#nb! reader

Vash The Stampede x Independent Plant! Reader (NB reader, they/them pronouns)

Chapter One

Three Years Post-Fall

Chapter Two

Five Years Post-Fall

Chapter Three

Thirteen Years Post-Fall

Chapter Four

Thirty Years Post-Fall

Chapter Five

Forty-Seven Years Post-Fall

Chapter Six

Seventy-One Years Post-Fall

Chapter Seven

One Hundred- Fifty Years Post-Fall

Chapter Eight

꧁Hello! My name is Hino!꧂

My pronouns are: he/him/his

I'm 19!

Also MDNI with my posts

A/n: Whether reader and peter are biologically related or adopted is never specified and up to the reader! Also don't ask me how this works in the timeline because it doesn't. Enjoy the second installment to the fics of pride 2023!

*There is a note at the end of this fic, there is a disclaimer about the fandom, but I didn't want to put it at the start because it would spoil the fic!*

(The reader's agab is not mentioned in this fic!)

Summary: To Y/n, they've never been one or the other. Now that it's out though, they need a new place to stay.

Warnings: swearing, homelessness, transphobia/homophobia, self esteem issues, mental parental abuse, I think that's it? You have been warned!

The 3 P's:

[Pronouns used: they/them] [Pov: 3rd person] [Pairings: (sibling!) peter x reader, (platonic!) peter x may x reader, (parental!) peter x tony, (parental!) tony x reader, (mentioned! platonic!) avengers x peter]

Hello lovely! I hope you enjoy it ❤️

Your eyes followed Thorin as he paced in Thror’s treasure room, “I have crossed the horizon to find you…” You mumbled to yourself, seeing him send more gold flying in his wild search. Your years of searching for your One led you to him. But this wasn’t him.

This was a deranged, obsessed version of him. You almost couldn’t recognize him.

“Do you know who I am?” You heard him yell again, “I know your name…” You whispered, “... And holding the title of a king doesn’t change it.” Noting how as soon as he had his grandfather's crown placed upon his head he was changed.

As the Company filed out of the room, not wanting to face his wrath anymore, you sighed.

“Thorin,” You began, carefully walking up behind him. “This isn’t you,” You continued, carefully placing a hand on his shoulder. His calloused hand shoved yours aside, “You know nothing,” He spat, eyes narrowed and swirling with greed.

Dragon sickness is the worst thing that can fall upon someone.

“No, Thorin, I do know. I know that this gold, this stone… They have stolen the heart from inside you!” You may have been yelling, you couldn’t tell, the gold around you filling your senses. But instead of filling you with greed and possessiveness, it repulsed you.

Thorin’s eyes widened in shock, some form of anguish coming over his features as he processed your words. “-But this does not define you,” You continued, putting your hand on his shoulder again. “This is not who you are, Thorin… You are not a gold thirsty dragon, you are my One,” You felt tears swell up in your eyes.

“You know who you are, Thorin…” You let your hand drop as he gave no response.

“And this isn’t it.” You sighed, shaking your head. “I want my One back, damn all this gold in this hoard, I want you! Not this!” You finished, your voice shaking as you stepped back and turned to follow your fellow Company members to eat dinner.

“Amrâlimê,” Thorin began, causing you to turn to face him once more. His eyes no longer swirling with madness, his expression seemingly broken, face like a lost child. “Mahal what have I done…” He trailed off, looking around to see the things he had broken in his rage for trying to find the stone.

“Thorin?”“I am so sorry,” Blue eyes swelled up with tears, realization finally hit him that he could’ve lost you.

Carefully moving forward, Thorin pulled you into his arms, kissing your temple. “I am so sorry amrâlimê, please forgive me, I-I..”

“I know who you are Thorin, and that monster wasn’t you… I forgive you,” You responded, your face pressed into the crook of his neck, your arms wound around him as well.

Tags:

Forever tag:

 @lady-of-lies​ @all-things-fandomstuck  @fizzyxcustard @izzydaelleth @aquaangel18@raindancer2004 @love-colorfulglittercollection @underthemoon-imagines​ @ladylouoflothlorien @unlikelysamwinchesteronahunt @bad268​ @legolaslovely @bthtallmadge2 @abesottedlass

Thorin Tag:

Word count: 2,460

Series Masterlist

Seventy-One Years Post-Fall

“Are you absolutely certain everything will be okay here while I’m gone?”

“For the fiftieth time Y/N, yes. We have everything prepared, our Plants are functioning properly and are well taken care of, and I’m going back into cold sleep until one of you comes back.”

You paced back and forth relentlessly in the Plant room on Home. Luida was patiently watching you from a chair while one of the Plants drifted nearer to you and reached out slowly. Her age was beginning to show now, despite all her years in cold sleep. Her eyes were as lively and warm as ever though, which brought you some comfort. 

“I just… maybe I shouldn’t go after all.”

“You should. A change of scenery would do you some good. And we’re well protected here these days.”

“Trying to get rid of me now? I thought our relationship was stronger than that.”

Luida laughed softly and stood to join you and the Plant. 

“It’s been more than half a century. It’s time you stretch those wings of yours, for more than a short flight around Home.” Her hand landed on your shoulder and you met her gaze. “He’s been out there a long time. He hasn’t forgotten us, so neither will you. It’s not a bad thing to see what else humanity has built here.”

You heaved a sigh and let your forehead press to the cool glass. The Plant pressed her hand to where your head rested and your lines glowed in harmony. 

“It’s just- it’s been so long. I don’t know how to… how to talk to people beyond this place. It’s you or the Worms. That’s my whole life.”

“Hey.” She waited until you wrapped your arms around yourself and spun to rest your back against the glass. “There was something before the Fall, you know. Just because you can’t remember it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. You’ll be okay, Y/N. You always have been.”

Luida always knew what to say. You wished you could have picked up on that after sixty-eight years here. 

“I’ll leave tomorrow. I promise.”

“Good. And you’re welcome back any time, you know this place is home for both of you.”

“I know.” Your voice was barely a whisper, thinking of your Vash. 

He last left five years ago. You were going crazy without him these days. No amount of time spent with Luida, Brad, or the Worms could quiet the storm in your mind. The love of your life was wandering and it made your heart restless. It was time you went out on your own and saw what kept Vash away so much. 

You spent half the night awake in your room once you bid goodnight to Luida. Your bag was packed, unpacked, then repacked again. Your nest was disassembled, then spread all across the room. You just couldn’t hold still. You grabbed one more bag and painstakingly packed up the most important pieces of your nest. 

It took hours to sort through it all. You swept up dozens of your feathers, painstakingly picking out and discarding the oldest ones, before tucking the best of them into the bottom of the bag. Then came an old shirt of Vash’s, adopted into your nest after he tore too big a hole in it to mend. You tossed in a pillow, a spare blanket, and some of the few feathers Vash himself had once sprouted. He’d been horribly embarrassed about it, but you’d just helped him clean them up and then put them deep enough into your nest that he couldn’t complain or insist you remove them. 

By early morning light, you had tortured yourself enough. It was time to leave. You and Luida shared a tearful goodbye as you saddled up a toma before setting off into the desert. Trails of Worms followed you for days, always watching over you at night and guiding you away from danger. It wasn’t so bad for the first few weeks. Lonely, but that was nothing new. 

Then you reached a town. It was small, with no Plants of its own. But the people seemed… happy. There were dozens of children running through the streets shouting excitedly or helping their families tend to their homes. The adults all seemed busy with their lives, no one sparing you more than a glance unless you looked right at them. 

The problem started after you paid a visit to a saloon near the heart of the town, looking to rent a room upstairs. You hadn’t intended to cause any trouble. You just wanted to ask a simple question. But you’d forgotten how little practice you had with people aside from Brad and Luida. 

“Excuse me, sir?”

The bartender turned to face you and immediately tensed up. Your wide, unblinking eyes put him on edge. It didn’t help how your head tilted at him, at such an odd angle. 

“Uh…”

You kept staring, watching as he fumbled to set down the glass he’d been cleaning and missed the countertop, dropping it to the floor and letting it shatter. You didn’t even flinch at the sound, your head tilting the other way to an even more unnatural angle. 

“Uh- sorry, sorry. I, um…” 

He scrambled to clean up the mess as you watched, his hands shaking and nearly catching on the shards of broken glass. That would likely come out of his paycheck. 

“If this is a bad time, I can come back later-”

“No!” He seemed to startle himself that time with his abrupt answer. “I mean- no, that’s alright. What can I- what can I do for you?”

“I’d like to rent a room upstairs, if there’s one available.”

You attempted a smile, with far too sharp of teeth for comfort. Every instinct he had told him not to let you any further into the place than you’d already gotten. If you had a room here, he was sure he’d end up dead. 

“Sorry… there- there’s no space. Sorry.”

You simply shrugged in resignation and stepped back from the bar. 

“Oh, well. Thanks anyway.” 

You tossed a carefree wave over your shoulder and walked back outside. Your toma was waiting patiently for you at the post you’d tied it to. You slipped the rope free and headed for another saloon nearer to the edge of town. While you had no better luck in finding a room to stay in, you did get a very nervous agreement to let you and your toma stay in a spare stall at the stables just next door. 

You quickly assembled your little nest and calmed your toma before drifting off to sleep. Unbeknownst to you, several of the townspeople snuck past, discussing the unnerving new visitor in hushed tones. The bartenders and their patrons spread word quickly, prompting everyone to double check the locks on their doors and windows that night. 

To your disappointment, every town seemed to have a similar reception to you. You really weren’t sure what you were doing wrong. You always smiled wide, held eye contact, and spoke as kindly as you could. Every time though, you were denied room and board. People kept conversations short and hurried off as quickly as possible. After a few months, you gave up on trying to talk to people. 

When you reached new towns, you would keep to the outskirts. You found abandoned houses to nest in. Your toma needed food, so you made a note requesting help that you would hang around its neck and send it towards groups of kids. It worked pretty well most of the time and you avoided attention from the townspeople. 

Over the course of five years, you came across plenty of towns. No adults wanted to talk to you, so you tended to sleep during the day and travel around at night. The Worms would go with you, lifting your toma to ease its load as you flew alongside them. When your toma fell ill and passed, you started traveling lighter. You only really needed clothing and your nesting materials, so you left everything else behind. 

With your distance from the towns you saw, you never heard the stories that were passed around by other travelers. Tales of a figure lurking in the shadows with glowing eyes. Feathers unlike anything anyone had seen before drifting through the air. Farmers swore they’d seen someone floating in the air in their fields. No one had a name for it, but eventually everyone had heard some legend or another. 

The only real interaction you had over the five years came from the more bold children. A few would dare each other to investigate empty houses in the evening light and on occasion, they’d find you. One such occasion came three years into your travels. 

You were fast asleep in your nest when they arrived. Four boys and a girl with a point to prove. She’d begged her brother to let her play with him and his friends, but he always argued that she couldn’t keep up. She insisted she could, so they set her a challenge. 

She crept in through the front door, looking around at the dusty floors and cracked windows. Her every step creaked loudly, the walls moaning in the wind. The boys were all waiting at a distance, pushing each other around and laughing at how scared she would be when she came running back out. 

The ground floor was empty, nothing but some worn down furniture and cobwebs. She carefully ascended the stairs, creaking even louder than the floors. The sound woke you, but you remained still with your guard up. The top floor was smaller than the first, with a simple bathroom and a comfortable bedroom, where you had set up your nest. 

Her steps were slow and deliberate. As she got closer, you could hear her talking to herself, trying to ease her own nerves. 

“There’s nothing here… those stupid boys just want to scare you…”

You curled up and watched through the layers of fabric as she stepped into the room and looked around. Her eyes slowed on the pile of your nest, her body tensing for a moment. 

“It’s just blankets the people left behind. Nothing to be afraid of.”

“You’re half right.”

She screeched as you poked your head up to look at her. You shuffled up to stand, your hands raised in a placating gesture. 

“It’s okay.”

She couldn’t move. Her feet were stuck. She just kept screaming. 

“Please stop that. It’s quite loud.”

The girl ran out of breath and stared at you with tears in her eyes.

How did Vash do this? 

You hunched your shoulders a bit to lower your stature and made a conscious effort to blink more often. You kept your hands up just in case and backed up to give her a little more space. 

“It’s okay, I won't hurt you.”

You sat back down on your nest and hoped she wouldn’t just run off. 

“You… you were in the blankets…”

You shrugged in what you hoped was a carefree manner. 

“It’s my nest, I sleep in it.”

Her brow furrowed. 

“There’s a bed right there.”

She pointed dumbly at the musty old bed against the opposite wall. It likely wouldn’t have supported your weight if you’d even tried it.

“Nests are better. For me, at least.”

“So… you won’t hurt me?”

“Not so much as a hair on your head.”

She relaxed and smiled at you then. You tried to smile back and she cringed. 

“What?”

“I don’t think you’re supposed to have such sharp teeth. Or so many of them.”

Right. Brad had mentioned that before, but it had been so long since you’d thought about it. Your smile got smaller, hiding the extra teeth and their sharpness. 

“That’s better.”

“Can I stand up now? I’ve been curled up all day sleeping.”

The young girl nodded, but still watched you with a small measure of caution as you rose to your feet again. You stayed a little smaller this time. 

“So, what’s your name?”

“I’m Y/N. Are you comfortable telling me your name?”

“I’m Melody.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Melody. Are you here alone? I only ask because I doubt it’s very safe for someone your age to wander around alone. Especially this far from town. I came out here for exactly that reason.”

Melody opened her mouth to answer, then closed it and got a wicked grin on her face. You tilted your head at her in confusion.

“Actually, I have an idea.”

The boys were on edge once Melody screamed. Her brother hadn’t meant for anything bad to happen to her, he just wanted to freak her out enough to make her leave him alone. But she sounded genuinely afraid in there. 

“Uh… Cazin. Is she okay in there?”

“I- I don’t know.”

As the four boys tried to gather their courage, you slipped out of the house and crept closer with Melody watching from the window. Cazin stepped forward to go look for his sister. In the same moment he took the first step, you raised up to your full height with a sinister expression. 

“Looking for someone?”

The boys shrieked and fell backward, all four scrambling to cover themselves on the ground. Melody came out of the house to join you, laughing at her brother’s expense. When Cazin realized what had happened and turned a bitter glare on you both, you broke into an evil laugh, terrifying until you doubled over and wiped tears from your eyes. 

“It doesn’t feel nice when someone scares you on purpose, does it?”

Cazin and his friends at least had the decency to look embarrassed. They grumbled in agreement and took your offered hands to help them up. You spent the rest of the daylight playing around with the children. They all got comfortable quickly enough, even getting as far as encouraging you to stand at your full height. 

They all cringed as you popped all your joints and stood as tall as you could, but shook off the discomfort at the chance to try to climb your back. You let them hang from your arms, gave them rides on your back, and ran back to the edge of town with them as the last rays of sunlight faded.