#weapon handling????? psh

[kyngsnake]

> me drawing avery locking his ankles in multiple different pieces

what else is he supposed to use that 10 str for

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

Can we have T-Dolls/Gryphin staff (Angelia + Kalina) getting a message from the medical bay about their S/O getting injured when test firing a new gun?

It was the recoil. It’s on par with a Nikke’s weapon. They got ragdolled across the firing range.

(GFL/NIKKE) M16A1, M4 SOPMOD II, Angelia, Kalina, Rapi, Anis, and Neon's S/O getting injured by recoil

M16A1 winces at the message received and gives a wry chuckle.

(M16A1) "Oh man, that's gotta hurt..."

It's a good thing they never tried the gun she usually carried in her case, she was pretty sure that would tear a human in half. Not even most T-Dolls could withstand the recoil on that bad boy.

Regardless, she makes her way to the medbay with a lighthearted smile.

(M16A1) "Yo, heard you got knocked on your ass."

(S/O) "Agh, yeah something like that."

(M16A1) "Was the gun at least functional?"

(S/O) "I mean, I guess I did obliterate the training dummy."

(M16A1) "Then good job! You further advanced science, or something like that."

(S/O) "Did you come here just to tease me, Sixteen?"

M16A1 just smiled at that.

SOPMOD immediately hops off the chair was sitting in and rushes towards the medbay.

(M4 SOPMOD II) "OH NO! S/O was using my guns, weren't they!?"

Those weren't even sanctioned by Griffin, mostly being her own personal test weapons!

A T-Doll couldn't handle them, let alone a human!

SOPMOD opens the door and breathes easy, seeing them thankfully alive.

(M4 SOPMOD II) "S/O! Why did you use my guns- No, wait! Did they work, were they cool?!"

(S/O) "Ack, that was yours?! How do you even lug that around?!"

(M4 SOPMOD II) "I carry it in a REALLY big bag! But how did you even get access to it?"

(S/O) "It was thrown alongside the experimental weapons the Commander wanted tested! Did you mix that pile up with yours?"

(M4 SOPMOD II) "...Oops."

Angelia sighs upon receiving the message on her phone.

(Angelia) "Well, can't say I'm exactly surprised."

She goes to personally see S/O in the medbay, with her leaning against the wall as soon as she entered.

(Angelia) "Told you so."

(S/O) "Ow...! Yeah yeah, you were right, I was going to get hurt."

(Angelia) "Did you at least brace the way I told you to?"

(S/O) "Hah, tried to. Kind of hard to do that when you're flying in the air."

With a little hum of acknowledgement, she turns around and waves a hand.

(Angelia) "Well, you'll live. Just see me when they let you out."

Kalina can't help but cringe at the news, fingers fidgeting as a slight feeling of guilt washed over her.

It was her idea to go test out the new weapons, so she couldn't help but feel partially responsible.

(Kalina) "Oooh, crap!"

She pokes her head through the medbay door to see a cast over S/O's arm.

(Kalina) "Ouch! How bad is it?"

(S/O) "Just 2 weeks, nothing that broken, just one hell of a bruise...And uh, muscles pulled. Maybe more than a few."

(Kalina) "Sorry, I should've warned you that those weapon tests aren't really kind to us humans!"

(S/O) "Psh, no kidding! Well, we got the results at least but I can't say I'm exactly entirely pleased about it...You're not making me foot the medical bill out my paycheck, are you?"

(Kalina) "C-Come on, would I really do that?"

(S/O) "..."

(Kalina) "Hey, don't go all silent on me!"

Rapi is of course concerned, but she isn't exactly surprised.

A NIKKE's weapon was extremely powerful, and ordinarily humans shouldn't even be going near them.

But S/O volunteered for weapons testing for the Commander, which led to her sitting next to them in the medbay.

(S/O) "G-Guess I underestimated how easy you guys make it look..."

(Rapi) "We were designed to handle the weapons, S/O. I'm just thankful you aren't hurt more than you are."

(S/O) "That'll teach me to try and help you all fight, hah..."

Rapi squeezes their hand gently, making sure not to hurt S/O further.

(Rapi) "You don't need to do something so dangerous to let me know how you feel, S/O."

Anis can't help but snicker, at least a little.

I mean, S/O was going to fire a NIKKE weapon, what were they honestly expecting? To take the recoil like a human gun?

She brings some soda for S/O as she plops down on their bed, flashing a cheeky grin.

(Anis) "Soooo, how'd it go?"

(S/O) "You tell me! How do you even fire your launcher without it forcing your entire body back?!"

(Anis) "Psh, what you were handling is a pea shooter compared to mine! You're lucky your arms didn't go flying off!"

Patting their leg she tried to brighten their mood, which thankfully was working.

(Anis) "Next time, leave the weapons testing to Neon? She may be smaller than you, but she can actually take a hit."

Neon immediately begins panicking at the message.

S/O was test firing her guns?! They were probably in 400 pieces in the medbay right now!

(Neon) "S/O, ARE YOU ALIVE?!"

(S/O) "Somehow...-"

Neon goes in to hug S/O, making them wince in pain.

(S/O) "Ow! Neon!-"

(Neon) "Whoops, s-sorry! Master told me that you were trying to test my weapons! That kind of firepower isn't meant for you to handle!"

(S/O) "I can at least see why you like it so much, the destructive power is insane, and that's just the kickback!"

Neon puffed her chest out a little in pride at their comment.

(Neon) "Well of course! Anything less than that would be an insult to the art!"

[thatsmzbitchtoyou]

The Naughty Nanny Chapter 5

Summary:  Bucky had a lovechild from a one night stand.  He barely even remembered it, and was surprised to find a baby on his doorstep 9 months later.  But one look at that little girl and he knew she was his and that he’d die for her.  The only problem was, he knew nothing about babies, and being an Avenger meant he couldn’t just drop everything and be a dad full time.  Then he found the perfect nanny…or so he thought.

**In this universe Steve never left, Tony never died.** **curvy reader** Warnings: talk of sexual harassment, unwanted/non-consensual touching/sexual assault, eventual smut

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The next few weeks were like clockwork.  Bucky felt well-rested and lighter than he had in years as Y/N helped with Winnie.  Y/N quickly became another part of the Avengers family, her calm and inviting demeanor making the others feel comfortable being open with her.  She was bright and outgoing, often spouting one-liners that had the entire group doubled over laughing.  Bucky could feel himself getting in dangerous territory with her as he naturally got closer to her as friends, building an emotional and at times physical connection with her.  He reveled in the moments he’d muster up the courage and give her a side hug that she happily reciprocated, a lingering touch between their hands, when she would fall asleep on his shoulder as they watched a movie with Winnie, or be close to her as they both played with Winnie.  If he didn’t know any better he would think that she copied his stare, catching her looking away from him hurriedly every once in a while.  He didn’t want to push it, but was finding it more difficult as time went on.

“Hey Buck?”  Y/N asked him one day.

“Yeah?” 

“Um…I’m sorry to do this but, I need next Saturday night off,” Y/N said hesitantly.

“Oh, okay.  That should be fine.  May I ask why?” he said, his eyes narrowing.

“I’m helping out a friend with something,” Y/N said, clearly not wanting to give him any details.

“Okay, yeah I can handle my kid for one night,” Bucky smirked at her.

“Psh, you sure?” Y/N teased him.

Bucky rolled his eyes.  Their playful banter had become second nature to them by now and he secretly loved it.  “Yes.  Jesus, how little faith you have in me.”

Y/N shoved his arm playfully.

***

“We go next Saturday,” Steve announced to the room.

“Next Saturday?” Bucky asked incredulously.  “I can’t, Y/N’s gonna be out that night.  Who will watch Winnie?”

“I can,” Pepper piped up.  

“Good,” Steve continued.  “We’ll go in as patrons.  Scott will take a look around while we observe the club and Kingpin’s guys.  He won’t be there, he’s scheduled to be out of the country until next Sunday,” Steve continued rattling off the mission plan.  Bucky’s unease didn’t let up.  Something about this seemed off, he just couldn’t put his finger on it.

The next Saturday Y/N had already left earlier in the day and Pepper was watching Winnie as Bucky got dressed.  They were going to a fancy burlesque club downtown and they needed to look like they belonged.  He wore a faux skin over his metal hand to make it look like regular flesh and an all-black outfit that was much tighter than the t-shirts and sweats he enjoyed.  Steve and Scott met him downstairs, Steve dressed in a similar sharp outfit and his beard growing in, making him slightly less recognizable, and Scott in his Antman outfit so he could get tiny and spy all over the club quickly.  They were looking for intel on weapons manufacturers that Kingpin was working with to deliver some previously-thought-lost alien weaponry into New York.

They arrived at the club at about 11:15 p.m. and were ushered into the VIP section, courtesy of Tony making a call ahead of time.  Scott was buzzing around somewhere as Steve and Bucky ordered drinks and observed the club around them.  Nothing seemed too out of the ordinary, the regular set up of Kingpin’s men there as bouncers and security.  

“Guys, he’s here,” Scott’s voice sounded panicked through the earpieces.

“What?” Steve said, his brow furrowing, but otherwise keeping a straight face.

“A whole caravan of cars just pulled up, it’s him with his entourage.  Looks like about 15 more men with him.”

“Why would he come back early?” Bucky asked, his eyes sweeping across the venue slowly.  Just then Kingpin and his group entered.  He was freakishly tall, bald, and burly, a mountain of a man compared to his bodyguards.  He was dressed in the most expensive materials, his pearly white veneers glowing eerily between his lips, large rings on his fingers.  “Typical,” Bucky sighed heavily as he watched him cross the club to his own VIP section that was front and center to the stage.  

“Tell me about it,” Steve scoffed.  Just then the announcer came overhead.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have a special guest for you tonight.  Back for one night only, give a warm welcome to the one, the only, Big Booty Baby!”

Kingpin stood and clapped, his eyes trained on the stage territorially.  Bucky and Steve shared a knowing look before looking toward the stage, noting how much the crowd was clapping excitedly as well.  The curtain pulled back as the music started, a bright pink light outlining the body of the dancer who was posed with her back to the audience.  She was plus size, thus the name, but it wasn’t until the spotlight came on and she turned her head to her profile that Bucky’s mouth dropped open.  Steve looked at him strangely then took another look at the dancer and his eyes bulged.  It was Y/N.

“Did y’all miss me?” she asked in a sultry tone, her voice being picked up by the microphone hanging over her head.  The crowd cheered, whooping and hollering.  She giggled then turned and posed again, looking out over the audience.  The song picked up and she started to sway and move, dancing while lip syncing the lyrics to “Fever,” a song Bucky actually recognized.  He squirmed in his seat as he watched her slowly pull off her glove.

“Um…did you know she was going to be here?” Steve breathed.

“No,” Bucky seethed.  He was angry.  Not necessarily at her, or that she didn’t tell him she would be “helping a friend” at the burlesque club, but that she was here in a dangerous situation with the likes of Kingpin.  If he wasn’t already invested in this mission and ending this man, he definitely was now.  Especially as he saw Kingpin watch her hungrily, whispering to his men next to him who all chuckled darkly with him.  “We need to get her out of here, Steve.”

“I know,” Steve said, looking around for quick exit points and options.

“I found the jackpot,” Scott’s voice crackled through.  “I’m collecting it all now and I can meet you outside in 10 minutes.”

“Something came up, Scott.  Take what you have and go back to the compound.  We’ll meet you there,” Steve instructed lowly.  Scott agreed and disconnected.  “What’s the play, Buck?”

“I’ll buy a private dance.  You find an exit point and get the car ready and we’ll get out of here,” Bucky said, his metal hand creaking slightly as he made a fist when she stripped off another layer of clothing.  Steve gestured to one of the waiters, asking to buy a private dance with her for his friend.

“Oh, I’m sorry sir, but he’ll have to wait till after Mr. Fisk has his dance,” she said sweetly.  “But we can get another girl for you?”

“No, just her, uh…how long are the private dances?” Steve asked as Bucky sent a murderous glare Kingpin’s way.

“They’re scheduled anywhere from 5 minutes to 20 minutes.  Mr. Fisk always takes 20,” she rattled off.

“I’ll take a 20 after him for my friend,” Steve said and paid her the money.  She nodded and walked off as Steve turned back to Bucky.  “Buck, you need to stay calm.”

“I am calm,” Bucky grunted.  “Twenty minutes is a long time.”

“Right,” Steve said, sounding worried.

They both sputtered as Y/N took off her last layer of clothing, her nipples covered in heart shaped pasties and her nether regions barely covered by a small, glittery red bikini bottom, her full ass hanging out as she jiggled it to the audience, the fan in her hand shaking as she finished the song.  She did her last pose and then smiled wide at the cheers, blowing kisses to people and bowing, covering herself with the large fan.  Her eyes seemed to catch sight of Kingpin and she froze for a moment, her eyes widening and the smile dropping from her face before she quickly recovered, smiling politely as she grabbed her clothes and dollar bills and exited the stage.  Bucky could tell she was scared, and it made him even angrier, and nervous.

When it was over Bucky quickly stood and marched over with Steve to the private dance area.  Kingpin was right behind them.  Bucky decided to try his luck as he stepped up to the podium.  “Hi, I paid for a private dance with Big Booty Baby,” he said in an even, flirty tone to the woman.

“Ah, sorry, sir, our owner has first dibs,” she said, looking behind him.  

Kingpin stepped forward and stood next to Bucky.  He seemed to size him up, which made Bucky level him a cocked eyebrow.  Kingpin was a head taller than him and bulkier, probably weighing close to 400 or more pounds.  He could probably squash Bucky just by sitting on him, but Bucky didn’t let it get to him.  “It’s alright, Roxy, this gentleman can take his turn first,” Kingpin said, trying to play it off as a kindness, his blue eyes flashing dangerously.  “Oh and uh,” he leaned forward to Bucky, “she’s a spitfire.  Feisty.”  He winked at him.

Bucky wanted to deck him right there but just gave him a tight smile.  As he turned to enter the private area he glanced at Steve who was already nodding and turning to leave to find a back door to the area.  Bucky followed Roxy’s instructions and nodded to Kingpin before heading into the private room near the back, thankfully right next to the exit.  When he walked in the room Y/N was pressed into a corner, dressed in a robe and turned away from him.

“Stay away from me, Wilson,” Y/N said firmly, not looking at him.

“Y/N,” Bucky said quietly.  She turned, looking at Bucky in shock.

“Bucky?  What?”  She stared at him then held her robe tighter over her body.

“Come on, let’s get you out of here,” he held a hand out to her.

“I can’t,” she said, her eyes filling with tears.  “I’m covering for Tiffany.  He wasn’t supposed to be here,” she said, her chin trembling.

“It’s not safe, Y/N,” Bucky said, slowly approaching her.  “We need to leave.”

“There’s cameras everywhere,” Y/N said.  “It’s in the corner behind you.”  Bucky stiffened and sighed.  “They’re always watching.  I have to give you a dance or the manager or Fisk will come back and do something.”

“Okay fine,” Bucky said matter-of-factly.  He turned to the large, wide armchair behind him and sat in it stiffly.  “Give me a dance, then we’ll head towards the door like you’re sending me off, and slip out the exit.”  Y/N stared at him wide-eyed, her eyes flicking to the camera and back to him.  “Come on, Y/N, we only have 18 minutes left,” Bucky urged her.

Y/N watched him for another moment then nodded solemnly.  Her hands released her robe and slid it off her body, showing off her bright blue bustier top she had changed into.  She was wearing a matching thong and garter set with sheer blue stockings, her feet bare.  Bucky swallowed thickly as he looked at her.  She swayed her way over to him, matching the beat of the music bumping around them, putting on a show for the camera.

When she reached him she pulled a leg up and set her foot on his knee, moving her hand from her thigh down to her foot slowly, tipping her body forward to show off her heavy cleavage.  Her hand edged off her foot to his thigh, kneading the flesh there as she climbed onto the chair, straddling his legs, her hips slotting over his.  Bucky didn’t dare move.  The feelings he’d been tamping down were coming out full force, refusing to believe that it wasn’t real.  Her fingers scratched up his shirt, and when she reached the top buttons she undid three of them and leaned in.  She placed a kiss on his chest then dragged her mouth up to his neck and licked just under his jaw.

Bucky’s hands moved to her hips, gripping them firmly to help ground himself.  “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Y/N whispered into his ear, giving his earlobe a nibble as her hands roamed along his chest and arms.

“It’s okay,” Bucky breathed, his hips trembling when she started to grind down on him.  “We’ll…mmh,” he moaned as she bit his neck lightly, her hands moving to his hair and scratching his scalp.  “We’ll talk about it at home.”

Y/N nodded against his neck.  She glanced at the timer behind him.  10 minutes.  “Forgive me,” she said quietly.  Bucky didn’t understand until she suddenly pulled away and got off the chair.  She turned around and slapped her ass, making it jiggle in his face, then took his hands and led them to her ass, encouraging him to touch her.  Bucky tried to act like he didn’t want to, but it was no use.  He sat up and kneaded her ass, his face close to her right cheek.  He wasn’t sure what came over him but he slapped that cheek, making her gasp, then leaned forward further and lightly kissed the welt that started forming.  Y/N moaned this time, her hands tightly wrapped around his wrists.  She pushed him back and sat back on his lap.  She started grinding her hips into his, her hands supporting herself on his knees.  Bucky helped guide her hips where he wanted them, the crack of her ass enveloping his covered cock so perfectly it had his eyes rolling.

“Buck?  I found the exit nearest you.  Where are you?”  Steve’s voice rang in his ear.

“Almost there,” Bucky said as evenly as he could.  Steve copied and Bucky silenced his earpiece.  Y/N leaned back so they were cheek to cheek, Bucky’s panted breaths huffing against her face.  She pulled his hands to her thighs, which he immediately started gripping roughly.  “Fuck, honey,” he groaned, watching her grind against him.

“Honey?” Y/N said, her voice airy and sultry like it was on stage.

Bucky nodded as she slid across his cock just right that his hips rutted up against her.  Y/N smiled and kept grinding on him that way.  Bucky’s hands slipped up her body until his covered metal hand cupped her left breast and his flesh hand wrapped around her throat.  He was losing all sense of self, just enjoying this pleasure while he still could, almost forgetting the danger they were in.  “Sweet and smooth,” he murmured, his metal hand rubbing her breast then down her stomach, “like honey.”

Y/N whimpered as his voice dropped.  She grabbed his metal hand, pausing when she saw it covered by the faux skin, but then brought it to her mouth. She stuck her tongue out and licked his pointer finger slowly, swirling around it then sucking his middle finger into her mouth with it, licking and sucking them together like it were his cock.  That combined with her gyrating hips had him growling into the crook of her neck as his hips jerked and he came in his pants.  Y/N gasped around his fingers but kept sucking them as he jerked a couple more times with how much he was cumming.  He’d never seen something so erotic, and he kissed her neck as his breathing evened out.

Y/N slightly turned her head and looked behind him.  2 minutes.

“We need to go now,” Y/N said.  She quickly stood up and put on her robe, grabbing a bag that was hiding under the couch across from them.  Bucky cleared his throat and tried to fix his ruined pants as he stood.  He looked at the timer and then turned his earpiece back on.  

“Steve, we’re coming out now,” he grunted.

“Ready when you are,” Steve replied. 

Bucky grabbed Y/N by the arm and led her to the door.  He opened it and looked out into the hallway.  Seeing no one coming he opened the exit door next to them and held it open for her.  Just as Y/N stepped out and was one foot out the exit, Kingpin rounded the corner.

“What the fuck?!” he shouted as he started running towards them.

Y/N gasped and looked panicked as Bucky pushed her out the door.  Steve was in a car right next to it and Bucky hurried her inside and slammed it behind himself.  “Go!” he yelled and Steve took off.

Kingpin burst through the exit door when they were already halfway down the alley.  “GET BACK HERE YOU BITCH!  I OWN YOU!!” he yelled.  Bucky looked back just as he saw Kingpin pull out a gun.

“Duck!” he yelled and pushed Y/N’s head down.  

A shot rang out and ricocheted off the bulletproof back window, making Y/N scream.  Steve peeled around the corner and they quickly drove away.  They circled around, taking different twists and turns.  When they were sure they weren’t being followed Steve headed back towards the compound.  

Bucky couldn’t relax, his head on a swivel as Steve continued home.  The car was quiet until a small sniffle came from Y/N.  Bucky’s head whipped toward her and his expression softened.  She was still hunched over, like she was afraid she could still get shot.  Tears poured down her cheeks as she clutched her robe tight around her.  She was shivering.  Bucky sighed and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer to him.  She flinched at first, looking at him with wide eyes, but then she melted against him, tucking her head against his chest as she cried.  He held her close, rubbing her arm and whispering comforting words into her hair.  

When they pulled up to the compound Steve quickly turned around in the car.  “Y/N, are you okay?”

Y/N sighed and sat up, wiping at her eyes.  “I’m fine, thanks Steve,” she whispered.

Steve gave her a long look then turned to Bucky.  “You good?”

“As much as I can be,” Bucky shrugged.

“Alright.  We’ll meet in the conference room tomorrow morning at 10 a.m.  All of us,” he looked at Y/N pointedly.  She hung her head and nodded.  “Go clean up and get some rest, the both of you.”  He exited the car and headed inside, leaving them behind.

Bucky grabbed Y/N’s bag and exited the car, holding the door open for her.  She followed him out and trailed behind him as they walked inside.  Thankfully everyone was either away or had gone to bed already so they weren’t bothered as they headed to their suite.  The elevator ride was deafeningly silent, and the walk down the hallway was eerie with the thud of their footsteps echoing.  When Bucky opened the door he let Y/N enter first and they were greeted with Pepper sitting on the couch.

“Welcome back, how–” she stopped when she saw Y/N.  “Y/N?  What…?”  She walked over to her and reached out a hand, pushing back some of her hair.

“I’m fine,” Y/N waved off her concerned look.  “It was just…a lot.”

Pepper looked over her tear stained and makeup streaked face and then down her body at her outfit.  Y/N closed the robe again.  “I thought you said you were done with the burlesque club.”

It sounded accusatory and Bucky stepped forward.  “Pepper, don’t.”

“I was,” Y/N spoke up, giving Pepper a hard glare.  “My friend needed help.  I told her I’d cover this one shift so she could audition for a new place that’s not owned by the same person.  He’s dangerous.  I was…helping a friend,” she sniffed, her lip trembling.  “I will not apologize for that.  But I will apologize for not making everyone aware of what I was doing.”

Pepper nodded then turned to Bucky.  “Are you okay with this?”

“Yes,” Bucky said resolutely.

“Fine.  But no more,” Pepper said, looking back at Y/N.  Y/N nodded.  Pepper sighed then walked around her and headed for the door.  “Winnie’s been fine.  Fell asleep about two hours ago,” she said as she opened the door then shut it behind her.

Bucky and Y/N stood silently in the front room.  Bucky walked toward Y/N’s room with her bag.  She slowly followed him.  He entered the room and set the bag down on her bed before turning back to look at her.  She was looking anywhere but at him, her arms still wrapped around herself.  Bucky watched her for a moment then stepped toward her.  He lifted her chin with his finger and gazed deeply into her eyes.  “Are you okay?”

Y/N gazed back at him, her makeup smeared and her cheeks still flushed.  She gave him a sad lopsided smile and shrugged one shoulder.  “I’m fine.  Thank you, for helping me,” she whispered, her voice coming out hoarse.  Bucky waited to see any lie in her eyes, but after a moment pulled his hand away.  

“Okay,” he said simply.  “Get some rest.  We can talk about all this tomorrow.”

Y/N sighed again, closing her eyes and nodding.  Bucky was about to step around her but stopped himself.  He stepped closer to her again, lifting his hand to cup her cheek.  Her eyes flew open and she stared at him with wide eyes.  His eyes searched her face, flicking between her eyes to her lips and back.  He leaned forward slowly, waiting for her to react or pull away.  When she didn’t he took that as a good sign and closed the gap, kissing her cheek, so very close to the side of her mouth.  He pulled away and stared at her lips for a moment before looking back up at her eyes.  Her mouth slightly hung open, her own eyes focusing on his lips.  

“Thanks for the dance,” Bucky said, a small smirk lighting up his face.  He dropped his hand from her face and stepped around her as she gasped lightly.  When he turned to close her door she was staring at him with a stunned expression.  He winked and closed the door behind him.

@angelbabyyy99 @capswife @julvrs @bellabarnes1378 @mostlymarvelgirl @mega-kittyglitter-1 @buckitostan @drdbnkl2008 @wintrsoldrluvr @danzer8705

[rainycat2]

Though I Could Not Stop For Death / Death Kindly Stopped For Me

Chapter Three: Make the Plan

Danny’s list of things to do in Gotham was simple. Truly.

Step one: Get into Gotham without getting Batman on his tail. Easy. He’s not a meta.

Step two: find Red Hood and figure out what in the hell is so wrong with his Vibes that Lady Gotham herself asks for help. Lady Gotham never asks for help.

Step Three: find the Joker, knock his shit out, and drag his soul back for sentencing.

Step four: get the hell out of dodge.

Simple! Quick, easy, something that won’t take more than a week if all goes well, Danny reasoned as he packed a suitcase. And if it takes longer, well, the family had had a conversation a day ago about this situation.

His parents were understanding, if a bit disappointed that Danny had to go off elsewhere, but Jazz quickly turned their moods around by mentioning that she had a college tour at Gotham University for their psychology partnership with Arkham. Her car was therefore packed, pressed suit jackets and slacks hanging up on a rod in the backseat, her suitcase tucked neatly into the trunk, ready for Danny’s to join it.

One more checklist, just to be sure.

Clothes for a week? Check. Cash in his wallet? Check. A backpack full of weapons, ectoplasmic shots, Ecto-Dejecto, bandages, and Fenton fishing line? Check. His sword hilt? Check.

Danny hesitated, looking back at the armor folded carefully in the back of his closet. After a moment’s thought, he transformed into Phantom, shaking the armor out and holding it up to himself in the mirror.

He was taller, now. More filled out in the shoulders, his body put through hell and back. His fighting style had shaped him, shifting from the lean, smaller, quicker physique of his past into a stronger, more muscled brawler type. The armor wouldn’t fit, naturally-- he was fifteen, now, not eight.

Danny examined his jumpsuit in the mirror, looking himself up and down. Pauldrons, wrist braces, shin guards… He could do without the front flare of the tunic, though. Heavier armor on his knuckles, an empty sheath on his hip for a sword he no longer had.

It would do, for his purposes. Besides, Frostbite and Fright Knight had been bugging him to add more armor to his Phantom form, given the amount that he got knocked around. Mainly into buildings. Yeah, it made sense.

A white ring split from his waist, his clothing shifting, new pieces appearing. A crown resting on his brow, his ring on his finger. Danny looked at himself again, at the armor from his past and his present mixed and melded together.

A nod, then Danny shifted back, dropping the few inches back down to the ground-- right in time, too, as Mom stuck her head in the door. “Are you almost ready, sweetheart?” she asked, entering his bedroom with a thermos in hand. “I know you’ve probably packed plenty, but I made you an ectoplasm smoothie.”

Relief flitted across his face as Danny grinned, ducking in close for a quick hug. “You’re a lifesaver, Mom,” he praised, taking pleasure in his core purring. Family-content-safe-family. “I could go for a pick-me-up, I just changed my outfit a little.”

“Ooh!” Maddie laughed, getting on tiptoe to kiss his forehead. “You’re going to keep it from us until you get home? Despicable,” she teased.

Danny flushed, rubbing his neck embarrassedly. “Oh, psh, mom. I’m only changing it for Gotham specifically-- a HAZMAT jumpsuit tends to stand out a little, you know?”

Maddie’s smile softened as she pushed the thermos into Danny’s grip, dancing nimbly away to the duffle bag on the bed. One last checkover- because of course, she’s a mother, she has to make sure he has everything he needs (and if Danny’s core warmed slightly at the gesture, the care she showed, that’s for him to know). “I think you have everything, honey. Just.. be careful, okay?” she asked, zipping up his duffle and clipping it to the handle of his suitcase.

“Mom, I’m going to be fine. At most, this’ll take a week, maybe three,” he brushed off, taking the handle from Maddie as he offered her his arm. “Jazz is going to look at her college, and I’m going to investigate as best I can. If I have a free day or two, I might go with her. Now-- do you want to take the fast way down, or the boring, normal way?”

Mom blinked, then beamed. “Oh! Of course, Danny, just let me get ready,” she fretted, adjusting her suit before linking her elbow in his. She nodded, and Danny let gravity slip away, shifting them both intangible as she gasped in delight.

God, Danny was never going to get used to this. His parents delighting in his powers, letting him show them off, trusting them with his secret. It was a relief and a joy that he wished he could reassure his fourteen-year-old self about. That a year later, things would be looking up again.

Danny let them drop, falling from the second floor to the first by the front door, then let their presence in the world slip back into existence, dropping to the ground with a faint thump. Maddie just beamed at him, reaching up to ruffle his hair. “I’m so proud of you, Danny,” she said softly. “You’ve come such a long way.”

The blush from earlier only flamed up as Danny laughed, deflecting instantly. “Ah, well, the only reason I’ve progressed so much is yours and Dad’s help.”

Maddie just shook her head fondly, opening the front door. “Alrighty, Mr. Humble, let’s get you packed up and on the road. You’ve got about five hours to your first stop in Cincinnati, then another five to Pittsburg. If you push it, you might be able to get to Gotham before nightfall, but don’t drive if you don’t feel like you can-- and Danny, that does not mean you can shift and pick the car up invisibly,” she scolds. “You have your permit, and Jazz can be the licensed driver in the car, so you can get some practice hours in. Lord knows you need it.”

Danny just snickered as he opened the trunk, sliding his suitcase on top of Jazz’s, then closing it, his duffle bag on his shoulder. “Mom, we’re going to be fine,” he assured her. “We can get a hotel if we need, I may or may not have Vlad’s credit card, and have plenty of gas and snacks. I’m not going to do anything stupid on a finite amount of ectoplasm, honestly.”

“You know, I’m going to discard the comment about Vlad right now, just because I’m worried about you,” Maddie sighed as Jazz leaned against the car, Jack double-checking the tires. “There should be enough ambient ectoplasm in Gotham, but we can’t be sure--”

“Lady Gotham has already agreed to host us, Mom,” Jazz snorted. “If there’s enough ectoplasm for a city ghost, let alone one as old as her, Danny’s gonna be just fine. And besides, he can always open a portal into the Realms.”

“Okiedokie, can we stop loudly discussing this in the street?” Danny protested. “Let’s get this show on the road, c’mon.”

“Okay, Danno, okay,” Jack hummed as he got back to his feet before patting Danny on the shoulder. “I know you’re anxious to get this done, so we’ll not drag this out, but…” Swiftly, Jack pulled his son into a hug. “Just be safe, okay, kiddo?”

Danny smiled back, letting his core rumble audibly. “Dad, we’re going to be fine. Jazz has the Peeler, I have weapons aplenty, so I won’t even need to shift to Phantom. We’re gonna be fine. In and out.”

“Just humor me, and text us when you get to your stops,” Jack sighed exasperatedly, ruffling Danny’s hair, proudly ignoring the protests as Danny tried and failed to get his hair back into a somewhat manageable floof.

“We’re going to be fine,” Danny repeated. “Red’s covering my patrols, you guys are helping out, and Vlad’s agreed to keep an eye out and play nice. Sam and Tucker are going to meet us next week for that Gala you got us tickets to. We’ll all head back together, now stop fussing, jeez. Prince of the Infinite Realms, and I’m gonna get fussed to death,” he grumbled, no heat in the action as he climbed into the passenger seat.

---

Okay, so maybe Danny underestimated how goddamn boring this drive was going to be. Logically, okay, he understood that Illinois and Indiana were, like, 90% farmland with the exceptions of Indianapolis and and Chicago.

But man.

Staring out the window listening to Jazz’s pop music playlist for three hours straight was really starting to get to him. Idly, he dug into the duffle bag for a set of Fenton Fones, tucking one into his ear as he set the other one on the center console. “Jazz, I’m going to go insane if I listen to one more goddamn boy band,” he said seriously. “I won’t go far, I’m just gonna fly above you. Is that okay?”

Jazz sighed, then nodded as she tucked the earbud into place. “Stay somewhere you can see me and get to me fast,” she instructed. “And don’t explore! At most, fly a mile ahead and tell me about the traffic.”

“Okay, okay,” Danny snickered, dropping intangible and invisible, shifting to Phantom before he’d even left the car. “Come in, Worst Shot, can you hear me?”

The comm link crackled slightly, then came in clear. “Loud and clear, Inviso-Bill, if we’re doing stupid nicknames.”

“You wound me,” Danny said dramatically, flipping onto his back as he lazily flew above the car, a good two hundred feet up. “I’m around, J. Directly above you, in fact, going sixty-five miles per hour. Really, the exact speed limit?”

“I really, really don’t want to get pulled over with ectoplasmic shots in the car, much less weapons.”

“...You know what, that’s fair, actually. Ooh, there’s a wreck on the road a bit ahead, maybe a mile and a half? If you take the next exit, then get back on the highway, you should be able to circumvent it.”

“Better than satellite GPS,” Jazz teased as Danny watched her take the exit. “I’m gonna stop and stretch. Are you needed at the wreck?”

“I don’t think so,” Danny mused as he watched her pull into a truck stop. “But I’m gonna go look, just in case.”

“I figured, Little Brother. Go, do your thing. I’ll get you a Mountain Dew.”

Danny laughed as he muted his microphone, flipping around and shooting towards the ground, letting himself slow down gradually. A check to ensure he was still invisible and intangible before he looked around the scene of the accident. One car flipped, the other swerved off the road. He winced as he looked at the flipped car, then glanced at the swerved one. The second driver was going to be fine, he could tell, but the first…

The tether between the driver and life was growing thin, Danny could tell from here. Gently, he let himself land, slowly approaching the car before he crouched next to the broken window. “Hey there,” he greeted, looking at the driver.

She couldn’t be more than her mid-twenties, blonde hair sticky and strawberry pink with blood. Bruising across her face and chest, her breathing wheezy and wet. “Who’s there? Please… help me?”

Danny glanced at the other car, ensuring he was out of view of the road and the other driver before he let himself slip into visibility. The girl gasped softly, her eyes unfocused but determined to look at him. “You-- what?”

“Hey, hey. You’re going to be okay,” Danny murmured. “It’s just… I’m sorry, but I can’t help you as you are. But I can help you, in a way. You have a choice, here-- your tether to life is fading, but I can either strengthen it or cut it.”

The girl stared for a moment at him before coughing. “W-why on earth would you make me pick? Aren’t you Death?”

Danny waved his hand. “Ah, not quite, more like her errand boy,” he joked. “As for the choice… it’s yours to make. This accident is serious enough that you will not recover, not fully. From experience, you’ll most likely be in a vegetative state, if you don’t have a DNR. But if you choose to pass, I can escort you to your afterlife, and make sure you won’t feel any more pain,” he says simply.

“Are you an angel, then?”

“Again, not quite,” Danny laughs. “I’m more like… Charon, if you’re familiar with Greek mythos. A ferryman, or an escort to the afterlife.”

“I…” the girl glanced around, looking tiredly at herself, then back to Danny, her head falling backwards. “Okay. Okay, um… can you…?”

Danny just smiled softly, reassuringly, as he reached out to her and gently took her hand. As he stood up, she stood up with him, stepping out of the car with a sigh. Her aura was small, a low silver glow as they stood, looking back at the car. “Is.. is that it?” she asked, examining her body in the car. “That’s everything?”

“That’s it,” Danny confirmed, waving his hand as a door appeared. It was white, gold filigree decorating the otherwise plain door. “Alright, this is your stop. Catholic, right?”

She nodded. “Y-yes. Yes. I’m ready,” she said, stepping slightly towards the door. “Is… is it okay?”

“Go on,” Danny encouraged, squeezing her hand. “You’re going to be great.”

She smiled shyly, her free hand landing on the handle before she twisted, opening the door as golden light spilled out. “It… what’s your… name?”

“Phantom,” Danny answered. “Go on, Emily. You’ve got a lot of family waiting on you.”

Emily paused, then ducked towards Danny, pulling him into a tight hug. Danny tensed briefly, then laughed, hugging her back. “Go on, Emily,” he grinned, ushering her on. “Go rest.”

Emily smiled one more time, then stepped into the doorway, the door shutting behind her.

Phantom smiled back.

---

They made it to Pittsburg before both siblings gave up the ghost (ha) and paid for a hotel, texting their parents and sending a location pin before turning in. The next day, Danny took the wheel for the rest of the drive, but the closer and closer they got to Gotham, New Jersey, the more and more anxious he got. Gotham was… if the rest of the state was quiet (which was a bad description for pretty much everywhere of note in the United States, but especially the East Coast), Gotham was a big old set of discordant church bells all going off at once. Not literally, thank the Ancients, but that was the closest description he could give.

But once they crossed the city border? All of that silenced for a moment as Danny took a breath, let it out. A presence rubbed his shoulder, a motherly laugh in his ear.

“I will await you on the Wayne Hotel roof, young King,” Gotham murmured, then dipped away.

Danny grumbled, shaking it off with a shiver. “Ancients help me from intentionally spooky and vague city spirits,” he huffed, getting a laugh from his sister as she looked up from her phone.

“That bad?”

“She awaits me,” he snorted. “Man. I know she’s been around for kind of forever, but still.”

“Your guardian is literally the God of Time.”

“Well, yes, but-- oh look our hotel!” Danny quickly changed the subject as they turned off the main road. When Vlad had heard that they were visiting Gotham, well. The billionaire practically couldn’t help himself in setting them up in one of the nicest hotels in the city.

It’s not what you can do for nepotism, it’s what nepotism can do for you. And what your godfather’s incessant need to both show off, provide for you, and also upstage another billionaire in his own city.

Danny was out of the car first, tossing the keys to Jazz as he rubbed his face, taking a deep breath before letting it out. Ah, Gotham.

The last time he was here, he was.. What, seven? A year before…

He rubbed his chest, then shook his head as he went to get a luggage cart. Not worth thinking about, that part of his life was long gone. He just had to stay out of the path of the Bat and his Birds, check in with the Red Hood, then get out.

Of course, he wasn’t as oblivious as he pretended he was, once. There was the intrinsic flaw that Red Hood was a former Robin, and had returned to working with the Bat-Clan, albeit on and off. Not to mention dragging that dumb fucking clown back to the Realms to face justice was definitely going to get attention.

At least only attention on Phantom, who the League had no idea about. And even if they did figure out who he was, they assumed he was dead. Nothing they can do about death.

…Shit, right, the Pits. Okay. Later--

Danny grunted, jerked out of his musings as he clipped his toe on a wheel, doing a bit of fancy footwork to fix his balance as he looked at the woman. “Oh, hell, I’m sorry, ma’am,” he said. Shit, wheelchair. Shit, he just kicked her wheelchair.

The woman looked back at him strangely, tucking a piece of red hair behind her ear as she shifted herself back. “No, it’s-- don’t worry about it, you looked like you were thinking pretty hard,” she said, setting her hands in her lap. “Are you new to Gotham?”

“Just visiting,” Danny confirmed. “I don’t plan to stay long, just a week or two.”

“Business or pleasure?”

“Business,” Danny laughed. “Unless you count ‘college tour’ as pleasure, which I don’t.”

She tilted her head. “You don’t look old enough for college-- but pardon me if you’re a child prodigy, or whatever.”

Danny waved his hand idly as he started stacking the luggage. “My sister, she’s a psych student. Said that if she can make it here, she can make it anywhere. I argued she could do that in New Orleans or any other big city, but alas, Arkham or bust,” he snorted, setting his duffle bag on top.

“Ah. Well, just… as a Gothamite, just make sure she’s aware that most of our psychology students either turn into Rogues, get kidnapped by Rogues, or leave after a semester. Sometimes both.”

“Oh, she’s aware. Honestly? Can’t be crazier than home,” Danny hummed, glancing over her shoulder to the front desk. “I’m sorry, she’s calling me over. It was nice to meet you, though, Ms…?”

“Barbara,” she answered, blue eyes glinting in the light, meeting his own. “It’s nice to meet you too.”

“Danny,” he confirmed. “Sorry about tripping on your chair.”

“No worries, kid.” She shook her head fondly as Danny walked off, pulling the cart behind him. With years of stealth and practice, she slipped her phone out, switching to camera mode before taking a picture.

Wayne Family Dumbasses:

Eyeinthesky: damian clone or incoming adoption bait? Place your bets here.

Everyone is typing…

TAGLIST: @mynameisnotlaura @fisticuffsatapplebees @screamingtofillthevoid @lizisipancardo @digitizedworld @dahliasandrosemary

NEXT CHAPTER: ==>

[shabre-legacy]

Taris Part One

Once again, Aric finds himself stuck waiting. If they had a full squad, then he’d have something to do. But it’s just him and his annoyance as his CO handles the responsibility he was used to. This time though, it was a meeting with the governor while he’d gathered the gear they’d need to trek through the disgusting swamp that is Taris. It was a good thing he kept track of their gear on the ship. Otherwise it would have filled up time and he’d have something to do other then demonstrate his competence again.

He hefts the new rifle he was able to pick up on Coruscant and double checks it before propping it carefully next to him and leaning back and closes his eyes. It really was a nice rifle. It wasn’t the long sniper rifle he liked to use when he could. This one was better suited to the mixed combat distances he ended up using. There were definitely perks to being in Havoc.

A bright, deep chuckle fills the air around him as one of the many people wandering about moves closer and leans against the wall next to him. “Wasn’t expecting to run into you here too. Good to see ya.” The voice is familiar enough to cause him to open his eyes again.

The tanned skin and dark locs are familiar. He’s good with faces, he’s a soldier, he has to be. That kid Riggs. How the kriff?!… “Are you following us?”

Riggs seems to think his question a joke and grins. “Nah, got easier ways to talk to people then following to a swamp like this.” The man wrinkles his nose as he glances around them. “The Captain’s got business here; as her hired gun, where she goes, I go.”

“You’re awfully comfortable calling yourself that.” He’s always had a distaste for mercenaries. A greedy, selfish, self-interested lot in his opinion.

Riggs just shrugs. “Couldn’t do my job if I wasn’t”

Aric shrugs and turns back to staring at the market area across the small road. Corso is quiet a moment before he speaks again. “That yours? Looks new.” Riggs was gesturing at the rifle.

Aric lifts it, “picked it up on Coruscant. Nice thing about Havoc. Much bigger budget for good gear.”

Riggs hums. “That’s a nice one” he rattles off the rifle’s stats like he’d memorized the catalog. “You’ve got good taste.”

Aric can’t help but feel a little proud at the compliment. He knows his rifles. “It’ll do. I prefer my sniper rifle, but the efficacy range is a bit long for some missions.”

Riggs nods “Could I see it?”

Aric should have predicted that one. He lifts his prize off its holster and holds it out to be looked at. It’s not new, a gift from the Deadeyes when he was promoted. But it was still a damn good blaster.

Riggs lets out a low whistle. “Now that’s a work of art right there!” His eyes skip over the weapon and Aric notes the attention he’s paying to each detail. This man may not have served in the Army, but he knows his blasters from experience, not just theory.

“The newer models give this rifle a bad rep, but this gen. They’re some of the best you can get, even including the black market stuff.”

Jorgan nods “I know some of the guys update frequently, but I go more for reliability than flashiness.”

“Psh the newer ones aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. The material they use to make it lighter has a tendency to bubble, messing with your aim. They’re just too showy. Something like this. This is craftsmanship, solid, reliable, efficient. This will last you a while… whatever that looks like in Special Forces.”

The sound of a nearby door opening has Corso looking up and pushing away from the wall as the Mirialan he was with before walks out of the warehouse. Corso gives him one last grin as he goes to walk away. “She’s a real beauty Jorgan.” He lifts a hand before turning and jogging over to his boss.

[monsterfloofs]

🎹for Le Space Slug (the canyon one who's name I forgot again) Or Castor5!

SPACE SLUG!? SPACE SLUG!? DKDKDKDKDKCKD POOR ORTH, THAT IS THEIR FOREVER NAME NOW IT IS UNESCAPABLE!! I AM SORRY BUDDY BUT YOU DO LOOK LIKE A CUTE SEA SLUG I’M SORRYYYYYY

Ahahaha X///D Sulky slug aside

What are their hobbies?

Orth is very much like the humans on Earth really, they spent a long time peering at the stars and the planets and wondering what life looks like there. They had a soft spot for Earth for a while, watching it’s little civilizations grow, empires rise and fall until it reached it’s present day state.

Curiosity and lonilness being the biggest factors for why it tried to squeeze itself down to a smaller scale in the first place. Like a gentle giant that is the last of it’s kind. No other creature is like it, and they have drifted through the universe being not only alone but too grand to even be comprehend by smaller beings.

I think Orth tried to communicate before to other races but… it didn’t go so well, unfortunately.

Orth now though, gosh, they are so spoiled. They have someone they can talk to all the time. (And probably do wake their hooman up at night with questions) They can kind of indulge in human pasttimes, reading over their buddies shoulder.

They quite enjoy books and television. They enjoy listening to stories and soaking up as much information as they can.

(I am gonna write for Cas too just because 💖💖💖)

What are their hobbies?

Cas does enjoy listening to / reading those ultra sappy alien x human romances 👁️👁️✨ okay so he did pick on the protag. for enjoying those but then he also got hooked when he was sneaking onto their account so— you know, he still pokes fun at them though PSH!

Cas, is one of those bots who is severly smart and is very much a jack of all trades! He knows coding, he enjoys languages, (and really REALLY enjoys abusing this knowledge for his own amusment) Cas also has a lot of mechanical knowledge, he tinkers with his own self and weapons on occasation, can fix star cruisers, (and has hot wired a good few of them.)

He also likes learning as much as he can, except with Orth’s case it is a lot more curiousity. Cas is curious yes, but he makes good use of what he learns and pulls it into practice as soon as he gets a handle on a new skill. He enjoys puzzles and enjoys finding new and innovative solutions to tackle problems.

Cas’ brain doesn’t sit still very well either, if he doesn’t find something to keep it entertained well… hijacking some top tier security system will be on his list of fun puzzles to defragment. XDDD

[maple-writes]

Questionable late night quality scene that I thought up in the shower the other night between Indigo and Richard before he broke free of the organization that made him. It's fun playing around with how different Indigo acts in the different areas of her life, and the difference between her cold cruelty in Umbra Ursa and more compassionate and fair side working with her research subjects and handling Richard as a weapon.

---

“Well done, Trout.” Indigo stood with an approving smile as the cyborg returned to the airship, bleeding from a limp arm but otherwise intact. She beckoned him closer, turning him when he stood before her to see his arm, gently palpating for breaks and noting where he winced. “On a scale of one to ten, how bad does it hurt?”

He thought, eyes flicking to the wound a moment. “Five or six, keeping still.”

Likely only flesh deep then, nothing that had to be fixed immediately. “Noted.” She flipped through her notebook and jotted down his response. “I’ll see if I can arrange for painkillers until we can get that looked at. In the meantime we are about an hour out from home.” She put her book away into her back and drew out a puzzle toy and a small packet of strawberry licorice, holding them out to him. “You did well today, keep it up.”

He took them, careful to keep his razor-sharp claws from grazing her skin, and Indigo returned to her table and reports. The chair creaked and echoed in the near-empty cargo bay as she returned to her papers, reading and marking changes to documents and reports from her team. At the edge of her vision PSH-1 settled down, sitting cross legged with a strip of licorice in his mouth as he worked at the puzzle. She grinned as she focused back on her work. According to the others on her team he chose to sit so close to them on the returns home. She had a feeling he listened better to her too.

--

The ship rumbled, docking, and Indigo shuffled her documents back into their folder. She stood and without having to be told PSH-1 did too, watching her attentively. He followed her quietly when the cargo door opened and she led the way from the tarmac back into the facility. In the late light his shadow towered over hers, though, it wasn’t as if he didn’t tower over her already. She slowed, beckoning with a wave of her hand for him to walk beside her. He slipped in step beside her like a dog at perfect heel.

He glanced down at her, the one mechanical eye glowing faintly in the dim evening. “Are you staying the night?”

“Likely.” There was a laundry list of things she needed to check up on in her lab, things to follow up on and reports and papers to write. It was easier here than back home. “You are welcome to join me once your arm is addressed.”

He nodded and for a moment the faintest hint of a smile crossed his face, so subtle anyone else would have missed it but Indigo knew what she saw. She spent more time with him than any of his other handlers cared to. He kept quiet the rest of the walk through the facility and when she dropped him off for medical attention. At this time of night there would have only been one or maybe two staff to see him. It could be awhile until the post-assignment evaluation was complete.

“Dr. Carmine, can I talk to you for a moment?”

She paused as a Allan called from behind her in the hallway. One of the others tasked with overseeing and handling Trout, he had been a part of the initiative just longer than she had and had grown closer than she liked with the founder.

“What about?” She turned, frowning. No one asked to talk like that about something good.

He caught up with her and kept walking in the direction of his office. “It’s about you and PSH-1.”

Her frown deepened. “What about us?”

Allan opened the door to his office and held the door for her. He stepped in after her, taking a seat at his desk. Indigo stood where she’d entered. She didn’t intend to stay longer than she had to so saw no point in sitting down or getting comfortable.

“Well, I and some of my other colleagues have been talking about you and your methods.” He folded his hands on the desk with propped up elbows, resting his chin on his knuckles. “You spoil him, and it’s showing when he has to go out with others.”

Indigo crossed her arms, tucking her folder in one hand. “How so?” She had a feeling she knew what he was going to say but she wanted to hear him say it.

“He doesn’t respond as quickly to the others. He’s distant, as if he expects a reward for doing what he’s told.”

“But he does listen to them, correct?”

Allan sighed, leaning back in his chair. “Well, yes. He does as he’s ordered but—”

“Then what exactly is the problem?” Indigo tilted her head, meeting his eyes with her stare, silently demanding a response.

“You coddle him, that’s the problem. He is a weapon to be used, not a pet. He shouldn’t be treated for doing what he is supposed to be doing.” His shoulders hunched as he crossed his arms to mirror her posture. “He can’t expect to be babied every time he comes back from a mission.”

Indigo bristled. “I think he knows full well he’s not going to get a damn thing from you when he comes back. He’s smart enough to know who rewards him and who doesn’t. And let me reiterate what you just told me: he still listens to you. I fail to see how this is a problem and I fail to see how this is my problem.” She jutted her chin out, letting a hint of sharpness into her voice. “If I didn’t know any better I would say you were envious that he is willing to do more for me and I can tell you why he doesn’t. Tell me Allan, would you jump higher to please a boss who recognizes your work or one who treats you like a machine?”

“He is a machine! He should be reliable to anyone handling him, Indigo.” He leaned forward again, pointing at her across the table. “We can’t be giving him reason to play favourites. It’s no secret you invite him to linger around you when you work and talk with him and share lunch with him. It’s unprofessional for you to baby him like that.”

Her jaw clenched and her stare hardened. She uncrossed her arms and stood before his desk. “First of all he is a cyborg, not a machine. His brain chemistry is regulated to be pliable and obedient, but he is not a robot without thought and association. Have you ever thought that maybe the reason that he prefers working with me, and why he gets better results with me, is that I have taken the time and put the effort into gaining his trust? Into becoming someone he wants to work with and wants to please instead of someone he has to listen to just because he’s conditioned to obey? That he works harder for me because he knows he will be rewarded for it?” She growled. “I put in the work to build a bond with him and that is why he works harder for me than he does for you.”

Allan scowled, glaring. “You treat him like a pet Indigo! Hell, I’d even say you treat him like a son the way you spoil him with toys and treats and attention. You—”

Indigo slammed her hands on the table, leaning over to Allan with venom in her eyes. “Did you forget where his base genetics came from? Who’s ovum was used as the framework from which he was engineered? He would not exist without me.” She snarled. “And how dare you insinuate that treating him worse than the mice in my lab is by any means proper as a way to deflect from your own poor performance.”

She pushed off from his desk and snatched her folder. “Why don’t you learn to handle him better yourself before coming to me and demand I lower my standards to make you look better.”

Before he could argue she turned and left, slamming the door behind her. It echoed in the quiet hallway as she simmered with every step towards her lab. As if she didn’t already know that the others thought she was too soft, too permissive, but it didn’t take a genius to look at the data and how her methods were working and they just couldn’t be bothered to see him as anything other than a barely sentient weapon.

As she unlocked the door to her lab though unease crawled through her stomach. She had nothing concrete, but it wouldn’t be a stretch to suspect they would find a way to retaliate. Find a way to frame her as too soft, too permissive, to maternal to continue to handle PSH-1. She’s already heard whispers about her alluding to her being too emotional, too driven by feelings in the way she handled her lab. How she insisted on the highest standards for her lab animals, her mandating their wellbeing in her studies, as evidence she lacked the objective authority the job demanded. That she was too attached.

It didn’t matter that her studies came out clearer, more accurate, and more consistent with her subjects happy and relaxed. It didn’t matter that PSH-1 was more regulated, calmer, ever since she started spending time with him. If she stopped now she could almost promise that he would go back to stereotypic behaviors, the pacing, the clawing at his own skin, the yelling and tearing at his hair and on and on and on. But that didn’t matter to them. To them he was nothing more than a tool so what did his wellness matter?

Maybe they’d start caring once it hampered his performance but it was doubtful they’d connect the dots on why.

She set her file down and sank into her computer chair, not bothering to turn the lights on. There was enough soft glow from the computer screen and the safety lights scattered around equipment anyway. She leaned back, closing her eyes and draping her arm over her forehead.

“Dr. Carmine?”

She startled at Trout’s voice beside her, almost jumping from her chair before recognizing him. “Don’t sneak up on me like that.” He walked as close to silently as a human-shaped being could, and probably didn’t realize it.

He stepped back a little. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” She turned in her chair, crossing one leg over the other. “Make yourself comfortable just don’t touch anything without asking.”

He nodded, and slipped into his usual spot under the corner desk beside her. He’d made a near-nest over the last few months with a blanket he might have swiped from one of the common areas but she didn’t feel like taking back, and a few of the puzzles she’d given him to keep himself busy. He tucked himself into the corner and picked up one of the puzzles that he had been working on for the last week or so, eyes focusing and adjusting as he manipulated the shapes to try and solve it. Some days if she had more math or statistics to go through than she wanted to deal with she would pass it along to him to figure out and he seemed to enjoy it but tonight there was nothing she needed done, and had a feeling he would be asleep within an hour anyway. He usually didn’t stay up long after he came back from a mission.

Just as predicted, he put the puzzle down not long after she logged onto her computer and started typing in the dim light, lulled by the tapping of the keys and the humming of the desktop as it worked.

[houseisekai]

House Isekai: A Realm Reborn - Part 15, Taking Point (1 of 2)

Act 2 Masterlist

—

Arriving at their destination, the team begins to head off for their investigation, finding much more than they anticipated...

The ODST's, Raelyn, Rean, Jean, and Duvalie, were near the back of the train in a hangar-like car, equipment and tools hanging on walls and laying in crates.

Valimar, alongside the Garreg Mach's Knights, knelt inside, waiting to be activated.

Buck checked the ammo counter on his assault rifle before looking back to the rest of his team.

Romeo was checking the scopes of his sniper, Mickey reloaded rockets into his launcher, and Dutch was in the middle of cleaning his SMG while the Spartan Laser was on his back.

Raelyn knelt in prayer as his Bolt Rifle laid upon a crate in front of him.

Jean was tightening her ponytail while Rean and Duvalie examined their swords.

Satisfied with their preparation, Buck cleared his throat while he put his helmet under his arm.

(Buck) "Alrighty boys and girls, let's go over the plan. Hustle up."

Everyone finished their weapon checks and walked over to Buck.

He pointed at his assault rifle that was in clear view for everyone.

(Buck) "Behind me is god's own anti-son-of-a-bitch-machine, the MA5C. It's the UNSC's standard issue for all marines and special forces. But more notably, it was found here in fantasy land instead of our world."

He walked up to his rifle and picked it up.

(Buck) "And we found it alone in a Separatist camp during that superweapon's attack on the school. Our job is to find out why they have it and what else they might have."

Buck turned to Rean and Jean.

(Buck) "Per Sitri's orders, we'll be joined by Rean and Jean here."

(Jean) "Let the wind lead."

(Rean) "Not the first time I've been deployed in special operations."

(Buck) "Good, saves me the trouble of talking more."

Duvalie frowned, making the others shrug.

Rean just sighed while Jean looked a bit nervous.

(Buck) "Just play nice, Duvie. I don't know what history you two have, but we're all in the same boat now."

Duvalie pouted.

(Duvalie) "You don't need to tell me that."

(Buck) "Right. Now, Mickey?"

Mickey stepped to Buck's side and spoke.

(Mickey) "Mercedes gave us a report of a town nearby that reportedly has Separatists problems, and that's our first area to visit. Your job is to find out what the Separatists' goals actually are and what they do. Buck, Raelyn, Dutch, and I are going to investigate the immediate area and see if we can't find anything of note. Romeo will be shadowing you three, so you'll be able to keep in touch with us."

(Buck) "Thanks. Keeping a low profile is gonna be crucial. We don't need to stir the hornet's nest and get them on our asses. Watch each other's backs out there, and no man gets left behind. Questions?"

(Everyone) "…"

(Buck) "Alright, we should be approaching -"

Recette's voice came over the intercom of the train car.

(Recette) "We're approaching our first stop! First group, get ready to go! Now, where's the brakes…"

(Tear) "Recette, turn off the intercom before you say something like that!"

(Recette) "Oh! Sor-"

The intercom shut off, and Buck put on his helmet, the visor still revealing his face.

(Buck) "That's our song. Time to dance."

The rest of the soldiers put their helmets on, their visors activating and hiding their face.

Everyone moved through the train cars and towards the front where the exit was.

As everyone moved through the cars, they saw Rean's students still in the mess hall.

Juna, Kurt, and Altina were there with Kazuma.

Rean stayed behind for a moment to speak with them.

(Kazuma) "Good luck, Schwarzer."

Rean nodded.

(Rean) "Yeah. You make sure to take care of my students, Kazuma."

(Kazuma) "Psh, if I can handle my three idiots, I can handle yours."

Rean crossed his arms as his eyebrows furrowed.

(Kazuma) "Come on, you and I both know I'm not the greatest at this. Besides, Mercedes will be here with me."

(Altina) "We will make sure he is on his best behavior, Instructor."

(Juna) "He's our age too anyway, so it shouldn't be hard."

(Kazuma) "Hey, show some respect, I'm still your senior here!"

(Kurt) "This ought to go well…"

(Rean) "Stay safe, everyone."

(Juna) "You too, Instructor."

Rean finally caught up with the others as the train made a stop.

[Beyond the Wall - Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood]

When they exited, they found themselves in a small train stop made of stone. Stationed there were a few Alliance soldiers, who gave them a nod.

Valimar was unloaded alone and left in the Outpost's hangars as the group walked out.

The train slowly picked up speed once again and faded out of sight.

Buck walked up to one of the knights and gave him a greeting nod.

(Buck) "Sergeant Buck. We were told a town is supposed to be nearby."

The Knight looked at the group before turning to Buck.

(Knight) "Mercedes told us of your arrival. Follow the path straight ahead, should be there in an hour."

Before leaving, Dutch walked up to Romeo.

(Dutch) "Don't piss them off too much."

(Romeo) "Shouldn't you be saying that to Miss Sunshine here?"

(Duvalie) "I think he's failing already."

(Jean) "We really shouldn't be doing this right now-"

(Dutch) "Relax, ma'am. He doesn't mean anything by it. Bad sense of humor is all."

(Romeo) "More like no one even has a sense of humor."

(Mickey) "Better than him hitting on the ladies at least."

(Buck) "Cut the chatter gentlemen, get your rears in gear."

(Dutch) "Just keep it to a minimum, smartass."

(Romeo) "Heh, no promises."

(Raelyn) "Stay vigilant. May you be well."

(Duvalie) "You too."

Dutch and Romeo exchanged a small fistbump before their groups separated.

Rean, Jean, Duvalie, and Romeo walked on the path as the leaves blew past them quietly.

(Romeo) "If you guys are gonna be keeping a low profile, you got a change of clothes?"

Rean looked down at his coat and shrugged.

(Rean) "No, but the only thing that's out of my place is just my Tachi."

(Jean) "My clothes thankfully look the part of a Noble in this world."

(Duvalie) "I can wear my dress to look the part of a Noblewoman as well."

(Romeo) "Hopefully, we won't run into anyone who knows your faces then."

(Jean) "Then what about you? What does shadowing us entail?"

Romeo gestured to his sniper.

(Romeo) "Blowing the head off of whoever looks at you funny."

(Rean) "You seem to not care about killing."

(Romeo) "With the shit we've seen in our war kid? You're crazy to still be able to."

(Rean)"I see." I can only pray our students don't end up the same way too…

Romeo simply shrugged.

(Duvalie) "Can you even leave just a wound with that thing?"

(Romeo) "You've seen what this does to armored targets, Miss Sunshine. If I fire at some scrawny farmer, it'd be more impressive if they didn't explode altogether."

(Rean) "That's…graphic."

(Romeo) "If you think that's bad, you should see Covenant weapons. What they do is much worse, kid."

Before Rean could ponder over what he said, Romeo came to a halt, surprising everyone.

Rean noticed how Romeo's casual demeanor shifted into a stance ready for battle before he could blink.

Two fingers went onto the side of his helmet as he stood completely still.

(Jean) "Is everything -"

Romeo held up a hand and remained silent.

(Romeo) "…Distress signal. One's coming from the town. We need to get there now."

(Duvalie) "Do you recognize it?"

(Romeo) "It's UNSC."

…

Buck, Raelyn, Mickey, and Dutch walked through the lush forests, crushing the grass underneath their boots.

The weather from what Buck could tell was fair, suppose that'd have to do for now.

He had no idea how these Separatists could detect them given their technology is all over the place. But it's better to be safe than sorry.

He took in their surroundings, formulating a plan to camouflage themselves, the terrain nearby for any advantages or camps, everything that his training taught him to do.

This was going to be a recon mission. Find whatever looked suspicious as hell and report it.

But that was easier said than done. There were so many complications for this one mission alone.

They had next to no intel of where anything was, no idea of the enemy forces operating, their technology. Hell, he doesn't even know what they were going to do if they did find something.

Not to mention his squad was down a man. Wherever the Rookie was, Buck hoped he was fine.

He turned around and saw Raelyn sticking out like a sore thumb, standing a good 3 feet minimum over his men.

Buck would be lying if he said he wasn't intimidated by the Space Marine. Not even Spartans were that imposing.

Spartans were impressive, to be sure, but Raelyn was a whole other league. What the hell was in his universe that required soldiers like him?

(Mickey) "Gunny, what's our plan here?"

Buck's turned to Mickey, his attention brought back.

(Mickey) "We just gonna walk around until we find someone?"

(Buck) "I want us to set up camp for the squad to rest up in. If the town sees any of us, then that's a big red flag of who we are."

(Dutch) "Somewhere nice and secluded sounds fine to me. Think we can find a cave nearby?"

(Raelyn) "This forest looks like it may hold a few. We can get our allies there, but how do we prevent anyone else from finding it?"

Buck's helmet looked down, his rifle slightly aiming downwards as he thought.

(Buck) "You trained in infiltration, big guy?"

(Raelyn) "An Astartes is proficient in all methods of warfare, Sergeant. That being said, this world does not possess buildings or even wildlife big enough to hide me well."

(Dutch) "Yeah, that yellow armor isn't doing you any favors."

(Buck) "Then I want you guarding our site. Whatever comes by will probably piss themselves the same color as the armor once they see you."

Though none of the ODST's could see it, Raelyn smirked underneath his helmet.

(Raelyn) "Understood."

(Dutch) "Reckon we should get a move on to find one first-"

(Romeo's voice) "Gunny. Something just came up."

Everyone stiffened their backs and awaited Romeo's voice.

(Buck) "Sitrep."

(Romeo) "I turned on comms just to contact you, but the town has a UNSC distress signal. Can you confirm?"

Buck turned on his comms, indeed seeing a signal to where Romeo's team was headed. But there was also another one some ways away from their current location.

(Buck) "Confirmed. We have another one near us too. Stick to the original plan, but try to find out what that signal is. We'll find out on our end, too."

(Romeo) "Got it. Watch your asses out there."

Buck turned to the others and clicked the safety off his assault rifle.

(Buck) "Change of plans gents, signal first, camp later."

The group moved through the forest and towards the distress signal.

The ODST's had no idea what they'd find when they managed to get to them…

…

The town was sprawled out on a flat ground, surrounded by forested hills, almost trapping the town in a canyon-like shape.

Romeo looked at it through his sniper's scope, keeping a mental note of the people he saw.

Several men, women, and children, dressed to what he assumed were peasants.

(Romeo) "Yup. Definitely looks like an old ass medieval town."

His visor turned off so the others could see his face as Romeo turned around.

(Rean) "Did you see anything out of place?"

(Romeo) "Not really. That's where you three come in, though."

(Jean) "Hopefully, your skills won't be required."

Duvalie only grunted in agreement.

(Romeo) "To be honest with ya, I don't know if they can detect snipers, but I'm not taking any chances. You won't see me, but I'll have visuals on you until you go in a building. So if shit hits the fan, haul it out back here."

(Rean) "Understood. Keeping in touch."

Rean opened his ARCUS unit and frowned when he just realized something.

How was his tech able to communicate with another world's, several centuries ahead of his own?

Judging by Romeo's confused expression as his visor's HUD synced with Rean's ARCUS unit, he noticed this as well.

(Rean) Must be the Tower. I guess that's another to the list of questions to ask about.

Romeo turned back on his visor and snuck back into the trees.

Rean led the group into the entrance of the town.

As they passed by the townsfolk, a few of them looked up before returning back to their business.

None of them looked particularly interested in them.

It looked like this place was used to seeing Nobles, which was odd for a town this far out.

(Rean) Maybe because we're in Leicester? We never did spend much time here back in the old class.

Pushing his thoughts aside, the first place he had in mind to visit was any kind of town cen-

(Man's voice) "Hello there, I have not seen you around these parts before!"

The group turned to the direction of the voice and found a well-dressed man waving hello to them.

In stark contrast with the rugged peasants they encountered, the man was quite large, dressed in black and red.

It didn't take long for Rean to connect the dots of where he originated from.

And this would certainly explain why the peasants barely paid any attention to them.

(Noble Man) "It is a pleasant surprise to find fellow nobles all the way out here!"

Jean walked in front, putting her aristocratic skills to use.

(Jean) "Greetings, milord. Forgive us for our rudeness, but might we inquire about your name?"

(Noble Man) "Ah, finally! A like-minded individual with proper manners! Think nothing of your ignorance for now. You have the pleasure of speaking to Lord Graf von Galen!"

He bowed, which Jean promptly replied with a bow of her own.

Duvalie's face was already scrunching up, which Rean didn't blame her.

He only prayed that she'd restrain herself enough before this Noble's face got to meet the pavement.

(Jean) "I am Lady Vennessa of House Lawrence. These two are my servants."

Rean and Duvalie bowed politely, making Lord Graf look at them curiously.

(Graf) "Quite the well dressed servants you have, Lady Vennessa."

Jean looked back to them smiling, but the two noticed her eyes looking at the cliffside.

(Jean) "They deserve nothing but the best since they have given me theirs."

Most likely to see if Romeo had a line of sight on their location. Not that they'd see him.

Rean and Duvalie didn't look back, but trusted that he did.

…

Romeo's scope was aimed straight at the Noble man's head.

Right now, his finger was off the trigger, instead resting on the grip of his sniper as he lay amongst the bushes, hidden from sight.

He didn't have time to camouflage his suit or sniper, but he was thankful for the shadows the trees provided.

Unless someone was actively seeking out a sniper, no one should be able to spot him.

Romeo listened to the conversation closely from Rean's ARCUS unit, wanting to wipe the smug bastard's look off his head just by the way he spoke.

(Graf's voice) "I see. Well, might I ask what country you originate from? I do not think I've ever heard of House Lawrence. Have you just risen into relevance?"

(Romeo) "What a prick."

He heard two loud taps in his helmet, which made him turn to Rean.

(Romeo) "That thing picking me up?"

Two taps again, stopping when Romeo spoke.

Romeo immediately disabled his helmet's mic, not wanting to blow their cover.

Double-checking that anyone nearby couldn't hear him speak, he continued watching the three and his motion tracker, which thankfully had been completely still so far.

…

(Jean) "Ah…"

Noticing that Jean was faltering, Rean stepped in, politely bowing before intervening.

(Rean) "She hails from Fhirdiad. We are here visiting a friend."

Lord Graf looked surprised, turning to Jean.

(Graf) "My, you even let them speak on your behalf?"

Now Duvalie stepped in, visibily irritated.

(Duvalie) "Is that a problem, milord?"

(Graf) "Not at all, I just never would have imagined any Noble would let their manservants speak is all! She must hold you in high regard!"

Jean put a hand on Duvalie's shoulder, easing her back.

(Jean) "That I do. Might I ask what you're doing here?"

Lord Graf waved his hand dismissively, and his smile had vanished.

(Graf) "Nothing as pleasant, I'm afraid. Business has taken me out to this accursed town. Sauin is no place for Nobles, such as you and I."

(Rean) A snooty Adrestian Noble in Leicester. Can't imagine what he's here for.

Jean and Duvalie locked eyes with Rean, confirming that they were all thinking the same thing.

(Rean) So this guy is probably a Separatist, no doubt about th-…Wait, Sauin? Where have I heard that name before?

…

Romeo wanted to tune out the conversation, given that all he was speaking about was how filthy the townsfolk were.

Instead, he moved his scope around, trying to find anything of note, until he saw two well-dressed men standing guard outside of a wooden house. Frowning, he tried to take a closer look by zooming in with the scope.

They were probably with that noble, but what were they guarding?

Turning his comms on again, he noticed the distress signal was very close by. In fact, it was coming from within that home.

(Graf's Voice) "We have something that needs delivering to my employers, but with talk of madmen stalking around these parts, I am forced to wait!"

Before Romeo could ponder if he meant them, he noticed the door the guards were in front of open.

His scope tracked a man in red armor with silver trim. The exact person they saw with the doctor back at the crashed Separatist train.

Romeo tensed up as he double-checked his motion tracker.

If he was there, then that robot could be as well.

Romeo enabled his mic for both Rean and Buck to hear.

(Romeo) "Be advised, Separatist presence here is confirmed. Kid, watch your asses down there."

After taking a moment to make sure his voice didn't bleed over to Rean's ARCUS unit, he checked again with Buck.

(Romeo) "Gunny, do you copy? Separatist presence is confirmed at the town."

"…"

No response from Buck. Not a good sign.

…

Rean immediate instinct was to reach for his Tachi, but he knew that would blow his cover.

He had been listening to Lord Graf spout noble nonsense, but the last part is what caught his attention.

(Graf) "With all that being said, might I invite you and your servants to dinner, Lady Vennessa? This town has no substance fitting a lovely woman such as yourself."

(Jean) "Might I have a moment with my servants? I would like to see if we can make time."

(Graf) "By all means! I must call my servants anyhow."

He turned around and brought up a communication crystal while Jean and Duvalie walked over to Rean.

(Duvalie) "Ugh! He is just begging for a punch to the face!…Schwarzer, what's with that face?"

(Rean) "Separatists are here, and more than likely, he's about to invite us to a trap. Romeo, are you hearing us?"

Rean heard two taps from his ARCUS unit in response.

(Jean) "I see. I doubt he'd want to kill us, seeing how he probably wants to make a good impression on whoever he's working for."

(Duvalie) "So what, we have to go along with this moron?"

(Rean) "It would seem like it. It's our best opportunity to learn what their goals are, but more importantly, how widespread this Separatist movement is."

Rean looked around, the name Sauin continuing to bother him.

(Rean) "Romeo can track our positions, assuming we move. Worst case scenario, we stay here and wait to make a move."

(Duvalie) "I don't want to give this bastard the satisfaction of trapping us. Do you think he even knows that we're only playing along?"

(Jean) "I guess we'll have to see. I agree with Rean. It's risky, but it's the only thing we can do if we hope to gain anything at all."

(Duvalie) "…Fine."

(Rean) "If it's any consolation, we'll let you have the first punch."

Duvalie crossed her arms and slightly smirked, for once the entire trip.

(Duvalie) "I'm holding you to that, Schwarzer."

(Rean) "Romeo. We'll try to stay in touch, but in the likely case we can't, try not to kill anyone. And let Buck know what we're doing."

Two taps from his ARCUS unit.

(Rean) "Let's spring the trap then."

(Jean) "Lord Graf! A moment, please."

…

Romeo watched as the group walked over to Graf, who led them into the guarded house.

(Romeo) "So much for stealth."

Romeo aimed his scope at the building, waiting to see anything different, keeping an eye on his motion tracker.

Blank. Good.

(Romeo) "Buck, do you copy?"

After a few moments of silence, he finally heard a response.

(Buck's Voice) "Copy. We found our distress signal, and going near it messed up our comms a bit. What's your status?"

(Romeo) "Separatist presence confirmed at our end. Yours?"

…

Few moments earlier…

…

Buck and his team slowly approached the source of the distress signal with their weapons raised.

He was honestly surprised with how little sound they were making, given how massive their armor was compared to the surroundings.

But he wasn't complaining. He wanted all the advantages he could get.

They all hid behind their own tree, Mickey the first to peek around the corner.

(Mickey) "The hell? Sir, it's a Pelican!"

Dutch and Buck immediately looked and saw a near, perfectly intact Pelican.

(Buck) "I'll be damned! What's it doing here? Dutch, Mickey, check the surroundings. Raelyn, with me."

Grateful their communication can only be heard in their helmets, they quickly took positions as they continued to have their weapons at the ready.

Buck noticed that the door was left open, and a small radio was near the exit.

He switched to his pistol as he checked the cockpit but saw nothing.

Not even a bloodstain was present. Who just left this here?

Buck went to turn off the radio but noticed his helmet suddenly heard static.

Hitting it a few times, the static went away.

(Dutch) "Nothing here, Gunny."

(Mickey) "Motion tracker's got jack."

(Raelyn) "No movement, but stay vigilant."

Buck put his weapons up for a moment and checked the cockpit while everyone else stood on guard.

(Buck) "If this was like the assault rifle then…-"

Buck turned on the engines, hearing the Pelican suddenly come to life as the lights flickered on.

(Buck) "Still usable! Fuel to boot too."

(Dutch) "Motion tracker's got something!"

(Mickey) "Mine too, coming directly south of us!"

(Raelyn) "Prepare for engagement!"

Buck ran to the back and got his rifle ready to shoot whatever came out of the trees.

Until they heard a woman's voice.

(Familiar Woman's voice) "Don't shoot, it's just me. Well, rather, my Captain."

(Mickey) "Hey, isn't that the-"

Out of the trees came a thin limbed robot with white markings on its head, subtly glowing orange.

The same one at the crashed train that threw the smoke bomb.

Buck turned on his mic for the robot to hear.

(Buck) "Valda? This supposed to be an ambush?"

Valda's voice came out of the robot.

(Valda's voice) "No, this is me helping…Sorta."

(Raelyn) "How are you speaking to us out of that…thing?"

(Valda's voice) "This droid is letting me speak to you via some sort of microphone system. I think? Honestly, not sure how it works myself, but that's not important. What is important is that your friends are on their way to me, and you need to get there first."

Everyone looked at each other before turning back to the droid.

(Mickey) "Well, she hasn't attacked us yet."

(Buck) "But she did attack the students."

(Valda's Voice) "I didn't know they were with you. Tell you what, since you're helping me, I'll help you. Deal?"

(Buck) "…Helping in what way?"

(Valda) "Helping me take care of some prissy noble exploit a town and its people who have nothing to do with us."

(Raelyn) "Hm. It is your call, Sergeant."

As Buck thought about her offer, he heard Romeo's voice.

(Romeo's Voice) "Buck, do you copy?"

Buck switched his comms to where only his squad could hear them.

(Buck) "Copy. We found our distress signal, and going near it messed up our comms a bit. What's your status?"

(Romeo's Voice) "Separatist presence confirmed at our end. Yours?"

(Buck) "Confirmed at our end as well. In fact, speaking to the good Doctor right now. Says our friends are walking into a trap."

(Romeo's Voice) "Voluntarily. Matches up, I saw the doctor's assistant or whoever the hell he is walking into a home."

(Buck) "…Understood. Standby."

Buck looked at the droid and sighed.

(Buck) "Make us regret it, and we bring a corpse back."

Valda's sigh of relief could be heard as the droid holstered its blaster.

(Valda's Voice) "You won't. I promise that. Can you make this thing fly?"

(Mickey) "I know how to pilot it."

(Valda's Voice) "Fantastic! We need to head off to where I am now, before your other friends do."

(Buck) "Romeo? Looks like we're walking into that trap ourselves. They don't seem to know about you, yet. Can you follow on your own?"

(Romeo) "I'll see what I can do, Gunny."

(Buck) "Alright then."

Buck turned back to Valda as he put his guns up.

(Buck) "Tell us where to go, doc."

TO BE CONTINUED...

[howlingday]

Gun au: Nora sets up an impromptu competition to see who can fly the furthest when handling Jaune's anti Godzilla rifle. The nurses of the infirmary are not amused with amount of shoulder and arm centered fractures. The unexpected winner is unsure if it was worth it.

Goodwitch: You are aware that all of you have detention, correct?

Nora: (Sprained wrist) Even me?

Goodwitch: As the ring leader solely responsible for this incident, you have the longest detention yet.

Nora: Aw!

Weiss: (Torso and arm cast) Don't "aw" this! You knew this was coming!

Nora: No way! How could I have known that this would happen?!

Yang: (Arm sling) Because we told you.

Blake: (Arm sling) We all told you.

Nora: You guys just aren't made of tougher stuff, like us and Jaune. Right, Pyrrha? Ruby?

Pyrrha: (Holding her dislocated shoulder) Please, keep me out of this.

Jaune: Ready, Ruby? One, two, three-!

Ruby: (Biting down on a leather belt, Screaming)

Ren: (Pushing in a tea cart) Tea, anyone?

Yang: How did you not end up in here?

Ren: Professor Goodwitch had the team practice each other's weapons the other week. I learned my lesson from that. These two, however.

Nora: Psh! I did better than last time! And so did Pyrrha!

Pyrrha: (Biting on a leather wallet, Screaming as Jaune relocates her shoulder)

[wing-ed-thing]

Retail Therapy (Kakuzu x Reader)

Synopsis: Deidara has a new partner for a combined effort with the Zombie Combo. However, something about you has Kakuzu heated.

Word Count: 2,123

Tags/Warnings: Violence, Threat of Violence, Probably Language, Gender Neutral Reader

Notes: Kakuzu content is probably some of the best stuff I’ve ever written. Right now I’m watching a video on fried milk. Ever hear of such a thing? Fascinating.

Kakuzu didn’t like being paired up with Hidan, let alone joint missions where he’d have to deal with even more people. Not to say that Kakuzu hated people, because he did, but he never thought that he’d hate anyone more than he absolutely hated you. He hadn’t even met you yet, but he knew at his very core that you would quickly become the bane of his entire existence.

“Shopping?” Kakuzu asked slowly, the word forming on his lips as if he had an aversion to even speaking it. Deidara leaned back on the large bounder that he settled on and stretched his arms up above his head. The blond nodded with a short groan before his hands came to rest behind his head.

“Yep,” he answered, “And for hours too, so I’d get comfortable.” Hidan plopped down on a patch of dirt below, his back and scythe against the side of the rock. Kakuzu glared down at his partner causing Hidan to shrug. To Hidan, if Deidara thought that the three of them would be waiting a while, he would take his word and make himself comfortable. Kakuzu’s attention turned back to Deidara.

“Hours? What possibly could someone be purchasing that takes them hours?” Hidan gazed up from his spot, head tilted back against the surface behind him.

“And we only came like five minutes late too. Who takes off like that?” Kakuzu almost nodded in agreement, but knowing his partner, Hidan would take any excuse to complain. Deidara shrugged, basking in the warmth of the sun and stayed lounging even as a rustling came from the woods. Hidan’s hand immediately reached up to grip the handle of his weapon and Kakuzu took a defensive stance. Deidara’s eyes remained closed.

“Oh hello, boys! I didn’t know you were here!” You sauntered out of the trees, bags hanging from both arms. They were pushed tightly in a line, every other patch of your skin strained by the handles of a different shopping bag. Even in your altered Akatsuki cloak, Kakuzu took a look at you and immediately decided that you were decorated far too ornately and that he’d like to kill you when he had the chance. You were objectively beautiful, but if Kakuzu had his way, Deidara would have to be assigned another partner soon. “You haven’t been waiting for too long, have you?”

“You shouldn’t have left us waiting at all,” Kakuzu glowered, although not any more than usual. Either you didn’t hear him or you ignored him as you walked up to your partner. You plucked a package from one of your more reachable bags.

“I got you something, Dei-dei!” You threw it up to Deidara weakly but he managed to catch it. He opened the small, folded, paper bag. Deidara glanced down at you with a nod of his head and a fold of his lips. He took the neat band in his hand while you looked at him expectantly. “Aren’t they nice? Hair ties. Silk from a small village in the Land of Water.” Deidara held them up to the sun.

“That’s some great quality you found. Thanks.” Your partner glanced down at you again. “Must’ve been one hell of a fight assuming that you got a good price for it.” Kakuzu looked on at your exchange, increasingly beginning to lose his temper.

“Believe me, I did. And I found a ton of other great finds too. I gotta show you—”

“Enough,” Kakuzu growled and you finally turned your attention his way. Hidan had since passed out against the boulder that Deidara sat on. “You’re wasting all our time. The sooner we start, the sooner we can part ways.” You gave Kakuzu a once over with your nose wrinkled in disgust.

“Well someone’s grumpy,” you mused. You rolled your eyes and pointed your nose upward. Huffing, you threw your shopping bags into the air and as they fell, you swiftly unfurled a scroll. Your new items disappeared one by one. You rolled the paper back up, scowling as you slipped the scroll into one of many slots that you wore strapped to your clothing. The pockets ran down the small of you back and you latched the bundle of paper in place with a flip of your nimble fingers. Kakuzu frowned back, tentatively wondering if all the scrolls you carried contained the same amount of shopping bags. You approached him with crossed arms. “Okay then, tough guy. Let’s get started.”

You sat down and summoned a map of the next village. It laid out in front of you and placed your hands on your knees in challenge. Kakuzu sat down on the other side of the map, eyes boring into you. You didn’t budge. And as you began to speak, it was hard to focus, at least for Deidara. Though he supposed he’s seen you this fired up before.

“It would be easier if we lure the jinchūriki outside of the village,” you said, gesturing to the small, unnamed village on the map. It wasn’t large, but just big enough to serve as a maze for your prize. At least you knew the woods better and a jinchūriki was bound to stand out among the trees.

“I can get up some traps,” Deidara added and you nodded.

“Back them into a corner and cage them into a small space—” You nodded again— “We can use some explosives around the area… maybe here?” You pointed to a section of the map outside of the village. You looked up at Deidara. “You’d be our last line of defense when the jinchūriki tries to run.” Deidara smirked and puffed out his chest.

“Leave it to me!”

“We’ll need someone to drive the jinchūriki out of the village,” Kakuzu cut in, not particularly liking how you dominated the strategizing. “I’ll go with Hidan.” While Kakuzu thought that he would stop at nothing to get away from the Jashinist, this had to be a regrettable first. Hidan napped a few feet away.

You raised an eyebrow and scoffed, “You and Hidan? Psh… might as well have Deidara set off fireworks in the sky that spell out ‘single, hot jinchūriki in your a—”

“I can do that!” Deidara cut in before immediately backing down at Kakuzu’s pointed glare, not that he’d show it. You locked eyes with Kakuzu, taking his fiery stare off of your partner.

“I’ll go. You’re too conspicuous and, really, have you seen Hidan? You two would be spotted a mile away.” Kakuzu almost snarled.

“And you wouldn’t?” You let out a short, bitter laugh. Your left arm supported your weight as your knees touched together on the right side of your body. Kakuzu scowled at your blatant lounging. Everything about you challenged him and he hated you for it. Your lids narrowed in a smug smile.

“I’m not the one—” who’s fuckin’ jacked — “ with big-ass black stitches across my whole body.”

“And four faces on his back…” Hidan called out, still half asleep. You turned back to Kakuzu.

“And four faces on his back,” you repeated, much to Kakuzu’s vexation. The sass in your blinks was lost on the older shinobi. He stood, causing you to stand too. Deidara took a hint and retreated. Kakuzu crossed his arms over his chest and he planted his feet on the ground about the same width apart as his broad shoulders. He pointed two fingers at you harshly.

“And you’re—” Gorgeous. — “a brat. I should just kill you right here.” You stood your ground, daring to slap Kakuzu’s hand out of your face.

“As much as I’d like to see you try, tough guy, I’d actually like to do some quality work and get the hell away from you as quickly as I can.” Kakuzu huffed, gritting his teeth underneath his mask.

“Nice to hear that we’re on the same page.”

And with neither of your partners wanting to deal with either of you pissed off, you and Kakuzu were paired together.

***

Deciding that your cloaks were too noticeable, you sealed yours away. Kakuzu kept his draped across his arm, distrust of you evident. You walked down the road together under the late afternoon, waiting for nightfall. You hoped that striking at night would give you not only the surprise advantage, but also minimize the number of clueless civilians that would no doubt wander in your way. But as soon as your eyes fell onto the market, Kakuzu quickly began to wonder if his stubbornness landed him with an even larger headache. But his usual, standoffish demeanor remained the same. Kakuzu’s eyes drifted to their corners as he scowled down at you.

“No.” That was all he said, as if you would actually listen to him and not immediately march in the direction of the market. He reluctantly followed, every reach to hold you back by your robes falling just a bit short each time. By the time you were stopped, too many people surrounded the two of you for him to pull you away without drawing attention. Normally, attention from others wasn’t anything that Kakuzu would be concerned with, but your two teams had their orders and Kakuzu would be damned if he had to spend anymore time with you.

You stood in front of a booth with your hand on your chin. Kakuzu stood next to you, following your gaze to a simple, but sturdy-looking sword. You gingerly picked it up, carefully studying it’s craftsmanship. The man behind the booth leaned over his table, motioning to the piece of merchandise in your hands.

“Ah, you have a good eye, mercenary.” You glanced up at him.

“Land of Earth? Lots of excellent craftsmanship comes from there, I’m not surprised.” You ran your thumb across the dull of the blade. “Antique too, but still hardy.” The merchant nodded pointing to a few spots across the weapon.

“Could get you out of a bind too. Reliable smithing comes from Tsuchi no Kuni.” Kakuzu looked on at the show in front of him. In stark contrast to earlier, you seemed poised and he found you knowledgeable. You appeared calm and competent enough to handle yourself and for a second, Kakuzu became lost in your analysis.

You stepped back, turning the sword around in your hand to feel out the balance. The blade whipped around your body with ease. The seller softly applauded your embellished practice. Kakuzu almost rolled his eyes, but took some comfort in the fact that you were looking to purchase something of quality and not just anything at the very least. You looked down at the weapon with a nod or two before asking the dreaded question.

“So what’s your price?” The merchant didn’t hesitate.

“A hundred thousand ryō.” Kakuzu almost left right there, but a dominant part of him wanted to know what you were going to do. His hands grasped his biceps, his cloak still hanging from his forearm. Kakuzu watched you closely. You shook your head.

“You’re going to give it to me for twenty-five thousand.” The merchant gaped at the outrageous price you named. He sputtered a few times.

“That price is far too low for this quality. You must be joking if you think I’d sell this fine piece of equipment for practically nothing.”

You did name a ridiculous price. Not even Kakuzu could see getting what you wanted for that price without a fair bit of violence and intimidation. But you ripped into that merchant. You ripped into this poor seller like nothing Kakuzu had ever seen before. He didn’t even know if he could call it bartering, but whatever it was, it was likely one of the most skillful things that Kakuzu had ever seen.

He folded his lips under his mask. You didn’t yell. Kakuzu didn’t even find your appearance intimidating in the slightest, yet every point and number the merchant brought up, you countered. And by the end of the intense conversation, if Kakuzu didn’t know any better and had less of a spine, he’d likely be handing the sword over too. The man had long since started sweating, tugging at his collar. If Kakuzu didn’t see it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have believed it as you handed over exactly twenty-five thousand ryō. He almost overlooked the complete waste of money as he still stood stunned, though not outwardly showing any such emotion.

You nestled the sword by your hip and the seller let out a breath of relief by the time you walked away. Kakuzu followed wordlessly next to you as you strutted off in triumph.

Perhaps he misjudged you. He stared, not noticing as he did so.

Yes, you were going to save the organization a fortune.

Notes: “oH mY gOd KaKuzU sAiD hE wAs GoNna KiLl rEader! wHy wOuLd yOu wRiTe sOmEtHiNg sO tOxIc???”... They’re criminal terrorists, Susan.

Thank you to all who liked, reblogged, followed and otherwise supported. Your support means so much and is greatly appreciated.

[themadauthorshatter]

... I just love OTPs, I can't help it.

OTP HEADCANONS: 2020 Edition

These will include the series of Red Queen, Dorothy Must Die, SGE, The Folk of The Air, and Nightmare Before Christmas(I'll throw in the Skellington kids, too, because I love them💙)

MAJOR TW FOR ALL THE EVENTS THAT OCCURED IN 2020, AND THAT INCLUDES QUARANTINE.

RED QUEEN:

At the news of a Pandemic, Mare and Cal are equally confused and scared, but at least they're not on the battlefield.

They hold up in Paradise Valley until the quarantine is lifted.

It starts off fine with them doing puzzles, hiking, and doing some exercises to pass the time. Then 3 weeks pass and both are bored; Mare's bored enough to drink coffee onto of the fridge and Cal's sitting in a chair upside down because fuck court etiquette, he's so bored.

Cal contemplates luring wolves with dinner scraps again.

They had a mini argument that meant nothing because Cal's hair got long and he wanted Mare to cut it, she but only offered to shave his stubble, not cut his hair.

They both get a lot of sleep, and have a lot of nightmares, which they comfort each other from.

They also really enjoy the silence.

Cal gets into poetry and Mare paints. Both are surprised at how good the other is at their new hobbies.

They talk. A lot. It begins awkwardly and ends with the two in each other's arms.

Cal becomes more of a punner, and Mare loves and hates it.

There's tall of getting a dog, but there's one problem: Paradise Valley doesn't have any shelters, and they'll be arrested or forced ro turn back hime, regardless of rank.

Mare grows taller... by 2 inches. She almost killed Cal for how much he laughed.

When they're allowed to go out, Mare often forgets to bring her mask.

Cal's good at remembering their masks.

Mare REFUSES to leave when she hears about the murder hornets.

Cal gets repellent to calm her down.

They also recover some Old Era TV Shows.

ENDLESS quotes from The Office, Friends, and many more shows.

Cal visits Maven's grave more. Mare comes with every now and then, but usually lets him go alone.

They don't usually argue, but those arguments never last.

They tried a bit of ability training, and greed that they should be careful when Mare summoned a bolt of lightning from the sky and Cal almost set fire to everything around them.

They read a lot, too, but Cal reads more than Mare because she falls asleep, usually on him.

DOROTHY MUST DIE:

Nox had no clue what a Pandemic was, or what the big deal was about going outside and not being near people, until Amy explained it.

First day of online school crashed and burned because Nox had NO IDEA what he was doing, which led to Amy 'accompanying' him in classes.

Amy puts her college plans on hold for a little while.

Nox is more emotional and neither of them know how to handle it.

They have more nightmares, since there's nothing to keep their minds busy, but Amy is more reserved about it. Nox prefers to write about what he dreams, anyway.

Nox stays up, from all the nightmares, but Amy sits with him to keep him company.

When Amy heard about the murder hornets, Nox held up a fly swatter and opened all the windows.

Amy does fine, but Nox dies from boredom, when they're done with school. And I don't mean he just sits and groans, he lies face down on the couch as Amy tries to get him up.

They spend A LOT of time in Nox's apartment, and it's literally spotless because Nox is THAT bored.

They binge a lot of TV shows, and Nox falls in love with shows like Peaky Blinders.

They tried watching Game of Thrones. It didn't go well; negative past experiences.

Nox figured out the plot twist to The Umbrella Academy WAY before Amy did.

They watched Heathers and Amy asked Nox what he'd do if she was dealing with trash friends and guys who don't take 'no' for an answer. The look on his face when he asked who it was reminded Amy of who he was before meeting her.

Nox finds YouTube and discovers the guy that makes knives out of anything and makes it his mission to copy each and every video, come Hell or high water.

Amy walked in on him doing this and genuinely wondered if he was okay, and asked if she could help him.

They also binged musicals. Nox isn't a huge music person, but he still loves them; Kansas has its own magic that he finds intriguing.

Amy once found Nox crouching ontop of the fridge while drinking a mug of coffee.

Madison stopped by and dropped off some rhinestones, lash glue, and a tool to apply the stones. Amy spent a lot of time putting the stones on her face while Nox watched, with Madison and Dustin also watching via Facetime, sitting backwards in a chair and wondering what her plan was, even making very Julien Solomita-esque comments, mixed with very 'I used to be a fighter and a spy' comments that made Amy, Madison, and Dustin laugh. Some if those comments:

"I know Glamora told you to lighten up, but I don't she'd expect this."

"If those were real diamonds, you wouldn't need any armor or a weapon. Just headbutt them, and you're good."

"Don't be upset, but it's the beginning of summer, so I don't think winter's coming any time soon."

"Whichever chandelier you made out with, I will find them, damn it."

After a little while, Amy asked if Nox wanted a rhinestone face. He agreed, but only as long as she took out all the red stones. He could handle pink, but no red.

It took them an hour to get the stones off.

Their hair gets long and they agree to cut each other's hair. Nox cuts her hair chin length and Amy tries to be as style his hair. They don't look the best, but they at least look good.

They absolutely watch Unus Annus, and start quoting that.

When they get the news they can go out wearing a mask, Nox got confused and got 3 different masks: a masquerade mask, a normal face mask, and a gas mask, which he wears all the time to annoy Amy.

They do stay in shape as much as possible, but there is evidence that they could have been more active, with their muscles shrinking and both having lost a little weight.

Nox NEVER drops his guard, and quarantine didn't help.

They tried dying their hair, but it didn't work as well as they'd hoped.

SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL:

Tedros worries about Agatha and everyone else, but Agatha keeps him in check.

Crime drops big time, so that's a plus for Tedros and Agatha.

They have more time to breathe, with everyone being inside and avoiding each other.

Tedros hates the quiet at first, but Agatha helps him adjust.

They spend a lot of time wandering the castle and answering whatever call there is, if any.

The SGE is out for a little while, so they don't hear too much from there.

Tedros, without normal king business to distract him, has more nightmares and starts losing sleep because he doesn't want to dream about what's happened to him and his friends.

Agatha has nightmares, too, but she's better at hiding it.

They do talk about it and agree to be more open with what's going on in their heads.

They also agree that they'll help each other through these times.

Tedros helps Agatha with swordplay and Agatha both gets him into reading more and tries to help him with his magic.

Whenever there's something they need outside, Agatha gets it because she's not that afraid of getting sick; she grew up eating frog and lizard soup.

Tedros worries about her, but doesn't really stop her because she's taller, and having fun trying to stop Agatha once she's committed to doing something.

Tedros finds a new hobby: origami.

Agatha doesn't join in, per se, she more watches because she's never seen Tedros be so patient with something.

They play around with each other's hair, as it grows longer. Agatha ties Tedros's hair back and Tedros braids her hair.

They write to Sophie or anyone else, like people who have some sort of report of a crime or complaint duch as infertile soil, so their penmanship improves.

Tedros grows a bit of a stubble and, after some prickly kiss attacks, Agatha threatens to shave it off herself, if he doesn't. It's all in good fun, but she sort of did mean it because his face and cheeks were really scratchy.

Tedros REFUSES to let Agatha go out alone, even when she's masked up.

When they go out, Tedros always carries a sword.

Picnics in the woods.

Star gazing at night.

Agatha starts wearing pants, as an experiment, and her "dresser"/dress designer is APPALLED.

There are times they argue, but they stay together and communicate because relationship goals.

THE CRUEL PRINCE:

At the news of a Pandemic/plague, Cardan ordered all the human servants to get as healthy as they could so they'd be able to go outside. He would accompany them, but they could not let Jude go out.

She's not happy, when she finds out

Cardan asks if she can avoid going to the human world, so she doesn't get sick.

She goes anyway and returns unscathed.

Cardan considers glamoring the human servants to keeep Jude healthy, but Jude almost pincushions him for it.

Anxious? Worried? Psh! Don't be silly. Cardan becomes somethimg if a paranoid maniac because he's scared of Jude getting sick and dying because he's Fae and she's Mortal, so she's more susceptible to illnesses and he doesn't know wnoufh about mortals to get her healthy agaun were she to get sick, but there's nothing wroung with him, really.

Whenever they're not ruling, Jude practices her swordplay while Cardan reads, major plus being that he reads full series to not worry about Jude so much.

Jude helps Cardan with sword fighting, using wooden practice swords not metal, and Cardan helps her try to get into reading, reading to her as she rests her head on his chest when she doesn't want to read read.

Cardan discovers manga and graphic novels and is too confused for Jude NOT to laugh; "He's in armor made if IRON. How is he able to fly!?" "I've seen a lot people different people, and none of them have made this face." "... So is Spiderman THIS one or THIS one?"

Sword practice usually ends with Cardan on the ground exhausted while Jude simply stands and chuckles for him to get up.

Cardan doesn't get beat smd scarred, he gets poked and minorly bruised, which he was not ready for because of how he was treated by Balekin.

One day, while Cardan was reading some Sherlock Holmes, Jude slipped hoop bracelets on and tied ribbons to his tail, at least as many as she could before she got caught; she only realized as such when his tail started flicking out of her reach and curling around her wrist, and saw Cardan grinning at her.

They do visit Taryn and Vivi still, but Cardan only wears a mask to remind Jude, who does not forget ever.

Cardan thinks about his 'friendship' Nicasia, Locke, and Valerian and semi-realizes that Valerian and Locke may have been using him while Nicasia was at least a little genuine.

They talk about Locke and equally wish that they had helped Taryn in killing Locke. If not, then they wish that they at least watched. They agreed that if time travel was real, Jude could help Trayn kill Locke and Cardan could watch, as long as he helped dispose of the body.

They laughed at that a couple minutes later.

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS(Featuring the Skellington kids(I'd say Skull Kids, but I feel like Skull Kid(s) was taken)):

Jack knows what a Pandemic is; he lived through one while he was alive.

Sally knew it would happen because she knows one happens about every two hundred years/whenever a year ends in 20.

The triplets know what a plague is, but have never seen one actually happen.

When they explored the human world at night and noticed there were absolutely no humans in sight, Luna reminded her brothers that the humans were told to stay inside to prevent any spreading.

Jacob takes the opportunity to MAKE SURE people actually stay inside.

Pro: he got Instagram famous. Con: Jack and Sally were not happy at all with how reckless he was.

Let's say, for the sake of the story, Halloween had to be cancelled worldwide because regulation and a need for things to get better.

Upon hearing the news of Halloween getting cancelled, Jack was very salty about it; "Why cancel Halloween, if the 4th of July was still allowed to be celebrated?"

All of Halloween Town was very upset; the living are so fragile, it ruins the fun of scaring them.

The Mayor was in deep, DEEP distress, but Jack made it up to him, and the rest of the town, by saying next year's Halloween would be ine no one would ever forget, and it's not because he's 'borrowing' a holiday again, it's because they'll all have a year of scaring shenanigans built up inside them all that will make up for what was missed.

Everyone rejoiced and Jack, once he got back inside his house with his wife and children, sighed and mentally kicked himself for saying no one would forget next year's Halloween; there was one Halloween in particular he sure as hell isn't forgetting any time soon.

Daemon's carving more intricate pumpkins and plans on giving the humans mini-scares so they keep quarantining, hiding a 'surprise' for any entitled Karens he finds.

Luna is the most obedient of the triplets by staying in Halloween Town and instead studying what she calls a 'counter-plague' so there's no need for a Pandemic; she refuses to call it a vaccine because that would imply sje wants to help the humans that shot down and could have killed her dad. She still has a bone to pick.

Jack doesn't spiral out like in the movie, he has Sally to help and the triplets to keep his mind busy.

While Jacob and Daemon keep the humans from leaving their houses, Luna researches the current events and learns of murder hornets that are large, sting like all hell, and cause death to anyone unfortunate enough to get stung.

Jack gets very intrigued and they collect as many as they can and keep them in a jar, but take one out to study it.

They were not impressed; murder hornets? Jack has seen worse.

Since there wasn't a Halloween, Jack decided to walk through the streets, seeing as how Daemon and Jacob already did a lot of the scaring for him(thise little shits). He had to admit, it was nice to walk in the night and only hear the animal sounds and not screams.

Luna did not find a 'counter-plague,' even with Sally's help, but she did discover some poisons she could use against her brothers. Sally made her promise not to do so.

On the Halloween night where nothing happened, Jack took his family out to a picnic/star gazing session. Genuinely one of his favorite Halloweens to date.

HENRY STICKMIM COLLECTION:

Henry and Ellie knew it was going to happen and were more than surprised to also see Charles planning ahead by making a list for what they needed, even admitting he'd been following the news and rumors and stocking up on ADD medicine so he wouldn't have to go out to get them.

The other soldiers weren't worried until they were told to go home and take a break for a little bit.

Triple Threat wasn't really effected until day 24.

On day 1, they just hung out and were relatively calm, working online, doing workouts to stay fit, and just being as normal as possible.

On day 24, all three are more than a little bored. Henry's bored enough to andwer calls from telemarketers and prank them, Ellie's contemplating bleaching her hair with peroxide, and Charles is playing with fidget toys he's bough and collected over the years, though he's doing it more because he's a little stressed than bored.

Henry and Ellie are surprised to this this, but Charles admits he used to bite his nails a lot, but stopped after a LONG while.

Speaking of names, Ellie paints hers and the boys', though while Henry paints his in clear coat, Charles paints one hand black and the other in red, mint, and glittery pink on one nail because try stopping him.

It makes Ellie laugh and pisses off Henry so much.

Ellie gets calls from her family saying they want her to come home, or closer to home, because they're worried and she instead blocks their numbers.

They watch a lot of horror movies as a reason to stay inside.

When they get bored of American horror and try Japanese, Asian, and more western horror movies.

Instant regret.

They watched the movie Audition and Henry looked at a very unimpressed Charles, who said the antagonist was being sloppy, and hid all the kitchen knives, saws, and sharp and blunt objects, including tools(must've remembered Human Piece).

He stopped after a week of Charles being himself and literally shaking at Hannibal Lecter as they watched the Silence of The Lambs series.

All three open up more about their lives. It's ugly, there's yelling, conflicting life philosophies, and even some insults thrown. Henry admits that gotten screwed over by the law enough times while fending for himself to have as little faith in it as possible, Ellie admits she ran away from home and would rather die than go back because of how tight of a leash they kept her on, and Charles admits that while he has thought about quitting on the government and turning to a life of crime, he never did because that would have been to easy of a choice. Training for the military was and still is hard as hell, which Henry and Ellie can tell because Charles can physically do more than them(if they ran a mile, Henry and Ellie would be exhausted and Charles wouldn't even be out of breath), but he's never given up on it because he knew his parents would skin him, if they were still alive.

There were tears at the end, and the team all needing to be alone for a little bit, but they were back together and agreed to be a little more open with each other, since they were a team now.

[dreamkidddream]

I really enjoyed your writing on the ADA members with a younger sibling like partner <33 I was wondering if you could write the same scenario but with Chuuya and Fyodor? Except the younger partner in question has a rough past and cheery/joking personality similar to Dazai(?) I'm super excited to see more of your writing!! c:

Hi anon! Thank you for the compliment and for reading (here’s the scenario for those that want to read it)! The only difference is that instead of this reader being pure, they’re going to be like a mini Dazai (or at least similar to him). One change that I did make was that Reader isn’t as suicidal as Dazai (ie. constantly trying to find a way to end their life), but Reader is ready to go whenever and wherever, whether it’s on their terms or not. Reader is gender neutral and hope you enjoy!

Also ayyyeeee my first time writing for Fyodor! Hope I did him justice cause his part took a while lol

TW: Mentions of suicide, dark moments (Reader is a bit sadistic, but nothing graphic is mentioned) small spoilers for Dark Era arc and Season 3

Acting as a Younger Sibling with a Rough Past and Personality Similar to Dazai with: Chuuya and Fyodor

Chuuya

Well he was extremely disturbed to say the least. Okay extremely may be over exaggerating, but the way you acted got underneath his skin bad

You reminded him too much of Dazai, minus the suicide attempts and the animosity towards him. Although that didn’t stop the morbid jokes from happening

“Hey Chu-Chu, what did the librarian say to the guy that wanted to check out a book on how to commit suicide?”

“How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that!-“

“Go away, you’re not going to bring it back. HA! A knee slapper, am I right?”

He wondered if Dazai got to you first like he did Akutagawa, and if he did, that was just another reason to strangle him

You were his partner, and you were young. So seeing the way you interacted with everyone and everything with such a pessimistic attitude while still being cheery was alarming

Not to mention how easy it is for you to just readily accept death at every turn. You’re the literal embodiment of “guess I’ll die” and it drives Chuuya up the wall every time

He remembers the one time an enemy held you hostage how you were so cheerful to finally be rid of this joke you called a life, and that you told the guy who was holding a gun to your head to “put it between the eyes, it looks 10x better that way.” And “don’t be afraid to blow my brains out either! But you do you, but I think it’s a rather stylistic choice if I do say so myself.”

The man thought you were trying to distract him at first, but when he figured out that you were serious he honestly got so nervous he was ready to just let you go and suggest therapy lmao

After he handled the situation, he took you directly under his wing. Sure, you were already his partner, but he was really going to look out for you including outside of work. If it meant that he had to “babysit” you, then oh well

Plus he didn’t want to face Mori if he just let you die while under his care

You realized what he was trying to do when you two would go off to “collect information” and would be doing the complete opposite. “Hey, I’m kinda hungry, let’s take a break and grab a bite to eat.”

“I thought we had to get this info back to Mori ASAP. Not that I care if he’s mad, he’s been holding out on me and this is the perfect way to take revenge.”

“Holding out how?”

“I told him that since he’s a doctor he would be the perfect teacher to show me some new techniques.”

“...on?”

“Torturing, duh! My methods are getting kinda stale, and I do want to perfect my craft after all. I want to be good at something before I kick the bucket, Chu.”

Poor man is honestly in so much distress because of you please help him

And the way you interacted with the other members was both entertaining and horrifying to watch at times. Majority of the time, you were this happy go lucky kid with a dark sense of humor (you still made people smile, although sometimes it was tense or apprehensive, but whatever a smile is still a smile). But when you were having a bad day or a mission was going wrong, everyone knew to steer clear of you.

A new recruit tried to cheer you up one day, telling you that “it could always be worse”. You then got pulled into the office with a very angry Chuuya and a mildly disappointed Mori.

Chuuya finally had enough after months of this occurred. It was like a never ending cycle: except your behavior was getting increasingly more reckless and dangerous. It was driving him crazy trying to figure out why you were this way and if it was any way to snap you out of it

He wasn’t a stranger to death, he’s seen it with his own two eyes, end even killed people with his bare hands. But the huge difference between you two is that he didn’t particularly enjoy killing, if it had to be done then he had no problems doing so; it comes with the job y’know? But with you, you took actual pleasure in killing. It filled you with a sick sense of glee, and it even made his stomach turn

The bond between you two grew from just a typical work relationship (as far as working in the mafia goes). He knew that from underneath your rather concerning persona, you were just troubled. Someone or something made you this way, and while he had his own troubles growing up, he was able to deal with it and overcome his issues. It just seemed like you just...gave in to yours. And it made him feel pity for you.

You didn’t mind Chuuya at all. You actually liked being his partner! He was pretty much the only person that you didn’t feel a need to harm or kill. And he was fun to be around, when he wasn’t being such a party pooper (I mean what’s the point of being in the mafia when you can’t purposely spill some blood every now and then for fun?). The only thing you didn’t like was how he would try and get you to talk about your past. You honestly didn’t see a point in it, it’s called the past for a reason, why didn’t he understand that?!

But no matter how many times you would shut down or try to change the subject, he would always try again, and again, and again. It was very annoying. And you didn’t like to talk about it. Why didn’t Chuuya understand that?!

Eventually, his pestering worked. One day after a rough mission when he had to patch you up, you opened up to him. You didn’t immediately tell him everything, but you gave him small insights to what happened, to what lead you to be this way

You could tell that he was grateful that he was finally getting somewhere with you. And you yourself was surprised that your dynamic didn’t change. He didn’t look at you with sympathy in his eyes, he didn’t baby you, he wasn’t disgusted by you, everything was normal. The only difference is that Chuuya told you that it was okay to talk to him, and that you shouldn’t be scared to approach him (psh you scared, yeah okay)

Chuuya felt like a weight lifted off his shoulders once you opened up. You were still a bit sadistic (but you did tone it back after the recruit incident, and after you saw how repulsed he looked, so you just did everything behind closed doors now) and had your cheery persona on, but it felt a little bit more real now. It felt genuine. It gave him a good feeling to see some spark in your eyes instead of the full he felt himself getting used to. And he would never say it to you, but it also gave him a warm feeling with him being your role model (you knew but didn’t want to burst his bubble yet)

Your change wasn’t very noticeable at first, but that’s okay. No one needed to know, it was fine with just you and Chuuya. You still felt the desire to just be done with life, but it wasn’t your focus whenever you were with him. You hadn’t made peace with your past yet, but you felt you could one day with him by your side. He was someone that you didn’t knew you needed (or wanted to admit to), but it worked out in the end. You had doubts that you could or would ever change, but if you did, growing to be someone like Chuuya would’nt be the worst possible outcome

Plus, whenever he did run into Dazai with his new sidekick, he is 10000% bragging about how much better and cooler you are, with him being the superior between them both. He can’t WAIT till you guys can whoop their ass

Fyodor

Well weren’t you such an interesting character

To see someone as young as you ready to just leave this world in an abrupt way was intriguing, and he realized that he could use this to his advantage. Maybe even give you something to gain in exchange

He found you hiding inside a disgusting abandoned building (a fitting place for a rat if he would say so himself), drenched in blood. Fyodor didn’t necessarily care why, but he was curious about one thing: why were you smiling? Your eyes were so lifeless, yet here you were smiling so bright, as if you weren’t covered in someone’s blood

Fyodor found himself smiling down at you. Did you think he was prey, that he was going to be your next target? He wanted you to try, he wanted to see what you were really capable of

“Tell me, what is going to be your next move? Do you wish to attack me?”

“If you do something that I don’t like, then yes, that’s the plan. Why are you here Mister? You wanna have some fun too?”, your smile turned into a smirk, twirling your very sharp knife in your hand. “You’re not even from here, so why are you trying to bother such an innocent kid like me?”

He matched your smirk, “You are from innocent, child, even a blind man can see that. To see just how full of sin you are. This wasn’t your first atrocity that you committed nor would it be your last. Which is a shame, it might be too late for me to cleanse you of your filth.”

Oh, he was going to be very amusing to mess with. But you weren’t stupid. Something wasn’t right with this man. No one would walk up to someone with copious amounts of blood on them, holding a weapon that caused said blood, while berating them about being “full of sin”. What was his ability? Did he have people with him? Was the building surrounded or booby trapped? These questions swirled around your head, all while he just kept smirking at you. He was pissing you off, who the hell did he think he was?

But you kept your anger at bay, plastering a cheerful smile on your face. “Sin? Cleanse me of my filth? I guess I do kinda stink but who exactly do you think you are, some type of God?”

“That’s exactly what I am. I’m here to free this world from this wretched curse that has been brought upon.”

...huh? Did-did he escape from the asylum or something? Did he seriously believe himself to be a God (not even a prophet but an actual God)? Seeing your confusion, he continued on, “The curse of ability users. They plague this Earth, and they need to be eliminated.”

“Why is that? What’s wrong with having abilities? Hellooooo, some people’s abilities are actually pretty cool! If you just have a terrible ability, it’s your problem, not the world-“

“Why not let me show you why it’s indeed a curse?”

“And how would you do that? You must be crazy if you think I’m going anywhere with you. I may be dangerous but I’m not dumb!”

“You poor, misguided soul.”, he tutted at you. “Look at where you have ended up at. These people with these so called “cool abilities” have failed you, have they not? Yet you still idolize them, not believing that they are the reason for your misfortunes. If they were truly your idols, they wouldn’t have left you to fend for yourself, to live among the rats. They left you to rot, do you not see that?”

He was hitting too close to home, he was getting too personal, too close. He didn’t know you at all, you’re a complete stranger to him, but why did his words hold some truth to them?

“Come with me, and I will prove to you first hand why this has to be done.”, he was now physically close to you, staring you deep into your eyes. “It would be such a waste for you to die without knowing the truth, wouldn’t you agree?”

You didn’t have much, he wasn’t wrong. But if he could take you somewhere with real food and not scraps you had to fight to find, and to have real shelter, then fine. You agreed. And if you felt that something was up, you’ll just kill him, run away, or both

After he took you away, he kept to his word. It seemed like he was really was telling the truth, you getting first-hand experience like he promised. It was scary that he was right, but you were also indebted to him. He not only allowed you to live in luxury (at least it was luxury to you considering what you had before), but he opened your eyes to what the true problem is. He gave your life a new purpose. If you two were able to successfully complete his goal, then your problems would be gone forever right? You would finally be able to feel a sense of peace, and you can’t wait till that could happen

You and Fyodor, after he opened your eyes, bonded easier than in the beginning. You were smart enough to not fully trust him after leaving with him, but after just a couple of pulled strings to cause certain things to happen, you slowly melted and molded into the way that he planned. You would be an excellent pawn in his grand plan, and you would do well in keeping him entertained at the same time

You were a joyful child, even when carrying out his dirty work, you did so gleefully. After joining the Rats in the House of the Dead, you tried to spread that joy among the other members. They didn’t find it very amusing, but you didn’t care and neither did Fyodor. You were far too important to let go of now

You were always by him, it seemed. Always in the same space, whether he was planning his next move, and playing the cello, you were always there with this look of awe directed at him. Every time he would catch you staring, he would simply chuckle and softly reprimand you about, “how rude it is to stare, but you simply can’t help it.”

He even taught you how to play the cello!

You sounded terrible but practice makes perfect

As time went on and the end goal seeming to be closing in, he came to see you as more than just an expendable tool. He found out about your past, but simply proved to you once again why you two had to make sure the curse was ridden as soon as possible. No one wanted a repeat of what happened to you to happen to anyone else, so the mission had to be success. Failure was not an option

Fyodor didn’t see himself as a cruel man towards you. He just didn’t mince his words and he made sure that you were dealing with the truth, and not some lie that was attempted to be twisted as reality. If anything, that was the way that he showed that he held some compassion for you, he wasn’t willing to let you be lead astray from the truth again, not while he was here. You had somehow wiggled your way into his mind, where he had been accepting of your close bond, and he took that into consideration

Once his goal is achieved and he has truly made his place known as a God, he’ll make sure that you gain your rightful place among him as well. You were worthy in Fyodor’s eyes, and as long as nothing came in between your bond and the end goal, then everything will work out. He will make sure of that.

[nitewrighter]

In hindsight, Deadlock Rebels kind of makes McCree come off as a jerk when he takes Ashe's motorcycle (and keychain).

McCree: C'mon, Ashe, You know I wouldn't throw anything at you I didn't think you could handle. Honor among thieves and all that.

Ashe: ...you blew up Bob's body, Jesse. And you left me, an albino, tied up in the sun on a slow-moving hover-dolly without water in the middle of the gotdang Mojave.

McCree: And you handled that!

Ashe: You took my bike because you lost or trashed your last transport, huh?

McCree: Psh. No. I certainly wasn't stranded at that diner eating stale pie for 3 days straight while I prayed you picked up that tip about the weapons shipment.

[tack-tick]

First Crack

ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31025765

Wrote an SBI Swap One-shot. Mainly becasue Phil and Techno’s relationship gets basically destroyed in this AU and this is the beginning of that. Also, this is the start of Techno’s issues down the line.

So yeah very important fic in the SBI Swap. Thanks to @sleepy-bois-incorporated for beta-reading this fic! They’ve got some good fics that I highly recommend you read!

Thanks for reading and it’s under the cut! It’s about 2.4K words!

Techno was so ready to stop taking care of this farm. Sure, he enjoyed potato farming but there’s only so long you can work on the same farm without getting bored.

He stretched as he finally loaded the last of the potatoes into a sack for him to take back to his base. Techno glanced at the clock stuck on the dirt wall and winced at the time. If he’d known, it was so late would have left earlier. He heard the mocking of Chat, with mummers of “Technolate!”

He heaved the sack of potatoes over his shoulder and started the trek from Pogtopia to his secret base. He used to just stay in his room here but he had decided he needed some space. Well, that was what he had told Phil.

He wouldn’t say him and Phil were fighting, that was a pretty strong word after all. It was more like they had been having… disagreements. Almost every day. For a couple of months. That more often than not ended in the two shouting at each other before someone, most likely Tommy, would yell at them to shut up.

So yeah, Techno could admit that things were a bit rocky between him and Phil. That was only because Phil had become a paranoid fool down here. He was working with Dream, of all people! He had been saying they were the bad guys and that he was going to blow it up and all this other nonsense. Techno has given up two whole lives for this and there was no way he was letting Phil throw it all away!

Techno stopped and took a breathe. No, he was getting worked up again and it couldn’t help that he could hear Chat started to get worked up too, causing red to spread at the edge of his vision.

Even if Phil had been acting very different than normal, Techno couldn’t just leave him behind. Phil had gotten screwed over by so many people and there was no way Techno would add another knife in his back. It was why him and Ranboo hadn’t just run off to the cabin in the woods. Far away from wars and duels, where Wilbur and Fundy were safely tucked away.

He wished he told Ranboo to go without him. He stopped in front of the hole that separated Ranboo’s room from the main area. He didn’t really know why his feet had taken him there but he might as well check on him. After all, Ranboo was his… brother? Maybe? Techno wasn’t sure but Chat was awfully protective of him after the whole fireworks in the chest thing.

Techno poked his head into the room and saw Ranboo sleeping on his bed straight ahead. His arms were still wrapped up tight with white bandages but at least he wasn’t having a bad dream tonight. Techno could see the faint glow of the purple burn scars on his face and through the bandages. Ranboo had said that was just an enderman thing.

“Looks fine to me, Chat,” Techno whispered and he left the room. Certainly better than a couple of weeks ago. Techno continued on past Phil’s room and heard the faint caws of the injured crows Phil kept in there. He hoped that they would get better soon, considering that Phil hadn’t cleaned that room for months now. As Techno was about to go around the corner, he heard whispering.

He summoned his sword from his inventory and pressed his back against the wall. He inches closer to the edge and tried to make out what the voices were.

“Come on Phil, he hardly looks in these chests!” Tommy said with a whine. Techno slumped a little in relief. He put the sword back in his inventory. While he would normally confront Tommy about stealing his stuff again, he really didn’t feel like it tonight. Besides, he could let Phil handle this one. He casually leaned against the wall. If Tommy wouldn’t budge, he’d step in and make it two against one.

“Tommy, I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t piss him off,” Phil said. Techno heard the opening of a chest lid and the annoyed sigh of Phil.

“Ah, but that’s the best part Phil!” Tommy said with a small chuckle.

“Tommy, we need to keep Techno at our side,” Phil said and Techno frowned at the unfortunately familiar paranoia in his voice. Was he really paranoid of even him? Sure, he’d talked about how they couldn’t even trust Ranboo. It was what one of their bigger arguments had been about but surely Phil knew that Techno would never in a million years betray him.

It was why he hadn’t just left all of this behind when Ranboo had asked if they should run away.

“Techno? Psh, that’s about as likely as me betraying Tubbo or Wilbur,” Tommy said flippantly. He heard the chest lid close and creak as he assumed Tommy was leaning on it. “Besides, we’ve gotta stick together! We’re family!”

The silence seemed to fill the room as Techno waited for Phil to agree.

“Right, Phil?” Tommy said, his voice softer and more hesitant than it had been before.

“I mean, I wouldn’t say we need Technoblade exactly,” Phil said, slowly and thoughtfully. The chest creaked again as Tommy presumably shot to his feet.

“Let me finish,” Phil said with a small yet dark laugh. “I said we don’t need Technoblade but,”

“We do need The Blood God,”

Techno had clamped his hand over his mouth in a desperate effort to not cry out, to not scream. He slid down the wall and onto the floor, his back against the wall. Chat was ringing in his ears, their voices mixed with rage and grief.

How long? How long had Phil been thinking of him like this? When had Phil started thinking of him as just a weapon to fight for him?

Techno tried to focus back on the conversation, but everything in his head was too loud.

Sure, people had used him before but most of the time they were honest. Pay him to go fight something then separate. He was fine with that but sometimes it seemed like he had made a real friend. Then, when the fighting was done they just… left.

Not Phil though, never Phil. Phil had been the one to save him from himself when he was just a kid and Phil had been the one who had held him tight when Chat got out of control.

A sharp slam on a wall wrenched him back to reality.

“Are you fucking serious Phil?” Said Tommy. “He’s not a fucking weapon, he’s a person!”

“I don’t need a person right now!” Phil said. “People stab you in the back but weapons never do!”

Techno heard Phil chuckle at that but it wasn’t the warm laugh from the old days when him and his brothers would bicker about something stupid. No, it was darker, the one he used when he insisted that they needed to be the bad guys and blow it all to kingdom come. When Phil insisted that they couldn’t trust Ranboo, even after he got himself blown up with a damn firework because of his spying for them.

“Phil, you’re starting to freak me out a little,” said Tommy and Phil let out a bark of laughter at that.

“Oh am I?” He said, “What, you gonna run back to Wilbur? I thought you wanted excitement!”

“Phil, this isn’t you! Stop saying this shit about him!” Tommy said and Techno heard two steps on the floor. Whether it was two steps forward or two steps back he wasn’t sure.

“Stop being a naive child, Tommy,” Phil said, “I can’t afford to be too personal with anyone anymore and The Blood God is the best fighter on this entire server and you know it!” There was a sharp bang on the chest lid. “If he decides he wants to work with Manberg, we’re fucked!”

“Surely you know Techno would never do that,” Tommy said. “Surely, you know how hurt he would be if he knew what you’re saying right now!”

“I don’t care how he feels. As long as he can fight, that’s all I need,”

With that, Techno heard the flap of wings and he guessed that Phil had flown off. He heard the sound of running and then everything was quiet.

However, quiet never lasted long and Techno held his hand against his mouth even tighter as the Char roared in his head.

“Used us!” “Lied to us!” “How could he…” “We trusted him!” “Kill him!”

Techno stumbled to his feet. He was still clutching the potato sack and his knuckles had turned white. He started walking then he was running.

He had to get out of this suddenly too small ravine right now. His vision was flashing red and Chat was only getting louder and louder by the second. He bit his lip in order to keep quiet even as he tasted blood on his tongue.

He finally reached the winding stairs and ran up them, almost tripping on his cloak. He got upstairs and flung the door open. The cool, fresh air of the night hit him and he was never so grateful in his life for it.

He wasn’t in the clear yet, however. He still had to get to his base. He started walking through the woods. Chat had quieted down a bit but now he had a headache that rang through his skull.

He got to the river and dove in. He swam down the bottom and opened the trapdoor. With that he finally landed in his base.

He sat down on the couch in the… oh.

He was in the living room. The one place that Phil had helped him decorate before he had started acting unlike himself. It was filled with potted plants and a cozy rug on the floor. It didn’t match because they had been forced to smuggle out old furniture that had been thrown out. He sighed and put his head in his hands. He sniffed when he felt a strange wetness on his cheeks. Did he have a leak on the ceiling again?

He wiped his cheek and he realized.

“Oh,” Techno quietly said. He was crying. He wiped his cheeks again.

“Who else is…” he muttered to himself. He thought he had finally found a group of people that wouldn’t use him. He had trusted all of them. He really had!

He… he had trusted Phil. What a fool he was.

He got up from the couch with a jolt and started pacing the room.

“I gave up everything for his fucking country!” He said, his vision getting redder and redder by the minute. “What else is he lying to me about?” His pacing was getting faster and faster.

“I don’t need him!” He said with a watery laugh. Chat was in his ears fully now but they were being so loud. They were being so loud, too loud. He couldn’t hear anything. His eyes were burning and why the hell was he still crying for someone who he wasn’t sure had ever cared about him.

“SHUT UP!” He yelled and slammed his fist against the stone wall. He stood there, with his fist in the wall and trying to catch his breath. Cracks spread from the fist like veins.

Suddenly, Techno felt something small on his chest. Still leaning against the wall, he used his other hand to reach down and grip it.

Oh, he’d almost forgotten he had this. He looked down at the small emerald necklace in the palm of his hand. The emerald was lined with gold.

Techno remembered this. Him and Phil had found these on one of their many adventures. They had found a village and Phil borrowed an anvil to carve something into them.

He called them Friendship Emeralds. He remembered they had laughed at the cheesiness of it, but Techno had still kept his. All this time, he had made sure the emerald necklace had stayed around his neck.

He clutched the necklace tighter. Did Phil still have his? Had he thrown it away?

He had promised Phil the world once and he gave it to him. So why was Phil going to take what he had given him and render it useless?

With an angry yet sorrowful roar, Techno ripped the necklace off and threw it across the room. It hit the wall with a crack.

“Oh no,” Techno said and he immediately went to where he saw it shimmering on the ground. Chat’s laughter filled his head.

“Serves him right!” “Ha, emerald is gone!” “Technothrow!”

“Please don’t be broken, please don’t be broken,” he muttered to himself as he bent down to examine it. He sighed in relief. Despite little bits of emerald surrounding it, the core was still intact. All that was there was a long, thin crack that stretched from the top to the bottom. Techno stuffed it in his cloak’s pocket. He’d have to find a replacement gold chain later.

Techno just sat on the floor. No, he had to start thinking straight. Even if Phil said those things about him, that didn’t mean he was giving up on him. He was only messed up because of the war and being stuck in Pogtopia for such a long time. However, even Techno wasn’t sure what Phil would do in a week’s time. After the fighting was finally over and they had reclaimed their country. They would get back L’Manberg, no doubt in his mind about that. If Phil decided to do something stupid, then who could talk him out of it?

Suddenly, Techno knew exactly who he needed to write to. He could hear that Chat had the same idea and was saying his name over and over again.

Techno quickly got up and rummaged through a chest and found a pen and paper. He sat down on the couch and started writing a letter in what was probably the worst handwriting he’d ever write but that didn’t matter. He had to get this letter to him as fast as possible.

The person who was supposed to be here in the first place. Who hadn’t come becasue he had a son to take care of. Who had the charisma and charm to convince anybody to do practically anything. Who was one of the smartest people Techno knew. The one person who Phil would never think would have any reason to betray him.

“Dear Wilbur…”

[yet-another-fan-girl9]

Different Worlds (1)

Summary: You’re the youngest Winchester, a girl who needs to show her big brothers that she doesn’t need help. Then one day, on a totally normal vampire hunt that you had all under control, three meddling Avengers come barging in.

Warnings: language, violence, complete canon divergence, slow burn

Word Count: 2227

A/N: Opps, I started another Bucky x reader series... This one isn’t going to have an update schedule, just whenever I finish a chapter.

~*~

Chapter 1: Vamps & Avengers & and Hunters, Oh My!

“I don’t know, Steve.” Bucky shook his head and looked at the file. “Just seems like a serial killer. Some guy that’s fucked in the head. Not really our stuff, especially when we’ve got Hydra on the run.”

“This is the third decapitation in a few days,” Steve protested, ignoring his friend’s swear. “It’s just over in Poughkeepsie. We can always drop it if we hear anything on Hydra.”

“Fine,” the brunet grumbled. “But only because I’m tired of sittin’ round on my ass.”

The pair, mostly Steve, was able to recruit Sam to go on their little escapade to Poughkeepsie. Bucky wasn’t thrilled to be joined by the Falcon, but could he ever really say no to Steve? The trio packed their bags for a quick investigation and made their way down to the hanger.

“So.” Steve pulled up images on a screen once they were in the air. “All three victims have one thing in common. They all hang around this bar, whether they’re a patron or an employee.” The images showed the three victims entering or exiting the bar. Then the pictures changed to display a multitude of young women. “All of these women went missing and their last known location was this bar.”

“Maybe this isn’t a serial killer,” Sam suggested. “Maybe they’re a vigilante.”

“Yeah,” Bucky reluctantly agreed. “Serial killers usually leave their victims worse than just missing their heads. This shit’s too calm.”

“What could be worse than missing your goddamn head?” Sam raised his eyebrow as Steve sighed, ready to intervene.

“For one there’s tor—”

“The bar’s closed until three-thirty,” Steve talked over his friend, “so we have just under two hours to search the place.”

The other two men nodded and they checked their weapons before they left the quinjet. Bucky took the lead and led them to the employee’s entrance in the back. Uh oh. This wasn’t a promising beginning. There was already one decapitated body by the dumpster and another one propping the door open. They pulled open the door and stepped over the corpse. All three men had their guards up as they followed the trail of headless bodies.

Everything was quiet, but if the two supersoldiers strained their ears, they could hear faint grunts in the direction the bodies were leading them. They walked through a corridor that seemed to lead into the building next to the bar. Eventually, Sam was able to hear the sounds of struggle. The team came to the end of the corridor and into a large, open room.

The source of the sounds was a woman lying on the ground while a large man with his back to the trio wrapped his hands around her neck. The woman was reaching for a bloodied machete that was just out of reach. No doubt that it was the machete that did the decapitating.

“Hey,” Sam shouted, but the man was too focused on the woman below him.

Bucky fired two bullets into the man’s back. The man did not collapse like the soldier was expecting, but it did grab his attention.

~*~

The vamps had just kept coming.

Okay, so maybe you didn’t expect such a big colony. And maybe you should have called someone for backup. And maybe one vamp got their jaws around your upper, dominant arm as you were swinging your machete around. But in your defense, he was really tall and strong. Other than that, your solo mission was going great.

Right now you were reaching for your machete that was knocked out of your injured hand by tall and strong’s taller and stronger brother. Said vamp had his beefy hands around your neck and was baring his fangs at you. Every time you saw the mess of pointed teeth, you wondered how the media had gotten vampires so fucking wrong that it was laughable.

“Hey!”

Someone else was in the room. Or multiple people. You could see three figures around the arm of your assailant. Then you heard the sound of a gun going off. Twice. Like that would do anything. Fortunately, the vampire released his hold on your neck and retracted his fangs to face the newcomers.

Your hand wrapped around the machete’s handle and with a swift swing of your uninjured, non-dominant hand, off with the fucker’s head. As the vamp collapsed due to the lack of his head, you cradled your injured arm and inspected the three new people.

They were all men, two with guns and one with a red, white, and blue shield. Just as you were wondering why they looked familiar, the shield registered in your mind.

“You’re the Avengers,” you stated obviously. You weren’t overly educated in the so-called ‘Earth’s mightiest heroes,’ but their names had appeared often enough that you were able to tell who was who.

“Ma’am,” Captain America stepped forward and lowered his shield slightly. Slightly but not all the way. Their guards were still up. “Are you okay?”

“Huh?” Oh, your arm. It was starting to sting and throb. “Oh, this? Psh, it’s nothing.”

“Steve, we should take her in,” the man with shoulder-length brown hair said to the Captain. The Winter Soldier. “She killed all those people.” He didn’t take his eyes off you.

You narrowed your eyes back at him. Take you in? Honestly, hunters didn’t like the Avengers. Sure they saved the world from alien invasions (the fact that aliens existed was like a big ‘fuck you’ in the supernatural world) and from homicidal robots, but hunters faced worse odds every day. All without glory, as every hunter would point out.

“Yeah, that’s a no.” You took a step back. There was another door behind you and your car was parked just down around the corner.

“Yeah, but you fucking killed like ten people,” the Falcon gestured around vaguely. Another step back.

“No, I didn’t.” Step.

“Uh, I think the eviden— wait!” The Soldier was cut off by your sudden movement.

You had turned and ran out the door, which was thankfully a push. Yes, you knew that Captain America and the Winter Soldier were enhanced to be stronger and faster or whatever, but you had lots of practice running away from things that were faster than regular people. You were also smaller and therefore more agile. You’ve taken a physics class once; you knew how aerodynamics work.

As you rounded the corner, you could hear three sets of footsteps behind you. Your dark blue ‘79 Chevy Camaro was within reach. Keys at the ready, you skillfully unlocked your car before hastily starting it. With a sigh of relief, the three members of the Avengers were very close to catching you, you pulled out onto the street while ignoring the incessant honking of a taxi you had just cut off. You chuckled as you watched them in the rearview mirror as they gave up the chase.

~*~

“How did she get away?” Bucky shook his head. The local police were loading up the bodies, fourteen in total, and he heard that the FBI would be involved.

“We didn’t expect her to run,” Sam tried to save his pride. “She was also so much faster than I was expecting.”

“Are you ready to head back?” Steve walked over. They all had to give their statements to the police. They nodded and made to enter the quinjet but an officer running up to them stopped them in their tracks.

“I couldn’t help but overhear,” the officer started before pausing for a breath, “that there was a woman there.”

“Eavesdropping isn’t nice,” Bucky growled at the young man who shrunk back slightly.

“It’s alright,” Sam put the back of his hand on the ex-assassin’s chest as if he was holding him back. “Go ahead.”

“Uh, well, you see,” the officer stuttered and then took a deep breath. “There was this woman, not from ‘round here, poking around. She was asking about the bar and some of the girls who went missing from there. Even heard she made a trip to the morgue. I just think it might be the same lady.”

“What was she looking for?” Steve was intrigued.

“My friend from the morgue said that she was checkin’ out the body of the only missing girl we found. Everyone was talkin’ ‘bout it down at the station. Notta drop ‘o blood left in her body.” The officer was excited now his words becoming less and less pronounced. Then he leaned in with his eyes wide like he was going to share some radical conspiracy. “And just ‘tween you ‘n me,” he paused for dramatic effect and Bucky rolled his eyes. Steve humored him and leaned in as well. “Somma those people look like a few ‘o the missing girls.”

“If you get any confirmation, please have your superiors send it our way,” Steve commanded and Bucky could tell that his friend was just as curious as he was. The officer scurried away and the three heroes entered the plane.

“Man, something really weird’s going on.” Sam shook his head.

~*~

After driving for almost two hours, you sped into a mostly empty rest area just outside of Scranton, Pennsylvania. You wrapped your still bloody machete in a towel and made sure it was well hidden before draping your leather jacket over your shoulders to hide your wound. God, you hoped your jacket wouldn’t get too bloody. Blood was a bitch to get out and it was a new jacket, your old one having been ripped by a werewolf. 

 The bathroom was empty when you entered and you locked the door behind you. The bleeding had stopped quickly thanks to a magic pendant around your neck. A nice witch, as nice as they could get, gifted it to you in exchange for her own life and for ridding her town of the much more sinister competition. Healing magic was hard so all the pendant did was make you die slower.

You washed out the bite and flushed the used paper towels down the toilet. Leaving bloody towels in the trash for everyone to see wasn’t the best way to keep a low profile, you knew from experience. Then you took the knife that you kept hidden in your boot and cut away three inches of your large flannel shirt to wrap your arm.

Well, it was your brother Sam’s shirt, but he wouldn’t mind. Too much. Well, Sam and Dean were actually your half brothers. John Winchester was your father and his blood in your veins was enough to cause some shit faced demons to target you and your mother… 

Woah, there. No need to wander down memory lane in some dingy rest stop bathroom in Pennsylvania.

You gently eased your arm through your leather jacket. Maybe Cas will be helpful and heal you up when you get back to the bunker. Vampire bites can leave some fucking ugly scars. Satisfied with your work you fixed your hair in the mirror before heading back to your Camaro.

While you were pumping gas for your drive back to the bunker, your mind went back to the three Avengers who had rudely interrupted your hunting trip. Okay, maybe they actually kinda sorta saved you but not really. Honestly, you thought you had it all under control. Dean would get a kick out of the story, you thought as you re-entered your car, drove onto I-81, and pulled up your brother’s contact on your phone. Probably leave out the part about your arm, though. Both of your brothers would flip their shit and ignore the rest of the story.

“Hey, (Y/N),” Dean’s gruff voice came through your phone. “How’re you doing?”

“Great! I’m doing great. Just eradicated a vamp nest in Poughkeepsie.”

“What’s going on?” You heard from the other side after a sharp intake of breath.

“Oh, no,” you quickly corrected. Damn, you’d momentarily forgotten your code. “I was actually working a job in ol’ ‘Keepsie, New York. Swear it.”

“Alright,” Dean responded slowly.

“But you’ll never fucking guess who showed up.”

“Who?”

“Ya don’t wanna take a guess first? No? Alrighty. It was… the fucking Avengers, boom!”

“Really? Like the superhero group?” Dean always liked superheroes even if they were clueless to the supernatural.

“Yeah. It was only three of ‘em, and they tried to shoot a damned vamp, but fuck if it wasn’t cool.”

You held no malice towards them unlike the majority of hunters, but sometimes you wished you would get recognition for your work. All you ever got was wanted posters thanks to some bitch ass leviathan and shifter. The three Avengers probably thought you killed everyone in the bar. Well, you did but they didn’t know the reason. In their eyes, you were a mass murderer. You pointed this fact out to Dean.

“I don’t think they deal with little cases like mass murder or strange deaths. That’s why we’ve never run into ‘em before.”

“What a world we live in where mass murderers are ‘little cases.’”

“Yeah, yeah. If they do start looking, all you gotta do is lay low for a while. Sit out on a couple of hunts.”

“Ight.” Damn those words you say as a joke but then actually become a part of your vocabulary. “You won’t be able to keep me benched, but I doubt it’ll ever come to that.”

~*~

~*~

~*~

~*~

~*~

Tag List (strike though means tag didn’t work):

@grav3dollie-666

[all-the-way-to-mars-and-back]

@funontherox:

The man looked more than just tired… he had to be desperate. According to the story of sorts that he’d told Mara, people had been going missing for over a week now when going out after dark. One particular path was the scene of most of these disappearances, and with the glimpses people had caught of the monster roaming around there, most knew better than to risk their hides by trying to fight it. Fearless – or reckless – monster hunters like Mara were his best bet, and his last resort.

Wingwraiths were rare and frightening, even to seasoned adventurers. Rox had only heard the man’s initial request and the last part of his and Mara’s conversation, so she didn’t even know what they were up against when she offered her help.

Upon being told what kind of monster they would be dealing with, though, she didn’t show any sign of reluctance. Wingwraiths weren’t ghosts, after all – they could be felled by a well-aimed blow, cut, or thrust of a pointed weapon.

The blunt end of her spear tapped against the ground a few times as she thought for a moment. “I’d be happy to help! This should be fun.”

That earned her a weird look from the man, but his attention was back on Mara just a moment later. “Sounds good. If you think you’ll be able to work together, I’ll pay you both in full. Just… try not to get in each other’s way.”

“I don’t plan to,” the strange lizardwoman said. Swapping her weapon from her right hand to her left, she held out her newly freed hand to Mara. “Nice to meet you!”

all-the-way-to-mars-and-back:

Whether the lizardwoman’s resounding confidence towards the job was reassuring or not to the man, it sure was a boost of confidence to Mara. To go as far as to say that the job would be fun, when Mara was certain that the words “fun” and “wingraith” had never been genuinely uttered together until then, was enough already to convince her that her teammate had some strength. She could sort of gather that just from looking at the scaled woman, but then again, she’d seen maybe one other xomora in her lifetime, so it wasn’t easy to judge her build. Regardless of the woman’s source of confidence, a small grin tugged at Mara’s lips as she looked back to the man. She waved her hand dismissively at the mere idea of them getting in each other’s way. “Psh, we’ll do fine. Don’t worry about us. Just keep yourself safe and we’ll handle the rest.” Mara reassured, her now casual courage probably doing the opposite of reassuring anyone.

Her eyes flicked back over to her new partner and she rocked forward in her seat, using her weapon as leverage to stand before putting her hand in Rox’s for a shake. “Nice to meet you too, Parter.” She responded with a nod, her small grin still remaining. “I’m Mara. You are?” She asked as she brought her hand back to hold the handle of her weapon. She considered for a moment twirling her bat to look a little cooler, but she quickly figured out that would likely end in property damage that she wouldn’t want to use her job money to pay for, and it would definitely revoke any faith the man had left in her to do this job.

Right off the bat she wanted to ask about Rox. Sure she’d seen a xomora before at a passing glance, but she knew little about them, and even if she had been taught, she hadn’t retained much from her younger years of learning. However, she figured it would be a bit rude to come out of the gates asking those kinds of questions, so she bit her tongue for now.