school starts again tomorrow.”

Yoongi leaned against the counter, “Yeah, that's fine. You should do that.”

“Great, thanks!” You turned and went back to the bedroom to get dressed.

When you returned to the main area Yoongi was gone, you didn’t bother checking by the door as you grabbed your purse and slipped on some shoes. You texted your brother to remind him what time you would arrive and then hopped on the train to the car rental place.

Fifteen minutes later you walked in, produced your driver’s license and payment and were then declined.

“What do you mean? I already prepaid online.” You asked the attendant.

“It’s not the payment, it’s your license. You rented the cargo van. You don’t have a license to drive that vehicle, it’s level one.” The man explained, gesturing to a garage full of vehicles as though that explained anything.

“Isn’t it just like a regular van but big?”

“No ma’am it’s more like a box truck. I can get you a regular van but I can’t refund your rental of the cargo van because it was a day-of rental.”

“I had to enter my license to rent the van. Why does it authorize licenses if they aren’t the correct type?” You asked, annoyed. It wasn’t his fault, probably, but that definitely seemed like a crappy thing for the website to allow.

“I understand that ma’am but the website will allow anybody to pay for the van and the driver’s license check is very basic and checks to see if you have one, not the level. Now, would you like to rent a regular van?”

You stood there for a minute weighing your options. “Give me a minute.” You walked over to the waiting area and took out your phone. You opened the BigHit employee portal and scrolled through the services. There were so many options: food delivery, laundry pick up, chauffeur, pet walking, but nothing about hiring a driver for other vehicles. You groaned and dialed Yoongi’s number. Normally you would text but you felt like there was too much to say. The phone rang a few times.

“Hello?” It was surprising to you how deep his voice sounded on the phone.

“Hey...I'm sorry to bother you. Does anybody at the company have a Level 1 driver's license that I can like request via the app? I didn't realize the one I rented is for a license I don't have.” You paused. “This is so embarrassing.” Silence extended from the other side, making you feel awful, like you had probably interrupted something important. You began again, " I can maybe just do it next weekend. I can find somebody by then I'm sure. It’s fine. What’s one more week.”

"I can drive it."

You felt awkward having Yoongi do it."Noooo. Don't worry about it. I can do it next week. I’m sure I can find somebody.”

“Aish send me the address. I'll do it.” He replied, starting to sound irritated.

“Were you busy? You don't have to.”

“You know the company phones have GPS trackers in them? But it will be a hell of a lot faster if you just send me the address.”

You sighed, “Ok. Thank you.”

“See you soon.”

You awkwardly waited at the rental agency, kicking your feet in your chair like a little kid waiting for their parents. After about half an hour you heard the door ding and saw Yoongi walk in. He had traded his sweats for jeans, but otherwise had the same casual shirt and expression.

“Hello sir,” the desk attendant greeted Yoongi. “How may I help you today?”

“I’ve been told I’m here to drive a van.” Yoongi looked your way.

"Oh, are you here for that one?" the guy at the counter gestured at you.

Rude.

Yoongi smirked, “Yep. That one’s mine.”

Your jaw almost dropped. Fucking brat. You walked over. "It's a good thing you're being so helpful darling." You gritted between your teeth. You watched as Yoongi handed over his license and had it scanned without any issues.

“Here you go Mr. Min.” The attendant handed him the keys. You heard him laugh as he took them. He started to walk out to the rental garage with you following.

"’Thanks for coming. I do appreciate it."

"It’s no problem. I mean. You, once again, will owe me dinner. But other than that. It's nothing." He clicked the remote to find the right van. "Why are you renting such a big ass van?"

"Because my family doesn't own a car and I'm an idiot. The website didn't make it look that big. I put in my license and it let me rent it. Don’t you think it should deny it if it knows you can’t drive it?" The two of you stopped in front of the cargo van. It was big. But not that big, you scowled.

"Oh man. I used to drive so much music equipment around in my shit van. This brings back memories." He climbed into the driver's seat. You walked around to the passenger side and stepped up as well. "And lucky for you, I came prepared today." He popped in a CD he'd been stowing in his coat pocket.

"Oh my God. You are the cutest." You said, somewhat accidentally, out loud.

Yoongi paused, and looked over at you. "I am not cute."

You smiled and pinched your fingers together. "A little bit."

He shook his head and put his hand on the gear shift. "Nope. Cue up the GPS."

"The tiniest cute." You typed in the address.

"Feared rapper and music producer. Ice King. Loner. It's in the lyrics, you should listen." He turned the car audio on.

"OK cutie, I know you have stuffed animals in the loft area."

He held a finger up to his lips. "Quiet woman, I'm driving."

You laughed and relaxed into the seat. "I fell asleep on track 5."

He pushed some buttons and you settled in for the car ride.

Yoongi was thankful for the excuse of looking at the road so he couldn’t see your expressions as you listened. He put so much of himself in his lyrics, it was like taking his heart and mind out of his body and showing it to other people. Which for some reason felt fine when it was complete strangers, but felt so weird with someone he knew. He tried to play it cool. He knew he was two songs away from his most personal track.

“Ok, turn in here. We can park here for up to two hours without a permit.” You guided him near an alleyway next to your Aunt’s apartment. You sent a text telling them you were here. “Thanks. You can wait here if you want. I don't know how much packing there is left to do. Sorry. I just got the email this morning. There are also some coffee shops around here or some restaurants. I’m not sure what---”

Yoongi unbuckled his seatbelt and cut you off. “Hey. You don't have to do this by yourself. OK?” He opened the door and got out before you could respond.

You took a few deep breaths and exited the van, walking around to the front to lead the way to the apartment. “Ok thanks. Also I apologize in advance for my Aunt.”

“She won’t be the first Auntie I've met,” Yoongi smirked. “Don't worry, Aunties and Grannies love me.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about. Also sorry in advance for my brother. He seems rude, but it’s just because our family life was so fucked up. He’s a good kid.”

“Hey, I can relate,” Yoongi opened the door for you. “It’s fine. Really.”

“Ack, I don’t think I can do this.” You turned and faced him.

“Do what?” Yoongi asked, perplexed.

“Have you meet my family. It’s. We’re all weirdos. The apartment is so small. It’s embarrassing. I already feel bad that you came and helped me.” You spew out everything at once, your anxiety levels suddenly spiking.

Yoongi sighed and put his hands in his pockets. “Hey. It’s fine. I was going to meet them eventually anyways right? Might as well be before the wedding,” He teased you.

You were surprised. This was the first time he had mentioned anything about the other part of your contract. It had always been you teasing him about it.

“I guess so.” You took a deep breath. “Ok. Just...please...Remember. We’ve been through a lot.” You suddenly felt so vulnerable as you pushed the elevator button. You led the way to your old apartment and unlocked the door.

“Aunt Vi, I’m here.” You yelled from the foyer as the two of you slipped your shoes off.

“Oh finally, I was getting worried, you’re over an hour late and you're usually so prompt and hello young man.” Aunt Vi stopped dead in her tracks as she arrived in front of the two of you.

“Hello. Min Yoongi, nice to meet you.” He bowed.

Your Aunt gaped like a fish for a moment and eyed you. “Yes of course, I’m Vi.. And this is…?”

“My boss, Auntie. He drove the van today. Apparently giant ass vans need a special license.” You smiled sheepishly.

“Do not use such language in front of your boss, young lady.” She scolded.

Yoongi cleared his throat to hide a laugh. It was unusual seeing someone boss you around for a change.

“Yes of course, sorry Auntie. I’m very sorry, Mr. Min.”

“That’s better. Now come in. You, help Jihoon pack, Mr. Min come join me for tea.”

She turned around and you gave Yoongi a stank look while he silently laughed at you. You flipped him the middle finger while he acted offended.

Auntie Vi turned around, “That is of course if he wants some.”

The two of you pretended to be perfect angels once again, “That would be lovely Aunt Vi.” He responded, sounding like a boy scout. You rolled your eyes at him the minute your aunt turned her back. You left the two of them as they headed to the kitchen and you went to the living room.

Your brother was packing up some books into one of the boxes when you walked over.

“Hey. Make sure the books go into a few small boxes instead of one big one, or they’ll be too heavy to carry.” You said as you grabbed another empty box and started to pack some things.

“Yeah ,ok. Those other two boxes are books as well. There should be a bookcase in the dorm. I think all my friend’s rooms have one.”

“Ok great, I’ll label them.” You walked into the kitchen to grab a sharpie and briefly overheard Vi and Yoongi. Yep. She was in love, you smirked and headed back to help your brother.

You were surprised when you walked past the hallway and saw two blankets on the floor, slowly moving. You smiled and paused, “Huh. What strange moving blankets.” You heard a set of giggles and continued on your way.

Your brother and you continued to put items into boxes and the blankets continued to slowly wriggle down the hallway until they made it to the corner. Your sister and niece sat up and pressed their tiny bodies against the wall, straining to see who the mysterious voice belonged to. You looked over and smiled.

Aunt Vi paused for a second and heard the faint sound of giggles and “shhhh”

“There better not be any little girls eavesdropping,” She said. Everyone in the apartment heard the sounds of stomping and running down the hallway, followed by a door shutting. Vi sighed and Yoongi laughed.

You set down the roll of tape and walked back to the bedroom. "Come on out girls." You led the way for them down the hallway. They nervously stood in the kitchen in front of Yoongi and your Aunt.

“Mr. Min, this is my sister, Hayoon, and my niece, Sooah.” You introduced them as they bowed deeply, as though they had been preparing for this moment for their whole lives.

Yoongi smiled warmly at them, “It’s a pleasure to meet you ladies.” You could see your niece already blushing. These girls were boy crazy already and you were sure they would relive this moment over and over again. They managed to squeak out a “you too.” Before they looked around awkwardly about what to do next.

“Alright girls, either help move boxes or git.” You prompted them. They looked at each other and then scrambled back to the bedroom, giggling the whole way. You sighed and went back to packing. Fortunately since your brother was living on the couch, he didn’t have a lot to pack. In retrospect you probably didn’t need the van. Oh well. Better to be over prepared than underprepared, you mused.

You walked into the kitchen, “Excuse me, may I have the keys please? It’s time to start loading.”

Yoongi stood up, “Yeah sure, let’s go.”

You looked at him, “Oh no sir. I could not expect you to carry the boxes. Keys please.” You held out your hand.

Yooongi scoffed, “I can carry boxes.”

Aunt Vi quietly cleared her throat, “That would be too much surely. Won’t you please sit down and I’ll make you some lunch.”

Ah the intersectionality of age and class rank here were making your head spin, but you knew that he couldn’t turn down lunch from your Aunt, even as she turned around and he placed the keys in your hand while making a very strange face you couldn’t quite identify. You raised your eyebrows. Taking the keys, you pulled out your phone.

YN: She’s a good cook, don’t worry. Sorry this is taking so long.

You and your brother each grabbed some boxes and started to move them out by the elevators. After about fifteen minutes you checked your phone.

YG: I feel weird not helping

YN: You did help, you drove the van

YG: That doesn’t count

YN: Yes it does

You returned to the apartment where you saw Yoongi had somehow inserted himself into the kitchen and was cooking alongside Aunt Vi. That’s it, you thought, she’s never going to not mention him again. You sighed. Grabbing the last few boxes you and Jihoon began to fill the elevator and slowly move the items closer and closer to the van. An hour later it was all packed up.

“How was your soup?” You asked as you came back into the apartment, ripping off your sweatshirt. You had started off cold, but were now glistening with sweat.

“Really good, thanks again Auntie,” Yoongi looked over to Vi.

“Oh please, he’s the one who ended up doing most of the cooking. Are you single Mr. Min? Are you allowed to date your employees?--------”

Oh God it was happening, you were shocked it had taken this long honestly.

“Because even though YN isn’t much to look at, she’s a very hardworking girl.”

“We gotta go. Time to leave. Is there any leftover soup for Jihoon?” You asked as you cut her off and started scrambling around the kitchen for a takeaway container.

“There’s plenty of soup, grab some for Jihoon. Not for you though, you don’t need the calories.”

Oh God she was going full blown Auntie on your ass. Help. You looked over to Yoongi, mortified, but he was just standing there, the tiniest smile playing on his lips. He briefly flicked his eyes in your direction, causing you to feel flustered.

“Anyways, you should keep her in mind. Our family is unlucky, but we do try to make up for it.”

“I have the Soup, can we please leave now? We have to return the van.” You grabbed your purse, sweater, soup, and coat.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Yoongi said calmly. “Thank you for your hospitality Auntie. I hope to see you again soon :] .” He walked over near the door, put on his coat and took the soup from you.

“Put your coat on.” He chided

“I’m sweaty.” You responded

“You won’t be when you get back outside.”

You huffed but complied anyways. The poor man had suffered through an hour and a half of your family, you weren’t about to argue with him.

Your brother was waiting in the van with his headphones on listening to music. You climbed into the middle seat.

“Oh my God I am so sorry.” You said the minute the door closed.

“It’s fine. Like I said, not my first Auntie. She’s nice.”

“She called me ugly and told me not to eat.” You whined. “Hey...speaking of you called me ugly too the first time we met.”

Your brother took off his headphones; apparently interested in this conversation.

Yoongi rubbed the back of his neck. “Did I say that to you? That doesn't seem like something I would say.”

“Well, no. But you didn’t disagree with me when I said it.” You side eyed him.

He laughed, “I think you know you’re not ugly. You don’t need me to tell you that.” He pulled out onto the main street.

“I don’t know. Having heard it every day of her life growing up, it might not be a bad thing to not say to her.” You heard Jihoon say from next to you.

You tensed up briefly. “Jihoon, it’s a joke. Everyone else at the interview was literally a supermodel. Everyone.”

“Sorry. People calling my sister ugly doesn’t seem very funny to me.” He said and moodily turned to face the window.

This was the kind of awkward you were worried about. “Sorry. Jihoon is a little protective. Also he doesn’t understand jokes.” You tried to lighten the mood by teasing. It did not work.

“Jokes are supposed to be funny. I understand that.” He said snidely from the passenger’s seat.

You sighed, “Anyways, thanks again for driving. You’ll turn right here and then there should be signs for the school in about 4 kilometers.”

Yoongi was very quiet. He didn’t want to piss your brother off again. You pushed play on the audio, welcoming a change of pace from the quiet. To your shock, he hit the pause button. “Let’s listen to it later.” He said quietly to you. He didn’t think the lyrics would put your brother in a better mood and he also didn’t particularly feel like sharing the vulnerable side of himself at the moment.

“Is it normal to tell someone they can’t listen to music in a car? Asking for a friend.”

“Stop being an asshole Jihoon. Mr. Min was nice enough to drive the van for us today to move you into the dorm. And to give me a job to pay for the dorm. You need to be more respectful.” The phrase came out of your mouth before you could even stop it. It was a triggering phrase for both of you and you instantly regretted it.

**************

“Right.” Your brother said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Be more respectful. Just because someone’s older than you they deserve your respect no matter what. That’s what dad always said while he was beating us, remember?”

***************

You rolled your eyes, unable to keep your cool. “Oh my God. You’re supposed to be working through this shit in therapy not in a fucking moving van with me and my boss. I am so sorry.” You said to Yoongi who was trying very hard to pretend he wasn’t in the van at that exact moment.

“I didn’t ask to be in a moving van with you and your boss and I didn’t ask to be moved into the dorms today.” He argued back.

“You’d rather still be on the couch at Aunt Vi’s? I can unload all this shit and cancel your room. I can totally do that right now.” You snapped at him.

Jihoon huffed angrily. Such a moody teen.

“I’ll take that as a “no”,” you responded. “Yoongi, I am so sorry.”

“For the record, does your boss know our dad's a fucking psycho?” Your brother said in English. You had done terribly in English and hadn’t touched it since High School. You understood the word Fuck though and were getting ready to scold you brother

Yoongi didn't want to overstep his bounds, but at the same time, your brother was being a rude little shit. The whole reason you had agreed to marry a guy you didn’t know was to take care of this ungrateful child. Before he could help himself, he responded in perfect English, “Yeah, I heard you dad was an asshole. And I'm sorry that happened to you. It shouldn’t have and it really sucks. But your sister works her ass off for you.”

Yoongi was pissed. You could tell that much by the tone. You understood sister and that was about it. Or maybe he said sweater. But it was probably sister.

Your brother was clearly surprised by whatever he heard and also mildly irritated. “What do you know about any of that?”

“I know that in her job interview all she talked about was you and your little sister and how she worries about the two of you and that’s why she took a job where she is on call 24/7 and why she’s worked 2 jobs for the past 7 years.”

You understood the number 2. That was it. This was a passionate discussion on Yoongi’s part. You were getting ready to speak after several seconds of silence filled the van.

Your brother twisted his body and looked at Yoongi. “---Do you….do you like my sister?””

More silence. What the hell were they talking about?

Yoongi cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably, continuing to look straight ahead at the road. “I do. And we’re being rude by having a conversation that she can’t understand. So please stop it.”

Your brother paused for a moment before replying in Korean ”… Yes, hyung.”

“If he's being rude let me know and I'll take his lunch money. I will literally untransfer funds.” You said, eyeing the two of them suspiciously. “I know how to say “fuck” in English and I definitely heard it.”

“It’s fine. It’s fine.” Yoongi replied. “Here, we can also listen to the word ‘fuck’ some more.” he turned the music back on. Since everyone else was having free therapy in the van, why not join? One song played before you all arrived at the dorms.

“Go round up some strapping young men to carry these boxes. I have to find your RA.” You told your brother as Yoongi parked the van. He hopped out quickly, all too eager to escape. You rested your head against the headrest and pushed your hands against your eyes. “I am so sorry. Today has been a total nightmare. Worse than I even imagined.” You said, feeling like you might cry.

Yoongi sat there for a few seconds, reliving the afternoon. It had actually been mostly fun for him. “I had a good time. I got to meet your family and I got free soup.”

You looked over at him slightly bewildered. “We need to raise your standards for what a good day should look like Yoongi, because this was a total shit show.”

“Hey, don’t cry. I hate it when people cry. Your brother has been through a lot. It’s fine. Really. I too was an angry rude teenager and I didn’t have nearly as good of a reason. Come on, let’s finish this shit and get the van back.” He unbuckled his seatbelt.

You followed suit and entered the dormitory, following the signs. You introduced yourself to the RA, got the keys, and found your brother and two other guys standing outside the van. You recognized the one kid.

“Hey Noona,” He waved. You liked that one.

Yoongi had apparently started unloading the boxes while you were meeting with the RA. You picked up one of the smaller boxes and headed up to the dorm. With the 5 of you, it didn’t take long to move all the boxes into the dorm. You placed the soup into the mini-fridge. You sighed and looked around at the mountains of boxes, “Ok. Do you want me to stick around for the unpacking or….?”

"No. We'll get it." Jihoon responded and walked with you out into the hallway. Yoongi was leaning against the wall near the elevators, scrolling through his phone.

"Thanks. And I'm sorry about earlier." He said looking down.

"It's OK, come here." You pulled him in for a hug. He was taller than you. When did that happen? You squeezed extra tight and then pulled away, "Make sure to answer my texts or else I'll show up here. And I have your RA’s number. Got it?”

"Yeah yeah." he looked around.

You looked up at him and brushed some invisible dirt off his shoulder, "OK. I love you. "

" I love you too. "

With that you turned and joined Yoongi by the elevators." Let today end please. " You said, crossing your arms in front of your body.

"Nope. Not yet. You still owe me dinner," he commented as the two of you entered the elevator.

You sulked , "You got soup."

"You haven't eaten yet."

You shrugged. It was true. But you were upset and when you were upset you either wanted to eat everything or nothing. Today you felt like nothing.

The two of you climbed into the van one last time. You rested your head against the window and listened to the music. Yoongi gripped the steering wheel tightly as ‘The Last’ began to play.

He glanced a look over at you. Your jaw was firmly set and he saw tears rolling down your cheeks. Shit. This was not a good day for this. He paused the music.

"Sorry, that's pretty heavy for today isn't it?" The car came to a stop at a light and the silence was palpable.

You breathed out, trying to keep it level. "Sorry, just. You and my brother have that in common." You wiped your eyes as you tried not to cry. You took pride in generally being pretty stoic and good-natured.

The light turned green. "I guess we're all just fucked up, huh?"

You sniffled. "Yeah. It just hurts my heart to think about a world where you or my brother don't exist."

Yoongi felt like someone had hit him with a ton of bricks. He swallowed through the lump forming in his throat as he managed a response, "Well, we're still here. That's what matters. Right?” He tried to sound positive.

“Yeah. I’m glad for that. Turn left.” NEXT CHAPTER @lidda @anpanman-sonyeondan @firefairy1 @cuteipat @sugaslittlekookies @janeelizabeth1216 @deeepvibes @gxldenhunny @livelyjay @niniita-ah

#bts writing #bts fic #bts suga x you #suga x you #yoongi x you #bts yoongi x reader #bts yoongi #bts suga x reader #suga x reader #suga x y/n #yoongi x reader #yoongi x y/n

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wornoutmouse · 3 years

Text

Tatsumi

Welcome back to mommy dearest writing for a character she doesn’t know. I present to you…..Adult Gumball from The Amazing World of Gumball

(I’m joking)

We are going for the mating cycle trope cause it never fails.

Breeding kink, of course, literal impregnation, poison le peepee, mommy kink, daddy kink, everybody a switch

This dude looks lactose intolerant

Left-right, up-down, and 2 sides of the same damn coin are the most accurate descriptions of Tatsumi. So in the end you never know what he’s truly thinking and perhaps that’s for the best. What never is hard to decipher is when his heat comes. The passive aggressiveness was forever present as you went about everyday tasks. His playful nature dwindled as time went by until you were too scared to even joke around with him. “Tats, your fur is a lot softer than normal, are you using a different shampoo?”

The bluenette grumbled as he glared down at a book that he was never even reading in the first place, “You know what’s in the bathroom so you know I’m not using anything different. You don’t blame his attitude one bit, he had told you that sharing his cycle was something precious to him and even though you were his girlfriend even platonically helping him through it was a big thing. This however didn’t mean he didn’t want to fuck you against the stove every time he saw you making some nasty ass quesadilla’s. That didn’t prevent him from dry humping everything in your shared bedroom to spread his scent around. Didn’t even stop him from dry humping you as soon as you came home.

“Tatsumi, I know your thing is like tomorrow, but you can’t stop me from enjoying my bath.” The blunette stood menacingly over your bathtub as you soaked. Your brown skin caressed by sparkling white bubbles as a creamy scent wafted from the water was almost like presenting a duck on a platter for Tatsumi. It was moments like these when he understood your hurt look when he said he didn’t want to share his heat with you. “I’m not stopping you, I’m just watching..” You rest your arm outside the bath, having a long staring contest with the man. “Your braids are getting wet.” You sighed before pulling out the stopper.

The next day his rut was in full sweep, you woke up this morning to him in the shower so you opted to make breakfast. By the time you finished and came to alert him, the bedroom door was locked and you could hear heavy grunts on the other side. “K Tats, just remember I’m here for you if you need anything.” You finished your breakfast alone and kicked a couple of grain bars underneath the door.

You walked back into the kitchen and groaned when you saw the corner of your kitchen floor bare from the lack of water. “He’s going to dehydrate himself at the the rate he is going at it.” Your skin prickled from the thought of going outside into the cool fall air with only a pair of shorts but nonetheless, you head out to visit the nearest Walmart, “We’ll need more food anyways.”

Inside the bedroom

The heat was unbearable, Tatsumi had shredded most of his clothes the moment he woke up. The naive would say that the heat in his groin would be the hardest part to deal with, but the physical warmth that had his skin visibly boiling made him want to claw his skin off where he stood. He rested his head against the bed, eyes closed with unbridled rage. All he wanted to do is let you inside this room and never let you out until he had fucked a baby in you. Alas, it was not a baby he wanted so that is why he made up the lie about how his rut was special to him. In reality, he had shared his cycle with many others, some friends, some colleagues, a commonplace whore would even due during this time of crisis.

The only difference between you and them is that they never saw the next day. The point of his cycle is to mate, and more importantly, if the mating isn’t successful his cum becomes poisonous to the person it was inserted in. Even Muroi would make jokes about how he has “deadly dick” much to his dismay. So even if him sharing his heat with you would be pleasurable and end it quicker, if you do not get pregnant, you will die and that was the only thing keeping him from leaving this room.

His ears twitched to pick up on where you were in the house, they twitched, twitched a little bit more. Where the hell were you? Shakily he stands, screwing his face up when his dick hit his stomach shamelessly. He creaked the door open, mumbling your name into the open air. No response, “Y/n where the hell are you?” Even though it was a dangerous chance to take, Tatsumi didn’t feel comfortable not feeling your presence somewhere throughout the house. He walked around the apartment growing angrier than when he left when he saw your keys were missing. “What the hell, she couldn’t at least stay to make sure I didn’t die?” Your absence hurt a little bit, but his prideful heart just turned any pain into horn-filled anger.

Meanwhile, your dumbass was looping around for the 3rd time to get samples of imitation crab on a saltine cracker. “Miss, this is your 4th time..” “What do you mean, I’ve never been here before?” You of course, as any good customer would, didn’t buy a single package of imitation crab nor cracker. You went home with your belly full and a car filled with water and packaged ham because Thanksgiving was 6 months away and you’ll be damned if you get caught having to buy 6 chickens to replace the turkey again.

When you get home you carried the ham in your arms while you kicked a water bottle pack into the kitchen. During your excruciating workout, you failed to notice that the bedroom door was wide open, and an overbearing warmth filled the home spreading Tatsumi’s anger pheromones that you couldn’t even smell to save your life. And your life was indeed endangered. “Tats do you need some more water!” You whistle throughout the house, tossing your keys on the couch before gaping at the wide-open door. “Tatsumi!?”

“I’m glad you knew well enough to wear damn near nothing when you came back.” Tatsumi looked completely worse for wear, eyes blown wide and blue hair tousled. “What the hell are you doing outside our room, aren’t you the one that wanted for us to stay away from each other?” “Mmhm.” Tatsumi was completely naked from the waist down. From the neck up his skin was flushed red and sweaty, "Yes that was the plan until you decided to leave. "

Tatsuya was in you in an instant, teeth clashing together when he kissed you, your hands rested on clammy skin slowing Tatsumi's process of undressing you. "I'm going to fuck you so well Y/n. Breed your pretty little pussy for all to see." The brazen words of affirmation made your movements stutter in the slightest bit. "If this dirty talk or are you serious?!"

Tatsumi's hands slap down on your ass, gripping the soft flesh in-between his fingers. "I've never been more serious, this is life and death. " Using his hold on your buttocks, he lifts you up with a slight heave before placing you on the two-way countertop. Buttons pop off your shorts hitting the floor as they’re ripped off. Your panties soon join as well, falling to the floor in a graceful heap. Goosebumps plagued your skin at the act of aggression. "So pretty and perfect for me. There isn't any doubt in my mind that this'll work."

You couldn't help but twitch at the praise, making Tatsumi laugh. Slender fingers rub your clit building your pleasure to make you slick. The soft treatment was stopped when Tatsumi pinched the nerve. "Play with yourself while I go get some lube." It seemed almost like a challenge for Tatsumi to pull away from you but he did nonetheless. You hurriedly remove your tank top leaving your black sports bra on, unwilling to wrestle with it. Carefully balancing on the edge of the counter, you resume torturing your clit until sweat begins to build on your own body.

"Tatsumi!" You stuttered, rolling your body enticingly when he came back into your line of sight. "You're so damn sexy." You grab his neck and pull him in between your legs wrapping them around him. "I want to make you feel good, baby come on." You reach in-between your legs, squeezing the tip is cock, biting your lip when it twitches in your hand. "You're so big Tat's, do you want me that badly?"

His hair was dripping with sweat and his face was dusted a pretty red color, one you longed to make bloom. "Fuck yes! I need to feel you squeeze around me, fuck I'm so desperate right now, I'll do anything!" You caress his face cooing as he thrust into your palm like a hormonal teenager. "You ain't got to do nothing for me but put your pretty little cock in me baby!" You take the lube from him and squeeze the cool liquid on his dick making it twitch even more.

Tatsumi gripped the counter with one hand while pumping his lubed cock with the other. "Fuck fuck fuck!" Without warning, Tatsumi cums from his hands, shooting the warm liquid on your pussy lips making the perfect contrast of black and white. This detail went straight to Tatsumi's dick. So while his cock continued to shoot cum he thrust forward till he bottomed out, stretching your pussy to the shape of him. "Tell me when I can move, if it's good, tell me when!"

Tatsumi was teary-eyed staring at the ceiling so he could refrain from moving and possibly hurting you. "You're so warm Y/n, feel so good, all stretched out for me." When you finally relaxed, you lowered your legs, pushing his hips deeper. "Come on daddy, you said you wanted to be me hmm?" Tatsumi caged you against the counter with both hands on the sides, dripping the fake tile as if his life depended on it.

"Oh, don't call that. You know how I feel about that." You planted in his ear, dead-set on dirty talking him to completion. "Oh, you don't feel like being daddy right now baby? You want to be my pretty lil boy?" Tatsumi nodded nibbling in your collarbone. You squeezed your eyes shut as his cock began to move faster.

"Oh, your-fuck! Such a good boy for mommy you know that? I couldn't ask for a better...a better!" Your eyes rolled to the back of your head as Tatsumi pulled you off the counter, bouncing you on his cock while he stood. Tatsumi growled at the vibration your ass caused when it slammed down on his toned thighs. He was exerting himself in a display of primal strength. Your pussy clenched down on him as he held you still. Opting to jackhammer into your body, making you shake.

As ridiculous as you probably looked, the pleasure made up for it. "I'm going to fuck you so damn well, you're not leaving this damn house again!"

And leaving was something you could not do. You were fucked in all sorts of positions in all locations of the house. The only break you got was when you could shower and even that wasn't a break as Tatsumi soon joined you, and fucked you haphazardly against the shower wall. Both of you came in and out of consciousness throughout the days, only having enough time to eat and drink.

On the final day, Tatsumi was the one to wake first. His sleepy eyes blinked at the open window, the same window he made you deep throat him in front of hours ago. "Y/n?" His voice was scratchy and in desperate need of water as he held it gingerly. "Y/n?" You lay next to him, body partially covered in a white sheet that probably only sin if he were to guess from the scratch marks and bites littering both his and your backs.

Tatsumi’s heart raced at your stillness, time armed to slowdown as a shaking hand reached out for you flinching at your cold skin. "N-No!"

It didn't work, he had worked so hard to make it work and his efforts were fruitless. The bed shook with his sobs, he couldn't even look at your still form. What was he going to tell your family? Fuck that, how would he even be able to live with himself. "What do I do, oh God Y/n. I'm so sorry! I-"

"Dawg shut the FUCK UP!"

His crying was interrupted as he was hit full swing with his own pillow. Your almond eyes were swollen most likely from tears of overtime as you squinted at Tatsumi. Pointing an accusing finger at him. "You fucked me for 3 days straight, I deserve sleep. Now be quiet or go somewhere else!" With that, you turned back over, covering yourself with your sheet.

Despite your scolding, Tatsumi felt joy filling his being. When he quieted, he stiffens… if you were alive..that meant you were pregnant…… now how the hell is he supposed to break the news to you?

#tatsumi #shiki tatsumi #anime smut #shiki smut #anime imagines #heat

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nevermindirah · 3 years

Note

I am but a sad little trans man who absolutely wants to know your thoughts on immortals capabilities to transition because I have thoughts and they make my depressed little trans heart hurt because how in the world could they transition if their bodies heal everything?

Hi! Sending you hugs because I've been struggling with the exact same thoughts! I wrote this lil meta last month but I don't like it and my brain keeps interrupting things like my job and trips to the grocery store to get me working on this puzzle.

From what we see in the movie, our elderly friends have regular-human healing, just faster and MORE, plus magic. We have canon evidence of how this works with wounds/injuries and can infer from there about how their immortality would handle infections, genetic/physiological/autoimmune/etc disorders, malnutrition/dehydration/etc, mental illnesses, and dental stuff, as well as things that bodies do that aren't necessarily bad but often need medical care — like pregnancy and gender transition. (I’m not a medical professional, just a nerd who loves a good Wikipedia rabbithole.)

Let's start with an easy one. Nile's hand healing after she stuck it in the fire is just a lickety-split version of what would happen to a regular human with a small skin wound: clotting, inflammation, rebuilding, healed.

When Nile yeets herself and pharma bro out the window of the topmost tower, we see the same thing happen again but bigger, plus we see several of her bones pop themselves back into place, and presumably any blood vessels that got torn up magically correct themselves under her skin. Humans have been surviving injuries like major bone fractures for a very long time but a bone that heals without medical intervention to realign the fractured pieces might heal at a new angle, meaning it doesn't work as well anymore, and it might cause damage to surrounding organs/tissues and leave a lot of scar tissue or a chronic wound. But Nile only needs Booker and Nicky keeping her upright for barely a minute and then she's walking around on her own just fine.

A large wound that breaks deeply through the skin, like Nile's sliced throat or Booker's exploded abdomen, can be survivable for a regular human if it doesn't irreparably damage critical organs and if you can get medical attention before you bleed out, but even with modern medical intervention the results are rough. Jay and Dizzy aren't wrong for being deeply weirded out by Nile's flawless neck: even with the best plastic surgeons in the world on the case, closing up a wound like that will leave scar tissue that affects both appearance and function.

So, we've got immortality magic moving bones back into place, restarting stopped hearts and lungs and brains, rebuilding major structures like arteries and intestines, healing up wounds without scar tissue, pushing out bullets, and otherwise handwaving the big stuff. But it's not a magic wand, it’s a process, and bigger wounds take longer. It's like these people's mitochondria have little gnomes in there with schematics to rebuild their bodies to factory default.

From how these bodies handle wounds we can infer that they'd handle pathogens / infectious diseases the same way: inflammation, white blood cells attack, byebye plague see you never. And if these bodies are resetting bones and rebuilding organs, they're probably also correcting genetic disorders and shifting around physiological problems like bone spurs. So let's keep on inferring.

What if, instead of every death erasing hormone replacement therapy and gender-affirming surgery and leaving a trans immortal detransitioned over and fucking over again, what if the magic that governs immortality considers dysphoria-causing body parts just like any other wound to heal?

What if Booker is a trans man, and he's got that sweet muscle mass and that height and that beard that comes all the way up his cheeks because he's been on the wonder drug that is testosterone for over 200 years? What if immortality was all "we see you've been hung from the neck until dead, and your eyes have been pecked out, and also you have all these hormones that turn your body into a shape that makes you miserable — we're gonna fix all that" and then regenerated his pecked-out eyeballs and unsnapped his neck and undid the results of months of insufficient food AND ALSO started pumping him with the fantasy version of HRT so his chest started to reduce and his fat redistributed itself and his beard started coming in?

Who's to say that's not how it works?

All my dysphoria is social — I'm fine with my body for the most part and I CANNOT STAND when people assume things about my gender, because of my body or for any other reason. We see pretty clearly with Booker that mental illness isn't magically healed the way physical injuries are, and I think that's because the causes of mental illness are a combination of physiology/chemistry stuff and things like our beliefs about ourselves and the world, our experiences of trauma, and our experiences of getting our needs met or not. If I were immortal I could maybe break up with my SSRI, but it wouldn't stop me from getting misgendered — I'd still have to find a way to cope with the ongoing trauma of that. Having to navigate hundreds of cultures' ideas about gender when my gender is "uhhhhh" sounds like absolute hell for me, no thank you, do not want.

But for my fellow trans people whose dysphoria is primarily body-related, and for my social-dysphoria pals whose gender is something nearly every human being would recognize and all they need is to pass, how about let's make an executive decision that immortality includes HRT for anybody who needs it, with no psych eval or begging your insurance company or poking yourself with needles, and just like with wound healing it's like regular HRT but faster and more. HRT so powerful and so magical that it gives you the best possible version of the results you want and none of the results you don't. If I had the option to go on HRT for just like one or two changes but not the whole battery of things I would fucking do that, and if I were to join our elderly friends, maybe I could.

This might be easier on transmasc immortals than transfeminine ones, because testosterone's effects are basically impossible to reverse. But also you can't just keep waking back up after repeatedly drowning for 500 years, so fuck it. We're making an executive decision here.

Estrogen that grows your breasts and softens your dick but doesn't lessen your ability to orgasm. Immortality magic that makes your beard go away and maybe shrinks your height an inch or two or six. Maybe Quynh is trans and one time a few thousand years ago she got injured in battle worse than Booker's grenaded belly and she woke up an hour later with a vulva and a uterus and now her body is just like that. Factory reset.

I subscribe to the "God made wheat and grapes but not bread and wine so humans could share in the act of creation" model of transness and I personally feel very weird about the idea of immortality magically giving a trans immortal cisnormative genitals the same way it resets bones. There's no one right way to have a pussy or a dick, you know? Maybe Quynh woke up from a catastrophic gut wound in like 800 BCE with a constructed vagina rivaling the best our modern money can buy, without a uterus but with a clit that's just as magical as anybody else's.

I've been thinking about writing a Book of Nile fic with trans man Booker, which is why the two of them are most of my examples here. It would include porn, because apparently I can't write more than 1500 words about them without writing porn, so I need to think more about what's going to feel good for me and other trans people who might read it and won't accidentally facilitate cis people objectifying us. Like, I've thought in a lot of detail about what a clit enlarged by that many centuries of testosterone might look and feel like, and that specific experience is not mine so I'm treading carefully.

Cis people are welcome to reblog this! Fellow trans folks are welcome to join me in the act of creation on this post ;)

#trans things #fandom friends #tog meta #tog #book of nile #fic ideas #transphobia #dysphoria #gore #long post #mine

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ssa-jennifer-prentiss · 3 years

Text

Safe Here With You

back with more jemily! i decided to rewrite the end of 200 because jj going to a bar after being kidnapped was just not it. i hope you like it!

pairing: jj/emily

words: 2936

tw: blood, guns, death, ptsd

read on ao3

JJ stood with her hands suspended above her head in the middle of the cold, dark room she had been in for over 24 hours now. Matt had just given up his security codes, so she figured she didn’t have long now. They heard shots ring out from outside the room. Hastings ran out to investigate, leaving JJ, Matt, Askari, and his helper alone.

Askari took care of his assistant first, slitting his throat without a second thought. He made his way over in front of Cruse. “Stop!” JJ yelled despite knowing she couldn’t stop what was about to happen. Askari stabbed Matt in the abdomen. He removed his knife and lowered him to the ground. JJ was horrified by the amount of blood she watched pool around her friend’s body.

She heard footsteps come up behind her, now it was her turn. She felt Askari’s breath as he closed in. Before he managed to raise the knife to her neck, two shots rang out. She screamed slightly as she watched her captor drop to the ground.

She felt two familiar hands press against her side. It was Emily. Real Emily. Her Emily, here to save her. “Emily,” she said, voice wavering slightly. Emily knelt down to grab the keys to the handcuffs off Askari. “I knew they’d call you. I knew it.” And she did know. The only thing that kept her going was the certainty that Emily would find her. Emily would always come through for her.

“Shh,” Emily whispered, unlocking the handcuffs from JJ’s wrists. JJ’s arm wrapped around her side, the pain from the burn still present. Emily placed a hand on her back, wanting nothing more than to hold her, but knowing she couldn’t in the moment. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” JJ insisted. “Help Matt, please.” Reluctantly, Emily made her way over to where Hotch was crouched by Cruse.

“Hastings is headed to the roof,” Matt said while struggling to breathe. “You have to stop him.”

“Comms aren’t working down here. He’s lost a lot of blood. How’s JJ?” Hotch asked.

“She’s standing but that’s-,” Emily turned around to check on her friend. “Where the hell did she go?”

“She went to get Hastings.”

“It’s personal for her,” Matt muttered.

“Go help her. I’ve got him.” With that Emily took off looking for JJ.

JJ ran after Hastings as fast as her tired, dehydrated body would allow her to. He was making his way to the roof, JJ didn’t trail too far behind. He made it to the final ladder that led to the top. JJ rounded the corner behind him, firing a few shots in his direction. Hastings dropped down off the ladder and fired back.

After a few more shots JJ had emptied her gun. Frustrated, she tossed it on the ground and sighed with relief at the sight of Emily running up behind her. Emily pushed JJ behind her, firing a few shots of her own in Hastings’ direction. It only took a few more shots before Hastings emptied his own gun. He returned to climbing to the roof. Emily and JJ followed suit.

Emily made it to the top first. She attacked Hastings from behind. JJ was right on her heels, going for Hastings as soon as he knocked Emily down. As they fought they moved closer and closer to the edge of the roof. Emily stood just in time as Hastings and JJ rolled over the edge of the building. She managed to catch JJ’s arm as Hastings fell to his death.

“I got you,” Emily breathed, hanging on to JJ with every bit of strength she had. Simultaneously, the two looked over to see Hastings' lifeless body lying flat on the concrete beneath them. Emily was painfully aware of the reality she would be facing if she had been even a second longer.

JJ turned her head, eyes filled with fear locking on Emily’s. Emily pulled JJ back over the edge of the building and into her arms. She wasn’t sure how much longer JJ could stay on her feet, so she lowered them to the ground. JJ collapsed against Emily’s chest, trying to focus on slowing her heart rate. She had a grip on Emily like she was in the middle of the ocean and Emily was the only thing keeping her from drowning.

They sat in silence for a while as Emily rubbed comforting circles on JJ’s back. JJ’s head was spinning with the events of the last day or so. She wasn’t entirely sure how long she had been locked in that room, but she knew those hours would stay with her forever.

JJ lifted her head from where she had it tucked against Emily’s neck so she could look her in the eye. “You came for me,” her voice was barely above a whisper. “You came the whole way from London to rescue me.” Her eyes filled with tears as she stared at the brunette agent in front of her.

“Did you ever doubt that I would?”

“No,” a few tears slipped out. She leaned forward and rested her forehead against Emily’s. “I knew you would come. I just wasn’t sure I would make it to the time you found me.”

“But you did Jayje, you made it. You held on.”

“Because of you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I saw you,” she hadn’t planned on telling Emily about what she thought she saw, but she decided it was something she should know. “I was lying on the cold floor and I thought they had just shot Matt. I didn’t think I could keep going. I thought I had to give in, but if I did then they would have killed me.” She took a deep breath and continued, “I hallucinated you. You found me. You were right in front of me. I heard your voice and I felt your hand. It was so real.”

“JJ…” JJ shook her head and looked back at Emily.

“You kept me going Em. You’re the reason I didn’t give in. I knew you would find me. I didn’t know how long it would be, but I knew in my heart that you would.”

“Always, sweetheart. I will always be here,” she smiled down at the blonde. “Now, can we please get you down there and checked out by a medic?” JJ nodded. Emily stood, offering the younger agent a hand. JJ threw her arm over Emily’s shoulders. Emily wrapped one arm around JJ’s waist and her other hand held JJ’s that was hanging off her shoulder.

They made their way to the ground floor where the team stood waiting for them. JJ made her way around, giving each of her friends a hug. She then walked out to the ambulance where Matt was being tended to so she could thank him. Emily stood by, waiting for her so she could make sure JJ actually allowed one of the medics to look at her.

“You know I can take care of myself, right Em? I’m a big girl.”

“I know. But, I also know that you like to say you’re fine when you’re not. Besides, if you really think I’m going to leave your side right now, you’re crazy,” JJ smiled at her before turning to walk toward the medic waiting near the other ambulance.

The medic looked JJ over. She was very dehydrated, covered in bruises, and her burn mark needed immediate attention. He cleaned up her wound, but recommended a hospital visit for further care overall. Emily thanked him for his help however, JJ was not happy.

“Emily I do not need to go to the hospital. I’m fine!”

“If the medical professional says you need to go then you need to go! You spent over 24 hours hanging from your wrists. You’re going!” Emily put her hand on JJ’s arm and pulled her over to the SUVs.

It was a rather short ride to the hospital. JJ was taken back almost immediately, Emily never leaving her side. The doctor checked her shoulders, making sure nothing appeared to be torn. They hooked her up to an IV of fluids due to her level of dehydration. She didn’t have to stay long, just until she was able to get some fluids in her.

“See Jay, aren’t you glad we came now?” JJ glared at Emily.

“No,” she pouted. “I can drink water on my own. I don’t need this.”

“This hydrates you much faster. And besides, you’ve got the best company,” she grinned widely at her friend. Most of the time was spent with Emily telling stories about London to try to distract JJ from the thoughts she knew would creep up on her when it was silent. It wasn’t long before JJ was discharged. They walked out to the waiting room where Spencer and Morgan were waiting to ensure everything was fine with JJ before heading home.

Emily stood watching her friend carefully. JJ hadn’t spoken since they first arrived at the hospital. It had only been a few hours since she barely caught JJ from tumbling off of that building. Only a few hours since JJ’s constant torture ceased. Emily had a feeling where JJ’s head was, but she knew if she pushed she would just shut down.

After spending years working alongside the best profilers, JJ knew how to hide her feelings, how to convince everyone she was okay. Emily though? Emily was different. There wasn’t a single thing she could hide from her. She could feel Emily’s eyes on her as she stood beside her coworkers attempting to be present in the moment.

The last 48 hours have been a blur. She had spent the last few hours in the hospital, now she stood alongside her friends as they were deep in conversation. JJ though, she was deep inside her head, thoughts spiraling too fast for her to handle. JJ hadn’t been able to process anything that had happened. She wanted to go home, shower, and give in to the overwhelming exhaustion she felt.

“Well guys,” she started before she could talk herself into staying even longer, “I think I’m going to head home.” She stepped out into the chilly night air, checking her surroundings carefully before turning to walk towards the car.

“Jen!” She turned to see Emily step out of the door behind her. “Do you maybe want to come back to the hotel with me? I’m not sure alone is the best place to be right now,” she said with a soft smile.

“I don’t know Em. I don’t want to intrude,” she looked down at her feet. She wanted nothing more than to be near Emily, the person who could always make her feel better, feel loved, feel safe. But, JJ never wanted to feel like a burden to her.

“You’re not intruding if I’m asking. Please Jay?” She took a step closer and JJ’s eyes met hers. She simply nodded and slipped her arm through Emily’s. They walked in a heavy silence to Emily’s vehicle. Emily opened the passenger’s side door for JJ to slide in before turning to climb in her side.

JJ sat quietly watching as Emily pulled out of the parking lot and into the street. She still felt like none of this was real, like she was still in that cold room in the middle of another hallucination. Before she could think twice she reached out and grabbed Emily’s hand that was resting on the center console. She needed that reassurance that this was real, that she was safe. She smiled softly to herself when Emily intertwined their fingers and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

The drive to the hotel wasn’t long and Emily pulled into a space at the front of the building. JJ made her way around the car to meet Emily, immediately slipping her hand back into hers. They rode the elevator to the top floor and made their way down to Emily’s room. Emily opened the door and allowed JJ to slip past her. The room was undisturbed besides the suitcase Emily clearly threw across the room in a hurry.

“I think I’m going to take a quick shower,” JJ whispered softly. Emily just nodded in response as JJ walked quickly into the bathroom. She didn’t want to let JJ out of her sight, but she thought feeling clean may help her feel a little better.

Emily made her way to her suitcase and pulled out two pairs of pajamas, being sure to pick out JJ’s favorite shirt of hers. Her brain had not quite caught up to the events of the day. Everything happened in a rush, but she vividly remembered almost losing JJ. Twice. Emily kept trying to remind herself that JJ was safe and alive. That was all that mattered. She changed as fast as she could, needing to see the blonde.

“Jayje?” She knocked gently on the bathroom door. “I brought you a change of clothes.” She waited for a response, but there wasn’t one. Her nerves escalated as the minutes passed. “JJ, are you alright? I’m gonna come in, okay?”

She pushed the door in and the scene in front of her broke her heart. JJ was sitting in the corner of the shower. She had her knees pulled up to her chest and was staring blankly in front of her where the shower was still running. She seemed to not even notice Emily had entered the room.

“Jen?” She opened the door to the shower and knelt down slowly so she didn’t scare JJ. “JJ, it’s Emily. Can you look at me?” JJ didn’t move, her eyes were still fixed on the running water as her body trembled slightly. “Jennifer,” Emily said with a little more force hoping to break through, “look at me please.”

“Em-Emily,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper and still not meeting Emily’s eye.

“Yeah baby, it’s just me. You’re safe, okay? It’s only Emily. Please look at me,” slowly JJ turned her head, tired blue eyes meeting concerned brown ones. Emily could see the fear reflected in her eyes, a drastic difference from the light and joy usually seen. “Can I help you?” JJ looked nervously at Emily. “Please Jayje, nobody is going to hurt you now.” JJ nodded as Emily reached up to turn the water off. “Is touch okay or is that too much?”

“It’s okay, just keep talking please. I need to know it’s you,” she whispered and Emily nodded in response. She helped JJ stand and her heart clenched when she saw the countless bruises covering JJ’s entire body. She wrapped one of the soft hotel towels around the blonde and helped her from the shower to sit on the toilet. Emily continued speaking softly to her. She kept reminding her where she was and who she was with.

JJ’s entire body was shaking as she tried to hold back tears. “I can do this by myself Em. It’s okay, really. You can go lay down” Emily crouched in front of JJ. She placed her hands on JJ’s legs, rubbing comforting circles on her thighs to try to give her something that would keep her in the present.

“I’m not leaving you Jen, just let me help you. It’s not a problem, I promise.”

“I don’t want to burden you. I’m not weak, I can handle it,” she whispered, a few of the tears she was holding back slipped out.

“I know you’re not Jayje,” Emily cupped JJ’s face, using her thumbs to wipe the tears from her cheeks. “You’ve been through hell, your body is tired. I’m here to help you. You are never a burden to me, okay?” JJ nodded. Emily began helping her to dry off, being careful around her wounds. She never stopped talking, always letting her know what was happening before she did it. She helped her slip the shirt over her head and then her pajama shorts on. Emily carefully brushed through JJ’s damp tangled hair.

Eventually, they made their way back into the room. Emily pulled back the covers and sat down against the headboard. JJ slipped into the opposite side.

“Come here,” Emily whispered, opening her arms for JJ. JJ slid over, throwing her legs over Emily’s before tucking her head under her chin. She could hear the brunette’s steady heartbeat where her head rested against the older woman’s chest. Emily ran her fingers through JJ’s hair and down her spine. JJ took her free hand in her own, sliding their fingers together and holding on tight. In that moment, JJ needed to have as much contact with Emily as she could. They sat like that for a while. Emily hummed softly to JJ as she held her tight.

“Are you ready to try to sleep?” the brunette asked softly after JJ yawned a third time. JJ nodded and moved away slightly so Emily could lay down. As soon as she did, JJ’s head found its place on her chest again. Their legs tangled together so their bodies were pushed flush against each other. Emily leaned down to press a soft kiss to the blonde’s forehead.

“I love you, Jen. You’re the strongest person I know,” she felt JJ press a light kiss to her collarbone.

“Thank you for saving me,” she heard JJ murmur against her chest. “I love you.” JJ fell asleep quickly, Emily not too long after. They knew the road to recovery would be long, but at least they had each other to take that journey with.

thanks for reading! please let me know what you think!

#i love writing them #they're so in love #jemily #jennifer jareau #emily prentiss #criminal minds

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forasecondtherewedwon · 3 years

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Fourth Coming

Fandom: The Wilds Rating: T Word Count: 2157

Summary: And on the twenty-third day, Nora ate goat and thought about love.

Nora sees the experiment through two lenses, like the red and blue acetate in those cheap 3D glasses. One lens is the scientific, the other is the brutal. When she puts these metaphorical glasses on, she’s just there, in the middle of it, but when she’s feeling particularly tired (understandably often) or just relaxed (inexplicably often—a fact to be concealed from the others), she shifts between the two views. Each is sharper alone than they are combined.

Scientific: counting the days; subtly taking her own inventory of the rations; monitoring Fatin’s dehydration, the commensurate level of distrust the rest of the group have for her.

Brutal: cold fingers in wet, black sand, disinterring Jeanette’s grave; Dot’s tumbling, shivering recount of spearing and battering a snake; ralphing, ralphing, ralphing bad mussels.

It isn’t until the goat that these contrary perspectives finally attain a kind of beautiful balance in Nora’s brain. And it isn’t her thoughts, or rereading one of her journal entries, that has her mental clouds clearing. Actually, it’s what Leah says. About barbecues and normalcy and the Fourth of July. Leah’s remark—possibly offhand, certainly poisonous, even if Nora can’t see how yet—gracelessly and unselfconsciously reveals the barbarism of order. A social gathering on the same day each year, centered around fire (fireworks, sure, but Nora is amazed by how dazzled people are by something not so very far advanced from what had the cavepeople oohing and awwing) and the cooking of meat. Ritual is the summit at which the scientific and the brutal join hands.

The day doesn’t matter. (Every day could have been June 29th and what difference would that have made for them on this island?) The conditions of their environment haven’t changed. (No major shift in the seasons or significant weather patterns, just the single freakish high tide.) The slaughter of the goat and the subsequent cookout should be put down to chance, Nora knows. Toni, Martha, and Shelby decided to look for food. Martha happened to find the goat. She happened to lay her hands on a tool that could do the job. She happened to be successful. And now, miraculous barbecue in honour of… what?

Nora’s sure that most of the girls would say the feast is in honour of themselves, their power, their survival. All of that would really put a spit-shine on Gretchen’s mission statement, but Nora’s not just an agent, a plant, a spy, a wolf in castaway’s clothing. She seeks to understand as much as she always has. She wonders if Shelby thanks god for the goat, or eats it as a form of praise. Nora constantly spots her toying with the cross on her necklace, frequently in a way that holds it far from her throat, almost like she’s thinking about ripping the necklace off and hurling it into the ocean. That would be going a bit far, but then, so is hacking your hair off because a brush got stuck.

Their ritual could be the sacrifice of another creature in the hopes of sparing themselves—a kind of desperate, gasping celebration. Privately, Nora decides they’re celebrating love. Leah’s persistent aura of tragic romance is part of the inspiration for that, but she isn’t part of either of the two developing relationships Nora’s been observing.

Martha’s picking at her goat meat glumly, so Nora rises and goes over to her. Her gait is unsteady on this sand and on these legs, weakened over the past two days of starvation, but it’s enough to carry her until she can slump down next to Martha. Sweet and strong, vulnerable and clearly capable (judging by the sizzle of fat dripping from the roasting goat leg and hitting the fire), Martha smiles when Nora joins her. Nora smiles back and that’s enough between them for a few minutes.

Nora watches the browned meat, nearly allowing herself to be hypnotized by the texture that urges her to sink her teeth in, the crispy spots she knows would taste incredible. But she can’t gorge herself; her stomach needs to be cool about what she’s already eaten or the chewed up goat goes the way of the slurped mussels Rachel found.

Carefully, Nora turns her head to study Martha. She decides that what this girl needs is the same thing Leah needed on Day 12 when she was sitting alone on the beach: some kind of dirty joke. Since she’s fresh out of filthy material of the Christmas variety, Nora tells Martha, “One second,” and heaves herself up again. She comes back dragging Marcus. He’ll be her muse, but it’s also a reunion of lovers.

“You two could get married,” Nora tells Martha. “Shelby said she was an ordained youth minister, remember?”

They laugh and it’s softer than the crackle of the fire. Nora likes that. The steady, rolling sound of their laughs together. How they taper off, unlike the ceaseless noise of breaking waves that drives Nora insane whenever she surfaces from her numbness to the sound. Like becoming conscious of your breathing and working like hell to stop noticing it, because having to purposefully regulate every breath is exhausting and terrifying.

Martha frowns a little in consideration, then half-smiles.

“Nah. I don’t know if I’m ready to commit like that. I think this could just be a fling. All those abs and he didn’t come help me haul that goat.”

“That’s true.” When Martha gazes at the mannequin, Nora assesses Marcus as well. “And it’s not like you’d want to keep him around because he gives great head.”

“He might’ve once,” Martha defends, brushing hair out of her face when a breeze kicks up, “but he gave so much head that there’s none left for me.”

They catch each other staring at the clean line where Marcus’s neck ends and nothing rests above it and trip into laughter again. Though Nora feels like she accomplished her dirty joke, Martha made it even better. People have underestimated her. Nora’s noted it from the start. It’s probably because Martha was injured. Group dynamics were established quickly and have formed and reformed in the days and weeks since, but Day 1 showed them the rawest version of who they are together and, before they knew about Jeanette, Martha was the weak one. Have the others seen her role evolve like Nora has? Are Nora’s observations anything special, really?

“This is totally not a judgement thing or anything,” Nora says, meaning it. “I was just wondering if you were maybe going to wash your clothes. Or change them.”

“Oh.”

Martha looks down at herself and now Nora’s glad she said something; it doesn’t seem like Martha was really aware that she’s been sitting here crusted in drying blood. Nora weighs the acceptability of a period joke and decides against it.

“You don’t have to,” she assures Martha, raising a gentle hand. “It just seemed like maybe the, uh, the slaughtering process? Was kind of a mindfuck?”

“Yeah.” Martha stares straight ahead and lets out a short laugh that Nora doesn’t join her in. “I’m glad Marcus wasn’t there to see. He might not’ve come back the same.”

Nora peers at her a moment, then resolves to just say what she’s thinking.

“Did you?”

Turning her head, Martha looks at Nora and her smile’s the same, but her eyes are different. No, Nora would write in the journal. The answer is plain. Maybe she’ll record it on paper later and maybe she won’t. Looking into Martha’s eyes, Nora knows she won’t need help remembering this.

“I’m just living my best life,” Martha tells her, batting the ends of her hair with her hand.

It sounds like something Fatin would say in this moment, or at least have printed on a t-shirt or something—it’s flip and glib—and for the very reason that it reminds Nora of Fatin, she’s certain that Martha not only means the silly words sincerely but that she feels the kind of truth in the trope, the mindfulness in the meme, that Fatin fights so hard to experience herself. Fatin is deeper than that ocean over there and Martha is a girl scooping out the sand in front of her mannequin boyfriend, digging him a sturdy trench to rest in so she can lean back against his factory-sculpted physique, painted in the blood of her first kill.

For whatever reason, Marcus is the man Martha wants. Nora can’t imagine him becoming anyone else’s property after all this is over.

“Do you want a lychee instead?” she offers. Martha’s flat-out ignoring her leaf-plate of meat now.

“Maybe in a minute.”

She turns her dreamy eyes away from where she’s rubbing a streak of dirt off Marcus’s bicep. Nora follows her gaze to Shelby, who seems to be counting out and partitioning the lychee haul, looking to Dot from time to time. Dot isn’t interfering, just giving encouraging nods when Shelby seeks them out. And of course Toni’s watching too.

“You think they’re telling the truth?” Nora inquires bluntly. “That whole ‘wrong turn in the woods’ story?”

Martha shrugs and says, “Yeah,” but Fatin scootches towards them, evidently drawn by the hum of gossip in the air.

“Are you talking about Toni and Shelby?” she asks, but it’s more of a demand. Her eyes are bright and excited, her mouth grinning, and Nora knows that a lot of that effect is thanks to their first meal in days, but it astounds her how socializing lights Fatin up as much as it used to shut Nora down.

“No,” Martha says quickly, but no faster than Nora’s flat, “Yes.”

“Dope. Yeah, those two are a hundred percent lying.”

“Are you sure?” Nora asks.

She’s not, but the cameras will be. Seeing the footage afterwards isn’t something she negotiated on when Gretchen made her part of the team. Speculation, though less scientific, is much more fun.

Fatin rolls her eyes like Nora’s questioning the laws of gravity. (She blinks and sees the poster of Newton. Sees Newton seeing the apple. Her throat closes up until she softly coughs it clear.)

“Definitely,” Fatin says. “Even if they were just out there all day picking fruit, it’s still the most sapphic thing I’ve ever heard. It’s, like, biblically sapphic.”

Martha laughs.

“Uhhh, sorry, which version of the Bible did you read?”

Nora smiles broadly and looks from Martha’s expression of brimming joy to Fatin’s concentrated delight. Like she’s on to something and whether or not she’s right is beside the point. That kind of approach makes Nora pleasantly dizzy. She remembers being little, standing at a department store perfume counter she couldn’t see over while her mom spritzed scents on her wrists that floated down to Nora’s nose. Fruit and flowers and anything and everything that could make the air beautiful when a woman walked into a room.

“None, but come on, there’s the garden, right? I know some shit. The marketing for this retreat was super Christian-centric anyway. We’re out here representing the fucking Dawn of Eve!” Fatin gestures triumphantly around at their dismal (except for the goat) camp. “If those two bitches weren’t getting their freak on under a fruit tree last night, I’ll eat my gold watch.”

Nora scrutinizes the girls in question.

“Shelby does look especially glowy today.”

“Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s chronic sun damage,” Martha singsongs.

“Maybe it’s what Toni did to those mussels with her tongue,” Fatin acknowledges frankly, “because Shelby sure as hell didn’t borrow my hundred-dollar highlighter. That shit got swept out to sea.”

Fatin trains her eyes on Shelby while Martha watches Toni, and Nora watches both of them watch the others. When they switch subjects in a moment of unvoiced agreement, Toni jerks her head up and spots Fatin staring at her. The tender gazes she’s been throwing Shelby’s way over the low mound of red fruit tighten into suspicion.

“What the fuck are you looking at?” Toni barks, and a laugh sputters from Fatin as she raises her hands to show she means no harm.

“Ok,” Martha says to Fatin and Nora, giggling. “I see it now. Something happened between Shelby and Toni yesterday. Some kind of hunter-gatherer romance.”

“I’m pretty sure you’ve taken the ‘hunter’ title away from Shelby,” Nora points out.

“Well, whatever. Gatherer-gatherer then.”

“With an island colony of all women, it was only a matter of time,” is Fatin’s pragmatic take. “Another couple weeks without an orgasm and I would’ve fucked Toni myself.”

“It wasn’t just time,” Martha scoffs, tipping her head to the side. “It’s love.”

“It’s both,” Nora says. She could prove it to them, flourish the statistics she’s been tracking in her journal. How those bald numbers lie there next to the drawings that spill to the edge of the page. She’s made bedfellows of data and emotions. She just sits there and grins at them. “It’s the aphrodisiacal influence of the Fourth of July.”

#my writing #The Wilds #Nora Reid #Martha Blackburn #Fatin Jadmani #Toni x Shelby #The Wilds fanfiction #The Wilds spoilers

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kunoichi-ume · 3 years

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Life Day Meme

@cinlat tagged me to do this and probably thought I would just do my mains... instead here is almost every one of my ocs - I did skip a few I haven’t developed much in my mind/in writing. Explinations are under the cut, they arent long but there are a lot of characters to cover but you know what? This is the most creative thing I have done other than making art projects for 4/5 year old kids in months and by far the most I have written so I am feeling pretty good atm. I may actually manage to get past this writer’s block.

Buys deep and thoughtful presents

Caoimhe is the most thoughtful gift giver ever, she was raised to only have the essential possessions and that turned her into someone who only gives a present she knows will be wanted, needed and appreciated for the long term.

Edin looks like the last man you’d expect to be a master gift shopper but he loves showing how well he knows the people in his life, notably he is proud of surprising Naadia with a lovely silver tea service set she never told him she needed (and having it delivered to her home on Maanan she never told him about…)

Leena is the responsible twin who takes care of the meal, the decorations and always has her shopping done a month in advance. Deena would love to one up her someday but that day hasn’t happened yet.

Mald doesn’t have many people in his life to buy gifts for and takes great pleasure in finding the prefect ones.

Nuada like his father takes after his mom, he would never leave something as important as presents to the last minute. Especially after meeting Rasiel and wanting to make up for the terrible holidays of her childhood it became more important than ever to always get the right thing.

Buys presents the night before

Darvic is the man running for presents on the day of, desperate to find anywhere still open.

Izara, not because she forgot but because it took that long for someone to impress on her that it’s important to exchange gifts. She just doesn’t see the purpose or appeal.

Markus gets so caught up in the activities of the season, hoversleigh rides, winter wonderland dates with his wife, carol concerts, he just sort of forgets.

Seleshi has a system, a system based on panic and adrenaline and somehow always makes Vette and his sisters happy with what he got for them.

Goes overboard on decoration

Hendrick is a red and green bleeding lover of the holiday and believes there is never enough lights. Those insane music coordinated houses on holotube? His has the most views and likes.

Keeleigh doesn’t do anything halfway and the holiday is not an exception. The ship is hard to live in when she drags out all her decorations but she is the Captain and well, she does whatever she wants to.

Naadia is listed here not because she goes overboard on the décor but because she does on the meal. She is a gourmet chef and loves any event she gets to cook for. Hell she cooks for one night stands, if they preformed well enough to earn it that is.

Rugama like her wardrobe, she doesn’t know where the reasonable line is and no one in her life is going to say “no you don’t need another life day tree” to the woman who never got to celebrate even her birthday until earning her freedom as an adult.

Tuathal is his mother’s child in more ways than one and decorating his home to the nines is just one of them. He loves the holiday but the trappings and getting to curl up in front of the fire while music plays with Ma’at makes everything in his world feel right.

Is banned from helping with the food

Aubriex both doesn’t know how to cook but has… questionable taste in food combinations. Her family has learned she is best off bringing the paper cups and ice.

Deena has no idea how to cook (I’ve even written her messing up scrambled eggs for Doc… so yeah no holiday means coming from this Jedi).

Zaria didn’t blow up the food but also learned that “more fire = faster food” doesn’t work either.

Ze doesn’t see a difference between MREs and home cooked food and putting him in charge of a meal is asking for dehydrated nutrient bars and it’s your fault for trusting him.

Wears a novelty jumper

Dubaku wears bright, garish sweaters whenever he isn’t at a bar or working, he has entirely novelty outfits not just jumpers and all his favorites light up and make music.

Eira takes great pleasure in embarrassing Quinn with her choices, going so far as to get matching ones for him and Vette and insisting on yearly “family” pictures

Meleri goes out off her way to find the frilliest, girlish most over the top jumper she can every year.

Noara loves the holiday and leans into it hard once she moves away from her Jedi teachings enough to enjoy it. Holiday outfits make her so happy.

Dina will wear it, but more because it was a gift – likely from Ari – and because she is always cold.

Gets overly competitive playing dejarik

Briec has never had a good holiday, or any other sort of wholesome, family oriented event, but it’s a good time to take advantage of drunk celebrants that are looser than normal with their credits.

Juli loves the holiday, a warm loving family helps, but isn’t interested in setting up the décor or making food. However she loves taking her “uncle” Aric to the cleaners and making her brother regret accepting her challenges.

Kai loves seeing how far she can go using the Force to cheat. She usually returns her winnings, or donates them, so she doesn’t see it at a bad thing.

Refuses to leave their quarters until its all over

Holidays have little appeal to Dela and she doesn’t participate unless her bestie drags her out.

Jurr is hard because without Kadu she belongs here, avoiding the day and pretending it doesn’t matter that she is alone. With him she is all about the day and the sweaters he buys her, but isn’t good at cooking, or gift giving but he never lets her forget entirely.

Kuqi is jaded in all the ways, holidays hold no interest for her. She just wants to forget how things used to be.

Mags isn’t sure what the point of the holiday is, conflicting views from being originally a Jedi initiate to a Mandalorian foundling have left her ready to wash her hands of it and find some work to do instead.

Nerra just wants to spend the day in bed with Andronikos, is that too much to ask? The next person to wish her a “happy life day” is going to lose a limb.

#My ocs #most of them #Life Day Meme

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one-leaf-grimoire · 4 years

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Three Leafed Chaos

Chapter 4/4

Masterlist coming soon. This isn't the ending I was initially going for but it just kind of... happened lol.

"Vanessaaaa~! Chaaaaarmyyy~! Happy Three Leaf day!"

Finral held out two presents for his squadmates, vibrating with anticipation. "Oh, thank you so much, Finral!" Vanessa said.

"Hehe, so," Finral batted his eyelashes. "What are you two girls giving me in return? Hmm?"

"Hope," Charmy said. "I hope you get a life one of these days."

Vanessa smiled. "I have faith that you'll be able to get a girlfriend one day, Finral."

"D'OH!" It hurt, but Finral shook it off. "Very well, I have 30 more girls to visit, so I'll see you later!" With that, he jumped through a portal, which closed just as Yami stormed into the room. "FINRAL!!! Did you use up all the wrapping paper?" It was too late, Finral was long gone.

"Captain, you need wrapping paper?" Charmy asked. "Finral wrapped 30 presents, so I'm pretty sure he used it all."

Yami sighed. "Great. I guess I'll have to go buy more." Without another word, he grabbed the small package he had prepared, now stuffed in a brown bag, and headed off to find his broom and go to town. He was hoping to avoid the stores today, since they were always packed with people on Three-Leaf day. Just as he feared, he had to push through a large, excited crowd in Kikka. Well, at least I can just go straight to the castle after this, he thought to himself. I can get it over with...

Since that day at the beach, he managed to go on one "date" with that girl, glad to have her all to himself. Unfortunately, before he could ask anything about her romantic interests, she got a call from HQ and had to leave. "I'm very sorry, Yami!" she had told him while scarfing down the rest of her food. It was kind of impressive how quickly she ate. "But duty calls! We can meet up again some other time, alright?" With that, she was gone. Yes, the "chase" was thrilling, but come on! Yami needed a big break... but today could very well provide that.

"Hmm..." He examined some of the wrapping paper that was on sale, not willing to splurge on something trivial like this. She was a simple girl, after all, so she would probably appreciate something simple. She wore a blue bathing suit, so her favorite color is probably blue. Yami picked out a light blue roll of paper, paid for it, then headed out to find a place to sit down. With some difficulty, he started to wrap his box, but then heard a pair of frighteningly familiar voices.

"Oh? So what shabby gift did you pick out, Fuegoleon?"

"That's none of your business, Nozel."

"Well, I'm sure she'll like mine better."

"Perhaps. But I think she'll choose whoever gets there first."

Yami turned to see the two men standing in the middle of the street. A small crowd had formed around them, watching the royals with baited breath. Nozel grit his teeth, his hand clutching a gift bag. "Well, I'll just have to get to her before you, right?"

"Ka, ka! Fuegoleon's not the one you have to worry about, Nozel." They turned to see Jack run past them at full speed, clutching a similar package. They followed his trajectory and realized all at once who he was running at. "No way! She's here right now?!" Nozel exclaimed, pointing at the familiar female, who was walking away from them down the street with a group of her friends.

Yami jumped to his feet, his heart pounding. Of course, all of them had to be in the same place, and of course she had to come out here right into their grasps. But Yami wasn't going to let them pounce... he would get to her first, he was sure of that. Using his magic to reinforce his legs, he took off, blowing past Nozel and Fuegoleon in pursuit of Jack. It wasn't long before they were neck and neck. "Yami! Finally, you showed up!" Jack yelled, scowling. "I'm the faster one, give up!"

"Tch, no way! Not when we're neck and neck!" Yami looked forward at the girl, completely unaware of what was about to happen. Now... I need to get her alone. I'll have to scoop her up and take her somewhere private. Both he and Jack jumped towards her, ready to take their prize.

She blinked, feeling a presence, then turned around and gasped when she saw the two men rocketing towards her. "Yami? Jack? What on earth-"

Just as they were about to grab her, something shot out of an alley and wrapped around her body. She screamed as the briars lifted her out of the way, causing Jack and Yami to tumble right into the ground. "Huh?" Yami looked up to see Charlotte on top of a nearby building, reeling their objective in like a fisherman reels in a prize catch. "Sorry, Yami, and Jack," Charlotte said, smiling a little to herself. "I won't let you men touch her."

"What about us?!"

Charlotte looked around to see a giant, silver eagle and a flaming lion jumping towards her, ridden by Nozel and Fuegoleon. "You two, as well? Fine." She prepared to cast another spell, but a voice cut her off.

"Dehydration magic: Vanishing Vapor!"

Charlotte looked to see the briars wilting around her "prisoner's" body, and the girl dropped back down to the ground. "I don't know what's gotten into you guys, but I'm out of here!" she yelled, turning and taking off towards the castle.

Determination flashed through all five of their eyes.

"Not if I can help it!"

Charlotte started to pursue, but was suddenly stuck in place. "What?!" she looked down to see dark bindings around her. "Yami!!!"

"Sorry, prickly Queen, but five's a crowd," Yami told her before running off after the others.

Fuegoleon was the fastest, quickly catching up. "Leo Palma!" A pair of flaming claws instantly clamped around the girl, halting her movements. He smiled to himself. "There! Your dehydration magic can't do anything against fire, can it?"

"Silver Rain!" Mercury suddenly shot down, driving away the fire and wrapping around her body instead. "Keep her hands off of her, Fuegoleon!" Nozel challenged, running towards her and brandishing his bag.

"Ah! What the Hell is going on!?" she yelled, completely confused.

"Take that!" Jack sliced away the mercury and grabbed her hand before running away. She was barely able to keep up, just going with the flow at this point. "Can you stand here for a moment?" he asked her before letting go and turning to face the others. "If you want to go any further, fight me, ka ka!"

"Bring it on!" Fuegoleon and Nozel readied their Grimoires.

The poor, confused girl stood there, frozen, as the chaos erupted around her. Is this all because of me?! Jeez... She sighed and looked down at the box she was carrying in her hand. At least I didn't drop this... although part of me wishes I did. I don't think I have the courage to give it to them, anyway...

Yami managed to sneak around the fight, running towards her and easily scooping her up with one arm. "Yami! Can you explain what's going on?" she asked as he started to run, unnoticed by the others.

"I'm rescuing you," he told her. "Hold on!"

It wasn't long before they reached the gates of the castle, not stopping until they were safe on the steps. They both sat down to catch their breaths. "Wow... Three Leaf day is pretty exciting, isn't it!" Despite everything that happened, she was laughing, something that amazed Yami. "I wonder what that was all about... I wish they had just told me what was going on instead of fighting!"

Yami cleared his throat. "Yeah... about that..." He gulped and turned towards her, holding out his box. "I... made something for you. Happy Three Leaf day."

Her eyes widened at the sight of the present. "Oh... Yami... you didn't have to."

She stripped off the wrapping to reveal a carefully carved wooden box. She opened it, gasping slightly. "Oh, Yami, these are beautiful!" The box was filled with hand-made fishing lures. "You made these yourself?"

He nodded, averting his eyes. "Yeah... it's an apology for that fishing fiasco last week."

"Fiasco? It was fun, Yami!" He tensed up when he felt her hand come and rest on his arm. Slowly, he looked down into her eyes, his heart clenching painfully once again. Those bright, optimistic eyes.

I don't want her... I need her...

"I was thinking... we should go fishing again sometime. I know a lot of good spots. I mean, only if you want..." He gulped. "And also... what are you going to give me in return?"

They stood there for a moment in tense silence, her eyes flickering slightly. She glanced down at the present she had prepared, resting at her feet.

... what should I do?

A light blush appeared on her cheeks as she looked back up at Yami. "I... I'll give you-"

Suddenly, there was a loud noise from behind them. They whirled around to see a very angry Nozel, Fuegoleon, and Jack running towards them. "Yami! You sneaky bastard! Step away!"

Yami groaned. "Really, right now?!" He pulled away and unsheathed his katana. "Over my dead body!"

He ran forward, charging up a powerful spell. The others were doing the same. A voice was yelling at him to stop, but he couldn't hear it.

All I have to do is surpass my limits... and then she's mine!

Just as he jumped towards the attackers, everything froze. ...huh? He couldn't move, he couldn't see, it was as if time was frozen...

A moment later, he was released, as were the others. They all collapsed into a big pile. "What on earth?!" They sat up, blinking and trying to get their bearings.

"Honestly... when they say pursue a woman, they don't mean you should literally pursue her."

The familiar voice came from the top of the stairs. The four men looked up to see none other than Julius walking down towards them, an annoyed look on his face. Uh oh... we're in trouble, aren't we? they thought all at once. Julius stopped, looking down at his scared advisor. "Are you alright?" His voice was softened a bit.

She nodded quickly. "I-I don't really know what's going on, but I'm terribly sorry, I think this might be my fault-"

"No, it isn't." Julius smiled before looking back down at his captains. "You four... I expected better. It seems to me that you all stopped thinking about her as as a person as soon as you learned that the others were after her as well... at that point, it just became a game, right? And she was the prize?"

Yami and the others glanced at each other sheepishly. It was true... they were all competitive people by nature, and they turned something wholesome into a raging battle. In the process, they reduced the girl into just an objective. Something to win... not something to love.

"...we're sorry," Fuegoleon said, bowing his head.

Julius chuckled. "Don't apologize to me!" He gestured at the girl next to him. "Go on."

The four of them bowed their heads. "Please forgive us."

She blinked slowly, everything finally making sense. "Oh... don't worry. I forgive you." She gave them a comforting smile. "Thank you all for being so nice to me... I hope we can become better friends in the future."

Hope. Friends. The words stung, but they deserved it.

"Now, I'm glad that's settled," Julius said. Yami frowned a little, picking up something strange from the older man's Ki. Wait... no... you have to be joking...

He looked back up to see Julius smiling, satisfied with himself. "I was willing to give you guys a chance, once I learned about your little competition. But it's obvious now that none of you are ready to be in that kind of relationship... the kind she deserves." Yami and the others watched with horror as he turned to look down at the girl, who looked confused again. "That present... that's for me, isn't it?"

Her eyes widened. "Huh? H-How did you know?! Uh, but yeah..." She quickly looked at her feet. "I wasn't sure if I was actually going to give it to you... I didn't know if it was right for me to ask for anything in return."

The sound of Julius's warm laugh made her look up again. "Oh, that's quite alright. You see... it didn't matter if you got me a gift or not. I was planning to give youlove either way."

...Is Julius really doing this in front of ALL OF US?! Yami thought to himself. It was actually kind of hilarious, and they probably should have seen this coming a mile away. After all, the person she spent the most time with, the person who gave her this life in the first place, was Julius. He had cast his line long before any of them even knew about her. How were they supposed to catch a fish that was already hooked?

"...Sir, are y-you sure?" She looked completely shocked at the revelation, yet a smile was starting to grow back on her face.

"Of course." She looked down and realized that they were holding hands. "It was hard for me to sit still, knowing that those guys were fighting hard, but something told me that it would end up with way." Julius's eyes twinkled a bit. "We should probably discuss this more in private. I- uh-" Even Julius was blushing a little now. "On the off-chance that you said yes... I prepared some food and wine in my room. So, would you like to-"

"Yes!"

Julius laughed a little at her eager response before looking back at the others. "Now, you four better go find something else to do for the night. Those presents are for her as well, right?"

Begrudgingly, still in disbelief that this was happening, Jack, Fuegoleon, and Nozel handed her their presents. She beamed down at them, obviously on the top of the world right now. "Thank you guys very much! As always... you have my undying faith and hope!"

"...thank you."

"Now, let's leave them, they need to think long and hard about what they've done." Julius started to pull her away, but a booming voice halted the pair. "Hold on, Julius!"

"Uh oh."

Marx was stomping his way over, looking furious. "You've been slacking off all day! This may be a heartwarming moment that everyone expected," Marx looks pointedly into the camera. "But what do you think you're doing here? You're going to go eat, get drunk, and then bump uglies, right?"

Julius winced a little. "Now, Marx, that doesn't sound too good when you put it like that-"

"Well, you're not doing any of that until that stack of paperwork is done!" Marx started to usher the two of them away. "And you..." he pointed at his coworker. "For distracting him... you're going to help him, alright?"

"What?! Actually, that doesn't sound so bad-"

"With me chaperoning."

"Awww."

Yami, Jack, Fuegoleon, and Nozel watched as the trio disappeared inside. "Well... I don't envy them." Time for a cigarette.

Fuegoleon sighed heavily. "I suppose... he's right, though. We didn't deserve her."

"...I hate to admit it, but even I messed this up," Nozel added.

"Ka ka... this was more trouble than it was worth," Jack snidely said.

"Wait! What-" They looked around to see Charlotte running up. She skidded to a stop at the sight of their faces. "Where is she?"

Yami let out a long breath. "None of us had a chance. Let's leave it at that."

Charlotte looked disappointed, glancing down at her present. "Well... if I can't give this to her..." She suddenly flushed pink, squeezing her eyes shut. "Here, Yami! I would rather give it to you than have it go to waste!" She held the present out to him.

Yami raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? I thought you hated me?"

"NO! I mean- er... you're a loyal comrade. I have no reason to not give you a gift."

"If you say so." Yami took the present. "What do ya want in return?"

Charlotte agonized over the decision for a few seconds. "...faith."

"Fine. I have faith in you as my comrade."

"Ka ka, Yami, you're the dumbest guy I know," Jack smirked, turning to walk away with the other two. "Come on... let's go get drunk and forget about this."

Yami nodded, quickly following. Charlotte was close behind.

And so ended another Three-Leaf day, more eventful than most years ended up being. Who knew that one person could cause so much trouble among the prestigious Magic Knight's captains? If nothing else, Yami had been taught a valuable lesson, even if Julius had to come cuck them all in order to teach them. Well, it didn't matter, anyway. Romance was the last thing on his mind now. Yami had a feeling he would have his hands full in a month... the Magic Knights Exam was coming up soon, after all.

As you can see, I have no self control. Oh well. We need more Julius content anyway lol

#black clover #writing #three leafed chaos #fuegoleon vermillion x reader #nozel silva x reader #yami sukehiro x reader #jack the ripper x reader #julius novachrono x reader #charlotte roselei x reader

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queenjunoking · 3 years

Text

Wolf Taming pt 38

CW: Noncon - Shock Collar - Pain - Petplay

“What the hell happened to ‘I��m not going to do anything rash?’”

Briar had spent the last fifteen minutes pacing around the room that the maid took us too after our talk with Flora and Rayne. I got the sense she didn’t really approve of my decision.

I glanced over at her, she had been quiet for a while. I had hoped she’d go to her room so I could sleep, but apparently she felt we needed to discuss this. “I didn’t do anything rash. I came here to get Sasha back and this is the offer I was given. I had hours to decide if I would take any offer they gave me. I want Sasha back and I don’t want Eos to have the satisfaction of getting any kind of victory.”

“Z.” Briar hesitated for a moment. “Eos is probably going to leave you alone now. Maybe it’s better to just… let go?”

I slowly sat up and stared her down. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t you think there’s another Sasha out there? Maybe you should let her go and star-”

I cut her off, I could feel my blood boiling. “I don’t want another one. I want her back. I picked her out and she was perfect. She’s my dog. She’s not a horse and she doesn’t belong to Eos. If you don’t mind, I'd like to try and get some rest before tomorrow.”

I could see Briar biting her tongue as she breathed in deeply, probably trying to calm herself before she said anything else that would cause the night to get worse. “Z, you know what’s going to happen to you. I don’t know how long it’s going to last. Just get some rest and prepare yourself for the worst. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Before I could say anything, Briar left the room and closed the door behind her. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Today had been one of the worst days of my life. But knowing that I was going to get Sasha back finally put me at ease. I just had to fulfill Rayne’s contract and Sasha needed to hold on awhile Molly’s group removed her from Eos’s clutches.

For the first time in awhile I fell asleep quickly, eager to begin. The faster the morning got here the faster I’d get her back.

Jude

The stablehands parted to let us walk through as Callidora and I re-entered the barn. Part of me wished that Miss Eos would have made her start her first marathon in the morning like we usually did with the ponies, but after she acted out I was glad that she was going to be corrected immediately. She was going to learn what her life was going to be like the hard way after willingly giving up a chance to run.

Not that I thought the mare was anywhere near broken yet. I’m sure she was trying to think of a plan to escape. Being compliant would theoretically help her find a chance to escape. I’m sure she tried that stunt with Z.

But that’s what the marathon was for. A harsh introduction to her new life. To leave her too physically exhausted to even consider escaping. Followed by sleep deprivation and another run. Most of the ponies that managed to complete this gauntlet could barely stay awake on their feet. They were more malleable at this point. You could start enforcing new rules they would be desperate to follow as long as you promised them some rest.

We turned down the pathway and made our way to another section of the barn. The exercise room. The first marathon was always on the treadmills so we had complete control over their experience.

As the treadmill came into sight I felt her dig in slightly. I looked back at her. “Recognize these? Miss Eos said that Z had bought one of these. That stupid filly really had no idea how much control Eos had over her life, there was nothing that Eos couldn’t see.”

I gave the leash another tug and she acquiesced long enough for us to reach the edge of the treadmill. She dug her heels in once more, much to my annoyance. “Apparently Z bought you a lot of fun things you probably never got around to enjoying. I’ve never seen Z care about anyone, but she basically spent her life savings on you. Now all she’s left with is her thoughts and a basement full of things made for you that you’ll never get to use.”

I laughed and gave her leash another tug, sending her stumbling forward onto the treadmill. I attached the leash to a spot on the treadmill while I went across the room to get the rest of the supplies. She may have come in here with me, but I didn’t trust her to not be stupid. I knew I made the right decision after I could hear a rustling noise across the room. Most likely her trying to see if she could dislodge the leash.

I was going to have fun watching her marathon.

I walked back to the treadmill and found her pretending to be a little angel that hadn’t just been trying to break the rules less than a minute before. I placed a whip, a crop, a cattle prod and a collar on the table next to the treadmill. I held up a collar for her to see, then snapped it around her neck.

“This collar isn’t as fancy as the one Z got for you, but it does it’s job perfectly fine. I’m going to ask you a series of questions and you will nod or shake your head to answer. Understand?” I threw her the softball to see if she was going to need some reinforcement or not. Much to my disappointment she nodded her head yes, if a bit hesitant.

“You’ve been on a treadmill like this before, yes?” A nod. “You understand how it works, the barriers and such?” Another nod. I was glad I was saved from having to explain how it worked. I unhooked the leash, there was no need for it when she couldn’t leave the treadmill. “Tonight is your first marathon. Z ruined you in a few short days and it’s my job to fix you and get you used to your new life. The word marathon is quite literal. You’ll be running twenty-six miles.”

Her eyes widened and she started to complain, wagging her foot around and trying to keep her balance. The dumb mare was probably complaining about her new footwear. I picked up the cattleprod and pressed the button. An arc of electricity went between the prods just inches away from her face. It made her shut up quickly.

“The collar keeps you on the treadmill. The crop is for me to use to keep you motivated. You’ll be enjoying it a lot on this run. The whip is if I feel you just aren’t listening. This cattleprod is if you are actively trying to piss me off. I’m sure you think you know how badly electricity can hurt after your old collar, but let me assure you that the shock you got from that was probably a static shock compared to what this will do to you.” I smiled and put it back down. I had made my point and she had quieted down. As much as I wanted to hurt her, my job was to train Eos’s ponies. I wouldn’t hurt her more than I needed too, though that didn’t mean I didn’t want her to wash out.

“You’ll be given things to drink as needed. You might be surprised given what will probably be happening to you over the next few days, but we want you alive and healthy. You have a use and it doesn’t help us to have to have you get sick from dehydration. Nod your head if you’re ready to begin.” I watched her look around her surroundings for a few seconds. Maybe to see if there was any way out of this. She shifted on the treadmill away from me and faced towards the front of the treadmill and tried to find a good starting position. A surprisingly eager pony, I’d never trained one that willingly started. After a few deep breaths she nodded and I started the treadmill.

Eos

Callidora had done surprisingly well for a while. I watched her marathon from my office, I wasn’t planning on introducing myself until morning. There were cameras all around the barn, including in the treadmills themselves. I wanted to make sure I had a good view of the proceedings.

Most ponies started to break down around the ten mile mark if they had any amount of stamina. The shoes were the problem. I’m sure Callidora could do the full marathon without too much of a problem if she had normal shoes, but the hoof shoes pony slaves wore were just high heels without the heel on them. It was a beautiful aesthetic and completed their look, but it came at the price of stamina. Doing a twenty six mile run in heels wasn’t exactly easy.

At this point Callidora was fifteen miles into her run and just starting to show signs of serious fatigue. She was drenched in sweat and occasionally I saw her stumble. But I couldn’t help but smile at what I was watching. Most of my new ponies cried and begged from behind their bit. They wanted mercy. They wanted it to stop. It wasn’t that I thought Callidora wanted to do this, but I saw determination in her eyes to not give up. A determination to not break. She truly thought she was good enough to show us wrong.

I was starting to see what Z liked about her.

I heard Callidora grumble out a complaint as Jude hit her ass with a crop again. At this point it was bright red. There were marks on the side of the treadmill that Callidora couldn’t see, if she feel behind them she’d get hit with the crop. It was a great motivator.

When I took her away from Z I figured she might wash out of the program, Z had done such a terrible job with Callidora. Maybe I’d make her another cow or just have her kept bound so she could be used as stress relief for the stallions. Maybe a piece of furniture if she really misbehaved. But with how well she was doing she truly had the makings of a great race horse. The farm had some occasional wins, but we hadn’t found a true champion in awhile.

My thoughts were interrupted by a phonecall. It was close to midnight so I decided to ignore it and keep watching Callidora. Then I got another call. I picked it up and immediately hung it up, hoping whoever it was would get the message. Then it came a third time and it was fed up and picked it up.

“What?!” I was beyond annoyed at the persistence of whoever this was.

“Miss Eos Rosalind?” The voice on the other end asked.

“Of course it is, who else would it be?” I snapped.

“Miss Eos, my name is Seraphina. I’m one of this region’s enforcers. Given your status as current head of the family I was given the order to call you. Your niece, Rhiannon Rosalind, has been arrested.”

“Arrested?” I repeated the words out loud, they didn’t make any sense. “Arrested for what?”

“Stealing from another member. At the moment her probation is in jeopardy and the people she stole from are pressuring for a harsh punishment.” The bitch on the other end of the line had the nerve to sound bored. “We’re seeing if we can find anyone willing to defend her, currently there are no witnesses who can collaborate her claims of being framed. We’re calling to see if anyone in your family is interested in defending her and attempting to re-establish her probation.”

“Who did she allegedly steal from?” I knew the answer that was coming, but I hoped it would have been someone else at the party.

“Flora Feles.” That name made me want to snap the phone in my hand in half. “The gift in question that was stolen was a necklace made by Emerald Pluto as a birthday gift to Flora. Rayne Feles is putting pressure on the enforcers to terminate her probation and end her chances to become a member. This is a yes or no question, Miss Eos. Will you or anyone in your family consider defending her?”

“No one there saw it happen? No one there can say she didn’t do it?” My blood pressure was spiking as I was desperately looking to grab onto something I might be able to use.

“I’m afraid not, Miss Eos. We talked to several prominent members at the party. Diana LaLuna, the Dollmaker. Lucian Lurpeko. Z the Torturer.” She listed a few more names, but I had stopped listening when she said Z. That jade was talking with the Feles and Rhiannon just happened to get arrested. I resisted the urge to grit my teeth.

I took a deep breath and interrupted her. “No. No one in our family will. She’s on her own.”

With that I hung up. Rhiannon was a lost cause given the circumstances. She wasn’t worth saving. There was little chance of actually getting her out of trouble and even if I did our family would lose a lot of face from it.

I picked the phone back up and dialed Jude’s number. She had no way of speaking to me, but she wore an earpiece at all times so I could contact her. I heard a beep that indicated that she had picked up the call.

“Jude, increase Callidora’s running speed by three miles an hour for the remainder of her run.”

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