#when will we no longer see new casualties and bodies announced

[mylight-png]

When does it stop being October?

[unpopularbunny]

Chubby reader! x sanemi 

warnings: MAJOR SERIES END SPOILERS!! DO NOT READ IF NOT CAUGHT UP ON THE MANGA. Mostly angst! 

Thank you to the lovely beta reading by @thosestarry-nights 

Taglist: @trishiepo0​

Previous: <3 

Next: <3

First: <3

A/N this is going to be split in two parts! Uploaded back to back! Thank you everyone for keeping up with me on this journey. I’ve never finished a fanfiction series ever in my life and this means so much to me. Thank you!!! (The timeline of things may be a little weird but don’t worry about that!)

In the end you are only a product of your fears.

Two months after Sanemi’s final departure you were showing enough that the building manager confronted you. You told her the truth, instead of her kicking you out for your transgressions, she was understanding. You were reminded of your mother. Warm hugs accompanied by the smell of your mothers perfume, feelings overwhelmed you as you cried in her arms. Shortly after that others in the house learned of your pregnancy, no one was really surprised or treated you differently regarding it. 

Everyone was on edge until a messenger bird arrived. 

We won. 

You dropped to your knees with your face in your hands, your body shaking with sobs. The demons were wiped out and you were saved. Sanemi didn’t have to fight anymore, you didn’t have to fear going home anymore. The casualty list had yet to arrive, though you had heard enough from the first announcement. We won, but the casualties were unimaginable. 

Your chest couldn’t take the news. 

You were found in your bedroom, packing away the last few years of your life as if none of it had ever even happened. A few of the nurses found you, they had been drinking and celebrating. They invited you to join in their festivities even if you couldn’t drink. You waved them off and they went on their merry way, shouting and singing praises to the slayers. You merely laughed, rubbing your stomach as the baby kicked. 

“You feel it too huh? I’m happy we won.” You whispered to yourself. 

You heard your door open and when you turned the building manager was standing in the doorway holding a box. She presented you with children's clothes, taking out every article of clothing at a time and unfolding and showing them to you before refolding them. 

“I had children once,” She started, “I had an older son, and two younger twin girls. You couldn’t get the twins to sit still even for a moment and you couldn’t get my son to leave his room, he was so absorbed in his studies.” Her smile was sincere. She didn’t say anymore beyond that and you didn’t ask. 

“I no longer have a need for babies and children's clothes, so I’d like you to take them.” 

“Thank you very much ma’am” You bowed your head a little, taking the box from her. 

“Since there is no longer a need for these ‘safe houses’ I am dismissing the staff and giving them severance pay.” She set an envelope in front of you. 

“I’d like it if you stayed.” Her voice was low. 

“I can’t.” Your chest tightened, the last thing you ever wanted was to hurt her, “It’s…It’s time for me to go home.” 

“Ah, I understand y/n, but don’t forget that you’re always welcome here and this place can be your home any time.” She smiled but you could see the way her eyes glistened with held back tears. She left shortly thereafter, telling you that should you need any food or supplies before you left that you were more than happy to take what you needed. 

Your sleep was brief that night, your baby kicking every so often and waking you up. As soon as the sun rose you took a small cart and loaded it up with your things. The building owner saw you out and urged you to visit her because ‘An old woman like me gets lonely you know?’. A few of the remaining nurses and one of the cooks saw you off as well. 

Your whole body felt electric as you left. Home seemed unreachable to you, the world seemed dangerous, but now you felt more…..at ease and safe. A few days prior you got your hands on a map and figured out a route home that wouldn’t be too taxing on your body. You weren’t worried about bandits seeing as every town you came across everyone was too busy celebrating. You used as little of the severance pay as you could along the journey, only buying necessities for the baby that you knew you might need later on. 

When you returned back to your town everyone looked at you with big eyes. No one asked of course, about your slightly protruding stomach, but you could tell they all wanted to know where you’d been. Your family home was untouched, though nature was slowly overtaking the home. Tall grass and weeds winding their way onto the porch and ivy growing along the side of the house. The air seemed to still once you crossed the threshold. You felt as if you shouldn’t be there, like your presence was disturbing the peace that had settled. You left the cart at the gate, struggling a bit to open the stiff door. 

“I’m home…” You softly said before making your way through the house. 

Things were mostly untouched. A few wet spots from the roof leaking, some of the windows were broken but nothing appeared stolen, and there was of course, the lightly faded blood stains on the ground. Your bedroom was untouched, as was your parents and grandparents, a layer of dust coated things. You let nostalgia wash over you as you cleaned. Opening the windows and dusting things, your fathers tools were in wonderful condition. They were wrapped in cloth so they were untouched by dust and had no visible rust. 

The sun began to set by the time you were done cleaning. You brought your things inside and put away what you could before your hunger got the best of you. Dinner was simple, rice and steamed vegetables. Sleep came before you realized it. Your dreams were filled with comforting memories of your family, it was as if you were still there with them instead of alone in this hollow shrine of a home. 

You awoke with the sun and after a quick bath you set out to the grounds. It took you all afternoon and morning to pull all of the weeds. It was chilly outside as winter was fast approaching, you figured if you did a good amount of work now you’d have to do less come spring. Every so often you’d see someone out of the corner of your eye having stopped and watched you work, but no one came to actually talk to you. You took brief breaks when the kicking in your stomach became too much. 

The backyard where all of the produce was grown was another story altogether. Violently overgrown and invasive weeds grew everywhere. The nearly rebuilt shed mocked you from the corner of the grounds, an unfortunate reminder that you were still alone. But you pressed on. 

——————-

It took days for anyone to approach you. 

It was a friend of your grandmothers. A lovely old woman, a smile on her face, and a basket in her hands. You were on your knees in the garden when she found you. She urged you too take a break from working so hard and that you two should relax and catch up. You had tea with her on the porch, the basket was all kinds of goodies and vegetables for which you thanked her profusely as you were beginning to run out. She told you that everyone assumed that you succumbed to your injuries. The worst you’d gotten was a scar on your shoulder, but so far no lifelong side affects. 

You told her about your job at the safety house, about the kind owner, and the colorful people you worked with. You omitted the part about you and Sanemi’s ‘relationship’ seeing as anyone had yet to accuse or ask if you were pregnant. She said it was wonderful to have you back and that she knows your family would be proud for all the good you’ve done in the world. You cried, she patted your back and left shortly after. 

Soon you were constantly flooded with guests. 

Old friends and flames trying to reconnect, you kept your distance from everyone, not knowing what their intentions were. Some of the villagers caved, asking you to do minor carpentry tasks for them. You barely made it through winter, but you couldn’t hide your secret forever. Three of the elder women that were very close with your grandmother would visit often, almost every day, just to check on you and bring you anything that you needed. Tonight was such a night as all three women joined you for dinner, making all kinds of dishes. You didn’t hold back on your cravings, not noticing how they all smiled at you fondly while you ate. 

“How far along are you?” One said 

You choked on the food you were eating. 

“Yes! I’ve been saying it was a girl but no one believes me!” Someone chimed in from your left. 

“That’s because no one would believe an old senile witch like you.” All three cackled while you coughed and wiped your mouth while looking at the three old women with wide eyes. 

“How did you-“

“Oh come on Y/N! Did you really think you could just hide that you were pregnant that easily? I mean sure, you’re more filled out, but you can’t hide anything from us.” They all giggled, agreeing with her. 

I mean, of course you couldn’t hide it forever, you were just so focused on rebuilding your family home that you neglected to face this. They all comforted you that night, giving you advice and assuring that they would be there to assist in the birth. One of them dared to ask where the father was, you couldn’t tell them that you didn’t know, so you told them a lie that eased your conscience. 

“H-He was a slayer that passed away in battle….” It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the truth.

They cooed and comforted you through most of the night after that, all of them telling different stories about how they managed just fine after their husbands either passed away or left them. They assured you that you wouldn’t go through this alone. They would be there every step of the way and even after, as the first few months after birth are often the hardest. 

____________

As winter raged and began to melt away, everyone else found out relatively fast. Your stomach was much more rounder and protruding, your hips ached as you walked, and your back throbbed and ached no matter what sleeping position you took. One of the elder women decided to stay at the house with you to help and prepare. She forced her son to help, who tried to resist at first but his grandmother's guilt weighed down on him. Mostly in the form of words ‘She’s a single mother! She can do twice the work you can! You can’t even help this much?’ Though he whined he gave in easily. 

You grew frustrated day by day, whoever was over to help only remained in your way as you tried to rebuild the garden bed. Taking tools from you and ushering you out of the sun. When you voiced your concern the women wouldn’t back down, insisting that you must cherish your body if you hope to make it through the birth. They taught you breathing exercises and massaged your ankles no matter how embarrassed  you felt. You gave in eventually, directing the helpers and teaching them the same skills your grandparents taught you. 

It was a comfortable day when everything changed. 

You had managed to convince them to let you work on the garden, just a little bit. The sun was out but it wasn’t beating down on your back, the breeze was cool, and the harvest was beginning to look wonderful. You were pulling on a weed, the root was so far down that once it finally came out of the ground you fell back onto your butt. One of the women on the porch called out to you asking if you were okay, however when you went to confirm you noticed that the ground was wet beneath you. And things hadn’t been watered yet. 

Face burning with embarrassment, you yelled out that you peed yourself and didn’t feel it. The three elderly women rose and made a beeline for you, yelling for someone to help you get up. Once on your feet they were drilling you with questions. Even when you tried to answer, the first contraction started and you only doubled over and tried not to scream. You were helped inside while they organized a place for you to lay. Warm water and towels at the ready, they undressed you and made sure you were clean before trying to get you to practice pushing while laying down. Your whole body was beginning to fight and you wanted to pass out from it all. Your hair clung to your face with sweat as you screamed and tried your best. You lost track of time between pushing and becoming disoriented. You could barely make out their arguing.

“I told you it’s not going to work! She has to stand!” 

What? Stand? 

With the help of one of their daughters you were made to stand and grip a rope that was hung from the ceiling beam. They assisted you with squatting , one of them holding your back to keep you steady. They urged you to push, they encouraged you and praised you. The room began to spin, but you had to try, you had to keep trying. You couldn’t even feel yourself pushing, but you did feel when it stopped. The pain was gone. Relief overtook you and your body began to give out. As your conscience was faded out you swore, just for a moment, that you saw her. 

Your mother. 

_________

You felt like you slept for days and days. Your dream was brief and your body felt so heavy. In your dream you were sitting on the porch with your mother, watching your grandparents work. Your mother had cut up some watermelon and you were drinking long cooled green tea. 

“You’ve done such a good job Y/N” Her voice is just as you remembered. 

“But I ran away…from you…home….and even him.” The watermelon was so sweet. 

“You lived.” The breeze feels so cool on your face as she speaks, “You’ve spread my mothers knowledge as well as your fathers and you never gave up.” She sounds so sincere. Your grandmother waves at you and you wave back as everything around you begins to blur. 

“Never for a moment did we doubt you,” She takes you in her arms, you haven’t felt this safe in years, “Carry the love we gave you and never let it go.” She wipes your tears and her hands are so soft and warm, you can smell her perfume and all its earthy tones. 

As the world dissolves away around you, you see your family wave goodbye from behind her. 

And then you woke up. 

___________

You’re back in your bed, or rather, your parents bed, you moved in there to turn your old bedroom into a nursery. Two of the older women are nearby sitting against the wall, one having fallen asleep with her head on the other's shoulder. You notice the room is eerily silent for a  baby having just been born. When you struggle to sit up you can feel every part of your being ache, even when you blink. But you don’t feel tired, not one bit. 

The door opens and enters the missing woman and she holds a bundle in her arms. You feel so scared, and you know your face shows it. The other two wake up and rush to your side, asking how you feel and trying to get you to eat and drink, but you don’t answer them. You merely hold your arms out for your baby. She approaches and kneels, showing you what your body worked so hard to create. 

“It’s a boy.” She whispered.

He feels so heavy in your arms. His hair is white and you can’t hold back the tears anymore. They all surround and hug you, reminding you that you’re not alone. 

You’re not alone. 

“What are you going to name him?” 

You think about that, it takes a bit, but you have the perfect name for him. 

_____________

The final battle destroyed everyone’s very being. They won, of course, after the fiercest battle they ever attempted. Many of the slayers died in the throes of battle, tengen wasn’t even included in the battle considering he was missing one of his arms. Sanemi watched his own brother be bisected and fade away from his very palms. Genya told sanemi that he was the nicest brother in the world. 

Sanemi still sees his face in his dreams. 

The few permanent ‘scars’ he had from the final battle blended in with his past scars. Save for the windmill on his cheek that other slayers got after interacting with Tanjiro, though everyone’s was different. 

He slept for a month. 

The nurses called it a coma but he said he was just tired and he needed to leave NOW. All of his physical wounds were healed, but he still needed to be cleared by a different kind of doctor. It took him another month to finally be discharged. Tengen offered him a place to stay but he said he had other things to do. Tengen wasn’t stupid and knew what sanemi was after. 

You. 

When sanemi came to the safe house he was met by overgrown grounds and a missing staff. Your room was empty and when the building owner came to him to see what the ruckus was, she merely raised an eyebrow. 

“Where is she?!” He was panicking. You said you would wait for him. 

“She went home.” 

“Well where the fuck is that?!” His hands were tingling. 

She shakes her head, informing him that she didn’t know. She wanted to ask if he knew about the baby but if he didn’t know where she went, he couldn’t have known about that. After throwing more curse words at her he leaves. He doesn’t even know where to begin. 

No matter who he asked, where he went, he couldn’t find you. It was almost as if you weren’t real and it was wearing down on him greatly. He’d take breaks for a few weeks, seeing some of his former Hashirama. He never stayed in one place for long never wanting to let go of the determination to find you. 

He spent so long looking for you, time didn’t matter to him. Before long, five years had passed right by the both of you. 

_____________

The recovery from the birth was much harder than actually giving birth. They showed you how to breast feed and change diapers. They explained the changes your body will endure and guided you through the dark tunnel of post partum depression. The moments when you felt you couldn’t call yourself a mother, they would deny you this right. Telling you that you birthed him all the same. You were the sun and he was the sky. That's right. 

You’re precious little Sora. 

He grew faster than you expected, through summer and by the time winter came he was holding onto the wall and guiding himself around your home. When he learned to speak he tried to speak like the elderly ladies who helped you raise him. His hair was wild and as white as the clouds in the sky. 

Once they decided you were fit enough to work the farm mostly alone they began to limit their visits, not that you were bothered by this. 

By the time his second birthday came around, he was beside you in the garden trying to pull weeds. As much as you wanted to urge him to go play with other children, you knew he only wanted to help. So you let him. You even dug him his own special garden. He would kneel with you while you prayed at the family shrine. You would mostly apologize when you first got home, but now you were telling them every single update with sora. 

He was shy and reserved, he dreaded when the old women would visit, anticipating cheek pinches. He didn’t mind when they gave him lots of snacks and brought him toys here and there. You would tell him endless stories of your parents and grandparents. You didn’t shy away from telling him about death and told him they were always watching. Being a mother wasn’t easy of course, sora broke things and would act out and throw tantrums every once in a while. 

You wouldn’t hit nor yell. 

You’d make him clean his messes up. You’d make sure he apologized if he said something that would hurt your feelings and explain why those things hurt your feelings. You’d be there to guide and teach, not embarrass and beat.

When he turned four some of the kids from the village would begin to visit your farm, kindly asking if Sora could play. Your heart would swell at the sight of him bounding off with his friends. Sometimes they would stay there and play in his room or even ask you about aspects of the farm. He was still reserved and sweet, but you could see him begin to come out of his shell. 

You too began to change along with your son. 

You sold your produce in town and did carpentry jobs. People would comment on how your work was just as wonderful as your fathers and you would bow and thank them. Your produce always sold well and sora would only become more and more eager to help you at your stall. 

__________

The village was bustling, more people having moved in and newer houses being built. Just the other day someone had come to your door and informed you that a school was being built. Sora stood behind you, clinging to your dress and only sneaking glances at the man speaking to you. The man gave you a flier, telling you that you were more than welcome to enroll your son once the fall season comes. 

The following day your stall had more customers than usual, so you told Sora he could take some money and go buy himself some treats. You were so busy taking care of customers that it took you a moment to notice someone staring at you, eyes boring into you. When you caught his gaze you made a confused face. You’d never seen this man before. He was beautiful, yes, but something about him seemed….familiar. Upon looking at him some more, you noticed that he was missing an arm. He smiled at you and you smiled back. 

“Hello, what could your name be?” His voice was lilting and mischievous, as if he’d found something he shouldn’t have. So you tell him and his smile only grows wider. 

“What a lovely name!” He doesnt hide his amusement. 

Before you could ask him his name he proceeds to buy quite a bit of your inventory. Once you helped him load it up into the small cart he paid you more for your help, you couldn’t thank him enough. When he went to leave you saw a white blur of hair run and smack into his leg. You inwardly groan because you know exactly what happened. 

“Sora, are you okay?” You help your son to his feet, “Sir I am so sorry for my son, he’s-“ 

Tengen immediately tunes you out, his eyes locked on sora instead. The shape of Sora’s eyes and that striking hair are not easily missed. Not to mention you’re the prized treasure his colleague has been looking for. Once you’re done talking he holds his hand up and smiles. 

“No problem at all ma’am.” His smile is sly and not missed by you, “Kids will be kids.” He laughs and you follow along. 

After he departs you scold sora lightly, reminding him to watch his surroundings before he gets seriously hurt. He apologizes and you let him go back off with his friends.

The rest of the day is a blur as you’re lost in your thoughts trying to place where you’ve seen that man before. 

_____________

Upon returning home, tengen tells his wives he has an important mission for them all. 

To find Sanemi. 

They all look at him like he’s lost his mind but when he informs them that the very thing he’s been looking for has been found and has a bonus with her, they’re invested. They treat it as any other mission, following different leads and determined, if anything, to cause a ruckus as their husband does. 

Makio finds sanemi first. 

He’s resting at an inn on some mountainside she didn’t bother remembering the name of. She sneaks into his room, finding it empty and huffs, musing to herself that she couldn’t believe she missed him. Unfortunately, the knife pressed against her back says she came at the right time. 

“Why the fuck are you here?” He’s tired and agitated. 

“Tengen says he wants to see you!” She can barely hold back the excitement in her tone. 

“No.” He pulls the knife down. 

“He said it’s about ‘some woman’ you’ve been obsessing over.” 

He feels like he can’t breathe and he wastes no time packing up and leaving with her. The journey is short, as sanemi doesn’t stop to rest at all.  Even when Makio complained and insisted they take a break, he threatened to leave her there.

He marches through tengen’s home, not taking his shoes off, not greeting anyone, stomping his way through until he finds him. Meanwhile Makio gets reacquainted with her bath and bed. Tengen is relaxing with suma and Hinatsuru. Sanemi looks a little worse for wear and the sight of the lovesick dog makes tengen chuckle. 

“Sanemi~ You’ll never guess what i found~” He teases sanemi, who has no patience and hasn’t had any since he woke up in the hospital. 

“I will rip your other fucking arm off if you don’t tell me where she is!” His voice echos and tengen and his wives are unaffected by the aggression. He holds out a little slip of paper that sanemi snatches and turns to leave. 

“You’re gonna like the surprise that you find!” He calls after him but sanemi pays no mind. 

_______________

Sanemi really tries to get there without stopping, but eventually exhaustion gets the better of him and he stays at an inn on the way. When he does arrive at your village, well, now a ‘town’ with all the new advancements that are being made. He sees things that you’d described to him. He doesn’t know where you are and doesn’t hesitate asking. He sees three older women sitting together nearby, having tea and chatting. They’re the first ones he asks about you and they ask who he is before giving any information. 

He tells them he’s a good friend. 

They hesitate but tell him and he could almost kiss them he’s so thankful. 

The gateway to your farm is just as he imagined when you described little details, he runs his hand over the carvings your father created when he repaired it. The grounds were well taken care of, expected of you and the skills you had. He was frozen at the doorway. Every feeling he had for you was hitting the roof and going to spill out. He was so angry because you didn’t stay, so confused as to why you wouldn’t even leave him a letter telling him where you went, and so scared of what he would find. Have you moved on? All of the thoughts were overwhelming him. He couldn’t believe what he was doing. 

He snuck around and into the back. 

He saw how beautifully you’d tended to the land, he saw the shed that you had repaired and took notice of all the small things he’d been told.

He even noticed you, with sora. 

Your back was facing him, not that you’d be able to see him of course. You were crouched and showing sora something Sanemi couldn’t see. The white hair wasn’t a detail that was missed on him. You stood up and said something before walking off into the house. Once you were out of sight Sanemi watched as sora began to pull things out of the ground, carrots. He was pulling them carelessly and leaving them on the ground. One was too big and harder to pull out. One it came out sora fell back and the carrot was out of his hands. 

On the ground a few feet in front of sanemi. 

He’s frozen as sora runs over to pick it up. Sora stares at sanemi, sanemi feels like he’s staring at a picture of himself as a child. Save for his eyes, sora's eyes were the same as yours. Sanemi took a step back and wanted to run before you came back and saw him but he couldn’t. 

Sora grabbed his wrist and the almighty Sanemi Shinazugawa, a famed hashira, the last wind pillar before the corps were disbanded, was powerless as he was pulled along by a five year old. Sora was firing off questions at him ‘who are you? Where are you from? We have the same hair! Are you here to see mama?’ Sanemi couldn’t answer a single one. 

You come out the back door holding a basket that you planned to give to Sora to collect the carrots in but you dropped the basket as soon as you stepped out. Sanemi had the same look of bewilderment on his face as Sora kept talking and pulling him. You looked more beautiful than when he last saw you. Your hair was longer and your body got a little more fuller, but he could still see the same stars in your eyes that he’d been chasing this entire time. 

“Y/N I-“ Sanemi didn’t know what to say, not that he had a chance. 

Because you ran. 

Back into the house and into your bedroom, shutting the door and locking it. You lean back against the door, your heart thundering in your chest and your legs feeling weak. Just like that, every memory of sanemi hits you like a train. Every moment you two whispered secrets, the way he’d run his hands all over you, and even the first and only time he’s said he loved you. You slide down and clench at your chest, trying to calm down and take deep breaths. There was a banging on your door, one that you recognized. 

“Mama! You said to be polite when guests visit!” Sora scolded you from the other side of the door. You knew that he wasn’t the only one waiting on the other side. 

“Go finish pulling the carrots!” You call and after him trying to debate with you he huffs and stomps off.

Sanemi taps on the door gently, carefully, just to be fragile with you like he always has. It’s as if all the anger and resentment melted away the moment he saw you. He turns and leans against the door, sliding down to sit against it. Without it there you two  would be sitting back to back. Neither of you know what to say, so you start. 

“Shinazugawa-San I-“ 

“That’s not my name. I thought we agreed you’d call me by my name the last time we talked.” His voice is soft and he even laughs a bit at the end. 

“I’m sorry….” 

“Is he mine?” He sounded hesitant and you scoffed. 

“Are you really asking that? Do you see his hair? Do you think I’d want to be with anyone else?” You aren’t thinking as you speak. 

“Yes.” His voice is small. Of course he thought that! As much as the thought made his skin prick, he had to entertain the idea that maybe when he found you, you had moved on, “Why didn’t you wait for me?” 

“I was scared.” He scoffed at your response. 

“Of what?” 

“Having to face if you had died.” 

“Well I didn’t” 

“Yeah I know that now!” You snap out of irritation. 

He's silent and so are you. Both of you trying to figure out how to pick everything back up, considering you two skipped a few steps and now had a son. 

“Sora’s a weird name.” He remarked. 

“Yeah well you weren’t here to name him” You grumbled, and it must have struck a nerve. 

“Well I didn’t know you were pregnant!” You flinch and bring your knees to your chest. 

“I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d stay and if you stayed and didn’t help in the final battle, you’d never forgive yourself. I couldn’t be that selfish.” 

He said nothing. Because you were right. If you’d told him he’d stayed and what would the outcome have been without him? What would’ve become of the world then?

You hear the wind blow and you know that you can’t keep yourself locked in this room forever, but you’re so scared of your own emotions. 

“How did you find me?”

“Tengen.” He didn’t sound too happy to say that. 

“Eh? I don’t remember seeing him.” You try to pinpoint in your memory if you’ve seen a flashy pretty boy recently. 

“He has one arm now so it’s kind of hard to miss.” One moment sanemi is upright and talking and the next you slide the door open and the back of his head hurts from where it hit the ground.

“The man that Sora bumped into weeks ago?!” You finally start to realize why that man was so amused at the sight of sora, Sanemi laughs at your reaction. 

“You’re still beautiful.” His voice wraps around you just like it used to. Low and grating, making your face flush. 

You don’t think you can run from him this time.

[rayofsunas]

s/o has a mental/nervous breakdown.

A/n: hello everyone! I hope your day is going alright, and that you’re doing well 🥰 I recently hit 300+ folllwers, like Sunday morning, and omg, that was the best thing to wake up too 🥺❤️ thank you those new and old for following and taking a chance with my account and sometimes trashy works 🙃 I’m gonna make a longer post at some point saying my thanks and discuss what I plan to do to celebrate 300 followers. It would really mean a lot to me if you guys chimed in if you have any ideas, after all, this is a thanks to you and I want you all to be involved! also, if you saw my recent rambles about how a draft was deleted, it’s referring to this post... what I had written got deleted TWICE in the span of FIVE MINUTES. gosh I was so pissed, I almost screamed. mobile tumblr is not it 😔 but here we are. I hope you like this. I tried to write this three times.... 🤡 also, since I am not a doctor or anything, I put a link to possible symptoms/what a “mental breakdown” is, that’s in the warnings, just click the link, it helped with my accuracy. 

Summary: s/o has a mental/nervous breakdown.

Parings: Xiao/Reader, Scaramouche/Reader, Albedo/Reader, Childe/Reader (all fem reader)

Warnings: angst, mental breakdown (panic attacks, stress, anxiety, ptsd, hallucinations, insomnia) fluff, swearing, mentions of death, mentions of injury

Word count: 3.5k (whew after tumblr DELETING this draft twice here we are folks ;-;)

requested by @mintyhuening​ 

​

Xiao

he knew you weren’t okay at all

Xiao knew the moment you locked yourself in your house

at first he thought maybe you were just temporarily feeling this way, but as the weeks passed and you hadn’t come out, he decided maybe not

coming from someone who enjoyed silence and solitude he could understand the distancing part, but it had been weeks, and even he needed socialization, so why hadn’t you come out?

you spoke to him through the door a few times, letting him know you were alright

he didn’t believe that though, sure you were alive, but not alright, he was mainly checking for confirmation to see if you were still alive while he thought of a good way to approach the situation

he didn’t want to invade your privacy, but he also hated the fact that you wouldn’t come out, not even to see him

it was lonely without you, he concluded

even for someone who enjoy solitude 

you were a careful creature, but never this careful and cautious...

were humans always like this?

eventually, he couldn’t stand it, and did find other ways to get into your house

he grew antsy after pacing outside your door for days

he found you huddled in your bed, a heap of pillows and blankets surrounding you

you were shocked to see him when he’d sat down on the foot of the bed, causing it to dip significantly 

“How did you get in?” You snapped once you saw who it was. 

“I have my ways.” He said raspily. With a huff of annoyance, you were back to facing the wall, away from the Adepti. 

“It’s dark in here.” He announced matter a factly, looking around the nearly pitch-black room, windows and doors covered by sheets and hefty duty curtains. “It’s how I like it.”

“It’s not healthy.”

“I don’t care, go away.”

Xiao was starting to grow impatient surprisingly, he truly just wanted to help, why couldn't you see that?

“Being passive is not going to help the situation, please tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing, I’m just tired.”

He worried. If he said the wrong, would you push him away even further? If he said the right thing, would you even care? Did you want help?

Xiao moved closer to you, hand going to touch your leg, although it was underneath the blankets, you felt it and did have to admit the affection was comforting.

“Don’t do this to yourself,” Xiao said. “Your friends miss you, I miss you as well.”

Maybe if you weren’t cooped up here anymore, you would start to come around. The room and house all together were very stuffy, dark, and depressing, he despised it.

“It’s beautiful outside, come with me,” he'd whispered. “At least if you don’t want to be around people, could you allow me to take you to a secluded area?”

“The fresh air will do you good.”

You were thinking about it, you had to of been if you still cared. 

“Fine, mother.” He watched with hope in his eyes as you slowly rose from the bed, and began

The outside world was very very bright at first, enough to induce a headache. But you became used to it the more you were out.

Xiao stayed true to his word like you knew he would unless you wouldn’t have come. You were taken to a very secluded area, there wasn’t even a path or road to it, just green luscious grass, and crystal core everywhere, beautiful blue and orange ones; Anemo and Geo respectively. You weren’t sure where you were, somewhere between Mondstadt and Liyue, you assumed. 

The fresh air did wonders, Xiao had noticed. You seemed to open up. Telling him a little of the problem. You had told him about how life was just stressful right now, you hadn’t taken any commissions in weeks, spoken to any of your friends Mondstadt, hence why they had come to him, accusing him of kidnapping and brainwashing you. He was offended, nonetheless let them know that wasn’t the case. 

The ever so secluded Xiao would take you out more, slowly introducing you to crowds of people, and would still take you on daily walks to that secret place you now called your special spot.

It would take a while, he knew that, and you wouldn’t be comfortable doing everything that others around you did, maybe not for a while. He could respect that, as long as you allowed him to help and encourage you.

Scaramouche

being a harbinger was HARD, Scaramouche knew that, even if he didn’t admit it

admitting it was challenging, could lead to always being doubted or seen as incompetent. therefore, no one mentions how hard it is

he had been off doing his duties when he got news that you had lashed out at a few lower rank fatui on your team, resulting in you being called in to meet with The Tsaritsa... let's just say she went easy on you because you were one of her highest ranking soldiers, if not, she would've severely punished you

you were forced back to your sleeping quarters immediately to calm down, told to stay put until you could stop “lashing out like a child” as she had put it

you weren’t one to argue against The Tsaritsa, everyone knew that was common rule... so you walked back as calmly as you could without snapping at anyone else

when Scaramouche had heard how you acted, he was annoyed

the always so calm and calculated Y/n, lashing out at her fellow members? he couldn’t help but be annoyed, despite it being completely out of character of you

he had finished his duties relatively quick, wondering why you were acting so out of character 

when he got back, he found you in your sleeping quarters, pacing in front of the large windows near the furthest end of your room

you were still wearing your typical combat gear, though your hair disheveled and body language looking extremely anxious, he hoped it was not yours...

“What did you do this time?” Had asked the violet-eyed man, carelessly throwing his hat on your bed, lean arms folding across his chest.

No response. 

“Excuse me, I believe I asked you a question.”

A loud irritable huff.

“Be quiet for once in your life, Scaramouche.” You hissed, anxiously biting at your nails. “Sorry- I’m just trying to calm down, but my heart can’t stop racing.”

Scaramouche wasn’t the most in-touch person with his feelings, and out of all the harbingers, he was one of the more difficult ones to deal with.

Surprisingly, he had shut up, despite finding it difficult to hold his malicious comment back.  

“What’s wrong?” Your lover asked, more softly this time. 

“My mission today was... hard. I know you said it’s important for missions to just be a one and done; no hard feelings. And you know I’ve always been that way. But this one was different.” His eyebrows furrowed, his forehead creasing in annoyance. 

“I can’t help but think about what they did.” 

“Did you get what you went for? I heard you sought after information regarding that Knight, Aether.”

“Yes, but-”

“I’d call that a successful mission,” He stared intensely, casually moving to sit on the comfort of your bed. Of course, he wouldn’t take this seriously. “Any casualties?”

“None of our men, but-”

“I don’t see the problem.”

“There were children, three little children, and those idiots just slaughtered them.”

“Ah... I see.”

Despite stating he understood, he really couldn’t sympathize with what you were saying. Those children were enemies as long as they worked against The Tsaritsa. 

Your voice suddenly cut through the silence, staring directly into his eyes, “What if those were our children?”

“They weren’t.” Your eyes rolled at his comment. 

“But what if!” He rolled his eyes, mocking your previous action. 

“But they weren’t.” He mocked for a second time.  

“You’re not helping, Scaramouche!”

“You’ll never understand, unless you see what I saw,” He knew you were right to some degree, but even then would he feel bad? A mission was a mission after all.

“They were begging me to protect them, and the youngest, she would not let go of my arm and then the next thing I knew, they were dead.” You continued, left hand going to grip your right, he assumed to show him where and how the said girl had gripped you. You were still shaking, this time being closer, he noticed how bad it was. 

“They were pleading, I told them I would try my best, and then-” He had long ago stood, making himself present in front of you. His warm hands had grabbed your shaking ones harshly, ceasing the trembling momentarily. 

“Please, be quiet,” The sixth harbinger snipped. “I don’t like seeing you upset.” Although it sounded harsh, he was trying his best to make it sound how he felt, even if those feelings were minuscule towards this specific topic. 

“Although, I don’t agree with you about this particular concern of yours- I will do whatever you need to help you.”

Albedo

now, he may just be an alchemist, but trust me, Albedo sees the signs before anyone, he has some sort of familiarity with them due to his incessant reading

and it may have taken him longer to see the signs because of how busy he was, but he saw them

he was no fool to the likes of insomnia, in fact he knew it very well, often staying up very late into the night and morning, sometimes for days at a time

he was cooped up in his lab and it wasn’t as if his body wasn’t tired, cause hell he was, there was just s much more to learn and discover, his brain WOULD not stop, 

Albedo hadn’t known how long this had been going on for, but he was seeing signs now

ngl, he didn’t notice that you hadn’t been sleeping properly until one night he decided to accompany you in bed earlier than usual (It was three a.m, yikes), and found that you were awake still

you were lying still on your side of the bed, and if it hadn’t been for the fact that he reached over to kiss your cheek, only to see your eyes open, he would’ve assumed you were alright and asleep

“You’re awake?” The ashy-blonde man asked, sliding into bed next to you. 

“Can’t sleep.” You shrugged nonchalantly, scooting closer to him, seeking his warmth and comfort. 

“You should’ve come to get me, I would’ve come to bed earlier with you.”

“It’s alright, I peeked in to see if you were still alive,” You joked, he chuckled. “You seemed very busy.”

“Yes, but, I thought I told you to remind me when you need attention, I often get sidetracked and enamored with my work.”

“It’s quite alright, Albedo. As long as you’re sleeping.”

He hummed, whispering tired words of adoration in your ear. That carried on for a while, as long as talking about the day's work and whatnot, until you eventually questioned, “Can I play with your hair?” The gesture was sweet, and that did sound amazing right about now since he was on the brink of sleep, but just needed that little push. But weren’t you tired?

“Aren’t you tired?”

You sat up, climbing behind Albedo, gently placing his head in your lap. “I’ll go after you.” A soft smile adorned your beautiful face. “You need sleep, you stay up for Archon knows how long.”

He selfishly allowed his eyes to close and waited for sleep to accompany him while you began untangling his two braids and ponytail. You played with and braided his hair until he’d fallen asleep as you said. You stayed up the rest of the morning though.

Eventually, probably out of boredom, you fell asleep for an hour or two around five a.m. Though, unfortunately, you were back up before six. You busied yourself while Albedo slept, starting with cleaning his lab. Albedo often did not like people touching his books, paperwork, and findings, but after instructing you how to properly take care of his stuff, he welcomed your help with open arms, seeing as though his lab was ALWAYS in shambles from not having enough time to take care of things himself.

Albedo surprisingly woke up around nine, wavy hair surrounding him like a lion, you chuckled to yourself at the sight. “How did you sleep?”

“Alright, considering my sleep schedule is nonexistent a lot of the time.” You nodded, bumping shoulders teasingly. “How about you?” 

“Okay,” You said, immediately changing the subject. “I woke up early, so I cleaned your lab, I hope it’s to your likings, Kreideprinz.” You teased, bowing at the waist.

The alchemist waved you off, with a smile. “We’ll see about your organizational skills after you eat.” 

How had he known?

“You haven’t eaten yet, have you?�� Albedo asked, heading in the direction of the kitchen.

“That obvious.” You wondered trailing after him. 

“You always wait for me, darling.”

- 

“You look exhausted.” Albedo’s concerned voice cut in through the smooth Mondstadt breeze. You had been so distracted with the discovery in front of you, you hadn’t realized your boyfriend was staring directly at you. “When was the last time you slept?” He glanced back down at the discovery, still listening, but if you didn’t speak soon he’d be lost in his world again.

“A day or two, but-” Albedo probably got whiplash from how hard he’d snapped his head to face you, but now he was staring at you with features reading nothing but shock, cerulean eyes blown wide.

“I think your bad sleeping schedule is contagious.” You joked, trying to make the situation lighter-hearted. He didn’t laugh. 

Albedo was more serious this time, proving it when he faced you completely. “What’s been going on?” His voice was soft, but he was extremely worried. 

Nervousness built up in his lover's body. “Nothing! I just-” You sighed. Might as well tell him the truth, he’d coerce the answer from you no matter what it took. “It’s been harder to sleep after my injury from that ruin guard. When it hit me, I banged my head against the concrete, and ever since I guess it’s been hard to sleep.” 

“You could've told me sooner. I would have stopped everything and anything for you.” Yes, that was true, that was the problem though. You didn’t want to be coddled like a baby

“I know, I’m not sure why I didn’t... Naturally, I don’t want to worry you.”

He moved closer to you so he could cradle your face in his hands. “You can always tell me anything you know that.”

“I understand that. You’re a busy man so-”

“From this moment on, my work will be dedicated to finding a cure for you.”

You panicked, not wanting to stop his work for the likes of what you were dealing with. “What? Wait no-”

“You can’t stop me, darling. You take precedence over everything.”

Albedo made it his goal to do whatever possible to help you. Whether it be spending days in his lab making concoctions in hopes of creating something that could safely aid you with sleep. Or he’s in the libraries, reading all the books on the wellness and health of humans. He’s already on top of it the minute you expressed your concerns. In the meantime, he’s going to make sure he goes to bed with you much earlier, and won’t go until you do, to ensure you’re resting.

We love sweet caretaker Albedo.

(I understand insomnia can have other causes, not just a mental or nervous breakdown, but it’s kind of implied when reader hurt her head that she’s not well.)

Childe

Childe is simply not going to know your not well, he just won’t, it’s not that he doesn’t care, it’s more so the fact that he has a hard time paying attention to anything other than his missions and duties, he does not want to slow down

you have to show signs or tell him to realize

he decided to take a break though, seeing as he did promise you dinner tonight. he told you it would be his treat, since he did have a bunch of Mora lying around that he simply had no other use for

he figured a nice dinner and trip to one of the nicer cities with more to offer would be nice, he would buy you anything you desired

it was nearing the time for dinner though, and the reservations had already been made, so when he was left waiting, let's just say he was irked...

if you didn’t want to show up, you would’ve told him, so maybe you forgot? he concluded that couldn’t be it

the last time he’d brought it up, two days ago, you had been so excited you couldn’t sit still nor stop talking about it

asking a few people around town if you had been spotted anywhere, some said you had wandered off to Luhua Pool, something about there being a myth about special healing properties within the water

now he was even more confused

one, you NEVER went to Luhua Pool, there was never a need to do so

two, special healing properties? why would you need that? were you hurt in his absence?

you were his family, and he loved his family more than anything, so if something was wrong, he’d do whatever it took to help you

he traveled from Snezhnaya to Luhua Pool in record speed

he did find you eventually, the sun was setting, but thanks to the glowing water he could make your form out easily

you were hunched over, in what looked like to be some simple greenish cloth dress, he couldn’t see what you were doing, and called out your name

no answer

“Hey, what’re you doing here?” The orange-haired teen asked, crouching down beside his lover to see what was wrong.

“Cleaning.” You had said. That’s when his dull blue eyes traveled to what you were doing, watching with a confused stare as you scrubbed at what seemed to be clean hands.

“Hmm, I see...” He couldn’t tell if this was a prank or not, you usually played along with his teasing nature. “Are you ready for dinner?”

“Was that really today?” Your head lifted, leaving your hands to momentarily hanging in the air, water droplets dripping off into the pool.

Okay... so you did forget it seemed, which did shock him seeing as though you were over the moon, less than seventy-two hours ago.

“Uh, yeah, did you really forget? That’s unlike you! I’ve learned women don’t forget anything.” He teased, hand going to his chin. You hummed, turning back to do whatever it was you had been previously.

The harbinger frowned. “Do you still want to go? We can make it if we’re fast.” You sounded like a robot, much like a ruin guard, he concluded. 

“I’m sorry, not today, I’m dirty...”

Childe couldn’t help but chuckle, “Dirty? Sweetheart, you’re cleaner than most people I’ve seen, what’re you on about-” 

“The blood, it’s stained my hands, can’t you see?” Even after holding your hands to show him, he saw nothing resembling blood. 

“Are you playing games with me? Sure, it would’ve been funny any other day, not today though-” 

“You don’t believe me?” You sounded hurt, but whatever was going on, he wouldn’t feed into these... false hallucinations. “The townspeople said the same thing, they called me crazy...” You scrubbed even harder at your hands, letting out a frustrated huff. 

“I don’t see anything, I’m really sorry,” He said gently, reaching into the water to grasp your warm hands in his, “But if you continue to do that...I will see the blood.”

Childe was not sure what was going on, maybe some sort of PTSD? Although, he wasn’t sure where it could’ve come from... you’re not a harbinger or fatui, or anyone that is engaged in battle, etc. so it didn’t make sense. Unless something happened that decided to resurface now. 

He immediately took you home, hand in his to keep you from further scratching your hands. On the journey, you often asked, “Why are you even touching me? There’s a lot of blood.” 

He didn’t want to have to feed into whatever was going on, worried he’d damage you somehow, and he didn’t want to make you sound crazy, so instead he said, “Because I love you.”

When you both arrived home, he’d immediately laid you in bed, saying you appeared tired before going to search for a doctor.

Child will see every and all doctors in Teyvat and will pay whatever amount necessary to figure out what’s wrong, that’s for sure. Doesn’t take orders from the harbingers (not like he was anyways) and opts to stay close to you at all times. 

He decided to keep his teasing to a minimum, though he found that sometimes things slipped out accidentally, he’d do anything in his power to help you.

1.18.21, rayofsunas 

[starryeyedweeb]

Valentine’s Day with BNHA

A/N: I know it’s late for Valentine’s Day, but this is about the fifth time I’ve tried posting this because every other time it never got a single note even though all of my other stuff does pretty well??? So not to be that person, but if you see this I’m begging you to give it some love because it’s one of my favorites!

*DISCLAIMER*: As I’m over eighteen, I write all underaged characters aged up to be eighteen or older.

Contains: As always, sickly-sweet fluff; gender-neutral

Characters Included: Todoroki Shoto, Bakugou Katsuki, Yaoyorozu Momo, Shigaraki Tomura, Dabi/Todoroki Touya, Aizawa Shota

Valentine’s Day with...

Bakugou Katsuki

As expected, Bakugou thinks that Valentine’s Day is kind of ridiculous and isn’t too keen on celebrating

When his friends ask him what he’s planned for the holiday, it results in a bit of a rant

“Valentine’s is a shitty holiday for shitty partners to try and make up for being shitty. I take them on dates and spoil them all the time, so why should I make a big deal about a random day in February?”

But because he wasn’t a shitty partner, he knows he has to do something for you

“Oi, do you want to go hiking?” he asks shortly on Valentine’s morning, already dressed for the occasion. “We can go to that spot you’ve wanted see for a while.”

You agree- eagerly.

You honestly weren’t the biggest fan of hiking until you started dating Bakugou, who’s obsessed with it

It’s like meditation to him- one of the best ways for him to find a calm and clear mindset- and the two of you always have your best conversations when you’re out on a hike

Plus he looks amazing in his hiking clothes

The trail in question is further outside the city than most, and when you arrive, it’s pleasantly deserted

With backpacks swung over your shoulders, the two of you start down the rough path, which cuts through a thick forest

When you first started hiking, you could barely keep up with Bakugou, but you had gotten much better at it over time and are now able to comfortably keep pace with him, even holding his hand part of the time

The trail is mainly uphill, though, and periodically he will all but force a water bottle into your hands

“Get a drink. I don’t want you getting all dehydrated on me.”

When you reach the peak of the trail, which is a flat clearing overlooking the city below, Bakugou indicates for you to sit down and pulls out two bento boxes that he had packed prior to the event

Though there’s nothing heart-shaped nor unnaturally red or pink inside, the box is sweetly filled with all of your favorite bento foods

And of course, they all taste amazing

“Katsuki, this is so good!”

“I know.”

“Come on.” You playfully push his arm, feeling his muscles rippling beneath his jacket. “Seriously, though, thank you. Life has been so crazy lately, and this little break was perfect.”

“So you’re not upset we didn’t do anything more, I don’t know...” he trails off, furrowing his brow and running a hand through his hair, “...on theme?”

“Of course not. Stuff like that is for shitty partners who use a holiday as an excuse to make up for being shitty. They’ll go right back to their behavior the moment the day is over.” You interlace your fingers in his and hold his arm with your free hand. “This was perfect.”

Bakugou can’t resist a smirk and short chuckle at your sentiment, realizing exactly why he’s with you

“Hey, what’s that look for?”

“Nothing.” He shakes his head. “Kiss.”

You reach up and press your lips to his, and his arms wrap around your body, holding you close

When you pull away, you cast a glance out at the tranquil cityscape below and reluctantly check the time.

“Do you think we should head back down?” you ask.

“No. I want to stay here a little while longer.”

Todoroki Shoto

As one of the top heroes, Todoroki Shoto is a hard man to get alone, but you have high hopes for Valentine’s Day.

On the morning of February 14, the two of you check into the luxury hotel he had booked for a romantic staycation, awaiting an entire day of activities planned around the resort: lunch and dinner reservations, a couple’s massage, seeing the hotel’s nightly show...

Only for it to all be completely foiled before it even starts when Shoto gets an urgent call about a villain incident gone badly wrong, with as many heroes as possible desperately needed to help.

“Go ahead and do everything we had planned,” he urges as he’s leaving, rushing through a parting kiss. “I’ll be right back.”

But you know that it’s not going to be as simple as “I’ll be right back.”

The moment the door shuts behind him, you can’t help but turn on the TV and flip to the news, trying to find out just what Shoto had gotten himself into

The danger of the situation makes you sick with anxiety, and you have to turn it off almost immediately for the sake of your own sanity

Trying to follow his wishes, you go through the motions of the day you had planned, but instead of reaping the intended benefits of rest and relaxation, your brain is completely clouded with worry for Shoto’s safety

Which is only amplified when the hotel lobby has the news on with a crowd of people clumped together before it to see what’s going on, and the receptionist approaches you to ask if you’re alright

Dark falls with no sign of Shoto, but your heart leaps when you get the news notification that the battle is over

You turn the news back on for live coverage of the heroes that participated being interviewed about the events, but your stomach knots once again when you see no sign of Shoto

They haven’t mentioned any casualties, you wonder, but have they missed him or something?

When a knock echoes throughout the room, a cold feeling of dread washes over your body

You freeze and merely stare at the door, sure you’re about to receive the news that’s the worst nightmare of any partner of a hero

Until the door opens, and reveals Shoto holding a bouquet the size of his torso, looking a bit battered but otherwise alright

You launch yourself across the room, and he drops the flowers to engulf you in his arms

“God, Shoto,” you sob. “No matter how long I’ve been with you, waiting and worrying never gets any easier.”

“I know, I know,” he murmurs back, stroking your hair. “But I’m here now. I’m fine. I ran here the moment I could get away.”

When you finally allow him to pull away, he hands you the flowers, and you call room service for a vase and a first-aid kit

You sit Shoto on the bed and tend to his minor wounds, then order some of your favorite comfort foods for a very late dinner

Shoto is never one to discuss his missions right after the fact, so instead you just talk about nonsense things, like the most recent episode of your favorite show to watch together, and where the two of you wanted to go on your next vacation

Afterward, the two of you lay in the dark, so tangled together that it’s nearly impossible to tell who’s whom

Neither of you are tired at all, realizing fully that the privilege of getting to hold each other like you are was almost taken away that day

You feel your eyes start to well up at just how much you love the man next to you, realizing how much you need him

Shoto seems to sense that you’re going to a dark place, so he traces his fingers lightly against your cheek and breaks the silence.

“I forgot to tell you. I extended our stay here so we can still celebrate like we were planning to. I’m sorry I had to go today.”

“Shoto, you don’t have to be sorry.” You cup his cheek back, a few tears spilling out of your eyes as they meet his. “I’m just so glad you’re safe and that you’re here with me.”

Yaoyorozu Momo

Recently, an adorable little paint-your-own-pottery studio had opened on yours and Momo’s route home

You two had always meant to go for a fun date, but never really had the time, so when a Valentine’s event is announced, you both leap at the opportunity and reserve your spots right away

When Valentine’s Day arrives, you and Momo show up half an hour early for the event, wearing coordinating shades of red and pink

Laughing at your accidental matching, the two of you kill the time until the event begins by taking a million photos together

When the doors to the shop open and you’re finally allowed in, Momo’s eyes nearly pop out of her head in excitement, and you just know it’s going to become a regular date spot for the two of you

The shop is decorated like a romantic tea shop straight out of a cheesy movie, with lace doilies marking work stations, faux roses as centerpieces, and red, white, and pink balloons covering the ceiling

The special event involves painting spindly teacups with handles shaped like hearts, the workstations supplied with punch and sweets, all colored and shaped for the holiday

“Look at these!” She exclaims, picking up the ceramic cup at her workstation. “What should we paint on them?”

“Why don’t we do a matching design?” you suggest. “That way we can remember this even better.”

“Yes, let’s do that!” she agrees. “What design should we do, then?”

You two decide to keep it simple: paint the mugs solid baby pink, stamp tiny red hearts all around, and then Momo would use her elegant handwriting and paint both of your initials in calligraphy on one of the faces.

You ready your stations and sit shoulder-to-shoulder as you work, chatting and giggling the entire time, occasionally nudging each other playfully with your legs

“Could you hold the cup at this angle for me while I do the calligraphy?” she requests, which gives you an excuse to sit even closer to her, the scent of her rosy perfume engulfing you

“I wish I had handwriting like that,” you whine, watching her paint the graceful swirls of your initials, followed by the date below.

“I can teach you,” she offers, coming to stand behind you. “Here.”

She puts her hand over yours, and guides it along in the shape of the letters, her free arm looping around the front of your shoulders in a casual hug

“See? You’ve done it!”

“It still doesn’t look nearly as good as yours.”

“Well, my heart stamps don’t look nearly as good as yours. I don’t think I applied enough pressure.” She returns to her own seat, stares at you for a few moments, then giggles. “Speaking of, you’ve got paint on your face. Come here.”

You lean forward so she can wipe off the paint with a gentle touch, and she places a kiss on the now-clean spot.

“There. All better.”

When the two of you finish painting the mugs, you turn them into the counter so they can be finished in the kiln, then sit by the window of the shop to enjoy your sweets while you wait

“I’m very excited about these cups,” Momo says, reaching out for your hand. “They’ll be a lovely little keepsake.”

“Me, too,” you agree, resting your head on her shoulder. “It’ll be nice to have tea in them every evening.”

“Exactly. And if there’s ever a time when we have to be separated, whether it be for hero work or some other reason, we can bring our cups with us to remember that the other is always there, waiting to come have tea together.”

Shigaraki Tomura:

Despite his villainous ideals, in romance, Shiggy is actually quite sweet, if not a little clumsy

When you first became close to him, his unhealthy lifestyle and lack of self-care worried you, so you made a habit of cooking for Shigaraki, and leaving a week’s worth of nutritious meals in the League’s fridge for him

He had never revealed this to you, but he appreciated it so much, and wanted to return the favor

When Toga mentioned something about Valentine’s Day, he knew that it was his perfect opportunity, and made his plans by ordering everyone of the League to get out and stay out for the night

He then did some research about something good to make you, wracking his brain to try and remember what you’ve mentioned liking, until he remembers a very important fact:

He can’t cook.

At all.

Has never even once tried.

Which poses an obvious problem.

He panicked for a few moments, until he landed on a new, and possibly better, idea

When you arrive for the date, dressed comfortably (because, as much as you love Shigaraki, you know that there’s no way you’ll be going out for Valentine’s Day), you’re a little bit surprised to find him standing in the kitchen

“Shiggy?” You approach the counter warily. “What are we doing tonight?”

“I can’t cook. I want to know how.”

“You want me to teach you how to cook?”

“Yes. I want to know how to make your favorite meal.”

“Okay. That’s simple enough.” You make to join him in the kitchen, but he blocks your path.

“No. I want to make this for you. Just sit down and...tell me what to do.”

That proves to be quite a bit more difficult, as you never truly understood just how hard it would be to explain cooking to someone that has never used more than a microwave before

The music you had put on in the background was quickly drowned out by his frustrated swears, and you can tell that there are times when he almost loses his temper, but holds it together for the sake of your Valentine’s gift

A couple of utensils do fall victim to his decay, though, and he subtly tries to sweep the remains away in embarrassment.

At one point, his poor knife technique leaves a decently sized cut on his finger, and you jump into action, running for a First-Aid kit

“I’m not a child,” he mutters as you clean the small wound, avoiding your eyes.

“I know,” you reply lightly, pressing a playful kiss to the bandage you had just secured.

As Shigaraki comes close to finishing the meal, you raid Kurogiri’s stores for your favorite bottle of wine, pouring two glasses and setting them out on the table.

“Does this look right?” Shigaraki asks once the final timer goes off, warily holding out his creation.

“You tell me,” you answer. “I’ve made this for you before. It looks the same to me.”

When the two of you sit down and portion out the meal, Shigarki neglects his own plate as he watches you take your first bite

You fight to keep your face neutral, because honestly, it’s god awful, even though you had been right there the whole time, telling him exactly what to do

But you really didn’t expect anything more from a first time-cook, and even though the flavor is completely wrong, you still enjoy it, because you can practically taste how much this prickly mass-murderer actually cares for you

And as twisted as your situation is, you wouldn’t change it for the world

“Is it good?” Shigaraki mumbles from across the table, pulling you from your thoughts.

You take a sip of your wine. “Thank you so much, Tomura. This was such a thoughtful gift. I really appreciate it.”

“I knew it. It’s shit.” He pushes his own plate away in frustration. “I just wanted to pay back a favor and I can’t even do that right.”

“Shig, what did I just say? I appreciate this so much.” You round the table to his seat, rubbing his shoulders and planting a kiss on the top of his head. “Of course your first attempt doesn’t work. But that gives us something new to do together. For tonight, we’ll order some takeout, but starting tomorrow, I’ll give you another cooking lesson, and then another, and another, and another... as many as it takes until you can make a whole meal for me by yourself. Deal?”

He meets your gaze with a puppy-dog expression, placing his palms over where your hands rested on his chest.

“Deal.”

Dabi/Todoroki Touya:

Let’s just say that Dabi isn’t one to ignore traditions.

He’s one to very openly and dramatically oppose them.

You were anxious if not a little worried to see what he was going to have planned for Valentine’s Day- but, honestly, as his partner, you’re equally as unconventional in your own ideals

And he doesn’t disappoint, coming home with tickets to a ghost tour at the most haunted spot in town.

“Do they even do these on Valentine’s Day?”

“Obviously. That’s when I got the tickets for.” He shrugs. “Apparently it’s a thing that people do.”

“Hopefully not very many people. You know how we hate crowds.”

“And hopefully it’s not overtly themed for this asinine holiday.” He takes your waist and whispers the next words in your ear. “The idea of a dark room and an invisible audience is romantic enough.”

“Oh, stop it.”

“I just made you more excited, didn’t I?”

“You’ll have to wait until the day to find out.”

When Valentine’s Day arrives, you dress for the occasion and meet Dabi at a glamorous hotel in an older part of town

Before the tour begins, the guide allows the guests to go to the bar for some drinks, and begin to tell the story of the hotel and the paranormal activity that had sparked the attraction

Dabi seems uninterested, taking in the architecture of the historic buidling and peering down random hallways

“I’m getting bored of this,” he mutters in your ear. “I’m ready to see something interesting.”

“Shh, Dabi, I’m trying to listen,” you whisper back.

He responds by pinching your ass. “So, are you in a naughty mood tonight? Noted.”

“Stop it,” you mutter, lightly pushing him away, but your flushed skin is a dead giveaway to how you truly feel about the situation.

When the tour actually starts, you and Dabi round out the end of the group as it descends into a long, dark hallway.

Eventually, you feel Dabi’s hand leave its spot around your waist, but you’re so distracted listening the tour guide tell stories at the front to even notice.

Until cold hands grab you from you behind and give you a violent shake, growling animalistically in your ear

You let out a terrified scream, but the laugh that comes after is all-too-familiar

“Dammit, Dabi!” you gasp, doubling over to your breath and quiet your heartbeat.

“Aha.” His hands trail down your sides and squeeze your waist. “Gotcha.”

You eventually reach the main event of the tour, which is an old storeroom that had been unused for years due to the intense paranormal activity

Dabi actually stood still next to you with his arm slung around your shoulders, interested for the first time that night as the guide used the ghost box and actually got answers from the spirits that occupied the room.

Though there are a few times when you have to stop him from pulling some prank to scare the other people taking the tour, trying to convince them that they’re actually in immediate danger of possession

When the event is over, however, and the guide is ushering people back down the hallway, Dabi pulls you into a closet, igniting a small flame on his palm and pressing a finger to his lips

When the noise of the crowd filing out is gone, he presses forward forcefully and starts to bury you in deep, passionate kisses

“Wait, wait.” You pull back once you realize what his idea is. “Isn’t this a little...scary?”

“Isn’t that what makes it fun?”

Aizawa Shota

Valentine’s Day happened to fall around one of Aizawa’s busiest times at UA, and he was so tied up and tired that you had barely seen one another lately.

So, when he remembers what’s coming up and drowsily asks you what you want to do for Valentine’s Day, you surprise him.

“I’ve already made plans for us,” you reveal, handing him a printed itinerary. “I booked us a spot at a day spa. Those are all the treatments we’ll be doing.”

“Why’d you choose this? I’m curious.”

“You need some time to relax, and I want to spend time with you when your mind is on something other than which one of your students is going to get broken next.”

“Fair enough.”

On the morning of, the two of you check into the spa, and are instructed to go change into the fluffy bathrobes they provided

“Do I really have to put this on?” he complains, holding it as one might hold a dirty diaper.

“What’s wrong with it?” you ask, already changed into yours.

“I don’t know how I feel about my chest being out on display like this.”

“Well, I’ll like it.” You snake your hand up his shirt and rake your nails down his skin. “C’mon. We’re going to be late for our couple’s massage.”

Once Aizawa has reluctantly changed, the two of you start off your day with massages and facials

You had arranged for him to get a special eye treatment, and the small sounds of relief from his table reveals that your gift is very much appreciated.

“Are you relaxed?” you inquire as you move on from the massage room to your next destination.

“More relaxed I’ve been since I stepped through the doors of UA for the first time.”

“Well, are you relaxed enough to get a hair treatment?”

“Honestly? Bring it on.”

When Aizawa is laying back in a chair, a towel wrapped around his head and a styling cape draped over his robe, you can’t help but snap photos of the slightly comical scene

“Are you taking pictures?” he grumbles.

“Do you mind that I am?”

“Just as long as my students never see it.”

“Noted,” you reply, adding the photo to an album of embarrassing pictures you planned to show them at the end of the term.

After finishing the hair treatment- Aizawa’s hair looking better than you could ever dream yours would- and moving on to a high-tech infrared light treatment, you finished out the day with a soak in the spa’s top-rate onsen, reserved for just the two of you

You sit in comfortable silence in the hot water, bodies pressed close to each other

Shota’s arm was draped around your shoulder, and you loosely held the hand that fell across your body

When you lay your ear on his chest, you notice that his heartbeat is the calmest you’ve ever heard it

“So, did the spa serve its purpose?” you ask, tilting your head up to gaze at him.

“It did. Though I think it was less the spa’s doing, and more the fact that I spent an entire day with you.”

You hum happily, reaching up and tapping his chin. “Nice and well rested now, are you? You sure look pretty.”

He chuckles lightly, running a hand through your hair. “So do you.”

“Well, there’s still about an hour left until our dinner reservation,” you observe, noticing the clock on the wall. “Is there anything you want to do to kill the time before then?”

“We’re both sitting in hot water, naked,” he replies matter-of-factly. “The answer should be obvious.”

[melzula]

A New Battle Begins

pairing: Zuko x Princess!reader

notes: requested by anon

summary: Now that the war is over, Zuko and the Princess can finally live a life of peace together. Or so they think...

~ part of the fire lilies series ~

“Careful now, you don’t want to hurt yourself,” you chide gently as you help guide Zuko’s arms through the sleeves of his robe before neatly tying the sash around his waist. His wound is still tender from Azula’s lightning strike and limits most of his movements, so he’s grateful for your help in his preparation for the coronation. You work precisely and gracefully with no error and no faltering despite the hindrance of your freshly bandaged hands, and though the room is quiet a sense of calm and peacefulness washes over Zuko at your mere comforting presence. Today he will be crowned Fire Lord, and you will be right by his side just like you have been since you were children— Zuko couldn’t ask for anything more than that.

“Thank you for your help,” he says with a grateful smile. “I can’t imagine doing this without you.”

“We’ve come a long way,” you note thoughtfully, “and there’s no place I’d rather be than right here with you in this very moment.”

With the final piece of his wardrobe secured to his body, Zuko takes it upon himself to tie his top knot— you still haven’t quite mastered the hairstyle yet— and complete his Fire Lord ensemble. You smile fondly at the sight of him, leaning forward to grace his lips with a sweet kiss.

“You make a handsome Fire Lord.”

“And one day you’ll make a beautiful Fire Lady,” Zuko counters with a small smirk, one that sends you into an embarrassed fit of giggles.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, mister,” you say with a laugh. “I’m going to join the others out in the courtyard. I’ll see you shortly.”

You bid your love goodbye with a chaste kiss to the cheek before excusing yourself from his presence and making your way back outside. The palace is empty other than the few guards that line the hallways, and you have to remind yourself that they aren’t your enemies any longer. With Zuko on the throne and your status as his girlfriend no one will lay a single finger on you while you are here, especially not with your title as Princess of the Southern Water Tribe. It will take some time to break your habit of immediately going on the defensive in the presence of Fire Nation soldiers, but you have faith that Zuko and Aang will be able to restore balance to the world.

Your path to the outside is suddenly blocked by a woman who stands at the very end of the hall and gazes thoughtfully out the grand window before her. Her hair is graying but the lines that worry her face are kind and familiar. Seemingly sensing your presence, she turns to you with a tired smile, one you recognize immediately despite the many years you’ve spent away from home.

“Mother,” you murmur quietly, eyes welling with tears and breath catching in your throat at the sight of her.

“You’ve grown so much I almost didn’t recognize you,” she replies with a teasing tone. Her arms open to you then, warm and inviting, and with a small sob you gather the skirt of your dress before sprinting towards her.

“Mother!” You cry, melting into her bone crushing embrace as you weep into the fabric of her coat. “I can’t believe it’s you! How- What are you doing here?”

“The Fire Prince sent a messenger hawk to tell me of your bravery and requested my presence in the Fire Nation immediately,” she explains before carefully taking your hands in her own and assessing the bandages wrapped neatly around your wrists and extending all the way to your fingertips. It’s only one layer and it’s mostly just for protection, but it’s obvious that extensive damage has been done to your skin. “Does it hurt?”

“No. The healing took away the pain, but the scars will stay forever.”

“My brave girl,” your mother coos with a tearful smile, hand resting upon your cheek and cupping your face. “Your father would be so proud.”

“Thank you, mom,” you reply. A single tear slides down your cheek but you’re quick to brush it away before it can ruin your ceremonial makeup. “But if I’m being honest, I thought you’d be angry with me... I was afraid when I came back home you’d want nothing to do with me.”

“I was heartbroken when you left,” she admits thoughtfully, “you were my only child and I feared for your safety. I thought of you every day, and when I heard the news of your father’s death I worried that one day I might get the same news about you.”

You look closely at your mother as she explains, appreciating the details of her face and the change of her features. She wasn’t very old, but your absence and your father’s passing weighed heavily upon her through the lines on her skin. She was strong, but she’d also been through a lot these last couple of years, managing her grief while trying to run an entire tribe on her own. You could only hope to be as great of a leader as she was.

“But instead I received news of your bravery, your compassion, and your courage. I couldn’t be more proud to call you my daughter, y/n, and I can’t wait to see what you do next.”

She pulls you into yet another embrace before joining you out in the courtyard to meet your friends, and for the first time in a long time all is right in the world.

~~~

Zuko’s coronation goes off without a hitch, and after successfully establishing the plans for the Harmony Restoration Movement with King Kuei you and your friends decide to visit the Jasmine Dragon to celebrate before the announcement. It’s your last night away from home, and though you’re reluctant to say goodbye to Zuko and your friends you know you’re needed back in the south. You’ve been away for too long, and the Southern Water Tribe is in desperate need of a ruler. With your father gone and your mother growing older it will only be a matter of time before the tribe is left in your hands, so there’s no better time than now to start leaning how to lead.

“Your tsungi horn playing is beautiful as always, Uncle,” you compliment Iroh as Zuko sets your tea before you. He gifts you a chaste kiss to the cheek in passing, an act that has you shyly hiding your smile behind your cup and taking a drink of the jasmine taste you’ve missed so dearly. The last time you’d been in Ba Sing Se you were living under a false identity, settling down into your new life with a reluctant Zuko and trying to start anew. There had been obstacles of course, from the encounters with your midnight stranger to Zuko’s inevitable betrayal down in the crystal caves, but you don’t wish to take any of it back for a second. Because otherwise you wouldn’t be here now, surrounded by your friends as you critique Sokka’s drawing.

“You know the burns are only on my hands and not the rest of me, right?” You ask, pointing out the scars that weave around your arms like vines in the drawing.

“Yeah, but this makes you look cooler!” Sokka defends.

“Well I think you all look perfect,” Toph compliments enthusiastically, and you can’t help but laugh at yet another one of her blind jokes. You’ll miss those once you get back home.

The celebration will be starting soon, and so you join your friends on the back of Appa to fly through the skies and enjoy your time together before the night can end. You sit in the back with Suki who carefully adjusts the flowers in your hair and distracts you from the serious conversation Zuko holds with Aang.

“Are you excited to go back home?”

“Very, but I am going to miss you guys. I’ve spent a whole year with you all, it’ll be so strange being without you.”

“I’m sure we can visit you,” Suki suggests. “And don’t you have that tunnel thing with Zuko?”

“Yeah, we have a tunnel thing,” you nod, a faint smile playing upon your lips. A part of you is excited to see the tunnel again just because it’s been so long, and really it was probably the pivotal force on which your journey began. “I hope my people will be happy to see me.”

“They will. You are the Princess, after all.”

You don’t get to talk any further about the subject before brilliant bursts of fireworks begin to explode in the sky. They’re breathtaking, and by the looks of the crowd down below the Earth King has just announced the harmony restoration movement. Huddling close to Suki, you stare up at the display in awe and with a bittersweet sense of joy. Someone clears their throat from beside you, and both you and Suki turn to see Zuko smiling sheepishly at your pair.

“Mind if I steal my girlfriend away from you for a bit?”

“Not at all,” Suki smiles knowingly before scooting over and allowing you and Zuko some space to yourselves. His arm easily wraps around your frame and pulls you into his side, and already you can feel his warmth beginning to encompass you as you rest your head upon his shoulder.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” You murmur in quiet appreciation for the fireworks.

“It is,” Zuko agrees with a faint smile. You’re too engrossed to notice the uneasiness in his tone, but he doesn’t want you to anyway. If you were to find out about the promise Aang had sworn to you’d surely delay your return home just to try and talk him out of it, and Zuko couldn’t have the Princess of the Southern Water Tribe missing on his behalf.

(At least not again.)

Besides, he’d made up his mind and he didn’t plan on changing it any time soon.

He hopes it’ll never come down to that, so for now Zuko is simply content with holding you close and enjoying your last peaceful night together in Ba Sing Se.

Spirits know it will be quite some time before you ever share a night like this again.

~~~

It’s strange being back home. Everything is so... different. Your tribe had dwindled significantly in number what with the casualties of the war, and the smaller villages that resided outside of the palace walls had been reduced to practically nothing. You could feel everyone’s eyes on you as you walked off the ship alongside your mother, could hear their gossiping whispers about how much you’d changed and if you were back for good this time, and it made you anxious. You reach for a hand that isn’t there and have to remind yourself that you’re on your own now. Sokka, Zuko, and Suki are no longer around to provide you comfort, so you’ll have to rely on your own inner strength to make it through the day.

“Princess,” a snide voice you’re all too familiar with calls from front steps of the palace. “It is so wonderful to have you home again.”

“Thank you, Advisor Koa,” you reply calmly, bowing in respect to the man but never once pulling your gaze from him. The smirk that plays upon his lips has you fuming but you keep your emotions at bay and remain cordial.

Koa was your father’s most trusted advisor, but you yourself never found him to be very trust worthy. His eyes were always shifty and there was something in the way he carried himself that made it seem as if he had a big secret to hide. The way he talked to your father always came off aggressive and scheming, yet the chief said nothing. As unbearable as Koa could be, he had a bright mind and skillful war tactics, so he stayed in his position of power beneath the royal family. You were meant to marry his son Kai but had ran off with Zuko before the marriage could take place, and you were sure Koa must be bitter about the fact that he hadn’t managed to marry his way into your family.

“Did you enjoy your time galavanting with the Fire Prince while the rest of your tribe was left to fend for themselves in the result of your absence?”

“I helped the Avatar bring balance to the world which is more than you can say, Koa. Need I remind you you were the only man who chose to say behind during the war?” You snap back harshly, holding back a triumphant smirk at the man’s obvious annoyance with your insult. Two can play at that game.

“Always a joy,” he mutters with an insincere grin.

“Now if you’ll excuse me I have a tribe to run,” you say, but before you can even take a step towards the palace Koa is blocking your path.

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that. You see, the Southern Water Tribe already has a leader: me.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” You retort harshly, features falling at the guilty look that forms on your mother’s face. “What is he talking about?”

“I couldn’t run an entire tribe by myself,” she admits desperately, pleading for you to understand. “With you and your father gone I had no choice but to accept Koa’s offer to stand in as Chief until one of you returned.”

“Well I have returned, and as the rightful heir of this tribe I am ordering you to step down!” You demand pointedly, blood boiling at the laugh that leaves Koa in response.

“You’re absolutely adorable,” he coos condescendingly, pinching your cheek before you harshly yank yourself away from his grasp. “Do you really think a little girl is capable of ruling?”

“I’m a water bending master and I helped the Avatar defeat the Fire Lord and end the war! I am not a little girl!”

“You were selfish and ran away from your duties. You left your people in their time of need. You’re lucky you were even allowed back here considering the treachery you’ve partaken in against the Southern Water Tribe.”

“Koa,” your mother interrupts timidly. “I may have put you in charge but I will not allow you to speak to my daughter that way.”

“My apologies, your highness,” Koa utters respectfully before returning his attention to you. A snide smile rests upon his lips. “It really was so lovely to see you again, Princess y/n.”

“Mother, you can’t-“

“Not now,” she consoles quietly, watching his triumphantly retreating form disappear behind the palace doors before glancing around at the small crowd that had gathered to observe the dispute. “If you want to get the throne back you can’t act irrationally.”

Your once hardened features slowly soften as you let out a defeated sigh, collapsing into the comforting embrace of your mother.

Restoring balance to the world hadn’t been enough to save face with your people, and now you found yourself entangled in a whole new fight. With your friends gone and your father unable to help you win the crown what were you to do?

So much for home sweet home...

| tags: @rainteslerrrr @oddment-niwit-blubber-tweak @thebluelcdy @royahllty @the-firebender-girl @coldlilheart @ilovespideyyy @yiyibetch @eridanuswave @lammello @a-monsters-love @knaite-solo @zukh03s @taeeemin @titaniafire @dekahg @emberislandplayers @kikaninchen-2 @lozzybowe @izzieserra @melacholy @music-geek19 @thia-aep @thyunnamed @haylaansmi @nataliahaslosthershit @idkdude776 @aangsupremacy @thirstyforsometea @ihaveaproblem98 @brown-eyed-thang @djskfkdkkf @xapham @yeetletzgetitjae @misnmatchedsox @chewymoustachio @that-bucket-hat-gal |

[pocketfulofrogers]

Fallen

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Summary: After Steve drops the shield, he begins down a path he may have no hope of returning from. 

Notes: I would not be opposed to turning this into a series, but it would be a lil dark and hella angsty.

It's for the best. He tells himself. They’ll forgive me when I’m done. They’ll understand.

Steve repeats this on a loop, a desperate track that tries to soothe the bile that builds in his throat as he types. His heart beats rapidly, each thump against his chest echoing one unified truth: these are lies.

But he needs them to keep moving forward, so that he may forget the look in Natasha’s eyes when he left her in stunned silence on the runway. Her hand gripping her duffle, the humid air thick and sticking her bright hair to her forehead- eyes glistening. Forget the things he said to Tony, full of rage and hurt and everything he hates. Forget Sam and all his pleas, asking for the chance to keep his friend safe.

“Just give it some more time, man.” Sam had begged.  

He had given it time, seventy years of it. Add a few more for doing things the ‘right way’ and all he had to show for it was a demolished building, several civilian casualties, and a smear to his name.

Lost and fresh out of hope, Steve had tossed the shield. Not that it mattered all that much to him anyways, all he saw in the center of that star was a replay of every failure he had ever had. Funny enough, they started and ended with the same person.

Bucky.

See, the general consensus on had been that if the Winter Soldier were to take Steve Rogers, hold him for days and beat him until he broke more than his bones, he would cease this rescue mission he had been hellbent on since the fall of SHIELD.

They were only partially right.

Tony had been the one to find him strung up in an abandoned warehouse barely conscious, his eyes sunken and hollow. His body was a mess of blues and purples. Too terrified to touch him, Steve hung there for an additional twenty minutes before the medical team arrived to pull him down.

It was the first time they’d ever seen Natasha cry.

His heart stopped twice in the time it took them to reach the compound and Banner didn’t upgrade him from critical condition until three weeks later. He didn’t open his eyes for another two.

When he eventually emerged from the critical care wing, he was different. “It’s to be expected.” They drone out. Sure, but not like this. He was dark. Twisted and bent and no longer the captain they remembered.

Three cadets had filed complaints by the end of the month, citing a range of problematic offenses. It didn’t take Natasha very long to convince Fury to let them slip through the cracks if Steve would agree to move to another area.

Despite it all, he seemed more focused than before. He swears up and down that if there’s only one good thing he does with his life on this god forsaken planet, it will be saving his friend.

With that thought, Steve presses send and seals a deal with the devil.

**

You’re leaned back in the metal of a chair, appreciating the cool contrast to the hot sun filtering down. A single, freshly manicured nail traces the lattice pattern of the tabletop absentmindedly while you glance over the café menu.

“A little warm today, isn’t it?” A man asks from behind you.

You turn your head to the side, unable to see him still. “I quite like the warm.” You answer back.

He slips his way behind you and into the chair before you. Something about him feels familiar and it sets you on edge enough that the pistol on your thigh beneath your black dress feels a little heavier.

The stranger has a ballcap worn low, obnoxiously covered in anything that could possibly scream ‘I’m a tourist’.

You lean forward. “I said you needed to blend in not announce yourself as an easy target for every pick pocket in the state.”  

“I can’t risk being made, and it’s worked before.”

Sliding your sunglasses down the bridge of your nose, you eye him. Not a single discernable feature about him yet something felt very off. “Who are you?”

He shakes his head. “That’s not what I’m here for.”

You smile coly as you nudge his knee with the muzzle of your gun, and he tenses. “Not an optional question.” It isn’t until he’s raised the bill of the cap up just enough for you to see the bright, clear blue of his eyes that it finally clicks. “Absolutely not.” You announce as you stand.

His hand darts out to grab your arm. “Please, just hear me out.”

You stare daggers at his hand until he pulls it away. “Captain, have you suddenly forgotten what side you’re on?”

“I don’t know if you’ve seen the news lately but it doesn’t seem like anyone’s on my side.”

You purse your lips. “Do you know who I am?” His eyes fall flat and you shake your head. “My answer still stands. I’ve been at this too long to bring in a maybe ex Avenger that could blow the whole plan.”

“I need the money.”

“Ask Stark, he’s got plenty of it.” Steve averts his eyes at the comment and shoves his hands into his pockets. Maybe he wasn’t kidding. “What do you need it for?”

“A friend.”

Your laugh drips sarcasm. “Are you going to offer up any useful information or am I going to have to blow your poor attempt at a cover and slip out? There’re some big names looking for you, Steve, especially if you’re all on your lonesome now. Watching the mercs and the US government fight for first dibs sounds fairly intriguing.”

His eyes snap back to meet yours. “And then I bring you down with me.”

You lean forward again. “I wonder if you’d live long enough?” You ponder for a moment with a sinister smirk. “I am not an enemy you want to add to your growing list.” You grab your bag and stand up. “Good luck in whatever it is you’re doing.”

“I’m trying to buy the freedom of a friend.” He says quickly just as you’ve turned your back and you pause. “Hydra set a high price.”

With that, you sit back down. “You’ve piqued my interest, go on.”

He rolls his bottom lip between his teeth and leans forward. “He doesn’t know what he’s doing, he barely even knows who he is.”

“The Winter Soldier?” You ask and he nods.

“I knew him a long time ago, thought he died. He saved my life more times than I can count, so I’m trying to do the same.”

You dart your tongue out to wet your lips. “Very noble, but this is not the place for you.” Steve moves to interrupt, but you hold out a finger. “We are not noble, we’re barely even reasonable. If it’s money you need, go rob a bank. There’d be less blood on your hands.”

“It wouldn’t be enough. I don’t care what I need to do, I’ll do it.”

“Story checks out, boss.” You pause to listen to the man who’d been feeding you tidbits of information on the other side of your earpiece. “Chatter says he’s cut ties with the Avengers permanently. There was some kind of falling out with Stark.”

Looking back to Steve, you watch him for a few moments. “You’re about to cross a line you can’t come back from.”

“I’ve already crossed it.”

[alyss01]

|[It's a family business]|

[comfy cartel x reader]

Part 4/ finale

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

[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4]

Genre: mafia AU/ action

Word count: 4K

Requested: no

To request: it's possible to request for the comfy cartel, for one character in the comfy cartel setting or just the whole, the requests are open!

Synopsis: Corpse joins the cartel, and soon you accompany him, together with Rae, Lily, Sykunno and Toast to a new opening casino to deal with some unpaid debt.

Warnings: violence, murder, crimes, blood, fighting, gunfire, shooting

A/n: I can't believe this is the end of this small series. It's been fairly small but I'm so proud of myself for finishing this and keeping it small. Honestly this chapter could have been divided in two but I just wanted to finish it for everyone. This started as a one shot idea and progressed into so much more so I didn't want to leave everyone hanging. Thank you everyone that has supported this! Enjoy!

Masterlist

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"the place is getting flooded with security." Micheal's eyes scanned the screens that displayed the security cameras that hung around the building. He was the only one that could watch them as empty hallways were displayed for the actual security of the building to hide your whereabouts.

Toast walked in front and led the way, the gun still positioned in his hand as he carefully kept his eyes on the hallway in front of him.

Sykunno walked behind him, providing a second pair of eyes in case Toast missed something, anything.

Similarly to the entire night, Corpse stood by your side, his sleeves pulled up to above his elbows as the gun hadn't left his gloved hand.

Lily and Rae guarded your back, carefully keeping their eyes on the empty hallway behind you to make sure no one showed up unexpectedly in your back.

Gun shots occasionally echoed through the building, the amount of bodies you passed increased as the time passed.

Toast's reflexes were fast, clipping in a new load of bullets in his hand gun as he tossed the empty one aside. He didn't allow anyone in your way a bare second to even pull their own trigger.

If they came with more than one, Sykunno was right beside him. The two worked together perfectly, seemingly reading each other's mind as they shot in perfect sync.

More than once you could see Lily and Rae turn around behind you as they shot their own gun before turning back around to follow your little group.

The amount of people that came at once increased, each side hallway checked roughly before moving on.

"There's a large group heading your way from your direct front. You'll have to pass them to access the stairs, the elevators aren't working."

"How many?" Rae's words were stern as she fired her gun to the area behind your group. You could see Corpse's hand clench around the gun as he watched the situation around him.

He didn't like this, getting caught in a trap with limited freedom of movement and unknowing from which side he'd be attacked from next. He was new to working as a team, only having started to do it since he joined the cartel a small month back. Getting caught in these type of situations made him anxious.

"I'm unsure, probably 15, each heavily armed." You could hear Toast groan in front of you as you spoke, "they're late, we've already done our job, why are they only coming now?"

Micheal sighed as the continuous typing continued, "if i had to guess, they wanted to confirm identities first and then engage, you must've been faster than they expected."

It was one of the few times when you had seen Micheal as serious as he was now, the speed of the typing increased as he spoke up once more, "they'll reach you in a few minutes."

Toasts brow was furrowed as thoughts shot through his head to figure out how to deal with this situation accordingly. They had nothing to shield them in the empty hallway, getting inside a room could lead to potentially trapping yourself in. They were definitely with too many to take down without casualties.

"Are there any routes to avoid them completely?" Toast asked sternly as he guided your group into a side hallway before leaning to the side back into the original hallway before gunshots echoed through the space.

"There is one, but they'll go there straight if they won't find you here and they'll catch you right in front of the stairs."

"If we run?" Lily asked for the first time since you had gotten into this situation as Rae gave her a look from the side.

Micheal scoffed, "are you Usain Bolt?"

Toast squinted his eyes as a plan formed in his mind. It was risky, but not impossible. It was a guess, a liability, but it wouldn't be impossible. It was a gamble.

A fifty fifty.

"Y/n how fast can you run?" You furrowed your eyebrows at Toast's serious question, "not as fast as Usain Bolt if that's your question."

He nodded his head, nodding towards Corpse and Sykunno as he spoke, "you two go with her to the stairs with the other route, Rae, Lily and I will be right on your heels after taking care of these guys."

Your eyes narrowed as you watched Toast, your voice silent as the words left your mouth, "you're sure?"

He gave you a small disarming smile, one which you looked right through. You had known him for a long time. Through ups and downs in and outside of the cartel. You could see the nerves he hid behind the small smile like no other.

You returned it, a small smile tugging on the corners of your lips as you nodded. You couldn't stand still any longer, time was precious.

Nodding at him you spoke, "then I'll see you outside." He gave you a small nod in return as he held out his gun, ready for whatever would come at him in the next minutes, "I'll see you there."

Despite feeling like time had stilled, you needed to go. Rae gave you an encouraging smirk, and Lily gave you a small but reassuring smile as you pulled your heels off, holding them in one hand as you gathered your dress out of your way with the other as you ran off with Corpse and Sykunno.

Micheal guided you through the building, within a few more minutes you could hear the noises of gunshots echoing through the building before they reached your ear piece.

You could feel anxiety bubble in your chest but ignored it as you moved through the building with the two males by your side.

Toast's reflexes were what saved him in the heat of the moment, yanking one of the security men to the ground before shooting him in his head and pulling his rifle from his fading grip.

Rae smirked as she shot the approaching men, hiding behind the corner of the wall as she got fired at before leaning forwards once more and firing her a few times and pulling back once more.

One of them approached under the cover of his colleagues fire, attempting to round their corner with his gun to deal unthinkable damage.

Instead he was met with a knife slitting his throat as Rae passed the gun to Lily who swiftly started to aid Toast's antics as she fired the device with expertise.

When she joined the cartel, it was never meant for her to fight like this. The dirty jobs would get taken care off by Toast and the others. It was before most of the cartel had joined, the early and green days of the organization.

"Don't worry. You'll be the comfy front, we'll manage whatever dirty business there is, you won't have to concern yourself with that." Toasts words had reassured her back then.

A small smile played on her lips as the gun shook in her hold. As the cartel had grown, similarly to you, she couldn't be kept away from the flames.

Beside her, Toast looked at his two companions as they worked together, frequent teamwork resulting in the perfect work they displayed. Together they were quick and efficient. He was glad to have them by his side now.

You hurried down the stairs, one hand grabbing Corpse's as he guided you up the steps hurriedly. Sykunno stood in front of you, checking the top of the stairs to make sure the coast was clear.

"Soon we'll return to the ground level." Corpse spoke, obviously hinting to your appearance, walking bare feet, part of your dress in your hand to keep it out of the way of your feet.

The three of you wouldn't mingle with the common visitors of the casino, instead taking the hallways around the main lobby to reach an emergency exit.

That didn't mean it wasn't an area where you wouldn't meet regular customers as they explored the ground levels of the building.

As you reached the ground floor you brushed the hair our of your face, smoothed out your dress for a second and set your heels on the floor as you stepped in them. As long as you seemed like a normal visitor for the grand opening, people would believe it.

Both Sykunno and Corpse hid their guns from sight as you stepped out of the door leading to the mass of staircases.

Corpse offered his arm to you as his eyes scanned the hallway, Sykunno peacefully walking on your other side, his nerves on edge as the familiar adrenaline rushed through his veins. His senses heightened as his heart raced with the thrill of the job.

The hallways were grand on this level, luxuriously decorated to suit the expensive atmosphere of the casino. Unlike the business setting of the other floors except the ground and second floor, it was grand and allowed for freedom of movement.

Big bright windows decorated one side of the wall. Beautiful and elegant to the naked eye but your trained eyes could easily spot the thick bullet proof glass the windows were made off.

The hallway was quiet, maybe even suspiciously so as you heard the distant but loud music from the lobby.

The lighting here matched the lighting of the lobby, a stark difference against the bright spaces of the other floors, it was dimly lit as the night crawled on.

You could hear a relieved sigh over your ear piece as you continued to walk, Toast confidently announcing he was on your tail as he would soon follow your little group.

The situation didn't permit for you to wait for them as you continued on. But you couldn't ignore the relieved sigh that left your throat, or how Sykunno's face seemed to clear up at the words.

Corpse's expression was hard to read with the mask, but his body language told you he too was glad with the success.

Maybe it was because in that small moment of relief you had slipped off guard to your surroundings.

Corpse stiffened beside you as Sykunno protectively stepped in front of you. A small group wearing expensive suits and long flowy dresses stepped out of one of the doors, their eyes locking with yours immediately told you it was not a coincidence that you met them.

Your feeling had been correct when you realized it was too silent. Now you couldn't help it as the group came closer, and even in the dim lighting you could see the guns in their hands.

They weren't pointed at you yet, as if they needed something else instead of a simple and clean kill.

Something seemed to click in your mind, as if the puzzle pieces finally aligned to show you the true picture. You realized what the man's words had truly meant in the vault, you had walked straight into their trap, giving them a chance to capture you and hit right on one of the few weak spots the cartel had.

The first bullet was yours, flying through the hall as it connected with one's skull. Sykunno and Corpse were immediate to follow your lead, they were fast as the bullets flew from your weapons.

They started to fire back, only as expected, the difference between you and them was that you didn't try to avoid fatal shots.

You scoffed as you realized that you truly had walked straight into this carefully laid out trap, where your target had only been the bait. The group was relatively small, consisting of five people who were quickly taken down by your fast bullets.

They were quickly wiped out, yet you could only call yourself lucky to not have been injured.

You took a second to catch your breath as you returned the heated gun to it's holster, pulling your hand through your hair as you turned to Sykunno, the frown on his face evident that he reached the same conclusion you had.

"Sykunno, you'll check if the emergency exit is even opened in the first place. Toast will catch up soon enough and we need to be certain of our escape route before continuing." You knew he didn't want to follow your order, but he knew it was necessary so ensure your escape out of this building.

Toast's voice could be heard through your earpiece as he spoke, "we'll be able to catch up in about 10 minutes if we continue moving as we are right now. Sykunno you'll check the exit as instructed and Corpse you are not to leave her side under any circumstances. Keep moving."

Sykunno responded that he had understood, trying his best to give you a small reassuring smile that didn't manage to reach his eyes in the current situation. He turned around and ran through the corridor, Micheal in your ear guiding him through the building as you continued with just Corpse by your side.

It wasn't hard to see that the male beside you was on edge as he walked, his eyes scanning the area like a hawks as you moved forward.

It didn't seem like you were the only three that got held up by a group of seemingly regular guests. Toast's group soon encountered their own struggle only futher solidyfing that this had been a thought out plan all along. 

It took a few a small ten minutes for Sykunno to have reached the exit, confirming it was open. He considered returning to your and Corpse's side, but instead Toast ordered him to go to Micheal's van and drive it as close to the emergency exit as possible. You didn't have the luxury to walk another fifteen minutes to reach the vehicle right now. 

Toast, Rae and Lily had successfully taken down the group they encountered, announcing they were hot on your heels once more as they closed in their distance. 

It felt as if you could breathe freely at the good news. A weight lifted off your shoulders as this nightmarish nighted seemed to come to an end as you closed in on the exit. 

So close to the exit that you could practically feel the breeze from outside, it felt as if your fingertips could graze the door despite the distance still between you and the door. Beside you Corpse too became relaxed, knowing that this would be it for this task, knowing he was so close to coming out if this unscathed. 

You had to admit, the growing relief accomapanied with the naiveness that the end of this task brought probably made the final attack, a stray last attempt that had hid in the dark, all the more surprising. 

Corpse noticed it as soon as you were pulled backwards from his side. A heavy weight on your throat as you felt someone tighten the muscles on his arm that had wrapped around it from behind when you fell backwards. 

Instinctively, Corpse's gun was pointed right at the person's head, who held their own gun to your temple as their arm clenched around your throat. You had fallen backwards in their hold, legs bent in attempt to keep yourself up and relieve the ever growing stress on your throat. 

Corpse could see the redness in your face grow, a result of the lack of oxygen that reached your lungs. Micheal watched with wide eyes over the camera's you paid his voice in your ear no mind as he explained the situation at Toast who only grew more anxious as the precious seconds passed, breaking out in a sprint. 

Your hands clawed at the arms, who seemingly paid it no mind. The adrenaline in your veins demanded oxygen as not even the scream stuck in your throat reached the air. In the haze of the situation you could see another figure slowly approach Corpse from his back. His mind raced to find a solution to get you out of this person's hold, resulting that he didn't notice his own attacker approaching from behind, a mere knife seemingly the only weapon they carried. 

A plan bubbled up in your mind. 

Closing your eyes and releasing the grip on the man's arm, you allowed your body to give in as it went limp, your speedy hand ripping the knife beside the holster stripped on your thigh loose. 

In that same movement you stepped back, the sharp heel of your hellish heels you had worn that night driving into the top of the person's foot as they loosened their hold on you for a small second. It was enough for you to pull yourself out of the hold, ducking to the ground out of the way of the gun as you twisted your upper body and cleanly sliced through the clothing of the person to reach their skin and cut into their stomach. 

As you turned back to Corpse, you could see his widened eyes, his gun pointed to the man on the ground who raised his gun at you from his position on the ground and cleanly shooting a bullet straight through his heart. Despite that he was still blissfully unaware of the figure sneaking up on him, who now jumped closer to take advantage of the current action. 

Your arm instinctively pulled back, twisting the knife in your hold as you threw the weapon at Corpse, barely missing him as it hit his attacker in the arm in which he held the knife. Now you were forever grateful of the lessons self defense Rae had given you over the years. 

Corpse turned around in surprise, dodging the falling knife that his attacker once held as he fired his gun once more. Ending another life that night. 

You sat on the ground, eyes teary as coughs wrecked your body when the sweet oxygen filled your lungs. Corpse stepped closer to you, both of you splattered with blood, although thankfully it wasn't your own. Toast's worried voice filled your ears as Corpse told him you were alright. 

Your coughing wrecked through your body as your hands found themselves at your throat. You struggled to find your breath for short while, Corpse by your side as he watched the surroundings, allowing you precious time to regain your breath.

He offered his hand, pulling you up as you walked those last few meters to the exit. 

At the end of the narrow alleyway the exit lead to, stood a familair white van, Sykunno walking towards the two of you as he opened the side on the vehicle. 

Holding Corpse's arm, you climbed into the van. He followed you quickly, and as he did you could hear the door of the exit get slammed open as Toast ran out of the building first.

Barely a minute later followed Rae and Lily. Crossing through the alley and climbing into the vehicle as Sykunno sat behind the wheel. Micheal sat in the passenger seat as he typed on his laptop.

"So who's informing Yvonne of this?" Toast asked as you looked at the exhausted smile on his face. Sykunno started driving and guiding you away from the casino.

Leaning into your seat, you groaned, "Lily? Can you do it?" It was almost like a whine as you brushed your hair out of your face.

She looked at you, a small relieved smile on her face as she held her phone, "I'll do it, as long as I don't have to explain to the Don how you came to look like that." A small chuckle escaping her throat with the words.

You realized what she meant as your eyes widened, looking at the obvious crimson that stained your dress and arms. A sigh left your throat as you started to think of excuses to explain your appearance.

With your mind lost in thought, and Lily conversing with Yvonne, you failed to notice how Corpse beside you had taken off his suit jacket and handed it to you.

"It'll hide the stains." He spoke as you looked at him, curiously raising your eyebrow, "it'll get stained with blood."

A small chuckle left his throat, and you couldn't help but smile at the sound, "it wouldn't be the first time."

You nodded and silently thanked him as you wrapped the piece of clothing around your shoulders. It was horribly oversized on your form but you didn't mind it, if anything it provided extra warmth.

Corpse smiled silently at the sight, the gesture hidden by his mask as you leant backwards in your seat once more, huddled in the warmth of Corpse's jacket.

•••

It had been a few days since completing the task at the casino, and although you managed to keep the events of the night partially hidden for Scarra, he had undoubtedly figured out parts of what happened.

Despite that Corpse's jacket had indeed been enough to cover up the state of your appearance from Scarra who had gone to greet you as you returned.

Now you knew you'd be stuck at the cartel for at least a while longer as Scarra refused that you'd go out into the field once more after last time.

You figured you could at least do so much to keep your brother's mind at ease. Besides that you had more than enough to do to keep the exact events of the casino hidden from the government.

Naturally bodies had been found, yet nothing could be traced back to the cartel, everything hidden perfectly as you pulled the strings from behind the scenes.

The building and it's interior had been successfully transferred to the cartel as the official loanshark of the man.

In the end, everything had worked out.

"So, how have you been getting used to the cartel?" You asked, leaning back into the chair as you took a sip of your drink, watching Corpse on the other side of the grand table.

He shrugged his shoulders, "it's been different," his signature mask back on his face instead of the black facemask he had worn at the casino.

You raised your eyebrows in question as you looked at him, "different? Cause you're not used to working with others?"

Somewhere you remember reading that in his file barely an hour before he first entered the cartel.

Nodding his head, he looked at you, silent but with furrowed brows as he watched you. As if something bothered him.

"What's bothering you?" The words had left your mouth before you even realized it. He leaned on the side of his chair as his eyes narrowed at you,

"That night, why didn't you wait for me to have figured out the situation? He could've shot you as soon as you moved." Something clicked in your head as he spoke. He was bothered by that accident barely before you had reached the exit.

A small smile formed on your face, "I could see his companion sneak up behind you. If i hadn't done anything then he would've reached you before you could've done anything."

There still was a furrow in his eyebrows and a crease in his forehead as the words left your mouth. The smile on your face turned more genuine and gentle as you leant forward on the table.

"The cartel is like my family. Now that you've joined, you're part of that family too," a genuine smile that reached his eyes could be seen as you continued.

"This cartel," you gestured to everything around you,

"it's a family business."

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Comfy cartel tag list; @another-fantasy-world, @and-claudia, @lo-manburg, @stickystrawberrysyrup, @in-fucking-deed, @jadesbabylon, @victoria-a567

If i missed anyone, if you want to be added or removed from this taglist, please message me!

[horribletestsubject]

Fic I just wrote based on These Two art pieces that I’ve drawn and THIS POST by @body-utensil-travels-terrain

———

You’ve spent your life being told you couldn’t. Now there’s a voice telling you that you can.

You remember it distinctly. You were fourteen at the time, just really starting to figure out what you wanted to do with your life (it certainly isn’t what society expected from you— but then, society doesn’t expect someone like you anyway, does it?) when you first heard her voice over the radio in your living room. The words she said resonated with you, the promise and ambition that she spoke with. It was almost like she was talking directly to you.

You do your research. You study hard. You tinker away at things in your garage, supplementing your studies in your own way. And five years later, after you’ve graduated, you put in your application.

A letter arrives a few weeks later, emblazoned with the circular symbol you’ve kept in your mind’s eye all this time, and bold lettering on the front— Aperture Science Innovators. It’s addressed to you. You open it, and your fingers tighten around the smooth paper— “congratulations” it says. You’ve been accepted. At the bottom is Her signature. You trace over it with your fingers. Delicately, as gently as you’d handle an irreplaceable machine part.

Two weeks later your bags are packed and you’re boarding a flight to Detroit. The attendant greets you. You hold up your boarding pass and get on. You land a few hours later. Getting a cab would be too complicated— people don’t like to take the time to read, and most can’t speak the way you do. So you walk to the train station, it’s not too far. Just an hour or two. You’ve walked further before.

Flat fields flow by endlessly as the train rattles down its tracks. You lean your head against the window, watching the hues of gold rush by, blurring on into infinity.

The sun is gone when you pull up outside a strange little town, surrounded by chain link fence. You fish through your bag for the packet you’d been sent— and pull out the temporary ID you’d been given. You show it to the gate guard. He lets you in. A man is waiting to show you your dormitory. You shake your head at his offer of a tour— you’ll explore the place yourself tomorrow. There are a few days before you’re actually needed for orientation.

The room is small and plain. A bed, desk, and dresser, and a small closet. That’s alright. You don’t need much. You hang up your few articles of clothing and tuck your shoes next to the door. The bed isn’t soft, but it isn’t hard. You fall asleep quickly, exhausted from your travels.

The next few days are spent wandering. Visiting the little shops, the stations. Peering into labs where you can. Climbing over fences (they could never keep you out) before quickly retreating as a security guard passed. You don’t want to get in trouble before your internship even begins. You wonder if you’ll see her. But you only hear her voice in announcements as you trigger motion sensors throughout the complex.

When work actually starts, it’s tedious. Getting coffee. Taking documents to the shredder and the incinerator. You don’t usually see the labs. Or, well, much of anything. It’s just a lot of running here and there, back and forth at your superiors’ beck and call. It’s tiring. But you do it— after all, you want to be here, you want to do this— and you never give up.

It’s a few months before you see her— before your internship takes you to the main complex. Now you’re checking inventory, sorting mail, sorting records (and chucking the casualty lists into the incinerator as instructed). Occasionally they’ll call you in to fix the coffee maker or the refrigerator.

You hear her voice once, muffled— she’s talking to someone, to a group it seems, just outside the room you’re in. You look over your shoulder and catch a glimpse. Rosy cheeks and bright-red lips, wavy dark hair flowing around her shoulder, a smile on her face (manufactured, you can tell with just this glance that she’s concealing so very much), a bright red scarf tied around her neck.

Your eyes lock for just a second, and the corner of her mouth creases, dimpling her cheeks. Your heart races— that, that was a hint of a true smile. Warmth flushes your own cheeks and you tear your gaze away. Suddenly shy— much shyer than you’ve ever been before.

It doesn’t make sense to you. Not yet. Not until you start seeing her more. Not until her smiles become more frequent and pointed. Not until her gaze lingers on you a little longer than before each time. The fluttery feeling doesn’t go away— and you’re determined more than ever to reach her.

Of course, it happens sooner and easier than you think. She starts requesting you specifically to bring her her coffee. You take a red pen and draw a little smiley face next to her name before giving it to her. When you come up to her office, there’s a sticky note left on the monitor, in that oh-so-hard to read yet absolutely beautiful cursive of hers. At the end of it is a smiley face, so much more elegant and less childish than yours. You keep the note. On her next cup, you add a heart to the dot of the ‘i’ in her name. You start responding to her notes with little notes of your own, your rounded, sometimes scratchy handwriting a stark contrast.

The notes are never there when you get back. You like to think she kept them. You’re pretty sure she did.

A year after you arrive, your internship is over, and you’re up for a promotion— junior mechanic. Probably still more of the same, but you’ll be getting a salary now (not that you really have any use for it since Aperture provides your housing) and you’ll have a permanent place. But you’ll see her less. You’ll miss that, of course— but you’re finally moving beyond your station, moving up in the company.

The day before your internship ends, you get another note. “Wanna get coffee together tomorrow?” Your heart leaps. You scribble out your answer just beneath her writing.

You’re sitting across from her at the cafe table. The cafe serves the same stuff as the cafeteria, but it’s decorated more quaintly, and always costs more for some reason. Maybe because there’s sunlight coming through the windows.

“So, headed up the ladder,” she begins after the two of you sip your drinks (well, she sips her drink, you’re too caught up in the crimson of her lips). “I guess I won’t be seeing as much of you now.”

There’s something behind her cheery voice, a sadness that you’ve caught glimpses of before, a wistfulness deeper than her words. You look up, catching her gaze for a moment and nod in response.

“Well, this is nice. Maybe we should do this more often. Once a week, at least? Or you could come over to my place. We could spend time together. As friends, or something.” With that, she gives you a wink. Your cheeks flush bright red.

You catch the implication right away. Your hero, your inspiration— and now here you are sitting across from her at a cafe while she all but outright asks you out.

You thought you’d be excited for things to grow beyond the notes and the gestures. But you feel different than that. After the initial jolt, the initial flutter, you look back over at her and you see the chasm yawning out between the two of you. The mountain she’s perched on, the valley you’re standing in. Your scratchy print against her elegant cursive, your short, bitten nails against her sharp manicure, your messy ponytail against her shiny waves. You look down at your simple intern’s badge, then over at her emblazoned one. She doesn’t even have a title listed— everyone knows who she is.

You’re miles apart, even if you might have seemed to be closer.

You stand up, your throat knotting up as you shake your head. You can’t look at her now, but you can practically feel the disappointment in her face as she murmurs “oh.” You want to explain but you can’t, your thoughts racing a mile a minute. The last thing you want is to turn Her, your idol, the one who makes your heart flutter, the reason you came here in the first place, down.

But you can’t do this now. Not yet. Not until you’ve reached the top of the mountain. Not until you’re close enough for her to reach out her hand and pull you the rest of the way up.

“Let me know if you change your mind,” she says.

You pause, halfway to the door. You turn back just enough so that you can glimpse her, and give a tiny nod.

After that you throw yourself into your work. Up to senior mechanic, then technician, then engineer— you’re working on Aperture’s new technology now, its most important projects. But you’re still not close enough. Into the test chambers you go at the CEO’s behest, defying death and physics at breakneck speeds, trusting in the tech you’ve helped create to ensure your survival.

Sometimes you look up and see her watching from the observation room, the tell-tale flash of red. You don’t look too long.

The CEO falls ill. He leaves a disturbing message. You try not to think too much of it— you’re almost there.

Your superior fails a test. You’re not surprised. Not hurt, not sad. It just happens and now you’re in the upper echelon. Now you’re at the top— now, you can reach out to her again. Tell her you’ve changed your mind. You can be equals now.

You go to her office. She isn’t there to answer the door. “Don’t you remember Mr. Johnson’s last request?” They say to you. You tried to block it out, but you remember.

You use your pass on a high security door. It opens. Your name is emblazoned too now. Just like hers was.

Before you is a massive operating system. On the screen reads a message: “transfer complete. transfer successful. writing data : do not disconnect subject.”

She’s lying inside a tube-like compartment. A transparent coffin. Wires hooked up to her. Eyes closed. Lips still ruby red.

You reach out and touch the glass. There’s no response. There won’t be a response.

This technology is untested. This is the first human-AI interfacing project Aperture has conducted. There’s only a fifty percent chance it will work, and even if it does, it doesn’t change the fact that she’s gone. You’ll never clasp her small hands inside your own calloused ones, tuck your head against her shoulder, press your lips against hers.

You’ve finally reached the top of the mountain. Finally reached her. But it was too late. When you crested the summit, she was already gone, and there was only a spatter of crimson left behind to show that she was ever there at all.

[intubatedangel]

Cold Snap: Chapter 7

Story Index - All my stories in one place.

Chapter 1 |  Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 |  Chapter 5 | Chapter 6

***

As soon as the camera angle changed, presumably someone in the news control room had realised they were showing a possibly dead woman under intensive CPR and had cut away, Anna and Carl started to get prepared. Carl called out for his team to join him in Trauma 4, the other rooms already claimed by those doctors who were scheduled for today. There was fewer of them than normal, a few of the nurses already occupied with minor injuries or the other trauma rooms. Zainab was also occupied by the cubicles, sheer practicality making her more useful with the minor injuries that don't need a fully qualified emergency doctor to double-check.

Anna and Carl were joined by Kirstie, Roger, and Trish. It would be enough for now; they could also call for additional help if they needed it when their patient arrived. Carl looked at them, figuring out a plan.

"We all saw what we're dealing with. Cold water drowning, clearly no pulse. Don't expect it to be any different when they arrive here. Our priorities are maintaining artificial circulation and oxygenation while we warm her up. We need to go fast, but careful. The last thing we need is to trigger rewarming collapse. Kirstie, I want you get in touch with Cardio-thoracics and with Nephrology, I want an ECMO or a dialysis machine, both can heat her blood directly, so either will do. We'll also need warmed saline, a lot of it Roger, I want to get a warmed gastric lavage going as soon as we can and depending on her temperature, we may need to consider a thoracic lavage too."

Anna cringed slightly at that. A thoracic lavage would involve sticking tube through their patient’s chest wall. It was brutal, but effective. Carl was continuing.

"Anna, Trish, get the temperature vest set up too, warm her from inside and out. Remember everyone, we have time. We do not give up until she is warm, understood?" The team all nods. "Ok, let’s get ready people." Carl finished, the others all going about their tasks. Trish went to get the temperature vest from Trauma 1, giving Anna a few moments alone with Carl.

"You sound confident." Anna told him as they stepped out of the way of the others.

He shrugged. "We have every reason to be. We have the equipment, the skills, and the circumstances favour us. Cold water drowning discovered almost instantly? It's not a guarantee, but in our line of work? It's the best damn odds we could ask for." He looked at her seeing her far off gaze. "Are you doing ok?" He asked.

She nodded slowly, then looked back at him, with a sharper nod. "Yeah. Just doing what you said." Her voice went quieter, just between the two of them. "Accepting it. Using it."

Carl nodded slowly. "Ok. Let me know if it gets too much. You can take a step back if you need to." He told her, keeping his own voice quiet.

Anna slipped her hand into his and they gave a mutual squeeze. Then, Trish came into the room with the bulky vest and Anna went to help her. They laid it on the trauma bed, spread open, ready and waiting for them. To Anna it looked inviting, and she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be wrapped up in it. At this point she would normally feel ashamed and try to bury the thought. This time, she didn't try to eradicate it. Instead, she filed it away. Something to think about later, maybe...even do later. She thought back to her unit on psychology during nursing school. Using rewards to encourage behaviour. If they succeeded, she would ask Carl if he could 'tinker' with one over the rest of the weekend, they were his experiment after all, maybe they could be her reward.

She shook her head, dispelling the fantasy and disguising the small smile on her face, as if she were trying to shake a stray lock of hair out of her eyes while she was setting the control panel on the pump unit, which they had hooked to the end of the bed. The had just finished arranging the hoses so they wouldn't be an obstruction when a receptionist stuck her head into the trauma room.

"We just got a 2-minute warning on the casualty." She announced.

"Thanks" Carl dismissed her, looking to the rest of his team. Kirstie was still on the phone in the corner, and she shrugged at Carl's questioning look. "Keep trying, everyone else, let's get out front."

* * *

Lucy kept on rocking her body weight forward and backward, keeping her shoulders and elbows locked, hands planted between Shona's pale breasts. Each time she leant forward, her hands pressed down the drowned young woman’s sternum 2 inches, squeezing Shona's stopped heart, pushing blood out of it and around her body. When Lucy rocked backwards, Shona's ribs sprang back also, releasing the pressure on her heart and allowing it to refill with blood.

Lucy did this over and over and over again, keeping the blood flowing. Keeping hope alive.

She'd heard the driver call out the minute warning. She was aware of Dave hooking things to the gurney and moving around her. She was also aware of the burning in her arms, the lead weight feeling of lactic acid build up. It was a long, excruciating minute. But Lucy never faltered. Shona's ribs bent inwards 100 times in that minute. Each perfect compression forced her abdomen to roll and her shoulders to pop. Her feet swayed and her head bobbed as the force of the compressions translated through her body. It was brutal, what her body was enduring. But that brutality was the only chance she had.

Lucy felt the entire ambulance tilt as it swung into the hospital grounds, felt the inertia tugging her as the brakes squealed and brought the ambulance to a stop. She ignored it all, maintaining her compressions until she saw the blur out the corner of her eye as Anna mounted the gurney, straddling Shona's unresponsive body. Just like they had done two days ago, and so many times before, Anna gave a short countdown before Lucy drew back her hands, Anna planted her own, and Shona's chest continued to be compressed.

The gurney was pulled from the back of the ambulance, Dave squeezing the Ambu-bag regularly, and was rushed towards the emergency entrance. Lucy let them go. She dropped onto the bench, flexing her aching fingers and breathing deeply to pay off the oxygen debt. She shook her arms out, then looked at the man beside her. Jones was still wrapped tightly in the blanket and was staring out after the gurney that had already disappeared around a corner and vanished from sight.

"Come on Jones, you need to get to checked over." She told him, dragging herself to her feet. She helped him from the back of the ambulance, despite the exhaustion she was feeling, and led him toward the entrance. An observer would have struggled to tell which was helping the other, and Lucy was grateful to the porter who ran over with a wheelchair, easing Jones into it before she pushed him into the busy triage area, leaning heavily on the handles herself.

* * *

 The wind had eased to a stiff breeze, though it still cut straight through you, in the hour since Shona had fatefully boarded the now sunk Beetle. Yet, none of the team that had assembled outside the sliding door was shivering. Their collective adrenaline rush banished the cold. There was a tension, but it was that invigorating kind of tension, rather than a panic fuelled one. They knew they were up to the task. Their determination was written all over their faces. So, they stood, filled with an anticipation that grew in intensity as the sirens of the ambulance grew louder. Like the legendary warrior, calmly waiting to enter an arena, their own kind of battle was about to begin, and they radiated the same serenity. The same clarity of purpose. The same capacity to spring into action at a moment’s notice.

The siren reached a crescendo, with an accompaniment of squealing tires, as the ambulance pulled into the emergency bay. Anna waited a beat, then stepped forward, giving Roger and Trish just enough time to pull open the rear doors of the ambulance, before she planted her foot on the step, lined herself up, and vaulted onto the gurney. Her knees made the metallic blanket crinkle as she landed softly and shuffled her knees forward. She gave the countdown, and as soon as Lucy's hands left the patients sternum, Anna snapped hers into position.

Even through her blue gloves, Anna could feel just how cold the young woman was. Her ghostly pale skin seemed to pull the warmth out of Anna's hands in an instant. It did not deter the nurse. She began her initial round of compressions. The first press was firm and harsh, to gauge the resistance of her patient’s chest, then those that followed were perfectly judged, pushing in the ideal two inches and drawing back fully in under a second. The gurney moving beneath her had no effect on Anna. She was in her zone. This, this was what she was born to do, and nothing, internal or external, could disturb her rhythm as she put all her effort into delivering the best chest compressions she could to the young woman who lay pulseless between her legs.

As she settled into her task, she became more aware of what was going on around her. She heard the whistling of the flatlined monitor, and she heard Carl say something loudly. He was clearly asking for details, as Anna began to hear the response from the paramedic who was pushing the gurney with one hand, while he squeezed the Ambu-bag that was connected to a breathing tube with the other.

"This is Shona. Trapped and immersed in near freezing water. Immersion resulted in asphyxiation via drowning. Due to the water temperature she's profoundly hypothermic, skin temperature of just 23C. She's been in respiratory and cardiac arrest for between 18 and 25 minutes, confirmed asystole for 5 of those, but likely much longer.  Resuscitation attempts started 14 minutes ago, with no response. She also has a closed fracture to her left tibia. We cleared her lungs and intubated 8 minutes ago, applied chemical heat packs and warmed saline as much as we could. Throughout she's had a palpable pulse with compressions, so major internal bleeding is unlikely."

Carl nodded through the report, and Anna knew he was taking in everything, filing it away in his mind, able to recall every detail at a moment’s notice, to the point that the chart Roger was making notes on would be for later doctors, not for the ER team. At the edges of her vision Anna saw black tarmac turn into the marble effect veneered flooring that ran through the ER and almost every other hospital, school and government building in the western world. During those moments Carl was processing what he had been told, and then he began to give orders.

"Right, let's carry on as planned. Get her into Trauma 4 and get her in the TMV. I want a central line in addition to those bilateral IVs, and I want wide bore access in one of her legs, ready for extracorporeal warming. Let's get an NG tube inserted too, bi-directional for the gastric lavage. Let's get a core temp before we consider surgical intervention though." Carl briefly held his fingers against Shona's femoral pulse point, his wrist resting against Anna's calf. "Good pulse with compressions Anna, keep it up, but let's also get a Lucas ready, this could be a long one people!" He said, a tone to his voice that instilled confidence and re-doubled their determination.

They were going to get their patient back. Shona, Anna reminded herself, looking at the girl beneath her, forcing her name into the front of her mind.  She had a cute face, even with pale skin and blue lips, that much was clear. The tape holding the ET tube also pulled at the corner of her mouth, forming a grimace, as though she could feel each brutal compression that Anna delivered.  Not that Anna was deterred. She was going to do everything she could to get Shona back. To see those lips pink instead of blue. Smiling instead of a forced grimace. She wasn't alone in those thoughts. The whole team was feeling the same way as they guided the gurney into the Trauma Wing and crashed through the doors into Trauma 4.

[sablelab]

Covert Operations - Chapter 155

SUMMARY: The Flash Mission is in play as the operatives arrive at their destination and James Fraser and Claire Beauchamp seek their unsuspecting target … Jonathon Randall. Little does he know who his assailants are, and what lies in store for him from his captors.

Chapter 154 and all other chapters can be found at … https://sablelab.tumblr.com/covertoperations 

 *This can also be read on AO3, although not all chapters are posted there as yet.   

THANK YOU all so much for your lovely “Welcome Back” messages.  I was thrilled to bits to read your thoughtful wishes.  I am very happy to be back and to continue Covert Operations. I hope you too will continue to enjoy reading each new chapter.  

Kind Regards sablelab xox

  CHAPTER 155

 This Flash Mission was one that James Fraser had organised to run as smoothly and as quickly as possible in order to catch their target unawares and return to Section post haste. It was imperative that Jonathon Randall had no inclination that he was being targeted in any way, and was oblivious that Section One was indeed carrying out this offensive this very night at his home.   Jamie had studied all the intel from John Grey and the surveillance operatives as to Randall’s personal residence in Aberdeen, and it was here that the operation would be carried out.  

 From the briefing session announcement, first team knew that their leader was planning a mission to capture Jonathon Randall but not that it would be a Flash Mission per se. These flash missions were run on a moment’s notice, and when they were informed they would be leaving Section earlier than first told, they knew that James Fraser thought this mission too important and urgent to wait any longer. Although he had planned this mission to the nth degree, the team members were not aware of the parameters of the profile until the last minute.  Jamie had not given them their PDA’s as they passed through Van access, but the mission objective was handed to Rupert Mackenzie and Geillis Duncan and the others in the van enroute as they departed Section for their destination.

“Details are on yer panels,” Jamie announced as he handed his operatives and Team 2 their orders.

The operatives studied their mission objectives as they proceeded to the target area. The very nature of a Flash Mission was stealth, and as team leader Jamie had planned for all contingencies, for nothing could go wrong in carrying out their offensive this evening. Jonathon Randall would be captured and they would bring him back to Section One to face his fate.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In no time the mission van had reached its destination and parked near a sprawling mansion on the outskirts of Aberdeen. In the dead of the night the Section operatives unloaded in quick succession from the SUV at a discreet distance from the main house. No sooner had they stopped than the black clad operatives dressed in mission attire and balaclavas, which were pulled over their faces, blended into the environs like invisible ninjas. They approached the Randall estate surrounding the perimeter ready for the assault to contain and eliminate if necessary, as many of the associates of their target’s as possible. The dark grip of night had well descended with just the twinkling stars to brighten the night sky for illumination.  Rupert Mackenzie cut a chain link fence to let the operatives through, then filing under, they took up positions under cover. Continuing to penetrate the estate, they blended so well into the darkness of night, camouflaged in the colour of darkness.

Some illumination was evident on all sides of the house except for the southern side, which was in shadows. Geillis Duncan and Rupert Mackenzie advanced in the moonlight, towards the house while other members of Team 2 followed with furtive scrambling under the wire fence until all Team members were in position. This Flash Mission was clandestine in nature and all operatives knew that failure was not an option. Although Murtagh Fitzgibbons had his own mission to prep, he had still issued them with special night vision goggles and state of the art silent laser weapons, which were quick, quiet and clean. So, light of foot and moving with stealth around the perimeter, the operatives got into place. Joe Abernathy and his Team were lying in the grass with their guns at the ready, watching and waiting for any security guards to appear. Jamie’s team and Second Team had their profiles, and this time it was imperative that they were victorious in the capture of their target.  The future of the mission depended on the successful execution without any casualty to any team member.  Rupert Mackenzie and Geillis Duncan moved quietly to their marks, and assembled in the dark of night waiting in readiness for further orders while Abernathy alerted Jamie to this team’s status.

“Okay Fraser, we’re in place. All appears quiet. The perimeter’s clean here,” he stated.

“Stay alert in case we need back up.”

“Gotcha.”

Meanwhile, Jamie and Claire got out of the van and soundlessly approached the sprawling mansion. Blending into the night time surroundings, the two operatives moved swiftly but soundlessly towards the house. Stopping a few meters from the front door, Jamie alerted his team members as to their positions.

“Is the boundary clean in yer area?”

“Yes, Jamie. Nothing to report,” Geillis replied keeping a vigilant watch on her designated area.

“Mackenzie?”

“All clear here too.”

“Good.  “Team one, plant ignition devices when ordered,” Jamie said affirming their instructions.

“Copy,” the two operatives reported as they began to move into position.

“Keep alert, this willna take long, I will give ye orders to ignite the incendiary devices when we have contained the target.”

“With pleasure,” was their unanimous reply as the two shadowy figures, of Geillis Duncan and Rupert Mackenzie, ran silently towards the house to carry out their orders and begin their sequence.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As James Fraser and Claire Beauchamp blended into the surroundings, he glanced at his partner before they proceeded any further. Jamie could tell by her body language that his Claire was a little edgy.

“Are ye alright Sassenach?” he asked softly running his eyes over her countenance.

“I'm fine Jamie. Just a little nervous at the thought of coming face to face with Randall once more.”

“Do ye want to step down?”

“No, I'll be fine ... Thanks.”

His hand lightly touched her arm in reassurance. You’ve got this Claire … We’ve got this … his eyes indicated in support as they once more edged closer to the house. The two operatives made their way to the front yard then stopped. Ever vigilant, Jamie cast a look around the perimeter where Team two were located, before he surreptitiously gave hand signals to Claire indicating their entry point at the front door and to move ahead.

“We'll go in here,” he gestured as he quickly scanned the door for any security devices he would need to disable, but he noticed that something was wrong.

There was no outward sign of any security system at the door, but that was no indication that there wasn’t one hidden in the lock or in the door frame itself.  Jamie carefully ran his gloved hand all over the door panels, the doorknob and knocker.  Feeling something amiss he signalled to Claire to keep alert, then contacted Fergus who was also keeping track of the proceedings in Tactical back at Section One.

“Okay Fergus, we may have a stumbling block.”

“Focus your infrared beam on the security light above the front entrance,” he directed.

Jamie did as instructed, and immediately Fergus saw Randall’s security plan of the residence pop up on his computer screen.

The young techie looked at the camera view and came back with instructions … “Do what I say…”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jamie opened his mission jacket to reveal a vest loaded with gadgets Murtagh had given him to detect anything hidden.  Removing some type of sensor, he carefully ran it along the outer door frame and over other areas on the door.  He stopped moving it when the device lit up indicating the location of an alarm of some sort. Holding the instrument over this position, he waited for directions from Fergus in how to fix the problem.

“Wait Jamie. The scanner will light up soon,” the computer techie announced.

So, he waited for the scanner in his hand to reveal the combination to disable the alarm and open the door.   It didn’t take long until several serial numbers soon appeared enabling Jamie to disable the alarm system hidden under the door knocker itself. After discovering the number sequence, it only took a moment for the fortified door to open.

“Sensor circuit is closed.  You're clear to enter,” Fergus announced happily as he watched Jamie disable the alarm.

He turned to Claire with a wry smile, knowing that soon their nemesis, Jonathon Randall would be in their custody. 

“Got it,” he whispered with conviction to the technical Wizz back at Section.

“Excellent. Proceed inside to the main foyer,” was his next instruction.

Silently gesticulating to Claire, they both placed their night goggles on, drew their silencers and entered the premises like invisible thieves in the night. Once inside they soon disappeared into the shadows towards the area their IT specialist had indicated.  The two operatives paused before continuing further into the house.  They needed more intel on the number of people inside just in case Randall had security personnel scattered throughout the house or not.

“Fergus?”

“What is it Jamie?”

“How many inside?”

“I’m not seeing anything thus far. Proceed carefully.”

Meanwhile, outside the team members kept guard and followed orders.  They surveyed the surroundings for any anomalies by keeping alert in order to deal with anything that would impact on the success of the mission or alert their target to the danger he was in.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

All was quiet inside the house, as they proceeded with stealth, except for the ticking of the Grandfather clock in the atrium. Light of foot, Jamie and Claire passed through the foyer into the loungeroom keeping a close watch on any irregularities now that they were inside the mansion.

“Any sign of Randall?” Jamie asked again with just a touch of bitterness in his voice. “What does your sat-thermo say?”

“Nothing yet,” Fergus replied as he studied the blueprints that defined Randall’s residence on his computer back at Section. However, he soon got back to Jamie with the intel they needed as to his location, for an image of a sleeping occupant appeared on his screen.

“Thermo is hot, but only in one room. It has to be Randall,” he reported convincingly.

“Do ye have confirmation where he is?” Jamie asked giving a nod to Claire to keep watch.

“Jonathon Randall’s bedroom is at the top of the flight of stairs to your left.  There is a heat thermal in the first room Jamie. That is where you will find him.  Randall is home alone. The other rooms are cold.”

“Thank ye.”

James Fraser and Claire Beauchamp quickly made their way towards the staircase that led to the second storey. Silently they ran up the stairs two at a time and down the corridor to where the bedrooms were located. Making their way to the site of their target, Jamie gave Claire a sideways glance as they paused outside Jonathon Randall’s bedroom door both holding their guns at the ready. He could see the determined glint in her eyes as they shared a moment of anticipation knowing that on the other side of this door, was the man who would soon be their captive.

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 Jamie nodded to Claire of his intentions.

After a silent countdown between them, James Fraser lunged at the door and with one almighty kick, kicked it open forcing the door from its hinges. The wood splintered in all directions as they rushed into the room before Jonathon Randall realised what had happened.  He woke up with a start at the noise of his room being smashed in, thinking that a bomb had exploded and that he was the target of an offensive by one of his enemies. How true was that thought, but he would never in a million years think that the two assailants, who had burst into his bedroom, were the very two people he had tortured with such heinous methods of suffering, more than any individual could endure, at the monastery.

He tried to reach for a weapon hidden under his pillow, but before he could move, Claire Beauchamp was standing on the bed holding her gun to his head.  She cocked the trigger as Jonathon Randall looked around wondering who these two masked intruders could be.

“WHAT THE HELL!!!” he shouted indignantly.  “WHO ARE YOU?!!”  WHAT DO YOU WANT ?!!” he demanded trying to see who it was who had entered his bedroom so aggressively while he was sleeping. 

However, it was difficult to see anything in the pitch-black room that he could distinguish as to their identity.  His first thought was that they were two henchmen sent from the Black Panthers’ triad for payback for Samuel Li’s execution. That was the most logical assumption, but it could be anyone as he had made several enemies amongst the other triad groups as well. As he looked at the menacing duo, he began to have feelings of doom cross his mind, as these two masked intruders had him at his most vulnerable, and he was at their mercy.  He was in a perilous situation, and one he had never been on the receiving end of before.

How was he ever going to get out of this situation? he thought in trepidation.

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 Neither Claire nor Jamie spoke.

They just forcibly grabbed Randall, hauling him from his bed and left the room, frog-marching him between the two of them.  As they exited his bedroom, Jonathon could feel the cold hard metal of a gun pressed into his side and wondered where they would be taking him, and what, if anything, he could do to escape.

On the way back down the stairs, Jamie reached into his mission vest and pulled out one of Murtagh Fitzgibbon’s piece de resistance … a special self-combustible charge.  He attached the hydrocarbon, chemical solvent covering plastique to the walls.  The pyrophoric substance would ultimately cause detonation in a short time and ignite instantly upon exposure to the air.  Hence it was imperative that they leave the house as quickly as possible, as it wasn’t long before the plastique burst into flames and the pungent smell of smoke was noticeable.

Acrid fumes teased his nostrils, and James Fraser couldn’t contain the look of glee that shone in his eyes, while his mouth curled at the irony of what had just happened.

It would be so ironical that what had happened to Jonathon Randall’s nightclub, The Triangle, would also happen to his private residence. In the morning, Section One investigators, would be able to search for clues in the rubble to the origin and cause of the fire by determining the original location of the blaze. Clues such as char patterns, and heat shadows would be their evidence to ascertain how the fire began when they gave their findings to law enforcement. Then, when all evidence was examined and analyzed, the Police would confirm that the cause of the fire was accidental. Carelessness would be the cause of Jonathon Randall’s demise, and would explain away his unfortunate death in the house inferno in the remaining smoking ruins. Obviously, this information would make for a sensational news broadcast presentation, thus alerting Sun Yee Lok and Karen Yee that the triad’s main henchman had been found dead in the ruins of his residence.

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Back at Section, Fergus Claudel watched proceedings on his monitor as James Fraser and Claire Beauchamp exited the house with their target Jonathon Randall wedged between them.

“Yes!!!  At long last you scumbag Randall!”  

Fergus couldn’t contain his joy at the target’s apprehension. He whooped out loud, and gave a cynical smile that this terrorist would soon be their guest at Section One and would be thoroughly interrogated in the White Room. He was elated that Jamie and Claire had this villainous triad member in their custody. James Fraser would see that Jonathon Randall was shown some of his own medicine, peppered with the unique persuasive techniques only found in Section One.

The computer techie couldn’t wipe the smile off of his face. He reached into his desk draw for his hidden stash of Oreo cookies, and sat back in his chair.  He placed his hands behind his head, a wry smile on his lips most satisfied at the outcome of this Flash Mission, and munched on his favourite snack.

  ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Once outside the mansion, Jonathon Randall tried to make a move to escape from his captors, but Claire quickly pistol-whipped him on the back of the head with her gun.  He stumbled forward as Jamie placed a hood over his head, and tied Randall’s hands behind his back while he was somewhat disorientated from the blow.  This allowed Jamie and Claire to remain anonymous and to act with impunity. There was no way that James Fraser wanted their captive to realise who it was who had captured him just yet. That moment was reserved for a more fitting time.

Although Claire Beauchamp very much wanted to do more harm to their prisoner than she already had, she refrained from any further action.  He would have his day of judgement in the White Room and that would be enough to satisfy her.  Once he experienced the torture methods of Section’s Torture Twins, Madeline’s interrogation and Jamie himself, he would wish that he had indeed died in the house fire.

Jonathon Randall was unable to see where he was going and what was happening as he was led away. All he could hear was muffled voices he couldn’t make out, as someone ordered, “We have 90 seconds. Ignite charges.”

Unbeknownst to him, Rupert Mackenzie and Geillis Duncan were indeed igniting the strategic charges they had placed around the house. They soon burst into flames and very quickly leapt up the sides of the walls.

“Move out! Let's go!” was their next command. “You've got 30 seconds.”

 As the operatives ran to the van, several loud bangs and the sound of shattering glass exploding, filled the silence of the night. Jonathon Randall, although groggy from the blow to his head, was now aware that he may be in extreme danger from whomever these assailants were.  He knew that the Black Panthers mode of operandi was firebombing, and this payback from the triad for Samuel Li’s death would mean that he was indeed in dire straits with no way of being able to contact the Rising Dragons as to his predicament.  Suddenly, he felt an awful sense of fatality wash over him with thoughts of the repercussions he would incur for what he had done to their leader. Torture and suffering were easier to give than to be on the receiving end of.  He was a master at torturing others, he knew the most horrendous form of torment and agony one could inflict on a suspect, but he never feared that one day, he himself would be on the receiving end of triad retribution.

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jonathon Randall began to shake and he felt a cold sweat inhabit his whole body. His skin felt clammy and very cold. The palms of his hands, underarms, and feet all felt as though he had been dragged through a primitive water torture session. His stress and anxiety levels had risen exponentially, and his heart was palpitating with the idea of his imminent demise at the hands of the rival triad group. When he was forcibly placed inside some sort of vehicle, he felt a panic attack wash over him which only exacerbated his fear of the unknown. Triads sought vengeance when one of their own was eliminated.  This is what he feared the most from the Black Panthers, for he had firsthand knowledge of a triad’s method of torture.

“Where are you taking me?” he demanded with a bravado he was far from feeling.

The thought of concrete boots and being thrown into the South China Sea, or being buried alive or even death by a thousand swords, formed in his mind’s eye and he could do nothing about it.  He was tied, blindfolded by the hood covering his head and constrained, so escape was out of the question.  Whatever could he do when it all seemed so hopeless? Perhaps this capture was to be his end?  

Jonathon Randall took a deep breath trying to console himself to his plight. He was not dead yet, so perhaps there may be a way to escape, or overpower these assailants if a chance arose.  That was all he had in a way of positivity for escape, for little did he really know what awaited him at Section One.

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

 Once everyone was safely seated in the Mission van, it drove off back to Section One with their captive target in hand. Taking off their night vision goggles, Claire looked over towards Jamie. He didn’t need to speak; his thoughts were written all over his face.  Their nemesis was now their captive, and she knew that Jonathon Randall would be the recipient of all the vengeance he deserved, and in no better place to receive it than in the White Room.

 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~to be continued next Friday 19th February

[micheswife]

Filling colours - Tomas (Squad Miche).

I have never seen him in the aot fandom, because he did not have as much screen time. I guess it was just two scenes throughout the anime, I don't even know at what point he died. But the fact remains that he was a member of squad Miche, so here is my attempt at fleshing out his personality. Also, Tomas is cute af.

Summary: Tomas lost the people closest to him to some unimaginable brutality. He's sad but its going to be okay.

Warnings: Death, Grief, blood.

It was late afternoon and the innermost districts of Paradis were shaken to the core. The fight between the two intelligent titans had resulted in a large number of casualties. The pastor himself was standing a couple meters away when his followers got crushed. Unfortunately, they were about the receive what was perhaps the worst news for their kind.

A soldier, exhausted to his bones, rode into the district. He looked more disheveled than usual, worry evident in his features. Tomas bore the news of wall Rose's breach. He and Nanaba were the youngest in the squad, but his innocent and somewhat shy demeanour made him appear younger.

The scouts sprung into action right after the announcement was made, rushing to aid their trapped comrades. The cadets had rushed ahead without their gears at Nanaba's command. It was too late though, a lot of people had died, including the everyone close to Tomas. All they could retrieve were the mangled bodies of Lynne and Henning under the rubble of Utgard castle.

"She was ...talking about her father.." Connie's response made him wince.

He had been helping her cope with the shell shock of her childhood.

"It's okay, I'll always be there." Tomas had given her a promise after coaxing her out from one of her previous episodes.

"Oh what would we do without Tomas!" Miche would comment whenever he resolved the squabbles between Lynne and Gelgar. Their personalities just did not mesh together. The squad leader's comment was often followed by a pat on the back, which, albeit hard to admit had sent Tomas face first into the ground a few times.

And now his squad leader was gone forever, he knew after he saw a faint pool of blood near the quarters Miche had rushed to. It was big enough to indicate a slow, painful death, if only Gelgar had followed him.

"Don't think about it, and I don't think Gelgar could have been of any help." The lance corporal's ridiculous, insensitive comment riled him up.

"Just how CAN you say that?!" It was the first time Tomas raised his voice at a superior.

"Connie, can you repeat Gelgar's last words again for the crybaby here?"

"Forget it, its fine. I am alright. I apologize for having wasted your time captain." Tomas tried to put enthusiasm into the salute, but he couldn’t. He resigned to the dormitory and silently cried into the pillow, wondering whether it would make a difference if he quit the scout regiment. To most people, he was too soft to be a soldier, to be a man. He still wasn't sure why Miche had picked him to be in the squad.

This wasn't the first time he was struggling to keep his resolve alive, but it was certainly the worst of them all. See, the squad leader wasn't there to reassure him anymore. Henning and Gelgar would no longer come to distract him with alcohol and board games. Except for Lynne's little Lily sapling on the window sill, Tomas was truly alone, it was bad and was going to get worse.

As the last remaining member of Miche's squad, he was to deliver each member's belongings to their respective families and put an end to the chapter of his team..or former team.

Erwin would assign him to a different squad once his current duties were finished. He hoped to find a family once again, but it was very unlikely.

Things were going to be grim for the rest of his life, which fortunately was not that long. Unbeknownst to him, he would join his found family in the afterlife soon. Until then, they all would watch over him, grateful for all the times he had been the glue that still held them together.

[skzsauce01]

In Fair Verona︱Chapter 10

Synopsis: Jisung knows he is the Romeo to your Juliet. He could wax poetry about you all throughout rehearsal and even a little after. Except Hwang Hyunjin is the one playing Romeo in the school play, not him. Jisung is just another tech crew member that you don’t know, but he’s determined to win your heart... by any means necessary.

Warning: violent thoughts

Word Count: 3.2k

Pairing: fem!reader x Jisung; fem!reader x Hyunjin

updates every Wednesday and Sunday @ 11 PM PST︱chapter list

Two household, both alike in dignity

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,

From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,

Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

Opening night has arrived. Tech crew’s call time is 5:30 PM, and Jisung pulls into the parking lot just a few minutes later. The late afternoon sun is low in the sky, and he has to squint through the light when he runs up the steps to the auditorium. The entrance leading to the lobby is predictably locked, but he doesn’t have time to take the long way. He peers through the tiny window and sees nobody in the immediate vicinity. He pounds against the heavy metal door, hoping someone hears him. When no one shows up, he growls to himself and texts the tech group chat. No answers. Seconds later, you appear, walking by with a box of programs. He doesn’t want your help, but he doesn’t want to get a verbal lashing for being late either. Jisung hits the door again, and you almost drop the box.

“Y/N!” he shouts. “Open!”

With wide eyes, you quickly push open the door for him with the side of your body and go back to place down the programs. You’re dressed in the same shirt he is. While he normally would be delighted at this coincidence, he’s repulsed now, knowing that you stabbed him in the back a mere twenty-four hours ago. You don’t say hello to him, and he doesn’t either.

“Thanks,” he roughly says, avoiding eye contact with you.

You don’t say a single word back.

He swings open the door to the auditorium with more force than necessary, and it knocks against the metal trash can. He’s greeted by a song with a thumping bass and Chan’s rapping.

“What’s happening?” Jisung asks no one in particular. He’s glad that he hasn’t missed anything though. He settles down in a seat in front of the soundboard and watches different colored lights flash across the cyclorama. A couple of silhouetted bodies dance on stage.

“Felix found out two of the actors are dancers,” Changbin replies. “Chan wanted to play his new song, and Jeongin just went along with it.”

Jisung nods, but he doubts Changbin notices in the darkness anyway. Jisung himself can’t make out who’s who. Another figure later appears on stage and shouts in Mr. Gi’s voice, “What are you guys doing?”

The lightshow stops, and the music volume drops to a whisper. Felix, Hyunjin, and the guy playing Mercutio pause in the middle of their dance off. Hyunjin’s smirk is starting to slide off his face, and Jisung feels the sudden urge to drag the corners of his mouth down with barbed hooks. He would look a lot better if he had a perpetual frown.

Felix hesitantly offers, “Sound and light check?”

Mr. Gi lets out a short laugh before turning serious. “We’re going to run through tech now.”

Everyone springs into their usual positions, while the two actors return to wherever they were before. Jisung gives Hyunjin a sufficiently long glare as he walks out the side door. The real sound and light check then begins. Occasionally, the floor crew is needed to set up the stage and to practice for blackouts. Jisung envies Seungmin, who is assistant tech director. He gets to relax for the night.

Before the main doors open, pictures are taken, one of cast, one of crew, and one of everyone involved. Jisung doesn’t miss the fact that Hyunjin has an arm slung around you and that you’re twisting the silver ring on his finger. He looks around and, to his disbelief, discovers that no one cares. The very people surrounding the two of you are busy adjusting their hair and clothes while waiting for the parent volunteer to take the photo.

“3, 2, 1!”

Jisung snaps back to the camera with thinly veiled irritation. Another picture is taken, and the brittle smile he has on is threatening to break. There are calls for a funny picture, and while he normally would be excited, he wants to get away from you and Hyunjin’s public displays of affection. In the next picture, he and Changbin give each other bizarre looks and shoot finger guns at each other, while you and Hyunjin reenact one of your fake endings to Romeo and Juliet.

Disgusting.

During the play, Jisung does his best to stay attentive to Felix and Changbin’s calls. He’s more talkative in the comms now that he realizes what a waste of time the last two weeks were pining after you. He jokes with his friends, and he’s happier than he's been in days. He learns that the stage kisses are now real kisses, and Hyunjin doesn’t bother obscuring the action. Both the crew and the audience cheer loudly when they see it.

During your costume change, he boldly watches you shimmy out of your dress and observes your protruding spine when you bend down to pick up the fallen garment. If he throws one of the metal counterweights from the fly rail system at you, he thinks, you would drop dead.

So would any other person, but he gets a certain thrill when he pictures Hyunjin finding your crumpled up body on the floor. It’s all Hyunjin’s fault anyway. He would get what he deserved.

Strangely — well, maybe not — Jisung actually enjoys the play now. The death scene, which hurt him to watch before, is his favorite part. It’s a fitting ending, you and Hyunjin dying together after all the casualties you caused. He feels vindicated. When the main curtain comes down, he’s almost disappointed.

There’s a crowd of lingering people in the audience after the show ends and when the post-show music starts playing. While you and Hyunjin take (more) pictures with each other, your friends, and families after the show, Jisung once again sits in the row in front of the soundboard, taking in everything happening. Your friends have signs and flower bouquets, and you happily receive them all. Hyunjin momentarily disappears before coming back with a dozen roses for you.

“Romeo’s got game,” Seungmin, who has taken over photography duty, lowly whistles. He picks up his camera and snaps a photo.

Jisung grits his teeth and doesn’t say a single word. You place a shocked hand over your mouth before shyly kissing him on the cheek. There’s another click of the camera.

“They’re dating,” Ryujin announces.

“How do you know?” Seungmin asks. “And why didn’t we know about this news?”

“Yeji told me today when we were getting lunch, and it’s none of your business anyway,” she shrugs. “But it’s been pretty obvious they’ve been crushing on each other since rehearsal started.”

“Who’s Yeji?” Jeongin interrupts.

“Lady Montague, looks like Hyunjin?”

“Who’s Hyunjin?”

“Romeo?” she answers incredulously. “It’s been two weeks!”

“I sit back here and turn the lights on and off!”

While they bicker, the audience members still around slowly start leaving. You wave goodbye to your friends and promise to meet your parents in the lobby after you’re done. The ushers begin walking through the aisles to check for trash, and the actors go to the dressing room to change out of costume. Then Mr. Gi gives out the tech notes for the night.

There’s only a few critiques, and Jisung is satisfied that Felix can’t rib him for any mistakes. While notes are ongoing, you hand back two mic packs to Chan, explaining that one of them is Hyunjin’s. Jisung notices that you’re wearing the jacket you supposedly returned to Hyunjin. It’s unzipped and hangs loosely on your frame. It could have been his jacket there. Another shred of anger rips through him, and he looks away, no longer gritting his teeth but grinding. You prance to the classroom, and he hopes one of the lights falls from its fixture and lands you in the hospital.

After notes are finished, the tech director congratulates them all on a job well done, and they’re all free to leave. It’s late, and Jisung’s excited to go home. He spots your parents milling around the lobby, making awkward small talk with the drama students selling grams. You’re almost a carbon copy of your mother, down to the way her eyes widen when a new person enters the room. He politely smiles, and she returns the gesture like you would have last week. It’s another reminder of what he could have had.

He’s on autopilot the drive home. He rolls at least two stop signs, but there’s luckily no one around in those four way streets. He has an unfinished plan in his mind, and he desperately needs it to be complete. It was previously tailored for Hyunjin, so he makes a few adjustments to include you.

The rest of the night he spends researching online. The glow of his screen illuminates his face in the darkness and reflects off of his bluelight glasses. His back hurts from being hunched over for three hours, but his scheme is ready. As he shuts down his laptop, he stretches, enjoying the tension released from his shoulders and mind. He’ll sleep well tonight, very well.

—

The second show is the day after opening night on Saturday. This time Jisung arrives a solid twenty minutes before his call time. He’s been in a good mood all day; he woke up refreshed and energized, and he even made a quick trip to the local flower shop to buy a beautiful blue monkshood plant for his mother. He takes the long way to the auditorium, knowing that he’s likely the first tech crew member to arrive.

He passes by the green room and spots you eating dinner alone. There are other actors and extras nearby, but you’re sitting at a center table, scooping fried rice into your mouth. How pathetic. He can hear a sword fighting scene being rehearsed on stage, and he’s certain Hyunjin’s part of it. He wonders why you aren’t cheering on your Prince Charming. Surely, you like him more than your terrible, burnt rice. The old Jisung would have jumped at the opportunity to be around you, but the enlightened Jisung strides to the stage, unaffected by your charms.

He’s proud of himself. He feels no rush of rage when he sees you anymore, and when he sees Hyunjin stab Tybalt with a wooden sword, he’s calm. He walks to the back of the auditorium, where Chan has his own headphones on and Felix is furiously tapping his phone screen.

“You guys are here early,” Jisung remarks, taking Jeongin’s chair.

“Nothing better... to do,” Felix mumbles, clearly concentrated on whatever game he’s playing.

Chan is engrossed in his own world, bobbing his head to the music and drumming his fingers across the board. Jisung leans back in his seat and checks Hyunjin’s Instagram. As he expects, his latest post is a photo of you and him from last night. You hold the roses he gave you, and he has an arm around your waist. The caption simply reads, “Opening night.” Satisfied with his findings, Jisung turns back to the stage, where the actors are starting their fight from the beginning again.

As time goes on, he loses interest, and more of the crew starts arriving. Jisung later waits in the lobby, opening doors for anyone too lazy to take the long way around. He’s reading gardening forum posts about monkshood when you and one of the house managers come by with more programs, predicting how packed it will be tonight. He glances up momentarily before deciding to ignore you. He can’t help but feel a tiny bit of resentment when you try to meet his eye. Where was all that a few days ago?

“Hi, Jisung,” you cautiously greet, seemingly trying to dissolve the tension between the two of you. You still have that scared deer look though.

While the house manager gives him a curt nod and then disappears into the auditorium, you linger around.

“Hey,” he replies and leaves it at that. He’s over you, and he doesn’t want any reason to come crawling back.

“Opening night went well.”

“Yeah.”

“How many people do you think will come tonight? I think at least a hundred.”

“I don’t know.”

You try to continue the conversation — though it barely qualifies as one — and Jisung shuts down every attempt you make. He doesn’t want you anymore, not after you strung him along with your jokes and smiles and then ran off into the sunset with Hyunjin.

There’s a knock on the door, and he absentmindedly opens it for Yugyeom, who’s out of breath from running up the stairs.

“Thanks,” he manages to get out. “Have we started yet?”

“I think we’re about to,” Jisung answers. “Bye, Y/N.”

He opens the auditorium doors for Yugyeom and lets it swing shut after him before you have the opportunity to slip inside.

Fine. Maybe he’s still a little angry at you, but it would be insane to think that he would be completely over you after all the interactions he’s had with you.

He follows Yugyeom to stage right. While sound and lights are being tested, the floor crew waits patiently in the wings. Ryujin slides the hangers across the rack, counting the number of costumes, and Yugyeom makes sure all the props are in order. With nothing better to do, Jisung stands by him and watches as he rearranges the items on the table. He sees two chemistry tube looking containers, and he can’t help but reach for them.

“Do they actually drink this?” Jisung asks as he picks up a clear vial filled with green liquid. “And what is this?”

“Just colored water,” he shrugs. “And yeah, they drink it. Hyunjin asked if I could change it every day since he and Y/N use it as a water break on stage. He said Ms. Park was okay with it.”

Jisung remembers the vial Hyunjin drinks from in the death scene. He grimaces as he sets down the container, suddenly feeling contaminated.

“Water, but not coffee or something?”

Yugyeom shrugs again. “He said water. And also, water is free.”

“But not food coloring.”

“Ms. Park asked the culinary class for some. Wanna help me change out the water?”

Jisung looks around and sees that Changbin is scrolling through his phone, eyes glazed over, tuned out of what’s happening despite wearing a headset. “Sure. It’s not like I have anything better to do.”

Jisung and Yugyeom take the vial of poison and Juliet’s sleeping draught. Apparently, you used that as a water break as well. Though Yugyeom asked him to help, Jisung does nothing but observe. It’s not like he needs the aid either; all he has to do is dump the water in the bushes, refill from a water fountain, and stir in a few drops of food coloring. The sleeping potion is a midnight blue, while the poison is a murky green. Neither look particularly appetizing, and he wonders how anyone would be able to drink either without feeling sickened.

When they return to the stage, Jisung goes back to his usual spot and continues waiting. In the meantime, he resumes reading about monkshood. Apparently, their roots are especially toxic.

The show that night goes well. He doesn’t know the exact number of audience members, but when he peeked past the curtain before the show began, he saw that at least half the seats were filled. During the death scene, Jisung pays close attention. Hyunjin’s back faces him, so he doesn’t know if he actually did drink it. He does get a good look at you, and he sees you kiss Hyunjin squarely on the lips with no hesitation.

At the end of the night, he waits by the soundboard for all the audience members to leave before tech notes can begin. The main cast stays around, talking to people they know and taking pictures with them. You don’t get any flowers this time, but a random girl with adoring eyes gives Hyunjin yellow and pink roses. There’s not a hint of jealousy on your face, and Jisung feels strangely irked by that. Hyunjin accepts the flowers sheepishly and shyly introduces her to you, his co-star and girlfriend. The girl’s expression falls, and Jisung empathizes with her. He’s been there before.

Seungmin’s snapping pictures, and he takes one of Hyunjin holding the flowers. “A potential love triangle?”

“No way,” Ryujin replies. “Hyunjin’s head over heels for Y/N.”

“Y/N’s Juliet, right?” Jeongin asks. Ryujin opens her mouth, but he cuts her off. “Right. She is.”

Felix chimes in, “Minho said that Hyunjin’s totally in love with her. They are cute together.”

The old Jisung would be outraged by those statements from his friends, but the new Jisung agrees with those remarks. Even he has to admit that the two of you make a pretty picture together. You and Hyunjin perfectly deserve to be with each other for the rest of your lives.

“Who’s Minho?” Jeongin expectedly asks.

“Mercutio,” Felix answers. “The other guy in the dance off yesterday.”

The gossip dies down when they notice you and Hyunjin heading over with your mics. Chan strikes up a discussion about the cast and crew dinner after the last show next week, and everyone immediately gets excited. Chan takes the mic packs from you two, and Hyunjin sticks around for a bit. He murmurs something to you, and you nod before leaving. Jisung doesn’t miss the nervous look in his direction, like you’re trying to work up the nerve to approach him. Jisung snaps his stare away.

“It’s at District 9 this time,” Jisung says, taking care to not include him. Hyunjin could have you, but he’s not going to let you take away his friends, too.

Chan groans. “Again? Their food sucks.”

“What’s at District 9?” Hyunjin says.

“Oh, right. I keep forgetting you’re new since you’re the lead. The cast and crew dinner. We all go to a restaurant and eat together after the final show,” Felix explains. “We usually go to District 9. Their food’s okay.”

“Their food sucks,” Chan echos.

“It’s not that bad,” Jisung counters. “You ate everything on your plate last time.”

“Because I was hungry! And because Jeongin ate my snack!”

“You let me have it!”

A side conversation starts up, and Hyunjin stands awkwardly at the side, not understanding the references and inside jokes. It’s petty, but Jisung wants Hyunjin to hurt as much as possible before next week when he won’t ever have the opportunity again. Mr. Gi finally finishes chatting with a colleague of his and starts tech notes. Hyunjin looks relieved to have an excuse to leave.

Notes are short, given that it’s a Sunday night and that they did well overall. They’re reminded that they have two more shows next weekend before they’re dismissed for the night. Jisung, feeling drained by all that’s happened, silently cheers before walking out to his car through the main doors.

Under the yellow streetlights, he sees you hold hands with Hyunjin as you make your way to his car. Hyunjin laughs at something you say and tucks one of the pink flowers from his fangirl into your hair so tenderly, Jisung has to look away.

Hyunjin is so in love with you, and you with him. It sickens Jisung to his core, but he has a remedy for this illness.

~ ad.gray

[devilbat]

Claimed

Loki x reader

Warning: Fluff, Smut, Mention of blood and abuse former lover and Fluffyness. That’s all I can think of.

@silverlightsaber Loki with a side of smut 13, 15, 21 I hope you like it.

​

13 "Are you hurt?" "No." "Then why are there bruises all over your face?"

15 "Is that blood?" ".....No?"

​

21 "I'd take a bullet for you." "It's not romantic when you're immortal."

The beautiful green and gold dress you wore was ruined, having a small amount of blood on it. Sadly it was to be worn for tonight's ball at the palace. Unfortunately, a casualty just like your face that was covered in small about of bruises. After a fight broke out between you and a man that was to be your fiancé, one that was willingly provided to you by your family. He was an awful man and had no regard for you. You were just some prize to be won to him. Your family's wealth was what he was after. No matter how hard you tried to tell your parents that, you did not want to marry him, that he was hurtful to you. But to them, this was what life was like. Your father was an awful man that would hurt your mother. He would only tell you that you most like deserved it. And that you will understand when you became his wife.

The countless time you tried to run away only to be caught. The one and only male you had trust in your life was the God of mischief. You both had been friends as kids. The love of your life. A prince you know all too well you could never be with.

Luckily no one was home when you arrived; everyone had left for the ball. You ran from the man you told you would never marry after he struck you for leaving, his mark on your face grabbing you by the arm before throwing you down. You had never noticed the blood coming from your nose until you got home. Tears stained your cheeks and burned your eyes. You never noticed that you had left the door open to your home or your bedroom. You also never heard a man call for you.

"lady y/n." Loki's voice came from the door as he pushed it open. You screamed and jumped, grabbing anything to cover your naked form.

"Norse Loki, get out!" You yelled, throwing the pillow you had grabbed to cover yourself as the Prince just stood there stunned. You quickly regretting the only thing that covered you to throw it at him as you suddenly grabbed the discarded dress, holding it to your body. Your head tilted down, letting your hair fall in front of your face.

"I'm sorry, darling I-" Loki had casted his eyes downward. Only for him to realize there was something off, and it wasn't you naked a pleasant sight sure, but your dress had blood on it.

"Is that blood?" Loki asked, looking back up at you, taking a step further into your bedroom.

".....No?" you squeaked out, flipping the dress around backing away in the process, still hiding your face from him.

​

"I think I would be able to recognize blood, so would you like to try again?" Loki crosses his arms over his chest.

"Loki," you sighed heavily, still keeping your face down. "I only had a bloody nose, no need to worry, now can you kindly leave so I can get dressed." Hoping Loki wouldn't see past your somewhat of a lie. Loki was about to take a step back. You turned just slightly to watch him walk out, but he stopped. "Are you hurt?"

"No." you Stammered out, turning your head away. "Please, can you go." you never noticed Loki used an illusion until you felt his finger hooked gently under your chin, lifting it, giving him a better view of your face. He winces at the state of you.

"Then why are there bruises all over your face?" He asked his voice soft yet stern. His eyes were watching you waiting for you to lie to him.

"I-I fell." You pulled away slightly. "As I said, it's nothing." You heard Loki sigh his head fell before he spoke again.

"My little dove." He looked back at you, your heart flutter as it always did at the nicknames he would give you. He was making it hard not to tell him everything. "Try again."

"I broke the engagement off. And this was what he had to say about it. Now can we move on and let me attempt to hide this." You sobbed out, still trying hard to hold on to the tears that threatened to spill. The anger rose in Loki. He knew something was off when and if he got to see you. As of late, the time the two of you spent together was sparse at most. Ever since the announcement of betrothed to Tyr. Loki loath the pathetic excuse of a man that your father had arranged to marry you. Loki had always thought it would be him that would get the honor. Loki never likes your family. But who believes kids no one.

"I'm going to kill him. Is he going to the ball?" Loki seethed jaw clenched as he moved from you storming out of the room, catching his arm before he could get further than the door. Your gown now forgot on the floor.

"Please, Loki, don't it's not worth it for you to get onto trouble." you pleaded as you pulled him back into your room. Loki notices you were now complete expose to him. His eyes couldn't help but look mostly to look for other marks on your beautiful skin. Taking note at what seemed to be old bruising and a few scars. That he knew you never had before. Considering no matter how many times you told him not to look when the two of you would sneak off onto the forbidden forest just to skinny dip in the hot springs. Loki would use his illusions to make it look like his back was turned to you. Making him smile when he would catch you trying to take your own peek at the God.

"Darling, you know I would do anything for you, right?" Loki looked at you with soft eyes when you stopped making sure the door was shut. You nodded slightly. "you know, I'd take a bullet for you."

   "Loki, It's not romantic when you're immortal." A small smile formed on your face as you watched him. Suddenly your lips whereon his. Kissing him, fiercely years of longing pinning over the other in that one kiss. You pulled away slightly," Please stay with me."

"Are you sure about that little dove?" Loki smirked as he towered over you. "I am not sure I can control myself around you knowing you are no longer betroth freed from someone who had no claim to you."

"Are you sure it's not because I'm naked in front of you." Your hand ran over the detail of his armor.

​

"well, that doesn't help, but I have longed for you. I may have claimed you as mine when we were children — telling my mother that I was going to marry you someday." Loki chucked his hands held on to you tenderly. "I wish I had tried harder, and for that, my love, I'm sorry." your mouth pressed against his once more. Your hand fisted into his raven hair. Pulling him as close to you as you could. You needed him more than you ever thought.

​

        "This, " You moaned against his lips. Your hands roamed over his armor. "Need's to go." Fingers were digging into the leather at his neck. "Please, I've needed you for so long." Like an answer to your prayer, he did as you bid with a simple flick his clothes were gone, and you were on your back with Loki hovering over you. His hands moved along your naked body finding there way between luscious thighs. While his mouth worked over your neck, sucking on the soft flesh.

"Well, well, my pet is oh so wet for her prince." Loki growled his head, moving down towards your heaving chest. The side of his hand rubbed along all ready wet folds. Loki smirked against your skin when you gasped out, moaning his name. Your hips buckled as his skillful fingers explore what lies beneath wet fold. Loki's smirk only grows more sinister as you praised him, calling his name over and over, egging the God on further. His own growing need pressed along your thigh. Your thigh rubbing delightfully against his length as you squirmed under him.

           Loki's suckled on peaked nipples teeth, and tongue worked harmoniously together his teeth held just enough to make it a pleasurable pain while his tongue swirled and flicked over the stiff peaks. Taking his time worshiping each one as they should be. Your whole body is a Temple for him, and only his worship to play with, to have his way with, to love. You were moaning his name night after night day after day. Greedily he would not share you. Your hands found themselves fisting into Loki's raven hair. Loki's hand continue its assault to your core two fingers sliding skillfully in and out while his thumb did a number to your clit within moments you came arching your back, screaming out his name. He Climbed over you after he worked you through your first orgasm.

       "Such a beautiful creature withering beneath me, her God." he purred before kissing you passionately. Loki then eased himself inside you; your welcoming walls squeezed the life out of him. He was rather enormous when he entered you. Your nails dug into pale flesh as you gasped out when he finally settled into you, allowing you some time to adjust. You arched into him with a roll of your hips, giving that silent nudge. Which he gladly did taking you slowly as not to hurt you moving in and out of you. "Norse, you are remarkably tight."

            Loki wasn't sure he could last much longer being you were a nicely a snug fit around his throbbing member. Your moans of pleasure only had him picking up his speed as he trusted deep into you. Making sure to hit the spot deep inside you with each welcoming thrust. Moving your hips in tune with his trusts, your legs wrapped around his waist. Your body was on fire that Loki could only ignite. This was how he felt, and tasted, it was everything, and more finally able to seize.

              "Loki, oh gods, I'm going to- please harder." you cried out Loki smiled at your request. He Pulled your legs from his waist only to place them over his shoulders. Changing the angle hitting new areas, and further just grazing your cervix. Pounding into you, taking you harder, your screams were music to his ears. He fucked you into the mattress, and you came hard around his throbbing cock.

           "Yes, that it cum around my cock." He growled, finding it hard to last as you socked him even further. He came into you hard and deep. Your walls were milking every last drop of him. Loki captured your lips with his as he stilled. Moving your leg as he slowly pulled out, you whimpered at the empty feeling. "I think all of Asgard knows now who clams you." Loki pulled you to him as you both laid there, panting heavily. The feeling of his seed seeped out, your bodies covered in sweat.

         "Loki, how em I going to explain this to my family?" You asked him, Loki tenderly traced your jaw, making sure not to cause you any pain.

          "No need to worry, love. I will take care of it. I will also be taking care of that worthless man that dared to lay his hand on you." Loki promised you as he held you tightly. The joyful sounds of the ball range throughout the town, only missing two of its people. Though as you slowly started to drift off to sleep, you felt a change in the room. Loki had brought you back to his chambers where you would reside forever.



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Tom/Loki Tag's: @theoneanna @graveyard-groupie @silverquartx @moonfaery @kcd15 @moonlightprime @youveseen--thebutcher @shockwavee @sabine-leo @screw-real-life-i-pick-fandoms @vethrvolnir, @darkprincessloki92 @archy3001 @chaoticwithpurpose @paanchu786, @metalheadspider @myownviperroom @arosewithdaisies @jilldsumner @daughterofsunandmoon93 @too-cold-for-youhere @iamverity @sterwild @hiddlefan81 @matczvkv @desimarie12 @loser-alert, @cest-le-temps-de-lamour @lucantis @sherlokiholland @kryptonite2116 @justthatfangirloverthere @littleredstarfish @amore-p-siche @thathedonistgirl

[ythankucaptainmccoy]

Commander Wolffe x Reader (War Wounds)

I have had this imagine sitting in the back of my head for a while and I wanted to write some angst and fluff. This imagine is from… you guessed it the magnificent @gabrielewolffe​: Imagine losing an eye in a fight against Ventress like Wolffe, and him being the only one to understand how you feel. I do not own Star Wars or any characters. Warning: Battle Scene, Blood, Loss of Body Part, Angst and Fluff.

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The battle was just begging, and the sun’s rays were beating down from overhead. It was a hot climate here and you had already started to sweat. Wolffe and the wolfpack were trailing behind you as you threw droid poppers into a crowd of droids. They fell quickly as you pulled your blaster up and started to fire at the remaining ones. The next wave of droids were coming your way, and this time there were more than you could count.

Master Plo Koon looked at you and you nodded back to him. You looked back at the Wolfpack letting out a howl. The other troopers howled back as a battle cry, and charged with you and Plo into the fray. The Wolfpack were cutting into the forces and advancing. The building up ahead was where Ventress was hiding, and the Wolfpack had been tasked with arresting her. Master Plo had created an opening and you ran for the building.

“(Y/N) wait we need to go with you!”, Wolffe screamed over the battle. “We have to get this witch now before she has the chance to escape!”, you yelled back. You ran straight ahead into the building. “Hurry men she can’t take Ventress alone!”, Wolffe commanded. Boost looked to Sinker and they both knew you should have waited. As they made their way up the stairs they could hear the firefight between you both. You had been a bounty hunter and had taken down a lot of bad people, but this was different. 

Ventress was using the force to throw you around, and threw you against the wall. It was hard enough that you couldn’t see straight. Ventress made her way towards you with both sabers raised. She brought them down, but was blocked by another lightsaber. “Not today assassin”, Plo told her. They began dueling as Wolffe made his way over to you. “Are you alright?”, he questioned. “I’m fine, but we need to take her down”, you replied. Wolffe helped you up, and you picked up your blaster. 

Wolffe didn’t even have time to respond as you lunged and tackled Ventress off the balcony to the small terrace below. Wolffe looked down to see you motionless and feared the worst. Plo Koon ordered the men to get down there as fast as they could as he leapt down using the force to help him land. You had gotten up and noticed one of Ventress’s lightsabers at your feet. You picked it up, and watched as droids started making their way onto the terrace. 

“Plo look out!”, you warned and he started to deal with the droids. Ventress ran towards you trying to make her escape, but you blocked her path. “You are no Jedi”, she hissed. “And you are no Sith, witch”, you sneered. She raised her lightsaber and brought it down as you deflected the blow. She made a cut for your legs and you deflected again. She started to swipe at you with increasing fever because the Wolfpack had just made it to the party. 

“Maybe I should kill a few of your precious clones starting with the Commander”, she taunted. Rage filled you at the thought and started to swing at her with all your might. She was dodging and deflecting everything you threw at her. You were pushed back with the force, and kneeled down to center yourself. When you looked up you didn’t react fast enough to jump back and caught her lightsaber as it grazed your face. The pain was searing hot and you screamed out. Wolffe turned in time to see you stumbling backward clutching your face.

“NOOOOO!”, Wolffe howled. Ventress grabbed her lightsaber off the ground and ran as blaster fire from the Wolfpack flew towards her. Sinker got to you first as you collapsed from the pain and cradled you. “WE NEED EVAC!”, Boost yelled. Comet called in an evac while Wolffe looked at you and cursed at the seared flesh. You had a diagonal seared line across your eye, and it looked bad. Wolffe knew what it meant and he cursed himself for not getting to you quicker.

They quickly dressed the wound, and got you into the evac. Plo could sense the remorse in Wolffe for letting this happen to you. Once they reached the hangar bay a medic came to help take her to the med bay. Wolffe went to follow, but Plo had put a hand on his shoulder. “I know you are afraid for her position with this team as you were afraid when it had happened to you, but rest assured I will make sure she stays as long as she is willing to”, Master Plo told him. 

“Thank you General”, Wolffe thanked him. With that Wolffe turned on his heel, and made a beeline for the med bay. When he got there he had been told she had lost her left eye, and that there was really nothing they could do other than a cybernetic replacement. They had already cleaned the wound as best they could, and were just waiting on a surgeon. Wolffe didn’t leave your side the entire time as well as the Wolfpack.

They all had their heads lowered, and looked severely defeated. When they took you back for the surgery Wolffe constantly paced the floor. Wildfire and Comet went to go grab caff for the rest of the team. While they were gone it was deathly silent, and Boost couldn’t take it anymore. “Why did she do that?! She isn’t a Jedi and she isn’t expendable. Why would she even take that risk”, his voice cracked. “She knew that if she didn’t distract Ventress that there would be more casualties”, Sinker responded.

When Wildfire and Comet came back with caff they all settled on the floor waiting for you to get out of surgery. It was taking longer than expected, and the Wolfpack members had fallen asleep practically on top of each other. Wolffe still paced trying to figure out why he hadn’t been quicker. He knew it was going to be hard for you because he remembered how he felt when it happened to him. The fear of being sent back to Kamino for decommissioning had scared him to where he wouldn’t eat or sleep.

Master Plo had helped a lot, and it took some time to get used to not being able to see anything on one side. The surgeon came out to let Wolffe know that the surgery was a success, but she would need a lot of help for the next several months. He woke the Wolfpack and gave them the news, and the surgeon had deemed her ready for visitors. They walked into your room and stood in the doorway.

“You can come in”, the nurse called. Wolffe entered first followed by the others. You had a bandage over one eye, and your other eye was closed. “She is in and out of it because of the drugs she is on. Try not to upset her”, the nurse said as she walked out. “Cyare can you hear me?”, Wolffe asked standing on your right side. Your eyelid fluttered open , “I lost an eye not my hearing Di'kut”.  Boost laughed as the rest of the Wolfpack snickered quietly. Wolffe stayed silent as the other Wolfpack members talked to you.

Once they knew you were okay they all headed for the refreshers. Wolffe was the only one that stayed. He pulled up a chair to sit with you. “Wolffe I love you, but please brighten up I’m not dead”, you announced. “(Y/N) you could have out there today. I thought you had when you fell onto that terrace. You aren’t expendable”, he gritted his teeth. “Neither are you or the Wolfpack, and it is done and over”, you told him, bringing your hand up to cup the side of his jaw. The only problem was that you missed and touched nothing but air. 

Wolffe grabbed your hand to place it on his cheek. “I have you, and I am going to help you through this”, he promised. “Okay but I’m not quitting the… Wolfpack”, you yawned out. “Get some rest I’ll stay here tonight”, Wolffe affirmed. He watched as your breathing evened out, and started to think back on how difficult it was to learn how to deal without being able to see on one side. 

It had been a month, and you had had several nightmares. Wolffe was there each time just like you had been for him. He would soothe you and coax you back to sleep by holding you as close as possible. Everytime you would get self conscious around others he would remind you of his eye, and that you were as badass as he was now, and not to worry. It helped but on occasion you would still bump into things and your blaster aim would be off. 

While on leave at 79s one night you were sitting with the Wolfpack, 501st and 212th. Cody was talking about how his General was the worst at getting injured or putting himself into unnecessary danger. Rex would pipe in about how Skywalker must have learned it from Obi Wan because he was always getting into dangerous situations. You had gotten up to go get another drink at the bar when it happened. 

A drunk made a comment about how you should keep your eye covered, and that people didn’t want to see the scar either. You tried to act like it didn’t bother you, and made your way back towards the guys. The drunk followed you and once in earshot of  the others yelled for you to go somewhere else or cover your eye and scar. You stiffened as some other patrons attention was now on you, and the shame settled in your chest. 

You could hear the whispers as you felt a hand on your shoulder. It was Rex. He had been closest and got to you first. “Hey how about you show some respect. She is out there on the front lines while you sit at home and sit on your lazy fat shebs”, Wolffe growled. “Awww well it looks like we found the match. Shouldn’t have been so shit at fighting”, the drunk slurred. Wolffe was about to throw a punch when Cody held him back. The rest of the Wolfpack looked ready to tear the man apart. “Come on let’s just go”, you piped up.

Wolffe turned to you as a tear threatened to spill. They all got up and went back to base where Wolffe took you to his room. “Don’t let what that man said upset you”, he told you. You stayed silent even as you both got into bed. “Why do you stay with me?”, you asked. “(Y/N) why would you even have to ask. I love you”, he responded as you lay your head on his chest. “I’m broken, and no longer beautiful”, you choked. Wolffe wiped the tear that slid from your eye. “I love you and you are not broken. You are still beautiful to me. If anyone’s broken it’s me. The Wolfpack is here for you to, and if I see the men stealing peeks at you in the refreshers I’m going to kill them”, he smiled. 

You smiled in return as Wolffe placed a kiss over your eye and kissed along the scar. You melted into him ready for a night of sleep. “I love you Wolffe”, she said. “I love you to (Y/N) now get some sleep”, he soothed. She kissed him and settled back down. He watched her fall asleep as he drew circles on her hip with his thumb. He was the luckiest man in the galaxy, and it wouldn’t have mattered if she had lost both of her eyes he would stay with her. 

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The End. Hope you all enjoyed it. I think it could have been a lot better, but it's super late, and I need sleep that always eludes me. My ask box is open so if you have an ask don’t hesitate.

[cavariously]

[Trying my hand at a fan fiction.

I love to write but I have never done anything like this before, so all feedback would be extremely appreciated (Grammer, Plot, Characters etc.).

I love Tokyo Ghoul so I really hope I don't fuck this up 😅. A big thank you to anyone who reads this ❤️]

Caution: Agressive Swearing, Offensive Language, Graphic Violence.

Notes: Takes place post end of TG:re, Reapers = Marshall version of Doves.

1. Crow - 24

City lights and the rushing motions of the landscape turn the 24th ward into a blinding and blaring circus. Humans. They crawl through this city with the assurance that they will be here tomorrow. They will be here a year from now. They will be here forever. They are the only lifeform with this assurance. All other creatures in this world live with the knowledge that their making it to the next moment is a fifty fifty

It is certainly a miracle that they last, noticing absolutely nothing at all. They don't see the effects that the fumes of their veichles have on the planet that they grip so tightly to. They can't begin to recognise that they are being continually watched and targeted by devices that could wipe them from the face of said Earth in less than zero. They don't even notice the apex predictor observing them from less than a mile above.

Humans simply move from one spot to another, only stopping to cause irrevocable disaster and reduce their surroundings to less than ash, and then move on to the next target. Someone said that humans are Parasites, and although it may be naive to believe this was wholly correct, it would be complete ignorance to dismiss it entirely. Ghouls do not indulge in such ignorance. Parasite is an apt description for a human, from the perspective of a ghoul, that and food.

The figure stands tall, wind rushing rapidly through their tied up hair. They can smell the putrescence of man-kind as they go about their sweaty and arrogant business. They would laugh if it wasn't so tragic. What do humans amount to? They are greedy and bloody bags of meat that fight and hate more than any other being, yet they are allowed to multiply and just be. It could be argued that ghouls are the same as humans in this aspect, but most abide by the one meal a month agreement, even though this arrangement can be hell for some. Unlike humans, who see violence as their God given right, when ghouls fight, it is rarely for anything other than survival. Perhaps this view doesn't take all ghouls into account, but all humans gorge themselves on everything, and fight for any fucking reason they want.

Twenty years ago, a disaster was meant to end this disparity. For the first time ever, ghouls and humans fought together to save the world they shared from the monster that had been designated 'DRAGON'. The defeating of this enemy was meant to end in equality, where ghouls and humans shared the world equally. Scientific leaps had been made. Synthetic meats that ghouls could eat, so they wouldn't have to harm humans. The corpse of Dragon even lead to dramatic advancements in the medical field. Humans were now benefiting from ghoul DNA, as it allowed them to combat most illnesses and increase their lifespan somewhat. After all that ghouls had done for them, weren't humans grateful? No. Ten years, then ghouls were back to being vile creatures to be hunted, and were forced back to living in the sewers. The deaths of so many perfectly good and innocent ghouls, just so that humanity could screw them all over again. What a funny tragedy.

Another figure appeared from the shadows, stepping in line with their comrade. Neither looking at the other, they both silently watched the ferris-wheel turn round and round. A world that they saw as rightfully theirs. They were hungry for it and they would have it. No matter the cost. In fact, the more human casualties... the better.

"Are you ready to go?" the newcomer asked, never taking their attention away from everything below.

"Yeah. Any longer and I might have to eat you."

"Like you could" came the cold, arrogant response.

"Just because you got five inches on me now, doesn't mean I can't still beat your ass Da..."

"Don't fucking call me that. While we're out here you call me Kuma and I call you... Blindfold, or Eyeless. Something like that." Even though his response had been quick and sharp, neither his tone nor his concentration had wavered.

"Eyeless" they conceded.

"Fine, Eyeless it is. Just don't go shouting our real names out in public. You're enough of a liability as it is without giving our fucking identities away."

Eyeless finally turned to look at their brother. They couldn't help feeling a pang of nostalgia. He had been so small once, constantly hanging onto their shoulders and making paper birds that he place all over their home. Those memories hurt, especially when they remembered what came after. He used to smile so much and now he's a moody little shit. They'd never been like that at fourteen, they thought smugly.

"Fine. Let's go KUMA before I rip your snarky head off." With that final retort, Eyeless turned and stepped off of the roof.

Kuma watched them drop six stories, landing with grace and poise. Why were they always so aggravating? Maybe he was jealous of their natural ability, or perhaps they were just a pain in the ass to be related to. With a sigh and a wandering look to the night sky, he followed suit.

* * *

The Marshalls finished up disposing of the ghoul. Bikakus are a pain in the ass Haruto thought, but it's better than a Ukaku. Haruto loved the fact that he was an intimidating figure. The ghoul had basically shat itself as soon as it had seen his large muscular frame, and cruel bearded face. The black trench coat they wore, that often announced the end for ghouls, probably didn't hurt either. He nudged the face of the corpse with his foot. He reckoned it wouldn't even be worth removing his Kakahou to get a new quinque. Taking into account the short amount of time it had taken him and Kenji to bypass his defences and cut him through the middle, he was a B rated ghoul maximum.

"Right, time we get back" Haruto sighed.

"Mhm" Kenji agreed. He never said much.

"Did you bring the body bag? You never know, you might be able to upgrade that piece of shit you call a quinque." Haruto laughed loudly. He loved taking the piss out of Kenji, especially when he knew his only retort woukd be 'mhm'.

As expected, Kenji responded with a grumbling "Mhm", and moved towards the body.

Haruto, turned to walk away, lighting a cigarette and beginning to inhale deeply. That Kenji was going to marry his sister. What's he gonna say when the priest asks him if he takes her to be his lawfully wedded wife? Mhm. Haruto chuckled to himself. All in all Kenji was a good guy, and one hell of a Marshall. He could use that crappy Ukaku quinque pretty damn well, even if it did come from a C rated ghoul. Kenji also took Haruto's kids to the beach when he and Mrs Haruto wanted a quiet weekend. He might be an ugly fucker with next to no hair, and a face that made you want to split him down the middle, but he was clean and sometimes smelt nice. Yeah, Kenji could marry his sister if he wanted. She could do a hell of a lot worse.

A loud splatter sounded out behind Haruto. He spun on his heels, instincts flaring immediately into action. Where the fuck was Kenji? Where his partner had been attempting to fit the ghoul into the black bag, there was now the cut in half corpse of his future brother in law, fallen to the sides with a blindfolded figure standing in the middle. His entire being twitched in anticipation of this thing making a move to kill him, but all it did was leasurly bend down and scoop something up from the gore beneath. As the creature straightened up, he saw that it was simply sucking on one of Kenji's bloody fingers. To others, this might signify a psychotic animal, but to a seasoned Marshall, this was a confident and calculating killer plain and simple. A powerful one at that. Their clothes were indistinctive; clad in thin black leather and fabric, however, their mask was a completely different story. Almost the entirety of its face was covered. Its mouth had a tight black fabric wrapped over it, with a skeletal smile that would open, revealing the snaking pink tongue underneath. The huge back leather collar surrounding it could be zipped up to hide all but the eyes from the world. Not that the eyes could be seen either. A bone white blindfold shut them off from view. Foreign symbols were drawn in deep black on either side, with the a closed eye taking centre stage. Although it was just a drawing, that closed eye was unearving, as if the lack of sight heightened its ability to see, instead of impeding it.

Now this was a ghoul. Just by its sheer presence Haruto could tell this one was rated A, or more likely >S. Haruto couldn't deny to himself that he was intimidated, but he was a senior Marshall, and always backed himself in a one on one. He looked down at his fallen partner and gulped. First things first, get into this guys head. Haruto scanned the ghoul, looking for weaknesses that he could exploit verbally. If he was lucky, the reaction could lead to him obtaining an edge. He noticed that this ghoul was slight in stature, maybe five foot five all told.

"You wanna end up like this other piece of shit, you fucking dwarf."

This garnered absolutely nothing.

Haruto couldn't take it much longer. This creature continued to lapp at the guts of his dead partner, that were splattered over its fingers. It obviously didn't give a shit what it looked like to others. It reminded him of a cat, publically cleaning its fur and genitals with no concern for the world. It was fucking reveling in its feast, and it made Haruto's blood boil.

"You killed an innocent man. He was gonna have a family and you ripped him apart. You monsters have no fucking souls and you all belong in hell. That's where I'm gonna send you. I'm a fucking senior Marshall you stupid shit. You have no clue how badly you've fucked up."

Again, the ghoul made no sign of changing emotion, continuing to dip its fingers in Kenji and take its time eating. Haruto knew he needed something else to get into its head so he scanned again. 'Shit' he thought, as the ghost of a smile passed over his lips. The majority of its body was covered in black that mostly obscured its shape, however, his keen eyes saw that although its grey hair was tied up, it was probably quite long when undone. At its chest area, although it was probably bound, there was the hint of a slightly tented structure. The hardest one to spot was the hips. Despite them being covered by black leather shorts, those hips were a tad too wide to be a man's.

"Alright you sick fuck. I'M A COMMIN FOR YA!"

With one last drive to uncover more courage, Haruto raised his Kokaku quinque and lept towards the ghoul.

"I'M GONNA FUCK YOU UP FOR KENJI... YOU BITCH!"

As Haruto closed the distance with extreme speed, to less than two meters, the shadow of another figure dropped from the sky, landing directly next to the first. Haruto skidded to a halt, taken aback by the new masked creature. This one was certainly taller, and its face was covered by a red, horned mask. It was only as his attention slipped completely that he realised his final mistake. For the first time, the blindfolded ghoul smiled widely, the skeletal mouth parting to reveal massive bloody teeth.

The next thing Haruto knew was that he was laying down on the ground, face to the sky. His neck was warm and dripping wet. He raised his hands to his throat as the oxygen escaped his body, feeling the deep gash that was releasing his blood. The ghouls started conversing.

"Which one you want?" the first asked the newcomer.

"I don't care. You killed 'em both so you choose" the other responded dispondantly.

"Well, you're the growing boy so you take the ghoul and the first Reaper."

"Damn, well fuck me if you ain't the best big sister" uttered the male ghoul sarcastically, as he casually walked over to Kenji and the dead ghoul. "Why you taking you're mask off you sicko? The guys not even dead yet."

"I like it when they watch me" the female ghoul giggled.

Haruto saw the shadow of something passing over his head. "Ken...Ke..ji" Haruto gasped.

Suddenly, from below him came a the same giggle. "Awww dude, I think these guys were close."

"Eyeless, eat the fucker and let's go" came the voice of the male.

"Hey buddy boy, look at me will you" said the female from his feet.

Haruto craned his neck, scared of what he might see, but thinking 'fuck it' to himself. What's did he have to be afraid of, he's already dead. When he finally focused on the face he was confused. She was chewing on a leg. His leg. When the fuck did she get her dirty hands on that? When she'd finished on his leg, licking the tips of her fingers with delight, she bent down and hovered over him. Eyeless? That's what the other one had called her, but that wasn't true at all. Now that her blindfold was off he could see the entirety of her murderous giddy face.

"You're very funny" she said. "Innocent man. Gonna have a family. Its really fucking funny."

The last thing Haruto would ever see would be a testimony to her names innacuracy. Staring at him excitedly was one grey eye, so remarkably human looking it was weird. The other eye was a pool of darkness... with a violent, blood red pupil that seemed to be trying to force its way out of its black prison. She snapped up the rest of him.

"Sicko..."

End

[fxkthatdairy]

PANIC ROOM CHAPTER FOUR: DUSK TILL DAWN ~Grayson Dolan

Overview: Overview- In the year 2020, to solve the problem of overpopulation. Selected few are thrown into the PANIC ROOM simulation. If the person finds their soulmate in the simulator and manages to survive, they are able to rejoin the rest of the population. If they fail they will become a victim of the PANIC ROOM. What happens when (Y/N) gets thrown in the PANIC ROOM? Will she survive? Or will she fall victim to the simulation?

Warnings: severe angst, violence (epilepsy warning for the photo ⚠️) Heavy language, slight mentions of almost rape

I was running, running like my life depended on it. Grayson was behind me, but I still don’t know why I was running. My heart pounded inside my chest and fear was filled throughout my whole body. Whatever we were running from was definitely life-threatening.

“(Y/N) Turn to the cave! We’ll be safe there!” Grayson yelled as he spotted a cave up ahead. I took a hard right running deep into the cave before stopping. I placed my hand against the wall and attempted to catch my breath. Grayson walked in and slumped against the cave walls as well to try and catch his breath. He walked over and placed his hands on my shoulder to center me.

“I think we’re saf-“ he didn’t even get to finish his sentence when a knife penetrated through his heart. Blood began pouring everywhere, his body went limp and fell to the floor. Whatever or whoever did this was long gone now. I fell to the floor holding him, the tears were flowing from my eyes as I tried to stop the blood from flowing. My hands became stained with blood and his eyes and skin began to lose their color and life.

“ No no no no, this is not how it’s supposed to be Gray, please come back, don’t die on me, I fucking love you, we have so much to do please Gray please come back,” I said through sobs as he took his final breath. I let out a loud sob and threw myself over his body.

I shot straight up from my sleep. My body was sweating, tears were flooding down from my eyes, and I was shaking badly. I couldn’t seem to catch my breath because I was hyperventilating.

“Hey, hey (Y/n) I’m here, calm down. It was probably just a bad dream.” Grayson crawled over and wrapped me in his strong arms. He was here, he was alive, it was all a dream. He didn’t die but I still felt the emotions of as he were dead.

“Gray, don’t leave me, please. Don’t die, I can’t lose you, God I need you Gray, Please don’t die.” I said through silent sobs. I held onto him tightly not wanting him to slip away. I needed to know he was safe and alive.

“(Y/N) I’m not going anywhere. I’m here with you now. You’ve got me for life. I promise you we are going to get the hell out of here alive. Nobody is dying on my watch. I’ll never fucking leave you (y/n/n).” He said and held me tightly knowing I needed the reassurance at this moment in time. He smelt like teakwood with hints of woodsy smells. I never realized how good he smelt until now or how warm his body was or how strong he truly was. The more I took every part of him in, the calmer I seemed to get. My body stopped shaking, the tears slowly began to stop, my breathing returned back to normal and my body seemed to relax and feel tired.

“Gray, please lay with me and hold me. I need you to physically be with me so I know you’re safe while I sleep please.” I said and buried my face into his shoulder.

“(Y/N) I have to be on guard.” He said and held me even tighter.

“I know Gray, just hold me until I fall asleep. You can still keep guard, I just need you with me right now.” I said. He nodded and laid me down. He wrapped his arms tightly around me and pulled me into his side. He stroked my side gently. I could hear his steady heartbeat which sounded like a natural lullaby and it slowly helped me go to sleep. My body totally relaxed and I was able to sleep knowing the man I truly love was alive next to me.

When I woke up, it was barely light outside. Grayson was sitting by the tent door gazing at me. He had drifted to sleep while watching me, I didn’t blame him, this was truly exhausting. My muscles were aching, my head was pounding, and I honestly still felt tired. Nobody has found our hideout yet thank god. But to be honest we picked a very secluded area nobody would think to go. It was honestly a little chilly in the tent so I decided to crawl over to Grayson. He barely opened his eyes long enough to raise his arm so that I could snuggle into his side to try and retain his body heat. I watched the sunrise through the tent. If one) it wasn’t artificial and two) the start of a new hellish day, the sun actually caused a beautiful glow.

“You know, you look beautiful in the glow of the sun,” Grayson mumbled with his eyes slightly opened. He had one of his signature smirks on his face.

“Thank you Gray, but how would you know your eyes are closed,” I said and I let out a small laugh.

“One) I don’t have to see you know your beautiful and two) I opened my eyes for a little bit .” He said now fully opening his eyes and stretching out. He stood up, bent over and began getting things ready. We got everything and stood outside of the tent. Grayson put all of the hiding shit back on it and right around then my stomach let out a loud growl.

“Let’s go get us some food. We’re going to have to catch something from the river and cook it up.” He said as we a few miles down to the river. I sat on a rock and watched as he was watching the fish swim by, waiting for the perfect moment to throw the knife and catch the fish. He looked absolutely beautiful like an angel God had sent down from heaven. His brown hair was slightly ruffled from the way he was sleeping, his clothes fit tightly around his body in the best of ways, his tanned skin glowed in the sunlight, his angel wing earring was dangling as he kept moving his head, and that damn silver chain that hung around his neck looked sexy as hell on him.

“You know if you take a picture it lasts longer sweet cheeks.” He said with a smirk as he came back with two fairly large fish.

“If you haven’t noticed chunky butt, I don’t have anything to snap a photo with so get used to me staring at you,” I said with a laugh as I saw him try and start a tiny fire to cook the food with.

“Chunky Butt, really than your Snuggle Butt because I swear you like to cuddle and I’m not complaining. Plus I wouldn’t mind you staring at me as long as I can stare back.” He said looking at me as he sat by the small fire cooking the fish and making sure the smoke didn’t get too bad and attract attention.

“I wouldn’t mind that either as long as I still get all the cuddles in the world,” I said with a slight laugh.

“I would never deny you a cuddle, sweetcheeks. That is not in my vocabulary when it comes to you.” He said with his award-winning smile. He finished cooking the fish and cut it and brought it to me.

“Bon Appetite.” He said and dug in. I ate mines and I suddenly had more energy. It’s funny how much energy you can get from just eating.

“Thank you, Grayson, for the food. It was really good.” I said smiling.

“No problem sweet cheeks, as soon as we get out of here I’m going to show you my true culinary skills. I’m quite the chief when I have the correct equipment.” He said with a smirk and used some water to completely put out the fire. We were a few miles from our base so we decided to pack up our stuff and walk up to the base. As Grayson was packing up and making sure everything was good, I decided to go walking around to search for some more packages. That was one of the stupidest mistakes I ever made when I felt two arms grab me. One covered my mouth so that I couldn’t scream and the other pushed the barrel of a pistol into the side of my head.

“Now what is a sweet thang like you doing out here all by yourself.” The sick twisted voice spoke into my ear and I immediately knew who it was: Thomas. By now I’m pretty sure a few tears had started falling down my face and my body was shaking.

“Don’t be scare sweet thang, do what I say and I won’t hurt you maybe.” He said as he still kept the gun to my head and took his hand off my mouth.

“If you scream, I’ll kill you right here and now, if you run I’ll kill you right here and now, if you don’t listen to me I’ll kill you right here and now, do you understand me.” He said seriously and I nodded. The fear overtook my body and I prayed to God Grayson came looking for me and found me before this psychopath killed me.

“Now you’re going to be a good girl and take your shirt off for me. And then you’re going to slip off those pants off nice and slow yeah.” He said with a cruel smirk. I felt my insides cringe as my body wanted to throw up its contents. This fucking psychopath was going to use me and then kill me. The tears fell down my face as I slowly began taking my shirt off, cringing as this man was staring at my chest hidden behind my sports bra as he still had the gun pointed at me. I bent down to slowly pull my pants off leaving me in my black sports bra and black underwear. As I stood up I saw Grayson sneaking up with his gun out. Thank God, I made sure not to make any hints that Grayson was here. The tears still kept falling as my body shook. Thomas kept staring with a maniac laugh and psychopath smile. He was so distracted by my body he didn’t hear Grayson’s gun click. Grayson worded at me to dodge and the next thing I knew Thomas’s gun dropped to the ground and blood began to pull at his mouth. Life left his eyes as I kicked his gun away from him. His blood splattered all over my bare body. I let out a broken sob and almost collapsed to the ground but before I could hit the ground Grayson caught me. He picked me up as well as the rest of our stuff and walked us up to our base so that anyone who heard the noise would find Thomas and assumed he killed himself.

Another casualty: Thomas Biggerstaff the announcer spoke. My body still was covered in Thomas’s dried blood as we reached our base. I was in such a state of shock my body didn’t move, I made no facial expressions. I had finally stopped crying but I felt so empty inside. I was almost raped and murdered within the past hour and I didn’t know how to process everything. Grayson sat me down real quick so that he could drop the stuff off in the tent and then picked me right back up. He walked down to the part of the river right beside our base and sat me on another rock as he stripped down to his boxers. He picked me up and brought me into the river.

“Hey (Y/N) I know you’re scared shitless right now but I swear to god I’m going to take care or you and he’s never going to be around to hurt you again. No one will ever force you like that ever again. I’m not leaving your side from now on. I swear to god I’m going to protect you. I failed earlier but I swear I’m going to make up for it. I’m so sorry that asshole made you do those things. I’m going to wash you off now and get that bastard blood off of you. I know you don’t want to speak so please just no so I know this isn’t going past your comfort zone.” He said softly as he stroked my hair. I nodded and he began washing me off with a little body of body wash he found in my bag. He was extremely careful with every move he made so that he didn’t startle me. He made sure to get every spot of blood off of my body. I could see his self-guilt on his face. I could tell he was blaming himself for everything that happened and it killed me. I was the one who wondered off and almost got killed it’s not his fault.

“Gray, it’s not your fault. Please don’t let this eat you up. I’m here now, you saved me from that monster. I’m forever grateful for you please don’t beat yourself up over this.” I said softly but I knew he could hear me.

“I’ll try for you. I just wish I followed you. I know now I’m going to stay by your side forever.” He said as he rinsed the last area of blood off of my body. By now the sun was starting to set, so he pulled me out and dried me off.

“So I’m going to turn around but in order to keep you from getting sick overnight. I’m going to need you to take your undergarments off so they can dry. Just throw on your clothes I brought.” He said and handed me my clothes and turned away out of respect. I faced away from him knowing he needed to change as well. I stripped quickly and slipped into the clothes that Grayson handed me. When I turned around Grayson had his sweats and shirt on. He took our undergarment and hung them to dry beside our tent and made sure they were hidden. He helped me get back in the tent and I felt the exhaustion hit my body.

“Do you want me to hold you tonight?” He asked gently and pulled out covers back. I nodded my head and crawled under the blanket, Grayson following behind me. He pulled me tightly into his side and stroked my hair, face, and side gently trying to lull me to sleep. It worked as well as his calming heartbeat and comforting smell. His body heat kept my body from freezing as I drifted to sleep. When he saw that I was completely asleep he kissed the side of my head.

“I promise (Y/N), I’ll protect you for the rest of my life.” He said and stroked the side of her head. When he saw her standing there half-naked, trembling in fear, and crying with that psychopathic, cowardly excuse of a man his blood boiled. If (Y/N) wasn’t standing in the direct line of shot, he would’ve shot first and shot multiple times until the bastard was covered in bullet holes. Though he was extremely pissed, (Y/N) managed to keep him balanced. He killed the bastard simply due to the fact that the love of his life was there and he didn’t want to scare her. He loved her more than life itself. He would kill for her and he proved that. He would die for her and if she would’ve died he surely would’ve killed himself. He could never see himself living in a world without her. He began to truly believe she was his soulmate; his one and only. He fell into a light sleep so that he could still hear everything and protect his girl but he could also get some rest at the same time.

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Part four is done! I hope you guys enjoy this series as much as I enjoy writing it. Feel free to let me know your thoughts on how the series is going so far. As always let me know if you have any requests, concepts, or blurbs. Part five will probably be up in the next few days. Part seven of The Principals Office should be up within the next couple of days as well. Love you guys 🥺😊💛

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