#Emma Broome
Text
competition
pairing: slytherin!toxic!jenna ortega x ravenclaw!fem reader
summary: jenna loves to joke around, you both know it. as she gets braver and braver with her jokes, it comes with a price, eventually hurting you and taking away something you loved most.
warnings: slight angst, teasing remarks, heavy makeout scene, rushed ending, enemies to lovers
word count: 5.2k+
based off request!
-
Jenna criticizes literally everything about R's performance (J's an ass here 😓), while R is actually starting to get really pressured, J would always have something to say, thennn R gets tired of J's bs and begins focusing on themselves more, which would lead to R ignoring J for atleast a month or two, obviously J's pride is awfully. THEN J CONFESSES TO HER FRIEND, (how inlove she is w R and how she misses R sm) WITHOUT KNOWING THAT R IS NEARBY, OVERHEARING EVERYTHING. 😍😍 A DAY AFTER... R JUST TAKES J IN A PRIVATE ROOM AND KISSING TF OUTTA HER.
Slytherin Jenna! x Ravenclaw R!
-
Your test paper gets put on your desk, your teacher murmuring a small, “I expected better, Y/N.”
There was a 65% circled in red and it made you sick to your stomach, you had never gotten a low score before, especially in potions. You knew your concoctions and effects, you swear you had mixed everything perfectly. You groan in frustration, cursing to yourself.
Your hand scrunches, breathing in deeply as you ruffle your hair, now hearing the voice of the person you would rather befriend a frog with and use them first as a sacrifice for a blood sucking demon.
“How can someone fail a potions exam? You managed to get first place for being the biggest dweeb, messing up the easiest class.” Jenna slightly smirks, teasingly as she approaches you and whispers sharply in your ear, your eyes glaring at her. “It’s impressive you didn’t notice a small switch of potions. All I did was switch the labels of the potions which had the same color and you didn’t even notice.”
Of course she switched up the potions to set you up for failing, “You know how important this is to me.”
“Aw.. I’m so sorry Y/N,” she mocks, “What a pity.” She pouts, “I don’t care.”
You want to smack her in the face, maybe throw that explosive potion you made to melt off her face, but you don’t. At this point you’re thinking of something to get her back, packing your spell books.
“I swear she won’t get off my shoulders, I haven’t done a single damn thing to Ortega.”
Emma laughs, nudging you, “Maybe she just likes teasing someone sweet like you.”
An annoyed exhale leaves your lips, not knowing what she meant by that, “Well she better stop it,” you grab your broom stick.
Your friend thinks a little, “Just put a small spell on her broomstick! Nothing, you know, to make her hurt, just maybe throw her off balance.”
That interests you, you're trying to think of a sparkle you could just add onto hers. You notice she hasn’t gone to class yet and clearly you can see the large stick hidden between her name. As you approach, your fingers touch the stick, feeling the way your body immediately focuses, then you pull your finger away to go back to Emma. You feel like you shouldn’t, but you don’t feel a single ounce of guilt as a smirk forms when you reach her.
“Come on,” you urge, taking Emma’s hand as you make your way outside with your broom sticks.
You use your right hand, grabbing it forward as Mrs. Hooch stays on the side, watching. You’ve all gotten the hang of it either way, it’s rare for some people to fall.
“Up!” Emma and you say in unison, seeing your sticks fly up as you smile at each other and hop on, ready for a flight.
You giggle, feeling yourself ascend.
“Y/L/N,” You hear Jenna’s voice behind you, making your figure turn to face her. You see her stiffen.
Emma gives you a look, cunning.
“Ortega,” you greet, not so politely, but not rude nonetheless.
“I’d challenge you to a racing match, but I do know that your ass is scared that I’ll beat and outrun you in seconds.”
You give out a snarky laugh, “I highly doubt you could even reach me by the time I ascend. I’m better at you than flying, we both know that.”
Jenna does know that, sort of. And she doesn’t want you to prove it, not during flight class while everyone is watching.
“Unless you’ve changed your mind and don’t want to challenge me, niñita,” you respond again, seeing the way Jenna was thinking.
“Then I challenge you,”
“And I accept.”
Emma nudges you, you hear her whisper in your ear, “Well, she’d probably complain, you did sort of spell her broom and she’d notice as soon as she’d get on.”
A grin forms on your lips, tearing your eyes from the tiny Jenna, “Well, I spelled it so that if Jenna were to try anything, cause that’s the bitch she is, the spell would take effect. I’m not entirely making myself win at all. I know for a fact she’d try to make me loose, she doesn’t want to lose at all, well at least to me. I know her long enough to know she’d put a spell to make me lose balance, Em.”
You see Hooch in the corner of your eye, “Plus, Hooch is watching everything, and because I spelled her broom before hand, nothing will happen until she aims some spell at me. Hooch will see that, or at least a little sparkle and chant of words. But she won’t see mine, since I spelled it before, and she’ll just think Jenna lost her balance trying to spell me.”
Emma looks at you, not knowing if you should go on.
“Em! Seriously, Jenna has been making me miserable this year, and I haven’t done anything. This is just a playful harmless thing. It’s the least I can do. I could’ve spawned a rat in her dorm that follows her everywhere!”
“Go, I sort of want to see her fall.”
The grin that disappeared forms again, winking at her as you hop back on your broom.
Then you two are off.
-
You rush through the field, feeling the wind blow through your hair. You loved feeling that cool breeze, it’s unreal, flying is your favorite thing to do.
Jennas not far behind, but far enough to know that you’ll win.
She groans to herself, watching your pretty, she meant nasty figure speed ahead.
The brunette’s eyes narrow, she wasn’t going to let you win without a fight, she focuses on your broom, she’s close enough to do something.
The wind is making your hair go crazy, but in a good way. Everyone is waiting their turn from below, watching you race through the course. Fast enough to feel their hair blow from your swiftness.
An exhale pasts her lips, you can see her trying to come closer, or almost urging you to slow down. But you don’t, of course you won’t. You speed faster, dodging an incoming tree and turning a corner.
Jenna feels blood rushing through her ears, murmuring something under her breath as she gets ready to swish through you and laugh.
She begins the spell, feeling her fingertips slightly tingle. But as soon as she’s about to shoot a spark, her hands let go and she sees the blue flying spark stumble towards you. Instead of it hitting your broom and making it shake, your hair flies through the wind and it shoots back at her.
Jenna yelps, feeling the way her broom starts to shake.
Emma giggles from the sidelines, as soon as you pass the blonde’s figure, you send her a thumbs up and a knowing wink.
God finally.
The brunette loses her balance, feeling the broom shake left and right, she’s clinging onto it tightly, smacks her head on loose branches. She feels herself slow down to regain a steady pace, but as she speeds up again, you’re already gone, swerving a corner.
-
The tiny brunette grumbles from the benches, watching you smile and jump up and down.
“Impressive play out there, Y/N. You just might be our best flier out there, keep your swift performance and you’ll be on for Quidditch.”
You already knew you’d win, even if Jenna hit your broom with her spell. You’ve won every time racing against the class.
You approach her, giving her a half-hearted smile, you’d take it as a smirk.
“Well, someone tried to cheat.”
You hear her huff, and it makes you giggle, you brush off the stick that is stuck in her hair.
-
“I regret doing that, Em, that tiny tiny 3 foot 1 foot cockroach is making me fall into her traps,” you murmur, stomping your foot.
“At least you got a taste of revenge, Y/N.”
“I guess so,” you say, sinking into your seat, you feel yourself begin to find her playful and harmless banters to be stressful by every joke and scandal that girl plays.
-
As Quidditch season approaches, Jenna swipes her hair to the side, tying it up as you watch her with narrow eyes. It’s just a regular racing match this time. No ball. Just two talented people against each other.
Well, one more talented than the other, you think to yourself
Hooch brings you two together, in which you stare each other down, your gaze not faltering on each other.
“Goodluck, I wish you two a fair match.”
You two shake hands, though you both won’t admit it was a genuine one. You give Jenna a final glare before gazing back at the field, focusing.
“Ready?” Hooch says, you don’t respond, just a subtle nod.
“And.. Up!”
You and Jenna shout at your brooms.
“Up!” you command, seeing your favorite item fly up, you jump on it.
Then you both swing off.
Again, not long after, does Hooch see the way your practicing and after school matches with friends are working well. You’re much farther than Jenna is, and again, it’s like no other match. But this time Jenna isn’t going to let you win again.
She growls, casting spells onto your broom and immediately, you feel your broom slow down.
“What the hell.” You mutter to yourself, you dive down. But it seems like your broom isn’t listening.
It’s swishing up and down, left to right, and you steady yourself, but you’re shaking.
You're swinging back and forth and you're losing control, you can’t make your broom stop. It’s not like just a shake of your broom and you lose balance before catching yourself, this time it’s worse. Your broom isn’t listening.
You scream to yourself, not too loud. But Mrs. Hooch can see the way Jenna is catching up, she knows Jenna did something, but it’s not looking good. Sure playful banters were okay.
But instead of dodging a tree, you smack your head straight into the leafiness, feeling the thorns of the leaves sink and cut beneath your eye. Jenna swishes through you, not looking back. The pain immediately comes through, harsh stings roaring through your skin. You cry out, completely losing balance on your broom, crashing into the tree harshly and feeling your head bang into the wood.
Jenna still hasn’t noticed the damage she’s caused.
You feel yourself fall.
Farther and farther.
Till your body crashes down on the grassy field, your bones from the fall aren’t helping. You hear the way they crack. And then you feel warm blood trickling down your forehead and down from the cut on your eye. You whimper.
Black spots invade your vision and you feel carsick. But you know you’re not in a car.
Your eyes flutter, making a soft groan as Emma approaches you. You can barely see her worried face but you know she’s scared.
“Y/N, can you hear me?” She says, it’s muffled. You don’t respond, her figure is blurry, you can barely see her blue eyes.
Before you can even think of a response, your eyes shut.
And as Jenna reaches the finish line, she just turns around, to notice you at least tens of feet below from her, collapsed on the ground and curled up. She can’t help but feel a gasp fall from her lips, diving down and getting off her broom stick.
She didn’t mean for it to get this chaotic, she was just hoping you’d crash into a branch and get all angry and fussy. Not get hurt. As she approaches closer, she sees blood trickling down your face as your chest heaves up and down. Emma looks at you, worriedly as everyone surrounds you two.
Jenna feels something that she doesn’t want to admit, she feels guilty for hurting you. You had barely done anything to her, but she’s messed with you countless times, you’ve gotten in trouble for it.
And you never ratted her out. The one time you decide to get her back, she’s taken things too far.
“God,” she murmurs, her voice betraying her as she pushes through the crowds of people, “Is she okay?”
The way her friend turns to her, your best friend looks like she’s about to explode, “Does she look okay? DOES SHE LOOK OKAY JENNA? What the hell were you thinking?” the blonde says the last part half aloud, where only Ortega can hear.
“I didn’t think she’d get hurt!” Jenna retorts, kneeling down and putting her hesitant hand over your chest, feeling the way it was beating quickly, chest going up and down, up down.
Immediately nurses come and drag you out, Emma following you as they take you to the infirmary.
Jenna feels herself following too, until Hooch catches up with her.
“Ortega!” Her voice is loud, screeching as she pulls Jenna off to the side, “what on earth do you think you were doing? You’ve gotten Y/N seriously hurt because of a stupid practice match! Don’t think I didn’t catch the lame spell you’ve cast.” her eyes are wild, angry, “You know we don’t allow spells on the battlefield, I know some of Hogwarts students have broken it, but it’s never been so severe, you’ve hurt her tremendously. She’s bleeding, and I think she’ll suffer some sprains.”
Jenna nods, she understands. Sort of. She wants to understand, she knows what she did was bad. Hooch takes a deep breath, “I’m disappointed with you.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t know if Y/N will heal in three months, she’s been our best and fastest player, with quick decisions and speedy moves. She might have to sit out on Quidditch, I was looking forward to taking the trophy this season. And I would disqualify you, send you to detention after school everyday till she properly heals,” Hooch takes a deep breath, “But you have to be one of our players because you have the ability to. That doesn’t mean that you won’t get detention. I’ll even ask Dumbledore to exclude you from house games.
God, Jenna didn’t mean to make you be kicked out this season. She knew how much you wanted it. She can’t help but feel guilty.
Hooch’s voice once again speaks up, “And I expect you to apologize and pay her a visit. You two have never gotten along, but I know you both care about each other. Even if it’s slight.”
A soft nod leaves her, her eyes lingering on your small figure that is now being taken to surgery. Maybe she’ll slow down with the pranks.
-
As soon as visitors are allowed in, Jenna begins to stand up and approach your door.
“Ortega, what the hell do you think you’re doing? Don’t open that door,” it’s Emma's voice, but this time she sounds much more angry. Unlike the voice the brunette is used to hearing.
The way Jenna stands there, Emma narrows her eyes, “You’ve already hurt her, what more can you need? Unplug the oxygen tank and start laughing your stubborn ass up? I don’t think so.”
She was taken by surprise, the fact that both you and Emma have gotten used to her tricks, she feels herself biting her lip.
“N-no.. No, not anything like that. I just wanted to apologize. I know my tricks have gone a bit farther than expected.”
Emma approaches her, pressing her finger to Jenna’s chest, “You’ve hurt her more than enough, and I can see it. She’s done nothing to you! Nothing!” your best friend growls, and Jenna backs up.
“You just don’t understand how much you’ve pressured her! Because you’re too busy standing there like the spoiled person you are on your banters.”
Jenna smacks her hands off, raising both of her hands to show she’s ‘surrendering,’ “I know, I know Em! Just let me apologize.”
“Not when she’s just about to wake up, you wouldn’t want the least expected person who hurt you to show up as soon as you wake up. Give her time,” the blonde grumbles, shushing her back to her seat as she enters your room. Jenna stands up again, noticing you're still unconscious.
Emma can feel her presence, and decides not to turn back as she sits on the chair next to you. Your face lost its color. None of the pink shade that tinted your cheeks when Jenna teased you. The pink shade that she wanted to see was gone, replaced by a pale, tired face, sound asleep.
There were cuts all over you, she saw some bruises and there was a big bandage wrapped around your right cheek. She also saw a deep cut that was gauzed up in your arm. She winced. A few broken bones maybe.
She didn’t know it was this bad. The only noise was Emma’s sniffles, and the small beep of your heartbeat’s monitor. Jenna sighs, scooting closer and hesitantly bringing her hand close to your face. She felt like if she were to touch you, you would turn into dust.
Her hand gently traces your fast, your nose slightly twitches, but she knows you’re too weak to move or wake up. Then she brushes through your hair, it’s weird beginning to see all the times she’s treated you wrongly as something she shouldn’t have done. Each trick got worse than the other, more risky of being harmed. And now look at you, all broken and bruised.
I didn’t mean it, Jenna thinks, looking down at your tiny figure.
I really didn’t mean it.
-
Your eyes flutter closed, and immediately you close them again, groaning from the whitest most lightest light you’ve ever encountered, covering yourself with a blanket. As soon as you move, you moan softly in pain, feeling pain roar through your body.
“Stay still,” you hear a familiar voice say, you can’t lend your finger on it. It sounds pretty, and before you can process it your brain switches that thought off. It’s your annoying rival that casted a spell that got you here in the first place. Jenna stupid Ortega.
You grunt, looking up at her, you feel bandages around you, avoiding contact with the brunette.
“Emma should be back soon, she was getting some flowers for you.”
“Good, then you can leave.”
Harsh.
You hear the way Jenna sighs, and you shake it off, turning slightly so you can face the entertaining wall instead of her.
“Look Y/N, I’m sorry.”
..
“Please, can’t you see I’m apologizing?”
“No, Jenna. You knew I didn’t like these things you did to me before. And you decide to apologize now? Do you think it’s going to make me forgive you just like that?” You say, turning back at her, a storm brews behind your eyes.
“I can’t participate in the one thing I was looking forward to this season! Just because you put this spell that you knew could harm me badly! You knew I wanted to be in Quidditch!” Jenna winces at your increasing voice.
“You could’ve been on the team too! It’s not just one of us! But you got your actions in the way before you could even think! And now you want to apologize?” It's loud, your voice begins to falter a little. Your shoulders untense, and Jenna can hear the monitor of your heart increase by four times, she shushes you, pulling you onto your back.
“Stop,” she says, her voice is too soft for your liking, you can’t think. Too much is going on in your mind, “Please.”
“Get out Jenna.”
“W-what? You don’t understand.. I’m trying to-”
“Jenna, get the hell out!” You snap, your eyes filled to the max with unshed tears.
You stay silent, before cracking out a tiny, “Please.”
And like that, Jenna walks out of the room, murmuring an “I’m sorry.”
Just this time, she really wanted you to know that she meant it.
-
It’s been a month, and by now your arm was barely healing, and there was a stupid ugly mark of a cut on your face. The pain was harsh, if your arm didn’t heal by the time Quidditch began, all your practice and effort would flush down the drain. It scared you.
As bad as the pain got, your mark would probably never fade, there would always be a purple cut marked under your eye. Even once it’s completely healed, ones that meet you will notice your cut, in a lighter shade than your actual skin tone. It made you cry every night, silently.
It was stupid to cry over, your deep bruises weren’t even close to healing. Every time you would accidentally press into it, you’d shriek in pain. You felt insecure of yourself. It didn’t feel good, every time you’d look at yourself in the mirror there would be your healing cuts scarred over your body.
“It looks s-so ugly..” You hiccup, looking at yourself in the mirror, Emma by your side as she shakes her head, “Nonsense, it’s okay.”
“It might never go away.”
“And that’s okay, when you're older, you’ll find it silly, I promise. It’s a reminder of being here, and to remind you that competition is less superior when it comes to safety.”
You can’t help but feel yourself shrink, watching the scar on your face haunt you.
-
Jenna sees you in the hallways, you're in half her classes. But every single time she looks at you, you’re never looking her way. Not like before. Not when exam scores are passed out during Snape or McGonagall when you usually turn around and she waves her high score in the air, but you always wave yours back, grinning happily when you got one percent higher than her. She found you annoying, but now she feels like she’s taken you for granted. You were the one who taught her how to properly care for her plant in Herbology, although most of the time she’s retained information from the random songs and joking nerdy remarks.
Jenna hated sitting next to you in that class, she loved teasing you and making you explode from frustration. She hated the way you looked at her and had the ability to somehow use some Hogwarts nonsense to make her think back at your smile.
It was something you did to her, it couldn’t have been herself, she’d never be thinking of your smile or you in general. You must’ve casted a spell on her.
Yet she remembers that she’s thinking about you right now.
Anyways, she hated the way you smirked at her and kept kicking your feet to hers, then growing some mushroom on her damn shoe.
“What the fuck Y/N? Why is there a green toadstool on my fucking foot?” She says, angrily as you laugh and fall out of your seat. She tries shaking off the small mushroom with her foot, but then it makes it grow even bigger.
And by the end of the day there is a 20 foot mushroom on her shoe, shading her as she walks home, heading straight for the knife to cut it off.
The thought made her smile a bit. She didn’t want to admit it, she didn’t know how you did it. Or maybe when she kept tapping her pen to purposely annoy you, then when you snapped, light blue sparkles flew out of your mouth and made your voice sound wonky.
Now, you barely looked at her. For the entirety of when you were gone, you had to catch up. She felt a little relieved, you could finally talk to her by asking for notes. Didn’t want to admit the pit in her chest when you asked the person behind you.
I’m sorry, Jenna thinks, she wants to scream at you and apologize until you forgive her.
You ignored her, and she knew she deserved it. She treated you so wrongly. Sure she knew you never mind those moments she looked back to, but she knew that she grew more and more brave with her pranks, growing less and less cautious of even thinking of your safety and feelings.
She hates seeing that look in your eyes as everyone in Hooch’s class shouts, “Up!” with excitement, and you sit there, alone on the bleachers as you watch.
As you watch your whole class fly off, Emma giving you a small, concerned look, and a tight-lipped, forceful smile forms on your lips, assuring you were fine.
She hates the way she can remember the smile leaving your lips as Emma leaves off for the race, then looking down with melancholy traced in your features.
I’m sorry.
The shorter brunette can’t stand the way you look at everyone fly off, knowing that someone that you know won’t be you will probably take your place in Quidditch. She can see it in your eyes, kicking the dirt, hoping that somehow you can kick the pain and broken limbs away.
This time, she can’t tear your eyes away from your tiny figure.
Yet she knows that you won’t even look at her, never noticing the sympathetic stares she gives you, replaced with the ones once filled with competition.
-
Emma’s voice is dull, almost like she doesn’t want to talk to Jenna after the incident.
“You’re seriously asking me to have Y/N talk to you?” she questions, looking at her with suspicion.
“Please, Em! It’s been a month, and I’ve been trying to apologize.”
The blonde crosses her arms, trying to defend you, “Well what if she doesn’t want to talk to you or apologize?”
“I don’t care!” Jenna throws her arms in the air, “I know what I did was wrong and if I’m being honest, class is getting boring without having her competition and silly remarks behind my back.”
Jenna freezes, what she says kind of sounds weird.
Emma hums, then she turns to Jenna, “So, what are you saying Jenna?”
“I care about her!” She groans, rubbing her cheeks, “I’m starting to think that I’ve cared about her since I met her but didn’t know till my actions got her hurt. I was going to apologize but now I’m shitting desperate. She won’t get out of my mind and.. I don’t know!”
Jenna groans, trying to think of what this was, “I just keep thinking about the things she doesn’t do anymore, and it’s sad not having her by my side. I feel guilty. And I need to apologize even more so she can get out of my head! Em, please, I can’t get that stupid silly cute smile out of my head. And I can’t damn focus knowing that the girl that sits next to me in McGonagall is full on avoiding me!”
She doesn’t realize the way she’s been rambling, she looks at Emma, whose face expression has changed. In some way, she’s slightly having a grin on her face, “You’re in love with her.”
“What? I don’t know! Maybe, I just-I feel bad, and I want to apologize and make it okay again. It’s just so dull and I’ll.. I don’t even fucking know. I just miss her and the way it used to be.”
“You should’ve told me that,” your soft voice sing-songs from behind her, making her tense up and turn around.
“Y/N,” Jenna stutters.
“Jenna,” you mumble, voice slightly breathy.
“I didn’t think you were-” she squeals in surprise as you drag her by the arm, panting softly as you drag her into a room, god who knows what Hogwarts classroom this is.
“Look Y/N, I’m sorry, but why are we in someones-mmph.” You seal her lips with a random spell under your lips and you place your finger to her mouth.
You slightly smirk, god she missed it, she looks down at your lips, she rolls her eyes, “Apologize to me and I’ll let you do what you’ve wanted to do.” You undo your spell, taking off your finger from her mouth as she begins to speak.
“Wha?-”
“Go on.”
You were teasing her, and she breathed, “Okay, I’m sorry. For hurting you, I know I went too far,” she was rambling as she speaks a little faster, “I didn’t mean to hurt you, I just felt more brave as much as I teased you and I know I went too far this time. And I promise I didn’t try to hurt you, I know how much Quidditch meant to you..” she gulps again, taking a breath. “What I did led to a lot of things, and I’ve noticed the way I grew upset when I knew you began to avoid me, and I’ll admit I miss you.” Jenna says the last part hesitantly.
The brunette looked up at you and you were looking at her, hesitant eyes, but almost filled with need? She now noticed the more visible cut on your eye, and you look away, seeing her gaze on the mark you were most insecure on, you cover your face.
“Stop that,” Jenna smacks your hands away and it feels like her hesitation swept away, she slowly reached up to cup your cheeks, in which your uncertainty melted. She looks at the mark, it was better than when she saw you unconscious on the floor. That’s all that matters. She wants to roll her eyes but now she feels weird when she does that.
“Does it hurt?”
You shake your head, “Just a little.”
"I'm sorry about Quidditch."
"I'm still angry about that, my arm should heal soon though, before it starts."
.. An awkward silence passes, then you look down at her pink lips.
Jenna hums, then you tug her closer, making a small whine.
“Please kiss me.”
Jenna’s eyes widen, taking her hands away from your cheeks.
“What?”
“Please,” you plead, your eyes filled with want.
Her eyes flicker from your lips as she cups your cheeks again and brings you to her mouth. As they meet, you’re all small and soft moans, kissing her with need. Hunger. It’s different. Teasing you doesn’t come with words, she’s teasing you with her mouth, feeling the way you grip onto her.
More more more, don’t stop.
You taste exactly how Jenna thought you would, but just so much better. So addicting, it makes her mind spin with you. Coca cola and addictive vanilla. It mixes well with the taste of hers, you let her capture your tongue. It’s feverish, tongue and want combined. She indulges in the way you make a tiny moan as she nibbles your tongue. Your wanting lips push harder to hers, your body pressing against her as you slightly find something to grind against.
It’s heated and different. She tugs you closer, finding it adorable as you pull away for a tiny breath, then continue, like you don’t want to stop feeling her lips on yours. Her hands. Your fingers tugging against her hair.
Long moments after you pull away, you both are panting, your head buried deep into her chest. She rubs your hair.
“I didn’t think you were that experienced,” you whisper.
She rolls her eyes, pressing her lips to your forehead, “I didn’t think you’d pull me into a room and start begging me to kiss you and make out with you.”
“Mm..”
“Well, did my kisses grant your forgiveness for me?
“Maybe.”
“What if I give you another round?”
She smirks, seeing the way you lean back into her.
“Deal.”
She presses her lips that just left yours once again, feeling your hands tangle back into her hair.
#jenna ortega x fem!reader#jenna ortega x you#vada cavell x reader#jenna ortega x reader#jenna ortega imagine#tara carpenter x you#tara carpenter x reader#jenna marie ortega#jenna ortega smut#jenna ortega x y/n#harry potter au
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*smashes head through wall* Hello I’m back😀 Please do an S/O who has pet crows. Either inside the house of outside. How would the slashers react. I’m thinking of taking the crows around my house and I’d like to know. Thanks and I have to treat this wound in my head.
Slasher with an S/o with Crows
Slashers: Bo Sinclair, Lester Sinclair, Thomas Hewitt
Bo Sinclair
This man is confused as all hell at why these little guys bring you shit.
At first, he sees the crows hoping around your feet with bottle caps and money. The next, they bring back acorns and flowers. So, he gets a bit jealous that these birds know what you love.
Soon, a few crows steal his tools to give to you, so he had to give a good talking to the birds. It ends with the crows attacking Bo and Bo swearing and trying to fight them with a broom.
He hates the birds. The birds hate him.
You will find him petting and feeding them, and the crows come back with cigarettes or screws.
It’s a love-hate relationship.
Lester Sinclair
He’s down with it!
He has an alliance with the raccoons, so why should he judge?
He also came up with names! He’s named them: Allen, Poe, Emma, Egg, Landbert, Spots, Hopper, Hopper the Second, Waddles, and Sir Wiggles McGuffy.
He also helps you feed them and take care of them. Lester has built birdhouses and a bird bath for them in the front yard.
When he’s working, he holds out his arm and whistles for them. A crow flies down and lands on his arm and gets head pets.
Soon the crows give his little bones, bottle caps, rocks, and keys.
Thomas Hewitt
He’s grew up with crows and ravens destroying small gardens and crops. So, he doesn’t hate them; he just doesn’t want them around.
I personally think he could give two shits about them because 1: He loves whatever makes you happy and 2: The crows know better than to bother him while he’s working.
But he is interested in how you managed to befriend all the crows in the state of Texas.
So, he sees his s/o as a Goth Princess/Prince/Royalty. When ever you hold your hand out while feed them, they hop and sit, chirping happily at you.
With the little gifts they gave you, Thomas manages to make you a crown, dubbing you as the “Ruler of the Crows”.
One of the crows, you named Igloo (he’s missing an eye), sits on Thomas’s shoulder as he butchers an animal/human. He’s the fluffiest and fastest crow of them all.
The crows don’t give him gifts, but Igloo gives him buttons and paper clips.
#bo sinclair#lester sinclair#house of wax#house of wax 2005#house of wax (2005)#bo sinclair x reader#lester sinclair x reader#thomas hewitt#thomas hewitt x you#thomas hewitt x reader#texas chainsaw the beginning#slashers#slasher#slasher headcanons#bo sinclair headcanons#lester sinclair headcanons#thomas hewitt headcanons#house of wax headcanons#texas chainsaw massacre#slasher x you#slasher x reader#cliff answers#cliff answer
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My name
Pairing: Sirius Black + fem!reader
word count: 4417
Summary: You're James sister, and you like Sirius. He constantly flirts with you, but at the end of the night, he ends up with another girl. How much can either of you take before your feelings are out?
Warnings: kissing, pranks, poor Emma
Requests are open
Hey! If you think this didn't completely suck, feel free to check out my masterlist.
an: I've obsessed with the Sirius + James' sister thing
"I don't think this is a good idea."
"That's part of the fun." He says while we listen closely to anything that might be ongoing outside. I hear no footsteps, and I sigh deeply. I lean against the wall of the cramped broom closet in relief.
"I told you we'd get caught." I say, frustrated that I let him talk me into doing this. He grins and says, "I never said that we wouldn't be caught, I said that it would be fun and it was."
"For you maybe, I was terrified." I huffed, and Sirius continued to grin. He leans closer to my face and teases, "That's because you're a goody two shoes."
"Excuse me for caring about my education and not wanting to get detention." I retort, pushing his face away with my finger. Why did he always have to flirt like this?
Two sharp knocks echo on the door, but neither of us replies, fearing that it was a teacher. Seconds later, we hear a voice say, "You two better not be snogging in there."
I open the door, sighing, "No, James. We were just hiding from Filch."
Remus and Peter are standing beside James while Remus wiggles his eyebrows at me, but I shoot him down with a stern look. Sirius wraps his arm around my waist, and I smack it away. He says, "Would it be such a bad thing, love?"
"Yes." James replies before I could giving his best friend a look that could send him six feet under. Sirius panics, he had seemingly forgot that we weren't alone, so he couldn't pester me.
"How was it?" I ask, hoping to diffuse the situation, James looked like he was about to pounce. James laughs, and his mood uplifts in a moment. He exclaims, "It was brilliant, you should've seen it. The whole place was red!"
The prank, they had transformed the Slytherin common room red, and while I don't particularly support pranks, I was hoping for a night of fun after the torture that was last weeks quizzes.
"And their faces!" Peter said, which reminded James of the prank once more, and he burst our laughing. They continued to chat in loud voices as if they didn't know that we're well passed curfew.
I feel a hand slither around my waist midway to the way to the Gryffindor common room, and I look at Sirius pointedly while he had a smug look on his face. I push his hand away and go step beside Remus instead.
When we're there, I quickly head to the dorms to get a well-deserved good night's sleep.
A normal person would assume that Sirius Black was head over heels in love with me, but that couldn't be farther away from the truth for a multitude of reasons. He valued his friendship with James far too much than to mess it up by being with his sister. I wasn't his type, Sirius likes girls who are nothing like me.
The most important reason was that Sirius doesn't do relationships. He likes flirting, he likes the chase, he likes the sex, the relationship aspect of all that, not so much. He jumped from one girl to the next, typically in the span of the week, and I'd be damned if I was one of those girls.
***
"Go with me." Sirius suggests as soon as he plops down beside me for breakfast. I pause in the middle of lifting a spoon up to my mouth. I frown, "What?"
"The party, the Christmas party." He says, like it's obvious. Slughorns party for the members of the slugclub. I wasn't particularly brilliant when it came to potions, so I wasn't a part of the club, Sirius, however, was.
I don't reply straight away. It was odd. He always flirted, but he never asked me to with him anywhere, never actually asked me out on a date. I hesitantly ask, "As a date?"
James sits down in between both of us and asks intrusively, "Date? What date?"
"Not a date, date, but technically, she's the person I want to take to the Christmas party." Sirius stutters, and James purses his lips. James says, "No."
"James, you're not the boss of me. I make my own decisions." I say, sternly, but James rolls his eyes. Sirius perks up from behind him, and I turn him down, "That doesn't mean that I'll go with you."
He deflates while James perks up. They both start eating food together. They grab the same things at the same time and eat at exactly the same pace. It's freaky how in sync they are. They're the greatest best friends I've ever seen, doesn't Sirius know how this fake flirting thing could jeopardise it?
***
I stare back at my reflection at my mirror. I tilt my head to the side as I analyse which pair of heels would look best with my dress. Lily chimes in, "Black."
"Are you crazy? Red 100%" Alice and Lily bicker, and I chuckle, "You guys aren't making this decision any easier, really."
"You should come." I say, looking at them. They both opted to stay in the dorm studying rather than attending the party which both of them were invited to. Lily shakes her head, "It's too late now. We don't have dates."
"You could go with each other who cares about having dates, and besides, my brother would drop everything to be your date." I try to convince her, sick of hearing my brother talk about her for an entire summer again.
"I thought we agreed that your brother is an off-limits subject." Lily humms, and I lift my hands up in surrender. I look back at the mirror, then hold up the black heels. I say, "we have a winner."
Alice huffs, and I laugh at her reaction while Lily claps victoriously. I bid them goodbye and walked down the stairs to the common room where my brother and his friends were waiting for me.
"You look beautiful." Remus says as soon as he sees me, opting James and Sirius to turn to look at me. James smiles, "I don't know what you're talking about moony. That's the ugliest rat I've ever seen."
I poke my tongue out at him, annoyed, and Remus holds out his arm for me to take. He says, "Thanks again for agreeing to come with me."
"You don't need to thank me, Remus. We're friends." I reply with a smile. Remus wanted to attend the party, but didn't want to go through the hassle of finding a date, so he asked me.
"I know, I'm just sure that I wasn't your first choice when it comes to dates. You might've wanted to go with someone else." Remus says, and I finally look at the boy who was my first choice.
He had his hair looking perfect as always, and he had on an elegant that fitted him perfectly in every way, and he an odd look on his face than prompted me to say, "Are you okay, Sirius?"
He doesn't reply, but he gulps loudly. His eyes trail down my body slowly, and it makes me feel self-conscious. He snaps his eyes back to mine and he says, "Wow...you look stunning."
I blush a deep shade of red, and I look away from him. This was different from how he usually flirts. It felt like there were actually some emotions behind those words.
"Hey! Mate, stop drooling all over my sister, and let's go." James says, snapping his fingers in front of Sirius' face. Sirius replies, "But she's not here yet."
"Who?" Peter asks
"My date." Sirius says, and he rubs his face with both his hands. He mumbles, "I just can't remember her name..."
Just like that, all the positive feelings were gone because all I could think of was me someday bring that girl whose name he couldn't remember. I snap, "You shouldn't invite a girl out on a date if you can't remember her name."
"I-"
"There you are! I've been looking all over for you." A girl says as she walks down the dorm stairs and goes to Sirius. She goes to hug Sirius, pressing a kiss on her cheek, and when she can't see his face, he sends a panicked look to Remus.
Remus rolls his eyes, but when the girl backs away from the hug, he puts his hand in front of him and says, "Hello, I'm Remus."
"I'm Emma." She replies, shaking his hand with a smile. I offer my name and so do the rest of us. Sirius' shoulders drop from relief and he says, "Well, now that Emma's here, we should really get going."
I roll my eyes, and James snorts from beside Sirius. We start walking towards the party, and I mumble under my breath, "When is he going to grow up?"
"When are you going to admit your blatant feelings for him?" Remus whispers right next to my ear, and I flush. I snap my head towards him and snap, "Could you blame me for not wanting to? He couldn't remember the name of the girl he was taking on a date!"
Remus shrugs his shoulders and I know that he's convinced. I see the door to the party and feel Remus say something to me, "But the girl he's taking isn't the girl he likes."
"Bold of you to assume that he has the ability to have feelings for someone." I say, and as much as it hurts me to process the fact, I know that it's true. Remus counters, "Well, no someone has ever been you."
"I know that Sirius is your friend and everything, but you really need to screw your head on better." I snort, and give a fake smile that surely looks just like it is. The room is filled with music, and people are dancing all over the dance floor. I can hear Professor Slughorn's loud voice all the way from here.
Sirius already whisks Emma away to dance and her giggling echoes through the room. I realize that maybe coming to the party wasn't one of my best decisions. I feel a hand on my shoulder, and James says, "You okay?"
"I'm fine." I reply and James says, "It's really no use of lying to your brother."
"Come on, I know what'll cheer you up." James says, and he grabs my hand and drags me to a table, and I drag Remus along with me. James sits down and he pulls out a deck of Muggle cards and starts shuffling them. James smirks, "So, what are we betting on?"
Remus gives James a disapproving look, but sits down. I pick the seat that makes me unable to see Sirius. We start playing and mid-way through our third game, I pause and say, "Isn't this sort of...weird? We're at a party and we're playing cards."
"We're at a party a teacher hosted, we're not exactly the coolest right now either." James retorts and hands Remus all of his 3s, and Remus grins. James laughs and he looks at something behind me. He says, "Looks like our Padfoot has already scored."
I don't bother looking behind me, I already know what's happening. It's been happening every year since 3rd year. I sigh, and press my lips tightly together. Remus places a sympathetic hand on my thigh and I give him an appreciative smile.
"I think I'm gonna go..." I stand up and start to put my things back into my purse, leaving my cards on the table. I run a hand through my hair and say, "I forgot that I've got a Muggle studies quiz tomorrow."
"But we don't have-" James begins, but I've already turn and made my way to the door. The door slams unintentionally behind me, but I know that it doesn't matter, the noise of the chatter and music drowning it out.
I can't believe that I let this happen, and I can believe that I'm hurt and surprised every time it does happen. I feel straw tear fall from my eye, and I wipe it away. It doesn't help that I hear him jogging after me, and saying, "Hey! You left-"
He stands in front of me and places both his hands on my shoulders. He stops me from walking, and I barely have time to put my hand down before he notices my red eyes. He pauses before whispering, "Were you crying?"
"No, allergies." I say, before stepping away from him and trying to keep on going back to the dorms. He stops me again, and he says, "You can tell me."
"No, go back to the party, you're date's waiting." I snap, and try to walk away, but I get forced back into place. I try to move away with more force, but it shots me back harder. I almost fall, if it wasn't for Sirius who stabilized me.
I begrudgingly looked up, and dreaded what I found. A mistletoe, hanging from the archway that we were both under. I rub my hand frustrated over my face, and say, "I'll remember the spell that I'll get us out of this, wait..."
I huff as the spell completely escapes my mind. I try to think harder to one of the charms books I read with Remus a few years ago. Sirius squeezes my waist, and I didn't even realize that he had his hand there. He says, "We can just-"
"No! I'll remember." I say, sternly and push his hand off my waist. He waits patiently and I get more and more frustrated at my weak memory. I snap my fingers as I try to remember, "I read it at the table near the window, in the library...with Remus, in fourth year..."
"Fourth year! You can't remember that." Sirius says, incredulously. I have to admit, it was ridiculous that I believed that I'd be able to remember a spell I once read, three years ago, but I couldn't kiss Sirius. I huff, "I will."
"We'd sooner die, than you'd remember that spell."
"Just wait." I say, as my eyes scan everything around me, trying to remember that stupid spell. Sirius places his hand on my chin, and makes me look into his eyes, the most beautiful mix of grey and blue that I've ever seen. He whispers, "Is kissing me really that bad an option?"
No, it's not, it really isn't, but I can just imagine how it would go. I'd kiss him, I'd get all those fluttery feelings in my stomach, and I wouldn't be able to stop kissing him because finally it's happening. Sirius would keep kissing me until neither of us could anymore. I'd fall in love all over again.
Then, the next morning, he'd act like nothing happened. I'd go to breakfast and find him sitting next to some girl that he's going to be giving all his attention to for the next week with his arm around her shoulder. I would die inside and be miserable until he'd break up with this girl, and I would believe that it's finally my turn, but then he'd find another girl instead.
I'd be even more miserable until I got over him which is unlikely or when he realized that I should be his girlfriend not a fling a girlfriend, which is even more unlikely, and so yes, my answer is yes. I say just that, "Yes, it would, now stop pestering me, so I can think."
"Love, you're never going to remember it."
"Yes, I will." I snap back at him, and he seals his mouth shut. At last, a moment of peace. I try to think, but it wasn't coming to me at all. I tried to think of alternative spells, and I was grateful that Sirius decided to stay calm.
At least I thought so, until he places his fingers on my chin once more, and quickly tries to kiss me. Panicked, I yell, "Bombarda!"
I point my want to the ceiling and the archway, comes crashing down along with the mistletoe, the spell breaks and we escape before the archway falls over us. In hindsight, this wasn't one of my brightest ideas.
"Are you crazy?" Sirius shouts, and he's right, but no way I'm going to tell him that. I look away from the pile of rubble, and brush off the dirt from my dress, and say, "I got us out, didn't I?"
"You almost squished us." Sirius complains and I roll my eyes. He continues, "And you destroyed a piece of the castle."
"As if Dumbledore can't rebuild it, besides, you've done more damage to the school." I say, and Sirius runs a hand through his perfect hair, making it the slightest bit messy. He says, "That's not the point. You were willing to almost kill us both than have me kiss you. Do I have bad breath or something?"
"Did you forget that you were going to kiss someone other than your date tonight?" I say, trying to remain calm, while Sirius keeps on getting more heated up. Sirius replies, "It's not like I'm cheating or something, she's just a date!"
Exactly my point, she's just a date, he couldn't even remember her name, but he still kissed her, and who knows what they'll be doing tonight. I add, "Did you forget that you're going to be kissing your best friend's sister?"
"It's just because of the mistletoe- James would've killed me, I know, but you're not just his sister, you're more than that." Sirius says, and he looks down at the ground, and I feel my heart rate pick up, despite not wanting it to. He adds, "You're my friend too."
The feeling's gone. I scoff, and leave.
***
The next day was more chaotic than last night. I'm sitting at breakfast, trying to convince James that I'm alright because of the way I abruptly left the party last night, while also trying to apologize to Remus for also leaving him abruptly last night.
"I promise you it's fine." Remus
"Unlike you, last night." James
"I swear to Merlin, James. If you don't shut up, I will murder you, and Remus, are you sure there isn't any way I can't make it up to you." I say, turning to Remus, voice switching from stern to soft. Remus slips up, "I'm sure you've suffered enough for your mistakes."
"Suffered? What does he mean?" James interrupts, and I pause. I knew what Remus meant, I heard it, he heard it, the entirety of Gryffindor tower heard it, it being Sirius and Emma having fun this morning in some sort of hidden part of the tower.
Echoes of laughter are heard through the Great Hall, and we all turn to see, Sirius walking in with neon yellow hair. James bursts out laughing, and Peter joins him. I try to hide my snickers behind my hand, while Remus smiles. Sirius huffs and sits next to James, opposite to me.
"What happened, mate?" James asks, trying to contain his laughter. The great hall soon quiets down, and everyone goes back to their own lives. Sirius doesn't say anything as he begrudgingly stuffs his mouth with bread.
No one says, anything but James and Remus try to figure out spells to return Sirius' hair color back to normal. James says, "I'll just use a counter-jinx-"
"That wouldn't work because we need to know the jinx that caused it." Remus explains, and he turns to ask Sirius, "Did you hear the jinx?"
Sirius shakes his head, and I notice him avoiding looking at me. James suggests, "If you tell us who did this, we'll just force it out of them."
Sirius shakes his head again, and we notice Emma walking in shooting glares at Sirius. Remus whispers, "Did something happen with Emma?"
Sirius grumbles something under his breath, and proceeds to stuff his mouth full of food again. James exclaims, "What happened?"
"I-uh..." Sirius trials off, and James chuckles. He slaps Sirius' back and jokes, "What? Did you forget her name again?"
The boys laugh at the idea, but they stop when the notice that Sirius isn't laughing with them and instead turn bright pink. Peter gasps, "You didn't."
"I didn't." Sirius defends quickly, but then sinks back in his chair. He purses his lips, and Remus inquires, "What did you do?"
An angry Hufflepuff comes marching behind Sirius, and tugs on his hair. He yelps and turns around to look at the red-faced girl. She shouts at him, "If you're going to try to sleep with my best friend, then have the decency to say her name."
She shoots me a glare, and then walks away back to the Hufflepuff table where Emma has a sorrow look on her face. Sirius sinks further back into his chair, and Remus exclaims, "You called her the wrong name!"
"It was an accident okay?" Sirius defends himself, and I find myself confused why the girl would glare at me instead of Sirius, unless...no way! No way! He wouldn't...would he? Sirius avoiding looking at me, her glaring at me, it all adds up! I flush a deep shade of red at the thought.
"Who's name did you say?" James asks, and Sirius starts to stutter. He grabs a piece of bread and shoves it in his mouth, and motions to it, as if to say that he can't reply at the moment. He chews very slowly, and the bell rings, signifying that there's only five minutes left till class.
Remus stands up and hauls Peter and James with him. Sirius begrudgingly stands up, trying to ignore the pack of Hufflepuff girls shooting him glares. The great hall's nearly empty by the time, I grab Sirius' hand to stop him from leaving.
The action catches my brother's eye, and I say, "We'll meet you there."
James looks at us both skeptically, but Remus grabs him by the collar, and pulls him towards class, along with Peter. Remus has had years of experience and knows that this is the only way to get the boys to class. James shouts behind his back to us, "If you're late, I'll come find you."
"Ow, ow, ow, Moony." James exclaims, as Remus grabs his ear and tries to stop him from staying behind with us. Once they're an appropriate distance away, Sirius asks, "What is it?"
"First...let me." I say, before bringing out my want from my belt loop and waving it over his hair, turning it back to the perfect jet black color that it was. He grins, pulling some of the strands over his eyes, to see the familiar shade of black. He says, "Thank you-"
"Why did you do that?" I interrupt him, exasperated. Sirius turns red, taken aback, and he avoids looking at me again. He stutters, "What are you talking about?"
By now my assumptions have been confirmed, and I feel my heart rate pick up as I say, "You said my name, why did you say my name?"
"I thought, I've been obvious, I like you." Sirius says, seeing no use in denying it, and running a hand through his hair. I bite the insides of my cheek and sigh, "No, you don't."
"I do, a lot." Sirius says, and he takes a step closer to me, the same step that I take back, pushing me to the wall. I say, "You just want me because you can't have me, but once you do, you'll lose interest."
He shakes his head, and he purses his lips before saying, "It's not like that-"
"If you really like me, why were you with those girls?" I ask, and I'm afraid of the answer. I fiddle with my fingers anxiously, and he says, "Trying to get over you."
He takes my hand in his, and I sigh. For so long, this is what I've wanted, he's the one that I like. I look into his eyes for any signs of anything other than sincerity, but there weren't any.
He leans to try to kiss me, but I stop him with a finger on his lips. I take in a shaky breath and say, "If you do this...If you kiss me, I want you to mean it. I want you to kiss me because you like me, not because you're bored or because you want to sleep with me. I can't be just another notch on your belt, I-I'm in this if you are, but if you're not then stop now..."
I trail off, and look back into his eyes, to find him looking at me with an expression I can't place. Butterflies shoot up and down my stomach. I expect him to leave, to turn around and head to class, but he doesn't.
He presses his lips to mine, and I let out a soft gasp. He holds me tightly to his chest, and he grasps at my waist. He kisses me once, twice and a couple more times. He doesn't stop until, he can't breathe anymore. He rests his forehead to mine and I pant, "You kissed me."
"I did" Sirius replies, and he smiles. I can't help, but grin myself. He holds me tighter, and I find myself smiling even wider. I say, "James is gonna kill you."
"I know." He shudders and I see the panicked look behind those grey eyes. I worry that it's going to stop him from being with me. Maybe he didn't even mean to kiss me, maybe he tripped. I ask, "And that doesn't deter you at all?"
"It does" He replies, and I feel myself getting anxious. Sirius values his friendship with James above anything else, they were brothers. I know that he'd be terrified to put it in jeopardy. I add, "Does it scare you?"
"Yes" He says, and I purse my lips before tentatively asking, "Then why aren't you backing away?"
"Because I can't really think about James murdering me when I really want to kiss you." He says, and I smile, maybe he didn't trip. I ask, "Again?"
"Multiple times, yes" He teases, and I smile. It's me who leans forward this time to capture his lips onto mine. He's grinning against my lips, making a proper kiss impossible to achieve. He pushes me against the wall, and keeps kissing me till all the oxygen is out of my lungs.
"GET OFF OF MY SISTER, BLACK!"
#harrypotterimagine#hogwarts#harry potter#harrypotter#fanfiction#fluff#gryffindor#the maruaders#marauders fanfiction#marauders fic#harry potter marauders#marauders era#the marauders#hp marauders#marauders#marauders imagine#siriusblackimagine#sirius black#sirius black angst#sirius black fanfiction#sirius black fluff#sirius black headcanon#sirius black imagine#sirius black x reader#sirius black x y/n#sirius black x you#young sirius black#siriusblack#sirius x reader#sirius x you
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rip-off
sirius black x slytherin!potter!reader
w/c: 2.9k
summary: sirius is so enamored with you, his best friend's sister, that he's too distracted to play properly. when a poor play by sirius renders you severely injured, he and james must handle the aftermath.
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
Tensions were high between you and James the day of the first Gryffindor-Slytherin match of the year. Walking into the Great Hall together, you jumped up to tousle James’ untamable hair, earning a mocking laugh from him as you came up short, just managing to grasp the tangles at the back of his neck. You groaned.
“This is bullshit! My birth was a rip-off! You got every damn tall gene and I came second and you saved me none, you… you-” You were cut off by a pair of strong arms across your waist, lifting you in the air as you shrieked. Sirius grinned mischievously at you as you realized what he was doing. Practically tackling James, you jumped onto his back and clung your arm around his neck as you were finally able to dig your fist into James’ head as he let out a strangled yelp.
“Get off me, you pest! You should’ve never been born in the first place,” James shook you off as the three of you burst into laughter, Sirius shoving his friend forward as the two approached the Gryffindor table and you departed to the Slytherins.
“Your sister is… really something.” Sirius glanced over his shoulder at you, who was slapping your knee with mirth as you caught your breath at something Regulus had said. His stomach panged with jealousy— no, pre-game nerves—as he watched his younger brother swing an arm around your shoulders.
“She means well. Being friends with Regulus, I mean. I know you guys aren’t on the best terms, but I think they’re good for each other. Keeps the two of ‘em from hanging out with that crowd.” He juts his chin towards Severus, Avery, Bellatrix, and Mulciber.
“You’re right, it’s just… don’t you wish she was a Gryffindor sometimes? She’s fun and nice, and she gets along with the lot of us so well, and…” and pretty too, he thought guiltily.
“Don’t tell me you’re going soft on her, Padfoot. You know her, she’s an absolute menace.” James elbowed his friend good-naturedly. “Now eat. She’s also a mean seeker, and I am not about to get beat by my younger sister in the first quidditch match of the year.”
Remus caught Sirius’ eye, eyebrow raised subtly. Curse Moony and his stupid perception.
Sirius was caught up in his thoughts the rest of the morning, even as he was putting on his quidditch gear. Godric, what is wrong with you? Have you truly gone mental? She’s your best mate’s younger sister. Younger, too! Too young for you, and too good for you, and she’s James’ sister! James Potter, your friend who would kill you if he found out about your feelings. Which don’t exist, of course. No, you don’t have any feelings for her. It’s brotherly affection. It’s-
“PADFOOT!” James’ face was right in front of his. “You’ve been off your game all day, mate. We’re starting in 5, you gotta get your shit together. And I know you have a tendency to go easy on my sister—which I normally would appreciate, by the way—but this is war! On the pitch, she’s not my baby sister, she’s the enemy. Act like it!” James clapped as he led the team into the stadium, cheers exploding from each of the houses, minus Slytherin. Opposite the Gryffindors approached the Slytherins, led by their keeper and Captain, Emma Vanity, whom you had gushed about on multiple occasions. You wiggled your eyebrows at your brother, meeting Sirus’ eye with a poorly suppressed smile. Sirius pursed his lips to hide his own.
The older Potter and Vanity shook hands, his face immediately hardening as the young Madame Hooch called, “mount your brooms, please. Now, on your marks…” Hooch’s silver whistle cut through the stadium as the teams shot upwards. Davey Gudgeon’s dramatic throat-clearing as he amplified his voice filled the air.
“AND THEY’RE OFF! LOOKS LIKE MALFOY IS QUICK TO GRAB THE QUAFFLE WITH POTTER ON HIS TAIL; OHH, BLACK IS QUICK WITH THE BLUDGER AND POTTER HAS POSESSION OF THE QUAFFLE!” From your peripheral, you saw Mulciber lean forward on his broom to catch up to your brother, with Malfoy closing in on the other side.
“AND POTTER DODGES A BODY BLOW WITH A SLICK DIVE, LIVING UP TO HIS REPUTATION AND THAT BLOODY PRIZE I HAVE TO SCRUB DURING DETEN-”
“STAY FOCUSED, DUGEON.”
“Right, my bad Professor… THERE GOES THE LITTLE POTTER AFTER HER BROTHER, YOU KNOW THE TWO OF THEM ARE QUITE ATTRACTIVE, I’VE ALWAYS WONDERED IF THEY HAVE VEELA BLOOD-” With a huff, Gudgeon’s commentary was cut short with an impatient elbow from McGongall.
Your smile only grew at the Slytherins cheered your name; you relished the stinging wind against your cheeks. You swore you caught a glimmer of gold underneath James as he escaped Mulciber and Malfoy, but it was nowhere to be seen now. Returning to a circling position above the rest of the players, you made eye contact with the Gryffindor seeker, Patricia Rakepick, a seventh year who couldn’t help her soft spot towards you, despite the complaints of the older Potter. You grinned at each other, until Rakepick broke eye contact and whizzed right past you.
“RAKEPICK, LOOKING LOVELY AS EVER, HAS SPOTTED SOMETHING! POTTER IS JUST BEHIND- OW, LOOKS LIKE A NASTY HIT FROM MR. SIRIUS BLACK HAS INCAPACITATED WILKES. NEVER FEAR, ROSIER IN POSESSION OF THE QUAFFLE… MACDONALD’S BLUDGER MISSES… AND HE SCORES! 10-0!” The Slytherin stand roared, a sea of green and silver erupting from their seats.
While Wilkes pumped his fist and blew exaggerated kisses to the Slytherins, you took an opportunity to find Rakepick. There she was, with the snitch just a few meters away!
“IMPRESSIVE SLOTH GRIP ROLL FROM RAKEPICK TO DODGE MEADOWES’ BLUDGER… LOOKS LIKE THE SNITCH HAS GOTTEN AWAY.” Sirius took a second to glance up at you, as if to assure you hadn’t been caught up in the bludgeoning. Of course, you were fine. You were a perfectly capable quidditch player; why wouldn’t you be fine?
“POTTER STEALS THE QUAFFLE FROM WILKES, WHO’S BACK IN THE GAME… NICE TWIRL FROM POTTER AS HE MISSES LESTRANGE’S BLUDGER… MALFOY COMES IN AND SLYTHERIN IS IN POSSESSION OF THE QUAFFLE AGAIN!”
“Sirius Black, what in Godric’s fucking hell are you doing? You’re supposed to be bludgening Malfoy and his lot! Get your head in the game!” Sirius woke from his trance as fuming James flies past him, chasing after Lucius.
“MCKINNON INCOMING… SHE’S GOT THE QUAFFLE AND SHOOTS… AW, A GOOD SAVE FROM VANITY AND MALFOY’S GOT THE QUAFFLE AGAIN!”
The glint appeared right in front of your eyes. As Malfoy sped towards the Gryffindor goalposts, the snitch followed. Your blood raced with adrenaline as you wove between your older brother and the other chasers, hot on Lucius’ tail. Lucius was fast, but the snitch was faster.
“LOOKS LIKE THE YOUNGER POTTER HAS SPOTTED SOMETHING; COULD IT BE THE SNITCH? LOOK AT THAT- GOING HANDS FREE AS SHE FLIES OVER MALFOY’S HEAD… RAKEPICK COMING IN FROM THE LEFT…”
Amidst the chaos, the snitch had begun a rapid descent. You and Patricia Rakepick dove after it, but your smaller frame pushed completely against the handle of your broomstick gave you just that extra push of speed. Your fingers were mere centimeters from the snitch as Sirius raised his bat, knowing James would murder him if he let Gryffindor lose with 0 points just because of his reluctance to attack James’ little sister—perhaps even worse than what he’d do if he found out Sirius liked… no, Sirius didn’t… he was just…
In his internal fight, he hit the bludger with a resounding crack as it began spinning and gaining momentum as it whizzed towards you. It was too late for you to react before you were violently knocked off your broomstick, one arm reaching desperately for the handle. There was screaming from the stands as you fell through the air clutching your hands to your chest, but you couldn’t hear anything with your heart thundering in your ears. The players froze as James let go of the quaffle to race after his sister, your eyes closed as you cursed Hogwarts for not letting students apparate and cursed yourself for not being able to apparate anyways. Sirius, momentarily frozen, heard Remus and Peter’s voices shouting for him to do something, anything. His stomach twisted as he followed James down, hoping that at least one of them would be able to reach you in time.
He was wrong. You hit the ground with a dull thud and a whimper, followed by a crunch that made both James and Sirius wince. How many meters was that? Sirius didn’t want to know. Madame Pomfrey was quick to rush to your side while Madame Hooch motioned the players to come down for a time out.
“Give me space! Out of the way, boys, I need to see her.” Pomfrey fought her way past the panicking Sirius and James, who turned as they heard Remus and Peter’s footsteps approaching with Lily in tow; Regulus coming from the Slytherin stands. Sirius glanced at his younger brother, who pressed his lips together in a forced smile. Sirius was about to open his mouth and say something when Vanity stormed over, face flushed, Marlene and Dorcas following behind.
“Sirius. Fucking. Black.” She emphasized each word with a shove to his chest, standing a couple of inches above Sirius. “What was that? What were you thinking? You nearly killed her! Wait, did you kill her? Is she dead? Holy shit, you’re fucked up, you know that? What the fuck is wrong with you?” She was crouched next to you only moments later, gently brushing your hair out of your face with calloused fingers. Pomfrey swore under her breath, tapping her wand against your chest rhythmically, her fingers pressed against your neck checking for a pulse.
“Good news everyone! She’s not dead.” Pomfrey announced to the small group which had gathered around. “But the bad news is she’s severely fractured multiple ribs, appears to have major head trauma, which would make sense because she fell off her broom for the sake of this stupid, dangerous, purposeless game,” she said, pinching the bridge of her nose, “a broken arm, and a bruised tailbone.” Pomfrey stood up and gestured to allow the students to check in on you as she and McGonagall spoke in harsh whispers.
“Shit. Shit, shit shit. Fuck.” James was the first to jostle through, collapsing to his knees in front of you. McGonagall didn’t even look his way as he spewed profanities. Sirius couldn’t move. It was his fault. He got distracted. James told him to get his shit together, not kill his little sister! And, like the screw-up he was, he did exactly the latter.
Your eyelids fluttered as you saw James’ terrified face above yours. With a weak groan, you opened your hand, the snitch in your scraped palm. “We win,” you chuckled hoarsely, wincing as pain tore through your chest.
“You’re such an idiot. You’re incorrigible, you know that? Can’t ever stay out of trouble,” tears slipped down James’ face, leaving tear marks as they washed away the grime on his cheeks.
“Is she okay?” Lily whispered in James’ ear, who was too caught up in his worries to even think about how close the love of his life was to his face. James could only sniffle. Dorcas rubbed Marlene’s arm while Peter patted Sirius on the back and Remus rubbed his shoulder, sensing his distress. Sirius could only watch as Regulus took your hand, fingers passing over the small scuff next to your eye with Sirius’ eyes fixed on his brother’s movements with a clenched jaw.
“Listen, you’re gonna be okay. I’ll take you up to the infirmary and stay with you until you feel better,” Regulus smiles reassuringly. “C’mon, up you go.” Pomfrey levitated you onto a stretcher and headed for the castle, Regulus by your side. McGonagall shooed Remus and Peter away, insisting they weren’t needed here and instructed the two captains to deal with their respective teams. But Sirius couldn’t move; it was as if he was tethered to the ground in chains of guilt and jealousy watching your figure disappear.
“You good, mate?” James threw his arm around Sirius’ shoulders as Peter and Remus walked away with concerned glances thrown over their shoulders.
“Prongs, I nearly killed your sister! Why the fuck are you asking me if I’m okay?” Sirius hissed as he pushed James away, storming towards the locker rooms.
“Hey, don’t ignore me!” Sirius ignored him. “I said, don’t ignore me!” James slammed his hand against a locker as he blocked Sirius’ path, hoping to force a word out of his friend, but Sirius only looked at the ground.
“It’s not your fault, Pads. She’s the toughest quidditch player I know. More so than you and I, even,” he forced out a laugh. When Sirius continued to refuse to make eye contact, James grabbed him the shoulders and shook him roughly.
“Hey, I hate to resort to this, but this isn’t bloody about you and your guilt. First of all, it’s not your fault. You did exactly what you were supposed to, and an accident happened, and she’s gonna get Pomfrey treatment, which means she’ll be on bed rest until she’s completely good. That woman’s ego could not handle having a patient leave without full recovery, you know that. She’s in good hands.” Sirius’ red-rimmed eyes flickered between James, looking for any trace of blame. There was none.
“Second, moping around and drowning in your emo feelings will do nobody any good, except maybe Slughorn, who’ll get a real kick out of your silence in Potions. Go shower or something, you smell like Snivellus; meet me in the infirmary when you’re done, okay?”
Sirius watched James disappear into the distance, just as he watched the water disappear into the drain, and just as he felt any chance of being your friend disappear into thin air. All he ever wanted to do was keep you safe, and make you smile that radiant smile of yours, and if he was lucky, bring out that infectious laugh that turned him stupid every time he heard it. Now, he was lugging equipment up to the infirmary with damp hair and puffy eyes, not ready whatsoever to face you.
“Padfoot, you’re here! She’s still asleep.” James motioned for the sullen boy to join him and Regulus at your bed. Regulus was once again, by your face, threading his fingers through a strand of your windblown hair. There it was, that feeling in his gut. It was probably hunger; he hadn’t eaten a proper breakfast and then he’d played quidditch.
Sirius sat across from Regulus, who looked up from beneath hooded eyes with a silent glare which Sirius read to mean, “don’t you dare come near her. You don’t deserve her. She’s mine.”
“Alright Mr. Potter, you smell awful, and Mr. Black, you’ve been here for too long. The both of you—out!” Pomfrey ushered the two boys out, much to their protests, and turned to Sirius with something that looked like pity in her eyes. “As for you… you get eight minutes.”
Sirius watched as you slept, brows furrowed. He reached to brush away the dirt on your forehead, but his hand froze just as his fingers came close enough to feel the warmth of your skin. He stiffened, wondering if he even had the right to be sitting next to you when he was the reason you were here in the first place.
“Please… please, you have to be okay. You have to. I don’t know what I’d do…” Sirius murmured, finally finding the courage to swipe his fingers across your skin. “You know, James says he doesn’t blame me for this. Is it selfish to wish I wasn’t here right now? You- even when you sleep, you’re so-” he couldn’t bring himself to say it out loud; it felt dirty, like a betrayal to his brother. You’re so beautiful. You’re so reassuring. You’re so strong.
“I haven’t even gotten the chance to tell you how I feel. I don’t know how I feel, actually.” Sirius laughed mirthlessly. “But I feel like I should. I should know how I feel, I mean. I should know how I feel about you because you- you’re always so confident and I can’t be that for you; I can’t even get my shit together.” He sighed, pulling his hand away from where he had been rubbing gentle circles against your temple, wondering if you’d hate him. The worst part was, that he knew you wouldn’t.
Sirius sat by your bed for a while, head between his hands as he replayed the fall— the way your eyes closed as if you had resigned yourself to the inevitable impact, the way he foolishly thought he could save you, and the way he didn’t. He jumped at Madame Pomfrey’s chill hand, freshly sanitized. You don’t belong here, all sterile and bland. You’re nothing like that. You’re the light. You’re my brilliant, Gryffindor red and I’m not even brave enough to tell you how I feel. Or to fucking admit how I feel to myself.
Sirius could hear Pomfrey’s foot tapping in concern as he left the infirmary, picking up his quidditch equipment from the floor and wishing he had never stepped foot in the stadium at all.
.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.
#sirius black imagine#sirius x reader#sirius black x reader#sirius black x you#sirius black x reader angst#sirius black angst#sirius black x potter!reader#best friend's sister#maurauders era#maurauders angst
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Rio: *beating Silvio with a broom*
Emma: Um...whatcha doin'?
Rio: Cleaning.
#ikemen prince#ikemen prince incorrect quotes#rio ortiz#silvio ricci#ikepri emma#incorrect ikemen prince
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What Does It Mean (Part One)
> lady lesso x fem!reader
> requested? yes! by @1ntr0v3rt3dsna1l
> content/warnings: R starts the chess match, L is annoyed, D is annoying, E is forever the neutral baby in this fics
> a/n: i just wish Lesso would finally catch on what's happening, i want to see her win this chess match between her and R lol (talking as if i'm not the author)
request prompt: Y/N is an Ever (and, of course, a reader) from the modern world (where we live, baby!). Y/N had already read the books of School for Good and Evil and is well aware of everything about it in general. Lady Lesso slowly harbored a crush on Y/N, and despite being opposites, they became close friends. Lady Lesso found out that Y/N is her soulmate, but Lesso keeps denying it. Y/N knew Lady Lesso so well, so she wasn't shocked or surprised (because, after all, the books). Then, Y/N eventually gave up on trying to bridge their relationship... And left after the Rafal thing?
As the school year comes near to a start, Dovey becomes increasingly bothersome, at least according to Lesso. The Dean of Good appears to annoy Lesso every chance she gets. This includes various types of meetings, whether they are staff or private ones, as well as encounters in the hallway of the School for Good.
“Give it a week, and I’m sure Lesso will just implode,” one of the teachers muttered. You, of course, the ever-eavesdropper that you are, leaned in and replied. “Can you tell me why?”
The Never teacher raised an eyebrow but shrugged. “Dovey has been getting on Lesso’s nerves lately. She’s been constantly trailing behind Lesso to ‘discuss’ the plans for the start of the year.” This had you pursing your lips. You didn’t like the term ‘trailing behind’ and, of course, you couldn’t comprehend what kind of ‘discussion’ Dovey was apparently annoying Lesso about. However, one thing was clear: you didn't like it at all.
“Pinch me.” You whispered to the teacher beside you, wherein she gave you a look that said, ‘Are you crazy?’
Rolling your eyes, you stomped on Uma’s foot, making her slap you on the arm quite harshly. This made you wince, but it didn’t matter to you. Because the moment you winced, Lady Lesso winced with you.
Aha! Got you.
Emma, who was on your front, raised an eyebrow at the voice she heard. Shrugging, Emma ignored the voice, yet it didn’t stop talking. Soulmates, huh? Who would’ve thought? An Ever and a Never? Oh, Storian, get ready, because I’ll be visiting you after this.
As the voice continued speaking, Emma’s eyes widened at each word that was leaving the mind of the owner. With every minute passing, the voice became familiar to her. Then it dawned on her that the voice belonged to you. It was you who was talking about your soulmate. And from the looks of it, Dovey’s plan has started, and you were making the first move.
-
Once the meeting ended and you were on your way to your designated classrooms, a hand grabbed your arm and pulled you towards a broom cupboard.
“Who were you talking about earlier?” The owner of the voice flicked her fingers, and the light went on. Revealing a smirking Emma in front of you. Feeling your blush from yesterday come back, you rolled your eyes and huffed.
“Talking? I didn’t even open my mouth at the meeting, Emma.” You feigned ignorance and cursed yourself for not putting up a barrier for your thoughts. The Storian will surely either tease or scold you for this.
“Don’t lie to me, Y/N.” Emma leaned towards you and pursed her lips. “I heard you.”
Leaning against the wall to add a little bit of distance between the two of you, you sighed and bit your lower lip. “Fine! Fine! I was talking about Lady Lesso earlier.” You couldn’t bear to lie about this. But in reality, you just didn’t have the backbone to lie to someone who genuinely likes you.
“Oh, this is perfect!”
Frowning, you gave Emma a questioning look and asked. “Perfect in what way?”
Giving you a pat on the shoulder, Emma grins and opens the door for you to leave. “Go on, shoo.” She then pushed you out of the cupboard and slammed it shut.
Looking around you to see if anyone saw what happened, you shrugged and left while muttering, "Gods, people here aren’t worth the hassle to get my happy ever after.”
-
“Lesso, just one word. Describe the new teacher!” Dovey slipped her cane to stop the door from slamming in her face. “Come on, this isn’t that hard to do!”
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Lesso sat on her chair behind her desk and gave Dovey a glare. “Why do you even care what I think of her?”
Although she knew that Lesso’s words were a trap, Dovey thought of her next words to say. Because who’s to say that Lesso hasn’t caught up on what she and Emma have been working on for the entire summer break. So, she thought hard about her reply. “Nothing.”
Groaning at her counterpart, Lesso pursed her lips to not scream at Dovey. “If it’s nothing, then get out of my office.” She flicked her hand and opened the door for Dovey. And when Dovey didn’t make a move to leave, Lesso whistled, calling the air to escort Dovey out of her office. Yet, before Dovey could be sent outside, the dean of Good shouted. “If you don’t answer, I will be annoying you about this for the whole year!”
Snapping her fingers, the onslaught against Dovey stopped. “Fine! Fine!” Lesso rolled her eyes and thought for about a minute before answering.
“The word is ‘bearable’. Now, leave!” This time, Dovey accepted the slamming door in her face with the biggest grin she could muster.
Bearable, huh?
“I can still hear your thoughts, Clarissa! Leave!”
#leonora lesso x reader#lady lesso x reader#school for good and evil#dean of evil#clarissa dovey#emma anemone#professor anemone
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Omg I’ve just found your art and I just wanted to pop in and say that your Regulus is EXACTLY how I imagine him. Love your style, keep it up 💕
thank you!! taking the chance to talk about an hc of mine about reggie getting in the quidditch team:
james and sirius joined the gryffindor team at the beginning of their second year, and since they were already promising players, the slytherins had to think of a strategy.
team captain emma vanity decided to ask the youngest black, still a first year but well skilled on the broom, to join the team and play against his brother.
despite being scared shitless reg said yes because:
1) he loved flying
2) slytherin’s youngest seeker?? cool asf
3) he missed his brother
3) emma vanity was like a big sis to everyone
#nothing answers#it’s checking-inbox-saturday everyone#this is actually quite an old sketch#i don’t even know if the info i took inspiration from is canon but yolo
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Lego Discworld - Patrician's Palace
Patrician's palace exterior with Ankh-Morpork coat of arms.
Giant beehive / pidgeon roost / clack's tower on roof.
Statue of old Stoneface and hoho in front.
City catacombs under the surface.
Palace interior with secret passage.
Palace garden with lilac bush and BS Johnson's exploding fountain.
Ginger tom and unprofitable butterfly.
Patrician's palace, closed, front.
Havelock Vetinari, Wuffles and Igor in the puke green room.
Includes candle stub on nightstand and candle stick hidden in the chest of drawers.
Mr Pump in Vetinari's study.
Incudes a crossword puzzle/thud board, music sheet and the manuscript of The Servant.
Leonard of Quirm, Sybil Ramkin, Erol and Rufus Drumknott in Leonard's atelier.
Includes the model of the Kite, device for removing mountains, internal combustion kettle, scultping and painting equipment, and Vetinari's portrait.
Library / secret passage. Includes Oswald, modle of the disc and a death mask / head for young Vetinari.
The low king of Dwarves in the Oblong office.
Includes Vetinari's and Drumknott's desks, "world's best boss" mug, and dog biscuit.
Commander Vimes, Angua von Uberwald and lord Rust in the Rat's chamber.
Includes sprig of lilac, old Stoneface's axe, and Angua's collar / stygium ring.
Otto Chirk and palace guard in the waitng room / entrance / throne room / ball room.
Inclues Vetinari's clock and the gilded throne of Ankh.
Palace Cook / Glenda Sugerbean / Grace Speaker / Interchangable Emma and food taster / Young Sam in the Kitchen.
Includes bread, water and hardboiled egg. Roasting salmon, caviar and goblet of blood. Wine, cheese and a spoon.
Foul ole Ron and Rincewind in the treasury.
Includes snake and scorpion. Paper money, Agatean gold coin and a head of cabage.
Tears of the mushtoom and Detritus in the saferoom / bathroom. Includes matress and shaving equipment. Bathtub, chamber pot with nightsoil, and shoft lavatory paper.
Moist in the janitor's closet / botomless pit.
Includes trap door and chain for mimes. Stoker Blake's shovel and the Sweeper's broom.
Death / mime and death of rats / rat spy in the dungeon.
Includes barred door, Dwarven locks, and a plaque inscribed learn the words.
Possible minifig permutations, with acessories:
Charlie, assasin Vetinari, Patrician Vetinari, Stoker Blake
Drumknott, Vetinari, Adora Dearheart, Albert Spangler.
Vimes under the Summoning Dark, young constable Vimes, Commander Vimes, Sargent Keel, Sir Samuel the duke of Anhk.
BLT Sybil, Dragonbreeder Sybil, dwarf opera Sybil.
Buggy Swires, Nobby Nobs, Fred Colon, Angua von Uberwald, Carrot Ironfounderson. Commander Vimes, Reg Shoe, Cuddy, Cherry.
Groat, Moist, Stanley
Ponder Stibbons, Mustrum Ridcully and Rincewind
Mrs Rosie Palm, lady Sybil Ramkin, madam Roberta Mersole
Otto Chirk, Margolata von Ubervald, dragon king of arms
Dragon king of arms, lord Rust, mr Pin and mr Tulip, Reacher Gilt, mr Slant, lord Downey
Low king of dwarves, Bashful Bashfullson, Cuddy, Cherry
Buggy Swires, Tears of the Musroom, Of the lathe the swarf
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Black Tie Optional: Final Part
Summary: The last time we saw Vanessa, she was swooning over Dean’s lasting impression. Now, we fast-forward a year to see what she’s up to.
Pairing: Dean Winchester x OFC Vanessa Martinelli, (eventual) Sam Winchester x OFC Emma Olsen
Warnings for this part: 18+ ONLY, SERIES FINAL REWRITE BECAUSE FUCK THAT REBAR, "one thing about Dean Winchester is, if a Toddler handed him a toy phone, he'd answer it"
Words in this part: 4,800
Author's notes: Follow-up to Plus One.
Thank you, @brrose-apothecary and @stusbunker for the read-throughs and greenlight.
text divider by @talesmaniac89
Prologue | Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four
FINAL PART
The wedding party hits a few pubs on the way back to the hotel. Vanessa declares herself to be the “only sensible adult in this car” at their first stop and makes Sam take her place in the front passenger seat for the rest of the ride.
Dean watches her in his rearview mirror as she and Emma snap selfies in the backseat. From the very first moment he met her over a year ago, Dean knew she was special. She’s beautiful, yeah, but she’s so real and funny and smart.
Vanessa finally meets his gaze, and her eyelids flutter like they always do when she sees him like it’s the first time. He wonders if that’ll ever fade. Dean smiles, and she smiles back.
They pull up to the last bar and pile out onto the curb.
Dean rounds the hood of the car to where Vanessa is waiting for him as Sam and Emma make their way inside.
“Ya know, that little twinkle in your eye and this dress’re makin’ it hard for me to be a gentleman.” He steps close and reaches for her wrist, pulling her into him.
“Who told you to be gentle?” Vanessa slides her hands inside his unbuttoned jacket to wrap her arms around his waist. When her fingers bump against cold steel, she tenses. “Oh-”
Dean clasps his hands at the small of her back and looks down at her. “Just in case. OK?”
Vanessa relaxes in his embrace and nods.
“Kay,” he mutters, dropping a kiss to the crown of her head.
She questions whether she should be troubled by the gun at his back. But she isn’t; in fact, the discovery serves to crystallize what she knows about him into the perfect shape of a man she trusts with her life, and her heart.
“A’right, Big Guy,” Emma coos as Sam helps her out of the Impala for the last time of the evening. “You and me, utility closet.”
She smooths her hands over her hips and tosses her hair over her shoulders.
Sam cocks a brow as he lets the heavy backdoor close. “Well, then, I guess we better get movin’.”
Emma giggles, taking off in a sprint with Sam hot on her stilettoed heels.
“They’re stealing our moves!” Vanessa laughs as Dean helps her onto the curb.
“Borrowing, kitten. No one’s takin’ that broom closet from us.”
Vanessa’s chest warms from his words and the look in his eyes. At one point, she thought Dean would be nothing more than a thrilling memory and story to tell, which sustained her for a while. Now, though, the ability to savor each moment, knowing that once their door closes tonight, he will make her feel like the most deserving, most treasured woman in the building, if not the galaxy, is sure to leave her wanting when he leaves tomorrow. She knows that now.
“Yo, lovebirds,” Nicole calls. “Let’s get inside so they can announce the bride and groom and start dinner.” She nods toward the ballroom, and Dean and Vanessa reluctantly unwind from each other’s embrace to follow her and the others.
Emma and Sam are MIA, but Nicole summons enough grace not to call it out. Once the wedding party and their dates are seated at the head table, Toni and her new husband enter the room. The guests cheer, and the first dance begins.
During the first toast, the missing couple materializes at the head table, disheveled and flushed. Dean snorts a laugh as Sam takes a seat beside his date.
“Sammy, I gotta tell ya,” Dean leans across the table toward Sam. “I like the effect this girl’s got on you.”
Sam seems to blush darker, if possible. “Me, too,” he admits, flicking his bright gaze to meet Dean’s as Emma burrows into his side and the staff serves them salad.
The second course is served while Dean quietly immerses himself in a scenario where he and Sam aren’t hunting the sister of the Almighty. They’re bartenders or electricians with mortgages and dogs and car payments. The only reason either of them breaks a bone or bleeds is because of a mundane accident. They get eight hours of sleep at night and eat three meals a day. He regularly attends weddings and birthday parties with his beautiful girl at his side.
“Should we dance?” Vanessa’s voice creates a fissure of reality in his fantasy.
“Or maybe you don’t dance.” She tucks her chin to her chest and bats the thick dark lashes that frame her cerulean eyes.
Dean’s momentarily speechless as his daydream twines its way around the very real, very tangible, very beautiful woman facing him with anticipation. She blinks, and he can almost feel the weight of his imagined existence settling around them, shimmering in the pin lights that hang from the rafters.
“Dean?” Vanessa tilts her head with concern.
“It’d be an honor,” he answers, pushing away from the table to stand, offering her his hand.
Vanessa grins as she slides her hand across his open palm and stands to face him. “Such a gentleman.”
“Hmm. There’s that word again.”
They saunter toward the dancefloor, hand in hand and eye to eye, in time with the bluesy beat from Chris Stapleton’s cover of “Tennessee Whiskey” until they reach the edge. Dean drags her close with a flourish, one heavy hand at the small of her back, fingers teasing the skin that’s bared by the low-cut back of her silk dress, and the other lightly clasping her fingers in his palm. She rests her free hand over his heart and lets him lead the way.
“Did I tell you how beautiful you are?”
“You did. The last time was about 30 minutes ago, between the mixed greens and beef tenderloin.”
Dean nods. “Then I’m due. You’re beautiful.”
Vanessa smiles.
“Did I tell you how good you smell?” Dean draws small circles over the silky skin of her lower back.
“Probably.” She smirks, and he grins back.
“Did I tell you how hard it’s gonna be to wait another- wait, how long do I have to wait to get you naked?”
Vanessa throws her head back with a hearty laugh.
They dance through Chris Stapleton, John Mayer, and Calvin Harris, chatting with Emma and Sam until the DJ declares a free-for-all, and the rest of the guests flood the dancefloor for “Uptown Funk”.
“Aaand I’m done.” Dean twirls Vanessa once before turning and forging a path through the oncoming crowd, taking Vanessa with him.
“Not feelin’ funky?” She teases.
“Oh, I can be funky, but not that kinda funky.”
Before they get too far, Dean almost trips over Ari. He recovers quickly when the little girl stares up at him with big brown eyes that aggressively tug the strings of his heart.
“Ari, honey, you’re underfoot!” Silvia playfully scolds her granddaughter. “She just wants to dance.”
Ari sways side to side and bounces on the balls of her feet.
“There ya go!” Vanessa croons, reaching for one of Ari’s hands to play along with her. She’s only slightly taken aback when Dean reaches for the little girl’s other hand.
Ari giggles and hops up and down as the trio dances back toward the crowd. There are other people Ari could dance with; her uncles and aunts are all there, but she seems drawn to Dean and Vanessa. Especially Dean.
The DJ really likes Bruno Mars because he follows “Uptown Funk” with “Count On Me”. Ari pulls her hand out of Vanessa’s grasp and reaches for Dean to pick her up, and Dean doesn’t falter.
Unlike Vanessa, Sam is floored by Dean’s eagerness to entertain the pre-schooler. He watches with unrestrained curiosity.
“It’s pretty sweet of him to look after Ari like that,” Emma says, resting her temple against Sam’s chest as she watches the little girl twine her fingers with Dean’s.
“Yeah,” Sam replies. “Dean’s good with kids. I’m just not used to seeing him with kids for pure enjoyment.”
Emma looks up at him, brow arched. “Is that an allusion to the family business?”
Sam startles before meeting her curious gaze with a shrug. “I guess it is.”
“Really?”
He nods. “It’s complicated.”
Emma chuckles and rolls her eyes. “Of course it is.”
“No, I mean it.” He pauses, thinking about the times he didn’t tell the people he cared about what he did with his life, and they still died. “But... I’ll tell you about it. Later.”
“Are you sure?” Emma marvels.
“I’m sure.”
Five feet away, Vanessa watches Dean slowly shuffling side to side, holding the little girl on his hip. He spins in a circle like a Disney prince twirling his princess — like chivalry and devotion are embedded in his DNA. She wants to shower him with that kind of affection and tenderness, not just lust. And she’s fully aware of how hard she’s fallen for him with no way of getting up.
After a couple of songs, Ari has settled her head on Dean’s shoulder. A yawn and an eye rub beckon Silvia to collect her granddaughter for bed.
“Come on, Cinderella.” Silvia reaches for Ari, and Dean hands her over. “Don’t want you turning into a pumpkin right here in front of everyone.”
Ari nuzzles her grandma, waving to Dean as Vanessa takes her place as Dean’s dance partner. The couple waves back, bidding goodnight to Silvia and the little girl.
Dean refocuses his attention on his date, skimming an arm around her waist to pull her close.
Vanessa fiddles with his tie a little before speaking. It’s been such a nice night. She doesn’t want it to end.
“To answer your question from earlier, we can go upstairs any time you want after they cut the cake. But I have plans for tonight.” She meets his gaze. “So whatever you had in mind’s gonna have to wait.”
Dean holds his hands up in surrender. “No arguments here.”
As promised, once the cake is cut, Vanessa leads Dean to their suite. They have the elevator to themselves. As the doors close, Vanessa turns and slides her hands up over his shoulders and around his neck.
“I’ve been thinking about you all night.”
Dean smirks, mimicking her soft touch as he skirts his hands around her waist.
“You’ve been with me all night, kitten — don’t have to think too much.”
She shakes her head, her fingertips dancing over the ultrasoft nape above his collar.
“What you did for Ari tonight was incredibly generous. I just want to show you the same kind of warmth and generosity.”
Dean scoffs and fidgets under her scrutiny, pulling her closer so he doesn’t have to look her in the eye. “She’s a kid; it ain’t hard to be nice to kids.”
Vanessa gently pushes back a few inches to look at him. “It wasn’t just nice, Dean. You danced with her because her dad couldn’t be there. You salvaged the heart of a 4-year-old.”
Dean rolls his eyes and tries to pull away, and Vanessa keeps a hold on his wrists.
“I mean it.”
Dean sighs and finally stops hedging away as he settles his wary gaze on her.
“I know next to nothing about your background — your family, your day-to-day life — but I see the way your brother looks at you — like you hung the moon. And you give me confidence in a way no man has since my dad died.”
Dean’s brow furrows, and he steps back in to draw her closer. “I’m sorry, honey.”
“No, that’s not why I told you that.” She steps away and sighs.
The doors open at their floor, and she steps out of the car, pulling him with her in silence until they reach their suite. Dean keys the door open and ushers her inside.
“I’m gonna get out of this dress, but I still have some things I want to say, so...” she turns to face him as she kicks her shoes off just outside their bedroom door. “Get comfortable.”
Dean braces himself. “Whiskey comfortable, or boxers comfortable?”
Vanessa chuckles. “Boxers.”
She enters their bedroom and heads to the bathroom to change. After filling a couple of water glasses, Dean follows. He undresses down to his boxers and undershirt and zips away his formal attire in its garment bag. Just as he’s settling against the head of the bed to scroll his phone, Vanessa comes out in a bathrobe with her hair tied on top of her head.
Dean sets his phone aside. “I didn’t know bathrobes were sexy, but here we are.”
Vanessa grins as she climbs onto the bed and astride Dean’s hips. “Says you in your plain white undershirt and black boxer briefs. You’re beautiful.”
Dean tucks his chin to his chest, sliding his hands up her thighs to meet her bare hips. “What’d you wanna tell me?”
“Things I want you to know.” She smooths her hands from his shoulders over his chest and back again.
“Maybe you don’t wanna hear this from me, or maybe my opinion of this side of you doesn’t matter, but you’re a beautiful man, Dean, in every way imaginable — you’re beautiful. You’re tough and strong but soft in all the best ways.”
Dean drops his gaze to his lap, carefully considering his next words. He can’t tell her about gods and monsters. He can’t show her the decades-old bloodstains on his hands. He’ll never be able to 100% guarantee her safety from the things that go bump in the night.
But he can tell her some things.
“My mom died when I was Ari’s age,” he pauses, clearing his throat as he meets her eyes. “Sammy was six months old.”
Vanessa clamps her teeth over her bottom lip, biting back the emotion that threatens to well in her eyes. She nods, encouraging him to continue.
“Dad never really recovered. We grew up on the road, in the Impala and cheap motels.” He tilts his head, and his lips twist with a wistful smile. “The family business is... we help people. In ways a lot of other people can’t.”
“So, you’re not in the mob.”
“No, we’re not in the mob.”
“I’m a triage nurse. That’s why...” She motions to his scarred knuckles. “I recognize scars and injuries pretty quickly. It’s hard not to notice you and your brother’s.”
“Explains a lot,” Dean replies, thinking not only of her skills in assessing a situation but her instincts and her compassion.
“My dad was a cop,” she continues. “Killed in the line of duty. You remind me of him — in a good way — like how kind and attentive you are. That’s definitely not to say you’re like a dad to me.”
“Glad ya said that because I was startin’ to worry,” Dean chuckles.
“I don’t know if I can ever be as good as you,” she ponders. “As good as you are making people feel important — but I’d like to try to show you how you make me feel.”
“Mmm, is that the plan you had for tonight before we started talking serious shit?”
“Mmhm.” Vanessa nods. “The serious shit had to be said, but I know- I know this is a limited-time kinda thing. And I get it. My job is crazy, too. But I’ll think about you all the time, and I hope you’ll think about me.”
Dean studies her for a moment. The daydream from dinner floats back into his mind, but this time, she knows what he really does, accepts him, and he’s able to keep her safe. He wishes he could ask his dream self how it’s done.
“I’ll never stop thinkin’ about you, kitten.”
“Then let’s make the most of our last few hours, shall we?” She leans in for a long kiss, and Dean allows himself to be loved by her for one last night.
Dean sips his coffee as he and Sam depart the Windy City in the wee hours of Sunday morning.
“I told Emma,” Sam breaks the typically sanctioned early morning silence.
“You told Emma what?” Dean grumbles.
“About us,” Sam answers. “What we do.”
Dean blinks. “Wow. And how-”
“She believed me. That was my biggest fear — that she’d think I was making it up or something.”
Memories of Cassie, furious and cold, fill Dean’s mind. She didn’t believe him, and, really, who could blame her? Their life is absurd.
“What brought that on?” Dean asks as he merges onto the interstate, headed east, poking around for leads on Amara.
“I like her, Dean. A lot.”
Dean’s quiet for a while. He doesn’t know how Sam’s going to keep this going; he wouldn’t be able to, but if anyone can do it, it’s Sam.
“So... now what?” Dean’s genuinely curious.
Sam shrugs. “We take it slow. Keep in touch. How’d you leave things with Vanessa?”
“Left it where it’s at,” Dean answers immediately.
Sam rolls his eyes to look out the windshield and sighs. “So you think I made a mistake?”
“No.”
“No?”
“No. It’s me, Sam. I’d fuck it up. You’re better at this stuff than I am.”
Sam opens his mouth to argue but thinks better of it; Dean’s made his mind up.
When Dean tells him that Vanessa knows more about his scars and wounds than a typical civvy, Sam tells him what he knows about Vanessa -- that she’s a triage nurse. He tells Dean that Emma’s also a nurse and that Nicole’s a surgeon. Dean’s response is less than appreciative.
“You know what, Sammy? I can do without the updates. I left it there for a reason. Drop it.” He gave Sam the same edged look that accompanied a threat to break his nose if he ever mentioned Lisa or Ben again, and Sam silently agreed to his conditions.
But Sam cares more about Emma with every passing phone call. She’s intelligent and rational enough to handle the knowledge of what they do, so he keeps her as apprised of his life as she does of hers. Over the next few years, he grows to openly love her in a fully rounded, adult way that he’s never known.
He begins to pity and then, later, resent Dean for ‘leaving it there’ because Sam loves Emma. He wants a real life with her. He knows that choosing to keep Emma in his life has made his life better, and he believes Vanessa could do the same for Dean.
Then one night, four years later, Sam and Dean end up in a place that demands Dean re-evaluate leaving Vanessa behind.
Canton, Ohio...
“Alright, let’s go find those kids and get them outta here.” Sam sheaths his machete.
“Sam. I don't-” Dean groans. “I don't think I'm goin’ anywhere.”
“What?” Sam looks over at his brother where he’s awkwardly stood against a post. “What’re you talking about?”
“There's somethin’ in my- somethin’ in my back. Feels like it's right through me.”
Sam walks closer, reaching around Dean's back. When he brings his hand into the dim light, he sees it’s covered with blood.
“Alright, umm.” Sam looks around the barn, wiping his hand on his pants as he reaches for Dean’s shoulders. “Hold on. OK. I got you.”
“No, no, no, no, no. Don't- don't move me. It feels like this thing's holdin’ me together right now.”
Sam huffs, reaching for his phone. “I’m calling Emma.”
“What? No. Just- just gimme a minute.”
Sam shakes his head. “No, Dean. No more minutes. Emma’s an ER nurse. Here in Canton. I’m calling her.”
Sam paces toward the barn door.
“Sam! Stay wi- stay with me. Can you stay with me, please?” Dean’s breath is labored, and his eyelids flutter.
Sam turns back to face his brother, keeping one hand on his shoulder while he holds the phone with his other. “I’m right here, man. I got you.”
“What’s wrong?” Emma's voice comes across the speakerphone clear and concise.
“We’re in a barn about seven miles north of the town center. I sent you a pin. Dean’s... impaled... on a piece of rebar. Against a post.”
Dean groans again. “Sammy-”
“Fuck. OK.” Emma’s voice is temporarily muffled, and then it’s obvious by the rushed way she’s speaking that she’s running. “Where’s the entry wound?”
“His back. I think his heart.” Sam winces as his brother’s head lolls and sways.
“Did it come through his chest?” She asks before muttering to someone on her end of the line to ‘head to the old barn down the road’.
“No- no, nothing in the front. Just the back. His clothes are soaked.”
“OK. Van’s calling the paramedics.”
“What?!” Dean wails, suddenly alert. “No! Not Nessa.”
“...but we’ll get there faster,” Emma continues despite Dean’s protestation. “And I’m guessing you’re gonna need help covering up whatever you were fighting.”
Sam would tell Emma not to bring her roommate and best friend if his brother wasn’t dying before his eyes. He wants to honor Dean’s wishes to keep her safe, but he’s exhausted by Dean’s insistence that telling her is a bad idea.
“Dean, this is happening,” Sam says before resuming his conversation with Emma. “Five vamps. How far are you?”
“We’re literally 60 seconds away. Do not remove him from the rebar until we get there. Find something to cut him down, and we’ll help. Hang in there.”
“See you then,” Sam says to Emma before disconnecting his call.
“Nessa can’t- I can’t let her see me, this...” Dean pleads.
“She can and she will. You’re not dying today. Emma knows everything, and Vanessa isn’t stupid. They’re coming to keep you alive, and I’m not arguing with you about this anymore.”
Sam quickly glances around the room until he locates the kind of tool he needs. “As soon as they get here, I’m grabbing those bolt cutters and cutting you down. We’ll go outside and wait for the paramedics. I’ll take the boys somewhere safe and meet you at the hospital.”
“All this time... was tryna keep her safe, away from all this.” Dean hangs his head.
Sam lifts his chin. “Dean, she’s strong. If there was ever a time to let her in, it’s now.”
Right on cue, Emma and Vanessa race through the door with bags of first aid supplies.
“Get the bolt cutters; we’ll hold him up,” Emma instructs, removing what looks like a camping chair from an orange bag and turning it into an emergency gurney.
Then Vanessa takes over for Sam.
“Nessa,” Dean whispers as she cups his face in her hands. “I’m so- sorry. I couldn’t-”
Vanessa sniffs and shakes back tears “No apologies. Just stay with me. I need to assess the damage here, OK?”
He blinks slowly and gives her a lazy nod.
“Where’s most of the pain, Dean?”
Dean shakes his head to stay awake, blinking rapidly. “At the entry. Everything else just feels... warm.”
“OK.” She moves to the side to give Emma room to take Dean’s other side as Sam works on the rebar with the bolt cutters. “Get as close as you can, Sam.”
She finally glances around the barn to see several decapitated bodies, the heads donned with masks. Her blood runs cold, and her heart races.
“Hey,” Dean’s voice cracks. “Don’t look at them; look at me, honey.”
Vanessa drags her gaze from the grisly scene to Dean’s pale face. She nods and gives him a weak smile before wedging herself under the opposite arm as Emma, keeping her eyes on him as he asked.
“Your breathing is labored. I’m guessing Sam’s right, and it’s your heart.” Tears fill her eyes as Dean tilts his head to rest against hers. She whispers. “Maybe your left lung. You’re lucky. Nicole’s one of the top Vascular surgeons in the country.”
“OK, I got a grip on this thing. Count of three,” Sam says before counting down and cutting clean through the steel.
The women hold him steady while Sam helps guide Dean to the stretcher and carry him outside.
“Fuck,” Dean breathes as Vanessa kneels beside him. “If I make it through this-”
“When. Not if.” She dips in to kiss him, hovering over him while Sam and Emma work quickly to hide the bodies in the barn. “You’re gonna make it, and you’re gonna tell me what I just saw in there.”
Dean blinks, and tears roll from his eyes. “I will, honey. I will.”
The paramedics arrive moments after Sam and Emma exit the barn. Vanessa gives them his vitals and a partially fabricated info dump as they work to stabilize him. As they load him into the ambulance, she climbs in.
“I got him, Sam. Meet us at the hospital.” She closes the doors, and the ambulance takes off.
Dean wakes up in a brightly lit room. He remembers bits and pieces of a conversation that he fears and prays is real. When his vision clears, and he sees the person beside his bed, he’s 90% sure of what he remembers.
“Nicole?” he mumbles, his voice barely above a whisper. “You an angel?”
Nicole smirks and arches a brow. “Cute. I’m your surgeon, tough guy. This is what we call a post-op check.”
He’s now 100% sure.
“Post-op? What op?” He tries to joke as he shifts his weight very slightly and groans in pain.
“You showed up here last night with a hunk of steel through your heart and lung. I took it out.” She checks his pulse, pokes at him, and prods. Dean’s 90% sure she’s being a little rougher than normal. “Good thing your brother didn’t ghost Emma like you ghosted Van.”
“Ow!” And 100% it is.
“And, hmm,” she taps her chin. “You do know my name.”
“‘Course I do, I’s just fuckin’ with ya.”
Nicole rolls her eyes. “You’re doing great, Dean. I’ll be back later to check in again. Meanwhile, there’s a couple of people here to see you.”
Nicole draws the curtain that separates Dean from the rest of the room. On the other side sits Sam and Vanessa.
“Eat something if you’re hungry; otherwise, rest.”
Nicole breezes out of the room, leaving Dean with Vanessa and Sam, the latter of whom stands next to Dean’s bed, looking down at his bruised and bandaged brother with a tired smile.
“You hungry? I can order you some food.”
“I’m starvin’, man. Get somethin’ bad for me.”
Sam rolls his eyes and chuckles. “Sure thing. Be back in a bit.”
He gives Vanessa a pointed look as he leaves the room.
Vanessa remains seated on the vacant bed across from Dean’s. She’s silent and thoughtful.
“You uhh, workin’?”
She shakes her head. “Just finished my shift.”
Dean nods. He doesn’t know if he should jump right in or what, so he asks her a question.
“How much do you know?”
She draws a deep breath and sighs. “That you saved two little boys and probably dozens more the other night.”
Dean closes his eyes. “Vampires are real.”
“Jesus,” Vanessa whispers, standing and moving to the side of his bed. She grasps his hand tightly. “What else?”
“Ghosts, ghouls, shapeshifters, werewolves, fuckin’ demons. They’re all real. Angels.” He squeezes her hand. “Angels are dicks, by the way, which is kinda shitty that I asked Nicole if she was one after she saved my life.”
He chuckles, and Vanessa huffs a surprised laugh before settling on the edge of his bed. She strokes his forehead, and he hums. “I won’t say I wish you’d told me before now because I’m just grateful you’re alive to tell me now. Your recovery will be lengthy. You’ll need physical therapy.”
Dean reaches for her other hand, twining their fingers together and waiting for her to meet his gaze. “OK.”
“I’m not your doctor, so I can’t advise you officially, but as someone who loves you, I hope you’ll stay long enough for me to help and... for us to get reacquainted.”
Dean grins, realizing just how bone tired he truly is. He yawns through his grin and tugs her close.
Vanessa dips in to press a kiss to his forehead, each cheek, and his lips. “Please stay,” she whispers.
Dean tilts his chin and meets her lips again, brushing back and forth. “OK, kitten. You got me. As long as you want me.”
When Sam returns to Dean’s room, he finds Vanessa curled around him, keeping him safe and warm. She and Dean are both fast asleep, smiling and breathing steadily.
Sam leaves the macaroni and cheese on a tray and backs away to leave them in peace.
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Bright Eyes
(Previous Chapter) - Part 8 - (Next Chapter)
Student Remus x Male Reader
Summary: The Marauders start to hang out with an unexpected new friend who Remus falls for.
TW: Minor cruelty to animals.
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The Gryffindor common room was bright and alive as the dark evening sky settled in outside the archway windows. Most of the first years were huddled around the large fireplace frantically discussing the success of the Quidditch game earlier that day. Occasionally a wide eyes student would turn around and stare at James who was across the room sitting by a small table with his friends. He was leaning back slightly in his chair and using the handle of his broom, the same broom he'd used that day to catch the snitch and win the game for Gryffindor, to keep himself stable. There was a satisfied smirk across his face. "You're loving this!" mused Remus resting one hand on his open book and the other against his jaw. "Are any of them looking at me?!" interjected Sirius bobbing his head trying to see past James, "I mean did they see my defence skills, this win is as much mine as it is yours!". Y/N who was sitting next to Remus on the opposite side of the table, it had reached the point where the whole house of Gryffindor had expected Y/N's presents in their dorms, looked up at him and laughed under his breath before returning to his biological plant drawings. Remus enjoyed the subtle way they made fun of their two other friends with each other, the two of them seemed to have the type of connection where they could look at one another without words and still convey what they were thinking.
By this point Remus had also learnt that Y/N was a fidget. Whenever he was sitting down he was always crossing and uncrossing his legs, often resulting in his boot or legs slightly bumping into Remus'. Y/N response was always to look up, smile gently and apologise but secretly Remus liked the contact, maybe because every time Y/N did it and turned to speak it meant Remus could look at his face again. These thoughts and subsequent feelings he was developing for Y/N were confusing and new, they were just really good friends he thought. But at the same time Remus also thought how much he liked the look of Y/N's jaw line, and the way his ear fell down slightly over his ears. At this point Remus realised he's been submerged in his contemplations and had fully lost track of the conversation around him. "Anyway it pays to be the second best player on the team, after the match Emma, you know that's gorgeous Ravenclaw came up and asked if I'd like to go to the three Broomsticks with her" Sirius said triumphantly leaning back in his own chair. "Well if she's willing to go on a date with the second best player just imagine what she might be up for with the actual best player on the team" James remakes jokingly, Sirius' response to this was the rock James chair back into an upright position making his friend stumble.
"Anyway you might have competition. Didn't you say you fancied her Remus?". The bookworm of the group stared up at his two friends dumbfounded and then dropped his brow in frustration "What are you talking about!?', he suddenly felt very nervous, "I just said she's a good poisons partner, that's all". "But you think she's cute right?" James said, the eye contact he was giving Remus was making the tall slender boy squirm in his seat. He could feel words growing in his stomach but refusing to reach his mouth, this whole sensation was starting to make him feel nauseous. He knew the full moons cycle was drawing near and therefore affecting his senses but this whole conversation was making him feel dizzy. "I don't know. I don't care." Remus snapped, pretending to read his book. "Alright, Alright" James declared holding his hands up, "What about you Y/N?", Remus sided eyed the smaller student next to him as he casually looked up across the room to observe the girl they were referring to. "Hmm she's alright I suppose. Not really my type" to which Y/N casually returned his focus back to his drawing. "Oh yeah well who is your type?" Sirius chimed in "What about Charlotte that girl in the herbology club?". "Hmm no. I like guys actually" Y/N said so calmly and matter of fact that the others almost didn't pick up on it. Y/N continued to shade in the leaves of his drawing while his friends stared at him. Eventually he looked up and met their faces "What is that a problem?", both James and Sirius instantly began to reassure him it wasn't. Remus stayed perfectly quiet. "No no mate absolutely not at all. I mean it's not a secret I like both sides. We just didn't know that about you". This sign of acceptance brought a small smile to Y/N's face "Well that's good to know. Thanks" and he returned to his drawing. Remus felt like his body had stopped functioning.
Remus continued to pretend to read his book, James and Sirius were amusing themselves gossiping about who else in their year they thought was gay, meanwhile in the corner of his eye Remus was still transfixed on Y/N. How had he said that so calmly? Why was it making him feel so strange inside. What even was this feeling? Frustration ? Jealousy? Longing? A painful headache began to brew in his temple as Y/N's bright eyes suddenly flashed up towards him, "Are you alright he asked" with concern in his voice. "What about you Mooney?" Sirius asked before Remus had a chance to answer Y/N, "What?" said Remus rubbing the side of his head. "Are you gay? Straight? Bi? whatever?" this irritating question was the final straw and Remus shot up from his chair with a loud scrap causing the whole company of the common room to turn and face the boys table, "why do we always have to have these stupid conversations about these dumb kinds of topics". Picking up his book Remus began to march off to their bedroom, a part of him instantly regretted this outburst but the more animalistic emotional side was starting to take control.
Remus went to bed early but the cocktail of anger and self loathing inside him kept him away. His back was to the door but an hour later he heard it gently open as the others came up for bed. "Sorry about before mate" he heard James say softly above him though Remus didn't move from his early up position, "We know it's a rough time for you" and with a sincere pat on the shoulder James went to bed. Next was Sirius who leaned in close to Remus' pillow "we'll get through tomorrow and then things will get easier. You've got this Mooney" just before he left Remus could hear the sound of Sirius tucking a bar or chocolate under Remus' pillow which made me smile temporarily. A third set of footsteps came after Sirius', by their timid nature Remus knew it was Y/N. He waited to hear what Y/N was going to say but after a few moments of silence all Remus heard was the quiet sound of Y/N picking up his pillow and blankets and returning towards the ladder to take him up to the attic. "Goodnight Remus" there was a clear sad tone to Y/N's words. The build up of stress and pain in his body prevented Remus from analysing why Y/N sounded the way he did, currently his brain was throbbing and all he wanted was to sleep, which eventually in the early hours of the morning came to him.
The next day Remus stayed in bed, knowing all too well that it was the full moon tonight, he needed to conserve what little strength he had to make it to the shrieking shack. The other boys left him be, Remus knew he'd see James and Sirius later that night although he was saddened to not be able to talk to Y/N during the day. Throughout the night Remus kept replaying that moment in the common room over and over in his head. 'Y/N's gay. Y/N is gay. Why do I care so much?' repeated his inner thoughts. 'Is it becomes I'm..' before he could let this though fully form he grabbed his pillow and buried his face within it groaning.
During dinner in the great hall was the perfect time to sneak out of the grounds without being spotted so while the evening sky was settling in the sky Remus made his way to the woods. With his body more sensitive than normal the cool wind cut through his jacket and jumper right to his scared skin. Half way across the Forest's path the wind dropped and suddenly Remus 'other senses heightened. He wasn't alone. His body tensed up as he turned around eyeing up every tall dark tree trunk. "Show yourself" he barked ready to follow this command with even harsher words when the sound of paw prints breaking small twigs on the ground behind him caught his attention. Spinning around he saw nothing at first, until he looked down. Sitting up right and rigid a few feet away from him was a hare. In fact he was certain it was the hare. The one he's seen during his previous transformation.
It's enormous sharp eyes directing into his, the iris a bright mix of yellow and orange. The creature's noise was twitching rapidly along with its rising and falling chest. It appeared nervous and yet it didn't move, frozen in place and staring at Remus who in turn mirrored it's action. Despite knowing he needed to get to the shirking shake and soon Remus slowly lowered his body, his sore knees cracking as he did, to get closer to the hare. The animal shifted it's feet but stayed in the same place, watching Remus intensely. "Hello" Remus said coyly lifting his long arm up and extending his slender fingers towards the small creature. 'What are you doing?' his own mind repeatedly asked him 'We don't have time for this!' yet his curiosity persisted. As it sniffed the air between them Remus was amazed to see the hare gingerly lean forward and begin to take steps towards his hand. Remus spine tingled with a strange sense of excitement.
"What an unpleasant surprise to see you here!" a spiteful voice called out making both the hare and Remus freeze again. Turning on his heels while staying crouched Remus looked down the long forest path to see the sly face of Lusiocis with two smirking followers either side of him. Remus began to rise to his full height once his ears picked up the sound of rustling leaves, looking up to the banks either side of the path Remus could see two more of Lusiocis' friends turn disciples appear on each end. This wasn't good. "Look everyone, it's looney Lupin" Lusiocis said gleeful and with a cruel glint in his eye. "I don't have time for this Lusiocis" Remus shouted sternly, holding his ground but his eyes were sporadically darting around for a possible escape exit. He didn't have much time left and needed to get to the shake. He was aware the others on the banks were slowly making their way down towards him. "As if I wish to waste my time on the likes of you anyway" hissed Lusiocis "You appear to have something which belongs to me and I'll be taking it back now". Remus was confused by this and frowned, then one of the bullies lurched forwards towards, Remus jolted and raised his hands up, ready to tackle the other boy. However the student quickly snatched someone up from behind Remus ankles. It was only as the fellow student began to walk away from Remus and he could hear the short stressed squeaks of an animal did he realise the boy had grabbed the hare. Remus had assumed the hare had sped off into the night once the others had appeared. It must have crept closer to Remus' and his behind his boots.
The animal's strong back legs were kicking violently in the air though as it's capture passed it over to Luscious he roughly gripped it's back neck fur the hare cried out again in distress. This site upset Remus greatly. "That hare doesn't belong to you Lusiocis, what on earth do you want it for!?" Remus demanded, this new brewing temper was making his head pound even more painfully. He raised one of his shaking hands to rest against his forehead. "Oh you know" Luscious purred maniacally, drawing out every word as he enjoyed watching the creature squirm in his grasp "I just love to play with my food before eating it" griping the hares neck hard it cried out and all the other boys around them laughed. Remus' blood was boiling through every vein in his chest. "Lusiocis you better let it go or I ...AHHHH" Remus let out a heart-renching scream, his left arm wrapping around his rib cage trying to conceal the pain as he fell to his knees.
This startled all the other boys who took a step away from Remus as he continued to scream. "What the fucks wrong with you!?" exclaimed Luscious attempting to hide his own fear but failing. This distraction proved favourable to the hare, for as the hand which grasped its neck loosened slightly it was able to twist it's head and then snip it's long front teeth deep into Lusiocis' hand, drawing blood instantly. With his own cry of pain Lusiocis realised the creature which fell on its side before quickly bounding away on all four "You little bastard! Come back" the foul mouthed boy gave case to the hare and the others took a moment longer to stare at the dishevelled Remus and then collectively decided was too weird and unsettling for them to partake in and they all clumsy began to follower their angry leaders yells.
If Remus wasn't in so much pain he would have taken stock of how bizarre those series of events were but he could feel his body slipping away from him. Practical crawling Remus slowly edged his way down the path, small whimpers escaped his mouth as the looming shape of the shirking shake became visible in front of him. His hands and knees were scuffed and cut from dragging himself along the path, the entrance to the shack was just on top of a small hill in front of him. Alas his body was giving up on him, as he felt like he was about to pass out from the pain a dark presence fell over him. At first he feared Luscious and his goons were back for further torment, to Remus' relief he soon recognised the pitch black fur and friendly panting of his dear friend Sirius in his Wolf animagus form. Clasping Remus shirt collar in his teeth Sirius with some force was able to drag Remus the last few feet into the shacks entrance. The graceful presents of James's stag soon made it's way through the houses doorframe and using his forehead was able to help Remus up to his feet. The weak boy helped onto his friends antlers for support as they ascended the stairs in preparation for the full transformation.
Several hours into the night after a traumatic start resulting in floorboards and pictures being splashed Remus' wolf form had finally settled down, to his friend's relief. Sirius lay on the bed closely watching Remus who was curled up in the corner on the other side of the room, breathing heavily. James was standing by the window, the glass panels had been shattered a long time ago, keeping an eye out for any outside movement. All three with their heightened sense of hearing became away from movement in the hallway outside the room at the same time. Looking towards the doorway both Sirius and James were taken aback by the presence of a hare, it's dark fur blended with the floorboards perfectly if it wasn't for a soaked wet patch of blood on it's thigh which it licked periodically. Sirius jumping on the bed started to bark, feeling both territorial of his friends safely as well as not wanting to see this small creature come to any more harm. A low growl echoed from across the room as Remus' lifted his body up and stalked across the floor, when Sirius barked again Remus let out a louder growl signalling for him to stop. The other two watched carefully as Remus approached the small animal. A feeling of dread overcast both Sirius and James' minds for they knew Remus wouldn't want to hear about how he slaughtered an innocent animal and equally they didn't not want to witness such a gorsoume act.
The hare was like a statue watching the larger beast come closer until Remus 'large mouth was just above it's long ears. Remus lowered down his head and the hare looked as if it was backing away but Remus swiftly picked it up by it's back skin, as a mother would do to their young and carefully walked back to his corner of the room. Sirius, James and even the hare had a look of disbelief. Curling up again Remus placed the hare in-between his front legs and used his snout to put it into the crook of his furry neck as he settled back to sleep. The hare stayed upright for a while, not sure if it wanted to attempt leaping up and escaping. Though after some time the creature settled down as well, it's ears dropped as it closed its eyes. James and Sirius had never seen anything like this yet they couldn't deny the obvious tranquillity shared between the two animals and so they carried on their watchful surveillance of their dear friend and his new companion until throughout the night and until dawn.
#remus lupin#remus#lupin#90s#young remus lupin#gay#fantsay#first fanfic#fanfic#remus x reader#remus lupin x you#remus lupin x y/n#remus lupin x male reader#the marauders#magic#wizard#romance#fluff#sirius black#james potter#gay fanfiction#werewolf
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Emma, planing the next match: [draws a circle] Okay, so this is James and...
Regulus: Where are his glasses?
Emma:
Regulus:
Emma: [draws glasses]
Dorcas: give him a broom too
#Emma is a sole holder of slytherine's braincell#incorrect marauders and co quotes#incorrect marauders quotes#marauders#regulus black#dorcas meadowes#emma vanity#source: twitter#maybe
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James has planned Lily', Remus', Emma', and Pandora's birthdays, and he even has his other friends' birthdays all planned out months in advance. But that's not the point. When James woke up the morning of his birthday, no one was there to greet him like last year. Then, again, Peter, Remus, and Sirius aren't morning people.
Yeah, that's it. They're just not morning people and don't want to get up that early. They'll tell him happy birthday when they wake up.
They did not unfact tell him happy birthday when they woke up. They even went to breakfast and nothing. The girls didn't even remember.
Today, James was supposed to go to meet Regulus at the Astronomy Tower, but he wasn't feeling it today, so he decided to go to the Slytherin common room.
He just got in there when someone jumped on his back. "Happy Birthday, Jamie!" He hears his best friend say.
"Marls," James says, laughing. "What are you doing?"
"Your surprise isn't ready yet."
"What surprise?"
"For your birthday?"
"What?"
She jumps back off his back and walks in front of him. "Did Sirius not remember?"
"No one did, Marls."
"That's not true."
"Yeah, it is. Sirius, Remus, Peter, they didn't remember. Mary, Lily, and Alice didn't either. I thought you didn't."
"Oh, Jamie. Well, we remembered. Me, Cas, Dora, Ev, Bee, Em, Lin, Reg. We did."
"It's fine. I don't need anything. Can you tell Reg I won't be up at the Astronomy Tower tonight? Thanks. Love you." James didn't even wait for Marlene' reply before walking out.
He went straight to his dorm to grab his broom before walking back out to the Quidditch pitch. He was practicing for at least an hour before someone flies up to him.
"James," he hears his boyfriend say.
"What's up, Reg?" James replies with a big fake smile.
"James,"
"What?"
"Marlene told me."
"That I don't have time to go see you tonight?"
"No, well, yes, but something else, too."
"What?"
Regulus sighs. "That no one remembered your birthday."
"It's fine."
"No, it's not."
"I'm fine, Reg."
"No, you're not. Now stop lying. It's not healthy."
"I lie every day!"
"James,"
James doesn't answer him and just flies down to the ground before walking back up to the castle. Dorcas is already there waiting. She stands up when she sees him.
"Hey, James. Ready for your party?"
"No, I'd rather not. Thanks anyway, Cas. Have fun, though."
Dorcas' eyebrows furrow before James walks past her and in the castle.
After his shower, he goes back to the common room just to sit and relax, and not even ten minutes after he sat down, Emmeline comes in going straight for him.
"I'm not in the mood, Lin."
"Dorcas is sad because she spent all day planning this party for you, and you're not even there. Now what the fuck is wrong with you?"
"Nothing, ok?"
"No, there's something clearly wrong with you. You won't even come to your own party."
"I'm just not in the mood."
"You blew off your own boyfriend, James."
"You really want to know?"
"Yes!"
"My own friends forgot my own birthday! Do you think I want to celebrate that!? No, I don't, Lin! That's why I'm sitting here <alone> in my own common room on my birthday! Because no one remembered but you!"
"James,"
"No, don't start. Please. I'm fine."
"That did not seem like you're fine."
"I promise. Just go back and have fun."
"Will you at least come for Dora?"
James sighs. "Why do you have to do that to me?"
Emmeline smiles. "Because I know you can't say no to her."
"Fine."
"Yay!" Emmeline grabs James by the hands and pulls him up off the couch and out the portrait hole. Emmeline yells, "Birthday boy is here!" As soon as they get to the Slytherin common room.
Pandora come bounding up, smiling. "Hi, James."
"Hey, Panda."
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Well, Dorcas and I planned everything so, I hope you like it."
"Of course I will, Dora. You're the best."
She smiles even wider. He can't lie, James did have fun. He got to spend time with his friends and his best friend and even got some gifts from them. Even though some of his friends forgot his birthday, he still loved it.
So, when James was just sitting in the common room with Sirius, Remus, Peter, Mary, Lily, Alice, and Frank after the party, he didn't expect anyone to come in. Instead, Emma, Emmeline, Dorcas, Pandora, Evan, Barty, Marlene, and Regulus came in the common room marching straight for them.
"Sirius Orion Black!" Sirius' eyes go wide as soon as Marlene said it.
"What'd I do?"
"Do you know what day it is today?"
"I don't know. Why are they here?"
"Not important. Think real hard."
"Why? What'd I do?"
"You all did something." Emma speaks up.
"Em,"
"Shut it, James."
"Did he -"
"Think hard, Black."
"Why am I Black, and he's James?"
"Think." Emmeline says. "What day is it at the end of the month. What important event is there?"
"I don't know!"
"It's called a birthday!" Evan yells.
"Remus' birthday!?"
"That's already passed, dipshit." Barty remarks.
"I don't know!"
"It's James!" Dorcas yells in return. "It was James' birthday today!"
"What?"
Marlene grabs James by the arms and pulls him up. "Hey! I was comfy."
"Too bad."
"How would you even know that?"
Pandora looks at Regulus expectedly. James looks at them confused in return.
Regulus sighs. "Because he's my boyfriend, Sirius."
"Yeah, we all knew Crouch was your boyfriend. What's new?"
Barty looks shocked at Sirius. "What?"
"We all knew, Crouch."
"We are not dating."
Remus looks between all of them together. Remus' mouth falls open in shock. "Sirius, I think they mean James and Regulus are dating."
"I - why - um - what?"
Barty laughs. "Funniest reaction ever."
"What!? You're dating my baby brother!?"
"Scream it from the rooftops, will ya?" Emma says.
"James, I'm sorry." Lily says, standing up with Mary.
"Yeah, really sorry, James." Alice says.
"Shut up." Pandora remarks.
Everyone whips their head at her. "Did she just -?"
"I think she did."
"Nice one, sis."
"I didn't know she could do that."
"Me either."
"Come on, James." Marlene says, dragging him back out the portrait hole.
"Where are we going?"
"We're staying in the Slytherin dorms tonight."
"Prongs!"
"Shut the fuck up."
#happy birthday to our prongs!!!!#happy birthday to our james potter!!!!#marauders era#ao3#archive of my own#ao3 fanfic#ao3 writer#jegulus#starchaser#sunseeker
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Brooms written by Jasmine Walls, art by Teo DuVall. Levine Querido, 2023. 9781646142682. 248pp.
http://www.powells.com/book/-9781646142682?partnerid=34778&p_bt
1930s, Mississippi. Luella is teaching Emma and Mattie how to use their magic, but they live in fear of being discovered by government agents. If they're caught, they'll be sent to one of the approved magic academies. Though if they have enough money, they can buy an exemption that will allow them to learn their culture's (Chocktaw) type of magic.
To make the money they need they enter the dangerous world of illegal backwoods broom racing. Luella's friends, The Night Storms -- Billie Mae, Loretta, and Cheng Kwan -- agree to train the girls and let them join their team. Magic is illegal for black folks there, and if they're caught using it they'll be stripped of their powers. If they can enter the biggest race around, the Witch's Cackle, they can earn enough money to move to where things are different.
I can't think of another alternate history graphic novel I liked as much as this one. There's a real sense of joy throughout, and the story is naturally inclusive.
And if you haven't read Walls' The Last Session, a graphic novel about a group of friends finishing a long-running D&D campaign before some go their separate ways, it's also wonderful.
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BROOMS cover reveal!!
It's 1930s Mississippi. Magic is permitted only in certain circumstances, and by certain people. Unsanctioned broom racing is banned. But for those who need the money, or the thrills...it's there to be found.
Meet Billie Mae, captain of the Night Storms racing team, and Loretta, her best friend and second-in-command. They're determined to make enough money to move out west to a state that allows Black folks to legally use magic and take part in national races. Cheng-Kwan - doing her best to handle the delicate and dangerous double act of being the perfect "son" to her parents, and being true to herself while racing. Mattie and Emma -- Choctaw and Black -- the youngest of the group and trying to dodge government officials who want to send them and their newly-surfaced powers away to boarding school. And Luella, in love with Billie Mae. Her powers were sealed away years ago after she fought back against the government. She'll do anything to prevent the same fate for her cousins.
Brooms is a queer, witchy Fast and the Furious that shines light on history not often told - it's everything you'd ever want to read in a graphic novel.
Co-created by Jasmine Walls & Teo DuVall Written by Jasmine Walls, illustated by Teo DuVall, with colors by Bex Glendining, and letters by Ariana Maher
Pre-order your copy from your local shop or here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/brooms-jasmine-walls/19716084
#OGN#graphic novel#cover reveal#BROOMS#lgbt comics#ya books#I'M SO EXCITED TO YELL ABOUT THIS BOOK#AT LAST!!
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Left Behind (1/1) - Captain Swan
Emma and Killian are urban explorers, taking camera crews and checking out abandoned spots to get footage of these liminal spaces for their docuseries - Emma's on YouTube, and Killian's on Netflix, when they converge on one location by complete coincidence. They argue over who has the rights to film this location when they find themselves trapped, and they come to realize that they’re more alike than not.
(I have been more than a bit obsessed with watching explorations of abandoned locations and learning their history and I just needed to put Killian and Emma in one of them.)
--
“Whoa, look at this place! This is so creepy!” Mary Margaret lowered the camera she’d been holding to take in their surroundings, her jaw dropping as it came into view.
The building loomed before them, its dark, brick exterior peeking out from behind the thick overgrowth of trees and vines. It was massive, so massive that they couldn’t see the full length of it from where they stood, and its dark, partially broken windows gave only the suggestion as to what the interiors once held.
Emma Swan, of YouTube fame, along with her friends (and camera crew) David and Mary Margaret, had always had a fascination with abandoned locations. There was something so unsettling about these liminal spaces, as though she could step within and be transported to a different time. Perhaps even be someone else for a while.
“How long has it sat here?” David was always amazed by just how much a space could decay in a short period of time, particularly with no upkeep.
“2005, I think?” Emma chimed in, taking her phone out to do a quick search of the location. “Yeah, 2005.”
“There’s no way this building is only 20 years old, Emma, look at it.” Mary Margaret said it with a wave of her hands, as if to punctuate her statement.
“No, that’s just how long it’s been abandoned. It was built like, a hundred years ago. But it’s only been left to rot since 2005.”
They walked toward the building, taking care not to trip over the cracks in the pavement. They’d parked Emma’s car a bit further away, so as to not arouse suspicion. It was best not to draw anyone’s attention to their excursions. “A hundred years old,” David mused. “That makes more sense. They were probably doing a bit of maintenance when it shut down, but couldn’t keep up with all the problems such an old place would have.”
“Okay, Bob Vila,” Emma teased. She always joked that David must have been a carpenter in his past life ‘or something,’ because he was always talking about the structure and maintenance of these places.
“I’m just saying. If this building was only twenty years old, it wouldn’t look like that. Even if no one so much as picked up a broom.”
“All right, all right,” Mary Margaret intervened. “Let’s hurry up and get inside before someone sees us.”
“You see anyone?” Emma had been keeping an eye on their surroundings as they approached, but it was always a good idea to make use of everyone’s senses.
“No,” David said, taking another glance around.
“Not a soul,” Mary Margaret confirmed.
Read on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54187552
They didn’t approach the front entrance of the building – that was almost certainly closed off, boarded up tight. Anyone wanting to keep someone out would have closed off the front door as their first line of defense, and it was probably the most heavily watched. Emma didn’t see any cameras, but if there were any, they’d be toward the main entrance of this dilapidated former hospital.
Instead, they headed toward an entrance to the side, which sat hidden under an awning of sorts, almost like it had been a hotel. She could see cars driving through here, picking up and dropping off patients, or perhaps ambulances. She shivered at the thought. Hospitals were not exactly her favorite place to be, even when they weren’t abandoned.
“Can you get it?” Mary Margaret was saying, watching over David’s shoulder as he used a crowbar to pry the doors apart. They had clearly been glass doors once. The glass was long gone, of course, but the doors were firmly boarded against trespassers.
Such as themselves. “Almost…” he grunted. “There!” The crowbar clanged to the ground loudly, startling all three of them as it echoed through the quiet space.
“Come on,” Emma beckoned, prying the doors a bit further apart and stepping carefully inside. They would have to try to close them when they left, so it would be best if they didn’t break anything.
“Oh my god,” Mary Margaret breathed as she took in the space.
It was a mostly empty room, save for a few thick support pillars, all of which had peeling paint and graffiti. “I FUCKED UR MOM” one of them proudly proclaimed, while others were considerably less coherent. There were a good number of swastikas and racial slurs throughout, and Emma rolled her eyes at the amount of blurring they’d have to do so that kind of crap would get minimal exposure. There were already enough assholes on the internet, no need to stoke those flames. She continued looking around, noting that the walls looked much the same, although there had clearly been a two-toned paint pattern, with some peeling wallpaper in a few spots.
A handful of chairs were scattered about, two of which were joined together, as waiting room chairs often were. One was turned on its side, and papers were scattered all around the floor – almost none of them containing anything legible, though a poster reminding patients about skin cancer still warned against the dangers of UV rays, even from its crinkled spot on the floor.
Some ceiling tiles were missing from the space, and stripped wires hung down, unimpeded. Some of the tiles lay broken on the ground, while a few others leaned against a wall. All of the fluorescent bulbs had been taken out, leaving only the shell of what was undoubtedly a bright, buzzing interior. A few boxes sat in the corner, their age apparent by the way they sagged beneath their own weight, and a lamp sat overturned, its lightbulb and shade both long gone.
“Wow,” Emma breathed, impressed. The first sight of any of these places was always the most breathtaking, and this was no exception. She knew that David had gotten her reaction, while Mary Margaret was busy filming the scenery.
“Smells kinda…musty,” Mary Margaret said, crinkling her nose at the smell.
“That’s an understatement.”
David was sure to keep Emma firmly in the frame, the light from his camera casting unnatural shadows in the darkened space.
“You’d think, with all the broken windows…” she trailed off. Would it really air out that much, with such a small amount of exposure to the outside air? Sure, there were plenty of broken windows, but many of them had been boarded up, and the ones that weren’t were quite a way off the ground.
“Well there’s a lot of dust,” David said, kicking at the dirt on the ground. The building seemed to hear them, as one of the ceiling tiles that had been leaning against the wall fell over, kicking up a cloud of dust that caused all three of them to start coughing. Sometimes, Emma wondered if it wouldn’t be a good idea for them to wear protective masks or something.
Emma cleared her throat, reaching into her backpack for a bottle of water. “You’re getting all of this, right?” She took a swig, then tossed it over to David, who caught it deftly, even with the massive camera on his shoulder.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” he confirmed.
“Good.”
Emma continued to walk around the space slowly, taking in everything. This was only the first room, a waiting area of sorts, and she knew there would be plenty of other spaces to explore. This type of abandoned building was a gold mine for decay junkies like her viewers. (And herself, obviously.)
“Look, some of the furniture is still here. Ugh, look at all that mold on the cushions. It amazes me how they just leave these places. It’s like one day they just…stopped coming here. Like they just locked the doors one day and never came back. Everything just left here.”
“That’s actually true though. This part of the building was never used as anything after the hospital closed.”
“Yeah, I think they wanted to use it but couldn’t find a tenant.”
“Hard to imagine why,” Emma murmured dryly. The building was in horrible condition, that much was clear.
“Well, it looks like looters did pretty well for themselves,” David commented, noting the obvious lack of furniture, fixtures, and even coverings for the electrical outlets.
A shrill, quick beep sounded from down a hallway, and all three of the occupants jumped in surprise.
“Oh Jesus! Was that a fire alarm? Low battery?” Emma would never admit it to a single soul, but the mournful chirping of a dying smoke detector was probably one of the most unsettling sounds in the universe. She hated that sound. She always changed the batteries in her smoke detector well before they could ever hope to get to the point of alerting her that they were barely clinging to life.
“I think so, yeah,” David confirmed.
Emma was unnerved. “How long has that thing just been beeping every few minutes?”
“Probably as long as the building has been vacant.”
“That’s so creepy,” Mary Margaret breathed, and Emma nodded in agreement. Glad I’m not the only one who thinks so.
The alarm chirped again insistently, and all three of them startled again, despite knowing to expect it.
“Case and point,” Mary Margaret added unnecessarily.
“Like they just up and left! Those things have battery backup, but they’re mostly electric, right David?” He nodded. “But the electricity has been off for years, and that thing has been beeping pitifully ever since?”
“There’s no way,” David supplied. “No batteries are that good. I wonder if they just keep a few smoke detectors rigged up in case of fire?”
“Ooh, yeah. Arson is a problem at some of these places.” Mary Margaret began to rattle off a list of other abandoned places, some of which had been burned to the ground by vandals looking to get a cheap thrill.
“But why would they care? The building is condemned. What difference does it make if it gets torched? They could rebuild something better.” Emma kicked at the ground, scoffing. “It isn’t like this place can be repaired.”
David shrugged under the camera. “Beats me.”
“Maybe it’s an insurance thing.” They would have to have smoke detectors on the premises to get an insurance settlement, right? That had to be it. The alarm chirped again, and Mary Margaret took a deep breath. “So how long would this one have been here before its battery dies?”
Emma set her backpack down on the ground and reached into her pocket for her phone. She clicked on a few things, then rattled off the answer: “This site says anywhere from a year to like, five years. Depends what batteries they used?”
“Really?” David seemed intrigued, and Emma knew that he would do some more research into this topic when they made it back to their hotel.
“Yeah, today I learned that smoke detectors work better with specific batteries.”
“Huh,” he responded, confirming that he, too, had learned this very thing today.
Beep
“That’s gonna get old,” Emma said, heaving a deep sigh.
David shrugged again. “Well, do you have a nine-volt battery?”
“Of course I don’t, David! Who the hell ever has a nine-volt battery?”
“Well then let’s just try to ignore it and keep going.”
Mary Margaret changed the subject. “Oh my god, look at this. That’s the reception desk.” She had walked across what had to have been the waiting area to a curved counter, faded turquoise, the formica cracked – and in some places, gone entirely. Above the counter, the outline of the letters RGEN Y were still visible, although many had been painted over by vandals, obscuring their original verbiage. “Look, you can still see the outline where the letters were. Wow, this was the ER.”
“Well, the ER waiting room. Or like, triage,” Emma corrected. The actual emergency rooms would be down the hallway a bit. She wondered if any of the beds or curtains were still there. Probably not.
“Wonder how many people died here?”
David coughed. “Good lord, MM, why are you so macabre?”
“Like seriously! I’m just saying! This place has got to be haunted.”
“We’re not Ghost Adventures,” Emma reminded her. While it would be cool to have a show on the Travel Channel alongside big name shows like Ghost Adventures, she wasn’t sure that their particular brand of entering – which often involved the “breaking” part of “breaking and entering” – would be palatable for TV, even for cable television.
“Oh, come on, Emma, they’d love this!” Mary Margaret’s eyes were shining. She loved the show, and even Emma had to admit that it was fun to watch late at night with the lights off. Even if Zak Bagans and his team were overdramatic as all get-out.
“All right, all right, now can you stop fangirling and get over here with the damn camera?”
She picked up the pace with a huff. “Coming.”
Emma was standing behind the reception desk, poking around. There had once been drawers, but they were long gone. A small piece of corroded wire stuck out from inside one of the recesses where the drawers used to be, and some broken glass sat atop the desk, covered in dust. “Look, there’s some files.”
Mary Margaret zoomed in on the small pile of paperwork. It was a stack less than a centimeter high, the file folders warped with moisture damage and mold. “Do they have anything important?”
“They’re all stuck together. But I’d really doubt that they were personal medical files just…left here.”
“That’d be one hell of a HIPAA violation. Did HIPAA even exist when this place was still operating?”
“Nice pun. And I think at the end? Maybe?” Emma shrugged. She didn’t really feel like looking it up this time, and the signal here was weak anyway. “These were probably like protocol files or something.”
“I guess we’ll never know,” David replied with an exaggerated inflection. “One of the great mysteries of this place.”
“Oh, not you too with the dramatic haunted house crap,” Emma grumbled. “You guys-“
Suddenly, there was a loud banging noise coming from somewhere else in the building, followed by a shuffling sound and a couple of thumps. All three of the explorers jumped before freezing, their eyes wide with fear.
“What the fuck was that?” Emma whispered, her voice wavering slightly.
“I told you this place was haunted.”
“Mary Margaret, I swear to-“
“A rat?” she supplied, keeping Emma from finishing whatever threat she’d been about to level.
“Would a rat have been that loud?” David asked, and they all knew the answer.
“No, but at least a rat wouldn’t be the worst thing we’ve encountered.” A few years ago, they’d come across an angry, terrified raccoon. They had no intention of harming it, but the wild animal certainly hadn’t known that, and it looked like it wanted their blood. Instead of exploring further, they’d turned around and explored other parts of the building, hoping it’d leave them alone.
It had.
Emma, David, and Mary Margaret still stood in place, not moving. Just as Emma was about to shake it off and get them back into the exploration, another series of noises wafted toward them.
It was voices, and they were muffled. Emma could only make out every few words or so. “We’re on…Haven … Hospital … 2005. … 1987 … was built, and it … the years, but nothing … building, who had hoped … hotel, … to rot …fell through.” Whoever it was had quite a monologue going, Emma mused.
Mary Margaret sighed. “There are other explorers in here?”
“Who the hell?” David asked.
“I think I know who that is,” Emma said, and she hoped she was wrong. “Hello?” she called out, alerting the others to their presence.
From the distance, she could vaguely hear another voice saying something about reshooting.
Emma wasn’t amused. She knew they had heard her, so why were they ignoring her? “Who’s there?”
“The last thing we need…” they heard, as the voices inched closer, “…some amateurs out here causing trouble.”
The voices were nearing, and there was one she definitely recognized. Damn it, not this guy. “Yeah, we need to get these trespassers out of here. They’re a liability.”
Emma heard the word trespasser and her blood ran cold. Shit. She couldn’t afford to get another trespassing charge. While she and her crew were always careful, that didn’t stop curious, concerned citizens calling in on them, which resulted in their getting citations more often than not.
But another group of urban explorers wouldn’t rat them out, would they?
Suddenly, an entire entourage came around a corner, three men and a short woman. Emma knew all of them. Killian Jones, the star of a Netflix documentary series about abandoned places, and his crew, Robin, Will, and Belle.
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” she groaned as she spotted him, rolling her eyes and crossing her arms around her chest.
“Emma Swan,” Killian Jones said, looking as though he had just discovered buried treasure. Emma was far less amused at the sight of him, but then she realized that he’d said her name.
“You know me?”
“Of course I know you. We seem to explore quite a few of the same places. Killian Jones, at your service.” He stepped forward, offering his hand.
Emma didn’t take it. Instead, she stared him down. “I know who you are.”
He lowered his hand, wiping it on his jeans. “So then you understand why we’re here, exploring this place,” he said, as if that made the fact that he’d encroached on their shoot any less obnoxious.
“It’s a cool location that I’m sure will be extremely popular with my viewers.” Behind her, David coughed again, and she could practically hear Mary Margaret thinking, but neither said anything. They both knew about Emma’s dislike of Killian Jones and had listened to the way she’d rant about him after hate-watching his show. Neither David nor Mary Margaret understood Emma’s vitriol toward the man – or his series – but they were her friends, and friends let friends rant about Netflix docuseries and the smarmy British narrators who made them.
Or so Emma had said, once upon a time.
“I would say the same, which is why I’m here.”
Emma wasn’t budging. “Well I heard you talking about kicking us out of here. You don’t own the building, so you have no right.”
He stepped forward, and Emma steeled in her resolve not to move. She wouldn’t let this guy push her around. “Given how nervous you were when we came around that corner, it seems that you felt as though you were caught. Breaking and entering, Swan? Is that how you get to all these places the other YouTubers don’t ever seem to hit?”
“It appears that way, doesn’t it,” she said, leaving the last word to hang between them for a few minutes.
He shook his head. Behind him, she watched his crew stand silently, though a look passed between Belle and Will. “Tsk. Do your viewers approve?”
“I’m not stupid! I would never put anything incriminating on film. Which reminds me – you’re going to need to delete that footage.”
“Well this certainly got a bit more interesting,” he mused, and there was that look passing between his crew members again. Emma felt her hackles raising.
“Listen, we’re just here exploring. How we got in here is irrelevant, isn’t it?” David chimed in from behind Emma, sensing Emma’s growing annoyance. She turned her head and looked back over her shoulder, shaking it slightly. Let me handle this, was the message.
Killian was already replying. “I wouldn’t say that it’s irrelevant-“
“Isn’t it? We’re here now.” She shrugged slightly, scuffing her boot on the dusty floor. “But it also appears that you’re doing the same exact thing, so I don’t get why-”
“Not quite. You’re going to have to leave.”
“Hold on a minute, we were here first! And if you’re breaking in, too, I don’t see how you have the right to tell us we’re wrong. A bit hypocritical,” she pointed out. Killian rolled his eyes, but didn’t address the accusation.
“Ahh, but you see, I’m filming a professional production,” he supplied.
“What the hell do you think we’re doing?”
He shrugged. “Being amateurs,” was his response.
“Asshole,” she spat.
“An honest asshole.” Emma’s YouTube channel was very popular, and her videos got hundreds of thousands of views, but they weren’t, strictly speaking, professionals as far as the industry was concerned. It was one of the pitfalls of content creation platforms – it was a job, but at the same time, it wasn’t. And it pissed her off that Killian was right. They were amateur filmmakers. Talented amateur filmmakers, but amateurs nonetheless. That still didn’t give him the right to be a dick, though.
“Honest my ass! You don’t get to come in here and kick us out when you’ve just done the exact same thing you’ve accused us of doing. “
“I-“
She put her hand up to stop him, gesturing with her finger as she spoke. “So just turn around, walk your ass the other way, and get the hell out. We were here first.”
It was clear that she wasn’t going to listen to his explanation, so he decided he’d try to be diplomatic. This space was enormous, surely they could get enough unique footage to satisfy both of their audiences.
“Look, we’re both here now, why don’t we just do this together? You don’t have to get me in any shots, and I’ll keep you out of mine. We can agree to be silent while the other team is talking, aye?”
“Why would I do that? You’ll get all the same footage as us.”
He drew in a sharp breath. “While I might get some of the same footage as you, you may have noticed that this building is massive. And besides, why are you so worried about overlapping footage when your video will be posted before my film is edited and released?”
“Are you saying we don’t edit our footage?” Emma was rarely this easily angered, but he’d managed to strike every nerve he possibly could in the short time they’d been speaking to each other.
Killian drew a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Emma waited silently, giving him the opening to answer her question. She could tell that he was getting aggravated with her. Good, she thought. Maybe she’d piss him off enough that he’d get tired of arguing and just leave so they could get back to filming.
“I’m saying you’re not professionals. We are. And professional productions take time.”
“Fuck you. “
“Perhaps later, you may wish to clean yourself up first.”
She balked, resisting the urge to repeat her previous statement, lest he take it even further. “Listen, just because you’re some bigshot Netflix star doesn’t mean you get to treat everyone else around you like shit. My channel has been steadily growing for the past ten years, I have a solid viewership, and I know what I’m doing. So why don’t you take your big, expensive camera crew back around that corner and go fuck off to somewhere else.”
He shook his head. “After all the work I’ve done on this location? You’re mad.“
“All that work and yet, we still got here first.”
“Fine. We’ll do this the hard way then.” He nodded his head to one side, indicating that his crew should follow him. Robin had set his camera down, and he picked it back up, following Killian’s lead. “We’re on the site of the Mist Haven Memorial Hospital, which closed in 1987. It saw a few ownership changes in the time since, but fully closed – and was left abandoned – in 2005. When the-“
Emma started speaking over him. “We’re going to head down the hallway-“
He raised his voice, continuing, “they thought they could transform the building-“
“remnants they’ve left behind-“
Killian stopped, rolling his head back and interrupting her. “You’re polluting my footage.”
“You’re polluting my footage.”
They were in a standoff, staring each other down. Behind them, both crews stood quietly, watching but unwilling to interrupt. Emma narrowed her eyes, then Killian narrowed his. They both took twin deep breaths, and Killian tilted his head slightly with a saucy wink, knowing it would irritate her.
“Ugh!” This was going to cost so much extra time in editing, to remove all traces of Killian fucking Jones and his stupid fucking documentary voice. She turned around, motioning for Mary Margaret and David to follow her.
“Come around this way, look down this hallway! One of these rooms is where a nurse was stabbed.”
“Guess it’s a good thing they were already in the ER,” David supplied, and Emma let out a slight puff of air, amused. She was still annoyed, and she couldn’t seem to get a natural flow back knowing that Killian Jones was there, probably overhearing everything she said. She kept speaking, but despite her best efforts she couldn’t shake the feeling of being observed. She hoped that their footage past this point wouldn’t look forced or unnatural.
“This hallway is creepy,” Belle spoke up behind her, after having been instructed to also continue observing the space as though the other team was not there.
Killian continued into a nearby room, continuing his history lesson. “Back in this room, the founder of the hospital died, which was the first death knell in the lifespan of this hospital. A series-“
“Look at how this handrail is falling off!” Emma exclaimed, much louder than she’d have normally pointed out a feature of a location. Her team was still in the hallway, but she knew that her voice would carry and the other team would have to reshoot. She gloated inwardly. “David, zoom in on that.”
“Oh gross, it’s moldy,” Mary Margaret added, getting a different angle.
“Christ, that stinks,“ Emma continued, wrinkling her nose and stepping back.
“Opened back in 1927, this hospital saw the worst parts of the Great Depression, as people suffered from easily curable diseases they simply had no money to pay to eradicate. Suicides were at an all-time high, and many of the nurses sat right here on watch, trying to ensure-“
“This room is freezing,” Emma interrupted again, and Killian glared at her.
“Reshoot,” he said with a sigh, the obnoxious chirp of the dying smoke detector punctuating his statement. “You know, we could take turns-“
She interrupted, pretending to ignore him completely. “All these patients, all these rooms, now empty. Left to rot, like-“
“Water damage,” Killian pointed out, stepping in front of Emma’s crew and crouching near the baseboard to get a closer look at the line that indicated that there had been some type of flood.
“Really?!”
“What? You interrupted me, I feel it only right that I should do the same.”
“You’re the most aggravating-“
He stood back up, turning to face her, gesturing with his hands as he spoke. “Hey now, I offered to share the space. You wanted to do this the hard way. So by all means, keep going. I’m going to do my job. My editors are going to charge me double for this.”
“Then get the hell out of my shots.”
“My shots.”
They stared each other down, but neither of them wanted to concede even an inch. “I’m wasting time,” Killian said to his crew, turning and continuing to talk about the location. “It’s eerie, isn’t it, the way this bedframe is just situated at an angle? It certainly wasn’t like that while the hospital was operable-“
“Oh my god, look at the writing in here! What the fuck does that even say?” She ran her fingers along the letters, faded from years of wear and tear, and unintelligible.
“Swan, you can’t curse on my footage,” he growled.
“I’m not on your footage.”
“Unfortunately, you are.”
“Emma-“ Mary Margaret began, but Emma ignored her, focusing solely on getting Killian Jones out of this damn abandoned hospital.
“Could you just go away?”
“No can do, Swan. I’ve a deadline to meet.”
“Killian-“ Robin spoke up, but he was also ignored.
They were standing at a doorway, and Emma turned to enter the room at the same time as Killian did. The doorway was not narrow, but they jostled for position all the same, Emma bracing her hand on the doorframe and standing with her legs far apart, raising her elbows to shove him when he tried to pass. “I was here first!”
He elbowed her back. “You keep saying that, but it doesn’t change the fact that I’ve got a film to make.”
David spoke up again, sighing. “Come on, Emma, we can go to the other side of the building.”
“Why should I? We got here first. They can go shoot over there and come back here later.” She stepped on Killian’s foot, and he kneed the back of her thigh. He was now bracing himself on the other side of the door frame, refusing to give an inch. It was childish, and they both knew it, but neither wished to be the one to forfeit.
“When there’s less light? Hardly.”
“Jones…” Will tried, as unsuccessfully as the other crew members, to get them to stop.
“Bugger off,” was Killian’s response as he took an elbow to the back.
“Let me in the goddamn room!”
“Watch your elbow,” he grunted out after she hit him with it a third time.
“Well, if you’d let me in the room I wouldn’t have hit you!”
“Listen, I offered for us to share-“ They were both bracing on the doorframe still, and he heard a slight cracking sound, as though the wooden frame was faltering. They both stopped, their limbs still half-entangled from their battle.
“What the fuck was that?” There was another crack, and Killian released the doorframe.
“We should probably-“
It was as if everything happened all at once: the building was creaking and groaning and the next minute, the foundation above the doorway was falling away, causing the beams from the ceiling to fall. He didn’t even think, just jumped toward her, pushing her toward the ground and out of the way of the falling beam. He landed on top of her with a grunt, but they seemed to have avoided the biggest pieces of debris.
A few more rumbles and they heard more of the building crashing down around them. He could hear Emma beneath him, screaming, and he couldn’t exactly blame her.
The dust settled. A small bit of light peeked through a crevice in the debris, and he could see that the space they were in was pretty tight – they’d narrowly missed being crushed to death.
They both spoke at the same time.
“Ahh, shit!”
“Bloody hell.”
“You can get off me whenever.”
He shuffled away carefully, trying to make sure he didn’t disturb anything that had fallen around them, in case the building wasn’t done yet “Sorry,” he apologized awkwardly.
“No… thank you.” He could tell what a supreme effort it took for her to thank him, but even Emma Swan couldn’t be so crude as to refuse to thank someone for saving her life.
“I do suppose gratitude is in order.”
“Yeah that’s why I thanked you. And I don’t think this is something you can flirt your way out of, hotshot. Unless those pouty lips can lift this door frame.”
He chose not to comment on the descriptor she’d chosen for his lips. “Unfortunately, my lips lack the skills to lift heavy wooden beams out of the way. They do, however, have other skills…”
“Ugh! Stop!”
“Fine, fine, I’ll stop,” he said, laughing slightly. “You do realize that I’m just trying to get a rise out of you?”
“You succeeded. Now we need to find a way to get out of here.” She looked around, surveying the damage. The space they were in was just barely big enough for the two of them to sit up, and neither dared to lean on anything. “How the fuck did this happen?”
“We’ve both been exploring for years. These buildings are all falling apart. It’s a wonder it hadn’t happened sooner.”
“Well that’s comforting,” she muttered. “Don’t you have people who come out to check these places first? Like, for safety? For your big, professional productions?”
“Of course I do, and I’m given specific instructions on places I should avoid for this very reason. This part of the building was determined by the insurance adjuster to be sound.”
“Well, someone fucked up.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “Us.”
She was immediately on the defensive. “You think that our argument caused this?”
He looked at her, his eyes glinting mischievously. “Perhaps it was your yelling, it disturbed the delicate foundations of this place.” She narrowed her eyes.
“Perhaps it was your gigantic ego being incapable of fitting through the door.”
“Perhaps- “
She sighed. “Perhaps arguing isn’t fucking getting us out of here. Come on, if we reach up here we can probably-“
He shook his head, taking another long look around the space. He couldn’t be sure that they weren’t under several layers of debris down here. If they moved one thing, everything else could come crashing down. “Love, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
She glared at him. “You got a better one?”
He took his phone out of his pocket, clicking the home button and seeing that he had no service. Emma mirrored his action, seeing her phone screen was cracked.. She groaned as she attempted – unsuccessfully – to turn it on. Calling for help was out of the question.
“Wait for rescue?” He asked, and even he knew it sounded pathetic. She let out an incredulous huff.
“From who?”
“The crew?”
Oh God, the crew! In their current predicament, she’d forgotten that she’d brought two other people in here with her, and that Killian had brought his team, as well. “Do you hear them? What if they- oh god, what if they’re all… it’d be my fault, I dragged them here…”
“Shit.” It was quiet. He thought they’d have heard some yelling by now. What if he’d been responsible for killing his entire crew?
“If they’re… and we’re stuck here… how long…?” She found it hard to speak the word. If they were dead. Dead. She felt tears welling up in her eyes. These were her best friends. She would never live with herself if she survived and they hadn’t.
“I don’t know.” He let out a long breath. Emma could tell that he, too, felt the weight of responsibility for the people he’d brought with him.
“Would anyone nearby be able to hear the crash? Would they think to look for people?”
“My truck is parked outside, so I’d hope so,” he replied. Sure, they hadn’t parked directly in front of this exact location, but eventually someone would find it odd that there was a car parked in front of an abandoned hospital.
“Mine, too.“
“That ridiculous yellow contraption?”
She felt her irritation rising again at his tone. “I like it” The Bug was old, but it was hers – one of the first things that she’d ever bought for herself.
“It fits you, I guess,” he said, and she snapped her head to look at him.
“And what does that mean?”
“That thing looks like it’s held together by duct tape and dreams. Kind of like-“
“Do not finish that statement,” she warned. She didn’t know what he’d been about to say, but it couldn’t have been anything kind, judging by their conversation so far. She sighed. For a moment, it had seemed like they were starting to get along, but now he was antagonizing her again.
“Fine,” he snapped.
“Fine,” she snapped back.
The silence enveloped them, and Emma realized at that moment just how little space they had. She could see that there were some small openings in the debris – she could barely see the light from one of the windows – so it wasn’t like they would run out of air, but the space was not a comfortable one by anyone’s definition. She wondered what would happen if they had to sleep here – if they had to spend the night, waiting for rescue, in a tiny space where perhaps one errant move could send the rest of the building upon them.
It was only when Killian spoke again that she realized she’d started breathing a bit more rapidly. “Your breathing is disrupting my thinking.”
“Oh, I’m sure your thoughts are exhilarating,” was her reply. As much as she’d tried to sound sarcastic, she was secretly glad that he’d drawn her out of her headspace.
“They are, actually. Not that I can hear myself think over the sound of you hyperventilating.”
“Well excuse me for panicking! We could die in here, and you’re hellbent on antagonizing me!” He recoiled, realizing that his attempts to lighten the mood with teasing had not been taken in jest. “This is your fault!”
It was his turn to be defensive. “How in the hell is this my fault?”
“If you hadn’t come around that corner and bothered us while we were filming…” she waved her hand, seemingly showing the result of him walking into the hospital.
“Oh, so I was supposed to just know you were here?”
“You could have just seen us and turned around. Let us do our thing. It isn’t like the building is going anywhere.”
He turned his head toward her slowly, giving her a pointed, incredulous look.
She swallowed. “Okay, so the building was going somewhere. How were we supposed to know that?”
“Exactly, love,” he nodded. “How were we supposed to know that?”
Emma huffed, a short breath pushing a few errant strands of hair away from her face, and she reached up to brush her hair back behind her ear. As much as she wanted to blame Killian Jones for all of her current woes, she knew as well as he did that they were both responsible for their predicament. Had they not been shoving each other like a couple of five-year-olds, the building probably would still be mostly intact.
He was still talking, she realized. “And we could have collaborated, if you’d been amenable to it.”
“Could you cut out the proper British guy act? This isn’t fucking National Geographic.” Who the hell uses words like amenable?
“I hate to break it to you, love, but this is my natural accent.”
“I mean your stupid vocabulary,” she amended, and he snorted, trying to keep from laughing.
“The mere fact that I have a vocabulary indicates that it is not stupid.” And damn it, she hated that he was right. Again.
She sighed. “This sucks.”
“On that, I am in agreement with you.”
“Fuck, I don’t even have my backpack on me.” Killian raised an eyebrow, silently asking her to elaborate as to why that mattered. “My backpack has water. Some snacks.”
“Planning on getting trapped?”
“No. But you so eloquently pointed out my ‘yellow contraption,’ which is kind of old. I like to be prepared. Plus, I like to snack. We spend hours in these places. You mean to tell me you don’t bring snacks? You don’t have anything to drink?”
“We keep a cooler of water in the truck, but snacks, no. Not on location,” he mused. He’d never thought to bring snacks into one of these places; they would shoot different parts of the documentary at different times, and they could always grab something to eat while outside the venue.
“On location,” she mimicked, her horrible rendition of his accent making him snort with laughter. “You sound so pretentious.”
“I’m a filmmaker, love. That’s what it’s called.”
“Totally pretentious.” He couldn’t stop himself from laughing, snickering softly under his breath.
Emma was less amused. “What’s funny about this?”
“I’m laughing at you,” he replied with another shake of his shoulders, though he at least managed to contain his grin.
“Yeah, sure, laugh at me, kick me while I’m down! We’re both in here, we’re both gonna die! Why aren’t you taking this seriously?”
“I am!”
“No you’re not!”
“Okay, well, first of all, we’re not going to die, and I was just trying to make you feel a bit better,” he said with a shrug, his tone apologetic. He realized that his approach with Emma had been wrong. She was far too guarded to find the humor in a situation such as this, and he should have contained himself, at least more than he had.
“Why should I?” She asked, throwing her hands up. “Feel better, I mean?”
“What’s the use in panicking? You’ll use more energy,” was his response.
“Why should that matter? We’re not going to be pushing our way out of here, we’ve already established that.”
He reached to push her hands down, keeping a grip on her wrist. He was surprised when she didn’t push his hand away. “When a crew comes to let us out, you might need some strength.”
“When. You seem awfully confident,” she retorted, her eyes betraying the worry she’d been trying to conceal. Despite her tough exterior, he could tell that Emma was more afraid than she’d let on.
“People know I’m here,” he said, hoping to provide an extra bit of reassurance. “They will be expecting to hear from me.”
“People other than your crew?” She swallowed again, trying not to think too hard about what might have happened to their friends.
“Yes, believe it or not,” he replied. “People actually care about me. People who aren’t on my payroll.”
At that, she cracked a smile, but decided to keep playing the role. “Like who?” she asked, as if she didn’t believe him.
“Like my brother, who will no doubt gloat about my idiocy in getting trapped in here, and who will be sure to tell me to stop my ‘foolish dangerous hobby,’ as he calls it.” Emma dropped the façade immediately, becoming indignant on Killian’s behalf.
“It’s not a hobby if you get paid for it.”
“Exactly. I told him that. This is my job. A job I quite enjoy.” As an afterthought, he added, “most of the time.”
“This is mine, too.”
He was surprised by that. It wasn’t easy to be able to support oneself with a career in content creation. “Really?”
“It’s almost impossible to produce good, quality YouTube content like this without committing to it. I worked for the first few years while I ran my channel, and you can tell by the quality of my videos, because I didn’t have the time to devote to the locations, or the time for editing them the way we do now Then I…I lost my mother,” she took a shaky breath and felt him squeeze her arm, “my adoptive mom, I never knew my real mother – and I decided then that I’d pursue this for real. She left me a bit of money, so I could comfortably quit and try to make this happen. If it didn’t work out, I’d at least know I tried. If it did – well, I’d be where I am right now.”
“Trapped in a collapsed building with me.”
“Maybe I should have kept my job,” she joked, but there was no bite behind it.
“Am I all that bad?”
No, she wanted to say, but somehow couldn’t form the word. It had been hard for her to let people in, to trust people, and she was already trusting him a lot more than she’d ever intended upon. True, she hadn’t expected to meet him and then become trapped in a tight space under a partially collapsed building, but she still wasn’t ready to be completely open.
He could see her warring with herself, so he continued. “I think we’ve got quite a bit in common, love. You say you never knew your birth mother, I’m assuming that extends to your birth father, as well?” He paused, and she nodded in response. “My mother died when I was four, then my father abandoned my brother and I when I was five. Liam was fifteen. One of his friends’ mums took us in so we wouldn’t get separated from each other. She kind of became my second mum.”
“What happened to her?” Emma asked, though she sensed there was no happy ending to this story.
“She died,” he said, swallowing hard. “Last year. Cancer.”
“It’s a bitch,” she said softly.
He chuckled darkly in response. “Indeed.”
Emma didn’t know how to respond, other than the usual platitudes and sympathy, and she had a feeling that he wasn’t one for wallowing. She was the same way. Hearing people offer sympathy to her forced her to think about it, and she didn’t want to think about it.
“Let me ask you something, Swan,” he said softly, and she lifted her head up.
“Hmm?”
“Is that why your series is named ‘Left Behind’?”
“Um. Yeah, actually.” She was surprised. There were so few people who understood the double meaning of her series title, and in mere hours he’d picked up on it.
He nodded sadly. “I knew I saw it in you. The look of someone who had been abandoned. You put so much love and care into these explorations. You’re fascinated by things left behind, but you recognize the tragedy in it all..” She was too stunned to reply. “We’re more alike than you think.”
That shook her out of it. “I suppose. And what about your series? ‘Desolate and Deserted’?” She watched him reach to scratch behind his ear, a nervous gesture that made him seem oddly endearing.
“Aye, I was in a kind of rough patch when I came about the name. My girlfriend had just left me to go be with one of my mates, and I felt pretty much desolate and deserted.” He stopped for a moment, then continued. “Looking back, it never would have worked out, so I guess I should thank her for it, but the name is rather unfortunate, at that.”
“Ugh, I’m sorry. Cheaters are the worst. No one should have to go through that. It’s a shitty feeling.” Feeling like you’re unwanted, she didn’t add, but she didn’t have to. He understood.
“I told you. We’re more alike than you think.”
“I suppose we are.” It was weird, realizing that she may have been wrong about him, and that for all his bravado as portrayed on TV, he was just as flawed and broken as she was. “Look, I’m sorry for all of that, back there. Being the first to explore a location, that’s kind of my whole thing. Audiences are fickle, and I’m terrified of losing everything I’ve built.”
“I understand, Swan. More than you think. When you come from nothing-“
“Do you hear something?” They both sat silently, listening for something out of the ordinary. Then he heard it – some faint yelling. Were people here already, looking for them? Should they begin yelling?
The yelling was getting closer, though they couldn’t make out what the person was saying. Whoever it was didn’t seem to know where they were. “Is that-“
Mary Margaret interrupted him, her voice calling loudly from what must have just been outside the room they were in. “Emma! Killian! You guys in there?”
“Jones!” Robin’s voice called, and he heard Belle and Will calling further off in the distance.
“They’re alive,” he breathed.
“Oh thank God,” Emma replied, heaving a huge sigh. Not only were the people she loved alive – and probably fine, but they were actively looking for them.
“We’re here!” She yelled as loud as she could. Killian flinched and tried not to cover his ears, despite the volume of her voice. “We’re both fine! A few scratches!”
“Killian?” Will shouted, apparently needing to hear him.
“I’m fine! What took you lot so long?”
Even through a thick brick wall and a mountain of debris, Killian could hear Will’s biting tone: “We were trying to get out, you wanker!”
“We thought you were dead!” Mary Margaret yelled. “You weren’t calling for us, so we assumed…”
“We thought you were dead!” Emma shouted, and wiped a tear that had started rolling down her cheek. When they got out of here, she was going to give Mary Margaret and David the biggest hug imaginable.
“We’re calling 911! Don’t kill each other!”
“WHAT!?” Emma bellowed, her face turning to panic. The group outside didn’t respond, so she assumed that they were already in the process of calling.
“How else do you think they’re going to get us out of here? Divine intervention?” Killian asked.
She rolled her eyes. “The cops will come.”
“So?”
“We’re trespassing. Why are you not freaking out? We’re trapped under all this shit, the foundation is probably not that sturdy given… everything… and we’re going to get arrested once they pull our stupid asses out of here. How can you be so calm?”
“I have a permit, along with liability insurance,” he replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“You do?” Now it all made sense, the way he’d reacted to her crew breaking into the location.
“You mean to tell me you don’t?”
“Would I be freaking out if I did?”
“Fair point,” he conceded. He had been teasing her earlier, but now it seemed that their explorations were a lot more amateur than he’d thought. When they got out of here, he’d try to convince her that she should start doing things the legal way. That wasn’t a conversation to be had at this particular moment. “But anyway, my insurance specifies ‘Killian Jones and his crew.’ None of their names are listed on the document.”
What did that have to do with anything? she wondered. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that you could pretend to be a part of my crew – you and your own crew – and you can avoid the charges associated with trespassing.”
It was a generous offer, one Emma couldn’t believe he would make. “Why would you do that? After all the shit I’ve given you today?”
“What kind of person would I be if I didn’t?”
She didn’t respond, because she realized that everything she’d said about him earlier had been borne of assumptions, almost all of which were wrong.
He continued. “An asshole?”
“Listen, I didn’t mean…I mean…” she pursed her lips together. She knew she had to apologize, but Emma wasn’t always the greatest at admitting when she was wrong.
“No, no, I’m your competition, after all. That’s why you were so upset that we were here. You don’t want to lose half your viewers to my episode.”
“I mean, you’re not really my competition.” His eyebrows shot to the sky, and she quickly amended, “You’re not a YouTuber. Our audiences are not the same, and people expect different things on YouTube than they do on Netflix.”
“So then you really shouldn’t have been so upset about us being here,” he pointed out, and she shrugged. He was right.
“But to be fair, we are often covering the same locations, a fact that you have mentioned more than a few times in your videos.”
Emma was shocked. “You’ve watched my videos?” It shouldn’t have been such a surprise, given that he’d recognized her on sight, but she still felt flustered at the knowledge that someone as prominent as Killian Jones, a renowned documentary filmmaker who had a non-zero amount of Emmy nominations throughout his career, sat down to watch her videos.
Suddenly, she wanted to know more. Did he subscribe to her channel? Was he familiar with her posting schedule? Had he ever commented on one of her videos before?
“I’m just full of surprises, aren’t I? They’ll get us out of here, I’ll give them my insurance information, I’ll say we were all here filming together, and we can go our separate ways. Nothing to worry about, Swan.”
No one had ever called her by her last name before, and she kind of liked it, loathe as she was to admit it to herself. “Thank you.” She waited for him to make a snarky comment, or to make another flirtatious remark about how she could properly show her gratitude. When he didn’t, she turned to look at him, noting the way his eyes had softened.
“And when the firemen finally get us out of here, I’d like to take you to dinner.”
“Can’t just let a favor go for free, can we?” she snarked, immediately regretting her words when she saw him flinch slightly. She let out an apologetic breath, giving him the space to continue.
“Well you see,. I quite fancy you, when you’re not yelling at me.”
If someone had told her this morning that not only would she meet Killian Jones, but she’d be sitting next to him under a pile of rubble while he confessed to liking her, she’d have called that person a dumbass. And yet…
And yet.
He watched the surprise play across her face before continuing. “I’ve watched your videos for years, Swan. Not to copy your locations – we have similar tastes, is all. I actually enjoy your content. You have a fresh enthusiasm that my documentaries lack. A – youthfulness, a feeling of whimsy.”
“Yours are kind of clinical,” she agreed, a smile playing at the corners of her lips. “How old are you anyway? Fifty?” Emma Swan was not one for sincerity, but teasing? That, she could do.
He ignored the age comment, pointing playfully. “I knew you watched them!” His wide grin was perhaps the most endearing thing Emma had ever seen.
“Sometimes there’s nothing else on Netflix,” she shrugged. He narrowed his eyes at her, letting her know that he didn’t believe her for a second.
“Okay, okay! I’ve watched them! The history you dig up is really interesting. I sometimes wish I went through all the trouble before getting to these places. I mean, we do get a little bit of background, but you’re like an abandoned building archaeologist. The stuff you find out about these places is fascinating.”
“It does give the exploration more depth,” he agreed. It was a lot of work, the research that went into each of his videos, not to mention the interviews and location shots. He was glad to hear that someone he admired as much as Emma appreciated it.
“Tell me the history of this place.”
“Now, now, Swan, no spoilers.”
She rolled her eyes. “I think I know how this episode ends already,” she joked, and he had no response to that.
“All right, so, George Mills made a fortune in the steel industry at the turn of the century. He was one of the first to open a steel mill just outside Pittsburgh, which – as you know – is well-known for steel production. He met his wife there, a woman half his age by the name of Regina Barnes. She was, according to many accounts, a tyrant, and just prior to the first World War, she forced him to sell the mill and move their family – they had three kids at this point – and settle in this area.”
“Why here?” Northern Maine wasn’t particularly close to Pittsburgh, so it seemed an odd choice.
“She had ‘a feeling about this place.’ A small, unincorporated area of the country, well off the beaten path, and she wanted to live there. She packed up her family, ‘convinced’ dozens of families to leave Pittsburgh with them, and they all settled down and incorporated the town of Storybrooke, which holds its name to this day.”
Killian’s use of air quotes had not gone unnoticed. She imitated the motion, asking, “Convinced?”
“Coerced. Allegedly.” Emma gave him a pointed look, urging him to continue. “She was apparently great at getting dirt on people, which was an excellent means for her to get her way. So she basically brought a small town’s worth of people with her to settle down, got them all to build her a mansion which, sadly, burned down about ten years ago, and appointed herself mayor of the town.”
“Her husband wasn’t bothered by this?”
“He was very enamored of her, it seems.”
“Or she had something on him, too,” Emma suggested, and he nodded slightly.
���We’ll never know, I suppose. Anyway, that’s how this hospital came to be. One of their children developed a chronic illness, and rather than travel to another city for healthcare, she blackmailed a doctor out of Boston and had the hospital built. They began construction in 1920, and the first wing of the hospital opened that year. This whole massive building was built and operational by 1927, funded in part by the number of disabled war veterans needing continuous care. Storybrooke was a thriving small town at that point, and the hospital was the largest for miles for over thirty years.
“It saw the tail end of the depression, had a major boom during the Second World War, as did the town. George Mills died shortly after the war, and Regina inherited his fortune. She ran the town, and the hospital was part of the town. She wasn’t mayor anymore, but every subsequent mayor answered to her. She had the money, and with it, the power. There is a lot of scandal surrounding Regina Barnes-Mills, so much that I can’t possibly put it all in the episode. I could do an entire documentary on her alone.”
“Why don’t you?”
“I don’t have time, for one. Perhaps I will revisit her story someday.” He paused, heaving a slight sigh. “Anyway, she died in 1983. She was 102 years old then, and held onto control right up until the end. Following her death, her children had a huge battle with each other over inheritance. Our lovely Mayor hadn’t been too clear about her intentions. Some local historians say that she didn’t intend to die.” He paused, giving Emma a chance to giggle. “The familial in-fighting and lack of leadership at the hospital was essentially its death warrant, though there were many other factors. Newer, more state-of-the-art facilities, people leaving the town, and the questionable decision to convert the hospital – well, a wing of it, at least – to a mental health facility. Problem was, there weren’t enough patients locally, so they kind of… outsourced.”
“I take it that didn’t go well?”
“Not as such, no. There were some lawsuits over the mistreatment of patients, and the hospital closed in 1987. A wealthy investor bought this place hoping to turn it into a hotel, and some parts of the building were converted into rooms. That lasted a couple years. It’s not like this area is a tourist hotspot. Except, you know, for people like us who want to explore decrepit, abandoned places,” he joked.
“I know the rest, I think. They couldn’t find anyone else to buy it and there was a huge fire all the way on the other side of the building. People wrote it off, right?”
“That’s essentially it, yes. And here it sits.”
“And here we sit,” she grumbled, heaving a deep sigh. He responded with a sigh of his own. They sat in silence for a few moments, and Emma pretended to be supremely interested in her cuticles.
Killian broke the silence. “So, have I made this place more interesting to you?
“Nah,” she said, shaking her head and trying to hide her smile from him.
“I beg your-“ He grabbed her wrist, causing her to look at him. “You were hanging onto my every word!”
Emma couldn’t help but laugh. He was so offended at her feigned disinterest. “Perhaps I was merely appreciative of the messenger.”
“And not the message?”
She huffed out a breath, pushing an errant strand of hair away from her face. “I was trying to compliment you.”
“You were?” He raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to continue. When she didn’t, he cleared his throat slightly. “All right then. Thank you.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but didn’t get the chance. “You guys all right in there?” Robin’s voice carried over the rubble.
“Fine!” Emma called, trying not to be too annoyed at the interruption from outside. They were just trying to help, after all.
Killian seemed to sense her frustration. “But you could get us out, yeah?
“The firemen are on their way. Try not to kill each other,” Robin advised. Killian made a mental note to remind Robin later that he didn’t need a second over-protective older brother.
“No promises,” Killian shouted back, winking at Emma as he did so.
Right then, she seemed to make a decision about something. “Okay,” she said, agreeing to an unknown prompt.
“Okay what?”
“Okay I’ll go to dinner with you,” she replied, her eyes glinting with amusement at the way his face lit up.
“Really Swan, what changed your mind?”
“I quite ‘fancy you’ as well,” she replied, in a poor imitation of his accent.
“Emma Swan, were you watching my documentaries to admire the locations, or just to admire me?” he teased, wiggling his eyebrows in an animated fashion.
“You really are such a dick sometimes.” The insult was spoken, but it had no bite.
He shrugged casually. “It’s part of my charm.”
“I suppose.”
“But you didn’t answer my question,” he pressed, and she looked down at her fingers again, picking at one of her nails.
“Both,” she muttered.
“Both?” He repeated, wanting to be sure he’d heard her.
She threw her hands up exasperatedly. “Both the locations, and you. All right?”
“Was that so hard?”
“Admitting that I’ve been a bitch to you all this time because I didn’t want you to know that I liked you?”
And there it was, out in the open. Sure, there had been the worry about him getting all of the prime bits of footage before she could manage it, but the real reason she was being so prickly was that she hadn’t wanted to admit to him – or to herself, for that matter – that she liked him. Kind of a lot.
“I wasn’t going to say it.” He knew better than to use that particular word in reference to a woman. She smiled then, surprisingly relieved that it was out in the open now.
“So what do you say, Swan, care to plan a collab? Starting here?”
What did she have to lose? “Okay,” she said. “But I still get to release my video on my schedule.”
“I wouldn’t dream of trying to manage how you run your channel, love.”
“Good.”
Inwardly, she wondered how it would all work – would they have contracts? As much as Killian said he wouldn’t want to meddle in her production, she knew that the folks over at Netflix would probably have a few more stipulations.
As if reading her thoughts, he continued. “I can’t promise that my agents will appreciate me bringing another personality onto the team. Especially one as volatile as you,” he said, shaking his head slightly.
“Don’t make me find something to throw at you.”
He grinned. It really was too easy to get a rise out of her. “But. If we were to collaborate with each other, even if it’s only on this location - I think we could really have something. Your videos are good. And I daresay my documentaries are good. But together…”
“We could be great,” she finished, letting her mind wander beyond just their filmmaking endeavors. They could be great. What would it be like to get to know Killian Jones on a personal level? How much of his narrative charm was genuine? The more she got to know about him, the more she wanted to learn.
She startled when he spoke again. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re quite fetching in that tank top.”
“I’m sweaty,” she protested, her face beginning to flush. “And covered in dust. And I probably smell terrible.”
He was close enough to dispute that assertion. “You smell nice, actually.” His voice was lower, huskier. He reached to brush a strand of her hair away from her face, and she shuddered at the gentleness of his touch.
She turned her head then, meeting his intense gaze. She leaned ever-slightly toward him, noting that he did the same. A pang of longing shot through her, and she parted her lips in anticipation of what was to come.
They closed the distance slowly, their lips barely grazing when a loud cracking noise pulled them from their reverie. “Y’all just sit tight in there, we’ll have you out in a few,” came the reassuring voice of what could only have been one of the firemen over what must have been a megaphone.
“All right,” Emma yelled weakly, barely trusting her voice. A loud motor roared to life outside, and the moment was effectively broken. The faint sound of rhythmic beeping, signaling that a vehicle was backing up, seemed to draw closer. She wondered how much work the rescue crews would have to do to pull them out of there. Exactly how much of the building was piled on top of them?
“We’ll finish that later,” Killian promised, grazing her cheek with the back of his hand. How he desperately wanted to pull her into him and claim her, but the background noise of the rescue effort was especially jarring. They may as well have doused him in freezing water.
He and Emma hunched over, keeping their eyes shielded in an effort to avoid any falling debris. There was a constant din – between the motors of vehicles, the yelling of workers, the beeping, and the sound of the building being lifted, Emma would be surprised if she left without a headache.
Be grateful that’s all you’ll have, she reminded herself. She grasped Killian’s hand, and he squeezed it reassuringly. “Bit loud,” he commented, and if she hadn’t just been thinking the same thing, she’d have made some sarcastic comment about him being Captain Obvious.
The fireman had said, “a few,” but they had no frame of reference for that statement. A few minutes? A few hours?
The noise was such that they couldn’t really converse, so they sat beside each other waiting for their eventual release, trying to be patient. Periodically, one of them would look up to check the progress, but that didn’t really give them any indication as to how much longer it would be, and the rescuers weren’t stopping to give them any updates. Eventually, though, the firefighters were pulling them out – Emma first, followed shortly thereafter by Killian. The sky was slightly darker, but night hadn’t quite fallen.
There was a flurry of activity as everyone rushed to hug each other and express their overall relief that this ordeal was over. The police had already questioned both crews, and they gathered statements from both Killian and Emma.
Emma must have seemed worried, because the officer reassured her that the questioning was merely for insurance purposes. The firefighters left first, and before long, the police officers were leaving, as well, leaving behind a construction crew, who had been tasked with ensuring that they got everything cleared from the site. They were all given strict instructions not to reenter the building by both the police and the construction workers.
“Good thing we got all of the cameras then,” Will grumbled, though Emma suspected that Will – not unlike herself – would have had very few qualms about disobeying the police.
“You’re sure you’re all right?” Mary Margaret fussed over Emma, and Emma could only respond with a pointed look. A few meters away, Killian was subjected to similar treatment from Belle, and he met Emma’s gaze as he repeated – much like she had – that he was fine.
“I’m fine, Mary Margaret,” she said again, not even looking at her friend as she did so. In the waning daylight, Killian’s slightly mussed form seemed even more enticing, if that was even possible, and she caught his eye, noting how his gaze darkened with lust. “I’m fine,” she breathed, hardly aware of anyone – or anything – other than Killian Jones.
He raised an eyebrow at her and that was it. She stalked over to him, grabbed the collar of his still-dusty leather jacket, and practically crashed their lips together. Within seconds his hands were tangling in her hair, pulling her possessively closer and groaning deeply into the embrace. She felt her knees go weak as he kissed her passionately, his toned frame seemingly the only thing keeping her upright.
They breathed each other in, their hands clinging, groping, desperate, their breaths hot against each other when Emma finally – reluctantly – pulled away slightly, her lips trembling and a shudder shooting through her. She had never been kissed like that.
“Would you like to have that dinner date now?” Killian asked softly, his words low and gravely. For as long as she lived, Emma was certain she would never, ever forget how absolutely fucking sexy he sounded in that moment.
She giggled against him, pressing her lips to his in another short, quick, kiss, giggling again when he chased her lips with his own. “Maybe we should just skip the dinner part for now,” she suggested.
“I like the way you think,” he murmured against her, “But I do still want to take you out on a proper date,” he added, closing the distance between them again as she nodded her agreement.
“Mate, you gonna keep snogging her there all night?” Robin teased, and they stepped back from each other, noting the various states of amusement on the faces of their spectators.
“Right,” Killian said. He wasn’t going to stand here so his mates could give him the third degree, not when Emma Swan wanted him to take her somewhere more private. “Shall we, love?” he asked Emma, nodding slightly toward where his truck was parked. The crew could take care of the equipment and get the van back to their hotel.
Emma reached into her pocket and grabbed her keys, tossing them toward her friends. “M&Ms, take the Bug, would you?” Mary Margaret caught the keys, just barely, jingling them a few times with a pointed look, one that very clearly told Emma that they were going to have a long talk about this, and Emma felt Killian put his arm around her waist, leading her away from the stunned onlookers.
“Told you,” they heard Mary Margaret whisper loudly as they began to walk away, and Emma could only smile as she let Killian lead her to his car.
A few years later
“For Deserted and Left Behind, I’m Killian Jones,” he began the sign-off.
“And I’m Emma Swan,” she continued.
“And we’ll see you in the next exploration,” they finished together, holding their final pose until the camera crew gave them the all-clear. They’d probably reshoot that a few more times, but Emma personally felt that it was satisfactory.
It was one thing she’d had trouble adjusting to when she’d agreed to these periodic special collaborations with Killian – Netflix’s need to have them constantly reshoot everything. It was for camera angles, or lighting, or just a different tone of voice. She’d never known how exhausting it all could be.
“Hey, don’t go anywhere,” he said as she turned to leave, grabbing her elbow before turning to one of the cameramen.. “Can we get some more footage real quick?”
“Killian, I’m hungry,” she protested. “Can’t it wait?”
“This won’t take long, love.” He nodded to the cameraman, who started recording again before nodding back, indicating they were rolling.
“Three years ago, I ran into this lovely yet infuriating lass when we both stumbled upon the same location-”
“They know all this-“ she began to interrupt, but he silenced her with a finger on her lips.
“Like I said, infuriating.” She tilted her head to the side, giving him that affectionate-but-annoyed look she’d perfected since they’d begun dating. “Little did I know, however, that I would find not just a partner in exploration, but one in life.”
He took her hand, dropping to one knee. “And I’d like to ask her to continue to be my partner, for the rest of our lives.” Her mouth hung open, tears welling up in her eyes as he took out a small ring box, opening it to reveal a perfect, beautiful ring.. “Emma, will you marry me?”
“Infuriating?” she teased as a tear rolled down her cheek. “Takes one to know one.”
“Emma…” he warned with a groan, squeezing her hand. Only Emma Swan could take a proposal and make it sarcastic.
“Yes, Killian. I’ll be an infuriating wife to an infuriating husband,” she agreed with a huge smile, and he slid the ring on her finger before standing up and pulling her in to a searing kiss, oblivious to the cheers – and tears – around them.
“I’m never going to live that down, am I?” he asked against her lips, and she shook her head slightly before diving back in.
“God, I hope not,” she replied, and kissed him again.
#ouat#captain swan#captain swan fanfic#captain swan fanfiction#emma swan#killian jones#my fanfiction#also hi hello this is my first published captain swan fic
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what if 2x01 ended a little differently...
Regina’s an idiot.
Generally she’d say she was smart. Calculating. A strategist. She’s able to play people and think twelve steps ahead. And she never lets any arduous emotions get in the way.
Well.
Usually.
There are a few people that she struggles to keep those emotions in check with. She managed it with her parents, both their deaths on her hands, but they were necessary. But then there was Snow White. As much as Regina hated it, the pesky, plucky little princess had a way of getting under her skin, and there were moments where her revenge had blinded her. And then Henry. She loved her son, she’d do almost anything for him. And she’s spent so many months so desperately afraid that she would lose him. First to his own hatred of her, then later to his ridiculous, meddlesome birth mother. And in the last twenty four hours, Regina had felt a terror she’d never known, watching her baby boy lying motionless on a hospital bed. Yes, despite the rumours, Regina was not heartless. There were times she acted against her best interest, when there was something her emotions deemed more important.
Emma Swan is not one of those more important things.
Emma Swan has been a thorn in her side since the moment she showed up in Storybrooke. She was an annoying, immature, nosy, frustrating, self-righteous, callous bitch. And apparently a Charming too. No wonder Regina hated her (aside from the girl’s stupid decision to give up the most wonderful person Regina’s ever known only to show up ten years later to claim him like she has any right - what a completely self-centred, inexperienced, interfering hag-)
Anyway. Regina does not care about Emma Swan. She’d actually tried to kill her yesterday. And her life would be so much simpler if she’d just made the woman eat that apple turnover in her kitchen.
Only now is Emma Swan not only not dead but she’s the Saviour and has broken the curse. And Regina is powerless in a town full of people baying for her blood, and her son hates her, and she’s been marked for a fate worse than death.
Regina might be the Evil Queen, but she’s never sucked anyone’s soul out. There have to be some lines.
Her only hope to survive the wraith relied on two things: 1) Henry wanting to protect her (which means more to her then anything) and 2) a charming trio of idiots. Emma Swan in particular. Because she was the one who promised Henry she’d protect Regina. Regina, the Evil Queen, is being protected by the very Saviour whose curse-breaking is the reason she needs protection! And Regina’s magic isn’t working and she needs this stupid hat to open a portal and her arch-nemesis’ - Prince Charming and everyone’s beloved princess Snow White - were fighting off the wraith with fire. And brooms. Because Regina’s fate is only getting more ridiculous and she’s probably about to have her soul sucked out.
But then Emma Swan grabs her arm. And Regina feels a spark. A flow of energy, of magic, right as she spins the hat. And maybe her fate isn’t over yet, because the portal opens.
Regina can feel her own magic flowing through her, so familiar and entrancing. But her magic was blocked and the hat wasn’t working so that can only mean…
Emma Swan is beside her, looking down at her own hands with a stunned expression. So she felt it too.
Only when the Saviour glances up, her expression shifts to one of terror, and Regina can feel death behind her, the wraith closing in. And she’s never made up with Henry.
In her final moment, this is what she regrets the most. Not her failed revenge plans, not the dark path her life took, but that the last time she saw her son he looked at her with disappointment and distrust and fear. She wishes she’d been a better mother.
But there’s no cold clutch of the wraith’s claws, the pull of its powers as it sucks out a soul and drains a life. No, there’s only Emma Swan, her hands shoving Regina out of the way as the wraith flies past, a second too late, before it’s dragged into the portal. Into oblivion. Good riddance.
(And that’s three times today the Saviour’s saved Regina’s life. Three times today Henry’s promise kept her alive.)
The wraith wails as it’s pulled down, but then a tendril of magic flies back up. The damned creature having one final act of vengeance. Only it doesn’t grab Regina. It latches onto Emma.
Emma Swan, who is standing closest to the portal. Emma Swan, who is only standing closest to the portal because she pushed Regina out of the way and saved her life. Again. Third time today. Emma Swan, who is haughty and intrusive and broke Regina’s curse. Emma Swan, who loves Henry so deeply and purely that her true love’s kiss saved his life this very morning. Emma Swan, who doesn’t look much like a Saviour with her frightened scream as the wraith drags her down.
And Regina does have a heart. She must, because her head was certainly not working in this moment.
The moment where she reached out to grab Emma Swan’s hand, to try to save her. For all the good it did.
So, yes. Regina is an idiot. The only thing it achieved was causing Regina to be sucked into the portal too.
#obviously it would change the rest of 2A alot but idk i don't really care#i love the idea of emma and regina bickering like an old married couple#while tromping through the forbidden forrest and arguing about co-parenting#while mulan and aurora just give each other the side eye like 'are you hearing this too?'#regina mills#swanqueen#emma swan#ouat#once upon a time#2x01#broken#my fics#my post
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