A wee Shetland ficlet, inspired by this lovely gifset of Ashley Jensen in Man vs Baby made by the extremely talented imaginaryhat!
Also on ao3!
Ruth picks up the phone. “Sandy. What?”
“Sorry Ruth, I couldn’t get hold of Tosh.” He launches into a long-winded explanation of a current case, and she’s rolled her eyes at least five times before he gets to his actual question
“Sandy,” she says again, gritting her teeth and managing not to follow it with for fuck's sake. “Get the files from the Glasgow office, do what you think is best, and ask Matt if you’re not sure.” She catches sight, out of the corner of her eye, of Tosh’s gentle glare, sighs reluctantly, and continues, “You don’t need us on this one, you know what you’re doing, all right?”
“All right. Thanks Ruth.” Sandy sounds more buoyed up by the conversation than she feels he should, but as long as it gets him off the damned phone.
Ruth doesn’t look at Tosh again before adding, “And Sandy? If you ring me again before Monday and there’s not been an actual murder, I will personally come to the station and make sure a murder happens. Got it?”
She can hear his muffled laughter as he agrees and hangs up. Damn it, she’s sure she used to inspire some actual fear in her colleagues.
She lets the thought go as she puts the phone down, and leans back into the plush sofa cushions. Next to her, the fire crackles pleasingly, suffusing her with a glowing warmth. She opens her arms, and Tosh shuffles in close and settles into her embrace, the weight of her delightful against Ruth’s chest.
Ruth sighs with absolute contentment, and presses a kiss to the top of Tosh’s head. It’s rare they both manage to get away together for more than a night, and this break was so sorely needed. The cottage they’ve rented is cosy and lovely, isolated enough that they can feel like the only two people in the world, but close enough to civilisation that they can walk to the pub for dinner later if they want to.
Tosh turns her face up to Ruth’s and smiles, softly, and Ruth feels her heart flutter in response. She meets Tosh’s mouth in a kiss that starts light but gradually and inexorably gathers heat and momentum.
“Now, this jumper is all very lovely,” Tosh says, eventually, more than a little breathless. “But I think we need to get you out of it…”
Summary: Power corrupts; Agatha is cursed with an abundance of it, and you just can't fight fire with fire even if Rio believed and tried.
***
“You knew what they were going to do to me, and you did nothing,” Agatha asked, more curious than angry.
“I broke the lock to their vault-library, didn’t I? Then, you were brave and powerful enough to take the books.” Rio smiled, as if she was genuinely proud of Agatha. “A blade cuts only when you wield it so. Mommy saw you as a sharp, pointy thing, and a sharp, pointy thing you shall be.”
Hello everyone! It's been a short while since I last posted anything. This had been sitting in my drafts for ages, and I genuinely cannot remember whether I had proofread it properly, so apologies for any mistakes/ errors in advance!
Cws: This scenario is sad as hell, reader is gn, some fluff involved but is mainly angst, Armin is a poor soul, Armin and reader have a romantic relationship. Panic attacks, self deprecating language, breakdowns, super angsty
959 words
Summary: Armin had been avoiding you for months after Eren’s disappearance, and when you finally approached him, he broke.
It was breaking your heart- the way his smile was slowly fading, his laughs scarce and his eyes… practically lifeless. You feel helpless, nothing seems to be bringing that vibrant boy back, and as life cruelly hurls its deathly trauma at the people you love, you can feel your smile fade too.
After Eren's disappearance, Armin had become an empty shell of a man… quietly withdrawn to his office where he’d spend hours upon hours pondering over battle strategies, cursing himself for being unable to prevent Erens random disappearance, the potent paranoia eating him alive.
You had hardly seen lately, it was like he was actively avoiding everyone… actively avoiding you, terrified that people would see through his facade and uncover the frightened, paranoid state he was in.
“Hey- Armin! Wait up!” you had been trying to speak with him all day, but it seems he had kept himself conveniently busy, constantly marching off at the sight of you.
He hurriedly walks through the mess hall and towards the corridor, frantically heading for his office, pretending to have misheard you, he knows exactly what you’ve been wanting to talk about, and has been avoiding it at all costs.
“Armin Arlert!” he stops in his tracks at this, and awkwardly turns his head to face you, he is the absolute vision of guilt. He silently walks towards you, poorly attempting to ignore the dozens of eyes staring his way. Taking your hand firmly in his, he walks you both into his office.
“Armin, I-”
He shuts the door, and for the first time in months, his tired blue eyes peer into yours. You can immediately feel the weight of his mental torment push into you, and in a way, it confirms that eyes really are the windows to the soul… and his soul is hurt and damaged.
“I don’t give you enough credit you know, you’ve always been so observant, I mean… you noticed before everyone else did” his voice breaks as he speaks; the strong, resilient exterior cracking in an instant. You stop momentarily to analyse up his features, his eyes appear dulled out, face hollow with exhaustion.
“Armin, I’ve been worried about you- we’ve all been worried” the words tumble from your mouth with urgency, you’ve been desperate to have this conversation with him. Your hand is still held in his, his grip tightening at your words. He stays silent at this, leaning over to hide his face in your neck, soaking it with his tears.
“This has been building up for months hasn’t it? Ever since Eren-”
“I should have been able to stop him, I should have seen the signs, there must have been something there that I didn’t notice!” he blurts out, tears now streaming down his face. You go to interrupt him, to provide him with comfort, but he stops you.
“I don’t need your pity, I don’t need anyone's pity… this is my fucking fault- he’s my best friend and I couldn’t stop him- I couldn’t stop him” he lets out a strained sob, his entire body shaking, and you automatically hold him up in your arms, feeling him weakly melt to your touch.
“Armin… you may not believe me when I say this, but Eren's disappearance is far from your fault” you say in desperation, yearning to reassure him. He lets out a heart breaking sob of protest, not believing a single word of comfort that leaves your mouth.
“Y-you’re right… I don’t believe you, it is my fault… I should have paid more attention- I should have been able to figure out how he was feeling… I should’ve been able to stop him y/n” He buries his face into your shoulder, gripping onto your body desperately as he becomes hysteric.
You realise that he doesn’t want words of reassurance, he won’t believe them regardless of what you say. What he needs is someone to be there, to hold him, to listen to him. Who he needs is you. You kiss his forehead softly, carefully deepening the embrace, you then pull back to look into his swollen, puffy eyes, those same eyes you fell in love with all those years ago.
“If you need to cry, cry… if you need to scream, you scream… but mark my words, I will stand with you throughout it all… it doesn’t matter what emotional state you’re in Armin Arlert, I will always be here to hold your hand and support you in all walks life, and hopefully in the next”
You pause to wipe his tears with your thumb, planting a soft kiss on his freckled nose. “I love you, and it utterly destroys me to see you blame yourself like this, but I’ll say it again, none of this is your fault… we were just kids when this started” you bite my tongue as to prevent your own tears, it's as if you could almost audibly hear your heart crack.
“Life has been so ruthless to us, to you… so don’t you dare blame yourself for something out of your control” you say this sorrowfully, the sheer weight of your own trauma becoming apparent in your words.
Armin says nothing for a while, instead he silently inspects your face, eyes skimming over every detail of your skin, he presses a kiss to your cheek, and pulls your body in to better embrace you.
“I love you too” is all he mutters, acknowledging but not addressing the other words said, as he still disagrees with them.
“Y/n? Could you stay with me tonight? I don’t feel safe alone” he quietly requests, his eyes silently pleading with you to stay.
“Of course I can love… I’ll stay with you for as long as you need me”
Fandom: Star Wars, but where Fives was listened to, Palpatine is gone and the Republic is winning the war once and for all.
Pairing: Fives x Reader, unrequited Crosshair x Reader
Content: Angst and a little bit of fluff.
Warnings: Mentions of blood.
Word Count: 1642
A/N: Mando'a translations are 'mesh'la' = beautiful, and 'ner kar'ta' = my love. I wrote this in an evening so it's rather messy, but I've had this idea on my mind for a couple of days and actually wrote it for once.
When he hears that the 501st are on shore leave too, Crosshair bristles. All he wants is some quality time away from the front lines with you, and now he knows that his chance is squandered. Whilst you had been working with Clone Force 99 since Echo joined, as his personal medic (keeping his biomechanics running smooth, as well as helping with the trauma of Skako Minor), you were previously assigned with the 501st. That meant that you were going to meet up with Troopers that you had once served with and Crosshair would be deprived of your presence. He tried to push down his annoyance at the fact, but the sniper barely lasted an hour pretending to be fine. The grumpiness of his amplified over the days before their shore leave, culminating to the present moment: sitting with his brothers in a booth at 79s, brooding over a glass of whiskey and staring daggers into the table surface.
The music around the bar pulsed with energy, the floor filled with various clones who were moving with the steady beat – either with each other or with a nat-born who’d taken interest. Some clones still wore their plastoid, some wore their blacks, or a mix of the two. Some clones even wore civ clothes, although it was somewhat rare. Most of the colour adorned by the clones here tonight was, of course, blue. Too much blue, Crosshair thought to himself as his eyes shifted over the crowd, looking for you.
It took him a while to find you, for you and those you were currently with were hidden by the throng. By then he saw you; the first glimpse he saw was of you with a wide grin spread across your features, eyes crinkled slightly, laughing at something one of the clones around you said. There are three of them with you, Crosshair identifies. Two of them are bald and tattooed, the other with slicked back hair, a vaguely anchor shaped beard, and a tattoo upon his temple. Crosshair narrowed his eyes to get a better look at the tattoos. Bald Trooper No.1 has blue lines wrapping around his scalp and onto his face; he is dancing near you, shimmying quickly and with no rhythm. The sniper actually recognised Bald Trooper No.2: Jesse. He was on Anaxes and they had a mutual dislike of each other, making Crosshair wrinkle his nose as he observes the close proximity of the clone to you… Even if Jesse is laughing at Bald Trooper No.1 and now seeking to playfully tackle him. However, Crosshair’s distaste at Jesse’s presence quickly diminishes as Bearded Trooper wraps his arm around your shoulders, turning his head to reveal his tattoo in greater detail to Crosshair – an aurbesh five. He knew this clone too, but had met him only briefly after the rescue of Echo, for he was his batch-mate, Fives…
The ARC Trooper with aurbesh tattoo looks down at you, a toothy smirk spreading across his features. His honey hued irises sparkle in the throbbing lights and you realise as your eyes lock that you have missed this man so much.
Before being assigned to the Bad Batch, before the rescue of Echo, you had served with the 501st. You got on with all of them, Rex, Jesse, Tup, Hardcase, Kix, and even Dogma, who was a little hard to like at times. But Fives… On your first day with the legion, and after being introduced to Rex’s squad as their non-combat doctor, Fives had come up to you with that smirk of his and hit you with the cheesiest pick-up line you’d ever heard. Yet, you still blushed. Not because of the line, but because of the one who’d delivered it. From then on, you’d harboured a small crush on the ARC Trooper, who flirted with you any chance he got. He visited your medbay upon the Resolute often – most clones tended to stay away, save for their regular health check-ups, but Fives seemed to like the place more than Kix. It was through these visits that you began to get an inkling that you were not the only with a slight infatuation. It lead to the moment, in the middle of Fives’ routine health check after some time in the front line, where you both ended up acting on those feelings towards each other. From then on, the pair of you had been together, in secret, not because of some rule against clones and nat-borns being together, but due to violating the rules of the workplace. Yet, now that you served with the Bad Batch, not with Fives and the 501st, it was becoming more and more tempting to be not so secret about your relationship.
That is why, as you look into Fives’ eyes, his arm about your shoulders, you decide to raise a hand to loop around to the back of his head, your fingers slipping between his brunet locks. He raises a brow slightly, although as his eyes become hooded it is clear that he is having similar thoughts to yours.
“Mesh’la,” he mutters in his deep baritone, “I don’t want to keep this secret anymore.”
“Fives… Neither do I.”
In that moment, Fives pulls you in for a kiss, his lips encompassing yours softly. In that moment too, you hear the smashing of glass. You break away from Fives, who groans with frustration, yet too looks towards the source of the noise. You both expect it to be nothing much, maybe overly drunk patrons. It’s not nothing, as the table where your current squad sits is now in disarray and a certain member of Clone Force 99 is staring deadly daggers at Fives. The said clone makes an awkward sound in confusion, eyes flicking towards you with a hint of panic within them as he whispers in your ear, “Ner kar’ta, why is he glaring at me?”
You shake your head slightly, partially in disbelief, but also to indicate to Fives that you don’t know. “He’s usually grumpy, but I’ve never seen him like… this. Let me deal with this.”
As you talk with Fives, Crosshair is swiftly stomping over. Before Fives gets a chance to respond to you, a fist lands directly in the side of his nose, causing him to stumble and nearly pull you over with him. You untangle yourself from Fives, seeing red in the corners of your eyes as you turn to face the assailant, Crosshair. He looks enraged. However, your expression gives him a run for his credits.
“Crosshair! What the kriff was that?!” The entirety of the bar has their eyes on you as you shout, many of the 501st in the bar moving to gather around. Jesse and Hardcase, who were with you in the moments before the incident, have stepped in to check on Fives, who is holding his nose that gushes with his own crimson blood. Rex, who was sitting with the Commanders, has stood up and approached slowly, ready to step in to be the mediator, and alongside him is Cody too, the pair ready to work the dynamic duo as always. Kix is currently pushing his way through the crowd towards you as well, seeming to go full combat medic mode at the commotion. The Bad Batch have reacted too, all slightly differently. Wrecker has leapt from his seat, ready to fight. Echo has quickly moved to grab the oversized clone, and Hunter too has stopped his brother from starting a whirlwind of chaos, although seems to be more relaxed about potentially letting Wrecker off the leash if there is good reason to. Tech still sits in the back of the booth, awkwardly looking over his datapad at the situation. All of them wait, however, to see how Crosshair responds.
The silver haired sniper hisses an exhale, before snarling his words, “The reg kissed you!”
In your eyes, it is a pretty poor excuse. “So?!” You call out, your anger bubbling up with the increasing heat.
Crosshair narrows his eyes, taken aback by the question, yet this time he has a better response, spoken quietly this time, his words now laced with venom, “It looks like you’re being taken advantage of…”
If you hadn’t been drinking then maybe you would have said something better, but what comes out of you is spat that the sniper with frustration at his apparent blunder.
“I’m dating Fives, I ain’t being kriffing taken advantage of!”
Crosshair’s expression falls for a moment, a look of abject horror upon his features. Yet it disappears as quickly as it appears. He seems done, done with everything now. Turning around, to head towards the exit of the bar, he growls, “Kriff you…” He leaves then, storming out. Hunter drags Wrecker along with him after their brother, whilst Echo lets go to rush across to you and Fives, whose nose is now clogged up with napkins from the bar to stop the bleeding.
It is as Echo comes towards you and Crosshair steps out the door of the bar that the realisation of what truly happened hits you. All those around you disappear as your entire focus turns to Fives. You rush over towards him, the shouts of the clones about you trying to disperse the crowd falling on deaf ears as you throw yourself against Fives, wrapping your arms around him.
“I’m sorry, Fives-“
“Ssssh, ner kar’ta, not your fault. He was just jealous.” Fives wraps his arms about you, engulfing you in his warmth and comfort, placing a gentle kiss atop the crown of your head.
Meanwhile, Crosshair storms away from 79s and into the night of Coruscant, he realises that he will always be jealous in regard to you. Jealous because you are the one thing he cannot have, for Fives has already claimed you.
Notes: teensy bit of gore in this one :P
please enjoy <3
The next day, Reiner was feeling considerably better. He figured he must have been right about it just being something he ate the day before. Frankly, he felt more energized than he had in a while.
Reiner was in the middle of his coffee when Connie finally woke up. The gremlin was hyper any other time of the day, but he was certainly not an early riser.
“Morning.” He greeted with a small wave. Connie only let out a small groan in response.
The shorter man opened the fridge and rummaged around in it until he found the milk, he then got some cereal and poured himself a bowl. Reiner scrunched up his nose when he poured the milk first, but didn’t bother commenting on it.
“Want some coffee?” Reiner offered, already knowing the answer. He still hadn’t been able to get the other two to like the bitter drink, but he would convince them soon enough.
“Ew, no.” Connie grumbled, “Don’t poison me.” He exaggerated. The two fell into a comfortable silence after that. Reiner looked over the paper from last night again, skimming over the other articles that he didn’t bother to pay attention to last night.
A few minutes later, Jean decided to grace them with his presence. He was already fully dressed, with his hair in almost perfect condition, as always. He had been growing it out more, it fell over his shoulders now. Reiner thought it looked like that, he was honestly starting to think Jean could pull off any hairstyle if he really wanted to.
“Morning.” Jean said a little cheerfully. “Feeling better?” He asked, turning to Reiner. Reiner hummed in confirmation before taking another long sip of his coffee.
“You were feeling bad before?” Connie asked, his eyes darting between the two.
“Got sick last night, it was just something I ate.” He answered with a shrug. He knew they were all wondering if Reiner could have possibly come into contact with the new plague.
He was a little embarrassed to admit, but he honestly hadn’t left the house much since they got back from their last peace negotiations with Paradis; the only time he had left was to do a quick job in helping a nice lady organize her stand at the market. There was no possible way he could have caught something in that time unless one of the other two tracked it in.
“If you start feeling bad again, let us know.” Jean said, his voice soft. Reiner nodded with an agreeing hum.
“Anyway,” Connie segwayed, “I was planning on going to the market again, wanna come?” he offered, his eyes brightening and chasing some of the sleep away.
“I’m down.” Jean said.
“Sure.” Reiner agreed with a smile. Some fresh air probably would do him some good anyway.
It was about an hour later when they were all ready to face the outside world. The market looked good since the last time Reiner had been there. It was still only a bunch of stalls set up around the few apartment buildings standing, but it was still growing with each day.
There weren’t many stable buildings left after the Rumbling, and everyone had prioritized housing and hospitals over average stores.
There certainly weren’t many selections anymore either, since most resources had to either be hunted or grown now instead of bought from some warehouse and then resold. At least that meant most of it was fairly healthy, as long as it had been handled correctly.
Really, the way the world was now reminded Reiner of Paradis. There were of course a few exceptions, like the few cars that survived, and more were being made thanks to Azumobito’s engineers that had been on Paradis during the Rumbling.
The three friends were browsing around. Reiner was mainly looking for something he could cook. In a few days, they would be on another trip to Paradis, and he wanted to give them all a hearty meal before being stuck at sea again.
“Any preferences on food?” He asked, looking over his shoulder to Jean. Connie had gone ahead and was looking at a stall with some rare sweets.
“You’re the chef,” Jean answered with a shrug. Reiner let out a huff and rolled his eyes. It was as if Jean thought he could be compared to Niccolo or something.
Reiner went up to a stall with a small meat selection. There were turkey carcasses hanging from one of the wooden beams. Really, bird meat was the most often found now. Though there were some people able to raise cattle, it was a luxury reserved for the few rich people left in the world to buy.
Reiner gave his order and ruffled around his wallet for the payment. Jean was behind him like a shadow as he made the exchange. He was whistling a tune to keep himself from getting bored.
As Reiner took the brown paper bag filled with what would be their dinner for the next couple of days, a loud boom shook the earth. A flash of light went off in the near distance, and Reiner had to blink several times for his eyes to recover.
“What the hell?” He muttered as he looked towards where the noise and light had been.
“Was that a bomb?” Jean asked incredulously. Similar murmurings were being spoken around them.
Before Reiner could answer, someone to his right screamed. He turned to see a man doubled over, grabbing his stomach. He blinked in confusion for a moment. What was happening?
Connie was the closest of the three to the man, and he rushed over to help him. He placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned down to try and steady the man. He was in the middle of saying something when another bright light went off, engulfing both him and the man.
There was a rush of wind, causing everyone to be thrown back. Reiner’s back collided with the counter of the stand and he let out a hiss. He caught Jean’s shoulders and saved him from a similar fate.
When the light faded, Reiner felt his heart stop.
“No,” Jean muttered to himself, barely audible enough for Reiner to hear it.
In the middle of the street stood a giant, deformed figure with elongated limbs and head looking too large for its body. Its eyes bulged and a devilish smile made chills run down Reiner’s spine.
Reiner stared at it unblinking. The monster turned and surveyed the group of people in shock below it. Its eyes met Reiner’s and he felt the need to vomit. Maybe he was seeing things, but its smile seemed to grow wider as it looked at him.
“Connie!” Jean yelled, breaking Reiner from his stupor. The shorter man was laid out on the ground just in front of the giant. He looked unconscious, Reiner prayed to whatever higher being out there that he was just unconscious.
Jean’s yell seemed to snap everyone out of their shock as well, and soon there was a panicked crowd running around and seeking cover.
It was a titan. A titan.
“Reiner, help me get Connie!” Jean yelled, breaking free from where Reiner still held onto his shoulders. He crouched down in front of Connie and grabbed his shoulders. The titan looked down at Jean and started reaching its hand towards him. Reiner blinked several times as a spike of cold fear lodged itself in his chest.
“Jean move!” He yelled as he started running towards his friends. The younger man seemed to stare up at the giant hand reaching towards him as he frantically tried to drag Connie away from the danger.
Reiner rammed the two out of the way mere seconds before the titan would have grabbed them. He only had about two seconds of relief before long, sweaty fingers grabbed him. He let out a yelp as they lifted him off the ground.
“Reiner!” Jean screamed. The blonde quickly fumbled for the hunting knife he kept with him. His hands were shaking, and when he procured it from his pocket and tried stabbing into the titan’s finger, it slipped and clattered on the ground.
Reiner looked down to see a giant gaping maw below him. The titan’s teeth were stained yellow, and would soon be red too.
The titan changed its grip to grabbing the back of his shirt, as if it were holding a kitten by the scruff. Reiner kicked uselessly and clawed at the monster’s fingers. His legs were past the titan’s teeth now. It started to close its jaw as it continued to lower him.
He let out the most blood curdling scream as he felt pressure on his stomach and back. His right arm was partially in the titan’s mouth as well, and blood leaked from below his elbow as the titan’s teeth pierced his skin.
His scream broke into a strangled gag as he felt rather than heard a sickening crunch. He let out a stuttering gasp as he fell limp. Half of his upper body and his arm were hanging from the titan’s mouth.
There were three figures below him that his pain-addled mind refused to recognize. One was screaming, and another was holding what looked to be a shotgun.
Reiner let out a rough cough, and blood spilled from his mouth and onto the ground below. The titan bit down again, and Reiner let out a weak scream.
Then there was a bang that made his ears ring, and he felt the sensation of falling. He hit the ground with a thud, another crack followed. If his ribs weren’t all broken before, he doubted he had any intact after that.
He was being lifted up again seconds later. Someone slung his arm around their shoulders and started dragging him into a narrow alleyway. There was another blinding light, and whoever was carrying him tripped in surprise.
Another figure that he thought he should recognize ran up to them then, there was a red splotch on his head staining his short grey hair. He grabbed Reiner’s other arm and the blonde let out a pained whine.
He looked over, wondering why his arm would hurt so much, and was met with a bloodied stump instead of a limb.
He thought he must have passed out then.The next time he opened his eyes they were someplace dark, or maybe that was just his vision failing him. A man leaned over him, yelling something that Reiner couldn’t hear.
Reiner’s head lolled to the side, and the man placed his hand on Reiner’s cheek to make him look back at him. Reiner coughed then, and blood splattered against his shirt that already looked like a murder scene.
“Reiner… hear me...” parts of what the man was saying made it to his ears, and Reiner had the mind to make weak eye contact with him.
“Come on, man!” Another voice said as the man with the grey hair knelt down next to them. Tears were streaming down both of their faces; it made Reiner feel guilty, for some reason.
The first man’s hand left his cheek, causing Reiner’s head to fall again. He watched numbly as the man’s hands moved over his bleeding stomach.
Reiner screamed as more pressure was put there. He felt a surge of adrenaline as he tried to claw at and push the hands away. The second man pushed on his shoulders to try and stop him.
Reiner let out another scream at the movement. He tried to kick out, but he couldn’t feel his legs.
He choked and gagged on something that tasted like metal in his throat. His head was pushed back against the wall. Reiner’s eyes looked up at the sky, strangely now filled with smoke and embers.
He turned his head ever so slightly, and was met with the entrance to the alleyway. People were running around outside, some were wildly firing up at something using what few firearms were left in the world.
The said something then started to block the little bit of sunlight coming into the alley. Reiner choked on his fear as he saw the towering monster. He silently willed the men with him to keep quiet, even though looking down he knew they were still yelling something.
He watched helplessly as the titan turned its head towards them, ignoring its previous prey. He made a small noise akin to a whimper as it started reaching its long arm into the alley.
He looked down at the men trying desperately to help him. They hadn’t noticed. They were too busy worrying about him, the dumbasses.
“Ti-” He started to say, breaking off into more wet coughs. With that, the smaller man looked up with worried eyes that quickly widened in fear.
“Shit- Jean!” He yelled, but by then it was too late. The other man was grabbed around the waist, and his hands were pulled away from Reiner’s middle with the rest of him. Reiner groaned as more blood spilled from his wound.
The shorter man ran for the other, trying to grab onto him and pull him back down, but the titan grabbed him too. Reiner watched helplessly as the two struggled and tried to fight off the giant.
Reiner’s head lolled to the side again, and he closed his eyes. He felt so tired. He didn’t think he could move anymore at all. The adrenaline he felt before had dissipated. He was done.
“Reiner!”
He opened his eyes again at the scream, looking lazily back to the giant titan still looming in the front of the alley way. The first man was yelling at him again.
Reiner felt an ever encompassing worry close up his throat. He didn’t want that man to die, and he clearly didn’t want Reiner to die either. Was that what was happening? Was he dying?
No, he couldn’t die. He had to protect everyone. He couldn’t let anyone else he cared about die. He couldn’t he couldn’t.
He felt a new kind of pain engulf him, messing with his vision and senses. He gagged again, coughing up more blood. It felt like his entire body was being stabbed with pins and needles. He squinted his eyes closed from the pain.
“Jean…” He mumbled, sounding so small and weak.
When Reiner opened his eyes again, there was more light, then there was nothing.
End Notes: yayyy a cliffhangerrrrrrr
I live to make my readers suffer <3
anyways, hope you enjoyed this chp, I would rlly appreciate any comments or kudos :)
CW: adult language, PTSD, character using derogatory language towards herself that can be triggering to differently abled people, references to kinky shit
Jake always knew he was the golden child. It wasn’t necessarily fair but that was how it was. He was the apple of his ma’s eye, pa’s favorite, even his older sisters all adored him. Ma claimed he came out of the womb charming and with a wink that had the nurses all swoon. But Jake’s favorite person was Gramps Seresin.
Gramps had earned a Purple Heart and a Distinguished Flying Cross in World War II. But Gramps always said he did his duty with a twinkle in his eye. Much different than Pa who bragged about how many commies he shot down in Vietnam whenever he got a chance. Jake noticed that Gramps always looked tense when Pa got drinking and started bragging.
“Jake, my boy, war is serious business. Taking life isn’t easy and is nothing to brag about. The most important thing I am proud about is as Commander, my whole team made it home after serving in the Pacific. Duty and Honor, that’s what matters the most, Jake,” Gramps had said while Pa was bragging to his friends.
Even though Jake was cocky, arrogant, and very sure of his skills as he made it through Annapolis, Flight School, SERE, and Top Gun, he kept those words from Gramps in his mind. After going through air strikes in Afghanistan and Iraq, he wouldn’t now, not with Maverick and Rooster still there-
Jake sighed as he sat up in bed, the sheet falling down to his waist. The nightmare was back again. It only happened occasionally now but when it did, it was with a vengeance.
The nightmare was always the same: Admiral Simpson didn’t give the okay, Jake flew off anyway, but he didn’t make it in time. The enemy got Mav and Bradshaw and Jake watched them die before the enemy took advantage of his indecision to take him out too.
Reality was much different but there was always that what if lurking in his mind, ready to torture him at night.
Groaning, Jake got up, opening his blinds. It was a new day and he had a bunch of Fucking New Guys (FNGs) to corral on this shore tour at NAS North Island. For some reason, Cyclone thought he would be a good mentor to some newly winged lieutenant junior grades before they joined their squadrons. Not that he cared; Jake had a plan for his future and stuff like this was part of it as he made his way up to lieutenant commander, commander, to one day being Admiral Seresin, air boss and future Fleet Commander.
Pulling on a pair of shorts, Jake made his way to the bathroom so he could take a leak. Right after he washed his hands, there were several knocks on his door. “Fuck off,” Jake yelled.
“Can’t, you fucking douchebag,” was the answer. Jake shook his head before brushing his teeth, making the person wait. After several minutes, he strolled through his apartment to the front door.
“Bradshaw, as I live and breathe. Why the hell are you at my front door?”
Rooster snickered. “I was checking to see if Dot was here, Hangman. You two got kinda hot and heavy the last several nights.”
Jake gritted his teeth. So, he had put the moves on the only person to beat him at pool at The Hard Deck. She flirted back but in un-Hangman-like fashion, he didn’t seal the deal that night or the other night. “Actually, she’s not here. Why?”
Rooster furrowed his eyebrows, suddenly feeling concerned. “I hadn’t heard from her since Wednesday.”
Jake’s expression went from mocking to concerned. That was about three nights ago. “I’m sorry, but I haven’t talked to her, Rooster, not since she turned me down and got in her car.”
“At least you saw her get in her car. Alright, I gotta go.”
Curious, Jake wanted to know where Rooster was going because he was feeling worried himself. He didn’t even really know the damn woman, he didn’t know why rooster came to his place, but fuck, he cared.
Slamming his door closed, Jake’s ambivalent mood turned sour. Dorothy Kazansky was hot, she had a mouth filthier than the average aviator, and legs that went on forever. Also, every time he flirted with her, the glares from Mav and any other old timers there were worth it. Plus, that ass would look amazing bent over for him to spank and bite.
Brewing himself some coffee with a stove top percolator, Jake went to his fridge to take out breakfast. This week, it was protein overnight oats with chia and flax seeds for breakfast, quick and easy. Grabbing a spoon, Jake took a bite while waiting for his coffee to finish brewing. It seemed like Dot was probably more trouble than she was worth but Jake had enough experience to tell when someone had sub tendencies. Dot definitely had sub tendencies and Jake wasn’t above teasing her to poke at them. Grinning to himself, Jake decided that he would stop flirting with her to get her in bed for now. But the entertainment that came from teasing and flirting with her wasn’t worth giving up, yet.
****
Some nights were better than others. Some days were worse than others.
Dorothy sat up in her bed, rubbing her eyes. The past two days had been hell on earth. Her head hurt, her body hurt, but worst was the phantom pain from her right leg.
Dorothy’s right leg shouldn’t hurt, it was a complete prosthetic leg below her knee. But whenever the nightmares about the crash returned, the phantom pain came back with a vengeance. It was so bad, it hurt to move.
The pills were looking at her from her vanity, mocking her. Percs 10, enough to kill the throb, make it go away, but also make her feel like a zombie. It would make all the pain go away, including the grief for Dad, her career, everything. It had been two years since Dad passed away but whenever the pain was this bad, Dorothy felt fresh new waves of grief. The last time she saw Dad, she was at NMCSD after being transferred from Walter Reed. Dad saw his only daughter crippled in her bed, right leg gone under her knee.
Dad had written her letters and sent her texts, telling his Dot that she was going to be fine. But Dorothy didn’t feel fine, she felt horrible and she was ready to leave home again. Then an image of a sun kissed man with sea green eyes filled her mind and Dorothy cursed, “Fuck.”
Hangman Seresin was going to be a fucking problem.
“Fuck fuck fuck fuck.”
Dorothy was out of water too. Grumbling, she finally got herself out of bed. Unfortunately, water was a necessity. Grabbing a bottle of water, Dorothy chugged it before grabbing an energy bar. Biting it, she dropped it as she heard footsteps outside her room. They were faint but getting stronger and Dorothy thought of her options as she clocked her potential weapons next to the bed. Then the door was flung open and Rooster came in.
“Good, you’re alive.”
Dot pulled a hand over her face as Rooster flicked on the light. “What the fuck, Bradley?”
Rooster moved quickly to Dorothy, pulling her in his arms for a quick hug before letting her go. Then he pulled the chair from her vanity and sat down. Dorothy sat back on her bed and looked at Bradley expectantly.
“You went incommunicado for long enough that we got worried. Be happy it’s me and not Mav or your mom.”
Dorothy bit back what she was going to say. Rooster was right; she didn’t want her mom or uncle Mav to see her like this. Instead she watched as Rooster grabbed a bottle of water and one of the pill bottles on her vanity table. Then he came over to her bed and sat on it. “Here Dot, it’s a Perc 5. You need it, I can see how much you’re in pain, princess.”
“Fuck you,” Dorothy grumbled as she took the pill and the water from Rooster. Swallowing the pill, she downed half of the bottle of water as well.
Dorothy felt a sense of shame as she fell back against her pillows. Before the crash, she had her life together, as an Air Force officer and with the help of Kevin. Now, she was a hot mess and if Kevin was here, he would be completely disappointed in her. So disappointed that the punishment would be straight up punishment, not funishment.
“You know, Dot, you’re miserable. You gotta stop beating yourself up and making yourself miserable for what happened,” Rooster started.
“That’s easy for you to say—”
“Dorothy, Kevin left me a letter that explained somethings that went on between you two that he told me to open a year after he passed.”
Rooster felt extremely weirded out; Dot was basically family, like a little cousin. The letter from Kevin basically said that he and Dot were in a consensual dom/sub relationship and that if Dot was still spiraling a year after he passed, Rooster should encourage Dot to join a kink community and possibly find someone to replace Kevin.
Rooster really had no idea what it all meant but given how Dot was starting to withdraw more often, he decided it was time to say something.
Staring at the ceiling, Dorothy bit her lip. “Kevin did tell me in his last letter to me, that I had a year to mourn before he would start to get me together.”
Bitterly laughing, Dorothy turned her head to look at Rooster. He wouldn’t understand, none of them really did; the only people she told were her parents. Kevin was a fellow officer; they had met the first time Dorothy was sent to Afghanistan. Within a week, they knew they were meant for each other. After a year, they went from a vanilla relationship to a BDSM one with power exchange. It was bedroom/home only but it gave the reckless Dorothy the structure she loved and gave Kevin someone to take care of. Then the crash happened and Dorothy was honorably discharged from the Air Force.
Kevin stayed in the Air Force but he got shot while on leave. Exactly thirteen months ago today, he passed away. Dorothy looked at the date on her watch and she sucked in a breath.
Rooster gave Dorothy a hug. “Remember, we are here for you, Dot.”
****
If you had asked Jake a week ago if he would have enjoyed dealing with a bunch of FNGs, he would have laughed in your face.
Becoming an instructor at a Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) during this shore duty hadn’t been part of his plans. Jake was still assigned to VFA-151 but on loan to the Dagger Squadron out of San Diego. But they had just finished their latest classified mission and most of the other members had rejoined their previous squadrons. So far, it was just Jake, Rooster, Omaha, Payback, and Halo still left.
VFA-151 was not up for deployment for at least another year and Jake was in no rush to go back to Lemoore. So getting his flight hours with boys who were set to go to VFA-154 and 192 was worth it for him. Now, the workday was over and he was headed to market because his ma had raised a man who could get himself his own groceries. Then he was going to something called a munch.
Jake hadn’t even planned to mention anything about looking for something more permanent to Coyote. He was Hangman; women were never an issue. Shit, the boys in Lemoore were glad he was still in San Diego. Better chances for all of them. But it had come up while Coyote came over for beers before flying back to Oceana.
”So, do you think you’d have a problem if I got back with Phoenix,” Coyote asked while staring out into the San Diego night.
Hangman snorted. So he had messed around with Phoenix a couple of times and so had Coyote. It hadn’t taken long for Hangman to realize that two dominant people like him and Phoenix couldn’t coexist in anything outside of a platonic relationship. Part of him was surprised that Coyote was talking about getting back with Phoenix but Hangman wasn’t going to judge. “No issue at all. She’s not my type either.”
“Please tell me you’re not saying she’s hot-“
“Phoenix is a smokeshow but I like my women submissive and willing to do whatever I want them to do.”
“Ohhhhhhhh.”
There had been a companionable silence before Coyote finally said, “You know, Hangman, you can try something like a munch to meet someone willing to do that for you. That’s how I ran into Phoenix.”
“Oh wow… okay, I had questions but they are now answered, Yote. But what is this?”
Now, Jake was headed to one later, in civilian mode. DADT had been repealed but this was still something he had to be very careful about. But if it was a bunch of bronies and neckbeards, Jake was going to leave immediately and take all of Coyote’s money at pool for the next year.
After changing into a black tee, some jeans, and flip flops, Jake got into his truck and made his way there. It actually wasn’t bad; there were a couple of neckbeards but it was mostly people his age who lived in the area. There were a couple of people Jake knew from base but they all politely ignored each other. It was easy as Jake used his middle name, Chandler; easy to remember but still not his first name or call sign.
However, Jake found his composure shaken when Dorothy walked in. She wasn’t new to this as a bunch of people yelled hi.
“Ohhh, you need to meet Snow White,” the woman to Jake’s left said. He already forgot her name but she had sweet brown eyes. “Snow White hasn’t been around in a while but I have a feeling you two are in similar fields.”
Jake wasn’t paying attention as he watched Dorothy greet everyone else. She hadn’t even realized he was there until the woman called, “Hello Snow White! Over here!”
Dorothy turned around, her eyes blinking in surprise as she recognized Jake. But the woman bounded up to her and gave her a hug. Jake slowly smirked as he realized that Dorothy was Snow White. This night was definitely looking up.
****
Rooster had told Dorothy to tell him no details when she told him she was going out to a kink community event but she felt like he would want to know how this happened. Hangman was sitting next to her and she wanted to snuggle into his heat. But then, Rooster would probably want to haul her back into the house.
Uncle Mav had told her that Hangman got around when he found out that she had been flirting with him. Her mom had helpfully said that Hangman was a younger version of Mav which had made everyone laugh at Sunday dinner last week. Dorothy was far from a virgin but she had needs and she didn’t think the cocky asshole could meet them. Then tonight happened and she was thrown for a loop. She had found Hangman very attractive that first time she played pool with him, but now, she wouldn’t say no if he asked if he could come over.
The munch was coming to a close and Dorothy reluctantly stood up. It felt good to be out and about again but the real world was calling. “It’s good to see everyone again,” she called out as she got ready to give out hugs.
“Snow White, wait for me,” Jake drawled. The slight Texas drawl to his voice definitely had an affect on some of the other people there, to Dorothy’s annoyance. But she just nodded as she finished giving hugs and saying goodbyes.
After finishing, Dorothy turned to Jake, motioning for him to follow her outside. Once outside and over by her car, Dorothy sighed. “You’re the last person I thought I would see here, Hangman.”
“I’d say the same except everyone knows you. But I’m new to this.”
Playing with her keys, Dorothy paused for a second. “New to this?”
“New to actually coming out in public. But to this… no. Just the longest I’ve been stateside.”
Jake closed his mouth as he realized he was starting to ramble. Steeling himself, he moved closer to Dorothy to where they were close but not touching. “Not going to press you but the last time we were at the Hard Deck, you said you’d think about letting me take you out. I know it was a joke but I want you to honestly think about it.”
“Why should I think about it,” Dorothy questioned as she put her hands between herself and Hangman. His cologne smelled so good and the whole vibes, this was so fucking different than pool at a Navy bar. Maybe it was pheromones from something else, something unexplained going on. But Dorothy looked up into Jake’s eyes and those green eyes were like emerald fire.
“I may not have done anything in public before but I can tell there is a good girl inside you looking for someone to tell her what she needs to do.”
Jake brushed a hand over Dorothy’s hair before leaning closer. “When you’re ready, you know where you can find me.”
Straightening up, Jake smirked as Dorothy took in several deep breaths. “Whatever,” she finally muttered before she opened her driver’s side door.
“Get home safe,” Jake instructed before Dorothy gave him the finger. Chuckling to himself, he made his way to his Ford F-150.
****
A week passed since the last time he saw Dorothy. Hangman from a couple of weeks ago would have cut his losses. Jake, however, was willing to wait a bit longer. According to Rooster, Dorothy had VA appointments and other shit that was just a bit more important than him. But Jake was very close to becoming impatient. Then the doors to The Hard Deck opened and it was Dorothy in a pair of sinfully tight blue jeans and a pink tee shirt. Licking his lips, Jake put a toothpick in his mouth as he watched Dorothy make her way over to him.
“Hi darlin’.”
Dorothy rolled her eyes as Hangman checked her out. He looked absolutely delicious in his summer whites, a marked difference from the usual service khakis they wore. Then he stood in front of her, sunglasses hooked on his shirt, pool cue in hand. “Missed you yesterday.”
“I had something more important to do than hangout here,” Dorothy teased. It was true, she had her therapy appointment and it had gone well.
Jake smirked, his green eyes twinkling. “Something more important than me? Sugar, you just hurt my feelins’”
“So dramatic, Hangman. Anyway, I thought about your offer.”
“Ohhh?”
It was just one word but there was a lot of meaning in it. Dorothy bit her lip, noticing how Hangman’s eyes followed her action. Moving closer to him, she whispered in his ear, “Pick me up Saturday at 6 and you’ll know my full answer.”
TW: age gap, reader is about 20, William is mid-late 30s, dub-con, boss x employee, not really proof read I am just tired and thirsty af. Minors, DNI. I would at a "read more thingy, I'm just on Tumblr Mobile, sorry.
Am I proud of myself? No.
----
"You're just begging me to fuck you, aren't ya?" He finally said from the door way behind her, watching her, Practically bent over the staff room table that was at waist height for her. Thanks to the skimpy waitress uniform, William could see a suggestion of her lilac panties - did she wear those for him?
She barely even flinched as he spoke, breaking the quiet of the room, she knew he was watching, she liked it.
"What makes you think that, sir?" She flicked her gaze over her shoulder, rising one kitten heel into the air innocently.
She admired his purple button up shirt, the sleeves folded to his elbows, his stormy eyes made her pussy quiver as she locked gazes with him.
He strode over to her and slapped her bouncy round ass. She let out a breathy moan.
"Well you only have this on display when you know I'm watching..." He started, stepping in close behind her, placing his rather large hands on her hips.
"You didn't think your little school girl flirting would be enough for a man like me, did you, doll?" He asked, running his right hand up her skin to sit, gently clasped at the base of her neck. She failed to bite back a whimper.
"You didn't think I would get sick of the teasing and take what I wanted?" He violently pushed her so she was fully bent over the table, looking doe-eyed at her boss.
"M-mr Afton~" She was blushing, she really didn't know what she was getting herself into, but this was better than playing with herself to the thought of him. He chuckled.
"You virgins get wet so easily..." He grinned, slipping his left hand down along her ass crack to feel the damp lace of her panties. He growled in satisfaction as she, without meaning to, ground her hips onto his palm
"Good girl."
Her eyes widened as, in one fluid motion, he pushed aside the material covering her crotch and started rubbing at her clit.
"S-sir!! Oh fuck~" She was already such a mess for him, he was going to destroy her.
He slipped one finger inside her and she gasped. Her pussy was so warm, tight and wet. And then she was moaning as he twisted his finger 180° so he could flex it right onto her g-spot. Just when she thought nothing could feel better, he rammed a second finger in and her eyes rolled. He began a relentless assault on her pussy and within a few seconds he felt a pop, a small release of tension and looking down, he saw the blood of her Hymen slicked along his fingers. Her eyes widened but he gave her a comforting but twisted smile before winking.
But he didn't stop his actions until he felt a release of a different kind on his fingers. She orgasmed with a downright sinful moan and then she was breathless, looking up at him with bliss in her eyes. Her pussy was still spasming. He let go of her neck and removed his fingers from inside her, sucking on them, a devilish look of pride and lust coming across him. She whined, at the loss of him filling her and the lecherous actions of the man she wanted more than anyone.
She stood up and turned to kiss him, he obliged, slipping his tongue between her lips, letting her taste her own pussy. She moaned at the feeling, he let her pull back for air, she was still breathless from her climax after all, and now she was shuddering against his chest, he wrapped his arms around her.
"Shall we take this to my office?" He asked, kissing her forehead.
Genre|| angst, oneshot, tiny itty wittle bit of fluff if you squint
Warnings|| Major character death
Word count|| 1.03K
“yongie! whatcha doing?” you asked as you burst into his room. taeyong looked over to you as you sat down on his bed.
he let out an exhausted sigh, “i’m just finishing up this work, the deadline’s in two days.” he watched as you grabbed one of the plushies off of his bed and hugged it. while he normally loved your energy, he really needed to focus on his work.
“well since you still have another day to finish it, wanna do something?” you asked, fiddling with the plushie in your hands.
“y/n, I really need to get this work done. it’s really important.”
you nodded slowly, “oh ok, then can I stay with you while you work?”
taeyong shrugged, “sure, but you have to be quiet and you can’t bother me. he watched as you nodded furiously with a happy smile on your face. you sat down on the floor next to him as he went back to his work. he managed to make some progress before you stood up behind him and started to play with his hair. he rolled his eyes, and tried to focus on his work. you began to bother him more and more and he groaned in frustration.
you looked at him in confusion, “is something wrong?”
“y/n, can you please stop that,” he said sharply. your face fell slightly but you quickly smiled again.
“of course, sorry.” you said sheepishly. you went to go sit down on his bed and took out your phone. you decided to scroll through social media, looking for any events that seemed fun. a music festival caught your attention and you decided to purchase two tickets.
“guess what tae! i bought us-” you were cut off by taeyong slamming his pen on his desk.
“y/n can you stop! please just get out and stop bothering me!” taeyong shouted, standing up from his chair and pointing to door. you were shocked, taeyong never yelled at you like that. a look of hurt crossed your face. you looked down trying to hide the tears welling up in your eyes.
“yeah sure, i apologize,” you said, trying to mask the hurt in your voice. taeyong was too angry and frustrated to register your pained voice. he watched as you walked out of his room, dragging your feet. after you closed the door to his room you let your tears fall freely. you rushed to your room and grabbed your shoes and one of taeyong’s hoodies. you slid the hoodie over you and soaked in his scent as you unlocked the door and ran outside. You ran and ran till you reached the park and sat down on your favorite bench. it overlooked the river and was shaded by lots of beautiful trees.
“i- i was being a bother and too clingy, wasn't i?” you managed to stutter out.
taeyong decided to take a break from his work. after all he couldn’t focus as the words he said to you replayed in his head. “i was too harsh,” he said. he left his room and started to look for you. taeyong began to panic once he realized you weren't in the apartment. he attempted to call your phone, but it just went to voicemail. he began to seriously worry and prepared to go look for you.
you sat at the bench wiping your tears and staring into the river. you stood up and wiped your eyes a final time. “i should get back,” you said with shaky breaths. as you walked back you felt your phone ring, you debated on whether or not to answer. you decided to let it ring and continued your walk back. you made it to the intersection about two blocks from your apartment. as you waited for the light to change you let your mind wander, ‘is he still mad at me?’ ‘did he finish his work?’ You closed your eyes and subconsciously began to cross the street. you didn’t hear the shouts or the honks of the horn. you were in a daze, lost in your own thoughts.
taeyong ran down the street, repeatedly calling your phone. taeyong’s heart began to race as he saw people gathered at the main intersection. he pushed through the crowd and stopped. his phone clattered to the ground, the screen shattering. he slumped down as he tried to process the scene before him. why oh why did he say those things to you. he should’ve just taken a break and spent time with you. he stared in horror as your body laid lifeless on the road. tears started to roll down his cheeks and it wasn’t long before he began to sob uncontrollably. he got up and ran to you ignoring the officers words and not stopping till he was holding you in his arms. he noticed the hoodie you had on and began to sob harder, memories of the day he gave you that hoodie came flooding back.
“Hey Tae! Let’s go on the ferris wheel next!” You shouted back at him, pointing toward the large attraction. He smiled, “Sure, let’s go!” He walked over to you and entwined his hand with yours. You grinned and the both of you made your way over to the ride. You got into the ferris wheel cabin first and he followed. As you neared the top of the ferris wheel the wind began to pick up. You shivered and a look of concern crossed Taeyong’s face. “Are you cold? Here take my hoodie.”You shook your head, “But then you’ll be cold.” Regardless of your protests he still put the hoodie on you. You soaked in his scent and sighed happily. Once the Ferris wheel reached its peak he enveloped you in a hug, he loved the way you melted into his touch. He gave you a soft kiss and continued to cuddle with you. “I love you,” he whispered in your ear. You giggled, “I love you too.”
he hugged your body closer. the hoodie soaking up the tears, as he cried into your body.
“I’m sorry I said those things and yelled at you. Please, please come back”
