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deliriousgeek · 3 years

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Thomas Shelby x Wife Reader

Summary: A quiet evening meant for celebration is thrown into chaos. Y/n wills herself to play into the daunting role that comes with being Thomas Shelby’s wife, because it might be the only thing keeping her alive.

Masterlist

Tommy lowkey feels very oc so idk how to feel about that. im not good at writing suspense...its also very long. ha :,)

Warning: blood, guns, knives, fights, usual peaky blinder violence

If anyone knew Y/n Shelby, then they would know that she can’t stand seeing dead bodies. Although in her case, having that reaction would seem ironic, considering her husband was Thomas Shelby.

It was around 9pm when Y/n slipped her night robe off and lay back on her bed. Her night was just winding down and she was waiting for Thomas to get back. He said he would try to be home around midnight, and to not wait up. He and his brothers would be at the Garrison, celebrating Arthur’s return from prison and discussing what was to be done with the Jews and Italians next.

Y/n knew it would be a couple hours for Tommy to be home, so she settled onto their bed and grabbed a book off her night stand.

The room was bathed in a warm, orange and yellow light— the type of light candles can give. When she was home alone, Y/n liked to use candle light. It reminded her of a time before the war and before this gang business, when all she and Tommy had to worry about was getting enough candles to light up the dinner table.

Half an hour had passed and Y/n had gotten through a decent number of pages in her book. She felt her eyes drooping and decided it was time to call it a night. She stretched and cracked her neck before turning to place her book on the nightstand. Just as she was about to place the book down, she heard a creak downstairs.

She froze.

Tommy wasn’t supposed to be back until midnight and none of the Shelby family would come over this late without a call, that was their safety protocol.

She listened for more creaking.

After Tommy had bought their house he had insisted on replacing the creaky floor boards, but decided to keep a few. In certain spots, that could be easily avoided if one knew where to walk, the floor would still creak. It was a safety thing that Tommy and Y/n agreed would be good to have. If the floorboards downstairs still creaked after the first step, it wasn’t one of them.

Creak...creak...creak...

That wasn’t Tommy.

Y/n took in a deep breath as she put herself back into a sitting position on the bed. An intruder was in her house. At the moment, the Peaky Blinders had a lot of enemies. It could be anyone. Mostly, someone with a gun.

She listened as the person made their way upstairs. She could hear them passing Tommy’s office, and the guest bedroom. This person knew where their room was, and she could only deduce from their movement’s that they were coming for her.

Y/n was scared. She knew how to defend herself, but didn’t like doing it if she didn’t have to. Rolling her shoulders, she prepared herself for the inevitable. She’d have to fight tonight.

To be clear, Y/n Shelby wasn’t unable to fight. She was a pro at throwing knives, which she preferred to guns; much to Tommy’s dismay. She knew how to shoot a gun and could decently fare in hand to hand combat, but she was still scared. Her heart beat in her chest quickly and anxiety bubbled to the surface. A normal reaction to knowing someone broke into your house to hurt you, or worse. Y/n assumed it was the latter. However, instead of letting her fear show, she turned on her fake calmness. A trick she forced herself to learn as Thomas Shelby’s wife. The alarm that was spread across her face vanished, instead being replaced with an eerily calm facade.

There was no point in locking the door. The person knew how to get past those if he made it into their living room. She heard their steps stop at the front of her door, she raised her book to her face, pretending like she was reading.

Act calm. She told herself.

Then, the door burst open.

Back at the pub, the Shelby brothers were sitting around the table in the snug. Sharing laughs and taking on their third round of Whiskey.

“Alright boys,” Tommy began, placing his glass down and looking around the table. “We’ve had our fun, business begins now.” His content expression turned serious.

His other brothers, and cousin Michael, cleared their throats and straightened up.

“As you know, taking Arthur out of prison is a direct threat to the Sabini’s. It shows that even in London we have enough influence to get our own men out, if needed.”

The brothers nodded, and shared looks.

Tommy continued, “Getting Arthur out was our first move. Now it’s the Italian’s and the Jew’s turn but we don’t know when their next strike will be. So, from this moment on we have to be aware, alert, and ready for every—”

The door flew open.

Sir!” Out of breath, Isaiah stood with one hand on the door knob, looking at Tommy.

“Oi!” Arthur shouted. “You know better than to interrupt!”

Tommy nodded his head at Arthur, then turned to Isaiah. “What is it, lad.”

“Better be important,” John added.

“Sir, the Italians are here. My dad spotted them making their way down the lane. They got a group with guns and a car. We best hurry.” Isaiah said in a rushed voice.

With that all the Shelby men stood and placed their caps on, rushing out of the snug.

Upon noticing the urgency in which the brothers exited, the rest of the Peaky Blinders in the pub were at full alert, waiting for Tom’s next words. The crowd silenced as the brothers stood at the snug doors, facing the onlookers.

“If you aren’t a Peaky Blinder,” Tom eyed the crowd, “leave.”

Noise filled the bar again as chairs shuffled, cups were placed on tables, and the front doors opened and closed.

Tom didn’t speak again until there were only Peaky Blinders left. He pulled out his revolver and checked it, making sure there were bullets, before looking up again.

“Battle formation, men. The Italians are here.”

Then in a flurry of peaky hats and over coats, the rest of the men got into their positions. Some ran up the stairs to get the extra cases of shotguns and revolvers. Others pulled out their own handguns and checked them as well. The Shelby boys looked at each other, a silent way of saying ‘good luck’.

Once Tommy deemed every one armed, he nodded to Arthur, who shouted to move out.

The Shelbies were at the front, while everyone fell behind them in triangle formation. As they marched outside, they could see the group of Italians rounding the corner.

It was rather intimidating. An outline of men and guns on shoulders, a rather sizable group at that, illuminated by the truck headlights that followed behind. It was a sight to see.

Darby Sabini stood at the front, a shotgun slung over his shoulder.

As the groups marched towards each other and came to a stop, a man behind Thomas called out to the front. “At your command Sergeant Major.”

A hushed tone of agreement spread throughout the group.

Darby stepped forward. “Thought you could come on our turf and get away with it, aye?”

Tommy stepped forward as well, hands in his pockets. “It was meant as a friendly gesture, but I don’t think you have enough friends to know what that means.”

A small smirk made its way onto Tommy’s face as he stared Darby down.

Darby narrowed his eyes, irritated at that remark. “I’ll show you what friendly means. Now!”

A hail of gunfire began and the sound of shots being fired filled the lane. It was chaos. Bullets flew and body’s fell. Punches were thrown and blood was spread. More men jumped out of the covered truck and ran to beat down the men on the other side.

Tommy ducked and punched, kicked and shot. In the middle of punching a man in the gut he yelled, “Leave Darby for me!”

His men did just that.

Thomas fought his way to the center of the fight, where Darby had just knocked out a Peaky Blinder. Tommy aimed his gun and walked forward, aiming at Darby. The fighting on both sides ceased.

“I didn’t bring a battalion to your town.” Tommy spoke clearly, in a raised voice.

Darby aimed his gun as well. The two circled each other as men on both sides stopped to observe the interaction. They watched Tommy and Darby tread carefully, like two tentative predators waiting for their opposer to falter.

“You still showed up. That was enough.”

The two men were breathing heavily, a result from the brawls they just finished.

“What’s your purpose for being here, Sabini?” Thomas stopped pacing, his gun still firmly held up.

Darby stopped as well. An obnoxious laugh left his lips. “Isn’t it obvious?”

Tommy didn’t move. He held a blank face, but his eyes still watched Darby with intensity.

Not waiting for a response Darby continued, “I’m reminding you that I can take away everything you have in an instant. I already put your brother in jail, which it seems wasn’t a good enough warning for you, since you stupidly had him released so quickly.”

Darby took a couple steps toward Thomas, gun raised.

“Killing me won’t do anything. I got people in place to still ruin you.” Thomas stated, his tone flat.

Darby lowered his gun, a sickly calm smile spread across his face. It was an unsettling sight that made Tommy begin to think something was off.

“Oh Tommy boy, I’m just the distraction,” Darby’s eyes noticeably darkened, “How’s your wife these days?”

Tommy’s eyes widened and his finger pulled the trigger.

Darby fell to the ground dead, a bullet was lodged in the center of his forehead.

Then like a wave, the fighting began again.

As soon as the gunshot rang, Tommy saw red. He shot, punched, kicked or swung at anyone in his way as he fought to get out of the crowd. He didn’t bother shouting an explanation to his brothers as he ran to his car.

Tommy shoved his keys into the ignition and started the car. Tommy slammed his foot on the gas as soon as the engine roared to life. The car’s lights illuminated the carnage left from the battle. The Peaky Blinders were the last ones standing, as Tommy expected, but paid no mind to. His thoughts too consumed with conjuring the hundreds of horrible possibilities he might see upon arriving home, all ending with a bloodied image of Y/n.

John and Arthur ran towards the car, causing Thomas to slam on the breaks.

“Where are you going?” John asked urgently.

“They’re going for Y/n.” Thomas hastily replied.

John and Arthur jumped on the side of the car just in time before Tommy could speed up again.

Michael and Finn watched as the older Shelby boys passed them.

“Great. So we’re left to clean up the mess.”

At the house, Y/n held her book to her face as the door burst open. She turned her head and was met with the sight of a man pointing a gun at her. His clothes were clean and he looked very young. Her eyes flitted from the gun to his shoes, then to his eyes, then back to the gun.

“On your feet.” He demanded.

“What?” Y/n feigned innocence, despite her struggle to keep calm.

The man, gun still held towards her, trudged over and ripped the book from her hands, throwing it onto the floor.

“I said on your feet!” He yelled in her face, backing away so he was a few feet from the bed.

She stared into his eyes, an impassive look on her face. Y/n looked back down at the gun.

With a purse of her lips and a shrug she stated, “I’d rather not.”

The man’s soldier esc demeanor nearly slipped at her blatant defiance of his orders. “It’s not an option lady! Get up.”

She chuckled. “Y’see, lad. I’ve been on my feet all day. Have you ever worn heels for over six hours? Rather painful you know.”

Her cocky attitude betrayed her quickly beating heart that was full of adrenaline.

In an effort to scare her, he menacingly stepped forward. “I ain’t afraid to hurt you lady, but the boss wants you alive. If you keep disobeying me, I'm allowed to use force.”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh really, and who is your boss? I must thank him for not wanting me dead.”

She knew she was playing with her life, but if this boy was as inexperienced as he looked, she would get the information she needed to warn Tommy. Granted, if she got out of this situation.

“Sabini.” The man bluntly answered.

Y/n swallowed. This wasn’t good. If Sabini’s men were here and not in London, she needed to warn Thomas immediately. Her heart pumped faster than she thought possible and every nerve in her body was on the verge of trembling from fear.

“I see.” Y/n turned her head to the foot of the bed. “Well, like I said, I’d rather not get up. Matter of fact, I’d rather keep reading. So be a dear and hand me my book, would ya?” She was stalling.

“C’mon lady, stop being stubborn. You don't even got a weapon to be making these demands.” The man sneered.

Y/n slowly adjusted herself so that she scooted away from the pillows that propped her up. She straightened her legs on the bed, her left crossed over her right. Then she leaned back on her arms, purposely pushing up her chest to show off her unbinded chest. Hopefully, he’d be dumb enough to look at her distraction, and he was.

“Ah, well. It was worth a shot. I can tell that you're new to this whole— kidnapping thing. If you want to get better at it then you should learn this.” She paused before looking back at the man, “Always do research on your target.”

The young man’s brows furrowed, obviously confused.

“If you did your research, like a good little gangster,” She began as she slid her left leg up off her right, causing her silk nightgown to slowly expose her leg. The man’s eyes roamed her leg once she stopped moving, leaving her left leg in a bent position. She reached for the hem of the dress and raised it further up her left leg, stopping until it got to her mid thigh, “Then you would know, that I’m always armed.”

In a swift and well practiced motion, Y/n grabbed the sharp, throwing knife from her thigh holster, and threw. The knife landed in the man’s chest, in his heart. Looking down at the knife, the man stumbled backwards, tripping over his own feet and falling onto his back. Blood quickly formed a growing splotch of red on his shirt. Y/n quickly stood from the bed to remove the gun from the man’s hand, she then crouched over him.

She placed her hand on the knife handle, “It was a shame you didn’t do your research.” Then she pushed the knife forward, until she felt through the blade that it had really punctured his heart.

Y/n stood over the man’s body, gun in her hand, and watched the blood puddle grow. She backed away until her knees hit the bed and gave way. Letting out a shaky breath, she sat with the gun in her lap. In an attempt to avoid looking at the body laid in front of her, Y/n stared at the ceiling.

The adrenaline began to wear off, and the reality of the situation dawned on her. She could have died, quite easily too. If her attacker had not been so inexperienced and if she wasn’t wanted brought back alive, she could have died. Then, she thought of her husband.

Tommy.

Had the man lying dead on her carpet opened the door and shot, Tommy would have had to come home to her dead body instead. The thought of Tommy finding her body, cold and bloody, scared her more than death. She couldn’t imagine the pain of him being alone. He would blame himself for her death. He would say he couldn’t protect her, and he would loathe himself for the rest of his life. Tears began to prick her eyes and her throat tightened. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the tears to go away and for her erratic heart beat to calm down.

She killed a man.

That’s the only thought she could process. Her emotions muddled her thinking. Never before had she used her knives to kill. She used guns, from far away. She used punches to knock people out. She used her knives to injure, but never before had she needed them to kill. She was slightly glad for the memory of Tommy coming back home from an errand, returning with the thin knife holster that he insisted she wear when he wasn’t home. She was also glad that she made it a rule for herself to never take it off unless Tommy was home with her.

Then, the silence of the house was broken again. She flinched. This time, the sound came from the front door slamming open and muffled shouts that she could only register as her name.

“Y/n! Y/n where are you?” The voice shouted.

She couldn’t pinpoint who it was, not in her boggled state of mind, but she knew it was safe. So she answered.

“In the bedroom.”

Her eyes were still shut and her head faced the ceiling when Tommy rushed in.

“Y/n.” His voice was slightly breathless as he took in the sight before him.

The room was covered in warm, candle light, giving a complete opposite tone to the tense atmosphere. His wife sat on the bed with a gun in her lap. A man, with his wife’s knife in his chest, laid dead on the ground and a puddle of blood surrounded his wound.

Y/n opened her eyes and looked at her husband. She could see the fear and worry that filled his eyes, his face in slight shock.

Thomas was relieved to see his wife unharmed, but he could see the tears that were threatening to fall. Her slumped shoulders were signs of exhaustion. The way her chest moved up and down with heavy breathes told him she was on the verge of holding herself together.

Arthur and John came bounding up the stairs next, and found their places on either side of Thomas.

Y/n’s voice came out void of emotion, but her teary eyes said it all. “One of Sabini’s men.” She stated before turning her eyes to the ceiling once more, trying to blink away tears. “Please get him out of my sight.” The growing puddle of blood made her want to throw up.

“You heard her,” Thomas said in a low tone, staring at his wife with concerned eyes. “Get rid of ‘em.” His voice was just above a whisper.

Arthur and John stepped forward, grabbing the man by his arms and lugged him out of the room. Only once the man had been removed did Thomas walk towards his wife. Only when he wrapped his arms around her did she let herself cry. She let herself sob and express how truly scared she was when the man burst into her room, and pointed a gun to her head.

Thomas held her close and kissed her head. He whispered in her ear that she was okay, and that she did what she needed to do. Holding her close, he told her he loved her, and promised to never let anything like that happen to her again.

Masterlist

well I tried

Edit: Bro this blew up in less than a day with 41 notes. Thank you♡

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maysbanks · 4 years

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hold out. (jj maybank)

here it is, the second part to hypersonic missiles ! the response to the first part was absolutely amazing, the support & love in this fandom is incredible & i just wanna say a huge thank you to all of you that take the time to like, reblog & comment, every single one means so much !! gotta admit im not loving this as in it's not my best work and kinda all over the place & half way through writing this i almost scrapped the whole thing to rewrite the full series with an oc bc writing as the reader was starting to get to me lol. but alas here it is & as always i hope u enjoy x

warning: swearing, drug use, underage drinking, violence etc

summary: after accidentally inserting herself into a treasure hunt with four teenagers, one of which could be considered her 'friend with benefits', y/n grubbs is left to deal with the complications and misfortunes that come along with it - including her ever-growing feelings for said 'friend with benefits'.

( gif isn't mine! please let me know if it's yours so i can credit you. )

If someone had told you a week before that you would lose your father, get your house raided by two men you had never seen before in your life, make friends with a group of teenagers, embark on a two hundred year old treasure hunt with said teenagers, and be hanging out with JJ Maybank every day and willingly, all in the space of one week; you'd have laughed in their face, asked them what drugs they were on and could you have some, and then laugh in their face again.

But alas, there you were. You still couldn't quite believe it, especially the JJ part. You'd had worries at first, like would the gang really want you involved, did they secretly hate having you around, were they just being nice and letting you in on this because your dad had died? All the doubts swirled in your mind, running around like clock-work, just ticking away constantly in the back of your head. Surprisingly, JJ had been the one you'd gone to about them.

"I just feel guilty," you'd said. It was after a day of riding around in John B's boat and using fancy hotels' WiFi, and 'borrowing' a drone from JJ's dads old workplace. His eyebrows furrowed when he looked at you, confused. "I mean, you guys have been friends for like, forever. And then I just show up and you conveniently find out about John B's dad and the treasure hunt on the same day when I'm there, and it's just like - I don't belong with you guys, it's your thing and I'm just kinda, here."

"You're part of this just as much as we all are," he'd told you, matter of fact. His body was angled to face you as you sat outside John B's self-proclaimed Chateau, a freshly rolled blunt being passed back and forth between the pair of you. "You need to stop doubting yourself, man. You're apart of us now."

The words had warmed your heart, an instant smile being spread on your lips as you looked at him through red-rimmed eyes. Underneath the setting sun, he looked almost angelic; his golden hair blowing in the slight breeze, tanned skin exposed due to the heat. You had pretended not to notice the tense of the muscles in his arms whenever your fingers brushed when you passed the juul between yourselves.

"You're too kind to me, Maybank," you'd grinned, boot-clad foot nudging his knee gently. "If I didn't know you so well I'd have thought you'd have ulterior motives."

"Who says I haven't?" He'd smirked back. You'd just smiled, teeth biting down on the plump skin of your bottom lip before you'd looked away from his burning gaze and focused your attention on anything, anywhere but JJ fucking Maybank.

You got along with the gang amazingly, you couldn't doubt that. Pope was the smartest guy you'd met, sweet and funny and passionate and so certain of what he wanted to do in life. Kiara, or Kie, as you'd come to call her, was very environmentally involved, almost too cool for the guys, you thought. She cared so much about so many things, and she had a great taste in music too. John B was a bit like you, you supposed. Fatherless, on the hunt for answers, things like that - but other than that he was a great guy, the makeshift leader of the little group, a little lost in life, but that was to be understood.

And then there was JJ. You felt most comfortable around the blonde, but that was kinda a given too, due to the fact you'd seen each other in your most vulnerable states that came with having sex rather regularly, something the other members of the gang didn't share. He was a spit-fire, always ready to throw a punch and fire threats at those who deserved it, head-strong and stubborn. But he was more so caring, God he cared so much for his friends, you'd discovered. He would do just about anything for them, whatever position that put him in. JJ put the gang before himself, always. You'd noticed all different types of things about JJ especially, little things you had never taken the time to notice before.

These little discoveries probably came from watching him too much, you'd thought one night. It was a bit of a problem, though you never mentioned it. The unspoken rule amongst the group was No Pogue on Pogue Macking, which basically meant everyone was off limits to each other. You understood the rule, Kie having been the only girl before you'd arrived on the scene amongst three guys, and after becoming apart of the gang you had no choice but to respect it - which also meant that JJ was off limits. But was he technically off limits when you'd already been there, so far past the line on macking with each other?

There was some sort of agreement between the two of you, that in order to make this work; your friendship with the Pogues, the hunt for the Merchant's treasure, that nothing could happen. You'd spoken briefly about it that first day, outside the lighthouse beside the Twinkie (John B's van, you'd learned had a nickname), we're cool, right? Pretend we haven't seen each other naked, conversation. It had been cut short, but it still happened. And the pair of you never mentioned it after that, a few off-handed comments here and there from JJ, but nothing specific. So you assumed yours and JJ's hook ups were off the table, and you had no idea why that had come to bother you so damn much.

On the day following your talk with JJ on John B's porch, he'd invited you to come along with him and Pope as they delivered groceries for Pope's dad, Heyward. You had almost said no, because really, you could probably do with a break from the Maybank boy, all the time spent with him was doing no favours for your little situation of Fighting Attraction While Hunting For Gold. That's what you were putting it down to in your mind anyway, too much time spent with the person you're sleeping with can begin to mess with anyone's head, and hey, maybe it was the fact that you were grieving and JJ was familiar - but you couldn't be doing with all these thoughts anymore.

Despite the angel on your shoulder urging you to turn his offer down, you'd said yes. But that was little to do with JJ and more to do with your mom and your current home situation, which was unbearable, to say the least. Your mother was barely speaking to you, as if she was scared of letting something slip if she did. In return, you shut her out, too. Told her lame excuses and empty lies when you were heading out with the gang, lying through your teeth when she'd asked where you were or where you were going.

Lana Grubbs wasn't a stupid woman, though, and you knew she knew you were up to something. But she hadn't mentioned anything outright yet, and so you hadn't said anything either. The hole your father had left was huge and gaping, evident in both your lives. You hadn't spoken about it yet, and you weren't intending to until she could be completely honest with you. You didn't want to hear anymore lies, and you were already on the path to discovering the full truth. On your own.

Her words echoed in your mind every time you left the house, voice small and gentle as she never failed to say the same thing. "Just be careful." You'd always look over your shoulder, and she'd never look back at you. She hadn't looked at you much at all since your dad had died.

It was after a certain drop-off of groceries, you'd joined JJ in his delivery whilst Pope had docked the boat and gone off to deliver his own, yours and JJ's strides matching as you walked the seemingly never-ending drive of the abnormally large house that loomed over you. The Kook part of the island never ceased to intimidate you, no matter how much you didn't want it to. There was something about it, the people that lived amongst it, that unsettled you whenever you entered it. Figure Eight wasn't somewhere you usually visited other than an odd job you'd picked up, and you were reminded why of that fact as you walked alongside JJ.

"Just think," he breathed, all starry eyed and parted lips as he gazed around the pair of you. "This could all be ours soon."

You snorted, bumping his side with your own. "Don't be melodramatic, JJ,"

"I'm serious!" JJ protested. His sea blue eyes caught yours when he turned his head to look at you head-on. The intensity of his stare almost made you stop in your spot, but you managed to carry on, gulping when his eyes continued to hold yours. "I'm sticking to my earlier statement, right, we're going to move here, and out-rich all these fuckin' Kooks."

"Out-rich?" You raised an eyebrow, lips quirking. "Your grammar is so adequate, Maybank."

"It's a word," JJ insisted, nudging your side with the point of his elbow. "Who the fuck uses words like adequate these days, anyway? I don't even think Mrs. Humphrey knows what that word means."

You laughed at the mention of your shared English teacher, the grey-haired, short, spectacle wearing woman immediately entering your mind. JJ grinned when he heard your laugh, dimples winking in his cheeks.

"Mrs. Humphrey can't even spell Wednesday," you giggled, JJ chuckling along with you as he nodded. "It's a wonder how that woman has been working there for like, eighteen years or something."

Your steps faltered as you neared the door to the house, pace slowing as you both basked in the time spent with each other, though neither of you would admit it. "She was probably a good teacher at first," JJ said thoughtfully, shuffling the groceries in his hands. (You tried not to notice the way his arms looked when he did that, muscles clenching and on full show with his cut-off tank.) "I bet each year another brain cell of hers just like, dies."

"Wouldn't surprise me," you nodded. "Mine would attempting to teach classes full of teenagers," rather dramatically, you shuddered. "Especially if one of those teenagers was JJ Maybank."

"Hey!" JJ shouted, though his grin proved that he found your jab amusing. You laughed along with him, bumping his side once more as you finally landed at the door, watching as he turned to you, expression trying to be serious and failing, rather horribly. "You better watch yourself, Grubbs. I'm serious here, I can be a pretty scary guy if need be, y'know."

You didn't doubt that, of course. You'd seen JJ in action with your own two eyes, you knew what he was capable of. But somehow, stood with you there, on the doorstep of some filthy rich Kook's mansion, groceries in hand, blonde hair shining golden in the sun, sun-kissed skin exposed to your wandering eyes, grin on pink lips; you couldn't imagine JJ Maybank hurting a fly.

"Trust me, I know." You'd said just as he knocked on the door, shooting you one last toothy grin before the door was opened and he was pulled into a conversation with the woman who'd answered it, talking about all things from the weather to the next semester at school. You watched him all the while, smile growing on your lips without your knowledge as you took him in, seemingly in his element as he sweet-talked the middle-aged woman inside the house. When he turned to you suddenly, you startled, broken from your thoughts and caught red-handed staring at him like some freak. He grinned, tongue wetting his pink lips at the same time you internally groaned.

"I was just saying, the groceries," he trailed off as he pointed to the bags in your hands in which you'd forgotten were even there. You let out an 'oh' as you quickly passed the groceries over to the waiting woman, shooting her an apologetic smile as she looked at you knowingly. JJ nodded his head in your direction, speaking once more to the woman, "New guys, huh?"

You glared at him as the woman laughed, perfectly manicured hand reaching beside her and grabbing hold of her purse, pulling a note out with her slender fingers. She held the note out to JJ, who immediately tried to turn it down, insisting there was no need, but the woman was unrelenting - sending a pointed look your way as she told him, "For your troubles, sweetie."

JJ picked the note from her hands, a gracious smile being sent to her as he nodded. "It's been a long day," he sighed heavily and your jaw almost dropped as you resisted the urge to reach out and slap his arm. What a fucker. "Thank you very much, Mrs. Ramirez. I really appreciate it."

The woman, Mrs. Ramirez, as you learned, nodded and waved a hand. "No bother, sweetie," she told him before turning her eyes back to you. You forced a smile as she simply eyed you up and down, before sending an obviously forced one of her own. "And thank you." She said curtly, and you were ready to give her a piece of your mind before JJ was grabbing your arm and dragging you in the direction of where you'd come from, shouting one last thank you over his shoulder as he walked you back towards the boat.

It was when you were a safe distance away that you shook your arm from his hold only to slap him gently on his own as you glowered, glare smouldering as he laughed, throwing his head back as he stumbled beside you.

"You're such an ass," you huffed as you tried to ignore his chuckling, speeding your steps. "I mean, she literally just tipped you a hundred dollars for showing up and smiling, I'm sure if I had a third leg down there I would have got the same treatment too."

"Are you jealous?" JJ asked, having to jog slightly to keep up your hurried pace. His smile was huge and infectious, and you made a point not to meet his stare when he landed next to you in fear of breaking your fake annoyed stance. "Maybe if you weren't too busy checking me out then you could have talked to her, and y'know, make a small fortune yourself."

You scoffed, whirling around and halting him in place. He almost stumbled into you, and you stepped back when his hands landed on your arms to steady himself, shaking his grip off almost immediately. "I wasn't checking you out," you told him, matter of fact.

JJ grinned and ran a hand through his hair as he replied, "Sure you were," he shrugged. You crossed your arms over your chest and glared, biting down on your tongue as you resisted your own smile as he motioned to his body from head to toe. "Not that I can blame you, I mean look at me."

"I've looked, JJ," your voice was low when you said it, a knowing tone to your words. "I've looked, and I've seen it all, in case you forgot."

A low chuckle slipped past his lips. "How could I ever forget?" He asked rhetorically, tongue darting out to wet his chapped lips as you tried not to follow the action with your eyes, and failed, miserably. "Trust me, that image is forever dented in my brain. I think of it, sometimes. Just randomly."

You rolled your eyes. And he's back, _you thought. _He never left, a voice at the back of your head piped up. You ignored them both. "C'mon," you said, already turning on your heel and starting off in the direction of where Pope had docked the boat. "Let's go get these deliveries finished."

The pair of you said nothing more for the rest of the duration of the short walk back, and when the boat was in your sights JJ was off running, more than likely eager to show off his one hundred dollar tip to Pope, as you idled, watching his back as he ran. When you finally landed in the boat, it was silent. You immediately picked up on the tension, heavy in the small space, and shot JJ a confused glance when he looked back at you.

Slowly, you made your way towards where the two boys were up at the front of the boat, Pope situated at the wheel. The dark skinned boy was staring straight ahead, refusing to meet either yours or JJ's eyes. When you looked to the latter, he subtly shrugged a shoulder, letting you know that he had no clue himself what was going on with his best friend.

"Pope?" You questioned softly. "What's wrong?" When there was no answer, you shared another glance with JJ, his concern shining in his blue eyes. You tilted your head as you went to ask him again, but when you did, your eyes caught on to the colour crimson that was slowly streaming down the side of his face. You gasped and JJ startled, chest bumping your shoulder as he tugged the cap from Pope's head, revealing the injury near the top of his head.

"Jesus!" JJ exclaimed when he caught sight of the wound, Pope swatting at his hands that held his hat, pulling it back down once JJ had let go. "What happened?"

"Rafe and Topper jumped me," Pope's voice was slightly wobbly as he informed you both, a tear sliding down his cheek as he recounted, "They said no Pogues on their side of the island."

Your blood began to boil just as JJ demanded, "What are you gonna do?" His own jaw clenched in anger as he looked at his best friend, beaten and bruised in front of him from the hands of some entitled selfish pricks that thought they were better than everyone because they had more money in their pockets. Rafe Cameron was a name that never failed to make you queasy at just the mention of it, and his little gang of followers including Topper Thorton were just as unbearable.

"I have something in mind." Pope spoke, voice and stance determined. And something he did, as he drove to Topper's new boat - and promptly swam over and removed the plug from it, causing the new model to sink into the water as you and JJ watched from Heyward's boat, keeping an eye out for anyone that may have spotted your trio.

And though it was bad, and you knew you probably shouldn't have taken part in such an activity, nor prompted Pope to either; you couldn't deny the rush it gave you as you watched Topper Thorton's boat begin to sink, and maybe it was the fact that you knew that Topper was a Grade A Asshole and deserved it, or maybe it was Pope's own unsure but excitable adrenaline that mixed with your own, or maybe it was just the fact that JJ wrapped his arm around your shoulder without a care in the world as he shouted his support to his friend, squeezing you to his side almost unknowingly, like it was some kind of instinct.

You thought, yeah, it probably was, as you immediately felt the loss of it when he moved to grab Pope in a hug. And then you thought, well shit.

There was a mutual share of disappointment when the gang had found just about absolutely nothing when you'd taken Pope's fathers boat out the next morning, drone ready and in hand to go hunt for the gold, where John B Routledge had marked down on the map it having been.

Granted, the Royal Merchant was there. It was just missing the one thing they were after - the gold was nowhere in sight, and the journey had been a complete waste of time. You thought it to be too good to be true, of course it had to be. Four hundred million in gold and you were expected to find it? There was no way, you thought bitterly as JJ steered the gang back to land, not one of you daring to speak as the disappointment crashed over you all in huge waves.

You'd departed with the guys not long after that, after promising Kie that you would accompany her to the annual summer movie night, making your way towards home. The bitter frustration ate away at your insides, you were mad, angry - fucking infuriated, each step the gang got closer to finding the gold, it was as if someone was stood in your path and shoving you all back another ten.

Had your dad really died for this? This seemingly never-ending hunt for promised gold that, for all you knew, could be complete and utter bullshit. You didn't understand it at first, when the pieces began to slot together, but it was like every time the chase got harder it made you want it even more; and then you understood your fathers fascination and Big John Routledge's obsession. This gold meant everything to you and the gang, and you knew, John B especially, would never give up on this chase.

"Hey, sweetheart," your mother called when you entered the house. The front door was still broken, only the screen in place, and was leaning against the wall as you maneuvered past it. Lana was sat at the couch, and when you walked in she'd shoved a box away from her, the lid laying haphazardly over the top. "I wasn't expecting you home so early."

You shot her a small and forced smile, shuffling your bag from your shoulder and onto the floor, landing with a soft thud. "Hey mom," you greeted back, noting her teary eyes and flushed cheeks. "What're you doing?"

When you arrived at the back of the couch, looking over her shoulder, you immediately recognised the box - Family Photos! _written atop _the cardboard.

"I was just looking through some old pictures," she told you, sniffling as she attempted to smile at you. "Just wanted to see his face again."

You nodded, your throat tightening at the mention of your dad. Reaching a hand up and wiping away her tears, she looked at you questioning, "Where have you been?"

"Just out," you said, bluntly and unconvincing. "Doing a few jobs here and there, y'know. Nothing exciting."

Lana hummed, quirking an eyebrow at you. "Mr. Phelps told me that he seen you with that Maybank kid the other day," she informed, your face falling for a millisecond as her words sunk in. She looked at you, tear-stained face and serious gaze, lips pulled to a thin line. "I told you to stay from those guys, Y/N."

"I was helping him deliver groceries, mom," you deadpanned - which wasn't exactly a lie, if that's when Mr. Phelps had spotted you. Most of your time spent with the gang was mainly off the land and away from prying eyes, whether that be on a boat or the Chateau, so you knew that was the safest bet of when you'd been spotted. "For Heyward's. It's not like I'm hanging out with him on purpose."

Lie, lie, lie. It was becoming alarmingly easy to lie straight through your teeth, and to your mother nonetheless, but you couldn't dare tell her anything, and why should you, when she hadn't told you anything? It took two to Tango, you thought.

"I just don't want you getting hurt," your mother reminded, and you let out a sigh as you nodded, faked closed-mouth smile on your lips. "I'm serious, Y/N, please just be careful out there."

"Always am," you promised (bull-fucking-shit). You turned on your heel, heading towards your room as you called over your shoulder, "I got invited out tonight, by the way. To the movie thing on the North Side. Is it alright if I go, please?"

You waited at your door, hearing your mother sigh from the couch. "Yes, you can go." You smiled, this one more real than all the rest, and thanked her gently. She didn't look back at you though, and the familiar unspoken tension was back with vengeance. You couldn't wait to get out of it.

The movie night was a welcome distraction from your frustrations with the treasure hunt, the haunting memories of your dad, and the tension with your mom. It was only you, Kie, Pope and JJ that attended - John B having seemingly disappeared for the day, none of the gang having heard from him. You'd managed to leave the house with relatively no questioning from your mom, and met JJ a little way down the block.

("Woah, keep two feet away from me please," you'd joked, halting in your tracks as you spotted him standing there. He'd furrowed his brows at you, frown etched on his face. "My cover's been blown, everyone knows about us!

He just looked even more confused, eyes squinting down at you as you raised a hand and layed it across your forehead dramatically. "What'd you mean?" He questioned, eyes darting around, seemingly searching for answers in the air around you both. "What, do people know we sleep together or something?"

You'd rolled your eyes, shoving him gently when you were close enough, beginning to walk away. "No, you doof," you chuckled. "Mr. Phelps ratted me out to my mom, told her that he saw us together the other day. I had to tell her that we were just delivering groceries for Pope's dad."

"Ah," JJ nodded, shooting you a mischievous grin. "We better go into hiding then, I'm thinking... log cabin in the mountains, all fur sheets and deer heads on the walls, ooh a hot tub too."

You laughed, "Trying to whisk me away there, Maybank?"

You were joking, but his eyes were surprisingly serious as he looked at you. "Always, Grubbs.")

The field was already packed full of people by the time the four of you arrived, groups of people scattered around, idle chatter filling the air. It was being held on the Kook side of the island, and your eyes swooped over the people, most of them being Kook's themselves, expensive clothing and an aura that just screamed, I'm better than you. It made you feel uneasy, but you tried not to think about it as Kiara led you through the crowds.

"I'm so glad they're still doing this," she tells you all, sighing happily. The faces of the guys revealed they were not nearly as happy to be there as she was, while you were simply just glad to be out of your house once again. "Keep calm, carry on. Back to normal, OBX life, y'know?" She stopped once she found a decent spot, turning to the three of you. "Aren't you guys glad I made you come?"

"Ecstatic." Pope deadpanned, sarcastic lull to his tone.

"My couch was pretty comfy." JJ piped up.

"I'm just happy to be out the house, I guess." You said.

You were aware why the guys were so uncertain about being there; it wasn't so long ago that Pope was sinking Topper Thorton's boat, you and JJ accompanying, and now you were all on his side of the island. Not only that, but you knew that if Topper was to discover that it was Pope who'd done his boat in, it wouldn't just be Topper that confronted him - it would be the full Happy Days Gang. Nothing was ever a fair game when it came to Kooks.

Kiara excused herself to go buy soda's from the conession stand, and you shifted as you seated yourself on the blanket you'd bought, having opted out of bringing a chair. You sat in front of JJ, his legs touching your back.

"What's wrong with you guys?" You turned your head when Pope and JJ began to whisper, the former's panicked eyes landing on you as you frowned at the pair.

"Topper and Rafe are on my ass," Pope revealed. "They know I sunk Topper's boat."

You sighed heavily, muttering a shit as JJ grabbed his friend by the arm, focusing his attention towards him. "They can't prove it, okay. Just deny, deny, deny."

Pope nodded along, muttering along with him as you watched the pair, before your eyes moved to Kie that arrived back, her eyes narrowing as she seated herself beside Pope. "Just saw Rafe," she informed, your blood running cold. You could practically feel JJ tense from behind you. "He said, and I quote, 'Tell your boy we know what he did'. What is that?"

"Um, where is he?" JJ questioned, his tone of voice revealing his hidden anxiety.

"Right there." Kiara nodded her head, right in the direction of where Rafe Cameron and his goons sat, as you, Pope and JJ whipped around, Pope practically turning his full body in their direction. You groaned as JJ desperately urged him to turn back round, and away from their taunting eyes.

"The whole death squad!" Pope exclaimed, anxiety riding off of him in waves.

"Don't stare, bro," JJ urged, hand wrapping around Pope's shoulders. You tuned out the rest of the blonde's words as he informed you all that he'd be coming out swinging if they were to corner him, and you felt dread build as you heard his last words. "If that doesn't work, I got this right here." He patted his bag.

"JJ, please tell me you did not bring a gun here," Kie practically begged. "JJ, there are kids!"

You focused your attention straight ahead of you as the guys continued to argue; Pope simply telling Kie that it might go down to her line of questioning, her brown eyes darting back and forth between you all. You refused to meet her eyes, however, and were glad when the large screen ahead of you suddenly lit up. "Oh, look," you exclaimed, laughing nervously. "The movie's starting."

And it was left at that - JJ whispering deny, deny, deny to Pope once more before you all turned your attention to the screen, trying to block out the intruding thoughts of having the knowledge that the gang of Kooks were staring you down, awaiting your next move like a predator would its pray.

All was going fine - the movie was good, everyone's attention on the black and white screen. You tried not to think about Rafe and Topper, or the gold or your dad, and definitely not the feel of JJ's legs either side of you, trapping you into his hold. You let yourself believe that everything would be okay, and then Pope had revealed he needed a piss, and everything had gone to shit.

JJ had accompanied him, and the two had set off behind the screen, hidden away from Rafe's watchful eyes. They hadn't done a good enough job to be discreet though, and you immediately took notice of Rafe, Topper and Kelce making their way towards the opposite side of the screen. You swore, catching Kie's attention as she questioned, "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Looks like that piss break just got a lot more complicated," you said, and realisation dawned on her face. It didn't take the pair of you long to locate the guys, all in various forms of fighting, as you and Kie screamed at them to stop. You grabbed Rafe's arm mid-swing, his fist raised and ready to send a hit to JJ's face from where Kelce had hold of him. "Stop it, you dick!"

You let out a scream as you were sent flying back from his shove, Rafe's blue eyes wild and crazed as he glared down at you. "Stay out of this, Grubbs!" He barked, and without a moments hesitation sent a fist hurling towards JJ's cheek.

Kiara had jumped on Topper's back from the small distance away from you, and you took a moment to ready yourself before hurtling towards Rafe from your crouched position, tackling him to the ground from his knees, effectively stopping his blows. He seemed stunned for a second, staring dazed up at you before he promptly threw you off of him, shoving you to the ground without a care. "Don't fucking touch me," he growled down at you, and you groaned slightly as the wind was knocked from you.

You heard JJ from somewhere above you, shouting insults at Rafe and repeating your name over and over. You lifted yourself from the ground just as Topper puts Pope in a headlock, his tight grip causing the dark skinned boys breath to leave him in choked gasps. You shoved at Rafe's back once more, sending him stumbling forward before he whipped around, hand reaching out and grabbing you by the face, tugging you so you stood nose-to-nose with him.

"I said," he ground out darkly, eyes boring into yours. "Don't fucking touch me."

You were beginning to fear what would come next before a sudden glow caught your eye from the side, the movie screen lighting up in harsh flames. Rafe dropped you, your hands moving to rub over the imprint he'd left, as you looked towards where Kie stood, JJ lighter in hand. Screams of terror echoed from the other side, as people began to flee, and it didn't take long for the three Kooks on your side to follow, sprinting quickly from the scene. Fucking cowards, you thought.

JJ's hands were on you before you could even blink, eyes earnest and worried as they looked over you, your cheeks red from the earlier grip Rafe had on you. "You good?" He asked you, slightly out of breath. You nodded, repeating the question to him. He smiled lightly. "Yeah, yeah. I'm good."

The night had ended promptly there, Kie dropping you off at your respected houses. You'd bid them all a good night, and as quietly as possible made your way into your home, not wanting your mother to see the marks imprinted on your face from Rafe's fingers. Luckily, she'd already been in bed, and it didn't take long for you to crawl into yours, thoughts of the day and a certain blonde running through your mind.

The next morning you'd met the gang (save for John B, who was still seemingly missing) at the Heyward's store; your morning had been spent desperately trying to hide the red marks that Rafe's fingers had left from your mom before she could notice and ground you in your room for the rest of your life. It had a been a success for the most part, and she asked no questions as you left the house, though you took note of her uncertain expression as you bid your goodbyes.

"Have you heard from John B?" You asked Kiara who was working closest to you. You had realised the brunette boy was missing from the group upon your arrival, and you couldn't help the worries in your mind at where he could be or what could have happened to him.

"No, nothing. Have you?" She returned the question, brown eyes meeting yours as you shook your head no, a short sigh falling from her lips. "Neither have the guys. What're you thinking?" Kiara eyed you, gaze suddenly sullen. "Do you think something's happened?"

"I don't know, Kie," you told her because honestly, you didn't. John B had a target on his back, that much was for sure. Son of Big John, once owner of the proclaimed death compass. Your mind thought back to the two men that had raised your home, and chased the guys on more than one occasion, and you couldn't help but think the worst. "I'm sure he's fine, though."

Kiara nodded, though she looked anything but sure. "Yeah, you're probably right." The pair of you continued on with your respected work, JJ's and Pope's voice trailing from somewhere in the store as they talked. "You're working Midsummers, right?"

You groaned, nodding. Kiara laughed at your sour expression. "Oh yeah, second year running. To be honest, I'm surprised they let me work it after last year, my customer service must be better than my right hand hook," you joked, chuckle escaping your lips as you thought back to the Midsummer's party the year before. Your dad had gotten you the gig, because he was a weasel like that - always talking people into getting what he wanted, and what he wanted was the gas bill to be paid, and his face just didn't fit the portfolio to be serving Kook's their drinks at their fancy party, and so it had left left to you to do just that.

The night had ended with Dean Kipp on his ass after his hand had fallen on your ass, and you'd been let off with a warning as the guy clutched his bloody nose and called you everything ranging from psycho bitch to slutty pogue. Your surprise was immense when you were offered a job again this year, and a large amount of the reason you'd said yes was just so you could see the look on his face when he saw you.

"He totally deserved that," Kiara remarked, grinning. You smiled back, the pair of you sharing a laugh as you returned to your work.

For a second, you let your worries wash away as you were pulled into a conversation with the gang, your spirts high for the first time in a while. You were happy, you realised. What had started off as being the worst period of your life was slowly turning into the best, the gang and treasure hunt a blessing in disguise. The four of you shared laughs and joked back and forth as you worked, and you found yourself to be perfectly content.

All that came crashing down when Pope's father entered the shop, police officer trailing behind him. "Hey, Pope! There's someone here to see you."

You stopped dead-on, the rest of the gang halting in their movements as you all stared towards the officer you recognised as Shoupe. "Evening, officer." Pope greeted, gulping.

"I have an arrear warrant for felony destruction of property," Deputy Shoupe approached your group, handing the said warrant to Pope's dad. From beside you, JJ tensed, and when you turned to look at him, his blue eyes glanced down at you, freshly beaten face pulled into an anxious grimace as his jaw clenched. Shoupe had gotten remarkably closer, hands reaching for the handcuffs placed on his belt. "Hands where I can see 'em."

Pope glanced desperately towards JJ, who shook his head quickly, his words, though unspoken, clear as day. Deny, deny, deny. But denying wasn't going to get Pope out of handcuffs, you decided as you stepped forward, tone pleading as you demanded, "Stop, you can't just do this!"

"Out of my way please, Miss Grubbs," Shoupe dismissed you, sounding almost bored as he shoved past you, beginning to handcuff Pope who can do nothing but allow it to happen, his anxious eyes focusing on one spot as reality began to sink in.

"What did he do, Shoupe?" Mr. Heyward questioned in disbelief, watching as his son was getting arrested in front of his very eyes.

"Take a look at the warrant," the cop said simply as he begun to tug Pope out of the store.

It was chaos. Everyone was shouting, demanding answers and hurling insults. JJ is screaming something about somebody paying him, Kiara is in your ear asking what the hell was going on, Mr. Heyward is hurtling questions towards both his son and Shoupe. Passbyers stared at the scene, whispering to each other as they walked by or stopped to watch. Everything blurred together, and you could do nothing but watch the scene unfold in front of you.

Those fucking assholes, you thought. Topper Thorton came to mind, tan skin and bleached ends, million dollar smile and designer clothes. You remembered his wild gaze as he held Pope in a headlock the night before, close to almost killing him. And yet he was off somewhere doing god knows what, probably shopping for a new boat to replace the one he'd lost, not that he probably cared all that much about it in the first place. Rafe Cameron's eyes entered your mind next, and you felt a shudder run through you as you remembered them boring into yours as he held your face frighteningly tight and close to his own.

JJ's voice was suddenly breaking through your stream of thoughts - "It wasn't him!" He was calling out, eyes directed on Shoupe who paused and turned toward him, Pope's face disbelieving from behind him. "It was me."

It sunk in then what JJ was trying to do, and you whirled around from his left, quickly shaking your head as you muttered, "JJ." He ignored you however, and stepped forward towards where the officer was standing, Pope still in his arms.

"He tried to talk me out of it," JJ continued. "But I was mad because he had just been beaten up, I was sick of those assholes from Figure Eight that I lost my shit." He was stood directly in front of Shoupe, almost boot-to-boot. You couldn't see his face from where you were, and you were almost thankful for the fact as you heard him direct his words to Pope, "I can't let you take the fall for what I did. You've got too much to lose."

"JJ, what are you doing?" Pope demanded. His face was confused, just as much in shock as the rest of you. For a second, his eyes leave JJ's and land on yours, a shaky breath leaving your lips as his eyes were practically pleading.

"I'm telling the truth, for once in my goddamn life, I'm gonna tell the truth," JJ announced loudly. "I took his old man's boat, too."

"What the hell?" Mr. Heyward questioned, though nobody paid him any mind. Your gaze was too focused on the unfolding scene of JJ Maybank taking the fall for something he most definitely do, and you could do nothing but watch it happen.

Your heart finally shattered when JJ's last words entered your ears, "He's a good kid. You know where I'm from."

He only looked back once as he was put into the handcuffs that previously held Pope, and that wasn't until he was shoved in the back of the police car and the door was slammed behind him. You walked closer towards it, hand on Pope's back as he watched his best friend get arrested for something he'd done, and you both knew it. When JJ glanced up and out of the window, bruised face clear behind the glass, his sea blue eyes caught yours and then he smiled.

The fucker.

You could only watch helplessly as the police car was driven away and out of sight, Pope throwing his cap down in a fit of anger as he stormed off, his dad calling after him, Kie landing to your right. The dark haired girl wrapped an arm around your shoulders, tugging you to her side gently.

"JJ'll be alright," she told you, voice confident though her face read anything but as she glanced in the direction the car had been driven off. "He always is."

But what, a voice in the back in your head nagged at you, if this time he wasn't?

And then it dawned on you: you actually really, generally, sincerely and whole-heartedly cared about JJ Maybank.

(And the thought scared you more than you would ever like to admit.)

& to the lovely people that asked to be tagged in this, love you all x @ponyboys-sunsets @mysticsthinking @danicarosaline

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hobidreams · 3 years

Note

ok hello miss rain i just woke up and now is the best time to talk about yesterday’s update🤪

first off, i was confused by what happened near the end where mc thought yoongi was threatening her life?? i know that it’s meant to show her flaws as a character because she seems to assume the worst at times (which leads me to wonder just how many times has this happened? how many times has yoongi said smth which she misunderstood and was hurt about?🤔🤔), but at the time i just wanted to reach out, grab her by the shoulders and go, BABE NO HE MEANS DON’T SACRIFICE YOUR HEALTH LIKE THAT😭😭 i love our dear mc but yeah you’re right—she’s got some growing to do as well!!

that being said, it’s time to address the elephant in the room. what might that be, you ask? it’s my need to shove my foot up yoongi’s ass😃😃🦶

jk lol

whew!! totally sympathizing with yoongi on this one bc i get why he reacted that way like fr:

- he just found out that the woman he cares about (or loves🌚🌚) passed out due to MALNUTRITION. she hasn’t been eating RIGHT.

- mc is ruining her health to help other people!! if my loved ones pulled that shit too, i would be both extremely worried and extremely pissed off!!

- from what i understand, yoongi already feels useless as a king, especially since no matter what he does, he can’t seem to do something that can help his people. and now the mc just straight up neglected herself to help the people that were his responsibility to begin with?? yeah, definitely see why he lost his shit. it’s a beautiful mix of what i mentioned above and a splash of self-hatred because holy shit, was he that bad at his job that the mc, a mere uinyeo, had to step in and help people???

and that last bit actually leads me to the next thing i want to talk about!! that mf had the audacity to tell the mc that she is not part of the royal family??? AS IF PEOPLE NEED TO BE PART OF THE ROYAL FAMILY TO HELP PEOPLE??????? HOOOOOOO BOI THE WAY I WANTED TO STEP IN AND TELL HIM TO GET HIS HEAD OUT OF HIS ASS😠 (srsly, he had the fucken NERVE to say “do not overstep your position” like bitch!!! last time i checked, i’m one of the idiots who live here!!! of COURSE i’m going to want to help people😠)

like honestly. whew. yoongi darling i understand where you’re coming from but. pls. we get it. ur emotionally constipated. but if u yell at mc again i will tear you a new one😠

ok last point bUT!!! i’m so proud that mc is finally standing up for herself?? the whole time i was just internally losing it like, THATS MY BABY. THATS MY BABY RIGHT THERE😭😭. wow i’m just so proud of her😭

ok that is all for today🤧🤧 ily n i hope u r doing well🥺

(on a totally unrelated note, i can totally imagine mc vibing to august by taylor swift?? ok that’s all bYE)

-🌿

i love how u wake up & ur brain is: MLT 😭😭😭 me loving u !!!!! fads;lkj im actually so relieved that you can sympathize with Yoongi on this one. he makes a lot of points, which would definitely be more well-received if he were nicer about them 😔😔😔 but poor baby was Not Thinking & even if she literally starves herself, she won’t be able to save the people or as many people as she would like. it’s a small bandaid on a broken bone. & yes, we’ve seen Yoongi’s self-doubt manifest so many times. he hesitates in things that he want, struggling between what he should do & what he wants to do. this conflict seeps into almost every aspect of his life !!! 😭 yes, the way he said that about the family was mean as hell, but -- you can think about that from his perspective too 👀 might yield a different reasoning. FDASLKJ IM SO GLAD YOU LIKED OC’S NEWFOUND BRAVERY! right??? she’s finally coming into her own a bit more. she’s taking steps towards her own desires to help. ahhhhhhh 🥺💞 thank u for this -- it was such a sweet thing to read & my heart is BURSTING 💖 i will continue eto work hard !! ily babe, pls take care 😘

#also yes she would really like tswift's music tbh #rain reply #🌿 anon #moonlit throne

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chimswae · 3 years

Text

BTS Caretaker CH32

Summary: She may think she has Bangtan Sonyeondan wrapped around her fingers. She may think it is easy to love the members equally without hurting any soul. She may think the boys wont fall head over heels for her. She assumes it is okay to show a little love and affection towards the boys, what if she gets it all wrong? What if it only brings more complication to her already complicated life? Can she survive their charms? Will she be able to resist them? What if they just wont let her go?

- Pairing: BTS x Oc ( Yoongi x OC, Jungkook x OC)

- Genre: Fluff, Slight Angst, Romance, Idol!au

- Word Count: 4, 450

- Author Note: Sorry for super late update i was busy with my work and new semester begin today :< so it took most of my time! anyways, here is the update! :) so im sorry seul is dumb and confuse, and when i wrote this i also confuse lmao so hmm, she has no intention to toy yoongi or kook heart.

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Chapter 32

Betrayal. Anger. Confusion.

Yoongi found himself gawking at the despicable scene in front of him, just when he thought Seul showed him a signal which he assumed only meant for him. There she was sleeping peacefully under the thick duvet, clinging onto Jungkook as though her life depended on it. Clothes scattered on the floor were enough to give him a short run up about their little deeds last night.

Rubbing the back of his head in frustration, he steadied his heavy breathing. Think rational, don’t jump into conclusion. You drag yourself in this, why are you upset? Yoongi clutched his fist letting jealousy engulfed his heart.

Should he wake these two up and make a scene? Or should he just walk away and talked to her about this after the tour?

None of the choices above could help him in resolving this unsettling feeling. He needed a closure. His thin lips were pressed into a thin line as he scrutinized the couple diligently, not breaking any eye contact. Much to his distaste, Jungkook shifted his position very slightly baffling the older guy. He certainly had no plan to face Jungkook, like hell if he planned to confront him, how he’s going to get started?

This was awkward.

Abort mission. Abort mission.

Yoongi turned around to leave the room however Jungkook hoarse voice put his steps to a halt “Yoongi hyung?” he called out softly. He swore in his head for creating this mess. Jungkook lifted Seul out of the way carefully, moving silently and pulled the duvet to cover her body.

The older guy made no move either as he waited Jungkook to speak, “Hyung..what are you doing here?” the latter let out a small grunt, while putting on his shirt and pants. Yoongi frowned hearing his indifferent voice as if he did nothing to irk him.

He glanced at Seul whom fast asleep and tore his gaze at the exhausted young man before him “You and I, in my room now. We need to talk” he sneered lowly and exited the room. Confused, the younger guy walked after Yoongi feeling the goosebumps all over his body. The topic of the conversation involved Seul and him, he could tell from Yoongi’s burning eyes.

This thing enraged Yoongi.

Jungkook closed the door behind him and planned to clear the misunderstanding before his hyung jumped into conclusion, things would get complicated that way. As he was about to open his mouth to speak, the older guy beat his him in doing so “Did you guys do it?” Jungkook’s face hardened.

“What-?” he flinched.

“I said, did you guys do it?!” he repeated with slightly annoyed voice. The memories of last night reappeared causing the maknae to feel self-conscious about it. Why was this thing matter to Yoongi? He never questions his hyung intimacy with Seul, only god knew what they did behind his back.

His brow pinched together forming a deep frown, “Why are you so interested in my personal life?” Jungkook mumbled under his breath.

“Because I happened to witness both of you naked under the blanket. Don’t you think it gives me enough ideas what you both up to last night? How far did you go?” Yoongi crossed his arms, with his hard fixated on him.

“That is none of your business” he blurted out.

“It is my business! We promise that we are in this together, if you are sleeping with her then what it makes me then? A one-night stand?” frustrated, Yoongi snarled garnering Jungkook’s attention. The latter brained his friend words, making sense out from it and it finally dawned on him, Yoongi and Seul were having that kind of relationship too.

His heart was pounding as if he had just run a race, he stroked his tousle hair in anger “You…” expelling a long sigh, he continued “You and Seul did….it? ”Jungkook didn’t even dare to finish his sentence as they exchanged a look.

Even though, Yoongi felt rueful over the fact that Seul was being intimate with two guys at once, he realized Jungkook was not the one to be blamed. It was their fault for not having any self-control. If there’s one person that’s partially guilty, then it the person would be Seul.

Screw Ji Seul for leading them on.

Again, they forced the girl to agree with their crazy ideas. Could they have expected this at least? Like they had a control over Seul’s feelings and actions. They should have expected the unexpected because it bounds to happen, sooner or later.

“We didn’t go far. Seul and I were having that moment, however we snapped out from it before we lost ourselves” Yoongi pursed his lips in annoyance and staring at Jungkook with a strained, and expectant glance.

Jungkook looked down while shaking his head “We went halfway, she stopped me before I could make another move. I should have controlled myself!” he said as he sunk on Yoongi’s bed, heaving a deep sigh. Leaning against the wall, a small smile played across his face “This is so fucked up Kkuk. What if..we ended up sleeping with her for real? Neither you nor I would like that to happen, do you? I don’t like sharing” he professed.

“What make you think I like sharing her with you?” he snapped.

Yoongi hissed “I vow to myself that I won’t let girl issues come between us, now look where it brings us? We need to put a stop to this” he groaned.

“How? It is not like we can force her to give us answers?! She…is having a rough time. This is not a good idea. I cant hurt her…I promise to protect her” he muttered.

“Rough time? Is there something that I must know?” the anger inside him had subsided. All he cared was Seul’s well-being. He couldn’t remember when the last time was they had a heart to heart talk which involved her life. It had always been about him and him. Not that he remembered, if there was time Seul bring up a topic about her.

“Someone from her past make an appearance again. There’s a lot of things that we don’t know about her, hyung. It made me realize how it is not easy for her to make up her mind. She had a traumatic past” Yoongi’s ears perked up in curiosity. Hesitant, Jungkook took a long pause as the older guy urged him to continue with his story.

Yoongi had the right to know the truth.

Will Seul kill him if he spilled her secret? But it is Yoongi though, she cares for him. If she wished to bring this relationship to whole new level, she got to trust Yoongi.

Seul, please don’t kill me. Im afraid of hyung’s wrath more than yours. Jungkook prayed in his head, and finally unravelled the mystery of Ji Seul life. Called it dramatic, Min Yoongi really exaggerate his reactions and in the middle of the conversation, Yoongi would punch the mattress under him jolting the younger guy in pure horror.

This was the exact reason why he feared Yoongi’s wrath more than others. Unexpected reaction and action came from him was the worse thing on planet. “Fuck. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?!” he snarled angrily, though he had no reason to be mad at Jungkook. The emotion took over his sanity, he was at the verge of killing someone at this rate.

“I discovered the truth last night, what do you expect me to do? Come running to your room and let you swear at me for waking you up from your deep slumber!” he rolled his eyes, judging his hyung mentally.

“If that is what you need, then you should have come sooner! She fucking cried and you-ugh what an asshole, I swear if I have an image of him in my head..I will not spare his life“ scowling, Yoongi grinded his teeth suppressing his anger.

To be reminded of Seul’s past was repugnant to him. Now, that he shared half of the burden with Yoongi at least they could protect her from the evil man. If that’s what Yoongi planned to do since he insisted on getting the answers from Seul.

“Alright, this is out of topic. Do you think Jimin hyung and Seul are as close as us to her?” Jungkook said out of the blue alarming Yoongi in his seat. “Do you think they ever-Impossible right? We are talking about Jimin here. He is not that type of guy who will do such thing” he assured himself to not let negativity consumed his brain.

“Duh, it is Jimin hyung! The guy who ripped his shirt on stage, and the same guy who used his sexiness to kill girls’ heart. Do you think he is not capable of such thing? Do not belittle him” said Jungkook in an irritating manner.

“Yah! Why are you bringing him up? I am sure there is not much progress in their relationship, just because.. I rarely see them together. She has been sticking like a glue with Jin and you, I should be worried of Jin than Jimin”

Jungkook massaged his forehead “Jin hyung.. Jin hyung..” he hummed incoherently.

A loud grunt behind the partition brought their attention to the sleepy figure “Whose unpleasant voice is that calling my name so early in the morning?” Jin yawned loudly, kicking his blanket off him before sitting up in annoyance. Yoongi and Jungkook froze as they totally forgot about Jin’s existence in the same room, he wondered if the guy overheard their conversation earlier.

“I will go check on Seul. We will talk about this again later” he murmured lowly enough for Yoongi to hear, as he left the room.

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

The boys had finally left for their Japan tour and would not be home for two weeks or more. Despite their hectic schedule, they would come back in between to settle some stuffs in Korea but there could barely breath Korea’s air. They would need to leave immediately the day after for their tour.

Seul returned to her daily routine, tending her job at the tea shop and as the caretaker except she’d come less to clean since they’re not home. Most of the time, she would spend her time at work with her friends and Hoon made a frequent visit to her workplace just to get his free brownies. Impudent boy.

“We are short of fresh milk, I will be out to buy it. Watch the counter” Wongeun set his brown apron on the table. “Will you be alright alone? Hwasa is out for delivery but she will be back soon though” Seul chuckled.

“Hey this is not my first time alone, stop being dramatic. Just go, we need those fresh milk” she dried her hands and returned to the cashier counter. Ruffling her hair, Wongeun gave her a final wink as he exited the store with a playful smile.

The business at this hour was not busy in comparison to lunch hour break giving Seul time to breathe and clean the place thoroughly. Three hours till the closing, Seul decided to kill time and polished her skills in baking a red velvet cake. Recently, Wongeun taught her how to bake one since he wanted to make it as their signature cake.

Humming to random songs, she dropped the ingredient carefully inside the glass bowl with a wide grin. Nothing could beat this excitement to see the result of it. Occasionally, she would glance at the counter if there’s any presence of customer. She was immersed in her creations to notice someone presence behind her.

Seul felt a hand slid down her arms, brushing her skin from behind cause her to turn around in fear facing the individual. Her face felt upon seeing the uninvited guest there, and it made her super conscious of her surroundings. She pressed her back deeper against the marble counter as if it could take more of her weigh, to create a huge distance between him and the older man.

“It is nice seeing you again Seul” his dirty voice haunted her once again. A voice that she tried so hard to forget now came to torture her again without mercy. There was a tiny voice in her head telling her to scream and sought help, she just wanted to escape from here. Breathing in the same room as his disgusted her.

“Seeing how hard you try to push me away, I bet you still remember me” placing his arms on both side, he trapped her in between while smirking playfully.

One of her hands clutched onto the counter, gulping the heavy lumps on her throat “Wh-at…do you wan-t..Stay..away from me” her lips quivered as she failed to hold back her fears. He smelled just like seven years ago, a mixture of tobacco and alcohol.

“Aw, I wish I can. But you are working for me, like old times don’t you think?”

Seul eyes sprung open, and she stared at him disbelief “Yes my dear, I am the owner of this place. Fate really brings us together, I like that” he moves his hand along the length of her hair and leaned in to sniff the sweet peach smell from it.

“You smell just as good as before” she palmed his chest to push him away, but his grip tightened around her wrist as fast as lightning earning a soft whimper from the girl. Tears started to cascade down her cheeks like heavy rain, fearing what he’s about to do to her.

“Lea-ve me alone” Seul pleaded.

“Aw, I wish I can my dear, but I am in charged here. It is rude to treat your employer this way don’t you think?” squishing her wrist tighter, he whispered dangerously close to her earlobe. His hot breath fanned against her skin, weakening her knees instantly.

Tears in her eyes blurred the image around her, she desperately looked for source of help at least anyone inside the store to pull her out of this misery. “There is no one here, just us. We can have a little fun too” the man used his free hand, to encircle it around her waist crashing their body together.

Seul gasped in horror and struggled in his strong grasp. It seemed like his age didn’t deplete his energy at all. Showing no sign of giving up, she reached out to random things on the counter as a defence mechanism. Things happened way too fast, as she sensed his body being lifted off from her and not long after she saw the older man ended up against the wall groaning in pain.

“YOU RAT! YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TOUCH HER!” the owner of the voice yelled angrily, glaring at his way getting ready to take another charge and punched the older man into a pulp. The familiarity of the voice shocked the hell out of her. She could tell who’s her saviour under the mask just by his voice.

Hurriedly, Seul went to his side, embracing him from behind “Jin..please. stop it… please” she sobbed between her words.

His heart softened, as he quickly faced the girl taking her in his arms, “Seul-ah are you okay? Did he hurt you anywhere?” she let out a long sigh of relief, grateful that Jin appeared just on time before Mr Kwon could do anything inappropriate.

Mr Kwon got back on his feet, fixing his grey suit with a smug played across his face. “We are not done Seul. I will see you around” Jin gritted his teeth, watching his figure disappeared into the darkness.

He returned his attention to the crying girl, “Calm down, Seul. I am here, he is gone” he stroked her hair and sighed deeply. “Thank you..” she had begun to tremble with a sort of frightened and frustrated fury.

Seul had never been so scared in her life ever since she escaped that gruesome phase years ago. How was it possible to fix her old wound again? Jin took his time to calm down the scared girl. Squeezing her eyes open, she looked up meeting his worried gaze “What are you doing here?” she murmured, pulling away from his embrace.

“We have to get back to studio to record new songs, but we’ll fly back to Japan this Saturday. Where are your colleagues? Why are you alone?” stroking her cheeks, Jin dried her tears and emitted a long sigh.

“Wongeun oppa and Hwasa are out to do errands. They will be back soon” as if on cue, Hwasa and Wongeun made their appearance inside the store cheerfully however only to turn serious as soon as they saw the mess and distressed looking Seul.

Hwasa lurched forward, grabbing Seul shoulder “Oh my god, are you alright? Did someone try to hurt you? Where is the thief?” her eyes scanned the area wildly and as soon as notice Jin’s presence there, Hwasa let out a high pitch holler. “You are the thief? What did you do to her?!”

Both Wongeun and Jin squirmed slightly at the squeaky voice, and before Seul could explain further, her crazy best friend had already grabbed nearby broom to hit the innocent young man with it.

“Aren’t you ashamed?! Do you think it is okay to steal something which isn’t yours?” she swung the broom towards his direction. Jin dodged the hit before it could kiss his face.

“Hwasa! Stop it! He is not the thief!” the shorter girl grabbed her arms, holding the furious girl in her stance before she could cause any harm to this idol handsome face.

She growled under her breath while shooting a nasty glare at Jin “Oh really? I am not convinced by the way how he dressed. He looked even suspicious with that mask on” Seul shook her head tiredly.

Offended by the accusations, Jin pulled down his mask a little revealing his face “If I were a thief, the only thing that I steal will be Seul’s heart” Seul cringed at his cheesiness. The tall guy who stood silently behind Jin looked disturbed by a joke that he pulled a moment ago.

Hwasa gaped “You are the Kim Seokjin! Oh my god!” the latter politely bow and smiled sweetly. “I am sorry to cause the misunderstanding. I was here when Seul was ha-“ Seul blurted out quickly, leaving Jin confused.

“I had a major headache and was about to pass out. Jin came right on time to help” their eyes met , exchanging a hard gaze.

“You sick? You should have told me Seul. I would send you back early. Now, go get your stuff and leave. You need rest” Wongeun suggested.

“I am okay, I can still work”

Jin crossed his arm “No you are not. You look pale to me, lets go back. I will walk you home” Hwasa bit her lower lips, careful not to fangirl over the attention that Seokjin showed on her best friend. She was happy for Seul just because she could see this young man before her is madly in love.

“You guys please” “Seul please listen to me for once, leave before I make you” Wongeun’s voice was stern and firm enough to intimidate her. Giving into the order, Seul made her way sulkily to her locker grabbing her things.

Hwasa turned to Jin putting her serious façade “Kim Seokjin-ssi, take care of my friend. If..i find out she gets hurt under your supervision, I will smack your handsome face with this broom” his eyes wide opened in bafflement.

Seul walloped her back head softly earning a loud protest from the latter “We are heading back home not for a war, stop being dramatic, you rude girl” Hwasa rolled her eyes in annoyance. “Get back home safely” Wongeun crescent moon eyes appeared when he smiled brightly.

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

Her place was only 10 minutes-walk from the store, but they purposely took another route which took another 15 minutes. She did not mind the long walk especially with Jin by her side. That quiet walk home was her chance to relax and gathered her thought.

Jin on the other hand racking his intelligent brain to find that one perfect word to inquire her about the incident happened inside the store. The harassment was intentional to him, he had a strong feeling that the perverted old man knew Seul.

“We are not done Seul. I will see you around” his voice rung in his head non-stop and for some reason it couldn’t be erased from his memory. A displeased grunt could be heard clearly shifting her attention to her. Seul stopped walking, interlacing their hand together surprising the latter.

Jin eyes landed on their intertwined hand, and a smile crept on his face. “Do you have questions for me?” she muttered softly.

“What questions?”

“You can’t bluff me, it is written all over your face. What’s on your mind?” Jin bit his tongue, sighing one more time. She giggled and stroked the visible line on his forehead “Look you are sighing again and stop frowning. You don’t want to have wrinkle at this age” Jin studied her face.

Her long eyelashes batting at him, and her brown eyes stared out, wide and lovely. Her beauty never fails to render him speechless. Jin shrugged the thought off and wrapped her wrist, holding it down “Lets find a place to talk” she nodded in agreement, letting Jin led the way.

As they walked to nearby park, hand in hand, Jin spotted empty bench. They sat in silent for few minutes until he finally had the courage to ask the question. “The man earlier, do you know him?” Seul knew he finally asked her about Mr Kwon, it’s matter of time.

“He is someone from my past. The memories that I had with him was horrible and pathetic” her fingers fiddled with the hem of her blouse, inhaling a deep breath. Jin didn’t expect her to tell him everything. Seul’s expression darkened as she was remembered by the past again, nothing seemed to be working every time she wanted to get rid of the horrible memory.

“Seul, if you are not-“ “My father sold me to him. Mr Kwon, that man…my father made a deal with him. In exchanged of the freedom from his debt, I have to serve Mr Kwon. He used me to satisfy his needs and..” she had a stoic expression that pained Jin. Although close to tears, she tried to make her voice sounded casual.

He stared at her in a different, and in curiosity. Jin least expected to hear such things came from her mouth. He thought it only existed in dramas or movies, so it really happened in real life. A clawing sensation tugged at his chest, her emotional pain nearly suffocated him.

“And..I was locked in a room ever since he brought me in. I thought of ending my life right away, I couldn’t handle the pain. It was too much..I..I just..” she was not able to finish her sentence and her voice cracked. She inhaled deeply, as pain engulfed her heart breaking it like a crumbling wall.

Jin threw his arms around her protectively, caressing her long hair “I am sorry..” he whispered.

“You did nothing, don’t be sorry” she felt tears brimming in her eyes. With a single blink, the tears spilled down like a broken pipe. After regaining her composure, she settled herself comfortably in his embrace and continued with her stories. Seul thought if she told him about her dark past, it would help her to heal the wound.

Although he listened attentively to her story of life, her humiliation at the awful past got to her. She was ashamed and disgusted of it. What is Jin felt the same way? When she first opened up to Jungkook, she didn’t expect his reaction contradicted to what she imagined.

It went well despite her struggled between the sobs.

Jin took one deep breath in as soon as the story ended. “So you and Hoon are step siblings? Different father but same mother?” Seul smiled meekly. “Have you found your real father?” he looked at her with a concern look.

“I don’t know who my father is. I asked my mother about it but, she refused to tell me the truth. I stopped asking after that one time because she looked hurt and furious”

“Arent you curious?”

“I am..i really want to see him, my biological father. I wish I can find way to reach him” she murmured in defeat.

He sighed “Your father, you will find him. I..damn how should I put this, is it possible for you to quit your job considering Mr Kwon is the owner of that shop. It is risky to stay Seul-ah. Now, that he knows you’re working there, he will find way to get to you again” his hand stopped around her waist and continue to make a small circle around it.

“I need that job to cover up our daily expenses”

“But you have the caretaker job with us, isn’t it enough to pay for everything?” his brows quirked up.

“The money that I earned from that job I used it to pay mom’s medical expenses. This permanent job that I have, to pay for the bills and Hoon’s college” he gave her a disapproval look.

“If this is about money, I can help you. Your safety is my utmost priority, I want to quit that job. The things that happened today might occur again, you never know when that bastard decided to strike again. Please Seul, think about it” taking her hand in his, he brought it close to his lips, kissing it softly.

Seul shuddered at the contact of his lips against her cold skin, a gush of memory invaded her mind. The kisses that Jin gave to her when she had her panic attack made her face pink. “I will think about it” she coughed away the awkwardness.

“It is late, you need your rest too. Lets go back now” she pulled her hand form his grasp and arose from her feet. She couldn’t stop the thudding of her heart as she waited for him to come up. He smiled to himself and grabbed her hand once again making the latter to squeal softly.

“Lets go” he interlocked her fingers with his, and started walking side by side.

Underneath a sky blanketed with stars, there were two confused souls walking through the darkness. They pretended the sound of their loud heart beatings were not caused by their close proximity.

Was she swooned by Jin’s little gesture?

#btscaretaker #bts series #bts x oc #yoongi x oc #suga x oc #jungkook x oc #bts idolau #bts fic #bts fanifction #kpop fanfiction #bts fluff #yoongi romance #jungkook fanfic #yoongi fanfic

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shannygoatgruff · 4 years

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Stay Safe, Stay Home Writing Challenge - (Call me if you need anything) @waiting4inspiration

Genre: Romance

Pairing: Modern Ivar x OC

Warning: Language, sexual innuendo, insecurity

Rating: M

Chapter 3 || Chapter 5

Chapter 4

The table at Clementin im Glashaus was amazing. The greenhouse windows of the restaurant overlooked the beautiful Palais Coburg Hotel, which used to be a palace belonging to the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Not to mention, Cash and Ivar had a completely unobstructed view of the sun setting over the city, from the domed glass ceiling of the restaurant. She felt like a princess. Had she known they were coming here, she would have worn something a bit more elegant than the Fashionova dress she was currently wearing.

“Stilles Wasser, mit Eis, bitte?” Mineral water with ice, please. She asked the waiter just before he left the table. She was trying her best to let him be chivalric and order their meals after they had discussed the menu. But he had forgotten about the water. She didn’t like sparking water, let alone it at room temperature. She had to say something. She couldn’t tell if she was being an obnoxious American, or not. Especially since men from Europe were so different from American men. They were slinky and sensitive. They wore skinny pants that showed off their ankles and shorts that came above their knee and kissed each other on the cheek. It was a different dynamic with them. She wasn’t trying to cross any cultural or gender roles by ordering ice water.

Shit, ice. He’d forgotten. That was so important…how could he let that slip? She was American - of course she liked ice. That should have been a given. He had just assumed that she didn’t even drink water. Americans just filled their cups to the brim with ice cubes and poured soda over it. Ivar mentally kicked himself for the oversight. “I have never met an American that spoke German with an Austrian accent.” He remembered that she had minored in German in college and Graduate school, but to hear her speak it, with an Austrian accent was rather impressive. Too bad she hadn’t decided to study Norweigan. “I have also never tried ice in my water," he said trying to make small talk.

“Really?” Cash blushed and tugged on the loose thread at hem of her dress, “It’s good. Cold.”

Why were they having such a hard time talking? They normally would talk for hours on the phone and their text and DM threads went on for days. The two of them never ran out of things to say to one another. She could think of a hundred things she wanted to say to him right now, but he seemed so much quieter in person. She kept waiting for one of his snappy comebacks, or for him to flirt with her like he always did, but he was giving her nothing. Maybe he didn’t like her after all.

“So, have you been here before?” She asked looking around the restaurant. It was easier to look anywhere than at him because all she wanted to do was stare at him. She had never been a fan of the man bun before, but it worked for him. Everything looked good on him. If she didn’t keep diverting her eyes, she would look like a total stalker. “This place is nice.”

Ivar put his napkin in his lap and hoped that the wine wouldn’t take much longer to get to the table. If he didn’t get a drink soon, he was going to clam up completely. He wanted to talk to her. He loved talking to her. He was just so nervous now that she was in front of him and she was so vibrant, pretty…real. “To Vienna or this restaurant?”

“Either,” Cash answered with a shrug.

“I have only been to Austria a few times. Mostly with my brothers.” Brothers. Right. He was going to have to explain Hvitserk… “I have never been here before. My brother, Ubbe, told me this is a good place to take a date.”

Was he blushing? God, he was cute. “Oh, this is our first date?” She licked her lips and smiled.

“Am I not doing something you want?” Fuck. Had been out of the dating game that long? Why didn’t she know this was their first date?

“No. Everything’s perfect. I just didn’t know if we were hanging out as friends, or on a date.” She took a big sip of her water. “We said we wouldn’t talk about our pictures, so there was no pressure, either way.”

“I already told you, I thought you were beautiful before I saw your picture.” Ivar had never been so happy to see a waiter in his life. He graciously accepted the glass of wine and motioned for the waiter to leave the bottle. He waited until Cash had her mixed drink placed before her and when they both had drinks they toasted. “Skol,” he said quickly before looking into the bottom of his glass, as he gulped nervously.

“So…” Her phone rang, causing her to jump. She quickly hit the video button and rolled her eyes. “Hey, Ma.” She smiled when Ivar smiled at her.

“Shay, are you okay? I been waiting for you to call me.” Barbara pursed her lips at her daughter to indicate she was upset. “You tell me you’re going to meet this Ivar-boy and then I don’t hear from you. I don’t know if he chopped you up, or sold you on the black market…”

Cash shook her head and threw her napkin ring at him when he chuckled at the comment. “I’m fine, Ma. In fact, Ivar and I are at dinner, right now.” She panned over for her mother to see Ivar.

She felt all warm inside when Ivar waved at her mother and politely said, “Hello, momma.”

“Well, hey there baby. It's good to finally see you. Were you excited to meet see Shay? She's so pretty, isn't she?" Cash rested her head on hand as she watched Ivar's face light up, as her mother refused to let him get a word in edgewise. As usual, Ivar and her mother sat there talking like two old friends. "And look at you...you're so handsome. I bet you just have all the girls all after you. You better not break my baby's heart. You take care of my girl while she's over there, okay?"

Ivar thought Cash's mom was a hoot. He had always enjoyed hearing about her and talking to her when Cash was in the States. Looking at her face, it was easy to see where Cash got her looks. "Cash is as beautiful as her momma. When I saw her, I just want to keep smiling." He glanced over at Cash and noticed the coy way she looked at him causing him to divert his eyes back to the phone's screen. "I promise, I will take care of her." He handed the phone back to Cash and poured more wine in his glass.

"Make sure to call me later.” Barbara Heath said to her daughter when her face reappeared on the screen. She held the phone close to her mouth and dramatically mouthed the words, He’s cute. “Love you, Shay.”

“Love you, too.” She disconnected the call and looked at Ivar. “Sorry about that. My mom’s a little over-protective.”

“Your momma is sweet. My brothers? They are a pain." He rolled his eyes, "My older brother, Ubbe, sent my brother, Hvitserk, here to be my chaperone.” He shook his head in disbelief. “I have almost 26 years, I do not need a babysitter.”

“Why did he do that?”

The second glass of wine he had just started on was finished in about two gulps. Ivar knew he was drinking too fast, but it made him feel better about talking, but it did nothing to stop his hands from sweating. All he needed to do was deflect the conversation away from his legs, Hvitserk and everything else wrong in the world for tonight. He could worry about the truth tomorrow. “I always wanted to ask. Why does your momma call you Shay?”

“Oh, that. My first name is Cachet.” She made a disgusted face at the sound of her government name. “Most people call me Cash. My parents still call me Shay.”

“Which do you prefer?” Cash shrugged, giving no real thought to question. “What would you like me to call you?”

She lifted her eyes to him with a heavy-lidded stare. “What do you want to call me?” She was hoping it was be something freaky, like Chocolatate, or Sexual Chocolate…what exactly was in this drink, anyway?

“Nydelig.”

"And what does that mean?”

Ivar’s lips turned up into a boyish grin, “Look it up,” he said as the waiter sat their dinner plates in front of them.

It was a beautiful night and the city lights were magical. After dinner, Cash and Ivar stopped for torte at a local bakery and to pick up spirits before Cash decided that she was ready to head back to her hotel. She would see Vienna tomorrow; it was almost 8 pm and she was exhausted. A day of nerves, traveling, and now jetlag meant she was going to sleep good tonight.

Ivar had insisted that he see her back to her hotel safely and who was she to refuse? The walk from the restaurant to her hotel had been a short one and she had invited him in because though she was tired, she wasn't quite ready for their first date to end.

Sitting on the patio of her ground-floor hotel room, she folded her legs on her chair and sipped on a glass of Moscato d’Asti they picked up along their walk. “So, we’ve been talking for months and in all this time, you never said anything.” She twirled the liquid around in her glass. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?” She wanted to bring it up earlier, but before didn't seem like the right time. But now they both seemed a bit more relaxed and the conversation felt more organic. It felt like one of their normal conversations, not like two strangers meeting each other for the first time.

Ivar’s heart stopped in his throat. Did he really think he could avoid the pink elephant in the room? Did he honestly believe he was going to get through tonight without addressing why he lied to her about his legs? Of course, she had noticed his limp and those damn crutches. She knew he had a physical impairment; he wasn't that skilled at deflecting the conversation, she had just been too polite say anything all night.

He took a deep drag of his cigarette and blew the smoke out in the opposite direction. “I was going to tell you, but I did not know what to say. I hate these things.” He took his crutches and roughly pushed them into the corner. “Since I was small, all the surgeries and bone lengthening and leg braces…canes. I did not want you to pity me.” He picked at a rough cuticle on his thumb before putting his cigarette back to his lips.

Cash laughed, “I was talking about the fact that you smoke.”

“Oh, shit.” Ivar laughed in return. He took a sip from his glass of whiskey before sitting it back on the table. “I am Scandinavian. We all smoke.”

Cash nodded, still trying to digest what he said before about his impairment. “Are you in pain?” She asked, hoping she wasn't prying.

Shrugging, Ivar sat back in his seat and looked out at the lanterns that illuminated the small garden. “I hurt, but not really pain.” He licked his lips as he tried to think of how he could make it make sense to her. “When I was born my legs were deformed…one shorter than the other and both twisted. They were fucked. I had surgeries with metal rods to make them straight, and longer, and all that. But, they never really got strong and the pain never really went away. I grew up with it. I live with it.

Sometimes, when the weather is bad – snow, or rain for many days, or when it starts to get cold and wet, I have pain. When I walk too much or go a whole day without taking these damn braces off, I get pain. But the normal hum that always is there? That’s just Elias.”

“I'm sorry, who?”

“The name of the pain. My old friend, Elias.” Ivar chuckled at the memory. It was a code-word he and his mother made up when he was little. It was his way of letting her know that he was in pain, without alerting the rest of the family. He never wanted his brothers to treat him differently because of his impairment, so they came up with a code. If he would tell his mother that Elias visited him at school, she knew that he needed medicine, warm compresses and rest.

“The people in my head have names,” Cash said absently.

“Excuse me?”

She wiggled herself forward in her chair and leaned to rest her elbows on the table. If they were dishing about their crazy, he was in for a treat. “You know on in the movies people have an angel and a devil that sit on their shoulder to tell them what to do?” She waited until he nodded. “I don’t think I have that. I just have these people in my head and they are always having conversations. Jasmine and Jessica. These bitches don’t agree on anything. They’re supposed to be here to help me, you know like my conscious. But I’m usually playing referee between them…like everybody calm the fuck down. They get on my nerves.”

Ivar laughed at her animation. He couldn’t believe that he just told her about his legs and she countered with the fact that she was probably schizophrenic.

Taking another sip of her drink, she studied his face. “Can you walk without that stuff?” She pointed to the crutches.

He shook his head. “I can stand, but not walk. My legs do not hold my full weight. My right leg does not bend. My left does but, I still need to hold onto objects to balance, otherwise, I would fall. The legs do not move together, so I bind them. .” He closed his eyes, “When I do not have the braces – I crawl.”

“We talk about everything, Ivar…”

“I could not just tell you.” He looked her in the eye, holding her gaze for the first time that night. “I could not stand it if you stopped talking to me.”

“Did you think I talked to you all this time because I thought you were going to win a Walk-A-Thon? You didn’t even give me a chance.” She watched as he played with the wrapper on the whiskey bottle.

“I did not want to disappoint you.”

She licked her lips, “I’m not disappointed.” Her words came out in almost a whisper.

Did she move toward him, or did he come toward her? Just like knowing which truly happened between the Big Bang Theory and Evolution - it's all a matter of opinion. Perhaps there was a seismic shift in the tectonic plates that moved their bodies toward each other at the exact moment in time. Whatever happened, the space between them closed and their lips touched.

It was so soft at first, that the feeling of their warm breath on each other’s lips left more of an ache than the flesh that preceded it. But after that brief contact, came a hand. A soft, small hand, with delicate fingers, gently holding the side of his neck and her thumb tracing invisible patterns along his jawline. When her hand made contact with his face, his lips reclaimed hers with just the slightest bit of trepidation, but much more curiosity.

He pulled back for a moment just to look at her face before she gently nipped at his full bottom lip and the next thing he knew she was swallowing his moan. Her mouth was still sweet from the Moscato as Ivar opened his more and allowed his tongue to gently lick her lips. He wasn’t sure when he seized the back of her neck and pulled her toward him. Maybe it was when she looked at him that way, the way he had always wanted a woman to look at him. The way Freydis used to look at him all those years ago. Cash looked at him like she wanted him. No one had looked at him like that in a very long time.

Oh, he was good – how had she ended up on his lap? His lips felt like velvet and his tongue was as smooth as silk. His breath had a pleasant smoked whiskey flavor that reminded her of a bar she went to in college. That’s where she had met Big Dick Darryl. What a fun night that had been.

Ivar had this gentle way of pulling back, like he was about to break contact, only to come at her mouth at a different angle. He wasn’t a sloppy kisser by any means, every placement of his lips was deliberate, tactical, well thought out….sensual. Even the people in her head were in awe of his lip skills.

It took every ounce of restraint he had when Ivar felt Cash’s fingertips touch the base of his throat and gently slide down his chest. More than anything he wanted to be able to pick her up and carry her back into her room, throw her down on the bed and do whatever they do in movies before the camera pans to the vase on the dresser. But, he knew he would never be able to do that. He wasn’t sure what exactly caused it – be it finally meeting her in person, the feeling of her lips on his, a woman touching and wanting him, or knowing that he’d never be able to share in the same stories of freaky sexual exploits like his brothers…but suddenly he had the urge to cry.

Pulling back slowly, Ivar kept his eyes on Cash’s lips noticing how they still glistened from his kiss. He had been so cool, so smooth all this time, with her, from their first online conversation, and now, all he wanted was to be held. “I’m sorry.”

“What’s wrong?” Why were they stopping? This was going extremely well. Were her kissing skills not up to par? No one had ever told her she was a bad kisser before. She’d made it a point not to get anything filled with garlic or onions with dinner so she wouldn’t have stinky breath, just in case he tried to get a good night kiss. Hell, she even had on a really cute matching ‘just in case’ underwear. So far, things were going extremely well, she thought.

Running his thumb across her jawline he tried to restrain himself from kissing her again. “I think I should go back to my hotel. You had a long day and are probably tired.”

“You don’t have to go, yet.” Did she sound too eager? She didn’t want to seem slutty, but they had been talking for six months and it had been a hot minute since she got laid.

Ivar exhaled slowly through his nose, trying his best to calm himself. “I don’t want to spoil our first date.” He kissed her lovingly on the forehead “I think it is best if I go now.” He let her follow him to the door before stopping and turning around to kiss her softly on the lips. “I can see you tomorrow?”

Cash got on her tiptoes to kiss him again, “Yes.”

Taglist: Please let me know if you want to be added/deleted from tags

@oddsnendsfanfics @a-mess-of-fandoms @waiting4inspiration @simsadventures @chipster-21 @tgrrose @alicedopey @ariesxslytherin @laketaj24 @we-are-only-halfway-home93 @thelastemzy @becacosta27 @naaladareia @alexa4040 @absolutelynotanidiot @pokeasleepingsmaug @blackcoffeeandgreenteaforme @skadithegoddess @dina-m16 @tiyetiye @synnersaint @lostinthoughtsandfeelings @moonlightsspirit @the-jess-life @geekandbooknerd @dreamlesswonder86 @inforapound @youbloodymadgenius @cruelfvckingsummer @mummybear @flowers-in-your-hayr @honestsycrets @thatendymion @jzr201

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smallgirl10101 · 5 years

Text

My 3Below OC

Hi!

I'm no good at art but at least I'm good at writing or descriptions!

So that's what I'm here to do!

_______________________________________________

So Ania, yes I used my name I am quite aware, is a human that lives in Arcadia Oaks.

Shes 15 years old and works at the coffee shop, the record store, and any other job she can find. She lives with her uncle. She is American on her fathers side and Russian on her mothers side. While she does not speak in a Russian accent she can speak Russian very fluently.

When she was around ten years old her parents and her little sister were killed by a home invader. Her uncle, her fathers older brother, was the only living relative that could take her in. He didnt like that fact that she was living in his house for free so he made her take multiple jobs at a young age.

She is selfless, kind, protective, and fiery. She would be the adult in the group, making sure everyone was taken care of. She would also be the one lecturing someone if they made a mistake. She is home schooled but the main subject she focuses on is English Literature. Shes a fantastic writer and loves to show her work or say her opinion through speech.

She has short brown hair with bangs on the right side of her face, emerald green eyes, and 5,1. Shes extremely short for someone her age and shes sort of on the chubby side. She wears a dark purple blouse, a black pencil skirt, and black high heels. She also wears a silver rose necklace, and black rose ear rings that belonged to her mother, with big round glasses in her face.

One day as she was having her break she saw a boy she had never seen before walk in front of the coffee shop. Her boss/uncle told her to offer him a sample of their new coffee, since there weren't many people in that day. She obeyed and offered it to the boy. He was... weird. Not funny weird just... weird. He acted as if he had no clue what she was talking about. He was a teenager who didnt know what coffee was, which was pretty rare. She took him into the shop where she gave him a cup... that he spit all over the floor. She was kind to him non the less, even though she had to mop up the coffee and got yelled at by her uncle later. She offered him a seat at her table since she was still technically on her break.

The boy introduced himself as Krel Tarron. 'Strange name for a kid. Maybe hes from another country?' Through out the rest of the evening they talked, laughed, smiled, and over all had an amazing conversation for a good 3 hours. That was until she saw something in his eyes... they were... black? And glowing? She asked him about it and all the boy could say was, "Kleb!" Before he rushed out of the shop.

Over the next few weeks the boy had come to the coffee shop to talk to her or just see her. They had become close friends and knew almost everything about each other.

She had to admit he was rude at times, quite full of himself, but she knew he meant well. He was her only friend really. Since she was homeschooled and her uncle didnt exactly let her out of his sight she didnt have time for friends.

She would show him her stories and he would show her his inventions. They were pretty impressive. They looked like something right out of a sci-fi movie.

While Ania was indeed a very intelligent girl she was also extremely clueless. Krel didnt realize his feelings for her until the day her uncle allowed her to attend public school.

They both had language arts together and apparently there was a short story paper due. Even though she was new and just attended school that day she was the first to raise her hand. She always kept her journals in her bookbag and they were filled with different stories. When the teacher called on her she rushed to the front of the room with a smile on her face.

Krel rolled his eyes and chuckled to himself watching her so excited. He leaned back in his chair and listened. His eyes got wider and wider with each sentence she read, with such passion and excitement. He gulped as he felt his core suddenly warm up. "What is this feeling?"

Weeks went by and he acted differently around Ania then he usually would. His face would warm up spontaneously, his hands would shake, and he was ruder then usual. He didnt know what to do. He was so confused and frustrated. He ran straight home after his hang out with Ania hadnt gone as he had hoped. He thought he might be sick. Aja was listening in on her younger brothers conversation with the mothership. She screamed as she ran over and spun her brother around. "AJA! PUT ME DOWN AT ONCE!" "A CRUSH!" "... What?" "YOU HAVE A CRUSH LITTLE BROTHER! YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON ANASTASIA!" "... What? No! That's impossible! Shes a human! I could never find humans attractive! Of course, I do believe Anastasia is quite intelligent and witty and humorous and she is enjoyable to talk to and shes the only human on this mud ball that I see as an equal but that doesnt mean I- ... kleb."

Even though it was extremely obvious that Krel had feelings for Ania, she didnt even notice. It was painful to watch. Especially when Aja and Steve would help Krel get Anias attention, giving her compliments or gifts, and she would usually say, "Awww! Thanks Krel! Stop being such a sweetheart will ya?" Steve once had to hold Aja back from just blurting it out or more or less screaming it out.

The day Ania learned what they were was an eventful day for everyone.

She was locking up the coffee shop, like every night, when someone was thrown above her. They landed in an ally way in a pile of garbage.

Being the curious and worried person that she was she slowly walked toward them.

"H-Hey... um... are you ok?" She could see something glowing from under the trash.

"D-DONT COME ANY CLOSER!"

"Look I'm not gonna- Krel? Oh my God are you ok!?"

"UM Y-YES! PERFECTLY FINE! I DO NOT REQUIRE ASSISTANCE! YOU MAY LEAVE!"

"... Krel you were just thrown across the street. I'm pretty sure you'll need some assistance. Is that your phone or-" She went for his hand- hands? "What in the-"

He tried to cover himself with the trash but the bag had ripped and trash was scattered everywhere.

She looked down at her friend, well who she thought was her friend, he was... she had no idea what he was. Her eyes widened.

Krel slowly stood with his four arms up, "Ok. Do not freak out. I have a perfectly normal and nonbizzare reason as to why I look like this."

She took a step back, "Wha- How- What are-" She fainted. He caught her with his four arms.

He sighs. "Great." He threw down his serrator and it turned into a overboard. He jumped onto it and flew to the mothership.

When she woke up she was greeted by three big blue... things. She screamed and backed up. "WH-WHO ARE YOU!? WHA-WHAT ARE YOU!? AM I DREAMING!? DID I ACCIDENTLY DRINK THE ALCOHOLIC COFFEE!?"

"Sweet Saklos stop screaming! Your fine!"

"... Krel?" She looks at the other two. "... Aja? ... Mr. Vex?"

"THE HUMAN KNOWS TOO MUCH! SHE MUST BE DESTROYED!" Vex turns his serrator into a sword.

Aja stands in front of her. "We are not killing her! She will not tell anyone!"

"Tell anyone what!? Can SOMEONE explain to me what's happening!? What are you guys!?"

The three look at each other. The big one, whom she assumed was Mr. Vex, groaned and put down his weapon. They explained to her what they were, who they were, and how they got here. Her eyes grew wider with every word. By the end of it she was in a state of complete shock.

"Please do not start screaming again." Krel rubbed the back of his neck. "You... do not fear us... do you?"

Ania, surprisingly, threw her arms around Krels neck and pulled him into a hug. She laughed.

"ARE YOU KIDDING!? I JUST FOUND OUT MY BEST FRIENDS ARE ALIENS FROM ANOTHER PLANET! IM THRILLED! I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!"

Krels face has never been brighter. His core warmed up quickly and he was stiff as a board. He didn't know what to do at that moment. He chuckled and slowly wrapped his four arms around the small round girl.

She snickered after a few moments. "... Krel? You, heh, you can let go of me now."

His eyes widen and he quickly pulled away. "Y-Yes well. I'm sure you will not see us the same."

"Hmmm... I don't know. Awkward, check! Dorky, check! Intelligent, check! Cocky, check! Kinda full of himself, check!" She let's go and stands on top of the couch. She ruffles his hair. "Poofy hair, check!" She cups his face. "Adorable facial features, double check!" She smiles. "I'm describing Krel Tarron just as I would describe Prince Krel Tarron of Akiridion-4 or 5 or whatever! Your still my best friend!"

Krel smiled widely. He couldnt help but stare.

"Pfff what are YOU staring at? I'm not the one with four arms and glowing blue skin Mr. Tarron."

His eyes widened and he stood back so her hands were no longer on his face. He glared. "I am not STARING! I would never stare at YOU! You were the one that decided to cup my face!" He groaned. "Now I smell of coffee and lavendar! Ugh! Disgusting!" He stomped to his lab.

She raises an eye brow. "What was that all about?"

_______________________________________________

And that's it! I know its not as good as others I'm sure you've seen but hey... at least I tried!

~ Anastasia

#3Below #KrelTarron #AjaTarron #TOA #OC

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cipherr · 6 years

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what kind of dark place is Eralei in and how does our resident cinnamon roll Sith rediscover happiness? if you're comfortable w/ spoiling that much before the Great Eralei Fic, i mean. (i know there's been at least one other anon, probably more b/c your OCs are beyond gorgeous 😍 i totally get you tho, im super shy when it comes to sharing stuff about my characters too)

you are making my life complete, anon. ily

OOH BOY. i think the best way to answer that first part is to go more in depth on her life and her character. i don’t want to spoil too much, especially about the whole Wrath thing, though if anyone is super curious about that and wants to know please feel free to message me and i will spoil it for you :’D

this is gonna get long, but it’s important stuff, since i haven’t openly posted this much in-depth about Eralei before c: i uhhhh apologize in advance LOL

and to anyone who cares to read all of it (but please don’t feel obligated bc it is…a lot…) you are a saint, and i love you. amen.

so Eralei comes from a noble Imperial family, long-standing and proud and very steeped in their traditions. she was always particularly gentle, though; inherently kindhearted and soft, she had plans to eventually use her standing to work towards stability and peace rather than squabbling for more power. that all got turned on its head when her Force sensitivity was discovered, a bit later than most maybe, when she was about sixteen. suddenly she wasn’t to become the future Lady of her house anymore… she was to become Sith, to become powerful and strong and be a great source of pride for her family just like all the others in her bloodline before her who happened to have such a ‘gift.’ to that end, she was given her family’s traditional markings on her face, a permanent reminder of who and what she is and always will be. go and become Sith and bring pride to her family…or don’t come back at all.she was given a private trainer for a year or so, teaching her the basics of combat techniques to give her a fighting chance, and then she was whisked away to Korriban, and she follows the Warrior storyline from there.

in her early days, both in the academy and as an apprentice, she was fueled by fear. she was terrified of the other Sith, but of course she couldn’t let it show. she masked it, used its strength to survive. she desperately played the part of the dutiful apprentice, the proper young Sith, because that was all she knew to do. she avoided being needlessly cruel whenever possible, and on the occasions where she’d be expected to enforce her power and authority on ‘lesser’ beings, usually because she was being watched, she did so with great remorse. she didn’t trust anyone around her, least of all Darth Baras. she knew from the start that he was only going to use her and then dispose of her, she just had to do her best to survive and bide her time until then.

but what hurt her the most was how she’d be treated by non-Sith. some would cower and grovel like they were expected to do, yes, and that just broke her heart. but worse than that were the ones who treated her like just another monster, who assumed she’d be like all the rest, who wouldn’t even give her the chance to prove herself. she even ran into Jedi who would immediately taunt or provoke her, assuming she would be hostile, sometimes even trying to goad her into swinging first so that they’d have an excuse to fight.she was quickly realizing that no matter where she went or what she did, she would be met with fear or hatred.

the absolute last thing she wanted was to be just another Sith monster, but as time went on and she got herself deeper and deeper, into her apprenticeship and into Sith politics and lifestyle, it became harder and harder for her to hold onto her ideals. she couldn’t always talk her way out of violence, or spare someone without getting caught. her survival instinct took over, and in order to not appear weak to the other Sith, she had to act like one more often. and…it became easier. she found herself raising a hand to choke the life out of someone, out of frustration or impatience, without giving it a second thought. she was in a hurry, damn it, and they were making things difficult. if they wouldn’t give her their cooperation, she would just force it out of them, and then leave them on the floor gasping for breath. but at least they were alive, right?

but this terrified her. it came so easily. she was so wrapped up in doing whatever she felt was necessary for her survival, so wrapped up in playing her role, that it started to become second nature. worst of all, for the first time since leaving her home, she started to feel strong. she started to feel that she might have a chance of survival after all. but at what cost?

she has her moments of ‘weakness,’ where she snaps and, fueled by her fear or her anger or whatever else, becomes at least briefly consumed. those moments soon pass and she’s left wondering what’s she’s truly becoming..and eventually wonders if it’s even worth fighting against.

i mean, if she’s going to play pretend and act like a Sith, why not just make it real? why try to deny it all? she’s becoming strong, she’s becoming respected…feared, too, but that’s just the way things are. maybe this really is who and what she was meant to be all along, and trying to fight back against it is just prolonging her misery. why not just give in?

except…that’s not her. it’s not who she is. deep inside, she knows this, and it never really goes away. she finds no more satisfaction in just giving in to it all…in fact, she just feels hollow. and she’s aware enough to realize she can’t sustain that, either.

eventually, she comes into her own and finds more of a balance. she’s not so soft anymore, but she retains her good heart. she finds meaning in being Sith in her own way. you don’t need to be cruel and power-hungry to be Sith, you don’t need to trample everyone else underfoot for personal gain. she allows her feelings and emotions and passions to fuel and strengthen her, rather than hold herself back out of fear. for a time, she’s actually doing pretty well.

then, of course, the entire galaxy gets thrown into absolute chaos :’))

all of this stuff from her past starts to resurface again, later on during the expansions. (spoilers ahead for everything up to where we are now, obviously, but i feel like most people know what’s going on by now)this time she’s making difficult decisions that affect way more than just herself… she has a lot of people watching her and depending on her now. her personal vendetta against Vitiate/Valkorion (for Personal Spoiler Reasons) begins to cloud her mind and consume her as well. she can barely stand to live with herself, knowing he’s rattling around in her head. and her sheer rage against him and his actions, and what she sees his son becoming, almost completely overtakes her. the Eralei of twelve years ago might have seen that there could be a way to give Arcann a chance, but so much has changed since then, and she’s stressed out and struggling and exhausted. in her eyes, Arcann is just on his way to becoming another Valkorion, and she does everything in her power to prevent that from happening…losing a lot in the process. Senya’s death, by her own hand, hits her very very hard. Senya was more of a mother figure to her than her own mother, but she didn’t stand down, and Eralei felt–in that moment–that she had no choice. it’s one of the biggest events that leads to her breaking, and one of her deepest regrets.

and then the whole traitor thing puts her even more on edge, she’s dealing with more Personal Spoilery Things relating to her past that are coming back to haunt her and actually threatening her life, and Theron comes in with that ‘betrayal’ and the whole “you’re becoming what we’ve fought against” thing (which WE know is bullshit, and HAVE known is bullshit, but…she doesn’t know that. all she hears is one of her closest allies affirming her worst–and oldest–fears. that she’s just another monster, and she’s been blind to it this whole time, until it’s too late.)

as for how she pulls back out of it all and becomes herself again… you will just have to wait and see 8) (honestly, i’m still working a lot of the details out myself.)

but yes! that’s Eralei. she’s complicated and confusing and a bit contradictory sometimes, but i’ve never had this much fun with a character or a story before, so i’m just having the time of my life :’D

i hope i’m not sounding redundant but thank you again, having someone else take an interest in my characters and their stories means more to me than i could possibly put into words.

#this was super all over the place and i really hope it's coherent #i tried my best to cover as much as i could but she's seriously so complicated and there is a LOT #i know i missed some things but otherwise i'd have been here all day and it's long enough as it is #i am MORE than happy to elaborate if anyone cares #and thank you so much to anyone who reads :'))#asks #eralei audroti

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woahfrito · 3 years

Text

Breakthrough: Part 3

PART THREEEEEEE this is before shit gets ugly! to whoever is reading these series, thank you tons. whether its just me and my editor plus one reader, or more people, it’s motivating to know there’s audience for what my imagination likes to express with my OC’s. It’ll only get hotter from here, I finished writing part 10 last night. enjoy!

⁃ Motsu has tears threatening to spill put of her eyes. “No, I can’t let him see me like this. I have to show him that im not just some push o-... its starting to smell like nitroglycerin?”

⁃ She dodges.

⁃ “Who’s all bark and no bite now ah?!” Bakugo yells as he tries to fry her one more time

⁃ “You’re delusional! We’re inside a building you animal!” Motsu shouts, worried she’ll get detention, or even worse, get expelled from UA.

⁃ Bakugo stares at her for a second and launches himself toward her, grabbing Motsu by the neck and taking her somewhere isolated so they can finish their fight

⁃ “ERASER ONE OF YOUR STUDENTS FROM CLASS A HAS TAKEN ANOTHER STUDENT MID AIR” The tiny robot guardian tells Aiizawa sensei in his dorm room camera.

⁃ “You’ve got to be joking...” He says as he noticed the same dumbass who started a fight with Deku like this, three years ago. He started to assume Bakugo wanted to start trouble.

⁃ Bakugo arrives and lets go off Motsu, as she struggles to catch her breathing and is coughing.

⁃ “Either you get up, live up to your useless words and fight me, or you just die here”

⁃ “You’re insane, Bakugo. Tell me, what is up your ass? Why did you even tell me that stuff about Kirishima in the first place?!”

⁃ Bakugo scoffs, and laughs. Looking down at how she’s still on the ground coughing up, having her face slowly gain back its original color

⁃ “ Guys with guts like him,m aren’t worth trouble like you. Somebody in his life has got to knock some fuckin sense into him, and unfortunately that somebody is me. Now are you gonna cry and bark like the little bitch you are? or are yo—“

⁃ Bakugos words began to fade as she listened. The bullies. The kids. The insults. The inferiority complex. The expectations she has of herself being a strong woman. Always finishing last, always being at the bottom. Her place is embarassing right now, and it had to take a couple of trauma flashbacks to bring that energy back.

⁃ “Pops, I can’t wait to tell you about this fuss. All hell will be let loose for once.” Motsu thought, as she thought of her pops who have always told her to become an independent girl without letting a man make her inferior.

⁃ From her leg brace, she takes out her shoge, never thinking she’d use it again. No support weapons like at school, no nothing. She had to be all fist brawl with her shoge right now. She backs up, stands up straight and smiles.

⁃ “What you mentioned back there...You mentioned I supposedly don’t know who I’m screwing with, and well, Mr. Dynamight, I can’t wait to find out.” she opens her eyes with a nasty grin, and snake eyes; gorgon genes had kicked in. Vile intentions have now taken over her heart, she had broke through, she’s done. She wants Bakugo dead.

⁃ Is this what Pops meant? When strong emotions meet the gorgon genetics?? Rather, boa ones?!

⁃ Motsu was tired, she thought “Let's show this guy what you’re really made of. No more inferior Kyuui to look down upon. We’re...cutting these strings that have been holding me back.”

⁃ “Don’t tell me you have some shitty surprise lizard quirk! And a rope? You’re a walking laughing stock, skank.” Bakugo laughs as he warms his hands more.

⁃ Motsu, staring at the ground gathering herself, she says out loud, Motsumu Kyuui. class H, third year support course and I like to practice ninjutsu.” slowly picking her head back up, a sadistic grin begins to show. “my whole life, Bakugo, I've been driving with both hands on the wheel because of fear caused by disgusting men and people like you. Shit makes me sick. Your vibe was off ever since I recognized you as the ruthless brat who got kidnapped and won the sports festival, looking like a feral animal.”

⁃ As soon as this bitch brought up the kidnapping, Bakugo swore a blood vessel of his has popped. As he felt an eruption of anger yet happy adrenaline, looking forward to kill this girl, shes sharpening her shoge and says

⁃ “You don’t get to decide who I’m affiliated with, or who comes into Eijiro’s life. I’ll now take these hands off the wheel carelessly!”

⁃ Her canines are now sharp as a razor, gorgon genes kicked in, ready to begin.

⁃ “Let’s begin now, shall we, Bakugo Katsuki?”.

0 notes

franeridart · 7 years

Note

are you going to draw more of that lovely erasermic? :o

Unless I find reasons to stop shipping them in the near future, then sure~ as I said, I really like that ship

Anon said:i love it when you draw chris and josh, you should do it more!! Your oc's are great!!

THANK YOU! I’m really really happy to hear you like them! I draw them just as much as I wish to, tho haha

Anon said:THANK YOU FOR BLESSING US WITH MORE CHRIS!!

Anon said:Honestly I love your ocs so much! I like seeing your fanart because you really flesh out characters we don't get enough development of, but I really love seeing your ocs. I can tell you love them and enjoy drawing them just by looking at it, and that makes me love them even more! You're a wonderful artist!

SOB thank you!!!!! holy heck!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ;O; I can’t believe how much love my kids get hahaha I’m so so grateful aaahhhh!!!!

Anon said:Okay, so I was just going to tell you how great your comic is (and it is), but I just read your last ask to that anon, and I'm sorry, but deku didn't do nothing to gain his quirk? Like, what? He risked his life and almost killed himself trying to say his exfriend/then bully? That isn't just "being nice"? He didn't know all Might would save him? He risked his life even though he was powerless just to help another person? He earned the quirk, all Might said so in the second episode, like, what?

Since you don’t seem to want a polite and civil exchange of opinions on this, and are actually being incredibly rude here (whether you meant for it or not, I don’t know) I hope you won’t mind me keeping this as short as I can. All Might worked in the beginning of the bnha manga as a textbook definition of a deus ex machina, came around, solved an otherwise unsolvable plot point out of the blue bending the laws that had just been established for that universe, and Deku literally (literally) didn’t have to go through any conscious trial, soul-search or any other self-aware journey with the intention of fixing his own problem. All he did was to be heroic and to be quirkless, which for him are circumstances since those are innate traits of his character. And the only singular thing he has is that he’s quirkless, his heroic personality is shared by all of UA (Mina acted in the exact same way in Kirishima’s backstory as he did to save Bakugou, didn’t get any cool op powers out of it)

All Might was supposed to give OfA to Mirio, the literal most heroic character in bnha, a boy who had been working his ass off to become a proper hero since he was a child, but instead he found a quirkless kid and decided that he deserved a chance to become a hero too. I’m not saying that’s not true, or that Deku didn’t deserve it. I’m saying that he didn’t actively or consciously do anything to gain that power. He simply acted in a way true to his self, and that was it.

I’m gonna have to make present to you that the next time I get an ask with that tone in my inbox I’m blocking you without answering. I’m not here to be called an idiot by the first random stranger I find online, if you want a conversation with me all I’m asking is for you to be polite, that’s not too much at all in my opinion.

Anon said:Your last BakuShima comic was so cute!!! AAAAA!! 💖

Thank you!!! I’m super happy you liked it!!!!!! :O

Anon said:I love you. So much right now. Can I give you a virtual hug because I swear

I dunno what I did to deserve this but SURE *holds u back*

Anon said:do you think you'd ever sell any minajirou merch? (maybe like the one with the flower background) because if you do i would buy 20 (not literally but,, i think you get the point) Sorry if this sounds annoying or anything! im just curious

Not annoying at all!!! If I remember right the one I posted was a bit small tho, I’ll have to see if I can work with the size in a way that would fit the default redbubble dimensions... if I can’t I’ll be sure to make the next one big enough to fit, tho!!!! And thank you for wanting to buy my stuff!!!!! :O

Anon said:I'M NOT THAT ANON BUT I CAN HELP W MOMOJIROUS & yes we totally agree they're fuckin gay and canon there's no doubts here. SO anyway I at least see them liking in each other exactly what you said- they have what the other lacks (or thinks they do), and still find the other to understand them and be interested in them in every sense of the word, also tol and beauty and smol and cute are def the first thoughts about each other, damn maybe I should have thought about word limit I need more space

Awwww anon I thank you for trying to explain to me why they work!!! But that’s not the problem I have with it at all haha I understand the ship on a superficial level perfectly, that’s why I ship it! I just can’t seem to find myself in the relationship anywhere, so empathizing with it comes harder than it does when it’s MinaJirou haha

Anon said:you draw kirishima's eyes so pretty I can't look away from them

THANK YOU Kirishima’s eyes are super pretty in canon, I’m so so happy I can portray that in my style well enough!!!!! :O

Anon said:Ok, sorry for going through ur hq!! tag sjeow, oh gosh I love ur art and ur art style and I love the way I draw the boys !!!! Aaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!! Thank u for blessing my night!!!! I hope something makes ur day the way going through ur art *cough* again *cough* made my day!!! (Also a question: what's ur second fave ship from hq!! after bokuroo?? )

MATSUHANA :O and thank you so so so so much for liking my stuff!!!!!!! I hope you’re having a great day today too, anon!!!

Anon said:I love you Fran, but I completely disagree with what you told the last anon about the idea behind bnha. You had me with the positivity concept, and I would also love it if eri could fix mirio and nighteye, but the rest of that was just so far off to me; and probably for many other fans in this community. Like, first, a story does not have to be the level of snk or dgray man to have bad things happen. That is how all story telling has been since the beginning of time.

A good narrative story is never straight sunshine and happiness throughout, even if it doesn't involve death. People don't just enjoy the bad things that happen in a story because it's realistic or because it's sad, they enjoy it because that is how a story and it's characters grow. They make mistakes and learn from them; these moments help the characters change and pushes them forward through every new obstacle.

It helps drive them and gives their stories/actions/ideals meaning and gives the audience a reason to care. And that is where I wonder if we are even reading the same story, because this concept is shown throughout the entirety of bnha. It is no where near the "positive-to-a-naive-point" you seem to believe it is. The story starts off with a weak, defenseless deku being beaten by his once best friend?

Like, I really don't want to sound condescending, but I don't understand how you could come to this conclusion. Bakugou has an inferiority complex from hell and suffers constantly from his own inner turmoil, todoroki has an an abusive father with a horrid childhood, iida's brother/idol was paralyzed and almost killed, shigaraki unknowingly killed his parents as a child, toshinori may still be alive, but all might (the hero) is gone to the world forever,

eri was used and experimented on HER ENTIRE LIFE, believing she was a disease to the world and could only cause suffering. I could go on for pages about the suffering these characters have ALREADY gone through- but that is okay, because the story is better for it. Because we as an audience wouldn't have cared nearly as much for deku's gain of one-for-all, if it wasn't for the trials and turmoil he faced his whole life living as a quirkless child;

Bnha is a positive story, but it does not rely solely on positivity to get by. It is a story about determination; to push back against adversity, to go on even in the face of the unknown or impossible; even if fate itself is against you. It's about climbing your mountains and beyond that, dare I say, beyond plus ultra. It's is not trying to adhere to its genre, it's is trying to be everything the genre could be and more, and as succeeded thus far.

Which is why I can understand the disappointment from the last anon, because solving everything through friendship and "hand holding" has become a norm in this genre specifically- and bnha is anything but quick and easy ways out.

Sorry if this is long, and I really hope you don't take this as an attack against you or your opinion. If that is all bnha is to you, and if that is how you perceive the show, who am I to say you are wrong. But I hope you understand what I have said at least, because you still are a huge inspiration to me as an artist and in this community. Hope the rest of your day goes alright.

Alright, first off, if you don’t want to come off as condescending try and maybe don’t be condescending. I’m nearly sure you didn’t do this consciously, considering how you ended the rant, but going “are we even reading the same story” when you supposedly want a civil exchange of opinions is the worst thing you could do ever. You pretty much said “I don’t wanna disregard your opinion but here is a list of reason why you’re wrong and I’m right”, please next time you mean to keep it civil try and avoid that, because that sounds just as bad as you’d assume.

Second, I thank you for the recap of all the tragic backstories bnha gave us, but my answer was about conclusions to arcs, not beginnings. I literally never once said that bnha is a happy-go-lucky story from start to end, I only said it made an habit of reaching for the best possible conclusion it could ever go for by the end of every arc up until now.

“The story starts off with a weak, defenseless deku being beaten by his once best friend”, sure (aside from the “once best friend”, Deku and Bakugou were never friends to begin with, please do reread the second Kacchan vs Deku for Bakugou’s view on their relationship) that’s how the story starts, and it ends with Deku with the strongest quirk on the planet, mentored by his childhood hero, with a civil and friendly rivalry with his childhood bully, on his way to become the number one hero, happy and loved and respected. “”Bakugou has an inferiority complex from hell and suffers constantly from his own inner turmoil” again, sure, and he could have given in to it and become a villain or let his terrible personality just become worse and worse, every single bad thing happened to him could have made him closer to a bad guy or given him good reasons to go against the heroes, and instead he’s working to become better, is loved and cherished, has friends that will build him up and care for him and risk their lives for him, and is actually in a way healthier place than he was in the beginning. “Todoroki has an an abusive father with a horrid childhood” SURE and now he’s got his mother back, he’s learnt to be the bigger person and put distance between himself and his father to instead use him to reach his own goals, is happy and has friends and, again, he’s supported and loved and is in a way happier place than he was in the beginning. “Toshinori may still be alive, but all might (the hero) is gone to the world forever” yes, and in any other manga the reveal would have brought a whole damn lot of drama and people calling him a fraud and turning against him, but instead that scene is the most heartwarming one in the whole manga, the whole world supporting and loving him and yelling his name to cheer him on

I could go on, but I think I made it pretty clear? Every single arc, be it a character arc or a story arc, starts tragic to end up with the most positive outcome you can have for it. There isn’t one arc that has had a tragic conclusion yet. So is it really that weird for me to think it’s believable and not surprising at all that Eri’s story, for however tragic it might have started as, could also have a happy ending? That this manga never tried to present itself as one in which things can and will turn out for the worse?

I’m not even sure exactly what your incredibly long ask was about, man. What were you trying to prove to me? Which part of the answer I gave were you trying to disprove? You just went on about how sad everyone was at the beginning of the manga as if that proved somehow that Horikoshi isn’t actively working to give everyone the happiest future they could have.

A recap of my answer is: “I personally don’t mind Eri having a fix-it quirk because it fits well in Nighteye’s plot and falls perfectly in line with how every other arc has turned out for the best up until now”

And you came at me with an eight asks long rant that can be summed up in “you’re wrong because people in the beginning of the story were sad”

Listen. I’m always open to conversations about different opinions and takes on a story. But, again, I’m gonna need you to be polite about it and open to an equal exchange. Simply going at the end “I hope you won’t feel attacked” and “have a nice day” isn’t enough if for the rest of the rant you talked to me as if you were assuming I’m an idiot. And I’m actually gonna need you to properly read my answers before trying to follow up with them, next time. Please. I don’t have the time to rephrase my answers sixty times just because people keep answering without actually reading them.

#fran answers #i'm sorry about the tone of a couple of the answers i gave in this #being talked down on is one of the things that make it harder for me to remember im trying to be as polite as i can get #but well #that's the last time anyway #this is an art blog after all #i didn't make it to have this sort of arguments #we'll just stick to the doodles from now on shall we (=u=)#anonymous

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writingismyhappytime · 7 years

Text

Dauntless: Daddy Dearest (Part 11)

Eric x OC

Warnings: Language, Violence

A/N: Uh…. I know it’s been a while, but here you go!

“Eric.”

I glanced over as I heard my name called, spying Max standing with Hera. I didn’t see her often, she was always buried deep in the intelligence office, so no doubt this was going to be interesting.

I glanced around, but no one had noticed Max step into the room and it was better this way. I slipped easily over to him, crossing my arms with with frown.

The Dauntless leader hadn’t called on me in a few months since my kid was born, so I was curious as to what he wanted. Need some dirty work handled? Admittedly I’d been getting a little bored with all this regular training and work, I was up for some action.

“Hera, Eric, I assume you two know each other.”

“In passing.” Hera nodded. She was a little shorter then me, with chin length blonde hair and double nose piercings. Her blue eyes were thickly lined with black and she didn’t look like she got out much or could even lift ten pounds both hands. I’d never even had a conversation with her.

“Good. Eric, you and Hera are going to be working closely together for the next week. We have a situation.”

Finally!

“What kind?”

“Better to be discussed in private,” Hera said coolly, her eyes hard. She spoke pretty soft, it was almost hard to hear her, and I vaguely wondered how much of a fighter she was; could she even hold her own or was she all brain?

“Fine.”

~~~~~~

“As you can see, we have a leak here in Dauntless.” Hera informed me, long finger pointing at the papers in front of me. “Someone is telling the other factions of some of our… rather risqué operations.”

She meant the murders that were shown as suicides or accidents, or our occasional slaughter of the faction less to keep down the population and our resources from being used too much.

“Why can’t you track it? This place is covered in cameras.”

“Unfortunately, the leak knows that and has been devising ways to get around it. We cannot even trace it back to their computer, or whatever else they’re using to convey our missions. This needs to be handled quietly.”

“So we find them and toss them in the chasm.”

“Quietly.”

Sounded easy.

“Who are the suspects?” I cracked my knuckles thoughtfully. Really, I’d just toss them all into the chasm “accidentally” and not worry about it. It wasn’t good if someone was spilling the beans about our darker movements, especially since I was involved in most of them.

I told Max he shouldn’t keep everything documented.

“This man, goes by Zeeg, works in the armory.”

“I know him. He’s a little wimpy thing.” I frowned, pressing my hands flat against the metal table as I leaned forward, looking at his photo as it flickered on the wall. I’d worked in the armory a bit when Camille was about to have the loaf, so I got familiar there. Mel knew him well.

“What are your thoughts on him?” Hera’s cold eyes landed on me, unwavering. Man, bitch might be small, but she had a harsh look.

“He’s not much of any leader, terrified if you yell at him. Lazy, but he shouldn’t have access to any files. He doesn’t even have access into the inventory system, he just stacks the ammo and takes count.” I gazed at his photo, then shook my head. “Next.”

“Next,” Hera taps her finger against the table, changing the photo. “Amanda Nuwellan. Higher level guard on the wall.”

“Don’t know her.”

“She was in your initiate class, she originated from Candor.”

“Still don’t know her. If she wasn’t on my level, she wasn’t worth my attention.” I said flatly, shrugging. “What’s her deal?”

“She left two brothers in Candor, and perhaps those obsessed with the truth would like to know our secrets. She works on the wall, but rotation has been recent and so she has been there the last three months until last week.”

“Sounds like you think it’s her.”

“Suspicions, nothing more.” Hera tapped her finger again, and the picture changed to a familiar face.

My stomach dropped.

“Tori Wu, she’s a tattoo artist in the Pit.” Hera said, but it’s the way she looked at me that let told me she knew there was a connection. “Her brother was an undesirable and eliminated, so she has reason to try to reveal our operations.”

Ahuh.

“What reason does Zeeg have?” I asked, noticing she’d neglected to mention his possible need for exposing us. I stared at her, refusing to look away.

“Zeeg is the son of an undesirable who became faction less last year. He is now dead thanks to a… well, you remember the warehouse incident you and your wife lead.”

Wife?

“His death was his own fault then for thinking he could fight against us.” I said flatly, shrugging. “how does the kid even know about it?”

“We’re currently unaware of he does, but he is on the list.”

“How did you put this list together? Just these three?”

“There have been four instances where we’ve seen the information leaked, and these three have always been in the vicinity.”

“How so?”

“Zeeg is in the armory, he has access to a number of weapons. We’ve noticed the faction less are becoming more volatile, that —.”

“You think he’s passing weapons to them? How? Mel keeps a strict log of every gun that enters that armory.” At least I thought she did.

“Melanie Koskovska, you mean?”

“Yes.”

Hera looked thoughtful. “Perhaps the weapons are not even getting logged in the first place. Is she in charge of that?”

I didn’t like where this was going.

“Yes. The head of the armory personally checks every weapon in. If it’s her being the leak, you’d have a lot more information floating around.”

“And why is that?”

“Mel and I are the ones on those lists of soldiers deployed during those operations. She knows more details than are on those reports, and she’s… not that good with technology.”

Weapons, she was great. Using the common toaster and not setting the contents on fire? Not so much.

“Hmm. I was unaware of her involvement.” Hera frowned, and I raised a brow at her.

“Do you even know what’s in the reports that have been leaked?” I asked after a moment, wondering if Max even briefed her in on what we did in the shadows. Is she oblivious to the fact sometimes you gotta murder your own for the greater good?

“Yes, I’m aware of the contents. Quiet executions, population control, reconnaissance. I know you’re the one in charge of most of them, that Max favors you for the position.”

“Im good at what I do.”

“So it seems.” She said dryly, leaning over to tap the table again. My eyes flicked down, noticing the sudden chest on display for me; her top was modest, but leaning forward definitely changed that fact. I could see the ink crawling against her skin, but I looked away before my curiosity got the best of me.

“So what about your wife? How many operations has she gone on?”

“Camille isn’t my wife. And not many; she wouldn’t agree with many of them. She’s lead some missions against the factionless for defense and rescue missions, but she’s not like me.” I said flatly, refusing to play her little mind games; this woman was all about twisting words around. She knew Camille wasn’t my wife, and I didn’t doubt she already knew everything about us that was on file.

She was a dangerous woman.

~~~~~~~

“Mel.”

“Eric.”

Mel looked at me suspiciously through the holes in the fence barring entrance to the armory. I glanced down at the tablet where I was supposed to sign in so it would show I visited but ignored it.

“How’s everything going here?” I asked after a moment, my eyes flicking behind her blonde head, searching for Zeeg.

“The normal. What do you want?”

“Just came to visit.”

“You hate the armory.” Mel crossed her tattooed arms suspiciously, and I didn’t blame her. I wasn’t going to tell her what I was up too, she wasn’t invited to the meeting for a reason, probably because she had direct contact with the suspect.

Tori was Camille’s friend, not mine, so it wouldn’t bother me too much to kill her or the like. A traitor is a traitor no matter the connections.

“How’s the counting going?” I asked after a moment, crossing my arms as I leaned against the desk.

The armory was large, walls and upper levels lined with weapons and ammunition. They were all locked behind bars, of course, just as Mel was separated me from a fence, a small curve at the bottom in case I needed to pass her something.

“What do you want, Eric?” Mel looked annoyed, the lights glinting off her piercings when she leaned back on her heels, glaring at me; we weren’t exactly on the best of terms, currently, but I knew I could rely on her if it came down to it. Strange, considering we were both murderers and backstabbers.

My eyes flicked behind her, but so far I hadn’t seen anyone else. I tilted my head slightly, gesturing for her to come out and talk to me. She stiffened, and I’m pretty sure she considered saying “fuck you” and walking off, but her curiosity had always been her downfall.

She gave a labored sigh before she glanced around. Her face was sour as she casually walked towards the gate and stepped out, letting it close firmly behind her before she followed me to one of the smaller crevices in the back, mostly where we kept the storage.

“What’s going on?” She grumbled, crossing her arms as she looked up at me, both of us hidden behind some stacked tables. “I know you’re not here for a booty call.”

I snorted, shaking my head. “No, but we got trouble.”

“How so?” I had her attention now, her dark eyes serious. Mel didn’t like complications, or basically anything that could change up her afternoon plans. Me saying something like that would have her entire focus on my words.

“We think some weapons are going missing, disappearing before they’re put into the system.” I said softly, making sure to keep my eyes on the door up ahead; I didn’t want anyone sneaking up and overhearing us.

“So of course you come to me for that.” Her face is sour. “You want me to see if anyone’s acting suspicious around here, keep a tighter watch?”

“Yup.”

“What happens when you find who it is?”

I didn’t have to answer that, I just looked at her. I’d kill them, after interrogation, of course. We couldn’t have people like that in Dauntless, risking everything for us. We needed control, right down to the smallest peon.

“Great, so I’m going to need to find a replacement. Fucking wonderful.” She groaned, tugging on one long dread. “This is going to be annoying, isn’t it?”

“Just keep a watch, let me know.” I shrugged, already stepping back. No one had even entered the armory after me, and I hadn’t seen anyone come up to the gate either. I figured we were in the clear. “Don’t do anything unless you know for sure.”

“Anyone I should watch specifically?”

“No.” I wasn’t giving names, Mel wasn’t exactly subtle and she could fuck everything up. “Just watch.”

“Aye, aye, cap'n.” She gave me a mocking salute before she walked away from me, my eyes dropping to her ass out of habit. That woman knew how to fill out a pair of jeans, it’s just too bad she didn’t keep them on long enough for anyone to appreciate it. I wasn’t throwing on Mel, she was the closest I had to a friend, but I knew who she was; just as she knew who I was.

We both had a rocky past.

~~~~~~~

I frowned as I stood on the catwalk above the cafeteria, watching the members of Dauntless ambling about. I curled my fingers around the rails, searching for the woman. I narrowed my eyes as I saw her sitting in one of the corners with a group, Zeeg among them.

Now that’s suspicious.

Nuwellan I think her name was. Slim, dark skinned with a fighters build. I wasn’t surprised she ended up at the wall, although I thought the job to be pretty boring considering nothing ever happens there.

Huh.

Nuwellan was my age, and I’d seen her around but I’d never given her a second thought. It wasn’t rare to get a Candor, they’re just blunt as hell and usually got their assess kicked during their initiate stage.

So what’s her story? Normally when people leave a faction, things with their family left behind goes two ways; either they understand and keep in touch, or they never communicate again.

How close was she with those two brothers? How close was she with Zeeg?

I watched them from above for a while, pretending just to overlook everyone instead of focusing squarely on them. They didn’t seem to notice anyhow, too caught up. Zeeg was arm wrestling with another member of the table, whereas Nuwellan was eating, enjoying her food.

Was it these two? Unless Dauntless did something to her, I can’t imagine Nuwellan turning on us. Zeeg I could, just because his factionless father was murdered and maybe he wants rid of Dauntless, or thinks it’s time for a change. But her… not so much. Of course, that made her even more of a suspect. She could have a less obvious motive, some connection none of us were aware of.

Zeeg seemed too obvious a choice.

And Tori… I didn’t want it to be here, mainly for Camille’s sake. I was pretty sure the tattoo artist was my girlfriends only close friend, and I didn’t want her to lose that — especially not if I had to kill her because I’d never live that down.

I tapped my fingers curiously, and after a moment turned away, satisfied.

I’d tell Hera to look into Nuwellan, check all her correspondence, check every move she’d made since returning to the compound. Who she was with, when and where, and who those people knew as well.

I wanted a file on her.

~~~~~~

I stepped into the tattoo shop curiously, glancing around. I hadn’t been inside in a few years, not since I got my neck tattoos colored. I glanced at my arms, debating getting a touch up on them; I had scars now that distorted one of them.

“Eric.”

Ah!

My eyes flicked over, and I smirked as I saw Tori. She and Camille looked a lot alike with the long dark hair, although my girlfriend had more visible tattoos. Tori had a tattoo of a red-eyed black and white hawk on the back of her neck I always admired but never commented on.

“Tori,” I said coolly, turning towards her where she leaned against one of the tattoo chairs, holding some designs in her hands. She was twice my age I thought, but she was an Erudite transfer as well. I didn’t remember her from my old faction, but I’d probably been too young.

She’d followed her older brother George here, but he’d turned out to be an undesirable and dealt with accordingly. I wouldn’t be shocked if the leak was her, but I definitely didn’t want it to be.

“What are you doing in here?”

“What does someone normally come to a tattoo parlor for?” I rolled my eyes, glancing around. The other artist was old, and he sort of hunched when he walked now, but so long as his hands still worked he was useful; he was the one who’d done my tats years ago.

“So you want a tattoo. What kind?” Tori seemed resigned; she didn’t like me, but the feeling was mutual. She was bitter over her brother, and she’d never gotten past his death. Still, she’d never given any inclination of being a traitor before.

“Dunno yet.”

“Look around, see what you like.”

I was just here to interrogate her actually, but I stepped to the wall, my eyes running down the designs plastered there. I didn’t really see anything that was catching my eye, I’d never been one for color or a lot of intricate lines.

I could feel her watching me suspiciously, but I ignored her, pretending I had no ulterior motives. Camille knew I was working something, that I wouldn’t be able to get Kai. Wouldn’t hurt her to pick him up for a few days anyway.

He was a handful, that one.

“How’s your kid doing?” Tori asked after a moment, as if reading my mind. Normally she was quiet around me, just glared, so I was a little surprised she was asking me anything. Camille had to keep her up to date, right?

“He’s fine.” I shrugged, my eyes landing on the different fonts. My eyes scrolled through the words and the different ways they were written curiously. “Growing.”

“That’s good. He has your eyes.”

“That’s what everyone says. Can you tattoo in this style?” My finger tapped the wall, and Tori nodded after a moment.

“Yeah. You want a word?”

“Yup. Here,” I gestured at the inside of my lower arm. Subtle, not immediately easy to see. “Surely you can do that, right?”

She scowled at me, much more what I’m used too.

“Sit down. What do you want it to say?” She muttered, slipping on some purple gloves as she started getting her equipment together.

“Kai.”

~~~~~~~

“So how long have you and Tori been friends?” I asked as I sprawled out on the sofa. Camille glanced up from the floor where she wrestled Kai into a outfit with legs, despite his kicking and whining. He might be a baby but he was getting stout.

“I’ve known her for as long as I can remember. She’s been here since I was a kid.”

“So she’s a transfer?” Feign ignorance.

“Yeah. Can’t remember where from.” Camille managed to get his outfit buttoned with a sigh. “Why?”

“Just curious. You two seem close.” I rolled onto my stomach, seeing her lean back on her hands as she looked at me. I didn’t want to delve too much, she would catch on pretty fast what I was doing. I didn’t want her to know her friend was under suspicion of being a traitor.

“She did my aptitude test when I was in school. I’d seen her around here before but that was the first time I’d ever spoke to her.”

“Yeah? What were your test results?” I was curious. I’d been Dauntless through and through, so it hadn’t been hard for me to ditch Erudite. I would have gotten myself factionless if I’d stayed there.

Camille actually hesitated.

“You weren’t Dauntless?” I asked after a moment, and she shrugged her shoulders, picking at the carpet.

“I was Dauntless, yeah, but also Candor.”

I snorted, slipping my arm beneath my head. “I can see it. You’re blunt as hell most times.”

“Yeah, but white has never looked good on me.” She gave me a wry smile, Kai rolling back and forth on his back. He’s trying to get onto his stomach, and after a few more tries he made it successfully.

“Well, you chose right, picking Dauntless.”

“Not like I was going to abandon my own faction, Eric. This has always been my home.”

“Yeah. And now you got a kid.”

“And an asshole for a man.”

“I think you made out pretty good then,” I chuckled, reaching forward to rest my hand on her shoulder. “All in all, anyways.”

“You realized that ‘pretty good’ included us getting shot, stabbed, beat up, tossed from trains —.”

“Just the minor details.”

She snorted, then her eyes flicked out to my arm. Her brows rose as she saw my new tattoo. “When did you get that?”

“Oh, earlier today.” I glanced at the black letters spelling out my son’s name on my arm, pleased. Tori had done a great job, they looked exactly how I wanted them. “Tori did it.”

“You got his name on you?” Camille hesitantly reached forward, her fingers drawing down the skin a few inches away.

“Yes. He’s my son. I might be able to dump you but I can’t get rid of him.”

She rolled her eyes, but the look she gave me — it was full of warmth, of sweetness. It was the look I always wanted her to have when she looked at me.

I gave her a small smile before I leaned forward, pressing a chaste kiss against her lips. She knew I loved my kid, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t. I loved both of them, so much I was even putting off my plans of Dauntless domination until Kai was a little older and could defend himself.

Gave me plenty of time to make some allies, too.

“I love you,” I murmured, propping myself up so I could cup her cheek. “and the loaf.”

“I wish you’d stop calling him that.”

“Eh, he doesn’t mind.” I chuckled, kissing her again. Camille never changed, it was one of the things I liked about her. She still put me in my place, yelled at me, told me when I was being an asshole. She took care of her initiates, but she was stern with them; we shared the same ideologies, at least to a point.

We’d been together for years now and yet every day I didn’t mind coming home to her — at least now that she wasn’t screaming at me and ripping me apart because she’d momentarily lost her mind.

Another reminder why we didn’t need another kid.

“The loaf is escaping.” I murmured, and Camille sighed as she leaned away. We both watched as Kai tried to drag himself across the floor, arms and legs not quite ready to do the heavy lifting.

He was determined to make it to my shoe.

“If you want, I can watch him tomorrow so you can get out again.” I offered, shuffling so that I was lying on my back again, my arms pillowing my head as I looked up at the ceiling. I figured if I offered, Camille would go see Tori like she always did, and maybe I could get a little more information outta her about the elusive tattooist.

“That’s suspiciously nice of you, Eric.”

“You’re the one who said you wanted to get out a little more. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

“You don’t even like Tori.”

“I don’t like most people. Now do you want me to watch him or not?”

“I guess. Just don’t set the apartment on fire or start teaching him to throw knives.”

“Of course not, that’s next week’s lesson plan.”

~~~~~~~

“So? What are your suspicions?” Hera asked from where she sat at the table, flicking through different pages on the tablet in front of her. I frowned as I leaned against the chair in front of her, glancing around her office.

Rather small, sort of like a closet. She didn’t have anything personal in here, not even a plant, just her tablet and the computer on the wall. Obsolete filing cabinets were pressed up against one wall, old but obviously used for some reason; I guessed if you put things on paper instead of uploading, it’s a lot harder for people to steal it.

“Nuwellan has my attention currently. I saw her and Zeeg sitting together in the cafeteria. Wu is a loner, she keeps to herself for the most part.” I couldn’t leave her out.

“She seems very close friends with your wife.”

Again with the intentional wrong word.

“Girlfriend. They’re friends, yes.”

“Does their friendship cloud your judgement?” Hera asked bluntly, her cold gaze flicking up. Her fingers paused, hovering above the tablet as she stared through her blonde hair at me.

“Personal ties don’t hold me back.” I said flatly. “If she’s the traitor I’ll deal with her. Max knows that, it’s why he chose me.”

“No, not really.” The small, rather vile woman in front of me sighed as she looked back down. “Max chose you to test your loyalty, he thinks you’re losing your edge since you knocked up the trainer. I do hope you’ve no attachments, although I read your file and you’re a useful executioner.”

That’s one way of putting it.

Still testing me then? Max must be on to me, why else would he still be doubting me? I frowned, crossing my arms.

“Max is a fool, he’s incapable of doing his own dirty work and when push comes to shove he would crumble without someone like me.” I finally said; fuck, what do I got to lose? If Max is already thinking I’m building an uprising he’ll take me out sooner or later anyhow. Might as well say what I gotta say.

“Instead of putting me on bullshit assignments like this making me run around like an errand boy, he should be remembering how many of our own members I’ve taken out just so this society can still work.” I said all of it very calmly, but I definitely had Hera’s attention. “I don’t like being questioned, I’ve done nothing to bring it forth.”

“You defied him,” she points out. “When your child was born.”

“It was stay or watch Dauntless collapse internally because my girlfriend was having conniptions. Camille has plenty of sway here and Max knows it.”

“So you consider yourself a power couple then?” Hera asked lightly, clasping her fingers in front of her.

“We’re not here to discuss my relationship. We’re here to discuss a leak, which I have suspicions is Nuwellan. How about we focus on that?” I snapped, growing restless.

I was starting to feel as if I was the one trial here.

“Very well.” Hera sighed, returning to tapping her tablet. “Do you consider her and Zeeg to be in league together?”

“All that I’ve established is that they know each other. However, that could be too obvious. Wu is anti-social, and she has just as many reasons to hate this place as they do. Death of a family member is a motivating factor.”

I had to mention her, otherwise it would look as if I was ruling her out just because of my connection to her. I’m not a softy.

“Understandably. So you still consider her to be a suspect?”

“Until proven otherwise, yes.”

I had too.

~~~~~~~

I sighed as I ran a hand through my hair, standing on one of the bridges as I looked down at the Pit. Dauntless moved back and forth between the shops and other common areas, taking care of their daily business.

Fuck if this wasn’t a mess.

I watched as Zeeg moved smoothly across the bridge below me, glancing nervously over his shoulders, a bag held tightly in his hand. Could he look anymore suspicious?

The bag was small, couldn’t hold a big gun, and we typically didn’t have any smaller than the hand. He could be transporting a weapon, or ammo — hell, it could be important paperwork!

So of course I was following him.

I stayed to the bridge above him, watching the surroundings. No one was following him, it was just him in a hurry to get somewhere. I pursed my lips, curious.

Who’s he going to meet? Who’s his accomplice? Why are they willing to risk everything for this?

Dumb kids.

I seriously hoped Tori wasn’t involved.

I watched as he disappeared into one of the hallways, and I made quick work climbing down the ladder to his level. I casually started following behind him, making sure to keep the crowd between all of us. I doubted he would notice me, but I didn’t want to be sloppy.

What’s his plan here? What’s in that tiny plastic bag? What could he possibly be taking somewhere?

This is not how I wanted to spend my afternoon. I wanted to be back at the apartment, tossing my kid into the air and making my girlfriend panic. I wanted to watch him eat on one of those chew toys and even cry when I took it away from him.

Hell, I’d settle for being at the bar, drinking a few beers and talking shit with Mel like old times.

Anything would be better than this.

I wasn’t patient enough to tail people, I’d rather just shoot them.

And now where the hell is the little fuck going? I scowled, watching as he turned down a more secluded hallway, his face paling from nerves as he went. I hovered just at the corner, seeing his steps falter as he approached a place in the wall that curved.

He paused there, clutching the bag to him.

Hmm.

I waited, making sure I was carefully placed so I wouldn’t be noticed, at least by Zeeg. I lounged against the pale corner, looking down at my watch and tinkering with the buttons like it was showing me something interesting.

I glanced back, growing restless as ten minutes passed. If I wasn’t getting to shoot someone or getting an adrenaline rush, I didn’t see the point of this. I was fucking bored.

I’d rather just confront the kid and jerk the bag out of his hand than continue waiting!

Hmm?

I peered curiously around the corner as I saw someone step up to Zeeg, his face brightening as he sees the girl. I didn’t know her, but she’s blonde and slim, a little taller than him, probably his age.

Wait.

I frowned as Zeeg talked to her for a moment, than sort of shoved the bag at her. She blinked, then looked down and opened it. She sort of exclaimed something and pulled out — fuck.

Jewelry.

I’d followed this fucking kid to his girlfriend!

How disappointing.

What a fucking waste of time!

I could have been cuddling Kai or Camille this entire time.

I ground my teeth in irritation, cracking my knuckles as I leaned back against the wall.

This tailing business just wasn’t for me.

I’d have to go about this a different way… maybe I’d get to break some bones in the process.

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