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hmspogue · 3 years

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Outer Banks season 2 Official Trailer shot-by-shot rundown

A comprehensive post where I scream about analyze the entire trailer frame by frame for clues, theories, and plot. Just my own opinions and general tin foil-hatting

These are screenshots from Netflix’s trailer for Outer Banks season 2. I do not claim or own any of these.

note: this post is tagged as a long post if you wish to avoid having to scroll until your thumbs break.

“My old man used to tell me, ‘it’s best to never say you’ve hit rock bottom’.”

(Putting all of these shots together since they’re scenes we already know but-) Holy shit, okay let’s just....start off like this I guess, damn.

“'Trust me’, he said...”

Kiara looking back and forth between the boys like this really just feeds the headcanon I have that her form of grief this season is going to be her trying to hold it together for their sakes (and eventually just snapping).

JJ just looks fucking furious someone give these kids a hug? I already know this scene is going to ruin me.

“You can always go...”

JJ back working at the hotel. He looks literally so angry again in this scene I could see him self destructing at work and losing his job? (Please do not be isolating yourself you beautiful son of a bitch even though I know you’re going to).

Pope in the Twinkie (costuming wise they all are in warmer looking clothes for some of the shots, so just confirming it’s a little bit into the school year when this all takes place).

“Lower”

Big John was real big into pep talks, I see. (seriously can you imagine Big John having this conversation with like 8 year old John B after he fucking dropped his ice cream cone or some shit I shouldn’t be laughing).

I’m just-

These poor kids, I wanna know how the police all the way down in the Bahama’s knew about them?

Their calves....

“RUN!”

Are going to be so fucking jacked by the end of this season I stg.

Fuck you.

“The gold from the Royal Merchant....it’s here.”

For a while, I had thought that maybe they didn’t even make it to the Bahama’s at the front of the season and ended there (because everyone had been filming in there). But I guess they’re going to be making two trips.

If I were a bird from this POV I’d shit right on that house no questions asked.

oooooh ho hokay. Just so we’re clear. Ward Cameron not only get away with murder and about two dozen other felonies, but-

“Half a billion.”

HE STILL FINDS THE GOLD IN THE CRAIN HOUSE AND GETS TO KEEP IT?

Not the polo with the snap back, I just know this man has a playlist called Sad Boi Hours that is just Juice WRLD’s top 5 songs on Spotify and he tells his friends they wouldn’t know the underground artists he listens to.

Sh, you have lost screaming privileges. Go inside and take a nap maybe.

“John B, we are fugitives in a foreign country.”

So, previously, I was talking about how I was confused how they would still be trying to find him is everyone thought he was dead, but here the wanted poster clearly says “presumed lost at sea”. I think that will be interesting to see how the Pogues all interpret that.

Especially because they already had a memorial for John B and everything, I wonder if there will be any part of the Pogues holding out hope that they both could still be out there OUCH.

I’m going to circle back to this, but it looks like John B and Sarah are going to get separated for a little while in this man hunt, I could see my idiot himbo son trying to sacrifice himself so Sarah can get away but in reality just....stranding her.

“Promise me you won’t do anything stupid?”

Oh, sweetie....

“Well, Sarah Cameron, I do stupid things all the time without realizing it.”

The volume of his self awareness is astronomical. sir, that is your whole character summed up in your own words.

GOD, IT’S ME AGAIN. PLEASE LET THEM LEAN INTO COMPLETE HIMBO JOHN B THIS SEASON I’LL DO ANYTHING-

nyyooooOOOOOOOOOOOOM-

“Hold on!”

The complete abject terror I would feel having John Booker Routledge driving get-away and then saying the words “Hold on” while reaching fro the gear shift? The english language fails me.

Sarah, bestie, I’m so sorry.

I just wanna know-

what the plan or objective was in this situation. What was the reason for being this dramatic.

Rest in piss, bozo <3

“Ward’s still out there...”

Okay, same conversation they were having as before. I wonder what makes them decide they need to get back to the OBX for this tho.

“I can clear my name. This can all be over in one shot.”

It looks like Topper watching this but way more concerningly, correct me if I’m wrong but this 100% looks like....John B gets caught. And the DEATH PENALTY?! He did have a mug shot for the fliers in s1 and the one above but he was never brought in? Plus he just looks super dirty and dishevled in this one so I-

Jail break anyone?

I also still want to know if they’re going to go with a Topper redemption arc this season. like, does he know more than he should just from being around Rafe and his big fat mouth? Is he going to help out the Pogues even if it’s just for Sarah?

This shot just suddenly made me really sad. The thought of this all started because Big John left one last thing for his son to find, his literal life’s work. And when it all started, it was just a fun adventure John B and his best friends were going on together and having fun with. Then it all got dragged to absolute shit and turned into what it did, including the remaining 3 Pogues thinking that this treasure hunt took their two best friends away from them. And it’s nothing like Big John intended it to be.

Why my eyes wet?

Now we’re edging into what I was talking about earlier with John B and Sarah getting separated.

“If you think there is anything I wouldn’t do...”

Once again, John B is no where to be found. Also, just in case y’all didn’t already know or forgot Ward is an actual psychopath.

I believe this one of the new character, played by Jontavious Johnson (Stubbs). Based on the voice over it lowkey sounds like they’re implying Ward maybe hired Stubbs and Cleo to find and bring Sarah back. My theory would be I bet they do go to retrieve her, but she somehow convinces them that it would be more beneficial for them in the end to be on the Pogue’s side instead.

Miss Girl you gotta be keeping your head on a SWIVEL. Especially when you’re a FUGITIVE of the LAW-

“...you haven’t been paying attention.”

My guy, who are you clarifying this for?

It’s what you deserve for monologuing.

in all seriousness, the idea of them coming to face to face with Ward in Nassau after thinking they finally escaped him is genuinely terrifying.

“SARAH!”

It kind of looks like they’re either hiding their faces or covering their noses? I don’t know maybe it was from some tactic to get away from Ward.

What did I literally jsut say about yelling privileges, you unhinged mother fucker?

“I’m calling the shots now. I’m driving.”

The following progression of scenes made me actually snort-

“I can’t drive stick.”

PLEASE THE FINGER GUNS LAUNCHED ME INTO ORBIT I LOVE THEM, YOUR HONOR.

Alright, so now it looks like we’re in Charleston. This is the same scene with Heyward’s truck that got leaked from BTS (read: JJ and Kie shoulder touch).

One of the main things that stuck out to me in the following scenes which, you will see, is it lowkey looks like Pope is kind of heading up this part of the operation, or even going in alone? The following clips are just very Pope focused.

I don’t know what it means, it’s just an observation.

“John B was not the only one that Ward double-crossed.”

LIMBRY-

Bro, we have been hearing about this woman for literal months and I just have....so many questions?

Who the hell is she? How is she connected to Ward? Why is she in South Carolina instead of the OBX? How do the Pogues even learn about her and how to track her down? How is she meant to “help” them? GAH I JUST WANNA KNOOOW. I already know I don’t trust her though and no I will not be offering up supporting evidence.

Sir, that is my son please unhand him.

“I think you know what I want.”

.......no? But feel....free to explain yourself?

The print on the paper is the same one that’s on the ceiling tiles in the following scene. Obviously, with a key on it that most likely goes to the place a few shots from now.

Hell yeah, son, let’s get SLEUTHING.

“The treasure belongs to the Pogues.”

DAMN STRAIGHT.

Bestie’s I’m not going to lie, I stared at this frame for a solid 10 minuets and I have no idea what it says on there I’m sorry. Someone in the comments is welcome to enlighten us.

“We gotta find it first.”

I can’t tell if that’s just dirt or if he hurt his head? But he look GOOD right now for one thing. For another, same outfit as the one in the Twinkie from the beginning of the trailer.

Look at her. LooK AT HER! LOOK! AT! HER! I MISSED HER SO MUCH even in that damn smiley face top that continues to haunt my waking hours she is in it so much and it stresses me out for literally no good reason I’m sorry-

I could literally cry right now and I think that speaks volumes to how little we actually see him genuinely happy. Have I mentioned how much I love that red hat?

Also, probably not that important, but this is not from the same scene as the shots of Pope and Kiara were. This is from the next one-

“Woogity-woogity?”

“Give me some woogity, baby!”

Yeah, this pushed me over the fucking edge, the way that they’re actually happy and laughing? The fact that they kept woogity-woogity and made it A Thing? Yes.

I am, however, going to be intentionally ignoring what appears to be the very intentional stagingof having such an obvious space between where Kiara and Pope are sitting adn where JJ sits, even including the level they’re sitting on because I don’t have the emotional capacity to face those implications right now. Thank you for your time.

Yes yeeeeEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!

GIVE ME ALL OF THE SCENES OF THEM ACTUALLY GETTING TO BE TEENAGERS AND JUST BREATHE AND LAUGH AND HAVE A GOOD TIME AND NOT BE RUNNING FOR THEIR FUCKING LIVES!!!!!!!!!!!

before Rafe comes in and literally starts shooting because they can’t breathe for more than 7 seconds but we’ll....get to that.

They refer to Sarah as a Pogue this season or I burn Netflix to the ground. Your move, Jonas.

50 bucks says John B is driving the Twinkie again for the first time since being back.

I deadass think the Pogues JUST got Sarah and John B back and they’re just having the time of their life. Kie was in her smiley face outfit when Pope was in this one a few clips ago, and I still hold to the belief that that one still they released of JJ and Kie hopping over a fence is the Pogue reunion so-

Ward? I have no idea what he’s looking at behind the wall paper and I’ll be so honest I don’t care my eyes are only seeing Pogue content right now.

“This is a map of the whole island.”

This fit, when will John B learn how to operate buttons, stay tuned for season 5. Also my previous theory of this being their reunion outfits and stuff because Pope is in the back in the same jacket as before.

The plot thickens and so has JJ’s hair, Rudy drop the shampoo brand.

Please, dear God, tell me they’re back in the sex church. For @jiaaraa sake.

Kiara, your Madison is showing.

Okay, I really did try but all I can make out is Something to the tomb begin something something.

You’re welcome.

I am no expert but I do not believe boats operate on land.

John B looks like he is in the same outfit here that is in his mug shot we saw on the TV screen so I have a sneaking suspicion this is where he gets caught.

“John B is back-”

Once again with the damn sexual tension that’s always between Barry and Rafe in every scene they do are we about to kiss right now?

“-it’s him or me.”

First of all, no.

Second of all, I’m just....so very confused about this time line this season. It kind of looks like Ward and Rafe follow and find Sarah and John B in Nassau (unless those scenes by the truck were actually back in the OBX). So did they....go to Nassau, then just come right back when they did? I’m just confused.

Put that thing back where it came from or so help me.

Literally when will you stop at this point I am begging you.

This looks like the same scene the Pogues were, ya know, literally just having a good time at so fuck me, I guess.

Yeah, no, it’s going to be a no from me, I’m just going to pretend like I’m not seeing this and moving on.

I have simply no idea what is going on here or who that is on the bike but maybe JJ? Maybe Luke even? I think that’s JJ’s bike.

The sewer scene. The SEWER SCENE-

For months sicne that tiktok leaked this damn scene has been genuinely all I could think about. So (obviously) it seems like they’re sending Kie down into the sewer to go do seomthing and things go horribly, horribly wrong.

If you haven’t seen the tiktok, essentially all it was was JJ and Pope screaming and trying to lift up the man hole cover while Kie is begging for them to hurry from inside. I’m cheating a little bit as this isn’t a shot from the trailer but this picture was posted and it’s from the same scene.

I’ll just....leave this here. Back to the trailer shots.

Nice. Also, same shirt as mugshot.

Hey, um, what?

Kiara’s car, she’s driving, I can’t tell who’s in the back seat or the front.

Holy God what is going on and how can I as an audience member put a stop to it?

So, same scene as we will see and was in the teaser but, for some reason, they’re all jumping off of a giant ass boat into the little life raft where it looks like JJ gets hurt later but don’t you worry we’re getting to that.

JJ AND KIARA WITH THE POGUE HANDSHAKE JJ AND KIARA WITH THE POGUE HANDSHAKE THEY BOTH LOOK SO DAMN GOOD AND THEIR LITTLE SMILES SPARE ME-

Cleo 🥵

I’m so excited to see her arc and what it brings this season you guys have no idea.

Please for the love of God be about to get Ward Cameron’s ass like he deserves literally punt him into jail right from Tanny Hill.

Sarah at My Druther’s with what looks like a bloody bandage on her side? Same outfit she’s wearing when they’re running from the police on the beach and she has the bandage there too so. Interesting.

Topper hugging who I’m pretty sure is Sarah, being a general douche because he’s clearly looking at John B like 😏

Clips like these serve to remind me just how many of my worldly posessions I would gladly give up to be able to punch Topper Thorton in the throat one time.

I think this is Cleo jumping off the boat with Pope after John B and Sarah.

Absolutely busting a lung at Pope’s form in this one.

John B and Sarah waiting in the life raft, still Cleo and Pope coming after them. The obvious next question is where are JJ and Kiara. The scene I’m sure you all have been waiting for is coming up and clearly takes place in the life raft as well.

So, I really think JJ and Kie get left for last, something horrible happens as they’re trying to jump (my head instantly goes to JJ maybe like pushing Kie out of the way and getting hit on the head instead or even just some accident).

And, oh my GOD a scene of him falling off the boat after it happens and Kiara diving in after him immediately, having to desperatly try to stop him from sinkingand get to the life raft holy shit-

Girl CATCH HIM?????

Because why wouldn’t this be Rafe’s fault. Part of me wonders if this isn’t related to JJ being hurt.

I am going to try and unpack this as calmly as possible because behind my computer screen I am vibrating at a frequency that could shatter glass but respectfully.

WHAT IN THE FUCK IS TIAUEWFHLAILA

Okay, so scene wise, JJ’s hit his head somehow (probably while he was jumping with Kiara) it looks like and now they’re back on the raft.

In my opinion, this is either:

A) JJ is in really, really bad condition after getting hurt in the jump and they’re not sure he’s going to make it. So this is a “Please stay with me, stay awake, please don’t die” hug OR

B) They very narrowly just avoided a deadly situation (my first thought is JJ hits his head while jumping, passes out in the water, maybe almost drowns but Kie and the others get him onto the life raft in time) and this is more of a “Oh my God, you’re okay, you’re safe now, we’re okay” hug.

I honestly lean more to the second one based on the little bit of Sarah’s face we saw in the background. To me, it almost looked like she was smiling thru tears, which, fits way more with the second option than the first.

Anyways. Moving on before I burst a lung again.

(also, before anyone comes at me, no, I’m not happy JJ is hurt, obviously.

(Once again, arrest outfits). You can still see the bandage but it looks like Sarah’s limping now too so...good Lord give the girl a break maybe?

Everything in this trailer just went to shit so fast I think I have whip lash, can we go back to the Pogues hanging out and being happy now pkease I liked those scenes.

“I get it. You guys are scared.”

“No.”

She’s cute but, uh, hello sewer scene outfits. Seems like them planning to do whatever the hell they were going to do in the sewers but the boys are starting to get cold feet as maybe they should but hind sight is 20/20 I suppose.

“It’s kind of cute.”

“I’m not scared.”

“You should’ve just led with that.”

I will never be able to express how much I adore Pogue banter and general dumbassery and I have a feeling this season will not be lacking in either department

I high key don’t think these two are actually going to be there for this scene to go down but I’ll let it slide this time because-

They do be kinda cute.

It both feels like I’ve been waiting for this damn show for 3 years and also like I just watched season 1 last month explain that to me.

Either way holy shit. I missed this dumb show and these dumb kids so much it physcially hurts and WE GET THEM BACK IN T-MINUS 16 DAYS.

Also. Where The Hell Is Wheezie Cameron And When Will She Have The Rights She Deserves.

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ladydimitrescuspet · 3 years

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Make Me Feel Better Chapter 4

AO3 Link! wow, long time no update! welcome to a filler chapter that's not really a filler chapter but is definitely a filler chapter! I hope y'all enjoy it and tell me your thoughts if you'd like! and as always, sorry for any and every grammatical error!

disclaimer: as it is in 'What About What I Want?', Victoria is the oldest, Elise is the youngest, and Daniela is the middle child. this was started before information about the daughters was released so until I finish this fic up and the other one, that's how it's gonna be. okay?? okay!! enjoy!

Tag List (click here to join): @lord-dimitrescu, @alwaysgoodnight, @paint-it-periwinkle, @lightspica, @ultimatebottom69, @sexyheisenbeast, @crazy-obsessed, @squid3, @inlovewithalcinadimitrescu, @the-obscurity, @sapphicalciee, @ladydimitresculove, @solemnnova, @itsyourgirlmalise, @the-little-shadow, @marvelwomen-simp, @rachelthefanfictionwriter, @d14n4ol, @peachesandlesbians, @celina1221, @theuselesslezbian｜Anna, @Gansito83, @Followingmyheartledmetoyou, (won’t tag, idk why)

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Two weeks. You’d been down in your cell for two whole weeks. Alcina hadn’t even come down to see you, only sending either Elise or Victoria to check on you and bring you your meals. You stayed facing the wall, your back to the cell as it opened.

“Y/N?” That voice didn’t belong to Elise or Victoria, it belonged to Daniela. You felt yourself tense when your name fell from her lips. “I’m… I’m not here to hurt you. I actually shouldn’t even be down here.” Daniela explained.

You still hadn’t made an effort to turn and face her. You felt the bed dip as Daniela sat down. “What do you want?” You asked, your voice soft.

Daniela sighed. “I’m sorry.” She glanced over at you before continuing. “I’m not expecting you to forgive me for what I said, but I am sorry.” Daniela said, reiterating her two worded apology. She cleared her throat before speaking again. “Mother Miranda said that the way I acted reflected badly on her and my family, I… she was disappointed in me. I’m disappointed in myself, if you can believe that.”

“I don’t.” You replied, still staring at the wall. You wanted her to leave, you wanted to be left alone. In all honesty, you wish you hadn’t run into Heisenberg that night you’d been travelling after escaping your kidnappers.

Daniela stood up from the bed. “Mother Miranda wanted me to give you these. Mother says that Mother Miranda will be visiting in a few days and she wants you to know what the high priestess looks like and how to act when she gets here. You’re to write a report and Elise or Victoria will pick it up tomorrow evening.” Daniela’s tone was now firm as opposed to earlier tone when she was apologising.

Daniela left after that, the cell door closing with a loud thud. You looked over your shoulder and found the room empty, she was really gone. When you sat up in the bed, you looked over at the table and your eyes widened before you let out a scream. The face in the photograph, you knew that face. You stood up from the bed and slowly made your way over to the picture, your hands shaking as you picked up. That was Mother Miranda? You shook your head, no no no, it couldn’t be. You dropped the picture and went over to the door. You were about to bang on it and scream for Alcina when the door creaked open a bit, Daniela hadn’t locked it, strange.

“Hello? Daniela?” You called out into the dungeon. You gulped as you took a step out of the cell, looking around to see if there were any of those ghouls lurking around, you didn’t know what they were called. You tried to remember how Lady Dimitrescu had brought you down here, but it was dark so you could barely see. You’d almost given up and was on your way back to your cell when you heard something. “Hello? Is anybody there?”

You heard a growl in response and a shiver ran down your spine. You could hear a scraping noise, it sounded like nails on a chalkboard. “Please, can you help me?” You asked the surrounding darkness.

“Run!” Was suddenly screamed into your ear and it was all you needed to set you off.

You ran until you rounded a corner and found yourself face to face with those ghouls. There was little light in this part of the cellar, but you could see that some of them had swords and you gulped. You let out a scream as one of them moved toward you swinging the swords, others trying to claw at you with their sickles. One of their sickles caught your upper arm, tearing the sleeve of your shirt. You pushed past them, managing to find your way to a set of stairs that led to the kitchen area. You grimaced at all of the dead animals hanging up, looking away as you came upon a hallway that led you to a hallway where you saw a door. A door that leads to… the dining room? That was good, right? You knew the door to the right led to main hall. Mostly because you could hear voices, but you’d been through the dining room plenty of times to get to the courtyard. You opened the door slowly, seeing the Lady and her daughters talking and you gulped. You could easily sneak out the courtyard door, go to the gardens, make your way into the woods and leave, but would that really fix everything? Running away again?

“Darling, are you going to stay behind the door or would you like to join us?” A voice asked, you recognised it as Alcina’s. “And how, pray tell, did you get out of your cell?” Alcina asked, but she was looking at Daniela.

Daniela shrugged. “I locked the door, but the key must be faulty.” Daniela replied.

Alcina sighed. “I will deal with you later, Daniela. For now, go find something to do while I talk with Y/N.” Alcina ordered. The girls half swarmed away upstairs and you caught Daniela running her thumb across her neck and mouthing, “You’re dead.”, causing your eyes to widen a bit. “Did you learn your lesson?” Alcina asked.

You frowned. “You left me down there for two weeks, Alcina.” You replied. “Two whole fucking weeks and you didn’t even check on me. And then you send Daniela down there and she fucking gives me a picture of Mother Miranda.” Her name left a bitter taste in your mouth.

“And what about Mother Miranda, dearest?” Alcina asked with a raised eyebrow.

You let out a small sigh. “She’s the one… that was holding me captive. I escaped from her.” You replied.

Alcina hummed. “Impossible. You said you’d been walking for days before you go to the village and Mother Miranda resides here so you must be mistaken.” Alcina said.

“I’m not mistaken, Alcina! She’s the one that I escaped from and I had been walking for days before I ran into Heisenberg.” You argued. You shook your head. “I don’t feel safe here anymore, Alcina.” You said quietly.

“Come here,” Alcina commanded and you went to stand in front of her. “I told you, you are safe here, not anywhere else. Do you understand?” You nodded your head. “Despite your words, you will remain in this Castle, under my protection. I won’t let anyone harm you, and I definitely won’t let Mother Miranda get her hands on you again. Is that clear?” You nodded your head again. “You poor dear, you were down there for an awfully long time. I suppose I should explain why.”

You looked up at her. “Explain why?” You questioned. ”I thought you didn’t…” Your sentence trailed off.

“Didn’t what? Didn’t care?” You chewed on your lip. “Of course I care, darling, that’s why I had you down there. To put it simple, there was… an incident that needed to be tended to and it was best for you to be down there than up here.” Alcina explained.

“What happened?” You asked.

Alcina shook her head. “Nothing to concern that beautiful brain of yours with. Now, why don’t we get you all cleaned up and fed, yes?” She suggested and you nodded your head. You let out a small yelp when she picked you up. “I’m terribly sorry that you had to be down there for so long, perhaps it was a bit cruel of me to subject you to that part of your punishment.” Alcina said as she carried you to the bathroom in her chambers.

“The report?” You asked, suddenly remembering what Daniela told you. Alcina hummed in acknowledgment but didn’t say anything. “Daniela said-“

Alcina cut you off. “Just because Daniela claims that I said something doesn’t mean it’s true. She may have learned her lesson with how she treated you, but it doesn’t mean you’re automatically off her bad side.” Alcina said. “Now, you take your time in here, and I will have Natalie bring you something to eat, I’m sure the two of you have much to catch up on, dear.” Alcina didn’t leave room for you to reply as she exited the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

You didn’t know how long you stayed in the bath for, but by the time you opened your eyes, the water was cold. Stepping out and drying yourself off, you made your way into the bedroom to find Natalie tidying the room up while a tray of food sat on a nearby table.

“Y/N, I’m so glad you’re alright!” Natalie exclaimed. You smiled at her and sat in front of the tray to eat. “So much happened while you were down there. Did the Lady tell you about it?” Natalie asked. You shook your head. “Oh. Well then, I better not speak on it, she might have my head for it.” Natalie said with a small laugh. “The Lady wanted me to tell you to meet her in her study after you’re done eating.”

You nodded your head. “Yeah, okay.” You replied. The two of you sat in silence while you mostly played with your food before deciding that you’d had enough. “I’ll um, I’ll see you around, Nat.” You said as she took the tray from the room.

“Try not to get put in the cellar again. It was very lonely without you around to nag at me.” Natalie said before leaving the bedroom.

You dressed before making your way down a few hallways before coming to Alcina’s study, knocking and only entering when she told you you could. “Natalie sa-“ She put a finger to her lips to quiet you before gesturing for you to sit down.

“Yes, Heisenberg, I am well aware of that now.” Alcina replied before sighing. “If you could just… Heisenberg, listen carefully, whatever you have planned, just keep it under wraps.” Alcina said. “Yes, I know. She did? Mother told you? Well, what about me?” Alcina questioned. Her brows furrowed. “Heisenberg we will continue this discussion another time.” Alcina replied. “Yes, you may come over, but if you bring any of your disgusting mutts here, I will not hesitate to turn them into skewers, do you understand?”Alcina threatened. “Good.” Was all she said before hanging up.

“What did he say?” You asked, shifting a bit in your seat.

Alcina shook her head. “Not now, darling. You’ll know what’s going on in due time.” Alcina replied. “I need you in here be-“ Alcina found herself being cut off by the arrival of her daughter, Daniela. “Because of her.” Alcina said, gesturing toward Daniela.

Daniela crossed her arms. “What is that rat doing here, Mother?” Alcina raised her eyebrow. “Sorry, Mother.”

“You two will be… getting better acquainted before the arrival of Mother Miranda.” Alcina said. “I won’t hear any excuses as to why you don’t want, Daniela. Besides, you’re to make sure Y/N feels safe here in our Castle. This is a much their home as it is yours.” Alcina explained. “And with some new information I received, you and your sisters will remain with Y/N at all times until I feel as if you don’t need to. You all may take turns watching them, but do try to give them as much space as possible.”

“At all times?” You asked.

Alcina nodded her head. “Yes. Excluding when you’re sleeping as you’ll be with me.” Alcina replied. “Any other questions?”

“Why do we have to babysit Y/N?” Daniela asked.

“Because Daniela, it is for their own safety.” Alcina answered. “If you wish to know more about the situation then ask Y/N about it. Until then, you both will need to write letters to each apologising for your actions. You’re dismissed.” Daniela opened her mouth to protest but closed it immediately because of the look her Mother gave her. “Deliver the news to your sisters, thank you. And take Y/N with you. You two can work in the library and I will be by later to check on what you have written so far.” Alcina said before fussing over her paperwork.

“Alcina?” She hummed. “Thank you.” You said quietly before rounding the table and kissing her on the cheek. “I really appreciate you making the effort to make sure that I feel safer in the Castle and hopefully with time I can gain Daniela’s trust.” You gave her a small smile and wave before exiting the study, running to catch up with Daniela who had left you behind.

Alcina let out a sigh, rubbing her temples. She couldn’t necessarily overpower Mother Miranda on her own, but if she could make you feel safer, protect you, and have you be grateful for that then she could accept that until she could take down Mother Miranda for the hell she put you through.

#lady dimitrescu x reader #lady dimitrescu #alcina dimitrescu #resident evil #resident evil village #resident evil 8 #lady dimitrescu's daughters #daniela dimitrescu

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miracle-sham · 3 years

Text

Stitch Your Ragged Wings and Hope to Soar.

| {Jasonette July 2021, Week 1, Day 5: Fairytales} |

| The folk tales always speak of those destined for greatness. Heroes alongside their faithful dragons, fighting the ever turning tides against evil. But they're just that, folk tales. After all, what are the chances a border-town apprentice seamstress like Marinette, would ever be offered a different vocation by the recruitment guild. |

| Word Count: 3,428. |

| Warnings/Tags: Kingdom/Fantasy/No Miraculous/Dragon Riders Au, Minor Lila & Adrien salt, Canon Typical lies and manipulation from Lila, Explicit Language/Swearing, and Some Fluff. |

———

| A/N: First things first, the word 'Dragoon' will be used multiple times in this piece and it is spelled that way on purpose (see end notes for further explanation). Secondly, yep! It's a dragon riding/academy au. This is the first piece of the series, which I'm really excited for because I've spent ages worldbuilding for! And for anyone worried about salt mention, it is addressed in this piece but the tag is there because of canon-typical Lila manipulation and lies, plus no Miraculous means no reason for Adrien with his sheltered upbringing to realise she's lying. |

| Also side note, Don’t Like? Don’t Read. Also also, please do not criticise any of my writing. This was written for fun and receiving criticism, even in a compliment/criticism sandwich, is the exact opposite of fun. |

———

It's been a few days of tense stagecoach travel. And to be fair to Marinette, even she hadn't expected to be declared in the middle of the town square as showing aptitude for a position within the Justice League's armée volante—specifically the dragoon squadrons—thanks to the recruitment guild no less.

Unfortunately, Adrien and Lila had also shown an aptitude. Which, seeing as they all come from the same border-town of Paris, meant they were all trapped inside the same cramped coach space for the excruciating four days journey to reach Gotham Town; the place where they are being sent to attend the dragoon academy, which is technically outside the bounds of the town proper. Seeing as the Gotham Dragoon Academy and Somerset Dragon Range are on the opposite shores of the Gotham river to the town itself.

There's only another half-day until they reach the Mooney bridge and then the Somerset

Dragon Ranges. And luckily, Adrien and Lila have taken to sitting on the same bench, the one facing forwards. Leaving the opposite bench all for Marinette.

Not that having a whole bench to myself for this time will help with whether I can continue to survive as a captive audience for Lila. Marinette thinks to herself, rather disgruntled about this whole situation she's unwillingly ended up in. She was perfectly happily remaining an apprentice seamstress, sewing commissions for Jagged Stone, Clara Nightingale, and the rest of her famous or otherwise clientele, not that fate seemed to care though. Of course, a part of her stipulation she fought the recruiters for, is that along with her studies she can continue her commissions for current and prior clientele alone. Which is to say, better than being completely unable to continue her main hobby and form of stress relief.

The recruiters had also said that baking and cooking would be no problem to practice, as apparently there'll be free reign to "student kitchens" alongside cooking classes so any use of either skill will be "undoubtedly encouraged". Dangerous words, Marinette muses to herself once more, because if I get claimed by a dragon the first thing I'm doing is baking all the dragon dietary-safe treats I can!

“Marinette! What do you think?” Lila asks, voice as cloying as ever.

Marinette startles and half-heartedly smiles awkwardly across at her, “ah, I'm really sorry Lila! I got distracted wondering what kind all of our dragons might end up being and how they might look!” Not, I'm going to love mine regardless of appearance unlike you.

Smiling faux-sweetly, Lila shakes her head. “Don't worry Marinette, I was only saying how we're just like those local fairytales of your town! Three close-knit friends who become powerful and famous dragoon guardians and save the world from the evil destruction of Hawkmoth and his army of shadow dragons! Out of the three of us, I would be our leader, obviously. Since I'm the only one here descended from a dragoon guardian! My grandmother even gave me a token that once belonged to my dragoon guardian ancestor!”

“Wow, you've said it before but I still can't believe how incredible you are Lila! It's going to be amazing training besides you at the academy!” Adrien gushes, gazing at Lila with adoration.

Lila preens at his words. “Thank you, Adrien! But Marinette, since you mentioned what our dragons will be, did you know my ancestor's dragon was said to be the most beautiful of all the dragons in the Justice League squadrons! My ancestor's dragon had orange scales that glimmered red and yellow like flames, and pearlescent white scales along the underbelly. Oh, and the horns were pearlescent white too! Obviously, the dragon I'll get is sure to be a descendant of that dragon and just as beautiful.”

“Wow, no wonder your ancestor's dragon was the most beautiful, they sound absolutely gorgeous! What kind of dragon do you think I'll get, Lila?” Adrien asks, eyes shining with awe and curiosity.

She puts on a show of holding her chin and humming. “Hmm, probably a golden dragon, with shiny scales as bright as the sun!”

“I hope you're right!” Adrien chuckles, “the fairy tales really would be coming true if we both get the dragons you think we will! One with scales of fire, another with scales of gold!”

“It really would.” Marinette echoes weakly, not really believing in her own words.

Lila laughs, “awww don't sound so worried Marinette, your dragon will probably be a plain and drab dragon with some sort of shade of brown, or maybe even grey. But at least it won't be attention-grabbing. So you won't need to worry about people staring and judging or dragons-forbid trying to hurt you for having a prettier dragon than any nobles!”

Marinette smiles, though it turns out far more grimace-like than intended, whoops. “Yeah… that'd be awful. Haha, I'd be really lucky to get a dragon like you described for me, Lila.”

“Oh, I'm so glad you understand, Marinette! Then again, all three of us are besties so of course you'd understand!” Lila titters, crossing her fingers, “we're just like this!”

Screaming internally, Marinette nods and keeps smiling. Dragons-almighty, I'm at the end of my thread here. Hopefully, I'll be able to leave Lila's "friendship" behind at the academy without fear of mine and my parent's reputations being ruined by Lila's mother.

Her attention is briefly taken by the rolling view outside the stagecoach, unable to help herself she mumbles to herself, “the landscape here is so pretty.”

“It is pretty I guess, but not as pretty as my home country!” Lila pipes up, jumping on the new conversation—like a shadow dragon on a sheep.

Marinette shuts her eyes for a second and breathes deeply, chanting internally. The academy will be my fresh start.

———

The academy is not in fact Marinette's fresh start.

It is well past evenfall by the time their stagecoach passes through the gates of the imposing academy. It rounds a large fountain in the centre of the courtyard with a statue of a person encircled by a large dragon. However, due to the darkness and the movements of the stagecoach, any attempts at recognising whom the statue was dedicated after are thoroughly hampered. They roll to a stop before the great stone staircase—where a figure with a smaller giant rat-like creature beside them, is waiting at the top—which clearly leads to the grand front doors of the academy.

Even with the darkness obscuring the view, it's obvious that the academy is a repurposed castle. High stone walls with crenellations and littered towers, a main keep with a multitude of buildings surrounding the inner courtyard. And the most eye-catching of all, the shadowy draconic gargoyles that seem to cling and lurk upon every building.

It's impressive to say the least, certainly the most well-fortified building Marinette has ever stepped foot in her life. Impressive enough that it has her practically clawing to pull out a sketching journal and start creating. However, she's not stupid enough to do that within Lila's presence. No, that'd undoubtedly lead to honey-coated lies and being forced to listen to her prattle on about her wondrous skills and connections to the most prestigious fashion guild in the country.

Marinette startles as the stagecoach door is opened by a footman. She doesn't fuss as Lila exits first, followed by Adrien. As she steps outside last, she nods and smiles at the footman. Whispering as audibly as she can without the other two hearing, she adds, “thank you, sir.”

The footman simply glances at her attire and nods back stiffly.

In the time it's taken to all leave the stagecoach, the figure from the stairs has walked over—a woman with long blonde hair dressed in a casual black leather riding coat, and a not-dog following behind loyally. “Good evening, you must be the potential students from the town of Paris?”

Marinette hesitates for a second before nodding along with Adrien and Lila.

Lila takes a step forwards, towards the woman. “Yes, we are! I'm Lila Rossi.”

The woman nods slowly, “and the other two must be Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng, correct?”

“That's correct!” Adrien responds with a bright smile.

Marinette nods and makes an affirmative squeak instead.

“Great.” The woman says, clapping her hands. “I'm Dinah Lance and I'll be one of your instructors during your attendance here. And this,” She pauses to point to the weird giant not-rat with its yellow flecked greyish-brown fur, “is Drake, he's my Ichneumon. You'll learn all about Ichneumon and why they're used within the dragoon squadron during your time here, so don't worry if you've never heard or seen of them before.”

Drake makes a high pitched trill and takes a few steps forward, sniffing the air in front of the three of them. Before scampering in a circle around Dinah Lance.

She smiles fondly at Drake before continuing. “Unfortunately it's a little late to give you the tour of the grounds now, so we'll cover that tomorrow. Tonight we'll guide you to the dining hall for a late night's meal since it's been a long journey for you three or so I've heard, and you must be starving. Then we'll discuss the main details of your attendance, and afterwards, we will show you to the temporary rooms you will be staying in, to begin with. Any questions?”

Lila rocks on the heels of her boots before shaking her head, “no, we've got no questions!”

Adrien copies with a shake of his head too.

Marinette opens her mouth to protest, were you waiting out in the cold for us long? Will the tour teach us about the different places within the academy? Will it take long? What do you mean by the main details? Why are we staying in temporary rooms to begin with? When do our lessons start? Do we need to purchase any uniforms or schooling supplies? When will we meet our dragons? Questions bubbling in her mind like a kettle over the fire, but closes her mouth just as quickly, as she catches a glare from Lila out of the corner of her eye. With that, she also briefly and nervously shakes her head. “N–no, no questions here either, Mlle Lance.”

Internally, Marinette hopes that display is enough to tide over Lila's irritation for now.

Mlle Lance glances over the three of them, seeming to stare at Marinette a little longer than the other two. “Well then, since there are no questions, let us head to the dining hall. And don't worry about your belongings, the footman will bring them to your lodgings.”

“Oh, Mlle Lance, I'd–uh… I'd rather not hassle the staff here, I can manage bringing my belongings up on my own.” Marinette admits, wringing her hands slightly.

Mlle Lance shakes her head, “that's very polite of you but I'm afraid, as you'll be having dinner and we'll be discussing details, it'll be a little while before you head to your temporary rooms. So it'll be far easier on both you and the staff here, if you allow them to do their job.”

“Okay…” Marinette relents easily, trying to ignore Lila rolling her eyes at her.

“If there are no more further questions, then follow after me please, the academy can be rather labyrinthine for those unfamiliar with its halls.” Mlle Lance instructs, already turning around and walking back towards the great stone staircase, Drake on her heels.

———

The journey through the hallways and various anterooms of the academy takes far longer than Marinette could have anticipated. On more than one occasion, she ends up falling behind due to getting distracted by the sheer amount of luxury, art, and finery everywhere. Forcing her to frantically scurry after Mlle Lance, Lila, and Adrien—all three who seem completely at home and unperturbed or uninterested by the décor, unlike her.

By the time they reach the large and ornately carved wooden doors leading to the dining hall, Marinette is flushed bright red from the embarrassment of having fallen behind so many times.

The heavy doors creak loudly as they slowly swing open at Mlle Lance's push, revealing a large dining hall—far larger than any Marinette has seen—with seemingly hundreds of wooden tables and benches. Startlingly enough, there's a boy already seated at one of the nearer benches—eating away at a trencher of hunter's stew.

No Ichneumon in sight, Marinette notes, a fellow student perhaps?

“Good evening, Jason, I wasn't expecting anyone else to be in here at the moment.” Mlle Lance greeted, nodding her head to him.

Jason squints at Mlle Lance and hunches his shoulders defensively. “B said I could grab food from here whenever I wanted.”

Mlle Lance smiles, “and that's perfectly fine. These are new arrivals, so I was just hoping to let them have some dinner without the usual chaos before going over the main details they'll need to know about attending here.” She paused for a moment. “You don't have to stay and listen if you don't want to, since you've heard this spiel many times now. But equally, feel free to stay, I'm sure it'd be nice for you and the new arrivals to get to know each other before meeting the rest of the class tomorrow.”

Jason slowly eyes Lila, Adrien, and Marinette. He places an arm in front of his trencher. “Might as well stay then I guess.”

Mlle Lance nods at him again before guiding the three of them over to the back of the dining hall where the kitchen was connected to. A few cooks were tending to various meals and pots of hunter's stew, as well as prepping trenchers or cleaning wooden bowls, and wood or horn spoons.

Marinette is still half processing everything so receiving a trencher full of hunter's stew from the cooks barely registers in her mind. And next thing she knows, she is seated next to Lila on the end of the bench and table next to Jason, with Mlle Lance sitting opposite her, Lila, and Adrien. The other two have already started tucking into the food, so cautiously Marinette takes a few sips of the stew broth with a horn spoon.

Mlle Lance clasps her hands together and rests them on the table. “Let's start with what you three already know regarding the dragoon squadrons and this academy.”

Pausing in his eating, Adrien grins. “This is the longest standing dragoon academy, and we'll be taught everything from dragon history, to the language of the dragons, to what is known of Hawkmoth and his shadow dragon army!”

“And,” Lila pipes up, “we'll pick our dragons that we'll train alongside and eventually become fully-fledged Dragoon Guardians with.”

Jason snorts, “sorry to break it you two but this isn't some fucking fairytale.”

Before Lila or Adrien could respond, Mlle Lance cleared her throat. “Right well firstly, Dragoon Guardians is somewhat of an archaic term I'm afraid. But you're not too far off with what you know.”

Rolling his eyes, Jason pretends to be suddenly interested in his trencher of stew.

Though, Marinette does catch him briefly glancing up at her with a curious but also disbelieving look in his eyes. She can't help but instinctively curl her shoulders in and make herself as small as possible.

“And Marinette, what do you know about the academy?” Mlle Lance adds.

Marinette hesitates, trembling slightly and licks her lips. “Uh, well I know roughly the same as Lila and Adrien, so nothing that hasn't been said already…”

She catches Jason squinting at her, and she curls up even more.

Mlle Lance nods thoughtfully, “to start with, Adrien, you are correct in that this is the longest standing dragoon academy. You're also correct that we teach our students dragon history—including the history of the dragoons—as well as teaching the language of the dragon. We also do teach regarding Hawkmoth and his shadow dragon army. However, that will be taught across multiple different subjects as it isn't quite as simple as it may currently seem to you.”

Adrien beams at having been mostly correct. “My father hoped I would be chosen to attend a dragoon academy so he made sure I was taught a general overview.”

“And that's more than most know to begin with, so well done.” Mlle Lance praises, before continuing. “However, Lila, here students do not pick their dragons. The process of meeting the dragon who will be raised and trained beside you, is not what most people think of when they first hear about dragoon human and dragon pairs meeting.”

Lila's lips twitch downwards in dissatisfaction and narrows her eyes slightly at Mlle Lance.

Before anything else can be said, Mlle Lance furrows her brows, “one moment students, a matter has just arisen that I need to quickly take care of.”

With that, she rises from the bench and strides out of the dining hall, shutting the door behind her as she exits.

As soon as the door shuts, Jason, with a concerned look on his face, gets up as well and walks the few steps over to Marinette's bench. Quietly, he asks, “Hey, you okay?”

Marinette swallows a breath of air thickly, and still visibly trembling, laughs nervously. “W-well I'm a little over-overwhelmed, I suppose… What with every—”

Only to slam her mouth shut as Lila wraps her arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close to her side.

“She's fine thank you,” Lila coos, “just not used to all the displays of wealth in the castle, here, isn't that right, Marinette.”

Marinette pales, eyes widening with panic and frantically nods her head. “Y-yep!”

Jason raises an eyebrow at Lila, unable to keep the slight sneer off his face as he turns ever so slightly to stare at her, “and you are?”

Lila perks up at his attention, flipping her hair back over her shoulder with one hand. “Didn't you hear Mlle Lance there, I'm Lila.” She smiles cloyingly at him and flutters her eyelashes. “I'm the daughter of a very important diplomat and one of my ancestors was an incredibly powerful Dragoon Guardian.”

Jason snorts, and rolls his eyes once more. “Right. Whatever.” He turns his attention back to Marinette and gives her a sharp nod. “What shit has the rich brat got hanging over your head?”

It clearly takes all of Lila's self-control to not immediately switch from her faux sweetness to fury. Her smile turns wooden and her gaze sharpens at Jason. “Excuse me?”

“You're excused,” Jason responds smugly.

“W-what do you mean?” Marinette asks, struggling to process the conversation after the slight cannonball that Jason just casually asked her.

He tilts his head at her, not unlike a bird. “She looks, sounds, and acts exactly like the kinda rich bastards that hold shit above kids who aren't rich, and you're clearly fucking petrified of her. So is she blackmailing you or something?”

Marinette mouths yes at him whilst shaking her head.

Jason raises an eyebrow at her for a second before shrugging with one shoulder, “alright.” He turns on his heel and heads back to his table and bench where his trencher of stew is waiting.

Lila gapes at him.

Adrien rises from his seat and stares at Jason, flabbergasted. “Aren't you going to apologise to Lila, now? You were wrong.”

Lifting his chin, Jason gives Adrien an unimpressed look then flips the bird at him. A few seconds pass before he shrugs and makes a non-committal noise of disinterest, then he starts spooning stew into his mouth.

Lila huffs and scowls at Jason. She turns to glare at Marinette, faux concern practically dripping from her words despite the evident fury on her face. “You should avoid him from now on, wouldn't want the teachers to think you're a delinquent and get kicked out before you even get to meet your dragon.”

Marinette nods slowly and keeps her attention very carefully on her food.

Her patience is rewarded as a few dozen seconds later, Lila loses interest in her and starts eating her trencher of stew whilst starting a new conversation with just Adrien.

Taking her chances, Marinette sneaks a glance up at Jason with a small smile on her lips.

To her surprise, he also happens to be looking over at her. He flashes her a cheeky grin, winks, before going back to eating.

Maybe, she muses to herself as her grin turns giddy, I was wrong about the academy not being my fresh start. Because this definitely feels like a fresh start now, it almost feels like I'm in a fairytale.

———

| Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this little fic! Comments, likes, and reblogs are much appreciated! |

| The dragon riders are called Dragoons in reference to the mounted cavalry called Dragoons who used guns/firearms known as Dragons hence the name. And so I decided it only makes sense for these dragon riders to also be called Dragoons. Armée volante means flying army and was what the historical dragoons were sometimes known as, because of how mobile they were. |

| Ichneumon, also known as Echinemon in Medieval Zoology are enemies of dragons (and snakes and crocodiles in some accounts) and defeated them by covering themselves in armour made from mud before attacking. They are also one the only creatures (the other being weasels) that are immune to the Cockatrices' petrifying sight. |

| Fun fact: Trenchers are flat round (often stale) bread "plates" used during the medieval era. They are cut in half and sometimes the fluffy bread innards are scooped out (like pumpkins) so that the loaf's crust forms a bowl instead. Usually the bowls are used to hold stews or soups, though they were also used for non-liquid based food (which is why they later evolved into our modern day plates and cheese boards). |

| Also feel free to send me any comments with any questions you have regarding this fic, I'll be more than happy to answer! |

| @jasonette-july-event |

#Maribat #MLB x DC #DC x MLB #Jasonette #Jasonette July #Jasonette July 2021 #JasonetteJuly2021 #JasMari #MariJay #Marinette x Jason #Jason x Marinette #Jasonette July Week 1 #Jasonette July Day 5 #Jasonette July Fairytales #Stitch Your Ragged Wings and Hope to Soar #SYRWaHtS #Sham's Posts #Sham's Writing #Sham's Fics

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elementalwriter67 · 4 years

Text

The Void Chapter Twelve

Word Count: 4079

Pairing: (Eventual) Jason Todd x Reader

Tag List: @wittedhat, @clea-nightingale, @undertheredhood, @reclusive-chicken-nugget, @grey-water-colors, @jasonlovertodd, @ximaginx, @lexythedepressy, @e-bendy

Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7a, 7b, 8, 9, 10, 11

Summary: The Void is a hellish place filled with screams that echoed throughout the place at all the hours of the night, and where pain is a very close friend. You’ve spent your entire life in the Void, having been there since you were ten and you’ve just recently gotten a new cellmate… Who’s a little more hopeful than you are that either of you are going to make it out of this place alive. Though you have to admit that maybe his hope is rubbing off on you because you slowly find yourself hoping that the two of you do get out of here.

“Maria! Samantha! Oh it’s been too long since I’ve seen the two of you! How have you two been?” Selina exclaimed as she stood up from her seat in the outdoor cafe a large smile on her face as she made her way over to Barbara and Kate as they walked up to her.

“I’ve been good, how’s the family? How’s dad?” Barbara asked as she hugged Selina. As the two of them hugged, Selina scanned the crowd behind the both of them before letting go of her and moving towards Kate and pulling her into a hug as well. When Selina was certain that there was nothing behind the two of them she pulled away from Kate and held on to her shoulders smiling widely at her. Nodding her head just slightly Selina let go of Kate and moved back to her seat.

“Oh the family’s doing well, we had a little scare with grandpa last week while he was at the grocery store but that turned out to be a false alarm but it put your father more on edge than he already has been with your grandfather’s health but what can you do?” Selina said with a shrug of her shoulders as she sat back down in her chair crossing one leg over the other as she picked up her cup of coffee from the table.

“Have you-” Kate cut herself off as she looked towards the waitress who was walking towards them with a smile on her face.

“Hi, I’m Cathy. I'll be your server for the evening. Is there anything I can get the two of you?” Cathy asked as Barbara and Kate sat down. Kate and Barbara shared a look before Barbara grabbed the menu and quickly scanned it as Kate looked back at Cathy.

“I’ll take a black coffee, with no sugar please.” Kate said and Cathy nodded as she jotted down her order before looking up at Barbara.

“Aaaaannnnndddd I’ll have a chamomile tea with a chocolate scone please.” Barbara told her as she returned the menu to its spot in the middle of the table, flashing Cathy a quick smile.

“Alright, I’ll get that stuff right out for you.” Cathy stated as she tucked her order pad into her apron and walked away. Kate waited until she was sure that Cathy was out of ear shot before focusing on Selina again.

“Have you guys heard anything from J since he went on that road trip of his?” Kate asked and Selina shook her head a worried expression flashing across her face before it was replaced with an easy relaxed look.

“No we haven’t heard anything from him since his last phone call home over two weeks ago. You’re brothers and father are worried but I’m sure he’s doing fine. He's just too busy having fun to worry about contacting us.” Selina told them and the two of them nodded worried looks crossing their faces for a second before they forced smiles on to their faces. Barbara opened her mouth to ask Selina another question but before she could she caught Cathy walking out from the Cafe and over to them.

“Here you go one chamomile tea with a chocolate scone and a black coffee.” Cathy said as she set down Barbara and Kate’s orders in front of them sending them a small smile.

“Is there anything else I can get the two of you?” She asked as she looked between Barbara and Kate who both shook their heads.

“No thanks we’re all set.” Barbara said and Cathy nodded before turning and walking away from the table.

“So how’s the business going? Have Dad and Tim made any headway on their new project?” Barbara asked and Selina nodded her head around a sip of her coffee.

“Surprisingly they’ve made quite a bit of headway. As the two of you know Tim was able to find a location for that new building of theirs but he’s also managed to draw up the blueprints of it as well. They’ve even got Roy in to help them on their project and he’s done some research on the area and apparently it used to belong to the government. So how have your new jobs been going?” Selina asked as she set her cup of coffee down on the table and leaned back in her chair watching the two of them.

“The new job in the morgue has been going well. It's a lot calmer than the GCPD morgue which is honestly nice but if anything it’s weirder than the GCPD morgue.” Barbara told her at which Selina raised her eyebrow at her.

“What do you mean?”

“Well for starters for a hospital we get more Jane and John Does than I ever got at the morgue and when I asked my boss about it he said that it was a normal occurrence because they have a lot of homeless people who get brought in an alot of the time they don’t give us their names. Then there are the bodies that don’t match up with their actual medical records and every time I ask about it my boss tells me not to worry about it because that’s an upstairs thing.” Barbara explained and Kate nodded her head as she looked over at her.

“Yeah the same shit happens upstairs with the emergency room people get brought in their records don’t match anything about them and the other nurses disappear for large periods of time randomly throughout the day and if I ask where they went I’m told they go on lunch or they had to go home, and then minutes later there they are working again when they should have gone home. It’s just all so weird and if the pay wasn’t so good I don’t think I would even bother staying.” Kate explained before taking a large sip of her coffee with a disgruntled look on her face. Selina frowned as she looked between the two of them concerning marking the lines of her face as she did so.

“The nurses there aren’t exactly the most friendly of people to the new guys, at least they're not to me anyways.” Kate added on when she set down her drink. Selina’s face turned sympathetic as she reached out a hand and gave Kate an affectionate squeeze as she did so.

“I’m sorry Samantha but you know if you ever get tired of working in the emergency room there’s always room in your father’s company for you he could use someone like you when it comes to the advancement of modern medicine, he could use both of you.” Selina told them as she looked over at Barbara giving her a pointed look that she returned with a smile. Giving Kate’s hand one more affectionate squeeze she let go and sat back in her seat.

Clenching her hand Kate smiled at Selina before she moved her hand off the table and set it in her lap, looking over at Babs out of the corner of her eyes and giving her a small nod. Focusing on Selina again as she sighed and stood up from the table.

“As fun as this has been Emilia I’m afraid that I at the very least have to get going, my shift at the hospital starts in a couple of hours and I gotta go get ready.” Kate said as she grabbed her purse slinging it over her shoulder as she gave Barbara and Selina a sad look.

“Alright well, have a good day at work, it was nice seeing you again.” Selina said as she stood up from the table and gave Kate another hug.

“It was nice seeing you again too. Maria I’ll see you back at the apartment yeah?” Kate said as she pulled away from Selina and looked towards Barbara who nodded her head.

“Have fun at work.” Barbara said, waving bye to Kate as she did and Kate flashed her a smile before turning and walking away from.

~Back at the Hospital~

Kate smiled as she walked into the hospital a few hours later her work bag slung over her shoulder and her strides purposeful as she walked through the doors of the emergency room.

“Hey Samantha.” The nurse at the front desk said when she caught sight of Kate.

“Hey Kim.” Kate offered back as she forced a small friendly smile on to her face and gave a small wave as acknowledgement before scanning her badge and walking through the doors and into the actual ER.

Casting a quick glance around the locker room as she entered it Kate sighed in relief when she noticed that it was surprisingly empty. Shoving her things into the locker Kate slipped the device that Selina had given her into the pocket of her scrubs before closing her locker and throwing her hair up into a ponytail as she walked out of the locker room. Walking up to the main desk in the ER Kate shoved her hands into her pockets, her fingers brushing against the device as she leaned over the counter.

“So, what’s on the menu for today Sarah?” Kate asked as her eyes skimmed over the contents on the front desk and then the people rushing around the ER. Besides her Sarah sighed as she rolled back in her seat towards the filing cabinet grabbing a file off the top she rolled back towards the desk and flipped it open.

“Looks like today is shaping up to be one of the slower days in Gotham so there’s not much to do today other than the usual.” Sarah said as she started typing on the computer while glancing at the file every now and again. Sighing Kate pushed herself off the counter and pulled her hands from her pockets.

“Alright, where am I starting first?” Kate asked and Sarah looked up at her for a brief second before rolling away from the desk again, grabbing a blue folder off of a pile she rolled back over to Kate handing it to her.

“Carla Francheska came in this morning victim of a drive by in Crime Alley she’s in critical condition, Dr. Roberts wants you to check on her and make sure she’s still stable. Once that’s done you need to go change 209’s catheter and 210’s bedpan, after that the medical waste needs to be taken out, and the surgery rooms need restocking.” Sarah ordered as Kate took Carla’s file from her. Mentally Kate sighed as she looked over the file, getting the gist of Carla’s situation.

“Alright, I’ll get started on that.” Kate said as she wandered away from the desk. She needed to do the things that Sarah had listed off first. Flipping the file closed Kate sighed as she closed her eyes for a few brief moments before opening them again and continuing towards Carla’s room. It was going to take longer to do her part of the mission than she originally thought.

Kate huffed out a relieved sigh as she fell back against the wall resisting the temptation to slowly slide down the wall, she had finally finished restocking the operation rooms and even helping out in a couple of the surgeries themselves when no one else could. Reaching up she wiped the sweat from her brow before letting her shoulders slump. It wasn’t until someone cleared their throat that Kate even bothered moving and even then it was only to look towards the person who had cleared their throat to see Dr. Jekyll standing a few feet away from her holding a couple of files in his hands. Pushing herself off the wall she straightened out her scrubs as she forced a smile on to her face.

“Hello Dr. Jekyll I’m sorry I didn’t see you there.” Kate said and he nodded his head, offering her what he probably assumed was a small friendly smile but only served to look slightly pissed.

“No need to worry my dear, I just wanted to congratulate you on your splendid performance in the operating room today. I've never seen a new nurse handle a situation like what we found ourselves in as well as you did.” He told her, his tone sounding genuinely sincere as he looked at her. Kate’s smile turned genuine for the first time since she had started her undercover work here, and she stood up a little straighter as she smiled at him.

“Oh, thank you sir, you have no idea how much that means to me.” Kate said and Dr. Jekyll nodded his head.

“Of course, now I need you to take these files to Dr. Roberts office for me please, I need him to sign off on these files and then I need a second opinion on the top file.” Dr. Jekyll said as he held out the files in his hand for her to take. Internally Kate smiled widely to herself as she took the files from Dr. Jekyll with a smile on her face.

“Yeah, sure, no problem Dr. Jekyll I’ll get right on that.” She said and he nodded his head.

“Good, once you're done why don’t you go on lunch, you look like you’ve been going since you started.” He mentioned and she nodded her head, widening her eyes just a little to emphasize her point.

“That’s because I have been a doctor, anyways I’ll get right on this for you.” Kate said and Dr. Jekyll nodded before walking away. She waited until he had rounded the corner before letting a large smile spread across her face and turning and walking in the opposite direction. She loved when things magically worked out for her especially when an excuse is handed directly to her.

Walking over to Dr. Roberts office Kate hugged the files to her chest and weaved her way in and out of the people that she passed. She stopped in front of Dr. Roberts office hesitating for a few seconds before knocking on his door and pressing her ear against it listening. She knocked again when she didn’t hear anything the first time and when she still didn’t hear anything the second time she tested the handle to find that it wasn’t locked. Pushing the door open she stepped into the office and stood in the doorway for a few seconds, her eyes glancing around the room searching for a hidden camera. When she was satisfied that there weren’t any cameras in the office she walked in, softly kicking the door closed behind her before walking up to his desk. Setting the files down on Dr. Roberts desk Kate pulled the two listening devices out of her pocket and slowly looked around the room again looking for a good place to put the devices. After a few seconds of looking she made her way over to the book shelf that was pressed along the wall next to the desk popping up onto the tip of her toes she pressed one of the devices into the little out cropping where the walls of it met the top of the bookcase. Stepping back she peered up at the top of the book case making sure that it wasn’t noticeable without feeling around before walking back over to his desk. Grabbing one of the files off the desk she dropped it on the floor before crouching down and pressing the second device on to the wires running out of the computer.

“What the hell are you doing in here?” A voice sounded from behind her suddenly causing Kate to jump, bashing the back of her head into the underside of the desk in the process.

“Fuck.” Kate cursed as she crawled out from underneath the desk, grabbing one of the papers that had fallen out of the file as she went. Sitting back on her knees she looked up at Marge who was standing over her with her arms crossed over her chest and a glare that would stop most people in their tracks.

“Oh, hey Marge.” Kate gave her a small wave before turning back to grabbing the papers that had fallen out of the file, and shoving them back into the file.

“I repeat what the hell are you doing in her Smith?” Marge bit out her stance widening and Kate swallowed, pretending to be nervous as she looked up at her again. She had always been told to avoid Marge as much as possible and to never piss her off, and well she was finally learning as to why she had to avoid the head nurse as much as possible.

“Ah, Dr. Jekyll asked me to bring these files to Dr. Roberts because he needs a few of them signed off and a consultation on another one but he wasn’t here so I decided that I would just put them on his desk but one of them fell off and everything spilled out so I’m cleaning it up.” Kate said as she motioned to the files on the desk and then to the mess on the floor that was only half cleaned up. Marge was silent for a moment as she looked at Kate watching her for any sign of a lie when she didn’t find any she nodded her head once.

“Right, well hurry up and pick all that stuff up, I need you back in the ER as quickly as possible.” She ordered and Kate nodded hurrying to shove the papers back in the folder all while Marge watched over her. Standing up she set the folder down on the desk again and rushed out of the room, and Marge just stood there watching as Kate hurried out of the room. Once Kate had left she cast a quick glance around the room before nodding once to herself when she didn’t see anything out of place and leaving Dr. Roberts office.

~The Void~

Your lungs burned and your feet ached with the force that they were slapping against the ground as you pushed yourself to run faster, harder, anything to get away from the things chasing you. Whipping yourself around a corner you slammed into the wall, a grunt escaping you as you barely managed to catch yourself to stop yourself from falling, pushing yourself off the wall you took off running again. Glancing over your shoulder again you watched as the darkness advanced on you the sound of growling and screeching coming from the darkness as clawed hands reached out dragging the darkness forward after you. Looking back forward you raced around another corner stumbling slightly as you tripped over your own feet. Before you could really pick up the speed again you felt a hand wrap around your ankle, sharp claws digging into your skin there and the next thing that you knew you were on the ground again.

“No! No! Let go of me! Let go!” You screeched as you kicked at the darkness with your other foot. Clawing at the ground you tried to drag yourself away from the darkness as it dragged you backwards the sounds of growling and screeching growing louder as the sound of tearing flesh reached your ears as well.

“No! Let go! Let go!” You screamed as you felt more hands grab you pulling and tugging at you as you were flipped over onto your back the hands gripping at your clothes and shoulders as the darkness started to swallow up your legs. Shaking your head you twisted and turned, bucking and pulling against the hands dragging you forward. Just as the darkness had reached your knees the lights in the hallway suddenly brightened to the point of blinding but just as suddenly as it had come it was gone.

Blinking several times you brought your hands up to shield your eyes from the blinding light. It took several minutes for the light to finally subside just enough to for you to see that you where standing in one of the torture rooms only you wheren’t on the rack this time.

“Wh… What’s going on?” You muttered as you lowered your hands, squinting into the lights as you tried to see who was strung up on the rack, fully expecting to see a reflection of yourself after all that was how this usually went. But nothing could have prepared you for what you saw. A sense of cold washed through you as your eyes widened, your whole body shook as you took a terrified step forward.

“No. No, Jason, no.” You muttered as you took another step forward only to see the darkness from behind Jason's hands flying out of it wrapping around Jason’s beaten and battered body, pulling him closer despite the chains holding him up.

“No! NO! JASON!” Your voice cracked as you raced forward straight into the darkness. When the darkness cleared you were no longer trying to save Jason from the darkness, you were now the one strung up on the rack.

Your heart jumped into your throat as your hands wrapped around the chains and your breath came in short quick bursts, your knuckles turned white. No, no, no, this isn’t good, this isn’t good, you weren’t supposed to be here, you hadn’t done anything wrong, you weren’t supposed to be here, what had happened to you? What did you do? You could feel your heart beating against your rib cage as your whole body began to shake and your eyes frantically jumping around the room searching for anyone else. When the door opened your heart stopped when you saw who was walking through it.

“Jason?” You asked as you watched him walk towards you, picking up a whip as he went. Your blood ran cold as he smiled maliciously at you, his hand stretching out the whip as his eyes traveled up and down the length of your body.

“Where to start, where to start.” Jason muttered but it wasn’t with his voice and through your confusion your brow furrowed just the tiniest bits. He sounded like Dr. Roberts and you weren’t sure what terrified you more the whip in his hands or his voice.

“Oh I know, how about right here?” He asked as he reached out with the handle of the whip tracing a line from your shoulder down across your chest. Shaking your head you tried to push yourself back away from Jason as he raised the whip in the air.

“No, no, no, Jason no, please, Jason don’t. Jason don’t! Jason DON’T PLEASE DON’T!” You begged him as he brought the whip down causing you to scream in pain as he brought the whip up again and then down again on your other shoulder creating an X across your chest.

“No! NO! NO! Jason please! Please! Stop! PLEASE!” You screamed as he continued to whip you.

~Jason’s P.O.V~

Jason jolted out of the light sleep that he had fallen into his hand tightening around yours as he sat up straight his eyes jumping around the room searching for a threat only to find nothing, not even a guard standing outside the door. Turning his attention back to you he watched in shock as you moved for the first time in literal days. He watched as you twitched and jerked slightly, your face contorting into one of confusion and then pain as a weak sounding whimper escaped your throat. Jason felt his heart break as he watched you and he climbed on to his knees reaching out he grabbed your shoulders, shaking you lightly.

“(Y/N), (Y/N) wake up, come on wake up it’s just a dream, wake up.” Jason murmured as he shook you lightly trying to get you to wake up. When that didn’t work he stared at you for a few seconds trying to think of another way to wake you up but he didn’t want to hurt you yet it killed him to see you in such pain and not be able to do anything. Sighing he climbed up to his feet before sitting on the edge of you bed, carefully he shifted around picking you up he set your head on his lap. Running his hands through your hair he whispered calming words trying to comfort you as best he could. It took a good several minutes before you finally calmed down you expression turning peaceful once again as your body went lax in his arms and your breathing evened.

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frywen-bumbles · 4 years

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The Way to a Man's Heart Goes Through His... Cat? Ch1

Fandoms: The Witcher

Word count: 1545

Chapters: 1/?

More tags in AO3

***

DAY 1: Jaskier meets the biggest and meanest cat he's ever seen

Jaskier looks at the house and checks he has the right number again before approaching. The house is nice, not as nice as some of the others he has been in, but a regular two-storey house in a nice neighbourhood. Nothing remarkable which makes the secrecy of the gig more baffling.

Some people liked their privacy Jaskier guesses as he tries to spot a flowerpot without looking too suspicious. The flowers have almost wilted but Jaskier doesn't reserve them a second glance as he fishes out the spare key under the pot.

He checks the notes from the owner again from his phone.

He could deal with cats who hate people. Animals love him, he just has to be patient and offer peace and love. And food. Food is very important.

He opens the door carefully, not sure if Roach is the type of a cat to try to squeeze her way to freedom every chance possible. He slips through, his bag in front of his leg to protect his pants in an event of a clawed attacker but, to his relief, there is no cat in sight.

He leaves his shoes and bag at the entryway and makes his way to inspect the house. The ground floor consists mostly of an open plan kitchen and living room, the backdoor in the kitchen leading into a small yard.

The living room looks like it's from a magazine, only the small decorative items usually on display are stuffed haphazardly in a cabinet, and by the looks of it, forgotten there. But what draws Jaskier's attention isn't the fine furniture. No, it's the gigantic cat tree in front of the window facing to the street. Jaskier eyes the cat tree warily. Either the owner is very enthusiastic about their cat (Jaskier has seen those, usually ladies in their middle ages or older) or the cat is a giant. No normal cat requires a cat tree that large.

He ventures further into the house, phone in hand and selects his best friends number.

"Hi, Essi, it's me. I arrived safely, there are no axe murders in sight. Yet."

"One of the days there will be and then I can tell you I told you so," Essi's voice is amused despite her admonishing words but she turns serious as Jaskier walks up the stairs, trying to find the bedroom, "You need to call me every day. If you won't I'll come storming over with Priscilla and that won't end pretty."

"Yeah, yeah, Little Eye. I got this, don't worry." The first floor seems as devoid of a cat as the ground floor. There are three doors Jaskier guesses lead to two bedrooms and a bathroom. All doors are ajar so he peeks through the first. A study. A boring one at that. Bookshelves line all the walls, and two decent sized monitors sit on the desk. No laptop.

It doesn't surprise him, the owner said he had to leave for work for at least two months. But why did it have to be so boring?

He glances at the bookshelves expecting to find more boring stuff.

What he finds are two enormous golden eyes staring down at him.

He would deny shrieking like a little child to his dying day.

"Jaskier?! Julek?! Are you okay?! What is it?" Essi screams at him.

"Fuck, fuck, cock, bloody Melitele, fuck, that is the biggest fucking cat I have ever seen, is that even a fucking cat, what the fuck?"

"Jaskier what the fuck? You can't just scare me like that, what the fuck are you talking about?"

"That thing is not a cat. No cat is that big. Nope. Exotic pets weren't in the deal I'm not having this, no."

The long-haired tabby stares at him and waves it's tail in irritation, hitting it against the bookshelf with a series of thuds.

"Um, yeah... goooood kitty, I'll just... go..." Jaskier runs from the room all while listening to the wheezing laughter of Essi from the other end of the line.

"Are you sure it's not a Maine Coon or something?" Essi laughs.

"Do you think I haven't seen Maine Coons? That cat is a monster!" Jaskier hisses while keeping a keen eye on the door of the study.

"You know for a fact there are monsters in the world and you're scared of a little cat? Sure, catboy. Have fun with your monster cat."

The cat (Roach, Jaskier's brain helpfully supplies) walks out of the study and stares at him unimpressed. Now, on a reasonable height, it clearly is just a very large cat. Sure, it's by far the biggest cat Jaskier has ever seen, but a normal longhaired cat none the less.

"Please, don't tell Pricilla about this," Jaskier beggs as he eyes the cat and blinks slowly in hopes of gaining the enormous cat's trust.

"Yeah, of course, I won't, why would I do that?"

"You're telling her as soon as this call ends aren't you?"

"Oh, don't worry about it, I already texted her," Essi mocks him gleefully.

"Traitor!" Jaskier hisses.

"Love you too! Call me tomorrow!"

"I will," Jaskier admits defeated, "bye."

He stuffs his phone in his pocket and looks at Roach, "I guess it's just you and me then, girl."

Roach screams at him.

"Umm, yeah, you're going to have to be a bit more specific than that."

Roach screams again.

"You could meow like a normal cat, you know?"

Jaskier has never seen a cat look as unimpressed with him as Roach is at the moment. She gives him a wide berth as she heads for the stairs to the second floor. And screams.

"Sorry, that's off-limits for me, you're on your own." Roach looks him up and down before she heads upstairs. He can hear her digging around and meowing pitifully. Something crashes to the floor.

Still, off-limits, he reminds himself and turns to investigate the rest of the house. Bathroom, bedroom. Both void of any personal belongings.

It's all fairly boring, all personality stripped, no pictures in sight. There's a sort of detachment to the whole thing Jaskier finds unsettling.

He steps to the back yard, making sure that firstly the door is unlocked and secondly Roach is nowhere in sight. He looks up after closing the door and blinks in surprise.

The whole yard is one giant catio, reaching all the way to the first-floor windows. The windows are connected with planks, leading to a wooden ladder. In the yard is a small vegetable garden and a shack Jaskier guesses contain the gardening tools.

"Well then... I guess I don't have to worry about leaving the back door open." He eyes the garden again and makes a vow to try to remember water the vegetables. He's not sure he'll succeed.

By dinnertime, Jaskier has settled down, unpacked his belongings in the bedroom and claimed a space on the desk in the study. He's putting his shopping away in the fridge (where all he found was cheap beer and snacks clearly meant for a child, thanks for the hospitality) when a demanding meow sounds from the other side of the kitchen.

"Oh, hello Roach. Is it time for your dinner?"

Another meow.

Roach walks in front of a cabinet and screams, as demanding as before.

"Is that where your food is? I'll be right with you, sweetie, just wait a moment..."

Another scream.

"Yeah, yeah..." Jaskier mutters as he tries to find some logic to where everything is in the kitchen. Like it was organised by some crazy witch who never cooked other than their evil potions.

A loud metallic bang makes Jaskier jump in the air and hit his head on a cabinet door.

"Roach?! What the fuck was that?" He looks at the cat who sits next to her empty bowl which sits upside down on the floor, a good half a metre from her tray.

Meow.

"Yeah, okay, food! You'll eat me soon if I don't feed you..." he mumbles and goes digging the cabinet Roach pointed to him.

Roach trills and screams and attacks the cup as soon as Jaskier puts it on the floor. Roach doesn't eat, she just keeps her head in her bowl and stares at Jaskier, a low growl rising from her throat.

"Right, of course, I can't watch you eat. Don't worry, I don't want to steal your food." Jaskier takes a step back. Roach eyes him warily, but apparently, he's far enough she starts to eat her food, selecting carefully the tastiest bits first.

Jaskier digs his phone from his pocket and snaps a selfie of himself, Roach happily munching away in the background. Or so he thought, as soon as he looks at the picture more closely he can see the cat staring at him like it wants to eat him instead.

He picks up the right conversation in WhatsApp and hits send before he turns back to Roach.

"You know, you have to start to trust me soon, I have to brush you so you don't get tangles and mats in that gorgeous hair of yours."

Roach doesn't look impressed.

#the witcher fanfic #fanfic #the witcher #geralt of rivia #Jaskier #geralt x jaskier #geraskier #frywen writes

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punkpoemprose · 3 years

Text

December 2nd- Jumping for “Joy”sticks

Universe: 1980′s Arcade AU Rating: G (General, Fluff, Meetcute) Length: 4752 Words

A/N: I was not alive in the 80′s, I barely remember any of the 90′s, y’all can start picking on my era generalizations when I hit the 00′s. I had a lot of fun with this, I’m sorry for the pun title, it was all I had. Thanks for all the comments and tags on yesterday’s fic. Everyone’s engagement is what keeps me going!

Working as an arcade attendant wasn’t exactly Kristoff’s dream job, but college was pricey, he hated the idea of making his parents help him out, and the work wasn’t exactly difficult for the pay. It was relatively simple as his main duties were emptying coins out of the game machines, dumping them into the change machine, and keeping kids from climbing to jumping on the game cabinets or anything else. Once he got past the sound of kids screams and shouts mingling with Duran Duran and Wham!, the blinking lights, the smell of teens who needed a lecture about deodorant and hygiene, and the uncomfortable sensation of wiping down whatever sticky substance coated half the games it was actually a pretty cushy job.

Most days he spent more time sitting behind the front counter working on classwork and reading his textbooks than doing anything in his job description because it just wasn’t necessary. He had the good fortune to work mostly morning or afternoon into evening shifts on weekdays, so other than the occasional interruption of a truancy officer looking for a kid playing hooky from school there wasn’t much for him to bother with. When he didn’t have homework or classwork to keep himself preoccupied, he found himself, a tried and true introvert, bored enough to people watch. Mostly it was teens and tweens trying to beat each other’s scores on Pac-Man or Donkey Kong Jr., but every now and then there’s be someone a bit more interesting to watch. A father who would sometimes come in with his young son to play Burgertime, an older woman in her 50’s who liked to kick kids off the Tetris machine, and a small company of mall goths all made the grade for entertainment where his entertainment was concerned. There was one standout though, a young woman who would come alone on Wednesday nights.

Wednesday was the only day he worked where he was consistently scheduled to close. It was one of his few days without evening classes or labs and it was usually the quietest night of the week with kids on tight curfews for school and most everyone else just wanting to get home after a long day. The girl though, for some reason he still couldn’t glean, would come in exactly an hour before closing to play Ms. Pac-Man.

She always seemed a bit out of place despite appearing to be just a bit older than the high school kids who usually haunted the place, and being consequently, just a bit younger than he was. He thought that maybe she always stood out to him because of how she was dressed. Not many women spent much time in the arcade, much less alone, but of the small handful she was the only one who came in wearing L.L. Bean sweaters over a perfectly pressed white blouse with a similarly blindingly white skirt and tennis shoes. Her fire red hair was always held in place by a headband that matched her sweater, though he often noted that despite the clear effort put into her image, on a second glance her hair was a bit wild like she didn’t bother much with it.

The overall impression he had of her was that she’d taken a wrong turn on her way to a nearby country club’s squash court. He really wasn’t even sure what squash was, but he thought that it was something like tennis and was generally the kind of sport rich girls would play. Pretty young women dressed as nicely as she did had to have hobbies he couldn’t understand. He supposed that it might be one of those biases he’d built since starting college that his Ma would chew him out over, and as it ended up whoever the redhead was, she was much more interested in getting a little yellow circle to eat round things than she was in hitting them with a racquet.

Every Wednesday evening like clockwork she’d come in at nine, give him a shy smile like she knew she didn’t belong there, and then would proceed to spend an hour and a pocketful of quarters on Ms. Pac-Man. She was quiet as she played, like she was afraid to make a sound, but sometimes when he’d switch off the music early and start turning machines off, he’d hear the “wokka-wokka” of her machine and the occasional almost inaudible huff when she lost followed shortly by the clink of another coin hitting the slot and dropping down into the coin box.

Their only real interaction beyond the shy smile she’d always give him on her way in and out was the brief exchange of him letting her know that he was getting ready to close up for the night. She’d always thank him quietly for letting her know, and he noticed how red she would get on the nights she apologized for staying so long. He’d been annoyed by that at first, the fact that she would come in not long before close and play right up until he was ready to lock up for the evening. He supposed that it was easy to lose track of time in the arcade if you weren’t always waiting for your shift to be over given the distinct lack of clocks in the space, but it was always bothersome to have to be held up by a customer.

He remembered wanting to tell her the first few times she’d overstayed that she should check her fancy watch if she was going to wear it. It probably cost more than he made in a year, and yet despite the fact he was certain it kept time well, she always seemed to be surprised by the hour passing. However, the annoyance quickly passed when she would apologize for getting caught up and leave promptly after he let her know they were closing.

It was impossible for him to stay annoyed at her, despite his best efforts to not pay attention to anyone at his job more than strictly necessary, the red head with her love for Ms. Pac-Man often were the subject of his idle thoughts. She was polite and she was pretty, and he was a grumpy “old bastard”, but he was a man and he could appreciate polite and pretty when he hadn’t dated anyone in a very very long time.

In fact, he started to look forward to Wednesdays. Even knowing that her arrival would keep him from a early night, he felt strangely like she needed to be there. He didn’t know her, but there was something in her manner that told him that maybe this was where she came to breathe. He would never call himself on expert in communication or understanding others, but there was something about the shyness of her entrance and exit and the way she just relaxed when she played that made him glad she came, that the space was safe for her. She always looked so sad when she left.

It was a particularly slow day when he was informed by a coworker who had been on the shift before his that several machines were out of commission due to what they assumed to be a power surge. On the line of downed machines were Galaga, Frogger, a few other semi-popular games, and most unfortunately, both Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man. He’d also been informed that the repair shop had been called, but there was no word on when, or if they would arrive before the end of the week let along the end of the day.

Kristoff knew that it shouldn’t bother him. They were just games after all, and he barely if ever played any of them himself. Kids would find something else to play and the cabinets would get fixed when they got fixed. He did care though, he spent his whole shift pacing behind the counter, watching the door, waiting for the phone to ring, and generally hoping that someone would come and fix something. He cared because it was Wednesday and she was going to be coming in to play Ms. Pac-Man and he, strange as it may be, liked her quiet company. He liked the idea that one of these days he might ask her for her name and maybe talk with her for a little while.

Hours passed, and he only gave up hope when he knew that it had to be past time for the repair shop to close. His anticipant pacing then turned to nervous heel rocking as the last few customers filtered out for the evening and the time of her arrival neared. He wondered what he should say to her when she walked in, or if he should say anything at all. She’d find out that the game was down either way, but he didn’t want her to go right after she found out either. Maybe, he thought, she might stay if he just said the right thing.

He held his breath when he heard the door open, and while he wasn’t exactly surprised when she walked through the door, he was thrown off to be greeted with, not her shy smile, but instead with her rushing past the counter, not looking his way at all. That, he decided, took the cake for the oddest part of an already strange day.

There was of course no obligation for her to interact with him, but there was something in the way that she rushed by that had him feeling uneasy. He really wasn’t a people person in any sense of the word. He preferred the company of family or his dog over any interaction with strangers, but he had an odd sense that even having not spoken to her much, she wasn’t a stranger.

“I’m sorry your game is down,” he said quickly before she got far enough away that he’d have to raise his voice to relay the information, “I’ve been waiting for the repair guy my whole shift but it looks like he couldn’t make it.”

She stopped dead in her tracks, and though she didn’t turn to him, he noticed her shoulders slump. He felt guilty despite it being out of his control. There was something about her that made him want to please her, and while he knew that his sisters would tease and tell him that it was just because she was pretty, he knew that there was more to it than that. She was nice, and despite his initial misgivings about her, she’d never given him any reason to believe that she was the kind of person who deserved karma had knocked out her favorite game and the best possible alternative at the same time.

“Oh,” she said, so softly he almost couldn’t hear it over the music.

It was a defeated sort of sound that made him wonder why she really came in to play the game every Wednesday. Maybe it was more than just a game or needing a break for her. She did always come in like clockwork after all.

“I…” he didn’t really know what to say. It wasn’t as if he were the one who broke the games or something, an apology didn’t really make sense, and he wasn’t sure why it meant so much to her in the first place.

“I just thought you should know, before you got over there and saw it.”

She sniffled and he froze on the spot. He wasn’t unused to seeing crying. Little kids threw temper tantrums when their parents made them leave, some kids cried in frustration when they couldn’t beat a level or a high score, but usually that was confined to people under the age of ten and there was someone else around to deal with it.

“Thanks for letting me know,” she choked out, and he could hear the tightness of her throat in the tone of her voice. She was crying. He couldn’t see it, but he wasn’t so dense that he couldn’t tell. He felt his face heat, not sure of what to do and feeling like every second that ticked past were an hour.

“Are you okay?”

It was all he could think to ask. It was obvious to him that she wasn’t, and in fact he figured that she probably wasn’t okay when she walked in and that it was the reason she hadn’t looked at him in the first place when it was so routine for her to do so.

“Not really, no.”

He walked around the counter slowly, his legs on autopilot. His mother would be proud, he thought absently as he walked over to her, she’d been training him to be a proper gentleman for years. It wasn’t her fault he was so inept with girls, she’d done her best, and his sisters had tried to help. He just considered himself mostly a lost cause.

“Do you, uh… want to talk about it?”

She turned to look at him and he could see for the first time how red her eyes were, how her usual put-togetherness was marred by her hair being even more wild than usual, by the wet splotch on her cuff where she’d been wiping her eyes.

He also noticed for the first time just how much smaller she was than him. He was a big guy, not excessively so, but still taller and bigger than most of the people he knew. He was miles taller than his parents and sisters, and while that had everything to do with adopted, it had taught him how to make himself small at times, when he was bandaging his littlest sister’s knee or when he needed to fit into the frame in family photos.

He put his hands into his pockets and slumped a bit, trying to keep his expression as neutral as possible even though his head was spinning with half-thoughts on how exactly he could even attempt to be helpful. The last thing she needed was for him to panic on her. He was sure that she was panicked enough for them both.

“I couldn’t… you don’t even…”

She was crying harder now, the words hardly coming out right as she tried to hold a conversation with him. He felt awful. He thought that maybe he should have just let her see the game was out of order and leave instead of making her talk about it. He wasn’t sure what he would have wanted if the roles were reversed. He wasn’t exactly a “talk about it” guy, and when he needed to talk something out, it was always to his dog. He kind of wished that Sven was with him, girls liked dogs, or at least his sisters did.

“You can, if you want.”

She shook her head but seemed to calm down a little bit, taking breaths slowly. He wasn’t sure whether or not she was going to tell him what was going on until she opened her mouth and started in telling her story, still tearful and hiccupping, but at least with the ability to get all the words out.

“It’s just… the straw that broke the camels back? That’s been every straw today. I failed an exam, my ex-boyfriend showed up at my dorm even though he’s not supposed to know where I live, my sister is out of the country on business and I feel so alone.”

He nodded as she talked, “And you just needed a break?”

The shy smile he was so used to appeared again, her lips turning up slightly, making him feel like he could really breathe for the first time since she walked through the door. He hadn’t really noticed how close together they’d become since he walked around the counter, but now that they were just a bit more than a foot apart, he was noticing other things about her that weren’t immediately evident from the distance. She had freckles.

He didn’t even know he liked freckles, he’d never thought about it, but there was a dusting on her nose and across her flushed cheeks and he realized that yes, he really did like them.

“Yeah. I just… I really need a break.”

He’d like to offer to listen some more, to do something else for her, but he wasn’t really sure where the line was when a stranger unloads their emotions on you. He didn’t want to push, but he also wanted to help. It was making his head spin, and all he could focus on was her eyes, and her freckles, and her mussed hair.

“Well I mean, I don’t really know you very well, but uh, you’re welcome to play something else, I guess Tetris isn’t really as fun as Ms. Pac-Man, but it’s kind of soothing. I’ll close up while you’re playing, I promise no one else is going to bother you today. I’m not really good company or anything, but I’ll hang around if you don’t want to be alone.”

It felt like a lot. He put the ball in her court, she could decide whether she wanted him around, or whether she wanted him to go sit behind the counter until she was done, but even the offer felt like an overstep.

“That would be nice Kristoff,” she said, her hiccupping had stopped, but there was an edge of uncertainty to her tone. “Maybe show me how to play?”

“I uh… didn’t think you knew my name.”

She flushed again, her face going even redder than it had when she was crying.

“It’s… uh… on your nametag.”

It was his turn to blush then. He felt like a bumbling idiot.

“Oh, yeah. It is, isn’t it.”

He could practically hear his sisters laughing at him, like they could telepathically tell he was being a disaster from miles away. He was sure that he’d never hear the end of it if they ever found out just how “smooth” he had been trying to talk to a pretty girl. He only had to hope that she wouldn’t ever tell them. The odds, he thought, were slim to none on that, but nothing was ever impossible.

“I’m Anna, by the way. I thought you should know, you know, with me sobbing in front of you and everything.”

He was glad she told him, he wasn’t sure if he should ask, and he wanted to know. He’d been wanting to know, because now he could tie all the thoughts, he’d been having in his head about her to a name, something solid.

Anna.

***

The only sound in the arcade was the Tetris theme music, the clicking of the mechanical buttons on the cabinet and the chatting of two new friends. Kristoff had been surprised by how quickly he’d warmed up to Anna and in return how quickly she seemed to warm up to him. He really wasn’t used to people wanting to hang around him for awfully long. He blamed it a bit on his gruffness, he knew that he needed to relax a little more around others, but he always found it hard.

Anna made it easy.

She’d told him a lot about her, how she’d split up with a guy a few months ago for lying and cheating on her and how he kept trying to weasel his way back in, how she was trying to get her degree in art history so that she could run her family’s gallery, how her sister ran their family’s importing business and how it kept her away often enough that Anna often didn’t see her for months at a time. She’d told him that she was lonely, and that she came to the arcade because she hadn’t been allowed to go as a child, and now that her parents were passed she didn’t mind being a little disobedient because she knew they would forgive her.

He hadn’t said much about himself, except for when she asked. He told her how he was studying environmental science at community college. They didn’t go to the same school, she was a freshman at the university he was planning on transferring into after he finished his associates in a few months, and she told him how much she loved it there, encouraging him to follow through with his plans to transfer in. He’d told her how his family had adopted him because she asked whether he had any siblings, and it wasn’t exactly a secret. She hadn’t reacted like it was some kind of tragedy like other people sometimes did, which was a comfort to him because he believed that his parents adopting him was the best thing that had ever happened to him. He didn’t even remember his birthparents anyway.

“Oh my gosh, I think I’m beating you! Am I beating you! Oh crap, I shouldn’t have looked, now I messed up my lines.”

Kristoff couldn’t help but laugh. Anna had been the one to suggest they play two player mode on the game, and while Kristoff hadn’t really played it before other than a couple occasions on his lunchbreak on truly boring Monday shifts, he was doing a decent job of beating her at the game.

“I thought all your Ms. Pac-Man skills would have you in the lead,” he teased.

“Completely different set of skills,” she replied, “besides, I just played that one because it looked the easiest. Also, I like that it’s a romance. It’s cute.”

“A romance?” he asked with a laugh, watching as her blocks stacked up on the opposite side of the screen, almost to the top. He wasn’t intentionally trying to distract her; he was honestly curious. But that it meant he was going to win was just a bonus.

“Yeah it’s all about how they… oh damn it.”

He watched as her screen filled completely with blocks and the game informed him that he had, for the third time, won.

“Sorry,” he offered, “You were really close that time.”

She shrugged, gave him a look that was more mock annoyance than irritation, and then laughed. He laughed with her. He hadn’t had so much fun in a very long time, and he was dreading the fact that he could feel that it would be over soon.

“I wasn’t, but thanks for pretending,” she said, leaning over to bump him with her hip playfully, “You really cheered me up tonight. I owe you a lot.”

He opened his mouth to tell her that she didn’t owe him anything, and that he was happy he could help, but she put a hand up to stop him.

“No, really, I mean it. You were so nice to me tonight, and all the other nights. That’s why I kept coming back, even when you were miffed about me overstaying you were always nice about it and I just needed someone nice. I’m sorry I probably made you run late so many nights, but I guess I just needed the company, even if we didn’t talk. I owe you.”

He shook his head, “It wasn’t a big deal Anna. You were really polite and… I guess I started looking forward to you coming in. This is usually a pretty boring job and you were something different for me to think about. Not that I was… not that I was thinking about you all the time or anything, I just was wondering why you’d come in but…”

He wondered if he should just bend down and eat his shoe, speed up the process a little bit.

“You should have asked,” she said with a brighter version of the shy smile he’d come to expect from her, “I kept waiting for you to talk to me. I didn’t want to bug you at work, but I’ve been dying to talk to you for weeks now. I didn’t just keep coming back for the games you know?”

“You didn’t?”

“No,” she said, leaning into him again but this time less to bump him, and more to support her frame against his much larger one.

Kristoff could feel his pulse quicken. He wasn’t sure why, but his hand itched to reach out to hers. He hadn’t wanted to hold hands with a girl since middle school. He felt like he was thirteen again, awkward and just trying to figure out how to get a girl’s attention.

He already had it though, Anna was only focused on him and he could feel the weight of her gaze even though he wasn’t meeting it.

“I thought you were cute. I kept coming in hoping that maybe you’d talk to me and then maybe you know… if you weren’t seeing someone…”

“Oh.”

He didn’t know why he said that of all things. It was all he could think to say.

“Oh… are you? Seeing someone that is?”

She sounded a bit defeated, and as he felt her leaning away from his side, trying to step to the side, he panicked. He let his hand grab hers loosely, not letting her get too far away from his side unless she really wanted to as he turned to face her. Her freckled nose was illuminated blue by the light from the cabinet and her eyes held an uncertainty that he wanted to chase away.

“No, no I’m not. I just… I’m not used to anyone wanting to… I mean, no one’s ever been…”

“Well, if you want to… I mean, if you’re interested, because I do owe you after all… maybe we could catch a movie sometime, or we could grab dinner? My treat.”

He felt tongue tied, but he managed to nod his head at least. He wondered if she could tell how nervous he was. He was sure that she could because her smile and her eyes held an amusement that had quickly replaced her trepidation. Surely, he thought, she must realize that he had no idea what he was doing. But strangely she wasn’t rescinding her offer or leaving, just smiling at him warmly so he thought that it must count for something.

“How about Friday? I only have classes until noon so depending on your schedule we could grab dinner or coffee or something if dinner is too much?”

“Dinner would be fine,” he managed, “Or coffee if you prefer, I get done at three so if you want I can come pick you up after that… somewhere? It can be someplace neutral if you don’t want me to come to your dorm.”

She grinned, “Dinner then. We can work out the details later… Do you have a pen?”

He nodded, reaching into the pocket of the work vest he’d discarded to the side, and realizing in the same moment that he hadn’t yet let go of her hand.

When he slipped his fingers from between hers, someplace he hadn’t even noticed they’d slotted themselves, he felt a vague sense of loss. He tried not to hold onto it, thrilled by the prospect that soon he’d see her again. To that end he handed her the pen, and was surprised to feel her fingers wrap around his wrist.

They were cool from playing the game, and in stark contrast to his sweating palms. He opened his hand in response to the touch, which was evidently exactly what she wanted as she took the pen to his skin and quickly wrote her number.

“You can call anytime after four,” she said quietly, as if it were a secret even though no one else was there, “Or whenever and leave a message. Whatever works for you just…”

“Yeah?” he asked, his voice breathless even to his own ears.

“Don’t forget to call, okay?”

She handed him the pen, stood up on her tip toes, and pressed a kiss to his cheek. He didn’t have time to react before she was grabbing her purse from the foot of the cabinet and heading out the door. Left alone in the empty arcade, one game to switch off and a door to lock up, he let his fingers reach up to brush the place she’d just pecked. If it weren’t for the fact that he knew his imagination wasn’t nearly so creative, he could have believed he dreamed the whole thing.

He looked down at his palm and saw in black ink, perfectly printed, her number, her name, and a small heart.

Anna.

He had never been so grateful for a dead-end minimum wage job in his life.

#kristannaadvent2020 #kristanna #frozen fanfiction #1980's AU #Arcade AU #Meetcute #Fluff

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paodequeijofeliz-blog · 4 years

Text

The Mother of My Child

Bloodbound Fanfiction (characters and main story belongs to Pixelberry Studios).

Pairing: Kamilah Sayeed and MC (Annie)

Information: this takes place after Bloodbound 3, but I made a few changes. MC is still human, she is only Turned after they have a daughter. It came from a request, so it won’t be long, probably two parts, but I hope you enjoy!

Warnings: there’s a little bit of violence in the middle, but not much.

Part 1

The Mother of My Child - Part 2 (Finale)

During the last trimester, the only strong effect pregnancy was having on Annie was making her feel sleepy all the time. If insomnia robbed her nights for almost five months, now the woman couldn’t stay awake for long, always napping around the house. She was officially on maternity leave with no date to come back. Since her bosses were actually the child’s mother and godfather, the woman had all the time in the world to rest.

The pregnancy was already seven months long, almost eight. Her exams were perfect, nothing to worry about. It all indicated a healthy kid what would be born in nine weeks. Kamilah had put together a team of doctors in case of any problems during labour, with Annie or the child. She didn’t want to leave things up to fate.

“You are unbulivabu.” The human showed up at the bedroom door, a toothbrush hanging in her mouth. “Why is there four nursis checking on me??”

“I gave them your number, so it will be easier to monitor what you feel.” Kamilah was laying on the bed while reading another book about breast feeding.

“Ughhhhhhh” Annie went back to the bathroom to spit the toothpaste and clean her face. When turned to leave, she accidentally bumped her toe on the door. “Ouch! Shit!”

“Is it the baby??” The Vampire was suddenly in front of her, hands grabbing the woman by the arms.

“Gee, chill. I just hurt my toe.” She laughed, letting Kamilah take her to bed. “You see, my Nana used to say that the more we try to control destiny, the more it escape our plans.”

“Not on my watch.”

That next afternoon, things got kind of busy at Ahmanet Financial. The Vampire was getting in and out of meetings, constantly checking her phone to make sure there was no messages from her wife. Annie was probably napping again.

“Excuse me, Mrs. Sayeed. The Baron wishes to have a word.”

“Ugh. Fine. Let him in. Thank you, Paul.”

Kamilah crossed her arms, waiting for that despising figure to emerge from the door. The smell of old whiskey and cigar took over the whole office. The Baron had two men with him, but both stayed a few steps behind.

“What do you want? The Council will meet next week.” she sighed, not in the mood to deal with another ‘Priya is stealing my territory’ argument.

“Good afternoon to you. That’s why I’m here. We must vote for whoever gets to control the north part of the city. I just want to make sure you choose correctly.” The Baron had such an ugly smile.

“Is that a threat?” the Vampire’s eyes were dangerously red. “I don’t wish that territory to belong to either of you. Both proved to be incompetents in the past.”

“Are you sure this is how you want to vote?” he approached her desk with heavy steps, pulling a phone from the pocket. “You know how much that area means to me.”

“What I know is that you want to open another underground casino, when you already have one working and causing us too much trouble already. I told you to get your men under control. It’s not my problem anymore. Now get the hell out of my office before I lose my patience.”

“Careful there. You might regret it.” The Baron turned his phone so Kamilah could see what was on the screen. “I came to negotiate. And I’m prepared.”

The Egyptian felt her own nails digging through the skin when she closed her hands in fists. “How… Dare… You…”

“You didn’t leave me a choice. Now, I will tell you exactly what I want, and you’re going to do give it to me. I’ll even leave the phone here, at your table, so you don’t lose focus.” He laughed at his own joke, sinking in one of the chairs.

Kamilah just kept a tense posture, staring at the screen where Annie was being filmed. Four of The Baron’s men were there, one of them holding a gun to her ribs. Something caught The Vampire’s attention in the scene. The way her wife was leaning back, hands roaming the belly… “You bastard, she is in labour!”

“A small setback. Focus. The faster we solve it, higher are the chances of you seeing your first child being born.”

Kamilah took a deep breath. It wouldn’t be wise to lose her temper now.

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

At the Penthouse

“Please, I need to sit…” Annie had tears on her eyes, only able to stand up because of a rough hand on her back. “This hurts too much, I can’t…”

“Fine. Sit on the couch. Don’t try anything stupid.” He pushed her forward, a gun still pointed at the woman.

It all happened so fast. One minute, she was asleep, taking another regular afternoon nap. Then, a man was in her room, two, three, four. Annie recognized all of them later, but the sudden view of strangers in her house made her heart speed at first. The body couldn’t take that much adrenaline all at once. When they pulled her out of bed, the woman screamed and felt a deep pain pressuring her ribs. A couple minutes afterwards, she had a liquid coming down her legs. It was too early to have the baby, and the fear this could hurt her child only made it worse.

Annie knew why they were filming her. That’s why she was holding it in as much as she could, trying hard not to cry or show too much pain. Kamilah was probably being blackmailed, and the last thing the human wanted was for her wife to lose herself in anger.

“Oh no, no, no, no, stay inside little one, wait for your mommy…” she whispered, holding the belly as contractions were getting stronger. There was this desperate wish to arch and open the legs, her own body trying to tell her what to do.

One of their cell phones started ringing. The taller man answered and gave the others a knowing signal.

“It’s your lucky day.” said the one who pointed her the gun.

All four of them disappeared behind the door. Now, alone, without a camera filming her, Annie finally screamed against a pillow, dizzy of pain. Her heart was pounding against the chest. Then, a hand touched her shoulder.

“Hey, can you hear me?” Lily was leaning in, trying to find any injuries.

“Where is she?” the woman cried, removing the pillow. It was all too much.

“I’ll take you to the hospital, Kamilah will meet us there, she’s with Adrian… Finishing some business. You know.”

Something exploded downstairs. Guns started to fire.

“I don’t care what the hell is going on in there, you tell my wife to come here NOW!”

“Girl, you need a doctor.” She tried to lift her, but Annie only slid and grabbed the couch. There was a fire in her eyes that would give Lily nightmares for months.

“KAMILAH SAYEED YOU COME UP HERE RIGHT NOW OR I’M GOING TO LOCK THIS CHILD INSIDE MY WOMB!”

All the noises suddenly stopped. No explosion, guns firing, things breaking… Just the soft sound of the elevator’s doors opening. The Egyptian didn’t have a single strand of hair out of place, although her blazer was ripped near the pocket. A woman in a white coat was following her, completely terrified.

“Finally!” Annie rested her back against the couch, squatting and screaming as pushed the baby for the first time. Her body was only covered by a thin nightdress.

“Oh goodness, get me a sterilized towel!” the doctor fell on the floor, sitting right in front of the pregnant woman.

“On it!” Lily left and came back in half a second.

“I am deeply sorry…” Kamilah started, finding her place beside Annie, but she was interrupted by a kiss. Foreheads together, their eyes met, and for a moment, it felt like the pain was slowly drifting away. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” The human smiled, arching again in another strong push.

“Is it… Going well?” Adrian hesitated, not sure what to do. They didn’t even notice him coming out of the elevator, all covered in blood. “Can I get anything?”

“Yes, warm water…” the doctor gasped at that sight, almost losing track of what was happening. “Uhm… Right… You’re almost there, just one more push. A strong one. 3…2…”

Annie’s scream was substituted by a soft crying when the baby came out. Adrian had brought the water, so the doctor could clean the child a little bit before giving it to the mothers. Him and Lily were fighting against the tears, both holding hands.

“Oh man, we have a baby!” said the younger Vampire.

“Indeed, we do.” Kamilah took the child in her arms, cradling her close to the chest. It was the smallest human being she had ever seen in her two thousand years. “Lysia.”

“We have a family.” The most perfect family Annie could ever ask for.

“Well, I’m… I’m going to clean downstairs.” Adrian wiped his tears, slowly recomposing himself.

“Thank you, brother.”

“Wait, where did you come from?” Annie was suddenly staring at the doctor she had never seen before. “You’re not my doctor.”

“Mrs. Sayeed had me at Ahmanet Financial in case an emergency happened.”

“She… Oh my god, Kamilah. You had a doctor standing there, all day long, just in case?” the woman turned to see those guilty brown eyes.

“I told you I wasn’t going to risk anything.”

“Well, you know what?” Annie frowned, pretending to be mad for a second, but her sparkling eyes were telling the truth. She was the happiest woman alive. “I am so glad you’re the mother of my child.”

Tagging: @kamilahismyqueen and @nydeiri

#choices: stories you play #choices: bb #kamilah x mc #kamilah sayeed #bb kamilah #now its doneeeee #next request is a jealous kamilah #ON IT

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angelicbrokenburd · 3 years

Text

Rules for Moblie: Under Read More because long.

Disclaimer

I do not own the rights to Starscream, the Transformers franchise, it's characters or it's lore. The rights belong to the lovely people at Hasbro. However: My portayal, headcanons and the such are my own! I also create my own icons and graphics (banners for pages, post and such) and ask you to DO NOT steal and claim them for your own.

Other Notes (idk what to call this part lol)

This blog is Completely headcanon based being there is no offical Transformers Prime Shattered Glass continuity. I take some inspration from the oringal G1 Shattered Glass comics but everything else is my own! While this blog is mostly Prime/Aligned, I may add/take some elements from a few other continuies such as G1, IDW and Animated.

Following

This is a side blog to @fatesyetunwritten, which plays as an OOC hub for the blogs connected to it. So obviously I cannot follow you with this blog but my main. Even though not necessary, I also recommend following my hub blog as well being that’s where most PSAs/OOC updates in regard to ALL my blogs will be posted. Personal blogs are free to follow, but I do ask you don’t comment/reblog/reply/etc to any IC threads or post. Same implies to post that say ”//DO NOT REBLOG” or -DO NOT REBLOG-” in the thread/tags. If any of these rules are broken I will block you! I won't even give you a second chance, you're out! If you are a personal and do have a sideblog, PLEASE contact me telling me so. I’m more than likely not going to know otherwise unless I followed you first and it’s noted. My IM/askbox is always open. If you need to contact me in anyway and (if we are mutuals) want to plot/scream about our muses/just talk/etc. Don’t feel shy to approach me. I love talking and meeting new friends.

Guidelines

I am selective and will only roleplay with mutuals. Just because you follow me doesn’t guarantee that I will back. I often look at the muse, content and mun beforehand before making up my decision in doing so. Do not force/guilt trip me into following you!! Putting aside it’s rude and selfish to do so, YOU WILL BE BLOCKED WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT!! Muse doesn't equal Mun and vice versa. This should be obvious but sometimes people do confuse fantasy and reality. Please don't confuse the two. No Godmodding! This is standard fare I don’t think I have to elaborate more on that. If possible Please trim your post. I won’t get up on anyone's case about it if you don’t, but it’s considerute to do so. Keeps the dash clean. Also transfer ask to a new thread if you wish to contiune it. Same reasons as above: Keeps things clean and orgainzed. Don’t worry about formatting/using icons in your post! Just because I like to time to time doesn’t mean you have to follow suit. Write in whatever style that works for you. All I ask is that you use proper grammar and spelling, or at least enough for me to read your writing. I’m not perfect neither so don’t sweat it if you make a typo there and there.

Shipping and Relationships

Let’s get this out of the way:I’m a shameless shipping whore! I love shipping and building relationships. But I won't just jump onboard to a ship however Like most relationships, there needs to be Chemistry. If the two clash off each other well, we can discuss things further. Each ship (unless said otherwise) has it's own verse and not overlap with other ships... This doesn't just imply to romanatic ships! Friendships, kinships, hateships, YA name it!. As I said, I'm a ship whore. I’m also a fan of AUs! Give me some of those AUs bro!

Mature Content

Both me and my Muse are of age and won’t shy away from mature themes. All NSFW threads/ask/etc will be tagged as such, along with any triggers that need tagging. In worst cases, like a hard R (which is rare), I will put everything under a read more flither. Themes include, but not limited to: Violence, blood or/and gore, alcohol and drug use, depression/PTSD, abuse and (maybe?) sexual themes. I will also likely The only things I will not roleplay are anything to do with rape, sexual assault, pedophila and/or incest. I'm open to roleplaying smut but I will be extreamly selective on who I write with. I have to feel comfortable with the mun plus likely already have to have an establish ship going. I will, by no circumstance, roleplay sumt with minors!! NO ITS, NO BUTS! If I learn you are lying about your age, consider yourselfPermanently blocked with all threads deleted.

Who I’ll Interact With

Well, obviously I will roleplay with other Transformers characters, (Not limited to just Prime). I’ll roleplay with just about almost all fandoms. I am a bit more selective over fandoms I'm not too familiar with but that doesn't always mean my doors aren't closed to them neither. To put it simple: If a muse interests me, I'm more than likely on board. What is always the case however is that I will not, and I do mean WILL NOT roleplay with muses base off Youtube Let’s Players or any real life people WHAT SO EVER!! Sorry, I’m sure a good share of you are fantastic people, but it’s something I am simply against mortality. I’m open to roleplaying with OCs both fandom base and/or fandomless, but again, I’m still selective. I always check out the mun’s page before following and if I don’t see a bio for your OC, I will simply not follow. I can't interact with a character I know nothing about. Really, a good indication that I want to interact with you is if I follow you, either before or after you do.

The Mun

Name: Jessie/Sweets Birthdate:August 2nd, 1989 Hello loves~ So...about myself: I love to write if it wasn’t obvious yet, but some of my other hobbies include but not limited to: Drawing, video games, comics, animation. The general geek crap. I like to believe I'm a down to earth and chill person to hang with so don’t feel shy to start a conversation with me outside of our general roleplay affair. For OOC post, Doctor Nefarious from Ratchet and Clank and/or Wander from Wander Over Yonder as faceclaims but more incline to use the former. Things to keep note of: I am diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum. This can at times affect my abilities to socialize and communicate normality and at times even makes it hard to pick up cues if not direct enough. Miscommunication could happen and if I misinterpreted/stepped over the line/did something uncalled for that I’m unaware of; You shouldn’t fear about addressing the issue to me privately. I don’t do things on purpose. Most people don’t. And more than half the time, these problems can be addressed by talking it out. Communication and understanding is key to be a successful roleplay partner. The last thing I want is to make my friends unconformably and treat them with respect and I expect the same! I also suffer from depression and anxiety and can affect my mood, as well as my will to interact/socialize that day and may even not want to be bothered. This never has anything to do with the other Mun, this is me and Me alone! My mental health comes first after all and I’m sure you all can respect that and vice versa. Roleplaying is a hobby for me, not a job. I go at my own pace. With my mental health addressed; it can play into how active I am. Some days I can write replies/threads like no ones business, others I can be sluggish and not want to do anything. Do not pester me for replies! They’ll come when they come. Thankfully, I don’t have many triggers. Nothing that I can’t blacklist anyways. I always make sure to read the Mun’s rules but if there's anything you need me to tag that I may have glace over, don’t feel shy to speak up about it.

#🌠PSA;;#🌠OOC;;

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cordonian-literature · 4 years

Text

The Aftermath - Ch. 13

Interrogations

SUMMARY: Olivia finds more information about Regina’s scheme

Word Count: ~2.5k

Warning: Mention of character death

*All characters belong to Pixelberry, except those that are unique to my story (I’ve also used some characters and fictional instances from Donna Tartt’s “The Goldfinch”)*

Catch up here!

Tags: @captain-kingliamsqueen @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @gkittylove99 @lovablegranny @loudbluebirdlover @mom2000aggie @kingliam2019 @queenrileyrose @shanzay44 @cordonianroyalty @hopefulmoonobject @hopelessromanticmonie @cinnamonspongecake @queenjilian @kuladekiwi @twinkle-320 @iaminlovewithtrr @charlotteg234 @amandablink @texaskitten30 @tinkie1973 @louiseingram1208 @queencatherynerhys @pens-girl-87 @missevabean @ladyangel70 @sanchita012 @cordonianprincess

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✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧

- Olivia -

Since Hana was staying at Lythikos keep, the Duchess made sure that every room would be warm for her guest. Usually she wouldn’t care, but Olivia felt a certain pity for Hana. She wasn’t able to avoid marriage like Olivia was able to, and so she found herself in a loveless, miserable relationship. Olivia could tell that Hana was desperate to get rid of the misery: she had insisted Olivia stay with her during meals, and she even volunteered to help look up travel records for Riley and her family. Hana had also not yet told her husband that she had extended her stay, and he hadn’t returned to their home either. Olivia had wanted to question Hana about it, but she decided it would be better for both of them if she were to focus on more positive topics.

The warmth in Lythikos keep was not welcoming to Olivia, but when she followed Jacob down the stone stairs into the dungeon, the freezing air embraced her, preparing Olivia for whatever Jacob was about to show her. She mentally noted all the places where she had weapons hidden, both in her outfit and around the room.

She heard muffling when they reached the bottom of the stairs, and then when she turned out of the doorway, saw a man tied to a chair.

“This,” Jacob begins, “is one of the Queen Mother’s personal guards. I checked his records, and it shows that he had been on her right hand ever since Constantine abdicated, up until a few months ago.”

“So that means he was at the Beaumont wedding when Regina saw Riley,” Olivia concludes, leaning closer to her prisoner. The fear in his eyes multiplied as the distance between them decreased.

She had the upper hand.

“Exactly,” Jacob answers her. “He told me that there was another guard with him as well. I looked up the name, and found that he actually died a few years ago.”

“Oh, a pity,” Olivia exclaims, not taking her eyes off of the man in front of her. “It would have been fun to have two prisoners. Don’t you think, Jacob?” She turns to face him. “If we had two of them, then we could have spared the one who gave the most information.”

Jacob gives her a knowing smile.

“Now.” She turns back to the man tied in the chair. “You’re going to tell me everything you know about Lady Riley after her disappearance, or I’m going to cut off your—.”

The sound of his muffled screams increases. Taking that as a signal that he would tell her whatever she wanted to hear, Olivia motions for Jacob to remove the cloth over the prisoner’s mouth.

He takes a breath when the fabric falls from his lips. “I’ll tell you everything! Just please don’t hurt me! I don’t work for the Queen Mother anymore, and I won’t tell anyone about this!”

“Alright then. Speak. Tell us what you know about the Queen Mother stopping Lady Riley from attending the wedding,” Olivia commands.

He takes a few moments to gasp for air. Quite unnecessary, Olivia thinks.

“She... the Queen Mother had been telling her security team for a while after the Homecoming Ball that we should keep an eye around Europe for Lady Riley. She said something about... something about knowing that Lady Riley would dare to come back to Europe after everything. And she... she knew that Lady Riley had come back. Before the wedding, that is.”

“So...,” Jacob frowns. “She was in Europe for a while before the wedding?”

“N-no. That’s not what I meant I’m sorry I’m flustered I’m just really nervous—.”

“Oh, shut it and get on with what you were saying!” Olivia interrupts.

“Right, right. Um... uh... sh-she meant that... like... in between the Homecoming Ball and Duke Bertrand’s wedding, Lady Riley was in Europe momentarily. She said it was a little after the Homecoming Ball and the attacks on the palace.”

“Where in Europe?” Olivia interrogates.

“I... I don’t know I swear! That’s all she told us. We never asked her how she knew.”

“Alright, alright,” Jacob speaks. “Fast forward to the Beaumont wedding.”

“Right... uh... s-so because of what the Queen Mother had told us about... like, keeping tags on flights in and out of Europe, we couldn’t really find anything under the name of ‘Riley Brooks,’ so someone from my team suggested keeping tags on people traveling who had the first name of Riley, whether they were traveling to Cordonia or not, and where they were going in Cordonia.”

“Damn,” Jacob comments. “That must’ve been a lot.”

“Huh, no kidding,” the prisoner replies. “Shockingly there were a number of people named Riley who wanted to visit—.”

“Focus!” Olivia screams again.

“Sorry, sorry! Right, so a few hours before the wedding, we saw that there was a Riley who had landed at an airport near Ramsford. We sent a team to keep tabs on her and whatnot, and then when it was clear that she was coming to the wedding, we told the Queen Mother. She directed us to stop her from coming in through the main entrance, and told us to bring her in from a servants entrance where she could talk to Lady Riley.”

“And...?” Olivia prods him to continue.

“And... sh-she made us lock them both in a room where they could talk. I didn’t hear what they were saying, I swear. S-so when she was done, she directed us to take her back to the airport and force her back on a plane to wherever she had come from.”

“Riley didn’t resist or anything?” Jacob asks.

“Oh, she resisted. We had to cover her mouth because she was screaming so loud. She was kicking and punching. We tied her up and had the rest of our team bring an unmarked vehicle near the servant’s entrance. We threw her in the back and brought her to the airport. Eventually she stopped and started crying. She even threw up. We made her clean herself at a gas station while the rest of the team managed to get one of the royal family’s private jets to take her. We couldn’t put her on a regular flight. Too many risks and whatnot.”

Olivia’s face twisted in anger. “Wonderful,” she commented. “You did all that to a pregnant woman, did you know that?”

The prisoner’s eyes go wide, and he violently shakes his head from side to side, his eyes still locked on Olivia.

“How’d you know she was pregnant?” Jacob asks.

“It was a guess,” Olivia explains. “Hana and I discussed the timeline on our way over. Eight years ago when Bertrand and Savannah were having their wedding, Riley would have been pregnant with her second child. But since you—” she turns to look at the prisoner “—said that she vomited while you were trying to remove her, that works towards confirming she was expecting.”

“I... I didn’t know that I swear!” the prisoner claims. “I’m not a violent person I wouldn’t have done that had I known!”

“I’ve heard enough.” Olivia turns to leave the dungeon with Jacob following close behind.

“Should I let him go?” Jacob asks.

“Let him rot in there for a few more hours. Release him around sunset,” she commands. Olivia reaches into the pocket of her suit to take out her cellphone.

She knew she had to call Liam and tell him everything that she just learned, but a part of her wanted to keep him in ignorance. Even though they hadn’t spoken much since he had left for New York, she knew he must have been doing better having Riley back. She knew that this news would break him... but Olivia had been one of Liam’s most trusted allies. She wasn’t going to break his confidence in her now, but Olivia shuddered to think what he would do with this information.

- Madeleine -

After the tea ceremony, the Queen Mother had insisted that Madeleine stay in the capital with her for a little longer. Madeleine had requested Regina to allow Countess Hana to stay as well, but she was unfortunately leaving with Duchess Olivia. Madeleine felt a sense of pity vibrate her bones. She may have slightly tortured Hana during the Engagement Tour, but Madeleine did not believe that Hana deserved that much misery; first she had to live depressingly with Neville for the past five years, and now she had to spend time with an ill-tempered Nevrakis. Madeleine wished she could save Hana from the pain, but she was rather powerless to do so.

For the past few days, she had been spending a lot of time with Regina. The Queen Mother had invited her niece to eat every meal with her and to spend time with her during the rest of the day as well. Madeleine took that as an opportunity: she discussed many propositions with the Queen Mother, hoping that she would tell Madeleine to discuss it with King Liam once he returned.

One afternoon, a few days after the ceremony, Madeleine was enjoying cucumber sandwiches with the Queen Mother, when one of Regina’s servants comes in.

“Your Highness?” he asks in a low voice. When Regina nods at him, he continues, “there’s a phone call for you.”

“From who?” Regina questions, taking a small bite of her sandwich.

“It’s from His Majesty, King Liam.”

Regina sits up straight. “Oh, Heavens I’ve been trying to reach him for days!”

“Oh,” Madeleine exclaims. “I can excuse myself if you wish to speak to him in private?”

Regina waves away Madeleine’s words. “No, no, bring me the phone. Yes, put it on the table right there and put it on speaker. Countess, you’ve nothing to worry about, I’m sure Liam wouldn’t mind.” She thinks for a moment. “But if he does not mention you, do not speak.”

“Of course, Your Highness,” Madeleine obeys.

Regina leans forward to answer the call as the servant walks out.

“Regina?” Liam’s voice resonates out of the phone.

“Yes, Liam, what is it?” the Queen Mother answers. “What has possessed you to finally call me?”

“I’ve just received an interesting phone call from Duchess Olivia.”

“Oh?” she exclaims, going for a sip of her tea. “Liam, dear, if it has nothing to do about marriage, understand that I do not wish to hear it.”

“Regina I think it would be in your best interest to listen closely to what I am going to tell you.”

Madeleine freezes, worried about the agitation in her king’s voice. Even the Queen Mother stops moving, her teacup inches away from her lips.

Liam’s voice comes out in a rough growl when he says, “I know everything about you having kept Lady Riley away.” He pauses, waiting for her to comment.

Regina slowly puts her cup onto the table. “Liam, stop this nonsense, I do not know—.”

“No, YOU are the one who is going to stop.” His words are sharp.

Regina stiffens and does not speak.

“Do you understand what you did, when you forced her out of Cordonia during Duke Bertrand’s wedding? Do you understand what you did to me? You took away the only thing I ever wanted.” He scoffs. “All this time you’ve been telling me to marry, to produce an heir, to secure my throne.... How dare you?”

Madeleine stares at the Queen Mother’s face, waiting for a reaction. She wondered if the Queen Mother knew what Liam was talking about.

“How dare you tell me to produce an heir.... Did you know?” He waits for her to answer. When Regina says nothing, he continues, “I said did. You. Know?”

“For goodness sake, Liam!” Regina exclaims. “I don’t know what you are talking about! Enlighten me, if you please, and stop—.”

“Enough!” he screams. “I don’t want anymore of your snarky comments. You knew how desperate I was to get Lady Riley back. I had told you. I trusted you with my confidence and you betrayed it. When I was panicking in front of you, not knowing where she was, worried I would never see her again, were you pleased with yourself that you knew her whereabouts all along and kept quiet?”

“Liam, listen to me,” the Queen mother rushes her words. “I wasn’t the one who knew of her whereabouts, it was—.”

“ENOUGH!” he screams again. “I am tired of your lies. You have no idea of the damage you have caused me.” He takes a few deep breaths. When he speaks again, his tone is calm: “I will be returning to Cordonia within a few days. With Lady Riley and our son.”

Madeleine slaps a hand over her mouth. Regina starts shaking.

“As your monarch, I command you to stay away. If, by God, I have heard or seen you do anything that even momentarily undermines their physical or emotional well-being, you will no longer call Cordonia your home. I have pitied you and your declining health ever since my father’s death, but know that there is no drop of compassion left for you. Good bye, Regina.” He ends the call.

Regina sits there, still shaking. Madeleine looks over with worry, wondering if she should say something. She sees the Queen Mother swallow a breath.

“M-Madeleine, if you would... please excuse yourself?” Regina chokes.

“Of course.” Madeleine stands and begins to walk towards her room, Liam’s words repeating in her head.

After Liam had ended their engagement and had not married another woman, Madeleine was infuriated with him. Now, she didn’t know what to feel. She had worked alongside him all those years, trying to help him with his work, trying to get him to notice her again. But he had a son. With Riley. He had an heir. Now there was no more hope of Madeleine becoming queen. Liam would never marry her, that was certain.

Even though she had done quite a lot for the people of her country, she knew that if she was queen, she could do more for them.

Everytime Madeleine had failed in getting the crown... it had always been Riley who ruined it for her. Riley, and now her son, had swiped away Madeleine’s chances indefinitely. Anger pooled in her chest, and she promised herself that she wasn’t going to let Riley get away with it this time.

And Liam... what a fool. He was going to bring back a son, an heir, just like that? Without warning the people or without training the boy to be a proper royal?

I am not going to let them make my country look foolish.

#the royal romance #the royal romance fanfiction #the royal romance fanfic #trr choices #choices fanfic #choices trr #trr liam x mc #liam x riley

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caiminnent · 4 years

Text

horizons into battlegrounds [pre-slash kylux, rated T]

PROMPT: rage against the reflection (@badthingshappenbingo, 10/25)

SUMMARY: Some nights, when Kylo Ren looks in the mirror, someone else looks back.

FANDOM: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy

TAGS: Bad Things Happen Bingo, Rage Against the Reflection, Hurt/Comfort, Pre-Slash, Oblivious Kylo Ren, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping

NOTES: Inspired by no road home.

1.5K || ALSO ON AO3

Kylo comes to Hux shouting in his face.

His vision is swimming. He blinks hard to push the spots out of his sight, his right arm throbbing in time with his head—his hand on fire. The noise becomes words—his name, his true name, not of that—

“How kind of you to finally join us,” Hux bites out, his chest heaving. Taking a deep breath against the tightness of his own lungs, Kylo blinks harder until the scene finally comes into focus.

They are sitting among the debris of Kylo’s refresher—shards of mirror and plexi spread across the floor, deep lines across the length of the sonic cubicle, the contents of what used to be the refresher cabinet lying in a pile in the corner. Hells.

“Ren,” Hux repeats, rolling the R—Kylo basks in the sound of it. “Are you quite well enough to stand? You’d better not expect me to haul you to the medbay, too.”

A hot stone dropping in the pit of his stomach, “No,” he grits out. He can’t handle being seen right now—he can’t. Hux’s eyes on him are on the verge of too much on their own. “No medbay. No doctors.”

“No—are you out of your mind?” Hux snaps. “Your hand needs medical attention—preferably sooner than later. You’ve wasted enough time sitting there and feeling sorry for yourself as it is.”

Anger simmers deep in his belly. Haughty fucking asshole, thinking he can just come in and— “You do it, then,” he snaps back. As if. Hux would rather die than dirty his hands on Kylo.

“I’m hardly a trained professional, Ren. Nor your babysitter.”

“Do it yourself or leave. I’m not going to the kriffing medbay.”

Hux’s nostrils flare, lips thinning into a line. Transparisteel cracks under his feet as he gracefully unfolds from his half-kneel—Kylo can breathe a little easier with distance between them.

Closing his eyes tight, Kylo leans his head back on the cold wall. His hand doesn’t hurt that much as long as he keeps it still. Might be able to numb it with ice—does he have ice in the conservator? Probably not. He’s going to have to call in a droid—and for that he’s going to need his datapad, which he vaguely remembers shattering against a wall—

“Where’s your first aid kit?”

His eyes fly open.

Hux… isn’t leaving. He is standing in the main space instead, scanning the room as if trying to sense the kit through durasteel. Kylo should tell him to go away—should push him out of the door himself. Hux doesn’t belong in the middle of Kylo’s mess.

Swallowing the words, “Somewhere,” he mutters belatedly. Not like he’s ever used his kit. His usual injuries are either too severe or too superficial to bother.

Hux huffs. “Wash your hands—with care. I’ll be back.”

Kylo glares at his back until the main doors close behind him.

Part of him wants to root himself to the spot out of spite; but the bastard was right about needing medical attention. Grabbing the side of the cracked sink with his left side, he hauls himself up—hisses at the pain jolting up his arm, rekindling the low pulsing ache in his knuckles. Shit, he’d better not have messed it up for good. The Supreme Leader will have no use for him if he can’t even wield a lightsaber.

He does his best to scrub off the small shards and blood without jarring his hand too much. Some of the cuts start bleeding sluggishly again, encouraged by the flowing water. Dabbing at his knuckles with a clean towel, he steps out of the refresher just as the door hisses open.

Hux walks in with a kit that looks too professional to be standard issue. Kylo doesn’t bother asking how he knows the lock combination—it’s no stranger than the trackers he keeps finding in his belts.

Pausing three steps from Kylo, “I see you can display some common sense when it suits your purposes,” Hux says, looking around. The idea of the medbay is the only reason Kylo doesn’t smother him with the towel. “Where shall we sit?”

Well. Kylo hadn’t thought that far.

Not expecting to ever have company crossing his threshold, he hadn’t furnished his quarters beyond what they came with; the one desk chair he doesn’t really fit into and his bed are the only spots to sit. Shame burns through him at the thought of the General in his bedroom; but he’s out of options—and anyway, Hux found him sitting on the floor of his tarnished refresher. Seeing his private rooms won’t give Hux ammunition he doesn’t already have.

“Come with me,” Kylo says, floating the chair.

Hux snorts at the display, though he doesn’t comment as they follow the chair into the bedroom. Kylo places it next to the bed with less precision than he would like, pulling the dresser closer as a makeshift table. Hux’s quiet presence behind him sets him on edge. It is unlike Hux to pass up this chance for a snide remark about Kylo’s taste in décor or his cleanliness; what is he plotting?

Sitting on the bed, “Here,” Kylo says, gesturing at the chair with the towel he is still clutching.

If Hux is similarly put off by their surroundings, he doesn’t show it as he strides over wordlessly, placing the kit on the dresser. He is methodical about it—unzipping and spreading the bag, shrugging off and draping his greatcoat unceremoniously over the back of the chair before taking his seat. Out of uniform, his hair free of the unforgiving gel, he looks… small. Vulnerable. Kylo glances down at the jut of Hux’s collarbones visible through his thin sleep shirt, an odd feeling bubbling in his heart.

Sleep shirt. Hux was in bed—or preparing for it.

“How did you know I was injured?” Kylo asks as Hux folds up his sleeves—a safer question than why did you care to come and stay?

Hux pauses mid-fold, raising a brow. “You were screaming. In my head.” Bottom drops off Kylo’s stomach. “I gather from your face that was unintentional.”

“Yeah,” Kylo admits quietly. Kriff. He hadn’t projected like that since he was—since he became Kylo Ren. The Supreme Leader won’t like it. Kylo will be called back for more training, for correction—and how long would that take? Months? A year? A whole year on the Supremacy, isolated, away from the Finalizer—

The Supreme Leader can’t know.

“All right,” Hux says, finishing the last crisp fold. “For the record, I suggest screaming in Lieutenant Mitaka’s direction next time. He’s got excellent bedside manners.” Satisfied with his handiwork, he extends a—bare—hand, palm up. “Your hand, please.”

Hux is… not caring—the word is unlikely to be in the General’s vocabulary—but his touch borders on gentle as he examines Kylo’s hand; twisting and turning his wrist, flexing his fingers, checking his range of motion while asking more questions than Kylo’s exhausted brain can handle. By the time he lets off the poking and prodding, Kylo’s hand is pulsing hotter than when he first punched the mirror.

“I don’t think it’s broken,” is the verdict. Relief spreads through Kylo. “Sprained, possibly. Ice, compression and elevation should be enough for now; but I want medical personnel to see to it and confirm first thing tomorrow.”

In Hux’s wildest dreams. A sprain is nothing; it will heal on its own. He doesn’t need to sit through more judgment and disapproval just to be told to rest his hand.

As if he can read his thoughts, Hux gives him a steely glare—a sharp contrast to the unexpected warmth of his hands. He is still holding Kylo’s wrist like Kylo might slip away if he lets go. “You’re lucky I haven’t ordered a psychiatric evaluation; stars know you wouldn’t pass it. Why did you destroy your refresher?”

Shrugging a shoulder, “I looked in the mirror—he looked back,” Kylo mutters. Why in the hells he’s being honest about it, with Hux, is beyond him; it just feels right in a way not much did in a long, long time.

Hux hums, rummaging through the kit one-handed. “Well, the next time you see him, come to my quarters instead. I’ve got a bottle of syrspirit that makes you forget you’ve got a face to begin with.”

Did Hux just—

Mind reeling, Kylo blinks at Hux. Hux is frowning down at the label of the antiseptic bottle like the secrets of the galaxy lies in the tiny script. Kylo could have sworn he misunderstood if not for the distinct redness creeping up Hux’s neck and ears.

His lungs sitting wrong in his chest, “Maybe I will,” Kylo mumbles.

Hux nods slowly, the barest curl of a smile on his lips and reaches for the bandages.

#Bad Things Happen Bingo #kylux #Kylo Ren #Armitage Hux #Star Wars #Cai does words #finished fics #horizons into battlegrounds

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tisfan · 4 years

Text

Witch Hunter

for @livewire28

Title: Witch Hunter Collaborator(s) @tisfan Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25152004 Square Filled Y3: Identity Porn Ship/Main Pairing Wanda/Bucky Rating Teen Major Tags/Triggers/Warnings: Witches, Church, Heresy Summary It’s the same old story, every time. Witch appears, idiots try to kill witch. Shit happens. God, Bucky’s tired of it. Word Count 1,724

for @buckybarnesbingo

Same old story, every time.

Bucky sometimes hoped something new would happen, but no.

Same old story.

A witch comes into power and either tried to hide it (in which case, when she inevitable slips up, the village would accuse her of witchcraft and sentence her to death) or she tried to help the villagers, her friends and family. And eventually, when something went wrong (as it would-- someone would die, or someone would ask for something the witch wouldn’t, or couldn’t, do) the villagers would accuse her of witchcraft and sentence her to death.

People were stupid, Bucky decided.

Trying to put a witch to death was a dangerous proposition most of the time. More often than not, ended with dead villagers and burning houses than a dead witch. Didn’t seem to keep them from trying.

Bucky's job was a witch hunter -- those witches who had been accused, tried, found guilty, and who managed to get away… or who had been just one step ahead of the village elders.

Those were his prey.

The lost souls who were wandering, afraid and angry.

He needed to catch them before they decided vengeance was the path to trod. An angry witch was even more dangerous than a woman scorned.

“Hell hath fury,” Bucky muttered.

The village elder looked up at him. “What was that?”

“Nothing,” Bucky said. “Tell me the whole sequence of events, from when the village started to suspect there was witchcraft at play.”

The story was the same old story; the girl came of age, and things were naturally just better for her for a while. Unexplained streaks of good luck, fortuitous rains on dry crops, good hauls fishing, bushes loaded with berries. Lucky in love, or unexpected money.

Never too much, never really more than anyone needed.

But it was enough to stir petty jealousy. To give someone who already looked at the witch without favor ammunition. A lot of times, Bucky thought, it came to nothing except tragedy. The girl wasn’t really a witch, and she’d either scorned the wrong suitor or pissed off the wrong bitch. The whole thing ended with a farce of a trial, and a dead woman who’d never done anything except exist.

It was always a woman.

“Did she hurt anyone?”

Yes, of course she had. Sickness came to the village. A farmer’s cow had died. Eggs that wouldn’t hatch.

“Did you save any of these unhatched eggs?” Okay, well, that was new. And Bucky didn’t believe the girl was responsible for the cow, or the sickness. They usually weren’t. Tragedy happened, illnesses happened. No witch needed to be involved. But eggs that didn’t hatch. That was something new.

The elder took him to the coop. All the chickens had been removed, but the place still smelled of dusty feathers and chicken shit.

Three nests of eggs, neatly stacked in piles. Fully large enough to hatch.

Dead chicks, that was one thing, but this was different. Bucky counted. Nine eggs in each nest.

Three. Times three. Times three again.

That was… unusual.

“Do you mind?” Bucky picked one of the eggs up. It was heavier than a chicken egg should be, and somehow still warm, even though no chicken had been sitting on it in a while. He knocked the egg sharply against the wooden ledge, cracking the shell.

What dropped out of the egg wasn’t a yolk and white.

It wasn’t a chicken, either.

Or it might have been, at one point. But now it was some monstrous, unborn thing with three heads and scales instead of feathers.

“Woah, yikes, that’s--” Bucky crushed it under the heel of his boot. “If you can spare a messenger, I’d like to send these eggs to the Witch Hunter General. Pack them each separately in a leather bag, with a wafer from the sacrament inside with it. Seal the ties with lead. And for God’s sake, don’t break them on the way.”

“You think the girl is, in fact, a witch?”

That was also new. Usually, by the time Bucky was involved, everyone was beyond sure.

“She’s something, all right,” Bucky said. “I’m going to repeat my question from earlier. Did anyone -- any human? Die?” Bucky wasn’t sure what the demon chicks meant, but he also wasn’t sure they had died. That was a question for the philosophers, what came first the demon chickens or the eggs?

“No, thank God,” and Bucky made the sign of the cross as well. Thank God.

There were some lines too dangerous to cross.

“What will happen to her, when you find her?”

“We’ll take care of the problem,” Bucky promised.

“Thank God.”

The village elder handed over the tithe, all the Church and the village could afford. Probably most of it was the result of the worldly goods that belonged to the girl before these fools tried to arrest her. Seemed appropriate somehow.

“Does she have any living relatives, someone I could speak with?”

“No,” the elder said. “Her parents died about eight years ago in a fire, and the twin brother--”

“What happened?”

“He was shot in the attempt to apprehend the witch. He died almost instantly, poor deluded fool.”

Oh, Christ.

“You idiots killed a witch’s twin brother?” He was half a mind to leave them to their fate. “Never mind.”

“God go with you, my son.”

“Yeah, God stay here and watch over you,” Bucky said. Idiots.

Wanda practically threw herself on the ground. She was exhausted, filthy. Hungry. And she was going to be hungrier, she thought, not having had time before dark to do anything like hunt or fish, or even gather berries, although there had been a bush that burst into fruit right beside her around lunch and she’d stuffed her mouth greedily, before she heard the baying of hounds.

The church’s men, she thought, and bolted off.

Now, it was dark and she was cold.

Fire. She could at least make a fire. Probably.

A fire would keep animals away. And no one, not even the Church, would hunt a witch at night. Wanda’s hands were shaking as she moved her fingers, summoning pieces of dried wood, bits of moss for tinder, gathering them out of the woods with a thought.

She gestured, stacked them neatly in the center of the small clearing. Another twist of her fingers and the ground was scraped clear around the fire. That was enough for responsible fire-tending. Even if she wanted to see the village burn, she didn’t want to set fire to the forest. The animals had done nothing to her. The children had done nothing to her.

God, the children.

She released one last burst of power, lighting the flame.

Pietro, her brother, had died, an arrow right between his eyes.

Everything had been a madhouse; villagers that she’d known her whole life screaming her name, their faces distorted by rage and fear.

Calling for her death, calling her witch and whore of Satan.

Saying she’d brought disease, that she’d cursed the land and the crops and the cattle.

She hadn’t done any of those things.

But she just might.

“Nice fire,” someone said. A shadow separated themselves from the darkness of the wood. “Pretty much tells anyone human in the area that there’s another human around.”

Wanda tensed, drawing strength from the earth and the trees--

“Eh, you don’t want to do that,” the man said. “Once you cross that line, you can’t come back. You hungry? I have a couple of pheasants, and you have this nice fire. We could share.”

“Who are you? What do you want?”

“My name’s Bucky, nice to meet you,” he said. “And what I want… is to cook these pheasants.”

“And after that?”

“Well, we’re probably eat them,” Bucky said, sitting down uninvited in her clearing and setting up a spit over the fire. “I might offer you some wine. You might tell me if you have any plans. And then I’ll tell you what we’re going to do instead.”

“Who are you?”

“Bucky Barnes. Witch Hunter, point of fact--” he held up one hand. “Ah, don’t do that. I’m still faster than you are, and I really, really don’t want to kill you.”

“I thought that’s what Witch Hunters did.”

“Only if we have to,” Bucky said. He spitted the birds, stuffed their cavities with a mix of herbs and grains. “Only if you kill someone first. You’re a witch. Simple fact. Another simple fact -- humans don’t much like witches. Because they can’t control them. It’s as simple as it is. They will grind you underfoot if you try. You don’t belong with them.”

Wanda didn’t quite sneer. “Let me guess,” she said. “I belong with you. You’ll protect me?”

Bucky laughed. “Lady, anything that’s an actual danger to you would make stew meat you of me. I’m here to help you. To get you home. And to make sure you don’t kill anyone.”

“Why?”

“Because once you kill someone with your powers, I can’t help you anymore,” Bucky said. “So if someone needs to die, you step back and let me do it. You can’t risk your soul by becoming a murderer.”

“But you can?”

“That’s the interesting bit,” Bucky said, and he took off his glove, showing off a silver, shiny hand. “I don’t have one anymore. I already sold it. So I suppose the only question left -- Are you going to have dinner with me, or are you going to go back there and burn that place to the ground?”

“They took everything from me,” Wanda burst.

“No, not yet,” Bucky said. “So don’t give it to them. Make the better choice, Wanda. Come with me.”

She wasn’t quite sure when she’d reached out her hand, or if she’d meant to take his, or to strangle him.

But she started to cry, and he gathered her into his arms, even the strange silver one felt warm and comforting around her back. “I know,” Bucky said. “There’s always a cost-- and you shouldn’t have to pay it. I’m sorry. Killing them won’t bring him back. It will only hurt you, and then there will be no one who remembers him.”

“You’re going to take me somewhere safe?”

“I promise,” Bucky said.

“Okay.”

“Dinner first? I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry.”

“Dinner first.”

#buckybarnesbingo2020 #winterwitch #Bucky/Wanda #witch hunter #witches #church

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taizi · 4 years

Text

look how long this love can hold its breath

king falls am word count: 5841 title borrowed from your love finds its way back by sierra demulder

read on ao3

The Sammy in this hospital room is a gentle creature. All his sharp edges are worn down. He sits beside the bed and holds Jack’s hand, and even though his clothes are torn and his hair is tangled and his face is gray with exhaustion, he doesn’t let go.

Five years, Lily had said. Five years.

And Sammy is here, not letting go.

The last time they spoke, Jack vacant and hurtful, Sammy with tears in his eyes, doubles as Jack’s last working memory of life before the dark. His stomach churns with nausea, remembering now what the shadows hadn’t let him see before: Sammy, struggling to help this new version of his fiance that didn’t want his interference, with no one to call for support because they didn’t have any family they were on speaking terms with or close friends they could trust, reaching out and reaching out and reaching out to Jack only to be turned away each time.

“Sammy,” Jack says. It comes out hoarse, as though he’s been screaming. “I’m so sorry.”

Sammy reaches over with his unoccupied hand, smoothing his thumb against the crease in Jack’s brow. He used to do that all the time, when Jack was doing their taxes or fixing a last-minute scheduling error, easing the frustrated lines of him soft again with a simple touch. Jack’s eyes go hot with tears.

“Don’t do that,” Sammy says quietly. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”

He looks like he means it. Jack can’t make sense of that. It’s too good to be true. The whole tableau feels inches away from tipping over into uncanny valley, too much like a dream to be real life.

But before doubt can rear its head, Jack makes himself breathe.

Stop, he thinks fiercely, with all the strength he has left, the not-inconsiderable presence of mind that kept him sane in the Void. Be here.

Sammy is holding his hand, the cool band of his engagement ring glinting under the fluorescent light. Lily is heavy in her sleep and one of her earrings is digging into Jack’s shoulder through the hospital gown. In the chair behind her is a young woman Jack doesn’t know, talking in soft undertones to the town sheriff, who’s crouched beside her chair with his hat in his hands. There’s a curly-haired man propped against Sammy’s shoulder in much the same way Lily is propped against Jack’s, fighting sleep with every slow blink. The three of them are as dirty and disheveled as Sammy is. They all look as though they’ve been through hell and back.

Jack takes it all in; the presence of his family, the company of a few trusted strangers, the steady beep of the heart-rate monitor, the ambient smell of medicine and disinfectant.

It isn’t the Void. He doesn’t think it’s a dream. Strange and bright and not entirely familiar, but real all the same.

He squeezes Sammy’s hand and resolves to follow his example. Jack isn’t letting go this time, either.

Be here for him.

Home is a small two-bedroom apartment on the second floor of a faded brick complex, and it’s where Jack goes when he’s finally discharged from the hospital.

The main living area is a total disarray of unfolded maps and loose leafs of paper and takeout containers, but no one seems to spare the mess any mind on their way through. Emily leads the way down the hall and pushes open one of the bedroom doors. Lily and Sammy deposit Jack on a bed dressed in a rich red comforter. Ben wrings his hands in the doorway and makes noises about ordering pizza for lunch.

“Get over here where you belong, Benny,” Emily says, not unkindly. Ben needs no further encouragement, crossing the room at a sprint and then slowing down dramatically to pick his way gingerly onto the bed, as close to Sammy as he can get. “I think we’ve had enough pizza to last us a calendar year. I’ll call Mary. She said she wanted to bring us lunch.”

Sammy lifts his head. He’s pale and gaunt and the most heartbreakingly beautiful thing in the goddamn world. Jack can’t help but stare at him, even though it makes Lily roll her eyes and mutter something that sounds like ‘some things never change.’

“Her famous ham and biscuit casserole?” Sammy asks with more than a little hope.

Emily tugs at Sammy’s loose ponytail playfully. “It’s only famous because you talk about it on the show every night.”

“Avoiding the question,” Ben interjects.

“You hush.” She leans over to kiss him on the cheek, then Sammy, then Lily in quick succession. She pauses at Jack, absorbs the probably-bewildered look on his face, and settles for squeezing his hand warmly. “Get settled. I’ll call her. And make the apartment look habitable before she gets here, I suppose.”

“I’ll help,” Lily says, pushing herself off the crowded bed. “Might as well. I gotta make a call, too. I’ve kind of been putting it off. Mom is not going to believe this.”

She wraps an arm around Jack’s shoulders and squeezes him hard. Sammy gets the same treatment, though it manages to look antagonistic, since it’s them. Ben gets an affectionate shove. And then the girls move into the main room together, talking quietly as they close the door behind them.

“Can I be real for a second?” Ben says, all wide, guileless eyes. “Just totally off-the-record real?”

Sammy sighs. Jack may be out of practice, but he thinks he can still read Sammy pretty well, and this put-upon thing he’s trying to do with his expression doesn’t fool him for a second.

“It's probably pointless to tell you ‘no’. It has been every other time.”

“Dude,” says Ben, visibly not playing along. “You need to sleep.”

Worry clenches like a fist in the pit of Jack’s stomach. He thinks back on the almost-week he lived in the hospital and can’t seem to come up with even one vague recollection of Sammy so much as dozing off beside Jack’s bed.

Jack disappeared on him once. The idea that it could happen again must be a source of terror, even here, in this cozy room filled with golden afternoon sunlight. Sammy’s mind has always been something of a bear trap, liable to spring on him at any moment. His anxiety can’t have gotten any better after all of this.

“Sammy,” Jack says, gripping his arm. “Didn’t I see the sheriff cut you off from coffee yesterday? Don’t you think that’s a sign?”

“That was just Troy,” Sammy says, all but waving it off. “He worries.”

“He cares,” Ben contests hotly. “I’ll call him and make him make it illegal for you to get less than eight hours of sleep a night, and he’d do it. You know he would. At the very least he’d come over and make disappointed faces at you, which is practically the same thing.”

Jack likes Ben. He likes how clearly Ben telegraphs his love. It’s so loud and obvious that even someone like Sammy must be able to see it. Jack spares himself a moment of breathless gratitude that Ben is here.

“Illegal, Sammy,” Jack reiterates.

“Wow, it’s been, like, five minutes and you two are already tag-teaming me. Fantastic.”

But his eyes are shining, like he might cry, and his smile more than makes up for the tired shadows left on his face. He looks so happy to be here, to exist in this moment, between the two of them, beneath their hands.

“How about a quick nap before lunch?” Jack suggests. “I’m sure Lily will wake us up for food. She’s always had a gentle touch.”

Sammy laughs like it was startled out of him. Ben grins at Jack over Sammy’s shoulder, a grin that makes Jack think Ben likes him, too.

And maybe Jack ought to be surprised that Ben lays down to nap with them, that Sammy’s arm curls snug around Ben’s back to keep him from falling off the edge of the bed, but he isn’t. He reaches over Sammy to make sure the comforter is covering Ben, too, as easily as if he’s done it a hundred times. Sammy catches Jack’s hand when he’s done, folds it against his chest, and looks at him with love.

“Thank you,” he says. He means thank you for the blanket. He means thank you for a lot more than that.

Five years, Jack thinks. That’s a lot of time to make up for. This is a good place to start.

Jack leans in to kiss him.

“Get some sleep, sweetheart,” he says softly. Sammy melts. Ben squirms with happiness, aglow at their affection. “We’ll be right here.”

Jack doesn’t sleep. He feels as though he’s slept enough for three lifetimes. He lays awake, instead, watching Sammy finally give into exhaustion, his cheek pressed against Jack’s shoulder, Ben’s head tucked under his chin. Emily peeks in some time later and smiles when she sees them. She doesn’t look surprised, either.

“Lunch is in an hour,” she whispers. “Do you need anything?”

“No,” Jack whispers back, his heart clenching at the truth of it. “I’ve got everything I need right here.”

There are a lot things Jack is struggling to wrap his mind around—King Falls is everything he had hoped it would be, a paranormal hotspot where UFO abductions, ghosts and lake monsters are the norm—but somehow it’s the comparatively mundane that trips him up the most.

Back in LA, Jack and Sammy weren’t exactly a part of a community. They got along with the guys at the station as well as they had to. They chatted in the break room, and went out for drinks when they didn’t have a decent excuse at hand to get themselves out of it, but generally they were happy just to go home. Call it an early night and shed their work personas at the door and make dinner together, touching casually and kissing often, to make up for all the opportunities they missed throughout the day.

But Sammy is a fixture in King Falls. His finger is on the pulse of this town, he and Ben heavily involved in community affairs and local politics. Their early morning talk show is a staple, and one of the first sources the people turn to for by-the-second news and honest reporting, or even just for friendly conversation on those nights when sleep isn’t forthcoming.

Before the shadows took him, Jack’s interest in the scenic mountain town was all his own; enthusiastic, kind of goofy, liable to make Sammy roll his eyes. It’s kind of ironic that while he never had any desire to visit this town, he’s the one who ended up carving a place for himself here.

More than anything, it’s a relief.

“I’m just glad to hear it,” Jack confides in Lily. “That he’s okay, you know?”

Lily’s face does something complicated, her mouth twisting into a frown.

“He wasn’t, really. He is now, but he wasn’t, Jack. Neither of us were. There’s a reason Arnold moved Sammy into his apartment. There’s a reason I'd camp on their couch now and then.”

Jack has no idea what his face must look like, but it causes Lily to set her cup down and reach for his arm.

“Hey,” she says sternly. “It’s fine now. Sammy almost did something really fucking stupid, and maybe if he’d been alone for the last five years, he would have. But he didn’t. He wasn’t. He’s got a lot of people here who love him an insane amount, and… and so do I.”

This is remarkably open for his sister, who has always played her cards close to her chest. It’s how Jack can tell she means it. It’s how he knows how badly he fucked up by being gone.

Lily wasn’t a part of his life at the time he fell into the Void, but Sammy was. Sammy made his home with Jack. They made each other so many promises and Jack managed to break every one.

“Hey,” Lily snaps. “Don’t freak out. It wasn’t your fault, and it’s over. You’re here now. So be here.”

A knock on the doorway into the living room startles Jack into looking up. Ben grins at him, wearing Emily’s yellow hoodie and one of Sammy’s overly large knit hats. He looks ridiculous, and Jack’s first impulse is one of immediate, unrelenting fondness.

“If this is a conversation about how much you love each other, or how much you love me, then take your time,” Ben says glibly. “If not, then we’re going shopping. Our fridge is totally empty and I’m not okay with it. You guys, it’s been like a week since Sammy’s made overnight oats. It’s— we can’t live like this anymore. Don’t tell him I said this, but I’m at the point where I’d do things I’m not proud of for his zucchini lasagna, and I don’t even like zucchini.”

Lily snorts, letting go of Jack. “You don’t like anything that’s good for you. That’s why you’re four feet tall.”

“A short joke,” Ben gasps, pressing a hand to his chest. “It’s been, like, six minutes since the last one. I was getting really worried.”

“Get the hell out, Arnold. And buy some more of those frozen pancakes.”

“Hah, as if. We’re talking fresh produce and that shaved deli meat you have to get at the counter, and, like, I don’t know, almond milk.” Ben bounces on the balls of his feet, thrumming with energy. “Jack in the Box Jesus, I’ve never been this excited about almond milk. Coming, Jack?”

It’s absolutely unsurprising that Sammy is the one who does the bulk of the cooking, because that’s kind of always been his love language. Just because Jack has missed out on the last five years doesn’t mean they haven’t happened for everyone else.

A little bittersweet, but also something of a relief: Sammy still makes overnight oats, probably in those little mason jars that are such a pain to get clean. The life Jack is coming back to isn’t so different from the one he was taken from.

“Yeah, I’ll come along,” Jack says, pushing himself out of his chair. He can’t help ruffling Ben’s perpetually-ruffled hair as they collect Sammy from the living room. There’s a lot he has to be grateful for; a lot of people he has to thank.

Since the girls did the cleaning, they gleefully wash their hands of the shopping. Lily promises to keep Emily company, with a kissy face that makes Ben’s face flush with rage that’s probably only partly a joke, and Sammy steers him out the door with the evident prowess of someone who’s been on the job for years.

It’s late when they finally head out. Sammy and Ben are used to keeping odd hours because of the show, and Jack’s sleeping schedule is all kinds of messed up these days. Sammy smiles at Jack as they fall into step down the sidewalk and reaches for his hand, threading their fingers together as easy as breathing.

They walk all five blocks like that, like there’s nothing to hide. Jack’s heart pounds the whole time.

The supermarket is well-lit, a beacon in the fading orange dusk. The sheriff’s pickup truck is in the parking lot and they run into him in the freezer aisle. Troy is broad-shouldered and barrel-chested but his face is absurdly kind. When he sees the three of them, he breaks into a grin.

“Well, shoot!” He sets his basket down and hurries over, clapping Jack on the shoulder as warmly as if they’ve been friends all their lives. “It’s a pleasure to see you out and about, Jack! How you feelin’?”

“Better every day,” Jack says honestly, smiling back at Troy like a knee-jerk reaction. “Thanks for everything, man.”

Troy stopped in at the hospital every day, on his way to work or on his way home. He’d usually come bearing food; a bag of burgers, or deli sandwiches, or takeout from the only Chinese place on the edge of town. All their usual orders, and usually something for Jack, too, if the nurses let him get away with it. It’s obvious that he’s one of those people Lily mentioned; one of the ones who have been here for Sammy when he… wasn’t okay.

Troy moves on to haul Sammy and Ben into a playful embrace at the same time, one in each arm. They’re totally blocking the aisle but it’s late enough that they’re practically the only ones in the store.

“Now, what’s this I hear about you not sleepin’, Sammy Stevens?” Troy asks sternly once he’s released them both.

Sammy turns on his heel to glare daggers at Ben, who suddenly decides the frozen broccoli is the most interesting thing in the store.

“Hey now, don’t you go lookin’ at him like that. I asked Ben to keep me in the know. Lord knows you take a lot of looking after.”

“I’m fine, Troy,” Sammy says in the tone of someone who has said it a thousand times. “It’s just been a rough few weeks.”

“A rough few years,” Jack interjects, not unkindly.

He wants to take Sammy’s hand again, but he’s abruptly, irrationally afraid to. Jack has spent the majority of his life in the closet, and just because people in this town know him as Sammy’s missing fiance doesn’t mean he’s mentally overcome that fear of being found out.

Jack wonders how Sammy did it. He makes a mental note to ask.

For now, he reminds himself of Troy’s kindness and the role he played in bringing Jack out of the dark, he reminds himself of Ben’s easy love and immediate acceptance, he reminds himself of the five years he missed out on, and it’s enough. For now, it’s enough.

He takes Sammy’s hand. Sammy looks like he knows at least half of how hard it was, and the stubborn lines of his body relent.

“Ugh,” he mutters, squeezing Jack’s fingers. “Everyone’s ganging up on me again. This is gonna get old.”

“Sure, in about a billion years,” Ben says cheerfully.

They all do the rest of their shopping together, and Sammy only lets go of Jack’s hand for a few minutes at a time, to pick through tomatoes and heads of lettuce and all the other things he’s particular about. Everything else is Ben’s job.

When they’ve finished at the self-checkout, Ben says, “Troy, you wanna come over for dinner?”

“Nah, I gotta get home to the missus,” Troy tells them. “But we’re meeting up at Ron’s on Saturday for a barbecue, and y’all are gonna be there if I gotta pick you up myself. Now, do you boys want a ride home? You got enough grub there to feed an army.”

They pile their groceries into the bed of the pickup, and Ben calls shotgun, clambering into the front passenger seat of the double cab. Sammy rolls his eyes so hard Jack is distantly worried he’s going to sprain something, and climbs into the back passenger seat behind him.

Troy stops Jack from following with a gentle hand on his elbow.

“I just wanted to say something,” he says, his voice gentling so they’re not overheard. “I know this has been a big ol’ mess, and I’m sorry about the particulars of why you came to be here, and I know there’s a lot you’ve gotta get yourself used to before you can start thinking of calling King Falls home. But…” Troy rubs the back of his head, looking as though he’s worried about picking out the right words, for all that he’s utterly sincere. “We all think of Sammy as one of our own, y’know? And now that you’re here, you’re one of ours, too. If there’s ever anything you need, or someone you need to talk to ‘bout something you can’t bring to your family for whatever reason, you come right to me, and I’ll do my best to make it right. That boy loves you somethin’ awful, and it ‘bout killed me to find out how badly he’s been hurtin’ without you. I don’t want him, or you, to hurt like that again. There, I said my piece.”

Jack blinks rapidly, dimly aware of the tears in his eyes. That’s probably the kindest thing anyone has ever said to him, and for no other reason than they wanted to. Troy shuffles his feet and looks like he’s only barely not reacting to Jack’s tears, and Jack has a pretty good idea what that reaction is shaping up to be.

Jack wipes his eyes on his sleeve, and makes a vague gesture with his other hand. Troy says, “Aw, hell,” and hugs him.

“I hope them are happy tears,” the sheriff adds, sounding a little choked up himself.

“Yeah,” Jack muffles against his jacket. “Sorry. Thank you. For everything. For Sammy, and for—for everything.”

It’s hardly enough, but for now, it’s all Jack can do.

On Saturday evening, they head out for a barbecue and end up at the Bait & Tackle shop down by the lake. Jack is confused up until he climbs out of the car, and sees the picnic tables all dressed up, and the busy grill roasting burgers and brats, and the mountain of a man in cut-off shorts who comes bearing down upon them the second they arrive.

Sammy squawks as Ron Begley sweeps him into a crushing embrace, and Jack thinks, Ah.

“It’s about damn time you come see me,” Ron says. “Ben, get your ass over here.”

Ben submits to his hug willingly, and when it’s Emily’s turn she leans up to kiss Ron on the cheek. Jack steps forward because Ron looks willing to drag him in by the collar if he doesn’t, and Ron tugs him into a one-armed hug that feels much gentler than Sammy’s had looked. Lily dodges the whole scene with a jaunty salute and follows the smell of the food toward the picnic tables.

“Troy told me he already said most of what we’re feelin’,” Ron says gruffly. “But I’m gonna second it. This boy of yours has never done anything but stick his neck out for the rest of us, even when he was hurtin’ so hard he didn’t know up from down, and I’ll be damned if I don’t return the favor.”

“Ron,” Sammy interjects, coloring.

“You hush or I’ll make you go out on a boat to feed Kingsie her lunch,” Ron says shortly. “I’ve been waitin’ to meet Jack for ages and I got plenty of things to say.”

“Can’t it wait till after supper, Ron?” Emily asks politely, her low, sweet voice a weapon she’s happy to wield for her friends at the drop of a hat. “We haven’t eaten all day to save room.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ron doesn’t look fooled in the slightest, but he waves them on with a pointed look at Jack that promises a conversation later. Jack finds himself looking forward to it.

The next time they’re accosted it’s by an old man named Herschel, who blusters and cusses and does a lot of complaining about the general state of things, but somehow in the midst of all that he manages to get the point across that Sammy and Ben are ‘his boys’ and he’s happy that Jack has returned.

Two young kids run ahead of Mary and Tim Jensen, attaching themselves to Sammy at the waist and talking over one another, only peeling away when they spot Ben standing behind him. Emily explains quietly that Sammy and Ben did a lot of babysitting for Mary after Tim was taken by the rainbow lights, on top of everything else they did.

Mary pats Jack on the cheek with one weathered hand, someone who understands how hard it is to lose the love of your life into thin air, and kindly doesn’t say anything that would make Jack cry in front of everyone. Sammy returns her casserole dish, waxing poetic about that ham bake she brought over earlier in the week as he does, and instigates this hug himself.

Troy and his wife Loretta wave Jack over to their table, and he goes gladly, relieved to see a familiar face in this crowd of well-meaning strangers.

“They mean well, but we’re all so excited to finally meet you they can't help but turn into a mob,” Loretta says apologetically. She holds up a can of beer in one hand and a can of lemonade in the other, both beading with condensation from their time in a drink cooler at her feet, and Jack takes the lemonade. “You just wait until everyone’s stuffing their faces, and talk will turn to somethin’ else.”

She’s right. Once all the food has been brought over on big serving trays and everyone is sitting in front of heaping paper plates, Herschel says, “When are you two gonna start up your racket on the radio again?”

“Soon, probably,” Ben says easily enough, leaning bodily over Emily to steal a pickle off of Sammy’s plate. “Sammy still has separation anxiety, so Jack’ll probably have to camp out in the studio with us.”

Sammy flips him off, and Emily says, “As if you weren’t the exact same way with me, Benny.”

“I wouldn’t mind,” Jack interjects. “I love radio work.”

“That’s right, you produced Sammy’s show back in LA,” Troy says. “I’ll bet you miss it, huh? You know, there’s bound to be some work for you at the station if you want it.”

At the mention of LA, Jack thinks of something he’s been meaning to ask about.

On the way home, he says, “Whatever happened to our house?”

The car goes quiet. Emily darts a glance at the two of them in the rearview mirror; Ben turns fully around in his seat. Sammy looks a little thrown by the question, and more than a little uncomfortable.

“Your house? In California?” Ben asks.

“It’s still there,” Sammy says. “It didn’t go anywhere. Most of our stuff is in storage, though.” As if sensing imaginary judgement from his friends, Sammy’s shoulders hunch and he goes on, “What was I supposed to do? Sell it? I—we—still have a mortgage.”

“You’ve kept it all this time?” Jack asks. He’s not sure what he’s feeling. “Did you want to go back there someday?”

Ben’s grip on his seat goes white-knuckled. Emily turns the radio down. Lily got a ride home with Katie, which turned out to be a fortunate thing, or this conversation might have gone even worse.

Sammy says, “I want—” and falters. He seems to have to muster his courage, as if being honest with his wants in front of the three people who love him most in the world is a feat of strength and daring. “I want to stay in King Falls.”

It almost sounds like an apology. He looks sidelong at Jack, as if he’s sorry they ended up here, even though it’s Jack who started them down this road in the first place.

“There are people here I’d be totally lost without,” he goes on. “And I—and Ben is my—there’s not a good word for what Ben is to me. I don’t want to go anywhere without him.”

Jack’s heart is up in his throat. He turns Sammy’s face towards his, stroking his jawline with the pad of his thumb. “Hey, baby, it’s okay. If this is where you belong, then it’s where I belong, too. No questions asked.” He waits until the tension has bled from Sammy’s spine, until the lines of stress are gone from his face, to add, “I got to feed a lake monster today. That changes a man.”

Ben laughs, loud and bright. Sammy reacts predictably. “You went out on a boat with Ron and dumped some dog food into the water. At best you fed a bunch of opportunistic trout.”

“I’m just saying, I’m completely sold on King Falls,” Jack tells him with a grin. “Even if meeting all your friends didn’t do the trick, Kingsie would have.”

Later, Jack will ask why Sammy kept the house if it wasn’t for a place they could someday return to.

Sammy will go quiet for a few minutes, eyes focused on something he’s not really seeing. He’ll be twisting his engagement ring around on his finger. He’ll finally admit that both of their names were on the house. When he got a letter in the mail from the bank, it was a little reminder that Jack had been real. Their life together had been real. The house was proof of what Sammy used to have, and he didn’t want to give it up.

He needed the reminders, he’ll say. He wasn’t okay.

The bedroom is quiet and dark, but not in a way that inspires any lingering fear of the Void. This apartment is a comfort, the last safe bastion on a crumbling wall, and Sammy is right beside him, hair a messy halo around his head, eyes wide and shining in the low light from the window.

“Actually, can you, um,” Sammy says. His voice is so quiet that Jack might have missed it if he wasn’t looking at him, if their faces weren’t inches apart. “Can you tell me you love me? Please? I know you do, I know, but I want—I need to—”

Five years in the Void wasn’t as painful as this. For a moment, Jack can only stare at him, aching.

When he moves, there’s a split-second of fear that darts across Sammy’s face like an animal startled across a road, an aborted motion of his hand as though he’d reach out to stop Jack from leaving him if it would do any good.

Jack hates that fear on his face, hates that there’s any reason for it.

He rolls Sammy underneath him, the weight of his body pressing Sammy’s into the mattress; the way they used to lay when Sammy’s anxieties were tearing his mind to shreds, when he needed that tether to what was present and what was real.

The air goes out of Sammy. His hands slide up Jack’s waist and under his T-shirt, pressing into the small of his back. His next breath shudders.

How long has he needed to hear it?

“I do love you,” Jack tells him, more certain about that then he is about literally anything else in the world. He kisses Sammy, long and deliberate, until he can hear Sammy’s pounding pulse begin to slow. “I love you more than anything in the world. I’m sorry you went so long without hearing it,” he goes on, mouth moving against Sammy’s lips, feeling the tears on Sammy’s face, feeling his knees come up to bracket Jack’s body even closer. “I’m sorry you had to wonder. I’ll tell you a hundred times a day from now on. I love you, Sammy Stevens. I’m going to marry you.”

Sammy sobs, and frees his hands to throw his arms around Jack’s neck, and holds him close. He must have been dying to hold him this way for so long. Jack goes on kissing him wherever he can reach, his cheek, his brow, his jaw, the soft space behind his ear.

“I love you,” Jack vows. “I do.”

During breakfast a few weeks later, they’re eating in the living room because there’s a bunch of mail on the table no one wanted to deal with. The overnight oats taste exactly the same as Jack remembers and he savors every bite.

Emily clears her throat, sets her food aside, and produces a folder.

“What’s up, Em?” Ben asks.

He and Sammy are both crammed into the armchair, because they’re children and couldn’t agree who got to sit there. Ben uses his proximity to steal blueberries out of Sammy's oats, even though he had insisted on peanut butter for himself when Sammy put them together yesterday. Despite his lengthy complaints, Sammy has an arm looped around Ben to keep him from falling.

Jack loves them both an absurd amount.

“I’ve been looking into real estate,” Emily says without preamble. “A house big enough for our family, with room to grow.”

“Ohh!” Ben says, lighting up. He tries to wriggle in excitement and only succeeds in elbowing Sammy in the stomach. “That’s a great idea! We should have thought of that sooner!”

Sammy darts a quick look at Jack, assessing his reaction.

“I helped pick them out,” he says gently. Sammy’s smile is a shaky, delighted thing.

“There are actually a few options that might suit us,” Emily says, laying out photos on the coffee table pragmatically. She’s biting down on a smile, obviously excited by the prospect of a home together, one that’s equally for each of them. “Jack and I put a smiley on the back of the one we liked best.”

It’s the one that Sammy and Ben gravitate towards, too. A handsome split-level four-bedroom house out by Sweetzer Forest, with a vaulted living room, wide bay windows and a furnished basement. There was a big fireplace that Jack could already imagine spending long evenings in front of, and a roomy kitchen for Sammy to work his magic in, and a guest room for Lily when she inevitably makes her way back to Washington every other weekend.

And maybe, someday, their family would be even bigger.

Ben trades one of those speaking looks with Sammy, flips the paper over, and hoots when he sees the little red smiley. He’s always all-in when it comes to the four of them, always enthusiastic to talk about a future that keeps them together.

“When can we go see it?” he asks eagerly. “I know you, Em. You made an appointment, didn’t you?”

She laughs, folding her hands over her heart. “Of course I did, Benny. We can go see it this afternoon.”

“Whose names are going on the house?” Sammy asks, flipping through additional pictures of the floor plan. The fact that he’s already darting ahead to the particulars is proof enough that he’s invested in the idea, too. “Usually they only allow two.”

“That’s heteronormative and I won’t stand for it,” Ben announces. “They’ll sign all of us or I’ll call the cops.”

Sammy says, dryly, “You can’t just use Troy to harangue mortgage lenders into a nontraditional loan agreement.”

“Troy would volunteer!”

Jack has a solid grasp on the shape of things in this town, so he says, “And if that didn’t work, we could just call in Herschel.”

Ben and Sammy are both startled into laughter at the idea of setting that cantankerous old man on some poor, unsuspecting real estate agent, and Emily meets Jack's eyes from her side of the couch. Her expression is fierce with love when she reaches for Jack's hand, and he takes it firmly.

God, Jack thinks, it's so good to be here.

#king falls am #kfam #jack wright #sammy stevens #ben arnold #emily potter #lily wright #troy krieghauser #ron begley #my writing #kfam fic

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damn-stark · 5 years

Text

Blinded ch.5

A/N- hope you guys like it :)

Warning- violence

Pairing- Poe Dameron x Solo!reader

(Let me know if you want to be tagged)

Smiles and cheers erupted throughout the base as pilots landed on the hanger. You stood in the background with your arms crossed on your chest. It was short battle but it was with your help. None of the people in the room and out of the room trusted when you started ordering them. They were quiet and you heard some of them especially Poe sigh as you gave him in order to do to take down the Tie-fighters quicker. They weren’t going to trust you. None of them were or do trust you but it’s a smart thing to do. You not long ago were still Hela Ren...and you still haven’t gotten rid of that part of yourself yet so you’re still Hale Ren them. You can’t even trust yourself.

“General Organa this message was transmitted into my x-wing from one of the main tie-fighters.” Poe said to your mother as he got the message from his little droid. Poe looked at you knowing well who the message was about and to who it was for. You met his gaze for a second but turned away quickly. It was long before his friends grabbed onto him and they started showering him with compliments that he took all to well.

“Cocky bastard.” You whispered to yourself as you saw them leave.

“Come lets go see this message.” Your mother told you making you look away from Poe’s distant figure and break away from your thoughts. You quietly follow your mother into a private room. She inserted the drive into one of the computers and seconds later a holographic video began to play. The one delivering the message was none other than Kylo. You saw your mothers face saddened at the sight of him. He had his helmet on which hid his features and his true reaction to the situation.

At the sight of him though it brought back cold and cruel memories. With your right hand you grab onto the cold metal of your new left hand. Before it was just the scar on your cheek but now your new metal hand is left to remember what he had done. “Hale Ren by our Supreme Leader Snokes mercy he has granted you a second chance. Forgivness for betraying his cause, come back to the first order and he will show you mercy. If you don’t and continue to live amongst the rebel scum we will not stop fighting until we get you back, you know what to do...sister.”

You swallow thickly and take a minute to take in his words. You were used to the way his voice sounded behind the helmet Dark, cold and heavy but as you saw your mother sitting quietly affected by the message of her son you saw that she wasn’t. She wasn’t used to the voice that belonged to Kylo Ren. “You’re not going back.” Your mother Leía said breaking the silence that surrounded the room.

“No but I can’t stay.” As much as you needed your mother to help you fight the battle within you one thing was clear you couldn’t risk being here any longer. “Kylo...I mean Ben gave me this.” You showed her your metal hand telling her that it was him who was the cause of your cut off hand. She mostly likely had an idea but now it was clear. “And this.” You said as your fingers lightly ghosted over your scar. “What else will he do to me if I’m here.” He wouldn’t kill your mother....he loved her too much even if he did blame her...then again he loved you too and caused you more pain than anyone else could.

“Where would you go? You’re safe here...I just got you back y/n I don’t want to lose you again.” She moved and walked to you. You put your head down and looked at your feet.

“I need you yes... you’re the only one who can help me with the pain I feel but I can’t put you at risk.” Your mother laughed lightly and that made you look up at her in confusion.

“Y/N honey as much as I appreciate you worrying about me I can protect myself I always have.” A quiet laugh escaped your lips at your mothers words. She said nothing but the truth after all she was the one who taught you how to fight with a lightsaber while she alongside your dad taught you with a blaster.

“I know you can....” you responded as you looked back at her. “I can go find my father after all if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be here now I would still be fighting for the wrong side.” You confessed to her. A small smile grew on her face at mention of your father and that the reason you turned back was because of him.

“You’re safe here and with Luke gone theirs no one else to help you.” You hesitated and thought of what you needed to do but you knew what she said was true. With Luke Skywalker gone off somewhere she was the only one who could help you.

“You’re right.....”

As you passed by people you could feel their hate and fear towards you. You could hear the whispers as they went silent when you walked into a room. No one would get near you, only your mother, everyone else hated you.

“Are you ready?” Leia asked as she met you outside. After a little while you finally had made it to the resistance base. It was beautiful, full of trees and a lake near it. It was peaceful which is why your mother thought that it was good to be outside to start your training back to the light side of the force. You had your doubts, if this didn’t work will you be lost to the dark side? You didn’t want to anymore but their was that possiblty that you would.

“Close your eyes and take a deep breath....” you did as she instructed as you sat across from her. “and reach out...with your feelings..” you reached out again...after years you reached out....she was instructing you to do more but it all tuned out.

Again you felt feelings you haven’t felt in a long time...you felt peace...the life around you that decayed and gave life to more...the water and the base...the people...the energy...you felt her your mother... you felt the force around her...and in you too...You could feel the balance but then.... you heard voices whispering to you. You then felt cold and pain, anger....

“He was going to kill you too..... they sent you away...why would I lie to you..” that was your brothers voice you could recognize it anywhere. You tried to open your eyes but it felt like they were being forced down. You saw a dark part of the planet where you were.. the trees were burnt to a crisp, the ground was black and it was cold sending shivers down your spine. Their was a cave ahead and you approached it with caution.... when you got closer you saw a red light flickering....as you got closer you saw a red lightsaber ignite then the view became clear he brought it up to his face only revealing half of Kylos face and the half of your grandfathers Darth Vader’s mask...you felt both call to you... “come back...” your eyes were fixated on the figure in the distance you heard a voice...peaceful and calm but you saw the red lighsaber until you saw what was behind them...

The red and orange flames that burned the temple and you heard screams...no no no... “he was going to kill you...why would I lie?” “Why would I lie?” That same question replayed in your head..that question that made you commit to the dark side with your brother...his words...the red light flickered and you saw both helmets again.

“No!” You yelled as your eyes flew open, they instantly fell onto your mother who was watching you and wanted to approach but as she saw the dark look in your eyes she stopped. “You did this..you did this to me by sending us away! Kylo was right.” You got up and she copied your movements. The voices in your head were loud and it felt like they were controlling every part of your head and your body.

“I’m destined to be like my grandfather the great Darth Vadar... Snoke saw pontential and my destiny something you and Luke Skywalker failed at.” Your hand instinctively went for your lightsaber but you came empty handed. The voices got louder invading every thought in your mind.

“Darth Vadar redeemed himself..he turned back to the light side...and so can you.” A flicker of light flashed through your head. “Don’t let yourself fall back.”

“Kylo wouldn’t...lie.” You fell on your knees and even if the voices inside your head were loud and calling to you, you ignored them.

“I saw them you know...Kylo and Darth Vadar...they called to me...” you’ve heard stories of the great darth vadar... you were always taught and told to be like him...be as great as your grandfather..Snoke would say, he always told you the story of what he was like in the dark side..his dark path but he never mentioned what happened after.....you were brainwashed to forget it...blinded to that part of his story...the good part.

“I’m sorry....I can’t do this..” you whispered, you saw her set herself in front of you and she placed both hands on either side of your face.

“Yes you can...it’s going to take time but you will...you’re not lost I’m not letting you get lost again.” Even if you could feel the hope she had for your redemption back you still felt her doubt..not on you but herself. Like if she wasn’t going to be enough to help you and after what happened right now the doubt grew. But their wasn’t anyone else...

Since you weren’t liked anywhere in the base you decided to go outside the only place where you could be. You had found your lightsabers in your new room you were given and at first you were scared to grab them and confused why they weren’t hidden but you got your old one. Your blue one. Your red lightsaber was there and your hands wanted to reach for it like it was calling to you, like a magnet. Your hand ghosted over it but you tightened it into a fist and you were going to leave it there but you grabbed it. You hung both from your hip and went outside to train. Something that helped you when you were in both sides.

Their was pilots around you working on their x-wings but you didn’t mind them. From the corner of your eye you saw the wondering eyes of Poe Dameron. The same man that was close to your mother and the same man who was to cocky for his own good. You ignored his gaze and ignited your lightsaber revealing the blue blade.

You started to practice different forms of lightsaber combat that you had been taught years ago from Luke. The moves were swift and quick and in many ways soothing. But like every good thing it came to an end. You felt something coming. You looked up and saw something approaching. You turned your head and looked over your shoulder. Your eyes went wide at the sight of stormtroopers flying your way in bikes.

Their weren’t a lot but a few and you knew it was a message to you from Kylo. You saw them bring their blasters up and started to shoot. Everyone around you were quick to get in position for a fight but it was going to take to long for them as the stormtroopers fastly approached. The one coming from behind you pushed something on their bikes and a bigger gun came out. You looked over your shoulder and you saw the stormtroopers still shooting. You wanted to get rid of the stormtroopers that were about to blow up the hanger but the others were approaching fast .

“Duck!” You yelled to Poe who was trying to take them down. He hestiated at first but he did as was told. You threw your lightsaber to the storm troopers and in an instant the lightsaber cut through the bike making it explode. You turned to your other side and then you stopped the stormtroopers that kept shooting with the force. The blasts were stuck in midair as well as the stormtroopers. You then made the blasts shoot the stormtroopers making them fall the ground and their bike explode. You outstretched your hand and caught your other lightsaber.

Everyone around looked suprised at what you had done. None of them knew what to do or say. You turned your head and saw the pilots face. He was trying to hide his shocked and impressed face but you still saw it. You were quick to walk away and ignore the stares. But in that you missed what Poe had to say about you to his little droid. “I don’t know if I still want to kill her or if I’m beginning to like her.”

It was quiet and everything in you hated the fact that is was. It scared you. But you needed it to help you mediate. Especially after the day you just had. You always used to do it before but once you turned to the dark side you stopped. You tried once but it only tempted you to turn back to the light side and you stopped and you hadn’t done it until now.

The voices were loud you felt like they were talking next to your ear but they weren’t. Some were louder then others but their was one that was louder then the rest. You didn’t feel anger or evil coming from the voice but instead light. You closed your eyes and crossed your legs. You could feel the dark side calling to you and it was tempting to go towards it but you ignored it focusing on the good, on the light, the hope. After a while you felt a chill... a presence.

“Y/N.” Your eyes opened and you saw someone standing in front of you. Someone you had never seen but have heard of from your mother. It was your grandfather. Anakin Skywalker.

#star wars #starwars #star wars imagine #star wars fanfiction #star wars imagines #starwarsimagines #starwarsimagine #starwarsfanfiction #poe dameron x solo!reader #poe dameron fanfiction #poe dameron #leia organa #general organa #kylo ren #han solo #anakin skywalker #fanficiton

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msjr0119 · 4 years

Text

We Belong

Part 13

Evangeline Bruley returns to Cordonia to take over her families Duchy. She was betrothed to the now King, however he is engaged to Duchess Riley but still has lingering feelings towards his first love. What will happen during her time back in Cordonia?

Tag list- if you want to be removed just let me know 😊

@pedudley @kacie-0156 @loveellamae @annekebbphotography @ladyangel70 @kingliam2019 @bascmve01 @drakewalker04 @kozabaji @texaskitten30 @ibldw-main @kimmiedoo5 @walker7519 @lodberg @cmestrella @hopefulmoonobject @addictedtodrakefanfic @angi15h @liamxs-world @rafasgirl23415 @notoriouscs @yukinagato2012 @nz1091 @cordonianroyalty @custaroonie @seriouslybadchoices @rainbowsinthestorm @princess-geek @jared2612 @desireepow-1986 @gardeningourmet @twinkle-320 @queenjilian @forthebrokenheartedthings-blog @princessleac1 @scarletreesex

Warnings: References about sex and masturbation, swearing.

Sorry it’s a two parter - click the link at the bottom to continue 🤭 thanks @pedudley for reading snippets as always 😘

******

The friends all waited in the apartment, not knowing what to do. Liam kept checking his phone for an update regarding the proposal as did Maxwell. Neither had any response from Drake. Hearing the the door handle turn, everyone stood up- eager to hear the news, excited for their friends.

“Surprise! Did you miss me all?”

“Leo? What are you doing here?” Liam walked over to his brother and gave him a tight squeeze.

“Well a little bird informed me about Walker and Evangeline... sorry Liam, but you know thinking back- there were hints that they must have liked each other more than friends. So where’s the alcohol?” Everyone turned to face Maxwell, knowing that the ‘little bird’ that Leo was referring to was in fact him. They all caught up with Leo, Liam explained what had gone off in Cordonia recently. Leo instantly felt more guilty that he had abdicated now hearing about everything. However he was grateful that his niece, brother and sister in law was safe from harm. Hearing the door slam open, their eyes all widened.

“Where’s Evie?” Maxwell asked wondering if this was some prank- after all Drake usually wore the infamous scowl.

“She said, no. Well in fact she didn’t say yes or no. She said she was ‘sorry’ and ran off.” Olivia shook her head, thinking back to what she thought when they all mentioned about him proposing.

Liam guided Drake into the bedroom, needing to comfort his friend. In a way he knew how he felt, accept he never got to the part of kneeling in front of her and asking those four words.

The atmosphere within the room was mute- no one knowing what to say or do. Maxwell looked out of the window, the rain had started to pour. Squinting his eyes- he noticed her stood outside, he knew he was about to become drenched.

“Evie’s outside, I’ll go and talk to her.”

****

Liam sat Drake down on the edge of the bed, he didn’t know what to say or do.

“Where’s Evie? What happened?”

“I don’t know where she is Li....”

“I’m sorry Drake...” Running out of the restaurant, Drake stood up quickly and ran after her.

Fuck. Not understanding why she ran off, he was more concerned as to where she had disappeared to in a flash. Roaming the streets of Paris, he had no luck- her phone went straight to voicemail.

“I know she didn’t give you an answer, but at least you managed to get to the point of asking her... this is Evie all over. She will come back as she always does. Don’t worry.” Liam nervously said trying to make a joke.

“It’s pissing it down Liam, we are in a foreign country. What if something happens to her?”

“Come and get a drink, and then we will all go out and look for her. She can’t be too far.” Drake began to cry in front of his best friend. Unable to contain his emotions. “Drake...where’s the usual Walker scowl? The sarcasm?”

“I keep fucking up Liam. Maybe I should have just stayed single. Let her be happy?”

“She is happy with you. As Leo said there were hints back in the day that it was always you. Because I was madly in love with the idea of being with her, I was blind this whole time... I believed that you had a possible crush on her, I didn’t realise that you was in fact in love with her. Do you remember the beach party her parents threw for her eighteenth?”

Evie returned to Cordonia for her birthday, she didn’t like the fuss but she knew that her parents will have organised something for this milestone birthday. Arriving home, she walked through the Duchy expecting everyone to jump out and surprise her- however there was silence surrounding the place.

“Good afternoon, Evangeline. Happy birthday!”

“Thank you, Doris. Do you know where my parents are?”

“They are waiting for you at the beach. They instructed me to take you there once you arrived home. They’ve even packed you some clothes.”

Arriving at the beach, see saw some of her friends and her parents. Alexander ran up to his daughter providing her with a tight squeeze.

“Happy birthday my darling daughter! How was the flight? I love you.”

“It was fine. I love you too.” Olivia soon broke up the reunion, wearing that infamous smirk.

“Evie. It’s nice to have you back.”

“It’s good to be back, even if it’s a flying visit. Where’s Liam, Leo, Max and Drake?”

“Frolicking in the sea, as always.” Turning her head towards the direction of the men, she laughed watching them act more like children than grown up men.

“I’m going to go and see them. Are you coming Liv?”

“And ruin this beautiful skin? No thank you. You don’t know what sort of germs are in there- especially after those four have been in there.”

Liam noticed that Evie was walking closer to them, he had missed her- every night he dreamt that she was in his arms even though they agreed that they was just friends. Running out of the sea, he picked her up and held her tight.

“Happy birthday, princess.”

“Do you want a slap, your highness? Thank you.”

“He doesn’t give in does he?” Leo said to max and Drake who were both oblivious that Evie had arrived until now. Drake gulped, as his eyes fixated onto Evie. Her slim body, her smile- the beauty surrounding her made him immediately weak at the knees.

“Walker?”

“Erm.. yeah?” Leo followed where Drake’s eyes were fixated on. “Now either you’re gay looking at my brother like that, or you have the hots for Evie?”

“I’m not gay, and Evie’s my friend. Liam’s happy to see her.”

“As are you?” Watching Liam lead her into the water, she flinched feeling the cold water- Liam picked her up fireman style and eased her into the water slowly.

“Of course, she’s my best friend out of the noble women.” Making his way towards the two of them, he knew Leo would continue asking questions- wanting to avoid this he would rather act as gooseberry.

“Happy birthday, Bruley.”

“Drake!” Wrapping her arms around him, she kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.” Feeling the blush creep on to his face, he needed to create a distance between the two of them.

“Did you get anything nice for your birthday then?” He asked nervously, seeing Liam become closer to her he felt a pang of jealously- not knowing why. She wasn’t his. Evie was just his in his wild fantasies.

“I’ve just literally landed back in Cordonia, Drake. The best birthday present is having you all here with me.”

“I’ll be back in a minute, Evie. I’m just going to get Leo- we have a present for you which we need to prepare.” Kissing her on the cheek, she didn’t react to the gesture. Turning to face Drake, she noticed that he couldn’t keep eye contact with her.

“What’s up?”

“Nothing. I feel bad because I haven’t got you a present. I didn’t know what you’d want...” Forcing his hand into hers, he knew what she was doing. Doing their handshake, their thing- she smiled at him.

“I don’t want a present. Having you here, is the best present. I know that you’re half naked - you could offer to strip for me like I did on your eighteenth?” Winking at him, she was only joking- she had seen them all with their shirts off, each one of them was toned.

“What when the two princes are around? You’d get a better show from those two.”

“Maybe?” Splashing him with some water- the shock on his face made her giggle like a little girl rather than an adult.

“You better get swimming, Bruley.”

“Or what Walker?” Asking in a mischievous way, she remained still- assuming he wouldn’t act upon his threat.

“Or I’ll get you back ten times worse.”

“You wouldn’t dare, it’s my birthday. You’ve got to be nice to me...” I’m always nice to you. I’m in love with you. But I can’t let you know that, I hope that no one else tells you that. I don’t want to lose you as a friend. Splashing her back, he soon regretted it- after hearing her scream.

“Drake!”

“Shit. I’m sorry. Are you okay?” Caressing her cheek as he wiped away the excess water- she smiled softly at him. “I forgive you. You owe me though.” Winking at him, she placed her hand into his. “Come on, let’s go and find the others.”

Drake pulled her flush to him, the flirting, the holding his hand- he wanted to tell her how he felt. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he held her- not knowing if he dare do anything else. Resting his forehead against hers he decided against telling her the truth.

“Happy birthday, Lina. Love ya bestie.”

“Love ya too.”

“Put her down Walker.” Not realising how tightly he was holding her, he immediately created a distance between them once again. Liam came up behind Evie, and picked her up in his arms. Water splashed over them all as he did this. Forcing him away from her, she hugged him instead.

“I’m going to head out. See you all in a bit.” Leo noticed that her eyes were focused on Drake as he exited the sea, as she held on to Liam - knowing she didn’t return the love for his brother, he wondered if her heart belonged to his friend instead- even if they both insisted that they were only friends.

“Leo, said that day that her eyes were on you- as were yours.”

“I’m sorry, Li. I wanted to tell her how I truly felt about her that day...”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Because you was so happy that she had returned.. we all thought she would return to Cordonia and that you would win her love.”

“I would never win her love, we slept together the one time because we was drunk. All the affection I provided after that wasn’t returned, she did it back to be polite and she was blunt about her feelings. When she’s around you, her eyes sparkle. Maybe she was just having doubts with the failed engagement with Toby. But I believe that she didn’t runaway because she hates you, or doesn’t love you. She’s probably scared of commitment, afraid of losing you. We will find her, don’t worry.”

****

Evie looked out towards the river in front of her, not knowing how she ended up there. In her heart she was screaming ‘yes’ a thousand times but her mind thought otherwise. Knowing Drake would look after her, love her and be a brilliant father she still didn’t understand why she said that she was sorry and ran away.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

“Max? What are you doing here?” She knew that news travelled fast, but wondered how he had travelled to Paris from Cordonia that fast.

“Drake told us about his plans... we all came. To celebrate with you both....” Like a stab to the heart, she now felt like the biggest bitch around.

“I don’t know what happened... I panicked.”

“Why would you panic? You love each other.” Maxwell wiped the tears as well as the rain from her face, showing sorrow in his eyes.

“What if I’m not a good wife? Or a good mother? I planned it with Toby and look at how that happened. Drake had been hinting about becoming a family but I just assumed it was general talk and that it was going to happen in the future. He’s going to hate me.... what have I done, Max?”

“To be honest you fucked up. We all fuck up. Yes, he’s angry possibly more upset. But he still loves you, I think you’ve just lowered his ego a bit.”

“See even you’ve admitted that I fucked up. What is wrong with me?”

“You’re scared of failing him, you believe it’s too soon. But it’s not Evie. This thing between you two has been blossoming over many years now... my birthday, you seemed jealous of him and Kiara.” Evie thought back to that night, of course she was jealous.

Maxwell was buzzing for his birthday, he was like a kid in a candy shop- unable to hold in the excitement. Even though he was excited for the shenanigans, there would be someone missing. Someone he had been incredibly close to all his life- Evie. She had made a new life for herself in the UK, they hadn’t seen her since her eighteenth birthday- nearly three years ago. Speaking to her on a regular basis, he had tried to convince her to come- however she said she was busy completing her dissertation. The night went on, Maxwell was grateful for all the nobles and his friends attending but his thoughts still lingered on Evie.

“Maxi, are you ready to do your speech? Smash some champagne in Beaumont style?” Bertrand asked, Maxwell looked at him confused- wondering why his brother was grinning like the Cheshire Cat and being actually nice towards him. It’s the booze, he’s bladdered. Nodding his head, he made his way to the grand staircase.

Feeling soft hands cover his eyes from behind him, he knew those hands- did you miss me?

“Evie! Evie, it’s you- it’s really you!” Picking her up, he held her tight not knowing if it was his imagination playing tricks on him. “I couldn’t miss your birthday, Maxi!”

“How long have you been here?” Looking at Bertrand, he raised his tumbler towards the two of them before stumbling over.

“Bertrand snuck me in... good job really otherwise I’d still be hiding upstairs with the state he’s in.” Maxwell looked at Bertrand on the floor, his legs in the air- laughing to himself. Debating whether to help his brother or not, Evie pulled max closer to her, “he will survive, leave him.” Hugging her tightly, they both laughed hysterically at Bertrand’s antics.

“Have you finished your dissection?” Evie laughed, nearly wetting herself. Practically hyperventilating, Maxwell didn’t realise he was a comedian in the making- wondering what was so funny.

“I’m in law school, not medical school...Dissertation Max. Yes, I rushed it and submitted it so I could spend your special day with you.. I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too! So much! Oh god, Liv is coming over- I better run. I stole some wine at Lythikos. But I’ll tell you about it later. If I’m still alive!”

Olivia strut over towards her friend, noticing the jewellery on her left finger. “That’s a nice rock...” Fuck, Evie murmured to herself- forgetting to remove the jewellery that she had become accustomed to.

“Surprise!” Evie said nervously before grimacing.

“Who is he?”

“Someone who I go to university with...”

“You don’t sound thrilled to be engaged...”

“He fucked my friend. I don’t know if we’re still together or not. I love him Liv. But I also hate him...”

“Get rid! There’s plenty more men out there who are willing to treat you like a princess...” empathising the word princess, she knew who her friend was referring to. Looking in Liam’s direction, he raised his scotch up towards her providing her with a soft smile. The other thing she noticed, was Drake Walker with arms wrapped around Kiara. She knew that they had a past, that the two of them had lost their virginities to each other. Not knowing why, her face faulted - possibly jealously. But why should she be jealous? Drake was her friend, one of her closest friends. As was Kiara even if they had drifted apart since childhood.

“Well this day is full of surprises. A lot can happen in three years...”

“How long have Drake and Kiara been together?”

“Oh. They started officially dating shortly after your eighteenth- on and off. She’s always liked him apparently, Drake on the other hand- I always believed that he would be a one night stand type of man. He’s never shown any emotions towards any woman before. Even when they were ‘together’ all those years ago, they never made it official. They don’t suit each other, there’s just something odd about them, that’s probably why. Personally, I couldn’t deal with Kiara’s voice changing accents every two seconds. And Drake, well he’s just Drake.” Olivia shuddered. “He must have a big dick for someone to like him that way...”

“He’s a great guy... you don’t know him Liv.” Pausing, she didn’t want to provide Olivia with any inkling that she was jealous of her friends relationship. “I’m happy for them both.” Removing her engagement ring, she placed it in her purse.

“Why are you removing your ring? Having second doubts? Ready to jump back into Liam’s arms?”

“I just don’t want everyone knowing about my personal life. Having everyone criticise me for forgiving him.” Olivia shook her head, guiding her friend over towards their friends- Evie suddenly felt a tightening in her chest, feeling nervous.

“Bonjour Evangeline...” Kiara ran up towards Evie, pulling her into a tight hug.

“Bonjour Kiki, ca va?”

“Ca va bien, Merci...” the two continued their greetings speaking french, until Liam interrupted - Pulling Evie’s hand towards his lips, he kissed her hand softly.

“I’m glad that you decided to come, Evie.”

“So am I, your highness. Where’s Leo?”

“Oh, he Erm. He abdicated...”

“He what?” Not realising how loud she was, there was silence in the room. All focusing towards her. Drake noticed her pull Liam away, whispering in his ear.

“She’s playing with fire.”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh Nothing Walker. I bet you those two end up together- he will use the Prince Charming act. Besides I doubt she’ll be staying in the UK...”

“Why? Is she coming back?” Maxwell asked hoping that she would.

“She’s having a tough time, but she’s hiding it well. Liam may just be the reasoning behind her returning home.” Maxwell enthusiastically jumped up and down, whereas Drake felt a lump form in the back of his throat. If she returned, he would be thrilled, as everyone else was. But he was with Kiara- he had spent years of flirting with her, the odd flings just to attempt to move on from Evie. It was common knowledge within court that they was a couple, but there was a possibility that she would have to commit to being one of Liam’s suitors for her Duchy. Drake wasn’t that fussed, he didn’t return the strong feelings that she did with him.

_____

“Why has he abdicated? What the fuck has gone off?”

“He didn’t want to marry Madeleine, simple as. So now I’m Crown Prince. My social season was due to begin, but father said to wait until Leo sees sense.” Shrugging his shoulders, he knew for a fact that Leo wouldn’t suddenly change his mind.

“I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be. You and I could have been running the country... I bet you are glad that the arrangement was cancelled. You didn’t want to be married to the spare, never mind the next in line.”

“Well if Leo doesn’t see sense, I know that you’ll make a fantastic King. You’ll find a Queen that you love...”

“I love you... now you’ve finished your studies, you could become one my suitors whenever my social season begins. Give me a chance Evie?”

“I’m staying in the UK, Li. I have a life there. We are friends, I’m sorry that I can’t give you what you want.”

“If you change your mind, I’d be thrilled. If not, you are always welcome to the events.” I’m engaged. I’m never going to change my mind. Liam’s hands roamed up her body, after all the hurt Toby had given her she still felt guilty for allowing him to do this. Guilt that Liam was sincere with his feelings, the feelings that she would never return. Seeing Drake look at them, she didn’t want to return Liam’s kiss. Kiara bounded up towards Drake and placed soppy kisses onto his face. Evie’s heart sunk, as Drake smiled at Kiara. Providing her with one last look, she pulled Liam closer towards her.

____

“Told ya, I wish we had placed a proper bet. I think Liam will be believing that all his Christmas’s have all come at once. Not little miss innocent now are we Evie?” They all looked over towards Liam and Evie, Liam had her pinned against the wall- as he passionately kissed her. Knowing she would never return the love, at this moment in time he didn’t care. He craved her, every second that she wasn’t around.

“Do friends kiss like this?” He asked her in a seductive tone of voice. “I’m joking with you Evie. I’ve missed you.”

“Your tongue tastes of scotch... I’m feeling drunk just kissing you...I’ve missed you too. All of you.”

“Or is it just me in general that is making you feel drunk? Weak at the knees.”

“Keep dreaming, future king.” Liam led them back to where the majority of people were mingling.

“Thank you for the kiss, if you want to carry it on- you know where to find me.”

“Liam, it was heat of the moment. You’re a good kisser, I can’t deny that...”

“I know, it was just an innocent kiss between friends... I love you Evie.”

“Love you too, Li.”

“Bruley.”

“Hey, Drake.” Usually she would hug him tight, kiss him on the cheek- but she was distant. He felt as if the kiss he had just witnessed between her and Liam was the reasoning behind her not being her usual self around him.

“So, that kiss... are you and Liam.. you know...”

“It was just a heat of the moment thing.” I was jealous about you and Kiara, Toby has broken my heart- so thought why not?

“I see...” Fuck, why am I jealous over her kissing him. I’m with Kiara, even though I’m in love with her. Feeling awkward with the silence- she decided that it was best to leave the conversation unfinished.

“See ya around Drake.”

“Wait!” Turning around, she faced him- waiting for him to elaborate. Instead he just looked vacant at her- as if his mind was working overtime but not functioning.

“What?”

“Have I done something wrong?”

“Not that I’m aware of? Why?”

“Just you usually hug me when you return. Kiss me on the cheek. We do our infamous best friend handshake... I just feel that I’ve done something wrong...”

“You’re with Kiara. Officially now. I’m not going to be an over affectionate friend when you are in a relationship...”

“I don’t care what Kiara thinks, you’re my friend. Possibly my best friend. Our handshake. That’s what we do. Why are you being distant with me? Is it because you’re not wanting to jeopardise your chances with Liam?”

“There’s nothing going on with me and Liam, Drake. And if there was, or I was in a relationship- I would tell you all in my own time.”

“Are you in a relationship?”

“No....Yes....I don’t know?” Drakes heart sunk at the possibility that she was courting someone.

“Who is he?”

“What’s with the hundred questions Drake?” Folding her arms, scowling at him- he didn’t want to annoy her. He didn’t want to push her away but was eager to know who had stolen her heart. Jealous? Yes he was. Why? He was in love in her, knowing he had no right to be jealous- he decided to make out that he was asking as a friend.

“I’m just making conversation...”

“He’s no one...” Seeing her facial expression change in an instant he closed the distance between the two of them. He could tell that something was on her mind. Wishing that she would open up to him, they were close once- he didn’t understand why there was so much secrecy. Cupping her cheeks- his eyes showed concern.

“Whoever he is... has he hurt you?”

“Of course he hasn’t. We just... we’re not working out. That’s all...”

“Is everything okay guys?” Thankful for Max interrupting them- she had slipped out too much information. Information that she told Olivia she wasn’t ready to expose.

“Yes, Max. Come on let’s dance.” Pulling her away from the awkward situation- Evie was grateful. Deep down, she was now realising that there were some feelings for Drake- feelings that she couldn’t figure out.

“Why is there tension between you and Drake?”

“He’s getting all pissy because I didn’t hug him or do the handshake. Why is he getting pissy? He’s with her...” Maxwell was taken aback with her tone of voice. Quite scared of her at this moment in time. Looking over towards Drake, he noticed that his eyes were locked on the two of them.

“You sound jealous.”

“I’m not jealous! He’s my friend, and I’m happy for him- I just don’t want Kiara getting upset because I’m too close to her boyfriend...he’s asking me fucking questions about my life. My personal fucking life. Why is he interested so much?”

“Good point! At least you know french, you could insult each other that way... Evie, don’t kill me... but you really do sound jealous. Maybe you should take a breather?”

“Max, that night... I was jealous of him and Kiara... I don’t know why? At the time I was engaged to Toby, I kissed Liam. But my thoughts were about them. I think I had feelings for him then...he asked me questions about Toby, asked me if he hurt me before you joined us.”

“So I was right then... why lie to me? You did have feelings, and so did he...now look at you both... you could be married soon, have babies... don’t filter your feelings anymore. Talk about things to each other. You are made for each other, everyone knows that. I’m still pissed off that you didn’t tell us you was engaged...”

“I want all that with Drake, I’m just scared. What if Bianca causes trouble? Or Drake splits up with me again? I can’t go through all that again... I didn’t want to tell anyone, because I was a mug for forgiving him. Besides Olivia knew I was engaged..”

“We all make mistakes. We wouldn’t have judged you. You told Olivia but not me. I’m so hurt. You’ve hurt my feelings! I’m joking. Evie, Drake wants to be with you. He proposed to you. He’s madly in love with you. If it fucks up- which it’s not going to- you can rip my bollocks off... Bianca who? She’s facing the death penalty remember. Evangeline Grace Walker, has a nice ring to it.”

*****

Drake returned to the lounge with Liam, all their friends provided him with a soft smile- all still remaining mute. Not wanting to offend him in any way.

“Where’s Maxwell?” Liam asked, assuming he had run off to the store for food as he was always hungry. But surely he would have taken someone with him he believed.

“Evie’s outside, they are probably catching pneumonia. He’s gone to talk some sense into her - I hope.” Hearing Olivia explain this, Drake looked out of the window- seeing Maxwell hug her he shot out of the apartment. Not that he was jealous of his friend comforting the woman he loved, he just wished that he was doing this instead. Needing to tell her that he was stupid, and hoped that his proposal hadn’t ruined their already rocky relationship.

*****

“Evie!” Hearing Drake’s voice, she removed herself from Maxwell’s embrace. She had allowed him to hold her for what seemed like ages- thankful for all of the words that he had spoken to her. The encouragement to follow her heart. Even though Maxwell had convinced her that he wasn’t angry with the rejection- she was still nervous about seeing him.

“I’ve been worried about you...”

“I’m sorry.” Oh shit, I’ve said it again.

“Don’t be, I’m glad that you’re okay.” Pulling her towards him, he held her tight- forgetting what had happened earlier he wanted to get the two of them inside before they ended up in hospital.

“Gooseberry is signing off from duties. Don’t be too long, guys. Love ya both.” Patting Drake on the shoulder, he looked at Maxwell confused- why is he assuming that we are staying here? It’s pissing it down. Leaving the two of them together, he had hoped that they would talk whether it was outside or elsewhere.

“Bruley. Come on, let’s get you inside. You’re shivering.” Removing his jacket, he placed it gently around her shoulders.

“Why are you calling me Bruley?”

“I alternate with your nicknames. I always have done. It’s your surname...”

“I don’t think I’ll be called that for much longer...” Drake looked at her confused, she held his hand. Sorrow in her eyes for her past actions. “You can call me Evie, Lina, Evangeline... Wal...”

“Walker?” Evie nodded, hoping that he still wanted what he had asked her. Kneeling down, he retrieved the ring box out of his back pocket. Not caring that his knee was now sodden due to the puddles on the ground, he hoped that this time- was the time. Hoping she would say that one word- yes.

“I’ve already asked you this, and I’m keeping a tight grip on you so you don’t runaway again. Becoming your friend was a choice, but over the years I gradually fell in love with you and it was beyond my control. You have always had a place in my heart that no one else could ever have. You make me happy in a way that no one else will ever be able to. You are beautiful Evangeline Grace Bruley. Will you marry me? Become my wife. Become Mrs Walker?” Come on Evie, don’t shatter my heart and ego again.

“Yes!” Pausing, her heart fluttered seeing him look up at her adorably. “I love you Drake.” Not knowing if it was tears falling from her face or the rain- he slid the heirloom onto her finger. Standing up, she jumped into his arms as he kissed her in a lingering slow kiss. The kiss soon turned passionate. Breaking the kiss, he held her tight keeping to his promise about not letting her go.

“So, I’m about to become a Duke- don’t take the piss. Unless you runaway again or ditch me at the alter. Thank you for making me the luckiest mother fucker in the world.. I love you, Lina.”

“I love you too. Duke Walker.” Quirking his eyebrows, she bit her lip- attempting not to laugh.

“It was my grandmothers ring, I hope it’s okay. She loved you, you know.”

“It’s beautiful. I’m honoured to be wearing Nana Pat’s ring. Do you remember when she made every noble house her infamous sausage plait?”

“When you’re a Walker, maybe you could continue her tradition- Savannah is a shit cook as you already know and besides she’s a Beaumont now...”

“Do you trust me? I mean, I’m not the best cook- I’m almost on par with Sav..”

“I trust you with anything, Lina.” Placing her back onto the damp ground he held her left hand, Reality still hadn’t sunk in that she had finally agreed to be his wife.

“I think we should do our handshake...”

“Random...”

“We haven’t done it since your eighteenth...”

“Yes, you got pissy about it at Max’s birthday....”

“I got pissy, because I saw your tongue down Liam’s throat and you wouldn’t come anywhere near me like you used to...”

“As I said that night, you had a girlfriend...”

“Which I didn’t give two fucks about... I was jealous- I just wanted to be close to you. If that was just doing our handshake I was happy...”

“I’m sorry. I kissed Liam, to try and get your attention. I saw Kiara all over you.” Blushing, she didn’t know how he would react to this confession.

“So did you like me back then?”

“I must have done. I was jealous too.”

“Why couldn’t we just tell each other back then? When you mentioned that you was in a relationship and I asked if he had hurt you- it was Toby wasn’t it?” Nodding, if he knew he would have never let her return to London.

“We didn’t tell each other because we was just friends?” Shrugging her shoulders, she wished that they had been honest about their feelings.

“Just friends who are now engaged... I regret not telling you sooner. I wanted to kiss you on your eighteenth... in the sea... I fucked Kiara and said your name instead, I wanked over you when we stayed over - your mother was horrified....”

“Why didn’t you kiss me? You said my name? You did what?” Drake laughed to himself- her facial expression was exactly like Michaela’s was that day, the similarity was uncanny.

“Don’t look at me like that, you look just like your mom. I wanted to kiss you. Liam was thrilled that you was back- he was determined to win your love..he’s my best friend- I didn’t want to cause a rift between you both. I slept with Kiara and said your name.. it was court gossip and we split up....”

Kiara pulled Drake through the threshold, they had both had a few too many drinks- and she was desperate to leave the ball. Wanting Drake all to herself. Pushing him onto the bed, she hovered over him as she thrust against him. During the ball, the talk was focused on Liam beginning his social season- as well as Evie potentially becoming a suitor. Overhearing that, his heart sunk- feeling like he was cheating on Kiara as all his thoughts lingered on his best friend instead.

“Fuck me Drake.” Drake flipped her off of him. Standing up, he began discarding his clothes- as she did the same. He wasn’t fussed about foreplay, he wasn’t even turned on that much. In his mind, he was imagining that she was Evie- the one who got away. The one person who he let go without informing her about his true feelings. Opening the wrapper- he placed the condom on before forcing his hard cock straight inside her, she was already instantly wet. After a few thrusts, he was already to cum - he had his eyes closed, thinking about someone who he wasn’t fucking. “Drake! Don’t stop...” hearing her say this encouraged him to increase his speed. Why do I feel like I’m cheating?

“I’m so close baby... Evie...” Kiara was soon turned off by this. Pushing him off of her, he soon knew why.

“Ki, I didn’t mean that... we’ve all been talking about her... I....”

“Do you love her Drake?” Seeing heartbreak creep onto her face, he felt guilty.

“I... fuck...”

“I have the right to know... you was fucking me - your girlfriend and said our friends name instead....”

“I’ve always loved her Kiara. But it doesn’t matter, because she doesn’t love me back... we’re friends in her eyes.. and always will be.”

“Have you told her?”

“No. Why would I tell her?”

“If you haven’t told her, how do you know that she doesn’t feel the same?”

“Why are you being so calm about this? Most women would rip a mans dick off if they did what I’ve just done. I just know she doesn’t feel the same. She’s too good for me anyway- someone like Liam deserves her....”

“We was never going to work, was we? You’re in love with Evangeline. My father would prefer me to marry Rashad.... he actually wanted me to finish our relationship and still become one of Liam’s suitors. You should tell her Drake before it’s too late. I’m not being a constellation prize.. when is she due to come back?”

“You deserve better than me, I’m so sorry Kiara. She is due to come back next week for Liam’s social season. If she comes...”

“If she does, make sure that she isn’t a suitor. Do you want me to finish you off?”

“No, thank you. I’m going to go.” Leaving her alone, he was shocked at her niceness regarding the whole situation. Remembering every word she said, he looked through his photo album- looking at the same picture that he always did. A picture of him, Savannah and the Bruley’s at her eighteenth. Evie had snuggled into him, as Olivia took the photo. Hesitantly he placed his arms around Evie and Savannah- he wasn’t one for a family portrait as Alexander referred it as.

Continue here

#trr #trr fanfic #trr we belong #drake x mc #drake x evie #liam x mc #liam x evie #drake walker #trr evie bruley #liam rhys #leo rhys #olivia nevrakis #maxwell beaumont #riley brooks

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mistymark · 6 years

Text

the one with the roommates [part 2] // j.y.n

jung yoonoh (jaehyun) x reader // roommates!au, fuckboy!au // 2.6k words

in which jaehyun and y/n are roommates and pretending to be his fiancé seems like a really good idea // masterlist // warnings: angst (?), some swearing probably // part 2 of 3

You woke up at 6am due to the alarm on your phone going off somewhere in Johnny’s lounge room. You groaned and rolled over on his couch, standing up begrudgingly to attempt to locate your phone apparently via sonar. Raising your hands out in front of you and squinting, you made it to the kitchen, where you had dumped Jaehyun’s jacket after coming back from a 24 hour diner with Yuta at well past midnight the night before.

Shutting off your alarm and grabbing your belongings, you decided to leave and get home so you could get comfortable and finish some work from your class yesterday. Fiddling nervously with the ring you always wore, you tried to find a safe route home.

In your drunken state of mind that wasn’t due to alcohol at all but rather your lack of sleep over the past few nights, you didn’t think that Jaehyun’s date would still be in your apartment. After catching a bus from Johnny’s and then walking, it was almost 7am, and you sleepily let yourself into the apartment, keys jangling loudly against the door.

You closed the door and let your heavy bag down, taking off Jaehyun’s jacket and leaving it by the door. You made your way past the bedrooms to the back of the apartment to look for food, and there was a soft thump as you heard a door close behind you.

“Y/n?” Jaehyun stood shirtless at the end of the hallway in a pair of black Adidas tracksuit pants, and rubbed his face tiredly, “What are you doing?”

You suddenly found it very difficult to not stare at him; the way his muscles moved as he walked, the way his pants hung low on his hips, the way his hair was tousled perfectly after waking up… beside another girl. You let the thoughts slip away in your mind.

You yawned, opening the refrigerator clumsily, “I woke up early and decided to let Johnny sleep. I caught the bus home.”

He trudged over to the kitchen and grabbed an apple from the fruit basket, joining you at the counter, “Yeah, well, I think this girl is planning on living here now. Last night, she was talking about a quick fling to help her get over her ex, but now she’s saying we should get breakfast and inviting me to family barbecues.”

You heard a door open softly, but you ignored it, instead rolling your eyes and reaching across the counter to grab his hand in mock pity, “You poor thing. Oh, and before I forget, your jacket’s by the d – “

You stopped when you saw a girl standing at the end of the hallway, mouth agape. Jaehyun noticed your reaction and turned around in his seat. She was stunningly beautiful, even after just waking up; she was wearing one of Jaehyun’s shirts, showing off her long, toned legs and her dark hair was tied up in a bun at the top of her head. She looked from your face, to Jaehyun’s, then to where your hands were joined, and started again. No one spoke.

Eventually, homegirl decided to say something, and you felt bad for her as she looked at the two of you with hurt and confusion, “Y-you’re engaged?”

She looked at Jaehyun sadly, and then turned to you, rushing to speak, “I- I am so sorry, I had no idea.” You watched as Melissa ran to Jaehyun’s room and a second later was out the door.

Jaehyun blinked then looked towards the front door, whisper-shouting in a bored tone, “No, don’t leave! Please, you weren’t meant to find out this wa – Well, she’s gone.” He went back to eating his apple.

“Why did she think we were engaged?” The drama had shaken you from your tired state and you hoped that Jaehyun wouldn’t notice your flushed cheeks.

“How would I know? She’s crazy,” Jaehyun mindlessly said, grabbing his phone from the charger beside the toaster. When he looked up and saw your disapproving face, he shrugged, “She probably just saw you, and your ring, and assumed I was cheating on you with her. But, it worked out well because now I don’t have to dodge her calls until she leaves me alone.” He smirked at your reaction, “Come on, Y/n, it’s not that bad. Actually, it’s brilliant; I can’t think why I haven’t thought of this before.”

“Because it’s insane?” You suggested, stealing his apple and taking a bite before binning it.

He rested his elbow and the table and placed his chin in his hand, thinking, “But it just might work. You can pretend to be my fiancé for a bit and scare off the lodgers, and- “

“I get to steal your sweatshirts and jackets whenever I want,” you stated, smiling evilly and sticking out your hand. The deal wasn’t really affecting your life – pretending to be Jaehyun’s fiancé was harmless really – so you didn’t want to ask for too much in return.

“Within reason,” he stated pointedly, but shook your hand nonetheless. “Just switch your ring to your other finger and we’re good to go.”

“What if they’re going to leave anyway, do I still have to be your fiancé?”

He thought for a moment, searching your face for any hesitation before speaking, “No, do it anyway.” You felt a smile sneak onto your face, but he continued, “That way they won’t want to call me or go out again afterwards.”

Two weeks later, and you waited outside your apartment with an umbrella, anticipating Jaehyun’s text. You watched as your neighbours walked past you in the lobby, shooting you odd looks as you stared expectantly at your phone. This was not the first time they’d seen you loitering by the main doors with a suitcase. Actually, it was almost three times a week that you’d be standing there in your raincoat, one hand on your suitcase and one holding your phone. You’d played this role seven times since your agreement, and you pretty much had the timing down pat.

‘now,’ your phone dinged in your hand and you sighed, readying yourself. Shifting your ring to your ring finger, you pressed the button for the elevator. When the doors slid open, you briefly closed your eyes, wondering why this always felt like such a big deal to you.

Bringing your keys out of your bag, and dragging the empty suitcase behind you, you walked up to your door, hesitating only briefly before opening the door, “Surprise! I’m home early! Babe?” You called into the apartment.

There was a soft thump from Jaehyun’s room and you stood waiting in the kitchen, your hand tightly grasping your suitcase handle. The door opened and Jaehyun rushed out, grabbing onto your shoulders, “There’s my beautiful fiancé! Look at the sunrise, how beautiful!” He began to push you towards the window in the back of the apartment and turned around to see the hallway. “Don’t turn around,” he whispered in your ear, his breath fanning your neck as he leant in.

You heard the soft sound of the front door closing slowly, and turned to Jaehyun, a grin on your face, “How’d I do?”

He looked at your face briefly, your happy expression, and began walking back to his room, shaking his head as he left, “Perfect, as usual.”

You gave his retreating figure an odd look, but when he joined you ten minutes later for breakfast, he had almost returned to normal.

“You were in a happy mood this morning,” you deadpanned, grabbing a spoon for your cereal.

“Didn’t get much sleep last night,” he mumbled, buttering his toast and refusing to make eye contact with you.

You felt yourself shrinking as you let out a soft ‘oh’, and began to eat in silence.

He looked up at you suddenly, searching your face as he spoke, “You know, I was thinking-“

“That’s dangerous,” you snorted into your cereal, bringing your spoon to your mouth.

He gave you a pointed look before continuing, “I was thinking that before you show up, these girls really have no idea that I’m engaged.”

“Isn’t that the point?”

“No, I mean, it’s not like my room exactly screams ‘serious relationship’,” he said, raising his head to look at you, sending you a soft smile. “I think, if we really want this to work, they need to believe that I’m actually husband material.” There was a pause and he gasped, “Why are you laughing? I can be husband material!”

You kept laughing, pointing at him with your spoon, “No, you really can’t.”

He smiled and shook his head at your reaction, “Okay, well, either way, we need to make my room look more girl-friendly.”

You shrugged, “Sure, what’re you thinking?”

His smile stretched wider across his face, pausing for dramatic effect, “We’re going… to IKEA.”

You laughed at his antics and put your empty bowl in the sink, “What, now?”

He nodded, excited energy overflowing from him, “Yeah, if you’re free.”

“What about this?” You turned around to face Jaehyun, holding up a dark blue patterned pillow, thinking it would look nice against the grey tones in his otherwise colourless bedroom. Families rushed around the store pushing trolleys and carrying lists and tiny pencils with the IKEA logo inscribed on them. You had decided to focus on accessories for Jaehyun’s room, agreeing that accessories, whilst being cheap, would make the room seem more feminine.

Jaehyun looked around the pillow section with you, following you with the trolley, leaning over the handlebars and spending most of his time complaining. “No, I like this one,” he held up a maroon and yellow pillow, a horrid pattern covering its case. He read its tag, “Bënaki… I’d like to Bënaki with you.” He winked at you when you turned around.

You laughed and threw the blue pillow you were holding at him, “I think not.”

“Hey!” He picked up the pillow and threw it back at you, but you ducked and hid behind the shelves of another aisle, arming yourself with more of the ugly brown and yellow pillows which seemed to surround you, before jumping up and bombarding him with the three pillows you had managed to hold at once.

Soon, your trolley was abandoned as you each fired pillows at each other, ducking in and out of aisles and sprinting away from each other.

You panted as you ran from him, dodging the few families and tossing a pillow into a display and hiding in one of the display rooms. It was a small monotone bedroom, decorated in colours of grey and black, and you hid behind the bed, waiting with a hammering heart as you heard Jaehyun’s hurried footsteps run after you.

You giggled to yourself as you watched him run past, his hair flying behind him as searched for you. Creeping into the adjoining kitchen, you accidentally knocked over a pot and hurried to grab it, shocked at the loud noise. You silently placed the pot back onto the display stove and ducked into the bathroom, decorated in colours of green and brown.

Watching the kitchen door carefully, you slowly crept backwards towards the bedroom when two strong arms wrapped around your torso, causing you to let out a squeal.

Jaehyun held onto you and laughed at your reaction. You attempted to catch your breath, but his arms only slightly loosened around you. He started to waddle-walk as he directed to you back to the cushion section, his arms wrapped snuggly around your waist.

“I won, so does this mean I get to choose the pillows?” He asked, mumbling into your ear as he retracted his right arm from you, coming to stand on your right and grabbing at a random pillow and inspecting it carefully. His left hand held on your waist still, and you stood far too close, yet neither of you moved away.

“I like that one,” you said quietly, looking over at a new one he’d picked up. It had differing shades of black and white with a small hint of blue. He hummed in response, grabbing two and carrying them to your abandoned trolley that had remained in the corner of the cushion section.

“Is that everything?” He asked, tallying up the objects that already sat in the trolley. There were two cushions, a small pot plant, a small canvas painting and a soft furry blanket. You smiled at the blanket, running your hand through it.

“Can I keep the blanket once this is over and done with?” You questioned, missing the falter in his smile, before he shrugged in response.

At the checkout, you pulled out your purse and handed him enough money to cover half of the bill. He looked at you surprised, “It’s just going into my room; I should pay.”

“Are you joking? When your… When there’s no one coming over, we can display them in the apartment. They’re not just for you. Besides, isn’t marriage about splitting the bill?” You grinned at him quickly before greeting the checkout assistant and watching as he began scanning your items.

Jaehyun cleared his throat and pulled out his own wallet, “Right. Of course.”

Back at the apartment, it was a Sunday, and you had classes the next day, so you always stayed home or went to visit Johnny while Jaehyun went clubbing or met his one night stands.

You helped Jaehyun ferry your new items up to the apartment and decorated his room quickly, placing the pot plant on his chest of drawers next to the photo that you liked so much, the pillows and blanket on his bed and displaying the artwork on the wall above his bed. Jaehyun worked around you, cleaning up the never-ending mess that was his bedroom floor.

He’d connected his phone to a speaker and you both sang and danced around while you worked. Needless to say, you enjoyed every moment and loved watching him perform random songs as he tossed his clothes into the laundry hamper.

Once you’d finished, and his bedroom was almost spotless, you huffed and wiped your head as you examined your work, “Well, it definitely looks a lot better.”

He came over to stand beside you in the doorway, his arm slung along your shoulders and agreed, “Definitely.” Jaehyun grabbed his laundry bag and slung it over his shoulder, “What are your plans for tonight?”

You sighed and flopped onto his bed, exhausted. You covered your eyes with your forearm, “I’m just going to stay in tonight. I’m too tired. I heard there’s a Seinfeld marathon on, maybe I’ll watch that. What about you? Who’s your hot date for tonight?”

You sat up on your elbows to look at him and he puffed his cheeks out, leaning against the doorframe with his shoulder, “I don’t have a date tonight.”

You felt your eyebrows raise in surprise, “Oh?”

He tucked his hands into his pockets, “No, but if you’re st-“ He was cut off by an alert on your phone and he stopped, watching you pull out your phone.

[5:24pm] Utah: hey y/n any chance you want to maybe grab dinner tonight?? I know its last minute but … :D

finally decided to start posting my jaehyun fic so here it is lmao,, I know it says three parts but u never know this will probably have more parts lmao

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